ADEN: Yemen’s premier survived anattack in Aden yesterday claimed by theIslamic State group but officially blamedon Shiite rebels, with 15 coalition troopsand loyalists killed there and elsewherein the city. While Prime Minister KhaledBahah escaped unharmed in the attackon government headquarters at Al-QasrHotel, some of his ministers were “lightlywounded”. Military installations were alsohit. Bahah and some ministers onlyreturned to Aden in mid-September fromsix months in Saudi exile after fleeingwith President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadias the Iran-backed Houthi rebelsadvanced on the city.

IS said four suicide bombers struckthe government headquarters and posi-tions of the Saudi-led coalition, a claimthat contradicted official accounts of arebel rocket attack. Bahah wrote onFacebook that two rockets had hit thehotel while other rockets struck else-where. But an IS statement, postedonline, said two bomb-laden vehiclesdriven by its members had struck theheavily fortified, multi-storey hotel. Thejihadists, who control large parts of Iraq

and Syria and have affiliates elsewhere inthe region, said an unspecified numberof soldiers were killed. A third suicidebomber drove an armored vehicle into a“central operations headquarters ofSaudi and Emirati forces, killing dozens”.And a fourth blew up a UAE-held militaryposition using another armored vehicle,the group said. IS published the namesand photographs of the four allegedassailants.

But the UAE’s official WAM newsagency said the attacks were carried outby the rebels and their allies, who “tar-geted the government headquarters andseveral military positions (and) left 15Arab coalition and Yemeni resistancemartyrs”. It said four Emirati soldiers wereamong the coalition forces killed andthat several others were wounded. Thecoalition said three Emiratis and oneSaudi soldier died. Katyusha rockets wereused, and coalition forces “responded tothe source of fire and destroyed the vehi-cles” used to launch them, the officialSaudi SPA news agency quoted a state-ment as saying.

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Low rainfall, rise in sea level and temperatureseen by 2035

WWF: Sneezing monkey, ‘walking’ fish found in Himalayas

Nadal thrown by ex-ball boy, Djokovic catches fire

Facebook blow as EU quashes transatlantic data deal

MoI bans gatherings outside husseiniyas

Five ministers face grillings • MP slams e-media law By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The ministry of interior won’t allow any gather-ings to be held outside husseiniyas (Shiite worshipplaces), said MoI Undersecretary Lt Gen Suleiman Al-Fahd, urging commitment and abidance to genuineKuwaiti customs and traditions. During a meeting withsenior security field officials yesterday, Fahd stressed thenecessity of immediately and directly handling potentialsecurity emergencies, the ministry’s security mediadepartment said in a statement. Fahd also urged policepersonnel to be on full alert, noting that the nation’ssecurity requires full cooperation with concerned bodiesand positive response by husseiniya goers. He alsoreviewed with the field operation team plans and proce-dures for securing husseiniyas, reiterating keenness onpublic order and safety.

Separately, independent MP Jamal Al-Omar said yes-terday that five ministers are expected to be grilled in thenext parliamentary term starting after three weeks, “afterthey had been given enough time to carry out reformsand failed”. Omar said the ministers on the list include theministers of social affairs and labor, oil, health, financeand commerce and industry. The lawmaker said he sup-ports plans to activate monitoring powers enjoyed byMPs, especially since the Assembly has been very cooper-ative with the government in the past terms.

He called on the prime minister to “read the politicalscene well”, a reference to calls for the premier to reshufflehis Cabinet by changing the ministers being targeted forquestioning. Acting Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterSheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah meanwhile toldreporters yesterday he has no knowledge of any plan toreshuffle the Cabinet or change any Cabinet minister.

The Cabinet is already one member short afterElectricity, Water and Public Works Minister Ahmad Al-Jassar submitted his resignation after he was convictedby a court in a corruption case, which he has alreadychallenged.

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KUWAIT: HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets visitingGerman Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier yesterday. — KUNA

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Acting Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterSheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah yesterdayhailed the strong ties between Kuwait and Germanyduring a joint press conference with visiting GermanForeign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “Our coun-

tries’ strong relations were best manifested during the1990 Iraqi aggression when Germany fully supportedKuwait’s legitimacy,” Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said,adding that HH the Amir’s historic visit to Germanywas another manifestation of such deep-rooted rela-tions.

Continued on Page 13

Kuwait-German ties hailed

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Residents of Fahaheel and Mangafwere advised to close all doors and windowstightly after a malfunction at the Ahmadi refin-ery resulted in a gas leak yesterday. The foulodor of the ammonia and sulfur dioxide gasesreached al l the way to Shuwaik h. KuwaitNational Petroleum Co CEO Mohammed GhaziAl-Mutairi said he had immediately contactedthe manager of the Ahmadi refinery, who con-firmed that the leak happened due to a malfunc-tion and assured it was controlled within 20 min-utes. There was reportedly no threat to publicsafety.

Green Line Group Chairman Khalid Al-Hajrireported receiving various complaints from resi-dents of nearby areas. There was no officialresponse at the time of going to print. A similarfoul-smelling gas leak took place in Oct 2012 atthe Rawdatain oil well, when residents in areasas far as 100 km away reported smelling the rot-ten-egg odor of hydrogen sulfide gas. Kuwait OilCo had said the leak happened due to a veryhigh pressure of crude, but the incident causedno casualties. KOC added it had set fire to thewell in the huge oilfield close to the border withIraq, which had sharply reduced the leak. KOCalso evacuated workers from near the well as aprecautionary measure.

Foul odor hangs in air after gas leak at refinery

Yemen PM survives ‘IS’ attack 15 Gulf, loyalist troops killed in Aden bombings

ADEN: Smoke billows from the Al-Qasr Hotel in Aden’s western suburbs after itwas hit in an attack yesterday. — AFP

Takaaki Kajita Arthur McDonald

STOCKHOLM: Takaaki Kajita of Japan andArthur McDonald of Canada were award-ed the Nobel Physics Prize yesterday fordetermining that neutrinos have mass, akey piece of the puzzle in understandingthe cosmos. “The discovery has changedour understanding of the innermost work-ings of matter and can prove crucial to ourview of the Universe,” the Royal SwedishAcademy of Sciences said. The findings areso far-reaching that they challenge the so-called Standard Model, the conceptualmodel of fundamental particles andforces, it said.

Neutrinos are electrically neutral sub-atomic particles that are created as theresult of nuclear reactions, such as theprocess that makes the Sun shine. Next toparticles of light called photons, they arethe most abundant particles in the uni-

verse. Their existence was tentatively pro-posed in 1930, but was only proved in the1950s, when nuclear reactors began toproduce streams of the particles. The pre-vailing theory was that neutrinos weremassless, but experiments carried out sep-arately in underground labs by teams ledby Kajita in Japan and McDonald inCanada showed that this was not the case.

Many neutrinos blasted out from theSun - a type called electron neutrinos“oscillated” en route to become cousinparticles called muon-neutrinos and tau-neutrinos, they found. Since the 1960s, sci-entists had estimated the number of neu-trinos created in the nuclear reactions thatmake the Sun shine. But when this figurewas compared against actual measure-ments on Earth, an anomaly emerged.

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CHICAGO: A simple childish spat over a puppy ledan 11-year-old boy to shoot and kill his eight-year-old neighbor in the US state of Tennessee, the girl’sgrieving mother said. Latasha Dyer said her daugh-ter was playing outside when the boy asked to seeher puppy. Little McKayla said “no,” and shortly afterwas shot in the chest. “When we first moved toWhite Pine, the little boy was bullying McKayla,”Latasha Dyer told WATE 6 news in a video posted onthe station’s website Sunday. “He was making fun ofher, calling her names, just being mean to her. I hadto go the principal about him and he quit for a whileand then all of a sudden yesterday he shot her.”

Dyer was overcome with emotion as she spoke tothe local television station from the front steps of ahome in White Pine, Tennessee. “I want her back inmy arms, this is not fair. Hold and kiss your babiesevery night because you’re never promised the nextday with them,” she said. “I hope the little boylearned his lesson because he took my baby’s life -and I can’t get her back.”

Continued on Page 13

Japanese, Canadian win Nobel for neutrino work

US boy, 11, kills girl, 8, over puppyBoy, 11, kills bro, 12

JERUSALEM: Israel yesterday demolished thehomes of two Palestinians behind attacks lastyear after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahupledged an iron fist against mounting unrest.The demolitions came with Netanyahu underincreasing pressure from right-wing membersof his coalition, which holds only a one-seatmajority, as clashes have spread in recent daysfollowing the murder of four Israelis. The spikein violence has brought international calls forcalm, with concerns the unrest could spin outof control and memories of previousPalestinian uprisings still fresh.

The houses destroyed were the formerhomes of Ghassan Abu Jamal andMohammed Jaabis, a military statement said.

They were placed under demolition ordersafter the men attacked Israelis last year.Armed with meat cleavers and a pistol, AbuJamal and his cousin Uday Abu Jamal killedfour rabbis and a policeman before beingshot dead in Nov 2014. Jaabis rammed anearthmover into a bus in August 2014, killingan Israeli and wounding several others. Hewas shot dead by police at the scene.

An AFP journalist saw the gutted inside ofa house in east Jerusalem that witnesses saidwas the former residence of Abu Jamal.Yasser Abdu, 40, a neighbour and friend of theAbu Jamals, accused Israel of a “policy of col-lective punishment”. The demolition explo-sion, which took place before dawn, blew out

the interior of the structure but the support-ing pillars remained intact, an AFP journalistsaid. The blast damaged other apartments inthe building as well as surrounding structures.

Eyewitnesses said police and other authori-ties arrived yesterday at midnight, lockingdown the area before drilling and plantingthe explosives. A room was also sealed off atthe former home of Muataz Hijazi, who inOctober 2014 tried to gun down a right-wingJewish activist, critically wounding him. Hijaziwas shot dead the next morning during apolice raid. The demolitions had been chal-lenged in Israel’s top court which ultimatelyapproved them months ago.

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Israel razes Palestinian homes

L O C A LWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

By Labeed Abdal

local@kuwaittimes.net

Educationunder fire

UNICEF recently reported that growing conflictsand political disturbances in the Middle East andNorthern Africa have deprived over 13 million

children from schooling. The report, titled ‘EducationUnder Fire’, focuses on the impact of violence on school-children and the educational systems in nine countriesthat have been directly or indirectly affected by acts ofviolence in the past few years. It is actually a seriousattempt to face the real ugliness of what has befallenchildren as a result of adults’ actions.

The report also stressed that destructive attacks onschool and education infrastructure ultimately prevent-ed many children from attending classes, and this callsfor immediate implementation of international resolu-tions issued by the UN. One must also not neglect thefact that conflicts have been forcing thousands of teach-ers to quit their jobs and preventing thousands of fright-ened parents from sending their kids to schools.

According to the report, over 700,000 childrenamongst Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanoncannot go to school because the educational infrastruc-ture in those countries is too overwhelmed and cannotabsorb any more students. This is an alarming fact thatcalls for the international community’s intervention totake this problem into consideration as an urgent con-cern that needs immediate solutions without any delayto save human beings from humiliation, hunger and dis-placement.

All conflicts in the east and west should undoubtedlycome to an end or at least be put aside for a while. Wemust activate the role of international organizationsthat have been lately more like empty vessels spendingtime and exerting efforts to solve only the problems ofthe UN Security Council’s five member states - the statesthat have gone way beyond disagreement and havebecome addicted to proxy or direct wars. The world isbecoming a fierce wrestling arena.

In my view

Arab communication ministers boost ties

CAIRO: The 19th session of the council of Arab min-isters of communication and information technolo-gy discussed developing cooperation in the field, asannounced by head of the Kuwaiti delegation in theevent, Abdullah Al-Azmi. The meeting’s agenda alsoincluded the results of the meeting of the perma-nent Arab postal committee, including a proposalto establish a joint Arab postal authorities’ network,Al-Azmi told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) yester-day. Moreover, the council discussed establishingan Arab training center in Tunisia, in cooperationwith the Universal Postal Union, the regional devel-opment plan for 2013-2016 and the proposal forissuing a unified Arab post stamp, he noted. Headded that they also discussed connecting Arabinternet networks, fighting cyber crimes and terror-ism, enabling disabled people to use internet andthe role of youth in developing the informationtechnology field.

GCC’s tourism officials meet in Qatar capital

DOHA: Undersecretaries of GCC tourism ministriesand authorities came together in the Qatari capitalof Doha on Monday. Addressing the meeting, QatariTourism Authority Chairman Issa bin Mohammed AlMohannadi expressed much appreciation for GCCjoint work over the past year. Al-Mohannadi empha-sized the discussion of programs that will furtherthe GCC joint work goals in tourism and importanceof reactivating joint work between GCC public andprivate sectors. He added that to achieve furthertourism joint GCC work, it is necessary to identifythe challenges and then implement goals that wereapproved by the ministers during their first meetingin Kuwait. The meeting will explore ways to increaseintra-GCC tourism and review the UAE vision of afuture joint project to promote tourism in the GCCregion, said Assistant Secretary General of the GCCCultural and Media Affairs Khaled Al-Ghassani.

NewsI n b r i e f

Coast guards of three GCC states conduct joint drill

MANAMA: Bahrain Coast Guard organized a tacticalexercise, codenamed “Gulf of Peace 5/2015,” in coopera-tion with Kuwait Coast Guard and the Saudi BorderGuards. Chief of the Bahraini Public Security Maj.-GenTariq Al Hassan and GCC delegations and field com-manders attended the opening ceremony of the drills,according to a statement by the Bahraini Ministry ofInterior. He was briefed on the goals and phrases of theexercise in addition to its importance in enhancingtraining capability of the joint forces, BNA news agencysaid, citing the statement. He said that hosting this tac-tical exercise in Bahrain is an added-value to theBahraini Coast Guard and joint GCC security coopera-tion and coordination in achieving highest maritimesecurity level. The public security chief hailed the role ofsuch exercises in gaining more field experiences andoperation planning capability. He appreciated theInterior Minister for his directives to support the CoastGuard with the latest equipment, technology and train-ing in accordance with international standards.

October 6 war anniversary a special occasion for Kuwait

CAIRO: Director General and Chairman of Kuwait NewsAgency (KUNA) Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah said the anniversary of the October 6 war victoryis a special occasion for Kuwait, whose soldiers weremartyred alongside their Egyptian brothers in Sinai.Sheikh Mubarak’s statement was published by theMiddle East News Agency (MENA) on the 42nd anniver-sary of the 1973 Arab war against Israel yesterday. TheOctober 6 victory lifted the spirits of all Arabs who weredemoralized by the 1967 war defeat by Israel, saidSheikh Mubarak, adding that it was the first true unityafter long years of conflict between Arab states. Arabcountries provided full support to Egypt and Syria at thetime, including political, military and financial aid, aswell as using Arab oil exports as a weapon of war, henoted. Meanwhile, the KUNA official stressed that thedestruction of the Israeli Bar Lev line by the Egyptianforces was a great military achievement that ended thelegacy of the so-called “invincible” Israeli army.

Kuwait, US guards conduct naval drill

KUWAIT: Kuwait naval force and US coastal guards con-ducted a security drill on how to inspect and interceptships, professionally and efficiently. Kuwaiti Army’sDirectorate of Moral Guidance and Public Relations saidyesterday, in a press release that the drill comes as partof a joint security cooperation between Kuwait and theUS that aims at raising skills and exchanging expertise.In another development, a Kuwaiti-Pakistani committeemeeting kicked off to promote military cooperationbetween the two countries, Kuwaiti Army’s Directorateof Moral Guidance and Public Relations announced yes-terday. The meeting was headed by Major GeneralAhmad Abdulwahab Al-Amairi from the Kuwaiti side,while Major General Muktar Ahmad headed thePakistani side. The meeting was also attended by anumber of senior officers in the army.

Director General and Chairman of Kuwait News Agency(KUNA) Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabahreceived correspondent of Middle East News Agency(MENA).

Used vehiclesmarket eyed

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Minister of Commerce and Industry Yousef Al-Aliformed a special committee to develop the used vehiclesmarket (locally known as haraj) and regulate brokerage onsecondhand vehicle sales. The committee will be headedby the ministry ’s technical office chief specialistMohammed Ibrahim Al-Rakhees.

New loan policy MP Abdullah Al-Tamimi yesterday urged the Finance

Minister and Central Bank governor to explain the new pol-icy on granting loans to citizens and expatriates. He addedthat the regulations recently declared by the Central Bankin this regard were ambiguous, especially after many citi-zens applied for loans and were asked to provide proof onhow they would spend the sum they intend to borrowwithin six months.

Financial violationsMP Khalil Abdullah yesterday said that Kuwait Aviation

Services Company (KASCO) was full of financial violationsconcerning employees’ contracts, hostel and transportvehicles lease contracts, losses by paying delay penaltiesand forgery in previous annual budgets. These remarkscame in a parliamentary inquiry Abdullah made to theMinister of Communications Essa Al-Kandari.

QR 4,342,854 penaltyIn an unprecedented ruling, the Appeals Court yester-

day ordered a local construction company to pay a mem-ber of the Qatari ruling family QR 4,342,854 as penalty fornot completing the company’s work on a real estate proj-ect in Qatar. Notably, the company closed down its Qatarbranch, which necessitated filing a case before a Qataricourt that sentenced the company to pay the sum stipulat-ed in the contract’s penal clause. Accordingly, the plaintiffhired lawyer Zaid Al-Khabaz to represent him in filing acase before Kuwaiti courts demanding execution of theQatari court ruling, which was seconded by a first instanceruling, but the company filed an appeal.

(From right to left) Professor Nabila Abdella, Consultant Diabetelogist at Mubarak Hospital and Professor ofMedicine at Kuwait University; Dr Magda Abd Alsamad, Head of Internal Medicine - Mubarak Hospital and DrWaleed Al-Dahi, Consultant Endocrinologist —Mubarak Hospital.

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAT: A consultant of endocrinolo-gy and diabetes at Mubarak Hospitalyesterday warned diabetes is a dis-ease that is still on the rise in theregion in general and in Kuwait in par-ticular. Dr Waleed Al-Dahi said theprevalence of the disease is around 24percent, adding that the authoritiesshould work on the prevention of thisdisease through the spread of aware-ness, change of lifestyle and encour-aging exercise, which should beadopted from an early stage in school.

Dahi was speaking during a round-table meeting on Forxiga, the newbreakthrough medicine for diabetes,that manages type 2 diabetes. Forxigais in tablet form and helps to reduceblood glucose levels by helping thekidneys remove glucose from theblood and excrete it with urine.Forxiga (Dapagliflozin) helps lowerblood glucose levels by helping thebody to filter excess glucose out ofthe blood. Patients should be awareto maintain a healthy diet and do reg-ular physical exercise, in addition totaking Forxiga to keep their bodieshealthy.

Dapagliflozin is in a class of drugcalled SGLT2 inhibitors. These drugswork by targeting and helping to stopsodium-glucose transport proteinsfrom allowing glucose that has beenfiltered out of the blood by the kid-neys to be reabsorbed back into theblood. This new treatment that cen-ters on the kidney in managing type 2diabetes, and which has beenapproved in Europe and the US, hasnow been introduced in Kuwait. Thehighlights of the breakthrough devel-opment were discussed at the med-ical symposium.

News of the innovative treatmentcomes at a time when nearly 17 mil-lion out of the 34.5 million peopleaffected by diabetes in the MENAregion are said to be undiagnosedand therefore are at considerable riskof diabetic complications. The figureswere published in the 6th edition ofthe IDF Diabetes Atlas published byInternational Diabetes Federation(IDF).

“This should come as great newsfor type 2 diabetics. With this discov-ery, medical science can be said tohave achieved a breakthrough in themanagement of type 2 diabetes withthe kidney as the focal point. We aredelighted to announce that Forxiga,the new treatment in managing type2 diabetes, is now available in Kuwait,which demonstrates that the Kuwaitremains at the forefront of accessibili-ty to advanced healthcare,” said DrNabila Abdella, Professor of Medicineat Kuwait University, Dr Dahi and DrMajida Al-Saleh, Head of InternalMedicine at Mubarak Hospital said ina joint statement.

“The IDF report estimates the pro-portion of cases of undiagnosed dia-betes based on population-basedstudies using either fasting blood glu-cose or oral glucose tolerance test in across-sectional survey of people whowere not earlier aware of their condi-tion. The figure of undiagnosed casesof diabetes in the MENA region isalarming and needs to be addressedat micro and macro levels,” theyadded. “The introduction of new oraltreatments for managing type 2 dia-betes such as Forxiga, which is insulinindependent, might change the waywe treat patients in coming years. Itspells good news for the advance-ment of healthcare globally andKuwait,” said Dr Nabila.

Samer Al-Hallaq, President,AstraZeneca Gulf, said: “Millions ofpeople in the Gulf are living with type2 diabetes due to a variety of factors.AstraZeneca is introducing a RobustPortfolio that includes three newclasses in the NIAD (Non Insulin Anti-diabetic Market: DPP4, GLP-1& SGLT2)bringing innovation and scientificleadership that will benefit millions ofdiabetic patients across the globe,especially in the Gulf.” AstraZenecaGulf has drawn up huge plans for itsdiabetes portfolio. The first in classSGLT-2 inhibitors were launched themedical symposium in Kuwait.Currently approved in more than 41countries globally, the new treatmentwas the first SGLT2 inhibitor to gainregulatory approval to treat type 2diabetes in Europe in Nov 2012.

It was approved by the US Foodand Drug Administration for the treat-ment of adults with type 2 diabetes inJan 2014, supported by a robust clini-cal development program consistingof 24 clinical studies evaluating safetyand efficacy. “The significance of thistreatment is that it works independ-ently of insulin to help remove excessglucose from the body. The discoveryof the hitherto unknown role of thekidney in treating diabetes will offerpatient a solution to reducing bloodglucose, weight and blood pressure,”Hallaq added.

Medical consultant warns ‘diabetes still on the rise’

KUWAIT: Youth enterprise initiatives constitute effectivemeans that contribute to boosting and diversifying theeconomy, luring investments and creating new jobs for theyoungsters. Kuwait has recently witnesses a large numberof initiatives aimed at providing small entrepreneurs withguidance as well as an adequate space-namely “SerdabLap” initiative-physically a vast basement where theseyoung businessmen get together for coordination to runtheir businesses.

“Serdab Lap” aims to bolster economic development,providing an adequate environment for the young citizensto improvise and create new businesses. Haidar Al-Musawi,one of the founders of the “business basement,” indicatedin an interview with KUNA that the place allows these inex-perienced entrepreneurs to interact, exchange ideas, holdseminars and courses on related technological and com-mercial affairs.

The initiative was launched due to the market lack ofaccommodations for gatherings by the entrepreneurs whoneed to exchange expertise. Such initiatives are wellknown and widely spread in the United States. The initia-tive, launched a year and a half ago, provides guidance bypersonnel specialized in commerce and technology in theyouth ventures, however these entrepreneurs do not getfinancial assistance. Providing the youth with such spacesis crucial, considering difficulties in obtaining business per-mits as well as the soaring prices of properties. SaharAbdulrasoul, in charge of the enterprise marketing, toldKUNA that the managers are facing difficulties in persuad-ing the youth to get engaged in collective work. —KUNA

By Hannan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Ahmadi police, in cooperation with theMunicipality, PAAAFR and helicopters, impounded 14 vio-lating vehicles, some without plates or chassis numbers.Other vehicles with Gulf plates were also impounded forrecklessness on public roads. The campaign resulted in thediscovery of an animal pen that was turned into a garageto repair cars.

Car fire Abu HalifaFiremen dealt with a car fire in Abu Halifa, preventing it

from spreading to the house it was parked in front of. Noinjuries were reported.

Pregnant woman rescuedA pregnant woman was rescued and taken to hospital

as the car she was in flipped over in Qurtuba. Shuhada fire-men dealt with the accident and freed the woman.

Imported liquorHawally police arrested a young man with his European

companion with seven cases of imported liquor and threecases of beer. The man was found wanted to serve fouryears in jail for forgery. Both were sent to DCGD.

Ahmadi police seize 14 violating vehicles

‘Serdab Lap’ providesspace for Kuwait’s

young entrepreneurs

L O C A LWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

KUWAIT: A new survey by Bayt.com, the num-ber one career site in the Middle East, andYouGov, a pioneer in online market research,entitled ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and NorthAfrica Survey 2015’ has revealed that half ofpeople living in Kuwait City are either very hap-py or somewhat happy living in their currentcity of residence.

Economic FactorsOne in four respondents (24%) from Kuwait

City believes that the availability of jobs is eithergood or excellent, while 15% believe it is bad.Similarly, around a quarter of respondents inKuwait City believe that competitive salaries aregood-to-excellent. Other important economicfactors in Kuwait include benefits for workingparents and reasonably priced amenities.

Labor RightsKuwait City was the tenth top-scoring city in

the MENA region in terms of labor rights.Respondents from Kuwait City believe that theyhave good-to-excellent end of service benefits

(31%), termination rights (27%), vacationallowances (44%), wage protection system(31%), and health insurance and social securitysystems (36%).

Environmental FactorsEnvironmental factors form a set of impor-

tant aspects related to comfort and cleanlinessthat affect the overall quality of life in a city. Thevast majority of respondents in Kuwait City(53%) say that the cleanliness of their city streetsis either good or excellent. Other importantenvironmental factors in Kuwait City includeclean water (good-to-excellent: 47%) and beau-ty of the architecture and buildings (good-to-excellent: 45%).

Standard of LivingAccording to a large number of respondents,

Kuwait City rate as good-to-excellent on most ofthe key factors effecting the standard of living.These factors include the feeling of stability andsecurity (good-to-excellent: 48%), the availabili-ty of healthcare facilities (good-to-excellent:

48%), water/electricity/sewage systems (good-to-excellent: 68%), and the quality of education(good-to-excellent: 41%).

Socio-cultural FactorsThe socio-cultural factors are forces within

cultures, societies and cities that affect thethoughts, feelings and behaviors of individualswho are a part of them. Important socio-culturalfactors in Kuwait City include low crime rates,rated as good-to-excellent by 40% of KuwaitCityrespondents; a stable political environment,rated as good-to-excellent by 33% of KuwaitCity respondents; and effective law enforce-ment rated as good and excellent by 38% ofgood-to-excellent. Other important socio-cul-tural factors in Kuwait include equal treatmentof both genders and tolerance to different cul-tures and ideas.

Sports, Arts, Culture and RecreationIn Kuwait City, respondents ranked the avail-

ability of outdoor/sports activities (28%), theculture and arts offerings (25%), and the avail-

ability of family-friendly activities (25%) as goodor excellent. 21% of respondents ranked theavailability of natural areas/landscapes as good-to-excellent.

EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship has an impact on a city’s

prosperity, and Kuwait is seeing a nascentpropensity amongst respondents for starting abusiness. Kuwait City ranked either good orexcellent among respondents on the follow(15%), lack of bureaucracy in procedures andpaperwork (16%), the ease of finding finances tostart a business (19%), market willingness toaccept new ideas and innovations (32%), abiliaf-fordability of taxes and fees (36%). Suhail Masri,Vice President of Sales, Bayt.com, said: “As theleading career site in the region, it is our respon-sibility to showcase the best-percan make aninformed assessment if they are looking tomove and employers can do more to contributeto their city’s standard of living and wellbeing.”

Masri continued: “The MENA region is verydiverse when it comes to the factors that affect

the overall quality of living in each city. AtBayt.com, our mission has always been toempower people with the tools and technolo-gies to build their lifestyle of choice, and wewant to empower people with valuable in sightsinto life in cities that they might choose to livein. “Elissavet Vraka, Research Manager, YouGov,said: “It is through this kind of market researchthat we are able to provide a profile of citiesacross the Middle East and North Africa today sothat both employers and job seekers gain valu-able insights into the various factors that affectthe standard of living in their city of choice.”

Data for the Bayt.com ‘Top Cities in theMiddle East and North Africa Survey 2015’ wascollected online from August 25th toSeptember 6th 2015, with the participation of3,613 respondents. The survey polled peoplefrom varying nationalities including GCC Arabs,North Africans, Levantines, and Western andAsian expats living in major cities in the UAE,KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon,Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,and Pakistan.

Kuwait City’s happiness levels are risingHalf of residents ‘happy with life in their city’

New survey by Bayt.com

KUWAIT: Cross section of attendees. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: In support of the upcoming UnitedNations Climate Change Conference (COP21)which will be held in France in December, GulfUniversity for Science and Technology (GUST)and the Embassy of France in Kuwait organizeda gathering on climate change yesterday. DimaAl-Khatib, Deputy Resident Representative ofthe United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), presented her agency’s activities hereand some important facts related to the envi-ronment and climate change.

“In terms of greenhouse emissions inKuwait, we have 30.33 giga-grams of emissionsout of which a huge proportion comes fromenergy - 98 percent of this is associated withthe combustion of fossil fuels. The averagetemperature in Kuwait will increase by 1.6degrees Celsius by 2035, rainfall will decrease,and we will see a sea level rise that will affectapproximately 170,000 people. The studies arebased on research done by the World Bank,”she said.

“We have been working in 170 countries allover the world. In Kuwait, we started our workin 1964. Our mandate as of every other UNDPoffice is to support the implementation of thecountry’s development plan and developmentstrategies. We work with the country’s programdocument and action plan. We focus on fourareas - socioeconomic development, environ-ment, human development and governance,south-south cooperation and tripartite collab-oration,” Khatib said.

The Paris Agreement“In December 2015, the international com-

munity will convene in Paris to agree on a newglobal climate change deal aiming to acceler-ate opportunities for climate change action inall countries as an important pillar in the post-2015 era of sustainable development. The ParisAgreement has the potential to galvanizecountries and communities to act, simultane-ously working to reduce carbon emissions,while adapting to the long-term impacts of cli-mate change. UNDP is extremely pleased tojoin efforts with GUST and the Embassy ofFrance in Kuwait as well as other nationalgroups to raise awareness around this impor-tant global undertaking,” she added.

Ambassador of France to Kuwait ChristianNakhle was expected to address the gatheringbut his representative apologized for hisabsence as he had to attend to an emergencycall from France. In a prepared speech read outby his representative, Nakhle emphasized theFrench commitment to the COP 21, stressingtheir continues preparation to welcome thou-sands of delegations from all over the world.According to Nakhle, COP21, also known as‘Paris Climate 2015,’ has side events in manycountries to prepare everyone for the global

conference. “The Embassy of France in Kuwaithas organized many events, conferences andactivities like similar conferences will to be heldat the American University of Kuwait andKuwait University in the coming days. The‘Climate Talks’ event organized in collaborationwith GUST is an example of the different suc-cessful events organized in Kuwait,” he said.

COP21 will be held in Paris from Nov 30 toDec 11 under the umbrella of the GeneralSecretary of the United Nations and the

Presidency of France. Nakhle said this yearlyconference is a crucial international meetingand a top priority on France’s diplomatic agen-da as it aims to reach a legally binding and uni-versal agreement on climate change andpreservation of the planet. “We thank all ourKuwaiti partners, and especially GUST, for host-ing this event to raise awareness on the climatechange issue. This event is the first of its kind inthe country, supporting a global cause that willhelp mobilize the Kuwaiti society towardsreducing its carbon footprint,” he said.

Global challengesDr Salah Al-Sharhan, GUST Vice President of

Academic Affairs was represented on the podi-um by GUST University President DonaldBates, who welcomed the audience. “GUST isvery proud to be working with the Embassy ofFrance in Kuwait, the Kuwait EnvironmentalPublic Authority and UNDP, along with theglobally conscious citizens of Kuwait to sup-port such a noble and important cause. Wehave always strived to be a leader in respond-ing to global challenges by acting locally tocatalyze a positive change in our students andour community. We believe that true sustain-able development starts from behind class-room desks.” GUST’s Assistant Professor ofEnvironmental Science Dr. Mohamad Yassinespoke about climate change and its implica-tions on food, water and energy nexus; Dr

Taoulik Souami from the Urban PlanningSchool of Paris, discussed the best ways tochange human behavior to save environmen-tal resources, while Dr Eric Verdeil from ParisEast University talked about the emergingpolicies for sustainable transition inMediterranean countries.

Jenan Behzad, from the KuwaitEnvironment Protection Society (KEPS), shedlight on the story of climate change in Kuwait’sgreen schools; Salem Al-Ajmi from the KuwaitSociety of Engineers talked about the new e-waste plant in Kuwait and its benefits for thecountry and its environment, and finally,Sheikha Fatima Mubarak Jaber A1-Sabah, ViceChairperson and Executive Director of K’SPATH, answered the question on why we cleanbeaches and what are we protecting, showcas-ing the importance of even the most minimalactions to help the environment.

United Nations COP21Dr Khaled A1-Enzi, Head of Public Relations

at EPA said: “ The EPA has adopted anapproach in consolidating environmentalapproaches to conform with its perspective inmaking Kuwait among the best countries inthe region in terms of environmental protec-tion. In addition to increasing courses in gov-ernment schools and civil society institutions,the EPA strives to enhance environmentalthought and culture and seeks to achieve sus-tainable development. The EPA is also carry-ing out a campaign in four languages to pro-mote environmental awareness, targetingboth local citizens and expatriates.”

A “Kuwait Climate Action” competition wasalso announced during the event, whereteams must submit projects that detailactions to help reduce the impact of climatechange in Kuwait. The winning team will beawarded a trip to Paris to present their projectat COP21 on behalf of the Kuwait community.

The United Nations Climate ChangeConference (COP21), is a yearly conferencethat aims to achieve a legally binding and uni-versal agreement on climate change, preser-vation of the planet, and to reduce the green-house effect. Due to the alarmingly increasedrate of greenhouse emissions worldwidetoday, France is targeting an ambitious goalof reducing it by 40 percent by 2030, 60 per-cent by 2040 and finally 80-95 percent by2050 (compared to 1990); to encourage asafer future for generations to come. As partof its responsibility to the community, GUSTendeavors in becoming more involved incauses that effect the environment, andstand to create more conscientious global cit-izens of its students. GUST prides itself inactively engaging in projects alongside itsstaff, faculty and students, which help thecommunity and raise awareness on local andglobal issues.

Kuwait to experience low rainfall, increase in temperature and rise in sea level by 2035

GUST hosts climate conference

Dima Al-Khatib, Deputy ResidentRepresentative of the United NationsDevelopment Program speaking at the con-ference.

DOHA: Kuwait’s Minister of Justice andMinister of Awqaf and Islamic AffairsYaccoub Al-Sanae has underlined the needfor intensifying Gulf efforts to countercross-border crimes. In light of the growingchallenges facing the Gulf region, particu-larly from terror crimes, the GulfCooperation Council (GCC) member stateshave to take all required measures andapply necessary mechanisms to countersuch dangerous crimes, the minister toldKUNA upon arrival in Doha to partake inthe 27th GCC Justice Ministers Meeting.Minister Al-Sanae was received at the air-port by Qatari counterpart Hassan Al-Muhannadi and Kuwaiti Ambassador inDoha Miteb Al-Mutawtah. The meeting isscheduled to discuss a number of keyissues related to bilateral judicial coopera-tion, including a proposal for mutual extra-dition of wanted and convicted criminalsand a unified anti-terror law.

High tension Meanwhile, Kuwait has warned of the

grave dangers as a result of high tensionsglobally. The remark was made by KuwaitPermanent Representative to the UN andInternational Organizations AmbassadorJamal Al-Ghunaim at the executive com-mittee meeting of UN High Commission ofRefugees (UNHCR).Al-Ghunaim said thatreports by the commission describes very

clearly that the number of forced refugees’worldwide has reached 60 million peopleas of 2014.

The ambassador noted that such “devel-opment represents a real crisis on the eco-nomic and political fronts to many hostingcountries,” adding that such numbers wereunprecedented since the end of the worldwar II. Al-Ghunaim added that the interna-tional community would not overcome theurgent humanitarian crisis, particularly therefugee crisis, unless there was a strategiccooperation and partnership, includingsupport to UN affiliated organizations,especially those related to urgent anddeteriorating humanitarian aid.

The ambassador also expressed Kuwait’skeenness and support to the humanitarianrole by the UN, namely through allocating10 percent of its urgent aid since 2008 tonatural disasters and human created crisis.Since then, Al-Ghunaim said, Kuwait fol-lowed that decision with doubled theamount of aid on a yearly basis to a numberof humanitarian organizations, especiallythe UN High Commission of Refugees andthe International Committee of the RedCross, which covered various areas aroundthe world. Kuwait also called on all UNmember countries to fully abide by theircommitments and support the UN commis-sion, and to enable it deal with global crisiswith ease, Al-Ghunaim added. — Agencies

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: A number of students with schol-arships to study in the UK yesterdaydemonstrated outside the high educationheadquarters at Al-Sanabel Tower inprotest over suspending their scholarshipsand monthly allowances. Demonstratorsalso demanded accrediting certain univer-sities. In another development, a numberof employees of the Ministry ofCommunication yesterday demonstrated atthe ministry headquarters in Shuwaikhagainst suspending their allowances.

Sheikh Talal files complaintSheikh Talal Al-Fahd yesterday filed a

complaint to the public prosecutor againstMP Abdullah Al-Maayouf for comparinghim to Saddam Hussein. “The people knowwhat martyr Fahd Al-Ahmad and his sonsdid during the Iraqi aggression. What haveyou done as a soldier?” Sheikh Talalcharged in his complaint.

West Mishref floodedWest Mishref streets were flooded yes-

terday with sewage water, which irked thearea’s residents because of the foul odor.

Traffic police had to be dispatched to man-age traffic.

Abdaly cell caseThe Criminal Court yesterday postponed

the Abdaly cell case till Oct 13 pending sum-moning the concerned specialized weaponsand explosives officer for testimony.

Month of MuharramHealth Ministry Assistant

Undersecretary for Supporting MedicalServices Dr Jamal Al-Harbi coordinatedwith the Interior Ministry concerning serv-ices in husseiniyas during the upcomingmonth of Muharram. Harbi added that spe-cial emergency medical teams would be onalert and deployed to field clinics in variousgovernorates in addition to declaring astate of alert at 54 ambulance offices andhospitals all over Kuwait.

Illegal residents arrestedTwenty three illegal residents were

arrested yesterday while working in a car-pentry workshop in Rai, said securitysources, noting that six of the suspects helddomestic residency visas and 17 heldexpired article 18 residency visas.

Minister urges actions to curb cross-border crimes

Students protest outside education headquarters

LOCA LWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Kuwait Energy employees with top officials

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Kuwait Energy Company(KEC), an independent oil and gascompany actively engaged inexploration, appraisal, develop-ment and production of hydrocar-bons, celebrated the 10th anniver-sary of the company on Monday inthe presence of guests, media andboard members. Dr MansourBukhamseen, Executive Chairmanof the Board, who is also a memberof the nomination committee, nar-rated the company’s ups and downas it experiences challenges relatedto low oil prices and the effect ofthe Arab Spring political changes inthe Middle East.

But according to Bukhamseen,great things have happened at the

company, which has exceeded andoverpowered various challengesfaced in the past 10 years. “Wethank the people who helped us inmany ways to overcome various cir-cumstances and drive the companyto its heights - I personally thank allfrom the management and staffand board members and peoplewho trusted the company despitethese challenges,” Bukhamseensaid. Bukhamseen is a successfulbusiness entrepreneur, leader andfounder of several successful busi-ness enterprises in Kuwait. He hasover 25 years of experience in theoil and gas industry at Kuwait OilCompany, Zahra Group Holdingand Kuwait Energy.

Sara Akbar, Chief ExecutiveOfficer and a member of the board,

noted that Kuwait Energy Companyhas achieved, though not as theyexpected, good results to satisfy alltheir stakeholders. “Today, in cele-bration of 10 years in business, weare proud that we achieved all ourgoals and we achieved things thatwe dreamed about,” she said. “With673 million barrels of oil in reserve,we are actually number one in theregion to turn the reserves into rev-enues, which brings value to ourshareholders and stakeholders,” shementioned.

Akbar also thanked the efforts ofmade by more than 600 staff mem-bers who are working 24 hours invarious posts from their main officein Kuwait and other offices in Cairo,Sanaa, Baghdad and Basra. “We arenot here simply to do business and

get revenues, but provide the rightvalue for every effort,” she added.Akbar is a renowned professionaland personality in the oil and gasindustry, both in Kuwait and inter-nationally. She has over 30 yearsexperience in the oil and gas indus-try, having worked in several chal-lenging positions in Kuwait OilCompany (KOC) and Kuwait ForeignPetroleum Exploration Company(KUFPECO). Akbar has a BSc inChemical Engineering from KuwaitUniversity.

Since establishment in 2005,KEC has built a high-quality, diversi-fied portfolio of oil and gas assetsin the MENA region. Their MENAportfolio consists of 12 exploration,development and productionassets across Egypt, Iraq, Yemenand Oman. Its working interestsrange from 15 percent to 75 per-cent and it operates seven assets.

KEC celebrates 10th anniversary

BRUSSELS: A five-member friendshipgroup from Kuwait’s National Assembly iscurrently visiting Luxembourg for talkswith their counterparts, on a missionaimed at deepening bilateral cooperationand ties. The Kuwaiti delegation met withPresident of the Luxembourg parliamentMars Di Bartolomeo on Monday - dis-cussing a number of issues including theSyrian crisis and the issue of migrants,head of the group Askar Alenezi toldKuwait news agency (KUNA) yesterday. Henoted that he explained Kuwait’s positionand support to the Syrian refugees asKuwait has hosted three internationalconferences in support of the Syrianrefugees in which $7.7 billion waspledged including $1.3 billion by Kuwait.

Kuwait supports a political solution tothe Syrian crisis based on Geneva I agree-ment, Al-Anezi said. He also underlinedKuwait’s efforts to combat terrorism andits cooperation with the internationalcoalition against what is called ISIL.Moreover, the MPs discussed internationalrelations and Kuwait’s investments inLuxembourg, he added. The Kuwaiti MPsalso met Chairman of the Foreign Affairsand Defense Committee of theLuxembourg Parliament Marc Angel anddiscussed bilateral ties. “Relationsbetween Kuwait and Luxembourg are his-torical and excellent. We also praised theLuxembourg position in support ofKuwait during the Iraqi invasion”, saidAlenezi.

On his part, deputy head of theKuwait-Luxembourg parliamentary friend-ship committee Mohammad Al Huwailahsaid that their visit is within the programof the Kuwaiti National Assembly tostrengthen bilateral relations betweenKuwait and other countries in the world.The visit aims at strengthening relationsbetween the people of Kuwait and thefriendly country Luxembourg which holdsthe current EU Presidency and plays animportant role in Europe and the world,said Al Huwailah. “We hope to deepen tiesbetween the two countries. We haveinvestments in Luxembourg and we alsoseek investments in Kuwait and we wantto gain experience from the parliament ofLuxembourg especially in the areas of leg-islation, economy, education and socialsecurity”, he stressed.

Kuwait and Luxembourg are bothsmall countries and like Kuwait it has alarge population who are notLuxembourg citizens. MoreoverLuxembourg has a strong economy andwe want to gain from its experiences, henoted. The five-member delegationwhich is on a 3-day visit to Luxembourgincludes MPs Maadi Al Hajri, Fares AlOtaibi, Mohammad Al Barak.Luxembourg has a population of about520,000 and is considered to be a majorcenter for international finance andbanking. The Luxembourg Parliament ismade up of 60 members, elected for afive-year term. — KUNA

Kuwait’s MPs in Luxembourg to boost bilateral relations

The Kuwaiti delegation with President of the Luxembourg parliament Mars DiBartolomeo.

KUWAIT: Since its establishment in1981, around 180 Japanese experts andspecialists from Japan CooperationCenter, Petroleum (JCCP) have partici-pated in training courses in Kuwait, asenior oil official said. “JCCP is a strategicpartner in the training field,” said NizarAl-Adsani, CEO of Kuwait PetroleumCorporation (KPC). His remarks came onthe sidelines of a ceremony held forgraduates of JCCP, in presence of the

Japanese Ambassador ToshihiroTsujihara and a number of leaders in theoil sector. Al-Adsani pointed out thataround 620 Kuwaitis took part in varioustraining courses in Japan in cooperationwith JCCP, commending the Japanesecenter’s efforts in this regard.

He also expressed pride over the his-toric and deep-rooted relationsbetween Kuwait and Japan, noting thatthe Japanese training and research cen-

ters have contributed effectively intransferring and advancing Kuwaiti oilsector, which improved the skills andcapabilities of the workers, leaders andtechnicians. Meanwhile, Kuwait NationalPetroleum Company (KNPC) Acting CEOAhmad Al-Jimaz told reporters that theCompany is to sign, during October,with firms that were awarded the con-tracts of Al-Zour refinery project. Thesigning ceremony requires large prepa-

rations due to its historic significance forthe Company and Kuwait, he said.

The technical advisor assigned tostudy integration between Al-Zour refin-ery and the petrochemical complex isset to conclude his studies by the end ofthis year, Al-Jimaz noted, adding thatthe most suitable choice for the petro-chemical complex will be based onresults of the study in order to start withconstruction. He also indicated that Al-

Zour project has been advancing interms of procedures, adding that thepetrochemical industry can proceedeventually without any trouble. TheKNPC executive also affirmed theCompany’s keenness in developing itsemployees in various technological ven-ues in order to get acquainted with dif-ferent fields, including safety, environ-ment, administration, manufacturingand machinery. — KUNA

JCCP ‘strategic partner’ in training field: KPC

KUWAIT: Ooredoo Kuwait, amember of the internationalOoredoo Group, celebrated thelaunch of its new product,Xpress, and latest Shamel offerswith its partners and official dis-tributors in Kuwait, in a presti-gious event that took place onSunday, October 4th 2015 inSalwa Al Sabah Ballroom.Commenting on this annualevent, Yousef Dashti , SeniorDirector of Direct SalesatOoredoo Kuwait said: “We arepleased to host our partners andofficial distributors in this eventwhich we conduct on an annualbase, to honor them for theongoing support they provide usand their contribution to the suc-cess of our business. Ooredooand its partners have been work-ing together for so many yearsand we are looking forward tofurther collaborate with each oneof them in the very near future”

Partners were handed tro-phies which included a gratitudemessage reflecting Ooredoo’ssincere gratefulness for theirongoing support and for deliver-ing excellence in performance

and results, contributing to thesuccess of the company and thesatisfaction of its customers. Theevent program included aspeech by Tamer Shibl, ChiefSales Officer and a presentationby Yousef Dashti, Senior Directorof Direct Sales, in addition to avideo with the company’s latestactivities and campaigns. The cel-ebration also involved entertain-ment program lead by therenowned radio presenterOsama Fouda, competitions, raf-fle draw and giveaways to atten-dees.

Ooredoo celebrates its new Xpress, Latest Shamel offers with partners

BRUSSELS: A Kuwaiti parliamentary dele-gation led by Deputy National AssemblySpeaker, Mubarak Al-Khurainij, held talkswith Belgian foreign ministry officials andseparately with Senators Monday eveningaimed at strengthening bilateral ties andcooperation. A-Khurainji told KUNA thatthe meetings discussed bilateral Belgian-Kuwait ties as well as Middle East issuesincluding Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Yemen.He stressed that a political solution in Syriais vital based on Geneva I and he specifiedthat Kuwait is helping in solving the Syrianrefugee crisis.

He noted that Kuwait hosted three inter-national conferences for the Syrianrefugees where USD 7.7 bill ion waspledged. Kuwait pledged $1.3 billion. Al -Khurainij said that on Iran, Kuwait has wel-comed the UNSC resolution 2231 based onthe plan of action between Iran and the5+1 Group and hopes that Iran will contin-ue its implementation and cooperation ofthe plan. Kuwait calls on Iran to respond tothe efforts of regional countries to establishties on mutual cooperation and respectand good neighborliness and non-interfer-ence in internal affairs of regional coun-tries, he noted.

On Iraq, he said Kuwait supports allsteps and measures taken by the Iraqi gov-ernment to establish peace and securityand to preserve the unity of the country.Kuwait and Iraq have signed a number ofagreements and MoUs on bilateral cooper-ation in various fields, and to overcomemost of the pending issues. Kuwait hasunderlined its political and economic sup-port to Egypt to establish peace and securi-ty and for progress and development of thecountry.

On Yemen, Kuwait calls for the fullimplementation of UNSC resolution 2216for a political solution to restore peace andsecurity in the country, he said. Kuwait sup-ports the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabiato restore stability and peace in Yemen.Moreover Kuwait also supports the GCC ini-tiative and national reconciliation inYemen. In the first meeting Al Khurainijaccompanied by MPs Saleh Ashour andMajid Moussa and Kuwait’s ambassador toBelgium and the EU, Darar Abdul RazzakRazqooqi met with John Verkammen, headof Middle East department of the Belgianforeign ministry.

They discussed the development ofbilateral Belgian-Kuwaiti political and eco-nomic ties as well as regional issues andKuwait investments in Belgium. Speaking

to, KUNA, Verkammen said the meetingwas a “building block for deeper relationswith Kuwait.” “We are convinced that thereare lot of potentials in those bilateral rela-tions,” he said. The two sides are preparinga roadmap of several topics for furthercooperation, he said and hoped that theycan sign a document soon on boostingbilateral cooperation. “We are very happythat the dialogue took place today,” he saidadding that they discussed the develop-ments in the Middle East, specifically Syria,Iraq and the migration crisis.

“Kuwait and Belgium in all if not mosttopics are on the same line politically,” headded. Pierre Brussermans, responsible forGulf countries in the Belgian foreign min-istry and Sibille de Cartier counselor toBelgian foreign minister Didier Reyndersalso participated in the meeting. On hispart Saleh Ashour told KUNA that visits byKuwaiti parliamentarians to the par lia-ments of other friendly countries are con-stantly taking place. “Relations betweenBelgium and Kuwait are well known.Belgium has always politically supportedKuwaiti issues,” he said. “We are looking for-ward for the exchange visit of the Belgianside to Kuwait to strengthen bilateral ties.Both countries have common position onmost issues,” he added.

The Kuwaiti delegation later met withAlian Destexhe, President of the FriendshipGroup with Kuwait in the Belgian Senate.Speaking to KUNA after the meeting,Destexhe said the meeting “was very goodto develop the friendship between Belgiumand Kuwait.” The two sides also discussedthe situation in Syria and Iraq, he said,adding that “Belgium and Kuwait are in thesame coalition to fight Daesh and to find apolitical and military solution in the region.”He thanked the Kuwaiti parliamentariansfor visiting Belgium and hoped that theycan develop the political and friendshiplink.

This is the first visit of a Kuwaiti parlia-ment delegation to Belgium since the lastelections in Belgium, and he hoped thatBelgian parliamentarian delegation can vis-it Kuwait soon. Kuwait’s ambassador DararRazzooqi hosted a lunch at his residence inhonor of the visiting Kuwait delegation yes-terday. The Kuwait parliamentary delega-tion arrived in Brussels on Sunday for a 2-day official visit. They will continue theirmeetings with their Belgian counterpartsand also will hold talks with StevenVanackere, senator and former Belgian for-eign minister. — KUNA

Lawmakers hold talks with their Belgian counterparts

Presenter Osama Fouda

Yousef Dashti Tamer Shibl

BRUSSELS: The Director General of KuwaitCustoms, Khaled Abdullah Al-Saif, is in the Belgiancapital accompanied by two other custom officialsto take part in the meetings of the World CustomOrganization (WCO) which is based in Brussels. Al-Saif, speaking to KUNA, noted that WCO holds regu-lar meetings and consultations with customsorganizations around the world. “We in Kuwait cus-toms attend such important meetings which con-cern us to develop our own work,” Al-Saif added.

There are two meetings this week at the WCO,one is linked with the Advance PassengerInformation, Name Record of passengers arriving at

airports, which began yesterday. “This is very impor-tant for us, because we are in the process of imple-menting this in the coming days. We are interestedto know where they have reached in this program,”Al-Saif said. The second meeting is on theInternational Convention on the Simplification andHarmonization of Customs procedures, known asKyoto Convention which was done at Kyoto on 18May 1973 and entered into force on 25 September1974. The WCO Council adopted the revised KyotoConvention in June 1999 as the blueprint for mod-ern and efficient Customs procedures in the 21stcentury. Al-Saif mentioned that Kuwait recently has

become a member of this revised convention andthe Kuwaiti custom officials are attending thismeeting which begins Thursday to learn what arethe latest developments regarding this conven-tion. “Kuwait especially this year has made a greatprogress in all its functions and these issues con-cern us for our further development and progress,”said the head of the Kuwait customs,” Al-Saif said.The Kuwaiti official noted that there is a strongcooperation between Kuwait customs and the WCOand as well with the US customs. Al-Saif addedKuwait to sign an agreement on exchange of infor-mation with the US customs later this year. — KUNA

Kuwait customs chief in Brussels

Dr Manssour Aboukhamseen

LOCA LWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

KUWAIT: Minister of Health Dr Ali Al-Obaidi saidthat Kuwait’s hosting of the 62nd session of theWorld Health Organization ( WHO) RegionalCommittee for the Eastern Mediterranean highlightsthe close cooperation with WHO since Kuwait joinedthe Organization in 1960. The fruitful cooperationcovers various areas and serves many objectives forwhich the Organization was established, the minis-ter said in his inaugural speech to meeting of theRegional Committee - the decision-making body ofthe Organization.

“Kuwait contributed to WHO-sponsoredresearches on the combat against non-communica-ble diseases such as heart diseases, hypertension,cancer and diabetes,” Dr Al-Obaidi said, citing thelaunching of Kuwait award and His Highness theAmir’s award for researches in healthcare for the eld-erly and the country’s contribution to the GlobalFund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Thelaunching of Kuwait appeal for combating and pre-venting the chronic diseases was another evidenceof the growing cooperation particularly after theissuance of the relevant UN political statement inSeptember, 2011, he pointed out.

Al-Obaidi welcomed the attendees at the RC ses-

sion, foremost among who are the WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan and WHO RegionalDirector for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ala Alwanand the ministers of health of the 22 RC memberstates. He extolled His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for his constantsupport to the efforts of the Ministry of Health toimprove health services for all citizens, and thankedHis Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah for his patronage ofthe RC meeting.

He noted that the meeting coincided with theUnited Nations Sustainable Development Summitheld in New York to adopt 17 SustainableDevelopment Goals, including a health-related one.Dr Al-Obaidi renewed Kuwait’s commitment to work-ing with WHO and all partners to advance the healthagenda, not only in Kuwait but in the Region as awhole. On his part, Dr Ala Alwan welcomed the min-isters of health and members of delegations,expressing his appreciation to the host, theGovernment of Kuwait for their generous hospitality.

He highlighted the major progress that had beenmade over the past year in the 5 regional strategichealth priorities, particularly in responding to the

extreme emergencies in the Region and the healthneeds arising from them. He outlined the progressmade in strengthening WHO’s role in emergencyresponse, noting that “Last year we established aregional centre for emergencies and polio eradica-tion in Jordan, and reviewed and adjusted our readi-ness and response structure and capacities at coun-try level and in the Regional Office.” In addition toestablishing a dedicated operation and logistic hub,Dr Alwan added that “a regional emergency solidari-ty fund has also been established and will be fundedstarting January 2016.”

Meanwhile, Dr Margaret Chan said despite a sub-stantial shortfall in funding, “the Region has tackledheavy adversity with impressive innovation.” “Theseinnovations align well with the WHO reformrequested by our governing bodies and initiated fol-lowing the independent assessment of WHO’s per-formance during the Ebola outbreak,” she explained.Dr Chan stressed the necessity of strengthening thehealth information system and the commitment touniversal health coverage. “Accountability meanscounting. Reliable information is vital for evidence-based policy-making and efficient resource alloca-tion,” she added. — KUNA

Ministry of Health maintains close cooperation with WHO

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growingand most developed telecom operator,announced its sponsorship for the KuwaitIndustries Union Expo 2015 held underthe patronage of His Highness the Amirof the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. His Highnessthe Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and otherministers will represent the Amir at theinauguration ceremony on 18 until 20October 2015, at Crowne Plaza Hotel -Baraka Hall.

On this occasion, Othman Daoud Al-Qenai, Enterprise Director at VIVA, said:“VIVA’s participation in this expo aims atexchanging experiences between severalsectors, especially latest technical solu-tions provided by VIVA to serve these sec-tors. He added: “The communicationtechnology interfered recently positivelyin the industry field, where it helped tosave time, money and efforts”.

VIVA is keen to support the localindustry in different sectors. Professionalsfrom enterprise division at VIVA will dis-play all its latest services and promotionsfor participants. This distinguished expo

will strengthen the importance thenational economy and help local facto-ries, local and gulf markets to communi-cate and support the non-oil industrialexports and open new job vacancies. Tofind out more about VIVA’s latest compet-itive promotions, products and packages,please visit one of the 69 VIVA branches,or the VIVA website at www.viva.com.kw,or call VIVA’s 24 hour call center on 102.

VIVA sponsors KIU Expo 2015

RIYADH: Kuwait suggested to GCC Red CrescentSocieties to hold joint humanitarian projects tohelp the Syrian refugees, Kuwait Red CrescentSociety (KRCS) legal department Director DrMusaad Al-Enezi announced yesterday. He madethis remark at the conclusion of a meeting by GCCRed Crescent Societies permanent work team. Theprojects will include providing kidneys dialysis cen-ters, bakeries, agricultural produce, educationalcenters, and clean water sources to help the Syrianrefugees in Jordan and Lebanon. KRCS has offeredtremendous aid to the Syrian refugees where it dis-tributed 50 million loaves of bread, medical careand other in-kind aid. KRCS will continue to givehelp in cooperation with local and regional aidorganizations, Al-Enezi pointed out. This sugges-tion will be tackled in detail in another meeting byGCC Red Crescent Societies’ senior officials in Dohaon October 28.

European Council warnsMeanwhile, president of the European Council

Donald Tusk yesterday warned of an influx of moreSyrian refugees due to the military involvement of

Russia and Iran in Syria. “During my visits to theregion, whoever I spoke to, Presidents or refugeesin the camps, in Turkey, Jordan, or Egypt, warnedme against one thing, a potential victory of Assad’sregime, is more likely today because of Iran andRussia’s engagement in Syria, and will result in thenext migratory wave,” Tusk told the EuropeanParliament during a debate on migration.“Yesterday, this message was confirmed byPresident Erdogan. According to Turkish estimates,another three million potential refugees may comefrom Aleppo and its neighborhood,” he added.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan met Tusk andother EU leaders in Brussels yesterday and dis-cussed the Syrian crisis. The new scheme to relo-cate asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to otherEU member states, dialogue with Turkey on coop-eration to stem and manage migration flows, wereamong the topics tackled in yesterday morning’sdebate with Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. MEPs regretted the EuropeanCouncil’s apparent lack of ambition to tackle themost serious refugee crisis since World War, notedan EP statement. — Agencies

Kuwait calls for GCC jointhumanitarian projects for Syrians

Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) legaldepartment Director Dr Musaad Al-Enezi

Interior Ministry promotes ‘nuclear safety’ awareness

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior always strives to cooper-ate with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to pro-mote awareness in nuclear security safety to limit smug-gling of nuclear materials that could be used in terroristoperations, the Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary MajorGeneral Jamal Hatim Al-Sayigh said. This remark was madeat the opening ceremony of a meeting on the exchange ofinformation of nuclear and radioactive material. The meet-ing was co-hosted by Kuwait Institute for ScientificResearch (KISR). It was attended by representatives fromthe GCC ministries of interior.

Al-Sayigh pointed out the three-day meeting aims atpromoting international cooperation and the exchange ofinformation in the field of nuclear security and safety ofradioactive waste management. Executive Commissionerfor International Cooperation and the National LiaisonOfficer with IAEA Dr Nader Al-Awadhi said that the meet-ing was held in Kuwait because safety is a top priority forthe Gulf country where it strives to enhance human andscientific resources in this field. He stressed the importanceof having an international cooperation to limit nuclear andradioactive substance trafficking. — KUNA

Kuwait-South Korea infrastructure

meeting kicks off SEOUL: The fifth meeting of the Kuwaiti-South Koreaninfrastructure committee kicked off yesterday in imple-mentation of a memorandum of understandingbetween Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works and KoreanMinister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of SouthKorea. Ministry of Public Works Undersecretary AwatefAl-Ghoniem is heading the Kuwaiti delegation to themeeting which was attended by Kuwaiti Ambassador toKorea Jassem Mohammad Al-Budaiwi. During the meet-ing, Al-Ghoneim made a visual presentation on develop-ment projects to be implemented by the ministry in thefuture and other projects for the 2020-2030 plans.

After the meeting, Al-Ghoneim said in a statementthat the two sides discussed means of bolstering coop-eration between the two countries in the areas of con-struction, swage and bridges to bear fruit for the twosides. Implementing development projects in Kuwaitwill materialize the vision of His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and hisdesire to turn Kuwait into an international commercialand financial hub, she said. In a similar statement,Ambassador Jassem lauded the “positive atmospheres”dominated the meeting and keenness of the two sideson boosting cooperation to serve their interests.

The success of the meeting will contribute toestablishing and supporting the Kuwait-South Koreaties in various fields, especially construction, he said.The meeting aims to complete and cement what thepolitical leaderships of the two countries agreed onduring a historic visit of South Korean President ParkGeun-hye to Kuwait last March, the ambassador said,noting the visit also established a cornerstone ofstrategic partnership between the two sides.Meanwhile, the Korean side expressed its readiness toparticipate in carrying out development projects inKuwait, referring to its expertise in the areas of con-struction, infrastructure and technology as well as thesmart solution developed by the Korean companieson wastewater treatment. — KUNA

F r o m t he A r a bic pr e s sWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

CrimeR e p o r t

Domestic help offices raided

KUWAIT: The domestic help department launched awide ranging campaign in the six governorates to checkon various domestic help offices. An unlicensed officewas discovered in Hawally governorate, while anotheroffice that handles weddings was found to be bringingin domestic help illegally. It also issued receipts in thename of another office. A bedoon at the office wasarrested for bringing in domestic help without theknowledge of the office license owner. The bedoon andanother person who was arrested were sent to con-cerned authorities.

Citizen, policemen assaulted

A citizen was beaten and insulted by her brothersand sisters in Waha. The woman went to Wahapolice station and filed a complaint. She said herbrothers accused her of taking the money of themother as well as a handicapped loan in the nameof her mother. Detectives are investigating. Inanother development, two cousins beat and insult-ed two Capital policemen. A security source saidwhile a patrol was roaming Rawda, a sports car wasstopped, but two men came out and began shout-ing insults and beat the patrolmen when they wereasked to hand over the license and car title.Detectives are looking for them.

Wanted Kuwaiti nabbed

A security source said Khaitan police station called a citi-zen and asked him to come over to receive a court sum-mons. Once at the police station, he was found wantedfor a KD50,000 debt. Also, an unidentified person turnedhis phone off when he realized that a woman he washarassing had complained against him. A security sourcesaid a teacher told Sabah Al-Salem police and that shereceived several WhatsApp messages after midnighturging her to commit vice acts. Detectives are workingon the case.

Al-Anbaa

McCarthyism is a term that appeared during the1990s in the US. It is summarized in an environ-ment that was overcome by a phobia of the

Soviet Union, and particularly the spread of Marxist ide-ology in the American society, and this led to the emer-gence of abnormal practices headed by doubts, distrustand spying under the leadership of senator JosephMcCarthy. McCarthyism or at least similar things like it,has been, with regret, appearing at the Kuwait societywith a new form of phobia. A phobia that targets Kuwaitsociety’s intellectual, religious, sectarian and social com-ponents in general.

It is sad that intellectuals, writers and influential per-sonalities, in forming public opinion and mental images,began beating the drums of McCarthyism, sometimesdirectly and sometimes indirectly, and the reasons varybetween subjective jurisprudence or settling accountswith other parties, or gloating.

Circumstances and security developments, thatresulted in terrorist actions such as the bombing ofImam Al-Sadeq Mosque and other actions that hit broth-erly states in the region, besides the case known as the“Abdaly cell”, led to the emergence of hysteria amongsome people. There are those who started passing judg-ments and make accusations out of a religious, intellec-

tual or sectarian approach to a point where some reli-gious people are being described as Daeshi, instead offighting the terror of Daesh, the group murdering in thename of religion, intellectually and politically, and facingwhat is being attributed to the forgiving Islamic sharia.

This sectarianism has not been totally removed fromthe Kuwaiti areas for years, and this is painful. The poi-sons of social division spread from the windows of poli-tics, appointment of leaders, and the Kuwaiti legacyknown as wasta, and the only one responsible is theexecutive authority that is dealing decisively with issuesaccording to the law and sometimes with laxity andexceptions that break the law and rules, even if the resultwill spark sectarianism.

May be the best example of this is the nature of nega-tions in the formation of the first Cabinet of formerprime ministers, who achieved an unprecedented num-ber of government formations that exceeded five, wherenegotiations were in public and dealt with in the media!What we fear today for Kuwait’s united people and thecomponents of Kuwait society, is the sectarian chargesand distrust that may become a new McCarthyism withvarious names and baseless justifications that Kuwait willpay for as a country and citizen.

—Translated by Kuwait Times

Kuwait’s McCarthyism

Al-Qabas

By Khalid Ahmad Al-Tarrah

With Russia and its war machine’s involve-ment and the welcoming of this move bythe ‘objection group’, the story of foreign

interference in the region is now complete and iswelcomed and supported by all parties, be them proor against.

Sovereignty is also becoming a hypothetical ele-ment in regional state constituents. Today, mostregional countries have foreign or regional troops ontheir soil or militarily interfering in other countries.Some of the troops are regular ones, others are mili-tias fighting wars while some are fighting on behalfof others. Some come from this or that country.Endless crowds are everywhere and guns are blazingin all directions.

We are not, here, concerned with reasons and jus-tifications or who is right and who is wrong. Each hashis own justifications and legitimacy. Things wentway beyond that a long while ago, to the extent thatthe major Zionist sin is now almost forgotten andmarginalized after it used to be the main cause.Regional wars in Arab and non Arab countries havebeen going on nonstop for years, until the regionbecame the first worldwide in per capita wars. Thosewars created man’s worst tragedies in history. Tomake things worse, the oppressed and the crushedhere support a tyrant there and vice versa.

The concept of sovereignty has deteriorated tosuch an extent that once this or that party fails toresolve things, they persistently demand Russia, USand others’ military interference, until those majorpowers have become more like neighboring countriesand the situation is chaotic on the ground. When put-ting the concept of a sovereign country that does notallow another country’s interference in its domesticaffairs as per the Vienna Convention for diplomaticnorms at stake, we find that such a country becomesas hypothetical as everything in this hypothetical time.

Such conduct turns history backwards to over 400years ago during the Thirty Year and Hundred Yearwars in Europe that came to an end by theWestphalia agreement and the founding of inde-pendent sovereign states. Maybe we need to repro-duce sovereignty through a new treaty based onpeaceful co-existence and respecting people’s rights.Otherwise, it will be no wonder if Nepal soonbecomes a neighboring country!

—Translated by Kuwait Times

Has sovereignty become hypothetical?

Al-Jarida

By Prof Ghanim Al-Najjar

Political

interest

Recycling

11-year-old girl assaulted

An Asian worker assaulted an 11-year-old girl,according to her expat father. A security source saidthe incident took place in a bookstore where shewas buying school materials. The suspect was arrest-ed and sent to the police prosecution. —Al-Anbaa

Photoo f t h e d a y

Kuwait zoo is local habitat for the rare grey crowned bird which originates in Savannah, South Africa. —KUNA

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Sisi supporters smell victory ahead of election

Page 8

Taleban attack police HQ in embattled Afghan cityPage 11

BRUSSELS: NATO yesterday rejectedMoscow’s explanation that its warplanes vio-lated the air space of alliance member Turkeyat the weekend by mistake and said Russiawas sending more ground troops to Syria andbuilding up its naval presence.

With Russia extending its air strikes toinclude the ancient city of Palmyra, TurkishPresident Tayyip Erdogan said he was losingpatience with Russian violations of his coun-try’s air space.

“An attack on Turkey means an attack onNATO,” Erdogan warned at a Brussels newsconference. NATO Secretary-General JensStoltenberg said the alliance had reports of asubstantial Russian military build-up in Syria,including ground troops and ships in the east-ern Mediterranean. “I will not speculate on themotives ... but this does not look like an acci-dent and we have seen two of them,”Stoltenberg said of the air incursions overTurkey’s border with Syria. He noted that they“lasted for a long time”.

The incidents, which NATO has describedas “extremely dangerous” and “unacceptable”,underscore the risks of a further escalation ofthe Syrian civil war, as Russian and U.S. war-planes fly combat missions over the samecountry for the first time since World War II.

The Russian Defence Ministry had said thatan SU-30 warplane had entered Turkish airspace along the border with Syria “for a fewseconds” on Saturday, a mistake caused bybad weather. NATO says a plane also enteredTurkish air space on Sunday, an incidentRussia says it is looking into.

Separately, a US official told Reuters theincursions lasted more than a few secondsand described Moscow’s assertion that theincursions were an accident as “far-fetched”.Stoltenberg said the US-led alliance had notreceived “any real explanation” from Russiaabout the incursions.

AIR SPACE VIOLATIONSDisagreement over the air space viola-

tions came after disputes over the exact aimsof the Russian air campaign. Moscow says itis attacking Islamic State but the West hasaccused it of striking other rebel groups toprop up its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In a further incident, a MIG-29 fighter of

unknown nationality and Syria-based missilesystems “interfered” with eight Turkish F-16jets patrolling along the Syrian border onMonday, the Turkish military said.

According to a statement, the MIG-29locked its radar onto the Turkish patrol for 4minutes 30 seconds. The same planes werealso harassed by a Syria-based missile systemfor 4 minutes 15 seconds.

These are not the first such flashpoints. ATurkish jet was shot down by the Syrian airforce in 2012 over the Mediterranean and earli-er this year Turkey shot down a Syrian helicop-ter which Ankara said had violated its airspace.

Russia’s NATO envoy said the alliance wasusing the accidental incursion to distort theaims of Moscow’s air campaign in Syria,according to the TASS news agency. “Theimpression is that the incident in Turkish airspace was used to plug NATO as an organisa-tion into the information campaign wagedby the West to distort the aims of the opera-tions carried out by the Russian air force in

Syria,” Alexander Grushko was quoted astelling reporters in Brussels.

The United States, leading the coalitionattacking Islamic State in Syria and Iraq,wants to avoid being drawn into a proxy warwith Russia. With that in mind, Russia’sdefence ministry said it agreed in principlewith US proposals on coordinating militaryflights in Syria. The ministry said it was readyto hold talks with Turkey to avoid “misunder-standings” over Syria and it invited foreignmilitary officers to Moscow for talks on howbest to fight Islamic State.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said

he will not put ground forces in Syria, wherethe civi l war has k i l led 250,000 people.However, Stoltenberg said there was a grow-ing presence of Russian forces in Syria.

“I can confirm that we have seen a sub-stantial build-up of Russian forces in Syria:air forces, air defences, but also groundtroops in connection with the air basethey have, and we also see an increased

naval presence,” Stoltenberg said.

RUSSIAN TANKSUS officials have previously said Russia

has sent seven T-90 tanks, some artillery, andabout 200 marines. It has also deployed tem-porary housing units, a portable air trafficcontrol station and components for an airdefence system. Russian defence ministrysources have been quoted in Russian mediaas saying about 1,500 Russian servicemenare involved in supporting the air strikes andsupplying the Syrian army with equipment.

The Russian Defence Ministry itself has

said it has more than 50 warplanes and heli-copters in Syria. Russia’s Tartous naval facilitythere is a logistics base and has been over-hauled in recent years. It is being used tounload equipment, some of which is alsobeing flown in.

Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, the head ofthe lower house of the Russian parliament’sdefence committee, said Moscow was not

conducting operations in Syria involving itsown ground troops and would not do so,according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

Pressing ahead with an air campaign thatbegan nearly a week ago, Russian jets hitIslamic State targets in Palmyra and thenorthern province of Aleppo, Syrian state tel-evision said, in some of the heaviest Russianattacks on the hardline group.

Islamic State forces captured Palmyra inMay, an advance which brought them closerto the core of government-held territory inwestern Syria. It also put the city’s Roman-eraruins under the militants’ control. —Reuters

Russia’s Turkey air violations no accident: NATORussian envoy says NATO distorting Syria mission

HMEIMIM: In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site yesterday, twoRussian SU-25 ground attack aircrafts take off from an airbase Hmeimim in Syria. A spokeswoman for the Russian foreignministry has rejected claims that Russia in its airstrikes in Syria is targeting civilians or opposition forces. —AP

BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary General JensStoltenberg addresses a press conference at theNATO headquarters in Brussels, yesterday. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

BAGHDAD: The Islamic State groupclaimed responsibility yesterday for aseries of attacks that rocked differentparts of Iraq and killed at least 56 peo-ple the night before.

The extremist group said a suicidebomber blew up his explosives-ladencar among Shiite militia members inthe Shiite-majority town of al-Khales inthe country’s eastern Diyala province.Iraqi officials said the attack hit a com-mercial area, killing at least 32 peopleand wounding 58 others.

It added that militants also detonat-ed a car bomb in Baghdad’s northeast-ern neighborhood of Husseiniya thatkilled at least 14 people and wounded25 others. The group also claimed

responsibility for an attack on Shiites inBasra’s southwest suburb of al-Zubair,killing at least 10 people. The Sunni-dominated al-Zubair is located 50 kilo-meters (31 miles) southwest of Basra.

The Associated Press could notimmediately verify the authenticity ofthe statements, issued on differentTwitter accounts, but its language andphrasing is consistent with past ISclaims of responsibility.

IS controls large swaths of Iraq’snorth and west, including its second-largest city of Mosul and most of Anbarprovince. It regularly targets Shiiteneighborhoods and governmentinstallations in an effort to destabilizethe Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, schools were closedfor the third day running yesterday inthe Sulaimaniyah province of Iraq’sKurdistan region, where the cash-strapped administration has not paidsalaries for months.

“More than 2,000 government officesand schools are on strike,” said HonerTawfiq, spokesman for the Sulaimaniyahprovince in the autonomous Kurdishregion.

Teachers and many civil servantshave not been paid for three monthsas Kurdistan and the rest of I raqstruggles to face the huge budgetcrunch caused by the cost of bat-tling the Islamic State group and lowoil prices.

“This farce has to end. No employ-ee has been paid for three months inthe whole of Kurdistan,” said NermeenMohammed, who teaches at a schoolin Sulaimaniyah. “The minister of nat-ural resources keeps announcing arise in oil production but the salariesstill aren’t coming at the end of themonth,” she complained.

Thousands of civil servants wereon strike in several sectors, with theexception of security personnel,health workers and employees in oth-er key institutions. A Kurdish educa-tion ministr y spokesman said heshared the teachers’ concern butasked them to end their strike.

“We are asking in these difficult

times of f inancial crisis and waragainst IS not to close schools down,”Fateh Mulawi said. The strike is hap-pening in southern areas dominatedby political parties opposed to theKurdistan Democratic Party of actingregional president Massud Barzaniand his nephew, prime ministerNechirvan Barzani.

There have been no teachers’strikes yet in the Arbil and Dohukprovinces where the KDP draws mostof its support. The Kurdistan region ofIraq has been locked in a bitter politi-cal crisis since the end of August,when Massud Barzani ’s mandateexpired and no deal was reached forhis succession. —Agencies

IS claims wave of attacks in Iraq that killed 56

QENA: Egyptians walk under campaign banners ahead of the parliamentaryelections on September 29, 2015 in the city of Qena, some 650 km (400miles) south of Cairo. The current mood in the Arab world’s most populousnation was evident at an election rally in the southern town of Qena, wherecandidates showered praise on Sisi who has crushed all opposition sinceousting his Islamist predecessor. —AFP

RAMALLAH: Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas said yesterday hedid not want a spike in deadly vio-lence in East Jerusalem and theIsraeli-occupied West Bank to spiral

into armed confrontation with Israel.Four Israelis have been killed

since Thursday in a stabbing and adrive-by shooting blamed onPalestinian militants. Police shot

dead the Palestinian knife-wielderand the military arrested five mem-bers of the Islamist Hamas group forthe shooting.

Two Palestinians, one of them a

13-year-old, have been killed andabout 170 injured in clashes withIsraeli soldiers in the West Bank sinceSunday. Another Palestinian man,suspected of having stabbed andwounded an Israeli teen, was shotdead by police in Jerusalem.

With Israeli-Palestinian peacetalks dormant since 2014, the blood-shed has raised concerns about awider escalation and a possible thirdPalestinian uprising, though it hasnot reached the level of past Israeli-Palestinian confrontations.

Abbas, at a gathering of thePalestine Liberation Organization,signalled that he hoped to avoid vio-lent conflict, and Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahuannounced a series of security meas-ures that fell short of an extensivemilitary operation.

“We tell them (the Israelis) thatwe do not want either military orsecurity escalation,” Abbas said at thePLO meeting. “All our instructions toour (security) agencies, our factionsand our youth have been that we donot want escalation.”

Netanyahu, who visited an armybase in the West Bank yesterday, saidother measures would includeinstalling security cameras on WestBank roads and a greater Israelipolice presence in East Jerusalem.

Recent tensions have beeninflamed in particular by frequentclashes between Palestinian stone-throwers and Israeli security forces atJerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque com-pound, Islam’s third-holiest shrine.

Palestinians fear increasing visitsby Jewish groups to al-Aqsa, reveredby Jews as the site of biblical temples,are eroding longtime Muslim reli-gious control there. Netanyahu hassaid he is committed to maintainingthe status quo at al-Aqsa. —Reuters

Abbas to avoid violent conflict with Israel

Stabbings, shooting, clashes raise security concerns

HEBRON: Israeli border guards hold a position during clashes with Palestinian stone throwersnear an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank town of Hebron yesterday. Palestinian presidentMahmoud Abbas said he wanted to avoid a violent escalation with Israel, his most direct com-ments since unrest has spread and provoked fears of a new uprising. —AFP

QENA: There is really only one possible out-come to Egypt’s much-delayed parliamentaryelection when people begin voting later thismonth-a body loyal to President Abdel Fattahal-Sisi.

The current mood in the Arab world’s mostpopulous nation was evident at an election ral-ly in the southern town of Qena, where candi-dates showered praise on Sisi who has crushedall opposition since ousting his Islamist prede-cessor. Phased voting for Egypt’s first parlia-ment since Sisi overthrew Mohamed Morsi in2013 will be held over six weeks starting onOctober 17.

“We want a strong parliament that supportsthe president in achieving his plans to developthe country,” said journalist Moustafa Bakri, acandidate for the main For The Love of Egyptcoalition, addressing a crowd in Qena.

Sitting on iron chairs in a street lined withred brick buildings, the thousands of men lis-tened to Bakri and other coalition candidates inthe town around 650 kilometres (400 miles)south of Cairo. Assuming the mood there isreflected in the rest of the country, a pro-Sisiparliament is a given.

Experts have already said the election out-come is not in doubt: the new parliament willbe dominated by lawmakers loyal to the formerarmy chief who deposed Morsi after mass streetprotests against the Islamist’s year-long rule.

Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president,came to power after a popular uprising in 2011ended three decades of rule by veteran strong-man Hosni Mubarak.

596 seats at stake Just weeks after Morsi was ousted, a police

crackdown killed hundreds of protestersdemanding his reinstatement. Tens of thou-sands of Morsi supporters and members of hisnow banned Muslim Brotherhood movementhave been jailed.

Hundreds more including Morsi himselfhave been sentenced to death after speedymass trials denounced by the United Nations as“unprecedented in recent history”.

The regime installed by Sisi, who was elect-ed president in a May 2014 election boycottedby the Muslim Brotherhood, has also crackeddown relentlessly on secular revolutionaryyouth movements. —AFP

Sisi supporters smell victory ahead of election

I N T E R N AT I O N A LWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

SANTA CATARINA PINULA: Guatemalan officials weighedwhat to do with the site of a massive, acres-wide mudslide thatmight still hold hundreds of bodies and a surrounding area oflargely untouched homes that has been declared uninhabit-able. Simply too vast to excavate fully, there may come a point -as in the past - where officials simply end digging efforts at thesite and declare the area where the unrecovered bodies lie ade-facto graveyard, their buried houses becoming their finaltombs.

Officials are also considering what to do with residents ofthe Cambray community on the outskirts of Guatemala Citywhose houses escaped Thursday’s massive landslide but whoseneighborhood has now been declared uninhabitable byGuatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Commission, knownas the Conred. “They told us they have to get organized, theyhave to buy land” for us, said Clara Elena Solorzano, 40, who hadlived in the neighborhood for 17 years in a house built by herhusband. “Also that they’re getting money together to buy ushomes, but nothing concrete.”

As the death toll rose to 152 late Monday, questions mount-ed about why people were allowed to build homes at the baseof a dangerous hillside next to a small river. The disaster reduc-tion commission said it had warned of the risk Cambray facedsince last year and had recommended that residents be relocat-ed.

But Solorzano and 26-year-old Sonia Hernandez, who had10 family members displaced by the landslide and five fromanother house missing, both said they were never warned ofany danger.

Warning“If we had been warned of the danger we were running we

never would have bought” in the neighborhood, Hernandez

said. “We practically bought our own tomb.” Many Cambray resi-dents were staying in shelters. Some 187 people waited on cotsinside the Salon Municipal, an auditorium the town usuallyemploys for events and parties. Displaced families could findfood, medical services, activities for children and psychologicalservices there.

Most people there were homeowners, and said they builttheir homes with all the proper permits. They said they weremore focused on the nearby river that occasionally overflows itsbanks than the hillside above them.

Disaster Reduction Commission Director AlejandroMaldonado said he had warned Mayor Tono Coro of the munici-pality of Santa Catarina Pinula that the river was eating away atthe base of the steep hill.

Maldonado said he was waiting for a report from localauthorities about what they had done in response to the warn-ing. Municipal spokesman Manuel Pocasangre said localauthorities had warned residents about the dangers, but theinhabitants did not want to leave their homes.

Maldonado acknowledged there are many neighborhoodslike Cambray in and around Guatemala City that are at risk offlooding or mudslides.

“What happened in Cambray is just a tragic case of whatcould potentially happen throughout the city,” Maldonado said.On Monday, backhoes continued to remove thousands of tonsof dirt from the mudflow with practically no hope of findinganyone alive and increasing difficulties in rescuing whole bod-ies. Emergency services coordinator Sergio Cabanas said fivemore bodies had been uncovered. About 300 people remainmissing, according to some estimates.

Maldonado said authorities are still committed to recoveringthe bodies of victims, but stressed “we are not going to riskmore lives unnecessarily.” — AP

Guatemala declares mudslidehit community uninhabitableBuried houses become their final tombs

SANTA CATARINA PINULA: Workers carry empty coffins for the victims of the Cambray neighborhood mudslide, toan improvised morgue in Santa Catarina Pinula on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Monday. Emergency workersspent a fourth day digging bodies out with backhoes removing thousands of tons of dirt from the acres-widemudflow with practically no hope of finding anyone alive. — AP

COLUMBIA: South Carolina residentsyesterday reeled under the effects ofweekend flooding that killed at least11 people and left tens of thousandswithout power or drinking water.President Barack Obama signed a dis-aster declaration on Monday, makingfederal aid available to the southernstate that has been drenched with alevel of rain that-as Governor NikkiHaley put it-the region has not seen in1,000 years.

A tropical air mass over much ofSouth Carolina starting tomorrowdumped 14 inches (36 centimeters) ofrain, a new record, the NationalWeather Service said. That downpourcaused sudden and dramatic flooding,bursting dams and leaving residentsscrambling for safety.

“It was traumatic, I’ve never seenanything like this,” said Phyllis Jones, a50-year resident of Columbia, the statecapital. Jones lives in an upstairs apart-ment at a complex called Willow Creek,whose namesake waterway inundatedthe ground-floor units on Sunday. Therain tapered off Monday and waterreceded, but Jones said she has not lefther apartment “for fear of looting.”

She had stocked up on drinkingwater ahead of the flooding, but thenshe lost power. At least four people

have been killed in weather-relatedtraffic accidents, while seven morehave drowned, the Charleston Postand Courier newspaper reported.

Those killed included five trappedin vehicles overcome by flood water,the paper reported, citing state offi-cials. Government officials urged peo-ple to stay home, and warned thatflooding was expected to continue forseveral days.

Some 26,000 people had no powerand 40,000 had no drinking water,Haley told reporters on the outskirts ofthe capital Columbia, which has beenespecially hard hit. “This is not over,”she warned.

Torrential rain Many shaken residents fled to shel-

ters, while others were evacuated fromtheir homes by boat and air. Hundredsof roads and bridges were closed totraffic due to heavy flooding “Ourhouse, car-we lost everything.Everything is underwater. We didn’t gettime to do nothing,” said Patricia Harde,48, who fled with her two adult daugh-ters and their four small children,including a four-month-old baby, to aschool-turned-shelter.

“The water was coming up to mywaist when we left,” she added. “I went

back to try to get things for the baby-milk and Pampers-but I couldn’t.Everything was covered in water.”

Firefighters rescued them. But whilesome rode in a boat, others had towalk through the rapidly rising, dirtywater. “I’d always seen this on TV, but Inever thought it would happen to us,”said Harde, whose birthday wasMonday.

In South Carolina there are some2,400 dams, almost all privately owned,according to media reports. At leastnine of them have failed in the pastdays, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjaminsaid.

‘Everything is lost’ “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this,”

said Ken Hart, 49, as he sat on a cot at aRed Cross shelter at St Andrews MiddleSchool in Columbia. Several peopleslept while children played on a stagein the school theater. Rescue person-nel and repair crews were hard at work,Haley said, adding that 25 helicopterevacuations have been conducted.Across the state, some 550 roads andbridges-some of which were complete-ly washed out by flash floods-wereclosed to traffic. Main roads, evenmajor highways, seemed like rivers.

In the historic coastal city ofCharleston, population 130,000, morethan 900 people were housed in emer-gency centers Monday. Eva Gadsen,72, heard someone at her door Sundaymorning telling her that she needed toget out.

When she opened the door, thewater rushed in. “The water was at mywaist,” she recalled. “When we gotaround the corner, I saw the fridgecoming out of my apartment, goingacross the water,” she said. “Thank GodI am still alive and I have a place to stay.People who went back to the buildingsay everything is lost.”

Schools were closed in Columbia,along with most government officesand shops. Water distribution pointsopened in the city for 1.5 hours beforethe curfew, in place for a second nightfrom 7:00 pm to 6:00 am. Drinkingfrom the city system was consideredunsafe after breaches in the canal sup-plying the city.

Local media reported firefighterswere pumping fresh water to thewater systems of Columbia’s hospi-tals, which, like the rest of the city, hadbeen advised to boil water beforeusing it. — AFP

11 dead as South Carolina copes with record floods

COLUMBIA: A national guard drives on a flooded road damaged by therecent flash floods area in Columbia, South Carolina on Monday. Relentlessrain left large areas of the US southeast under water. The states of Northand South Carolina have been particularly hard hit, but the driving rain inrecent days has spared almost none of the US East Coast. — AFP

WARSAW: Poland’s Law and Justice party(PiS), a ‘eurosceptic’ conservative partywhich has spoken out against an inflow ofmigrants, held a comfortable lead overthe ruling centre-right Civic Platform (PO)in an opinion poll published yesterdaybefore an Oct 25 election. The survey bypollster RiS, conducted for Rzeczpospolitadaily, showed PiS, which is run by thetwin brother of late Polish President LechKaczynski, with 34 percent support. POtrailed 10 percentage points behind on 24

percent. The shape of a future Polish gov-ernment could be uncertain if PiS winsroughly a third of the vote because it mayhave to seek coalition partners from ahost of small parties which are also run-ning, to form a majority cabinet.

The eurosceptic PiS, which was inpower between 2005-2007, wants to taxbanks and big retailers, stop privatisationand increase budget spending to encour-age families to have children. Its victorymight also deepen divisions within the

28-nation European Union over how todeal with thousands of refugees fleeingwar-torn Middle East for Europe. Thenationalist-minded party has spokenstrongly against admitting migrants toPoland, and has criticised the currentgovernment’s decision to break rankswith its ex-communist neighbours toback an EU plan to share out 120,000refugees across the bloc.

Analyst say the party’s rise in the pollsis largely driven by young voters frustrat-

ed with their share of Poland’s economicsuccess in recent years. The Polish econo-my was the only one in the EuropeanUnion to avoid recession in the wake ofthe 2008 global financial crisis.

The popularity of PO, which has ruledsince 2007 and oversaw a period of eco-nomic prosperity, has suffered since 2014over leaks relating to the secret recordingof senior officials drinking expensivewine in Warsaw restaurants, making pro-fane remarks about colleagues and

hatching political schemes. Among pos-sible coalition partners, PiS might be ableto tap Kukiz’15, a new, anti-establish-ment movement led by former rock starPawel Kukiz.

Yesterday’s poll also showed a group-ing of left-wing parties, United Left (ZL),in third place, with 10 percent. Anothernew group, Nowoczesna (N) - a free-mar-ket party run by former World Bank econ-omist Ryszard Petru - was fourth on 9percent. —Reuters

Polish opposition holds comfortable lead ahead of vote

LISBON: Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader and Portuguese PrimeMinister Pedro Passos Coelho (L) delivers a speech past coalition leader ofthe Popular Party Paulo Portas during their joint press conference in Lisbonafter winning the general elections. —AFP

DONETSK: Ukraine’s pro-Russianinsurgents took a major steptoward political reconciliation yes-terday by announcing they willpush back disputed local electionsinto next year in line with Westerndemands. The announcement wasimmediately welcomed by Kiev’spro-EU leadership and theKremlin-a rare case of the ex-Soviet neighbours agreeing sincethe conflict first started with theouster of Ukraine’s Moscow-backed leader early last year.

The Europrean Union alsocalled the move a “fundamentalstep” toward peace. The decisioncoincided with the withdrawal ofUkrainian tanks from the line split-ting government forces from therebels of one of the two separatisteastern industrial provinces.

The chief negotiators of the self-proclaimed “people’s republics”said they had “agreed to postponethe (Donetsk) elections of October18 and the (Lugansk) poll ofNovember 1 until next year.”

Their announcement came justdays after the leaders of Germanyand France forced UkrainianPresident Petro Poroshenko andhis Russian counterpart VladimirPutin to sit down for direct negoti-ations in Paris aimed at saving ashaky truce in the 18-month war.

That meeting ended withFrench President FrancoisHollande declaring that the rebelscould not possibly organise inter-nationally legitimate electionswithin such a short timeframe.

Kiev’s pro-Western leader has alsocalled the votes “fake” anddemanded their cancellation.

No new date set Ukrainian officials said Monday

that Hollande and GermanChancellor Angela Merkel had putstrong pressure on Putin-whodenies any involvement in theconflict-to convince the militiacommand to delay their vote. “Weexamined the statements and rec-ommendations of Merkel and

Hollande that were issued afterthe summit,” Donetsk negotiatorDenis Pushilin and his Luganskcounterpart Vladislav Deinegosaid in the statement. The twomet yesterday in the Belarussiancapital Minsk-the same locationwhere Putin and Poroshenkoagreed in February to find a wayout of one of Europe’s bloodiestcrises since the Balkans wars ofthe 1990s. The insurgents did notsay when they now intend to holdtheir polls. But they pressed a

series of demands on Kiev thatwill be difficult for Poroshenko topush through a Ukrainian parlia-ment where nationalist forces playa strong role.

The two said their elections willbe held only after Kiev assignsthem “special status” within a uni-fied Ukraine that has the right todevelop closer diplomatic andtrade relations with Russia. Thestatement also sought full immu-nity from prosecution “for all par-ticipants to events in the Donetsk

and Lugansk region” and a newvote in the Ukrainian parliamenton constitutional amendmentsregarding elections that wouldfirst be agreed with the rebelsthemselves. The date of the rebels’vote is vital because it also deter-mines when exactly Ukraine canregain full control of its porouseastern border with Russia-a fron-tier Kiev accuses the Kremlin ofusing to arm the revolt . TheFebruary deal says that Russianforces and the militias are sup-posed cede the 400-k ilometre(250-mile) stretch of the borderunder their control a day after thepolls are held.

But the rebels and Moscowargued that Ukraine would onlyregain its territorial integrity afterKiev followed through on all thecommitments it made in theFebruary deal-something Ukrainehas so far failed to do.

‘Moscow kept its word’ The delay gives the warring

sides time to find a political com-promise that can put an end tofighting that has already claimedmore than 8,000 lives and driven1.5 million from their homes.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitr yPeskov said Russia “welcomed thedecision of the People’s Republicsof Donetsk and Lugansk.” “This isanother example of the flexibilityand constructive approach shown(by the rebels) as they try to imple-ment the Minsk agreements,”Peskov told Russia’s Interfax newsagency.

A spokeswoman for LeonidKuchma-a former Ukrainian presi-dent who acted as Poroshenko’spersonal representative at the vari-ous peace talks conductedthroughout the war-said Kiev also“welcomed the decision”. “Thisstep will give us an opportunity toconduct fair, legitimate and impar-tial elections in par ts of theDonetsk and Lugansk regionsunder Ukrainian law,” spokes-woman Dari ia Olifer wrote onFacebook. A German diplomatwho requested anonymity alsocalled the separatists’ step “goodnews”.

And a government source inBerlin said simply that “Moscowhas kept its word.” —AFP

Ukraine rebels delay elections until 2016

Kiev, Kremlin, EU, Berlin welcome decision

KIEV: People hold pictures of their relatives capturted by pro-Russian separatists in easternUkraine as they rally in front of the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev yesterday. Protesters demand-ed assistance with for the release of 29 prisoners, mainly servicemen of Ukrainian forces. —AFP

LISBON: Reforms may be the biggest casu-alty of Portugal’s general election, which hasweakened the centre-right government andfortified the hard left. The ruling coalition ofPrime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho won thebiggest share of votes on Sunday, makinghim the first leader in Europe to be re-elect-ed after imposing austerity policies to steerhis country through an international bailout.

But he fell well short of a majority, leav-ing his Social Democrat-led government“absolutely shackled from fulfilling its pro-gramme, even if it could get it through par-liament by a miracle”, daily Publico said in aneditorial.

Lisbon weaned itself off its 78 billion euro($87.8 billion) EU/IMF bailout programmelast year, but key unfinished reforms includemaking cuts of 600 million euros a year toensure the sustainability of the pension sys-tem.

The government has promised to cut thebudget deficit to below 2.7 percent of grossdomestic product this year from 7.2 percentin 2014, which would be the first timePortugal has brought it below the eurozone’s 3 percent ceiling.

“Whereas the re-election of the govern-ment is expected to ensure a continuedfocus on fiscal consolidation, the loss of theprevious absolute majority will likely compli-cate the implementation of further structur-al reforms,” ratings agency Moody’s said in areport yesterday.

The outcome of the Portuguese vote andits impact on economic policy will be closelywatched across Europe. Elections are duelater this year in Spain and by next spring inIreland, two other countries emerging fromyears of austerity in the wake of the globalfinancial crisis.

PRESSURE FROM THE LEFTWith just 104 of the 230 seats in parlia-

ment, the coalition led by Passos Coelhowould need support from the oppositionSocialists, with 85 seats, in order to get lawspassed. Yet no minority government has sur-vived a full term since the country returnedfrom dictatorship to democracy in 1974.

Socialist leader Antonio Costa faces criti-cism for failing to capitalise on the deeply

unpopular spending cuts and tax hikeslaunched by the government during thedebt crisis. He has said he will not resign, butspeculation has already started over hisreplacement.

“Can you imagine what pressure Costamust now be under as his lack of attentionto his left flank explains why he fell short,”said Nicholas Spiro, managing director atSpiro Sovereign Strategy.

Costa promised in his campaign to easeback on austerity, defend the welfare stateand invest in science and culture, but he alsopledged to stick to budget goals agreedwith Europe, one reason why investors haveso far been relaxed about the election out-come.

But he faces a threat from the advance ofthe more radical Left Bloc, the biggest gain-er in the election. It more than doubled itsseats in parliament to 19, while the tradi-tional Communists gained one, to 17.

The result means that the Socialists, LeftBloc and Communists together would havea majority, though analysts see such analliance as unlikely and Costa himself hasruled it out.

Left Bloc leader Catarina Martins hassensed the moment, repeatedly saying sheis ready to rule with the Socialists. Her threeconditions are that the Socialists drop theirsupport for cuts to social security contribu-tions and a freeze on pensions, and reversetheir backing for laws that make it easier tofire workers.

Fernando Ribeiro Mendes, a former sec-retary of social security in a previousSocialist government, said the far-left’sadvance would squeeze the party itself toturn more left-wing.

Mendes wrote in a commentary that themoderate stance of previous Socialist lead-erships “will be challenged, a bit like what ishappening in Britain’s Labour Party, after thelack of success of Antonio Costa’s disguisedand inconsistent centrism.”

President Anibal Cavaco Silva was start-ing consultations to form a governmentwith political parties yesterday. The gov-ernment needs to present the generalguidelines for a 2016 budget bill by mid-October. —Reuters

Portuguese reforms could run aground, voters boost hard left

N’DJAMENA: Boko Haram Islamistsattacked Chadian soldiers yesterday,k i l l ing 11 and wounding 13, aChadian security source said, in thelatest deadly raid by the militantsdespite a regional offensive againstthem.

The source said 17 Boko Haramfighters also died in the fighting fol-lowing the pre-dawn strike near theNigerian border and Lake Chad.

“Boko Haram members attackedour positions at 4:30 am (0330 GMT)in Kaiga Ngouboua about two kilo-metres (about a mile) from theNigerian border,” the source said.

“This surprise attack claimed thelives of 11 soldiers and wounded 13(and) 17 Boko Haram fighters werekilled.” “The attackers were pushedback and the army is continuingsearch operations in the zone.”

Since the star t of the year, theChadian army has been on the frontline of a regional military operationagainst Boko Haram whose attackshave spread from northeast Nigeria,its tradit ional stronghold, to theneighbouring countries of Chad,Niger and Cameroon.

Boko Haram, which is affiliated

with the Islamic State group operat-ing in Syria and Iraq, has been hithard by the offensive, losing territory,but has launched attacks and bomb-ings in response.

Cameroon is regularly targeted bysuicide bombers. Attacks also contin-ue unabated in Nigeria, where at least18 people were killed and 41 injuredin twin bombings on Friday on theoutskirts of the capital Abuja.

Chad has joined a regional militaryalliance, alongside Niger, Cameroonand Nigeria, to fight Boko Haram,which has waged a bloody insur-gency since 2009 marked by massabductions, village massacres andsuicide bombings by women andteenagers.

Lake Chad is shared between thefour countries. Climate change hasreduced its surface in recent years,but it contains many islands and isletsused by fishermen and its banks havedense vegetation, which makes infil-trations by Boko Haram Islamists intoChad much easier.

At least 17,000 people have beenkilled and more than 2.5 million madehomeless s ince the Boko Haraminsurgency began in 2009. —AFP

11 Chadian soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack

MANCHESTER: Mass immigration is damagingBritish society, Conservative interior ministerTheresa May said yesterday, promising a toughapproach on an issue that will influence Britons’choice of whether or not to leave the EuropeanUnion.

“When immigration is too high, when thepace of change is too fast, it’s impossible to builda cohesive society,” May, seen as a possiblefuture leader, told a party conference in thenorthern city of Manchester.

Mass immigration strained public serviceslike schools and hospitals, depressed wages andpushed people out of work, she said, describingthe economic benefits as “close to zero”. Netmigration to Britain reached a high of 330,000people in the year to March, far above the “tensof thousands” Prime Minister David Cameron

promised to reduce it to. More than half comesfrom EU nationals, who are free to move withinthe 28-country bloc.

That has fuelled support for rival parties,especially the anti-EU UK Independence Party,and is looming as a major issue in the referen-dum on Britain’s EU membership that Cameronhas promised to call by the end of 2017.

May’s speech went down well with partyactivists but drew criticism from the Institute ofDirectors, an employers’ group. “We are aston-ished by the irresponsible rhetoric and pander-ing to anti-immigration sentiment from theHome Secretary,” its director Simon Walker said.

“It is yet another example of the HomeSecretary turning away the world’s best andbrightest, putting internal party politics ahead ofthe country.”

LEGAL BOOSTAs part of a renegotiation of Britain’s EU

membership terms with the other 27 countriesin the bloc, Cameron is under pressure to deliv-er reforms to welfare rules to restrict migrants’access to the British benefits system.

Speaking earlier, Cameron conceded he hadmissed his immigration target and that therewas a need to “reform our welfare system soyou don’t get instant access to it when youarrive.”

His bid to tighten such rules received aboost yesterday when a senior EU legal adviserrecommended that the European Court ofJustice dismiss a complaint against Britainbrought by the EU executive, which accusedLondon of discriminating against other citizensof the bloc.

Public concern over immigration has beenheightened by the arrival into mainland Europeof hundreds of thousands of migrants andrefugees fleeing war and poverty in the MiddleEast, Africa and Asia.

Several thousand have travelled to theFrench port of Calais, seeking illegal passage toBritain. Their attempts to board lorries andtrains have badly disrupted freight and passen-ger links between the island nation and thecontinent, stirring nationalist sentiment.

Seeking to grasp control of the issue, whichdominated the British media over the summer,May promised to be tough on those who abusethe asylum system and flatly rejected calls foran EU-wide system for processing applications.

“Not in a thousand years,” she said, drawinga round of applause from activists. “We’re notseeking to regain control of our borders withone hand, only to give it away with the other.”

Instead, May said Britain would be tighten-ing up its asylum processing rules to make iteasier to send those whose applications havebeen rejected back to their home countries,even if the authorities there do not want toreceive them.

“The message will be clear - if other govern-ments don’t play by the rules, there will be con-sequences,” she said. —Reuters

Mass immigration damaging Britain

MANCHESTER: Britain’s Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party DavidCameron (C) applauds in the audience during Boris Johnson’s speech on the thirdday of the annual Conservative party conference in Manchester, north westEngland, yesterday. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

I N T E R N AT ION A LWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

SEOUL: North Korea shows no sign of preparingfor a long-range rocket launch to mark a majorpolitical anniversary this week, a South Koreangovernment official said yesterday. His view wasechoed by Joel Wit, an expert at the US-KoreaInstitute at Johns Hopkins University in the UnitedStates.

There has been speculation for months that theNorth might launch a long-range rocket to cele-brate the 70th anniversary of its ruling Workers’Party on Saturday. “We don’t see any signs of mak-ing preparations for an imminent launch such asthe movement of a launch vehicle” to the launch

pad, the unification ministry official told journalistson condition of anonymity. “After moving compo-nents of a launch vehicle, it usually takes two tofour weeks of preparations to launch.” Remarks bythe head of the North’s space agency had fuelledconjecture about a launch to mark the anniversary.Comments by the chief of the North’s nationalatomic commission led to additional talk of a possi-ble fourth nuclear test.

Pyongyang insists its space programme is pure-ly scientific and designed to put peaceful satellitesin orbit. But the US, South Korea and its allies havemade it clear that any rocket launch will be

deemed a test of ballistic missile technology in vio-lation of UN resolutions.

“There is no evidence to support a long-rangerocket launch on October 10,” Wit said on Twitteron Monday. “North Korea could be doing things atnight that we cannot watch via satellite, but mostgovernment officials agree that there will not be alaunch,” he said at #38NorthPress.

Citing satellite images of the North’s SohaeSatellite Launching Station, the US-Korea Institutesaid last month on its closely watched website 38North that a launch on or before October 10 waspossible but unlikely.

Pyongyang successfully launched a three-stage,Unha-3 rocket carrying a satellite on December 12,2012 from the Sohae launching station. I tannounced the planned launch 11 days before-hand and notified neighbouring countries includ-ing Japan of the intended flight path. That launchtriggered fresh sanctions and a surge in militarytensions that culminated two months later inNorth Korea conducting its third nuclear test.South Korean President Park Geun-Hye last monthwarned Pyongyang of serious consequences if itpushes forward with either a rocket launch ornuclear test. —- AFP

No signs of N Korea preparing rocket launch: Seoul

KABUL: Fighting erupted anew in the embattlednorthern Afghan city of Kunduz yesterday after theTaleban attacked a police headquarters overnightand officials warned that food and other emer-gency aid cannot get through to the city.

The clashes and the dire warnings underscoredthe tenuous hold authorities have on Kunduz, astrategic city whose brief fall to the Taleban lastweek was an embarrassing blow to President AshrafGhani. The Afghan government has also been criti-cized for ignoring warnings earlier of Talebanthreats to the city.

Moreover, a bombing early Saturday of a hospi-tal in Kunduz belonging to Doctors Without Borders- in which at least 22 people were killed - has raisedwider questions as to the circumstances that led tothe prominent medical charity being hit in anapparent US airstrike.

The Taleban managed to overrun and holdKunduz for three days last week, until governmentforces launched a counter-offensive on Thursday.The insurgents have since largely been pushed out,but skirmishes have continued on the outskirts.

Overnight, several militants managed to re-enter the city center and attack Kunduz policeheadquarters and other government buildings, saidSarwar Hussaini, the spokesman for the provincialpolice chief.

By yesterday morning, some gunmen hadpushed their way close to the main city square.“Fighting is also going on with the Taleban near theGhazanfar Bank, close to main square,” Hussainisaid.

Kunduz residents reported hit-and-run attacksby the Taleban, with the insurgents making incur-sions into the city center from far-flung rural areas,engaging troops, then retreating again.

Abdul Manan, a resident who spoke to TheAssociated Press over the phone, said he had seen agroup of Taleban fighters enter the main square,remove the government flag and exchange firewith troops for half hour, then flee from the area.

With the Taleban blitz, shops closed and peopleshuttered in their homes, as the humanitarian situ-ation steadily worsened in Kunduz. Deliveries offood and other basic essentials have not been ableto get in since the Sept. 28 Taleban assault. AslimSayas, a deputy head of the Afghan disaster man-agement, said it was still too dangerous and unpre-dictable for supplies to be trucked into Kunduz.Instead, he said authorities were helping the popu-lation that has fled from Kunduz.

“Right now we are providing food and non-fooditems to refugees and displaced people in Takhar,Badakhshan and Balkh,” he said, referring to north-ern provinces to the east and west of Kunduz.

Medicines, too, have not been delivered to hos-pitals, and the air strike on the Doctors Without

Borders trauma center had closed an essential med-ical facility in the war-torn city. The Ministry ofPublic Health issued a statement calling for “a thor-ough, impartial investigation by an independentenquiry team” into the Saturday bombing of thehospital. Circumstances remain unclear, and theAfghan government and US military have launchedinvestigations into the incident that left 22 peopledead. The ministry said the attack had jeopardized“vital health, medical and surgical work of interna-tional and local health personnel” working inAfghanistan. “Staff no longer feel safe in any healthfacility anywhere in the country. And some interna-tional health organizations are questioningwhether the risks of staying in the country are justtoo high after such an attack,” it said. — AP

Taleban attack police HQ in embattled Afghan city

WASHINGTON: US Forces-Afghanistan Resolute Support Mission Commander Gen. JohnCampbell pauses before taking his seat on Capitol Hill in Washington, yesterday, prior to testify-ing before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the situation in Afghanistan. — AP

MANILA: Human rights victims of latePhilippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos’sregime vowed yesterday to ensure hiscrimes would not be forgotten, after hisson announced a bid for the vice presi-dency. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnrsaid Monday he would run as an inde-pendent in next year’s elections, widelyseen as a stepping stone to an eventualpresidential bid, but rights groupspledged ferocious campaigns against him.“Bongbong Marcos’s vice-presidential can-didacy is a clarion call not only for thecountless victims of martial law, but for allfreedom-loving Filipinos to wage thestrongest struggle against the resurrectionof the Marcos type of rapacious and fascistrule,” said Bonifacio Ilagan, vice-chairmanof Selda (Cell), an organisation of formermartial law prisoners. Nilda Lagman-Sevilla, head of FIND, a group representingfamilies whose relatives vanished duringMarcos rule, said her organisation wouldalso campaign against the return of aMarcos to power. “Some people haveshorter memories but the families havenot forgotten. We may be in the minority...but we can continue to remind the peopleof the dark years of martial law,” she toldAFP.

She said 882 people were documentedto have been taken by the forces ofMarcos Snr after he declared martial law in1972. However she believes that therewere twice as many unreported disap-pearances.

Among those who are still not account-ed for is her brother, Hermon Lagman, alabour lawyer who went missing in 1977.

Political comeback The Marcos family has long been

dogged by accusations the dictator over-

saw massive human rights abuses andplundered billions of dollars from state cof-fers until a famous “people power” revolttoppled him from power in 1986. But afterthe Marcos patriarch died in exile in Hawaiiin 1989, the family returned to the countryin 1991 and began a successful politicalcomeback, culminating in BongbongMarcos getting elected to the Senate in2010. Marcos Jnr has not been directlylinked to any crimes of his father, but hehas been a vocal defender of the regimeand martial law. In a surprisingly low-keylaunch, Marcos Jnr issued a short state-ment on Monday announcing his bid. Thestatement did not articulate his reasons fordeciding to run, other than to banish the“politics of personality”. He is due to givehis first public comments at a small pressevent in Manila today.

His political adviser, Orlando Balbido,said he believed Marcos should bejudged on his own merits, and not thoseof his father’s. “Are the faults of thefather passed down to the son?” Balbidosaid to AFP. Political analyst RamonCasiple said Marcos Jnr, 58, was ultimate-ly eyeing a run for the presidency at thenext elections in 2022, counting on anew generation of voters being obliviousto his father’s crimes. “The Marcos familyactually thinks that in time, people willforget what really happened during mar-tial law as the generation that experi-enced it are dying off slowly,” he told AFP.Casiple said Marcos had a good chanceof winning the vice presidency, based onpublic opinion polls showing him in thetop three of candidates.

The dictator’s wife, Imelda, 86, alsoremains a political force, holding down acongressional seat in her husband’snorthern stronghold since 2010. — AFP

Philippine dictator’s son reignites old fury

CHITTAGONG: This photo taken on October 5, 2015 shows Mohammad Javed (L), an explosives expert with theIslamist group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), being presented to the media following his arrest inChittagong. An explosives expert from a banned Islamist group was killed in Bangladesh on October 6 when hedetonated a device while security forces searched for weapons in one of the group’s hideouts, police said. — AFP

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi pastor has survived an attempt on hislife by three men who came to his home pretending to wantto learn about Christianity, police and the victim said yester-day. The incident follows the fatal attacks on two foreignerslast week in Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim countrythat is grappling with violence claimed by hard-line Islamicgroups.

The Islamic State group said it was responsible for lastweek’s attacks, one on a Japanese agricultural worker and theother on an Italian aid worker. The IS claim has been rejectedby Bangladesh’s government, which accused the oppositionof trying to destabilize the country.

On Monday, the Rev. Luke Sarker, 52, suffered minorinjuries when three men attacked him with a knife at hishome in the northwestern district of Pabna, police officialSiddikur Rahman said.

Sarker, the pastor of Faith Bible Church, said by telephonethat the men had phoned him about two weeks ago sayingthey wanted to visit him to learn about Christianity. After theyarrived at his home on Monday, the men suddenly attackedhim with a knife and tried to slit his throat, Sarker said. But ashe shouted, his wife came to his rescue and the men fled.Police later recovered a motorbike from outside his home.

Rahman said police had no clues yet about the identitiesof the three men but suspect they are members of a funda-mentalist group. Meanwhile, police said they have arrestedtwo suspects in Saturday’s attack on Japanese agriculturalworker Kunio Hoshi in northern Bangladesh.

Local businessman Humayun Kabir Hira and oppositionBangladesh Nationalist Party activist Rashedunnabi KhanBiplob were produced before a magistrate and arrested, saidlocal police Chief Rezaul Karim.

Biplob, Hira and three others were detained soon after thekilling but were not initially named as suspects. The others arestill being questioned but so far are not considered suspects,Karim said. Hira owned a fishery near the farm where Hoshiwas producing high-yielding grass as cattle feed and hadhelped the Japanese man lease the land he was farming,Karim said. — AP

Bangladesh pastor escapes knife attack at his home

KATHMANDU: The main group of protesters opposingNepal’s new constitution said its negotiations with thegovernment failed to reach a resolution yesterday evenas a punishing border blockade continued to squeezethe country.

Laxman Lal Karna from the United DemocraticMadhesi Front said talks with the government wouldresume Wednesday, adding the government negotiatorsfailed to present a solid proposal to end the protests.

The activity in southern Nepal bordering India hasstalled normal life in the area for several weeks andstopped the flow of fuel and supplies to the country’snorth, including the capital.

“We had set some preconditions which the govern-ment had promised to fulfill but failed. We will not endour protests until our political demands are fulfilled,”Karna said. Their demands included free treatment of theinjured protesters, monetary compensation for

those killed, removing the soldiers from the protestarea and stopping the use of excessive force against theprotesters.

Another Madhesi negotiator, Sarbendra Nath Shukla,said their main issue with the constitution was the bor-der of the proposed state for their ethnic group but thatissue was yet to be discussed.

Government minister Mahesh Acharya said all theissues were discussed and the team was hopeful for aresolution soon.

“We are trying to resolve this as soon as possible sothat the suffering of the people of the country will end asthe earliest,” Acharya said. — AP

Negotiationsfail to end

protests in Nepal

N E W SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Continued from Page 1

The Cabinet yesterday decided to assign the ministry ofelectricity and water portfolio to State Minister for CabinetAffairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah and theministry of public works to State Minister for Housing YasserAbul on a temporary basis.

In a related development MP Mohammad Tana said yes-terday that he will file a request next week to grill Ministerof Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Subaih over alleged vio-lations in various departments in the ministry including themanpower authority and cooperative societies. Tana saidthat there is a high degree of cooperation between MPsregarding grillings and the need to activate the monitoringpower of MPs. In the meantime, MP Abdullah Al-Maayoufyesterday welcomed plans by a number of MPs to grill min-isters, saying this represents the true way of activating theaccountability powers of lawmakers. He said that plansannounced so far to grill ministers should be supported andtalks are underway to coordinate the grillings.

In another development, MP Saleh Ashour said yester-day that the draft law regulating electronic media sent to

the National Assembly by the government should beamended because it contradicts popular gains made underthe Kuwaiti constitution. He said the draft law aims atsilencing people and suppressing freedom, adding that itmust be amended to be in line with the constitution. Hesaid the bill in the current form shows that the governmentdoes not accept voices opposed to it, adding that the gov-ernment must understand that MPs will not pass legislationin violation of the constitution.

Meanwhile, the appeals court yesterday set Oct 25 tostart studying appeals in the case of 29 people accused oftaking part or assisting a Saudi bomber who blew up aShiite mosque in Kuwait City in June, killing 26 people andwounding hundreds others. The criminal court had sen-tenced seven men to death including five in absentia, eightmen to jail terms ranging from two to 15 years and acquit-ted the remaining 14 suspects. The rulings had been chal-lenged by the public prosecution. Meanwhile, the lowercourt trying the so-called Hezbollah cell held a hearingbehind closed doors yesterday to hear the testimony of thestate security officer who handled the case. It set the nexthearing for Oct 13.

MoI bans gatherings outside husseiniyasContinued from Page 1

Germany is also an important economic partner ofKuwait, as Kuwaiti investments in the European countryhave reached $17.7 billion, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaledannounced, calling for more German investments in thecountry as the Kuwaiti market provides foreign investorswith all needed facilities. He pointed out that an earliermeeting with the German minister was “productive andfruitful”. It tackled many trade and economic issues, mili-tary and power sector cooperation, in addition to collab-oration in the fields of health, education and construc-tion. The Kuwaiti minister also expressed appreciationfor Germany’s cooperation in exempting Kuwaiti touristsfrom obtaining the Schengen visa to enter Germany.

During the conference, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled shedlight on some of the regional matters such as the Iranianfile, where he stressed the importance for both Iran andthe GCC countries to start a dialogue to secure stabilityin the region. On Syria, he expressed appreciation toGermany’s effort in creating homes for 120,000 Syrian

refugees as an implementation to a decision made bythe European Commission. He added that more humani-tarian efforts should be exerted to relieve the sufferingof the Syrians.

The Kuwaiti minister also discussed the situation inIraq and how it is important to support the politicalprocess in order to achieve a national reconciliation andto bring back stability in the country. As support to Iraq,Kuwait offered it $200 million in humanitarian aid andpostponed collecting Iraqi compensation to Kuwait for ayear.

Finding a peaceful solution under the UN resolutionno. 2216 is essential to stabilize the situation in Yemen,Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said. Kuwait also gave Yemen$100 million to aid the peace process there. He hopedfor peace in Libya and reiterated the importance to haltall Israeli aggression in the Palestinian territories.

Earlier yesterday, the German minister met HH theDeputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-AhmadAl-Sabah, where 51 years of solid ties with Germanywere lauded.

Kuwait-German ties hailed

Continued from Page 1

Medics told AFP two Yemeni guards were killed and 12were wounded in the attack on Bahah’s hotel.

There was no immediate comment from the coalitionon the IS claim. Officials in Aden backed the coalition claim,saying two rockets struck the hotel, setting it on fire, whilea third missed its target and splashed into the sea. An AFPphotographer saw helicopters evacuating casualties from anearby residence for coalition members, as plumes ofsmoke rose from it. Smoke was also rising from adjacentbarracks used by the Saudi-led forces.

In Sanaa, seven people were killed in an attack on theAl-Nour mosque in the Al-Nahda district of the Houthi-con-trolled capital, the Houthi-run state news agency said.Claiming responsibility for the Sanaa bombing, IS said in astatement that dozens of Houthis preparing to go to thebattlefront had been killed or wounded.

Youth and Sports Minister Nayef Al-Bakri said the gov-ernment would remain in Aden, even after some ministers“were lightly wounded and moved to a safe location”.

Bahah and several of his ministers returned to Aden onSept 16, two months after Gulf-backed loyalist forcespushed Iran-backed rebels out of the city. The rebelsknown as Houthis seized much of Yemen, including thecapital Sanaa, with the help of renegade troops loyal toousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

President Hadi designated Aden the temporary capitallast month when he returned there briefly from neighbor-ing Saudi Arabia. The attacks come just days after Bahahwarned the rebels that there was no room for more “adven-tures”. Yesterday’s claim is the first from IS for an attackagainst the Saudi-led coalition. Previously it only claimedattacks against Shiite mosques in Yemen.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are among other Arab statestaking part in a US-led coalition pounding IS in Syria andIraq. On Sept 4, a rebel missile attack in the eastern Yemeniprovince of Marib killed 67 coalition troops, including 52Emiratis. Bahah is overseeing reconstruction works inAden, which suffered major destruction during months offighting. He has also pressed the army to restore security inthe city, which is still experiencing violence. — Agencies

Yemen PM survives ‘IS’ attack

Continued from Page 1

Up to two-thirds of the calculated tally of neutrinoscoming from the Sun was missing, and no one knewwhere they were going.

In 1998, working at the Super-Kamiokande detector - a50,000-tonne tank of highly purified water built at thebottom of an old zinc mine in central Japan Kajita discov-ered that neutrinos seemed to change identities on theirway from the Sun to Earth. Meanwhile, in 1999, scientistsled by McDonald at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory,built deep under the ground in an old nickel mine inOntario, Canada, were also studying neutrinos comingfrom the Sun. In 2001, his group also proved that neutri-nos had a chameleon-like nature.

“It’s ironic that in order to observe the Sun you have togo two kilometres underground. It’s not what you wouldexpect, that that’s the best place to look into the core ofthe Sun, but low and behold it is,” McDonald told theNobel Foundation in an interview. Under the quirky rulesof quantum physics, the identity shift the scientistsobserved can only happen if neutrinos have mass. “Youcan chalk up yet another success for quantum mechanicsbecause without it we would not be able to make senseof the experimental results that have led to this prize,” saidRobert Brown, head of the American Institute of Physics.The Nobel committee said the work threw down thegauntlet to theoretical physics.

“The experiments have... revealed the first apparentcrack in the Standard Model,” the panel said. “It has

become obvious that the Standard Model cannot be thecomplete theory of how the fundamental constituents ofthe Universe function.” Intense activity is underway tounderstand more about the elusive particles. “New dis-coveries about their deepest secrets are expected tochange our current understanding of the history, struc-ture and future fate of the Universe,” the jury said. Kajitaand McDonald will share the prize sum of eight millionSwedish kronor (around $950,000).

McDonald, 72, told the Nobel Foundation that winningthe prize was “a very daunting experience, needless tosay,” recalling the “eureka moment” when he made his dis-covery. “Fortunately I have many colleagues as well whoshare this prize with me,” he added. Asked how he reactedto the news he had won, he said: “I gave my wife a hug!”McDonald is a professor emeritus at Queen’s University inCanada. Kajita, 56, meanwhile said “it was a real surprise tome. It’s kind of unbelievable.” Asked whether he everdreamed of winning the Nobel, he replied: “As really adream maybe yes, but not a serious dream so far.” He isthe director of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research and aprofessor at the University of Tokyo.

This year’s physics prize follows the 2002 award toRaymond Davis of the US and Masatoshi Koshiba ofJapan, pioneers in the field of cosmic neutrinos. Nobelweek continues today with the announcement of thewinners of the Nobel Chemistry Prize. The literature prizewinner will be revealed tomorrow, and the peace prizelaureate on Friday. The economics prize wraps up thisyear’s Nobel season on Monday.— AFP

Japanese, Canadian win Nobel...

Continued from Page 1

She described her daughter as “a precious little girl,she was a mommy’s girl, no matter how bad of a moodyou were in she could always make you smile.”

Jefferson County Sheriff Bud McCoig said the boy hasbeen charged with first degree murder. A judge orderedhim held in a juvenile detention center until the nexthearing, which was set for Oct 28, McCoig told AFP. “It’sa tragic incident we’ve had that an 11-year-old wouldtake an eight-year-old’s life,” he said in a telephoneinterview. The small town near Knoxville is reeling, butthe local school and churches have stepped up to helppeople come to grips with the “shocking instance,” hesaid.

The boy was inside his home when he shot the girlwith his father’s 12-gauge shotgun at about 7:30 pmSaturday, McCoig said. The gun was legally owned. “Thetwo were neighbors and in this neighborhood all thechildren would play together and knew each other andall attended school together,” he said at a press confer-ence. McCoig declined to release any further details,explaining that five other children live in the boy’s homeand two other children live in the girl’s home and “we’retrying to protect them, as much as they’ve been hurt bythis tragedy.” “Our prayers are with the families that areinvolved in the tragic incident.”

Neighbor Chasity Arwood was watching footballwhen she heard a shot ring out and was horrified to seethe little girl bleeding to death in the grass. “Thatweapon should have been under lock and key, or at leastout of hand’s reach,” Arwood told WBIR news. “Trying to

comfort her mama and her aunt and her grandma, andher grandpa and her sister and her brother: it’s the hard-est thing I’ve ever done.” Neighbors who were caring forthe family’s puppies said they seemed to be looking forthe girl. One could be seen laying morosely next to amakeshift memorial of balloons, flowers and stuffed ani-mals on the steps of the family’s mobile home.

Separately, an 11-year-old boy fatally shot his 12-year-old brother during a target-shooting outing in east-ern Ohio, the local sheriff said yesterday. The shootingoccurred while the boys from Moore, South Carolina,were with a man visiting a friend’s property in rural LeeTownship, roughly 50 miles west of Pittsburgh, CarrollCounty Sheriff Dale Williams said. The sheriff said themen had three loaded weapons on a picnic table Fridayafternoon and were discussing one when the youngerboy picked up one of the guns and it fired. The older boywas struck in the head and died at the scene. No oneelse was hurt.

The county coroner told The (Canton) Repositorynewspaper that an autopsy would be conducted.Williams said yesterday that the shooting appears acci-dental and no criminal charges had been filed, butauthorities confiscated all the weapons. “It’s accidental atthis time, but we’re not done with the investigation,”Williams said. He said the Akron-area man who owns thenearly 100-acre property called 911 after the shootingand was interviewed by investigators, as were the otherman and the 11-year-old boy. Investigators were told theboys were adopted, but Williams said he couldn’t con-firm if or how they were related to the adult visitor, whoalso was from South Carolina. — Agencies

US boy, 11, kills girl, 8, over puppy

Continued from Page 1

The court also approved sealing the room but not demol-ishing the structure, since Hijazi’s attack “did not ultimatelyresult in the loss of human life.”

The punitive measures come after clashes have spread ineast Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank in recent daysfollowing the murders of four Israelis, including a Jewish set-tler couple who were driving with their children in the WestBank. Israeli security forces said Monday that five men theyhad arrested were members of militant group Hamas andhad confessed to shooting the couple. Israeli troops shotdead a Palestinian teenager on Monday - the second killingof a Palestinian in 24 hours - as dozens were wounded infresh clashes

In the wake of the violence, Netanyahu has announced aseries of new security measures and right-wing politicians

have urged the demolitions to be brought forward. “We arenot prepared to give immunity to anybody, not to any rioter...or any terrorist, anywhere, and therefore there are no limitson the activities of the security forces,” Netanyahu said aheadof a special session of his security cabinet on Monday night.

Also on Monday, thousands turned out in Jerusalem for arally outside the prime minister’s residence organised byJewish settlers urging Netanyahu to come down hard onmilitants and boost settlement building. Israel lifted rarerestrictions yesterday barring Palestinians from Jerusalem’sOld City, with only residents, business owners and studentsallowed on Sunday and Monday. The restrictions had beenimposed after two Israelis were stabbed to death there andas Jews wrapped up celebrations for their Sukkot holiday,which ended Monday night. Around 300,000 Palestinianslive in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, where the Old City islocated. — AFP

Israel razes Palestinian homes

BETHLEHEM: The mother (center) of 13-year-old Palestinian Abdel Rahman Abdullah, who was shot dead bythe Israeli army, mourns next to her son’s body during his funeral at the Aida refugee camp yesterday. — AFP

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A N A L Y S I SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

By Paul Handley

US President Barack Obama scoreda major policy victory with thedeal agreed Sunday to estab-

lish the Trans-Pacific Partnership,billed as the first trade pact for the21st centur y. The agreementsigns on countries representing40 percent of the global econo-my, inc luding the UnitedStates, Japan, Australia andCanada, to a broad set ofrules to enhance free tradeand investment, to governdigita l t rade and protec tintellectual property. The TPPis a cornerstone of Obama’sslow-to-gel “Pivot Toward Asia”,with its key goal of preventingChina, the world’s number twoeconomy, from filling a void withits own less-free and open stan-dards for trade and investment gov-ernance.

“We can’t let countries like China write therules of the global economy. We should writethose rules, opening new markets to Americanproducts while setting high standards for pro-tecting workers and preserving our environment,”Obama said in a statement yesterday. The WhiteHouse highlighted the thousands of taxes andtariffs being eliminated on trade across the 12countries, but equally important are the effort toharmonize standards, remove unfair competi-tion, and cut bureaucratic barriers to trade andinvestment in the TPP.

It has a long timeframe for implementation, andmany hedges and exceptions for various countriesthat will moderate some of the gains. To really prove itsmuscle, the TPP will have to draw in other major coun-

tries, both economic powers such asSouth Korea and large emerging

markets like India and Indonesia.South Korea has already said it

wants to join. St i l l , i t wasapplauded for potential lyboosting the sagging global

economy. And it could addfuel to Obama’s push for

an even more ambitiousfree-trade pact deal withthe European Union,the Transatlantic Tradeand InvestmentPartnership (TTIP) cur-rently under negotia-tion.

Trailblazing Deal?“The agreement is not

only important because ofthe size.... it also pushes the

frontier of trade and invest-ment in goods and services tonew areas where gains can besignificant,” said InternationalMonetar y Fund ManagingDirector Christine Lagarde. “Iexpect that the TPP can pavethe way to a new generationof deep trade integration

effor ts.” EU CommissionerCecilia Malmstrom said the talks

were good not just for world trade,but also “good news for the trade

negotiations between the USand the EU, because with TPPdone, we wil l be able toapproach our TTIP negotia-tions with an even greaterfocus from both sides.”

The deal is not complete until all the 12 countries rati-fy it, and the biggest challenge will be the White Housepersuading Congress to back it. Members of Congresshave already attacked the deal as variously selling outUS business and, on the other hand, helping global busi-ness at the likely cost of US jobs. “While the details arest i l l emerging, unfor tunately I am afraid this dealappears to fall woefully short,” said Senate FinanceCommittee chairman Orrin Hatch, a crucial Republicanvoice on international trade.

Labor and other social groups have warned it couldturn out like the North American Free trade Agreementof 1994, which they say sent thousands of US jobs toMexico and Canada. More broadly, critics say the TPP isnot really about free trade but about managed trade,with the main beneficiar ies select companies andindustries.

Critics Up-in-Arms Public Citizen, a Washington group, bashed the deal

for lengthening protections for drug patents, especiallyfor a cutting-edge category of drugs called biologics.“People everywhere trying to understand why medicineprices are so high find a disheartening answer in the TPPnegotiations: The pharmaceutical industry has pur-chased tremendous influence with political leaders,” saidPeter Maybarduk, director of the group’s program onmedicines.

TPP critic Adam Hersh of the Roosevelt Institute saysthat projections of TPP benefits show very little overallto US economic growth, while agreements on auto partsand texti le impor ts wil l benefit non-TPP membersincluding China. And he said one of the more controver-sial chapters of the treaty which allows foreign investorsto try to settle disputes with governments in an inde-pendent tribunal gives investors great leverage againstnational laws and policies. “Most of what the agreementis about is changing the rules on how investors relate togovernments,” Hersh told AFP. “It’s been pretty clear thatwhat’s going on here is not about free trade, but whichspecial interests get access to these things.” —AFP

From booking a holiday to something as basic asbuying bread or cooking oil, the crisis in emergingmarkets has gripped many aspects of people’s

lives. World finance ministers gather in the Peruviancapital Lima from October 9-11 to ponder the crisis,prompted largely by a China-led commodities pricecrash, but people are already feeling its impact. Fourpeople from emerging economies around the worlddescribe how they cope with the dwindling value oftheir money:

No More Cooking OilIn the Zambian capital of Lusaka, 38-year-old elec-

tronics and household goods stock controller GibsonChivunda is struggling. “Prices have skyrocketed whilethe value of my salary has continued to depreciate,” themarried father of three said in an interview. Bread,maize flour and cooking oil prices have soared. “Wherewe used to buy three bottles of cooking oil, we are nowbuying two bottles and in the remaining days of eachmonth we use pounded ground nuts instead,” Chivundasaid. “Imported goods are too expensive. Shops keepchanging prices every other hour.”

Chivunda said he could no longer take his family onholiday or out to dinner because his salary cannot keeppace with the depreciating value of the currency. Someshops are now charging in dollars, Chivunda said,adding that he was considering opening a dollar-denominated bank account.

Cutting Back on HolidaysThe relatively well-off are feeling the pinch, too. In

Rio de Janeiro, 28-year-old lawyer Priscilla Rocha, wholives in a new suburb dotted with shopping malls, saidshe will still be taking her US vacation in December. “Butthe purpose of the trip has changed. Instead of going tobuy clothes and cosmetics like I used to, I will get toknow the country and travel. I won’t buy hardly any-thing,” Rocha said. “My income is not affected but I amspending less. I used to go to the shopping mall everyweek and buy something. But it is not just the fall of thereal. People fear the economic crisis, prices have goneup with inflation, they are scared to consume, themedia only speak about that and it’s contributing to thepessimism. Everyone is saving a bit.” Rocha said shesaves about 20 percent of her salary and changes it intodollars “because I don’t know whether the real is goingto carry on falling.”

Electronics Prices RiseAnggrita Desyani, a 25-year-old press officer at a

government-backed science association in Jakarta, hasa steady job and income but is seeing some prices goup. “Electronic appliances are getting more expensive,while things you use every day like food and trans-portation is not changing so much,” she said. Desyanisaid she had advised her father against buying a com-puter hard drive. “The price is much higher than when Ibought one, three or five months ago. I said: ‘Maybeyou should wait’.” The rupiah’s sharp decline alsopushed up the cost of a holiday to Japan, she said. “Ihad already booked tickets and also hotels so chang-ing the date was not an option for me,” she said. “But Ihad to spend more.”

Taking on Extra WorkIn Colombia, where the peso has plunged along with

oil prices, 35-year-old Jose Francisco Socarrasin has beena teaching technology at a school in the capital Bogotafor the past 10 years. He is not married but looks after hismother. “We all have responsibilities that we cannotignore,” he said. Last year, his regular salary no longersufficed and he started to teach extra classes privately.Now those extra classes have stretched to four hours aday, in addition to the eight hours he teaches at school.“I would like to do more private classes but travelling onpublic transport makes that impossible,” he said.

Socarrasin said his purchasing power had been cutby 40 percent. “A year ago with 100,000 pesos ($33)you could buy five products in the supermarket, nowyou can only get three.” The teacher said he tried toavoid big purchases except for emergencies. “A fewmonths ago I had to do some very costly work on thehouse and I had to buy some very expensive books Ineed for work. Those are the two times I used the cred-it card.” —AFP

Focus

How people cope in the emerging

market crisisBy Aurélia End

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came underpressure yesterday from rightwing allies in his razor-thincoalition to respond forcefully to Palestinian unrest, but

that could risk provoking the violent escalation of an alreadyvolatile situation. The dilemma for Netanyahu, long knownas a wily political operator, was made clear Monday night,when several thousand right-wing protesters gathered infront of his residence demanding more security and new set-tlement construction.

Three of his own ministers and other political allies wereamong those demonstrating, as Netanyahu met his securitycabinet to discuss a package of new measures. “If a terroristdecides to throw a stone, you need to deport him and all hisfamily, to destroy his house and his family’s house, to takehis citizenship. You need to hurt them,” Oren Hazan, a law-maker from Netanyahu’s Likud party, told AFP at the rally.

The coalition government formed after elections in Marchis one of the most rightwing in Israel’s history, but holds onlya one-seat majority in parliament, leaving Netanyahu partic-ularly beholden to various factions. Those include partiesrepresenting Jewish settlements in the West Bank, where anIsraeli couple were murdered in front of their children onThursday. Two days later, a Palestinian stabbed to death twoIsraelis - a Jewish settler and a rabbi - in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Unrest has since spread in the West Bank and eastJerusalem, with Palestinian youths throwing stones and fire-bombs at Israeli police and soldiers, who have respondedwith live fire and rubber bullets. Israeli soldiers have shotdead two Palestinians in the unrest, including a 13-year-old,and dozens of others have been wounded.

Tough Talk Netanyahu has talked tough, speaking of “no limits” for

the security forces and a “f ight to the death againstPalestinian terror”. He has also set out such plans as reinforc-ing security forces, expediting demolition of suspectedattackers’ homes and more detentions without trial. Rulesfor when security forces can open fire have also been loos-ened. In a show of force, Israel demolished early Tuesday thehomes of two Palestinians who carried out attacks last year.Netanyahu also travelled to the West Bank and visited thesite where the couple was murdered.

Still, he has been widely criticised by rightwing commen-tators and politicians, a number of whom flatly oppose thecreation of a Palestinian state and see all of the West Bank as

part of Israel. He has little choice but to be concerned bytheir opposition, analysts say, but he would likely want toavoid responding to the unrest too harshly and provoking abroader uprising.

Fearing a third intifada, or uprising, world powers havecalled for calm, and members of the security establish-ment have spoken anonymously to Israeli mediaabout a measured response. “Netanyahu is a masterof walking the thin line between a right-wingcoalition and the appearance of being MrSecurity and making sure that the situation isnot going to deteriorate,” Gayil Talshir, aHebrew University of Jerusalem politicalscience professor, told AFP. But the situa-tion is more difficult for him now since cen-trist parties have limited influence in hiscoalition, she said.

‘They Should Shoot Them’ They have made a wide range of

demands on his government, starting withmore construction of settlements in theWest Bank. Jewish settlements in thePalestinian territory are considered illegalunder international law, and any such moveby Netanyahu would be sure to provokewidespread condemnation, not to mentionunpredictable reaction from Palestinians. Otherdemands have included the re -arrest ofPalestinians released as part of a deal that led tothe release of soldier Gilad Shalit. In 2011, Israelfreed more than 1,000 prisoners in exchange forShalit, who had been held by Islamist movementHamas for five years.

But while Netanyahu will have to hear themout, he also holds his own trump card, analysts say:The hardliners know this government is likely themost right-wing they can expect, so they would behesitant to provoke another election. “They willnever have a better coalition that the one theyhave,” said Talshir. But some of the protestersMonday night were less concerned with such practi-calities than with punishing those they refer to asthe “terrorists”. “If they throw stones, they shouldshoot them,” said 40-year-old Lizi Hameiri, who was

holding a sign that read “Palestinians never wanted peace.This is a rightwing government that is acting as if they are a

leftwing government.” —AFP

Unrest leaves Bibi with tough choices

TPP: Victory for Obama, but for trade?

KARACHI: Pakistan have recalled all-rounder Shoaib Malik from the testwilderness, adding him as the 16th member to their squad for the three-match series against England starting this month in the United ArabEmirates.

The 33-year-old former Pakistan captain, who last played a test in August2010, has been rewarded for his strong form in the limited-overs matches inZimbabwe, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement. “Following(team manager) Intikhab Alam’s request, I spoke with my fellow selectorsand there was unanimity over retaining Malik, keeping inmind his current batting form and the off-spin bowlingoption that could be handy in the all-important forth-coming test series against England,” chief selectorHaroon Rashid said.

Malik has played 32 tests for Pakistan, scoring two hun-dreds and eight fifties as well as taking 21 wickets. Heremained unbeaten during the last two matches of thethree-ODI series in Zimbabwe with a top score of 96 notout. He also took four wickets.

Abu Dhabi hosts the first test from Oct. 13, withthe last two matches taking place in Dubai (Oct.22-26) and Sharjah (Nov. 1-5). —Reuters

S P O RT SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

FRANKFURT: Winger Lukas Podolski is doubtful for Germany’s Euro2016 qualifiers against Ireland and Georgia over the next few daysafter picking up an ankle injury.

Fellow midfielder Karim Bellarabi is also being treated for a shoul-der injury but could still be fit in time for Thursday’s Group D game inDublin that could secure Germany a spot in next year’s tournament.Germany then host Georgia in Leipzig on Sunday.

“Lukas Podolski has problems with his left ankle,” team spokesmanJens Grittner said on Tuesday. “More tests will be done during the daybut there is a question mark regarding his participation in the twogames. But we cannot give any more detailed prognosis yet.”

The Germans have enough quality with Marco Reus, Mario Goetze,Andre Schuerrle and several others able to play in Podolski’s position,but only little time to prepare for the game on Thursday with the teamhaving only one full training session with all the players present.

“We are a bit used to that,” said playmaker Ilkay Guendogan.“You still need a few days for everyone to reach the same level, foreveryone to arrive. Someone played on Friday, others played onSunday.—Reuters

Podolski doubtful for German Euro qualifiersAMSTERDAM: Newcastle defender Daryl Janmaat is the third player forced

out because of injury from the Netherlands squad for their last two Euro 2016group qualifiers in the next week.

Janmaat has a knee injury and was ruled out after consultations with teamdoctors on Tuesday, the Dutch football association KNVB said.

It is a blow for Janmaat after being recalled to the squad after missing outlast month against Iceland and Turkey in Group A matches.

Coach Danny Blind will not name a replacement as theDutch depart on Wednesday for Astana where they meetKazakhstan on Saturday. Riechedly Bazoer and Eljero Eliajoined up with the squad on Monday as injury replace-ments for Davy Klaassen and Quincy Promes respectively.

Lying fourth in Group A, the Netherlands must win theirqualifiers away against Kazakhstan and at home to the

Czech Republic in Amsterdam next Tuesday to stand anychance of making the play-offs. But they need Turkey,

who are third in the group, to drop points at thesame time.—Reuters

Janmaat joins injury list Malik in Pakistan squad

NFL Standings

American Football ConferenceAFC East

W L T OTL PF PA PCTNew England 3 0 0 0 119 70 1.000NY Jets 3 1 0 0 95 55 .750Buffalo 2 2 0 0 110 92 .500Miami 1 3 0 0 65 101 .250

AFC NorthCincinnati 4 0 0 0 121 77 1.000Pittsburgh 2 2 0 1 96 75 .500Baltimore 1 3 0 0 93 104 .250Cleveland 1 3 0 0 85 102 .250

AFC SouthIndianapolis 2 2 0 0 72 93 .500Tennessee 1 2 0 0 89 77 .333Jacksonville 1 3 0 1 62 107 .250Houston 1 3 0 0 77 108 .250

AFC WestDenver 4 0 0 0 97 69 1.000Oakland 2 2 0 0 97 108 .500San Diego 2 2 0 0 96 110 .500Kansas City 1 3 0 0 100 125 .250

National Football ConferenceNFC East

Dallas 2 2 0 1 95 101 .500NY Giants 2 2 0 0 102 82 .500Washington 2 2 0 0 78 79 .500Philadelphia 1 3 0 0 78 86 .250

NFC NorthGreen Bay 4 0 0 0 113 71 1.000Minnesota 2 2 0 0 80 73 .500Chicago 1 3 0 0 68 125 .250Detroit 0 4 0 0 66 96 0

NFC SouthCarolina 4 0 0 0 108 71 1.000Atlanta 4 0 0 0 137 93 1.000Tampa Bay 1 3 0 0 72 117 .250New Orleans 1 3 0 0 86 104 .250

NFC WestArizona 3 1 0 0 148 73 .750St. Louis 2 2 0 0 74 89 .500Seattle 2 2 0 1 87 71 .500San Francisco 1 3 0 0 48 110 .250 SEATTLE: Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor (31) knocks the ball loose from Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) in the second half of an NFL foot-

ball game. —AP

NEW YORK: The New YorkYankees will try to hit the resetbutton late yesterday when theysend Masahiro Tanaka to themound against the HoustonAstros in the American Leaguewild card game.

The winner of the do-or-die

Major League Baseball playoffopener advances to the ALDivision Series against the KansasCity Royals, while in the NationalLeague today the PittsburghPirates host the Chicago Cubs inthe wild card duel for a chance toface the St. Louis Cardinals in the

NL Division Series. While theYankees have home field advan-tage against the Astros, they aren’texactly riding a wave of successinto the playoffs.

They dropped their last threegames of the regular season to theBaltimore Orioles, but Yankees

manager Joe Girardi said that willbe irrelevant come Tuesday.

“Regular season doesn’t matternow,” Girardi said. “It comes downto late yesterday.” Girardi alsoinsisted that a sub-par outing forhigh-priced Japanese importTanaka last week was no barome-ter for late yesterday’s clash.Tanaka returned from a right ham-string injury last Wednesday, last-ing five innings and surrenderingfour runs on five hits in a 9-5Yankees loss to the Boston RedSox. Girardi said there would beno restrictions on Tanaka’s inningsor pitch count on Tuesday, and heexpects the right-hander tobounce back.

“He’s had a pretty good year,”Girardi said of Tanaka, who wassigned to a $155 million, seven-year deal before the 2014 seasonafter the Yankees paid hisJapanese club the RakutenGolden Eagles a $20 million post-ing fee. “He threw a stinker the lasttime out, but I still feel good aboutit,” Girardi said. The Astros give theball to top left-hander DallasKeuchel.

Keuchel was the winner in oneof the two games the Astros wonin a three-game regular-seasonseries at New York in August-get-ting the “W” in Houston’s 15-1 routof the Yanks on August 25.Keuchel, who will be pitching onthree days’ rest for the first time inhis four-year career, also won hishome start against the Yankees inthe regular season.

“He’s one of the best,” Yankeesslugger Alex Rodriguez said of theAstros ace. “But this time of year ...they’re all brand names. You haveto beat them all one by one.”

The NL wild card game is shap-

ing up as a pitching duel betweenPirates ace Gerrit Cole and theCubs’ red-hot right-hander JakeArrieta-who went 22-6 with a 1.77earned run average in 33 startsthis season. Arrieta’s stellar cam-paign includes an astonishingearned run average of just 0.75since the All-Star break. Since thebreak, he’s struck out 113 battersin 107 1/3 innings while issuingjust 22 unintentional walks andallowing two home runs.

Arrieta hasn’t allowed a run inhis past 22 innings pitched, andthe Cubs are 17-1 in his last 18starts. Understandably brimmingwith confidence, Arrieta was quickto fire back at a Pirates fan whotook to Twitter to heckle the Cubs,vowing the crowd in Pittsburgh “isgoing to eat you alive”.

“Whatever helps keep yourhope alive, just know, it doesn’tmatter,” Arrieta responded in atweet widely interpreted as a guar-antee of a Cubs victory.

While the four wild card teamsface tense one-game battles toadvance their playoff hopes, sixmore clubs are set for action in thebest-of-five Division Series.

Along with the Royals-last sea-son’s American League championsseeking a return to the WorldSeries-the Texas Rangers will facethe Toronto Blue Jays in theAmerican League.

With the Cardinals awaitingeither the Cubs or Pirates, in theNational League’s other DivisionSeries the Los Angeles Dodgerswill take on the New York Mets.

The winners of the DivisionSeries will then battle in their best-of-seven League ChampionshipSeries with World Series berths onthe line.—AFP

DOHA: Manny Pacquiao is to attend the WorldBoxing Championships in Doha later this week, fol-lowing a personal invitation from the head of thetournament’s governing body, it was announcedyesterday.

Ching-Kuo Wu, president of AIBA, said he hadpersonally asked the Philippine boxing hero toattend the 10-day event and said it was the firsttime such a big name would visit the champi-onships. “Manny Pacquiao is a personal friend and Ihave invited him to come,” Wu told reporters aheadof the tournament’s first bouts.

“He’s never been to the World Championshipsand I said ‘come and have a look’.” “This is thebenchmark for future World Championships and Iam pleased that Manny Pacquiao accepted my invi-tation to come and share his thoughts and ideasfirst hand.”

The 36-year-old Pacquiao is expected to watchthe afternoon session of fights on Thursday. Earlierthis week he announced plans to run for a post inthe influential Philippine Senate.

His visit could prompt many spectators fromQatar’s 200,000-strong population to the Ali BinHamad Al Attiya Arena, Doha, where the event isbeing held.

Pacquiao’s potential next opponent, Britain’sAmir Khan, is also expected in Qatar to do mediawork, but not at the same time as the Filipino.

Fighting in the world championships got under-way late yesterday. Among the early winners wereVanuatu’s hard-hitting Boe Warawara whose cleanhits removed the mouthguard of opponent YakubMeredov on four occasions. Morocco’s AbdelhakAatakni survived the first knockdown of the tour-nament to outpoint India’s Manoj Kumar andBritain’s Pat McCormack won a feisty encounterwith Moldova’s Dimitri Galagot. Almost 250 boxersfrom some 70 countries are competing at the eventacross 10 weight categories. At stake is not only thechance to win a world title but also 23 qualifyingspots for the Rio Olympics next year.—AFP

Chancellor lifts Seahawks over LionsDETROIT: Kam Chancellor’s game-saving efforton Monday against the Detroit Lions rescued theSeattle Seahawks’ season and proved his ultimatevalue to the franchise.

The Seahawks were a yard away from defeatin the final minutes as Detroit wide receiverCalvin Johnson lunged toward the end zone for ago-ahead touchdown, when Chancellorswooped in from behind and knocked the ball

loose for a touchback. Chancellor’s superb effortsecured the 13-10 victory for Seattle (2-2) andrestored their campaign back to level ground. “Iknew what was coming,” Chancellor toldreporters. “I jumped (the play) fast. I just ran to theball, and you know it’s never over until you crossthat end zone, so I punched at it.”

Chancellor’s punch was just the knockoutblow Seattle needed. Chancellor, a Pro Bowl safe-

ty who missed the first two games because of acontract dispute with the team, has pulled theSeahawks out of a 0-2 start and helped returnthe teeth to a defense known as the “Legion ofBoom”.

Since Chancellor returned to the field in a 26-0shutout of the Chicago Bears last week, theSeahawks defense has not allowed an offensivetouchdown and are again the feared unit that

reached the past two Super Bowls. “He has madeus a whole defense. We had a missing piece andwhen he came back we started getting in agroove,” said Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner.“The play at the end (tonight) was a big play. Heshowed what a big-time play maker he is.”

Detroit (0-4), trailing by three points, haddriven the length of the field before quarter-back Matt Stafford hit Johnson on his route

toward the end zone. Seattle safety EarlThomas made a hit on Johnson but the receiv-er ’s momentum was taking him over thegoalline when Chancellor emerged fromnowhere. “Watching my team play (the firsttwo games without me) I knew I could be a fac-tor in a lot of plays,” Chancellor said. “Comingback at this time feels good, and I’m blessed tobe with this team.”—Reuters

NY Yankees counting on Tanaka in wild card game

Masahiro Tanaka in action in this file photo.

Pacquiao headingto Doha for World

Championships

S P O RT SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

LOS ANGELES: A new era’s begun inToronto, playoff contenders Chicagoand Anaheim have retooled their rostersand there is a new overtime format asthe puck is ready to drop on anotherNHL season.

The 2015-16 season also marks thearrival of rising stars Connor McDavid inEdmonton and Jack Eichel in Buffaloand several teams have new headcoaches like Toronto’s Mike Babcock,San Jose’s Peter DeBoer and Detroit’sJeff Blashill.

The new overtime rule will feature athree -on-three extra session in anattempt to reduce the number of gamesdecided by a shootout.

The first taste of that could comeWednesday when the season kicks offwith the Stanley Cup championBlackhawks holding their banner raisingceremony before they host the NewYork Rangers at the United Center.

Elsewhere on opening night, theMontreal Canadiens visit Toronto, theCalgary Flames host the VancouverCanucks and the Sharks will battle theKings in Los Angeles.

The Kings and the Blackhawks havewon the last four Stanley Cup champi-onships between them. But it seemssuccess comes with a cost as both clubsdealt with police investigations over thesummer involving current and recentlyreleased players.

The Kings, who won the Stanley Cupin 2012 and 2014, are trying to get backinto the postseason mix after missingthe playoffs last season.

The Kings growing rap sheet hasmade them the Cincinnati Bengals ofthe NHL and left some wonderingwhether the root cause of their off iceproblems is a leadership void in thedressing room.

They are coming off one of the most

turbulent seasons in franchise historyfollowing the drug-related arrests ofveterans Jarret Stoll and Mike Richardsand the domestic violence case of SlavaVoynov.

Chicago star forward Patrick Kaneremains the subject of a sexual assaultprobe by police. Kane has not beencharged with a crime but his fate is inthe hands of a New York state grandjury.

If this drags on for several months itcould become a distraction for thereigning league champions who alsowon the Cup in 2013.

Salary cap issues forced theBlackhawks to revamp their roster byparting ways with key per formersBrandon Saad and Johnny Oduya. Theyalso got rid of forward Patrick Sharpwho was more of a defensive liabilitythan a point producer last season.

Three time Pacific Division title win-

ners Anaheim didn’t stand pat over theoff season. General manager BobMurray used his cap space to add depthto the lineup.

He added Carl Hagelin and ChrisStewart to the forwards, Kevin Bieksa tothe defence and got a capable backupgoalkeeper in Anton Khudobin.

But the biggest shakeup took placein Toronto, the only hockey team listedamong Forbe’s 50 most valuable sportsteams.

Toronto brought in Olympic goldmedal winning coach Babcock, sentfive-time 30 goal scorer Phil Kessel toPittsburgh and lured GM Lou Lamorielloout of his rocking chair in New Jersey.

The key catch though was landingBabcock who never missed the playoffsduring a decade as coach of the DetroitRed Wings. The Leafs made him thehighest paid coach in NHL history, sign-ing him to an eight-year deal worth $50

million. He also coached the Canadiansto gold medals at the Sochi andVancouver Olympic Games. McDavidand Eichel, the first two players pickedin the 2015 entry draft, are expected tospark revivals in Edmonton and Buffalo.

Edmonton hasn’t been to the StanleyCup playoffs in nine seasons and Buffalohasn’t been in four. Eichel finished withsix points in four exhibition games whilefirst overall pick McDavid had five pointsin five games. The Tampa Bay Lightningmade it all the way to the Stanley Cupfinal last season before losing to theBlackhawks in six games.

Led on offence by Steven Stamkosand Tyler Johnson and in goal by BenBishop they have one of the most bal-anced lineups in the league. Look forAlex Ovechkin to shoot the lights out inWashington and win the scoring titlebut watch his team fall short in the post-season once again.—AFP

Ducks, Hawks, Lightning to challenge for Stanley Cup

LONDON: South Africa coach HeynekeMeyer has taken inspiration from the firstsub four-minute mile as the Springboks bidto make Rugby World Cup history.

Every World Cup-winning team-includ-ing South Africa in 1995 and 2007 — havegone through the tournament unbeaten.

Springbok fans thought their team’schances nosedived after a stunning 34-32defeat by Japan in their Pool B opener, aresult regarded as the greatest upset inWorld Cup history.

Meyer, however, cited running a mile inunder four minutes, once thought to beimpossible until Britain’s Roger Bannisterclocked three minutes 59.4 seconds in1954, as an example of a once staggeringfeat that was now commonplace.

South Africa responded to their shockreverse with a 46-6 win over Samoa andlast weekend’s 34-16 defeat of Scotland.Now they top their group and are oncourse for a quarter-final with Australia orWales. But they still have one more poolmatch today against the United Statesbefore the knockout stages. “We don’t lookpast this game,” Meyer told reporters onMonday.

“That’s been our problem, where wecouldn’t build game on game. One thingabout South Africans, if we don’t pitch upand are not physical, then we are beatable.

“But there are so many examples ofcomebacks that people said can’t happen.They said the mile would never be run inunder four minutes; now everybody doesit. “I believe everything is possible, and theguys know this is,” added Meyer, criticisedheavily after the Japan match.

“But we know we have to get throughthis game.”People say things to be nice, butwe really respect the USA. They’ve shownthey’re very difficult to play against, veryphysical, a lot of big, strong forwards andgreat runners in midfield.”

Meyer repeated the team mantra that“every single game is actually a final.” Meyerhas made just two, injury-enforcedchanges, to the team that beat Scotland.

Lwazi Mvovo replaces wing JP Pietersen,while prop Frans Malherbe comes in forJannie du Plessis. Pietersen and du Plessishave knee injuries.

Morne Steyn-who has fallen behindHandre Pollard and Pat Lambie in SouthAfrica’s fly-half pecking order-could beinvolved off the bench.

The 31-year-old played the last of his 59Tests against Australia in September lastyear but Meyer said the renowned goal-kicker’s attitude had been exemplary.

“Morne’s probably what all SouthAfricans and Springboks should be,” hesaid. “He’s here to serve and the thing thathasn’t been nice for him is that youngstershave been playing ahead of him.

“He’s done everything, been a WorldCup winner (as a 2007 squad member),beat the British and Irish Lions on his own.”Steyn’s last-minute penalty gave theSpringboks a series-clinching win in thesecond Test in 2009. “I never had to keephim positive. He’s been an example toeveryone, helping other guys with theirkicking.”

The United States, beaten in their twoprevious Pool B matches, have made 12changes to the side that lost 25-16 toSamoa last time out.

Eagles coach Mike Tolkin blamed aschedule that sees his side completingtheir pool programme with a potentiallymore ‘winnable’ match against Japan inGloucester on Sunday.

“It comes to a point in this tournamentwith a four-day rest where you have to usethe whole squad,” he said. “Every teamthat’s been in this situation has had to dothe same thing.

We’re confident in this full squad.” Todaywill see US No 8 Samu Manoa captain theside for the first time, with squad skipperChris Wyles on the bench. “It’s an honor,”said Manoa, set to join European champi-ons Toulon after becoming a popular figureat English Premiership side Northampton.“It’s really big for me and we’ve just got togive it everything we’ve got.”—AFP

Magic mile spurs on Springboks

Lwazi Mvovo

MILAN: With her suspension coming toan end, Olympic bronze medalistCarolina Kostner already has her sightsset on the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.

The Italian figure skater will be eligi-ble to return to competition on Jan. 1after serving a suspension for helpingher ex-boyfriend evade doping controls.

“The desire is there, and it includesalso obviously a possible Olympics,” the28-year-old Kostner said yesterday.Kostner received clearance this weekfrom the Court of Arbitration for Sport toreturn to competition next year afteragreeing to have her 16-month suspen-sion extended by five months, but thenbackdated, freeing her to skate earlierthan anticipated.

As part of the agreement, Kostneralso agreed to act as a spokeswomanagainst doping, her lawyer said. ButKostner said it was too soon to lay out aprogram for her comeback.

“Knowing that I can return to compe-tition in 2016 gives me great strengthand great serenity to make a decision,”Kostner said. Italian skating federationpresident Andrea Gioss said it would bedifficult for Kostner to qualify for theEuropean championships from Jan. 25-31 because of time constraints. Shewould have time to qualify for the worldfigure skating championships in Bostonin March by picking up points at sanc-

tioned international competitions.As she has in the past, Kostner admit-

ted she “made an error,” by helping herex-boyfriend, Olympic race walking goldmedalist Alex Schwazer, evade a dopingtest and other infractions. She has saidshe was unaware he was doping.

“This period for me was a moment ofgreat growth and maturation,” she said,adding she has broken off all contactwith Schwazer but did now wish him ill.

Kostner, who missed out on theworlds last year but won bronze at theSochi Olympics, said she has been con-centrating on the artistic aspects of skat-ing since the suspension took effect inJanuary, and will be able to return to fulltraining in federation-sanctioned rinksfrom Nov. 1. In the meantime, she ispreparing for an ice show in Verona thisweek, and spent last winter in a dancestudio practicing ballet.

Kostner said she misses competingbut that she had nothing to prove byreturning to the rink. “I have a big troveof experience, Olympics that havegone well, Olympics gone badly, falls,getting back up,” Kostner said. “In a cer-tain sense, I feel the desire and need togive it all meaning, if only to be part ofa team and have the young futureItalian champion turn to me and askadvice, ‘You, at those moments, whatdid you do?’”—AP

Carolina Kostner

Skater Kostner ready to return to competition

LONDON: England captain Chris Robshawacknowledged doubts about his future yester-day amid mass changes for the final match ofthe hosts disastrous World Cup campaign.

Rugby League convert Sam Burgess did noteven get a place among the replacements forthe Pool A game against Uruguay at Manchesteron Saturday.

Coach Stuart Lancaster, who also seems set tobe replaced, made nine changes in all to thestarting lineup for the catastrophic 33-13 defeatby Australia last Saturday.

Robshaw who has faced stinging criticismalong with Lancaster said he would not discuss

his future until after the Uruguay game. “We’re very much focused on the here and

now. I’ll address questions about my role in thenext couple of weeks,” he told a press confer-ence. He said the newlook England squad is“chomping at the bit to play.” Amid a new day ofcriticism from past players and newspapers, thebeleaguered Lancaster has brought in HenrySlade, Jack Nowell, Danny Care and Alex Goodefor their World Cup debuts.

Burgess, Lancaster’s most argued over squadselection whose inclusion reportedly alienatedsome players, disappears completely from thematch-day 23. England’s coaching staff had

rejected reports that he was brought in tooquickly after less than a year in the game.

No immediate reason was given for Burgess’absence however. The match could beLancaster ’s last in charge. England’s RugbyFootball Union (RFU) have ordered a review intothe World Cup disaster and several candidatesare already expressing interest in the post.

Jake White, who guided South Africa to the2007 World Cup title, said he had already beenapproached in the past. “If they were genuinglyinterested and they approached me, of course Iwould be interested. It’s one of the biggest jobsin world sport and you would be crazy not toconsider it,” White, currently head coach atFrench side Montpellier, told the Daily Mail.

Japan’s Australian coach Eddie Jones has alsosaid he would be “open” to an approach by theRFU. Lancaster has said he will be permanentlyscarred by the World Cup defeat.

But he has insisted that his main concern isUruguay on Saturday.”This is an opportunity forus to finish the tournament with a strong per-formance against Uruguay and a chance for thelikes of young players such as Jack Nowell andHenry Slade to play in a World Cup,” saidLancaster.

“We owe it to ourselves and the supporterswho have been brilliant throughout.” In the pack,Mako Vunipola starts in place of Joe Marler atloosehead prop, with James Haskell and NickEaster replacing Tom Wood and Ben Morgan inthe back row.

Owen Farrell takes over from injured Saracensclubmate Brad Barritt in the number 12 jerseyand George Ford-who Lancaster was castigatedfor dropping for the Wales game-returns at flyhalf. “Brad Barritt (arm) and Courtney Lawes(knee) are not available this weekend and BenMorgan (dead leg) and Ben Youngs (ankle) willnot be able to train fully until Thursday,” saidLancaster.—AFP

England captain casts doubt on his future

Chris Robshaw

S P O RT SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Johnson back on team after 2-year absence

INCHEON: Dustin Johnson hasn’t lost a matchwhile playing for the United States in nearly fouryears. Part of that is because he’s very good.

Any discussion about American talent in golfwould have to include the 31-year-old Johnson,who has won in every PGA Tour season since hewas a rookie in 2008 fresh out of CoastalCarolina. He has chased majors, falling shorteither by bad luck (Chambers Bay), a bad shot(Royal St. George’s), bad golf (Pebble Beach) or abad setup (bunkers at Whistling Straits).

But there’s another reason that Johnsonhasn’t lost a match in so long. He hasn’t played ateam event since the 2012 Ryder Cup atMedinah.

Johnson was left off the Presidents Cup teamtwo years ago when he finished 12th in the USstandings, and captain Fred Couples passed overJohnson and Jim Furyk in favor of 20-year-oldrookie Jordan Spieth. “I was pretty (upset) Ididn’t get picked,” Johnson said with a laugh.“Why you got to bring that up?” And then lastyear involved extenuating, if not mysterious, cir-cumstances. He easily would have qualified forthe team except for taking an indefinite leavefrom golf to seek professional help from what hedescribed only as “personal challenges.”

Even so, the record shows that CharlSchwartzel is the last player to beat him, inSunday singles at Royal Melbourne in 2011.Johnson went 3-0 at Medinah the following year,one of only three Americans to win a singlesmatch in Europe’s record-tying comeback.

“Even though it’s been a little bit, it didn’t feellike it’s been that long,” Johnson said. “It’s thesame guys, kind of the same team.” Not really.

Only six American players are at the JackNicklaus Golf Club Korea who were on the lastteam that included Johnson. Even last year,three players who had been considered regularsfor the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup didn’t makethe team.

Zach Johnson was stunned to hear thatDustin Johnson hasn’t played in these teamevents in three years, until he gave it some morethought.

“It’s surprising to a degree,” he said. “It’s justan illustration of how deep and how good thePGA Tour is.” Hunter Mahan was in seven of thelast eight team competitions - he only missedMedinah in 2012 - and wasn’t even part of the

conversation this year. Mahan struggled with agrowing family and his game and missed theTour Championship for the first time since theFedEx Cup began in 2007. He ended last year atNo. 22 in the world, and now is struggling to stayin the top 50.

Keegan Bradley made an auspicious RyderCup debut in 2012 with Phil Mickelson, playedon the next two teams and is fading from view.Bradley hasn’t won a tournament since theBridgestone Invitational three years ago.

Webb Simpson missed his first team this yearsince 2010. Tiger Woods has been dealing withhis own set of circumstances, mostly injuries thathave kept him out of the game or kept him fromplaying the game like he once did. He was lastseen in team uniform at Muirfield Village twoyears ago with Sammy the squirrel on his shoul-der. Woods missed a big chunk of 2014 recover-ing from back surgery, and he made the cut(with only one top 10) in the 11 tournaments heplayed this year.

It was no less gratifying for the big-hittingJohnson when he checked in at the team hotelSunday night after his long flight from Los

Angeles, stuck his head in the team room tocatch up with the rest of the Americans and thendress in uniform for a practice round that includ-ed Jimmy Walker, Chris Kirk and Patrick Reed.Those are three guys with whom Johnson hasnever played in a team competition.

The turnover isn’t that great from the USteam that lost at Gleneagles in the Ryder Cupwith only three new faces - Kirk, Bill Haas and JBHolmes, who replaced Furyk.

Perhaps more changes are coming. “It’s hardto make these teams,” Zach Johnson said.“Saying that makes it that much more impres-sive what Phil has done.”

Mickelson has played in every Presidents Cupsince it began in 1994, and he has qualified forthem all except for being a captain’s pick the firstyear and this year. He has qualified for everyRyder Cup team since 1995. The last timeMickelson was not in US uniform, Deane Bemanwas the PGA Tour commissioner. Furyk is not farbehind. This is only the second team event hehas missed since 1997. With more young faces inthe pipeline, that kind of longevity will be hardto repeat. —AP

Dustin Johnson

Lindsay Whalen

MINNEAPOLIS: Minnesota Lynx coachCheryl Reeve didn’t hide her displeasurewith stars Seimone Augustus andLindsay Whalen after Game 1 of theWNBA Finals.

A day after losing to the Indiana Feveron their home court, Reeve said she hasto do a better job of putting Whalen inposition to succeed and also made itclear she has not been happy with howthe physical point guard has had toadjust her game after not getting callsfrom the officials in the paint.

“It’s been a season-long struggle forher to overcome,” Reeve said Monday. “Soshe’s changed her game because of it.And I think it ’s really important thatLindsay Whalen be Lindsay Whalen andI’m going to try to help her do that.”Whalen scored four points and attempt-ed just three shots in the series-opening,75-69 loss to the Fever. Augustus scorednine points on 3-for-11 shooting. “BothLindsay and Seimone have to help usmore offensively,” Reeve said after thegame. “They didn’t get the job done.Either one of them, and we need morefrom them.” Game 2 is late yesterday inMinneapolis. Reeve has never been oneto mince words in her assessment of herteam, the league or its officials. But hear-ing her challenge Whalen in particularwas eye-opening given the close rela-tionship the two have developedthrough a run of four WNBA Finalsappearances in five years. They are oftenseen chatting during the game, collabo-rating on strategies and adjustments.

Whalen was on the bench for the final6:30 of the game as Reeve went with thequicker Anna Cruz at point guard to tryand contain Indiana’s Briann January.“Lindsay hasn’t found a way to help thisteam offensively in a long time,” Reevesaid after the game. “She’s got to getback to letting the game come to her.”

Maya Moore had 27 points and 12rebounds and Sylvia Fowles had 21points and 11 boards for the Lynx, wholacked the balance that they havebecome known for. The fifth starter,Rebekkah Brunson, had just one pointand three rebounds.

“We know we can’t let all of them gooff,” January said. “We’re going to makeadjustments in our defense, and we’regoing to have different schemes, but wehave to individually take pride in ourdefense and lock people down.”

The Fever play a physical defensepredicated on active hands from theirperimeter defenders, and they forced 15turnovers that led to 16 points. Speakingabout the season as a whole and not justGame 1, Reeve said officials allowing theextra contact has hurt Whalen’s game asmuch as any player.

“She’s had to adjust to a new stylebecause it’s not the same when she goesin there,” Reeve said. “Every game we’llgo, ‘Whalen doesn’t get that call.’ And it’sreally discouraging. She’s trying to findways to help her team and trying toWhalen-like things. It’s been a little bitharder for her.”

Reeve also said that “part of Lindsay’sproblem is me.” She said she will look atways to free Whalen up. “We all knowwhat coach expects,” Whalen said. “Weknow what we need to do and when weneed to step up. That’s part of beingtogether for so long.” Augustus saidhearing the blunt assessment fromReeve was nothing new for her. “That’sthe way she’s always been,” she said.“She’s been very vocal with what sheneeds. She’s a coach that expresseswhatever it is. And we’ve always been(accepting of ) what she says. We don’tdisagree. ... We just take it and keeppushing.”—AP

Whalen, Augustus need to get going in WNBA Finals

MILAN: The allure of the Tour de Franceyellow jersey cast its glow over the Girod’Italia as organisers unveiled the 2016route Monday in the presence of champi-ons they desperately hope will be compet-ing. Starting in Apeldoorn, the Netherlandson May 6, the 99th edition of the three-week race has something for everyone withthree individual time-trials, a handful ofsprinters’ stages and enough mountainclimbing to keep the suspense going untilthe penultimate stage before the race fin-ishes in Turin on May 29.

But there’s a caveat for fans expectingfireworks in the Dolomites and Italian Alps:Alberto Contador won’t defend his title,2013 champion Vincenzo Nibali is stillunsure and the course is unlikely to enticeanother potential candidate in Britain’s cur-rent Tour champion Chris Froome.

Contador, who failed in his attempt for arare Tour-Giro double earlier this year, willretire at the end of 2016 — a year in whichhe is expected to aim for a third Tour tri-umph.

Astana leader Nibali has not raced theGiro since his impressive triumph in thesnow-hit edition in 2013. Although theItalian on Monday gave an indication thatnext year’s race could tempt him back, he isexpected to attempt to win the Tour deFrance for a second time after 2014.

Standing atop the most prestigiouspodium in the sport in July is a feat Froomehas also experienced twice-in 2013 andending Contador’s hopes earlier this year.

A duel between the Kenyan-born Briton,who says he is staunchly against dopingand the Spaniard who served a two-yearban for taking clenbuterol, would be a tastyappetizer before the 2016 Olympics in Rio.They are likely to be joined in focusinguniquely on the Tour by Colombian climb-ing specialist Nairo Quintana, the diminu-tive Movistar rider who won the 2014 Giroand, now with two runner-up places at theTour de France (2013, 2015), is edging clos-

er to that top step of the podium on theChamps Elysees. Giro organisers went togreat efforts, highlighting the race’s grow-ing international appeal and success asthey unveiled the route to hundreds ofonlookers at the Milan World Expo.

But in the coming months they could bepleading with the leading World Tourteams to urge their top riders to take part.

Race director Mauro Vegni admitted therace for the pink jersey still plays secondfiddle to the race for the fabled yellow one.“I’d like all the top riders to race here butthat’s the attraction of the Tour (de France),”he said. “I hope we’ve done enough withthis route to offer some of them, and oth-ers, an alternative because only one ofthem is going to win the Tour.”

Vegni confirmed “Contador said he’s notracing” because of his Tour ambition. Andwhile Nibali admitted: “It looks like anintense edition. I like it,”

the Astana team leader, fresh from win-ning his maiden Tour of Lombardy onSunday, added: “it’s still too early to make adecision yet.”

Held over 21 stages from May 6-29, nextyear’s race totals 3383km and features sixmountaintop or uphill finishes and fourdays in the thin air of the high mountains.

After the opening time trial of 9.8km inApeldoorn and two further, flat stages inthe Netherlands the peloton transfers tothe ‘sole’ of the Italian peninsula where therace resumes on stage four at Catanzaro.The first foray into the high mountainscomes on stage 14 over 210 km fromAlpago to Corvara - one of three stages onthe race given a five-star difficulty rating.

The next day’s stage, a 10.8km uphilltime trial from Castelrotto to Alpe di Siusi,has an average gradient of 8.3 percent.

A further three days will be spent in thehigh mountains, on stages 16, 19 and 20,taking in trips across the border to neigh-boring France which hosts the summit fin-ish of stage 19 in Risoul.—AFP

ITALY: A picture shows the trophy of the Tour of Italy cycling race during the presen-tation of the 99th Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy 2016 ). —AFP

Yellow beats pink as Giro scrambles for big winners

NEW DELHI: Serious crowd trouble that twice inter-rupted India’s Twenty20 match against South Africahas sparked calls from former test captains SunilGavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi for Cuttack to bedropped as an international cricket venue.

“There has to be a deterrent. You cannot allowthat to happen,” Gavaskar told the NDTV newschannel. “I’d imagine that the next time they aredue for an international game, that should not begiven to them. Quite clearly a strong message hasto be sent.”

Trouble started when India was bowled out for92 on Monday during the second game of a three-match series. Plastic bottles were hurled onto thefield during the innings break and play was twicestopped for more than 20 minutes.

South Africa finally completed a six-wicket victo-ry with 17 balls to spare as local police struggled tokeep the crowd under control.

Bedi took to social media to say internationalcricket should only go to centers where the game isrespected. “Cuttack shames Crkt & Self..Guidelines frcrowd behavior need redefining byBCCI..International Crkt must go 2 people whorespect the game!” Bedi posted on Twitter.

Respected TV commentator Harsha Bhogle saidthere were no excuses for the crowd’s misbehavior,even if people were unhappy with how the Indianteam meekly conceded a 2-0 lead to South Africawith two lopsided losses.

“Disgraceful scenes in Cuttack,” Bhogle tweeted.“Nobody has a right to throw bottles onto theground. Crowd performance worse than that of theplayers.”

South Africa T20 captain Faf du Plessis admittedhe was surprised by the crowd disturbances, butIndia skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni preferred tokeep the situation in perspective.

“Frankly, from a safety point of view, I don’tthink there was a very serious threat,” Dhoni toldreporters after the match. “We didn’t play well. Attimes you get reactions like this, but we shouldnot read too much into it.” The Barabati Stadium atCuttack has hosted two test matches and 18 limit-ed-overs internationals as well as some IndianPremier League games. It is not on the list of ven-ues for the World T20 tournament starting nextMarch. —AP

Crowd troublesparks calls to drop

Cuttack as venue

Rio 2016 to cut costsRIO DE JANEIRO: The organizing com-mittee for the 2016 Olympics in Rio deJaneiro is pressing for savings to avoidgoing over its 7.4-billion-real budget($1.9 billion) by about 10 percent, aspokesman said yesterday. In the finalspending review before the games startin 10 months, some departments arebeing asked to cut projected costs by asmuch as 30 percent.

“We need to organize the games to beeconomically sustainable. There’s nomore space for lavish overspending,” saidMario Andrada, communications directorat Rio 2016.

The organizing committee’s budget isprivately funded, but any deficit will haveto be covered by the Brazilian govern-ment, an eventuality for which there islittle appetite in Brasilia, the capital.

Brazil is in a deep recession, whichlooks likely to continue into next year,and the government is keen to avoid the

usual cost overruns associated withevents like the Olympics and the WorldCup.

“We are adjusting minor things: print-ing, backstage structures, structures thatare not necessary for the field of play,”Andrada said.

Savings could also come from reduc-ing the number of volunteers and get-ting some to work at both the Olympicsand Paralympics, which would cut thecost of food, uniforms and transporta-tion. Construction of permanent venues,security and temporary power are cov-ered in a different budget and not paidfor by the committee.

The cost-cutting analysis should be fin-ished by next week. Without additionalsavings, Andrada said the committee wason track to go over budget by about 10percent. “In these kinds of organizationsyou naturally build fat,” he said. “We’re try-ing to identify that fat.”—Reuters

CUTTACK: Water bottles thrown by spectators lie onthe ground as the second Twenty20 cricket matchbetween India and South Africa is disrupted inCuttack. —AP

S P O RT SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

BERLIN: Their Bundesliga rivals arewaving the white flag for the fourthseason in a row, but fear of moreChampions League failure is drivingBayern Munich on in Germany.

The Bavarian giants opened a seven-point lead in the Bundesliga table onSunday with a 5-1 thrashing of BorussiaDortmund in Munich and it seems onlya huge effort from a rival club coulddeny Bayern the title. Last season’s run-ners-up Wolfsburg were hammered bythe same scoreline a fortnight ago.

With eighth straight league wins forPep Guardiola’s s ide and 28 goalsscored to just four conceded, it is thebest start to a season in the league’shistory at this stage.

It seems foolish to suggest the titlerace could be over with October barelybegun, but the lead has an ominous airwith Bayern having won the

Bundesliga by 10, 19 and 25 pointsrespectively in the last three seasons.The Bavarians are chasing an unprece-dented fourth consecutive title andDortmund coach Thomas Tuchel gavea clear answer when asked if Bayernhave serious rivals in Germany: “No, ofcourse not.” Dortmund were the lastteam to deny Bayern the Bundesligain 2012 and Tuchel explained in detailwhy the Munich giants are peerless.

“It’s in everything: from the qualityof the atmosphere they have createdhere, to the level Pep Guardiola hasreached with the attitude, the greedand the dec is ive sharpness theyshowed against us.

“They are always focused, alwaysmodest and always put in a top per-formance.” But Guardiola dismissedany premature talk as he targets arepeat of the 2013 t reble of

Champions League, Bundesliga andGerman Cup in the third, and possiblyfinal, year of his contract.

“We’ll be German champions if wemanage it,” said the Spaniard, who hasgiven no clue as to his future plans.“We have a lot of matches ahead of usand we’re only in October.”

And any of his star-studded squaddreaming of the t it le faces a rudeawakening. “Anyone who thinks it ’sover will have big problems with thecoach,” said Guardiola.

“Everyone has to give their all, ifthey don’t, there is someone who willbe wait ing to take thei r p lace.”Veteran wingers Arjen Robben andFranck Ribery are a case in point.

Both are currently s idel ined byinjuries, but in their absence Brazilwinger Douglas Costa and FranceUnder-21 talent Kingsley Coman are

now shoo-ins on Bayern’s flanks.Both were signed as Bayern were

found wanting for pace out wide inthe Champions League semi-finalslast season when Robben and Riberyagain picked up injuries.

B a ye r n we re h u m b l e d 3 - 0 a tBarcelona, then beat the Spaniards 3-2 in Munich before exit ing at thesemi-final stage for the second timeunder Guardiola, having bowed outto Real Madrid in 2013/14.

In both of the previous seasons,Bayern only started dropping leaguepoints after winning the title earlyand the lack of sharpness showedwhen it came to the business end ofthe Champions League.

Bayern are currently top of GroupF after thumping wins at Olympiakos(3-0) and at home to Dinamo Zagreb(5-0) before they face bottom side

Arsenal away in a fortnight.“It doesn’t matter how many points

ahead we are, we need to keep work-ing hard,” insisted Bayern’s record-set-ting goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski,who has scored 12 t imes in sevenleague games.

“We can’t make the same mistakeswe made last year. “We weren’t in goodform at important times at the end ofthe season.” While pundits arebemoaning the lack of excitement inthe Bundesliga, Thomas Mueller saidthose complaints fall on deaf-ears inthe Bayern dressing room. “When welose, no one is going to tap us on theshoulder and say ‘it’s great that you aremak ing the league so excit ing! ’,”quipped the Germany for ward.“Therefore, we’re trying to win every-thing and make the league as unexcit-ing as possible.”—AFP

Fear of European failure haunts peerless Bayern

KATWIJK: Dutch national football team midfielder Wesley Sneijder (left) and forward Robin van Persie take part in a training session ahead ofthe team’s UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying football matches.—AFP

PARIS: Qualifying for the largest-everEuropean Championship was supposed to beeasy. With only two games left to play, howev-er, the Netherlands is in danger of missingout, and Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovicand his teammates are also close to elimina-tion.

Four teams - Iceland, the Czech Republic,England and Austria - have already qualifiedto join host France, with 19 of the 24 placesstill up for grabs. The top two from the ninegroups and the best third-place team qualifyautomatically. The eight remaining third-placeteams can qualify through the playoffs inNovember.

Here’s a look at the nine groups:

GROUP AThe Netherlands is facing the real possibili-

ty of failing to qualify for the EuropeanChampionship for the first time since 1984.

Iceland and the Czech Republic are alreadythrough, with Turkey third and playing thetop two teams in its final push for a playoffberth.

If Turkey beats both, it will reach the play-offs and eliminate the Dutch. The Netherlandsplays last-place Kazakhstan in Astana onSaturday and takes on the Czechs the follow-ing Tuesday in Amsterdam.

The Dutch have a long injury list to con-tend with. Captain Arjen Robben has notrecovered from a groin injury. Also out injuredare Daryl Janmaat, Davy Klaassen, QuincyPromes, Ron Vlaar and Stefan de Vrij.

GROUP BThe expanded format of Euro 2016 offers

one clear advantage: big stars from smallcountries will get a chance to shine. In GroupB, Gareth Bale has pushed Wales to the top ofthe standings, ahead of star-studded Belgium.

Wales has not qualified for a major tourna-ment since the 1958 World Cup. But withclutch goals, Bale and his teammates needonly one point from their last two matches. Ifit doesn’t come in Bosnia on Saturday, thenlikely in front of a home crowd againstAndorra next Tuesday.

Belgium, led by Kevin De Bruyne and EdenHazard, could be the first to qualify if it beatsAndorra on Saturday. For the playoff spot,Israel is in position ahead of Bosnia andCyprus.

GROUP CSpain is a win away from clinching direct

qualification, and it has two chances to do so.A win against Luxembourg could settle it onFriday.

Two points behind Spain, Slovakia will alsoqualify if it wins either of its remaining match-es against Belarus and Luxembourg.

GROUP DGermany needs a point from its games

against Ireland in Dublin on Thursday and

Georgia in Leipzig on Sunday. Poland, secondwith 17 points, is in the best position tosecure the other direct qualification place,leaving Ireland and Scotland to scrap forwhat’s most likely a playoff spot.

Poland plays Scotland in Glasgow onThursday before hosting Ireland in Warsaw onSunday.

Although Ireland has 15 points, two morethan Scotland, the Scots will be banking onthree points from their final game Sundayagainst Gibraltar in Faro, Portugal.

Ireland is hoping for a favor from Poland. Ifthe Poles beat Scotland, then one point fromtheir two games could be enough for thirdplace even if the Scots win their final game.Ireland’s goal difference is plus-12, whileScotland is plus-4.

GROUP EEngland has already secured its place and

coach Roy Hodgson is expected to experi-ment with his team in the matches againstEstonia and Lithuania.

Switzerland is second, the other automaticqualification spot, but is only three pointsabove Slovenia. The Swiss host San Marino,where a victory would almost certainly sealsecond place and qualification, before it trav-els to Estonia. Slovenia will have to beatLithuania and San Marino and hope forSwitzerland to slip up.

GROUP FAfter failing to qualify in 13 previous

attempts, Northern Ireland can secure a maid-en appearance at the tournament with a winagainst Greece on Thursday.

Northern Ireland leads Romania by onepoint, with Hungary three points further back.“Two draws or one win does us,” NorthernIreland midfielder Stuart Dallas said. “At thesame time, Hungary know they need to getmaximum points from their two remaininggames, which is no easy task.” Finland, whichplays at Romania before hosting NorthernIreland, has still a chance to finish second.

GROUP GIbrahimovic’s two goals for Paris Saint-

Germain over the weekend was good newsfor his country, too. The striker is on missionwith his national team as Sweden remainsunder the threat of Montenegro in the battlefor a third-place finish after losing to Austriaand Russia.

With Austria already qualified as groupwinner, Russia sits second, two points aboveSweden, with Montenegro one further back.

GROUP HItaly needs one win from its final two

matches to secure qualification. The team hasa two-point lead over Norway, which it facesin its last qualifying match late yesterday. Firstup, though, is a trip to Azerbaijan on Saturday.

“We have two match points and we don’t

want to have to wait for the second one,” Italycoach Antonio Conte said. “It won’t be awalkover.”

Norway hosts Malta in its penultimatematch. Croatia is two points behind Norwayand can secure third place and a spot in theplayoffs with victory over fourth-placeBulgaria. Bulgaria hosts Azerbaijan on thefinal day, while Croatia travels to Malta.

GROUP IPortugal has a three-point lead over

Denmark in the only five-team group, withAlbania one point further back. The top threeteams are already guaranteed of at least aplayoff berth. Both Portugal and Albania havea match in hand on Denmark.

A draw against Denmark will be enoughfor Portugal on Thursday. The team then playslast-place Serbia, which had three pointsdeducted after its qualifier with Albania wasabandoned when a drone carrying a pro-Albanian flag flew over the Partizan Stadiumin Belgrade, prompting a brawl involvingplayers and some Serbian fans. Albania hostsSerbia tomorrow.—AP

Dutch on verge of missing out on Euro

SPAIN: Real Madrid’s Welsh forward GarethBale drives the ball in this file photo. —AFP

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool have begun theirsearch for a new manager, but whoevercomes in must grapple with many of theissues that caused problems for the sackedBrendan Rodgers.

After a moribund conclusion to the pre-vious campaign, the writing was on thewall for Rodgers and Liverpool’s fortuneswere not deemed to have improved suffi-ciently for owners Fenway Sports Group(FSG) to stand by their man.

Liverpool’s poor start to the seasonraised the question of whether FSG’s blue-print for success was flawed, or if the manchosen to implement it had simply failed.

Owner John W Henry, chairman TomWerner and president Mike Gordonanswered that question unequivocally withthe dismissal of Rodgers after Sunday’s 1-1draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby,which left the club 10th in the PremierLeague.

“They have got to get the feel-good fac-

tor within the club, which we haven’t hadfor a while now, and maybe that mighthave tipped the balance with the owners,”said former Reds striker John Aldridge. Onrecent evidence, the case for Rodgers tohave been given more time was not with-out holes. Liverpool’s second-half display atGoodison Park summed up much of whathas gone wrong for his side, who were dis-jointed and lacking direction.

Rodgers maintained that his playerswere “giving him everything”, but the stale-ness of recent displays-which had yieldedone win in nine games-suggests they willbenefit from a managerial reboot. However,it is significant that FSG will expectLiverpool’s new boss to reinvigorate andrejuvenate an underperforming squad,rather than rip things up and start again.

In other words, it will be a repetition ofwhat those in Boston wanted when theygave Rodgers the keys to Anfield threeyears ago.

Loyal to their strategy, FSG will seek afar-sighted coach, prepared to get hishands dirty in the moulding and develop-ing of players, rather than a manager whoprovides a quick fix. That would appear tomake charismatic former BorussiaDortmund coach Jurgen Klopp the stand-out candidate.

Ajax manager Frank de Boer could alsocome under consideration, but it wouldtake a revision of FSG philosophy for anelder statesman such as former Chelseaand Real Madrid head coach CarloAncelotti to be targeted. FSG need Rodgers’replacement to be a success to vindicatetheir approach, or face the prospect thatthey will become the focus of supporters’ire. The cracks have appeared already.

Those with their fingers on the pulse atAnfield-former defender Jamie Carragheramong them-have taken a swipe at FSG’srunning of the club in the wake of Rodgers’departure.

“They’ve made a lot of decisions sincethey’ve come that haven’t worked,” saidCarragher, who highlighted the sackings ofDamien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish, aswell as the failings of the club’s transfercommittee. “At this moment the owners’track record in making decisions forLiverpool Football Club over the last two orthree years has not been good enough. It ismiles off.

“What are these owners of the clubgoing to do to get Liverpool back wherethey need to be?” It is hard to disagree withCarragher’s assertion that the five-timeEuropean champions have become a clubseemingly in a permanent state of transi-tion during Rodgers’ spell in charge.

And whoever takes over will face manyof the issues that so challenged Rodgers,particularly with regard to the nuances ofLiverpool’s recruitment department.Although he has been swimming againstthe tide, Rodgers can count himself unfor-tunate.

Any manager would have found it diffi-cult to replace talents of the calibre of LuisSuarez, Raheem Sterling and StevenGerrard, not least when transfer decisionswere made by committee.

Managing Liverpool, one of world foot-ball’s most iconic clubs, can be seen as adream job. But marry the level of expecta-tion and the weight of history with themodern constraints, and it can quickly seemsomething of a poisoned chalice.—AFP

Tests await for Rodgers’Liverpool successor

Jurgen Klopp

BERLIN: Jurgen Klopp is staying tight-lipped about rumors linking him to thevacancy at Liverpool with the ex-BorussiaDortmund coach widely tipped as the hotfavorite to replace Brendan Rodgers.

Klopp was in Leverkusen on Monday toattend a coaching conference and refusedto comment to a reporter from German dai-ly Bild with the British media making the48-year-old the overwhelming favourite toreplace Rodgers, who was sacked onSunday.

“There’s nothing to say, neither this northat. I’m driving home now,” said Klopp,who has been on sabbatical since quittingDortmund at the end of last season. FormerGermany captain Lothar Matthaeus saidKlopp would be the perfect fit at Liverpool.

“Klopp could lead Liverpool back intoEurope and especially in the ChampionsLeague,” said Matthaeus yesterday. “He is anemotional coach, Liverpool are an emotion-al club-it would be the perfect marriage.”

Ex-Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahnsays Klopp’s good level of English makeshim an ideal candidate to awaken thesleeping giants, who are 10th in thePremier League table, but the languagebarrier could still be a problem, especiallygiven the strong Merseyside accent.

“The question is always a bit about thelanguage barrier,” said Kahn. “From thetechnical side of things, there is nothing tothink about. “I’d absolutely trust him tohave no big problem with English, butsometimes, as far as motivating a teamgoes, there are subtleties in the team lan-guage and whether he already has thosesubtleties remains to be seen.”—AFP

Klopp tight-lippedover Liverpool

speculation

Beckham backs Giggs for Man United’s job

MANCHESTER: David Beckham yesterdaybacked his former Manchester United team-mate Ryan Giggs to take over as manager atOld Trafford one day.

Giggs, 41, is currently assistant manager toLouis van Gaal and Beckham, who playedalongside the Welshman for 11 years, believesit will not be long before he has the top job allto himself.

“I have always said that Giggsy has thisstreak running through him that you see in topmanagers,” Beckham said. “I saw it as a player.He is so determined and when you have gotsomeone like that at a club like this, someonewho is from this part of the world and knowsso much about this club-it’s so embedded intohim-it means so much to fans, so I hope that atsome point Giggsy does take over.

“It might not be for the next five or 10years, but at some point it would be amazingfor the fans to have him. To have Giggsy sat onthe line preparing himself to become a man-

ager is exciting.” Beckham, 40, was speaking ata press conference at Old Trafford to preview aUNICEF charity match that he is taking part inthere on November 14.

Beckham will captain a Great Britain teamcoached by former United manager AlexFerguson, who retired in 2013, in a matchagainst a Rest of the World XI managed by ex-Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. It will bethe first time that Beckham will play underFerguson since the Scot sold him to RealMadrid in 2003.

Ferguson criticised Beckham in his mostrecent autobiography, but the pair are now ongood terms and the former England captainsaid that his one-time mentor had jumped atthe chance to return to the Old Trafford touch-line. “Bringing the boss back to the dug-outmeans so much to so many people and thank-fully we will be doing that,” said Beckham, whorevealed that 60,000 tickets had already beensold for the game.—AFP

S P O RT SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

SEOUL: FIFA presidential hopeful ChungMong-Joon said yesterday the ethics commit-tee of football’s governing body wants himbanned for 19 years and slammed the moveas a bid to “smear” his election campaign. TheSouth Korean tycoon said that FIFA presidentSepp Blatter, himself the target of a Swisscriminal investigation, was behind the attackson him.

“ The fact that I am the target of Mr.Blatter’s smear campaign is clearly the mostpowerful endorsement of my candidacy,” hetold reporters.

Chung said FIFA’s independent ethics com-mittee had asked for a 15 year suspensionfrom all football activities for alleged vote-trading and other actions during bids for the2018 and 2022 World Cup. South Korea wasone of the candidates for the 2022 World Cupwhich went to Qatar.

Chung added that he faced an additionalfour year ban for allegedly defaming theethics committee. “People say FIFA’s EthicsCommittee is Mr. Blatter’s ‘hitman’. They neverhit him but only those who challenge Mr.Blatter,” Chung told reporters.

FIFA and its ethics commission declined tocomment on the South Korean’s claims.Chung, a leading candidate for the FIFA elec-tion in February, along with UEFA presidentMichel Platini and Prince Ali bin al Hussein ofJordan, has become a virulent critic of Blatter.

He said he was under scrutiny for letters hesent in 2010 to FIFA executive members aboutthe creation of a Global Football Fund (GFF).South Korea proposed the fund to supportfootball projects, valued at $777 million, as itwas bidding to host the World Cup.

“No money or personal favours wereexchanged in relation to GFF,” Chung said,adding FIFA had closed the case in 2010 withno charges made against him.

That case has now been revived. “The fun-damental reason why I am being targeted isthat I aimed straight at the existing powerstructure of FIFA,” he said.

Such a “retroactive sanction” sought by thecommittee is based only on testimonies fromBlatter and his former right-hand man, secre-tary general Jerome Valcke.

“ To attack my credibility, the EthicsCommittee relies on the testimonies of twomajor witnesses, Blatter and Valcke,” Chungsaid. Valcke was suspended last month overalleged links to a black market ticket scheme

surrounding the 2014 World Cup. Chungrefused to present himself to the hearingunless Blatter and Valcke came as witnesses.The South Korean, who was a FIFA vice presi-dent until 2011, said he could not get a fairhearing while the ethics committee is his“judge” but also accuses him of defamation.

The crisis in world football rocketed in Maywhen US authorities charged 14 FIFA officialsand sports marketing executives over briberyworth more than $150 million.

Seven were detained at a Zurich hotel justahead of a FIFA congress.”FIFA is much sickerthan it looks,” Chung said, urging confedera-tions and national associations to reclaimtheir independence and change “the passiveway of dealing with FIFA before we can bringany meaningful reforms”.

Any FIFA action against Chung would fur-ther complicate the presidency electionprocess which took on a new slant on Tuesdaywith German football great FranzBeckenbauer flinging his support behind

South African politician Tokyo Sexwale.Speaking at a sports conference in

Kitzbuehel, Austria, “the Kaiser” said theGerman Football Association (DFB) know“about the quality of the South Africans andthe quality of Tokyo Sexwale”.

“I certainly believe that the GermanFootball Association would support his candi-dacy,” added Beckenbauer, a former FIFA exec-utive committee member, who is still influen-tial.

The 62-year-old Sexwale has yet toannounce whether he will oppose Blatter, 79,at next February’s presidency re-election andhas until October 26 to decide.

The former anti-apartheid activist, who wasan inmate alongside former South Africanpresident Nelson Mandela on Robben Island,is a guest at the Camp Beckenbauer eventand is considering opposing Blatter. “We areall affected by what happens at the FIFA,” saidSexwale, who is working as an advisor toFIFA.—FP

Chung says FIFA commission wants him banned for 19 years

Chung Mong-Joon speaks in this file photo.

Brazilian star Neymar in action in this file photo.

SAO PAULO: Much has changed for Brazil’snational team since last year’s humiliatingWorld Cup exit, but as the 2018 qualifyingcampaign gets underway tomorrow oneworrying factor stays the same: theabsence of superstar Neymar.

More than a year has passed since thatextraordinary 7-1 meltdown againstGermany in Brazil’s own World Cup. Sincethen there’s been the almost equallyembarrassing failure to survive the CopaAmerica, going out to lowly Paraguay onpenalties. The coach has been changed andthere have been endless postmortems.

But in all that turmoil, the football-madnation has remained fixated on nationalcaptain and Barcelona star Neymar and thenear obsessive fear that without him the“canarinha”, as the team’s called, cannotwin. He was out injured during the 2014Cup semi-final drubbing. Then at the CopaAmerica against Colombia he was red card-ed and handed a four-match suspension,missing the rest of the tournament, alongwith his country’s disappointing exit.

Now with two matches still left on thatsuspension, Neymar will again be absentfor Brazil’s 2018 opening qualifiers againstChile on Thursday and Venezuela on 13October.

A promise to improve his conduct-”Imustn’t let myself do such stupid things,”he said in Barcelona recently-and an appealfor his suspensions to be postponed failed.And Brazil is dreading the consequences.For pessimists, Neymar isn’t just important:the supremely skilled scoring machine isone of the last representatives of Brazil’sfabled “jogo bonito,” or beautiful game.

The question many here ask is whetherthe reliance on Neymar doesn’t illustratethe broader failure of a system that focuseson exporting of young talent to clubsabroad, robbing the country of the chanceto develop a whole team of Neymars.

Since his debut against the UnitedStates on August 10, 2010, Neymar hasplayed 67 games for Brazil, scoring 46 timesand missing only four non-friendlies.

When he has been missing, the yawninghole has been impossible to fill. Three ofthe big recent defeats-against Germany inWorld Cup semis, then a 3-0 loss to Hollandin the third-place match, and the CopaAmerica loss in June to Paraguay-tookplace without Neymar. In his absence theteam only won once in a full international:2-1 against Venezuela.

Now coach Dunga is pleading for fansand team members alike to stop lookingover their shoulder for the absent savior.“We would like to have Neymar, but it’s notpossible. We need to focus on the playerswho will be there with us,” Dunga saidwhen he announced the team onSeptember 17.

But Dunga himself is as much responsi-ble as anyone for Neymar’s coronation asthe lynchpin of a team that was desperatefor a new start when the coach took overfrom Luiz Felipe Scolari after the World Cup.The striker was on an incredible roll, build-ing up to winning the treble with Barcelonaand happy to be made Brazilian captain inplace of Thiago Silva, a player whose repu-tation sank with the World Cup flop.Neymar didn’t disappoint and ahead of thefateful Copa America, Dunga boasted 10out of 10 victories in friendlies.

But what no one foresaw-or preparedfor-was that the brilliant teammate ofMessi and Luis Suarez in Barcelona wouldlose his composure and see red againstColombia. In addition to his immaturity onthe pitch, Neymar is running into taxproblems back home. Still, he remains thebig hope and all Brazil is counting thedays until his return from suspensionagainst great rivals Argentina in BuenosAires next month.—AFP

Brazil faces World Cup clashes without Neymar

JOHANNESBURG: South Sudan willmake their World Cup debut today at thestart of Africa’s campaign to find fiveteams to represent the continent at theWorld Cup in Russia in 2018.

The preliminaries, involving 53 of the54 African football-playing countries,begin on the holiday island of Mahetoday afternoon when the Seychelles,the continent’s smallest nation, hostBurundi in the first leg of their knockoutround tie.

Juba, capital of the world’s youngestcountry, will mark its first World Cupgame just over an hour later when SouthSudan, who last month recorded a firstvictory in a competitive internationalwhen they beat Equatorial Guinea in anAfrican Nations Cup qualifier, hostMauritania in the first leg of their tie. Alsoon Wednesday Mauritius host Kenya inBellevue and Tanzania take on neigh-bours Malawi in Dar-es-Salaam. SouthSudan, coached by South Korean LeeSung-jea, will be trying to make animpact despite a lack of resources orplaying experience.

“There is no one who plays in Europeor even from (a club in) north Africa. Wedo not have any player who is famousbut we have kept improving,” said Lee ina recent interview.

There are a total of 13 ties in the pre-liminary round with the aggregate win-ners advancing to join the top 27 rankedcountries in another two-legged knock-out round next month.

END IN DAYSNone of the preliminary round

nations are expected to qualify for thefinals and for half of them their WorldCup adventure will end in a matter ofdays.

First leg matches are being playedfrom today through to Saturday with allthe return games either on Sunday orTuesday. Violence in the Central AfricanRepublic, which last week led to around40 deaths, caused FIFA to move theirWorld Cup tie to Madagascar with bothlegs now being played in Antananarivo.There are two other African countrieswho cannot play qualifiers at home.

Somalia have to host their home tieson neutral territory because of the longstanding conflict in the horn of Africa.They last staged a game in Mogadishu inOctober 1986.

Somalia host Niger in Addis Ababa inEthiopia on Friday in the first leg of theirpreliminary round tie with the return inNiamey four days later.

Sierra Leone, banned from hostingmatches because of scares over theEbola virus, are away in the first leg oftheir tie against Chad on Saturday andthen host the return on Oct. 13 in PortHarcourt in Nigeria. Only Zimbabwe arenot competing in the qualifiers afterbeing disqualified by FIFA for failing topay a debt to former coach JoseValinhos. —Reuters

S Sudan to make debut in World Cup qualifiers

LONDON: No two countries comingface to face in this week’s Europeanqualifiers better emphasise the riseand fall of football’s fluctuating for-tunes than Northern Ireland andGreece, who meet in Belfast tomor-row. The two nations were in thesame Euro 2004 qualifying pool justover a decade ago with Greecegoing through as group winners andNorthern Ireland a distant last hav-ing not scored a goal and accruedonly three points, all from draws.

Greece of course stunned thefootballing world by becomingEuropean champions the followingyear, but they come to Belfast withthat achievement a distant memoryand their qualifying group positionsreversed. Northern Ireland, on thebrink of their first major finals sincethe 1986 World Cup in Mexico, topthe Group F standings with onedefeat from eight games, whileGreece are bottom with threepoints-all from draws.

Northern Ireland have 17 points,ahead of Romania on 16 andHungary on 13. The Irish need justtwo points from their final two quali-fiers against Greece and thenFinland in Helsinki on Sunday to sealtheir place. Unlike their Britishneighbours Wales, on the verge oftheir first finals since the 1958 WorldCup, Northern Ireland do not have astandout world class talent likeGareth Bale.

Instead coach Michael O’Neill hasblended together a team of goodbut hardly outstanding players, withstriker Kyle Lafferty’s seven goals inqualifying making him the jointthird highest scorer behind RobertLewandowski (10 for Poland) andThomas Mueller (eight for Germany).

Unfortunately for O’Neill, Laffertyis suspended for the game at thepartly-renovated Windsor Park, butWest Bromwich Albion defenderGareth McAuley should be fitalthough doubts remain about hisclub mate and former ManchesterUnited defender Jonny Evans.

Greece, who arrive in Belfastlooking to salvage some pride fromwhat has been a shocking cam-paign, are still without a permanentcoach after a deal to bring GermanBernd Schuster fell through at the11th hour last week.

Under-21 coach Kostas Tsanascontinues to act as interim boss fol-lowing the sacking of UruguayanSergio Markarian in August.

Greece will be without AS Romadefender Kostas Manolas, who issuspended, and injured BayerLeverkusen defender KyriakosPapadopoulos. Those absencesmeant a first call-up for young AEKAthens defender AdamTzanetopoulos.—Reuters

N Ireland face winless Greece

Michael O’Neill

LONDON: Manchester United’s deadline day sign-ing Anthony Martial has played down comparisonswith Arsenal’s record goalscorer Thierry Henry.

Henry had an extremely successful career duringhis time in England, having won the Premier Leaguetwice and the FA Cup thrice with the Gunners. Hewon the Golden Boot award four times, the most inleague history.

Henry also leads the all time scoring charts forFrance with 51 goals and is second in the list ofmost capped players for his country with 123 caps.

The 19-year-old Martial recently made his debutfor France, and has made a stunning start inEngland, having scored three goals in four leagueappearance.

The main comparisons made were down to theirstyle of play, as Martial likes to run behind defend-ers and his ability to calmly score from one-on-ones,something of a trademark for Henry during his play-ing days. “I know this is a very great player who is alegend in England. I do not think we have the samecharacteristics,” Martial told French TV channel BFM.

“Thierry Henry is Thierry Henry. I still have every-

thing to prove. By continuing to work, I will try toreach his level but I am still very far off.” Martialspoke of his move to United and said the prospectof Champions League football played a key role inhis decision.

“Basically, I was told ‘untransferable’ so I thoughtstaying in Monaco,” Martial said. “When I knewabout the offer, I did not hesitate a second and itwas done quickly. I really wanted to continue to playin the Champions League.

“(Louis) Van Gaal called me and spoke to mymother who did the translation. When I arrived inManchester I met him, we discussed at length and itwas done quickly,” he added.

Marital joined United for a reported 36 millionpounds ($54.57 million), making him the mostexpensive teenager in football history, but the for-ward says the price tag doesn’t add any extra pres-sure as he just concentrates on football.

“It did not bother me too much. I try to ignore itall. I stay in my bubble, I concentrate on the football,I work and I try to learn English as quickly as possi-ble,” Martial said.—Reuters

Martial plays down Henry comparison

17Yellow beats pink asGiro scrambles forbig winners

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 201518

Dutch on verge of missing out on Euro

Chung says FIFA commission wants him banned for 19 years Page 19

BEIJING: Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return shot against Wu Di of China during their first round men’s singles match of the China Open tennis tournament at the National Tennis Stadium. — AP

BEIJING: Rafael Nadal stuttered to victoryagainst one of his former ball boys at theChina Open yesterday as top-ranked NovakDjokovic swept imperiously to his 25thstraight win in Beijing.

Out-of-sorts Nadal was broken four timesby China’s 230th-ranked Wu Di, who oncetossed him balls and towels in Shanghai,before winning an error-strewn match 6-4, 6-4. Nadal, 29, was playing for the first timesince his third-round defeat at the US Open,but it was a far from satisfying return as the14-time Grand Slam-winner continued togrope for form.

“We don’t need to talk more about confi-dence, rhythm. That’s my level today, and I’mgoing to work hard to try to improve my lev-el of today,” he said, after reaching the sec-ond round.

“But tomorrow is another opportunity. Iplayed a match today that I can play better,

and I think I can play better tomorrowbecause I’m practising well.”

On a heavily polluted day in Beijing, Wuanticipated superbly when he lunged for aforehand volley winner for his first break ofthe Spaniard early in the first set, and he was-n’t done yet.

Wu broke again to go ahead in the secondset but with both players uncomfortable onserve, Nadal was able to wrap it up after 86minutes and progress to a second-roundmeeting with Vasek Pospisil.

“I’m practising well, so the level of tennis isgoing to be there sooner or later. I am work-ing a lot to make that happen. I think I’mcloser to that,” Nadal said.

“I know it’s obvious that I need results toconfirm that. But we are almost at the end ofthis season and I have time to keep playingthe last tournaments of the year with thechance to practise the things that I need to

do for next year.“My goal is recover the level especially to

play my best on clay next year.” Nadal and Wuthen yielded the smoggy centre court toDjokovic and the Serb, fresh from winninghis 10th Grand Slam title in New York, had lit-tle difficulty dispatching Simone Bolelli 6-1,6-1.

The five-time champion was all overBolelli’s second serve as he hustled the Italianoff the court in just 71 minutes to take hisincredible unbeaten record into a sixth ChinaOpen campaign.

It was an afternoon which underlined thegulf that has opened up between Djokovicand Nadal, once his close rival but now downto eighth in the world and a shadow of hisfearsome best.

Nadal is using the year’s final events aspractice for next season, after a forgettable2015 in which he didn’t progress beyond the

quarter-finals of any of the Grand Slams.As for Wu, 24, it completed a journey after

he was a ball boy for the Spanish great at theTennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, and laterprogressed to become his practice partner.

“As for the ATP Finals (Tennis MastersCup), I served as the ball boy for Rafa. Soright now I played Rafa. It’s not a small deal,”he said.

Among the later matches, Ana Ivanovicended a seven-year wait for her third winagainst Venus Williams when she beat lastweek’s Wuhan Open champion 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic opened hisnew partnership with younger brotherDjordje in triumphant style as they won theirfirst ever doubles match at the China Openyesterday.

The Djokovic brothers chest-bumped andhigh-fived their way to a 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (6/8),10-5 victory over the China-New Zealand

pairing of Gong Mao-Xin and Michael Venus.It was the first time Novak Djokovic, the

singles world number one, and Djordje,ranked at 1,502, have collaborated and theyounger sibling did his share of the damagewith some savage forehands.

Fans were out in force at Beijing’s NationalTennis Center to see the unprecedented pair-ing. Novak Djokovic, eight years the elder at28, is a five-time singles winner at the ChinaOpen.

“The crowd got into it. It was exciting. I’mvery happy for my brother, that he was ableto experience such an atmosphere,” NovakDjokovic said. “He never did that before. Henever experienced such a great crowd. Henever played in a big stadium. We enjoyed itvery much-encouraging each other to thefirst win.” Novak Djokovic earlier won his 25thsuccessive China Open match with a 6-1, 6-1victory over Italy’s Simone Bolelli. — AFP

Nadal struggles past former ball boy

JOHANNESBURG: Oscar Pistorius’s fami-ly yesterday accused South African offi-cials of bowing to “political and mediahype” after the star’s release from prisonwas again delayed and he was ordered toundergo psychotherapy.

A parole review board on Mondaydecided that Pistorius should not yet beallowed out on house arrest despite qual-ifying for early release 10 months into hisfive-year sentence.

In a trial that made headlines aroundthe world, he was jailed last year forkilling his girlfriend, model and law grad-uate Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’sDay 2013.

He was found guilty of culpable homi-cide-a charge equivalent to manslaugh-ter-after saying that he shot Steenkampthrough a locked bathroom doorbecause he mistook her for an intruder.

“The public, political and media hypethat was allowed to develop aroundOscar’s trial has undermined his right tobe treated like any other prisoner,” hisfamily said in a statement.

“We had put our trust in the... system,but are very disconcerted by the con-

stant delays in obtaining clarity.” Pistoriuswas due to leave prison in August, 10months after being incarcerated, untilJustice Minister Michael Masutha made alast-minute intervention and the casewas referred to the parole review panel.Masutha said officials should only havebegun considering him for parole on theday he was scheduled for release.

The intervention was widely criticisedby legal experts, but on Monday theparole review board agreed the decisionto release the athlete was made prema-turely.

The review board also orderedPistorius to undergo psychotherapy andrecommended he should be put underfirearm restrictions if granted parole.

Pistorius’ family said he was alreadyreceiving “regular and ongoing psy-chotherapy” from psychologists and asocial worker, whose reports were con-sidered in the original decision to releasehim. Pistorius may now still be behindbars on November 3, when prosecutorsappeal to South Africa’s supreme courtfor a murder conviction and a harshersentence. — AFP

Pistorius family fury as release delayed again

TOKYO: Top seed champion Stan Wawrinka mus-cled into the second round of the Japan Open yes-terday with a bludgeoning 7-5, 6-3 victory overCzech Radek Stepanek.

Richard Gasquet became the highest-rankedcasualty of the first round, the fourth seed skulkingaway after crashing to a 6-4, 6-1 defeat by Spain’sRoberto Bautista Agut, while fellow FrenchmanBenoit Paire upset eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4,3-6, 6-1.

French Open champion Wawrinka produced adazzling performance in the Tokyo sunshine, theSwiss unleashing a series of jaw-dropping back-hands that left his opponent shaking his head indisbelief.

“After last year I’m just happy to play well andget through the match,” said Wawrinka, who waseliminated by Japan’s Tatsuma Ito in the first roundlast year in a stunning upset and faces the sameplayer in his next match.

“I was struggling with my game this time lastyear but I feel quite fresh and today was a goodstart,” added Wawrinka, chasing a fourth title of theyear and the 11th of his career. “I feel more comfort-able with my game in general, I feel more confi-dence to win the big matches.

“I feel better with every part of my game: I’mmentally stronger, I’ve beaten all the top guys, I

have more experience. It’s a little bit of everything.”The spindly Stepanek wore the timid expression

of a man hoping to avoid having sand kicked in hisface by his hulking opponent, and Wawrinka’s one-handed backhand-one of the most potent weaponsin men’s tennis-bullied the Czech into submission.

It effectively settled the first set as he chaseddown a decent Stepanek volley to whip the ballback past his opponent, breaking his resistance.

He ripped another down the line to break at thestart of the second set, celebrating with a roar and apump of his fist, and thereafter was not seriouslythreatened. Wawrinka, who made his grand slambreakthrough at last year’s Australian Open afteryears spent in the shadow of countryman RogerFederer, delivered the coup de grace with his 11thace to wrap up only his second win over Stepanekin six meetings.

Wawrinka’s quest for a first Tokyo title promisesto be a difficult one, with defending champion KeiNishikori arguably a slight favourite to capture histhird Japan Open on a court he has owned in recentyears. Meanwhile, Australians Bernard Tomic andSam Groth both retired after dropping the first setsin their respective first-round matches.

The controversial Tomic, who earlier this yearlaunched a tirade against Australian tennis officialsfor a perceived “lack of respect” towards him,

blamed sickness for throwing in the towel againstAmerican Steve Johnson while losing 6-3, 2-1. Grothsprained his right ankle while trailing FrenchmanJeremy Chardy 6-3, 2-0. In other matches,Frenchman Gilles Simon, the third seed, beatRussia’s Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-4 but compatriotPaire’s victory over Bulgarian Dimitrov dubbed“Baby Federer”-was undoubtedly the result of theday. — Reuters

Wawrinka sees off Stepanek in Tokyo

TOKYO: Stan Wawrinka of Switzerlandreacts after winning the first set againstCzech Republic’s Radek Stepanek. — AP

BusinessWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Gulf equities down

in Q3 over global

slowdown, low oil price

Page 22

EU minister agree greater

transparency on tax deals

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market Improving,

price stability

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LIMA: The International Monetary Fund cut its growthforecasts for the world economy yesterday warning ofincreasing risks from the slowdown in China, which is drag-ging other emerging markets down with it. The globaleconomy will expand just 3.1 percent this year and 3.6 per-cent next year, the IMF predicted, revising downward itsprevious forecasts by 0.2 percentage points in both cases.

Even though wealthy countries are showing signs ofrecovery, the world economy is on track for its worst yearsince the global recession of 2009, the IMF said.

Cheap oil is helping to lift emerging Europeaneconomies as they fend off the impact of Russia’s down-turn, the IMF said. But high corporate debt is putting abrake on investment in the region, adding to the chal-lenges ahead, the International Monetary Fund said in akey report on the global outlook.

Growth in Europe’s emerging and developingeconomies will pick up from 2.8 percent last year to 3.0percent in both 2015 and 2016, the Washington-basedFund predicted.

“Six years after the world economy emerged from itsbroadest and deepest postwar recession, a return to robustand synchronized global expansion remains elusive,” saidthe IMF’s new chief economist, Maurice Obstfeld.“Downside risks to the world economy appear more pro-nounced than they did just a few months ago,” he added in

the Fund’s latest report, released ahead of the IMF andWorld Bank annual meetings in Lima, Peru, this week.

The slowdown in China-which the IMF predicted willgrow 6.3 percent next year, its lowest rate in 25 years-is tak-ing a toll on other emerging economies that depended onthe Asian giant’s ravenous appetite for their raw materials.

Prices of oil, metals, minerals and other commoditieshave sunk as the world’s second-largest economy hascooled, jolting the emerging markets whose boom drovethe world economy during the 2008-2009 crisis.

Sputtering Brazil Once-mighty Brazil is facing a three percent recession

this year-twice as bad as predicted in the IMF’s last outlook,in July-and Sub-Saharan Africa is set for growth of 3.8 per-cent, 1.2 points off the pace it registered last year.

Russia, another emerging giant, is in double trouble. Inaddition to crashing prices for its oil exports, it facesWestern sanctions over its role in the Ukraine crisis-puttingit on track for a contraction of 3.8 percent this year, the IMFforecast.

“While the growth slowdown in China is so far in linewith forecasts, its cross-border repercussions appeargreater than previously envisaged,” the IMF said. A loomingdecision by the recovering United States to raise interestrates is also hurting emerging economies as investors in

search of higher returns stop parking cash there, the IMFsaid. That reduced capital inflow is in turn taking a toll onemerging countries’ currencies. The World Bank for its parthad already warned emerging economies in June to “fas-ten seat belts” for the potential turbulence from the immi-nent tightening of US monetary policy.

‘Immense’ refugee toll The wealthy countries that were at the epicenter of the

2008-2009 crisis are meanwhile undergoing a nascentrecovery that is “expected to pick up slightly,” led bystronger growth in Britain and the United States, said theIMF.

The International Monetary Fund forecast modest eco-nomic growth in the advanced economies through nextyear, stronger in the United States and Britain and tentativein the euro-zone and Japan.

The group of advanced economies-which includes theUS, four countries in the euro-zone, Japan, Britain andCanada-is projected to grow 2.0 percent in 2015 and 2.2percent in 2016, the IMF said in its new World EconomicOutlook. That would represent a slow pickup from a 1.8percent expansion in 2014. Overall, the IMF slightly low-ered its outlook for the advanced economies from its Julyestimates, by one-tenth point for this year and two-tenthspoint for next year. The recovery from the 2008-2009 finan-

cial crisis is strongest in the United States and Britain,where central banks are mulling tightening monetary poli-cy. The US economy, which grew 2.4 percent in 2014, isprojected to pick up the pace to 2.6 percent this year and2.8 percent in 2016. The British economy’s expansionwould slow from 3.0 percent growth last year to 2.5 per-cent in 2015 and 2.2 percent in 2016.

Advanced economies would expand “modestly,” the IMFsaid, noting that growth in productivity remained weak.Growth would be much slower in the eurozone, with 1.5percent this year and 1.6 percent in 2016, but still markingan acceleration from last year’s 0.9 percent pace.

The Japanese economy, which contracted 0.1 percent in2014, was expected to grow just 0.6 percent in 2015 and1.0 percent in 2016, forecasts cut by two-tenths each fromwhat the IMF projected three months ago.

In the four biggest economies of the 19-nation euro-zone, Spain was poised for the strongest growth, at 3.1 per-cent this year and 2.5 percent in 2016.

Germany, the largest European economy, would growslight less than previously expected but hewing to its 2014pace: 1.5 percent this year and 1.6 percent next year.

France’s outlook was unchanged at 1.2 percent in 2015and 1.5 percent in 2016. Italy would recover from a 0.4 per-cent contraction in 2014 to 0.8 percent growth this yearand 1.3 percent next year. —Agencies

SRINAGAR: Kashmiri men take a break to chat while selling their produce at the floating vegetable market on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir yesterday. Vegetables traded in this floating market are supplied to Srinagarand many towns across the Kashmir valley. It’s one of the major sources of income for the lake dwellers who spend years carefully nurturing their floating gardens from the weed and rich soil extracted from the lake bed. — AP

IMF trims growth forecasts for world economy Advanced economies to expand modestly • US growth outlook slashed

DUBAI: Stronger challenges facing SaudiArabian banks are likely to be reflected in third-quarter results as earnings are hit by weakstocks, more delayed payments in the buildingindustry and slacker loan growth. The king-dom’s 24 banks have so far delivered generallybetter than anticipated earnings since theroughly 50 percent decline in oil prices fromJune last year, helped by the opening of theSaudi market to direct foreign investment.

“We are expecting slower earnings (growth)compared to previous quarters. Banks havemade good money in the first half of the yearbut the outlook for earnings drivers remainsweak,” said Murad Ansari, analyst at EFG-Hermes. EFG-Hermes is forecasting lower netincome on an annual basis for half of the 10banks it covers including Samba FinancialGroup, Riyad Bank, Saudi British Bank (SABB),Saudi Hollandi Bank and Bank Albilad.

Al Rajhi Bank would report the strongestearnings growth, rising 12 percent from theyear earlier, EFG-Hermes forecast. Banks areexpected to start releasing quarterly results thisweek.

Results should be supported by lenders’ pur-chases of local currency government bonds, amove set to improve asset yields further in a

banking sector already holding some of themost secure balance sheets in the industryworldwide.

The opening of the market to foreign invest-ment helped propel stocks in the first part ofthe year, giving banks’ brokerage businesses alift and bolstering investment income.

That evaporated by the third quarter as trad-ing volumes dipped 40 percent from the previ-ous quarter and the benchmark Tadawul Indexsank 19 percent.

The third quarter is generally slower forbanks, as it includes the quieter, summermonths and this year Ramadan and Eid holi-days.

DELAYED PAYMENTSIn a state where the pace of growth is largely

determined by oil revenues and governmentspending, banks are starting to see a pick-up indelayed payments, say bankers. “It’s widespreadeven in the good times but is getting worse,”said a banker. “Contractors are not getting paidfor projects and that means delays in paymentsto sub-contractors all the way down the line.”

It may be several quarters before the fullextent of worsening credit conditions feedthrough to banks’ balance sheets in the form of

defaults. In what analysts say is a sign of a slow-down of payments from the government, bankloans to contractors rose 16 percent in the sec-ond quarter on an annual basis, nearly twicethe rate of total credit growth across corporateand government sectors. That could leavelenders exposed if the pace of building workslowed.

During the third-quarter, banks scrambledto gauge the fallout from a decision by thegovernment on Sept. 15 to suspend SaudiBinladin Group, one of the kingdom’s largestcontractors, from new contracts after the col-lapse of a crane in Mecca, killing at least 107people.

Banking sources say the government isunlikely to let the company fall into financialtroubles because of its close links to the stateand the banking system-the company’s creditexposure stands at 45 billion riyals ($12 billion),representing 15 percent of banks’ equity, esti-mates NCB Capital.

Riyad Bank and Banque Saudi Fransi haveamong the largest gross loan exposure to thebuilding sector, while SABB and Al Rajhi Bankhad built up the least provisions against badloans in the industry, according to a JP Morganreport. — Reuters

Saudi banks Q3 results to reflect growing challengesWASHINGTON: The US trade deficit

jumped sharply in August as exports fell tothe lowest level in nearly three years whileimports increased, led by a surge in ship-ments of cell phones from China.

The deficit increased 15.6 percent to$48.3 billion, the biggest deficit sinceMarch, the Commerce Department report-ed yesterday. Exports of goods and servic-es dropped 2 percent to $185.1 billion, thelowest level since October 2012, whileimports rose 1.2 percent to $233.4 billion.

Exports have been hurt this year by therising value of the dollar, which makes USgoods less competitive on overseas mar-kets, and weaker economic growth inChina and other major export markets.Economists say they expect these trendswill combine to push the deficit higher andmake trade a drag on overall growth thisyear. So far this year, the deficit is runningat an annual rate of $531.6 billion, 4.6 per-cent higher than last year’s deficit of $508.3billion.

The higher deficit reflects the fact thatweaker global growth and the strongerdollar have reduced exports of US productsand cut into the overseas profits ofAmerican companies. Canada, America’slargest trading partner, is in a recessionand China, the world’s second largest econ-omy is growing much more slowly while

many emerging market economies arebeing battered by a plunge in commodityprices.

The United States on Monday reachedagreement with Japan and nine other PacificRim nations on what would be the largestregional trade pact in history. But the Obamaadministration will face a major challenge win-ning congressional approval for the TransPacific Partnership trade deal against oppo-nents who argue that the agreement willexpose American workers to more unfair for-eign competition.

The critics point to America’s huge tradedeficits to bolster their argument that othernations are manipulating their currencies andpursuing other unfair trade practices that arecosting US jobs. For August, the US deficit withChina rose 10.7 percent to $35 billion, the high-est level in 11 months. So far this year, thedeficit with China, the largest with any tradingpartner, is running 9.5 percent higher than ayear ago, on track to set another annual record.

The deficit with the European Union rose 9percent in August to $13.6 billion while theimbalance with Japan dipped 9 percent to $5.2billion. The drop in exports reflected lowersales of manufactured goods such as comput-ers, industrial machinery and autos and a dropin exports of US energy products, which fell 9.3percent to $8.1 billion, reflecting the fall inoil prices. — AP

US trade deficit widens to $48.3bn in August

Egypt plans Mediterranean gas exploration in first half

CAIRO: Egypt is preparing to launch a new bidding roundfor gas exploration off the Mediterranean coast in the firsthalf of 2016, Khaled Abdel Badie, the head of the state gascompany EGAS told Reuters yesterday. His comments cameafter Egypt announced it had awarded four new licenses toexplore for oil and gas off its Mediterranean coast, weeksafter Eni’s giant Zohr gas find piqued fresh internationalinterest in the area.

B U S I N E S SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Newsi n b r i e f

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.517Indian Rupees 4.648Pakistani Rupees 2.894Srilankan Rupees 2.151Nepali Rupees 2.910Singapore Dollar 213.560Hongkong Dollar 39.129Bangladesh Taka 3.898Philippine Peso 6.543Thai Baht 8.359

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 80.910Qatari Riyal 83.345Omani Riyal 788.070Bahraini Dinar 805.770UAE Dirham 82.607

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 40.580Egyptian Pound - Transfer 38.755Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.416Tunisian Dinar 154.560Jordanian Dinar 428.110Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.022Syrian Lira 2.162Morocco Dirham 31.754

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 303.250Euro 340.550Sterling Pound 461.240Canadian dollar 232.730Turkish lira 101.810Swiss Franc 311.990Australian dollar 216.820US Dollar Buying 302.050

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.452968 0.461968Czech Korune 0.004613 0.016613Danish Krone 0.041496 0.046496Euro 0.333553 0.341553Norwegian Krone 0.032234 0.037434Romanian Leu 0.086990 0.086990Slovakia 0.009046 0.019046Swedish Krona 0.032574 0.037574Swiss Franc 0.304308 0.314508Turkish Lira 0.095727 0.106027

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.208021 0.219521New Zealand Dollar 0.190960 0.200460

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.226573 0.235073US Dollars 0.299150 0.303650

US Dollars Mint 0.299650 0.303650

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003494 0.004094Chinese Yuan 0.046296 0.049796Hong Kong Dollar 0.037026 0.039776Indian upee 0.004359 0.004749Indonesian Rupiah 0.000017 0.000023Japanese Yen 0.002437 0.002617Kenyan Shilling 0.003152 0.003152Korean Won 0.000251 0.000266Malaysian Ringgit 0.066689 0.072689Nepalese Rupee 0.002905 0.003075Pakistan Rupee 0.002841 0.003121Philippine Peso 0.006365 0.006645Sierra Leone 0.000067 0.000073Singapore Dollar 0.210063 0.216063South African Rand 0.016411 0.024911Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001864 0.002444Taiwan 0.009582 0.009762Thai Baht 0.008056 0.008606

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.796745 0.804745Egyptian Pound 0.037889 0.040719Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000192 0.000252Jordanian Dinar 0.423713 0.431213Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000152 0.000252Moroccan Dirhams 0.020532 0.044532Nigerian Naira 0.001252 0.001887Omani Riyal 0.781242 0.786922Qatar Riyal 0.082584 0.083797Saudi Riyal 0.080230 0.080930Syrian Pound 0.001285 0.001505Tunisian Dinar 0.151155 0.159155Turkish Lira 0.095727 0.106027UAE Dirhams 0.081583 0.082732Yemeni Riyal 0.001370 0.001450

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

CURRENCIES TELEX TRANSFER PER 1000Australian Dollar 201.87Canadian Dollar 234.69Swiss Franc 316.04Euro 343.30US Dollar 303.30Sterling Pound 463.18Japanese Yen 2.56Bangladesh Taka 3.894Indian Rupee 4.644Sri Lankan Rupee 2.152Nepali Rupee 2.905Pakistani Rupee 2.901UAE Dirhams 0.08252Bahraini Dinar 0.8060Egyptian Pound 0.03862Jordanian Dinar 0.4314Omani Riyal 0.7876Qatari Riyal 0.08362Saudi Riyal 0.08090

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 303.350Canadian Dollar 232.880Sterling Pound 462.330Euro 341.995Swiss Frank 295.395Bahrain Dinar 805.125UAE Dirhams 82.885Qatari Riyals 90.880Saudi Riyals 81.620

Jordanian Dinar 427.450Egyptian Pound 38.629Sri Lankan Rupees 2.151Indian Rupees 4.638Pakistani Rupees 2.901Bangladesh Taka 3.891Philippines Pesso 6.497Cyprus pound 577.785Japanese Yen 3.525Syrian Pound 2.605Nepalese Rupees 3.895Malaysian Ringgit 69.720Chinese Yuan Renminbi 48.190Thai Bhat 9.320Turkish Lira 101.620

GOLD20 gram 226.69010 gram 116.0405 gram 58.700

UAE’s Shah gas project hits full output capacity

ABU DHABI: The Shah gas project which began operations thisyear in the United Arab Emirates has reached its full productioncapacity, a top company official said yesterday. “We have rampedup to full production, which is 1 billion cubic feet per day (bcf),”Saif Ahmed al Ghafli, chief executive of Al Hosn Gas, told reporterson the sideline of an conference in Abu Dhabi. Al Hosn Gas is theShah gas development joint venture in which Abu Dhabi NationalOil Co (Adnoc) holds a 60 percent share and US-based OccidentalPetroleum the other 40 percent. The multi-billion dollar project ismeant to produce usable gas from Shah’s high-sulphur field.Theproject is expected to process sour gas into 0.5 bcf/d of usablegas in the remote desert and is vital for keeping the UAE suppliedwith fuel and reducing its growing gas imports. The UAE is invest-ing $35 billion to diversify its energy mix and reduce its depend-ence on natural gas imports for power generation, the country’senergy minister said on Sunday.

Gulf equities down in Q3 over global slowdown, low oil price

KUWAIT: GCC markets went through a strong correction in3Q15, led by Saudi Arabia. The correction wiped out all gainsmade thus far in 2015, with GCC markets down 14 percent dur-ing the quarter. A strong retreat in Chinese equities, alongsideFed policy uncertainty, triggered a worldwide correction. GCCmarkets were not spared, especially with oil prices takinganother dive. Geopolitically, things have also been stirring.While markets have not had a strong reaction to any one par-ticular event, security concerns have weighed somewhat ongeneral sentiment. Meanwhile, speculation over whether theFed would hike its policy rate and fears of foreign exchangewars in emerging markets have made equity markets all themore nervous and volatile. In 3Q15, GCC markets shed morethan $163 billion in capitalization, which fell to $940 billion atthe close of the quarter.

Chinese equities had started correcting towards the end of2Q15 and not long after, equities around the world followedsuit. Stock markets in China had started a strong rally towardsthe end of 2014. The Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 peaked at theend of May 2015, up 107percent from October 2014.Wheneconomic data began to signal some softening in the Chineseeconomy, overpriced equities seemed due for a correction. Thecorrection was large, with frequent daily losses above 5per-cent. As authorities attempted to calm markets and preventafree fall, markets interpreted the government’s response asconcern over fundamental weaknesses. By the close of 3Q15,the index was off 9 percent ytd and 38percent from its peak.

Chinese correctionThe ripples of the Chinese correction touched equity mar-

kets globally with most shedding all their 2015 gains. By theend of 3Q15, the MSCI World total return index was off 6per-cent ytd. The S&P500 and DJIA total return indices were off5percent and 7percent ytd, respectively. European equities,which had rallied for most of 1H15, came under pressure in3Q15; the MSCI Europe ended the quarter off 5percent ytd.GCC markets had their fair share of losses too and the MSCIGCC total return index was down 7percent ytd, more or less inline with other markets.

Oil was another driver of regional equity markets since mid-2014 and continued to be so in 3Q15. Oil prices and GCC equi-ties have moved largely in tandem since oil prices started

retreating in the 2H14. The relationship has been far from sym-metrical with correlations increasing notably when oil pricestook a dive, as they did in August. With the exception of thelarge petrochemical sector in the Saudi stock market, GCCequities have minimal direct exposure to oil markets to war-

rant such correlation. However, low oil prices do raise concernsabout fiscal sustainability and growth in GCC economies. WhileGCC governments have expressed their commitment to sup-port growth in the non-oil sector by sticking to their currentdevelopment spending plans, a prolonged period of low oilprices could force governments to reduce capital spending orpressure finances. Indeed, the recent move by the Saudi gov-ernment to issue bonds($28 billion this year) to finance the fis-cal deficit served to remind markets of these concerns.

Political crisisThe region’s geopolitics continued to affect sentiment in

GCC markets. The bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,and instability in neighboring countries have elevated securityconcerns. While the impact on equity markets was not alwaysobvious following any particular event, general market senti-ment seemed to continue to be hampered by some securityconcerns.

GCC markets continued to be pressured by a number ofdomestic and market specific factors. In the UAE, worries aboutan imminent correction in the property markets continued tomake headlines. In Qatar, the possible revocation of the 2022World Cup event remains an on/off concern, though therehave been no recent developments on that front. In Kuwait,with market liquidity remaining below historic averages andequities trading well below book value, several companies list-ed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange made requests to delist,though the companies in question were all relatively small andhad little impact on market capitalization.

Meanwhile, a few positive events took place that were over-shadowed by international market volatility. In Saudi Arabia,the opening up of the market to direct equity ownership byqualified investors came into effect last June. This develop-ment and related issues, such as the inclusion of KSA stocks inpopular indices and changes in trading and ownership restric-tions, should remain catalysts for the Saudi market. Qatar isalso likely to benefit from increased foreign investor interestwith the upgrading in late 3Q15 of the equity market toemerging market status by FTSE.

VulnerabilityAlthough all GCC markets ended the quarter in the red,

Saudi Arabia took by far the biggest hit. The Saudi Tadawulindex was off 19percent on the quarter, having been the onlyGCC market to rally earlier in the year on the decision to openup the market to foreign investors. Dubai followed with theDFM price index down 12percent during the quarter. The AbuDhabi and Qatari markets outperformed their regional peers in

3Q15 and were down 5percent and 6 percent, respectively.Part of this was due to the more comfortable fiscal positions ofthe two, which along with Kuwait are perceived to be less vul-nerable to corrections in oil markets. The Omani, Kuwaiti andBahraini markets were down 10percent, 8percent and 7per-cent, respectively.

Though anticipated by most for this year, market volatilityhit with a vengeance in 3Q15, and some of its sources remain:China and the Fed in particular. Certainly, the Fed’s decisionnot to hike rates in September confused markets and elevatedconcerns about the fragility of world markets and of the USrecovery. In light of the soft US September employment report,the Fed should now be on hold for the rest of this year. TheChinese economy will also remain a focus for world markets, asinvestors continue to monitor the flow of data from the world’ssecond largest economy. Regionally, geopolitical develop-ments are fluid. Russia’s renewed involvement in the regionwill need to be assessed. Attention will also turn to3Q15 earn-ings announcements. All the while, oil prices will remain animportant driver for GCC equities in the coming months, espe-cially should China or US growth disappoint further. Otherwise,GCC economies are in good shape and should outperform,certainly in their non-oil sectors.

LONDON: Oil prices rose yesterday, heading for the firstthree-day gain in five weeks, on signals that the world’sbiggest producers of crude may act jointly to supportprices, which have halved over the past year. Brentcrude, the global oil benchmark traded up 75 cents atthe $50.00 a barrel milestone for the first time in twoweeks by 1243 GMT, or 1.4 percent day on day. It rose2.3 percent on Monday.

The US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate crude,was up 36 cents at $46.62 a barrel. The contract gained1.6 percent in the previous session. “The market is pos-sibly moving on speculation that OPEC and non-OPECcountries will find an agreement to cooperate,” saidCarsten Fritsch, senior oil analyst at Commerzbank inFrankfurt. Russia’s energy minister said Russia and SaudiArabia had discussed the oil market in a meeting lastweek and would continue to consult each other.

This was in line with comments made by OPECSecretary-General Abdullah al-Badri at a conference inLondon that OPEC and non-OPEC members shouldwork together to reduce the global supply glut.

“There is one problem we are facing: the overhang,”he said, adding there were already signs of highercrude demand and of a drop in supply growth fromnon-OPEC members.

The former head of US shale producer EOGResources said at the same conference that US oil pro-duction growth would tail off this month and start todecline early next year due to weak prices.

Iran’s crude oil sales were on track to slip to the low-est in seven months as its main Asian customers werebuying less than before. The drop counters expecta-tions that Iran’s exports would rise after Tehran and sixworld powers reached a nuclear agreement on July 14,although sanctions are unlikely to be officially relaxeduntil next year.

Tensions also rose in the oil-rich Middle East after afighter jet of unknown nationality “interfered” withTurkish military patrols on the Syrian border, accordingto the Turkish military. The announcement came aftertwo incursions into Turkish airspace by Russian jets overthe weekend. — Reuters

Oil up to $50 on speculation producers getting together

NBK GCC MARKETS MONTHLY UPDATE

Turkish economy seen growing 3% this year

ANKARA: Turkey’s economy will grow 3 percent this year,ensuring economic pledges made by the ruling AK Partyahead of a Nov 1 election will be achievable, former deputyprime minister and economy czar Ali Babacan said yesterday.After not standing in a June election in which his AKP lost itsparliamentary majority, Babacan will stand as a candidate forthe party in the coming vote, marking the return of one of itsmost respected names. “Our economic promises are easilymanageable, and will not harm economic balances. There isno extravagance,” Babacan told the HaberTurk news channelin an interview. The AKP election manifesto unveiled byPrime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday promised toraise the minimum wage to 1,300 lira ($434) a month fromaround 1,000 currently, lift the state pension and provideinterest-free loans for small businesses.

Maltese telecom GO seeks adviser for full sale of firm

DUBAI: Malta’s largest telecoms operator, GO, has invited banksto pitch for the role of advising it on the full sale of the company,sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters yesterday. Theinvitation was sent out to international investment banks andspecialist advisory firms around the beginning of September, thesources said speaking on condition of anonymity as the informa-tion isn’t public. GO declined to comment. However, in a compa-ny announcement dated Sept. 16 which invited investors to ameeting on Oct. 29, GO said it wanted approval from sharehold-ers to seek bids for the company’s entire issued share capital.Emirates International Telecommunications (EIT), a unit of thepersonal investment vehicle of the ruler of Dubai, announced inJuly it planned to sell its 60 percent stake in GO. Shares in GOclosed Monday at 3.45 euros each, close to the near-six-year highachieved in July of 3.6 euros per share, according to bourse data.

Morocco GDP grows 4.5% annually in Q3

RABAT: Morocco’s economy grew at an annual rate of 4.5percent in the third quarter of 2015, speeding up from 4.3percent in the previous three months, thanks to higher agri-cultural output, the country’s planning agency said yester-day. Cereal production jumped 64 percent, helping to pushup overall agricultural output by 16.6 percent after a year-on-year 14.9 percent rise in the second quarter, the agency said.

Morocco had announced a record cereal crop of 11 mil-lion tons this year after favourable rainfall. Agricultureaccounts for more than 15 percent of the Moroccan econo-my. The trade deficit fell 7.9 percent as world oil pricesdropped and Moroccan exports improved, the agency said.The kingdom is one of the biggest energy importers in theregion. Non-agricultural growth was 1.8 percent higher froma year ago, and the agency said the pace of growth would besteady in the fourth quarter with an expected gross domes-tic product rise of 4.7 percent. The central bank and the gov-ernment said growth would reach 5 percent for the full year.The agency forecasts 4.4 percent. — Reuters

B U S I N E S SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre“Markaz” recently released its MonthlyMarket Research report. In this report,Markaz examines and analyzes the per-formance of equity markets in the MENAregion as well as the global equity mar-kets for the month of September.

Kuwait weighted index (0.8 percent)and Abu Dhabi index (0.2 percent) werethe marginal positives ending thismonth in green. Kuwait’s price indexended the month of September with aloss of 1.6 percent.MENA markets endedin red during the month of September2015. Jordan (-4.3 percent) suffered themost, followed by Morocco (-2.5 per-cent), Dubai (-1.9 percent) and Bahrain (-1.8 percent). The decline in global equi-ties wiped out all gains made by theMENA stock markets since the begin-ning of the year, with all of the indicesnow dipping into the red.

Global equities continued their slidefor a second month, and along withfalling oil prices, led to MENA indices fol-lowing suit. China’s Shanghai index wasable to stem the fall witnessed over thelast two months, but still ended themonth down 4.8 percent, making it acumulative fall of 28.6 percent for thethird quarter. This is the largest percent-age decline since the first quarter of2008, and ended a five-quarter winningstreak. Sell-off was seen in marketsacross the globe, and the Middle Easternmarkets did not buck the trend.

MENA markets liquidity fell inSeptember, with volume decreasing 13

percent and value traded falling 10.6percent, as the market activity lulled dueto Eid and investor sentiments. Thenotable exceptions to this trend wereseen in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. Bahrain’stotal value traded increased by 453 per-cent and the volume traded increasedby 326 percent, while Abu Dhabi’s valuetraded increased by 23.3 percent, andvolume traded increased by 30.8 per-cent.

Telecommunication stocks have hada good month, with Ooredoo (Qatar)and Emirates Telecom (UAE) gaining 10.8percent and 10.5 percent, respectively.While the former was declared Qatar’sleading corporate for investor relations,the latter opened its shares to foreignand institutional buyers in September.The worst performing stocks were NBAD(-8.5 percent) and Industries Qatar (-7.5

percent), the latter due to profit bookingby foreign institutions.

No significant shift in OPEC policycaused crude oil to fall in September,declining by 11 percent, closing themonth at USD 48.37 per barrel. The com-modity closed the quarter down 24 per-cent. US oil inventories rose by 4.6mnbarrels in the last week of September,according to the American PetroleumInstitute, and OPEC continued to pumpmore than its 30mn barrel quota, widen-ing the supply glut.

Impact of sustained low oil prices in the GCC

Kuwait’s National Assembly’s financialand economic affairs committee yester-day rejected proposals by theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) toimpose taxes and lift subsidies on public

services in order to cut the state budgetdeficit. The committee stressed its oppo-sition to any measure that comes at theexpense of Kuwaiti citizens and calledfor alternative solutions. Kuwait plans tosell dinar-denominated bonds this yearto bridge the budget deficit, and mayalso sell dollar-denominated bonds, ifneeded. The gulf state is also working ona legislation to allow the country to sellits first sukuk, or Islamic bond.

Saudi Arabia is witnessing weakeningeconomic growth and strain on fundingsources, as the country faces sharpdecline in oil revenues resulting fromsustained oil price decline. The Kingdomis cutting unnecessary expenses anddelaying some projects to compensatefor low oil prices, though projects thatare important for the economy will goahead. The Kingdom has withdrawn

over $73bn from global asset managersto plug its budget deficit and to reduceexposure to global equities. The govern-ment is also accelerating its bond salesto help sustain spending, and it isexpected that the Kingdom might alsosell Islamic bonds, or sukuk, to financespecific projects.

Economic diversification of the UAEeconomy over the past several years hasbuffered the country against fallingcrude oil prices. The UAE has also explor-ing options about implementing corpo-rate tax or valued added tax, based onIMF’s recommendations.

The government of Qatar has statedthat it will not scale back economicdevelopment projects or cut state subsi-dies for fuel and food in response to lowoil and natural gas prices, because gov-ernment finances remain strong.

Supply glut keeps gulf markets in redMARKAZ MONTHLY ECONOMIC REPORT

LONDON: President of Nalcosa, Nordine Ait-Laoussine, (right) International Energy Agency Executive Director, Fatih Birol (center) and OPECSecretary General Abdalla Salem El-Badri, (left) attend the 2015 Oil & Money conference in central London, yesterday. —AFP

LONDON: OPEC sees the oil market improvingbecause of higher demand for the group’s crudeand a drop in supply growth from non-mem-bers, its secretary general said, the latest signthat OPEC believes its strategy of defendingmarket share is working.

Oil prices have almost halved in the last yearon oversupply in a drop that deepened after theOrganization of the Petroleum ExportingCountries in 2014 changed strategy to protectmarket share against higher-cost producers,rather than cut output to prop up prices as it hasdone in the past.

“There is an improvement in the market,”Abdullah Al-Badri told reporters on the sidelinesof an industry conference in London yesterday.“This situation may not stay long, more than twoyears.”

OPEC meets to review its output policy onDec 4 and Badri’s comments add to signs thatthe group is unlikely to be diverted from its cur-

rent strategy. Badri himself declined to be drawnon what OPEC oil ministers would decide.Addressing the Oil and Money conference inLondon, an annual gathering of senior industryexecutives, Badri urged producers outside OPECto help tackle a global surplus of crude, whichhe put at 200 million barrels.

“All of us should work together, OPEC andnon-OPEC, work together to get rid of this over-hang,” Badri said. “There is one problem we arefacing: the overhang of 200 million barrels.”

OPEC has invited non-OPEC countries toattend a technical meeting on Oct. 21 at itsVienna headquarters, to discuss the market,Badri told reporters, following on from a similarmeeting held in May. Non-OPEC producersincluding Russia have refused to cooperate withOPEC in cutting output, although forecastershave reduced estimates for supply growth out-side OPEC because of the price slump.

Badri said oil supply growth from non-OPEC

producers might be zero or negative in 2016because of lower upstream investment.Investment has been cut by around $130 billionthis year from about $650 billion in 2014, hesaid. The International Energy Agency, whichadvises industrialized countries on oil policy,sees an even larger impact on non-OPEC supplyin 2016 from low prices. IEA Executive DirectorFatih Birol, also at the conference, said the dropin upstream oil investment in 2015 will be atleast 20 percent versus 2014, the biggest everfall. OPEC expects global demand for its crude,under pressure in recent years because of risingsupplies from outside the group, to rise to 30.3million barrels per day in 2016, about 1 millionbpd more than in 2015.

“We will see the effect of the cut on produc-tion,” Badri said. “This will mean less supply in thenear future.” “We are seeing now a low price.After a few months, we will not see this. We willsee a higher price again.” — Reuters

OPEC chief sees oil market Improving, price stability

Badri urges non-OPEC countries to help tackle surplus

DUBAI: Most Gulf stock markets tradedsideways in thin volumes yesterday butreal estate-related shares continued tobuoy Qatar after the central bank governorruled out tightening monetary policy.

In most of the region, investors are wor-ried about low oil prices and tighteningliquidity in banking systems due to thereduction in state oil revenues.

Saudi Arabia’s stock index closed flat.Alinma Bank , the most heavily tradedstock, rose 1.5 percent, but several majorplays on Saudi consumer demand fell,showing concern about the risk of an eco-nomic slowdown next year if oil prices staylow and the government curbs spending.

Retailer Saudi Marketing Co dropped2.1 percent and travel agent Al TayyarTravel sank 4.6 percent. Dubai’s stock indexedged up 0.02 percent to 3,660 points,pulling back after it neared technical resist-ance around 3,700 points, which cappedthe market repeatedly in September.

Blue chip Emaar Properties rose 1.3 per-cent but second-tier real estate stockswere sluggish. Apartment prices in Dubaihave fallen 11 percent in the past 12months and will decline further because oftighter regulations, rising inflation and astrong United Arab Emirates currency,industry consultants JLL said in a report

yesterday. The most heavily traded stock inDubai, GFH Financial , added 0.4 percentafter the company reported furtherprogress in settling its debts; it said it hadrepaid a further $37.5 million, leaving itwith $137 million of outstanding debt.

Abu Dhabi’s stock index slipped 0.2 per-cent. The standout was Qatar, which added1.0 percent; it has outper formed theregion since the central bank governorsaid at the weekend that he did not fore-see liquidity tightening and would not imi-tate any interest rate hike in the UnitedStates.

Money market rates have also been ris-ing in Qatar, though less dramatically thanin the UAE, and it is not clear whether thecentral bank will take any concrete actionto keep them down, especially given theQatari r iyal ’s peg to the US dollar.Nevertheless, the governor’s statementhas improved investor sentiment, especial-ly towards interest rate-sensitive realestate stocks. Property firm Ezdan Holding,the most heavily traded stock, climbed 2.6percent yesterday.

Qatar German Medical Devices, whichhas seen unusually heavy volumes for thepast two days, surged 4.6 percent.

Egypt’s market was closed for a nationalholiday. —Reuters

Most of Gulf barely moves,property firms buoy Qatar

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

LONDON: Banks would have to get references fornew hires going back six years under proposalspublished by British regulators yesterday to stop“bad apples” in banking from switching jobs easily.

The proposals follow recommendations by reg-ulators aimed at improving behaviour in commodi-ty, fixed income and currency markets after a num-ber of major banks were fined billions of dollars fortrying to rig foreign currency benchmarks.

In these recommendations, Bank of EnglandDeputy Governor Minouche Shafik had said shewanted to make it harder for bad apples in bankingto cover their tracks by switching jobs.

The new requirements, which would also applyto senior hires at insurance companies, are part of abroader push by regulators in Britain to makefinancial staff more directly accountable for theiractions. The Financial Conduct Authority and theBank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authorityproposed that from March next year banks andinsurers should use a mandatory form when get-ting references on senior hires, including non-exec-utive directors.

“In this consultation, we are proposing changesto the way firms seek and provide references forcandidates of certain roles,” the FCA said.

A bank or insurance company would have to

request references from former employers of can-didates going back six years, a year longer than ini-tially indicated, and the references should includeany breaches of the FCA’s conduct rules.

“For too long dishonest or incompetent tradersand advisers have drifted from firm to firm, protect-ed from exposure through their ex-employer’sreluctance to state that they are either no good ornot to be trusted,” Simon Morris, a financial servicespartner at law firm CMS.

When supplying references, banks will nolonger be allowed just to provide the dates whenthe person worked for them. “This may expose afirm giving a frank but damaging reference to therisk of litigation, but the regulators see this as aprice worth paying to drive out the rotten apples,”Morris said. The banks have been concerned thatmore detailed references without clear guidancefrom regulators could put them at risk of breachingdata privacy rules.

Under the proposals, a bank must not enter intoany arrangements that limit its ability to discloserelevant information. Banks would also have to saywhether candidates have been given a formalwarning or had pay docked as part of disciplinaryaction. If the banks have no relevant informationon the candidate they would have to say so and

would not be allowed to leave parts of the formblank. “The regulators expect firms to exercisejudgement, bearing in mind the importance of dis-closing information relevant to the hiring firmalongside the need to be fair to former employeesand comply with any relevant legal obligations,”the FCA said.

The watchdog said it would consider applyingthese requirements to all the firms it authorises in aseparate consultation.

WHISTLEBLOWINGThe regulators also published rules yesterday to

introduce a standard procedure to protect whistle-blowers at banks. The 2007-2009 financial crisisprompted policymakers in Britain to call for a sys-tem that makes it easier for staff to raise any con-cerns internally.

Many banks already have informal whistleblow-ing arrangements but the regulators wanted a for-mal, standardized approach. “For individuals tohave the confidence to come forward, it is vital thatfirms have in place adequate policies on dealingwith whistleblowers and that a senior managertakes responsibility for overseeing these policies,”Tracey McDermott, acting FCA chief executive, saidin a statement.—Reuters

Britain eyes new rules to weed out ‘bad apples’ in banking

NAIROBI: Economic growth is set to slowin Sub-Saharan Africa to 3.7 percent thisyear, its weakest pace since 2009, mainlydue to the drop in commodity prices, theWorld Bank said on Monday.

The region’s economy, which grew 4.6percent last year, will strengthen only mar-ginally in the next two years, it predicted.“Growth in the region is projected to pickup to 4.4 percent in 2016, and furtherstrengthen to 4.8 percent in 2017,” it said ina bi-annual report titled Africa’s Pulse.

Commodity-dependent economiesfrom Zambia to Nigeria have suffered thisyear from the price rout of commoditieslike copper and oil, triggering currency fallsthat forced policymakers to tighten interestrates in response.

Repeating long-standing advice to com-modity producers, the Bank’s vice presidentfor Africa, Makhtar Diop, said the slowdownshould encourage policymakers to diversifyeconomic activity.

“The end of the commodity super-cycleposes an opportunity for African countries,”Diop said.

“Implementing the right policies toboost agricultural productivity, and reduceelectricity costs while expanding access,will improve competitiveness and supportthe growth of light manufacturing,” he said.The report said Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia,Rwanda, Mozambique and Tanzania are stillexpected to grow robustly, posting 7 per-cent or more growth per year between thisyear and 2017. —Reuters

Africa’s GDP growth to slow to 3.7%: WB

TOKYO: Pedestrians walk past a share prices board (L) of the Nikkei 225 at the TokyoStock Exchange and a foreign exchange board against the US dollar (R) in Tokyo yes-terday.—AFP

B U S I N E S SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

LONDON/MILAN: European shares edged high-er yesterday, extending strong gains in the pre-vious session, with sentiment helped by expec-tations central banks in Europe and the US willkeep an equity-friendly monetary policy in thecoming months.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 rose 0.3percent and the euro zone’s blue-chip EuroSTOXX 50 was up 0.2 percent. European shareshad opened lower as some investors took profitfollowing gains in the previous session whichsaw the FTSEurofirst 300 mark its biggest one-day rise since August.

“No doubt overall sentiment has improvedover the past few days as uncertainty regardingan imminent US rate hike has been removed fornow,” said Peregrine & Black trader MarkusHuber. “Firmer markets towards the end of theday would certainly confirm that the ‘Bulls’ areslowly gaining the upper hand again.” Concernsover the repercussions of an economic slow-down in China and uncertainty over when theUS Federal Reserve will end a decade of easingpolicies had driven European shares to nine-month lows at the end of last quarter. Nowsome investors think the sell off is overdone and

believe European shares are well positioned tobenefit from a rebound.

“We would buy Europe ex UK and Japan intothis sell-off. Both have reasonable EPS momen-tum and should receive further support fromtheir respective central banks,” Citi said in itsglobal equity quarterly report. Yesterday’s datashowed that industrial orders in Germany,Europe’s largest economy, dropped mainlybecause demand from non-euro-zone countriesweakened.

The weaker data should ultimately meanthat the European Central Bank maintains its

ultra-easy monetary policy, according toJoe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital.The auto sector, which has been pressuredrecently by a emissions tests rigging scan-dal at Volkswagen, was the top sectoralgainer with a rise of 1.6 percent. Other sec-tors were higher but gains were below 1percent.

Volkswagen rose 2 percent. The stockhad initially declined around 3 percentafter Handelsblatt reported that the carmaker had admitted 8 million vehicleswere fitted with software capable of cheat-ing diesel emissions tests in the EuropeanUnion. Its sales in South Korea also fell.

Mining and trading giant Glencore wasamong the top fallers in Europe. It fell 3.3percent after surging 21 percent in theprevious session, its best daily gain ever.Hopes of asset sales and comments thatoutput cuts would l i ft copper priceshelped to support Glencore’s shares onMonday, but a fresh target price cut byHSBC suggested that recent volatilitycould prevail in the near term.

Shares in TeliaSonera fell 2.9 percent. Anewspaper reported that US authoritiesmay seek damages as high as 8 billionSwedish crowns ($961 million) from theSwedish telecoms operator in relation toan investigation of alleged corruption inUzbekistan.

Bouygues Telecom rose 4 percent.France’s third-largest mobile operator saidit aimed to improve its profit margins andsales in coming years as it defends itsstandalone strategy. Brewer SABMiller fell3 percent following a Bloomberg reportsaying the brewer was said to have reject-

ed an informal takeover offer fromABInBev as too low.

Asia stocks soarAgreement on a Pacif ic-wide free-

trade agreement and hopes major cen-tral banks will maintain extra-loose mon-etary policies fired another broad rally inAsia yesterday, tracking advances inEurope and New York. The dollar wasalso lower against emerging markets cur-rencies as analysts said last week’s disap-pointing US jobs report all but put a nailin the coffin of a Federal Reserve interestrate hike this year. In Hong Kong sharesin mining giant Glencore added to theprevious day’s surge following reports itis in talks to sell its agriculture businessas it battles weakening demand for rawmaterials. But the main focus was on theTrans-Pacific Partnership, which will seethe eas ing of a number of barr iers ,including to Japan’s closeted farm sectorand the US car market.

After five years, trade representativesfrom 12 nations on the Pacific Rim saidMonday they had finally hammered out adeal to create the world’s biggest freetrade area-encompassing 40 percent ofthe world economy. Japanese PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe hailed the deal andexpressed a hope that China would join atsome point. “It’s the opening of a new cen-tury for the Asia-Pacific region,” he said ina televised news conference yesterday.

“If China participates in this system inthe future, that will contribute to bothJapan’s security and the stability of theAsia-Pacific region,” he added. —Agencies

European shares steady on rate outlook

B U S I N E S SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

LUXEMBOURG: EU ministers agreed yesterday thatnational authorities would automatically exchangeinformation on tax deals with multinationals, but criticssaid failing to make them public means the tax avoid-ance practices that led to the LuxLeaks scandal wouldcontinue.

The new measure passed despite resistance andcomes as European competition authorities investigatethe tax affairs of Apple in Ireland and Starbucks in theNetherlands. “We have a political deal,” said PierreGramegna, finance minister for Luxembourg, whichholds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

“Europe is showing the way, is a pioneer and is send-ing a strong signal to the world in tax matters,” he told anews briefing. Under the plan, the bloc’s 28 countrieswould share information about the deals agreed withsome of the world’s biggest multinationals so as to helprein in tax avoidance in Europe.

The deals however would still remain out of the pub-lic eye, with the exchange of information strictly limitedto tax authorities. “We chose not to have a public trans-parency but to have exchange between administrationsand this will be respected,” said the EU’s top economicsaffairs official, Commissioner Pierre Moscovici.

The LuxLeaks scandal last year revealed that some ofthe world’s biggest companies-including Pepsi and Ikea-had reduced their tax rates to as little as one percent insecret pacts with the authorities in Luxembourg.

The revelations, unearthed by a group of investiga-tive journalists, were a huge embarrassment toEuropean Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, whoserved almost two decades as Luxembourg prime min-ister. Juncker tasked the Commission to push throughthe automatic exchange of tax rulings as part of theresponse to the scandal.

But critics say that the measure would prove ineffec-tive. “We absolutely don’t think this will make what wesaw in LuxLeaks go away,” said Tove Ryding, a tax spe-cialist for the NGO Eurodad.

Instead, Ryding warned that EU countries will contin-ue to compete to attract businesses and use the newinformation to “offer the company something even bet-ter”.

The measure now goes to the European Parliamentfor approval. Eva Joly, an influential Green MEP, wel-comed the decision but said the tax rulings must bemade public.

“Transparency is a necessary condition to end twodecades of abuses,” Joly said in an email to AFP.

Luxembourg has always defended the legality of thesecret tax rulings that allowed multinationals to know inadvance how much they would be taxed.

The deal in Luxembourg comes after the world’sadvanced economies announced Monday a long-await-ed plan to close the loopholes on tax-avoiding multina-tionals that cost countries more than $100 billion a year.The OECD calculates that national governments lose$100 billion-240 billion (89 billion-210 billion euros), or4-10 percent of global tax revenues, every year becauseof the tax-minimizing schemes of multinationals. — AFP

EU ministers agree greater transparency on tax deals

LuxLeaks scandal sparks decision

LUXEMBOURG: Spanish Economy minister Cristobal Montoro Romero speaks during a pressconference at an Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting (ECOFIN) yesterday inLuxembourg. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Founders of Asia’s largest budgetcarrier, AirAsia, are sounding out investors totake the company private in a management-led buyout, after a critical research reportknocked its shares to a seven-year low, peoplefamiliar with the matter said. AirAsia Bhd co-founder Tony Fernandes is talking to banks tosecure financing for the transaction, whichcould be launched over the next few months,said the people, who did not want to be identi-fied as the discussions were confidential. Atyesterday’s closing level of 1.25 ringgit - exactlythe price at which its shares were sold to insti-tutional investors in an initial public offeringmore than a decade ago - AirAsia is valued at3.48 billion Malaysian ringgit ($796 million).

Investors were spooked when Hong Kong-based GMT Research questioned AirAsia’saccounts in a report in June, driving the airline’sshares to their lowest levels since the globalfinancial crisis in 2008. Group CEO Fernandes,who has led AirAsia’s rise from a two-planeoperation in 2002 to a billion-dollar business,has been spending more time at AirAsia sincethen, putting his other businesses and sportinginterest to one side. GMT’s allegation thatAirAsia uses related-party transactions withloss-making associate carriers to boost its earn-ings pummeled the airline’s shares by as muchas 64 percent, and the stock remains downaround 40 percent from its levels in early June.

Fernandes has steadfastly defended thecompany’s finances and outlook and said themarket was undervaluing AirAsia. A sourcefamiliar with the matter said a challenge for anyoutside investor looking to invest in AirAsia wasthat the airline’s revenues were largely in

Malaysian ringgit, which has lost 20 percentthis year, while its costs were in US dollars.

“So anyone trying to buy a stake or whowants be part of the buyout will have to findways to hedge the currency risk,” the sourcesaid. Obtaining financing would be key for thedeal to succeed, said the people familiar withthe deal. When contacted by Reuters, anAirAsia spokeswoman declined to comment onthe story.

DEBT LEVELSAirAsia racked up losses and booked

impairments during the global financial crisis,forcing it to raise funds later via a private place-ment and cut its debt.

The company had net debt of 10.5 billionringgit ($2.4 billion) as of June 2015, downnearly 9 percent from the March quarter.Fernandes, who along with his long-time busi-ness partner, Kamarudin Meranun, owns about19 percent of AirAsia through a holding com-pany, is hoping for an improvement in the busi-ness, helped by a sharp drop in fuel costs, andas main local rival Malaysian Airlines shrinks itsroutes. AirAsia’s planned move comes morethan a year after state investor KhazanahNasional took troubled national carrierMalaysian Airlines private following two devas-tating jetliner disasters.

Fernandes, one of Asia’s best known corpo-rate leaders, has announced a turnaround planfor AirAsia’s loss-making Indonesian andPhilippine affiliates as he battles competitionfrom larger groups such as Singapore Airlines,Qantas Airways and Indonesia’s privately heldLion Air. — Reuters

AirAsia taps investors to take company private

WOLFSBURG, Germany: New Volkswagen ChiefExecutive Matthias Mueller warned staff yesterday tobrace for “massive cutbacks” in response to the dieselemissions scandal that has hammered the company’sstock and reputation. Speaking to employees at VWheadquarters in Wolfsburg, Mueller, who replacedlongtime CEO Martin Winterkorn late last month, saidall the company’s investment plans would be putunder review and an existing cost-cutting programaccelerated, cautioning, “this will not be painless”.

It was the first admission that the emissions crisis,which has sent tremors through the broader autoindustry, could lead to significant job cuts at the com-pany, which employs close to 60,000 at its main facto-ry, roughly 10 percent of its global workforce.

“We need to make massive cutbacks in order tomanage the consequences of the crisis,” Mueller toldmore than 20,000 workers at the staff gathering,according to a statement released by Volkswagen.“Technical solutions to the problems are within view.However, the business and financial consequencesare not yet clear,” he said, adding that VW wouldreview all of its investment plans. “What is not urgent-ly needed will be scrapped or delayed,” Mueller said.“And therefore we will adjust our efficiency program. Iwill be very open: this won’t be painless.”

Workers at the meeting wore t-shirts emblazoned

with the slogan “One team - one family” and held upbanners declaring “We are Volkswagen.” Earlier, BerndOsterloh, the influential head of VW’s works council,said the scandal would impact earnings at the coreautos division as well as bonus payments to workers.

But he played down the impact on jobs, sayingthere were no immediate plans to cut staff and stress-ing that workers would not “foot the bill for thewrongdoings of a group of managers”. VW employsroughly 60,000 people at its main factory.

Mueller said the company’s more important taskwas to restore trust after it admitted that 11 million vehi-cles were affected by the rigging of diesel emissionstests. But he noted that thoroughness was more impor-tant than speed in clearing up the issue. The companyhas an Oct. 7 deadline to present a plan to Germany’sKBA regulator to bring diesel emissions into line withthe law. A letter sent to German lawmakers and seen byReuters yesterday said that 8 million diesel vehicles inthe European Union were fitted with software capableof cheating vehicle emissions tests. Mueller said forsome of the vehicles it would be sufficient to have soft-ware refitted, while others may need additional work onthe hardware. Sources close to Volkswagen’s board hadtold Reuters last week that it was considering cost cutsas well as measures to boost cash flow in order to propup its credit rating. — Reuters

New VW CEO tells staff to brace for ‘massive cutbacks’

LONDON: Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell,speaks during the 2015 Oil & Money conference in central London yester-day. Ben van Beurden, addressing delegates at the event, said the global oilmarket faced a “mixed” outlook. “I see the first mixed signs for recovery ofoil prices,” van Beurden said at the conference that concludes today. — AFP

DUBAI: Avaya, a global leader in businesscommunications software, systems and serv-ices, is bringing GITEX Technology Week2015 to the entire world through its innova-tive AvayaLive Engage solution. AvayaLiveEngage delivers an immersive web experi-ence that allows IT and business profession-als from any region to explore GITEX as ifthey were at the event.

The Avaya virtual stand will be accessiblefrom any Internet connection or browser,allowing visiting professionals to use customavatars to move around the stand and thewider area. Visitors using the AvayaLiveEngage environment can interact in real timewith Avaya experts via voice, video or IM,allowing presenters to share files, presenta-tions, demonstrations and videos - even holdprivate conversations if needed.

Avaya is showcasing real-world customerdeployments of its innovative technologysolutions at this year’s GITEX, with livedemonstrations of cutting-edge solutionsthat are helping governments, enterprisesand other business customers here in theregion adopt digital strategies. TheAvayaLive Engage environment enablesAvaya to demonstrate its power to helporganizations achieve digital transformation,engage with their teams and customers anddeliver richer, smoother experiences to thosebeyond the exhibit floor.

Digital Transformation:Organizations in the Middle East are fac-

ing unprecedented challenges to evolve andengage customers and team members digi-tally, as mobility, Big Data, Cloud and theInternet of Things combine to drive digitaltransformation. Building on Avaya’s market-leading fabric networking technology, AvayaSDN-Fx, Avaya will demonstrate how digitaltransformation is enhancing all aspects ofour everyday lives - from the customer expe-rience to the workplace and even emer-gency response services.

Digital Customer Journey:Customers today expect a seamless digital

journey where they can interact and engagewith companies across a range of touch-points, from face-to-face to online to mobileto video. Avaya will demonstrate at GITEXhow it is already enabling organizations todeliver that digital journey, providing a com-plete omni-channel experience that harness-es online, mobile and analytics solutions.

Smart Office:Avaya will also highlight how collabora-

tion technologies can enhance the workplaceexperience, helping to increase productivityand boost profitability. Mobile-based demon-strations will showcase how employees canengage more effectively in a BYOD world, be

integrated into a workspace environmentmore effectively and work more productivelywith other team members.

Small and Medium businesses:Outstanding engagement solutions

aren’t just for enterprises: Avaya will show-case at GITEX how it can deliver the sameagility, mobility, security and seamless inte-gration of communications channels fororganizations of different sizes at the rightbudget, with demonstrations of contact cen-ter and collaboration solutions aimed at themid-market.

Guardian Angel:Avaya will also be bringing a “Guardian

Angel” to GITEX 2015, with a demonstrationshowcasing how digital solutions can trans-form emergency response services.Featuring a drone quadcopter, the GuardianAngel demonstration will show how emer-gency services can deploy technology quick-ly to receive fast, accurate information aboutongoing incidents.

Quote:“By bringing GITEX to the wider world

through AvayaLive Engage we are proud toshowcase how successfully the region isembracing digital transformation. Whileorganizations in other parts of the world areoften burdened with legacy environments,enterprises here in the region can be moreagile and flexible in their technology deploy-ments. Avaya’s engagement solutions enableorganizations to deliver smoother, richerexperiences and accelerate their digitaltransformation journey. GITEX is the perfectplatform for us to demonstrate our technolo-gy solutions and also to highlight the greatstrides the region is making in digitization.”— Mohammed Areff, Vice President, MiddleEast, Africa, and Turkey, Avaya.

BU S INE S SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

In a year that saw Mazda launch five productionmodels in Europe, the Japanese carmaker withthe challenger spirit returns to Frankfurt for the

2015 IAA with yet another new creation.

Mazda KOERU crossover concept Making its world premiere at the 66th IAA, the

Mazda KOERU crossover concept offers a glimpseinto the future of the Mazda line-up in the form of acaptivating interpretation of the carmaker’s KODO -Soul of Motion style. The KOERU merges bold yetpractical beauty and dignity with Mazda’s latest SKY-ACTIV Technology. It’s a package that is certain toturn some heads.

As the name says - koeru is Japanese for “exceed”or “go beyond” - the concept embodies Mazda’sambition to deliver value that transcends the ordi-nary. In doing so, the KOERU exudes power, vitalityand an extraordinary level of refinement in a boldrendition of the company’s KODO - Soul of Motiondesign philosophy, which provides the stylistic basisfor its award-winning model line-up.

The broad proportions and low-leaning cabin

generate a sense of speed and volume, creating aformidable presence. While the KODO signaturewing conveys determination, the LED guiding ringsevoke the bright, strong-willed eyes of an untamedanimal. Highlights on the front and rear fenders,meanwhile, extend towards the large wheels, sug-gesting powerful legs pounding the earth.

As a package, the SUV concept expresses thepower and agility - but also the dignity and refine-ment - of a predator, with awe-inspiring proportionsand an intriguing form that hints of Japanese aes-thetic.

The KOERU’s sleek shapes also offer outstandingaerodynamics, optimising the flow of air over thebody and stifling under floor turbulence - details thatenhance vehicle stability, especially at higher speeds.Special NVH-suppressing technology, meanwhile,makes for a smoother and quieter ride.

Featuring the latest SKYACTIV Technology, theKOERU is guaranteed to deliver the Jinba Ittairesponsiveness Mazda puts into every vehicle itmakes. The details include lightweight yet rigid bodyand chassis design, driver-focused suspension and

steering, and innovatively fuel-efficient powertrainsbuilt according to Mazda’s sports-car tradition.Together they offer a generous portion of the brand’shallmark driving fun.

The all-new Mazda MX-5. A truly modern classicAnother looker, the all-new Mazda MX-5 marks

the debut of SKYACTIV Technology in the world’sbest-selling roadster. The “ND” or fourth-generationMX-5 is indeed a modern classic, combining the lat-est technology and ergonomic innovation with purelightweight sports car fun. Simply put, it’s a recipefor the legendary model’s continuing success.

The all-new Mazda MX-5 takes up the torch forthe best-selling roadster in history. Mazda gave thefourth generation of its brand icon a more aggres-sive look and the technology people today expect,but stayed true to its proven focus on affordablelightweight sports car simplicity. And pure drivingfun.

Mazda also has a broad line-up of accessoriesspecially designed for the all-new MX-5. Highlightshere include some rather unconventional alloy

wheels and a boot-lid luggage carrier perfectlymatched to the roadster’s unique KODO styling.

An overview of the models on stageFinally, Mazda’s exhibit in Frankfurt would not be

complete without the carmaker’s complete new-gen-eration model line-up, including the Mazda CX-3, 2015Mazda CX-5, 2015 Mazda6, Mazda2 and Mazda3.

Mazda CX-3 With the all-new Mazda CX-3, Mazda launched a

sporty premium small SUV that, like all Mazdas, chan-nels the spirit of the legendary MX-5 roadster. The valueit offers is superb, as was the timing of its introductionto Europe’s fastest-growing volume vehicle segment.

2015 Mazda CX-5The Mazda CX-5 has been an ongoing hit since its

2012 debut as the first full-SKYACTIV model. With pro-duction surpassing the 1-million mark in spring of2015, the popularity of the company’s current best-seller shows no signs of letting up. But that didn’t stopMazda from improving on a good thing.

2015 Mazda6A flagship that rises above Europe’s mid-sized

mainstream: the 2015 Mazda6 ticks all the boxes of aprospective premium-class model.

Mazda2Inside and out, the new-generation Mazda2 sets

the benchmark for style in the B segment. Indeed,Mazda was aiming to change the way people per-ceive superminis. The keyword here is “more”: tallerand longer overall with a longer wheelbase and big-ger interior, and an unprecedented level of cutting-edge technology.

Mazda3Now the”oldest”model in Mazda’s new-genera-

tion line-up, the Mazda3 remains a refreshing exam-ple of innovation that endures. Perhaps that isbecause it was so ahead of its time when the latestedition of the carmaker’s all-time bestselling modelwas launched some two years ago, as dozens ofaccolades attest to.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait’s(NBK) Mobile Banking applicationhas recently set a new record as thetotal number of financial transac-tions conducted by NBK customersvia this around-the-clock dedicatedonline service has exceeded150,000 monthly.

NBK is keen on developing itsservices to meet customers’demands and make banking moreconvenient. NBK is the first inKuwait to provide a Mobile Bankingapplication compatible with IOS9

to ensure continuity and conven-ience in the service level providedto customers.

“NBK has always taken the leadwhen it comes to change. The newenhanced Mobile Banking applica-tion is now the first in Kuwait to becompatible with IOS’s latestupdate,” said Mohammed Al-Othman, NBK’s Deputy GeneralManager, Consumer BankingGroup. “The new and enhancedapplication offers customers withthe added convenience making

electronic banking easier”.Al-Othman added “Electronic servicesrepresent the future of consumerbanking services and NBK alwaysendeavors to consistently developits services and products in order tosatisfy the growing financial needsof its customers”.

NBK’s Mobile Banking applica-tion reflects NBK’s commitment toproviding its customers with thebest and most up-to-date bankingservices. It is safe and easy to use,offering customers banking servic-es with the added convenience oftheir mobile devices.

The advanced features offeredthrough this application include aswell locators for Cash DepositMachine, promotion locators, par-ticipating out lets in NBK Rewardsprogram, augmented reality andmany other services and updates.Checking balances, transferringfunds, Credit Card and phone billpayments, ordering checkbooks,requesting a printed account state-ment, ATM and branches locaterare also provided within the appli-cation.

“Travel Tips” has been added aswell for customer to view and ben-efit for their safety while travellingNBK’s free Mobile Banking applica-

tion for Android, Apple devicesenables customers to easily andsecurely manage their financialsanytime, anywhere as long as theyare connected to the internet. NBKcustomers can download NBKMobile Banking on NBK.com or bylogging into NBK Online. For assis-tance, customers can visit any ofNBK’s branches or call NBK CallCenter at 1801801.

Over 150,000 transactions held via NBK’s Mobile Banking app

The first in Kuwait to provide compatible Mobile Banking application for IOS9

Avaya Takes GITEX 2015 Global with AvayaLive Engage

Mazda At 2015 Frankfurt Motor ShowSowing the seeds of the future

Mohammed Al-Othman, NBK’s Deputy General Manager,

Consumer Banking Group

Kuwait ,Beirut, Jeddah: Zain Group,a leading mobile telecom innovatoracross the Middle East and Africa inpartnership with Community JameelInternational, the Corporate SocialResponsibility arm of Abdul LatifJameel, announces the launch of theninth edition of the MIT EnterpriseForumArab Startup Competition.

Founded in 2005, the MITEF ofthe Pan Arab Region, who is theorganizer of the competition, is oneof the 28 worldwide chapters of theMITEF Global, an avid promoter ofinnovation worldwide, engagingaspiring entrepreneurs in mentor-ship and networking.

This year’s competition includesthree different tracks: Ideas, Startups,and Social Entrepreneurship, withtotal prize money on offer in excessof $150,000. Each of the three trackswill award the first three ranked win-ners with cash prizes in addition tomany other benefits including: toptier training, mentorship, coaching,media exposure, and great network-ing opportunities.

The competition’s websitewww.mitarabcompetit ion.comopened for applications on October6, 2015 with the deadline for receipton January 4, 2016. Informativeroadshows promoting the competi-tion will be held in Bahrain, Egypt,Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait,

Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan andthe UAE, and seventy semi-finalistteams will be announced onFebruary 1, 2016.

The semi-finalists will be invitedto attend pre-bootcamp activitiesscheduled to take place in Februaryand March, 2016 in Egypt, Jordan,Morocco, and the UAE. The competi-tion will culminate in a five-dayevent in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia fromApril 11 - 15, 2016, with theannouncement of the competitionwinners scheduled to take place dur-ing the final award ceremony onApril 14, 2016, with a an one-day MITTechnology Review Pan Arab confer-ence being held onApril 15, 2016.

Commenting on Zain Group’ssupport of the latest MITEFArabStartup Competition, CEO ScottGegenheimer said, “We continue tosupport this competition as Zainbelieves in championing the genera-tion of new ideas, which may resultin the development of the next tech-nology or application to change ourindustry or the world. We are lookingforward to interacting with thisyear’s aspiring entrepreneurs andshall take the opportunity to capital-ize on the most promising innova-tive ideas supporting our evolutionin becoming a digital lifestyle opera-tor.”

Commenting on Community

Jameel International’s support,President Fady Jameel said,“Entrepreneurs play an importantrole in shaping the economy andeach year we are overwhelmed withthe quality of participants in thiscompetition. At Community Jameel,we are committed to enabling thenext generation of young entrepre-neurs and we will remain focused oncreating and enabling an environ-ment in which young entrepreneurscan achieve their aspirations. Welook forward to receiving applica-tions for this year’s competition andwe are confident that this 9th edi-tion will yield excellent results.”

For her part, Hala Fadel, Chair ofthe board of MITEF Pan Arab said,“We’re excited to meet and support

the next wave of innovators fromthe region. With the rapid growth ofthe entrepreneurship ecosystem inthe region and the support of ourpartners, we expect a record numberof applications this year.”General Timeline:9th Edition of the MITEF ArabStartup CompetitionMonth & YearActivityOctober 6, 2015Website opens for online submis-sionsOctober &November, 2015Roadshows across the region (datesTBA)January 4, 2016Application deadlineFebruary 1, 2016Announcement of 70 semi-finalistteamsFebruary, 2016Pre-bootcamps in Egypt, Jordan,Morocco and UAEApril 11 - 15, 2016

5-Day final event of the MITEFstartup competition in Jeddah, SaudiArabia

The 2014/2015 eighth edition ofthe competition that saw the finalceremony held in Kuwait, receivedan outstanding 4,275 individual andteam applications (representing arecord participation of over 12,000entrepreneurs) from 21 Arab coun-tries. For more information on thisyear’s MIT Enterprise Forum ArabStartup Competition eligibility andjudging criteria, as well as theplanned roadshows, please visitwww.mitarabcompetition.com

Mohammed Areff, Vice President,Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, Avaya.

Zain Group, Community Jameel launch MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Startup Competition

technologyWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2014

NEW YORK: Microsoft Corp unveiled yesterday a newline of Lumia smartphones, a new Surface Pro tabletand an updated version of its wearable fitness tracker,Microsoft Band, that will run on Windows 10, its latestoperating system. Windows 10, launched in July, ispart of Microsoft’s push to win a bigger share of themarket for tablets and smartphones, now dominatedby Apple Inc and South Korea’s Samsung ElectronicsCo Ltd.

Microsoft unveiled three phones at an event in

New York. The Lumia 950 and 950XL will have startingprices of $549 and $649 respectively when they go onsale in November, while the Lumia 550 will cost $139when it becomes available in December.

The Lumia 950 includes a 5.2-inch display and ahexacore processor, while the larger Lumia 950 XL hasa 5.7-inch display with an octacore chip. The specs onthe budget 550 had not been released as the eventcontinued. The new Surface Pro 4 tablet - a larger butthinner and lighter version of the Surface Pro 3 - runs

on 6th-generation Intel Core processor and has 16GBof RAM and 1TBB storage.

Launched nearly a year and a half after its prede-cessor, the Surface Pro 4 features a 12.3-inch screenwith 267 pixels per inch.

The 950 and 950XL handsets feature a 20-megapix-el rear camera, have up to 32GB of storage, 4K videoand use liquid cooling technology. Microsoft said stor-age on the phones could be extended to up to 2 ter-abytes using a memory card.

The Microsoft Band 2, which allows users to moni-tor their fitness and exercise regime, will be priced at$249 when it becomes available on Oct. 30.

Unlike its predecessor, Microsoft’s entry product inthe wearable technology market a year ago, the newBand has a curved display, which uses the CorningGorilla glass 3, and has a barometer sensor to trackelevation. Microsoft, whose shares were up 0.5 per-cent at $46.87 in early trading, said there were now110 million devices running Windows 10. — Reuters

Microsoft unveils new smartphones, tablet and fitness tracker

LUXEMBOURG: Facebook and other Internetgiants could be barred from sending European citi-zens’ personal information to the US after the EU’stop court yesterday struck down a key transatlanticdata deal in the wake of the Edward Snowdenscandal. The landmark verdict stemmed from acase lodged by Austrian law student Max Schrems,who challenged the “Safe Harbour” agreementbetween Washington and Brussels in 2000 on thegrounds it did not properly protect European data.

The European Court of Justice said authoritiesin Ireland, where Schrems lodged the case, nowhad to decide whether transfers of data fromFacebook’s European base to its HQ in the UnitedStates should be suspended outright. “The mes-sage is clear - mass surveillance is not possible inEurope (and is) against fundamental rights,”Schrems, who turns 28 this month, told reporters atthe court building in Luxembourg.

Snowden - the former National Security Agencywhistleblower who in 2013 revealed a worldwideUS surveillance program harvesting the data, saidSchrems had “changed the world for the better”.“Europe’s high court just struck down a major lawroutinely abused for surveillance,” Snowden, who iswanted by the US and has been granted asylum inRussia, wrote on Twitter. “Thank you Europe.”Thousands of companies ranging from Google andAmazon to smaller businesses rely on Safe Harbourto transfer personal data - ranging from names,addresses and dates of birth to anything else theyadd to their profiles.

Facebook Urges Action Facebook called for Washington and Brussels to

sort out the situation urgently, insisting the casewas “not about Facebook” and that it had donenothing wrong. “It is imperative that EU and USgovernments ensure that they continue to providereliable methods for lawful data transfers andresolve any issues relating to national security,” aFacebook spokeswoman said in an emailed state-ment to AFP. Global companies routinely transferthe data from their European operations to theirheadquarters in the United States where their com-puter servers are based.

The EU said it had started negotiating a newSafe Harbour arrangement with the US before theverdict, but insisted that firms could keep sendingpersonal information across the Atlantic in themeantime. “We have already been working withthe American authorities to make data transferssafer for European citizens. In the light of the rul-ing, we will continue this work towards a renewedand safe framework,” European Commission VicePresident Frans Timmermans said.

Privacy campaigner Schrems was jubilant afterthe decision tweeting “Yay!” and saying the verdictwas a “major blow for US global surveillance thatheavily relies on private partners.” The Austrian hadargued that the 15-year-old Safe Harbour deal wastoo weak to guarantee the privacy of European res-idents following Snowden’s revelations. He filedthe case in Ireland where Facebook’s Europeanheadquarters are based but it was originally reject-

ed and then passed to the ECJ. The ECJ declared ina three-page ruling that the Safe Harbour deal was“invalid”.

‘Strong Signal’ for Rights The Irish authorities now have to decide

whether transfer of data from Facebook’s Europeansubscribers to the United States should be sus-pended “on the ground that that country does notafford an adequate level of protection of personaldata,” the court said. Ireland’s data protection com-missioner said the case would be considered bythe country’s high court “as soon as is practicable”.The ruling has set up another clash over privacyrights between the United States and Europe, twoyears after the Snowden revelations of mass spyingfirst caused alarm in Brussels.

Germany welcomed the EU Judgment, no sur-prise in a countr y where relations withWashington were badly strained when Snowdenrevealed the alleged tapping of Merkel’s mobilephone by US snoopers. Germany’s justice ministerHeiko Maas said the ruling was a “strong signal forfundamental rights protection in Europe,” addingthat “those who offer products or services in theEU must adhere to EU data protection rights - nomatter where the server is.” There was no immedi-ate reaction to the Judgment from Washington.But last month the United States said an opinionby the EU court’s top legal counsel which reachedsimilar conclusions was based on “inaccurateassertions”. — AFP

Facebook blow as EU court quashes transatlantic deal

CHIBA: Japan’s electronics giant Sharp unveils the humanoid robot shaped smartphone‘Robohon’ at a preview of Asia’s largest electronics trade show Ceatec in Chiba yesterday.The Robohon, designed by Japan’s famous robot creator Tomotaka Takahashi, can walk,speak, dance and make phone calls, will go on sale early next year. — AFP

PARIS: Google is set to invest in secure messagingstart up Symphony, primarily used by major finan-cial entities and valued at $650 million, the WallStreet Journal said yesterday. Symphony usesencryption technology, allowing firms to commu-nicate securely on a centralized platform.

Neither Google nor Symphony commented onthe report. Symphony launched globally lastmonth as a rival to more expensive terminals fromfinancial information provider Bloomberg, whose

services are widely used by finance professionalsand investors, who typically pay several thousanddollars a year for the service.

Symphony charges businesses with more than50 users $15 per user per month. Bringing Googleinto its capital mix alongside the likes of GoldmanSachs, Morgan Stanley and investment fundBlackRock, who already back the service, wouldprovide Symphony with the Mountain View-basedbehemoth’s technological savvy. Earlier this year

the start-up attracted the attention of New York’stop banking regulator notably over its ability toretain documentation, open source features andits encryption and deletion facilities.

The Department of Financial Services (DFS) lastmonth reached an accord with four banks, includ-ing Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, obligingSymphony to retain copies of all electronic com-munications sent to or received from them for sev-en years. — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter made it easier yesterday toseize hot tweets and high-profile posts from the floodof real-time commentary at the one-to-many messag-ing service.

A new “Moments” feature that promised to let peo-ple quickly tune into “the best of Twitter” made itsdebut in the United States with a promise it wouldspread wider in the coming months.

Hundreds of millions of tweets are fired off dailyon Twitter, among them comments from world lead-ers, celebrities and people in the midst of dramaticevents, according to product manager MadhuMuthukumar. “We know finding these only-on-Twittermoments can be a challenge, especially if you haven’tfollowed certain accounts,” Muthukumar said in a blogpost.

“But it doesn’t have to be. Moments helps you findthe best of Twitter as easily as tapping an icon.”

A new lightning bolt icon at Twitter takes peopleto lists of “moments” that promise to stand out fromthe maelstrom of tweets, according to Muthukumar.Stories in the Moments list are updated throughoutthe day, and the feature also lets people swipethrough topics such as “Entertainment” and “Sports”to find relevant tweets from previous days.

At launch, most of the offerings at Moments wereselected by a Twitter curation team, but there werealso contributions from partners including GettyImages, Fox News, NASA and The Washington Post.

Twitter plans to expand the list of partners. “Welook forward to seeing new and exciting uses ofMoments from more partners soon,” Muthukumarsaid. The Moments feature was added to Twitter appli-cations for smartphones powered by Apple or

Android software and to Twitter’s website accessiblefrom desktop computers.

Evolving to thrive Twitter is intent on implementing ways for people,

especially those new to the service, to quickly andeasily find riveting tweets that will keep them usingthe service. Launch of the new feature came just a dayafter co-founder Jack Dorsey returned for a secondstint as permanent chief executive at the SanFrancisco-based social network. Dorsey, who hadbeen interim CEO since June, will run Twitter whileremaining chief executive of Square, the digital pay-ments firm he founded.

Twitter quickly become a global sensation after itslaunch in 2006, but the social media platform’sgrowth has slowed and it has yet to turn a profit.

Its board is likely hoping Dorsey’s return will havethe same winning effect on Twitter as the return ofanother Silicon Valley wunderkind, Steve Jobs, did fora once floundering Apple. “Our work forward is tomake Twitter easy to understand by anyone in theworld, and give more utility to the people who love touse it daily!” Dorsey tweeted Monday. Forrester ana-lyst Nate Elliott maintained that Facebook has grownapace by offering new features and experiences at thesocial network, while Twitter has stagnated, lookingpretty much the same as it did when it first launcheda decade ago.

“It’s time for Twitter to build and innovate,” Elliottsaid. “Not every new idea launched will succeed-but ifit launches enough new features, some will surely finda wider audience. And a wider audience is exactlywhat Twitter needs.” — AFP

WageSpot apppulls back curtain onemployee pay

SAN FRANCISCO: A WageSpot smartphoneapplication released in the United States yes-terday dove into a historically taboo topichow much people get paid. The app lets peo-ple anonymously report their incomes andthen go on to see how much others are mak-ing. WageSpot lets people check out earn-ings by types of jobs, experience, gender,location or other criteria. In a way similar tohow Zillow maps property values in neigh-borhoods, WageSpot displays maps showingwhat people earn and where, a demonstra-tion showed. “It seems that we are reallyafraid to talk about compensation no matterhow much we make and how much weshould be earning,” WageSpot co-founderRaphael Morozov said. “We think if the infor-mation is out there we are really going tomake an impact on the world.” While theInternet has put much information withineasy reach of those with online access, salarydata has remained hidden behind reportingcomplexity and cultural stigma, WageSpotfounders reasoned.

“People will share an office for a decadeand have no idea what the person at the nextdesk makes, even though they do basicallythe same job,” Morozov said.

WageSpot applications are free to down-load and people can try them for a whilebefore being asked to register by enteringtheir job title, salary and location.

WageSpot lets registered users entermore details if they wish, safeguardinganonymity along the way. Information sup-plied by those who register is added to adatabase already containing publicly avail-able salary information about governmentworkers, corporate executives, and profes-sional athletes. WageSpot does not allowsearches by names, but a demonstrationshowed that queries can be narrowed.

For example, a search for “shooting guard”in the Los Angeles area turned up KobeBryant of the Lakers basketball team andgave his salary for the year as $25 million. Asubsequent WageSpot search for chief exec-utives in Manhattan turned up an elite rosterof high-paid company bosses. WageSpot alswants users to share how happy they arewith their jobs so the app can create maps ofcorporate campuses showing whether peo-ple love where they work.

Revenue is expected to come fromrecruiters interested in talent that they canwoo. “We think this is going to be a game-changer for the recruiting industry,” Morozovsaid. Los Angeles-based WageSpot yesterdayalso launched a KickStarter campaign to raise$10,000 to pay for a year’s worth of access toGoogle mapping technology to power loca-tion features at the service. — AFP

VIENNA: Few in America’s Silicon Valley couldhave predicted that a young Austrian lawgraduate who spent a semester studying therewould one day become high-tech companies’worst nightmare.

Yet that’s exactly what Max Schremsachieved yesterday when the EuropeanUnion’s top court ruled in his favor, declaringthat a key transatlantic data deal relied on bygiant corporations such as Facebook wasinvalid in the light of widespread spyingrevealed by the Edward Snowden scandal.

The verdict strikes down the so-called SafeHarbour pact signed betweenthe European Commission andthe United States in 2000, allow-ing American companies totransfer data from the EU to theUS as long as they ensured ade-quate levels of protection.

But for Schrems, who turns28 this month, the agreementfailed to live up to its promise inthe wake of details leaked by for-mer US National SecurityAgency (NSA) contractorSnowden.

According to the American whistleblower,the NSA had access to users’ data on Facebookand other US tech companies. Although thefirms have denied the allegations, the scandalhas nevertheless opened a can of worms andhelped pave the way for Schrems’ legal victory.

“Yay!” he declared in a jubilant tweet justminutes after the European Court of Justiceannounced its decision. In a later statement,the outspoken activist described the ruling asa potential “milestone” for online privacy.

“This judgement draws a clear line. It clari-fies that mass surveillance violates our funda-mental rights...(It) makes it clear that US busi-nesses cannot simply aid US espionage effortsin violation of European fundamental rights,”he said.

The verdict even prompted Snowden tocongratulate Schrems on Twitter. “You’vechanged the world for the better,” wrote thewhistleblower, who currently lives in exile inRussia.

‘Wild West’ laws In the lead-up to the decision, Schrems

looked relaxed, flashing his trademark grin ashe leaned against a row of seats inside thecourt room, hands in his jeans pockets.

The PhD student from Vienna has grownaccustomed to journalists’ questions since hebegan his fight against Facebook four years

ago, after spending a semester at Santa ClaraUniversity in Silicon Valley.

Schrems said he had been startled byAmerican companies’ lax attitude towardsEuropean privacy laws. “The general approachin Silicon Valley is that you can do anythingyou want in Europe” without facing major con-sequences, Schrems told AFP in an earlierinterview. “We have privacy laws here inEurope but we are not enforcing (them). Thecore issue is: do online companies have to stickto the rules or do they live somewhere in theWild West where they can do whatever they

want to do?”Following his return to

Austria, he requested Facebookprovide him with a record of thepersonal data it held on him.Schrems was shocked when hereceived no less than 1,222pages of information.

These included photos, mes-sages and postings on hisFacebook page dating backyears-some of which hethought he had deleted-the

times he had clicked “like” on an item, and“pokes” of fellow users. “When you deletesomething from Facebook, all you are doing ishiding it from yourself,” he said.

Battle goes on Believing that Facebook was contravening

EU law, he filed 22 complaints with Ireland’sData Protection Commissioner (DPC) inDublin, where Facebook has its Europeanheadquarters. When the DPC rejected the caseon the basis of the Safe Harbour agreement,Schrems remained undeterred and took hiscause all the way to the European Court ofJustice. Despite yesterday’s win, the David-ver-sus-Goliath battle is far from over for theAustrian who is also trying to launch a classaction in Austria against Facebook for allegedprivacy breaches.

He is currently appealing a decision by aViennese judge to reject the suit in July on thebasis that the court lacked jurisdiction todecide the matter. Some 25,000 people fromaround the world have signed up to the action,with each plaintiff claiming a symbolic sum of500 euros ($540) in damages. Facebook, whichdenies the alleged breaches, has accusedSchrems of launching the lawsuit for financialreasons rather than for his rights as a con-sumer-a claim laughed off by the activist’slawyer, Wolfram Proksch: “He lives for, but notoff the case.” — AFP

SANTA MONICA: A monitor pictured in a kitchen area at tech company Twitter’s office space in SantaMonica, California. Twitter made it easier yesterday to seize hot tweets and high-profile posts from theflood of real-time commentary at the one-to-many messaging service. — AFP

Austria’s Max Schrems:US high-tech giants’worst nightmare?

Washington: The splash page for the Internet social media giant Facebook. The EU topcourt’s decision to strike down a transatlantic data sharing deal relied on by companiessuch as Facebook sends a “strong signal for fundamental rights protection in Europe,”Germany’s justice minister said yesterday. — AFP

Twitter makes it easier to grab onto hot ‘Moments’

Google targets investment Symphony secure messaging

Max Schrems

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

BISLIG, Philippines: Patches of tropicalrainforest in the southern Philippines harborsome of the world’s rarest birds, but naturelovers toting long-lens cameras now sharethem with people wielding chainsaws, trapsand torches. Hundreds of foreign and localtourists venture each year into the remoteregion, which is also known as a sanctuaryfor communist rebels, but hardly any of thetrees are left and bird sightings are on thedecline. “Back in the 1990s, I’d take them toone area and they would see all theendemics in one day,” said local guideFelizardo Goring, referring to species foundonly in the Philippines.

“Now, there’s no guarantee you’ll findthem even if you went looking everywherefor three days,” he told AFP after a failed pre-dawn sortie for the giant scops owl, a mys-terious bird found only in the country’ssouth. The 183,000-hectare (452,000-acre)forest is a vital habitat for dozens of endan-gered bird species, including the electric-blue celestial monarch, according to British-based environment group BirdlifeInternational. But its demise started in theearly 1950s when the government awardeda contract to a local logging firm, whichcleared massive amounts of the forest,according to Goring, who used to work forthe company. The license, which includedgrowing trees on cleared land for pulp andpaper production, was withdrawn in 2002.

What may have appeared as a victory forthe bird lovers quickly turned sour as set-tlers from all over the country descendedon the area, hacking and burning their wayin to create new farms, Goring said. Goring,59, used to work for the pulp and paper millas one of more than 200 guards securingthe sprawling concession. He said therewere no other jobs available in the impover-ished region, more than 800 kilometers (500miles) from Manila, and his father alsoworked for the timber firm. Goring finally

quit in 1994 to become a birding guide asthe area became particularly popular withEuropean birders.

Burning down paradise His life since then has been filled with

beauty, with the forest’s remaining birdlifestill remarkable, although it has retreatedinto the chunks of forests yet to be cutdown by the growing number of settlers.On a recent tour for five Philippine tourists,which AFP took part in, Goring coaxed oneof the forest’s signature birds, a writhedhornbill with a large, deep-red casque, bycopying its honk expertly with a handcupped around his mouth. Noses, camerasand binoculars cocked, the birders thenbreathlessly followed the guide’s forefingertoward a male Philippine trogon, possiblythe country’s most colorful bird, neighing

like a horse behind the bushes. Walking ona disused logging road and punching intothe residual thickets, the birding partyticked off blue fantails, a rufous-fronted tai-lorbird, brown tit babblers, and leafbirdscamouflaged on the green canopy. But thecelestial monarch and two other endan-gered birds from the region particularlyknown for their beauty-the Mindanaobleeding-heart pigeon and the Mindanaobroadbill-could not be found. During fourdays of trekking, the forest echoed with thewhir of unseen chainsaws, and freshly cutwood planks were piled on the roadside fortrucking off. The team frequently stumbledacross patches of freshly burnt forests andgrasslands, with new wooden huts estab-lishing yet more settler communities. Someof the huts were surrounded by sacks full ofcharcoal, apparently from burnt trees andintended to be sold as fuel for barbecuegrills. The scenes were disheartening forFilipino pensioner Jude Sanchez, making hissecond visit in five years to photograph themonarch, a forest standout because of itsdazzling plumage and an extravagant,mohawk-style crest.

“The last time I was here, there was noburning yet. Now it’s almost everywhere,” hesaid. At one point during the tour, a localman on a motorcycle tried to sell the visitorsa trapped parrot, giving the downcast bird-ers a first-hand confrontation with anothermethod of killing off a species. Goringexplained the blue-naped parrot disap-peared locally about 15 years ago, primarilybecause of the pet trade. He said forestbirds sold for as little as 500 pesos ($10) inthe markets of Bislig, the nearest city abouttwo hours’ drive away, with customers buy-ing them for food as well as pets. — AFP

NUNAVUT, CANADA: This picture shows canoes and boats lying at the waters edge in the Inuit village of Umiujaq, inNunavik territory, Hudson Bay, Quebec. — AFP

NEW DELHI: A monkey that sneezes when it rainsand a “walking” fish are among more than 200species discovered in the ecologically fragile easternHimalayas in recent years, according to conservationgroup WWF. WWF has compiled a survey of wildlifediscovered by scientists across Bhutan, northeastIndia, Nepal, northern Myanmar and southern Tibet,in an attempt to raise awareness of the threats facingthe sensitive region. The species include what theWWF described as a blue-colored “walking snake-head fish” which can breathe air, survive on land forfour days and slither up to 400 meters (a quarter of amile) on wet ground.

Others include an ornate red, yellow and orangepit viper that could pass for a piece of jewelry, a fresh-water “dracula” fish with fangs and three new types of

bananas. In the forests of northern Myanmar, scien-tists learnt in 2010 of a black and white monkey withan upturned nose that causes it to sneeze when itrains. On rainy days they often sit with their headstucked between their knees to avoid getting water intheir snub noses. The 211 new species discoveredbetween 2009 and 2014 include 133 plants includingorchids, 26 kinds of fish, 10 amphibians, 39 inverte-brates, one reptile, one bird and a mammal.

‘Unique treasure house’ Dipankar Ghose, WWF director of species and

landscapes in India, described the region as a “uniquetreasure house” that has not yet been fully exploredby scientists. In its report WWF said the region, hometo Mount Everest, is rugged with vast forests, rivers

and streams protected by mountain ranges, meaningspecies have evolved and survived unnoticed for cen-turies. “Some (species) are so unique and charismaticthat scientists are often at a loss as to how to classifythem,” said the report released this week. But WWFwarned of a series of threats to the region includingpopulation growth, deforestation, overgrazing,poaching, mining and hydropower development.

Just 25 percent of its original habitats remainintact and hundreds of species are considered to beglobally threatened, the report said. “The challenge isto preserve our threatened ecosystems before thesespecies, and others yet unknown, are lost,” said SamiTornikoski, who heads the WWF Living HimalayasInitiative. The report calls for more sustainable devel-opment, singling out a need for greener hydropower

plants and government help for communities toadapt to climate change.

Ghose urged a whole-government approach, andstressed the need for administrations across theregion to work together to strike a balance betweendevelopment and conservation. “The forestry depart-ment alone for example cannot handle this. It takescoordination across multiple areas of government,”he told AFP yesterday. “Countries also need to worktogether to protect the immense biodiversity thatthe region holds.” Bhutan agriculture and forests min-ister Yeshey Dorji warned of the impact of climatechange, with temperature increases hitting hard theHimalayas, which are a “lifeline to millions of peopleand are critical to the economies of the countries thatshare the region”. — AFP

HIMALAYAS: This undated handout photographreleased by The World Wildlife Foundation showsa Himalayan Pit Viper at an undisclosed locationin the eastern Himalayas. — AFP photos

HIMALAYAS: A spotted Wren Babbler at an undis-closed location in the eastern Himalayas.

HIMALAYAS: Photo shows a bompu litter frog.

Sneezing monkey, ‘walking’ fish found in Himalayas HIMALAYAS: Photo shows a blue snakehead fish.

UMIUJAQ, Canada: Residents of the sub-Arctic village of Umiujaq wistfully remem-ber the good old days, when the ice-fishingseason was long and the catch bountiful.That was before the effects of climatechange, the most recent in a long list ofthreats to the Inuit way of life, started hittinghome. Already assailed by decades ofimposed cultural and social changes, globalwarming is now taking its toll on one of thekey surviving Inuit traditions-the yearly huntfor fish through holes cut into frozen water.“I love ice fishing, I love fish eggs. But (theseason) lasts only a few weeks and it getsscary very fast” on the thin ice, NellieTookalook told AFP. Winter used to arrive inOctober or November, “but it’s later now,”said Tookalook.

The snow melts faster, she complains,“and there are fewer caribou”. Tookalookteaches her mother tongue, Inuktitut, at theschool in the remote village, where peoplehave largely shed their traditional clothing,homes and many cultural practices. Manyhomes have TVs, and rather than seal furparkas, teenagers and adults alike wearjeans, watches and baseball caps. Umiujaqis a remote village on the shore of HudsonBay in east Canada-part of a region which iswarming twice as fast as the rest of theplanet.

In autumn 2015, visitors are met by aplatoon of construction vehicles: the routeto the airfield has collapsed due to meltingpermafrost, the frozen soil layer that formsthe foundation for roads and buildings atthese high latitudes. The repairs are crucial:the route is the 400-strong community’sonly link with the outside world-a four-hourflight from Montreal, weather permitting.

Just next to the airfield a few dozen brightlycolored wooden houses comprise the vil-lage which sprung up here a mere 30 yearsago with the arrival of people from a nearbysettlement, where a hydro-electric projectsprung up.

The town boasts a police station, a clinic,two grocery shops, two churches, a tele-coms tower, a community radio station, andseveral open-air rubbish dumps. Rapid pop-ulation growth requires constant construc-tion of new homes, but this expansion isalso complicated by the rising thermostatand unreliable permafrost. Building damagestarted to appear in the early 2000s, long-time observers say. Today it is common forwalls to sprout huge cracks-in Salluit, a set-tlement north of Umiujaq, the fire stationcollapsed. Builders have to wait a year afterlaying a foundation to start construction,explains Noah Inukpuk, the town manager.“We have to cope with the changes theEarth is making to us, as we have no way tofix it.”

It’s coming faster Not only the ground, but also plant and

animal life, the water cycle and snow cover-age-everything has been turned on itshead. Tree cover in the region is movingslowly but steadily north. Around Umiujaq,stunted spruces are replacing mosses andlichens, joined by newcomers like Canadianelk, groundhogs, and even toads. For thefirst time, the region experiences heat-waves, and elders of the community, oncespot-on, are no longer able to predict theweather. “We try not to be out when it’s toohot,” said 22-year-old Anita Inukpuk, whodescribes herself as a “winter person”. “Last

year we had a heat wave for two to threedays, I almost got heat stroke. It was around29-30 degrees (Celsius, or 84.2-86.0 degreesFahrenheit) that’s too much for me!”

Lucassie Cookie, a fisherman of 47,laments the weather’s effect on his liveli-hood. “When it is so hot, there’s hardly anyfish now, because they go deeper. And wehave mosquitoes and flies all summer.Summers are getting harder and harder.”But even more cruel for the Inuit, whose lan-guage has more than 20 words to describesnow, is the changed winter-about twomonths shorter than before. The ice comeslater, is thinner than it used to be, and morefragile. Recently a hunter on snowmobilefell through the ice and was lost, recountsUmiujaq municipal councilor CharlieTooktoo.

“People have second thoughts beforegoing camping,” he added. “We now doone-night camping, instead of one week(as) in the past. It’s impacting our way of life.Our way of life depends upon sea and ice.”The Inuits find it harder to find seals, alsovictims of the retreating ice floes, and cer-tain species of whale, threatened by the risein killer whales in the bay, scientists say.“When I was a kid, my grandma used to tellme someday there will be no snow. I didn’tbelieve here,” said Lucassie Tooktoo, 50, ateacher of culture. “But some predictionshave already come true and maybe some-day there will be no snow... I think it’s goingto come eventually.” Hard blows for a minor-ity which has already lost so much. “I am alittle bit mad that the world is not doingmuch,” to contain global warming, saidCharlie Tooktoo. “If we have to change, wewill, but it’s coming faster...” — AFP

Climate change:Inuit culture on thin ice

NEW YORK: A cognitive-behavioral prevention programto prevent depressive symptoms among at-risk youthmay still be effective years later, according to a new study.“We have already shown that the intervention was moreeffective than usual care but it is surprising that we arestill finding a difference between groups six years later,”said lead author Dr David A Brent of the University ofPittsburgh Medical Center.

Over time, youngsters in the therapy group were stillat risk for depression but were functioning better at workand in their interpersonal lives as a result of having moredepression free days, Brent told Reuters Health by email.The researchers randomly divided 316 at-risk teens, withprior depressive episodes of their own and with at leastone parent having current or prior depressive episodes,into two groups between 2003 and 2006.

Teens in the cognitive-behavioral prevention pro-gram attended eight weekly 90-minute group therapysessions followed by six months of monthly sessions. Theother group did not receive care other than what mighthave been initiated by their family members. Some teens

in each group did develop depression during the studyperiod and over the six-year follow up period, but it wasless common in the therapy group, the authors reportedin JAMA Psychiatry.

Over the first nine months of the study, those in thetherapy group were about 36 percent less likely to devel-op depression than those in the comparison group. “Evensix years after the intervention,” the risk of depression waslower for adolescents who received cognitive-behavioralprevention therapy than for those who received usualcare, the authors reported. “This preventive effect largelywas driven by the significant difference in new onsets ofdepression during the first nine months after enrollment,”they added, because after that point, the risk of newdepressive episodes was similar in the two groups.

Negative thoughtsThe therapy was most effective for kids whose par-

ents were not depressed when the study began, theauthors noted. “Theoretically, cognitive behavioral thera-py works by changing children’s thinking patterns - so

that they can challenge negative thoughts and notengage in the kinds of interpretations of events in theirlives that lead to depression,” said Irwin Sandler, directorof the Prevention Research Center at Arizona StateUniversity in Tempe, who was not part of the new study.

The best time to begin this preventive therapy maybe following a parent’s treatment for depression ratherthan during treatment, Sandler told Reuters Health byemail. Teens are actively learning new academic andsocial skills, and a person who is depressed most likelywill fall behind his or her peers, he said. “By relieving thatdepression, he or she will catch up to some degree andthat could be reflected years later,” he said. “Youth whohave had a previous episode of depression shouldreceive some ongoing help to keep them well, this is nowstandard care,” he said. “Youth who are at risk, and mayhave some symptoms but not full blown depressionwould probably benefit from getting (cognitive-behav-ioral therapy) earlier, prior to developing a full-blownepisode.” If a child appears to develop depressive symp-toms, earlier intervention is better, he said. — Reuters

Therapy program may improve function for depressed kids

NEW YORK: The US Food and DrugAdministration has ordered threeJapanese manufacturers of duodeno-scopes to conduct studies to evaluatehow the devices are being used, as partof its effort to prevent the transmissionof infections through the device.Duodenoscopes are flexible, lightedtubes inserted down the throat to drainfluids from blocked pancreatic and bil-iary ducts. They are at the center of arecent superbug outbreak in the UnitedStates. The FDA in August asked healthcare facilities using these and otherreusable medical devices to meticulous-ly follow the cleaning instructions toavoid the spread of superbugs.

The FDA on Monday gave OlympusCorp, Fuj i f i lm Holdings Corp andPentax Medical, a unit of Hoya Corp,30 days to study the effectiveness ofthe instructions. The agency said thestudies would help it formulate newlabeling for the devices to includeinstructions or other actions to pre-vent the spread of infections. Thethree Japanese companies sell duo-denoscopes in the United States.Olympus is the biggest maker of thedevice. The FDA gave the trio warningletters in August after finding multipleviolations during inspections of theirfaci l i t ies in the United States andabroad. — AP

FDA asks duodenoscopesmakers to study success

of cleaning guide

Devastation inPhilippine bird paradise

BISLIG, PHILIPPINES: A group of Manila-based bird watchers, accompaniedby local guide Felizardo Goring, looking for birds in a remote forest.

BISLIG, PHILIPPINES: A Philippinehawk owl in a forested area inBislig. — AFP photos

BISLIG, PHILIPPINES: A juvenile,female writhed hornbill.

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EH E A LT H & S C I E N C E

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

HARARE, Zimbabwe: Fourteen elephantswere poisoned by cyanide in Zimbabwe inthree separate incidents, two years afterpoachers killed more than 200 elephants bypoisoning, Zimbabwe’s National Parks andWildlife Management Authority said yesterday.Three elephants were killed in MatusadonaNational Park in the Kariba area in northernZimbabwe and 11 more pachyderms werefound dead in two different spots in HwangeNational Park in western Zimbabwe over thepast two weeks.

In all cases the elephants were killed bycyanide, according to kidney and liver samplesfrom the dead elephants tested by theBiological Sciences Department, said parksspokeswoman Caroline Washaya Moyo. InKariba, poachers laced oranges with cyanide,she said, while in Hwange the poison was put

on salt licks. The ivory tusks had been cut off sixelephants at one location in Hwange park butthe other five elephants still had their tusks,suggesting the poachers were disrupted. Themotive for the killings in Matusadona was notknown. There have been no arrests so far overthe latest incidents, said Clement Munoriarwa,police commander for Mashonaland Westprovince. “We have had a number of poachingactivities in the province, they are actuallyincreasing each day,” said Munoriarwa on statetelevision. “Some are done through the use offirearms and, of course, we have cases wherewe suspect that there is cyanide poisoning.”

A $400 reward for information leading tothe arrest and conviction of the poisoners hasbeen offered by the Matusadona Anti-Poaching Project, a private organization,according to its Facebook page, which said

that more elephants may have been poisoned.In 2013, as many as 300 elephants died inHwange park after poachers laced salt panswith cyanide. Many vultures died after feedingon the poisoned elephant carcasses and it isfeared that will happen again. Cyanide is wide-ly used in Zimbabwe’s mining industry and istherefore relatively easy to obtain. Althoughelephants are vulnerable across Africa,Zimbabwe has a large elephant population.The national parks estimates it has more than100,000, although the parks land should ideallyonly support 40,000 elephants. Also yesterday,A Zambian was arrested in Zimbabwe for try-ing to smuggle ivory weighing 25 kilograms(55 pounds) and valued at $6,320 into SouthAfrica. The Zambian was also found carrying a3 meter (10 feet) python skin, according to thenational parks spokeswoman. — AP

WASHINGTON: The Food and DrugAdministration will try to adapt the sounds,style and attitudes of hip-hop into a multi-mil-lion dollar anti-smoking campaign to discour-age young African Americans, Hispanics andother groups from using tobacco. The federalagency said yesterday it will spend $128 millionon advertising, events and local outreach aspart of the “Fresh Empire” campaign, whichaims to curb the use of cigarettes and othertobacco products among minority teenagers.FDA officials say research shows young peoplewho identify with hip-hop are more likely tosmoke than their peers.

To be sure, hip-hop’s origins as an anti-establishment urban movement would seemto conflict with the federal government’s but-toned-down image. But FDA officials say theycan convincingly pitch their message to hip-hop fans. “We know from our research thatremaining in control is an important pillar of

hip-hop culture. But smoking represents a lossof control, so tobacco use is actually in conflictwith that priority,” said Mitch Zeller, director ofthe FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. Zeller,who oversaw the anti-tobacco “Truth” cam-paign while working at the nonprofit AmericanLegacy Foundation in the early 2000s, said thenew campaign is aimed at “empowering this at-risk peer crowd to live tobacco free.”

The campaign will roll out next week in 36markets throughout the US and continue for atleast 2 years. The launch is timed to coincidewith the BET Hip-Hop Awards, which air Oct 13.It plans to run ads on that program. “FreshEmpire” is the second in a series of FDA mediacampaigns designed to educate the publicabout the dangers of tobacco use. Tobaccocompanies are footing the bill for the cam-paigns through fees charged by the FDA undera 2009 law that gave the agency authority overcertain aspects of the tobacco industry. — AP

By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: Advantech, a Taiwan-based multinationalcorporation, in partnership with Taiwan’s Institute forInformation Industry (III) can help bridge the gap inKuwait’s healthcare system with the rest of the worldby offering its cutting-edge digital healthcare solu-tions, said Carter Ho, senior sales manager, Advantech.Speaking with Kuwait Times yesterday on the sidelinesof ‘Kuwait Healthcare Solution Day,’ an event organizedby Advantech Smart City Solutions Group at CrownePlaza Hotel, Ho said information and digital technolo-gies are improving healthcare services across theworld creating a new outlook for digital healthcare.

“Taiwan is well known for its advanced ICT tech-nology and its government organization Institute forInformation Industry has a partnership with KuwaitInstitute for Scientific Research,” Ho said. “Advantechhas developed numerous healthcare solutions forclinical mobility, quality nursing care and integratedoperating rooms promoting digital healthcare. Thistime, KISR wants to know how this technologicaladvantage of Taiwan can be applied in Kuwait’shealthcare sector,” he said.

Kuwait Focus“The Kuwait healthcare market is our focus in the

Middle East in the next few years. Advantech will putmore resources in helping Kuwait’s hospitals becomedigitized,” Ho said. “Thanks to our global presence,Advantech knows the trends in the US and the EUand we can bring the latest trend to Kuwait. Also, with

our experience in the field, we can help Kuwait short-en the learning curve and avoid foreseeable mistakeswhile implementing the latest technology,” he point-ed out.

“We have the most advanced healthcare system inthe world. The alliance between III and Advantechoffers Kuwait a comprehensive consultancy service.Kuwait can learn and know what it takes to imple-

ment the advanced IT systems at hospitals. Thealliance will have people from government, industryand hospitals and you will not find this kind of expert-ise joining hands anywhere else in the world,” Hopointed out.

Ho said Advantech, as a hardware manufacturer,can help execute III’s smart city applications inKuwait’s health sector. “III has been a good partnerwith KISR for many years and has extensive experi-ences in designing smart city applications in Taiwan.They are helping KISR on many projects. In the future,we expect the alliance can help Kuwait upgrade itshealthcare system,” he said. “III has a program to digi-tize hospital information system. They can design theframework and we can execute it,” Ho explained.

PartnershipIII Director Shun Jung Tu said III has 25 years of

expertise in the healthcare industry and IT informa-tion, not only in hospitals but also in government sec-tors. “We established an office in Kuwait in 2009 andKISR is our partner. Now KISR is considering the sup-port of III in their new projects on Kuwait’s healthinformation system. We also have several health infor-mation devices which may be useful for ministry ofhealth hospitals in Kuwait,” Tu said. Founded in 1983,Advantech Co Ltd is a public-listed company withover $4 billion in market capital. It has 92 offices in 21countries and employs around 7,000 today. It special-izes in embedded modules and systems manufactur-ing, industrial automation solutions, network andtelecom and digital solutions to healthcare, logisticsand retail sectors. It is currently rated as the #1 indus-trial PC manufacturer.

“As manufactures of innovation apps, we also look

for improvement. As part of our globalization strate-gy, we set up our first overseas market in Californiasoon after our establishment followed by Germanyand China. Our largest market is the US and the sec-ond is China, followed by Europe,” Ho said.

“Unlike, most of Taiwanese companies, we have

our own brand. We are the Original EquipmentManufacturers (OEMs) and most Apple products arebeing made by us. We started with industrial com-puters, gradually branching into other sectors suchas healthcare, retail and logistics. We customizeindustrial computers to meet the demand of thespecific industry,” he added.

Zimbabwe: 14 elephants killed by cyanide poisoning

FDA’s new anti-smoking campaign uses hip-hop to target youth

Advantech offers to help Kuwait upgrade its healthcare sector

KISR partnering with world’s leading solution provider

KUWAIT: Carter Ho, senior sales manager, Advantech (left) poses for a photograph withReymond Maningas, sales manager, Medical and Scientific Dept, Global Link, in front of ahealthcare terminal at ‘Kuwait Healthcare Solution’ event at Crowne Plaza yesterday. — Photosby Sajeev K Peter

Institute for Information Industry DirectorShun Jung Tu

Carter Ho, senior sales manager, Advantech.

HARARE, Zimbabwe: Elephants cross the road in Hwange National Park, about700 kilometers south west of Harare. — AP

Britain tops world‘Quality of Death’ indexLONDON: Britain topped an 80-country “quality ofdeath” study released yesterday, which warnedthat ageing and booming populations wouldmake palliative care a growing worldwide issue.The 2015 Quality of Death Index, compiled by theLondon-based Economist Intelligence Unit, foundBritain to be the best at palliative care. “Its rankingis due to comprehensive national policies, theextensive integration of palliative care into theNational Health Service, a strong hospice move-ment, and deep community engagement on theissue,” the EIU said.

Britain was followed by Australia, NewZealand, Ireland, Belgium and Taiwan. Palliativecare provision was found to be worst in Iraqamong the 80 countries studied, with Bangladesh,the Philippines, Nigeria and Myanmar roundingout the bottom five. The report praised progressmade by less wealthy states. “Many developingcountries are still unable to provide basic painmanagement due to limitations in staff and basicinfrastructure,” it said. “Yet some countries withlower income levels demonstrate the power ofinnovation and individual initiative.”

It said Panama (31st) was building palliativecare into its primary care services, Mongolia (28th)had seen rapid growth in hospice facilities, whileUganda (35th) had made impressive advances inthe availability of opioid painkillers. China (71st)was found to be among the most vulnerable frompopulation ageing and rising incidences of condi-tions such as cardiovascular disease. “The adop-tion of palliative care in China has been slow, witha curative approach dominating healthcare strate-gies,” the study found. “Many other developingcountries will also need to work hard to meet ris-

ing future need as the incidence of non-commu-nicable disease increases and their populationsgrow older,” the report said.

The study found that income levels correlatedstrongly with success in delivering palliative care,though some, such as Singapore (12th), HongKong (22nd) and Saudi Arabia (60th), were lag-ging. The study said that, overall, palliative carewas rising up the agenda as “seismic demographicshifts” force governments to confront the reality ofproviding for ageing populations. Wealthy nationswill have to shift from curative care to managinglong-term conditions. Meanwhile developingcountries would have to deal with booming pop-ulations and increasingly unhealthy lifestyles thatwill force healthcare systems to adapt to chroniccondition like diabetes.

Top 10 (scores out of 100):93.9 — Britain91.6 — Australia87.6 — New Zealand85.8 — Ireland84.5 — Belgium83.1 — Taiwan82.0 — Germany80.9 — Netherlands80.8 — United States79.4 — France

Bottom five:17.1 — Myanmar16.9 — Nigeria15.3 — Philippines14.1 — Bangladesh12.5 — Iraq — AFP

W H AT ’ S ONWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

The Ministry of Education (MoE) recently organized a special ceremony to mark the International Teachers Day. The ceremony was attended by MOE’s Assistant Undersecretary for Activities and EducationDevelopment, Faisal Al-Maqseed.

W H AT ’ S ONWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

McDonald’s Kuwait held a press con-ference yesterday at its Cornicherestaurant, to announce its title

sponsorship of the annual McDonald’sFlying Start Triathlon, which will take placethis year on Friday October 23rd at MarinaMall. Now in its fifth year, the McDonald’sFlying Start Triathlon offers two race dis-tances: Sprint (which involves 750m swim-ming, 20km cycling and 5km running) andOlympic (which includes 1500m swimming,40km cycling and 10km running). The raceis open to all participants, and people canenter individually or in teams of three cov-ering the areas of swimming, cycling andrunning.

“Sports has always been a huge part ofthe McDonald’s culture, and the Flying StartTriathlon’ is something that fits in line per-fectly with our core brand values. As abrand, we are committed to raising aware-ness of the importance of sports in people’sdaily lives. We have also continuously sup-ported local sports programs and initiatives,and are always encouraging people of allages to adopt a healthy, balanced and activelifestyle,” said Luai Al-Kilani, Deputy GeneralManager at McDonald’s Kuwait.

Sherif Coutry, Marketing Director atMcDonald’s Kuwait further added: “TheFlying Start Triathlon is a great way to moti-vate as many people as possible in theKuwaiti community to become more activeand adopt a healthy lifestyle. It offers partic-ipants a chance to push their limits andchallenge themselves as athletes. We look

forward to a great turnout at year’s race, andwe hope to see even more participants thanwhat we witnessed at the previous race.” TheTriathlon is being organized according tothe highest international race standards andutilizes state-of-the-art equipment, whereparticipants will be tracked using a magnet-ic chip that measures distance and speed to

ensure fair results. On the day of the race,all participants will also be supplied with arace kit which consists of swim caps, bottlesand bike stickers.

First launched in 2010, the Flying StartTriathlon was expanded into an annualevent with the help of the sponsorship fromMcDonald’s Kuwait, quickly becoming a

highlight of the year for sports and exerciseenthusiasts; providing the Kuwaiti commu-nity with a recurring goal to train for everyyear. Participants can register for the raceonline (at www.pro-vision.com), and pay-ment can also be done online using K-Net,MasterCard or Visa, or alternatively in cash atthe Extreme Sports store in Al-Tilal.

McDonald’s Kuwait sponsors Flying Start Triathlon

Commercial Bank ofKuwait to sponsor ‘The Concert’

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait will be the main spon-sor of “The Concert”, a unique musical event that willbring together aspiring Kuwaiti musicians. The night

will witness a group performance that will capture theessence of musical masterpieces and famous compositionsusing a wide range of instruments. The event will be heldon 9th October 2015 at Al Shaheed Park. In this context,the Assistant General Manager - Advertising and PublicRelations Department, Amani Al Wara’a confirmed thatsuch sponsorship came from the Bank after the success ofthe previous concert last year, and out of the Bank’sendeavors to support these talented musicians and exposetheir gift to the public on a bigger scale.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait always strives to encourageKuwaiti youth and help pave their way to success whetherwith small businesses, performing arts, cultural. Sportingor Musical activities.

KNES Annual Staff Dinner 2015The annual staff dinner at Kuwait National English School, hosted by the School Chairman Gharabally Al Gharabally took place at the start of this academic year in a very friendly atmosphere - establishing

among all teaching staff and employees of the school strong bond. This included also a birthday celebration for a few staff member. This year, Sixth Form students were invited to the annual dinner ofKuwait National English School due to their exceptional performance at External Examinations from UK.

TIES Center - ourhome is your home

“The TIES Center cordially invites all those inter-ested in the second session of a course aboutthe battles fought by Prophet Muhammad

(PBUH) and his companions on Thursday October 8th,2015 at 7:00pm. The emphasis will be on the lessons andmorals derived from the Battle of Badr - the first decisivebattle in Islam. You are encouraged to go along with yourfriends to learn about the life and times of ProphetMuhammad (PBUH). For more information, please call25231015/6 or log onto: www.tiescenter.net or e-mail:info@tiescenter.net,”

India International School Mangaf cele-brated Teachers Day on 5th September2015 with a vibrant array of activities -

from paying tribute to Dr SarvepalliRadhakrishnan, to gifts and notes of appre-ciation in honor of the teachers. The cele-bration began with a song dedicated to

teachers by one of the school’s talentedsingers, Master Joshua. It was followed by atableau commemorating the birthday of DrS Radhakrishnan. Students expressed theirlove and gratitude to their teachers in theform of poem and paragraph writing. Theday was made all the more special when

the top scorers of class 10 CBSEExamination, Sadaf Mariyam and ASShruthi, and teachers were appreciated fortheir hard work and constructive effortwith a certificate of appreciation fromSmritiIrani, the Minister of Human ResourceDevelopment, India. As a curtain drop to

the occasion, the students gave a pleasantsurprise to the teachers by presenting anartistically decorated card with suitablychosen titles. The school DirectorMalayilMoosakoya, Principal FM BasheerAhmed and the vice Principals graced theoccasion.

India International School Mangaf celebrates Teachers Day

00:10 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill00:35 Marbella Mansions01:20 The Planners02:15 Antiques Roadshow03:10 Come Dine With Me03:35 Bargain Hunt04:25 The Planners05:15 Antiques Roadshow06:10 Come Dine With Me06:35 The Good Cook07:00 Antiques Roadshow07:50 Come Dine With Me08:15 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent09:05 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill09:30 Marbella Mansions10:15 The Planners11:05 Antiques Roadshow12:00 Bargain Hunt12:50 The Good Cook13:15 Come Dine With Me13:40 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent14:30 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill14:55 Marbella Mansions15:40 The Planners16:35 Antiques Roadshow17:30 The Good Cook17:55 Come Dine With Me18:20 Fantasy Homes By The Sea19:05 Rachel Khoo’s KitchenNotebook: Cosmo Cook19:30 Masterchef: TheProfessionals20:25 Bargain Hunt21:10 Antiques Roadshow22:05 Come Dine With Me22:30 Hairy Dieters23:20 Fantasy Homes By The Sea

T V PR O G R A M SWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

PUNISHER- WAR ZONE ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

X-MEN- DAYS OF FUTURE PAST ON OSN MOVIES PREMIERE HD

00:20 Fast N’ Loud01:10 Marooned With Ed Stafford02:00 Kings Of The Wild02:50 River Monsters03:40 Container Wars04:05 Dallas Car Sharks04:30 Baggage Battles05:00 How It’s Made: Dream Cars05:30 How Do They Do It?06:00 Ice Cold Gold06:50 Extreme Car Hoarders07:40 Fast N’ Loud08:30 Container Wars08:55 Dallas Car Sharks09:20 Baggage Battles09:45 How It’s Made: Dream Cars10:10 How Do They Do It?10:35 Marooned With Ed Stafford11:25 Kings Of The Wild12:15 River Monsters13:05 Container Wars13:30 Dallas Car Sharks13:55 Baggage Battles14:20 Ice Cold Gold15:10 Extreme Car Hoarders16:00 Fast N’ Loud16:50 How It’s Made: Dream Cars17:15 How Do They Do It?17:40 Man vs Expert18:30 Deadly Dilemmas19:20 Survive That!20:10 Dallas Car Sharks20:35 Baggage Battles21:00 Dynamo: MagicianImpossible21:50 Chaos Caught On Camera22:15 Chaos Caught On Camera22:40 Head Games23:30 Amish Mafia

00:00 Stewarts And Hamiltons00:55 The Grace Helbig Show01:25 Keeping Up With TheKardashians02:20 Giuliana & Bill03:15 Christina Milian Turned Up04:10 Beyond Candid WithGiuliana05:05 E!ES06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 New Money08:45 New Money09:15 Giuliana & Bill10:15 Giuliana & Bill11:10 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills12:05 The Grace Helbig Show13:05 Fashion Bloggers13:35 Fashion Bloggers14:05 E!ES15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 Hollywood Cycle18:00 E! News19:00 Dash Dolls20:00 Fashion Bloggers20:30 Fashion Bloggers21:00 THS22:00 E! News23:00 WAGs

00:00 Stretch-1802:00 The Outsider-PG1504:00 American Warships-PG1506:00 House Of Versace-PG1508:00 Stolen Child-PG1510:00 Babylon A.D-PG1511:45 X-Men: Days Of Future Past-14:00 Tinker Bell And The LegendOf The NeverBeast-FAM16:00 Stolen Child-PG1517:45 The Fault In Our Stars-PG1520:00 Lay The Favorite-PG1522:00 Men, Women & Children-18

01:00 A Walk Among TheTombstones-PG1503:00 Get On Up-PG1505:15 Song For Marion-PG1507:00 Mr. Peabody & Sherman09:00 Upside Down-PG1510:45 Blended-PG1512:45 Big Hero 6-PG14:30 Into The Woods-PG16:45 Upside Down-PG1518:30 The Hunger Games:Catching Fire-PG1521:00 Scenic Route-PG1523:00 Dom Hemingway-18

01:00 Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy02:45 Marvel’s Planet Hulk04:30 Marco Macaco06:00 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius08:00 The Heart Of The Oak10:00 Zarafa11:30 Hammer Boy13:00 Imaginum14:45 Miffy The Movie16:15 Tom And Jerry: The LostDragon18:00 Zarafa20:00 The Elf Who Stole Christmas22:00 Miffy The Movie23:30 Tom And Jerry: The LostDragon

20:50 Ben 10: Omniverse21:15 Ben 10: Omniverse21:40 Adventure Time22:25 Johnny Test23:10 Regular Show23:55 Total Drama: Revenge OfThe Island00:20 Total Drama: Revenge OfThe Island00:40 Grojband01:05 Grojband01:25 Transformers: Robots InDisguise01:50 Regular Show02:35 Johnny Test

03:25 Gator Boys04:15 Lion Man: One World AfricanSafari05:02 Treehouse Masters05:49 Shamwari: A Wild Life06:36 Call Of The Wildman07:25 Dogs 10108:15 Lion Man: One World AfricanSafari09:10 Treehouse Masters10:05 Tanked11:00 Dogs 10111:55 Bondi Vet12:50 Ten Deadliest Snakes13:45 Lion Man: One World AfricanSafari14:40 Treehouse Masters15:35 Tanked16:30 Shamwari: A Wild Life17:25 Ten Deadliest Snakes18:20 Lion Man: One World AfricanSafari18:45 Lion Man: One World AfricanSafari19:15 Treehouse Masters20:10 Tanked21:05 Echo And The Elephants OfAmboseli21:30 Echo And The Elephants OfAmboseli22:00 Hunt For Hogzilla22:55 Gator Boys23:50 Lion Man: One World AfricanSafari00:15 Lion Man: One World AfricanSafari00:45 Call Of The Wildman01:40 Hunt For Hogzilla02:35 Tanked

03:20 Grojband04:05 Total Drama: Pahkitew Island04:50 Teen Titans Go!05:10 Grojband06:00 The Amazing World OfGumball06:25 New Uncle Grandpa06:37 Uncle Grandpa06:50 Adventure Time07:35 New Clarence07:46 Clarence08:00 Teen Titans Go!08:20 Ninjago: Masters Of Spinjitzu08:45 Ben 1009:30 Regular Show09:55 Dreamworks Dragons:Defenders Of Berk10:20 Total Drama World Tour10:40 Total Drama: Pahkitew Island11:05 Johnny Test11:50 Steven Universe12:15 Uncle Grandpa12:40 Regular Show13:25 Adventure Time14:10 The Amazing World OfGumball15:00 Ben 10: Omniverse15:45 Ninjago: Masters Of Spinjitzu16:10 Matt Hatter New16:30 Teen Titans Go!17:20 New Clarence17:31 Clarence17:40 The Amazing World OfGumball18:30 Adventure Time19:15 New Uncle Grandpa19:27 Uncle Grandpa19:40 Steven Universe20:00 Regular Show

03:06 How It’s Made03:29 Space Voyages04:16 The Big Brain Theory05:03 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman05:50 How Do They Do It?06:37 How It’s Made07:23 Mythbusters08:08 Bang Goes The Theory08:53 Da Vinci’s Machines09:38 Food Factory10:00 Food Factory10:23 Outrageous Acts Of Psych11:08 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman11:53 Space Voyages12:38 Bang Goes The Theory13:23 Da Vinci’s Machines14:10 How It’s Made14:57 Outrageous Acts Of Psych15:44 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman16:31 Bang Goes The Theory17:18 How Do They Do It?18:05 Mythbusters18:50 Mind Control Freaks19:40 Food Factory20:02 Food Factory20:25 How It’s Made20:50 How It’s Made21:15 How Do They Do It?21:37 How Do They Do It?22:00 Mind Control Freaks22:22 Mind Control Freaks22:45 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman23:35 Space Voyages

00:10 The Chase01:05 May The Best House Win02:00 Emmerdale02:25 Eggheads02:55 Come Dine With Me Ireland03:25 Doc Martin04:20 Shetland05:15 Murdoch Mysteries06:10 Who’s Doing The Dishes?07:05 Come Dine With Me Ireland07:30 Doc Martin08:25 Shetland09:20 Who’s Doing The Dishes?10:15 I’m A Celebrity Get Me OutOf Here11:35 May The Best House Win12:30 Murdoch Mysteries13:25 Emmerdale13:50 Emmerdale14:20 Coronation Street14:45 The Chase15:35 Who’s Doing The Dishes?16:30 Agatha Christie’s Poirot18:20 Murdoch Mysteries19:10 Coronation Street19:35 Who’s Doing The Dishes?20:30 Agatha Christie’s Poirot22:20 I’m A Celebrity Get Me OutOf Here23:40 Come Dine With Me Ireland

00:10 Ultimate Survival Alaska01:00 Richard Hammond’s WildestWeather02:00 Monster Fish02:55 Wicked Tuna03:50 Ultimate Survival Alaska04:45 Nazi Underworld05:40 Caught In The Act06:35 Money Meltdown07:00 Money Meltdown07:30 Ultimate Airport Dubai08:25 Aftermath09:20 Nazi Underworld10:15 Danger Decoded10:40 Danger Decoded11:10 Science Of Stupid11:35 Science Of Stupid

12:05 The Border13:00 Somewhere In China14:00 Ultimate Airport Dubai15:00 Money Meltdown15:30 Money Meltdown16:00 Danger Decoded16:30 Danger Decoded17:00 Science Of Stupid17:30 Science Of Stupid18:00 The Border19:00 I Wouldn’t Go In There: Ww2Special20:00 Danger Decoded20:25 Danger Decoded20:50 Science Of Stupid21:15 Science Of Stupid21:40 The Border22:30 I Wouldn’t Go In There: Ww2Special23:20 Caught In The Act

00:30 About A Boy01:00 The Nightly Show With LarryWilmore01:30 Veep02:00 Brickleberry02:30 Family Guy03:30 The Goldbergs04:00 Mulaney04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Fresh Off The Boat06:00 Men At Work06:30 Til Death07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Mulaney08:30 Fresh Off The Boat10:30 Til Death11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 Men At Work12:30 Mulaney13:00 Fresh Off The Boat13:30 Til Death14:00 The Goldbergs15:30 About A Boy16:00 The Nightly Show With LarryWilmore16:30 Men At Work17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine18:30 The Goldbergs19:00 Hot In Cleveland20:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon21:00 About A Boy21:30 The Nightly Show With LarryWilmore22:00 Veep22:30 Brickleberry23:00 Family Guy23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

00:00 Tyrant01:00 Blood & Oil02:00 Downton Abbey03:00 American Crime04:00 The Voice06:00 Red Band Society07:00 Glee08:00 Chicago Fire09:00 The Voice11:00 Blood & Oil12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Chicago Fire15:00 Red Band Society16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Chicago Fire19:00 Royal Pains20:00 Royal Pains21:00 Marvel’s Agents OfS.H.I.E.L.D.22:00 The Flash23:00 American Crime

00:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show01:00 Good Morning America03:00 Bates Motel04:00 Grimm05:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 Criminal Minds10:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 Parenthood13:00 Supernatural14:00 Live Good Morning America16:00 Criminal Minds17:00 Parenthood18:00 Supernatural19:00 Suits20:00 Parenthood21:00 Supernatural22:00 Bates Motel23:00 Grimm

00:00 Special ID02:00 Punisher: War Zone04:00 I, Frankenstein05:45 The Core08:00 The Numbers Station10:00 Special ID12:00 I, Frankenstein14:00 Arachnophobia16:00 Ender’s Game18:00 Kill Em All20:00 Rage22:00 Bloodsport

00:00 Punisher: War Zone-1802:00 I, Frankenstein-PG1503:45 The Core-PG1506:00 The Numbers Station-PG1508:00 Special ID-PG1510:00 I, Frankenstein-PG1512:00 Arachnophobia-PG1514:00 Ender’s Game-PG1516:00 Kill Em All-PG1518:00 Rage-PG1520:00 Bloodsport-PG1522:00 Hitman-18

00:15 That Awkward Moment02:00 Admission04:00 Mousehunt06:00 Cuban Fury08:00 Foodfight!10:00 Mousehunt12:00 Admission14:00 Simon Birch16:00 Foodfight!18:00 Struck By Lightning20:00 Stand Up Guys22:00 Keith Lemon: The Film

01:00 The Citizen-PG1503:00 Foxcatcher-PG1505:15 Song For Marion-PG1507:00 Stand Off-PG1509:00 Breathe In-PG1511:00 Song For Marion-PG1513:00 10 Years-PG1515:00 My Last Day Without You-PG1517:00 Breathe In-PG1519:00 Still Mine-PG1521:00 Testament Of Youth-PG1523:15 Parts Per Billion-18

01:00 Safe Haven03:00 Won’t Back Down05:00 Sunshine On Leith07:00 Diana09:00 Next Goal Wins11:00 Sunshine On Leith13:00 Won’t Back Down15:00 Diana17:00 Next Goal Wins19:00 Casanova21:00 Blue Ruin23:00 Beloved

01:00 Jack03:00 Frankenweenie04:30 Transporter 306:15 My Bollywood Bride08:00 Pearl Harbor11:00 The Sixth Sense12:45 School For Scoundrels14:30 Love Happens16:30 Frankenweenie18:00 Jack20:00 Valkyrie22:00 Meskada23:30 Love And Honor

00:00 Grey’s Anatomy01:00 MasterChef Australia02:00 Revenge03:00 Revenge04:00 Bones05:00 Scrubs05:30 Scrubs06:00 The Simpsons06:30 The Simpsons07:00 Lost08:00 Grey’s Anatomy09:00 MasterChef Australia10:00 Revenge11:00 Revenge12:00 Bones13:00 Scrubs13:30 Scrubs14:00 The Simpsons14:30 The Simpsons15:00 Lost16:00 Grey’s Anatomy17:00 MasterChef Australia18:00 Switched At Birth19:00 The Secret Life Of TheAmerican Teenager20:00 The Secret Life Of TheAmerican Teenager21:00 Melissa & Joey21:30 Melissa & Joey22:00 The Simpsons22:30 The Simpsons23:00 Lost

00:00 Storage Wars Texas01:00 Storage Wars02:00 Storage Wars: New York03:00 WWI: The First Modern War04:00 Duck Dynasty04:30 Duck Dynasty05:00 American Pickers06:00 Ax Men07:00 Ice Road Truckers08:00 Alone09:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man11:00 American Pickers13:00 Storage Wars14:00 Pawn Stars15:00 Shipping Wars16:00 Storage Wars17:00 Storage Wars: New York18:00 American Pickers19:00 Storage Wars20:00 Ax Men21:00 Pawn Stars22:00 Swamp People23:00 Mountain Men

03:25 The Big Man05:20 Dr. Goldfoot And The BikiniMachine06:50 A Dangerous Woman08:35 Troll (Epic)10:00 George Washington11:30 Still Life: A Three PinesMystery13:00 Teen Witch14:30 Apache16:00 The Crocodile Hunter:Collision Course17:30 Death Rides A Horse19:25 Punks21:00 The Faculty22:45 Dracula 200000:25 Blow Out02:10 Sweet Revenge

03:30 Hebburn04:00 Absolutely Fabulous04:30 Me & Mrs Jones05:00 The Green Balloon Club05:25 Nina And The Neurons: InThe Lab05:40 Nina And The Neurons: InThe Lab05:55 Gigglebiz06:10 The Green Balloon Club06:35 Nina And The Neurons: InThe Lab06:50 Nina And The Neurons: InThe Lab07:05 The Weakest Link07:55 Absolutely Fabulous08:25 2 Point 4 Children08:55 Eastenders09:30 Call The Midwife10:20 The Paradise11:15 The Weakest Link12:00 Absolutely Fabulous12:30 2 Point 4 Children13:00 Call The Midwife13:55 The Paradise14:50 Absolutely Fabulous15:20 2 Point 4 Children15:50 Doctors16:20 Eastenders16:50 The Weakest Link17:35 2 Point 4 Children18:05 Call The Midwife19:00 Doctors19:30 Eastenders20:00 Hustle20:50 New Tricks21:45 A Young Doctor’s Notebook22:10 The Fear23:00 Live At The Apollo23:45 The Weakest Link

03:00 Devil In The Details03:45 Who On Earth...04:10 Who On Earth...04:30 The Haunted05:20 Forensic Detectives06:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones07:00 Dr G: Medical Examiner07:50 On The Case With PaulaZahn08:40 Fatal Encounters09:30 Murder Shift10:20 Forensic Detectives11:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones12:00 The Will12:50 I Almost Got Away With It13:40 California Investigator14:05 Nightmare Next Door14:55 Fatal Encounters15:45 On The Case With PaulaZahn16:35 Murder Shift17:25 I Almost Got Away With It18:15 Forensic Detectives19:05 True Crime With AphroditeJones19:55 California Investigator20:20 The Will21:10 Who On Earth...21:35 Who On Earth...22:00 Scorned: Crimes Of Passion22:50 Blood Relatives23:40 Who On Earth...00:05 Who On Earth...00:30 The Haunted01:20 Ghost Lab02:10 Scorned: Crimes Of Passion

ClassifiedsWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Fajr: 04:25

Shorook 05:44

Duhr: 11:36

Asr: 14:57

Maghrib: 17:27

Isha: 18:44

Automated enquiryabout the Civil ID card is

1889988

Kuwait

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 7/10/2015Airlines Flt Route TimeJZR 239 Amman 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:30DLH 637 Dammam 00:35THY 772 Istanbul 00:35JAD 301 Amman 00:45FDB 069 Dubai 00:55JZR 539 Cairo 01:30PGT 858 Istanbul 01:40RJA 642 Amman 01:45ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:50OMA 643 Muscat 02:05GFA 211 Bahrain 02:15KKK 6507 Istanbul 02:15UAE 853 Dubai 02:25MSC 403 Sohag 02:30QTR 1076 Doha 02:55ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:05CEB 7694 Manila 03:10FDB 067 Dubai 03:15MSR 612 Cairo 03:15SYR 341 Latakia/KAC 03:25KAC 1544 Cairo 03:35THY 1464 Istanbul 03:55MSC 401 Alexandria 04:00PGT 860 Istanbul 04:05THY 770 Istanbul 04:40DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15BAW 157 London 06:35JZR 503 Luxor 07:20KAC 382 Delhi 07:30KAC 206 Islamabad 07:45KAC 204 Lahore 07:50FDB 053 Dubai 07:50QTR 1086 Doha 07:55KAC 354 BLR 07:55KAC 302 Mumbai 07:55KAC 346 Ahmedabad 08:00KAC 154 Istanbul 08:10KAC 344 Chennai 08:15KAC 352 Kochi 08:15UAE 855 Dubai 08:25KAC 362 Colombo 08:30KAC 288 Dhaka 09:00ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:10NIA 261 Alexandria 09:10IRM 1186 Tehran 09:15QTR 1070 Doha 09:25IRA 665 Shiraz 09:25FDB 055 Dubai 09:40KAC 350 Kochi 09:40GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40UAE 873 Dubai 10:40MEA 404 Beirut 10:55AXB 889 Mangalore/Bahrain 11:15MSC 405 Sohag 11:20JZR 561 Sohag 11:25AGY 680 Alexandria 11:40IRM 1188 Mashhad 11:45JZR 165 Dubai 11:50IAW 157 Al Najaf 12:00FDB 075 Dubai 12:25SAW 701 Damascus 12:35IRC 6511 ABD 12:40UAE 871 Dubai 12:45

ETD 919 Abu Dhabi 12:45MSR 610 Cairo 13:00THY 766 Istanbul 13:10KAC 620 Doha 13:10CLX 792 Luxembourg 13:15IZG 4167 Mashhad 13:30IRC 526 Mashhad 13:50MSR 575 Sharm el-Sheikh 13:55KAC 672 Dubai 13:55QTR 1078 Doha 14:05FDB 057 Dubai 14:20GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KAC 742 Dammam 14:50KAC 540 Sharm el-Sheikh 14:50RJD 135 Abu Dhabi 15:00KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00OMA 645 Muscat 15:05KNE 462 Madinah 15:05ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45RJA 640 Amman 15:55ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:00KAC 512 Mashhad 16:10FDB 051 Dubai 16:10QTR 1072 Doha 16:20NIA 263 Luxor 16:30IRM 1180 Mashhad 16:35JZR 787 Riyadh 16:45KAC 562 Amman 17:00SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15JZR 357 Mashhad 17:30GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 177 Dubai 17:45SYR 343 Damascus 17:55FDB 065 Dubai 18:05JZR 483 Istanbul 18:20KAC 502 Beirut 18:35KAC 786 Jeddah 18:35KAC 542 Cairo 18:55QTR 1080 Doha 18:55KAC 618 Doha 18:55KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:00UAE 875 Dubai 19:05GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05FDB 063 Dubai 19:10ABY 123 Sharjah 19:20MSR 606 Luxor 19:30JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35KAC 774 Riyadh 19:40FDB 061 Dubai 19:50AGY 684 Sohag 19:50KAC 102 New York/London 19:55KAC 674 Dubai 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:00KNE 460 Riyadh 20:10MEA 402 Beirut 20:15DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:20KAC 792 Madinah 20:55ALK 229 Colombo 21:10UAE 859 Dubai 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:15FDB 073 Dubai 21:30QTR 074 Doha 21:30JZR 125 Bahrain 21:45GFA 19 Bahrain 21:45KAC 546 Alexandria 22:05THY 764 Istanbul 22:10

ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:10AIC 975 Chennai 22:25BBC 6033 Dhaka 22:40FDB 059 Dubai 22:50JZR 185 Dubai 23:00JAI 574 Mumbai 23:20RBG 555 Alexandria 23:25FDB 071 Dubai 23:35KLM 411 Amsterdam/Dammam 23:40

Departure Flights on Wednesday 7/10/2015Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 988 Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05BBC 044 Dhaka 00:10JAI 573 Mumbai 00:25UAL 981 IAD 00:25FDB 072 Dubai 00:45JZR 502 Luxor 01:10JAD 302 Amman 01:30DLH 637 Frankfurt 01:35THY 773 Istanbul 02:05ETH 621 Ababa 02:50PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55KKK 6508 Istanbul 03:10MSC 404 Sohag 03:30OMA 644 Muscat 03:35UAE 854 777 DubaiFDB 068 Dubai 04:00ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:15SYR 342 Damascus 04:25CEB 7695 Manila 04:40PGT 861 Istanbul 04:45THY 1465 Istanbul 04:50THY 765 Istanbul 04:55MSC 406 Sohag 05:00JZR 560 Sohag 05:00QTR 1077 Doha 05:05RJA 643 Amman 06:35GFA 212 Bahrain 06:50THY 771 Istanbul 06:50FDB 070 Dubai 07:05JZR 164 Dubai 07:15BAW 156 London 08:30FDB 054 Dubai 08:30KAC 539 Sharm el-Sheikh 08:50QTR 1087 Doha 08:55KAC 671 Dubai 09:25KAC 619 Doha 09:30KAC 787 Jeddah 09:30KAC 117 New York 09:40JZR 482 Istanbul 09:40ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 09:50ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:00NIA 262 Luxor 10:10KAC 511 Mashhad 10:20IRM 1181 Mashhad 10:25IRA 664 Shiraz 10:25QTR 071 Doha 10:40FDB 056 Dubai 10:40KAC 501 Beirut 11:00KAC 175 Frankfurt/Geneva 11:15KAC 561 Amman 11:25GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35JZR 356 Mashhad 11:40KAC 741 Dammam 11:50MEA 405 Beirut 11:55

KAC 541 Cairo 12:05KAC 103 London 12:10UAE 874 Dubai 12:10AXB 890 Mangalore 12:15MSC 402 Alexandria 12:20AGY 685 Sohag 12:40KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00IAW 158 Al Najaf 13:00JZR 176 Dubai 13:10IRM 1189 Mashhad 13:10FDB 076 Dubai 13:10JZR 786 Riyadh 13:20SAW 702 Damascus 13:35IRC 6512 ABD 13:40MSR 611 Cairo 14:00THY 767 Istanbul 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15IZG 4168 Mashhad 14:30MSR 576 Sharm el-Sheikh 14:40ETD 920 Dubai 14:45CLX 792 Hanoi 14:45IRC 527 Mashhad 14:50KAC 545 Alexandria 15:00QTR 1079 Doha 15:05GFA 222 Bahrain 15:05FDB 058 Dubai 15:05KAC 617 Doha 15:15SVA 503 Jeddah 15:45KAC 773 Riyadh 15:55KNE 463 Madinah 16:00KAC 791 Madinah 16:00OMA 646 Muscat 16:05RJD 136 Abu Dhabi 16:10ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:45RJA 641 Amman 16:55JZR 266 Beirut 17:05FDB 052 Dubai 17:10QTR 1073 Doha 17:25NIA 264 Alexandria 17:30UAE 858 Dubai 17:40IRM 1187 Tehran 17:50SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:20KAC 563 Amman 18:30JZR 538 Cairo 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:45SYR 344 Damascus 18:55FDB 066 Dubai 18:55JZR 528 Asyut 19:30GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:50QTR 1081 Doha 19:55ABY 124 Sharjah 20:00KAC 361 Colombo 20:00MSR 619 Alexandria 20:30UAE 876 Dubai 20:35JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35FDB 062 Dubai 20:35KAC 283 Dhaka 20:40AGY 681 Alexandria 20:50KAC 1543 Cairo 20:55OMA 648 Muscat 21:00DLH 636 Dammam 21:00KAC 331 Trivandrum 21:00KAC 351 Kochi 21:05KNE 481 Riyadh 21:10

SHARQIA-1BLOWTORCH 11:45 AMBLOWTORCH 1:30 PMTHE WALK 3:15 PMBLOWTORCH 5:45 PMTHE WALK 7:30 PMBLOWTORCH 10:00 PMTHE WALK 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-2HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 1:00 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 3:00 PMAHWAK 5:15 PMAHWAK 7:45 PMAHWAK 10:15 PMAHWAK 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-3HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 11:30 AMMAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS 1:30 PMBLACK MASS 4:15 PMSINGH IS BLIING -Hindi 6:45 PMBLACK MASS 9:45 PMBLACK MASS 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-1BLACK MASS 12:00 PMBLOWTORCH 2:30 PMBLACK MASS 4:15 PMBLOWTORCH 6:45 PMBLOWTORCH 8:30 PMBLACK MASS 10:15 PMBLACK MASS 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-2HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 12:30 PMSINGH IS BLIING -Hindi 2:30 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 5:30 PMTHE WALK 7:30 PMTHE WALK 10:00 PMTHE WALK 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-3AHWAK 11:30 AMAHWAK 2:15 PMAHWAK 4:45 PMAHWAK 7:15 PMAHWAK 9:45 PMAHWAK 12:15 AM

FANAR-1HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 1:00 PMBLOWTORCH 1:30 PMBLOWTORCH 3:00 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 4:45 PMBLOWTORCH 6:45 PMALLIES 8:30 PMBLOWTORCH 10:30 PMBLOWTORCH 12:15 AM

FANAR-2THE WALK 11:30 AMTHE WALK 2:15 PMPAY THE GHOST 4:45 PMTHE WALK 6:45 PMTHE WALK 9:15 PMTHE WALK 12:05 AM

FANAR-3ANY DAY 11:45 AMANY DAY 2:00 PMANY DAY 4:15 PMSINGH IS BLIING -Hindi 6:30 PMANY DAY 9:30 PMANY DAY 11:45 PM

FANAR-4AHWAK 12:00 PM

AHWAK 2:45 PMAHWAK 5:15 PMAHWAK 7:45 PMAHWAK 10:15 PMAHWAK 12:45 AM

FANAR-5BLACK MASS 12:00 PMBLACK MASS 2:30 PMWIPLALA 5:00 PMSICARIO 7:15 PMBLACK MASS 9:45 PMBLACK MASS 12:15 AM

MARINA-1BLOWTORCH 12:30 PMBLACK MASS 2:30 PMBLOWTORCH 5:00 PMBLACK MASS 6:45 PMBLOWTORCH 9:15 PMBLOWTORCH 11:00 PMBLACK MASS 12:45 AM

MARINA-2AHWAK 11:30 AMAHWAK 2:15 PMAHWAK 4:45 PMAHWAK 7:15 PMAHWAK 9:45 PMAHWAK 12:15 AM

MARINA-3THE WALK 12:45 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 3:30 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 5:30 PMTHE WALK -3D 7:30 PMTHE WALK 10:00 PMTHE WALK 12:30 AM

AVENUES-199 HOMES 1:00 PMANY DAY 3:15 PM99 HOMES 5:30 PMANY DAY 7:45 PMANY DAY 10:00 PM99 HOMES 12:15 AM

AVENUES-2HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 12:15 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 2:15 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 4:15 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 6:15 PMPULI - Tamil 8:15 PMPAY THE GHOST 11:15 PMPAY THE GHOST 1:15 AM

AVENUES-3BLACK MASS 1:00 PMBLACK MASS 3:30 PMBLACK MASS 6:00 PMBLACK MASS 8:30 PMBLACK MASS 11:00 PM

AVENUES-4AHWAK 11:30 AMAHWAK 2:00 PMAHWAK 4:30 PMAHWAK 7:00 PMSpecial Show “AHWAK” 7:00 PMSUNAHWAK 9:30 PMAHWAK 12:05 AM

AVENUES-5BLACK MASS 11:45 AMTHE WALK -3D 2:15 PMBLACK MASS 4:45 PMTHE WALK 7:15 PMBLACK MASS 9:45 PM

THE WALK 12:15 AM

AVENUES-6PAY THE GHOST 11:30 AMAHWAK 1:30 PMAHWAK 4:00 PMAHWAK 6:30 PMAHWAK 9:00 PMAHWAK 11:30 PM

AVENUES-7DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION 1:00 PMDRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION 3:00 PMSINGH IS BLIING -Hindi 5:00 PMALLIES 8:00 PMALLIES 10:15 PMALLIES 12:30 AM

AVENUES-8SICARIO 12:00 PMTALE OF TALES 2:30 PMWIPLALA 5:15 PMSICARIO 7:30 PMTALE OF TALES 10:00 PMSICARIO 12:45 AM

AVENUES-9THE WALK -3D 12:45 PMTHE WALK 3:30 PMTHE WALK -3D 6:15 PMTHE WALK 9:00 PMTHE WALK 11:45 PM

AVENUES-10BLOWTORCH 12:45 PMBLOWTORCH 2:30 PMBLOWTORCH 4:15 PMBLOWTORCH 6:00 PMBLOWTORCH 7:45 PMBLOWTORCH 9:30 PMBLOWTORCH 11:15 PMBLOWTORCH 1:00 AM

AVENUES-11HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 11:45 AMMAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS -DOLBY ATMOS1:45 PMMAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS -DOLBY ATMOS4:30 PMAHWAK 7:30 PMAHWAK 10:00 PMMAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS -DOLBY ATMOS12:30 AMROGER WATERS THE WALL - DOLBY ATMOS7:30 PMAHWAK 10:15 PMMAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS -DOLBY ATMOS12:45 AM

360º- 1BLACK MASS 12:00 PMBLACK MASS 2:30 PMBLACK MASS 5:00 PMBLACK MASS 7:30 PMBLACK MASS 10:00 PMBLACK MASS 12:30 AM

360º- 2AHWAK 11:30 AMAHWAK 2:00 PMAHWAK 4:30 PMAHWAK 7:00 PMAHWAK 9:30 PMAHWAK 12:05 AM

360º- 399 HOMES 12:00 PMPAY THE GHOST 2:15 PM99 HOMES 4:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY(01/10/2015 TO 07/10/2015)

Prayer timings

CHANGE OF NAME

ACCOMMODATION

FOR SALE

SITUATION WANTED

I have changed my oldname Safdar Taherali tonew name SafdarLashkarwala to now nameSafdar Lashkarwala. 817Khatiwala Tank, Indore(M.P)Tel: 00917312366552.(C 5046)

I have changed my oldname Aarefa Safdar Hussainto new name AarefaLashkarwala to now nameAarefa Lashkarwala. 817Khatiwala Tank, Indore(M.P)Tel: 00917312366552.(C 5047)5-10-2015

Sharing accommodationavailable for Indian smallfamily / working womennear Al-Rashid hospital,Salmiya. Separate one room& bathroom is available.Contact: 99838117. (C 5043)4-10-2015

A professional exercisemachine Cross Trainer (LifeFitness 93X) in excellentcondition. KD 250. Contact:99539431. (C 5045)4-10-2015

Looking for a suitable posi-tion of an accountant, PostGraduate from BangaloreUniversity, with Masters ofCommerce (M.Com) experi-ence in Banking andAccounting Sector and 8years experience in Gulf, Ican join immediately.Contact: 99761436. (C 5044)4-10-2015

112

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Your life path may grow even more convoluted if you are struggling to establishyour place in a significant relationship. It seems like whatever you choose to doseems to go against the grain now. You’re not purposefully trying to be difficultor rebellious; you simply want to be true to your heart. Don’t let anyone talk youout of following your instincts. Trusting your inner voice today will lead you inthe right direction as long as you don’t let your pride stand in the way.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You might feel as if you’re engaged in a classic battle between light and darktoday as an associate or a casual acquaintance tries to smear your reputation. It’snot easy to bring up certain topics for discussion, but you can’t afford to let themslide now, in case someone gets the wrong impression. Awareness rather thandenial clears the most direct path toward a peaceful resolution. Maintain yourintegrity at all costs and everyone will see who is telling the truth.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Your creative urges can generate plenty of mischief today as yousearch for ways to push people’s emotional buttons. Ironically, you don’t want toengage in a serious discussion about your work; you’re looking to provoke reac-tions. However, you could be in denial about how controversial your artisticexpression is now and might even be taken aback by the intense response youreceive. Don’t make matters worse by trying to avoid a meaningful conversation.Talking about your true intentions gives others the chance to know the real you.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You prefer to hide out and let the world pass you by now that Pluto is squaringthe Sun in your 4th House of Roots. However, you also might need to face yourfears about the possibility of failure. Retreating to the safety of your home canhelp you gain a better perspective on the weeks ahead. Instead of falling victimto self-doubt and worry, put all your energy toward visualizing your success.Once you have a clear picture of your bright and shiny future, you can step outof your shell and shine.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

In the big scheme of things, today’s dramas are not as significant as you maythink. The Moon’s return to your sign always stirs up suppressed feelings, makingeverything seem more intense — and this time is no exception. However, a seri-ous confrontation may develop from a rather trivial disagreement. Instead ofallowing the energy to escalate into a major conflict, you can contain it early onin the process if you have the courage to speak your truth clearly. Make yourpoint succinctly and then move on to something different.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

You may be short on time, energy or money today as dark Pluto squares theimpulsive Aries Sun in your 2nd House of Resources. You might overcompensateif you think you mismanaged a project now, bolting ahead early in the day.You’re not sure why anyone would stand in your way, yet your eagerness couldstir up resistance from others. Stick to your position and don’t push the panicbutton yet. A thorough reevaluation of your goals now leads you back to theroad to success.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

A disagreement in a personal or business relationship today raises questionsthat have no easy answers. Instead of trying to force a resolution, seek commonground instead. Ironically, if you can understand each other’s point of view, yourdiffering perspectives might actually provide inspiration. Keep in mind thatyou’re on an emotional roller-coaster ride today so beware that you’re prone tooverreact. Take a deep breath and give everyone a break, including yourself.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

You want to slip into the shadows to escape from your responsibilities as a cre-ative square from evolutionary Pluto activates the Sun in your 12th House ofFantasy. You realize that challenging times are on the horizon, so you’re inclinedto conserve your energy. Nevertheless, you seem to gain steam as you start toanticipate the future. Relinquish some of your downtime to complete as manychores as possible so you have less to do later on. You can overcome nearly anyobstacles once you put your mind to it.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Put your best foot forward at work and at social events to make themost of today’s profound cosmic energy. Remain open to an unexpected turn ofevents, even if it pushes your buttons at first. Rather than trying to influence asituation that’s beyond your control now, change your response to it.Unfortunately, you’re not in charge of everything, but you are fully responsiblefor your behavior. Your reaction sets the tone for everyone else.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

You might think it’s not fair that you make an extra effort to keep an open mindwhile someone else maintains such a rigid perspective. The bad news is thisenergetic imbalance leaves little room for compromise. Still, you’re willing to talkabout your feelings now if the other party is agreeable to an honest dialogue.The first step is to discuss the larger issue of negotiation to ensure everyoneagrees that winning an argument is less important than cooperating for thegood of all. Leaving egos at the door is the fastest way to cultivate peace.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

You have an abundance of excellent ideas you would like to put into action, andas the day progresses you are able to zero in on the best ones. Your power toconcentrate is strengthened today and you may find yourself dredging up for-gotten memories. You could be surprised by what you discover from your per-sistent digging. However, you can emerge from this process with stronger valuesand higher self-esteem If you keep an open mind and continue to trust thosewho have earned your confidence.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Although you can see the flashing red light approaching, you stillmight not heed the warning. You’re so impatient now that you’re ready to stepon the gas before you even know where you’re going. But your long-term think-ing runs into more immediate concerns if your day brings an unwarranted sur-prise. Even if you want to focus on the future, you’re better off paying attentionto what’s happening this moment before you crash and burn.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1042

ACROSS1. Anything that provides inspiration for later

work.5. Type genus of the Papaveraceae.12. Goddess of fate.15. The capital of Western Samoa.16. The largest island of the central Ryukyu

Islands.17. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring

on the sea or ships.18. (Norse mythology) God of thunder and

rain and farming.19. A material made of cellulose pulp derived

mainly from wood or rags or certaingrasses.

20. United States neoclassical architect (1847-1909).

22. A landlocked mountainous republic insoutheast central Asia north ofAfghanistan.

24. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkaliearth group.

25. An organization of independent states topromote international peace and security.

27. The goddess of the moon.28. (of snakes and eels) Naturally footless.30. A wealthy man (who made his fortune in

the Orient).32. A unit of weight equivalent to 1000 kilo-

grams.34. South American wood sorrel cultivated for

its edible tubers.38. Of or relating to or characteristic of Ireland

or its people.42. An enclosure made or wire or metal bars in

which birds or animals are kept.44. A river of southwestern Africa that rises in

central Angola and flows east and thennorth (forming part of the borderbetween Angola and Congo) and contin-uing northwest through Congo to emptyinto the Congo River on the borderbetween Congo and Republic of theCongo.

45. (the feminine of raja) A Hindu princess orthe wife of a raja.

48. Title for a civil or military leader (especiallyin Turkey).

49. Of or relating to abasia (inability to walk).50. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal

to 10 liters.51. The length of a straight line passing

through the center of a circle and con-necting two points on the circumference.

53. Walk or tramp about.56. English scholastic philosopher and

assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).

58. A cord that is drawn through eyelets oraround hooks in order to draw togethertwo edges (as of a shoe or garment).

59. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.60. Russian writer of plays and novels and

short stories.62. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.64. (used of arms and legs) Bent outward with

the joint away from the body.71. English theoretical physicist who applied

relativity theory to quantum mechanicsand predicted the existence of antimatterand the positron (1902-1984).

74. Lack of sight.75. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.76. Pertaining to or containing or similar to

ammonia.79. The compass point midway between

northeast and east.80. An adult male person (as opposed to a

woman).81. A river in northeastern Brazil that flows

generally northward to the AtlanticOcean.

82. An informal term for a father.

DOWN1. A United Nations agency created by a multi-

national treaty to promote trade by thereduction of tariffs and import quotas.

2. An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measureequal to about a bushel.

3. Dry red table wine from the Rioja region ofnorthern Spain.

4. Any of several plants of the genusCalochortus having tulip-shaped flowerswith 3 sepals and 3 petals.

5. (of music or art) New and of general appeal(especially among young people).

6. Jordan's port.7. Fig tree of India noted for great size and

longevity.8. Used of a single unit or thing.9. Supreme cosmic deity.10. Military action involving the use of electro-

magnetic energy to determine or exploitor reduce or prevent hostile use of theelectromagnetic spectrum.

11. The most common computer memorywhich can be used by programs to per-form necessary tasks while the computeris on.

12. Capital of modern Macedonia.13. One of a pair of long straps (usually con-

nected to the bit or the headpiece) usedto control a horse.

14. Fallow deer.21. A waste pipe that carries away sewage or

surface water.23. Summer cypress.26. A coenzyme derived from the B vitamin

nicotinic acid.29. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.31. A heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent

metallic element (resembles arsenic andantimony chemically).

33. Very sad.35. A strong paper or thin cardboard with a

smooth light brown finish made from e.g.Manila hemp.

36. (Greek mythology) One of the threeGraces.

37. A state of extreme confusion and disorder.39. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.40. A river that rises in northeastern Turkey

(near the source of the Euphrates) andflows generally eastward throughArmenia to the Caspian Sea.

41. In a hasty and foolhardy manner.43. Wild sheep of northern Africa.46. A mass of ice and snow that permanently

covers a large area of land (e.g., the polarregions or a mountain peak).

47. A heavy ductile magnetic metallic ele-ment.

52. Molten rock in the earth's crust.54. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).55. Any of several Old World herbs of the

genus Medicago having small flowers andtrifoliate compound leaves.

57. Large high frilly cap with a full crown.61. An artificial language for international use

that rejects rejects all existing words andis based instead on an abstract analysis ofideas.

63. Any of several tall tropical palms native tosoutheastern Asia having egg-shapednuts.

65. The basic unit of money in Papua NewGuinea.

66. A theocratic republic in the Middle East inwestern Asia.

67. The capital and largest city of Yemen.68. Bound or secured closely.69. An inactive volcano in Sicily.70. Colored or impregnated with dye.72. The rate at which heat is produced by an

individual in a resting state.73. A Chadic language spoken in northern

Nigeria.77. Informal terms for a mother.78. Being one more than one.

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inf or m at ionWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

Dermatology

Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University 23845955

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

INTERNATIONALCALLS

Afghanistan 0093

Albania 00355

Algeria 00213

Andorra 00376

Angola 00244

Anguilla 001264

Antiga 001268

Argentina 0054

Armenia 00374

Australia 0061

Austria 0043

Bahamas 001242

Bahrain 00973

Bangladesh 00880

Barbados 001246

Belarus 00375

Belgium 0032

Belize 00501

Benin 00229

Bermuda 001441

Bhutan 00975

Bolivia 00591

Bosnia 00387

Botswana 00267

Brazil 0055

Brunei 00673

Bulgaria 00359

Burkina 00226

Burundi 00257

Cambodia 00855

Cameroon 00237

Canada 001

Cape Verde 00238

Cayman Islands 001345

Central African 00236

Chad 00235

Chile 0056

China 0086

Colombia 0057

Comoros 00269

Congo 00242

Cook Islands 00682

Costa Rica 00506

Croatia 00385

Cuba 0053

Cyprus 00357

Cyprus (Northern) 0090392

Czech Republic 00420

Denmark 0045

Diego Garcia 00246

Djibouti 00253

Dominica 001767

Dominican Republic 001809

Ecuador 00593

Egypt 0020

El Salvador 00503

England (UK) 0044

Equatorial Guinea 00240

Eritrea 00291

Estonia 00372

Ethiopia 00251

Falkland Islands 00500

Faroe Islands 00298

Fiji 00679

Finland 00358

France 0033

French Guiana 00594

French Polynesia 00689

Gabon 00241

Gambia 00220

Georgia 00995

Germany 0049

Ghana 00233

Gibraltar 00350

Greece 0030

Greenland 00299

Grenada 001473

Guadeloupe 00590

Guam 001671

Guatemala 00502

Guinea 00224

Guyana 00592

Haiti 00509

Holland (Netherlands) 0031

Honduras 00504

Hong Kong 00852

Hungary 0036

Ibiza (Spain) 0034

Iceland 00354

India 0091

Indian Ocean 00873

Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098

Iraq 00964

Ireland 00353

Italy 0039

Ivory Coast 00225

Jamaica 001876

Japan 0081

Jordan 00962

Kazakhstan 007

Kenya 00254

Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965

Kyrgyzstan 00996

Laos 00856

Latvia 00371

Lebanon 00961

Liberia 00231

Libya 00218

Lithuania 00370

Luxembourg 00352

Macau 00853

Macedonia 00389

Madagascar 00261

Majorca 0034

Malawi 00265

Malaysia 0060

Maldives 00960

Mali 00223

Malta 00356

Marshall Islands 00692

Martinique 00596

Mauritania 00222

Mauritius 00230

Mayotte 00269

Mexico 0052

Micronesia 00691

Moldova 00373

Monaco 00377

Mongolia 00976

Montserrat 001664

Morocco 00212

Mozambique 00258

Myanmar (Burma) 0095

Namibia 00264

Nepal 00977

Netherlands 0031

Netherlands Antilles 00599

New Caledonia 00687

New Zealand 0064

Nicaragua 00505

Nigar 00227

Nigeria 00234

Niue 00683

Norfolk Island 00672

N. Ireland (UK) 0044

North Korea 00850

Norway 0047

Oman 00968

Pakistan 0092

Palau 00680

Panama 00507

Papua New Guinea 00675

Paraguay 00595

Peru 0051

Philippines 0063

Poland 0048

Portugal 00351

Puerto Rico 001787

Qatar 00974

Romania 0040

Russian Federation 007

Rwanda 00250

Saint Helena 00290

Saint Kitts 001869

Saint Lucia 001758

Saint Pierre 00508

Saint Vincent 001784

Samoa US 00684

Samoa West 00685

San Marino 00378

Sao Tone 00239

Saudi Arabia 00966

Scotland (UK) 0044

Senegal 00221

Seychelles 00284

Sierra Leone 00232

Singapore 0065

Slovakia 00421

Slovenia 00386

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Zambia 00260

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

l if e s t y l e

M u s i c & M o v i e s

“Ineed a dump truck mama to unload my head,” BobDylan sang on his raucous 1965 B-side “From ABuick 6”. And here’s that brain dump, every note

Dylan recorded in one 14-month burst of creativity. Itcomes in an 18-CD “Ultra-Deluxe” box set - “Bob Dylan: TheCutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol 12”, out inNovember, yours for $599.99. The price and scale of therelease, drawn from such a short period, has jolted fansand left many wondering how much further record compa-nies are prepared to go to mine back catalogues for physi-cal product in this era of mass piracy and streaming.

“Is Bob Dylan’s latest album the craziest box set ever?”the BBC asked on its arts website. There are cheaper 2-CDand 6-CD sets for devotees who still have some sort of gripon reality. But owners of the full version will get 20 (yes, 20)versions of “Like A Rolling Stone”, and 359 takes of othersongs, including studio rejects, rehearsals, false starts and“breakdowns”. The set starts with the first sketches ofDylan’s classic “Bringing It All Back Home” album on Jan 13,1965, speeds through “Highway 61 Revisited”, and ends in a

Denver hotel room, with the poet-performer playing thelast track of his visionary double LP “Blonde on Blonde” onMarch 12, 1966.

Gold dust for true obsessives, you would have thought.But the cost is testing some of his most ardent admirers.“It’s just too rich for my blood. The seven plus hours and110 tracks on the 6-CD set will suffice!” Derek Barker, theeditor of Britain-based Dylan journal ISIS, told Reuters. “I’mnot alone in this. Some fans that up to this point havebought everything Dylan have recoiled at the price ... Do Ireally want 20 takes of ‘One of Us Must Know’?”

Leopard-skin printed spindleMany of the tracks are no doubt already pirated and cir-

culating - a problem Dylan has had since 1969, when fansgot hold of some of his tapes and released them as “TheGreat White Wonder”, seen as the first major rock bootlegrecord. But, try as they might this time, the pirates will nev-er be able to download or stream the Ultra-Deluxe edition’sadded extras - the packaging, nine singles, a 180-pagehardback book, a strip of film cells from an original print of

the tour film “Don’t Look Back” and ... “a leopard-skin print-ed spindle”.

That last one has got to be an in-joke, a reference to“Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”, Dylan’s ode to a ridiculous,over-priced accessory. The critical consensus so far is thatDylan is one of the few artists whose work can take suchscrutiny. Many Dylanologists - particularly those in theUnited States who don’t have to pay the international ship-ping charge - are salivating at the prospect of followingeach step of his studio experiments.

“There are versions of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ that you canwaltz to, or rock to in a rocking chair,” wrote music maga-zine No Depression in a glowing preview. Other tracksinclude Dylan coughing, clearing his throat, laughing withhis bandmates, complaining about the sound. “If thesediscs include Dylan ordering coffee,” wrote one commenteron No Depression’s website, “all the better.” — Reuters

How does it feel ... to own 20 versions of Dylan’s ‘Rolling Stone’?

Bob Dylan

ANew Zealand judge has rejectedAC/DC drummer Phil Rudd’s bid tooverturn a conviction for threatening

to kill an employee, saying his “dark” state ofmind was not a mitigating factor. High Courtjudge Raynor Asher dismissed the 61-year-old’s argument the death threat was simplyan angry phone call that amounted to Rudd“nutting off” on the telephone. “(The) threatwas not a spontaneous outburst; it was amanifestation of a serious intention to intimi-date and at least cause grave fear to the vic-tim,” Asher said in a judgment released yester-day.

He backed the sentence of eight monthshome detention given when Rudd was origi-nally sentenced in July. Rudd had faced up toseven years behind bars for threatening thelife of his former security chief in Septemberlast year. “I accept that he was in a dark placeat the time... However, the fact that he washeavily under the influence of drugs is not amitigating factor,” Asher found. He cast doubton Rudd’s argument that the conviction couldimpact his future earnings with AC/DC, sayingthe Australian drummer’s behavior meant hisrole in the band had already been underthreat.

“It is far from clear that at the time whenthe offending took place there was any placein the band available to Mr. Rudd, given hisdrug addiction and state of mind,” the judgesaid. Since his conviction, AC/DC havereplaced Rudd with Briton Chris Slade ontheir current “Rock or Bust” world tour. Ruddwas arrested last November at his waterfrontmansion in the North Island coastal town ofTauranga. He was allegedly upset about poororganization at a function to launch his soloalbum “Head Job”, calling an associate fourweeks later to say he wanted his securitychief “taken out”, then phoning the man andthreatening his life.

He allegedly offered the associate“NZ$200,000 ($153,000), a motorbike, one ofhis cars or a house”. When police raidedRudd’s home, they found 0.48 grams (0.02ounces) of methamphetamine and 91 grams(3.21 ounces) of cannabis, the documentssaid. Rudd initially faced another charge of“attempting to procure murder”, but it wasdropped after prosecutors decided there wasinsufficient evidence. — AFP Two of music’s top-selling stars have

come together, however briefly, asDrake put out a new song featuring

Beyonce. Drake, the Canadian rapper whohas found massive commercial successthanks in part to surprise releases, broughtin the pop superstar on a song entitled“Can I?” A similar version of the song hadrecently leaked on the Internet but it start-ed airing officially over the weekend onBeats One, Apple’s online radio stationwhere Drake is a major player. The songimmediately fueled speculation on socialmedia that “Can I?” would be part of Drake’seagerly anticipated next album, whoserelease date has not been set.

Despite the big names, “Can I?” runs foronly around two minutes and Beyonce’scontribution is limited to one line-”Can I,baby?”-which she recites repeatedly overone of Drake’s trademark slow, minimalistbeats. Drake in February put out a mixtape,“If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” which isso far the only album released this year to

go platinum, or sell more than one millioncopies, in the United States.

Another mixtape, “What a Time To BeAlive,” performed with fellow rapper Future,came out last month and debuted at num-ber one on the Billboard chart. For bothreleases, Drake gave little prior notice andput them out first on an Apple platform.Beyonce unveiled her blockbuster lastalbum, which was self-titled, on Apple’siTunes in December 2013 without advancewarning. But the release with Drake onApple Music could surprise some fans asBeyonce is closely involved with her rapmogul husband Jay Z in the Tidal streamingservice, which has heavily promoted exclu-sives by her. Beyonce may be repaying afavor after Drake appeared on “Mine,” asong from her latest album about her fearson motherhood. — AFP

Family of lateactor Williamsreach settlementin legal dispute

The widow and children of late Oscar-win-ning actor Robin Williams, who died by sui-cide last year, have reached a proposed set-

tlement after a bitter dispute over his estate,according to court papers. The settlement, filed inSan Francisco Superior Court on Oct 2, dismisseda petition filed by the actor’s widow, SusanSchneider Williams, in December 2014 and bringsan end to a nearly year-long dispute over a list ofover 1,200 items belonging to the late actor. Alawyer for Susan Williams said in a statement onMonday that the settlement was “highly favor-able” and that the home she shared with the lateactor will remain in her trust.

“I feel like Robin’s voice has been heard and Ican finally grieve in the home we shared togeth-er,” Susan Williams said in a statement from herlawyer James Wagstaffe at Kerr & Wagstaffe LLP.“While it was painful to have truckloads of hisbelongings removed from our home, it’s the fewsentimental items I get to hold onto that meaneverything to me. I thank God for this.”

Other details of the proposed settlement, con-tingent on court approval, include Susan Williamskeeping gifts from her 2011 wedding to the lateactor, a watch often worn by him and a bike thecouple bought together on their honeymoon,her lawyer said. The statement added thatWilliams’ three children will receive “more than 50bikes and over 85 watches, as well as thousandsof never-disputed items like Robin Williams’Academy Award statue.” Representatives for theactor’s three children, Zelda, Zachary and CodyWilliams, did not respond to requests for com-ment on Monday.

Susan Williams, who was the late actor’s thirdwife and not the mother of Zelda, Zachary andCody Williams, had said in the petition that someproperty was removed without her permissionafter the actor’s death from the house she hadshared with her husband. In August, attorneys forthe three children filed papers in court sayingSusan Williams was trying to unjustly increase areserve fund dedicated to all recurring costs asso-ciated with the luxury Tiburon, California, home.Williams, star of films such as “Good Morning,Vietnam” and “Mrs Doubtfire,” died aged 63 at thehome in August 2014. His widow said he was suf-fering from the early stages of Parkinson’s diseasealong with severe depression. — Reuters

Beyonce and Drake

Beyonce in briefsuperstar collaboration

Judge dismisses AC/DCdrummer’s appeal

Phil Rudd

Revered for her influence on punk rock, Patti Smith provedherself to be a literary heavyweight as well with her 2010memoir, “Just Kids,” which won the National Book Award for

Nonfiction.Smith delves further into her literary persona in a fol-low-up book, “M Train,” a meditation on memory, loss and herworldwide quest for a perfect cup of coffee. “Just Kids” offered atender account of her relationship with avant-garde photogra-pher Robert Mapplethorpe, in a memoir of artistic and sexual dis-covery but also of the gritty New York of the 1960s and 1970s thatstirred their creative energies. In “M Train,” which came out yester-day, Smith reflects on her life’s other great, late love, rocker Fred“Sonic” Smith of the band MC5, for whom Patti Smith relocated toDetroit after they married in 1980.

She returned to New York with their two children after he diedin 1994. But “M Train” is less tied to a city than “Just Kids.” Insteadthe now 68-year-old Smith goes back into her memories-and herphotographs, many of them reproduced-as she fondly recalls tripsto places as varied as French Guiana, Tangier, Tokyo and Veracruz,the last of which was reputed to have the world’s best coffee. Yet“M Train” is also a book about loss-not only of her husband but ofseemingly unrelated anchors in her life, including a club devotedto the study of Alfred Wegener, the German scientist best knownfor the Continental Drift theory, and a cafe in Greenwich Villagewhere Smith every morning would sit at the same table and orderblack coffee and brown toast with olive oil.

Upset over a lost coat that bore sentimental value, Smith asksin turn, “Do our lost possessions mourn us,?” wondering if the coatremembered their times “asleep on buses from Vienna to Prague,nights at the opera, walks by the sea.” “Why is it that we lose thethings we love, and things cavalier cling to us and will be the

measure of our worth after we’re gone?” she writes.

A writer before rocker Absent from “M Train” is virtually any direct mention of Smith’s

music, from her 1975 album “Horses,” which is often rankedamong rock’s most influential, to her best-known song, “Becausethe Night.” Unlike so many rock memoirists, Smith has no interestin boasting of excesses. In “M Train,” she obliquely refers to showsas “jobs” and, to explain how in 1978 she was able to lease a build-ing in New York, writes that she “came into a little money.” “I feel

embarrassed when people call me a musician,” Smith saidSaturday night at The New Yorker Festival ahead of the book’srelease.

Smith told the event that she can “play a few chords,” but thatshe ultimately considered herself a “performer” whose skill wasworking up crowds. Smith, who grew up in working-class south-ern New Jersey, said that neither of her parents completed highschool but belonged to a generation that considered readingtheir entertainment. Her father, she said, would casually quoteAristotle. Smith’s own literary aspirations were born after her child-hood discovery of French doomed poet Arthur Rimbaud, and shehas long published her own verse along with music.

More books on way Smith, explaining why she wrote the latest book, joked

Saturday that her late husband was envious of the attention toMapplethorpe via “Just Kids.” Smith said she had further books inprogress including a companion to “Just Kids” that would focus onmusic. Merging her literary and musical sides, she is following therelease of “M Train” with a concert tour of Europe and the UnitedStates to mark the 40th anniversary of “Horses.”With her love oftravel, Smith was asked if New York remained her home. She saidthat she did not feel fully at home anywhere, but returned to oneof her book’s themes. For all of the city’s drawbacks, Smith said, aNew Yorker rarely has to walk more than a block for a cup of cof-fee. — AFP

Patti Smith wades into memory and loss in literary sequel

After the bold and sizzling colors of summerthat stood out with a bling; Carpisa, interna-tionally renowned and Italy’s favorite bag

designer, offers styles that nod to the global trendsto stay chic all of autumn/winter 2015.

With a definite guide of styles, Carpisa keeps itsuave and simple with bucket bags, box bags, cross-body, backpacks, saddle bags along with clutchesand many more to tempt us through the season.Embodying Italian-chic; strong lines with accentuat-ed patterns focus on timeless elegance while a mat-te play of colors hint at a modest and sassy season.Being a woman’s most trusted accessory; Carpisadolls up a practical play of canvas colors to matchthe dark toned dressing that usually winters have tooffer. The palette never looked as beautiful, as black-noire, purple, grey, beige, indigo and cherry brownsusher in gorgeous contrasts, stitched detailing and

pattern prominence to the entire range.The season seems totally hip with shoulder bags

that have been designed in fashion-forward yetfunctional shapes and sizes to style seasonal silhou-ettes take center-stage. Featuring much structurewith distinct highlights such as metal embellish-ments, tassels and buckles; this range reflects sheersophistication through styles such as Luxury, GlamMatelasse and Chains to add the perfect amount ofdimension to every autumn look. Clutches continueto be a huge trend as Second Skin and ChristmasLucid in incredible designs make way for handypieces with a strong appeal. While mostly clutchescome without any straps; Carpisa rings in a wel-come change with slip through straps to allow bet-ter grip. Trends such as Color Block, Sporty Chic andPretty color play substantial to put up perfect pro-fessional styling.

Attaining perfect synthesis of internationalcharm along with Penelope Cruz’s irresistible sensu-ality; Carpisa plays supreme host to the diva’sdesigns that can be defined as eclectic and chic. Thepreciousness of the collection is characterized bymodern silhouettes, polished finishes with a touchof oomph for the urbane. Luxurious materials withembellished offsets stand true to Penelope’s explo-sive personality that will also enhance your classystyle quotient.

Allowing smart options to the unassuminglyorganized fashionistas from modern days; Carpisahas unveiled most stylish yet functional range inaccessories organizer and make-up kits. Easy tostack and carry; the organizers are designed inattractive red and black colors to make it more uni-versal in appeal. Whether it’s carrying your dailyessentials or packing must-haves for an overseas

trip; these are a definite for those who like theirthings sorted and well-placed. An assortment oflust worthy arm candy; Treat yourself to the latestcollection at The Avenues- The Mall.

Capitulate to simple and elegant fashion with Carpisa this fall 2015

In this April 28, 2012, file photo Robin Williams,right, and his wife, Susan Schneider arrive to the2012 Comedy Awards in New York. — AP

US singer and songwriter Patti Smith performs during the40th Paleo Festival Nyon in Nyon, the biggest open-airfestival in Switzerland and one of Europe’s major musicalevents. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

F a s h i o n

l if e s t y l e

Celebrities and unexpectedshoes hit Paris Fashion Week

Sport stars Lewis Hamilton and Maria Sharapova werethe apt glitterati at Stella McCartney’s kinetic show inParis Monday, as Salma Hayek rocked Saint Laurent’s

Nineties-nostalgia evening show in midnight black. Hereare the highlights of Monday’s spring-summer 2016 ready-to-wear shows.

These (rubber) boots are made for (runway) walkingThis is the season of the unexpected shoe. Fashion insti-

tution Saint Laurent has been taken in an intriguing newdirection with the tenure of French-born, Italian-Tunisiandesigner Hedi Slimane. This season, irreverent Slimanetwinned the sacred Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo - the onethat broke-boundaries in fashion and changed genderstereotypes for all eternity - with plain old, rubber boots.The type you dance about in at muddy festivals. Love it orhate it, they’re going to jump off the shelves.

US Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington was seenrather furiously scribbling on a notepad during the showwhile wearing equally low-key leopard plimsolls. Hermes’designer Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski is also catching on tothe unexpected-shoe trend. The luxury giant shockedmany by showcasing plain sneakers as part of their spring-summer collection.

Hedi Slimane’s nineties festival revivalIt all pointed to the same thing. Baggy gray knit

sweaters with crumpled sleeves, short sparkling discodresses with baggy coats of the same length, alongsidetiger motif sweaters, denim minis and sparkling tiaras.Saint Laurent’s spring-summer collection was the Nineties:grunge, mud, warts and all. In case anyone was in doubt,the so-British rubber boots demonstrated that all this wasabout the rise of music festivals during the period ofgrunge where millions learnt the art of dancing in a field.But the ‘68 looks were also so much more.

The collection was Slimane’s most exhaustive to date -taking in the glamorous ‘90s split-leg dress, as well as hissignature penchant for the snake and leopard of theSeventies and Eighties, with a fabulous ostrich wrap. Onestylish but incongruous Regency-style floral dress buckedeverything and made it look like eagle-eyed Slimane hadraided his local second-hand shop for inspiration.

Models present creations for Saint Laurent during the 2016 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show in Paris. — AP/AFP photos

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

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Stella Mccartney’s kinesisThe fashion invite had “STELLA” emblazoned in shimmering gold on brass knuckles. So

when Stella McCartney’s collection exploded Monday morning with color, stripes andmovement it came as no surprise. Bold, masculine checks in fluid silhouettes opened -with a gentler feminine edge provided by subtle plays on transparencies. Contrast colorpleated dresses swung by on models with exposed shoulders in bars of bright blue, springgreen, chili red and pink. The hemlines bounced elastically revealing flashes of leg, to abooming soundtrack with the refrain “Spandex” on repeat. It was a point not lost onchuckling fashionistas as the expensive silk gowns filed by inside Paris’ palatial OperaGarnier.

Models present creations by Stella McCartney.

Models present creations by Alexander McQueen’s Spring-Summer 2016 ready-to-wear fashion collection.

Alexander Mcqueen softens slightlyIt was the masculine soldier versus the feminine heroine

in Sarah Burton’s historic fairytale of a ready-to-wear show.The fierceness that’s been the British designer’s touchstonein recent seasons was here in droves in the 41-pieceAlexander McQueen collection, with chainmail dresses inblack and white stripes, 1800s red British military tailcoats,as well as crisscross chains and medals. But it balanced outwell in a softer collection than normal - that showcased thefloral dresses and silhouettes of Regency or VictorianEngland, worthy of Jane Austen. Fluttery silk and cottondresses in oyster with layers and tassels had a nice nostal-gic, crumpled texture as if taken out of an old chest. TightVictorian coats followed floral gowns with floaty frills, andsome that mirrored the Empire-style with high waists andopen circular shoulders. It was a nice new direction.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

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Giambattista valli mixes it upFlowers, colors, retro edges, sporty miniskirts, and long sweeping organza gowns all

went into the creative pot for one of the most diverse collections Giambattista Valli hasproduced in seasons. The Italian-born designer channeled the Sixties, a vibe that has beenubiquitous on the Paris catwalk ever since Nicolas Ghesquiere baptized it as his debut atLouis Vuitton last year. Crisp, white A-line minis were served up with stylish roman sandalson models with Twiggy-like center-partings.

Tight, sleeveless floral tops with floppy, round retro lapels, high embellished collars andchic silk neckties all added to the Swinging Sixties vibe. The divergence of color, patternand styles ensured it was a saleable collection, but the talented Valli might have reined inthe 46-piece affair to add focus. Nevertheless, the final look - a sweeping yellow silkEmpire-line gown with floral Renaissance panels in the bust - shows exactly why he’s ared-carpet favorite.

HERMES’ dramatic face changeThe sophomore outing for new Hermes designer

Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski confirms a change of face - apared down, at times sanitized collection Monday thatdiverged from the huggable, layered coziness we’ve cometo associate with the powerhouse synonymous with luxu-ry. Feminine and simple designs in black and white beganthe collection - baggy pants, loose hanging silhouettes andA-line minis. A dalliance in check then spawned some -shock! - workaday sneakers in white, which recurredthroughout the collection in hues of red and blue. Assports vibe infused most of the looks - round sporty collars,lots of white, and a rich cobalt leather dress with a sportsvest at the top. The show turned up the luxury factor as itprogressed - in some beautiful leathers and suedes. — AP

Models present creations by Giambattista Valli. Models present creations by Hermes.

37Celebrities and

unexpected shoes hitParis Fashion Week

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015

A migrant woman sleeps in front of graffiti illustrating an eye at the port of Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos, yesterday. — AFP

Elvis Presley’s goldgrand piano, Beatles

drum skin up for auction

Elvis Presley’s gold-leaf grand piano is expected tofetch more than half a million dollars at aNovember auction that will also feature a Beatles

logo drum skin used by the British group in their firstperformances in the United States. Julien’s Auctionssaid on Monday that Presley played the piano at hisGraceland mansion. He bought it in 1955 as a gift forhis mother. After she died, Presley’s wife Priscilla decid-ed to adorn its original walnut finish with 24 karatgold-leaf as a gift for the couple’s first weddinganniversary in 1968.

The piano has been on display at the Country MusicHall of Fame in Nashville for years. Julien’s estimates itwill fetch between $500,000 - $700,000 at the Nov 7auction. It is being sold by a man who obtained it yearsago from Graceland and wishes to remain anonymous.The auction house has put no estimate on the skinfrom the drum kit played by Ringo Starr when TheBeatles performed live on “The Ed Sullivan Show” inNew York in 1964 for some 73 million TV viewers.

The drum head also was used for The Beatles 1964concerts in Washington D.C. and New York’s CarnegieHall. It then passed onto the late Beatles manager,Mal Davis, before making its way to a private collec-tor. A spokeswoman said the drum skin, which bearsThe Beatles signature logo with a dropped “T,” was sounique that it was difficult to put a price on it. Onlythe skin is up for auction, not the entire drum. Elvisand Beatles memorabilia is among the most soughtafter by rock music collectors but prices don’t com-pare to those paid for movie stars like MarilynMonroe, whose iconic white “subway dress” from the1955 movie “The Seven year Itch” sold for $4.6 millionin 2011. — Reuters

This undated photo provided by Julien’s Auctionsshows Elvis Presley’s gold-leaf piano on display atThe Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville,Tennessee. — AFP

No-carve Autumn pumpkins with styleWhile some people can’t wait to get out the carving

knife, there are lots of alternative ways to dress up aHalloween pumpkin. “No carving means less mess,”

says Katherine Parker, senior digital editor of Better Homesand Gardens magazine. She suggests painting the pumpkinblack before adding cardstock features that will appeal toyoungsters. “A tail, ears or bat wings can transform a plainpumpkin into a cute, festive creature.”

Other kid-friendly ideas? Swath your pumpkin in pieces ofcheesecloth to create a mummy, or clad it in silvery blue paintalong with some faux rhinestones and a plastic tiara for a“Frozen” jack-o’-lantern. Parker says paint pens are an eveneasier way to decorate pumpkins. “Arrange different-size sten-ciled pumpkins to create a vignette - like a cat chasing mice,or a spooky message.”

For a Gothic, slightly racy look, take a bare pumpkin andapply a black lace stencil. An intricate doily or piece of tullewould create pretty stenciled patterns. Or simply wrap an oldpair of fishnet or lace tights around the pumpkin and add asilky bow at the stem.

Go seasonally stylish, without overtly referencingHalloween, by painting your pumpkin and then embellishing

it with stripes, chevrons or polka dots in fall hues. Thinkchocolate brown on cream; carmine on deep yellow; black onwhite; copper on indigo. An all-black pumpkin decorated withtiny sequins or crystals in a celestial design creates late-nightdrama without the scare factor.

Get out the glue gun and add inky black gemstones, glitteror feathers for a custom version of those glammed-up, store-bought pumpkins. Or wrap your pumpkin from stem to basein vertical strips of paper, ribbon, yarn or washi tape in a fun,fashion-forward design.

Go right outside the traditional Halloween box by paintingyour pumpkins in an unusual color - think navy or smoke orolive - and consider a matte rather than glossy paint to up thestyle ante. Wrap stems in velvety chenille yarn or metallicthread. If you’ve got any extra wide-based pillar candle orcake stands at home, you’re all set to elevate your creations;spray-paint them glossy black for extra punch.

Whether you’re having a party or just went to send greet-ings of the season, mini pumpkins are a great vehicle. Wrapstems with greenery, colorful twine and a little message orinvite tag for the perfect “pumpkintine.”If you aren’t crafty,there are some striking jack-o’-lanterns in stores this season.

Add shimmer and shine to your Halloween display withPottery Barn’s lacy glass-mosaic pumpkins, or ones coveredwith hand-blown glass dots on antiqued silver. Both can befilled with LED lights. Another version, made of orange orblack epoxy, comes with the lights already inside.

Homegoods has pumpkins made of various natural materi-als, such as twigs, seed pods and vines. Some are dyed invibrant fall hues and they have interesting textures. Ironforged into jack-o’-lantern shapes gives Crate & Barrel’s lumi-naries a modern vibe; use them indoors as floor or manteldecor with graphic punch.

Grandin Road’s got snazzy, black-and-gold harlequin andpolka-dot patterned pumpkins, as well as pre-lit grapevinepumpkins. At Pier 1, there’s an oddly appealing mashup ofseasonal decor in a black faux pine garland festooned withglittery faux pumpkins and glass balls. — AP

In this photo provided by Pottery Barn, LED lights illuminate an array of mercury glassand resin pumpkins for a festive Halloween without dealing with the mess of carving.

In this photo provided by Pier 1 Imports, a fun mashup of seasonal decor, this black pinegarland from Pier 1 is embellished with orange pumpkins and ornaments, making it agreat Halloween mantel or table decoration.

This photo provided by HomeGoods shows a wovenpumpkin. — AP photos

This photo provided by HomeGoods shows a white pump-kin made of wooden petals and natural twigs.

This photo provided by HomeGoods shows a twig pump-kin.