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Turaiji slams KIA chiefover press statement

Big dreams but little action for Manila’s traffic nightmare

Costa checks 10-man Arsenal’s title charge

Egypt president praises 2011 uprising, urges patience

MPs reject building of new churches in KuwaitPanel approves 75% govt ownership in Kuwait Airways

By B Izzak and Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: The Municipality has initially approved requeststo build new churches in Kuwait, but faces oppositionfrom lawmakers and councilors. Islamist lawmakerAhmad Al-Azemi yesterday said he and other MPs willreject the plan because this contradicts Islamic sharialaws. He said his rejection is based on constitutional andreligious grounds since Islam is the official religion of thecountry and the main source of legislation, adding thatIslamic scholars are unanimous in banning the buildingof non-Muslim worship places in the Arabian Peninsula.

Azemi’s statement came after a top Municipality offi-cial said in comments yesterday that the municipality hasallocated a number of sites for the construction ofchurches in the country. The official also said that thedecision to approve the allocations will be made by theMunicipal Council. The head of the council’s technicalcommittee Fahd Al-Sane said that the committee had notyet received any such request.

Council member and head of the Ahmadi committeeMane Al-Ajmi said that he was against building churchesin Kuwait because of the awqaf ministry’s fatwas againstit. Head of the Capital committee Hassan Kamal said thatthe topic was not yet discussed by the council and that ifall needed documents were in order, the municipality’sprimary approval would be taken into consideration.

There are several churches in Kuwait, while somechurches are operating from leased houses. MP Azemiurged the government against taking decisions that arenot accepted by Kuwait’s conservative society.

Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Twenty people who were injured in anunder-construction school building in Sabah Al-Ahmad City have been taken to four hospitals bymedevac planes and ambulances, the Health Ministrysaid yesterday. Injuries varied between bruises, spine,

head and thigh fractures, Assistant Undersecretary ofthe Health Ministry for Supportive Medical ServicesDr Jamal Al-Harbi told KUNA.

Earlier, State Minister of Housing Yasser Abulwarned that anyone found negligent in the school

collapse would face legal and administrative punish-ment. After attending a meeting with the parliament,Abul said that the Public Authority for HousingWelfare will investigate the incident. Wishing those

Continued on Page 13

20 workers injured in school collapse KUWAIT: Injured workers are seen after an under-construction school building collapsed yesterday.

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s foreign ministry summoned SaudiArabia’s ambassador to Baghdad yesterday to protesthis “interference” in the country’s internal affairs overremarks on militia forces fighting the Islamic Stategroup. Thamer Al-Sabhan is the first Baghdad-basedSaudi ambassador in a quarter century, but while fulldiplomatic relations are restored, there is still significanthostility to Riyadh in some quarters and there havealready been calls for the envoy’s expulsion.

The foreign ministry summoned Sabhan “to informhim of its official protest regarding his media statementsthat represented interference in Iraqi internal affairs”, itsaid in a statement. Sabhan said in interview with Al-

Sumaria television that the Hashed al-Shaabi paramili-tary forces, which are dominated by Iran-backed Shiitemilitias, are not wanted in Sunni Arab and Kurdish areasas “they are not accepted by the sons of Iraqi society”.

In a separate statement, the ministry said the foreignministers of both countries had met yesterday on thesidelines of a conference in Bahrain and rejectedSabhan’s remarks. “The Saudi foreign minister said thesestatements do not reflect the official position of thekingdom towards brotherly Iraq,” the statement said.There was no immediate report of the minister’s com-ments on the Saudi state news agency.

Continued on Page 13

Iraq summons Saudi envoy

SIDI BOU SAID, Tunisia: This file photo shows a Chinese tourist taking pictures on March 19, 2015 in thisvillage some 20 km northeast of Tunis, a day after an attack on the Bardo National Museum in theTunisian capital. — AFP

MADRID: Arab nations are looking to Chinese visitors torevive their tourism sectors, battered by security fears,and also need to develop homegrown tourism as a life-line, ministers from the region say. Bookings to nationsin North Africa and the Middle East, which had beenrecovering after the Arab Spring unrest, fell last year fol-lowing deadly attacks claimed by Islamic extremists inTunisia and Egypt that caused foreigners to shun beach-es and historic sites across the region.

But visitor numbers from China to Egypt soared lastyear despite a series of security blows to the country’skey tourism sector in 2015 because the governmentbegan to allow charter flights from the Asian country,

Egyptian Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said. Thenumber of Chinese visitors to Egypt more than doubledfrom 60,000 in 2014 to 135,000 in 2015, “in a year inwhich we suffered a lot”, he said at a conference ontourism policies in Arab nations at the Madrid interna-tional tourism fair Fitur, which wrapped up yesterday.

In September eight Mexican tourists were mistakenlykilled by Egyptian security forces in the vast WesternDesert. The following month a Russian airliner crashedin the Sinai desert shortly after taking off from the RedSea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people onboard.

Continued on Page 13

Arab nations eye China, locals to revive tourism

Record 3m people visited Qatar in 2015

L O C A LMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Amir to attend flaghoisting ceremony

KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown PrinceSheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahreceived yesterday at Seif Palace the presi-dential advisor of the Saudi Commissionfor Tourism and Antiquities Abdullah BinMohammed Al Al-Sheikh, as well asKuwait’s Ambassador to Mexico SameehJohar Hayat. Earlier, His Highness theCrown Prince received His Highness thePrime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of Amiri DiwanAffairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and First Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

His Highness the Crown Prince alsoreceived First Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of Defense SheikhKhaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, Deputy PrimeMinister, Finance Minister and Acting OilMinister Anas Al-Saleh and Minister ofInformation and Minister of State for YouthAffairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah. —KUNA

Crown Prince receives Saudi official

KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receives the presidential advisor of the Saudi Commission for Tourismand Antiquities Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah willattend and inaugurate a flag hoistingceremony at Bayan Palace today. Theevent, due to be held at 10:30 am, willalso be attended by His Highness theCrown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah and senior state offi-cials, according to an Amiri Diwanstatement.

Meanwhile, His Highness the CrownPrince is set to patronize the trophy-giving ceremony of the Horse RacingChampionship at Kuwait’s Hunting andEquestrian Club for the 2015-2016 sea-son. Hunting and Equestr ian ClubChairman Sheik h Dhari Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah will represent HisHighness the Crown Prince at theevent, to be held at 5:00 pm.—KUNA

Ghanem rejects Iranian speaker’s statements against Saudi ArabiaSpeaker urges ‘Islamic battle’ against terrorism

BAGHDAD: National Assembly SpeakerMarzouq Ali Al-Ghanem yesterday objected astatement by Iranian counterpart Ali Larijaniagainst Saudi Arabia, during the 11th confer-ence of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC(PUIC) member states in Baghdad.

If the Saudi delegation is not present at the

conference, “I, personally, and the Kuwaiti del-egation, represent Saudi Arabia, and will notunder any conditions accept interference inthe Kingdom’s internal affairs,” Ghanem toldthe conference, quashing Larijani’s statement.Ghanem stressed that the aim of the PUICBaghdad conference is to bolster a unity dis-course, not a divisive one.

Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Salim Al-Jabouri is presiding over the gathering, whichis attended by delegations from more than 40countries, among them parliament speakersfrom Kuwait, Syria, Iran, Somalia, Tunisia,Turkey, Algeria, Pakistan, Mali and the Sudan.Iraqi President Fuad Massoum and PrimeMinister Haider Al-Abadi are attending theevent, together with senior officials and Araband foreign envoys to the country.

Cultural battleAddressing the conference, Ghanem called

for waging an “Islamic cultural battle” againstgrowing terrorism. “As no country is now safefrom terrorism, time is ripe for an Islamic cul-tural battle against this surging phenomenon,”he said. He added that since terrorism couldhit any country, all-out cooperation amongMuslim countries against this phenomenonhas become a religious, moral and humanduty. “This cooperation cannot be restricted tosecurity, though significant, as it should be acultural one armed with science, justice, devel-

opment, democracy, transparency, good gov-ernance, culture of human rights and teach-ings of the great Islamic religion,” he said.

“We have to defeat terrorism by waging ourreal wars on illiteracy, ignorance, poverty,inequity, injustice, administrative backward-ness, bureaucracy and corruption...the warswhich we can wage through our parliaments,judiciaries, universities, libraries and researchcenters,” he noted. However, the speakerwarned that while terrorism is growing in Iraq,Syria, Yemen, Libya and Egypt’s Sinai and otherareas, the central Palestinian issue should notbe forgotten.

Threat to IslamIn his opening address to the 11th PUIC

conference, Iraq’s chief parliamentarianJabouri urged the Muslim states to countersectarianism and terrorism “that came tothreaten Islam as a whole.” He said that theongoing conflict in the region is perilous,resulting from disputes among regional pow-ers, and embroiled other countries, directly orindirectly.

Jabouri called for an overall settlement ofthe issue of the region through “some conces-sions” to realize, and guarantee regional andinternational peace and security. In the mean-time, he urged the international community tooffer assistance to Iraq in the face of “terror-ism” which has deeply hurt the country, before

further losses could be caused and a “disasteroccurs.” He also stressed the dire need for anational reconciliation in Iraq, through tolera-tion among all spectrums of the society.

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Fuad Massoumurged the Muslim countries to extend furthersupport to Iraq which is “facing a fierce attack”that distorts Islam and fuels sectarianism todivide Muslims, and arouse trouble with fol-lowers of other religions, he said.

Iraq, which is facing “terrorism putting on areligion cloak,” is defending itself and theentire world, Massoum added, noting that hiscountry has recently taken the initiative todefeat “terrorists and takfiris.” (takfiri: is anArabic word that indicates rejection of reli-gious beliefs of the same sect or another.)

Preparatory meetings for the conferencewere held as of last Thursday, and the confer-ence wraps up meetings today. On Saturday,President of the Arab Inter-ParliamentaryUnion (AIPU) and Speaker of Kuwait’s NationalAssembly Marzouq Al-Ghanem chaired ameeting of the Arab Group in PUIC.

Representatives’ electionDuring the meeting, Ghanem declared the

agenda of the meeting, including election ofrepresentatives of the Arab Group in the PUICpermanent committees, and shortly laterordered suspension of the session for 10 min-utes to enable participants hold deliberations.

The conferees, after resumption of the ses-sion, elected by consensus Algeria, Lebanon,Sudan and Saudi Arabia as members of theexecutive committee. Mauritania, Palestine,Morocco and the UAE were chosen for thecommission of political affairs and externalrelations.

Morocco, Bahrain, Iraq and Djibouti weregiven membership in the committee of eco-nomic affairs and environment. Mauritania,Jordan, Kuwait and Tunisia for the committeeof human rights, women and family, whileSyria, Oman, Egypt and Libya for the culturalaffairs committee. Then, Ghanem called off thesession.

Earlier on Saturday, Ghanem held talks withhis Iraqi counterpart on sidelines of the meet-ing, the Assembly General Secretariat said in astatement released here. The two sides dis-cussed means of boosting bilateral relationsbetween Kuwait and Iraq, particularly at theparliamentary level, main topics on the meet-ing agenda, regional and international issues.

The statement added that Ghanem hadalso held talks with the first vice chairman ofthe Iraqi parliament, Hammam Hammoudi.The two meetings were attended by the sec-ond deputy of the Iraqi speaker, Aram SheikhMohammad, members of the Kuwaiti parlia-mentary caucus taking part in the PUIC meet-ing and the State of Kuwait Ambassador inBaghdad, Ghassan Al-Zawawi. — KUNA

BAGHDAD: National Assembly SpeakerMarzouq Al-Ghanem speaks during the11th conference of the ParliamentaryUnion of the OIC (PUIC) member states inBaghdad. — KUNA

MANAMA: The first ministerial meet-ing of the Arab-India CooperationForum (AICF) held in Bahrain yester-day has reached understandings onseveral regional and internationalissues, as well as bilateral ties.

The Manama Declaration issued bythe meeting stressed the necessity ofconcluding a comprehensive and last-ing settlement for the Arab-Israeliconflict, based on the resolutions ofinternational legitimacy, and the two-state solution, namely establishing anindependent Palestinian state on thepre-June 1967 borders, withJerusalem a capital.

On Syria, the meeting underlinedthe importance of maintaining thecountry’s unity and sovereignty, aswell as concluding a political solutionto the crisis there based on Geneva Iand the two Vienna statements.

The Declaration called for provid-ing further support to the Syria’sneighbors hosting refugees, laudingHis Highness the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for host-ing the First, Second and ThirdInternational Humanitarian PledgingConference for Syria, over the pastthree years.

The Arab and Indian sides reiterat-ed respect of the independence, sov-ereignty and territorial integrity, ofIraq and Libya, as well as the principleof no-interference in their internalaffairs. They condemned violencecommitted by terrorist groups inboth, especially the so-called IslamicState (IS), against the Iraqi people. Inaddition, the two sides welcomed theSkhirat Agreement seeking a politicalway out for Libya.

Meanwhile, they voiced support tothe Yemeni people’s expectations forfreedom, democracy and social jus-tice, reiterating significance of fullcommitment to the country’s inde-pendence, sovereignty and territorialintegrity, as well as no-interference inits internal affairs.

Moreover, the Declaration, reaf-firmed the relevant UN SecurityCouncil resolutions supporting thelegitimate government, and in themeantime, condemning unilateralmeasures by the Houthis that under-mine political transition in the coun-try. The AICF ministerial meeting,expressed support to peaceful efforts,including those exerted by the UAE toreach a political solution to the coun-try’s three islands sized by Iran.

In addition, they stressed that rela-tions between the Arab countries andIran have to be based on the princi-ples of good-neighborliness and nointerference in the internal affairs of

each other, as well as respect of inde-pendence, sovereignty and territorialintegrity, in addition to settling dis-putes through peaceful channels inline with the UN Charter and theInternational Law.

The Manama Declaration con-demned the aggression that tookplace earlier this month on the Saudiembassy in Tehran and the Kingdom’sconsulate in Mashhad. They also heldthe Iranian authorities fully responsi-ble for the protection of the diplomat-ic premises.

Executive programKuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister

Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah stressedthat the meeting has developed har-mony and agreement on manyregional and international issues suchas terrorism, Syria, Yemen and Libya.Jarallah told Kuwait News Agency(KUNA) after the conclusion of themeeting that all these issues whichwere discussed with the Indian sidewere understood as they expressedtheir willingness to work with theArab side to face these challenges.

He pointed out that the existenceof an executive program between thetwo parties, besides the ManamaDeclaration, which was approvedtogether, will constitute a future roadmap for the Arab and the Indiangroups. The minister added that theArab group has a special historicalrelations with India, due to the aware-ness of India’s importance on theregional and global level.

Meanwhile, Jarallah noted that theArab countries are working tostrengthen cooperation with India inmany fields, due to India’s enormouseconomic bloc which can create eco-nomic and commercial relations withthe Arab countries.

Fight against terrorismJarallah had stressed the impor-

tance of Arab-Indian dialogue as apath to cooperation on the fightagainst terrorism and issues of mutualconcern. “Recent developments inSyria, Libya and Yemen, the tensionbetween Iran and Saudi Arabia andincreasing international terroristattacks are threatening security andstability everywhere,” Jarallah saidduring the ministerial meeting.

The minister also mentioned therecent attacks on the Saudi Embassyin Iran, and the Iranian occupation ofEmirati islands that is leading to fur-ther tension in the region. “We Arabslook forward to cooperate with Indiain facing such challenges and benefit-ting from the country’s role in resolv-

ing international issues,” the officialsaid.

Jarallah also noted the strong his-torical ties between Kuwait and Indiaon all levels. He also added that tradeexchange between the two countriesis currently estimated at $18 billiondollars. Moreover, the two sides sharea strong economic partnership, astrade balance between them hasjumped from about $5 billion in 2011to about $50 billion in 2014, said theminister.

$200 billionIn the meantime, Bahraini Minister

of Foreign Affairs Khalid bin AhmedAl-Khalifa said that trade exchangebetween the GCC states and India wasrecorded at $200 billion in 2014. TheFM, meanwhile, stressed on theimportance creating further coopera-tion between the two sides. He alsocalled for expanding permanent andnon-permanent membership in theSecurity Council, to equally allow allworld powers to represent theirregions and play effective roles inresolving issues.

Furthermore, Secretary General ofthe Arab League Nabil Al-Arabyhoped India would play a role in sup-porting Arabs’ efforts in thePalestinian Cause. Israel is violatingholy monuments including mosquesin Palestine and expanding its settle-ments, he said, adding that interna-tional laws issued on the case are notyet implemented or respected byIsrael.

No mediationSpeaking to reporters on the side-

lines of the meeting, Saudi ForeignMinister Adel Al-Jubeir said that thesituation of Saudi-Iranian relationsdoes not require mediation as Iranknows well what it exactly should do.

Jubeir said several countries haveasked to act as facilitators betweenRiyadh and Tehran, but “there is noneed for that as Saudi Arabia knowsits own position very well and Iranalso knows what it is required to do”.

“Once Iran does what it should do,there will be no need for mediation,”he said, accusing Tehran of support-ing terrorism, adopting hostile poli-cies against the Arab world, poking itsnose into the affairs of Arab countriesand fomenting sectarian strife.

The Saudi foreign minister reiterat-ed that several Iranian officials andorganizations are involved in terroristactivities. He urged Iran to change itspolicies in dealing with its neighborsand to observe the principle of good-neighborliness instead. —KUNA

Arab-Indian ministers’ meeting reachesunderstandings on regional, int’l issues

L O C A LMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Law can be a very negative career and that isbecause when things get tough, the toughestget a lawyer! Something that is very difficult

for many lawyers dealing with family disputes. Noone wants to see a family split up or argue. It is ahorrible sight and I can only imagine how muchharder it is for the family members to find a lawyerand understand the actions and consequences. Iam not a professional at family law but there is anincreasing concern as divorce statistics rise tounprecedented levels in Kuwait. I have been get-ting a lot of inquiries and therefore I decided to puttogether the most common basic concerns andanswer them from a practical point of view and notnecessary theoretical and as always I have carefullychosen simpler words that are not necessary diplo-matic or legal, but are understood by the generallayman and therefore the most amount of readerscan benefit from this article.

Divorce without noticeQuestion: My husband and I split up a long time

ago. He keeps threatening me with divorce. I heardin Kuwait a man can divorce a woman without herpresence is this true? How do I know if a divorcehas been filed against me?

Fajer: When one of the parties involved files fordivorce, the other party is notified through an actu-al physical paper that I will refer to as a notice. Thenotice is delivered to your address were you willneed to sign that you have received the docu-ments. If, for some reason the notice did not reachyou, or let’s say someone signed on your behalf,you could always go to the Ministry of Justice andcheck if there is any case against you and this goesfor all other cases and not just divorce.

Length and counselorsQuestion: I also heard that divorce generally

takes a very long time, is that true? What should Iexpect?

Fajer: It really depends on the circumstances. Ifthere was any physical abuse, if there are kidsinvolved, the court where you married, if the hus-band and wife are agreeing to disagree or not andso on.

Something to keep in mind though is that thejudge will not look into the divorce without refer-ring you to a marriage counselor first. There is ateam of experienced professional counselors thataim to have both parties work on the marriage.Sometimes a partner doesn’t want to cooperate orboth parties agree not to go to counseling, if that’sthe case then a paper is signed by both parties andis taken back to the court where the proceedingswould start. I know quite a few married couple whowere determined to obtain a divorce but came outof the marriage counseling program to reevaluatetheir marriage.

After counseling the case is taken to court, thedivorce settlement is purely for the divorce, it won’tinclude other disputes like custody of a child, mon-ey settlements and so on. If there is no cooperationfrom both sides if can take a really long time, up toa year, if not longer.

Dowry and settlementsQuestion: When we first married I was told that I

will receive a dowry from my husband and also apayment of money should we get divorced, is thistrue?

Fajer: This depends on what you agreed uponwhen you got married. It should be stated clearlyon your marriage certificate. For example let’s sayyou agreed to KD 1,000 as a dowry and anotherKD 1,000 should you get divorced. Theseamounts are to be paid by the husband to hiswife. If your husband did not pay you, you can filea lawsuit to obtain these amounts. Please notethat this is a separate case all together. Separateof the divorce, therefore most lawyers will chargeextra fees to do so.

Expat wives and visa issuesQuestion: I am not a Kuwaiti citizen but I have

been married to a Kuwait man and now that we arefiling for divorce I am worried about my legal sta-tus/visa, how can I keep my visa, if my husband isno longer my sponsor?

This question also depends on whether youhave children and whether you are their sponsor,then obtaining a visa should be easier. But let’sassume you don’t have children and once thedivorce is finalized your former husband will nolonger be your sponsor, what can you do?Unfortunately in this scenario you will have toobtain a working visa to stay in Kuwait. You willhave a few months after your divorce to changeyour status.

I hope the questions above helped answeringthe basic inquiries of divorce, I will get into thedetails of child custody in a near future post.

For any legal questions or queries, emailask@fajerthelawyer.com.

Common questions

regarding divorce

in Kuwait

Legalese

By Attorney Fajer Ahmed

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Worksannounced yesterday the partial opening ofone of the largest elevated road projects inthe world, the Jahra Road DevelopmentProject. The joint venture of Pace and LouisBerger are the consultants on this mega-project, with The Arab Contractors under-taking the contracting works. The opening,which commences at the intersection ofJahra Road with Al-Jahez Street, and untiljust after the United Nations Roundabout,will significantly ease the flow of traffic inthat area.

Engineer Ahmad Al-Hassan, the AssistantUndersecretary for Road Engineering Affairsat the Ministry of Public Works, commented:“This opening marks a major milestone forthe project, and in Kuwait’s strategic plans toreduce traffic congestion in vital areas. Inaddition to easing the flow of traffic, the par-tial opening will result in road users having agreater ease in movement. The total distanceof the opening extends 4km and is accessi-ble by ramps in both directions, drivers willbe able to bypass the UN roundabout andthe hospital road. Work is ongoing on the

remaining sections of the project.”“We work closely with a number of gov-

ernmental bodies, and for this opening wehave been actively involved with theMinistry of Interior and the GeneralDirectorate of Traffic. Inspections wereundertaken to ensure that all safety stan-dards and necessary opening procedureswere met. With more openings expectedthis year, there will be visible significantimprovements on the Jahra Road and itssurrounding areas,” added YasserBoudastour, Project Engineer at the Jahra

Road Development Project.This mega project involves the construc-

tion of 17.7 km of viaducts (7.3 km of main-line Jahra Road, 2.4 km of bridges on linkedroads and 8.0 km of ramps), including atrough at the 2nd Ring Road intersection, 10pedestrian bridges, and service roads. TheJahra Road project also includes major utilityrelocation and works, such as 3.5 km ofstorm water box culverts, 33 km of waterlines, 8.0 km of sanitary sewer, 51 km of elec-tric cables, and 12 km of communicationducts.

Ministry announces partial

opening of Jahra Road mainline

Ahmad Al-Hassan

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Chairman of the parlia-ment’s public funds protection com-mittee MP Dr Abdullah Al-Turaijislammed statements made by theKuwait Investment Authority’s (KIA)Managing Director Badr Al-Saad, not-ing it was very sarcastic against MPsand their rights to use their constitu-tional tools.

Saad had urged Turaiji in a pressstatement to approach the publicprosecution with accusations in whichthe lawmaker claimed that he sold hisbrother 20 percent of a company’sshares illegally.

Turiaji quickly responded to Saad,saying in a statement: “Will thefinance minister approve such state-ments making fun of lawmakers? WillHis Highness the Prime Ministeraccepts them and will lawmakersthemselves accept them?” Turaijiasked, saying Saad had suddenlyfound himself in a critical situation

due to ‘parliamentary follow-up of hismultiple mistakes and violations’.

“It seems that Saad felt bad aboutthe exposing of his violations. Wehighlighted these violations pendingSaad’s actions to undo them,” added

Turaiji, noting that instead of refutingsuch accusations, Saad used many slo-gans. “How can we trust someonewho has been selling public proper-ties to his brothers and close acquain-tances?” he wondered.

Notably, Saad had earlier called onTuraiji to act upon his keenness onprotecting public funds and the relat-ed law number 1/1993 and file areport to the public prosecutionabout the ‘alleged’ accusations.“According to MP Dr Abdullah Al-Turaiji’s statements, he is not talkingabout suspicions - he is rather talkingabout confirmed facts, which meansthat he alone has all the proofs anddocuments proving a crime, and thushe should respect the oath he madeand show abidance of article 18 of thepublic funds protection law by filing areport with the public prosecution,which is the shortest and most effec-tive way if his goal is to protect publicfunds,” Saad said in a statement dis-tributed to newspapers yesterday.

Turaiji slams KIA official

over press statement

MP Dr Abdullah Al-Turaiji

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Under auspices of Health Minister Dr AliAl-Obaidi and with the attendance of his assis-

tant undersecretary for technical affairs Dr QaisAl-Dowairi, the Ministry of Health (MoH) yester-d ay l a u n c h e d a m o b i l e c l i n i c to b o o s t p u b l i cawareness about diabetes. Notably, diabetes is

one the most serious challenges facing healthfacil it ies in Kuwait, that has been ranked thirdworldwide in the percentage of people with dia-betes.

‘Fintas Group’

case adjournedBy Meshaal Al-Enezi and A Saleh

KUWAIT: The criminal court yesterday adjourned hearing the‘Fintas Group’ case to allow the defendants’ attorney to makehis final argument. Thirteen people including media figures,lawyers and ruling family members are accused in the case ofslandering the government and some state departments. Thenext hearing was set for March 6, 2016.

Scholarships remainThe Civil Services Commission (CSC) strongly denied

rumors about suspending masters and PhD scholarships,underlining that no decision had been made yet in thisregard. The denial was made through CSC’s Twitter account.

Suicide attemptA 44-year-old female citizen was rushed to Jahra Hospital

for treatment after she consumed pesticide in an attempt tokill herself over family disputes. The woman was subjected togastric lavage and survived the attempt, said security sources,noting that a case was filed pending further investigations.

Maid accused of theftA citizen reported that his housemaid vanished after steal-

ing jewelry and cash from his house, said security sources,noting that eyewitnesses said that the maid had taken advan-tage of her sponsors’ absence and let her boyfriend into thehouse before they both disappeared. A case was filed and asearch is on for the suspects.

Mobile clinic boosts diabetes awareness

MANAMA: The Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) isdetermined to restore its market quota by cancellingtransit flights and working on direct ones (point topoint) to its destinations, KAC CEO Rasha Al-Roumi hasaffirmed.

Speaking at a news conference held by the corpora-tion on the sidelines of the 2016 Bahrain InternationalAirshow (BIAS) on Saturday, she added depending ondirect flights will be in favor of all destinations and willcreate a good competition. She revealed that the corpo-ration will appear in a new look to cope with the com-ing period, but will maintain the same slogan.

Asked about the participation in the BIAS, she saidthe company is taking part in such an event for the first

time and this is a new achievement. In a reply toreporters on meeting commitments amid the contin-ued decline in oil prices, Al-Roumi stressed that the cor-poration meets its financial commitments regularlywithout any delay.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Sharhan, a KAC senior offi-cial, said the company’s financial per formanceimproved during 2014 and indicators in 2015 gave bet-ter results, expecting that financial data of 2015 wouldbe announced in February. He revealed that about ten777-300ER passenger aircraft from manufacturerBoeing will arrive in Kuwait next November and 15A320 aircraft in 2019-2022, noting that some 10 A350aircraft will be added to the fleet in 2020-2022. —KUNA

KUWAIT: M inister of State forHousing Affairs Yasser Abul assertedyesterday that housing projects willnot be affected by the rationaliza-tion of the general state budget,especially that the budget for proj-ects included in the developmentplan has already been earmarked.The minister said in a statement toreporters after the parliamentarypriorities committee meeting thatthe electrical work in the new hous-ing projects are ongoing in accor-dance with the agreed schedulewith the Ministry of Electricity andWater.

CPI increased by 3.03%The Consumer Prices Index (CPI)

for the month of December 2015showed an increase of 3.03 percentcompared to the same period of lastyear, the Central Statistical Bureausaid in its repor t yesterday. Themonthly report added that the coun-try’s inflation rate increased duringlast December 0.87 percent com-pared to the previous month.

The monthly price index figuresduring the month of December2015, also recorded in seven majorinfluential groups an increase, whiletwo groups witnessed a decrease,

and another two were stable.

Coupons for needy peopleKuwait Red Crescent Society

(KRCS) yesterday announced itwould distribute coupons on some1,500 needy families inside the coun-try in coordination with the KuwaitAwqaf Public Foundation. KRCS’Chairman Dr Hilal Al-Sayer said thatthe beneficiaries have the option todetermine the cooperative societiesthey need to shop from after theagreement with those co-ops tofacilitate the shopping procedures ofthe beneficiaries. —KUNA

Kuwait determined to operate

direct flights instead of transit

Housing projects unaffected

LOCA LMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The Kuwait International Law Society(KILS) announced the opening of registrationsfor the United Nations Model Conference whichwill be held from March 3 to 5, 2016 at the GulfUniversity for Sciences and Technology (GUST).“KILS is the first professional club founded at theFaculty of Law at Kuwait University and it is anindependent student society that aims toimprove academic work. KILS is not a member ofany student political party in the Faculty of Lawor the National Union of Kuwait Students,” saidNoora Al-Roudhan, President of KILS and head ofthe organizing committee, during a press con-ference.

KILS is the Kuwaiti branch of the InternationalLaw Society which is a global organization. “Thisorganization has a branch in all prestigious uni-versities that teach law around the world, so wethought it should also have a branch here in

Kuwait. KILS was founded in Nov 2012. Theupcoming conference is a mini model and simu-lation of what’s happening in different commit-tees of the UN,” Roudhan added.

Third editionThis will be the third edition of the confer-

ence. “The first edition of this conference washeld in 2014 and only consisted of two commit-tees representing a model of the Arab League.The conference was presented in both Arabicand English, and it discussed the most importantArab issues. Last year’s conference (2015) repre-sented the UN and it included four committees -two in Arabic and two in English - that discussedinternational political events. It was held in coop-eration with the Higher Commissioner of the UNin Kuwait and it took place at their premises. Itwas the first-of-its-kind event hosted there,”explained Roudhan.

This year’s conference is targeting 300 stu-

dents from inside and outside Kuwait. “The stu-dents will be divided in nine committees - fiveArabic and four English. The inaugural sessionwill be held on March 3 at GUST and will beattended by Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-SalemAl-Sabah, who will speak about his diplomaticand political experience as former foreign minis-ter. We also have a parliament committee thatwill hold its first session at the Kuwait parliament,which will be attended by Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem. It will only be attended by Kuwaiti stu-dents,” she pointed out.

Cultural sense“This conference aims to raise the cultural

sense of students about important issues andincrease the oratory skills of participants in frontof the audience, in addition to teaching them theprinciples of debate and convincing the otherparty,” Roudhan said.

The registration to participate in this confer-

KUWAIT: US Ambassador to Kuwait DouglasSilliman visited the Green Flames Gas CompanyBooth at the Horeca Kuwait 2016 exhibition. TheHoreca show was held in Kuwait at the JumeriahBeach Hotel, between the 18-20 of January 2016.The US Ambassador and his wife were pleased forthe activities at the show, stating the importance forsuch a specialized exhibition while enhancing andsupporting the Commercial Trade and theGovernment Development Plan.

Chairman of the company Bashar Al-Qattan hadthe pleasure to greet Silliman and his wife’s visit.During the discussion the US Ambassador appreci-ated the importance of The Green Flame GasCompany in executing the Mega Project in Kuwaitsuch as The Avenues Mall that has used 60 percentof US made materials. Silliman has cherished TheGreen Flame Gas Company’s choice is introducingthe US made products in this vast Project, and set-ting an example for improving the CommercialTrade between the USA and Kuwait.

Qattan has mentioned the importance of partic-

ipating of The Green Flame Gas Company at theHoreca Show. It emphasized the organization ofthe show and the exhibitors that offer the latesthospitality in Hotel Technology. It also mentionedthat The Green Flame Gas Company is one of theleading Companies that specializes in Design,Execution, and maintenance of Gas pipe Lines inKuwait and the G.C.C countries. The Green FlameGas Company executes its network as per the inter-national standard, we carry out works such asPrivate Villas, Commercial Malls, Hotels, Restaurants,Factories and Catering Companies that are also theagents for 14 International Companies in the field ofGas. At the conclusion of this statement Eng. Basharmentioned the G.F.G.C is a certified ISO 9001-2008and member of International Code Counsel since2007 and N.F.P.A. member since 2008. The compa-ny is leading in Project timing and precise specifica-tion in the Execution of its projects. The Company is10 years old and has achieved all of the past men-tioned, and considered to be one of the FirstCompanies specialized in Gas Piping.

KUWAIT: US Ambassador to Kuwait Douglas Silliman visits the Green Flames GasCompany Booth at the Horeca Kuwait 2016 exhibition.

ence will open from Feb 7 to 17, 2016.“Personal interviews will then be conductedwith the applicants, and those who pass willpay nominal fees and will participate intraining workshops. This year’s conferencewill discuss important issues such as the def-inition of ‘terrorist’, especially after Kuwaiticitizens were detained at Guantanamo for

years without a trial. It will also discuss theissue of Syrian refugees, the issue of drinkingwater, and the effect of arms companies onthe security of the community. The parlia-ment committee will discuss the drop in oilprices and finding alternative economicsources, and the amendment of the nation-ality law,” concluded Roudhan.

US Ambassador visits Green Flame

Gas Co booth at Horeca exhibition

GUST to represent

Mideast in final

anti-extremism contest

KUWAIT: A team of five Kuwaiti students from the GulfUniversity for Science and Technology (GUST) is to head toWashington DC in February to participate in the final stageof an anti-extremism competition as part of an initiative byUS state bodies after winning the preliminary stage inKuwait, US Ambassador to Kuwait Douglas Silliman saidyesterday.

“The GUST team is one of four international universitiesthat is going to go to the United States in the next week tofinish the competition and also to participate in programsin Washington DC, New York City, and San Francisco,”Ambassador Silliman addressed the attendants at theGUST Auditorium for the students’ presentation of theirqualified campaign.

During the fall semester 2015, students; Yousef, Ghalia,Hanan, Fatima, and Salem took part in the “Peer 2 Peer(P2P): Challenging Extremism” initiative, sponsored by theUS Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, Departmentof Education, and State Department. The program, whichis also facilitated by EdVenture Partners, tasked studentteams to develop campaigns and strategies on varioussocial media networks in order to counter the presenceand effectiveness of violent extremists’ online messaging.

“The State Department has had a competition thatinvolved 45 universities from the United States and aroundthe world to find ways to get the message to youth aboutpeace and tolerance, and the need to expand them in theworld,” the US diplomat stated to KUNA. GUST’s studentswere one of four international teams selected to partici-pate in the Facebook Global Challenge finals which will beheld in Washington, DC on February 3rd, he indicated. “Thegroup from GUST has won the competition for the MiddleEast and will be the only university from the Middle Eastregion going to Washington in February to participate inthe final evaluation and competition,” he said, noting thatthe five Kuwaiti students will also take part in the P2P finalpresentation at the State Department. — KUNA

KILS opens registration for UN Model Conference

FROM THE ARABIC PRESSMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Al-A

nbaa

CrimeR e p o r t

Harassers arrested

Four citizens harassed female shoppers in a Jahra malland exchanged blows with mall guards who attemptedto throw them out. Police received a call about a fight inthe mall, so police patrols went to the scene, broke upthe fight, arrested the four and took them to Jahra policestation.

Harboring absconders

Residency detectives put an end to illegal activities ofan Ethiopian man who ran a network of 47 males andfemales absconding from their sponsors’ homes. Theywere all sent to concerned authorities. Information wasreceived that a man harbored absconding maids andforced them on prostitution. When the informationwas confirmed, the arrests were made.

Teens stab friend in Jahra

KUWAIT: Jahra police arrested four juveniles who beat afriend in Jahra and stabbed him in the chest. The victimwas admitted to Jahra Hospital’s ICU in a critical condition.The four suspects were sent to the juvenile protectiondepartment. The four said that they had previous disputeswith the victim.

Pipe removed

Coastguardsmen pulled out a plastic pipe with a four-meter diameter that constituted a navigation hazard.The pipe was moved to a safe area. Concerned authori-ties are being contacted to collect the pipe.

Drug possession

A bedoon man was arrested by patrolmen while roamingin Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh with five envelopes of shabu anddrug paraphernalia. He was sent to the Drugs ControlGeneral Department for further legal action.

Boat stolen

A citizen sought the help of Fahaheel police andaccused three Indians working for him of stealing aboat and fishing tools, along with money, and refusingto return it. Detectives are working on arresting them.

Pharmacy vandalized

A citizen was surprised to find her pharmacy vandalized,so she called police and filed a complaint at Salmiya policestation. Criminal evidence men went to the scene, inspect-ed the pharmacy and lifted fingerprints. Detectives areworking on the case. — Al-Rai

Sectarian

tensions

Playing with fire

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait Chairman ofthe Board Ali Al-Mousa said all global reports pointto the start of a world economic crisis, as its indica-tors began with the drop in oil prices and boursecollapses, especially in our region and Gulf boursesin particular.

He said in this regard, the search for investmentopportunities has become a difficult mission forinvestors big or small, adding that the successfulinvestor is the one who takes the opportunity of theeconomic recession and buys when others sell, bear-ing in mind that it should be according to a goodreading of those investment opportunities to selectthe best available one that brings good returns.

Mousa said even KD 50,000 is not enough toinvest. The citizen does not save money due to highinflation and a rise in the cost of living, adding thatthe number of citizens who have large capitals thatare enough to invest has become limited.

Investment sectorHe asked the government to pay attention to the

private sector, and particularly the investment sector,because “we are not through with the repercussionsof the 2008 financial crisis to enter a new one”, andwondered whether the state needs private or invest-ment sectors under the challenges it is facing. If theanswer is yes, then the government must prove thisthrough clear measures and new economic laws thatallow the private sector to play an effective role in thelocal economy.

“We are suffering from the state’s negligence ofthe investment sector in general, as there are 20 to25 investment companies only who have humancompetences, good financial assets and follow aprofessional work model, and here the state mustdifferentiate between these companies and thosewho form a burden on the sector. He said bankshave started to avoid granting loans to investmentcompanies, not because of lack of competence,rather became they became worse than “orphans”.Banks are not social institutes - rather they seek prof-its through avoiding investment risks, so they areexcused in not meeting the financing requirements

of this group of companies,” said Mousa.Mousa said many countries including Gulf states

supported the private sector during the world finan-cial crisis in 2008 in order to rescue their financial sys-tems. He expected a new financial crisis and said thestate must take preemptive steps to find solutionsbefore the economic situation worsens. When askedabout the available opportunities which normallyemerge from crises, Mousa said “there are not invest-ment opportunities with regret, and one who hasmoney must look for the best opportunities amongthe bad choices, as there is an investment rule thatsays: If people begin selling, buying will be good”.

“He who sells is a person who is compelled tomeet his financial commitments or one who is afraid,and naturally he is the worst seller as he does notdeal with reality but ideas in his mind about comingcrises,” Mousa added. About the expected reflectionsof rising interest rates on the Kuwaiti dinar during2016 as expected, Mousa said he does not expect theraising of interest rates in Kuwait three times this yearas rumored, while the drop in oil prices does affectother countries, only Kuwait and countries that relyon oil for revenues. Mousa asked the government toexplain its stand towards what citizens are afraid of,because the dinar maintained its price after libera-tion as it was before liberation due to a deliberateand declared decision, although many countries losemore than half of their currencies’ value because ofoccupation. But the state persevered and “we main-tained deposit accounts and there was strong confi-dence in Kuwait by other countries”.

Bank depositsMousa advised investors, due to stock markets

fluctuations and high risk factors, to go towards bankdeposits because they are the most secure instru-ments despite low returns. Mousa advised investorsto keep their savings in banks as they are 100 percentsecure. He said investment in bank shares in thebourse is another thing that requires the ability of theinvestor to make decisions, read financial data andbear his investment decision. He also advisedinvestors not to use all their savings in high-risk

investments, because the more the profits, the high-er the risks. About the effects of oil prices collapse onKuwait and falling below $20 per barrel, Mousa saidKuwait can manage two to three years withoutexporting oil, and “we have this experience duringthe invasion, as Kuwait did not produce oil for oneyear and seven months and was able to overcomethe crisis due to countries’ confidence in it”. He saidKuwait is the only country that does not put all its oilincome in the budget, as it puts part of it the futuregenerations fund.

Chairman of International Financial Advisors (IFA)Saleh Al-Selmi said during the 2008 financial crisis, 35investors met then Prime Minister His HighnessSheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, as well asmembers of the legislative authority, and all prob-lems resulting from this crisis were discussed, and“we demanded that they find the necessary treat-ment to avoid the dangerous problems of this crisis”.The view was that the financial crisis’ repercussionswill not affect the public sector as much as the pri-vate sector. He said this sector had good financialreserves all along the years that preceded the crisis,but the money evaporated.

Selmi said the amount of that was managed byinvestment companies before 2008 surpasseddeposits that were in banks, and this was out ofinvestors’ confidence in investments companiesbefore the financial crisis. Selmi wondered about thegovernment’s will to have an effective role for the pri-vate sector, adding that if the government is seriousin giving clear duties to the private sector, then therewill be real opportunities.

Selmi said that during 2009/2010 to years follow-ing the financial crisis, the investment sector madecontributions to the local GDP of nearly 14%, andnow this has dropped to zero. He said the private sec-tor has solutions to get out of the current economicsituation due to its ability to provide job opportuni-ties for the youth and transform the economy fromwelfare to a productive one.

He pointed to a defect in the employment systemin Kuwait when 110 employees were terminatedfrom the private sector during the financial crisis,

they cost the state through support of national laborKD 7 million per year, but when the state took them,the figure jumped to KD 77 million. He said the mid-dle class in Kuwait has started to disappear, and it’sbeing looked down at.

Foreign factorsWhen asked about the Kuwait bourse as the

largest investment vessel in Kuwait and the opportu-nities in it, Selmi said that the problem the bourse issuffering from is the result of foreign factors repre-sented in the defect in the Kuwait economy on onehand and geopolitical conflicts in the region on theother, apart from the drop of oil prices, adding thesefactors combined led to this situation in the bourse.

Selmi said steps taken by the state to deal withthe economic situation in general during the crisisyears, such as the financial stability law and thedeposits guarantee law and the national portfolio tosupport the bourse, proved ineffective. The depositssupport law serves banks in the first place, and thegoal behind it is not to face the effects of the 2008crisis, as much as facing a crisis one of the banks had.As for establishing the national portfolio, it was a bigmistake, because the Public Investment Authoritydoes have rescuing the market among its authorities,but growing state savings, and with that it enteredthe market as an investing party that seeks profits.

About what he believes as a defect in the gov-ernment’s actions to cover the budget, Selmi saidit resorted to imposing taxes instead of finding anadded value to the local economy represented byproduction and diversifying sources of incomeinstead of relying on one source of income, whichis oil.

Real estateReal estate expert and developer Hussein Al-

Ghais said real estate is an integral pillar in Kuwaiteconomy and has a lot of influence, though the sizeof real estate trading does not exceed KD 5 billion peryear, which is an amount that is not considered big inthe trading markets, but its importance and effectcomes from affecting the citizen on a large scale, so

its influence on the economy comes quickly in caseof rises or drops. Ghais said “we can say real estate isgoing through a crisis since the start of 2015, and thevalue of real estate trading in Kuwait in all sectors is27 percent compared with what was achieved in2014, which is a very big percentage.” He referred thisdrop to several accumulated factors, adding that thesector suffered two strong blows - in 2007, when thereal estate sector saw very high prices, then in 2008,when it went down during the international financialcrisis. The second blow was the mortgage law andimposing taxes on open lands and banning the pri-vate sector from development, and this led to a big-ger problem, because the private sector was buildingmany residential areas before the passing of the law.For example, 75 percent of South Surra area camefrom the request of real estate development for theprivate sector.

“Following these two blows, the real estate sectorbegan to regain its balance. The average price of asquare meter in South Surra, for example, during thecrisis fell to KD 400 from KD 600 in 2007, then beganto recover and reached an average price of KD 1,000and above in 2014. He said the reason for this hugerise in land price is due to the real estate mortgagelaw and imposing taxes on lands which made landowners hike prices to pay taxes on the lands in orderto make profits, in addition to the fact that the supplyof lands inside Kuwait is very limited,” said Ghais.

Meanwhile, looking at the real estate sectors, it isexpected that the “commercial” and “investment”sectors will face problems during the recession thatwill cause many companies to go bankrupt, as theweak GDP will affect the state’s general budget, andconsequently affect the projects which will face diffi-culties if not halted, bearing in mind that those proj-ects’ foundations is infrastructure and real estate,besides the fact that real estate relies on returns, andthere is no doubt that real estate returns will drop.The rent of commercial land will drop to prices equalto the rent of warehouses as in the past, as the priceof renting a square meter in warehouses variesbetween KD 2 and 3 while for offices, the price isbetween KD 5 and 6. — Al-Anbaa

KUWAIT: Kuwait Foreign PetroleumExploration Company (KUFPEC)announced today the publication of‘Coral Reefs of Kuwait,’ a book thatexplores the amazing diversity ofmarine ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf,shedding light on the multiple risksendangering the sustainability of the

coral reefs of the State of Kuwait. The publication of the ‘Coral Reefs

of Kuwait’ book follows on the successof its predecessor ‘Birds of Kuwait’book, released by KUFPEC two yearsago. The 270-page ‘Coral Reefs ofKuwait’ is also the culmination of 8years of research and underwater pho-

tography in cooperation with the non-governmental organization‘Biodiversity East’ assisted by manyprofessional photographers, expertsand scientific research institutionsinside and outside Kuwait.

“Our coral reefs are as important asany other natural resource and theymust be protected and preserved forfuture generations”, says KUFPEC ChiefExecutive Officer, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah. “KUFPEC,” he added, “is commit-ted to protecting and preserving ournatural and environmental resourcesand ensuring the sustainability of ourunique ecological diversity.”

KUFPEC, a wholly owned subsidiaryof Kuwait Petroleum Corporation(KPC), is an international petroleumcompany engaged in exploration,development, and production of crudeoil and natural gas outside the State ofKuwait. It is currently active in 15countries with 64 projects in the inter-national upstream sector. KUFPEC con-tinues to work aggressively towardsmeeting its targets and achieving itsstrategic plans, aiming to increase itsproduction to 200,000 BOEPD withreserves of 650 MMBOE by the year2020, while delivering value to theKuwaiti oil sector.

KUFPEC Publishes ‘Coral

Reefs of Kuwait’ Book

Commitment towards environmental awareness

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah

Al-Anbaa

By Dr Zainab Al-Hasawi

This article was previously published in another newspaperbut in view of specialized readers’ wish to know the strate-gy of vocational development for the directors of schools

to be integrated in mainstream public education schools indetail, I intend to explain this strategy in several articles of whichthis is the first.

Integration is educating students with special needs in main-stream schools and providing them with special education serv-ices. Integrating students with special needs into mainstreamschools has become an urgent social necessity because schoolis an individual’s second environment and plays a great role informing their characters, tendencies and developing their tal-ents. Therefore, when all those elements reasonably combine,they will qualify and enable students of this category growhealthily into productive citizens instead of overburdening thestate. Kuwait has shown special care for integrating studentswith special needs into public education as it started back in1943-1944 when blind students were allowed to attend regularKuttab classes at Al-Mubarakiya school that only taught Quranrecitation at the time.

When the religious institute was opened in 1948, blind stu-dents attended regular classes with mainstream students andformed the majority of the students as four out of seven wereblind students. Kuwait then experimentally integrated studentswith weak hearing in Mohammed Al-Shayeji primary school forboys in 1993-1994. The most important results of this experi-ment was that students with weak hearing surpassed theirhealthy peers and scored higher.

Accordingly, Kuwait is a leading country in terms of caringfor people with special needs as law number 49/1996 pertain-ing caring for the disabled was issued and an independentauthority was established under the name of the SupremeCouncil For Disabled Affairs, and then the name was changed tothe Public Authority for Disabled Affairs as per law number8/2010, which is under direct supervision of the first deputy PM.It is authorized to carry out activities needed to take care of peo-ple with special needs, rehabilitate them and integrate theminto the society.

Many studies have been made on integrating students withspecial needs into mainstream schools with each focusing on aspecific aspect on educational integration. For example, studiesmade by Nasser Al-Moussawi and others in 2006 and Lindsay in2007 probed the process of education through integration inmainstream schools and the obstacles faced on application andassessed the main goal of integration through identifying thefollowing: (a) integration programs followed in integratedschools, (b) the impact of the educational environment on aca-demic achievement, adaptive behavior and self-concept, (c)public and special education staff’s attitudes towards educa-tional integration, (d) attitudes of mainstream students, stu-dents with special needs and their parents and (e) the negativeside effects resulting thereof.

Results have shown that in terms of the learning environ-ment, equipment and staffs, it is suitable to integrate studentswith special needs in mainstream schools and make the bestuse of them. They also showed that the integrated educationenvironment had very positive impacts on both mainstreamand students with special needs who both scored higher. Inaddition, students with special needs started to fit in and feelbeing accepted without discrimination by schoolmates, teach-ing staff and parents.

Having students from both categories in the same educa-tional building increased educational and social interaction andprovided chances for students to help and assist their peers withspecial needs, which in turn leads to individuals growing upwith great social responsibility towards others. In addition, edu-cation based on integrating both categories would increasespecialized staff efforts with the educational facility.

By reviewing some countries’ experiences in applying inte-gration in mainstream education, it is clear that societiesbecome more balanced with stronger beliefs in education-based justice and equality on grounds that education is a rightof all citizens without discrimination and not limited to thehealthy.

Those countries have achieved different levels of success,and so the most important element needed to make integrationwork lies in MoE’s need to apply vocational development pro-grams on all public education school directors in order to qualifythem to lead schools where students with special needs areintegrated. This calls for a further question about vocationaldevelopment strategies followed over the past three years inKuwait in accordance to UN specifications adopted to fit theKuwaiti society. (To be continued)

— Translated by Kuwait Times

Integrating students

with special needs in

education - Part I

Bankers discuss how to protect savings in times of recession

Kuwait Plans $100 billion

sovereign wealth fund

KUWAIT: Kuwait plans a new state-owned fund to manageas much as $100 billion in local assets with the goal of sell-ing them to private investors in five to seven years,Bloomberg.com reported yesterday quoting Al-Anbaanewspaper.

The new sovereign wealth fund will include local assetsmanaged by Kuwait Investment Authority, which has beenburdened by its domestic mandate and will focus more onits international portfolio, Al-Anbaa reported, citing uniden-tified officials. Stakes in local companies, as well as powerand water projects, will be included in the new fund, thepaper said. Energy-exporting countries that amassed largefinancial reserves over a decade-long oil boom are exacer-bating a collapse in asset prices by selling off holdings tomeet their obligations, according to Jefferies LLC. Suchnations are also shifting investment strategies with an eyeon boosting returns.

Kuwait’s plan to privatize utilities while removingdomestic energy subsidies is intended to make its powerand water assets more profitable for the fund and attractiveto potential investors, Al-Anbaa said. Saudi Arabia plans toset up a sovereign wealth fund to manage part of its oil for-tune and diversify its investments, according to Reuters.

Hollande starts India visit, says jet deal will take time

Page 12

Syria regime advances ahead of peace talksPage 8

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Sisi praises 2011 uprising, urges patienceCAIRO: Egypt’s president paid tribute yesterday to thecountry’s 2011 uprising that toppled longtime rulerHosni Mubarak, saying that protesters killed during the18-day revolt had sought to revive “noble principles”and found a “new Egypt”. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisidelivered his remarks via a televised speech on the eveof the fifth anniversary of the uprising. A recent spateof arrests and a heightened security presence in thecapital Cairo have made clear Egyptian authorities’determination that the occasion will not be marked bypopular demonstrations- or militant attacks.

Sisi said the 2011 uprising had deviated from itscourse and was forcibly hijacked for “personal gainsand narrow interests”. That was a thinly veiled referenceto the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been bannedand declared a terror group after Sisi, as military chief,

led the ouster in July 2013 of Islamist PresidentMohammed Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood.

The “June 30 revolution” - a reference to the day in2013 when millions of Egyptians demonstrated on thestreets against the rule of Morsi and his MuslimBrotherhood - corrected the course of the 2011 upris-ing, Sisi said. The June 30 revolution, he said, took placeto “restore the free will of Egyptians and continue torealize their legitimate aspirations and deserved ambi-tions”.

Sisi, who came to office in 2014 after a landslideelection win, cautioned against high expectations fordemocracy and freedoms. “Democratic experiencesdon’t mature overnight, but rather through a continu-ing and accumulative process,” he said, before empha-sizing the need to exercise “responsible freedom” to

avoid “destructive chaos”- rhetoric harking back toMubarak’s 29-year authoritarian rule, when he repeatedassertions that gradual democratization ensures stabili-ty.

“Egypt today is not the Egypt of yesterday, we arebuilding together a modern, developed and civilianstate that upholds the values of democracy and free-dom,” he said of the 2 1/2 years since the removal ofMorsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president. Sisi hassince presided over one of the harshest crackdownseen in Egypt in decades, detaining thousands ofBrotherhood leaders and supporters as well as scoresof the liberal, pro-democracy activists who fueled the2011 uprising.

Under Sisi, rights activists say, the country’s highlymilitarized police have resumed the Mubarak-era prac-

tices that played a large part in igniting the uprising,including torture, random arrests and, more recently,forced disappearances. Sisi supporters, however, saythe ex-general has tirelessly worked to spare Egypt thechaos and bloodshed roiling regional neighbors likeLibya, Syria and Iraq. —AP

CAIRO: A woman walks past an Egyptian policeman a day ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Jan 25, 2011 uprising in Tahrir Square yesterday. (Right) Egyptian PresidentAbdel Fattah Al-Sisi gives a televised address from the presidential palace. — AFP

I N T E R N AT ION A LMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Tut mask scratched,

eight sent to trial

CAIRO: In this Oct 20, 2015 file photo, German restorer Christian Eckmann beginsrestoration work on the golden mask of King Tutankhamun over a year after the beardwas accidentally broken off and hastily glued back with epoxy, at the EgyptianMuseum. — AP

BEIRUT: Pro-government forces overran thelast major rebel-held town in Syria’s coastalLatakia province yesterday, as the UnitedNations prepares to host talks this week onending the country’s nearly five-year war. Statetelevision said army forces, working with pro-regime militia, had seized control of the townof Rabia after heavy fighting with rebels. It wasthe second strategic victory for pro-regimeforces in Latakia in less than two weeks, aftergovernment troops seized the town of Salmafrom rebels on January 12.

“In the coming weeks, we will be able toannounce that all of Latakia - city and province -is free from armed groups,” a Syrian army com-mander in Latakia told AFP. The army would useRabia as a launching point for ground opera-tions against rebel-held towns to the east in theadjacent Idlib province, he said. Rabia had beenheld by the opposition since 2012 and was con-trolled by a range of rebel groups includingsome made up of Syrian Turkmen, as well as Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

State news agency SANA said governmentforces were “combing the area to dismantle anyexplosive devices or mines planted by the terror-ists”. It said many rebels had been killed in thefighting but provided no other details.According to the Syrian Observatory for HumanRights, Rabia fell yesterday after a regimeadvance that left the town surrounded.

Blocking Rebel Attacks “In the past 48 hours, regime forces surround-

ed the town from three sides - the south, west,

and north - by capturing 20 villages,”Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.He said senior Russian military officials oversawthe battle and that Russian air strikes “played anessential role” in the fight. With Rabia’s capture,government troops are closing in on rebel sup-ply routes through the Turkish border to thenorth, he added.

Armed opposition factions have used north-ern parts of Latakia province to carry out rocketand bomb attacks on the provincial capitalalong the coast. Backed by Russian air power,pro-regime forces are chipping away at that ter-ritory in a bid to secure the Assad clan’s heart-land. Rabia “is at the crossroads of supply routesin this region” leading northwest towards theTurkish border and further east to other rebelstrongholds, said Syria analyst Fabrice Balanche.“By controlling this road, the Syrian army canblock rebel movements towards the south,towards Latakia, and the rebels will have a hardtime getting close and firing missiles at the(coastal) airport,” he added.

Russia’s air force has operated out of theHmeimim military airport in Latakia provincesince Sept 30. The regime’s latest advance cameas world powers intensify efforts to reach a polit-ical solution to Syria’s war. Representatives of thegovernment and opposition are set to meet inGeneva this week as part of a UN-endorsed 18-month peace plan. But sharp disagreementsover the makeup of the opposition delegation -namely, the inclusion of armed groups amongnegotiators - have slowed momentum.

Dispute Over Opposition Yesterday, German Foreign Minister Frank-

Walter Steinmeier said upcoming talks shouldinclude Islamist rebels, though not “terroristsand Islamic extremists”. “Where do you expect tofind moderate groups after more than five yearsof civil war, extreme violence and spreading bru-talisation?” Steinmeier was quoted as telling thenewspaper Frankfurter AllgemeineSonntagszeitung. “I’m afraid we are past thepoint where we can really pick and choose allcounterparts and negotiators,” Steinmeier said.

The High Negotiations Committee, a Riyadh-based alliance of opposition groups includingthe National Coalition, has already announcedthree delegates it will send to Geneva. But itcame under fire for naming Mohamed Alloushfrom the powerful rebel group Jaish al-Islam(Army of Islam) as chief negotiator. Syria’s gov-ernment regularly refers to Jaish al-Islam andother armed opponents as “terrorists groups”with whom it will not negotiate.

Staunch regime ally Moscow has stood bythe government’s demand, saying the opposi-t ion delegation should be broadened toinclude other groups, like Syria’s Kurds. Thetalks had originally been due to begin onMonday but officials have said they expect adelay of a few days. On the Turkish-Syrian bor-der, Turkish authorities have detained 23 sus-pected militants with the Islamic State groupwho were trying to cross over illegally fromSyria. In a statement published yesterday, thearmy said 21 children were with the jihadistsand were also being held.—AFP

Syria regime advances

ahead of peace talksSenior Russian military officials oversee battle

RABIA, Syria: Syrian pro-government forces inspect a building in this town in Syria’s coastal Latakia province yesterday. — AFP

DUBAI: The jailed leader of Bahrain’smain opposition bloc, Sheikh Ali Salmanwho is currently serving four years forinciting disobedience, could face newcharges over messages posted onTwitter. The Al-Wefaq chief has been“referred to the public prosecution fol-lowing violations posted on his Twitteraccount”, the authorities announced yes-terday on the official BNA news agency.Al-Wefaq denounced the move, saying it“violates the Bahraini constitution andnational law, as well as internationalcovenants related to freedom of opinionand expression”.

The Shiite grouping in the Shiite-majority but Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdomsaid Salman’s tweets “focused on the val-ues of peace and love”. It said they sharedquotes by American civil rights leaderMartin Luther King “about freedom andjustice”. It was unclear whether Salmanwas himself tweeting from prison, orhow. The opposition chief was sentencedon June 16 to four years after being con-

victed of inciting disobedience andhatred. An appeals court is reviewingthat conviction, but the prosecution isdemanding the annulment of his acquit-tal on the more serious charge of plot-ting to overthrow the regime and seek-ing a tougher sentence. A ruling on theappeal is expected on March 30. Al-Wefaq renewed earlier calls for its leaderto be released “immediately”. The grouponce held the most seats in parliament,but its 18 MPs walked out in 2011 inprotest at violence against demonstra-tors during pro-democracy rallies.

Bahrain’s authorities crushed Shiite-led protests a month after they eruptedon Feb 14, 2011. The gap has since beengrowing between the Sunni authoritiesand their mainly Shiite opponents. Tinybut strategic Bahrain across the Gulffrom Shiite Iran is home to the US FifthFleet, and on October 31, constructionwork also began on Britain’s first perma-nent military base in the Middle Eastsince 1971. — AFP

Bahrain oppn chief in

trouble over tweets

Taleban reaffirms authority

of its Qatar ‘political office’

DUBAI: The Afghan Taleban said yesterdaythat its “political office” in Qatar is the onlyentity authorized to carry out negotiationson its behalf, reinforcing the authority ofthe man who took control of the groupamid a tussle over command following thedeath of longtime leader MullahMohammad Omar. The Taleban made thedeclaration in a summary emailed byspokesman Zabihullah Mujahid of a state-ment it made during unofficial, closed-doortalks taking place in the Qatari capital,Doha.

Calling itself the “Islamic Emirate ofAfghanistan”, the group also laid out aseries of demands including the release ofan unspecified number of prisoners andthe removal of senior members from a UNblacklist. It described the demands as “pre-liminary steps needed for peace”. The talksin Qatar are organized by PugwashConferences on Science and World Affairs, aNobel Peace Prize-winning group focusedon resolving conflict. Pugwash last yearorganized similar talks that were alsoattended by Afghan officials.

The discussions are separate from offi-cial peace efforts involving Afghanistan,Pakistan, China and the United States.Those negotiations, which do not includethe Taleban but aim to pave the way fortalks between the militants and Kabul, areexpected to resume in Islamabad on Feb 6.Earlier peace talks faltered last summerafter the Afghan government announcedMullah Omar had been dead since 2013.That announcement prompted the Talebanto pull out of talks and led to a powerstruggle within the group over who would

represent it.Members of the Taleban’s unofficial

Qatar office are believed to be directlylinked to Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who offi-cially assumed the top position afterOmar’s death was announced last year. Hewas previously Omar’s long-serving deputy.The Taleban first opened an office in Qatarin 2013, but when it hoisted the white flagflown during the Taleban’s five-year rule ofAfghanistan it sparked outrage from then-President Hamid Karzai and the US. Themove derailed a previous round of peacetalks and led to the Taleban office beingofficially closed in 2013. Members of thegroup have remained in the oil and gas-rich country, however.

In 2014, Qatar helped American officialsnegotiate the release of captive US ArmySgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for fiveTaleban detainees sent to Qatar from theUS prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In itsstatement from the latest Qatar talks, theTaleban said it is serious about peaceshould it succeed in its aims of ending for-eign intervention in Afghanistan and estab-lishing an “independent Islamic system.”

It said it is committed to “civil activities”,free speech and “women’s rights in the lightof Islamic rules, national interests and values”.The group added that it wants good rela-tions with the world “on the basis of mutualrespect”. “We do not want to interfere in oth-ers’ affairs, nor do we use our soil to harmothers, nor allow others to interfere in ouraffairs,” it said. The Taleban ruled Afghanistanaccording to a harsh version of Islamic lawfrom 1996 until the US-led invasion launchedafter the Sept 11 attacks. — AP

CAIRO: Eight Egyptians involved in abotched repair of the famed burial mask ofKing Tut, which was corrected late lastyear, were referred to a disciplinary courtyesterday for “gross negligence” after pros-ecutors said that the golden treasure wasscratched. The 3,300-year old mask, whosebeard was accidentally knocked off andhastily glued on with epoxy in 2014, wasscratched and damaged as a result of theamateur repair job, prosecutors said in aSunday statement, which implicated thethen-head of the Egyptian Museum andthe chief of the restoration department.

“In an attempt to cover up the damagethey inflicted, they used sharp instrumentssuch as scalpels and metal tools to removetraces of adhesive on the mask, causingdamage and scratches that remain,” it said,citing an investigation. The eight now facefines and disciplinary measures includingdismissal. The mask was put back on dis-play last month after a German-Egyptianteam of specialists removed the epoxy andreattached the beard using beeswax, usedas an adhesive in antiquity.

A year ago, a museum conservator whowas present at the time of the repair toldthe Associated Press that epoxy had dried

on the face of the boy king’s mask and thata colleague used a spatula to remove it,leaving scratches. Another conservatorwho inspects the artifact regularly also sawthe scratches and said it was clear thatthey had been made by a tool used toscrape off the epoxy. They both spoke oncondition of anonymity for fear of reper-cussions.

Restoration specialist ChristianEckmann said shortly thereafter that thecause of a scratch found on the mask hadhad not been determined, but that it couldhave been recent. The mask was discov-ered in a tomb along with other artifactsby British archeologists in 1922, sparkingworldwide interest in archaeology andancient Egypt. It is one of the world’s mostpriceless artifacts and the best-knownpiece in the Egyptian Museum, a majortourist draw in Cairo that was built in 1902and houses ancient Egyptian artifacts andmummies. Lately, King Tut has been at thefocus of new archaeology and media buzzafter British Egyptologist Nicholas Reevestheorized that Tutankhamun, who died atthe age of 19, may have been rushed intoan outer chamber of what was originallyQueen Nefertiti’s tomb. — AP

TEHRAN: Iran has arrested around 100people over the attack on Saudi Arabia’sembassy that led to Riyadh cuttingdiplomatic ties with Tehran, a judiciaryspokesman said yesterday. “Since theattack, about 100 people have beenarrested, of whom some have beenreleased,” Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeiewas quoted as saying by the official IRNAnews agency. The ransacking of theembassy earlier this month “has beencondemned by all authorities and wehave taken immediate and seriousaction,” he added. One individual wasalso arrested “abroad” and returned toIran, he said. “He had given orders tocertain individuals who entered theembassy,” Ejeie added, without provid-ing further details.

Demonstrators stormed and burnedRiyadh’s embassy in Tehran and its con-sulate in second city Mashhad on Jan 2

to protest against the execution of aprominent cleric from Saudi Arabia’sShiite minority. The Gulf kingdom andsome of its allies the next day severeddiplomatic relations with Iran over theincidents.

The Islamic republic’s supreme leaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesdaycondemned the attack. “Like the Britishembassy attack before it , this wasagainst the country (Iran) and Islam,and I didn’t like it,” he said, referring to amob ransacking Britain’s embassy inTehran in 2011. President HassanRouhani also condemned the attacks as“totally unjustifiable” and called on thejudiciary to put on trial those accusedof being involved. Iran previously said ithad arrested 40 people over theembassy attack in Tehran, and anotherfour after the consulate was torched inMashhad. — AFP

ISTANBUL/DUBLIN: A Turkish Airlines flight from Houston,Texas, diverted to Shannon, Ireland, yesterday was found tohave no explosive devices on board and would take off toIstanbul soon, a spokesman for the flag carrier said. Theplane, bound for Turkey’s largest city, was diverted after apiece of paper with “bomb” written on it was discovered inthe toilet, a spokesman for Turkish Airlines said.

Nothing was found in the search of the aircraft inShannon, the Turkish Airlines spokesman said, adding thatthe plane would take off again to Istanbul. An airportspokesman said the Boeing 777 touched down withoutincident and all 209 passengers, plus crew, disembarkedsafely. “The incident is now the subject of a follow up inves-tigation from an Garda Siochana (Irish police),” he said.Turkish Airlines has been targeted with a series of hoaxbomb warnings over the last year. — Reuters

TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday greets a group ofRevolutionary Guard officers who were involved in the detention of US Navy sailorsearlier this month. — AFP

Iran arrests 100 over

Saudi embassy attack

No bomb found on

flight from Texas

Teen Canada

shooter charged

with murder

MONTREAL: A 17-year-old male student has been chargedwith four counts of first-degree murder following a shoot-ing spree that left two brothers and two teachers dead inwestern Canada, authorities said Saturday. The high schoolstudent was also charged with seven counts of attemptedmurder over those injured in Friday’s rampage at a homeand nearby school in remote La Loche, in Saskatchewanprovince, Royal Canadian Mounted Police SuperintendentGrant St. Germaine told reporters.

Prime Minster Justin Trudeau called the shooting “everyparent’s worst nightmare”. Unlike in the United States, massshootings are rare in Canada, where firearms are more reg-ulated than south of the border. The teenager, who has notbeen named, is suspected of having killed two brothers -Drayden and Dayne Fontaine, aged 13 and 17 - at theirhome before going to a nearby school. There, he allegedlyopened fire again and shot dead two teachers, 21-year-oldMarie Janvier and 35-year-old Adam Wood, while alsoinjuring seven other people, according to police.

He was taken into custody after police received anemergency call about “a person discharging a weapon inthe community,” RCMP superintendent Maureen Levy saidearlier. The suspect was also charged with one count ofunauthorized possession of a firearm, according to StGermaine. He is due to make a court appearance in thecoming days. The possible motive for the crime was notimmediately clear.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall called the incident inthe small aboriginal community a “terrible tragedy ...unimaginable and surreal”. — AFP

I N T E R N AT ION A LMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

WASHINGTON: A 7.1 magnitude earthquakestruck southern Alaska at 1030 GMT yesterday, USseismologists said. The US Geological Survey,updating its earlier location for the quake, said itwas centered about 83 km east of Old Iliamna.The USGS estimated it had a depth of 127 km. Itwas not immediately known if it had caused anyinjuries or serious damage.

Twitter however was awash with posts sayingthe shaking was pronounced and prolonged.“Everyone in Anchorage is awake and on Twitterright? Biggest longest #earthquake of my entirelife. Family is all hanging in our bed now,” wrote@jgrenn. Another Twitter user, @Shelbae97,wrote: “Thank Alaska for that earthquake,” andposted a photo a broken mirror and other house-hold objects flung to her feet. The Hawaii-basedPacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was norisk of a tidal wave “because the earthquake islocated too deep inside the earth.” — AFP

MANAGUA: Thirteen Costa Ricans died Saturday whena small ship carrying 32 tourists from Central Americaand the United States sank off Nicaragua’s Little CornIsland in the Caribbean, officials said. Nicaraguan gov-ernment spokeswoman and First Lady Rosario Murillosaid that “of the 32 passengers, 13 lost their lives, all ofthem are Costa Rican”. She said the other passengerssurvived and were taken to nearby Big Corn Island. TheCorn Islands, made up of Big Corn Island and Little CornIsland, are located around 70 km off Nicaragua’s main-land.

Although remote, they are becoming increasinglypopular with tourists. Costa Rica’s foreign ministry iden-tified nine of its citizens who drowned, two of whomwere US residents. It said in a statement there had been25 Costa Ricans, four US citizens and three Nicaraguanson the small vessel, which got into trouble “after strongwinds... on Little Corn Island.” Media reports said thecaptain, who was also owns the vessel, was arrestedafter being rescued, as authorities began an investiga-tion. —AFP

NEW YORK: Millions of people in the eastern UnitedStates started digging out yesterday from a hugeblizzard that brought New York and Washington to astandstill, but the travel woes were far from over. Thestorm - dubbed “Snowzilla” - killed at least 18 peopleafter it walloped several states over 36 hours onFriday and Saturday, affecting an estimated 85 mil-lion residents who were told to stay off the roads andhunker down in doors for their own safety.

Forecasters said the storm dumped more than 22inches (56 cm) of snow on the paralyzed capitalWashington and the 26.8 inches that fell in NewYork’s Central Park was the second-highest accumu-lation in the city since records began in 1869. Near-record-breaking snowfall was also reported in othermajor cities up and down the US East Coast, withPhiladelphia and Baltimore also on the receiving endof some of the worst that Mother Nature could flingat them.

With the storm finally tapering off overnight, offi-cials in New York lifted a travel ban at 7:00 am Sunday(1200 GMT), restoring access to roads throughout thecity and in Long Island and New Jersey. “You neverlike to disrupt transportation and commerce.However, the storm was fast and furious,” said NewYork State Governor Andrew Cuomo. “So far, so good,but we have more work to do.”

Forecasters were predicting an altogether moreforgiving outlook for the remainder of the weekendin New York and Washington - blue skies and sun-shine with temperatures hovering at about zeroCelsius. However, there were concerns about linger-ing strong winds and melting snow, with streets insome New Jersey coastal towns filled with water andice, raising the specter of flooding and dangerousblack ice.

“This system dumped copious amounts of snowover West Virginia, Virginia, Washington DC,Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Afew locations came close to, or surpassed all-timeone-day and two-day snow records,” said theNational Weather Service. The fatalities occurred inArkansas, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina,Maryland and Virginia, while more than 200,000 peo-ple were left without power at the height of thestorm.

‘Please be Careful’ Despite the generally better weather outlook, for

many the hard work was just beginning and therewas no immediate end in sight to the misery forthousands of air passengers. Nearly 3,500 domesticand international flights were canceled yesterday,adding to a growing backlog that had built up atmajor airports in New York, Philadelphia, Washingtonand Baltimore, which all ground to a halt at theheight of the wintry onslaught.

Authorities said they were working around theclock to restore operations, with the first arrivals anddepartures expected later in the day in New York. But

Reagan National and Dulles International airports inthe US capital were expected to remain closedthrough yesterday, and buses and the metro systemwere also not due to return to action until today.

Back on the streets, plows struggled to clear largemounds of snow in an attempt to get New York andthe eastern portion of the US back on its feet as soonas possible. Parked cars were buried under heavysnow and sidewalks were still impassable in places,as authorities scrambled to clear away the deluge forthe start of the working week. “People want to startto go outside and start shoveling and clearing theirwalks and driveways,” said New Jersey Governor Chris

Christie, a Republican presidential contender wholeft the campaign trail to oversee the emergencyresponse in his state. “This is very heavy snow so I askthat they please be careful as they clean up their ownproperty today or their businesses.”

It was not just the major cities that were hard hit.Snow and sleet also buffeted the southern states ofArkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, WestVirginia and Virginia - unusual for the region. Nearly150,000 power outages were reported in NorthCarolina alone at the height of the storm, emergencyofficials said. Yesterday, that number had been whit-tled down to about 50,000. — AFP

Storm-hit US digs out, travel woes continueRecord blizzard paralyzed NY, Washington

Alaska hit by 7.1-magnitude

earthquake

13 Costa Ricans die as ship sinks off Nicaragua

WASHINGTON: People take part in the DC Snowball Fight at Dupont Circle yesterday. Snowball fights have becomea tradition after every major snowstorm in the US capital. — AFP

I N T E R N AT ION A LMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

ORESTIADA, Greece: Hundreds of peopleprotested in north-east Greece yesterday againstthe security fence along the Turkish border,demanding the opening of safe routes formigrants, two days after 45 died making therisky Aegean Sea crossing. Demonstrators, somewearing life jackets as a symbol of the flow ofthousands of people making the perilous seajourney from Turkey to Greece, marched fromthe village of Kastanies, which lies close to thefrontier.

Police stopped the marchers a few hundredmetres (yards) away from the border fence,located in a restricted-access military zone. Theprotesters waved placards demanding the open-ing of borders and a group of Pakistani migrantscarried a picture of drowned Syrian toddlerAylan Kurdi. A picture of his body lying on abeach became a global symbol of Europe’srefugee crisis.

Europe is battling to deal with its biggestmigration crisis since World War II, but memberstates are split on what to do and despite deteri-orating winter weather, thousands are attempt-ing the risky sea passage every day.

In the latest tragedy, on Friday coastguardspulled 45 bodies including 20 children from thecold waters of the Aegean after their boats cap-sized while on their way to Greece.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias askedfor more help from EU border agency Frontex tosend migrants rejected for asylum in Europeback to Turkey. Kotzias said Frontex shoulddeploy about 100 boats in the narrow stretch ofwater separating Greece from Turkey, the main

launching pad for 850,000 refugees andmigrants who reached Greece’s shores last year.

Long a hotspot for illegal migration, theGreece-Turkey land border was secured in 2012with a 12.5-kilometre fence despite concernsfrom the European Commission. Some cam-paigners have argued a corridor should beopened for migrants to enter Greece, but theauthorities have rejected the idea, with other EUcountries putting pressure on Athens to domore to stem the flow of people.

“It is not a bad thing that this fence exists...Greece cannot take any more people than it is atthe moment,” foreign minister Nikos Kotzias saidon Saturday at the end of a trip to Berlin, accord-ing to Greek news agency Ana.

Ankara reached an agreement with the EU inNovember to stem the flow of refugees headingto Europe, in return for financial assistance ofthree billion euros ($3.2 billion) in cash.

After talks with Turkish Prime Minister AhmetDavutoglu in Berlin on Friday, GermanChancellor Angela Merkel said both sides signedan agreement to “do everything to reduce thenumber of refugees” crossing into the EU.Yesterday’s protests came on the eve of a meet-ing in Ankara between senior EU officials andthe Turkish government on further implementa-tion of the November agreement.

Arctic border closureRussia yesterday confirmed it had shut for

“security reasons” an Arctic border post withNorway to migrants being controversiallyreturned from the Nordic country. Norway on

Saturday said it was temporarily halting itsreturn of migrants mainly from Syria,Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq-who had enteredfrom Russia following a request from the author-ities there.

Some 5,500 migrants crossed from Russiainto Norway last year, on the last leg of an ardu-ous journey through the Arctic to Europe. Butthe right-wing government in Oslo has decidedthat migrants who had been living legally inRussia, or had entered Russia legally, should beimmediately returned there, on the basis thatRussia is a safe country.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman MariaZakharova told AFP that Moscow had informedNorway on Friday that it was halting the returnof migrants through the Borisoglebsk-Storskogcrossing in line with a 2011 bilateral agreement.Exceptions will, however, be made for anymigrants who can be shown to meet the criteriaof an earlier agreement that obliges Moscow toreadmit them if they do not fulfil Norwegianimmigration laws and have valid Russian visas orresidence permits.

“The steps taken by Russia were dictated bysecurity reasons and based on bilateral agree-ments with Norway,” Zakharova said. Norwegianpolice returned 13 migrants by bus to Russia onTuesday and two similar operations were sched-uled for Thursday and Friday but were then can-celled, for what officials said were logistical rea-sons. The foreign ministry in Norway said therewould be no more returns “until further notice”and that Russian border authorities “want morecoordination” in future. —AFP

KIPOI: Demonstrators shout slogans during a pro-migrant protest march in Kipoi yesterday against the fence of Evros intended to stop the flowof migrants across the Turkey-Greece border. — AFP

Demonstrators march against Greece-Turkey border fence

Russia closes Norway border to migrants over security

CHIOS, Greece: In the inky nighttimeblackness, a small red dot appears on theradar screen, moving fast. “That’s a smug-gler,” the captain of the coast guard’slifeboat says, swinging the vessel aroundand opening up the throttle, the boat cut-ting through the water on a frigid Januarynight. But the lifeboat, designed for searchand rescue operations rather than high-speed chases, is no match for the smug-gler’s speedboat. The smuggler ignores thesearchlight, the shouts and the warningshots fired by the coast guard, deftly navi-gating his small white vessel onto a tinypatch of beach among rocks.

There he disgorges his human cargo -men, women and children risking theirlives in a quest for safety and a betterfuture in Europe. They use ropes to scram-ble up a cliff, heading toward a lighthouseon an island they are soon to discover isdeserted save for an army outpost. Theywill spend a cold, wet, uncomfortable nightthere until the coast guard can send boatsin the morning.

Hour after hour, by night and by day,Greek coast guard patrol and lifeboats,reinforced by vessels from the EuropeanUnion’s border agency Frontex, ply thewaters of the eastern Aegean Sea along thefrontier with Turkey, on the lookout forpeople being smuggled onto the shores ofGreek islands - the frontline of Europe’smassive refugee crisis.

Though smugglers are often arrested,the task is mainly a search and rescue role.Hours spent on patrol shows the near-impossibility of sealing Europe’s sea bor-ders as some have demanded of Greece,whose islands so near to Turkey are themost popular, if dangerous, gateway intoEurope.

HARSH WEATHERSome European countries - notably

Hungary and Slovakia - have blastedGreece for being unable to secure its bor-ders, which also form part of the externallimits of Europe’s borderless Schengenarea. “We have been saying all along that ifthe Greeks are unable to protect the bor-ders of their country, we should jointly godown south and protect them,” HungarianPrime Minister Viktor Orban said inNovember, with his Slovak counterpartRobert Fico echoing the thought.

But such calls ignore the realities at sea.No matter how many patrol boats are outin Greek waters, attempting to force a ves-sel of asylum-seekers back into Turkishwaters is both illegal and dangerous, evenin calm seas. So unless a Turkish patrolstops a migrant boat and returns it toTurkey, there is little Greek or Frontexpatrols can do once it has entered Greekterritorial waters but arrest smugglers, andpick up the passengers or escort the vesselsafely to land.

The sheer numbers have been over-whelming. More than 850,000 people, mostfleeing conflict in Syria and Afghanistanentered Greece by sea in 2015, accordingto the UNHCR. Already in 2016, 35,455 peo-ple have arrived despite plunging wintertemperatures and days of stormy weather.

The island of Chios, second in the num-ber of arrivals after Lesbos, has three coastguard vessels and Frontex reinforcements.“But when you have 50 or 60 (migrant)boats daily, you understand that these ves-sels can’t cope,” said Chios coast guard

deputy head Commander Christos Fragias.“Both the crews and the vessels arestrained from the overwork.”

Those reaching Chios have been lucky.The island has seen few deaths - about fouror five, Fragias said, out of 118,000 arrivalsin 2015. Others have not fared so well. Twoboats sank off the tiny islets of Kalolimnosand Farmakonissi Friday, drowning at least42 people, including 17 children. In all,more than 700 people have died or gonemissing in the Aegean Sea, in both Greekand Turkish territorial waters, since the startof 2015. The crew of Chios’ lifeboat has per-formed dozens of rescues. “We make super-human efforts. The five of us pick up 50, 60people in 10 minutes,” says its captain. Lastyear, they rescued nearly 3,000 people, hesaid. Coast guard crews cannot be cited byname as they are not authorized to speakon the record.

Racing across choppy seas to check on adinghy sighting as the weather turns for theworse, the captain of one of the island’spatrol boats described dramatic scenes ofplucking struggling refugees out of stormyseas, where waves can hide victims fromsight and maneuvering a pitching vessel ina sea full of people becomes precarious. “It’svery difficult to save people in bad weather,”he said. “If there are incidents at sea, weonly have a limited capacity so we have toprioritize which boats are in danger.”

JOURNEYThe dinghy he was called on to check

arrived safely on a beach on southernChios, so the captain turned the patrol boatnorth, heading to the deserted island thatthe smuggler was ferrying passengers tothe previous night. By morning, 283 peo-ple, including dozens of children, a dis-abled elderly woman and an amputeeawait rescue. They will be transported toChios, which will have received 1,026 peo-ple by the end of the day.

The patrol vessel and a Dutch Frontexspeedboat take turns ferrying people inbatches of about 25 to the nearby island ofOinousses, from where a large privatelyowned tug converted into a rescue boatwill take them to Chios. Among the newarrivals was Faysal, a middle-aged manfrom Damascus who would only give hisfirst name after fleeing Syria following kid-napping threats.

“It was a horrible, horrible trip,” he saidof the boat ride from Turkey, crouching onthe patrol boat’s deck, his hood pulled upto ward off the rain. “They told us it wouldtake 15 minutes, but it took 2 1/4 hours.”The smuggler waited at sea for an hour toevade a coast guard boat, Faysal said. “Wehave no sea in Damascus, we are not usedto this. We were all sick, and the boat wasfull of water.”

Once on land they lit fires, burning theirlifejackets to keep warm. Next to him, tearsof pain trickled down the soot-blackenedface of a woman who had hurt her leg onthe rocks getting off the smuggler’s boat.Faysal ran a successful heating business inDamascus, but said he no longer had theoption of staying.

“There is no safety. I left everythingbehind; my business, my home.” He hopesto reach Holland, where his sister lives. Butthe onward journey will have to wait a dayor two. “We have no strength to go ontonight,” he says. “We have to have somerest.” — AP

Despite patrols, sealing Greek sea border is near impossible

A refugee woman with a baby eats hot soup on the arrival at the transit center forrefugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, before continuing theirjourney to Serbia yesterday.—AP

OUAGADOUGOU: Hundreds of peopledressed in white took to the streets ofOuagadougou to pay homage to the vic-tims of a jihadist attack on a top hotel anda restaurant that left 30 dead and 70injured, an AFP reporter said. Dubbed a“chain of light”, the silent march began at19:40 GMT on Saturday, the exact time thatAl-Qaeda-affiliated gunmen had launchedtheir deadly attack eight days before.

It was organized over social media bymusic manager Walib Bara and journalistRaissa Compaore. “This demonstrationwas called ‘chain of light’ because we knowthat the intention of those who waged theattacks was to plunge the country intodarkness,” Bara told the press. “We came tothe site of the attack to say that we willcontinue to drink Cappuccinos in a splen-did Burkina,” Bara said, using a play onwords referencing two of the attack sites-the Cappuccino cafe and the Splendidhotel, both popular with foreigners.

Marchers sang the national anthem andcarried signs reading “je suis Splendid” and“je suis Cappuccino”, in a move mirroringthe “je suis Charlie” rallying cry used afterthe January 2015 Paris jihadist attacks.People walked about a half a mile to thesite of the attacks, where they placed can-dles in a tribute to the victims.

“I’m not afraid to come to the KwameN’Krumah avenue because I see the gov-ernment has taken security measures toprotect us,” Issouf Cisse, a sales agent work-ing close to the Cappuccino cafe, said. “Lifegoes on despite the attacks.”

A national tribute is planned for today,with President Roch Marc Christ ianKabore expected to attend a public cere-mony. The first such attack in BurkinaFaso, it was claimed by Al-Qaeda in theIslamic Maghreb (AQIM) and came weeksafter Islamists claimed an attack on a tophotel in Bamako, capital of neighboringMali.—AFP

OUAGADOUGOU: People light candles during the memorial ceremony for the victimsof the recent hotel attack where extremists killed foreigners and Burkina Fasonationals, in Ouagadougou yesterday. —AP

White-clad marchers pay homage to Burkina victims

BERLIN: A senior figure in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s con-servative party has proposed setting up “border centres”along the frontier with Austria to speed up the repatriationof those asylum seekers deemed unqualified to stay. JuliaKloeckner, leader of Merkel’s Christian Democrats in thewestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, was careful to styleher proposal as a “Plan A2” rather than a “Plan B”, addingthat the chancellor’s push for a European solution to a largeinflux of asylum seekers into the continent was still right.

“We want to complement it,” she wrote in a paper settingout her position, a copy of which Reuters obtained. In thepaper, Kloeckner proposed that: “On the German-Austrianborder, border centres will be set up.” The proposal,endorsed by the Christian Democrats’ (CDU) secretary gen-eral, highlights the frustration in Merkel’s party with theslow progress in achieving a European Union-wide solutionto the refugee crisis, which is straining the infrastructure ofmany German municipalities.

Germany attracted 1.1 million asylum seekers last year,leading to calls from across the political spectrum for achange in its handling of the number of refugees coming toEurope to escape war and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan andelsewhere. Growing concern about Germany’s ability tocope with the influx and worries about crime and securityafter assaults on women at New Year in Cologne are weigh-ing on support for the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, theChristian Social Union (CSU).

An Emnid poll for the newspaper Bild am Sonntagshowed support for the CDU/CSU bloc down 2 percentagepoints at 36 percent from the previous week. The right-wingAlternative for Germany (AfD) gained 1 point to 10 percent.Merkel’s coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD),gained a point to 25 percent.

Camp controversyMerkel, despite appearing increasingly isolated over her

open-door policy on refugees, has resisted pressure fromsome conservatives to cap the influx, or to close Germany’sborders. Instead, she has tried to convince other Europeancountries to take in quotas of refugees, pushed for recep-tion centres to be built on Europe’s external borders, andled an EU campaign to convince Turkey to keep refugeesfrom entering the bloc. But progress has been slow.

CDU Secretary General Peter Tauber presentedKloeckner’s proposals as underscoring the government’scourse thus far. “The proposed border centres are a devel-opment of existing structures,” he said in a statement. “Theball is now with the Social Democrats: they can’t always saywhat doesn’t work, and must fulfil their responsibility as agoverning party.”— Reuters

LONDON: Scottish First Minister NicolaSturgeon warned yesterday it would be amistake to hold Britain’s European Unionmembership referendum in June. BritishPrime Minister David Cameron hopes tofinalise a renegotiation of the UK’s terms ofmembership at the European Councilmeeting on February 18 and 19.

An in-or-out referendum on Britain’smembership of the bloc must be held bythe end of 2017, with commentatorsbelieving it could come this year. Sturgeonsaid holding it in June would be “disre-spectful” to the Scottish, Welsh, NorthernIrish and London mayoral elections, whichare taking place in May. Speaking about apossible June vote, Sturgeon told BBC tele-vision: “I think it would be a mistake forDavid Cameron.

“Two reasons why I would not be infavour of a June referendum. “The Scottishelection is in May, indeed the Welsh,Northern Irish, London elections are in May.

“To have a referendum campaign start-

ing in parallel would be disrespectful tothose important elections. “The second rea-son is I think it would be better for DavidCameron... if he does get a deal at theFebruary European Council: to leave moretime between that deal and the point ofdecision.”

Cameron wants to renegotiate Britain’sterms of membership, then recommendthat the UK remains in the 28-country blocon that basis.

Sturgeon said: “One of the big problemsI see for the In campaign at the moment isthat as far as David Cameron is concernedit is very much focused on these narrowissues of renegotiation, when in actual fact,if the In campaign is going to prevail, this isgoing to have to become a positive in prin-ciple campaign about why it is better forthe UK to stay within the European Union.”

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond hasruled out a referendum in July or August.Cameron wants a referendum campaignlasting at least three months. — AFP

Merkel’s partyweighs German‘border centers’

Scottish leader warnsagainst June EU referendum

I N T E R N AT ION A L

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s ethnic minoritieshave rejected a constitutional amend-ment, dashing hopes of an end to a polit-ical crisis that has led to fuel shortagesand hampered deliveries of relief materi-als to survivors of last year’s earthquakes.More than 50 people have died since theethnic Madhesis, backed by some othersmaller ethnic groups, launched protestsin the landlocked, Himalayan country’ssouthern plains against the amendmentto the constitution.

Protests at the border have preventedtrucks from entering from neighbouringIndia since September, causing fuel

shortages and rationing in Nepal.Deliveries of relief supplies to communi-ties hit by earthquakes in April and Maylast year have also been disrupted.

The Nepalese people had hoped thecharter, the country’s first since the aboli-tion of the monarchy in 2008, wouldbring peace and stability closer afteryears of conflict. However, the Madhesis,who have close familial, linguistic andcultural ties with Indians across the bor-der, say Nepalese authorities have failedto meet their aspirations for greater par-ticipation in government.

The 597-member parliament voted

461-7 late on Saturday in favor of a provi-sion of “proportionate inclusion” ofminority groups in all government insti-tutions including the army, and to carveout electoral constituencies on the basisof their population to increase their rep-resentation in parliament.

The rest of the lawmakers either didnot vote or walked out. “The governmentbelieves that the amendment willaddress the problems in the Tarai andhopes that the protests will end,” LawMinister Agni Prasad Kharel told parlia-ment before the vote, referring to thelowlands bordering India in the south.

Madhesi lawmakers protested andwalked out of parliament, saying thechanges had loopholes and were incom-plete. “It is a complete farce. It does notaddress our demands,” said HridayeshTripathi, a leader of Tarai MadhesLoktantrik Party, part of the MadhesiFront that is leading the protests.

Nepal’s giant and influential neighborIndia said the changes were positive. “Wehope that other outstanding issues aresimilarly addressed in a constructive spir-it,” the Indian External Affairs Ministrysaid in a statement. The Nepali govern-ment says a political panel will be tasked

to redraw the internal boundaries of fed-eral provinces within three months,another key demand of the Madhesis.

It says other demands such as citizen-ship cards for foreign spouses of Nepalinationals will also be resolved throughpolitical consensus. But the Madhesis areopposed to splitting their region intomore than two provinces, as the govern-ment plan envisages, saying this wouldscupper their chances of controlling theprovincial governments. Many in Nepalblame India for quietly supporting theMadhesi protesters, a charge New Delhidenies.—Reuters

Nepal ethnic minorities reject charter amendment

CHANDIGARH: French President Francois Hollande (center left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center right) pose for a group photowith Indian folk dancers at the government museum and art gallery in Chandigarh yesterday.—AP

CHANDIGARH: France’s President FrancoisHollande played down the prospect of a swiftconclusion to a drawn-out deal for New Delhi tobuy 36 French jet fighters as he began a three-day visit to India yesterday.

The invitation for Hollande to be chief guestat India’s Republic Day military parade tomorrowhad raised expectations that the multi-billiondollar agreement for the Rafale jets would finallybe sealed.

But after landing in the northern city ofChandigarh, Hollande cooled talk that the con-tract was on the verge of being signed. He saidfurther discussions were needed on a prior inter-governmental agreement. “We are going to takeanother step on the road which we hope willlead us to India’s acquisition of the 36 Rafalejets,” Hollande told reporters.

“India needs them and France has shown thatit has the world’s best aircraft. “The commercialcontract can only come after the inter-govern-mental accord... which will be discussed duringmy visit.”

While Hollande said he was “optimistic” aboutthe inter-governmental accord being agreed onMonday, a senior French official acknowledgednegotiations were still snagged on the price.

And in an interview with the Press Trust ofIndia news agency, the French president saidthat “agreeing on the technicalities of thisarrangement obviously takes time”. Prime

Minister Narendra Modi announced in Paris lastyear that his government had agreed to buy thejets as India looks to modernize its Soviet-eramilitary and keep up with neighboring Pakistanand China. The two leaders stepped into thelong-delayed deal after tortuous negotiationsover a much-larger agreement first signed withFrance’s Dassault Aviation in 2012 broke down.

A sticking point has been Delhi’s insistencethat arms makers invest a percentage of the val-ue of any major deal in India, known as the off-set clause. Hollande began his second officialvisit to India in Chandigarh, which was designedby French architect Le Corbusier more than 60years ago.

After Modi greeted Hollande with a hug, thetwo leaders strolled through Chandigarh’srenowned rock garden, with its sculptures madeout of rubble from the city’s construction, beforeheading to an archaeological museum. Ministersand business executives travelling with Hollandemeanwhile signed a series of accords with theirIndian counterparts on issues such as e-com-merce, renewable energy and the developmentof “smart cities” which is one of Modi’s pet proj-ects.

Today the leaders are expected to announcea roadmap for building six French nuclear reac-tors in the western state of Maharashtra, morethan five years after a bilateral civil nuclear coop-eration agreement was signed, according to the

Times of India newspaper. They will also lay afoundation stone at the new headquarters of theInternational Solar Alliance, a 121-nation grouplaunched by Modi at the Paris COP21 conferencein November, to expand affordable solar power.

Solar push Hollande said he hoped some of the French

businesses travelling with him would be at theforefront of the solar energy push. “We aregoing to translate our shared commitment toimplement what was agreed in Paris into actionby launching the solar alliance here,” he said atChadigarh’s military airport.

Security will be high on the agenda afterdeadly Islamist attacks in Paris in November thatevoked memories of the 2008 Mumbai attacks,which left 166 people dead.

India launched a nationwide security crack-down in the lead-up to Republic Day, arresting astring of suspected Islamic militants. Securitywas tight for Hollande’s arrival, with armedpolice and paramilitary forces patrolling thestreets of Chandigarh. Hollande and Modi areexpected to sit side by side to watch tomorrow’spomp-filled spectacle of military might-whichincludes columns of soldiers and Soviet-eratanks-along Delhi’s central Rajpath avenue.

The parade is the highlight of annual celebra-tions of the birth of modern India. US PresidentBarack Obama was last year’s chief guest. —AFP

Hollande starts India visit,

says jet deal will take time

French president chief guest at R-Day parade

NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obamahas urged Pakistan to show it is “serious”about crushing extremist networks operat-ing on its territory, saying the latest masskilling of students underlined the need formore decisive action. In an interview withthe Press Trust of India published yesterday,Obama praised recent crackdowns byPakistani security forces but said moreshould be done to eradicate violentIslamist groups.

“Pakistan has an opportunity to showthat it is serious about delegitimizing, dis-rupting and dismantling terrorist networks,”Obama told the news agency inWashington. “In the region and around theworld, there must be zero tolerance for safehavens and terrorists must be brought tojustice.” Twenty-one people were killed lastWednesday in an attack at a universitycampus in Pakistan’s tribal northwest whichwas claimed by a faction of the PakistaniTaleban, barely a year after a massacre at aschool in Peshawar that killed more than150 people.

A military offensive against extremists inPakistan’s tribal areas was intensified afterthe Peshawar attack, although Indian offi-cials say authorities across the border stillturn a blind eye to jihadist groups. Obama

said the crackdown on extremists was “theright policy” but was quoted as saying thatPakistan “can and must” take more effectiveaction.

“Since then (Peshawar), we have seenPakistan take action against several specificgroups,” said Obama. “We have also seencontinued terrorism inside Pakistan such asthe recent attack on the university in north-west Pakistan.”

India has blamed gunmen belonging tothe Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed for an attack on one of its airforce bases close to the Pakistan borderearlier this month that left seven soldiersdead. Obama said that attack in Punjab was“another example of the inexcusable terror-ism that India has endured for too long”.The attack came only days after IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modi had paid hisfirst visit to Pakistan, dropping in for talkswith his counterpart Nawaz Sharif on hisway home from Afghanistan.

Modi has resisted pressure to put tieswith Pakistan back in deep freeze after theair base attack, and Obama endorsed thecontinuation of contacts. “Both leaders areadvancing a dialogue on how to confrontviolent extremism and terrorism across theregion,” Obama said. — AFP

Obama urges ‘serious’ action

against Pakistan extremists

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: HeadmasterNaveed Gul walked past the armed guardat the gate into his office. As primary schoolpupils studied their morning lessons out-side, he reached beneath his warm woollysweater, and pulled out a gun. “This is anM20 pistol,” he said. “It’s made in China andit works perfectly.” A debate over armingteachers has surged in Pakistan once more,days after assistant chemistry professorSyed Hamid Husain opened fire on theTaleban gunmen who stormed the univer-sity campus where he worked.

Students told how the 33-year-oldfather-of-two died shielding them with ahandgun during the attack that claimed 21lives at the Bacha Khan university in north-west Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Teachers there had been given permis-sion to carry firearms after the PakistaniTaleban massacred more than 150 people,the majority of them children, at a school inthe provincial capital Peshawar in 2014. Atthe Government Primary SchoolAkhunabad in the city, Gul slid his owngun-a Chinese knockoff of a Soviet WWII-era pistol-quickly into the desk drawer, say-ing weapons in school give him confi-dence.

“You have guns with you. You can fight itout,” he said. The headmaster, his waxedmoustaches straight out of the Wild West,already has the scenario played out in hismind. “If one terrorist were to come and I’msitting here... I will automatically take outmy pistol,” he said gesturing. “So if I takecover from here, and fire with a sharpmind.”

‘Where did he get the courage?’Psychologists discussing mass shootings

in the US recently told AFP that post-trau-matic stress can translate into such hyper-vigilance: a state of alert close to paranoia.But Gul is matter-of-fact. Militants havelong targeted education in Pakistan, fromthe shooting of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzaiin Swat in 2012 to the Peshawar massacreand Wednesday’s assault.

On Friday, the Taliban faction behind theBacha Khan attack vowed to continue tar-geting schools and students, calling them“nurseries” for those who challenge Allah’slaw.

“I want to protect myself and my stu-dents,” Gul said. Provincial spokesmanShaukat Yousafzai said that with 68,000schools and just 55,000 policemen inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government can-

not provide security, so it gave in to theteachers’ demand they be allowed to carryweapons.

“There is no harm in using them in caseof an attack,” Yousafzai said. But Peshawar-based analyst and retired brigadier SaadKhan said arming teachers is “stupid”.

“These are young men,” he said. “If afight breaks out, you know, the rush ofblood, and if somebody has a gun.” Insteadof killing attackers on the spot, Khan calledfor rooting out the long-term causes of mil-itancy, echoing critics of a national crack-down on extremism who say it has failed togo far enough.

“Let them become men of books,” hesaid. Syed Hamid Husain, by all accounts,had been just such a man-a brilliant aca-demic lecturing at a university named aftera peace icon known as the “FrontierGandhi”. Husain’s family said that changedafter the Peshawar school massacre in2014.

Elder brother Sajjad expressed a baffledpride in the actions of his kind-hearted sib-ling, who he said as a child would faint atthe sight of blood. “We don’t know wherehe got that much courage from,” Sajjad toldAFP tearfully at the family home in Swabi,near Charsadda, clutching his three-year-old nephew in one arm and a picture of thechild’s father in the other. The Taleban’scold slaughter of dozens of children in thePeshawar massacre had changed his “soft”brother into something more “cruel”, Sajjadsaid. “He said he felt a trembling inside...that something should be done.”

‘We are not scared’ In the US the debate over arming teach-

ers is nuanced. President Barack Obama’srecent tears over the shooting of 20 chil-dren in Connecticut in 2012 promptedpowerful arguments on both sides, as didRepublican presidential candidate BenCarson’s call for guns in schools lastOctober.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for parentsand students, the question appears unset-tlingly one-sided. “They (teachers) canfight and kill maybe two, three, four peo-ple,” said Ehsanullah, whose son attendsthe Akhunabad school. “When they come,our teacher will attack them,” said ten-year-old pupil Shafey Hussain. “We arenot scared of anybody.” He spoke withheartbreaking certainty: both that theattack will come, and that the adults cansave him when it does. — AFP

Armed teachers in classrooms:

Pakistan’s horrifying new world

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani private security guard watching out as students arrive at agovernment primary school in Peshawar. — AFP

BANGKOK: A large chunk of metal that could befrom an aircraft washed ashore in southernThailand, but Malaysian authorities yesterdaycautioned against speculation of a link to aMalaysia Airlines flight missing almost two years.Flight MH370 lost communications and made asharp turn away from its Beijing destinationbefore disappearing in March 2014. It is pre-sumed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean, andonly one piece of debris has been identified ascoming from the plane, a slab of wing thatwashed ashore on Reunion Island in the westernIndian Ocean last July.

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Laisaid he instructed Malaysian civil aviation officialsto contact Thailand about the newly foundwreckage, a curved piece of metal measuringabout 2 meters by 3 meters (6 1/2 feet by 10 feet)with electrical wires hanging from it and num-bers stamped on it in several places.

“I urge the media and the public not to specu-late because it will give undue pressure to theloved ones of the victims of MH370,” he said.

Thailand’s Transportation Ministry said fourMalaysian officials and two Thai experts will visitthe site today. Liow said the search for the miss-ing jet, which carried 239 people, is ongoing inthe southern Indian Ocean and that its secondphase is expected to be completed by June.Australia has led a multinational search that hasso far cost more than $120 million.

Australian Transport Safety Bureauspokesman Dan O’Malley said the agency wasawaiting results of an official examination of thedebris. The debris was found on the eastern coast

of southern Thailand’s Nakkon Si Thammaratprovince, about 370 miles (600 kilometers) southof Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand.

While debris can drift thousands of miles (kilo-meters) on ocean currents, that location wouldbe a surprise based on the data from FlightMH370. The plane was tracked by radar flyingover the South China Sea then making a sharpturn west for unknown reasons. It crossed the

Malay Peninsula and Straits of Malacca, whichwould put it off Thailand’s west coast. Radar con-tact was lost shortly after the plane entered theairspace over the Indian Ocean. Analysis ofexchanges between its engine and a satellitedetermined the plane flew south on a straightpath for hours, leading authorities to believe itflew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel andcrashed into the water. — AP

Large metal chunk investigated

after washing onto Thai beach

Thai hospital workers transport an injured Thai ranger on a stretcher after he was shot by sus-pected separatist militants in the Rueso district of Thailand’s restive southern province ofNarathiwat yesterday. — AFP

N E W S

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Continued from Page 1

Former Islamist MP Mohammad Hayef expressed simi-lar opposition to the proposal, saying that the number ofchurches in Kuwait “exceeds the number of KuwaitiChristians”. Kuwaiti Christians number around 200, whileabout half a million Christian foreigners live in the country.

Meanwhile, a team from the ministry of finance wasscheduled to meet MP Yousef Al-Zalzalah late yesterdayto discuss government plans to reduce or lift subsidieson fuel and services. The government has pledged notto take any unilateral decision on subsidies and vowedto brief the National Assembly on the planned measures.

MP Mohammad Tana said that there are many solu-tions through which the government can finance thebudget deficit instead of raising the burden on the peo-ple, especially low and middle-income people. A largenumber of MPs have publicly rejected government plansto raise charges on public services after a sharp fall in oilrevenues. The government has said that reducing subsi-

dies on fuel and public services has become necessaryto reduce the budget deficit. Tana meanwhile yesterdayurged the Assembly’s interior and defense committee toapprove a proposal he submitted to grant the relativesof stateless martyrs Kuwaiti citizenship.

Separately, the Assembly’s financial and economicaffairs committee yesterday approved amendments tothe Kuwait Airways privatization law giving the govern-ment the right to retain 75 percent of the airline andeffectively end the privatization plan. Acting head of thepanel MP Mohammad Al-Jabri said under the newamendments, 20 percent of the carrier will be offered inan initial public offering (IPO) and the remaining fivepercent will be given to current and retired employees.

Jabri also said the panel agreed to grant the nationalcarrier another KD 600 million from state reserves tohelp it in its development plan and modernization of itsfleet. KAC has placed orders for 25 Airbus and 10 Boeingjets with delivery starting later this year. It has alsoleased 12 Airbus planes.

MPs reject building of new churches...

Continued from Page 1

injured in the incident swift recovery, he toldreporters “we will not hesitate to hold those foundguilty of negligence accountable”.

Construction accidents are all too common inKuwait. According to a 2010 research paper publishedin the peer-reviewed Journal of Per formance ofConstructed Facilities, “the construction industry is themost hazardous industry in Kuwait. On average, falls arethe major type of accident (33.2 percent) followed by

being crushed or struck by a falling object (25.2 per-cent). Use or misuse of tools caused the third largestnumber of accidents in Kuwait (18.1 percent).

“The most frequent type of injury is fractures (52.6percent) and the most common injured body part is theupper body (53.4 percent). An average of (82.7 percent)of victims of construction accidents in Kuwait sustainpermanent disabilities. It is clear that the Kuwaiti con-struction industry has a safety problem and that there isa pressing need to change current practices and legisla-tion in construction and building sites.” — Agencies

20 workers injured in school collapse

Continued from Page 1

Iraq turned to Shiite militia forces in 2014 to help count-er an IS onslaught that overran large areas north and westof Baghdad, and they have played a key role in the fightagainst the jihadists. But militias and their affiliates havealso carried out abuses including summary executions,kidnappings and destruction of property, and many mem-bers of the Sunni Arab and Kurdish minorities view themwith suspicion. The foreign ministry defended the Hashedal-Shaabi, “which is fighting terrorism and defending thesovereignty of the country, and works under the umbrellaof the state”.

Shiite politicians had earlier reacted angrily to the Saudiambassador’s comments, but the country’s largest Sunnibloc defended him. “The remarks of the Saudi ambassadorindicate clear hostility and blatant interference in Iraqiaffairs,” Khalaf Abdulsamad, the head of the Dawa parlia-mentary list, said in a statement. “His talking about theHashed al-Shaabi in this way is considered a major insult,”Abdulsamad said, calling on the foreign ministry to “pre-serve the dignity of the Iraqi state and summon the Saudiambassador and expel him from Iraq”.

Alia Nasayif, an MP from the State of Law bloc, said the

ambassador’s remarks “included clear attempts to provokesectarian strife”. And Hashed al-Shaabi spokesman AhmedAl-Assadi termed Sabhan an “ambassador of a state thatsupports terrorism” and called for Iraq to “expel this ambas-sador and punish him for his statements”. Among IraqiShiites, Saudi Arabia is widely viewed as a supporter ofextremists and opponent of their community.

But Sabhan’s comments were not universally panned,with the Alliance of Iraqi Forces, the main Sunni Arab blocin parliament, describing his remarks as “very natural” andcriticizing the “political campaign” against him. Sabhan’stenure in Iraq, which officially began when he presentedhis credentials 10 days ago, was off to a rocky start evenbefore his recent remarks. Saudi Arabia’s execution ofactivist and Shiite cleric Nimr Al-Nimr at the beginning ofthe month sparked widespread anti-Riyadh anger, protestsand calls for Sabhan to be kicked out of Iraq.

Iraq has been plagued by years of tensions between itsShiite majority and Sunni minority, which ruled the coun-try under Saddam Hussein, with tens of thousands killed insectarian violence over the past decade. The UnitedNations said last week that more than 18,000 Iraqi civilianshad been killed in the previous two years, many due to anupsurge in violence with the rise of IS. — Agencies

Iraq summons Saudi envoy Continued from Page 1

The Islamic State jihadist group said it downed theaircraft and tens of thousands of foreign tourists, includ-ing some 80,000 Russians and 20,000 Britons, werestranded in the resort after flights were cancelled forsecurity reasons.

Egypt has also boosted promotion efforts in SaudiArabia and other Gulf Arab nations, leading to a sharpincrease in the number of visitors from those nationsand is doing more to promote domestic tourism,Zaazou said. The country is banking on the short mem-ory of global travellers who have been scared off andreturned to the country before, most vividly after theLuxor massacre in 1997 in which over 60 people werekilled, mostly Swiss and Japanese, he added. “I believe2016 will be the year tourists come back to Egypt andour part of the world,” the minister said.

Like Egypt, Morocco has stepped up its efforts todevelop its domestic tourism market to help offset fluc-tuations in the arrival of foreigners, Morocco’s TourismMinister Lahcen Haddad said. The domestic market nowaccounts for 33 percent of the nation’s total tourismactivity, up from 25 percent in 2012. “The more domes-tic tourism you have the more mature your destination(becomes), the more your industry is used, and also themore resilient your destination becomes because peo-ple domestically will travel no matter what,” he said.

“That has also encouraged a lot of investors to stay inMorocco to invest more. We have been able to drawmore investment despite the crisis that started in mid-2014. We have also seen more creation of jobs and seenmore hotel brands interested in Morocco.” Swiss groupMovenpick opened its third hotel in Morocco inMarrakech at the end of last year, one of several majorhotel investments in recent years.

Except for one attack against tourists in 2011 inMarrakesh - the kingdom’s biggest tourism centre -Morocco has been calm for the past decade. But it stillsuffered a slump in visitors last year after 38 people,

mainly British holidaymakers, were gunned down atTunisia’s seaside resort of Sousse in June. “Domestictourism is the thing that will keep you going during dif-ficult times. And we have neglected in our region localtourism. I think maybe what happened to us in theregion is a wake up call,” said Jordanian Tourism MinisterNayef Al-Fayez.

The Madrid-based United Nations World TourismOrganization predicts the number of internationaltourists to the Middle East and North Africa will triple to195 million in 2030. But the head of the body, formerJordanian tourism minister Taleb Rifai, warned that “thenew reality of safety and security and the perception ofthe region is a great big challenge”. “Nobody is denyingthe challenges and difficulties that are coming from theMiddle East,” he added.

Separately, almost three million people visited Qatarin 2015, a record number for the energy-rich Gulf coun-try, its tourism authority said yesterday. A total of 2.93million people travelled to Qatar last year for a holiday,business or personal reasons, according to figures in anannual report released by the Qatar Tourism Authority(QTA). That represented an increase of almost four per-cent on 2014, at a time when the country is looking todiversify its economy away from its reliance on gas andoil, which accounts for more than 50 per of GDP.

“The report shows that despite global developments,which have adversely affected travel patterns, Qatar hasshown resilience as a burgeoning tourist destinationwith growing arrival figures and steady hotel occupancyrates,” the QTA stated. The largest number of visitors,855,000, came from Saudi Arabia. India provided more375,000 visitors and the United Kingdom 135,000. Therewas also an increase in the number of Chinese andFrench visitors in 2015.

Tourism contributed the equivalent of $3.7 billion tothe economy in 2015, the QTA said, around two percentof total GDP. QTA forecasts up to nine million people willvisit Qatar by 2030, allowing tourism to contribute tojust over five percent of the total economy. — Agencies

Arab nations eye China, locals to revive...

A girl stands high on a snow pile as she poses for a family photo in New York’s Times Square on Saturday, asa large winter storm hit the East Coast. — AP

THE LEADING INDEPENDENTDAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN

Editor-in-ChiefABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN

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A N A L Y S I SMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

When a state of emergency was imposed inFrance after the November attacks, numband terror-weary citizens welcomed the

show of force. But a sense of creeping unease over civ-il liberties has turned to outright opposition in manyquarters as French President Francois Hollande indi-cated this week he would seek to renew the measurefor another three months. The state of emergency wasimposed after gunmen and suicide bombers attackeda string of Parisian cafes and restaurants, a concert halland football stadium, leaving 130 dead and hundredsinjured on Nov 13.

It has led to over 2,500 police raids and hundreds ofarrests under emergency policing powers that govern-ment wants written into the constitution. The FrenchHuman Rights League (LDH), one of many bodies nowquestioning the efficacy of the harsher measures, saidrecently that only four legal procedures relating to ter-rorism had emerged from the spate of police opera-tions. “The political trap of a state of emergency isclosing on the government (because) there will alwaysbe a good reason to keep” it in place, said LDH lawyerPatrice Spinozi. And Jean-Jacques Urvoas, the presi-dent of the parliamentary commission of laws arguedthat the “element of surprise” against potential terror-ist networks has been “largely reduced”.

The Council of Europe’s human rights commission-er Nils Muiznieks warned earlier this month that thestate of emergency could constitute a “threat” todemocracy. He raised concerns about ethnic profilingof suspects facing police searches. And a panel of UNhuman rights experts said last week the measuresplaced what they saw as “excessive and disproportion-ate” restrictions on key rights.

One and Indivisible The current three-month state of emergency

expires on Feb 26 and an extension will give govern-ment time to adopt reforms to enshrine new securitymeasures into the constitution. None has been moredivisive than a reform proposed by the Socialist presi-dent to strip French citizenship from people convictedof terrorist offences, if they have another nationality.Rights activists, intellectuals as well as those withinthe Socialist party have criticised a measure they seeas a betrayal of France’s founding principles, in whichthe republic is “one and indivisible”.

France’s National Human Rights Commission(CNCDH) said the loss of nationality was “of no use inthe prevention of terrorist acts.” The commission said itwould establish “different treatment” between Frenchpeople holding dual citizenship and those who areonly French, a move “radically opposed to all republi-can values.” A group of 70 nongovernmental organiza-tions have called for a protest on January 30 againstthe measure. “For us it is definitely non!” they wrote ina declaration.

On Saturday the National Council of Bars, whichrepresents French lawyers, said it was concerned tosee the construction of “a judicial and social modelwhich breaks with republican values”. Prime MinisterManuel Valls told the BBC on Friday that France would“use all means” at its disposal to combat terrorism“until we can get rid of Daesh,” an acronym for IslamicState.

However, a source close to Valls told AFP “it is notenvisaged in any way to extend it indefinitely.” Whenasked about the government’s intentions regardingthe state of emergency, the source said simply thatFrance was at “war”, hence “we shall see if we are goingto extend it (for) as long as necessary.” The state ofemergency boosts police powers, allowing housearrests, raids both day and night and the banning ofpublic gatherings, without permission from a judge.

The lives of the majority of French people have notbeen affected by the state of emergency, and a recentpoll showed 70 percent of people wanted it kept inplace. But there have been cases of violence duringpolice raids, mistaken identity and people losing theirjobs because they were placed under house arrest. Forthe first time on Friday the Conseil d‘Etat - the highestadministrative court -stopped a house arrest and finedthe state as the person in question had not beenproved to belong to an Islamist grouping. The Conseild’Etat will on Tuesday examine a request from the LDHto end the state of emergency. —AFP

Focus

Disquiet grows

over French state

of emergency

By Martine Nouaille

By Mynardo Macaraig

Web designer Maria Zurbano kissesher three-year-old daughter good-bye and sets out in the predawn

darkness for a torturous commute throughthe Philippine capital. Her ordeal, a return tripof up to six hours every weekday, is expectedto get even worse as the number of carsexplodes in the chaotic Asian mega-city ofmore than 12 million people. Dubbed “car-maggedon” by locals, business leaders arewarning Manila could come to a total stand-still despite grand government plans to tackleits traffic.

“Physically, during these trips, I feel ill. Myback is always hurting. It affects my health tohave to sit down for so long,” said Zurbano, 36,as she waited for a bus outside her home at5:00 am. After finally ending a cramped mini-bus trip of just 17 km to the financial districtof Makati, Zurbano despaired of beingtrapped in a traffic hell. “Traffic just gets worseand worse. I just get more stressed andstressed but it doesn’t look like anything willchange. I will just have to learn to bear with it,”she said.

Huge Traffic Costs Traffic in the capital and its surroundings is

already costing the country about three bil-lion pesos ($64 million) a day, or about 0.8percent of gross domestic product, accordingto government figures. And it is steadily wors-ening as an emerging middle class fuels anauto boom - car sales rose 23 percent last yearwith nearly 300,000 new vehicles hitting theroads. Compounding the problem, decades ofinfrastructure neglect has left Manila with ajust a few major roads across the city and theirgridlock “peak hours” often last for three orfour hours.

Commuters have few other options with

Manila’s dilapidated rail network tiny in com-parison with neighbouring Southeast Asiancapitals such as Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur andBangkok. A chaotic private bus and mini-busnetwork with drivers who regularly flout traf-fic laws by, for instance, stopping in the mid-dle of roads to pick up passengers, is widelyperceived as adding to the problem. “This isgoing to be the most critical problem the nextadministration faces,” John Forbes, a senioradviser at the American Chamber ofCommerce in Manila, told AFP.

Forbes warned Manila risked becoming“uninhabitable” in the next three to five years -

meaning people would simply be unable toget around the city - if urgent action was nottaken to build roads and rail lines. Elections fora successor to President Benigno Aquino, whois required by the constitution to stand downafter a single six-year term, will be held in May.Aquino has proved a generally popular presi-dent but he has been the target of fierce pub-lic criticism for a perceived lack of urgency inupdating the nation’s creaking infrastructure.He earned widespread condemnation mid-way through his term with comments thatworsening traffic was merely a sign of a grow-ing economy.

Dreams of Urban Bliss His aides have since sought to project a

sense of empathy and urgency, pointing to newexpressways and an extension of a train line asplanned projects that will ease the congestion.They have also emphasized the adoption in2014 of a “Dream Plan” to fix the urban chaos,which outlines $65 billion of infrastructurespending by 2030. The plan envisages a widerange of massive and unprecedented projectsfor the Philippines, such as a subway, satellitecities linked to Manila by high-speed rail, relocat-ing air and sea ports, as well as many new roads.

Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, an econ-omist who has studied the traffic problem, saidthe plan’s huge price tag is within the govern-ment’s reach. “Financing should not be a prob-lem because the funders are ready,” Beltran toldAFP, pointing to the nation’s improved creditrating that will allow cheaper loans, as well asexpected help from the Japanese governmentand multilateral lenders.

But many experts believe there is littlechance of many projects going ahead. Theypoint to the nation’s chaotic and corrupt demo-cratic system, as well as a strangling bureaucra-cy, which prevent infrastructure development.A glaring example is the construction of a 19-kilometre light rail line on the outskirts of thecapital that was meant to have been finished bythe end of last year - but it has not even beenstarted.

Touting the project in 2013, Aquino joked hewas ready to be run over a train if it was notcompleted by the end of 2015. But his govern-ment has not even finalized the tender process.Gilbert Llano, president of the PhilippineInstitute for Development Studies, a govern-ment think-tank, echoed the ironic tones ofmany experts when talking about the govern-ment’s infrastructure plan. “It’s called a dreamplan (because) it will stay in the realm ofdreams,” said Llanto. —AFP

No end to Manila’s traffic nightmare

By Nicolas Miletitch

To reach the gigantic statue of VladimirLenin that overlooks Moscow’s OctoberSquare, pedestrians can stroll down

streets named after the Bolshevik revolution-ary’s wife or mother, or cross Lenin Avenuethat intersects with a road named after hisbrother. More than a quarter of a century haspassed since the fall of Communism butreminders of the Soviet Union’s foundingfather Lenin -who died on Jan 21, 1924 - arestill easy to find. Yet the man himself seemsincreasingly to mean little to many people inRussia, the cradle of his revolution.

Lenin monuments, busts and eponymousstreets commemorating the leader of the1917 October Revolution still dot cityscapesacross the country and his body still liesembalmed for tourists to visit in the mau-soleum on the capital’s iconic Red Square. “OnJuly 19, 1918, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin met in thisbuilding with the party members from facto-ries of the Zamoskvorechye neighbourhood,”reads a plaque in the centre of the Russiancapital. Down the street, another plaquereminds passersby that the Communist leaderaddressed workers from the Yaroslavl andVladimir regions from a balcony above theirheads. And Moscow’s sprawling subway sys-tem - which carries an average of seven mil-lion passengers every day - also officiallybears Lenin’s name.

‘Relics From Our History’ In some other former Soviet republics,

most prominently Ukraine, many statues ofLenin have been dismantled, toppled or van-dalized since the fall of Communism. But forordinary Russians the lingering presence ofthe Communist leader among the advertising

hoardings and shopping malls of their con-sumerist society appears to stir mixed opin-ions - or more often just indifference. Everyyear on the key Communist holidays such asMay 1 or the anniversary of the revolution onNov 7 dwindling groups of ageing supportersgather with portraits of Lenin at monuments

to him across the country.But while some who are old enough to

remember the Soviet epoch view these ves-tiges of another era with nostalgia, otherslook on them with resentment. “These monu-ments bother me,” said 60-year-old MuscoviteViktor Dzyadko, whose hostility toward the

Soviet revolutionary is tangible. “They shouldall be sent to some museum.” For the youngergeneration, who have grown up outside theSoviet system, the presence of Lenin is oftenlittle more than a historical oddity. “During theSoviet era, all these monuments had an ideo-logical role but now they are just relics from

our history,” said Alexander Polyakovsky, a 20-year-old student.

“We are witnessing growing indifference,”sociologist Lev Gudkov, the head of inde-pendent pollster Levada Centre, told AFP.“Lenin does not represent anything to theyoung generations, who only have a vague

idea that he was the founder of the Sovietstate.” In a poll conducted by the Levada cen-tre about views of Lenin in 2015 only five per-cent of people said they thought his ideas willinfluence people in the future.

‘Atomic Bomb’ In the heady days of the early nineties dur-

ing the collapse of the Soviet Union, some ofthe key symbolic statues of Soviet leaders -most famously secret police founder FelixDzerzhinsky outside the KGB headquarters -were toppled. But as the new countryplunged into chaos, Russia’s first presidentBoris Yeltsin - often keen not to alienate thelarge chunk of the population that lookedback on the Soviet era with fondness - leftmost of the Lenin statues untouched.

President Vladimir Putin, a former KGBagent whose rule has seen the revival ofSoviet traditions and controls, followed inYeltsin’s footsteps and just let Lenin be. Thatincludes leaving the embalmed remains ofthe leader on display outside the Kremlin,despite polls showing that the majority ofpeople are in favor of finally saying goodbyeLenin and burying his body.

But that does not mean that Putin, whohas surrounded himself with ex-Soviet securi-ty agents and been accused of playing downthe crimes of Stalinism, is harking back to theideals of Lenin. “Allowing your rule to be guid-ed by ideas is right, but only when that idealeads to the right results, not like it did withVladimir Ilich,” Putin said in a rare reference toLenin on the anniversary of his death. “In theend that idea led to the fall of the SovietUnion,” he added. “They planted an atomicbomb under the building called Russia and itlater exploded. We did not need a global revo-lution.” —AFP

Lenin watches on over indifferent Russians

A file picture taken on Nov 21, 2011 shows people standing in front of amosaic portrait of the Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin at the Kiyevskaya sub-way station in Moscow. —AFP

In this photo taken on Jan 11, 2016, a major thoroughfare is clogged withtraffic as an overhead train passes by in Manila.—AFP

S P O RT S

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

CENTURION: England’s batsman Moeen Ali (right) plays a shot during day 3 of the fourth Test match between England and South Africa atSupersport stadium. — AFP

CENTURION: South African fast bowlingprodigy Kagiso Rabada took six wickets toput South Africa on top on the third day ofthe fourth and final Test against England atSuperSport Park yesterday. England were 318for eight at tea, still 157 runs behind SouthAfrica’s first innings total of 475.

Rabada, 20, took six for 101, including adevastating burst of three wickets in 12 ballsshortly before lunch. Rabada dismissed JoeRoot, James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow inquick succession - all caught behind by wick-etkeeper Quinton de Kock - to claim his sec-ond five-wicket haul in successive matches.

He followed up by ending an aggressiveinnings of 33 by Ben Stokes, who was caughtat first slip by Hashim Amla off the seconddelivery with the second new ball. ChrisWoakes was dropped by a leaping De Kockoff Morne Morkel when he had one but wenton to score 26, helping Moeen Ali add 43 forthe eighth wicket, before he was caught atslip in part-time off-spinner JP Duminy’s firstover. Root, who hit a century and two fiftiesin the first three Tests, made 76 off 128 ballswith 11 fours before edging Rabada to wick-etkeeper De Kock. Batting conditions weretricky under a heavily overcast sky on a pitchwith occasional variable bounce but Englandlost only one wicket before Rabada’s burst.

Alastair Cook and Root made their thirdwicket stand worth 99 with largely watchfulbatting, adding 37 runs in an hour beforeMorne Morkel dismissed Cook. The tall fastbowler, who had been wayward, followed upa wretched wide with a superb delivery fromaround the wicket which squared up Cook,straightened off the pitch and found the out-side edge for wicketkeeper Quinton de Kockto take the catch. Cook made 76 off 186 ballswith 11 fours. — AFP

Rabada rocks England

with six wickets

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO: Another day inCortina, another record for Lindsey Vonn.The American won a World Cup super-Gyesterday for her 11th career victory inCortina, breaking the resort record ofretired Austrian standout Renate Goetschl.

“It’s incredible to think back to when Iwas racing with Renate - it seemed like shewon every single race in Cortina and sheseemed unbeatable,” Vonn said. “And tohave surpassed her now it’s kind of hard toprocess all of these records. It’s hard toimagine having more success than myidols.” With another near-perfect run downthe Olympia delle Tofane course, Vonn beatTina Weirather of Liechtenstein by 0.69 sec-onds, with Viktoria Rebensburg of Germanythird, 1.15 back.

Vonn made a slight bobble toward theend of her run but was otherwise smoothand error-free, leaning into turns furtherthan other competitors to maintain speedand increasing her lead at each checkpoint.

At the finish, Vonn pumped her fists afew times and pointed at the crowd bask-ing in the sun on another crystal-clear dayin the town known as the Queen of theDolomites Range. Vonn took the lead in theoverall standings from Lara Gut, who fin-ished fifth, and now leads her Swiss rival by45 points.

By winning a downhill on Saturday,Vonn eclipsed Annemarie Moser-Proell’smark of 36 career wins in skiing’s marqueeevent And last year in Cortina, Vonn sur-passed Moser-Proell’s women’s record of 62wins across all events. “When I look back onmy career after I’m retired, I’ll really be ableto appreciate what I’ve done,” Vonn said. “Ican’t really think about it too much at thispoint because I’ll get distracted. I need tostay focused on my job. Right now it’s justmy job and when I retire then that will bemy legacy.”

Vonn now has 75 wins across all disci-plines, and is approaching IngemarStenmark’s all-time mark - among men and

women - of 86. Vonn recalled how whenshe recorded the very first podium result ofher career in Cortina 12 years ago, she fin-ished third behind then-reigning Olympicdownhill champion Carol Montillet andGoetschl. “I never thought that I wouldmake it this far in my career,” Vonn said. “Ifyou would have made a bet, I would havedefinitely bet against me. Now here I am, soit’s pretty incredible.”

‘Pretty good statistic’ During the podium ceremony, Vonn and

the US ski team were presented with theCortina Super Trophy - awarded to theteam that gained the most points over thetwo-day meet - which coincided with the60th anniversary of the 1956 Olympics inCortina. Vonn also holds the record for winsat any single resort with 18 at Lake Louise -giving her a total of 29 victories betweenthe Alberta, Canada, ski area and Cortina.

“That’s a pretty good statistic,” Vonnsaid. “I think I’ve had more wins in LakeLouise because we usually have three racesthere. I think if we had more races here itmight be a similar statistic. “But I think bothcourses really suit me and my style, my tac-tics and how I’m able to carry the speed,”Vonn added. “It’s so important on bothcourses to execute certain turns to be ableto get the speed you need to win the raceand I think I’ve always understood that real-ly well on those two courses.”

For Weirather, meanwhile, it was a bit ofrevenge after being denied an apparentpodium result a day earlier due to strongwinds. Rebensburg had trouble landing thefinal jump coming into the finish, almostdid the splits but recovered to hold on to apodium position 0.04 ahead of fourth-placefinisher Conny Huetter of Austria. Vonn haswon all three super-G races this season andleads the discipline standings by 130 pointsahead of Huetter. Next up for the women’scircuit are giant slalom and slalom races inMaribor, Slovenia, next weekend. —AP

Another day, another record

for Lindsey Vonn in Cortina

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO: Lindsey Vonn, of the United States, poses with the Super SkiTrophy after winning a women’s alpine skiing World Cup super-G race. — AP

SCOREBOARD

South Africa, first innings, 475England, first innings (overnight 138-2)A. Cook c De Kock b Morkel 76A. Hales c Piedt b Rabada 15N. Compton lbw b Rabada 19J. Root c De Kock b Rabada 76J. Taylor c De Kock b Rabada 14B. Stokes c Amla b Rabada 33J. Bairstow c De Kock b Rabada 0M. Ali not out 45C. Woakes c Elgar b Duminy 26S. Broad not out 4

Extras (b1, lb7, w2) 10Total (8 wkts, 98 overs)318Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Hales), 2-78 (Compton), 3-177(Cook), 4-208 (Root), 5-211 (Taylor), 6-211 (Bairstow),7-252 (Stokes), 8-295 (Woakes)Bowling: Abbott 19-9-36-0, Rabada 26-6-101-6 (1w),Piedt 23-4-74-0, Morkel 23-4-72-1 (1w), Elgar 4-0-13-0, Duminy 3-0-14-1To bat: J. Anderson.Match situation: England trail by 157 runs with twowickets remaining in the first innings.

CENTURION, South Africa: Scores at tea on the third day of the fourth and final Test betweenSouth Africa and England at SuperSport Park yesterday.

SYDNEY: All-rounder Glenn Maxwell willmiss Australia’s T20 opener against India inAdelaide with a hamstring injury, actingcoach Michael Di Venuto said yesterday.Maxwell flew straight to Melbourne wherethe second game in the three-match serieswill take place on Friday, skipping the openerin Adelaide tomorrow.

“He has still got a little, slight hamstringniggle so he flew straight to Melbourne andwill spend a few days in Melbourne at homeand join the squad when we get there in acouple of days,” Di Venuto told reporters inAdelaide. Maxwell was also ruled out of thefifth one-day international against India in

Sydney on Saturday. The series is seen as apreparation for the T20 World Cup in India inMarch, with Di Venuto-who has replacedDarren Lehmann while the coach is beingtreated for deep vein thrombosis-hoping togive every player in the 17-man squad “oneor two games at least”.

“Obviously, there’s a big carrot at theend of this with the World Cup team beingpicked, and you know you can only pick 15people, so we want to give people oppor-tunit ies to see what they can do,” DiVenuto, usually the team’s batting coach,added. The third game takes place inSydney yesterday. —AFP

Maxwell to miss T20

opener against India

S P O RT S

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

The fierce roar of powerful engines rever-berating through your body. The smell ofoil and burning rubber. The excitement

of drivers battling through corners, fightingfor position bumper to bumper. There is noth-ing like high performance racing to get yourblood pumping.

The sport appears to be in direct contrastwith the ecological path that Toyota has cho-sen. However, a new type of racing has beenborn: hybrid racing. Many people think of thePrius as a quiet, fuel-friendly, family andyouth-oriented car, because it is based onhybrid technology. However, the technology isversatile enough to be used in full-fledgedracecars, which can zoom down a track at over300 km/h.

The fact is that the hybrid system is a win-ner in all respects, offering genuine perform-ance advantages as well as environmentalbenefits. Racing not only proves how sophisti-cated hybrid technology is, but it also repre-sents the fast lane towards developing ever-better hybrid technology and drives our engi-neers to attain quantum leaps in innovation.We race to win, and to win, we must continuelearning.

The Prius: Clean, green and fastBefore we dive into hybrid racing, let’s first

take a look back at the THS, or Toyota HybridSystem. The first-generation Prius was releasedin 1997, utilizing the THS to offer dramaticimprovements in fuel efficiency.Unfortunately, while the Prius offered amazingfuel economy, it still needed more power. In2003, Toyota released the first big evolution tothe hybrid system with the THS II, equipped inthe second-generation Prius. Not only was itsfuel economy better than ever, but it also fea-tured higher battery voltage and increasedelectric motor output-resulting in far greateracceleration. The third-generation Prius

debuted in 2009, featuring a plethora of newinnovations. The gasoline engine wasincreased in size from 1.5 liters to 1.8 liters. Thereduction gear was extensively redesigned tobe extremely compact, and the electric motorwas reworked to not only allow for higher out-put, but to also facilitate higher speeds.

Toyota had been planning a high perform-ance Prius for hybrid racing since early in thevehicle’s development. The Landspeed Priusdebuted at Bonneville National Speed Week in2004, based on the second-generation Prius. Itset a record speed for hybrids at an impressive130.794 miles (210.5 kilometers) per hour.

Proving hybrids have what it takes“Whenever we talk about applying environ-

mental technologies to racing, hybrid technol-ogy comes up. This is something we have tocommit to as a company,” Yoshiaki Kinoshita,President of Toyota Motorsport GmbH

Yoshiaki Kinoshita’s visionary concept cameto fruition with Toyota’s hybrid racing projectin late 2005. Mr. Kinoshita later became thePresident of Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG),where he would focus on unifying Toyotamotorsports activities. Today, Hisatake Murata,the General Manager of the Motorsport UnitDevelopment Division, is the driving forcebehind Toyota’s hybrid racing development.

Toyota entered into the Tokachi 24-hourrace again the following year, this time using aToyota Supra with a specialized hybrid racingsystem and achieving a splendid overall victo-ry. In the wake of this impressive 2007 win,hybrid racing seemed to fall out of the lime-light at Toyota. But Mr. Kinoshita and Mr.Murata had actually set a new target: winningthe 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tucked away behindclosed doors, they worked feverishly to devel-op a brand new, dedicated hybrid racecar thatwould eventually be known as the TS030. TheTS030 and its successor were about to change

the course of modern-day motorsports forev-er.

Toyota Supra HV-RThe FIA World Endurance Championship

(WEC) series is a grueling endurance champi-onship that includes the time-honored 24Hours of Le Mans. Just as the series kicked offin 2012, Toyota entered the Le Mans race withthe TS030 Hybrid equipped with the new THS-R (Toyota Hybrid System-Racing). In the quali-fying stage, the TS030 achieved an impressivespeed of 335.2 kilometers per hour, the fastestspeed of any competitor.

But that was just the beginning.In 2014,Toyota debuted their all-new TS040 Hybridracecar, and at that time, it was considered arank outsider when the series began. Thisvehicle had an additional electric motor onthe front axle, giving the racecar four-wheeldrive and dramatically improving regenerativebraking. The vehicle delivered around 1000horsepower and could attain a top speed of340 kilometers per hour on the straightaway.The TS040 went on to help Toyota Racing winthe 2014 drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles tomark a successful conclusion to the FIA WECseason. The win was a clear demonstration ofthe capabilities of a hybrid racecar and its highperformance prowess in a challenging racingenvironment. It also endorsed Toyota’s globalleadership and progress in developingadvanced hybrid technology.

Racing helps develop ever-better road carsA hybrid system generates electricity to

recharge the batteries during deceleration byconverting kinetic energy into electrical ener-gy for storage. Racing cars have to brake vio-lently and repeatedly throughout the race, soa lot of effort must be spent ensuring that alarge amount of energy can be generated overa short time. When this technology is fed backinto production cars, it allows for the develop-

ment of extremely efficient hybrid cars thatcan regenerate electricity at any speed range.

Toyota’s philosophy of utilizing motor-sports as a tool to make ever-better road carshas been embraced by the WEC program, withhybrid technology transfer from the race trackbenefiting road car development since thebeginning of the project in 2012.The WEC’srevised 2014 regulations put new emphasis onenergy efficiency, requiring almost 25%improvement in fuel economy on each lap.This meant that Toyota had to focus on reduc-ing fuel usage and improving recovered ener-gy. In other words, the same things we focuson for production cars. Of course, better aero-dynamics and lower weight, which areextremely important in racecars, play a mas-

sive role in creating fuel-efficient, high-per-forming production cars as well. In short, rac-ing is how Toyota tests and develops its world-class hybrid technology.

As Mr. Murata says,“The components and technology devel-

oped for the TS040 Hybrid will provide thebasis for Toyota production cars in the future.”

A powerful hybrid system from Toyota isthus quietly changing the face of modernmotorsports and perceptions about the capa-bilities of hybrid racing cars. Racing not onlybrings out the best in our engineers, but alsospurs technological innovation. The next-gen-eration Prius is a result of these dedicatedefforts.

TS030 Landspeed Prius Supra HV-R

TS040

A New Age: Hybrid racing

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic dished up 100unforced errors in a five-set struggle with GillesSimon yesterday as Roger Federer roared intothe Australian Open quarter-finals with ruthlessefficiency. After the top seed’s “match to forget”,Federer looked in a hurry to brush off DavidGoffin when they came on court just before11:00 pm-and he duly thrashed the Belgian 6-2,6-1, 6-4 in 88 minutes.

There was a big contrast between defendingchampion Djokovic, who is going for a record-equaling sixth Australian Open title, and the 34-year-old Federer, who hasn’t won in Melbournesince 2010. While Simon patiently pushed andprodded Djokovic during his 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4,4-6, 6-3 win, Goffin couldn’t lay a glove onFederer as the clockwork Swiss purred through.But both are safely into the quarter-finals, withDjokovic facing Kei Nishikori in his 27th consec-utive Grand Slam last-eight clash and Federer upagainst Tomas Berdych.

Berdych also had to come through amarathon five-setter as he outlasted Spain’s

Roberto Bautista Agut 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 toreach the last eight for the sixth year in a row. Bycomparison, Nishikori’s win was a stroll as hecrushed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets, andhe may fancy his chances against Djokovic afterthe Serb’s flustered performance against Simon.

“Actually, it gives me great joy to know that Ican’t get worse than that, than what I playedtoday,” Djokovic said. “I was obviously pleased towin the match, but in terms of the performanceitself, I haven’t done well at all... It’s a match toforget for me.” He was at a loss to explain his tac-tic of continually trying drop shots, which eitherfound the net or were returned with interest bythe fast-moving Simon. “Sometimes you have abrain freeze, if I can call it that way,” the 10-timeGrand Slam champion said.

Frustrations show Tomorrow’s clash will be Djokovic and

Nishikori’s first Grand Slam meeting since the2014 US Open semis, when the Japanese playerwon in four sets to become the first Asian man

to reach a major singles final. Djokovic hadn’tlost to Simon in nine matches stretching back to2008, but the Frenchman’s probing and counter-punching rattled the game’s top player.

The Serb took nearly an hour to win the firstset and his frustrations were palpable as Simontook the second on a tiebreak, ending anunbeaten sequence of 26 sets stretching back tothe World Tour Finals. He got the crucial break totake the third set but the persistent Simon tookit into a fifth after he broke late in the fourth set,amid another flurry of errors from the Serb.Djokovic got two service breaks in the fifth setonly to be broken back once, but he finallyclinched victory on his third match point with abackhand winner. Earlier Nishikori produced hisbest tennis of the tournament to breeze past for-mer finalist Tsonga 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in just over twohours on Hisense Arena. “Today was one of thebest matches I’ve had this week. Played goodtennis, through in three sets,” beamed Nishikori,who showed no sign of his troublesome rightwrist injury.— AFP

MELBOURNE: Switzerland’s Roger Federer plays a forehand return during his men’s singles match against Belgium’s David Goffin on day sevenof the 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament. — AFP

‘Brain freeze’ for Djokovic

as Federer nails Goffin

MELBOURNE: Serena Williams served up aglamour Australian Open quarter-finalagainst arch-rival Maria Sharapova yesterdayas she looks to extend her iron grip over theRussian star. The world number one anddefending champion smacked downMargarita Gasparyan 6-2, 6-1 in just 55 min-utes on Rod Laver Arena to ensure themouth-watering showdown.

Sharapova holds the dismal record of nev-er beating her nemesis in 17 contests datingback 12 years. The last time she managed awin was at the WTA Tour Championships in2004. She now has another chance to finallyget the monkey off her back after comingthrough a 7-5, 7-5 thriller against fast-risingSwiss teen Belinda Bencic.

The Russian world number five, who lostto Williams in the Melbourne Park final lastyear, said she was always looking to improveand used the losses against the mightyAmerican to examine what she could do bet-ter. “Absolutely. It’s not like I think about whatI can do worse!” she said. “You’re always tryingto-always trying to improve. I got myself intothe quarter-final of a Grand Slam.

“There is no reason I shouldn’t be lookingto improve and to getting my game in a bet-ter position than any other previous round.It ’s only going to be tougher, especiallyagainst Serena.” A nonchalant Williams, whorarely looks beyond her next opponent in thedraw, claimed she didn’t know Sharapova wasnow in the way of her bid to win a 22ndGrand Slam and equally Steffi Graf’s Open-erarecord.

“I’ll be ready, she had a really good match-Ihad no idea I was playing her (Sharapova)next,” she told the courtside interviewer aftertaming Gasparyan. “ That will be a goodmatch, I have nothing to lose. We are bothdoing the best we can. It’ll be fun.” Polishfourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska will face

Spain’s 10th seed Carla Suarez in the otherquarter-final tomorrow after both playerscame through testing three-setters.

Radwanska was pushed to the limit byunseeded Anna-Lena Friedsam, winning 6-7(6/8), 6-1, 7-5 with the German, who strug-gled with injury and cramp, leaving the courtin tears. “I had no choice, just to fight till theend for each point. That’s what I did,” said thecomposed Radwanska, who kept her cool asFriedsam wilted. Suarez ended the dream runof local hope Daria Gavrilova 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 tomake the last eight for the first time since hertournament debut in 2009.

Real deal Williams has been in ominous form this

year at Melbourne Park and easily swattedaside Gasparyan. It wasn’t vintage Serena buteven operating at 50 percent she was toogood for the world number 58 and a rout wasalways on the cards. Williams won threemajors-the Australian and French Opens andWimbledon in 2015 which took her to withinone of Graf ’s long-time record of 22.Margaret Court, who was in the stadium towatch Williams play, holds the all-time GrandSlam record of 24. Sharapova had a muchharder task against Bencic, the WTA’s highestranked teenager, who has gone from risingstar to the real deal over the past year, havingalready claimed 10 top-10 wins in her career.

Coached by Melanie Molitor, mother ofMartina Hingis, she won tournaments inEastbourne and Toronto in a breakout 2015and was a major hurdle for the Russian. ButSharapova-the last teen to win a Grand Slamtitle, aged 19 at the 2006 US Open-has alsobeen in good touch in Melbourne, where shewon in 2008, and ultimately her experienceproved decisive. “These are the players thatwill ultimately take our spot,” she said of thetalented Bencic. “But not just yet.” —AFP

Serena serves up glamour

spar with rival Sharapova

MELBOURNE: Serena Williams of the US returns against Russia’s MargaritaGasparyan during their women’s singles game on day seven of the 2015 AustralianOpen tennis tournament. —AFP

S P O RT S

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: The late Sheikh Fahad Al-Salem Al-Sabah Annual ShootingTournament concluded Saturday atSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad OlympicShooting Complex with a ceremonyattended by the tournament patronizerSheikha Latifa Al-Fahad Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Information Minister, StateMinister for Youth Affairs Sheikh SalmanSabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah,Sheikh Mubarak Fahad Al-Salem Al-Sabah, President of Arab and KuwaitShooting Federations Eng Duaij KhalafAl-Otaibi, Secretary General of Arab andKuwait Shooting Federations ObaidMnahi Al-Osaimi and KSSF Board mem-bers Adnan Nasser Al-Ibrahim and EngHussam Al-Roumi, the tournamentenjoyed large participation by Kuwaitshooters competing in the 10m air pistoland rifle and archery.

Eng Duaij, Al-Otaibi, in his speech,welcomed the guests and thankedSheikha Latifa Al-Fahad Al-Salem Al-Sabah for the annual patronage of thisdear tournament, he also thankedSheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabahand the late Sheikh Fahad Al-Salem fam-ily, for attending the closing ceremonyand handing the cups and prizes to thewinners, as this tournament comesshortly before organizing HH the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad InternationalGrand Prix to be held from 1st-8th

March with the participation of 45 coun-tries. Al-Otaibi said 80 shooters partici-pated in this tournament from the club,National Guard and Saad Al-AbdallahOlympic Shooting Academy.Results of the tournament are as follows:Air pistol - men:Ahmad Anwar Al-Ahmad, Saad Mane Al-Ajmi, Suhail Al-ShimmariAir rifle - men:Abdallah Al-Harby, Mohammad Adel,Suleiman Al-Asousi.Air pistol - women:Athari Qurban, Israa Dashti, MariamAhmad.Air rifle - women:Heba Irzouqi, Mariam Irzouqi, Duaa Al-Thuwaikhi50m rifle - prone -men:Khalid Ibrahim, Torki Al-Shimmari,Mishref Al-Daihani50m - 3 position - men:Abdallah Al-Harby, Mohammad Adel,Khalid Ibrahim50m pistol - menAli Al-Mutairi, Mideth Al-Sahly, AbdallahAl-Mulla50m rifle - prone - women:Mariam Irzouqi, Heba Irzouqi, Amal Al-AsemCompound Archery - menAhmad Al-Shatti, Amer Al-Hajiri, SalemAl-SaeedOlympic archery - men:Abdallah Taha, Faisal Al-Rashidi, BaderAl-Mutairi

Al-Sabah Annual ShootingTournament concludes

CLEVELAND: Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls shoots over Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half atQuicken Loans Arena. — AP photos

CLEVELAND: Tyronn Lue didn’t make muchof a difference in his coaching debut forCleveland as Pau Gasol scored 25 points,leading the Chicago Bulls to a 96-83 win overthe Cavaliers on Saturday night. Lue was pro-moted Friday, when the Cavaliers fired DavidBlatt despite him taking the team to the NBAFinals last season and currently leading theEastern Conference. The coaching swapdidn’t have any immediate impact on theBulls, who outhustled the Cavs to loose ballsand won for just the third t ime in ninegames.

Jimmy Butler scored 20 points, NikolaMirotic added 17 and Taj Gibson 15 forChicago, which opened a 17-point lead inthe third quarter and never let the Cavs getcloser than eight in the fourth. LeBron Jamesjust missed his first triple-double this season,finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds andnine assists. J.R. Smith added 18 points.

SUNS 98, HAWKS 95Archie Goodwin hit a 3-pointer from atop

the arc with 0.1 seconds left and Phoenixbeat Atlanta to end a six-game losing streak.Goodwin led the Suns with 24 points, andPhoenix won for the second time in 17games. Tyson Chandler tied a Suns recordwith 27 rebounds, including 17 in the firsthalf, and also had 13 points and a season-high five assists. Kent Bazemore led theHawks with 21 points. Bazemore hit a tying3-pointer with 47.4 seconds left , butChandler’s tip-in with 24.6 seconds remain-ing gave the Suns a 95-93 lead. Bazemoretied it again 5 seconds later, setting upGoodwin’s 3. Alex Len had 16 points and 12rebounds for Phoenix, while P.J. Tuckerscored 16 points and Devin Booker had 15.

TIMBERWOVLES 106, GRIZZLIES 101Shabazz Muhammad scored 25 points and

Minnesota snapped Memphis’ four-gamewinning streak. Ricky Rubio had 15 points, 12assists and six rebounds and AndrewWiggins scored 19 points for theTimberwolves, who beat a team with a win-ning record for the first time since Nov. 25.Minnesota improved to just 7-17 at homethis season. Mario Chalmers scored 19 pointsfor the banged-up Grizzlies. Marc Gasolplayed through pain and finished with 17points in 32 minutes. The Grizzlies had theball down one with 35 seconds to play butwere whistled for a 5-second call on theinbound.

NUGGETS 104, PISTONS 101Danilo Gallinari scored 30 points, includ-

ing the go-ahead jumper with 23.8 secondsremaining, and Denver ral l ied to beatDetroit. Emmanuel Mudiay added 18 pointsand Nikola Jokic 17 for the Nuggets, whowon their sixth in a row against the Pistons inDenver. Marcus Morris had 20 points to leadthe Pistons, who have lost five of their lastseven games. Kentavious Caldwell-Popeadded 16 points and Aron Baynes had 13points and 10 rebounds.

KINGS 108, PACERS 97DeMarcus Cousins had a career-high 48

points along with 13 rebounds to helpSacramento beat Indiana for its season-highfifth straight win. Rajon Rondo had 11 points,10 rebounds and 10 assists for his secondstraight triple-double and sixth of the seasonfor Sacramento. Darren Collison had 11points and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein had 12rebounds. The Kings, winners of eight of 11in January, used a strong third quarter tobuild an 11-point lead and never relin-quished it in the fourth. Sacramento hasbeaten Indiana four straight times, sweepingthe season series the last two years. Paul

George had 24 of his 34 points in the secondhalf for the Pacers, who have lost twostraight and five of six. Jordan Hill had 17points and 13 rebounds, Monta Ellis scored16 and rookie Myles Turner added 11 pointsand five blocks.

TRAIL BLAZERS 121, LAKERS 103Damian Lillard had 36 points and the Trail

Blazers beat Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant’slast game in Portland. CJ McCollum added 28points and the Blazers led by as many as 27points in the first half on the way to theireighth straight victory over the Lakers.D’Angelo Russell came off the bench with 21points for the Lakers, who dropped theirsixth straight game. But all eyes were onBryant, a Portland nemesis dating back tothe 2000 Western Conference finals, who fin-ished with 10 points. It was the second of aback-to-back for the Lakers, who fell 108-95to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.The game fell on the 10th anniversary ofBryant’s 81-point game against Toronto,which remains the second-highest scoringgame in NBA history.

HORNETS 97, KNICKS 84Jeremy Lin and Kemba Walker scored 26

points each and Charlotte beat New York forits third win in the last four games.

Lin and Walker were a combined 19 of 19

from the free-throw line. Charlotte only shot34 percent from the field but made 32 of 37free throws as a team. PJ Hairston chipped inwith a season-high 20 points and 10rebounds for the Hornets, who beat theKnicks for the fifth straight time at homedespite being without five players, includingthree starters. Derrick Williams led the Knickswith 19 points and 14 rebounds, and KristapsPorzingis had 13 points.

PELICANS 116, BUCKS 99Ryan Anderson scored 23 points and tied

a season-high with six 3-pointers, leadinghot-shooting New Orleans to a win overMilwaukee. New Orleans trailed 71-69 afterMilwaukee’s Khris Middleton scored 14points in the first 9 minutes of the third quar-ter, but the Pelicans responded with a 31-14run. Jrue Holiday, Toney Douglas, TyrekeEvans and Anderson all hit 3-pointers duringthat stretch, and Anderson’s sixth 3 givingthe Pelicans a 100-83 lead with 6:30 left.Anthony Davis had 22 points, sevenrebounds and five assists for New Orleans,which hit a season-best 17 of 31 3s. Holidayadded 13 points and nine assists off thebench. Middleton and Greg Monroe eachscored 22 points for Milwaukee, which hadall five starters in double figures but got only16 points from its reserves. The Bucks havelost two straight. — AP

Cavs gored by Bulls asTyronn fails on debut

CLEVELAND: Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue answers questions during a news confer-ence before an NBA basketball game between the Chicago Bulls and the Cavaliers.

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GB Toronto 28 15 .651 —Boston 23 21 .523 5.5New York 22 24 .478 7.5Brooklyn 11 33 .250 17.5Philadelphia 6 38 .136 22.5

Central DivisionCleveland 30 12 .714 —Chicago 25 18 .581 5.5Indiana 23 21 .523 8Detroit 23 21 .523 8Milwaukee 19 27 .413 13

Southeast DivisionAtlanta 26 19 .578 —Miami 23 21 .523 2.5Washington 20 21 .488 4Charlotte 21 23 .477 4.5Orlando 20 22 .476 4.5

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 33 12 .733 —Utah 19 24 .442 13Portland 20 26 .435 13.5Denver 17 27 .386 15.5Minnesota 14 31 .311 19

Pacific DivisionGolden State 40 4 .909 —LA Clippers 28 15 .651 11.5Sacramento 20 23 .465 19.5Phoenix 14 31 .311 26.5LA Lakers 9 37 .196 32

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 38 6 .864 —Memphis 25 20 .556 13.5Dallas 25 20 .556 13.5Houston 23 22 .511 15.5New Orleans 16 27 .372 21.5

NBA results/standings

Cleveland 83, Chicago 96; Portland 121, LA Lakers 103; Sacramento 108, Indiana 97; Denver 104, Detroit 101;Phoenix 98, Atlanta 95; Minnesota 106, Memphis 101; Charlotte 97, New York 84; New Orleans 116, Milwaukee 99.

JERUSALEM: Israelis yesterday harshly crit-icized the firing of local hero David Blatt ascoach of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, call-ing him the victim of superstar LeBronJames’s influence over the team. Onesports commentator even comparedIsraelis’ hate of James to their hate ofIslamist movement Hamas.

The 2014 hiring of Blatt, an Israeli citizenwho led powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv to aEuropean title, gave Israelis a jolt of pride.When the Cavaliers played in last year’sNBA finals, many stayed up late to watchthe games. But a rift between Blatt andJames, the Cavaliers star player who manyrank among the greatest ever, reportedlyled to his downfall, with the team announc-ing Friday that they were firing him despitehaving one of the league’s best records.

“LeBron James is now the most hatedperson in Israel,” Sharon Davidovitch, asports journalist for Israeli news site Ynetand Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said. Hesaid the decision to move on from Blatt wascorrect since the players and coach appar-ently did not get along, but noted thatIsraeli fans were taking the decision hard.

“It’s a little bit joking and a little bit true:These days I can only compare the Israelihate for LeBron James to the hate forHamas,” he said, speaking of the PalestinianIslamist movement that runs the Gaza Stripand which calls for Israel’s destruction.Israeli newspapers gave the firing front-page treatment yesterday.

One said “Goliath eliminates David,”referring to James and Blatt. A cartoon onthe back cover of Yedioth Ahronothshowed Blatt walking away from the lockerroom with a box of belongings as Jamesuncorks champagne behind his back. ForThe Jerusalem Post, Blatt’s firing meant “thedream came to an abrupt end.”

Trouble from the start Basketball is the second most-popular

sport after football, but Israelis rarely havesuccess in the NBA, the world’s biggest bas-ketball league. When the Cavaliersadvanced to the NBA finals last season inBlatt’s first year as coach, Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu called to

congratulate him. They eventually lost tothe ascendant Golden State Warriors andtheir star Steph Curry.

Blatt was not always so lauded in Israel,where he was for a time seen by some asan outsider since he was born in the UnitedStates. He relocated to the country morethan three decades ago, volunteered on akibbutz, performed his mandatory militaryservice and married an Israeli woman.Skeptical Israelis embraced him as a coachafter his success on the court.

Blatt also had success as a coach inRussia and was named Euroleague coach ofthe year. But there were apparently trou-bles from the start in Cleveland, with USmedia reports saying James did not suffi-ciently respect Blatt. The rift appeared toplay out in public at times, with Jamesadmitting to overriding his coach and call-ing his own plays.

Still, his firing came as a shock both inIsrael and the US, as the Cavaliers led theirEastern Conference with a 30-11 record atthe time. Cavaliers general manager DavidGriffin said he was “measuring more thanwins and losses.” “I’m focusing on a biggerpicture and I’m really trying to decide-arewe working toward a championship, are webuilding a championship culture?” he said.James denied any involvement in the deci-sion and said he was “caught off guard” bythe move.—AFP

‘Goliath squashes David’: Israelis slam Blatt’s firing

David Blatt

S P O RT S

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiolaadmits the latest blow to JeromeBoateng is a concern, amidst reports hewill be out for three months, as Juventusloom in the Champions League.Boateng limped out of Friday’s 2-1 victo-ry at Hamburg and a scan in Munich onSaturday revealed a torn groin muscle,which German daily Bild claim will keephim out for the next three months andpossibly the rest of the season.

Bayern have put out a statement sim-ply saying Boateng faces a “long pause”with their last 16, first-leg clash atJuventus now exactly a month away.The news will also be a concern toGermany coach Joachim Loew as theworld champions’ squad meets todaywhen preparations start for March’sfriendlies against England and Italyahead of the European championshipsin France. Bayern are eight points clear

in the Bundesliga, but are low ondefenders with centre-backs Boatengand Medhi Benatia, plus right-backRafinha out, while Javi Martinez andJuan Bernat have only just returnedfrom injury.

“Without Benatia, Boateng and withJavi Martinez not quite fit yet, we have aproblem,” said Guardiola, who has justone fully fit centre -back in HolgerBadstuber. “But if we lose Jerome

Boateng for a long time, we’ll still field11 players.” Bayern host strugglersHoffenheim in the league next Sunday,then have three away games at BayerLeverkusen, second-division Bochum inthe cup and Bavarian neighborsAugsburg before hosting Darmstadt athome.

Netherlands captain Arjen Robbensays the Reds can ill afford to thinkabout the Juventus match with five

games yet to play. “If you allow yourselfto gradually think about the Juventusgame, then you’re not paying enoughattention,” said Robben. “We have togive our all in every game.” Especially asthe Bayern squad has made no secret oftheir desire to see off Guardiola with thetreble of Champions League, GermanCup and Bundesliga titles before heleaves at the end of the season to bereplaced by Carlo Ancelotti. —AFP

Bayern injuries bother Guardiola as Juve loom

NORWICH: With his shirt off, Liverpool’s English midfielder Adam Lallana (center) celebrates scoring their late winning goal with teammates andLiverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp (2nd R) during the English Premier League football match between Norwich City and Liverpool atCarrow Road. —AFP

NORWICH: Jurgen Klopp admitted his heartwas palpitating after Liverpool stole thepoints in dramatic fashion in their sensational5-4 win over Norwich at Carrow Road. Klopp’sside went ahead through Roberto Firminobut Norwich hit back with goals fromDiemerci Mbokani, Steven Naismith and aWes Hoolahan penalty.

The Reds responded superbly to draw lev-el through Jordan Henderson and anotherFirmino goal before James Milner put themahead with 15 minutes remaining. But thatset the stage for Saturday’s heart-stoppingfinale, which left the always emotional Kloppbeside himself with frustration and thenjumping for joy.

The Liverpool boss was crestfallen whenSebastien Bassong fired home to equalise forNorwich in stoppage-time, but just secondslater he was sprinting down the touchline tojoin his players in a jubilant huddle afterAdam Lallana scored with virtually the lastkick of the game.

“Until now my heart has been very stressresistant,” Klopp said. “I have had a few gamesin my life similar to this but not with this hap-py end. I have not often had a 5-4 win. “At theend we can be really happy with nearly every-thing, especially three points after almost adraw. A draw would have been deserved forboth teams.

“It was spectacular, wild, good football. Itwas an impressive fightback to be honest. Itwas really good.”

Klopp’s relief was so overwhelming that helaughed off having his glasses broken in thecelebrations following Lallana’s goal. “I havehad had this before (smashed glasses),” theformer Borussia Dortmund manager added.“They are in a museum at Dortmund becausewe won first time against Bayern Munich. AndNuri Sahin broke my glasses-and today it’sAdam. “I won’t be making Adam pay for theglasses. Usually I have a second pair but it’sreally difficult to look for glasses withoutglasses.”

Defensive horror show Klopp could have been forgiven for wish-

ing his eye-sight had been impaired earlier asLiverpool’s defensive horror show made fordifficult viewing. Yet, despite conceding fourgoals against one of the league’s lesser lights,Klopp claimed Liverpool were improving atthe back.

“It’s not easy to create chances against us.It’s very frustrating in the end of course.Today we scored five,” Klopp said. “It will makeme sound crazy but we defended bettertoday. Now we have to solve this problem. Iam not happy with the situation for sure.”

Meanwhile, Norwich manager Alex Neilvoiced his frustration at his side’s even moreporous defence, after conceding 14 goals intheir last four matches. “We managed to scorefour goals at home and that should meanthree points,” Neil said. “The amount of goalswe are conceding is concerning.

“It was frustrating because with the for-ward play we had we should have comeaway winners. “All your hard work goes towaste. They did all the hard work to get us to3-1 so it is extremely frustrating.” Althoughoutwardly calm, Neil admitted he was furi-ous inside and hoped his players would betoo as they try to pull clear of the relegationzone. “I’m angry, extremely angry, the play-ers should be too. They should be feelingthe pain,” he said. — AFP

5-4 thriller a heart stopper for Klopp

LONDON: Manuel Pellegrini insistsManchester City are more than a one-manteam, despite again needing Sergio Agueroto dig them out of a hole in a 2-2 draw atWest Ham. Aguero grabbed an 80th-minute equaliser for his second of thegame at Upton Park on Saturday whileEnner Valencia also scored twice-within thefirst 60 seconds and then on the 56thminute-for West Ham.

Pellegrini’s side have only won one awaygame since September, and have notclaimed successive league wins sinceOctober 17. On Saturday, it could havebeen a lot worse had it not been forAguero. “I don’t think our team is justSergio Aguero,” said Pellegrini. “If you see,we play 23 games, there are 11 players thatplay more minutes (than the Argentine).”

He did, however, insist on the impor-tance of Argentine star Aguero now stayingfit and reaching his top form. “It’s veryimportant for him to be 100% fit. Alwayswhen he comes back from injury, he needstwo or three games to come back to hisbest performance. (In recent games) hewas making the movements that show ushe will be there soon.

“I don’t know if he is at his best moment.I think it is the moment that Sergio normal-ly has when 100% fit. I hope he continueslike this because he is a top player.” City didnot show their best defending on Saturday.

They were caught out almost straightfrom kick-off, as Cheikhou Kouyateexposed the slowness of their defense to

set up Valencia for the first. Agueroequalised within seven minutes through apenalty, given away by Carl Jenkinson whowas shortly afterwards taken off with aninjury to give Sam Byram his debut, justdays after signing from Leeds United.

West Ham were back in the lead justminutes after half-time, though, as a longMichail Antonio throw was allowed tobounce into the area for Valencia to finish.“Of course, we were not very concentrated,”Pellegrini said of the second goal. “Maybe athrow-in you are not thinking it could bedangerous. We knew before game he haslong throw-in. Unfortunately, at thatmoment we had a distraction.” Pellegrinistill felt his team “deserved” more as he did-n’t think goalkeeper Joe Hart was testedtoo much in the second half.

But West Ham manager Slaven Bilicbelieved his side should have won, anddeclared himself “disappointed...but proud”of the performance. He also said his teamfeel they can finish in the top six. “Theybelieve. And there’s nothing wrong in it. Forme it’s great if they believe. For me, part ofthat belief is to know what you have to doto play like this,” said Bilic whose team hitthe crossbar late one.

He also said he would like to see Citywin the title due to the quality of their foot-ball.”So far in the Premier League, I’ve neverseen a team that is so dangerous, everytime you give them a little bit (of space).For me, it would be good if they win theleague.” —AFP

Pellegrini: City not just one-man Aguero show

Van Gaal admits United getting more furious

MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s Dutch manager Louis van Gaal leaves the pitchat full-time during the English Premier League football match between ManchesterUnited and Southampton at Old Trafford. — AFP

MANCHESTER: Louis van Gaal admittedthe furious reaction of ManchesterUnited supporters to their side’s dismal1-0 defeat against Southampton was theworst he has experienced in an increas-ingly turbulent season. Van Gaal’s sidefailed to score at Old Trafford for the sev-enth time this term and were eventuallybeaten by a late headed goal fromSouthampton debutant Charlie Austin.

United are now five points adrift of atop-four place in the Premier League andtheir dejected players trudged off withboos ringing in their ears at full-time.Inevitably, beleaguered boss van Gaalwas also subjected to renewed derisionfrom disgruntled fans who have giventhe Dutchman plenty of abuse for hisconservative tactics over the last fewmonths.

The pressure on van Gaal will onlyincrease with United having won justthree of their last 13 games and heaccepted the criticism from supporterswas more vitriolic than ever. “Yes,because it was very clear,” he said. “I canimagine (why) also because I have seen apoor match. “I cannot change that feel-ing. I can only work hard with my playersto improve our game and that is what Iam doing.

“Of course I am disappointed but Ihave to think and already I put the ques-tion how I can change this because wehave to change this. “That is my job andit ’s not an easy job at the moment.Nevertheless, we have won three timesin 2016 and had a draw, so they werevery good results in January. “But wecould not show it in this game. I did notsee that confidence today.”

Under threat Although van Gaal knows his approval

rating is at an all-time low with Unitedfans, the former Barcelona and BayernMunich manager refused to be drawn onwhether his job may be under threat. “Icannot answer that because normally Icommunicate everything with every-

body so it is not for me to answer thesekinds of questions,” he said.

United are in desperate need of a liftto prevent their season disintegratingeven further, but van Gaal could give noguarantees that it may come via a moveinto the January transfer market. He hasalready indicated that he would like tostrengthen his defensive options withMatteo Darmian, who he said had goneto hospital for checks after spitting bloodfollowing a collision with Southamptonstriker Shane Long, potentially adding toa lengthy injury list.

But regarding the much-neededarrival of creative talents, van Gaal said: “Ithink one player cannot change every-thing. Sometimes it looks like it but it isalways the process of team building thatmakes a team stronger. “Sometimes oneindividual can give the first stimulus forthat process but it is not so easy as yousay or ask.” Southampton managerRonald Koeman - an old rival of van Gaalfrom their time together in Dutch foot-ball, appears to have managed just thatwith the capture of Austin, whose goalsecured a third straight league win forthe Saints.

The 26-year-old is a proven goalscorerbut only Southampton was willing tomeet QPR’s modest £4 million ($5.7 mil-lion) asking price. “We are very happy wehad the possibility to sign Charlie andCharlie was happy to sign forSouthampton because he knowsSouthampton produces good footballand gives young players a chance and allthe chance to play for their nationalteam,” Koeman said.

“That is the reason we liked to signCharlie Austin - a great numbers of goals.With Shane together in the last 10-15minutes they did a great job but it is notfair to mention one player. “It was a greatwin. I think it was a difficult game forboth teams today. We knew they areunder pressure and if you keep theorganization in your team, they will benervous.” —AFP

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain served anotherreminder of their Ligue 1 supremacy with athumping 5-1 victory at home to Angers onSaturday that moved the reigning champions24 points clear at the top. Zlatan Ibrahimovicopened the scoring at the Parc des Princes withhis 17th league goal of the season before Lucasdoubled the lead for Laurent Blanc’s side justbefore half-time.

The floodgates then opened after the breakwith Gregory Van der Wiel rounding off asuperb team move for PSG’s third, only forPierrick Capelle to pull one back, but Angel DiMaria then scored twice in the space of fourminutes to complete the rout.

“It was a great second half, although the firstwas a bit trickier against a well-organized oppo-nent, which we noticed in the first meeting thisseason,” said Blanc, whose team won for the19th time in 22 league games. “The first goalwas crucial. Once we led things became a biteasier, but the team stayed focused and sharp.We were rewarded with the goals and it wasreally enjoyable.” With Paris still competing infour competitions, the capital club face a fixturebacklog that will see them play seven games inthree weeks ahead of their Champions Leaguelast 16, first leg against Chelsea on February 16.

Imposing line-up Blanc was without captain Thiago Silva,

Marquinhos, Marco Verratti and Javier Pastorethrough injury but still fielded an imposing line-up, although there was no place for Uruguayanstriker Edinson Cavani, whose future remainsunclear amid reports this week linking him toManchester United. Angers held Paris to a 0-0draw when the sides met in December, the lasttime the capital club dropped points this sea-son and the only occasion in which they havefailed to score in Ligue 1 this term.

The visitors entered the weekend with theleague’s second meanest defence, with goal-

keeper Alexandre Letellier denying both Vander Wiel and Blaise Matuidi with his feet in theopening half hour. However, there was little theAngers keeper could do on 32 minutes whenPSG broke the deadlock through Ibrahimovic,whose low shot from the right side of the areatook a slight deflection as it flashed through thelegs of Letellier.

Di Maria then released Van der Wiel downthe right eight minutes later and the Dutchmanbroke into the box, recovering the ball after anattempted tackle by Romain Thomas, beforeknocking it back for Lucas to sweep home.Home keeper Kevin Trapp was a spectator formuch of the first half, aside from a Thomasheader that forced the German to pluck the ballout of the air under heavy pressure inside hissix-yard box.

The hosts’ two-goal lead allowed them toshowcase the more expansive side of theirgame, with PSG’s third goal on 54 minutes ema-nating from a slick interchange betweenIbrahimovic and Di Maria before Matuidi’ssuperb volleyed cross was turned in by Van derWiel at the far post. But Angers continued tobattle and reduced the deficit five minutes lateras Capelle latched on to a headed clearanceand steered a low volley just inside the post.

That proved merely a blip on the radar,though, as PSG reasserted their dominancewith a fourth goal on 63 minutes when a tum-bling Lucas scooped the ball back to Di Mariaand the Argentine brilliantly fired past Letellieron the volley from outside the box.

Di Maria struck again moments later after hewas put through by Matuidi and he once moreproduced a high-quality finish, chipping overthe advancing Letellier to round out an 11thstraight win in all competitions. Hatem Ben Arfanetted his 10th goal of the season as Nice beatLorient 2-1 to climb to second, while Caen won2-1 at Montpellier and Guingamp secured a 1-0victory over nine-man Bastia. —AFP

Rampant PSG crush Angers to extend huge table lead

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentinian forward Angel Di Maria celebrates after scoring a goalduring the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Angers. —AFP

S P O RT S

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

English Premier League tableLeicester 23 13 8 2 42 26 47 Man City 23 13 5 5 45 23 44Arsenal 23 13 5 5 37 22 44 Tottenham 23 11 9 3 41 19 42 Man Utd 23 10 7 6 28 21 37 West Ham 23 9 9 5 36 28 36 Liverpool 23 9 7 7 30 32 34 Southampton 23 9 6 8 32 24 33 Stoke 23 9 6 8 24 25 33 Watford 23 9 5 9 27 26 32 Crystal Palace 23 9 4 10 24 27 31 Everton 23 6 11 6 40 34 29 Chelsea 23 7 7 9 32 34 28 West Brom 23 7 7 9 22 30 28 Swansea 23 6 7 10 22 31 25 Bournemouth 23 6 7 10 27 38 25 Norwich 23 6 5 12 28 43 23 Newcastle 23 5 6 12 25 41 21 Sunderland 23 5 4 14 28 46 19 Aston Villa 23 2 7 14 18 38 13

French Ligue 1 tableParis SG 22 19 3 0 56 10 60Monaco 22 10 9 3 33 25 39Nice 22 10 6 6 37 26 36Rennes 22 8 10 4 32 25 34Angers 22 9 7 6 21 18 34Caen 22 10 3 9 24 28 33Saint-Etienne 21 10 2 9 24 24 32Bordeaux 22 7 9 6 27 30 30Marseille 21 7 8 6 31 22 29Lyon 21 8 5 8 27 25 29Nantes 22 7 8 7 20 22 29Lorient 22 6 9 7 30 32 27Ajaccio 22 6 8 8 24 27 26Lille 22 5 10 7 17 18 25Bastia 22 7 4 11 21 27 25Guingamp 22 6 6 10 20 29 24Montpellier 22 6 4 12 23 29 22Reims 21 5 7 9 22 29 22Toulouse 22 4 8 10 24 39 20Troyes 22 1 8 13 16 44 11

Spanish La Liga tableBarcelona 20 15 3 2 52 16 48Atletico Madrid20 15 2 3 30 8 47Real Madrid 20 13 4 3 57 19 43Villarreal 21 12 5 4 28 18 41Celta Vigo 21 10 4 7 32 33 34Eibar 21 9 6 6 34 26 33Sevilla 20 9 5 6 28 22 32Athletic Bilbao 21 9 4 8 32 30 31Deportivo 20 6 10 4 27 24 28Getafe 21 7 5 9 26 31 26Valencia 20 5 9 6 25 21 24Malaga 21 6 6 9 16 19 24Espanyol 21 6 4 11 20 35 22Real Sociedad 21 5 6 10 24 33 21Real Betis 20 5 6 9 13 28 21Granada 21 5 5 11 24 43 20Rayo Vallecano 21 5 4 12 26 45 19Las Palmas 20 4 6 10 19 30 18Sporting Gijon 20 5 3 12 22 35 18Levante 20 3 5 12 17 36 14

Italian Serie A tableNapoli 21 14 5 2 45 18 47Juventus 20 13 3 4 37 15 42Fiorentina 21 13 2 6 39 21 41Inter Milan 21 12 5 4 26 14 41Roma 20 9 8 3 37 23 35AC Milan 21 9 6 6 29 25 33Sassuolo 21 8 8 5 25 23 32Empoli 21 9 5 7 27 26 32Lazio 21 9 4 8 29 30 31Chievo 21 7 6 8 27 26 27Torino 21 7 5 9 27 28 26Bologna 21 8 2 11 24 27 26Atalanta 21 7 5 9 21 24 26Palermo 21 7 3 11 23 34 24Udinese 21 7 3 11 19 35 24Genoa 21 6 5 10 24 27 23Sampdoria 21 6 5 10 31 36 23Carpi 21 4 6 11 20 36 18Frosinone 21 4 4 13 22 45 16Verona 21 0 10 11 14 33 10

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 1 (Costa 23); Everton 1(Cork 26-og) Swansea 2 (Sigurdsson 17-pen, Ayew 34); Crystal Palace 1(Vertonghen 30-og) Tottenham 3 (Kane63, Alli 84, Chadli 90+5); Leicester 3(Drinkwater 42, Vardy 66, Ulloa 87) Stoke0; Manchester United 0 Southampton 1(Austin 87); Norwich 4 (Mbokani 29,Naismith 41, Hoolahan 54-pen, Bassong90+2) Liverpool 5 (Firmino 18, 63,Henderson 55, Milner 75, Lallana 90+5)Sunderland 1 ( Van Aanholt 45+1)Bournemouth 1 (Afobe 13); Watford 2(Ighalo 46, Cathcart 58) Newcastle 1(Lascelles 71); West Brom 0 Aston Villa 0;West Ham 2 (Valencia 1, 56) ManchesterCity 2 (Aguero 9-pen, 81).

French Ligue 1 resultsMonaco 4 (Silva 28, Coentrao 36, Carrillo70, Costa 90+3) Toulouse 0; Paris Saint-Germain 5 (Ibrahimovic 32, Lucas 40, vander Wiel 54, Di Maria 63, 66) Angers 1(Capelle 59); Montpellier 1 (Bensebaini23) Caen 2 (Rodelin 40, Delort 52); Lille 1(Boufal 25-pen) Troyes 3 (Cabot 77, 80, Pi86); Nantes 2 (Sigthorsson 1, Bedoya 30)Bordeaux 2 (Diabate 84, Cana 90+1-og);

Guingamp 1 (Giresse 90+4-pen) Bastia 0 ;Nice 2 (Ben Arfa 35, Koziello 43) Lorient 1(Jouffre 23).Spanish La Liga resultsAthletic Bilbao 5 (Aduriz 12, 52, Merino27, Laporte 40, Dos Santos 80-og) Eibar 2(Baston 4, 49-pen); Malaga 1 (Juanpi 32)Barcelona 2 (El Haddadi 2, Messi 51);Espanyol 2 (Caicedo 3, Moreno 39)Villarreal 2 (Trigueros 23, Musacchio 88);Granada 3 (Rico 27, El-Arabi 36, Rochina77) Getafe 2 (Scepovic 71, MoisÈs 73);Rayo Vallecano 3 (Miku 21, Tito 26,Jozabed 36) Celta Vigo 0

Italy Serie A results Fiorentina 2 (Ilicic 24, Rodriguez 83)Torino 0; Verona 1 (Pazzini 39) Genoa 1(Coppola 19-og); Inter Milan 1 (Palacio39) Carpi 1 (Lasagna 90+2); Lazio 4(Candreva 66-pen, 81, Cataldi 72, Keita90+6) Chievo 1 (Cesar); Palermo 4(Quaison 35, Hiljemark 56, Lazaar 77,Trajkovski 87) Udinese 1 (Thereau 79);Sampdoria 2 (Correa 45, Eder 73) Napoli 4(Higuain 9, Insigne 18-pen, Hamsik 60,Mertens 79); Sassuolo 0 Bologna 2(Giaccherini 68, Floccari 90+4).

Football Results/Standings

GENOA: Napoli’s forward Gonzalo Higuain (R) from Argentina scores during the Italian Serie A football match Sampdoria Vs Napoli on January24, 2016 at ‘Luigi Ferraris Stadium’. — AFP

MILAN: Gonzalo Higuain struck his 21st goal inas many games to help Napoli tighten their gripon Serie A with a 4-2 win at Sampdoria as titlechallengers Inter Milan were stunned by a lateCarpi leveller. As Napoli battled to their 14th winof the campaign, Inter paid the price for a seriesof first-half misses when Kevin Lasagna levelledat the death for the league minnows to secure a1-1 draw at a stunned San Siro. Napoli now sitfive points ahead of Juventus, who host Roma inSunday’s late game, and have a six-point lead onFiorentina after their 2-0 win over Torino earlierin the day.

Inter have dropped to fourth at six pointsadrift, enforcing the pundits’ belief that it is nowa two-horse race for the title. After what hasbeen a trying week for Napoli, the Azzurrishowed their mettle. Coach Maurizio Sarri wascaught in the eye of a homophobic storm aftercalling fellow coach Roberto Mancini a “poof”during a post-match tirade following defeat toInter Milan in the quarter-final of the Italian Cup.Inter drew a line under the controversy on Fridayby publicly accepting Napoli and Sarri’s apology.

A trip to Sampdoria looked a challengingprospect for Sarri’s title challengers, but afterballooning an early chance over Higuain wassoon into his usual, predatory stride. In the ninthminute the Argentinian pounced on a poorEdgar Barreto back-pass to power towards thearea and fire past onrushing Emiliano Viviano.Another Barreto blunder helped Napoli doubletheir lead by the 18th minute, the defender haul-ing down Raul Albiol and the referee pointing tothe spot. Despite Higuain’s chance to match the22-goal tally that won the league’sCapocannoniere (top scorer) award for Luca Toniand Mauro Icardi last season, Lorenzo Insignestepped up to beat Viviano at his near post.Napoli were in command but the visitors werepegged back after Carlos Carbonero did well towin back possession and powered down theright flank. Sampdoria striker Eder’s dummy wascrucial, allowing Joaquin Correa to run in and

beat Pepe Reina first-time from 12 yards.A superb piece of individual skill from Napoli

captain Marek Hamsik helped Sarri’s men restoretheir lead, the Slovakian shimmying past threeplayers inside the area to toe-poke the ball pastViviano at his far post on the hour. Sampdoriapulled one back on 73 minutes when Eder roseto meet a corner to fire a glancing headerthrough the legs of Reina, but six minutes laterthe match was effectively over.

Dries Mertens had replaced Insigne with 15minutes remaining and only four minutes laterthe Belgian international took on two Sampdefenders before beating Viviano with a lowshot at his far post.

Elsewhere, Lazio and Palermo gave their stut-tering campaigns a boost by recording impres-sive 4-1 wins over Chievo and Udinese respec-tively. Bologna’s purple patch under coachRoberto Donadoni continued with a shock 2-0win away to Sassuolo, who remain seventh butare now only one point ahead of a resurgentLazio.

Viola up to thirdElsewhere, Slovenian Josip Ilicic curled in his

10th goal of the season and Gonzalo Rodriguezadded a late second as Fiorentina got back towinning ways with a 2-0 home win againstTorino yesterday. Fiorentina welcomedGiampiero Ventura’s men to the Artemio Franchistadium desperate to get their title chase backon track after consecutive defeats to Lazio andAC Milan.

In spring-like conditions, Ilicic’s superb free-kick gave the hosts a 24th minute lead andpulled the Slovenian international level with theclub’s top scorer, Nikola Kalinic. But Paul Sousa’smen were on tenterhooks for the remainderuntil Rodriguez rose to beat Torino goalkeeperSalvador Ichazo at his near post seven minutesfrom time with a powerful header from a corner.

New Fiorentina recruits Tino Costa and MauroZarate, signed in midweek when striker

Giuseppe Rossi moved on loan to Spanishleague side Levante, made their debuts in thefinal stages. Costa replaced I licic midwaythrough the second half and Zarate replacedNikola Kalinic with seven minutes remaining.Fiorentina’s 13th win moved them up to provi-sional third place at three points behind leadersNapoli ahead of the remaining Serie A fixtures,with Inter Milan, who host strugglers Carpi,dropping one place to fourth.

Milan held by Empoli Mario Balotelli struggled to make an impact

in a second-half substitute’s appearance asEmpoli dug deep to hold AC Milan 2-2 and dentthe Rossoneri’s European hopes on Saturday.Milan travelled to the Castellani stadium buoyedafter a 2-0 defeat of Fiorentina last week that leftSinisa Mihajlovic’s men 12 points behind leadersNapoli and within sight of the European qualify-ing places. But the visitors had left themselvesexposed on the half hour when Empoli forwardPiotr Zielinski was unmarked to level CarlosBacca’s eighth-minute opener. And the Milandefence was at fault on the hour when veteranstriker Massimo Maccarone pounced at the backpost to convert a rebound from teenaged goal-keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to level againafter Giacomo Bonaventura had restored theirlead on 48 minutes.

Milan’s sixth draw of the season left them insixth place, with Empoli one point and twoplaces further adrift. Bacca spurned an opportu-nity to create a last-gasp chance, promptingMihajlovic to speak to the Colombian directlyafter the final whistle. But the Serbian coach saidBacca alone wasn’t to blame.

“We came here to win and I’m disappointedbecause we took the lead twice and that shouldhave been enough for victory,” he told Sky Sport.“We made mistakes but in the end it’s a fairresult.” He added: “Bacca wasn’t the only culprit.We had a couple of late chances but we weren’tclinical enough.” — AFP

Seria A Roundup

Higuain becomes Europe’s

top scorer as Inter stumble

LIVERPOOL: Francesco Guidolin’s firstgame in charge of Swansea saw them win2-1 away to Everton yesterday as the Welshclub moved four points clear of thePremier League relegation zone. A hardfought victory saw Swansea climb to 15thplace. just three positions behind Everton,who’ve now won just once in their last 10league games and only three times in theirpast 14 at Goodison Park.

Swansea went ahead though GylfiSigurdsson’s 17th-minute penalty butEverton were level nine minutes laterwhen Gareth Barry’s near-post flick wasturned into his own net by the Swans’ JackCork. But Swansea regained the lead in the34th minute. Left-back Neil Taylor burstclear and released Andre Ayew, whoseshot deflected in off the sliding JohnStones. It appeared Swansea defenderAshley Williams may have handled the ballin the build-up but referee Anthony Taylorwas happy that the contact was not delib-erate and waved play on.

For highly-regarded England centraldefender Stones, this was a match to for-get as it was his under-hit backpass thatled to Swansea’s penalty, with goalkeeperTim Howard hacking down Ayew as hetried to clear. There were several occasionswhen Stones was guilty of overplaying the

ball, whereas Swansea centre -backWill iams adopted a more traditionalapproach by concentrating on getting theball clear.

Everton had to make two substitutionsbefore the break as both Muhamed Besicand Kevin Mirallas went off injured.Swansea were forced to fight a rearguardaction in the second half as Everton wingerGerard Deulofeu got into the game by pro-ducing several excellent crosses.

Guidolin responded by sending ondefender Jordi Amat for winger WayneRoutledge and Eder for Ayew in anattempt to bolster Swansea at the back.But the Toffees were unable to take advan-tage of Deulofeu’s fine play, squandering ahost of chances, with one of their bestcoming with the final kick of the gamewhen Seamus Coleman lofted the ball overthe crossbar from six yards out.

This was a notable win for Swansea as itmeant they had recorded back-to-backleague successes for the first time this sea-son following last week’s 1-0 defeat ofWatford. As well as giving Italian bossGuidolin a victory in his first game incharge, this result was also Swansea’s firstleague victory over Everton, whose man-ager Roberto Martinez made his name incharge of the Welsh side. —AFP

Guidolin off to winning start

as Everton falls to Swansea

European league tables after yesterday’s early match (played, won, drawn, lost, goalsfor, goals against, points):

MADRID: Atletico Madrid spurned the chance tomove back on top of La Liga as they failed tobreak down 10-man Sevilla in a 0-0 draw yester-day. Antoine Griezmann had the hosts’ besteffort when he headed against the post early inthe second-half, but Atletico failed to takeadvantage after Vitolo was shown a second yel-low card just after the hour mark.

A point means Atletico and Barcelona arenow level on points at the top of the table aheadof their meeting at the Camp Nou next week-end, although Barca also have a game in hand.Real Madrid can close to within two points of theleaders when Zinedine Zidane gets his first tasteof action as boss away from the SantiagoBernabeu at Real Betis.

“When you don’t score it is normal that iswhat people talk about, but we had plenty ofchances today,” said Atletico boss DiegoSimeone. “We hit the post, their keeper made agreat save and the only way to score in footballis by creating chances. “The team worked hardand there were positives from the game in howwe kept going. We tried in every way to breakdown the Sevilla defense.”

There have now been just 17 goals inAtletico’s 10 matches at home in La Liga this sea-son and clear-cut chances were again hard tocome by for both sides. Greizmann just couldn’tstretch to turn Diego Godin’s header across goalin at the far post early on. Meanwhile, at the oth-er end, Sevilla’s best chance fell to Ever Banegabut his deflected shot spun inches over the bar.

Griezmann was desperately unlucky when hetimed his run to meet Koke’s cross perfectly justafter the break only to see his bullet headercome back off the post. Atletico were gifted theinitiative for the final half hour when Vitolo washanded a second booking for chopping down

Luciano Vietto just outside the box.The hosts still struggled to open up the

Sevilla defense, but a well-worked free-kick freedYannick Ferreira Carrasco inside the area and hisfierce shot was brilliantly saved by Sergio Rico.The goalkeeper also did well to turn Gabi’s pile-driver over before Carrasco’s free-kick at thedeath was deflected behind as Sevilla held onfor a point that keeps them in the race for fourth

place, eight points adrift of Villarreal.Earlier, Athletic Bilbao gunned down high-fly-

ing Eibar 5-2 in a Basque derby at San Mames.On-loan Atletico striker Borja Baston scoredtwice for the visitors to take his tally for the sea-son to 15. However, two goals from Aritz Adurizand strikes from Sabin Merino, Aymeric Laporteand a late Mauro dos Santos own goal movedAthletic up to eighth. — AFP

Atletico miss chance to top

table in Sevilla stalemate

MADRID: Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, center, reacts after missing a chance to scoreduring a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla at the VicenteCalderon stadium. — AFP

LIVERPOOL: Swansea City’s Ghanaian striker Andre Ayew (R) runs with the ball,chased by Everton’s English defender Leighton Baines during the English PremierLeague football match between Everton and Swansea City at Goodison Park. — AFP

16Serena serves upglamour spar withrival Sharapova

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 201619

Higuain becomes Europe’s topscorer

Cavs gored by Bulls as Tyronn fails on debut Page 17

LONDON: Arsenal's Spanish defender Nacho Monreal (L) vies with Chelsea's Serbian defenderBranislav Ivanovic during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelseaat the Emirates Stadium yesterday — AFP

LONDON: Diego Costa scored asChelsea renewed their hold over Arsenalwith a 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadiumon Sunday that dented their Londonrivals’ Premier League title hopes. Costahad been the central figure in Chelsea’s2-0 win over Arsenal in September,when he goaded Gabriel into gettingsent off, and he drew the foul that sawPer Mertesacker dismissed in the 18thminute before neatly converting thegame’s only goal five minutes later.

It was Arsenal’s first defeat in 10home league games and left ArseneWenger’s side in third place, belowManchester City on goal difference andthree points shy of leaders LeicesterCity. Chelsea rose one place to 13th,calming any relegation concerns, afteronly their second win in six leaguegames under interim manager GuusHiddink. Arsenal, who welcomed AlexisSanchez back from injury, have nowgone nine league games without beat-ing Chelsea, during which they have notscored in over nine and a half hours, andtheir latest failure left them without awin in three league games.

Europe still unlikely Chelsea remain 14 points below the

top four, but while Champions League

qualification remains an unlikely goal,this was further proof that, even withoutthe departed Jose Mourinho, they con-tinue to hold the Indian sign overArsenal.

Arsenal recalled Mesut Ozil after hemissed the 0-0 draw at Stoke City witha sore foot and he was a typicalbuzzing presence as the hosts forcedtheir opponents back early on. ButArsenal lacked precision in the finalthird, Joel Campbell miscuing a volleyfrom Theo Walcott’s cross and MathieuFlamini slipping as he attempted toshoot, and the best chances fell toChelsea.

In the second minute, Petr Cech hadto drop to his right to turn a shot fromOscar around the post after LaurentKoscielny had tamely conceded pos-session. When Cesar Azpilicuetacrossed from the left, Willian was giventwo bites at the cherry, seeing his initialvolley scuffed back to him byMertesacker and then putting his fol-low-up straight at Cech. In the 18thminute came the game’s decisivemoment. Costa reached Will ian’sthrough-ball just ahead of Mertesackerand with the German already commit-ted to a sliding tackle, the Chelsea strik-er tumbled and referee MarkClattenburg brandished the red card.

Hazard returns Gabriel, sent off for kicking Costa in

September, unsurprisingly came on toplug the gap, but there were booswhen the number held up on thefourth official’s electronic board wasstriker Olivier Giroud’s. It was typical of

Costa to find himself centre-stage andbarely a minute after Gabriel ’sentrance, he stole between theBrazilian and Koscielny to convertBranislav Ivanovic’s cross with an adroitnear-post volley. The Spain strikerthreatened to add a second beforehalf-time, but after gathering Willian’ssquare pass with a clever touch thattook him past Nacho Monreal, his shotwas repelled by Cech.

From the ensuing corner, Ivanovic’sheader was headed off the line byMonreal. Arsenal finally got in behindChelsea in first-half stoppage timewhen Aaron Ramsey clipped a passinto the area for Flamini, but theFrenchman-not renowned for hispenalty-box prowess-jabbed a volleyover. With Chelsea continuing to probein the second half-ex-Arsenal favoriteCesc Fabregas seeing a strong penaltyclaim waved away after being impededby Koscielny-Wenger turned toSanchez.

The Chilean, sidelined for 10 match-es with a hamstring injury, replacedCampbell and spurned a chance to lev-el when he took an airshot as the ballricocheted around the Chelsea box fol-lowing a free-kick. Costa departed,beneath a hail of boos, in the 68thminute, with Loic Remy coming on,while Eden Hazard made his return fol-lowing a three-game groin injury lay-off as a replacement for Oscar. WithWenger watching anxiously from thecorner of his technical area, a latechance fell to Flamini, but his deflectedback-heel was fielded by Chelsea goal-keeper Thibaut Courtois. — AFP

It had to be Costa: Spaniard

halts Arsenal’s title charge

Reckless Per sees red in 18th minute

Arsenal 0

Chelsea 1

BusinessMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Saudi to seek foreign non-oil investors

Page 23

ECB dovish comments lift market sentiments

Page 25

Iranian and foreign firms await the good timesPage 22

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing andmost developed telecom operator, announcedits financial results at the end of the 2015, withnet profits of KD 43 million, a 6 percentincrease compared to 2014.

Dr Mahmoud Ahmad Abdul Rahman, VIVA’sChairman, commenting on the financialresults: “VIVA reached in 2015 the best finan-cial and operational results and achieved a lev-el of growth and success that foster its posi-tion as leader Telecom Company in Kuwait andthe region, due to plans, strategies, servicesand creative offers that meet deeply the mar-ket’s needs and the customers’ expectations.”

“VIVA was able to generate KD 43 million innet profit (earnings per share of 86 fils) in 2015compared to KD 40 million (earning per share81 fils) in 2014. These results reveal the solidperformance of the company’s revenues andoperations through the continued upwardtrend of financial and operational indicators.This reflected positively on shareholder equitywhich reached KD 93 million, also theCompany’s board of directors recommendednot to distribute any dividends for the fiscalyear ended 31 December 2015, this recom-mendation is subject to the approval of theshareholder’s at the annual general assemblyand the specialized regulating authority,” DrAbdul Rahman added.

TechnologyEng Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Badran,

VIVA’s Chief Executive Officer stated: “VIVA wasable to accomplish this growth in an extreme-ly competitive telecom market in Kuwait. VIVAwas able to maintain its position as the secondlargest telecom operator in the Kuwaiti marketin term of subscribers and revenues, whichpositively affected the company’s financialperformance, expanded our market sharewhile increasing our customer base by 2 per-cent to reach 2.5 million subscribers in 2015.Total revenues reached KD 277 million, repre-senting a strong growth of 16 percent com-

pared to the same period last year,” added Al-Badran.

“VIVA continues to build on past successesand look forward to benefiting from the bestnew technologies to provide our clients withadvanced innovative services while achievingfurther growth and accomplishments. We areproud to be the first leading telecom companyto launch the Voice Over Long Term Evolution(VoLTE) in partnership with Huawei for the firsttime in Kuwait and the Middle East. This is inaddition to VIVA’s commercial presence acrossKuwait, which was expanded to 70 branches,enabling us to be closer to our customers andto meet the growing demand for our productsand services. Our achievements were also rec-ognized in the second half of the current yearas shown by our winning of several awards for

excellence in the Kuwaiti telecom sector,including “Best Industry Call Center” and “BestMedium Help Desk” from Insights - Middle EastCall Center Awards 2015, the only Call Centrededicated, Professional Services Organizationin the Middle East,” continued Al-Badran.

“We are optimistic in the role played by the

Communication and Information TechnologyRegulatory Authority in Kuwait that will have apositive impact on the development of thetelecom sector and create a fair regulatoryenvironment for all local telecom companies,”concluded Al-Badran.

Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Qatie, VIVA’s Chief

Financial Officer said: “VIVA’s performance con-tinued to be steady and strong whichenhanced the company’s main financial indica-tors, and increased its customer base. This haspositively affected free cash flow, which hasreached KD 32 million in 2015, reflecting agrowth of 67 percent, compared to 2014.”

BEC reveals new brand character

Page 26

VIVA announces net profit of KD 43m for 2015Profits increase 6% � Total revenues reach KD 277 million

VIVA ChairmanDr Mahmoud Ahmad Abdul Rahman

WASHINGTON: As the US presidential race picksup pace, the speeches and debates are full ofcharacter attacks, arguments on immigration andworries about national security.

But there is one glaring omission in the battlefor the White House: serious talk about the econo-my. On both the Republican and Democraticsides, the state of the world’s largest economy ismentioned, of course. But the exchanges indebates have mostly been about sound bitesgood for rebroadcast and social media, ratherthan serious discussion of issues.

Why such reticence to engage on a subjectcrucial in the past two presidential races? Asidefrom the dryness of the topic, the answer comesfrom the relative health of the US economy. “Theeconomy is doing reasonably well, although notspectacularly well,” said Joseph Gagnon of thePeterson Institute for International Economics.

“So it’s good enough for Republicans not tohave an angle of attack, but it’s not so good asDemocrats can brag about it.” The US unemploy-ment rate has fallen to half of its peak in 2009 andnow sits at five percent, close to full employment.The economy is growing at a modest pace, andthe government deficit has shrunk.

Those are reasons, Democratic PresidentBarack Obama says, that voters should support aDemocrat to succeed him.

Wages still weak Certainly, the economic crisis that dominated

previous presidential elections, especially in 2008when Obama won his first term, has disappeared.And that complicates efforts by Republicans tobrand Obama’s record a disaster as they woo vot-ers. They try nevertheless to exploit weaknesses inthe Obama recovery-especially how it has notbenefitted everyone. For the Republicans, saidLawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute,“There’s no easy target, even if there’s definitely ageneral sense that people... haven’t really benefit-ed from the recovery.” The one issue that has vot-ers on both sides unhappy is the weak growth inwages during the recovery, roughly half the pacethat it was before the financial crisis. Ted Cruz, run-ning second to Donald Trump in the race for theRepublican nomination to the White House, hastried to draw support on the issue.

“If you make your money in and aroundWashington, things are doing great. The million-aires and billionaires are doing great underObama,” he said. And another Republican hopeful,Marco Rubio, highlighted it as well: “The economyis not providing jobs that pay enough.”

Even so, the Republicans as a group, whoadvocate for tax cuts and economic freedom, arenot at ease with making wages a political issue.Most oppose mandated increases to the mini-mum wage, for example, an issue the Democratsembrace. Republicans have also tried to chip awayat Obama’s record of slashing unemployment.They point to the still-high level of Americans whoare unemployed and have dropped out of the

workforce, which, as a percentage of the popula-tion, remains at a four-decade high.

But also grabbing this issue to make politicalgain is Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders,who argues that the real unemployment rate forAmericans is over 10 percent, if one includes peo-ple forced to work part time. Other issues pulltogether White House hopefuls from the two par-ties, making it hard for them to stand out.Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton andTrump both oppose the huge new trade deal, theTrans-Pacific Partnership, achieved late last yearby Obama. And both are against US companiesbeing able to move their official addresses off-shore to lower their taxes. Even so, the candidatesso far have stuck to criticism and complaintswithout offering much in the way of detailed pro-posals.

“Taxes too high, wages too high, we’re notgoing to be able to compete against the world,”says Trump, for example. Barry Bosworth, of theBrookings Institution think tank, said it maytake several more weeks or months for real pro-posals on the economy to emerge. “Neither par-ty has any great suggestions on how to dealwith the issues of employment and incomegrowth that seem to be the dominant econom-ic concerns of voters,” said Bosworth. But hesaid their views could become clearer once theparties choose their final candidate for theNovember election, and that voters will paymore attention then. — AFP

Missing from US race: Economy

DOHA: A decade ago, Foad Fanaeipacked his belongings and left sanc-tion-hit Iran in the hope that the fami-ly’s engineering firm would thrive inQatar. Starting up in the Gulf Arabstate proved to be hard for a 27-year-old outsider who had to grapple withQatar’s complex business laws andnavigate the international financialconstraints imposed over Iran’snuclear program.

Since then Fanaei has enduredyears of financial losses but kept thebusiness going in the hope that oneday the nuclear-related sanctionswould be lifted. Cherishing the samehope, his father continued to run aparent company in Iran.

Now that day has come, Fanaeibelieves his hard work is about to berewarded. “I came here with experi-ence and new technology. I met withmany companies but it was tough.We missed out on a lot of deals,” heexplained. “Now, though, politics is inthe past. It took a long time, but weare moving forward.”

Fanaei is blazing a trail that otherIranian businesses are likely to follow.His company, Reign Engineering &Trading Co, has forged a partnershipwith Abu Dhabi-based constructionfirm AlJaber Group which is set toenter an agreement with industrialgroup Siemens to start manufactur-ing high-specification electricity-sav-ing devices.

If the deal goes ahead, Fanaei, oneof a handful of Iranian businessmenin Qatar, will be involved in the devel-opment of the largest electronics fac-tory in the country and, together withthe AlJaber Group, will bid on tendersfor multi-million dollar governmentinfrastructure projects.

The venture will not be directlyaffected by the easing of sanctions - itrelies on local manufacturers - but theprospect of being able to transfermoney in and out of Iran, travel morefreely and sign contracts withWestern companies - all curtailedunder sanctions - Fanaei says, willallow him and other Iranians to thrivein the region. “We invested heavily inQatar and honestly we lost a lot of

money, but we still had hope,” he said.Arab firms too stand to benefit

from Iran’s opening.The likely surge in business

between Iran and other countries inthe Gulf will be just one part of theboom in business expected followingthe lifting of the nuclear-related sanc-tions on Jan 18.

The deal with world powers thatended Iran’s international isolation, inexchange for restrictions on Tehran’snuclear program, restored its accessto tens of billions of dollars in frozenassets, reopened the country to for-eign investment and allows it to selloil again on world markets.

President Hassan Rouhani, whochampioned the deal, says Iran needs$30-$50 billion a year in foreigninvestment to meet its economicgrowth target of eight percent. Hehas ordered a sharp increase in oiloutput and, in a sign of the size of thebusiness opportunities that are up forgrabs, Iran has said it wants to buymore than 100 Western planes.

Some companies have movedquickly to gain or regain access to acountry that is rich in naturalresources and has a young, well edu-cated population of about 80 million.European and Asian firms have ahead start as some US sanctionsremain, tying the hands of Americancompanies.

But many international banks,businesses and investors are not rush-ing in because of the risk of fallingfoul of the residual US sanctions andlegal uncertainties.

Some are also concerned that adiplomatic incident could flarebetween Iran and the United States,undermining the nuclear deal, andthat the US presidential election thisyear might bring to power an oppo-nent of the deal.

WAITING GAMEFor some foreign companies, it

has been a waiting game. Theystayed in Iran when the sanctions hitand, like Fanaei in Qatar, put up withthe bad times in the hope that thegood times would eventually return.

Landi Renzo, an Italian producer ofautogas and compressed natural gaskits for cars, saw annual revenues inIran sink from about 35 million eurosto about 3 million when sanctionshit, said Pierpaolo Marziali, the firm’shead of mergers and acquisitions.

There were no Western banksready to offer guarantees and lettersof credit, and the sharp decline ofIran’s currency under sanctions madematters worse.

“But we stayed the course andnever stopped producing, albeit atminimal levels, and that’s put us in astrong position now since we have akind of preferential channel. Our staffis regularly in Tehran and we’re look-ing forward to relaunching produc-tion,” Marziali said. Another Italiancompany that stuck it out was SABAF,which makes components for house-hold cooking appliances, although itsannual sales in Iran fell from about 10billion euros to around 3 million,Administrative Director GianlucaBeschi said.

“We’ve already started talks in thecountry and we hope to be able toboost our sales in 2016 to get back topre-sanction times,” she said. Italyhopes its trade with Iran will nowsurge and sees the best opportuni-ties in oil and gas, cars and transport,and construction and furniture. ButChina, India, Russia and Brazil havekept or gained a foothold in Iransince sanctions were imposed, andBeijing is the top exporter to Tehran.

For some companies, the race hasalready begun.

Senior Iranian officials said yester-day that Iran plans to buy more than114 aircraft from European planemaker Airbus as soon as March, andis looking for other deals.

The trucks division of Germanautomobile maker Daimler quicklysigned letters of intent with joint ven-ture partners in Iran and India’s state-run National Aluminium Co Ltd (NAL-CO) said it was sending experts toIran to explore the possibility of set-ting up a $2-billion smelter complex.

Russia’s second-largest state-con-trolled bank, VTB , said it hoped to

carry out its first banking operationswith Iran within months. And aBritish investor, Dominic Bokor-Ingram, launched a joint venturefund with an Iranian investment fundon Jan. 19 - two decades after hetook a suitcase of cash onto the floorof the Moscow stock exchange tobuy up shares after the end of com-munist rule.

But many other banks and firms,ranging from international oil com-panies to small investors, are tread-ing carefully because of legal uncer-tainties and making sure they will notface heavy fines by violating theresidual US sanctions.

LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIESSmall firms face similar concerns

to bigger companies as they weighup the risks and opportunities. Liketheir bigger counterparts, some hadbeen preparing for years for theopening of Iran. “I have friends in Iranwho have been waiting for the sanc-tions to end so they can come andinvest here,” Fanaei said in his officein Qatar.Iranian businessmen havefor decades been travelling to GulfArab states that provide access toGulf waters and free-trade zones incities such as Dubai, re-exportinggoods and circumventing sanctions.Their number should now grow.

“Qatar is an ideal market for us.There is rapid growth ahead of theWorld Cup (to be hosted by Qatar in2022). Local partners here appreciateIran’s expertise in industry and tech-nology,” Fanaei said.

Fanaei’s new business partner,Mohammed Sultan Al-Jaber, who ischairman of the AlJaber Group, said“political issues” such as a riftbetween Iran and Saudi Arabia wouldnot impede Arab-Iran business part-nerships. “Iran has so many thingsthat Qatar needs. Qatar used toimport a lot of materials from Iranlike cement, ceramics and soil. It washalted,” said Al-Jaber.

Looking ahead to more coopera-tion in the post-sanctions era, hesaid: “I see no reason why it won’tresume.” — Reuters

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.560Indian Rupees 4.501Pakistani Rupees 2.897Srilankan Rupees 2.118Nepali Rupees 2.815Singapore Dollar 214.080Hongkong Dollar 38.980Bangladesh Taka 3.873Philippine Peso 6.350Thai Baht 8.450

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 81.110Qatari Riyal 83.551Omani Riyal 790.021Bahraini Dinar 807.760UAE Dirham 82.811

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 38.550Egyptian Pound - Transfer 38.890Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.419Tunisian Dinar 149.170Jordanian Dinar 428.440Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.027Syrian Lira 2.168Morocco Dirham 31.179

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 304.000Euro 333.250Sterling Pound 437.150Canadian dollar 216.910Turkish lira 101.300Swiss Franc 302.490Australian Dollar 215.840US Dollar Buying 302.800

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.428174 0.437174Czech Korune 0.004219 0.016219Danish Krone 0.040217 0.045217Euro 0.323777 0.331777Norwegian Krone 0.030823 0.036023Romanian Leu 0.087205 0.087205Slovakia 0.009081 0.019081Swedish Krona 0.031566 0.036566Swiss Franc 0.293260 0.303460Turkish Lira 0.095638 0.105938

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.205220 0.216720New Zealand Dollar 0.191600 0.201100

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.209802 0.218302US Dollars 0.299900 0.304400

US Dollars Mint 0.300400 0.304400

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003519 0.004119Chinese Yuan 0.044805 0.048305Hong Kong Dollar 0.037123 0.039873Indian Rupee 0.004219 0.004609Indonesian Rupiah 0.000017 0.000023Japanese Yen 0.002501 0.002681Kenyan Shilling 0.003159 0.003159Korean Won 0.000244 0.000259Malaysian Ringgit 0.066864 0.072864Nepalese Rupee 0.002882 0.003052Pakistan Rupee 0.002606 0.002886Philippine Peso 0.006275 0.006555Sierra Leone 0.000067 0.000073Singapore Dollar 0.209842 0.215842South African Rand 0.012505 0.021005Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001763 0.002343Taiwan 0.008927 0.009107Thai Baht 0.008138 0.008688

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.799476 0.807476Egyptian Pound 0.035418 0.039754Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000200 0.000260Jordanian Dinar 0.424776 0.432276Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000152 0.000252Moroccan Dirhams 0.021514 0.045514Nigerian Naira 0.001256 0.001891Omani Riyal 0.783190 0.788870Qatar Riyal 0.082790 0.084003Saudi Riyal 0.080180 0.081130Syrian Pound 0.001289 0.001509Tunisian Dinar 0.145708 0.153708Turkish Lira 0.095638 0.105938UAE Dirhams 0.081787 0.082936Yemeni Riyal 0.001374 0.001454

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

CURRENCIES TELEX TRANSFER PER 1000Australian Dollar 198.53Canadian Dollar 211.29Swiss Franc 308.28Euro 336.12US Dollar 304.30Sterling Pound 433.24Japanese Yen 2.64Bangladesh Taka 3.879Indian Rupee 4.483Sri Lankan Rupee 2.119Nepali Rupee 2.798P0kistani Rupee 2.897UAE Dirhams 0.08281Bahraini Dinar 0.8087Egyptian Pound 0.03876Jordanian Dinar 0.4328Omani Riyal 0.7902Qatari Riyal 0.08390Saudi Riyal 0.08111

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 304.350Canadian Dollar 209.745Sterling Pound 431.695Euro 334.625Swiss Frank 305.475Bahrain Dinar 805.175UAE Dirhams 83.105Qatari Riyals 84.320

Saudi Riyals 81.840Jordanian Dinar 428.735Egyptian Pound 38.757Sri Lankan Rupees 2.119Indian Rupees 4.475Pakistani Rupees 2.897Bangladesh Taka 3.871Philippines Pesso 6.367Cyprus pound 579.695Japanese Yen 3.600Syrian Pound 2.380Nepalese Rupees 3.795Malaysian Ringgit 70.420Chinese Yuan Renminbi 46.605Thai Bhat 9.365Turkish Lira 99.960

GOLD20 Gram 225.30010 Gram 115.5705 Gram 58.630

Iranian and foreign firms

await the good timesIranians see opportunities in Gulf states

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s political and business eliteyesterday made a rare show of unity to turn out inforce at the funeral of the head of Turkey’s biggestfamily-run industrial conglomerate, Mustafa Koc,who died last week aged only 55.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoglu and main oppositionRepublican People’s Party (CHP) leader KemalKilicdaroglu were among the mourners at thefuneral at an Istanbul mosque for the Koc HoldingCEO, who died on Thursday after a massive heartattack.

Koc was the leader of the third generation ofthe dynasty founded by his grandfather Vehbi Kocin the 1920s and which now has interests in ener-gy, finance and autos grouped together under KocHolding. Mustafa Koc took over as chief executiveof Koc Holding in 2003 after the retirement of hisfather Rahmi Koc, now 85, who survives his son.

Rahmi Koc greeted the mourners along withhis younger son Ali Koc in front of the coffindraped in a banner with an inscription in OttomanTurkish script. The coffin also bore a ribbon fromthe family’s favourite football team, Fenerbahce ofIstanbul. Turkey’s family-run conglomerates arethe mainstays of the country’s economy withinterests in every sector. Koc Holding alone

accounts for around nine percent of Turkishexports and eight percent of its GDP.

Prominent Turkish businessmen also made rarepublic appearances at the funeral. “Mustafa Koc isan incredible loss. Look at the size of the crowdshere,” banking tycoon and founder of the FIBAholding Husnu Ozyegin told NTV television.

Mustafa Koc was respected in business circlesfor presiding over sustained growth at KocHolding. But he also won admiration from Turkishliberals with support of anti-government protest-ers in 2013.

Koc allowed protesters in Taksim Square inIstanbul to take refuge in the nearby Divan Hotel,which is owned by the group, infuriating Erdoganwho criticised Koc for harbouring “criminals”.

The group then found itself the target ofprobes over alleged tax violations. But Erdogan onFriday paid warm tribute to Koc, revealing that hehad held talks with the businessman in Ankarajust a day before he died. “We even joked. Wetalked about weight loss issues. And I evenquipped ‘did you cut down on alcohol? It’s time tostop completely ’,” said the pious president.Mustafa Koc was buried in the family plot at theZincirlikuyu cemetery in Istanbul, next to hisgrandfather Vehbi Koc. — AFP

Turkish elite bids farewell to industrial dynasty chief

DUBAI: An initial public offering of SaudiAramco, the world’s biggest oil company,could be on the local or international mar-kets but would not include Saudi energyreserves, the company’s chairman told Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television.

“The reserves would not be sold, but thecompany’s ability to produce from thereserves is being studied,” Khalid Al-Falih toldthe channel in an interview from Davos,Switzerland where the annual WorldEconomic Forum was held last week.

In an interview with The Economist earlierthis month, Saudi Deputy Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman said Riyadh mightsell shares in Aramco as part of a privatizationdrive. Aramco has crude reserves estimatedat about 265 billion barrels, over 15 percentof all global oil deposits, so it could becomethe first listed company valued at $1 trillionor more if it went public, analysts have esti-mated.

But several sources familiar with official

thinking told Reuters that Aramco’s massivesize, and the confidentiality surrounding it asthe main instrument of the kingdom’s oil pol-icy, pose hurdles to any listing of the parentfirm. They said Saudi Arabia is consideringselling shares in refining ventures with for-eign oil firms.

Falih said there would be legal studies tomake sure that what is offered is not thekingdom’s crude reserves “but the company’sability to convert the production of thesereserves to a financial value that the ownerscan benefit from. “The economic value ofSaudi Aramco as a company is what will beoffered. Naturally, the primary field of SaudiAramco’s work is managing the reserves ofSaudi Arabia,” Falih said.

“The reserves belong to the state but thecompany’s ability to convert these reserves...into a financial value and at the same time forthe company to have a portion of these prof-its will be part of the value of the company,”he told Arabiya. — Reuters

Aramco head says IPO could be

open to international markets

RABAT: Thousands of Moroccan trainee teach-ers and their families took to the streets of thecapital Rabat yesterday to protest against gov-ernment plans to cut education jobs, defying anofficial ban on demonstrations. Waving bannersand chanting “Repression won’t scare me”, sev-eral thousand protesters marched past hun-dreds of riot police who watched nearby withwater canon trucks, just weeks after police wereaccused of violently repressing an earlierprotest.

Large-scale protests remain rare in Morocco,where the king holds sway. When pro-democra-cy unrest toppled leaders in Tunisia, Egypt andLibya in 2011, the palace calmed similarprotests with limited reforms, spending andtougher security. The teacher trainee protestsare one of several rallies that have taken placein the last few months against governmentplans to cut spending and reduce public sectorhiring as part of reforms meant to revive statefinances. “I have three children, and I thoughtwe had finally found a job for one, but it doesn’tseem so,” said Hassan Dehih, who came fromthe city of Kenitra to support his daughter. “Atleast if they beat her, I will be beaten too.”

The government said on Thursday that itwould not allow any unauthorized protests.Organizers said they had the right to protestunder the constitution. Moroccan police havebroken up most of the previous teacher traineedemonstrations across the kingdom, but pro-

testers say they will keep on fighting to cancelgovernment decrees. Dozens have beeninjured, including three who needed medicalcare.

The police handling of the protests prompt-ed Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane’s govern-ment to order an inquiry into police violence.More than its North African neighbors, Moroccohas been applauded by multilateral lenders forprogress in controlling high public spendingthat analysts says has also been a problem inneighboring Tunisia and Algeria.

But touching public jobs, subsidies and oth-er benefits that Moroccans have enjoyed foryears is starting to generate social tensions, trig-gering protests, sit-ins and strikes that may testthe government’s nerve. In neighboring Tunisia,frustration over unemployment and lack of jobslast week exploded into rioting in a string oftowns, especially in the impoverished centralcity of Kasserine, but a curfew helped restorecalm.

Around 10,000 young Moroccans passedthe examination to begin training to be teach-ers in public schools. On Oct. 8, the governmentsaid another exam would be required at theend of the year to be hired. Only 7,000 wouldpass the final tests, according to governmentdata. Rachid Oussaid, a spokesman for traineeteachers, said the government had held talkswith protesters on Saturday, in a meeting facili-tated by labor unions. — Reuters

Thousands of Moroccans

protest over job cuts

ISTANBUL: People carry the coffin of Mustafa Koc, chief executive of Turkey’s biggest industrial con-glomerate Koc Holding, during his funeral yesterday in Istanbul. — AFP

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

B U S I N E S S

AMRITSAR: An Indian Sikh vendor sorts onions as he sell vegetables from hishorse cart in Amritsar yesterday. —AFP

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia aims to at least doubleannual inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI)over the next 10 years by focusing on new sec-tors such as mining, health care and informa-tion technology, the head of its investmentagency said yesterday.

The plan outlined by Abdullatif Al-Othman,governor of the Saudi Arabian GeneralInvestment Authority (SAGIA), is part of a radicalrevamp of economic policy as the kingdomseeks to adapt to an era of cheap oil. In the past,foreign investment was heavily concentrated inthe oil and gas sector of the world’s top crudeexporter, as well as downstream industries suchas petrochemicals.

But the plunge of oil prices over the past 18months has called that strategy into question.Othman said SAGIA was now seeking foreigncapital in a wide range of sectors without directlinks to oil.

“If you look at an economy that has beenable to fetch about $10 billion a year in the tra-ditional sector...we should be looking at multi-ples of that,” he said in an interview.

“So our hope is that we would double ortriple this level of FDI on a rolling average forthe next 10 years.” SAGIA faces big obstacles. Asluggish bureaucracy and an undeveloped legalsystem have deterred foreign investment in thepast; now low oil prices are slowing growth ofthe Saudi economy. Geopolitical tensions in theregion may also weigh.

Inflows of FDI peaked at about $40 billion in2009 but have been trending down since thenand totalled just $8.0 billion in 2014, figuresfrom the United Nations Conference on Tradeand Development show. Othman said SAGIAwould seek to remove bureaucratic or regula-tory obstacles to investment by talking to for-

eign firms to identify their concerns, then dis-cussing them with ministries and other govern-ment bodies. The investment push is part of alarger economic reform drive conceived byDeputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Details of the program, which includes privati-zation, changes to the way in which SaudiArabia manages its oil wealth and efforts tomake state spending more efficient, areexpected to be announced in coming days orweeks.

Initially, mining may prove one of the mostattractive investment areas for foreigners. Whilethe kingdom has been extensively explored foroil and gas, Othman said deposits of many oth-er minerals had not yet been fully identified. Itis believed to have big deposits of phosphate,bauxite, base metals and gold. In a joint ven-ture that could become a model for future proj-ects, a local firm, majority state-owned SaudiArabian Mining Co, began producing copperlast month at a mine near Madina along withCanada’s Barrick Gold Corp. Othman said SaudiArabia aimed to move far beyond resourceextraction, partly because it needs to generatehundreds of thousands of jobs for a rapidlygrowing local population.

Last September, the government said itwould let foreign investors own 100 percent ofretail and wholesale businesses. Previously, theceiling was 75 percent. Authorities have sincereceived expressions of interest from foreignretailers, Othman said, declining to name them.

Saudi Arabia does not have a major domes-tic automobile industry. Othman said authori-ties were in discussions with auto companies,especially makers of spare parts and firms inthe area of buses and trucks, but did not identi-fy the firms. —Reuters

Saudi to seek foreign non-oil investors

By Camille Accad

KUWAIT: Western sanctions crippledIran’s oil sector in the four years lead-ing to 2016, losing around one millionbarrels per day of oil exports and pro-duction. With major sanctions lifted,more Persian crude will be availablethis year, but the pace and scale atwhich it will return into the market isunclear. In our view, the increase willbe slower than generally expected.

Iranian officials have expressedtheir intention to increase the nation’scrude exports, first by 500,000 barrelsper day, and by another 500,000 byyear-end. Iran is capable of producingthe oil needed to reach those targets.First, around twenty million barrels ofcrude oil are held in inventory, withhalf stored in tankers waiting to beshipped, according to EIA and IEA.This is the equivalent of forty days of500,000 barrels per day. Second, Iranwill not be pressured by OPEC due toits current strategy of gaining marketshare. The likelihood of a joint OPECdecision to cut output is also low dueto Iran’s rising tensions with SaudiArabia. Third, the agreement with the

West will release frozen Iranian assets,estimated to be worth between $10and $20 billion annually until 2020.These funds may be used to pay formuch-needed investment in the sec-tor. Fourth, Iran has improved condi-tions for foreign firms planning toinvest in the country. The outdatedbuyback contracting process isreplaced by the new Iran PetroleumContract whereby foreign companieswill be able to sign longer term, lessrisky, deals that would not require thecontractor to hand over their oil fieldwork by the end of the project. A con-ference in London in February willreveal more details as Iranian officialsplan to unveil a number of oil and gasprojects worth more than $150 bil-lion. Overall, there are reasons tobelieve the country with the fourthlargest proven oil reserves in theworld has the ability to raise produc-tion to meet its export targets.

However, Iran’s plans might notmaterialize. On the demand side, theChinese economic slowdown is con-tributing to the emerging marketdeceleration. Global oil demand isexpected to be weak this year, with

IEA and OPEC projecting a decelera-tion in oil consumption for 2016. Onthe supply front, Iran will also face dif-ficulties. First, Iran is still subject to anumber of restrictions. ConductingUS dollar transactions, dealing withthe Iranian Revolutionary GuardCorps, which is heavily involved inthe energy sector, and usingAmerican technology are still prohib-ited. Second, sanctions have deterio-rated Iran’s upstream infrastructure,requiring massive investment in thesector. Iranians claim $100 billion ofinvestment is needed to bring oilproduction back to pre-sanction lev-els, compared with Western esti-mates of around $300 billion. Finally,Iran requires the investments of inter-national oil companies to develop itsoil exploration and production tech-nology. However, with oil prices atmulti-year lows, energy firms’ earn-ings are falling rapidly, forcing themto cut near-term capital expenditure.

IEA projects that, with the helpof foreign investment, Iran couldreach a production capacity of fourmillion barrels per day by 2020.However, the current environment

of low oil prices, geopolitical uncer-tainty and the outcome of the USelections in November may affectthe pace of foreign investment intothe country. In spite of the lift of

sanctions, the safer bet for Iran is torely in the Asian powers, which nev-er stopped doing business there:China and India maintained astrong trade partnership with Iran,

while Chinese investments inupstream infrastructure in the lastseveral years is expected to gener-ate an additional 200,000 barrelsper day by 2017.

Return of Iran oil into global market will be slow

TEHRAN: Iran said yesterday it willbuy 114 Airbus planes to revitalizeits ageing fleet, in the first majorcommercial deal announced sincethe lifting of sanctions under itsnuclear agreement. TransportMinister Abbas Akhoundi said adeal on the purchase would besigned between national carrier IranAir and Airbus during a visit to Paristhis week by President HassanRouhani.

Rouhani will travel to Italy andFrance from Monday to Wednesday,on his first visit to Europe since theimplementation of the deal curbingTehran’s nuclear activities inexchange for the lifting of punish-ing economic sanctions. Rouhanihas hailed the agreement as a “newchapter” for Iran as its economyreturns to global markets.

Modernising the country’s airfleet and infrastructure is a top pri-ority, with Akhoundi saying Sundaythat only 150 of the country’s 250planes are operational. “We havebeen negotiating for 10 months” forthe purchase of planes but “therewas no way to pay for thembecause of banking sanctions,”Iranian state media quotedAkhoundi as saying.

“We need 400 long- and mid-range and 100 short-range planes,”he said. He said the first batch ofnew planes would arrive in Iran byMarch 19 but provided no financialdetails of the deal with Airbus. AnAirbus spokesman declined to com-ment.

Iran, with a population 79 mil-lion, has a good road network butstill needs major transportupgrades, which Tehran hopes willboost tourism and trade. Iran’s air-ports also need $250 million (230

million euros) worth of upgrades innavigation systems, Akhoundi said.

Talks with Boeing Only nine of Iran’s 67 airports are

currently operational. Iran has suf-fered several air crashes in recentyears blamed on ageing planes,poor maintenance and a shortageof new parts. News of the Airbusdeal came as aviation industry rep-resentatives from 85 companiesmet in Tehran yesterday to assessopportunities in the Islamic republicafter sanctions were removed.

“It’s a really exciting time, there’snever been a situation like this,” saidPeter Harbison, the head of theCAPA consultancy which organized

the conference.“A whole array of different avia-

tion services and new jobs obvious-ly are going to be created,” Harbisontold AFP. “Aviation is one of thoseindustries that creates massive eco-nomic flow-on benefits, so tourismwill expand, so you’ll need moreinfrastructure growth in hotels andright across the board.”

Akhoundi said yesterday Iran wasalso negotiating with US plane man-ufacturer Boeing, but provided nodetails. He said Iran was in talks withthe United States on the possibilityof reopening direct air routes, whichwere cut after the 1979 hostage cri-sis that ended all diplomatic tiesbetween the two countries.

Rouhani’s European tour will seehim seeking to restore commercialties with Italy and France, whichwere among Tehran’s main econom-ic partners before the tightening ofinternational sanctions in January2012. Competition to tap the Iranianmarket has been fierce as it emergesfrom international isolation.

Meeting with Chinese PresidentXi Jinping on Saturday, Rouhani saidthe two countries aim to build upeconomic ties worth up to $600 bil-lion in the next 10 years.

They signed a slew of tradeagreements, including a $2 billioncontract for China to electrify therailway line linking Tehran with sec-ond city Mashhad. —AFP

Iran to buy 114 Airbuses to revamp ageing fleetRepresentatives from 85 aviation firms in Tehran

TEHRAN: Iranian minister of transportation Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi (R) speaks during the CAPA2016 Iran Aviation Summit in the capital Tehran yesterday. —AFP

BAKU: Hit hard by falling oil prices, ex-SovietAzerbaijan has plunged into an economic cri-sis that has seen rare protests shake theauthorities in the tightly-controlled nation.

Over the last week, violent clashes brokeout between riot police and thousands ofdemonstrators who took to the streets incities across the energy-rich Caspian nation toexpress their discontent against price hikesand unemployment.

The government-which under strongmanIlham Aliyev allows few signs of dissent-sentin troops to quell the unrest in the city ofSiazan and several other provincial townswhere tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bul-lets were reportedly used against stone-throwing protesters. Some 100 people werearrested in the aftermath, Sadiar Osmanov,head of the opposition Musavat party’s localbranch, said. The government blamed opposi-tion activists for staging riots, an accusationthey rejected as groundless.

“People speak out about their woes andthe government responds with violence,”Musavat’s leader Isa Gambar said. “As a result,the protest movement will gain momentum,economic turmoil will spiral into a politicalunrest,” he told AFP.

Exports of hydrocarbons constitute up tothree quarters of Azerbaijan’s state revenues,making the Caucasus country’s economyhighly dependent on global energy prices.

As oil prices fall to 12-year lows and themanna of petrodollars diminished,Azerbaijan’s once-booming economy quicklyhit the skids, the national currency plummet-

ed and inflation soared. After having depletedover half of its foreign currency reserves,Azerbaijan’s central bank admitted inDecember that the economy was being hurtby falling oil prices and moved to stop prop-ping up the national currency.

The manat plunged immediately by over athird against the dollar, with major retailershalting business and anxious consumers fear-ing for their future. Many Azerbaijanis rushedto the banks to withdraw savings. Othersexpressed fears that the weak value of themanat would threaten the banking sector’sstability and lead to loan defaults as a majori-ty of mortgages and loans in the nation of 9.5million people are dollar-denominated.

‘Soap bubble’ “I don’t know if I will be able to repay my

mortgage,” said 40-year-old Baku resident ArifGasanov, one of some 2.5 million Azerbaijaniswho have taken a mortgage in dollars. “Afterthe manat collapsed I’ll have to pay to mybank much more than expected, much morethan I can afford,” he told AFP.

Highlighting the seriousness of the situa-tion, a spate of suicides were reported by localmedia, with several people who were unableto make payments on their bank loans settingthemselves on fire.

The currency turmoil was followed by an11-fold acceleration of inflation, with con-sumer prices rising in December by 4.4 per-cent after a 0.4 percent increase in November.

Annual inflation stood at 7.6 percent inDecember, but prices for food and medicine

rose dramatically. “People are paying the priceof the government’s incompetence and cor-ruption,” Baku resident Reyhan Ghafarova, 34,said.

“No one believes any longer the govern-ment’s claims about Azerbaijan’s strong econ-omy, the myth has burst like a soap bubble.” Ina bid to defuse public discontent, Aliyevmoved to cut taxes on essential foods such asflour and bread and ordered the governmentto draw up a major privatization program torevive the stalling economy.

“The government will do its best to mini-mize the negative consequences” of the eco-nomic crisis, Aliyev’s top aide Ali Gasanov toldAFP. “All the necessary measures will be takento stimulate the industrial sector, eradicateofficial corruption, and improve the businessclimate in the country,” he said. On Tuesday,the parliament endorsed the central bank’sinitiative to introduce a 20-percent tax on for-eign exchange taken out of the country forinvestment, securities, and real estate pur-chases.

Other steps included insuring all bankdeposits and imposing limits on foreign cur-rency sales.

For the time being the measures seem tohave put a lid on the situation but analystswarned that the country needed more pro-found change if it was weather the storm longterm. “Too little, too late,” said Azerbaijani eco-nomic analyst Natig Jafarli, denouncing themeasures as “cosmetic.” “It’s impossible to savethe country without serious economicreforms and a political change.” —AFP

Protests rattle Azerbaijan as oil slump hits economy

ASIYA CAPITAL INVESTMENTS REPORT

KUWAIT: Stock markets in the energy-rich Gulf states rebounded yesterday, thefirst trading day of the Islamic week, aftera rally in oil and global share prices. Thebourses of Saudi Arabia, Dubai, AbuDhabi and Qatar each gained more than5.0 percent at the start of trading beforecooling off.

Dubai Financial Market Index shot up6.6 percent at opening before closing theday up 5.15 percent, above the 2,700-point mark. Market leaders Emaar prop-erties and construction firm Arabtecgained 8.0 percent and 10 percent,respectively.

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange fin-ished the day up 2.7 percent supportedby the real estate sector, which gained7.3 percent. Qatar Exchange, the secondlargest Arab bourse, gained 5.0 percentat opening to climb above the key 9,000-point barrier, but ended the day belowthat benchmark.

Kuwait Stock Exchange added 0.6 per-cent but remained below 5,000 points. In

Oman, the small Muscat SecuritiesExchange rose 1.54 percent, and theBahrain bourse was down 0.64 percent.

The Saudi stock market, the largestArab bourse, opened the day up 6.6 per-cent but was trading at 4.1 percent high-er by mid-session, just below the 5,700-point mark.

All seven Gulf bourses howeverremain well below last year’s closing lev-els. Oil prices surged for a second straightday Friday amid an equities rally onhopes of extra stimuli for Japan and theeurozone.

US benchmark West TexasIntermediate (WTI) for March leapt $2.66to $32.19 a barrel on the New YorkMercantile Exchange. Brent North Seacrude for delivery in March, the Europeanbenchmark for crude oil, finished at$32.18 a barrel in London, a 10-percentjump over Thursday’s settlement. Thegains on Thursday and Friday amountedto 13.5 percent for WTI and 15.4 percentfor Brent. —AFP

Gulf stocks rebound on rising oil price

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

MADRID: For more clues as to how slumping oilprices and a faltering Chinese outlook could swaypolicymakers in the coming months, look no fur-ther than January’s meeting of US Federal Reserverate setters. Concerns over weaker global growthare casting doubt on the pace at which the UScentral bank will continue hiking interest rates,after December’s first rise in nearly a decade.

Expectations for a March rate increase arealready starting to fade, and economists polled byReuters now forecast three hikes in 2016 rather

than the four initially floated by the Fed.Against a backdrop of volatile trading in global

stocks, Fed officials have shrugged off in recentweeks the impact of financial market swings ontheir decisions. The Fed is widely expected to leaveits federal funds rate unchanged at 0.25-0.50 per-cent when policymakers conclude their meetingon Jan. 27. But falling inflation assumptions, cou-pled with the market turbulence, could lead themto signal deepening concern over the US andworld economic outlooks.

“If the statement acknowledges increased riskswithout mention of expected resilience in themedium-term outlook, this would be a dovishsign,” analysts at BNP Paribas said in a note.

US data paints a more subdued domestic pic-ture, too, as a strong dollar buffets the economy.Consumer prices unexpectedly fell in December.Recent weak reports on retail sales, housing startsand industrial production suggest a slowdown inactivity at the end of last year, as did a six-monthhigh in US jobless claims reached in mid-January.

Preliminary fourth quarter data on USoutput due on Jan. 29 should confirm theeasing momentum, with the annual pace ofexpansion seen coming in at 0.7 percent,according to the latest model from theAtlanta Federal Reserve.

The most recent Reuters poll put USgrowth at 1.3 percent, following a 2 percentrise in the third quarter. Some believe aweaker fourth quarter is unlikely to cloudlonger-term prospects, however, withunderlying trends in the labour market stillrobust.

“A fourth quarter slowdown is not likelyto derail the economy from growing at closeto the 2.2 percent trend rate in 2016,” HSBCanalysts said.

GLOBAL GROWTH IN FOCUSThe Fed will lay its cards on the table days

after the European Central Bank signalledthat further easing of its monetary policywas likely in March. Tumbling oil prices havesunk the outlook for inflation, pushing theECB to flag its willingness to act again after adeposit rate cut and an extension of its gov-ernment bond-buying program inDecember.

A preliminary reading of consumer pricesin the euro-zone due on Jan. 29 should givemore clues. Prices are expected to have risen0.4 percent year-on-year, though economists

believe they will soon head back into nega-tive territory. ECB chief Mario Draghi stressedon Friday the outlook for a gradual economicrecovery in the euro-zone had not changed.But concerns are mounting about the impactof weaker growth elsewhere after China con-firmed its 2015 expansion was the slowest in25 years and the International MonetaryFund cut growth forecasts, citing the effectsof the rout in commodities.

In Russia, where the next regular interestrate decision is due on Jan. 29, the centralbank has warned the government faces “dif-ficult choices” as the price of oil, its mainexport, falls.

The ruble has crashed to record lows inrecent days and officials now expect an eco-nomic contraction in 2016. Markets are alsobracing for a rate review in Japan on Jan. 28-29, as speculation grows that the centralbank may expand its stimulus program.Economists expect a cut in inflation forecasts,and some are not ruling out more surprises.

“We maintain our core scenario of no eas-ing at this meeting, but acknowledge the riskof an unexpected announcement from theBoJ next week,” said Betty Rui Wang, an econ-omist at Standard Chartered. The Bank ofJapan meeting coincides with data, includingon factory output and jobs for December, thatcould reinforce fears the economy is still strug-gling after years of stagnation. —Reuters

Fed to shed light on depth of growth concernsGLOBAL ECONOMY WEEKAHEAD

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

NBK MONEY MARKETS REPORT

KUWAIT: Last week, global marketsremained on a downturn as negativefigures from China and the US contin-ued to bring down market sentiments.However, sentiments were lifted a moredovish statement than anticipated fromthe ECB meeting pushing global equi-ties to stage a slight rebound at the endof the week. On the foreign exchangeside the US dollar strengthened lastweek as divergence in monetary policybetween the Fed and other major cen-tral banks continues to widen. Demandfor the greenback has risen against theEuro and the Yen on the back of grow-ing expectations for further monetaryeasing from the ECB and the BoJ on theback of the recent negative develop-ments in the global financial scene.

The Euro opened the week at 1.0915and managed to reach a short livedhigh at 1.0976. The currency quicklyweakened after European Central BankPresident Mario Draghi said onThursday that it would be necessary to“review and reconsider” the bank’s mon-etary policy stance at its next meetingin March, when new economic projec-tions become available. The statementbrought down the euro to a low of1.0778. The currency closed the week at

1.0796. Cable reached a 7-year lowagainst the US dollar amid data showingthat the pay growth in the UK slowed,indicating that the Bank of England willlikely keep rates unchanged for now. Thepound opened the week at 1.4258 anddropped to a low of 1.4080. Nevertheless,the Pound managed to stage a comebackand closed the week higher amid disap-pointing figures from the US. The curren-cy closed the week at 1.4265.

The Japanese Yen opened the weekwith a strong footing, gaining amid therisk-off trade triggered by PBoC devalu-ation of the Yuan a week earlier. Still, theYen managed to lose that momentumamid improved sentiments and risingexpectations of further easing from theBank of Japan. The USD/JPY opened theweek at 116.98. The pair dropped to alow of 115.98. On Friday the Dollarsurged against the Yen to close at118.78.

On the commodities side, volatility inoil prices continued to be a major pointof concern for investors as crude tradedbelow $27 for the first time sinceSeptember, 2003. Meanwhile, oil pricesbounced from 12-year lows and man-aged to close higher as dovish com-ments from Mario Draghi on the possi-

bility of further easing measures fromthe European Central Bank helpedboost the price of oil. Oil managed toregain its losses at the end of the weekand closed at 32.19 after touching a lowof 26.18 due to an unexpected jump inUS oil inventories.

Disappointing housing figures New-home construction in the US

unexpectedly fell in December, indicat-ing that the industry lost some momen-tum entering 2016. Residential startsdeclined 2.5 percent to a 1.15 millionannualized rate, from the prior month’srevised 1.18 million pace, a CommerceDepartment report showedWednesday. Economists called for anincrease to 1.2 million. Additionally,building permits, a measure of futurestarts, has also dropped from its previ-ous level from 1.28 million to 1.23 mil-lion. Expectations were for a drop to1.20 million.

Weak inflation data US consumer prices unexpectedly

fell in December as the cost of energyproducts and food declined, offeringsigns of weak inflation that furtherdiminish expectations of a Federal

Reserve interest rate hike in March.Given the renewed weakness in oilprices which touched new lows onWednesday; economists say theexpected reversion to the Fed’s 2 per-cent inflation target is slowing. TheLabor department said its ConsumerPrice Index slipped by 0.1 percent afterbeing unchanged in November.Despite last month’s drop, the CPI rose0.7 percent in the 12 months throughDecember, the biggest gain in a year.The data followed a 0.5 percentincrease in November. Economists hadforecasted an unchanged CPI inDecember and rising 0.8 percent from ayear ago.

The so-called core CPI, whichremoves any food and energy costs,edged up 0.1 percent in Decemberafter advancing 0.2 percent in each ofthe prior three months. In the 12months through December, the coreCPI increased 2.1 percent, the largestrise since July 2012, after climbing 2.0percent in November.

Philly Fed manufacturing index Manufacturing activity in the

Philadelphia-region contracted for thesecond straight month in January,dampening optimism over the healthof the economy. In a report, the FederalReserve Bank of Philadelphia said thatits manufacturing index improved to -3.5 this month from December’s read-ing of -5.9. Analysts had expected theindex to rise to -5.0 in December.

Claims higher but still below 300k The number of people who filed for

unemployment assistance in the USrose unexpectedly last week to thehighest level since April. The number ofAmericans filing for initial jobless ben-efits in the week to January 15 rose by10,000 to 293,000 from the previousweek’s total of 283,000, compared toforecast for a fall of 5,000. The rise injobless claims could indicate some lossof momentum in the labor marketamid a global economic slowdownand financial market volatility.However, claims have now remainedbelow the 300,000 mark, which is asso-ciated with strong labor market condi-tions, for 46 straight weeks.

ECB will reconsider monetary policy European Central Bank head Mario

Draghi stated that financial market tur-moil would make it necessary to recon-sider its monetary policy stance inMarch, raising the prospect of furtherstimulus measures. Draghi added thatwhile the recovery in the Euro area wasmoving ahead, risks to the outlook“remain on the downside”, citing thefragility of the global economy andgeopolitical risks. “As we start the NewYear, downside risks have increasedagain amid heightened uncertaintyabout emerging market economies’growth prospects, volatility in financialand commodity markets and geopoliti-cal risks,” he said. “It will therefore be

necessary to review and possiblyreconsider our monetary policy stanceat our next meeting in early March.”

The euro zone inflation outlook isnow “significantly lower’” than expect-ed in December, Draghi said. Risksfrom second round effects from oilprices should be “monitored closely,”he added. Draghi said inflation expec-tations will be low in coming months,and will only pick up later this year.

The ECB left the deposit rate at -0.3percent earlier Thursday afterDecember’s cut and held the bench-mark refinancing rate steady at 0.05percent. The bank expects interestrates to remain at present or lower lev-els for an extended period of time,Draghi said. He noted that asset pur-chases under the banks quantitativeeasing program were proceedingsmoothly and added that it clear itsmonetary policies were working.Finally, he reiterated that the ECB gov-erning council has the determinationto act and there are no limits within itsmandate.

German ZEW economic sentiment German economic sentiment dete-

riorated less than expected in January,underlining optimism over the healthof the eurozone’s largest economy. In areport, the ZEW Centre for EconomicResearch said that its index of Germaneconomic sentiment declined by 5.9points to 10.2 this month fromDecember’s reading of 16.1. Analystshad expected the index to fall by 7.9points to 8.2 in January. Meanwhile,the index of euro zone economic senti-ment dropped to a 14-month low of22.7 in January from 33.9 a month ear-lier, missing forecasts for 27.9.

UK inflation rises Consumer price inflation in the UK

inched up more than expected inDecember, but concerns over defla-tionary pressures remained. In a report,the UK Office for National Statistics saidthe rate of consumer price inflationrose by a seasonally adjusted 0.2 per-cent last month, above expectationsfor a gain of 0.1 percent and up from0.1 percent in November.

Consumer price inflation rose 0.1

percent in December, matching fore-casts and following a flat readingNovember. Jobless rate in the UK unex-pectedly fell to the lowest level since2006 in November, while the averageearnings index increased less thanforecast, painting a mixed picture ofthe labor market. The Office forNational Statistics said that the rate ofunemployment dipped to 5.1 percentin the three months to November from5.2 percent in the preceding three-month period. Analysts had expectedthe jobless rate to hold steady at 5.2percent. The report also showed thatthe claimant count fell by a seasonallyadjusted 4,300 in December, comparedto expectations for an increase of 2,500people, and following a drop of 2,200 amonth earlier, whose figure wasrevised from a previously reportedgain of 3,900.

Meanwhile, the average earningsindex, including bonuses, rose by aseasonally adjusted 2.0 percent in thethree months to November, missingforecasts for a gain of 2.1 percent andafter increasing by 2.4 percent in thethree months to October. Excludingbonuses, wages rose by 1.9 percent,above expectations for 1.8 percent andfollowing a 2.0 percent increase in thethree months to October. That mayadd to the case for the Bank of Englandto keep its benchmark interest rate at arecord-low 0.5 percent for now.

China’s GDP lower Chinese GDP rose 1.6 percent quar-

ter-on-quarter, slightly lower than the1.7 percent expected, while year-on-year GDP for the same quarter slowedto the weakest level since the financialcrisis at 6.8 percent. Concerns aboutChina’s policy making abilities, haveshot to the top of global investors’ risklists for 2016 after a renewed plunge inits stock markets and currency. Weakexports, factory overcapacity, slowinginvestment, a soft property market andhigh debt levels are all compoundingproblems for the PBoC.

KuwaitKuwaiti dinar at 0.30340The USDKWD opened at 0.30340

yesterday morning.

ECB dovish comments lift market sentiments

By Hayder Tawfik

Should we worry about economic slowdown in China, theturmoil in the world financial markets or the sharp fall in oilprice? The latest economic data from China are not encour-

aging at all. They are actually worrying. China’s Gross DomesticProducts has been weakening over the past few years.Remarkably, the official data shows that GDP has been weaken-ing by around 0.1 to 0.3 each quarter. It seems that the figure is lit-erally massaged so not cause havoc in the market. I am not sur-prised if the GDP numbers is literally engineered andmanipulated by the authority. But the most worryingis the deflationary wave that is taking hold there. Istrongly believe that deflation in China will causehavoc around the world. I hope they don’t start toexport their deflation to the rest of the world.

The Chinese government has been acting quicklyby lowering interest rates. I am sure they will tryagain and again and for sure they will come up withsome other measures. They have spent around $600billion to support the stock market with no luck. What a way towaste money. They have been trying to resist devaluing their cur-rency. But as a typical of any managed economy, they are tryingto do it step by step and at their leisure. One pure economic wayto counter deflation is to devalue your currency. China is sufferingfrom a slump in the housing market. Most of its competitors inAsia have been busy devaluing their currencies. Because China isnot an open economy, it will be difficult for outsiders to get a truepicture of the severity of the crisis.

The majority of the big banks in China are state owned andare run by politburo members. Some state owned industries suchas utilities, railways and constructions have been experiencing

real slump. This kind of big slow down happened in Japan in theearly 90s, when Japan was going through huge economic boomlead by the construction industry and financed by very cheapcredit. Japan is still suffering from the bust which followed theboom and let deflation take hold on the economy. All this created“Deflation” and this is what we should worry about. When con-sumer prices, investment costs and export prices start falling atthe same time in the second biggest export lead economy in theworld, then we indeed should worry.

The rest of the world should be fully alerted to this and shouldtake drastic measures to prevent their own economiesfrom importing deflation. Europe and to lesser extentUSA should equip themselves as the lenders of the lastresort and make sure that their economies do not suf-fer from default. One of the main reasons that causedthe financial crises back in 2008 was the collapse ofLeman Brothers bank. At present my biggest fear isanother financial crises caused by some countriesgoing bust. I do not see these events unraveling butthe risks are there and should not be ignored.

China and India have become very competitive and now aremoving up the scale, which is a big challenge for manufacturersin US and Europe. If it becomes more challenging than they couldexperience collapse in prices with a big deflationary impact forconsumers. Some industries such electrical, electronic and theauto industry are complaining about overproduction and priceweakness. Again it brings back the memory of the Japaneseboom and bust story. These problems are not yet severe to worryabout but they do need immediate attention. World leaders fromthe G20 should act together with strong determination and putmeasures in place to prevent a worldwide deflation that started inChina. —Rasameel.

China is threatening

the world economy

Oil markets remain under pressure in January

KAMCO INVESTMENT RESEARCH REPORTKUWAIT: Continued high oil inventory levelsglobally during 2015 coupled with rising oilsupply with OPEC producing at historical highproduction rates led to a second consecutiveyear of fall in oil price in 2015. OPEC oil pricedeclined by 40 percent during the year after a52 percent slump during 2014 as the supplydemand gap worsened also due to an excep-tionally mild winter temperatures in the US andEurope during Q4-15. The year also saw twoOPEC meetings that failed to decide on pro-duction caps for its member countries despitethe situation severely affecting the respectivestate budgets.

Moving into 2016, oil market saw furtherpressure at the start of the year when econom-ic sanctions over Iran were lifted sending oil toits lowest level since 2003. OPEC oil closed at $23.6/barrel on 18-January-16, a decline ofalmost 26 percent as compared $ 31.3/barrelat the end of 2015. The lifting of sanctions overIran could add another 0.5-0.6 mb/d of addi-tional oil in the market by mid-2016. However,in order to reach pre-sanction levels, Iran couldrequire an investment of around $ 150 Bn,which could delay the production ramp-upconsiderably.

According to the IEA, 2016 is once againexpected to see supply exceed demand byalmost 1 mb/d on the back of a first half loadedsupply that will decline slightly during the sec-ond half. The agency expects non-OPEC pro-duction to decline by 0.6 mb/d, slightly lowerthan the 0.66 mb/d decline expected by OPECin its latest monthly report; however, thisdecline is expected to be offset by more Iran oil

pouring in the market. On the positive side,talks of production cut gained momentumafter Oman said it is ready to slash productionby 5-10 percent if other countries decide to doso in order to stabilize oil prices.

The economic slowdown in China, which isundergoing a transition to a more consumer-led expansion, was one of the key factors thataffected global economic growth and oildemand. According to preliminary estimates,China recorded a GDP growth of 6.9 percent in2015 (7.3 percent in 2014), the lowest growthrecorded in the past 25 years (since 1990), afterconsistent decline in quarterly GDP growthduring the year. The country also recorded 10consecutive months of PMI contraction record-ed during December-15.

The uneven distribution of growth acrossthe globe was also one of the key factors thataffected oil prices during the year. Moreover,risk is expected to be on the downside for amajority of the economies, including fragilerecovery in Europe and other emerging anddeveloping markets partially offset by appar-ently improving fundamentals in the US. Onthe other hand, oil importers that got a windfallgain from lower oil prices were affected due tothe strengthening dollar, especially after theUS rate hike decision in December-15 and thecompetitive devaluation of emerging marketexport oriented currencies.

Average monthly oil prices reached thelowest level since April-04 to reach $ 33.6/bduring December-15. The year saw a decline of$ 20.7/b to reach $ 31.27/b for OPEC oil. Theprice had already declined to $ 23.58/b on 18-

January-16 following trade and manufacturingdata from China coupled with depressed senti-ments since the start of the year on the back ofcontinued weakness in global economic fun-damentals. The latest update from the IMF fur-ther lowered global growth expectations to 3.4percent and 3.6 percent for 2016 and 2017from 3.1 percent in 2015 as the agency expectsgrowth pickup to be more gradual than previ-ously expected. Advanced economies areexpected to post uneven and modest recoverywhereas growth in emerging and developingmarkets are expected to be diverse but chal-lenging.

Oil demand growth in 2016 was alsoincreased slightly to 1.26 mb/d to averagearound 94.17 mb/d according to the latestOPEC report. However, the latest IEA reportsays, while highlighting the negative impact ofa strong $ on oil importers, oil demand isexpected to grow at a relatively slower pace of1.2 mb/d. According to OPEC, oil demand inOECD Americas is expected to rise on the backof economic improvements in US and Mexicowhereas Canada is expected to see slightdemand growth. For OECD Europe, oil demandis expected to slightly decline due to economicuncertainty and downside risks on related totaxation policies and fuel substitution. OECDAsia Pacific is expected to see a steeper slide inoil demand on the back of bearish economicforecasts for Japan partially offset by higherdemand in South Korea. In the Middle East,Saudi Arabia is expected to be the key driver ofdemand growth partially offset by subsidyreductions.

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

MANAMA: Bahrain ExchangeCompany (BEC), specialists inworldwide money transfers andcurrency exchange, hasannounced yesterday the launch ofits new brand ambassador - Bob,Your BEC buddy.

As the new friendly face of BEC,Bob’s role as brand ambassador isto be the customers’ BEC Buddyproviding his guarantee they willreceive great rates and customerservice with every transactionundertaken across its network ofover 40 retail branches in Kuwait.Bob, a strong yet trusted andfriendly character, who embodiesBEC’s core values of Care, Trust andEfficiency, will feature in branch,online and through social mediacommunicating BEC’s money trans-fer and currency exchange prod-ucts and services to the public.

The creation of Bob is a globalinitiative led by BFC GroupHoldings, the parent company ofBFC in Bahrain, Bahrain ExchangeCompany in Kuwait, BFC Forex inIndia and BFC Exchange in theUnited Kingdom and Malaysia.. Theunveiling of its new brand charac-ter is in conjunction with its recent-ly renewed vision ‘To be the promi-nent money service company thatfully engages with its customers,

keeping money flowing across bor-ders’. With a history dating back to1917, when BFC in Bahrain firstbegan trading in gold bullion and

currency exchange, the Group hasbuilt a strong and trustworthybrand that customers rely on tosend money worldwide and

exchange foreign currency at greatrates.

Whilst maintaining its roots, thearrival of Bob signifies the compa-

ny’s strategy to strengthen itsbrand in its current markets andmake it a key player as it expandsinto newer territories. Commentingon the launch of Bob, EbrahimNonoo, Managing Director andCEO of BFC Group Holdings said,“Our objectives when creating abrand ambassador were to devel-op a character that could conveyour brand story, embrace ourethics and be engaging for bothour customers and employees.Being part of a highly competitiveand dynamic industry, with fre-quent new entrants into the mar-ket, we must continually seek waysto reinforce our brand position as atrusted money service providerthat cares about our customers. Webelieve that Bob is the idealambassador to represent our com-pany and elevate our brand to thenext level.”

BEC has over 40 branches acrossKuwait and specializes in sendingmoney around the globe safelyand quickly to over 54,000 loca-tions in 30 countries, through itsown money transfer product -EzRemit. Its global reach is extend-ed to over 200 countries throughits partnership with MoneyGraman international remittance com-pany.

BEC reveals new brand characterIntroducing Bob, the customers’ BEC buddy

BEC Brand ambassador Bob with BFC Group Holdings Managing Director & CEO EbrahimNonoo.

Zain reveals new thoughtleadership report at DavosReport links innovation to overcoming regional challenges

Al-Tijari announces winners of Najma

Account KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account draw on January 24, 2016. Thedraw was held under the supervision of theMinistry of Commerce & Industry represented bySaquer Al Manaie. The winners of the Najma dailydraw are:

Nadia Abdulla Al-Sairafi — KD 7000, Sikander AliMohammed — KD 7000, Hani Mustafa Hachicho—KD 7000, Osamah Abu Zaid Jumaah Hasan — KD7000, Faisal Mohammed Arafat — KD 7000.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces thebiggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of thenew Najma account. Customers of the bank cannow enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the high-est in the country and another 4 mega prizes dur-ing the year worth KD 100,000 each on differentoccasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adhaand on the 19th of June which is the date of thebank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD 500, customerswill be eligible for the daily draw provided that themoney is in the account one week prior to the dailydraw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addi-tion, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chancefor winning instead of KD 50.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportu-nity to congratulate all lucky winners and alsoextends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerceand Industry for their effective supervision of thedraws which were conducted in an orderly andorganized manner.

KUWAIT/DAVOS: Zain Group, aleading mobile telecom innovatorin eight markets across the MiddleEast and Africa, announces thepublication of its latest thought-leadership report entitled, ‘Bringingthe Future Closer with Innovation:Pursuing Innovation as a Means toOvercome Challenges in the MENARegion’. The report sets about illus-trating the indispensable role ofinnovation in achieving sustainabledevelopment and transitioningtowards a knowledge-based econ-omy, from a regional perspective.

The report was revealed and dis-cussed at the annual WorldEconomic Forum held in Davos,Switzerland 20-23 January, 2016,where Zain Group CEO, ScottGegenheimer; Emre Gurkan, GroupChief Strategy and BusinessDevelopment Officer; and theGroup’s Head of CorporateSustainability, Jennifer Suleiman,conveyed the findings of the reportliaising with leading political andeconomic personalities from acrossthe globe.

Importantly the report empha-sised the role of innovation inenabling the MENA region to over-come prevalent socioeconomicdeficits and promote overall humandevelopment. I t addresses thequestion: “How can stakeholders inthe region come together to fur-ther society’s innovative capacity asa means to driving sustainable,inclusive growth while promotinghuman development?”

Commenting on the release ofthe report, Scott Gegenheimer said,“Given the high-profile nature ofour business, and the profoundimpact it is able to have on people’slives across the region, we feel it isour responsibility to publish infor-mation that offers insights into howinnovation and technology in gen-eral can drastically improve livingstandards.”

Gegenheimer continued, “Aswith any region in the world, MENAfaces specific challenges that we

can overcome collectively throughour desire of a more enabling envi-ronment. From Zain’s perspective,our ties to the region run deep, andwe look forward to continuing torender support and inspiration thatresults in positive outcome to peo-ple’s lives even beyond our owncustomer base.”

The challenges faced by the

region include: High unemploy-ment (particularly amongst youth);insufficient economic growth;undiversified economies; ongoingsocio-economic exclusion andinequality; high rates of displace-ment due to conflict; an innovationdeficit; and high vulnerability to cli-mate change, to name only some.

Jennifer Suleiman commented,“Corporate social responsibilityand sustainability initiatives repre-sent an integral part of ZainGroup’s strategy and are taken veryseriously at all levels of the organi-zation. Our thought-leadership

efforts are an opportunity for us toreview the factors that can aidsocio-economic development froma technological standpoint, andalso gives us a chance to drawattention to our own efforts givenour position as a leading regionalinnovator.”

Bringing the Future Closer withInnovation: Pursuing Innovation as

a Means to Overcome RegionalChallenges in the MENA Regionshowcases Zain’s innovation byproviding case studies undertakenby the company including:

* The Zain Innovation Center(ZINC) in Jordan dedicated for thepurpose of building and empower-ing a more vibrant entrepreneurialecosystem in Jordan;

* The Zain Great Idea challengein Kuwait that aims to generateand incubate fresh new ideas inthe country;

* The Taaleb E-Learning Projectin Kuwait, an online education por-

tal that links students, parents andteachers through a digital platformto improve communicationbetween the parties and makeeducational process more effectivethat has seen over 650,000 register;

* The Smart Schools Project inJordan highlighting the long-termbenefits of familiarizing young stu-dents with the application of mod-ern technology and exposing themto the tangible benefits that can beproduced through ICT.

* Zain’s support of the MITEnterprise Forum Pan-Arab StartupCompetition to enable and assistaspiring entrepreneurs from acrossthe region convert their startupconcepts into viable businesses;

* The Light a Candle App inLebanon aimed at enabling peopleto easily donate money towardsassisting children with cancer thatsaw over 770,000 people donate

* The Family ReconnectionProject that was launched in Jordanand South Sudan as part of aneffort to reconnect displaced peo-ple that were separated from theirloved ones due to conflict.

* The strategic collaborationwith neXgen Group, a leadingregional smart city advisory andconsulting services provider, for thepurpose of deploying smart citysolutions across the region

* Zain’s strategic partnershipwith Uber across the region thatprovides Zain customers preferen-tial treatment when using the Uberplatform, with Uber drivers benefit-ting from preferred telecommuni-cation services .The partnershipwas recognized by the globalresearch company, Ovum, as themost innovative service forNovember 2015 due to the vastopportunities for mutual gain thatit provides.

Zain believes that by developingthe innovative capacity of theregion through a multi-stakeholderapproach, the MENA can overcomethese challenges and achieve sus-tainable growth solutions.

MOSCOW: Abundant oil and gas depositshave been a blessing for Russia, but theynow feel like a curse as low prices propelthe country into a deep economic crisis thatshows no signs of abating.

The ruble fell to a record dollar low thispast week as global crude prices slumpedto 12-year lows, highlighting at onceRussia’s vulnerability to changing oil pricesand the fact President Vladimir Putin’s gov-ernment has squandered opportunities todiversify the economy.

Although the ruble bounced back onFriday after a slight recovery of the oil mar-ket, the head of Russia’s central bank, ElviraNabiullina, publicly called for “structuralefforts to diversify the economy.”

“We should not expect to see oil pricesreturn to high levels,” she said. Calls todevelop long-neglected sectors of theeconomy come as the government facesincreasing pressure to react to a cripplingeconomic crisis that has seen inflation soarand Russians’ purchasing power shrink dra-matically. Booming oil prices in the 2000swhen Putin came to power helped fill statecoffers and ushered in an era of prosperity.Oil wealth, which led to higher living stan-dards after the country’s tumultuous transi-tion to capitalism in the 1990s, also boostedPutin’s popularity.

But for the past decade, the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) has urged Russia useits oil revenues to support revamping theeconomic sectors that have been over-looked since the collapse of the SovietUnion.

“Oil is both a blessing and a curse,” IMFmission chief to Russia Antonio Spilimbergowarned in 2012, urging Russia to improve

its business climate and fight corruption toattract foreign investment.

The Kremlin has also acknowledged theneed for change. In his 2006 address to thenation, Putin called on his government torestructure the economy to focus on newtechnologies.

In a much-touted modernisation drive,the country founded Rosnano, a publicholding company specialised in nanotech-nology, and Skolkovo, an innovation centrethat has branded itself as Russia’s answer toSilicon Valley.

But these initiatives have not come any-where close to challenging the deep-rootedpublic energy giants. “It’s easy to talk a goodgame on the need to diversify away fromenergy sectors, but the reality of pushingthrough the necessary reforms is more diffi-cult,” said Neil Shearing, chief emergingmarkets economist at Capital Economics.

“This is particularly true when oil and gasprices are high.” High oil prices in factenabled the authorities to adopt a wait-and-see policy and prop up the ruble,which in turn made Russian companies lesscompetitive on the international stage.

“Ironically, it could be the collapse inglobal energy prices and the ruble thatgives the biggest spur to diversification,”Shearing added.

‘New realities’ The financial crisis of 2008 and 2009,

accompanied by an oil price slump, hadsounded alarm bells among Russian author-ities. Then-president Dmitry Medvedev saidthere would be “fatal” consequences towaiting for the oil market to rebound beforerevamping the economy. —AFP

MOSCOW: Currency exchange rates are illuminated at an exchange office asthe street is reflected on a shop window in downtown Moscow yesterday. —AP

Oil wealth a blessing, but energy dependence a curse for Russia

KUWAIT: X-cite by AlghanimElectronics is no stranger to offeringits customers the newest and bestgadgets and gizmos available tothe world market. In celebration ofthe New Year, X-cite will be launch-ing a major promotion on cus-tomers’ favorite digital electronicsincluding smartphones, wearables,computers, tablets and other IT-related devices, cameras and gam-ing all of which are offered at neverseen before prices and bundles.With over eighteen showrooms instrategic locations across Kuwait, X-cite makes it easy for anyone tobenefit from this incredible promo-tion that is available for a limitedtime period from January 24 untilJanuary 31, 2016.

It truly is a time to celebrate asanyone can enjoy amazing newtechnology, offered at X-cite suchas the Microsoft Sur face Pro.Powered by Windows 10, theSurface Pro 4 is an ultra-convenientdevice as it works as a tablet as wellas a conventional laptop that runsperfectly with your desktop soft-ware. Other technologies includethe Lumia 950 smartphone thatalso works like your PC, iPad Pro,

the complete smart watch lineupincluding Apple and Androiddevices, new JBL audio systems andnew HP printers. The promotionalso includes dozens of offers onhighly sought after computers andlaptops including the Windows 10and 6th Generation Intel processorpersonal computers as well as anexclusive selection of Dell laptopsand convertible computers.

X-cite’s Out-of-this-World DigitalFestival complements our cus-tomers’ IT experience with richentertainment by offering free 2months subscription to Telly, thefirst website in the Middle East thatoffers users TV shows and moviesordered through Video-on-Demandcontent. This offer is available onmost smartphone and computers.

All these offers and special contestsare available on X-cite’s Social MediaChannels (Instagram, Twitter,Snapchat: @xcitealghanim), (Facebook:@xcitebyalghanim)

Make it a mission to get yourhands on this year’s newest digitaldevices by visiting the nearest X-cite store or www.xcite.com formore deals from January 24 untilJanuary 31, 2016.

X-cite’s out-of-this-world digital Festival

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yes-terday the names of the lucky winnersof its Yawmi account draw, each takinghome a prize of KD 5,000.

The lucky winners for the daily drawstook home a cash-prize of KD 5,000each, and they are:

1. Hekmah Owayed raihan Al-Mutairi 2. Ali Saleh Ali Al Rashid3. Bojan Georgievski4. Salman Ahmad Mohammad Al-

Rasheed5. Nawal Dhar Adwan MohammadTo further add to the anticipation of

Yawmi account customers, Burgan Banknow offers a Quarterly Draw with morechances to win higher rewards, entitlingone lucky customer to win KD 125,000every three months. The Yawmi Accountnow offers Daily and quarterly Draws,the Quarterly Draw requires customersto maintain a minimum amount of KD500 in their account for 2 months priorto draw date. Additionally, every KD 10

in the account, will entitle customers toone chance of winning. If the accountbalance is KD 500 and above, theaccount holder will be qualified for boththe quarterly and daily draws.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone toopen a Yawmi account and/or increasetheir deposit to maximize their chancesto becoming a winner. The more cus-tomers deposit, the higher the chancesthey receive of winning.

For more information on opening aYawmi account or about the new quar-terly draw, customers are urged to visittheir nearest Burgan Bank branch andreceive all the details, or simply call thebank’s Call Center at 1804080 wherecustomer service representatives will bedelighted to assist with any questionson the Yawmi account or any of thebank ’s products and ser vices.Customers can also log on to BurganBank’s www.burgan.com for furtherinformation.

Burgan Bank announces Yawmi account winners

t e c h n o l o g yMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

KUWAIT: Great Ormond Street Children’sHospital (GOSH), one of the top five chil-dren’s hospitals in the world, located inLondon, England, has developed GOSHGlobal, a free-to-download app thatallows healthcare professionals through-out the world to access a comprehensivedatabase of clinical specialties and

world-leading consultants, and make aninstant referral of a patient for treatment.

With an increase in internationalpatient referrals, GOSH wants to stream-line the way patients were referred fortreatment. They also want healthcareprofessionals worldwide to be able toview the services and consultants avail-

able at GOSH at the click of a button. “We know that our partners overseas

need an easy way of accessing a data-base of our services and consultants, andwant to be able to refer a patient quicklyand efficiently,” said Trevor Clarke,Director of International Services atGOSH. “We work hard to provide effec-tive and efficient care to patients andnow we’re thrilled to be able to matchthat in our referral process”

The International and Private PatientsService at GOSH treats over 5,000 chil-dren from over 80 different countrieseach year. The service is tailored to thereferral and treatment of internationalpatients and their dedicated, multi-lin-gual team ensure a smooth and efficientpatient experience.

GOSH treats over 2,000 patients fromthe Middle East every year, specificallyGulf and UAE national patients. Researchshows that:

• 1 in 10 Gulf in-patients travel over-seas for specialist care

• Over 1,000 patients were sent toLondon from Kuwait in 2013

• 25% of UAE nationals choose toseek medical treatment abroad

• 65% of Kuwaitis prefer medical careabroad

• In Saudi Arabia, the number of peo-ple who travel overseas for the purposeof medical tourism is around 200,000

• In 2010 nearly 3,000 citizens fromQatar received treatment overseas

More about GOSH Global:• New free-to-download app that

facilitates the easy referral of internation-

al and private patients for treatment• Users can browse the wide range of

clinical specialities available through theInternational and Private Patient Serviceand view an extensive list of world-lead-ing consultants

• Users can search for a consultant byname or speciality and then either makean instant referral, email that consult-

ant’s profile to another contact, or makean enquiry to the dedicated GOSH refer-rals team

• The dedicated referrals team atGOSH will respond to all enquiries withintwo working days

For more information about GreatOrmond Street Hospital visitwww.gosh.com/kw

WASHINGTON: If you’re an American vot-er and have provided personal informa-tion to a company, chances are datagroups have shared it with political par-ties to help them target potential sup-porters. One of the main players is NGPVAN, which manages the DemocraticNational Committee’s database.

Its name recently surfaced in connec-tion with a data breach blamed on atechnical glitch that enabled the cam-paign of presidential hopeful BernieSanders to access voter data belongingto rival Hillary Clinton. The incident raisesquestions about the reach of the data-base. “Everyone” is in there, KevinThurman, who served as Clinton’s deputyInternet director during her last cam-paign in 2008, said with a laugh.

“Every voter in America, since 2004,dead or alive.” NGP VAN estimates thenumber at about 195 million people, farmore than the 146 million currently regis-tered as voters. Voter registration is notmandatory in the United States. Thedatabase even includes adults who don’tvote but who the campaigns hope toconvince to turn out ahead of theNovember presidential election.

All Democratic candidates-be theyinvolved in local elections or a majorpresidential campaign-use NGP VAN’sdata. The group helps candidates bettertarget potential voters by avoiding thosewho will probably never cast a ballot forthem, thereby reducing campaignexpenses. Other companies provide simi-lar services, including for Republicans. “Ifyou’re Trump, you’re not going to losetime targeting the Clinton list,” explainedBrandi Travis, spokeswoman for NGP VANcompetitor Aristotle.

Companies sell data The Democratic Party has been col-

lecting information on American voterssince 2004. The data-which includes aregistered voter’s age, address and histo-ry of election participation-is based onpublicly available information.

Through brokers, the party then buysinformation that private companies ownon their clients. CVS pharmacies, forexample, sell this information. The

National Rifle Association, America’s lead-ing gun lobby, also shares data on itsmembers. “They buy information fromcorporate databases... or newspaper sub-scriptions,” Thurman explained.

Clients may not necessarily be awareof this practice, which is legal. “They wantto know what type of product youbought,” said Sasha Issenberg, a journalistwho has published a book, “The VictoryLab,” on the issue. These groups also selltheir clients’ email address.

With NGP VAN’s information, theDemocratic Party can also learn aboutsomeone’s educational history and, often,his or her ethnic background. Then comesthe analysis. A 30-year-old woman livingin a major city and subscribed to a literarymagazine, for example, has more chancesof voting for Clinton than a 60-year-oldman living in a southern rural area andsubscribed to a magazine for weaponsenthusiasts. When they go knocking ondoors, volunteers can then further refinethe data by asking whether the targetedvoter cares more, say, about climatechange or ending unemployment.

Among NGP VAN’s dozens of competi-tors, some, like Aristotle, build their owndatabases. NationBuilder said that Frenchpolitical parties have sought its servicesahead of next year’s presidential electionin France. The Republicans have a similardatabase.

‘I agree’ Data collectors stress that all informa-

tion is obtained legally, even if Americansare often unaware of the extent of par-ties’ knowledge of details of their person-al lives. “When you click the ‘I agree’ but-ton online, you don’t read the text, butyou accept that your information can besold,” said Joe Curran, founder of Filpac,which works with the Republicans.

“It ’s public, but people just don’tknow it.” Thurman agreed-people simplydon’t realize what they’ve signed up forwhen they register on a website. “Thereis no way our information can competewith the information the private compa-nies have on Americans,” Thurmanadded. “Compared to them, we areweak.” — AFP

KITCHENER: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, back second right, and Jennifer Flanagan, center, president and CEO of Actua, pose withchildren after taking part in a virtual reality tour at the new Google Canada Development headquarters. — AP

WASHINGTON: After a year in which free-flowingcapital fueled unprecedented growth in so-calledtech “unicorns,” the sector is bracing for a slowdownwhich could thin the herd. Unicorns-a term coinedfor the usually rare billion-dollar, privately fundedstartups-have been proliferating in the UnitedStates, China and elsewhere as venture capitalinvestors bet on the next Google or Facebook.

But the prospect of a “bear market” where pricesare falling, combined with other factors, could sendunicorns running for cover, observers who followthe sector say. Some warnings have alreadyappeared.

Venture-backed startups globally saw a 30 per-cent drop in funding in the fourth quarter to $27.2billion, according to a survey by KPMG and researchfirm CB Insights. A separate survey by 451 Researchfound more than half of tech investment bankerspredict venture funding will tighten in 2016 com-pared to last year, the most bearish outlook sincethe 2008-2009 recession.

Some unicorns have seen their value slashed byinvestors aiming to put a fair market evaluation ontheir holdings. Mutual fund company Fidelity lastyear marked down the value of its Snapchat hold-ings by 25 percent. In this scenario, cash-hungry uni-corns are likely to face a harder time getting freshcapital, said David Erickson, a senior fellow at theUniversity of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and for-mer Wall Street banker who led technology shareofferings.

‘Down rounds’ The weak stock market could impact private

firms, potentially forcing a delay of initial publicofferings (IPOs). If they need to raise cash, it will like-ly be “down rounds” with a lower valuation than pri-or funding efforts. “Valuations will typically comedown,” he said.

Since the “softness might be prolonged, venturecapital firms will be focused on protecting the valuein their existing investments rather than spendingtoo much time investing in new names.” Ericksonsaid there are some similarities to the tech bubble of1999-2000, even if the new firms have more devel-oped business models. “While the companies aremore seasoned, the issue similar to 2000 is thatmany are burning tons of cash,” he said.

“If they need to have enough cash to break evenand if they can’t access capital either through thepublic markets or private markets, then they facemore difficult decisions.” Erickson added that “we are

not quite at that dire stage now,” but that if capitaldries up it may mean that promising startups wouldeither need to sell themselves or “hit the wall.”

Wounded unicorns The unicorn population-estimated by Forbes this

month at 173 companies worth a collective $585billion-is still alive, but some are hurting. CB Insightschief executive Anand Sanwal said he expects to see“some wounded unicorns” but that there is still capi-tal available from private equity and corporate ven-ture funds.

“Some of those companies that got ahead ofthemselves on valuation are going to have difficultconversations. You can’t just keep selling yourdream and your business model can’t be raisingventure capital.” Charlie O’Donnell at BrooklynBridge Ventures said many of the unicorns are likelyto face a “down round” if they need new capital,because investors are more cautious. “It’s not thatthey’re concerned that the world will implode andthat startups won’t still be a good bet over the longterm,” O’Donnell said in a blog post. “They’re just....busy taking care of their wounded.”

A report by KPMG and research firm CB Insightsfound that 2015 was a blockbuster year for startupventure funding despite a cooling in the fourthquarter. For the year, the report found $128 billion inventure funding for startups, up 44 percent from2014. The number of funding rounds was more than

7,800. But it noted that some companies whichwent public “fell short of recent private valuations,no doubt rattling VC (venture capital) investor confi-dence.”

The most prominent in the group was mobilepayments startup Square, led by Twitter co-founderJack Dorsey. Square debuted with a market value ofjust over $4 billion-well below the $6 billion valueassigned by private investors in its latest fundinground. Square’s value has since fallen to less than$3.4 billion. Most stock markets are in a “correction,”which means a drop of 10 percent from their peak.

Some Asian bourses however are in “bear” terri-tory, with a drop of 20 percent or more, and thetech-heavy Nasdaq has neared that level. Unicorns,say analysts, may not fare well if the bears come outin force.”If indeed venture firms start keeping theirmoney in their own bank accounts-rather thaninvesting it in entrepreneurs-that could well putstartups under pressure, resulting in slower growthrates and lower valuations for those that survivetighter times as well as dramatic flameouts for thosethat don’t,” wrote 451 Research analyst Brenon Dalyin a blog. Daly said the message has not yet reachedthe unicorns.

“Most money-burning startups continue to runtheir businesses as if there’s an inexhaustible supplyof money,” he said. “But at some point this year, start-ups will almost certainly have to make differentdecisions than they’ve made up to now.” — AFP

Tech ‘Unicorns’ may be

mauled by bear market

Thanks to big data, US

parties decode voters

HAVANA: Cuban officials say they haveheld two days of talks with their US coun-terparts about telecommunications andthe Internet. A Foreign Ministry statementsays the two sides exchanged views onusing the Internet for “economic and socialdevelopment.”

The Ministry said Friday that Cuban offi-cials also raised complaints about the USEmbargo’s negative impact on island com-munications. It said US telecom executives

accompanied the delegation to Cuba, butdid not give details.

Washington and Havana have advancedtalks on several areas of cooperation in theyear since they announced they wouldrestore diplomatic relations. Internetaccess in Cuba remains rare and restricted.Last year the government opened updozens of public Wi-Fi hotspots, thoughthe cost is prohibitively expensive formany islanders at $2 per hour. — AP

Cuba, US officials hold

meeting on Internet

Harnessing app technology in International Healthcare

LONG BEACH: Forget about selfies. InCalifornia, residents are using smart-phones and drones to document thecoastline’s changing face. Starting thismonth, The Nature Conservancy is askingtech junkies to capture the flooding andcoastal erosion that come with El Nino, aweather pattern that’s bringing Californiaits wettest winter in years - and all in thename of science.

The idea is that crowd-sourced, geot-agged images of storm surges and flood-ed beaches will give scientists a brief win-dow into what the future holds as sea lev-els rise from global warming, a sort of acrystal ball for climate change. Imagesfrom the latest drones, which can producehigh-resolution 3D maps, will be particu-larly useful and will help scientists deter-mine if predictive models about coastalflooding are accurate, said Matt Merrifield,the organization’s chief technology officer.

‘Projected models’ “We use these projected models and

they don’t quite look right, but we’re lack-ing any empirical evidence,” he said. “Thisis essentially a way of ‘ground truthing’those models.” Experts on climate changeagreed that El Nino-fueled storms offer asneak peak of the future and said the proj-

ect was a novel way to raise public aware-ness. Because of its crowd-sourced nature,however, they cautioned the experimentmight not yield all the results organizershoped for, although any additional infor-mation is useful. “It’s not the answer, butit’s a part of the answer,” said Lesley Ewing,senior coastal engineer with the CaliforniaCoastal Commission. “It’s a piece of thepuzzle.”

In California, nearly a half-million peo-ple, $100 billion in property and criticalinfrastructure such as schools, powerplants and highways will be at risk of inun-dation during a major storm if sea level ris-es another 4.6 feet - a figure that couldbecome a reality by 2100, according to a2009 Pacific Institute study commissionedby three state agencies.

Beaches that Californians take forgranted will become much smaller or dis-appear altogether and El Nino-fueledstorms will have a similar effect, if onlytemporarily, said William Patzert, a clima-tologist for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory. “When you get big winterstorm surge like they want to document,you tend to lose a lot of beach,” he said. “Ina way, it’s like doing a documentary on thefuture. It’ll show you what your beacheswill look like in 100 years.” — AP

‘Citizen Scientists’: Drones

to map El Nino flooding

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

NEW YORK: People who use electronic ciga-rettes, or e-cigarettes, are less likely to quittraditional cigarettes than people who don’tuse the devices, suggests a fresh look atsome past research. “The odds of quittingwere 28 percent lower for smokers using e-cigarettes than people not using e-ciga-rettes,” said senior author Stanton Glantz, ofthe Center for Tobacco Control Research andEducation at the University of California, SanFrancisco. E-cigarettes often look like tradi-tional cigarettes, but they use a battery andheating device to deliver nicotine and possi-bly other flavorings through vapors insteadof smoke.

Glantz and his co-author Sara Kalkhoranwrite in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine that

people use e-cigarettes for various reasons,including to quit smoking traditional ciga-rettes and to get nicotine where smoking isprohibited. Both motivations are themes ine-cigarette marketing, they add. For the newreview, the researchers searched online cata-logs of medical research to find studies thatexamined e-cigarette use and whether peo-ple ultimately quit smoking. They found 38studies, and combined the data from the 20that compared cigarette smokers who use e-cigarettes to smokers who don’t use them.

The 20 studies with combined data wereconducted between 2008 and 2015, andthey all followed between one hundred toseveral thousand smokers, typically trackingthem from a few months to a couple of years.

Overall, they found that the odds of quittingsmoking were 28 percent lower among peo-ple who used e-cigarettes. The researchersalso checked to see if the results differeddepending on study design, how e-cigaretteuse was measured, the type of people includ-ed in the study and other factors - but theresults were the same. “So e-cigarettes arenot only not helping people quit smoking,they’re also inhibiting people from quittingsmoking,” Glantz told Reuters Health.

It’s not clear why e-cigarettes may keeppeople from quitting smoking, he said. Onepossible explanation is that e-cigarettes havebeen allowing people to get their nicotine fixin otherwise smoke-free environments.Smoke-free environments are known to be

very effective in getting people to quit,Glantz said. “By blunting that effect it’s proba-bly undermining the motivation to quit andthe ease of people quitting,” he said.

Gold standardDr Steven Bernstein wrote in an editorial

that one limitation of the new review is thatthe odds of quitting smoking were not tiedto e-cigarette use when the analysis wasrestricted to people who said they actuallywanted to quit. An additional limitation isthat there are only two randomized trials -considered the “gold standard” of medicalresearch - included in the analysis, wroteBernstein, of the Yale School of Medicine andthe Yale School of Public Health in New

Haven, Connecticut. “This is not the fault ofthe authors; abundant, published, method-ologically rigorous studies simply do notexist yet,” he wrote.

Glantz said that it’s important toacknowledge that some people have quitsmoking while using e-cigarettes. Also, fourof the studies included in the new analysisfound e-cigarettes may help people quitsmoking. But, he said the overall pattern wasthat e-cigarettes reduced the odds of quit-ting. The researchers also caution that theseresults may changes in the future. “It may bethat next year or five years from now theproduct will be different along with the mar-keting and regulation environments,” saidGlantz. —Reuters

E-cigarettes tied to reduced odds of quitting smoking

HONG KONG: Three girls walk in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Hong Kongyesterday. —AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio de Janeiro car-nival goers celebrated the comingOlympics on Saturday and eventurned fear of infection from Zika-carrying mosquitos into an excuseto party. Participants at one of themany street parties popping upahead of the official carnival, whichstarts February 5, honored the city’shosting of the Summer Games in sixmonths by dressing in ancient Greekgarb. Some came as Dionysus, oth-ers as Aphrodite and Apollo. Rio willbe the first South American city to

host the Olympics and with thecountry facing deep recession, avast corruption scandal and animpeachment attempt againstPresident Dilma Rousseff, Brazilianscan’t wait to lighten the gloom.

“We picked the Rio Olympicstheme for the party because thisyear our magnificent city Rio willhost the Games for the first time,”said Chico Nogueira, coordinator ofthe pre-carnival event known as a“bloco.” “This is the veritableOlympus of the gods here,” he said,

looking around at the sambadancers. “The gods of Rio are mixingwith the gods of the whole world.”The bloco also had a serious healthmessage for the carnival, now in itswarm-up phase ahead of the fiveofficial days and their famously elab-orate parades.

Authorities in Brazil are strug-gling to combat the rapid spread ofthe Zika virus, which is carried bymosquitoes and is believed to causeserious defects among babies bornto women infected while pregnant.

Those fears are accelerating with theonset of carnival and mass touristtravel. So Saturday’s “bloco” did itsbit to aid the anti-mosquito war,including with a song advisingagainst leaving stagnant wateraround. “If the water stops, the lar-vae come, the larvae give birth tothe mosquito,” one verse went.“Chase away Zika!”

Condoms were handed out and apregnant woman danced in aWonder Woman costume. “This ill-ness is very serious and everyonemust take part in fighting it,”Nogueira said. “Everyone must uniteagainst the mosquito.” “I’m very wor-ried,” said Paula Couto de Oliveira,35, who is 19 weeks along and wasattending the “bloco.” “Every fewhours I put repellant on, but I’m try-ing not to go crazy or become para-noid and not going out of thehouse,” she said. “But I’m avoidingdark clothes because they attractmosquitos.” —AFP

Rio carnival goers celebrateOlympics but fear Zika virus

BRAZIL: A graduate student works on analyzing samples to identify the Zika virus in a laboratory at the Fiocruz institute in Rio deJaneiro. (Inset) This January 2016 image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a Zika virus, amosquito-borne disease that has been linked in Brazil to a large number of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect. —AP photos

HONG KONG: A cold snap gripped HongKong yesterday, with residents shiveringas temperatures plunged to the lowestpoint in nearly 60 years and frost dustedthe mountaintops of a city accustomedto a subtropical climate. Weather officialsissued a frost warning saying an “intensecold surge” was in place, coupled withchilling monsoon winds. Morning tem-peratures dropped to 3.3 Celsius (38Fahrenheit) in urban areas of the south-ern Chinese city, where most buildingslack central heating, and below freezingon the hills. It is the coldest weather in59 years, senior scientific officer WongWai-kin told AFP.

“It is the coldest day since 1957. Thedaily minimum dropped to 3.3 degreesCels ius, the previous record was 2.4degrees in February of 1957,” he told AFP.While the cold snap is by no means onthe scale of the weather now affectingthe US and swathes of mainland China,such temperatures are a novelty formany residents. “ I t is ver y cold andwindy over Hong Kong. People areadvised to put on warm clothes and to

avoid prolonged exposure to wintr ywinds,” read a note published on a citygovernment website.

As the mercury dropped, curious resi-dents flocked to higher ground in searchof frost, according to local broadcasterCable T V. “I t ’s ver y cold, my feet feelnumb,” a young visitor to Tai Mo Shan, thehighest mountain in Hong Kong, told thebroadcaster. Screenshots of flakes alsoswamped social media but weather fore-casters said the precipitation was “rainwith small ice pellets” rather than snow.About 20 participants of a cross countryrace were sent to hospital after experi-encing symptoms associated withhypothermia, according to local media.

Conditions are not expected to warmup until the middle of the week, saidweather forecasters. According to theHong Kong Obser vator y, the coldestweather occurred in January 1893, whentemperatures plunged to 0 C. Meanwhile,the state-run People’s Daily in China saidon its weibo social networking accountthat the city of Guangzhou recorded itsfirst snowfall since 1929. —AFP

Hong Kong hit by coldest temperatures in nearly 60 years

NEW YORK: Standing desks in classrooms couldbe an easy way to help make kids’ time in schoolless sedentary, a new research review suggests.The study team analyzed data from eight previ-ously published papers and found, not surpris-ingly, that kids spent more time on their feetwhen these desks were used instead of tradition-al classroom furniture. Standing desks were alsolinked to a decrease in sitting time ranging from59 to 64 minutes per school day. “In schools, chil-dren spend over 50 percent of the school day sit-ting - traveling to school, during class, at lunch,sometimes during recess, traveling home afterschool, etc,” said lead study author Karl Minges ofthe Yale School of Nursing in Connecticut.

“While one cannot easily reduce sitting timeat lunch or during transportation, changing theclassroom environment to be more conduciveto standing seems like low-hanging fruit,”Minges added by email. Reducing sedentarytime among school-age children is importantbecause inactivity is linked to a wide range ofhealth problems including obesity and dia-betes, Minges and colleagues note in the jour-nal Pediatrics. Some previous research has alsolinked sedentar y t ime to poor academic

achievement and low self-esteem.For the current study, researchers focused on

standing desks used in first through sixth grades.Students in the studies were around eight to 12years old, on average, and the studies ranged insize from eight to 337 participants. Four studieswere done in the US, while two were from NewZealand and one was in Germany. An additionalarticle included data from Australia and the UK.The types of desks varied across the studies, withsome configurations fixed at a standing heightand other adjustable options that allowed stu-dents to alternate between sitting and standingthroughout the day.

Five of the studies tracked the effect of thesedesks on standing time. In two studies, childrenspent significantly more time standing after theygot the desks than they did before, with increas-es ranging from about 26 percent to 31 percent.In two other studies, children stood 24 minuteslonger per school day with standing desks. Onestudy also looked at screen time, often used as aproxy for sedentary behavior, and found thatafter standing desks were put in classrooms, stu-dents spent 71 fewer minutes each day watchingtelevision and using computers.

Educational benefitsSix studies looked at physical activity and didn’t

find significant changes with standing desks bylooking at total steps or time spent stepping.Limitations of the analysis include the small numberof studies and participants, as well as the variedways of tracking the impact of standing desks, theauthors acknowledge. More research is needed todetermine whether standing desks might be cost-effective or feasible to provide in schools, and addi-tional studies are also necessary to assess any poten-tial health or educational benefits of standing desks.

Still, the preliminary evidence on standing deskspoints to their potential to help reduce sitting timeand increase standing time among elementary chil-dren, the authors conclude. “The long term use ofthese desks might result in reduction in sedentarybehavior amongst children not just in schools buteven outside the school environment,” said DrSeema Kumar, a pediatric endocrinologist at theMayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who wasn’tinvolved in the study. “Children may become moreactive overall and these changes in behavior maytranslate into better weight outcomes, improvedability to learn and pay attention and greater self-esteem.” —Reuters

Classroom standing desks may curb kids’ sedentary time‘Children spend over 50 percent of the school day sitting’

CHINA: This photo taken on January 23, 2016 shows a ship stuck in the ice aftercoastal waters froze in Dalian, in northeast China’s Liaoning province. —AFP

CALIFORNIA: Infants and preschoolerswho gain weight rapidly may havehigher-than-average high blood pres-sure later in childhood, a US study sug-gests. The relatively small differences inblood pressure linked to rapid weightgain for youngsters in the study may betied to an increased risk of other healthproblems in young adulthood, such ashigh cholesterol or elevated blood sug-ars, say the authors of the study.

The researchers tracked changes inweight and height for 957 babies up toage four and found the children whogained excessive weight for theirheight, as reflected by higher bodymass index (BMI), tended to have high-er blood pressure than peers at ages 6to 10 years. Each additional incrementof BMI gained as an infant or toddlerwas linked to an increase of about 1 to

1.5 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) insystolic blood pressure.

“Previous studies have emphasizedthe importance of rapid weight gain inearly infancy in determining later bloodpressure; the current study adds toemerging data that weight gain duringthe preschool years is at least as impor-tant as infancy weight gain in relationto blood pressure,” said senior studyauthor Dr Mandy Belfort of Brighamand Women’s Hospital in Boston. Lineargrowth - when children add pounds ata steady pace - doesn’t appear to be aproblem for childhood blood pressure,Belfort added by email. Instead, the cul-prit may be sudden surges in weightthat aren’t matched by increases inheight.

“Our finding that gain in body massindex, not linear growth, predicted later

blood pressure suggests that more rap-id accumulation of fat may be impor-tant,” Belfort said. “Our research doessuggest that more is not always betterwhen it comes to weight gain inbabies.” Belfort and colleaguesreviewed data from medical recordsstarting when babies were born. Onaverage, the kids were around 8 yearsold at the mid-childhood checkup, withaverage systolic blood pressure (thetop number) of 94.4 mmHg and aver-age diastolic blood pressure (the bot-tom number) of 54.3 mmHg.

Solid foodWhile ideal blood pressure for chil-

dren at any given age varies by genderand height, this average for 8-year-oldswould be in a range generally consid-ered healthy. High blood pressure is

harder to detect in children than inadults. In adults, 140/90 or greater isconsidered high. There’s no single cut-off in children, however. In general, chil-dren with blood pressure higher than95 percent of children of the same gen-der, age and height can be diagnosedwith high blood pressure. Since chil-dren’s blood pressures will vary greatlybased on these factors as they’re grow-ing up, there is no set range thatdefines normal or high.

Kids in the study who experiencedunusually large surges in BMI before 6months of age or between ages 2 and 3years had higher systolic blood pres-sure in mid-childhood then their peerswho experienced steadier growththroughout those periods. The magni-tude of the increase in systolic bloodpressure was larger for the preschool-

ers than the infants, the study alsofound. Birth size didn’t appear to influ-ence the results. One limitation of thestudy is that it can’t prove that rapidincreases in BMI directly caused higherblood pressure, only that there was aconnection between the two things,researchers acknowledge in the journalHypertension. Still, the findings sup-port recommendations that mothersbreastfeed infants until age 6 monthsbecause this is linked to less weightgain than formula feeding, noted CarylNowson, a diet and nutrition expert atDeakin University in Australia who was-n’t involved in the study. Once youngchildren move on to solid food, parentsshould avoid giving kids soft drinks andlimit consumption of fruit juice, both ofwhich can contribute to weight gain,Nowson added by email. —Reuters

Rapid early weight gain tied to higher childhood blood pressure

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EH E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

MANILA: The new Miss Universe, back in thePhilippines after an epic televised blunder sur-rounding her crowning, said yesterday shewould use the attention the incident attractedto campaign for HIV awareness, especially in herhome country. In front of an estimated one bil-lion television viewers worldwide last December,pageant host Steve Harvey mistakenlyannounced Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, asMiss Universe before correcting himself minuteslater. The diamond and sapphire crown wasremoved from the head of a sobbing and humili-ated Gutierrez and transferred to Pia AlonzoWurtzbach of the Philippines.

Wurtzbach, speaking to reporters about herplans, said she would undergo a “public testing”for HIV when she returns to the United Stateswhere the Miss Universe Organization is based,to erase the stigma surrounding the disease. “It’sabout time someone like me should step up andhopefully others would follow suit as well,”Wurtzbach, 26, told AFP. “I think in thePhilippines, there’s a bit of a stigma becausewe’re a conservative country.” The Philippinesreported a 22 percent increase in HIV infectionsyear-on-year in September last year. Four in tenof the new cases were reported in the capitalManila.

The nation of 100 million people, on whom80 percent are Catholic, is heavily influenced bythe church which frowns on contraceptive use.Testing for HIV is also considered taboo. In thevery few minutes she stood at the back of theLas Vegas stage at the end of the pageant,Wurtzbach said she accepted being first runner-up as a huge crowd of disappointed but proudfans in the audience waved Filipino flags. “I toldmyself, I fell short, what a waste. But it’s okay. Idid everything I could and the most importantthing is everybody is proud of me,” she said. Thatwas until Harvey admitted his unprecedentedgaffe.

“I was so happy. I was so excited. I couldn’tdescribe it. It was something the Philippines hasbeen waiting for for a long time.” Wurtzbach said

she stood by her statement during the pageant’sinterview question, that Filipinos welcomed thereturn of US soldiers to their former bases in thePhilippines. “The Americans have always beenour friend, we’ve always worked with them... Idon’t think there’s anything wrong with askingfor help when we need it,” she said. Beauty pag-eants like Miss Universe have cult followings inthe Philippines and former titleholders go on tolucrative careers in movies and modeling.

It was the Philippines’ first title in 42 years andthe third since the pageant started in the 1950s.Her one-week long homecoming itineraryincludes a grand parade around Manila today,courtesy calls on President Benigno Aquino andboth houses of parliament and a concert at one

of the capital ’s biggest indoor stadiums.Wurtzbach had been modeling since she was 11and played bit roles in movies and television,but her entertainment career never hit the bigleague until she won Miss Universe. She lost inthe local contest twice before earning the rightto represent her country in the pageant.

The Filipina-German, with her smolderinggaze, said she dreams of becoming a “Bond Girl”in future 007 movies. Wurtzbach, who isrumored to have dated the 55-year-old Aquino,said she would stay single to concentrate on herduties as Miss Universe and pursue herHollywood dream. “This is my boyfriend for now,”a beaming Wurtzbach said, as she clutched theporcupine-shaped crown on her head. —AFP

Miss Universe to push HIV awareness after crowning blunder

MANILA: Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines waves during herhomecoming press conference at a hotel in Manila yesterday. —AFP

WASHINGTON : Michael speaks during an interview with Agence France-Presse in Washington, DC. —AFP photos

WASHINGTON: This is one place whereJamar feels safe, painting with other boysto escape from the gunshots that ringout through his Washington neighbor-hood, one of the most violent in theUnited States. “Life Pieces is a good place.You’ll always be safe at Life Pieces,” saysJamar, who is nine years old. Ward 7 ofthe US capital is home to 70,000 people— 95 percent of them black-and has anunemployment rate more than doublethat of national levels. “I prefer to do myhomework here-it ’s not safe atGrandma’s,” Jamar, a bit shy at times, toldAFP.

Jamar says he wants to be a firefighteror a police officer when he grows up. Heis among 140 boys aged three to 17 whoattend the Life Pieces to Masterpieces(LPTM) after school program each day.The non-profit group, launched in 1996,provides an oasis of calm for young boysliving in an area east of the US Capitolthat is prone to gang activity and wherethe murder rate is among the nation’shighest. LPTM “focuses on the develop-ment of black men using the concept ofartwork,” explained executive directorSelvon Malcolm Waldron.

“It’s a safe space to be, in a lovingenvironment.” That’s a sharp contrastwith what many of these children expe-rience on a daily basis. Most live in sin-gle-parent homes, where they are awak-ened by police sirens in the dead ofnight and shootings. And sometimes,their reality hits even harder than that.One of the LPTM “apprentices,” as thechildren are called here, was playingwith friends when he saw his grandfa-ther k il led in a drive -by shooting,Waldron said. Jamar says he once founda firearm abandoned in an alley near hishome. “ When I hear shootings, I ’mscared they will kill me, that they willshoot at me,” said Michael, 11.

The Four Cs Life Pieces aims to “connect, create,

contribute, celebrate” through its art pro-gram-the so-called 4Cs. Students con-nect by choosing a theme after dis-cussing it and meditating, create byworking on a piece, contribute by work-ing together on the artwork and cele-brate by exhibiting the works. Dozens ofthe pieces are exhibited at shows, espe-cially in Washington’s busy downtown

Chinatown neighborhood-brimmingwith art galleries, upscale dining andyoung professionals.

Last year, the group raised $22,000from sales of the artwork. Other worksare loaned out to places like libraries andchildren’s hospitals for free, or, for a fee,to the headquarters of Capital One bank.“It’s very empowering for them to seetheir artwork exhibited elsewhere,” saidWaldron. These collaborative acrylicpaint canvases are in fact a patchwork,with different pieces sewn together.

The boys can also paint their ownindividual pieces. “We have fun at LifePieces. There’s food, we read, we draw.We do a lot of fun stuff,” said Jamar, a reg-ular here for the past four years. Michaelhas enjoyed the food, art activities andmentors at LPTM for the past five years.“Life Pieces is like a second home. Ithelps you to get your act together.”

Citizens of the world The organization also seeks to open up

the world to these boys, with special pre-sentations from outside speakers andtrips beyond Ward 7. “We offer them a rolemodel, an example. We provide a struc-ture, a male model. We teach them values,life lessons,” said Maurice Kie, known atLife Pieces as Brother Mo. “We take theyoung men on a good ride.” A formerLPTM apprentice, Brother Mo has servedas program coordinator since 2006.

“It’s kind of a therapeutic process, likea good group therapy,” he explained. “Weteach them to be gentlemen, global citi-zens.” In a neighborhood where only 33percent of youths graduate from highschool, Life Pieces apprentices have hada 100 percent success rate over the pastfive years. Some have gone on to univer-sity or job training programs. An addi-tional 25 teens aged 14 to 17 participatein a university preparation program oncea week.

And the organization also trains 10 to15 young adults each year to becometeachers’ aides. Waldron wants to “shakeup this profession,” where 60 percent arewhite women and only two percent areblack men. LPTM has about 30 paidemployees and around 50 volunteers,and operates on the grounds of a pri-mary school. Its $1.5 million budget islargely funded by local private founda-tions. —AFP

Art soothes kids in gun-plagued Washington neighborhood

‘connect, create, contribute, celebrate’

SACRAMENTO, California: Whenthe California Legislature passed thestate’s first comprehensive medicalmarijuana regulations inSeptember, pot advocates hopedthe move heralded a new era oftrust in their often-tumultuous rela-tionship with wary local officialsand police. So far, it hasn’t turnedout that way. Facing what appearsto be a rapidly closing window foraction, dozens of cities and countiesfrom across California are racing toenact new bans on marijuana-growing. Some apply only to com-mercial cultivation, both indoor andoutdoor, but many would also pro-hibit personal pot gardens thathave been legal - or at least over-looked - for 19 years.

“Any other industry that createdfour months of seasonal labor andhundreds of thousands of jobs...wewould be giving tax breaks to thosebusinesses,” medical marijuana dis-pensary owner Robert Jacob, amember of the Sebastopol CityCouncil who has been fighting pot-growing bans proposed in SonomaCounty. At issue is a paragraph inthe 70-page framework approved inthe closing hours of the legislativesession that would give the statealone authority to license growers

in jurisdictions that do not havelaws on the books by March 1specifically authorizing or outlaw-ing cultivation.

Lawmakers involved in craftingthe package say the deadline endedup by mistake in the final compro-mise regulations. Assemblyman JimWood, a Democrat who representsCalifornia’s prime pot-growingregion, included it in earlier versionsas a way to free local governmentsfrom a responsibility they might notwant, spokeswoman Liz Snow said.“It was a way to try to make it clear-er in terms of, ‘OK, local jurisdic-tions. If you want to act, you shouldbe thinking about it, working on itnow. Otherwise, we will all defer tothe state,’” Snow said.

Cultivation bansEven before Gov Jerry Brown

signed the regulations, which createthe first statewide licensing andoperating rules for California’ssprawling medical marijuana indus-try, Wood announced he wouldintroduce an emergency bill thismonth deleting the March 1 dead-line. The League of California Citiesand the California Association ofPolice Chiefs, while supporting thefix, nonetheless have advised their

members to enact cultivation bansahead of the original cutoff date asa precaution to preserve local con-trol. The two groups fought hardlast year for provisions stating thatto be eligible for licenses the stateexpects to start issuing in abouttwo years, anyone involved in thecommercial medical marijuanatrade must first obtain a local oper-ating permit.

Tim Cromartie, a lobbyist with theLeague of California Cities, said theguidance to ban all medical marijua-na growing outright stemmed fromthe conclusion that the short timeframe did not give local officialsenough time to draft, debate andrefine their own cultivation rules.“Most cities, their staff have no cluehow to begin writing one of theseordinances. Their first thought is,‘Don’t the feds prohibit this? Howcan we do this?’” Cromartie said. “Weknow of jurisdictions that didn’twant to have to ban, but they did itunder the point of a gun.”

Agriculture licensesWith new proposals being intro-

duced and voted on almost daily,no one knows yet how many ofCalifornia’s 58 counties and 482cities have taken the league’s

advice. The California branch of theNational Organization for theRepeal of Marijuana Laws, orNORML, which has been monitor-ing what it ’s termed “the bana-palooza,” said more than 160 juris-dictions either have passed or intro-duced legislation to outlaw onlycommercial cultivation or bothcommercial and personal growing.

The crackdown has been asource of frustration for veteran potfarmers who hoped the new stateregulations would bring clarity totheir gray corner of the medicalmarijuana industry and instead findthemselves “recriminalized,” saidHezekiah Allen, executive directorof the newly formed CaliforniaGrowers Association. Unless thelocal bans are lifted or modified,they would make medical marijua-na growers in those areas automati-cally ineligible for the potentiallylucrative and limited number ofagriculture licenses the stateexpects to start issuing in 2018.“Certainly we have been disap-pointed with the League of Cities,how they have chosen to proceed,”Allen said. “A lot of the jurisdictionshad a predisposition to ban, and theMarch 1 deadline unfortunatelygave them cover to ban.” —AP

California marijuana growersface new crop of local bans

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

The College of Aviation Technology in Kuwait is cur-rently being visited by the British expert and repre-sentative of “AST” Scottish Center, Robert Sutherland,

who confirmed that “AST” Center is the oldest in Europe inthe field of aviation, and its most prominent alumniinclude Jordan’s late King Hussein, and Ruler of DubaiSheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Further, thefirst generation of pilots in the Kuwaiti Air Force andKuwait Airways trained in “AST” Center in Scotland, and cur-rently, there is cooperation with the air force in theSultanate of Oman and the Ministries of Defense andInterior in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Professional license Sutherland said in a press statement after arriving in the

country, as he represents “AST” Center in the Board ofTrustees of the College of Aviation Technology in Kuwait:cooperation with the College academically and in trainingis the first of its kind in the Gulf region and the Middle East,where the student at the College of Aviation Technology inKuwait studies to obtain the aircraft maintenance engi-neer license, approved by the European Aviation SecurityAssociation “EASA” which gives graduates the opportunityto work in various countries of the world and different air-lines, including Kuwait Airways. The graduate receives anacademic diploma, in addition to the professional licensein accordance with the standards adopted in Europe andinternationally.

He added that selecting Kuwait to be the regional cen-ter for cooperation through the College of AviationTechnology was not fortuitous, but began since 2005,when a decree was issued establishing the college, in addi-tion to the historical relations between Kuwait and “AST”Center in Scotland, as most of the leaders of the Kuwaiti

Air Force and Kuwait Airways are graduates of “AST”Center, as we are working in the field of aviation mainte-nance in Europe since long decades and our graduatereceives a certificate by the “British National AviationAuthority”, a prestigious certificate due to being the bestlicense in Europe.

Sutherland pointed out that the graduate has 13 fieldsof work represented in the following : engineering man-agement, aircraft design engineering, aircraft pressureengineering, performance engineering, engineering pro-curement, asset management, technical services, engineer-ing support, reliability and planning engineering, paymentengineering, quality and safety engineering, aircraft sys-tems engineering , aircraft maintenance engineering,equipment sales, and operations management and logis-tics.

Prestigious center Meanwhile, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the

College of Aviation Technology, Dr Abdel Razek Al-Mahmoud said: cooperation with a prestigious center suchas “AST”, comes out of concern for the settlement andexpansion in the field of aviation engineering and technol-ogy in the country and ease the trouble of travel by oursons and daughters overseas in demand for informationfrom certified universities and scientific centers. Therefore,we are keen that the study at the “College of AviationTechnology” is accredited, not only locally, but also interna-tionally, from long-standing global institutions with aca-demic weight. Hence, the “College of Aviation Technology”awards the graduate with a diploma in aviation engineer-ing, and a license approved by “ EASA “International, incooperation with AST / Perth College of HighlandsWayland HI University “in Scotland.

British expert: We cooperate with College of Aviation

Technology to provide our expertise to students

British expert Robert Sutherland with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the College of AviationTechnology Dr Abdul Razak Al-Mahmoud, and member of the Board of Trustees Marzouk Al-Sharifi.

Saudi artist Huda Tutunji opened her gallery in Kuwait recently as part of the 22nd Al-Qurain Cultural Festival, and Kuwait’s celebrations as the Capital of Islamic Culture 2016. —KUNA

Senthamil Kalai Mandram (SKM) Kuwait is a non-profit association exclusively for Indian Tamilspeaking Community. SKM celebrated its 16th

grand event at Mugalai auditorium, Fahaheel, to com-memorate New Year, Pongal festival and Indian repub-lic day.

People Gathering and celebration begun at 9:30 am

with preparation of Pongal by SKM ladies wing subse-quent to that various colorful cultural programs stagedby SKM children and members, such as Pongal and tra-ditional Dance, Bharathanathiyam, comedy skit, cine-matic dance, allocutions, debate, light music songs,Tamil traditional songs etc.

The daily calendar of 2016 was launched by our chief

guest Kumar, Thamizhosai to SKM president Rajashekarand distributed it to all the members of SKM.

The event structured with the core objective ofIndian traditional values and sacrifices related toRepublic day and Tamil formers festival Pongal, ourinvited guests Kumar, Ramasubramanium andThamizhosai office bearers were addressed in the stage

about the precious traditional value of our soil. Musicalextravaganza by renowned musical troop ofThemmangu pattu and colorful cultural and entertain-ment programs performed by highly talented SKMmembers were also highlights of the event. The pro-gram was culminated with delicious south Indian tradi-tional food, served in Banana leaf.

Kuwait University’s College of Engineering and Petroleum students recently finished a field training program organized by Kuwait Oil Company, Schlumberger, Kuwait Gulf Oil Company and Kuwait PetroleumCorporation for the first semester of the 2015/2016 academic year.

SKM celebrates 16th grand event

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Hala February camp opens

The 17th Hala February Camp was recently launched along Benaider highway number 258. The camp remains open until March 1st. Speaking on the occasion, the Information Ministry’s AssistantUndersecretary for TV Affairs Yousif Mustafa praised the camp, noting that it has turned into an annual social and recreational activity for families and visitors. “The Hala February Festival has alsoenhanced the culture of patriotism through various competitions and seminars,” he underlined. Further, Mustafa stressed that the information ministry provided all equipment needed for live coverage

throughout the festival, namely a carnival due on January 29. Notably, Ooredoo took part in opening the camp and presented awards and gifts to participants who took part in competitions held on the side-lines of the inauguration.

00:20 Superhuman Science00:45 Alaskan Bush People01:35 Alaskan Bush People02:25 Alaskan Bush People03:15 Alaskan Bush People04:05 Alaskan Bush People05:00 Alaskan Bush People06:00 Yukon Men06:50 Wheeler Dealers07:40 Misfit Garage08:30 Storage Hunters UK08:55 The Liquidator09:20 Storage Wars Canada09:45 What Happened Next?10:10 How Machines Work10:35 Alaskan Bush People11:25 Alaska: The Last Frontier12:15 Railroad Alaska13:05 Storage Hunters UK13:30 The Liquidator13:55 Storage Wars Canada14:20 Yukon Men15:10 Wheeler Dealers16:00 Misfit Garage16:50 What Happened Next?17:15 How Machines Work17:40 Street Outlaws18:30 Engine Addict With JimmyDe Ville19:20 Troy20:10 The Liquidator20:35 Storage Wars Canada21:00 X-Ray Mega Airport21:50 X-Ray Mega Airport22:40 Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up23:30 Wheeler Dealers

T V PR O G R A M S

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

THE SCORPION KING 4: QUEST FOR POWER ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

DOM HEMINGWAY ON OSN MOVIES PREMIERE HD

00:35 How The Universe Works02:55 Strip The Cosmos03:42 Mythbusters07:37 How Do They Do It?08:23 Food Factory12:08 How It’s Made: Dream Cars19:50 How The Universe Works23:45 What Could Possibly GoWrong?

00:40 Serial Killers01:30 Deadly Sins02:20 Deadly Devotion03:10 Swamp Murders04:00 Deadly Women04:45 Serial Killers05:30 Deadly Sins06:20 The Will08:00 Fatal Encounters08:50 Disappeared09:40 Disappeared10:30 True Crime With AphroditeJones12:10 The Will13:50 California Investigator14:40 Dr. G: Medical Examiner15:30 True Crime With AphroditeJones16:20 True Crime With AphroditeJones17:10 Disappeared18:50 California Investigator19:40 I Almost Got Away With It23:00 True Crime With AphroditeJones23:50 Deadline: Crime With TamronHall

00:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch01:15 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch01:40 Wolfblood02:05 Wolfblood02:30 Violetta03:15 The Hive03:20 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch03:45 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch04:10 Wolfblood04:35 Wolfblood05:00 Violetta05:45 The Hive05:50 Mouk06:00 Lolirock06:25 Sofia The First06:50 That’s So Raven07:15 Gravity Falls07:40 Jessie08:05 Shake It Up08:30 Shake It Up08:55 That’s So Raven09:20 That’s So Raven09:45 Jessie10:10 Violetta Recipes10:25 16 Wishes12:00 I Love Violetta12:20 Jessie12:45 Jessie13:10 Liv And Maddie13:35 Liv And Maddie14:00 Austin & Ally14:30 Austin & Ally14:55 Lolirock15:20 I Didn’t Do It15:45 I Didn’t Do It16:10 Best Friends Whenever16:35 Best Friends Whenever17:00 Girl Meets World17:25 Girl Meets World17:50 The Good Dinosaur MovieSpecial18:00 Frenemies19:30 Gravity Falls19:55 Dog With A Blog20:20 Mako Mermaids20:45 Good Luck Charlie21:10 Good Luck Charlie21:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place22:00 Binny And The Ghost22:25 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch22:50 Sabrina Secrets Of ATeenage Witch23:10 Wolfblood23:35 Wolfblood

Kardashians14:05 Keeping Up With TheKardashians15:00 Dash Dolls16:00 Christina Milian Turned Up17:00 New Money17:30 New Money18:00 E! News19:00 Fashion Bloggers19:30 Fashion Bloggers20:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians22:00 Christina Milian Turned Up23:00 Dash Dolls

00:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives01:00 Chopped02:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives03:00 Man v Food04:00 BBQ Crawl05:00 Chopped06:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives07:00 Man Fire Food08:00 Chopped09:00 Amazing Wedding Cakes10:00 The Kitchen12:00 Chopped13:00 Guy’s Big Bite14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives17:00 Chopped18:00 Siba’s Table18:30 Siba’s Table19:00 Dinner At Tiffani’s20:00 Rev Run’s Sunday Suppers21:00 All Star Academy22:00 Ching’s Amazing Asia23:00 The Freshman Class

16:30 Lab Rats16:55 Lab Rats: Bionic Island17:25 K. C. Undercover17:50 Supa Strikas18:15 Lab Rats18:40 Mighty Med19:10 Annedroids19:35 Star vs The Forces Of Evil20:00 Kirby Buckets20:25 Gamers Guide To PrettyMuch Everything20:55 K. C. Undercover21:20 Supa Strikas21:45 Lab Rats22:10 Mighty Med22:40 Super Matrak23:05 Super Matrak23:30 Boyster00:00 Programmes Start At 7:00amKSA

03:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles03:24 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles03:48 Henry Danger04:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn04:36 The Haunted Hathaways05:00 Winx Club05:24 Sanjay And Craig05:48 Sanjay And Craig06:12 SpongeBob SquarePants06:36 SpongeBob SquarePants07:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:24 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:48 Sanjay And Craig08:12 Harvey Beaks08:36 Breadwinners09:00 Get Blake09:24 Rabbids Invasion09:48 Henry Danger10:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn10:36 The Haunted Hathaways11:00 Winx Club

07:00 Star vs The Forces Of Evil07:25 K. C. Undercover07:50 Supa Strikas08:15 A Goofy Movie09:35 Gamers Guide To PrettyMuch Everything10:00 Star vs The Forces Of Evil10:25 K. C. Undercover10:50 Supa Strikas11:20 Lab Rats11:45 Annedroids12:10 Kirby Buckets12:35 Gamers Guide To PrettyMuch Everything13:00 Lab Rats13:30 Lab Rats13:55 Lab Rats14:20 Lab Rats14:45 Lab Rats15:15 Lab Rats15:40 Lab Rats16:05 Lab Rats

06:00 Loopdidoo06:15 Art Attack06:35 Henry Hugglemonster06:50 Calimero07:00 Zou07:20 Loopdidoo07:35 Art Attack08:00 Calimero08:10 Zou08:25 Loopdidoo08:40 Jake And The Never LandPirates09:05 Sofia The First09:30 Miles From Tomorrow09:55 The Hive10:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse10:35 Doc McStuffins11:00 Sofia The First11:30 Captain Jake And The NeverLand Pirates12:00 Miles From Tomorrow12:25 Sofia The First14:25 Doc McStuffins14:50 Henry Hugglemonster15:15 Zou15:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse15:55 Loopdidoo16:10 Miles From Tomorrow16:35 Jake And The Never LandPirates17:00 Sofia The First17:25 Jungle Cubs17:50 Aladdin18:15 Gummi Bears18:40 Jake And The Never LandPirates19:05 Miles From Tomorrow19:30 Sofia The First19:55 Doc McStuffins20:15 Jake And The Never LandPirates20:45 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West21:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse21:35 Sofia The First22:00 Jungle Cubs

00:20 Coronation Street01:10 Pick Me!02:00 Coronation Street04:15 Murdoch Mysteries05:55 The Jonathan Ross Show06:50 Vera08:40 Safe House09:35 Endeavour11:20 The Chase: CelebritySpecials12:15 Grantchester13:10 Murdoch Mysteries15:00 Code Of A Killer15:55 Pick Me!16:45 The Chase: CelebritySpecials17:40 The Jonathan Ross Show18:35 Coach Trip19:00 Code Of A Killer19:55 Pick Me!20:50 The Jonathan Ross Show21:45 Safe House22:45 Coronation Street23:15 The Jonathan Ross Show

01:30 The Elf Who Stole Christmas03:00 Snow Queen04:30 Marco Macaco06:00 Mostly Ghostly: Have YouMet My Ghoulfriend08:00 Miffy The Movie09:45 Hatching11:15 Tarzan13:00 Snow Queen14:30 Bolts And Blip16:00 Sir Billi18:00 Hatching20:00 Jingle All The Way 222:00 Bolts And Blip23:30 Marvel’s Planet Hulk

20:00 The Blacklist21:00 Scandal22:00 How To Get Away WithMurder23:00 Show Me A Hero

00:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show01:00 Survivor: Cambodia02:00 Good Morning America03:00 Satisfaction04:00 Blood & Oil05:00 Survivor: Cambodia06:00 Good Morning America07:00 Coronation Street07:30 Coronation Street08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 Supernatural10:00 Coronation Street10:30 Coronation Street11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 Resurrection13:00 Shark Tank14:00 Supernatural15:00 Survivor: Cambodia16:00 The Voice18:00 Shark Tank19:00 Supernatural20:00 Resurrection21:00 Shark Tank22:00 Satisfaction23:00 Blood & Oil

00:00 American Heist02:00 Patrick04:00 Hours06:00 The Scorpion King 4: QuestFor Power08:00 Abandoned Mine10:00 The River Wild12:00 Android Cop14:00 Destruction: Las Vegas16:00 The Scorpion King 4: QuestFor Power18:00 The River Wild20:00 Don’t Look Back22:00 Turbulence

00:00 Patrick-1802:00 Hours-PG1504:00 The Scorpion King 4: QuestFor Power-PG1506:00 Abandoned Mine-PG1508:00 The River Wild-PG1510:00 Android Cop-PG1512:00 Destruction: Las Vegas14:00 The Scorpion King 4: QuestFor Power-PG1516:00 The River Wild-PG1518:00 Don’t Look Back-PG1520:00 Turbulence-PG1522:00 Lone Survivor-PG15

01:00 Left Behind-PG1503:00 Taken 3-PG1505:00 Earth To Echo-PG06:45 Salinger-PG1509:00 Breathe In-PG1511:00 Taken 3-PG1513:00 The Mark-PG1515:00 Good Deeds-PG1517:00 Breathe In-PG1519:00 Good People-PG1521:00 Some Girls-PG1523:00 The November Man-18

01:00 Anna Nicole-PG1502:30 Le Weekend-PG1504:15 Bad Parents-PG1506:00 August: Osage County-PG1508:00 A Common Man-PG1510:00 The Good Witch’s Wedding-12:00 Stonehearst Asylum-PG1514:00 40 Days And Nights-PG1516:00 A Common Man-PG1518:00 Kristy-PG1520:00 Winter’s Tale-PG1522:00 Dom Hemingway-18

03:00 Born To Kill04:00 Born To Kill05:00 The Haunting Of...06:00 Celebrity Ghost Stories07:00 The FBI Files08:00 After The First 4809:00 After The First 4810:00 The FBI Files11:00 The FBI Files12:00 Killers13:00 Killers14:00 Killers15:00 Crimes That Shook Australia16:00 Crimes That Shook Australia17:00 Crimes That Shook Australia18:00 Crimes That Shook Australia19:00 Crimes That Shook Australia20:00 I Didn’t Do It21:00 I Didn’t Do It22:00 I Didn’t Do It23:00 Killer Kids00:00 Killer Kids01:00 The Haunting Of...02:00 I Escaped My Killer

00:00 We’ll Never Have Paris02:00 Cas & Dylan04:00 Beethoven’s Treasure Tail06:00 The Love Punch08:00 A Simple Twist Of Fate10:00 Beethoven’s Treasure Tail12:00 Cas & Dylan14:00 Chef16:00 A Simple Twist Of Fate18:00 A Case Of You20:00 Pretty Woman22:00 Mad Dog And Glory

00:00 New Money00:30 Fashion Bloggers00:55 Fashion Bloggers01:25 Stewarts And Hamiltons02:20 E! News03:15 Eric And Jessie: Game On03:40 Eric And Jessie: Game On04:10 E! Entertainment Special05:05 E! Entertainment Special06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians06:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 House Of DVF10:15 House Of DVF11:10 Fashion Bloggers11:35 Fashion Bloggers12:05 E! News13:05 Keeping Up With The

01:30 Saturday Night Live02:30 The Big C04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Young & Hungry06:00 Til Death07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:30 Young & Hungry11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 Til Death13:00 Young & Hungry16:30 Til Death17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:30 The Goldbergs19:00 Grandfathered19:30 Melissa & Joey20:00 Bad Judge22:00 Married23:00 The Big C23:30 Bad Judge

00:00 Defiance01:00 Heroes Reborn02:00 The Blacklist03:00 Minority Report04:00 Stitchers05:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show07:00 Drop Dead Diva08:00 Witches Of East End09:00 Stitchers11:00 Drop Dead Diva12:00 Coronation Street12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Witches Of East End16:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Witches Of East End19:00 Heroes Reborn

01:30 The Wicked Within-PG1503:00 Decoding Annie Parker-PG1505:00 Grand Central-PG1507:00 I Will Follow You Into TheDark-PG1509:00 A Promise-PG1511:00 Grand Central-PG1513:00 At Middleton-PG1514:45 For Greater Glory-PG1517:15 A Promise-PG1519:00 Inside Llewyn Davis-PG1521:00 The Trials Of Cate McCall23:00 Third Person-18

01:00 Heaven’s Gate04:30 To Write Love On Her Arms06:30 Upside Down08:30 Waitress10:45 Heaven’s Door12:45 The Mirror Has Two Faces15:00 The Bag Man17:00 Waitress19:00 Out Of The Furnace21:00 The Color Of Money

03:50 Robinson Crusoe05:25 Little Sister07:00 The Watsons Go ToBirmingham08:30 Separate Tables10:10 Apache11:40 The Crocodile Hunter:Collision Course13:10 Big Screen13:25 Inspector Clouseau15:00 Music Of The Heart17:05 The Man In The Iron Mask19:15 Mannequin20:45 Big Screen21:00 Venom22:30 London00:00 Dracula 200001:40 Road House

03:05 Calimero03:20 Zou03:30 Loopdidoo03:45 Art Attack04:10 Henry Hugglemonster04:20 Calimero04:35 Zou04:45 Loopdidoo05:00 Art Attack05:25 Henry Hugglemonster05:35 Calimero05:50 Zou

22:25 Aladdin22:50 Gummi Bears23:20 Lilo And Stitch23:45 Cars Toons23:50 Zou00:05 Henry Hugglemonster00:20 Calimero00:35 Zou00:50 Loopdidoo01:05 Art Attack01:30 Henry Hugglemonster01:45 Calimero02:00 Zou02:15 Loopdidoo02:30 Art Attack02:55 Henry Hugglemonster

11:24 SpongeBob SquarePants11:48 SpongeBob SquarePants12:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles12:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles13:00 Breadwinners13:24 Breadwinners13:48 Get Blake14:12 Rabbids Invasion14:36 100 Things To Do BeforeHigh School15:00 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn15:24 SpongeBob SquarePants15:48 SpongeBob SquarePants16:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles16:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles17:00 Sanjay And Craig17:24 Harvey Beaks17:48 Breadwinners18:12 Henry Danger18:36 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn19:00 100 Things To Do BeforeHigh School19:24 Max & Shred19:48 SpongeBob SquarePants20:12 SpongeBob SquarePants20:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:24 Breadwinners21:48 Breadwinners22:12 Sanjay And Craig22:36 Sanjay And Craig23:00 SpongeBob SquarePants23:24 SpongeBob SquarePants23:48 Henry Danger00:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn00:36 Max & Shred01:00 100 Things To Do BeforeHigh School01:24 Sanjay And Craig01:48 Sanjay And Craig02:12 SpongeBob SquarePants02:36 SpongeBob SquarePants

03:15 Long Island Medium03:40 Long Island Medium04:05 World’s Worst Mum05:00 World’s Worst Mum06:00 Say Yes To The Dress ‚ÄìBridesmaids06:25 Super Soul Sunday07:15 Hoarding: Buried Alive08:05 My Giant Life08:55 Curvy Brides09:20 Curvy Brides09:45 Jon & Kate Plus 810:10 Little People, Big World10:35 My Five Wives11:25 Cake Boss11:50 Oprah: Where Are TheyNow?12:40 Super Soul Sunday13:30 7 Little Johnstons14:20 My Big Fat Fabulous Life14:45 My Big Fat Fabulous Life15:10 Jon & Kate Plus 815:35 Little People, Big World

04:35 Mary Is Happy, Mary IsHappy06:40 Ben Lee: Catch My Disease08:10 Kumiko, The TreasureHunter10:00 Circles11:50 A Sea Turtle Story12:00 All On The Line13:00 The Red Road14:00 Everest16:05 Dear Lemon Lima17:30 Movie Talk17:55 Discovering: Zeffirelli18:40 Circles20:30 The Red Road21:30 All On The Line22:30 Theatreland23:00 Hollywood’s Best FilmDirectors23:30 A Sea Turtle Story23:40 Barking Water01:00 For Ellen02:40 Broke Sky02:45 Barking Water

ClassifiedsMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Kuwait

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Monday 25/1/2016Airlines Flt Route TimeMSC 415 Sohag 00:05JZR 239 Amman 00:25JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40FDB 069 Dubai 00:55RJA 642 Amman 01:05THY 772 Istanbul 01:05ETH 3402 Addis Ababa/Riyadh 01:30DLH 635 Doha 01:35ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45PGT 858 Istanbul 02:00JZR 555 Alexandria 02:25UAE 853 Dubai 02:30GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30OMA 643 Muscat 02:55FDB 067 Dubai 03:05MSR 612 Cairo 03:10CEB 7694 Manila 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:15KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:25KAC 544 Cairo 03:35LMU 510 Cairo 04:05PGT 860 Istanbul 04:15DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40THY 770 Istanbul 05:55QTR 8511 Doha 06:10FDB 5061 Dubai 06:30BAW 157 London 06:40KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:20FDB 053 Dubai 07:25QTR 1086 Doha 07:40KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50SVA 512 Riyadh 07:50OMA 641 Muscat 08:00KAC 354 BLR 08:15KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25KAC 352 Kochi 08:30KAC 346 Ahmedabad 08:30UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:50KAC 362 Colombo 08:50ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20QTR 1070 Doha 09:25FDB 055 Dubai 09:40IRA 665 Shiraz 09:40IRC 528 Ahwaz 10:00GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40UAE 873 Dubai 11:05SYR 341 Damascus 11:25JZR 165 Dubai 11:30AGY 682 Asyut 11:40MEA 404 Beirut 11:55SAW 701 Damascus 12:20FDB 075 Dubai 12:25JZR 561 Sohag 12:45UAE 871 Dubai 12:50JZR 175 Dubai 13:00MSR 610 Cairo 13:00KAC 382 Delhi 13:50QTR 1078 Doha 14:10FDB 057 Dubai 14:10

AXB 393 Kozhikode 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KAC 284 Dhaka 14:45KAC 672 Dubai 14:45KAC 788 Jeddah 14:50GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KNE 472 Jeddah 15:05OMA 645 Muscat 15:30KAC 562 Amman 15:40ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45UAE 857 Dubai 15:45JZR 535 Cairo 16:10QTR 1072 Doha 16:10JZR 787 Riyadh 16:25FDB 051 Dubai 16:30ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:40RJA 640 Amman 16:55KAC 542 Cairo 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30KAC 678 Muscat/Abu Dhabi 17:50MSR 614 Cairo 17:50JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55UAE 875 Dubai 18:00KAC 502 Beirut 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:05KAC 792 Madinah 18:10JZR 177 Dubai 18:20KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30ABY 123 Sharjah 18:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:55KAC 742 Dammam 19:05KAC 774 Riyadh 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:30KAC 618 Doha 19:35JZR 483 Istanbul 19:35KAC 674 Dubai 19:45KAC 102 New York/London 19:55FDB 061 Dubai 20:20OMA 647 Muscat 20:20MSR 606 Luxor 20:45FDB 5053 Dubai 20:50JAI 572 Mumbai 20:55DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:55QTR 1088 Doha 21:00MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:25UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1082 Doha 22:00JZR 125 Bahrain 22:00KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:05AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:25FDB 059 Dubai 22:30KAC 172 Frankfurt 22:35MSC 501 Alexandria 23:00JZR 239 Amman 23:05JZR 185 Dubai 23:15PIA 205 Lahore 23:40FDB 071 Dubai 23:45THY 764 Istanbul 23:50JAI 574 Mumbai 23:55

Departure Flights on Monday 25/1/2016Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 988 Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05FDB 072 Dubai 00:40JAI 573 Mumbai 00:55MSC 416 Sohag 01:00KAC 283 Dhaka 02:10THY 773 Istanbul 02:30DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:35ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45ETH 3403 Addis Ababa 03:05KAC 381 Delhi 03:30UAE 854 Dubai 03:45PGT 859 Istanbul 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55FDB 068 Dubai 04:00MSR 613 Cairo 04:10ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:15KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:20PGT 861 Istanbul 04:55QTR 1077 Doha 05:00LMU 511 Cairo 05:05THY 765 Istanbul 05:15CEB 7695 Manila 05:20JZR 560 Sohag 06:10FDB 070 Dubai 06:30JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05THY 771 Istanbul 07:05FDB 5062 Dubai 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15QTR 8512 Doha 07:40FDB 054 Dubai 08:10JZR 174 Dubai 08:25QTR 1087 Doha 08:40BAW 156 London 08:45SVA 513 Riyadh 08:50OMA 642 Muscat 08:55KAC 171 Frankfurt 09:05JZR 534 Cairo 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 117 New York 09:55KAC 541 Cairo 09:55KAC 561 Amman 10:00KAC 671 Dubai 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:25KAC 501 Beirut 10:30FDB 056 Dubai 10:35JZR 482 Istanbul 10:35IRA 664 Shiraz 10:40KAC 677 Abu Dhabi/Muscat 10:50QTR 1071 Doha 11:00IRC 529 Ahwaz 11:00GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20SYR 342 Damascus 12:25KAC 103 London 12:25UAE 874 Dubai 12:30AGY 683 Alexandria 12:40MEA 405 Beirut 12:55

KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00FDB 076 Dubai 13:10JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10KAC 791 Madinah 13:25SAW 702 Damascus 13:35JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15KAC 673 Dubai 15:00FDB 058 Dubai 15:10QTR 1079 Doha 15:10AXB 394 Kozhikode 15:20SVA 503 Madinah/Jeddah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45KAC 617 Doha 15:45KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50KAC 741 Dammam 15:55KNE 473 Jeddah 16:05ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25OMA 646 Muscat 16:30JZR 266 Beirut 17:05ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:30JZR 238 Amman 17:30FDB 052 Dubai 17:35QTR 1073 Doha 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45JZR 538 Cairo 17:45RJA 641 Amman 17:55SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:40MSR 615 Cairo 18:50JZR 124 Bahrain 19:10FDB 064 Dubai 19:20ABY 124 Sharjah 19:25UAE 876 Dubai 19:30GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 361 Colombo 20:45QTR 1081 Doha 20:50KAC 351 Kochi 20:50OMA 648 Muscat 21:20FDB 062 Dubai 21:20MSR 619 Alexandria 21:45DLH 634 Doha 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50FDB 5054 Dubai 21:50JAI 571 Mumbai 21:55QTR 1089 Doha 22:00JZR 502 Luxor 22:00ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10KAC 301 Mumbai 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30UAE 860 Dubai 22:55QTR 1083 Doha 23:05KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:05KAC 205 Islamabad 23:10ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:15FDB 060 Dubai 23:35KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:35KAC 415 Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta 23:40

SHARQIA-1LOST IN THE SUN 12:15 PMLOST IN THE SUN 2:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 4:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 6:30 PMLOST IN THE SUN 8:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:30 PMLOST IN THE SUN 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:00 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 3:45 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 6:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3RIDE ALONG 2 1:00 PMTHE BOY 2:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 4:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 6:45 PMTHE BOY 8:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 10:45 PMTHE BOY 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-1DARKNESS DESCENDS 11:30 AMKUNG FU STYLE 1:30 PMDILWALE - Hindi 3:30 PMDICTATOR - Telugu 3:30 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 6:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 8:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:45 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-2RIDE ALONG 2 12:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:00 PMTHE REVENANT 4:00 PMSOGGADE CHINNI NAYANA -Telugu 4:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 7:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 9:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 11:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 1:00 AM

MUHALAB-3MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 AMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 2:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 5:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 8:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 PM

FANAR-1OUR BRAND IS CRISIS 11:45 AMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 2:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 4:15 PMTHE REVENANT 6:30 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 9:30 PMTHE REVENANT 11:45 PM

FANAR-2DARKNESS DESCENDS 1:00 PM

DARKNESS DESCENDS 3:00 PMDILWALE - Hindi 5:00 PMDICTATOR - Telugu 5:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 8:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 12:05 AM

FANAR-3RIDE ALONG 2 12:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:30 PMKUNG FU STYLE 4:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 6:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 8:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 10:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 12:30 AM

FANAR-4MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 1:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 3:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 6:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 AM

FANAR-5THE BOY 11:45 AMTHE BOY 1:45 PMTHE BOY 3:45 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 5:45 PMTHE BOY 8:15 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 10:15 PMTHE BOY 12:45 AM

MARINA-1LOST IN THE SUN 11:30 AMTHE 5TH WAVE 1:30 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 3:45 PMLOST IN THE SUN 6:00 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 8:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 10:15 PMLOST IN THE SUN 12:30 AM

MARINA-2RIDE ALONG 2 12:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:00 PMTHE REVENANT 4:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 7:00 PMTHE REVENANT 9:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 12:05 AM

MARINA-3MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:30 PMKUNG FU STYLE 1:30 PMKUNG FU STYLE 3:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 5:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 8:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 PM

AVENUES-1KUNG FU STYLE 11:30 AMTHE 5TH WAVE 1:30 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 4:00 PMTWO COUNTRIES - Malayalam 6:30 PM

THE 5TH WAVE 9:30 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 12:15 AM

AVENUES-2DARKNESS DESCENDS 12:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 2:15 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 4:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 6:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 9:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 11:30 PM

AVENUES-3OUR BRAND IS CRISIS 1:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 1:30 PMFRIOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 3:45 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 6:15 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 8:45 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 11:15 PM

360º- 1RIDE ALONG 2 11:45 AMRIDE ALONG 2 1:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 3:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 5:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 7:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 9:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 11:45 PM

360º- 2KUNG FU STYLE 12:15 PMKUNG FU STYLE 2:15 PMKUNG FU STYLE 4:15 PMDILWALE - Hindi 6:15 PMDILWALE - Hindi 9:30 PMTHE BOY 12:30 AM

360º- 3DARKNESS DESCENDS 1:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 3:15 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 5:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 7:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.1MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 1:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 3:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 6:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.2RIDE ALONG 2 11:30 AMTHE 5TH WAVE 1:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 3:45 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 5:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 8:15 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 10:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 12:45 AM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY(21/01/2016 TO 27/01/2016)

CHANGE OF NAME

I Hozefa, holder of IndianPassport No. J5394193,Mohammediya colony, VPOGaliyakot, Dist Dungerpur,Rajasthan - 314026, herebychange my name fromHozefa to Hozefa Fauji. (C 5116)25-1-2016

There may be a new system of communication between family or room-mates now. Everyone in your living area may be quite busy today. Domestic problemscannot be ignored for too long. In order for everyone’s living space to run smoothly,you may want to initiate family or roommate meetings once a month. You will have abetter grasp of expectations and may even gain some insight. A keen interest in whatmakes things tick may find you inventing the latest shortcut to wherever or whatever.Others may tease you because you have dreams and a highly creative mind. The payfor your hard work may be slow in coming but you will certainly receive acknowledg-ment. The poorest of all men is the man without a dream.

You may discover there is enough money this month to use toward theupdating of furniture or painting your house. When people visit you, they rarely wantto leave. You create a warmth that brings people in out of the cold. Elegance and fam-ily ties are the keys to emotional satisfaction for you. Harmony and beauty are deeplysatisfying-and the lack of them can be emotionally disquieting. You demonstrate toothers the feelings that our capacity to be happy and useful cannot truly be ham-pered by external conditions. Continue to seek happiness from the inside. Laughter ismore fun with two. There is talk of wanting to adopt an animal. Romantic opportuni-ties are pleasant this evening. Perhaps a romantic dinner out could be enjoyed.

Harmony is important to you and having clean surroundings will con-tribute to those feelings. You may feel a push to clean clothes-do some

mending-pick up around the house or work on your car. This is a busy but productiveand rewarding day. You may find yourself being put to good use by your friends thisafternoon. There are some wonderful opportunities to deepen a friendship. Deep andserious conversations along with funny anecdotes can be shared. A serious matter canalso be tended to today. A situation with some budgeting problems can turn into acompromise. You have a clear vision into your own inner sense of values, how youappreciate and love.

This is another inventive and creative day! Your creative style today goesin the direction of art instead of human care. It is about time you balanced those ener-gies. You may decide to color or dye sheets in order to make curtains or chair covers, orperhaps you will be making birdhouses. Whatever you design or create will be attractiveand a noticeable addition to your surroundings. You may just decide to keep your hobbyto yourself but it could become profitable. You may also decide to look into alternativehealth remedies, homeopathic, reflexology, zone therapy, acupuncture, herbal medi-cines, i ching, yoga, etc. Join in the fun and do something different. There are plenty ofopportunities today to celebrate life.

This morning there may be a situation that could present a test of faith.Through study you will be able to understand what has been misunderstood. Ultimateanswers come from a surprise pathway. After lunch and perhaps out with friends, youmay feel like really joining in the laughter and camaraderie. There is a lot of pleasure inthe simple things. You could find ways to spend your money today but take care that youdo not indulge too much for now. A team sport may be considered. You could swaysomeone around to your way of thinking later this afternoon-perhaps that friend goneastray. Only some of us learn by other people’s mistakes; the rest of us have to be the oth-er people. You have a grateful heart.

Making a good impression and putting your best foot forward take on agreater importance as a new cycle begins. Appearances and style may count more than sub-stance. Romance, the arts and others of life’s pleasures seem to take center stage. If you wantto win someone’s attention today, you will find positive results. Reach for the brass ring-grabthe merry-go-round ring. Whatever you are planning, today will be successful. You are in themood to be expressive, insightful, creative and lighthearted. Everything seems to bring outyour unique qualities. There are opportunities to join your friends this afternoon-perhaps aplay or movie. Afterward, there is much talk about how the movie or play relates to each per-son’s personal life.

You could be teaching a school class or attending a spiritual meetingtoday. Refinement and relationships are the keys to emotional satisfaction for you now.Harmony and beauty are deeply satisfying-the lack of them can be disconcerting.Circumstances converge this day that will reveal you at your most elegant, particularly insocial situations. A reunion of some sort takes place and brings plenty of smiles andtimes of reminiscing. You will have a grasp for abstract and spiritual ideas and the abilityto present or communicate these to others. You and a close friend will have fun general-ly just hanging out together. Close special ties to other people are a focal point for yourfeelings. Future plans to gather are finalized.

Young people surround you today and you will enjoy guiding them intheir activities. Loved ones, children and other people or things dear to your heart areemphasized this day. Being appreciated and admired for your gifts and talents are pow-erful needs. Taking chances can bring big rewards. Responsibilities may balance out theremainder of the day. An important friendship is growing and you will find mutual inter-ests will bring you even closer. There are fun times for communicating back and forthwith ideas and shared interests can have you talking for hours. You can be one of themost exciting companions and your respect for others along with your attention to theirneeds is probably all that one could ever ask.

As a lover of freedom and liberty you may be creating music, poetry orsome other sort of writing today. You will find that if you stick with this for a time you willbe able to have some great results-possibly a profitable piece of art. You could alsocome up with new solutions or inventions today. Some interruptions may occur-but thesooner you learn to work with the interruptions, the faster you will see results. You maybe in a rare mood of self-enjoyment and can appreciate your own better qualities. Youmay have much compassion for an older person in your family. You will find the workyou have done towards better health is taking hold and your level of energy isimproved. Your loved ones notice and enjoy your positive presence.

What you thought you wanted is not as important as you once used tothink. This realization may start you to thinking about working up a short

questionnaire to keep your customers happy. Helping them to be happy with their shop-ping tendencies may take a little psychological insight but you have what it takes to workup something catchy. If you get too deep in the search you may forget the humor.Special attention to an old project makes your afternoon move along quickly. Take sometime to be with nature this afternoon-perhaps while you are walking a dog or walking forexercise.

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1148

ACROSS1. United States liquid unit equal to 4quarts or 3.785 liters.4. The basic unit of money in Guatemala.11. An inclined surface or roadway thatmoves traffic from one level to another.15. Used of a single unit or thing.16. A bitter yellow powder used to treatskin diseases.17. English essayist (1775-1834).18. A member of the Uniat Church.20. Measuring instrument in which theecho of a pulse of microwave radiation isused to detect and locate distant objects.21. (heraldry) An ordinary consisting of abroad horizontal band across a shield.22. A motley assortment of things.24. Being one more than one hundred.25. Smooth and soft to sight or hearing ortouch or taste.26. Queen of the Olympian gods in ancientGreek mythology.27. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.29. Suggestive of the supernatural.30. Being ten more than one hundred nine-ty.32. Either of two folds of skin that can bemoved to cover or open the eye.33. Type genus of the Culicidae.35. Type genus of the family Arcidae.37. A member of a Turkic people ofUzbekistan and neighboring areas.40. Capable of being corrupted.44. British artist and writer of nonsenseverse (1812-1888).45. A river that rises in central Germanyand flows north to join the Elbe River.46. Deduce (a principle) or construe (ameaning).47. A genus of Ploceidae.49. A unit of weight equivalent to 1000kilograms.50. Resonance of protons to radiation in amagnetic field.52. An independent agency of the UnitedStates government responsible for collect-ing and coordinating intelligence andcounterintelligence activities abroad in thenational interest.53. Goddess of criminal rashness and itspunishment.54. A state in midwestern United States.55. The branch of computer science thatdeal with writing computer programs thatcan solve problems creatively.56. A lipoprotein that transports choles-terol in the blood.57. An order of Eutheria.63. A constellation in the southern hemi-sphere near Telescopium and Norma.64. A member of the Siouan people for-merly living in the Missouri river valley inNE Nebraska.67. Childcare during the day while parentswork.71. German dramatist (1813-1863).73. A woman hired to suckle a child ofsomeone else.74. City in Sudan.77. Fleshy spore-bearing inner mass of e.g.a puffball or stinkhorn.78. Informal terms for a human head.

79. A short trip that is taken in the perform-ance of a necessary task or mission.81. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christianmythology.82. A Kwa language spoken in Ghana andthe Ivory Coast.83. An analgesic for mild pain.84. A small cake leavened with yeast.

DOWN1. Wild ox of mountainous areas of easternIndia.2. A former copper coin of Pakistan.3. English film actress (1913-1967).4. Of or concerning Qatar.5. An ancient city of Sumer located on aformer channel of the Euphrates River.6. The sense organ for hearing and equilib-rium.7. An extended area of land.8. Relating to or included in the zodiac.9. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.10. Immature of its kind.11. (of leaves) Bent downward and out-ward more than 90 degrees.12. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug(trademarks Aleve and Anaprox andAflaxen).13. A stingy hoarder of money and posses-sions (often living miserably).14. Resembling paste in color.19. French philosopher and theologian.23. Type genus of the Gadidae.28. A famous waterfall in Venezuela.31. Make or cause to be or to become.34. At any time.36. A military trainee (as at a military acade-my).38. Any of various cycads of the genusZamia.39. A Chadic language spoken south ofLake Chad.41. The back side of the neck.42. Harsh or corrosive in tone.43. (archaic or Scottish) Faithful and true.48. The capital and largest city of Ghanawith a deep-water port.51. Tropical Asian starlings.58. A city in western Germany near theDutch and Belgian borders.59. Gained or acquired.60. The basic monetary unit in many coun-tries.61. The dialect of Albanian spoken innorthern Albania and Yugoslavia.62. 1 species.65. Cubes of meat marinated and cookedon a skewer usually with vegetables.66. Tropical American tree grown in south-ern United States having a whitish pink-tinged fruit.68. In a murderous frenzy as if possessedby a demon.69. God of the Underworld.70. Long-bodied long-tailed tropicalAmerican wildcat.72. English monk and scholar (672-735).75. The products of human creativity.76. Black tropical American cuckoo.80. A metric unit of volume equal to onetenth of a liter.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

Harmony and beauty are what you strive for this morning-you may decide toconsider a plan for home or neighborhood landscaping-perhaps you will be planting bulbs forspring. Friends may enjoy your company this afternoon; however, you will need to take theback seat and let others express their opinions. You can draw on the passion and ideas of oth-ers at this time. Enlightenment through your relationships is the key to emotional satisfaction.Harmony and beauty are deeply satisfying-and the lack of them can be emotionally disturb-ing. You are one of those wonderful people that feel that, regardless of what you have alreadylearned, there is always room to expand and grow.

Caution while exercising today is a wise move. Warm up before exercising andtry walking instead of running, pushing instead of pulling, twisting instead of

lifting, etc. Removing stress through exercise is important and caution is necessary in orderto avoid pulling muscles. A domestic situation may call for you to intervene with your morecommonsense qualities. You will be able to settle some confusion and simplify some mat-ters today. This is a time to broaden your horizons both intellectually and spiritually. Thereare plenty of professional opportunities in teaching, education, publishing, broadcasting,legal and political interests and advertising, if you are looking for them.

inf or m at ion

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

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

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Spike Lee applauds the Academyfor making changes to increasediversity in its ranks, but he is still

skipping the Oscars. “We have princi-ples,” Lee said in an interview with TheAssociated Press. “I commend theAcademy for what they’ve done. Butthat does not change our mind. TheKnicks will be victorious - I hope. I’ll beat the Garden.” After last week’s Oscarnominations revealed an all-white slateof acting nominees for the second con-secutive year, Lee said he would skipthe Feb. 28 Academy Awards and go tothe Knicks game instead.

“My wife and I will be in my court-side seats,” he said. Still, he praisedAcademy president Cheryl BooneIsaacs and the organization’s board ofgovernors for “trying to do the rightthing.” The Academy of Motion PictureArts and Sciences announced Fridaythat it would double the number of itsfemale and minority members by 2020and implemented other changesaimed at increasing diversity amongthe largely white and male organiza-tion. Lee thinks the changes could help:

“It’s a start.” The filmmaker is at theSundance Film Festival this week topremiere his new documentary,

“Michael Jackson’s Journey fromMotown to ‘Off the Wall.’” —AP

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

M u s i c & M o v i e s

l if e s t y l e

Morris from America” isn’t your typical coming of age story.The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festivalon Friday, focuses on a pair of Americans - a widowed

father and son - living in Heidelberg, Germany. The father coachesa soccer team. The 13-year-old son, Morris, is trying to learn thelanguage and make some actual friends. And, to make matterseven more trying, they are essentially the only black people intown.

The result is delightful. In “Morris From America,” Chad Hartigan,who came to Sundance previously with “This Is Martin Bonner,”avoids both the clichès and banalities of this tired genre and hasinstead made something entirely fresh. This big-hearted film aboutthat strange time in life when adolescents dip their toes into reck-less teenager-dom is not to be missed. Stars Craig Robinson(Curtis) and newcomer Markees Christmas (Morris) bring Hartigan’svibrant story and script to life with their effortless chemistry andnuanced performances.

Curtis isn’t a run-of-the-mill father, and Morris isn’t the proto-typical rebellious youth either. They are profane, they are senti-mental, they are difficult - they are fully drawn characters withcomplexities, contradictions and all. Morris isn’t having a great timein Germany until his sweet tutor (Carla Juri) suggests he hang outat a youth center to try to make friends. It doesn’t go very well -one kid gives him a hard time, while the others mostly ignore him.But he does become attached to a beautiful, troubled 15-year-oldgirl, Katrin (Lina Keller, an ethereal, beguiling Julie Delpy-type),who lets him tag along with her on her increasingly defiantexploits.

The film never goes exactly where you’d expect, and Hartiganand his lovely cast keep the energy up and the scenes moving

throughout, whether it’s just a language lesson or an awkward tal-ent show. Hartigan also imbues the film with gorgeous cinematicflair that’s always interesting, if not always completely coherentwithin the language of the film. For example, in one scene, Morrisis listening to a hip-hop song while touring a castle and everyone(even the stained glass windows and sculptures) bob their headsalong with it. This surreal moment is strangely affecting, but it’s anodd one off, too. — AP

The fifth season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” has won theNorman Felton Award for top drama series from theProducers Guild of America. Amy Winehouse docu-

mentary “Amy” won for top documentary for James Gay-Rees. “Amy,” the front-runner for the Oscar, topped “TheHunting Ground,” “The Look of Silence,” “Meru” and“Something Better to Come.”

Disney-Pixar’s “Inside Out” won the award for top animat-ed movie for producer Jonas Rivera. “Inside Out,” whichdelved inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl and became asurprise hit with worldwide grosses of $856 million, topped“Anomalisa,” “The Good Dinosaur” and “The Peanuts Movie.”

“We set out to make a movie that spoke to us as parents,”Rivera said in his acceptance speech. The second season ofFX’s “Fargo” won the David L Wolper Award for long-form tel-evision for the second year in a row. Producer Noah Hawley

noted in his acceptance that the season had been a chal-lenge because “The Revenant” had the snow makers inCalgary tied up. The first season of “Transparent” won theDanny Thomas Award for top comedy series. Amazon’s trans-gender skein won the award for producers Jill Soloway,Andrea Sperling, Victor Hsu, Nisha Ganatra, Rick Rosenthaland Bridget Bedard. It topped “Modern Family,” “Inside AmyShumer,” “Silicon Valley” and “Veep”; “Orange Is the New Black”won the award last year. Winners of the 27th Producers Guildof America Awards were announced Saturday night at theCentury Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. “Last Week with JohnOliver” won the Live Entertainment and Talk Television award.NBC’s “The Voice” took the competition TV award for the sec-ond year in a row. “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of RobertDurst” won the non-fiction TV award.

Lady Gaga dazzled the audience with her performance of

“Til It Happens to You” as part of the introduction to “TheHunting Ground” winning the Stanley Kramer Award. Thesong, co-written with Diane Warren, is up for the Oscar forBest Original Song. The theatrical motion picture and televi-sion nominees are as follows (winners in boldface):

The Darryl F Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer ofTheatrical Motion Pictures:

1- The Big Short: Producers: Brad Pitt & DedeGardner, Jeremy Kleiner

2- Game of Thrones: Norman Felton Award forOutstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama

3- Inside Out: Award for Outstanding Producer ofAnimated Theatrical Motion Pictures

4- Amy: Award for Outstanding Producer of DocumentaryTheatrical Motion Pictures

5- Fargo (Season 2): David L. Wolper Award for

Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television6- Transparent (Season 1): Danny Thomas Award for

Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy7- The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst: Award for

Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television8- The Voice: Award for Outstanding Producer of

Competition Television9- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 2): Award

for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & TalkTelevision

10- Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: Award forOutstanding Sports Program

11- Sesame Street: Award for Outstanding Children’sProgram

12- Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Award forOutstanding Digital Series. — Reuters

Ellen Page lands her best starringvehicle since “Juno” in “Tallulah,”a very different story of a young

woman coming to terms with theidea of being a mother. The feature-length scripting-directing debut of“Orange Is the New Black” staff writerSian Heder offers juicy roles not onlyto Page but also to Allison Janneyand Tammy Blanchard, in a strongshowcase of female talent bothbehind and in front of the camera.Netflix acquired SVOD rights prior tothe pic’s premiere in competition atSundance, but Heder’s compassion-ate, audience-friendly dramedydeserves a shot in theaters, too.

Vagabond Tallulah (Page) lives outof her van and drifts from city to citywith no ties to anyone or anything,except her boyfriend, Nico (EvanJonigkeit), and that’s just the way shelikes it. When Nico surprises her onenight by suggesting they go back tohis hometown in New York andmaybe settle down or start a family,she flips out. The next morning Nicois gone, and a penniless Tallulah, whogoes by “Lu,” makes her way to NewYork City anyway and barges into thefancy apartment building of Nico’smother, Margo (Janney).

Extramarital hook-upDealing with issues of her own-

stemming from Nico’s two-year longabsence and her ex-husband (JohnBenjamin Hickey) coming out of thecloset and asking for a divorce-Margoslams her door in Lu’s face, despitethe young woman’s connection toher missing son. Wandering into aswanky hotel to scavenge for roomservice scraps, Lu is mistaken for amaid by spacy trophy wife Carolyn(Blanchard), who is desperately look-ing for anyone to babysit her 1-year-old daughter, Madison (Evangelineand Liliana Ellis), while she tries toscore an extramarital hook-up.

Seduced partly by the wads ofcash and jewelry Carolyn leaves lyingaround, and partly by Madison’s obvi-ous need for a responsible caretaker(the toddler roams around diaper-less, peering out the balcony windowand grabbing at bottles of drinks), Lustays and Carolyn bolts. When a

drunk and defeated Carolyn returnshours later and promptly passes outon the bed, Lu can’t bring herself toleave a wailing Madison alone andmakes a rash decision to bring herinto the van overnight. The nextmorning Carolyn wakes up in a panicand by the time Lu arrives to handMadison over, the police are alreadyon the scene and Lu makes anotherrash decision to take off withMadison in tow.

With nowhere else to go, shewinds up back on Margo’s doorstep-this time telling her Madison is Nico’schild. Margo reluctantly lets Lu intoher home, and even more reluctantlyinto her life. Meanwhile, Carolynhopes to prevent her husband(Fredric Lehne) from finding out whathappened, which makes both thelead detective (David Zayas) andchild protection agent (Uzo Aduba)assigned to the case dubious of hermotives. One woman’s coincidencesare another woman’s contrivances,and Heder’s script likely won’t pleasethose who prefer their indie dramasnaturalistic and event-free. But thefreewheeling storytelling enactedhere has an excellent anchor in thegrounded work of the ensemble cast.Even Lu’s initially inexplicable actionsin holding onto Madison becomemore understandable as the film pro-gresses, and Heder does a commend-

able job of opening up the charac-ters’ backstories without over-analyz-ing their behavior.

Physical comedyPage is simply superb in a com-

plex role that perfectly plays to hergift for balancing deadpan comedywith surprisingly deep emotionalreserves. And while she was a sterlingsupport opposite Page in “Juno,”Janney rises here nearly to the levelof co-lead as an uptight control freakwhose desire to cling to her familyonly serves to push them away. Thefilm could probably do without ahalf-baked subplot involving Margo’srelationship with her doorman (FelixSolis), but even in that digressionJanney nails the physical comedy andpathos of a woman looking to makea connection.

Reliable character actressBlanchard is perhaps the biggest rev-elation, playing Carolyn at first as aspot-on parody of a certain kind ofreal housewife of self-absorption, butgradually peeling back her layers-incollaboration with Heder-to revealthe wounded woman underneath.The men on hand are asked to domore with less, and Jonigkeit sellsNico’s love for Lu with only a handfulof scenes. — Reuters

Actress Allison Janney, left, and director and writer Sian Heder, right,pick up and swing actress Ellen Page, center, as they pose at the pre-miere of “Tallulah” during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival .— AP

Chris Rock is still on board to host the Oscars this yeardespite calls for him to join the boycott protesting theAcademy’s lack of diversity. Variety had first reported

Friday that sources said Rock would remain as host of the cere-mony. Academy Awards producer Reginald Hudlin toldEntertainment Tonight at Saturday’s NAACP Image Awardslunch that Rock’s opening monologue will address the#OscarsSoWhite conversation in a big way. Rock reportedlyreworked his entire set of jokes when such figures as JadaPinkett Smith and Will Smith announced they would be boy-cotting the ceremony.

“Chris is hard at work. He and his writing staff locked them-selves in a room,” Hudlin told ET. “As things got a little provoca-tive and exciting, he said, ‘I’m throwing out the show I wroteand writing a new show.’” He added, “Chris is that thorough. He’sthat brilliant, and I have 1000 percent confidence that he willdeliver something that people will be talking about for weeks.”Hudlin indicated that he and his team are prepared for Rock to

make some controversial statements.“And, yes, the Academy is ready for him to do that,” Hudlin

said. “They’re excited about him doing that. They know that’swhat we need. They know that’s what the public wants, and wedeliver what the people want.” Confirmation of Rock’s hostingduties come on the heels of the Academy’s Friday announce-ment that it would overhaul its membership in order to pro-mote diversity, aiming to double its number of female andminority members by the year 2020. — Reuters

This photo provided by Paramount Pictures shows, Jeremy Strong, fromleft, Rafe Spall, Hamish Linklater, Steve Carell, Jeffry Griffin and RyanGosling in the film, “The Big Short.” — AP

In this file image released by Paramount Pictures,Christian Bale appears in a scene from “The Big Short.-APphotos

From left, actors Carla Juri, Craig Robinson, andMarkees Christmas pose with filmmaker Chad Hartiganfor a portrait to promote the film, “Morris FromAmerica”, at the Toyota Mirai Music Lodge during theSundance Film Festival on Friday. - — AP photos

In this file photo, Chris Rock appears onstage atComedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars: AmericaComes Together for Autism Programs” at the BeaconTheatre in New York. — AP

This image provided by courtesy of the Sundance Institute and OptimumProductions shows director Spike Lee whose documentary film, “MichaelJackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall,” is included among thedocumentaries premiering at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in ParkCity, Utah. — AP

Imagine Danny DeVito walkingdown the street with a dachshundbedecked in a yellow polka-dot

dress. To be clear, the dachshund iswearing the dress, not DeVito. In anyother film, it would be an obviousjoke. But this is a Todd Solondz movie,

and, thus nothing plays out as youmight expect. Everything in “Wiener-Dog” is both funny and tragic, heart-breakingly sincere and laced withstomach-knotting cynicism, and it’sperfect. The film, which premiered atthe Sundance Film Festival on Friday,

was said to be a sort of spiritualsequel to Solondz’s “Welcome to theDollhouse,” but Solondz warnedbefore the Festival that those lookingfor a sequel might be “a little disap-pointed.”

Indeed, though “Welcome to theDollhouse’s” Dawn Wiener does reap-pear for a segment (played this timeby Greta Gerwig, not HeatherMatarazzo), “Weiner-Dog” is not asequel by any means. It’s a series ofloosely connected vignettes followinga toffee-colored dachshund aroundfrom owner to owner. There’s theyoung only child of a wealthy, unhap-py family (Tracy Letts and Julie Delpy),there’s a grown Dawn Wiener whogoes on a road trip with an old class-mate (Kieran Culkin), there’s a depres-sive screenwriter/professor (DeVito),and there’s an elderly grump (EllenBurstyn) and her troubled grand-daughter (Zosia Mamet). — AP

Cast and filmmakers of “Wiener-Dog” pose at the premiere during the2016 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. — AP

37L IFESTYLEMONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

F a s h i o n

Hold onto your horses. French fashionis back to its swashbuckling best andthe designer leading the charge is a

young mixed-race man determined to givepost-attacks Paris a new swagger. “I wantto make all men feel like princes again,”Olivier Rousteing declared Saturday afterhis dashing, unashamedly masculine showfor Balmain. Not since the days of theCharge of the Light Brigade has there beensuch an onrush of braid, breeches andboots. Rousteing’s models were not thepallid sexless automatons of so manyshows.

Instead, they were dashing hussars andCossack officers you half expected wouldpull cavalry swords from their gorgeousscarlet and leather cummerbunds as theythundered through a Parisian mansion.Half of them looked like they had comestraight from the ball the night before

Waterloo in their silk and velvet breeches,with big brass-buttoned greatcoats thrownon their shoulders, and fur and tassels fly-ing.

‘Bring back the dream’ “Paris is the City of Light and those

lights should continue to shine,” the 30-

year-old designer, a favorite of pop divasBeyonce and Rihanna, told AFP. “I want tobring back the dream and beauty that isParis... and make all men feel like princesagain. “I want to show the diversity and col-ors of France and to show that Paris has apast, a present and it will have a future,” headded. Rousteing, who was adopted by hiswhite parents when he was one year old,said his show was an ode to the racial andcultural diversity of the French capital.

A symphony orchestra, playing live to ahip-hop soundtrack, provided the musicaltone. “Mixing Kanye West and Rihannawith a symphony orchestra is my universe. Iam French in a French fashion house with acouture tradition which also has a veryinternational influence. That for me is Paris-it is that internationalism and the richnessof the mixing of cultures. This singulareagerness to embrace a diversity of cul-tures and ideas... enrages intolerant mindsboth here and abroad,” he said. An Internetdarling, with 2.1 million Instagram follow-ers, Rousteing has become a reference forstars as diverse as Jane Fonda and NickiMinaj, who even rapped on the venerablecouture brand’s name as sales have soared.

‘Selfie-made man’ Rousteing’s high-cheekboned good

looks, social media savvy and friendshipswith stars such as West and his wife KimKardashian has led to him being called a“selfie-made man”-a joke he appears todelight in. Earlier in the day there was asimilar defiance against giving in to fearafter the November massacres from Dior’sKris Van Assche.

Although much of his collection was inblack, it was not the black of mourning, heinsisted.“The events mean that we have tobe stronger to make people dream. Thedarkness is so omnipresent that as a

Paris catwalksrediscover their cavalier swagger

Models present creations by Givenchy

designer who have to go further. Youneed more power and strength,” hetold AFP. “In fact I like the idea of dark-ness pushing creativity,” he said, echoing the sombre luxu-riance of Dries Van Noten stand-out line, and fellowBelgian creator Walter Van Beirendonck, whose show wassimply called “Woest”, which means furious in Flemish.Paris-based label Etudes-whose studio is near the Bataclanconcert hall were 90 people died in November’s attacks-seemed almost to be on a war footing in their Saturdayshow, with a collection largely comprised of military-inspired and camouflage outfits, fighter pilot fatigues andparachute suits.

There was a similar ready-for-anything air in newcom-ers OAMC, whose nifty high-end functional streetwear isalso created only a few blocks away and is replete with thespirit of Parisian resistance. But if you were looking for asign that “Paris will always be Paris”, look no further thanthe Hermes show on Saturday night. All the elements ofineffable casual French style were there, the discreetcharm of the bourgeoisie personified. Only that dried-blood red, a color that crops up across the collections like awound, would lead you to believe that anything untowardhad happened.

Bondage hits the runway at Paris Fashion WeekThe odd-couple mix of bondage and big sizes collided

on the Paris catwalk Friday, in clothing that was at onceroomy and adorned with nude women who were tied up

tight. Japanese label ChristianDada-in its first official appear-ance on a Paris Fashion Week

runway-showed off models in ballooning stovepipetrousers and oversized overcoats, some with belts as wideas a copy of Vogue. The bondage crept in with the imageof a nude kneeling woman-hands bound together behindher back-printed onto some of the spacious coats paradedon the catwalk to the echoing sound of a beating heart.

The risque theme did not stop there, with designerMasanori Morikawa saying he sprinkled the autumn andwinter collection with embroidered flowers and elephantsto represent male and female naughty bits. “This collectionis about tying, like everything, like belts, like buckles, likebondage,” Morikawa told AFP after the show, which wasinspired by controversial Japanese photographerNobuyoshi Araki. “I’m really mixing his iconic things andmy iconic things.” Founded in 2010, Christian Dada-amashup of Christian Dior and the anarchic art movement-is known for an edgy, rock n’ roll influence on its designs,which have included chain mail t-shirts and studdedshoes.

Cerruti stays chic Cerruti’s new star designer, American-born Jason

Basmajian, sent a serious, subdued collection onto the cat-walk that was certain not to offend house founder-NinoCerruti. High-end materials-cashmere, silk and sheep skin-formed the basis for the somber-coloured collection thatdeviated little from standard suit and coat cuts. “I imag-

38 MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

F a s h i o n

Models present creations by Balmain, during the men’s Fashion Week 2016-2017 Fall/Winter collection in Paris. —AP/AFP photos

French fashion designer Olivier Rousteingacknowledges the audience at the end ofthe Balmain show.

Models wear creation for Christian Dada fashion house’s men Fall-Winter 2016-2017 fashion collection.

39 MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

F a s h i o n

ined a luxurious, masculine chic, but without pretension, asubtle collection with a focus on the cut and a choice oftop-of-the-line materials,” Basmajian told AFP. “Working forthis international house, with Italian roots and based inParis, allows me to take advantage of all my past experi-ences. Ahead of his arrival at Cerruti last year, Basmajianhad worked at Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, ST Dupont andBrioni before taking his talents to legendary British tailorGieves & Hawkes.

Dior: Kraftwerk cool Van Assche said he took his new dark-and-dangerous-

to-know look-a big departure from the bright and flowerycolors of his previous more “bourgeois” collection-from amix of eighties New Wave music, the Berlin of electronicpop pioneers Kraftwerk and skateboard culture. In case youdidn’t get those influences, WestBam’s “You Need TheDrugs” was playing as guests were led into the show’s set,the world’s blingiest skate park lit by a huge red chandelierand ramps edged with red neon. With long sleeves thatalmost become mittens, Dior has mostly resisted that bag-gy giganticism that has been seen a lot elsewhere in Paristhis week.

Van Assche did however combine big baggy beltedtrousers with Scandinavian knit jumpers and hoodies,although most of the trousers with his more tailored pieceswere short and close-fitting to showcase red-laced shoes.“I am distancing myself from Christian Dior,” the designertold AFP before the show. “We wanted to be radically 2016-2017. There is a younger, more fashion, perhaps less mid-dle-class edge about this collection that is not at all nostal-gic.” “It is good to have certain references, but we mustn’t

abandon ourselves to that nostalgia, itwon’t get us very far,” he said. His lastcollection full of the white rose Diormotif was “particularly colorful for me”,he said.

Black as night “After that I wanted to do the oppo-

site, to do black, the night, Berlin, a col-lection with a very different tone.” Andit seemed to go down well with hiscelebrity guests. Korean K-pop star T.O.Psaid he “loved it” while Chinese movieheartthrob Yang Yang was equally tak-en. “It’s great,” he said. Van Asschedenied, however, that the collection’sheavy reliance on black and other som-bre colors was a reflection of the moodin Paris after the terror attacks.

“I have never found that black wasabout darkness. I think there is a lot ofbeauty and romanticism in it,” he said.Earlier the Paris-based label Etudes-whose studio is near the Bataclan con-cert hall were 90 people died inNovember’s attacks — seemed almostto be on a war footing, with a collectionlargely comprised of military-inspiredand camouflage outfits, fighter pilotfatigues and parachute suits. — AFP

Models present creations by Cerruti.

Models wear creations as part of Dior men’s Fall-Winter 2016-2017 fashion collection.

Visitors to a new exhibition at TheDali Museum in St Petersburg,Florida, won’t just be looking at

art. Thanks to virtual reality, they’ll beexploring a Dali painting in a dreamy,three-dimensional world that turns artappreciation into an unforgettable,immersive experience. The new exhibi-tion, “Disney and Dali: Architects of theImagination,” tells the story of the rela-tionship between Salvador Dali, thesurrealist artist, and Walt Disney, thegreat American animator and theme-park pioneer.

But the museum exhibition’s high-light comes after visitors have seen theDisney-Dali show’s paintings, storysketches, correspondence, photos andother artifacts. As visitors leave theexhibition area, they’ll be invited to dona headset to try the virtual reality expe-rience. Called “Dreams of Dali,” the VRexperience takes viewers inside Dali’s1935 painting “ArcheologicalReminiscence of Millet’s ‘Angelus.’” Thepainting depicts two towering stonefigures along with tiny human figuresin a bare landscape with a moody sky.

Stone tunnelUsers can move around inside the

painting, using Oculus Rift headsets tonavigate a trippy three-dimensionalenvironment that includes motifs fromother Dali works like elephants, birds,ants and his “Lobster Telephone” sculp-ture. Accompanied by a haunting pianosoundtrack punctuated by bird cries,the VR visuals also include a crescent

moon, a stone tunnel and even animage of rocker Alice Cooper, whomDali featured in a hologram he createdin 1973. “You actually have a three-dimensional feeling that you’re inside apainting,” said Jeff Goodby, whose firmGoodby Silverstein & Partners createdthe VR experience. “It’s not just likeyou’re inside a sphere with things beingprojected. It’s actually like there areobjects closer and further away andyou’re walking amidst them. It’s a vul-nerable feeling you give yourself up to.It’s not like anything you’ve ever feltbefore.” The VR experience was pre-viewed in New York for the media 10days before its opening Saturday at theFlorida museum.

Disney and Dali met in the 1940s inHollywood, according to museumdirector Hank Hine. “Their sensibilitieswere very connected,” Hine said. “Theywanted to take art off the palette, outof the canvas and into the world.” Theexhibition looks at the castle motif thatbecame a symbol of Disney parks,along with Dali’s “Dream of Venus”pavilion from the 1939 World’s Fair,which some consider a precursor ofcontemporary installation art.

Surrealist workDisney and Dali also collaborated on

a short animated movie, “Destino,” thatwas eventually completed by DisneyStudios. The six-minute movie, whichcan be found on YouTube, features adancing girl with long dark hair, a sun-dial motif and a song with the line, “You

came along out of a dream. ... You aremy destino.” Clips will be played withinthe gallery for the Disney-Dali exhibi-tion and the full short will be shown atthe museum’s theater. The show alsodisplays the Dali painting that inspiredthe VR experience, “ArcheologicalReminiscence of Millet’s ‘Angelus.’” Thesurrealist work was Dali’s interpretationof a 19th-century painting by Jean-Francois Millet depicting two peasantsin a field, heads bowed in prayer. Dalisaid that his work was a “fantasy during

which I imagined sculptures of the twofigures in Millet’s ‘Angelus’ carved out ofthe highest rocks.”

Museum marketing director KathyGreif said record numbers of visitorsattended its last two major showsexploring Dali’s relationships with AndyWarhol and Pablo Picasso. Given theDisney brand’s immense popularityand the VR novelty, attendance expec-tations for this show are high as well.Dali “wanted art that took you over,”said Goodbye. “He wanted to take youaway and do something different withyour head and that’s what this does.”

If you go...Disney and Dali: Exhibition through

June 12 at the Dali Museum, One DaliBlvd, St Petersburg, Florida;http://www.thedali.org or 727-823-3767. Open daily 10 am -5:30 pm andThursdays until 8 pm Adults, $24; dis-counts for seniors, military, students,children. — AP

36PGA Awards: ‘The BigShort’ wins TopMovie Award

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2016

A woman wearing Indonesian dress takes part in a fashion shoot in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Hong Kong yesterday. Indonesian and Filipino women were taking part in a fashion show on one of the cruiseships docked at Ocean Terminal in Hong Kong. — AFP

Virtual reality experience highlight of new Dali Museum show

Furnishings from late US presidentJohn F Kennedy’s winter retreat inPalm Beach, Florida sold Saturday

for some $400,000, an auction housesaid. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers soldfurniture and decorative arts from thefamed “Winter White House” with best-selling items including twin beds and amassage table. “Popular items includea pair of Venetian style walnut twinbeds where the future president sleptalongside his brother Joe, and later(first lady) Jackie Kennedy” Hindman

said in a statement, adding that thebeds sold for $20,000.

“The walnut framed massage tablewhere the president took massages torelieve his back pain sold for $10,625,” itsaid. “A pair of green faux leather chairsfrom the bedroom where John F.Kennedy stayed sold for $6,250.” Theauction was conducted simultaneouslyonline and at the Hindman Palm Beachshowroom. The collection of Kennedyparaphernalia was consigned by Johnand Marianne Castle, a couple who pur-

chased the home and much of its con-tents from the Kennedy family in 1995.

The walled, beachfront Kennedyestate in Palm Beach and its contentshad been sold to the Castles after thedeath of family matriarch RoseKennedy in 1995. JFK as a child vaca-tioned at the mansion, and spent agreat deal of time there after beingelected president in 1960, holding staffmeetings and numerous press confer-ences. — AFP

Furniture from JFK’s Florida

home fetches $400,000 at auction

A one-of-a-kind ice sculpture, carved from 300-pound blocks of solid ice, are on display as part of theIce Magic Festival in Lake Louise. — AP

This image provided by The Dali Museum in St Petersburg, Fla, shows artistSalvador Dali’s surrealist painting, “Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s‘Angelus.’

This image provided by The Dali Museum in St Petersburg, Fla, shows a1957 photo of artist Salvador Dali and Walt Disney by the beach in Spain.— AP photos

This Jan 14, 2016 photo shows Skift.com reporter Dan Peltier using anOculus Rift headset as he tries out a virtual reality experience presented byThe Dali Museum at a preview in New York.