RIYADH: Billionaire PrinceAlwaleed bin Talal has lashed outat the Saudi fiscal policy afterprojecting the largest ever budg-et deficit for 2015 following theslump in oil prices. “We havereached the danger point... afterstarting to withdraw from thereserves,” to meet the budgetshortfall, Alwaleed said in a letteraddressed to the finance minis-ter. Last week, the world’s biggestcrude exporter announced anexpansionary 2015 budget withthe largest-ever deficit of $38.6billion.

It projected spending at$229.3 billion, a slight rise fromlast year’s estimates, and rev-enues at $190.7 billion, sharplydown from $228 billion projectedin 2014. Saudi Arabia, the lead

producer in the Organisation ofthe Petroleum ExportingCountries, also said it estimates2014 actual budget deficit at$14.4 billion as both spendingand revenues far exceeded pro-jections.

Alwaleed, a member of theSaudi ruling family and thewealthiest Arab private investor,said Riyadh should not have letspending rise above projections,especially after oil prices beganto decline. Oil income con-tributes about 90 percent of pub-lic revenues in the OPEC kingpinwhich pumps around 9.6 millionbarrels per day. If the govern-ment had contained last year’sspending within projections, asurplus of at least $50 billionwould have been posted, the

prince said. As a result of failingto check rising spending, a totalof $53 billion will be withdrawnfrom fiscal reserves, estimated at$750 billion, in just two years, hesaid.

Alwaleed also criticised theway Saudi reserves are invested,saying because most of them areinvested in US and Europeanbonds, they have low yields ataround 2.4 percent annually. Thereserves are currently managedby the Saudi Arabian MonetaryAgency, or the central bank.Alwaleed called for the creationof an independent sovereignwealth fund to invest thereserves and increase the returnsto around 7-8 percent. If oil pricesremain at the current level ofunder $60 a barrel for benchmark

Brent crude, Saudi Arabia isexpected to lose half of its oil rev-enues of $276 billion posted in2013. Oil income in 2014 wasestimated at $248 billion. — AFP

SUBSCRIPTIO

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2Hundreds of senior citizensabandoned in hospitals 8

Lebanon imposes visas on Syrians for first time 12

Indonesia pledges AirAsia probe as plane parts found 20

West Brom stroll on Pulis bow, Newcastle out

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015 RABI ALAWWAL 13, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Govt faces heat after

raising diesel prices

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MPs slam price gouging, want decision reversed

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: A large number of MPs yesterday criticized thegovernment and specifically the ministry of commercefor failing to take necessary actions on the conse-quences of lifting subsidies on diesel and kerosene, withsome MPs demanding an immediate reversal of thedecision. The government began implementing the firstlifting of public subsidies with the start of the New Year,raising the price of diesel and kerosene to 170 fils perlitre from just 55 fils.

A number of local sectors have been affected by thethree-fold increase, especially activities related to trans-port and use of the fuels. According to some MPs, someIranian bread bakeries have decided to shut down, say-ing they cannot cope with the increase in the price ofkerosene which they use abundantly in their ovens, espe-cially since the price of Iranian flatbread has not beenincreased for many years. But the chairman of the KuwaitCooperative Societies Union Ali Hassan announced thatthe union has struck an agreement with KNPC and theministry of commerce to exclude the kerosene providedto Iranian bakeries operating in various co-ops from thenew prices.

MP Youssef Al-Zalzalah said the rise in the price ofdiesel has become an excuse for companies to raiseprices, adding that a large number of concrete compa-nies have informed their customers that they will raisetheir charges due to the rise in diesel prices. The lawmak-er demanded to know the supposed role of the com-merce ministry’s consumer protection department tointervene to stop such artificial and unjustified price rises.

Continued on Page 13

JERUSALEM: A member of the Palestinian scouts raises a baton during a ceremony commemorating thebirth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) outside the Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound,Islam’s third holiest site, yesterday. — AFP

DUBAI: A Saudi delegation will travel to Baghdad inthe coming week to start preparations to reopen anembassy in the Iraqi capital for the first time in 25years, official Saudi media said yesterday. A thaw inthe once chilly relations between Sunni-ruled SaudiArabia and Shiite-led Iraq could help strengthen aregional alliance against Islamic State militants whohave seized territory in Iraq and Syria.

Saudi Arabia closed its Baghdad embassy in 1990after the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invadedKuwait. It has long accused Iraq of being too close toShiite Iran, its main regional rival, and of encourag-ing sectarian discrimination against Sunnis, a chargeBaghdad denies. The Saudi move would help returnIraq to the Arab nation “after an absence since thetoppling of the Saddam Hussein regime and thepenetration of the Iranian regime into the joints ofthe Iraqi state,” said Abdullah Al-Askar, head of theforeign affairs committee on Saudi Arabia’s ShouraCouncil, which advises the government on policy.

Saudi Arabia began cautious moves towards rap-prochement after the appointment in August ofHaider Al-Abadi as Iraq’s new prime minister. Seniormembers of the kingdom’s ruling Al Saud dynastyhad branded his predecessor, Nuri Al-Maliki, a pup-pet of Iran, according to US embassy cables released

Continued on Page 13

Saudis to reopen

Baghdad embassy

Alwaleed bin Talal

Tycoon slams Saudi fiscal policy

KARAK, Jordan: Safi Yousef Al-Kaseasbeh, the father of Jordanian pilot 1st LtMuath Al-Kaseasbeh, and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal greet eachother as the patriarch and other Christian clergymen visit the Kaseasbeh familyto show their support and solidarity yesterday. — AP

NEW YORK: A Libyan accused over the 1998Al-Qaeda bombings of US embassies in Africadied on Friday, days before he was to standtrial in New York, his lawyer and family said.Abu Anas Al-Libi, 50, was on the FBI’s most-wanted list with a $5 million price on his headwhen he was captured by US troops in theLibyan capital Tripoli in Oct 2013. He andSaudi businessman Khalid Al-Fawwaz weredue to stand trial on Jan 12 over the attackson the US embassies in Kenyaand Tanzania that killed 224 peo-ple and wounded around 5,000.

Libi, a computer expert, diedat a hospital in the New Yorkarea on Friday, his lawyerBernard Kleinman told TheWashington Post, saying thehealth of his client - who hadadvanced liver cancer -had dete-riorated significantly in the lastmonth. Libi and Fawwaz bothpreviously pleaded not guilty toconspiracy charges. A third sus-pect, Egyptian Adel Abdel Bary,last year pleaded guilty to playing a role inthe 1998 attacks.

Libi’s son Abdel Mouin told CNN by tele-phone from Tripoli early yesterday that hisfather had been in a coma before his deathand that the family holds the US government“fully responsible” for his demise. Libi, whoalso suffered from hepatitis C, was detainedby US commandos on Oct 5, 2013, and inter-rogated on board a US warship before beinghanded over to FBI agents on Oct 12 andflown to New York.

He was questioned by the agents onboard the flight, initially waiving his right to alawyer, during which he made an incriminat-ing statement. But Libi had sought to sup-press the statement in court, saying he wason hunger strike at the time, raising ques-tions about the extent to which he was cog-nizant when he waived his rights.Investigators told the court Libi had informedthem of the hunger strike during the flight,

but that he had been hooked upto an IV and under medicalsupervision. He was responsive,understood his rights, knowinglywaived them and spoke willing-ly, and at no point appearedconfused, investigator GeorgeCorey said.

In an indictment, prosecutorsaccused Libi of discussing in1993 possible attacks against theUS embassy in Nairobi, and ofcarrying out surveillance of thediplomatic mission. In or around1994, the indictment said, he

received files concerning possible attacksagainst the embassy, the US Agency forInternational Development, and British,French and Israeli targets in Nairobi. However,defense lawyer Kleinman says Libi was inno-cent and had cut his ties with Al-Qaedabefore the 1998 attacks. The United Statesfaced criticism after the raid in which Libi wascaptured as he was parking his car in Tripoli,with Libya denouncing it as a kidnapping andrights groups accusing Washington of violat-ing his fundamental human rights. — AFP

Qaeda suspect dies

days before US trial

Abu Anas Al-Libi

LONDON: British human rights lawyer Amal Clooneyclaimed in an interview published yesterday that shewas threatened with arrest in Egypt after identifyingflaws in the judicial system that later contributed tothe convictions of three Al-Jazeera journalists.Clooney, a rights lawyer who married Hollywood starGeorge Clooney in a lavish Venice ceremony last year,helped compile a report forthe International BarAssociation in Feb 2014 thatraised questions about theindependence of judgesand prosecutors in Egypt.

“When I went to launchthe report, first of all theystopped us from doing it inCairo,” she told theGuardian newspaper. “Theysaid: ‘Does the report criti-cise the army, the judiciary,or the government?’ Wesaid: ‘Well, yes.’ They said: ‘Well then, you’re riskingarrest,’” said Clooney, who is one of the lawyers rep-resenting one of the trio of Al-Jazeera reporters cur-rently detained in Cairo. The report, based on a fact-finding mission made in mid-2013, warned aboutthe wide powers that ministers had over judges andhighlighted a record of selective prosecutions.

Supporters of the three Al-Jazeera journalists,who were detained in Dec 2013 and accused ofspreading false information and aiding the black

Continued on Page 13

Amal Clooney

threatened with

arrest in Egypt

Amal Clooney

AII, Jordan: The father of the Jordanianpilot captured by the Islamic State groupappealed yesterday to the militants totreat his son well and with respect. Thepilot, 1st Lt Muath Al-Kaseasbeh, was tak-en captive on Dec 24 after his F-16 fighterjet crashed near the extremists’ de factocapital of Raqqa in northern Syria. The 26-year-old Jordanian is the first known for-eign military pilot to fall into the militants’hands since the US-led international coali-tion began its aerial campaign against theIS in September.

Speaking to reporters from his homevillage of Aii in central Jordan, the pilot’sfather, Safi Yousef Al-Kaseasbeh, said yes-terday that he is “confident” that his son is“in safe hands in a place where he isrespected”. “I want to tell our brothers inthe Islamic State that Muath is your sonsame as he is our son,” Kaseasbeh said.“My message to them on this day, thebirthday of the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH), is that they treat him in a goodway, and to treat him as a guest.”

The younger Kaseasbeh was carryingout airstrikes against the militants whenhis warplane went down. In its monthlymagazine, the Islamic State group pub-lished what it said was an interview withKaseasbeh in which the pilot says he wasshot down by a heat-seeking missile. Thatversion contradicts statements from theUnited States, which has denied that themilitants downed the Jordanian’s aircraft.Other than the purported interview, there

has been no word on Kaseasbeh or hisfate.

The Islamic State group follows anextremist version of Islam that considersrivals, even some fellow Sunni Muslims, asapostates, and the group has executedcaptured Iraqi and Syrian Muslim soldiersin the past. Still, the group may want tonegotiate a prisoner swap or other con-cessions from Jordan.

Separately, militants linked to theIslamic State group rounded up dozens ofmen from two villages in northern Iraqfollowing a quarrel that led to the burningof the extremist group’s flag, tribal leaderssaid yesterday. The latest move by theextremist militants came as the UnitedNations said that last year saw the highestcausality figures in Iraq in over five years.

Two sheikhs said the militants entereda mosque in the village of Shajara onFriday as worshipers gathered for prayers,removing flags commemorating the birthof Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and hoist-ing their own black Islamic State groupflag. That prompted a verbal quarrelbetween the militants and the worship-pers, who later burned the Islamic Stategroup flag. The militants then snatchedup around 140 men from their homes inShajara and from the nearby village ofGhariba village, both around 70 km out-side the northern city of Kirkuk. Around100 of the men were later released, whilethe rest remained in captivity, the sheikhssaid. — AP

Father of captured pilot

asks IS to treat him well

L O C A LSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

CrimeR e p o r t

Toddler drowns

during picnic

KUWAIT: A two-year-old girl drowned during afamily picnic, said security sources, noting that amother rushed the infant to hospital but she hadalready died. A case was filed and further investi-gations are in progress.

Motorist assaultedA citizen sustained various injuries including abroken nose, a stab and various cuts and bruiseswhen four people forced him to pull his vehicleover and assaulted him in Reqqa. The man wasrushed to Adan Hospital’s ICU.

Search for fake copsTwo Iranian brothers reported that four peopleimpersonating as police detectives broke bargedinto their Mangaf apartment and stole KD 2,850,said security sources. The brothers said that claim-ing to be police detectives, the four assailants heldthem in one of the rooms while they searched theflat and stole the money. The assailants even pre-tended to take one of the brothers to the policestation and let him go a few blocks away. A casewas filed and further investigations are inprogress.

DUIA drunken man was arrested driving a stolen vehi-cle and carrying around a gun and a butcher’scleaver in Firdous, said security sources. Casepapers indicate that a police patrol suspected avehicle and on stopping it, found the driver washeavily drunk and the vehicle turned out to bereported stolen. Searching the vehicle, policemenfound the gun and the knife. A case was field.

‘Missing’ girl foundA bedoon girl in her twenties, who had beenreported missing by her family, was arrested in avehicle with a young bedoon man in Andalus, saidsecurity sources. The girl told the police that shehad eloped from her family’s house and called herboyfriend, who picked her up and took her to hishouse, where she had been living before theywere arrested.

Fugitive nabbedAn Asian man was arrested on arrival at Kuwait air-port for being wanted for a robbery, said securitysources.

FireworksEleven peddlers were arrested along Khairan roadwith fireworks and charcoal they sold to campers,said security sources.

Playground accidentA 12-year-old child was seriously injuredwhen he bounced out of a trampoline in anamusement park and fell on the ground, saidsecurity sources. An ambulance was dis-patched to the scene and the boy was takento hospital for treatment.

Maids arrestedThree Filipina maids were arrested on arrivalat Kuwait airport with expired cosmetics andcreams, said security sources.

Bullets for saleOn a sudden inspection campaign at theFriday market, detectives found a number of16 mm bullets inside a basket offered forsale, said security sources.

Family driver chargedA female citizen reported that her driverstole KD 400 and his passport from her pursewhen she left it inside the vehicle, said secu-rity sources, noting that a case was filed anda search is on for the driver.

Bad luckA kind-hearted Indian man who stopped tooffer help to some unidentified people neartheir broken vehicle in Saad Al-Abdullah wasbrutally repaid for his benevolence as thepeople supposedly in distress pointed aknife in his face, forced him out of his carand stole it.

Reckless driversFollowing up on a raid on two Wafra farmson January 1 where many sports cars wereconfiscated, security sources said that 33young men were arrested as the owners butthey denied owning any of the confiscatedcars, especially that none of them had regis-trations. The young men were accordinglyreleased on bail pending further investiga-tions.

KUWAIT: A high-ranking health ministry official blew thewhistle on a very tragic issue, declaring that Kuwaiti publichospitals were full of hundreds of senior citizens who had fin-ished receiving medical care and needed to go back homewhere family bonds would help cure them and relieve theirpain. “Unfortunately, those senior citizens’ relatives have beenrefusing to take them home,” he revealed.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said thatthe scores of patients aged 60 to 90 had already received themedical treatment they needed and had to be discharged.“Nonetheless, those patients’ ungrateful children or relativeswho had not been so visiting them left them in hospital formonths,” added the official, noting that many of the patients’children and relatives had been notified of the need to dis-charge the patients. “Some of them promised to take themhome, while others got angry for being told so and blamedthe hospitals for what they described as ‘interfering in person-al affairs’ and immediately started criticizing the medical body

for not ‘shouldering its responsibilities towards citizens’,”explained the official.

Moreover, the official explained that most of the senior citi-zens suffered from chronic diseases that could be dealt with athome, but instead were receiving such care by nurses in pri-vate rooms that are badly needed for more critical cases. “Wecannot force a citizen out of a private hospital room, butwhere will they go as long as their relatives refuse takingthem?” the official exclaimed.

In addition, the official stressed that these patients’ rela-tives had been repeatedly reminded that senior citizens getenough social security pensions, including KD 559 to allwomen over fifty, granting widows their late husbands’ pen-sions, men’s pension, senior citizens’ care, house call doctorsand medical care at home. He added that despite beingthreatened that such incentives might be stopped if their cas-es were reported, many of the relatives have not respondedand still kept their ageing relatives in hospitals. — Al-Rai

Hundreds of senior citizens

abandoned in hospitals

Relatives refuse to take them back home

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: A cit izen was instantlykilled and three others were serious-ly injured in a collision along Wafrahighway, said security sources, not-ing that the injured people wererushed to hospital for treatment.Separately, a 22-year-old citizen diedwhen his ATV collided with a vehiclealong King Fahd Highway, said secu-rity sources. In another accident, an18-year-old citizen was killed whenhis vehicle rammed into a lamppostin Waha in Jahra, said securitysources.

Warehouse robberyThe manager of a cooking gas ware-

house in Nahda reported that unidenti-fied robbers had broken into the ware-house and stolen KD 77 in cash in additionto a truck loaded with 85 empty cylinders,said security sources. A case was filed andfurther investigations are in progress.

Spa fireA fire broke out yesterday morning at

a hotel’s spa, said security sources. Theynoted that firefighters from Salmiya andMishref fire stations rushed to the sceneand managed to put the blaze undercontrol. No injuries were reported.

KUWAIT: Well-informed governmentalsources said that the government will builda third university within the Sabah Al-Salem University campus that also includesJaber University in order to meet the grow-ing demand for university education. Thesources added that in appreciation for hissupport to science, the new universitywould be named after ‘Humanitarian

Leader ’ His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Academics welcomed the move andcalled to focus on technical majors that willhelp achieve HH the Amir’s view of turningKuwait into a regional financial hub. Thesources highlighted that building a newuniversity would help cut the cost of localand overseas scholarships. — Al-Anbaa

Three killed in

separate collisions

New university to be named

after ‘Humanitarian Leader’

The scene after the fire was put out.

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team of theEnvironmental Voluntary Foundation (EVF)removed yesterday up to 80 tons of waste ineast of Sulaibikhat coast in collaborationwith Kuwait Municipality and EnvironmentPublic Authority.

The cleaning of east Sulaibikhat coast isone of the major environmental projects ofKuwait Dive Team, said the team’s marineoperations’ officer Waleed Al-Shatti. He laud-ed the government’s cooperation with the

team’s volunteers to clean the marine envi-ronment from harmful waste such as plasticmaterials, tires and discarded fishing nets.

The environmental team will continueits work tomorrow to clear the entirecoast, Shatti pointed out. He called on thebeach-goers not to throw their waste inthe Gulf waters as it damages marine envi-ronment. He also urged tougher sanctionsagainst violators of environment protec-tion laws. — KUNA

Divers remove 80 tons

of waste in Sulaibikhat

L O C A LSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti meteorologist, astronomerand historian Adel Al-Saadoun yesterdayexpected unstable weather conditions willcontinue throughout the week. “The droughtthese days is due to the El Nino phenomenon,which comes every 7 years and affects theentire world,” he said. He forecast that thenext four days will see volatile northwesterlywinds, a bit of chill and temperatures will

drop to 5 degrees at night. It is not expectedto rain in the coming week, he added.

El Nino is the warm phase of the El NinoSouthern Oscillation , and is associated with aband of warm ocean water that develops inthe central and east-central equatorial Pacific(between approximately the InternationalDate Line and 120W), including off the Pacificcoast of South America. El Nino SouthernOscillation refers to the cycle of warm andcold temperatures, as measured by sea sur-

face temperature, SST, of the tropical centraland eastern Pacific Ocean.

El Nino is accompanied by high air pres-sure in the western Pacific and low air pres-sure in the eastern Pacific. The cool phase ofENSO is called “La Nina” with SST in the east-ern Pacific below average and air pressureshigh in the eastern and low in western Pacific.The ENSO cycle, both El Nino and La Nina,causes global changes of both temperaturesand rainfall.

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Chairman of the KuwaitCooperative Societies Union Ali Hassanannounced that the union has struck anagreement with KNPC and the Ministry ofCommerce to exclude the kerosene provid-ed to Iranian (tannour) bakeries operating invarious co-ops from the new prices. Hassanadded that according to the agreement, allco-ops would receive the amount needed torun the bakeries at the old prices so as notto affect both shareholders and consumers.

Unfit ministerAddressing His Highness the Prime

Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah,MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji charged that theMinister of Commerce and IndustryAbdulmohsen Al-Mudej was not fit for hisposition. “If he does not know what is goingon, this would be a disaster, which would beeven greater if knew,” he underlined, notingthat the Kuwaiti people realize day by daythat the minister is not the right person forthis position because he had not studied thepossible consequences of lifting fuel subsi-dies, namely the hike in prices of variousgoods.

Prices controlMeanwhile, MP Khalil Al-Abdullah con-

sidered the unjustified hikes of construction

material prices in the aftermath of the lift-ing of diesel subsidies a clear example ofthe government’s weakness and its contra-dicting and random decisions. He alsostressed that lawmakers will not stand bywatching. “We will activate all monitoringand legislative tools to face and stop anyunjustified price increases,” he stressed, not-ing that lawmakers had warned the govern-ment of the possible consequences ofunstudied measures such as lifting fuel sub-sidies.

“Such a decision should have beenaccompanied by a package of decisions tohelp protect consumers against some mer-chants’ greed,” he underlined, noting thatsuch merchants have been always takingadvantage of the government’s weaknessto boost their bank accounts at the expenseof consumers.

Greedy merchantsOn his part, MP Fares Al-Otaibi slammed

the “privatization of citizens for the benefitof greedy merchants’ and the government’sspontaneous decision without conductingany study about the possible consequencesor taking any measures to control prices. “Itis very clear that the presence of somelenient ministers helps greedy merchantsdestroy Kuwait’s middle class because thesemerchants think they are above the law,” hesaid.

Date CrimeMarch 2009 Attempted murder of a girl in Um Al-HaimanSeptember 2010 Attempted murder of a child by suffocation using his father’s shmagh (headscarf )February 2011 Murder of a Kuwaiti bride on her wedding nightAugust 2011 A doctor’s attempted murder in Kuwait CityNovember 2011 A bride’s murder before her wedding dayMarch 2014 Stab-murder of Seham Fulaiteh in SuleibikhatMarch 2014 Attempted murder of sponsor by a cleaverApril 2014 Infant’s torture in Subahia

KUWAIT: Ethiopian Ambassador to KuwaitMohammed Gudeta said that the spate of vio-lence committed by Ethiopian domestic laborersand maids was “a reaction to harassment andprovocations they face in some houses”. Gudetaalso denied media and social media stories aboutthe presence of a certain Ethiopian tribe or groupthat adopts murder and torture as part of theirtraditions. “These are false accusations and havenothing to do with the recent incidents,” he said.

Gudeta stressed that the embassy solvesmany domestic labor problems through properlegal channels. “One cannot blame allEthiopians for individual incidents - this wouldbe inaccurate and unfair,” he said, noting that 3million Ethiopians work in GCC states and thefact that a few of them commit crimes does notincriminate them all.

Moreover, the ambassador pointed out thatbringing new workers to Kuwait has been tem-

porarily suspended since 2013 and that bilateraltalks were in progress to resume hiringEthiopians. Gudeta also noted that he wouldfollow in his predecessor’s steps in holding spe-cial awareness courses for Ethiopians newlyrecruited in Kuwait to enlighten them aboutKuwaiti laws, tra-ditions and regu-lations.

— Al-Jarida

Harassment leads Ethiopian

maids to commit crimes: Envoy

Ethiopian maids’ crimes in the past six years

Iranian bakeries to get

kerosene at old prices

Minister of Commerce and IndustryAbdulmohsen Al-Mudej

MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji

MP Khalil Al-Abdullah MP Fares Al-Otaibi

KUWAIT: A visit by Egypt’s PresidentAbdelfatah Al-Sisi to Kuwait tomorrow isexpected to give an impetus to bilateralties, economic, trade and investment inparticular, as Kuwaiti non-petroleumexports to Cairo more than doubledduring the third quarter of 2014, com-pared to the corresponding period in2013.

Non-petroleum exports to Egyptjumped by 110 percent in Q3 in 2014,ranking second in terms of growth aftera 245.1 percent rise in exports to Brazil,according to data by Kuwait’s Ministryof Commerce and Industry.

Statistics on the three months revealnoticeable increase in bilateral trade, asEgypt ranked 15th biggest importerfrom Kuwait, receiving non-petroleumproducts worth KD 5.2 million. Over thesame period, Egypt ranked 18 amid theword countries exporting to Kuwaitwith KD 29.5 million.

Kuwait has always been eager onsupporting the Egyptian economy. TheKuwait Fund for Arab EconomicDevelopment (KFAED) has offered Egypt38 loans for financing projects in varioussectors, with a total amount of approxi-mately KD 661.58 million ($2.309 bil-lion). It also provided nine grants andtechnical assistance allocations totalingKD 1.97 million which financed techni-cal and economic feasibility studies forseveral projects and other activities inthe country.

In addition, KFAED has administeredtwo grants of KD 4.8 million for the con-struction of schools that were affectedby the earthquake in 1992, and for thereconstruction of some villages thatwere damaged by floods in 1995.

The two Arab countries are bound bymany economic agreements, the first ofwhich was signed in 1964. In 1998, theysigned an economic and technical

cooperation accord, renewed inDecember 2012 to cover all trade andindustrial fields, standard specifications,quality monitoring and small and medi-um sized projects (SMEs), as wellencouraging the private sector andinvestments.

Last year, Egypt and Kuwait signedan agreement for enhancing trade andindustrial ties, and a MoU for coopera-tion in exhibitions and conferences. InNovember, up to 35 Egyptian firms tookpart in a special wide scale event heldhere on real state at home.

Kuwait is the third biggest Arabinvestor in Egypt with up to LE 12 billion(KD 492.4 million). This is about 25 per-cent of Arab investments in the country.Kuwaiti investments focus on industry,tourism, communications, constructionand charity.

Economy’s recoveryMeanwhile, a number of Kuwaiti

experts said yesterday that Sisi’s visit tothe country is indicative of the recoveryof the Egyptian economy after a tumul-tuous period of three years.

Saying that Kuwaiti investments inEgypt are among the most distin-guished, Hussein Al-Kharafi, head ofKuwait Industries Union told KUNA thatKuwaiti businesspeople were keen oninvesting in Egypt as long as the oppor-tunities existed with no red tape imped-iments in their way.

Mohammad Al-Naqi, Chairman ofthe Board of Kuwait Industries HoldingCompany, said on his part that theEgyptian President’s visit was a clearmessage that the door was wide openfor Kuwaiti investments in that country.

Stressing that Kuwaiti investmentshad a sizable presence in such Egyptiansectors as tourism and real estate, SalahAl-Sultan, consultant to Arzaq CapitalCompany, told KUNA that Al-Sisi’s visitoffered a great opportunity for theKuwaiti private sector to invest or aug-ment their current investments in Egyptas the latter was showing signs of stabil-ity and recovery.

Abdulhamid Al-Awadhi, an oilexpert, said that energy ties betweenKuwait and Egypt were strong, notingthat KPC provides Egypt with about halfa million barrels of diesel every monthin addition to 100,000 barrels of crudeoil, stressing the notion that theEgyptian energy market was huge andrequired more investments.

Sarah Akbar, CEO of Kuwait EnergyCompany touted her company’s invest-ments in Egypt which go back to 2006,saying that most of these investmentshave been created in conjunction withthe Egyptian government. She hopedthat the Egyptian president’s visit wouldlead to more cooperation on energyinvestments in that country. — KUNA

Kuwaiti-Egyptian economic ties

poise for new stage of growth

Sisi’s visit to spur bilateral investments: Experts

KUWAIT: Chances of heavy rain in Kuwait - such as seen in the picture above taken in 2013 - are unlikely this year according to meteorologists’predictions. — KUNA

El Nino behind this year’s

drought: Meteorologist

Egyptian President Abdelfatah Al-Sisi

LO C A LSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

KUWAIT: EQUATE PetrochemicalCompany, Kuwait’s first internationalpetrochemical joint-venture,announced the successful completionof its plants’ Turnaround (TA) and thefirst phase of the polyethylene plantdebottlenecking project.

With the par t icipation of over10,000 employees and contractors,EQUATE has realized the first of its kindinternational achievement by complet-ing all operations within a record-timefor petrochemical plants based onglobal standards. In addition, EQUATEhas affirmed its abidance by all locallaws and regulations relevant to imple-menting the strictest guidelines forenvironment, health and safety (EH&S).

All units were shutdown from the20th of November to the 20th ofDecember, 2014, and the unitsresumed their normal operations onthe 23rd of December.

The TA is a major activity that takesplace once every eight years for a 30-day shutdown. All matters are thor-oughly planned for technical expertsto conduct comprehensive mainte-nance of a number of industrial units,which include ethylene, polyethylene,ethylene glycol and utilities, whileensuring absolute abidance by inter-national best practices.

As a global achievement, this TA is adistinguished milestone for EQUATEand its employees, as it also has a sig-nificant strategic role in determiningthe direction of EQUATE’s future critical

projects. In addition, during the TA,EQUATE executed the first phase of itspolyethylene debottlenecking project.EQUATE’s current capacity of polyeth-ylene is 825,000 metric tons annually(MTA), and will reach almost 1 millionMTA once the debottlenecking projectis completed during 2016.

EQUATE President and CEOMohammad Husain said, “This excel-lent achievement by the individualexecuting the TA deser ves utmostappreciation and gratitude. On behalfof EQUATE, it gives me great pleasureto extend utmost gratefulness for theirefforts, dedication and patience torealize such a distinguished milestonein the company’s history. All the TA’sphases and steps were completed incooperation with Kuwait ’sEnvironment Public Authority (EPA)and other bodies by considering allregulations and standards. I would liketo express endless gratitude to EPA, aswell as all other public and privateentities, especially the Ministry ofInterior, Ministry of Social Affairs &Labor, Public Authority for Industryand Ministry of Health for their sup-port and cooperation with all industri-al organizations.”

Husain added, “ Throughout theyears, EQUATE has launched severalworld-class EH&S initiatives. These ini-tiatives include the Middle East’s FirstPlant Water Recycle Project, Kuwait’sFirst CO2 Recovery Project, Kuwait’sFirst Seawater Cooling Towers, Kuwait’s

First Private Sector Environmental Lab,as well as being the First Kuwait iorganization to receive ResponsibleCare (RC) certification and accredita-tion relevant to all phases of petro-chemical and chemical products fromproduction to final use.”

Husain concluded, “Our humanresources, especially nationals, playeda great role in manifesting a uniqueprofessional culture throughout thecompany during the TA. The work envi-ronment was characterized by team-work based on innovation, focusedresponsiveness, precision and holisticintegration at all levels. EQUATE willcontinue adopting ‘Partners in Success’with employees, shareholders, cus-tomers, other organizations and thesociety as a whole as a key element ofits identity as a global company toensure sustainability in all fields.”

Established in 1995, EQUATEPetrochemical Company is an interna-t ional joint venture betweenPetrochemical Industries Company(PIC), The Dow Chemical Company(Dow), Boubyan PetrochemicalCompany (BPC ) and QurainPetrochemical Industries Company(QPIC). Commencing production in1997, EQUATE is the single operator ofa fully integrated world-scale manufac-turing facility producing over 5 milliontons annually of high-quality petro-chemical products which are marketedthroughout the Middle East , Asia,Africa and Europe.

EQUATE completes Turnaround, phase

one of polyethylene debottlenecking

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Brazil Ayada Al-Saidi hasattended the inauguration ceremony of President DilmaRousseff, amid several heads of states and governments.

Commissioned by His Highness the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Ambassador Saidi on 1January attended the official inauguration ceremony that

ushered in a new-term for Rousseff, the embassy said in astatement to KUNA yesterday. It added that Saidi conveyedto Rousseff greetings of HH the Amir, who wished her andBrazil progress and welfare. Rousseff, who won the presi-dential elections last October, expressed gratitude to HHthe Amir.— KUNA

Kuwait’s ambassador

attends inauguration

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Teachers Society hosted a ceremony recently to honor teachers for their performance in the2013/2014 school year. Ministry of Education officials, led by Minister Dr Bader Al-Essa, attended the ceremony.

—Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

L O C A LSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Syrian embassy Birth certificates Electronic crimesKUWAIT: The Syrian embassy is expected to resumereceiving transactions from the Syrian communitymembers in Kuwait in less than two weeks, accord-ing to well-informed diplomatic sources. The sourcesmeanwhile denied rumors on social media speculat-ing that the embassy has already opened its doors.Scores of Syrian nationals were reportedly turnedback after arriving to the embassy’s building lastTuesday to renew their passports and avoid payingfines.— Al-Jarida

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health issued a total of56,865 birth certificates in 2014. The number include31,778 issued for Kuwaitis, 25,087 for expatriates and23,247 for bedoons (stateless), Dr Mahmoud Al-Abdul Hadi, Assistant Undersecretary for LegalAffairs, said recently. He added that 6,197 death cer-tificates were issued last year in total, including 1,105for bedoons. — Al-Anbaa

KUWAIT: The Electronic Crimes Department at theInterior Ministry handled around 12,00 cases in 2014,up by 15 percent compared to 2013. Security sourcessaid on that regard that people are becoming moreconfident in the court system’s ability to restore theirright, hence the increase in the number of casesfiled. He added that the department closed 650accounts on Instagram and Twitter last year for vio-lating the terms of use. — Al-Qabas

Photoo f t h e d a y

KUWAIT: Windows at the Sadu House building reflect artistic shapes from the Kuwaiti heritage. Established in 1978, Sadu House is a museum of Bedouin artistic handicrafts, namely Sadu weaving. It is located at theArabian Gulf Road in Kuwait City. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

In Brief

Bayt.com survey shows jobs

are plentiful in Kuwait

35 percent claim job opportunities will remain steadyKUWAIT: Bayt.com’s Middle East and NorthAfrica Consumer Confidence Index survey,conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’snumber one job site, and leading marketresearch agency, YouGov, has shown thatdespite respondents’ expecting Kuwait’seconomy and job opportunities to grow inthe foreseeable future, respondents are stillconcerned about the rising cost of living.

Personal Economic Situation27 percent of respondents in Kuwait con-

sider their personal financial situation to haveimproved in the last 6 months, with 47 per-cent stating that it has remained the same,and 43 percent considering it will get better inthe next 6 months. Despite this, 82 percentbelieve that the cost of living will rise inKuwait within the same time period. Half ofKuwait respondents (50 percent) state thattheir savings have decreased in comparison tolast year.

In terms of purchases, four in ten Kuwaitrespondents are planning to invest in a vehi-cle in the coming year, with 32 percent plan-ning to purchase a new vehicle for personaluse. A sizable 29 percent are planning oninvesting in property, with apartments (49percent) being the investment of choice. Overhalf (58 percent) plan to purchase a new prop-erty, while 20 percent plan to buy a pre-owned property. In terms of smaller purchas-es, Kuwait respondents plan to buy desktopor laptop computers (19 percent), furniture(21 percent), refrigerators (12 percent) andLCD or plasma televisions (12 percent) in thenext 6 months.

The Country’s Economic SituationThe Kuwait economy has improved in the

last 6 months, according to 21 percent ofrespondents, and 42 percent expect things toget better in the next 6 months. Present busi-ness conditions are considered to be good to

very good by 39 percent, again with theexpectation for things to get better in theyear to come (50 percent). In Kuwait, jobs areconsidered to be plentiful according to 39percent of respondents, and 35 percentexpect the number of job opportunities inKuwait to remain steady in the next 6 months.

Current Job PerspectiveAccording to 35 percent of respondents,

their companies have grown in terms of thenumber of employees in the last 6 months.About a quarter state that their companieshave fewer people now. 43 percent of respon-dents expect the number of employees intheir company to grow in the next half year.

For the most part, job satisfaction is high inKuwait. Kuwait professionals are happy withcareer growth opportunities (42 percent),non-monetary benefits (36 percent), and jobsecurity (45 percent), but they are less happywith their current salary (41 percent are satis-fied).

“On the whole, the outlook for the region isa good one. Things are certainly improvingwith more and more major projects material-izing across the MENA region, such as theupcoming World Cup in Qatar and Expo2020in Dubai,” said Suhail Al-Masri, VP of Sales,Bayt.com. “These projects are generatingmore job opportunities, which is a boom forthe region. They are, however, also driving upcosts which is why savings are dwindling andrespondents are expecting a higher cost ofliving in the future. Employers must take thisinto consideration when hiring new employ-ees.”

Silviu Matei, Director, YouGov, said: “Aninteresting point to note is that despite thefact that most people in the MENA regionconsider their personal financial situation tohave either improved or stayed the same, alarge proportion state that their savings havedecreased. Despite high levels of confidencein the market, rising prices seem to negativelyimpact residents’ savings.”

Data for the YouGov and Bayt.com MiddleEast and North Africa Consumer ConfidenceIndex Survey for August 2014 was collectedonline from August 5-19, 2014, amongst5,075respondents aged 18 years and above.Respondents were from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait,Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan,Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

AMMAN: A delegation of 13 Kuwaiti volun-teers toured refugee camps in Jordan andprovided direct support to the displacedSyrian families. The volunteers handed 45Syrian families financial aid, $100 each. Thetour organized by Kuwaiti Team ofHumanitarian Initiatives (Insani) in collabo-ration with Kuwait’s Al-Rahma InternationalCharity.

The Kuwaiti delegation is visiting Jordanfor a three-days to distribute aid providedby Kuwait to the Syrian in need, said head

of delegation Anan Al-Subehi. The Kuwaitioffice in Jordan provided relief aid to Syrianrefuges since the outbreak of the four-yearSyrian crisis, Al-Rahma Charity Jordan officesupervisor Basil Shahada pointed out. Headded that Al-Rahma office in Jordan alsoprovide several services to the refugeesincluding the education service in collabo-ration with Yazan Educational Center. Over400 Syrian families are benefiting from theeducation service provided Al-Rahma inJordan, he said. — KUNA

Kuwait provides aid to

Syrian families in Jordan

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

Syrians inKuwait

Local Spotlight

I’m very concerned over the status of the thousandsof Syrians living in Kuwait. The Syrian embassy wasclosed for more than nine months, and therefore

Syrian citizens did not have any official here for follow-up and care. We all know why. This is not the subject ofthis article. Today I want to make the call to reopen theembassy as soon as possible for the sake of all thosepeople.

We have approximately 130,000 Syrian residents inKuwait who need consular services. The Syrians weregoing through a difficult situation and had to travel toneighboring countries for consular services, especiallyfor renewal of their passports. The number is not small.Some of them are elderly people, the sick and chil-dren.

A few days ago, the Undersecretary of the Ministryof Foreign Affairs Khalid Al-Jarallah made a statementthat the Syrian diplomats had left the country on theirvolition and returned willingly, and the ministry hasnothing against the return of the diplomats to man-age their citizens’ affairs regardless of Kuwait’s stancetowards the ruling regime. I think the statement wasclear and conveyed the right message.

Meanwhile, three diplomats arrived a few days ago,but they need time to prepare themselves and theembassy files. This is a start. In the world of politics,there is no permanent enemy because of commoninterests. When mutual interests become people’srights and needs, then reality imposes itself. And this isexactly where the Kuwaiti government stands todayover the thousands of Syrians resident in Kuwait whoneed to contact their embassy.

I believe that diplomatic representation in anycountry does not symbolize the regime or a presidentas much as it represents the citizens of the state andtheir interests. This is why there is a necessity to havediplomats here to follow up on the Syrians’ conditionsand facilitate their living and business affairs in Kuwait.

Unfortunately, some politicians and people areextremely narrow-minded to consider this call a wayto mend severed ties with the Syrian regime, not not-ing that we may agree or disagree with any politicalsystem, but should not force its people to pay theprice for our fake pride. Their needs as humans andexpats are at stake. But people usually pay for thepresidency’s errors!

For example, former Palestinian president YasserArafat was a supporter of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwaitin 1990. This attitude sparked a Kuwaiti grudge againstall Palestinians living in Kuwait, and to this day socialrelations are not as they used to be before 1990. This isnot fair because not all Palestinians agreed with theirpresident’s policy. Today, we come across a similar sce-nario.

I hope that the Ministry of Interior will provide max-imum security to the embassy and its staff becausethere are a lot of revolutionists who may target theembassy, and the Kuwaiti government must protectthe representatives of the states here.

LO C A LSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

The National Assembly and government payunprecedented attention to issues of citizens’housing, and those who follow government plans

and projects find that most of them are in favor of citi-zens and this is natural, normal and accepted in anycountry as long as the citizens are the ones who work,produce pay taxes, serve in the military and shoulderthe responsibility of developing and modernizing theircountry.

The situation in this welfare oil country is that citi-zens form 1/3 of the population, and get all state’sattention, but the question remains what are the gov-ernment plans towards housing of non-Kuwaitis whomake up the majority of 70 percent of the population,number nearly three million, and are divided into sever-al social groups; Asians making up the majority amongthem. The government left the issue of those people’sresidence other than domestic helpers, drivers andcooks to citizens to care for them by the family. But asfor the rest, the private sector cares for them by invest-ment housing buildings.

Today, after the influx of foreign and Arab labor inlarge numbers to carry out development projects, wemust plan very well. Let us take Jaber Al-AhmadHospital which will be completed soon - this hospitalneeds nearly 5,000 workers including doctors, nurses, x-ray and other technicians, etc. They need more than100 housing units, and supposing that each buildinghas 30 flats, it means that we need 30 buildings to

house those working in one hospital among non-Kuwaitis.

The next problem is refusal of Kuwaiti youth to livein investment areas because of the high rents, and thebuildings are not suitable for them due to the large

number of bachelors and disturbance, so most Kuwaitisresort to renting in model residential areas, promptinghouse and residential landowners to expand and trans-form their buildings to semi-investment buildings in

residential areas. This increased the pressure on alltypes of services, and this led to elevating land pricesbecause of the rising income from renting in housingareas for families. This refutes the claim that citizensreject living in flats if they are available. Citizensdemand government homes not only for housing, butalso ownership of the land as a way of making wealth.

We go back to the housing of Kuwait’s guests whowork in this country - the problem lies in bad govern-ment planning which created a problem of supply anddemand in residential areas. The realistic solutionrequires the government to sell investment housingland to private companies and provide the various serv-ices to absorb the huge increase in the number ofexpats and Kuwait youth who wish to rent flats.

There is no government around the world that dis-tributes housing to all citizens. What is done in all coun-tries is that the government provides the lands to theprivate sector, which has the duty of distributing landsand provide all required services and build variousmodels of the houses. The houses are then purchasedthrough real estate banks.

Is it realistic for the mad rise of land prices in Kuwait,while the used lands make only 8 percent of Kuwait’sarea while 92 percent is under government control?Release the lands and leave it to the private sector.Encourage competition and transparency, which forsure will solve most of our problems.

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Watan

Non-Kuwaitis’ residencekuwait digest

By Dr Shamlan Al-Essa

Al-Jarida

The realistic solution

requires the government to

sell investment housing

land to private companies

and provide the various

services to absorb the huge

increase in the number of

expats and Kuwait youth

who wish to rent flats.

Good morning dear readers and I wish youall a happy new year full of joy and happi-ness. In this article I would like to speak

about the random rules issued by the various gov-ernment’s institutions which are imposed sudden-ly without a thorough study. It is known that anynew regulation or law must be preceded by atleast 3-6 months of campaigning, surveys andmost importantly, media awareness to let thosetargeted become acquainted with the new regula-tions ahead of time. In this case, those targetedwould spare themselves from paying fines, andavoid unwanted troubles for themselves or totheir family members. One of the new rules thathas been implemented in Kuwait concerns renew-al of visas of expatriates and linked that with theexpiry of the passport. The decision was really ashock to our dear brothers and sisters who arehere to earn a decent living. My point is that suchdecision was imposed without a prior notice anddeprived the expat from contesting it. At least onemonth of media awareness should have precededthe issuance of this decision to make peopleaware of its negative impacts.

Another issue concerns domestic workers fromIndia, a matter that has created chaos in Kuwaitbetween the Indian Embassy and the government.The embassy wanted to secure interest of itsnationals by imposing some sort of insurance or adeposit in case the employer fails to treat theworker inhumanely. This decision in my opinion isstrictly the right of the Government of India asthey believe that this is the only solution to guar-

antee the right of the Indian national as therewere so many cases of expats whose rights havebeen neglected or violated. I say to employershere who oppose this decision: Why are you afraidof paying such fees if you believe what you are

doing is correct? If there is any doubt that theworker might be mistreated, in this case, theemployer would feel angry towards the embassybecause he or she wants it ‘easy come easy go.’ Ithink the decision is very good to protect the rightof those workers who in many cases are deprivedfrom their rights of salary, rest and good treat-ment.

This gesture by the embassy might be only thebeginning as more embassies might follow suit in

a bid to protect the rights of their nationals whoare precious to them. Those workers who have lefteverything behind in their own countries anddecided to come here to make a decent living fortheir kids, parents and for building the house oftheir dreams, and end up with broken promises. Alot of them thought that the doors of heavenwould open up for them once they reach Kuwaitand within a two-year-period, their dreams wouldbe fulfilled for their kids at schools, university,their cancer patients, their elderly fathers andmothers. But they come here and end up in aprison-like house with strict rules such as ‘No cellphone, no day off, no going out, no salary for 3months, no smiling, no laughing but only workwork work). And after that, we expect them to giveus what we dream of. As we have dreams to fulfillin terms of raising children, caring for the house,cooking etc, they as well have dreams to fulfillsuch as caring for their babies at home, elderlyfathers and mothers whom are left along and anx-iously awaiting every dinar to be sent from theirsons and daughters to eat well, drink well, betreated well and so on.

The government is ought to revise its policy ofissuing decisions that contradict with internation-al laws and regulations, and avoid taking quickand random decisions pertinent to expatriates.

Do not blame everything on them, they haveenough to worry about back home and with theirsponsors - most of whom enjoy yelling and insult-ing for no reason. Till the next article Insha Allah

Random Ruleskuwait digest

This gesture by the embassy

might be only the beginning

as more embassies might

follow suit in a bid to

protect the rights of

their nationals who are

precious to them.

By Labeed Abdal

local@kuwaittimes.net

Part-time jobs

The Manpower Public Authority’s announcementto allow expatriates working in the private sectorto seek part time jobs with other employers is an

important step for those looking to increase theirmonthly income legally. That is not to mention thatthe private sector’s labor law (number 6/2010) alreadystipulates allowing workers to work for other employ-ers outside their original working hours, but the stepremained on hold pending a decision from theMinister of Social Affairs and Labor to regulate theprocess.

As for expatriates working in the public sector, theyare already covered by the Civil Service Commission’slaw which allows them to work at the private sectoroutside of their original working hours. Therefore, therecent announcement is another step in the directionof simplifying labor procedures pertaining with for-eign workers in Kuwait.

With the new year’s start, we still are waiting for adecision to reopen recruitment of foreigners from out-side Kuwait. The decision will take into account thelabor market’s needs, as well as Kuwait’s demographicimbalance. This of course is necessary to help employ-ers recruit their required staff, while at the same timemaintaining control over the process to prevent nega-tive effect on the country’s demographical structure.

We hope to see a labor market in Kuwait based onachieving balance in the relationship betweenemployers and employees, who need to have theirrights met and feel secure in order to be able to giveback and work effectively. In the meantime, it is alsoimportant to protect employers’ rights from deceitfulemployees who run away after they are given anopportunity to work, train and make a living.

Finally, it is important to notice that the recurringdecisions to ban, allow, and ban procedures again issomething that needs to be taken into considerationwhen it comes to the state’s responsibility of guaran-teeing the basics of security and stability for citizensand residents alike.

kuwait digest

By Talal Al-Ghannam

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Boston bombing trial opens as emotions run high

Page 9

Israel mulls war crimes suits against top PalestiniansPage 8

GAZA: Palestinian friends and family members carry the body of Zaki Al-Houbi, a 17-year-old Palestinian boy, during his funeral procession in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah yesterday after he was shot by Egyptian borderguards the previous day. — AFP

GAZA CITY: Militant group Hamas yesterdaycondemned the fatal shooting by Egyptianborder guards of what they said was aPalestinian minor on the Gaza border. “Wecondemn the killing (Friday) of the child ZakiAl-Houbi by Egyptian army gunfire on the bor-ders, we consider what happened as a danger-ous development and excessive use of force,”the Islamist organisation said in a statement.“What happened is not appropriate to neigh-bourly relations between brothers.”

An Egyptian security official said thattroops opened fire on Gazans who had illegal-ly crossed into the Egyptian Sinai, where thearmy has created a buffer zone to prevent themovement of militants. “Soldiers charged with

protecting the frontier fired at six Gazans, ofwhom three succeeded in returning to Gazawhile three were arrested. One was probablyhit by the fire,” an official said.

Gaza emergency services spokesmanAshraf Al-Qudra said that Houbi was 17 yearsold. He was killed in the Gaza frontier town ofRafah by Egyptian soldiers firing from acrossthe border, Qudra said. The border troops shotthe youth “in the back and the bullet settled inthe heart. He died on the spot,” he told AFP. Hewas the first Palestinian “to have been killed ina long time” along the border between theGaza Strip and Egypt, according to Qudra. Aneyewitness told AFP that Houbi and three oth-ers scaled a concrete wall on the border hop-

ing to find work on the Egyptian side.His mother, Sarah al-Houbi, 35, said that he

had “left home to look for work” adding thather husband was unemployed and the familystricken by the poverty rampant in Gaza. Shesaid that he was not a member of any militantgroup and had tried several times to get intoEgypt but was sent back each time.

Buffer Zone Egypt announced on Tuesday that work to

double the width of a buffer zone along theGaza border would begin next week to pre-vent militants infiltrating from the Palestinianenclave. Construction of the 500-m bufferzone along 10 km of the border comes after

an October 24 suicide bombing that killed 30Egyptian soldiers. Some 800 homes are beingdemolished in the process. After that incident,Egypt declared a three-month emergency inparts of North Sinai - a remote but strategicregion bordering Israel and Gaza - and closedthe Rafah border crossing for two months. Thecrossing is Gaza’s only gateway to the outsideworld not controlled by Israel.

Egypt suspects Palestinian militants of aid-ing jihadist attacks against its security forces,which have increased since the army oustedIslamist president Mohamed Morsi last year.The Egyptian army has also stepped up thedestruction of tunnels from Gaza it says areused to smuggle arms, food and money by

Palestinian militant group Hamas which con-trols the territory. Cairo says it has destroyedmore than 1,600 tunnels since Morsi’s ouster.

Meanwhile, the Israeli navy opened fireearly yesterday on two Palestinian boats offthe southern Gaza coast, wounding a fisher-man, Gaza medical officials said. An Israeli mili-tary spokeswoman told AFP that the fishingboats were headed for Egyptian waters andsuspected of involvement in smuggling. Shesaid that a naval patrol fired at the boats afterthey ignored warning shots and orders to turnback. Under the terms of an agreement withIsrael, Gaza’s fishermen have the right to trawlthe waters up to six nautical miles off thecoast. — AFP

Hamas slams killing by EgyptTeen killed in buffer zone • Israel fires on Gaza boat

NEW YORK: In this Dec 29, 2014 file photo, New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton speaks alongside MayorBill de Blasio (left) during a New York Police Academy graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden. — AP

NEW YORK: As thousands of mourners prepare to attend thewake and funeral of a second New York City police officer killed inan ambush shooting, police Commissioner William Bratton is urg-ing the rank and file to refrain from making political statements. “Ahero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance,” Bratton says in amemo to be read to all commands at roll calls yesterday, the dayOfficer Wenjian Liu will be remembered during a wake. “I issue nomandates, and I make no threats of discipline, but I remind youthat when you don the uniform of this department, you arebound by the tradition, honor and decency that go with it.”

Bratton’s comments referred to hundreds of officers whoturned their backs to TV monitors showing Mayor Bill de Blasio aweek ago as he spoke at the funeral for the other slain officer,Rafael Ramos. That gesture mimicked one made by police unionofficials outside a hospital two weeks ago when the officers werekilled.

Union officials, who are negotiating a contract with the city,have said the gestures were made out of frustration with the may-or. They say de Blasio helped foster an anti-police atmosphere bysupporting demonstrations following the chokehold death of anunarmed black man on Staten Island who resisted arrest. Liu andRamos were ambushed sitting in their patrol car on a Brooklynstreet by Ismaaiyl Brinsley. Brinsley had made references online tothe killings of unarmed black men at the hands of white policeofficers, vowing to put “wings on pigs”.

Investigators say Brinsley was an emotionally disturbed lonerwho started off his rampage by shooting and wounding an ex-girlfriend in Baltimore. He later killed himself. The police killingsramped up emotions in the already-tense national debate overpolice conduct. Since Ramos and Liu were killed, police in NewYork have investigated at least 70 threats made against officers,and more than a dozen people have been arrested.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan and others have urged calm andasked all sides to tone down the rhetoric. Earlier this week, themayor met with police union leaders. Liu’s wake will be at theAievoli Funeral Home in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. Hisfuneral is scheduled for today with a Chinese ceremony led byBuddhist monks to be followed by a traditional police ceremonywith eulogies led by a chaplain. Burial will follow at Cypress HillsCemetery.

The 32-year-old officer had been on the police force sevenyears and had gotten married two months before he died. Hiswidow, Pei Xia Chen, gave a tearful statement days after theshooting. The funeral for Ramos was held last Saturday. Tens ofthousands of officers and other mourners went to a church inQueens to pay their respects. Liu’s funeral arrangements weredelayed so his relatives from China could get travel documents tothe US and fly to New York. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to TowersFoundation, a charity created after Sept 11, 2001, has said it willpay off the home mortgages of the two slain officers. — AP

Commissioner urges

respect at NY wake

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

JERUSALEM: Israel is looking at ways toprosecute senior Palestinians for warcrimes in the United States and else-where in response to Palestinian stepsto join the International Criminal Court,an Israeli official said yesterday. ThePalestinians delivered to UN headquar-ters in New York on Friday documentson joining the Rome Statute of theInternational Criminal Court and otherglobal treaties, saying they hoped toachieve “justice for all the victims thathave been killed by Israel, the occupy-ing power”.

The Hague-based court looks at cas-es of severe war crimes and crimesagainst humanity such as genocide. TheIsraeli official said Palestinian leaders“ought to fear legal steps” after theirdecision to sign onto the Rome Statute.“Israel is weighing the possibilities forlarge-scale prosecution in the UnitedStates and elsewhere” of PalestinianPresident Mahmoud Abbas and othersenior Palestinians, the official said.

Israel would probably press thesecases via non-governmental groups andpro-Israel legal organisations capable of

filing lawsuits abroad, a second Israeliofficial said, explaining how the mecha-nism might work. Israel sees the headsof the Palestinian Authority in the occu-pied West Bank as collaborators withHamas militant Islamists in Gazabecause of a unity deal they forged inApril, the first official said.

Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu has previously warned thatunilateral moves by the PalestinianAuthority at the United Nations wouldexpose its leaders to prosecution oversupport for Hamas, viewed by Israel as a

terrorist organisation. “(Hamas) ... com-mits war crimes, shooting at civiliansfrom civilian populated areas,” the offi-cial said, alluding to a war in Gaza lastsummer in which more than 2,100Palestinians and more than 70 Israelisdied.

Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, theWest Bank and East Jerusalem - landsIsrael captured in the 1967 MiddleEast War. Momentum to recognise aPa l e s t i n i a n s t a te h a s b u i l t s i n ceAbbas succeeded in a bid for de factorecognition of Palestinian statehood

at the UN General Assembly in 2012,which made Palestinians eligible toj o i n t h e I CC . Th e U n i te d S t a te s ,Israel’s main ally, supports an eventu-al independent Palestinian state, buthas argued against unilateral moveslike Friday’s, saying they could dam-age the peace process. Washingtonsends about $400 million in econom-ic suppor t a id to the Palest iniansever y year. Under US law, that aidwould be cut off if the Palestiniansused membership in the ICC to pressclaims against Israel. — Reuters

Israel mulls war crimes suits against top Palestinians

SIDON, Lebanon: A Lebanese Muslim Sufi man has a spike pierced into his cheek during a ritual to commemorate the birth of the ProphetMuhammad (PBUH), known in Arabic as ‘Al-Mawlid Al-Nabawi’, in this southern Lebanese city yesterday. — AFP

KAWTHARIET ASSIYAD, Lebanon:Islamic State militants holed up in theQalamoun mountains on the Syrian-Lebanese border are seeking to gain con-trol of nearby Lebanese villages to sup-port their fighting positions, the head ofLebanon’s main security apparatus toldReuters. Major General Abbas Ibrahimsaid Lebanese forces were on high alertto prevent the hardline militants fromseizing any Lebanese territory near theQalamoun mountains, which demarcateLebanon’s eastern border with Syria.

Such crossborder incursions wouldadd to concern that Lebanon, which suf-fered its own civil war in 1975-90, couldbe drawn further into the conflict inneighbouring Syria. Fighting from Syriahas regularly spilled into Lebanon sincethe war erupted nearly four years ago. In2014, Islamic State and Syria’s al Qaedawing attacked the border town of Arsaland took Lebanese soldiers captive.Gunmen including militants linked toIslamic State also clashed with the armyin the coastal city of Tripoli.

Ibrahim, who is the head of Lebanon’sGeneral Security office, said Islamic Statehad recently boosted its numbers in theQalamoun area with the aim of securingcrossborder territory to support its Syrianoperations. “Islamic State does not wantto dominate Qalamoun ... but they wantto use it to secure their backs in theregion through controlling (Lebanese)villages in contact with the Qalamounarea,” he said. “The (Lebanese) military

and security forces are on full alert,” hetold Reuters at his village home in south-ern Lebanon.

Islamic State controls land in Syria andIraq and has declared an Islamiccaliphate. The group is being targeted byUS-led strikes in both countries. Ibrahimsaid Islamic State had become the domi-nant armed group in Qalamoun. “In therecent period about 700 new fighterspledged allegiance, and so they are nowmore than 1,000 fighters,” he said.Fighting has escalated in Qalamoun andother areas along the border since thesummer, pitting Islamic State and otherinsurgents against forces fighting onbehalf the Syrian government.

Sunni Islamist militants attackedstrongholds of Shiite group Hezbollah inLebanon several times in 2014.Hezbollah has sent thousands of itsfighters to battle on the side of SyrianPresident Bashar Al-Assad. Referring toIslamic State and other militant groupslike Nusra Front, the Lebanese armychief warned in November that Lebanonwas facing “the most dangerous terroristplot in the whole region”. Lebanese resi-dents near the border have said they areready to take up arms to defend theirhomes. Ibrahim, who narrowly escapeda suicide bombing in June, said thesecurity services had arrested many mili-tants in broad security sweeps acrossthe country and dismantled networks offighters in operations that it did notalways publicise. —Reuters

Islamic State seeking

bases inside Lebanon

BEIRUT: Lebanon is to impose visa restrictionson Syrians for the first time after being over-whelmed by an influx of more than 1.1 millionrefugees, according to documents publishedonline. The new regulations, posted on the web-site of the General Security agency, come intoeffect on Jan 5 and lay out various categories,including for tourism and medical treatment.This is the first time that Lebanon has requiredSyrians to apply for visas. Citizens of both coun-tries have been able to travel freely across theirshared border since Lebanon gained independ-ence in 1943.

The new rule is the latest in a series of meas-ures taken by Lebanon to stem the influx ofSyrians fleeing their country’s brutal civil war. InOctober, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbassaid Lebanon was effectively no longer receivingSyrian refugees, with limited exceptions for“humanitarian reasons”. A security source, speak-ing to AFP on condition of anonymity, declined

to describe the new requirements as visas, butacknowledged they were unprecedented. “Thisis the first time these kinds of instructions havebeen given,” he said. “The goal is to bring thesecurity and economic situation under controland to monitor the presence of Syrians onLebanese soil.”

Derbas confirmed that the rules were a first.“This is the first time in the history of the twocountries that Syrians have been required todefine the purpose of their visit,” he told AFP.“The goal is to prevent (Syrians) from takingrefuge” in Lebanon, and “to more seriously regu-late the entry of Syrians”, he added. He said thevisas would be available at the border, but thatSyrians already in Lebanon and registered withthe UN refugee agency UNHCR would not berequired to apply.

The many thousands of Syrians in the countrywho are not registered with the UN, amongthem wealthy individuals who have not sought

aid, will have to apply for visas when their cur-rent residencies expire, Derbas said. A UNHCRspokesman said the agency was still studyingthe new rules and had no immediate comment.But aid groups have long warned that Lebanon,with a population of just four million people, hasbeen overwhelmed by the influx of Syrianrefugees.

The document published online lists cate-gories including tourist visas, which requireapplicants to provide evidence of a hotel reserva-tion and $1,000, as well as a valid passport or IDcard. Other visas are available for business visits,medical treatment and schooling, as well as tran-sit visas for onward travel. Visas are also availablefor those who own property in Lebanon or areseeking to enter to apply for visas at foreignembassies in Beirut. More than 200,000 peoplehave been killed in Syria’s conflict, which beganin March 2011 and has displaced around half thecountry’s population. —AFP

Lebanon imposes visas

on Syrians for first time

Visas available at the border

Iran, six powers move

closer to nuclear deal

VIENNA: Iran and the US have tentative-ly agreed on a formula that Washingtonhopes will reduce Tehran’s ability tomake nuclear arms by committing it toship to Russia much of the materialneeded for such weapons, diplomats say.In another sign of progress, the twodiplomats told AP that negotiators at theDecember round of nuclear talks drewup for the first time a catalog outliningareas of potential accord and differingapproaches to remaining disputes.

The diplomats said differences stilldominate ahead of the next round ofIran-six power talks on Jan 15 in Geneva.But they suggested that even agreementto create a to-do list would have beendifficult previously because of wide gapsbetween the sides. The diplomats, whoare familiar with the talks, spoke to theAP recently and demanded anonymitybecause they weren’t authorized to com-ment on the closed negotiations.

Yesterday, Iranian Foreign Ministryspokeswoman Marzieh Afkham deniedany tentative formula had been reached.Iran denies it wants nuclear arms, but it isnegotiating with the US, Russia, China,Britain, France and Germany on cuts toits atomic program in hope of endingcrippling sanctions. The talks have beenextended twice due to stubborn dis-agreements. The main conflict is overuranium enrichment, which can createboth reactor fuel and the fissile core ofnuclear arms. In seeking to reduce Iran’sbomb-making ability, the US has pro-

posed that Tehran export much of itsstockpile of enriched uranium - some-thing the Islamic Republic has long saidit would not do.

The diplomats said both sides in thetalks are still arguing about how much ofan enriched uranium stockpile to leaveIran. I t now has enough for severalbombs, and Washington wants substan-tial cuts below that level. But the diplo-mats said the newly created catalog listsshipping out much of the material astentatively agreed upon.

Issues that still need agreement, theysaid, include the size of Iran’s futureenrichment output. The US insists that itbe cut in half, leaving Tehran with about4,500 present day centrifuges used toenrich uranium, or less if it replaces themwith advanced models. Tehran is readyfor a reduction of only around 20 per-cent, or approximately 8,000 of themachines, according to the diplomats.

Two other unresolved issues areIran’s Fordo underground enrichmentsite and the nearly built Arak nuclearreactor. The US and its five allies in thetalks want to repurpose Fordo to a non-enrichment function because it isbelieved impervious to a military attackfrom the air. The six also seek to re-engineer Arak from a model that pro-duces enough plutonium for severalnuclear weapons a year to a less prolif-eration-prone model. Negotiators hopeto reach a rough deal by March and afinal agreement by June 30. —AP

VIENNA: In this Nov 23, 2014 file photo, US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) andIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif pose for a photograph prior to abilateral meeting of the closed-door nuclear talks. — AP

CAIRO: Masked gunmen in central Libya kid-napped 13 Coptic Christians yesterday after sev-en were abducted days earlier, said a witnessand a priest, in a new wave of assaults againstEgypt’s Christians working in the war-torn NorthAfrican nation plagued with Islamic extremists.Witness Hanna Aziz told AP that the gunmen inthe Libyan city of Sirte went room to room intheir residence at 2:30 am yesterday and askedfor identification papers to separate Muslimworkers from Christians. Aziz says the gunmenhandcuffed the Christians and drove away withthem.

“They were 15 armed and masked men whocame in four vehicles. They had a list of fullnames of Christians in the building. Whilechecking IDs, Muslims were left aside whileChristians were grabbed,” Aziz said, adding thathe survived simply because he didn’t open hisdoor. “I heard my friends screaming but theywere quickly shushed at gunpoint. After that,we heard nothing,” said Aziz who said he hasthree relatives among the hostages. “I am still inmy room waiting for them to take me. I want todie with them,” he added.

Abu Makar, a Coptic priest in the workers’hometown of Samalout in southern Egypt, con-firmed the abduction took place. He said sevenother Coptic Christians from Samalout were tak-en while trying to escape Sirte a few days earli-er. Sirte has become a safe haven for extremistIslamist groups like Ansar al-Shariah, blamed forthe Sept 2013 attack on the US Consulate inBenghazi that killed US Ambassador ChrisStevens.

The abduction came on the heels of thekilling of a Coptic couple - who used to work asdoctors in Sirte - and their daughter. There wasno immediate comment from the Egyptian gov-ernment. On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministrysaid that it is following up on the case of thefirst group of seven abducted Christians. InMarch, the bodies of seven Christian Egyptianswere found in the eastern city of Benghazi,

killed by gunshots to the head while hand-cuffed.

In March 2013, dozens of Coptic Christianswere tortured inside a detention center run by apowerful militia in Benghazi. The men, whowere suspected of proselytizing, were roundedup in a market by gunmen who checked theirright wrists for tattoos of crosses, a commonmark worn by many Egyptian Christians.

Islamist extremist militias have been target-

ing Christians, women, journalists, refugees andthose considered former loyalists of MuammarGaddafi, who was toppled and killed in Libya’s2011 civil war. Egyptians became a top targetfor the militias after the Egyptian governmentbegan supporting the Libyan army battlingIslamic militants. “We are witnessing a pattern ofpersecution against Christians in Egypt; I fear forthe lives of the hostages,” said Magdi Malak, aCairo-based activist involved in the case. —AP

Egyptian Christians kidnapped in Libya

GAZA: A Palestinian policeman inspects a burned boat on a beach in the southern Gaza Striptown of Rafah yesterday. A Palestinian fisherman was critically injured early in the morningafter Israel’s navy opened fire on fishing boats off the coast of the Gaza Strip. — AFP

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I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

ALBANY, New York: With former GovMario Cuomo’s death, liberals have lostone of their last, best champions, aproud populist who represented anolder breed of Democrat. During histhree terms as governor, the formerminor league baseball player fromQueens championed the working class,

reproached Ronald Reagan and flirted -repeatedly - with a run for the WhiteHouse. In his 1984 address at theDemocratic National Convention, hetalked of a nation of haves and have-nots, of a yawning disconnect betweenrich and poor largely ignored byReagan.

“A shining city is perhaps all thepresident sees from the portico of theWhite House and the veranda of hisranch, where everyone seems to bedoing well,” he said. “Mr. President, youought to know that this nation is more‘A Tale of Two Cities’ than it is just a‘Shining City on a Hill’.” The 82-year-oldCuomo died Thursday at his home inManhattan of natural causes from heartfailure just hours after his son Andrewbegan his second term as New York’schief executive. Services are plannedfor Tuesday morning at a Manhattanchurch.

Mario Cuomo’s progressive legacy isreflected today by US Sen. ElizabethWarren of Massachusetts and New YorkCity Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose own2013 campaign kickoff speech recycled

the “Tale of Two Cities” image. By con-trast, Andrew Cuomo epitomizes themainstream Democratic Party’s recenttendency toward centrism. WhileCuomo is socially liberal on gun controland abortion, he’s seen as more fiscallyconservative, willing to battle teachersunions and supportive of businessfriendly tax cuts.

The elder Cuomo came from an old-er, more liberal strand of Democraticpolitics that included FranklinRoosevelt and Adlai Stevenson. Likethem, Cuomo combined public elo-quence with an intellectual rigor. Unlikethose two, however, he never ran forpresident, despite pleas to do so in1988 and 1992. The Rev Jesse Jackson,who also spoke at the 1984 convention,said Cuomo’s supporters “literallybegged him to run”. Jackson saidCuomo’s brand of outspoken liberalismis needed now that “too few have toomuch and too many have nothing”. “Hehad room for everybody. There’s somuch polarization these days,” Jacksonsaid. “He was a big tent visionary.”

Even those who disagreed with his

policies respected Cuomo’s passion andhis rise as the son of Italian immigrantsto the pinnacle of American politics.Republican state Senate Leader DeanSkelos called him “one of the great ora-tors of our time”. In a twist, Cuomo’sdecision not to seek the presidency in1992 cleared the way for Bill Clinton,who steered the Democratic Partytoward the center. Clinton also tappedAndrew Cuomo - a top adviser to hisfather - as his secretary of Housing andUrban Development.

While Mario Cuomo represented“what Democrats used to be, whatDemocrats were before the Clintonscame on the scene”, Andrew Cuomoshows the party’s evolution since then,said Christina Greer, professor of politi-cal science at Fordham University. ButGreer said the elder Cuomo’s liberallegacy still resonates through his son.“The son is always different from thefather. We saw that with the Bushes,with the Romneys,” she said. “But youcan’t be with a man like Mario Cuomofor 20 years without having the coreessence of who he is rub off on you.”

Mario Cuomo famously said “youcampaign in poetry; you govern inprose” and if he was the orator, his sonis the operator, the one who passesstate budgets on time and - as when heresolved a threatened Long Island RailRoad strike last year - makes trains runon schedule. “Andrew Cuomo is morethe prose guy,” said Baruch Collegepolitical scientist Doug Muzzio, whotaught a course several years agoalongside Mario Cuomo. “Mario wastransformational. Andrew doesn’t seekto be transformational. He’s transac-tional.”

In a 1992 interview with AP, Cuomosaid his greatest accomplishmentsincluded restructuring the state policeand courts, fixing highways and passingthe nation’s first seatbelt law. He did notinclude another legacy: An unprece-dented expansion of the state prisonsystem. “Will I be remembered for all ofthat? I don’t know,” he said at the time.“What I would like them to say, what Iwould like to have written on my tomb-stone: ‘He tried.’ That, I think, is the maxi-mum we can do.” — AP

Cuomo’s death marks passing of liberal lion

Mario Cuomo

BOSTON: In this courtroom sketch, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is depicted sitting in federal court on Dec 18, 2014for a final hearing before his trial begins in January. — AP

NEW YORK: The highly anticipated trial ofBoston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaevopens tomorrow, promising to inflame emo-tions 18 months after the bloody attack, theworst on US soil since Sept 11, 2001. Tsarnaev,21, faces the death penalty for the April 15,2013 bombing at the finish line of the Bostonmarathon that killed three people and wound-ed 264. Jury selection will commence tomorrowfor the trial, which is expected to last severalmonths, after a three-month delay.

Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30charges, including conspiracy to use a weaponof mass destruction resulting in death andbombing a public place resulting in death. Thefederal trial is one of the most anticipated sinceTimothy McVeigh’s for detonating a bomb inOklahoma City, killing 168 people in 1995.Tsarnaev will be represented by a team of fivelawyers, including Judy Clarke, a defense attor-ney known for getting clients off death row.

She has represented Eric Randolph, the mas-termind behind the Atlanta Olympic bombingthat killed two people and injured more than100. She secured consecutive life sentences forhim instead of death sought by prosecutors.She also helped spare Unabomber TedKaczynski from death, after he sent severalexplosives to universities and airlines, killingthree and injuring 23 between 1978 and 1995.But in order to ease the death sentence forTsarnaev, she would have to strike a deal with

prosecutors, which so far seems an unlikelyprospect.

Tensions Run High Tensions have been high at preliminary hear-

ings for the trial, with small protests at lastmonth’s court appearance, Tsarnaev’s secondsince the attack. Families of victims gathered,some vowing to attend the full trial in thenortheastern US city which has a population of645,000. Liz Norden has two sons who each losta leg in the attack, and she said she plans toattend every court session. “I want to try makesense of it. I know I won’t, but I just need to seeit through... I have no choice. I want to knoweverything,” she told AFP. She hopes to seeTsarnaev sentenced to death. “I want him dead, Ithink that would be justice.”

At Tsarnaev’s appearance last week, one vic-tim angrily showed his artificial leg to demon-strators who were proclaiming the suspect’sinnocence. After the hearing, a woman yelledout support for Tsarnaev in Russian. Defenselawyers have asked for protesters to be barredfrom demonstrating outside the court.

Chaos and Carnage Tsarnaev is being held at Fort Devens prison

hospital about 70 km outside of Boston. TheMuslim of Chechen descent is accused of carry-ing out the Boston attacks with his brotherTamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with

police four days after the attack. He andTamerlan are accused of planting two pressurecooker bombs hidden in backpacks near the fin-ish line of the Boston marathon, attended byseveral thousand people. The two explosivesdetonated within 12 seconds of one another,creating a scene of chaos and carnage in down-town Boston.

A frantic manhunt ensued as police scouredthe city for the suspects. Dzhokhar was discov-ered hiding in a boat in Boston suburb, seriouslyinjured. He allegedly scrawled a rambling expla-nation of his motives for the Boston attacks onan interior wall of the boat, where he was arrest-ed in a suburban backyard several days after theattacks. “The US government is killing our inno-cent civilians,” Tsarnaev wrote. “I can’t stand tosee such evil go unpunished... we Muslims areone body, you hurt one you hurt us all. Now, Idon’t like killing innocent people, it is forbiddenin Islam, but ... stop killing our innocent peopleand we will stop.”

Tsarnaev arrived in the United States whenhe was eight years old and became a natural-ized American citizen in 2012. Jury selection isexpected to take several weeks, as defenselawyers have to agree on all 12 jurors and sixsubstitutes among a pool of 1,200 people. Thepotential jurors will be summoned in groups of200 to 400 in the morning and 200 in the after-noon, and will be whittled down by process ofelimination. —AFP

Boston trial to open

as emotions run high

Most anticipated trial since McVeigh’s

BOSTON: When the trial of Boston bomb-ing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev begins, LizNorden plans to stop working altogether.With two sons maimed in the blast, the 52-year-old American says the marathondestroyed her life, and she won’t miss theproceedings. On the morning of the bomb-ing, her sons JP, who was 33 at the time,and Paul, 31, were cheering on a friendnear the marathon’s finish line. Then thetwin bombs exploded, 12 seconds apart,killing three people and wounding 264more - including Paul and JP.

The April 15, 2013 attack was the worstsuch incident in the US since 9/11. JParrived in the hospital clinically dead. Paulwas in a coma for several days. They wereburned on more than 50 percent of theirbodies, missing eyelashes and eyebrowsand with burst eardrums, their mother said.Worst of all, they each lost their right legs.The brothers underwent 50 surgeriesbetween them - with more still to come forJP - before their long and painful rehabilita-tion. Afterwards, the brothers wrote thebook “Twice as Strong” about their ordeal.

No longer able to work in their previousprofessions as a roofer and a truck driver,the two look to the future with ambitionsto open a roofing company. “It’s difficult forthem, but they don’t complain,” their momtold AFP from her small home in Stoneham,near Boston. “They have accepted whathappened to them and honestly, they haveaccepted it better than I do.”

‘I Want Him Dead’ Neither JP nor Paul plan to attend the

trial, claiming that it won’t change anything

for them, but their mom feels differently. “Iam so bitter, so angry and they are not... Iam sad to see how much it has changed forthem” the mother of five said. For a year, Lizhas collected all articles in the media abouther sons, in an attempt to “try to makesense of it”. As for the trial, she is going toleave her job as a nanny to sit in the sectionreserved for families in the third-floorcourtroom at the Boston federal court.“This is that important to me,” she said.

Liz doesn’t bring up Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,but when pressed on the topic, her usuallycheery demeanor turned weary. “I wanthim dead. I think that would be justice,” shesaid. Tsarnaev faces the death penalty ifconvicted over the attack. He is accused ofcarrying out the attacks with his brother,Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootoutwith police as the pair went on the run inthe days immediately after the attacks.

Dzhokhar has pleaded not guilty to 30charges, which include conspiracy to use aweapon of mass destruction resulting indeath and bombing a public place result-ing in death. His main lawyer, Judy Clarke,is a renowned specialist on the deathpenalty who has saved several convictsfrom execution by encouraging them toplead guilty to lesser charges than thoseoriginally put forward. But, Liz said shehopes there is no plea deal, emphasizing, “Ithink he deserves the death penalty. Myboys didn’t sign to go to the war... Theywere not out drunk driving, or in a recklesscar accident. This wasn’t an accident, thiswas an act of terror,” she said. The trial,expected to last three months, beginstomorrow with jury selection.— AFP

Mom seeks answers at

trial over injured sons

WASHINGTON: A seven-year-old girl walked free fromthe wreckage of a private plane that crashed in awooded area of Kentucky on Friday killing four otherson board, US police said. Police were alerted to thecrash when they received an emergency call from alocal resident, they said in a statement on Facebook.The 71-year-old man, Larry Wilkins, said he was watch-ing television at about 6:30 pm, when he heard aknock.

“She was bleeding pretty bad, her legs were bleed-ing, her face had a bloody nose. She was barefoot,only had one sock on,” he told NBC News by telephoneyesterday. “She told me that her mom and her dadwere dead, and she was in a plane crash, and theplane was upside down,” he added. He said he got awashcloth to clean her wounds and immediately

called emergency services. The girl was distressed andtaken to a hospital for treatment to non life-threaten-ing injuries, State Police Sergeant Dean Patterson saidin a statement.

Emergency crews raced to the area and later locat-ed the small plane. “Investigators on scene confirmfour fatalities at the crash site. The fatalities account forthe pilot and remaining passengers,” a subsequentpolice statement on Facebook said.

“This girl came out of the wreckage herself andfound the closest residence and reported the planecrash,” Patterson said. “It’s a miracle in a sense that shesurvived it, but it’s tragic that four others didn’t.”Authorities launched a search for the crash site andalso confirmed with the FAA that they had received adistress call. About two hours later, authorities found

the crash site in a heavily wooded area near Kentuckylake, a popular tourist attraction in the state. They dis-covered four bodies, including the pilot and the threepassengers. The FAA said the plane had taken off fromTallahassee Regional Airport, Florida, and was boundfor Mount Vernon, Illinois. Patterson said the girl indict-ed that the plane had left from Key West, Florida.Patterson said in a statement that the victims wereidentified 49-year-old Marty Gutzler; 45-year-oldKimberly Gutzler; their daughter, 9-year-old PiperGutzler; and her cousin, 14-year-old Sierra Wilder. Allfour were from Nashville, IL. Police say the name of the7-year-old passenger is being withheld at the requestof family. Patterson said it had been raining in the areafor most of Friday. The cause of the crash was underinvestigation. —Agencies

WASHINGTON: In this Nov 18, 2003 file photo, John Hinckley Jr arrives at US DistrictCourt. — AP

No new charges for Hinckley

WASHINGTON: Federal prosecutors willnot charge John Hinckley Jr in the death offormer White House press secretary JamesBrady even though a medical examinerruled his death a homicide. Brady was shotin the head during Hinckley’s 1981 assassi-nation attempt on President RonaldReagan. The gunshot left Brady partiallyparalyzed and his death last August at age73 was attributed to wounds from theshooting outside a Washington hotel.

Washington’s US Attorney’s Office saidin a statement on Friday that the decisionnot to pursue charges against Hinckleywas made after a review of the law, the his-tory of the case and the circumstances ofBrady’s death. Barry Levine, Hinckley’sattorney, said he was not surprised by thedecision given the length of time since theshooting and the circumstances of thecase. “Mr Hinckley is haunted by thetragedy that his conduct, more than 30years ago, created,” Levine said. Hinckley,59, has been at St Elizabeths psychiatrichospital for more than 32 years.

Brady’s family said it respected the deci-sion not to move forward with prosecu-tion. “We deeply appreciate the extraordi-

nary outpouring of love and support sincethe Bear’s passing. We miss him greatly,” hisfamily said in a statement issued by aspokeswoman, referring to Brady’s nick-name. According to the statement fromprosecutors, because a jury in 1982 foundHinckley not guilty by reason of insanity,prosecutors could not argue that he wassane when he shot Brady.

District of Columbia courts also abidedby the “year and a day rule” before 1987,which mandated that homicide chargescould be brought only if the victim diedwithin a year and a day of the injury caus-ing death, the statement said. An autopsyreport completed last month showed thatthe gunshot wound made it difficult forBrady to control his saliva and to eat,which led to aspiration pneumonia andother illnesses, the statement said. WhenBrady died in Alexandria, Virginia, he hadaspiration pneumonia. The coroner con-cluded his death was caused by the gun-shot wound and its consequences.Hinckley also wounded Reagan, a policeofficer and a Secret Service agent in theattack outside the Washington HiltonHotel. — Reuters

Girl survives US plane crash, 4 killed

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

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

CORIGLIANO, Italy: Italian authorities disem-barked some 360 cold and hungry migrants from a“ghost ship” yesterday abandoned by its crew offthe country’s jagged southern coast.

Women and children were among hundreds ofmigrants left stranded aboard the Ezadeen, whichdocked in the port of Corigliano Calabro around11:00 pm (2200 GMT) Friday after a delicate opera-tion by the Italian navy to take control of the age-ing vessel. It had been left to drift in stormy seaswithout fuel or electricity, and in the dark rescuershad first thought that it could be holding up to 450people. But after docking the authorities revisedthe count to 232 men, 54 women and 74 childrenaboard, most of whom are thought to be Syriansfleeing the war in their homeland.

All were said to be in good health. Six coast-guard officers were lowered from a helicopter ontothe deck of the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel onFriday to set up a tow for the 40 kilometres (25miles) to the Italian coast.

The rescue is the latest in a series of maritimeoperations Italy has mounted in recent days as itstruggles with a record wave of migrants makingthe dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.On Wednesday, the navy faced more drama after itstopped another crewless “ghost” ship left driftingin its waters with nearly 800 migrants on board.

The appearance of the two drifting boats full ofmigrants within a matter of days has raised con-cerns that smugglers have started abandoninglarge boats full of people off the coast of Europe asa new tactic to maximize profits from their ruthlesstrade. The Ezadeen, which usually carries cattle,had been en route from Famagusta in northernTurkish-controlled Cyprus to the southern Frenchport of Sete, but had first stopped at the Syrianport of Tartus, according to a shipping website.

‘We are alone’ Before it came to a halt, the nearly 50-year-old

Ezadeen had been moving at seven knots, and was

spotted by a coastguard plane 80 miles offshoreshortly after nightfall. After the crew jumped ship, awoman refugee on board was able to operate theship’s radio and told the coastguard that the crewhad abandoned the vessel, Italian navy spokesmanCaptain Filippo Marini said.

“We are alone, there is no one, help us!” thewoman cried, he said. The coastguard asked forassistance from Icelandic patrol boat Tyr, which wasin the area on a mission with the European Union’sborder agency Frontex, but rough weather condi-tions made boarding impossible.

Once the Ezadeen had run out of fuel, five Tyrcrew members were winched onto the merchantship by helicopter to care for passengers untilItalian coastguard officers arrived to take control.

“The migrants aboard were visibly distressedbut overall in good medical condition. They havebeen provided with food, water and basic medicalassistance,” a Frontex statement said Friday. Theincident marked the third sea rescue operationItaly’s navy has been forced to mount in a week.

The first came with the deadly fire that brokeout on the Norman Atlantic ferr y Sunday

between Greece and Italy. Italian prosecutorsfear the ferry could contain the bodies of stillundiscovered illegal immigrants and unregis-tered passengers.

Bari prosecutor Giuseppe Volpe said almost 500people may have been aboard far above the 474officially on the manifest, and prompting fears thecurrent death toll of 13 may rise once the ferry isfully searched in Brindisi. Volpe said it had been“established” that illegal immigrants were aboard,something confirmed by several of the rescuedpassengers. The search is expected to concentrateon trucks parked in the car deck where the firestarted.

New smuggling tactics On Wednesday, a ship carrying nearly 770

migrants was found drifting towards the rocks offItaly’s southeastern shore. The Blue Sky M freighterwas on autopilot, after having been abandoned bythe people smugglers who had sailed in fromTurkey. The Moldovan-registered vessel got withinfive miles of running aground before six navy offi-cers were lowered on to the ship by helicopter, andsucceeded in bringing it under control.

The vessel’s passengers included some 60 chil-dren and two pregnant women, one of whom gavebirth on board, according to the Italian Red Cross.Many of the migrants on the ship were treated forhypothermia or injuries including broken limbs.More than 170,000 people have been rescued atsea by Italy in the last 14 months, and hundreds,possibly thousands, have perished trying to makethe crossing.

Increasingly, the traffickers appear to be aban-doning their human cargo at sea, with more nowusing bigger vessels than the converted fishingboats and other craft they previously favored.

The International Organization for Migrationestimated Friday in Geneva that people smugglersgrossed over $1 million (830,000 euros) on just oneof the abandoned ships alone. — AFP

360 migrants leave Italy migrant ‘ghost ship’

Stressful times for students

at Ukraine rebel universities

KANO, Nigeria: Suspected Boko Haram gunmenhave kidnapped 40 boys and young men in aremote village in northeast Nigerian Borno stateon New Year’s Eve, residents who fled the isolat-ed settlement said yesterday. Scores of BokoHaram militants stormed the Malari villagearound 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) and whisked awaythe males, aged between 10 and 23, into thenearby Sambisa forest, believed to be one of theIslamists’ major bases.

The news of the abductions came out onlydays later, after residents who fled the villagearrived in the state capital Maiduguri late onFriday. “They came in pick-up trucks armed withguns and gathered all the men in the village out-side the home of the village chief where theypreached to us before singling out 40 of our boysand taking them away,” Bulama Muhammad said.Malari village lies 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) fromthe Sambisa forest and close to the town ofGwoza, which the militants captured last Junedeclaring it part of their caliphate. “My two sonsand three nephews were among those takenaway by the Boko Haram gunmen and webelieve they are going to use them as conscripts,”Muhammad said. ‘We could be the next target’.

“When we heard of the kidnap of 40 boys inMalari by Boko Haram we decided to leavebecause we could be the next target,” saidAlaramma Babagoni, who fled from the nearbyvillage of Mulgwi. “Boko Haram has been abduct-ing young men from villages in the area becausewe are close to their stronghold in Sambisa for-est,” he said.

There was no immediate comment on theincident from the military in Maiduguri.Residents of Malari and nearby villages fled, fear-ing further attacks and abductions.

Boko Haram has recently been seizing youngmen during raids on area villages to use as footsoldiers in its uprising aimed at establishing anIslamic state in northern Nigeria, residents said.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen launched adeadly raid Tuesday on Kautikari village nearChibok, torched several buildings and killed asmany as 15 people, according to witnesses. Therewas no toll available from an official source on theraid. Boko Haram is still holding in captivity morethan 200 schoolgirls it abducted from their school

in Chibok in Borno state last April. The abductiondrew worldwide condemnation, after whichPresident Goodluck Jonathan vowed to secure thearea, including by deploying more troops. But thepromised troop numbers have failed to material-ize, often leaving residents to rely entirely on vigi-lantes for protection. The Islamists are believed to

control large swathes of territory in Borno as wellas several towns and villages in two other north-eastern states, Adamawa and Yobe. Boko Haram’sfive-year uprising in Nigeria has claimed morethan 13,000 lives and has seen dozens of people,including women and children, kidnapped by theIslamists. — AFP

Italian Border Police (Guardia Di Finanza) check the ship Ezadeen the day after some 500 Syrian wouldbe immigrants to disembark yesterday from this ship at Corigliano harbor yesterday. — AFP

Boko Haram seizes 40 boys,

men in northern Nigeria

Fleeing residents arrive in Maiduguri

DONETSK, Ukraine: Third-year economics stu-dent Inna Shmarai is kind of stressing out thesedays. It’s not just that exams are coming upsoon at the National University in the Ukrainiancity of Donetsk and some of the stuff she’s beenstudying this term has been really complicated.

What’s adding to the slight 19-year-old’s wor-ries is that ever since her university was takenover by armed separatist fighters in east Ukraineshe isn’t sure exactly what degree she’ll receivewhen she eventually does graduate andwhether it will actually be worth anything.“Mostly we are concerned about our degreesbecause of the political situation and the war,”Shmarai said.

“Then you can add to that worries about thefact that exams and grades are on their way too,”she added, as she headed towards a lecture witha pile of books under her arm. Shmarai, andthousands of other students like her in the war-torn region, are caught at the centre of a tug-of-war.

Rebel university Since the insurgents seized power in a

bloody conflict that began in April, they havecemented their grip over everyday life in thetowns they run. That has now expanded to theeducation system and universities-with insti-tutes made to switch over to the rebel’s self-declared people’s republic.

Technically, the university Shmarai is attend-ing should not even be open. As the fightingraged and separatists took over several monthsback, the state-run Donetsk National Universityofficially closed down and shifted its campussome 800 kilometers (500 miles) west to thetown of Vinnytsia, deep in government-held ter-ritory. But not everyone has moved. While therector left another, rebel-approved, head tookover and many professors and students haveremained.

Now the university, unrecognized by the

authorities in Kiev, has carried on giving lessonsand readying for exams. “We call the other uni-versity a clone,” says deputy rector AlexanderMaznev dismissively of the government-backedinstitute now completing its first term inVinnytsia. “The other one may become a legalentity but it will never be a real university.”However, despite the confidence, it is the univer-sities in the rebel-held territory that are strug-gling for legitimacy.

Without the backing of the central govern-ment none of the degrees they plan to eventual-ly give out will be recognized by Ukraine’s edu-cation ministry.

‘Everyone is scared’ The separatist authorities have sought to

calm the nerves of anxious parents and studentsby saying that it is the name of the universityand not the state that stamps the degree thatmatters. They are also trying to get Russia to rec-ognize degrees from universities they control.Sitting in his office in military fatigues, rebel edu-cation minister Igor Kostyenuk said that therebel statelet’s diplomas would be acceptedacross the “Eurasian space”-meaning, he hopes,in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. “In Russia,they’ll be accepted as documents proving high-er education,” he said. For some students that isall the assurance they need. “I know exactly whatdiploma I will receive, it will be one from theDonetsk People’s Republic and it will be a pleas-ure for me to get it,” said stocky first-year historystudent Igor Makuzin as he came out of a class inRussian history.

“I have no desire to work anywhere else. Iwant to remain here and work for our republic.”But others are not convinced. “We obviouslyhave specific worries on this matter, everyone isscared,” said classmate Anastasiya Yermolaeva.“We don’t know what will happen in the futureand if we’ll be able to get work with these diplo-mas.” — AFP

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Buddhist monks take part in a demonstration outside the official residence of President Mahinda Rajapakse in Colomboyesterday as they protest the governmentís alleged failure to take action against former Tamil rebel guerrillas who have now defected to thegovernment side. — AFP

SCHMITTEN: Icicles hang down from a railing on top of the Feldberg mountain nearSchmitten, central Germany yesterday. — AP

LONDON: The woman who named Britain’sPrince Andrew in a US court filing claimingthat she was kept as an underage “sex slave”by a Wall Street financier said yesterday shewould not be silenced.

The plaintiff, identified only as “Jane Doe#3” in court papers, told the Guardian news-paper that she refuses to be “unjustly vic-timised again” after robust denials fromBuckingham Palace and another man namedin the suit.

The story made headline news in Britain’snewspapers yesterday. According to themotion filed in a Florida court on Monday,the woman alleges she was “forced to havesexual relations” with Andrew, the Duke ofYork, in London, New York and the Caribbeanat the behest of Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein, a known friend of the 54-year-oldprince, was convicted in 2008 of soliciting anunderage girl for prostitution and served aprison term. No dates for the purported sexu-al encounters were given, but the womanclaimed she was Epstein’s sex slave from 1999through 2002.

In a strongly worded response on Friday,Buckingham Palace said that “any suggestionof impropriety with underage minors is cate-gorically untrue”. Another man named in thecourt papers also robustly protested his inno-

cence. Alan Dershowitz, one of Epstein’sdefence lawyers with whom “Jane Doe #3”was allegedly forced to have sex with on sev-eral occasions, told AFP the story was “madeup”.

He accused “Jane Doe #3” of “filing a falseand malicious legal proceeding” in anattempt to extort money from his formerclient. In a statement issued to the Guardianthrough her lawyers, the woman said: “Thesetypes of aggressive attacks on me are exactlythe reason why sexual abuse victims typicallyremain silent and the reason why I did for along time.

“That trend should change. I’m not goingto be bullied back into silence.” Andrew is thesecond son of Queen Elizabeth II and fifth inline to the British throne.

He was Britain’s Special Representative forInternational Trade and Investment for 10years until 2011. The motion in which he isnamed is to be included in an ongoing civilcase that accuses federal prosecutors of cut-ting a plea-bargain deal with Epstein withoutconsulting his victims, in violation of the USCrime Victims Rights’ Act. In 2008, Epsteinwas sentenced to 18 months in prison afterpleading guilty to a single Florida statecharge of soliciting prostitution. He remains aregistered sex offender. — AFP

Woman making Prince

Andrew sex claims

vows not to be silenced

KAMPALA: An outspoken Ugandan generalwho recently returned to the country after 18months in self-imposed exile has beenplaced under house arrest, officials said yes-terday.

General David Sejusa, a former intelligencechief who has emerged as a potential chal-lenger to veteran President Yoweri Museveni,has been detained in order to “enforce disci-pline”, a government spokesman said. “His con-duct since his return from self-imposed exilehas been contrary to what is expected of aserving military officer, and the days whenarmy officers acted with impunity are gone,”government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said.“The terms of his returning from exile were thathe become a law abiding citizen until the army

retires him from service as per his wish, but hehas reneged on that,” he added.

General Sejusa was once one of Uganda’stop military bosses, serving as intelligence chiefand as a close advisor to President Museveni,who has been in power since 1986. He left thecountry in 2013, after a confidential memo hewrote was leaked to the press, causing a politi-cal storm.

The memo claimed Museveni was groom-ing his son, special forces commander MuhooziKainerugaba, to succeed him and that those inthe army opposed to the supposed successionplan risked being assassinated. While in exile inBritain, General Sejusa formed the Freedomand Unity Front Party, marking himself as adirect challenger to Museveni.—AFP

Ugandan dissident general

placed under house arrest

I N T E R N AT ION A LSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

JAMMU: Indian villagers sit in the back of a vehicle as they flee their homes fearing firing from the Pakistan side of the border at Bainglad vil-lage in Samba sector, about 52 kilometers from Jammu yesterday. — AP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian border guardstraded artillery fire along the disputed borderregion of Kashmir, killing four people andwounding eight, officials said yesterday.

Both Pakistan and India blamed each other forstarting the fire that began Friday night. This lat-est violence comes after Islamabad accusedIndian forces of killing two of its soldiersWednesday in a crossfire that also killed anIndian soldier.

In a statement yesterday, the Pakistani mili-tary said that Indian forces violated the cease-fireagreement between the two countries with anunprovoked barrage of artillery Friday night nearthe city of Sialkot, killing a 13-year-old girl andwounding another child. It said Pakistani soldiersreturned fire. In India, police officer Rajesh Kumar

said Pakistani shelling in the Kathua sector killeda woman and wounded seven villagers.

India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh accusedPakistan of violating the ceasefire agreementafter yesterday’s incident. “We are stretching ourhands for friendship with Pakistan but despitethis we don’t understand why the ceasefire is vio-lated by Pakistan,” he told reporters.

D Parekh, a Border Security Force officer, saidthe firing continued Saturday in at least half adozen places. “One place goes quiet, the firingstarts at another place,” Parekh said. Indian offi-cials blamed Pakistan for beginning the fire with-out provocation.

On Friday, Sartaj Aziz, a security and foreignaffairs adviser to Pakistan’s prime minister, wrotea letter to India to protest the killing of the two

Pakistani soldiers Wednesday and called for “animmediate investigation into the incident andbringing the perpetrators to account,” accordingto a Foreign Ministry statement. Pakistan says thetwo slain soldiers had been invited for a meetingwith their Indian counterparts.

India called off peace talks in August afterPakistan first consulted Kashmiri separatists, amove some saw as a sign of a tougher stance byPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s new right-winggovernment.

While minor skirmishes between Indian andPakistani troops are common along the 200-kilo-meter (125-mile) border, the worst violation ofthe cease-fire accord took place in October overEid Al-Adha and killed nine civilians in Pakistanand nine in India. — Agencies

Pakistan, India trade fire

in Kashmir, killing four

Indian woman, Pakistani child among killed

SHANGHAI: On New Year’s Eve of 2013,Shanghai authorities sent about 6,000 citypolice officers and requested help frommilitary police to manage a 300,000-strongcrowd that filled the city’s famed riverfrontfor the annual midnight l ight show.According to state media, police chokedoff access to an elevated viewing platformreachable through staircases and closedthe nearest subway station to rein in thecrowd.

On Wednesday night, just as many rev-elers showed up to ring in 2015, but thevenue was guarded by only 700 police offi-cers with no traffic control, state mediareported. People were free to walk up anddown the staircases, and the closest sub-way station was left open. The city hadalready canceled the light show on theBund, as the riverfront area is known, andapparently downgraded police deploy-ment and crowd control measures. Whenthe authorities became alarmed by thehuge crowd, they called in another 500police officers - but it was too late.

Three dozen people ended up trampledor asphyxiated to death in a stampede atthe bottom of a 17-step, 5-meter-wide (16-foot-wide) concrete staircase, shocking acity proud of its professional urban man-agement and a country eager to show offits most cosmopolitan city. While investi-gations continue into the New Year’s Evetragedy, eyewitness accounts and statemedia reports point to a sequence of mis-calculations by city officials that helpedcreate the out-of-control conditions lead-ing to the stampede.

“You canceled the light show, but didyou properly notify the public?” asked afather who lost his daughter in the stam-pede but declined to give his name for fearof offending the authorities. “Once peoplestarted to show up in the hundreds ofthousands, did you have backup measuresto ensure safety? What were you doingduring the time the crowds were grow-ing?”

“The government has been seriouslyderelict of its duties,” he said sternly. Alandmark and top attraction of this finan-cial hub, the Bund has been a high priorityfor local authorities, but the lack of policedeployment on Wednesday shows an over-sight by Shanghai’s government, said ZhaoChu, a local resident and an independentcommentator. “It’s been a tradition to seethe lights on the Bund on New Year’s Eve.Shanghai people know it, and the wholecountry knows it,” Zhao said. “The govern-ment should have foreseen the crowds onthat night. Such incidents could have beenavoided.”

Liu Tiemin, a researcher at the ChinaAcademy of Safety Science andTechnology, told China’s official XinhuaNews Agency that managing such a hugecrowd requires splitting the mass intosmaller, less chaotic groups, and makingsure crowds move in one directionthrough the space. Neither strategy wasfollowed in Shanghai, Liu said. The nextday, authorities flooded the Bund and anadjacent commercial road with thousandsof police and military personnel to controltraffic. “The stampede would not haveoccurred if they had been here last night,”a street vendor said, gesturing toward theuniformed police.

For three New Year ’s Eves in a row,

Shanghai hosted the spectacular midnightshow on the Bund, but authorities can-celed it this year because of worries aboutovercrowding. China’s major cities werealready on edge after a series of knife,bombing and vehicular attacks blamed onterrorists left hundreds of people dead.

Instead, authorities opted for a smallerlight show to be held at a nearby 2,000-person venue that required admission tick-ets. Local media in Shanghai reported onthe plans for the scaled-down light showseveral days before the event, but did notgive many details, according to the finan-cial news magazine Caixin. Meanwhile, themedia continued to hype a light show, themagazine said. The new venue also has asimilar name to the Bund, which may haveadded to the public confusion.

InvestigationStarting at around 8 pm Wednesday,

revelers began showing up on the lightlypatrolled riverfront. Authorities say investi-gations into the tragedy are ongoing, butpatrol officers have confirmed that the citydowngraded police deployment on theBund on Wednesday night. “Because therewas no scheduled event, there was no traf-fic control,” patrol officer Wang Qiang toldstate media, adding that tourists kept ask-ing him if there would be a light show.

At around 11:20 p.m., as huge crowdsgathered, authorities reminded them thatthe annual light show on the riverfront hadbeen canceled. Ten minutes later, surveil-lance video showed a massive jam of peo-ple on the steps at the end of a publicsquare featuring a statue of the city’s firstCommunist mayor, Chen Yi. Those stepslead to the best vantage point to view theHuangpu River and the skyscrapers acrossthe water.

Authorities responded by dispatching500 more police, but at around 11:35 pm,people fell row by row on the steps underthe crush of the crowd, which was trying tomove both up and down the steps, sur-vivors and eyewitnesses said. “I t wasunstoppable. The force from above fell onus,” recalled Zhao Weiwei, a survivor whosegirlfriend, Pan Haiqin, died in the stam-pede. “There might have been two to threesecurity people. That was virtually none.”

Yu Ping, another survivor, said: “Therewas no security. Not at all.” Family mem-bers, survivors and witnesses also com-plained of a lack of emergency response inthe wake of the disaster. Police vehiclesand private cars were used to transport thevictims, with little medical emergencyservice available, and the victims arrived inemergency rooms only to see few medicalprofessionals, they said.

In one case, family members of a 25-year-old woman said that she had a stablepulse, opened her eyes twice andappeared conscious when she was put intoa vehicle and taken to a hospital, but thatthere was no doctor on hand to treat herwhen she arrived. “As one of the first toarrive at a hospital, she should have hadthe best chances of survival, but the delaycost her life,” said a statement by her fami-ly, which requested anonymity because offears of possible government reprisals.

“ We are ex tremely angr y,” thewoman’s uncle told The Associated Press.“Her life should not have been ended likethis.” — AP

Sequence of errors led

to Shanghai stampede

SHANGHAI: A family pray for the victims at the site of the New Year’s Eve stampede inShanghai yesterday. — AFP

COLOMBO: Until just a few weeks ago, SriLanka’s upcoming election seemed a mere for-mality. Nothing, it seemed, could keepPresident Mahinda Rajapaksa from rolling to athird term in office. He was the president hailedas a king after crushing the Tamil Tiger rebels in2009 and ending the island nation’s 25-year civilwar. He is a charismatic campaigner with vastcampaign funds. He has turned the govern-ment into an extended family business, withpolitically powerful brothers, sons and nephewswho can all help his candidacy.

But times change. Quickly. An internal revoltnow threatens Rajapaksa’s hold on power.Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, a closeRajapaksa aide and No 2 in the president’sFreedom Party, defected in a secretly choreo-graphed news conference in late November,announcing he would run as an opposition can-didate in Thursday’s election.

Power, he said, has become too concentrat-ed, and corruption epidemic. “One family hascaptured the country’s economy, wealth,administration, and the management of thepolitical party,” Sirisena told reporters. He says atcampaign rallies that Rajapaksa began tobelieve the public support after the end of thewar and “perhaps he thought he could becomea real king.”

A confident Rajapaksa had called the elec-tion two years ahead of schedule, hoping to wina third six-year term before voters’ memoriesfaded of the defeat of the Tigers. The next day,though, Sirisena - who had publicly called forRajapaksa to run again - made his own surpriseannouncement.

That set off a wave of political turmoil andenergized a long-dispirited opposition that hadnot been looking forward to the election.Jumping between parties and backroom dealsare part of the political landscape in Sri Lanka,but this has surpassed the normal with 21 law-makers and ministers fleeing the governmentso far to back Sirisena. He has won support fromthe opposition United National Party, the mainethnic minority parties, many professionalgroups and some powerful Buddhist monks.Rajapaksa’s government has come under heavycriticism for turning a blind eye to recent anti-Muslim violence, and the largest Muslim partyhas also defected.

But while it is Rajapaksa’s biggest electoralchallenge since he came to power in 2005, hestill has immense advantages, from popularityamong the majority Sinhala ethnic group -which makes up more than 70 percent of SriLanka’s 21 million people - to control of statemedia. Plus, the economy has been growingsince the end of the civil war, although there arecomplaints that it has not reached the grass-roots.

“The president may be down from where hewas, but he is certainly not out,” said JehanPerera, a political analyst with the NationalPeace Council. “He is a two-time winner of presi-dential elections and is a fighter.” Rajapaksadenies all accusations of corruption, and insistshe will again win on Jan. 8.

“I am not worried. I will be the presidenteven after the 9th,” he has repeated in campaign

speeches around the Indian Ocean nation.While there is no reliable polling, cracks haveappeared in his core constituency - theBuddhist Sinhala majority - amid repeated accu-sations of amassing excessive power and cor-ruption. Sirisena has accused the Rajapaksas ofamassing wealth from their pet highway proj-ects and implied they were receiving benefitsfrom tobacco and pharmaceutical companies inreturn for arranging favorable laws.

The president’s relatives, meanwhile, areeverywhere. One brother is Cabinet minister foreconomic development, another is the speakerof Parliament and a third is the defense secre-tary, with control over the armed forces. His old-er son is a member of Parliament and a nephewis a provincial chief minister.

That left few powerful jobs and fewerresources from the national budget for non-Rajapaksas in the party, alienating many seniorpoliticians who felt shunted aside.

Kolitha Dissanayake, a businessman fromthe western town of Gampaha and a longtimeRajapaksa voter, said the talk of family rule andcorruption had changed his mind.

“It is these revelations that have hit the peo-ple,” he said. Until Sirisena’s revolt, Rajapaksaappeared set for a political walkover, with theopposition struggling to find an appealing can-didate. Rajapaksa even joked that he was shad-ow boxing without a viable opponent.

Popularity stemsRajapaksa’s popularity stems from his 2009

victory, although bloody, over the Tigers, whohad staged guerrilla war for decades for anindependent state for the minority Tamils, andfor the rebuilding of the country’s infrastructureafter the violence was over. His stature skyrock-eted among the Buddhist Sinhalese after thewar’s end. Immense billboards were erected inthe capital equating him with ancient warriorkings. The song “Long Live Great King” playedregularly on television and radio, and became apopular mobile phone ringtone. Rajapaksa wasre-elected in 2010 on that wave, defeating hisformer army commander, Gen Sarath Fonseka,who had also claimed credit for the victory.

After his victory, Rajapaksa had Fonsekajailed on charges of corruption and of planninghis political career while still in a military uni-form. He was stripped of his rank and medals.That sparked unease in the Sinhala community,where Fonseka was a war hero and hugely pop-ular. Rajapaksa then used his overwhelmingparliamentary majority to scrap a constitutionaltwo-term limit for president, and to give thepresident the power to appoint judges, topbureaucrats, police officials and military chiefs.He orchestrated the impeachment of the coun-try’s chief justice and replaced her with a trust-ed adviser. Human rights and oppositiongroups accuse him of using the military to sup-press legitimate public protests, protectingdrug smugglers and protecting politicians fromhis party accused of rape and child abuse.

Rajapaksa’s use of the military in 2013 toquell a public protest demanding clean drink-ing water resulted in the deaths of three people,causing much public anger. — AP

Political revolt roils Sri

Lanka presidential vote

PATNA: Indian police have arrested two brothersaccused of repeatedly raping a 22-year-old Japanesetourist over three weeks near Bodh Gaya, Buddhism’sholiest site, an official said yesterday. The tourist hadbeen held hostage at gunpoint in a secluded under-ground room close to a pilgrimage site, according to apreliminary investigation. “When her health conditiondeteriorated due to repeated rape and poor living con-ditions, she was brought to Gaya (district headquar-ters) for medical treatment on December 20,” a policeofficer who is part of the investigation told AFP oncondition of anonymity.

But she managed to escape and reached Varanasiwhere she met some Japanese tourists who helpedher contact the Japanese consulate in the nearby cityof Kolkata, the officer added. Sajid Khan, 32, and his25-year-old brother Jawed Khan, both tourist guides,were arrested in the case on Friday, police deputysuperintendent Alok Kumar Singh said.

“We have arrested the duo for confining and rapingthe Japanese student,” Singh told AFP by telephonefrom Bodh Gaya.

The Bodh Gaya complex, 110 kilometres (68 miles)south of Bihar state capital Patna, is home to one ofthe earliest Buddhist temples still standing in India andattracts visitors from all over the world. The Japanesewoman, a university student, had come to Gaya fromKolkata where she had checked into a hotel inNovember.

India has faced intense scrutiny over its efforts tocurb violence against women following the fatal gangrape of a medical student in New Delhi in 2012 whichsparked global outcry. — AFP

Two brothers held

in India over rape

of Japanese tourist

LAHORE: Pakistan police yesterday launched an investi-gation against a prominent cleric after a six-year-oldboy was found strangled and dumped in a mosqueafter being sexually abused. “We have apprehended upto seven people including local cleric Qari Saqib, who isprime suspect in this case,” Ijaz Shafi Dogar, a seniorpolice official in the eastern city of Lahore, told AFP.

Moeen Yasin’s body was found in the grounds of amosque in Lahore after he was reported missing by hisfather on Friday. “According to the post mortem report,the child was strangled to death after molestation,”Dogar said. Another local police official, Abu BakarSiddique, confirmed the incident, adding that the inves-tigation was currently focused on the cleric.

A crowd of around 200 people gathered near thechild’s home, demanding the arrest of the culprits andjustice for the victim’s family. In November last year, asix-years-old girl from the minority Hazara ethnic com-munity was strangled and dumped near a garbageheap after rape attempts in the southwestern city ofQuetta in Baluchistan province.

Sexual violence against children is common inPakistan though authorities lack data because manyfamilies don’t report such crimes because of theattached stigma. —AFP

Pakistan cleric

probed after child

molested, killed

AMRITSAR: Indian passengers wait for the train on a chilly morning at the railwaystation in Amritsar yesterday. Seasonal fog and cold weather has taken hold ofnorthern India. —AFP

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

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia: Indonesia pledgedyesterday to investigate flight violations byAirAsia, as search teams found two big parts of theairline’s plane that crashed into the sea last week-end with 162 people on board. The country’stransport ministry said the ill-fated aircraft hadbeen flying on an unauthorized schedule when itcrashed, and the airline has now been suspendedfrom flying the route from the city of Surabaya toSingapore.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Indonesia issueda security alert yesterday for its citizens in thecountry’s second biggest city Surabaya. “The USEmbassy has been made aware of a potentialthreat against US-associated hotels and banks inSurabaya, Indonesia,” the embassy said in a state-ment on its website. “The US Embassy recom-mends heightened vigilance and awareness ofone’s surroundings when visiting such facilities,” itsaid. The statement gave no further details.

Indonesia is considered to have been largelysuccessful in cracking down on homegrown mili-tant groups following multiple attacks in the2000s targeting foreigners and state institutions.But authorities have raised concerns in recentmonths over hundreds of Indonesian citizensattempting to travel to Syria and Iraq to fightalongside militants of the Islamic State organiza-tion.

Violation“It violated the route permit given, the sched-

ule given, that’s the problem,” director general ofair transport, Djoko Murjatmodjo, said. He saidAirAsia’s permit for the route would be suspendeduntil investigations were completed, while otherairlines in the country would also be examined.

“We will carry out an audit or an evaluation onall airlines in Indonesia over whether there are anyviolations related to route, time and schedule,” hesaid. Major parts of the Airbus A320-200 werefound in the Java Sea off the island of Borneo lateFriday night, raising hopes that the remainingbodies and the black box recorders, crucial todetermining the cause of the crash, would soon belocated.

So far recovery teams have found 30 bodies ofthose killed when Flight 8501 went down earlySunday during a storm, and search leaders weresending divers to the spot where plane parts hadbeen found to try to recover the remaining bodies.

“With the discovery of an oil spill and two bigparts of the aircraft, I can assure you these are theparts of the AirAsia plane we have been lookingfor,” search and rescue agency chief BambangSoelistyo told reporters.

“The main focus today is to find and evacuatevictims.” A statement from transport ministryspokesman J A Barata said AirAsia Indonesia hadnot been permitted to fly the Surabaya-Singaporeroute on Sundays and had not asked to change itsschedule.

I t was unclear how the airl ine, a unit ofMalaysia-based AirAsia, had been able to fly with-out the necessary authorization.

AirAsia Indonesia chief Sunu Widyatmoko toldreporters that the company would not commentuntil the results of the investigation were known,adding that the airline would “fully cooperate withthe government in that evaluation process”.

Hampered by strong current Recovery teams, which have been hampered

by rough weather in recent days, had on Fridaynarrowed their search to an area of 45 by 35 nauti-cal miles centred about 75 nautical miles south-west of Pangkalan Bun, a town in CentralKalimantan on Borneo. Search official S B Supriyadiin Pangkalan Bun said their yesterday operationwould also comb coastal areas to see if bodies haddrifted to shore, while their ability to send diversdown would depend on sea currents and waves.

Russia has sent in dozens of search and rescueworkers to help with the operations, as well as twoplanes, one amphibious, while French andSingaporean investigators are helping to locatethe black boxes. The United States, Australia,South Korea and Malaysia are among other coun-tries helping in the search effort.

Soelistyo said the larger of the two objectsfound on Friday night was about 10 metres by fivemetres (32 feet by 16 feet). A presentation shownto reporters described one of the pieces a “sus-pected tail” of the plane.

“As I speak we are lowering an ROV (remotelyoperated underwater vehicle) underwater to getan actual picture of the objects detected on thesea floor. All are at the depth of 30 metres,”Soelistyo said. He added however that the strongcurrent was making it difficult to operate the ROV.

Toos Sanitioso, an investigator from the KNKT(National Transportation Safety Committee), saidhe was hopeful they would find the black boxes ina few days. “It seems that they have found themajor (plane) parts,” he told reporters in Surabaya,Indonesia’s second-largest city.

FuneralsThe families of victims have been preparing

funerals as the bodies recovered are identified inSurabaya, where a crisis centre has been set up ata police hospital with facilities to store 150 bodies.Of the 162 passengers and crew on board, 155were Indonesian, with three South Koreans, oneSingaporean, one Malaysian, one Briton and a

Frenchman-co-pilot Remi Plesel.Ongko Gunawan, who lost his sister and broth-

er-in-law and their child, expressed impatience ashe waited for news.

“We are exhausted and sick of it. Hopefully wecan find the bodies quickly, now that there’s alsohelp from the foreign countries,” he said. Beforetake-off, the pilot of Flight 8501 had asked for per-mission to fly at a higher altitude to avoid a storm,but the request was not approved due to otherplanes above him on the popular route, accordingto AirNav, Indonesia’s air traffic control. In his lastcommunication shortly before all contact was lost,he said he wanted to change course to avoid themenacing storm system. — Agencies

Indonesia pledges AirAsia

probe as jet parts found

US embassy issues security alert for Surabaya

PANGKALAN BUN: Dead bodies of victims of AirAsia Flight 8501 are lifted to Indonesian navy vessel KRI Banda Aceh at sea off the coast of PangkalanBun, Indonesia, yesterday. — AP

ADELAIDE: A general view of a shed destroyed during bushfires in Upper Hermitage inthe Adelaide Hills yesterday. — AFP

PARIS: The jet dropped from the sky swiftly,without a mayday call. It was quickly swallowedup by the waves. It took nearly two years to findthe black boxes from Air France Flight 447, butthe Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight that fell into theAtlantic Ocean in the early hours of June 1,2009, could offer insight into what may havegone wrong on AirAsia’s Flight 8501. Bothflights killed everyone on board, both were fly-ing into storms when they disappeared, and - inboth cases - it seemed to the pilots of theAirbus that a climb was the way out of theirpredicament.

In the Air France flight, several factors con-verged to bring the plane down: The threepilots of the Airbus A330 were confused byfaulty air-speed data after key sensors iced over.Then, about 25 minutes into turbulence, theautopilot and autothrust cut out, and the pilotat the controls began a steep climb, despiterequests from the co-pilot in the cockpit todescend.

The captain, who had been away from thecockpit, returned about 90 seconds after thefirst stall warnings sounded. Four minutes and23 seconds after the first alarms sowed panicand confusion over how to regain control of theaircraft, the plane slammed into the ocean,plummeting belly first at nearly 11,000 feet(3,350 meters) per minute. The wreckage wasfound 12,800 feet (3,900 meters) beneath thesurface, its black boxes intact.

Above the Java Sea, the pilot of the AirAsiaAirbus A320 told air traffic control he wasapproaching threatening clouds, but he wasdenied permission to climb to a higher altitude.The plane lost contact minutes later. Searchteams have not yet found the black boxes con-taining the same crucial information that pin-pointed the causes of the Air France flight.

Investigators from the French agency BEA,which investigated that 2009 crash, are inIndonesia. Sonar images have identified whatappeared to be large parts of the plane, and the

waters are far shallower than they were for theAir France crash, no more than about 100 feet(30 meters). However, the search has beencomplicated by strong currents moving thedebris.

The 2009 crash ended up being, at least inpart, a lesson in the hazards of automation.During that time, deprived of autopilot, thepanicking men flying the Air France flight tookactions that made matters worse, includingtrying to carry out different maneuvers simul-taneously from both sets of controls. Sincethen, many have cautioned that pilots areoften ill-equipped to take over when things gowrong.

“We see more-sophisticated automation inthe cockpit really serves us well, and by andlarge it creates a safer environment for airlinepassengers. But there are times when thatautomation can become confusing, or there canbe a disconnect between the pilots and theautomation in the aircraft,” said DeborahHersman, former chairman of the US NationalTransportation Safety Board and now presidentof the National Safety Council, a private advoca-cy group in the US.

David Greenberg, a former Delta Air Linesexecutive who was hired at Korean Air to over-see pilot training and safety, said aircraft manu-facturers, airlines and the FAA embraced theidea that automation could make flying safer,but more recently began to worry about thetimes when automation can’t carry the day.“The focus started to shift back to being capa-ble of using the automation as an assist toreduce workload in the right circumstance, butbeing capable also of taking over and flying theold way,” Greenberg said. “In Asia, it’s very nor-mal to rely, in my view, excessively on automa-tion,” he said, “party because the manufacturersstress that the airplanes are easy to learn andeasy to train on and very safe because theautomation narrows the gap between skill andrequired skill.” — AP

ADELAIDE, Australia: An intense bushfirerazed at least five homes in South Australiayesterday, with more devastation feared asfirefighters struggle to contain the worstblaze in decades that is raging out of control.“Your life is at risk,” South Australian PremierJay Weatherill told residents of the MountLofty Ranges east of Adelaide, urging them toleave as the “incredibly dangerous fire” ragedin rugged scrub.

“If you’ve decided to stay, you need to beaware that the fire will become incrediblyscary and could lead you to change yourmind at some point. It could be a catastrophicdecision for you to leave late,” he said. Theblaze at Sampson Flat was spreading in alldirections, sweeping rapidly from a 154hectare area on Friday afternoon to one cov-ering 4,741 hectares with a perimeter of 38kilometers.

“It’s a bit frightening,” said Graeme Zuckerwho left his home in Kersbrook near the blazeand was waiting anxiously to find outwhether it had survived.“You might be lucky,you might not be,” he told AustralianAssociated Press. “We won’t know until theroads are opened and we can drive back andcome around the corner. If you see the housethere, you jump for joy. If you don’t, well youdon’t jump for joy.”

The fire is spreading unpredictably due towind gusts, forcing firefighters to abandonhopes of stopping the blaze until the weatherabates. “There’s not a fire service anywhere inthis world that could put this fire out at themoment,” Ian Tanner from the Country FireService told residents who fled their homes.

‘Extremely dangerous’ Residents of 19 towns in the Adelaide

Hills, an area with a population of about40,000 dotted with pretty villages and knownfor its farming produce and wineries, havebeen urged to leave rather than face theworst blaze the area has seen in decades. Sofar five homes have been destroyed in theblaze and reports have suggested thatdozens more could be lost but authoritiessaid this could not be confirmed until theywere able to visit the fireground. Eight fire-fighters have also been hurt fighting theflames but are thought to have only minorinjuries.

“At the moment, we have a fire which isextremely dangerous and it is burning underextremely adverse conditions,” SouthAustralia’s Country Fire Service chief GregNettleton said.

“Right at this moment, residents in theAdelaide Hills are being confronted by a firewhich hasn’t been seen in the hills since the1983 bushfires of Ash Wednesday.”

The 1983 disaster killed more than 70 peo-ple in South Australia and Victoria anddestroyed thousands of homes and buildings.In Victoria, where temperatures also soared,one fire is still burning near Maroona in thestate’s west after firefighters battled morethan 320 blazes overnight.

Bushfires are common in Australia in thesummer months. In February 2009 the devas-tating “Black Saturday” bushfires in Victorialeft 173 people dead and razed more than2,000 homes in the nation’s worst natural dis-aster of modern times. — AFP

HARBIN: Chinese firefighters battling a blaze at the Beifangnanxun ceramics market inHarbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province. Five firefighters were killed and 11 otherswere injured with three in critical condition when the warehouse collapsed on them. — AFP

AirAsia flight has parallels

with 2009 ocean crash

Homes lost as bushfire

rages in South Australia

BEIJING: A warehouse collapse in thenortheastern city of Harbin killed five fire-fighters and injured 13 others, Chinesestate media reported. The state broadcasterCentral China Television reported yesterdaythat rescuers had found the bodies of twofirefighters who had been out of contact,raising the death toll to five. The HarbinCommunist Party said on its Sina Weibo

microblog account that a security guardalso was injured in the blaze.

The official Xinhua News Agency saidthe firefighters were on the second floorof a ceramics market warehouse Fridaynight trying to put out a blaze abovethem when the floor collapsed on them.Three of the injured remain in critical con-dition. — AP

Warehouse collapse kills

5 firefighters in China

CEO of AirAsia Tony Fernandes (right) attending a funeral ceremony for Khairunisa, a flight atten-dant onboard AirAsia flight QZ8501, in Palembang. Indonesian searchers promised an “all-outeffort” to locate bodies from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 as international investigators joined the huntfor the ill-fated plane. — AFP

BANJUL, Gambia: Gambian security forceswent door-to-door in the capital Banjul onFriday in search of participants in a failed coupagainst the west African country’s strongmanPresident Yahya Jammeh, residents said.Witnesses said the troops, who also set upcheckpoints on roads leading out of thecoastal city, were searching for suspects fromTuesday’s assault on the presidential palace.

The attack, which was repelled by the secu-rity forces, took place while Jammeh was on aprivate visit to Dubai, diplomatic and militarysources said. “Gambian soldiers carrying gunsare conducting a house-to-house,” a womanliving in Banjul told AFP, asking not to be iden-tified. “They believe the attackers are still hid-ing in the capital.”

Residents in other neighborhoods alsoreported houses being searched. A fisherman,who also requested anonymity because of theclimate of fear in the city, said he had beenwarned by relatives not to head back with hiscatch to the usual dock outside Banjul because“members of the armed forces and the para-military are lying in ambush in the creeks atDenton bridge and Old Jeshwang”.

Military and government officials were notavailable for comment. An intelligence servicessource said Thursday that dozens of people

had been arrested in connection with the pre-dawn attack, which was carried out by heavilyarmed men travelling by boat.

Gambian military sources said the coupwas led by a captain who deserted the armyand who was killed along with two otherassailants. Four officers suspected of partici-pating in the attempt have taken refuge in theneighboring west African nation of Guinea-Bissau, a military source said. Jammeh, 49, whohimself took power in a coup, has ruled thetiny country which runs along the Gambia riv-er for 20 years. His presidency has beendogged by accusations of human rights viola-tions and analysts have warned Tuesday’sattack could be used as justification for a clam-pdown. On Thursday he accused unidentifiedforeign forces of attempting to unseat him andinsisted that his army was “very loyal”. “This wasnot a coup. This was an attack by a terroristgroup backed by some powers that I wouldnot name,” he said.

The UN’s west Africa envoy, Mohammed IbnChambas, condemned the “attempt to seizepower through unconstitutional means”. IbnChambas, who is due to visit Gambia soon,called on the security forces “to ensure that theinvestigations are conducted in full respect ofhuman rights and regular legal process”. — AFP

Gambian troops hunt

for failed coup plotters

N E W S

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Continued from Page 1

Zalzalah said that the agreement with the commerceminister was that the government will not allow any harmto people from raising the price of diesel and that the min-ister pledged that the consumer protection departmentwill prevent any increases. The lawmaker said the govern-ment is behaving as if it is living outside the country andignoring the price rises, adding that it was illogical to seebakeries closing down. He said that the government hasdecided to lift subsidies without studying the full impact ofits measure, and as a result the only step needed to resolvethe problem is a government’s reversal of its decision.

MP Abdulhameed Dashti described the closure ofIranian bakeries as a catastrophe, and lashed out atCommerce and Industry Minister Abdulmohsen Al-Mudej

for failing to prevent the illegal price rises. But MPMohammad Tana quoted the minister as saying the min-istry has already started taking legal measures againstlocal companies that raised prices although the price ofdiesel was not raised for them. The ministry insisted thatthe price of diesel and kerosene will not be raised for anumber of local activities, especially building materialcompanies.

MP Tana said he spoke with the minister who informedhim that the consumer protection department beganimmediately collecting the names of companies thatraised the charges of their services although the price ofdiesel was not raised for them. The lifting of subsidies ondiesel, kerosene and fuel aviation was the first step toreduce public subsidies estimated to cost the governmentmore than KD 5 billion.

Govt faces heat after raising diesel prices

Continued from Page 1

by WikiLeaks, and accused him of ruling Iraq only onbehalf of the Shiites. Citing an official foreign ministrysource, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that besidesreopening its embassy, the kingdom also planned to setup a general consulate in Arbil, capital of Iraq’s Kurdistanregion. A team from the ministry would head toBaghdad this week to liaise with Iraq on choosing andpreparing buildings for both missions, so they couldstart work “at the earliest opportunity”, SPA said. InNovember, Iraqi President Fuad Masum visited SaudiArabia for the first such high-level trip in years in a sign

of warming relations after years of strain between thetwo countries.

Mustafa Alani, an Iraqi security analyst with close tiesto the Saudi government, said the move was promptedby both the change in Iraqi leadership and the threatfrom Islamic State, which staged a lightning advanceacross Iraq in June and is the target of US-led air strikesin both Iraq and Syria. “The Saudis think there is a gapnow. If they leave Mr Abadi without help, he will beforced to go to the Iranians,” he said. “With the change ofleadership, change of circumstances, they think that it’stime to bring back Iraq ... to the Arab fold and to reducethe Iranian influence.” — Agencies

Saudis to reopen Baghdad embassy

Continued from Page 1

listed Muslim Brotherhood, say the charges werepolitically motivated. One of the recommendations inClooney’s report was to end the practice that allowsEgyptian officials to handpick judges in certain politi-cised cases. “That recommendation wasn’t followed,and we’ve seen the results of that in this particular casewhere you had a handpicked panel led by a judge whois known for dispensing brutal verdicts. And this onewas no different,” she said.

Egypt’s top court on Thursday ordered a retrial ofAustralian Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian MohamedFahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed, but kept the

journalists in custody pending a new hearing. Fahmy -whom Clooney represents - and Greste are seekingdeportation, while Mohamed’s wife said she was look-ing at ways to get her husband out of Egypt.

Clooney said she hoped that Fahmy’s deportationwould go ahead “in fairly quick terms”, expressing littleconfidence in a retrial. “I don’t see how the prosecutioncan proceed again in a trial process even if the judgeswere to be constituted properly this time around. I don’tsee how they could fix the lack of evidence,” she said.“We have to continue and double our efforts to achievehis release in other ways. Unfortunately we have to con-clude that we can’t rely on these Egyptian court process-es to achieve a fair or swift result,” she said. — AFP

Amal Clooney threatened with arrest...

Members of a brass band have a snowball fight beside the Tour de Ski track in Oberstdorf, southern Germany, during winter weather with temperatures near freezing point yesterday.— AFP

HONOLULU: US President BarackObama plans new steps to help moreAmericans buy a home and attend col-lege, part of a 2015 agenda he hopescan build on the postelection momen-tum from high-profile moves on immi-gration and Cuba. His approach for thenew year appears to look straight pastnewly emboldened Republicans whotake full control of Congress onTuesday.

Fresh from a two-week Hawaiianvacation, the president was readyingexecutive actions and legislative pro-posals to start promoting right awaywhile advisers and speechwriters fleshout the broad themes that Obamawants to emphasis in his State of theUnion address on Jan 20. It will be hisseventh since taking office, but his firstbefore a Congress entirely in GOPhands.

In a sign of their divergent paths,Obama was heading out of Washington

on Wednesday just as the new Congresswas settling in. He plans stops inMichigan, Arizona and Tennesseeaimed at highlighting how his own eco-nomic policies were contributing to thecountry’s recovery. Obama, expectedback in Washington today, hasappeared energized by the end-of-the-year action on immigration policy andCuban relations, suggesting continuedpresidential relevance despite a politicallandscape dramatically altered by deepDemocratic losses on Election Day.

Since the November midterms, thekey question has been whether Obamawill lean in or away from compromisewith Republicans in his final two years.Of the issues the White House saidObama will emphasize in the comingweeks, none was among the few areasthat both Democrats and Republicanshave cited as ripe for dealmaking -trade, taxes, public works.

An Obama spokesman, Eric Schultz,

said Obama would announces propos-als this coming week that focus onhelping the middle class benefit fromthe economic recovery. “There are anumber of issues we could makeprogress on, but the president is clearthat he will not let this Congress undoimportant protections gained - particu-larly in areas of healthcare, Wall Streetreform and the environment,” Schultzsaid.

Obama has threatened to use hisveto power to block GOP attacks thisyear. In Detroit on Wednesday, Obamaplans to cite the return of manufactur-ing jobs and his decision to bail out theauto industry. In Phoenix the next day,Obama intends to showcase gains inthe housing sector since the real estatecrash and come out with new steps tohelp Americans buy a home, the WhiteHouse said. On Friday, Vice PresidentJoe Biden will join Obama in Tennesseeto discuss new ways to help more peo-

ple attend college or job-training.With Obama’s prime-time address

to the nation less than three weeksaway, the White House has reached outto Democratic groups such as theCenter for American Progress to solicitinput, without making commitments.Lacking a Democratic majority in theSenate to stop them, GOP lawmakersconvening Tuesday intend to start chip-

ping away on health care, immigrationand the environment, flashing theirpower as Obama enters the last yearsof his presidency and the 2016 racestarts to unfold.

Rep Rodney Davis said the Housewould start right away with jobs billsthat have won the support of both par-ties before but never advanced in theSenate. “If the president is willing to

work with us, we’ll have a real chanceto address our nation’s most pressingchallenges,” he said in the weeklyRepublican address. During his vaca-tion with his wife and daughters,Obama spent long afternoons on thebeach with his girls and golfed nearlyevery day with friends. The visit to hisbirthplace is a yearly tradition for theObamas. — AP

Obama aims to start 2015 on his own terms

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Slew of challenges

for Republican-led

Congress in 2015

The 113th Congress, which wrapped up Dec 16, wasone of the least productive in modern history.Onward to 2015. US lawmakers return to

Washington on Tuesday under a new, fully Republicanbanner after the party swept to victory in Novemberelections. Republican leaders will have plenty on theirplate in the first quarter, as the party seeks to roll backPresident Barack Obama’s legislative gains and press itsown agenda ahead of the 2016 presidential race.

Conservatives are furious at Obama’s recent use ofexecutive orders, notably to halt deportations of undoc-umented immigrants and to begin normalizing US-Cubarelations. Republican legislation, including several pro-jobs bills, should pass relatively easily through the Houseof Representatives, where Republicans expanded theirmajority to 247 of 435 seats. It will be tougher in the 100-member Senate, where 60 votes are often needed toadvance legislation. Republicans will hold 54 seats in thechamber. Expect a series of heated clashes betweenCongress and Obama in months to come.

Economy Obama gives his State of the Union speech Jan 20 lay-

ing out his policy priorities, but several issues will alreadybe churning on Capitol Hill. Approving the controversialKeystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the US GulfCoast will be the Senate’s first major order of business,according to incoming Senate Majority Leader MitchMcConnell. The long-delayed project is expected to clearCongress, but Obama, concerned about how Keystonemight hasten climate change, signalled his opposition ina year-end press conference. That sets up a potentialpresidential Keystone veto in early 2015, one that wouldbe difficult to override.

Republican leaders expect to reach common groundwith Obama on international trade agreements like theTrans-Pacific Partnership, which has Republican supportbut faces Democratic opposition. Other issues could faceeven more hostility. Congress will need to raise the fed-eral debt limit, which was suspended early last year untilMarch 15, 2015. McConnell said there would be “nodefault on the national debt”. Incoming House BudgetCommittee chairman Tom Price hinted that Republicanscould demand dramatic spending cuts in exchange forextending borrowing authority. With a battle brewing,the government can use so-called extraordinary meas-ures to stave off default for a few months.

Foreign Policy The Senate will swiftly address Iran’s nuclear program,

according to Republican Senator Mark Kirk, who co-authored new sanctions on Iran. The White House haswarned Congress that tightening sanctions coulddestroy international negotiations aimed at preventingIran from developing an atomic bomb. But with biparti-san support for a firm stance, Obama could potentiallyface a tough call on whether to veto legislation thatwould impose sanctions and require Congress to sign offon any final deal. Lawmakers will also debate a prospec-tive new authorization for use of military force againstIslamic State extremists. The administration conducts itscurrent operations - including more than 1,100 airstrikesin Syria and Iraq since September targeting IS - underauthority passed in 2001 and 2002 after Al-Qaeda’s 9/11attacks on the United States. Many Democrats havebucked Obama and demanded a limited, three-yearauthority that prohibits the use of US ground troops.

Obamacare Since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010,

House Republicans have voted more than 50 times torepeal or defund it, mostly to no avail, as theDemocratically-run Senate refused to take up the meas-ures. That changes with Republicans in charge, and in anop-ed after November’s elections McConnell and HouseSpeaker John Boehner said they were “renewing ourcommitment to repeal Obamacare”. McConnell hasacknowledged a full repeal is not possible, and is seekingto limit the law’s scope. He signaled Republicans will seekto redefine the work week to 40 hours, up fromObamacare’s current 30-hour threshold. Critics havewarned that Obamacare creates incentives for companiesto reduce workers’ hours to avoid purchasing insurance.

Immigration Congress last month authorized spending for all fed-

eral agencies until September - except for theDepartment of Homeland Security, which was budgetedthrough February. That sets up a fight over Obama’s uni-lateral immigration action. In a December interview withMcClatchy newspapers, McConnell promised a “signifi-cant debate” on the immigration issue. — AFP

Washington Watch

By Michael Mathes

ANALYSISSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

By Toby Davis

While the emotional bond formed of 17 years ster-ling service to his boyhood club ensures StevenGerrard’s exit will be an emotional occasion, his

ageing legs and dwindling reserves of energy mean thehero of yesteryear had already departed. Gerrard, whoannounced on Friday that he was quitting Liverpool at theend of the season for a new challenge abroad, can rightful-ly lay claim to be one of the club’s true greats.

But the days when he would drag Liverpool over theline by willpower alone, when his mere presence on thepitch meant no situation was so dire that he could not con-jure an improbable escape, are now gone. The reality,therefore, was that had Gerrard stayed at Liverpool, hisappearances were going to become more sporadic. At 34years old, he had entered the period in most careers whentalk turns to protecting tired legs from the exertions of themodern game.

Questions had started to be asked about whether hecould still be an effective part of manager BrendanRodgers’s side, where a high-intensity pressing gameseemed to be the preferred method of attack and defence.He was able to make a big impact on Liverpool’s title chal-lenge last season largely because the manager had createda role in the team, the deep-lying quarter-back, tailor-made to enhance his assets and hide his growing weak-nesses.

As Gerrard arrowed long-range passes into the feet

of forwards Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in one ofthe most attacking Liverpool sides in recent years, fewquestioned his place in the side. Yet with Suarez goneand Sturridge injured for most of the current cam-paign, Gerrard has looked a shadow of last season’splaymaker, with his passing range counting for littlewith the more sedentary Mario Balotelli leading theLiverpool line.

Without a moving target to aim for, teams came armedwith spoiler tactics to restrict Gerrard’s creative influenceand Liverpool’s title challenge was over before it had bare-ly begun. This is not the first Liverpool side that Gerrardhas played in who look a long way off challenging for thePremier League. It is the first, however, where the cracks ofmediocrity cannot be papered over by the majestic talentsof the captain.

Gargantuan PresenceIt is fair to say, therefore, that the biggest impact of his

departure is likely to be the lack of his gargantuan pres-ence behind the scenes. Especially at a club where there isnow arguably not a single player who can claim to hold thehighest stature in the world game. Former defender JamieCarragher, who shared many of Gerrard’s finest moments,was among those calling for the club to make more effortto retain Gerrard for precisely that reason. “I look at what ishappening with Ryan Giggs at Manchester United nowand I am dismayed that Liverpool are letting that experi-ence leave,” he said.

Giggs, however, was ushered into a coaching role froma recent title winning side, without the micro-analysis ofhis situation every time he started a match on the bench.Gerrard was never going to be afforded that luxury in astruggling Liverpool outfit. If he started on the bench, hewas always going to be the centre of attention, win lose ordraw, which was part of the reason for the timing ofFriday ’s statement on his future. “I am making theannouncement now so that the manager and the team arenot distracted by stories or speculation about my future,”he said.

If there is some solace to be had for Liverpool managerBrendan Rodgers as he begins to make plans for a life with-out Gerrard, it perhaps lies in the fact that arguably theirbest performance of the season came with his captain onthe bench. The midfielder was a mere observer asLiverpool recreated last season’s attacking verve in a 4-1victory over Swansea City a few days after Christmas. Thereremains, however, a sense that Liverpool have a squadwith few natural leaders. A transfer policy that has focusedprimarily on recruiting young talent with potential ratherthan finished products means there are few stand-out can-didates to replace Gerrard as captain.

For many years, Gerrard was the difference betweenLiverpool competing near the top of the table rather thanscrapping it out with the also-rans. Although his impact onthe pitch is no longer what it was, Liverpool could still paya hard price for failing to replace his know-how and experi-ence off it. — Reuters

Liverpool face up to life without Gerrard

By Kim Dong-Hyun

Hollywood comedy “The Interview” has won a fewfans in between sparking apocalyptic warningsfrom North Korea - but for defectors who escaped

the communist state, there’s nothing funny about it.That’s not to say they’re not watching it. Defectors basedin the South have flocked to see the film at the centre ofan escalating international row thanks to its lurid depic-tion of the assassination of North Korean dictator KimJong-Un. The United States claims that the film’s presen-tation of Kim - whose family has ruled the reclusive,impoverished state for more than six decades - prompt-ed Pyongyang to launch a massive cyber-attack on SonyPictures, the studio that made it.

“Every defector I know has seen the movie,” said KimSung-Min, who fled the North in 1996 and now runs theanti-Pyongyang Free North Korea Radio station. “We’vetalked a lot about this flick over the past week, and wesimply did not understand why it gives foreignerslaughs,” he added. Internet links to the film quickly cir-culated amongst the South’s 20,000-strong defectorcommunity after Sony reversed its decision to axe it latelast month following threats to cinema-goers from theshadowy Sony hackers.

But defectors have reacted to the movie with a mix-ture of shock and bafflement. It’s not just that its crasshumour is largely lost on a North Korean audience - it’sthat growing up immersed in a personality cult, whichgives god-like status to the ruling Kim dynasty, is not anexperience that can easily be forgotten. Even for defec-tors who have been in the South for years, it is jarring tosee Kim ridiculed as a Katy Perry fan who has a complexabout his dad. “For me, it wasn’t a comedy - more of abombshell, because of the way it made fun of Kim Jong-Un,” Park Sang-Hak, who defected to the South in 1999,told AFP.

But that is precisely the reason that Park, who leads agroup of activists that regularly attempt to airdrop anti-Kim leaflets into North Korea, is planning to launch gas-filled balloons over the border carrying some 100,000copies of the film on DVDs and USB memory sticks. Tosee Kim portrayed as an object of ridicule - rather thanthe infallible, all-powerful leader depicted in state prop-aganda - would be nothing short of a revelation formost North Koreans, Park said.

Kim Lookalike Disappoints North Koreans Some of them might initially react with anger. “For

North Koreans, it’s the equivalent of portraying Jesus asa debauched, crooked scoundrel. It would not be at all

funny,” said Park. “The most important takeaway forthem would be that their great leader can be a laughingstock overseas and the United States could assassinatehim... This would deal a blow to North Korea’s efforts toidolise the young leader.”

Park’s group is planning to launch the first of thegiant balloons carrying copies of the film, along withbundles of anti-regime leaflets, later this month. Somedefectors have already managed to pass online links tothe movie to informants living in the North near theborder with China, where they have access to secretsmartphones paid for by South Koreans, according toKim Sung-Min of Free North Korea Radio.

At a recent screening of “The Interview” at a bar inSeoul, viewers said the puerile comedy - which reliesheavily on butt jokes - could prove an unlikely toolagainst the Pyongyang propaganda machine if anyNorth Koreans manage to secretly view it in theirhomes. “The biggest threat to the regime is undermin-ing the narrative they tell their people. This film actually

gets that,” said Sokeel Park, director of research andstrategy at Liberty in North Korea, a US-based charitythat helps defectors.

But that subversive message will have to battle withthe fact that much of the film is incomprehensible to anaudience raised on a diet of propaganda distinctly lack-ing in any kind of humour - let alone the frat-boy jokesthat have won “The Interview” a widespread panningfrom critics. “It didn’t give me much to laugh about aswe North Koreans are not accustomed to comedy,” saidLee Han-Byul, a defector who was amongst around 100people who crowded the bar to watch the film. “Thereare no comedy films in North Korea, and we have (a) dif-ferent sense of humour.”

One thing that left her particularly unimpressed wasthe lack of resemblance between Randall Park, theKorean-American actor who plays Kim, and the dictatorhimself. “The actor did not look like Kim Jong-Un at all,”she complained. “In North Korea, actors in films are almostexact lookalikes of the heroes they are playing.” — AFP

‘Interview’ no laughing matter for defectors

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

AMSTERDAM: Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam have signed teenagegoalkeeper Andre Onana from Barcelona on a three-year contract, Ajaxsaid yesterday.

The 18-year-old, originally from Cameroon, has been the subject ofinterest from several European clubs but has done a deal until

mid-2018 with Ajax. His contract with the Spanish club runsout in June.

Onana has been in Barcelona’s youth system since2010 and this season was promoted to their Under-19side. Onana played for Barcelona against Ajax inNovember in the UEFA Youth League, the continentalyouth competition for clubs competing in the

Champions League, but he has not played a seniorgame. Barcelona have another Cameroonian

teenaged goalkeeper on their books. FabriceOndoa, 19, is expected to be first choice for

his country at this month’s African NationsCup finals even though he has neverplayed for his club’s first team.—Reuters

Ajax sign teenage keeper

LONDON: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will join a Major League Soccerteam in the United States when he leaves Anfield at the end of the season,the former England captain told the English club’s TV channel yesterday.

Gerrard announced on Friday that he was leaving the Premier Leagueclub he has played for throughout his career and moving to a foreign team.

The 34-year-old has made 695 appearance and scored 180 goals forLiverpool after joining the club as an eight-year-old schoolboy.

His former England team mate Frank Lampard left Chelsealast year to join New York City FC but he was loaned back totheir Premier League rivals Manchester City and this weekconfirmed he would stay at the Etihad Stadium until theend of the season. Gerrard’s greatest moment in aLiverpool shirt was when he helped to inspire their dramat-ic comeback win over AC Milan in the Champions Leaguefinal in 2005. However, he suffered disappointmentlast May when Liverpool missed out on thePremier League title. They faltered late in thecampaign when they appeared poised tobecome English champions for the first timesince 1990.—Reuters

CAPE TOWN: Former England batsman Jonathan Trott will continue to tryto revive his test career on his first overseas tour since leaving the Ashes inAustralia with stress issues just over a year ago.

The 33-year-old is captain of a 15-man England Lions squad, whichbegins a month-long tour of South Africa tomorrow. Trott will lead theteam in a three-day warm-up match against an invitation side in Sowetoand two four-day games against South Africa A this month. He is not in thesquad for five one-day ‘internationals’ that follow.

The South African-born batsman has said his selection for the Lionssquad would help his bid to return to England’s test team.

“I am like everyone else playing county cricket in that I have aspirationsto play for England,” he said. “I remember going on previous Lions trips in2007 and 2008 and having to do my time on those and prove myself. Thatis something that I need to do again.”

Trott returned to cricket last year after months of therapy following hisdecision to leave the 2013-2104 England tour to Australia, saying he was“emotionally and mentally spent”.

He departed the tour after the first test in Brisbane in November 2013,returning briefly to the game with Warwickshire at the start of the lastcounty season, only take another break.—Reuters

Trott aims to revive career

S P O RT S

Gerrard to move to MLS

SUNRISE: Goaltender Roberto Luongo No. 1 of the Florida Panthers defends the net in this file photo. —AFP

BUFFALO: Roberto Luongo made 30 savesfor his 68th career shutout to lead the FloridaPanthers past the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 onFriday night.

Brad Boyes and Nick Bjugstad scored forFlorida, which won for the first time in threegames. Luongo has shutouts in his last threestarts in Buffalo, and this one moved him intosole possession of 13th on the NHL’s careerl ist . Michal Neuvir th made 31 saves forBuffalo, which has lost three in a row.

Florida started the scoring at the 3:29mark when Sabres defenseman TysonStrachan missed the puck on a clearingattempt and the Panthers worked the puck toBoyes, who scored alone in front of the net.With Mike Weber in the box for an interfer-ence penalty, Bjugstad made it 2-0 with apower-play goal at 11:51.

PENGUINS 6, LIGHTNING 3Steve Downie scored twice after missing

five games with the mumps, and thePittsburgh Penguins used a three-goal, first-period lead to defeat the Tampa BayLightning.

Chris Kunitz scored a power-play goal, his12th of the year and Evgeni Malkin netted his17th - and just his second in 11 games - as

Pittsburgh won its ninth straight home gameagainst Tampa Bay. Sidney Crosby added fourassists for the Penguins, who bolstered theirdepth at forward earlier in the day by acquir-ing left wing David Perron from theEdmonton Oilers.

Andrew Ebbett added a goal and an assist,and Christian Ehrhoff also scored. Brian Boyle,Victor Hedman and Alex Killorn had goals forthe Lightning, whose four-game win streakended.

CANADIENS 4, DEVILS 2Michael Bournival scored his first two

goals of the season and Carey Price made 22saves on a personal milestone night and theMontreal Canadiens extended their winningstreak to five with a victory over the NewJersey Devils.

Price got his 200th victory in his 400thgame as Montreal won for the eighth time inthe past nine games. Max Pacioretty andTomas Plekanec also scored for theCanadiens while P.K . Subban had threeassists. The Devils are headed in the oppositedirection. They have only two wins in the past12 games. Rookie Keith Kinkaid also made 22stops. Michael Ryder got a goal in his returnafter missing three games with the mumps.

Mike Cammalleri also scored for the Devils.

HURRICANES 2, FLYERS 1Brad Malone scored his first goal of the

season and Eric Staal got his 10th and theCarolina Hurricanes held on for a victory overthe Philadelphia Flyers.

Cam Ward made 20 saves for theHurricanes, who won for only the third timein a month and scored as many as two goalsfor just the fourth time in the past 14 games.

Philadelphia, which got 24 saves fromSteve Mason, fell to 6-12-4 on the road and 4-15-4 when allowing the f irst goal.Philadelphia didn’t reach the 10-shot markuntil the final five minutes of the second peri-od and was outshot 26-21 overall.

Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux leftwith 15:15 remaining after suffering a cut tohis left leg by the skate blade of theHurricanes’ Justin Faulk.

WILD 3, MAPLE LEAFS 1Kyle Brodziak, Jared Spurgeon and Mikko

Koivu scored, Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves,and the Minnesota Wild beat the short hand-ed Toronto Maple Leafs.

After Cody Franson’s 5-on-3 goal tied it at1 early in the third period, Spurgeonunloaded a slap shot from the right circle tobeat Jonathan Bernier with 12:17 to play. Lessthan 2 minutes later, Koivu scored on thepower play to make it 3-1 and give Minnesotaits first home win in its past five games.

Toronto, the NHL’s highest-scoring team at3.29 goals per game, played without forwardsJoffrey Lupul, Peter Holland and Nazem Kadri.The three veterans have totaled 57 points thisseason and were hurt in Toronto’s shootoutwin over Boston on Wednesday.

ISLANDERS 2, FLAMES 1John Tavares scored twice to lead the New

York Islanders to their third straight victory.After Tavares opened the scoring eight min-utes into the game, the score remained 1-0until 12:16 of the third period when Tavaresgot the puck in the slot, fended off DerykEngelland and fired his team-leading 17thgoal through the pads of Jonas Hiller.

The Flames got a goal from JohnnyGaudreau with 3:25 left in the third period toget back within one, but could not tie itagainst Jaroslav Halak, who had 22 saves to

win his seventh straight game and improveto 21-6-0. New York (26-11-1) improved to 7-1-1 in its last nine games and kept pace withPittsburgh atop the Metropolitan Division.

AVALANCHE 2, OILERS 1Alex Tanguay and Matt Duchene scored

shootout goals, Semyon Varlamov stoppedboth of Edmonton’s shooters and theColorado Avalanche beat the Oilers 2-1 onFriday night.

Varlamov had 27 saves in regulation andovertime, and Daniel Briere scored in regula-tion for Colorado. It was the fifth straightshootout win for the Avalanche, who are 6-2-2 in their last 10.

After both teams failed to convert on theirfirst shootout opportunities, Duchene gotone past Ben Scrivens. Varlamov made a saveon Jordan Eberle, and Tanguay finished itwith a roof shot over a sprawled Scrivens. Ben

Pouliot scored for Edmonton, and Scrivensfinished with 27 saves.

DUCKS 4, BLUES 3Matt Beleskey scored the tiebreaking goal

midway through the third period, and SamiVatanen had two assists in the AnaheimDucks’ victory over the St. Louis Blues.

After St. Louis rallied three times to erase aone-goal Ducks lead in the first two periods,Beleskey beat Martin Brodeur with a viciouswrist shot for his 16th goal with 9:05 to play.The NHL-leading Ducks hung on for theirninth consecutive home victory over St. Louissince October 2009. Ryan Getzlaf, KylePalmieri and Andrew Cogliano also scored forthe Ducks, who are 2-1 on their eight-gamehomestand. Kevin Shattenkirk and AlexanderSteen each had a goal and an assist for theBlues, who have lost six of seven. TJ Oshiescored St. Louis’ first goal.—AP

Panthers maul Sabres, Penguins roll

Western ConferencePacific Division

W L OTL GF GA PTS Anaheim 25 9 6 111 107 56 Los Angeles 19 12 8 106 96 46 Vancouver 21 12 3 105 97 45 San Jose 20 13 5 104 96 45 Calgary 21 16 3 115 105 45 Arizona 14 19 4 86 121 32 Edmonton 8 22 9 83 133 25

CENTRAL DIVISIONChicago 25 11 2 119 81 52 Nashville 24 9 3 106 78 51 St. Louis 22 13 3 111 97 47 Winnipeg 19 12 7 96 92 45 Minnesota 18 14 4 103 99 40 Dallas 17 14 5 108 118 39 Colorado 15 15 8 98 113 38

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

Montreal 25 11 2 104 88 52

Tampa Bay 24 12 4 130 106 52 Detroit 20 9 9 108 95 49 Toronto 21 15 3 129 117 45 Florida 17 10 9 84 93 43 Boston 19 15 4 101 103 42 Ottawa 15 14 7 97 99 37 Buffalo 14 22 3 76 130 31

Metropolitan DivisionPittsburgh 24 9 5 117 90 53 NY Islanders 26 11 1 119 104 53 Washington 19 11 7 108 96 45 NY Rangers 20 11 4 107 89 44 Columbus 16 16 3 89 110 35 Philadelphia 14 17 7 104 115 35 New Jersey 13 20 7 85 115 33 Carolina 11 23 4 75 101 26 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point inthe standings and are not included in the loss col-umn (L).

NHL results/standingsFlorida 2, Buffalo 0; Montreal 4, New Jersey 2; Pittsburgh 6, Tampa Bay 3; Carolina 2, Philadelphia 1; Minnesota 3,Toronto 1; Colorado 2, Edmonton 1 (SO); NY Islanders 2, Calgary 1; Anaheim 4, St. Louis 3.

ABU DHABI: The Volvo Ocean Race’sdepleted fleet set sail for China from AbuDhabi yesterday for arguably the tougheststage of the marathon nine-month event.

The fleet has been reduced to six afterone boat, Team Vestas Wind (Denmark),grounded on a reef in the Indian Ocean inthe previous leg from Cape Town to theUnited Arab Emirates.

Although substantial damage was downto the vessel, the team’s backers on Fridayannounced that they plan to re-enter therace for the last two legs from June with arebuilt boat.

The 12th edition of the 41-year-old race,generally acknowledged as offshore sail-ing’s toughest challenge, is intriguinglypoised with three boats sharing the lead.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and TeamBrunel (Netherlands) took the first and sec-ond legs and China’s Dongfeng Race Teamjoined them at the top courtesy of two run-ners-up spots.

The 4,670-nautical mile leg to China is

expected to take three weeks to completeand the weather forecast suggests verylight winds will initially be the fleet ’sbiggest problem.

The sailing will get very tricky as thefleet goes through the hazardous MalaccaStraits dividing the Indonesian island ofSumatra and Malaysia.

“I ’m pretty happy dealing with bigwaves and strong winds, but the complexi-ty of dealing with a narrow channel, and avery large amount of shipping is what caus-es the problems,” Team Alvimedica’s experi-enced Australian navigator Will Oxley toldreporters yesterday.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing led the six-strong fleet out on Saturday under a thickblanket of fog after several laps of an in-port course. They were pursued byDongfeng Race Team (China) and Team SCA(Sweden), the all-female crew who won theAbu Dhabi in-port race on Friday. The raceis scheduled to finish in Gothenburg,Sweden on June 27. —Reuters

Depleted Volvo fleet

sets sail for China

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S P O RT SSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

CAPE TOWN: South African captain HashimAmla made a patient half-century as he andAB de Villiers steered their team towards asound position on the second day of the thirdand final Test against the West Indies atNewlands yesterday.

South Africa were 227 for three when rainended play half an hour early - 102 runsbehind the West Indian first innings total of329. “We’re in a really good position,” saidSouth African batsman Faf du Plessis, whomade 68 - the highest score in the match.

“The base has been created for us to scoresome really big runs.” Du Plessis said one ofthe strengths of South Africa’s batsmen wastheir ability to convert fifties into hundreds.“Hashim and AB will do it more consistentlythan most batters,” he said.

“It’s a good batting wicket and a case of usgetting as many runs as possible to get agood lead.” On a day of largely attritionalcricket, the West Indies opted for defensivefields after an initial burst of aggression withthe new ball, while the South African batsmenwere content to keep the scoreboard tickingover. It was a game of patience, with only oneSouth African batsman falling victim to frus-tration - when Du Plessis leapt out of hiscrease and was stumped off left-arm spinnerSuleiman Benn. “I should have got a hundredor at least have been 80 or 90 not out tonight.It was a lapse of concentration,” he admitted.

A near-capacity crowd then saw Amla andDe Villiers forge a careful unbeaten fourthwicket partnership of 70. Amla made 55 notout off 130 balls with seven fours, while DeVilliers was on 32 off 52 deliveries, hitting fourboundaries.

Fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkeltook two wickets each as South Africawrapped up the West Indian first inningsinside the first hour.

Resuming at 276 for six, the West Indieslost their remaining four wickets amid a flurry

of strokes. Jerome Blackwood reached histhird Test half-century with a cover drive forfour off Steyn but was then trapped in front ofhis stumps with a full, swinging delivery aftermaking top score of 56.

Jason Holder and Jerome Taylor both wentfor their shots before perishing to mistimedblows. Holder top-edged a pull and wascaught at mid-on and Taylor was caught atfine leg when he hooked a ball from Morkel.Benn was last man out, driving Morkel to mid-off. Steyn finished with four for 78 and Morkeltwo for 83.

Taylor and Gabriel both built up plenty ofpace at the start of the South African innings,with Gabriel recorded at over 150kmh.

But they bowled some loose deliveries asthey tried to unsettle the batsmen with short-pitched deliveries. Both fast bowlers conced-ed wides with balls that climbed over wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin’s head for four extraruns.

The tall Holder conceded 12 runs in his firstover after replacing Gabriel but followed upwith a maiden before Dean Elgar playedacross a full delivery and was out for eight.With the West Indies having as many as threefielders on the boundary for much of the restof the day,

Du Plessis and Alviro Petersen put on 56 forthe second wicket before opening batsmanPetersen was run out by a direct hit fromJermaine Blackwood at point for 42. It was acruel blow for Petersen, whose place is underthreat after a string of modest scores.

Du Plessis went on to make 68 off 123 ballswith eight fours before he became the onlyvictim of Benn, who bowled an economicalunbroken spell of 24 overs, taking one for 62.

Holder admitted that the West Indies hadnot taken full advantage of winning the toss.and batting. “We were probably 70 runs short,”he said. “It is important for us to start well (onSunday) and get some early wickets.”—AFP

South Africa aim for big leadCAPE TOWN: South Africa’s Faf du Plessis makes a run during the third Test against the West Indies in Cape Town. —AP

West Indies, first innings (overnight 276-6)K. Brathwaite c Elgar b Steyn 7D. Smith b Harmer 47L. Johnson lbw b Harmer 54M. Samuels c Du Plessis b Van Zyl 43S. Chanderpaul st De Villiers b Harmer 9J. Blackwood lbw b Steyn 56D. Ramdin c and b Steyn 53J. Holder c Van Zyl b Steyn 23J. Taylor c Steyn b Morkel 13S. Benn c Bavuma b Morkel 5S. Gabriel not out 4Extras (lb5, nb2, w8) 15Total (99.5 overs) 329Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Brathwaite), 2-80 (Smith), 3-131(Johnson), 4-162 (Samuels), 5-172 (Chanderpaul), 6-266(Ramdin), 7-299 (Blackwood), 8-316 (Holder), 9-319(Taylor)Bowling: Steyn 25-6-78-4 (3w), Philander 19-2-73-0

(1nb), Morkel 19.5-1-83-2 (1nb, 1w), Harmer 26-5-71 -3,Van Zyl 8-2-13-1, Elgar 2-0-6-0.South Africa, first innings

A. Petersen run out (Blackwood) 42D. Elgar lbw b Holder 8F. du Plessis st Ramdin b Benn 68H. Amla not out 55A. de Villiers not out 32Extras (lb2, nb8, w12) 22Total (3 wkts, 68.3 overs) 227Fall of wickets: 1-48 (Elgar), 2-112 (Petersen), 3-157 (DuPlessis)Bowling: Taylor 13-1-59-0 (1w), Gabriel 12-2-41-0 (5nb,3w), Holder 14-3-46-1 (2nb), Samuels 5.3-0-17-0, Benn24-5-62-0To bat: S. van Zyl, T. Bavuma, V. Philander, S. Harmer, D.Steyn, M. MorkelMatch situation: South Africa trail by 102 runs with sev-en wickets remaining in the first innings.

SCOREBOARD

CAPE TOWN: Close of play scores on the second day of the third and final Test between South Africa and the WestIndies at Newlands yesterday.

New Zealand 1st innings

T. Latham c Jayawardene b Lakmal 6H. Rutherford c Jayawardene b Pradeep 37K. Williamson b Prasad 69R. Taylor b Pradeep 35B. McCullum b Lakmal 0J. Neesham c Jayawardene b Pradeep 15B. Watling c Chandimal b Mathews 11M. Craig c Mathews b Lakmal 7D. Bracewell b Prasad 16T. Southee c Sangakkara b Pradeep 0T. Boult not out 16Extras (lb1, w3, nb5) 9Total: (10 wickets, 55.1 overs) 221Fall of wickets: 1-31 (Latham), 2-62 (Rutherford),3-141 ( Taylor), 4-142 (McCullum), 5-162(Neesham), 6-181 (Watling), 7-182 (Williamson),8-194 (Craig), 9-195 (Southee), 10-221 (Bracewell)

Bowling: Lakmal 17-2-71-3 (3nb), Pradeep 16-0-63-4 (2w, 1nb), Prasad 11.1-1-50-2, Mathews 9-3-29-1, Herath 2-0-7-0

Sri Lanka 1st innings

D. Karunaratne c Neesham b Boult 16K. Silva b Bracewell 5K. Sangakkara not out 33L. Thirimanne c McCullum b Bracewell 0A. Mathews c Watling b Southee 15P. Jayawardene c Neesham b Bracewell 6Extras (lb1, nb2) 3Total (five wickets, 25.4 overs) 78Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Karunaratne), 2-25 (Silva), 3-29 ( Thirimanne), 4-58 (Mathews), 5-78(Jayawardene)Bowling: Boult 7-1-18-1, Southee 9-2-30-1,Bracewell 7.4-1-23-3 (2nb), Neesham 2-0-6-0.

SCOREBOARD

WELLINGTON: Scoreboard at stumps on the first day of the second Test between New Zealand and SriLanka at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday:

15 fall in wicket festWELLINGTON: Fifteen wickets fell in abowlers’ blitz yesterday as Sri Lankaended the first day of the second Test inWell ington at 78-5 in reply to NewZealand’s first innings 221.

Sri Lanka’s response in their attemptto level the series after an eight wicketdrubbing in the first Test has been high-lighted by Kumar Sangakkara becomingjust the fifth player in cricket history topost 12,000 career runs. New Zealand’sinnings was rocked by batting heroBrendon McCullum’s second-ball duck.At stumps Sangakkara was 33 not outwhile recalled New Zealand pacemanDoug Bracewell had three for 23.

Bracewell, who was only added tothe side after New Zealand viewed thepitch and weather in the morning,believed the home side have the upperhand. “Looking at where we’ve gotthem, 220 looks alright. We’re definitelysatisfied with how we finished the day,”he said, adding he expected the wicketto speed up.

“Usually when there’s a bit of grasson it, day two and day three it begins toharden up and get a bit quicker.” Withconditions ripe for bowlers, Sri Lankancaptain Angelo Mathews had no hesita-tion in making New Zealand bat first ona green strip with overcast skies and ablustery wind.

New ball bowlers Nuwan Pradeepand Suranga Lakmal wasted the advan-tage in the first session, bowling shortand wide, but still managed to removeNew Zealand openers Tom Latham forsix and Hamish Rutherford for 37.

But the game changed as theypitched the ball up more in the middlesession when five New Zealand wicketsfell, while the last three New Zealandwickets and five top Sri Lankans wereremoved after tea.

First Test centurion DimuthKarunaratne (16) was first to go for SriLanka when he was lured into chasing aball that moved off the seam and edgeda comfortable catch to Jimmy Neeshamin the slips.

Kaushal Silva, in a cautious start,faced 30 deliveries before he played onDoug Bracewell for f ive. Bracewell,recalled to the side in place of Neil

Wagner, followed with the dismissal ofLahiru Thirimanne who lobbed a simplecatch to Brendon McCullum at mid offwithout scoring.

Mathews, Sri Lanka’s rock with twohalf centuries in Christchurch, couldonly manage 15 before he was squaredup by Tim Southee and edged the ballto wicketkeeper BJ Watling.

Prasanna Jayawardene gaveBracewell his third wicket when he wascaught off the last ball of the day for six.As the wickets fel l at one endSangakkara proved an unshakeableforce at the other as he easily knockedoff the five runs he required to reach12,000 and cruised through another 28runs before stumps. The prolific 37-year-old left-hander has an impressive aver-age of more than 58.00, including 37centuries in 130 Tests. His highest scorewas 319 against Bangladesh.

Although fifth on the all-time scoringlist, the players ahead of him have allretired including Indian great SachinTendulkar who tops the ranking with15,921.

New Zealand made a bright start tothe day, reaching 141-2 before the SriLankan bowlers found how best toutilise the conditions and the last eightwickets fell for 80. McCullum’s return tothe scene of his greatest triumph, a NewZealand record 302 knock against Indialast February, only lasted two deliveries.

He had been feted on his return toWellington and was presented with thekeys to the city during a lunch-breakceremony. But this time there was to beno marathon session in the middle, nora replay of the rollicking 195 he blastedin a shade over two hours in the firstTest against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.He received a heroes welcome as hestrode to the middle eight overs afterlunch, played at two deliveries andreturned to the shed after chopping afuller ball from Suranga Lakmal ontothe stumps. Kane Williamson, with 69and Ross Taylor who made 35 proppedup the New Zealand innings with a 79run stand for the third wicket. Pradeepwas the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlerswith four for 63 while Lakmal tookthree for 71.—AFP

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Tim Southee (left) celebrates Sri Lanka’s AngeloMathews (right) being caught out on day one of the second international Test cricketmatch. —AFP

SYDNEY: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnsonmissed training yesterday citing hamstring soreness,throwing into question whether he will be fit for thefourth and final Test against India, reports said.

Johnson, 33, has bowled long spells during the firstthree Tests against India, and has said he is hoping for amore responsive pitch in the fourth which begins inSydney on Tuesday.

“Definitely, all us bowlers feel like we need to have abit of a freshen up,” he said on Friday. “So we’ll just seewhat happens after this match here. “And then we’vegot some tri-series one-dayers, so hopefully I can get abit of a break at some stage there.”

Johnson missed a training session with the rest ofthe team on Saturday, Australian Associated Pressreported, adding that he had stayed instead at theirhotel for treatment.

Australia’s squad includes fellow left-armer MitchellStarc and Peter Siddle as potential back-up pacebowlers-along with Ryan Harris and Josh Hazlewood.

Harris has said he is planning on playing in Sydney,and if Johnson is rested he could be replaced by Starc.“We haven’t trained for a couple of days, so I am raringto get out there today and in the next couple of days, inorder to get myself best prepared for this Test,” Starcsaid yesterday.

“I guess it (selection) depends on the fitness of otherblokes and how they have pulled up from last week.”“The decision isn’t up to me, but If I am called up thisweek I will be ready.”

Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy onTuesday after India hung on for a tense draw in the thirdTest in Melbourne. Australia won the first two Tests inAdelaide and Brisbane. —AFP

Johnson in doubt for India Test

WELLINGTON: Sri Lankan batsmanKumar Sangak k ara joined an el itegroup of cricketers yesterday when hebecame only the fifth to make 12,000runs in his career.

The prolific 37-year-old left-handerreached the milestone when heknocked Trent Boult square for two inSri Lanka’s first innings of the secondTest against New Zealand inWellington. At stumps he was not outon 33. Sangakkara started the two-TestNew Zealand series on 11,988 runs andafter scoring six and one in the firstTest in Christchurch, he was deter-mined to get the f inal f ive inWellington.

“When he fails, it’s a coach’s night-mare. You have to throw (bal ls toSangakkara) for hours and hours,” cap-tain Angelo Mathews said ahead of theTest.

“He’s been working really hard inthe nets and he’s desperate to go outthere and get some runs.” Since launch-ing his Test career in 2000, Sangakkara

has made an impressive average ofover 58.00, including 37 centuries in130 Tests. His highest score was 319against Bangladesh.

He sits behind four retired cricketersbut has a superior average on the all-time scoring list which is headed byIndia’s Sachin Tendulkar who compiled15,921 from 200 Tests at an average53.78.

Australian Ricky Ponting (13,378 at51.85), Jacques Kallis from South Africa(13,289 at 55.37) and India’s RahulDravid (13,288 at 52.31) round out thetop five.

Last month, Sangakkara becameonly the fourth batsman to surpass the13,000-run mark in one-day interna-tionals, achieving the feat in his 386thmatch.

The ODI l ist is also headed byTendulkar, who made 18,426 runs in463 matches, ahead of Ponting with13,704 runs from 375 ODIs and SanathJayasuriya of Sri Lanka, who has 13,430runs in 445 games. —AFP

Sangakkara joins elite 12,000-runs club

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S P O RT SSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Warriors thrash Raptors, Mavs winOAKLAND: Stephen Curry had 32 pointsand 12 assists, Draymond Green got his firstcareer triple-double and the Golden StateWarriors rolled past the Toronto Raptors126-105 on Friday night in a matchup ofconference leaders.

Green finished with 16 points, 13 assistsand 11 rebounds, and three others scored indouble digits to help the NBA-best Warriors(26-5) wear down the Raptors (24-9) in thesecond half. Golden State started the thirdquarter on a 23-5 run.

Toronto’s loss allowed Atlanta to moveinto first in the East. Greivis Vasquez scored25 points, and Kyle Lowry had 22 points andeight assists for the Raptors, who lost con-secutive road games for the first time thisseason. Toronto fell to 2-3 on its six-gametrip, which ends at Phoenix on Sunday.

MAVERICKS 119, CELTICS 101Rajon Rondo scored the Mavericks’ first

10 points in his return to Boston and fin-ished with a season-high 29. Rondo had acareer-high five 3-pointers and also finishedwith six rebounds and five assists in his firstgame at TD Garden in an opponent’s uni-form. The rebuilding Celtics traded the four-time All-Star to Dallas last month.

Monta Ellis scored 22 points, DirkNowitzki had 17 and Tyson Chandler col-lected 16 rebounds to help the Mavericks totheir fourth consecutive victory. AveryBradley scored 22 points for the Celtics, andTyler Zeller had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

THUNDER 109, WIZARDS 102Kevin Durant scored 34 points to help

Oklahoma City get the win. Durant was 12for 18 from the field in just 32 minutes,including a 4-for-7 performance from 3-point range.

Russell Westbrook had 22 points and sixassists for the Thunder (17-17), who reached.500 for the first time this season. OklahomaCity shot 53 percent from the field to win forthe fourth time in five games.

Bradley Beal had 21 points, 10 reboundsand six assists for Washington, which haslost two in a row. Andre Miller added a sea-son-high 15 points, and John Wall had 14points and 12 assists, but he made just 5 of13 shots.

HAWKS 98, JAZZ 92Jeff Teague scored 25 points, and surging

Atlanta picked up another victory. TheHawks (24-8) have won three straight and19 of 22. Paul Millsap had 15 points and 11rebounds, and Al Horford scored 13 pointsin Atlanta’s sixth consecutive win over aWestern Conference opponent.

Gordon Hayward scored 18 points andreserve Dante Exum added 13 points for theJazz. Utah (11-22) was swept in the seasonseries against Atlanta for a second consecu-tive year.

PELICANS 111, ROCKETS 83Ryan Anderson scored 22 points and

Tyreke Evans added 21, leading NewOrleans to the runaway win. DanteCunningham added 13 points for NewOrleans, which opened a double-digit leadin the second quarter and led by as much as32 in the second half.

Omer Asik grabbed 11 rebounds, andAnthony Davis accounted for three of thePelicans’ eight blocked shots. DwightHoward scored 12 points and James Hardenhad 11 for Houston, all in the first half. Withhis starters ineffective early in the thirdquarter, coach Kevin McHale opted to playreserves during most of the second half, amove apparently designed to send a mes-sage while resting prominent players inadvance of Houston’s game on Saturdaynight against Miami.

GRIZZLIES 109, LAKERS 106Mike Conley had 19 points and nine

assists, Marc Gasol scored 18 points and theGrizzlies edged the Lakers. Five playersscored in double digits for the SouthwestDivision-leading Grizzlies, who maintainedtheir one-game lead over Dallas while beat-ing the Lakers for the ninth time in the last11 meetings and fifth time in a row. BenoUdrih, the sixth and last player off theMemphis bench, had 16 points in 19 min-utes.

Ed Davis and reserve Jeremy Lin eachhad 20 points for Los Angeles. Kobe Bryantfinished with 15 points, nine rebounds andeight assists, but missed a potential tying 3-

pointer at the buzzer.

CAVALIERS 91, HORNETS 87Kevin Love scored 27 points, Kyrie Irving

had 23 and Cleveland ended a three-gamelosing streak. Tristan Thompson added 14points and 14 rebounds as the Cavalierswon their first game since announcingLeBron James would miss two weeks withknee and back strains. Dion Waiters finishedwith 17 points. Love returned to the lineupafter missing one start with back spasmsand played 38 minutes. He was 9 of 15 fromthe field and helped the Cavaliers (19-14)take control of the game with three straight3-pointers in the third quarter. GeraldHenderson led Charlotte (10-24) with 14points. The Hornets have lost five in a row.

NETS 100, MAGIC 98Mason Plumlee had 18 points and nine

rebounds, and Brooklyn earned its thirdstraight victory. Brook Lopez and DeronWilliams added 16 points apiece. The wingets the Nets back to .500 for the first timesince November.

The Nets (16-16) shot well most of thenight and led by as many as 26 points in thesecond half. The Magic (13-23) rallied infourth quarter, and got within two pointswith 3.8 seconds to play on a 3-pointer byElfrid Payton. But they weren’t able to foulagain as Brooklyn successfully ran out theclock.

Victor Oladipo led seven Orlando playersin double figures with 17 points. Payton had16 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

SUNS 112, 76ERS 96Gerald Green and Markieff Morris each

scored 21 points, and Phoenix pulled awayin the fourth quarter. With the Suns strug-gling against the NBA-worst Sixers, Greenhit a 3-pointer in an 11-2 run to start the

fourth and Phoenix grabbed control to snapa two game losing streak.

Tony Wroten scored 28 points for theSixers, who trailed 80-79 with a minute leftin the third quarter. But a poor final periodsent them to their 27th loss in 31 games.There was an NBA first late in the gamewhen Markieff and Marcus Morris playedwith teammates Goran and Zoran Dragic forthe Suns. It was the first time two sets ofbrothers played for a team at the same time.

PISTONS 97, KNICKS 81Brandon Jennings scored 29 points, and

Detroit stretched its win streak to fourgames. Jodie Meeks had 15 points for thePistons (9-23), and Andre Drummond fin-ished with seven points and 17 rebounds.J.R. Smith led the Knicks with 22 points. ColeAldrich added 11 points and 14 rebounds.

New York (5-30) has lost 10 in a row. TheKnicks played without Carmelo Anthony,who was sidelined by a sore left knee.Anthony is averaging a team-best 23.9points per game. The Pistons led 82-52 afterthree.

PACERS 94, BUCKS 91CJ Miles scored 22 points and Roy

Hibbert had 18, leading balanced Indiana tothe victory. The Pacers had five players scorein double figures in their fifth win in sevengames. Luis Scola had 14 points, andRodney Stuckey finished with 11.

Indiana trailed by seven at the break, butheld Milwaukee to 15 points in the third andwent ahead to stay in the final period.

The Bucks pulled within three with 5.2seconds remaining, but Solomon Hill madetwo foul shots to help the Pacers hold on.Brandon Knight had 20 points forMilwaukee, and John Henson finished with14. Zaza Pachulia had 12 points and 14rebounds. —AP

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GB Toronto 24 9 .727 - Brooklyn 16 16 .500 7.5 Boston 11 19 .367 11.5 NY Knicks 5 30 .143 20 Philadelphia 4 27 .129 19

Central DivisionChicago 23 10 .697 - Cleveland 19 14 .576 4 Milwaukee 17 17 .500 6.5 Indiana 13 21 .382 10.5 Detroit 9 23 .281 13.5

Southeast DivisionAtlanta 24 8 .750 - Washington 22 10 .688 2 Miami 14 19 .424 10.5 Orlando 13 23 .361 13 Charlotte 10 24 .294 15

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Portland 26 7 .788 - Oklahoma City 17 17 .500 9.5 Denver 13 20 .394 13 Utah 11 22 .333 15 Minnesota 5 26 .161 20

Pacific DivisionGolden State 26 5 .839 - LA Clippers 22 11 .667 5 Phoenix 19 16 .543 9 Sacramento 14 19 .424 13 LA Lakers 10 23 .303 17

Southwest DivisionMemphis 24 8 .750 - Dallas 24 10 .706 1 Houston 22 10 .688 2 San Antonio 20 14 .588 5 New Orleans 17 16 .515 7.5

NBA results/standings

Cleveland 91, Charlotte 87; Brooklyn 100, Orlando 98; Dallas 119, Boston 101; Detroit 97, NYKnicks 81; New Orleans 111, Houston 83; Oklahoma City 109, Washington 102; Indiana 94,Milwaukee 91; Phoenix 112, Philadelphia 96; Atlanta 98, Utah 92; Golden State 126, Toronto105; Memphis 109, LA Lakers 106.

OAKLAND: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry strips the ball from Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game. —AP

LOS ANGELES: Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen (left) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant battle for a rebound during the firsthalf of an NBA basketball game. —AP

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S P O RT SSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

LONDON: By overseeing a ‘FrenchRevolution’ at Newcastle United, outgo-ing manager Alan Pardew has had amore far-reaching impact on the club’sheritage than almost any of his immedi-ate predecessors.

While he failed to win over large sec-tions of Newcastle’s support during hisfour-year tenure, the stockpiling ofFrench players under Pardew radicallychanged the make-up of the success-starved club’s playing staff.

Of the 27 players signed byNewcastle during Pardew’s time at thehelm, 13 were French-a testament to theinfluence of chief scout Graham Carr, forwhom Ligue 1 has proved richly fertileterritory.

In October 2013, a sequence of 13consecutive Gallic goals saw Newcastleestablish a new record for the longest

run of goals scored by foreign playersfrom one country in the English topflight.

Earlier that year, the club had hosteda ‘French Day’, which saw fans turn up fora match against Southampton brandish-ing Tricolore flags and wearing berets,while the Marseillaise was played beforekick-off. Pardew was rechristened ‘AlainPardieu’ on social media and joked: “Ithink there’s a good chance I could winFrench manager of the year.”

The heavy French presence in thechanging room has had the addedbonus of making it easier for Newcastleto attract Francophone players to theclub. Including Papiss Cisse (Senegal),Cheick Tiote (Ivory Coast), Mehdi Abeid(Algeria) and Kevin Mbabu (Switzerland),there are currently 13 French-speakingplayers on Newcastle’s books.

There have been French players atNewcastle before, such as the flamboy-ant wingers David Ginola and LaurentRobert, but for a club where the wallsused to ring with the Geordie tones ofhome-grown heroes like Paul Gascoigneor Alan Shearer, it represents a culturalsea-change that has not been to every-one’s liking.

“I don’t think it’s a healthy thing tohave too many French players in onedressing room,” Shearer confided in2013.

‘Newcastle’s form oscillated continu-ally under Pardew, with the club finish-ing 12th, fifth, 16th and 10th in the fourPremier League seasons he completedand lying 10th in the table on the day heleft. But from a financial perspective, theFrench invasion has been a resoundingsuccess. Yohan Cabaye arrived from Lille

for £4.8 million ($7.5 million, 6.2 millioneuros) in July 2011 and was sold to ParisSaint-Germain for £19 million in January2014.

Newcastle also made a £7 millionprofit on Mathieu Debuchy, who left forArsenal, while winger Yoan Gouffran,now a first-team regular, cost only £1.4million from Bordeaux.

In fact, Newcastle’s main problemwith their French contingent has beenkeeping them at the club. Loic Remy wassnatched from Newcastle’s grasp byChelsea after spending last season onloan at St James’ Park, while MoussaSissoko has become one of the mostsought-after players in the country.

But despite Newcastle consistentlyfailing to challenge for major honours,the allure of playing in front of 52,000boisterous fans at St James’ Park remains

strong for players from across theChannel.

Given a tour of the stadium shortlybefore signing from Montpellier last July,Remy Cabella-whose former club’s aver-age crowd was 14,679 during his lastseason in France-told L’Equipe: “Mymouth was watering!”

Newcastle’s standing in France is nowcomparable to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenaland several French coaches have beenidentified as potential candidates to suc-ceed Pardew by British bookmakers.

Allied to owner Mike Ashley’s prefer-ence for a ‘continental’ managementstructure-where Carr and managingdirector Lee Charnley preside over play-er recruitment-the post-PardewNewcastle is a much-changed club. Butas they say on the Gallowgate End: ‘Vivela difference!’—AFP

Pardew leaves Gallic legacy at St James’ Park

MADRID: La Liga leaders RealMadrid face one of their toughesttests since embarking on a 22-game winning streak back inSeptember when they start 2015with a trip to Valencia today.

Los Che have reason to be opti-mistic in the new year with a returnto Champions League football fornext season top of their agenda.Valencia sit fourth, a solitary pointabove Sevilla, Villarreal and Malaga,but demonstrated their financialadvantage over the otherChampions League hopefuls fol-lowing Singaporean businessmanPeter Lim’s recent acquisition of theclub by splashing out 25 millioneuros (£19.4 million, $30 million) onArgentine international midfielderEnzo Perez this week.

“I have the greatest expectationsof making a good start here,” Perezsaid as he was presented to theValencia fans on Friday. “I hope thatthis new project at Valencia grows,and that 2015 will be a happy yearfor us all.” Perez is expected to makehis Mestalla debut against a Realside stil l shorn of Luka Modricthrough injury.

Sergio Ramos is also a seriousdoubt having played with a calfinjury as the European championsended 2014 by collecting theirfourth trophy of the year in theClub World Cup against SanLorenzo a fortnight ago. Unusuallythe opening of the transfer windowhas sparked rumours of possibledepartures from the SantiagoBernabeu rather than big moneysignings with Gareth Bale linkedwith a move to Manchester United.

However, the Welshman, whoscored in his third final for LosBlancos with his 11th of the season

in the Club World Cup final, has dis-missed suggestions that he couldleave the Spanish capital after aremarkably successful 18 monthssince joining from TottenhamHotspur.

“It has been a fantastic year forme. I wanted to come to RealMadrid to win titles and workalongside the best players and thatis exactly what I have done in a sin-gle year,” he told the club’s website.“Hopefully we can keep improving,keep winning titles and I can keepshowing my best.”

Barcelona start the year just apoint adrift of Real at the top, buthaving played a game more. TheCatalans also face a potentiallytricky trip away to David Moyes’sReal Sociedad today and have hadlittle time to prepare for the gameas a group following the Christmasbreak.

Lionel Messi, Neymar and DaniAlves only returned to training onFriday, while the latter remains adoubt due to a hamstring injury.

“Every game now is a chance tocut the gap,” said Barca goalkeeperClaudio Bravo, who will be facingthe club he played with for eightyears before joining Barca in June.

“It depends on us playing welland, sooner or later, our rivals willdrop points.” Moyes, meanwhile,has urged his players to summonthe spirit and performance levelswhich saw them defeat Real andAtletico Madrid at home this sea-son before his appointment. “Werespect Barcelona because they area very good team, but they arecoming to San Sebastian and wehave to show them this is not aneasy place to come and win,” saidthe Scot.—AFP

Real streak threatened

by buoyant Valencia

DUBAI: Real Madrid’s Christiano Ronaldo reacts in this file photo. —AFP

LONDON: Chelsea’s Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa celebrates in this filephoto. —AFP

LONDON: John Terry expects Chelsea torecover from their New Year’s day mauling atTottenham when Watford visit StamfordBridge in the FA Cup third round today.

The 5-3 loss at White Hart Lane was aspainful as it was unexpected and the visit of aside battling to get out of the Championshipshould provide an opportunity for JoseMourinho’s shell-shocked players to recovertheir confidence.

It will be a major surprise if the PremierLeague leaders stumble against a team led byformer Chelsea midfielder Slavisa Jokanovic,the fourth manager to take charge of theHornets this season.

Chelsea haven’t needed to rely too muchon luck in the FA Cup in recent seasons, but ifMourinho’s side are looking for omens, thepairing with Watford should provide a lift.

The club have paraded the trophy fourtimes in the last eight years, the first of thosevictories-in 2007 — marked the first finalplayed at the new Wembley and Mourinho’sone and only success in the competition.Following that win, the west London club vir-tually took up residency at Wembley, tri-umphing in 2009, 2010 and 2012, twice fac-ing Watford on the road to success during thefirst two of those campaigns. More memo-rably for some Blues supporters, DaveSexton’s side crushed Watford 5-1 in the semi-final in 1970 en route to winning the trophyin a famously brutal final and subsequentreplay against Leeds.

Eyes will be fixed firmly forward, thoughafter the Spurs loss that allowed ManchesterCity to move level on points at the top of thePremier League table and quietened claims

Mourinho’s team could complete a cleansweep of honours this season.

Chelsea captain Terry is confident of amorale-boosting win on Sunday and he said:“We’re very disappointed to start the NewYear with a defeat but we’ll move on fromthis.

“It’s hard to see them (City) claw us back.We were eight points in front and now we’relevel on points. “It’s disappointing to have lostthat lead but we said in the dressing roomwe’ll come together, put a run together andhopefully get a lead again.”

The Spurs defeat suggested some ofMourinho’s players are starting to feel thestrain of the busy festive period and the man-ager is likely to be tempted to make changesfor the visit of Watford.

Keeper Thibaut Courtois has a finger injuryso he could be replaced by Petr Cech andMourinho may use the opportunity to restDiego Costa and Eden Hazard.

Watford have largely maintained steadyprogress this season despite the upheavals inthe dug-out and currently lie fifth in theChampionship.

Promotion to the Premier League is thepriority but an impressive display at StamfordBridge will boost confidence and carry addedsignificance for Jokanovic who spent twoyears as a player at Chelsea over a decadeago. Watford midfielder Daniel Tozser said:“Chelsea at the moment are in the top fiveteams in Europe. But it will be a pleasure forthe guys to play against a team like this. “Wehave nothing to be afraid of, nothing to lose.This is a game we have to enjoy, to show andto see where we are at the moment. —AFP

Terry backs Chelsea to

recover from Spurs mauling

LONDON: Arsene Wenger admitsArsenal must deal with thespecter of their defensive “ghosts”if they are to get their splutteringseason back on track. Wenger’sside are desperate for a morale-boosting victor y as they opentheir defence of the FA Cup in arepeat of last season’s final againstHull at the Emirates Stadiumtoday.

Having started 2015 in dispirit-ing style with an error-strewn 2-0defeat at Southampton, which leftthem languishing in sixth place inthe Premier League, Gunners bossWenger knows Arsenal have somepsychological issues to overcomebefore they can hope for a morepositive second half of the season.

Plagued by defensive frailtiesfor several years, Arsenal wereonce again architects of their owndownfall at St Mary’s when a pairof costly blunders from goalkeep-er Wojciech Szczesny were com-pounded by poor play from cen-tre-backs Laurent Koscielny andPer Mertesacker.

“I cannot fault the attitude ofthe team, but we were againhaunted by the ghost of what wehave seen since the start of theseason,” Wenger said.

“This is not the first time it hashappened. We did not defend wellenough in the final third, and wepaid a heavy price. I t is a self-inflicted defeat.”

The dramatic 3-2 victory overHull at Wembley in May, when theGunners recovered from two goalsdown to lift the FA Cup and endtheir nine-year trophy drought,was supposed to herald the startof a new successful era forWenger’s side.

But they remain troubled bythe same inconsistences that havevexed Wenger for so long. Arsenalfans are growing increasingly frus-trated by their team’s problems,with one man arrested after invad-ing the St Mary’s pitch to berateWenger on Thursday.

And Mertesacker accepts there

will be some soul searching as theGunners look to rediscover theform which had seen them headto Southampton on the back ofjust one defeat out of nine gamesin all competitions. “The last twomatches we were in good spiritsand those games were closetogether (over Christmas) and wefought really hard for the twowins, but at Southampton, it wasslightly different, we didn’t showup with a good per formance,”Mertesacker said.

“We have to come back to ourmain strength and we have toremind ourselves every day thatwe need to have a big perform-ance.”

Wenger will rotate his squadagainst Steve Bruce’s team, withColombia goalkeeper DavidOspina set to replace Szczesny.

Danny Welbeck missed theSouthampton game because of athigh problem and the Gunnersstriker is expected to be sidelinedagain, while Olivier Giroud servesthe last part of his three-matchsuspension. England winger TheoWalcott could come back into theside following his return to fitness,along with French midfielderMathieu Flamini

“ I wil l make a few changes(against Hull) , that is for sure,”Wenger added. Hull would dearlylove to avenge the Cup final loss,but Bruce is more concerned withensuring the injur y-hit Tigersdon’t get dragged into a fight toavoid relegation.

“The disappointing thing waswe’ve lost three or four playersthrough the r idiculous pro-gramme over Christmas,” Brucesaid. “The travelling and every-thing involved with it is total non-sense. We’ve lost three morearguably to fat igue. (Liam)Rosenior has a hamstring, (Andy)Robertson needs an ankle X-rayand Gaston Ramirez hurt his groin.“As well as that, Abel Hernandez isphysically exhausted.” —AFP

Wenger battles to vanquish Arsenal ghosts

SOUTHAMPTON: Arsenal’s Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez is picturedin this file photo. —AFP

United aim to avoid

more Cup woeYEOVIL: Louis van Gaal has warned hisManchester United stars not to underesti-mate minnows Yeovil as they bid to avoidanother humiliation at the hands of lowerleague opposition in today’s FA Cup thirdround tie. United head to the unglam-ourous surroundings of tiny Huish Park tolaunch their challenge to win the competi-tion for the first time since 2004 when theyeased to a 3-0 final victory over Millwall.That is the longest time without an FA Cupwin for the club since the 14 years betweenthe 1963 win over Leicester City and the1977 defeat of Liverpool.

United have reached two finals, twosemi-finals and two quarter-finals since2004 but winning the trophy for a 12thtime has proved elusive.

But in addition to their desire to endthat barren spell, United manager van Gaalis driven by a desire to prove his team havelearned the lesson of their embarrassingLeague Cup exit earlier this season. TheDutchman picked a team of fringe andyouth team players as United were humili-ated 4-0 by third tier side Milton KeynesDons in August and it seems apparent herealised from that chastening day not tounderestimate lower league oppositionagain. “I had the experience against MKDons, who are also in League One,” VanGaal said. “You never know in a cup match,you have to win because you’re out if youlose. “We have to beat Yeovil but everyteam in England wants to beat ManchesterUnited so it will be difficult.

“Everything about playing a lowerleague team will be different-the pitch, the

stadium. “For the players, it’s more difficultto prepare for a match like this, especiallyafter playing so much over Christmas.” Eventhough United have not given up hope ofwinning the Premier League title, left-backLuke Shaw believes the FA Cup representsarguably their best chance of silverwarethis season.

“We are not going to say the PremierLeague is over yet, because that is still ournumber one priority,” Shaw added. “Wewant to win that, but we are going to focuson this game today.

“ The reason I came to ManchesterUnited is because I want to be winning tro-phies and I think I have got the best chancehere.” Van Gaal will check on the availabilityof Marcos Rojo (thigh), Daley Blind (knee)and Marouane Fellaini (illness) who are allmajor doubts.

United are also without Ashley Young(hamstring) and Antonio Valenica (groin),while Angel Di Maria has returned to train-ing after a thigh injury but may not berisked. The tie offers Yeovil respite from atesting League One campaign that has leftGary Johnson’s side rooted at the foot oftable at the mid-point of the season.

And while the mouthwatering prospectof facing United’s superstars provides awelcome distraction, it also provides areminder of the time the two clubs last metin the competition in 1949.

Yeovil, then of the Southern League,sprang to prominence by beatingSunderland in the fourth round before los-ing heavily to United, the cup holders, 8-0in the following round.—AFP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

PHOENIX: At 6-foot-10, Randy Johnsonstood on the mound and looked downon batters, an intimidating presencebefore he even threw the ball.

And when he let it fly, his talentmatched his imposing stature. With amenacing fastball and devastating slider,The Big Unit had a career that rivaledany other left-handed pitcher whoplayed the game. There is a long list ofstatistics to back that up, and he seems ashoo-in as a first-ballot selection whenthe new Hall of Fame class is announcedTuesday.

His best seasons came with theArizona Diamondbacks, where he wonfour consecutive Cy Young awards - hehad a total of five - and his only WorldSeries championship. Every start was adisplay of searing intensity. “We knewthat every fifth day we were going to getone of the most competitive efforts inthe history of the game,” said Bob Brenly,his manager for most of his time inArizona. “He pitched every game like itwas the most important of his life.”

Since his retirement in 2009, Johnsonhas mostly detached himself from base-ball, concentrating on his love of pho-tography, traveling the world, shootingpictures of his many rock musicianfriends, meeting with soldiers on USOtours to Kuwait, Iraq and GuantanamoBay.

Johnson pitched 22 seasons withMontreal, Seattle, Houston, Arizona, theNew York Yankees and San Francisco,compiling a 303-166 career record.

He led his league in strikeouts ninetimes, third-most in baseball historybehind Walter Johnson and Nolan Ryan.His average of 10.6 strikeouts per nineinnings ranks first among all pitchers.

Johnson had six seasons of at least300 strikeouts, tied with Ryan for themost ever. A hard-throwing butextremely wild pitcher as a youngster atUSC and in his early professional years,Johnson worked with Ryan and pitchingcoach Tom House in 1992 to fix hismechanics. And he developed remark-able control. “He’s out of the mold physi-

cally when it comes to a major leaguepitcher,” Brenly said. “For him to go fromwhere he was at the beginning of hiscareer in Montreal when he was just awild, hard thrower to where he finishedhis career - this guy would regularlystrike out 300 more guys than he walkedin a season.”

That’s a slight exaggeration, althoughJohnson did accomplish it once. In 2001,he fanned a career-high 372 and walked71. I t was the greatest season inJohnson’s career, largely because of theway it ended.

In the seventh game of a World Seriesconsidered by many to be the best everplayed, with the New York Yankees lead-ing 2-1, Johnson jogged down to thebullpen to thunderous cheers from thehome crowd. When he emerged fromthe bullpen to pitch with two outs in theeighth inning, the reaction was evenlouder.

“For all the great moments therewere in that World Series,” Brenly said,“people continuously tell me that when

Randy ran down to the bullpen, thenwhen the door opened and he came outof it, that was the seminal moment inthat World Series.”

Johnson retired all four batters hefaced, then Arizona scored twice offMariano Rivera in the bottom of theninth to win it all in just the franchise’sfourth season. Johnson was 3-0 in theseries and earned co-MVP with CurtSchilling.

A lot of left-handed hitters on oppos-ing teams took the day off whenJohnson pitched. The rest of the lineupknew they were in for a challenge.

“It’s almost like you’re going into agame with a 1-0 lead because of the psy-chological advantage he gave to theteam,” teammate Luis Gonzalez said. “...He thrived on intimidating other teams.”

Johnson talked about his approach tobaseball in an interview with reporterswhen he appeared at Chase Field lastMay for the commemoration of the 10thanniversary of his perfect game.

“I did what worked for me,” he said.

“Doesn’t mean it was the right way - itjust worked for me. Whether it wasworking out the way I worked out, myregimen, my offseason training, mydemeanor on game day, my demeanorworking up to game day, it worked forme.”

In 2001, he became the third pitcherto strike out 20 in nine innings in a 43,11-inning victory over Cincinnati. In2002 he won the pitching version of thetriple crown, leading the NationalLeague in wins, strikeouts and ERA.

And in 2004, at the age of 40, hebecame the oldest person to throw aperfect game, a performance againstAtlanta that stil l can be viewed onYouTube. Johnson has said he’s not thesame intense person he was back then.He stepped away from baseball for along time, enjoying the easing of theinternal pressure he always put on him-self. “I didn’t have any problems retiringbecause I felt like I did what I wanted todo,” he said in May. “I deserved to walkaway.” —AP

Randy Johnson looks to be shoo-in for Hall of Fame

FRANCE: RC Toulon’s Drew Mitchell (center) vies with Montpellier’s winger Anthony Tuitavake (left) during the Rugby Championship Top14match. —AP

PARIS: South African World Cup winning coachJake White got off to a winning start atMontpellier as the Top 14 strugglers beatEuropean and French champions Toulon 16-12yesterday. White was brought in as a consult-ant to replace the suspended Fabien Galthie inan aim to stem the tide of eight losses in theirlast nine matches in European and domesticaction.

And powered by a second-half Alex Tuloutry converted by Ben Lucas, Montpelliergrabbed a determined victory in front of theirhome crowd to move up to seventh with 35points, a point behind Bordeaux (36), who fell12-9 at Racing-Metro, and ahead of Toulouse(33) who play in Clermont today.

Benoit Paillaugue had put Montpellierahead with two early penalties as the score wasbalanced 6-6 at half-time while all of Toulon’spoints came off the boot of Welsh full-backLeigh Halfpenny.

Toulon remain second two points behind

Stade Francais who fell 12-9 at Lyon on Fridayin a game which saw South African fly-halfMorne Steyn red-carded.

Steyn, the 30-year-old top-scorer at the2011 World Cup, had confidently kicked Stadeinto a 6-0 lead courtesy of a 40-metre penaltyand a quick-thinking drop goal.

But after Mosese Ratuvou had cut the deficitwith the night’s opening try, Steyn saw red inthe 31st minute for kicking the Fijian winger asthe two tussled on the ground.

It left Stade to play 50 minutes with 14 menand Lyon took full advantage when Ratuvouadded a second try early in the second period,muscling his way over after a sharp pass fromRicky Januarie. Racing-Metro came frombehind to beat visiting Bordeaux-Begles 12-9and are now fourth equal on 41 points withClermont.

Racing had trailed 6-9 at the break followingthree Lionel Beauxis penalty kicks for Bordeauxbut powered back in the second half with

Maxime Machenaud scoring all their pointsthrough penalties. Castres, meanwhile, suf-fered a second straight loss for the first timethis season-falling 30-15 to relegation rivals LaRochelle. In a bottom-of-the-table clash Brivewere carried by Gaetan Germain who scored alltheir points in a 25-9 win over Bayonne.

It was a lift for Brive a week after their ham-mering by Bordeaux and allows NicolasGodignon’s side to move up to ninth, threepoints above the relegation zone.

“It’s not a relief because the season is stilllong but it was an important match, in theheart of winter, and I’m proud of the boys fordoing what they needed,” said Godignon.

“It’s satisfying to see them leave with zeropoints because they’re a team we’re neck andneck with in the battle against relegation.”

Bordeaux have been overtaken by Grenoblewho are now fifth after bouncing back fromconsecutive defeats with a bonus point in a 33-19 win over Oyonnax. —AFP

Montpellier stun Toulon

LONDON: Saracens director of rugby MarkMcCall saluted Billy Vunipola after theEngland international inspired a 22-6 victoryover London Irish at Allianz Park yesterday.

Vunipola’s England career hit a slump dur-ing the November Tests when the 22-year-oldwas dropped by Stuart Lancaster after start-ing in the defeats to New Zealand and SouthAfrica.

The Saracens number eight was left out ofthe match squads for the victories over Samoaand Australia, with his replacement BenMorgan subsequently named England’s play-er of the series.

“He was great today,” said McCall. “What’simpressive is how he recovered from the hugesetback he got. From being the starting num-ber eight in the Six Nations to not even goinginto the England camp for the last couple ofweeks. It’s a hell of a blow for a young fella.

“You can only judge him by how he’s react-ed and how he’s responded. That’s five gamesin a row when he’s been there or thereaboutsin terms of getting close to man of the match.

“He was really good out there today. It’sgood for us and it’s good for him that he’sback in top form.” After David Strettle surged

over in the right corner for his second try ofthe match, it looked like third placed Saracenswould go on to claim the last two tries theyneeded for a bonus point as they chase lead-ers Northampton.

But London Irish held firm as McCall’s menfailed to score another try in the final quarter.In yesterday ’s other match, Gloucestersecured a tense 26-25 win at Exeter.

Greg Laidlaw kicked two penalties to putGloucester 6-0 ahead at half-time. When BillyTwelvetrees added to the visitors’ lead with adrop-goal, it seemed Gloucester were oncourse for an easy victory. But tries from JackNowell and Matt Jess put Exeter in front forthe first time.

Gloucester responded well and TomSavage and Ben Morgan scored tries to regainthe lead, before Gareth Steenson’s missedconversion for Exeter after Thomas Waldrom’stry proved costly.

The lead swapped four times after Savagewent over, with Steenson kicking two penal-ties and Laidlaw adding a third of his own.

Gloucester’s victory was only their secondin their last seven Premiership matches, whileExeter have now lost three in a row.—AFP

Saracens cruise past London

BUENOS AIRES: Peugeot return to theDakar Rally after a 25-year absence with2010 winner Carlos Sainz and 11-timechampion Stephane Peterhansel handedthe job of shattering Mini’s hopes of a suc-cessive cleansweep.

Sainz, also a two-time world rally cham-pion, will be racing for his third team in thegruelling 9,000km event which starts todayand crosses into Chile and Bolivia beforeending in the Argentine capital on January17. “The team has come up with a unique,innovative car which promises to beextremely versatile for the different typesof terrain we are likely to come across,” saidSainz, whose 2010 Dakar title came behindthe wheel of a Volkswagen.

“The concept works well. The test pro-gramme has shown that it is a very fastmachine, although it is obviously difficultto be 100 percent sure of its reliability atthis early stage.”

Peugeot won the Dakar for four succes-sive years from 1987-1990 when it was stillstaged in Africa. This year’s event, the sev-enth in South America since its enforcedtransfer for security reasons from Africa, isthe 37th of all time and Sainz insists thatPeugeot will be amongst the favourites.

“I have often competed against PeugeotSport in the past and I have known foryears just how passionate it is about motor-sport,” said the 52-year-old Spaniard.

“I also know that when they decide on aprogramme, they put everything into it. I’mthe same. Given how much I love the Dakar,it was too good a proposal to resist whenPeugeot asked me to be part of its line-upfor its comeback to this unique adventure.”

Peterhansel, six times a champion in themotorcycle competition, and five times onfour wheels, was second overall in the 2014event, finishing just behind Spain’s NaniRoma.

Nasser Al-Attiyah, the 2011 champion in

a Volkswagen, completed a Mini lockout ofthe podium 12 months ago, butPeterhansel was angry over the issuing ofteam orders in the closing stages of therace.

“The biggest problem we have is thefact we know we are quick-we just don’tknow how quick compared to everyoneelse,” said Peterhansel of his new Peugeot.

“So the first phase of the rally will be justto test our pace: to know what we canachieve comfortably or not. This is actuallythe most important part of the strategy, aswe will base everything on this knowledge.”Peugeot’s three-man line-up is completedby France’s five-time motorcycle winnerCyril Despres, who is tackling the race onfour wheels for the first time.

Roma became just the third man to winthe Dakar title on two and four wheels afterPeterhansel and Hubert Auriol when hewon in 2014, 10 years after his maidenmotorcycle triumph. He will again lead theMini challenge along with Al-Attiyah. “Thefirst few years were tough,” said 42-year-oldRoma, who made his Dakar debut in 1996.

“2014 was far from easy. However, I hadabsolute faith in the Mini and the team dida super job.” The 2014 race takes the Dakarcaravan from the Atacama, the driest spoton the planet, to the Iquique dunes andcrossing the Andes at the highest point onArgentina’s Route 40, the 4,970m mountainpass of Abra del Acay.

“It’s going to be a marathon for every-body,” said Dakar race director EtienneLavigne. In all, there will be 4,600km of spe-cial stages including a 781km time trialfrom the Bolivian city of Uyuni to Chile’sPacific Coast.

At today’s Buenos Aires start, morethan 400 machines-cars, motorcycles,quads and trucks-will set off for whatLavigne describes as “the Everest ofmotorsport”. —AFP

Sainz, Peterhansel eye golden Dakar return

ZAGREB: US teen Mikaela Shiffrin andSlovenia’s overall leader Tina Maze will bethe focus in today’s World Cup women’sslalom race in the Croatian capital.

The event is being staged at Sljeme, themountain peak overlooking Zagreb, whereCroatia’s skiing stars-the Kostelic siblings-made their debuts.

Reigning Olympic and world championShiffrin from Vail, Colorado, seems to begetting into excellent shape for Zagrebafter winning at Kuhtai, Austria on Monday.It was her first slalom podium this season. “Ilike this slope a lot, it is long. You have toinvest a lot of effort and give the maximum.I’m excited and hope for a great race andexcellent atmosphere,” Shiffrin toldCroatian state-run HRT television. The 19-year-old American won the Sljeme race in2013 while last year’s event was cancelleddue to unfavourable weather conditions.

In the World Cup slalom standings, afterfour races, Shiffrin is currently fourth with219 points. In the overall standings, after 13races, she is third with 445 points.Her mainrival and Olympic champion Maze is lead-ing the overall standings with 732 points.Like Shiffrin, the 31-year-old Slovenian has

one win in slalom this season, but has nev-er won at Sljeme.

Today, the hosts will be represented byfour skiers, but expectations are farremoved from the days of glory whenJanica Kostelic, the first woman to win fourgolds in Olympic skiing history, was com-peting.

Croatians are emotional when it comesto the race due to Janica and her brotherIvica, both born in Zagreb, who made theirfirst skiing steps at the venue with theirfather and coach Ante.

Janica retired from competitive skiing in2007 at the age of 25 due to long-standinghealth and injury problems. Today’s womenslalom is dubbed the Snow Queen Trophyin honor of Janica who was known as the“Snow Queen.” The winner also receives acrystal crown.

Ivica Kostelic, a former World Cup cham-pion and serial Olympic silver-medallist,has stayed in competitive skiing.

However, the 35-year-old’s results thisseason have been modest. The 2011 WorldCup winner has also endured a series ofhealth problems notably with his rightknee. —AFP

Shiffrin, Maze to compete in women’s slalom race

AUSTRIA: Tina Maze of Slovenia competes during the Women’s Slalom during the FISSki World Cup. —AFP

Spanish League

Getafe v Vallecano 14:00

beIN SPORTS 2 HD

Valencia v Real Madrid 19:00

beIN SPORTS 16 HD

beIN SPORTS 2 HD

beIN SPORTS 12 HD

Espanyol v Eibar 21:00

beIN SPORTS 7 HD

beIN SPORTS 13 HD

Sociedad v Barcelona 23:00

beIN SPORTS 11 HD

beIN SPORTS 2 HD

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

17Warriors thrashRaptors, Mavs win

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 201519

Montpellierstun Toulon

Pardew leaves Gallic legacy at St James’ Park Page 18

LONDON: West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino (left) scores against Gateshead during their English FA Cup third round soccer match at The Hawthorns yesterday. — AP

LONDON: Tony Pulis’s West Bromwich Albion tenurebegan with a 7-0 demolition of non-league Gatesheadin the FA Cup third round yesterday, while Leicester Cityeliminated managerless Newcastle United. Pulis wasappointed as West Brom’s new head coach on NewYear’s Day following Alan Irvine’s sacking and hewatched his new charges cruise into round four, withSaido Berahino scoring four times.

The England Under-21 striker, who has been linkedwith Liverpool, opened the scoring in the 42nd minuteat The Hawthorns before Victor Anichebe added a sec-ond with a solo goal in first-half injury time. Berahinoproduced two classy finishes early in the second periodto complete his hat-trick, with Chris Brunt and JamesMorrison adding two more goals before Berahino struckagain to take his tally for the season to 13.

“Saido Berahino is a very talented boy,” Pulis said.“There is always going to be transfer speculation andyou can see why. He has great pace, great balance andscores goals.

“But when I came in here the chairman had notreceived any offer for him and we will try ourdamnedest to try and improve him.”

While West Brom began their new era in confidentfashion, Newcastle made a forgettable start to life with-out Alan Pardew, who had been confirmed as CrystalPalace’s new manager earlier in the day.

With Newcastle coaches John Carver and SteveStone deputising in the dug-out, Leicester prevailed inthe day’s only all-Premier League tie courtesy of a 39th-minute header by Argentine striker Leonardo Ulloa.

Swansea City joined Leicester in the fourth roundafter a 6-2 romp at fourth-tier Tranmere Rovers.Bafetimbi Gomis claimed a brace for Garry Monk’s visi-tors, while Nathan

Dyer, Tom Carroll, full debutant Mo Barrow andWayne Routledge also found the net. Blyth Spartans ofthe seventh-tier Northern Premier League lookedpoised to record the day’s biggest upset after going 2-0up at home to second-tier Birmingham City thanks to a

double from captain Robbie Dale.The scoreline even attracted the attention of former

Portugal and Real Madrid great Luis Figo, who began tofollow Blyth’s official Twitter account via his @LuisFigopage.

But three goals in six minutes turned the tie on itshead, with Lee Novak reducing the arrears in the 52ndminute before Wes Thomas claimed a quick-fire brace togive Birmingham a 3-2 win.

“I am exceptionally proud of the lads. We playedsome good stuff on a boggy pitch and we were veryclose to winning the game,” said Blyth manager TomWade.

“We just hope that we can get more fans through thegates now.” The day’s biggest upset came at third-divi-sion Rochdale, who beat two-time cup-winnersNottingham Forest of the Championship 1-0 thanks to a12th-minute spot-kick by Peter Vincenti.

Meanwhile, Derby County, currently third in theChampionship, needed an injury-time penalty by Chris

Martin to see off fifth-tier Southport 1-0.Holders Arsenal host Hull City today in a repeat of

last season’s final, which the north London club won 3-2to end a nine-year trophy drought, and there are threeother repeats of former finals in the third round.Sunderland host Leeds United (1973) on Sunday, withTottenham Hotspur visiting Burnley (1962) the follow-ing day.

Meanwhile, Liverpool visit fourth-tier AFCWimbledon tomorrow in a match that recalls the origi-nal Wimbledon’s shock success in the 1988 final.

Premier League co-leaders Chelsea and ManchesterCity both enter the competition against second-tieropposition on Sunday, with Chelsea hosting Watfordand City entertaining Sheffield Wednesday. Palace travelto fifth-tier Dover Athletic for their first game sincePardew was appointed manager.

Manchester United visit third-tier Yeovil Town, whilethe fourth and final all-Premier League fixture seesEverton host West Ham United on Tuesday. — AFP

West Brom stroll, Newcastle out

PARIS: After a short winter break, Ligue 1clubs are back in action this weekend inthe round of 64 of the French Cup, withMarseille hoping to avoid any surpriseagainst lower-league opponents.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who topped theLigue 1 table at the halfway stage of theseason to take the symbolic title ofAutumn Champions, travel to the freezingAlps for an awkward tie against fourth-tierGrenoble today.

A tie that should be straightforwardcould be a tricky affair due to the state ofthe playing surface at the Stade des Alpes,which has been covered to protect it fromthe bitter cold but will be used for a Top14 rugby match yesterday.

“It is a reality that we need to live with.The pitch will suffer but I don’t think it issomething worth pointing out because itwill be the same for the two teams,” saidBielsa.

The Argentine added that he intendsto play his strongest possible team asMarseille try to win the Cup for the firsttime since 1989.

“I am going to try to play my bestteam, taking into account the futureabsences of Nicolas Nkoulou and AndreAyew,” said Bielsa, who will see the duodepart for the Africa Cup of Nations withCameroon and Ghana respectively.

Winger Florian Thauvin will come upagainst the club where he started hiscareer, although much has changed atGrenoble in recent times.

They spent two seasons in Ligue 1before being relegated in 2010 and thensliding down the leagues due to financialproblems, and are currently enjoying afine campaign in the fourth tier.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain go toMontpellier in an all top-flight encountertomorrow. Montpellier beat the capitalgiants at the Parc des Princes in the roundof 32 a year ago and Rolland Courbis’sside may fancy their chances of a repeatperformance this time, just two weeksafter holding PSG in the league.

With Montpellier’s own Stade de laMosson still out of action after being seri-ously damaged during autumn floods, thegame will be played at the home of thecity’s Top 14 rugby club, who play at theAltrad Stadium themselves yesterday.

That could be a levelling factor, butPSG-whose preparations have been over-shadowed by the late return fromChristmas holidays of Ezequiel Lavezziand Edinson Cavani-need a positiveresult.

“Paris attract the limelight because, forcertain people, they are the best team inFrance,” said Montpellier defender BryanDabo. “Matches against Paris are alwaysspecial. We are not afraid, we are lookingforward to it.”

Elsewhere, Lyon, who sit second inLigue 1 ahead of third-placed PSG, travelto Lens today looking for revenge afterlosing to the same opponents in last sea-son’s competition.

Monaco, who finished 2014 with sixstraight wins, begin the new year with atrip to Ligue 2 strugglers Nimes, whosecampaign has been overshadowed byallegations of match-fixing.

Lille go to Bastia and Bordeaux faceToulouse in all Ligue 1 ties while Nantesplay host to Club Franciscain, a sixth-tierside from the French Caribbean island ofMartinique.—AFP

Marseille look to avoid

surprises in French CupMADRID: La Liga champions Atletico Madridremained in the race to retain their title with acomfortable 3-1 win over Levante yesterdaythanks to two goals from Antoine Griezmann.

With Fernando Torres watching on fromthe stands before his move back to his boy-hood club is concluded tomorrow, Griezmannwas under pressure to continue his fine formafter scoring a hat-trick as Atletico closed2014 with a 4-1 win away to Athletic Bilbaotwo weeks ago.

And he duly obliged with two headed fin-ishes from close range early in each halfbefore Diego Godin nodded in Atletico’s thirdafter Nabil El Zhar’s deflected effort had givenLevante hope.

Atletico are now level with Barcelona insecond place and one point behind leadersReal Madrid, with the latter two sides in actionagainst Real Sociedad and Valencia respec-tively today.

Torres was the star attraction before kick-off as he took his seat in the directors’ box tomuch acclaim. However, on the field,Griezmann ensured Los Rojiblancos’ formercaptain will find it hard to get into the side forthe visit of Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey onWednesday.

Simeone, though, suggested Griezmanncould eventually move out wide, where hehas played for the majority of his career, tomake way for Torres.

“More than just the goals, which are impor-tant for him and the team, I like when hetracks back, works and when he wins the ballback to be able to attack from better posi-tions,” Simeone said of Griezmann.

“He can play in different positions, as wellas on the wing where he has played before.Not all games are equal and there could be

times when all the forwards play.”Griezmann put Simeone’s men in front on

18 minutes when Guilherme Siqueira’s crossfrom the left looped into the Frenchman’spath and he nodded past the helpless DiegoMarino.

Atletico should have extended their leadbefore half-time as Arda Turan fired just over,Mario Mandzukic saw a goal ruled out forhandball and Marino then made a fine save todeny the Croatian from point-blank range.

Yet, they looked to have made the gamesafe just 60 seconds into the second period as,despite more heroics from Marino to claw aMandzukic header off the line, he couldn’treact in time to prevent Griezmann’s follow-up effort crossing the line.

The unlucky Mandzukic saw another head-er drift wide and Tiago’s deflected shot flewinto the side-netting as Atletico continued todominate.

However, they were stunned just after thehour mark when Levante halved the deficit.Mandzukic was again heavily involved as hedid brilliantly to turn Victor Casadesus’s head-er off his own line, but the ball fell to IvanLopez and his drive clipped El Zhar on its wayinto the far corner.

Simeone then withdrew Turan andMandzukic with one eye to Wednesday’srepeat of last seasons’ Champions Leaguefinal against Real.And, not for the first timethis season, the Argentine’s side needed torely on their threat from set-pieces to seal thethree points eight minutes from time whenGodin headed home Tiago’s in-swingingcross.

Elsewhere, Sevilla moved above Valenciainto fourth, but were far from convincing in a1-0 win over 10-man Celta Vigo. The visitors

were forced to play 70 minutes with a manless after Carles Planas was shown a straightred card for chopping down Denis Suarez.

Nico Pareja then scored the only goal ofthe game from a free-kick 12 minutes later tocontinue Sevilla’s unbeaten record at homethis season. — AFP

Griezmann’s double keeps

Atletico on Real shoulders

MADRID: Atletico’s Mario Mandzukic (cen-tre) and Atletico’s Diego Godin (right) inaction with Levante’s Vyntra (left) during aSpanish La Liga soccer match. — AP

BusinessSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Iraq oil exports soar but low prices hit revenue

Page 22Kuwait likely to post KD 5-6bn budget surplus

Page 25Lithuania smoothly transitions to euro

Page 23Burgan Bank introduces instant debit, credit card service

Page 26

SHANGHAI: A group of Chinese paramilitary police officers stand guard at the site of the New Year’s Eve stampede in Shanghai yesterday. Dozens of deaths from a crush in Shanghai highlight China’s enduring vulnerabilities even asthe country races ahead economically, commentators say, with authorities’ management outpaced by new buildings and advanced transport. — AFP

LONDON: British Prime Minister DavidCameron stepped up his drive to be re-electedin four months, opening billboard campaign-ing with assertions that his Conservative partyhas nurtured Britain’s economic recovery.Narrowly trailing the opposition Labor party inmost opinion polls ahead of a May 7 nationalelection, Cameron hopes to convert strongeconomic competence ratings into victory inwhat looks set to be one of most closely-fought contests in modern British history.

The Conservatives said yesterday theywould cap redundancy payments for public-sector workers at 95,000 pounds ($145,588) ifthey win a national election set for May 7, aspart of their drive to rein in state spending.Official forecasts suggest 1 million govern-ment jobs will go over the course of the nextfive-year parliament. The Conservatives andtheir Liberal Democrat coalition partners havealready cut about 400,000 public sector jobssince taking power in 2010 in order to reduceBritain’s large budget deficit.

Junior finance minister Priti Patel, in an arti-

cle in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, said theConservatives would make an election mani-festo pledge to cap the pay-offs to public-sec-tor workers and would introduce legislation inthe new parliament.

“Excessive public-sector redundancy pay-outs-courtesy of the British taxpayer-are alltoo commonplace,” Patel said, citing paymentsof more than 450,000 pounds for senior civilservants and staff in the state-funded NationalHealth Service.

Labor said yesterday the government hadalready wasted money on redundancy pay-ments when it reorganized National HealthService management at a total cost of 1.6 bil-lion pounds. Redundancy payments are nor-mally based on length of service and finalsalary. The BBC reported Dave Penman, gener-al secretary of the First Division Associationcivil service trade union, as saying that the95,000 pound cap could hit up to half ofBritain’s public-sector workers. A public-sectorworker with 20 years’ service who was earning50,000 pounds a year, such as a senior nurse or

mid-ranking police officer, would probably behit by the new limit.

Patel said long-serving public-sector work-ers who earned less than 27,000 pounds a yearwould be exempt from the cap. Britain’s budg-et deficit currently stands at just over five per-cent of gross domestic product, half its levelwhen the Conservative-Liberal Democratcoalition came to power.

The Conservatives want to run a budgetsurplus by 2018-19.

Most opinion polls show a narrow lead forLabor ahead of the May election, but manyanalysts think no one party is likely to win anoutright majority in parliament, possiblyresulting in another coalition government oftwo or more parties.

With the rise of the anti-EU UKIndependence Party, the Scottish NationalParty and others, one or even two smaller par-ties could find themselves wielding outsizedinfluence if the Conservatives or Labor have toscramble build a minority government. Laboraccuses Cameron of presiding over what it

calls “a cost of living crisis” and challenges hisclaims to have brought national debt undercontrol, accusing the government of borrow-ing much more than planned.

In riposte, the Conservative poster showsBritain’s red, white and blue Union flag power-ing down a long road surrounded by greenfields with a couple of bumps and the slogan:“Let ’s Stay on the Road to a StrongerEconomy.” A sub-heading boasts: “1.75 millionmore people in work. 760,000 more business-es. The deficit halved.”

Under Cameron, whose right-leaning partyhas ruled in coalition with the centre-leftLiberal Democrats since 2010, Britain’s $2.5 tril-l ion (1.62 tril l ion pound) economy hasemerged from its deepest downturn sinceWorld War Two to enjoy the fastest growthrate of any major advanced economy. Whileinflation has outpaced wages for much ofCameron’s five-year term in office and manyvoters have struggled with rising food andheating bills, the falling cost of oil has nowhelped take inflation to a 12-year low.

Borrowing an attack strategy from U.S.President Barack Obama, the Conservativesportray Labour, who were in power during the2007/8 financial crisis, as the party thatcrashed “the car” and shouldn’t be given thekeys back.

Acknowledging the recovery is a task onlyhalf-done, the Conservatives say only they can“finish the job.” Labor, rated as less competentto manage the economy by most voters, saythe Conservatives have borrowed more thanplanned and now aim to cut the budgetdeficit too fast and too deep for purely ideo-logical reasons. Labor says it would reduce thedeficit in a fairer way while reversing tax cutsfor high earners. “Osborne and David Cameronsay the election will be about economic com-petence,” Ed Balls, Labor ’s economicsspokesman, wrote in the Guardian newspaper.

“But there is nothing competent about bor-rowing over 200 billion pounds more thanplanned because of your failure to deliver arecovery that is felt by all working people andnot just a few at the top.” — Reuters

Cameron puts economy centre-stageConservatives plan to cap public-sector redundancy payments

SYDNEY: China’s growth engine looks to have end-ed last year on a flat note as its massive factory sec-tor sputtered in December, though ebbing pricepressures also offered scope for more policy stimu-lus from Beijing and across much of Asia. The talewas similar from Singapore to South Korea toIndonesia as manufacturers struggled with weakdemand, both at home and abroad. China’s officialPurchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipped to 50.1 inDecember from November’s 50.3, its lowest level ofthe year and just above the 50-point level that issupposed to separate growth from contraction.

There was better news from China’s servicessector, which accounts for close to half of the econ-omy, where the PMI edged up to 54.1 in Decemberfrom November’s 53.9.

Yet many analysts suspect economic growth forall of 2014 will undershoot the government’s 7.5percent target, marking the weakest expansion in24 years. With factories able to make more thanconsumers wanted to buy, the pressure wasintense to cut prices.

Inflation deflates“The price measures show very strong disinfla-

tionary forces,” said analysts at Nomura. “With noinflation pressure, we expect more policy easing inthe first quarter, including a 50 basis-point cut inthe bank reserve requirement ratio, to shore up

domestic demand.”Disinflation was a feature across much of the

region. India’s PMI showed input prices slumped toa near six-year low, even as overall manufacturingactivity picked up to its fastest in two years.

The HSBC PMI, compiled by Markit, rose to 54.5in December from 53.3, the 14th straight monthabove the 50-mark that separates growth fromcontraction. Yet India’s annual inflation rate hasslowed to only 4.38 percent, the lowest since thegovernment started releasing the data in 2012 andpotentially a green light for easing by the ReserveBank of India (RBI).

“With the disinflationary trend gaining ground,the RBI is expected to find space for some rate cutsin 2015,” said Pranjul Bhandari, chief India econo-mist at HSBC. In South Korea, consumer pricesgrew at the slowest clip in more than 15 years inDecember, opening the door for further rate cutsthere.

Its version of the PMI contracted slightly but didshow some improvement in December to stand at49.9, from 49.0 in November. Indonesia was noteven that fortunate as its PMI slipped to 47.6 inDecember, the lowest since the survey began inApril 2011 and a third consecutive month of con-traction. Singapore also disappointed as economicgrowth slowed more than expected in the fourthquarter and the manufacturing sector contracted

in the face of erratic global demand, which couldcontinue to weigh on Asia’s trade-relianteconomies well into the new year.

The city-state’s gross domestic product expand-ed by an annualised 1.6 percent, well short of the3.0 percent analysts expected and mainly due to areversal in manufacturing.

“The external demand story remains very lack-lustre at this juncture,” said Selena Ling, an econo-mist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp, adding thatJapan, China and Europe were all slowing down.“Unlike 2014, when we started on a strong note forthe first half and after that the momentum taperedoff, we could be starting 2015 on a relatively softnote, especially as people are looking forward tothe Fed to normalise policy,” she added.

Fed, ECB on diverging pathsAsian exporters will get some relief as the US

economy shifts into higher gear, though they didnot benefit as much from the American recovery in2014 as they had in the past. The US FederalReserve has indicated it will start raising rates fromzero later this year as long as the economy contin-ues to improve and unemployment falls further.The US Institute for Supply Management’s meas-ure of manufacturing is due later on Friday and isexpected to show a still strong reading around57.6 for December. — Reuters

China factory slowdown a force for more stimulus across Asia

PARIS: French Economy and Industry Minister Emmanuel Macron gesturing as heanswers members of parliament during a session of questions to the government atthe National Assembly yesterday. — AFP

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange

Japanese Yen 2.442Indian Rupees 4.622Pakistani Rupees 2.923Srilankan Rupees 2.222Nepali Rupees 2.888Singapore Dollar 222.800Hongkong Dollar 37.842Bangladesh Taka 3.755Philippine Peso 6.570Thai Baht 8.927Irani Riyal transfer 61.555Irani Riyal cash 121.740

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 78.338Qatari Riyal 80.706Omani Riyal 763.320Bahraini Dinar 780.260UAE Dirham 80.003

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 44.000Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.985Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.371Tunisian Dinar 158.730Jordanian Dinar 414.580Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.971Syrian Lira 2.094Morocco Dirham 33.143

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 293.650Euro 359.430Sterling Pound 458.830Canadian dollar 253.580Turkish lira 126.580Swiss Franc 298.730Australian Dollar 240.210US Dollar Buying 292.450

GOLD20 gram 238.10010 gram 121.7405 gram 61.560

CurrencyTransfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 293.000Euro 360.650Pound Sterlng 459.800Canadian Dollar 254.850Indian Rupee 4.615Egyptian Pound 40.965Sri Lankan Rupee 2.220Bangladesh Taka 3.740Philippines Peso 6.555Pakistan Rupee 2.914Bahraini Dinar 780.250UAE Dirham 79.850Saudi Riyal 78.300

*Rates are subject to change

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFTEurope

Belgian Franc 0.007648 0.008648British Pound 0.451441 0.460441Czech Korune 0.004893 0.016893Danish Krone 0.043874 0.048874Euro 0.351227 0.359227Norwegian Krone 0.035509 0.040709Romanian Leu 0.084229 0.084229Slovakia 0.008600 0.018600Swedish Krona 0.033898 0.038898Swiss Franc 0.290089 0.300289Turkish Lira 0.124870 0.131870

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.232307 0.243807New Zealand Dollar 0.223702 0.233202

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.247936 0.256436US Dollars 0.289550 0.294250US Dollars Mint 0.290050 0.294250

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003440 0.004040Chinese Yuan 0.046134 0.049634Hong Kong Dollar 0.035776 0.038526Indian Rupee 0.004387 0.004788Indonesian Rupiah 0.000019 0.000025Japanese Yen 0.002377 0.002557Kenyan Shilling 0.003277 0.003277Korean Won 0.000260 0.000275Malaysian Ringgit 0.080545 0.086545Nepalese Rupee 0.003001 0.003171Pakistan Rupee 0.002765 0.003045Philippine Peso 0.006487 0.006767Sierra Leone 0.000065 0.000071Singapore Dollar 0.219033 0.225033

South African Rand 0.019355 0.027855Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001882 0.002462Taiwan 0.009156 0.009336Thai Baht 0.008608 0.009158

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.772453 0.780453Egyptian Pound 0.039542 0.042642Iranian Riyal 0.000081 0.000083Iraqi Dinar 0.000195 0.000255Jordanian Dinar 0.410110 0.417610Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000145 0.000245Moroccan Dirhams 0.023945 0.047945Nigerian Naira 0.001193 0.001826Omani Riyal 0.756706 0.762386Qatar Riyal 0.079948 0.081161Saudi Riyal 0.077670 0.078370Syrian Pound 0.001741 0.001961Tunisian Dinar 0.154429 0.162429Turkish Lira 0.124870 0.131870UAE Dirhams 0.078969 0.080118Yemeni Riyal 0.001326 0.001406

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 231.71 228.71Canadian Dollar 256.71 257.71Swiss Franc 302.93 300.93Euro 362.08 363.08US Dollar 293.55 296.55Sterling Pound 461.65 464.65Japanese Yen 2.49 2.51Bangladesh Taka 3.761 4.031Indian Rupee 4.636 4.936Sri Lankan Rupee 2.220 2.655Nepali Rupee 2.893 3.428Pakistani Rupee 2.918 2.790UAE Dirhams 79.77 80.23Bahraini Dinar 779.11 781.18Egyptian Pound 40.93 41.53Jordanian Dinar 417.10 422.75Omani Riyal 761.26 768.56Qatari Riyal 80.83 81.38Saudi Riyal 78.19 78.59

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 291.750Canadian Dollar 260.085Sterling Pound 456.630Euro 366.500Swiss Frank 303.035Bahrain Dinar 775.760UAE Dirhams 79.330Qatari Riyals 80.935Saudi Riyals 77.975Jordanian Dinar 411.660Egyptian Pound 40.707Sri Lankan Rupees 2.225Indian Rupees 4.716Pakistani Rupees 2.867Bangladesh Taka 3.759Philippines Pesso 6.481Cyprus pound 715.865Japanese Yen 3.480Syrian Pound 2.710Nepalese Rupees 3.945

Malaysian Ringgit 87.645Chinese Yuan Renminbi 48.035Thai Bhat 9.885Turkish Lira 131.225

Five ways to improve

your work-life

balance in New Year

The New Year is a time for reflection and newresolutions as we carefully peruse the pastand plan for a better future. For many profes-

sionals, creating a better work-life balance will betop on their list of next year’s priorities. Here aresome tips from the career experts at Bayt.com, theMiddle East’s leading job site, on how to achieve it:

1. Be clear about your prioritiesTake some time to revisit your values and priori-

ties and understand what really matters to youmost. Is it money and if so how much do you reallywant or need? Is it time with family and friends? Isit freedom to pursue hobbies and interests? Is itaccelerated professional growth and leadership inyour role? Once you have come to grips with whatyou truly value most you can seek to focus on thatarea. The Bayt.com ‘Work-life Balance in the MENA’poll, September 2012, reveals that 65 percent ofprofessionals in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA) region would agree to a pay cut if it wouldallow them more free time.

2. Set SMART goalsWithout SMART goals you are invariably setting

yourself up to an unhappy scenario. Unless youunderstand where the goalposts are in life, you arealmost sure to miss them every time. Ask yourselfin your professional and in your personal life, atvery regular intervals, where you are planning togo and how soon you need to get there to have avery clear vision of success and plan a clear path toget there. Without careful planning and a soundvision and measure of success, you may exert moreeffort than needed in some areas of your life at theexpense of others you value equally or more.

3. Set clear expectations with your manage-ment

As per the Bayt.com ‘Work Satisfaction in theMENA’ poll 12.5 percent of professionals say thattheir management sets unrealistic expectations forthem. Achieving better work-life balance meansmutually agreeing on goals and targets with yourmanager and keeping communication channelsvery open. Be clear with your management aboutwhat matters most to you. 41 percent of polledprofessionals state that working the same numberof hours with a higher salary would resolve theirwork-life balance issues, whereas 22.8 percentwould opt for a flexitime arrangement with similarhours, and 10.4 percent would prefer a work-from-home arrangement as per Bayt.com’s Work LifeBalance in the MENA poll.

4. Optimize your productivityThink of all the time you can free up to do other

things if you improve your productivity levelsthrough that extra effort, focus, efficiency, educa-tion, or vocational training. The most ambitiousand successful professionals are lifelong learnerscommitted to always being ahead of the curve inthe learning it requires to do their jobs optimallyand achieve leadership in their domain.

5. Choose a healthy lifestyleThe Bayt.com ‘Work Satisfaction in the MENA’ poll

shows that 39 percent of professionals are occasion-ally affected by job related stress, and as many as 35percent indicate job-stress affects them most of thetime. This may be correlated to the fact that 46.7percent of professionals admit that they don’tspend enough time with their family and friendsand 57 percent say they don’t spend enough timeexercising. Work-related stress can eat away into,not only your productivity at work, but also yourpersonal/family time. Often, managing work-relatedstress is largely about managing expectations. Askyourself is there an easier and faster way to com-plete your more stressful tasks? Work-life balancebegins with managing stress by committing to ahealthier lifestyle that includes better time manage-ment, better eating habits, regular exercise and agenerous time allocation to activities that make onefeel truly satisfied, fulfilled and happy.

Kuwait crude

price up

to $51.35pb

KUWAIT: The price of Kuwait crude oilper barrel rose $0.86 to stand at$51.35pb in Friday’s trading comparedto $50.49pb on Wednesday, KuwaitPetroleum Corporation (KPC) said yester-day. The price of Brent crude oil forFebruary delivery went down by 1.59percent, to stand at $56.42pb. In NewYork Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX),American light crude settled at $52.69pbfor February delivery. — KUNA

bayt.com weekly report

A brick mason helper prepares another load of cement for the construction crew to cover a new home in bricks in Ashburn, Virginia on Friday. — AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s oil exports reached their highest level indecades in December, the oil ministry’s spokesman saidyesterday, but vital revenues were being hit by the plum-meting prices of crude. Iraq exported 91.141 million barrelsof oil in December for an average of 2.94 million barrels perday, the highest daily average since 1980, Assem Jihad toldAFP, citing initial figures.

December exports were far and away the highest in2014, eclipsing the previous best month by more than 11million barrels, according to ministry figures. But revenueswere $5.247 billion, only up slightly on November and

much lower than the early months of 2014 because ofsharply declining oil prices.

Jihad said prices averaged $57 a barrel in December,down from $100 or more during the first half of the year.The average December price was even lower than the $60per barrel used to calculate Iraq’s 2015 budget, whichalready includes a more than $19 billion deficit.

Oil producing cartel “OPEC must move to address thisissue,” Jihad said.”Prices are falling now to abnormal levels,and it is up to the organization to move instead of watch-ing prices collapse to illogical levels,” he said, adding that

this was his personal opinion rather than that of the min-istry. The dramatic decline in oil prices poses a major prob-lem for Iraq, which depends on oil revenues for the vastmajority of government funds.

The oil ministry said in November that Baghdad lostmore than 27 percent of its projected revenues for 2014because of the fall in prices. It comes at a time whenexpenditures are higher than usual, with the country bat-tling to regain ground from the Islamic State jihadist group,which spearheaded a sweeping offensive that overranswathes of territory in June. — AFP

Iraq oil exports soar but

low prices hit revenue

Dec export highest in 2014

AMMAN: Shale potential as a source foroil and natural gas has prompted theJordanian government to sign variousagreements with international compa-nies to search for the valuable rockthroughout the kingdom. The agree-ments will enable Jordan to produceenergy from shale by 2018.

Speaking to KUNA on the subject, exec-utive at the Jordanian ministry of energyand mineral resources Hazem Al-Raminisaid that shale contains many minerals

that through certain processes will pro-duce oil, gas, and energy. He indicatedthat there an enormous amount of shalethroughout Jordan with the current dis-covered locations able to produce around28 million barrels of oil equivalent.

The official said that there are variousmeans to extract minerals from shale,stressing that the government shouldfocus on methods that were less costly,more energy efficient, and environmentfriendly.

Mostly, shale will be used as fuel forpower stations in the country, said Al-Ramini, adding that the government hadbeen studying the economic benefits ofusing shale for quite some time and nowis taking some stern steps to realize thepotential of such resource. In three yearsthe government is planning to reach aproduction capacity of 38 barrels per day,said Al-Ramini, noting that what would beproduce by then would be used to gener-ate electricity. — KUNA

Shale excavation to shape

Jordan’s future energy policy

B U S I N E S S

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

MUMBAI: Promising exciting days ahead, IndianFinance Minister Arun Jaitley said India wouldmatch Chinese growth rate once the unbankedpopulation comes under structured financial sys-tem. The minister also said that the real challengetoday is to bring a further spurt in investment, con-centrate on infrastructure and improve manufactur-ing in a big way.

“I think time has come to enter into the nextphase where we give spurt to these goals which areessential for reviving Indian economy,” he said.

“The days ahead are going to be extremely excit-ing... when even these sections (unbanked popula-tion) have RuPay cards, and lots of Indian spending

goes into banking sector, probably days are notvery far when we could probably match theChinese growth,” he said at an ICICI Bank function.

The minister said with more and more peopleusing RuPay debit cards, a large part of the eco-nomic activity, which is out of the banking net,would get reflected in the GDP.

China has been the world’s fastest growing econ-omy in the recent times, recording double digitgrowth rate for almost two decades.

On the other hand, India touched a peak of 9.6percent in 2006-07 and has since tapered to belowfive per cent in last two years.

“We have reached a situation which does not

excite anyone. I think this challenging and troubledtime we are passing through are capable of becom-ing important turning point in Indian history,”Jaitley said.

Recounting the initiatives taken by the NDA gov-ernment in past seven months, he said the PrimeMinister Jan Dhan Yojana to bring unbanked popu-lation under the banking net has already achievedthe target.

Over 10 crore bank accounts have already beenunder the scheme a month ahead of the schedule.Besides, the government has begun the direct ben-efit transfer of subsidies to the accounts of benefici-aries, he added.

India’s Jaitley sees exciting days for economy

VILNIUS: Lithuania welcomed a New Year and anew currency, becoming the last Baltic nation toadopt the euro in a bid to boost stability despitefears of inflation and euro-zone debt woes. PrimeMinister Algirdas Butkevicius withdrew his first 10-euro bill ($12) from a Vilnius cash machine aftermidnight, as fireworks signed off a year marked byalarm over Russia’s role in the Ukraine conflict andits economic crisis.

“The euro will serve as a guarantee for our eco-nomic and political security,” Butkevicius said at aceremony alongside officials from Estonia andLatvia. “The transition to the new currency wassmooth and successful,” Lithuanian central bankgovernor Vitas Vasiliauskas told reporters, as thecountry became the 19th member of the euro-zone. As shops opened on New Year’s Day, cus-tomers said they needed to think twice to assessthe value of items in euros, instead of l itas.“Everything seems cheap,” said 32-year-old KastytisBackis, as he left a supermarket in the capitalVilnius. The two currencies will circulate together aslegal tender for two weeks. Dual pricing will remainuntil June.

Political uncertainty “In joining the euro, the Lithuanian people are

choosing to be part of an area of stability, securityand prosperity,” EU economic affairs commissionerPierre Moscovici said.

But in the run-up to membership, public sup-port wavered. Fifty-three percent of the populationof three million backed the euro and 39 percentwere against, according to a November surveyreleased by the central bank. Vida Zurziene, in herfifties, said she would keep some litas coins toshow her grandchildren. “I think prices for services,like going to the hairdresser, will go up. But it willbe easier to travel,” she said. Lithuania’s member-ship comes as political uncertainty in Greece isagain stoking fears that the euro-zone’s debt crisiscould flare up. Vilnius has already committed hun-

dreds of millions of euros to the euro-zone’s rescuefund for struggling members. “Financial commit-ments are a huge burden and increase the coun-try’s debt. I think we should have delayed entry,”financial analyst Valdemaras Katkus told AFP.

The litas has actually been pegged to the eurosince 2002, making it dependent on the EuropeanCentral Bank. Vilnius had hoped to adopt the euroin 2007 but failed to meet the inflation criteria. Theglobal financial crisis put the goal on hold in 2009,when Lithuania suffered a deep recession. Bitingausterity measures far exceeding any applied inWestern Europe turned the economy around,resulting in recent growth of around three percent.But social security cuts and other slashed public

spending also encouraged record emigration toricher European nations such as Britain.

Most analysts say euro-zone entry will fosterexport growth and encourage investment.Lithuania brought in 132 million individual ban-knotes-which are standard across the euro-zone-from the German Bundesbank but minted its owneuro coins. They include the national coat of arms,a knight on horseback with sword and shield,which has appeared on the national currency sincethe 14th century.

The three Baltic states broke free from theSoviet Union in 1990-1991 before joining the EUand NATO in 2004. Estonia and Latvia becameeuro-zone members in 2011 and 2014. — AFP

Lithuania smoothly

transitions to euro

Baltic nation seeks to boost economic stability

VILNIUS: Minister Rimantas Sadzus, Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius, andChairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania Vitas Vasiliauskas withdraw euros from a bankmachine during a ceremony in Vilnius on Jan 1.— AFP

KABUL: An Afghan tea vendor (left) prepares tea for his customers on the WazirAkbar Khan hilltop in Kabul yesterday. Afghanistan’s economy has improved signifi-cantly since the fall of the Taleban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion ofinternational assistance. — AFP

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan: The energy-rich former Soviet republic of Turkmenistandevalued its currency against the US dollarby 18 percent, in the latest sign of conta-gion among Russia’s neighbors from theplunging ruble. The secretive Central Asiancountry has vast oil and gas reserves andhas erected grandiose marble-clad palatialgovernment buildings and sports complex-es, but failed to raise living standards formost of its five million people. On Thursday,the website of Turkmenistan’s central bankpublished the rate of 3.50 manats to the USdollar, up from 2.85 manats, a depreciationof 18.6 percent. It gave no explanation.

The devaluation came as the plunge invalue of the Russian ruble, l inked toWestern sanctions over Ukraine and fallingoil prices, sent shockwaves through formerSoviet republics.

All currency exchange offices and banksin the capital Ashgabat were closedThursday, even at the airport, officially dueto the public holiday. At one exchangepoint in the city centre that is usually open24 hours, people regularly drove up tocheck whether it was operating. With offi-cial state media shut down for the holidayand television channels broadcasting onlyfestive concerts, there was no official com-ment on Thursday. Earlier Thursday,Turkmenistan’s oil and gas ministryannounced petrol prices had risen by 60percent. The rising price did not immedi-ately lead to long queues at petrol pumps.

A litre of one type of petrol on Thursdaycost one manat, while previously it cost 62tenge (22 US cents under the previousexchange rate). No immediate explanationwas given for the sudden price rise.

President Gurbanguly Berdy mukhame-dov was bullish on the economy in his livetelevised address to the nation just beforemidnight Wednesday saying Turkmenistanhad “achieved high levels in all areas of theeconomy” and strengthened its “economicmight.” Rumors of an approaching devalua-tion had been circulating for severalmonths since the autumn, promptingmany to change their savings into dollars.Exchange points had responded by intro-ducing a $1,000 limit on the amount of dol-

lars that could be purchased with manats.The official exchange rate set by the centralbank for the manat had been set at 2.85 tothe US dollar since 2009. Earlier in 2009,Turkmenistan had knocked zeroes off themanat in a re-denomination after the offi-cial exchange rate reached 14,250 to thedollar.

Fallout from ruble plunge Turkmenistan’s former Soviet neighbors

in Central Asia have already suffered seri-ous economic fallout from the plunge invalue of the Russian ruble, which fell 41percent against the dollar in 2014.

Kyrgyzstan saw its local currency, thesom, fall more than 17 percent in valueagainst the dollar in 2014, while Tajikistan’scurrency, the somon, lost nearly 14 percentagainst the dollar. Both countries are highlydependent on remittances from peopleworking in Russia. Kazakhstan’s centralbank back in February devalued its curren-cy, the tenge, by about 19 percent. The cri-sis forced the central bank of another ofRussia’s ex-Soviet neighbours, Belarus, tointroduce emergency measures and itsauthoritarian President AlexanderLukashenko sacked the prime minister onSaturday.

Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia havecreated an economic bloc that comes intoforce Thursday. Another ex-Soviet state,Armenia, has also joined. Jitters overTurkmenistan’s currency came despite thecountry ’s enormous energy wealth. I tclaims to hold the world’s fourth-biggestreserves of natural gas and also has vast oildeposits. The country’s energy wealth hasattracted interest from international energygiants. In November, Italian energy giantEni signed a preliminary deal to move intooffshore oil and gas exploration inTurkmenistan’s Caspian sector, Turkme-nistan has been led by Berdymukhamedov,a former dentist, since 2006, following thedeath of the eccentric dictator SaparmuratNiyazov, who erected a golden statue ofhimself that revolved to face the sun.

The country was ranked 169 out of 174in Transparency International’s corruptionperceptions index last month. — AFP

Energy-rich Turkmenistan

devalues currency

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister ShinzoAbe pledged to carry out crucial structuralreforms this year as part his drive to kick-start the economy, while stressing the coun-try remained pacifist as he pursues hisnationalist agenda. “This year we will onceagain make the economy the foremost pri-ority, delivering the warm winds of econom-ic recovery to every corner of the nation,” hesaid in his new year statement, weeks afterwinning a landslide election.

“We will decisively execute our growthstrategy, carrying out economic (stimulus)measures at an early time,” he said, referringto reforms such as deregulation in the ener-gy and farm sectors. Since he first tookoffice in December 2012 Abe said he hastackled various issues including revampingthe country’s education and social securitysystems, and diplomatic and security poli-cies. “All of the reforms I am pursuing are themost drastic reforms since the end of WorldWar II, with very challenging roads ahead,”he said. With a fresh voter mandate given bya general election victory last month, “thisyear I will push ahead with reforms evenmore boldly and with an even greater senseof speed”, he said. Abe has embarked on apolicy blitz-dubbed “Abenomics” to reinvig-orate the economy, with a vast governmentspending and monetary easing program.The third “arrow” in his armory are much-needed structural reforms.

Abe, 60, had billed the December 14election as a referendum on “Abenomics”,

which has helped exporters by sending theyen sharply lower and boosted stocks. Buthis failure to implement some of the toughchanges economists say are needed-freeingup the labor market and tackling an ineffi-cient agricultural sector-has left Abe opento the charge that he is pursuing style oversubstance. His speech also noted that thisyear marks the 70th anniversary of the endof World War II and that Japan-with “deepremorse” over its wartime atrocities-”haswalked the path of a free and democraticnation and of a consistently peace-lovingnation”. His comments come as he seekswarmer ties with old foe China, with whichJapan has been engaged in bitter territorialdisputes in recent years. “A we reflect on thepast... I wish to make this (year) a year inwhich we send out to the world a messageabout the kind of country we aim to be andget off to a dynamic start towards building a‘new Japan’,” he said. He did not detail whata “new Japan” would look like.

Abe last month pledged to pursue hisnationalist agenda, including revising thepost-war US imposed pacifist constitutionand expanding the role of the country’s Self-Defense Forces. Also Thursday, JapaneseEmperor Akihito, 81, in his New Year state-ment stressed the importance of learningabout World War II. “I think it is now extreme-ly important that at this opportunity we fullylearn from the history of this war... in think-ing about the way Japan should be in thefuture,” Akihito said. — AFP

Japanese PM Abe pledges

reforms to boost economy

VILNIUS: Lithuanian 10-Litas banknotes are seen in Vilnius on Friday. Lithuania abandoned the litas when it became the 19th country to adoptthe euro at the start of 2015 but at least one of the old bills is still in vogue, a gay activist said. — AFP

HONG KONG: Casino operator Melco CrownEntertainment, a joint venture involving Australian bil-lionaire James Packer, plans to delist its shares in HongKong after gambling hub Macau reported its first everfall in casino revenues. Official figures published by theformer Portuguese colony on Friday showed gamingrevenues fell 2.6 percent year-on-year to 351.52 billionpatacas ($44 billion) in 2014 — the only drop sinceannual figures were first released in 2002. Hours later,Melco Crown-which owns Macau’s vast City of Dreamsresort complex-said it would delist from the Hong Kongstock exchange “for reasons of cost and utility”.

“Maintaining the listing... requires additional ongo-ing regulatory compliance obligations and such require-ments involve significant additional costs,” the companysaid in a statement late Friday, adding that it did not seeopportunities to raise additional equity. The companywill retain its listing on the NASDAQ in the US, where itsshares closed Friday down 4.88 percent at $24.16. MelcoCrown Entertainment is a joint venture between HongKong businessman Lawrence Ho and James Packer, sonof the late Australian media and gambling magnate,Kerry. The firm, with a market capitalisation of close to$14 billion, owns Macau’s City of Dreams resort com-plex, which has 1,400 rooms across three hotels locatednext to major resorts including The Venetian. Macau is

the only part of China where casino gambling is legal,and the industry is dependent on big spenders from themainland. But high-rollers have been reined in by theanti-graft drive, which has seen Chinese President Xi

Jinping vow to crack down on graft across all levels ofofficialdom as part of a campaign to curb lavish spend-ing. A slowdown in the mainland economy has alsobeen taking its toll on casino earnings. — AFP

Melco Crown to delist in HK

after Macau revenue slump

JUBA: South Sudan’s oil revenue last year was hitby reduced output because of conflict in theAfrican republic and the rapid decline in oilprices, petroleum minister Stephen Dhieu Dausaid in a statement seen by Reuters yesterday. Oilis the main source of cash for South Sudan, buttotal oil income was $3.38 billion last year fromthe sale of 36.6 million barrels as output was hitby the fighting that began in December 2013 inthe wake of a power struggle between PresidentSalva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.

Thousands of people have been killed andmore than a million have fled their homes duringthe conflict, which also resulted in damage tosome of the country’s oil fields while production

at others was hit by a lack of spare parts.Production fell by about a third to an average160,000 barrels per day (bpd) since fightingbroke out, from 245,000 bpd just before the vio-lence erupted.

Petroleum and mining minister Dau’s state-ment, dated Dec. 30, said that after deducting$884 million in payments due to Sudan and loanrepayments of $781 million, the government wasleft with $1.71 billion from its oil revenue. “It willcome as no surprise that one effect of thedecrease in global oil prices is the fairly substan-tial reduction of revenues our nation is receivingin its sales of crude oil,” Dau said, though he gaveno comparative figures for 2013. —Reuters

S Sudan oil revenue at $3.38bn,

hit by conflict, price falls

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

NEW YORK: Stocks got off to a sluggish start on the firstday of trading in the New Year, ending the day mixed asa report showed that manufacturing growth slowed inDecember. US factory activity grew at the slowest pacein six months last month, weakened by declines inorders and production, according to the Institute forSupply Management. While the sector is still in goodhealth, growth was slower than economists had forecast.

The stock market climbed to record levels at the endof 2014 and investors may now be reassessing the out-look for the market at the start of the year, said BradMcMillan, chief investment officer for CommonwealthFinancial, an independent broker-dealer firm. Whilegrowth prospects in the US look decent, in Europe andAsia they are less encouraging. Investors are “steppingback and saying, ‘now we’re in the New Year, let’s take afresh look,’ “ said McMillan. “There’s certainly somedegree of, I wouldn’t say pessimism, but readjustment,going on.”

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 0.70 points, orless than 0.1 percent, to 2,058.20. The Dow Jones indus-trial average rose 9.92 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to17,832.99. The Nasdaq composite dropped 9.24 points,or 0.2 percent, to 4,726.81.

Stocks had another good year in 2014, but the rallyfaded in the final days of the year. The S&P 500 climbed11.4 percent, after rising 29.6 percent in 2013. To justifythose gains, company earnings will have to keep grow-ing. “We don’t think the US equity market is going to doanywhere near as well this year” as it has in recent years,said Dan Morris, global investment strategist at TIAA-CREF, an investment manager. “There’s a lot more thatcould go wrong than could go right in the US.”

Morris says stock investors should expect returns inthe single digits this year, and should also brace them-selves for higher levels of volatility as the FederalReserve moves toward its first rate increase since 2006.

On Friday, stocks started out with solid gains, then fellback after the ISM published its manufacturing report.After drifting lower for much of the afternoon, the mar-ket recovered slightly and ended the day little changed.US crude fell after moving between losses and smallgains. The price dropped 58 cents to $52.69 a barrel inNew York. Brent crude, the international standard,

declined 91 cents to $56.42.Declining in oil prices are a boon to consumers, who

are paying less for gas, but they hurts energy companiesby lowering their revenues. The energy industryaccounts for about 10 percent of earnings of companiesin the S&P 500 index. The fall in prices will also mean thatoil companies will rein in spending on plants and equip-ment, said Anastasia Amoroso, global market strategistfor JP Morgan Funds. “The benefit of lower oil prices isincremental to the damage that they inflict on otherparts of the economy,” Amoroso said.

In currency trading, the euro retreated against thedollar. The decline came after European Central BankPresident Mario Draghi indicated that the bank couldsupport a government bond-buying program to combatalarmingly low inflation in the eurozone. The currencyfell to $1.2003, its lowest level against the dollar in 4-1/2years.

Investors have a number of concerns about Europe as2015 begins. Growth is anemic in the region and an elec-tion in Greece on Jan. 25 could re-ignite the country’sdebt crisis if an anti-austerity party wins. In governmentbond trading, prices rose. The yield on the 10-yearTreasury note fell to 2.11 percent from 2.17 percent onWednesday. Markets were closed Thursday for the NewYear’s Day holiday. The dollar also rose against theJapanese yen, climbing 0.6 percent to 120.51.

In metals trading, gold edged up $2.10 to $1,186.20an ounce, silver rose 17 cents to $15.77 an ounce andcopper slipped less than a penny to $2.82 a pound.

In other energy futures trading:* Wholesale gasoline dropped 3.9 cents to $1.433 per

gallon.* Heating oil fell 3.8 cents to $1.796 a gallon.* Natural gas rose 11.4 cents to $3.003 per 1,000 cubic

feet. — AP

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) endedlast week in the red zone. The Price Indexclosed at 6,535.72 points, down by 0.64 per-cent from the week before closing, theWeighted Index decreased by 0.61 percentafter closing at 438.88 points, whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at 1,059.95 points, down by0.94 percent. Furthermore, last week’s averagedaily turnover increased by 14.46 percent,compared to the preceding week, reaching KD41.37 million, whereas trading volume averagewas 366.27 million shares, recording anincrease of 2.72 percent.

Kuwait Stock Market could not maintain itsgains that was realized in the preceding week,however this week was limited to four sessions;to end this week with limited losses, among afluctuated performance, as the market wasaffected by the return of the random sellingoperations in controlling the trading activity asa result to the continued negative effect of theoil priced decline on the traders, whom pushedto execute selling operations included manytraded stocks during last week, which causedits prices to decrease slightly, and negativelyaffected the market capital, to record a weeklydecline by 0.74 percent, after it reached KD27.98 billion by the end of last week, comparedto KD 28.19 billion by the end of a week earlier.

In addition, the stock market initiated its firstsessions of the week with good gains to thethree indices, as the market increase during thesession came as a result to the purchasing oper-ations support that included many large-capand small-cap stocks in an attempt to raise itsprices before the end of year 2014, which posi-tively affected all the market indices, especiallythe Price Index which increased the most by theend of the session. Moreover, the stock marketdeclined on the second session of the weekaffected by the profit collection operations per-formed on many stocks of previous gains, espe-cially the large-cap and operational stocks.

Also, the stock market continued its lossesin Tuesday’s session, to lose all its gains that itrealized since the beginning of the week, asthe market was negatively affected by the oilprices decline again, among a control of pes-simism on most of the investors, as theypushed once again for the unreasonable sell-ing operations, that were concentrated on thesmall and mid-cap stocks. On the end of weeksession however, the stock market witnessed amixed performance for the closings of thethree indices, as the Price and Weighted indices

were able to increase, to compensate a part ofits weekly losses, whilst the KSX-15 Indexcouldn’t, as a result to the strong profit collec-tion operations executed on some large.

For the annual performance, the price indexended last week recording 13.43 percent annu-al loss compared to its closing in 2013, whilethe weighted index decreased by 3.09 percent,and the KSX-15 recorded 0.79 percent loss.

Sectors’ IndicesFour of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the

green zone, while seven recorded losses, andthe Health Care sector’s index closed with nochange from the week before. last week’s high-est gainer was the Telecommunications sector,achieving 4.19 percent growth rate as its indexclosed at 570.43 points. Whereas, in the secondplace, the Basic materials sector’s index closedat 1,131.32 points recording 1.59 percentincrease. The Consumer Goods sector came inthird as its index achieved 0.72 percent growth,ending the week at 1,225.89 points. On theother hand, the Oil & Gas sector headed thelosers list as its index declined by 2.23 percentto end the week’s activity at 1,062.97 points.The Financial Services sector was second on

the losers’ list, which index declined by 1.75percent, closing at 832.14 points, followed bythe Banks sector, as its index closed at 1,005.09points at a loss of 1.48 percent. The Real Estatesector was the least declining as its indexclosed at 1,129.97 points with a 0.27 percentdecrease.

Sectors’ ActivityThe Real Estate sector dominated a total

trade volume of 440.47 million shares chang-ing hands during last week, representing 30.06percent of the total market trading volume.The Financial Services sector was second interms of trading volume as the sector’s tradedshares were 29.36 percent of last week’s totaltrading volume, with a total of 430.17 millionshares. On the other hand, the Banks sector’sstocks were the highest traded in terms of val-ue; with a turnover of KD 71.76 million or 43.36percent of last week’s total market trading val-ue. The Telecommunications sector took thesecond place as the sector’s last week turnoverwas KD 29.80 million represented 18.80 per-cent of the total market trading value.

—Prepared by the Studies & ResearchDepartment Bayan Investment Co.

Kuwait bourse ends year on bearish noteBAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

US stocks end mixed as manufacturing slows

WALL STREET WEEKLY REPORT

Wall Street flat in quiet start to 2015

NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks finished the first trad-ing day of the new year Friday little-changed fol-lowing lackluster US economic data and with manymarket participants still on holiday. The Dow JonesIndustrial Average advanced 9.92 points (0.06 per-cent) to 17,832.99.

The broad-based S&P 500 slipped 0.70 (0.03 per-cent) to 2,058.20, while the tech-rich NasdaqComposite Index fell 9.24 (0.20 percent) to 4,726.81.All three indices spent much of 2015’s first sessionin the red following reports that showed lower USconstruction spending in November and weakermanufacturing activity in December. But stocksstrengthened somewhat in the last 30 minutes,enabling the Dow to notch a small gain and cuttinglosses in the other two indices. Analysts said vol-ume was light after markets closed Thursday forNew Year’s Day.

“The year really starts on Monday,” said DanGreenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG. The S&P500 rose 11.4 percent in 2014, marking the thirdstraight year with a double-digit gain.

Key challenges to more gains in 2015 includeweak growth in Europe and emerging economies,the hit from sharply lower oil prices to Russia andother petroleum exporters, and the blow from anyshift in the US Federal Reserve’s policy of ultra-lowinterest rates.

Peter Cardillo, chief market economist atRockwell Global Capital, predicted 2015 would beanother good year for US stocks, but one that is alsomore volatile. “We’re going to see another bull run,”he said. “However, we will see more corrections andthe corrections will be steeper than they were in2014.” Drugstore chain Rite Aid rose 1.5 percentFriday after reporting that same-store salesincreased 5.3 percent in December compared withthe year-ago period.

Linn Energy rose 12.30 percent as it announcedthat Blackstone Group will finance drilling programsfor Linn in exchange for a payout on successfulwells. Linn also cut its 2015 capital spending budgetby 53 percent and said it would trim its dividend to$1.25 per share from $2.90 due to the drop in oilprices. Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year USTreasury fell to 2.12 percent from 2.17 percentWednesday, while the 30-year dropped to 2.69 per-cent from 2.75 percent. Bond prices and yieldsmove inversely. — AFP

B U S I N E S S

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

KUWAIT: By the end of December 2014,the 9th month of the current fiscal year2014/2015 ended, and oil prices contin-ued to drop for the fourth consecutivemonth, at a sharper pace thanSeptember, October and November,breaching downwards the $60 per barrelthreshold. The lowest average price forKuwaiti oil reached $52.70 per barrel on30/12/2014 and the highest was at$66.84 per barrel on 02/12/2014. Theaverage price for Kuwaiti oil in Decemberwas $58.5 per barrel, a decrease byabout $ -15.3 per barrel for November’saverage of about $73.8 per barrel.Therefore, the average Kuwaiti oil pricefor the first 9 months of the current fiscalyear is around $92.3 per barrel, lower by $-11.3 per barrel, or -10.9 percent, thanthe average price for the first 9 months oflast fiscal year 2013/2014 which was$103.6 per barrel. It is also an increase of$17.3 per barrel, or 23.1 percent, than thenew hypothetical price estimated for thecurrent budget of $75 per barrel. Theaverage price for the last fiscal year2013/2014, ending in March 2014, was$103.5 per barrel.

Kuwait is supposed to have achievedoil revenues in the first 9 months of thecurrent fiscal year of about KD 19.5 bil-lion. Assuming production and priceswould continue at their present levels -an assumption which may be unrealisticon both the price and the production lev-els- it is expected that value of potentialoil revenues for the entire current fiscalyear would score about KD24 billion,higher by about KD 5.2 billion than the oilrevenues estimated for the budget.

Adding some KD2.5 billion in non-oilrevenues, the budget total revenues forthe current fiscal year would amount toKD 26.5 billion. Comparing this figurewith the expenditures allocations of

about KD 23.2 billion and if we assume 10percent saving similar to past FY2013/2014, total actual expenditureswould be about KD20.9 billion. Therefore,the general budget for the current fiscalyear 2014/2015 would likely achieve asurplus of about KD 5-6 billion, whichcould rise to about KD 7.5 billion, if theprojected savings in the expenditures,estimated by the Minister of Finance tobe around KD 19 billion, are realized,making it the 16th fiscal year in a row inwhich a surplus is achieved.

In reality, the actual surplus will be sig-nificantly reduced by the deteriorating oilprices in the remaining three months ofthe fiscal year. If the price and productionlevels of oil continue to decline, theupcoming fiscal year will prove to be verychallenging.

The most important events in 2014 After positive but weak real growth for

the local economy of about 1.5 percent in2013, The EIU of the Economist Magazineprojects that GDP in 2014 will achievesimilar positive, but weak growth ofabout 2.1 percent as a result of a mixtureof weak oil prices and production. It alsoprojects that nominal GDP will be aboutKD 49 billion ($172.2 billion). It is expect-ed that positive real growth will continuefor the local economy at about 1.9 per-cent in 2015.

The average oil production level wasabout 2.8 million barrels per day during2014, according to EIU bulletin, whileKuwait’s official quota in OPEC is about2.247 million barrels per day. Kuwaiti oilaverage price was at its highest at about$106.3 per barrel on June 2014 and at itslowest at about $58.5 per barrel onDecember 2014, i.e. a drop by -45 percentin 6 months. The average price for 2014was about $95 per barrel, compared to

$104.8 per barrel in 2013, a noticeabledrop by about -9.3 percent.

Expenditures allocations in the cur-rent fiscal year 2014/2015 amounted toabout KD23.212 billion. Revenues wereestimated at about KD20.069 billion,including about KD 1.263 billion fromnon-oil revenues. Oil revenues were esti-mated at about KD18.806 billion, about93.7 percent of total revenues. Oil rev-enues were estimated based on the fol-lowing criteria: crude oil production ofabout 2.7 million per barrel, estimatedprice of about $75 per barrel. Afterdeducting production and marketingcosts, the hypothetical deficit of thebudget would be about KD3.143 billion.

Oil market conditions, for both priceand production, during the first half ofthe current fiscal year, outperformed con-ditions estimated in the budget; the aver-age price for a barrel of Kuwaiti oil for thethree quarters of the current fiscal year,from April to December 2014, was about$92.3 per barrel, an increase by about$17.3 per barrel, or about 23.1 percenthigher than the hypothetical price esti-mated for the current budget of about$75 per barrel. The monthly follow-upreport for the State’s financial administra-tion accounts indicates that total receivedrevenues (oil and non-oil) until30/11/2014 were about KD 19.029 billion,while actual expenditures was about KD8.491 billion for the same period. Thisleaves about KD 10.537 billion in surplus.But this figure does not reflect reality, asthe actual surplus will be less. Oil rev-enues for the entire current fiscal year willbe about KD 24 billion, with the additionof about KD 2.5 billion in non-oil rev-enues, total revenues will reach about KD26.5 billion. With total expenditures atabout KD 19 billion, according to theMinister of Finance, the surplus is expect-

ed to be about KD7.5 billion, but for theentire current fiscal year.

Public -government- debt as of theend of October 2014 was about KD 1.587billion, up by 3.9 percent over the end of2013. Public debt instruments includetreasury bonds, the longer in term, with abalance of about KD 1.587 billion (aboutKD 1.527 billion in the end of 2013) andtreasury bills with zero balance (same asthe end of 2013). Average interest rateson treasury bonds for one year were 1percent. Local banks capture about 98.3percent of total public debt instruments.Public debt equals about 3.2 percent ofnominal GDP in 2013, which was aboutKD 49.863 billion.

Monetary and fiscal policies are stillexpansionist. The Central Bank of Kuwait(CBK) kept the discount rate on theKuwaiti dinar during 2014 at 2 percent(since 03/10/2012). Total credit facilitiesoffered by local banks to residents in theend of October 2014 were about KD30.377 billion, about 56.4 percent of totallocal banks’ assets, up by about KD 1.416billion and a growth rate of about 4.9 per-cent, compared with the end of 2013.Total deposits at local banks at the end ofOctober 2014 were about KD 36.705 bil-lion, about 68.1 percent of total localbanks’ liabilities, versus about KD 36.442billion in the end of 2013, a rise by aboutKD 262.9 million or a growth rate ofabout 0.7 percent. The private sector cap-tured about KD 31.417 billion, about 85.6percent of total deposits. Private sectordeposits in KD represented about KD28.937 billion, or about 92.1 percent.Private sector deposits in foreign curren-cies were about KD 2.480 billion. In anunjustified expansion of fiscal policy, allo-cations for general expendituresincreased by about 10.5 percent.However, weak oil prices during last fallcould impose a different reality whereactual expenditures is contracted, andnot increased.

Gulf Cooperation CouncilAfter lengthy pain preceded by two

consultation meetings in both Jeddahand Riyadh, GCC leaders decided to goahead with holding the periodic summitmeeting conference in Doha lastDecember and the alternative was itscancellation. During that painful period,congestion (among GCC members)peaked by the threat of probable depri-vation of Qatar of its membership in theCouncil. Oman had a decisive and conclu-sive position that such a decision wouldmean that Oman will not be in theCouncil too. Then it was agreed to freeze,but not to solve, the conflict. In the lastDoha meeting, which was diminisheddown to a one day meeting without stay-ing a night and limiting its resolutions toa final statement without achievements,the test was in the post-conference meet-ing, ie to mitigate congestion severityamong its members and to urge Qatar toreduce tension with Egypt.

Though the GCC has been establishedfor 34 years now, the meetings did notaddress the outcome of its agreementssuch as the Customs Union, the CommonMarket, the Unified Currency, or the polit-ical confederation. They rather dealt withits continuity with its entire members orwithout some of them. This happeningwhen the organization is surrounded byfires from all directions. In the north, bothIraq and Syria are on fire; in the south,Yemen is burning as well; and the Westally changed the balance of its alliancescontrary to their GCC interests, and eachmember state has more than enoughproblems at home. The space between itsstates is very wide that the RussianAmbassador in Bahrain stated that hiscountry would supply Bahrain with Gaswithin 2017, and for Kuwait to announcethat it would import Gas from Iranthrough marine pipelines. On the otherhand, Qatar has the third largest Gasreserve in the world and the largestexporter of liquefied Gas. Even amongthe compatible group, its members seemunable to cooperate. KSA and Kuwait areunable to reach an agreement to resumethe offshore oil production from the par-titioned zone. It has been a disappointingyear, started with severed ties afterendorsing to work on political union,continued with many fires nearby, andends with an oil market crisis with a NewYear hope that responsibility feelingcould compensate the past frustrations.

At least theoretically, conflicts shouldnot occur among its member states.Public opinion pressures that form anddown governments in other cooperationorganizations and cause conflict betweennorth and south Europe, for instance, donot exist. Therefore, the easy decisionmaking should unite them; the surround-ing dangers are supposed to unite themie the interest of survival and stability. Butit seems neither interests nor danger cando. Lately, they were all afflicted by acommon disease through a major drop intheir revenues after oil lost more than 40percent of its prices and later by likelypressures on its production. Abundantreserves saved surplus states from theArab Spring problems. Nevertheless, theyare addict to their non-cooperativeapproach.

Finally, we have to realize that theorganization’s weakness is the outcome

of its erroneous approach and we hopeits members will realize that their inter-ests and keeping away from dangers willnot be attained without essential changein that approach so as to consolidatewhat they have in common and strength-en their relations with their people. Thefuture seems more difficult than the pastand disagreement and disunity are nolonger an option.

KSE performance 2014 The year of 2014, the sixth complete

year since the global financial crisis inSeptember 2008 will end, and the begin-ning of the oil crisis which stormed KSEand other GCC markets during the fourthquarter of 2014. The year’s harvest at KSEwas in general negative and less activevis-a-vis its performance during 2013. Allof its indexes of traded value and volume,the number of transaction as well as val-ue of the general index decreased. Al

Shall index reading on Wednesday31/12/2014 scored about 222 points,down by 2.4 percent, compared with itsclosing in the end of last year at 454.7points. The highest reading of the indexduring the year was at 510.8 points on07/04/2014 and the lowest was at 406.1points on 17/12/2014.

The price index closed with 13.4 per-cent losses but this does not reflect thereal market loss. Kuwait 15 Index closedlosing by 0.8 percent and so did theweighted index of the market whichclosed at a 3.1 percent loss, closer to reali-ty, because the drop in the market capi-talization scored 5.8 percent, which is theright comparison measure. When wecompare the level of price and weightedindexes with their levels in the end of2007, one year prior to the crisis, wenotice that the price index is still losing inthe end of 2014 about 0.5 percent andthe weighted index is losing 0.4 percent.In terms of market performance regional-ly it ranked over seven years ahead ofonly Bahrain’s market.

The market achieved a decrease in itsliquidity. Trading value for the year (244working days) was about KD 6.117 billion,a daily average trading value of about KD25 million versus KD 45.5 million in 2013,a drop by 45 percent. And poor liquidity,which can be seen as a vote of confi-dence in the market, led to a score devia-tion in the distributions as well, withabout 50 percent of the listed companies,or 96 companies out of 192 commoncompanies between 2013 and 2014 won

only 3.8 percent of market liquidity, itsindicator most of the futility of continuedinclusion category. Weak liquidity wasaccompanied by deviation towards smallspeculative companies as we find that 17companies whose market capitalizationdoes not exceed value 3.4 percent of themarkets was 23.1 percent of that liquidity.Its liquidity is still weak in comparisonwith other markets with its share did notexceed 12.3 percent of the estimatedGDP of 2014 scored about KD 49.6 billionand 21 percent of the market capitaliza-tion. Total trading volume scored about53.289 billion shares, down by 58 percentcompared with 127.016 billion shares inthe end of 2013. The daily average wasabout 218.4 million shares, down by297.9 million share, or by 57.7 percent.Total number of transaction scored 1.198million deals, a daily average was about4,908 deals (8,911 deals in the end of2013), a drop by 44.9 percent.

Market capitalization value of all listedcompanies in the end of 2014 scored KD29.1 billion, a decrease by KD 1.791 billionif compared with their value in the end ofDecember 2013 for 192 companies(excluding the value of the SpecialtiesGroup Holding Co and KuwaitTelecommunications Co).

It is worth pointing that the numberof gainers, compared with the end of

2013, was about 49 companies out of 192common companies. While 139 compa-nies recorded varying declines and 4companies values did not change.

If we accept the profitability of thefirst nine months of 2014 as index for theprofits of the entire year, we notice a risein profits by 5.7 percent which scored KD1.372 billion vis-a-vis KD 1.299 billion,after excluding the non-recurring profitsof Ahli United Bank-Bahrain Branch forthe first nine months of 2013, which isgood. The number of profitable compa-nies -common to the two year- was 155companies out of 187 which announcedtheir financial statements, a partial indica-tor denoting recovery. Profitable compa-nies achieved KD 1.446 billion and aboutKD 73.305 million were deducted as theshare of 32 losers. The banking sectorcontributed about 43.6 percent of themarket profits, the telecommunicationssector about 17.1 percent of profits, while

four sectors out of 12 active sectors con-tributed to supporting market profits,eight sectors achieved absolute losses.

On the companies level, the largestcontributor to the market profits-BurganBank— it contributed by about KD 31.1million, then Ahli United Bank-BahrainBranch by about KD 24.7 million. On theother hand, IFA Hotels and Resortsachieved the highest losses by about KD17.8 million and then Sokouk Holding Coby about KD 14 million losses.

When we analyzing the financial per-formance for listed companies, accordingto their profits until the third quarter, cal-culated on annual basis, and comparingthem to the end of 2013, according to thetable below, we note the P/E decline to15.8 times versus 19.9 times after exclud-ing the non-recurring of Ahli UnitedBank-Bahrain Branch. P/B decreased to1.1 times compared to 1.2 times. ButReturn on Equities (ROE) increased slight-ly to 7.1 percent versus 6 percent. Returnon total assets (ROA) increased to 1.6 per-cent versus 1.4 percent.

It is difficult to predict the market situ-ation in 2015. Kuwait is perhaps the onlycountry that did not reform its marketafter the global financial crisis in 2008.Therefore, the market performance bothin liquidity and rise was not compatiblewith the macroeconomic indexes whichreceived great support from a prosperousoil market. The sixth post-crisis year(2014) ended and the uncertainty situa-tion is prevalent and the trust in the mar-ket components is at the lowest level and

the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) Isubject to continuous political pressuresthe last of which is the disagreement onits law amendments. The last third of2014 came with unpleasant events fromthe oil market whose prices lost morethan 40 percent since the end of June.

Conditions exploded in Iraq, disagree-ments involved GCC states and the inter-nal political situation deteriorated.Therefore, indications imply sustainedweak performance of the local market in2014. As it originally starts at low levels,the situation may reflect exerting realeffort in filtering its companies and keep-ing the politicians’ hands off playing withits institutions.

The Weekly performance of KSE The performance of Kuwait Stock

Exchange (KSE) for the last week wasmixed, as the traded value index and thetraded volume index showed anincrease, while the transactions indexand the general index showed adecrease. AlShall Index (value index)closed at 444 points at the closing of lastWednesday, (four trading days becauseof the New Year holiday), showing adecrease of about 3.5 points or about 0.8percent comparing to last week anddecrease of 10.7 points or about 2.4 per-cent compared with the end of 2013.

Kuwait likely to post KD 5-6bn

budget surplus for 2014/2015 AL-SHALL WEEKLY ECONOMIC REPORT

B U S I N E S S

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

HONG KONG: The world’s gambling capital Macau saw itsfirst annual decline in casino revenues in 2014, figuresshowed Friday, with a corruption crackdown by theChinese government ending a decade of boominggrowth for the industry. Official figures published by theformer Portuguese colony showed that gaming revenuesfell 2.6 percent year-on-year to 351.52 billion patacas ($44billion) in 2014 — the only decline since annual figureswere first released in 2002.

Last month’s takings were especially dire, plunging arecord 30.5 percent year-on-year to 23.285 billion patacas-marking a seventh consecutive month of decline and thebiggest drop since the gambling hub began recordingmonthly revenues in 2005. Barclays analyst Phoebe Tsesaid a high-profile corruption crackdown spearheaded byChinese President Xi Jinping was one of the main factorsthat had pushed down the territory’s casino earnings in2014. “It has had a significant negative impact on VIP play-ing sentiment,” she told AFP.

Macau is the only part of China where casino gam-bling is legal, and the industry is dependent on bigspenders from the mainland. But high-rollers have beenreined in by the anti-graft drive, which has seen Xi vow tocrack down on high-ranking officials-described as “tigers”-along with low-level “flies”, in a campaign which includescurbing lavish spending. Shares of casino operators listedon the Hong Kong stock exchange tumbled Friday afterthe announcement with share prices in SJM Holdingsfalling over 2.5 percent and prices in Wynn Macau shares

falling over 3.5 percent during afternoon trade. A slow-down in the mainland economy has also been taking itstoll on casino earnings.

‘Period of consolidation’ Experts had predicted that growth in the VIP segment,

accounting for two thirds of the total revenues of Macau’sgaming industry, would be limited by the continued focuson corruption. Beijing is also reported to be clampingdown on illicit funds channelled from the mainlandthrough its casinos. Revenues hit a record $45 billion in2013, official figures showed. Xi, on a visit to Macau earlierthis month, said the territory should diversify away fromcasinos. “Macau is now entering into a period of consoli-dation,” gaming expert Ben Lee of iGamiX told AFP.

“Casinos will now have to turn to real marketing andoperational efficiencies to drive profitability ,” Macau-based Lee said, adding that Beijing is determined to reinin the sector’s “uncontrolled growth”.

Lee predicted that the slowing trend will continue intothe second quarter of next year until casinos open pro-posed expansions, which would stimulate the industry.Casino operators have plans to expand their operationson the Cotai Strip, a former swamp which is beingreclaimed and transformed into mass market resorts.

Macau overtook Las Vegas as the world’s casino capitalin terms of revenue after the sector was opened up to for-eign competition in 2002, and now enjoys gambling rev-enues multiple times that of the American city. — AFP

Macau casinos suffer worst year amid anti-graft push

HONG KONG: Official figures published by the Macau officials showed that gaming revenues fell 2.6percent year-on-year to 351.52 billion patacas ($44 billion) in 2014 — the only decline since annualfigures were first released in 2002.

KUWAIT: With an aim of providingworld-class banking services,Burgan Bank announced that cus-tomers applying for any of thebank’s debit or credit cards will beable to receive them on the spotand enjoy the freedom to choosetheir own PIN in a secure way. Thisstep is in line with the bank’s cus-tomer-centric strategy of facilitatingtheir banking transactions as swiftlyand efficiently as possible.

After careful research of today’scustomers’ needs, Burgan Bank hasdeveloped a dynamic card issuancesystem to allow customers toreceive their personalized debit andcredit cards instantly at selectbranches without any delay, therebyoffering more convenience and per-sonalization to its customers. Instantcard issuance is now available at thebank’s main branch, as well as thebranches in Adaliya, ShuwaikhIndustrial Area, Jahraa 2, Airport,Salmiya, Farwaniya and Rigga. Thefacility to select and change the cardPIN has been rolled out in all thebranches of the bank.

Burgan Bank strives to align itsservices to meet every customer’slifestyle needs and to add conven-ience to their experience with thebank. As a leading financial institu-tion, the bank will spare no effort inintroducing the most-recent bank-ing features to its products and serv-ices that surpass customers’ bankingexperience. To find out more aboutthe bank’s products and services,customers are advised to visit theirnearest Burgan Bank branch, or call

the bank’s Call Center at 1804080where customer service representa-tives will be delighted to assist withany questions.

Established in 1977, Burgan Bankis the youngest commercial Bankand third largest by assets in Kuwait,with a significant focus on the cor-

porate and financial institutions sec-tors, as well as having a growingretail, and private bank customerbase. Burgan Bank has five majorityowned subsidiaries, which includeJordan Kuwait Bank, Gulf BankAlgeria, Burgan Bank - Turkey, Bankof Baghdad, Tunis InternationalBank, in which Burgan Bank owns amajority stake. Burgan Bank Grouphas one of the largest regionalbranch networks with more than233 branches across Kuwait, Turkey,Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, Tunis, Lebanonand Palestine.

The Bank has continuouslyimproved its performance over theyears through an expanded revenuestructure, diversified fundingsources, and a strong capital base.The adoption of state-of-the-artservices and technology has posi-tioned it as a trendsetter in thedomestic market and within theMENA region. Burgan Bank’s brandhas been created on a foundation ofreal values - of trust, commitment,excellence and progression, toremind us of the high standards towhich we aspire. ‘People come first’is the foundation on which its prod-ucts and services are developed.Earlier this year, ‘Brand Finance’ - theinternational brand valuation com-pany- re-affirmed Burgan Bank’sbrand rating as AA with a positiveoutlook making it the highest ratedbanking brand in Kuwait. Excellenceis one of the Bank’s four key valuesand Burgan Bank continually strivesto maintain the highest standards inthe industry.

Burgan Bank introduces instant

debit, credit card issuance service

Bank provides world class service to customers

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwaitannounced the launch of “Your Prize .... YourChoice” promotion under “Base AccountPackage” designated especially for employeesand which offers exclusive privileges to therecently employed youth when starting theircareer to help them achieve their dreams andrealize their ambitions.

Explaining the privileges of the promo-tion, Paul Daoud General Manager - RetailBanking Division said that this promotioncoincides with the launch of “Base” Accountthat offers several attractive privileges & ben-efits to customers where the promotion com-prises monthly draw throughout a period of 6months and the Bank will announce a winnerevery month commencing from January tillJune 2015. Daoud pointed out that the win-ner will have the chance, for the first time inKuwait, to select the prize that appeals to himbetween three prizes dedicated to the pro-motion, namely 2015 Lexus car or salary of KD1000 for one year or a marvelous family tripto Dubai on a private jet and splendid accom-modation in a luxurious suite at Atlantis Hotel

Dubai. Daoud stated that all new customerswho transfer their salaries to “Base” Accountwill get a chance to enter all draws and theexisting customers who change theiraccounts segmentation and join the new seg-ment will also get a chance.

Daoud urged the existing customers agedfrom 21 to 30 years old who meet the newAccount terms & conditions and transfer theirsalaries to the Bank which start from KD 750to KD 1999 to visit any of the Bank’s branchesto replace their ATM cards with the new dis-tinct card especially designated for “Base”Account so that they can enter the draw andwin in the monthly draws.

In addition to the draws, customers of thenew package will enjoy numerous privilegesand features including but not limited to theoption to choose between two unique ATMcard designs, free Titanium MasterCard, localconcierge service and access to selected air-port business class lounges across the MiddleEast in addition to free prepaid Visa card andspecial discounts in several restaurants, storesand retailers.

Al-Tijari launches

‘Your prize... Your

choice’ promotion

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah dailydraws on December 28, 2014, announcingthe names of its winners for the week ofDecember 21 to December 25. The Al-Danah daily draws include draws eachworking day for two prizes of KD1000 perwinner.

The winners are: (Sunday 21/12): Hussam Edddin Ahmed

Al-Khayat, Fozeyah Ahmed Eisaa Al-Qamlas(Monday 22/12): Thekrayat Mohammad

Murad Akbar, George Michiel Yazigi( Tuesday 23/12): Shahad Hasan

Mohammad Al-Mulla, Mustafa IbrahimHowaiji

( Wednesday 24/12): Amirah JumahAbdullah Hashem, Nabeel MohammedRoudhan Al-Roudhan

(Thursday 25/12): Sheikh/ Khalid NaserMubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, SalehMohammed Abdulla Shehab

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah 2014 draw lineupincludes daily draws (2 winners per workingday each receive KD1000). The final Al-Danah draw for the Million Dinars will beheld on 8 January, 2015 whereby the AlDanah Millionaire will be announced along-

side winners of KD50,000 and KD250,000.Al-Danah allows customers to win cash

prizes and simultaneously encourages themto save. Each KD100 gives the customer 1chance daily which accumulates day by day.The more money saved and the longer it isin the account, the more chances individu-als stand to win. Every Al-Danah prizedraws will automatically be deposited intothe winner’s account within two workingdays. Al-Danah also offers a number ofunique services including the Al-DanahDeposit Only ATM card which helps accountholders deposit their money at their con-venience; as well as the Al-Danah calculatorto help customers calculate their chances ofbecoming an Al-Danah winner.

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah account is open toKuwaitis and all residents of Kuwait.Customers who open an account and/ ordeposit more will enter the draw within twodays. To take part in the Al-Danah 2014upcoming yearly draw, customers musthave an Al Danah account containing atleast KD 200. To be part of the Al-Danahdraws, customers can visit one of GulfBank’s 58 branches, transfer on line, or callthe Customer Contact Center on 1805805for assistance and guidance.

Gulf Bank announces winners

of Al-Danah daily draws PARIS: Borrowing rates in France, Spain and Italy fell to fresh historic lowson Friday in thin holiday trading, as investors eyed possible new anti-defla-tion measures from the European Central Bank.

The yield on France’s 10-year debt hit 0.812 percent, while the Spanish10-year bond traded at 1.541 percent and the Italian at 1.819 percent-beat-ing previous records set on Tuesday. The yield on the German 10-yearbond-seen as the benchmark for European debt-also came within a whiskerof its previous record of 0.535 percent, as yields fell to 0.536 percent.

Trading volumes were thin as many investors took an extended breakafter the New Year holiday, possibly distorting the moves. However, thosethat were trading were looking towards possible new ECB moves to wardoff deflation after comments by the central bank’s chief Mario Draghi.

Draghi told German business daily Handelsblatt that the risk of deflation

in the euro-zone was “not excluded” although was likely to be “limited”.Analysts took this to mean that the ECB could announce as soon as January22 new measures to buy sovereign bonds-a form of quantitative easingalready tried by central banks in the United States, Britain and Japan. Such amove would likely further push down the yields of the main sovereignbonds in the euro-zone. Also helping drive down yields was a general riskaversion on the part of investors amid a fresh political crisis in Greece. Attimes of uncertainty, traders prefer to park money in the relatively safehaven of sovereign bonds rather than play the riskier stock market.

The difficult political situation in Greece-which has been forced into anearly election later this month after parliament failed to choose a new presi-dent — saw its yields soar to over 9.0 percent on Monday when the pollwas announced. — AFP

France, Spain, Italy bond

yields hit historic lows

ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways will restructure itsflight schedule for tonight to enable the airlineto recover from operational disruption causedby this morning’s severe fog at Abu DhabiAirport. These plans include the deferral of someflights into Abu Dhabi this evening, (Saturday 3January, and tomorrow morning, Sunday 4January. A comprehensive list of revised flighttimes will be published by 5pm today, localtime. Flight EY11, an Airbus A380 service fromAbu Dhabi to London Heathrow, has alreadybeen rescheduled to depart at 1am on Sunday 4January, rather than its usual time of 2.35am.

Etihad Airways is also urging any passengerswho can defer their travel to, from, or through

Abu Dhabi, up to and including Tuesday 6January, to rebook flights through its globalcontact centres(details of which can be found atetihad.com/contacts).

The airline is waiving normal cancellationand refund fees during this period. EtihadAirways continues to deploy support staff toAbu Dhabi Airport to assist passengers and theairline is working to relieve the situation. EtihadAirways apologizes to passengers for the incon-venience caused during this period.

Passengers are advised to contact the EtihadAirways Contact Centre on +971 (0) 2 599 0000or visit etihad.com/flightstatus for more infor-mation on the status of flights.

Operational disruption

at Abu Dhabi airport

ASHBURN: A sign shows a new home is sold in Ashburn, Virginia on Friday. US spending on construction fell slightly in November from the pre-vious month driven by a decline in non-residential building, but was higher from a year ago, the Commerce Department reported Friday. — AFP

t e c hnolo g ySUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

KUWAIT: Philippe Jarre was appointed Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO) of Gulf Business Machines (GBM) in May2014.

Philippe brings strong international expertise, hav-ing worked with IBM across Europe and the USA forthe past 25 years. Most recently, he held the role ofGeneral Manager for IBM Global Strategic Outsourcing,based in Dublin. He was responsible for the growth ofthe LOB strategic outsourcing business for Europe, theMiddle East and Africa (EMEA). Philippe joined IBM in1988, and has held various executive positions, includ-ing General Manager for IBM Global Services and VicePresident for Global Integrated Technology Services,based throughout Europe and with a period in the US.

Philippe has been responsible for a number of keysuccesses throughout his career, including the suc-cessful acquisit ion of Schlumberger BusinessContinuity in 2004; creating the European CRMConsultancy Practise; the acquisition of Arsenal DigitalSolutions; leading the first cloud service provider forback up services; and the set up of a major new clouddatacentre.

He is a graduate from Supelec (Paris) - EcoleSupÈrieure d’ElectricitÈ with a specialization inTelecommunication and Information Technology. FromGrenoble in the French Alps, Philippe was a competi-tive skier until the age of 17, when he decided to pur-sue his degree in engineering.

1. What direction do you see GBM taking underyour leadership? What are your plans for theregion?

I am fortunate to have taken over the leadership ofa company that was already doing very well but ofcourse it is always important to look to improve. I havethree top priorities.

The first is to ensure we continue to be the numberone provider of IT solutions in the region.

The second is to cement our partnerships with theworld’s leading technology companies and invest in atalented, skilled workforce who implements solutionsthat cater to our customer’s specific, complex anddiverse business needs.

And the third is to be viewed by our customers asthe partner with the most critical role for their futuresuccess and to become as fundamental to the futuresuccess of our customers as they are to ours.

2. How does the Middle East IT market differfrom those in Europe or North America?

There is no doubt that IT is a major driver andenabler of the advancement of society in the region,and is becoming the foundation upon which businessis built. This increasing influence of technology ischanging the way people live, work, collaborate andmake decisions and that requires smarter IT solutions.

The Middle East IT market is definitely distinct fromthe IT markets in Europe and Nor th America.Understanding just how distinct our region is hasalways been a top priority for us as a company - ithelps ensure we understand the challenges that needsolving, and more accurately predict for the future.This helps us to deliver essential and relevant offeringsto our customers.

In 2012, we launched a research initiative that wehave since held annually. This research, heavilyfocused on IT security, found that 61 percent ofrespondents in the region believe the Middle Eastspecifically is a prime target for cybercrime. The regionis also quickly adopting mobile technologies both on apersonal and professional level. Businesses are becom-ing more familiar with and embracing newer solutionslike cloud technologies, and are realizing the benefitsof big data. This shows that the Middle East IT market,both the IT professionals and those with more mali-cious intentions, is maturing to the level it is currentlyat in Europe and North America.

3. What do you see as being some of the biggestchallenges in the IT market in Kuwait?

Our research showed that IT security in particular istransforming Kuwait’s IT market, posing one of itsbiggest challenges. It is becoming an increasinglyimportant challenge for IT professionalsbecause there isan incredible race between IT security teams and hack-ers. Hackers are an extremely knowledgeable, patient,passionate and determined group, so it is vital for ITteams to be one step ahead.

Additionally, the alignment between business archi-tecture and information architecture, along with all sup-porting infrastructure, remains a challenge in Kuwaitand the entire region. What worked a year ago mightnot be the best approach today.Certainly, access toqualified skills and resources remain a key challengeand a non-stop exercise.

As IT becomes part of the fabric of business, newchallenges arise every day in the areas of system inte-gration, data quality, system availability, continuity ofservices, and disruptive events, all of which need to beaddressed while improving ROI. It is crucial to ensurethe steps we are taking today do not create additionalproblems in the future.

4. What would you say are the most populartrends in IT over the last few years?

There has been a lot of regional emphasis on theimportance of the cloud as a scalable and elastic IT-enabled service, and this interest is set to expand asmore SMEs adopt cloud services in the Middle East andin Kuwait particularly.

We expect to see new financing models like ‘pay asyou use’, ‘software as a service’, and ‘business process asa service’ gaining prominence in the country. The chan-nel will be expected to reinvent itself to cater to thechanging technology trends and customer buyingtrends.

We can also expect to see products, applications andservices that cater to growing areas like cloud, security,big data, analytics and mobility gain momentum in thenext year, as this was a key trend in the last few years.

There seems to be a clear economic trajectory formost Gulf countries looking to expand the non-oil sec-tors of their GDP, as they funnel more resources intobuilding up their ICT infrastructure.

5. How important a role does IT play in business,both on a day-to-day basis and in terms of long-termstrategy?

There has been a shift in the way IT is viewed in theregion in the past few years, and in 2014, the changehas been palpable. From being seen as a commodity toan essential business service, IT has redefined its pur-pose in the business environment in most mature mar-kets, and this trend is sure to strengthen in the region inthe coming year.

The driving force in adopting new technologies

varies across all of our clients. Still, no matter the clientor industry, the role of IT in business has only increasedin the past few years in terms of long-term strategy.

In the public sector, the focus is to provide citizenswith better services and improve government trans-parency, with the ultimate goal of modernizing the gov-ernment and improving efficiency.

In other sectors, customers are looking at adoptingnew technologies to innovate new products and/orservices, increase profitability, and improve security orcustomer service. Technology is also widely adopted tomake organizations more competitive in the marketplace.

6. What in your opinion is the biggest threat tocyber security and data protection?

As mentioned earlier, cyber-crime itself is the biggestchallenge because hackers are extremely knowledge-able and determined. There are no borders for hackers -from any location, they can infiltrate any region byexploiting a found vulnerability, which lends further tothe globalization we are all experiencing.

7. How has the rise in popularity of mobile tech-nology affected IT and how does GBM address this?

The rise in popularity of mobile technology has hadan incredible impact on the IT industry and business ingeneral. Take for example the recent proliferation ofBring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs in companies -this principle relies on the widespread ownership ofmobile devices to afford employees with new levels ofportability and increased flexibility.

Our clients are benefiting from our offerings becausewe enable them with the tools to deliver reliable andimproved services, growing their market shares andincreasing their profitability. Solutions like big datamobility provide added insights about customers, suchas how they transact and what their preferences are.They also allow organizations to be in constant commu-nication with their customers, helping companies tobetter understand customer requirements and transactwith them in an easy, fashionable, yet cost-effectiveway.

8. Do you think it is important for business toinvest in educating and training their staff in termsof IT usage?

Absolutely. Training and education in IT is extremelyimportant because technology is always changing.There are always new vulnerabilities to catch and newsolutions to learn and assess. At GBM, we invest in ourhighly trained staff because they truly are the backboneof our business and instrumental to our success.

9. Do you think that IT companies are able to keepup and adapt to the always changing trends andever-increasing demands of the market?

With the right combination of dedication, trainingand leveraging of partnerships, it is possible to keep upwith and adapt to the changing trends and demands ofthe market.

Part of keeping up with changing trends is business-es taking the initiative to invest in IT itself. Through ourresearch this year, we found that in Kuwait, 59 percentof companies invest 15 percent or less of their IT budg-ets in security. The fact that the majority of companiesinvest such a small portion of overall budgets in securityis rather alarming, considering IT is a powerful tool busi-nesses can use to gather and protect all data.

10. How important is research for IT companies?Does GBM undertake a lot of research?

The research we conduct at GBM will remain a priori-ty for the foreseeable future. We anticipate evenexpanding on our current efforts because it is so impor-tant to stay abreast of industry happenings and opin-ions in real-time.

WASHINGTON: Federal regulators are expected to votenext month on rules to govern how Internet serviceproviders deal with the flow of content on their high-speednetworks.

The five-member Federal Communications Commissionwill consider then a proposal from Chairman Tom Wheeleron so-called net neutrality rules, agency spokeswomanKim Hart said Friday. She was confirming reports in TheWashington Post and The Wall Street Journal on theplanned timing of the vote. Details of the draft proposalweren’t disclosed.

President Barack Obama has asked the FCC to putInternet service providers under the same rules as thoseimposed on telephone companies 80 years ago. The aim isto protect net neutrality, the concept that everyone withan Internet connection should have equal access to alllegal content online, including video, music, email, photos,social networks and maps.

The outcome could affect the prices consumers pay for

access to entertainment, news and other online content.The idea was a fundamental tenet of the Internet from itsorigin. But its fate has been in limbo since January 2014,when a federal appeals court struck down the FCC’s guide-lines and forced the agency to come up with new rules.The court ruling said the FCC has the authority to regulateservice providers’ treatment of Internet traffic but that theagency failed to establish that its regulations don’t over-reach.

Advocates of regulating the service providers like utili-ties contend that the companies, if left unchecked, will cre-ate a two-tier system that funnels Internet traffic into fastand slow lanes. In that scenario, only the richest contentproviders will be able to pay the extra tolls to ensure thattheir online content is accessible through the fast lanes.

Internet service providers reject such regulation. Theyassert they would be prevented from recovering some ofthe costs for connecting to content providers that uselarge quantities of broadband. — AP

Seek muscular malewith quality

rump? Try onlinedating for bulls

FRANCE: Described as blond, muscular and from agood family, Bariton’s online profile has caught theeye of Sylvain Frobert, who is thinking of hookinghim up with Anita, or Henriette.

He could also be a good match for Desiree. Ormaybe even all three? But Frobert is not a match-maker in the traditional sense. He is a farmer inSaint-Prix in the centre of France raising 160Charolais cows for meat. And he needs just theright genetic material to boost his herd.

Like many desperately seeking the right part-ner, the 33-year-old has turned to the Internet,where the website trouverlebontaureau.com (“findthe right bull” in English) has hundreds of profilesof potential mates. Farmers like Frobert can logonto what looks very much like a traditional onlinedating website, to admire the muscular curves ofhundred of bulls, as well as an extensive familytree to determine their all-important breeding.

“Matches for demanding cows!” proclaims thesite, in a play on a catchphrase used by severalpopular local dating sites which advertise them-selves as being for “demanding singles”.

The website was launched in France in Octoberby a group of breeding associations during thecountry’s Farming Summit.

Breeders can input details about their cow suchas her age and race, as well as what characteristicsthey are looking to improve in their herd: milk,growth, muscular development or calvingprowess.

Once this is done, dozens of profile picturesappear on the screen, and the hardest part isdeciding from among the beefy bevy of French-bred bulls.

What about Cyrano, a Charolais bull who boastsa “breathtaking body”? But there is also Arlequin, aBlonde d’Aquitaine-a breed from southwesternFrance-who despite his rural upbringing has a“Parisian elegance”. The cream-coloured bullEuskadi is targeting “females who live for blondes”,while Braise boasts an “exceptional rump”.

But unfortunately for Bariton the bull andDesiree (or Henrietta or Anita) their love willremain virtual, with no long walks or passionatemoments in a French field.

Once Frobert makes his choice it all gets ratherclinical, and a specimen of the bull’s semen is dis-patched to him for artificial insemination.

With the falling price of meat, genetic progresshas allowed farmers to breed animals that are“profitable, super efficient and adapted to the mar-ket,” said Pascal Soulas of Charolais Univers, whichcarries out artificial inseminations and usesbiotechnology to tweak the genetic profile of thebreed.

“Today the size of farms has doubled and thereis often only one son looking after the farm afterhis parents grow too old to help him,” said Soulas.“He needs docile cows who can give birth withouthis intervention or that of a veterinarian.”

Bulls who have been bred not to have horns,making it easier to transport and handle them, arealso an option for farmers. The site also allowsfarmers to choose sexed semen which lets themchoose male or female calves, depending on theirneeds.

Soon versions of the site are expected inEnglish, Spanish, Italian and Chinese to “exportFrench genetic know-how” to lucky cows world-wide. — AFP

Philippe Jarre, CEO of GBM shares international expertise

FCC to vote next month on net neutrality rules

SAN FRANCISCO: A woman holds a sign against the use of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s SmartMeters next to CaliforniaHighway Patrol officers at a California Public Utilities Commission meeting. — AP

Philippe Jarre, GBM CEO

NEW YORK: Instagram, which is owned by FacebookInc., now has 300 million users — more than Twitter.Scrolling through its snapshot feeds gives users a quickglimpse into the lives of friends and strangers.

(At least the parts that include empty beaches, cap-puccinos with perfect foam hearts and smiling babies inclean clothes.) Its simplicity is part of its appeal. Butwhat if you want to tell a longer story?

Enter Storehouse, a mobile app that promises to letyou share “your stories, as they happen.” Instead of shar-ing one-off photos, Storehouse lets users combine pho-tos, videos and words to share anything from a detailedrecipe, to travel memories or a first-person documen-tary on the Yakuza. Storehouse was founded by MarkKawano, who previously worked at Apple as a UserExperience Evangelist, helping developers design iOSand Mac apps.

“Writers always had a great platform for blogging,”Kawano said recently. “But that hasn’t happened withphotographers yet.” Other photo apps, he said, are basi-cally just status updates in a visual form. Storehousehopes to change that.

If you haven’t heard of Uber, you must never leaveyour house or watch the news. Many people also arefamiliar with Uber’s smaller rival Lyft, which burnishesits kinder, gentler image by slapping huge pink mus-taches on the front of its cars. But more companies arequeuing up to squire you around town. In 10 cities inthe US, including San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago andLos Angeles, you can order up a Sidecar. The service dif-ferentiates itself by letting passengers input their desti-nations when they book rides and sort drivers based onprice, shortest ETA and favorites.

In Los Angeles, there’s also Opoli, which lets driversbid for your ride so you can decide which one to gowith. You can pick your vehicle too, and make a reserva-tion. Unlike many other app-based car services, Opolialso allows its drivers to work for competitors. Opolidoesn’t take a commission on a fare; its drivers pay asubscription fee to use the service.

Food-ordering apps such as Seamless have made iteasy to order in. And if you want to venture outside,OpenTable and smaller competitors such as Reservehelp you quickly book a table with their smartphoneapps. But if you’d rather give your loved ones the per-sonal touch, new DIY services will provide carefully

measured ingredients and detailed recipes for even theclumsiest of cooks.

Sites such as HelloFresh, Plated and Blue Apron deliv-er weekly boxes of raw ingredients — even includingspices and, at least in the case of HelloFresh, water. Theonly things you’re assumed to have in your pantry aresalt, pepper, oil and possibly butter. An upcoming “fami-ly plan” box for Blue Apron, for example, features chick-en under a “brick” with rosemary, roast potatoes andbroccolini; New England-style shrimp rolls with warmpotato and kale salad; fresh pappardelle Bolognese withromaine, celery and apple salad and two-cheese pizzawith iceberg chopped salad. The meals are quick to pre-pare, so if you’re tired of takeout and live in their deliv-ery location, these services could spice up your diet. Ormaybe help with that “eat-healthy” New Year’s resolu-tion?

You’ve heard of WhatsApp, the nearly-free messag-ing app that Facebook paid $22 billion for this year. Andthere’s Facebook’s own messaging tool, which was theyear’s most-downloaded app (likely because you had todownload it if you wanted to message people usingFacebook).

That’s all so 2014. Why message people you knowwhen you could instead check out Ethan, a messagingapp that lets you do just one thing — message a guynamed Ethan. He “may message you time to time” butcautions that he “can’t respond when he’s asleep.”Nothing if not honest, Ethan doesn’t want you to mes-sage him in an emergency, and will advise you not tofall in love with him. But want to plan a dinner-and-movie night? No problem. “Should I get Italian orChinese for dinner?” (Answer: Italian) and “Gonna watcha movie on Netflix, what should I go for?” (Answer: “TheRoom.”)

If your New Year’s resolution is to stop being so rudewith your phone and talk to your friends face-to-faceevery once in a while, there’s an app for you, too. It’scalled Moment, and it tracks how much you use youriPhone and iPad each day (sorry, no Android versionyet).

If you are trying to cut back on your screen habit, youcan set daily limits and the app will notify you when youexceed them. Moment Family, meanwhile, lets youmonitor your whole family’s phone use — by looking atyour phone.—AP

Snappy apps for 2015

H E A LT H & S C I E NC ESUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

NEW YORK: Less than a month after a New Yorkstate appeals court ruled that chimpanzees donot have legal rights and cannot be released fromcaptivity, a case involving a second chimp hasbeen dismissed.

Attorney and animal rights activist Steven Wisein 2013 filed a habeas corpus petition - tradition-ally employed by prison inmates who claim theyhave been illegally detained - on behalf of achimp named Kiko. Wise has said that Kiko, who isowned by primate expert Carmen Presti, is deaffrom abuse suffered during the making of aTarzan film and lives tied to a chain in a cement

cage in Niagara Falls. He asked for Kiko to bereleased to a sanctuary in Florida, saying that pri-vate captivity is unsuitable for chimps becausethey are autonomous creatures.

The court in Rochester said Friday that habeascorpus may only be used when a person seeksimmediate release from unlawful imprisonment,and not where a petitioner wants only to changethe conditions of confinement rather than theconfinement itself.

The Nonhuman Rights Project, the groupfounded by Wise that brought the lawsuit, said ina statement that it would ask New York’s top court

to review the decision. “For 200 years, New Yorkcourts have used (habeas corpus) to move anindividual from a place of less freedom to morefreedom,” the group said. Presti, Kiko’s owner, didnot make an appearance in the case and couldnot be reached for comment.

In an earlier case brought by Wise, over achimp named Tommy, an Albany appeals courtruled on Dec. 4 that primates cannot be affordedlegal rights because they do not understand theresponsibilities that follow.

The cases are among the first in the world toseek legal personhood for animals. While Wise has

not been victorious, a judge in Argentina on Dec.21 ruled that an orangutan living at a zoo was a“non-human person” unlawfully deprived of itsfreedom and ordered it released to a sanctuary.Wise has not claimed that Kiko and Tommy weremistreated by their owners but said the caseschallenge the very idea that chimps can be heldin captivity. He has said he will bring similar caseson behalf of elephants, dolphins, orcas and otherintelligent animals. The case is Nonhuman RightsProject v. Presti, New York State Supreme Court,Appellate Division, Fourth Department, No. 14-357. — Reuters

Bid in New York to extend legal rights to chimps fails, again

LONDON: An ambulance pulls away from The Royal Free hospital in north London yesterday, where it was announced that British nurse PaulineCafferkey, who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone, is in ‘critical condition’. — AFP

LONDON: A British nurse who contracted Ebolain Sierra Leone and was hospitalised in Londonthis week is now in a “critical” condition, the hos-pital treating her said yesterday.

“The condition of Pauline Cafferkey has grad-ually deteriorated over the past two days and isnow critical,” the Royal Free Hospital in Londonsaid in a statement.

On Wednesday, doctors had said the 39-year-old Scot was sitting up in bed, reading and talk-ing to staff from inside her isolation tent in thehospital. They said Cafferkey, who was workingwith the charity Save the Children in SierraLeone, had agreed to have blood plasma treat-ment and take an experimental anti-viral drug.

However, they were not able to give herZMapp, the drug successfully used to treat fel-low British volunteer nurse William Pooley,because global supplies had run out.

The plasma was taken from the blood of apatient successfully treated in Europe, in thehope that the antibodies it contained wouldhelp her fight the virus.

Doctor Michael Jacobs, infectious diseases

consultant at the Royal Free, had warned at thetime that “Ebola runs a very variable course andthe next few days are going to be very critical”.

Cafferkey, who works for the state-runNational Health Service in Scotland, had beenvolunteering at a British-built treatment centrein Kerry Town when she contracted the deadlyvirus. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeonsaid: “Our thoughts continue to be with PaulineCafferkey and her family during this extremelydistressing time.

“I would like to thank all of the health profes-sionals involved in treating Pauline, as they con-tinue to show tremendous dedication andexpertise.”

382 health workers killed Cafferkey is the second person to be treated

for Ebola in Britain after Pooley, who recoveredand has since returned to Sierra Leone.

She was diagnosed in Glasgow on December29 after flying home, and was transferred to theRoyal Free, which has the only isolation ward inBritain equipped for Ebola patients.

British health authorities said Friday they hadtraced all the British-based passengers who trav-elled on the last two legs of Cafferkey’s journeyto Scotland.

She flew from Sierra Leone’s capital Freetownto Casablanca in Morocco, and then on toLondon Heathrow Airport and finally Glasgow.

Her temperature was taken at Heathrow butdid not raise alarms, and she was cleared to flyon to Glasgow. Ebola has killed 7,890 people inthe past year, out of 20,171 cases, according tothe latest tally by the World Health Organization(WHO).

Almost all the deaths and cases have beenrecorded in the three west African countriesworst hit by the outbreak: Sierra Leone, Liberiaand Guinea. It is spread only through direct con-tact with the bodily fluids of an infected personshowing symptoms such as fever or vomiting,and as such people caring for the sick are partic-ularly exposed. As of December 28 — not count-ing Cafferkey-a total of 678 healthcare workerswere known to have contracted the virus, and382 of them had died, the WHO said. — AFP

Ebola-hit UK nurse

in critical condition

Other passengers on Cafferkey’s flight traced

MIAMI: US scientists encouraged 20 obese peo-ple to eat extra fast food for several months, andfound that about a quarter stayed in good healthdespite the additional pounds they gained.

The study in the January 2 edition of theJournal of Clinical Investigation was led by ateam of scientists at Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.

Subjects were encouraged to eat 1,000 extracalories per day, mainly by frequenting fast foodrestaurants with the goal of adding six percent oftheir body weight.

“This was not easy to do. It is just as difficultto get people to gain weight as it is to get themto lose weight,” said chief author Elisa Fabbrini,assistant professor of medicine.

Those not suffering from ailments typicallyassociated with obesity at the outset of thestudy-such as insulin resistance, high cholesterol,high blood pressure and excess liver fat-did nothave these problems even after adding about 15pounds (seven kilograms) to their already over-weight frames, said the findings. The results mir-ror what scientists have seen in the general pop-ulation, which is that about a quarter of obesepeople do not appear to suffer from metaboliccomplications that can lead to heart attack, dia-

betes and stroke. But those whose did sufferfrom metabolic problems before the study greweven worse when they put on extra weight.

All the research subjects were helped bydieticians to lose the weight they gained for thestudy, which was featured on HBO’s documen-tary “Weight of the Nation” while the researchwas under way. Study authors said they nowunderstand better how to distinguish obesepeople who will be more prone to ill health fromthose who may be more protected.

For instance, those with abnormal metabo-lisms accumulated fat in their livers, while thehealthier people did not, even when they gainedmore weight. “Another difference involved genefunction in fat tissue,” the university said in astatement. The study found that overweightpeople with normal metabolisms had more fat-regulating genes.

“The activity of those genes increased evenmore when the metabolically normal peoplegained weight. That wasn’t true for people withabnormal metabolism,” the study found. Sinceobesity is known to contribute to dozens ofhealth problems, more research is needed to fig-ure out why some are particularly prone to prob-lems from obesity. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The government issues dietaryguidelines every five years to encourage Americansto eat healthier. This year’s version may look at whatis healthy for the environment, too.

A new focus on the environment would meanasking people to choose more fruits, vegetables,nuts, whole grains and other plant-based foods -possibly at the expense of meat.

The beef and agriculture industries are cryingfoul, saying an environmental agenda has no placein what has always been a practical blueprint for ahealthy lifestyle. An advisory panel to theAgriculture and Health and Human ServicesDepartments has been discussing the idea of sus-tainability in public meetings, indicating that its rec-ommendations, expected this month, may addressthe environment. The two departments will takethose recommendations into account as they craftthe final dietary guidelines, expected by the end ofthe year. The guidelines are the basis for USDA’s “MyPlate” icon that replaced the well-known food pyra-mid in 2010 and is designed to help Americans withhealthy eating. The guidelines will also be integrat-ed into school lunch meal patterns and other feder-al eating programs.

A draft recommendation circulated by the advi-sory committee in December said a sustainable diethelps ensure food access for both the current popu-lation and future generations. A dietary patternhigher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods is “more health promoting and is asso-ciated with lesser environmental impact than is thecurrent average U.S. diet,” the draft said.

That appears to take at least partial aim at thebeef industry. A study by the journal Proceedings ofthe National Academy of Sciences last year said rais-ing beef for the American dinner table is moreharmful to the environment than other meat indus-tries such as pork and chicken.

The study said that compared with other popu-lar animal proteins, beef produces more heat-trap-ping gases per calorie, puts out more water-pollut-

ing nitrogen, takes more water for irrigation anduses more land. As the advisory committee has dis-cussed the idea, doctors and academics on the pan-el have framed sustainability in terms of conservingfood resources and also what are the healthiestfoods. There is “compatibility and overlap” betweenwhat’s good for health and good for the environ-ment, the panel has said.

The meat industry has fought for years toensure that the dietary guidelines do not call foreating less meat. The guidelines now recommend

eating lean meats instead of reducing meat alto-gether, advice that the current advisory committeehas debated. A draft discussed at the panel’s Dec.15 meeting says a healthy dietary pattern includesfewer “red and processed meats” than are currentlyconsumed. After that meeting, the NationalCattlemen’s Beef Association sent out a statementby doctor and cattle producer Richard Thorpe call-ing the committee biased and the draft meat rec-ommendations absurd. He said lean beef has a rolein healthy diets. —AP

Guide for healthy eating

may consider environment

O’BRIEN: A cow eats in a feedlot at Suwannee Farms in O’Brien, Fla. Dietary guidelinesreleased by the government every five years lay out recommendations for healthy eating.Next year’s version may look at what is healthy for the environment, too. The idea of lookingat how food is grown — not just how it is eaten — has already provoked outrage from theagriculture and food industries and even Congress. They say an environmental agendadoesn’t belong in what has always been practical guidelines for a healthful lifestyle. — AP

Not all obese people

prone to poor health

WASHINGTON: Much of America is aboutto get the Arctic shivers. Meteorologists areconfidently forecasting frigid polar air willplunge south into the northern plains,Midwest and then the East Coast from nextTuesday through Thursday. The Midwestshould see temperatures well below zero,with single digit lows in much of the Eastand freezing temperatures as far south asAtlanta, New Orleans and parts of Florida.

National Weather Service meteorologistPaul Kocin, an expert on winter storms,said it is a classic pattern of massive blastsof Arctic air hitting just about everyoneeast of the Rockies. He said it will rival lastyear’s January Arctic outbreak that intro-duced the phrase “polar vortex” to America.

“This is going to be a big cold outbreak,pretty windy as well,” Kocin said. “It’s goingto drive all the way down south.” The wind

and cold could mean wind-chill factorsthat will make the temperature feel like 30degrees below zero - 50 degrees belowzero in Minneapolis and Chicago, saidmeteorologist Ryan Maue of the privateWeather Bell Analytics. He called it “old-timer’s type of cold.”

Kocin predicts a small Midwestern bandof intense snow along with the cold, withsome also in parts of the Northeast. Eventhough it is several days in advance, mete-orologists are pretty sure about this fore-cast. Kocin said many of the best computermodels are saying the same thing.

This is all coming from cold air escap-ing from the Arctic. The center of the coldair will be around Quebec, Canada, wheretemperatures - not wind chil l - mayplunge as low as 40 degrees below zero,Maue said. — AP

Arctic air to put

America on ice

CHICAGO: In this Jan. 28, 2014, file photo, morning commuters bundle up inChicago. Meteorologists are confidently forecasting frigid polar air will plungesouth into the northern plains, Midwest and then the East Coast from nextTuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, through Thursday. US National Weather Service meteorol-ogist Paul Kocin, an expert on winter storms, said it will rival last year’s JanuaryArctic outbreak that introduced the phrase “polar vortex” to America. — AP

This undated photo courtesy of chef Melissa d’Arabian shows Healthy Plate colum-nist d’Arabian. The Healthy Plate helps home cooks discover the healthier side ofeveryday ingredients. — AP

H E A LT H & S C I E NC ESUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

SEATTLE: A year into the nation’s experimentwith legal, taxed marijuana sales, Washingtonand Colorado find themselves wrestling notwith the federal interference many feared, butwith competition from medical marijuana oreven outright black market sales.

In Washington, the black market hasexploded since voters legalized marijuana in2012, with scores of legally dubious medicaldispensaries opening and some pot deliveryservices brazenly advertising that they selloutside the legal system.

Licensed shops say taxes are so onerousthat they can’t compete. Colorado, whichlaunched legal pot sales last New Year’s Day, isfacing a lawsuit from Nebraska and Oklahomaalleging that they’re being overrun with potfrom the state. And the number of patients onColorado’s medical marijuana registry wentup, not down, since 2012, meaning more mar-ijuana users there can avoid paying the highertaxes that recreational pot carries.

Officials in both states say they must domore to drive customers into the recreationalstores. They’re looking at reining in their med-ical systems and fixing the big tax differentialbetween medical and recreational weed with-out harming patients.

And in some cases, they are consideringcracking down on the proliferating black mar-ket. “How can you have two parallel systems,one that’s regulated, paying taxes, playing bythe rules, and the other that’s not doing any ofthose things?” said Rick Garza of theWashington Liquor Control Board, which over-sees recreational pot.

The difficulty of reconciling medical mari-juana with taxed recreational pot offers a cau-tionary tale for states that might joinWashington and Colorado in regulating theadult use of the drug. While legalization cam-paigns have focused on the myriad ills of pro-hibition, including racial discrepancies in whogets busted for weed, the promise of addition-al tax revenues in tight budget times was inno small part of the appeal.

Slow licensingWeed sales have so far brought in some

revenue, though less than officials might havehoped. Colorado brought in more than $60million in taxes, licenses and fees for recre-ational and medical marijuana combinedthrough October of this year, and more thanhalf of pot sold was of the lesser-taxed med-ical variety.

In Washington, where supply problemsand slow licensing hampered the industryafter sales began in July, the state collected

about $15 million in taxes this year.The latest states to legalize marijuana -

Oregon and Alaska - have different concerns,but officials there are nevertheless payingattention to Colorado and Washington as theywork on rules for their own industry.

Alaska doesn’t have commercial medicaldispensaries, so licensed stores there won’tface direct competition. And in Oregon, taxeson recreational pot are set at just $35 anounce, which officials

hope will minimize competition from themedical side. In Seattle, however, six licensedrecreational stores face competition frommedical pot shops that are believed to num-ber in the hundreds.

“Am I afraid about medical marijuana dis-pensaries taking my business? They have allthe business. They are the industry,” saidJames Lathrop, the owner of Seattle’s firstlicensed pot shop, Cannabis City.

He said the dominance of medical marijua-na and the black market is obvious in his clien-tele: It’s mostly tourists and professionals whouse pot occasionally and don’t mind spendinga little extra at a legal store.

Regular pot users have stuck with their olddealers or continue masquerading as patients,he said. Reining in medical marijuana will be atop priority when the legislative sessionbegins in Olympia next month.

The question, lawmakers say, is how todirect people into the regulated system - max-imizing state revenues - without hurting legit-imately sick people who use marijuana.

DispensariesIdeas under discussion include reducing

pot taxes to make recreational stores morecompetitive and eliminating medical dispen-saries, which have been largely tolerated bylaw enforcement even though they aren’tallowed under state law.

The state could lift its cap on the numberof recreational stores and license dispensariesto sell pot for any purpose. Seattle officialshave signaled that they intend to start bustingdelivery services that flout the law and recent-ly sent letters to 330 marijuana businesseswarning them that they’ll eventually need toobtain state licenses or be shut down.

Tacoma has also announced plans to closedozens of unregulated pot shops. Officialshave less leeway to alter the medical marijua-na system in Colorado, where it was enshrinedin the state constitution in 2000. But lawmak-ers are nevertheless set to review how it isregulated next year because the state’s 2010scheme is expiring. —AP

Medical marijuana

a challenge for

legal pot states

COLORADO SPRINGS: In this Jan. 1, 2015, photo, Nicole Gross plays with her sonChase, who is autistic and epileptic, at their home in Colorado Springs, Colo. Chasewas moved from Chicago to Colorado so he could legally access a medical marijuanaoil known as Charlotte’s Web. — AP

In this Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014 photo provided by NASA, The Orion spacecraft, in a protective covering, is returned to the agency’s KennedySpace Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. It rocketed into orbit Dec. 5, traveling 3,600 miles into space on an unmanned test flight that proved to bea great success. NASA plans to use future models to help get astronauts to Mars in coming decades. — AP

NORFOLK: Devising a way to one day landastronauts on Mars is a complex problem andNASA scientists think something as simple as achild’s toy design may help solve the problem.Safely landing a large spacecraft on the Redplanet is just one of many engineering chal-lenges the agency faces as it eyes an ambitiousgoal of sending humans into deep space laterthis century.

At NASA’s Langley Research Center inHampton, engineers have been working todevelop an inflatable heat shield that looks a lotlike a super-sized version of a stacking ring ofdoughnuts that infants play with. The engineersbelieve a lightweight, inflatable heat shieldcould be deployed to slow the craft to enter aMartian atmosphere much thinner than Earth’s.

Such an inflatable heat shield could help aspacecraft reach the high-altitude southernplains of Mars and other areas that would other-wise be inaccessible under existing technology.The experts note that rockets alone can’t beused to land a large craft on Mars as can be doneon the atmosphereless moon. Parachutes alsowon’t work for a large spacecraft needed to sendhumans to Mars, they add.

Hence the inflatable rings. The rings would befilled with nitrogen and covered with a thermalblanket. Once deployed for landing, the ringswould sit atop the spacecraft, somewhat resem-bling a giant mushroom.

“We try to not use propulsion if we don’t haveto,” said Neil Cheatwood, the senior engineer atLangley for advanced entry, descent and landingsystems. “We make use of that atmosphere asmuch as we can, because it means we don’t haveto carry all that fuel with us.”

NASA’s leaders acknowledge that gettinghumans safely to and from Mars as early as the2030s will poses extreme challenges. Theagency’s scientists acknowledge they also mustdesign new in-space propulsion systems,advanced spacesuits, long-term living habitatsaboard spacecraft - even communication sys-tems for deep space. Work is proceeding, some-times fitfully.

When an unmanned private rocket destinedfor the International Space Station exploded inOctober soon after liftoff from Wallops Island,Virginia, numerous scientific experiments wentup in flames with it. But one NASA experimentthat Orbital Sciences Corp. originally invitedaboard - for a second-generation inflatablespacecraft - never made it for lack of time to getit together, NASA officials say.

That experiment calls for testing how second-generation inflatable spacecraft technology per-

forms upon re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere. Thetest is important because NASA officials believean inflatable heat shield could be what helpsthem land astronauts on Mars and return largerloads of supplies from the International SpaceStation. The experiment is now scheduled to goup on the next Antares rocket in 2016.

New technology is needed to get astronautsto Mars because the type of spacecraft thatwould land humans would be much larger thananything that’s landed on the planet previously.Current heat shield technology weighs toomuch to be on larger spacecraft, which meansscientists can’t land anything much larger thanthe rovers that have been sent there previously.NASA has relied on parachute-based decelera-tion on Mars since the Viking program in the1970s. Engineers at Langley have been workingon the inflatable technology for about a decade,and believe it is close to being ready for opera-tional use. “If I had the budget and we had thefunding to do it, I think we could get as large ascale as needed for humans in five to ten years,”Cheatwood said.

He said the same inflatable technology couldalso be used for spacecraft to explore otherplanets or objects with atmospheres, such asVenus, Titan and Jupiter.

Because the inflatables are made of light-weight material and filled with Nitrogen, more

room is left aboard a spacecraft for scienceexperiments and other things astronauts willneed. The inflatable is covered by a thermalblanket of layers of heat-resistant materials.

“The idea is that you would have somethingthat could be packed up, put in a very small vol-ume and then deployed into a very large size,”Anthony Calomino, principal investigator formaterials and structures for hypersonic re-entryat Langley. He said in a statement in April: “Thinkairbag, something we could pack into com-pressed volume that will fit the size limits of alaunch shroud, but allow for a much largeraeroshell.” Smaller scale, inflatable experimentshave been launched on rockets before, but nev-er into orbit. That work was recently part of aNASA review in October. The information gath-ered from those earlier projects will be appliedto the upcoming, larger-scale experiment in2016. It still won’t be large enough to protect aspacecraft carrying astronauts, but NASA scien-tists believe the technology is sound.

“When you first tell people you’re going to doan ... inflatable spacecraft, they have in theirminds something really floppy like a jellyfish andit’s really not that way,” Cheatwood said. “They’revery durable ... This is a technology that I think isready to use, whether it’s for humans in 20 yearson Mars or whether it’s a large robotic missionsooner than that.” — AP

NASA explores inflatable

spacecraft technology

This image provided by NASA, following splashdown of the Orion module, US Navy crewsfrom the USS Anchorage begin recovering the parachutes while other teams begin safing thespacecraft as it floats in the Pacific Ocean, December 5, 2014. Earlier in the day, Orion made adramatic test flight that took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era ofhuman exploration aiming for Mars. — AP

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

India International School has always been an epicenter forliterary addiction. In the words of Francis Bacon “ReadingMaketh a full man; Conference a Ready Man; Writing an

Exact Man.” In an innovative Endeavour to make the children“exact men”, the Kindergarten teachers adopted a sincere goalthis year to spread the reading addiction among their stu-dents under the banner “One School, Reading Together”. Themain aim was to build a literary rich environment in theschool and the students. For a teacher, it was the apt time ingetting a skeptical student to explore the classroom library. Itwas a vital time to encourage a decent reader to read thosemore challenging books. Teaching the love of reading is differ-ent from teaching reading and this was achieved by bustingupon the door to reading and walking through it with them.Students were shown that a world without reading was dark -but the one in black and white with reading is brighter than

Oz itself. A Graffiti wall was placed where students were askedto scrabble their views, draw or paste anything related toreading and what they liked to read. Each class maintained anattractive, creative, and colorful library. Students wrote storieswith the help of their teachers which were beautifully illustrat-ed in form of storybooks and these storybooks were inaugu-rated by the school Director Malayil Moosa Koya in the pres-ence of Principal F M Basheer Ahmed and Senior Vice PrincipalNarendar Kaur. They congratulated Yogeetha Thomas KG Headand Nilofar Qazi Creative Head and their entire team of adroitteachers for their dedicated efforts in creating awarenessamong the students by creating multiple projects whichhelped to bring out the literary environment in an otherwisedull landscape. For, as Shakespeare says “Like bright metal ona sullen ground, shall shine more goodly and attract moreeyes than that which have no foil to set it off.”

Reading Frenzy at IndiaInternational School

India International School organized Family Rendezvouson 18th December, 2014, bringing all the IIS familymembers in one common platform. The programme

kicks started with the welcome address by the schoolDirector, Malayil Moosa Koya. The honouring ceremony ofthree talented students added additional beauty to theprogramme. The school Principal F M Basheer Ahmedintroduced Master Rohith Shyam of class 1, CandiceJennifer Vas and Srayas Radhakrishnan of class X whoexcelled in various non-academic fields. The school tookthe privilege of releasing a novella written by CandiceJennifer Vas. The book “Vengeance” was released by theDirector and it was followed by a brief review given by thePrincipal. Message sent by the school Chairman, Dr. P.A.Ibrahim was read out by the Senior Vice Principal, NarinderKaur.

It is a tradition of India International School to observeFamily get together every year, as a token of love and con-cern for the members. The management takes specialeffort in this regard as it strengthens the bond betweenthe Management and the staff as well as among the mem-bers. It gives opportunity to all the IIS family members toget to know each other besides giving them a chance toexhibit their talents.

The ‘Beau Monde’-the world of fashion presented by thestudents of I-III under the supervision of Dhanya andTuflunnisa was applauded by the audience as each childtook pride in showcasing the best of his\her ‘look.’

The next item was an amazing dance performance withthe theme ‘Proud to be an Indian’ by Sruthi, Raksha, Zainaband Dakshina. It was followed by a rocking music treat bythe school choir under the supervision of Manoj andMudassar. The heart moving dance performance with thetheme ‘Mother’, by the students of VI-VIII, choreographedby Salomi was the highlight of the event. The solo songrendering with the accompaniment of keyboard by MasterJoshua of class I stole everybody’s heart. The orchestra bystudents, teachers and other family members was alsoappreciated by one and all. There were events like ‘SpotQuestions’ and games in order to refresh the audience.Through a ballot poll, monitored bySalim, Vice Pincipal, C KMuhammed and Isha were honoured as the Mister andMiss IIS respectively. and Kapil were selected as ‘The IdealCouple ‘through the game ‘Ek dhuje keliye’. Vote of thankswas expressed by Vice Principal, Indulekha Vice PrincipalsSapna Raoof and Sophy John also graced the occasion. Itwas indeed a fun filled weekend for the whole IIS familymembers.

Family Rendezvous at IIS

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

The Premier Sport Academy in associationwith Everton FC, under the sponsorship ofPorsche Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors

Company, held their 2014 Winter Festival ofFootball event at Bayan Park under the patron-age of the British Ambassador, Matthew Lodge.

In total, over 600 players aged 3 to 18 partici-pated in the Porsche Centre Kuwait sponsoredevent, including teams from the PSA/EvertonCoaching Courses and Everton Centre ofExcellence, as well as numerous private schoolsand football academies from across Kuwait. Ahuge turnout of enthusiastic parents and spec-tators cheered on and encouraged the players,who were superbly organized and guided bytheir coaches throughout a series of excitingmatches. The players demonstrated great skills,

sportsmanship and an abundance of effort andcommitment.

There were also lots of attractions enjoyed byall, including the Porsche Kids Driving School,bouncy castles, the Baroue Kids Magic Show anda craft fair. Matthew Lodge and several otherVIP guests presented medals to all participants,as well as certificates of appreciation to eventsponsors and supporters.

Lodge expressed his appreciation and recog-nition for the collective effort behind such animportant community event, and congratulatedall the players and coaches who took part, inaddition to the event organisers and sponsorsPorsche Centre Kuwait, Behbehani MotorsCompany, Sports Direct, H & M, Baroue andSultan Centre and all the contributors and par-

ticipants . The event also included a football match

between teams representing the British andGerman Embassies of Kuwait to commemoratethe 100th year anniversary of the World War 1Christmas truce football matches which endedwith a thrilling penalty shoot-out.

The PSA Spring Course will commence 9thJanauary 2015 at Bayan and everyone is wel-come to participate in this program. There willbe courses in Football and Basketball availablefor children aged 3 to 16 years.

For details of all Premier Sport Academyevents and activities, check out the website,www.PSA-kuwait.com or contact AcademyDirector Mike Finn on 99981327, or ExecutiveDirector Baker Al-Nazer on 66918666.

Kozhikode DistrictAssociation,

Kuwait Balavedi new office bearers

Kozhikode District Association Balavedi- thechildren’s wing committee formation meet-ing was held at Kabad Resort. Shahana

Sameer (President), Sneha Rathidas (Secretary),Namitha Shivakumar (Treasurer) were selectedunanimously by the balavedhi members. Officebearers of various areas were also elected on theoccasion as detailed below: Abbasiya: KeerthanaPramod (President), Jaslin (Secretary). Fahaheel:Sooryakanth Santhosh (President), Kripadas(Secretary). Farwaniya: Hessa Fathima (President),Jumana (Secretary). Salmiya: Vyshnav (President),Muhammad Vaswan (Secretary). Jahra- MuhammadShammil (President), Muhammad Shammas(Secretary).

Writers shall reflect positivesocial concept in their writ-ings and acquire energy

through self protest, said BabuKuzhimattam, renowned story writerof Malayalam literature. He releasedstory collection book, “RoobaarileNahlakal” (Palm Trees in Dust Storm),written by 14 expatriate story writersworking in Kuwait. The program wasorganised by Prathibha Kuwait, anassociation of Malayalam writers inKuwait. This story collection is thethird book by Prathibha Kuwait.Preman Illath presided the function.Dr Nandakumar Moorkath inaugurat-ed the program. John Mathew deliv-ered the key note address.

Babu Kuzhimattam- PrathibhaKuwait story felicitations were pre-sented to Abdul LatheefNeeleswaram, Habeeb rahman,Swapna Jacob, Sunil.K.Cheriyan, LisyKuriakose, Rajappan Chunakkara andJawahar K Engineer. BergmanThomas, Sunil K Cheriyan, SatharKunnil, Sam Painumood and BessyKadavil delivered felicitation speech-es. Poetry recitation by SanthanChettikad, Peethan Wayanad andSujith Muthukulam were presentedin the function. GirimandiramSasikumar gave the welcome speech.Anchoring was done by SonyJawahar and prayer song by PranavBodhi Sarang.

Prathibha Kuwaitreleases story

collection book

Premier Sport Academy organized‘Winter Festival of Football’

Over 600 players participated in Kuwait’s premier youth football

00:05 Alan Carr: Chatty Man00:50 Sally Lockhart Mysteries02:25 Doctor Who: A ChristmasCarol03:30 Sinbad04:15 The Weakest Link05:00 Woolly & Tig05:05 Show Me Show Me05:30 Gigglebiz05:45 Charlie And Lola06:00 Nina And The Neurons: InThe Lab06:15 Woolly & Tig06:20 Show Me Show Me06:45 Gigglebiz07:00 Charlie And Lola07:15 The Weakest Link08:00 Sinbad08:45 Sally Lockhart Mysteries10:20 My Family10:50 The Weakest Link11:35 Doctor Who: A ChristmasCarol12:35 The Mimic13:00 The Royle Family: Christmas201214:00 Doctors14:30 Doctors15:00 Sinbad15:45 The Weakest Link16:30 Sally Lockhart Mysteries18:05 The Lady Vanishes19:35 The Turn Of The Screw21:05 The Room At The Top22:05 The Room At The Top23:05 Sherlock

17:15 Dukes Of Haggle17:40 Dukes Of Haggle18:05 Dukes Of Haggle18:30 Dukes Of Haggle18:55 Troy19:45 Close-Up Kings20:35 Magic Of Science21:00 Magic Of Science21:25 Gold Rush22:15 Gold Rush23:05 Alaskan Bush People23:55 Fast N’ Loud

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

00:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent -Specials00:50 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill01:15 Rick Stein’s India02:05 Holmes On Homes02:55 Holmes On Homes03:40 Antiques Roadshow04:35 Antiques Roadshow05:25 Antiques Roadshow06:20 Holmes On Homes07:10 Holmes On Homes08:00 Bargain Hunt08:45 Bargain Hunt09:30 Bargain Hunt10:15 Antiques Roadshow11:10 Antiques Roadshow12:00 Antiques Roadshow12:55 Antiques Roadshow13:45 Antiques Roadshow14:35 Holmes On Homes15:20 Holmes On Homes16:10 DIY SOS: The Big Build17:05 How To Cook Like Heston17:30 Come Dine With Me: SouthAfrica18:20 Antiques Roadshow19:15 Antiques Roadshow20:05 Come Dine With Me20:55 Food Glorious Food21:45 The Roux Legacy22:20 Homes Under The Hammer23:10 Homes Under The Hammer

00:45 The Fighters01:35 How It’s Made02:00 How It’s Made02:25 How It’s Made02:50 How It’s Made03:15 How It’s Made03:40 How It’s Made04:05 How It’s Made04:30 How It’s Made05:00 How It’s Made05:30 How It’s Made06:00 Fast N’ Loud06:50 Kindig Customs07:40 Highway To Sell08:30 Gold Rush09:20 Gold Rush10:10 Alaskan Bush People11:00 Airplane Repo11:50 Street Outlaws12:40 How It’s Made13:05 How It’s Made13:30 How It’s Made13:55 How It’s Made14:20 How It’s Made14:45 Container Wars15:10 Container Wars15:35 Container Wars16:00 The Liquidator16:25 The Liquidator16:50 Dukes Of Haggle

DEJA VU ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

2 FAST 2 FURIOUS ON OSN ACTION HD

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21:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons22:00 House Of DVF23:00 Fashion Bloggers23:30 Fashion Bloggers

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01:00 The Courier-PG1503:00 Closed Circuit-PG1505:00 The Immigrant-PG1507:00 Oggy & The Cockroaches:The Movie-PG09:00 The Company You Keep-PG1511:00 Deep Sea-PG12:00 Temptation: Confessions OfA Marriage Counselor-PG1514:00 The Great Gatsby-PG1516:45 The Company You Keep-PG1519:00 Homefront-PG1521:00 High Moon-PG1523:00 Oldboy-18

01:00 Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs.Hare02:45 Eleanor’s Secret

04:30 The Great Bear06:00 Back To The Sea08:00 Tony Hawk: Boom BoomSabotage10:00 A Cat In Paris11:30 Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears AWho13:00 Eleanor’s Secret14:30 The Little Rascals Save TheDay16:15 Dragon Hunters18:00 A Cat In Paris20:00 The Little Rascals Save TheDay22:00 Marvel’s Hulk vs. Thor &Wolverine23:30 Dragon Hunters

00:00 Epic-PG02:00 Someday This Pain Will BeUseful To You-PG1504:00 Skyline-PG1506:00 Despicable Me 2-PG08:00 42-PG1510:15 Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs 2-PG12:00 Skyline-PG1514:00 Death Clique-PG1515:45 42-PG1518:00 Ender’s Game-PG1520:00 A Case Of You-PG1522:00 The Internship-PG15

00:00 MSNBC Caught On Camera01:00 MSNBC Caught On Camera02:00 Live ABC World News02:30 Live NBC Nightly News (Sat-Sun)03:00 ABC World News03:30 NBC Nightly News (Sat-Sun)04:00 NBC Saturday Today Show06:00 ABC 20/2007:00 ABC World News07:30 NBC Nightly News (Sat-Sun)08:00 ABC World News08:30 NBC Nightly News (Sat-Sun)09:00 MSNBC Investigates10:00 ABC World News10:30 NBC Nightly News (Sat-Sun)11:00 MSNBC All In With ChrisHayes12:00 MSNBC The RachelMaddow Show13:00 MSNBC Hardball W/ ChrisMatthews14:00 ABC 20/2015:00 MSNBC Caught On Camera16:00 Live NBC Sunday TodayShow17:00 Live NBC Meet The Press18:00 ABC This Week With GStephanopoulos19:00 Live MSNBC Melissa Harris-Perry20:00 NBC Meet The Press21:00 ABC This Week With GStephanopoulos23:00 Live MSNBC News

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Kuwait

Fajr: 05:19

Shorook 06:43

Duhr: 11:52

Asr: 14:43

Maghrib: 17:02

Isha: 18:24

Prayer timings

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY(01/01/2015 TO 07/01/2015)

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Sunday 4/1/2015Airlines Flt Route TimeKAC 502 Beirut 00:05JAI 574 Mumbai 00:10JZR 239 Amman 00:25JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40THY 772 Istanbul 00:45FDB 069 Dubai 00:55IAW 157A Al Najaf 01:00QTR 1084 Doha 01:00RJA 642 Amman 01:05PGT 858 Istanbul 01:35MEA 406 Beirut 01:40ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30UAE 853 Dubai 02:35JAI 526 Chennai/Abu Dhabi 02:50FDB 067 Dubai 02:55MSR 612 Cairo 03:10ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10CEB 7694 Manila 03:10KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20OMA 643 Muscat 03:25QTR 1076 Doha 03:45MEA 408 Beirut 04:00MSC 401 Alexandria 04:05MEA 400 Beirut 04:15JZR 555 Alexandria 04:25THY 770 Istanbul 05:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40BAW 157 London 06:40KAC 544 Cairo 06:40JZR 563 Sohag 06:45KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:10FDB 053 Dubai 07:45QTR 1086 Doha 07:50SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55QTR 8632 Doha 08:10KAC 352 Kochi 08:10KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:30UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 362 Colombo 08:45ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20FDB 055 Dubai 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 10:00GFA 943 Bahrain 10:15GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRA 665 Shiraz 10:50UAE 873 Dubai 11:00SYR 341 Latakia 11:10MSC 405 Sohag 11:25JZR 165 Dubai 11:30MEA 404 Beirut 11:55UAE 871 Dubai 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00KAC 514 Tehran 13:10IRC 528 Ahwaz 13:15JZR 561 Sohag 13:45KAC 382 Delhi 13:45

KAC 672 Dubai 13:55QTR 1078 Doha 14:05KNE 472 Jeddah 14:25SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30FDB 057 Dubai 14:30IRC 6507 Shiraz 14:50OMA 645 Muscat 15:00GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10KAC 284 Dhaka 15:15UAE 857 Dubai 15:45ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45FDB 051 Dubai 16:00JZR 535 Cairo 16:10KAC 562 Amman 16:20JZR 787 Riyadh 16:25QTR 1072 Doha 16:40RJA 640 Amman 16:55ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30KAC 742 Dammam 17:45GFA 944 LCA 17:50JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55UAL 982 IAD 17:55UAE 875 Dubai 18:00JZR 177 Dubai 18:20KAC 542 Cairo 18:25FDB 063 Dubai 18:40ABY 121 Sharjah 18:40KAC 786 Jeddah 18:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:50KAC 618 Doha 19:15AXB 393 Kozhikode 19:15KAC 674 Dubai 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30JZR 483 Istanbul 19:35KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:40KAC 502 Beirut 19:50KAC 102 New York/London 19:55KAC 774 Riyadh 20:00JAI 572 Mumbai 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:20FDB 061 Dubai 20:20MSR 606 Luxor 20:45DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:50ALK 229 Colombo 21:10MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30FDB 073 Dubai 21:35UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1074 Doha 21:55JZR 135 Bahrain 22:05KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:15ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 172 Frankfurt 22:20AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:30FDB 059 Dubai 22:30UAL 981 Bahrain 23:10JZR 185 Dubai 23:15THY 764 Istanbul 23:35PIA 205 Lahore 23:40FDB 071 Dubai 23:45

Departure Flights on Sunday 4/1/2015Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05AGY 681 Alexandria 00:15FDB 072 Dubai 00:45UAL 981 IAD 00:55JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10IAW 158A Al Najaf 02:00DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:15KAC 283 Dhaka 02:25MEA 407 Beirut 02:40ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45THY 773 Istanbul 02:55PGT 859 Istanbul 03:25KAC 381 Delhi 03:40UAE 854 Dubai 03:50FDB 068 Dubai 03:55ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:10KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:10OMA 644 Muscat 04:25QTR 1085 Doha 04:30CEB 7695 Manila 04:40MEA 409 Beirut 05:00MSC 406 Sohag 05:05MEA 401 Beirut 05:15QTR 1077 Doha 05:15THY 765 Istanbul 05:40FDB 070 Dubai 06:30JAI 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 06:35JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05JZR 560 Sohag 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15THY 771 Istanbul 07:30FDB 054 Dubai 08:25BAW 156 London 08:45QTR 1087 Doha 08:50KAC 513 Tehran 08:55SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55KAC 171 Frankfurt 09:05JZR 534 Cairo 09:15KAC 671 Dubai 09:25KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25QTR 8632 Lahore/Doha 09:40ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 117 New York 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:20KAC 561 Amman 10:25JZR 482 Istanbul 10:35FDB 056 Dubai 10:35GFA 943 LCA 11:00QTR 1071 Doha 11:00KAC 541 Cairo 11:05GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25IRA 664 Shiraz 11:50KAC 501 Beirut 12:00SYR 342 Latakia 12:10KAC 103 London 12:20JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20MSC 402 Alexandria 12:25

UAE 874 Dubai 12:30MEA 405 Beirut 12:55KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15IRC 529 Ahwaz 14:15KAC 741 Dammam 14:45KAC 673 Dubai 15:00KAC 617 Doha 15:00QTR 1079 Doha 15:05FDB 058 Dubai 15:10KNE 473 Jeddah 15:20SVA 503 Jeddah/Madinah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45IRC 6508 Shiraz 15:50OMA 646 Muscat 16:00KAC 773 Riyadh 16:20ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25FDB 052 Dubai 17:00JZR 266 Beirut 17:05QTR 1073 Doha 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45JZR 538 Cairo 17:45ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:50RJA 641 Amman 17:55SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20GFA 944 Bahrain 18:35JZR 184 Dubai 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:50JZR 134 Bahrain 19:10UAL 982 Bahrain 19:15ABY 122 Sharjah 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:40QTR 1081 Doha 19:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:55AXB 393 Kozhikode 20:15GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 343 Chennai 20:55JAI 571 Mumbai 21:00KAC 351 Kochi 21:15FDB 062 Dubai 21:20OMA 648 Muscat 21:20DLH 636 Dammam 21:35MSR 619 Alexandria 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50ALK 230 Colombo 22:10ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 301 Mumbai 22:15MEA 403 Beirut 22:20FDB 074 Dubai 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30UAE 860 Dubai 22:50ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00QTR 1075 Doha 23:05JZR 502 Luxor 23:05KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:15KAC 415 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur 23:25KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:30FDB 060 Dubai 23:55

SHARQIA-1VICE 12:45 PMVICE 2:45 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 4:45 PMINTO THE WOODS 6:30 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 9:00 PMVICE 10:45 PMVICE 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-2THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 11:30 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 3:30 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 5:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 7:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 11:30 AMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 1:15 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 3:00 PMUNBROKEN 4:45 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 7:30 PMUNBROKEN 9:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1UNBROKEN 12:15 PMANNIE 3:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 5:30 PMUNBROKEN 8:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 10:45 PMUNBROKEN 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-2LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 12:45 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 2:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 4:15 PMVICE 6:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 8:15 PMVICE 10:00 PMVICE 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-3THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 11:30 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 4:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 6:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 8:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:45 AM

FANAR-1UNBROKEN 11:45 AMUNBROKEN 2:30 PMUNBROKEN 5:30 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 8:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 10:00 PMUNBROKEN 11:45 PM

FANAR-2VICE 12:45 PMVICE 2:45 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 4:45 PMVICE 6:45 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 8:45 PMVICE 10:45 PMVICE 1:00 AM

FANAR-3INTO THE WOODS 1:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 3:45 PMINTO THE WOODS 5:30 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 8:00 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 10:30 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 12:45 AM

FANAR-4THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 3:00 PM

THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 5:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 7:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 9:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:05 AM

FANAR-5LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 12:00 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 1:45 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 3:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 5:15 PMP.K -HINDI 7:00 PMP.K -HINDI 9:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:30 AM

MARINA-1VICE 12:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 2:45 PMVICE 5:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 7:45 PMVICE 10:15 PMVICE 12:15 AM

MARINA-2THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 11:30 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:45 PM

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 4:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 6:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 8:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:45 AM

MARINA-3LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 11:45 AMUNBROKEN 1:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 4:15 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 6:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 8:00 PMUNBROKEN 9:45 PMUNBROKEN 12:30 AM

AVENUES-1INTO THE WOODS 1:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 3:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 6:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 8:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 11:00 PM

AVENUES-2090 (Kuwaiti Film) 12:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 2:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 4:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 6:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 8:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 10:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3UNBROKEN 11:45 AMUNBROKEN 2:45 PMUNBROKEN 5:45 PMUNBROKEN 8:45 PMUNBROKEN 11:45 PM

AVENUES-4NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 11:30 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 3:45 PMSpecial Show “NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THETOMB” 4:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 6:00 PMSpecial Show “LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST” 6:00 PMSpecial Show “VICE “ 6:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 8:15 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:45 AM

AVENUES-5VICE 12:00 PMUNBROKEN 2:00 PMVICE 4:45 PM

UNBROKEN 6:45 PMPERSONAL DVD 7:00 PMSpecial Show “UNBROKEN “ 6:45 PMVICE 9:30 PMSpecial Show “VICE “ 9:30 PMUNBROKEN 11:30 PM

AVENUES-6VICE 1:15 PMVICE 3:15 PMVICE 5:15 PMVICE 7:15 PMVICE 9:15 PMVICE 11:15 PMVICE 1:15 AM

AVENUES-7PADDINGTON 1:00 PMLAGGIES 3:00 PMPADDINGTON 5:00 PMLAGGIES 7:00 PMLAGGIES 9:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 11:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 1:00 AM

AVENUES-8P.K -HINDI 1:30 PMANNIE 4:15 PMANNIE 6:45 PMP.K -HINDI 9:15 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 12:15 AM

AVENUES-9LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 11:30 AMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 1:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 3:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 5:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 7:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 9:30 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 11:30 PM

AVENUES-10NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 12:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 2:15 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 4:30 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 6:45 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 9:00 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 11:15 PM

AVENUES-11THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 2:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 5:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 7:15 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 9:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 11:45 PM

360º- 1VICE 12:15 PMVICE 2:15 PMVICE 4:15 PMVICE 6:15 PMVICE 8:15 PMVICE 10:15 PMVICE 12:15 AM

360º- 2090 (Kuwaiti Film) 1:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 3:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 5:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 7:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 9:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 11:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 1:15 AM

360º- 3INTO THE WOODS 11:45 AMINTO THE WOODS 2:15 PMINTO THE WOODS 5:00 PMINTO THE WOODS 7:30 PMINTO THE WOODS 10:00 PM

INTO THE WOODS 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.1LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 11:45 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:45 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 4:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 5:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 8:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 10:15 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.2VICE 11:30 AMVICE 1:30 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 3:30 PMVICE 5:15 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 7:15 PMDigital (2D) 9:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 11:00 PMVICE 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.3NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ECRET OF THE TOMB 12:00 PMUNBROKEN 2:00 PMUNBROKEN 4:45 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: ERET OF THE TOMB 7:30 PMUNBROKEN 9:30 PMUNBROKEN 2:15 AM

AL-KOUT.4LAGGIES 11:30 AMLAGGIES 1:15 PMANNIE 3:15 PMLAGGIES 6:00 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 7:45 PMLAGGIES 10:00 PMTHE WATER DIVINER 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-1LEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 11:45 AMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 1:30 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 3:45 PMLEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST-3D 5:45 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 7:30 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 9:45 PMNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-2UNBROKEN 12:45 PMINTO THE WOODS 3:30 PMP.K -HINDI 6:15 PMUNBROKEN 6:15 PMUNBROKEN 9:00 PMUNBROKEN 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-3090 (Kuwaiti Film) 11:30 AM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 1:15 PMVICE 3:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 5:00 PMPADDINGTON 6:45 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 8:45 PMVICE 10:30 PMVICE 12:30 AM

PLAZALEGEND OF THE NEVER BEAST 4:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 4:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 5:45 PMCOUSINS- MALAYALAM 8:00 PMTHU+FRI+SAT+MONVICE 8:00 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 10:45 PM

LAILAINTO THE WOODS 3:30 PMUNBROKEN 6:00 PMTHE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH 8:45 PM090 (Kuwaiti Film) 11:00 PM

CHANGE OF NAME

ACCOMMODATION

SITUATION WANTEDPeriyasamy Kamu, son ofKamu bearing an IndianPassport No. F3327466having an address 8.3.14,Bhagyavathi Amman KovilSt, Sithayankottai, DindigulDt, Tamilnadu 624708 hadembraced Islam andchanged the name asMohammed Ali Jinna. (C 4895)1-1-2015

Sharing accommodationavailable in Abbassiya witha Keralite family nearHighway center, fully fur-nished, separate bathroom,couples or working ladies.Contact: 66130689. (C 4896)1-1-2015

An MBA, LLB job aspirantwith 13 years of experiencein banking, insurance, con-struction, constructionmaterials sales and pur-chase management as sen-ior manager is looking for asenior managerial posi-tions. Contact: 97341053.(C 4897)1-1-2015

You are filled with self-assertiveness. Working on a project today couldprove helpful especially if you elicit the aid of friends or associates to help you. Also, thereare opportunities to open up to loved ones and to communicate loving messages. Thereshould be a great deal of contact now, which could prove positive with the opposite sex.You are tuned in to the thoughts and emotions of others. Good times, pleasant feelingsand leisure activities with friends should be engaged in whenever possible. Romance ishighlighted now and there may be a great desire to try something new or go somewherepreviously unexplored. Your thirst for excitement should not completely dominate yourdecision making. One day at a time you will be able to accomplish anything.

Communication comes easily today-you make all details clear. No personshould misunderstand anything you have to say. This is a great day to pay bills, write let-ters and make phone calls. Your phone will probably be ringing often. You will be gladyou stayed away from large purchases just now. Reckless purchases just keep you fromyour financial goals. Maternal instincts may become active now; a new little animalcomes into your life and you make every effort to find the owners. Of course, consideringthis animal is temporary, a relative may need you to care for it a few days. This is a timewhen your powers of creativity are great-you may remember a soothing sound and anold blanket is just perfect to calm this little guy.

Not only is there a desire for outdoor or physical activity, but also there willmost likely be ample opportunities to partake in it. However, you should be

careful about taking any undo risks or thrill-seeking stunts at this time. You could enjoyusing your home as a medium for entertaining family members and friends in the socialsetting. You are motivated to improve and work on any part of your life that you feelneeds your attention. There are opportunities to enjoy romantic activity, particularlywhen taking an interest in social activities and volunteer work. There is also a great love ofchildren during this time. Neighbors or brothers and sisters have a big impact on yourgoals and make a big impression. This is a mentally and socially active time.

The day promises to bring surprises to you. You may learn something aboutan old friend you did not know previously. Also, you may suddenly make a new friend dur-ing this time. You face many responsibilities in relationships with loved ones and you mayhave difficulty expressing your own wants and desires to your companions. You should tryduring this phase to loosen up and enjoy your companions without being afraid to voicetrue feelings. A surge of intellectual energy can help you accomplish a lot today, especiallywhen it comes to sports or board games. Do not let competition draw you into anydebates unless the outcome is very important in protecting your integrity. Use restraint. Achild who is bright plays a big role in your life.

Financial security and enjoying the finer things in life assume a high priorityat this time. Your personality and mode of living will be adjusted in the next few days. Youmay experience some restlessness, which may manifest itself as a need to strike out onyour own, giving your creative energies free rein. Be careful not to forsake old friends atthis time in order to meet someone new and exciting. You have an interest in religion andphilosophy, with many questions being raised about mysterious topics like your purposein life. Talk among friends is usually frank and brings about new understandings. Thisevening you may experience a time of inner peace and smooth sailing in relationships. Ifyou are romantically involved, it is a time to experience growth.

Your eager mind learns things very quickly. Your communication skills aresharp and it is an excellent day to talk on the phone, or attend or give a lecture. Your intel-lect is sharp, making it a good day for study or planning projects. You have a renewedinterest in art, literature and nature as there is an opportunity to enjoy a museum or artshow. Your eloquence enhances your influence over others. Being in the spotlight is com-mon to you now and you should realize that it is a good time to be humble and be opento help others. You have a pleasant disposition towards all you come in contact with andmake a good mentor. Just about anything you do should be both rewarding and enjoy-able. Take the time to show your appreciation of a friend or loved ones.

This is not a good time to make any concrete decisions about a relation-ship or business deal. There could be a collision of powerful energies that spill into yourlife in irregular ways. The decisions and actions of today will have long-lasting effects.This could also be a time when you may expend great effort to plan and secure invest-ments. This may come about through associations you have with people in importantpositions. Also, you could be tempted to purchase a large item at this time. Judiciousthought must be given to the practical use of money. Additional responsibilities may beplaced on you in the context of the home setting-your leadership abilities may come intoplay. You should be open with relatives: emotional support.

This morning the chores are hard to ignore. The decorations are destinedfor the attic and regular matters are screaming for attention. This is a good time, however,to lead the way on a project-your imagination is heightened. If possible, initiate a crewand reward the most agreeable and the fastest and most efficient worker. Incentives arealso important-be creative. Perhaps a movie or a pizza party is in order. A fascination withthe mysterious may be reawakened within you. Going beyond just finding a good movie,or novel, you may be drawn toward the serious study of some occult subject. Relax thisevening-you have a forward-looking disposition and will find ways where you can bestimprove family interactions. Friends and family give you strength.

There are a few delays today and this may have you feeling a bit frustrated.You could be feeling as if you were a ship without sails. The afternoon

brings a spirit of cooperation from those around you. If you are alert to the needs of oth-ers-they may return the favor to you. Your ability to truly appreciate friends and family hasincreased. You should experience all the benefits of your platonic relationships today.Loved ones, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized thisevening. Being appreciated and admired for your gifts and talents is a powerful need.Taking chances can bring big rewards. You may have some psychic and spiritual aware-ness just now. Your dreams may be very insightful-keep a dream diary.

Domestic affairs are the order of this morning. This is a good day to backaway from the rat race and put your personal life in order. A good, solid understanding ofyou and your own needs is very helpful at this time. Although you have had a few days torecover from the holidays, this weekend is a valuable pick-me-up for you. This is an excel-lent time to create your to-do list and then check it off during the day. Take stock of whatyou have accomplished and then take a break with a dear friend or relative. Interactionswith the opposite sex on the professional level may occur next week. You might thinkabout new business clothing.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

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 774

ACROSS1. A federally chartered savings bank.4. A region of southwestern Italy on theTyrrhenian Sea including the islands of Capriand Ischia.12. Narrow wood or metal or plastic runnersused for gliding over snow.15. The United Nations agency concerned withthe interests of labor.16. Traveling or passing over land.17. Belonging to or on behalf of a specified per-son (especially yourself).18. The highest part (usually the melody) in apiece of choral music.20. An accounting entry acknowledging sumsthat are owing.21. The basic unit of money in Romania.22. American novelist (1909-1955).24. (Middle Eastern) Small croquette of mashedchick peas or fava beans seasoned with sesameseeds.27. As much as a teacup will hold.29. New Zealand timber tree resembling thecypress.30. Without law or control.33. Large burrowing rodent of South andCentral America.34. Liquid containing proteins and electrolytesincluding the liquid in blood plasma and inter-stitial fluid.41. The capital and largest city of Cyprus.44. Fallow deer.45. A human limb.46. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.47. A compartment in front of a motor vehiclewhere driver sits.48. (informal British usage) Aggravation oraggression.50. (Babylonian) A demigod or first man.55. Water falling in drops from vapor condensedin the atmosphere.56. A port city in southwestern Iran.58. The state of existing and being localized inspace.60. An Arabic speaking person who lives inArabia or North Africa.63. A water-soluble brownish-yellow pigmentmade by boiling wood soot.65. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).67. Erect European annual often grown as a sal-ad crop to be harvested when young and ten-der.71. Very small free-living arachnid that is para-sitic on animals or plants.74. United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or3.785 liters.75. Airtight sealed metal container for food ordrink or paint etc..76. An arthropod family including.78. A statement that deviates from or pervertsthe truth.79. A federal agency established to coordinateprograms aimed at reducing pollution and pro-tecting the environment.80. (Italian cookery) Squid prepared as food.81. Water frozen in the solid state.

DOWN1. A tax on employees and employers that isused to fund the Social Security system.2. The scum formed by oxidation at the surfaceof molten metals.3. Consisting of or made up of bone.4. The sound made by a pigeon v 1.5. The eleventh month of the civil year.6. Aristocratic Italian family of powerful mer-

chants and bankers who ruled Florence in the15th century.7. A fold of skin covering the tip of the clitoris.8. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.9. Marked by or showing unaffected simplicityand lack of guile or worldly experience.10. The process of taking food into the bodythrough the mouth (as by eating).11. A public promotion of some product or serv-ice.12. A system of solmization using the solfa sylla-bles.13. Trailing grass native to Europe now cosmo-politan in warm regions.14. Any plant of the genus Inula.19. Type genus of the Tetraonidae.23. Any of several plants of or developed fromthe species Dahlia pinnata having tuberousroots and showy rayed variously colored flowerheads.25. A white soft metallic element that tarnishesreadily.26. Absent without permission.28. An international organization of Europeancountries formed after World War II to reducetrade barriers and increase cooperation amongits members.31. Submerged aquatic plant having narrowleaves and small flowers.32. The capital and largest city of Ghana with adeep-water port.35. Being one hundred more than three hun-dred.36. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in1922).37. A plant hormone promoting elongation ofstems and roots.38. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainlyaquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stemsand roots and leaves.39. Any admirable quality or attribute.40. Intense feelings of suffering.42. Someone who works (or provides workers)during a strike.43. The blood group whose red cells carry boththe A and B antigens.49. Norwegian composer whose work was ofteninspired by Norwegian folk music (1843-1907).51. A Chadic language spoken south of LakeChad.52. A light touch or stroke.53. Black tropical American cuckoo.54. Roar louder than.57. The French-speaking part of the CanadianMaritime Provinces.59. A sultanate in northwestern Borneo.61. A summary that repeats the substance of alonger discussion.62. A city in southern Turkey on the SeyhanRiver.64. The main city of ancient Phoenicia.66. (computer science) A kind of computerarchitecture that has a large number of instruc-tions hard coded into the cpu chip.68. Large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerineand grapefruit having a thick wrinkled skin.69. Concerning those not members of the cler-gy.70. On or toward the lee.72. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike partof an organism.73. Game in which matchsticks are arranged inrows and players alternately remove one ormore of them.77. A silvery ductile metallic element found pri-marily in bauxite.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

You may have taken up an exercise routine lately, and if this is so, it is timeto step it up to make it a little tougher. Perhaps a variety of exercises will create the resultsyou want. If you are not in an exercise routine, now is the time to begin one; a friend orloved one might join you. You enjoy good relations with family members and your finan-cial position may improve because of your association with a relative. The time is ripe forsudden and unexpected change in the normal routine of family life. You may experience achange of scenery in living arrangements. Perhaps a long trip is planned. This is also agood time to work out of your home or take in a boarder. This is also a most favorabletime to go on a family outing or enjoy a social gathering.

If you are not an entrepreneur, you may be helping those that are entrepre-neurs. So in a way, you are an entrepreneur. You could be a counselor or con-

sultant for other entrepreneurs. If some entrepreneurs had entertainment, you could helpthem book their show. If other entrepreneurs were designers or interior decorators, youcould help them get jobs as staging professionals for real-estate people so citizens can selltheir homes quickly. You are the conductor of your life and there is a lot of living ahead ofyou. Many of the stations in life where you will want to pause will be filled with gloriouslife experiences. Begin now to think about one of the multitude of creative, in-demandinventions you could begin. Celebrate life!

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

Dermatology

Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University 23845955

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

G o s s i p

l if e s t y l e

The couple, who got engaged in January 2014, have recentlyfallen victim to rumours their relationship is on the rocks, butthe pair couldn’t have been more loved up as they rang in 2015

and celebrated Johnny’s mother’s 80th birthday at Ago restaurant inWest Hollywood. An eye witness told E! News: “Amber and Johnnyare really happy and their relationship is in a really good place.” Theduo, who first started dating in 2012 after meeting on the set of thefilm ‘The Rum Diary’, reportedly put their wedding plans on hold lastmonth following speculation the 28-year-old actress was “unhappy”with her fiancÈ’s strange presentation at the Hollywood Film Awardsin November, where he appeared to slur his words and used exple-

tives on live TV, sparking speculation he was drunk. A source saidpreviously: “There’s no rush to marry at the moment. Johnny iscrazy in love with Amber, but there is turmoil in the relationship. Sheis not really ready to settle down. Amber flirts and has many differentkinds of relationships.” Meanwhile, the ‘Lone Ranger’ star, 51, waspreviously in a long-term relationship with Vanessa Paradis, withwhom he has two children, daughter Lily-Rose, 15, and son Jack, 12.

Johnny Depp and Amber

Heard’s relationship is in ‘good place’

The 36-year-old singer has sparked spec-ulation he’s popped the question to hisgirlfriend-turned-manager Grace

Miguel after the brunette beauty was spottedwearing an engagement band on her ring fin-ger during a date with the hunk in Miami,Florida, over the Christmas period last month,according to LoveBScott.com. The newscomes as no surprise to fans as the star, whohas been dating Grace since 2009, gushedabout his beau during a recent interview andpraised her for helping him get throughtough times. He told Billboard magazine: “Ihave an incredible partner and manager. Shehas helped me through some of the hardesttimes in my life and my career. “She’s some-

one who’s been able to support and under-stand all of who I am. Not just as a dancer oras a performer or as a singer, but as a humani-tarian and a business man and as a person.”Meanwhile, this won’t be the first time Usherhas walked down the aisle as he tied the knotwith Tameka Foster - his former personal styl-ist - in a civil ceremony in Atlanta in August2007. However, the former couple - who havesons Usher ‘Cinco’, seven, and Naviyd, six -separated just two years later when Usherfiled for divorce in 2009.

Usher engaged to

manager Grace Miguel

Nicole Scherzinger

tucks into comfort food

when she’s cold

The former Pussycat Dolls singer, 36, admits her healthy eatingroutine has been hard to follow since she relocated to the UKbecause the miserable weather encourages her to eat curries.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan Body magazine, she said: “I’m workingwith Sir Trevor Nunn, who used to be artistic director of the RoyalShakespeare Company, so I want to give it my all. But when I finishwork it can be really hard to eat healthily. When it’s cold you just wantto eat a melted-cheese panini and soup. I’m going to turn into a cupof tea and a curry by the time I leave London!” Despite missing thewarmer temperatures the US has to offer, the brunette beauty - whois dating Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton, 29 - prefers liv-ing in London because it “inspires” her. She explained: “I eat different-ly in the UK from when I’m in LA. Over there, I’m happy eating a kalesalad and sushi rolls but with this weather I’ve been eating a lot ofcurry. “I do miss the sun in LA, but London inspires me in a differentway. It’s like being in a movie.”

The 57-year-old matriarch has alreadyclaimed possession of one of the rooms atthe couple’s refurbished Calabasas home

so that she can stay over when she likes and haseven joked about moving in with them andtheir 19-month-old daughter, North. A sourcetold the HollywoodLife.com: “Jokingly, Kris men-tioned moving in with Kim and Kanye. She hasseen the property with them on several occa-sions and already claimed one of the bedrooms!She even peed in one of the bathrooms to markher territory. But she’d never flat out ask tomove in. “She doesn’t want to appear needy,but if she had it her way, she’d sell her estateand move right in with them.” The ‘Keeping UpWith the Kardashians’ star - who split from herhusband Bruce Jenner in October 2013 - isreportedly “dreading” the day Kim, Kanye andNorth move out of her home, which they havebeen sharing with her while they wait for build-ing works on their mansion to be finished off,and is worried she’ll be lonely. The sourceadded: “You would think Kris would be jumpingfor joy to have her house back to herself, but it’sthe opposite. Everyone will soon be out and Krisis dreading that day.” Kris also has grown-upchildren Kourtney, 35, Khloe, 30, and Rob, 28,from her first marriage with the late RobertKardashian, and Kendall, 18, and Kylie, 17, withBruce.

Kris Jenner has her ownbedroom at Kim’s and

West’s new mansion

The 39-year-old actress-turned-director - who ismarried to Brad Pitt - has admitted that hercooking talents are varied, depending on what

the dish is. She explained to TODAY.com: “I’m one ofthose people, I can learn this random exotic meal ... areally interesting Afghan dish with eggplant but Idon’t know how to make basic spaghetti.” It’s not justher lack of cookery skills that stops her from cookingas often, with the ‘Maleficent’ actress admitting thatshe doesn’t have the patience. She said previously:“Nobody in my house wants me to do any cooking onChristmas Day. I have no patience! I start things andthen I get distracted and l go and I’ll start readingover there, or start playing outside with the kids. “Ithink you have to be very patient to cook, I’d be desig-nated to the chopping board! Brad would be really

good at the timing and organisation.” Angelina alsojoked that Brad, 51, told her “not to bother” learningto cook after he tasted the dishes she had made andinsisted 11-year-old son, Pax, is a better cook thanher. She shared: “Now that I’m officially a wife, I saidto Brad that I was going to try to learn to cook prop-erly. He said, ‘Don’t bother’... he’s tasted my cooking!“I’m not the best cook. Pax is a better cook than me.Pax likes to cook. But I try to when I can. Any housethat we’re in, we all chip in. “But the kids are verysweet ... so enthusiastic anytime I cook. EspeciallyMaddox, he’s just this little man that’s very support-ive of me - it ’s like he’s raised me a bit. So Icooked them all breakfast before school thismorning, and he has that kind of ‘Thanks,Mom! Good job!’”

Angelina Jolie’s basic cooking

skills aren’t up to scratch

The couple - who only started datingfour months ago - are reportedly“already discussing having children

together”. An insider shared: “Britney hassaid that Charlie wants to have childrenof his own and thinks that she would bethe perfect mother for them.” The ‘Toxic’hitmaker - who already has Sean, nine,and Jayden, eight, from her previousmarriage to Kevin Federline - returned toLas Vegas to continue her residency atPlanet Hollywood, with the new coupleappearing to stay “tied at the hip”. Thesource added to RadarOnline.com: “[She]brought Charlie along with her this pastweekend and they were tied at the hip.“They literally cannot keep their hands

off of each other.” Meanwhile, rumoursrecently circulated that the 32-year-oldTV producer was planning to propose tothe 33-year-old singer, having alreadyreceived the blessing of her father, JamieSpears. A source said previously: “Charliepitched Jamie about casting Britney in anew reality show, and Jamie thought hewas a really good guy. “They’ve beenmoving closer at light speed, and whenCharlie suggested to Jamie that he askfor Britney’s hand in marriage, Jamiequickly said yes.”

Kathy Griffin vows tobring Joan Rivers’

‘spirit’ to Fashion Police

The 54-year-old comedienne - who is replacing Joan asa host on the E! series after she passed away fromcomplications while undergoing a minor operation on

her vocal cords in September - insists she won’t hold backwhen it comes to critiquing the latest fashions with her co-hosts Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne and Brad Goreski.Kathy said: “Joan took Fashion Police and morphed it into ashow that was able to take the p**s out of all aspects ofcelebrity. I think that is something I’m gonna have fun with,too. “Joan would, of course, show the pictures and makehilarious comments, and my style is a little more improvisa-tional, a little more conversational. But I hope to at leastcontinue in her fearless spirit because that’s really what Ithink the show demands and I think it’s what the viewerswant.” Kathy says she will approach the show in a mannersimilar to straight talking US star Judge Judy, who, on hereponymous TV series, settles small claims inside a televisedcourtroom. She explained: “You need somebody to bringthe hammer down. I’m gonna be like the Judge Judy ofFashion Police. I’m gonna not hold back, no holds barred,because at the end of the day with everything that’s hap-pening in the real world, it’s a place to truly have some fun.”The flame-haired beauty will make her debut on the showwhen the series returns on January 12 in a brand new for-mat which will see the formerly weekly programme air over17 episodes, focussing on A-list events including theEmmys, Grammys and Oscars. Kathy added that before tak-ing on the role she made sure she had the blessing of Joan’sdaughter Melissa Rivers, who is the Executive Producer ofthe series. She told PEOPLE magazine: “That was obviouslya very important part of this whole project moving forward.Joan was a good friend of mine and we had a real connec-tion as genuine human beings, but also as girl comics. “Ofcourse it was important to get Melissa’s blessing, andMelissa in fact called me after I repeatedly said I wouldn’t doit because I know that it’s a sensitive area. She called me athome and gave me her blessing.”

Britney Spears wants kidswith Charlie Ebersol

The ‘Iron Man 3’ actress - who “con-sciously uncoupled” from the Coldplayfrontman in March 2014 after ten

years of marriage - admitted she “hit awall” in her personal life before the pairparted. Asked what led to the pair separat-ing, she shared: “There was nothing dra-

matic. “I had built my life on trying to beall things to all people, and I just could-

n’t do it anymore, and I really had thesense that I wasn’t allowed to have

needs, and I had to prove my special-ness or self-worth by doing all this stuffand taking care of everybody else, and Ijust sort of hit a wall.” The 42-year-oldactress - who has Apple, 10 and Moses,eight, with the ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’ hit-maker - revealed that the pair haveworked “really hard” on their friendshipand hopes the way they handled thesplit made things “more whole andhappier” for their two children. Shesaid: “We’ve worked really romancinghard to get to [this] point. But we’revery, very close, and it’s so nice. “Ifeel like it’s, in a way, the relation-ship we were meant to have.”Meanwhile, Gwyneth revealed thatshe can be “misunderstood” but

went on to admit that she has saidsome “stupid things” in the past. She

told the February issue of Marie Clairemagazine: “Look, one of the disad-vantages of having been famous forso long is I ’ve said some stupidthings. “But when words are put intomy mouth, those are the situations I

feel aren’t quite fair.”

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

l if e s t y l eG o s s i p

The ‘Hunger Games’ star and the Coldplay frontman, whosplit up in October, have sparked rumours they’ve rekin-dled their romance after they were pictured tucking into

food at the Kiwami Sushi in Studio City, California, on Tuesday(30.12.14). An onlooker told PEOPLE.com: “They wereengulfed in their little world of conversation.They were intoeach other and not noticing anyone else around them.” Theinsider added: “[They] seemed to be just content with eachother. He was really listening to what she was saying.” The 24-year-old actress reportedly ended their short-lived relation-ship three months ago because she was struggling to dealwith Chris’ close bond with his estranged wife GwynethPaltrow, with whom he has children Apple, ten, and Moses,

nine. A source said at the time: “It is hard for her [Jennifer] tounderstand the feelings between Chris and Gwyneth.”Meanwhile, Gwyneth, 42, recently opened up about herfriendship with Chris, 37 - who she “consciously uncoupled”from in March 2014 following ten years of marriage - andadmitted they had to work “really hard” for their children’ssake. She said: “We’ve worked really f***ing hard to get to[this] point. But we’re very, very close, and it’s so nice. “I feellike it’s, in a way, the relationship we were meant to have.”

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Martin spotted on a dinner date

The ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ star topped VanityFair magazine’s Tournament of Covers list, after being fea-tured on 34 covers of the United States’ tabloid magazines.

Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge and ‘Cake’ actress, JenniferAniston, tied for second place after receiving 23 covers each.The Kardashian family - including Kim, Kourtney Kardashian,Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner -graced nearly 20% of all covers, appearing on 54 separateissues. The 34-year-old television personality also appearedhigh up in a poll which listed the worst celebrity neighbours.Kim and her husband, Kanye West, received 22% of the vote,

slightly behind Justin Bieber in a survey conducted by Zillow, anonline real estate database. The company’s chief marketing offi-cer, Amy Bohutinsky said: “From his frequent run-ins with thelaw to his over-the-top house parties, Justin Bieber has earnedhimself quite a bad-boy reputation that only continued to buildin 2014. “No one wants to live on the same street as someoneaccused of reckless driving or egging neighbouring homes,which is likely why Bieber received the highest percentage of‘worst’ votes in survey history.”

Kim Kardashianwas 2014’s Queen of the Tabloids

Hilaria Baldwin took to her Instagram account today (02.01.15) to hintat the sex of the couple’s unborn child and to promise that she’ll docu-ment every part of her pregnancy. Alongside a photograph of four

pairs of shoes - belonging to herself, Alec, their 16-month-old daughterCarmen and their upcoming new arrival - she wrote: “So we have anannouncement to make to make... can you guess?? Now, with this little babygrowing inside of me, I will document for you how I am going to take care ofmyself while pregnant and beyond. There will be great tips if you are expect-ing of if you just want to learn really good exercises and nutrition tips... herewe go again!!! (sic).” The yoga fanatic announced her pregnancy yesterday

(01.01.15) by posting a picture of Alec, 56, holding Carmen who is seentouching her mother’s baby bump on a beach in front of a sunset. Thebrunette beauty added the caption: “The sun has set on 2014 and on my yearof daily#hilariaypd ....2015 is going to be very exciting as we are thrilled toannounce we are expecting another little addition to our family!(tadasana)#yogapostureoftheday (sic)” Meanwhile, the news will come as lit-tle surprise to fans of the couple - who married in June 2012 - as Alec recentlyadmitted his 30-year-old wife is keen to have another baby in the near future.

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The 33-year-old rapper reportedly calledthe police after he convinced himselfPrincess Love - who allegedly threat-

ened to shoot herself after seeing photo-graphs of the hunk with Karrueche Tran fol-lowing their messy split in October last year -would murder him before taking her own life.In an audio recording, obtained by TMZ.com,Ray J can be heard expressing his concerns tothe police after Princess Love’s alleged threatscame just two days after his friend Earl Hayesreportedly shot his wife before killing himselflast month. Speaking to police on his way towork, the ‘One Wish’ hitmaker told the emer-gency department he needed urgent assis-tance at his home, saying: “She’s threatening

to kill herself because I wanted to end therelationship... I went back to try and find thegun, but she won’t show it to me. “I don’twant to be in the house because Earl justkilled his girlfriend, I’m thinking she might killme.” Meanwhile, Ray J - whose real name isWilliam Ray Norwood Jr. - initially angered thebrunette beauty when he got custody overtheir Maltese puppy, Boogotti following theirsplit. A source explained: “The two went at itover the three-pound Maltese puppy, to thepoint where Ray’s security had to step in.”

Ray J feared his suicidal ex-girlfriend would kill him

Alec Baldwin’s wife expecting a baby boy

The 23-year-old singer has beenin a relationship with modelOliver Cheshire, 26, for over four

years and she has revealed the couplehave tentatively begun talking aboutmarriage. Pixie admits her dreamwould be to have two ceremonies, anintimate service abroad and then ahuge celebration back in her nativeEngland. Discussing her potentialwedding in the February issue ofMarie Claire magazine, she said: “Itprobably will be massive. I love smallweddings in a different country, but Ilove massive ones in England, somaybe I’ll have two. Hopefully twoweddings, not two different mar-riages! But I’m not thinking of gettingmarried yet because I ’m still soyoung.” Pixie also revealed she andOliver share a passion for clothes andtheir home is always littered with gar-ments. The ‘All About Tonight’ hitmak-er - who recently impressed on ball-

room show ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ -also loves the fact her man works in asimilar industry to herself. She said:“There are clothes everywhere. It’sdefinitely one of our shared interests -we talk about new trends and stuff!He went into the industry aged 15, soreally young like me. He hasn’t taughtme to pose ... although we recentlydid a shoot for Select and it was sofunny watching him. He doesn’t takeany warming up he just smashes itright away.”

Pixie Lott wants to have two weddings

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

l if e s t y l eM U S I C & M O V I E S

Without Iron Man, Batman or James Bond to bol-ster ticket sales, the overall box office plunged5.2% in 2014, topping out at $10.3 billion

domestically. Audiences cooled to Hollywood offerings,voting with their feet as attendance dropped by an esti-mated 6% to 1.26 billion, the lowest figure in nearly twodecades. “This was the most flabbergasting year ever,”said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst withRentrak. “The good news is that the movie business hada great year in 2013. A record breaker. The bad newswas that in 2014, it was measured against that success.”

Although there were some blockbusters such as“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The LEGO Movie” and“Maleficent,” many of the big films and sequels didn’tgive off as loud of a bang. Franchises such as “TheAmazing Spider-Man” and “The Hunger Games” put upimpressive global numbers, but showed some signs ofage when they couldn’t match the domestic grosses ofprevious installments.

“ The old standards didn’t live up to what wasexpected,” said Dan Fellman, domestic distribution chiefat Warner Bros. “Maybe it was franchise fatigue, butwhen you look at hits like ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘LEGO Movie,’they offered something new.” Maybe it was too much ofthe same, but there are troubling signs that moviego-ers, particularly younger ones, are more reticent aboutmaking the trek to multiplexes. Americans aged 12 to24 saw 15% fewer films in theaters during the first threequarters of the year, according to Nielsen. And in 2013,

according to a Motion Picture Association ofAmerica report, the number of frequent moviegoersbetween the ages of 18 to 24 fell by a record 17%.

“Movies are not the only game in town,” said Jeff Bock, abox office analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “It’s cellphones. It’s streaming. It’s instant entertainment, andthe movies aren’t that. They’re playing catch-up here.”

Digital devicesIt’s not just getting harder to pull audiences away

from digital devices, there’s also the rise in quality tele-vision programming. Shows such as “True Detective”and “The Walking Dead” are equal to bigscreen enter-tainment and may be taking a bite out of the box office.The answer, studios say, remains fewer films, but biggerbets.

“Technology creates new alternatives and distrac-tions, and that’s something that we as people whomake content and show content have to be aware of,”said Dave Hollis, Disney’s distribution chief. “There hasto be a clutter buster strategy of making events insidecinema where missing these events come at theexpense of social currency and where people aren’table to participate in water cooler conversation.”

It may also require altering the release and market-ing plans for a film. Instead of simply running ads onmajor broadcast networks or trying to get in 4,000 loca-tions, studios need to be more strategic. Data that stu-dios now collect on the types of audiences they want toreach should inform decisions and keep a ceiling oncosts. “It’s not a shot in the dark,” said Nikki Rocco, presi-dent of domestic distribution at Universal Pictures. “Youhave to take time and study things.” Just look at theyear’s biggest film event-an 88-second trailer for “StarWars: The Force Awakens.” The YouTube debut of the

trailer was seen by more than 40 million users in lessthan 72 hours and dominated Twitter, Facebook andother social media platforms despite containing littlemore than a nifty new light saber and a fleetingglimpse of the Millennium Falcon. John Williams’ tri-umphal theme music did the rest.

“Doesn’t that tell you everything you need to knowabout the ways people are interacting with content ischanging?” said Greg Foster, Imax Entertainment CEO.“When it comes to selling a movie or positioning amovie, the success or failure of that first image and thatfirst teaser is more important than almost anythingelse.” Television remains the most surefire way to reachthe broadest audience, while radio and print promo-tions are being jettisoned. Instead, some studios havebeen delving more heavily into digital promotion, par-ticularly with films geared at teenage crowds such aslast summer’s “If I Stay.”

Different story“You have to be where people are and make sure

your materials are compelling and provocative,” saidSue Kroll, president of worldwide marketing and inter-national distribution at Warner Bros. “We’re being muchsmarter about how we spend. You can’t be everywhere.”

Studios and exhibitors are quick to blame the filmsthemselves for the recent downturn, not the art formitself. They also point out that 2015, which boasts newchapters in the Avengers, Jurassic Park and 007 sagas,to say nothing of “The Hunger Games” finale, should hit$11 billion for the first time in history.

“One thing we continue to see is that the box office

is very product driven and it requires compellingmovies to get people out of their houses,” said RobMoore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures.

Given that the summer box office was at a 17-yearlow when taking inflation into account, the picturecould have been much more gloomy. Films such as“Gone Girl” and “Big Hero 6” helped reinvigorate ticketsales in the fall, and a strong slate of Christmas releasespushed receipts up nearly 7% from 2013.

The coming year should be a different story. Notonly will the big-budget sequels appeal to children ofall ages, but pictures such as “Fifty Shades of Grey” arepositioned to draw specific demographics such aswomen that are too often ignored by major studios.

“There are enough films that should boost the boxoffice and should send people to theaters throughoutthe year so that moviegoing stays part of their ritualand part of their routine,” said Moore.

Now the movie business has to hope that in 2015,audiences will get back in the habit of hitting up themultiplex. “I remain very optimistic about our businessand the future of our business, but everybody has to besmart and nimble and open to change,” said Kroll. “It’sdefinitely a different climate out there, but the moviesare the movies, and there will always be a place formoviegoing.” The success of recent films such as “TheHobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” and “Unbroken”show that people still love going to the movies andhelped close 2014 on an incongruous high note.

Yet the fact remains that if the numbers don’t lookvery different by this time next year it may be time topanic. — Reuters

Box Office drops 5% in 2014: What’s behind the fall

This photo provided by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Luke Evans, center, as Bard in the fantasy adventure “The Hobbit: The Battle of theFive Armies,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), releases by Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM. — AP

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” isheading for a three-peat, projected to winits third consecutive weekend at the US box

office with an estimated $23 million.Disney’s “Into the Woods” and Universal’s

“Unbroken” look likely to finish in the high teens andRelativity’s “Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” shouldopen to as much as $15 million.

Should the estimates hold, the box office leaderswill finish ahead of the first weekend of 2014, whichwas led by the sixth weekend of “Frozen” with $19.6million. Early Friday estimates showed New Line-MGM’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” atabout $9 million, projecting to around $23 million forthe first weekend of 2015. That’s down about 45% fromthe Christmas weekend.

Peter Jackson’s conclusion to his Middle-earth epiccrossed the $200 million mark in US grosses Friday andshould wind up the weekend with about $222 million.After 16 days, “Five Armies” is already the eighth-high-

est domestic grosser among titles released in 2014.International grosses for “Five Armies” have hit $457.8million, led by $62.6 million in Germany and $52.3 mil-lion in the UK, both after three weeks. China will openon Jan. 23. As with the Christmas weekend, RobMarshall’s “Into the Woods” and Angelina Jolie’s“Unbroken” will fight for second place, with the earlyedge favoring Disney’s musical with $7 million to $8million Friday for a finish in the $18 million to $20 mil-lion range.

“Into the Woods,” with a $50 million budget, isheading toward profitability for Disney with domesticgrosses topping $90 million by the end of the week-end. Key international launches will begin Jan. 8 withAustralia and Jan. 9 in the U.K.

War drama “Unbroken,” with a $65 million budget,has performed far above forecasts and also looks to bea money-maker for the studio and Legendary. Friday’searly estimates were at about $7 million, portending aweekend in the $17 million to $18 million range-leav-

ing its domestic B.O. at about $87 million at the end ofits second weekend.

“Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death,” the first 2015title, looked respectable with about $5 million to $6.7million in early estimates on Friday, including $1.5 mil-lion in latenight showings. That projects out to a rangeof $12 million to $15 million for the weekend.Paramount’s “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones”opened with an $18.3 million weekend in the firstframe of 2014.

Relativity had originally scheduled the “Woman inBlack” sequel for Super Bowl weekend on Jan. 30 butmoved it forward four weeks in October. No other hor-ror films will open until the end of February. Fox’s thirdweekend of “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb”appeared headed for fifth place with around $4.7 mil-lion on Friday, projecting to a weekend take of about$12 million. The comedy sequel’s showing respectableholding power and should wind up the weekendabove $85 million. — Reuters

‘Hobbit’ leads New Year’s weekend box office

When she accepted her Oscar inFebruary for “Blue Jasmine,” CateBlanchett delivered a painfully nec-

essary message to those in the industry“who are still foolishly clinging to the ideathat female films, with women at the center,are niche experiences. They are not.Audiences want to see them and, in fact,they earn money. The world is round, peo-ple!”

Alas, the world looks flatter than ever ifthe movies in the running for best pictureare any indication. We actually seem tohave regressed this season: Blanchett’scompetition for lead actress notably includ-ed Amy Adams, Sandra Bullock and JudiDench, whose respective movies,“American Hustle,” “Gravity” and“Philomena,” were all nominated for bestpicture. The year before, we had “Amour,”“Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Silver LiningsPlaybook” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” all ofwhich boasted strongly developed femaleleads and scored nominations for actress aswell as picture.

What’s striking about this year’s Oscarrace, by contrast, is just how many moviesin the conversation “American Sniper,”“Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “Foxcatcher,” “TheGrand Budapest Hotel,” “The ImitationGame,” “Interstellar,” “Nightcrawler,”“Unbroken” and “Whiplash”-are primarilydriven, if not outright dominated, by maleprotagonists.

There are a few arguable exceptions.Ava DuVernay’s Martin Luther King Jr. dra-ma “Selma,” one of two probable picturenominees directed by a woman (the otherbeing Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken”), focuseson King, but pointedly highlights the oftenoverlooked contributions of the women ofthe civil-rights movement.

“The Theory of Everything” may be asimplified gloss on the life of StephenHawking, but in lending equal dramaticweight to his wife, Jane, it also attempts tocorrect, or at least complicate, the support-ive-wife biopic cliche. Similarly dividedbetween its married protagonists is “GoneGirl” (David Fincher’s second “Girl” movie ina row, incidentally), whose gender politicshave stirred no end of debate: Is RosamundPike playing a righteous anti-heroine or afreakish misogynist construct? Whicheverone it is, I ’m genuinely grateful thatAmazing Amy exists.

Their masculine titles notwithstanding,“Birdman” and “Boyhood” are not withouttheir richly developed female characters-played by Emma Stone in the former,Patricia Arquette in the latter.

The same goes for “Nightcrawler,” whereRene Russo provides a much-needed coun-terweight to Jake Gyllenhaal, or“Interstellar,” in which Anne Hathaway andJessica Chastain balance keen intelligenceand scientific acumen with fierce, unrulyemotions. But surveying the race in itstotality, we seem to find ourselves, oncemore, in a man’s world, where women tendto hover reluctantly around their men likemoons stuck in orbit.

What makes the situation even moreperplexing is that it was by no means a yearlacking in first-rate, female-driven movies.Julianne Moore is a worthy best actressfrontrunner for the quietly devastating “StillAlice.” “Wild” gave Reese Witherspoon hermost substantial dramatic showcase inyears. Marion Cotillard had a magnificentrun, radiating fragile authenticity in “TwoDays, One Night” and the purity of a silentscreen heroine in “The Immigrant.”

Gugu Mbatha-Raw deserved to be moreof a breakout star for “Belle” and especially“Beyond the Lights.” Essie Davis is a revela-tion in “The Babadook,” which goes deeperinto the heart of embattled motherhoodthan any psychological horror movie since“We Need to Talk About Kevin.”(Unfortunately, “Babadook” is ineligible forOscar consideration due to rules disqualify-ing films with pre-theatrical VOD windows.)

Scarlett Johansson, though playing apresumably gender-neutral alien, ownsevery minute of “Under the Skin.” “Ida” fea-

tures not one but two singular femaleleads, Agata Trzebuchowska and AgataKulesza, and “We Are the Best!” has three:Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin and LivLeMoyne. And if you can look pastChristoph Waltz’s showboating in “Big Eyes,”the movie really does belong to AmyAdams in a radiant turn as a wife, motherand artist overcoming the oppressions ofher era.

The cause of advancing diversity in artis, of course, more than a matter of fillingquotas and counting chromosomes, andit’s possible to find the system wantingwithout discounting the value of what it’sgiven us. Refreshing as it would be forBennett Miller, Alejandro G. Inarritu andChristopher Nolan to delve into a woman’spsyche now and then, their work this yearmerits praise and recognition. “Foxcatcher”is a veritable tempest of testosterone, andno less remarkable for it. Richard Linklater’s“Girlhood” may well have been as extraor-dinary as “Boyhood,” but I’m not sure that itwould have felt quite so personal or rungquite so true. A movie called “Birdwoman,”alas, could exist only in a world wherecomicbook heroines have the same culturaland commercial currency as their malecounterparts.

It’s always easier to identify a worrisometrend than to figure out its cause, much lessto suggest a workable solution. We canpoint to the limitations of genre in the caseof “American Sniper,” “The Imitation Game”and “Unbroken,” given that most biographi-cal war movies are about the exploits,adventures and sufferings of men. Still,whatever these films’ particular shortcom-ings or virtues, I suspect that awards votersare too often inclined to accept them ontheir own grand, self-important terms,which not so subtly conflate significancewith masculinity: Watch Chris Kyle andLouis Zamperini march off to war! See AlanTuring change the face of history!Contrastthis with the relatively solitary, interior (andmostly non-biographical) journeys under-taken by some of this year’s female protag-onists: a woman quietly losing her mind in“Still Alice,” or searching for her life’s mean-ing in “Wild,” or simply trying to hold on toher job in “Two Days, One Night.” (The criticCarrie Rickey nailed it, sadly, in an interviewseveral years ago: “What men do is univer-sal; what women do is particular.”)

Given Hollywood’s bent toward weightythemes and real-life subjects, one mightcynically suggest that the industry shouldfoster more historical dramas about femalegeniuses, eccentrics and political leadersfor a change. But if the result is simply amovie as banal and reductive as “The IronLady,” why bother?

Some of this is simple auteurism atwork: If there’s a reason why this year’s bestpicture race feels a bit lopsided, it’s proba-bly because Clint Eastwood, Wes Anderson,Inarritu, Linklater, Miller and Nolan werealways more likely to generate frontrunnerattention than emerging, marginalizedand/or foreign-born filmmakers likeJennifer Kent, Gina Prince-Bythewood,James Gray, Jonathan Glazer, Jean-Pierreand Luc Dardenne, Pawel Pawlikowski andLukas Moodysson. And this, year after year,is the chief frustration of awards season: anexcess of lockstep thinking, and an unwill-ingness to look away from establishmentfavorites.

It would take a less complacent, moreadventurous voting body to recognize thatthe subtitled likes of “Ida” and “Two Days,One Night” deserve more of a place in theconversation than glossy prestige pictureslike “The Imitation Game” or “Unbroken.” Itwould take an even more discerning sensi-bility to look past the misleading Lifetime-movie veneer that has relegated a drama aspiercing as “Still Alice” to some sort of spe-cialty-division ghetto. That Moore willalmost certainly win best actress is, I sup-pose, some consolation, but when shetakes the stage come February, I hope shetells us something we sadly still need tohear. —Reuters

Awards season’s female troubles

Residents of Selma, Alabama, willnext week be offered free screen-ings of “Selma,” a Golden Globe-

nominated film some locals welcome asthe telling of an important civil rights-era story while others fear it could harmthe downtrodden city’s image.

The film, which portrays events sur-rounding civil rights protests in thetown in 1965 led by Martin Luther KingJr., will be shown courtesy of ParamountPictures starting Jan. 9 and run throughthe month at the Selma Walton Theater.

Starring David Oyelowo as King, thefilm has generated Oscar buzz but alsoaccusations of historical inaccuracyaround the role of then-PresidentLyndon Johnson, a civil rights propo-nent who is depicted opposing themarches.

It has also stirred passions in Selma.The town has about 20,000 people,roughly 80 percent of whom are blackand more than 40 percent of whom livein poverty, according to census figures.

US Representative Terri Sewell, ablack Democrat and Selma native, saidthe film is both an opportunity for thetown to attract attention and businessand to memorialize its key role in the

civil rights struggle. “It’s important for usto tell this story,” she said. Alston KeithJr., a lifelong Selma resident who waspreparing for law school at the time ofthe protests, says he worries the film willoverstate the violence, which he sayswas more sporadic than how it wasreported at the time. “I don’t know if themovie is going to help Selma’s imagethe way it will be portrayed,” said Keith,who is white. The Selma Walton Theateris itself an emblem of the city’s morerecent struggles and its quest to rein-vent itself. The city-owned venue, whichwas refurbished and opened in 2012after years of disuse, was shuttered inlate 2013 when no investors could befound to take it over. It will be reopenedfor the screenings. David Jackson, a con-sultant who moved to Selma fromCalifornia with his wife four years ago,said he was moved by the film when hesaw an early screening. It captures theessence of the town he has grown tolove, said Jackson, who was behind thepush to reopen the theater in 2012.

“I don’t see it as opening up newwounds. I see it as a part of history,” hesaid. “It was painful, but we all got betteras a result of it.” — Reuters

Alabama town readies for screenings of film ‘Selma’

Ava DuVernay poses at the PalmSprings International Film Festivalopening night screening of SELMAat Palm Springs High School. — AP

Virginia Madsen poses at the PalmSprings International Film Festivalopening night screening of SELMA atPalm Springs High School. —AP photos

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

l if e s t y l e

When Bhutan’s top director TsheringWangyel finishes a film, he and his stafftake to the Himalayan countryside for

months at a time armed with a projector, tent,screen and tickets.

Movie making in the isolated kingdom isstrenuous business. Not only do you have toteach yourself the filmmaking basics, but youmust lug a makeshift cinema from village to vil-lage to reach Bhutan’s movie-loving population.Despite the lack of infrastructure, Bhutan’s 25-year-old industry is thriving, with audiences inone of the most remote countries on earth flock-ing to homegrown movies that blend Bollywoodwith traditional Buddhist teachings.

“Currently, it takes us a year to cover thecountry for screenings. I used to do it myself allthe time, now I send my staff,” Wangyel told AFPin the capital Thimphu.

“Last year, my boys took a car, a screen, a tent,a projector, tickets - they went from district todistrict, setting up a makeshift cinema in eachvenue or using school auditoriums.” Many of theindustry’s directors and actors also have to jug-gle their passion for cinema with day jobs as sol-diers, monks, even politicians. Wangyel began hiscareer in government, but the avid Bollywoodfan, who grew up in a country where Indianmusicals were a staple, always had movies on hismind.

“I was living this mundane 9-to-5 life when Idecided to make my first film: a love triangleabout two college kids falling for the same girl,”Wangyel said.

Three of his friends acted in the 1999 produc-tion and contributed $5,000 each towards theshoestring budget. Wangyel, then an official inthe ministry of agriculture, wrote the screenplayand handled the camera, sound and lighting. Healso made Bhutan’s first musical number, liftingthe melody from a popular Indian film and con-vincing his cousins to serve as backup dancers.

He released the flick, “Rawa” (Hope), inThimphu’s only cinema, the crumbling, rat-infest-ed Lugar, currently under renovation. By the timehe made his second, he realised that while pro-duction was a challenge, distribution was anordeal, requiring filmmakers to carry generators,fuel and screening equipment from village to vil-lage.

Forty movies later, he says distribution contin-ues to be a slog, handicapping the industry’sgrowth. The long wait for screenings has alsofuelled a thriving piracy industry, with impatientaudiences eager to watch illegal copies of theDzongkha-language films.

Despite these challenges, however, the indus-try has expanded substantially, with annual out-put jumping from three films a decade ago to 15films this year.

Bollywood influence Each year, it attracts new entrants like aspir-

ing director Killey Tshering, who turned a friend’sbungalow into a film set and secured funds froma cousin, all to make his debut venture, “Nga DhaChoe” (You and Me).

“Filmmaking in Bhutan is a community enter-prise-friends lend their houses, relatives give youmoney, everyone helps out on set,” Tshering, 27,told AFP on the sidelines of his shoot. The popu-larity of local films has seen fans give the boot toBollywood productions, which are rarely shown

these days in Bhutan’s handful of cinemas afterdominating screens for decades. However, theinfluence of the Mumbai-based industry on itsBhutanese counterpart is unmistakable.Although a small number of Bhutanese films,including 1999’s “The Cup”, directed by a TibetanBuddhist lama, have found critical and commer-cial success overseas, viewers at home prefermovies with a dose of song and dance.

“If a film is too artistic or realistic, it won’twork. Our audiences like a formula - it mustinclude songs, dances, humour and tears,”Wangyel said. Critics blame Bhutan’s isolation,which only allowed access to television in 1999,and its limited exposure to world cinema for theformulaic but commercially successful produc-tions.

“The sad part is we say we are so proud of ourculture but then you look at our films, it’s like wehave picked up a broken piece of mirror fromBollywood’s vanity case,” said independent film-maker Tashi Gyeltshen.

But with movies based on Buddhist legendsand actors usually dressed in traditional cloth-ing-the wrap-around “gho” for men and fittedankle-length “kira” for women-Bhutanese culturalidentity lies at their heart.

Plotlines often portray a clash between tradi-tion and modernity, with conservatism gettingthe last word as characters hold forth on theimportance of prayer and background chantsurge viewers to be good Buddhists.

Gyeltshen, whose short film “The Red Door”screened at the Rotterdam film festival this year,told AFP the relentless push to promote traditionwhile imitating Bollywood formula risked creat-ing “a cultural desert” for future generations. “Weare wallowing in past glory...we are not creatinganything in terms of leaving a legacy,” Gyeltshensaid. “Everyone in Bhutan talks about the preser-vation of culture - but if you don’t create, whatwill you preserve?” — AFP

Bhutanese film goers gather ahead of a screening outside a cinema in Thimphu. — AFP photos

Mountains, makeshift cinemas asBhutan’s battle to make movies

Bhutanese independent filmmaker, Tashi Gyeltshen Wangyel gestures ashe speaks during an interview with AFP in Thimphu.

Bhutanese actress takes part in the shooting of a film scene. Bhutanese film crew converses during the shooting of a film scene.

Bhutanese film goers gather ahead of a screening outside a cinema in Thimphu.

In this photograph taken on October24, 2014, a Bhutanese make up artist(L) brushes an actresses face ahead ofshooting a film scene on a set inThimphu. Movie making in the isolatedkingdom is strenuous business. Notonly do you have to teach yourself thefilmmaking basics, but you must luga makeshift cinema from village tovillage to reach Bhutan’s movie-lovingpopulation.

39Mountains,makeshift cinemas asBhutan’s battle to makemovies

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2015

Indian conducter Zubin Mehta performs with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during the New Year’s Concert at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. — AFP

In one of the more unusual examples of a match-up ofold and new media that pays off, Tony Bennett hasfound the perfect dance partner in Lady Gaga as their

“Cheek to Cheek” tour rung in 2015 in Las Vegas.The fanbases for both singers filled the Cosmopolitan

resort’s Chelsea theater for a two-hour show that provedcharmingly effective in showing off the talents of bothartists on a stage simply decorated with crystal-studdedcurtains. Bennett, 88, can still belt out the lyrics as healways has, especially his performance of “Steppin’ OutWith My Baby,” and a sweet, memorable version of CharlieChaplin’s “Smile.”

But it’s Gaga who stood out perhaps the most, gamelytaking on jazz classics as she shimmied across the stage oraround Bennett in a variety of sequined flapper dresses,feathered boas and headdresses during her many cos-tume and wig changes, some of which invoked LizaMinnelli. Backed by the Brian Newman Quartet, her explo-sive rendition of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” asshe wore a shiny silver jumpsuit, was the highlight of theevening, although her sassy approach to “Bewitched,

Bothered & Bewildered” and “Lush Life,” came close.Yet it was their duets of songs like “I Won’t Dance,” “It

Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got That Swing)” and “Let’sFace the Music and Dance” that audiences clearly came tosee, and showed off the chemistry between the two. Gaganever tried to upstage Bennett, often showing restraintand making sure to pay respect to the iconic crooner.That, and her confident performance, surely went overwell with the older crowd in the audience, and could payoff in the future as she releases new albums.

Suddenly, she’s no longer the risque pop singer whopushes the boundaries for headline-grabbing sake, butthe approachable talented young artist (she’s 28) who canstand alongside the best of them-and actually sound asthey do in their songs when they perform live, somethingmany pop artists struggle to do.

In their setlist Bennett and Gaga smartly held off onfeaturing too many duets during “Cheek to Cheek,” givingeach of them equal time to shine with solo numbers. Butthe energy in the room always lit up once Gaga took thestage. Given the stature of its two stars, “Cheek to Cheek”

needed to launch in Las Vegas-and from inside the NewYork-themed Chelsea. The album was recorded in Gothamand has been a top-seller worldwide since its release inSeptember. The tour’s first ticketed performance was heldDec. 30, also inside the Chelsea.

The show also is a win for the Cosmopolitan, whichbuilt the Chelsea in order to regularly attract bigger musicacts to a large theater that isn’t devoted to a single artistslike Britney Spears, across the street at Planet Hollywood,or Celine Dion in Caesars.

With a sold-out crowd, the Cosmopolitan easily com-peted with the hotter nightclubs in the area (even insideits own property), with Drake performing New Years Eve atMarquee, Iggy Azaliea at Drai’s, Robin Thicke at Foxtail andMacklemore + Ryan Lewis at 1 OAK. Gaga is hardly a new-comer. But if collaborations like “Cheek to Cheek” are thefuture and will give Hollywood an idea of how establishedartists can work with younger artists-especially thoseemerging on YouTube and other digital platforms-as away to speak to a broad audience, it looks like 2015 couldbe a very good year. — Reuters

Promoters say Bill Cosby’s Canadian shows will happen

The promoters of Bill Cosby’s three shows in Canada nextweek said Friday the comedian’s representatives informedthem he has “every intent” to do them and they are legally

obligated to put them on.Chicago-based Innovation Arts & Entertainment said in a

statement they understand the decision is unpopular but thatboth they and the venues are obligated to proceed and that “wewould face crippling legal obstacles for violation.”

More than 15 women have come forward since Novemberclaiming to have been drugged, sexually assaulted or both byCosby, who has never been charged in connection with any ofthe allegations. As controversy has grown, Cosby’s scheduledNetflix concert special was canceled and NBC scrapped a newCosby sitcom in development.

The 77-year-old Cosby is scheduled to appear at the Centre inthe Square in Kitchener, Ontario, on Jan. 7; at the BudweiserGardens in London, Ontario, on Jan. 8; and at Hamilton PlaceTheatre in Hamilton, Ontario, on Jan. 9. “As recently as this morn-ing, IAE has been informed by Mr. Cosby’s representatives that hehas every intent to perform these events,” the statement said.

Jason MacDonald, a spokesman for Canadian Prime MinisterStephen Harper, called the allegations against Cosby “very seri-ous and deeply troubling” but declined to comment further.

Protests are planned for the Canadian shows. “While it is dis-appointing for the need to worry about the theater being a placefor planned protests, we are fully prepared to protect our audi-ence,” the statement by Innovation Arts & Entertainment said.

Megan Walker, executive director of the London AbusedWomen’s Centre, who is planning a protest outside the Londonvenue, took issue with the promoter’s statement. “There’s animplication that somehow a peaceful protest is going to becomeviolent when the violence we’re concerned about is the violencethat the women have alleged against Mr. Cosby,” Walker said.

Scott Warren, the general manager of Hamilton Place Theatrein Hamilton, Ontario, has said the theater is bound by a contractwith the promoter and would risk being sued if the show werecanceled. — AP

‘Cheek to Cheek’ tour rings in New YearLady Gaga, Tony Bennett make perfect dance partners

In this Nov. 21, 2014 filephoto, comedian Bill Cosbyperforms during a show at

the Maxwell C. King Centerfor the Performing Arts in

Melbourne, Fla. The promot-ers of Bill Cosby’s three

shows in Canada next weeksaid Friday, the comedian’s

representatives informedthem he has “every intent”

to do them and they arelegally obligated to put

them on. —AP

Little Jimmy Dickens, a diminutive singer-songwriter known for his sense ofhumor and as the oldest cast member of

the Grand Ole Opry, has died. He was 94.Dickens died Friday at a Nashville-area

hospital of cardiac arrest after suffering astroke on Christmas Day, Opry spokeswomanJessie Schmidt said. Dickens, who stood 4-foot-11, had performed on the Opry almostcontinuously since 1948. His last perform-ance was Dec. 20 as part of his birthday cele-bration. He sang “Out Behind The Barn” anddelivered his trademark comedy. He hadturned 94 a day earlier.

“The Grand Ole Opry did not have a betterfriend than Little Jimmy Dickens,” said PeteFisher, Opry vice president and general man-ager. “He loved the audience and his Opryfamily, and all of us loved him back. He was aone-of-kind entertainer and a great soulwhose spirit will live on for years to come.”Country legend Hank Williams Sr. nicknamedhim “Tater” based on Dickens’ song “Take anOld Cold Tater (And Wait).”

His novelty songs, including his biggesthit “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose”about good and bad luck, earned him a spotin the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983. Itcrossed over from a country hit to become ahit on the pop charts - a rarity in those days -with its rollicking chorus: “May the bird of par-adise fly up your nose; May an elephantcaress you with its toes; May your wife beplagued with runners in her hose; May thebird of paradise fly up your nose.” Dickens

said in a 2009 Associated Press interview thathis first impression of the song was “it was anice piece of material to inject in my show.Then I went to Vietnam (to perform) for twomonths and when I got home it was my pay:a No. 1 song.” The guitarist made more than adozen trips to perform in Europe and enter-

tained troops in Vietnam three times. His oth-er hits included “A-Sleepin’ at the Foot of theBed,” “Out Behind the Barn,” “Country Boy” and“I’m Little But I’m Loud.”

He is credited with introducing rhinestonesuits to country music around 1950, taking asuggestion from Los Angeles clothing design-

er Nudie.”He said that when the lights hitthem, the audience would go ‘Wow,’ “ Dickensrecalled in the 2009 interview. “He was 100percent right.”

Dickens was born in Bolt, West Virginia,the 13th and youngest child in a coal-miningfamily. Coal mining was the main industry inhis area, but it wasn’t for him. “I wouldn’t haveworked the mines. I wasn’t large enough,” heonce said. One of his first jobs was crowinglike a rooster on a radio station in Beckley,West Virginia, to begin the station’s broad-casting for the day.

“I was not paid for it. I was just hangingaround and they let me do that. I did it for ayear or so, then eventually I worked my wayto doing a song,” he said. Before becoming anationally known country singer, he workedat radio stations in Indianapolis; Cincinnati;Topeka, Kansas; and Saginaw, Michigan.

Dickens said in 2009 that he’d never beenself-conscious about his height. “It’s beenvery good for me. I’ve made fun of it, and geta laugh here and there,” he said. In October2008, Dickens energetically got on a step lad-der on the Opry stage to get eye level with 6-foot-6 country singer Trace Adkins.

“You’re so tall, if you fell down, you’d behalfway home when you got up,” Dickens toldhim.He is survived by his wife, Mona, and twodaughters. Dickens had surgery Jan. 13, 2009,to repair a subdural hematoma, a form ofbrain injury. He spent a week in a hospital,then went to a rehab center, but resumedperforming in late February 2009. —AP

Little Jimmy Dickens, oldest Opry member, dies at 94

In this Sept 28, 2010 file photo, country music stars Brad Paisley, right, andLittle Jimmy Dickens perform “Will the Circle be Unbroken?” as the openingsong as the curtain goes up in the Grand Ole Opry House, in Nashville, Tenn.Dickens, a diminutive singer-songwriter who was the oldest cast member ofthe Grand Ole Opry, has died. — AP