outrage after chemical attack in syria leaves dozens...

ISSUE NO: 17502

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Established 1961 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

RAJAB 23, 1439 AHMONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018

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Al-Kharafi Center honors mothers of disabled kids

Israel defense minister says ‘no innocent people’ in Gaza62 Famed Istanbul modern art

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Outrage after chemical attack in Syria leaves dozens dead

Trump slams ‘animal’ Assad, warns ‘big price to pay’ for ‘mindless’ attackBEIRUT: An alleged chemical attack that left dozensdead in Syria’s rebel-held town of Douma sparked inter-national outrage yesterday, with US President DonaldTrump warning there would be a “big price to pay”. Asinternational condemnation poured in, there werereports that just hours after the alleged attack rebelforces had agreed to evacuate Douma, their last holdoutin the onetime opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta.

Trump’s threat came exactly a year and a day afterthe US fired cruise missiles at a Syrian air base in retalia-tion for a deadly sarin gas attack in 2017. “Many dead,including women and children, in mindless CHEMICALattack in Syria,” Trump wrote on Twitter yesterday, lash-ing out at Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Russia’sVladimir Putin, a key ally of the regime. “President Putin,Russia and Iran are responsible for backing AnimalAssad. Big price to pay,” he said.

The United Nations Security Council is likely to meettoday afternoon over the chemical attack at the request ofthe United States and several other members, diplomatssaid yesterday. “UK, France, US, Poland, Netherlands,Sweden, Kuwait, Peru and Cote d’Ivoire have called anemergency meeting of #UNSC to discuss reports ofchemical weapons attack in #Syria. Meeting expected onMonday,” the British mission to the UN tweeted.

Trump yesterday also criticized his predecessorBarack Obama for not striking after warning that theuse of chemical weapons in Syria was a “red line”. “IfPresident Obama had crossed his stated Red Line inThe Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended longago! Animal Assad would have been history!” Trumpsaid. Asked whether the US could again respond with amissile strike, White House homeland security adviserTom Bossert told ABC television: “I wouldn’t take any-thing off the table.”

A prominent Republican senator warned Trump thata failure to act now could leave him in a weakenedposture internationally. “It’s a defining moment in hispresidency,” Lindsey Graham said on ABC. “He haschallenged Assad in the past not to use chemicalweapons... If it becomes a tweet without meaning, thenhe has hurt himself in North Korea... (and will) lookweak in the eyes of Russia and Iran.” France hasrepeatedly said that evidence of chemical weapons usein Syria could prompt military action and said yester-day it would “do its duty” following the latest allega-tions. The regime, which denies all accusations ofchemical weapons use, denounced the accusations asan “unconvincing broken record”.

Continued on 1

DOUMA, Syria: An image grab taken from a video released by the Syrian civil defense shows an unidentified vol-unteer holding an oxygen mask over a child’s face at a hospital following a reported chemical attack on therebel-held town yesterday. — AFP

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The government appears to be headed ona collision course with the National Assembly, whichis pressing to pass a law that allows Kuwaiti publicsector employees to seek early retirement with fullfinancial benefits. The Assembly’s financial and eco-nomic affairs committee did not make a decision dur-

ing its meeting yesterday, as the government request-ed two more days to give its view on the issue.

The Public Institution for Social Security rejectedthe new proposals as too expensive to state coffers.A new meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow tomake a final decision after taking into account thegovernment’s opinion. MP Ali Al-Deqbasi said thecommittee is obliged to make a decision on the issueby April 10, and called on lawmakers to remain firmon the issue.

The issue has been on the Assembly’s agenda forseveral months, and the financial committee decideda few months ago to ask a foreign company to pre-pare a study on the expected financial cost of thescheme. The foreign company said if employees areallowed to retire early with full benefits, it will costthe state around KD 2 billion annually for between 25and 35 years.

Continued on Page 11

Clashes seen over early retirement bill; Islamist MPs seekto legalize parties

DUBAI/SYDNEY: In Dubai’s decades-old Gold Souk,customers from around the world haggle over banglesand necklaces. Elsewhere in the emirate, the region’s topcenter for gold trade, bullion is playing a new role infinancial engineering. A local start-up company foundedlast year, OneGram, is issuing a gold-backed cryptocur-rency - part of efforts to convince Muslims that investingin cryptocurrencies complies with their faith.

The global surge of interest in bitcoin, ethereum andother cryptocurrencies extends into the Gulf and south-

east Asia, the main centers of Islamic finance. Butbecause they are products of financial engineering andobjects of speculation, cryptocurrencies sit uneasily withIslam. Sharia principles, in addition to banning interestpayments, emphasize real economic activity based onphysical assets and frown on pure monetary speculation.

That has triggered debate among Islamic scholarsover whether cryptocurrencies are religiously permissi-ble. Cryptocurrency companies are seeking to sway thedebate by launching instruments based on physicalassets and certified as valid by Islamic advisors. EachOneGram cryptocurrency unit is backed by at least agram of physical gold stored in a vault. The idea is to lim-it speculation. “Gold was among the first forms of moneyin Islamic societies so this is appropriate,” said IbrahimMohammed, the Briton who founded the firm with otherinvestors last year.


Crypto traders use gold to draw Islamic investors

PARIS: Saudi Arabia’s crown princearrived in France yesterday for thenext leg of a global tour aimed atreshaping his kingdom’s austereimage as he pursues his drive toreform the conservative petro-state.Prince Mohammed bin Salman willhold meetings with PresidentEmmanuel Macron during his two-day official visit starting today - hisfirst trip to France as the heir to theSaudi throne.

Macron will walk a diplomatictightrope with the young prince intalks set to focus on cultural ties andinvestments but also the war inYemen, dubbed the world’s worsthumanitarian crisis, and the kingdom’sarch-nemesis Iran. The 32-year-old

prince, widely known as MBS, wasreceived at the Bourget airport nearParis yesterday morning by FrenchForeign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The trip follows a coast-to-coasttour of the United States as well asvisits to Britain and Egypt, where theprince courted a host of business

tycoons and struck multimillion-dollardeals from defense to entertainment.Around 18 memorandums of under-standing in energy, agriculture,tourism and culture are set to besigned at an official Saudi-FranceCEO Forum tomorrow, a source close


MBS in Paris after meeting Bushes in US

HOUSTON: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (second right) posesfor a group picture with former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg (right),former US President George H W Bush (center) and former US PresidentGeorge W Bush (second left) at the family residence on Saturday. — AFP

L o c a l Monday, April 9, 2018

2 Established 1961

Kuwait Orphans’ Forum KUWAIT: The Kuwait Orphans’ Forum is a transla-tion of the philanthropic and humanitarian pathadopted by His Highness the Amir, First DeputyPrime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh NasserSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said. Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah addressed a ceremony held at the ArmyOfficers Club to honor the forum’s organizers,Kuwaiti charity Zakat House, a statement by theministry said. The charity organization is set toorganize the eighth version of the annual eventtoday. Such meetings, characterized by a family spir-it, are a source of comfort and delight, he said, as heoffered the Zakat House employees awards and giftsin recognition of their efforts. The event, which isthis year themed “Your Orphans, Our Guests,” regu-larly coincides with Arab Orphan Day. — KUNA

Significance of Arab summitMANAMAH: Bahraini Prime Minister Prince KhalifaBin Salman Al-Khalifa yesterday underscored thesignificance of the Arab summit due to be hosted bySaudi Arabia later this month, in shadow of crucialregional developments. The official news agency,BNA, said the premier affirmed the forthcomingsummit importance during a reception of Arabdiplomats, led by the dean of the diplomatic corpsand Kuwait Ambassador Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah. The Kingdom is capable of ensuring that thesummit conference “attain aspirations of the region-al states and peoples, with respect of security, sta-bility and growth,” he said. He expressed hope thesummit would result in bolstering joint Arab actionin the face of various challenges, calling for unity ofthe Arabs’ ranks and vigilance in face of conspira-cies. Meanwhile the diplomats congratulated thepremier on the recent discovery of a major oil-gasfield. — KUNA

‘Annihilating consequences’ CAIRO: Libyan Labor Minister Al-Mehdi Al-Aminsaid yesterday that successive regional crises at theeconomic, social and political levels have led to“annihilating consequences” on Arab labor markets.Economies of Arab countries have been affectedwith regional crises, namely the wars in Libya, Syriaand Yemen, said Al-Amin, addressing the 45th ses-sion of the Arab Labor Conference. He called onArab states to map out future strategies to enhancecapacities of productive institutions, noting thatunemployment among academic-degree youth inthe Arab world has remained too high. MohammadAl-Soudani, board member of the Arab LaborOrganization and Iraqi Minister of Labor and SocialAffairs, said the organization is the most empoweredagency in the Arab world for regulating the workmarket as a stimulant for the economies, backup forsocial stability and peaceful con-existence amongthe communities. — KUNA

News in brief

Amir receives Crown Prince, top officials

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received His Highness the CrownPrince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received National AssemblySpeaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem and the parliamentary caucus. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday received His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at Sief Palace. Separately, His Highness met Acting PrimeMinister and Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. His Highness the Amir also received National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, escorted by the parliamentary caucus that took part in the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva and the 27th meeting of Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) in Cairo. —KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahreceived Acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Sabah yesterday. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications com-pany in Kuwait, announced its strategic partnership ofthe sixth consecutive edition of the Ideal MotherAward. The event, organized by Al Kharafi Activity KidsCenter, aimed at shedding light on the distinguishedefforts exerted by mothers of children with mental dis-abilities. The event came under the patronage andattendance of Chairman of Sanad Kuwaiti Foundationfor Disabled Children Sabeeka Al Jaser, as well as theattendance of Honorary President of Kuwait DisabledSports Club Shaikha Shaikha Abdullah Al Sabah, andAward Director and President of Al Kharafi ActivityKids Center Aisha Al Salem.

Zain’s strategic partnership of this annual eventcomes in line with its support of the various socialcauses that are of interest to all segments of the socie-ty, especially within the special needs sector. The com-pany is keen on reinforcing its partnerships with themany public and private entities that cater to peoplewith special needs and their families within the localcommunity all year round.

The Ideal Mother Award, held for the sixth consecu-tive year, mainly aimed at shedding light and recogniz-ing the most distinguished and dedicated individualefforts of mothers who care for and develop their chil-dren with mental disabilities. The organizing committeehonored 18 distinguished mothers from across Kuwait,the GCC during the special event held at Jumeirah Hotel.

Zain constantly shoulders initiatives that worktowards enhancing the society’s welfare, especiallywithin the special needs sector. Zain’s long-term coop-eration with the various private and public entities thatcater to people with special needs springs from itsbelief in the importance of having a positive print bysupporting and launching initiatives that cater to variousinterests of the community. Zain dedicates a great partof its Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibilitystrategy towards people with special needs.

The company recently participated in a special event

organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor incelebration of the Arab Day of People with SpecialNeeds. During the event, Zain organized a number ofrecreational activities to share the joys of this day withspecial needs people and their families. The companyalso recently sponsored the seventh annual RunKuwaitcharity marathon organized by Fawzia SultanHealthcare Network (FSHN) and aimed at supportingchildren with special needs in Kuwait. Zain also regular-ly conducts visits to social care centers during multipleseasons all year round.

Zain - Strategicpartner of sixth IdealMother Award

Sabeeka Al Jaser honors Zain’s representative in the presence of Sheikha Sheikha Al Abdullah andAisha Al Salem.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry(KCCI) yesterday affirmed keenness to boost joint eco-nomic ties with Iraq and follow latest updates on its devel-opment projects. KCCI exerts maximum efforts, in cooper-ation with the Iraqi embassy, to enhance investments andattain joint goals, KCCI’s Chairman Ali Al-Ghanim statedwhile meeting with Iraqi Ambassador Ala Al-Hashemi.Development projects are attractive and promising invest-ment opportunities in various sectors such as energy,transportation, logistic services, construction, agriculture,health, and education, he said.

Al-Ghanim pointed out the great success the (Invest inIraq) conference achieved, which was held in Kuwaitbetween February 12 and 14 with participation of 2,000countries around the world. For his part, the Iraqi diplomatexpressed his joy over visiting KCCI, appreciating itskeenness to improve Kuwaiti-Iraqi economic relations andcommercial exchange between them. KCCI constantly

seeks to bolster bilateral relationship with Iraq in variousfields, Al-Hashemi said, pointing out the Chamber’s effortsin organizing (Invest in Iraq) conference as part of KuwaitInternational Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq.

Strengthening ties Meanwhile, Iraqis have expressed a strong desire to

boost ties with Kuwait during the visit of Kuwaiti media del-egation to Basra, which concluded on Thursday, said KuwaitJournalists Association (KJA) yesterday. During the five-dayvisit, the Kuwaiti delegation met with members of IraqiJournalists Syndicate in Basra, who said they have gainedgreat benefit from the cultural and literal books, magazinesand other items published by Kuwaiti media during the1970s and 80s, KJA Trustee Adnan Al-Rashed said.

He added that Kuwait’s Consul General in BasraAmbassador Youssef Al-Sabbagh had been exerting greatefforts to bring the two nations closer and boost relationson all levels. The delegation included Al-Rashed, KUNADeputy Director General for Editorial Affairs and Editor-in-Chief Saad Al-Ali, Editor-in-Chief of Al-AnbaaNewspaper Youssef Al-Marzouq, Editor-in-Chief ofKuwait Times Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Media Advisor atHis Highness the Prime Minister’s Diwan Hassan Al-Sayeghand others. — Agencies

By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: Under the patronage of the President of theKuwait Foundation for Disabled Children Sabeeka Al-Jasser, Al-Kharafi Center for Disabled Children’s Activitiesheld the 6th Ideal Mother Award honoring mothers of dis-abled children on Saturday at Jumeirah Messilah BeachHotel. The ceremony honored the hard work and dedicationof mothers of children with mental disabilities in the GulfCooperation Council countries and the wider Arab world.

In her opening speech, Aisha Al-Salem, the secretary-general of the award, said: “The award is in recognition ofthe generosity, sacrifices and patience of the mothers of thementally disabled.” She added that this award represents amodel for what Kuwait has always sought - to unite Arabranks and reunite and strengthen Gulf and Arab ties byinvolving mothers from the Gulf and the Arab world in theaward ceremony.

Salem stressed the Kharafi Center is keen on the impor-tance of honoring mothers of young and old people withdisabilities in Kuwait, in order to remind them of the role ofmothers and their generous gifts that fill the life of theirchildren. She congratulated the winners from various Gulfand Arab countries, stressing the appreciation of everyonefor their role, which is a motivation and encouragement forthe center to care for people with mental disabilities andmothers who sacrifice for them.

The Kharafi Center honored 18 ideal mothers: FromKuwait: Munira Al-Qatami, Aisha Al-Khashman, Eman Al-Shubayki, Alia Al-Qallaf, Sawsan Al-Saleh, Khaleda Al-Ghannam, Halima Boughith, Noir Sarhan, Nawal Al-Rashedand Hanaa Al-Kabariti. From Egypt: Nada Thabit. FromJordan: Reem Al-Dalabij. From Lebanon: Ghada Bonmar.From Saudi Arabia: Samira Al-Saud. From the UAE: AmiraAl-Qabati. From Qatar: Hanadi Ali. From Bahrain: SawsanAl-Halaq. From Oman: Mariam Al-Siyabi.

Kuwait-Iraq keen on boosting ties

KJA Trustee Adnan Al-Rashed KUWAIT: Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Chairman AliAl-Ghanim meets with Iraqi Ambassador Ala Al-Hashemi.— KUNA

Al-Kharafi Center honors mothers

Arab Labor Organization Director General, FayezAl-Mutairi addresses the 45th session of theArab Labor Conference. — KUNA


3Established 1961

Amir’s SMEs initiative adds ‘value’ to Arab economies

Initiative seeks to curb unemployment and create new jobsCAIRO: Arab League Secretary General AhmadAbul-Gheit yesterday praised His Highness theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’sinitiative establishing a fund to support small andmedium size enterprise (SMEs) in the Arab world.His Highness the Amir’s initiative constitutes an“added value” to the Arab economies, contributingto efforts to curb unemployment and create newjobs, Abul-Gheit told the opening session of the45th Arab Labor Conference (ALC) in Cairo.

The five-day pan-Arab event is sponsored byEgypt’s President Abdulfattah El-Sisi, and isattended by representatives of the three parties ofproduction in the Arab countries, the government,employers and employees. The Arab nation isgoing through a “defining moment”, changes thatpose “grave challenges” to the security and stabil-ity of its countries, as well as the welfare of thepeople, the League’s chief noted. Abul-Gheitvoiced confidence that Arabs are capable ofdefeating the challenges and moving forward to“better prospects.”

He stressed that the economic and socialchanges the Arab countries are experiencingprompt mustering efforts to cope with their “graveconsequences.” He also highlighted the role of theArab Labor Organization (ALO) for mobilizing andcoordinating Arab efforts for achieving theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN

2030 Agenda. The Arab Economic and SocialDevelopment Summit, Kuwait, 2009, approved anintegrated program to support employment andcounter unemployment in the Arab countries, andthe ALO was tasked with following up the scheme,he said.

The summit issued a host of other resolutionsfor boosting human development and SMEs in theArab region. As for the 45th ALC, the SecretaryGeneral said that the agenda comprises a multi-tude of major topics, including a report by theALO’s Director General themed “Dynamics oflabor markets -transformations and tracks ofprogress.” The report depicts an untraditionalvision that forms a realistic ground of varioussources for understanding the nature of the Arablabor markets, for analyzing their policies and thechallenges they are facing.

In the meantime, Abul-Gheit said that achievingthe Arab economic integration is “indispensableand inevitable” to cope with the regional andinternational changes, as giant economic blocshave come to dominate the world’s economic map.The Kuwaiti delegation to the ALC is led byMinister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Sabeeh. Also attending the conference fromKuwait are Director General of the KuwaitChamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)Rabah Al-Rabah, and chairman of Kuwait TradeUnion Federat ion (KTUF) Mohammad Al-Hudhaina, representing organizations of employersand employees respectively.

Arab integration Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and State

Minister for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeehstressed yesterday the importance of attainingArab integration in the labor field. Al-Sabeehmade her remarks on the sidelines of her specialhonoring at the 45th session of the Arab LaborConference in Cairo. The conference bringstogether three main components of work produc-tion; employees, employers, and governments, not-ing it also sheds light on labor issues, solutions,objectives, and achievements.

Al-Sabeeh expressed hope the conference andthe participants achieve tangible results in favorof all Arab people, particularly in sustainabledevelopment-related subjects. “I hope the con-ference’s meetings highlight some issues that fallin favor of Arab people’s interest,” the Kuwaitisenior official said.

The conference is held regularly every year inApril to prepare for the International LaborOrganization meetings, she said, reiterating objec-tive to achieve an Arab integration ahead of ILOmeeting. Arab integration is essential for labor andlabor opportunity fields due to its positive impacton people’s life and human rights, said the Kuwaitiminister. Such an integration at internationalevents would highlight the violations of Palestinianpeople’s rights, especially since “we are all mem-bers in international bodies specialized in laborand human rights,” said Al-Sabeeh.

On her ALO’s honoring, the Kuwaiti ministerdedicated the privilege to all Arab women, andsaid it is an implementation to one of the sustain-able development’s items on gender equality. “Wewant to prove that Arab nations appreciate anysuccessful woman and empower her in variousfields,” Al-Sabeeh said. “Women in Kuwait enjoyall care and appreciation,” she affirmed, notingfemales with high competence and educationaldegree could easily find their way around variousbusinesses and positions.— Agencies

CAIRO: The Kuwaiti delegation led by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Sabeeh participates in the45th Arab Labor Conference (ALC) in Cairo. — KUNA

CAIRO: Arab League Secretary General AhmadAbul-Gheit addresses the 45th Arab LaborConference (ALC) in Cairo. — KUNA

Al-Sabeehstresses

importance ofArab integration

Monday, April 9, 2018

4L o c a l

Established 1961

Photo of the Day

KUWAIT: Photo captures lights reflecting on the fountain at Boulevard Park in Salmiya Area.— KUNA

KUWAIT: During allergy, dust and winter seasons,Kuwait’s hospitals and health centers are overcrowdedwith children distressed with asthma attacks, carrying theirsufferings between clinics and pharmacies. Asthma is oneof the most common allergies in Kuwait, as statisticsreleased by the Ministry of Health in May 2016 indicatedthat rates of adults with asthma in the country reached 15percent, while children reached 18 percent.

Asthma patients regularly need preventive treatment toavoid severe attacks, as well as other medications torelieve the symptoms. Both curing methods require aware-ness and training of the patient on ways to administerproper dosage and timing. Asthma rates are climbing in thecountry namely during the humidity season, where pollenis increasing, as well as during dust storms’ season. Otherfactors that could stimulate asthma attacks include geneticreasons and environmental pollutants.

Pediatrician at the Amiri Hospital, Dr Dana Al-Haqan, inremarks to KUNA said, “Asthma is a chronic illness thatattacks airways to the lungs, resulting in narrowing them,which interrupts air flow into the alveolus, leading torepeated fits of shortness of breath, coughing and some-times mucus.” For children, asthma attacks happen byinhalation of substances that trigger allergic reactions or

irritation of the respiratory system, as these attacks vary inintensity and frequency from one child to another, consid-ering that asthma is the most common diseases amongchildren, she added.

As for geneticfactors, somestudies haveshown that if oneor both parents,as well as anyother member ofthe family hasasthma, eczemaor nasal allergies,then the child is astrong candidateof being an asth-ma patient, DrAl-Haqan point-ed out. Environmental factors are major contributors toseverity of asthma, as they intensify frequency of asthmaattacks. As for seasons, usually emergency rooms arepacked with short-breathed patients from the beginning ofOctober to January, with most suffering from viral diseases

and influenza as well, which increases the severity and fre-quency of asthma attacks, she noted.

Al-Haqan advised all asthma patients to receive theinfluenza vaccination at the beginning of the season,

which is the beginning of October.From the end of March to May,pollen and dust spread more, caus-ing more frequent asthma attacks,and unfortunately embarking onyet another allergy season, sheadded. Asthma becomes moreacute when consuming food thattriggers allergy in some childrenlike eggs, nuts, some kinds of fruitand others, she said.

A special examination of variouskinds of food causing allergy to thechild should be taken in order tokeep away from such foods, she

added. Some children also have allergies against thingssuch as chemical substances, bird feathers, animal fur, orpreservatives, leading to increasing the severity of theattacks, she said. Secondhand smoking would also greatlycontribute in high chest irritation, she said. The majority of

asthma-plagued children recover and the symptoms dis-appear between the ages 5-6, but this varies from onechild to another, she added.

A child who is committed to preventive drugs and peri-odic visits to a pediatrician could be cured quicker, but alarge percentage of children recover from this illness, sheaffirmed. Some of the medications prescribed to asthmapatients include cortisone inhaler, or leukotriene powderor pills besides other, she pointed out. The major aim ofasthma treatment in the long term is to reduce the numberof asthma attacks among children, in order to allow themlead a normal life and keep going to school with less sickleaves, she said.

Dr Al-Haqan advised parents to give asthma drugs totheir children before outdoor activities such as sports. AsKuwait weather, especially in the summer, witnesses wavesof dust, it is not recommended to leave home unless fornecessary reasons, with placing a protective mask or a wettowel on the nose and mouth area, she pointed out. Parentsof asthma patient should always keep doors and windowstightly closed and use “Ventolin” medication at the begin-ning of the asthma attack associated with heavy coughingand breathing difficulty, as the parents should rush to thehospital when the attack intensifies, she warned. —KUNA

Asthma - wheezing monster attacking Kuwait’s children

Hospitals overcrowded during dusty weather

Rates of adults with asthma

hits 15%; children 18%

KUWAIT: KAFO (Kuwait’s Achievers for FutureOpportunities), and 500 Startups; a global startup fundbased in Silicon Valley, announced a collaboration on anumber of networking opportunities to connect theyouth of Kuwait with experts from Silicon Valley; learn-ing from their experiences in growing successful tech-nology startups. KAFO, an initiative by the Amiri Diwan,was founded to fulfill His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s vision to create aplatform showcasing Kuwait’s talents as one of the rec-ommendation from the National Youth Project.

It has developed into a national platform to help peo-ple search, connect, and collaborate with achievers. “Ourmain objective is to help people find achievers in differ-ent fields, to exchange knowledge and allow them towork together,” said Dr Youssef Al-Ibraheem, advisor inthe Amiri Diwan, in a press release. “Our current plat-form is at its second iteration and the new version will bereleased in October of this year. Nevertheless, we arebusy connecting people offline, as well, and using otherresources to connect great minds. Having 500 Startupsin Kuwait is a great opportunity for tech startups, in par-ticular, and we are planning a few activities together.

“So follow our social media accounts on KAFO_KWto find out more, as these events will start after mid-April. We would like to thank the National Fund for Smalland Medium enterprises for their collaboration and sup-

port,” added Dr Fatima Al-Moussawi, the project manag-er of KAFO. “We at 500 Startups want to empower thestartup community as we identify and support talents tohelp them scale up. We are happy to be here in Kuwaitand look forward to establishing some strong ties toempower startups that have potential to grow in theglobal market,” said Hassan Haider, Partner at 500Startups responsible for the MENA region.

The 500 Startups is a venture capital firm and seedaccelerator on a mission to discover and back the world’smost talented entrepreneurs, help them create successfulcompanies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems.They are one of the most active seed stage venture capi-tal firms in the world. Since its inception in Silicon Valley,500 Startups has invested in over 2,000 companies inmore than 60 countries via four global funds and 14microfunds dedicated to either specific geographic mar-kets, such as the MENA region, or verticals.

KAFO, 500 Startups link Kuwait youths with Silicon Valley

Official underscores the importance of medical conferencesKUWAIT: Farwaniya Health Zone Director Dr Humoud Al-Zoabi spoke about the importance of medical conferencesorganized by the Health Ministry in polishing doctors andhealthcare professional experience and performance inorder to enhance the healthcare system in Kuwait. DrHumoud spoke on behalf of Health Minister Sheikh DrBasel Al-Sabah during the opening of the “Diabetes andEndocrine Disorders for Health Professional” yesterdaywith Gulf and International participation.

He said the conference aims at discussions of newdevelopments in Diabetes in the diagnosis procedures andtreatment, particularly early puberty in children and repro-

ductive systems defects innewborns. Al-Zuobi said theconference being held byKuwait Pediatrics DiabetesSociety in cooperation withthe Pediatrics department atSabah hospital will includeseveral lectures during itseight sessions by visitingdoctors from UnitedKingdom, Saudi Arabia andMacedonia in order to shareexperiences.

Meanwhile head of theorganizing committee, and Endocrinology consultant atSabah Hospital Dr Zaidan Al-Mazidi said the conferencewill discuss problems of diabetes, its challenges and thenew technology used in its treatment. Al-Mazidi said therewill be 30 lectures and workshops over two days by 13consultants.—KUNA

Dr Fatima Al-Moussawi, the project manager ofKAFO is pictured with Hassan Haider, Partner at 500Startups responsible for the MENA region. —KUNA

Dr Zaidan Al-Mazidi (left) is pictured with other health officials during the conference yesterday.

Dr Humoud Al-Zoubi


5Established 1961

New database for info about children of Kuwaiti women

Govt blocks attempts to make last 10 days of Ramadan holiday By A Saleh

KUWAIT: CSC chief Ahmed Al-Jassar said anew database is being built to include infor-mation about Kuwaiti women’s children toprioritize them in employment in the govern-ment after citizens. Responding to a questionabout decree number 17/2017 pertaining pri-oritizing the children of Kuwaiti women inemployment following citizens, Jassarexplained that the aforementioned decreeprioritized non-Kuwaiti children of Kuwaitiwomen after citizens, and Arab children ofKuwaiti women came in third place.Responding to another inquiry about thenumber of non-Kuwaitis employed by thegovernment since Jan 22, 2017, Jassar stressed

only 98 were hired, including 52 with special-ized university degrees plus over 10 years ofexperience in their fields and 33 muezzins inthe Awqaf Ministry, in addition to 13 others asdrivers, office boys, couriers, gravediggersand female prison guards. Meanwhile, DeputyPM and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled stressed the ministry is working onassessing its employees’ salaries and incen-tives according to regulations to update someincentives as per decree number 238/2009.He added that the ministry has contacted theCSC in this regard several times.

Last 10 days of RamadanIn another CSC-related concern, the gov-

ernment blocked all parliamentary attempts

to make the last 10 days of the holy month ofRamadan an official annual holiday afterboth the CSC and the fatwa and legislationdepartment rejected the proposals made byMPs Abdullah Fahhad, Majed Al-Mutairi andothers.

Submitting fake receiptsMoE’s Assistant Undersecretary for

Financial Affairs Yousif Al-Najjar said theministry has referred a number of schooladministrations to the legal affairs investiga-tions for submitting fake receipts about howthey spent school funds. Najjar added that atripartite committee including elements fromMoE, the finance ministry and CSC has beenformed to follow up the use of fingerprint

systems at various schools after a KD 1 mil-lion budget was allocated for the project. Headded that monitoring bodies will beaccordingly contacted this month to startoffering the tender for public bidding.

Six marine oilfieldsKOC CEO Jamal Jaafar said KOC has

extended the deadline of receiving bids todrill six marine oilfields till mid-May, to befollowed by a month during which the winnerwill be announced to start drilling by the endof the year. Jaafar estimated the project’sbudget to be no more than KD 300 million.In another development, Oil Minister BakheetAl-Rasheedi stressed that there will be nohaste in implementing the recommendations

made by the KPC administration pertainingthe privileges of senior oil officials.Responding to a parliamentary inquiry byMP Omar Al-Tabtabaei, Rasheedi stressedthat the decision was made on the board ofdirectors’ decision number 57/2016 datedAug 24, 2016.

E-licenses projectMinister of Commerce and Industry

Khaled Al-Roudhan said a great part of thee-licenses project has been completed, sothat commercial license issuance or renewalcan be done swiftly online. He added thatmore efforts and discussions are in progresswith various state bodies to boost the ‘NewKuwait 2035’ projects.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Education Minister Hamed Al-Azmiyesterday issued a ministerial resolution establish-ing a special section for asset accounting with thefinancial department. According to the resolution,the new section will be responsible for registeringall asset purchase transactions, recording all trans-port, installation and operation costs as well asadding capital projects currently under construc-tion to fixed assets once they are concluded. Thesection will also be responsible to respond tomonitoring bodies’ inquiries.

Kuwaiti union activistKuwaiti union activist Bader Khaled Al-Azzazzi

was elected Assistant Secretary General of theInternational Confederation of Arab Trade Unionsduring the confederation’s secretariat general andexecutive board meeting yesterday in Cairo.

Youth Engineering ForumHead of the International Youth Engineering

Training Forum Abdullah Mubarak Al-Hadari saidover 80 engineers benefited from the forum withits workshops and ample opportunities to cooper-ate with participating international bodies. Hadarisaid the forum was held under the auspices ofMinister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudhan and managed to attract six internationalbodies, which presented workshops on solar sys-tems, smart solution applications, engineers’ rolesuntil 2030, building data, 3D scanning and riskmanagement.

Inspectors raid storesThe capital municipal inspectors raided a num-

ber of stores throughout the governorate, said themunicipality’s auditing and follow-up manager,noting that the raid resulted in filing 24 citationsfor unlicensed ads as well as removing 59 ads fromvarious streets and yards.

Special section for asset accounting

KUWAIT: Only 24 hours following the rape of anine-year-old Egyptian boy by six men, Khaitandetectives were able to arrest one of the culprits -a Pakistani - who confessed to committing thecrime and gave the name of the other five sus-pects - all Pakistanis too. Detectives are workingon arresting them. A security source said detec-tives had arrested several suspects initially, but alldenied any wrongdoing. In a line-up, the victimrecognized one of them several times, who con-fessed to committing the crime.

Dispelling magic spellsSwindlers using African phone numbers are

“making attacks” on Kuwaiti numbers. Many peo-ple in Kuwait have received several calls fromAfrican countries, where the callers claim they arereligious people and can dispel magic spells andbring wealth - in exchange of money.

Stolen car foundPolice arrested a citizen in Sulaibkhat who was

driving a car stolen from Farwaniya. A smartpatrol vehicle identified a car that was reportedstolen, so policemen pulled it over and arrestedthe suspect. He was sent to concerned authorities.

Bedoon sent to hospitalA bedoon was sent to the psychiatric hospital

after he was arrested in Andalus. He was foundwanted over several felonies. Police received acall about a man disturbing people in the area,so they went there and arrested him. He wasalso found wanted to be admitted to the psychi-atric hospital.— Al-Rai/Al-Anbaa

KUWAIT: The Arabian Society for Human ResourcesManagement (ASHRM) has announced Gulf Bank asthe winner of the 2018 Youth Empowerment Award,presented for the bank’s outstanding AJYALDevelopment Program. ASHRM is a not-for-profitorganization that aims to be the ‘Regional Voice ofHR’. The society hosts annual conferences, which areconsidered the premier thought leadership events inthe GCC for business leaders, heads of HR, resourcingand talent.

The prestigious award was accepted by Gulf BankHuman Resources General Manager Salma Al Hajjajaccompanied by Assistant General Manager Jennah AlMattar during an award ceremony held in Dubai on the27th of March. The Award was presented by ASHRMPresident Abdulhadi Al-Mansouri and ChairwomanHuda Al Ghoson. On the occasion Al Hajjaj stated, “TheAJYAL Development Program is the Bank’s leadingprogram for youth empowerment, and we aim to nur-ture young Kuwaiti talent and develop them into holis-tic professionals, helping mold the students of todayinto the leaders of tomorrow.

The Society’s recognition of our efforts only goes toshow how much we dedicate to the youth and their

education, one of the core pillars of the Bank’s mis-sion.” Jennah Al-Mattar also added, “We are proud ofthe recognition bestowed upon us by the ArabianSociety for Human Resources Management. Theirstamp of approval indicates that Gulf Bank’s efforts inyouth empowerment have been not only effective butsuccessful.”

The AJYAL Development Program is an iconic ini-tiative developed by the Bank with the aim to nurtureyoung Kuwaiti talents early in their career, and prepare

them for future leadership positions at the Bank. Thesix-month, intensive training program is designed tocover every facet of banking, from the basic principlessuch as financial economics, banking laws and regula-tions, corporate and retail finance to more focusedareas such as risk management, anti-money-laundering,banking ethics and customer service. For more infor-mation on Gulf Bank and the AJYAL DevelopmentProgram, log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, or visit oursocial media channels.

Gulf Bank wins award for Youth Empowerment

Salma Al Hajjaj receives the award

KUWAIT: Kuwait International Award for Memorizingthe Quran will kick off tomorrow under the patronageof His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Undersecretary of the Ministry ofAwqaf and Islamic Affairs Farid Emadi announcedyesterday. The award aims to strengthen the role ofKuwait leadership in the field of Quran and to pro-mote the role of institutions and organizations of theHoly Quran, he said. It also aims at spreading the com-petitive spirit among participants and encouragespending more efforts and time to increase the num-ber of competitors.

On his part, assistant undersecretary for Quranaffairs and Islamic studies at the Ministry of Awqaf DrWaleed Al-Shuaib said the participants belong to 79countries, 72 of them are competitors in the conserva-tion branch, 19 in the reading and 39 in the recitation.For his part, member of the Higher Committee andExecutive Chairman of the Committee for Planning andDevelopment of the Award Nasser Al-Kandari said, theaward has witnessed a remarkable development duringthe current year, unlike previous years.

Al-Kandari said that the award is divided into four

branches: memorizing the entire Quran with Tajweed,memorizing Quran with the ten readings, recitation,and finally the award of the best technical projectserving of the Holy Quran. The total value of the prizesis KD 130,000, he added, praising the outstandingeffort exerted by the ministry in organizing the award

until it became one of the strongest international andIslamic award. He stressed that the State of Kuwait,represented by the Ministry of Awqaf and IslamicAffairs, has rehabilitated and prepared its participantsin the center of Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari for memorizingthe Holy Quran for six months. — KUNA

Quran competition kicks off tomorrow

KUWAIT: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Farid Emadi talks during thepress conference to announce Kuwait International Award for Memorizing the Quran.— KUNA Suspect nabbed in

9-yr-old boy’s rape

RABAT: Secretary-General of Arab Towns Organization(ATO) Ahmad Al-Sabeeh has affirmed the importance ofsmart electronic transformation to cope up with social,economic and environmental changes that contribute toimproving living conditions, and providing happinessand prosperity for Arab cities’ residents. Al-Sabeehmade the statement to KUNA Saturday on the sidelinesof the 55th session of ATO executive board currentlyhosted by Rabat on April 7-8. He said that the smarttransformation creates safe sustainable cities throughusing information technology to overcome urban chal-lenges and provide a dignified life for residents of theArab cities, with the guarantee of social, environmentaland economic sustainability.

He urged heads of all Arab cities and municipalities toenhance the smart transformation through setting systemsand mechanisms to meet requirements and address chal-lenges associated with environment, growing population,and economic and social changes. Al-Sabeeh noted that

the most important challenges facing Arab urban centersand cities in moving to smart transformation of cities arequalified human resources and financial capabilities.

He calls on heads of Arab cities and municipalitiesto make concerted efforts, boost cooperation andshare experiences to overcome challenges. Earlier inthe day, the 55th meeting entitled “smart transforma-

tion in Arab towns” and a workshop began, with theparticipation of heads of Arab cities and municipalitiesas well as some experts in urban development andplanning. The session’s agenda includes some relevantmeetings and the workshop on systems and mecha-nisms of smart transformation in Arab cities as well asother topics in this regard. —KUNA

ATO stresses theimportance of smart electronictransformation

RABAT: Secretary-General of Arab Towns Organization Ahmad Al-Sabeeh poses for a group photoduring the 55th session of Arab Towns Organization executive board. — KUNA

InternationalStudents, teachers rushback to class in IS-freeeast Syria

Page 9

Rohingya refugees learn to corral elephants Page 8


Established 1961

MUENSTER: A man and children lay flowers at a makeshift memorial at the square where a man ploughed with a van into an open-air restaurant, killing two people a day earlier. —AFP

MUNSTER: German authorities investigating a deadlyvan ramming attack focused yesterday on mental healthproblems of the driver, as the city of Muenster mournedfor the two people killed on a sunny afternoon at anopen-air restaurant. “There are strong indications at themoment that this was a lone perpetrator and that therewere no links to the terror scene,” federal InteriorMinister Horst Seehofer told reporters at the site ofSaturday’s attacks, where local people laid flowers inmemory of the victims.

Far-right opponents of Chancellor Angela Merkel’srefugee policy had suggested in the immediate after-math of the attack it might be an Islamist act of terror,while some media reported the killer had links to right-wing extremist organizations. But there are “no indica-tions of a political motive,” said Hajo Kuhlisch, chief ofpolice in the western city where the attack took place.

Rather, he added, “the motive and origins (of thecrime) lie within the perpetrator,” a 48-year-old Germanidentified as Jens R. who shot himself dead immediatelyafter the crime. A source close to the investigation toldAFP there was a record of incidents related to the per-petrator’s impaired mental health since 2015, and that hehad talked of suicide in late March. Prosecutors said hefaced allegations of threats, property damage and fraud

in 2015 and 2016, all of which were dropped. And broad-caster NTV reported he had threatened family memberswith an axe in 2014 and 2015.

‘No Islamist connection’ The two victims killed in Muenster were a 51-year-old

woman and a 65-year-old man, both from northernGermany. As well as thedead, police said 20 wereinjured-some life-threaten-ingly. The foreign ministry inthe Netherlands said two ofthose hurt were Dutch, oneof whom was in a crit icalcondition. In the van, policefound the gun used by thedriver to kill himself, a blank-firing pistol and some power-ful fireworks. A search of theman’s Muenster apartmentlate Saturday turned up morefireworks and a deactivated AK47 assault rifle. Policehave appealed to the public for information, setting up awebsite where people can upload photos and videos.

Armed police cordoned off a wide area around the

scene of the attack Saturday, urging residents to avoidthe city centre to allow investigators to get to workamid initial fears the country had suffered anotherextremist assault. “I was on my way home through thecity here and saw firefighters and ambulances every-where. I thought something really terrible must havehappened,” said Hubert Reckermann, a local man in his

late 60s. “It’s still unbeliev-able for me, but these daysanything can happen. Youcan’t really defend yourselfagainst people with psychi-atric problems.”

Germany has been onespecial ly high alert forjihadist attacks after severalclaimed by the Islamic Stategroup. But “we know withhigh probability that it was alone perpetrator, it was aGerman, not a refugee,” said

North Rhine-Westphalia state interior minister HerbertReul. “We know with high probability that there was noIslamist background” to the Saturday afternoon attack,inflicted as locals and tourists enjoyed a sunny spring

day, he added. “It will take a few more hours and days”until the case is cleared up, Reul added.

‘Deeply shaken’ Merkel said she was “deeply shaken” by the incident

and pledged that “everything possible will be done todetermine what was behind this act and to help the vic-tims”. The presidents of Russia and France, VladimirPutin and Emmanuel Macron, as well as Spanish PrimeMinister Mariano Rajoy sent their condolences. Theattack is the latest in a string across Europe in whichvehicles have been used to attack crowds of people inpublic places.

In a Berlin assault in December 2016, Tunisian asy-lum-seeker Anis Amri hijacked a truck and murderedits Polish driver before killing another 11 people andwounding dozens more by ploughing the heavy vehiclethrough a Christmas market. He was shot dead byItalian police in Milan four days later while on the run.In France, the Islamic State group claimed a 2016truck attack in Nice on its July 14 national holiday thatkilled 86. And in Spain, the jihadists also claimed arampage along Barcelona’s Las Ramblas boulevard inAugust 2017 that killed 14 and left more than 100injured. —AFP

Mental illness behind van attackPolice: There are no indications of a political motive

It was aGerman, not

a refugee

Israel defense minister claims ‘no innocent people’in Gaza StripJERUSALEM: Israel i Defence Minister AvigdorLieberman said yesterday there were “no innocent peo-ple” in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip after days of protestsand clashes left 30 Palestinians dead, including a jour-nalist. “There are no innocent people in the Gaza Strip,”Lieberman told Israel’s public radio. “Everyone’s con-nected to Hamas, everyone gets a salary from Hamas,and all the activists trying to challenge us and breach theborder are Hamas military wing activists.”

Israel has faced mounting questions over its use oflive fire after 10 days of protests and clashes along theGaza Strip border in which its forces have killed 30Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.Violence spiked again on Friday, when clashes eruptedas thousands protested along the border, and ninePalestinians, including a journalist, were killed.

Lieberman seemed to suggest the journalist wasusing a drone when he was killed, but two people whosaid they were with him on Friday rejected it. “Weknow that in many instances Hamas has used journal-ists and the media and the Red Crescent and ambu-lances to carry out terror activit ies,” Liebermanalleged. “Whoever flies a drone over (Israeli) forces,

over our soldiers-we won’t take any chances.” Thejournalist, Yasser Murtaja, 30, had been known to use adrone for photos and video, but two journalists whowere with him said he had not been using it on Friday.Ashraf Abu Amra and Hosam Salem both said he was acouple of hundred meters from the border when hewas shot. “He was using a normal video camera allday,” Abu Amra said.

An AFP picture taken after he was wounded showedMurtaja wearing a press vest as he received treatment.The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate said that a totalof six journalists were hit by gunfire on Friday. Israel’sarmy said it “does not intentionally target journalists”.“The circumstances in which journalists were allegedlyhit by Israeli

Defense Force fire are not familiar to the IDF, andare being looked into,” it said in a statement. On March30, Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians as a protest bytens of thousands led to clashes and the bloodiest daysince a 2014. There have been no reported Israeli casu-alties. Israel says it has only opened fire when neces-sary to stop damage to the border fence, infiltrationsand attempted attacks.

It alleges Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs theGaza Strip and with whom it has fought three warssince 2008, is seeking to use the protests as cover tocarry out violence. But rights groups have harshly criti-cized Israeli soldiers’ actions, and Palestinians say pro-testers are being shot while posing no threat to troops.The European Union and UN Secretary-GeneralAntonio Guterres have called for an independent inves-tigation, which Israel has rejected. On Saturday, theEuropean Union raised questions over whether Israelitroops engaged in “proportionate use of force”. —AFP

LONDON: Protesters shout slogans and hold placards during a demonstration on Whitehall oppositeDowning Street. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Monday, April 9, 2018

7

Teachers protesting across the US reflect deepening malaise

‘We’ve never seen a brushfire like this’

Established 1961

TAIPEI: Washington has agreed to allow US defensecontractors help Taiwan construct its own submarines,Taipei said, welcoming the breakthrough in long-standing ambitions to build up its fleet to counter thethreat from China. Taiwan last year launched a plan tomanufacture its own submarines amid deterioratingrelations with China after its hopes of buying themfrom the US came to nothing.

The US State Department has approved grantingthe license necessary to sell Taiwan the technologyneeded for its submarine project. The approval was a“breakthrough,” Taiwan defense ministry spokesmanChen Chung-chi said yesterday. “It is part of aprocess. We’ll take it step by step,” he said, decliningto provide further details.

The agreement is likely to anger Beijing, whichregards the island as part of its territory even thoughthe two sides have been ruled separately since the endof a civil war in 1949. Washington’s approval comesafter President Donald Trump last month signed newrules allowing top-level US officials to travel toTaiwan. China has protested at the move, saying theUS should stop official exchanges with Taiwan toavoid “damaging Sino-US relations”.

Washington switched diplomatic recognition fromTaiwan to China in 1979 but maintains trade relationswith the island and is its main arms supplier. Sincecoming to power in May 2016, President Tsai Ing-wenhas pushed for Taiwan to develop and build more ofits weapons domestically. Her office expressed thanksto Washington for the license approval.

“The US government’s decision will not only helpTaiwan in raising its defense capabilities, it will alsogreatly benefit security and stability in the region,” itsaid in a statement Saturday. Taipei has long struggledto procure submarines from the US. In April 2001then-president George W. Bush approved the sale ofeight conventional submarines but there had been noprogress on the deal, prompting Taipei’s decision tobuild its own. —AFP

OKLAHOMA CITY: Recent protests by thousands ofteachers in far-flung parts of the United States reflect adeepening malaise in American education after years ofbudget cuts and stagnant salaries that have left manyinstructors feeling their work is not valued. “We’ve neverseen a brushfire like this,” National Education Associationpresident Lily Eskelsen Garcia said.

In the central and southern states of Oklahoma andKentucky, thousands of public school teachers-supportedby students and their parents-have been occupying thehalls of state legislatures. Thelast time Oklahoma saw such ateacher protest was 1990, andthat lasted only four days. Butnow, hundreds of schools havebeen closed and the strikes areexpected to continue into thecoming week.

Teachers in the southwest-ern state of Arizona areexpected to join the protestmovement. The variousprotests have taken their inspi-ration from a similar-and suc-cessful-movement in WestVirginia. School administrators and a majority of parentsappear to be supporting the protests, while celebrities likesinger Carrie Underwood have turned to social media toproclaim their solidarity.

“Yes, I expect we’ll see this movement spreading toother states, because the school conditions, as well as thestagnant pay, are very widespread,” said Darleen Opfer, aneducation analyst at the Rand Corporation think-tank. Shecompared it to the exasperation of teachers and highschool students whose impassioned “enough is enough”calls for gun control, after the mass shooting on February14 at a Florida high school, prompted mass demonstrationsnationwide.

“We’ve been seeing conditions in schools deteriorate,stagnate or increase school violence,” Opfer said. “Theconditions are widespread enough we’d consider schoolsbeing in crisis.” In several states governed by Republicans,schools have suffered serious budget cuts as politiciansseek to keep electoral promises to lower taxes. The trend

grew rapidly after the 2008 financial crisis. In the UnitedStates, public schools are funded mainly by state and localgovernments, with the federal government offering onlytargeted subsidies to help, for example, with the educationof handicapped children.

Vast inequalities The schools thus reflect vast funding inequalities across

the country. Affluent areas feature gleaming school build-ings with all the bells and whistles, from immaculately

groomed football fields withhigh-tech scoreboards towell-stocked libraries andamply supplied science labs.Schools in poorer regionsstruggle on paltry budgets,with underpaid teacherssometimes having to takesecond jobs to make endsmeet.

A brain-drain of teachersmoving from low-wagestates to others where theycan earn far more has leftthe poorer states struggling

to recruit even marginally qualified replacements. Theoverall result is chronic underperformance by Americanstudents on the international student assessment testsknown as PISA, organized by the Organization forEconomic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

American students place far behind Finland, SouthKorea and Estonia, among others. Nor has the veritablemania for standardized testing in American schools donemuch to help. Many states rely on the results of suchexams-often involving the controversial use of multiple-choice questions-to weigh the work of schools and teach-ers, with potential consequences on pay and careers.

In the face of the public schools’ serious challenges,many parents opt to send their children to private schools-but these can cost around $20,000 a year per student, oreven more. In this country passionately attached to indi-vidualism and free choice, so-called charter schools havesteadily gained popularity. These schools receive publicfunding and must apply local standards but generally have

greater freedom from certain laws and regulations, andface less accountability than do public schools.

Old-style approaches Some of these schools offer old-style approaches-

requiring students to wear uniforms, applying strict disci-pline and employing classic methods-while others experi-ment with progressive teaching methods, including inter-disciplinary teaching and individual projects designed tostimulate creativity. Some parents swear by these schools,but others-and the major public teachers’ unions-accusethem of siphoning off resources, and sometimes the moretalented students, from public schools.

This has been a key complaint against EducationSecretary Betsy Devos, who is accused of favoring charter

and private schools to the detriment of public education.Faced with American students’ poor results on internation-al tests, a state-based movement arose several years agoto try to raise education standards through a programknown as “Common Core.”

A majority of the 50 states have now adoptedCommon Core standards, setting objectives for studentsfrom kindergarten through high school-a dramaticchange for a country where education is highly decen-tralized and standards in some places have been low. Butsome states-notably Massachusetts and New York-already have high-performing school systems. New Yorkoffers specialized public high schools-in arts, science,politics and literature-that are highly prestigious andmerit-based. And they are free. —AFP

US approves license for Taiwansubmarine plan

We’d considerschools being

in crisis

OKLAHOMA CITY: Oklahoma teachers rally at the state capitol in Oklahoma City, April 4, 2018, asOklahoma becomes the latest state to be plagued by teacher strife. —AFP

Lula spends first day of 12-year prison sentenceCURITIBA: Leftist icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spentyesterday as Brazil’s first ex-president to be imprisonedfor a common crime-and his cell was in the headquartersof the giant anti-graft probe that brought him down. Thefirst day of Lula’s 12-year sentence marked the downfall ofonce one of the world’s most popular politicians.

Although Brazilian presidents of recent history haveroutinely ended up in trouble-impeached, brought downby a coup and even one suicide-Lula is the first to havebeen convicted of corruption and locked up. His new homeis a roughly 160 square foot cell in the federal police head-quarters in Curitiba, the southern city where the “CarWash” probe is based.

Named after a service station where agents initiallyuncovered a relatively small money laundering operation,“Car Wash” has turned into one of the world’s biggest everexamples of such a probe, netting scores of top politicians,some of Brazil’s richest businessmen, and sending shockwaves through Latin America. Lula was found guilty lastyear of taking a luxury apartment as a bribe from a con-struction company and is “Car Wash’s” biggest scalp-though Lula says the conviction was rigged.

Dramatic showdown The former two-term president arrived by police heli-

copter on the roof of the lock-up in Curitiba late Saturday.As the helicopter landed, demonstrators outside let off

volleys of fireworks, while riot police fired tear gas, fillingthe air with explosions and smoke. Eight people werelightly injured, including one hit by a rubber bullet, the firedepartment said.

It was a fittingly chaotic end to four days of intensetension as Brazil wondered whether the Workers’ Partyfounder would finally be put behind bars. Lula, whodespite the scandal leads easily in polls ahead ofOctober presidential elections, tried to get his sentencedelayed in a marathon appeal at the Supreme Court in

Brasilia on Wednesday. When that was turned down, heengaged in a standoff with authorities in his hometownof Sao Bernardo do Campo, outside Sao Paulo.Surrounded by thousands of supporters at the metal-workers’ union building in the suburb, he brazenlyignored an order to turn himself in by Friday.

On Saturday, he agreed to be taken into custody,only to find himself blockaded by his own supporters,with a crowd mobbing his car, shouting “Don’t surren-der, stay here Lula!” At last, surrounded by body-guards, Lula pushed through the seething throng ofsupporters on foot late Saturday, then got into a policevehicle and was taken to Sao Paulo airport for the flightto Curitiba. A jail cell with extremely good conditionsby the standards of Brazil’s often violent, desperatelyovercrowded prisons-including a hot private showerand toilet-awaited him.

Fireworks and tears After his arrest, fireworks and cheering broke out in

parts of Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other citiesamong those who long considered Lula responsible for thetide of graft sweeping over Brazilian politics. But support-ers cried openly at the exit of a man they remember forremoving tens of millions of people from poverty and forconnecting with voters in a way few, if any, other modernBrazilian politicians have managed. With Lula almost cer-tainly knocked out of the presidential election, the race islikely to be thrown wide open. In polls, he currently scoresmore than double his nearest rivals. However, analysts saythat instability in Brazil means surprises remain possible.The next potentially explosive legal development couldcome as early as next Wednesday, when local media reportthat the Supreme Court may revisit the current law onincarceration during appeals. —AFP

Migrant caravan members protest in Mexican capitalMEXICO CITY: Armed with placardsblasting US President Donald Trump, some100 members of a caravan of migrantscrossing Mexico demonstrated Saturday incentral Mexico City, from where some willpush on to the US border. “If they kick usout, we’ll go back. No to Trump,” one ofthe banners read, placed on the steps ofthe Angel of Independence monument.

Among the migrants was Yanci Flores,22, a Salvadoran travelling with her two-year-old son. She said her son’s father waskilled by gang members. As her toddlerplayed with a plastic pistol, Flores said herplan “is to go to the United States to beable to work, to be able to leave behind allthe violence of my country. If I go back,they will kill us.”

Later, the migrants assembled in front ofthe US embassy nearby, displaying moreanti-Trump slogans and messages hittingout at deportations from the US. The cara-van, an annual event held since 2010,

assembled in Tapachula, on the border withGuatemala, on March 25. Its members-mostly from Honduras, but also from ElSalvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua-origi-nally planned to travel en masse to the USborder.

However, the caravan started breakingup on Thursday in southern Mexico afterorganizers said it had abandoned its goalof reaching the US border and would endits activities with the rally in Mexico City.Their initial plan had prompted fury fromTrump, who renewed threats to abandonthe NAFTA trade pact if Enrique PenaNieto’s government did not act to break upthe caravan, and ordered troops to bedeployed to secure the southern US borderwith Mexico.

The US states of Texas and Arizonaannounced Friday they would sendNational Guard troops to the Mexicanborder-with Texas deploying 250 within 72hours while Arizona planning to send 150personnel next week. The measure, criti-cized in the US, was dismissed by IrineoMujica, of activist group Pueblo SinFronteras, which organized the caravan.“(The migrants) do not represent a threatfor the troops because most of them aregoing to request asylum ... it is pure show,”she said. —AFP

SAO PAULO: Brazilian former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva waves from a window of the MetallurgicalUnion, in Sao Bernardo do Campo. —AFP

ANAPRA: A young Mexican boy is pictured peering from the Mexicanside of the Border Fence. —- AFP

4 killed in attack on Iraq party HQ RAMADI: A suicide attack targeting a political partyheadquarters in western Iraq has killed four people andinjured seven others, including a candidate in polls set forMay, officials said yesterday. On Saturday evening “twosuicide bombers disguised as soldiers entered the Al-HalParty headquarters”, one of most prominent parties in theSunni-majority province of Al-Anbar, a local security offi-cial told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

One of the attackers “detonated his explosive belt whilepolitical leaders held a meeting” at the campaign headquar-ters in the city of Hit, about 200 kilometers west ofBaghdad, General Qassam Al-Mohammadi, head of armyoperations in the area, told AFP. “Three members of thesecurity forces were killed and seven people, including can-didate Zineb Abdel Hamid Al-Hiti, were wounded,” he said.

A municipal employee yesterday also succumbed toinjuries sustained in the attack, the anonymous official said.He said the second attacker detonated his belt shortly afterthe first, but did not cause any casualties. Medical sourcesconfirmed the death toll of four and said Hiti had beenhospitalised with light injuries. —AFP


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

Established 1961

KUTUPALONG CAMP: A trumpet fills the air as two“elephants” charge, scattering Rohingya refugee actorsat a training session in a camp which cuts deep intoBangladeshi forest once reserved for the protectedspecies. Part awareness raising, part pantomime, thescenario uses life-size puppets of elephants made frombamboo and old clothing and expertly propelled byvolunteers.

Each charge - andexaggerated counter bybands of Rohingya vil-lagers - draws squeals ofdelight from the childrencrowded around a dustypaddy field. But the pur-pose of the training day issobering - a dozenRohingya have been killedin the last year by wild ele-phants whose habitat hasbeen consumed byKutupalong refugee camp.

With hundreds of thousands of new refugees drivenover the border since last August by violence inMyanmar, the camp now seeps deeper into the forest.Refugees are stripping trees for firewood and buildingsettlements on the bare hillocks. As a result, man andbeast are increasingly coming into conflict. Training daysare now being held to kindle harmony between therefugees and the estimated 35 to 45 elephants who arenow their neighbors.

Older forest neighbor“Elephants take the same migratory route, it’s in their

genetic memory. Now more than 600,000 Rohingya arein the middle of that route,” Raquibul Amin, country

director for the International Union for Conservation ofNature (IUCN) told AFP on Saturday at Kutupalongcamp. “The aim is to demystify the elephant as an enemy...and to try to train people to deal with elephants whenthey encounter them,” he said, of a training event held inconjunction with the UNHCR.

Rohingya volunteers show how to safely corral an ele-phant that strays intosettled areas and usewhistles and humanchains to drive themaway. The mock-up ele-phants are covered by a‘skin’ made from oldclothing donated andstitched by Rohingyawomen - part of effortsto bond the new commu-nity with their older for-est neighbor. The dramaplays out under ascorching sun, bringing a

rare community event to people whose villages lie in ruinsacross the border.

Delighted by the break in the humdrum camp life, chil-dren jump up and down in real elephant prints, hardenedinto the abandoned paddy. Rina Aktar, 10, recalls heralarming encounter with a ‘Hati’ (elephant), her arms atfull stretch to indicate its enormity. “I was collecting fire-wood in the forest when I saw it... it was so big, I just ranaway.” Her fears are valid.

The last death happened in late March when a bull ele-phant followed a path up a hil lside crammed withRohingya homes.

It adds to the tension and stress of a Muslim minorityunwanted in Myanmar and forced from their homes by

last year’s army campaign. With repatriation for nowappearing a pipe dream, Rohingya communities near-est the forest are preparing for more unwelcome run-ins with elephants. But at least now some of the

refugees are equipped to deal with them. “I have han-dled elephants three times already since I have beenhere,” said UNHCR elephant volunteer Nabi Hussein.“I didn’t panic.” —AFP

Smiles and slapstick as Rohingya refugees learn to corral elephants

Dozen Rohingyas have been killed in the last year by elephants

News in brief

Pope condemns chemical weaponsVATICAN CITY: Pope Francis yesterday condemnedthe use of chemical weapons in Syria after a suspectedattack in an opposition holdout in Eastern Ghoutakilled dozens of people. “Terrible news comes to usfrom Syria with dozens of victims, many of themwomen and children ... so many people are struck bythe effects of the chemical substances in the bombs,”the pope told thousands of people gathered in StPeter’s Square. “There is not a good war and a badone, and nothing, nothing can justify the use of suchdevices of extermination against defenseless peopleand populations,” he added. Renewed air strikes havehit Douma, the last rebel-held town near Damascus,where first responders accused forces loyal toPresident Bashar Al-Assad of using “poisonous chlo-rine gas” in attacks on Saturday. “Pray for political andmilitary leaders to choose the other path, that of nego-tiation, the only one that can bring peace that is notthat of death and destruction,” the pope said. —AFP

Pakistan summons US ambassador ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said yesterday it had sum-moned the US ambassador to lodge a protest over thedeath of a motorcyclist who was killed in a collisionwith a US diplomatic vehicle. A second person wasinjured in the accident at traffic lights in Islamabad onSaturday evening, involving two men on a motorcycleand the embassy sports utility vehicle. “The USambassador expressed his deep sympathy and sad-ness over the loss of l i fe and assured that theembassy would fully cooperate in the investigation,”the foreign office said in a statement. Police said AtiqBaig, 22, died of head injuries while his cousin, whowas also on the motorbike, was injured. They said theSUV was being driven by the embassy’s defense andair attache, who gave a statement at a local policestation and was released. — AFP

Egypt army kills jihadistsCAIRO: Egypt’s military said yesterday it has killedfour jihadists in Sinai in recent days, in an ongoingcampaign to quash the extremists based in the penin-sula. Two suspected jihadists and 250 “wanted andsuspected criminals” have been arrested, it said in astatement. More than 100 jihadists and at least 22 sol-diers have been killed in the wider-ranging operationlaunched on February 9, according to army figures.Security forces have sought to quell attacks by anEgyptian jihadist group that later declared allegianceto the Islamic State group (IS) since the military oust-ed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, follow-ing mass protests against him. The group has killedhundreds of soldiers, policemen and civilians, mainly inits North Sinai stronghold but also elsewhere in Egypt.The jihadists have also killed scores of Christians inchurch bombings and shootings. —AFP

Alcohol kills 24 in IndonesiaJAKARTA: Eleven Indonesians died yesterday andseveral others are critically ill after drinking bootlegliquor, police said, days after the death of 24 othersfrom illicit alcohol. The latest victims were among 27people admitted to hospital after sampling homemadealcoholic drinks in Cicalengka district in West Javaprovince, provincial police spokesman TrunoyudoWisnu Andiko told AFP. “We are investigating the shopthat sold the illegal liquor,” he said, adding no one hadyet been arrested. In a separate case over the pastweek 24 people have died in the capital Jakarta afterdrinking homemade liquor sold by a herbal drink seller.The seller, who has been arrested, admitted he hadmixed pure alcohol with Coca-Cola and an energydrink, police said. There have been a series of deathsfrom bootleg liquor in the Muslim-majority country.Police said they are chasing other sellers and distribu-tors of homebrew. —AFP

The training day is sobering

Japan’s vaunted alert system hits obstacles TOKYO: On January 5, as Tokyo’s commuters were strug-gling back to work after their long New Year break, blar-ing sirens from every phone pierced the sleepy atmos-phere: “strong” earthquake coming. The message deliveredvia the country’s alert system, part of its much-hyped J-Alert mechanism, warned of a big one directly hitting theJapanese capital-potentially on the scale of the devastat-ing 2011 earthquake that wrought massive destruction.

Millions braced for impact... but it never came. It turnedout that the system, which aims to give a precious few sec-onds to find shelter before a major earthquake strikes, hadbeen tricked by an unusual seismological coincidence. Twominor tremors struck at almost exactly the same time inseparate locations, making the alert system mistakenlybelieve a massive jolt was on its way, the meteorologicalagency admitted.

Even Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was caught off-guard-with TV footage showing him checking his phone as alarmsechoed in his office ahead of a cabinet meeting. It was notthe first false alarm for the system, a major component ofJapan’s J-Alert launched with great fanfare in 2007 as away to save lives in a country constantly under threat ofearthquakes and-more recently-North Korean missiles.

Several countries have introduced similar early warningsystems for major earthquakes, with most focused on aparticular, quake-prone area. But Japan’s system is uniquein its breadth of coverage, said Issei Suganuma, a scientificofficer at the meteorological agency. “Our system coversthe entire country with some 1,000 observation pointsacross the nation,” he said proudly.

‘Safety tips’ At the agency’s Tokyo headquarters, at least seven uni-

formed officers keep watch around the clock in the earth-quake observation room. Large screens hang on the wallsshowing real-time seismic waveform data. In the case of acataclysmic earthquake, they detect initial minor tremorsthrough seismometers and immediately warn local govern-ments via J-Alert seconds before the first strong jolt is felt.

The agency also directly sends SMS messages andwhooping alarms to local residents’ phones. Broadcastersreceive signals to flash breaking news alerts and bullettrain services are immediately suspended. When the 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit Japan in 2011, the system suc-cessfully warned residents between six and 40 seconds

before the first major jolt. The J-Alert system also warns ofmissiles, particularly relevant during a rise in tensions withNorth Korea last year. In the case of a missile launch, USspy satellites or Japanese Aegis ships detect the initial sig-nals and transmit them to Japan’s defense ministry. Theministry swiftly plots the course and speed of the missilesbefore the prime minister’s office triggers the system, issu-ing a warning between two and five minutes before theyfly over the country. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics loom-ing and 40 million tourists expected to visit, the govern-ment has started providing alerts in multiple languagesthrough a “safety tips” app.

‘Not good enough’ But J-Alert has also faced criticism. In addition to tech-

nical difficulties that can result in false alarms, many feelthe warnings do not come soon enough. When NorthKorean missiles flew over Japan in August and September,residents complained there was no time to find shelter.“We were told to go inside a stable building or under-ground, but how can we find such places in a few min-utes?” said Atsuko Koide, 64, a housewife in Akita, north-

ern Japan. “It’s especially useless for elderly people whocan’t move quickly,” Koide said.

A government survey conducted last year found justfive percent of respondents actually evacuated or tookprotective measures in response to the missile warnings.Some respondents said they had no time or did not knowwhere to go, while others said evacuation was pointless.“J-Alert alone is not good enough,” said Mitsuru Fukuda,professor of risk management at Nihon University inTokyo. “It is clear that there is a limit to what the countryand local governments can do,” Fukuda said.

Fukuda urged authorities to raise people’s awareness ofthe measures they can take to protect themselves beforegovernment help arrives, saying: “It is individuals whodecide and act after a warning.” Following the false alarmearlier this year, the meteorological agency has introduceda new analysis tool to avoid mistaking multiple smallerquakes for a single big one. However, agency officerSuganuma acknowledged the system’s limitations. “Sincewe have to issue a warning in quite a limited time, some-times things may not go as planned.... It’s hard to achieve100 percent for sure,” he said. —AFP

UKHIA: This photo taken on April 7, 2018 shows Rohingya refugee attending a demonstration of ele-phant resistance arranged by the UNHCR and IUCN at the Kutupalong refugee camp. —AFP

TOKYO: This picture taken on March 9, 2018 shows residents, office and shop workers at andaround the Roppongi Hills shopping complex taking part in a disaster drill. —AFP

B’desh sentences man to death for union leader murder

DHAKA: A Bangladesh court yesterdaysentenced a man to death in absentia formurdering a union leader who led strikesin the powerful garment industry. A courtin the northern district of Tangail orderedthat factory worker Mustafizur Rahman behanged for kidnapping and murderinghigh-profile unionist Aminul Islam in 2012.

Trade union groups rejected the sen-tence, saying Rahman was being singledout to cover up for powerful groupsinvolved in Islam’s murder.

Islam’s mutilated body was found bythe roadside in Tangail a few days after hedisappeared from Ashulia, the major gar-ment hub on the outskirts of Dhaka. All histoes had been broken and his legs boreserious puncture wounds. State prosecu-tor Multan Uddin said Islam was likely tar-geted as a prominent labor activist whospearheaded major strikes over wages atgarment factories.

“Aminul waged a struggle for the interest

of workers. Perhaps the people whose inter-est was affected murdered him in a pre-planned manner,” Uddin said. Police havenot named any other suspects in Islam’smurder. Rahman has been on the run sincethe killing, according to them. Bangladesh isthe world’s second-largest clothing manu-facturer, with $30 billion worth of garmentsexported in 2017 from the impoverishednation where labour is cheap.

The garment sector accounts for 80per cent of Bangladesh’s exports and isthe mainstay of its emerging economy.Islam was instrumental in orchestratingmajor stoppages in 2006 and 2010, forc-ing thousands of companies to raisewages for about four million factory work-ers. Unions believe his murder was engi-neered by powerful people includingmembers of an intelligence service andfactory owners.

“We’re not satisfied. We’ll appeal.We’ve sought a fresh investigation,”Bangladesh Garment and IndustrialWorkers Federation president Babul Aktersaid. The Bangladesh Centre for WorkerSolidarity, a trade union, said Islam hadbeen detained and tortured by officialsfrom the government’s labour office dur-ing the 2010 protest. —AFP

Runaway train rolls for miles without engineNEW DELHI: India’s railway ministrysaid yesterday a “ghastly” accidentwas narrowly avoided after 22 traincoaches carrying some 1,000 pas-sengers became detached from theengine and sped backwards for milesbefore being stopped. The runawaycarriages in the eastern state ofOdisha rol led for 12 ki lometersbefore being brought to a shudderinghalt by rocks placed on the tracks byrailway staff.

A spokesman for the railway min-istry’s eastern division said none ofabout 1,000 passengers were injuredin the incident Saturday night. Butseven railway employees who did notfollow proper procedures have beensuspended and an investigationlaunched into how the carriagesbecame separated during the journeyfrom the western state of Gujarat toOdisha, said spokesman JP Mishra.

Authorities believe that brakesapplied when carriages are detachedor attached to the engine were eitherincorrectly used or overlooked alto-gether. “Something ghastly could havehappened and it was averted by alertstaff . Safety cannot be compro-mised,” Mishra said, adding “moreheads are likely to roll”. “Everybody inthe railways (ministry) is aghast andshocked.”

Mobile footage posted on socialmedia showed the carriages speedingpast a railway platform as helplessonlookers screamed and yelled atpassengers to pull the train’s emer-gency brake. More than 22 millionpassengers commute daily on some9,000 trains across India. The incidentis just latest to beset the creaking railnetwork, which dates back to thecolonial era.

Last November 13 coaches of anexpress train derailed in northernIndia, killing three and leaving nineinjured. A year before that, 146 peopledied in a similar disaster. A 2012 gov-ernment report said almost 15,000people were killed in various waysevery year on India’s railways anddescribed the loss of life as an annual“massacre”. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Monday, April 9, 2018

9Established 1961

Remorseless Seselj still dreams about ‘Greater Serbia’BELGRADE: Vojislav Seselj has no remorse over hisrole in the wars in the former Yugoslavia. Now 63, theultra-nationalist Serb is again an MP in the parliamentin Belgrade and has no regrets. “We will never give upthe idea of a Greater Serbia,” he insists. A close ally ofthe late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, Seseljwas found not guilty in 2016 of war crimes and crimesagainst humanity over the 1990s Balkans wars thatclaimed around 140,000 lives.

The radical Serbian leader had been accused ofbeing behind the murders of scores of Croats, Muslimsand other non-Serbs and Seselj’s acquittal in 2016 afteran eight year trial at the Hague came as a major sur-prise. Croatia’s prime minister condemned the verdictas “shameful”. Two years on and UN war crimes judgeswill rule on Wednesday on an appeal brought by pros-ecutors. They allege that Seselj incited hatred throughhis fiery speeches on nationalism “seeking to unite all‘Serb territories’ in a homogeneous state that he called‘Greater Serbia’”. But in an interview with AFP, Seselj-who has always denied the charges said he will not goto the Hague for the hearing at the former InternationalCriminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),whose function has been taken over by the Mechanismfor International Criminal Tribunals (MICT).

‘They are Serbs’ The political objective of his extreme-right Serbian

Radical Party (SRS) remains “to unite within the samestate all the territories where Serb people live,” hesays, adding that Serbs have been divided “due to thewill of big powers, Serbia’s traditional enemies”. Ofcourse, he admits, Croats and Bosnian Muslims “arecurrently against” that program. “But we should con-tinue convincing them that they are Serbs.” He statesthat “out of the Serbian nation’s body new nations havebeen formed artificially: two-thirds of today’s Croatsare ancient Serbs of the Catholic faith, Croats todayspeak Serbian.”

And Bosnian Muslims are also of Serb origin, heclaims. “They converted to Islam during the occupa-tion of the Ottoman Empire.” In his eyes, the unifica-tion of Bosnia’s Serb-run entity Republika Srpska withSerbia is just a matter of time, because “that is the wishof the Serb people who live there”. As for Kosovo,which unilaterally declared independence in 2008, hesaid the former Serbian province with an ethnicAlbanian majority “completely belongs to us”.

“No one in power (among Serbs) can recognizeKosovo because he would pay for it with his head,” hesaid. Seselj rejects the genocide label for theSrebrenica massacre, Europe’s worst atrocity sinceWorld War II when in July 1995 Bosnian Serb forcesexecuted some 8,000 Muslim men and boys. “Therewas a crime, but not genocide,” he says.

The “crime”, he insists, was not committed by Serbauthorities but by one man, the “Colonel LjubisaBeara”, a former senior officer in the Bosnian Serbarmy, who died in detention in 2017. The Bosnian Serbwartime military chief Ratko Mladic, who was jailed forlife at the Hague last year for genocide and otheratrocities in the Balkan wars, including at Srebrenica, is“a hero” for Serbs, he says.

Seselj denies giving two speeches that prosecutorsnoted in his indictment. In one he allegedly encouragedSerbs “not to spare a person” during the 1991 siege ofVukovar in Croatia. In another a year later hedescribed Muslims as “excrement” in the Serbian townof Mali Zvornik, according to prosecutors. “Lies,” saysSeselj, who was released from ICTY detention andreturned to Belgrade in 2014 to be treated for coloncancer, which he says he has beaten. —AFP

Students, teachers rush back to class in IS-free east Syria

‘The children are studying, so they can at least read and write’ DEIR EZZOR: Her name means “dreams” in Arabic andschoolteacher Ahlam is finally realizing hers-returning toher beloved classroom after years of jihadist rule over hereastern Syrian hometown. Perched on school benches intheir bright coats, excited young boys and girls chant inunison as they count the cherries she has drawn in chalkon the blackboard.

The Islamic State group overran large swathes ofSyria in 2014, with the jihadists imposing their own rigidinterpretation of Islam on residents. They opened theirown schools, banning musicand the arts, and dispensedbrutal punishments to thosewho did not adhere to theirultra-conservative values.Ahlam says the j ihadiststried to recruit her to teachin one of their schools inher hometown of Al-Shamatiyah, near DeirEzzor city.

She refused, opting toteach her children in secretat home and eking out a liv-ing from an orchard she tended to with her husband, anagricultural engineer. “I thought there would no longer bea future for our children-no schooling, no rights,” recallsAhlam. “But thank God, the children are studying, so theycan at least read and write,” she tells AFP, her hair cov-ered by a blue headscarf.

Since a Syrian government offensive ousted thejihadists from Deir Ezzor city and nearby territory in late2017, teachers and pupils alike have rushed back to theclassroom. At 13, Mohammad Al-Ragheb shyly admits hedoes not know how to read or write, having spent theyears under IS rein outside of school. “I should be ineighth grade now, but I wasn’t able to go to school,” hesaid. He now sits excitedly in a crisp classroom in easternSyria, awaiting his lesson.

Returning to campus According to Deir Ezzor’s education directorate, the

fighting in the region meant some 200,000 students wentwithout proper schooling for five years, with around5,000 teachers out of work. Now, the directorate says,dozens of schools have reopened and around 45,000students are back in school. Some 6,000 students arealso resuming their studies at the Euphrates University inDeir Ezzor, capital of the province of the same name.

Its main buildings lie in a western part of the city thatremained under Syrian government control but wasunder siege for years by IS fighters holding the rest. But

some of the faculties-such asthose of medicine and agri-culture-lie in areas that wereseized by the j ihadists.Student Mona Al-Nasser, now24, was getting ready to grad-uate when IS swept acrossthe desert province in 2014.

Their advance trapped herunder jihadist reign in herhometown of Mayadeen, 50kilometers away. “All I wantedto do was study. I’m so happyto be back today, and I hope

those other days never return,” says Nasser. Hangingover one lecture hall’s entrance are portraits of SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad and his father and predeces-sor, Hafez. Inside, students are silently working on anArabic language exam. Some are hunched over theirpapers, writing furiously without pause. Others furrowtheir brows, thinking hard, before tackling the question.

Home again Amina, 23, has travelled to her class all the way from

Raqa-more than 130 kilometers to the west. Her city wasthe de-facto capital of IS’s brutal “caliphate,” but wascaptured in October by a US-backed alliance that hasrivaled Russian-backed Syrian troops. “I was besieged inRaqa for three years and could not resume my studies. Iwas in my second year,” she said.

“It was a very difficult period. I tried as hard as Icould to leave Raqa, but I needed a miracle.” Now that

Amina is back in school, she has picked up where she leftoff as a sophomore. “It feels so wonderful to be back inclass, because that’s what determines your future in theend,” she says. Even as IS lost its military grip on DeirEzzor, the jihadists left unexploded mines all across thecity and its entrances, barring the way for students andresidents in general.

Syrian military personnel have spent months clear-ing away those explosives, and displaced residents

have started to repopulate the city. After spendinghours clearing their damaged home, Umm Bilal and herfamily take a short break in the middle of their ravagedstreet. They light a bonfire to stay warm and gaze qui-etly at the mountains of rubble and burnt car carcassesaround them. Still , Umm Bilal says, home is home.“Sitting amidst the destruction is beautiful, becauseyour house is your property. No one can make youleave,” she says. —AFP

I hope thoseother days

never return

DEIR EZZOR: A Syrian teacher shows letters on a board at school in the village of Al-Shamatiyah on theourskirts of Deir Ezzor. —AFP

Kremlin cracking down on Internet to muzzle criticsMOSCOW: As Vladimir Putin starts his fourth Kremlin term,authorities are turning up the heat on popular websites andapps ostensibly to fight terrorism but analysts say the realmotive is to muzzle critics. A move this week to block thestrongly encrypted messenger Telegram, less than a monthafter Putin’s crushing poll win, marks a new stage in thecrackdown launched after his previous victory in 2012.

Telegram, which has 200 million users and is ironicallythe go-to messaging app for top Kremlin officials, wasspecifically designed by Russian developers to circumventthe Kremlin’s security forces. Putin has gradually broughtmedia, primarily television, under state control since theearly 2000s. Experts say the Kremlin recognizes the inter-net as the principal threat to its domination and one of thelast refuges of free speech-especially after it helped fuelunprecedented mass demonstrations when Putin returnedto the presidency six years ago after four years as primeminister.

‘Internet freedoms’ “The Kremlin got scared and responded with an attack

on internet freedoms,” said Andrei Soldatov, editor-in-chief of Agentura.ru, a site monitoring the security servic-es. In the summer of 2012, Russia created a blacklist ofsites showing child pornography or drug use and alsothose deemed to be “extremist”-a term vague enough toinclude opposition activism. The professed intention of themove was to protect children from harmful content online.

Two years later, the parliament unleashed a barrage ofnew anti-terrorist laws, including a ruling that blogs withmore than 3,000 viewers per day must face the same strictregulations as news media. Since then, Russian and foreigninternet providers have been legally obliged to store thedata of their Russian users in Russia.

This led to the blocking of professional networking siteLinkedIn, which did not comply. Subsequently, new legis-lation citing terror threats has forced all “distributors ofinformation”-including boggers and even social mediaplatform VK (formerly VKontakte), its owner Mail.ru, andinternet giant Yandex — to retain all user data for six

months and provide it to the authorities on request. Underthe latest measure imposed late last year, the authoritiesare able ban VPN services that allow users to bypassRussian site blocks by simulating a connection from anoth-er country.

‘Spread fear’ This legislative onslaught has been widely used against

the opposition, who are ignored by mainstream newsmedia but are active online. Rights groups have also beenhit hard. The blog and website of the main opposition fig-ure, Alexei Navalny, have been blocked partially or com-pletely several times over his calls for street protests orexposes of official corruption.

Sites used by the opposition organization of former oiltycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who now lives in London,

were also blocked after they were designated “undesir-able”-a new term for foreign entities that has also beenused against the foundation of the US financier GeorgeSoros. “The purpose is to spread fear, (to) make peoplethink that the state controls everything and that you can’thide anywhere, that all data can be collected,” said SarkisDarbinyan, a lawyer and director of a digital rights centrein Moscow.

But Russia cannot simply impose a local version ofChina’s “Great Firewall” cutting off all access to sites, he said.“Unlike China, where the internet was constrained since thebeginning, Russian internet started off as very free,” he said.Ultimately global players like Facebook, Twitter, Google,WhatsApp and Telegram who want to operate in Russia willhave to comply with state restrictions or get blocked, hesaid, adding it’s only “a matter of time.” — AFP

MOSCOW: A photo taken on April 6, 2018 shows a view of the Kremlin towers and cathedrals. — AFP

Turkey deports hundreds ofAfghan migrantsafter influx ISTANBUL: Turkey was yesterday deport-ing hundreds of Afghan migrants backhome on special flights, in a major opera-tion after thousands illegally entered thecountry in recent weeks. Early yesterdaymorning 227 Afghan migrants boarded acharter flight from Erzurum in northeasternTurkey back to Kabul, the Dogan newsagency said.

It said a total of 691 Afghan migrantswould be deported this week with twomore flights expected from Erzurum toKabul later. The flights are being providedby an Afghan airline. Dogan news agencyquoted migration officials in Erzurum assaying Turkey planned to deport all 3,000Afghan migrants who were currently inErzurum. In Kabul, officials denied that therefugees were being deported, insistingthey were coming back home at their own

choice. “A number of Afghan refugees arecoming back to the country of their ownwill,” said Islamuddin Jurat, spokesman forthe ministry of refugees and repatriations.“They are the ones who wanted to useTurkey as a transit route to other coun-tries, but when they failed they decided tocome back.”

‘Will come back’ Turkey is a major hub for migrants from

Afghanistan and other troubled nationsseeking to cross from Asia into Europe insearch better lives and work. Over a millionmigrants and refugees entered Europelargely through Turkey in 2015, promptingthe EU to agree a deal with Ankara oncurbing the migration in 2016.

There has been a major influx ofmigrants into Turkey from conflict-plaguedAfghanistan in recent weeks, with reportssaying almost 18,000 have entered thecountry illegally in the last three months.The Afghan migrants are believed to havecrossed from Iran into Turkey’s eastern Vanprovince and then moved-sometimes walk-ing on highways on foot-to Erzurum, oneof the major cities of Turkey’s east.

The deportations came as Turkish PrimeMinister Binali Yildirim visited Kabul fortalks with Afghan leaders. Yesterday, he

met Afghanistan’s chief executive AbdullahAbdullah. Turkish state media quotedYildirim as saying at a news conferencewith Abdullah in Kabul that Turkey wasgrateful for Afghanistan’s cooperation overthe issue.

“There is no problem here,” saidYildirim. But Turkish television carried

interviews with some of the migrants aboutto be deported-many of whom spokeexcellent Turkish-who insisted that theywould try and come back to Turkey. “Ofcourse (I will try to come back),” onewoman, who was not named, told the CNNTurk channel. “Back home, there is unem-ployment and a lack of security.”—AFP

KABUL: Afghan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah (R) shakes hands with PrimeMinister of Turkey Binali Yildirim after a press conference at Sapedar palace. —AFP

Members of the US Supreme Court appeared tobe struggling over how to resolve a key caserecently when Justice Stephen Breyer sug-

gested that the best course might be to put off a deci-sion altogether. Breyer’s remark, coming during aMarch 28 oral argument in a closely watched caseinvolving the redrawing of electoral districts aimed atentrenching one party in power, illustrated the difficultythe nine justices seem to be having in producing rulingsat their usual pace.

With five conservatives and four liberals, the court isideologically divided, meaning common ground may bedifficult to find. President Donald Trump’s appointeeNeil Gorsuch, who marks his first anniversary as a jus-tice on Tuesday, restored the court’s conservativemajority after it was shorthanded and evenly split ideo-logically for 14 months. During their current term thatbegan in October and runs through the end of June, thejustices must resolve more weighty and difficult casesthan usual. One of their biggest cases - deciding thelegality of President Donald Trump’s travel ban on sev-eral Muslim-majority countries - will not be heard untilApril 25.

The high court has issued only 18 rulings in casesalready argued this term, lagging behind its normalpace. Numerous major cases have yet to be resolved,including one on Wisconsin electoral boundaries heardin October and the similar one heard last month involv-ing the same practice of “partisan gerrymandering” inMaryland that prompted Breyer to suggest the justicesrehear the whole matter in the future.

A divisive case pitting gay rights against religiousliberty, involving a Christian baker who refused to makea wedding cake for a gay couple, was argued inDecember. Other major cases involve fees paid by non-members to unions representing public employees likepolice officers and teachers, the right of workers to

bring class-action claims against employers, the abilityof police to obtain cellphone location data to tie crimi-nal suspects to crimes and a California law regulatingChristian-based anti-abortion facilities.

Supreme Court experts expect the justices to issue alarger-than-normal number of 5-4 rulings in the comingmonths. That would increase the chances of conserva-tive Justice Anthony Kennedy, who sometimes sideswith the court’s four liberals in major cases, casting thedeciding votes. “It’s reasonable to suggest there are

going to be fewer unanimous decisions and more divi-sion,” said Nicole Saharsky, a lawyer who often hasargued cases before the court.

The court usually takes less time in issuing a rulingwhen the justices are unanimous. It has issued 11 unani-mous rulings and seven with dissenting votes, includingthree that were 5-4. The court’s most contentious rul-ings commonly are issued in June. Part of the slowdownin rulings may be related to the presence of Gorsuch,who has shown signs that he will be a strident conser-vative voice on the bench. Gorsuch also has exhibited awillingness to question the reasoning of his colleagues,

a practice that can delay rulings. “There could just benew dynamics one way or another,” said John Elwood,who has argued multiple cases before the SupremeCourt.

Contentious issuesThe impasse over partisan gerrymandering was first

on display when the court heard arguments on Oct 3 ina challenge by Democratic voters to Republican-drawnstate legislative districts in Wisconsin. Five months lat-er, the justices appeared no closer to resolving the mat-ter when they heard the similar Maryland disputeinvolving a Democratic-drawn US House ofRepresentatives district.

The court seemed similarly divided in the workerclass action case argued on Oct 2, the first day of theterm. The justices will have to decide whether workerscan be forced by companies to sign agreements waiv-ing the right to bring class-action claims against theiremployer. Based on the Dec 5 oral argument, Kennedywill also be the deciding vote in the case of whether theDenver-area Christian baker can be penalized under aColorado anti-discrimination law or whether the USConstitution’s promise of free speech protects him.

The nine justices have not always been at odds witheach other, even on contentious matters. There was nodissent when the court in February rejected Trump’s bidto immediately end a program that protects hundredsof thousands of immigrants brought illegally into theUnited States as children. The court also showed nodivisions when it declined to intervene in another elec-toral boundaries fight, this time in Pennsylvania. Theslow pace of rulings may in part just be the result ofscheduling, said Kannon Shanmugam, another regularSupreme Court lawyer. “The court has had hard, divi-sive cases earlier in the term,” he said. “It’s not surpris-ing it might take a while.” —Reuters


10A n a l y s i s

Established 1961

Baghdad still in ruins 15 years after Saddam fell

After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003there were hopes its millennium-old cap-ital Baghdad could rise again from the

ashes, but construction sites have remained idleas if time stood still. For 15 years promises ofrebuilding infrastructure in the second mostpopulous Arab capital have fallen through and amult itude of projects have been shelved.Baghdad’s skyline is dotted with the desolatesights of rusting cranes, while roads and bridgesare gutted with potholes and craters from lackof maintenance.

Even the emblematic Fardous (paradise)Square, where a giant effigy of dictator SaddamHussein was symbolically pulled down with thehelp of US Marines, remains to be revamped.Infrastructure across Baghdad, a city of 900 sqkm, is in dire need of repairs. “Industry, educa-tion, health, agriculture... everything is nowworse than it was during Saddam’s rule,” saidbusinessman Sadeq al-Shomari.

In 2004 and again in 2007, internationalconferences were organized to rebuild Iraq anddonors pledged massive funds for projects thathave never materialized. Some of the funds allo-cated to rebuilding Baghdad have disappeared,according to Transparency International whichranks Iraq as the 12th most corrupt country inthe world.

‘40,000 thieves’ Teacher Zuheir Ouasmi blames it on corrupt

officials who he says have pilfered Iraqi coffers,comparing his country’s woes to the folk tale“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”. Before 2003“the wealth of Ali Baba was in the hands of thedictator but now 40,000 thieves have takenover Ali Baba’s cave and the treasure”, he said.As Baghdad’s infrastructure worsens, its popu-lation has swelled mainly due to an influx ofpeople who fled conflict zones elsewhere in Iraqto settle in the capital.

In 2003, the capital was home to 4.7 millionbut now the population of Baghdad is 7.2 mil-lion strong. During that same period the numberof cars in the congested city also grew from250,000 to more than two million vehicles.Daily power cuts plague the population who, inorder to keep their refrigerators working andmobile phones charged, must rely on privately-owned generators.

The streets of the capital - wracked by yearsof sectarian violence after the US-led invasionthat ousted Saddam and car bomb attacks - aresome of the most congested in the world.Cement blocks have been erected to block offroads and render them more secure from 2003onwards, and restaurants, cafes and shops havealso used cement walls and sandbags as pro-tection. Now that the violence has decreased,hundreds of streets have been reopened butroadblocks manned by security forces are stillan obstacle course for motorists and pedestri-ans alike.

The iconic Rashid Street, which was builtduring World War I and until the 1970s wasBaghdad’s answer to the Champs-Elysees inParis, is now dotted with “cement walls androadblocks and rubble”, bemoaned US-Iraqiarchitect Raya Alanie. “It is sad. Everythingmust be renovated,” she said of Baghdad’sheritage.

City within a city Alanie recalled the heyday of the city, heart

of the Abassid Caliphate and the center of Araband Muslim civi l ization for f ive centuries.Baghdad “was the first city to equip homes”along Abu Nawas Avenue which girds the TigrisRiver, “with solar energy” in the 1980s, whenSaddam ruled over the country, she said. TheTigris is the city’s green lung and on the otherbank, behind barbed wire and cement fortifica-tions, a small island can be seen.

There, in what is known as Baghdad’s GreenZone, the grass is green and traffic along itswide avenues is rare. The fortified area housesthe country’s key institutions and it is where theUS troops that invaded Baghdad in 2003 hadset up their headquarters in Saddam’s palace.The Green Zone is out of bounds for most Iraqisand only a few are privileged enough to have apass to enter the area, which is also home to theUS and British embassies. —AFP

Signs of struggles on big US cases

Lula behind bars: Deathblow for Latam’s left?

With his ambitious social pro-grams, his internationalstanding and his extraordi-

nary fate, Brazil’s ex-president LuizInacio Lula da Silva was a potent sym-bol of Latin America’s defiant left.Seeing him end up in jail is likely todeal a heavy blow to a generation ofleaders.

Impact on Latin American left “It is certainly a shock to see the

man who, more than anyone, pioneeredthe ‘new left’ surge in Latin America,being sent to prison,” said WilliamLeoGrande, an expert in SouthAmerican polit ics at the AmericanUniversity School of Public Affairs. Hisdemise comes some two decades afterLatin America was swept by the so-called “pink tide” that brought leftwingleaders to 15 of the region’s countries.

“Lula is the candidate of thereformist, non-revolutionary left, moremarket-friendly. This more moderateleft appears beaten, defeated becauseit bet on playing the democratic gameand now it appears that these ruleshave harmed it,” said Patricio Navia, anacademic adviser at CADAL, theCenter for the Opening andDevelopment of Latin America. “And asa result, it will become more radical.”

Whether it’s the Odebrecht scandal,the economic downturn in Venezuela orLula’s conviction, they all point to a sim-

ilar conclusion, said Francisco Panizza,professor of Latin American politics atthe London School of Economics.“These episodes reinforce the idea thatthe Latin American left has come to asticky end: with these corruption scan-dals, leaders in jail or the economiccrises in Brazil and Venezuela,” he said.“It is something that (the left) will strug-gle to overcome.”

A new martyr? With his charisma, his trademark

white beard and his crowds of adoringfollowers, Lula could easily continue tostir up the national and regional politi-cal scene from his cell. “Clearly, formany leftist movements, what’s hap-pened in Lula’s case is political perse-cution in order to remove him. Theproblem with this argument is that itdoesn’t expand beyond leftist circles,”said Panizza. And for many, he stil lremains a hero, said Peter Hakim of theInter-American Dialogue think tank inWashington. “When Lula was president,the life and prospects for the poor - thevery poor, Brazilians of color - was bet-ter than it had ever been: More jobs,higher pay, more social programs,expansion of education,” he told AFP.

As the first Brazilian head of state tocome from the working class, Lulacombined business-friendly economicpolicy with social-welfare programsthat helped lift tens of millions of peo-ple out of poverty. On Thursday, how-ever, the Supreme Court rejectedLula’s request to delay implementinghis 12-year sentence for corruptionwhile pursuing appeals against his2017 conviction. If successful, it couldhave afforded him several more monthsof freedom, likely further bolstering his

chances in the upcoming presidentialelection in which he is the frontrunner.“What the court managed to do was toconvert the October election into areferendum on Lula,” Navia said.

The end of the left? Hakim has little doubt that putting

Lula behind bars signals the death ofthe left in Latin America. “The death ofFidel (Castro, Cuba’s revolutionaryhero), the gigantic failure of (longtimeVenezuelan socialist Hugo) Chavez and(current President Nicolas) Maduro,the caudillismo of (Nicaragua’s Daniel)Ortega... have together pushed the leftto its weakest point in my memory,” hesaid. “It’s hard to imagine any resur-gence, even recuperation.”

Although there may yet be another

cycle, “it’s hard to see what the left hasto offer these days, unless it embracesmarkets, mainstream economic man-agement and democratic government,as in Uruguay and Chile - and, to agreat extent in Brazil, during the Lulapresidency,” Hakim added. Others areless pessimistic. “It’s not the end of theleft, but the end of a left - that whichfought dictatorships and which bene-fited from the export boom” of rawmaterials in Latin America in thedecade after the millennium, Naviasaid. But for Leogrande, it is povertythat will keep the left in business. “Solong as Latin American societies aremarked by poverty, inequality andsocial exclusion, there will always be achallenge to the status quo from theleft,” he said. —AFP

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Brazilian ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is lifted by supporters after attending aCatholic Mass in memory of his late wife Marisa Leticia at the metalworkers’ union buildingin Sao Bernardo do Campo in metropolitan Sao Paulo on Saturday. —AFP

US Supreme Court pace

slackens

Monday, April 9, 2018N e w s

Established 1961 11

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The Russian foreign ministry called the latest reports aprovocation and warned against them being used as apretext for military action. “A military intervention underfar-fetched and fabricated pretexts in Syria, where thereare Russian soldiers at the request of the legitimate Syriangovernment, is absolutely unacceptable and could have themost dire consequences,” it said in a statement. Regimeally Iran backed Damascus however, saying the allegationswere a Western conspiracy and echoing Russia’s warningagainst foreign military action.

Syria’s White Helmets, who act as first responders inrebel-held areas of Syria, said the attack took place late onSaturday using “poisonous chlorine gas”. In a joint state-ment with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS),the White Helmets said more than 500 cases were broughtto medical centers “with symptoms indicative of exposureto a chemical agent”. It said six people died while beingtreated, and rescuers found 42 more people dead in theirhomes with signs of similar symptoms. Footage postedonline by the White Helmets, which was not possible toverify, showed victims with yellowed skin crumpled on theground and foaming at the mouth. Other residents could beseen receiving treatment at hospitals, with shell-shockedmedics holding up gas masks to motionless infants.

“The scene was horrifying. So many people were chok-ing, so many people,” White Helmets member Firas Al-Doumi told AFP from inside Douma. “Most died immedi-ately. The majority were women and children,” he said. “Weonly have four oxygen machines,” said Mohammed, a doc-tor inside Douma who told AFP they were not enough totreat the dozens coming in with breathing problems. “Thesituation is really, really tragic. I’ve been working here forfour years and have never seen what I saw in the last few

hours,” he said. The reports prompted widespread condemnation and

calls for an investigation. UN chief Antonio Guterres saidhe was “particularly alarmed”, adding that any confirmeduse of chemical weapons would be “abhorrent”. PopeFrancis described the allegations as “terrible news”, saying:“Nothing, nothing can justify the use of such devices ofextermination against defenseless people and popula-tions.” London called for an investigation into what it saidwere the “deeply disturbing” reports and Ankara, whichhas backed rebels against Assad, said it had a “strong sus-picion” he was to blame.

Douma is the last remaining opposition-held town inGhouta, once the rebels’ main bastion outsideDamascus but now ravaged by a seven-week regimeassault. Since Feb 18, Syrian and Russian forces havewaged a fierce military onslaught and negotiated twowithdrawals to retake control of 95 percent of Ghouta.The agreements, brokered by Moscow last month, sawmore than 46,000 rebels and civilians bussed to thenorthwest opposition-held Idlib province.

It appeared Douma would follow suit, with a prelimi-nary deal that saw hundreds of civilians and rebels fromJaish al-Islam quit the town last week. The rebels had beenhoping to land a deal that would keep them in control ofDouma, but Syria’s government has insisted on theirdeparture. After days of talks that brought a brief respitefrom the assault, the negotiations fell apart and ferociousbombing resumed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said nearly 100 people were killed in airraids on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday, state mediaannounced Damascus had reached a deal that would seerebels leave Douma within 48 hours. In exchange Jaishal-Islam would release hostages it had been holding, thesource said. State news agency SANA reported dozensof buses were already entering Douma to begin theevacuations. There was no immediate confirmation of thedeal from rebel sources. Ghouta was among the areas hitin a 2013 sarin gas attack that was blamed on Syria’sgovernment. — Agencies

Outrage after chemical attack...


The company proposed that early retirement is pos-sible with additional costs if the financial benefits arereduced, and presented a formula for that.

Meanwhile, five Islamist lawmakers yesterday sub-mitted a draft law calling to legalize the formation ofpolitical parties, with only Kuwaitis allowed to be mem-bers. The bill , filed by MPs Jamaan Al-Harbash,Abdullah Fahhad, Osama Al-Shaheen and MohammadAl-Dallal - all Islamic Constitutional Movement mem-bers - and Islamist MP Adel Al-Damkhi, stipulates toallow the formation of political parties in order to

upgrade Kuwaiti democracy. Although parliamentarydemocracy was introduced to Kuwait back in 1962,political parties are banned, although political groupsfunction freely as de facto parties. The draft law wasfiled several times in the past, but it was ever debatedby Assembly panels or the National Assembly itself.

Separately, the head of the Assembly’s replacementand employment committee MP Khalil Al-Saleh said thepanel was informed by the restructuring program that ithas created some 80,000 administrative jobs forKuwaitis in the private sector. The lawmaker urgedKuwaitis to avail of the opportunities and called on offi-cials to carry out their promises. Also yesterday, theAssembly’s public funds committee recommendedreferring all those who are suspected of having illegallybenefited from the Kuwait Investment Co issue to thepublic prosecution for investigation. The committeefound that certain sides failed to provide the AuditBureau with important documents on the issue.

Clashes seen over early retirement bill...


to the crown prince’s delegation told AFP. A Franco-Saudi cooperation deal to develop Al Ula, a Saudi cityrichly endowed with archeological remnants, is alsoexpected to be a central highlight of the visit, thesource added.

Aside from meetings with the French president, primeminister and trade officials, the prince is also considering avisit to the Paris-based tech start-up campus Station F, theArab World Institute and a concert in the southern city ofAix-en-Provence, the source said. “This is not a traditionalstate visit,” another source close to the Saudi delegationtold AFP, without revealing the time of his arrival yester-day. “It is about forging a new partnership with France, notjust shopping for deals.”

Macron’s office said the trip would also focus oninvestment in the digital economy as well as renewableenergy, as the world’s top crude exporter pumps billionsof dollars in the sector in a bid to diversify its economy.Prince Mohammed’s tour is meant to project “SaudiArabia is open for business,” Bernard Haykel, a professorat Princeton University, told AFP. “He is marketing SaudiArabia as a strategic and business partner to the West anda force of stability in the region, as compared to rival Iranwhich he presents as a destabilizing force,” he said.

The tour comes after a tumultuous period at home thatsaw a major military shake-up and a royal purge as theprince consolidates power to a degree well beyond thatwielded by previous rulers. The prince has used his globaltour to project his reforms - including the historic lifting ofa ban on women driving, cinemas and mixed-gender con-certs - as part of his pledge to return the kingdom tomoderate Islam.

Backed by high-power lobbying and public relationsfirms, the prince is seeking to rebrand Saudi Arabia as amodernist oasis instead of an austere kingdom. Saudi offi-cials project strong relations between Prince Mohammedand Macron, both young leaders undertaking challengingreforms to transform their countries. “Saudi Arabia is notresetting diplomatic ties with France,” a source close tothe Saudi government told AFP. “The leadership of bothcountries share much in common. They are both young,visionary and ambitious.”

But the trip follows a period of underlying tensions,with Macron seeking to bolster ties with the Arab world’sbiggest economy while also managing other relationshipswith Middle Eastern nations. Macron waded into aregional crisis last November when Lebanon’s PrimeMinister Saad Hariri tendered his resignation on live tele-vision from Riyadh, apparently under pressure from thecrown prince. Macron invited Hariri to Paris for talks andhe has since rescinded his resignation, a development thatanalysts say exposed the limits of the prince’s authority.

As US President Donald Trump threatens to tear up the2015 nuclear cooperation deal with Iran, Macron alsofaces the challenge of convincing the crown prince thatsome agreement to curb Tehran’s atomic ambitions is bet-ter than no deal at all, experts say. The crown prince, how-ever, has emphasized closer ties with Washington just asMacron has sought to improve relations with Iran.

Macron also faces seething criticism over French

weapon exports to Saudi Arabia, including Caesar artilleryguns, sniper rifles and armored vehicles, despite the king-dom’s role in the Yemen crisis. Three out of four Frenchpeople believe it is “unacceptable” to sell weapons toSaudi Arabia, according to a poll last month by independ-ent research group YouGov.

Earlier, Prince Mohammed rounded off a weeks-longtour of the US with a weekend in Texas, where he metSaturday with both former president Bushes. George HW Bush, 93, tweeted a photo of the prince with his son,George W Bush. “A wonderful chance to celebrate thelong-standing friendship between our two nations.”,George Bush Senior wrote, while the Saudi embassy inWashington described the meeting as a “reminder of thestrength and breadth of the long-standing Saudi-USpartnership”.

The prince traveled with his plentiful entourage fromthe White House to Houston via Boston, New York,Seattle, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, embarking onwhat one expert called a particularly well-planned publicrelations campaign. The Saudi regime faced little criticismalong the way - although Los Angeles Mayor EricGarcetti expressed “concerns about human rights and theongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” his office told AFP.But strengthening US-Saudi relations in the face of Iranwas a priority for Trump, who hailed the nations’ “greatfriendship” as he met with the 32-year-old prince at theOval Office on March 20.

Since that meeting, MBS has been diligently pushinghis “Saudi Vision 2030” - a plan for a Saudi economy lessreliant on oil and eager to attract US investors tempted bypotential diversification. The latter part of his trip saw himmeet with directors of Google, Facebook and Palantir -not to mention Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropistBill Gates and Richard Branson, with whom he talkedspace exploration.

The prince also enjoyed a Hollywood dinner withRupert Murdoch, where they were joined by studio boss-es and actors including Morgan Freeman, according to theHollywood Reporter. The meeting came ahead of theopening of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema - managed byAmerican AMC Entertainment - in Riyadh on April 18.Then, it was off to Houston to meet with the Bushes, hav-ing already met Bill Clinton in New York. In fact, in termsof former presidents, only Barack Obama - whose terms inoffice marked strained relations with Saudi Arabia - wasleft off the agenda.

“In public relations for him it was incredibly success-ful,” Simon Henderson, an expert on Saudi Arabia at theWashington Institute, told AFP of the US trip. A browse ofthe prince’s Instagram account reveals dozens of photosof him, all smiles and often dressed down without a tie,accompanied by various business leaders. He has over-come a challenge for a Saudi royal: To appear “an ordi-nary sort of person (...) by turning up in Starbucks forinstance,” Henderson added, referencing the prince’s cof-fee run with former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.“The question which I’m fascinated by is: He clearly gotthe PR he wanted to here, and it played well here. But howdid it play at home?” Henderson said.

But while it seemed a fruitful tour in terms of diploma-cy, it has yet to be seen if it will pay off economically.Indeed, it’s not clear whether Prince Mohammed’s pitch toinvest in Saudi Arabia would convince US business lead-ers while his anti-corruption campaign targeted hundredsof princes, ministers and businessmen - a climate whichmakes identifying sustainable partners a tough task forAmericans, according to Henderson. — Agencies

MBS in Paris after meeting...


“We are trying to prove rules and regulations fromsharia are fully compatible with digital blockchaintechnology.”

Tens of millions of dollars worth of the currency havebeen issued so far. About 60 percent of the plannednumber of coins remains to be sold; OneGram hopes toissue them all before listing them on exchanges aroundend-May. OneGram obtained a ruling that its cryptocur-rency conforms with Islamic principles from Dubai-based Al Maali Consulting. It is one of dozens of adviso-ry firms around the world that offer their opinion onwhether financial instruments meet sharia standards.

In Malaysia, HelloGold launched an initial offer of itsgold-backed cryptocurrency in October, receivingapproval from Islamic scholars at Kuala Lumpur-basedAmanie Advisors. Manuel Ho, HelloGold’s chief market-ing officer, said its coin was Islamic as transactionsoccurred within a defined period, making them lessvolatile and addressing the issue of ambiguity of pricing.Among other experiments, United Arab Emirates-basedHalal Chain conducted an initial coin offer in Decemberwhich is linked to data on Islamically permissible goods.

Only around 20 to 30 percent of banking in the Gulfand southeast Asia follows Islamic principles; manyMuslims use conventional finance if it offers higherreturns or more convenience. But the issue of religiouspermissibility is influential and could determine whetherIslamic funds and institutions, which are formally com-mitted to sharia principles, deal in cryptocurrencies.“One of the biggest difficulties is that there is so muchto talk about, and so little certainty in the way cryptowill be playing out,” said Ziyaad Mahomed of HSBCAmanah in Malaysia. He chairs its sharia committee,which oversees Islamic transactions.

National sharia authorities have not ruled on whethercryptocurrencies are permissible, and while severalglobal bodies recommend standards for Islamic finance,none has the authority to impose them. Many govern-

ments seem ambivalent, worried about the potential forinstability but unwilling to lose the chance of benefitingfrom new technology. The Saudi Arabian and UAE cen-tral banks warned their citizens about the risks of trad-ing bitcoin but have not imposed outright bans. Thatleaves Islamic investors to choose between sometimesconflicting judgements by scholars at advisory firms,financial companies and academic institutions.

One of the earliest rulings came in 2014, whenCalifornia-based academic Monzer Kahf, a promi-nent author of Islamic finance textbooks, deemedbitcoin a legitimate medium of exchange, thoughvulnerable to manipulation. Since then, Islamicjurists in South Africa have ruled in favor of cryp-tocurrencies, arguing they have become sociallyacceptable and commonly used, said Mahomed. InOctober, however, the Durban-based Darul IhsanCentre refrained from endorsing them, citing con-cern over potential pyramid schemes. Some scholarsin Turkey, India and Britain have labelled themimpermissible; Egypt’s Grand Mufti declared inJanuary they should not be traded.

Complicating the debate is the fact that there arehundreds of digital coins or tokens, each with uniquefeatures related to distribution, mining and trading,said Farrukh Habib, research officer at Malaysia-based International Shariah Research Academy forIslamic Finance. “They are also very different in termsof their underlying commodities, projects or busi-nesses, so it’s not appropriate to have a blanket shariaruling for all,” said Habib. He is involved in a projectto categorize cryptocurrencies based on sharia-com-pliance criteria. “Most of the existing sharia rulingseither deal with only bitcoin, or include all types ofcryptocurrencies, disregarding their peculiarities.”

Another problem is that many sharia scholars havetrouble understanding the complexities of digital cur-rencies, said Harris Irfan, managing director atCordoba Capital in London. “I would caution againstaccepting any fatwas from community scholars on thesubject of fiqh al-mu’amalat, the jurisprudence oftransactions, which is a highly complex area ofsharia.” Irfan chairs the UK Islamic Fintech Panel, athink tank which is drafting guidelines for accredita-tion of sharia-compliant fintech products includingcryptocurrencies. — Reuters

Crypto traders use gold to draw...

SAN FRANCISCO: Andrew McCutchen’s career-bestsixth hit of the game, a three-run home run in the bot-tom of the 14th inning, rallied the San Francisco Giantsfrom a 5-4 deficit and into a 7-5, walk-off winSaturday over the Los Angeles Dodgers in SanFrancisco. After the Dodgers had scored off RobertoGomez (1-0), the Giants’ ninth pitcher, in the top of the14th, Kelby Tomlinson and Joe Panik led off the bottomof the inning with singlesoff the Dodgers’ 10thpitcher, Wilmer Font (0-2). McCutchen, who ear-lier had stroked four sin-gles and a double, thenbelted the 12th pitch ofhis at-bat, a 2-2 fastball,over the fence in leftfield for his first homeras a Giant and seventhcareer walk-off homer.McCutchen finished 6-for-7 after havingtotaled just two hits inthe Giants’ first six games.

PHILLIES 20, MARLINS 1Maikel Franco and Aaron Altherr each hit a grand

slam, and Philadelphia cruised past visiting Miami in arout. The Phillies scored five runs in the first, four in thethird and eight in the fourth. They compiled 20 hits,and Franco led the way with six RBIs. Eleven differentPhillies had at least one hit. The last time the Philliesscored at least 20 runs came April 6, 2009 against theCincinnati Reds. The Phillies scored more runs in thisgame than they did in their six other games this seasoncombined.

RED SOX 10, RAYS 3Xander Bogaerts clubbed a grand slam and had a

career-high six RBIs to power Boston to its seventhconsecutive victory with a rout of visiting Tampa Bay, Itwas Bogaerts’ second career grand slam and the RedSox’s first since Dustin Pedroia’s slam on Sept. 24, 2016at Tampa Bay. Bogaerts (2-for-3, walk) also hit a two-run double, his major-league-leading seventh two-bag-ger through eight games. J.D. Martinez (1-for-2, walk)hit a solo shot for his first home run as a Red Sox anddrove in two runs while Rafael Devers (2-for-3, walk)added a solo blast and had two RBIs. Boston starterRick Porcello (2-0) allowed three runs on six hits withseven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.

YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 3David Robertson recorded key strikeouts of Manny

Machado and Jonathan Schoop for the final two outs ofthe top of the seventh inning as host New York beatBaltimore. With runners on second and third, Robertsonused his fastball to get Machado looking on a closepitch. He then quickly got ahead of Schoop and finishedthe inning by getting the second baseman to chase at a

curveball on a 2-2 count.Robertson’s latest escapeact occurred after theYankees regained thelead, 5-3, with two runsin the sixth on MiguelAndujar’s sacrifice flyand Austin Romine’s basehit. It also occurredbefore Aaron Judgeripped an RBI doubleand Tyler Austin added atwo-run single off JimmyYacabonis in the seventh.

ASTROS 1, PADRES 0 (10 INNINGS)Derek Fisher raced home from second when San

Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer misplayed a two-outpop up 15 feet down the first base line with two out inthe 10th to give host Houston the walk-off win. Hosmerwas playing deep when Astros third baseman AlexBregman popped up on a full-count pitch from PhilMaton to apparently send a scoreless tie into the 11thinning. But Hosmer ran past the ball as he charged in,and it fell behind him for the decisive run-scoring sin-gle. Fisher ran for Brian McCann, who opened theinning with a single, and immediately tried to steal sec-ond. He was called out, but Astros manager A.J. Hinchchallenged the call, and it was reversed with Fisherstaying at second with the steal.

CUBS 5, BREWERS 2Kris Bryant had a home run and a triple, and visiting

Chicago took advantage of two Milwaukee errors in theninth inning to rally to victory. Trailing 2-1 in the top ofthe ninth inning, the Cubs got RBIs from Ben Zobrist,Ian Happ and pinch hitter Jon Lester to pull in front.Milwaukee third baseman Travis Shaw and shortstopOrlando Arcia committed errors in the ninth inningleading to two unearned runs for the Cubs. Eric Thameshit a solo home run off Yu Darvish, and Lorenzo Caindrove in a go-ahead run in the eighth inning for theBrewers. Thames hit a 3-2 slider out to right field to

open the fourth inning and give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.It was his third home run of the season and second ofthe series.

METS 3, NATIONALS 2Todd Frazier and Asdrubal Cabrera each drove in a

run as New York scored twice in the top of the seventhinning and defeated host Washington. Cabrera tied thegame with a run-scoring double before Frazier made it3-2 on a groundout to second baseman HowieKendrick. Third baseman Anthony Rendon andWashington manager Dave Martinez both were ejectedat the end of the bottom of the third. Rendon flipped hisbat after home plate umpire Marty Foster called himout on strikes. Foster then quickly tossed Rendon, andMartinez came out and argued before also gettingejected.

ROCKIES 3, BRAVES 2 (10 INNINGS)Catcher Tony Wolters walked with the bases loaded

to bring home Carlos Gonzalez with the winning run inthe 10th inning to give Colorado a walk-off victory overvisiting Atlanta. With the bases loaded, Wolters tookfour straight balls from Atlanta closer Arodys Vizcaino(1-1). Wolters was 2-for-3 and made at least three run-saving plays behind the plate. The Braves tied the gamein the ninth against Colorado closer Wade Davis, whoblew his first save of the season. Davis issued a one-outwalk to pinch hitter Kurt Suzuki and a single to DansbySwanson, which sent speedy pinch runner Peter Bourjosto third. Ryan Flaherty then knocked in Bourjos with aline-drive single to center field.

MARINERS 11, TWINS 4Mike Leake pitched five strong innings, and Kyle

Seager, Ryon Healy and Guillermo Heredia provided theoffense as Seattle routed host Minnesota on a chillyafternoon at Target Field. Leake (2-0) didn’t have astrikeout and walked four, but allowed only two runs onthree hits. Seager and Heredia each hit two-run homeruns, and Healy had a bases-clearing double in a five-run eighth inning for the Mariners, who bounced backfrom a loss to the Twins on Friday. Minnesota’s Jose

Berrios, who threw a complete-game shutout in hisseason debut, allowed five runs on six hits and struckout seven in 4 2/3 innings to drop to 1-1.

CARDINALS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 3Michael Wacha (1-1) allowed two runs on four hits in

five innings and Jose Martinez hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning and addedan RBI single to lift St. Louis past visiting Arizona. Onan 0-2 pitch with two men on base, Martinez smashed aZack Greinke offering over the center field fence.Tommy Pham and Marcell Ozuna also scored to give St.Louis a lead it would not relinquish. Bud Norris pitcheda scoreless ninth with three strikeouts for the save.Arizona lost for just the second time this season asGreinke (0-1) had a rough outing, allowing five runs onnine hits in five innings.

ROYALS 1, INDIANS 0Lucas Duda hit a leadoff home run in the seventh

inning and Ian Kennedy struck out eight in six score-less innings as Kansas City beat host Cleveland on a34-degree day. Duda’s homer, his second of the sea-son, was one of three hits off Cleveland right-handerTrevor Bauer (0-1), who struck out seven over eightinnings. Kennedy (1-0) gave up four hits and did notwalk a batter in his second start of the season, drop-ping his ERA to 0.75 after giving up one run in a no-decision against the White Sox. He was removed afterthrowing 101 pitches.

REDS 7, PIRATES 4Eugenio Suarez delivered a tiebreaking three-run

homer and drove in five runs as Cincinnati rallied pasthost Pittsburgh. Suarez sent a fastball from Piratesright-hander George Kontos (0-1) over the fence inleft with two outs in the eighth to give the Reds thethree-run lead. The third baseman went 3-for-4 andalso contributed a game-tying, two-run single in thesixth inning. Joey Votto, Tucker Barnhart and JosePeraza had two hits apiece for the Reds, who finishedwith 11. Cincinnati recovered from a 4-0 deficit toimprove to 2-5. — Reuters

Fiji win record fourth straight HK SevenscrownHONG KONG: Fiji won a record fourthstraight Hong Kong Sevens crown yesterdaywith a crunching 24-12 victory over Kenyaand dedicated the win to those hit by acyclone which struck this month.

“It’s great to have done this for the peopleof Fiji and those who have been affected bythe floods in Fiji,” said coach Gareth Baber.“We’ve talked about it all week-what wecould do to lift the worries and stresses peo-ple are having in their lives-and I thought theplayers did admirably this weekend.”

Cyclone Josie claimed a reported fourlives and left thousands of dwellings floodedwhen it hit the island nation at high tide inearly April. Fiji had come to Hong Kong look-ing to raise spirits back home and grab a sliceof history with a fourth straight title win-andan 18th overall.

Such is the importance of the event toFijians that they opted to send a full-strengthsquad to town, even though theCommonwealth Games rugby sevens tourna-ment-one they have never won-is next week-end. It paid off after a scorching final day thatsaw them first pushed to the limit by a spirit-ed and youthful South Africa in winning theirsemi-final 26-24. The South Africans were

among the nations to send developmentsquads to Hong Kong and focus their moresenior players on the Commonwealth Games.

Kenya came full-strength and had looked aserious threat to the Fijians’ reign after win-ning their semi-final 21-7 over New Zealand.But two yellow cards late in the first half leftthem with five men, and Fiji pounced with anAmenoni Nasilasila try that made the score17-0 at the half.

Kenya tried hard but could never reallywork their way back into serious contention.

“The Hong Kong Sevens is like the WorldCup in Fiji and four years in a row is like win-ning the World Cup,” said Fiji captain JerryTuwai. There was some consolation for theyouthful South Africans as they picked upthird for the tournament with a 29-7 win overNew Zealand.

They also kept hold of their lead in theWorld Rugby Seven Series and head toSingapore from April 28-29 on 126 points toFiji’s 123, with three legs left in the series toplay. — AFP

Monday, April 9, 2018S p o r t s

Established 1961 12

Dodgers lose another marathon to rival Giants in 14 innings

Yankees bounce back against Orioles, win 8-3

Mike Leake pitched five

strong innings

SAN FRANCISCO: Andrew McCutchen #22 of the San Francisco Giants hits a walk-off three-runhomer to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 in the bottom of the 14th inning at AT&T Park onSaturday in San Francisco, California. — AFP

Lion Tambweequals SuperRugby record, Crusaders go topBUENOS AIRES: Golden Lions’Madosh Tambwe scored a record-equalling four tries in a Super Rugbymatch Saturday and CanterburyCrusaders reclaimed top spot in theNew Zealand conference. DemocraticRepublic of Congo-born Tambwematched 15 other players since 1996with Australian Joe Roff first to scorefour tries in a game.

The 20-year-old winger took just54 seconds to open the scoring in a52-31 rout of Western Stormers inJohannesburg during round 8. He com-pleted his hat-trick within 13 minutesand added a fourth try 12 minutes intothe second half of the South Africanderby. On a profitable day for wingers,George Bridge and Manasa Mataelescored two each for defending cham-pions Crusaders in a 40-14 triumphover the Argentine Jaguares in BuenosAires. In other matches, Australiansides New South Wales Waratahs andACT Brumbies won convincingly and

Waikato Chiefs edged Auckland Bluesin a New Zealand derby.

Waratahs hammered the JapaneseSunwolves 50-29 in Tokyo, Brumbiesbeat compatriots Queensland Reds45-21 in Canberra and a penalty tryearned Chiefs a 21-19 win over Bluesin Hamilton. Tambwe is the secondplayer to score four tries in a matchthis year after Ben Lam of WellingtonHurricanes. The Lions winger, who leftDR Congo capital Kinshasa at an earlyage to be educated in Johannesburg,refused to take any credit for hisachievement. “It is entirely due to myteammates that I got those try-scoringopportunities,” said the man-of-the-match award winner.

“I am privileged to be part of theGolden Lions Super Rugby squad andgrateful for every opportunity thecoaching staff give me.” Tambwebegan the season as a third-choicewinger, but injuries to CourtnallSkosan and Aphiwe Dyantyi gave hima chance. Tambwe helped the Lionslead 31-10 at half-time and theyscored regularly in the second half tobounce back after three losses in theirprevious four matches. Lions top theSouth Africa conference with 25points, Coastal Sharks have 14,Stormers 13, Northern Bulls nine andthe Jaguares eight. — AFP

HONG KONG: Collins Injera (C) of Kenya fumbles the ball while getting tackled byAmenoni Nasilasila (R) of Fiji in the Cup Final on the third day at the Hong KongSevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong yesterday. — AFP

MLB results/standings

American LeagueAmerican League - East

W L PCT GBBoston 7 1 .875 -NY Yankees 5 4 .556 2.5Toronto 5 4 .556 2.5Baltimore 3 6 .333 4.5Tampa Bay 1 7 .125 6

American League - CentralMinnesota 4 3 .571 -Detroit 3 4 .429 1Chicago White Sox 3 4 .429 1Cleveland 3 5 .375 1.5Kansas City 2 4 .333 1.5

American League - WestHouston 7 2 .778 -LA Angels 6 3 .667 1Seattle 4 3 .571 2Oakland 4 6 .400 3.5Texas 4 6 .400 3.5

National LeagueNational League - East

NY Mets 6 1 .857 -Atlanta 5 3 .625 1.5Washington 4 4 .500 2.5Philadelphia 3 4 .429 3Miami 2 6 .250 4.5

National League - CentralPittsburgh 6 2 .750 -Milwaukee 5 4 .556 1.5St. Louis 4 4 .500 2Chicago Cubs 4 4 .500 2Cincinnati 2 5 .286 3.5

National League - WestArizona 6 2 .750 -San Francisco 4 3 .571 1.5Colorado 5 4 .556 1.5LA Dodgers 2 6 .250 4San Diego 2 7 .222 4.5

NY Yankees 8, Baltimore 3; NY Mets 3, Washington 2; Boston 10, Tampa Bay 3; Detroit 6, Chicago White Sox 1;Seattle 11, Minnesota 4; St. Louis 5, Arizona 3; Chicago Cubs 5, Milwaukee 2; Kansas City 1, Cleveland 0; SanFrancisco 7, LA Dodgers 5; Philadelphia 20, Miami 1; Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 4; Houston 1, San Diego 0; Texas 5,Toronto 1; Colorado 3, Atlanta 2.

GOLD COAST: The Australian team, consisting of ElijahWinnington, Kyle Chalmers, Alexander Graham and MackHorton, have won the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final indominant fashion, setting a new Games record of seven min-utes and 5.97 seconds to grab the gold.

James Guy helped England finish nearly three secondsbehind the hosts to take silver while Scotland were a furthersecond adrift in third. Scotland’s Duncan Scott won hisfourth medal at Gold Coast after recording a shock win overSouth African Chad le Clos and Australian Kyle Chalmers inthe men’s 100m freestyle final.

Le Clos, who won the 50m and 200m butterfly eventsearlier in the competition, and Olympic champion Chalmersfinished joint-second with times of 48.15 seconds while Scottraced to the title in a time of 48.02 seconds. Chalmers’ com-patriot Cameron McEvoy finished fourth. Scotland cyclistMark Stewart improved on his bronze medal at the WorldChampionships by winning the gold in the men’s 40kmpoints race finals. Stewart took the early lead and hold on forthe win ahead of New Zealand’s Campbell Stewart andEngland’s Ethan Hayter in the final race at the velodrome.

INDIAN WOMEN STUN SINGAPORE Two singles victories from Manika Batra helped the

Indian women’s team win their first ever table tennis goldmedal by beating favourites Singapore 3-1 in the final.England edged out Australia for the bronze.

AUSTRALIANS SECURE ONE-TWO-THREE IN 50M BUTTERFLY

Home favourite Cate Campbell won her third gold medalat the Gold Coast Games in the women’s 50m butterfly with atime of 25.59 seconds to finishahead of compatriots HollyBarratt and Madeline Groves,who took silver and bronzerespectively. Australian MitchLarkin grabbed gold in themen’s 50m backstroke at theGold Coast Games, betteringthe silver he won in Glasgowfour years ago. CompatriotsBenjamin Treffers, who fin-ished just 0.6 seconds behindLarkin, and Zac Incerti com-pleted the podium.

O’CONNOR DOMINATES IN 200M MEDLEY England’s Siobhan-Marie O’Connor won gold in the

women’s 200m individual medley for the second consecutiveGames while compatriot Aimee Willmott and Scotland’sHannah Miley both failed to add to their medals. Canadianduo Sarah Darcel and Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson won thesilver and the bronze medals respectively. O’Connor was theonly swimmer to clock under two minutes 10 seconds.

MORTON CHARGES TO KEIRIN GOLDHome favourites Stephanie Morton and Kaarle

McCulloch charged to an Australian one-two finish in thewomen’s keirin with New Zealand’s Natasha Hansen takingthe bronze. Morton, who won gold in the team and individualsprints along with a silver in the 500m time trial, won herfourth medal of the Games after finishing 0.079 secondsahead of McCulloch.

HOME HOPE PATTERSON WINS SCRATCH RACE

Australia put in a solid team performance to help AmyCure win her second gold medal at this year’s Games in thewomen’s 10km scratch race. Cure, who along with her teammates won the team pursuit, finished ahead of Scotland’sNeah Evans and England’s Emily Kay after a close race.Individual pursuit gold medallist Katie Archibald, ofScotland, narrowly missed out on a medal.

ENGLAND’S GODLEY WINS WEIGHTLIFTING GOLD

England’s weightlifter Emily Godley lifted a combined totalof 222kg to win the women’s 75kg final. She won by a single kg,ahead of second-placed Canadian Marie-Eve Beauchemin-Nadeau. Wales’ Laura Hughes took the bronze.

PEATY FLIES INTO 50M BREASTSTROKE FINAL

World, European and Olympic champion Adam Peaty ison course for a clean sweep of gold medals after surpassinghis own Games record to finish quickest in the men’s 50mbreaststroke semi-finals with a time of 26.49 seconds. SouthAfrican Cameron van der Burgh had the second fastest timeof 26.95 seconds and England’s James Wilby, who won the

200m breaststroke in Peaty’s absence earlier, was third in27.41 seconds.

GLAETZER STORMS TO TIME TRIAL VICTORYAustralian cyclist Matthew Glaetzer, who is the world

champion in sprint, blitzed around the track to set a newGames record time of 59.340 seconds and grab the goldmedal in the men’s 1000m time trial final. New Zealand’sEdward Dawkins and Callum Skinner of Scotland won thesilver and bronze respectively. Glaetzer, a silver medallist inthe time trial at Apeldoorn, suffered a shock exit in the pre-liminary rounds of the sprint event but bounced back to grabgold in the men’s keirin finals on Friday.

MASSE OUTCLASSES SEEBOHM Canadian Kylie Masse led a Canadian one-two finish in the

women’s 200m backstroke final ahead of world championEmily Seebohm, as the 22-year-old and compatriot TaylorRuck won the gold and silver medals respectively. Masse, whoousted Seebohm in the 100m event on Saturday, set a newGames record of two minutes 05.98 seconds to seal the gold.Ruck, aged 17, has now won six medals at this year’s Games.

WILSON HUNGRY FOR MORE AFTER RINGS SILVER

England gymnast Nile Wilson is eager to add to his tally oftwo gold medals and one silver when the final day of theartistic gymnastics competitions is held today. “... It’s anincredible feeling to get a silver on the rings,” Wilson toldBBC. “But I am absolutely exhausted now. One more day toget through after an ice bath recovery tonight. We’re comingout here and putting together some great routines. I’m loving

it and excited to get back outthere.” Wilson’s compatriotCourtney Tulloch, who is therings and team all-round goldmedallist, is already lookingahead to the WorldChampionships. “I can’t believeI’m a double Commonwealthchampion. This is a good step-ping stone towards the WorldChampionships,” Tulloch said.

BLAKE QUALIFIES FIRSTFOR 100M FINAL

Jamaican sprinter YohanBlake has qualified in first place for the men’s 100m finalafter blazing to a time of 10.06 seconds in the semi-finals.Cayman Islands’ Kemar Hyman was second fastest and fin-ished ahead of England’s Adam Gemili, the world 4x100relay gold medallist at London. Blake, a former world cham-pion, is among the favourites to win the event and re-estab-lish Jamaica’s dominance following the retirement of multipleOlympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.

PHILIP SECURES FIRST SPOT IN WOMEN’S 100M SEMI-FINALS

England’s Asha Philip qualified fastest for the women’s100m finals with a time of 11.21 seconds in the semi-finals,narrowly ahead of Jamaican Christania Williams, the 4x100relay silver medallist at the Rio Olympics, who finished in11.22 seconds. Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye wasthe third fastest.

FENTON ADDS TO ENGLAND MEDAL HAULEngland’s 17-year-old Georgia Mae-Fenton added to the

nation’s medal rush in gymnastics at this year’s Games bywinning the gold in women’s uneven bars finals with a scoreof 14.600. Canadian Brittany Rogers, who was part of hercountry’s gold medal-winning squad in the team all-roundevent on Friday, grabbed the silver followed by Australia’sGeorgia Goodwin in third.

TULLOCH, WILSON SEAL ENGLAND ONE-TWO IN GYMNASTICS

England’s Courtney Tulloch and Nile Wilson, both ofwhom were part of the team that won the all-round finals onthe opening day, have won the gold and silver respectively inthe men’s rings final. Wilson adds to his individual all-roundgold he won on Saturday. Canada’s Scott Morgan rounds outthe podium.

CHEPTEGEI RACES TO 5000M VICTORYA late flourish helped Ugandan sprinter Joshua Kiprui

Cheptegei clinch gold in the men’s 5000m final ahead ofCanadian Mohammed Ahmed. Ahmed took the early leadand after a classic chase Cheptegei, who won silver in the10000m race at last year’s world championships, racedahead with four laps to go and held on to win. Kenyan

Edward Pingua Zakayo won the bronze.

MCCLENAGHAN ON HIS ‘HUGE’ WIN OVER WHITLOCK

Northern Ireland’s gold-medal winning gymnast RhysMcClenaghan believes his victory over reigning Olympicchampion Max Whitlock in the men’s pommel horse finalputs him among the best in the sport. “Max has been my idolgrowing up and I’ve been watching him since 2010 when hewas competing in the Delhi Commonwealths,” the 18-year-old told BBC. “I’ve always felt though that one day I could beup there with the best and beating them and this is a hugeresult for me.”

ELEFTHERIOU EDGES OUT HILL TO WINWOMEN’S SHOOTING GOLD

Cypriot Andri Eleftheriou set a new Games record afterhitting 52 of the 60 targets to grab the gold medal in thewomen’s skeet shooting finals. England’s Amber Hill, whowon the gold medal in the event in the 2017 CommonwealthChampionships and 2015 European Games, took silver andEleftheriou’s compatriot Panagiota Andreou won bronze.

HUDSON-SMITH DISQUALIFIED IN 400M HEATSEngland sprinter Matt Hudson-Smith was disqualified

from the men’s 400m after stepping out of his lane in theheats. Grenada’s Bralon Taplin qualified the fastest with atime of 45.11 seconds.

OLSEN LEADS CANADIAN ONE-TWO IN WOMEN’S VAULT

Shallon Olsen and Elsabeth Black won the gold and sil-ver medals respectively in the women’s vault withAustralia’s Emily Whitehead taking the bronze.

MCCLENAGHAN PIPS WHITLOCK TO WINNORTHERN IRELAND’S FIRST MEDAL

Reigning Olympic champion Max Whitlock sufferedanother blow as Rhys McClenaghan clinched NorthernIreland’s first medal of this year’s Games after winning

gold in the men’s pommel horse final. England’s Whitlockand McClenaghan both recorded a score of 15.100 in thetiebreak, with the Englishman having a higher difficultyscore and the Irishman having a higher execution score,but the latter was handed the gold. Whitlock settled for sil-ver while Canada’s Zachary Clay took the bronze.

SAMPSON GRABS SHOOTING GOLDAustralian Dane Sampson won the gold in the men’s

10m air rifle final after setting a new Games record scoreof 245.0. Bangladesh’s Abdullah Hel Baki won silver whileIndia’s Ravi Kumar took the bronze.

BHAKER WINS SHOOTING GOLDIndia’s Manu Bhaker won her nation’s sixth gold medal

at this year’s Games, notching a Games record score of240.9 to win the women’s 10m air pistol finals. The 16-year-old finished ahead of compatriot Heena Sidhu andAustralian Elena Galiabovitch.

INDIA’S YADAV WINS WEIGHTLIFTING GOLDIndia’s Punam Yadav claimed gold in the women’s 69kg

weightlifting division with a combined weight of 222kg.England’s Sarah Davies took silver with 217kg after shefailed to lift 128kg on her final clean and jerk. Yadav hadfailed with her own second lift of 122kg. The 22-year-oldYadav, however, succeeded on her third lift to clinch gold,adding to the bronze she won in the 63kg weight divisionfour years ago in Glasgow. Fiji’s Apolonia Vaivai wonbronze with a combined total of 216kgs.

BIRD-SMITH WINS FIRST ATHLETICS MEDALAustralia’s Dane Bird-Smith produced a stunning burst in

the final few hundred metres to win the first athletics medal atthe Gold Coast Games in the men’s 20km walk. England’s TomBosworth took silver just four seconds behind the RioOlympics bronze medallist, with Kenya’s Samuel IreriGathimba finishing third. “The last 500m hurt so much but Ihad everyone behind me which made it so special,” Bird-Smithsaid. “It was unbelievable, a bloody unreal feeling. — Reuters

S p o r t s Monday, April 9, 2018

13Established 1961

Cheptegei racesto 5000m

victory

Australia continue medal rush in the pool, Scott upsets Chalmers

Blake qualifies first for 100m final

GOLD COAST: Canada’s Isabela Onyshko competes in the women’s uneven bars final artistic gymnas-tics event during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre onthe Gold Coast yesterday.

(L to R) Bangladesh’s Abdullah Hel Baki, Australia’s Dane Sampson and India’s Ravi Kumar react afterthe 10m air rifle men’s final competition during the 2018 gold Coast Commonwealth Games at theBelmont Shooting Complex in Brisbane yesterday.

GOLD COAST: Athletes (L-R) Jamaica’s Yohan Blake, Australia’s Trae WIilliams, England’s Adam Gemili,Canada’s Gavin Smellie and Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Jason Rogers compete in the athletic’s men’s 100msemi-final during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. — AFP photos

GOLD COAST: Australia’s Cate Campbell (C gold), Australia’s Madeline Groves (L silver) and Australia’sHolly Barratt (bronze) pose with their medals after the swimming women’s 50m butterfly final during the2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Optus Aquatic Centre in the Gold Coast yesterday.


14

LOS ANGELES: Will Barton scored 31 points andNikola Jokic added 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assistsfor his ninth triple-double of the season as the DenverNuggets rolled past the Los Angeles Clippers 134-115on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center in Los Angelesand remained in the hunt for the postseason. The winwas the fifth straight for the Nuggets, who are still outof the playoff picture but tied, record-wise, with eighth-place Minnesota. The Timberwolves hold the head-to-head tiebreaker betweenthe two teams, but thereis still plenty to be decid-ed between now andApril 11, the final day ofthe NBA’s regular season.The Clippers were elimi-nated from playoff con-sideration with Saturday’sloss. Los Angeles (42-38)has lost four of its pastfive games. Denver (45-35) outscored theClippers in every quarterand put the game awaywith a final decisive run in the first half of the fourthperiod that garnered the Nuggets a 119-101 lead.

Thunder 108, Rockets 102Russell Westbrook recorded 24 points, 10 assists,

seven rebounds and four steals to help Oklahoma Citypost a crucial victory over Houston, snapping theRockets’ 20-game home winning streak. Paul Georgealso scored 24 points and Carmelo Anthony added 22for the Thunder, who won for just the second time in thepast six games. Steven Adams contributed 12 pointsand eight rebounds and Jerami Grant also scored 12points for Oklahoma City. The victory leaves theThunder (46-34) tied with the New Orleans Pelicansand San Antonio Spurs, who both won Saturday, forfifth place in the Western Conference playoff race.Oklahoma City needs to win one of its final two games

to clinch a playoff berth.

Pelicans 126, Warriors 120Rajon Rondo stripped the ball from Kevin Durant

and E’Twaun Moore converted the steal into a shortjumper at the other end with 23.5 seconds remaining,allowing New Orleans to hold on for a key victory overhost Golden State. Down 121-113 after an AnthonyDavis basket with 3:22 left, Golden State scratched

back within two onhoops by Durant,Draymond Green andAndre Iguodala, the lat-ter a dunk with 1:01 toplay. But with a chanceto tie, Durant (41 points,10 rebounds) had theball knocked away bythe much smaller Rondowith 31.3 seconds left,and Moore followedwith his key hoop almosteight seconds later.

Spurs 116, Trail Blazers 105LaMarcus Aldridge scored 28 points and Manu

Ginobili came off the bench for 10 of his 17 points in thefourth quarter in San Antonio’s win over visitingPortland. Ginobili was 7-for-7 from the field — 3-for-3from 3-point range-in helping the Spurs claim their10th straight win at home. Damian Lillard scored 33points for the Trail Blazers, who lost their third straightgame. Evan Turner added 18 points and CJ McCollum17 for Portland.

Bucks 115, Knicks 102Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton each had 22

points to lead all five starters in double figures asMilwaukee defeated host New York. Jarrett Jack had ateam-high 18 points off the bench to lead the Knicks,who dropped their fifth game in their last six contests.

New York (28-52) failed to score for a four-minutestretch late in the fourth quarter as the Bucks brokeopen the game, securing the first double-digit lead foreither team. Milwaukee trailed 95-94 with 5:51 left inthe game, but the Bucks used a 12-0 run to go up 11before cruising to the win.

Nets 124, Bulls 96Unloading a non-stop barrage of 3-pointers,

Brooklyn routed host Chicago. The Nets sank 24 of55 attempts from behind the arc, with eight playershitting at least one 3-pointer and six making multiplethrees. Leading a balanced attack was reserve QuincyAcy with a game-high 21 points, all but three of themon 3-pointers. Allen Crabbe added 20 while JoeHarris chipped in 16 points. In contrast to Brooklyn’sassault from the perimeter, Chicago made just 6 of 293-point tries. — Reuters

Nuggets regain control of playoff destiny, Clippers eliminated

Established 1961

Westbrook helps Oklahoma City post crucial victory over Houston

Brooklyn rout host Chicago

LOS ANGELES: DeAndre Jordan #6 of the LA Clippers goes to the basket against the Denver Nuggets onSaturday at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. — AFP

AUGUSTA: Rory McIlroy takes aim at a careerGrand Slam while leader Patrick Reed eyesAugusta National records and a first major titlein yesterday’s final-round showdown of the 82ndMasters. An emotional back-nine drama withgolf history at stake was set to unfold in cool,overcast conditions among the Georgia pineswith Reed atop the leaderboard at 14-under 202through 54 holes and last-pair partner McIlroythree strokes adrift.

“We’re both trying to do something pretty spe-cial,” McIlroy said. Northern Ireland’s McIlroy cancapture his fifth major title and his first green jack-et to complete the career Slam, at least one win ineach of the four major championships.

“I want to keep the pressure on him,” McIlroysaid. “If I can get off to a good solid start, that willbe enough to keep me hanging in there. “If I canstay within two or three going to the back nine,that’s when things can happen out there.”

Reed could become the first player to shootfour rounds in the 60s at the Masters and has achance to break the 72-hole course record of18-under 270 shared by Tiger Woods andJordan Spieth.

“I almost feel like I can kick it into another gearand go even deeper,” Reed said. “If I hit that oneshot, I can pump myself up and try to get goingand try to flip that switch.” McIlroy outscoredReed by two strokes each day when playing along-side Reed on the first two days of the 2014Masters, but the biggest memory of them as rivalswas from the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, whenUS firebrand Reed edged Europe’s McIlroy 1 up inan epic clash.

“It’s probably one of the best matches we everplayed. It was probably also one of the mostexhausting matches we ever played,” Reed said.“The biggest thing I was able to pull from it is Iwas head-to-head with Rory and able to puttogether a really good round. When he tried tomake a counter I was able to always stay aheadand keep going.” McIlroy will draw inspirationfrom memories of a 2011 meltdown in the finalround of the Masters, when he fired an 80 tosquander a potential wire-to-wire win.

“I’ve given myself another chance, another shotat doing something special,” McIlroy said. “Sevenyears have gone by. To finally get the opportunityagain to see if I can put all those wrongs right issomething I’m looking forward to.” Reed isn’t theonly golfer who could continue a run of first timemajor winners that has seen eight of them capturetitles at the past nine majors. American RickieFowler was third, five strokes adrift on 207, withSpaniard Jon Rahm another shot back as bothchase their first major crown. Sweden’s HenrikStenson, the 2016 British Open winner, was fifth on209 with two-time Masters champion BubbaWatson and first-time major win hopefuls MarcLeishman of Australia and Tommy Fleetwood ofEngland on 210.—AFP

Reed, McIlroy chasegolf history, greenjacket at Masters

ROUBAIX: World champion Peter Sagan left his rivalsin the dust yesterday after a break from 55km out sawhim clinch a jaw dropping victory in the 257km Paris-Roubaix classic. The 28-year-old Slovak outsprintedSwiss champion Silvan Dillier, the last survivor from anearlier break, in the iconic outdoor velodrome inRoubaix after 5hrs 54mins 06sec in the saddle.

Last week’s Tour of Flanders winner Niki Terpstrawas third at 57sec and 2017 champion Greg VanAvermaet fourth at 1:34. Victory in the ‘Hell of theNorth’ was a second prestigious ‘Monument’ one-dayclassic success for Sagan, who won the Tour ofFlanders in 2016 and has three consecutive world titles.

“I feel amazing, I’m so tired, but I was involved in nocrashes, had no flat tyres and I just kept going,” saidSagan, who at one point was caught on camera usingan Allen key to make some on board repairs as hecycled along at more than 40km/h.

Dillier said his very participation at the race hadbeen in doubt and said that without Sagan alongsidehim, he would never have secured such an impressiveresult. “I broke a finger recently and didn’t think I’d

make Paris-Roubaix because of that,” he said.“Sagan is an angel and devil in the same person-an

angel because he took me with him and a devil becauseI had to go man-to-man with him. “Congratulations tohim.” Known for his rapid finishing, Sagan has oftenpaid for his reputation as rivals have sought to neu-tralise his famed kick for the line by leaving him behindwith their own daring long-range bids for glory. Butthis time, he had no intention of playing to the sound ofanyone else’s drum and launched his victory bid with ablistering attack from 55km out on one of the 29 cob-bled sections totalling more than 54km in length. Hesoon stretched out a lead of more than 30-secondsover his main rivals for victory as he bounced over thecobbles. Sagan latched onto an earlier break and soonmade up a three-man group alongside Belgian JelleWallays and Dillier. With 20km to go Wallays haddropped off as Sagan upped the pace and the break-away duo pushed their lead out to 1:30.

Van Avermaet and Tersptra were slow to react andwhen they did they dragged the gap back down tounder a minute with 13km to go. But the chase stalledthere as Sagan and Dillier dug in to ensure they hadenough leeway to contest a two-up sprint finish, thatSagan was always likely to win.

Typically, the cobbles played havoc with the pelotonas a number of crashes brought down riders despite therace setting off on a glorious, dry spring morning.Belgian Michael Goolaerts was airlifted to hospital inLille in a serious condition after being knocked uncon-scious in a heavy crash, according to French emergencyservices. — AFP

Sagan seals Paris-Roubaix with epic break

COMPIENGNE: Winner Slovakia’s Peter Sagan cele-brates with his trophy on the podium after the116th edition of the Paris-Roubaix one-day classiccycling race, between Compiegne and Roubaix,yesterday in Compiegne, northern France. — AFP

KUWAIT: Kuwait cemented its place inthe second group of the men’s Davis Cup

as they defeated Malaysia 2-0 in thequalifiers that were played in Vietnamwith the participation of nine countriesincluding Kuwait.

Mohammad Al-Ghareeb won the firstsingles match with the score of 2-0,meanwhile his colleague AbdallahMaqdis won the second singles matchwith the score of 2-1. This fifth win byKuwait comes after defeating SaudiArabia, Jordan, Qatar and finally Syria.

PARIS: Rafael Nadal thrashed AlexanderZverev as Spain set up a Davis Cup semi-final against holders France with a dramaticfightback against Germany in Valencia yes-terday. The world number one’s 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win in Valencia drew the tie level at 2-2,before veteran David Ferrer battled to amarathon 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-5 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber to fin-ish the job.

Two breaks in each set were enough forNadal to seal an impressively comfortablevictory over world number four Zverev inwhat was only the 31-year-old’s secondouting since returning from a hip injury.

Nadal said after the match he is stillregaining sharpness. “The first set was fan-tastic,” Nadal said. “There were timeswhen I lost a bit of control because thematch was tough, I had not competed for along time and to maintain the level of thefirst set was complicated for me.

“But in general it was a very importantmatch and I am very happy.” Nadal wasforced to retire from his Australian Openquarter-final against Marin Cilic in Januarybut, back on his favoured clay, the 16-timeGrand Slam champion showed little sign ofrust against Zverev, whom he has now

beaten four times out of four.It was also the 24th consecutive match

Nadal has won in the Davis Cup. He beatKohlschreiber in straight sets on Fridayafter Zverev had overcome Ferrer.Germany then took a 2-1 lead when TimPuetz and Jan-Lennard Struff won thedoubles rubber against Feliciano andMarc Lopez.

But Nadal kept up his end of the bar-gain yesterday and the 36-year-old Ferrershowed all of his trademark never-say-diequalities to keep Spain’s hopes of a sixthDavis Cup title alive. Kohlschreiber twicefought back from a set down, but formerFrench Open runner-up Ferrer broke in the11th game of the decider and held his nerveon serve after almost five hours on court.

Elsewhere, defending champions Francebooked a home semi-final against Spain asLucas Pouille claimed a hard-fought winover Fabio Fognini in Genoa to give thevisitors a 3-1 victory in the tie.

“I won without playing my best tennis,those are the best types of victories,”Pouille said after his first Davis Cup winover a top-20 player. World number 11Pouille, who had beaten Andreas Seppi infive sets on Friday, came from behind tosee off Fognini 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 andsend Yannick Noah’s France into the semisfor the third time in four years.

“18 months ago, he was playing for thefirst time, and now he is our leader on andoff the court,” captain Noah said of Pouille.Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herberthad cruised to a straight-sets victory overFognini and Simone Bolelli in the doubleson Saturday to put France in control,despite Fognini’s bad-tempered four-setwin against Jeremy Chardy.—AFP

The victorious Kuwait national tennis team.

Kuwait defeat Malaysia in Davis Cup

Nadal crushes Zverev as Spainreach Davis Cup semis


15

MADRID: Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldoscored for the 10th game in a row in yesterday’s 1-1draw at home to Atletico Madrid but AntoineGriezmann struck back at the other end to keep his sidefour points ahead of their cross-city rivals.

Yet the Madrid derby draw only pushes Barcelonacloser to winning the title as second-placed Atleticonow trail Ernesto Valverde’s runaway leaders by 11points in the standings.Ronaldo followed hisoutrageous bicycle kickstrike against Juventus inthe Champions Leagueon Tuesday by breakingthe deadlock in an enter-taining contest in the53rd minute.

He sent a cross fromGareth Bale crashingpast Jan Oblak on thevolley, hitting the targetfor the 20th time in 10games. Atletico quicklystruck back down the other end, with Griezmann tap-ping into an empty net in the 57th minute to completean excellent team move also involving Thomas Parteyand Vitolo.

Barcelona lead the standings on 79 points afterbeating Leganes 3-1 on Saturday. Atletico have 68while Real are third on 64 after 31 games. The Catalanswill lift a 25th Liga title if they win four of their sevenremaining games.

Real winger Marco Asensio and left back Marceloboth hit the crossbar in the first half while the home

side had penalty appeals waved away either side of theinterval and Oblak was forced to save goal-boundshots from Dani Carvajal and Ronaldo.

Real keeper Keylor Navas beat away a low strikefrom Diego Costa in the first half and then kept out apowerful effort from Koke in the second while Atleticomidfielder Saul Niguez struck one just wide as the visi-tors grew in confidence. Madrid captain Sergio Ramos

almost grabbed aninjury-time winner froma free kick but Oblakagain came to Atletico’srescue by tipping thecurling shot over the bar.

Also yesterday,Levante took a giantstep towards sealingtheir La Liga survival bywinning 2-1 in a relega-tion battle at home tofellow strugglers LasPalmas with a superbinjury time goal by Jose

Campana.Spanish midfielder Campana cut inside from the left

wing on the counterattack and coolly curled the ballinto the far corner, sparking jubilant scenes at thepacked Ciutat de Valencia stadium after Las Palmascaptain David Garcia had cancelled out Coke’s openinggoal. The win takes Levante, who finished the gamewith 10 men, eight points clear of the relegation zoneand 18th placed Deportivo La Coruna with sevengames remaining. Las Palmas are 10 points adrift in19th. — Reuters

Ronaldo on target in derby draw as Barca stretch Liga lead

Established 1961

Barcelona lead the standings on 79 points

Superb injury time goal by

Jose Campana

MILAN: Last-gasp goals from Arkadiusz Milikand Amadou Diawara kept Napoli’s Serie A titleambitions alive as a 2-1 win over Chievo yesterdaymaintained the pressure on reigning championsJuventus. Maurizio Sarri’s title-chasers looked des-tined to remain seven points behind Juventus asthey trailed until the 89th minute at their San PaoloStadium. Polish striker Mariusz Stepinski’s goal on73 minutes had put the relegation battlers fromVerona ahead, with Chievo goalkeeper StefanoSorrentino making a string of saves including froma Dries Mertens penalty.

But Milik headed in the equaliser with oneminute of normal time to go with Guinean mid-fielder Diawara grabbing the winner deep intoinjury time. “We won a game that we deserved towin,” said Sarri. “It had seemed cursed, as we had31 shots on goal, missed a penalty, hit the wood-work. It was one of those classic games where theteam does everything right and the ball won’t goin. “But they kept pushing and the logical conclu-sion was to win the match.” Juventus’ 4-2 win overBenevento on Saturday had opened up a seven-point advantage as the Turin giants chase a sev-enth straight title. But the gap is now back to fourpoints with just seven games remaining as Napolicontinue to push for a first Scudetto since 1990.

Despite dominating Napoli had little to showfor their efforts, with Stepinski breaking throughon Chievo’s first real chance after sloppy defend-ing by the hosts. A Lorenzo Tonelli header rattledthe crossbar minutes later, with Sorrentino savinga curling Insigne goal-bound shot and Mertensand Piotr Zielinski also hitting wide.

But in the final minute with the whistles of thehome crowd growing louder, Insigne crossed forMilik and Diawara ensured Napoli keep the pres-sure on Juventus, with the two sides still to gohead-to-head in Turin on April 22.

“I have to thank the fans, because without them,we would not have won the match,” said Sarri.“When we got the equaliser, the Stadio San Paoloturned into a cauldron and we rode that wave.”

INTER MILAN SLIP UP Earlier, Adem Ljajic scored the only goal for

Torino to ensure former club Inter Milan missedthe chance to move third. Inter could have over-taken Roma after the capital club lost 2-0 at homeagainst Fiorentina on Saturday.

But Luciano Spalletti’s side now risk droppingout of the Champions League places with Lazio-two points behind in fifth-travelling to Udinese lat-er. It was the first time that Torino coach WalterMazzarri had faced his former club Inter sincebeing fired in November 2014.—AFP

Napoli keep title ambitions alive

LONDON: Arsene Wenger hailed Danny Welbeck’sreturn to form as his double inspired Arsenal to a bad-tempered 3-2 victory over Southampton yesterday thatsaw both sides reduced to 10 men.

England World Cup hopeful Welbeck also madeArsenal’s other goal for Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang asthe Gunners fought off a spirited challenge from theSaints, who remain in the Premier League relegationzone. Southampton’s Jack Stephens was sent off instoppage time for a clash with Gunners substitute JackWilshere-who should also have been dismissedaccording to Southampton manager Mark Hughes.

Arsenal did finish with 10 men when MohamedElneny saw red for a hand in the face of Cedric Soares,but Wenger believed the game should be rememberedmost for Welbeck’s first Premier League goals sinceSeptember last year. Welbeck, whose Arsenal careerhas been dogged by injury problems, shrugged offmissing a glorious chance seconds before he headedhome the winner nine minutes from time.

“I’m pleased for him because he has been throughdifficult times,” Wenger said. “I have seen him behave(well) when it was really tough so he deserves every-thing he gets. “He had every reason to feel sorry forhimself, to think the mountain was too big to climb,because it was the right knee, then the left knee and ayear out every time.

“People were questioning whether he would comeback and I believe what he has done is exceptional.”Welbeck will be hoping a late-season revival increaseshis chances of making England’s World Cup squad.

“I’m happy with the assist and glad to get the goals,”he said. “I know when I get the opportunities in front ofgoal I will put them away-apart from the one I putover! “I thought I would get another opportunity to geta winner and I kept focused on that. The World Cup willtake care of itself-I don’t pick the team.”

The game ended petulantly when Stephens threwWilshere to the ground after the Arsenal substitute had

ripped his shirt. Elneny then saw red for a hand inCedric Soares’ face straight after, but Hughes was con-vinced referee Andre Marriner should also have dis-missed Wilshere. “I saw a definite movement with hisknee towards Jack (Stephens),” said Hughes. “The ref-eree should have seen that and sent both off. “Elnenyhas raised a hand to Cedric’s face-that’s a sending offclearly. So maybe there should have been three.”

Southampton remain three points adrift of safety butthis was a much better performance than Hughes’ firstPremier League game in charge-a 3-0 defeat at WestHam. Shane Long took advantage of a comical mix-up

between Petr Cech and Shkodran Mustafi to put thevisitors in front early on.

And they were well worth their equaliser whenCharlie Austin came off the bench to level at 2-2 17minutes from time before Welbeck’s late winner. “It wasa good performance and a marked contrast to WestHam,” added Hughes. “The only criticism is that whenyou get back on level terms you need to have the clari-ty of thought to make sure you take something out ofthe game. “It was clearly encouraging in terms of whatwe need to do to get out of this situation. Clearly wehave got talented players, you saw that today.” — AFP

Injury-prone Welbeck deserves a break: Wenger

LONDON: Arsenal’s English midfielder Jack Wilshere (R) misses a chance at goal during the English PremierLeague football match between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London yesterday. —AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

SPANISH LEAGUEVillarreal v Athletic de Bilbao 22:00beIN SPORTS HD 3

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA Leipzig v Bayer 04 Leverkusen 21:30beIN SPORTS HD 5

MADRID: Real Madrid’s French defender Raphael Varane (2R) vies with Atletico Madrid’s Argentinian for-ward Angel Correa (R) beside Atletico Madrid’s French forward Antoine Griezmann during the Spanishleague football match between Real Madrid CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu sta-dium in Madrid yesterday. — AFP

CAIRO: Mohamed “Ibn Nufal” Nufal, 24, kisses his mothergoodbye in Cairo’s Tahrir Square as he sets off for the WorldCup in Russia - on a bicycle. After about 5,000 km (3,000miles) and 65 days on the road, Nufal hopes to reach Moscowto see Egypt make its first appearance in the World Cup for28 years.

Nufal plans to get there via Jordan, Bulgaria, Romania,Moldova and Ukraine. He will fly over Syria due to the civilwar there and will also give Iraq a miss for security reasons.On his bike, Nufal has packed spare parts, an extra phone,batteries and camping gear. In addition to his tent, Nufal willput up in hostels where he can find them, as well as relying onthe kindness of strangers for a bed for the night.

“It is about the road more than the arrival,” he told ReutersTelevision. “If it were just about the World Cup, I would take aplane. It is a great chance for me to see new things.” A groupof cyclists and friends escorted Nufal as he started his trip onSaturday, and he hopes many more will offer him help alongthe way. After clinching its World Cup spot in October, Egyptwill compete on football’s ultimate stage for the first timesince 1990. -— Reuters

GLASGOW: Celtic moved to within one win ofa seventh straight Scottish Premiership title asLeigh Griffiths came off the bench to edge out10-man Hamilton 2-1 yesterday.

Despite falling well short of the standardsthey set in winning a domestic treble withoutsuffering a single defeat last season, BrendanRodgers’s men enjoy a 13-point lead overRangers and Aberdeen with f ive gamesremaining. Rodgers made five changes to theside that were disappointingly held 0-0 athome by Dundee in midweek.

Manchester City loanee Patrick Roberts wasone of those to come into the side for his firststart since November and immediately madean impact by teeing up Callum McGregor toopen the scoring after just three minutes.Hamilton are involved in a four-way battle to

avoid the drop at the other end of the table.But the home side battled back into the

game to equalise when Rakish Binghamshowed Celtic’s sluggish back line a clean pairof heels to run through and slot past ScottBain.

However, Hamilton’s chances of holding outfor an unlikely point suffered a blow beforehalf-time when midfielder Darren Lyon wasshown two yellow cards in quick successionfor fouling Kieran Tierney and then lashing outat the Scotland international. Rodgers reactedby introducing an extra striker at the break asGriffiths replaced Jack Hendry.

Griffiths has endured a frustrating seasonwith injuries and inconsistent form seeing himoften left on the sidelines. But he showed hispredatory instincts just a minute after beingintroduced to head Scott Sinclair’s cross intothe bottom corner.

Celtic dominated possession thereafter, butfailed to add to their lead with minds possiblybeginning to focus on next weekend’s ScottishCup semi-final with rivals Rangers.

Their opponents for a possible title partythe following week are still unknown with theSPFL yet to announce the fixture list for thefinal five games of the season when the leaguesplits and sees the top six and bottom six faceoff in the climax to the season. —AFP

Egyptian gets on his bike for WorldCup road trip

Griffiths puts Celtic one win from seventh straight title

Sport

LONDON: West Ham United’s Mexican striker Javier Hernandez (L) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge in Londonyesterday. — AFP

Fiji win record fourth straight HK Sevens crown

Australia continue medal rush in the pool, Scott upsets Chalmers

World champion Sagan seals Paris-Roubaix with epic break1412 13

Established 1961

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018

Chelsea’s top-four bid in tattersLONDON: Chelsea’s faint hopes of a top-four finish inthe Premier League suffered a potentially fatal blow asJavier Hernandez’s late equaliser gave struggling WestHam a 1-1 draw yesterday. Antonio Conte’s side wentahead through Cesar Azpilicueta’s first-half strike atStamford Bridge.

But Chelsea missed a host of chances to increase theiradvantage and were made to pay when Hernandez cameoff the bench to snatch the leveller with 17 minutes left.Conte had admitted losing at home to Tottenham for thefirst time in 28 years last weekend was a huge setback inChelsea’s bid to salvage a dismal campaign by qualifyingfor the Champions League. With fifth-placed Chelsealagging 10 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham withonly six games remaining, this frustrating result shouldend their top-four challenge.

West Ham, now six points clear of the relegation zone,were ecstatic to escape with a point despite a largely

limp display. But it was a disappointing conclusion to amiserable week for Chelsea, who were mourning thedeath of their former star Ray Wilkins. Wilkins died atthe age of 61 after suffering a cardiac arrest. The formerEngland midfielder, who played for Chelsea for six yearsin the 1970s and had several spells as the club’s assistantcoach, was remembered by fans who laid flowers outsidethe stadium.

Inside, Chelsea and West Ham supporters, usuallyfierce rivals, united to sing “there’s only one Ray Wilkins”and held aloft a huge flag with his image. There was aminute’s applause before kick-off, with Chelsea’s playersall wearing number eight warm-up shirts in recognition ofWilkins’ old jersey. Respects paid, Chelsea had to focuson finding a way to end a damaging run of one win fromtheir previous four league matches. Eden Hazard’s indif-ferent form has epitomised Chelsea’s struggles and theBelgian playmaker had gone seven games without a goal.

TEMPORARY REPRIEVE Hazard came close to ending that streak when he

made a penetrating run to the edge of the area andflashed a shot just wide. Chelsea were in control butwhen Alvaro Morata found the back of the net fromHazard’s pass, the Spain striker’s effort was ruled out foroffside. Hazard was looking more like his old self and hecombined with Cesc Fabregas to prise open the WestHam defence, but Morata’s deft back-flick rolled wide.

Back in the groove, Hazard provided the impetus foranother flowing Chelsea move that saw Willian’s shotpushed over by West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart. It wasonly a temporary reprieve for West Ham as Conte’s mentook a 36th-minute lead from the resulting short corner.Victor Moses, left unmarked by West Ham’s ponderousdefence, scooped a cross towards Morata and he head-ed down to Azpilicueta, who controlled before poking asoft shot past Hart for his first goal since October.

Willian was inches away from doubling Chelsea’s leadearly in the second half after Hazard’s clever back-heelgave the Brazilian space to shoot just wide.

Morata has endured a difficult first year withChelsea and his fortunes weren’t improving as he head-ed over from a corner before having another effort dis-allowed for offside. All those near-misses came back tohaunt Chelsea in the 73rd minute. Mark Noble pumpeda long ball into the Chelsea area and Blues captainGary Cahill responded with a mistimed header thatdropped for Marko Arnautovic. A quick pass fromArnautovic found Hernandez and the striker, on for justthree minutes, dri l led a f ine finish past ThibautCourtois.

Marcos Alonso almost spared Chelsea’s blushes witha thunderous strike, but Hart finished as West Ham’shero with superb saves to keep out that effort and onefrom an Olivier Giroud header. — AFP

Hernandez’s late equaliser gives struggling West Ham a 1-1 draw

SAKHIR: Sebastian Vettel marked his 200th FormulaOne race with a thrilling and brilliantly-judged victoryfor Ferrari in yesterday’s dramatic Bahrain Grand Prix.The four-time ex champion, on severely-worn tyres,came home narrowly ahead of Valtteri Bottas and theFinn’s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a nail-biting finish to an intriguing contest.

French rookie Pierre Gasly took a stunning fourthplace for the Honda-powered Toro Rosso team aheadof Kevin Magnussen of Haas. It was Vettel’s secondwin in as many races this season, the 49th of his careerand extended his lead ahead of Hamilton in the drivers’championship to 17 points after the Englishman deliv-ered a dazzling drive from ninth on the grid to finishonly six seconds adrift.

Both have won four championships and, this season,are battling to secure an historic fifth title. “Wow!”screamed Vettel as he crossed the line. “These tyreswere done - they were done for the last 10 laps.

“I came on the radio to say everything was undercontrol, but that was a lie! I thought Bottas wouldcatch me and I just tried to keep it as clean as possi-ble.” Bottas said: “We were on the harder compoundand I knew there was a chance.

I tried to catch him, but it was just not enough.Extremely disappointing.” Hamilton, who started ninthafter being given a five-place penalty for a gearboxchange, said he was satisfied. “I am happy,” he said. “Itwas damage limitation. I started ninth so third is notthat bad...” But it was not all good news for Ferrari asVettel’s team-mate Finn Kimi Raikkonen failed to finishafter colliding with a mechanic at a pit stop. Themechanic was taken to the circuit medical centre witha suspected broken leg.

Both the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and DanielRicciardo also retired after the opening laps. NicoHulkenberg was sixth for Renault ahead of FernandoAlonso and his McLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.

Marcus Ericsson grabbed two points for Sauber byfinishing ninth ahead of Esteban Ocon, who was 10thfor Force India.

LUCK ENDED The race began with temperatures falling from 29

and 35 degrees Celsius respectively for air and track.Vettel made a clean start and Bottas swept pastRaikkonen to split the Ferraris on the opening lap.

This lifted spirits for Mercedes, but Hamilton, downin ninth to resist a charging lunge by Verstappen at thestart of lap two. From 15th on the grid, the Red Bulldriver had reached the top ten, but his luck endedwhen he banged wheels with Hamilton and puncturedhis left rear tyre. As the Dutchman idled back to thepits, his Red Bull team-mate Ricciardo slowed andstopped at the side of the track. A Virtual Safety Carwas deployed. Verstappen pitted and re-joined, buthis race was over when, like Ricciardo, he stopped andretired.

This left Hamilton to make up places and after slip-ping to 10th he regained ninth and then passed Alonso,Hulkenberg and Ocon in one move. Vettel pitted after19 laps, passing the lead to Bottas, and rejoining fourth.Two laps later, Raikkonen also came in for a Ferraripit-stop that elevated Hamilton to second.

Bottas finally pitted after 21 laps, in a 3.8 secondsstop for medium tyres that were expected to see himcomplete the race - while both Ferrari ran on softs. Inthe lead, Hamilton was 5.3 seconds clear of Vettel after22 laps, an advantage trimmed to half a second by lap25 with Bottas five seconds adrift in third. A frustratedVettel finally burst past the defensive Hamilton, on hisoriginal tyres, to re-gain the lead on lap 26. Hamiltonthen pitted, also for mediums, which left bothMercedes on a one-stop strategy and Ferrari requiringanother stop each. — AFP

Vettel marks 200th race with Bahrain win

MANAMA: Ferrari’s German driver SebastianVettel raises his trophy after winning theBahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Sakhircircuit in Manama yesterday. — AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump yester-day said he sees an end to the escalating trade disputewith China, after tit-for-tat retaliatory tariffs andthreats that rattled markets. “China will take down itstrade barriers because it is the right thing to do,”Trump said in a tweet.

“Taxes will become reciprocal & deal will be madeon Intellectual Property. Great future for both coun-tries!” He added that he and China’s President XiJinping “will always be friends, no matter what hap-pens with our dispute on trade.”

US stocks plunged more than two percent Fridayafter Trump warned of tariffs on an additional $100billion worth of Chinese imports, provoking a strongresponse from Beijing and fanning fears of a full-blown trade war. Investors were unnerved by the lat-est broadside from the volatile US president and byChina’s strident response, which vowed Beijing wouldstand firm “until the end at any cost.”

Some global investors have, however, taken solacefrom signals that the Trump administration may be tak-ing a harsh line as a bargaining tactic towards deal-making with China. In the wake of Trump’s decision inMarch to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminumimports, primarily to target China, the US on Tuesdaypublished a list of $50 billion in Chinese goods to behit by tariffs over what Washington says is widespreadtheft of intellectual property and technology.

China retaliated by unveiling planned levies on $50billion worth of major US exports including soybeans,cars and small aircraft. Trump hit back again lateThursday, instructing trade officials to consider theadditional levies on $100 billion in imports.

“Rather than remedy its misconduct, China haschosen to harm our farmers and manufacturers,”Trump said at the time, calling Beijing’s reaction“unfair.” So far, only the tariffs on steel and aluminumhave taken effect. US businesses, and farm states mostvulnerable to Chinese retaliation, have called forrestraint.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin acknowledgedthere was a risk of a trade war, but said the intentionis to defend US interests and the administrationremains willing to negotiate.

Speaking Friday on CNBC, Mnuchin said Trump isnot aiming to provoke a conflict with China, but he isdetermined to defend US interests and “there is thepotential of a trade war.” But he said the White Houseis willing to negotiate and is in regular contact withChinese officials. He argued that the situation could bea “win-win” for China and the United States if Beijingopens up its economy. “I’m cautiously optimistic towork this out,” Mnuchin said, adding that “I think thatwe can manage this without significant difficulty tothe overall economy.”

China has filed two complaints at the World Trade

Organization claiming the United States has violatedglobal trading rules, a charge the White House dis-missed. Chinese state media yesterday called onindustrial and commercial sectors in the UnitedStates to rally against President Donald Trump’splans for an additional $100 billion in tariffs againstChinese goods.

Trump threatened the extra tariffs after China lastweek imposed $3 billion of tariffs on US fruits, nuts,wine and pork, just hours after the United Statesunveiled an initial $50 billion in tariffs on Chinesegoods. The tit-for-tat tariffs between the world’s twolargest economies follows a US finding that Chinawas engaging in unfair trade practices in connectionwith intellectual property protections. China rejectsthe charge.

Tech sector fretsAs US-China trade tensions ratchet up, the technol-

ogy sector is fretting over the potential for collateraldamage to one of America’s most important exportindustries. The tech industry is not directly affected bythe new tariffs unveiled by the Trump administrationwhich aim to target Beijing for unfair trade practicesfailure to protect intellectual property.

But some industry leaders fear tech will be draggedinto the dispute, with the potential to impact the esti-mated $3 trillion industry in which the US and China

are key players. “As trade wars escalate, they are notcontrollable, they are not predictable,” said Ed Black,president and chief executive of the Computer &Communications Industry Association, which repre-sents major tech firms such as Amazon, Facebook,Google and Netflix.

“There is always collateral damage.” Black saidthe US administration “correctly identified some ofthe problems” with trade involving China but “missedall the problems of internet companies doing busi-ness in China.”

Black said the tech industry understands the needto confront China over trade barriers and other prac-tices, but that Washington’s efforts to go alone could“weaken the international trading system.”

The relationship of US tech firms with China haslong been complicated by concerns about censorship,labor and human rights and the potential for stealingtrade secrets.

Google shut down its search engine for China in2010 after it found accounts of Chinese human rightsactivists hacked and some US-based online platformsare banned by Beijing.

But Apple recently agreed to base its cloud storagefor Chinese users in the country, saying it had to com-ply despite concerns over Beijing’s surveillance of citi-zens. And Airbnb said it would share customer datawith the Chinese government as well. — Agencies

New Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe arrives in Kuwait

Global markets remain edgy asUS-China trade dispute rages on

Infiniti Al-Babtain’s new Infiniti QX80 wins ‘Best Premium SUV’ 2118 20

HANGZHOU: Customers looking at Tesla cars at a showroom in Hangzhou in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. Chinese state media yesterday called on industrial and commercial sectors in the United States torally against President Donald Trump’s plans for an additional $100 billion in tariffs against Chinese goods. —AFP

BusinessEstablished 1961


Tech sector frets as US-China trade tensions simmer

Trump sees trade deal with ‘friend’ Xi

French trainstrikes resume asunions square offwith Macron PARIS: Travellers grappled with anothercrippling wave of transport strikes in Franceyesterday, as train workers protestedPresident Emmanuel Macron’s economicreforms and a stand-off between the gov-ernment and rail unions hardened. Trainstaff last week began three months ofnationwide rolling strikes in a dispute overthe government’s planned overhaul of state-run railway SNCF, in the biggest challengeyet to Macron’s attempts to modernize theFrench economy.

Talks between workers and ministershave so far hit a wall. Some unions are stiff-ening their resistance, while the governmenthas dug in its heels on the main aspects ofits reform, which include the end of job-for-

life guarantees for rail staff. “The status quois not viable,” Prime Minister EdouardPhilippe said in an interview published inthe newspaper Le Parisien yesterday. “It’surgent, we need to advance, and everyoneshould know we are determined to see thisthrough to the end.”

Officials at the Communist-rooted CGTunion said on Friday strikes could drag onwell beyond June if nothing shifted, addingtrain workers were ready for a “marathon”.The SNCF had forecast that just over a thirdof workers needed to make the train net-work run smoothly would walk out yester-day, a dip in participation compared withthe last 48 hours of walkouts tomorrow andWednesday. The strike continues today, aspart of stoppages called for two days out ofevery five until the end of June. The shut-down is already causing havoc for com-muters and holiday-makers at the start ofmid-term school vacations in France.

“This endangers me professionally,” saidOlivier Coldefy, a court psychologist whoworks in French Guiana, whose travel plansfell through because of the train chaos. “Ihave work days that I’ve committed to that Ican’t honor,” Coldefy added yesterday

morning at Montparnasse train station inParis, where groups of tourists were scram-bling to re-book trains after realizing theirshad been cancelled.

Test for MacronThe showdown is one of the toughest

challenges yet of Macron’s presidency, aswell as a test for unions seeking to showthey still have clout. Macron came to powerlast May on a promise to shake up Europe’ssecond-biggest economy, in a bid to mod-ernize some of France’s creaking institutionsand spur jobs growth. He has so far faceddown unions to liberalize labor regulations.

The shake-up of SNCF, which alsoincludes ending early retirement for railworkers, comes before the monopoly isopened to competition in line withEuropean Union rules.

The government argues the overhaul willhelp transform the heavily indebted compa-ny into a profitable public service, butworkers have hit back with complaints theSNCF was being dismantled to pave theway for privatization. Unions have alsoaccused the government of refusing tobudge an inch. Officials at the more reform-

minded CFDT union said yesterday they didnot want a drawn-out conflict but that theirproposed amendments to the shake-up hadfallen on deaf ears. Locking horns with the

rail sector has backfired on previous Frenchgovernments - paralyzing train strikes in1995 forced then-Prime Minister AlainJuppe to pull planned reforms. — Reuters

PARIS: The platforms stand deserted at the train station in Perpignan yesterday during astrike by workers of the French rail company SNCF. — AFP


18B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.857Indian Rupees 4.631Pakistani Rupees 2.640Srilankan Rupees 1.922Nepali Rupees 2.897Singapore Dollar 229.850Hongkong Dollar 38.265Bangladesh Taka 3.591Philippine Peso 5.749Thai Baht 9.654

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 80.133Qatari Riyal 82.534Omani Riyal 780.405Bahraini Dinar 797.930UAE Dirham 81.837

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 19.300Egyptian Pound - Transfer 17.026Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.206Tunisian Dinar 126.980Jordanian Dinar 423.600Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.002Syrian Lira 0.000Morocco Dirham 33.330

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 300.300

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

BAHRAIN EXCHANGE COMPANY WLL

Euro 373.570Sterling Pound 427.630Canadian dollar 234.790Turkish lira 76.120Swiss Franc 318.960Australian Dollar 233.780US Dollar Buying 299.100

GOLD20 Gram 249.07010 Gram 127.4505 Gram 64.570

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 299.850Canadian Dollar 233.465Sterling Pound 426.935Euro 373.535Swiss Frank 286.765Bahrain Dinar 797.410UAE Dirhams 82.040Qatari Riyals 83.270Saudi Riyals 80.855Jordanian Dinar 424.195Egyptian Pound 17.000Sri Lankan Rupees 1.923Indian Rupees 4.622Pakistani Rupees 2.598Bangladesh Taka 3.598Philippines Pesso 5.740Cyprus pound 17.850

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.419041 0.426541Czech Korune 0.006549 0.015849Danish Krone 0.045535 0.050535Euro 0. 364423 0.371923Georgian Lari 0.136409 0.136409Hungarian 0.001133 0.001323Norwegian Krone 0.034465 0.039665Romanian Leu 0.064258 0.081108Russian ruble 0.005265 0.005265Slovakia 0.008932 0.018932Swedish Krona 0.031826 0.036826Swiss Franc 0.307584 0.318584

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.223077 0.235077New Zealand Dollar 0.212773 0.222273

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.230188 0.239188US Dollars 0.296700 0.301100US Dollars Mint 0.297200 0.301100

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003191 0.003775Chinese Yuan 0.046211 0.049711Hong Kong Dollar 0.036573 0.039323Indian Rupee 0.004101 0.004742Indonesian Rupiah 0.000017 0.000023Japanese Yen 0.002731 0.002911Korean Won 0.000274 0.000289Malaysian Ringgit 0.073646 0.079645Nepalese Rupee 0.003001 0.003171Pakistan Rupee 0.002501 0.002791Philippine Peso 0.005674 0.005974Singapore Dollar 0.223282 0.233282Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001606 0.002186Taiwan 0.010320 0.010500Thai Baht 0.009278 0.009828

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.791247 0.799747Egyptian Pound 0.014238 0.019956Iranian Riyal 0.000083 0.000085Iraqi Dinar 0.000202 0.000262Jordanian Dinar 0.419642 0.428642Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000154 0.000254Moroccan Dirhams 0.023306 0.047306Omani Riyal 0.774981 0.780661Qatar Riyal 0.078332 0.083272Saudi Riyal 0.079127 0.080427Syrian Pound 0.001274 0.001494Tunisian Dinar 0.121624 0.129624Turkish Lira 0.069792 0.080092UAE Dirhams 0.080471 0.082171Yemeni Riyal 0.000977 0.001057

Japanese Yen 3.840Syrian Pound 1.585Nepalese Rupees 2.892Malaysian Ringgit 78.580Chinese Yuan Renminbi 48.185Thai Bhat 10.595Turkish Lira 75.740

EXCHANGE RATES

KUWAIT: Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé has finallyarrived in Kuwait. The latest Coupé is on display at A RAlbisher & Z Alkazemi Company, the AuthorizedGeneral Distributor in Kuwait, where customers canview and place future orders. The two-door model fea-tures extensive elements from the latest sedan includingintelligent driving assistance systems, WidescreenCockpit, integrated ENERGIZING comfort control andthe latest infotainment generation.

The model is one of the first cars to have the innova-tive and visual OLED tail lamps. The new V8 biturboengine in the S 560 Coupé is even more dynamic (com-bined fuel consumption: 8.0 l/100 km combined CO2emissions: 183 g/km).

Mohammed Abdul Rahman Albisher, Director ofAbdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Company, said:“We are pleased to announce the arrival of the S-ClassCoupé to our showroom here in Kuwait. The new modelhas benefited from the latest cutting-edge technologyintroduced in the S-Class sedan, such as the WidescreenCockpit, the new generation of steering wheels and theenergizing comfort control. We are confident that theaddition of this model will offer our customers the luxu-ry, performance and intelligence that they desire.”

Michael Ruehle, Chief Executive Officer, Abdul RahmanAlbisher & Zaid Alkazemi Company, said: “The S-ClassCoupé has an unmistakable, exclusive design and high-class materials with extremely high value appeal in theinterior. It embodies Mercedes-Benz interpretation ofmodern luxury.” The enhanced design exudes greatersportiness that boasts the model’s high technical expertise.The AMG Line - available as standard in Kuwait - is mademore dynamic with new front and rear aprons. Especiallystriking at the front end are the large three-dimensional airinlets, which each include two chrome-plated fins.

Innovative OLED tail lamps Innovative OLED tail lamps are a new feature of the

S-Class Coupé. With the OLED System technology,wafer-thin layers of organic materials are printed on aglass plate and made to illuminate. A total of 33 ultra-flatOLEDs act like floating elements inside each tail lamp; inaddition, they emit a highly homogeneous light patternin all directions and form a unique day and night design.Locking and unlocking the vehicle is additionallyemphasized by an animated dynamic light sequencewith subsequent dimming-up of the tail lights. Of course,the OLED tail lamps also employ the usual Mercedes-Benz multi-level technology with different levels ofintensity for brake lamps and turn signal indicatorsdepending on the driving condition and ambient bright-ness (day/night).

Two new wheels allow further individualization of thevehicle in conjunction with the AMG Line. As standardin Kuwait are the 50.8 cm (20-inch) AMG 10-spokewheels, including AMG wheel arch flares painted in tita-nium grey with a high-sheen finish (optional for AMGLine) or painted in high-gloss black with a high-sheenfinish (optional for AMG Line Plus).

Luxury lounge with Widescreen Cockpit and newest generation steering wheels

A fresh interior look is guaranteed by three newoptional trim lines (high-gloss brown burr walnut wood,satin-finish grey ash wood and flowing lines designomagnolia wood) as well as the new interior color concept,porcelain / tizian red. The interior of the new S-ClassCoupé is characterized by two new high-resolution dis-plays, each with a screen diagonal of 12.3 inches. Visually,the two displays under one shared glass cover blend intoa Widescreen Cockpit and, as a central element, empha-size the horizontal orientation of the interior design.

Like the instrument cluster, this Widescreen Cockpitcontains a large display with virtual instruments in thedirect field of vision of the driver, as well as a central dis-play above the center console. The all-digital cockpitoffers the three visually very different styles “Classic”,“Sporty” and “Progressive”.

The model has Touch Control Buttons on the newestgeneration steering wheel. They respond to swipingmotions like the screen of a smartphone. They enable thedriver to control the functions of the instrument clusterand of the entire infotainment system without having totake their hands off the steering wheel. The operation ofDISTRONIC and cruise control with controls directlyon the steering wheel is another new feature.

The infotainment system can also be operated via thetouchpad with controller in the centre console and byLINGUATRONIC voice control. Voice control has forthe first time been extended to include vehicle functions.Voice commands can now also be used to control the airconditioning and seat heating/ventilation, interior light-ing (ambient lighting, reading lights, lighting in the rear),fragrancing/ionisation, seat massage function and Head-up Display. Depending on language version and vehicleequipment, up to 450 individual voice commands arenow possible.

ENERGIZING comfort control for greater well-being ENERGIZING comfort control, standard in Kuwait,

links various comfort systems in the vehicle together. It

systematically uses the functions of the climate controlsystem (including fragrancing) and the seats (heater,ventilation, massage), the panel heating as well as light-ing and musical atmospheres, and enables a specificwellness set-up tailored to the mood and need of thecustomer. As a result, well-being and performance levelsare enhanced.

Depending on the equipment level, up to six pro-grams are available: Freshness, Warmth, Vitality, Joy,Comfort and Training (three training modes - musclerelaxation, muscle activation and balance - each withseveral exercises).

ENERGIZING comfort control also incorporatesambient lighting, which is harmoniously tailored to eachof the individual screen designs, with 64 colors, andextended ambient lighting, offering a wealth of individualsettings. The light stages the interior like a work of art bycomposing color worlds from different colors.

New infotainment systems The new S-Class Coupé is equipped with the latest-

generation infotainment system COMAND Online, start-ing a new era in digitization and connectivity.

As part of the standard package, mobile phones canbe charged wirelessly without the need for a telephoneholder. Wireless charging works with all mobile devices(up to a screen diagonal of 15.2 cm) that support or canbe retrofitted to support the Qi standard. The chargingpad is integrated into the stowage compartment at thefront of the center console.

New driving assistance systems The S-Class Coupé is taking a further large step

towards autonomous driving and is moving to the nextlevel with a range of new or considerably extendedIntelligent Drive driving assistance systems. ActiveDistance Control DISTRONIC and Active Steering

Assist now provide even more comfortable support forthe driver to keep a safe distance and steer. The speed isnow adjusted automatically ahead of bends, junctions orroundabouts, for example (country-specific variationsmay occur in terms of the individual functions). For thispurpose, for example, Active Distance Control DIS-TRONIC makes considerably greater use of map andnavigation data than hitherto.

Improved suspension with stereo cameraIn 2014, the S-Class Coupé offered the optional

MAGIC BODY CONTROL suspension with curve tiltingfunction - a world first in a standard-production car. Thebody tilts to the inside of the turn by up to 2.65 degreesand thereby reduces the transverse forces perceived bythe passengers. This innovative system recognizes bendswith the help of a stereo camera behind the windscreen,and a lateral acceleration sensor of the ROAD SURFACESCAN suspension. In the new S-Class Coupé, this sus-pension control is further improved: the system’s newstereo camera has a much better performance andworks at speeds up to 180 km/h.

New V8 biturbo with cylinder shutoffThe new V8 biturbo in the S 560 Coupé is one of

the world’s most economical V8 petrol engines andconsumes up to eight percent less than its predecessor.To lower the fuel consumption, four cylinders of thenew V8 are deactivated simultaneously under partialload with the help of the CAMTRONIC valve-liftadjustment system. This reduces the pumping losseswhile improving the overall efficiency of the remainingfour cylinders by shifting the operating point towardshigher loads. The turbochargers positioned in the V ofthe cylinder banks represent another special feature.The new V8 has an output of 345 kW (469 hp) with apeak torque of 700 Nm.

New Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé arrives in Kuwait

A dream car combining luxury, intelligence and sportiness

Crisis-hit Deutsche Bank to push out British CEOBERLIN: Trouble-plaguedDeutsche Bank is to oust itsBritish CEO John Cryan andreplace him with one of hisdeputies yesterday, mediareported, in a bid to getGermany’s biggest lenderback on track after years incrisis. Following weeks ofspeculation, the move is tocome late Sunday during asupervisory board meetingat the bank’s Frankfurtheadquarters.

News weekly Der Spiegel and business newspa-per Handelsblatt said the bank would tap ChristianSewing, 47, currently a deputy CEO and head of pri-vate banking, to take over in May from Cryan, whohas been at the helm since 2015. Deutsche Bank,which declined to comment on the Spiegel report,called the surprise meeting “to discuss the chairman-ship and to take a decision the same day,” it said in astatement Saturday.

While Cryan’s contract runs until 2020, pressreports in recent days have suggested a rift overstrategy with supervisory board chairman PaulAchleitner, who called Sunday’s meeting.

The choice of Sewing over investment bankingchief Marcus Schenck, who had been discussed as apossible successor to Cryan, points to a strategicshift toward retail banking in its home marketGermany.

Sewing “is popular among staff in Germany but islikely to meet with scepticism among foreign invest-ment bankers,” Handelsblatt said, adding thatSchenck was now expected to leave the bank in the

coming months. Given sole command of the lenderin 2016 after the departure of co-CEO JuergenFitschen, Cryan’s task was to restructure Deutscheand clean up the toxic legacy of its pre-financialcrisis bid to compete with global investment bank-ing giants.

He has neutralized the worst legal threats, in partby paying bil l ions in fines and compensation,strengthened Deutsche’s capital foundations with an8-billion-euro ($9.8 billion) share issue last year andfloated asset management division DWS on the stockmarket in March.

‘Chronic patient’ But “the financial results have so far not been

what all of us would want them to be,” Cryan, 57,acknowledged in a letter to employees last monthwhile fighting to keep his job, referring to an unex-pected 751-million-euro loss reported for 2017.While the bank said the loss was a one-off causedby US President Donald Trump’s corporate taxreform, investors have shunned Deutsche since the

start of the year, with its stock dropping around 30percent in value since January 1.

Handelsblatt said last month that Deutsche Bankremains “what it was when Cryan took the helm: achronic patient”. Cryan was seen as a troubleshooterafter his successful steering of Swiss bank UBSthrough the financial crisis as finance directorbetween 2008 and 2011. But he met his match withthe German lender. “It was clear from the beginningthat Cryan’s time in office would be limited and thathis job would be ‘clearing up past mistakes’. He’s nota charismatic leader personality or a visionary,” pro-fessor Sascha Steffen of the Frankfurt school offinance told Handelsblatt.

“He had to battle serious problems that his prede-cessors swept under the rug for years,” MarkusRiesselmann, analyst at Independent Research, toldAFP. “He’s largely cleared those up and now it lookslike Deutsche can’t turn things around regardingmargins. But I doubt a new CEO could successfullymake that transition. It seems rather to be a funda-mental ‘Deutsche Bank problem’.” —AFPChristian Sewing


19B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

Honda AlGhanim unveils 2018 Gold Wing The most luxurious in its class equipped with latest technology

KUWAIT: Honda AlGhanim, the exclusive distributorof Honda cars, motorcycles and marine equipment inKuwait, unveiled the all-new 2018 Gold Wing, themost luxurious motorcycle in its class since firstreleased in 1975, in an event held at its Motorcycleand Power Products Showroom in Al Rai.

The 2018 Gold Wing was launched amidst thepresence of passionate riders and fans from all differ-ent Kuwaiti Motorcycle Clubs who explored its latesttechnologies and features and were impressed by thebike’s striking design offering a whole new drivingexperience. Gold Wing merchandise giveawaysamong other valuable prizes were distributed toattendees in this much anticipated event that hostedlive music and catering.

Honda’s new bike prides itself with an exceptionaldesign and a much lighter weight for an improvedaerodynamic efficiency by 11.8% and better fuel con-sumption thanks to the Unicam® valve train. LEDturn signals with auto-cancelling function were inte-grated into mirrors at the front and into the taillightsat the rear. Additionally, rider can now easily controlthe airflow by adjusting the new electric windscreen’sheight and angles while riding the bike in a two-pieceshaped seat allowing him to move around in the sad-dle during spirited riding and the passenger to tour incomfort throughout their exciting ride.

Gold Wing was refined inside and out with engineand drive system enhancements featuring a 1,833ccliquid-cooled, horizontally opposed six-cylinderengine offering low center of gravity, minimal vibra-tion, and quiet running. The four-valve head improvescombustion efficiency and fuel efficiency by 20%.Honda’s bike was also equipped with a 29mm shorterengine from front to rear of left cylinder head whichenabled engine and rider positions to be moved for-ward in chassis and put more weight on the front,

promoting sporty handling. Gold Wing’s new engine’sDCT offers a walking mode for creeping forward with1.8 km/h and backward with a 1.2 km/h speeds; yet itis 3.8 kg lighter from its predecessors and equippedwith a cam damper on manual-transmission modelreducing shift noise and shift shock.

In this year’s edition, Honda went beyond addingup-to-date technologies as Throttle By Wire tech-nology, which provides smartphone connectivity,

where riders can listen to Apple Music, navigatemaps, make Bluetooth phone calls, or send text mes-sages using Siri. Gold Wing 2018 comes with fourriding modes - Tour, Sport, Econ, and Rain to betterhelp tailor the riding experience during specific rid-ing conditions. Among other features, it wasequipped with the Smart Start System for keylessstarts and bag access, Hill Start Assist for an easierstart from a stop on an ascent, Optimized Cruise

Control function for relaxed cruising, and a 7-inchfull-color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display offeringclear viewing of audio and navigation systems.Additionally, the company added the VehicleViewfinder system to simplify finding your motorcy-cle in large parking lots.

The Honda Alghanim showroom in Al Rai areaoperates from 8:30am to 8:30pm, Saturday toThursday, and from 10:00am to 8:00pm on Fridays.


20B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

NBK Maney Markets Report

KUWAIT: Trade tensions between the US andChina continued to be the focus of the globalmarkets last week as the two major economieswent toe to toe. Just 11 hours after PresidentDonald Trump’s administration proposed 25percent tariffs on some 1,300 Chinese industrial,technology, transport and medical products,China shot back with a list of similar duties onmajor American imports including soybeans,planes, cars, beef and chemicals.

Fortunately, however, the United Statesvoiced willingness on Wednesday to negotiate aresolution to an escalating trade fight withBeijing. The quick response by the US has ledinvestors to believe that this the Trump adminis-tration’s way of playing hard ball; make largedemands and then meet somewhere in the mid-dle. Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow toldreporters, “I think we’re going to come toagreements,” adding that “I believe that theChinese will back down and will play ball.” Thetwo sides also mentioned that the statementswere not final and no trade actions carried outimmediately, easing the markets’ sentiment.

Though overshadowed by the global tradeconflict, the US released important labor datalate in the week. The US economy created thefewest jobs in six months in March but a pickupin wage gains pointed to a tightening labor mar-ket. This should allow the Federal Reserve toraise interest rates further this year. Nonfarmpayrolls increased by a modest 103,000 lastmonth as construction and retail sectors shedjobs, the Labor Department said on Friday. Overthe first three months of this year, payrollsincreased at an average monthly pace of201,000, which is an improvement on the aver-age gain of 182,000 last year. Average gains ofanything close to 200,000 per month at thislate stage of the cycle, with the unemploymentrate close to 4 percent, are still impressive.

The US Fed will be primarily focused on the0.3 percent monthly increase in average hourlyearnings, which pushed the annual growth rateup to 2.7 percent, from 2.6 percent. Economistssay annual wage growth of at least 3 percent isneeded to lift inflation toward the Fed’s 2 per-cent target.

The US dollar had its slow gains stumpedthis week as investors eyed the developments ofthe trade disputes between the US and China.The dollar fell from its high on Friday afterChina fought back against the US’s latest threatto increase tariffs on Chinese goods and as themarket took in the disappointing payrollsreport. As the trade tensions escalated andequities fell, demand for low risk US govern-ment bonds grew driving yields lower. Thebenchmark 10-year treasury yield fell around2.2 percent to 2.7750 percent from its weeklyhigh on Friday. The US dollar index closed theweek at 90.108.

In Europe, the euro had a fairly muted weekas the most recent official euro-zone data havebeen less than optimal and the latest businesssurveys are consistent in their message that theeconomic expansion has lost momentum. Whilemarkets were dominated by international tradedisputes the EUR/USD pair traded in a tightrange closing the week only 0.32 percent lowerat 1.2281.

The British pound was very similar to theeuro in trade this week as official data failed toimpact the currency. Since the UK signed atransition agreement last month for exiting theEuropean Union, concerns about Brexit haveabated as investors focused on the state of theUK economy before an expected interest raterise in May. With no significant economic indi-cators being released, the GBP/USD closed the

week much where it started at 1.4091.The Japanese yen was the biggest mover this

week reacting directly to the US-China tradedisputes. The USD/JPY rose steadily through-out the week as risk appetite slowly crept backafter digesting the Trump administration’s steeltariffs. However, the rise was halted late in theweek after President Trump sparked a newtrade dispute with China. The safe-haven cur-rency has been largely determined by investorrisk sentiment lately which is unlikely to recoverquickly unless there is some easing in the US-China trade tensions. The USD/JPY started theweek at 106.24 and closed at 106.91.

In commodities, oil prices fell more than 3percent on Friday after fears of a trade warbetween the world’s two largest economies wasreignited. The heightened possibility of an out-right tariff war could lead to slowed economicgrowth that could curb the strong oil demandthat has helped revive prices. The dispute alsoovershadowed reports that Moscow’s arrange-ment with OPEC could become indefinite oncethe current deal to cut oil production expires atthe end of the year. Benchmark Brent Crudeclosed the week 3.79 percent lower at $67.11.

ISM manufacturingThe Institute for Supply Management said its

index of national factory activity fell to a read-ing of 59.3 last month from 60.8 in February.Machinery manufacturers said US tariffs onsteel and aluminum imports announced lastmonth were “causing panic buying, driving thenear-term prices higher and leading to invento-ry shortages for non-contract customers.”Manufacturers also noted “new tariffs are caus-ing concern across the supply chain and the fullimpact will take a few weeks to reveal itself.”Primary metal producers reported “significantprice increases in the steel commodity” as aresult of the tariffs.

Eurozone inflation estimateEuro-area HICP inflation accelerated to 1.4

percent y/y in March from 1.1 percent inFebruary as expected. The core figure wasunchanged from the previous month at 1 per-cent slightly below estimates for a 1.1 percentrise. Services inflation, which provides the bestread on home grown price increases, climbed to1.5 percent from 1.3 percent. The ECB shouldwelcome the inflation report because it indi-cates stronger underlying price increases. If therises are sustained, the Governing Council’smove toward the exit of its asset-purchase pro-gram would be better supported.

UK servicesMarch data signaled a slowdown in business

activity growth across the UK service sector,with the latest expansion the weakest for overone-and a-half years. Survey respondents notedthat snow disruption and unusually bad weatherconditions in March had been a key factor hold-ing back business activity growth. There werealso reports that heightened economic uncer-tainty continued to act as a brake on growthduring the latest survey period.

Meanwhile, input cost inflation remainedstrong with the latest rise in operating expensesthe fastest since December 2017. This con-tributed to another marked rise in averageprices charged by service sector firms. Higherinput prices were attributed to greater staffsalaries, rising utility bills and increased rawmaterial costs. The seasonally adjusted IHSMarkit/CIPS UK Services PMI BusinessActivity Index dropped from 54.5 in February to51.7 in March.

UK manufacturingThe UK manufacturing sector maintained a

steady pace of expansion during March. Outputgrowth picked up, although this was offset byslower increases in both new orders andemployment. Companies continued to reportsolid inflows of new work from both domesticand overseas markets in March. New exportorders rose for the twenty-third month running.The latest expansion in new export businesswas linked to successful marketing campaigns,a favorable exchange rate and improved salesvolumes to existing clients.

On the price front, rates of inflation in inputcosts and output charges remained elevateddespite easing slightly since February. Althoughpurchase prices rose to the weakest extent inthe year-to-date, the pace of inflation was stillrelatively strong. The seasonally adjusted IHSMarkit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Indexposted 55.1 in March, little-changed from 55.0in February.

UK constructionConstruction data in March revealed a set-

back for the UK construction sector followingfive months of marginal business activitygrowth. However, survey respondents notedthat unusually bad weather conditions had beena key factor behind the drop in constructionoutput, with snow-related disruption having aparticularly negative impact on civil engineer-ing projects. Business activity expectations andjob creation however, both picked up in March,which provided a clear signal that constructionfirms anticipate a rebound in activity during themonths ahead. The seasonally adjusted IHSMarkit/CIPS UK Construction PurchasingManagers’ Index fell sharply from 51.4 inFebruary to 47.0.

China Caixin PMIChinese manufacturing companies signaled

only a marginal improvement in overall operat-ing conditions at the end of the first quarter.Production and total new orders both expand-ed at the weakest rates for four months, whileexport sales increased only marginally. At thesame time, staff numbers declined at the quick-est pace since last August amid reports of costcutting plans. Overall inflationary pressuresmeanwhile cooled further, with input costsincreasing at the slowest rate for nine months,while firms raised their selling prices only mod-estly. Encouragingly, confidence towardsgrowth prospects improved to a one-year highamid forecasts of greater investment andexpectations of better market conditions.Adjusted for seasonal factors, the headlinePurchasing Managers’ Index posted 51.0 inMarch, down from 51.6 in February. Althoughthe reading signaled a further improvement inthe health of the sector, the latest upturn wasonly slight and the weakest recorded since lastNovember.

The Caixin China General services PMI forMarch came in at 52.3 vs. 54.5 expected and54.2 last, which indicated output growth easingacross both manufacturing and service sectors.Both new business and employment grew at aslower rate last month, pointing to coolingdemand. However, the ability of serviceproviders to make a profit improved as inputcosts increased at a weaker pace while outputprices edged up.

KuwaitKuwaiti dinar at 0.29995T h e U S D K W D o p e n e d a t 0 . 2 9 9 9 5

yesterday.

Global markets remain edgy asUS-China trade dispute rages on

US job data points to tightening labor market

Politics, volatility, and market fundamentals By Hayder Tawfik

Month after month US unemploy-ment numbers are hitting recordlows. This is good news for work-

ers but wages are not as growing as fast asthey were. The pessimists have so far beenproven wrong as their argument about lowunemployment should lead to higher wageshence high inflation has not materialized.Does this mean interest rates are not goingup any more? Or going up by far less thanexpected. I think central banks need torevisit the way they calculate the rate ofinflation when setting a target or when theyformulate their monetary policy.

I believe technological innovation that isimproving efficiency, reducing costs andincreasing productivity is holding back inflation. It is not easy to measurethe impact of technological innovations that are used by literally everyindustry segment. But, if this is true then we might be in a long run of lowinterest rates and low inflationary environment. Central banks will ultimate-ly take note of this new development and will find ways to account for itwhen setting inflation target and an accommodative monetary policy. Ithink prudent investors are coming along with this argument and werehappy to target those sectors that benefit most i.e. technology sectors. Thishas been the case over the past few years. What has changed this year issome changes in US trade policy against China, Russia and some othersplus some company specific such as the case with Facebook and Amazon.

It is not easy to ignore any world trade friction that to do with trade tariffsor trade protectionism. I think this is overdone. Tariffs tend to be in retalia-tion for something else. Protectionism recedes and declines but globaltrade generally continues. Investors should focus on the long-term factorsthat affect the performance of the stock markets rather than short termworries. Sometimes, market corrections could be buying opportunity forlong term investors.

Moving away from political jitters and focusing on the US economyis that is showing further strength in job creation and wage growth iswhat matters to the market at the end. The latest US employment datashow a sharp rise in payrolls, while the unemployment rate stays low at4.1 per cent and wage growth has slowed down a bit, which is givingsome reassurance about the threat of wage inflation. Corporate andindividual tax cuts plus infrastructure spending are yet to feed throughthe economy in the coming months. These should be positive for corpo-rate revenue and earnings.

Trade war How much the recent tit for tat between Donald Trump and China is

worth? $100 billion! The world economy is worth trillions of the dollar . Ofcourse, there is a talk of trade war issues, which leads to market uncertain-ty. But the most important factors that affect the markets are the economy,corporate earnings valuations and the outlook. US corporate earningsshould show solid growth this year. It does not make sense for a market togo down when all the fundamentals are improving at the same time. Iexpect the technology sector to report good results for the first quarter ofthis year. Strangely, this is the sector that has been sold aggressively. Ibelieve the technology sector will push the market higher after the earn-ings result out of the way. Short term investors may try to play the marketbut I don’t think they will succeed. As for long term investors my advice isto ride the short-term volatility as the underlying fundamentals areimproving by the day. History is on the side of long-term investors. Sincethe crash of 2008 and March 2018, the US S&P500 delivered 15 percentand the Nasdaq Index delivered 20 percent both on annualized basis. Theargument is quite simple. If the recent small corrections do not cause bigdamage to corporate profitability and investors sentiments then this couldbe a good buying opportunity for long-term investors. @Rasameel

B u s i n e s s Monday, April 9, 2018

21Established 1961

Burgan Bankannounces winners ofYawmi account drawKUWAIT: Burgan Bank, the second largest in termsof assets, announced yesterday the names of the dai-ly draw winners of its Yawmi account draw, eachtaking home a cash-prize of KD 5,000.

The lucky winners are: 1. Mohammed Ahmed Bashir Airot2. Fesal Dahwai Towersh3. Ali Abdulrahman Mohammad Alsalem4. Hamad Abdullah Salem Alateeqi5. Sadan Ahmad Abdullah AlattarIn addition to the daily draw, Burgan Bank also

offers a quarterly draw with more chances to winhigher rewards, offering the chance to one lucky cus-tomer to win KD 125,000 every three months. TheYawmi Account offers daily and quarterly draws,wherein the quarterly draw requires customers tomaintain a minimum amount of KD 500 in theiraccount for two months prior to the draw date.Additionally, every KD 10 in the account will entitlecustomers to one chance of winning. If the accountbalance is KD 500 and above, the account holder willbe qualified for both the quarterly and daily draws.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open aYawmi account and/or increase their deposit tomaximize their chances of becoming a winner. Thehigher the level of the deposit, the higher the likeli-hood to win.

KUWAIT: Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Co(AABC), the sole authorized dealer of Infiniti vehicles inthe State of Kuwait, is proud to announce that its newINFINITI QX80 received the ‘Best Premium SUV’accolade at the prestigious ‘Wheels 2018 Car of theYear’ awards or popularly known as COTY which washeld in Dubai. The INFINITI QX80 was recognized forits winning performance in accordance to the criteriaset by COTY.

The 2018 COTY event was attended by a large num-ber of senior executives representing all major automo-tive brands who witnessed the Wheels magazine recog-nition of the QX80 as the best SUV in the premiumsegment. The Infiniti model, which was launched at the2017 Dubai International Motor Show last year, over-came stiff competition from a number of contendingmodels launched this year by leading brands within thesegment.

Proving its market leading presence in the automo-tive industry, the INFINITI QX80 takes INFINITI’s‘Powerful Elegance’ design language in a bold new

direction, creating a powerful, contemporary and com-manding aesthetic. The new model was created to meetthe needs of today’s luxury car buyers, and introducesa trendy, modern interpretation of upscale luxury to thefull-size SUV segment. It speaks to the affluent, high-achieving entrepreneurs and business leaders, oftenwith families, who demand space and utility, hand-crafted quality and modern design, and effortless on-road performance.

Additionally, the INFINITI Q60 was also nominatedin the ‘Best Coupe’ category during the awards, signify-ing the brands perusal for excellence across the board.

The COTY awards night is an annual automotiveevent presented by Wheels magazine, the UAE’s onlyEnglish weekly motoring magazine. The 2018 edition ofthe event was hosted last night by the Wheels magazineeditorial team at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai PalmJumeirah hotel. The awards are considered one of theregion’s most prestigious automotive events, with theaccolades given to the best newly released vehicleseach year.

Infiniti Al-Babtain’s new Infiniti QX80 wins ‘Best Premium SUV’

‘Wheels 2018 Car of the Year’ awards ceremony

Ford Alghanim holds service and parts competitionKUWAIT: As part of its continued efforts to provideservice excellence in Kuwait, Ford Alghanim, the officialdealer of Ford in Kuwait, held a Service and PartsCompetition for its aftersales team in which it aimed todemonstrate its commitment to providing the highestlevel of service to customers.

Held at its premises in Kuwait and attended by exec-utives from Ford Alghanim and Ford Middle East, thecompetition was designed to encourage employees andenable them to showcase their abilities and knowledgeof the Ford service standards, as well as excite them incelebrating the commitment they have made to achieveexcellence in every aspect of their service. Sixty of FordAlghanim’s aftersales members took part in the compe-tition that comprised of two phases. Following the firstphase which consisted of a written test, 15 finalists werethen put on a practical challenge in the second phase.The final phase was assessed by Ford AlghanimManagement, and Ford Middle East AftersalesManagement, by evaluating their skills and expertise.

Presenting the awards to the best performing serviceadvisors, technicians and parts executives was theRegional Aftersales Manager at Ford Middle East,Nadeem Dweik, who shared the company’s recogni-tions and great support to the initiative, encouragingFord Alghanim’s teams to continue working on achiev-ing the highest level of service excellence. Dweik said:“We are proud of the achievements of the FordAlghanim team as they continue to uphold the highestlevel of service excellence to add value to customersevery day. Service excellence is a significant aspect tothe full ownership experience, as the quality of the carand sales experience can only be heightened when thelong-term service experience meets and exceeds cus-tomer expectations”

Also presenting the awards was Ford Alghanim’sGeneral Manager of Aftersales, Xavier Stephen whostated: “This activity is not just a competition amongemployees. It’s a tangible proof of our passion for con-

tinuous improvement and our belief that we can onlycontinue to raise our service standards by challengingourselves”.

Addressing the crowd present, Ford Alghanim’s VicePresident, Ihab Al-Khatib, said: “Ford Alghanim is dedi-cated to achieving the highest customer satisfactionand the highest “Fix It Right the First Time” rate in theregion, this is a testament to the level of excellence weaim to maintain and exceed every day. I want to thankeach member of the Ford Alghanim family for theirongoing efforts to ensure our customers are happy andsatisfied every time they come into our service centerand showroom.”

Two winners from each category were announcedbased on their performance and professionalism. In theservice advisor category, Khalid Morgan and Badr Radiwere chosen as first and first runner up respectively,while in the parts executive category, Vipindas Valappiland Max Mariano, were chosen as first and first runnerup respectively, and from the technicians category,Hasan Ali and Abdul Rahman got first and first runnerup prizes respectively.

Ford Alghanim’s Service & Parts center is located in

the Shuwaikh Industrial Area, opposite of the ClassicalCar Museum and Sirbb Circuit. The service center’sworking hours are from 7 AM to 7 PM from Saturdayto Thursday.

Ford Alghanim’s Vice President Ihab Al-Khatib speaks during the event.

Regional Aftersales Manager at Ford Middle East Nadeem Dweik

Al-Babtain Group rewarded by NBK for maintaining successful partnershipsKUWAIT: Al-Babtain Group’s Infiniti and Nissan’sbrand managers were recently rewarded by the man-agement of National Bank of Kuwait for maintaininga successful partnership over the years. The brandmanagers were handed appreciation trophies fortheir commendable work during an event that tookplace in Dar Al-Hamad, which reiterated them themany achievements shared together.

Apart from being a strong financial partner deliv-ering the best offers for several years, Al-Babtainand National Bank of Kuwait have jointly workedalongside on initiatives to mutually benefit their cus-tomers and the entire community.

Bringing wider choices for i ts loyal patronsthrough diverse partnerships with likeminded organi-

zations and financial institutions such as NBK, Al-Babtain group will continue to furnish its customerswith the highest quality of services and offers toimprove their overall and daily experiences.

Al-Babta in Group was founded in 1948, topresent a model of honesty, integrity and totaldedication, gaining a solid reputation in the Stateof Kuwait and the Middle East area. Today, Al-Babtain Group has licensing rights for some of theworld’s leading brands stretching the globe from

the USA to the Far East. For more than 60 years,Al-Babtain Group has experienced continued suc-cess and a large measure of this success camefrom the Group’s advanced flexible managementstyle and long-term vis ion. These astoundingresults were achieved due to a versatile strategicformula focusing on growth amongst its sphere ofact iv i t ies ; inc lud ing automot ive , techno logy,investment, information technology, industrial andFinance.

KFH announces winners of ‘The Journey of 6mMiles Begins with a Card’ campaign

KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) announcedthe winners of “the Journey of 6 Million Miles Beginswith A Card” Campaign launched for 3 months in col-laboration with Kuwait Airways. The draw took placeunder the supervision of the Ministry of Commerceand Industry.

KFH customer Mohammad Al-Dughaiman won1,000,000 miles. Reem Al-Rashed, Anwar BuRahma,Abdulrahman Borsley, Nasser Alqadiri, and TahaniAlrashidi won 500,000 Miles each, while 100 winnerswon 25,000 miles each. The names of the 100 win-ners have been announced on KFHgroup account onInstagram.

The journey of 6 million miles begins with a card”campaign is the first of its kind in the local market. Itis exclusive for KFH Oasis Club prepaid Mastercardcardholders in collaboration with Kuwait Airways.

Along with customers shopping experience usingthe “KFH Oasis Club Card “, KFH has added the joysof travelling free to worldwide destinations on boardof Kuwait Airways. For each KD 100 customers spendlocally or globally during one month, they were enti-tled get a chance to enter the draw and win one ofthe following prizes: One winner gets 1,000,000miles 5 winners get 500,000 miles each100 winnersget 25,000 miles each.

Group General Manager Retail Banking FadiChalouhi said that KFH is keen on continually reward-ing its customers with unprecedented offers andcampaigns. For each KD 1 spend in purchases outsideKuwait through the card, the customer earns 6 miles.Minimum spend KD 100 per month for double miles.3000 bonus miles when the card is activated for thefirst time during the campaign period.

He added that “Al-Kheir” card is a prepaid cardfrom KFH. It offers special discounts and promotionsat Kuwait’s most renowned stores. The card enjoyssafe and secure payment online feature with 3DSecure service. Cash withdrawal possibility from allKFH ATM machines in Kuwait. All KFH customers areeligible to obtain this card regardless their credit his-tory. They enjoy special discounts and promotionsfrom countless international brands in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Oasis Club Manager Meshal Al-Mutairi at Kuwait Airways, expressed his thanks andgratitude to KFH boasting success of the campaign.He affirmed the continuing efforts of improving cus-tomer service while offering the best promotions anddiscounts to increase customer satisfaction.

Fadi Chalouhi and Meshal Al-Mutairi honoring the winnerof 1 million miles


22Te c h n o l o g y

Established 1961

NEW YORK: Anyone who’s been wondering if theirprivate Facebook data might have been swept up inthe Cambridge Analytica scandal will soon get theirfirst clues. Starting today, all 2.2 billion Facebook userswill receive a notice on their feeds, titled “ProtectingYour Information,” with a link to see what apps theyuse and what information they have shared with thoseapps. If they want, they can shut off apps individuallyor turn off third-party access to their apps completely.

In addition, the 87 million users who might have hadtheir data shared with Cambridge Analytica will get amore detailed message informing them of this.Facebook says most of the affected users (more than70 million) are in the US, though there are over a mil-lion each in the Philippines, Indonesia and the UK.

Reeling from its worst privacy crisis in history -allegations that this Trump-affiliated data mining firmmay have used ill-gotten user data to try to influenceelections - Facebook is in full damage-control mode,with CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledging he’s madea “huge mistake” in failing to take a broad enoughview of what Facebook’s responsibility is in the world.He’s set to testify before Congress next week.

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower ChristopherWylie previously estimated that more than 50 mil-lion people were compromised by a personality quizthat collected data from users and their friends. ThatFacebook app, called “This is Your Digital Life,” was

a personality quiz created in 2014 by an academicresearcher named Aleksander Kogan, who paidabout 270,000 people to take it. The app vacuumedup not just the data of the people who took it, butalso - thanks to Facebook’s loose restrictions - datafrom their friends, too, including details that theyhadn’t intended to share publicly.

Facebook later limited the data apps can access,but it was too late in this case. Zuckerberg saidFacebook came up with the 87 million figure by calcu-lating the maximum number of friends that users couldhave had while Kogan’s app was collecting data. Thecompany doesn’t have logs going back that far, hesaid, so it can’t know exactly how many people mayhave been affected. Cambridge Analytica said in astatement Wednesday that it had data for only 30 mil-lion people.—AP

Did Cambridge Analytica get your data? You’ll know soon

DETROIT: A University of Michigan initiativehas helped more than 2,800 Detroit highschool students build robotics, train for com-petitions and expand their science, technolo-gy, engineering and math education. Studentswill be able to put their practice to the testas Detroit gears up to host the firstChampionship, a global robotics competition.

About 90 of the 400 teams from around theworld competing from April 25-29 are fromMichigan Student teams will battle robots ona playing field.

It’s the first time the event is being held inthe state. The university’s MichiganEngineering Zone is offering teams worksta-tions, equipment, storage and a cadre of

mentors, including professional engineersand graduate students. Teams visit MEZ tomodify or troubleshoot for upcoming com-petitions. Many Detroit high schools don’thave the tools, resources or staff to support arobotics team.

MEZ gives high school students a hands-onlearning environment to practice real job skills,

such as problem-solving and critical thinking,said Nikolai Vitti, Detroit’s public school dis-trict superintendent. “This is a something wewill look to expand by including more schoolsand students,” Vitti said. MEZ also offers stu-dents assistance on college applications, aswell as financial aid.

Some even end up attending the university,

including 23-year-old Jacob Durrah. Durrahstarted attending MEZ as a sophomore. Now,he works at Ford Motor Co.

“That exposure and constant encourage-ment and seeing the results of what you cando if you put your mind to it,” he said. “I candefinitely say that is the reason I am hereworking for Ford today.”—AP

Michigan students prep for global robotics competition

NEW YORK: In this file photo, the logo forFacebook appears on screens at the NasdaqMarket Site in New York’s Times Square.—AP

Student teams to battle robots on playing field

DETROIT: Students work on their team’s robot inside the University of Michigan’s ‘Michigan Engineering Zone’ inside the school’s Detroit center.—AP photos

New Dell Technologies research reveals a divided vision of the futureDUBAI: We’re entering the next era of human-machinepartnerships with a divided vision of the future, accordingto research now available from Dell Technologies. Half ofthe 3,800 global business leaders surveyed forecast thatautomated systems will free up their time including amajority of leaders in the UAE and KSA. Similarly, 55 per-cent of regional leaders believe they’ll have more job satis-faction in the future by offloading tasks to machines.

The quantitative research conducted by Vanson Bournefollows Dell Technologies’ seminal story, ‘Realizing2030:The Next Era of Human-Machine Partnerships’.That studyforecasted that by 2030, emerging technologies will forgehuman partnerships with machines that are richer andmore immersive than ever before, helping us surpass ourlimitations. Business leaders agree: 87 percent of respon-dents from the region expect humans and machines willwork as integrated teams within their organization insideof five years.

Concerning business tasks which would be outsourcedto machines by 2030, leaders in the region listedMarketing and Communications and Product Design asmost likely followed by Human Resources and FinancialAdministration , Logistics or Supply Chain, and CustomerService and Troubleshooting. However, regional opinionsare also split by whether the future represents an opportu-nity or a threat, and torn by the need to mitigate theserisks. For instance:

50 percent say the more we depend upon technology,the more we’ll have to lose in the event of a cyber-attack;the other half aren’t concerned

58 percent of business leaders are calling for clear pro-tocols in the event that autonomous machines fail; while 42percent abstained

51 percent say computers will need to decipher betweengood and bad commands; 49 percent don’t see a need

Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President - META, DellEMC, said, “As organizations prepare to enter this next eraof human and machine partnerships, leaders are evidentlytorn between two extreme perspectives about the futurevarying between optimism and anxiety. This differingviewpoint could make it difficult for organizations to pre-pare for the future and certainly hamper leaders’ efforts topush through necessary change.”

Given the promise of monumental change-fuelled byexponentially increasing data and the applications, pro-cessing power and connectivity to harness it-63 percent inthe region speculate that schools will need to teach how tolearn rather than what to learn to prepare students for jobsthat don’t yet exist. This thinking corroborates the previ-ous study’s forecast that 85 percent of jobs that will existglobally in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.

Beset by barriersFurthermore, many businesses aren’t moving fast

enough, and going deep enough, to overcome common bar-riers to operating as a successful digital business. Only 27percent of regional businesses believe they are leading theway, ingraining digital in all they do. Nearly half (45 percent)don’t know whether they’ll be able to compete over the nextdecade, and the majority (68 percent) of businesses arestruggling to keep-up with the pace of change.

The lack of workforce readiness was identified as theleading barrier to becoming a successful digital business in2030, further emphasizing the need for skill developmentamong existing employees and future generations. Amajority of leaders in the region (73 percent) also identi-fied the lack of a digital vision and strategy as a prominentbarrier. These were followed by the barriers of technologyconstraints (61 percent), time and money (47 percent) andfinally law and regulations (22 percent).

Unified by the need to transformLeaders may be divided in their view of the future and

facing barriers to change, but they’re united in the need totransform. In fact, the vast majority of businesses believethey’ll be well on their way to transforming within fiveyears, despite the challenges they face.

Likely to achieve within five years in UAE and KSA:Have effective cybersecurity defences in place: 96

percentDeliver their product offering as a service: 96 per-cent Complete their transition to a software-defined busi-ness: 97 percent R&D will drive their organization for-ward: 94 percent Delivering hyper-connected customerexperiences with virtual reality (VR): 92 percent

Using AI to pre-empt customer demands93 percent Mohammed Amin adds, “We’re entering an

era of monumental change that will fundamentally changethe way businesses operate and prioritize investments. Whilehalf of the business leaders in the region are unsure of whatthe next ten to fifteen years look like for their industry andare struggling with the quick pace of change, a large majori-ty are looking at embracing change and new technologies intheir digital business plans for the next five years. This piv-otal time is rich with opportunities of collaboration and inno-vation. It is becoming increasingly clear that businesses caneither transform their IT, workforce, and security and play adefining role in the future or be left behind.”

Put your best face forward with the Huawei nova 3e

In the age of selfies, people post around millions of self-ies every day. Selfies, profile pics define who we areand share our most important experiences, as well as

our exciting lives. When we look good on social media andin pictures, we feel good about ourselves. A selfie super-star, the new Huawei nova 3e is here to amp up your selfiegame. The phone brings amazing features to make youlook your best in pictures and rock your social mediafeeds. Here are few things you need to know about thisphone to get noticed and shine like a star!

Enhanced natural beautyFrom now on, you’ll look your best in all pictures! The

Huawei nova 3e offers a unique photography experienceas it packs amazing features like natural beauty algorithmsthat will enhance your natural beauty and remove imper-fections. Bringing improved facial recognition, the phoneaccurately captures those details (skin tone, texture andfacial details) and adjusts them to give you a natural lookin any environment; it will remove acne and imperfectionsto give you a clear, revived skin that will enhance your nat-ural beauty.

Additionally, the phone offers a 3D beautification modethat uses 96 facial recognition points to adjust andenhance lighting on the contours of your face. Tired eyesor dried lips? No worries! The HUAWEI nova 3e comeswith eye beauty and lip beauty settings to make your eyesbigger and more pronounced, while giving you dense andprominent eyelashes. The lip beauty settings will makeyour dry lips look smooth and healthy.

Selfies with a hint of funYou can now spice up your selfies with Huawei nova

3e’s special effect modes using augmented reality (AR).

The special effects include background replacement,which allows you to personalize your own pictures byreplacing the backgrounds with fun locations of yourchoice. You can choose the backgrounds from a library oftemplates or from your own gallery. Besides, you bringyour inner kid out and have loads of fun with your selfies!The phone offers 16 different fun face templates for you toplay with and get creative! Whether kitten ears, funny facemasks or other, the HUAWEI nova 3e has got you covered.

Gallery-like picturesThe Huawei nova 3e offers enhanced camera modes like

the portrait mode or the wide aperture mode to delivergallery-like, sharp pictures that will wow your social mediafollowers. You can also add an artsy feel to your shots byusing the bokeh effect, which blurs the background andbrings more focus onto the subject. Now that you’ve gotthis information up your sleeve, flip your HUAWEI nova 3ecamera around and get on your selfie game!

H e a l t h Monday, April 9, 2018

23Established 1961

PARIS: When the Universe arose some 13.7 billion yearsago, the Big Bang generated matter and antimatter parti-cles in mirroring pairs. So the reigning physics theorygoes. Yet everything we can see in the Cosmos today, fromthe smallest insect on Earth to the largest star, is made ofmatter particles whose antimatter twins are nowhere to befound. On Wednesday, physicists at Europe’s massiveunderground particle lab said they have taken a step clos-er to solving the mystery through unprecedented observa-tion of an antimatter particle they forged in the lab-anatom of “antihydrogen”.

“What we’re looking for is (to see) if hydrogen in mat-ter and antihydrogen in antimatter behave in the sameway,” said Jeffrey Hangst of the ALPHA experiment at theEuropean Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).Finding even the slightest difference may help explain theapparent matter-antimatter disparity and would rock theStandard Model of physics-the mainstream theory of thefundamental particles that make up the Universe and theforces that govern them.

But, somewhat disappointingly, the latest, “most precise

test to date”, has found no difference between the behav-ior of a hydrogen atom and that of an antihydrogen one.Not yet. “So far, they look the same,” Hangst said in a

video prepared by CERN. The Standard Model, whichdescribes the makeup and behavior of the visible Universe,has no explanation for “missing “antimatter.

It is widely assumed that the Big Bang generated pairs

of matter-antimatter particles with the same mass but anopposite electric charge. Trouble is, as soon as these parti-cles meet, they annihilate one another, leaving behindnothing but pure energy-the principle that powers imagi-nary spaceships in “Star Trek”.

Within reach? Physicists believe matter and antimatter did meet and

implode shortly after the Big Bang, which means theUniverse today should contain nothing but leftover energy.Yet, scientists say that matter, which makes up everythingwe can touch and see, comprises 4.9 percent of theUniverse. Dark matter-a mysterious substance perceivedthrough its gravitational pull on other objects-makes up26.8 percent of the Cosmos, and dark energy the remain-ing 68.3 percent.

Antimatter, for all intents and purposes, does not exist,except for rare and short-lived particles created in veryhigh-energy events such as cosmic rays, or produced atCERN. Some theoretical physicists believe the “missing”antimatter may be found in hitherto unknown regions of

the Universe-in anti-galaxies comprised of anti-stars andanti-planets. At ALPHA, physicists are trying to unravelthe mystery using simplest atom of matter-hydrogen. Ithas a single electron orbiting a single proton.

The team creates hydrogen mirror particles by takingantiprotons left over from the CERN’s high-energy parti-cle collisions and binding them with positrons (the twins ofelectrons). The resulting antihydrogen atoms are held in amagnetic trap to prevent them from coming into contactwith matter and self-annihilating. The team then studiesthe atoms’ reaction to laser light.

Atoms from different types of matter absorb differentfrequencies of light, and under the prevailing theory,hydrogen and antihydrogen should absorb the same type.So far, it seems they do.

But the team will hope for differences to emerge as theexperiment is fine-tuned. “Although the precision still fallsshort for that of ordinary hydrogen, the rapid progressmade by ALPHA suggests hydrogen-like precision in anti-hydrogen (measurements)... are now within reach,” saidHangst.—AFP

Physicists zoom in on mysterious ‘missing’ antimatter

Physicists in Europe step closer towards solving mystery

Most precise test to date

NEW YORK: In this file photo a raccoon rests in the hollow of a tree near Orchard Beach in New York.—AFP

Raccoons’ bizarre behaviorgets locals’ attention in USWASHINGTON: Raccoons are normally shy, noctur-nal creatures. But they’ve been acting out in the USstate of Ohio, where police report strange and men-acing raccoon behavior in broad daylight. Over thepast two weeks, police in Youngstown, Ohio haveresponded to some fifteen calls from residentsreporting sightings of “zombie” raccoons, accordingto local TV station WKBN.

Witnesses describe the furry black-masked crea-tures assuming aggressive postures toward humans,showing no fear and impervious to attempts to scare

them off with noises or movements. RobertCoggeshall, a retired banker turned nature photogra-pher, described the “extremely strange behavior” of araccoon that entered Coggeshall’s front yard as heplayed with his dogs.

“He would stand up on his hind legs, which I’venever seen a raccoon do before, and he would showhis teeth and then he would fall over backward andgo into almost a comatose condition,” Coggeshallsaid. “He’d come out of it, walk around and then he’ddo the same thing again. Get on his hind feet andshow his teeth,” he said.

A picture Coggeshall took of the animal, stand-ing, lips curled and dripping saliva has gone viralon the internet. The raccoon ultimately was eutha-nized, as were others in the area. Ohio environ-mental protection officials have ruled out a localoutbreak of rabies, and instead suspect canine dis-temper as the cause of the odd raccoon behavior.Canine distemper is a viral disease typically seen indogs but which can spread among wild animalpopulations.—AFP

KIB sponsors ACK CareerFair

As part of its belief in the impor-tant role youth play in buildinga nation’s future, Kuwait

International Bank (KIB) sponsoredthe Australian College of Kuwait(ACK) Career Fair, which took placeat the university’s campus with theparticipation of a large number of pri-vate and public sector Institutions.

At the fair, KIB was represented bya team from its Human ResourcesDepartment at its dedicated booth.The team answered the students’career-related questions and providedthem with counsel and guidance tohelp them navigate through the com-plicated process of selecting suitablejob opportunities that match theirspecializations.

As a core part of its philosophy,KIB has always believed in the impor-tance of investing in youth andattracting young talents to the Bank.Accordingly, KIB prioritizes careerdevelopment and actively seeks to

nurture the ambitions and aspirationsof young talents - as is it focuses onbeing an attractive working environ-ment for young local talents in thefinance sector. The Bank also pridesitself on offering fair employmentopportunities to enable it to attractthe right candidates to the right job.

It serves to note that this is not thefirst time that KIB has taken part in anevent of this kind. The Bank alwaysstrives to participate in career fairs inan effort to support students andopen new horizons for ambitiousyouth by giving them opportunities toapply their educational knowledge tothe professional world. Additionally,KIB is committed to supporting stu-dents along their career path, helpingthem carefully choose their professionand focus on opportunities that matchtheir academic background andcareer interests.

KIB embraces a dynamic workingenvironment where new ideas areencouraged. Additionally, the Bankheavily invests in its employees’ pro-fessional skills, providing a wide rangeof training opportunities year-round.Accordingly, KIB is able to attract keytalents which have supported theBank’s strategic vision of becomingthe ‘Islamic Bank of Choice in Kuwait’in the near future.

Within the activities of the Arab Youth Festival organized by LOYAC’s Academy for Performance Arts (LAPA) at Al-Shaheed Park, theLebanese singer, George Ne’meh enchanted the audience on the fourth festival concert by singing a variety of famous Lebanesesongs that highly appealed to the audience. Notably, Ne’meh had started his career at the age of 11 before he formed his own band

in 2008 and started singing iconic singers’ songs.


24W h a t ’ s O n

Established 1961

PAAET director Dr. Ali Al-Mudhaf stressed onthe importance of academic accreditation andcoping with modern education and training

systems and methods. Speaking on receiving therepresentative of Paris Academy (of the French min-istry of education) Dr. Redha Farah to discussmutual cooperation and providing accreditation toPAAET programs, Al-Mudhaf welcomed Dr. Farahand expressed readiness to show full cooperationwith the ultimate goal to enhance the quality of theeducational programs PAAET provides. Al-Mudhafalso received PAAET teaching staffs administrativeboard. The meeting was attended by head ofPAAET teaching staff’s syndicate, Dr. Suliaman Al-Sowaitt and PAAET PR and official spokesperson,Fatima Al-Azmi.

PAAET receives representative from Paris Academy

LOYAC organizes Arab Youth Festival

South African embassy opens‘Book of Condolences’ for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

On 2 April 2018, the South African and international communityreceived the sad news of the passing of the struggle stalwartand former Member of Parliament Mrs Winnie Madikizela-

Mandela. She was among the great icons of the liberation strugglewho sacrificed everything in the fight against the brutal apartheidstate. Due to her dedication to the people of South Africa during thedarkest days of apartheid and her tenacity to create a society freefrom racial oppression and injustice, she was affectionately referred toas the “Mother of the Nation”.

The sacrifice and tireless activism of Mama Winnie, and countlessother South African and international partners and friends has helpedto move South Africa from a repressive regime to a society built onthe values of human rights, dignity and democracy. She is lauded andacknowledged in Africa and around the world for her contribution tothe struggles of the oppressed.

Mama Winnie was born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela onSeptember 26, 1936 in the village of Mbongweni in Bizana in the for-mer Transkei. She attended the Shawsbury High School where shematriculated with a first class pass. In 1953 she was admitted to theJan Hofmeyr School of Social Work in Johannesburg and completed aDiploma in Social Work. Winnie Madikizela was offered the positionof medical social worker at the Baragwanath Hospital making her thefirst qualified Black member of staff to fill that post.

It was through her social work at the hospital that she was movedby the plight and living conditions of the black majority. On June 14,1958 Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela were married in Bizana.The early years were increasingly difficult for her as a young wife andmother who was intricately involved in the liberation struggle.Moreover, the frequent police raids at her home added further turbu-

lence to her family life. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s life went through irrevocable change

when Nelson Mandela was arrested on August 5, 1961. She took itupon herself to keep the flames of resistance burning. Madikizela-Mandela kept the memory of Nelson Mandela alive during his yearson Robben Island and helped advance the struggle for justice in SouthAfrica. Her activism and resistance to apartheid landed her in jail onnumerous occasions, eventually causing her banishment to the smalltown of Brandfort in the then Orange Free State for nine years.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared ten days of mourning anda Special Official Funeral. A memorial service will be held for WinnieMadikizela-Mandela on April 11, 2018 at the Regina Mundi Church inSoweto and a funeral on April 14, 2018 at the Orlando Stadium. ABook of Condolences has been opened at the Embassy of theRepublic of South Africa in (Salwa, Block 10, Street 1, Villa 91, GateNumber 3) until April 12, 2018, from 11 am to 2 pm.

BrazilianElections 2018

In view of the presidential electionson October 7, 2018 (first round),Brazilian voters in Kuwait are

informed of the obligation to re-registerat the consular section of the BrazilianEmbassy in Kuwait. In the process of re-registration, the voter must complete thefollowing steps (please pay attention tothe deadline of each step):

Step 1 (to be fulfilled until May 9,2018):

a) Fill the form on the website of theSuperior Electoral Court(http://www.tse.jus.br/eleitor-e-ele-icoes/servicos/eleitor-no-exterior/pre-atendimento-eleitoral-no-exterior-titu-lo-net)

b) Print and sign the form.

Step 2 (to be completed by May 16,2018):

c) Attend the consular section of theEmbassy of Brazil in Kuwait, whichruns from Sunday to Thursday, from 08am to 12 noon, to present the followingdocuments:

Brazilian official document of identifi-cation (identity card, professional cardissued by a federal organization, birth ormarriage certificate, passport, Brazilianlabor ID). Documents must have the fol-lowing data to confirm one’s identity:Name of the father, name of the mother,date and place of birth. In the case thedocument does not provide the men-tioned data, the voter must presentanother document to complete the infor-mation; Proof or statement that certifiesyour residence in Kuwait;

Personal attendance is mandatory forfinalizing the application.

The address of the Brazilian Embassyin Kuwait is Mubarak Al Abdullah area,Block 1, Street 116, Villa 47 - phone2537-8561/2.

TV Monday, April 9, 2018

25Established 1961

00:00 USS Indianapolis02:20 Street Fighter04:10 Live Free Or Die Hard06:25 Independents’ Day08:05 Street Fighter09:55 Live Free Or Die Hard12:10 Seven Years In Tibet14:30 Rumble16:10 The Core18:30 The Last Witch Hunter20:20 A Good Day To Die Hard22:00 Transporter 223:30 Death Race 2050

00:45 Wild Appalachia01:40 The Animals’ Guide ToSurvival02:35 The Animals’ Guide ToSurvival03:25 The Animals’ Guide ToSurvival04:15 River Monsters05:02 Preposterous Pets05:49 Preposterous Pets06:36 Meet The Sloths07:00 Swamp Brothers07:25 Swamp Brothers07:50 Swamp Brothers08:15 River Monsters09:10 Preposterous Pets10:05 Wildest Latin America11:00 Swamp Brothers11:28 Swamp Brothers11:55 The Vet Life12:50 Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet13:45 Preposterous Pets14:40 Wildest Latin America15:35 Untamed & Uncut16:30 River Monsters17:25 Monster Mako18:20 Alien Sharks: CloseEncounters19:15 Cats 10120:10 Swamp Brothers20:38 Swamp Brothers21:05 Monster Mako22:00 Alien Sharks: CloseEncounters22:55 Wildest Latin America23:50 Untamed & Uncut

00:05 Spies Of Warsaw00:55 Trust Me01:55 Line Of Duty03:00 Orphan Black03:45 Orphan Black04:30 EastEnders05:00 Call The Midwife06:00 EastEnders06:30 EastEnders07:00 Call The Midwife08:00 The Coroner08:50 The Coroner09:40 The Coroner10:30 Father Brown11:20 Death In Paradise12:20 EastEnders12:55 Call The Midwife13:50 The Detectorists14:20 The Detectorists14:50 EastEnders15:20 Death In Paradise16:15 Father Brown17:05 Call The Midwife18:00 Casualty19:00 Death In Paradise20:00 Cold Feet20:50 Silent Witness21:45 Death In Paradise22:40 Trust Me23:40 Casualty

00:00 Waco: Madman Or Messiah01:55 Robbie Coltrane’s CriticalEvidence02:50 The Zodiac Killer: CaseClosed?03:45 Waco: Madman Or Messiah05:15 The First 4806:00 Cold Case Files07:00 It Takes A Killer07:20 The First 4808:05 Cold Case Files08:50 Homicide Hunter09:35 The First 4810:30 Crimes That Shook Australia11:25 Crimes That Shook Britain12:20 Cold Case Files13:15 Leah Remini: Scientology AndThe Aftermath14:10 The First 4815:05 Crimes That Shook Australia16:00 Homicide Hunter17:00 The Murder Of Laci Peterson18:00 The Murder Of Laci Peterson19:00 The Murder Of Laci Peterson20:00 Live PD: Police Patrol20:30 Live PD: Police Patrol21:00 Crimes That Shook Britain22:00 Britain’s Darkest Taboos23:00 Robbie Coltrane’s CriticalEvidence

00:05 Russel Simmons Presents: TheRuckus00:30 Another Period00:55 Chris Hardwick: Mandroid01:45 South Park02:10 Nightcap02:35 Another Period03:00 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah03:25 Tosh.003:50 South Park04:15 Nathan For You04:40 Key And Peele05:05 Catch A Contractor05:30 Disaster Date05:55 Ridiculousness Arabia06:20 Comedy Central PresentsComedy 3alwagef06:50 Disorderly Conduct: Video OnPatrol07:35 Lip Sync Battle08:00 Key And Peele08:30 Disaster Date08:55 Workaholics09:20 Nathan For You09:45 Lip Sync Battle10:10 Catch A Contractor10:35 Friends11:00 Key And Peele11:25 Disaster Date11:50 Ridiculousness Arabia12:15 Friendszone12:40 Key And Peele13:05 Friends13:30 Friends13:55 Nathan For You14:20 Workaholics14:45 Disaster Date15:10 Friends15:35 Key And Peele16:00 Nathan For You16:30 Friendszone16:55 Friends17:20 Friends17:45 Disaster Date

18:10 Hillbillies For Hire18:35 Hillbillies For Hire19:00 Friends19:25 Friendszone19:50 Real Husbands Of Hollywood20:12 Friends20:35 Friends21:00 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah21:30 Why? With Hannibal Buress22:00 Teachers22:20 Graves22:50 Nathan For You23:15 Real Husbands Of Hollywood23:40 The Daily Show With TrevorNoah

00:30 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor01:20 How The Earth Works02:10 How The Earth Works03:00 Nextworld03:50 Kids Do The Craziest Things04:15 Kids Do The Craziest Things04:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things05:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things05:30 Kids Do The Craziest Things05:55 Kids Do The Craziest Things06:20 How It’s Made06:40 How It’s Made07:00 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor07:50 How It’s Made08:15 How It’s Made08:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things09:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things09:30 Tanked10:20 How The Earth Works11:10 Finding Bigfoot12:00 Somebody’s Gotta Do It12:50 How It’s Made13:15 How It’s Made13:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things14:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things14:30 Tanked15:20 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor16:10 How The Earth Works17:00 Finding Bigfoot17:50 Somebody’s Gotta Do It18:40 Kids Do The Craziest Things19:05 Kids Do The Craziest Things19:30 How It’s Made19:55 How It’s Made20:20 Tanked21:10 Finding Bigfoot22:00 Somebody’s Gotta Do It22:50 How The Earth Works23:40 Bear Grylls: Born Survivor

00:45 Death On A Submarine01:40 Home Alone02:35 Ghosts Of Shepherdstown03:30 Ghost Stalkers04:25 Bride Killa05:20 Murder Book06:10 Shadow Of Doubt07:00 Who On Earth Did I Marry?07:25 Betrayed08:15 Blood Relatives09:10 Nightmare Next Door10:05 American Monster11:00 I Am Homicide11:55 Betrayed12:50 I Almost Got Away With It13:45 Nightmare Next Door14:40 American Monster15:35 A Crime To Remember16:30 Betrayed17:25 Blood Relatives18:20 I Almost Got Away With It19:15 Nightmare Next Door20:10 American Monster21:05 Gone22:00 True Conviction22:55 Death On A Submarine23:50 Death On A Submarine

00:00 Hank Zipzer00:25 Alex & Co.00:45 Disney Mickey Mouse00:50 Evermoor Chronicles01:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch01:40 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch02:05 Binny And The Ghost02:30 Binny And The Ghost02:55 Hank Zipzer03:15 Disney Mickey Mouse03:20 Hank Zipzer03:45 Alex & Co.04:10 Alex & Co.04:35 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch05:00 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch05:25 Binny And The Ghost05:45 Disney Mickey Mouse05:50 Rolling With The Ronks S1Splits06:00 Elena Of Avalor06:25 Bunk’d06:50 Bunk’d07:15 K.C. Undercover07:40 K.C. Undercover08:05 Raven’s Home08:30 Miraculous Tales OfLadybug...08:55 Star vs The Forces Of Evil09:20 Tangled: The Series09:45 Elena Of Avalor10:10 Hotel Transylvania: The Series10:35 Stuck In The Middle11:00 Stuck In The Middle11:25 Liv And Maddie11:50 Liv And Maddie12:15 Bizaardvark12:40 Bizaardvark13:05 Jessie13:30 Go Figure15:00 Hotel Transylvania: The Series15:10 Hotel Transylvania: The Series15:35 Hotel Transylvania: The Series16:00 Miraculous Tales OfLadybug...16:50 Raven’s Home17:15 K.C. Undercover17:40 Raven’s Home18:05 K.C. Undercover18:30 Tangled: The Series18:55 Tangled: Short Cuts19:00 Tangled: The Series19:25 Liv And Maddie20:15 Disney Mickey Mouse20:20 Elena Of Avalor20:45 Elena Of Avalor21:10 Bizaardvark21:35 Bizaardvark22:00 Miraculous Tales OfLadybug...22:50 Lolirock23:10 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch23:35 Binny And The Ghost

00:00 Trulli Tales00:30 PJ Masks00:55 Trulli Tales01:20 Henry Hugglemonster01:35 Calimero01:50 Henry Hugglemonster

02:05 Art Attack02:30 The Hive02:40 Loopdidoo02:55 Henry Hugglemonster03:10 Art Attack03:35 Loopdidoo03:50 Calimero04:05 Art Attack04:30 Henry Hugglemonster04:45 Henry Hugglemonster05:00 Art Attack05:30 Henry Hugglemonster05:45 Loopdidoo06:00 Henry Hugglemonster06:15 Calimero06:30 PJ Masks07:00 Trulli Tales07:30 Jungle Junction07:50 Handy Manny08:10 PJ Masks08:30 Vampirina09:00 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers09:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse10:00 Puppy Dog Pals10:30 Puppy Dog Pals11:00 The Lion Guard11:30 The Lion Guard12:00 Sofia The First12:30 Sofia The First13:00 PJ Masks13:30 PJ Masks14:00 P-King Duckling14:30 Vampirina15:00 Puppy Dog Pals15:30 Sofia The First16:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse16:30 Doc McStuffins17:00 PJ Masks17:05 PJ Masks17:30 Mickey And The RoadsterRacers18:00 The Lion Guard18:30 Puppy Dog Pals19:00 Trulli Tales19:30 The Lion Guard20:00 Vampirina20:30 PJ Masks21:00 Trulli Tales21:30 Sofia The First22:00 P-King Duckling22:30 Puppy Dog Pals23:00 Miles From Tomorrow23:30 PJ Masks

00:15 Gear Week01:05 Heavy Rescue01:50 Railroad Australia02:35 Outback Truckers03:20 Impossible Engineering04:05 Buying Alaska04:50 Dirty Jobs05:35 Storage Hunters06:00 Factory Line06:23 Dallas Car Sharks06:45 Storage Hunters07:10 Storage Wars Canada07:35 Buying Alaska08:20 Factory Line08:45 Dallas Car Sharks09:10 Dirty Jobs09:55 Heavy Rescue10:45 Railroad Australia11:30 Outback Truckers12:20 Factory Line12:43 Dallas Car Sharks13:05 Storage Hunters13:30 Storage Wars Canada13:55 Dirty Jobs14:40 Ice Cold Gold15:30 Heavy Rescue16:15 Railroad Australia17:05 Outback Truckers17:50 Buying Alaska18:40 Dirty Jobs19:25 Ice Cold Gold20:15 Impossible Engineering21:00 Jungle Gold21:50 Gold Rush: White Water22:40 Gold Divers23:30 Buying Alaska

06:00 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero06:25 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero06:50 The Suite Life Movie08:20 Disney Mickey Mouse08:25 Milo Murphy’s Law08:35 Mech-X409:00 Walk The Prank09:25 Marvel’s Spider-Man09:50 Milo Murphy’s Law10:20 Lab Rats Elite Force10:45 The Suite Life On Deck11:10 Gravity Falls11:35 Pair Of Kings12:00 Marvel’s Spider-Man12:25 Two More Eggs12:30 Mighty Med12:55 Kirby Buckets13:20 Kirby Buckets13:45 Gravity Falls14:10 Disney Mickey Mouse14:15 Gravity Falls14:40 Pair Of Kings15:05 Pair Of Kings15:30 Milo Murphy’s Law15:55 Two More Eggs16:00 The Suite Life Of Zack &Cody16:25 Lab Rats16:50 Walk The Prank17:15 Mech-X417:40 Marvel’s Spider-Man18:05 Kickin’ It18:30 Randy Cunningham: 9thGrade Ninja18:45 Kickin’ It19:10 Mini Ninjas19:25 Walk The Prank19:50 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot19:55 Mech-X420:20 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero20:45 Gamer’s Guide To PrettyMuch Everything21:10 Kid vs. Kat21:35 Marvel’s Rocket And Groot21:40 Disney Mickey Mouse21:45 Lab Rats Elite Force22:10 Lab Rats Elite Force22:35 Phineas & Ferb23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00amKSA

00:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians01:50 E! News02:50 Botched03:40 Botched04:35 Botched05:30 Celebrity Style Story06:00 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian06:55 E! News Middle East07:25 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian08:20 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian09:15 Revenge Body With KhloeKardashian10:10 E! News Middle East10:40 Celebrity Style Story11:10 Keeping Up With TheKardashians12:05 Keeping Up With TheKardashians

13:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians14:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians15:00 E! News Middle East15:30 Celebrity Style Story16:00 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry17:00 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry18:00 Hollywood Medium WithTyler Henry19:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians20:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians22:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians23:00 E! News Middle East23:15 WAGs LA

00:10 Who’s Doing The Dishes?01:00 Emmerdale01:30 Emmerdale02:00 Coronation Street02:30 The Chase03:25 Dancing On Ice05:15 Royal Recipes06:15 Who’s Doing The Dishes?07:10 The Chase08:05 Dancing On Ice09:55 Royal Recipes11:00 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 The Voice UK 201817:25 Gino’s Hidden Italy17:50 Royal Recipes18:50 Emmerdale19:15 Coronation Street19:45 Coronation Street20:10 The Chase21:00 The Voice UK 201822:25 Gino’s Hidden Italy22:50 Emmerdale23:15 Coronation Street23:40 Coronation Street

00:00 Heroes Of War01:00 Ancient Aliens02:00 UFO Files02:50 UFO Files03:40 Blood And Glory: The CivilWar In Color04:30 Blood And Glory: The CivilWar In Color05:20 Million Dollar Genius06:10 Million Dollar Genius07:00 Ancient Aliens08:00 Ancient Aliens09:00 UFO Files10:00 UFO Files11:00 Million Dollar Genius12:00 Million Dollar Genius13:00 Ancient Aliens14:00 Ancient Aliens15:00 UFO Files16:00 UFO Files17:00 Million Dollar Genius18:00 Ancient Discoveries19:00 Brad Meltzer’s Decoded20:00 The Universe21:00 Ancient Aliens22:00 Bible Secrets Revealed23:00 The Lost Evidence

00:20 Forged: Iron & Fire00:45 Pawn Stars01:15 Swamp People02:00 American Pickers02:50 Storage Wars03:15 Storage Wars03:40 American Pickers04:30 Forged: Iron & Fire04:55 Pawn Stars05:20 American Pickers06:00 Ice Road Truckers06:50 Forged In Fire07:40 Storage Wars08:05 Storage Wars08:30 American Pickers09:20 Ice Road Truckers10:10 Alone11:00 Forged In Fire11:50 Storage Wars12:15 Storage Wars12:40 American Pickers13:30 Ice Road Truckers14:20 American Pickers15:10 Alone16:00 American Pickers16:50 Storage Wars17:15 Storage Wars17:40 Battle 36018:30 Ice Road Truckers19:20 Forged: Iron & Fire19:45 Pawn Stars20:10 American Pickers21:00 WW2 Treasure Hunters21:50 Sean Bean On Waterloo22:40 Forged: Iron & Fire23:05 Pawn Stars23:30 Ice Road Truckers

00:15 Lyndey Milan - Taste OfAustralia00:45 What’s For Sale?01:10 What’s For Sale?01:40 Food Lover’s Guide To ThePlanet02:05 Poh & Co.02:35 Exploring Macau With JulianDavison03:30 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces04:25 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea05:20 Chocolate Perfection WithMichel Roux Jr06:15 John Torode’s Korean FoodTour07:10 Food Lover’s Guide To ThePlanet07:35 Poh & Co.08:05 Exploring Macau With JulianDavison09:00 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces09:55 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea10:50 Chocolate Perfection WithMichel Roux Jr11:45 John Torode’s Korean FoodTour12:40 Stepping Out13:05 Poh & Co.13:35 The Peninsula: The Making OfA Gala14:30 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces15:25 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea16:20 Miguel’s Feasts17:15 John Torode’s Korean FoodTour

18:10 Street Food Around TheWorld18:35 Poh & Co.19:05 The Peninsula: The Making OfA Gala20:00 George Clarke’s AmazingSpaces21:00 Charlie Luxton’s Homes ByThe Sea22:00 Miguel’s Feasts22:25 Miguel’s Feasts22:55 John Torode’s Korean FoodTour23:50 Street Food Around TheWorld

00:10 Wicked Tuna01:00 Inside Turkish Airlines02:00 India’s Mega Kitchens03:00 Yukon Gold04:00 Wicked Tuna05:00 Rebuilding Titanic06:00 America’s Great War 1917-191807:00 Locked Up Abroad08:00 Apocalypse: The SecondWorld War09:00 Mystery Files09:30 Mystery Files10:00 Taste Of The Tropic: Taiwan11:00 India’s Mega Kitchens12:00 Mega Factories13:00 Nazi Scrapbooks From Hell14:00 Apocalypse: The SecondWorld War15:00 Car SOS16:00 Access 360 World Heritage17:00 Taiwan’s Toughest18:00 Mega Factories19:00 Car SOS20:00 Access 360 World Heritage20:50 Taiwan’s Toughest21:40 Mega Factories22:30 Car SOS23:20 Apocalypse: The SecondWorld War

00:20 Baby Animals In The Wild01:10 Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER02:00 Blood Rivals: Hippo V. Lion02:50 Caught In The Act GPUReversions03:45 Ultimate Animal Countdown04:40 Chasing Rhinos05:35 Blood Rivals: Hippo V. Lion06:30 Caught In The Act GPUReversions07:25 Ultimate Animal Countdown08:20 Chasing Rhinos09:15 World’s Weirdest10:10 Photo Ark11:05 Natural Born Monsters12:00 Sharks In The City12:55 Attack Of The Big Cats13:50 Caught In The Act GPUReversions14:45 Philly Undercover15:40 The Miracle Cheetah16:35 World’s Weirdest17:30 Photo Ark18:25 Animals Gone Wild19:20 Philly Undercover20:10 The Miracle Cheetah21:00 World’s Weirdest21:50 Photo Ark22:40 Animals Gone Wild23:30 Sharks In The City

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 Rabbids Invasion04:12 Rabbids Invasion04:36 Breadwinners05:00 Breadwinners05:24 The Loud House05:48 SpongeBob SquarePants06:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles06:36 Harvey Beaks07:00 Breadwinners07:24 Get Blake07:48 Sanjay And Craig08:12 Rabbids Invasion08:36 The Loud House09:00 Regal Academy09:24 Winx Club09:48 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool10:12 Game Shakers10:36 School Of Rock11:00 Henry Danger11:24 The Thundermans11:48 I Am Frankie12:12 Rank The Prank12:36 Massive Monster Mayhem13:00 Hunter Street13:24 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn13:48 Toon Marty14:00 Toon Marty14:12 Harvey Beaks14:36 Breadwinners15:00 Sanjay And Craig15:24 Rabbids Invasion15:48 SpongeBob SquarePants16:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles16:36 The Loud House17:00 Toon Marty17:12 Toon Marty17:24 Massive Monster Mayhem17:48 Hunter Street18:12 Henry Danger18:36 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky And Dawn19:00 School Of Rock19:24 Game Shakers19:48 The Thundermans20:12 SpongeBob SquarePants20:36 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles21:00 Harvey Beaks21:24 Breadwinners21:48 Get Blake22:12 Sanjay And Craig22:36 Rabbids Invasion23:00 The Loud House23:24 Regal Academy23:48 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

00:06 Max & Ruby00:28 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom00:38 Kiva Can Do!00:49 The Day Henry Met00:55 Blaze And The MonsterMachines01:18 Blaze And The MonsterMachines01:40 Paw Patrol01:52 Kid-E-Cats01:57 Kid-E-Cats02:02 Shimmer And Shine02:25 Nella The Princess Knight02:37 Paw Patrol03:00 Max & Ruby03:23 Dora The Explorer03:46 Sunny Day04:08 Nella The Princess Knight

04:31 Shimmer And Shine04:53 Wallykazam!05:17 Zack & Quack05:27 The Day Henry Met05:32 The Day Henry Met05:38 Blaze And The MonsterMachines06:00 Rusty Rivets06:13 Paw Patrol06:37 Dora The Explorer07:00 Nella The Princess Knight07:22 Kiva Can Do!07:33 Kiva Can Do!07:43 Blaze And The MonsterMachines08:06 Paw Patrol08:29 Shimmer And Shine08:52 Nella The Princess Knight09:14 The Day Henry Met09:20 Paw Patrol09:43 Rusty Rivets10:07 Wallykazam!10:30 Bubble Guppies10:53 Team Umizoomi11:16 Kid-E-Cats11:21 Shimmer And Shine11:44 Sunny Day12:06 Max & Ruby12:28 Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom12:39 Kiva Can Do!12:49 The Day Henry Met12:55 Blaze And The MonsterMachines13:17 Blaze And The MonsterMachines13:40 Paw Patrol13:52 Kid-E-Cats13:56 Kid-E-Cats14:02 Shimmer And Shine14:24 Nella The Princess Knight14:36 Paw Patrol15:00 Max & Ruby15:23 Dora The Explorer15:46 Sunny Day16:08 Nella The Princess Knight16:31 Shimmer And Shine16:53 Wallykazam!17:16 Zack & Quack17:27 The Day Henry Met17:32 The Day Henry Met17:38 Blaze And The MonsterMachines18:00 Rusty Rivets18:13 Paw Patrol18:37 Dora The Explorer19:00 Nella The Princess Knight19:22 Kiva Can Do!19:33 Kiva Can Do!19:43 Blaze And The MonsterMachines20:06 Paw Patrol20:29 Shimmer And Shine20:52 Nella The Princess Knight21:14 The Day Henry Met21:20 Paw Patrol21:43 Rusty Rivets22:07 Wallykazam!22:30 Bubble Guppies22:54 Team Umizoomi23:16 Kid-E-Cats23:22 Shimmer And Shine23:43 Sunny Day

00:15 How I Met Your Mother00:40 How I Met Your Mother01:05 Seinfeld01:30 Seinfeld01:55 Saturday Night Live03:10 Late Night With Seth Meyers04:00 American Housewife04:25 The Mick04:50 The Ellen DeGeneres Show05:40 Marry Me06:05 The Bernie Mac Show06:30 Fresh Off The Boat06:55 Mom07:20 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:10 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 American Housewife09:25 The Mick09:50 The Mindy Project10:20 Roseanne10:45 Marry Me11:10 The Bernie Mac Show11:35 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:20 Fresh Off The Boat12:45 Mom13:10 How I Met Your Mother13:35 How I Met Your Mother14:00 Seinfeld14:25 Seinfeld14:50 Marry Me15:15 The Mindy Project15:45 Roseanne16:10 The Ellen DeGeneres Show17:00 Fresh Off The Boat17:30 Mom18:00 How I Met Your Mother19:00 Seinfeld19:30 Seinfeld20:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine20:30 Quacks21:05 Alone Together21:35 LA To Vegas22:05 The Goldbergs22:35 The Goldbergs23:05 Difficult People23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

01:00 The Little Mermaid: Ariel’sBeginning02:30 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice04:30 Brother Bear 206:00 Beauty And The Beast07:30 The Little Mermaid09:00 The Little Mermaid 2: ReturnTo The Sea10:30 The Little Mermaid: Ariel’sBeginning12:00 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice14:00 Inspector Gadget15:30 The Parent Trap17:45 Cars19:45 Confessions Of A TeenageDrama Queen21:30 Inspector Gadget23:00 The Parent Trap

00:00 Station 1901:00 Grimm01:50 Stitchers02:40 Grey’s Anatomy03:30 Scandal04:20 Station 1905:20 Chicago Med06:10 The Night Shift07:00 Training Day08:00 Good Morning America - TheWeekend09:00 The View10:00 Scandal11:00 Chicago Med12:00 The Night Shift13:00 Chicago P.D.14:00 Grey’s Anatomy15:00 The View16:00 Live Good Morning America18:00 The Night Shift19:00 Chicago Med

01:30 Hit By Lightning03:05 Boomerang05:10 Big Trouble

06:45 Big Momma’s House08:30 Boris And Natasha: TheMovie10:05 Big Trouble11:40 Big Momma’s House13:25 Article 9915:15 Boris And Natasha: TheMovie16:50 Big Momma’s House 218:35 Daddy’s Home20:20 Jeff, Who Lives At Home22:00 Road Trip: Beer Pong23:45 Eat Locals

01:05 A Late Quartet03:05 My Sister05:10 The Challenger07:00 Noble08:55 Love On The Slopes10:35 My Sister12:35 African Safari14:15 Days Of Heaven16:00 The Remains Of The Day18:25 An Inconvenient Truth20:15 Charlotte’s Song22:00 A Dangerous Woman

00:35 The Wish Fish02:00 Pacific Pirates03:30 Last Wizard04:50 Funny Little Cars05:50 Moomin And MidsummerMadness07:15 Dinofroz - An Island In TheSky08:35 Deep10:15 Teo: The Intergalactic Hunter11:40 Felix All Around The World13:10 Pacific Pirates14:40 Last Wizard16:00 Operation Arctic17:35 Teo: The Intergalactic Hunter19:00 Shopkins - Chef Club20:00 The Fairy Tales Tree21:25 Operation Arctic23:00 Deep

01:25 Nine Lives02:55 Janie Jones04:50 13 Going On 3006:35 Dirty Dancing08:50 Nine Lives10:20 Batman: Return Of The CapedCrusaders11:45 13 Going On 3013:25 The Angry Birds Movie15:10 Tekken: Kazuya’s Revenge16:45 A Monster Calls18:35 Beverly Hills Cop 320:25 Runner Runner22:00 Goodfellas

00:30 The Big Brain Theory01:20 The Big Brain Theory02:10 Hacking The Wild03:00 Mythbusters03:48 Mythbusters04:36 Mythbusters05:24 Mythbusters06:12 Mythbusters: The Search07:00 How Do They Do It?07:26 Prototype This08:14 Mythbusters: The Search09:02 The Big Brain Theory09:50 How Do They Do It?10:14 Food Factory USA10:38 Hacking The Wild11:26 Prototype This12:14 Mythbusters: The Search13:02 How Do They Do It?13:26 Food Factory USA13:50 The Big Brain Theory14:38 Prototype This15:26 Hacking The Wild16:14 Mythbusters: The Search17:02 The Big Brain Theory17:50 Prototype This18:40 Mythbusters: The Search19:30 Invent It Rich20:20 How Do They Do It?20:45 Food Factory USA21:10 Curiosity: How Will The WorldEnd?22:00 Invent It Rich22:50 Prototype This23:40 Mythbusters: The Search

01:20 Break Ke Baad03:00 Break Ke Baad03:20 Mr. Mobile05:00 The Front ROW05:25 Koffee With Karan06:30 Kya Kehna09:20 Biwi No.111:50 Ishq14:45 Hum17:50 Nautanki Saala20:00 M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story23:20 Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji

01:15 Dirty Dancing : Havana Nights03:00 The Animal04:15 The Singing Detective06:00 All Good Things07:45 Song One09:15 Nurse Betty11:00 Foxcatcher13:15 Valkyrie15:15 Dirty Dancing : Havana Nights16:45 Hesher18:30 Frank20:00 K-Pax22:00 Cinderella23:45 That’s What I Am

00:00 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta02:00 Grey’s Anatomy03:00 Married At First Sight04:00 Black Box05:00 Devious Maids06:00 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta06:30 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta07:00 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta07:30 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta08:00 Grey’s Anatomy09:00 Married At First Sight10:00 Black Box11:00 Devious Maids12:00 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta12:30 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta13:00 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta13:30 Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta14:00 Grey’s Anatomy15:00 Married At First Sight16:00 Black Box17:00 Devious Maids18:00 The Fashion Fund19:00 The Fashion Fund20:00 Grey’s Anatomy

You’re restless and unhappy with the way things are now; this could indi-cate either work or home. This could call for a change in residence or job; changes inlocation are definitely likely. A person states that he or she likes what you have done withyour home or wardrobe. Your ability to convince people is at a high point; this could serveyou well when attempting to sell a large item. Your affectionate side rules as you plansomething special this evening. You could find yourself involved with an impromptuopportunity for a walk or perhaps a Sunday yoga class. Your body longs to move, stretchand bend! You could come across as angry or unmotivated later this evening; let fresh airand natural beauty surround and heal your tired spirit.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You have an occasion to make decisions regarding big changes in the home;painting, remodeling or new furniture could be indicated. You appear as confident and incontrol to those around you. Positive attitudes and energies are active as you spend theday with loved ones. Your romantic or emotional situation is up and down, it seems asthough you can’t make progress in this area. Sit back and let things unfold as they will; youcan only control your behavior, no one else. A strong desire to escape the ordinary ormundane could be felt very strongly. You could find relief this evening by pursuing pleas-urable things with a like-minded person. A good attitude works to help you see thingsfrom a different viewpoint that s very helpful.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Energy is available for you to enrich your environment or the circumstancesin your life. Your goal of creating a certain aura in your home is close at

hand; you understand how to pull things to you! Time spent with those younger thanyourself pays off in extremely positive outcomes. Your personal life provides the happi-ness and security you require to feel successful. You could feel as though you preferspending more time at home than away. You may discover a new website to shop for cer-tain items. In your mind you revisit where you grew up and the people you knew backthen. A deep discussion with someone dear reveals good news. You’re able to focus andunderstand a new look or design you might want to work on this week.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You have an opportunity to take part in classes on a topic of interest to youfor years; this could be difficult to accomplish but you’ll find the time and

excel. You let your determination and will lead the way. Vibrations of accomplishment arestrong and readily available to you. Some tasks are finished with ease, others not so much,but mainly you re on top of things today. Family and friends are of the utmost importancenow as you have entered a new cycle ushering in changes. Looking for new techniquesand habits are at the fore. These new ways bring encouragement and change that createpositive results; you no longer go through life the way you did before because of majorgrowth and evolution. You have reached a special goal.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

An abundance of new discovery is available to you at any time you wish. Asit’s been said, the world is your oyster, and you find yourself taking full advantage of theseunconstrained openings. Be wise in your good fortune and this time of very productiveenergy; guard against losing all that you have worked and believed so hard to create andgain. You look to the future to use something you have had in mind for a while, somethingthat s nearing completion and is ready to use. Everything starts with you today as newdomestic projects become realities you welcome with vigor. You’re hands on and front andcenter this evening as the fun begins; you could find yourself using a new cook top or grillto feed a rather large group of people who love you.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Your independence is highlighted today as an opportunity arises that couldmake a difference in your life. This is an awesome time! All aspects of your life worktogether to form a perfect situation to prosper. Stepping out of the routine into a new envi-ronment with new methods is just what you have wanted, and here it is! You shut emotionsout and distance yourself from anything that could stir them; actually, recharging yourself issometimes best done alone. Your down to earth logic is called upon to straighten out someconfusion; you’re able to get right to the heart of the matter and clear this up. Reorganizingpersonal legal documents takes center stage this evening; enjoy a delicious dinner after along, very busy but productive weekend.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Your mental clarity is much better as you’re called on to make some seriousdecisions. The career front has opened up to new opportunities and successes; decisions inthis area come easily and are definitely positive. You express your thoughts and ideas toothers that agree to support your direction. Your approval of an interesting new method isgiven today. You could consider investing in new real estate or stocks. Something you readgives you an interesting idea for making money. Your sexual needs are prominent at thistime; you could gain much emotional depth from your love life if you allow it. You could feela super need to be in control and call all the shots; remember, respect for others creates an

atmosphere of peace and abundance.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You may want to believe the unbelievable instead of reality and what’s reallygoing on; you could collapse yourself into a new interest or romance and

cause damage to yourself and others. Ideas of how to realize enormous achievementscould be misleading and should be investigated. Circumstances come together to create aneed for new planning and organization regarding a group effort such as a garage sale orfundraiser. You could suffer from low energy levels. You come to the aid of friends that aredealing with a frightening problem; you fight back tears as you do your best for thesebeloved people. Take a quick minute to gather your tax papers for processing. A respectfulyounger person shows up asking for advice this evening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

There’s an energy of high challenge in the work place. You don’t have theinterest in your job you use to; there’s a need for a short break and thought-

ful consideration of what has changed. Your home and family strengthen your spirit andyou savor the positive vibes you receive; this helps you recover your positive feeling aboutyour work. You long for the finer things in life which bring joy and fulfillment to your cir-cumstances. You are required to look more closely at a situation you have ignored forsome time; these are harsh realizations. You continue to rid yourself of investments of timeor money that don’t create gain. You discover a way to fix a problem that had seemedimpossible; this could indicate something relating to real estate.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Getting away from your old routine seems likely now. Someone could feelleft out of your new plans if you re not careful; should you want to separate yourself fromthis person, now is the time. You could feel trapped or unable to express your thoughtsclearly today, but this is temporary. If someone wants to pick a fight or pull you into adebate, resist the urge to put them in their place. A tender subject could prick your heartand mind when it’s brought up later; handle this with care. Over analyzing yourself andothers may cause problems; relax, this will pass. Avoid making decisions that could affectyour life long-term; you could feel confusion and be foggy headed just now. Focus on thepositive and send out grateful vibrations.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1879

ACROSS1. An adult male person (as opposed to awoman).4. Greek philosopher who believed that theworld is a random combination of atoms andthat pleasure is the highest good (341-270BC).12. The portion of the vertebrate nervoussystem consisting of the brain and spinalcord.15. American prizefighter who won the worldheavyweight championship three times(born in 1942).16. A port city in northeastern Greece on aninlet of the Aegean Sea.17. An accidental happening.18. (Old Testament) The second wife ofJacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.19. Of or in or relating to the nose.20. A federal agency established to coordi-nate programs aimed at reducing pollutionand protecting the environment.21. A constellation in the southern hemi-sphere near Telescopium and Norma.22. An arc-shaped whitish deposit some-times seen in the cornea.24. A resident of Iowa.26. A small syringe with detachable nozzles.29. Inability to coordinate voluntary musclemovements.31. An informal term for a father.33. A person who makes deceitful pretenses.34. The compass point midway betweennortheast and east.37. Any of several related languages of theCelts in Ireland and Scotland.39. Red Bordeaux wine from the Medoc dis-trict of southwestern France.42. A member of an extinct North AmericanIndian people who lived in the Pit river val-ley in northern California.44. United States astronomer (1835-1909).47. Before noon.49. Having a toe or toes of a specified kind.50. Small tadpole-shaped cold-water fisheswith pelvic fins forming a sucker.53. Electronic warfare undertaken to preventor reduce an enemy's effective use of theelectromagnetic spectrum.54. Muslim name for God.56. German chemist who was co-discovererwith Lise Meitner of nuclear fission (1879-1968).58. A large commercial and industrial city innortheastern Texas.60. Lacking motor coordination.62. An early form of modern jazz (originatingaround 1940).63. A mature blood cell that contains hemo-globin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues.64. English scholastic philosopher andassumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).68. A disreputable vagrant.71. A Chadic language spoken south of LakeChad.75. The cry made by sheep.76. A fatty deposit in the intima (inner lining)of an artery.80. (British) Your grandmother.81. The ball-shaped capsule containing thevertebrate eye.82. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meattrimmed off.83. A branch of the Tai languages.84. A graphical record of electrical activityof the brain.85. Thin-shelled freshwater mussels.86. An agency of the United Nations affiliat-ed with the World Bank.

DOWN1. God of death.2. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.3. A rechargeable battery with a nickel cath-ode and a cadmium anode.4. The compass point midway between east

and southeast.5. A large and stately mansion.6. Being nine more than forty.7. Make a clean breast of.8. Relatively small fast-moving sloth.9. A genus of Laridae.10. Fiddler crabs.11. A member of the tribe of Franks who set-tled in the Netherlands in the 4th century AD.12. Requiring much chewing.13. Plant with an elongated head of broadstalked leaves resembling celery.14. The complete duration of something.23. Syncopated music in duple time fordancing the rumba.25. Any North American shrubby perennialherb of the genus Heliopsis having large yel-low daisylike flowers.27. An organization of countries formed in1961 to agree on a common policy for thesale of petroleum.28. North American republic containing 50states - 48 conterminous states in NorthAmerica plus Alaska in northwest NorthAmerica and the Hawaiian Islands in thePacific Ocean.30. A police officer who investigates crimes.32. Small space in a tissue or part such asthe area between veins on a leaf or aninsect's wing.35. Affectedly trendy.36. A member of the Algonquian people for-merly inhabiting the Maritime Provinces ofCanada.38. (informal) Very good.40. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.41. A member of the Siouan people formerlyliving in the Missouri river valley in NENebraska.43. Having or showing knowledge and skilland aptitude.45. A law passed by US Congress to preventemployees from being injured or contractingdiseases in the course of their employment.46. A state in New England.48. A metric unit of volume equal to onethousandth of a liter.51. A clergyman who watches over a groupof people.52. Allow to enter.55. Type genus of the Alcidae comprisingsolely the razorbill.57. Electronic warfare undertaken to insureeffective friendly use of the electromagneticspectrum in spite of the enemy's use of elec-tronic warfare.59. A metallic element having four allotropicforms.61. The blood group whose red cells carryboth the A and B antigens.65. The work of caring for or attending tosomeone or something.66. Open-heart surgery in which the ribcage is opened and a section of a blood ves-sel is grafted from the aorta to the coronaryartery to bypass the blocked section of thecoronary artery and improve the blood sup-ply to the heart.67. An independent group of closely relatedChadic languages spoken in the areabetween the Biu-Mandara and East Chadiclanguages.69. Chocolate cookie with white cream fill-ing.70. Brought into existence.72. (prefix) Opposite or opposing or neu-tralizing.73. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in1922).74. Small buffalo of the Celebes having smallstraight horns.77. Administration of a nutritionally ade-quate solution through a catheter into thevena cava.78. 10 hao equal 1 dong.79. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s SolutionDaily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle

A new and improved attitude with your work takes place. You step intoyour routines and tasks with a desire to work smarter, not harder; you re

determined to make positive changes and behaviors a permanent part of your life.Reorganization and re-thinking is on your agenda for a good part of your day. Your confi-dence is high as you plan to investigate a risky investment. If a certain group of peopleseem to be intent upon irritating you, stay clear of them and tend to your own affairs. Yourtemper could cause problems as you want to tell someone what you really think; remem-ber that even when you tell this person the truth, it might not sink in. You feel completelyhappy and healthy as you enjoy the night sky with someone special this evening.

Your rebellious streak demands to be acknowledged. An inner strugglebetween going your own way and conforming is hard but you make the right

decision in favor of whatever promotes success. You shine in an exchange between your-self and someone who’s difficult. Put your ideas for something new and ambitious onpaper. You appreciate the circumstances of your life, even if they’re not the perfect sce-nario; there s nothing more powerful than a grateful heart. Much to your surprise, someonetells you that you’re respected, even treasured, by many; this is something you never evensuspected. Take your blessings where ever you can find them! Enjoy the comfort of yoursurroundings this evening as you spend time with loved ones.

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 Monday 9/4/2018Airlines Flt Route TimeFEG 441 Asyut 00:05THY 772 Istanbul 00:15KAC 504 Beirut 00:50DLH 625 Bahrain 00:50KAC 102 London 00:50JZR 539 Cairo 01:00JZR 267 Beirut 01:25RJA 642 Amman 01:35KKK 1268 Istanbul 02:00ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:15GFA 211 Bahrain 02:15QTR 1086 Doha 02:30JZR 607 Kochi 02:55ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:05OMA 643 Muscat 03:05KAC 418 Manila 03:05MSC 415 Sohag 03:10KAC 382 Delhi 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15PGT 860 Istanbul 03:25QTR 1076 Doha 03:30WAN 418 Beirut 03:40JAI 572 Mumbai 04:00KAC 346 Ahmedabad 04:15KAC 1544 Cairo 04:25KAC 784 Jeddah 04:30JZR 609 Hyderabad 04:30KAC 284 Dhaka 04:50FDB 069 Dubai 05:05DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10THY 770 Istanbul 05:15KAC 344 Chennai 05:30KAC 332 Trivandrum 05:40JZR 561 Sohag 05:55BAW 157 London 06:10WAN 338 Alexandria 06:25KAC 204 Lahore 06:30KAC 678 Dubai 06:45KAC 302 Mumbai 07:00JZR 143 Doha 07:20JZR 529 Asyut 07:30KAC 354 Bengaluru 07:45JZR 503 Luxor 07:50FDB 053 Dubai 07:50KAC 384 Delhi 08:05KAC 358 Kochi 08:05UAE 855 Dubai 08:25ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 08:55ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00IRA 667 Esfahan 09:15QTR 1070 Doha 09:30FDB 055 Dubai 09:40IAW 157 Al Najaf 10:00ATG 6624 Sharjah 10:00MSC 405 Sohag 10:15AXB 889 Mangalore/Bahrain 10:20JZR 787 Riyadh 10:30GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40MEA 404 Beirut 10:55QTR 1074 Doha 11:00WAN 114 Bahrain 11:10MSC 401 Alexandria 11:30JZR 165 Dubai 11:45RBG 553 Alexandria 12:30SAW 701 Damascus 12:30UAE 871 Dubai 12:45THY 766 Istanbul 12:45WAN 542 KTM 12:50JZR 125 Bahrain 12:55

MSR 610 Cairo 13:00RSB 7863 IQA 13:30KAC 774 Riyadh 13:30WAN 342 Sohag 13:30JZR 779 Jeddah 13:45IAW 157A Al Najaf 13:55KAC 672 Dubai 13:55QTR 1078 Doha 14:10KNE 231 Riyadh 14:10KAC 618 Doha 14:10GFA 221 Bahrain 14:15FDB 059 Dubai 14:20KAC 364 Colombo 14:20KAC 286 Dhaka 14:25KAC 692 Muscat 14:25SVA 500 Jeddah 14:45KAC 788 Jeddah 14:50ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:05KAC 304 Mumbai 15:05KAC 412 Bangkok 15:10KNE 529 Jeddah 15:10OMA 645 Muscat 15:20KAC 562 Amman 15:20ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35KAC 502 Beirut 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45SAW 705 Damascus 16:00JZR 1535 Cairo 16:10QTR 1072 Doha 16:15FDB 051 Dubai 16:20KAC 118 New York 16:20KAC 542 Cairo 17:00SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 777 Jeddah 17:35JZR 145 Doha 17:35JZR 177 Dubai 17:40WAN 976 Baku 17:40QTR 1080 Doha 18:10JZR 483 Istanbul 18:20MSR 620 Cairo 18:30RJA 640 Amman 19:00GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05UAE 875 Dubai 19:05FDB 063 Dubai 19:10KAC 744 Dammam 19:10ABY 123 Sharjah 19:20KAC 776 Riyadh 19:35KAC 156 Istanbul 19:35KAC 674 Dubai 19:40FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 616 Bahrain 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:05DLH 624 Frankfurt 20:05KNE 381 Taif 20:10MEA 402 Beirut 20:15KAC 620 Doha 20:15QTR 1088 Doha 20:40KLM 445 Amsterdam 21:00UAE 859 Dubai 21:15ALK 229 Colombo 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:15KAC 168 Paris 21:20GFA 219 Bahrain 21:50KAC 162 Geneva 21:50KAC 564 Amman 21:50WAN 874 Istanbul 22:00QTR 1082 Doha 22:05ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:10KAC 786 Jeddah 22:15AIC 975 Chennai/Goa 22:25

SVA 514 Riyadh 22:30WAN 136 Doha 22:30WAN 118 Bahrain 22:40SVA 502 Jeddah 22:45JZR 185 Dubai 22:50JAI 574 Mumbai 23:00THY 764 Istanbul 23:15FDB 072 Dubai 23:35JZR 241 Amman 23:40

Departure Flights on Monday 9/4/2018Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 982 Ahmedabad/Chennai 00:05JAI 573 Mumbai 00:30FDB 072 Dubai 00:35PIA 206 Lahore 01:00JAI 571 Mumbai 01:05BBC 044 Dhaka 01:30JZR 502 Luxor 01:30JZR 142 Doha 01:45KAC 677 Dubai 01:50KAC 363 Colombo 02:00KAC 417 Manila 02:00THY 773 Istanbul 02:30PGT 859 Istanbul 02:30DLH 625 Frankfurt 02:45ETH 621 Addis Ababa 03:05QTR 1087 Doha 03:40KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:55KKK 1269 Istanbul 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55MSC 502 Alexandria 04:00THY 765 Istanbul 04:00ETD 306 Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:15KAC 303 Mumbai 05:30QTR 1077 Doha 05:30FDB 070 Dubai 05:45UAE 874 Dubai 06:15JZR 560 Sohag 06:25THY 771 Istanbul 06:50JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15KAC 413 Bangkok 07:20KAC 167 Paris 07:35KAC 501 Beirut 08:00KAC 161 Geneva 08:20FDB 054 Dubai 08:35KAC 787 Jeddah 08:40KAC 691 Muscat 08:50BAW 156 London 08:50IAW 158A Al Najaf 09:00KAC 117 New York 09:00KAC 561 Amman 09:40ABY 126 Sharjah 09:45KAC 671 Dubai 09:45KAC 101 London 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 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 10:25KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 10:30FDB 056 Dubai 10:35IRA 666 Esfahan 11:00SGL 4101 IQA 11:00GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25

JZR 786 Riyadh 11:55JZR 776 Jeddah 12:00AXB 890 Mangalore 12:10QTR 1075 Doha 12:30JZR 606 Kochi 12:45MEA 405 Beirut 12:55IAW 158B Al Najaf 13:00RBG 554 Alexandria 13:00JZR 176 Dubai 13:40MSR 611 Cairo 14:00KNE 382 Taif 15:00KAC 673 Dubai 15:05FDB 060 Dubai 15:10GFA 222 Bahrain 15:25KAC 785 Jeddah 15:25QTR 1079 Doha 15:30SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45KNE 530 Jeddah 15:45KAC 775 Riyadh 15:50KAC 283 Dhaka 15:50IAW 158C Al Najaf 15:55KAC 743 Dammam 16:05KAC 563 Amman 16:10KAC 619 Doha 16:10ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20OMA 646 Muscat 16:35ABY 128 Sharjah 16:40KAC 615 Bahrain 16:40SAW 706 Damascus 16:55JZR 240 Amman 17:15QTR 1073 Doha 17:15FDB 052 Dubai 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45RJA 641 Amman 17:55KAC 331 Trivandrum 18:00JZR 538 Cairo 18:15SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:30JZR 608 Hyderabad 18:40KAC 381 Delhi 18:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:10UAE 876 Dubai 19:30MSR 621 Cairo 19:30QTR 1081 Doha 20:00ABY 124 Sharjah 20:05GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 357 Kochi 20:30FDB 058 Dubai 20:35KAC 345 Ahmedabad 20:40KNE 232 Riyadh 20:50KAC 301 Mumbai 20:50KAC 353 Bengaluru 20:55OMA 648 Muscat 21:20KAC 1543 Cairo 21:20DLH 624 Bahrain 21:30DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50QTR 1089 Doha 22:00KAC 205 Islamabad 22:05ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KAC 383 Delhi 22:40KLM 445 Bahrain 22:50UAE 860 Dubai 23:00ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05QTR 1083 Doha 23:20SVA 515 Riyadh 23:30WAN 337 Alexandria 23:45

American Airlines 22087425

22087426

Kuwait Airways 171

Jazeera Airways 177

Jet Airways 22924455

FlyDubai 22414400

Qatar Airways 22423888

KLM 22425747

Royal Jordanian

22418064/5/6

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

Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8

Indian Airlines 22456700

Oman Air 22958787

Turkish Airlines 22453820/1

Aeroflot 22404838/9

DAAYY:

the Next 24 foreatherWeExpected

ASTTAATTION

W

4 Hours

4 DAAYYS FORECAST

DAAYY DAATTE WEAATTHERTemper

MAX.

raturesWind Direction Wind SpeedMIN.

Fajr

SunriseZuhrAsr

SunsetIsha

KUWAYESTERDARECORDED AYY ATT WAAITMAX. Temp. MIN. Temp. MAX. RH MIN. RH

MAX. WindALLRAINFALOTT TAL FA L IN 24 HR.

T AIRPORT°C°C%%km/hmm

ClassifiedsMonday, April 9, 2018

Airlines

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

ACCOMODATION

MEP Engineer (HVAC,plumbing, FF), 14 yearsexperience, Indian (M)searching job. Ph -99054703, email:[email protected] (C5390)1-4-2018

SITUATION WANTED

Two rooms available forFamily/couple/workingladies/one bachelor, onAirport Road, Khaitan, RentKD 85 only. Contact:51614467. (C5391)3-4-2018

Monday, April 9, 2018L i f e s t y l e G o s s i p

Established 1961 28

Dua Lipa says London has played a key role in her success. The 22-year-old singer has emerged as one of the world’s most talked-aboutpop stars over the last year, and Dua has admitted that the UK capital has played a huge part in her rise to the top of the industry. The‘New Rules’ hitmaker explained: “I was born and raised in London to Kosovan-Albanian parents in 1995. “My father was a musician and

music has paid a very big role in my life.” Dua’s family relocated to Kosovo when she was a young woman. But the chart-topping singer soondeveloped a desire to return to London, where she planned to pursue her musical ambitions. She told Le Parisien: “At the age of 11, my familyand I moved to Pristina in Kosovo, and I guess it was living there that I really saw how much I loved to perform and how much I wanted to be ina place where everything was really happening, which for me was London. “I wanted to go back to theatre school in London.” Meanwhile, Duarecently revealed that her second album is about experiencing “emotional manipulation”. The brunette beauty explained that the follow-up toher self-titled debut features a lot of songs about heartbreak. She said: “It’s very much dance crying. It is a pop album that you’re going to beable to dance to, but a lot of the songs are sad. “They’re about heartbreak and they’re about going through some emotional manipulation. “Itkind of sucks that that’s the thing that triggers my creativity, but happy things don’t seem to do it for me.”

Dua Lipa: London hasbeen key to my success

Katy Perry has turned to Kacey Musgraves’ musicto cure her homesickness. The 33-year-oldsinger has been touring in South America and

Asia over the last month, but she has overcome her feel-ings of homesickness by listening to Kacey’s ‘GoldenHour’ record. She wrote on Twitter: “Was feeling home-sick today, being on this leg of tour for over 4 weeks nowand then I put on @KaceyMusgraves’s new record,Golden Hour during yoga and she made me feel not soalone (sic)” Katy claimed that her story served tounderline the impact of music. She said: “Music is sopowerful and I am so grateful [love emoji] (sic)”Meanwhile, Katy recently insisted that she won’t changeherself for anyone. The ‘Dark Horse’ hitmaker revealedshe uses make-up as an “expression” of who she is as aperson, rather than who somebody else wants her to be.She shared: “My make-up is an expression of who I amand who I’m trying to be, not a reflection of who I’m with... “When I was younger, I’d wake up early to make sureI had a full face of ‘natural look’ first thing in the morning.That’s a couple hours of sleep I’ll never get back! I lovemake-up’s power to transform and empower.”

Perry thanksMusgraves for curingher homesickness Embrace performed to their “favorite audience” of their tour in London on Friday. The

‘Good Will Out’ rockers delighted their fans at the O2 Empire in Shepherds Bush witha set that combined their greatest hits with tracks from new album ‘Love is a Basic

Need’, and the excited response they received left the band equally happy. Returning to thestage for their encore, frontman Danny McNamara said: “We were just saying, this has beenour favorite audience of the tour so far.” The 47-year-old rocker had been in a great moodduring the evening, teasing the audience for their advancing years. Introducing title trackfrom the new album ‘Love is a Basic Need’, he asked the crowd to sing along to the chorus,pointing out the words were printed on drummer Mike Heaton’s kit, but suggesting thosewith deteriorating eyesight simply seek out a fan wearing one of their new t-shirts, whichfeatured the slogan, in order to read the words. And before performing ‘Save Me’, he urgedeveryone to jump up and down, but gave a demonstration on how the crowd could savetheir aching knees and hips by simply lifting their heels instead of leaving the ground. Afterthe audience got on their feet and obliged with his request, he congratulated them after-wards for doing a great job “up to the third chorus” - before doing an impression of themgasping for breath. Despite Danny’s jibes at their expense, the audience were in fine formand sang along to the group’s most popular hits, including ‘All You Good Good People’,‘Ashes’, ‘Gravity’ and ‘Come Back To What You Know’, while the new tracks were equallywell received. For the encore, the group performed new track - and upcoming single - ‘AllThat Remains’ before being joined by support act Eevah’s Nicole Hope Smith for a duet of‘Never’, ending the evening with a rousing chorus of ‘The Good Will Out’ that had thecrowd still singing as they left the packed-out venue.

Embrace rock London

Rick Astley still has “no idea” why he was invited to perform with Foo Fighters.The 80s pop legend was invited by the group’s frontman Dave Grohl to join themonstage at Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival last August, where they played

Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ before breaking into his hit ‘Never Gonna Give YouUp’ and he admitted the event was “nuts”. Speaking on ‘Kyle Meredith With...’ he said:“It just all went nuts. “Dave Grohl came over and said hello, gave me a hug, and thenhalf an hour later he’s inviting me onto the stage. “I never met them [before], I have noidea why he’d invite me onstage. I didn’t know what it was all about. And then he justkind of whispered and said, ‘We’re doing your tune, but we’re gonna do it like ‘TeenSpirit”, and that was it. And off we went.” The 51-year-old singer enjoyed a resurgencein popularity in recent years thanks to the infamous Rick Roll meme and he is a fan ofthe viral posts. He said: “It’s been great to me, so I can’t really have any negativethoughts about it.” Meanwhile, the Scottish rocker - who also joined Foo Fighters onstage in London last year - recently admitted he would love to collaborate with theband in future. Asked if there could be a Rick Astley and Foo Fighters song in thepipeline after Justin Timberlake recorded vocals on ‘Make It Right’ on their new LP‘Concrete and Gold’, he told BANG Showbiz: “There you go. It’s funny that actually. Ithink it is really brave when artists like that do that. “You might upset the audience, thecritics etc. I think they just think, y’know what we are doing it. “He’s in the studio nextdoor, we are doing it. “I am going to try and write with some other people because Iwant to experience that.” Asked what he’s going to make Dave when he comes in andrecords his guest vocals at his home studio, he joked: “Well Dave likes his coffee. Haveyou not been on YouTube and googled it? You need to do that.”

Rick Astley still surprised by Foo Fighters duet

Disciples take inspirationfrom Calvin Harris

Disciples are always turning to Calvin Harris in search of new ideas.The English production trio - which is made up of Nathan VincentDuvall, Gavin Koolmon, and Luke McDermott - have previously

collaborated with the chart-topping DJ, and they’ve subsequently devel-oped a close working relationship. Gavin explained to BANG Showbiz:“We still work closely with Calvin because two of us are signed to hispublishing company, so we continuously talk music and bounce ideas offeach other. “Who knows, in the future we may collaborate again. We’vedefinitely got a great working relationship with him.” The trio’s work hasalso been heavily influenced by the likes of Daft Punk and Pharrell. Askedwhich electronic pioneers have influenced Disciples, he said: “Daft Punkare definitely people that we really respect. “Pharrell, Jamie Jones andSolomun on the house side of things. They definitely influence our sounds.”In spite of their recent successes, the boys - whose new single, ‘48HRs’, isout now - have remained unaffected by fame. In fact, Gavin revealed thattheir tour riders haven’t changed at all over the last three years. Askedwhether they have any unusual tour requets, he shared: “We haven’t gottoo diva-ish with our requests just yet. To be honest I think it might still bethe same rider we’ve had for the last three years. “We haven’t actuallychanged it too much. We’re happy with Coke then we’re ready to go.”

Gary Barlow loves performing so much, he’d tour for free. The 47-year-old singer is gearing up for anew run of solo shows because he “can’t wait” for his Take That bandmates, Mark Owen andHoward Donald, to be ready to get back out on stage again as he loves connecting with his fans.

He admitted: “I can’t help myself. I can’t wait two more years. I have to get out there. “To be honest, I’d goon stage for nothing, because for two hours I’m just there with the audience. No phone. No urgent mes-sages. Now it almost feels like an escape. Just don’t tell anyone that I’d do it for free.” But the ‘Patience’hitmaker - who has children Daniel, 17, Emily, 15, and nine-year-old Daisy, with wife Dawn - admitted heneeds to take some time out after pushing himself with work on his music, a new autobiography and musi-cal ‘The Band’. He said: “I need to take a year off. A year’s sabbatical to be at home or to do things I’vealways wanted, like go to Iceland and take photographs of the landscapes or go to a bucket list of placeswith Dawn and the kids.” However, Gary insists he’d never be tempted to give it up for good. Asked if he’sever tempted to retire, he told Event magazine: “Never. That is never going to happen.” In the meantime,the ‘Open Road’ singer has taken up yoga and meditation to help him relax. He quipped: “I always thoughtI was too northern for meditation, but it really helps me.” Though Take That are now a three-piece, withJason Orange departing in 2014 and Robbie Williams - who first quit the group in 1995 - leaving again in2012 after a three-year temporary stint, Gary will never rule out the possibility of all five of them gettingback on stage again in the future. He said: “As long as we are all alive there is a chance. “I never thought itwould happen when Rob came back, but it did. So you just have to see what happens.”

Gary Barlow would play for free

Lily Allen has beensexually harassedThe ‘Higher’ singer - who has daughters Ethel, seven, and Marnie, six, with estranged

husband Sam Cooper - refused to be drawn on what had happened to her but admit-ted she felt much better for speaking out about it. She said: “I’ve been harassed. I

can’t talk too much for legal reasons but I’m in the process of dealing with something. “WhatI’ve found quite interesting is people suggesting that there’s something to be gained fromwanting to talk about these things. Actually I think all that most women want is to justoffload it. “To be, like, ‘You know, I don’t want to carry this around with me any more.’ Itdoesn’t go away. “Suddenly, finally, I feel like I can get this man name out of my mouth andout of my head.” But the 32-year-old star insisted she isn’t pursuing her alleged tormentorthrough the courts as she isn’t speaking out because she’s looking for compensation.Speaking to James O’Brien on his ‘Unfiltered’ podcast, she added: “I don’t want money. If itwas about that then I would sue in the civil courts and would attach a non-disclosure agree-ment to it. That’s not what I want.” Lily did not reveal whether or not she has reported theharassment to police or taken any other action over the incident. Meanwhile, the ‘Smile’singer recently admitted she suffered an “identity crisis” with her most recent album, 2014’s‘Sheezus’. The record was met with underwhelmed response from fans and critics and shewas accused of cultural appropriation for using primarily black backing dancers in her videofor lead single ‘Hard Out Here’ - which she defended as being a statement about the sexualobjectification of women in the music business.

L i f e s t y l e Monday, April 9, 2018

29Established 1961

M u s i c & M o v i e s

Jeffrey Dean Morgan thinks ‘The Watchmen’ was “ahead of its time”. The 51-year-old actorplayed Edward Blake aka The Comedian in DC Comics movie back in 2009 and although thefilm received a polarizing reaction from both audiences and critics, Morgan admitted he is

“extremely proud of it”. He told Variety: “I’m very proud of that movie. People are still finding itand watching it and I think it’ll have fans forever. “I think it was ahead of its time. I don’t know whatelse to say, other than I’m extremely proud of it. “Not long ago, I caught the second half of the film,just flipping channels, and loved it. It was great.” The film is a dark satirical take on the superherogenre, the film is set in an alternate history in the year of 1985 at the height of the Cold War. Agroup of retired American superheroes investigate the murder of one of their own before uncover-ing an elaborate and deadly conspiracy, while their moral limitations are challenged by the com-plex nature of the circumstances. Morgan starred alongside Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup,Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson. The ‘Walking Dead’ star hascontinued working within the DC Universe after playing Bruce Wayne’s father in ‘Batman vSuperman: Dawn of Justice’. And recently Ezra Miller - who plays Barry Allen aka The Flash in theDC Extended Universe - said he would love to see Morgan and Laura Cohan back as Thomas andMartha Wayne. Asked if Morgan should return to the series, he said: Oh, hell yeah. I think he’samazing...And I think he would fall right into what is becoming a very, very serious ensemble ofactors. “I’m so excited about Kiersey Clemons (who will play Iris West). I’m so excited about BillyCrudup (The Flash’s father). I just couldn’t be more stoked about the names involved so far.”

Jeffrey Dean Morganloved The Watchmen

Fanning’s importantmovie Dakota Fanning thinks ‘The Bell Jar’ is an

“important story” to tell. The 24-year-oldactress will portray Esther Greenwood and

her battle with depression in Kirsten Dunst’supcoming adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s classic nov-el and she thinks the movie will surprise a lot ofpeople. She said: “It’s such an important story, andreally different from what people think it is.“People think it’s depressing, or a biography ofSylvia Plath, but it’s not and there’s so much humorin it. You follow a young woman during a formativetime in her life, and see how overwhelming theexpectations of what women feel they are sup-posed to be like can be. We all feel that to someextent.” And Dakota admitted she is looking forsimilar roles in the future. She said: “I like playingcharacters where everyone thinks they’re onething but they know they’re not. “That interestsme, because I feel like, in my life, I’m trying towork that out.” The ‘Alienist’ star’s younger sister,Elle Fanning, 21, is also an actress and though theyare occasionally up for the same roles, the siblingsare not competitive because they are very differ-ent. Dakota explained to Sunday Times Style mag-azine: “We’re apples and oranges. We’ve definitelyhad meetings for the same thing in the past, but it’snot weird because we feel so different from oneanother that it’s, like, ‘If you want me, then shemight not be right.’ “Elle wears her heart on hersleeve, she’s the typical younger one, very free-spirited and can’t be tamed, while I’ve always beenquieter and more of an observer, and I keepeverything to myself until I feel comfortable. She’swild from the start, and her laugh is really loud andspecific. You don’t hear me coming until you do.”

Molly Ringwald is “troubled” by ‘The Breakfast Club’. The 50-year-old actress - who recently revealed shewas sexually assaulted by a director when she was 14 - was left feeling uncomfortable when she reviewedher 1985 high school drama with one of her daughters. Molly - who has Mathilda, 14, and twins Adele and

Roman, eight, with husband Panio Gianopoulos - wrote in an essay for the New Yorker: “I worried she would findaspects of it troubling. “But I hadn’t anticipated that it would ultimately be most troubling to me.” And Mollyexplained how one particular scene made her feel uncomfortable “after a number of women came forward withsexual assault accusations against the producer Harvey Weinstein, and the #MeToo movement gathered steam”.She wrote: “At one point in the film, the bad-boy character, John Bender, ducks under the table where my charac-ter, Claire, is sitting, to hide from a teacher. “While there, he takes the opportunity to peek under Claire’s skirtand, though the audience doesn’t see, it is implied that he touches her inappropriately.” As a teenager when shemade the film, Molly admitted she was only “vaguely aware” of how “inappropriate” John Hughes’ writing was onthe movie. But she added: “It’s hard for me to understand how John was able to write with so much sensitivity, andalso have such a glaring blind spot.” The actress also admitted she was uncomfortable about a scene she had in‘Sixteen Candles’, another of John’s movies. She wrote: “I’m a little embarrassed to say that it took even longer forme to fully comprehend the scene late in ‘Sixteen Candles,’ when the dreamboat, Jake, essentially trades his drunkgirlfriend, Caroline, to the Geek, to satisfy the latter’s sexual urges, in return for Samantha’s underwear.” Afterrewatching the movies she’d worked on with the writer-and-director - who died in 2009 - she went on to watchand read more of his work but it left her disillusioned as she believed he could be “racist, misogynistic, and, attimes, homophobic”.

Ringwald troubled by

The Breakfast Club

The release of the new ‘Terminator’ movie has been delayed by four months. The much-anticipated reboot -starring Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger - had been set for a July 26, 2019 release but has nowbeen pushed back to November 22, 2019. The much-anticipated reboot is being directed by Tim Miller, but

for the first time since 1991’s ‘Terminator: Judgment Day’, James Cameron is also involved with the film series.Cameron was at the helm for the original 1984 movie and sequel ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’, but was notinvolved in 2003’s ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’, 2009’s ‘Terminator Salvation’ or ‘Terminator Genisys’.Meanwhile, Arnold, 70, recently said that the new ‘Terminator’ movie is going to be a return to the storytelling ofthe 1984 original. The actor starred in the original Cameron movie as the titular character - a T-800 killer cyborg -alongside Linda as Sarah Connor and both are reprising their roles for the sixth movie in the franchise.Schwarzenegger insists fans of the sci-fi franchise can expect a return to the stripped down story of the cult clas-sic. He said: “I think James Cameron and Tim Miller came up with a concept where they can continue on with theT-800 but make a whole new movie. “What they are doing now with this one is basically to just take a few verybasic characters, like Linda Hamilton’s character and my character, and dismiss everything else. Just move awayfrom all these rules of the timeline and other characters.” Plot details are being kept under wraps but Miller andCameron are reportedly treating the film as a direct sequel to ‘T2: Judgment Day’. In the original 1984 movie,Schwarzenegger played the villain but in the sequel his character was the hero and the actor said he loves the vul-nerability of the character. He said: “I think the T-800 model is a really interesting character. He’s a machine, canbe destructive, can do things human beings can’t do, but at the same time when newer technology comes along thecharacter suddenly is vulnerable and that makes him even more interesting.”

New Terminator movie delayed by four months

Halle Berry is set to star in a remake of ‘Jagged Edge’. The 51-year-old actress will take on the leading role in the courtroomthriller, which is a remake of the 1985 movie starring Glenn

Close and Jeff Bridges. Producers Matti Leshem and Doug Belgradare in the early stages of developing the project for Sony Pictures,according to Deadline. In the original movie, Bridges’ character, awealthy publisher, was accused of brutally murdering his wife attheir remote beach house. He hired Close’s lawyer character todefend him and the pair embarked on a passionate affair. RobertLoggia was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a private detec-tive in the movie. Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Hale is“livid” with her former manager, who has been accused of sexualabuse. The actress said she was “saddened” at first by allegationsagainst her ex-manager Vincent Cirrincione and is now angry thathe used his previous professional relationship with her “to lure andmanipulate innocent women”. She wrote on Instagram: “Yesterday Iwas saddened by the alligations against my former manager, VincentCirrincione, but today I’m sick after reading the horrifying detailedaccounts of his abuse towards 9 women. “I’m livid that he used me,and the role model he helped me become, to lure and manipulateinnocent, vulnerable women of color for his predatory actions. I’mdeeply hurt and I want these woman and countless others to know Isee you. I hear you. You matter. I will fight for you (sic).” Nineminority women have accused the Hollywood manager of sexualharassment and claim he made unwanted sexual advances towardthem over a period of two decades. However, he denied any wrong-doing in a statement to the Washington Post, claiming that all rela-tionships were consensual. He said: “We live in a time where men arebeing confronted with a very real opportunity to take responsibilityfor their actions. I support this movement wholeheartedly. I have hadfemale clients and employees my entire career in this industry. I havebuilt a reputation for advancing the careers of women of colour. Ihave had affairs while in committed relationships, ones I am nowashamed to say are coming to light and shading my past and myreputation. I can say without a doubt that I have never used favours,sexual or otherwise, as a reason for managing anyone. I want tomake it clear that not one of those relationships were anything butconsensual. — Bang showbiz

Berry to star in JaggedEdge remake

John Krasinski changed the design of thecreature in ‘A Quiet Place’ at the very lastminute. The 38-year-old actor has made

his directorial debut with the new horrormovie, and although he had designed a mon-ster that he loved, he realised in post-produc-tion that his original design wouldn’t work andwas forced to change it. Speaking to Collider,Krasinski said: “It’s true. I had designed thiscreature and we loved him and we had somany detailed things, l ike drawings andboards and things for the kids to look at. “Andthen it was really deep in the post [produc-tion] and it was one of those moments where,this sounds super nerdy but I now understandwhen people talk about visual effects and see-ing this, you can just see he wasn’t going towork as well as a different design. “When youlooked at the scenes and the shots that wewere gonna put him in, it just didn’t look like itwas gonna work.” Krasinski was forced tocontact the design company ILM and luckilybecause they were fans of the movie theyagreed with his changes. He said: “So I madethe very last minute, and very horrible deci-sion, calling ILM after they had done all thiswork and being like, ‘So that isn’t gonna work,let’s move in a completely other direction’.“And because they loved this movie so much,they went with it and they totally understood.And I will say to their credit, they have alwayssaid, ‘You made the right decision. The otherguy was cool, but this guy is way better’.” Thenew film - which stars Krasinski with his real-life wife Emily Blunt - follows a family of fourwho must live life in silence while hiding fromcreatures that hunt by sound.

Krasinski changed design of creature inA Quiet Place at the last minute

Monday, April 9, 2018L i f e s t y l e M u s i c & M o v i e s

Established 1961 30

Actor and model Hopper Penn has beenreleased from jail after he and actressUma Von Wittkamp were arrested on

drug charges earlier this week in Nebraska. Hereare some facts about the couple and their arrest:

A famous familyPenn, 24, is the son of Sean Penn, the

Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker andpolitical activist known for his roles in “FastTimes at Ridgemont High,” “Mystic River” and“Milk.” His mother is Robin Wright, an actressand director known for her work in the Netflixdrama “House of Cards” and movies including“Wonder Woman” and “The Princess Bride.”Named after Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicolson,Hopper Jack Penn was born in Los Angeles butwas largely raised in Ross, a small, exclusivetown outside of San Francisco. He and hismother moved back to Los Angeles around thetime Wright filed for divorce in 2009.

He’s also the nephew of singer-songwriterMichael Penn and the late actor Chris Penn. Hissister, Dylan Frances, is a model and actress.Hopper Penn has gained some fame of his own.He acted in the film “War Machine” with BradPitt, and models eyewear for Fendi, an Italian

luxury fashion house. But he has shied from thelabel “actor,” noting his regular job at a LosAngeles pizza restaurant. Von Wittkamp is lesswell-known, but played a role in the 2015 filmshort “Endings, Inc.”

Struggles with addictionHopper Penn told the Evening Standard last

year that he fell in with a “bad crowd” duringhis parents’ divorce, which was finalized in2010. His spiral apparently began a month afterhe moved to Los Angeles, when he was badlyinjured in a skateboarding accident and had toundergo surgery for bleeding on the brain. Pennhas since admitted to using a variety of drugs,including methamphetamine, but said he soughttreatment. “I went to rehab because I woke up in(the) hospital and my dad said, ‘Rehab? Or busbench?’” he said in the Evening Standard inter-view. “I was like, ‘I’ll take the bed.’” A represen-tative for the agency that represents HopperPenn did not have any immediate comment.

The arrestHopper Penn was arrested Wednesday

afternoon with Von Wittkamp, his 26-year-oldgirlfriend, after a Nebraska State Patrol trooper

stopped them on westbound Interstate 80 forallegedly failing to signal. A Hamilton Countysheriff ’s dispatcher said Penn and VonWittkamp were released Thursday after post-ing $25,000 bond apiece. Authorities said thetrooper detected “drug activity” in the 1992Volvo and searched the car. Inside, they saidthey found 14 grams of marijuana, four amphet-amine pills and 3 grams of psilocybin, a psyche-delic drug commonly known as mushrooms.

Penn was charged with possession of a con-trolled substance (psilocybin) and possessionof marijuana. Von Wittkamp was charged withpossession of a controlled substance (ampheta-mine) and possession of a controlled substance(psilocybin). Possession of a controlled sub-stance is a felony in Nebraska, punishable byup to two years in prison, a year of post-releasesupervision and a $10,000 fine. Because Pennallegedly had one ounce or less of marijuanaand it’s his first offense in Nebraska, the mari-juana charge is only punishable by a citation, a$300 fine and a possible drug-treatmentcourse. Deputy Hamilton County AttorneyBenjamin Dennis said he didn’t have any infor-mation about the case beyond what was incourt filings. —AP

Hopper Penn, girlfriend released from Nebraska jail

This booking photo released by the HamiltonCounty Sheriff’s Dept shows Hopper Penn, the sonof Sean Penn and Robin Wright, after he wasarrested in Nebraska. — AP photos

This booking photo released by the HamiltonCounty Sheriff’s Dept shows Uma Von Wittkampafter she was arrested in Nebraska.

India’s eco warriorswho sent Bollywood’s

Khan to jail

In the movies Salman Khan always wins. But off-screen, the Bollywood tough guy hero may havemet his match in a 530-year-old Hindu sect that

puts animals above humans-especially superstars.The determination of the Bishnoi community forcedKhan to spend two sleepless nights in a Rajasthanjail following his conviction last week for killing rareantelopes on a hunting trip. The Bishnoi-self-styledecological guardians whose guiding principles for-bid them to kill animals or even sterilise a bull-havebeen pursuing Khan ever since a fateful night inOctober 1998.

Their testimony had seen the actor detained threetimes over the past two decades before his shockconviction last week. The Bishnoi say Khan wasseen killing two black buck antelopes while on safariin the Rajasthan desert, where most of the communi-ty live. It was a grave sin in their eyes. The blackbucks are protected by law and the Bishnoi alsoconsider the antelope reincarnations of their 15thcentury saint Guru Jambheshwar. They believe theirperseverance paid off. As Khan was ordered lastThursday to serve a five-year jail term, the Bishnoiset off firecrackers and danced in celebration.

After Khan was granted bail on Saturday, theBishnoi said they would take the fight to the highcourt and even India’s Supreme Court if needed.“We are doing our duty,” Ram Nivas Dhoru fromthe Bishnoi anti-poaching activist group, BishnoiTiger Force, told AFP. “If you kill our children(wildlife), we will make sure you are brought to jus-tice. It doesn’t matter if you are Salman Khan oranyone else.” Poonamchand Bishnoi and ChhogaramBishnoi, two Bishnoi villagers, told successive courthearings that they saw Khan and four other actorson a poaching mission.

Khan strongly denies killing the animals. Bishnoivillagers say they heard gunshots in the night andfound carcasses in the bush. The two witnesses saythey followed the actors’ car on a motorcycle andtook down its number, passing the information tothe authorities. The Bishnoi also alleged that Khankilled chinkaras, a Central Asian gazelle. Khan wasconvicted of the offence in 2006 and ordered jailedfor five years. He spent a week behind bars beforebeing granted bail but was acquitted ten years later.

A way of life The testimony of the Bishnoi was striking in a

country where witnesses often become forgetful, orturn hostile due to fear and intimidation-especiallyin high-profile cases. The episode has strengthenedthe legend of the Bishnoi, who for centuries havedevoted their lives to protecting animals and treesfrom hunters and loggers. The Bishnoi trace theirorigins to Guru Jambheshwar, whom they consideran incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu, and whose29 founding principles they live by.

It includes a pledge not to kill any living creature.Legend has it that 294 Bishnoi men and 69 womensacrificed themselves or were hacked to death in1730 when they tied themselves to trees which alocal king wanted to fell to build a new palace.Today there are around two million Bishnoi spreadacross northern and central India, community fig-ures say. In the past two decades up to nine Bishnoihave been shot dead by hunters, the Bishnoi TigerForce says. The community say their name “Bishnoi”comes from their 29 guiding principles — 20 is “bis”and nine is “noi” in their dialect. — AFP

In this file photo Bollywood actor Salman Khanarrives at Jodphur airport after an Indian courtrelease him on bail, in Jodhpur. — AFP

The 35-year-old beauty - who has kids Hazel, four,and Violet, 22 months, with her husband JohnKrasinski - has revealed that having an open and

honest dialogue has helped to sustain her marriage.Speaking to OK! magazine, Emily shared: “We’ve alwaysbeen able to talk and discuss everything together. “It’s anadvantage having someone who understands your pro-fession. We also try to be very supportive of each otherand we know that we always have each other to rely onand make each other feel very loved and appreciated. It’sa beautiful thing.” Emily also hailed her husband’s parent-ing skills, revealing he’s helped her to balance thedemands of parenthood and her acting career.

The London-born star explained: “He’s a very goodfather and that’s been a great source of comfort to me.“It’s not easy pursuing a Hollywood career when raisingyoung children. He’s great at making sure there are

always fresh bottles of milk and fresh food in the house.Just those little things make such a big difference.”Meanwhile, Emily recently explained that her children’shappiness is the “most paramount thing” in her life. Shesaid: “My children’s happiness, their safety and their well-being is the most paramount thing in my life.

And if [I am] unable to give them any of those things,then who am I? What’s my identity? “My greatest hopeis that they are truly happy, and that they’re interested inlife, in anything.

Interested and interesting, and truly happy.” And Johnrevealed he wants to “protect” his children at all costs. Headded: “Even when [we] drop our four-year-old daughteroff at school, you don’t know what she’s gonna do thatday. “You don’t know if other kids are gonna be nice toher or if she [will get] in trouble for something. You justwant to protect them at all costs.” — Bang Showbiz

Emily Blunt believes communicationis the key to a long-lasting marriage

Tom Holland wasn’t allowed to readthe ‘Avengers: Infinity War ‘ scriptin case he leaked the plot. The 21-

year-old actor is reprising his sole asSpider-Man in the upcoming Marvelaction movie - which brings Iron Man,Thor, the Hulk and the rest of theAvengers together - and the starrevealed directors Anthony Russo andJoe Russo wouldn’t let him read thewhole script, so he wasn’t even surewhich character he was shooting hisscenes with. Speaking on ‘The GrahamNorton Show’ he explained: “I wasn’tallowed to read the script because Ihave a tendency to tell people what’s init, so I have no idea what’s going on orwhat the film is about. Most of time I

was acting a scene with a tennis ball andwhen I asked who it was supposed to bethey wouldn’t tell me so I started ringinground cast members and doing my ownresearch to try and work it out!”

Tom made his debut as the iconicsuperhero in ‘Captain America: CivilWar’ in 2016 before starring in his firstsolo movie ‘Spider-man: Homecoming’in 2017 but is still shocked he gets toplay the part because he grew up idol-izing the earlier versions of the movies.He confessed: “I loved ‘Spider-man’when I was a kid and watched themovies so to be in them now is surrealand a bit of a whirlwind.”

Meanwhile, Tom - who is a traineddancer and starred as Billy in ‘Billy

Elliot’ at The West End- recalled “themost embarrassing moment of his life”was when he met singer Madonna andfailed to impress her with his dancemoves. He said: “I’d had one too manywhen a friend of mine dragged me overto meet her. All the way there I wasthinking, ‘What should I say.’

And all I came up with was ‘Hello.’ Tocover the awkward moment my friendtold Madonna I was a great dancer, sowhen she asked me to show her, I tookher by the hand and started dancingwith her. I was terrible and she wasobviously unimpressed so I bailed andleft, leaving her on the dance floor. Itwas the most embarrassing moment ofmy life.” — Bang Showbiz

Tom Holland almost spilled the Avengers secrets

The former glamour model is set to cel-ebrate her 40th birthday in May andwhile she’s relishing the prospect of

passing the landmark age, Katie believes shelooks a lot younger than she actually is. Thecurvaceous star - who has kids Harvey, 15,Junior, 12, Princess, 10, Jett, four, and Bunny,three - explained: “I can’t wait [to turn 40].It’s a massive birthday and it’s a massive cel-ebration. Also, I might be turning 40, but Ilook 30! “I want a week’s worth of celebra-tions and a trip to Vegas.”

Famously, Katie has undergone a numberof different procedures over the years,including having breast implants, in order toachieve her perfect look. But the British starhas rubbished speculation that she’s spentas much as Asked about the rumors, Katietold OK! Magazine: “Half a million pounds?No way.” Last year, Katie revealed that herson Junior admonished her for having hadtoo much cosmetic surgery.

In a chat about the growing numbers ofyoung women seeking out surgery, the TV

star shared: “Everything that I’ve had doneto my face is not permanent.

But Junior said to me the other day,‘Mum, you are so beautiful, why did youhave to have it done?’ And I’m like, ‘I haven’thad that much Junior!’ “He went, ‘Mum, youreyebrows are fake, you’ve got fake eyelash-es on, you’ve had your lips done, you’ve hadyour nose done and your teeth and nowyou’ve put these things in your face - why?!’And I didn’t have a comeback because he’sactually right!” — Bang Showbiz

Katie Price thinks she still looks like she’s 30

Director Ramadan Khosrohrecently attended a film

production workshop andhonored more than

75 students who participatedin the workshop. The

workshop was held at theheadquarters of the first filmdivision. Khosroh handed outcertificates of appreciation tostudents for participating and

completing the workshopwhich was divided into

two parts, theoretical and practical.

L i f e s t y l e Monday, April 9, 2018

31Established 1961

Fa s h i o n

Aweeklong fashion event in Dubai isbeing held without catwalks, modelsor skin-baring designs. Instead,

around 30 designers of fashionable modestwear- some Muslim and others not- fromnearly two dozen countries showcased theirlong-sleeved and floor-length pieces onlarge screens. Buyers could see and touchthe collections up close in one of Dubai’snewest shopping districts, a shimmeringmaze of walkways and fountains. At the startof the event, a handful of designs wereparaded around the plaza.

“We did away with the catwalk. Wethought that was one of the most antiquatedthings,” Alia Khan, chairwoman of the IslamicFashion and Design Council (IFDC), said,explaining the decision to nix the most com-mon elements of fashion shows around theworld. Khan spoke Wednesday, the openingnight of the event dubbed “A ModestRevolution.” It showcases the latest cre-ations by designers hoping to capitalize on agrowing desire by Muslim shoppers to wearmodest clothing that is also fashionable.

Italian designer Isabella Caposanno’slong-sleeved evening-wear dresses can takemonths to make by hand, and some costupward of 30,000 euros. Her clients includeArab royalty. Under-Rapt offers modestsportswear, with longer, looser tops. Its leg-gings include flaps that fall just below thehips to give extra cover to the rear and front.Another line, called Blue Meets Blue, employsrefugees who have resettled in the Chicagoarea to make dressy and formal wear.

“We’re trying to change the stereotypesof refugees in the US, as well. We want peo-ple to know that they’re very hardworking,they’re very excited to be in their new coun-try and they want an opportunity to showthat,” said Shahd Alasaly, designer andfounder of the American-made brand.Alasaly says her customers aren’t justMuslims, but also Orthodox Jewish womenwho want to wear something that’s “classy,timeless and elegant.”

How women choose to dress modestlyvaries around the world. Often, Muslimwomen who cover their hair with a hijab, orheadscarf, in public do so in ways thatreflect the local culture and their interpreta-tion of Islamic guidelines. But even womenwho dress modestly and cover their hair canfind themselves at odds with conservativeswho say the hijab should not be eye-catch-ing and should conceal a woman’s beautyfrom strangers.

Halal tourism“Modest fashion comes in so many dif-

ferent ways and I think people tend topigeon-hole it and stereotype it,” Khan said.“Designers are coming from all walks of life.All have their own interpretation.” Malaysiahas been a trailblazer in the so-called halalindustry, an estimated $2.6 trillion globalMuslim lifestyle market that includes every-thing from halal food products that adhereto Islamic principles on how to slaughteranimals, to halal tourism, where hotels caterto Muslim visitors by offering prayer rugs,halal food options and even gender-segre-gated beaches and pools.

On the opening night of the event, VivyYusof, a designer and businesswoman fromMalaysia, wore a cream-colored headscarfby her brand, “dUCk,” paired with a PetiteMalle Louis Vuitton bag and a bejeweledblack blazer and black slacks made by SouthAsian designers. “I think it’s really funny thatnow modest fashion is booming so much,because that’s how we’ve been dressing forages,” she said.

“Layering, covering, long sleeves, longpants, you know, wearing the hijab or not,that’s how we’ve been dressing as Muslimwomen.” The 30-year-old and her husbandco-founded Fashion Valet, an e-commercewebsite in Malaysia that features more than400 South Asian designers, many of themselling modest wear collections. She select-ed six South Asian designers to showcasetheir pieces at her stall.

Yusof declined to disclose specifics onthe company’s annual revenue, but said thatsince launching the site eight years ago,business has grown by 100 percent annually.

Mainstream designers and retailers are alsotrying to tap into the niche market for mod-est clothing. Just last month, US retailerMacy’s launched a modest clothing line tar-geting Muslim fashionistas. The new line,available online for now, includes ruffledhigh-neck tunics, flowy jumpsuits and bell-sleeve ankle-length cardigans.

Nike has debuted a hijab designed forfemale Muslim athletes. US fashion houseDKNY in 2014 launched a modest wear col-lection for Ramadan, the holy month whenMuslims fast from sun-up to sundown. High-end label Dolce & Gabbana has alsoreleased a collection of headscarves andcoordinated abayas, the loose robes wornby women in Arab Gulf countries. The IFDCsays Muslims are expected to spend asmuch as $322 billion on fashion this year.

Modest pieces to wear this RamadanThat figure is projected to grow as the

Muslim population expands to 2.2 billion by2030. For the first time this year, more thanhalf of all apparel and footwear sales willoriginate outside Europe and NorthAmerica, according to consulting firm

McKinsey & Co.’s “The State of Fashion”report. The main areas of growth will be inemerging markets in Asia where fashionsales are expected to grow by 6.5 to 7.5percent this year.

In the Middle East, fashion sales areexpected to grow by 6 percent, comparedto 2 to 3 percent growth in Europe and 1 to2 percent in North America. Syrian sistersNazek and Rama Jandali searched the fash-ion stalls for unique and modest pieces towear this Ramadan, set to begin mid-May.Nazek was dressed in an off-the-shouldercream embroidered top. Her younger sisterRama wore a colorful Fendi top and Chanelshoes. Neither covered their hair.

“I really like this event because it sup-ports all these new designers and it’s some-thing you don’t see in the market, or youdon’t see it in shopping malls. It’s somethingnew - not many people (have) worn it,” saidRama of the collections on display. Nazekagreed. “It’s not like the usual exhibitions orusual fashion shows. I found it really inter-esting that it inspires the conservativewoman who would like to really be trendy ina very modest way,” she said. —AP

Khloe Kardashian is using regular drugstoreproducts to stop herself from getting stretchmarks during her pregnancy. The ‘Keeping

Up with the Kardashians’ star maybe worth an esti-mated $40 million and is able to have her pick ofthe market’s most luxury brands, but she swears byseven different oils and creams that can be boughtin a pharmacy to keep her skin from being too bad-ly damaged by her growing baby. Taking to herInstagram stories, Khloe - who is expecting a childwith boyfriend TristanThompson - sharedher products ofchoice saying:

“A few of my tum-my oils and lotions formy tummy. Yes it’s alot but I don’t usethem all at once. I usedifferent onesthroughout the day orevery other day.” TheGood Americanfounder includedproducts such as Bio-Oil and Palmer’sCocoa Butter TummyButter as two of herfavourite products tomoisturise her ever-expanding bump and has previ-ously praised the former product for its skinhydrating benefits.

Khloe, 33, said: “I keep Bio-Oil in my shower andbefore I get out, I drench myself in it from head totoe.” And the ‘Revenge Body’ star makes sure toremain active during her pregnancy and admits shehasn’t experienced a lot of the body disadvantagesbecause she exercises. Writing on her app, she said:“Whatever you do before you’re pregnant, you’reallowed to continue, and they say it leads for a bet-ter delivery. I feel great, and I would feel horrible if Iwas just sitting around, overeating all day ... I don’thave swollen feet, I don’t have a lot of these thingsbecause I’m staying so active right now. So, as longas I can, I want to keep that up.” — Bang Showbiz

Christian Louboutin hates shopping

Christian Louboutin is bored of people talking aboutclothes. The 55-year-old designer founded his name-sake brand in 1992 and has designed over 15,000 shoes

and boots since but despite being one of the world’s mostrecognisable brands with his signature red sole trademark, hehas no interest in shopping and thinks people who areobsessed with talking about fashion are a “nightmare”.Speaking to Vogue.com, he said: “[I have] no interest [inshopping]. None. I never go clothes shopping, I have nopatience for clothes. “I’d rather spend time with someone

badly dressed but smart and fun-ny and engaging than someoneperfectly dressed and boring,who talks about clothes. To me,that’s the image of a nightmare: awoman incredibly well-dressed,who can only talk about clothes.That kills it for me.”

Christian has a long list ofcelebrity clients who swear by hisfanciful footwear, includingMargot Robbie, Sarah JessicaParker, Kim Kardashian West,Selena Gomez and Melania

Trump, but would never partner with a celebrity for a brandendorsement because it shows a “weakness” and credits peo-ple like British monarch Queen Elizabeth II and Angelia Joliefor embracing an individual style. He explained: “I was neverthat associated with anyone, anyway. I’m not the type ofdesigner to put up an Instagram with my new BFF, who hap-pens to be a big star. I never did, I never will. “Her uniformbelongs to her. Another person like that is Angelina Jolie. Ifyou think about her you never put her in a designer mentality,like Dolce, Fendi whatever. She looks good, she looks weird,she looks amused, she looks bored, but you never think shelooks ‘of a designer’. She’s such a strong character. Actorshave such big personalities that to be associated with a brandis a bit of weakness, I would say.” — Bang Showbiz

Kim Kardashian West’s new eyeshad-ow shades were inspired by herwedding. The 37-year old ‘Keeping

Up With The Kardashians’ star recentlyunveiled her newest KKW Beauty collec-tion in collaboration with her long termmake-up artist and friend, MarioDedivanovic, and he revealed the pair tookinspiration from her iconic looks, such asher bronzed wedding make-up, to createthe shades in their eyeshadow palette.

Speaking to Allure Magazine, he said:“We’ve created so many looks together -thousands of them, really - and for monthsI just kept going through the images onboth my current phone and my old phoneand screen-grabbing them for reference. I

would pull images, cropping out andzooming into the eyes or lips, and then nar-row it down from there, choosing the moreiconic moments that her fans loved somuch, the ones that got re-created onYouTube by so many people, and then ofcourse the everyday glam moments thatshe loves and that I love. “Like there was alook we did in Miami: I forget the year, butI had it on my inspiration board, and weactually named one of the shadows Miamibecause of it. Some of the shades wereinspired by her wedding, for example.”

Mario and Kim knew they wanted amake-up range which would be versatileenough for fans to recreate a variety oflooks and they started planning the collec-

tion even before KKW Beauty launched in2017. He explained: “Even before Kimstarted her makeup line, we talked abouthow she wanted her first collaboration tobe with me, so that’s when I actually start-ed planning it,” “We wanted products thatpeople could use to re-create basically anylook that we’ve ever done, there havealways been certain key eye shadow andlip colours that I’ve used on Kim, and whileover the years we’ve used tons of differentproducts, they’ve always been the sameshades. So basically what we did was tookall those specific shades and perfectedthem for exactly how we like them, how welike to use them, and what we like to pairthem with.” — Bangshowbiz

Kim Kardashian West’s weddinginspires her makeup range

Fashion show without catwalks promotes modest wear in Dubai

Models present modest fashion outfits in Dubai, United Arabs Emirates. — AP photos

Alia Khan, founder and chairwoman of theIslamic Fashion and Design Council. Chicago-based designer Shahd Alasaly, the founder and CEO of Blue Meets Blue.


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Georgians walk in front of Sameba church in Tbilisi during Easter service in Tbilisi. — AFP

Famed Istanbul modern art museum enters new era

Cardi B, fast-risingwoman of rap,

reveals pregnancy

Aday after releasing one of the most eagerlyawaited rap debut albums in recent years,rapper Cardi B made another splash-reveal-

ing she is pregnant. The fast-rising 25-year-old starshowed off an unambiguous baby bump as sheappeared on weekly comedy show “Saturday NightLive,” becoming a top trending item on social media.In a teasing confirmation to persistent pregnancyrumors, Cardi B took the stage twice on “SaturdayNight Live,” first concealing her body with a ful-some feather boa as she performed her breakoutsingle “Bodak Yellow.”

When she returned to rap “Be Careful,” a trackoff her debut album “Invasion of Privacy” that cameout Friday, Cardi B donned a body-hugging whitedress and smiled knowingly as the lights shone onher protruding belly. Cardi B is engaged to Offset ofrap trio Migos, who shortly after his fiancee’s televi-sion appearance confirmed the pregnancy onInstagram, writing, “We feel so blessed.”

Cardi B, a Bronx native whose real name isBelcalis Almanzar, has quickly found stardom withher hard-driving rhymes that unsentimentally tell astory of a rough life that included a stint as a strip-per. “Bodak Yellow,” released less than a year ago,made her one of the most watched names in rap-agenre dominated by men and, often, by machismo.She raked in top prizes including single of the yearat last year’s BET Hip Hop Awards, leading to highanticipation for her debut album-and she is not let-ting the pregnancy slow her down. The rapper isdue to perform next weekend at Coachella, the pre-mier US music festival-whose top headlinerBeyonce pushed back her appearance by one yearas she gave birth to twins in 2017. The gossip siteTMZ earlier reported that Cardi B is due to givebirth in early July. — AFP

Cardi B on Saturday Night Live

It’s a busy afternoon at Istanbul Modern,Turkey’s premier modern art museum,and the gallery is packed with visitors

taking selfies or discussing the artworks inhushed tones. Some pause in front of a mas-sive canvas by celebrated German artistAnselm Kiefer, while others look in amaze-ment at a masterpiece by Turkish abstractpainter Fahrelnissa Zeid or gasp at iconicblack and white images of old Istanbul bylegendary local photographer Ara Guler.Since opening on December 11, 2004,Istanbul Modern, spectacularly situated onthe Bosphorus with a view of the Ottoman-era Topkapi Palace, has become a symbol of21st century Istanbul, open to outside influ-ences but proud of its past.

The rapid success of the museum wasone of the reasons Newsweek magazinefamously declared in a 2005 cover storythat Istanbul was “one of the coolest cities”in the world. But within a few days of thevisit, all the artworks will have been takendown, carefully catalogued and put into

protective cases. The building, a maritimewarehouse known as Antrepo No. 4 inTurkish and beloved by many Istanbulitessince the museum’s opening, will be demol-ished. However it will not be the end forIstanbul Modern.

‘Nourish our souls’ After closing its doors on March 18, the

museum will reopen in a historic mansion inthe central Beyoglu district in May. Themansion will be a temporary home until anew museum is built on the site of the oldIstanbul Modern to showcase its collectionto even greater effect. The new building willbe designed by Italian architect RenzoPiano, who was behind London’s iconic sky-scraper The Shard, and is expected to befinished in three years. Istanbul Modern’sdirector Levent Calikoglu admitted therewas some sense of huzun-the Turkish wordfor melancholy-over leaving the buildingthat had been the museum’s home for thelast 14 years.

“Yes, in fact, we have a kind of melan-choly and a nostalgia,” he told AFP insidethe museum, which was devoid of visitors asstaff carefully took down and packaged theart. “But a new future is in front of us and wehave a completely different aim. This newbuilding will bring a new vision to the artworld and to Istanbul.” The opening ofIstanbul Modern was supported at the timeby President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, thenprime minister, who gave his approval forthe use and refurbishment of the maritimewarehouse.

For some, the museum’s sheer existencewas proof that the arts could prosper inTurkey under Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted rul-ing party, which came to power in 2002.Artistic expression in Turkey has had somedifficult periods since, but Istanbul Modernis proud not just that it has attracted sevenmillion visitors since opening but that theyhave come from right across the country’shugely diverse society. And on one of themuseum’s final opening days before its tem-

porary closure it was filled with Turks of allages and backgrounds, as well as a sprin-kling of tourists. “There are things here thatI am seeing for the first time, it’s interestingand I appreciate this,” said Gokberk, a 19-year-old who had come with his friends.Visitor Nesrin Aktar, a fan of the museum,hoped the revamp would go smoothly. “Wecome to see the exhibitions, to nourish oursouls, that really inspires us.”

‘500-year timescale’ The main financial backers for the new

project are the museum’s founding sponsorEczacibasi Group, a major backer of the artsin Turkey, and the Dogus Group-BilgiliHolding conglomerate. As with many artprojects in Turkey, there is no state funding.The new museum will be located in a spe-cially dedicated area within the new $1-bil-lion (815-million-euro) Galataport project,which aims to revitalise Istanbul’s historicharbourside with new living and officespaces beside an overhauled cruise terminal.

But it has not met with universal enthusi-asm. The Istanbul Chamber of Architects hasdenounced the Galataport project as beingin violation of planning rules-a claim rejectedby its developers-and risking “causing dam-age that will not be able to be reversed”. Inan interview with the Hurriyet daily, OyaEczacibasi, the chairwoman of the museum’sboard, rejected concerns that the new muse-um would lose its identity within Galataport.She said Galataport will “add a lot toIstanbul” when completed, insisting IstanbulModern’s leadership will remain in full con-trol of the museum’s program. Calikoglu saidthe Renzo Piano building-whose design isset to be unveiled later in 2018 — shouldbecome a new symbol for Istanbul. “For thisbuilding he is looking on a timescale of 500years, he is not looking at a timescale of 20years,” Calikoglu said. — AFP

In this file photo Workers take down a painting at Istanbul Modern museum in Istanbul.

A worker collects pieces of an artwork for packing at Istanbul Modern museum in Istanbul. Istanbul Modern’s director, Levent Calikoglu, is pictured during an interview. — AFP photos

Workers collect pieces of an artwork for pack-ing at Istanbul Modern museum in Istanbul.