hunt for survivors after quake kills 415 near iran-iraq border...

16ISSUE NO: 17381

32 Pages 150 Fils

www.kuwaittimes.net

Established 1961 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

Alghanim Industries concludes Tmkeen Symposium sponsorship

ALAFCO finalizes $2.2bn deal for 20 Boeing aircraft

Trump hails ‘great relationship’ with Duterte at Asia summit

Resurgent Rams roll on as Cowboys stall

SAFAR 25, 1439 AH

TUESDAY,

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

1792

Max 29ºMin 14º

Tenants evacuated due to crack

KUWAIT: Some occupants of an apartment build-ing in Sabah Al-Salem have been evacuated due to acrack, said Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD)in a statement yesterday. The residents were evacu-ated at dawn today due to the crack in one side ofthe building, the KFSD said indicating that onlyoccupants of the part where the crack was locatedhad to leave their houses. The crack might havebeen caused by yesterday’s tremors. (See Page 3)

Banks examine Saudi accounts

KUWAIT/DUBAI: Kuwaiti banks have been toldby the Central Bank to provide account detailsrelating to some Saudi Arabian nationals, sourcessaid yesterday. The move follows the freezing ofmore than 2,000 domestic bank accounts in SaudiArabia after the detention of senior business figuresand officials in a campaign against alleged graft.Kuwait’s Central Bank had asked banks if they hadexposure to any of the Saudi citizens who werearrested, one of the sources said. Banks had alsobeen asked to provide information about the com-panies linked to the individuals. A second Kuwaitibanking source said some Kuwaiti banks had beenasked by the regulator to provide details on theirtotal exposure to Saudi Arabia.

News in briefOnline license renewal eyed

KUWAIT: Acting Interior Ministry AssistantUndersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major GeneralFahd Al-Showai told Al-Anbaa daily about a projectto renew driving licenses online, where the applicantapplies on the interior ministry website and submitsthe required documents, then receives the licensefrom machines similar to civil IDs. He added theweekly income of the traffic department is KD 1.2million from traffic fines, hoping this drops by 50percent due to compliance with the traffic law.

Hunt for survivors after quake kills 415 near Iran-Iraq border

Amir sends condolences to Iranian, Iraqi leadersTEHRAN: Teams of Iranian rescuers dugthrough rubble in a hunt for survivorsyesterday after a major earthquake struckthe Iran-Iraq border, killing at least 415people and injuring thousands. The 7.3-magnitude quake rocked a border area30 km southwest of Halabja in IraqiKurdistan at around 9:20 pm (1820 GMT)on Sunday, the US Geological Surveysaid. Many people would have been athome when the quake hit in Iran’s westernprovince of Kermanshah, where authori-ties said it killed at least 407 people andinjured 6,700. Across the border in moresparsely populated areas of Iraq, thehealth ministry said eight people had diedand several hundred were injured. Iraq’sRed Crescent reported nine dead andmore than 400 injured.

HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cableof condolences to Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani on the deaths inflicted bythe earthquake. HH the Amir appealed toHis Almighty to bestow great mercy uponthe souls of the victims and wished theinjured quick recovery. Sheikh Sabah alsosent condolence cables to Iraqi PresidentFuad Masum and Prime Minister HaidarAl-Abadi over the victims of the quake.HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH thePrime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-MubarakAl-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables toRouhani, Masum and Abadi.

As dusk approached yesterday, tens of

thousands of Iranians were forced tosleep outside in the cold for a secondnight as authorities scrambled to providethem with aid. Some had spent Sundaynight outdoors after fleeing their homes inthe mountainous cross-border region,huddling around fires at dawn as authori-ties sent in help. “People’s immediateneeds are firstly tents, water and food,”said the head of Iran’s elite RevolutionaryGuards, Major General Mohammad AliJafari. “Newly constructed buildings...held up well, but the old houses built withearth were totally destroyed,” he toldstate television during a visit to theaffected region.

Hundreds of ambulances and dozens ofarmy helicopters reportedly joined therescue effort after Iranian supreme leaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the gov-ernment and armed forces to mobilize “alltheir means”. Foreign media organizationshad not received authorization to visit thescene of the disaster yesterday. Officialssaid they were setting up relief camps forthe displaced. Iran’s emergency serviceschief Pir Hossein Koolivand said land-slides had cut off roads to affected vil-lages, impeding the access of rescueworkers. But by late afternoon, officialssaid all the roads in Kermanshah provincehad been re-opened, although the worst-affected town of Sarpol-e-Zahabremained without electricity, said statetelevision.

Continued on 1A woman mourns as she holds the body of her daughter who died in an earthquake in Sarpol-e-Zahab in western Iran yesterday. — AP

ABU DHABI: Oil producers are expected to unani-mously extend a production cut accord later this monthbut its duration is still under discussion, the UAE ener-gy minister said yesterday. “I think this group of com-mitted and responsible producers came together... andI think they will continue to do what it takes to take usto the next level,” United Arab Emirates EnergyMinister Suheil Al-Mazrouei told the ADIPEC interna-tional oil conference in Abu Dhabi. He said 158 millionbarrels of surplus crude oil remain on the market and

“we need to reduce that - which means there is apotential for extension”.

Mazrouei said there was near-unanimity among the24 OPEC and non-OPEC producers which agreed ayear ago to cut output by 1.8 million barrels per day.The minister said that he had “not heard anyone” talkabout allowing the cuts deal to expire, although theduration of the new extension would be “subject to dis-cussion”. “I am hopeful that we will reach an agreementthat will lead to more stabilization in the market andmore investments coming to the market,” he said.

Mazrouei said an escalating dispute betweenregional powers and OPEC members Saudi Arabia andIran will not prevent a new extension. As a result of thecuts, oil prices have rebounded to more than $64 a bar-rel from $40 a year ago, and huge stocks of crude builtup over the past three years have reduced.

Continued on Page 11

Oil producers to extend cuts to rebalance market

ABU DHABI: UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al-Mazrouei,speaks during the ADIPEC event yesterday. — AFP

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Hezbollah, blamed bySaad Hariri for his shock resignation aspremier, has grown over the threedecades since its founding into a mightyarmy used by Iran to project regionalinfluence. Hariri criticized the powerfulShiite movement for its meddling acrossthe Middle East during a televised inter-view from Saudi Arabia on Sunday, hisfirst media appearance since he steppeddown on Nov 4. Hezbollah has participat-ed in Hariri’s government for almost a year.

From Lebanon to Syria, Yemen, and

Iraq, Hezbollah has matured into Iran’smost useful “tool” - drawing the ire ofTehran’s regional rival Riyadh, analystssay. Hariri’s surprise resignation sparkedworries that Lebanon would be caught inthe crossfire of the bloody, decades-longpower struggle between Saudi Arabiaand Iran. “This resignation indicatesSaudi’s will to put a stop to Iran’s expan-sion,” said international relations expertKarim Bitar. Hezbollah had become Iran’s“trump card” in the Middle East, addedBitar, of the Paris-based Institute ofInternational and Strategic Affairs.

Since its founding in the 1980s duringLebanon’s grinding war, Hezbollah hasrelied heavily on Iran for financial, politi-cal and military support. It is the onlyfaction to have retained its arsenal ofweapons after the end of Lebanon’s 15-year civil conflict in 1990. Despite being

branded a “terrorist” organization by theUnited States and Gulf countries andtargeted with economic sanctions,Hezbollah has risen to play a decisiverole in regional conflicts. “The most

important Iranian tool in the region isHezbollah,” said Hilal Khashan, politicalscience professor at the AmericanUniversity of Beirut.


Hezbollah crown jewel of Iran’s rising influence

NABATIEH, Lebanon: This photo taken on Nov 08, 2017 shows members ofHezbollah saluting behind the coffins of three comrades killed in combat in Syriaduring their funeral. — AFP

DUBLIN: Irish musician and activist Bob Geldof calledMyanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi “a hand maiden togenocide” yesterday as he returned his Freedom of theCity of Dublin award in protest over his fellow recipient’sresponse to the repression of Rohingya Muslims, addingthe city had “been duped” into bestowing the award. “Idon’t want to be on a very select roll of wonderful peo-ple with a killer,” Geldof told state broadcaster RTE.“Someone who is at best a handmaiden to genocide and

an accomplice to murder.” More than 600,000 Muslims from Myanmar’s

Rakhine state have fled to refugee camps in Bangladeshafter military operations described by the UnitedNations as ethnic cleansing. Their plight has drawn out-rage around the world. But Suu Kyi, long seen as a cham-pion of human rights, has been criticsed for failing tospeak out against violence. There have been calls for herto be stripped of the Nobel Peace Prize she won in 1991.

Suu Kyi was given the Freedom of Dublin in 1999 whileshe was held under house arrest by Mayanmar’s then mil-itary government. She received her award at a receptionin Ireland in 2012, two years after her release. “Her asso-ciation with our city shames us all and we should have notruck with it, even by default. We honored her, now sheappalls and shames us,” Geldof said in a statement.


Geldof returns Dublin honor, slams Suu Kyi

DUBLIN: Irish musician Bob Geldof holds aloft hisFreedom of the City of Dublin scroll as he prepares toreturn it at Dublin City Hall yesterday. — AFP

Erdogan to discuss Gulf crisis

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogansaid yesterday he will discuss a solution to the five-month dispute between Qatar and its Gulf Arabneighbors during a visit to Kuwait. Erdogan isscheduled today to visit Kuwait, which has tried tomediate in the Gulf dispute.

Cultural forumfor Arab youth begins tomorrowBy Faten Omar

KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Youthheld a press conference yesterday toannounce a cultural forum for Arab youthbeginning tomorrow as part of the activi-ties of Kuwait, the Arab youth capital. Thethree-day forum coincides with a bookexhibition that will attended by 48 partic-ipants and a large number of Arab intel-lectuals and writers from 11 countries.

During the conference, chairman of theorganizing committee of the forum andthe director general of the authorityAbdulrahman Al-Mutairi said the forumwill include a competition in three fields -short story, poetry and art - in addition toseveral seminars and lectures. Mutairi

stressed that the forum reflects the role ofKuwait as a center of science, literature,culture and arts to promote and spreadthe values of moderation. He said theKuwaiti youth is capable of making thisevent a success and elevating it to a highlevel of creativity.

Mutairi said Sheikha Dr Suad Al-Sabah is the guest of honor as a rolemodel for young people with her dedica-tion to work, where she will present manyof her poetry, literary novels and histori-cal books. He said that the presence of aperson of such literary stature among theArab youth is an excellent addition to theforum, as it is “the wisdom of the pioneersand the enthusiasm of young people thatbrings experience and the transfer ofknowledge and diversity of work”.

Mutairi said that the forum will be anopportunity to enable young people toacquire important positions and skills inthe literary, cultural and arts fields, callingon Kuwaiti youth who are interested incultural aspects to attend and contributeto the activities to benefit from the vari-ous events of the forum.

Director of the forum Salah Al-Arjanireviewed the most important activities of

the forum, which will start after the open-ing with the participation of the distin-guished Al-Babtain Cultural Foundation,which will honor participating delegationsand then hold a symposium entitled“Kuwaitis’ pens” by writers Reem Al-Moussawi and Abulwahab Rifai.

Arjani said the second day will startwith a cultural tour of the participatingArab delegations to see the activities ofthe Association of Students of the Facultyof Arts at the National Library of Kuwait,followed by a lecture entitled “Arabic lan-guage - necessity or intellectual luxury”,presented by Mohammed Al-Sadani. Thiswill be followed by a symposium on the

history of art by the president of theassociation of fine arts Abdul RasoolSalman.

Arjani said the committee has formedjudging committees that include a groupof academics and specialists. Dr SalmanAl-Shatti, professor of literature and criti-cism at Kuwait University, chairs the shortstory contest jury; Dr Abdullah Al-Muhaini, professor of Arabic poetry atKuwait University, chairs the Arab poetrycompetition jury; while secretary of thefund of the Kuwaiti society for fine artsartist Salem Al-Kharji chairs the art con-test jury. Results will be announced at theend of the festival.

Alghanim Industriesconcludes TmkeenYouth Symposiumsponsorship KUWAIT: Alghanim Industries, one of the largest pri-vately owned companies in the region, concluded itsstrategic sponsorship of the 6th annual Tmkeen YouthSymposium, which was held under the patronage of theHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, from the 23rd to the 25th of October 2017.

Speaking about the sponsorship, Alghanim IndustriesCEO, Omar Kutayba Alghanim said: “Through six yearsof growth and continued success, Tmkeen’s YouthEmpowerment Symposium has proven to be an excellentforum for young, aspiring, entrepreneurs to interact withkey business leaders. Both the public and private sectorsmust play an active role in enabling our youth to becomemasters of their economic futures. We hope to see moreparticipants and more success stories out of Kuwait.”

He went on to say, “Alghanim Industries is dedicatedto youth empowerment and education - that’s why wewill continue to support initiatives that address this keysegment of our society. We’re proud to have taken partin Tmkeen, and are happy to see it thrive year afteryear.” The first day of the symposium held at the JaberAl-Ahmed Cultural Centre (JACC) started with two pan-el discussions on both “Youth Opportunities in theEnergy Sector” and “Startup Opportunities in thePrivate Sector”, in which a group of local business lead-ers participated in the discussion. Following that, a semi-nar on “Strategic Leadership” was held, which includedSimon Ainslie, former Global Vice President of Nokia,who discussed his perspective on the subject.

The second day of the symposium had a group ofyoung local entrepreneurs engage in a panel discussiontitled, “Tech Startups: Growth Challenges”. The eventcontinued with two seminars, the first titled “The Secretsof Launching a Startup” where Ghina Abbas, SeniorResearch Manager of Marketing Services and Insightsat Alghanim Industries, spoke about her experiencealongside Victoria Grace, Founder of Colle Captial. Theday was concluded with a seminar titled “NextGeneration of Tech Entrepreneur” featuring PatrickPichette, former Senior Vice President and Chief

Financial Officer at Google Inc.On the third and final day, Sam Chamberlain, Chief

Operating Officer of Five Guys Group, spoke of hisendeavors in a seminar titled “Building and EvolvingYour FandB Brand”. The final seminar, “Lessons forYoung Entrepreneurs”, included Mike Tattersfield,Chairman of Caribou Coffee, who shared his insights onthe subject.

Chairman of the Tmkeen Youth Symposium, Ali Al-Ibrahim said: “Alghanim Industries is one of the firstcompanies to support us. We share the same goals toinspire youth to become future leaders and entrepre-neurs. As an organization that has set many of the stan-dards that businesses in the country follow today, we aregrateful for their partnership and leadership. We thankthem once again for placing their trust and confidence inour work and look forward to more successful partner-ships in the years to come.”

This initiative comes as partof Alghanim Industries’Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) program, which is com-mitted to giving back to thecommunity, supporting educa-tion and encouraging entrepre-neurship. It is worth noting thatthe company supported theKuwait Red Crescent Society(KRCS) in the “Educate for aBrighter Kuwait” campaignaimed at providing educationalopportunities to all non-Kuwaiti children living in the country. The company hasalso partnered with UNHCR, signing a MoU throughwhich Alghanim Industries will support the education ofSyrian refugee children in Lebanon.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palaceyesterday the credentials of new VietnameseAmbassador Trinh Minh Manh, new OmaniAmbassador Adnan bin Ahmad bin Abdallh, Peru’sAmbassador Fransisco Revarola and Cuba’sAmbassador Fernando Perez Maza, in addition toEgyptian Ambassador Tarek Elkouny.

The ceremony was attended by First Deputy Prime

Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of AmiriDiwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarah Al-Sabah, Under-Secretary of Amiri Diwan Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Shatti, Director of His Highness the Amir’s OfficeAhmad Fahad Al-Fahad, Advisor at Amiri DiwanMohammad Abdullah Abu Al-Hassan, and Chief ofAmiri Protocols Sheikh Khaled Abdullah Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, in addition to other senior officials.

Earlier yesterday, His Highness the Amir receivedNational Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem,as well as Chairman of the Legislative Council ofBrunei Abdul Rahman bin Tayeb and his accompany-ing delegation on the occasion of his visit to thecountry. Tayeb also met separately with Ghanem andHis Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

His Highness the Amir also hosted Sheikh Sabah

Al-Khaled and Minister of Foreign Affairs of EgyptSameh Shukri and his accompanying delegation, onthe occasion of their visit to Kuwait. His Highness theAmir also received Secretary General of the ArabLeague Ahmed Abul Gheit and Chief of Armaments,Space and Security Affairs at Boeing Company LienCarrett. The receptions were attended by DeputyMinister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Al-JarrahAl-Sabah. —KUNA

L o c a l Tuesday, November 14, 2017

2 Established 1961

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs of EgyptSameh Shukri. — KUNA photos

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Chairman of the LegislativeCouncil of Brunei Abdul Rahman bin Tayeb.

Alghanim IndustriesCEO Omar Kutayba

Alghanim

Amir receives credentialsof new foreign diplomats

Sheikh Sabah meets Egyptian FM, Brunei’s top legislator

Ghina Abbas on the panel discussion.

Photo from the Tmkeen Youth Symposium.

Being a language enthusiast, I wondered how ElChapulin Colorado spoke so much Arabic ? Itmakes my day every time I come across a wordin a language that mimics my mother tongueArabic (Al-Arabiya). Mostly, Middle Eastern lan-guages are expected to give me these ‘jolts’ mybrain adores. Many Indo-European languageshave adopted Arabic words, because of the his-torical fact that many gigantic caliphates orIslamic empires were empowering Arabic oneafter the other during their conquests of the eastand west.

Correspondingly, the fluidity of Spanish wordarticulations and its unique grammar are tellinglysynched with our native tongue, regardless of thefact that Spanish originated from Latin. In thisarticle, I will explain why Spanish is the closestlanguage to Arabic - closer to us than Turkish

and Persian. And why do Latinos look and soundlike Arabs, who are both adored by Trump. Whatare the racial and linguistic relations betweenArabs and Latinos?

How did Chespirto, ‘super comediante,’ theMexican comedy hit television star, got to say‘cat’ with an exact Kuwaiti accent - ‘El gato?’And how is that when he was fighting ‘SuperSam,’ he was pronouncing the word ‘money’ as‘El dinero,’ the Kuwaiti currency? Calling fruitsand herbs with Arabic names such ‘El naranga,’‘El lemon,’ ‘El Azafran’ and ‘Arroz,’ and usingArabic for managerial descriptions during jail-house episodes, such as Alamin and Almojarife.

There are yet many linguistic similarities -Spanish speakers’ use of definite articles such asthe ‘El’ and ‘Al’ is identical lexically and phoneti-cally to how Arabs use their definite articles of‘Al,’ the fast-paced rhythm of our speech, ouroverinflated intonations both in comedy andanger, and the double ‘rr’ that possibly came fromthe ‘shaddah’ that if placed on any Arabic letterwill double it automatically. It is debatable thatthe Spanish special ‘R’ came from Latin such asthe Italian rolling ‘R;’ however, Spanish has a spe-cial dispensation than Italian. ‘Looks’ are a sensi-tive issue, and genealogy is a whole different ballgame than linguistics. This I would like to coverin my next article.

How much ArabicLatinos speak?

[email protected]

By Jeri Al-Jeri

KUWAIT: Director General of the Public Authority for Youth Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi (center) speaks during the press conference. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

Many Indo-European languages

adopted Arabicwords


3Established 1961

Crack forces building evacuationafter Sunday’s tremors

No damage to schools, state departments

Police officers gather outside a building in Sabah Al-Salem which was evacuated due to a crack followingSunday’s tremors.

KUWAIT: Some occupants of an apartment building inSabah Al-Salem district have were evacuated due to acrack, said Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD) ina statement yesterday. The residents were evacuated atdawn yesterday due to the crack in one side of thebuilding, the KFSD said, indicating that only occupantsof the part where the crack was located had to leavetheir houses. The crack might have been caused bySunday night’s tremors, resulting from the 7.3 earth-quake that jolted Iraqi-Iranian border areas, KFSD said.The regional quake caused 4-5 degree tremors inKuwait.

Several ministries and state agencies have assuredthat Sunday’s quake did not cause any damage toschools or other state installations. No damage toschools were reported after the earthquake that rockedthe country Sunday evening, Undersecretary of theEducation Ministry Haitham Al-Athari said., adding thatyesterday was a normal school day.

Meanwhile, spokesman of Ministry of Public WorksAssistant Engineer Abdulmohsen Al-Enezi said that theministry’s facilities and projects were not affected bythe quake. Furthermore, Undersecretary of the Ministryof Electricity and Water Engineer Mohammad Bushehriannounced that the quake caused no harm to the min-istry’s installations. Bushehri noted that all facilities areworking normally. The ministry is cooperating with civil

defense department and other relevant bodies to takeall precautionary measures for dealing with any emer-gency, he said.

In the meantime, the Interior Ministry said that acomprehensive security survey in addition to thereports from the police patrols across the state havedetected no damage or security and traffic repercus-sions due to the quake. It added that the Civil DefenseDepartment has taken all precautionary measures incollaborations with relevant state agencies to guaranteethe state security and people safety.

KFSD had stated that the earthquake that was feltby most of people in Kuwait on Sunday did not causeany harm to public or private properties. The KuwaitNational Seismic Network (KNSN) stressed that theearthquake that struck Iraq-Iran borders does not poseany threat on Kuwait but people felt it due to itsstrength and proximity. Dr Abdullah Al-Enezi said in astatement that KNSN recorded at 21:18 local time anearthquake measuring 7.2 degrees on Richter scale onthe Iraq-Iran borders, with the epicenter 20 kmsbeneath surface, and was 600 kms away from KuwaitCity. KNSN recorded some aftershocks, the highestwas 4.6 degrees, he said. Earlier, the KNSN said atremor measuring between four and five degrees onRichter scale hit the country, caused by a 7.2 magnitudeearthquake that struck Iraq-Iran borders. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Cabinet yesterday applaudedHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s recent message to NationalAssembly members, which contained noble meaningsand wise directives. This came in a press statement byMinister of State for Cabinet Affairs and ActingMinister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah

Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah following the cabinet’s cus-tomary weekly meeting.

During the meeting, the ministers addressed thecontents of His Highness the Amir’s message con-veyed by the National Assembly’s Speaker to themembers, which stressed national unity and firminternal front, the minister said. The message includedemphatic rejection of sectarian, tribal or factionalgroupings, and of sentimental response to the Gulfcrisis, while underlining the significance of stoppingall political and media tensions in this regard, headded. It also spotlighted Kuwait’s ceaseless effortsto heal up Gulf rifts, and the important constitutionalrole of MPs, and emphasized national unity, aware-ness and wise response to existing challenges, SheikhMohammad noted.

Also during the meeting, the cabinet hailed thenoble meanings and wise directives of the Amiri mes-

sage, especially under the current regional circum-stances, while urging cooperation between both exec-utive and legislative authorities in order to ensurenational security and stability.

The cabinet pointed out the full interaction of theassembly’s members with the Amiri message, and theireagerness to support His Highness the Amir’s wiseleadership just out of their belief in the significance ofthis message and due to the existing challenges thatrequire ensuring unity, prioritizing public interest, andstrengthening and safeguarding democracy.

On November 7, National Assembly SpeakerMarzouq Al-Ghanem delivered a message from HisHighness the Amir to members of parliament regardingthe swift regional developments. The message stressedthe necessity of keeping national unity stronger andnational front firmer, and decried all sectarian, tribaland factional tensions. —KUNA

Cabinet commendsAmir’s messageto lawmakers

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister SheikhJaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chairsthe Cabinet’s meeting yesterday. — KUNA

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

4L o c a l

Established 1961

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications companyin Kuwait, announced its sponsorship of the seventhannual RunKuwait charity marathon. The event, organizedby Fawzia Sultan Healthcare Network (FSHN), aimed atsupporting children with special needs in Kuwait.

Zain’s support to this initiative came in line with itsCorporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility strat-egy towards humanitarian, social, and health sectors. Thecompany seeks to contribute to the welfare of the socie-ty in several ways, and prides itself on its long-track ofrecords and contributions in philanthropic areas. Thecompany strongly believes that such initiatives helpinfuse a sense of responsibility into members of the soci-ety, to help support those who are in need of help.

RunKuwait, held at The Scientific Center, witnessedoverwhelming participation of over 2,000 racers from allages. The initiative successfully raised a total of KD40,000 to be channeled towards providing treatmentservices to children with disabilities at the non-profitChildren’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC),which is founded by Fawzia Sultan Healthcare Network(FSHN). CERC offers services for children in a numberof areas, including physical therapy, hydrotherapy,speech pathology, counseling/behavior therapy andoccupational therapy.

Zain is keen to take part in events and initiatives thataim to encourage the community to pursue a healthierlifestyle in order to live healthy and fit through sportsand physical activities. Zain will continue to find waysto inspire and motivate people in leading humanitarianinitiatives so as to foster a better world for all mem-bers of society. The company will always be keen onshouldering initiatives that work towards enhancingthe society’s welfare.

Zain’s solid Corporate Sustainability and SocialResponsibility strategy primarily focuses on the wellbe-ing of the entire nation. For this reason, the companyhas maintained its support of numerous initiatives thatspread awareness and help make a difference in peo-ple’s everyday lives.

Zain sponsors seventhRunKuwait charity marathon

Company continues to support humanitarian programs

KUWAIT: On the occasion of WorldDiabetes Day, Kuwait International Bank(KIB) recently organized a field visit tothe Ministry of Interior’s retirees’diwaniya. In the presence of the Directorof the Service Centers, General AdeebAl-Suwaidan, Director of theDepartment of Retirement Care Colonel,

Saif Al-Mutairi and his assistant, ColonelBadr Rabah and a large number of retiredofficers. The visit included a number ofactivities, such as free blood sugar leveltests provided in cooperation withInternational Clinic, as well as draws forvaluable prizes and the distribution of

gifts and souvenirs to those in attendance.On this occasion, Manager of the

Corporate Communications Unit at KIB,Nawaf Najia, said: “KIB always strives toorganize visits such as these, as theystrongly reflect the important role theBank plays in the community by sup-porting various health programs andcommunity-based initiatives. This visitreaffirms our continued dedication overthe years in supporting the local healthsector, as we continue to serve thecommunity and meet the diverse needsof all people.”

Najia also added that KIB has a specialinterest in shedding light on diabetes, asKuwait currently has one of the highestdiabetes prevalence rates in the world,

according to healthstatistics from theWorld HealthOrganization (WHO).He also pointed outthat the Bankbelieves in theimportance of pre-vention, and alwaysseeks to spreadgreater health aware-ness across the com-munity to helpreduce and preventrisk factors that lead

to various diseases, including diabetes. Aspart of its leading social responsibilityprogram, KIB remains actively committedto participating in a variety of differentactivities and initiatives that aim at servingthe interests of diverse segments acrossthe local community.

KIB visits retirees’ diwaniya

On WorldDiabetes Day

By A Saleh and Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Industry (PAI) fin-ished renewing lease contracts for investors within thefree trade zone in Shuwaikh, pending procedures totransfer authority over the area to Kuwait DirectInvestment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) to be run anddeveloped on par with international standards. KDIPAwill restructure the zone’s commercial, service andinvestment licenses, in addition to licensing somerestaurants, travel agencies and hot beverage bars asstipulated in ministerial decision number 575/2013,which allows including publicity, ads, interior design,postal services, shipping, navigation, a hotel, and hotelapartments in no more than two percent of the freezone’s total area.

Notably, Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industryhad presented a memo to the free zone’s committee onJan 10, 2016 titled ‘Free Zones in a Changing World,’explaining that the main purpose of free zones shouldremain economically developmental and that theyshould be able to attract investors.

KD 2.2 billionA government document released yesterday

showed that the oil sector had signed 586 contractsduring the fiscal year 2016-2017 of a total value ofKD 2.2 billion. The document also showed that thetotal number of contracts including commissions was211, with a total value of KD 1.3 million. The documentshowed that Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) hadthe lion’s share of the contracts, signing 321 contractsof a total value of KD 92 million, 171 of them includingcommissions.

The document showed that Kuwait Oil Company(KOC) came second by signing 123 contracts of a totalvalue of KD 1.8 billion, followed by Kuwait NationalPetroleum Company (KNPC) with 86 contracts of atotal value of KD 281 million, followed by Kuwait OilTankers Company (KOTC) with 18 contracts worth KD18.5 million, the Petrochemical Industries Company(PIC) with 17 contracts worth KD 12.6 million, theKuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUF-PEC) with 12 contracts of a total value of KD 3.3 millionand finally Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) with sev-en contracts with a total value of KD 3.8 million.

Jobs rejectedRecruitment and budgets manager at the Civil

Service Commission (CSC) Aisha Al-Mutawwa said allcitizens undergraduate or graduate degrees in account-

ing, law and engineering who had registered foremployment had been nominated for jobs in statedepartments. Mutawwa added that more citizens hadstarted studying and specializing in engineering, infor-mation technology, accounting, law and other technicalfields. She added that some citizens had been rejectingthe jobs they get nominated to (2,083 rejections in onemonth), which had been delaying CSC plans.

BlackoutA blackout was reported in some residential and

investment blocks in Maidan Hawally yesterday morn-ing, said informed sources, noting that emergency serv-ices were notified and emergency teams were working

on resolving the problem at the time this report wasmade. Meanwhile, the renewable energy resourcesdevelopment committee held its 13th meeting yesterdayat the Ministry of Electricity and Water’s (MEW) head-quarters in South Surra. The meeting was presided byMEW Undersecretary Mohammed Boshehri. The com-mittee aims to list and document all renewable energyuses in response to HH the Amir’s announcement thatKuwait plans to produce 15 percent of Kuwait’s totalenergy production from renewable resources.

The head of the technical committee Dr Salah Al-Modhi made a presentation showing the percentage ofcurrent and future related projects. Col Hamad Al-Kharraz made a presentation on a project to use solar

power at border posts to reduce pressure on the mainpower grid and cut operational costs of generatingelectricity.

No permissionKuwait Municipality issued warning notices to

around 130 camps pitched without prior permissionsand licenses in various desert areas, said informedsources, noting that the municipality will start issuinglicenses from today through the municipality’s website.The sources added that special inspection teams hadtoured various desert areas that had not been allocatedfor camping and where camps were unlawfully pitched,warning the owners to remove them within 24 hours.


5Established 1961

Free trade zone to move underInvestment Promotion Authority

Kuwaiti tried tosmuggle tiger cubsthrough Cairo airportBy Hanan Al-Saadoun and Agencies

KUWAIT: Authorities at Cairo airport foiled anattempt by a Kuwaiti to smuggle two tiger cubs in hisbag. His trip was cancelled until legal procedures werecompleted. The suspect put the cubs under anesthesia,then placed them in his bag. They were discoveredduring a routine inspection. He said he did not knowthat it was illegal to take them that way. The cubs willbe sent to a zoo.

ForgeryDetectives arrested a citizen yesterday on charges

of forging official documents. The arrest came follow-ing investigation after residency affairs detectivesreceived information about a company that issued 53residency permits based on a cancelled governmentcontract. The detectives were able to identify a Kuwaitiman who according to investigations signed a contractwith a ministry to lease cars with drivers, and he wasable to get permission to hire 63 workers in December21, 2016. The contract was cancelled in May 22, 2017,but the man used the contract to issue the work per-mits though it was terminated. The man was sent toconcerned authorities for further action.

Smoke inhalationA citizen, his wife and three of their children were

rushed to Jahra Hospital and admitted in the intensivecare unit (ICU) after they suffered smoke inhalationdue to a fire in their house in Qaser. Firemen and para-medics responded to an emergency call, and found thefamily was trapped. The family members were rescuedand rushed to hospital. Investigations are underway todetermine the cause of the fire.

Addicts arrestedA citizen called police operations and told them that

his son was using drugs, so police went to their houseand arrested the youngster, who was sleeping, anddrugs were found near him. Police woke the addict up,then placed him under arrest and sent him to the DrugsControl General Department (DCGD). Meanwhile, afemale citizen and a Jordanian man were found usingdrugs in a car, and sent to DCGD. The car was parkedin a dark area, so police approached it and found thetwo were in an abnormal condition and having difficul-ty speaking. Drugs and drug paraphernalia were foundon them, so they were sent to the DCGD. In a separatecase, two men were found sleeping in a car, and bothhad drugs and joints with them, so they were sent tothe DCGD for further legal action. The arrest was madein Nahda by a routine patrol.

Missing woman foundA Kuwaiti woman was arrested three years after

being reported missing. The woman was arrested byCapital police and sent to Mubarak Al-Kabeer policestation to find out where she had been all this time.Police found the girl walking after midnight, who triedto escape on foot when she was approached.

Earthquakeleaves trail ofdeath and destruction in IraqDARBANDIKHAN: Nizar Abdullah spent thenight sifting through the ruins of the two-storey house next door in the mountainoustown of Darbandikhan in Iraqi Kurdistan after akiller quake hit the region. “There were eightpeople inside,” Abdullah, an Iraqi Kurd saidyesterday, outside the pile of concrete debriswhere the house once stood.

Some family members managed to escape,but “neighbours and rescue workers pulled outthe mother and one of the children dead fromthe rubble”, said the 34-year-old. The 7.3-mag-nitude quake hit on the Iraq-Iran border areaon Sunday night, killing hundreds of peopleand injuring thousands of others. Iran took thebrunt of it, with at least 336 people killed and3,950 injured, while in Iraq the quake claimedeight lives and injured 535 others, officials fromboth countries said.

The quake hit a border area 30 kilometerssouthwest of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan ataround 9:20 pm (1820 GMT), the USGeological Survey said. Most people were athome when the quake struck. “All at once theelectricity went out and I felt a strong tremor,”said Loqman Hussein. “I immediately ran out ofthe house with my family,” he added. AkramWali, 50, said many families in Darbandikhan

sought shelter with relatives outside of thetown. They fled as authorities in Iraqi Kurdistancalled on the population in the southern area ofthe town to leave their homes, fearing that theDarbandikhan dam would burst.

All eyes on dam The dam, which spans the Diyala River, is

located in Sulaimaniyah province, where sevenpeople were killed, including four inDarbandikhan. One person died in Diyalaprovince. Authorities in the Darbandikhanregion, home to 40,000 people, say the damhas withstood the fury of the quake and did notsuffer any major cracks. Taha Mohammed, 65,has not heeded the call to leave Darbandikhan,even if the quake totally destroyed his house.“We ran out and no one was injured,” said theman dressed in the traditional baggy pants of

Iraqi Kurds, counting his blessings despite thetragedy. Iraqi health ministry spokesman SeifAl-Nadr said that the quake injured 321 peoplein Iraqi Kurdistan, 170 others in Diyalaprovince and 44 in the disputed northernprovince of Kirkuk. Most of them were treatedfor shock, he said in a statement. “The Iraqigovernment must help the victims,” said YassinQassem, whose house was badly damaged bythe quake. “We are Kurds but also Iraqis,” headded. Tensions have run high between theautonomous Kurdish region and the federalgovernment in Baghdad since the Kurds heldan independence referendum in September indefiance of Baghdad. Sunday’s quake was alsofelt in southeastern Turkey. Ankara has senthumanitarian assistance to Iraq, including tentsand blankets, as well as a medical team, aTurkish government spokesman said. — AFP

InternationalHow Saudi Crown Prince purged royal family rivals

Page 7Fashion designer exposes domestic servitude in India ‘sunshine state’

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

HARZ: Hikers take a rest and enjoy the view on snow-covered Brocken mountain in the Harz region near Schierke, Germany yesterday. — AP

BONN: The carbon dioxide emissions that drive globalwarming, flat since 2014, are set to rise two percent thisyear, dashing hopes they had peaked, scientists report-ed at UN climate talks yesterday. “This is very disap-pointing,” said Corinne Le Quere, director of the TyndallCentre for Climate Change Research at the University ofEast Anglia and lead author of a major study detailingthe findings. “With global CO2 emissions from humanactivities estimated at 41 billion tons for 2017, time isrunning out on our ability to keep warming below twodegrees Celsius, let alone 1.5 C.” The 196-nation ParisAgreement, adopted in 2015, calls for capping globalwarming at 2 C below pre-industrial levels.

With the planet out of kilter after only one degree ofwarming-enough to amplify deadly heatwaves,droughts, and superstorms-the treaty also vows toexplore the feasibility of holding the line at 1.5 C. Earthis overheating due to the burning of oil, gas and espe-cially coal to power the global economy. Deforestationalso plays a critical role. “The news that emissions arerising after a three-year hiatus is a giant leap backwardfor humankind,” said Amy Luers, a climate policy advi-sor to Barack Obama and executive director of FutureEarth, which co-sponsored the research.

This year’s climate summit is presided by Fiji, one ofdozens of small island nations whose very existence isthreatened by rising seas engorged by warmer water

and melt-off from ice sheets on Greenland andAntarctica. Thousands of diplomats in Bonn are negoti-ating the “rulebook” for the Paris pact, which goes intoeffect in 2020. To stay below the 2 C threshold, green-house gas emissions should peak and begin to curvedownward by 2020, earlier research has shown. StalledCO2 emissions from 2014 through 2016 - due to betterenergy efficiency, a boomin renewables, andreduced coal use inChina-raised expecta-tions that the world hadturned the corner.

Those hopes werepremature. “As each yearticks by, the chances ofavoiding 2 C of warmingcontinue to diminish,”said co-author GlenPeters, research directorat Center forInternational ClimateResearch in Oslo, Norway.”Given that 2 C is extremelyunlikely based on current progress, then 1.5 C is a dis-tant dream,” he said. The study fingered China as thesingle largest cause of resurgent fossil fuel emissions in2017, with the country’s coal, oil and natural gas use up

three, five and 12 percent, respectively.

Earth outside safe zoneChina alone accounts for nearly 30 percent of global

carbon pollution. Emissions from India-the world’sfourth largest emitter after the United States and theEuropean Union-are projected to grow by two percent,

down from a 6.7-percentincrease the year before.2017 CO2 emissions inthe United States willdrop by only 0.4 per-cent, compared to 1.2percent annually overthe previous decade. Forthe first time in fiveyears, US coal use isprojected to rise.

“ H u m a n - i n d u c e dwarming has acceleratedover the past few yearsdespite the slowdown in

carbon dioxide emissions because of other drivers ofclimate change, notably methane,” said Myles Allen, aprofessor at the University of Oxford, commenting onthe findings. The Paris Agreement rests on voluntarycarbon-cutting pledges from virtually every country in

the world. But even if fulfilled, those promissory notesare not enough to keep Earth in the safe zone, andwould still see global temperatures rise a devastating 3C (5.6 F) by the end of the century. “Global commit-ments made in Paris to reduce emissions are still notbeing matched by actions,” said Peters.

The bottom line, say experts, is that the global econ-omy is not shifting quickly enough from fossil fuels tolow- or zero-carbon energy. Solar and wind energyhave grown 14 percent annually since 2012, but still onlyaccount for a tiny fraction-less than four percent-ofglobal energy consumption. The transition from dirty toclean energy has been slowed by oil, gas and coal subsi-dies that topped $320 million dollars (270 million euros)in 2015, according to the International Energy Agency.

Oceans and forests combined absorbed over half ofthe CO2 emissions from human activity, with the reststaying in the atmosphere, the study showed. “Wewould expect that the carbon sinks will eventuallyweaken as temperatures continue to rise, but how muchand how fast is an active area of research,” said Peters.The International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN), meanwhile, released a report yesterday show-ing that climate change now imperils one in four naturalWorld Heritage sites, including coral reefs, glaciers, andwetlands-nearly double the number from just threeyears ago. — AFP

World carbon emissions on the rise Global 2% rise in CO2 ‘giant leap backwards for humankind’

Tribal justiceawaits returningIraqis who joined IslamicStateAL-OBEIDI: In the unforgiving desertsof Iraq, there is just one way to dealwith defeated members of the IslamicState group who try to come home-tribal justice. No pardons are possibleamong tribes which have agreedamong themselves to treat with theutmost severity those members whobecame jihadists. As for the families ofIS members, many have already fled,fearing reprisals. The former armycommander for operations in the west-ern province of Anbar, where IS onceheld sway after a sweeping offensiveacross Syria and Iraq in 2014, told AFPreturning jihadists face short shrift.

“The Bumahal and the other tribeshave agreed to adopt a commonstance” on the issue, said GeneralIsmail Mehlawi, himself a Bumahal. Inthe vast Sunni region where tribal lawprevails, the tribes have addressed thethorny question of what to do aboutany relatives who pledged allegiance tothe self-proclaimed IS “caliphate”.

“They’ve all fled to neighboring Syria,”say residents of Al-Obeidi village in theheart of what was the last jihadist bas-tion in Iraq, which has just been retakenby Iraqi forces.

But if any return or are discoveredin the area, they “will be treated withseverity”, Mehlawi said. “No pardonwill be possible,” said the mousta-chioed Iraqi whose home was dynamit-ed by members of his own tribe whohad joined IS. “We will punish them asprescribed by God so justice is done tothe tribesmen who have beenwronged” during the jihadist occupa-tion. The cycle of revenge has alreadybegun in Al-Obeidi, said a security offi-cial in the Al-Qaim region whose150,000 inhabitants belong to aroundhalf a dozen tribes.

Acts of vengeance“A week ago, Busharji fighters blew

up the house of a member of their tribewho had joined IS” and who was him-self accused of blowing up homes inAl-Obeidi, the official said, speaking oncondition of anonymity. Beforedestroying his home, the tribe shunnedhim, leaving the former IS man unpro-tected in a country where tribal lawoften takes precedence over the lawand the courts. Mohammed Al-Mohammedi heads the municipal coun-cil in Hit near the Anbar provincial cap-ital of Ramadi. He told AFP that severalmonths ago, he was approached byfamilies demanding “the expulsion ofrelatives of jihadists”. — AFP

Researchers warn time is running out

DARBANDIKHAN, Iraq: People gather around a leveled building in themountainous town of Darbandikhan in Iraqi Kurdistan yesterday, followinga 7.3-magnitude quake that hit on the Iraq-Iran border. — AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Tuesday, November 14, 2017

7Established 1961

Iran-backed militias routed in last Syrian militant strongholdAMMAN: Islamic State militants yesterday regainedcontrol of Albu Kamal city, their last stronghold inSyria, after Iranian-backed militias who captured thecity a few days earlier were ambushed and forced toretreat, tribal leaders, residents and a war monitorsaid. Fighters from Lebanese Shi’ite Hezbollah in Syriawho joined forces with Iraqi Shiite fighters crossingthe border into Syria were taken by surprise by mili-tants hiding inside tunnels in the heart of the city theyclaimed to have taken on Wednesday, they said.

The Shiite fighters had launched a ground offensiveon the city, located in Syria’s eastern Deir al Zorprovince, where the Euphrates river meets, aftermonths of mainly heavy Russian bombardment againstthe city that killed dozens of civilians and causedwidespread destruction. “Islamic State militants begansurprise attacks with suicide bombers and rocketattacks after the Iranian militias were duped thatDaesh (Islamic State) had left the city,” said QahtanGhanam al Ali, a tribal leader in touch with relatives.

The Syrian army had on Thursday declared victoryover Islamic State claiming it had killed many militantswhile scores surrendered. It said the capture of AlbuKamal marked the collapse of the militants’ three-yearreign in the region. The offensive was spearheaded byelite forces from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group fightinginside Syria alongside an array of Iraqi and AfghanShi’ite militias that had entered from Iraq, a command-er in that alliance said. “These militant attacks lead tobig human losses in the ranks of fighters supportingthe regime,” the UK based Syrian Observatory forHuman Rights said. —Reuters

BEIRUT: The first hint that something was amiss came ina letter. On Saturday Nov 4, guests at Riyadh’s RitzCarlton were notified by the opulent hotel that: “Due tounforeseen booking by local authorities which requires anelevated level of security, we are unable to accommodateguests ... until normal operations are restored.” The purgewas already under way. Within hours security forces hadrounded up dozens of members of Saudi Arabia’s politicaland business elite, mostly in the capital and the coastalcity of Jeddah. Among them were 11 princes as well asministers and wealthy tycoons.

Some were invited to meetings where they weredetained. Others were arrested at their homes and flownto Riyadh or driven to the Ritz Carlton, which has beenturned into a temporary prison. The detainees wereallowed a single, brief phone call home, a person familiarwith the arrests told Reuters. “They don’t receive callsand are kept under tight security. No one can go in orout,” the insider said. “It is obvious that there was a lot ofpreparation for it.” The purge was ordered by 32-year-oldCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Officially next inline to the throne to his father, King Salman, he is now ineffect running the country which he has said he will trans-form into a modern state.

To do that - and in an attempt to shore up his ownpower - he has decided to go after the Saudi elite, includ-ing some members of the royal family, on accusations suchas taking bribes and inflating the cost of business proj-ects. Those arrested could not be reached for comment.At stake is political stability in the world’s largest oil pro-ducer. The Crown Prince’s ability to rule unchallengeddepends on whether the purge is successful. The CrownPrince believes that unless the country changes, the econ-omy will sink into a crisis that could fan unrest. That couldthreaten the royal family and weaken the country in itsregional rivalry with Iran.

The ‘corruption stick’Prince Mohammed decided to move on his family, the

person familiar with events said, when he realised morerelatives opposed him becoming king than he hadthought. “The signal was that anyone wavering in theirsupport should watch out,” said the person familiar withthe events. “The whole idea of the anti-corruption cam-paign was targeted towards the family. The rest is windowdressing.” King Salman said the purge was in response to“exploitation by some of the weak souls who have puttheir own interests above the public interest, in order to,illicitly, accrue money”. Insiders said the accusationswere based on evidence gathered by the intelligenceservice.

Government backers have rejected suggestions thatthe campaign is really about eliminating political enemies.There was no immediate comment from the royal court onthis story. Among those now holed up at the Ritz Carltonhotel is Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who is head of thepowerful National Guard and Prince Mohammed’s cousin.Miteb was in his farm house in Riyadh when he was calledto a meeting with the Crown Prince. Such an invitation,even at night, would not be unusual for a senior officialand would not have aroused suspicion.

“He went to the meeting and never came back,” said asecond insider who has connections to some of those whowere detained. Others held include Prince Alwaleed binTalal, who is chairman of international investment firmKingdom Holding and a cousin of Prince Mohammed, andPrince Turki bin Abdullah, former governor of Riyadhprovince and a son of the late King Abdullah. Some royalwatchers said tensions were laid bare during family meet-ings over the summer. One insider said it was widelyknown to Prince Mohammed that some of the powerfulroyals, including Miteb, were resentful about his elevation.

Prince Mohammed, who is widely known in SaudiArabia by his initials MbS, had said openly in interviewsthat he would investigate the kingdom’s endemic corrup-tion and would not hesitate to go after top officials. Thevehicle was an anti-corruption committee created byKing Salman, and announced on Nov 4. The king put theCrown Prince in charge, adding another power to themany he has been given in the past three years. Saudiauthorities have questioned 208 people in the anti-cor-

More than 200 ministers, princes, businessmen detained

A house divided: How Saudi Crown Prince purged royal family rivals

RIYADH: Photo shows the hallway of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Its chandelier-studded ballrooms hosted global business titans just weeks ago. Now Riyadh’s palatial Ritz-Carlton isreported to have morphed into a makeshift prison after the kingdom’s unprecedented crackdown on thecoddled elite. —AFP

ruption investigation and estimate at least $100 billion hasbeen stolen through graft, the attorney-general said onThursday. The head of the committee said investigatorshad been collecting evidence for three years.

By launching a war on corruption, the prince has com-bined a popular cause with the elimination of an obstacleto acceding to the throne. “MbS used the corruptionstick which can reach any one of them,” said JamalKhashoggi, a former adviser to Prince Turki al-Faisal,intelligence chief from 1979 to 2001. “For the first timewe Saudis see princes being tried for their corruption.”But Khashoggi, who lives in the United States, said PrinceMohammed was being selective in his purge. “I believeMbS is a nationalist who loves his country and wants it tobe the strongest but his problem is that he wants to rulealone,” he said.

De facto rulerPrince Mohammed was appointed defense minister in

2015 when King Salman became monarch. In June, theKing named him heir to the throne, pushing aside his old-er cousin Mohammed bin Nayef, a veteran head of thesecurity apparatus. The royal family acquiesced and bySeptember the Crown Prince had rounded up and jailedreligious and intellectual opponents. The latest detentionsare intended to help him push through reforms that prom-ise the greatest change since the reign of King Abdulaziz,founder of the current Saudi state in the 1930s.

That state has rested on an enduring accommodationbetween the royal family and the Wahhabist clerics whocontrol the hardline version of Islam that originated inSaudi Arabia. —Reuters


8I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Weather forecasts help farmers fight extreme climate ARGOBA: Armed with a spear and undeterred by theintense sunlight, Tarekegn Kareto meticulously plucksweeds in his maize field in Argoba village, in southernEthiopia. “With both dry weather and unusually heavyrains hitting us in the past year, I’ve lost over half of myharvest of maize and sorghum,” he said, pausing towipe sweat off his forehead. “That means I’ve had todip into my crop reserves - which I can no longer sellfor extra income - or even rely on neighbors’ charity forfood,” he added.

Prolonged drought and erratic rainfall across thecountry have hit harvests and livestock, eating into farm-ers’ and herders’ income and meals, experts say. In thesecond half of 2017, at least 8.5 million Ethiopians neededurgent food aid, up from 5.6 million in January, accordingto an August report by the UN Food and AgricultureOrganization. To remedy this, a project hopes to helpEthiopian herders and farmers access weather informa-tion to make more informed decisions and better absorbclimate shocks.

It has set up 25 automatic weather stations acrossEthiopia’s Afar, Somali, and Southern Nations,Nationalities and Peoples’ (SNNP) regions, which supplyweather data to relevant government agencies and localcommunities. The initiative, led by aid agencies FarmAfrica and Mercy Corps, is part of the Building Resilienceand Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters(BRACED) program, funded by the UK Department forInternational Development. The data helps herders andfarmers predict the availability of water and grass forgrazing, and allows government agencies to predict andtrack extreme weather events.

“Although Ethiopia already has automated weatherstations, populations in these remote regions have littleto no access to climate information,” explained DerejeAgize, program coordinator at Mercy Corps. TsegayeKetema, head of developmental meteorology atEthiopia’s National Meteorological Agency, said that“with millions of Ethiopians in need of food aid due tovery dry weather, access to reliable climate informationcan literally be a life saver”. Setting up weather stationsin rural areas is part of the government’s ClimateResilient Green Economy strategy, which aims toachieve self-sufficiency in food by 2025.

Reliable climate infoEthiopia is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather,

said Kareto, explaining that “in recent years I’ve wit-nessed several droughts during what was supposed to berainy seasons and heavy rainfall at periods which aresupposed to be dry”. That makes it difficult to know whatto plant and when, he added. Getu Guleya, chief adminis-trator of Derashe woreda - an Ethiopian term for district- explained that “weather volatility in our area is a bigchallenge, even contributing to communal tensions andfood insecurity”. Worsening drought has createdincreased competition for resources and land betweenethnic groups, which can result in deadly conflict, he said.

The BRACED project aims to prevent this by provid-ing communities with regular and reliable climate infor-mation. The Ethiopian met agency, which runs the weath-er stations, uses the weather data to share local informa-tion on air temperature, rainfall and wind direction -among other indicators - and produce regular climatereports. The forecasts are then broadcast on communityradios in local languages, which break down the technicalterms into information that’s easier to understand. Guleyahopes that timely weather information will “reduce theneed for pastoralists to migrate or raid neighboring com-munities in search of food and pastures”. —Reuters

Established 1961

Britain risks losing clout in the aerospace industry

EU signs defense pact in decades-long quest

BRUSSELS: France and Germany edged towards achiev-ing a 70-year-old ambition to integrate Europeandefenses yesterday, signing a pact with 21 other EU gov-ernments to fund, develop and deploy armed forces afterBritain’s decision to quit the bloc. First proposed in the1950s and long resisted by Britain, European defenseplanning, operations and weapons development nowstands its best chance in years as London steps asideand the United States pushes Europe to pay more for itssecurity. Foreign and defense ministers gathered at asigning ceremony in Brussels to represent 23 EU govern-ments joining the pact, paving the way for EU leaders tosign it in December. Those governments will for the firsttime legally bind themselves into joint projects as well aspledging to increase defense spending and contribute torapid deployments.

“Today we are takinga historic step,”Germany’s ForeignMinister Sigmar Gabrieltold reporters. “We areagreeing on the futurecooperation on securityand defense issues ... it’sreally a milestone inEuropean development,”he said. The pactincludes all EU govern-ments except Britain,which is leaving the bloc,Denmark, which has opted out of defense matters,Ireland, Portugal and Malta. Traditionally neutral Austriawas a late addition to the pact. Paris originally wanted avanguard of EU countries to bring money and assets toFrench-led military missions and projects, while Berlinhas sought to be more inclusive, which could reduceeffectiveness.

Its backers say that if successful, the formal club of 23

members will give the European Union a more coherentrole in tackling international crises and end the kind ofshortcomings seen in Libya in 2011, when European alliesrelied on the United States for air power and munitions.Unlike past attempts, the U.S.-led NATO alliance backsthe project, aiming to benefit from stronger militaries.The club will be backed by a 5-billion-euro defense fundfor buying weapons, a special fund to finance operationsand money from the EU’s common budget for defenseresearch.

Members will also be required to submit nationalplans and be subject to a review system identifying weakspots in European armies with the goal of plugging thosegaps together. Many governments say Russia’s seizure ofUkraine’s Crimea in 2014 was a turning point, after years

of defense spending cutsthat left Europe withoutvital capabilities. “This is acommitment for countriesto do better together,”French Foreign MinisterJean-Yves Le Drian said.“It comes at a time of sig-nificant tension,” he said,referring indirectly toRussia’s rising militaryreach and Islamic mili-tants who have attackedEuropean cities.

Role for Britain?Despite an Anglo-French-led EU defense integration

effort in 1998, Britain blocked formal collaboration onmilitary matters, wary of the creation of an EU army.Defense integration was revived by France andGermany, with support from Italy and Spain, in a showof unity after Britons voted to leave the EU in June2016. The EU had struggled in military and humanitari-

an missions in the Balkans, Libya and in Africa over thepast 20 years and were caught off guard by Russia’sCrimea annexation.

As the EU initiative, known as Permanent StructuredCooperation, has gained momentum, British officials havebeen pressing for involvement. Britain’s aerospace indus-try and its biggest defense firm BAE Systems fear losing

out, diplomats said. British Foreign Secretary BorisJohnson likened London’s support to Gothic architec-ture, saying: “We are there, like a flying buttress to sup-port the cathedral,” he told reporters. In a possible com-promise, Britain may be able to join in, but only on anexceptional basis if it provides substantial funds andexpertise. —Reuters

23 governments sign; Austriajoins at last

minuteBRUSSELS: EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini (right) and NATO Secretary General attend a for-eign/defense affairs council at the European Council in Brussels yesterday. —AFP

Yemeni rebels vow escalation SANAA: Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that the Saudi-ledcoalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen will begin reopening air-ports and seaports in the Arab world’s poorest country, daysafter closing them over a rebel ballistic missile attack on Riyadh.The announcement from the Saudi mission at the United Nationscame after the coalition fighting Yemen’s rebels, known asHouthis, faced widespread international criticism over the clo-sure, with the UN and over 20 aid groups saying it could bringmillions of people closer to “starvation and death.” “The firststep in this process will be taken within 24 hours and involvesreopening all the ports in areas controlled by” Yemen’s interna-tionally recognized government, which the coalition backs, readthe mission’s statement.

Those ports are in Yemeni cities of Aden, Mocha andMukalla. For ports in rebel-held or disputed territories, such asthe city of Hodeida, the mission said it has asked the UN to senda team of experts to discuss ways to make sure weapons can’tbe smuggled in. The Saudi-led coalition hopes that will prevent“the smuggling of weapons, ammunitions, missile parts and cashthat are regularly being supplied by Iran and Iranian accom-plices to the Houthi rebels,” the statement said.

Despite the Saudi announcement, a top leader of Yemen’sShiite rebels yesterday vowed retaliation against the oil-richkingdom over its disastrous blockade of his war-torn country.The war has killed over 10,000 civilians, displaced 3 million peo-ple and left much of the infrastructure in ruins. The fiery com-ments by Saleh al-Sammad, the head of the Presidency Councilof the Houthis, came during a rally of thousands of rebel sup-porters marching down a main boulevard in the capital, Sanaa.

Al-Sammad said that with the blockade, the coalition “shutdown all doors for peace and dialogue.” The more the blockadetightens, he said, the more the Houthis will develop their abilitiesto “respond to the assault of the enemy.” After two years of adevastating war, the Houthis still control much of Yemen’s northwhile the south falls under the embattled President of AbedRabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognized by the

international community and who is supported by the Saudi-ledcoalition.

Saudi Arabia announced it shut down all ports after a Houthiballistic missile attack near Riyadh’s international airport. Themissile was intercepted but Saudi Arabia and the United Statesboth accused Iran of supplying the missile, saying it bore“Iranian markings.” The Houthis have denied that. For its part,Iran long has denied supplying any arms to Yemen, though it hasbacked the Houthis and highlighted the high civilian casualtiesfrom the Saudi-led coalition’s campaign of airstrikes.

Yemeni secret prisonMeanwhile, a senior Yemeni official and families of prisoners

say dozens of detainees have been moved to a government-runprison in the southern city of Mukalla. The official said yesterdaythat 133 detainees were transferred from the Riyan airport. It’sone of 18 secret prisons that an Associated Press investigationrevealed as run by the United Arab Emirates or its allies, whereformer prisoners said torture was widespread. The UAE deniesthe allegations and says all prisons in government-controlledterritory are run by Yemeni authorities. —Agencies

SANAA: Yemenis take part in a demonstration calling for the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade to be lifted yesterdayin the rebel-held capital Sanaa. —AFP

66 people perish in Kenyaturmoil NAIROBI: Kenya’s police monitor said yes-terday investigations into the alleged killingsby police of a girl and a baby in election-related violence were complete, and aspokesman said the case would probablyend up in court. Kenyan police frequentlyface accusations of brutality and extrajudi-cial killings from civilians and rights groups,but officers are rarely charged and almostnever convicted.

Human rights groups say at least 66 peo-ple have died in bloodshed associated withthe August election, which was later voidedby the Supreme Court, and in unrest sur-rounding the re-run of the presidential votelast month. Stephanie Moraa, an 8-year-oldgirl in the Nairobi slum of Mathare, diedafter being hit by a stray bullet as policefired to disperse protesters on Aug. 12, theday after election results were announced.And the parents of six-month-old SamanthaPendo said she was teargassed and clubbedby police who invaded their home inKisumu looking for protesters.

Yesterday, the government-funded butcivilian-run Independent Police OversightAuthority (IPOA) said it had forwarded itsfindings and recommendations to the direc-

tor of public prosecutions “for review anddirection”. Asked yesterday what IPOA hadrecommended to the prosecutor’s officeregarding the two deaths, spokesmanDennis Oketch said: “It’s a matter which willmost likely end up in court. We don’t wantto give any information that can becomeprejudicial. We will wait for the [prosecu-tor’s] review.” IPOA’s statement did notspecify if it had identified suspects in thetwo deaths. It did not mention any otherinvestigations into election-related violence.

Police beatings at universityIt has however, completed another inves-

tigation into alleged police beatings at ademonstration in September at Kenya’s old-est university that sparked opposition angerat what they see as a pattern of police bru-tality. IPOA said it had recommended to apolice service commission that it take “sterndisciplinary action against the responsibleCommander”. It had also forwarded theinvestigation file to the prosecutor’s office,the statement read.

Shortly after the August election, IPOAsaid it was fast-tracking investigations of alldeaths and injuries for which the policewere alleged by rights groups to be respon-sible. Kenyan police dispute those accounts.The National Police Service described areport last month by Human Rights Watchand Amnesty International on 33 deaths inNairobi during the crackdown as “totallymisleading and based on falsehoods”.Despite its history of police brutality, Kenyais an economic and transport hub in East

Africa and important Western ally againstmilitant Islam that receives substantialfinancial support for its security servicesfrom international donors, including theUnited States and Britain.

The IPOA was set up in 2011 after thekillings of around 1,200 people in vio-lence following the disputed 2007 elec-tion. It has received more than 9,000complaints of police brutality and cor-ruption since then. Last year, it secured

its first conviction, of two police officerssentenced for the death of a 14-year-oldgirl shot dead during a house raid in 2014.A survey last year by the non-profitInternational Police Science Associationranked Kenya’s police force as the 125thworst-performing out of 127 national policeforces studied. Only forces in theDemocratic Republic of Congo and Nigeriadid worse, measured on factors such as“process” and “legitimacy.” —Reuters

NAIROBI: Staff of the Supreme Court put petitions’ paper in order, earlier brought byrepresentatives of a consortium of civil society organizations “We-the-People”,seeking to overturn the result of last month’s Kenyan presidential election. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Tuesday, November 14, 2017

9

MANILA: US President Donald Trump declared yesterdaythat he had a “great relationship” with Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte, a self-proclaimed killer who is waging adrugs war that rights groups say involves mass murder, as theleaders joked with each other in Manila. The US president isin the Philippines with leaders of 18 other nations for twodays of summits, the final leg of a headline-grabbing Asiantour dominated by the North Korean nuclear crisis.Allegations of Russian meddling in last year’s US presidentialelections have dogged the second half of his 12-day trip,which has taken him from Japan to South Korea, China andVietnam.

Rights groups had calledon Trump to end his Asianjourney with a strong state-ment against Duterte’sdrugs war, which has seenpolice and suspected vigi-lantes kill thousands ofpeople. But in a series ofencounters over Sundayand Monday, Trump andDuterte appeared to enjoyeach others’ company, lead-ing to warm praise from theUS president during officialtalks at lunchtime. “We’ve had a great relationship. This hasbeen very successful,” Trump told Duterte in brief openingremarks at their meeting.

Trump praised Duterte for his organization of the summits,saying he handled them “beautifully”. “I’ve really enjoyedbeing here,” he said. As the reporters were being escorted outof the room, one asked if Trump would raise the issue ofhuman rights, to which Duterte jokingly called the media“spies”. Both laughed but neither answered. Duterte’sspokesman later said repeatedly that Trump did not bring upany human rights concerns in the meeting, which lasted about40 minutes. He said the US leader nodded as he listened toDuterte speaking about his drugs war.

However Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanderssaid human rights were raised, although “briefly”. Dutertewon elections last year after promising to eradicate illegaldrugs with an unprecedented campaign that would see up to100,000 people killed. Since he took office, police have

reported killing 3,967 people in the crackdown. Another2,290 people have been murdered in drug-related crimes,while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, accordingto government data.

‘I already killed someone’Many Filipinos back Duterte, believing he is taking neces-

sary measures to fight crime, but rights groups warn he maybe orchestrating a crime against humanity. AmnestyInternational accuses police of shooting dead defenselesspeople and paying assassins to murder addicts. When pres-

sured over allegations ofextra-judicial killings car-ried out by police, Duterteinsists he has never toldthem to break the law. Butrights groups say police arefollowing Duterte’s incite-ments to kill , includingcomments made last yearwhen he said he would be“happy to slaughter” threemillion addicts.

He has also repeatedlyboasted about killing peo-ple himself, most recently

last week while in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific economic sum-mit. “At the age of 16, I already killed someone. A real person,a rumble, a stabbing. I was just 16 years old. It was just over alook,” Duterte said. Former US president Barack Obama wasone of many prominent critics of Duterte’s handling of thedrugs war. The Philippine leader responded last year by call-ing him a “son of a whore”.

Ties between the Philippines and the United States, long-time allies bound by a mutual defense treaty, deterioratedsharply as Duterte turned towards China and Russia. Dutertelast year declared the Philippines’ “separation” from theUnited States. But Trump told Duterte in a telephone call inApril that he was doing a “great job”, which helped to begin adiplomatic thaw. “We are your ally. We are an important ally,”Duterte said yesterday, appearing to confirm relations wereback on track, although he has also continued to court Chinaand Russia. Some Filipinos were not happy though, with hun-dreds of people staging an anti-Trump rally near the confer-

ence venue which led riot police to use water cannon.Champagne, love song

Duterte and Trump sat next to each other at a pre-summitbanquet on Sunday, during which they smiled, chatted andclinked champagne glasses. Duterte, 72, also sang a Filipinolove song, saying light-heartedly that he did so on the ordersof the US president. Duterte is hosting the world leadersbecause the Philippines holds the rotating chair of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.

The events yesterday and today in Manila are two sepa-rate ASEAN-hosted summits, which also include China, Japan,Russia, South Korea, India, Canada, Australia and NewZealand. The rising threat of the Islamic State group acrossSoutheast Asia, and further efforts to pressure North Koreanleader Kim Jong-Un to abandon his nuclear ambitions, weretop agenda items in Manila. “Terrorism and violent extremismendanger the peace, stability and security of our regionbecause these threats know no boundaries,” Duterte said in

Trump hails ‘relationship’ with self-proclaimed killer Duterte

Duterte sings love song ‘on orders’ from Trump

Established 1961

News in brief

33 die as train derailsLUBUMBASHI: Thirty-three people riding on a fueltrain in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congowere killed and 26 were injured when the train plungeddown a ravine and caught fire, officials said. The UN’sradio Okapi said there had been 33 fatalities in the acci-dent on Sunday. It occurred in the mining region ofKatana, close to the border with Zambia and Angola, inthe DRC province of Lualaba. “Thirty-three” peoplewere killed, Richard Muyej Mangez Mans, the governorof Lualaba province, told AFP, confirming Okapi’s toll.“Twenty-six people who were seriously injured havebeen admitted to hospital. Doctors have been sent fromKolwezi to help those who are lightly injured.” “Work iscontinuing to search for any survivors in the wreckage,”he said. Access to the site is difficult because of thepoor state of the roads during the rainy season, he said.The Red Cross said it was unable to give a toll.

N Korean soldier shot SEOUL: A North Korean soldier defected to the Southyesterday after being shot and wounded by the NorthKorean military, South Korea said. The soldier wasfound on the south side of the border village ofPanmunjom, about 50 meters south of the MilitaryDemarcation Line, wounded in his shoulder and elbow,according to a South Korean defense ministry official.He defected from a North Korean guard post nearbyand was being treated in hospital. “The defector wasurgently transferred to hospital in a helicopter of theUnited Nations Command, and there was no exchange offire with our side,” the ministry official said. “Since it wasan area exposed to the North, we had to crawl towardthere to get him out,” the official added. There was noimmediate comment on the incident from North Korea.

13 drown as boat capsizes HYDERABAD: At least 13 people drowned and otherswere missing after a crowded ferry capsized in theKrishna River in India, a government official said yester-day. Another 20 people swam to safety or were rescuedby villagers in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh stateHome Minister N Chinnarajappa said. Police said theferry riders were not wearing life jackets, The PressTrust of India news agency reported. Indian PrimeMinister Narendra Modi said the tragedy was “anguish-ing.” “My thoughts are with the families of those wholost their lives,” he said. Thirty-eight people were onboard when the ferry capsized while turning toward theriver bank, officials said. Police and workers from theNational Disaster Relief Force searched for those whowere missing. The state government ordered an inquiryinto the accident, which occurred about 275 kilometerssoutheast of Hyderabad, the state capital.

Breakaway Somaliland votes MOGADISHU: Residents of the self-proclaimed state ofSomaliland voted yesterday in its third presidential poll,hoping to prove its democratic credentials andstrengthen the case for independence from troubledSomalia. The northern territory, which is more triballyhomogenous and stable than the rest of Somalia, brokeaway in 1991 and has been striving to attain internationalrecognition ever since. Three candidates are running forthe state’s top office, seasoned politicians Muse Bihi ofthe ruling Kulmiye party and opposition candidatesAbdirahman Iro and Faysal Ali Warabe, who was defeat-ed in previous elections in 2010. “The procedure startedpeacefully this morning and we are confident that thiselection is going to be a milestone for the entire region,”said Iro as he voted.

US, Philippines presidents bond

at Asia summit

MANILA: Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left), US President Donald Trump (center) and PhilippinePresident Rodrigo Duterte join hands for the family photo during the 31st Association of South East AsianNations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila yesterday. — AFP

Traffic chaos as protesters besiege Pakistan’s capitalISLAMABAD: Protesters from a hardline religious groupblocked the main highway into Islamabad for the sixth dayrunning yesterday, virtually locking down the Pakistanicapital and causing commuter fury as authorities hesitatedto act. The roughly 2,000 protesters are demanding theresignation of the federal law minister over a hastily-aban-doned amendment to the country’s controversial blasphe-my laws. They have camped for nearly a week on a flyoverconnecting Islamabad with the neighboring garrison cityof Rawalpindi, along which thousands of people commuteevery day to work in the capital. Young men armed withclubs are searching anyone approaching the protest siteand refusing to let vehicles pass, pelting those who comenear with stones.

“I have been stuck up on the road for (the) last one anda half hours because of this mess,” said Adnan Iqbal, anemployee of a pharmaceutical firm who spoke to AFP fromthe traffic jam where he was late for work. The protesters,members of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Yah Rasool AllahPakistan religious group, acted after the government intro-duced an amendment which changed some wording in theblasphemy law. The change-from “I believe” to “I solemnlyswear”-did not alter the law, which carries the deathpenalty. The government has said the change was madeinadvertently and quickly reversed it through anotheramendment.

But the rightwing group insisted it was an attempt to

water down the hugely sensitive legislation. “The protest-ers have baseless demands. Authorities should deal (with)them with force and move them away from the road,” saidFayyaz Hussain, another commuter who had been strug-gling to reach his office for two hours yesterday.Authorities were shying away from employing forcedespite the palpable anger of commuters and days of traf-fic delays. “Use of force is no option at the moment,” sen-ior Islamabad official Shoaib Ali told AFP, adding that thepriority was negotiations.

Protesters, meanwhile, vowed to stay put. “Either theminister resigns or we are killed or arrested: we will notleave this place,” Pir Muhammad Afzal Qadri, one of thegroup’s leaders, told AFP at the protest site. Blasphemy isa highly contentious issue in deeply Muslim Pakistan,where even unproven allegations have prompted moblynchings and other murders. The legislation has drawncriticism from human rights groups, who say it fuelsIslamist extremism and is used to settle petty rows basedon paltry evidence.— AFP

Australian book pulled over fears of China backlash SYDNEY: An Australian publisher has shelved plans torelease a book detailing alleged Chinese interference inthe country over fears of legal attacks by Beijing, theauthor said yesterday. Academic Clive Hamilton saidhis book “Silent Invasion” was pulled by publisherAllen & Unwin last week just as it was about to go topress.He told AFP that Allen & Unwin had cited “seri-ous... threats” of possible legal action from Beijingshould the company release the work. The book, whichwas to be his ninth with the publishing house, includedthe names of individuals and organizations trying toinfluence Australian society and politics in China’sinterests, Hamilton said.

He described it as “very factual, very deeplyresearched”. In an email exchange with Allen & Unwinwhich Hamilton shared with AFP, the publisher saidthere was a “very high chance” the company could besued for defamation if the book was published.

“If pursued with malice, this kind of vexatious legalaction... could result in the book being withdrawn fromsale, and both you and Allen & Unwin being tied up inexpensive legal action for months on end or longer,” itsaid. Hamilton, a prominent author and professor ofethics and Charles Sturt University, called the decision“a watershed moment in Australia, when Beijing cansuppress free speech”.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday that he was not aware of the situation involving thepulled publication. “China has been developingexchanges and cooperation in various areas withAustralia based on mutual respect, equality and mutualbenefit,” spokesman Geng Shuang said during a regu-

lar press briefing. “We hope relevant parties can putthis in perspective and do more things that are con-ducive to the sound and steady development of China-Australia relations.” The incident came amid height-ened anxieties in Australia over the extent of Beijing’ssoft power.

Canberra in June ordered an inquiry into espionagelaws and foreign government activities following amedia investigation into large political donations bytwo Chinese billionaires with reported links to China’sCommunist Party. The probe, by the ABC and FairfaxMedia, said intelligence agencies had major concernsthat Beijing was interfering in Australian institutionsand using the political donations system to gainaccess. Last month Foreign Minister Julie Bishopwarned Chinese students in Australia they shouldabide by the nation’s values of “openness and uphold-ing freedom of speech”.

Hamilton said Allen & Unwin had suggested delayinghis book’s publication until court cases brought byBeijing against other Australian media were settled. Buthe rejected letting his manuscript “sit on a shelf gather-ing dust for a year or more” and insisted he would findanother publisher for the work. Other Western publish-ers have reported being pressured by Chinese authori-ties over content inside China.In August, another for-eign publisher, Britain’s Cambridge University Press,temporarily removed 300 academic articles coveringsensitive Chinese political issues from a journal’s web-site in China at the request of an import agency, only torevive the texts in response to public outcry.

That same month, US-based Association for AsianStudies said it had received a similar request fromChina’s publications administration, but it did not com-ply. In a statement to several media outlets, global pub-lisher Springer Nature said this month that it hasblocked access within mainland China to “a small per-centage of our content (less than one percent) in com-pliance with local distribution laws”. The censored arti-cles, covering topics such as Tibet and the TiananmenSquare protests, are still viewable outside mainlandChina.— AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani activists of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Yah Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYRAP) religious groupsearch a motorcyclist along a blocked highway during a week long protest in Islamabad yesterday. —AFP

Fashion designer exposes domestic servitude in India‘sunshine state’CHENNAI: When celebrated Indian fashion designerWendell Rodricks sat down to write his third book, hautecouture was not on his mind. He was thinking about hisneighbor Rosa - an elderly woman who had lived her lifeas a poskem - adopted as a child by a wealthy family in thewestern Indian state of Goa, given their family name butcondemned to a lifetime of domestic servitude. Rodricks’new novel - Poskem: Goans In The Shadows - is a fictionaltale of four people caught up in a Goan tradition that final-ly appears to be dying out in the 21st century.

Rodricks writes of an unspoken world of the last gener-ation of people who fell victim to the poskem tradition,preserving their story for posterity, the publisher’s notestates. The author, a Goan himself, describes it as “the sun-shine state’s dark secret”. “The worst part of being aposkem ... was that the entire village knew of these peopleand did not treat them with respect,” Rodricks told theThomson Reuters Foundation. Alda, the protagonist of thebook inspired by the real-life Rosa, discovers she is differ-ent from the other children in the house when she is 10.

While her six “siblings” went to school, she did house-hold chores, and while they ate from porcelain plates, sheate in the kitchen with the servants. “Poskem has so manyemotions - incest, sodomy, rape, seduction, love, hate, mur-der. But all this happened in reality,” Rodricks said at thebook’s launch in India’s southern city of Chennai. India’s2011 census recorded more than 4 million laborers agedfrom five to 14 years old. In Goa, one of India’s top touristdestinations, poskem were normally from poor families orillegitimate children, Rodricks said. —Reuters

A year after Donald Trump was elected president on a promiseto revive the ailing US coal industry, the sector’s long-termprospects for growth and hiring remain as bleak as ever. AReuters review of mining data shows an industry that has seenonly modest gains in jobs and production this year - much of itfrom a temporary uptick in foreign demand for US coal ratherthan presidential policy changes. US utilities are shutting coal-fired power plants at a rapid pace and shifting to cheap naturalgas, along with wind and solar power. And domestic demandmakes up about 90 percent of the market for US coal.

“We’re not planning to build any additional coal facilities,”said Melissa McHenry, a spokeswoman for American ElectricPower, one of the largest US utilities. “The future for coal is dic-tated by economics - and you can’t make those kinds of invest-ments based on one administration’s politics.” Coal plants nowmake up 47 percent of AEP’s capacity for power generation, afigure it plans to shrink to 33 percent by 2030.

The situation highlights the limitations of presidential policyon major industries and global economic trends. As some ener-gy experts have said all along, the forces that will make or breakmining are well beyond the powers of the Oval Office. A WhiteHouse official did not respond to a request for comment. Trumphas likely done all he can do to help the industry, said LukePopovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association,which represents major US coal companies. “The government isno longer against us,” he said. “We now only have market forcesto contend with.”

Trump has taken action on many promises he made to coalinterests in states that helped him win the election. The presi-dent started the process of killing former President BarackObama’s Clean Power Plan, meant to reduce carbon emissionsfrom power plants; ended an Obama-era moratorium on coalleasing on federal lands; ditched limits on dumping coal wasteinto streams; and started withdrawing the United States fromthe Paris Climate Agreement.

Now Trump’s Energy Secretary, Rick Perry, is attempting topush a rule through the independent Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission that would subsidize power plants that store atleast a 90-day supply of coal on site. The goal is to extend thelife of some coal burning power plants, a move Perry says willmake the electric grid more reliable. While the full impact of

Trump’s coal policy could take years to understand, the changesso far are unlikely to boost domestic demand, energy analystsand utility officials said.

‘Back 100 percent’Trump has cast the coal industry as a victim of burdensome

regulation. The industry has lost more than 40 percent of itsworkforce in less than a decade and seen production drop to itslowest levels since 1978. Its share of the power market has fallento less than a third from about half in 2003. “We’re going tobring the coal industry back 100 percent,” Trump said at a rallyin Virginia in August of 2016.

So far, progress has been limited. US coal production is ontrack to rise more than 8 percent in 2017 over the previous year,to 790 million tons, according to the Energy InformationAdministration. But 2018 output is expected to decline. Thenumber of coal miners has also risen slightly to 51,900 inOctober, up about 2,200 since Nov 2016 - but down about 70percent from a 1985 peak, according to the Labor Department.

On Nov 1, Trump cited the modest production increases in aTweet, saying, “It is finally happening for our great clean coalminers!” But these increases are largely attributable to demandfor US coal from Asian steel mills after temporary outages fromtheir usual suppliers in Australia, according to James Stevenson,a coal analyst at IHS Markit. During the first six months of 2017,Asian countries took in 7.5 million short tons of US coal, up 97

percent over the same period in 2016, according to the EIA.That demand will soon fade, Stevenson said. “We are not goingto get a repeat of 2017,” he said of the spike in exports.

‘Obsolete’Forecasts from utilities and the US government reveal little

reason for hope of a sustained coal rebound. Utilities areexpected to shut down more than 13,600 megawatts of coalplant capacity in 2018. That follows a loss of nearly 8,000 MWthis year and 13,000 MW in 2016, according to EIA andThomson Reuters data. By 2025, coal-fired power plant capaci-ty will dip to 226,380 MW, down about 30 percent from 2011,according to EIA.

Three Texas coal plants owned by Vistra Energy Corp sub-sidiary Luminant are among the latest to close, bringing thenumber of plants that shut, or plan to, to 265 since 2010 - a fig-ure higher than the 258 plants that remain, according to theSierra Club, which has campaigned against coal. Vistra said theclosures were forced by lower prices for natural gas and renew-able power - and not by environmental regulations. DukeEnergy, one of the country’s largest utilities, has shut downmore than 5,400 MW of coal capacity since 2011 and plans toshed another 2,000 MW by 2024.

Over the next decade, Duke plans to invest $11 billion in newnatural gas and renewable power - and nothing in new coal-fired generation, said spokesman Rick Rhodes. A Nov. 2 reportby the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - which has two of thelargest coal producers in its district, Peabody Energy Corp andArch Coal Inc - said coal-fired power plants “may eventuallybecome obsolete.”

Coal companies believe they can survive despite the trou-bling market outlook. Peabody expects a “modest number” ofcoal power plant retirements in the coming years, with some ofthat lost capacity shifting to remaining plants that will increaseoutput, spokesman Vic Svec said. Arch spokeswoman LoganBonacorsi offered a similar forecast. Robert Murray, the chiefexecutive of privately-held Murray Energy Corp - one ofAmerica’s biggest underground miners - said Trump could domore for the industry. The administration, Murray said, shouldend tax breaks for wind and solar power and reverse an EPAfinding that carbon emissions endanger human health. —Reuters


10A n a l y s i s

Established 1961

Brazil is back on trackMichel Temer

Just over 18 months ago, I took office as the President of Brazilwith the task of facing up to the most severe economic crisis inthe history of Brazil along with its deep social impacts on ourpeople. Faced with this kind of challenge, I have put forward atransformation agenda without recourse to populist measures.The agenda comprises the broadest set of structuring reformsfor the past 30 years based upon the pillars of fiscal balance,social responsibility and increase in productivity.

The results are already visible. The economic recession inBrazil has been reversed and the Brazilian economy has grown forthe last two consecutive quarters. Some analysts have forecast a 1percent growth in GOP in 2017. Inflation, which was about 10 per-cent in May 2016, stands bellow the inflation target, recorded at2.54 percent in September. Purchasing power got better with areal increase of more than 6 percent in wages. The basic interestrate for May was 14.25 percent, and has been dropping in a sus-tainable manner. The SELIC rate is currently 7.5 percent, the low-est in four years, and bank spread has dropped substantially. Theresponsible decrease in the interest rates alone has ensured anadditional 80 billion reais to the public coffers. Our trade balancehas been breaking records: Brazil reached a trade surplus ofUS$58.477 billion between January and October 2017 (anincrease of 51.8 percent in relation to the same period of 2016).Industrial output increased by 1.6 percent over the same period(in May 2016, it was in free fall of 9.8 percent).

Vehicle exports grew by 55.7 percent in relation to 2016 andhave already reached the 560 thousand units produced in 2017aggregate. Sales of new vehicles in the domestic market grew by9.28 percent this year in comparison with 2016. Grains crops inBrazil should reach the historic record of 242 million tons in2017, an increase of 30 percent in comparison to the last year.As a reflection of the acceleration of the Brazilian economy, portusage has grown by 5.7 percent in 2017 and the domestic avia-tion market also increased by 6.6 percent in comparison toSeptember 2016. This virtuous cycle lies at the root of therecovery of trust in the Brazilian economy. The BusinessConfidence Index (Getulio Vargas Foundation-FGV) peaked at90.3 points in October, the highest level si nce July 2014. TheBrazil Risk (Emerging Market Bond Index- EMBI) has dropped544 basis points (Jan 2016) to 239 basis points (Oct 2017), areduction of 56.1 percent in the sovereign spread. Also the five-year Credit Default Swap which was at 328 basis points hascome down to 173.5 at the present date. The IBOVESPA indexhas surpassed 76,000 points in September 2017, recoveringfrom 38 thousand points at which it stood in January 2016.

The aggregate FDI data for the first semester of 2017 wasUS$40.3 billion (US$78.9 in 2016). The energy auctions, whichwere held under the new regulatory model, including those ofpre-salt, raised 22 billion reais. Only in the energy sector, invest-ments of 444 billion reais are expected over the next few years,creating up to 500,000 new jobs. Economic rationality and pre-dictability measures have improved the business environment bymeans of initiatives such as de-bureaucratization in the agricul-tural, services, retail and foreign trade sectors. The StateEnterprise Responsibility Law has enabled a professionalizationof state enterprises. Discredited in the past, the state enterpriseshave now been regaining value. With losses of 32 billion reais in2015, they generated profits of 4.6 billion reais in 2016 and 17.3billion reais in the first half of 2017. Aiming at raising productivi-ty, an employment reform has been passed. Without removingrights, the law was modernized and brought workers from theshadow economy into formal employment. The success of thisagenda has already been reflected in employment recovery, withan increase in the employment rate indexes. The accumulatedsurplus for 2017, measured by the General Register of Employedand Unemployed Persons of the Ministry of Employment(CAGED-MTE), is of 163,000 jobs created, in comparison to theloss of 448,000 jobs between January and May 2016.

According to measurements of the Brazilian Institute ofGeography and Statistics (IBGE), in the third quarter of 2017alone more than 1,061 million jobs were created in Brazil, andfrom those more than 524,000 people have left the unemployedranks. Employee real aggregate income rose 3.9 percent in thethird quarter of 2017 in comparison to the same period of 2016.The reinstatement of fiscal responsibility along with the eco-nomic growth has enabled an increase in the resources allocatedto social welfare. Social welfare programs, which had been pre-viously put at risk on account of fiscal collapse, have beenrecovered in tandem with the ceilings established under theConstitution and thanks to efficiency in public spending.

The ‘Balsa Famflia’ benefit has been increased by 12.5 percent(after more than two years without any adjustment) and waiting listshave been extinguished. The government has gone further andlaunched the ‘Progredir’ (Getting ahead) program, which helps fami-lies on benefit to obtain employment and credit, and as such, toachieve autonomy. Boldly, I have released the dormant FGTSaccounts and advanced the PIS-PASEP withdrawals, which has ben-efited millions of Brazilians and injected R$ 60 billion into the econo-my. The health and education budgets have increased. The rationali-zation of health care management has brought more resources toessential services: R$4 billion have been redirected for equipmentpurchase, opening of new health care units and hiring new staff. The‘Farmacia Popular’ (low cost Pharmacy) program had been spending80 percent of its budget on administrative costs. A new allocationsystem has increased the resources for the purchase of essentialmedicines by R$100 million/year. In the field of education, the high-school/secondary reform has updated the curriculum for the stu-dents taking into account individual skills and the realities of theemployment market. The Student Financing Fund (FIES) has beenreassessed offering 75,000 new study places, and has now becomesustainable. Over R$700 million were allocated to this fund, by thesame token, avoiding delays in resource transfers. With the launch ofthe Geostationary Satellite, a decisive step has been taken towardsthe universalization of access to broadband Internet in Brazil.

NOTE: Michel Temer is the President of the FederativeRepublic of Brazil

Despite Trump, coal future remains bleak

Chinese facial recognition firms appeal to fundsBuoyed by China’s plans to build a ubiquitous CCTV sur-veillance network, Chinese and some foreign investors arepouring money into start-up technology firms that spe-cialize in facial recognition software. At stake for firmssuch as SenseTime Group, Face++ and DeepGlint, is amulti-billion dollar global public and private market forfacial recognition technology that can quickly identifyindividuals by measuring major elements of their faces,such as the distance between the eyes and the curve ofthe cheekbones.

With the use of artificial intelligence (AI) the technolo-gy can recognize and track those wanted by the authori-ties by seeking a match from a database of photographs.In the commercial world it can be used for security athomes, workplaces and ATM machines, and as a part ofpayments systems at stores and restaurants. According toestimates from IHS Markit Ltd, video surveillance - includ-ing the equipment and video management software - wasa $6.4 billion market in China in 2016, with 176 million sur-veillance cameras already installed by the authorities orprivate companies.

That market, the largest in the world, is set for a com-pound annual growth rate of 12.4 percent through 2021,according to IHS. By comparison, the US market was esti-mated to be worth only $2.9 billion and growing at just 0.7percent a year. In China, though, the supercharged growthhas added to concerns about controls on dissidents oractivists by the government of President Xi Jinping, espe-cially when combined with the potential for the Chineseauthorities to track phones being increasingly used forelectronic payments and their stepped up monitoring ofInternet traffic.

That hasn’t appeared to deter investors, who includeleading US venture capital firms such as the China arm ofSequoia Capital, which is one of the best-known Silicon

Valley venture capital firms. Hong Kong-based SenseTimeGroup, which produces deep-learning based software forfacial recognition, autonomous driving and video analyz-ing, said earlier this month it had “attracted lots of inter-est” in its latest financing round without elaborating.People familiar with its plans said the firm intends to raiseabout $500 million.

At the same time, SenseTime, which lists various policedepartments across China as major clients, has joinedforces with its backer China’s CDH Investments to raiseabout $450 million to invest in other firms working on arti-ficial intelligence technologies, said two sources withknowledge of the matter. And China’s biggest facial recog-nition firm Megvii, more commonly known as Face ++,earlier this month announced it has raised $460 million inits latest capital raising, including pulling in money fromChina’s national venture capital fund.

With the funding, Face++ plans to expand its businessfrom software to hardware by developing more productswith built-in AI, such as smart surveillance cameras thatcan capture faces better and faster, said Xie Yinan,Face++’s marketing and public relations director. “Wewant to enhance these ‘eyes of the city’ and make themintelligent,” Xie told Reuters. “So that ‘footage of the city’become ‘data about the city’,” he said.

Xie said that Face++, whose technology is behindChinese company Alipay’s “scan-your-face-to-pay” func-tion, has already helped the police catch more than 3,000fugitives. “It’s just like in the films. The police no longerneed to manually look for someone from thousands in thecamera. The video network automatically detects andalerts them to situations so that greatly enhances their effi-ciency,” Xie said.

Singapore proposalFace++, which was founded in 2011, does not release

specific revenue figures but Xie said it has been growingat about 400 percent annually and the company is expect-ed to break even this year. It’s also targeting an initial pub-lic offering, although it has no time frame, he said.SenseTime said its video surveillance technology is usedby 40 local government clients. Its photography enhance-ment technology is also used by almost all of China’s major

smartphone manufacturers including Huawei Technologies,Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.

SenseTime is seeking to expand overseas. It’s consider-ing setting up an ASEAN headquarters in Singapore, afterSingapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien-loong recently visit-ed the company in Beijing, Shang told Reuters. “We areconfident of recording $100 million in revenue this year,”he said, adding that would make it No.1 in China. He saidthe company expects its overseas revenue to grew to $150to $200 million in three to five years.

SenseTime and Face++ are far from alone. Smaller rivalYitu Technology, which lists more than a dozen provincialor municipal police departments across China as majorclients, raised $380 million from investors in May, includ-ing Sequoia China. DeepGlint, another Sequoia-backed AIcompany that has developed an intelligent surveillancecamera that can capture faces as far away as 50 m, toldReuters it derives almost all of its revenue from govern-ment contracts. Sequoia did not respond to Reuters’requests for comment on whether it has any concern thattechnology it is investing in may infringe individual privacy.Both Shang and Xie shrugged off criticism that their com-panies’ technology may be used to infringe on individuals’privacy. “We are only technology providers, we are neu-tral,” Xie said. “If you go back to the time before there ismobile, before there is the Internet, then of course you hadbetter privacy. But times have to advance with technolo-gy,” he said. —Reuters

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11

Continued from Page 1

Officials said 22,000 tents, 52,000 blankets and tonsof food and water had been distributed. The officialIRNA news agency said 30 Red Crescent teams hadbeen sent to the quake zone. After initially pinning thequake’s epicenter inside Iraq, the USGS then placed itacross the border in Iran yesterday morning. Iran’sSarpol-e-Zahab, home to some 85,000 people close tothe border, was the worst hit with at least 236 dead. Atdawn, buildings in the town stood disfigured, their formerfacades now rubble on crumpled vehicles.

In an open space away from wrecked housing blocks,men and women, some wrapped in blankets, huddledaround a campfire. Iranian media reported that a womanand her baby were pulled alive from the rubble. Thetowns of Eslamabad and Qasr-e-Shirin were also affect-ed, while the tremor shook several western Iranian citiesincluding Tabriz. Some 259,000 people live in the region,according to the most recent census.

State television showed tents, blankets and food beingdistributed in areas struck by the temblor. In neighboringDalahoo county, several villages were totally destroyed,an official told Tasnim agency. In Iraq, the health ministrysaid the quake had killed seven people in the northernprovince of Sulaimaniyah and one in Diyala province toits south. More than 500 people were injured in bothprovinces and the nearby province of Kirkuk.

Footage posted on Twitter showed panicked peoplefleeing a building in Sulaimaniyah as windows shatteredat the moment the quake struck. Images from the nearbytown of Darbandikhan showed walls and concrete struc-tures that had collapsed. Nizar Abdullah spent the nightwith neighbors sifting through the ruins of a two-storeyhome next door after it crumbled into concrete debris.“There were eight people inside,” the 34-year-old IraqiKurd said. Some family members managed to escape, but“neighbors and rescue workers pulled out the motherand one of the children dead from the rubble”.

The quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depthof 23 km, was felt for about 20 seconds in Baghdad, andfor longer in other provinces of Iraq, AFP journalists said.Iraqi health authorities said they treated dozens of peo-ple in the aftermath, mostly for shock. It was also felt insoutheastern Turkey, an AFP correspondent said. In thetown of Diyarbakir, residents were reported to have fledtheir homes. Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Syriaoffered their condolences, while Pope Francis called thequake a “tragedy” and expressed his “prayerful solidari-ty” with victims. The quake struck along a 1,500-kmfault line between the Arabian and Eurasian tectonicplates, which extends through western Iran and north-eastern Iraq. The area sees frequent seismic activity.

In 1990, a 7.4-magnitude quake in northern Iran killed40,000 people, injured 300,000 and left half a millionhomeless, reducing dozens of towns and nearly 2,000villages to rubble in just seconds. Thirteen years later, acatastrophic quake flattened swathes of the ancientsoutheastern Iranian city of Bam, killing at least 31,000.Iran has experienced at least two major quake disasterssince, one in 2005 that killed more than 600 and anotherin 2012 that left some 300 dead. — Agencies

Hunt for survivorsafter quake...

Survivors sit in front of buildings damaged by the earthquake in Sarpol-e-Zahab yesterday. — AP

Iranians mourn over the body of a victim in Sarpol-e-Zahab yesterday. — AFP


Mazrouei, whose government is OPEC’s fourthlargest oil producer, said he was not happy with thesharp fluctuations in prices, saying they need to bemore stable. OPEC ministers are scheduled to hold acrucial meeting in Vienna at the end of November todiscuss extending the cuts deal as well as imposing thequota system on countries that have so far beenexempted, namely Libya, Iran and Nigeria. Cartel king-pin Saudi Arabia and the world’s top producer Russiahave voiced support for a rollover to the deal, the dura-tion of which remains up for debate.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo saidthe producers deal had yielded solid results as a “validresponse to the worst oil price down cycle in history”.“There are clear indications that the market is rebal-ancing at an accelerating pace,” he said at the confer-ence. Barkindo said the oil market was on track to sta-bilize because of a drop in crude stocks and a rise inglobal demand.

The OPEC chief also called on new oil producers,including US shale crude producers, to join a broader

agreement to secure the future of energy. Barkindo saidtalks were under way to “institutionalize” the coopera-tion between OPEC and non-OPEC members to regu-late the market. “Now, we are not talking about OPEC14 but about the global platform 24,” he said, referringto the number of oil-producing members that signedthe production cut accord. — AFP

Oil producers to extend cuts to...


The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Micheal Mac Donncha,said the city council had discussed taking away the hon-or and the matter was still under review. Last month shewas stripped of a similar honor by the British universitycity of Oxford, where she was an undergraduate. ButMac Donncha, a councillor for the Irish nationalist SinnFein party, also criticized Geldof’s gesture, saying it wasironic as Geldof held a British knighthood despite “theshameful record of British imperialism across the globe”.

The former Boomtown Rats singer was given an hon-orary knighted in 1986 in recognition of his charity work,including organizing the 1985 Live Aid concert to help

those suffering from starvation and disease in Ethiopia.Other foreign recipients of the Freedom of Dublininclude John F Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and MikhailGorbachev. “Dublin shouldn’t have any link with thiswoman. We’ve been duped, she’s a murderer,” Geldofsaid, explaining that although the council lacked the con-stitutional means to rescind the award, he had a plan.“Give me a felt tip pen and I can do it.” He also demand-ed that the leader hand back her Nobel Prize “and per-haps she should appear at the Hague tribunals”.

Irish rockers U2, who had campaigned for Suu Kyi’srelease while she was a political prisoner, also voiceddisappointment and said her silence was “starting tolook a lot like assent”. “Who could have predicted that ifmore than 600,000 people were fleeing from a brutalarmy for fear of their lives, the woman who many of usbelieved would have the clearest and loudest voice onthe crisis would go quiet,” the band said in a statement.“For these atrocities against the Rohingya people to behappening on her watch blows our minds and breaksour hearts.” — Agencies

Geldof returns Dublin honor...


Hezbollah has trained Iraq’s powerful Hashed Al-Shaabi paramilitary forces, Khashan said, and even has“operatives” in Yemen’s war to back Shiite Houthirebels targeted by Riyadh. Closer to home, Hezbollahhas fought ferociously in Syria to defend the govern-ment of President Bashar Al-Assad, also an ally of Iran.

The group’s intervention in Syria’s six-year conflictwas a major turning point that helped Assad’s troopsretake swathes of territory. It also helped honeHezbollah’s own combat experience, transforming itfrom a guerrilla movement to a powerful fighting forcewith offensive capabilities. Combining its militaryexpertise and political savvy, Hezbollah has maturedinto Iran’s “crown jewel” in the Middle East, saidJoseph Bahout at the Carnegie Foundation think tank.It now serves as a “model” for all Iran-allied groups inthe region, from Syria’s pro-regime militias to Iraq’sHashed Al-Shaabi and the Iran-backed Houthi fighters,Bahout said.

These military ventures formed the crux of Hariri’scriticism of Hezbollah during his landmark interview onSunday from Riyadh. Breaking his silence more than aweek after his resignation, Hariri called on Hezbollah tocommit to Lebanon’s policy to “disassociate” fromregional conflicts. “I tell Hezbollah: it is in your interest,

if we want to protect Lebanon... to leave some of theareas that you have entered,” Hariri said. He zoned in onYemen, saying Hezbollah’s involvement in the protract-ed conflict there had drawn Saudi’s rage: “Did the king-dom have any position towards Hezbollah before thewar in Yemen?”

Hariri, 47, accused Iran and Hezbollah of taking overhis country and destabilizing the broader region whenhe stepped down on Nov 4. That announcementsparked worries that Lebanon would be sent careeningback into political and economic turmoil as Riyadh andTehran vie for influence. There were even fears of anew war with Israel, after Hezbollah chief HassanNasrallah accused Saudi Arabia last week of asking TelAviv to bomb Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah have clashed several times,including in a month-long war in 2006 that killed 1,200Lebanese - mostly civilians - and 160 Israelis, mostlysoldiers. But any new conflict between Lebanon and itssouthern neighbor risked spilling over into the broaderregion, experts have said. “This time,” said Bahout,“because of the extension in Syria and Iraq, it won’t bea war on Hezbollah only. It will very quickly flare up.”

Nasrallah’s forces could respond to Israeli pressureby striking elsewhere, including the United ArabEmirates or even Saudi Arabia. For Bitar, a convergenceof factors, including “an impulsive Saudi Arabia, backedby an equally, extremely impulsive American president,and rising rhetoric in Israel”, could indicate a war wasnear. “But at this stage, we are still in a system wherethere is mutual deterrence, a balance of terror,” he said.“The two parties know that an eventual war would bedevastating for both sides.” — AFP

Hezbollah crown jewel of Iran’s...

Secretary General of OPEC, Nigerian MohammedBarkindo, speaks during the ADIPEC event. — AFP

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: The Canadian community hockey teamdefeated its Kuwaiti counterpart by the score of 5-3during the friendly match that was held on Sundayevening at TEC skating rink in the presence of theCanadian AmbassadorMartine Moreau andChairman of Kuwait WinterGames club Fuhaid Al-Ajmiand his deputy Khalid Al-Mutairi with a large numberof fans in the stands.

Martine Moreau saidCanada and Kuwait enjoysover half a century ofstrong bilateral relations,adding that I realized, dur-ing my stay in Kuwait, mydeep appreciation for the many shared valuesbetween our countries, and this is reflected not only inour friendly relations, but also in the sincere wish toboost cooperation and bilateral trade and joint experi-

ences in various fields, as well as increase and developties between people. Moreau said “2017 is a specialyear for Canadians because we are celebrating the150 anniversary of the federation and we would like tocelebrate it with our friends in Kuwait through rela-tions between people and sports.

She said this is the firstfriendly match betweenKuwait and Canada, andwe hope for more in thefuture.

The Canadian ambassa-dor Martine Moreau con-gratulated Kuwait hockeyteam for winning first placein Bangkok open tourna-ment. Meanwhile, Chairmanof the Winter Games ClubFuhaid Al-Ajmi said the

match is held in cooperation with the Canadianembassy to celebrate the 150 anniversary of the fed-eration, and the club received the invitation from theCanadian side.


13S p o r t s

Established 1961

CARDIFF: Wales centre Jamie Roberts has been recalled to the squad afterJonathan Davies suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s 29-21 defeat byAustralia. Davies had to be helped from the field after he picked up an injuryin the final seconds of the match, but requires further assessment before adecision is made on his availability. ‘We’re still waiting on him,’ Wales assistantcoach Neil Jenkins told reporters yesterday. ‘Everyone saw it, it doesn’t lookgreat. He’s going to struggle for the rest of this autumn but hope-fully it’s not too serious. ‘I’m not saying he’s out but we justneed to see where he’s at. He was outstanding for the (British &Irish) Lions and last year for us. Heís a world class player.’ The31-year-old Roberts, who has 93 caps, was left out of the initialsquad after captaining Wales to victories over Tonga andSamoa on this year’s tour. ‘He’s an outstanding player. He wasunlucky to miss out initially. He’s been part of the set-up for avery long time and he’ll just fit in. —Reuters

MADRID: Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Sunday thathe had become a father for the fourth time after girlfriend GeorginaRodriguez gave birth to a baby girl, Alana Martina. “Alana Martina has justbeen born! Both Geo and Alana are doing great. We are all very happy,” the

beaming 32-year-old footballer wrote on Twitter, posting aphoto of himself, Rodriguez, his seven-year-old sonCristiano Junior and the new arrival. Ronaldo is also thefather of twins, Eva and Mateo, who were born in June. Atthe end of October, the Portuguese star had revealed in avideo on social media the name of the child as well as the

proposed due date of the baby, initially fixed at November21. Ronaldo was on hand for the birth of Alana Martina

after being rested by Portugal coach Fernando Santos forfriendly matches against Saudi Arabia and the United States

during the ongoing international break. — AFP

LONDON: England coach Gareth Southgate appreciates the penalty-shootout woes of his national team as well as anyone, and he’s trying todo something about it before next year’s World Cup. Southgate hasraised the prospect of putting England’s players through a mockshootout at one of the team’s friendlies ahead of next year’s tournamentin Russia. “It’s something that we are considering, how we prepare bestfor penalty shootouts,” Southgate said. “Whether that’s something onthe training ground, whether that’s in sessions we do away from thetraining ground or something we do in some sort of match scenario,we’ve not finalized things like that yet. But clearly that (match situation)is an option.” England has lost six of seven penalty shootouts since1990 at either a World Cup or a European Championship. Southgate’sfailure from the spot eliminated England at the semifinal stage of Euro1996. After the match against Brazil on Tuesday, England has friendlieslined up against Italy and the Netherlands in March. The team is set toplay two more friendlies before the World Cup. —AP

Southgate considers penalty shootout at friendly game

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes father for fourth time

Roberts recalled as Wales sweat over Davies injury

Canadian ice hockey team defeatKuwait in first friendly match

TAMPA: Hannah Brandt scored twice in the secondperiod and the United States women beat Canada 5-1on Sunday to win their third straight Four Nations Cupchampionship. Hilary Knight and Amanda Kessel eachadded a goal and an assist. Kendall Coyne had a goal,and Dani Cameranesi added four assists.

Maddie Rooney made 18 saves and improved to 3-0in the Americans’ four games at this tournament. Thegoalie now is 4-0-0 this fall with three of her victoriesagainst Canada. The United States won the event for theeighth time overall. Better yet, the Americans now havebeaten their biggest rivals for the third time in fourgames over the past month as they tune up for thePyeongchang Games in February. The two women’shockey powers will meet again as part of their pre-Olympic exhibition tour on Dec. 3 in St Paul, Minnesota.

“We are progressing toward February,” US coachRobb Stauber said. “That is our main objective: to bethe best that we can be before February, and this is astepping stone.” Since Canada won the gold medal in2014 at Sochi with a 3-2 overtime win, the United Statesnow has won six of seven titles and 10 of 13 gamesoverall against the only other country to win Olympicgold in women’s hockey.

Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin said every lossis frustrating. “That’s not the result we wanted, but wewill go back to Calgary and work hard as a team,”Poulin said. “It’s a long year, and we will keeping work-ing to get better so we can get there.”— AP

US beat Canada 5-1 to win 3rd straight Four Nations Cup

Moreau congratulates Kuwait for winning first place in Bangkok

We hope for more games in the future

ANAHEIM: J.T. Brown scored the decisive goal andAndrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves as the Tampa BayLightning defeated the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 on Sundaynight at Honda Center. The Lightning (14-2-2) talliedonce on the power play to complete their Californiasweep with their fourth win in a row while extendingtheir road win streak to six games. Tampa Bay avengeda 4-3 loss to the Ducks at home on Oct 28. The Ducks(7-7-3) got spectacular goaltending from John Gibsonin the 35-save loss. Anaheim has won only one of itslast six games, with two overtime losses. Tampa Baywent ahead 2-1 at 7:18 of the third on Brown’s first goalof the season. Ryan Callahan poked a puck free of theAnaheim defense behind the Ducks net. Chris Kunitzpassed it to Brown in the left slot. He fired a wrist shotinto the top corner past Gibson’s catching glove.

CAPITALS 2, OILERS 1 (SO)T.J. Oshie scored the only goal during the shootout

to give Washington the win over Edmonton. Oshie wentfirst during the shootout and beat Edmonton goalieLaurent Brossoit through the five-hole. Washington’sBraden Holtby shut down the Oilers during theshootout period to give the Capitals their fifth win in sixgames. The Oilers broke the scoreless tie 92 secondsinto the third period when, during a scrum in front ofHoltby, Capitals forward Alex Chiasson deflected thepuck into his own net. Jujhar Khaira got credit for thetally for Edmonton. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov beatBrossoit glove-side to even the score at 1-1.

DEVILS 7, BLACKHAWKS 5Miles Wood had a hat trick and New Jersey erased a

three-goal deficit to beat Chicago. The 22-year-oldwinger scored a pair of first-period goals and finishedoff his four-point night with his third goal early in thethird period. A four-goal second period allowed theDevils to build a 6-4 lead. Taylor Hall’s goal with 7:45remaining in the period gave New Jersey its first lead ofthe night after the Devils entered the second trailing 4-2. Brian Gibbons extended the lead to two goals with2:55 remaining in the second. Chicago got within 6-5when Patrick Kane scored on the power play with just2.7 seconds remaining in the period.

SHARKS 2, KINGS 1Joel Ward scored the decisive third-period goal and

Martin Jones made 26 saves as San Jose defeatedLos Angeles. San Jose won its second straight gameand six out of i ts last seven contests . MelkerKarlsson registered the other Sharks goal. San Joseevened the season series at one game apiece. LosAngeles lost its second consecutive home game andhas lost consecutive games for the first time this sea-son. Dustin Brown scored the Kings’ lone goal.Jonathan Quick made 31 saves. It was the first regu-lation loss for Los Angeles when leading after twoperiods. — Reuters

Brown’s first goal gives Lightning 2-1 win over Ducks

Capitals forward Alex Chiasson.

BERLIN: Joachim Loew has told his Germany side toprove themselves in today’s friendly against France asthe defending champions’ sharpen their preparationsfor next year’s World Cup. Security will be tight inCologne as the friendly takes place almost two years tothe day since the Paris terror attacks of November 132015, when 130 people were killed and over 400 wereinjured.

On that night, three suicide bombers set off devicesat the Stade de France during a France v Germanyfriendly and the shocked German players had to spendthe night at the stadium during a security crackdown.

“Memories of that nightstill come back, it was a dra-matic experience and oneyou would not want to expe-rience again,” said Loew onMonday. “Over time, you canblock it out. I don’t feelunsafe and I have confidencein the security.”

However, the pre-matchfocus in Cologne was on thefootball. Loew is set to fieldfirst-choice midfielders SamiKhedira and Toni Kroos, who missed Friday’s goallessdraw against England at Wembley with a gastrointesti-nal infection. “I want to see if certain players can provethemselves against the best,” said Loew.

“The most important thing won’t be the most impor-tant thing. “Mistakes could be made, which will belearnt from. “I want to try things out and make changesduring the game.

“We wanted two games in November against teamson the same level as us. “We want to test a few things,but it will be a different game to the one againstEngland. “The French have players who always go for-

ward, I think they will be more dangerous than Englandand we want to be better in that regards.” Loew treatedhis squad to a speedboat ride down the Thames afterholding England at Wembley, but the players were allbusiness in a high-tempo training session in Cologne onSunday.

Loew will again field an experimental line-up withParis Saint-Germain goalkeeper Kevin Trapp set tostart. The Germans came through their World Cupqualifying campaign with a perfect record of ten wins.To ensure they face stiff tests before the World Cupkicks off in Moscow next June, the Germans will also

face Spain and Brazil infriendlies next March aftertheir final match of 2017against the French.

The friendly is unlikely tobe a sell-out with just over30,000 of the 45,000 avail-able tickets sold. “Friendlymatches are not that impor-tant any more, so you have tounderstand the publics reac-tion,” said Loew.

“It is not the first time thestadium hasn’t sold out.” France are missing Arsenalstriker Olivier Giroud, who picked up a thigh strain inFriday’s 2-0 win over Wales, while Barcelona wingerOusmane Dembele and Manchester United midfielderPaul Pogba are also sidelined.

Germany are without Bayern Munich defenderJerome Boateng, who also sat out the draw againstEngland with a muscle injury. The Germans are unbeat-en in their last 19 matches, dating back to their 2-0defeat against France in the semi-finals of the 2016European championships when Antoine Griezmannscored both goals in Marseille. —AFP

Tuesday, November 14, 2017S p o r t s

Established 1961

NEW YORK: The FIFA corruption trialis to get underway with opening state-ments in New York, two and a halfyears after US prosecutors unveiledthe largest graft scandal in the historyof world soccer.

Forty-two officials and marketingexecutives, and three companies wereindicted in an exhaustive 236-pagecomplaint detailing 92 separate crimesand 15 corruption schemes to the tuneof $200 million. Yet only three of themare going on trial-three fabulously-wealthy and once-powerful soccerofficials from South America, chargedwith racketeering, wire fraud and mon-ey laundering conspiracies.

Their fate will be decided by ananonymous jury, chosen after docu-mented attempts at intimidation. The12-member panel with six alternateswas selected after four days of screen-ing last week. Opening statements arescheduled to begin Monday at the USfederal court in Brooklyn. The mosthigh-profile defendant is Jose MariaMarin, 85, former president of Brazil’sFootball Confederation-the sport’sorganizing body in one of the premier

soccer-playing nations in the world.Since extradition after his 2015

arrest by Swiss police in a five-starhotel, he has been out on bail, living inluxury at Trump Tower, the FifthAvenue skyscraper best known forhousing the penthouse and companyheadquarters of the US president.

Also in the dock is former FIFA vicepresident Juan Angel Napout, 59, andManuel Burga, who led soccer in Peruuntil 2014 and once served as a FIFAdevelopment committee member.

All three plead not guilty. The trialdue to last five to six weeks, prosecu-tors are expected to present 350,000pages of evidence and dozens of wit-nesses. If convicted, they will be sen-tenced by Judge Pamela Chen. Themost serious counts each carry a maxi-mum sentence of 20 years. US prose-cutors first announced the indictmentson May 27, 2015, lifting the lid on aquarter of a century of endemic cor-ruption in the heart of FIFA, soccer’sgoverning body.

Twenty-four defendants havealready pleaded guilty, and two ofthem were last month sentenced to jail.While the US investigation did notindict ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter,he was thrown out of the sport in 2015after FIFA’s ethics committee foundhim guilty of accepting an impropertwo million Swiss franc ($2.1 million)payment from then-UEFA chief MichelPlatini. Blatter was banned from soccerfor six years, and Platini, his formerheir apparent, for four years. — AFP

Prove yourselves, German stars told for French test

Loew will again field an experimental line-up

Memories of that night still

come back

FIFA bribery trial to kick off in NY

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GBBoston 12 2 .857 -Toronto 7 5 .583 4NY Knicks 7 5 .583 4Philadelphia 6 6 .500 5Brooklyn 5 8 .385 6.5

Central DivisionDetroit 10 3 .769 -Milwaukee 6 6 .500 3.5Cleveland 6 7 .462 4Indiana 6 8 .429 4.5Chicago 2 9 .182 7

Southeast DivisionOrlando 8 5 .615 -Washington 7 5 .583 0.5Miami 6 7 .462 2Charlotte 5 7 .417 2.5Atlanta 2 11 .154 6

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Denver 8 5 .615 -Minnesota 7 5 .583 0.5Portland 6 6 .500 1.5Utah 6 7 .462 2Oklahoma City 6 7 .462 2

Pacific DivisionGolden State 10 3 .769 -LA Clippers 5 7 .417 4.5LA Lakers 5 8 .385 5Phoenix 5 9 .357 5.5Sacramento 3 9 .250 6.5

Southwest DivisionHouston 11 3 .786 -San Antonio 8 5 .615 2.5Memphis 7 5 .583 3New Orleans 7 6 .538 3.5Dallas 2 12 .143 9

NBA results/standingsOklahoma City 112, Dallas 99; Houston 118, Indiana 95; Detroit 112,Miami 103; Boston 95, Toronto 94.

CLAIREFONTAINE-EN-YVELINES: France’s forward Kylian Mbappe takes part in a training session in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, as part of the team’s preparation for the friendly football match against Germany. — AFP

14

BOSTON: The Boston Celtics, playing without KyrieIrving, hung on for their 12th straight victory on Sunday,beating the Toronto Raptors. And it came right down tothe final second. DeMar DeRozen missed two shots in theclosing seconds as the Celtics downed the TorontoRaptors 95-94. After DeRozen missed a jumper, rookieJayson Tatum grabbed the rebound, turned and hit FredVanVleet with an elbow for an offensive foul with 13.4seconds remaining. The play was reviewed, the call stoodand Toronto kept the ball. Al Horford, returning from atwo-game absence from a concussion, scored 21 points tolead five Boston players in double figures. Brown added 18points, Terry Rozier scored 16, Marcus Smart 14 andTatum had 13 points and seven rebounds. DeRozen led theRaptors with 24 points (but was just 8 of 22 from thefloor), his seventh straight 20-point game at TD Garden.

PISTONS 112, HEAT 103Tobias Harris led five players in double figures with

25 points to help Detroit beat Miami and finish unbeatenon the five-game homestand. Avery Bradley scored 24points, Reggie Jackson had 17 points, rookie LukeKennard scored a career-high 14 points, backup pointguard Ish Smith scored 11 points and Andre Drummondadded 17 rebounds for the Pistons. Hassan Whitesidehad 20 points and 12 rebounds, Goran Dragic scored 18points, Dion Waiters had 16 points and Josh Richardson

added 15 points to lead the Heat, who went 13 of 37from 3-point range.

THUNDER 112, MAVERICKS 99Even without two starters, Oklahoma City made

quick work of Dallas. Russell Westbrook-on his birth-day-had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists, andforward Paul George followed his best scoring perform-ance of the season with 37 points in the absence ofcenter Steven Adams and forward Carmelo Anthony.Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 22 points, Yogi

Ferrell added 18, and Dennis Smith Jr. scored 15 points.

ROCKETS 118, PACERS 95James Harden, averaging 37.8 points in the previous

five games, scored 26 points and had a season-high 15assists in Houston’s romp over Indiana. Harden hit 9 of 21shots from the field and all five free throws. Eric Gordonchipped in with 21 points, and center Clint Capela con-tributed 20 points and a team-high 17 rebounds. GuardVictor Oladipo led the Pacers with 28 points on 11-of-17shooting from the field. — Reuters

Celtics beat Raptors for 12th straight victory

BOSTON: Boston Celtics’ Al Horford hangs from the rim after dunking as Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet (23) andSerge Ibaka (9) look on during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston. — AP

PIRAEUS: Croatia qualified for the 2018World Cup on Sunday by holding Greece to a0-0 draw in the second leg of their play-off inPiraeus for a 4-1 win on aggregate. ZlatkoDalic’s men will be playing in their fifth WorldCup in Russia next year, having only oncefailed to qualify in 2010.

A strong defensive performance, especiallyin the second half, was enough for Croatia toleave the Karaisiakis Stadium with a comfort-able victory over the two legs after winning4-1 on Thursday.

Greece coach Michael Skibbe droppedhalf of his players from the disastrous first-legshowing in Zagreb, and the return of Romadefender Kostas Manolas kept Croatia strikerNikola Kalinic in check.

For the first 30 minutes Greece were incontrol, but despite two good shots fromBorussia Dortmund defender SokratisPapastathopoulos and AEK Athens forwardAnastasios Bakasetas, the home team failedto get the much-needed early goal.

Greece came close to scoring four minutesbefore half-time when a cross from KostasMitroglou found midfielder Zeca, who headedthe ball in front of the Croatian goalmouth,only for goalkeeper Danijel Subasic to tip theball away with Panagiotis Retsos ready tohead in.

But the visitors nearly put the tie to bedwhen a left-footed blast by Inter Milan

winger Ivan Perisic hit the post in the 43rdminute, after Barcelona midfielder IvanRakitic had earlier curled a free-kick over thecrossbar.

Greece continued to enjoy more of the ballin the second period but when it came to fin-ishing off an attack, either a pass would goastray or a defender would step in. A shot onthe turn by Mitroglou from just outside the

penalty area just missed the post with an out-stretched Subasic unable to reach it. Greecedid put the ball in the net in the 79th minute,but substitute Dimitris Pelkas was correctlycalled offside.

Bologna defender Vasilis Torosidis’ shotwas blocked by Subasic with just three min-utes left, denying Greece even a consolationstrike. — AFP

Croatia qualify for World Cup with Greece draw

PIRAEUS: Greece’s Yannis Gianniotas, left, challenges for the ball with Croatia’s Ivan Strinicduring the World Cup qualifying play-off second leg soccer match between Greece andCroatia. — AP

S p o r t s Tuesday, November 14, 2017

15Established 1961

Meet the Kuwaiti Drifters Aiming to win at theRed Bull Car Park Drift Series Final 2017 in Kuwait

With less than a month remaining untilthe Red Bull Car Park Drift SeriesFinal, Kuwait is gearing up to find

out who will be crowned the 2017 King of Drift.Not only will this year be characterized as thefirst time that Kuwait is hosting, but it is alsothe first time that three Kuwaiti drifters, ratherthan one, will be going head to head againsteach other and against the remaining competi-tors.

Over 2,500 spectators will visit SIRBBCircuit on Friday, December 8, to support theKuwait representatives at the final. With onlyone drifter from each participating country, theRed Bull Car Park Drift contest rules allowsthree drifters from the hosting country; thisyear, Kuwait. The three drifters from Kuwaitparticipated in the local qualifier and toppedthe leaderboard; the winner, Ali Makhseed, 1strunner up, Fahad Aljadei, and the third placewinner, Abdullah Aljadi. Ali, Fahad, andAbdullah are preparing for the final, and with

the home field advantage on their side, they areoptimistic of keeping the coveted crown inKuwait.

Red Bull Car Park Drift final is organizedwith the cooperation of Basel Salem AlSabahMotor Racing Club, the Public Authority forSport, and SIRBB Circuit and is sponsored byTotal, Falken, Shop & Ship, PS4, Nissan,Boubyan Bank, Drag 965, Acqua Eva andTrolley. Media partners, MBC Action, KuwaitTimes and Aljarida will cover this popularevent.

Meet the Kuwaiti DriftersAli Makhseed topped the podium in the Red

Bull Car Park Drift Kuwait qualifier, held onMay 5 of this year, with Fahad Aljadei as hisrunner up and Abdullah Aljadi coming in asthird place.

Ali expressed his excitement and pride inKuwait hosting the Series Final “I am incrediblyhappy and proud to represent my country in

the Red Bull Car Park Drift Series Final that willbe held in Kuwait, for the first time”. He contin-ued, “I am ready to face the challenge with mynew car and I feel extremely confident in myability to rise up to the challenge.” Fahad isaiming high and is hoping to win the crown. Heexplained that he expects an intense competi-tion and qualified competitors “that will be thebest in the Middle East.” By their side isAbdullah who shares his fellow drifters’ enthu-siasm “to represent Kuwait on a regional level”.Abdullah continued, “All the drifters will beaiming to be the winner but I hope that thepodium is topped by Kuwaitis with myself asthe winner.”

A Kuwaiti podium may not be so far-fetched.In fact, at the 2016 Series Final held in Oman,the podium was topped by Omani finalists withHaitham Al Hadidi crowned the 2016 King ofDrift. Will history repeat itself in 2017 withKuwaiti finalists on the podium? Find out onDecember 8 at SIRBB Circuit.

Sport

DENVER: Denver Broncos tight end A.J. Derby (83) is tripped up by New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) during the first half of an NFL football game, in Denver. — AP

Brown’s first goal gives Lightning 2-1 win over Ducks

Prove yourselves, German stars told for French test

Celtics beat Raptors for 12th straight victory1413 14

Established 1961


Patriots rout Broncos for 12th winDENVER: Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes andthe New England Patriots matched their own AFC recordwith their 12th consecutive road victory, pummeling theDenver Broncos 41-16 on Sunday night. These teams haverepresented the AFC in the last four Super Bowls, and theBroncos (3-6) were hoping a visit from their rivals wouldhelp shake them from their funk. Instead, the Broncos fizzled.They saw their losing streak reach five games, their longestskid in seven seasons, and they lost back-to-back games tothe Patriots (7-2) in Denver for the first time since 1966.Avoiding Von Miller all night and throwing for 266 yards on25-of-34 passing, Brady improved to 8-9 against theBroncos, the only team he has a losing record against, andwon for just the fourth time in 11 trips to Denver. His 86thregular-season road win broke a tie with Peyton Manningfor most all-time. The Patriots also won a dozen consecutiveroad games from 2006-08. The NFL record is 18 set by theJoe Montana-led San Francisco 49ers from 1988-90. For thefirst time since 1979, the Patriots had a special teams take-away, a blocked punt and a kickoff return for a touchdown, atrifecta that fueled a comfortable 27-9 halftime lead.

49ERS 31, GIANTS 21C.J. Beathard threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns

and ran for a third score to lead San Francisco past NewYork for its first victory over the season. Beathard connect-ed on an 83-yard TD to Marquise Goodwin and a 47-yarderto Garrett Celek in the second quarter as the 49ers (1-9)took advantage of another listless effort by the Giants (1 -8)to win for the first time under coach Kyle Shanahan.Beathard’s time as starting quarterback in San Francisco fig-ures to be numbered after the team acquired JimmyGaroppolo two weeks ago in trade from New England.Garoppolo has been learning the offense and could takeover when the team returns from the bye in two weeks.While the Niners could be making a quarterback changesoon, this performance will only heighten the questionsabout whether the Giants will need to change coaches. BenMcAdoo has been under fire after a report this past weekfrom ESPN that quoted an anonymous player as saying theplayers have given up on the season and don’t view McAdooas a leader.

FALCONS 27, COWBOYS 7Adrian Clayborn set an Atlanta record with six sacks,

Matt Ryan threw a pair of short touchdown passes and theFalcons romped to victory over Dallas. The Cowboys lookedanemic offensively in their first game without suspendedrunning back Ezekiel Elliott. Ryan hooked up with JustinHardy on a 3-yard pass for Atlanta’s first offensive touch-down in the third quarter this season. Early in the fourth,

Ryan put the game away for the Falcons (5-4) by tossing oneto Austin Hooper for a 1-yard score. While the Cowboys (5-4) sure missed Elliott, who finally began serving a six-gamesuspension for allegations of domestic abuse after threelegal reprieves, they really noticed the absence of left tackleTyron Smith. He sat out the game with back and groininjuries, leaving third-year player Chaz Green to protect DakPrescott’s blind side.

RAMS 33, TEXANS 7Robert Woods caught two of Jared Goff’s three touch-

down passes during a dominant third quarter, and surgingLos Angeles returned after a month away from home fortheir fourth straight victory, 33-7 over depleted Houston.After struggling to a 9-7 lead during a quiet first half for theNFL’s highest-scoring team, the Rams (7-2) ran away with aseries of big throws by Goff, who passed for a career-high355 yards. Woods caught a 94-yard TD pass to break itopen before Sammy Watkins and Woods made TD catches19 seconds apart late in the third quarter. The Rams defenseshut out Houston in the second half and won at the Coliseumfor just the third time in 11 games since returning to LosAngeles last season. Woods finished with eight catches for171 yards, making the longest catch of his NFL career beforefollowing it up with a 12-yard TD.

BILLS 47, SAINTS 10Mark Ingram scored a career-best three touchdowns and

New Orleans won its seventh straight game by plowingthrough a porous Buffalo defense. Alvin Kamara also had a3-yard touchdown rushing as the Saints blew the game openby scoring five times on their first six possessions, notincluding a one-play series to close the first half. Ingram fin-ished with 131 yards rushing. He scored twice from 3 yardsand again on a 1-yard plunge. The Saints finished with 298yards rushing and 32 first downs. Their defense was just asdominating in limiting Buffalo to 198 yards and 10 firstdowns. And five of those first downs came on Buffalo’smeaningless final drive that ended with backup quarterbackNathan Peterman hitting Nick O’Leary on a 7-yard touch-down pass.

STEELERS 20, COLTS 17Ben Roethlisberger’s 32-yard completion to Antonio

Brown with 35 seconds set up a 33-yard field goal fromChris Boswell as time expired. The Steelers (7-2) have wonfour straight overall and five in a row in the series. But it surewasn’t easy as the Colts (3-7) held Roethlisberger, Brownand Le’Veon Bell in check. Pittsburgh needed two second-half TD passes from Roethlisberger to fight its way out of a17-3 third-quarter deficit. And Roethlisberger reverted to his

traditional form on the Steelers’ final possession. The two -time Super Bowl champion methodically marched theSteelers 70 yards in the final 3 minutes, 10 seconds to givePittsburgh its only lead.

VIKINGS 38, REDSKINS 30Case Keenum threw touchdowns to four different

receivers to build a big lead, and the NFC North-leadingVikings won their fifth in a row. With Teddy Bridgewateractive for the first time since January 2016 after a devastat-ing knee injury, Keenum was 21 of 29 for 304 yards and TDpasses to Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, David Morgan andJarius Wright. He was picked off on consecutive throws byD.J. Swearinger. Thielen had eight catches for a season-high166 yards. Latavius Murray also ran for a score as five play-ers got into the end zone for Minnesota (7-2), which was 8of 12 on third downs. The Vikings won their first game out ofthe bye week for the second time in eight seasons as they tryto avoid a repeat of the swoon that cost them a playoff spotlast season.

PACKERS 23, BEARS 16Brett Hundley threw for 212 yards and a touchdown, Nick

Perry had three sacks and the Packers snapped a three-game losing streak. Hundley, starting his third game for aninjured Aaron Rodgers, threw a 17-yard touchdown toDavante Adams to make it 23-13 with 5:29 to play, and thePackers (5-4) hung on to beat the Bears (3-6) for the eighthtime in nine games. It was the first victory for a Packers QBnot named Rodgers or Brett Favre since 1989. Chicago’sMitchell Trubisky threw for a career-high 297 yards. Therookie hit Josh Bellamy for a 46-yard touchdown in thefourth quarter, but the Bears dropped their second in a rowafter winning back-to-back games.

TITANS 24, BENGALS 20Marcus Mariota tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to

DeMarco Murray with 36 seconds left , and the Titans ralliedfor their fourth consecutive victory. It’s the longest winningstreak for the Titans (6-3) since takin five straight in 2009,and it’s their best start to a season since 2008 when theTitans last reached the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 1 seed.Murray ran for two touchdowns, and Mariota finished with264 yards passing. The Bengals (3-6) lost for the third time infour games despite sacking Mariota four times. They startedwith three defensive starters scratched and lost a fourth whenlinebacker Vontaze Burfict was ejected in the second quarterafter pushing the arm of an official. Cincinnati took its onlylead at 20-17 on a 70-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton to A.J.Green with 5:03 left, but the Bengals couldn’t stop the Titans,who drove 73 yards for the winning TD.

JAGUARS 20, CHARGERS 17, OTJosh Lambo kicked a 30-yard field goal with 3:12 remain-

ing in overtime, lifting the Jaguars in a wild game. Lambo’skick got tipped at the line of scrimmage and still cleared thecrossbar. The former soccer player and one-time Chargerran the other way and slid on both knees near midfieldbefore getting mobbed by teammates. It gave Jacksonvilleits first three-game winning streak since 2013. The gameended up in overtime after a wacky final two minutes of reg-ulation that included a fumble, two interceptions, a tauntingpenalty and a costly flag for roughing the passer. At times, itlooked as if neither team wanted to win. After all the chaos,Lambo drilled a 34-yard field goal to send it to the extraperiod.

LIONS 38, BROWNS 24Matthew Stafford lofted a 29-yard, tiebreaking touch-

down to Eric Ebron early in the fourth quarter and the Lionswent on to beat the winless Browns. The Lions (5-4) ralliedfrom first- and second-half deficits to earn consecutive vic-tories for the first time since winning the first two games thisseason. The Browns, who fell to 0-9 on the season, led 10-0early in the game for their first double-digit lead of the sea-son, and were up 24-17 in the third after Deshone Kizer ledtwo consecutive touchdown drives. Detroit is the only fran-chise to have a 0-16 season in 2008. Cleveland’s chances tofinally win this season were hurt when Kizer took a shot tothe ribs by blitzing defensive back Quandre Diggs late in thethird period. The rookie quarterback, who came back to playlate in the fourth, had perhaps his best game. He completed21 of 37 passes for 232 yards with a 19-yard touchdown passto Kenny Britt in the first quarter. Kizer ran seven times for57 yards, including a go-ahead, 1-yard sneak with 6:01 leftin the third.

BUCCANEERS 15, JETS 10Ryan Fitzpatrick led two long scoring drives and Tampa

Bay limited the Jets to less than 200 yards of offense untillate in the fourth quarter to snap a five-game losing streak.With Fitzpatrick filling in for injured quarterback JameisWinston, the Buccaneers (3-6) used three field goals to builda 9-3 lead. Charles Sims put the game out of reach with a 6-yard touchdown reception with just over six minutesremaining. Fitzpatrick, facing the team he played for the pasttwo seasons, completed 17 of 34 passes for 187 yards andwas intercepted once. The 34-year-old Fitzpatrick, one ofjust four players in NFL history to throw TD passes for sev-en different teams, led a seven-minute drive that produced afield goal in the first quarter. He finished a 15-play, 81-yardmarch, also lasting more than seven minutes, with his TDpass to Sims to make it 15-3. — AP

Patriots had a special teams takeaway

ALAFCO seals $2.2bn dealfor 20 Boeing aircraftDUBAI: Kuwait’s Aviation Lease and Finance Company (ALAFCO)has completed the purchase of 20 Boeing 737 Max aircraft worth $2.2billion. On the sidelines of the ongoing Dubai Airshow 2017 expo,ALAFCO’s deputy CEO Adel Al-Banwan and the executive vice presi-dent of Boeing Kevin McAllister put their names on the dotted line tofinalize the deal.

Addressing reporters, Al-Banwan pointed out that Boeing 737 Maxaircraft are among the least fuel-consuming fleet of airplanes that willhelp propel the Kuwaiti aircraft-leasing company to new growth.

He underlined the company’s positive experiences with the Boeing737 fleet of aircraft, which he said were highly efficient and reliable.Meanwhile, McAllister touted the 737 Max fleet of aircrafts as the“fastest-selling in the history of Boeing,” saying these airplanes arefully equipped with cutting-edge technology to ensure maximal con-venience for passengers. Established in 2000, ALAFCO joinedKuwait’s stock exchange six years later and offers services thatinclude aircraft leasing and investment in aviation.

Separately, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) endorsed a memorandumof understanding for sharing experience yesterday. The memoran-dum’s endorsement was attended by DGCA’s President Sheikh SalmanSabah Salem Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah and DCAA’s Chairman Saif Al-Suwaidi, on the sidelines of Dubai Airshow Exhibition 2017, held untilNovember 16.

In a statement to KUNA, Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah said the memoran-dum involves developing cooperation in aviation and boosting perform-ance. He hoped for further cooperation with the Emirati side in the futurein strategic planning and executing projects in the field. — KUNA

Nissan Al-Babtain launches new Nissan X-TRAIL 2018

Qualcomm rejects Broadcom’s $103-billion takeover bid

Huawei holds Global Energy Summit 2017 in Abu Dhabi2218 19

DUBAI: Dubai wants a guarantee that Airbus will keepproduction of the A380 superjumbo open for at least10 years before state-owned Emirates places a neworder for the world’s largest jetliner, the airline’s presi-dent said yesterday.

Speaking to Reuters at the Dubai Airshow, TimClark also said the largest Middle East carrier wouldprobably stick with the Boeing 787 for its mid-sizedfleet needs after ordering 40 of the jets on Sunday,and could order more in future. Airbus’s hopes of anew order from top customer Emirates for the slow-selling A380 were thwarted on Sunday when the air-line unveiled a surprise order for 40 Boeing 787-10jets worth $15.1 billion at list prices, but no Europeancontract.

Delegates said Airbus may be willing to meetDubai’s conditions to steady A380 output, but hopesof an announcement during the rest of the Nov 12-16air show all but evaporated on Monday as AirbusChief Executive Tom Enders left empty-handed.

“We continue to have a dialogue with them,” Clarksaid. “If that comes to some kind of fruition during thecourse of the week, or the next few months, is very

much down to them.” Delegates said an air show orderwas not impossible but now looked unlikely. Airbushas been scaling back production plans for the A380,which was launched as the solution to ever-rising airtravel between majorinternational hubs buthas been outflanked byimprovements in theefficiency of smallerjets. With 100 A380salready in Emirates’fleet, Clark made plainthe concerns aboutAirbus’ commitment tothe project were beingfelt as high as the Dubaigovernment, which ownsthe airline.

“I think the owner-ship here are concerned about continuation (of theA380). They need some copper-bottom guaranteesthat if we do buy some more, then the line will be con-tinued for a minimum period of years and that they are

fully aware of the consequences of cancellation andleaving us high and dry.”

“Those assurances I am sure will come. Quite when,I don’t quite know.” Asked what would be a reasonable

commitment to unblocka deal, he said: “A mini-mum 10 years. These arevast capital investmentsfor us and we can’tafford to have anythingless than 10 years; hope-fully it would be 15. Butit is their call”. Airbusdeclined to comment.

GuaranteesEmirates is by far the

biggest customer for theA380, which entered

service in 2007 during the financial crisis and nevergenerated as many sales from other carriers as Airbushad hoped. Emirates has ordered 142 of the jets, worth$436 million each at list prices, and last week took

delivery of its 100th. Scrapping production would raiseconcerns about future support and the value of jets inEmirates’ portfolio. Dubai’s demand for industrialguarantees raises the stakes in negotiations and wouldbe a matter for the Airbus board.

“There has to be a fleshing out of the undertakings.My own view is that Airbus are ready to make those,but whether it is today or tomorrow or next week or inthe next few months, I don’t know,” Clark said. Airbushas been driving down A380 costs in an effort toensure the line can stay open and break even, even ifEmirates remains the only significant buyer of new jets,something that would help it to give the carrier assur-ances over its future. Emirates’ tough negotiating posi-tion also reflects growing concerns about managementuncertainty at Airbus, whose veteran sales chief JohnLeahy is about to retire.

“We know management is likely to be structuredslightly differently. On the basis of that we wish toknow that irrespective of what the management does,that once that commitment is made and signed for ...that they will honor it and nobody will change it,”Clark said. —Reuters

DUBAI: Emirati visitors pass US Air Force planes during the Dubai Air Show yesterday. —AP

BusinessEstablished 1961

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 4, 2017

Airline wouldprobably

stick withBoeing 787

Dubai demand key for world’s biggest jetliner

Emirates dashes Airbus’s hopes for A380 order

Eurozonebond markets brace for auction tests LONDON: Eurozone bond yields fellyesterday, pulling back from recenthighs ahead of a series of governmentbond sales this week likely to testinvestor appetite after last week’s sud-den sell-off.

Italy holds a bond sale yesterday buttechnical reasons prompted a delay inthe cut-off time to submit bids. Furtherauction tests from the Netherlands,Germany, France and Spain follow laterin the week. Eurozone bond yields werelower 2-3 basis points across the board,somewhat reversing a sharp sell-offtowards the end of last week.

Government bond yields had risenon Thursday and Friday, triggered by alarge seller of Bund futures onThursday. That curbed a rally that

began after the European CentralBank’s October policy meeting, when itextended its bond-buying scheme untilat least September 2018.

Yesterday, yields edged lower acrossthe board but were within touching dis-tance of recent highs, with more than30 billion euros of new bonds set toenter the market this week.

“Bonds could be somewhat weakduring these auctions,” said DZ Bankanalyst Sebastian Fellechner. However,he believes that in the long term south-ern European bonds will outperformtheir better-rated counterparts becauseof the benign environment.

“Overall, it’s a ‘Goldilocks’ environ-ment for peripheral spreads,” he said,pointing to fading political concernsand the European Central Bank deci-sion to keep up its stimulus. The yieldon Germany’s 10-year bond, thebenchmark for the bloc, fell 2 bps to0.39 percent and Italian 10-year bor-rowing costs slipped 3 bps to 1.81 per-cent. Both German and Italian yieldsare still 8-9 bps off last week’s lows.Yields rose last week after a mysteryseller sold a large chunk of Germangovernment bond futures on Thursday,sources said. — Reuters

DUBAI: ALAFCO’s Deputy CEO Adel Al-Banwan and the execu-tive vice president of Boeing Kevin McAllister

DUBAI: DGCA’s President Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-HmoudAl-Sabah and DCAA’s Chairman Saif Al-Suwaidi. —KUNA


18B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

EXCHANGE RATESAl-Muzaini Exchange Co.

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.674Indian Rupees 4.630Pakistani Rupees 2.875Srilankan Rupees 1.972Nepali Rupees 2.936Singapore Dollar 223.710Hongkong Dollar 38.878Bangladesh Taka 3.662Philippine Peso 5.924Thai Baht 9.187

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 80.947Qatari Riyal 83.372Omani Riyal 788.981Bahraini Dinar 806.700UAE Dirham 82.714

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 19.700Egyptian Pound - Transfer 17.170Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.218Tunisian Dinar 123.060Jordanian Dinar 428.040Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.022Syrian Lira 0.000Morocco Dirham 32.409

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 303.350

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

BAHRAIN EXCHANGE COMPANY WLL

Euro 354.920Sterling Pound 398.910Canadian dollar 239.990Turkish lira 788.900Swiss Franc 306.100Australian Dollar 233.880US Dollar Buying 302.150

GOLD20 Gram 249.07010 Gram 127.4505 Gram 64.570

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 303.000Canadian Dollar 239.540Sterling Pound 399.145Euro 354.630Swiss Frank 303.680Bahrain Dinar 804.185UAE Dirhams 82.885Qatari Riyals 83.710Saudi Riyals 81.660Jordanian Dinar 428.645Egyptian Pound 17.208Sri Lankan Rupees 1.973Indian Rupees 4.642Pakistani Rupees 2.873Bangladesh Taka 3.704Philippines Pesso 5.906Cyprus pound 18.030

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.392455 0.399955Czech Korune 0.005816 0.017815Danish Krone 0.043406 0.048406Euro 0. 347829 0.355329Georgian Lari 0.113373 0.113373Norwegian Krone 0.033198 0.038398Romanian Leu 0.064947 0.081797Russian ruble 0.005109 0.005109Slovakia 0.009051 0.019051Swedish Krona 0.032189 0.037189Swiss Franc 0.297713 0.308713

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.223951 0.235951New Zealand Dollar 0.203903 0.213403

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.233692 0.242692US Dollars 0.299250 0.303670US Dollars Mint 0.299750 0.303670

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003313 0.003897Chinese Yuan 0.044149 0.047649Hong Kong Dollar 0.036789 0.039539Indian Rupee 0.004124 0.004765Indonesian Rupiah 0.000018 0.000024Japanese Yen 0.002585 0.002776Korean Won 0.000260 0.000275Malaysian Ringgit 0.068404 0.074404Nepalese Rupee 0.003027 0.003197Pakistan Rupee 0.002660 0.002950Philippine Peso 0.005777 0.006070Singapore Dollar 0.217414 0.227414Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001646 0.002228Taiwan 0.009926 0.010108Thai Baht 0.008816 0.009366

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.797647 0.806147Egyptian Pound 0.014546 0.020264Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000207 0.000267Jordanian Dinar 0.423250 0.432250Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000151 0.000251Moroccan Dirhams 0.022787 0.046787Omani Riyal 0.781604 0.787284Qatar Riyal 0.079033 0.083973Saudi Riyal 0.079807 0.081107Syrian Pound 0.001286 0.001508Tunisian Dinar 0.117283 0.125283Turkish Lira 0.073428 0.083728UAE Dirhams 0.081166 0.082866Yemeni Riyal 0.000986 0.001066

Japanese Yen 3.665Syrian Pound 1.590Nepalese Rupees 2.913Malaysian Ringgit 72.220Chinese Yuan Renminbi 46.005Thai Bhat 10.145Turkish Lira 78.895

KUWAIT: Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-BabtainCompany (AABC), the sole authorized dealer ofNissan vehicles in the State of Kuwait, is delightedto announce the launch of the 2018 Nissan X-TRAIL model which is newly upgraded to reinforceX-TRAIL’s position as the perfect car for familyadventures in Kuwait. The redesigned crossovercomes with a distinctive and robust exteriorappearance, several new high-quality interior provi-sions, and innovative technologies to make life onthe road more enjoyable and safer.

Nissan has sold over 835,000 units in FY16,making X-TRAIL the highest-selling SUV world-wide and a customer favorite. New upgrades to the2018 model give young families and adventure-seekers more premium style options such as thechoice between the five or seven-seat version aswell as five new vibrant exterior vehicle shades,unrivalled space and comfort.

Al-Babtain Chief Operating Officer MohammadShalaby commented on the launch,” Crossovers area popular choice in Kuwait and having been a suc-cessful model in the past years, we are certain thereinvigorated additions such as the latest technolo-gies, upgraded design, accommodation, and itsoverall versatility will match the changing needs ofNissan Al-Babtain’s segment. This makes it evenmore exciting for us at Al-Babtain, to bring Nissan’sflagship crossover to Kuwait as it reflects our com-mitment to meet growing demands in the marketand position the 2018 X-Trail as a leader that playson the benefits of a customer-centric SUV carrierwhile maintaining the traditional advantages of acrossover.”

Nissan Intelligent Mobility represents the brand’sstrategy which make its cars more desirable byredefining how they are driven, powered and inte-grated into society. Powered by a range of Nissan’sIntelligent Mobility technologies, the new X-TRAILis equipped with three new driver-friendly innova-tive features for the first time - Intelligent Rear ViewMirror, Intelligent Emergency Brakes, and Intelligent

Cruise Control. The goal is to make Nissan driversfeel more confident, excited and connected, whilealso enhancing road and passenger safety.

The crossover is responsive and brilliantly adaptsto changing conditions.Sand-covered pave-ment or tight turns, thesystem automaticallysends power to thewheels that need itmost. The Nissan X-Trail is equipped withan efficient 4-cylinder169 HP engine with233Nm of torque tohelp ensure exceptionalhighway fuel economy.

For enhanced practi-cality, the new Nissan X-TRAIL is a spacious five orseven-seat crossover aimed at adventure-lovingfamilies. Delivering best-in-class front head room

andt h e

supreme comfort of fatigue-reducing Zero Gravityfront seats. There’s a 2nd row that slides and reclines,providing Easy Flex Seating, so you can adjust formaximum leg room, more cargo space, or anywhere

in between. And withavailable tasteful touch-es like Power PanoramicMoonroof, and leather-appointed seats, this isone natural, relaxed,and decidedly upscaleenvironment.

The new Nissan X-TRAIL continues tooffer countless confi-dence-inspiring inno-vative safety technolo-gies, including Moving

Object Detection, Intelligent Around View Monitor,Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Blind Spot Warningtechnology. These advanced technologies amplify

Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility philosophy and provideIntelligent Power, Intelligent Driving and IntelligentIntegration to increase a driver’s confidence andtrust in their new Nissan X-TRAIL.

Nissan Al-Babtain invites customers to visit itsshowrooms located in Al-Rai and Ahmadi to explorethe 2018 Nissan X-Trail and its new possibilities onthe road.

Nissan Al-Babtain launches new Nissan X-TRAIL 2018

Enhancements focus on fresh exterior design, greater cabin refinement

New Nissan Intelligent

Mobility features

Gulf Bank announces winners of Al-Danah daily draws for week KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah daily drawson 12 November 2017 announcing the names of itswinners for the week of 5 November - 9 November2017. The Al-Danah daily draws include drawsevery working day for two prizes of KD 1,000 perwinner.

The winners are: (Sunday 5/11): Obaid Mohammed Rathwan Al-Thafiri,

Karim Nabil Al-Sonji(Monday 6 /11): Sahar Kazem Hejazi, Sara Qasem Al-

Shuwaiker(Tuesday 7/11): Mohsen Guloum Malek Hussain, Abdulla

Abdulwahab Abdulaziz Al-Asfour(Wednesday 8/11): Hani Mohammed Sharef Taqi, Fuad

Jawad Yaqoub Abulhasan(Thursday 9/11): Abdulla Soud Abdulaziz Al-Basri, Hamad

Mohammed Obeid Al-AjmiGulf Bank’s Al-Danah 2017 draw lineup includes daily

draws (2 winners per working day and each receiveKD1,000). Al-Danah’s final draw for 1 Million Kuwaiti Dinarswill be held on 11 January, 2018 whereby the Al-Danah mil-

lionaire will be announced. Gulf Bank encourages you to increase your chances by

depositing more into your Al-Danah account, immediatelyfrom any local bank, using the new ePay (Self-Pay) service,which is available on Gulf Bank’s Online and Mobile Banking.

Five reasons why the Al-Danah account is the Best:1) Kuwait’s single biggest yearly cash prize of KD 1

million and the largest international bank prize according toGuinness World Records

2) Kuwait’s biggest quarterly cash prizes, up to KD500,000

3) Two winners of KD1,000 every working day4) The most chances to win5) Only Bank that transfers your chances to win from

the previous year to the current year

WASHINGTON: Semiconductor giantQualcomm yesterday said it rejectedthe $130 billion unsolicited merger bidfrom fel low chip maker Broadcomwhich could represent the biggest-evertakeover in the tech sector. Singapore-based Broadcom made the offer lastweek in what would have consolidatedtwo major players in the booming sec-tor fueled by growth in smartphonesand other connected devices.Qualcomm said yesterday that it’s in aunique position to grow on its own.

The proposal “significantly under-values Qualcomm relative to the com-pany’s leadership position in mobiletechnology and our future growthprospects,” said Paul Jacobs,Qualcomm’s executive chairman, in astatement.

Steve Mollenkopf, Qualcomm’s chiefexecutive, said the California companyremains confident about its future. “Nocompany is better positioned in mobile,IoT (internet of things), automotive,edge computing and networking withinthe semiconductor industry,” he said.

“We are confident in our ability tocreate significant additional value for

our stockholders as we continue ourgrowth in these attractive segments andlead the transition to 5G,” he said,referring to the fifth generation wirelessnetworks in the works.

But any deal would need to passmuster with Qualcomm shareholdersand could face regulatory scrutiny inthe United States and other markets.

Qualcomm has been facing a seriesof investigations around the worldlinked to its dominance in the smart-phone chip segment. Broadcom’s pro-posal came days after its CEO Hock Tanappeared at the White House withPresident Donald Trump to announceplans to move the tech company backto the United States from Singapore.

It comes as Qualcomm seeks a $47billion acquisition of Dutch rival NXP, adeal that is the subject of an EuropeanUnion anti-trust probe.

A merger with Broadcom wouldcreate a behemoth with some $51 bil-lion in revenues, including those fromNXP. Broadcom, meanwhile, is seek-ing to buy US r iva l BrocadeCommunicat ions in a dea l be ingreviewed by Washington. —AFP

B u s i n e s s Tuesday, November 14, 2017

19

Chip maker Qualcomm rejects $130bn Broadcom merger bid

Biggest-ever takeover in tech industry in jeopardy

Established 1961

KUWAIT: In an effort to make life simpler for its cus-tomers through a series of ongoing enhancements,Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) yesterday announcedthe launch of the Tap ‘n’ Go service with KNET. Thistechnology uses Visa payWave to enable Prestige,Elite and VIP Debit cardholders to transact with thePOS devices by tapping or waving the card on theNFC-enabled POS machine without the need to insertor swipe the card. This enhancement will enable fric-tionless payments for low value transactions in asecure, more convenient and faster way.

In addition, ABK provides this service without therequirement of PIN or signature verification for point-of-sale transactions below KD10 up to a cumulativetotal of KD 25, making the experience even simpler.

ABK enables contactless payments with KNET

Venezuela will neverdefault on debt:MaduroCARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro insistedyesterday that his cash-strapped country would “never”default, as he prepared to meet with creditors in Caracasto discuss rescheduling part of the country’s massive $150billion debt. “Never, default will never reach Venezuela,” hedeclared on his weekly television show. “Our strategy is torenegotiate and refinance all the debt.”

Maduro pointed to ongoing negotiations with his alliesChina and Russia, to which Venezuela owes, respectively,$28 billion and $8 billion. He said talks with China were

“moving along perfectly” and noted that agreement hadbeen reached this week with Moscow to restructureroughly $3 billion in loans. That was seen to give Caracasat least a few weeks’ breathing room to make otherupcoming payments. But sanctions imposed by the UnitedStates in August-the White House cited the humanitariancrisis in Venezuela, the creation of “an illegitimateConstituent Assembly” and “rampant public corruption”-have made it hard for the country to raise money frominternational investors.

Venezuela’s huge levels of debt have left it in a desperatestate, unable to import badly needed food, medicine and oth-er goods. Maduro accused the financial rating agencies,which this week lowered Venezuela’s debt rating, of beingpart of a “financial war” waged by the United States, afavorite target of his. The downgrading of Venezuela’s ratingsby Standard and Poor’s and Fitch was seen as increasing thelikelihood of a default. —AFP

WASHINTTON: In this Nov 2, 2017, file photo, Broadcom CEO Hock Tanspeaks as President Donald Trump listens during an event to announcethat the company is moving its global headquarters to the United States,in Washington. —AP

CARACAS: In this Oct 17, 2017 photo,Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaksduring a press conference at the Miraflorespresidential palace. —AP


20B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

LONDON: Uncertainty over a US tax reform dealpushed world stock markets further away from recentrecord highs yesterday, while Britain’s pound fell ongrowing concern about the future of Prime MinisterTheresa May.

Shares in Frankfurt, Paris and Milan fell around 0.5percent, but London’s blue-chip FTSE held in positiveterritory as sterling fell by nearly 1 percent, putting it oncourse for its biggest daily fall in over 10 days. Theoverall tone in stock markets was defensive after lastweek’s sudden stumble that began with a slide in Japan.MSCI’s world equity index, which tracks shares in 47countries, was down 0.5 percent-pulling away fromrecord highs hit last week. It is down for the thirdstraight day for the first time in three months.

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei fell 1.3 percent, pullingdown MSCI’s Asia-Pacific Index 0.6 percent. US stock

futures pointed to a weak start on Wall Street. “Therehave been different explanations for the sell-off inrecent days,” said David Madden, market analyst atCMC Markets UK. “Stocks don’t go up forever butwhen they do fall everyone says you have to get out.”

There was caution as investors waited to see whethera US tax deal would be hammered out soon. US SenateRepublicans have unveiled a new plan that differs fromthe House of Representatives’ version and there are fewsigns of a compromise. “All eyes are on what the Senateand the House of Representatives will do on their taxbills,” said Nobuhiko Kuramochi, chief strategist atMizuho Securities. “That there is debate is not surpris-ing at all. Still, it is an uphill moment for markets.”

Sterling tumblesThe spotlight also fell on the pound, which slipped

almost 1 percent to $1.3063 as trouble mounted forMay, while Brexit talks face a crucial deadline. Sterlingwas set for its biggest one day fall against the dollarsince Nov 2 and was down 0.7 percent at 89.02 penceper euro. The Sunday Times newspaper said 40 mem-bers of parliament from May’s Conservative Party hadagreed to sign a letter of no-confidence in her-eightshort of the number needed to trigger a party leader-ship contest.

“The political news over the weekend shows thather (May’s) position is coming under increasing pres-sure and currency markets are reacting to that,” saidAlvin Tan, a FX strategist at Societe Generale inLondon. The dollar was shackled by uncertainty overthe fate of the tax cut plans. It fetched 113.32 yen,more than a full yen below its near seven-month highof 114.735 yen touched a week ago. The euro traded at

$1.1651, down slightly after showing its first weeklygain in four weeks last week.

In emerging markets, South African’s rand hit aone-year low of 14.54 per dollar, hurt by news that thehead of the country’s budget office has resigned. Therand has also been hit by concerns about a possiblecredit ratings downgrade. Bitcoin bounced almost 12percent to trade at $6,586 after falling to a 2-1/2 weeklow on Sunday.

Oil was little changed, trapped between a bullishpush from tension in the Middle East and downwardpressure from evidence of rising US production,although record fund bets on a rally kept the price insight of two-year highs.

Brent crude futures were up 3 cents at $63.55 a bar-rel. US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 10 centsto $56.82. — Reuters

Global stocks fall on US tax reform doubts


22Te c h n o l o g y

Established 1961

KUWAIT: Panasonic Marketing Middle East &Africa (PMMAF) has launched its one of thebiggest consumer marketing campaign in theMiddle East - ‘Makers of Quality. Mastered inJapan’, to emphasize on stronger customer valuefor the brand.

With this new campaign, Panasonic aims tocontinue delivering on its century old heritageof Japanese craftsmanship and quality innova-tions laying emphasis on ‘Japan Quality’. Thebrand i s looking to fur ther empower i t sregional customers, by offering products thatnot only provide comfort, ease, and conven-ience on a daily basis, but match their premierlifestyle as well.

“Panasonic with its 100-year heritage pridesitself in being a brand that genuinely understandsquality,” commented Keisuke Nakagawa -Director, Consumer Marketing, PanasonicMarketing Middle East & Africa. “We offer excel-lence that is deeply rooted within our Japaneseculture. Our uncompromising craftsmanship andcontinued innovations helps to offer premiumrange of products, that cater to every lifestyleneed, be it at home or at work. Our discerningcustomers are among those who enjoy qualityover everything else, and we will continue to offerthe widest range of the right products for them,”he added.

Wael Deeb, General Manager of the Electronicsdepartment at Easa Husain Al-Yousifi & Sons Co.elaborated, “Panasonic is a globally recognizedbrand, and it is hugely popular in Kuwait. This newcampaign will further help us strengthen the affini-ty with our customers who value premium ‘JapanQuality’ products.”

The campaign features three key segments ofthe brand’s consumer product line up which areGarment care, Kitchen Appliances &Beauty/Grooming care for the targeted audiences.Consumers will learn about the durability, efficien-cy and quality moments that these products bringto their lives. Each product shown in the campaignboasts of Panasonic’s unbeatable expertise such asPrime Fresh Freezing (Refrigerator), Abaya WashFeature (Washing Machine), 360˚ Sole Plate (Iron),Japanese Blade Technology (i-Shaper BeardStyler) and NanoeTM Technology (Hair Dryer).

Intended to allow consumers to connect withPanasonic on a personal level, the company’sbrand messaging can be seen across print, online,and broadcast. Dedicated social media campaignstargeting consumers along with outdoor advertis-ing is set to bolster brand equity and market share.Panasonic products are available at Best Al-YousifiElectronics showrooms across Kuwait.

Panasonic’s new marketing campaign to foster stronger customer value for the brand

KUWAIT: Huawei, the leading global ICT solutionsprovider held its Global Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi onNovember 12. With the theme of ‘Leading New ICT forHigher Safety and Efficiency in the Oil and Gas Industry’,this summit attracted more than 200 customers, partners,and senior experts from the oil and gas industry, whogathered to discuss how to reduce costs, ensure safeoperations, achieve sustainable development, and boostthe oil and gas industry’s transition to smart operations. Atthe 20th Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition andConference (ADIPEC), Huawei, with industry partners,such as Schlumberger, Honeywell, SAP, and Richfit,demonstrated a series of innovative ICT solutions thatcover the entire industry chain from exploration, produc-tion, storage, and transportation to distribution.

With the growth of global energy demands, the oil andgas industry faces fierce competition and severe challenges.Oil and gas companies and investors are in urgent need toutilize the latest ICT technologies and managementprocesses to reduce costs and ensure safe operations.Against this backdrop, innovative ICT plays an importantrole in digital transformation of the oil and gas industry.

Jerry Ji, President of the Energy Sector of HuaweiEnterprise BG, gave a keynote speech at the summit. Mr.Jerry Ji said, “It is an honor for Huawei to see all guests atthe summit. Today’s oil and gas industry is facing tremen-dous challenges. For example, the average oil recoveryrate in the entire industry is only about 37 percent; over70 percent oilfield assets are not effectively monitored andmanaged; more than 90percent incidents arisefrom man-made improperoperations. In addition,oilfield operations are stilllabor-intensive. Manyworkers are heavilytasked with routine checkand maintenance. All theselead to high costs, lowefficiency, and unsatisfac-tory yields for oil compa-nies. To help oil compa-nies confidently addressthese challenges, continu-ous digital construction and digital transformation areamong the most feasible ways. Based on its ever-deepenedunderstanding of oil and gas industry services, Huaweicooperates with more and more industry partners tolaunch innovative ICT solutions in terms of HighPerformance Computing (HPC), oil and gas IoT, digitalpipeline, and enterprise operations management. Thesesolutions help the oil and gas industry to implement andaccelerate digital transformation, continuously lowercosts and improve efficiency, and enhance safe produc-

tion and operations management.” Huawei’s oil and gassolutions have been applied in 45 countries and regionsaround the world, serving 70 percent of global top 20 oiland gas companies. An example is Huawei’s cooperationwith Santos, the largest onshore oil and gas producer inAustralia. In this cooperation, Santos’ original narrow-band production network for gas fields is replaced with a4G LTE IoT network that Huawei helps build. These

deployments help Santoscollect and analyze data inreal time, accurately detectservices. Santos’s overallwork efficiency isimproved by 40 percent.Besides, this year, Huaweiwon the bid of the commu-nications system recon-struction project for theTazama crude oil pipeline.This pipeline is 1710 kmlong and extends fromKigamboni, Tanzania toNdola, Zambia. In this

project, Huawei provided a digital pipeline solution. The solutions Huawei demonstrated in ADIPEC cover

exploration and reservoir HPC, seismic data storage,exploration and production cloud, digital oilfield produc-tion, digital oil and gas pipeline, digital refinery, and clouddata center. For example, Huawei’s innovative convergedHPC solution helps oil and gas companies accelerate seis-mic data processing, numerical reservoir simulation, and3D visualization for more efficient and accurate optimiza-

tion and forecasting of oil and gas areas, thereby helpingoil and gas companies improve productivity.

Oil and gas IoT development At the summit, Dr Hatem Nasr, the senior advisor of

digital oilfields, and industry experts from McKinsey, AsiaGas Pipeline (AGP), and Qamar Energy gave speeches ontopics such as “Digital transformation drives revolutionarychanges in the oil and gas industry”.

In the upstream production sector, Dr. Ali Ahmed Jama,Schlumberger Global Production Business DevelopmentManager, gave a speech at the summit discussing a newapproach to the digital oilfield through a production oper-ations advisory solution. The solution leveragesSchlumberger’s extensive digital oilfield experience, andresearch and development expertise to create a uniqueuser experience, bringing a combination of petroleumengineering domain science and digital technologies totake on the challenges that exist in the core processes of

E&P companies.” Regarding oil and gas storage and trans-portation, the biggest challenge facing oil and gas pipelineoperations is pipeline safety. Oil and gas companies arelooking for new ways to implement remote control andefficient operations of long-distance pipelines.

Guo Xiaoqiang, Deputy Managing Director of AbuDhabi Branch of China Petroleum Pipeline EngineeringCorporation (CPPE), pointed out, “By leveraging key tech-nologies such as the IoT, cloud computing, Big Data, andAI, we can have in-depth and comprehensive detectionand control on pipeline reliability and security, andimprove the pipelines’ operating efficiency to the greatestextent. With the support of new ICT technologies andcombine the professional capability, we can advance thedevelopment of new-generation digital pipelines charac-terized by an unprecedented level of ‘Smartness’.”

To date, 197 companies in Fortune’s Global 500, 45 ofwhich are in the top 100, have selected Huawei as theirpartner for digital transformation.

Huawei holds Global Energy Summit 2017 in Abu Dhabi

Meeting demonstrates safe and efficient oil and gas ICT solutions

Oil and gas industry faces

fierce challenges

Ithmaar Holdingreports third quarter resultsKUWAIT: Ithmaar Holding BSC (formerly Ithmaar BankBSC) (Ithmaar) reported yesterday a net loss of $16.3 mil-lion for the nine-month period ended 30 September 2017,compared to a net profit of $16.7 million for the same peri-od last year.

Net loss attributable to equity holders for the nine-month period ended 30 September 2017 was $27million,compared to a net profit of $6.5 million reported for thesame period last year. This included a net loss of $14.7 mil-lion for the three-month period ended 30 September 2017,compared to a net profit of $4.8 million for the same peri-od last year. Net loss attributable to equity holders for thethree-month period ended 30 September 2017 was $17.8million, compared to a net profit of $2.1 million reportedfor the same period last year.

The announcement, by Ithmaar Chairman Prince AmrAl-Faisal, follows the review and approval, by the Board ofDirectors, of Ithmaar’s consolidated financial results forthe nine-month period ended 30 September 2017.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased toannounce that Ithmaar’s financial results for 2017 showthat the core business continued to grow throughout theperiod,” said Prince Amr. “Overall income from our corebusiness grew significantly during the year, as evident

from the higher share on income from unrestricted invest-ment accounts as a Mudarib, which grew 49.8 percent to$51.9 million for the nine-month period ended 30September 2017, compared to $34.7 million for the sameperiod last year, as well as the increase in income frommurabaha and other financing, which grew by 9.3 percentto $108.4 million for the nine-month period ended 30September 2017, compared to $99.2 million for the sameperiod last year,” he said.

“During the nine-month period ended 30 September2017, Ithmaar Group initiated an active program to locatea buyer for a specific asset within the Group. Accordingly,this asset was consequently presented as an asset classi-fied as held for sale in the consolidated statement of finan-cial position,” said Prince Amr. “At 30 September 2017,this asset was classified as held for sale and the resultantimpairment loss was recorded in the consolidated state-ment of income during the period,” he said.

“Although net income, before provision for impairmentand overseas taxation, dropped to $32.8 million for thenine-month period ended 30 September 2017, from $51.1million for the same period last year, this loss was mainlydue to unrealized foreign exchange losses of $17.2 million,”said Prince Amr. Ithmaar Chief Executive Officer, AhmedAbdul Rahim, said the results reflect a clear, unwaveringfocus on growing the core retail banking business.

“I am pleased to report that the balance sheet is sta-ble and continues to grow,” said Abdul Rahim. “Totalassets stood at $8.6billion as at 30 September 2017, a3.5 percent increase compared to $8.3 billion as at 31December 2016, and a 9 percent increase compared to$7.9bil l ion as at 30 September 2016,” he said.“Murabaha and other financings also increased to $3.6

billion as at 30 September 2017, a 4 percent increasecompared to $3.4 billion as at 31 December 2016, and a9.7 percent increase compared to $3.3 billion as at 30September 2016,” said Abdul Rahim. “Sukuk and otherinvestment securities mainly representing investment ingovernment securities also increased to $2.1 billion as at30 September 2017, a 9.2 percent increase compared to$1.9 billion as at 31 December 2016, and a 32 percentincrease compared to $1.6 billion as at 30 September2016,” he said.

“Customer current accounts also increased to $1.7 bil-lion as at 30 September 2017, a 7.2 percent increase com-pared to $1.6 billion as at 31 December 2016, and a 13.8percent increase compared to $1.5 billion as at 30September 2016,” said Abdul Rahim. “The equity of unre-stricted investment accountholders, at $2.83 billion as at30 September 2017, increased by 2.1 percent compared to$2.77 billion as at 31 December 2016, and by 4.7 percentcompared to $2.7 billion as 30 September 2016,” he said.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Insurance Company, announced itsf inancial results for the f irst nine months ending30.09.2017. The results reported a net profit of KD7.2mil-lion for the first nine months of 2017 compared to a lossof (KD737,000) for the same period last year whichshows an increase of 1,081 percent, with Earning PerShare(EPS) at 39.15fils, compared to a loss of (3.99fils)for the same period last year.

Sami Sharif, FSA, MAAA, CEO of Kuwait InsuranceCompany said in a press release: the Company continuesto maintain growth in operational performance during thefirst nine months of this year. This is due to the implemen-tation of the Business Plan, which includes smart objec-tives to achieve precise results and the outcomes inaccordance to specific timelines. Shareholders’ equityreached KD70.8million this year compared to KD56.8mil-lion in the same period of last year, which shows a growthof 24.6 percent. This indicates the Company’s ability toprotect its assets and shareholders’ interests.

Sami Sharif added that the Gross Written Premiumreached KD30.2million in the first nine months for thisyear compared to KD27.6 million recorded for the sameperiod of last year which shows an increase of KD2.6 mil-lion i.e. 9.6 percent. Total assets reached KD172.2millionthis year compared to KD146.8 million for the same peri-od of last year, showing an increase of KD25.4million i.e.17.3 percent. Sami Sharif stressed that the Company’s Net

Profit showed growth despite the increase in Net TechnicalReserves to reach KD 83.7 million for the current period,compared to KD 72.9 million for the same period of lastyear. An increase of 14.8 percent was recorded which sup-ports the Company’s ability to meet its obligations.

He stated that the Company has always presented its will-ingness to maintain credibility and to show transparency bycomplying to the rules and regulations of CorporateGovernance issued by the Capital Markets Authority, whichstrengthens the Company’s position and manage the risks, andits ability to adapt to the unstable economic environment.

Sami Sharif said that as part of 2017 business plan andthe Board of Directors’ instructions to acquire the besttechnical expertise to strengthen the performance of thecompany and despite the scarcity of specialists in actuari-al science worldwide (insurance mathematics science), thecompany managed to hire three Associates of the Societyof Actuaries that report directly to Sami Sharif who is aFellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of theAmerican Academy of Actuaries.

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’sfastest-growing and mostdeveloped telecom operator,announced expansion planto open new branches indifferent areas in Kuwait.This new plan aims to servemore customers and offerthem ease and convenience.

VIVA has inauguratedrecently three new branchesin the areas Mahboula, JleebAl-Shuyoukh and Jaber Al-Ahmad. These new branchesjoined VIVA’s new branchnetwork in Kuwait to cover all residential areas. Commentingin this occasion, Saud Al-Motairan, Sales Director at VIVAsaid: “VIVA aims through these new branches in the areas ofMahboula, Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Jaber Al-Ahmad which willserve a large segment of customers, to provide convenienceto its customers and to satisfy their needs and requirements.This move will bring VIVA and its customers closer and keepthem posted regularly with the latest products and plans.”

He added: “The increase in customer base requires thestrengthening of our branch network, to provide the best servic-es and products according to the latest and best standards in theworld of communications to our customers. In addition to ourbranch services, VIVA’s customer care line at 102 is ready roundthe clock and up to public holidays, to provide outstanding serv-ice to our valued customers through team of specialties.”

Prince Amr Al-Faisal

Saud Al-Motairan

Ahmed Abdul Rahim

VIVA announces expansionplan for new branches

Kuwait Insurance hires actuarial expertise to strengthen its technical performance

The actuarial team Sami Sharif, MohamedAlsayed, Mohamed Ibrahim and Soha Fouad

H e a l t h Tuesday, November 14, 2017

23Established 1961

LITTLE ROCK: When it comes to the herbicide dicam-ba, farmers in the southern state of Arkansas are notlacking for strong opinions. “Farmers need it desperate-ly,” said Perry Galloway. “If I get dicamba on (my prod-ucts), I can’t sell anything,” responded Shawn Peebles.The two men know each other well, living just milesapart in the towns of Gregory and Augusta, in a cornerof the state where cotton and soybean fields reach tothe horizon and homes are often miles from the nearestneighbor. But they disagree profoundly on the use ofdicamba.

Last year the agro-chemical giant Monsanto beganselling soy and cotton seedsgenetically modified to tol-erate the herbicide. Thechemical product has beenused to great effect againsta weed that plagues theregion, Palmer amaranth, orpigweed-especially since itbecame resistant to anotherherbicide, glyphosate,which has become highlycontroversial in Europeover its effects on humanhealth. The problem with dicamba is that it vaporizeseasily and is carried by the wind, often spreading tonearby farm fields-with varying effects.

Facing a surge in complaints, authorities in Arkansasearly this summer imposed an urgent ban on the prod-uct’s sale. The state is now poised to ban its usebetween April 16 and October 31, covering the periodafter plants have emerged from the soil and when cli-matic conditions favor dicamba’s dispersal.

A bitter dispute “Dicamba has affected my whole family,” said

Kerin Hawkins, her voice trembling. Her brother, MikeWallace, died last year during an altercation with aworker from a neighboring farm whom he had met to

discuss his concerns over the herbicide. A jury is setto rule on whether Wallace’s fatal shooting constitut-ed homicide or self-defense. This year, the familysays, drifting dicamba has affected some 75 acres ofpeanuts and 10 acres of new varieties of vegetablesplanted on their farm, sharply reducing profits.

To protect themselves against the product’simpact, the family has decided to plant cotton seedsgenetically modified to resist dicamba. “This is notjust a dicamba issue, this is not just a Monsantoissue, this is about how we as human beings treatother people,” Kerin Hawkins said. She was testifying

tomorrow at a public hear-ing in Little Rock, the statecapitol, organized by theagency that regulates pes-ticide and herbicide use inArkansas.

Immediately afterwardthe agency called for curbson the use of dicamba, adecision subject to legisla-tive approval. So large wasthe turnout for the hearingthat the agency had to

move it from its own offices to a meeting room in ahotel. In all, 37 people stepped up to the microphoneto explain-often in voices shaking with emotion-whythey favored or strongly opposed the product.

Dealing with diversity “I’m here to tell you we used dicamba and we had

a wonderful year,” said Harry Stephens, who with hisson grows soybeans in Phillips County. At a timewhen some younger farmers are struggling to makeends meet, he said, banning dicamba could “put themout of business.” Richard Coy, who raises bees, saiddicamba has had a devastating impact on hives locat-ed near farm fields where dicamba is in use.

“I lost $500,000 in honey production and

$200,000 worth of pol l inat ion contracts toCalifornia farms due to the poor health of my bee-hives,” he said. On the edge of his farm field, PerryGalloway points out some of the weeds dead but stillstanding, many of them head-high-that ruined sever-al of his past crops. He has since sprayed dicambatwice over an area of 4,000 acres, and says that “wehad the cleanest fields we had in a long time.”

He favors a compromise, allowing the herbicideto be applied only once, after plants have sprouted.

But Shawn Peebles, who grows organic vegetables,was able to deal with pigweed by hiring workers topull them up by hand. “It is known for a fact dicam-ba will move,” he said. If he gets any in his fields-which has not happened th is year-”I have todestroy the crop.” “Diversity is what made agricul-ture what it is today,” he said. “It is not just dicamba(and) soybeans; there is organic farms such asmyself, there is vineyards in Arkansas, and we allneed to work together.” —AFP

Weed-killer prompts angry divide among US farmers

Young US farmers struggling to make ends meet

Workers sort sweet potatoes at Peebles Organics in Augusta, Arkansas, on November 7, 2017. The use ofthe herbicide Dicamba has pitted farmers against each other, as Arkansas debates whether to uphold theannual April 16 to October 31 ban on its use.—AFP

Solomon Islands churches preach climate actionHONIARA: In the Solomon Islands - as inmany island nations of the Pacific - churcheswield huge influence in people’s lives, both ascommunity leaders and providers of key publicservices. Now the government and climateexperts are looking to them to take on an addi-tional role: as influential partners in the battle tocombat climate change.

“The churches are taking (climate change)on; they are accepting it. They encourage peo-ple to look after the environment. We hear it inour sermons and in church retreats,” said HelenZazu Novak, a resident of Taro, a town inremote northern Choiseul Province that isbeing hit by coastal erosion and flooding.“They are saying that we should care for lifeand this means we should not only care aboutpeople, but also the environment,” she said.

Missionaries arrived in this part of the worldmore than a century ago and today at least 90percent of people in the Solomon Islands are

active members of a Christian church. In ruralareas, where more than 80 percent of the pop-ulation resides, churches and faith-basedorganizations are important providers of edu-cation and health services.

Hudson Kauhiona, acting director of climatechange with the Ministry of Environment, saidthe government sees churches as a crucial - butso far under-used - partner in efforts to buildresilience to climate change, which is threaten-ing water supplies, farming and lives on low-lying islands through worsening storms and sealevel rise. “We are still not really working close-ly with the churches and other civil societyorganizations as we should. In communities,they are one of the best groups to do (activi-ties) on behalf of the government. That is anarea which still needs to be strengthened,”Kauhiona said.

Speaking to the faithfulA recent study of attitudes to faith and the

environment among more than 1,200 studentsat University of the South Pacific campusesacross a range of islands found that 80 percentattended church services at least once a weekand 90 percent claimed a close personal affini-ty with the natural world.

The authors, from universities in Australiaand the Pacific, noted that climate change mes-

sages - even those aimed at an educated elite -“if communicated within familiar and respectedreligious contexts are likely to be more suc-cessful than secular ones”. Already, faith lead-ers have been far from silent about the issue.

Thirteen years ago, the Pacific Council ofChurches issued a public statement, the ‘OtinTai’ Declaration, pointing out that climatechange “is not an act of God” but instead “aresult of human economic and consumer activi-ties that pollute the atmosphere”. The declara-tion included pledges by church leaders toengage their churches in education and actionon climate change, carry out work on emer-gency response, adaptation to climate changeand other issues, and encourage companiesproducing or using fossil fuels to support atransition to less carbon-heavy economy.

Under the declaration, local clergy, forinstance, were encouraged to use part of theirannual budgets to carry out climate changeeducation with congregations. In the SolomonIslands, the capacity of churches to pass onclimate change messages is immense. OnSundays, when the streets of the capital,Honiara, are deserted, places of worship suchas Holy Cross Cathedral are bulging withfamilies dressed in their best. Church servicesare often the biggest social occasion of theweek. —Reuters

Bill Gates makes $100m investment to fight Alzheimer’sLONDON: Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is to invest $50 million in the DementiaDiscovery Fund, a venture capital fund that brings together industry and government to seektreatments for the brain-wasting disease. The investment - a personal one and not part ofGates’ philanthropic Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - will be followed by another $50 millionin start-up ventures working in Alzheimer’s research, Gates said. With rapidly rising numbersof people suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, the disease is taking agrowing emotional and financial toll as people live longer, Gates told Reuters in an interview.“It’s a huge problem, a growing problem, and the scale of the tragedy - even for the peoplewho stay alive - is very high,” he said. Despite decades of scientific research, there is no treat-ment that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Current drugs can do no more than ease some of the symptoms. Gates said, however, that withfocused and well-funded innovation, he’s “optimistic” treatments can be found, even if they mightbe more than a decade away. “It’ll take probably 10 years before new theories are tried enoughtimes to give them a high chance of success. So it’s very hard to hazard a guess (when an effectivedrug might be developed). “I hope that in the next 10 years that we have some powerful drugs,but it’s possible that won’t be achieved.” Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form,affects close to 50 million people worldwide and is expected to affect more than 131 million by2050, according to the non-profit campaign group Alzheimer’s Disease International. —Reuters

Dicamba hasaffected mywhole family


24W h a t ’ s O n

Established 1961

On the sidelines of Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan and hishonorable delegation’s visit to

Kuwait this week, the ‘Kuwait’s EngineerGirls Program’ held one of their last train-ing sessions with a two-day coursetaught on-site at Limak Insaat Kuwait.With one more module left in the semes-ter the project-based learning programwill mark its first year of success thisDecember.

‘Kuwait’s Engineer Girls Program’ is ajoint project implemented through a part-

nership between Kuwait University,Turkey’s Bogazici University and LimakInsaat Kuwait. The Program aims to equipyoung female engineers with the toolsnecessary to compete and succeed in thefuture workplace and help them envisiontheir future careers in engineering.

The Kuwait Program, modeled after asuccessful program launched in 2015 byLimak in Turkey, kicked off in September2017 with 35 undergraduate female engi-neers covering 12 courses over 200 train-ing hours. Upon complet ion of the

Program the graduates will receive aBusiness Technology Education Council(BTEC) Management and Leadership cer-tificate recognized in over 100 countriesworldwide and three Semester CreditHours from Kuwait University.

Hosted November 11-12, the two-daycourse on Qual i ty Engineering andManagement taught by Turkish ProfessorDr Ali Riza Kaylan, stemmed directly fromhis lectures delivered on a semester basisat Bogazici University. During the sessionthe 35 female engineers covered the fun-

damental methods of quality engineeringwith a major emphasis on the statisticaltools of quality engineering systems.

Taught on a weekly basis by a differentBogazici University Professor or perma-nent Limak staff member, other topicscovered during the course of the semes-ter include: Finance, Investment andFinance Models for Engineers; NewTrends in World Economics -International Trade and Marketing;Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED); Project Planning and

Change Management; and more. Limak’s support for female engineers

in Kuwait is part of the company’s greaterregional efforts to add permanent valueto Kuwait’s society by supporting educa-tion and learning opportunities in thefields of construction, engineering, archi-tecture, and project management. The‘Kuwait’s Engineer Girls Program’ stemsfrom Limak and Kuwait University’sGeneral Cooperation agreement signedon May 8, 2017. The second year of theProgram will begin in 2018.

NEMR is coming back to Kuwait. TheLebanese American standup comedianwho is credited with establishing and pio-

neering the standup comedy scene throughout theMiddle East where he performs in English will beperforming again in Kuwait at the ConventionCenter and Royal Suites Hotel Shuwaikh FreeTrade Zone (in front of Movenpick Free TradeZone) on November 17, 2017.

Limak’s ‘Kuwait’s Engineer GirlsProgram’ welcomes Turkish President

Ahead of Erdogan’s visit to Kuwait

Limak’s ‘Kuwait’s Engineer Girls’ pictured after the session.

NEMR performingback in Kuwait

It was an atmosphere of praise at the RedeemedChristian Church of God (Mount Zion Parish) asChristians from different denominations gather to

worship God in style. The program themed ‘Choose toPraise,’ featured choirs from various Christian denomi-nations across Kuwait. In his message to the faithful,the host pastor Samuel Kasali urged Christians to live alife worthy of emulation. He thanked Kuwait leaders forpromoting peace and tolerance in the region.

RCCG holds ‘Choose to Praise’

ICSK Seniorenthralls withmega arts fest‘Paradigm 2017’

Paradigm 2017, the mega arts fest of theIndian Community School Kuwait,Senior Branch was conducted with

great verve and vigor on the 1st and 2ndNovember 2017, at the Senior School cam-pus. The mega arts festival, unique to ICSKSenior was inaugurated by great luminarieson the 1st of November 2017. Paradigm pro-vides a rostrum for the budding talents ofthe school with 81 onstage items and 37 off-stage items.

This year’s event witnessed tremendousparticipation with over 1,500 contestants invarious events. The titles of Kalathilak andKalapratibha, which is the highest honor inthe arts fest was bestowed on the studentswith the maximum number of points foronstage and offstage items. In Category 3Master Sanskar Mishra of class 7-B wasconferred the title Kalaprathibha andChristina Susan Viji of class 7-E secured thetitle Kalathilak. In Category 4, Master RudraVipul Patel of class 10-B was awarded thetitle Kalaprathibha and Miss Hiba Hameed ofclass 9-A claimed the title KALATHILAK.Master Moses Kurien Mathew of class 11-Iwas conferred the title Kalapratibha inCategory 5 and Rhea Rebecca Philip of class

12-C was presented with the title ofKalathilak. House points were awarded basedon the overall score and ‘Santosh’ house wasdeclared to be in the first position followedby ‘Shanti’ house.

The event began with a grand inauguralceremony, featuring chief guest, HorstBlasinger, Head of Cultural Section, Embassyof the Federal Republic of Germany. S NRaju, treasurer to the ICSK Board of Trusteeswas also present to grace the occasion. Dr VBinumon, the Principal of ICSK Seniorbranch, delivered the welcome address. Thechief guest extended his pleasure at theopportunity to witness an ‘omnium gatherum’of art forms. He also imparted a positivereaction regarding the bilateral ties betweenIndia and Germany, and wished good fortuneon the grand event. Dr Sam T Kuruvilla, theVice-Principal of ICSK Senior proposed thevote of thanks to the esteemed guests.

The Inaugural ceremony raised the curtainfor an electrifying atmosphere that accompa-nied the two-day long arts fest. Both dayswere characterized by a vibrancy radiatingfrom the colors, music, and dance, whichreinvigorated the students to undertake thecontests with a positive zeal. ICSK Seniorhas facilitated this arts fest to laud the overtartistry of the students. Off-stage andonstage programs were organized as part ofParadigm 2017, with the off-stage events heldwell in advance. Students from classes VI toXII partook in this Mega Arts Fest.Competitions were held in three categories-Category III - (Classes 6, 7 and 8), IV(Classes 9 and 10) and V (Classes 11 and 12)on 3 stages.

The event culminated with the ValedictoryCeremony held at the ICSK Senior schoolauditorium on Thursday 02nd of November,2017 in the presence of a large audience

including the parents, students and eminentdignitaries. Certificates and trophies weregiven away to the winners in both the indi-vidual and group items. The Chief Guest,Tatang Budie Utama Razak, Ambassador ofIndonesia to Kuwait congratulated the win-ners and spoke on the intangible relationbetween aesthetics and the intellect. The

Chairman Shaikh Abdul Rahman, Secretary AAmer Mohammed and the Joint SecretaryAgnelo A S Fernandes were present on theoccasion. The coordination of the mega eventwas carried out by the Joint Conveners forthe event Sreekumar S and Saritha P Nairand assistant joint convener Jayabala Jayram.Sreekumar S delivered the vote of thanks.

TV Tuesday, November 14, 2017

25Established 1961

01:00 Avengers Grimm02:35 Savage Dog04:15 Mission: Impossible - RogueNation06:30 Batman: The Killing Joke07:50 Virtual Revolution09:30 Avengers Grimm11:00 Misfire12:35 Mission: Impossible - RogueNation14:45 Armageddon America16:25 Con Air18:25 The Veil20:05 Point Break22:00 Company Business23:40 Green Street 3: Never BackDown

00:50 Lone Star Law01:45 Treehouse Masters02:40 Biggest And Baddest03:35 Gorilla School04:00 Gorilla School04:25 Monsters Inside Me05:15 Mountain Monsters06:02 Wild Iberia06:49 Lone Star Law07:36 Meet The Orangutans08:00 Meet The Orangutans08:25 Gorilla School08:50 Gorilla School09:15 Treehouse Masters10:10 Biggest And Baddest11:05 Wild Iberia12:00 Gorilla School12:28 Gorilla School12:55 Monsters Inside Me13:50 River Monsters14:45 Biggest And Baddest15:40 Wild Iberia16:35 Untamed & Uncut17:30 Treehouse Masters18:25 Pit Bulls & Parolees19:20 The Lion Queen20:15 Biggest And Baddest21:10 Gorilla School21:38 Gorilla School22:05 Pit Bulls & Parolees23:00 The Lion Queen23:55 Wild Iberia

00:30 Rillington Place01:25 Rillington Place02:25 In Plain Sight03:15 Call The Midwife04:10 The Coroner05:00 Casualty06:00 Casualty06:50 The Coroner07:40 Doctor Who08:30 Casualty09:25 Casualty10:15 The Coroner11:05 New Tricks11:55 Doctor Who12:45 Call The Midwife13:40 Casualty14:35 The Coroner15:30 Doctor Who16:20 Call The Midwife17:15 New Tricks18:15 Holby City19:05 The Coroner20:00 Sherlock21:40 Orphan Black22:30 Orphan Black23:30 Holby City

00:00 Crimes That Shook Britain01:00 Crimes That Shook Australia02:00 It Takes A Killer02:30 It Takes A Killer03:00 Jo Frost On Britain’s KillerKids04:00 Crimes That Shook Britain05:00 Crimes That Shook Australia06:00 It Takes A Killer06:30 It Takes A Killer07:00 Homicide Hunter08:00 Crimes That Shook Australia09:00 It Takes A Killer09:30 It Takes A Killer10:00 Homicide Hunter11:00 Evil Up Close12:00 Evil Up Close13:00 Evil Up Close15:00 It Takes A Killer15:30 It Takes A Killer16:00 Crimes That Shook Australia17:00 The First 4818:00 The First 4819:00 Nightmare In Suburbia20:00 It Takes A Killer20:30 It Takes A Killer21:00 Homicide Hunter22:00 Crimes That Shook Australia23:00 The First 48

00:05 Problematic With MosheKasher00:30 Lip Sync Battle UK00:55 Josh Widdicombe - AndAnother Thing01:45 The Half Hour02:10 Broad City02:35 Real Husbands Of Hollywood03:00 The Daily Show - GlobalEdition03:25 The Half Hour03:50 Broad City04:15 Kroll Show04:40 Key And Peele05:05 Tosh.005:30 Disaster Date05:55 Ridiculousness Arabia06:20 Hungry Investors07:05 Bondi Ink.08:00 Impractical Jokers UK08:30 Disaster Date08:55 Workaholics09:20 Kroll Show09:45 Key And Peele10:10 Tosh.010:35 Hungry Investors11:20 Disaster Date11:45 Ridiculousness Arabia12:10 Impractical Jokers12:35 Bondi Ink.13:30 Key And Peele13:55 Impractical Jokers UK14:25 Disaster Date14:48 Workaholics15:10 Friends15:35 Kroll Show16:00 Comedy Central PresentsComedy 3alwagef16:30 Impractical Jokers16:53 Workaholics17:15 Impractical Jokers UK17:45 Disaster Date18:07 Ridiculousness Arabia18:32 Bondi Ink.19:25 Impractical Jokers19:50 Friends20:35 Real Husbands Of Hollywood21:00 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah

21:30 Idiotsitter22:00 Inside Amy Schumer22:25 Inside Amy Schumer22:50 Another Period23:15 Real Husbands Of Hollywood23:40 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah

00:30 Wild Family Rescue01:20 Tethered02:10 Kings Of The Wild03:00 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor03:50 Now That’s Funny04:40 How It’s Made05:05 How It’s Made05:30 Wild Family Rescue06:20 Mythbusters07:00 Wild Family Rescue07:50 Storm Chasers08:40 How It’s Made09:05 How It’s Made09:30 Mythbusters10:20 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor11:10 Penn & Teller Tell A Lie12:00 World’s Top 512:50 How It’s Made13:15 How It’s Made13:40 Mythbusters14:30 Wild Family Rescue15:20 Storm Chasers16:10 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor17:00 Penn & Teller Tell A Lie17:50 World’s Top 518:40 Mythbusters19:30 How It’s Made19:55 How It’s Made20:20 Now That’s Funny21:10 Penn & Teller Tell A Lie22:00 World’s Scariest22:50 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor23:40 Storm Chasers

00:50 Six Degrees Of Murder01:45 Grave Secrets02:40 Obsession: Dark Desires03:35 Bill Cosby: An AmericanScandal04:30 Six Degrees Of Murder05:25 I Was Murdered05:50 I Was Murdered06:20 I Almost Got Away With It07:10 Betrayed08:00 I Was Murdered08:25 Disappeared09:15 I Was Murdered09:40 I Was Murdered10:10 Betrayed11:05 Murder Chose Me12:00 Gone In Georgia: ADisappeared Special12:55 Disappeared13:50 I Almost Got Away With It14:45 Betrayed15:40 Evil Online16:35 Disappeared17:30 Disappeared18:25 I Was Murdered18:50 I Was Murdered19:20 I Almost Got Away With It20:15 Betrayed21:10 Evil Online22:05 Grave Secrets23:00 Drew Peterson: The WifeKiller Cop?23:55 Drew Peterson: The WifeKiller Cop?

00:05 Disney Mickey Mouse00:10 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch00:35 Binny And The Ghost01:00 Hank Zipzer01:25 Alex & Co.01:45 The Hive01:50 Evermoor Chronicles02:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch03:05 Binny And The Ghost03:55 Hank Zipzer04:15 The Hive04:20 Hank Zipzer04:45 Alex & Co.05:35 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch06:25 Binny And The Ghost06:45 The Hive06:50 Rolling With The Ronks07:00 Jessie07:25 Tangled: The Series07:50 Tsum Tsum Shorts07:55 Hotel Transylvania: The Series08:20 Elena Of Avalor08:45 Bunk’d09:10 Stuck In The Middle09:35 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir10:00 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir10:25 Lolirock10:50 Lolirock11:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch112:05 Hank Zipzer12:30 Alex & Co.12:55 Alex & Co.13:20 Lolirock13:45 Lolirock14:10 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir14:35 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir15:00 The Zhuzhus15:15 K.C. Undercover15:40 Stuck In The Middle16:05 Disney Mickey Mouse16:10 Elena Of Avalor16:35 Bizaardvark17:00 Tangled: The Series17:25 Bizaardvark17:30 Bunk’d17:55 K.C. Undercover18:20 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir18:45 Hotel Transylvania: The Series19:10 Star Wars Forces Of Destiny19:15 Stuck In The Middle19:40 Girl Meets World20:05 Descendants Wicked World20:10 Liv And Maddie20:35 Jessie21:00 Tangled: The Series21:25 K.C. Undercover21:50 Hotel Transylvania: The Series22:15 Bizaardvark22:40 Bunk’d23:05 Rolling With The Ronks23:20 Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug& Cat Noir23:45 Lolirock

00:00 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers00:25 Unbungalievable00:35 Loopdidoo00:55 Henry Hugglemonster01:15 Calimero

01:30 Art Attack01:55 Henry Hugglemonster02:05 Loopdidoo02:20 Henry Hugglemonster02:35 Calimero02:50 Henry Hugglemonster03:05 Art Attack03:30 The Hive03:40 Loopdidoo03:55 Henry Hugglemonster04:10 Art Attack04:35 Loopdidoo04:50 Calimero05:05 Art Attack05:30 Henry Hugglemonster06:00 Art Attack06:30 Henry Hugglemonster06:45 Loopdidoo07:00 Henry Hugglemonster07:15 Calimero07:30 Loopdidoo07:45 Henry Hugglemonster08:00 Sofia The First08:30 Puppy Dog Pals09:00 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers09:30 Doc McStuffins10:00 PJ Masks10:30 PJ Masks11:00 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West11:30 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West12:00 The Lion Guard13:00 Sofia The First14:00 PJ Masks14:30 PJ Masks15:00 My Friends Tigger & Pooh15:30 Doc McStuffins16:00 Puppy Dog Pals16:30 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers17:00 Sofia The First17:30 Doc McStuffins18:00 PJ Masks18:30 Puppy Dog Pals19:00 Minnie’s Bow-Toons19:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:The Wizard Of Dizz19:50 Minnie’s Bow-Toons20:00 PJ Masks20:30 The Lion Guard21:00 Doc McStuffins21:30 Jake And The Never LandPirates22:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse22:30 Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital23:00 Goldie & Bear23:30 Puppy Dog Pals

00:20 Street Outlaws01:05 Gold Rush01:50 Gold Divers02:35 Deadliest Catch03:20 Sacred Steel Bikes04:05 Deadliest Catch04:50 Alaska: The Last Frontier05:35 How Do They Do It?06:00 Gold Divers: Under The Ice06:45 Street Outlaws07:30 Sacred Steel Bikes08:15 Deadliest Catch09:00 Auction Kings09:25 How Do They Do It?09:48 How Do They Do It?10:10 Gold Rush10:55 Gold Divers11:40 Deadliest Catch12:25 How Do They Do It?12:48 Baggage Battles13:10 Alaska: The Last Frontier13:55 Deadliest Catch14:40 Gold Divers: Under The Ice15:25 Sacred Steel Bikes16:10 Street Outlaws17:00 How Do They Do It?17:25 How Do They Do It?17:50 Baggage Battles18:20 Auction Kings18:50 Deadliest Catch19:40 How Do They Do It?20:10 How Do They Do It?20:35 How Do They Do It?21:00 Ed Stafford: Left For Dead21:50 Bear Grylls: Mission Survive22:40 Boy To Man23:30 Sacred Steel Bikes

06:00 Disney1106:25 Supa Strikas06:50 Marvel’s Spider-Man07:15 Right Now Kapow07:40 Disney Mickey Mouse07:45 Mech-X408:10 Gamer’s Guide To PrettyMuch Everything08:35 Gamer’s Guide To PrettyMuch Everything09:00 Supa Strikas09:25 Supa Strikas09:50 Walk The Prank10:20 Walk The Prank10:45 Gravity Falls11:10 Gravity Falls11:35 Lab Rats Elite Force12:00 Lab Rats Elite Force12:25 Two More Eggs12:30 Phineas And Ferb12:55 Phineas And Ferb13:20 Zeke And Luther13:45 Zeke And Luther14:10 Disney Mickey Mouse14:15 Gamer’s Guide To PrettyMuch Everything14:40 Gravity Falls15:05 Lab Rats15:30 Milo Murphy’s Law15:55 Star Wars FreemakerAdventures16:25 Walk The Prank16:50 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero17:15 Mech-X417:40 Marvel’s Spider-Man18:05 Supa Strikas18:30 Star Wars: The FreemakerAdventures18:35 Disney1119:00 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero19:25 Right Now Kapow19:50 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot19:55 Mech-X420:20 Walk The Prank20:45 Gamer’s Guide To PrettyMuch Everything21:10 Gravity Falls21:35 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot21:40 Disney Mickey Mouse21:45 Lab Rats22:10 Lab Rats22:35 Phineas & Ferb23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am

00:05 Famously Single01:00 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian01:55 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian02:50 Celebrity Style Story03:20 Celebrity Style Story03:50 Mariah’s World04:40 Mariah’s World05:30 Celebrity Style Story06:00 Just Jillian06:55 E! News07:10 Just Jillian08:10 E! News: Daily Pop10:10 Revenge Body With Khloe

Kardashian12:00 E! News12:15 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian13:10 Eric And Jessie13:35 Eric And Jessie14:05 Eric And Jessie14:30 Eric And Jessie15:00 E! News15:15 E! News: Daily Pop17:10 The Platinum Life18:05 The Platinum Life19:00 E! News20:00 Eric And Jessie20:30 Eric And Jessie21:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians22:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians23:00 E! News23:15 Botched

00:00 Restaurant Stakeout01:00 Mystery Diners01:30 Mystery Diners02:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives02:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives03:00 Man Fire Food03:30 Man Fire Food04:00 Chopped05:00 Guy’s Grocery Games06:00 Barefoot Contessa06:25 Barefoot Contessa06:50 Anna Olson: Fresh07:15 The Kitchen08:05 The Pioneer Woman08:30 The Pioneer Woman08:55 Siba’s Table09:25 Siba’s Table09:55 Bake With Anna Olson10:25 Bake With Anna Olson10:55 The Kitchen11:45 Cooking For Real12:10 The Pioneer Woman12:35 The Pioneer Woman13:00 Siba’s Table13:30 Siba’s Table14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives15:00 Chopped16:00 The Kitchen17:00 Bake With Anna Olson17:30 Bake With Anna Olson18:00 Chopped19:00 Iron Chef America20:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives20:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives21:00 Man Fire Food21:30 Man Fire Food22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives22:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives23:00 Chopped

00:10 Who’s Doing The Dishes?01:00 Emmerdale01:30 Coronation Street02:00 Coronation Street02:30 The Chase03:25 Inside Windsor Castle04:20 Tracey Ullman’s Show04:50 Raised By Wolves05:15 Murdoch Mysteries06:10 Who’s Doing The Dishes?07:05 The Chase08:00 Inside Windsor Castle09:00 Tracey Ullman’s Show09:35 Raised By Wolves10:00 Murdoch Mysteries10:55 Who’s Doing The Dishes?11:50 The Chase12:45 Emmerdale13:15 Coronation Street13:45 Coronation Street14:15 Who’s Doing The Dishes?15:10 The Chase16:00 Doc Martin16:55 Doc Martin17:50 Murdoch Mysteries18:45 Emmerdale19:15 Coronation Street19:45 Coronation Street20:10 The Chase21:00 Doc Martin21:55 Doc Martin22:50 Emmerdale23:15 Coronation Street23:40 Coronation Street

00:00 How 2 Win01:00 Ultimate Guide To The...02:00 History’s Greatest Blunders02:30 History’s Greatest Blunders03:00 Serial Killer Earth03:50 Ancient Aliens04:40 Hoard Hunters05:30 How 2 Win06:20 Ultimate Guide To The...07:10 The Universe08:00 History’s Greatest Blunders08:30 History’s Greatest Blunders09:00 Serial Killer Earth10:00 Ancient Aliens11:00 Hoard Hunters12:00 How 2 Win13:00 Ultimate Guide To The...14:00 History’s Greatest Blunders14:30 History’s Greatest Blunders15:00 Serial Killer Earth16:00 Ancient Aliens17:00 Hoard Hunters18:00 The Universe19:00 Ultimate Guide To The...20:00 History’s Greatest Blunders20:30 History’s Greatest Blunders21:00 Serial Killer Earth22:00 Ancient Aliens23:00 UFO Files

01:10 WW2 Treasure Hunters02:00 Mountain Men02:50 Counting Cars03:15 American Pickers04:05 Mountain Men05:00 Swamp People06:00 Fifth Gear06:50 American Pickers07:40 Counting Cars08:05 Counting Cars08:30 Pawn Stars08:55 Pawn Stars09:20 Aussie Pickers10:10 Ax Men11:00 Fifth Gear11:50 American Pickers12:40 Counting Cars13:05 Counting Cars13:30 Time Team14:20 Swamp People15:10 Alone: Lost And Found16:00 American Pickers16:50 Counting Cars17:15 Counting Cars17:40 Swamp People18:30 Alone: Lost And Found19:20 Mountain Men20:10 Pawn Stars20:35 Pawn Stars21:00 Mountain Men21:50 Forged: Iron & Fire

22:15 Milwaukee Blacksmith22:40 Time Team23:30 Alone: Lost And Found

00:15 John Torode’s MalaysianAdventure00:45 Chasing The Sun01:10 Tripping Out With Alie &Georgia01:40 Restoration Man02:35 Cool Spaces03:30 The Shelbourne03:55 My Dubai04:25 Wineroads04:50 Wineroads05:20 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces06:15 Tripping Out With Alie &Georgia06:40 Stepping Out07:10 Restoration Man08:05 Cool Spaces09:00 The Shelbourne09:25 My Dubai09:55 Wineroads10:20 Wineroads10:50 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces11:45 Tripping Out With Alie &Georgia12:10 Stepping Out12:40 Restoration Man13:35 Cool Spaces14:30 Valentine Warner EatsScandinavia14:55 My Dubai15:25 Wineroads15:50 Wineroads16:20 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces17:15 Tripping Out With Alie &Georgia17:40 Stepping Out18:10 This Is Brazil19:05 Wineroads19:30 Wineroads20:00 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces21:00 Tripping Out With Alie &Georgia21:30 Stepping Out22:00 This Is Brazil22:55 Restoration Man23:50 Cool Spaces

00:10 Facing...01:00 Live Free Or Die02:00 Nazi Megastructures03:00 Inside04:00 Facing...05:00 Inside The American Mob06:00 Man v. Viral07:00 Pond Stars08:00 Hacking The System08:30 Hacking The System09:00 Inside The American Mob10:00 Yukon Gold11:00 Cold Water Gold12:00 Air Crash Investigation13:00 Bad Trip14:00 Hacking The System14:30 Hacking The System15:00 Pond Stars16:00 Yukon Gold17:00 Cold Water Gold18:00 Air Crash Investigation19:00 Seconds From Disaster20:00 Yukon Gold20:50 Cold Water Gold21:40 Air Crash Investigation22:30 Seconds From Disaster23:20 Hacking The System23:45 Hacking The System

00:20 Snake Underworld01:10 Wild Indonesia02:00 Game Of Lions02:50 Monster Fish03:45 The Invaders04:40 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations05:05 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations05:35 Game Of Lions06:30 Monster Fish07:25 The Invaders08:20 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations08:45 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations09:15 Savage Kingdom10:10 Deadly Instincts11:05 Wild India Aka Secrets OfWild India12:00 Man vs. Octopus12:55 Tiger’s Revenge13:50 Monster Fish14:45 The Invaders15:40 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations16:05 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations16:35 Savage Kingdom17:30 Deadly Instincts18:25 Wild India Aka Secrets OfWild India19:20 The Invaders20:10 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations20:35 Ultimate AnimalsCompilations21:00 Savage Kingdom21:50 Deadly Instincts22:40 Wild India Aka Secrets OfWild India23:30 Man vs. Octopus

00:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles00:36 Rabbids Invasion01:00 Rabbids Invasion01:24 Sanjay And Craig01:48 Sanjay And Craig02:12 Winx Club02:36 Winx Club03:00 Harvey Beaks03:24 Harvey Beaks03:48 The Loud House04:12 The Loud House04:36 Breadwinners05:00 Breadwinners05:24 Get Blake05:48 SpongeBob SquarePants06:12 SpongeBob SquarePants06:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:00 The Loud House07:24 Rabbids Invasion07:48 Get Blake08:12 Harvey Beaks08:36 Sanjay And Craig09:00 Rank The Prank09:24 Harvey Beaks09:48 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool10:12 Game Shakers10:36 Regal Academy11:00 Winx Club11:24 SpongeBob SquarePants11:48 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles12:12 The Loud House12:36 Rabbids Invasion

13:00 Breadwinners13:24 Sanjay And Craig13:48 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn14:12 The Thundermans14:36 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool15:00 Hunter Street15:24 School Of Rock15:48 SpongeBob SquarePants16:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles16:36 The Loud House17:00 Sanjay And Craig17:24 Harvey Beaks17:48 Hunter Street18:12 Henry Danger18:36 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn19:00 School Of Rock19:24 Game Shakers19:48 The Thundermans20:12 SpongeBob SquarePants20:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:00 The Loud House21:24 Sanjay And Craig21:48 Rabbids Invasion22:12 Breadwinners22:36 Harvey Beaks23:00 SpongeBob SquarePants23:24 SpongeBob SquarePants23:48 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

00:16 Shimmer And Shine00:39 Shimmer And Shine01:02 Max & Ruby01:23 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom01:34 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom01:45 The Day Henry Met01:50 The Day Henry Met01:55 Blaze And The MonsterMachines02:17 Blaze And The MonsterMachines02:40 Zack & Quack03:01 Shimmer And Shine03:23 Nella The Princess Knight03:35 Paw Patrol03:58 Little Charmers04:10 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom04:21 Dora The Explorer04:44 Max & Ruby05:05 The Day Henry Met05:11 Nella The Princess Knight05:33 Shimmer And Shine05:56 Wallykazam!06:19 Zack & Quack06:29 The Day Henry Met06:35 Blaze And The MonsterMachines06:57 Rusty Rivets07:09 Paw Patrol07:33 Dora The Explorer08:00 Nella The Princess Knight08:21 Bubble Guppies08:44 Blaze And The MonsterMachines09:07 Paw Patrol09:30 Shimmer And Shine09:53 Nella The Princess Knight10:04 Nella The Princess Knight10:15 The Day Henry Met10:22 Paw Patrol10:45 Rusty Rivets11:05 Wallykazam!11:28 Bubble Guppies11:52 Team Umizoomi12:15 Shimmer And Shine12:39 Shimmer And Shine13:01 Max & Ruby13:25 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom13:36 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom13:47 The Day Henry Met13:52 The Day Henry Met13:57 Blaze And The MonsterMachines14:19 Blaze And The MonsterMachines14:40 Zack & Quack15:01 Shimmer And Shine15:23 Nella The Princess Knight15:35 Paw Patrol15:58 Little Charmers16:10 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom16:22 Dora The Explorer16:44 Max & Ruby17:06 The Day Henry Met17:12 Nella The Princess Knight17:23 Nella The Princess Knight17:35 Shimmer And Shine17:59 Wallykazam!18:21 Zack & Quack18:32 The Day Henry Met18:38 Blaze And The MonsterMachines19:00 Rusty Rivets19:13 Paw Patrol19:37 Dora The Explorer20:00 Nella The Princess Knight20:21 Bubble Guppies20:44 Blaze And The MonsterMachines21:07 Paw Patrol21:30 Shimmer And Shine21:53 Nella The Princess Knight22:15 The Day Henry Met22:22 Paw Patrol22:45 Rusty Rivets23:05 Wallykazam!23:28 Bubble Guppies23:52 Team Umizoomi

01:10 The Adventures Of PepperAnd Paula02:50 The Secret Life Of Pets04:20 Alone For Christmas05:50 Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder07:20 The Adventures Of PepperAnd Paula09:00 A Tiger’s Tail10:30 The Secret Life Of Pets12:00 Curious George13:30 Ice Age14:55 A Simple Wish16:30 Deck The Halls18:15 Molly Moon And TheIncredible Book Of Hypnotism19:55 Curious George21:25 Ice Age22:50 Deck The Halls

01:15 Cooties02:45 Hits04:30 Big06:15 Impromptu08:05 Big Stone Gap09:50 Big11:35 After The Ball13:20 Impromptu15:10 A Thousand Words16:45 Leap Of Faith18:35 Breaking The Bank20:25 Down To Earth22:00 Dead Snow: Red vs Dead23:40 How To Make Love Like AnEnglishman

01:15 Guernica03:10 Roger Waters: The Wall05:30 The Better Angels07:10 Before I Disappear08:55 Rushmore10:35 Roger Waters: The Wall

12:55 Infinitely Polar Bear14:30 127 Hours16:10 It Boy17:55 Not Without My Daughter20:05 Hidden Agenda22:05 Crisscross23:55 Amores Perros

00:30 Last Wizard01:50 Tom And Jerry: Back To Oz03:20 Ethel & Ernest05:05 Moomins And The CometChase06:30 Mia And The Migoo08:10 The Emperor’s Secret09:45 Back To The Sea11:30 A Town Called Panic12:55 Ethel & Ernest14:40 Moomins And The CometChase16:05 Hotel For Dogs17:50 Back To The Sea19:35 The Secret Of Kells21:05 Ploddy Police Car22:30 Beyond Beyond

00:05 Sex And The City The Movie02:30 Jurassic World04:35 The Boxtrolls06:15 The Intern08:20 Changeling10:40 Dirty Dancing12:50 Jurassic World14:55 Calendar Girls16:45 Taxi18:25 Hot Pursuit19:55 Fast & Furious 7

00:40 Mythbusters01:30 How Do They Do It?01:55 Food Factory02:20 X-Machines03:10 Smash Lab04:00 Kings Of Construction04:48 Mythbusters05:36 How Do They Do It?06:00 Food Factory06:24 X-Machines07:12 Smash Lab08:00 How Do They Do It?08:26 Kings Of Construction09:14 Mythbusters10:02 Smash Lab10:50 How Do They Do It?11:14 Food Factory11:38 X-Machines12:26 Kings Of Construction13:14 Mythbusters14:02 How Do They Do It?14:26 Food Factory14:50 Smash Lab15:38 Kings Of Construction16:26 X-Machines17:14 Mythbusters18:02 Smash Lab18:50 Kings Of Construction19:40 Mythbusters20:30 Man v Expert21:20 How Do They Do It?21:45 Food Factory22:10 Smash Lab23:00 Man v Expert23:50 Kings Of Construction

00:00 King Arthur02:00 The Mothman Prophecies04:00 The Pledge06:00 The Time Being07:25 Laws Of Attraction08:50 Finding Neverland10:30 Autumn In New York12:15 The Congress14:10 The Mothman Prophecies16:05 Ask The Dust18:00 King Arthur20:00 Kate & Leopold22:00 Edmond23:15 Man About Town

00:06 Project Runway01:00 Project Runway02:00 Wedding Band03:00 MAFS: The First Year04:00 Black Box05:00 Fashion Star06:00 Project Runway07:00 Project Runway08:00 Wedding Band09:00 MAFS: The First Year10:00 Black Box11:00 Fashion Star12:00 Project Runway13:00 Project Runway14:00 Wedding Band15:00 MAFS: The First Year16:00 Black Box17:00 Fashion Star18:00 Grey’s Anatomy19:00 Grey’s Anatomy20:00 Grey’s Anatomy21:00 MAFS: The First Year22:00 Black Box23:00 Fashion Star

00:20 7 Little Johnstons01:05 Baby Changes Everything01:50 Return To Amish02:35 Say Yes To The Dress03:20 Our Little Family04:05 Toddlers & Tiaras: CoachWars04:50 Your Style In His Hands05:35 Say Yes To The Dress UK06:00 Obsessive CompulsiveCleaners06:45 Say Yes To The Dress UK07:30 Say Yes To The Dress08:15 Our Little Family09:00 Cake Boss09:25 Toddlers & Tiaras: CoachWars10:10 Obsessive CompulsiveCleaners10:55 Married By Mum And Dad11:40 Say Yes To The Dress UK12:02 Say Yes To The Dress UK12:25 Outdaughtered: Busby Quints13:10 7 Little Johnstons13:55 Toddlers & Tiaras: CoachWars14:40 Our Little Family15:25 Married By Mum And Dad16:10 Love, Lust Or Run16:35 Cake Boss17:00 Cake Boss17:25 Cake Boss17:50 Obsessive CompulsiveCleaners18:50 Your Style In His Hands19:40 Say Yes To The Dress UK20:10 Cake Boss20:35 Cake Boss

This is an easy, calm day that should find everything running smoothly.Ideas and interaction with authority figures or older people may be in the forecast.Working with—rather than against—the flow should be easy to do. Your basic talentsare such that you can aspire to a position of prominence when you are ready. Lightningfast when it comes to the business deal, you seem to have direct insight into what isworthwhile as well as what is worthless in a situation. You will find a way to cut throughthe red tape and get at what is important. You can resolve debts and find it easier to addto your income at this time. The demand for your skills and talents intensifies. Thisevening you may spend time decorating with seasonal flowers and ornaments.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

A practical and conscientious attitude is of special importance now.Sorting things out and getting them organized to the utmost efficiency keeps you busy.You may adopt a more unconventional appearance or manner of communicating withothers. This may mean that you have been called in to solve delivery problems or per-haps to rearrange some scheduling. You have more personal insight and are more inven-tive than most people, etc. Others sense your concern over their welfare and you may notbe able to escape the positive admiration coming your way. Someone may take you tolunch or do you a favor without expecting reciprocation. Associates appreciate you.Visiting with your friends is fun and meaningful this afternoon.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

The workday flows along without too many problems at this time. Yourevaluation of matters and decisions made this day will be clear and

focused. There could be a slowdown in transportation, but confirmation of schedulesshould help assuage this situation. There is much communication with friends and familynow, especially those at a distance. A love of authority figures, plus an appreciation forauthority and your elders in general, makes you welcome at any social scene. You mayfind yourself involved in a golf game, tennis or other similar sport activity later today. Notonly do you enjoy all sorts of sports—you enjoy the time of simple chatter with friends. Anew partnership can be entered into now.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

The power of organization on a social scale—business, politics and such—comes to your attention this day. Among your basic talents is your sense of

fairness and justice. You are a wonderful judge of personality and character, so you canexcel as a supervisor or in marriage and business counseling, in legal work and decisions aslawyer or judge. Today you may find yourself solving more problems and keeping the peacebetween co-workers before working with the files on your desk. The demand for your skillsintensifies and you are aware of new options for professional growth. You are starting a six-week cycle of tremendous energy and enthusiasm. A new sport, creative hobby or socialactivity appeals to you and you decide to participate on a regular basis.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing and working withothers. You know just what to do and can act without emotion. You are called on tomake use of your natural abilities. You will prosper through new insights, inventions andan independent point of view. Your career could open up by taking up different methodsthan the usual—new approaches. You may be especially dynamic and assertive today—knowing just what to do. There is a lot of energy available for whatever needs to bedone. A business meeting this afternoon will show progress in work projects. View anydisagreement as a way to see things from a different perspective—not necessarily nega-tive. Reorganize your schedule in order to help a friend this evening.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

You may be very forceful in what you say and think. With all of this emo-tional energy, you could speak or communicate very well. You have much mental drive.Perhaps through teaching you will find yourself serving to guide someone younger thanyou. You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others justnow and are in a good position to communicate or guide others. This afternoon yourfriends may include you in some group activity. It is certainly a good time to be withyour friends. This evening there is a kind of romantic dreamy mood. This could mean alonging for a soul mate or a yearning to save the world; it could mean carrying a torch, aswell. Secret loves, lost loves—all you need is love.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

This is a very lucky day for making plans or decisions and finding yourway through just about any problem you may discover. You joke with co-workers orfriends about how computers are advanced enough to be taught to think and you thinkabout how that would be. You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing andworking with others. You know just what to do and can act without haste and emotion.You are called on to make use of your natural abilities and common sense. You feel suc-cessful and able to solve problems—quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insightsand solutions are in readiness. Good advice from a guide or older person, if you need it,

will be easy to find. A visitor in your home compliments you on your tastes.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Keep those positive thoughts coming—you are learning how to transmutethe negative. This is a great day to work with others. Round table discus-

sions or conferences with higher-ups may be in order all day. Financial savvy and apractical turn of mind are qualities that take on greater importance in your life now. Youhave a wheeler-dealer attitude with a knack for knowing how to put people, ideas andthings together profitably. Playing the role of coordinator can be rewarding. If you arenot in a permanent love relationship, you may find one developing this afternoon. If youare in a permanent relationship, you will find the feelings between the two of you havedeepened. A sense of support and harmony makes this a happy time.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

This morning you may find yourself unusually motivated or driven in newand unexpected directions. You could receive unexpected backing and, in

general, your efforts are successful in reaching new heights of creativity. You may want totake a new look at where you are in your career at this time-is this your lifeworkdeter-mine as soon as possible, just where you want to apply your energies with regard to yourcareer. New and unexpected emotions may surface. It is easy for you to find the propermotivation to fulfill your ideals or make your dreams into a reality. You may decide toreevaluate your diet for this winter. Adding a bit more protein will help increase resistanceto colds and flu. This is a good time to schedule a flu shot, if you take them.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Your mind is very quick and you find a great deal of fun in trivial pursuitgames with friends and co-workers. This morning may be such a morning—some funtime with trivial pursuit. Among co-workers you find a good amount of teamwork andgoodwill. This is a time of much energy and drive, perfect for starting out on somethingor taking care of business. Exercise is a necessity today and if the weather is acceptable,get outside and walk, skate, or ride your bike. Your mind runs to humanitarian values andthoughts of what could and should be improved upon. Ideas connected with group workand goals, making your inner vision real, are a natural. Community work just may be inthe forecast. Your ideas could make a positive difference.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1761

ACROSS1. A device for creating a current of air bymovement of a surface or surfaces.4. A language spoken by the Atakapa peo-ple of the Gulf coast of Louisiana andTexas.12. A state of southwestern India.15. Title for a civil or military leader (espe-cially in Turkey).16. A restricted computer network.17. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirinand Phenacetin and Caffeine).18. Of or concerning this.20. Become ground down or deteriorate.21. A crystalline rock that can be cut andpolished for jewelry.22. A design fixed to some surface or apaper bearing the design to be transferredto the surface.25. A river that rises in western NewMexico and flows westward through south-ern Arizona to become a tributary of theColorado River.26. Harsh or corrosive in tone.27. Any character from an ancientGermanic alphabet used in Scandinaviafrom the 3rd century to the Middle Ages.30. A coffee cake flavored with orange rindand raisins and almonds.33. By bad luck.37. Essential oil or perfume obtained fromflowers.38. A member of the Siouan people former-ly living in the Missouri river valley in NENebraska.39. Antibacterial drug (trade nameNydrazid) used to treat tuberculosis.40. Horny plate covering and protectingpart of the dorsal surface of the digits.41. Remove with or as if with a ladle.43. A form of Japanese poetry.45. African mahogany trees.47. Having the wind against the forwardside of the sails.49. An administrator in charge of a divisionof a university or college.50. A local computer network for commu-nication between computers.51. A New England state.53. On a ship, train, plane or other vehicle.55. (prefix) Within.57. The branch of computer science thatdeal with writing computer programs thatcan solve problems creatively.59. The blood group whose red cells carryboth the A and B antigens.61. An orderly arrangement.62. Take control of.65. An officer who acts as military assistantto a more senior officer.67. Make less active or intense.70. Very dark black.72. A Chadic language spoken south ofLake Chad.76. In the Arabian Nights a hero who tellsof the fantastic adventures he had in hisvoyages.78. The capital and largest city ofAfghanistan.80. A small piece of cloth.81. The basic unit of money in Peru.82. A member of the Siouan people former-ly inhabiting the Black Hills of westernSouth Dakota.84. 4-wheeled motor vehicle.85. A condition requiring relief.86. A bag used for carrying money andsmall personal items or accessories (espe-cially by women).87. A flat wing-shaped process or winglikepart of an organism.

DOWN1. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in1922).2. American novelist (1909-1955).3. A lawman concerned with narcotics vio-lations.4. Garlic mayonnaise.5. A proinflammatory cytokine that is pro-duced by white blood cells (monocytes andmacrophages).6. (astronomy) A measure of time definedby Earth's orbital motion.7. A particular geographical region ofindefinite boundary (usually serving somespecial purpose or distinguished by itspeople or culture or geography).8. The lean flesh of a fish that is oftenfarmed.9. A kind of heavy jacket (`windcheater' is aBritish term).10. A tricycle (usually propelled by ped-alling).11. Goddess of criminal rashness and itspunishment.12. Mentally or physically infirm with age.13. An organization of countries formed in1961 to agree on a common policy for thesale of petroleum.14. The highest level or degree attainable.19. With eagerness.23. An esoteric or occult matter that is tra-ditionally secret.24. A federal agency established to regulatethe release of new foods and health-relatedproducts.28. A resident of Utah.29. (heraldry) Applied to a fish depictedhorizontally.31. According to the Old Testament he wasa pagan king of Israel and husband ofJezebel (9th century BC).32. A member of an agricultural people ofsouthern India.34. (mathematics) Directly proportional.35. The capital of Turkey.36. A drink made of beer and lemonade.42. An international organization ofEuropean countries formed after WorldWar II to reduce trade barriers andincrease cooperation among its members.44. Regarded with deep or rapturous love(especially as if for a god).46. A radioactive element of the actinideseries.48. Unknown god.52. The 19th letter of the Greek alphabet.54. Having undesirable or negative quali-ties.56. Bid over an opponent's bid when one'spartner has not bid or doubled, in Bridge.58. A heavy brittle metallic element of theplatinum group.60. African tree having an exceedinglythick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourdand has an edible pulp called monkeybread.63. Relating to or characteristic of oroccurring on the sea or ships.64. Large dark brown North Americanarboreal carnivorous mammal.66. Any plant of the genus Inula.68. European twining plant whose flowersare used chiefly to flavor malt liquors.69. (prefix) In front of or before in space.71. With no effort to conceal.73. Type genus of the family Arcidae.74. Any of numerous local fertility andnature deities worshipped by ancientSemitic peoples.75. A city in northern India.77. The syllable naming the first (tonic)note of any major scale in solmization.79. The act of slowing down or fallingbehind.83. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallicelement.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s SolutionDaily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle

Ambition and the desire for status can get a little out of touch with reali-ty. Stay focused—attend to the normal duties and then you can move

forward. Business opportunities that include conferences and perhaps lectures opennew doors for you now. Circumstances move you into position where you must useyour mind and deal with communications, service or enclosed hidden interests. Youmay deal with education, psychology, spiritual enlightenment or teaching principlesand techniques. This afternoon a friend may interest you in a competitive sport that isgood for your mind as well as your body. Learning ways to increase your energy levelis a wise move and this new activity may be a heart-healthy, fun activity.

Figuring things out, spotting the fly in the ointment, separating the sheepfrom the goats: these things take on special significance now. You may be

involved in some detective work but you will be pleasantly surprised at the result. This isa perfect time to be assertive and to move forward in your career decisions. You have allthe enthusiasm that is needed and it should be easy to direct your path. Because youappear so self-sufficient, others may find it difficult to imagine that you might need loveand attention. Step back and allow others to help you. Sometimes your friends just wantto do things for you with a simple compliment for their effort. Enjoy the attention thatyour loved ones offer you now.

Yesterday’s Solution


26S t a r s

Established 1961

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 14/11/2017Airlines Flt Route TimeJAI 572 Mumbai 00:05JZR 539 Cairo 00:50PGT 858 Istanbul 00:55THY 772 Istanbul 00:55WAN 416 Beirut 01:05KAC 102 London 01:20DLH 625 Bahrain 01:45UAE 853 Dubai 01:45THY 764 Istanbul 01:50AXB 395 Kozhikode 02:00ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:15QTR 1086 Doha 02:20GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30KLM 446 Bahrain 02:30OMA 643 Muscat 02:55KKK 1268 Istanbul 02:55MSR 606 Luxor 03:05KAC 414 Bangkok 03:05ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:50LMU 5510 Cairo 04:00THY 6376 Istanbul 04:10KAC 382 Delhi 04:15KAC 418 Manila 04:25KAC 1544 Cairo 04:25KAC 784 Jeddah 04:35FDB 069 Dubai 04:55DHX 170 Bahrain 05:20JZR 143 Doha 05:25THY 770 Istanbul 05:25KAC 346 Ahmedabad 05:30KAC 358 Kochi 05:40KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40KAC 302 Mumbai 06:10KAC 284 Dhaka 06:30KAC 678 Dubai 06:30WAN 342 Sohag 06:35KAC 206 Islamabad 06:50JZR 529 Asyut 06:50RSB 7867 IQA 07:00BAW 157 London 07:15FDB 053 Dubai 07:35KAC 354 Bengaluru 07:35KAC 384 Delhi 08:00UAE 855 Dubai 08:35ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:05ABY 125 Sharjah 09:05QTR 1070 Doha 09:10FDB 5053 Dubai 09:40IRC 6507 Shiraz 10:30GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRA 675 Lar 10:40WAN 114 Bahrain 11:00MSC 403 Asyut 11:15QTR 1074 Doha 11:20JZR 165 Dubai 11:30MEA 404 Beirut 11:55KAC 614 Bahrain 12:10QTR 8305 Doha 12:15SAW 701 Damascus 12:30JZR 561 Sohag 12:45FDB 075 Dubai 12:45KAC 742 Dammam 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:15KAC 774 Riyadh 13:40QTR 8511 Doha 13:55PAL 668 Manila 14:00KAC 618 Doha 14:15KAC 516 Tehran 14:20

QTR 1078 Doha 14:20FDB 059 Dubai 14:20KAC 672 Dubai 14:25KAC 286 Dhaka 14:35KAC 692 Muscat 14:35GFA 221 Bahrain 14:40KAC 364 Colombo 14:40SVA 500 Jeddah 14:45KAC 304 Mumbai 14:50KNE 529 Jeddah 14:55KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:15KAC 502 Beirut 15:30KAC 562 Amman 15:30OMA 645 Muscat 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45QTR 1072 Doha 15:55FDK 801 Damascus 16:00ABY 127 Sharjah 16:00KAC 118 New York 16:00JZR 779 Jeddah 16:25FDB 051 Dubai 16:40RJA 640 Amman 16:55SYR 341 Damascus 17:00KAC 542 Cairo 17:05SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 777 Jeddah 17:40JZR 325 Al Najaf 17:50WAN 984 Tbilisi 17:50UAE 875 Dubai 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:10JZR 177 Dubai 18:15MSR 620 Cairo 18:30QTR 1080 Doha 18:50KAC 744 Dammam 19:10KAC 776 Riyadh 19:20ABY 123 Sharjah 19:25RBG 555 Alexandria 19:25KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 156 Istanbul 19:30NIA 161 Cairo 19:40KAC 674 Dubai 19:45FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 616 Bahrain 19:55KAC 166 Rome 20:10KAC 620 Doha 20:15OMA 647 Muscat 20:20QTR 1088 Doha 20:45DLH 624 Frankfurt 20:45ICV 675 Luxembourg 21:10KAC 168 Paris 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:20KAC 786 Jeddah 21:25KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:30UAE 859 Dubai 21:35GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45WAN 116 Bahrain 21:50KLM 445 Amsterdam 21:50KAC 564 Amman 22:00QTR 1082 Doha 22:05ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15AIC 987 Chennai/Hyderabad 22:25PIA 239 Sialkot 22:35JZR 241 Amman 22:40JZR 185 Dubai 23:10JAI 574 Mumbai 23:15MSC 405 Sohag 23:30BBC 043 Dhaka 23:30FDB 071 Dubai 23:45WAN 358 Luxor 23:55

Departure Flights on Tuesday 14/11/2017Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05

JZR 528 Asyut 00:15JAI 573 Mumbai 00:30MSC 406 Sohag 00:30FDB 072 Dubai 00:35MSC 412 Asyut 01:00AZQ 4566 GYD 01:00JAI 571 Mumbai 01:05JZR 142 Doha 01:45KAC 677 Dubai 01:50KAC 285 Dhaka 01:55KAC 363 Colombo 02:00KAC 417 Manila 02:00THY 773 Istanbul 02:30PGT 859 Istanbul 02:30DLH 625 Frankfurt 02:45AXB 396 Kozhikode 02:55ETH 621 Addis Ababa 03:05UAE 854 Dubai 03:40QTR 1087 Doha 03:40KKK 1269 Istanbul 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55THY 765 Istanbul 04:00MSR 607 Luxor 04:05ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:15LMU 5511 Cairo 05:00QTR 1077 Doha 05:30FDB 070 Dubai 05:45KAC 303 Mumbai 06:05JZR 560 Sohag 06:25THY 771 Istanbul 06:50JZR 164 Dubai 06:55THY 6376 Dubai/Istanbul 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15KAC 167 Paris 07:35ACP 101 Baghdad 08:00KAC 501 Beirut 08:00KAC 171 Frankfurt 08:00KAC 165 Rome 08:15FDB 054 Dubai 08:35KAC 787 Jeddah 08:40BAW 156 London 08:55KAC 613 Bahrain 08:55KAC 117 New York 09:00KAC 691 Muscat 09:10KAC 561 Amman 09:40ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45KAC 671 Dubai 09:45KAC 101 London 09:45KAC 741 Dammam 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 10:00KAC 515 Tehran 10:00KAC 541 Cairo 10:00ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:10KAC 773 Riyadh 10:10KAC 617 Doha 10:15QTR 1071 Doha 10:20KAC 155 Istanbul 10:25FDB 056 Dubai 10:35JZR 778 Jeddah 10:40RSB 7862 IQA 11:00IRC 6508 Shiraz 11:20GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25IRA 674 Lar 11:40VIZ 205 IQA 12:00JZR 776 Jeddah 12:00MSC 404 Asyut 12:15VIZ 205 IQA 12:30QTR 1075 Doha 12:30MEA 405 Beirut 12:55

SAW 702 Damascus 13:30JZR 176 Dubai 13:40FDB 076 Dubai 13:45QTR 8306 Doha 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:15JZR 324 Al Najaf 14:25KNE 382 Taif 15:00KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 15:00KAC 673 Dubai 15:05FDB 060 Dubai 15:10QTR 8512 Doha 15:25GFA 222 Bahrain 15:25KAC 785 Jeddah 15:25QTR 1079 Doha 15:30SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KNE 530 Jeddah 15:45KAC 775 Riyadh 15:50KAC 743 Dammam 16:05PAL 669 Manila 16:10KAC 563 Amman 16:10KAC 619 Doha 16:10ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20OMA 646 Muscat 16:35ABY 128 Sharjah 16:40KAC 615 Bahrain 16:40FDK 802 Damascus 16:55QTR 1073 Doha 17:15JZR 240 Amman 17:15KAC 283 Dhaka 17:30FDB 052 Dubai 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45KAC 357 Kochi 17:45KAC 361 Colombo 17:45RJA 641 Amman 17:55SYR 342 Damascus 18:00KAC 331 Trivandrum 18:00KAC 343 Chennai 18:00SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15JZR 538 Cairo 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:30KAC 381 Delhi 18:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:10WAN 115 Bahrain 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:30MSR 621 Cairo 19:30QTR 1081 Doha 20:00RBG 556 Alexandria 20:05ABY 124 Sharjah 20:05GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15FDB 058 Dubai 20:35NIA 162 Cairo 20:40KAC 345 Ahmedabad 20:40KAC 301 Mumbai 20:50OMA 648 Muscat 21:20KAC 1543 Cairo 21:20DLH 624 Bahrain 21:30DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50QTR 1089 Doha 22:00KAC 411 Bangkok 22:05KAC 205 Islamabad 22:05ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KAC 783 Jeddah 22:35KAC 383 Delhi 22:40KLM 445 Bahrain 22:50UAE 860 Dubai 23:00ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05KAC 795 Madinah 23:05ICV 675 Hong Kong 23:10QTR 1083 Doha 23:20PIA 240 Sialkot 23:35

American Airlines 22087425

22087426

Kuwait Airways 171

Jazeera Airways 177

Jet Airways 22924455

FlyDubai 22414400

Qatar Airways 22423888

KLM 22425747

Air Slovakia 22434940

Olympic Airways 22420002/9

Royal Jordanian 22418064/5/6

Reservation 22433388

British Airways 22425635

Air France 22430224

Emirates 22921555

Air India 22438184

Sri Lanka Airlines 22424444

Egypt Air 22421578

Swiss Air 22421516

Saudia 22426306

Middle East Airlines 22423073

Lufthansa 22422493

PIA 22421044

Alitalia 22414427

Balkan Airlines 22416474

Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8

Czech Airlines 22417901/

2433141

Indian Airlines 22456700

Oman Air 22958787

Turkish Airlines 22453820/1

Aeroflot 22404838/9

DAAYY:

ASTTAATTION

WExpected Weeather for the Next 24

4 Hours

WEADADA

4 DAAYYS FORECAST

AYY ATTE ATTHERTemper

MAX.

raturesWind Direction Wind SpeedMIN.

PRAAYYER TIMESFajr

SunriseZuhrAsr

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KUWAYESTERDARECORDED AYY ATT WAAIT AIRPORTMAX. Temp. MIN. Temp. MAX. RH MIN. RH

MAX. WiindT TAL FA L IN 24 HR.

°C°C%%km/hmm

ClassifiedsTuesday, November 14, 2017

AIRLINES

112

Automated enquiry aboutthe Civil ID card is

1889988

Established 1961

ACCOMMODATION CHANGE OF NAMEI, Anil P. V. PerumprethuVeedu son of Varghese,holder of Indian PassportNo. H4169325 & Civil ID No.284052405349 haschanged my name toMuhammed Ashiq P.V.hereinafter in all my deal-ings and documents.(C 5360)13-11-2017

One room available for rentin C-AC flat airport roadKhaitan for couple/ workinglady/ one bachelor. Rent KD85. Contact: 66253647,51614467. (C 5359)13-11-2017

Tuesday, November 14, 2017L i f e s t y l e G o s s i p

Established 1961 28

he 20-year-old fashion icon has taken her social mediafollowers into her closet to flaunt her vast array of the sig-nature Hermes handbag, as well as her other designerpieces she has amassed over the years. In a short video,

which has been shared on her Snapchat account, the ‘Life of Kylie’star pans around a room neatly arranged with designer accessories.Speaking in the clip, she said: “Some of you may recognise thiscraziness. This is going to be a lot of work.” The ‘Keeping Up Withthe Kardashians’ beauty showcased two shelves filled with Birkinbags, including her latest purchase, which is the classic style with aspot print, a burnt orange suede design, as well as a pink, maroon,and various shades of brown bags. She captioned the close-upimage of her new buy: “Welcome (sic).” The reality star continuedto flaunt her collection of Louis Vuitton items, including brightlycoloured mini bags, as well as Chanel quilted backpacks, Guccimust haves and many more. However, the Kylie Cosmetics entrepre-neur is not the only star who is a fan of Hermes designs, as Drakehas recently admitted he too has been collecting the brands iconicBirkin bags for years because he wants to pass on his possessionsto “the woman that [he] ends up with one day”. Speaking previ-ously about his favourite items, the ‘Hotline Bling’ hitmaker - wholaunched his own clothing line October’s Very Own (OVO) in 2011 -said: “People would be surprised to know that I am a fan of Birkins.My mom’s best friend collects them and when I was young, I sort ofstarted to understand the value in them. And there’s very few thingsin this world, tangible things anyway, that hold their value and sortof appreciate as the years go on.”

T

he 25-year-old model has admitted she muchprefers to go over the top wither outfits than to be“underdressed”, because she “loves clothes” and“feels strange” if she is at a bash and looks “too

casual”. Speaking about her wardrobe choices toInStyle.com, the brunette beauty said: “I personally tend tobe an overdresser rather than an underdresser in general. Butthat’s mainly because I love clothes and I love puttingtogether an interesting look. At a party, it can also feelstrange when you’re too casual. If you’re really stuck, ask thehost what they’re wearing and follow that lead.” And thestyle icon particularly enjoys making an effort with herappearance over the festive season. She explained “I love toget all dressed up and throw parties around the holidays. Igrew up in a big Italian family, and we were always havingpeople come over to celebrate. So now it just comes naturalto me.” Olivia - who is currently dating Danny Amendola -has revealed she has been buying a lot of red lately, but shealso loves a simple yet classy “monochromatic look”. Shesaid: “I’ve been buying a ton of red lately. And I love amonochromatic look during the holidays because it’s sopulled together, yet still playful. “Layer a black turtleneckbodysuit under your jackets and dresses. It also looks chicwith a pair of trousers. “A pair of high-waisted leather leg-gings. You can put it with an oversize sweater or a sleekblazer, and it can take you somewhere casual or dressy.” Andto top off her showstopping outfits Olivia likes to wear asweep of rouge lipstick and a slick of black eyeliner to makethe perfect “cat eye”.

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he 31-year-old model had to rush her bulldog Puddy to theemergency vets last night after her pet pooch was struck downwith a mystery illness. She tweeted: “At the emergency vet withmy old man bulldog puddy. Please send him happy doggy

thoughts :( my first born baby (sic)” Chrissy later told her fans ofPuddy’s condition and admitted she was going to have a sleepless nightworrying about her canine companion. She wrote: “Heart failure but heis stable at the moment. not sleeping tonight that’s for sure. Thank you(sic)” One of Chrissy’s fans admitted they were going through a similarexperience with their dog Grimble and having to say goodbye to thepooch. She replied: “I’m so sorry. Sending love to Grimble :( (sic)”Puddy’s illness comes two and a half years after he married Chrissy andJohn’s other bulldog Pippa. John and Chrissy - who have 18-month-olddaughter Luna - sprinkled rose petals down the aisle for the happycanine couple and even fed them their first piece of wedding cake ontheir big day. The pets were appropriately dressed for the occasion insuit and bow tie and a bridal gown, and they found time to take somesnaps with their owner-turned-wedding singer in a photobooth at theirmutt marriage. John even officiated the wedding for the pooch pair wholooked to be thoroughly enjoying their canine ceremony. The ‘All Of Me’hitmaker put on the dogs’ big day to help promote an initiative for hischarity, The Show Me Campaign, which aims to give impoverished kids agreat education.

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he DNCE singer and the ‘Game of Thrones’ star announced theirengagement last month and Nick is delighted his sibling has foundsomeone he can spend the rest of his life with, admitting they have a“beautiful” relationship. He said: “I can tell you that he found his part-

ner and love of his life. “That’s all that matters. It’s a beautiful thing.” The pair’sengagement news comes just in time for the forthcoming Thanksgiving celebra-tions, and Nick admitted Sophie has already had a taste of the “Jonas experi-ence”. Speaking to ‘Entertainment Tonight’, he added: “It’s all love. She was withus last year as well, so she already had her first sort of Jonas experience.” ButNick, 25, isn’t holding out much hope of being Joe’s best man at his weddingbecause he would feel sorry for their other siblings, Kevin, 30, and Frankie, 17.When asked if he thinks he might land the role on the big day, Nick told ‘Extra’:“I don’t know; it’s up to him to decide. He’s got three brothers, so it’s kinda rudeto pick one. “I’m so happy for them. She’s so lovely and a beautiful addition toour family.” Joe, 28, and Sophie, 21, announced their engagement back inOctober by posting photos of her ring on Instagram, and Nick later posted thepic on his Instagram complete with words of praise for the pair. He wrote:“Ahh! Congratulations to my brother... and sister in law to be on your engage-ment. I love you both so much.(sic)” Sophie previously admitted she and Joe aretrying to keep their romance “private”. She said: “I’m in a relationship, but it’s avery private relationship. I’m happier than I’ve been in a very long time. “I verymuch isolated myself for a while and forgot what was fun.”

T

he ‘Suicide Squad’ star looked less thanimpressed when MC Grindah joked it was niceto meet the 67-year-old TV presenter, beforeRita Ora - who hosted the ceremony - correct-

ed him. Rita and Grindah were chatting off stage whenshe noticed Jared was next to them and said: “We’restopping Jared Leto from coming across, come on in,come and join the party.” Grindah then grabbed Rita’smicrophone and said: “I love Jay Leno, man, he’s sick.”Rita then revealed his name is Jared and the ‘SomePeople Just Do Nothing’ star fist bumped the ‘DallasBuyers Club’ actor, who asked: “What’s your name?” Thecomedian replied: “Grindah.” Jared then said: “Ah, OK, I’llget to know him.” Following the awkward encounter, theHollywood star praised host Rita. He told the crowd: “Bythe way, I just have to say, Rita Ora is doing an incrediblejob on the show tonight. You are amazing, thank you.” Itwas a successful night for Jared, whose band 30 SecondsTo Mars triumphed in the Best Alternative category, andhe thanked Europe for changing the group’s lives in hisacceptance speech, branding America “a land of immi-grants”. He said: “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.Europe, you have changed our lives. This is for you, this isabout you and we stand here proudly on this stagetonight in celebration of you so thank you. “We areAmericans, a land of immigrants. We just want to say thatwe welcome you with open arms and with open hearts.We love you. God bless you. We hope to see you on tour.In March and April, we will be coming to the UK ontour.” It was a busy night for Jared as he also presentedU2 with the Global Icon Award at the spectacle, andthanked the Irish rockers for changing his life.

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Jared Leto was mistaken forJay Leno at the EMAs

Kylie boasts an

extensive collection

of Hermes Birkin bags

Olivia Culpo considers herself an

‘overdresser’hould the main part of the 39-year-old singer’splush seven-bedroom property not tempt apotential seller to splash out nearly $2 millionthen a quick tour of the wooded spectacle, which

also features a slide, could well do. According to The Blast,the ‘My Boo’ hitmaker has slashed his original asking priceof the house - which he bought from music manager LA.Reid in 1998 for $1.2 million - from $2.48 million to $1.8million. If the treehouse doesn’t do it for a possible pur-chaser then all is not lost as the eight-and-a-half bath-room mansion, which is located in Alpharetta, Georgia, ispacked full of features, including a gourmet kitchen fit forforging a feast. After cooking up some delicacies, newbuyers might want to head to the master bathroom for arelaxing session as it comes complete with a sauna, soak-ing spa and rain shower. What’s more, those into their fit-ness could find the plush pad ideal as the home featuresits own yoga studio and ice bath - ideal for working offthose beverages consumed in the covered terrace bar. Butanyone who wants to practice their dance moves before atour or even a night out might like to head to the guesthouse because it comes complete with a private dancestudio. Usher previously put the abode on the market in2008 for $1.95 million, but de-listed it two months later.

S

Usher has put mansion up for sale for $1.8m

Chrissy Teigen’s dog has heart failure

Madison Beer has confirmedshe kissed Brooklyn Beckham

Nick Jonas says SophieTurner is the love ofhis brother’s life

he 18-year-old singer insists she is good pals with the photogra-phy student - the son of David and Victoria Beckham - andwhile the pair weren’t ever likely to be in a relationship becauseof their friendship, she “adores” him. She said: “We were just

good friends that kissed one time and got photographed “Everyonethought we were married. People forget that we’re teenagers, we’re both18 year olds, we’re not at that point. “He was never my boyfriend, he’s justa friend of mine who I adore.” Madison also insisted Brooklyn - who hasrecently rekindled his relationship with Chloe Grace Moretz - is not thesubject of her new song ‘Say It To My Face’. Speaking at the MTV EMAs,she added to the Metro newspaper: “It’s not about a boy. I get a lot ofhate on the internet and I say to myself all the time, ‘They’ll never say it tomy face.’ “They’ve said the meanest things you can imagine but I’m usedto it ... it used to affect me a lot more than it does now.” Brooklyn con-firmed he had got back together with Chloe - who he dated between2014 and 2015, and then again for five months last summer - inSeptember by describing her as “my girl” in a caption on a picture ofhimself lovingly cradling her leg.

T

The ‘Bedroom Floor’ hitmakerrelies on his girlfriend to give himadvice on his music and whilst

she is “quite a harsh judge”, he appreci-ates her comments. Asked if he wasnervous about showing his solo musicto Cheryl ahead of his performance onSaturday night at Free Radio Live, hesaid: “I was a little bit. She’s a judge -she still judges - she’s quite critical. No,she really likes it but we have odd taste.We have different tastes in music. I justlove music in general so whatever I’m

sent, I’m like, I love it, I love it. And she’slike, ‘No’, and I have to listen at times.She’s quite a harsh judge. Comes fromher X Factor days.” Meanwhile, Liampreviously revealed he has “rap battles”with the former Girls Aloud star, withwhom he shares seven-month-old sonBear. He said: “To be honest with youwe have rap battles in the kitchen, wehave dance battles, I learn new movesall the time. Our kitchen is a wonderfulplace and sometimes food gets cookedthere as well.” The couple have beengoing from strength to strength sincetheir son was born and Liam hadeven claimed he has a telepathicconnection with his 34-year-oldgirlfriend. He said recently:“[Bear] sleeps in our roomnow, I can feel when Cherylwants me to look after himin the night even if shedoesn’t say it.” But Liam isunsure if he wants to getmarried, as the subjectseems “weird” to him.— Bangshowbiz

L i f e s t y l e Tuesday, November 14, 2017

29Established 1961

G o s s i p

Zayn Malik and Gigi

celebrate two yearanniversary

The 22-year-old model looked inlove as she kissed her boyfriendto mark two years since they

started dating whilst she held a glassof champagne topped with a straw-berry. Captioning the sweetBoomerang video posted on herInstagram Story, she wrote: “2 yrs wmy favorite human (sic)” The formerOne Direction star doesn’t feel thepressure to move his relationship withGigi to the next level as of yet though.Asked if he feels a pressure to settledown, Zayn shared previously: “I don’tthink things like that should be decid-ed based on feeling pressure. Whenit’s the right time and place, hopefullythat will happen. Who knows whenthat will be.” And the ‘Pillowtalk’ hit-maker always “tries to do right” byGigi. When asked how he handles dat-ing as a celebrity, he said: “We try notto think about it too much. There are alot of people who are too busy in oth-

er people’s lives. I just concentrate onmy relationship and try to do right bymy girlfriend and she does by me, andwe hope for the best, as we all do!” Itcomes after Gigi revealed she feels“inspired” by Zayn to take risks withher own fashion choices. She shared:“[Zayn] has amazing style on his ownand we do the normal, ‘Does this lookgood?’ or ‘Do you like this?’ But he’sreally inspired me to wear what makesme happy and be really true to myown style because he does that everyday. So, it’s fun to watch him and fromthere have fun with my own style.”And Zayn and Gigi have also beenswapping tips in the kitchen too. Sheadded: “Zayn has helped me a lot withmy British food love and Indian foodlove and his mum’s an amazing cook.I’m trying to learn everything as I goand make a little cookbook, writing itall down instead of annoying his mumby texting her every week.”

Khloe Kardashian has never been happier

The 33-year-old realitystar - who is rumored tobe expecting her first

child - feels very “lucky” tohave found love with her“incredible” boyfriend, TristanThompson and was blown awayby the fact he arranged a sur-prise party for her birthday inJune. Speaking on ‘Keeping UpWith the Kardashians’ in anepisode which aired on Sunday,Khloe - who was previouslymarried to Lamar Odom - said:“I’ve never had a surprise partyever. “We were at dinner andTristan was so calm. He was ascool as a cucumber. He’s goodat surprise parties because Ihad no clue... “Tristan is justincredible. I’ve never been thishappy. I am so lucky to be withsomeone that is so thoughtfuland so sweet.” The NBA star iskeen to be seen as a “part of thefamily” by Khloe’s loved ones,

and she was delighted that hewanted to spend the summer inLos Angeles to get to knowthem better. Khloe told her sis-ters: “I love that Tristan was like,‘I want to be there this summer.’“We’re always in Cleveland. Heliterally can’t [wait to] comehere and hang out with youguys. He’s like, ‘I want to be apart of your family and do stuffas a group.’ “He was like, ‘I wantto be with your family more,’and he really wants to hang outwith all of us more. We’re goingto be here, but we also want ahouse in the city.” The ‘RevengeBody’ star wanted to find arental property in Los Angelesfor the summer so the 26-year-old Cleveland Cavaliers playercould be closer to his trainingfacilities at UCLA, but ulti-mately decided it was better forhim to move into her own“beautiful home”.

The ‘Live Like You Were Dying’ hitmakerbelieves music has brought him “every-thing good that’s happened in his life”

including his wife Faith Hill, who he married in1996. He said: “There are nights when you walkoff the stage and you think, ‘I never wanna dothat again.’ There are those nights. It happens,where you lay down and you think, ‘Why am Idoing this? Why am I continuing to do this?’“But look, it’s been really good to me. Music hasbrought me everything good that’s happened inmy life. I mean, music has - anything that’s everhappened good in my life has come from music.So it’s a treasure to me. Whether I want to do itcontinually, whether I want to stop doing it, anyof those things, it’s my savior in a lot of ways.”And the 50-year-old country music star was“hooked” on music the minute he first held aguitar. Speaking about the first time he pickedup the instrument, he told CBS Sunday Morning:“That was it. I was hooked. And first, because Irealized that chicks like a guy with a guitar. Thatwas probably the main reason that I kept play-ing.” Meanwhile, Tim previously revealed tour-ing has strengthened their relationship withFaith. He said: “For me, it’s hearing her singevery night - that’s the best part about [thetour]. Because she’s not out there singing much... To see her up on stage, having a great timeand just belting it out? I mean, I always say it:when I’m on stage with her, it’s like NASCARtrying to keep up with an Indy car. She’s justthat good. So, towatch her sing andsee what shedoes is prettyinspiring.”

Tim McGrawsays music has

been his ‘savior’

Sarah Hyland is ‘happy’ with Wells Adam

The ‘Modern Family’ star recentlywent public with the ‘Bachelorette’alum and she couldn’t be happier,

according to her co-star Julie Bowen. Julietold Entertainment Tonight: “I have not methim. I can only say I was in on the groundfloor of the flirting. “He seems lovely, heseems like a really nice guy and he treatsher really well. She’s happy as can be.That’s all you can want for your daughters,fake or real.” Sarah appeared to confirmher romance with Wells the other daywhen she shared a black and white pictureof the pair in which she is cuddling up tohim, while sticking her tongue out for thecamera. She wrote: “He puts up with me.”Whilst alongside the same picture on hisown account, Wells added: “Back lit AF

(sic)” And Wells’ ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ co-star Danielle Maltby - who he was roman-tically linked to after getting close on theshow - was all in favour for the pair, con-firming they are a “genuine couple”. Shewrote: “Are you kidding me? I ship thiscouple SO hard! I’ve never seen Wells sogiddy and happy! Try spreading some loveinstead of knocking down one of the cutestand most genuine coupling I’ve seen in along time. (sic)” Sarah was previously dat-ing Dominic Sherwood for two years andshe confirmed the pair had split in aTwitter post earlier this year. She wrote onTwitter: “The problem with being singleisn’t the fact that you’re alone. It’s that youcan’t puppy dog eye a guy into getting youStarbucks in bed.”

The ‘Second Hand Heart’ hitmaker finds itfrustrating that there are so many“dumb feuds” between women in the

music business and has urged all singers tounite together and not “fuel that fire” any-more. She said: “People always try to gear us- especially women in the industry - againsteach other. I’m just not about that. I like to besarcastic about all these dumb ‘feuds’between women in the industry. It’s like,‘Please do not fuel that fire any more.’ Theyalready try to do it to us enough ... The onlyreason I feel like anybody would be that intoan argument [with a fellow singer] is becausethey feel like they need it to survive inlongevity in this industry. That’s sad.” And the35-year-old singer hates being praised if it

means criticising other artists. Speaking onthe Party Foul Radio with Pollo & Pearl, sheadded: “People will be like, ‘Please don’t belike this artist, because they’re naked all thetime’ or ‘Please don’t be like this artist; justfocus on your music.’ You know what? I don’twant you to compliment me while derailingsomeone else’s career, because that person iscomfortable, doing what they like to do. Ifthey love showing skin, they love that. That’show they feel sexy; that’s who they are.”Meanwhile, Kelly previously admitted she isn’tbothered by criticism. She explained:“[Criticism] does not bother me. I’m very ful-filled in my life ... I’m a mother and I care whatis said to my kids and I want them to build anarmor to wear, an armor of confidence.”

Kelly Clarkson hates women

fighting each other

The ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’star - who is expecting her thirdchild, a baby boy, with her hus-

band Cash Warren - really enjoyed theglamorous outfit she wore to theBaby2Baby Gala in Culver City as sheusually doesn’t feel this pretty whenshe’s expecting. Speaking to reportersat the event, she said: “I like that Iactually feel glamorous. I don’t feelglamorous at all when I’m pregnant, soit’s nice to kind of dress up and feelbeautiful. I usually feel sort of likeHumpty Dumpty, slothing around andhormonal, and nothing fits the same.But in this dress, I actually feel kind ofpretty.” Meanwhile, the 36-year-oldactress previously revealed heryoungest daughter Haven, six, can’twait to have a baby brother. Sheshared: “My six year old, she was wor-ried about being a middle child, but shegets to be a big sister and a little sister.So, she’s stoked about that - and shedoesn’t have to compete with anothergirl ... “For me, the girls love their dad. Iwanted someone to love me more.When he comes home, they’re like,‘Daddy!’ It’s like a party. When I comehome, they’re like, ‘Oh, hey Mom.’ I’m

like, ‘I do everything for you! I cook, Ido all the things!’” And Jessica - whoalso has nine-year-old daughter Honorwith Cash - and the whole family arethrilled about the impending arrival.She gushed on Instagram:“@cash_warren and I couldn’t be morethrilled to announce... #officiallyout-numbered #babyboy #cantwait-tospoilhim #hugsandkissesforlife#soontobemamaofthree (sic)”

Liam Payne says Cheryl Tweedy is ‘quite

critical’ of his music

Jessica Alba feels like

‘Humpty Dumpty’ when pregnant

Tuesday, November 14, 2017L i f e s t y l e Fe a t u r e s

Established 1961 30

Canadian singer-songwriterShawn Mendes poses withtwo of his three awards forbest song for ‘There’s NothingHoldin’ Me Back’, best artistand biggest fans in the winners’ area during the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) at WembleyArena. — AFP photos US singer-songwriter Kesha performs. Singer Rita Ora poses for photographers upon her arrival.

Shawn Mendes beat Taylor Swift and EdSheeran to win the best-artist prize Sunday atthe MTV EMAs, while U2 were proclaimed

global icons in a show that celebrated London’sdiverse culture, from pubs to pirate radio.Mendes, the 19-year-old Canadian star, alsowon the best-song trophy for “There’sNothing Holdin’ Me Back,” to the delight offans standing in a polite onstage mosh-pitat the city’s SSE Arena. Fittingly, he alsotook the prize for best fans.

The show, formerly known as theMTV Europe Music Awards, openedwith a clip of Eminem performing hisnew single “Walk on Water” in a Londonpub. He then emerged onstage in jeansand a black hoodie to perform the slow-burning number live, with Skylar Grayfilling in on the duet duties Beyonce per-formed on the recording. Eminem was alsonamed best hip-hop artist, and proclaimed sur-prise. “I don’t know how I got this because I

haven’t had an album out in a few years,” hesaid. Sunday marked the awards’ return toLondon for the first time since 1996, and locallybred singer Rita Ora was a suitably chipper

host. Taking the stage clad in a bathrobe andtowel, she kept things moving, changed outfitsevery few minutes and gamely joshed in video

clips with the stars of pirate-radio sitcom“People Just Do Nothing.” The show featuredplenty of visual dazzle, from the 50 dancersaccompanying Demi Lovato on “Sorry Not

Sorry” and “Tell me You Love Me” tothe giant animatronic bird carryingTravis Scott onto the stage. SingerCamila Cabello, who won the best-popprize, performed “Havana” with atroupe of dancers dressed as bathingbeauties around a realistic projectionof a pool. London grime artist Stormzyarrived in a police car and left in a blazeof fireworks after performing the rous-ing “Big For Your Boots.”

Performers ranged across genresand generations, and included singer-songwriter Kesha, electronic act CleanBandit, rapper French Montana, rockers

The Killers and former One Direction heart-throb Liam Payne. Kendrick Lamar won bestvideo for “Humble,” a lavish clip laced with reli-

gious and art-history imagery. Coldplay wasnamed best rock act, while the best-alternativeprize went to Thirty Seconds to Mars. FrontmanJared Leto thanked Europe, adding that the USis a land of immigrants and “we welcome youwith open arms.” British singer-songwriter DuaLipa was named best new artist.

Apart from the occasional hint of marijuanasmoke wafting across the arena, there were few ofthe unscripted-feeling moments that made pastshows stick in the memory. There was no equiva-lent of Kanye West crashing the stage after losingin 2006 or Miley Cyrus smoking a joint inAmsterdam in 2013. U2, who played an MTV-

sponsored concert in London’s Trafalgar Squareon Saturday, received the Global Icon award fromLeto, who said “U2 changed my life.” “Theirsongs are prayers, their concerts a church,” hesaid. “They challenge us, they inspire us.” TheIrish band dedicated the award to label bossChris Blackwell of Island records, who signedthem almost 40 years ago. And in a nod to a newgeneration of artists, Bono crooned an a capellaversion of Stormzy’s “Blinded by Your Grace.”The awards are held in a different European cityeach year, with winners selected by fans acrossthe continent. Next year’s ceremony will be heldin Bilbao, Spain. — AP

Performers ranged across

genres and generations

Irish rock band U2, Bono (2R), The Edge (R), Adam Clayton (L) and Larry Mullen Jr (2L), accepting theglobal icon award.

Frances McDormand’s face is one of thefirst things you see in “Three BillboardsOutside Ebbing, Missouri,” and it’s

impossible not to be struck by its puredecency. Perhaps it’s a result of all the otherroles we’ve seen this uniquely fearlessactress play, on stage and screen, wrappedinto one. But you look at her face and youthink: This person has a moral compass. Herside is the right one. We will be safe there.

And that’s the way it seems for a while in“Three Billboards,” until suddenly it isn’tquite so simple. It’s a credit both to writer-director Martin McDonagh and toMcDormand’s revelatory performance - herbest since her Oscar-winning turn in “Fargo”- that we don’t see this coming nearly soonenough to steel ourselves.

McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, amother who’s suffered unimaginable loss:the rape, murder and incineration of her teendaughter. The film begins seven months lat-er, as Hayes is driving down a little-usedroad near her home. She stops and stares atthree dilapidated billboards. She heads tothe town advertising office, and hands over awad of cash. Soon, those billboards will bepainted bright red, and emblazoned withthree messages: “Raped While Dying.” ‘’AndStill No Arrests?” ‘’How Come, ChiefWilloughby?”

A veritable study in grayA grieving mother searching for answers

from a lazy police force. What could bewrong with that? Our righteous angerintensifies as a self-satisfied priest comes toher home, sips tea in her kitchen, andexplains that she’s out of line in going afterthe chief. Mildred lectures right back at thepriest, telling him that he is complicit, as amember of the church, in church sex abuse.And then she tells him to get the #$% out ofher kitchen. She’s only getting started. This,it turns out, will be Mildred’s go-to stance:Fight back, and fight harder, no matter howprofane or even violent she needs to get. Somuch for black and white. “ThreeBillboards” is a veritable study in gray.Willoughby (an excellent Woody Harrelson)

comes to visit Mildred, and he’s a decentand caring guy. The billboards are plainunfair, he tells her - it’s not easy to catch akiller. She suggests they test the DNA ofevery man in town - heck, in the country. Hefinally tells her he has terminal cancer. Shesays she already knew. And she adds: “Theywon’t be as effective when you croak.”

Mildred and the chief, at least, have agrudging respect for each other. The samecan’t be said for her relationship with OfficerDixon, a hapless, moronic, racist, danger-ously temperamental and buffoonishly vio-lent Mama’s boy, played with complexityand finesse by Sam Rockwell in a constantlysurprising performance. (If there’s any jus-tice, Rockwell will have an awards season asbusy as McDormand’s is sure to be.)Mildred’s take-no-prisoners quest for jus-tice will bring her into a fiery - and we domean fiery - confrontation with Dixon. Butthere’s no way you’ll be able to foresee thetwists and turns their relationship will take.

Extraordinary cast If one were looking for telltale signs that

“Three Billboards” was written by a stageplaywright, one might mention that the townof Ebbing seems populated by only a fewcharacters - as in a play. In any case, thesmall cast is extraordinary. It includes LucasHedges as Mildred’s pensive son; thisthoughtful young actor, who made such animpression in “Manchester By the Sea,” sureknows how to pick his movies. Caleb LandryJones is a jumble of jitters as the unluckyguy who runs the billboard office, and ZeljkoIvanek does terrific work as a police deputy.Peter Dinklage and Abbie Cornish are bothmoving, he as the unappreciated suitor inMildred’s life, she as the wife of the dyingpolice chief. Most of “Three Billboards”takes place in the present, but there is onebrief flashback to Mildred’s life before themurder. It is utterly devastating, and speaksto the idea that the most inconsequentialwords, that we utter at the most inconse-quential times, can of course have conse-quences so dire, we might never recoverfrom them.

This image released by Marvel Studios shows the Hulk, from left, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in ascene from, “Thor: Ragnarok.” — AP photos

The God of Thunder isn’t ready to relin-quish his box office throne yet. Studiosestimated Sunday that “Thor: Ragnarok”

added $56.6 million from North American the-aters in its second weekend, bringing itsdomestic total to $211.6 million.

The film, from Disney and Marvel anddirected by Taika Waititi, out-grossed each ofits two predecessors domestically in just twoweeks, not accounting for inflation. It easilybeat out the comedy sequel “Daddy’s Home 2”and the lavish Agatha Christie adaptation“Murder on the Orient Express,” even as bothposted solid openings.

Paramount scored again with “Daddy’sHome 2,” which adds John Lithgow and MelGibson to the Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlbergformula. The film, which cost a reported $69million to produce, took second place at thebox office with $30 million. The first film from2015 grossed $242.8 million worldwide on asimilar budget. Critics were not won over bythe comedy, but audiences seemed pleased,giving the film an A- on CinemaScore.

The star-studded “Murder on the OrientExpress,” meanwhile, screeched into thirdplace with an estimated $28.2 million against a$55 million budget. Kenneth Branagh directshimself in the film, which also stars MichellePfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley and JudiDench. Audiences were mostly female (56 per-cent), and Caucasian (65 percent), but some-what evenly split in terms of age (51 percentwere over 35).

Audience overlap “It gives me an incredible injection of opti-

mism for the future of our business. This issumptuous, throwback Hollywood filmmaking,

and audiences responded to it,” said ChrisAronson, president of domestic distribution forTwentieth Century Fox. The studio expects thefilm to play well through the Thanksgiving holi-day, appealing to audiences who are not rush-ing out to see the latest comic book adventure.Next week, DC and Warner Bros.’ superheroensemble pic “Justice League” opens.

“I don’t think our audiences will overlap alot,” Aronson added. “A Bad Moms Christmas”took fourth with $11.5 million in its secondweekend, and “Jigsaw” rounded out the top fivewith $3.4 million. In smaller releases, GretaGerwig’s buzzy coming-of-age film “Lady Bird,”from distributor A24, also broke into the top 10

in its expansion to 37 theaters, earning $1.2 mil-lion. Another awards contender, “ThreeBillboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” starringFrances McDormand, opened to a strong limitedrelease with $320,000 from just four theaters.

Still, the overall box office continues to lag,down 5 percent for the year. “We’re still downfrom the same weekend a year ago about 7percent. Despite ‘Thor’ and these newcomers, alot of these films aren’t creating a lot of excite-ment,” said comScore senior media analyst PaulDergarabedian. “It’s going to take this combi-nation of ‘Justice League’ and ‘The Last Jedi’and everything in between to try to dig us outof this deficit.” — AP

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Johnny Depp in a scene from, “Murder on theOrient Express.”

Film Review

McDormand gives blisteringturn in ‘3 Billboards’

Shawn Mendes, Eminem among winners at MTV EMAs in London

L i f e s t y l e Tuesday, November 14, 2017

31Established 1961

Fe a t u r e

Photos and story by Athoob Al-Shuaibi

Media from around the world described it as thegreatest cultural event of 2017. The LouvreAbu Dhabi, which opened its doors last week

in the Saadiyat Cultural District, is a stunning work ofartistic creation. The steel dome that helms the struc-ture is designed in a pattern inspired by the Islamicgeometrical art. Its stars shine with beams of light thatsometimes appear like giant beads of rain. Whenyou enter the museum promenades, you’ll thinkyou’re walking into a minimal white cubicle neigh-borhood, shaded by a spectacular Islamic geomet-rical dome floating in the sky.

When French architect Jean Nouvel saw thedesert land located on the waterfront of Abu Dhabi,he knew that he would be dealing with light, spaceand water, and will need to create a microclimate toensure the continued flow of visitors even in timesof harsh heat.

The name Louvre is associated with the imageof architectural and historical inheritance from thefamous museum in Paris, which transformed into amuseum over 200 years ago. On the other hand, theLouvre Abu Dhabi draws its origin from the idea oftransforming Abu Dhabi into a cultural beacon thatunifies the histories of the East and West. It became apart of the intergovernmental agreement between theUAE and France, notably taking shape as the seed of agiant blossoming tree in a sculpture by GiuseppePenone called ‘Leaves of Light’, which is located at thevery heart of the museum.

Unlike some other museums, you’ll be able to close-ly explore the exhibits, most of which remain free ofbarriers. This strange freedom leaves you touched andimmensely affects the experience. It is also importantto note that the historical objects displayed arearranged in chronological order, in order to allow thevisitor to look at the history of human civilizationscomprehensively. This assortment reinforces the con-cept of coexistence that the UAE is proud to promoteand this is reflected in the fourth gallery - ‘Universal

Religions’. Here you see side by side the Gothic Bible,the first part of the Torah (Pentateuch), a leaf from the“Blue Quran”, and various other teachings fromJudaism and Buddhism.

Subtle historical developmentsThe intellectual development of man has not reced-

ed in times of crisis and war. Therefore, the process of

artistic movements is influenced and changed accord-ing to the development of man himself, his needs, hiseconomic ability and power. In this context, we recallhow ancient works of art centered on religion in theMiddle Ages, then the transfer of attention to the indi-vidual in the Renaissance, and finally the impact on artby the events of rapid industrial development.

At the Louvre Abu Dhabi, there will be a greaterchance to understand these subtle historical develop-ments due to the chronological order of works. From

“Madonna and Child” by Giovanni Bellini, to thewoman’s portrait “La Belle Ferroniere” byLeonardo Da Vinci, passing by the enormouspainting of Napoleon Bonaparte by Jacques-LouisDavid and a portrait of George Washington byGilbert Stuart, is a semblance of a visual journeythrough the history of art.

Under the light of modernity, a combination oftimeless works of Rene Magritte, Piet Mondrianand the Japanese artist, Kazuo Shiraga are also ondisplay. In the final stage titled ‘The GlobalVillage’, artists delivered masterpieces of collec-tive memories whipped and spun together by thedilemma of identity. The need to expand one’s cul-tural horizons is quickly growing in popularity in

the Middle East. The Louvre Abu Dhabi perfectlyencapsulates this within a system of incubatorsdesigned and managed with international standardsthat promotes diversity in an unbiased atmosphere.Louvre Abu Dhabi is a monument that will live on andwhether you’re an art enthusiast or not, it is an experi-ence of discovering and re-discovering the history ofour shared cultural civilizations.

Louvre Abu Dhabi’s exterior with Abu Dhabi’s skyline.Photo: Mohamed Somji

Promotesdiversity in

an unbiasedatmosphere

King

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1279

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13 B

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‘Leaves of Light’ by Giuseppe Penone.

Leaf from the ‘Blue Quran’ - North Africa, Spain or Sicily, c. 880-950 century AD.

Jacques-Louis David’s ‘Napoleon Bonaparte’ - France 1803.

Photos from in and around the museum.

Armed with signs, catchy phrases and a motivation totake #MeToo beyond the internet and into real life, afew hundred women, men and children gathered

Sunday among the sex shops and tourist traps of HollywoodBoulevard to protest against sexual harassment. The TakeBack the Workplace March and the #MeToo SurvivorsMarch joined forces in the heart of Hollywood, near theentrance to the Dolby Theater where the Academy Awardstake place. They walked side by side past the tourists, cos-tume shops, strip clubs and a man wearing a “Whiskey MadeMe Do It” T-shirt to gather for a rally of rousing speechesfrom the likes of HarveyWeinstein accuser LaurenSivan and Oscar-winningproducer Cathy Schulman.“Not in pots, not in plants,keep your junk inside yourpants,” the crowd chantedfor a few minutes, beforeshifting gears to: “HarveyWeinstein is a joke, womenworkers just got woke.”Other chants included,“Survivors united, we’llnever be divided” and“Whatever we wear, wher-ever we go, ‘yes’ means‘yes’ and ‘no’ means ‘no.’ “

#Metoo movementSome came with their families, some came with friends

and attendees ranged in age from 4 to over 68. AislinnRussell, a 15-year-old Los Angeles high school student camewith two peers and signs railing against terms like “friendzone” and “slut.” “Seeing the #metoo movement growing andseeing all these people telling their stories, I have my ownstories too,” Russell said. “I want to join in with that and notbe silent with everything going on.”

Her sign, drawn in pink and purple block letters read: “‘Slut’ is attacking women for their right to say yes.” Her

friend’s read: “ ‘Friend Zone’ is attacking women for theirright to say no.” Another attendee, Nancy Allen, a 52-year-old woman from Los Angeles, carried a sign that read, “I was7.” “We’ve been silent too long,” Allen said. “A lot of peoplehave kept this inside us for years and years.” Howard Kim, a68-year-old Los Angeles resident, came out to support themarch. “I’m just a little sorry there aren’t more people outhere,” Kim said. “I was hoping there would be.”

Event organizers estimated there were about 200 to 300attendees. But they also acknowledged that it was “difficult totell” with the normal Hollywood Boulevard crowds. The crowd

walked about a mile to thecorner of Sunset Boulevardand Cole, the site of CNNheadquarters, where apodium was set up for theTake Back the Workplacerally. Sivan, a TV journalistwho alleged sexual harass-ment from Weinstein andserved as the “celebritychair” of the Take Back theWorkplace event, said thatthe time is ripe for a re-ordering of power. “Wewant our daughters andsons to be able to go to a

workplace and never have to take a meeting with a dude in abathrobe,” Sivan said. “They will never have to choose to putout or keep their job.” Schulman, who presides over the advo-cacy group Women in Film, told the crowd that the sexualharassment problem can’t be fixed by just weeding out sexcriminals. Women, she said, have to be protected from preju-dice and abuse. Schulman called for diversifying workplacesand reforming human resources departments.

Support from afar Although there were not many celebrity attendees on site,

some supported the marches from afar. “To all my sisters andbrothers out there marching today in LA Sending you love

and support from thousands of miles away!” said PatriciaArquette on Twitter Sunday. Claire Forlani, another Weinsteinaccuser, also tweeted: “To the women and men marching inHollywood today #metoomarch I am there in spirit.#Solidarity” The peaceful demonstration had an air ofmelancholy too. While there was solidarity, fear of retaliationpersisted. One woman, who did not want to give her name forfear of retaliation or lawsuit carried a homemade sign accus-ing a sitcom producer of grabbing her from behind and mak-ing a lewd remark and suggestive comment.

“Thank you to my agent at William Morris for telling me‘Keep your mouth shut or you’ll never work again,’ “ read theother side of the sign.”BTW, you also represented my abuser.”

Schulman said she is hopeful, however. Her organization onThursday announced that it is setting up a sexual harassmenthotline where victims can call for pro-bono legal counselingand advice. The hotline is expected to be operational by Dec 1.

“I’ve experienced gender bias, salary imparity. I’ve beenyelled at, disrespected. I’ve had credit taken from me, I’vehad money stolen from me. I’ve been bankrupted twice andmuch worse. And I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen every bit of harass-ment and every bit of these sex crimes. However, I’ve pro-duced 20 movies, I’ve supervised over 150 movies, I’ve wonan Academy Award. I’ve even raised a 17-year-old daughter,”Schulman said. “Do not let them destroy us. We can win thiswar. It’s a game. It’s a game of power that we can win.” — AP

Hundreds in Hollywood march against sexual harassment

A Lego construction is displayed at the ‘Bricks in Florence Festival’, the LEGO’S Festival exhibition taking place at the Obihall Theater in Florence, Italy. — AP


Established 1961 The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf

Lifestyle

There were not many celebrity

attendees on site

Participants march against sexual assault and harassment at the #MeToo March in theHollywood section of Los Angeles. — AP photos

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