CR IP TI ON BS SU 40 PAGES NO: 16422 150 FILS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 www.kuwaittimes.net RABI ALTHANI 14, 1436 AH Syrians throng embassy after it resumes services 12,000 passports need renewal • Tight security around mission Min 10º Max 25º High Tide 12:52 & 23:25 Low Tide 06:33 & 18:03 By Faten Omar Activist’s jail term upheld as tweeters freed Domestics’ law studied By B Izzak KUWAIT: The public prosecutor yesterday freed two online activists on bail after questioning them along with others over accusations of insulting Saudi King Abdullah, who died less than two weeks ago. The prosecutor freed Mohammad Khaled Al-Ajmi on a KD 1,000 bail pending trial after detaining him for five days for allegedly writing comments on his Twitter account deemed offensive to King Abdullah and endangering diplomatic ties between Kuwait and the kingdom. The prosecutor also freed Flaih Al-Azemi, a journalist with an Arabic daily, after several days of detention after facing similar accusations. No date has been yet set for their trial. The decisions come one day after a judge ordered the detention of two other tweeters for 10 days pending investigation over similar charges. Arrest warrants have also been issued against a number of other activists for making similar charges. Continued on Page 13 KUWAIT: Syrians living in Kuwait wait to renew their passports at their embassy yesterday after the diplomatic mission resumed consular services. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat KUWAIT: The Syrian Embassy resumed operations yesterday after being closed for nine months, with long lines forming outside as Syrians rushed to complete pending paperwork. An official source at the embassy, who chose to remain anonymous, denied reports that the embassy was closed to put pressure on Kuwait to send back the Kuwaiti ambassador to Syria. “The reason behind the closure of the embassy was because the visas of the ambassador and some diplomats at the embassy were not renewed, so they had to go back to Syria,” he told Kuwait Times. “Kuwait recalled its ambassador and diplomatic staff for safety reasons, but Syria kept its embassy open in Kuwait more than two years after the withdrawal of the Kuwaiti ambassador from Syria,” the source said. “The passports of approximately 12,000 Syrians need to be renewed, according to the Ministry of Interior, but the number was higher, as many Syrians renewed their passport in Syrian embassies in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Because of the difficulty of entry for some people into the UAE, they sent it via mail,” he added. The source assured that Kuwait “warmly welcomed” the opening of the embassy, with a tight security presence around the mission. He added that the charge d’affaires at the embassy is the de facto ambassador. The Syrian embassy in Kuwait reopened last month after a diplomatic team consisting of the charge d’affaires and two aides arrived in Kuwait. Alarab off air hours after launch UN: 2014 ‘hottest year on record’ BRISBANE: Juris Greste, the father of Australian journalist Peter Greste (pictured below), Peter’s brother Andrew Greste and his mother Lois Greste smile after holding a press conference yesterday. — AP Greste speaks of ‘angst’ over colleagues in jail NICOSIA: Australian journalist Peter Greste yesterday urged Egypt to free his jailed colleagues at Al-Jazeera, describing his “angst” at having to leave them behind after being released. Greste, 49, was arrested for allegedly aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood, along with colleagues Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed of Egypt, in moves that sparked worldwide condemnation. The award-winning correspondent was freed and deported on Sunday after more than 400 days behind bars in Cairo, and he immediately flew with his brother Michael to Cyprus, where he has been resting before returning to Australia. “This is a massive step forward... I just hope that Egypt keeps going down this path with the others,” Greste told AlJazeera in his first interview since leaving prison. Greste said he felt a “real mix of emotions boiling inside” upon hearing the unexpected news that he was to be released because it meant leaving behind “my brothers” Fahmy and Mohamed. “I Egyptian PM woos Kuwaiti investors 5 went for a run and the prison warden called me over and said: ‘It is time... to get your stuff and go,’” he told the pan-Arab television network. “I feel incredible angst about my colleagues, leaving them behind,” he said. “Amidst all this relief, I still feel a sense of concern. If it’s appropriate for me to be free, it’s right for all of them to be freed.” Greste said he was overwhelmed by the level of support for the campaign for his release, and that he now looked forward to “watching a few sunsets” and “feeling sand under my toes”. “This has been like a rebirth and you realise that it is those little beautiful moments in life... that’s what’s important.” Fahmy’s relatives expect him to also be deported under a decree passed by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that allows for the transfer of foreigners on trial. His fiancee, Marwa Omara, told AFP in Cairo: “We are expecting Mohamed to be released in the coming days.” Continued on Page 13 Obama unveils $4 trillion budget 21 GENEVA: The year 2014 was the hottest on record, part of a “warming trend” that appeared set to continue, the UN’s weather agency said yesterday. Average global air temperatures in 2014 were 0.57 degrees Celsius higher than the long-term average of 14 C for a 1961-1990 reference period, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a statement. “Fourteen of the 15 hottest years have all been this century,” said WMO secretary general Michel Jarraud. “In 2014, record-breaking heat combined with torrential rainfall and floods in many countries and drought in some others - consistent with the expectation of a changing climate,” he added. Global sea-surface temperatures also reached record levels. United Nations members will meet in Geneva next week for talks on a global climate pact that must be signed in Paris in December for curbing greenhouse gas emissions. The UN seeks to limit warming to no more than 2 C over pre-Industrial Revolution levels, but scientists warn the Earth is on target for double that target - a scenario that could be catastrophic. “We expect global warming to continue, given that rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the increasing heat content of the oceans are committing us to a warmer future,” said Jarraud. The WMO said that only a few hundredths of a degree separated the warmest years. Average global air temperatures in 2010 were 0.55 C above average, compared to 2014’s 0.57 C, and 0.54 C in 2005. Continued on Page 13 MANAMA: A new pan-Arab news channel backed by a billionaire Saudi prince was suspended from broadcasting from its home in Bahrain yesterday, just hours after it went on air and carried an interview with a prominent opposition activist. The Alarab television station said on its official Twitter feed that coverage was halted for “technical and administrative reasons”, and that it hopes to be back on the air soon. It went live on Sunday afternoon. The unexpected stoppage, apparently on the order of Bahraini authorities, came just hours after Alarab surprised many viewers by featuring Bahraini opposition activist Khalil Al-Marzouq as one of its first guests. Yusuf Mohammed, the media director at Bahrain’s Information Affairs Authority, cited similar reasons as the channel for its being “temporarily suspended” in comments to the official Bahrain News Agency. He did not give further details. He said the authorities are working with Alarab management “to swiftly resolve the matter”, and he expected the channel will resume broadcasting soon. Continued on Page 13 MANAMA: Advertising on the side of a skyscraper shows news anchors of the newly launched Alarab TV network yesterday. — AP Iran launches first satellite since 2012 TEHRAN: Iran launched an observation satellite yesterday its first since 2012 - with President Hassan Rouhani declaring it safely entered orbit and that he had personally ordered the mission. The Fajr (Dawn) satellite was successfully placed 450 km above Earth, said Al-Alam television, an Arabic-language station owned by the Islamic republic. It is the fourth such satellite launch by Iran, after three others between 2009 and 2012. The satellite was locally made, said the official IRNA news agency, as was its launcher, according to Rouhani who noted Iran’s aim is to have no reliance on foreign space technology. “Our sci- ‘Spewing buffalos’: Uganda’s ‘Uglish’ entists have entered a new phase for conquering space. We will continue on this path,” Rouhani said in a short statement on state television. Al-Alam said the Fajr satellite, weighing 52 kilos, would be able to take accurate pictures from space. It took eight minutes to reach orbit and is now linked with its ground-based controllers, state media said. The launch came as Iran started 10 days of celebrations for the 36th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, culminating on February 11, “Victory Day”, when the USbacked shah’s reign officially ended in 1979. Defence Minister General Hossein Dehgan 40 echoed Rouhani’s comments, stating that the 21-m and 26 tonne launcher, named Safir-Fajr, shows “the ability of Iran to build satellite launchers”. In February 2010, Iran launched a satellite containing a rat, turtles and insects. Separate missions under Iran’s space programme have seen two capsules launched. One, in January 2013, included a monkey that was recovered alive. Iran’s space activities, however, have sent alarm bells ringing in the international community amid concern over Tehran’s development of technology that could have military purposes. — AFP Patriots win Super Bowl thriller over Seahawks 20 LOCAL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 Zain’s social projects in 2014 KUWAIT: Zain Telecom revealed that its strategic path in the fields of social development and responsibility witnessed important events in 2014, during which it expressed more commitment towards the sound practice of its social responsibilities in all fields. The company, which owns the largest developed telecommunications network in Kuwait, said that its commitment to making a positive effect on the society and environment is what made it adopt a series of influential issues, adding that it believes that its continued future is bright. Zain, in light of this goal, explained that based on the values it believes in, it will keep planning to work on cases and opportunities related to the components of the social fabric out of its belief in the role of the private sector in improving social and economic prosperity. The company explained that with the start of each year, it updates its attention towards influential issues, be it health, educational, cultural, sports, economic and environmental. It believes in the importance of the major role private establishments play in social development, and based on that it seeks to use its resources to bring an added value to the society. Youth and education Zain is proud of be the platinum sponsor of the 31st annual conference of Kuwait students in the United States for more than 11 consecutive years, because the company considers it a true opportunity to express its passion towards contacts with future generations, especially students abroad, since the conference sees a large number of students in the presence of many national personalities whose contributions resulted in the development of Kuwait in various fields. Zain is keen on being present at events with students in the United States at the end of each year who represent the largest group of students abroad. Through the participation of Zain next to major decision makers in Kuwait as guests in the conference, Zain considers this event as a unique cultural gathering, because it is distinguished with a high level of patriotic sense, specially that stu- dents are seeking education abroad, so this major annual event is considered the umbrella that brings citizens of the country together. Partnership with Loyac Zain renewed its strategic partnership with Loyac to become the major partner in the project for more than 10 consecutive years, and this is the project that aims at developing youth skills and train 2,000 students each year. Innovation camp Zain organized innovation camps for training secondary school students in cooperation with Injaz throughout the year. The program targeted a group of secondary schools students all over Kuwait, and it gave the opportunity to 579 students during 2014 to benefit from many skills related to business and administration and was supervised by Zain employees, who represent the private sector. ‘Taleb’ Zain continued its support of the “Taleb” electronic project that won Kuwait’s electronic prize. It is considered an electronic educational portal that links more than 600,000 students with their guardians and teachers through the Internet website of the project, in order to develop communications between the home and school environments. Fun program Among the projects that Zain established since 2008 and directed to the youth sector is the fun program that gives a fantastic opportunity to university students in Kuwait to fill the gap between studying and actual work experience. Students in the program work as ambassadors for Zain and its beautiful world in the company’s many activities. Knowledge club Zain announced its major participation in the knowledge club, which is considered one of the largest training projec ts that holds workshops and hosts an elite group of inter- national experts throughout the year. Breast cancer Zain launched its annual breast cancer awareness campaign in October 2014, which is the initiative it has adopted for the seventh consecutive year, within its activation of its participation in awareness campaigns and shedding light on breast cancer. World Diabetes Day Zain participates in the activities of the World Diabetes Day on Nov 14 every year, in cooperation with the Damsan Diabetes Institute. Qout market Zain announced its partnership with Qout market for the second season. This is the largest youth initiative in Kuwait, aiming at spreading awareness about a healthy lifestyle and consumption of organic and healthy products. Hala February Zain considers itself a major partner in the national celebrations every year, and returned in 2014 with a new sponsorship of the Hala February festival, which coincides with Kuwait’s celebration of the national and liberation days. Support of Gaza people Zain made several humanitarian initiatives to help Gaza and West Bank residents who are in dire need during the catastrophic crises they went through in the middle of 2014. The group gave various aid to the Palestinians to improve their living conditions by donating $500,000 which was spent on food and urgent medical aid in Gaza. Cooperation with the Islamic Charity Organization Zain made notable efforts in supporting donation campaigns in cooperation with the IICO through providing dynamic podiums such as SMS services that provide a donation mechanism for various projects that reduce people’s suffering, and that is why the IICO honored Zain for its efforts. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 LOCAL In Brief Weapons’ Collection Team Developmental projects KUWAIT: Well-informed security source said that a law would be issued shortly concerning regulating weapons collection and the penalties to be imposed for illegal weapon possession. The sources added that the deputy PM and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-khaled would soon issue a decision about forming the Weapon Collection Teams that would be efficiently manned and equipped to commence work immediately. “The teams will be probably headed by the Acting Manager of Farwaniya Detectives’ Wanted Pursuit Team, Colonel Nayef Al-Hasawi. KUWAIT: Kuwait continues to moving forward with its developmental projects according to their set timeframe and within their technical specifications, Minister of Public Works and Minister of Electricity and Water Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim said yesterday. Al-Ibrahim made this remark in his opening speech at the second engineering forum, organized by the Kuwait Society of Engineers. The event was opened by the Minister of behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Kuwait flag - symbol of patriotism and loyalty KUWAIT: Kuwait’s flag has always been the symbol of Kuwaiti’s unity, Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Homoud AlSabah said yesterday. He added in remarks to KUNA that Kuwait’s celebration of flag hoisting on January 28 with the honor of the attendance of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah represents the importance of this national event in the country.—KUNA Kuwaitis can travel Albania without visa Tirana open for business Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Kuwaitis can now visit Albania without a visa, according to the Albanian embassy in Kuwait. The decision follows the visit of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Kuwait last November. The no visa policy for Kuwaitis will be implemented shortly to woo more tourism and investors from Kuwait. “If you are citizens of Kuwait or the United Arab Albanian Ambassador to Kuwait Kujtim Morina Emirates you are free to go Albania just by showing identification documents and passport. No visa is needed. This order will be implemented starting Wednesday or two days after the publication of this announcement,” said Kujtim Morina, Albanian Ambassador to Kuwait during a press conference yesterday at the Albanian embassy in Al-Zarah, South Surra. “Kuwaitis can stay up to 90 days within a period of six months. That is the new immigration procedure which takes effect shortly; we want to convey this message to all Kuwaitis,” he said. Morina admitted there few Kuwaitis visit Albania, although it increased last year when they implemented a no-visa policy for Kuwaiti during summer vacation. “The new no visa policy will help, because this will be whole year round, not only in summer. The free movement of citizens helps increase trade exchanges and visits from citizens of both countries,” he asserted. Though one of the poorest nations in Europe, Albania is growing in popularity as a destination for tourists. “In 2014, we ranked 4th in the New York Times list of tourism destinations; another online survey we are among top 10 tourism destinations,” said Morina. The UNESCO Heritage Committee identifies at least four locations in Albania as being part of the world heritage list: Butrinti National Park, Gjirokastra, Beranti, Isopolyphony. Morina also added that the visit of their Prime Minister Edi Rama to Kuwait on November 18-20, 2014 marked a significant step in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. “Our bilateral relations are excellent. In the area of trade, is still low, but we are trying our best to increase our economic exchanges. We have several projects underway, like the support of Arab Funds in our country really helps; they have 22 million Kuwaiti dinar projects being undertaken now in Albania and we want more Kuwaitis to invest in Tirana; in fact, the delegation of PM last Nov comprised several businessmen and they came to seek partnership with their counterparts,” he mentioned. Many Kuwaiti companies have expressed interest in Albania according to Morina and many visited the country to make their own assessments. “Some Kuwaiti companies have already started their business in Albania. In fact, we are open for business and some of our priorities are in the areas of tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, mining industry, manufacturing and investment,” Morina noted. 17,004 liquor bottles seized By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: On a routine inspection campaign, Ahmadi security arrested two Asians with 17,004 home-made liquor bottles, 36 barrels full of liquor, 24 gas cylinders, seven plastic bags of liquor and quantities of yeast they used in manufacturing the liquor. Ex-convict arrested Ahmadi police arrested an ex-convict wanted on several cases. He was in an abnormal condition, and had 69 Captagon tablets, 10 narcotic pills, a black bag with one shabu envelope, five half-empty envelopes containing what is suspected to be drugs, and six wrappers containing a brown substance suspected of being heroin. Drugs paraphernalia was also found. KD70 in forged currency along with other suspected substances were also found, along with an air rifle and two boxes of bullets. The car the suspect drove was used in a theft. The suspect was sent to concerned authorities. Gang of 4 nabbed A gang of four was arrested with half a kilo of meth, 50 gm of marijuana, 250 psychotropic pills, two guns, ammunition and some fireworks, said security sources. Case papers indicate that narcotic detectives had been tipped off concerning a citizen selling drugs. He was arrested along with two other citizens and a GCC national in a camp. High-voltage cables stolen An MEW employee reported that on sending electricity technicians to fix a power failure in a power unit, they found out that some high-voltage cables and DPUs had been stolen. Alexey Solomatin, Russia Ambassador in Kuwait Suspects escape Jahra security are hunting for two suspects who escaped arrested after others surrounded two security officers, preventing them from doing their job, said security sources. Case papers indicate that a man was arrested for an armed robbery using a cleaver to threaten a grocer, before another person with no ID showed up asking to release him. Both men were arrested for not holding any IDs, but soon a few others showed up, creating commotion around the patrol to enable the two suspects to escape. In another development, a citizen and owner of a baqala reported that an unidentified person stopped his delivery man and stole KD80 in cash, in addition to a number of prepaid mobile recharge cards. KD 450, ATM cards missing A citizen reported that an unidentified robber broke her vehicle window and stole her purse with KD 100 in it in addition to that of her sisterin-law with KD350 in it and ATM cards, which he used to withdraw money from their bank accounts. A case was filed and further investigations are in progress. Ambassador hails Russia-Kuwait ties By Faten Omar KUWAIT: Russian Ambassador to Kuwait Alexey Solomatin yesterday hailed RussianKuwaiti ties, as Kuwait was the first country in the Arabian Gulf to establish diplomatic relations with Russia. “There is respect and a desire to cooperate more with Kuwait and exchange visits. We are expecting a proposal from Russia to set up a joint committee with the government of Kuwait in March. Meetings and talks covering economic, technical, cultural, scientific and education fields will also be held,” he said. The Embassy of Russia in Kuwait will celebrate Diplomat’s Day on Feb 10, the mission also announced. In 1549 on the same day, the first Russian government was responsible for foreign affairs. But the Russian foreign ministry was only founded in 1802 by a decree from Russian Emperor Alexander the First. Solomatin stated that Russia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory in the Second World War on May 9. The Russian embassy will also organize an official reception at the embassy to celebrate Russian National Day on June 12. On expanded EU sanctions on Russia, imposing asset freezes and visa bans on 15 Russian officials and Ukrainian rebel leaders, Solomatin said such steps do not help in solving problems and there must be direct dialogue between Russia and the European Union. “We are trying to make our relationship with Western countries stronger, but after this decision, Russia decided to freeze contacts with the EU for a year, not forever,” he said. The EU targeted a number of high-ranking Russian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and General Valery Gerasimov and pro-Russian separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine, but steered clear of sanctions on business leaders. “There were economic and social problems and related problems in all fields, so we could not work intensively on international relationships. We are making efforts to develop relations with Western countries first. We need to continue to strengthen US-Russian relations, because there is great responsibility in US to what is happening in Russia and what is happening in the whole world,” he said. “Russia will participate in solving the problems in the Middle East. We do not interfere directly and we do not impose political or economic pressures on any country, but we want to solve those problems peacefully,” Solomatin said. “The Moscow talks with Syrian opposition figures and the Damascus government ended perfectly and were successful. We will keep holding such meetings and we support meetings in other countries such as Egypt. Russia is interested in making peace in Iraq, Syria and Yemen,” he added. Students benefit from Gulf Bank red account KUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced that it will be present at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) during the registration period from 1-5 February 2015, whereby the Bank will have a fully manned stand to assist students in their banking arrangements. Gulf Bank’s presence aims at informing students about the red account, the Bank’s dedicated program specially designed for students aged 17 to 24 years. The account requires no deposit to open and can be used as a savings accounts with monthly interest payments. In addition, red account holders receive regular special offers and discounts at over 150 outlets in Kuwait. To find out more about the red account and its unique benefits for young people, students can visit the Bank’s stand at AUK or any one of Gulf Bank’s 59 branches, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805. Information is also available on the Bank’s bilingual website at www.egulfbank.com/red . Awareness about Alzheimer’s By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Women’s Cultural and Social Society held a one-day event at The Avenues yesterday to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s. Members of the society distributed awareness brochures and booklets. An illustrative screen displayed detailed information, while two doctors were available, one in the morning and the other in the evening, to answer questions related to Alzheimer’s. Specialists from the old-age home were also present. “We have a health committee for health projects such as Al Amal Club that deals with cancer, Al Asdiqa Club caring for psychiatric diseases and Al Bustan nursery for children with hearing difficulties. The society also holds awareness courses and conferences, and these include for Alzheimer’s,” Moudhi Sqeer, a member of the society, told Kuwait Times yesterday. “Alzheimer’s is spreading, especially since people now live longer and we have more elderly people. Alzheimer’s usually affects people above 65 years of age, but rarely it can even affect a 50-year-old, and the risk increases at 85,” she added. There are no exact statistics in Kuwait as well as in most Middle East countries about this disease. “We are cooperating with the old-age home that provides us with unofficial statistics. According to them, there are about 60,000 elderly Kuwaitis, and about 5 percent of them (3,000) are or may be suffering from Alzheimer’s. This figure is an approximate one as in our conservative community, people keep this secret and feel ashamed about others knowing this,” explained Sqeer. The event was mainly for families or caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s. “As the patient is usually isolated from the society, and those taking care of him - whether fami- ly members or medical staff - suffer from depression or psychological problems, we try to help them by providing awareness through books and brochures that we publish or through the courses we hold,” she noted. “We give them information, such as for instance if a patient is afraid of loud noises, they should not talk to him from the back but should approach from the front. If he is scared of darkness in the afternoon, they should take care of that. We teach them ways of dealing and taking care of the patient,” she added. “This is the first time such an event was held at a mall, as we want to tell the community about our work and what we do. We want them to communicate with us. We also let the visitors to register their contact information so we can inform them when we have an event to make them benefit from it,” concluded Sqeer. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 LOCAL Egypt’s PM lures Kuwait investors KUWAIT: Ayman Al Mutairi, Senior Corporate Communications Manager at VIVA pictured with Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD)’s team. VIVA launches a campaign ‘Your Safety is Our Priority’ KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing and most developed telecom operator, organized a national campaign titled “Your Safety is Our Priority” in collaboration with Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD). The campaign seeks to promote awareness among desert campers of fire hazards that could occur in tents, and how to prevent such accidents from happening during vacations and camping season. VIVA will send educational messages about fire hazards and how to react in a fire emergency via SMSs about the awareness boards in camps that guide campers. VIVA’s initiative to raise awareness of fire hazards and prevention stems from its belief in the importance of protecting the environment and promoting prevention measure and awareness among campers during this season. VIVA is also involved in the local community and youth welfare as it continues to raise awareness, encourage collaboration among various segments of society, as well as responsibility towards others. VIVA will continue to raise awareness and adhere to its core principles by supporting and developing educational programs while increasing its social involvement to serve various groups of society. To learn more about VIVA’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, please visit the company’s CSR focused portal https://www.viva.com.kw/csr. It offers a description of each CSR initiative that VIVA has supported, or adopted since its inception. KUWAIT: Egypt ’s visiting Prime M inister Ibrahim Mahlab said yesterday that his country is preparing a package of legislative reforms to lure more foreign direct investments (FDI) to breathe life into the ailing economy of the Arab most populous state. “A higher committee for legislative reforms is reviewing a large number of laws, at the forefront of which is the investment law, with a view to cur tailing bureaucracy and cutting time of paper work processing,” Mahlab said in a speech during a visit the Kuwait’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). “The new investment law will be completed before the convention of the international economic conference which Egypt will organize on March 13,” he affirmed. He pointed out that the current situation in Egypt requires solidarity and cooperation among regional countries to overcome the huge security and economic challenges. Mahlab noted that Egypt will set a new mechanism to ensure quick settlement of investment-related disputes. “ The government is keen on crack ing down on corruption at the state bodies and on improving the performance of civil servants through reforming the civil servants and labor laws,” he stressed. He added that Egypt is also working on a unified land law and a bankruptcy law to achieve the interest of the state and investors and avoid future disagreements. The Premier suggested that the Egypt ’s economic conference aims to improve the living standards and economic conditions of the low-income people who make up 25 of the population. Over 25 mega projects in the different sector would be put forward for investment during the conference, he said. KCCI President Ali Al- the Egyptian economy to help recover it. Al-Ghanim also urged Egypt to take all required measures to create an investmentfriendly environment. He unveiled that Premier Mahlab will receive, starting from today, the complaints of Kuwaiti companies which have investments in Egypt to be consider and KUWAIT: Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab (left) and Chairman of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Ali Al-Ghanim gesture during a meeting with Kuwaiti and Egyptian businessmen yesterday at the KCCI headquarters in Kuwait City. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Ghanim underscored that Kuwait is eager to support Egyptian economy and a large Kuwaiti investment delegation would par take in Egypt’s economic conference. He also encouraged Arab investors to pour more money into resolved. Mahlab started a three-day official visit to Kuwait on Sunday, in response to an official invitation by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad AlSabah. —KUNA ABK holds graduation ceremony for Academy’s 15th batch trainees KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait held a graduation ceremony for ABK Academy’s 15th batch of trainees, an occasion well attended by members of ABK Management. Hamza Enki, GM, Human Resources said that the professional training imparted by the ABK Academy encourages Kuwaiti youth to work and experience the banking sector - part of the reason why it achieves its Kuwaitisation ratio. Jassem Al Salman, AGM, Human Resources maintained that the Academy’s 15th batch of successful, well-trained graduates was the result of a combined effort, led by Retail Banking and supported by other divisions. The rigorous and structured training stemmed from a belief in the importance of new recruits committed to the banking industry, whose focus on confidentiality and customer care would pave the way for a new generation of professionals in ABK. He expressed his gratitude to the various Divisions for their contribution towards the success of the Academy. Officials of the ABK Academy congratulated the graduates for choosing to be part of the banking sector, a highly professional environment that focused on career development. They reiterated that providing premium customer service to the ABK customer was the most important aspect for the new employees. The ABK Academy was launched in 2009 and developed its programs and initiatives through the years, to become the primary destination for job seekers in the banking sector.ABK welcomes fresh graduates to join the Bank by submitting their applications through the websitewww.eahli.com. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 LOCAL kuwait digest kuwait digest Reconsider domestic and foreign policies Nothing comes after ‘tet’ Democracy By Shamlan Al-Essa By Hassan Al-Essa he quick changes in the Arab region require that Gulf countries reconsider their domestic and foreign policies to overcome the dangers these countries are facing. Among the most important challenges that face our country is the quick rise of the Iranian influence in the region after the fall of Yemen and Syria, Iraq and Lebanon being under Iran’s mandate. The question what are the expected Gulf polices towards the accelerating developments in Yemen? And do the Gulf countries have a joint view towards what is going on in Yemen? And where the Gulf countries agree with Iran and where they differ? Especially that there are Gulf countries that have close ties with Iran. The Gulf countries can form an effective Arab axis to contain the Iranian expansion in the region, especially that Iran uses the religion and sect factor and support of the minorities in the Arab region to strengthen its position, which created crises between Gulf countries and Iran, because the Gulf countries consider Iran’s interference in their domestic affairs a violation of these countries’ sovereignty. The Iranian policy in the region is contradictory and double-faced, because at the time when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirms his efforts to create positive atmosphere and improve his relations with neighboring Gulf countries, we find him attack Saudi Arabia and UAE for their support of Saddam Hussein during his war with Iran! While the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Essa Al-Khalifa sent a congratulatory letter to the Iranian president on the anniversary of the Iranian revolution victory in 1979, the Iranian Revolution Supreme leader Ali Khamenei received a group of Bahraini opposition during which he blessed their power and steadfastness! The Arab Gulf countries attempted to protect themselves against the Iranian influence expansion through signing strategic alliances with the US, and among the strange ironies is that the American ally does not want to face Iran now, rather its entire concentration is on fighting the expansion of the Islamic State (Daesh) in the region. The latest visit by American president Barack Obama along with a large American delegation to extend condolences to the Saudi leadership included political talks over several issues, including the war against terrorism and the latest developments in Yemen. We in the Gulf should understand that the American stand towards Iran is because of a change in the structure of strategic American interests and its work towards grabbing the alternatives that follow the reconciliation with Iran and reduce the burden of confronting it, more than reflecting a victory of any side in the long struggle between them. The interests of the United States in the region are limited to Israel’s security after the US dropped the policy of managing change in the region and the American involvement in the region was reduced. The Arab Gulf countries are required to strengthen the domestic front by following a reform policy that concentrates on the citizenry principle to bring the people closer to their rulers and repel all foreign attempts to expand into our countries. ccusations of forgery and manipulating laws with the intention of profiteering from a business are very simple and normal. However, assuming it is illegal, nobody cares about the argument that took place between two lawmakers in parliament three days ago, where one of them accused the other of registering some stores he owned in his wife’s name and not paying their rent, and the other argued that he ‘was not one of those who would forge a report in a tender or forensic reports about drug abuse’! Well, regardless of this argument that ended by using a genuine Kuwaiti dialect term ‘Tet....tet’ (which is usually used to scare away cats intruding or trespassing into the house), none of their colleagues, Cabinet members or even their voters actually care about such accusations that may prove true or are mere provocative talk affected by childhood memories and arguments. People in Kuwait and in other countries witnessing similar public property and fund violations and lenient administrations are used to hearing news about major crimes of abuse of powers, profiteering and bribery, which all drain public funds and most probably reach dead ends due to mistakes in imposing the law or lack of earnestness in tracking down the culprits, especially when this tracking is limited to symbolic nominal measures where the stardom of some officials is splashed in newspapers as if corruption and looting public facilities is their prime cause, or when such cases are closed because the culprits managed to find their way out of the country to wrap up the whole story with the conclusion that those with authorities did their duties according to the law and we should stop asking them for more. Accordingly, this ends another silly act of our official play. What does it mean to forge a tender or a rent stores in a wife’s name by this or that lawmaker when compared to endless stories about mightier hotshots who remained in office for scores of years and served under many ministers who considered them (the hotshots) above suspicion? Those hotshots really knew how to mislead the law and justice that has become actually, not symbolically, blind as indicated by its famous statue. When this blindness happens, justice no longer sees VIPs and their crimes but it strongly punishes some young people for ‘tweeting’ out of the flock and in disobedience. VIPs might have learnt how to butter and tidy up everyone when they were in office according to the principle of ‘charity cuts the tongue’. Well, a few days ago, the local press shyly reported the story of one of those hotshots as one of so many in a country where charity does cut tongues, who managed to escape like so many before him who fear nothing nor the term ‘tet’ because they knew long ago that nothing comes after ‘tet’! —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida A T Al-Anbaa kuwait digest What about corruption and arms deals? By Dr Bader Al-Daihani W hile talking about how to handle the predicted deficit and excessively focusing on social subsidies and salaries, namely those of small employees and retirees, both the government and its financial advisor - the International Monetary Fund have been avoiding discussing or even referring to certain expenses despite their significance in handling the financial deficit, such as expenses of huge arms deals and those resulting from political and institutional corruption. The arms race and facilities related to it have been draining GCC states’ budgets, as a single huge deal costs what equals funds spent on necessary social needs for years to come, taking into consideration that social expenditure is part of a state’s public expenditure as well as the fact that the sole beneficiaries of such deals are weapons manufacturers, their local agents and some senior bureaucrats who get huge commissions for facilitating signing the contracts. According to an Al-Shall report on Sept 28, 2013, Kuwait’s military spending in 2012 was $6.021 billion (KD 1.686 billion), with an annual increase of about 10.2 percent. In addition, one can talk about political corruption forever. Examples of abuse of powers and public positions to achieve personal gains and illegal wealth made by using public funds in profiteering, political deals and custom-tailored tenders are endless, not to mention the billions-worth foreign transfers and bank deposits, the high cost the state budget endures as a result of giving away state property and lands very cheaply on longterm contracts in very significant spots like the seafront extending along the Kuwaiti coast from north to south, Shuwaikh industrial area and Al-Rai (that all of a sudden and by powers of influential people turned into an investment and commercial area) and agricultural land holdings and ranches that are mainly being allocated for political reasons for long periods and contracts without changing the lease value to match that of the market. (Some of those lands still cost the same per square meter in rent since the 1960s!) Therefore, treatment of the predicted deficit must be comprehensive, radical and fair because ignoring the huge arms deals about which we never have enough details about why we need them and political and institutional corruption issues that have been draining public funds, while at the same time pursuing a few dinars in the pockets of small employees and people with limited and small incomes would mean the continuation of extreme social bias in managing the state budget. —Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida kuwait digest Human rights and Kuwait in Geneva By Mudaffar Abdullah T and bureaucracy that has caused considero start with, sentencing a parliamenable retreat in development. For instance, tary election candidate and a number of his campaign assistants to prison for Hungary recommended establishing a special national organization for human rights, taking part in vote-buying is considered a which is a good idea to place the whole substantial development after long experiences of lack of evidence. The grace given to issue in the hands of only one body instead of scattering its responsibility amongst the Kuwait to prepare its reply for the compreministries of interior, social affairs, foreign hensive human rights periodic review sesaffairs and justice. sion was over last week in Geneva and will Notably, this idea has been kept in drawbe followed by another session within four ers of the parliamentary human rights commonths for NGOs. mittee since 1996 and the government has Well, to briefly define this mechanism not taken any positive moves towards approved in 2006, it is part of the work of achieving it so far, which caused a lot of the UN Human Rights Commission which embarrassment with international organizaallows member states to provide a 20-page tions because the minreport describing istries mentioned human rights in their Following this issue for above are too busy to territories - a 10 page give due proper care report with recommenyears, I noticed the and attention to human dations on human progress of human rights rights. rights and a 10-page Despite progress report including a sumin Kuwait is subject to made in some fields mary of all information public administration like ranking Kuwait provided by NGOs. HRC is responsible for periproblems and bureau- 46th in the international human development odically reviewing the cracy that has caused index in 2014 comfiles of 48 countries every four years. considerable retreat in pared to 63rd in 2011, Kuwait still has many What has been said development. duties and the governabout Kuwait? What are ment still has a lot of the recommendations challenges in view of its made by other countries? So many issues were discussed includ- achievement as a ‘Center of Humanity’, ing freedom of speech, torture, free Internet, which was achieved thanks to the efforts of HH the Amir. So many officials have been Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis, media stars and in office for years without bedoons, labor rights, withdrawing citizeneven telling the difference between internaship, establishing a supreme human rights tional obligations and their selfish love of organization and endorsing some internathe country, which was reflected by creating tional protocols and agreements. the slogan ‘Kuwait is for Kuwaitis’! We still Recommendations were made by many have some officials who keep making racist countries including the US, France, anti-expat statements as if they are living in Denmark, Hungary, Spain and others. a secluded world away from human commuFollowing this issue for years, I noticed nications through social media networks! the progress of human rights in Kuwait is — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida subject to public administration problems TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 Culture wars split Republican focus Japan PM defends handling of hostage crisis Page 12 Page 9 SINAR: A Kurdish peshmerga fighter fires a weapon towards positions of the Islamic State group who are 500 meters or half a mile away, overlooking the strategic town. —AP Iraqi Kurds struggle to hold IS Towns on strategic crossroads in turmoil SNUNY: Only stray dogs and a dozen armed fighters walk the streets of Snuny, a ghost town at the base of Mount Sinjar where rapid military changes of fortune are written on the walls. “Smoking is banned” has been scribbled in Arabic outside one cafe. A nearby building bears the warning: “Submit to the Islamic State, you infidels.” Those messages don’t reflect the views of the new management. Today, flags representing various Kurdish political groups flap furiously in the wind over Snuny, claiming ownership of the town’s barren streets. But all along the Kurds’ shifting front lines, it’s a tenuous hold sustained only with timely air support from the US-led coalition. Questions remain whether the coalition-backed Kurds can secure strategic crossroads like Snuny and renew an offensive versus the Islamic State group, which controls a broad swath of northern Iraq from its base in Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul. Retreating comrades The Kurds retook Snuny from the Sunni militants last month, but a weeks-old battle has reached a point of stalemate on the other side of the mountain for militant-held Sinjar. To the southeast, the oil-rich city of Kirkuk remains at risk of falling to the Islamic State group. While Islamic State fighters have been forced to retreat from Kobani, the strategic town on Syria’s border with Turkey, the battlefield picture suggests they are far from beaten in northern Iraq, where harsh winter weather and thick mud underfoot hampers military moves - and even rear-line positions such as Snuny remain in surprising range of the enemy. Whichever side triumphs will determine whether the Islamic State can use the main highway west to funnel weapons and reinforcements to their retreating comrades in Syria. Just after midnight Friday, fighters from a Yazidi militia and an Associated Press crew were startled awake by the whoosh and thud of mortar shells nearby as Islamic State fighters targeted a headquarters of the Kurdish Democratic Party. Such attacks underscore the sense that disparate Kurdish militias drawn from Iraq, Syria and Turkey have yet to consolidate their gains despite strong coalition air support. And when the literal fog of war descends, Islamic State fighters have demonstrated a clear edge. Last week they retook most of Sinjar during a period of heavy fog that made it impossible for US and other coalition warplanes to offer close air support to the often lightly armed Kurds. In Kirkuk, Kurdish forces have suffered painful losses from incessant IS militant activity. On Friday, militants attacked several Kirkuk targets and the Kurds lost a senior commander and eight of his troops in battle. Kurdish authorities since have deployed heavy reinforcements to the city, depriving other positions of needed peshmerga fighters. Overlooking the main highway near Sinjar linking northern Iraq to Syria, a few dozen peshmerga fighters remain in a holding position as they await more arms and troops. Islamic State fighters sought to overrun them last week but were repelled. Kurds described their enemy as cunning and relentless. “They will never give up,” the commander of that position, Brig. Gen. Bahjat Taymes, said of Islamic State fighters dug in barely 100 yards away. “They are ready to die. They are happy to die.” — AP Sisi speaks about killed protester CAIRO: The Egyptian president has spoken publicly for the first time about the recent shooting death of a female protester, calling her a “martyr” and offering condolences to her family and all Egyptians “pained” by her death, newspapers reported yesterday. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi’s comments reflected a nod to activists enraged by a killing they see as a coldblooded murder of a colleague and the latest example of the use of excessive force by police at a time when ElSissi’s government is accused of suppressing freedoms and trampling on human rights. Shaimaa El-Sabbagh, 32-year-old mother and activist, was killed while taking part in a peaceful protest on Jan. 24 in Cairo. Her death was captured in social media footage, including a clip showing two masked policemen pointing their rifles in her direction, followed by sounds of gunshots. She was wounded by birdshot and died at the scene. Activists and witnesses at the rally blame the police for her death. Both private and stateowned papers yesterday quoted ElSissi as saying he views Egyptian men and women as his own children. ElSabbagh “is my daughter, no one should doubt that,” he said. Despite the outcr y over ElSabbagh’s death, El-Sissi has resisted growing calls for abrogating a dracon- ian law adopted in 2013 that bans street protests without prior government approval, a key activist demand. “I offer my condolences to the family of the martyr and every Egyptian pained by her death,” El-Sissi said. “An individual’s mistake should not be used to undermine an entire institution (police),” he added, speaking at a meeting Sunday with army and police commanders, top politicians, religious leaders and prominent media figures. At the meeting, El-Sissi also urged Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, to uncover “the truth behind” ElSabbagh’s death. Ibrahim has said he would personally hand over any policeman found to have been involved in the killing. However, a senior ministry official, Gamal Mukhtar, last week insisted El-Sabbagh was killed by a type of bullet not used by the police. He also claimed the footage of her death may have been fabricated by the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. — AP CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi speaks during a meeting with top police and army generals, politicians and religious leaders. — AP p8_Layout 1 2/2/15 10:14 PM Page 1 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 I N T E R N AT I O N A L Greste release rids Sisi of PR fiasco CAIRO: Egypt’s release of Australian journalist Peter Greste removes a stumbling block for President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi as he seeks to shore up international support following a widely condemned crackdown on the opposition. Secret police raided a Cairo hotel room used by Greste and fellow AlJazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed in December 2013, setting off a nightmare for the journalists and a public relations disaster for the government. On Sunday, Greste was spirited from his prison cell onto a Cyprus-bound plane, as Egypt prepares for an economic donor conference in March, smoothing over a main bone of contention with its Western allies. Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian, is expected to be released within days, his fiance Marwa Omara said. Blacklisted brotherhood A court had sentenced the three to up to 10 years in prison for aiding blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood, which Sisi had removed from power in July 2013, before an appeals court ordered a retrial in January. Their arrests came against the backdrop of a crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi that has killed hundreds, and a cold war between Egypt and Qatar, which owns Al-Jazeera and backed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood. But the case spiraled into a global campaign for their release, with Washington and the United Nations leading the charge while journalists held rallies in several countries demanding the trio’s freedom. “They didn’t want to talk about it anymore, they didn’t want to explain it anymore,” said a Western diplomat on Sisi’s decision to deport Greste on Sunday. Sisi, who had publicly said he wished they had been deported from the start and never been tried in the first place, “was sick of it,” said the diplomat. “He wants to move beyond this matter and not have it as a focus.” Greste’s release came less than two months after Cairo reconciled with Doha, which shut down Al-Jazeera’s proBrotherhood Egyptian affiliate. Greste, Fahmy and Mohamed work for Al-Jazeera’s English channel, which operated separately from the Egyptian channel Al-Jazeera Mubashir Masr. But the prosecution made no distinction between the channels during the trial. ‘Qatar was on trial’ “Egypt was trying Qatar & AJ, not 3 human beings with families literally dreaming of their freedom,” Fahmy wrote on Twitter at one point. Even without a detente with Qatar, Sisi appeared set on releasing Greste and Fahmy amid pressure from Canada and Australia, where the two journalists had become a cause celebre. “Clearly the Sisi regime has been wanting to get rid of what has become a public relations problem,” said Issandr El Amrani, the North Africa director of the International Crisis Group. In November, Sisi enacted a decree that appeared tailored for Greste and Fahmy, but not Mohamed: foreigners on trial, or convicted in Egypt, could be deported to their home countries to stand trial or serve out their sentences. Both Australia and Canada have made clear they will not place Greste and Fahmy on trial. But the decree’s wording was aimed more at avoiding the impression in Egypt that the two had been released under international pressure. “This has been in the works for several months with the adoption of laws and procedures that would allow for the extradition of foreign convicts in Egypt,” El Amrani said. Mohamed, however, appears set to face a retrial. Sisi’s administration has said he will not issue any pardons until the courts have completed their work. And Egypt is still holding several other reporters behind bars. — AFP Hackers steal rebel plans BEIRUT: Hackers targeted Syrian opposition members with online “honey traps,” posing as female supporters to steal battle plans and the identity of defectors, a security firm said yesterday. A report produced by US cyber security firm FireEye describes how the hacking operations in late 2013 and early 2014 targeted Syrian opposition fighters, media activists and humanitarian aid workers. The group said it was unclear whether the information had been passed onto the Syrian government, and who the hackers were. But the hacked material included a detailed opposition military plan to recapture the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh, strategically located in southern Daraa province, in 2013. “The hackers stole a cache of critical documents and Skype conversations revealing the Syrian opposition’s strategy, tactical battle plans, supply needs, and troves of personal information and chat sessions,” the report said. The hacking provided “actionable military intelligence for an immediate battlefield advantage” in the case of the planned Khirbet Ghazaleh attack. It captured “the type of insight that can thwart a vital supply route, reveal a planned ambush and identify and track key individuals.” Despite the high-tech tools used in the attack, the hackers also relied on a well-worn tactic: the “honey trap.” Multiple victims Targets were contacted on the chat and online phone service Skype by hackers posing as pro-opposition women. They would ask the target whether they were on a smartphone or computer, apparently in a bid to tailor their attacks. Then the hackers would send the target a photo of themselves loaded with malware that penetrated their personal files and stole information. The method was particularly fruitful because Syrian opposition members were often sharing computers, meaning one machine yielded information from multiple victims. Most of the data stolen was created between May 2013 and December 2013, but some of the stolen Skype chat logs went back to 2012 and others included information from as recently as January 2014. The hackers also used other tactics, including creating fake social media accounts and Syrian opposition websites that encouraged visitors to click on links that would infect their computers. In May 2013, regime troops stormed Khirbet Ghazaleh which was rebel-held at the time and being used to block the highway between Damascus and Daraa. The report was unable to identify where the hackers were based, or who they might have reported to. But it noted that the hackers’ servers were based outside of Syria and they used tools and tactics that were different from other Syrian hackers. Syria’s conflict has involved other documented cases of cyber warfare, by both pro-regime and opposition activists. Some of the most high-profile include attacks by the so-called Syrian Electronic Army, a group of pro-government hackers who have attacked websites and social media accounts belonging to media outlets and politicians. — AFP SURUC: Syrian refugee children who fled violence in Syrian city of Ain Al-Arab, known also as Kobane, seen outside their tents in a camp in the border town. — AP Tunisia creates an Islamist coalition TUNIS: Tunisia yesterday presented its new coalition government, dominated by the secular Nidaa Tounes party but also including its Islamist rivals, as it prepares to tackle security problems and a faltering economy. Prime Minister Habib Essid announced the makeup of his new cabinet, which had initially been abandoned after the moderate Islamist Ennahda party warned it would vote against a line-up that included none of its members. ìWe have made changes... to widen the composition of the government with the participation of other political parties,î Essid said. The new cabinet, which includes a minister and three state secretaries from Ennahda, will be put before parliament for a vote of confidence tomorrow. ìWe have no more time to lose, we are in a race against the clock,î Essid said as he announced the line-up at the presidency. His government will be the first since landmark parliamentary and presidential elections last year that were the first freely contested polls in the history of the North African country. The anti-Islamist Nidaa Tounes of President Beji Caid Essebsi won the largest number of seats in Octoberís general election, with Ennahda coming second. But Nida Tounes did not secure a majority and Ennahda, which holds 69 of parliamentís 217 seats, had rejected a cabinet in which it was not represented. Tunisia has struggled to form a stable government since it became the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings by ousting longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.— AFP CAIRO: In this photo provided by Egypt’s state news agency MENA, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, poses with attendees at a meeting with top police and army generals, politicians and religious leaders. — AP Court hands death sentence to 183 Brotherhood members Sustained crackdown by authorities on Islamists CAIRO: An Egyptian court sentenced 183 supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death yesterday on charges of killing police officers, part of a sustained crackdown by authorities on Islamists. The men were convicted of playing a role in the killings of 16 policemen in the town of Kardasa in August, 2013 during the upheaval that followed the army’s ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi. Thirty-four were sentenced in absentia. Egypt has mounted one of the biggest crackdowns in its modern histor y on the Brotherhood since the political demise of Mursi, the country’s first democratically-elected president. Thousands of Brotherhood supporters have been arrested and put on mass trials in a campaign which human rights groups say shows the government is systematically repressing opponents. “ Today’s death sentences are yet another example of the bias of the Egyptian criminal justice system,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Program Director at Amnesty International. “These verdicts and sentences must be quashed and all of those convicted should be given a trial that meets international standards of fairness and excludes the death penalty.” Yesterday’s sentences came a day after Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste was freed after serving 400 days in Egyptian jail on charges that included aiding a terrorist group - a reference to the Brotherhood. Two of his Al Jazeera colleagues are still detained. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who as army chief toppled Mursi, describes the Brotherhood as a major security threat. The movement says it is committed to peaceful activism. Blamed for violence The death sentences followed one of the bloodiest attacks on Egyptian security forces in years. Islamic State’s Egypt wing claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated operations that killed at least 27 people last week. Sisi blamed the Brotherhood for the violence and told Egyptians in a televised address that the war against militancy will be a long and tough. Egyptian authorities make no distinction between the Brotherhood, Islamic State and al Qaeda, arguing that they have a shared ideology and are equally dangerous. Security forces k illed hundreds of Brotherhood supporters and arrested thousands of others after Mursi’s ouster. After the death sentences were read out on yesterday, Brotherhood supporters held in metal cages shouted profanities at policemen. A defense lawyer looked at the Islamists and said “You have God.” The Egyptian government’s human rights record has come under closer scrutiny since woman activist Shaimaa Sabbagh was shot dead during a Cairo protest on January 24, a day before the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. The Interior Ministry promised an investigation. Separately, an Egyptian police officer has been detained on suspicion of killing a suspected member of the Brotherhood in hospital, the Interior Ministry has said. The suspect was being treated in custody for wounds suffered while he was allegedly planting explosives. The ministry said that the man had provoked the policeman by insulting him. “Then the policeman lost control of his feelings,” it said. — Reuters UN demands release of Islamic State hostages AMMAN: The UN Security Council demanded the immediate release of all hostages held by the Islamic State group, as Jordan vowed to do everything it can to save the life of a pilot captured by the militants. The 15-member council condemned on Sunday the “heinous and cowardly” murder of a Japanese journalist after the jihadist group claimed he had been beheaded. “Those responsible for the killing of Kenji Goto shall be held accountable,” the Security Council said, demanding “the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all those who are kept hostage” by IS and other Al-Qaeda affiliates. The government of Jordan, meanwhile, vowed to do it all it can to save air force pilot Maaz AlKassasbeh, who was captured by IS after his plane crashed in Syria in December. IS militants have seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, ruling with a brutal version of Islamic law. The group has murdered both locals and foreigners, including two US journalists, an American aid worker and two British aid workers. IS claimed in a video released online Saturday that it had killed 47-year-old Goto-the second purported beheading of a Japanese hostage in a week-but made no mention of the Jordanian pilot it had also threatened to kill. Jordan’s King Abdullah II denounced Goto’s murder as a “cowardly, criminal act” and said every effort was being made “to seek the release of the hero pilot Maaz Kassasbeh”. IS has been demanding the release of an Iraqi jihadist on death row in Jordan in exchange for Kassasbeh’s life, and Amman said it would hand her over if given proof he is still alive. The pilot’s father Safi Kassasbeh has begged Amman to save his son’s life “at any price”. ‘We will never forgive’ In Japan, Prime Minster Shinzo Abe condemned the “heinous and despicable terrorist acts” of IS and vowed that his country would “never yield to terrorism”. “We will never forgive terrorists,” Abe told reporters in Tokyo, appearing to fight back tears as he spoke. “We will cooperate with the international community to make them atone for their crimes.” The video, released Saturday, shows Goto, a respected war correspondent, wearing an orange outfit similar to those worn by Guantanamo Bay inmates, kneeling next to a standing man dressed head-to-toe in black with his face covered. The man, who speaks with a British accent, appears to be the same IS militant who has featured in previous videos showing the execution of Western hostages. He addresses Abe, saying the killing was the result of Tokyo’s “reckless” decisions-a possible reference to aid it has grant- ed for refugees fleeing IS-controlled areas in Syria and Iraq-and would mark the beginning of a “nightmare for Japan”. The brief video, whose authenticity Tokyo said was “highly probable”, ends with the image of a body and a decapitated head on top of it. ‘Chills down my spine’ In a statement, Goto’s wife Rinko said she was “devastated” by the news. “While feeling a great personal loss, I remain extremely proud of my husband who reported the plight of people in conflict areas like Iraq, Somalia and Syria,” she said. “It was his passion to highlight the effects on ordinary people, especially through the eyes of children, and to inform the rest of us of the tragedies of war.” The couple had a second child just weeks before Goto left for Syria late last year in a bid to find his friend Haruna Yukawa, whom IS claimed it beheaded last week. He was then captured himself. “I can’t find the words to describe how I feel about my son’s very sad death,” Goto’s sobbing mother Junko Ishido told reporters.Officially pacifist, Japan has long avoided getting embroiled in Middle East con- flicts and is rarely the target of religious extremism, so the hostage crisis has been especially shocking for the country. Many braved Tokyo’s chilly streets to pick up the Yomiuri newspaper’s special supplement about the Goto video on Sunday. “It’s scary-they (the militants) are saying they’ll target Japanese people now,” said 21-year-old university student Kyosuke Kamogawa. “That sends chills down my spine.” World leaders reacted with outrage to the video, with US President Barack Obama leading international condemnation of the “barbaric” murder. On Sunday IS added to its long list of atrocities by claiming to have beheaded an Iraqi police officer and a soldier, according to pictures posted online. IS had vowed to kill Goto and the pilot by sunset on Thursday unless Amman handed over Sajida Al-Rishawi, who is on death row for her part in bombings in the Jordanian capital that killed 60 people in 2005. Last week IS claimed it had beheaded self-described Japanese contractor Yukawa after Tokyo failed to pay a $200 million ransom-the same amount it had promised in non-military aid to the region. — AFP AMMAN: Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama (third right) attends a candle light vigil with Jordanian activities who gathered to condemn the killing of the two Japanese hostages and to show their support for the people of Japan outside the Japanese embassy.—AP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 I N T E R N AT I O N A L Ecuador prez fights back on social media QUITO: Far from laughing along with those who poke fun at him on social media, President Rafael Correa has created a website and Twitter account to marshal digital counterattacks by his supporters against the “defamers.” “For every lying tweet that they send out, we will send 10,000 that are truthful,” Correa said Saturday in his weekly TV appearance. To critics, the campaign is simply the latest salvo in the war on freedom of expression by a president they see as thin-skinned and whom human rights groups criticize as intolerant. Since 2012, Correa has secured a $42 million criminal libel award against the country’s main opposition newspaper, forced top political cartoonist Javier Bonilla to “correct” his work and secured passage of a new media law that made a government panel the arbiter of journalistic fairness. Satirical memes Cesar Ricuarte, director of the Fundamedios press freedom watchdog, said Correa has anointed himself “the owner of humor,” by trying to “tell Ecuadoreans what should make us laugh.” Correa’s decision to move decisively against satirical “memes” images that become instant online sensations - was a reaction in part to an online satirist who goes by Crudo Ecuador. Last week, he became a first target of the new government website, www.somosmas.ec , meaning “We are more,” and its affiliated Twitter account. In jabs at Correa, Crudo Ecuador had posted on Facebook: A photo of the leftist president holding a shopping bag at a “luxury” European mall just as Ecuadoreans face potential belt-tightening over the plunge in price of oil, their main export. In another image, Correa stands beside the giant presi- dential portrait bestowed on him Jan 6 in China, where he obtained $7.5 billion in badly needed loans. In the image’s “Part II,” the portrait has changed. Correa, pictured from chest to knees, turns out empty pants pockets. The title is “Ecuador’s Current Economic Situation.” Correa was not amused. Crudo Ecuador is participating in a “systematic, coordinated and financed attack” by right-wing opponents, Correa alleged late last month in announcing the social media counterattack. He also publicly identified three Twitter users who he said were spreading falsehoods. Crudo Ecuador’s author denies the president’s claim that he’s a hired gun of one of Correa’s opponents. Born jokester “I’ve been a jokester all my life,” he told The Associated Press. “If I were getting paid, I wouldn’t have credit card debts.” He said he’s voted for the leftist economist, who is highly popular for his social welfare spending, and thinks he’ll vote for him again. “He’s the least bad of Ecuador’s politicians,” said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety, preferring the nickname Crudo, which is synonymous with unrefined petroleum. While the new social media campaign is quite public, some opponents of Correa say his government has been privately using underhanded tactics for months to try to stifle online criticism. One has been to employ a Barcelona, Spain company, Ares Rights SL, to invoke intellectual property rights in demanding that certain high-profile Correa critics take down online content including logos of the governing Alianza Pais party, its targets say. Two critics of the government, Diana Amores and Carlos Andres Vera, say they are among the targets. Twitter suspended each of their accounts three times in the past year, they say, on the basis of complaints. Each suspension lasted from a day to a week before Twitter apparently deemed the complaints unfounded. Crudo Ecuador’s Twitter account was also briefly suspended last month. Twitter spokesman Nu Wexler said via email that the company does not comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons. In Amores’ case, however, a database maintained by Twitter of complaints by governments confirms a Barcelona-based company last year sought to shut it down. Four were on behalf of Alianza Pais, one on behalf of state-run TV. The complaints claimed violations of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Ares Rights did not respond to email requests and a working telephone number could not be located for the company. —AP California’s gay police chief revitalizes force RICHMOND: In December, the openly gay, white police chief of this tough, minoritydominated Northern California city held up a sign reading “#blacklivesmatter” during a protest over the deaths of two unarmed black suspects at the hands of Missouri and New York police. The photo of Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus with the sign went viral, sparking criticism from the local police officers’ union and debate over whether his participation was appropriate. But the episode also put a spotlight on a grassroots policing style credited with turning around a moribund department and helping drive down crime in an industrial city plagued by gang violence. While similar cities grapple with vocal and sometime-violent unrest over police relations, Magnus and his department have won over many residents and political leaders with an unconventional policing style that stresses community outreach over show of force. Black lives matter “I have ambitious plans for policing in general and Richmond in particular,” Magnus said after the department’s monthly meeting of the command staff on Jan 12, RICHMOND: Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus poses for a photo. Last month the openly gay, white police chief of this tough, minority-dominated Northern California city held up a sign reading “#blacklivesmatter” during a demonstration protesting the deaths of two unarmed black suspects.— AP where the chief ’s focus on community policing was on display. Code enforcement, homeless outreach and a shake-up of command duties to build stronger ties to the community were all on the agenda, along with equipping patrol officers with body cameras and a call for more social media communications. Magnus, 54, is soft-spoken, but he curses like the seasoned police officer he is. Before formally taking over the Richmond force in January 2006, Magnus served six years as the chief of Fargo, North Dakota. Before that, he rose to the rank of captain in the Lansing, Michigan, police department during his 16-year career there. Magnus says he steals many of his community policing ideas from other departments that have successfully implemented them. He also says many of his policies are adapted from the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit organization that studies and teaches policing strategies. Magnus was an unlikely choice to take over the troubled department when he was lured from Fargo, a city of roughly the same population as Richmond but a world apart in terms of crime and demographic makeup. The Richmond Police Department was a mess internally, reeling from scandals, lawsuits and high turnover. City leaders decided to look outside the department for a chief. One of the first things Magnus did when he took over was to disband the department’s “street teams,” units of heavily armed officers deployed in high-crime areas. The teams stopped “everything that moved,” Richmond Police Capt. Mark Gagan said, in hopes of finding suspects with warrants or carrying small amounts of illegal drugs. Gagan said the strategy is still a popular one across the country, but Magnus didn’t like it that many in the community perceived the aggressive street teams as an occupying army. Magnus also eliminated the seniority system that allowed officers to choose the areas they would patrol. He required officers to take on more responsibilities on their beats beyond responding to calls. Beat officers are required to attend neighborhood meetings and to maintain a high profile at churches, schools and businesses. They’re encouraged to hand out their mobile phone numbers and email addresses to residents. Man with a plan “A lot of people were skeptical at first ... I know I was skeptical. I mean, not only was he coming from outside the department, he was coming from Fargo, of all places,” said Officer Virgil Thomas, a 19-year veteran of the force and the newly installed president of the police union. “But he came in with a plan and stuck to it, and the image of the city and of the police has changed dramatically. Morale has improved greatly.” The union initially objected to the police chief’s participation in the Dec 9 demonstration. The association’s lawyer said Magnus’ appearance in uniform “dishonored the department” and violated a law barring political activity on duty. But Thomas said the union backed away from those claims after sitting down and talking with Magnus about the demonstration. “We talked about it, and I understand what he was trying to do,” Thomas said. “He’s trying to bridge the gap, like we all are.” Magnus is unapologetic about his participation in the demonstration, saying it was an opportunity to show Richmond that its police department is in tune with a community roughly one-third white, one-third black and one-third Latino. “We get it,” Magnus said. By most metrics, the department has improved under Magnus’ stewardship.— AP Parents should have choice in kid vaccinations: Christie CAMBRIDGE: New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, a likely Republican candidate for president, said yesterday that parents should have some choice on whether to vaccinate their children. Christie’s comments, made after a tour of a biomedical research center during a threeday trade mission to the United Kingdom, come as a measles outbreak centered in California has sickened more than 100 people in the US. Christie said that he and his wife had vaccinated their children, describing that decision as “the best expression I can give you of my opinion.” He said they believe doing so is an “important part of making sure we protect their health and the public health.” “But,” Christie added, “I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well. So that’s the balance that the government has to decide.” A few hours after Christie spoke, his office said in a statement that the governor “believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated.” All states now require children to get certain vaccinations to enroll in school, although California and New Jersey are among 20 states that let parents opt out by obtaining personal belief waivers. Parents in New Jersey seeking a medical exemption have to submit a written statement from their doctor or registered nurse indicating why the exemption is needed. No evidence against vaccines Some people worry that vaccines can cause developmental problems in children, despite scientific evidence disproving any link. Others object for religious or philosophical reasons. The New Jersey health department’s guidelines on vaccines say that objections “based on grounds which are not medical or religious in nature and which are of a philosophical, moral, secular, or more general nature continue to be unacceptable.” Christie’s comments stand in contrast to those of President Barack Obama, who said in an interview with NBC News that all parents should get their kids vaccinated. Those children who are not, he said, put infants and those who can’t get vaccinations at risk. “I understand that there are families that, in some cases, are concerned about the effect of vaccinations,” Obama said. “The science is, you know, pretty indisputable.” The measlesmumps-rubella vaccine, commonly called the MMR, is 97 percent effective at preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New Jersey requires MMR vaccines for children between 12 and 15 months, and then a second at between 4 and 6 years. Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air, with symptoms that include fever, runny nose and a blotchy rash. The current outbreak originated at Disney theme parks last month, and Mexico and at least six other US states have recorded measles cases connected to Disneyland.—AP IOWA: Former Arkansas Gov Mike Huckabee speaks during the Freedom Summit held on 24 January. — AP Culture wars split Republican focus A crowded field of potential candidates WASHINGTON: Republican presidential hopefuls delivered competing messages on Sunday television talk shows, dividing their focus between national security and culture wars. Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker, relatively inexperienced on foreign policy, and Sen Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a veteran on the issue, appeared open to sending US ground forces to take on Islamic State militants. At the same time, former Arkansas Gov Mike Huckabee was trying to win voters by likening being gay to using alcohol or profanity. Each approach could ultimately prove successful; both highlight the challenge for the crowded field of potential contenders to stitch together a winning coalition of national security hawks, evangelicals, social conservatives, business leaders and moderates who make up the modern Republican Party. The Iowa Poll, conducted last week for The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics, showed Walker atop the list of potential candidates but statistically even with Huckabee, Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky and 2012 nominee Mitt Romney when likely caucus goers were asked their top choice for president. The poll was taken before Romney announced he was not running. That only has increased the unsettled nature of the campaign. Walker spent his weekend in Washington, wooing party leaders and recruiting aides to a likely campaign. In remarks on Friday - and then again on Sunday - Walker was seeking to cast himself as more than just a Midwestern governor who rolled back unions’ bargaining rights. “We need to take the fight to ISIS and any other radical Islamic terrorist in and around the world,” Walker said Sunday. Everyone has a message As the 2016 campaign is beginning to take shape, each prospective candidate is testing appeals to voters and, perhaps more important at this early stage, donors. No one has taken the formal step of becoming a candidate, yet all are trying to hone a message. Take Walker, who has garnered increased interest among the party’s conservatives. He delivered a well-received speech to Iowa conservatives last weekend. Iowa’s caucuses traditionally lead off the stateby-state nominating contests. IS Militants Pushed on how he would combat the Islamic State militants, Walker could only say, “We have to be prepared to put boots on the ground if that’s what it takes.” That position put him in line with another 2016 hopeful, Graham. “An aerial campaign will not destroy ISIL,” the South Carolina Republican said, using another acronym for the Islamic State group. “You are going to need boots on the ground, not only in Iraq but Syria.” But that position could prove troublesome for the political fortunes of Walker and Graham. After more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, polls show most Americans, including Republicans, wary of greater US involvement in conflicts overseas. With a more domestic outlook, Huckabee is trying to hone a message that plays well with social conservatives. It’s a tactic he used during his 2008 campaign, one that helped him solidify his standing in Iowa. Huckabee said Sunday that being gay is akin to choosing to drink alcohol or use profanity lifestyle choices he says are appealing to others but not to him. The former Baptist pastor also claimed that forcing people of faith to accept gay marriage as policy is the same as telling Jews that they must serve “bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli.” That dish would run afoul of dietary rules, much as Huckabee sees asking Christians to accept same-sex marriages as contrary to biblical teaching. “We’re so sensitive to make sure we don’t offend certain religions, but then we act like Christians can’t have the convictions that they have had for over 2,000 years,” Huckabee said on Sunday. Defending Christians’ rights is a staple of Huckabee’s pitch and wins him many fans among the deeply conservative corners of Iowa. But same-sex marriage has lost some of its potency since he used social issues to win Iowa’s caucuses in 2008; gay marriages are now legal in Iowa. — AP NYC workers attempt to fix massive water leak WAPPINGER: Workers are planning to go under the river and through the rocks to replace part of a massive tunnel leaking New York City’s drinking water. They’re blasting through hundreds of feet of shale and building a shaft on each side of the Hudson River, about 60 miles north of New York City. Once they reach about 600 feet below the river next year, they will begin building a 2.5-mile bypass tunnel between the shafts to replace a profusely leaking section of the 85-mile Delaware Aqueduct. The work on the World War II-era tunnel illustrates the ingenious complexity of a water supply system for 9 million people and the intricate efforts to keep water flowing smoothly as the sprawling network of tunnels ages. The Delaware Aqueduct carries about half the city’s water and will have to be temporarily drained for repairs in 2022 during the end stage of the project. A portion of the $1.5 billion price tag is devoted to making sure other water sources continue to flow smoothly during the shut-off. “The goal of the city in constructing the waterworks was to construct something comparable to the great works of Rome, to last through the ages,” said Paul Rush, deputy commissioner of New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection. “It’s with that spirit and with that purpose that this work here continues the tradition.” The Delaware Aqueduct carries 500 million gallons of water a day from four reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York state to a distributing reservoir at the city’s doorstep. The tunnel, wide enough to drive a car through, is one of two major arteries that carry unfiltered water from bucolic areas of the Catskill and Delaware watersheds. The aqueduct, which the city says is the longest continuous tunnel in the world, relies solely on pressure and gravity. It’s an engineering marvel, but it’s aging. The aqueduct is so leaky in one stretch through rural Wawarsing that New York City is buying dozens of homes above it that were plagued with flooded basements and squishy lawns. The leaks are far worse where the tunnel travels under the Hudson by Newburgh, but homes are not affected. Between 15 million and 35 million gallons of water seep through cracks each day, enough to quench a small city. The bypass will permanently replace the leakiest portion of the tunnel. The other cracked stretch will be repaired. Before workers begin digging the bypass tunnel next year, they first need to complete the entry shafts on opposite sides of the Hudson River at Newburgh and Wappinger. — AP NEW YORK CITY: A large bucket loaded with rock is lifted out of Shaft 6B in Wappinger. Crews starting a project to fix a section of the Delaware Aqueduct that provides New York City with about half its drinking water. —AP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 I N T E R N AT I O N A L Auschwitz officer charged with over 3k murder cases BERLIN: A 93-year-old former Auschwitz death camp officer will go on trial in Germany in April charged with at least 300,000 counts of accessory to murder, a court said yesterday. The German defendant, Oskar Groening, will face charges over the 425,000 people believed to have been deported to the camp in occupied Poland between May and July 1944, at least 300,000 of whom were killed in the gas chambers. The regional court in the northern city of Lueneburg said the trial, expected to be one of the last of its kind, would start on April 21. Fifty-five co-plaintiffs, mainly survivors and victims’ relatives, will be represented at the trial. Groening, then a member of the Nazi Waffen-SS, was tasked with counting the banknotes gathered from prisoners’ luggage and passing them on to the SS authorities in Berlin, prosecutors in the northern city of Hanover said when he was charged in September. For this reason, he was known as the “bookkeeper” of Auschwitz. The accused also helped remove the luggage of victims so it was not seen by new arrivals, thus covering up the traces of mass killing, according to the prosecutors. They said the defendant was aware that the predominantly Jewish prisoners deemed unfit to work “were murdered directly after their arrival in the gas chambers of Auschwitz”. Ashamed for decades Groening told German daily Bild in 2005 that he regretted working at Auschwitz, saying he still heard the screams from the gas chamber decades later. “I was ashamed for decades and I am still ashamed today,” said Groening, who was employed from the age of 21 at the camp, which was liberated 70 years ago last week. “Not of my acts, because I never killed anyone. But I offered my aid. I was a cog in the killing machine that eliminated millions of innocent people.” The German office investigating Nazi war crimes sent files on 30 former Auschwitz personnel to state prosecutors in 2013 with a recommendation to bring charges against them. The renewed drive to bring to justice the last surviving perpetrators of the Holocaust follows a 2011 landmark court ruling. For more than 60 years German courts had only prosecuted Nazi war criminals if evidence showed they had personally committed atrocities. But in 2011 a Munich court sentenced John Demjanjuk to five years in prison for complicity in the extermination of Jews at the Sobibor camp, where he had served as a guard, establishing that all former camp guards can be tried. About 1.1 million people, mostly European Jews, perished at Auschwitz-Birkenau, operated by the Nazis from 1940 until it was liberated by Soviet forces on January 27, 1945. —AFP Ex-IMF chief Strauss-Kahn goes on trial for pimping Disgraced economist returns to court LILLE: Ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn went on trial yesterday for pimping as part of a prostitution ring, four years after a sex scandal cost him his job and a shot at the French presidency. The disgraced 65-year-old economist found himself back in the dock-this time in the northern French city of his hands in his pockets in front of the imposing stone bench, where over 40 massive files were stacked. He appeared on edge as he sat, arms folded, while presiding judge Bernard Lemaire read out the charges against him and 13 coaccused, a colorful cast of characters including luxury hotel man- applications, such as a request by a lawyer for the former prostitutes involved for hearings to take place behind closed doors, were expected to dominate the first day of the trial. Lurid details of group sex and high-end prostitution are likely to emerge in the trial for “aggravated LILLE: French-born pimp and defendant Dominique Alderweireld or “Dodo la Saumure” arrives at the courthouse on the first day of the so-called “Carlton Case” trial. —AFP Lille-accused of being at the centre of a vice ring which hired prostitutes for sex parties in Brussels, Paris and Washington. A silver-haired Strauss-Kahn, dressed in a dark suit, slipped past a throng of journalists to arrive early in the wood-paneled courtroom, where he paced up and down with agers, police, and a brothel owner nicknamed “Dodo the Pimp.” “You are accused of aiding and abetting the prostitution of seven persons between March 29, 2008 and October 4, 2011, and of hiring and encouraging the prostitution of these same persons,” Lemaire told Strauss-Kahn. Procedural pimping in an organized group”, a charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 1.5 million euros. The trial will be the latest in a series of legal woes offering a peek behind the bedroom door of a man once tipped as a potential challenger to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. The ex-head of the International Monetary Fund, known in France as DSK, saw his career implode in 2011 when he was paraded handcuffed in front of the world’s cameras after a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault. Those criminal charges were dropped and the case settled in a civil suit, but six months later Strauss-Kahn’s name cropped up in an investigation into a prostitution ring in nor thern France and Belgium. Investigators probing the “Carlton Affair”-named after one of the swish hotels in Lille where local businessmen and police officials organized sex parties-found some of the prostitutes involved had been hired to participate in soirees attended by Strauss-Kahn. Self-confessed ‘libertine’ Prostitution is legal in France but procuring-the legal term for pimping which includes encouraging, benefiting from or organizing prostitution-is punishable by a hefty jail term. The crux of the case against DSK is whether he knew the women lavishing their attention on him were prostitutes and whether he played a role in organizing their presence. DSK admits to being a “libertine” who enjoys orgies but has steadfastly denied knowing the women were paid. “In these circumstances one isn’t always clothed, and I challenge you to tell the difference between a prostitute naked and any other woman naked,” DSK’s star lawyer Henri Leclerc, 84, said in 2011. But even prosecutors have been divided over whether there is enough evidence to prove DSK was more pimp than casual consumer. In 2013 state prosecutor Frederic Fevre called for the charges to be dropped, but investigating judges overruled him and ordered DSK to stand trial. —AFP Berlusconi released early from community service ROME: Silvio Berlusconi will not have to serve the final 45 days of a one-year community service order he received for tax fraud, a judge ruled yesterday. The former prime minister has been serving the order by helping out with Alzheimer’s patients at the Sacra Famiglia care home at Cesano Boscone near Milan every Friday since last May. The judge’s decision to trim the sentence on good behavior grounds means he will be freed and accepted a conviction we continue to regard as unjust. He has purged his sentence and will continue to visit the Sacra Famiglia.” As of March 8, Berlusconi will also regain his freedom of movement, which was restricted under the order, enabling him to resume a higher-profile role in national politics, despite still being banned from public office. Media magnate Berlusconi was ousted from his seat in the upper-house Senate in MILAN: Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi smiles as he leaves the ‘Sacra Famiglia’ foundation. —AP from those duties on March 8, although a close aide said Belusconi, who is 78 himself, would continue to visit the elderly patients. “It is very good news, his good behavior was there for everyone to see,” Giovanni Toti told TGCOM 24 television. “He performed his social service very seriously November 2013 and banned from public office for six years under 2012 anti-corruption legislation. The ‘Severino’ law provides for such bans for any politician sentenced to prison for two or more years. After a series of appeals, Berlusconi was defini- tively convicted of tax fraud in August 2013 and sentenced to four years in prison. That was later reduced to the community service order in line with Italian judicial practice of not sending non-violent criminals over 70 to jail. As his Forza Italia party essentially revolves around him with the backing of his media empire, Berlusconi was able to retain its leadership. The centre right grouping retains considerable influence in parliament but has slipped badly in the opinion polls over the time its leader has been making his visits to the care home. Renzi pact Under the terms of the community service, Berlusconi needed permission to leave his residence over weekends and was subject to a nightly curfew. That did not prevent him travelling regularly to Rome for negotiations with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, with whom he concluded a cooperation ‘pact’ in June 2014. That deal ensured that Berlusconi delivered vital votes to help Renzi steer a shake-up of Italy’s labor laws onto the statute book and a new electoral law through the Senate. Renzi was however widely seen as having betrayed the pact last week by ignoring Berlusconi’s reservations when he successfully pushed for his candidate, Sergio Mattarella, to become Italy’s new president. Mattarella, who once resigned as a minister over a law favoring Berlusconi’s media empire, is due to be sworn in on Tuesday. Berlusconi was widely seen as wanting a more accommodating figure in the hope that his ban from the Senate could be overturned by a presidential pardon. The tax case was only one of a series of legal cases in which Berlusconi has been embroiled for years. He was convicted in 2013 of paying for sex with a minor, a 17-year-old dancer nicknamed “Ruby the Heartstealer” who allegedly attended what became known as “bunga bunga” parties at his villa in Milan and other residences. An appeal court overturned that conviction last year, saying there was insufficient evidence that Berlusconi knew Ruby was under age. The case will finally be concluded in the Court of Cassation in a fresh hearing due to start in March. Also still rumbling through the legal system is a case in which Berlusconi is charged with bribing a Senator to join his party in 2006 as part of a plot to destabilize the centre-left government of the time. —AFP LILLE: Defendant, Beatrice Legrain, partner and associate of French-born pimp Dominique Alderweireld or ‘Dodo la Saumure’, talks to the press as she arrives at the Lille courthouse. —AFP High-end prostitutes used to close business deals PARIS: The trial of former French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn and several businessmen on pimping charges shone a light on the world of high-end prostitution in which sex is often used to sweeten business deals. “I was considered a VIP and offered as a gift to the heads of companies and politicians,” said Carole, 41, a former prostitute who worked the champagne bars and brothels of Belgium, where the trade is legal, until 2013. She spoke ahead of the high-profile trial in Lille in northern France of StraussKahn, once head of the International Monetary Fund. He is being tried along with 13 others for their alleged part in a wideranging prostitution ring used by local businessmen and police officials. “Companies, sometimes big international ones, would come to see us to ask if a girl could be offered as a present,” she said. She recalls a car company that wanted to sell three trucks to a local business: “I had to do whatever was necessary to make sure he signed,” she said. Eric Dupond-Moretti, a lawyer for one of the defendants in this week’s trial, says “call-girls are 80 percent, maybe 70 percent of the time solicited” to conclude business deals. Used to exert pressure The practice is particularly prevalent in professions where corruption and bribes are common, said Jean-Sebastien Mallet, an expert on the prostitution sector, highlight- ing “construction, import-export and the energy sector”. “In some Arab countries, a businessman who doesn’t have a girl in his bedroom will refuse to sign a contract,” he said. Sex can also be used to exert pressure. Carole said she was often sent as a “honeytrap” to seduce men in their hotels, creating the possibility of blackmail down the line. The girls for these top-end clients tend to come from relatively comfortable backgrounds. “They are clearly not poor young Romanians. Most work for networks of brothels or Internet escort companies,” said Yves Charpenel, head of anti-prostitution group Fondation Scelles. “But even if the prices are higher, 75 percent goes to the traffickers.” Strauss-Khan’s trial is not the first high-profile trial for pimping. In 1995, renowned Italian designer Francesco Smalto was convicted after sending a number of suits to Gabon’s President Omar Bongo along with a group of call girls. But getting prosecutions can be difficult, since it tends to rely on prostitutes coming forward as witnesses. Gregoire Thery, from Mouvement du Nid, a support network for sex workers, says the girls giving evidence in this week’s trial have faced threats and pressure to back out. He adds that the common practice of using prostitutes to conclude business deals has an added pernicious effect: creating another obstacle to gender equality in the workplace. “When contracts are being concluded in a brothel or a hotel bedroom, it’s a job for the guys.” —AFP All talk but no peace as South Sudan stumbles ADDIS ABABA: After 13 months of fighting and six failed ceasefires, diplomats are being forced to accept that any deal to end the war in South Sudan will, at best, result in a return to the status quo that precipitated the carnage in the first place. The latest peace proposal drafted in Addis Ababa by regional bloc IGAD and seen by AFP would leave Salva Kiir as president and re-install rebel leader Riek Machar as his deputy, a position he held until July 2013 when his sacking planted the seed of a war that erupted five months later. Kiir and Machar agreed a new ceasefire late Sunday, but failed to reach agreement on the power-sharing deal proposed by IGAD to end a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead. The ceasefire provides for a cessation of hostilities from Monday, with negotiations to resume on February 20. Hopes of formulating a comprehensive peace deal that addresses South Sudan’s underlying problems and tribal divisions have faded. “That moment has passed,” a European diplomat involved in the talks said before the interim agreement was signed. “More and more it’s moving towards an elite compromise, but at least that will stop the killing,” said another Ethiopia-based diplomat. Regional and international peace efforts have repeatedly squeezed out promises of peace from Kiir and Machar, but each one has been broken within days, if not hours. South Sudan’s Sudd Institute think-tank describes the talks as “frustratingly slow”, gloomily recalling a “plethora” of deals that had been “subsequently dishonored” by one side or the other. “The two parties will sign anything to get out of Addis, but they have never given up on the idea of solving this on the battlefield,” a diplomat said. Hard drinking Earning a reputation as slow talkers and hard drinkers, the South Sudanese delega- tions at the European Union-funded talks held in luxury hotels in Ethiopia have already cost at least 20 million euros, according to diplomatic sources. Talks were first held at the plush Sheraton Hotel, an imposing chunk of beige stone on a hillside in the Ethiopian capital. Delegates could choose from 11 restaurants and bars, bathe in a pool that plays music underwater, visit the spa or simply enjoy the indoor fountains, decorative ponds and mini-palm trees. Rooms cost around $300 a night. As the bills piled up as fast as the bodies back home and progress proved glacial, the talks were moved to a nearby hotel where rooms are half the price. Delegates continue to claim a 220 euro per diem for attending. “The waste has been enormous,” a European diplomat said, signaling that patience was wearing thin. “One could be forgiven for having the impression that they’re interested in the per diem, the luxury hotel, the bar and the minibar, enjoying the nightclubs of Addis Ababa, and not peace,” said another European diplomat observing the talks. “They don’t seem to have any sense of urgency or responsibility to the people on the ground who are dying. They have displayed total contempt for their own people.” No overall death toll for the war has been kept by the government, rebels or the United Nations, but the International Crisis Group says it estimates that at least 50,000 people have been killed. South Sudanese are exasperated too. “Some people sit in Addis Ababa discussing politics while on the ground other people are fighting and dying,” the Catholic bishops of South Sudan said in a statement. “This war is about power not about the good of the people.” A diplomat in Addis Ababa echoed the bishops’ dim view. “It’s all about two people and their cronies fighting to steal the wealth of South Sudan,” he said. —AFP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 I N T E R N AT I O N A L Sri Lanka and US eye deeper ties WASHINGTON: The surprise defeat of Sri Lanka’s authoritarian leader and the new government’s early steps to end repression have stirred US hopes that the South Asian island nation can revive ties with Washington and distance itself to some degree from Beijing. Under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, relations with China intensified, with heavy Chinese investment in the strategically located island along busy sea lanes between the Persian Gulf and East Asia. Once-robust ties with the US deteriorated sharply, even as President Barack Obama pushed to engage nations across Asia and consolidate America as a Pacific power. Washington took an important step toward rebuilding the relationship with the Monday arrival of the top diplomat for South Asia, the first visit by a senior State Department official since former Rajapaksa ally Maithripala Sirisena won Jan 8 Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal elections. “Sri Lanka can count on the United States to be partner and a friend in the way forward,” Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal told reporters, speaking alongside Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. She said the new government has already taken many positive steps but “there is a lot of hard work ahead and some difficult challenges.” She also noted that no country in the world buys more Sri Lankan products than the United States. Samaraweera is expected to visit Washington later this month. Obama wants a deeper partnership with Sri Lanka and US officials say the early signs are promising. Within a week or so of taking office, Sirisena rolled back restrictions on the press and civil society. He also vows to reduce powers of the presidency that been inflated by Rajapaksa when his popularity ballooned during the ending of Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war. Strained relations US-Sri Lanka relations were strained over Rajapaksa’s reluctance to investigate thousands of reported civilian deaths in the final chapter of the quarter-century conflict in 2009, when government forces crushed Tamil rebels who had been fighting for an ethnic homeland. Sirisena has been cautious about promising action on accountability, but he did offer an early fig leaf to minority Tamils, who supported him at the polls, when he quickly replaced an unpopular ex-military governor appointed by Rajapaksa in the former battle zone in the north of the country. The new government also says it is reviewing one of a series of major Chinese-financed infrastructure projects: a $1.5 billion land reclamation for a “port city” in the capital, Colombo. That’s a blow to Beijing’s progress in winning an ally in the Indian Ocean. But officials in Colombo are also being careful not to alienate Beijing. Rajitha Senaratne, a Cabinet spokesman, said Sri Lanka does not “need to tilt towards any side.” “China has been a historical friend of ours, India is also the same,” he told The Associated Press. “Our exports go to the E.U. and US” The new government assured India it will not align itself to any world power. Two recent port calls by Chinese submarines at a Chinese-built terminal in Colombo, one before a visit in September by China’s leader Xi Jinping, fueled speculation that Beijing’s wants a “string of pearls” or port access along sea lanes linking the energy-rich Persian Gulf and economic centers in eastern China. The submarine visits spooked India, which lies just 30 miles from Sri Lanka and shares US uncertainty about Beijing’s intentions as China’s military power grows. Strategic reasons Washington has its own strategic reasons to be interested in Sri Lanka. A 2007 agreement, sealed before relations with Rajapaksa soured, permits the US and Sri Lanka to exchange nonlethal supplies and refueling during humanitarian operations and joint military exercises. The US has a significant economic stake in the nation of 20 million people. US financial institutions are major investors in Sri Lankan bonds, and the US is the second-largest market for Sri Lankan exports. “The United States should keep up the pressure on human rights and reconciliation with ethnic minorities,” said Bharath Gopalaswamy of the Atlantic Council think tank. “But that should not be the only thing the relationship is built on. It has to be broader engagement.” Sri Lanka also wants a better relationship with Washington. Rajapaksa’s government spent liberally on US-based lobbyists but with little apparent impact. Acrimony with the US and others over human rights deepened when a U.N. body last year approved an investigation into reports of civil war atrocities. The results are due in March. Sirisena will be walking a fine line at home and abroad in how he responds. He’s managing an unwieldy coalition of majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils, and the government could face parliamentary elections within months. — AP BEINJING: Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a meeting at the Great Hall of the People. — AP Xi praises India, Russia relations Talks enter new stage of growth BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday hailed his country’s relations with India and Russia as Beijing looks to increase its heft on the global diplomatic stage. Twin visits by New Delhi’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Sergei Lavrov from Moscow come on the heels of a high-profile trip to India by US President Barack Obama last week, and with Russian leader Vladimir Putin globally isolated over the conflict in Ukraine. Xi told Swaraj that China-India ties “have entered a new stage of growth” since he visited in September. “The positive side of China-India relations has been growing, the momentum of our cooperation has been strengthening,” he added. China and India are the world’s two most populous countries but ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors are still characterized by mutual suspicion, in large part as a legacy of a brief but bloody war in 1962 and a continuing border dispute. ‘Whole new level’ But Swaraj was similarly effusive, telling Xi that “relations between our two countries have risen to a whole new level”. The Indian and Russian ministers’ trips to Beijing-for a three-way meeting with their Chinese counterpart-came after Obama last week visited India. The US and India share an interest in curbing Beijing’s growing regional influence. Although neither mentioned China by name during the three-day visit, Obama welcomed what he called a “greater role for India in the Asia-Pacific”. Freedom of navigation in the region must be upheld, he added. Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. To Lavrov, meanwhile, Xi expressed his satisfaction with China-Russia ties. Beijing and Moscow, allies and then adversaries during the Cold War, have found common ground internationally and often take similar stands at the UN Security Council where they have permanent veto powers. They have also forged increasingly closer economic ties as China is hungry for the vast hydrocarbon resources of Russia, which is seeking stable markets amid Western sanctions over its annexation of Crimea and fighting in eastern Ukraine. “Over the past year, we have together been advancing the development of the overall strategic relationship between China and Russia,” Xi said. “Our joint efforts have yielded rich results... our cooperation grows ever deeper,” he added. Lavrov pointed out that Xi and Putin met five times last year. “The consensus reached at the highest level between the two leaders has played an extremely important role in pushing the development of relations in the right direction,” he said. — AFP 12,000 skulls exhumed at prison BEIJING: Men stand in front of a board with a 2015 Year of the Sheep mascot at a press conference for the China Central Television’s annual hours-long Spring Festival Gala. — AP Lunar New Year TV gala set for global audience BEIJING: China says its annual Lunar New Year gala TV show is all set to go international. State broadcaster China Central Television says it’s making rights available to foreign broadcasters for the first time, and plans to promote the Feb. 18 show on Twitter and other social media. CCTV touts its annual hours-long Spring Festival Gala as the world’s longest-running and mostwatched variety show. A staple of holiday celebrations since the 1980s, the evening show also has been widely mocked for cheesy performances and stilted staging. This year’s show will be broadcast in several languages, including English, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese and German, under agreements with 24 foreign media outlets, said Ma Runsheng, general manager of CHNPEC, the CCTV-owned agency which deals with its copyrights. Ma said greatest hits from past shows - including the best moments of traditional Chinese opera - will be encapsulated to promote the gala on YouTube, Google Plus and Twitter, which are blocked in China. “Our purpose is to make our gala avail- able to more overseas Chinese and overseas foreign viewers who love Chinese culture and want to learn about Chinese culture through this festive celebration,” Ma said at a news conference yesterday. This year’s theme is “Family Harmony Yields Success.” The gala is already broadcast live on multiple T V channels and on some Chinese websites. Last year, more than 700 million people watched the show live or a replay a week later on CCTV or other channels, and 110 million people watched it online, according to Zheng Weidong, deputy managing director of CSM Media Research, which pulls together ratings. When the gala started in 1983, relatively few Chinese families had their own TV sets, but it evolved into a major annual viewing event. Now, many younger viewers prefer watching something else online. Last year, to try to increase its appeal, organizers hired acclaimed film director Feng Xiaogang to direct it, but he reportedly complained that he didn’t have the freedom to do what he wanted, and many critics gave the show a thumbs-down. — AP PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s UN-backed court yesterday heard a former prisoner say he helped dig up more than 12,000 skulls in mass graves outside Phnom Penh, as the genocide trial of two Khmer Rouge leaders continued. Nuon Chea, 88, known as “Brother Number Two”, and former head of state Khieu Samphan, 83, face charges over the killing of ethnic Vietnamese and Muslim minorities, forced marriage and rape during the 1975-1979 regime. In August, the pair were given life sentences for crimes against humanitythe first top Khmer Rouge figures to be jailed-after a two-year trial focused on the forced evacuation of Cambodians from Phnom Penh into rural labor camps and murders at an execution site. The pair have been accused of playing a critical role in the “Killing Fields” era, a genocide which left up to two million people dead in the late 1970s. Former prisoner Keo Chandara, 63, said he helped exhume more than 12,100 skulls from eight mass graves at Kraing Ta Chan prison in Takeo province, around 80 kilometers south of Phnom Penh shortly after the regime fell in 1979. “We did not excavate all the pits. I was ordered to dig the up pits... I did the excavation at those eight pits,” he said. The prosecution witness also gave graphic testimony of Khmer Rouge cadres torturing prisoners including a woman with metal pincers and then sulphuric acid. “She was screaming and there were about 10 prisoners who were ordered to sit and watch the torture,” Keo Chandara said. “At that time they didn’t take people through a court like this court. They just simply killed people,” he added. When the court resumed the genocide trial last month, the prosecution’s first witness told judges that Khmer Rouge soldiers slit the throats of hundreds of inmates at the prison and ate their gall bladders. The complex case against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan was split into a series of smaller trials in 2011 to try to obtain a faster verdict against the pair given their advanced ages and frail health.—AFP China cult pair executed for McDonald’s killing BEIJING: A father and daughter who belonged to a fringe Chinese religious group were executed yesterday for beating a woman to death at a McDonald’s restaurant, reportedly after she rebuffed their attempts to recruit her. The pair were among a group of five members of the banned Quannengshen cult convicted of attacking the woman, surnamed Wu, after she refused to give them her phone number. “For the crimes of intentional homicide, and organizing an evil cult to undermine the law, Zhang Fan and Zhang Lidong were put to death,” the Intermediate People’s Court of Yantai city said on its official microblog account. China uses both lethal injection and shooting for executions, but the method was not specified. Zhang Fan was previously said by state media to be Zhang Lidong’s daughter. Followers of Quannengshen, whose name can be translated as Church of Almighty God, believe that Jesus has been reincarnated as a Chinese woman. They refer to the ruling Communist Party as the “great red dragon”. On its website-where one section is headed “The Maturer the People Become, the Sooner the Great Red Dragon Will Collapse”-the group describes the authorities as “the persecutor of God and the enemy of God”. The organization was outlawed by the government in the mid-1990s and its founders moved to the United States in 2000, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Shortly after the May incident, an online video emerged showing a man resembling Zhang Lidong striking out angrily with a pole, shouting “Damn you, devil! Go to hell!” as a woman yelled “Kill her! Beat her to death!” The three minutes of footage, apparently shot on a mobile phone at the McDonald’s in the eastern province of Shandong, only included a fraction of a second showing the person thought to be the victim. The three others convicted over the attackincluding another daughter of Zhang Lidong’swere given prison terms ranging from seven years to life. State media gave the executions prominent coverage yesterday, with broadcaster CCTV showing footage of the convicts in court as well as replaying the attack film.—AFP GUANDONG: This picture shows participants (center) competing in a tofu (beancurd) wrestling competition. Participants, mostly women, fight it out in an inflatable pool which is filled with nearly two tons of fresh milk and tofu, in a promotion to attract tourists for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. — AFP Prisoners escape by scaling walls with tied bed sheets NEW DELHI: Scores of inmates staged a mass breakout from an Indian young offenders detention centre yesterday by tying bedsheets together and then scaling down the walls of the threestorey building, police said. A total of 91 inmates, including several convicted murderers, managed to flee the facility in Meerut overnight, although 35 have since been recaptured, said the city’s superintendent of police Om Prakash. “They removed an iron grille from a window at the back of the building while police were guarding the front,” Prakash said from Meerut in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. “This was done so professionally that no one got a whiff,” Prakash added. Those still on the run included inmates convicted of crimes such as murder, rape, theft and banditry, Prakash added. All are aged under 18. Police say the break-out was staged sometime between 1:00am and 3:00am and the alarm was only raised when officers who were patrolling near the centre spotted some of the fugitives trying to flag down public transport. Inmates from the same centre beat a policeman to death in December after he objected to their lewd behavior with a woman during a court trial. More than 31,000 inmates are being held at young offenders institutes in India, according to the latest available set of official statistics. Although they are meant to be under lock and key overnight, inmates usually sleep in dormitories rather than individual cells. Potential IS recruits freed Meanwhile, Indian authorities have released nine people who had been deported from Turkey after allegedly trying to enter an area of Syria controlled by the Islamic State militant group, police said yesterday. Police in the southern city of Bangalore said the nine Indians were released late Sunday, after they admitted during questioning that they had planned to cross over to territory controlled by IS but denied being members of the organization, which is banned in India. “We set them free as no incriminating material or any evidence was found against them,” Bangalore police chief MN Reddi told reporters Monday. “No case was registered but they were warned against making such attempts in future,” he said. Turkish authorities detained the nine people-a family of seven and two engineers who were in the country on tourist visas-as they were trying to enter Syria on Friday. Police quoted the group as telling their interrogators that they had only wanted to help civilians who had been affected by the fighting in Syria and Iraq, large parts of which are also controlled by IS. Thousands of foreign jihadists are believed to have joined IS which has seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, ruling with a brutal version of Islamic law. The group has murdered a number of foreigners, including American, British and Japanese hostages. India banned the Islamic State group in December after police found a sympathizer who was running a Twitter account and was suspected of online recruitment. Although India has the third largest number of Muslims in the world, only a few are so far reported to have joined the militant group. — AFP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 I N T E R N AT I O N A L Japan PM defends govt handling of hostage crisis ‘Japan will continue fight against terrorism’ TOKYO: A man chants a mantra while beating a drum during an interfaith prayer vigil for two Japanese hostages purportedly beheaded by militants from the Islamic State group. — AP TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe defended his policy toward terrorism, as the flag at his official residence flew at half-staff yesterday in a mark of mourning for two hostages killed by the Islamic State group. During a long day of parliamentary debate, Abe parried numerous questions about his handling of the hostage crisis, which came to a grisly end with news early Sunday that journalist Kenji Goto had been beheaded by the extremists. Abe said his announcement of $200 million in nonmilitary aid for the fight against the Islamic State group, made during a visit to the Middle East just days before the militants demanded a $200 million ransom for the two hostages, was meant to convey Japan’s strong commitment to battling terrorism and fostering peace and stability in the region. Some have questioned that decision, saying Abe should have been more cautious and not mentioned the Islamic State group by name. Responding to a question by an opposition lawmaker, Abe confirmed that he was aware of the hostage situation when he made the announcement. Increased risks Abe said he wished to publicize Japan’s contribution to the fight against extremism, and rejected the idea of a more cautious approach. “As international society seeks to restore peace and stability in the Middle East ... I thought it would be the most appropriate destination to visit, and that I should broadcast my message to the world from there,” Abe said. “I thought announcing Japan’s contribution to fulfill its responsibility would contribute to the international community’s effort to fight against terrorism and prevent its expansion.” Abe said he did not see an increased terrorist risk following threats in a purported Islamic State group video that vowed to target Japanese and make the knife Goto’s killer was wielding Japan’s “nightmare.”“The terrorists are criminals,” Abe said. “We are determined to pursue them and hold them accountable.” Still, Japan has ordered heightened security precautions for airports and other public transport and at Japanese facilities overseas, such as embassies and schools. The government also has called on journalists and others in areas near the conflict to withdraw, given the risk of further kidnappings and other threats. Mourning continues The flag outside Abe’s official residence was lowered to half-staff to mourn Goto and the other hostage, gun aficionado and adventurer Haruna Yukawa, who reportedly was killed earlier. Goto’s wife, Rinko Jogo, said in a statement released yestrerday that she was devastated but proud of her husband. Jogo requested privacy for her family as they deal with their loss, and thanked those who had supported them. “I remain extremely proud of my husband, who reported the plight of people in conflict areas like Iraq, Somalia and Syria,” she said in the statement, issued through the British-based journalist group Rory Peck Trust. “It was his passion to highlight the effects on ordinary people, especially through the eyes of children, and to inform the rest of us of the tragedies of war,” she said. Goto left for Syria in late October, just a few weeks after the birth of the couple’s youngest daughter, apparently hoping to rescue Yukawa, who had been seized by the militants last summer. Soon after, he was captured by the extremists. — AP Korean Air boss’s daughter treated crew ‘like slaves’ SEOUL: The daughter of the boss of Korean Air, on trial in a case popularly known as “nut rage”, treated flight crew like “feudal slaves”, a chief steward said in court yesterday. Heather Cho, daughter of Korean Air Lines chairman Cho Yang-ho and the former head of in-flight service, is on trial for breaking aviation laws and conspiring with other company executives to force crew members lie about the Dec 5 incident. Cho had demanded the chief steward, Park Chang-jin, be removed from a flight at New York’s John F Kennedy airport after a first class flight attendant served her macadamia nuts in a bag, not on a dish. The plane, already taxiing towards the runway, returned to the gate. Park said Cho “was like a beast that found its prey gritting its teeth as she became abusive, not listening to what I had to say at all”. “I don’t think Cho showed an ounce of conscience, treating powerless people like myself like feudal slaves, forcing us to sacrifice and treating it as if it was the natural thing to do,” Park said, fighting back tears. Cho resigned from her posts at the airline, including vice-president, in the face of public anger and ridicule over her behavior, which raised questions about the power of the country’s “chaebol” conglomerates. Park appeared in court in his uniform after returning to work over the weekend after a leave of absence. Cho’s father apologized in court on Friday to Park and promised he would not face any reprimand. Cho’s lawyers previously told the court that she was sorry for her actions, but that they did not merit punishment. They also denied that she used violence. Park and prosecutors had said he was forced to kneel down and Cho poked his palm several times with a folder. Heather is the oldest of Cho Yang-ho’s three children. Her siblings are also executives with the airline. — Reuters US couple murder trial proceeds in Indonesia BALI: An Indonesian court decided yesterday to go ahead with the trials of an American couple charged with murdering the woman’s mother while vacationing on the resort island of Bali last year. The three-judge panel overruled defense arguments that the indictment submitted by prosecutors had inaccuracies and should be annulled. Hearings will resume Wednesday at Denpasar District Court in the provincial capital of Bali. “The indictment is fully qualified both formally and materially according to the law,” said presiding judges Made Suweda. “Therefore, the defense objections are rejected.” The badly beaten body of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, 62, was found in a suitcase in the trunk of a taxi outside an upscale hotel in August. Heather Mack, 19, and her boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, both from Chicago, are being tried separately with the same judges and prosecutors. They are charged with premeditated murder and face a maximum penalty of death by firing squad if found guilty. Their lawyers argued earlier that inaccuracies in the indictment could lead to multiple interpretations of the suspects’ activities and the crime scene, raising questions of whether other people had entered the victim’s room and killed her. They also objected to the citing of communications between the defendants on cellphones as evidence of premeditated murder, arguing that cellphone communications are prone to manipulation. Prosecutors have alleged that the couple sent text messages about their initial plan to disguise a murder as suicide on the beach. Both defendants sat quietly as the decision to proceed with the trials was read out by judges. Unlike previous hearings, Schaefer didn’t shed tears. In their indictment, prosecutors said the couple plotted the murder because von WieseMack did not endorse their relationship, and that Mack once suggested that Schaefer hire someone to kill her mother for $50,000 before their visit to Bali. It said that an argument over the hotel bill made Mack’s mother angry and she scolded Schaefer, using a racial slur, and Schaefer then battered her with a fruit bowl handle. Mack, who is seven months’ pregnant, helped stuff her mother’s body in the suitcase by sitting on it to enable Schaefer to close it, the indictment said. They then hired a taxi and placed the suitcase in the trunk and told the driver they were going to check out of the hotel and would return, but never did. — AP Muslim rebels must prove sincerity BANGKOK: Thai policemen patrol at the site of two small explosions on a walkway leading to a luxury shopping mall. — AP Bomb blasts in Bangkok mall injures shoppers BANGKOK: Police in Thailand yesterday were investigating a pair of bombings outside a luxury shopping mall in the heart of Bangkok, the first such violence reported in the capital since last year’s army coup. One person was slightly injured in the blasts Sunday night, and police said the small homemade bombs were designed to sow panic, not kill. The explosions occurred about 8 pm between the upscale Siam Paragon shopping mall and a mass transit elevated train line, which was undamaged but briefly shut as a precaution. Siam Paragon was titled the world’s most photographed location on Instagram in 2013 and is a trendy meeting place in Bangkok that claims to have more than 100,000 Thai and foreign visitors a day. Police initially said the explosions were caused by a malfunctioning transformer, but National Police spokesman Lt Gen. Prawut Thawornsiri later said they were caused by devices that were probably not meant to hurt anyone. Service at the station was suspended for about an hour. “The explosions were caused by two pipe bombs, but the flash powder that was used had low pressure. You can see that the damage was not much,” national police spokesman Lt Gen Prawut Thawornsiri told reporters Monday. “It showed the perpetrators intended only to cause panic, threaten or stir up chaos.” “We have not ruled out a possibility that it was politically motivated but we are pursuing all kinds of motives,” he said. The explosive ordnance disposal team said the two bombs were controlled by digital clocks and one of them was hidden behind a transformer, which sent out some plume of smokes near the busy sky train station, according to police Col Kamthorn Auicharoen, who heads the unit. He said a Thai man was slightly injured in his left hand. Kamthorn said police were looking for two male suspects seen on closed-circuit television footage and will likely issue arrest warrants for them in a few days. Rising political temperature The incident came at a time of slightly raised political temperatures in Thailand, as the country’s ruling junta has tightened its clampdown on critics of its rule. It came a little more than a week after the impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Thailand has been under martial law since the army seized power in a May 22 coup that toppled her elected government. There has been little open opposition, and virtually no violent opposition, to the military regime that took over from an elected civilian government after the coup d’etat. Martial law remains in effect under the dual administration of the junta and a militaryappointed interim Cabinet, and any dissent is strongly discouraged. Junta-leader-cum-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Monday that security measures will be tightened and asked the public to help prevent such an incident from happening again. Thailand has a history of conspiratorial politics, and political protests in the capital, especially aggressive street demonstrations, have become more common since a 2006 coup toppled Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, from the prime minister’s job. — AP MANILA: Muslim rebels who signed a ceasefire with the Philippine government must cooperate with an investigation into the killing of 44 policemen by some of their fighters, a presidential official said yesterday. President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda hinted that this might even involve calling on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to turn over some members to face criminal charges. “We have said that the MILF must demonstrate its sincerity that they are full partners in the peace process. We certainly will encourage them to help us find things that we need to search for the truth,” Lacierda told reporters. He said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has been preparing charges against those responsible for the January 25 killings. “We would hope that part of their good faith is to show us... the truth. We want to seek justice. That kind of justice that we want is a justice that seeks accountability,” he said Lacierda stopped short of stating the MILF must give up its fighters but said it should return the firearms it captured from the slain policemen. A police board of inquiry is already investigating the killing of the police commandos, who were on a mission in the southern island of Mindanao to capture or kill Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli Bin Hir, alias Marwan. Marwan, a leading member of the Jemaah Islamiyah group which staged the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia, is believed by authorities to have been killed in the raid. But the commandos were later ambushed by Muslim armed groupsincluding fighters of the MILF which signed a peace agreement with the government last March. MILF officials said they were acting in self-defense and the raid should have been coordinated with them under the terms of the ceasefire. However the killings have angered the nation and threatened efforts to pass a law that would create a Muslim autonomous area as part of the peace process. Legislators are seeking their own investigation of the incident before they will act on the bill, which Aquino wants passed before his term ends in 2016. Lacierda stressed that the peace process could not be abandoned, saying that nearly 120,000 people had died since the Muslim separatist insurgency began in 1972. “This is a period of grief. It’s a period of mourning. It’s a period of rending our garments out of anger, out of frustration. But... there is no alternative to peace. It’s too costly for us,” he said. — AFP HONG KONG: In this picture taken yesterday, demonstrators march for democracy in Hong Kong. A disappointing turnout at Hong Kong’s first democracy rally since the end of mass street demonstrations shows the city is suffering from “protest fatigue” and new longer-term strategies are needed to drive reform, analysts say. — AFP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 NEWS A projection turns and throws images onto a wall during the light festival in Ghent, Belgium on Sunday. More than 40 light installations were on display during the festival, which takes places every three years. — AP Alarab off air hours after launch Continued from Page 1 A source familiar with the affairs of the news channel said Bahraini officials had delivered the suspension order on a visit to the station over issues of “journalistic neutrality”. A brief front-page article in the pro-government Akhbar Al-Khaleej newspaper said the channel’s broadcasts had been suspended because they did not conform to Gulf norms. It did not cite its sources. In a column in the same newspaper, editor-in-chief Anwar Abdulrahman asked: “Is Alarab really Arab?” He condemned the channel for hosting Marzouq, who is “radical to the core”. “Resorting to muscle flexing in news coverage, with the hope of proving that you are an independent channel, is not going to work,” he wrote. Viewers tuning into the channel yesterday morning were only able to see prepackaged promotions for the network, not news programming. Marzouq is a former deputy parliament speaker who is a senior member of Al-Wefaq, the country’s main Shiite political bloc. He was cleared of allegations of instigating violence and having links to a protest faction that authorities blame for bombings and other attacks in a closely watched case last year. He was asked on to discuss Bahrain’s decision Saturday to revoke the citizenship of 72 people. The list included Turki AlBinali, a 30-year-old who is one of the Islamic State group’s leading ideologues. It also included several Shiite activists living in exile. Al-Wefaq welcomed Alarab’s launch in a statement yesterday and said it has submitted a request to launch a Bahrain-based channel of its own. Alarab is headquartered in Bahrain’s twin-towered World Trade Center, one of the landmark buildings in the capital, Manama. Bahrain hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet and is part of the US-led coalition striking the Islamic State group. It is connected by a causeway to Saudi Arabia, and its royal family has close political and security ties to the OPEC kingpin. Bahrain has faced four years of instability following widespread anti-government protests in February 2011 that were dominated by the country’s Shiite majority, which seeks greater political rights from the Sunni monarchy. Bahraini authorities, backed by security forces from neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, crushed the initial uprising, but street protests, petrolbomb attacks and other low-level unrest continue. The channel’s decision in late 2011 to locate its headquarters in Bahrain rather than a larger media hub such as Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was seen as a key endorsement of the country’s prospects despite its political unrest. Alarab’s general manager, Jamal Khashoggi, told reporters in December that the network “will cover all views” and would not shy away from sensitive topics in Bahrain. Alarab is backed by Saudi royal family member Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, whose Kingdom Holding Co investment firm has stakes in several well-known companies, including Citigroup Inc, Apple Inc, News Corp and Twitter. — Agencies Activist’s jail term upheld as tweeters freed Continued from Page 1 The court of appeals meanwhile upheld a four-year jail term against online activist Ahmad Abdulaziz Fadhel for allegedly insulting the judiciary and making derogatory remarks against a number of judges on Twitter. The criminal court handed the same sentence in October on Fadhel, who has been in jail for the past six months. In another development, the National Assembly’s health and labour committee yesterday discussed a part of the first draft law to regulate the affairs of domestic helpers in Kuwait. Head of the committee MP Saadoun Hammad said the panel completed 47 articles of the 73article bill and will meet again on Thursday to complete the rest of articles. Among articles approved by the panel is an article stipulating that domestic helpers can transfer their residence permits after working for two years with their first sponsor, Hammad said. Sponsors who make the transfer before the two years will lose their financial guarantee. MP Abdulhameed Dashti called on the Assembly to debate human rights situation in Kuwait in a special session or at least allocate two hours for the debate. He said the Assembly should debate recommendations made to Kuwait by a large number of countries last week at the United Nations Human Rights Council, which heard Kuwait’s report on its human rights situation. Dashti said that Kuwait must be ready to respond to these recommendations at a meeting to be held by the Council on June 29. MP Abdulrahman Al-Jeeran said he has submitted a proposal to amend the election law to prevent those who receive jail terms for serious felonies from contesting the election before the lapse of 15 years if they repeat the crime. Under the current law, people who have been sentenced for crimes can contest elections after they are rehabilitated. The same applies to recidivists. UN: 2014 ‘hottest year on record’ Continued from Page 1 Also notable was that the 2014 record occurred in the absence of a fully-developed El Nino system - a periodic weather phenomenon that has an overall warming impact on Earth’s climate. High temperatures in 1998 the hottest year before the 21st century - occurred during a strong El Nino. The WMO report is a consolidation of leading international datasets, including research by NASA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Met Office’s Hadley Centre and the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit. Some of the data goes back to 1850. Scientists warn that a 4 C warmer Earth would be hit by more cat- astrophic droughts, floods, rising seas and storms, with wars likely fought over ever-scarcer resources like water. Fraught UN negotiations for a climate-saving pact, scheduled to enter into force from 2020, are at a difficult phase and campaigners and observers fear a weak compromise as nations continue to disagree of some of the very fundamentals. Countries have committed to make emissions-curbing pledges before the Paris gathering starting next month for those nations in a position to do so. Emissions must be slashed by 40-70 percent by 2050 from 2010 levels and to near zero or below by 2100 for a good chance of reaching two-degree warming, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in a report last year. — AFP Greste speaks of ‘angst’ over colleagues... Continued from Page 1 Canada said Greste’s release was “positive” news and that it remained “very hopeful” that Fahmy would also be freed soon. Greste’s family expressed their joy after speaking to him on the phone. The Australian’s mother, Lois, told a news conference in their hometown of Brisbane: “I’m ecstatic. I just can’t say how happy I am about it.” His father Juris said it was not clear when he would arrive home. “He is gathering his thoughts for the trip home,” said his brother Andrew. “He is safe, healthy, very, very happy to be on his way home.” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke of his “personal delight and our nation’s relief” at Greste’s release. He also voiced support for a free media and thanked Sisi. Al-Jazeera vowed to pursue the campaign to free the other two journalists. But Heather Allan, head of newsgathering at the channel, admitted she wasn’t confident that Mohamed would be released. “I can’t say I am confident, no. I just don’t know, honestly. Are we going to keep on fighting it? Absolutely - we are not going to leave him there,” she said. She said Mohamed “must be feeling pretty isolated at the moment”, but the Qatar-based broadcaster was in constant touch with the producer’s family. “We might have to try some other tactics because we don’t have a foreign country involved, but our commitment to getting him out is just as strong as it ever was.” Mohamed’s family has pinned their hopes on a presidential pardon or his acquittal on appeal. Amnesty International said Greste’s release should not overshadow the ongoing imprisonment of Fahmy and Mohamed. “All three men are facing trumped up charges and were forced to endure a farcical trial marred by irregularities,” said Amnesty’s Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. The European Union described Greste’s release as a “positive step” but called for his colleagues’ to be freed, adding that “journalists must be able to work in a safe working environment”. The high-profile trial, at which Greste and Fahmy were sentenced to seven years in prison and Mohamed to 10, proved a public relations nightmare for Sisi, who has cracked down on Islamists since toppling president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. The verdict was overturned and a court in January ordered a retrial for the three. Egyptian police arrested the journalists at the peak of a diplomatic row between Cairo and Qatar, which owns AlJazeera. The broadcaster had been critical of the deadly crackdown on Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood following the Islamist leader’s overthrow. Qatar has since moved to mend ties with Egypt, and Al-Jazeera has closed its Arabic-language Egyptian affiliate which backed the Brotherhood. The rapprochement reflected growing international acceptance of the crackdown on Egypt’s Islamist opposition and militants who have killed scores of police and soldiers since Morsi’s overthrow. The crackdown, which has left at least 1,400 people dead, had tested Egypt’s ties with the United States, which temporarily froze part of its annual $1.3 billion military aid in 2013. Greste worked for multiple news organisations before joining Al-Jazeera English. He was the BBC’s Kabul correspondent in 1995 and returned there after the US-led invasion in 2001. From 2009, he was based in Nairobi, winning the broadcasting industry’s prestigious Peabody Award in 2011. — AFP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 ANALYSIS THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. E MAIL :[email protected] Website: www.kuwaittimes.net Focus ‘Protest fatigue’ as Hong Kong activists struggle on strategy By Laura Mannering, Dennis Chong A disappointing turnout at Hong Kong’s first democracy rally since the end of mass street demonstrations shows the city is suffering from “protest fatigue” and new longer-term strategies are needed to drive reform, analysts say. A procession of yellow umbrellas, the symbol of the democracy movement, edged slowly through the centre of the city on Sunday afternoon - the first time demonstrators had gathered after more than two months of street blockades ended in December when protest camps were cleared. Organisers said that 13,000 people attended the march - with police estimating 8,800 - far below the 50,000 hoped for and a fraction of the 100,000 who took to the streets at the height of the rallies. China has pledged that Hong Kong can choose its own leader for the first time in 2017, but says the candidates must be vetted by a loyalist committee, which campaigners dismiss as “fake democracy”. In the face of their failure to achieve any concessions over political reform, some supporters are now questioning whether it’s worth taking to the streets. “Beijing has played the game quite smartly. They have convinced most Hong Kong people that even if they were to replay Occupy Central, that would not be sufficient to sway Beijing,” says political analyst Willy Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The city is now divided over whether to accept Beijing’s version of universal suffrage - which will go before Hong Kong lawmakers this year - and hope for improvements later, or to veto the plans, said Lam, who added that a “tangible roadmap” from the democracy camp could help galvanise public support. With little chance of a sudden change of mind from Beijing on reforms, student activists and campaigners are advocating longer-term strategies. The founders of the Occupy Central group have said they are now pushing for greater education about the democracy movement and a social charter. There is also a drive to get young voters to the polls and student leaders elected. “The movement should be done in a different way if going to the streets to protest doesn’t work,” says 33-year-old computer programmer Robert, who was a regular at the protest camps but who did not attend Sunday’s march. “We can try to make a difference within the system. Can student activists try to influence others by joining lower level elections, then make changes as they move up the ranks?” Robert says he has turned his back on the street protests because, in his view, they made no difference. “I just don’t have the motivation. Occupying the roads was the most radical thing I have ever done, and still nothing was achieved,” he told AFP. ‘Sleeping Tiger’ Author and political analyst Michael DeGolyer agrees that street protests now are ineffective - but says that the public is waiting to see what happens as the key political reform package moves through the Hong Kong legislature. The bill to enact Beijing’s framework of reforms will be put to a legislative council vote, expected in June, and pro-democracy lawmakers have vowed to block it - a move which could result in Hong Kongers having no vote at all in 2017 elections. “The public don’t see the point of marching right now. Nothing has happened to bring people back to the streets,” says DeGolyer, a professor of government and international studies at Hong Kong’s Baptist University. Activists had “misread” public sentiment by organising Sunday’s rally, he said. DeGolyer warned that if the government pushes through unpopular policies it would trigger “a second Occupy movement... likely to be much more violent than anything we’ve seen up to this point”. “(City leader) CY Leung is sitting on a volcano very close to erupting. The tiger is asleep but not dead.” Hong Kong’s democracy movement is now in a “transition period” said Ivan Choy, a political analyst at Chinese University, with organisers and supporters recovering after the “exhausting” street blockades. “People have to take a rest and equip themselves for further action,” he said, suggesting this could take a different form than previously. “Leaders should think about their next steps: Traditional peaceful protests may not attract some people anymore,” says Choy. “They might prefer a more radical form of protest.” —AFP All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: [email protected] or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary. Hurdles stack up on Iran nuclear deal By Arthur MacMillan T here are some in Tehran convinced a final nuclear deal between Iran and world powers has already been sealed. Others are adamant there will never be a pact. But as uncertainty persists over talks aimed at ending the 12-year standoff on Iran’s disputed atomic program, hurdles to an agreement are stacking up. In Washington, lawmakers are considering imposing new sanctions on Tehran despite calls from the White House to give the negotiations more time. Hardline Iranian MPs have responded with threats of their own and are drafting two bills that would undermine the talks. With the going already tough - the level of uranium enrichment Iran can conduct and a timetable for lifting sanctions are said to be blocking a deal - analysts say pressure is being ratcheted up. “Those who oppose any diplomacy between Iran and the West are already seeking to end the process,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran specialist at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “With time, they will gain further ammunition.” Although the June 30 deadline for a final agreement between Iran and the P5+1 powers - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany - is some way off, two earlier deadlines were missed. In the Iranian capital, officials say the United States and other world powers need to show more flexibility in nailing down the hard details of a deal. Iran’s negotiators have given no indication a compromise is in the offing and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word, last month voiced doubt that the US could be trusted. New Sanctions will ‘Torpedo’ Talks Israel is lobbying hard against a final deal and Saudi Arabia is also wary, analysts say, and the negotiations could be scuttled if there is no definitive progress soon. The biggest threat, they say, is the possibility of new US sanctions on Iran, which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said would effectively “torpedo” the talks. Such an outcome is likely the aim of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the US Congress about Iran’s nuclear efforts on March 3. In a signal of White House disapproval at such a high-profile and untimely intervention - an outline agreement with Iran is due on March 31 - President Barack Obama will not meet Netanyahu. Two US senators, Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Robert Menendez, have said they will decide by March 24 whether to table new legislation. If they can convince enough Democrats in the Republican-controlled Congress to back sanctions, they could have the supermajority needed to pass veto-proof legislation. “(Menendez) will have an easier time collecting sponsors if there is no movement in the talks,” Geranmayeh said. In Tehran, MPs are considering two bills, one tearing up an interim deal that has reined in Tehran’s nuclear activities and another allowing the Islamic republic’s atomic scientists to speed up their operations. Time for a ‘Positive Signal’ Evidence of the souring atmosphere was clear when 21 hardline lawmakers recently condemned Zarif for taking a 15minute stroll with US Secretary of State John Kerry during a break at negotiations in Geneva. “Aversion to the deal has always had robust and noisy constituencies in Tehran and Washington, but both governments need to rise above the din if they want an agreement,” said Siavush RandjbarDaemi, a lecturer on Iran and the Middle East at Manchester University. Kerry and Zarif may meet again this week in Munich and the two “need to thrash this out directly, hopefully through less controversial walks,” Randjbar-Daemi said. Amir Mohebbian, a Tehran-based analyst close to hardliners and several top figures, said the growing pressure could actually push the discussions forward. But too much delay could cost President Hassan Rouhani who raised hopes of a return to prosperity via a nuclear deal - vital public support. When past deadlines were missed, Rouhani, a moderate in stark contrast to his hardline predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, went on state television to insist the talks were close to a result. Iranians will now be looking for signs of more concrete progress, Mohebbian said. “With the anniversary of the Islamic revolution on February 11, it would be a good time to send a positive signal to Iran’s people.” —AFP Podemos rises with stark portrait of Spain By Michaela Cancela-Kieffer and Gabriel Rubio - Giron L ess than a week after the victory of its hard-left ally Syriza in Greece, Spain’s Podemos party launched an election-heavy year by assembling more than 100,000 supporters for a rally in Madrid. Podemos used its “March for Change” Saturday to assail government austerity measures, and paint a portrait of Spain in starkly contrasting hues of “privileged” versus “humiliated” social camps. In doing so, Podemos amped up the populist themes that have won it considerable support in its mere year of existence - and without detailing many concrete proposals to right the wrongs it denounces. “Pablo Iglesias and his Podemos party have without doubt scored a victory with the Puerta del Sol rally,” conceded Sunday’s edition of Spanish centre-right newspaper El Mundo, which has openly opposed the populist left-wing group since its founding in March 2014. The event also served as an unofficial kick-off of a busy election year in Spain, starting with regional polling in Andalusia, Catalonia and elsewhere from MarchNovember, municipal balloting in May, and legislative voting in November - when the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy will seek to retain power. Given the results of recent opinion polls, its understandable why Podemos was first out of the gates to rally backers. Surveys show Spain’s youngest party leading the Socialist (PSOE), and in some polls bettering Rajoy’s ruling Progressive Party (PP). In carefully preparing Saturday’s show of force, Podemos worked social networks to mobilise maximum participation by supporters from all over Spain, who converged on Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza quickly filling it to capacity. As hoped for by organisers, the photo of that large crowd ran on front pages and as lead stories on media around the world cov- ering the massive turnout. “We will win elections against the PP,” in 2015 vowed Iglesias, 36, sending ripples of excitement through the tightly-packed crowd. Prior to that Inigo Errejon, 31, and JuanCarlos Monedero, 52 - number two and three officials in Podemos respectively - described a modern Spain in which two contrasting camps co-existed ‘Courageous Dreamers “We need courageous dreamers to defend those on the bottom. We need more Don Quixotes,” urged Iglesias, evoking Cervantes’ famous character. Podemos rose from the “Indignados” movement born in the streets of Madrid in May 2011 with denunciations of financial markets and political corruption it blamed for the enduring messages from the heart to people already dedicated to the cause,” noted Catalan paper El Periodico Sunday. Ignacio Urquizu, a sociology professor at the Complutense University of Madrid that Iglesias hails from, drew a similar conclusion. Though Urquizu says that criticism of Indignados for failing to propose any remedial policies “was On Saturday it continued airing a list of rather generic pledges that included battling corruption, reversing the widening wealth gap, and defying the so-called “troika” imposing austerity on indebted European states by demanding the restructuring of Spanish debt - which currently represents 96.8 percent of GDP. In doing so, Podemos says it is Demonstrators gather at Puerta del Sol during the “March for Change” organized by leftwing party Podemos in Madrid on Jan 31, 2015. —AFP with increasingly difficulty. They spoke of a Spain “on top” versus one “on the bottom,” of “the powerful” opposing “workers,” and of a “privileged” caste lording over the descendants of Spaniards who toiled “to build a country where no one would be cold”. And those people, Iglesias echoed, now suffer “humiliation and increasing poverty,” and want to take their fate back into their hands. hardship of average Spaniards. Four years on - and despite Spain’s economy beginning to grow after six years of brutal recession - joblessness still stands at a crushing 23 percent. In organising Saturday’s rally, Podemos was careful to note its purpose was neither to demand or propose concrete action, but instead mobilise backers for looming elections. “Speeches were not political, they were emotional unfair, because it was a citizens’ protest movement,” the same critique of Podemos is valid because it “seeks power in our country while demonstrating the same failing,” he wrote in Sunday’s El Pais. Podemos’ vague program is inspired by the socialism of late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and progressive Scandinavian progressive parties. The movement even refuses to be labelled leftist. responding to the hopes of many Spanish voters who no longer believe in the PSOE and PP that have alternated stints in power for more than three decades. “Voters don’t read 400 page party programs,” noted political analyst Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, adding the PSOE itself rose to power in the 1980s using similar inspirational methods - and nearly the exact “For Change” slogan that Podemos marched under Saturday. —AFP p15_Layout 1 2/2/15 8:48 PM Page 1 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 S P ORTS Junaid out of World Cup KARACHI: Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan has been ruled out of the World Cup after failing a fitness test on a hamstring injury. “Junaid has been found not fit to play in the World Cup,” a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman said yesterday. Junaid was due to leave with the Pakistan team for New Zealand last month but the PCB held him back and sent Bilawal Bhatti instead. “Junaid had sustained a hamstring injury while bowling during the short conditioning camp in Lahore prior to the team’s departure for New Zealand,” the spokesman said. Junaid, 25, has been Pakistan’s leading paceman in the last two years with 65 test and 75 one-day international wickets. “It is very disappointing to miss out on such a major event but I don’t want to let anyone down and can’t play without being 100 percent fit,” Junaid told Reuters. “I tried my best to make a full recovery but I am still not comfortable while bowling,” he said. Pakistan were already without leading spinner Saeed Ajmal who is suspended for an illegal bowling action and there are doubts over whether all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez will be allowed to bowl.—Reuters Huth joins Leicester LONDON: Stoke City defender Robert Huth became Leicester City’s third signing of the transfer window yesterday when he joined on loan from their Premier League rivals until the end of the season. However he is ineligible to play in Saturday’s match at home to Crystal Palace as he completes a two-match ban for breaching FA rules by interacting with a Twitter account that asked users to guess the gender of individuals in explicit pictures. The 30-year-old former Germany international, who has also played for Chelsea and Middlesbrough, has been signed to bolster a Leicester defence that has conceded 37 goals in 23 matches. The Foxes are propping up the table but, with only nine points separating the bottom nine clubs, they have a chance of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship after winning promotion from the second tier last season. Leicester and Stoke confirmed the deal for Huth on their websites on deadline day and he will link up with his ex-Middlesbrough team mate, goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, and club record signing, Croatian Andrej Kramaric, who signed in January.—Reuters Hamburg sign Diaz BERLIN: Troubled Hamburg SV have signed Chilean defensive midfielder Marcelo Diaz from Swiss side Basel to bolster their backline as they battle to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga. Chile international Diaz signed a contract to 2017 after passing a medical in Hamburg on Monday, the club said. “We saw Marcelo’s qualities at the World Cup last summer,” Hamburg sporting director Peter Knaebel said. “He is someone who wants the ball, wants the game focused on him even in difficult situations. “He can be a bridge (from defence to attack) for our game when we go forward. That is what I expect from him and that is what he has already done at top level.” Hamburg, who have seen billionaire Klaus-Michael Kuehne pump more than 18 million euros ($20.4 million) into the debt-laden club, have also boosted their frontline by bringing in experienced Croatian striker Ivica Olic from VfL Wolfsburg. Hamburg are in the relegation playoff spot in 16th place on 17 points.—Reuters Hirscher and Vonn among Alpine Ski Worlds favorites BEAVER CREEK: Three-time defending World Cup overall champion Marcel Hirscher and US star Lindsey Vonn, the most successful female skier ever, lead top global racers into the Alpine Ski World Championships. The world’s top skiers return to North America this week as the global event is contested in the United States for the first time in 16 years. Americans Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin will compete over two weeks for the title of homecoming queen while Austria’s Hirscher, seeking an unprecedented fourth World Cup overall crown in a row, leads a host of men’s contenders in tackling the treacherous Birds of Prey course. “It is awesome having the World Championships in the US,” said American ski racer Ted Ligety. “It is something I have never experienced before so it is going to be a lot of fun having a big event in the US.” There have been only five worlds on US snow and none since 1999. The Americans also hosted this event in 1950, 1960, 1980 and 1989. The mighty Austrians have had the most success at Beaver Creek since the World Cup circuit started racing on the layout in 1988 but the Americans aren’t far behind. Austria has six World Cup wins while US skiers has five. “It is the worlds. You got to risk everything. It is about a medal,” said American Steven Nyman. The 26-strong US team will be the largest followed by Austria with 25, France with 22, Switzerland with 21 and the small but powerful Norwegian team will have nine racers, led by World Cup downhill points leader Kjetil Jansrud. The Austrian charge will be led by Hirscher, who seeks a fourth World Cup overall crown to move one behind Marc Girardelli’s all-time men’s record. Hirscher leads the World Cup overall standings with 1,014 points compared to Jansrud’s 834. The Americans hope for a home snow advantage with a team featuring an intriguing mix of veterans like Body Miller, who appears to be on his last legs, and rising stars like Shiffrin and Travis Ganong. And then there is Vonn, whose miracle comeback this season follows two knee surgeries and two years of on and off rehab work. She took her record 63rd career World Cup victory two weeks ago and is a favorite in downhill and Super-G, leading both in the World Cup standings. Miller, Svindal uncertain Miller, 37, has yet to race this year and is the oldest member of the team as well as the biggest question mark. It’s not even known if Miller will race in Beaver Creek and team boss Patrick Riml said they aren’t expecting much from Miller, who is in his eighth worlds. “We are going to see how he feels day-by-day and whether we put him in a race,” Riml said. “Everyone else is skiing on a very high level.” Norwegian speed veteran Aksel Lund Svindal was named to the world team but like Miller will be day-to-day. Norway has plenty of firepower with Olympic super-G champ Jansrud, who is fully recovered from blowing out his knee at the 2013 Worlds, and 20-year-old phenom Henrik Kristoffersen. “We have a mix of young and established performers for this year’s World Championships,” said team director Claus Johan Ryste. “There is greater competition in each discipline than ever before. “We will be in the fight for medals in all disciplines on the men’s side.” Germany has one of the largest teams with a dozen skiers, including eight men. Stefan Luitz is hoping to make his return from injury at Beaver Creek. Italy’s Daniela Merighetti is also expected to compete after suffering a recent injury. Swiss Dominique Gisin, who suffered a fracture in a recent fall, will consult with team doctors before deciding whether she can ski.— AFP ST LOUIS: Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz threads the puck between two defenders in this file photo. —AP Blues overcome Capitals WASHINGTON: Alexander Steen had two goals and an assist, and Brian Elliot stopped 33 shots as the streaking St Louis Blues held on to beat the Washington Capitals 4-3 on Sunday. Dmitrij Jaskin and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored, and TJ Oshie added three assists for St Louis. The Blues have won five straight and 10 of 11. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin scored twice, giving him a NHL-leading 31 goals, and had an assist. He became the fifth player in NHL history to start his career with 10 30-goal seasons. Ovechkin has 15 goals in his last 15 games. Karl Alzner also scored for Washington. The Capitals are 1-4-2 in their last seven. COYOTES 3, CANADIENS 2 Lauri Korpikoski scored two power-play goals for Arizona as Montreal-area native Louis Domingue made 18 saves to win in his first NHL start. The 22-year-old Domingue helped end the Canadiens’ five-game winning streak. Domingue made his NHL debut Saturday in relief of Mike Smith during the third period in a 7-2 loss in Ottawa. His first start got off to a rough beginning when Alex Galchenyuk scored twice on Montreal’s first four shots in the opening 4:55. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored for the Coyotes. PREDATORS 4, PENGUINS 0 Carter Hutton made 21 saves for this second career shutout in Nashville’s first regulation vic- Lindsey Vonn in action in this file photo. tory in Pittsburgh in 11 years. Gabriel Bourque, Roman Josi, Eric Nystrom and Mike Fisher scored. Hutton improved to 3-1-2 while temporarily filling in as Nashville’s No. 1 goalie while All-Star Pekka Rinne recovers with a sprained knee that will sideline him for at least another week. WILD 4, CANUCKS 2 Devan Dubnyk stopped 35 shots to help Minnesota beat Vancouver. Zach Parise, Jared Spurgeon, Thomas Vanek and Jason Zucker scored for the Wild. Zucker sealed it with an empty-net goal with 55 seconds left. Ronalds Kenins and Daniel Sedin scored for the Canucks.—AP NHL results/standings Arizona 3, Montreal 2; St. Louis 4, Washington 3; Nashville 4, Pittsburgh 0; Minnesota 4, Vancouver 2. Anaheim San Jose Vancouver Calgary Los Angeles Arizona Edmonton Nashville St. Louis Chicago Winnipeg Dallas Colorado Minnesota Tampa Bay Western Conference Pacific Division W L OTL GF 32 12 6 147 27 17 6 139 27 18 3 131 27 20 3 144 21 16 12 134 18 26 6 116 13 28 9 115 Central Division 32 11 6 149 32 13 4 160 31 17 2 155 26 17 8 142 23 19 7 157 21 18 11 131 23 20 6 135 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division 32 15 4 166 GA PTS 134 70 135 60 124 57 129 57 132 54 170 42 166 35 115 120 115 132 159 141 140 70 68 64 60 53 53 52 133 68 Montreal Detroit Boston Florida Ottawa Toronto Buffalo 32 14 3 130 111 67 29 12 9 149 129 67 27 16 7 134 124 61 21 16 10 115 132 52 20 19 9 136 136 49 22 25 4 144 156 48 14 33 3 94 179 31 Metropolitan Division NY Islanders 32 16 1 158 139 65 Pittsburgh 28 14 8 145 129 64 NY Rangers 28 15 4 139 112 60 Washington 25 15 10 147 129 60 Philadelphia 22 22 7 140 151 51 New Jersey 19 22 9 113 138 47 Columbus 21 24 3 120 151 45 Carolina 17 26 6 105 129 40 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L). Tina eager to bounce back at worlds BEAVER CREEK: Liechtenstein skier Tina Weirather can’t shake the Sochi Olympics. The occasional ache in her right leg serves as a reminder. She crashed in a downhill training run last February and badly banged her shin, an injury that still lingers. “I have days where I can 100 percent attack and go to my limit, where I feel confident and strong. But I have days where it doesn’t work,” said Weirather, who will compete in the superG, downhill and giant slalom at the world championships that begin Tuesday with the women’s super-G race. “I’m working on it, having more of the good days. “If I can figure that out, I can be really good.” Because when healthy, Weirather is as fast as anyone. The difficult part has been staying healthy. The 25-year-old has torn the ACL in her right knee three times. In Sochi, she was among the favorites until her crash. “I’ve had a lot of disappointments to deal with,” said Weirather, whose best finish at worlds was 13th in the downhill two years ago in Austria. “I can’t say that my confidence is super, super high, but I think everything is possible. The skiing is there.” No question about that. She has finished third in two races this season, including a super-G in Italy two weeks ago. Ski racing is all she has wanted to do since she was 3 years old - all she ever answered when anyone asked. Not surprising, really, considering skiing runs in the family. Her mother, Hanni Wenzel, was a two-time gold medalist at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Her father, Harti Weirather, won the downhill at the 1982 world championships as he represented Austria. “This has always been my dream. That’s never changed,” she said. “Then, after so many injuries, of course I had to think about it.” Sometimes, Weirather can’t help but wonder just how good she would’ve been at her other favorite sport - tennis. She does have a mean backhand. And her serve-and-volley game isn’t bad, either. Weirather said she used to train with the mother of Swiss standout Martina Hingis the same Martina Hingis who won an Australian Open mixed doubles title Sunday - and that Weirather once was told she had what it took to be a top-flight player. “She really believed in me,” recounted Weirather, who also cross trains by biking, wind surfing and hopes to one day take up paragliding. “But in tennis, you always have to fight against someone. “That’s why I love skiing, where it’s just you and the mountain and when you finish, you see your time.”—AP SWITZERLAND: Tina Weirather, of Liechtenstein, takes a jump during a training session for an alpine ski women’s World Cup downhill event in St. Moritz. —AP p16_Layout 1 2/2/15 8:49 PM Page 1 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 S P ORTS MotoGP ready for India ride: Ezpeleta MUMBAI: MotoGP is ready for a foray into India convinced it has a better future than Formula One in the world’s second largest motorcycle market, the sport’s commercial chief Carmelo Ezpeleta said yesterday. India first hosted a Formula One grand prix in 2011 to positive reviews from the global community but was dropped from the calendar after the third race in 2013. Problems over taxation, with Formula One classified as entertainment rather than a sport in India, as well as the considerable bureaucracy in bringing equipment into the country have been seen as obstacles to the race returning. Calling India a “ver y, ver y important market” for MotoGP, Ezpeleta, the chief executive of Dorna Sports, which holds the television and commercial rights to the sport, was hopeful they had the right mix to be successful in India, which is the world’s second largest motorcycle market after China. “It’s different, Formula One is another aspirational level. Motorbikes are something very popular in India and are much closer to normal people,” Ezpeleta told Moto3 world championship as a constructor and will supply motorcylces to four teams, including former MotoGP rider turned team owner Jorge Martinez’s Aspar team. “We need three things to be successful in a country like India. First a manufacturer being part of the deal and in this case we have Mahindra,” Ezpeleta said. “Secondly, we need to have Indian riders but unfortunately we have none presently and for that we have the Asian talent Cup. And finally we need to have a grand prix.” Weekend MotoGP races feature reg- Reuters in an interview. “We need to focus on different things here like we have no (local) promoter. But the cost of organizing a MotoGP race is less than Formula One and we have a manufacturer in Mahindra who are participating in the Moto3 world championship. “I think we are putting all our first steps right to be successful in India but nothing is easy from the beginning.” Mahindra enters India’s leading utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra is entering the 2015 ularly on television channels in India, which is crucial for the promotion and popularity of the sport in the country, feels Ezpeleta. Although satisfied with M otoGP ’s growth in recent years, Ezpeleta believes Asia has a lot more potential. “We have a lot of demand for grand prix all around the world especially from Asia and we are talking to different countries here,” he said. The 2015 MotoGP season will have 18 races and the target for the promoters is to increase it to 20 in the nex t t wo years.—Reuters SPAIN: Mercedes Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain (right) and teammate Nico Rosberg of Germany sit on the new Mercedes F1 M06 car at the Circuito de Jerez. —AP Rosberg searching for small margins to make a difference JEREZ: Nico Rosberg is studying how he breathes as he looks to overhaul Formula One world champion and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg missed out on the title in dramatic fashion last year and wants to find improvements. The German driver has tried perfecting new breathing techniques in order to find the “one or two percent” that could make all the difference this season. Rosberg did better than Hamilton in qualifying last year, securing 11 pole positions compared to seven, but Hamilton dominated him - 11 wins to five - on race day. That has been bugging Rosberg, who is determined to find the small margins that will work in his favor. “I learned some things in the winter. For example, my breathing was something I could work on, my breathing in the race car,” Rosberg explained. “Because when we go through fast corners we hold the breath, because we have so much g-force. Of course I want to give you some insights, but not compromise my secrets.” He’s also stepped up his training regime. “To be that little bit more fit at the end of races, a little bit more on it,” the 29-year-old Rosberg said. “That one or two percent that makes the difference in the end.” Hamilton beat Rosberg by 67 points - but the margin was exaggerated by the double points on offer in the last race. Rosberg could have clinched the title, for example, if he had won and Hamilton placed third. But Hamilton won and Rosberg, blighted by technical problems, ended up 14th and out of the points. He insists it did not take him long to get over it. “Life went back to normal for me very quickly, one or two days,” he said. “I’m always motivated, but (this time) I have an extra little bit. To have this memory from last year. I know how awesome it feels to win races and how great it feels when I beat Lewis.” Feelings were heightened last year due to the tension between the drivers. It led to several feuds, with Hamilton accusing his teammate of deliberately crashing into him at the Belgian GP in August. Tensions were eased after Rosberg warmly congratulated Hamilton - his friend since their teenage years racking karts against each other but Mercedes Head of Motorsport Toto Wolff does not rule out a repeat scenario. “I have no illusions that 2015 will be an easier year,” Wolff said. “At this stage in their lives, they are teammates and competitors. This is how it is. It makes no sense to hope for harmony when no harmony can be expected.” Mercedes could have defused the situation after the Spa incident by imposing team orders, but, despite the animosity it generated, let them continue racing against each other providing they did not create further controversy. “That is when a team is getting pushed forward. The downside - the intense competition - we will live with,” Wolff said. “We have learned from last season. We have matured as a team, including the drivers.”— AP WCup adds spice to the Six Nations SCOTTSDALE: Brooks Koepka holds the trophy after winning the Phoenix Open golf tournament. —AP Koepka wins his first PGA title in Phoenix PHOENIX: Well-traveled American Brooks Koepka used an eagle-three at the 15th hole to jump ahead of a crowded leaderboard and win the Waste Management Phoenix Open by one stroke on Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory. The 24-year-old Koepka, who broke into professional golf in Europe, rolled in a 51-foot putt from the fringe short of the green at the par-five 15th to vault over four players. Koepka, ranked 33rd in the world, carded a five-under-par 66 for a total of 15under-par 269, one better than Masters champion Bubba Watson (65), 22-year-old Japanese Hideki Matsuyama (67) and American Ryan Palmer (66). “It feels amazing,” said Floridian Koepka. “The last few weeks I put in a lot of hard work, changed my putting stroke completely and everything seems to be going right.” Scotsman Martin Laird, the 54-hole leader, was tied with Koepka until he bogeyed the driveable par-four 17th with his first three-putt after going 95 consecutive holes without one. Laird then found water with his drive at 18 and took a double-bogey to register a 72 for 12-under, a total shared by Spanish amateur and Arizona State student Jon Rahm, who closed with a 68. The selfassured Koepka, who claimed his first European Tour victor y at the Turkish Airlines event in November after winning four times on the European Challenge Tour, began the round three shots behind Laird. It was Matsuyama who made the first charge. Matsuyama, who was three back, got off to a flying start when he holed out from a sand-filled divot in the fairway 129 yards from the cup for an eagle-two at the first hole to reach 12-under. Birdies at the third and fifth lifted Matsuyama, who won last year’s Memorial Tournament, into a tie with Laird at 14under, and a birdie at the par-five 13th gave the Japanese a one-shot lead. One hole later there was a three-way tie for first at 14-under and another hole later it was four-way tie with Palmer joining Matsuyama, Laird and Watson. Then Koepka rolled in his eagle putt to vault into first at 15-under, a total matched by Laird with a birdie at the same hole before the Scotsman unraveled at the end. Koepka has now shot par or better in all 12 rounds on the tour this season.— Reuters LONDON: The Six Nations Championship is always an event in itself but this year’s edition will also indicate the strength of the European challenge at a World Cup in England just seven months away. That the shadow cast by the Webb Ellis Trophy is inescapable can be seen from the fact that Friday’s Six Nations opener in Cardiff sees Wales against England, with the old rivals in the same 2015 World Cup pool. For an injury-hit England, victory at the Millennium Stadium would help ease the pain of a crushing defeat in the Welsh capital two years ago. It would also establish Stuart Lancaster’s side as serious title contenders, with England not having won the Six Nations since 2011 when Martin Johnson was in charge. England have finished runners-up three times under Lancaster and the coach said: “We are frustrated that we haven’t nailed down that Championship win-it does burn inside us.” England’s much-vaunted playing depth is set to be put to the test with No 8 Ben Morgan, lock Joe Launchbury and flyhalf Owen Farrell all ruled out of the entire Six Nations, with several other players currently sidelined. “ We still have a lot of strength in depth and we’re still confident we’re still going to have a strong team,” Lancaster said. Ireland expects Ireland may like to portray themselves as perennial underdogs but the defending Six Nations champions will rightly start the 2015 tournament as favourites. Under Joe Schmidt, one of three New Zealanders providing 50 percent of the competition’s coaches ( Wales’s Warren Gatland and Scotland’s Vern Cotter are the other two), Ireland were the form European side during the November internationals. Ireland, who have risen to three in the world rankings behind world champions New Zealand and South Africa, defeated the Springboks and Australia in November. Now they begin their quest for back-toback titles-something they last achieved in 1949 — away to I taly on Saturday. Inspirational centre Brian O’Driscoll may have retired and star fly-half Jonathan Sexton be ruled out by concussion protocols, but Ireland still have lock Paul O’Connell leading the way. “The work ethic and confi- dence you gain from getting over the line against the likes of South Africa and Australia should put us in good stead for 2015,” said Schmidt. “The players will have an expectation of themselves now, and to be honest we want that expectation of ourselves.” Wales have a relatively settled side featuring several British and Irish Lions, with Gatland sufficiently confident of his squad’s quality to warn talented wing George North not to take his place for granted. Gatland insisted the Six Nations was not just a warmup for the World Cup, saying: “This tournament is definitely about winning...The expectation in Wales is for us to win.” However, Gatland said the World Cup could not be ignored completely. “It’s important you win and get some confidence and the in back of our minds we’re all thinking about the next six months in terms of preparation for the World Cup.” France have not won the Six Nations since a 2010 Grand Slam but a November win over Australia, in which wing Teddy Thomas demonstrated his potential, gave coach Philippe Saint-Andre some respite. If not k nowing what to expect from France is one of rugby’s enduring truisms, it is one Saint-Andre endorsed when asked about what to expect from his side in the Six Nations. “You don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know,” he said. “The confidence is back, we had some good games in November.” Scotland too reckon they have grounds for optimism under Cotter after a November series which yielded wins over Argentina and Tonga allied to a narrow loss to New Zealand. “There’s a great buzz, partly off the back of the autumn (November),”said Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw. “I believe we have some individuals in our team to cause other teams problems.” And Italy captain Sergio Parisse believes his side can bounce back from losing all five matches last year, having won twice in 2013. “They’ve written us off, but that’s fine,” said Parisse. “It will be great to surprise everybody.”—AFP PARIS: This is a Saturday, March 15, 2014. file photo of Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Six Nations Rugby Union tournament at the stade de France stadium. —AP p17 2_Layout 1 2/2/15 8:52 PM Page 1 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 S P ORTS Kuwaiti shooters top KSSC tourney By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: Kuwait Shooting Sports Club organized Kuwait Sporting Shooting Championship, on the heels of HH the Amir 4th Annual International Grand Prix at Sabah AlAhmad Olympic Shooting Complex. The Championship saw Kuwaiti shooters dominate in all events. Shooter Jasim Al-Raihan won first place in the professionals category, followed by Fahad Lafi Al-Mutairi and Mansour Al-Rashidi was third, UAE’s Marwan Al-Amiya emerged fourth, Saud Al-Rashidi fifth and Mohammad Nayef Al-Daihani sixth. In the women’s category, Kuwait’s shooter Afrah Adel Abdelrahman took first place, followed by Sarah Abdelrahman Al-Hawal and Iman Al-Shamma. In the pioneers category, Eng Duaij Khalaf Al-Otaibi, the President of the Arab and Kuwait Shooting Federations snatched first place following a friendly competition with Masoud Jouhar Hayat, who is one of the founders of Kuwait Shooting Club and supporter of Kuwait shooters. Al-Otaibi hit 44 targets while Hayat hit 43 out of 50. Hussam Al-Roumi took place after hitting 40 out of 50 targets. The competitions were carried out according to the rules of international federations for sporting shooting located in Paris. The championship was supervised by technical experts from Belgium and Portugal, while Kuwaiti referees officiated. Kuwait Shooting Sport Club prepared and designed a special international range for this sport, and is among the best range in the world. Asia confident of shift at World Cup Brandt Snedeker Technical focus bad for Snedeker’s putting touch SCOTTSDALE: If proof was ever needed for the average club hacker that even the very best players can struggle in golf, then look no further than at putting maestro Brandt Snedeker. Widely viewed as one of the game’s leading putters over the past eight years, the fast-talking American has recently been struggling on the greens after clouding his mind with too much focus on technique. A six-times winner on the PGA Tour, Snedeker has not triumphed on the U.S. circuit since the 2013 RBC Canadian Open and he fell short of his customary high standards last season when he made 20 of 25 cuts but posted only three top-10s. “Obviously my game hasn’t been anywhere near where it needs to be,” the fast-talking American told Reuters at the Waste Management Phoenix Open where he is playing his fifth event of the 2014-15 season. “But I feel like after making a change last year to (swing coach) Butch Harmon that my game is a lot better now than it has been for the last year-and-a-half. The thing that has been holding me back is my putting, I haven’t been putting any good. “I kind of made some changes that are really, really star ting to come through and I feel like I’m on the right path. I just need to see some (putts) go in. You see some go in and everything changes.” Snedeker is not only renowned for his extraordinary putting touch but also for his old-style ‘pop’ stroke which is made with minimum of fuss in relatively fast fashion. PERFECT TECHNIQUE However, having long been an everpresent at the top of the PGA Tour’s putting charts, Snedeker has dropped well down the pecking order over the past year mainly due to a fixation with perfect technique. “I’ve kind of gotten away from what I do and trying to put a perfect stroke on every putt is not the way I putt,” said the 34-year- old from Nashville, who carded a one-under-par 70 in the opening round at the TPC Scottsdale. “I kind of got too much into that, making sure my stroke is on plane and path and everything is good instead of getting back into reading putts and just hitting them. “So I’m getting more back into that and seeing some good results and seeing what I want to see out there. I just need to see a couple go in, see a couple go in and it comes right back so I’m not too worried about it.” Snedeker, who clinched the PGA Tour’s FedExCup title in 2012, led the Tour’s ‘strokes gained over the field’ putting statistic that year and was placed fourth in that area in 2013. However last year, he dropped to 27th in strokes gained while this season he is surprisingly languishing in 110th spot. “The putts outside 10 feet will come,” Snedeker said. “Inside 10 feet, I’ve been struggling with those five, six, seven-footers, which you need obviously to make to shoot a good number.”—Reuters NEW DELHI: Conventional wisdom says Asian teams usually succumb on the bouncy wickets of Australia or the seaming pitches in New Zealand, making them vulnerable and rank outsiders for the World Cup. Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, alongside the mighty South Africa, are the bookmakers’ favorites to win one-day cricket’s biggest prize, with Asian teams way down in the pecking order. But those already writing off Asia’s big three-India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka-will do so at their own peril. And not just because of the unpredictable nature of the limited-overs game. The only other time the tournament was held Down Under, in 1992, it was Pakistan which won the title beating England by 22 runs in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia did not even make the knock-out rounds, while the Kiwis, like the South Africans, crashed out in the semi-finals. Home advantage clearly does not count for much. Defending champions India are the only team to have won the World Cup on home soil, while Sri Lanka won it in Pakistan as co-hosts of the 1996 event. Barring major upsets, like in 2007 when India and Pakistan were knocked out in the first round, Asia should have three teamseven more if Bangladesh, Afghanistan or the United Arab Emirates cause an upset-in the quarter-finals. After that, three victories will ensure a team the title-a task easier said than done but one that gives the eight qualifiers a reasonable shot at the title. Kapil Dev, under whom India won its first World Cup in 1983 by shocking overwhelming favourites West Indies at Lord’s, said picking a winner was not easy. “Once you enter the quarter-finals, anything can happen,” Dev told AFP. “Every team has a chance, including the ones from Asia. It all depends on how you play on that day. “But if a side has to have an off-day, it better be during the first round where one can recover. Can’t afford that in the knock-outs.” In 2011, India and Sri Lanka finished second in their respective groups and yet entered the final as pool A winners Pakistan fell in the semi-finals and pool B leaders South Africa went out in the quarter-finals. While India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have the batting to take on the rest, much will depend on how their meagre bowling resources are able to contain the opposition. Sri Lanka, finalists on the last two occasions, boast the top three run-getters in one-day cricket among those still playing in Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Sangakkara and Jayawardene, members of an exclusive club of five batsmen with more than 12,000 one-day runs, are in top form to raise hopes of making their last World Cup appearance a memorable one. World bowling recordholder Muttiah Muralitharan believes this could be Sri Lanka’s World Cup after coming so near in 2007 and 2011. “We have been just about the most consistent side around in major tournaments over the past decade, regularly reaching semi-finals and finals,” Muralitharan told the tournament’s official website. “I have faith this group of players can achieve the dream again and I hope they have that faith too.” Pakistan, faced with bowling suspensions of Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez due to faulty actions, will look to make amends through their batting which includes captain Misbah-ul Haq, Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi. “If we play to our potential, we can win,” said Misbah, whose 56-ball hundred against Australia last year equalled Viv Richards’ record for the fastest Test century. “The boys are focused on achieving the best result. They have the hunger and passion to work for it.” In Rohit Sharma, the only batsman with two 200s in one-day internationals, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India possess destructive batting firepower to tame the best attacks. “Never write India off, they will always be formidable in oneday cricket,” said former skipper Sourav Ganguly. “This side is capable of repeating 2011.”—AFP PERTH: England’s Stuart Broad bowls a delivery during a training session in Perth. —AP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 S P ORTS AFRICAN NATIONS CUP Ghana, Ivory Coast through as Tunisian row bubbles on MONACO: Lyon’s Nabil Fekir (left) vies with Monaco’s Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho (right) during the French L1 football match. —AFP Monaco frustrate Lyon as PSG, Marseiile close PARIS: The Ligue 1 title race narrowed on Sunday after leaders Olympique Lyonnais found no way through Monaco’s steely defense in a goalless draw in the principality. The result left OL, who were without talismanic striker Alexandre Lacazette, with 49 points from 23 games, two ahead of Olympique de Marseille and Paris St Germain-second and third respectively after posting 1-0 wins. Monaco, who have not conceded a goal in their last eight league games, are fifth on 40 points, behind St Etienne on goal difference after Les Verts lost 1-0 at Caen earlier on Sunday. Lyon had to make do with the absence of Ligue 1 top striker Lacazette, who was ruled out for three weeks after sustaining a thigh injury last Sunday. The hosts conceded possession but were barely threatened in the first half. They had the first clear chance in the 17th minute when Dimitar Berbatov’s header from Fabinho’s cross smashed against the bar. Lyon’s best opportunity in the first half was Corentin Tolisso’s 30-metre free kick that was boxed away by Danijel Subasic in the 28th. Monaco defender Andrea Raggi sustained a possible knee injury and was substituted by Ricardo Carvalho seven minutes from the interval. The home side stepped up a gear and Moutinho had a goal disallowed for offside before they were denied a penalty after Yannick Ferreira Carrasco had been brought down. Lyon, however, had a clear chance at the hour when Yoann Gourcuff’s brilliant pass set up Nabil Fekir in the box, only for the forward’s low shot to go wide. Monaco, whose last defeat was on Nov 29, have conceded only one goal in their last 13 competitive games. Champions Paris St Germain stayed in contention on Friday with a 1-0 win at home against Stade Rennais with arch rivals Marseille also beating Evian Thonon Gaillard 1-0 on Saturday.—Reuters Barcelona accused of tax fraud in Neymar signing MADRID: Spanish public prosecutors have asked for Barcelona and their former president Sandro Rosell to be tried for two charges of tax fraud committed in the signing of Brazilian star Neymar. Meanwhile, prosecutors have also asked for the investigation of current Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the club on an extra tax charge in 2014, which could rise to 2.85 million euros. In a judicial file released on Monday, prosecutor Jose Perals Calleja suggests that Rosell and Barca declared an inferior fee to that which they paid for Neymar in 2013. The prosecutors believe that Neymar cost in excess of the 57 million euros ($64.3 million, £42.7 million) declared to the Spanish tax man. They cite the figure at a cost of 82,743,485 euros divided into separate contracts that secured the signing. According to the calculations of the Spanish tax authorities, Barcelona owe a total of 12,148,696 million euros in tax on the deal, which would see the overall cost of the operation rise to 94.8 million euros. Rosell resigned as president over the affair just over a year ago when a complaint brought by one of the club’s members for misappropriation of funds was taken to court. In his testimony before a judge on the case in July of 2004, Rosell insisted that Neymar cost the club 57 million euros, 17 of which went to his former club Santos and 40 million paid to N&N, a company owned by the player’s father. However, following Rosell’s resignation, Barcelona also confirmed a number of extra agreements including a 10 million euro signing bonus for the player and scouting and collaborative agreements between the two clubs taking the total to 86.2 million euros. In February of last year, the club announced that they had made a voluntary payment of 13.5 million euros to the Spanish tax authorities regarding the transfer. —AFP MALABO: Ghana and Ivory Coast took their regular places in the African Nations Cup semi-finals by beating Guinea and Algeria on Sunday as the tournament returned to normal after recent controversy. Wilfried Bony finally came to life, scoring twice for the Ivory Coast, and a late Gervinho goal completed a memorable 3-1 win for the Elephants as they reached the last four for the fourth time in six tournaments. Four-times champions Ghana comfortably dispatched surprise packages Guinea 3-0 to reach the semi-finals for the fifth time in a row. The Black Stars will face the hosts in Malabo on Thursday and the Ivorians, whose only title was in 1992 before the emergence of the so-called golden generation, play Democratic Republic of Congo in Bata tomorrow. Off the pitch, Tunisian Football Federation president Wadie Jary resigned from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in protest at the manner of his team’s exit in a tumultuous tie against hosts Equatorial Guinea. Tunisia were dumped out in Saturday’s controversial and thrilling match when the hosts were awarded a contentious stoppage-time penalty to equalise before beating the enraged North Africans 2-1 in extra-time. The game ended with the Tunisians chasing the referee into the tunnel as riot police stepped in. Tunisia’s critics, however, pointed out that they were allowed to get away with brutal tackles and blatant time-wasting while leading 1-0. The omens did not seem to be on Ivory Coast’s side when coach Herve Renard was ordered to cover his favorite white shirt early in the game with a pink vest because it clashed with the Algerians’ strip. Renard, who wore the shirt in all six games when he led unheralded Zambia to the title three years ago, looked less than happy but his mood changed in the 26th minute when Bony headed in Max Gradel’s cross. Arbi Soudani equalized early in the second half after exposing Ivory Coast’s defensive fragility only for Bony to strike again, leaping superbly to power a Yaya Toure free kick past Rais M’Bolhi against the run of play. Despite several late scares, the Ivorians clung on to their lead before Gervinho added a third in the dying moments, Christian Atsu scored twice, the first after three minutes and the other a delightful curling effort in the second half, and Kwesi Appiah was also on target for Ghana as they and Guinea opened the double bill in Malabo. “Every game we are better than the game before,” said Ghana coach Avram Grant. “ There were chances, many chances and we scored beautiful goals.”— Reuters EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Ghana’s Christian Atsu (right) is tackled by Guinea’s Djibril Tamsir Paye during their African Cup of Nations quarter final soccer match. —AP Preview Januzaj hopes for Cambridge chance MANCHESTER: Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj hopes today’s FA Cup fourthround replay at home to lowly Cambridge United will help him to prove his worth to manager Louis van Gaal. The 19-year-old Belgium international was one of the few success stories during the disastrous reign of van Gaal’s predecessor, David Moyes. At the corresponding stage of last season, he had made 24 appearances and scored three goals, including two in a 2-1 victory at Sunderland that heralded his arrival on the Premier League scene. But under van Gaal, Januzaj has been involved in only 14 games to date this season, with his start in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Leicester City just his fourth of the campaign and first since November. “I’ve not been playing for so long so it was good to get 90 minutes, even if I was really tired in the last 15 minutes and got cramp,” said Januzaj. “Of course we want to win the FA Cup and this is a big chance to win it. We were good going forward against Leicester and could have scored more than three goals, but hopefully we can take this into today night and win the game.” Van Gaal was more expansive when discussing the future of Januzaj, who turns 20 this week. It was predicted that the youngster would be allowed to leave the club on loan during the January transfer window, but the United manag- Cruyff backs Van Praag for FIFA presidency THE HAGUE: Football legend Johan Cruyff has thrown his weight behind fellow Dutchman Michael van Praag in the race for FIFA’s presidency, saying his friend was somebody “you can count on.” Writing for popular daily tabloid De Telegraaf yesteday, Cruyff said if Van Praag “ever asked for my support, he’s got it.” “I’ve known him for fifty years and we remain good friends. He’s someone you can count on.” Dutch football chief Van Praag a week ago threw his hat in the ring in the bid to dethrone FIFA president Sepp Blatter, saying he would stand for one term only. Van Praag said he wanted to modernise football’s world governing body “which has lost all credibility.” The former Ajax chairman presented backing from the Dutch, Belgian, Swedish, Scottish, Romanian and Faroe Islands’ football federations. He is among four candidates announced Monday for the FIFA candidacy including Blatter himself, considered to be the favorite. Another candidate is former Portugal international Luis Figo, who Cruyff described as an “excellent candidate” but one lacking management experience. “Therefore it would be good for Figo to support Van Praag,” this time, Cruyff writes.Known as the “Flying Dutchman” for his explosive style, Cruyff is considered by many as one of football’s all-time greats. In his prime he led Ajax to three straight European Cup triumphs from 1971-1973 and he also led the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final, winning the Ballon d’Or award as Europe’s best footballer three times in the process. As a coach, among others he won the Champions League with Barcelona in 1992 and shaped the club’s celebrated youth system.—AFP Adnan Januzaj er has been impressed by Januzaj’s efforts of late and chose instead to keep him at Old Trafford. “He has a lot of talent, but you have to perform that talent in the matches. And also in the training sessions,” van Gaal told reporters. “I’m not making the line-up. The players themselves are making the line-up. You don’t believe that, I think! “I look at players every day. I observe and I communicate with my players what I want. And the moment I think, ‘OK, he is now ready to play,’ then maybe I can let them play.” Pressure ‘all on United’ The FA Cup is the only competition that United stand a realistic chance of winning and with Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur among the teams to have fallen by the wayside, the field has opened up.United, embarrassed by a 0-0 draw in the first meeting between the sides, therefore seem certain to field a strong line-up, with van Gaal claiming he will resist the temptation to hand a debut to new goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Perhaps distracted by the prospect of the trip to Old Trafford, Cambridge’s league form has not matched their efforts in the cup, with Richard Money’s side collecting just one point from their last two League Two games. Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Luton Town, which left Cambridge in the bottom half of the English fourth tier, provided a wake-up call. The replay will give an opportunity for midfielder Luke Chadwick to return to the club where he started his career, while winger Ryan Donaldson also has some experience of the stadium. Aged 17, Donaldson sat on the bench at Old Trafford for his former club Newcastle United. “Kevin Keegan was the manager. I never got on, but it was a fantastic atmosphere,” he recalled. “And the pitch seemed huge. Maybe that will suit me if I am in a wide role again. “But no matter what happens, it will be an incredible night. And the pressure is all on them, isn’t it?” The winners of the game will visit either Preston North End or giant-killers Sheffield United, who fell to Tottenham in the League Cup semi-finals last week. The two third-tier sides meet at Bramall Lane. In today’s other replay, Premier League Sunderland visit Fulham, while Liverpool travel to second-division Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday with a fifth-round trip to Crystal Palace up for grabs.— AFP Koepka wins his first PGA title in Phoenix TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 16 Ghana, Ivory Coast through as Tunisian row bubbles on 19 MotoGP ready for India ride: Ezpeleta Page 16 GLENDALE: New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski holds up Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game. — AP Patriots win Super Bowl thriller GLENDALE: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots rallied to edge Seattle 28-24 in Super Bowl 49 on Sunday, scuttling the Seahawks’ bid for a second straight NFL championship in dramatic style. With their fourth Super Bowl triumph-and first in a decade-the Patriots reconfirmed their status as the league’s dominant team of the 21st century, a mantle they aren’t prepared to hand over to the Seahawks just yet. “Whatever it takes,” said Brady, whose three-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman gave the Patriots a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with 2:02 remaining. “We were playing a great defense and they’re a great team. Took everything all the way to the last play. “I’m just proud of our effort and our determination,” added Brady, whose team recovered from a lackluster start to the season and dealt all week with suggestions they purposely underinflated footballs used in a playoff win over Indianapolis. “It’s just a great win,” Brady said. “We left it all on the field.” The Patriots rallied from a 24-14 third-quarter deficit, becoming the first team in Super Bowl history to trail by double digits in the second half and win the game. Rookie Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception of a pass by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson with 20 seconds left preserved the victory in a title showdown that lived up to its billing as a clash of titans. SUPER BOWL MVP Brady threw two of his four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to rally the Pats against the most feared defensive unit in the league. Brady, making a record sixth Super Bowl start at quarterback, joined boyhood idol Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks with four Super Bowl wins, having also led New England to the title after the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons. He set the record for most career Super Bowl touchdown passes, taking his tally to 13 to surpass the 11 of Montana, and matched Montana with his third Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award. The Seahawks, who rallied in the final minutes of the National Conference final to book their return to the Super Bowl, looked like they might pull off another miracle. Wilson hit Marshawn Lynch with a 31-yard pass to put the Seahawks in Patriots territory. Then Jermaine Kearse came up with a stunning catch as he fell to the turf, corralling a ball that had appeared to have been certainly deflected out of his reach. That put Seattle on the 5-yard line. Lynch was stopped just short of the goal line on the ensuing play, but the Seahawks didn’t go to their superstar running back on the next play. Instead, Wilson attempted a short pass to Ricardo Lockette that Butler seized to end Seattle’s hopes. “I just guessed and went and made a play,” said Butler. “It’s crazy man.” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said it was his decision not to run the ball, saying he thought the match-ups were wrong. “It’s a miraculous play that kid made to get in front of that route,” Carroll said. “I hate that we have to live with that because we did everything right to win the football game.” INTENSE START The Patriots wasted a first-quarter scoring chance when Brady was picked off near Seattle’s goal line, but went up 70 with a methodical 65-yard scoring drive capped by Brady’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell. Wilson and the Seahawks offense, meanwhile, got off to a stuttering start, finally firing when Wilson connected with Kearse on a six-yarder, followed by a deep ball down the sideline to little used receiver Chris Matthews-who made the first catch of his NFL career. Matthews’ acrobatic effort set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Lynch. The Pats struck back with an 80-yard, eightplay drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski with 31 seconds remaining in the first half. But Wilson piloted the Seahawks 80 yards in 29 seconds and hit Matthews with an 11-yard touchdown pass that made it 14-14 at the break. The Seahawks took their first lead on Stephen Hauschka’s 27-yard field goal in the third quarter and pushed the lead to 24-14 after capitalizing on another Brady interception to score. Brady answered with a 68-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola, cutting the deficit to 24-21. “Hard work pays off,” Amendola said. “All the work pays off. All the work we’ve put in all year, all the adversity, dealing with everything that we have, it’s paying off and it’s the best feeling in the world.” — AFP Last play will linger,Brady’s class showed in Patriots’ win PHOENIX: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds up his Pete Rozelle Trophy during a news conference after the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game. — AP GLENDALE: Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Caroll won plenty of praise for his brave decision making in the AFC Championship win that took his team to the Super Bowl but was facing the heat after Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots. Just as they did against the Green Bay Packers two weeks ago, the Seahawks had come back from a slow start, finding their rhythm on offense and it looked as if a second straight Super Bowl win was on the cards. Despite being the second-best throughout the first two quarters, Seattle went in level 14-14 at halftime, thanks again to Carroll’s positive approach. With six seconds remaining in the half, many teams might have settled for a field goal but the Seahawks used the opportunity to the full - with Russell Wilson finding Chris Matthews with an 11-yard touchdown pass. But few will remember that call after the strange decision at the end of the game which practically gifted the win to the Patriots. Trailing by four and on second down, a yard from goal, the most obvious decision would have been to hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch, who having put up 102 yards on 24 carries, was averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Instead Carroll went for a pass play and quarterback Russell Wilson’s attempt to reach Ricardo Lockette with a low zipped pass turned into disaster as undrafted rookie corner Malcolm Butler showed brilliant anticipation and agility to make the interception. It was game over and to most observers and the millions watching on television, it was an inexplicable decision from Carroll. “There’s really nobody to blame but me, and I told them that clearly,” said Carroll. “And I don’t want them to think anything other than that. They busted their tails and did everything they needed to do to put us in position, and unfortunately it didn’t work out,” he said. Carroll’s explanation was that with New England’s goal-line defense on the field and his wide-receiver set, it made no sense to run the ball on that play-especially with the option of running on third or fourth down. Arguments over that logic and the decision that it prompted will no doubt rage for weeks but it would be unfair if that crucial call became all that was remembered of what was a great game. New England quarterback Tom Brady won the MVP despite throwing two interceptions largely because of his four touchdown passes and 37 of 50 passing for 328 yards, but also because of the way he managed the Patriots offense. The Patriots have a relatively small receiver corps and their value, especially in the slot, was amply evident throughout. Julian Edelman was a livewire throughout, as he put up 109 yards on nine receptions with Shane Vereen adding 64 yards receiving and Danny Amdendola contributing another 48 yards. The last offensive drive from the Patriots, which concluded with a three-yard Brady touchdown pass to Edelman was New England at their very best. All nine passes were completed as Brady took the team 64 yards in four minutes 50 seconds and the quarterback chose four different receivers on his march down the field. — Reuters Business Gulf banks likely to need $35bn of capital by 2019 Page 22 NBK most valuable banking brand in Kuwait TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 Page 23 Bahrah Trading Co holds spectacular field show for Al-Babtain launches all-new Renault Bobcat Captur in Kuwait Page 26 Page 25 WASHINGTON: News cameras get a look as President Barack Obama’s new $4 trillion budget plan is distributed by the Senate Budget Committee as it arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, early yesterday. — AP Obama sends $4tn budget to Congress Foreign profits tax tied to big public works spending WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama sent Congress a $4 trillion budget yesterday that calls for huge spending on infrastructure funded by a one-time tax on profits US companies have amassed overseas. The business-friendly Republican-controlled Congress is all but certain to say no. The foreign earnings tax would be part of a broader administration plan to overhaul corporate taxes by ending certain tax breaks and lowering rates, a challenging task that Obama and Republican congressional leaders insist they are poised to tackle this year. The spending document for the 2016 fiscal year beginning Oct 1 also reflects goals Obama set out in his State of the Union speech, particularly higher taxes on wealthy Americans to shrink the growing gap between high-income and middle-class citizens. The administration said the budget represented a strategy to strengthen the middle class and help “hard-working families get ahead in a time of relentless economic and technological change.” Obama’s fiscal blueprint, for the budget year that begins Oct 1, proposes spending $4 trillion $3.99 trillion before rounding - and projects revenues of $3.53 trillion. That would leave a deficit of $474 billion. Obama’s budget plan never reaches balance over the next decade and projects the deficit would rise to $687 billion in 2025. The administration contends that various spending cuts and tax increases would trim the deficits by about $1.8 trillion over the next decade, leaving the red ink at manageable levels. Congressional Republicans say the budgets they produce will achieve balance and will attack costly benefit program like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The question is what kind of negotiated middle ground, if any, will emerge in a climate of the overwhelming partisan divide separating Obama and his Democrats from Republicans, many of whom have made their goal to stop or reverse virtually all of the president’s domestic initiatives. Obama, in an NBC interview before the Super Bowl, disputed a suggestion that he and Congress are so far apart that his budget proposals have no chance of winning approval. “I think Republicans believe that we should be building our infrastructure,” Obama said. “The question is how do we pay for it? That’s a negotiation we should have.” Obama’s new budget offers an array of spending programs and tax increases on the wealthy that Republican lawmakers have already rejected. The likely meeting ground is the tax rate on US companies. The current 35 percent top tax rate for corporations in the United States, the highest among major economies, Oil’s fresh rally lifts Saudi MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: A rebound in global oil prices and decisions by state-controlled companies to pay cash bonuses to employees boosted Saudi Arabia’s stock market yesterday, while other Gulf bourses were mixed in choppy trading. Brent crude fell in early trade on news of a US refinery strike and weak Chinese manufacturing data, but bounced back later in the day and traded above $54 per barrel by the time Saudi Arabia’s market closed. The Saudi stock index rose 0.8 percent as petrochemicals firm Saudi Basic Industries, the kingdom’s largest listed company, jumped 2.4 percent; other stocks in the sector also climbed. Petrochemical prices are linked to oil and the sector was hit hard in a sell-off triggered by oil’s plunge last year. Retailers also performed well yesterday: Fawaz Alhokair surged 8.8 percent and Jarir Marketing jumped 2.6 percent. This followed announce- ments by large companies such as Saudi Electricity and Saudi Telecom that they would pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses to their workers, following last Thursday’s order by the new king that Saudi state employees would receive two months of extra salary to mark his accession. Part of the corporate bonuses is expected to be spent on consumer goods, boosting the retailers’ revenues and profits. Investors were less enthusiastic about the companies which will use their resources to pay out the cash; shares in Saudi Electricity edged up 0.6 percent, while Saudi Telecom fell 0.8 percent. UAE, EGYPT Other Gulf markets had closed when oil was still in the red and their performances were mixed. Dubai’s index fell 1.1 percent; the benchmark had surged 4.5 percent in the previous session. But shares in property developer DAMAC shot up 6.8 percent after it reported an 11 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit yesterday, according to Reuters calculations. Abu Dhabi’s index edged down 0.6 percent as most blue chips pulled back. Oman’s market was nearly flat, while Kuwait edged up 0.3 percent. Qatar’s benchmark added 0.5 percent, largely on the back of Islamic lender Masraf Al-Rayan, which jumped 3.9 percent. The bank reported estimate-beating fourth-quarter results and a dividend hike last week. Meanwhile, shares in Qatar National Bank dropped 2.0 percent as they no longer carried the 2014 dividend. Egypt’s bourse edged up 0.5 percent as property developers continued to gain on hopes that Egyptians will use real estate as a hedge against the weakening pound. Talaat Moustafa Group rose 1.2 percent, Amer Group added 0.8 percent and Palm Hills Development gained 0.2 percent. — Reuters serves as a disincentive and many US companies with overseas holdings simply keep their foreign earnings abroad. The question remains whether there will be sufficient flexibility in negotiations to keep Obama from vetoing the budget, a move that would force, yet again, last-minute emergency talks, a possible government shutdown or a socalled continuing resolution that would fund the government at current levels. Under Obama’s plan, the top corporate tax rate for company profits earned in the U.S. would drop to 28 percent. While past foreign profits would be taxed immediately at the 14 percent rate, going forward new foreign profits would be taxed immediately at 19 percent, with companies getting a credit for foreign taxes paid. Opposition Republicans are opposed virtually across the board to anything that would increase taxes, such as closing loopholes. They also are against taxing foreign profits and will likely block that avenue for funding Obama’s infrastructure plans. The White House believes it has some leverage on taxing foreign earnings by linking the revenue to construction projects that could potentially benefit the home districts of every member of Congress. The budget will call for the one-time 14 percent manda- tory tax on the up to $2 trillion in estimated US corporate earnings that have accumulated overseas. That would generate about $238 billion, by White House calculations. The remaining $240 billion would come from the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is financed with a gasoline tax. Obama is releasing his budget as the federal deficit drops and his poll numbers inch higher. Although Republicans will march ahead on their own, they ultimately must come to terms with the Democratic president, who wields a veto. Ahead loom big challenges. Obama is proposing to ease automatic cuts to the Pentagon and domestic agencies with a 7 percent increase in annual appropriations. He wants a $38 billion increase for the Pentagon that Republicans probably will want to match. But his demand for a nearly equal amount for domestic programs sets up a showdown with Republicans. Another centerpiece of the president’s tax proposal is an increase in the capital gains rate on couples making more than $500,000 a year. The rate would climb from 23.8 percent to 28 percent. Obama wants to require estates to pay capital gains taxes on securities at the time they are inherited. He also is trying to impose a 0.07 percent fee on the roughly 100 US financial companies with assets of more than $50 billion. — AP Philippines may surpass China as Asia’s fastest growing economy MANILA/JAKARTA: The Philippines may surpass China to be Asia’s fastest growing economy this year, but its bigger challenge is working out how to sustain and share the gains of the past five years to secure longer-term prosperity. Since President Benigno Aquino came to power in 2010 and embarked on a reform and governance push, the Philippines has become a hot investment favorite and one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Investors now want to know how the Southeast Asian country will be able to sustain fiscal and economic policies that have spurred growth and reduced poverty after Aquino’s term ends next year. “We think that 2016 is critical in terms of the long-term outlook of the Philippines,” said Eugenia Victorino at ANZ bank. The Philippines defied the region’s slowdown in the fourth quarter by regaining momentum, bringing full-year growth to 6.1 percent the fastest expansion in Asia after China. This year, Aquino is aiming for growth of 7-8 percent, while China’s growth is expected to slow to around 7 percent. MORE INCLUSIVE Aquino has fought corruption and prioritized infrastructure improvements that are pivotal to raising growth potential. However, the economy is still mired with high unemployment. The World Bank has said Philippine growth is now “more inclusive”, and there are signs benefits are trickling down. More than one million jobs were created in 2014 and unemployment fell to 6 percent, the lowest for at least a decade. But job creation has still struggled to match the number of people looking for work; 42 percent of the population still live on less than $2 per day. Vibrant sectors, such as booming back-office firms, earn foreign exchange but don’t spread a lot of prosperity. “To have one of those jobs, you need some skills. At a minimum, decent command of English and computer literacy, but often a bit more than that,” said Dan Martin at Capital Economics. Manufacturing, the sector probably best able to raise productivity and the income of low-skilled workers, could benefit as low wages and a competitive currency help the Philippines grab some of the production that is leaving China because of rising costs. AFTER AQUINO Aquino, limited by the constitution to a single term in office, has improved public finances and boosted investment in roads, ports and schools through public-private partnerships. Last summer, wrangles with the Supreme Court caused a seize-up of government spending, but it resumed after Congress passed a supplementary budget in December. “We’re very hopeful that the Aquino government will be able to release the funds to continue with its infrastructure programs,” said Victorino. The outlook from mid-2016, following the elections for a new president and half of Congress, is far less certain.— - Reuters TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 BUSINESS Gulf banks likely to need $35bn of capital by 2019 Regulation, tight pricing cloud capital-boosting bonds DUBAI: Fast-growing Gulf Arab banks plan to bolster their reserves by issuing capitalboosting bonds, but uncertainty over regulation and ultra-tight pricing increase the risks for issuers and investors. Basel III standards, now being phased in around the world, will require banks to hold more capital. While Gulf banks have very high capital adequacy ratios, their rapid expansion, and the fact they operate in emerging markets with lower sovereign ratings than the core developed economies, mean they will be hungry for more capital in coming years. The banking sector of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to need an additional $35 billion of capital by 2019, according to a study by consultants Strategy. Retained earnings and equity issuance will provide some but not all of that money. So banks are turning to other instruments, especially perpetual bonds with equity-like characteristics that boost Tier 1, or core, capital. Contingent capital securities known as “CoCos”, convertible into shares in certain circumstances, may also be used. Kuwait’s Burgan Bank and Abu Dhabi’s Al Hilal Bank issued Tier 1 bonds designed to be Basel III-compliant last year. Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the United Arab Emirates’ largest Islamic bank, sold $1 billion of Tier 1 Islamic bonds last month at 6.75 percent. Qatar Islamic Bank, Qatar’s Doha Bank and Oman’s Bank Dhofar have all announced plans to issue Tier 1 bonds since the start of this year. Capital-boosting bonds are good options for banks in the region as they provide efficiency, flexibility and diversification, said Christoph Paul, head of Middle Eastern and North African capital markets at Morgan Stanley. Regulation But the trend to issue such bonds has been slower in the Gulf than in many other parts of the world, for a good reason: details of how national regulators will treat the instruments remain unclear in some countries. Saudi Arabia, a member of the committee which drafted Basel III, as well as Kuwait and Bahrain, have clarified what conditions the bonds must meet for their regulators to count them towards Tier 1 capital totals. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman have not yet finalized their guidelines, however. This creates considerable uncertainty for the issuing banks - in theory, they could issue bonds only to discover Pricing In these circumstances, the tight pricings being achieved by GCC issuers of Tier 1 bonds are remarkable, and not necessarily healthy. In developed markets, the pricing difference between Tier 1 bonds under Basel III and Basel II has been about 250 to 300 basis points, bankers said. DIB, however, achieved a tiny difference. A regional asset manager noted that $1 billion of Tier 1 sukuk from DIB, callable in 2019, were issued under Basel II rules in 2013 at 6.25 percent. He calculated that represented a spread of only about 25 bps to the bank’s latest sukuk, taking into account the fact that DIB’s latest issue is not callable. Such a small spread may mean investors are not fully appreciating the much higher risk of loss embedded in the new Basel III structures. The willingness of some Gulf investors to shoulder this risk threatens to price international investors out of the market. “In reality, these new-style notes should pay a much higher premium since they don’t seek a rating and stand way behind existing subordinated bonds because of the loss absorption trigger,” said one senior Dubai banker. “Consequently, they would be wiped out before the old-style bonds in the event of bankruptcy, however unlikely this is.” —Reuters months or years later that their national regulators do not recognize the instruments as capital-boosting. “We are in that limbo where everybody is trying to figure out what is required or not to issue capital instruments,” said a senior banker at a UAE lender, declining to be named because he was not authorized to speak to media. A key issue is loss absorption: unlike the previous Basel II regulatory regime, Basel III rules call for all capital instruments to absorb losses fully when a bank becomes non-viable, but leave it to national regulators to decide exactly how and when investors would shoulder the losses. GCC governments have in the past been very supportive of their banking systems - most of the big banks have large state shareholdings - so in some cases, banks seem to be assuming that their regulators would never take the inconvenient step of disallowing their Tier 1 bonds. But making such assumptions is not comfor table for some institutional investors, who tend to prefer legal and regulatory certainty. One risk is that an issuer, finding its outstanding bond was not Basel III-compliant, might decide to try to revise the terms - a strategy which India’s IDBI Bank adopted last year, angering investors. Saudi Electricity, other big firms to pay bonuses DOHA/DUBAI: Several of Saudi Arabia’s largest companies announced yesterday they would pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses after the new king ordered that Saudi state employees should receive two months of extra salary. Saudi Electricity Co will distribute 545 million riyals ($149 million) among its Saudi employees, it said in a bourse statement. The government owns 81 percent of the Gulf’s largest utility, according to Reuters data. Saudi Telecom Co (STC), 70 percent state-owned, will pay an extra 395 million riyals to its Saudi employees, it said in a similar filing, adding that the payout would be recorded in its first-quarter earnings. Last week, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered the immediate payment of two months of bonus salary to all state employees and pension to retired government workers, marking his accession to power after the death of his brother King Abdullah. “The Saudi Electricity Company has decided to grant two months’ salary for all key Saudi staff and trainees,” the company said in a statement to the kingdom’s stock exchange, adding that the bonus paid to each staff member would not exceed 50,000 riyals. Southern Province Cement, which is majority-owned by state funds, said it would pay two months’ salary to Saudi employees and half a month’s pay to non-Saudis. King Salman’s announcement did not give a monetary figure, but analysts said the payout to state employees could be worth some 70 billion riyals, while additional handouts to pensioners, students and others could make total spending much larger. —Reuters i n b r i e f Dinar stable against dollar at KD 0.294 KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the US dollar against the Kuwaiti dinar was stable at KD 0.294 yesterday, while the euro rose to KD 0. 333 compared to yesterday’s rates. The Central Bank of Kuwait said in its daily bulletin that the sterling was stable at KD 0.444, the Swiss franc dropped to KD 0.318, while the Japanese yen was unchanged at KD 0.002. Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve released reports on a decreasing level of inflation and a strong growth of economic activities in January 2015 compared to a medium growth last December. As for the euro-zone, the focus is on Greece which is working on a new economic program, as the government is determined to call off all austerity measures. Meanwhile, inflation rates had decreased in Germany last January compared to the same month in 2014. UAE’s NBAD to meet investors from today DUBAI: National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) plans to meet fixed income investors starting today for a potential U.S. dollar-denominated bond issue, a document from lead managers showed yesterday. Rated AA- by Standard and Poor’s and Fitch, NBAD will meet investors in Asia and Europe, it said, adding that it would issue a bond during the course of 2015 subject to market conditions. NBAD, owned 70 percent by the government of Abu Dhabi, mandated Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered and itself to arrange the investor meetings. Egyptian pound weakens to new low CAIRO: Egypt’s pound weakened to 7.53 per dollar, from 7.51 at the last sale, at a central bank auction yesterday, the weakest level it has been allowed to reach since auctions began in December 2012. The bank offered 40 million dollars and sold 38.4 million at a cutoff price of 7.5301 pounds per dollar, the central bank said. The rates at which banks are allowed to trade dollars are determined by the results of central bank sales, giving the bank effective control over official exchange rates, though there remains an active black market in the pound. Saudi buys 690,000tn of hard wheat HAMBURG/ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia bought 690,000 tons of hard wheat via a tender, the country’s main state grain agency Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO) said yesterday. The wheat, with 12.5 percent protein content, is for shipment during April and May, GSFMO said in a statement. The accepted origins are the European Union, North America, South America and Australia at the option of sellers, the GSFMO said. “I think there will be expectations that some of the purchase will be sourced in Europe, perhaps in Germany or Poland,” one trader said. Saudi Arabia has become a major importer of hard and soft wheat since abandoning plans for self-sufficiency in wheat in 2008 as farming in the desert drained away precious water supplies. The country aims to steadily reduce agriculture and plans to be completely reliant on imports by 2016 to save water. HEART: Afghan blacksmiths work in a shop in Herat yesterday. Afghanistan’s economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taleban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance. —AFP DAMAC sees property price pause in 2015 DUBAI: Dubai developer DAMAC expects the emirate’s property sector to steady in 2015 before supply shortages boost prices in 2016-17, its chief executive said yesterday, after the company reported an 11 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit. Dubai house prices fell 49 percent from a peak in the third quarter of 2008 to the market bottom in the second quarter of 2009, according to consultants Cluttons, following a supply glut and the emirate’s debt crisis. Prices subsequently recovered as an influx of cash and people from troubled parts of the Middle East helped spark a rebound, although Cluttons estimates house prices remain about 18 News percent below 2008 peaks. DAMAC made a profit of $249.8 million in the three months to Dec. 31, according to Reuters calculations based on a company statement. This was up from $225.1 million a year earlier. DAMAC’s 2014 full-year profit was $937 million, up from $641.5 million, the company said in a filing to London’s bourse. “I see Dubai’s property marketing stabilizing in 2015, but 2016-17 there could be some shortage in supply,” DAMAC chief executive Hussain Sajwani told Reuters. “After consolidating, we see the market nosing up.” The consensus view is for prices to fall slightly sheet, cash flows and growth requirements, I don’t see a huge need for additional capital,” said Adil Taki, DAMAC chief financial officer. DAMAC’s value of properties under construction rose by 20 percent to $2.33 billion at 2014end, largely due to increases in its land bank. “I don’t expect we will buy a huge amount of land this year, although there will also always be some depending on location and availability,” added Sajwani. DAMAC will also de-list its global depository receipts (GDRs) from London by mid-March, having bought out 97.4 percent of holders. Shares in DAMAC, which joined Dubai’s main bourse in January, ended 6.8 percent higher. —Reuters in 2015 as increased property sales taxes, stricter mortgage rules and a lack of affordability reverses market momentum. Sajwani said four developers now controlled 90 percent of Dubai’s property sector-DAMAC, plus government-linked trio Dubai Properties, Emaar Properties and Nakheel. “These are all long-established companies with strong cash flows and that is helping the market mature,” said Sajwani. DAMAC’s fourthquarter revenue was $440.4 million versus $431.8 million a year earlier, Reuters calculations showed. The firm booked sales worth $3.1 billion in 2014, up from $2.5 billion in 2013. It delivered 3,553 units last year. “If you look at our balance New rules to align UAE insurers with European solvency requirements DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates Insurance Authority has issued new rules for conventional and Islamic insurance (takaful) firms, clarifying policyholders’ rights and setting investment limits for the sector, the regulator said yesterday. Insurers will have between two and three years to fall in line with the new rules, which align the UAE with European solvency requirements, the regulator said in a statement. Among the investment limits, firms will have to keep aggregate exposure to real estate to a maximum of 30 percent of invested funds, and have a minimum 5 percent exposure to cash and deposits. The new takaful rules include provisions on the distribution of surplus funds to policyholders and segregation of assets of participants’ and shareholders’ accounts. The UAE issued its first set of takaful rules in 2010, but regulation of the industry is inconsistent across the region, hurting the industry’s profit margins and credit ratings, according to a report by global insurance rating agency A.M. Best. —Reuters EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal transfer Irani Riyal cash Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.519 4.788 2.928 2.218 3.012 219.930 38.159 3.795 6.713 9.068 61.555 121.740 GCC COUNTRIES 78.754 81.297 768.910 785.970 80.588 ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.349 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 39.041 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.381 Tunisian Dinar 153.580 Jordanian Dinar 417.270 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.985 Syrian Lira 2.109 Morocco Dirham 31.468 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 295.800 Euro 337.210 Sterling Pound 448.370 Canadian dollar 334.420 Turkish lira 120.970 Swiss Franc 325.050 Australian Dollar 232.790 US Dollar Buying 294.600 20 gram 10 gram 5 gram GOLD 238.100 121.740 61.560 UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal SELL DRAFT 219.49 236.45 326.46 337.06 296.00 448.76 2.56 3.797 4.781 2.219 2.982 2.927 80.43 785.62 38.93 420.58 767.63 81.51 78.85 SELL CASH 216.49 237.45 324.46 338.06 299.00 451.76 2.58 4.067 5.081 2.654 3.517 2.790 80.90 787.69 39.53 426.23 774.93 82.06 79.25 2.565 3.980 82.205 47.700 10.005 121.335 Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht 0.000065 0.215787 0.019614 0.001880 0.009283 0.008719 0.000071 0.221787 0.028114 0.002460 0.009463 0.009269 Bahrain Exchange Company Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar Turkish Lira UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal Arab 0.778155 0.036603 0.000082 0.000196 0.413157 1.000000 0.000147 0.022718 0.001206 0.762292 0.080538 0.078243 0.001754 0.149705 0.121372 0.079554 0.001336 0.786155 0.039703 0.000083 0.000256 0.420657 1.000000 0.000247 0.046718 0.001841 0.767972 0.081751 0.078943 0.001974 0.157705 0.128372 0.080703 0.001416 Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Chinese Yuan Renminbi Thai Bhat Turkish Lira COUNTRY Belgian Franc British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Romanian Leu Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Selling Rate 295.750 234.575 446.970 335.350 272.710 786.690 80.895 82.060 79.060 417.445 38.786 2.219 4.785 2.926 3.795 6.688 725.940 3.515 Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar America Canadian Dollar US Dollars US Dollars Mint Bangladesh Taka Chinese Yuan Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Korean Won Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso SELL CASH Europe 0.007707 0.440486 0.004078 0.041049 0.329643 0.034240 0.084848 0.008700 0.031865 0.316867 0.121372 SELLDRAFT 0.008707 0.449486 0.016078 0.046049 0.337643 0.039440 0.084848 0.018700 0.036865 0.327067 0.128372 Australasia 0.221853 0.209571 0.233353 0.219071 0.228188 0.291700 0.292200 0.236688 0.296400 0.296400 Asia 0.003499 0.046174 0.036053 0.004466 0.000019 0.002436 0.003280 0.000260 0.078661 0.003024 0.002691 0.006565 0.004099 0.049674 0.038803 0.004867 0.000025 0.002616 0.003280 0.000275 0.084661 0.003194 0.002971 0.006845 Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterlng Canadian Dollar Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 294.250 348.000 448.650 247.700 4.738 41.135 2.222 3.770 6.590 2.928 783.450 80.150 78.600 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 BUSINESS Warba Bank operating revenues rise at 79% to reach KD 18.53m Financing portfolio grows at 78% reaching KD 388.16m NBK most valuable banking brand in Kuwait KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) was recognized as the most valuable banking brand in Kuwait in 2015 according to Brand Finance, the renowned brand valuation agency. NBK ranks among the Top Tier of the Most 500 Valuable Brands in the world from all sectors. According to Brand Finance, NBK’s Brand value reached USD 1.04 billion, up 32% yearon-year. Also, NBK’s brand rating increased to AA, among the top in the region. This recognition reflects customers and shareholders’ trust in NBK as well as the bank’s strong reputation locally and regionally. David Haigh, Brand Finance CEO, said: “In common with much of the GCC, Kuwait’s bank brands are growing strongly. NBK stands out however, by adding $250m to its brand value in a year, it has overtaken its competitors to become the nation’s premier banking brand. With a total brand value of USD 1.04 billion, it has now joined the elite ‘billion dollar brands club’.” Brand Finance’s valuation assesses the dollar value of the reputation, image and intel- lectual property of the brand. It considers a number of relevant attributes such as financial performance, revenue forecasts, growth rates, sustainability, and analysts’ insights, amongst others. NBK continues to collectively enjoy the highest ratings from the three international rating agencies; Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor’s. The Bank’s ratings are supported by its high capitalization, prudent lending policies, and its disciplined approach to risk management, in addition to its highly recognized and very stable management team. In 2014, NBK was also named among Global Finance’s list of the 50 safest banks in the world for the ninth consecutive time. NBK has the widest banking presence with more than 170 branches worldwide. NBK’s international presence spans many of the world’s leading financial centers including London, Paris, Geneva, New York and Singapore, as well as China (Shanghai). Meanwhile, regional coverage extends to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey. KUWAIT: Warba Bank has announced its annual financial results for 2014 demonstrating remarkable growth across all indicators of the Bank supported by significant increases in the operating revenues and the Bank’s financing portfolio. For the year ending 31 December 2014, Warba Bank has reported operating revenue of KD 18.53 million at 79 percent increase compared to KD 10.32 million for the year ended 31 December 2013. The financial statements demonstrated that the Bank generated a net profit of KD 115,000 for the 12 months ending 31 December 2014 at an increase of 103 percent compared to a loss of KD 3,709 Thousand for 2013. The Bank’s total assets grew reaching KD 594.8 million as in December 2014 compared to KD 405.51 million by the end of 2013, while maintaining high asset quality. Realized profits before provisions increased at 302 percent reaching KD 1.92 million compared to losses of KD 0.95 million for the previous year. This is mainly due to the much higher increase in operating revenues than the increase in the total operating expenses. The Bank’s financing portfolio witnessed significant increase of 78 percent reaching KD 388.16 million as on 31 December 2014 compared to KD 218 million by the end of 2013. Commenting on the 2014 financial results, Emad A Al-Thaqeb, Chairman of Warba Bank, said: “These positive results achieved across the Bank’s operations in 2014 reflect the Bank’s excellent operational status, the assets quality, success of the strategy adopted by the Bank for seizing growth opportunities in high quality assets with minimal risks for generating robust returns over the shortto-medium term.” Al-Thaqeb emphasized that the profits of Warba Bank resulted from an increase in operating revenues with a parallel decrease in expenses. This is due to the high quality and diversity of the Bank’s asset portfolio while maintaining high growth rates in an intensive competitive environment in the banking sector. With regard to risk management, The Bank enjoys a high quality financing portfolio with non performing finances at only 0.28 percent which is one of the best rates internationally. The Bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio at the end of 2014 far exceeded the designated ratio stipulated by Basel III requirements and the Central Bank of Kuwait instructions reflecting the Bank’s robust financial position and solid platform supporting the Bank’s future business growth. He added: “We have recently set our strategy for the coming three years. This strategy is a roadmap guiding our endeavors for improving and developing the Bank’s performance by applying the best Chairman of Warba Bank Emad A Al-Thaqeb Warba Bank Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Jassar Al-Jassar established practices in the banking industry across various fields. The Strategy also aims at enhancing the Bank’s position and role in the local and regional markets, taking into account all recent economic and social volatilities in Kuwait and the region”. Jassar Al-Jassar, Warba Bank Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, said: “The financial results of the year 2014 reflect significant growth in all financial indicators illustrating the Bank’s solid and sound trend; The operating revenues continue to grow reaching KD 18.53 million for the year ending 31st December 2014 at an increase of 79 percent compared to 2013 where the operating revenues reached KD 10.32 million in addition to continuous asset growth where the total asset increased at 47 percent reaching KD 594.8 million for the year ending 31st December 2014 compared to KD 405.51 million by the end of 2013. This is achieved while maintaining high asset quality and continuous growth in the financing portfolio by 78 percent reaching KD 388.16 million for the period ending 31st December 2014 compared to KD 218.03 million by the end of 2013.” “In 2015, we will continue satisfying the financing requirements of our corporate and retail customers for banking and financing services. We always seek to get closer to our customers through current and future branches in addition to our focus on providing new technological applications. The Bank also pays due attention to supporting and financing small- and medium-sized enterprises which significantly contribute to the development of the national economy and creating new job opportunities. We would like to reaffirm that our relationship with our individual and corporate customers and investors is based on business partnership for the benefit of depositors, customers and investors” added Al-Jassar. Al-Jassar concluded “In addition to our continuous focus on the operational aspects of the Bank, we strongly believe in the significance of human capital resources particularly Kuwaiti nationals which is a key fundamental to our success. Accordingly, we have been committed from the outset to care for our employees, enhance and develop their skills for providing attractive business environment that cater for creativity and innovations in order to provide our customers with the highest quality services. From the beginning, Warba Bank has been keen on investing in Kuwaiti skilled labor where Kuwaitization in the Bank now exceeds 60 percent. The Bank always seeks to recruit Kuwaiti calibers and develop employee’s skills and talents in order to ensure that the customer receives the best services at the highest professional levels in line with the international quality standards. Customer service officers at the Bank have the highest professional certificates in this field.” It is worthy to mention that Warba Bank has recently added a new tribute to its achievements record. The Bank has won the “2014 Best Call Centre Award” from Banker Middle East Magazine for Banking Products And Services in Kuwait by CPI FINANCIAL. This prestigious award reflects the successes that the Bank has achieved in Kuwait and the excellent services offered to its customers by satisfying all their Sharia-compliant financing and investment requirements. Kuwait trade surplus narrows to KD5.3 billion in Q3 2014 NBK ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait’s trade surplus narrowed slightly to KD 5.3 billion in the third quarter of 2014, as oil exports fell and import growth strengthened. The surplus remains strong, though it narrowed to its lowest level in three years mainly on lower oil prices. The decline in non-oil exports and strong rise in import demand have also added downward pressure on the trade balance recently. With oil prices falling further since 3Q14, we can expect the surplus to narrow further in the coming quarters. Still, Kuwait’s external buffers are substantial, with a relatively large trade surplus projected at 47 percent of GDP for 2014. Oil export earnings fell by 9 percent year-on-year (y/y) in 3Q14 and currently stand at KD 7.4 billion. Oil export earnings were mainly driven lower by a decline in oil prices. Kuwait Expor t Crude (KEC) price fell by 4.2 percent y/y in 3Q14, after rising by 4.4 percent y/y in the previous quarter. Oil export volumes witnessed a rebound in 3Q14, growing by a solid 26 percent y/y, after declining by 4.3 percent y/y in 2Q14. The jump in oil export volumes was not enough to counteract the decline in oil prices. Oil export revenue growth is projected to soften further in the near- to mediumterm, as oil prices continue to average lower. By early 2015, KEC had reached $40 per barrel, approximately 60 percent lower than the average price witnessed during the same period in 2014. Non-oil exports declined by 9.6 percent y/y in 3Q14 after growing by 5.9 percent y/y in the previous quarter. Non-oil exports were mainly driven lower by further declines in ethylene prices. With ethylene prices expected to maintain their weakness in the mediumterm, non-oil export growth is set to remain soft. Imports continued to strengthen into 3Q14, growing by 10.4 percent y/y. Import levels climbed to a new high of KD 2.3 billion in 3Q14, thanks in large part to a stronger Kuwaiti dinar. The dinar is pegged to a basket of major currencies and has been on a strengthening streak since mid-2014 mainly due to a stronger US dollar. Imports are likely to continue to climb on the back of a stronger currency, healthy consumer demand and the pickup in economic activity as investment spending gains momentum. DEARBORN: Tom Peters looks at material for roof rails on the production line for the 2015 Ford F-150 at the Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. The Institute for Supply Management reported on a survey about US manufacturing production and orders yesterday. — AP US consumer spending slips in Dec as auto sales weaken WASHINGTON: US consumer spending slipped in December, as the pace of motor vehicle sales slowed and more Americans saved their money. The Commerce Department said yesterday that consumer spending fell 0.3 percent in December, compared to a 0.5 percent increase in November. Cheaper gasoline and fewer auto sales accounted for most of the decline. Energy prices tumbled 5.2 percent in December for the sixth straight monthly decline. Personal income rose 0.3 percent in December, aided by the steady wave of hiring over the past year. But rather than spend those gains, consumers saved 4.9 percent of their disposable income, up from 4.3 percent in November. Despite the decrease, several indicators show that Americans are growing more comfortable about the economy and are spending money again. “Further big real income gains and soaring confidence point to serious strength in spending,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. “(W)e would not be surprised to see gains approaching 5 percent annualized in the spring.” Consumer spending rose at an annual clip of 4.3 percent during the final three months of 2014, the strongest pace since early 2006, the government reported Friday. That surge helped drive overall economic growth of 2.6 percent, as roughly 70 percent of gross domestic product stems from consumer activity. The University of Michigan reported that its consumer sentiment index stood at 98.1 percent in January, the highest reading since 2004. Half of the consumers surveyed expect the current expansion to continue for the next five years. Construction spending US construction spending accelerated in December as building activity increased for new houses and governmentbacked highways. The Commerce Department said yesterday that construction spending rose 0.4 percent in December. Total construction spending in 2014 increased 5.6 percent to $961 billion, with the gains slightly below the pace of 5.7 percent in 2013. Spending on single-family houses rose 1.2 percent in December from the prior month. Highway and street construction grew by 2.1 percent and factory-building by 1.9 percent. Construction of schools and commercial centers fell in December. Over the course of 2014, spending on offices, power plants, factories and lodgings climbed significantly, potentially signaling broader economic growth in 2015 that could further boost residential construction. Sales of new home sales climbed 11.6 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000, the Commerce Department said in a recent report. That represents a marked improvement from the total sales of 435,000 for all of 2014. Solid job growth should spillover into construction. Employers added nearly 3 million jobs in 2014, the most since 1999. Economists surveyed by FactSet ahead of Friday’s jobs report say that employers likely added 230,000 jobs in January. The strong hiring should lead to additional demand for hotels and office buildings, according to the American Institute of Architects’ forecast for 2015. The trade group expects that construction spending will increase 7.7 percent this year on non-residential buildings, led primarily by new offices, hotels, factories and retail development projects. —AP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 BUSINESS European stocks gain as Greece talks debt LONDON: Europe’s main stock markets rose yesterday as Greece’s new anti-austerity government seeks support for a renegotiation of the country’s 240 billion euro ($270 billion) bailout in the face of German opposition. Greek stocks rallied 4.63 percent, with Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis meeting his British counterpart — the latest stop on his European charm offensive. US President Barack Obama, who yesterday put forward a $4-trillion budget loaded with spending and tax reforms, warned the world that continued imposition of tough austerity programs on Greece could backfire on its creditors. “You cannot keep on squeezing countries that are in the midst of depression,” Obama told CNN. “At some point, there has to be a growth strategy in order for them to pay off their debts to eliminate some of their deficits.” In late morning deals, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 0.18 percent at 6,761.76 points. Frankfurt’s DAX 30 index climbed 0.49 percent to 10,746.28 points, and in Paris the CAC 40 edged up 0.04 percent to stand at 4,606.16 compared with Friday’s close. The euro increased to $1.1353 from $1.1284 late in New York on Friday. In Asia, Shanghai stocks tumbled yesterday after two gauges of Chinese manufacturing activity showed contraction in January. US markets had provided a negative lead after the Department of Commerce said Friday that the American economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter, well below the 5.0 percent in the previous three months. In corporate movement yesterday, shares in Ryanair slid 4.1 percent to 9.97 euros as the no-frills Irish airline gave a cautious out- look after swinging into profit during its third quarter. Ryanair said its profit growth expectations were “modest” for next year as its expects rivals to cut fares because of cheaper oil prices. “It is important that analysts are mindful of this likely increased price competition when revising their forecasts,” chief executive Michael O’Leary said in the statement. Oil prices fell yesterday as dealers took profits from steep gains in volatile month-end trading last week. The oil market has lost more than half its value since June last year when the commodity was sitting at more than $100 a barrel, largely owing to a surge in global reserves boosted by robust US shale oil production. The problem was exacerbated in November after the OPEC oil cartel insisted that it would maintain output levels despite plunging prices. The 12-nation group pumps about 30 percent of global crude. —AFP Oil prices rally above $55 as investors pile in LONDON: Crude oil prices rose yesterday as investors shrugged off bearish Chinese data and news of a US refinery strike and focused on a falling US rig count that signalled lower production down the line. “There were a lot of people on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity to buy,” said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodity analyst at SEB.“Brent has moved sideways for a while but it closed above the 20-day moving average on Friday for the first time since July, and that has encouraged people to come in.” At 1109 GMT Brent crude futures were up $1.81 at $54.80 a barrel, after leaping as high as $55.62 and dipping as low as $51.41, as the bulls battled with the bears. US crude was up $1.44 at $49.68 a bar- rel, after touching an intraday high of $50.56 and slumping to $46.67 in Asian trading. Both contracts had rallied about 8 percent on Friday, fuelled by month-end short-covering and a record weekly drop in the number of US oil rigs employed, according to industry data from Baker Hughes. The count is now down 24 percent from its October peak. On Sunday, workers at nine US refineries and chemical plants went on strike in an effort to pressure oil companies to agree to a new national contract. “So far only a handful of refineries have been affected, but the last time they went on strike like this, in 1980, it lasted for three months,” said Ole Hansen, senior commodity strategist at Saxo Bank. —Reuters TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 BUSINESS Al-Babtain launches all-new Renault Captur in Kuwait Renault Captur is the urban crossover that people will really notice A bdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Co, the exclusive dealer of Renault cars in Kuwait is proud to announce the launch of the all-new Renault Captur, the latest from the renowned automaker in Kuwait today. The all-new urban crossover has a powerful presence, offering a unique blend and the best of three different worlds: The expressive styling and driving position of an SUV, the cabin space and modular interior of an MPV and the agility and driving enjoyment of a compact saloon car. The Renault Captur emerges as a clear segment leader. The Renault Captur interior molds to your personality and surrounds you with a stylish touch. The continuous shape of the dashboard and the interior panels envelops you like a cocoon. Likewise, the rear passengers enjoy knee room of up to 21.6 cm for maximum comfort. The folding rear bench as well has 3 seats, converts into a flat floor and slides on rails, allowing the Captur’s volume to be adjusted and its passenger compartment arranged to suit all needs. The brand-new seat design as well enhances the passenger compartment’s modern look. The customizable seat covers are made of soft and comfy fabric available in a variety of colors and five different patterns providing ample possibilities for personal taste and preference. Built on innovation, it boasts a list of technologies and features to lead the segment. Renault Captur has a regulated air-conditioning system that fits perfectly with the climate and dusty weather in Kuwait. The air-conditioning system is fitted with a combined pollen/activated carbon sensor that reduces particulate matter and pollutants from entering the cabin. If a high pollution level is detected, the system automatically shuts the ventilation maintaining a safe and contaminant free air for all passengers. It not only builds on the tremendous Renault heritage, but it also gives crossover owners a spacious, comfortable and feature-filled interior. Mohamed Shalaby COO Al-Babtain Group said, “Captur crossover is considered one of the best models offered by Renault. It exemplifies the new strategy Renault is implementing and at the same time it draws on the company’s extensive expertise and long lasting history in car manufacturing, which is apparent through its superb design, functionality and the latest in terms of technology. We are greatly pleased to launch Renault Captur in Kuwait at the dawn of 2015. We are confident that Captur will be a trend- tance control for an easier driving experience. Four rear parking sensors, with reversing camera depending on the version. The camera sends the image to the navigation system screen and displays guidance aids allowing the driver to navigate smoothly around unseen obstacles. The all-new Renault Captur delivers a strong personality with an original two-tone paint. It offers much greater personalization with its five themed collections: The Ivory Diamond & Black Roof, the Mocha Brown & Ivory Roof, the Arizona Orange & Ivory Roof, the Pacific Blue & Ivory Roof, and last but not least the Diamond Black & Arizona Orange Roof theme that offer as well abundant personalized possibilities according to each customer’s interest. To make it unique to the last detail, Renault provides its customers the option to choose the trim and level of customization each desires. The Captur is offered in three trims; PE, SE, and the full option LE, which includes on top Renault Captur can also be fitted with a 7” touch screen multimedia tablet with voice recognition to control essential functions, enjoying 3D Sound music via audio streaming, Bluetooth, and hands-free telephone system. The Captur’s network-connected multimedia tablet allows you to access contacts and music at all times via the touch screen or the steering wheel-mounted controls. It also provides a new high-tech look and allows the driver to customize the home page with a touch of a finger. The Driving Eco2 program as well makes it easy to control fuel consumption depending on its customized daily advise. The Renault Captur is also fitted with a parking dissetter for small crossovers in Kuwait.” Mohamed Shalaby noted that, “Renault Captur is expected to be a huge success in Kuwait market. More importantly, it is the only vehicle in the segment that provides customers the option to personalize and distinguish their vehicles to the last bit of detail, from the interior to the exterior. Its compact size with high ground clearance, large wheels and underbody protection allows you to explore all facets of everyday life. If there is one thing commentators agree on when talking about the all new Renault Captur, is that it is an urban crossover that people will really notice.” of the standard options two color exterior paintwork, 17” alloy wheel rims, chrome strip on tailgate, 7” touchscreen, rearview camera, and electric foldable door mirrors. To top it all, the new urban crossover is crafted to deliver reliability, sturdiness and fuel economy. The Renault Energy petrol engine does not forget the qualities it owes to Formula 1: technology, fuel economy, endurance and outstanding performance. Driving pleasure and fuel economy are the common denominators of Captur’s 100 percent 1.2L turbo engine. Responsive, lively and agile, it is both powerful and quiet. Likewise, for even greater driving pleasure, it is connected to a 6-speed dual-clutch EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) automatic gearbox. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 BUSINESS Bahrah Trading Co holds spectacular field show for Bobcat Open Day demonstrates field capabilities of Bobcat Skid-Steer loaders KUWAIT: Bahrah Trading Company (BTC), one of the Al-Sayer Group Holding Companies held an on field capability demonstration for one of its prestigious and globally leading brand of skid-steer loaders BOBCAT. The Open Day was held at Kuwait International Fair Ground Mishref on January 20, 2015 between 10 am till 2 pm, where the highly powerful Bobcat equipment exhibited their capabilities on an open field which was exclusively prepared for this event. Chairman Naser Al-Sayer visited location to review the facilities on field as well as the Bobcat equipment utilized for the demonstration. Mubarak Naser Al-Sayer, CEO Al-Sayer Group, graced the occasion in greeting BTC’s valued customers invited for the event. Paul Reynolds, COO Al-Sayer Group, Melakandy Hamza, General Manager Bahrah Trading Company, Gaby Rhayem, Regional Director for Bobcat also attended the event. Over 150 guests from various institutions in Kuwait wit- nessed the demonstration from a specially erected tent on the Fair Grounds. The Open Day was enriched by liberal participation of BTC’s loyal customers who has been the hall mark of success for the Bobcat brand. On behalf of the BTC Management Saadallah Salem El Mahmoud, Senior Supervisor, Heavy Equipment Sales and Bobcat Sales In-Charge welcomed the chief guests, distinguished delegation and customers to the event. The welcoming ceremony, new product-launch and field demonstration was followed by a grand luncheon at the Fair Grounds for the chief guests and all valued customers. Highlighting the Mission of the Al-Sayer Group Holding Mubarak Naser Al-Sayer said, “Al-Sayer Group values of trust, honesty and personal integrity, offering highest quality products and services backed by best after sale service are always at the heart of our business”. Melakandy Hamza, General Manager Honda Civic, Accord, CR-V and Odyssey named Kelley Blue Book Best Buys for 2015 KUWAIT: Alghanim Motors, the sole distributor of Honda vehicles in Kuwait, proudly announced that four Honda models, the 2015 Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey have received the prestigious Best Buy Award in their respective categories from the experts at Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. Honda’s four awards are among the most earned by any automaker and represent a third of the twelve total KBB.com Best Buy Award categories. The 2015 Honda Civic was awarded Kelley Blue Book Best Buy: Small Car, the 2015 Honda Accord for mid-size car, the 2015 Honda CR-V for small SUV/crossover while the 2015 Honda Odyssey received the Kelley Blue Book Best Buy: Minivan award. Each of these Honda vehicles were selected as winners in their category following thorough evaluation and testing by KBB.com experts, along with analysis of a broad range of vehicle-related data, including cost of ownership information, consumer reviews and ratings, and vehicle sales/retail sales information. Jeff Conrad, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Honda Division, said: “It is an honor to receive Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards for four of our core models, all of which are on track to be best-sellers with individual retail car buyers again in 2014. This prestigious award from KBB.com helps current and future buyers with their purchase decision and further solidifies the notion that customers who purchase a Honda are making an all-around smart choice.” While Executive Editorial Director of Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com’s Jack Nerad, said: “Our Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award program proved that Honda vehicles are among the most value-filled in the market. In test after test we were struck by how uncannily spot-on the Honda cars, crossovers and minivans were in matching up to the needs and desires of consumers in their individual segments. By achieving award-winning status in four out of the 12 categories Hondas proved their reputation for high value is well-deserved.” BTC thanked all customers for their continuous support, and re-assured BTC’s commitment to offer best aftersales service for Bobcat. Gaby Rhayem , Regional Director for Bobcat, briefing on the global success of the brand, said “this event commemorates a major milestone for Bobcat to accomplish sales of 1 millionth skid steer loader and 20,000th Telehandler special editions, reflecting the long and successful journey of Bobcat brand”. The latest model Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader S 450 was also launched during the event. Introduction of model S 450 heralds a major leap forward across the skid steer loader range in terms of enhanced efficiency, productivity and build quality. The field demonstration session was coordinated by Nicolas with lively input from Patrick, Olivier, Zdenek of Bobcat Team Europe. The four member team was flown to skillfully operate the equipment to educate and entertain the audience and other enthusiasts gathered at the venue. The splendid display of agility and ease with which Bobcats were utilized endorsed it as a multipurpose tool carrier suitable for many spheres. Besides the skid loaders in action, the event also showcased Bobcat Telehandlers, Doosan Loader, Excavator, Compressor, Light Tower etc. Bobcat, the first skid steer to be built and more than 5 decades on is still the best and dominate the world market with 50 percent market share and has become the industry bench mark name for Skid-Steer Loaders. Bobcats are widely used for Construction, agriculture, landscaping, road maintenance etc. Innovative design, simplicity, highly user friendly, best value for money are some of the highlights that make Bobcat a legend in its life time and would continue so for a long time to come. The World’s most popular SkidSteer Loaders are also renowned for its strong per formance, panoramic ser viceability, uptime protection, comfort cab, effective control options as well as productive and efficient attachments. Bahrah Trading Company, the authorized distributor for Bobcat in Kuwait, is the market leader in transportation, industrial and material handling equipment and construction machinery, representing globally leading brands. BTC’s service is built around top quality products and industry leading support. Bahrah Trading has established a reputation for professional and reliable service and providing full after sales support. The commitment to customers and our dedication to their satisfaction have placed BTC at the forefront of local industry in Kuwait. Ready Mix Operations in GCC set to grow: Global analysts Booming economies in GCC countries boost infrastructure KUWAIT: The economics of the Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) market are more or less the same as any other traded commodity. The GCC region is no exception to the traditional supply and demand paradigm - this is no more evident than in the recent rebound of ready mix operations sweeping many high quality providers in the region. As investors’ confidence continues to return, construction activity has increased, supported by mega government-based infrastructure projects. The domino effect of this positive atmosphere impacted the building materials industry too, as demand for RMC is set to exceed 10 percent over the coming 2-3 years. Looking at the largest RMC market in the GCC, Saudi Arabia is expected to host approximately half of the GCC construction projects by value till 2019; amounting to $1.1 trillion. Such contracts consist of those in the residential sector (30 percent), followed by the healthcare (20 percent) and education sector (10 percent). Projects of this nature have driven up RMC demand in Saudi Arabia by 10 percent since the financial crisis of 2008 and demand is expected to grow further to 15 percent by 2016. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s transport sector (aviation and rail) constitutes a significant proportion of the high-value construction contracts awarded in previous years and it is anticipated to award further contracts over the next three years. Another dimension of increased RMC demand is linked to tourism with the holy cities of holy Makkah and Holy Madina expected to host major hotel constructions and other hospitality and retail developments. The table below demonstrates the range and scale of the infrastructure projects currently being undertaken in Saudi Arabia: In the UAE it would appear that the healthy 6.9 percent growth of RMC production of recent years is set to rise to 8 percent annually in the coming years according to global analysts - mainly due to strong forecasts in the real estate and construction sectors, suggesting a continued period of exponential growth in the region. Dubai and Abu Dhabi represent the largest share of the RMC production market with approximately two-thirds of the entire RMC market, around 25-30 companies having their presence in these two areas - equal to about 50 percent of the total RMC companies in the whole of UAE. Fujairah is starting to gain more importance on the RMC domain as it welcomes mega oil & gas developments worth over USD 7bn, along with their accompanying support developments of housing, social and retail services. Currently, Fujairah holds the third position behind Dubai and Abu Dhabi; see table below. Looking at the other side of this equation, Saudi RMC companies have one of the highest utilization levels globally going as high as 90 percent, putting serious pressures on local RMC prices. Lately, RMC prices in Saudi Arabia have seen continuous increases forcing Saudi officials to cap them. In such a uniquely sellerleveraged market, Saudi RMC companies are amongst the most profitable of their industry globally, with net margins as high as 50 percent and beyond. The situation in the UAE looks as competitive but with a vital twist; where approximately 50 players operate across the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore there is an average of 182 batching plants in the UAE, with the vast majority operating as small local organisations with a single plant operating at a comparatively low production capacity. This concentration of RMC operators is focused in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, whereas other emirates; such as Fujairah who is third in RMC production behind Dubai and Abu Dhabi; open more window for profitable operations. Amongst those that have built substantial capacities lately is Oryx Industries, which today controls over 10 percent of total RMC operational capacities in the UAE and dominates the Eastern coast of the country. Adding to the positive outlook for Fujairah based RMC producers is that only around 3 percent of global production is traded across borders, meaning those producers strategically positioned are in a situation to capitalize on the booming economies of nearby countries. Fujairah has an additional market advantage. Almost 65 percent of the production cost in the RMC industry is linked to products of quarries, a sector where Fujairah takes a lead regionally. For RMC companies based in Fujairah such as Oryx Industries, there can be substantial savings on material cost, improving its position in competing for demand. The latest drop in aggregates pricing post the financial crisis have helped RMC companies in both KSA and UAE stock raw materials at lower prices, operating today at competitive operational margins. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 technology Why investors are applauding Amazon earnings NEW YORK: Amazon.com Inc.’s fourthquarter earnings roundly beat analyst expectations, sending the Seattle ecommerce giant’s stock soaring 11 percent in premarket trading Friday. Here’s a closer look at what investors applauded and hope continues. SMART SPENDING Operating expenses rose 15 percent to $28.74 billion but that was less than some analysts had expected Amazon would spend. I nvestors have long wanted Amazon to show some restraint as it invests in its business, and this metric seemed to be a sign that Amazon is willing to do that. Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said the lower-than-expected costs were related to flat fulfillment expenses - what the company spends on its distribution centers and deliveries - during the holiday season even though Amazon shipped 100 million more free items. The company also spent less on marketing expenses since the launch of its new hardware like Fire TV and the Fire Smartphone are behind it. “They’re getting far more efficient at deliver y,” said Pachter. “ They ’re spending like slightly tipsy sailors rather than drunken sailors.” Prime membership grew 53 percent in 2015. Two - day shipping costs Amazon a pretty penny but membership means more revenue from customers in the long run. Pachter estimates there are about 35 million Prime members worldwide. And he pointed out the company is making untraditional efforts to get more members. For example, it cut the price of its Prime membership to $72 one Saturday in January and let non-Prime members stream its Golden Globe winning series “ Transparent ” starring Jeffrey Tambor. “Little promotions like that are going to drive prime membership and they’ll continue to really promote it,” Pachter said. WILL IT LAST? Some caution that one quarter of disciplined spending does not a trend make. In a call with investors, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster pointed out that over the past two years it has been a “little bit of a roller coaster” for Amazon’s gross margin, a key metric that shows how big a percentage of revenue is spent on investing back into the company. “There’ve been points of optimism followed by points of frustration,” he said and asked the company how they plan to “smooth out some of this roller coaster mentality.” CFO Tom Szkutak acknowledged that Amazon has been in a “heavy investment cycle.” He said the company is being “selective” about its investment opportunities but didn’t give any details, saying it is still finalizing spending plans for 2015. “The question is, is this a one-time hiccup or are they going to repeat it,” Wedbush’s Pachter said. “If I see this for two, three or four quarters I will believe it.” — AP New rules may answer question of whose Internet it is WASHINGTON: Whose Internet is it anyway? Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, says he’s keeping that question in mind as he pitches the biggest regulatory shake-up to the telecommunications industry since 1996, when people still used noisy modems and referred to the “information superhighway” as a fun way to buy books or check the weather. Wheeler has not publicly released his plan yet, and might not for a few weeks. But he has suggested that Internet service has become as critical to people in the United States as water, electricity or phone service and should be regulated like any other public utility. Wheeler told reporters this past week that he wants “yardsticks in place to determine what is in the best interest of consumers as opposed to what is in the best interest of the gatekeepers.” That has the industry sounding the alarms, warning consumers of an inevitable $72 annual tax increase on each U.S. wireless account. But advocates of the approach say that is not likely to happen and that your Internet experience probably will carry on as usual. A look at what “net neutrality” means and what is likely to happen: THE ISSUE Net neutrality is the idea that Internet providers should not move some content faster than others or enter into paid agreements with companies such as Netflix to prioritize their data. Broadband providers have questioned the fairness of this approach. They have invested heavily in a sophisticated infrastructure and question whether the government should be telling them how to run their networks and package services. But what if the major cable companies that provide much of the nation’s broadband had free rein to load some files faster than others? It is easy to imagine scenarios where these providers might favor content produced by their affiliates or start charging “tolls” to move data. Consumers naturally would gravitate toward faster sites and services that pay those fees, while smaller startups or nonprofits get shut out. THE OPTIONS The FCC had used the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which was intended to encourage competition in the telephone and cable industry, to enforce “open Internet” rules, until recently, when a federal appeals court knocked down that approach. President Barack Obama and consumer advocates say a better tack would be to apply Title II of the 1934 Communications Act. That law, written with radio, telegraph and phone service in mind, prohibits companies from charging unreasonable rates or threatening access to services that are critical to society. Industry likens that approach to cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. Wheeler says he will circulate his proposal among the other FCC commissioners before Thursday. He has suggested it probably will apply Title II regulation to all Internet service, including wireless, but with some caveats. Industry experts expect that Wheeler will say many rules should not apply to broadband, invoking what’s called “forbearance.” The commissioners will vote Feb. 26. Wheeler is expected to have the support of the other two Democratic commissioners. The two Republican commissioners have made clear that they do not support applying Title II. Next stop will be the courts. Industry lobbyists and FCC officials say there’s no doubt one of the big providers will sue and probably ask the court to suspend enforcement of the new regulation pending appeal. It’s possible the issue won’t be resolved for several more years, even well into the next president’s first term. CONGRESS Lawmakers could try to resolve the uncertainty, but Congress rarely is that pragmatic. Lawmakers tend to take on issues that fire up their base or bring their states money, and an in-the-weeds compromise on telecommunications law would be a lot of work with little immediate payoff. So far, Republicans have pitched an idea that would enforce basic open Internet rules but could strip the FCC of its ability to help local municipalities build their own broadband. It’s a nonstarter for Obama and congressional Democrats who say poor and rural areas have been left behind in the deployment of highspeed Internet. Assuming Wheeler’s proposal satisfies consumer advocacy groups, Democrats would have little incentive to revisit the issue. While Republicans have the votes to ram though their own anti-regulation legislation without Democratic support, Obama would veto it. CONSUMERS Most Internet providers, except Sprint, have warned the legal uncertainty will chill future investments. FCC officials point to a recent wireless spectrum auction that has attracted some $44 billion as proof that the telecommunications industry is thriving even amid the current uncertainty. As for taxes, the Progressive Policy Institute estimated that treating the Internet like phone service would trigger taxes and fees up to $15 billion a year, including $67 for each wired service and $72 for wireless in state and local taxes. But that report, widely quoted by industry lobbyists, did not take into account the Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibits state and local governments from imposing new taxes on Internet access, or the FCC’s ability to shield consumers against some state and local taxes by claiming the Internet is an “interstate” service. - AP Lincoln, Google integrate to offer seamless App experience DEARBORN: The Lincoln Motor Company, through the free MyLincoln Mobile app, is the first automotive brand to launch an available seamless integration with Now cards in the Google app, offering a new notification opportunity for Android smartphone users to remotely start their vehicle. The Lincoln Motor Company, through its MyLincoln Mobile app, is the first automotive brand to launch an available seamless integration with Google Now, offering a new notification opportunity for Android smartphone users to remotely start their vehicle. When connected via the embedded modem available on the 2015 Lincoln MKC and MKZ and coming to the 2016 Lincoln MKX, the MyLincoln Mobile app gives owners the ability to start, lock, unlock and locate their vehicle, as well as schedule remote starts. Remote starts can be programmed for specific times and days of the week. If the owner is a user of the Google Now service, the seamless integration with MyLincoln Mobile delivers a Now card (in the Google app) suggesting a remote start because the owner’s calendar indicates a need to depart. If the remote start option is selected, the vehicle is then warmed up or cooled off during the remote start based on the invehicle temperature settings. “Delivering unique experiences for the luxury client throughout ownership is fundamental to Lincoln,” said Matt VanDyke, Director, Global Lincoln. “By innovating with leading tech companies, we have an opportunity to personalize the ongoing interaction between the customer and the vehicle.” Both the MyLincoln Mobile connectivity and Google services are opt-in features. Notifications can be turned off, if desired. Now cards in the Google app predictively aid users who access Google and are based on past and preferred searches as well as the user’s calendar, offering information on topics such as weather, traffic routes and sports scores.— AP HONG KONG: Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma, center, chats with young people after his speech on “Transforming Dreams into Successful Business” in Hong Kong yesterday. — AP Alibaba promises more action against fake goods BEIJING: E-commerce giant Alibaba pledged Friday to do more to fight online sales of counterfeit goods, quickly settling a public dispute with a Chinese regulator after the value of its US-traded shares plunged. Alibaba founder Jack Ma and the director of the Cabinet’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce met and pledged to cooperate more closely to combat sales of fakes, the agency said in a statement. A report Wednesday by the SAIC accused Alibaba of lax oversight and allowing sales of counterfeit goods on its popular Taobao ecommerce platform. Alibaba said it was not to blame and, in a break with the usual deferential tone of Chinese companies toward regulators, took the unusual step of publicly accusing the agency and one of its officials of misconduct and bias. But the company faced pressure to end the conflict after the news caused its US-traded shares to fall. They tumbled further Thursday after its latest quarterly revenue disappointed investors. The two-day decline knocked $38 billion off the Alibaba’s $264 billion market capitalization. Alibaba is one of China’s biggest corporate names and a star of a fast-growing Internet industry communist leaders are eager to develop. But it has little leverage against the powerful SAIC, which has stepped up antimonopoly and other enforcement against Chinese and foreign companies. In Friday’s statement, SAIC director Zhang Mao affirmed the importance of e-commerce in generating jobs and economic activity. He said, though, that it “still has problems” and companies need to “strengthen self-discipline.” Alibaba’s Ma was cited as promising to spend more to spot counterfeit goods and to work more closely with law enforcement. “The two sides will strengthen communication to jointly explore management of online markets and build a new pattern of governance,” said the statement. “Regulators will further strengthen Internet market supervision.” The SAIC’s report was the result of a meeting in July between the agency and Alibaba managers but said it was withheld until now to avoid disrupting progress toward the company ’s US stock market debut last September. That prompted suggestions Alibaba should have told investors. But its vice chairman, Joe Tsai, said Thursday it was one of many regular meetings rather than a formal investigation. In midday US trading on Friday, shares of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. stabilized, rising $1.17 to $90.98. — AP Nickelodeon to offer Internet subscription NEW YORK: SpongeBob fans rejoice: Nickelodeon is the latest cable channel to plan a stand-alone Internet offering. What’s not yet known is whether this offering will be the same channel as what cable and satellite TV subscribers now get. It’s possible the service will have just supplemental content or archives of past shows when it launches in March. That would make it similar to a $4-a-month online offering for “Sesame Street.” Nickelodeon owner Viacom Inc. will announce details, including the price and the name of the service, next month. Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said the new service “will target the fast-growing mobile market (and) will be very attractive for parents and children.” The company announced the service Thursday during a conference call to discuss the company’s quarterly earnings report. HBO and Showtime are among the other channels planning stand-alone Internet offerings as more people ditch their cable or satellite TV service. CBS already has a $6-a-month service that includes live television for those who live in 14 markets with CBS-owned stations. Major sports leagues also offer live games online, though often with blackouts of hometown teams. Meanwhile, Dish Network Corp. and Sony Corp. will soon launch Internet-only packages of television channels that used to require a cable or satellite subscription. The Dish offering, called Sling TV, will start at $20 a month and have channels from The Walt Disney Co., Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. and Time Warner Inc.’s Turner. The channels include ESPN and CNN. Sony’s PlayStation Vue will have unspecified channels from Viacom, Scripps, Discovery Communications Inc., CBS Corp., 21st Century Fox Inc. and Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal. Sony hasn’t announced the price for its service, which will initially be limited to owners of PlayStation game consoles. These offerings make it easier for households to drop their traditional pay-TV service and piece together their own package of video services. Households that do this won’t necessarily save money, though: The price for Internet access will likely go up when separated from a bundle, and these subscriptions add up in cost. But it’s a good option for those who watch few channels live and don’t mind waiting for shows to appear on Netflix and other streaming services. It also allows households to downgrade to a cheaper cable or satellite TV package and supplement that with specific channels they want. — AP NEW YORK: In this Jan. 17, 2012 file photo, attendees at the National Retail Federation listen to a discussion about Google Wallet, in New York. Google has gotten into the habit of missing analysts’ earnings targets, frustrating investors who believe the online search leader would be more profitable it wasn’t pouring so much money into far-flung projects such as Internet-connected eyewear and driverless cars. — AP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 H E A LT H & S C I E N C E Insurers using drug costs to discriminate patients FORT LAUDERDALE: Insurance companies, perhaps more than previously thought, may be charging the sickest patients extra for drugs under the federal health law, in an effort to discourage them from choosing certain plans, according to a study released Wednesday. One of the cornerstones of President Obama’s signature health law forbids insurance companies from turning away people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or cancer. Yet hundreds of patient advocacy groups say insurance companies have found a way to discriminate against these people, who are more expensive to cover because they require life-long treatments. The companies do this by putting all of their medications in a special category where the patient is required to pay a percentage of the cost of the drug, rather than a flat co-pay. Some are as high as 50 percent, leaving people on the hook for thousands of dollars. That compares to the average $10 to $40 per-medication co-pay that most pay. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine only examined HIV drugs, but noted the problem applies to mental illness, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and other chronic conditions. Patient advocates have complained that prescriptions for these patients were virtually unaffordable in some plans offered on healthcare.gov. The AIDS Institute even filed a formal complaint with Health and Human Services officials last summer about four plans in Florida. Georgia plans to file a similar complaint, but the scope of the problem has been difficult to gauge as many of the complaints have been anecdotal. The researchers studied 48 plans in 12 states using the federal marketplace: Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Utah, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. They found that one-quarter of the plans placed all of the HIV drugs into the highest-cost category and required consumers to pay at least 30 percent of the drug costs instead of a flat co-pay. Annual drug costs in these plans were more than triple compared with other plans ($4,892 to $1,615), according to the analysis. And 50 percent had to pay a separate deductible for drugs, compared to only 19 percent of consumers in other plans. Insurers have historically placed drugs in categories with higher co-pays to encourage consumers to select generic or preferred brand-name drugs. The problem is exacerbated as more plans place all drugs, including generics, in the more expensive category. “Our findings suggest that many insurers may be using benefit design to dissuade sicker people from choosing their plans,” the study noted. Over time, researchers predicted sicker people will enroll in plans that don’t charge such high prices. That means certain plans could have a higher number of sicker, more expensive consumers than their competitors. The federal law has financial protections for those plans but some will be phased out in 2016. The law does ban insurers from charging an individual more than $6,350 in out-of pocket costs a year and no more than $12,700 for a family policy. Insurance companies say the main issue is increasing drug costs and they’re shouldering the bulk of it. But they acknowledge the increased prices are also passed onto consumers. For example, Atripla, the most popular HIV AIDS treatment and one of the highest-selling drugs in the U.S., costs insurers $27,026 a year. Patients only pay a portion of that, said Clare Krusing, a spokeswoman for the trade association America’s Health Insurance Plans. But insurers noted consumers have the flexibility to choose from plans at all levels with different cost-sharing requirements and that the health law has a component that rewards plans for value and efficiency “not on their ability to attract healthier enrollees,” Krusing said. Advocates have asked federal health officials to intervene and nearly 300 patient groups sent a letter last month urging Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to beef up enforcement. The federal government has warned against such discrimination. “We analyze plan information submitted by insurance companies to uncover discriminatory benefit designs, and work with outlier plans to update formularies so they do not discourage enrollment of consumers with specific medical conditions,” agency spokesman Aaron Albright said in an email. It’s unclear what the penalties are for insurance companies who discriminate. Meanwhile, insurance officials in some states are stepping in. Three out of four insurance companies restructured their plans in Florida late last year. — AP ‘Still Alice’ highlights hidden toll of Alzheimer’s WASHINGTON: Her performance as a vibrant woman fading into the darkness of Alzheimer’s is doing more than earning awards for actress Julianne Moore. The movie “Still Alice” is raising awareness of a disease too often suffered in isolation, even if the Hollywood face is younger than the typical real-life patient. Some things to know about Alzheimer’s: ALZHEIMER’S IS INCREASING BUT THE EARLY-ONSET FORM ISN’T COMMON The movie is about a linguistics professor stricken at the unusually young age of 50 with a form of Alzheimer’s that runs in her family. That type of Alzheimer’s accounts for a small fraction of the brain-destroying disease. About 35 million people worldwide, and 5.2 million in the US, have Alzheimer’s or similar dementias. The vast majority are 65 or older. Barring medical breakthroughs, US cases are expected to more than double by 2050, because of the aging population. As many as 4 percent of cases worldwide are thought to be the early-onset form that strikes people before age 65, usually in their 40s or 50s, said the Alzheimer’s Association’s chief science officer, Maria Carrillo, who served as a scientific adviser for the movie. In the US, the association estimates that’s 200,000 people. GENE TESTING ISN’T RECOMMENDED FOR MOST PEOPLE Alice’s type is even more rare; she tells her three adult children in the movie: “It’s familial. It’s passed on genetically.” With this autosomal dominant form of young Alzheimer’s, inheriting one of three genes with particular mutations leads to the disease. Children of an affected parent have a 50 percent chance of having inherited the family’s culprit mutation. As in other families, Alice’s children have to grapple with whether they want to be tested to find out. But the vast majority of Alzheimer’s isn’t linked to a particular bad gene. There are various genes that can increase the risk, but people who never develop dementia symptoms can carry them, too. That’s why medical guidelines don’t recommend genetic testing for the average person. MANY SYMPTOMS ARE UNIVERSAL REGARDLESS OF AGE OF ONSET “I can see the words hanging in front of me and I can’t reach them, and I don’t know who I am or what I’m going to lose next,” Alice says. To help with the movie’s first-person perspective, Carrillo’s group put actress Moore in touch with someone in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s who could describe how disorienting symptoms felt - that frustrating inability to retrieve a word or the fear that comes with suddenly not recognizing a familiar place. Forgetting a word now and then happens to lots of people. The Alzheimer’s Association lists warning signs that may distinguish between normal forgetfulness and something you should discuss with a doctor. On the worry list: memory loss that disrupts daily life, difficulty completing familiar tasks, withdrawing from social activities and personality changes. PEOPLE MAY COMPENSATE FOR A WHILE If it seemed like the movie’s Alice suddenly declined fast, consider a concept that neuroscientists call “cognitive reserve.” People who have had more years of education are thought to have some protection because the extra learning increased connections between their brain’s neurons. When Alzheimer’s begins blocking those connections, the brain at first can choose an alternate route to retrieve a memory. “Your brain’s kept buffered up,” explained Carrillo. But eventually, the brain reaches a tipping point and can’t compensate any longer, so “the change seems more dramatic.” WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, and today’s treatments only temporarily ease some symptoms. Scientists aren’t even sure what causes the disease, although a sticky brain protein called amyloid is one suspect. Nor is diagnosis simple. There is no one Alzheimer’s test, but a battery of evaluations. Sometimes, doctors use PET scans to measure amyloid buildup, but only in carefully selected cases because plenty of people without Alzheimer’s harbor the gunk, too. The Obama administration has declared a goal of finding effective Alzheimer’s treatments by 2025. Research suggests Alzheimer’s begins silently ravaging the brain up to 20 years before symptoms begin. One approach under study now is testing to see whether curbing sticky amyloid during that window period might at least postpone symptoms a few more years, if not prevent them. — AP CALIFORNIA: Pediatrician Charles Goodman vaccinates 1 year- old Cameron Fierro with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, or MMR vaccine. CALIFORNIA: Boxes of single-doses vials of the measles-mumps-rubella virus vaccine live, or MMR vaccine and ProQuad vaccine are kept frozen inside a freezer at the practice of Dr Charles Goodman.— AP photos Doctors won’t see patients with anti-vaccine views Approach raises questions about doctors’ ethical responsibilities LOS ANGELES: With California gripped by a measles outbreak, Dr Charles Goodman posted a clear notice in his waiting room and on Facebook: His practice will no longer see children whose parents won’t get them vaccinated. It’s a sentiment echoed by a small number of doctors who in recent years have “fired” patients who continue to believe debunked research linking vaccines to autism. They hope the strategy will lead parents to change their minds; if that fails, they hope it will at least reduce the risk to other children in the office. “Parents who choose not to give measles shots, they’re not just putting their kids at risk, but they’re also putting other kids at risk - especially kids in my waiting room,” the Los Angeles pediatrician said. The tough-love approach - which comes amid the nation’s secondbiggest measles outbreak in at least 15 years, with 95 cases or more since last month, most of them traced directly or indirectly to Disneyland in Southern California - raises questions about doctors’ ethical responsibilities. The American Academy of Pediatrics says doctors should bring up the importance of vaccinations during visits but should respect a parent’s wishes unless there’s a significant risk to the child. “In general, pediatricians should avoid discharging patients from their practices solely because a parent refuses to immunize his or her child,” according to guidelines issued by the group. ‘Betrayed and upset’ However, if the relationship between patient and doctor becomes unworkable, the pediatrics academy says, the doctor may want to encourage the vaccine refuser to go to another physician. Some mothers who have been dropped by their doctors feel “betrayed and upset,” said Dotty Hagmier, founder of the support group Moms in Charge. She said these parents made up their minds about vaccines after “careful research and diligence to understand the risks versus the benefits for their own children’s circumstances.” Dropping patients who refuse vaccines has become a hot topic of discussion on SERMO, an online doctor hangout. Some doctors are adamant about not accepting patients who don’t believe in vaccinations, with some saying they don’t want to be responsible for someone’s death from an illness that was preventable. Philosophical reasons Others warn that refusing treatment to such people will just send them into the arms of quacks. The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, or MMR, is 97 percent effective at preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measles spreads easily through the air and in enclosed spaces. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. In rare cases, particularly among babies, measles can be deadly. Infection can also cause pregnant women to miscarry or give birth prematurely. All US states require children to get certain vaccinations to enroll in school. California is among 20 states that let parents opt out by obtaining personal belief waivers. Some people worry that vaccines cause developmental problems, despite scientific evidence disproving any link. Others object for religious or philosophical reasons. Nationally, childhood measles vaccination rates have held steady for years at above 90 percent. But there seem to be growing pockets of unvaccinated people in scattered communities, said Dr Gregory Wallace of the CDC. — AP CHICAGO: Kathy Burnett prepares a snack for her daughters Claudia, center, and Sabina right, after their gymnastics class Jan 29, in Chicago. Burnett says she tries to feed her girls healthy, natural foods rather than commercial packaged products. A study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that many packaged foods and snacks marketed for toddlers contain too much salt and sugar and could potentially contribute to childhood obesity and high blood pressure. — AP Toddler food often has too much salt, sugar CHICAGO: Many packaged meals and snacks for toddlers contain worrisome amounts of salt and sugar, potentially creating an early taste for foods that may contribute to obesity and other health risks, according to a new government study. About seven in 10 toddler dinners studied contained too much salt, and most cereal bars, breakfast pastries and snacks for infants and toddlers contained extra sugars, according to the study by researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They advise parents to read food labels carefully and select healthier choices. The researchers analyzed package information and labels for more than 1,000 foods marketed for infants and toddlers. Results appeared in the journal Pediatrics yesterday. The study notes that almost one in four US children ages 2 to 5 are overweight or obese - and that almost 80 percent of kids ages 1 to 3 exceed the recommended maximum level of daily salt, which is 1,500 milligrams. Excess sugar and salt can contribute to obesity and elevated blood pressure even in childhood, but also later on. “We also know that about one in nine children have blood pressure above the normal range for their age, and that sodium, excess sodium, is related to increased blood pressure,” said the CDC’s Mary Cogswell, the study’s lead author. “Blood pressure tracks from when children are young up through adolescence into when they’re adults. Eating foods which are high in sodium can set a child up for high blood pressure and later on for cardiovascular disease.” Healthy choices The researchers collected data on foods available in 2012. They didn’t list brand names, but foods studied included popular brands of baby food, toddler dinners including packaged macaroni and cheese, mini hot dogs, rice cakes, crackers, dried fruit snacks and yogurt treats. The Grocery Manufacturers of America, a trade group whose members include makers of foods for infants and toddlers, issued a statement saying the study “does not accurately reflect the wide range of healthy choices available in today’s marketplace ... because it is based on 2012 data that does not reflect new products with reduced sodium levels.” The study “could needlessly alarm and confuse busy parents as they strive to develop suitable meal options that their children will enjoy,” the group said. The researchers said theirs is the most recent, comprehensive data on commercial foods for young children. Cogswell acknowledged there have been some improvements in the marketplace and said the findings aren’t all negative. “The good news is that the majority of infant foods were low in sodium,” she said. It was surprising, she said, that “seven out of 10 toddler foods were high in the amount of sodium per serving and that a substantial proportion of toddler meals and the majority of other toddler foods and infant’s and toddler’s snacks contained an added sugar.” Switched brands Foods for toddlers should contain no more than about 210 milligrams of salt or sodium per serving, under Institute of Medicine recommendations, but the average for toddler meals studied was 361 milligrams - almost 1.5 times higher than that limit. Sodium amounts per serving ranged from 100 milligrams to more than 900 milligrams. High sugar content was defined as more than 35 percent of calories per portion coming from sugar, based on Institute of Medicine guidelines for foods served in schools. Many foods in the study exceeded that. On average, sugar contributed 47 percent of calories for infant mixed grains and fruit; 66 percent of calories in dried fruit snacks, and more than 35 percent of calories in dairy-based desserts.—AP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 H E A LT H & S C I E N C E Emami announces it’s foray in natural & organic personal care products KOLKATA: Emami Limited, one of the leading personal and healthcare FMCG companies in India has acquired controlling stake (66.67%) in Fravin Pty Ltd., along with it’s 3 subsidiaries through Emami International FZE, a subsidiary of Emami Ltd. Fravin Pty Ltd., based in Australia has major strengths in R&D and manufacturing of natural and organic personal care products. This international acquisition marks Emami’s entry into the fast growing natural and organic Personal Care segment and is in line with the company’s strategy to be present in sectors with high growth potential. “The Fravin acquisition is in sync with the Company’s strategy to grow aggressively through both organic and inorganic routes in India and overseas. This is a significant step for the organisation as the acquisition marks Emami’s entry into organic personal care products, where we were not present earlier. The market for organic personal care products is growing at rapid pace across the world. The global market for organic products which was over $7.6 billion in 2013, is expected to double in six years.” said Harsh Agarwal, Director, Emami Ltd. Agarwal further added, “Rising concerns for health safety, increasing green consciousness and growing awareness of the consumers about the hazards of using products with synthetic chemicals have fuelled the demand for organic personal care products. The acquisition of the Fravin Group specialising in formulations of organic products with many international certifications emphasises our core belief in usage of safe and natural products. Prashant Goenka, Director, Emami Ltd said, “We plan to expand our export portfolio in developed countries through Fravin’s formulations of natural & organic personal care products, where demands for such products are high and future prospects exciting”. Promoted by the leading Trichologist and a World Master Hairdresser Peter Francis, the Fravin Group manufactures a full range of hair care and skin care products that are certified organic by various certification bodies in Australia and United States such as Australian Certified Organic (ACO), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and many more. The Group has major strength in R&D of various advanced technology like Trans follicular Anti-Ageing serums, etc. Fravin Group has been the proud recipient of many international prestigious awards as recognition of the high standard and quality of its products. The Company’s leading brand; “Abache Organics” was awarded the 1st place in the “Green Formulations” category at the “Sustainable Beauty Awards 2014” held in Paris, France. Peter Francis, Managing Director, Fravin Pty Ltd said “We are very enthusiastic to be associated with a global company like Emami. There are strong synergies between the two companies. With Emami’s strong marketing network and our R&D capabilities and advanced technologies, we expect to take Abache brands to new heights.” The Group has its R&D and manufacturing facility in Adelaide, Australia. The Group also manufactures a range of organic personal care products ‘eco.kid’especially developed & formulated for children. Fravin will be a part of Emami’s International business division, which contributes around 14% to the total FMCG business. Emami has presence in over 60 countries across the world. Ebola vaccine trials begin in Liberia Second British health worker tested for Ebola FILE - In this March 27, 2014 file photo, with the Capitol in the background, Army veteran David Dickerson of Oklahoma City, Okla., joins others to place 1,892 flags representing veteran and service members who have died by suicide to date in 2014, on the National Mall in Washington. The Senate is expected to take up a bill Monday named for Clay Hunt, a 26-year-old veteran who killed himself in 2011. The bill is aimed at reducing a suicide epidemic that claims the lives of 22 military veterans every day.—AP Senate takes up bill to lower suicide rate among veterans WASHINGTON: A bill aimed at reducing a suicide epidemic among military veterans appears headed for the president’s desk. The Senate is expected to take up a bill today named for Clay Hunt, a 26-year-old veteran who killed himself in 2011. The bill is in response to suicides that on average claim the lives of 22 military veterans every day. The measure, which passed the House last month, would require the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department to submit to independent reviews of their suicide prevention programs and make information on suicide prevention more easily available to veterans. It also would offer financial incentives to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals who agree to work for the VA and help military members as they transition from active duty to veteran status. Sen Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said he expects overwhelming approval of the bill, which passed the House unanimously and has the support of major veterans groups. “When you have 8,000 veterans a year committing suicide, then you have a serious problem,” Isakson said, noting that more veterans have died by suicide in recent years than have died in battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. John Madigan, vice president of public policy at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said passage of the bill would be a major victory not just for veterans but for the larger fight against suicide. Veterans account for 1 out of every 5 suicides in the United States. The group has set a goal of reducing the nation’s suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025, “and it is legislation like the Clay Hunt Act that will make it happen,” Madigan said. Supporters of the bill were frustrated late last year when the measure was blocked by thenSen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.—AP MONROVIA: The first large-scale trials of two Ebola vaccines were due to begin in Liberia yesterday, the partnership conducting the research said. The vaccines contain harmless fragments of the virus that trigger an immune response, according to the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL), a collaboration between the United States and Liberia. “The study will begin at Redemption Hospital in Monrovia. Subsequent sites will be added at other hospitals in and near Monrovia after the first 600 participants join the study,” it said in a statement. Researchers, led by the US National Institutes of Health, aim to enlist around 27,000 healthy men and women aged 18 and over, PREVAIL said. The candidate vaccines-GlaxoSmithKline’s Chad3-EBO-Z and rVSVZEBOV, manufactured by Merck and Newlink-have been determined as safe for use on humans in smaller trials in several countries. PREVAIL said the vaccines could cause pain, redness or swelling in the injected arm, as well as fever, headaches and tiredness, but added that the side-effects “typically have been mild to moderate and have gone away on their own”. The study was launched at the Redemption Hospital on Sunday at an event attended by Liberian Vice-President Joseph Boaikai. “We hope that this scientific undertaking we launch here today will get answers for the mystery surrounding this disease,” he said. ‘Need for speed’ There is currently no vaccine to guard against Ebola on the world market, and no specific drug approved to treat it, even though the virus first emerged in the 1970s. Researchers have said that it remains unknown what level of immune response is needed to protect humans from Ebola, which causes often fatal haemorrhaging, organ failure and severe diarrhoea. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have registered almost 9,000 deaths since the beginning of the worst outbreak on record in December 2013, although experts believe the real toll could be significantly higher. The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week however that the countries reported fewer than 100 new lab-confirmed cases in the past week for the first time since June. “It’s fantastic that large-scale trials of the first candidate Ebola vaccine are getting underway in Liberia, a country that has suffered enormously at the hands of this disease,” said Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust. Wellcome is funding tests on the GSK candidate in Britain and Mali and parallel studies of other vaccines in Geneva, Gabon, Kenya and Guinea. “The WHO confirmed last week that infection rates there continue to fall, which emphasises the need to complete these crucial trials as quickly as possible,” Farrar said. “The international response that has got us this point has been phenomenal and we must keep on course until the infection rate is brought down to, and remains at, zero. “Vaccines and therapeutics may play an important role in reaching this goal and will almost certainly. Exposure A second British military healthcare worker has been flown back to England from Sierra Leone following the likely exposure to the Ebola virus, a government agency said yesterday. Public Health England said the worker had likely been exposed to the virus from a needle injury while treating a patient with Ebola. The worker has not been diagnosed with the virus and does not have any symptoms. Another healthcare worker was flown back on Saturday following a similar injury and both are being tested at the Royal Free hospital in London. “Although we have had two similar incidents within a short space of time both appear to be unrelated,” minister for the Armed Forces Mark Francois said in a statement. “Our personnel receive the highest standard of training and briefing prior to deployment, including on the use of the specialised Personal Protective Equipment”. Two other Britons have already been successfully treated at the Royal Free hospital for the virus and have been released. — Agencies TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 W H AT ’ S O N ACK Corporate training sponsors ‘Kuwait International HSE Conference & Exhibition’ T he Australian College of Kuwait’s Corporate Training Department (ACKCT) announced its participation as a Bronze sponsor in the “Kuwait International HSE Conference & Exhibition”, taking place from 16-17 February 2015, at the Regency Hotel Kuwaitunder the patronage of Dr Ali Saleh Al Omair - Minister of Oil and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs. ACK CT is uniquely positioned to provide a range of local, regional and international consultancy services and certifications through its strategic alliances with organizations and accrediting bodies such as the Institution of Occupational Health and Safety (IOSH), City & Guilds, The Chartered Institute for Environmental Health (CIEH), and the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH). Through its participation, ACK CT aims to highlight the importance of the three streams “Health, Safety and Environment”specifically in the oil and gas industry. ACK CT invites those interested to visit its booth in the exhibition area to learn more about the department’s latest offerings. Joyalukkas hands over prizes to 4th set of promotion winners T he mega winning opportunity at Joyalukkas Festival of A Million has received an overwhelming response from customers across GCC, Singapore & Malaysia. The fourth set of winners of the 60 day campaign were announced today, who will receive Gold Coins& Gift Vouchers. The Joyalukkas Festival of A Million is offering shoppers the chance to win AED One Million in gift vouchers and 100,000 gold coins against every purchase worth KD 50 at any Joyalukkas Jewellery showrooms. In addition to this some attractive offers are being offered to customers at Joyalukkas like, exchange old gold Jewellery for new and 10% cash back on every purchase of diamond and polki Jewellery. The lucky winners were picked by Ibrahim Al Sultan from the Ministry of commerce, Kuwait in the presence of Joyalukkas officials and various customers at Panasonic Tower, Kuwait Main branch on 26thJan 2015 and the prizes where distributed to winners on 29thJan 2015. “It’s a pleasure to see such an overwhelming response for Joyalukkas Festival of A Million. It’s the season of giving and in addition to our special designs for the festive spirit we are also offering a bouquet of winnings and exciting offers to reward our customers. We have planned a big mix of offers so that there is something for all types of Jewellery buyers,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD, Joyalukkas Group. John Paul Joy Alukkas, Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group congratulating the winners on this occasion said, “During the 60 day duration of the Joyalukkas Festival of A Million in addition to getting the big win opportunity shoppers can also avail an attractive exchange of old gold Jewellery for new and 10% cash back on every purchase of diamond and polki Jewellery”. Challenge 22 Roadshow receives overwhelming response in Kuwait O n a two-day visit to Kuwait, the Challenge 22 Roadshow provided four information sessions in Nuqat and American University of Kuwait about the exciting new initiative. Challenge 22 is an innovation award developed to inspire and challenge the region’s brightest minds. Initiated by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Silatech and Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Challenge 22 was born out of a desire to celebrate the 2022 FIFA World Cup QatarTM as a regional event. Challenge 22 Ambassadors Areej Al Kharafi, owner of Fortune Cookie and The Other Project and Mohammed Saeed Harib joined the session. Al Kharafi spoke on her inspirational story as a Kuwaiti entrepreneur. “It’s a very exciting opportunity and one that can help many develop their ideas for their initiatives.” Harib, an animation director and Chairman of Lammatra Art Production, spoke about how he overcame the challenges he faced on his journey to success. “Challenge 22 streamlines the process, you can develop your idea and be mentored to ensure your path to success.” Challenge 22 is seeking applicants within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with solution- based proposals related to three key themes that address challenges faced by Qatar and the world when hosting major sports events. Fatma Al Nuaimi, Social and Human Legacy Manager at the SC, spoke about the Challenge 22 roadshow, saying: “We’re delighted to visit Kuwait and to inform people about this wonderful opportunity. The enthusiasm and interest we have received so far has been overwhelming and shows the importance of hosting the first ever FIFA World Cup in the Arab world. We’d like to encourage more people to attend, visit our website and find out how they can be part of Challenge 22.” The three themes for the inaugural launch of the award are Sustainability, Event Experience, and Sports and Health. Successful applicants have the opportunity to win a cash prize of USD $20,000 during Phase 1 of the competition, and a grant to further develop their idea into a proof of concept during Phase 2 of the competition. The Challenge 22 Roadshow commenced in Kuwait and will conclude on the 27th of February in the United Arab Emirates. For a full schedule of Challenge 22 activities and for more information about the award, please visit: www.challenge22.qa Ad filmmaker Sijoy Varghese juggles preaching and acting By Sunil Cherian A Sijoy Varghese (3rd right) poses with actors Nivin Poly, Dulqar Salman and Fahad Fazil. What’s On - Submission Guidelines All photos submitted for What’s On should be minimum 200dpi. Articles must be in plain text and should include name and phone numbers. Articles and photos that fail to meet these requirements will not be published. Please send them to [email protected] re acting in movies and preaching in public contradictory? Not for Sijoy Varghese, 43, managing director of TVC Factory, one of India’s top ad and event makers with 8 directors operating from Dubai, Mumbai, and Kochi. For the multifaceted actor - people know him as the freshly fit policeman in the Dileep film Avatharam - the role of spirituality in real life even censors him from signing up for immoral characters. He recently turned down an offer of a villain role who has a rape scene. “How I can show this movie to my children?” he asks. The scriptwriter of Isha segment in 5 Sundarikal, a Malayalam movie and director of many ad films, Sijoy is choosy with a difference. He checks if the character he gets is morally sound. Sijoy was in Kuwait this past weekend as a preacher in a program held by Syro Malabar Cultural Association, one of the organizations of expat Catholics in Kuwait. He also talked to children’s group, women’s wing and in the general meeting using his popularity to convey moral messages. “No, I’m not a preacher in the traditional sense,” he said when I met him at his brother Rejoy’s flat in Farwaniya. “I had a life changing experience which helped to realize life’s greater roles and I’m only sharing what I had discovered, just like people share a feel-good something through WhatsApp.” Keeping up with technology, he said reminiscing about his role in Avatharam, is what makes a director like Joshi still sought after in the film industry. Sijoy’s first film was Dulqar Salman starrer ABCD and now he will join the SiddiqueMammootty comedy Bhaskar the Rascal produced by Anto Joseph. “NRIs (Non Resident Indians) have greater chances in the movie world now,” Sijoy said quoting news that a micro-story shared on the social media is making rants and the storywriter is asked for film script. “Expats in the Gulf have more time management, perfectly good for creative endeavors” he said. OICC Kuwait marks Martyr’s Day O verseas Indian Cultural Congress (OICC Kuwait) paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation, who was assassinated on January 30, 1948, at its office in Abbassiya. Gandhiji was remembered by all for his priceless efforts for establishing peace, amity and brotherhood among the people President Varghese Puthukulangara, officially inaugurated the martyr’s day gather chaired by Senior Vice-President Abey Vaikkad. Vice-Presidents Chacko George Kutty, Hameed Keloth and General Secretaries Varghese Joseph Maraman, Premsan Kayamkulam, Bacon Joseph and Secretaries Anuroop Kannur, Roy Kaithavana, Joint Treasurer Rishi Jacob, Welfare Chairman Harish Thrippunithura, Trissur Dist. President Iqbal Kuttamangalam, General Secretary Kollam Dist Shamsuddin Oyoor spoke on the occasion. General Secretary Josheph Thankachan welcomed the audience and Rajiv Neduvilemuri proposed vote of thanks. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 W H AT ’ S O N Some IWC members in group photo —Photos by Joseph Shagra Narjis Al-Shatti and IWC members in a group photo IWC holds monthly meeting T he International Women Committee held its monthly meeting, as this time it coincides with ‘Kuwait’s celebration of National and Liberation days. Narjis Al-Shatti who is in charge of pub- lic relations and the media prepared a program that suits the celebrations, and lectured by Engineer Sarah Akbar, who played a major role in putting out the oil wells fires following the liberation. A documentary about the fire-team that shows the heroic role that this woman played with the team, as she was the only woman during that time that worked on ending this environmental catastrophe. She also spoke about her professional history. Director of Marketing and Research Haitham Al-Ghais, spoke about Kuwait’s wealth and Kuwait’s economic depend- ence on this wealth which placed Kuwait on top of the world economic list. He also explained the effect on oil on the development of Kuwait and its aid to other countries. Rema Al-Khaldi Engineer Sara Akbar Narjis, Sarah Akbar and Malta’s ambassador’s spouse Narjis and Al-Ghais Kawthar and one of the guests Narjis Al-Shatti and Vera Al-Mutawa (left) Armenian and Maltese ambassadors’ spouses Cuba and Czech republic ambassadors’ spouses Korean ambassador spouse Some of the guests seen at the event. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2015 TV PROGRAMS 00:50 After The Attack 01:45 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 02:15 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 02:40 Tanked 03:35 Safari Sisters 04:00 Safari Sisters 04:25 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 04:50 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 05:15 Treehouse Masters 06:02 Call Of The Wildman 06:49 Safari Sisters 07:12 Safari Sisters 07:36 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 08:00 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 08:25 America’s Cutest Pets 09:15 Safari Sisters 09:40 Safari Sisters 10:10 Call Of The Wildman 10:35 Call Of The Wildman 11:05 Gator Boys 12:00 America’s Cutest Pets 12:55 Safari Sisters 13:20 Safari Sisters 13:50 Treehouse Masters 14:45 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 15:10 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner 15:40 Tanked 16:35 Safari Sisters 17:00 Safari Sisters 17:30 Rogue Nature With Dave Salmoni 18:25 Treehouse Masters 19:20 Call Of The Wildman 19:50 Call Of The Wildman 20:15 Tanked 21:10 Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli 21:35 Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli 22:05 Treehouse Masters 23:00 Call Of The Wildman 23:30 Call Of The Wildman 23:55 Devoured: Man-Eating Super Snake Returns 00:15 00:45 01:15 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:15 05:00 05:25 05:45 06:05 06:15 06:40 07:00 07:15 08:00 08:30 08:55 09:25 09:55 10:45 11:30 12:00 12:25 13:10 13:40 14:10 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:25 17:10 17:40 18:10 19:05 19:35 20:00 20:55 21:45 22:15 23:05 23:35 00:00 00:55 01:20 02:15 Eastenders Doctors Lark Rise To Candleford Whitechapel Scott & Bailey Being Eileen The Weakest Link The Green Balloon Club Mr Bloom’s Nursery Me Too! Jollywobbles The Green Balloon Club Mr Bloom’s Nursery Gigglebiz The Weakest Link The Vicar Of Dibley Moone Boy Eastenders Doctors Lark Rise To Candleford The Weakest Link The Vicar Of Dibley Moone Boy 32 Brinkburn Street Eastenders Doctors Lark Rise To Candleford As Time Goes By The Vicar Of Dibley Moone Boy The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Lark Rise To Candleford As Time Goes By Being Eileen Call The Midwife Mistresses Saxondale Frankie Rev. Being Eileen Homes Under The Hammer Michela’s Classic Italian Come Dine With Me Masterchef: The Professionals 03:05 Antiques Roadshow 04:00 Come Dine With Me 04:25 Homes Under The Hammer 05:20 Michela’s Classic Italian 05:50 Come Dine With Me 06:40 Masterchef: The Professionals 07:35 Paul Hollywood’s Bread 08:00 Antiques Roadshow 08:50 Come Dine With Me 09:15 Homes Under The Hammer 10:10 Bargain Hunt 10:50 Come Dine With Me 11:40 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:35 Antiques Roadshow 13:25 Come Dine With Me 13:50 Homes Under The Hammer 14:40 Bargain Hunt 15:25 Come Dine With Me 16:15 Masterchef: The Professionals 17:05 Antiques Roadshow 18:00 Come Dine With Me 18:25 Homes Under The Hammer 19:15 Homes Under The Hammer 20:10 Nordic Cookery With Tareq Taylor 20:35 Nigellissima 21:00 Vacation Vacation Vacation 21:25 Masterchef: The Professionals 22:15 Antiques Roadshow 23:10 Come Dine With Me 23:35 The Good Cook 00:20 Fast N’ Loud 01:10 Gold Rush 02:50 Alaska: The Last Frontier 03:40 Auction Hunters 04:05 The Liquidator 04:30 What’s In The Barn? 05:00 How It’s Made 05:30 How It’s Made 06:00 Tethered 06:50 Fat N’ Furious: Rolling Thunder 07:40 Fast N’ Loud 08:30 Auction Hunters 08:55 The Liquidator 09:20 What’s In The Barn? 09:45 How It’s Made 10:10 How It’s Made 10:35 Gold Rush 12:15 Alaska: The Last Frontier 13:05 Auction Hunters 13:30 The Liquidator 13:55 What’s In The Barn? 14:20 Tethered 15:10 Fat N’ Furious: Rolling Thunder 16:00 Fast N’ Loud 16:50 How It’s Made 17:15 How It’s Made 17:40 Dual Survival 18:30 Get Out Alive With Bear Grylls 19:20 Dive Wars Australia 20:10 The Liquidator 20:35 What’s In The Barn? 21:00 Bear’s Wild Weekend With Stephen Fry 21:50 Dive Wars Australia 22:40 Survive That! 23:30 Dual Survival 00:00 00:45 00:50 01:15 01:40 01:50 02:05 02:15 02:30 03:10 03:20 03:45 04:10 04:20 04:35 04:45 05:00 05:25 05:50 06:00 06:25 06:50 07:15 07:40 08:05 08:30 08:55 09:20 Violetta The Hive Art Attack Art Attack Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Violetta The Hive Art Attack Art Attack Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Art Attack Art Attack Mouk Kim Possible Austin & Ally Girl Meets World Liv And Maddie Jessie Dog With A Blog Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Sonny With A Chance 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:40 13:05 13:30 13:55 14:20 15:00 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:40 19:05 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:10 23:35 Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck That’s So Raven That’s So Raven A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Austin & Ally Girl Meets World Girl Meets World Liv And Maddie Violetta Austin & Ally Jessie Liv And Maddie Dog With A Blog Girl Meets World Girl Meets World Violetta Shake It Up Shake It Up Shake It Up Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm Shake It Up Wolfblood Wolfblood 00:00 Christina Milian Turned Up 00:55 The Soup 01:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 02:20 E! News 03:15 Escape Club 04:10 E!ES 05:05 E! Entertainment Special 06:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 06:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 07:50 Style Star 08:20 E! News 09:15 Giuliana & Bill 10:15 Giuliana & Bill 11:10 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 11:35 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 12:05 E! News 13:05 Extreme Close-Up 13:35 E!ES 14:30 Style Star 15:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 17:00 Giuliana & Bill 18:00 Christina Milian Turned Up 19:00 THS 20:00 Fashion Bloggers 20:30 Fashion Bloggers 21:00 House Of DVF 22:00 Fashion Police 23:00 Kourtney And Khloe Take The Hamptons 00:40 The Hungry Sailors 01:30 Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs 02:00 Emmerdale 02:25 Emmerdale 02:55 Coronation Street 03:25 Get Your Act Together 04:25 Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs 04:50 Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs 05:15 Murdoch Mysteries 06:10 Please Marry My Boy 07:05 Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs 07:30 Get Your Act Together 08:30 Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs 08:55 Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs 09:20 The Chase 10:15 Murdoch Mysteries 11:10 Emmerdale 11:35 Emmerdale 12:00 Coronation Street 12:30 The Hungry Sailors 13:25 Please Marry My Boy 14:20 James Nesbitt’s Ireland 14:45 Murdoch Mysteries 15:35 The Chase 16:30 Endeavour 18:20 Please Marry My Boy 19:10 Coronation Street 19:35 The Chase 20:30 Endeavour 22:20 Coronation Street 22:50 Emmerdale 23:15 Emmerdale 23:45 Murdoch Mysteries 00:00 Predator CSI 01:00 My Dog Ate What? 02:00 Mega Breakdown 03:00 Car SOS 04:00 Hunter Hunted 05:00 Fight Science 06:00 Crime Lab 07:00 Secret Brazil 08:00 Predator CSI 09:00 My Dog Ate What? 10:00 Mega Breakdown 11:00 Megacities 12:00 The Indestructibles 12:30 The Indestructibles 13:00 Caught In The Act 14:00 Thunder Beasts 15:00 Ancient Secrets: Witch Hunter’s Bible 16:00 Chasing UFOs 17:00 Air Crash Investigation 18:00 Gorilla Murders 19:00 Ancient Secrets: Witch Hunter’s Bible 20:00 Chasing UFOs 21:00 Air Crash Investigation 22:00 Gorilla Murders 23:00 Megacities 00:00 Wilfred 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 Modern Family 01:30 Getting On 02:00 Jonah From Tonga 02:30 Sean Saves The World 03:00 New Girl 03:30 The Michael J. Fox Show 04:00 Raising Hope 04:30 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 05:30 My Boys 06:00 Last Man Standing 06:30 Better Off Ted 07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 08:00 Raising Hope 08:30 My Boys 09:00 New Girl 09:30 Two And A Half Men 10:00 Two And A Half Men 10:30 Better Off Ted 11:00 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 12:00 Last Man Standing 12:30 Raising Hope 13:00 My Boys 13:30 Better Off Ted 14:00 The Michael J. Fox Show 14:30 Two And A Half Men 15:00 Two And A Half Men 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 Modern Family 16:30 The Goldbergs 17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 18:00 New Girl 18:30 The Michael J. Fox Show 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hot In Cleveland 20:00 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 Modern Family 22:00 Web Therapy 22:30 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 23:00 Sean Saves The World 23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 Perception Bates Motel Banshee Grimm Revenge Bones Perception The Fosters Parenthood Bones Revenge The Fosters Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Parenthood Perception Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Parenthood Box Office: ‘Game of Thrones’ eyes $2 million in Imax debut “G ame of Thrones” has reached all-screen domination. The show became the first TV series to hit the bigscreen when it opened Friday to $686,000 at the US box office. The fantasy series stands to earn almost $2 million from 205 Imax screens this weekend, bringing its per-screen average to a weekend high of $9,800. This weekend’s No. 1 film, Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper,” is aiming for a much lower per-screen average of $7,695. “American Sniper,” however, has been in theaters since Christmas Day and went wide three weekends ago. Update: Warner Bros has a more modest weekend estimate between $1.3 million and $1.5 million, considering the unpredictability of today’s earnings. That would lower the per-screen average to $5,341 to $7,317, respectably. And given it’s nature as seven-day alternative content that has already aired on TV, the studio doesn’t expect 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 Criminal Minds State Of Affairs Killer Women True Blood Grimm 01:00 05:00 07:00 07:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 15:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 23:00 Good Morning America Good Morning America Emmerdale Coronation Street Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Live Good Morning America Drop Dead Diva Chicago Fire Resurrection Justified 00:00 Parker 02:00 Broken City 04:00 Tactical Force 05:45 The Lone Ranger 08:15 Crimson Tide 10:30 Into The Blue 12:45 Appleseed: Alpha 14:45 The Lone Ranger 17:15 The Grandmaster 19:30 Crimson Tide 22:00 Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer 00:00 Broken City-18 02:00 Tactical Force-PG15 BROKEN CITY ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD 03:45 The Lone Ranger-PG15 06:15 Crimson Tide-PG15 08:30 Into The Blue-PG15 10:45 Appleseed: Alpha-PG15 12:45 The Lone Ranger-PG15 15:15 The Grandmaster-PG15 17:30 Crimson Tide-PG15 20:00 Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer-PG 22:00 Shanghai Noon-PG15 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 Boomerang-PG15 Straight Talk-PG15 Gambit-PG15 See Spot Run-PG Men At Work-PG15 The Simpsons Movie-PG15 Gambit-PG15 Article 99-PG15 Men At Work-PG15 Scary Movie 5-PG15 Syrup-PG15 The Parole Officer-18 01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 PG15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:45 21:00 23:00 Five Thirteen-PG15 Hateship Loveship-PG15 All Is Lost-PG15 The Good Witch’s WeddingOld Stock-PG15 All Is Lost-PG15 Special Forces-PG15 Lost Christmas-PG15 Old Stock-PG15 Great Expectations-PG15 Devil’s Knot-PG15 The Bling Ring-18 01:00 3 Days To Kill-PG15 the Imax-only exhibition to behave like a traditional theatrical release, which drastically alters the math equation. The grand scale of the HBO hit is clearly translating well to the bigscreen, setting an example for similar future experiments. It’s also likely that “Game of Thrones” would have grossed more had it opened on a different date as theater attendance is usually down on Super Bowl weekend. HBO’s two-part season four finale was digitally remastered to fit the Imax format. An exclusive season five trailer also premiered at Thursday late-night showings. “The cinematic brilliance and grand scope of the series is perfect for the Imax format,” Pamela Levine, chief marketing officer at HBO, said in early January. “We are always looking to provide fans with new and exciting ways to experience the show and viewing two key episodes, along with the new trailer, on such an impressive platform makes for a great event.” — Reuters 03:00 Grace Unplugged-PG 05:00 The Nut Job-FAM 07:00 The Company You KeepPG15 09:00 Captain Phillips-PG15 11:15 Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters-PG 13:15 Khumba-PG 15:00 Between Us-PG15 16:45 Captain Phillips-PG15 19:00 The Internship-PG15 21:00 Every Day-PG15 23:00 Filth-R 01:00 Quiz Show-PG15 03:15 Citizen Gangster-PG15 05:00 Goal II: Living The DreamPG15 07:00 Yellow Rock-PG15 08:30 Faces In The Crowd-PG15 10:30 Quiz Show-PG15 12:45 Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story-PG15 14:00 Escape From PolygamyPG15 16:00 Faces In The Crowd-PG15 18:00 Unstrung Heroes-PG15 19:45 The Prestige-PG15 22:00 Gravity-PG15 00:00 02:00 04:00 PG15 06:00 08:00 10:15 12:00 14:00 15:45 18:00 Superman: Unbound-PG Good Deeds-PG15 The Music Never StoppedDespicable Me 2-PG Red Tails-PG15 The House Bunny-PG15 Good Deeds-PG15 Monsters University-PG Red Tails-PG15 The Worricker: Turks & Caicos-PG15 20:00 Lay The Favorite-PG15 22:00 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones-18 23:45 Red Tails-PG15 01:00 Barbie As Rapunzel 02:30 Everyone’s Hero 04:15 The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle 06:00 Dudley Do Right 08:00 Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs & A Baby 10:00 Barbie And The Diamond Castle 11:30 Imaginum 13:00 Everyone’s Hero 14:30 Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs & A Baby 16:00 Patoruzito: The Great Adventure 18:00 Barbie And The Diamond Castle 20:00 Stuart Little 3: Call Of The Wild 22:00 Shark Bait 23:30 Patoruzito: The Great Adventure 01:30 PGA Tour Highlights 02:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 04:00 Live WWE Raw 07:00 PDC World Darts Championship 10:00 Golfing World 11:00 Top 14 Highlights 13:00 PGA Tour Highlights 14:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 15:00 WWE Raw 18:00 WWE Experience Classifieds TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 MATRIMONIAL Kuwait SHARQIA-1 BLACKHAT AMERICAN SNIPER BLACKHAT AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER BLACKHAT SHARQIA-2 SONG OF THE SEA SAT TAKEN 3 NO FRI + SAT SONG OF THE SEA FRI + SAT SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 SHARQIA-3 ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT ROBOT OVERLORDS KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (29/01/2015 TO 04/02/2015) 11:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM 11:30 AM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM 11:30 AM 1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM MUHALAB-1 ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT 12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM MUHALAB-2 AMERICAN SNIPER SELMA AMERICAN SNIPER SELMA AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER 11:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM MUHALAB-3 TAKEN 3 SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 11:30 AM 1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM FANAR-1 ROBOT OVERLORDS MORTDECAI ROBOT OVERLORDS MORTDECAI ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS 1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM FANAR-2 AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER 11:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM FANAR-3 ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT 11:45 AM 1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM FANAR-4 TAKEN 3 NO SAT SONG OF THE SEA SAT SONG OF THE SEA TAKEN 3 SONG OF THE SEA TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 11:30 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM FANAR-5 SELMA SELMA CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC SELMA SELMA 12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM MARINA-1 BLACKHAT BLACKHAT ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT ROBOT OVERLORDS BLACKHAT 12:30 PM 3:15 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM MARINA-2 TAKEN 3 ROBOT OVERLORDS TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 ROBOT OVERLORDS 12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM MARINA-3 SONG OF THE SEA SAT SELMA NO FRI + SAT SONG OF THE SEA FRI + SAT SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER 11:30 AM 1:00 PM 1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM AVENUES-1 CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC 11:45 AM 2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM AVENUES-2 THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH DAVID OYELOWO, CARMEN EJOGO SELMA SELMA SELMA SELMA 11:30 AM 1:45 PM 4:30 PM 7:15 PM 10:00 PM 12:45 AM AVENUES-3 AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER AMERICAN SNIPER 1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM AVENUES-4 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 NO THU Special Show “THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 “ THU TAKEN 3 TAKEN 3 11:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM AVENUES-5 BLACKHAT BLACKHAT AMERICAN SNIPER BLACKHAT NO MON Special Show “UNBROKEN “ MON AMERICAN SNIPER 1:00 PM 3:45 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:00 PM FOR SALE 11:45 PM Household equipment for sale. Contact: 99519280 / 23713145. (C 4917) 3-2-2015 AVENUES-6 BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT 12:00 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 8:15 PM 11:00 PM AVENUES-7 THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH STILL ALICE THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 ANGEL OF DEATH AMERICAN SNIPER 1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM AVENUES-8 MORTDECAI MORTDECAI THE BOOK OF LIFE HAWAIZAADA - HINDI MORTDECAI MORTDECAI 12:00 PM 2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM AVENUES-9 SELMA SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA BLACKHAT BLACKHAT 12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM AVENUES-10 ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS ROBOT OVERLORDS 12:15 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM AVENUES-11 TAKEN 3 - DOLBY ATMOS TAKEN 3 - DOLBY ATMOS TAKEN 3 - DOLBY ATMOS TAKEN 3 - DOLBY ATMOS TAKEN 3 - DOLBY ATMOS TAKEN 3 - DOLBY ATMOS 12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM 360º- 1 BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT BLACKHAT 1:00 PM 3:45 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM 360º- 2 CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC CAIRO TIME - ARABIC ROBOT OVERLORDS 12:45 PM 3:15 PM 5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 1:15 AM 360º- 3 SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA SONG OF THE SEA BLACKHAT MBBS Kerala Viswakarma (C) girl 26/160, Pooyam, fair. Subcaste no bar, only sister medical student. Educated employed youth contact: [email protected] (C 4914) 2-2-2015 11:45 AM 2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM SITUATION WANTED 12 years experienced professional looking for senior position in finance / accounts. Qualification: CFA Level1/CMA (IMA-USA), Bcom. Contact: 60320220. (C 4919) Sri Lankan lady, well experienced cook, looking for a job. Tel: 65905887. (C 4915) URGENTLY REQUIRED For a leading company in Kuwait. Sales Manager: Fluent in English & Arabic (7 years experience) Salesman: Fluent in English & Arabic, good Salesmanship require in industrial field Fax C.V's: 24848640 Need job for a B.Sc degree holder with computer diploma with 8 years experience in Kuwait looking for job as Admin / Sales executive (Indian license only). Please contact: 66894543. (C 4916) 3-2-2015 TUITION Training for CMA (IMAUSA). Location: Khaitan. Contact: 55435333. (C 4918) 3-2-2015 Prayer timings Fajr: 05:15 Shorook 06:36 Duhr: 12:02 Asr: 15:06 THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Maghrib: 17:28 Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is Isha: 18:46 1889988 Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw) Airlines JAI JZR JZR JZR KLM THY FDB QTR PGT ETH GFA UAE JAI FDB RJA MSR ETD KKK QTR ICV MSC THY JZR THY DHX BAW KAC KAC FDB QTR SVA KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY ETD KAC FDB QTR GFA IRA UAE RBG MSC MEA UAE MSR CVK KAC KAC JZR QTR KNE Flt 574 239 267 539 411 772 069 1084 858 620 211 853 526 067 648 612 305 6507 1076 673 401 6677 503 770 170 157 416 412 053 1086 512 352 302 206 332 855 125 301 282 055 1070 213 675 873 553 405 404 871 610 7012 514 382 561 1078 472 Arrival Flights on Tuesday 3/2/2015 Route Mumbai Amman Beirut Cairo Amsterdam/Dammam Istanbul Dubai Doha Istanbul Addis Ababa Bahrain Dubai Chennai/Abu Dhabi Dubai Amman Cairo Abu Dhabi Istanbul Doha Luxembourg/MXP Alexandria Istanbul Luxor Istanbul Bahrain London Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta Manila/Bangkok Dubai Doha Riyadh Kochi Mumbai Islamabad Trivandrum Dubai Sharjah Abu Dhabi Dhaka Dubai Doha Bahrain Lar Dubai Alexandria Sohag Beirut Dubai Cairo KHI Tehran Delhi Sohag Doha Jeddah Time 00:10 00:25 00:30 00:40 00:40 00:45 00:55 01:00 01:35 01:45 02:30 02:35 02:50 02:55 03:05 03:10 03:10 03:20 03:45 04:00 04:05 05:05 05:25 05:35 05:40 06:40 06:45 07:10 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:10 08:20 08:25 08:30 08:40 09:00 09:20 09:20 09:40 10:00 10:40 10:40 11:00 11:15 11:25 11:55 12:50 13:00 13:00 13:10 13:45 13:45 14:05 14:25 SVA FDB GFA MIX KAC OMA ABY UAE FDB NIA KAC QTR RJA ETD SVA GFA JZR UAL JZR UAE TAR JZR ETH FDB ABY KAC QTR KAC KAC AXB KAC KAC KAC GFA KAC KAC KAC JAI MSR FDB OMA GFA DLH ALK MEA ETD FDB UAE GFA QTR ETD FDB AIC PIA UAL JZR THY FDB 500 057 221 307 788 645 127 857 051 251 562 1072 640 303 510 215 325 982 777 875 328 177 3718 063 121 786 1080 774 618 393 678 674 542 217 166 104 742 572 618 061 647 047 636 229 402 307 073 859 219 1074 309 059 981 239 981 185 764 071 Jeddah Dubai Bahrain Sharjah Jeddah Muscat Sharjah Dubai Dubai Alexandria Amman Doha Amman Abu Dhabi Riyadh Bahrain Al Najaf IAD Jeddah Dubai Tunis/Dubai Dubai LGG Dubai Sharjah Jeddah Doha Riyadh Doha Kozhikode Muscat/Abu Dhabi Dubai Cairo Bahrain Paris/Rome London Dammam Mumbai Alexandria Dubai Muscat Bahrain Frankfurt Colombo Beirut Abu Dhabi Dubai Dubai Bahrain Doha Abu Dhabi Dubai Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad Sialkot Bahrain Dubai Istanbul Dubai 14:30 14:30 15:00 15:00 15:10 15:25 15:45 15:45 16:00 16:15 16:20 16:40 16:55 16:55 17:15 17:30 17:50 17:55 17:55 18:00 18:05 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:50 19:15 19:15 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:40 19:55 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:20 20:20 20:30 20:50 21:10 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:45 21:55 22:15 22:30 22:30 22:35 23:10 23:15 23:35 23:45 Airlines AIC BBC PIA FDB RBG JAI KLM DLH ETH THY PGT KAC UAE FDB ETD MSR KKK QTR MSC QTR THY ICV FDB THY JAI RJA JZR GFA THY FDB BAW QTR KAC SVA KAC ABY KAC UAE ETD KAC FDB QTR KAC GFA IRA RBG KAC KAC JZR MSC UAE MEA KAC JZR MSR Departure Flights on Tuesday 3/2/2015 Flt Route 976 Goa/Chennai 044 Dhaka 206 Lahore 072 Dubai 556 Alexandria 573 Mumbai 411 Amsterdam 635 Frankfurt 621 Addis Ababa 773 Istanbul 859 Istanbul 381 Delhi 854 Dubai 068 Dubai 306 Abu Dhabi 613 Cairo 6508 Istanbul 1085 Doha 406 Sohag 1077 Doha 765 Istanbul 673 Hong Kong 070 Dubai 6677 Istanbul 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 649 Amman 560 Sohag 212 Bahrain 771 Istanbul 054 Dubai 156 London 1087 Doha 513 Tehran 513 Riyadh 787 Jeddah 126 Sharjah 101 London/New York 856 Dubai 302 Abu Dhabi 561 Amman 056 Dubai 1071 Doha 165 Rome/Paris 214 Bahrain 674 Lar 554 Alexandria 541 Cairo 677 Abu Dhabi/Muscat 776 Jeddah 402 Alexandria 874 Dubai 405 Beirut 785 Jeddah 176 Dubai 611 Cairo DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION Time 00:05 00:40 00:40 00:45 00:45 01:10 01:55 02:15 02:45 02:55 03:25 03:40 03:50 03:55 04:05 04:10 04:10 04:30 05:05 05:15 05:40 05:45 06:30 06:35 06:35 07:05 07:10 07:15 07:30 08:25 08:45 08:50 08:55 08:55 09:25 09:40 09:50 09:55 10:20 10:25 10:35 11:00 11:15 11:25 11:40 11:55 12:05 12:20 12:20 12:25 12:30 12:55 13:00 13:45 14:00 UAE JZR CVK KAC QTR FDB KAC KNE SVA GFA KAC OMA ABY MIX KAC FDB JZR NIA QTR JZR UAE ETD RJA SVA GFA JZR JZR TAR UAL ABY UAE QTR FDB AXB GFA KAC KAC KAC JAI MSR GFA KAC OMA FDB DLH DHX ALK ETD KAC MEA KAC FDB GFA ETH UAE KAC ETD QTR KAC PIA 872 324 7014 673 1079 058 617 473 501 222 773 646 128 308 741 052 266 252 1073 538 858 304 641 511 216 184 238 328 982 122 876 1081 064 393 218 283 361 343 571 607 047 351 648 062 636 171 230 308 301 403 203 074 220 3718 860 205 310 1075 411 240 Dubai Al Najaf FJR Dubai Doha Dubai Doha Jeddah Jeddah Bahrain Riyadh Muscat Sharjah Sharjah Dammam Dubai Beirut Alexandria Doha Cairo Dubai Abu Dhabi Amman Riyadh Bahrain Dubai Amman Tunis Bahrain Sharjah Dubai Doha Dubai Kozhikode Bahrain Dhaka Colombo Chennai Mumbai Luxor Istanbul Kochi Muscat Dubai Dammam Bahrain Colombo Abu Dhabi Mumbai Beirut Lahore Dubai Bahrain Addis Ababa Dubai Islamabad Abu Dhabi Doha Bangkok/Manila Sialkot 14:15 14:25 14:30 15:00 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:20 15:45 15:45 15:50 16:25 16:25 17:00 17:00 17:00 17:05 17:15 17:40 17:45 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:50 18:55 19:15 19:20 19:40 19:50 19:55 20:15 20:15 20:30 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:20 21:35 21:50 22:10 22:15 22:15 22:20 22:20 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:05 23:30 23:35 34 stars TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 CROSSWORD 804 STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Self-discipline and a sense of self-worth become important issues now. A fear of asserting yourself can hold you back–as can coming on too strong. The trick is learning to make the most of your personal talents and abilities, working within your limitations instead of feeling hemmed in by them. Colors are brighter, images sharper, music more moving. Emotions run deep, especially with a special partner or loved one. Previously bland relationships could now border on love or hate. Intensity rules! You can control this, so enjoy the good parts and exclude anything else. You are full of energy and will enjoy giving someone a helping hand today. Distribute advertisement to local businesses for a children’s theater group. Taurus (April 20-May 20) You should experience all the wonders of this most extraordinary planet. This is a good time to lead the way on a project–at work or home. Your imagination is unusually heightened. Your desire to succeed is strong, not only financially, but personally as well. Your enthusiasm is high and your creative ideas are flowing, ready to be applied to whatever job or goals are waiting. Your best effort will gain you considerable success. Harmony with friends and loved ones is important today. This afternoon may be a good time to socialize and enjoy those personal friends that bring you joy. You are able to improve any relationships that might need work–the positive energies are in your corner. Hold fast to friends and family–they are a great source of strength. Gemini (May 21-June 20) ACROSS 1. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles. 4. Genus of scapose herbs of North and South America having large edible bulbs. 12. Fish eggs or egg-filled ovary. 15. An anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling of light-headedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months. 16. Of or relating to the evolutionary development of organisms. 17. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper. 18. Thigh of a hog (usually smoked). 19. Characterized by absence of emotional agitation. 20. Formed by reaction between an acid and an alcohol with elimination of water. 22. By bad luck. 24. The basic unit of electric current adopted under the System International d'Unites. 25. Resembling or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy. 27. (of a young animal) Abandoned by its mother and raised by hand. 30. United States biochemist who discovered how genes act by regulating definite chemical events (1909-1975). 33. Line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a railway system. 37. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls. 40. A platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it. 41. Characteristic of a mob. 42. Upright deciduous plant with crimson pods and seeds. 44. A broken piece of a brittle artifact. 45. Manufactured in standard sizes to be shipped and assembled elsewhere. 48. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill. 50. An ugly evil-looking old woman. 51. Leave voluntarily. 52. Not only so, but. 54. A public promotion of some product or service. 55. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily. 57. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey). 59. The square of a body of any size of type. 64. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus. 68. A region of central Europe rich in deposits of coal and iron ore. 71. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad. 72. A poplar that is widely cultivated in the United States. 74. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp. 75. Any place of complete bliss and delight and peace. 76. Rich Middle Eastern cake made of thin layers of flaky pastry filled with nuts and honey. 78. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion. 79. Roman Emperor notorious for his monstrous vice and fantastic luxury (was said to have started a fire that destroyed much of Rome in 64) but the Empire remained prosperous during his rule (37-68). 80. Common gray wild goose of Europe. 81. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. DOWN 1. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey). 2. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples. 3. Designer drug designed to have the effects of amphetamines (it floods the brain with serotonin) but to avoid the drug laws. 4. The unit of frequency. 5. Having the leading position or higher score in a contest. 6. Bulldog ants. 7. A city in northwestern Syria. 8. A fractional monetary unit of Japan and Indonesia and Cambodia. 9. Any plant of the genus Stevia or the closely related genus Piqueria having glutinous foliage and white or purplish flowers. 10. Being one more than one. 11. Any organic compound formed by adding alcohol molecules to aldehyde molecules. 12. A training program to prepare college students to be commissioned officers. 13. Evergreen trees and shrubs having oily oneseeded fruits. 14. A British peer ranking below a Marquess and above a Viscount. 21. Formerly a contemptuous term of address to an inferior man or boy. 23. Worthless people. 26. A fee charged for exchanging currencies. 28. Before noon. 29. Of or relating to a language that arises from contact between two other languages and has features of both. 31. Regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god). 32. Wasting of the body during a chronic disease. 34. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska. 35. Wear away. 36. A small low-powered electrically powered vehicle driven on a special platform where there are many others to be dodged. 38. The compass point that is one point north of northwest. 39. African mahogany trees. 43. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers. 46. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Philippines or its people or customs. 47. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World. 49. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC). 53. South African plant widely cultivated for its showy pure white spathe and yellow spadix. 56. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun. 58. Talks a great deal about uninteresting topics. 60. American author of inspirational adventure stories for boys. 61. A large gathering of people intended to arouse enthusiasm. 62. Conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence. 63. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh. 65. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer. 66. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart. 67. Flightless New Zealand rail of thievish disposition having short wings each with a spur used in fighting. 69. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike. 70. God of love and erotic desire. 73. A room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter. 77. A state in the eastern United States. You feel good and your mind is in top condition for the work that is set before you now. Good eye-hand coordination and a sustained effort make almost any task run well. You will be pleased to find that during the tense moments today, everyone seems to exhibit a great deal of control. If you remember your priorities, this can be a very productive day. You can expect a little boost as well as some recognition from your peers this afternoon. You are in touch and in harmony with all; the lines of communication are open. You will probably find that you are appreciated for your ability to progress with the work that has to be done at this time. You will want to take advantage of a family gathering this evening to express your appreciation to loved ones. Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your mind may feel like it is on a racetrack today. The wheels of the mind are moving in fast motion and insights are flashing in and out of the blue. This is a great day for looking at the whole picture and getting the idea of balance and blending as well as a few facial responses from customers. You know when things are working together well because of the response you hear from the crowd, if there is a crowd. It may not have seemed possible, but you are able to get many things accomplished today. You may be caring for animals this afternoon. While you are with friends and family this evening, you will want to use your energy constructively–being slow to worry is a good idea. Romance is in the air tonight, a love relationship deepens. Leo (July 23-August 22) Group work may be necessary as you or another co-worker may require some research or sorting through files or making phone calls. The work will be accomplished much faster than one person can achieve. Sometime today, if you are in a technical field such as computers or phones, you may have to deal with a customer that needs more time than other customers. While this may not be the greatest thing for people working on commission, it will give you honor and high esteem with this customer who will return to you as a better consumer–with more understanding of the products you sell. If you don’t sell him or her anything, your attitude will get you a recommendation that will be valuable. A little exercise this evening will be suitable. Virgo (August 23-September 22) Work on a project of a large or complicated manner comes knocking at your door today. It may mean a bonus but the best in the end result is your ability to be flexible and organized. If you can get one other person to work with you, at his or her own pace, you will succeed in accomplishing a project that will help many people. You are apt to enjoy considerable success at work. Changes in the workplace may include getting a new boss, new coworkers, embarking on a totally different project or taking an interest in a new field of work. You may be of great help to someone this afternoon without even being aware of it. This evening friends or family will want to help you relax and if you usually cook . . . You won’t have to tonight. WORD SEARCH PUZZLE Libra (September 23-October 22) You attract optimism and optimistic people. Many projects come to fruition at this time, especially large ones–recognition is also easy to find. Your ideas gain a great deal of attention. This is a fine time to engage in some new business dealings or investments. However, compromise should be exercised whenever possible. Mental stimulation from others is helpful right now and it’s a good idea to make every effort to return the act of kindness. At home this evening, it would be wise to foster a sense of togetherness and team play among family members. You should probably try hard to squelch the desire to do everything by yourself. Insights into purchases for the family can be considered now: house, car, etc. Scorpio (October 23-November 21) This is definitely a day of progress, particularly if you are allowed to take the lead. You attract people to work with you whose energy matches your own energies. Communication with a co-worker is positive. You are able to handle most any situation. If you are still fired up at the close of the day, become involved in an exercise program. It will help you to release any excessive energy. You may find yourself working hard to make time for your family this week. This is a period of optimism and a good time to evaluate existing relationships, or start a new one. You are coming into a period of greater than usual emphasis on emotional security, which is likely to manifest as putting down roots somehow. Real estate becomes a bigger part of your life goals. Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are happy to be with others in a working agreement today. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your management and organizational skills are in high focus. It is important during this time to effectively communicate your ideas to co-workers and those who work under you. Parental instincts may come to the forefront and you make every effort to appease any discord. Also, there is a strong wish to make your surroundings as pleasant as possible. You truly desire fun and should not hesitate to get to know new people and form new acquaintances. Also, love is in full bloom during this time and it is a good time to fully demonstrate the depth of affections to loved ones. Harmony is in your life–enjoy it! Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You may find the push to sign contracts, conclude business deals or make future plans. If you have had an advisor, this is a good thing. If you have not had an advisor, one should be provided. When signing important papers, it is important to know what you are doing, particularly if you are involved in a real-estate deal. Your sharp mind will see all aspects from all angles. Any high-level mental pursuits should be rewarding and stimulating just now. Welcome all new ideas! There are new concepts that you are aware of and may find yourself talking about with co-workers. Later, this afternoon, you should take every opportunity to get outside and enjoy the out-of-doors. The view of your progress will improve after a little exercise. Aquarius (January 20- February 18) If ever there was a day to work with groups, this is it! Your acute sensitivity to other people’s moods could enable you to fine-tune those moods as you would a violin. You could obtain anything you wish to obtain or sell anything you want to sell to people–they will think you have done them a favor. Awareness of your monetary situation is a good thing now–it may sometimes be difficult to gauge. Leave those large purchases for another time– you must be judicious in personal decisions about finances. You should love being around people today, especially those to whom you are emotionally attached and better yet, older friends with whom you can reminisce. This is a time to cement your ties to others, to make sure they are rock-solid. Pisces (February 19-March 20) This time marks a period of introspection and evaluation of goals. You may feel lonely and self-critical at this time–do not be too hard on yourself. Focus your energy on selfdiscovery instead. There may be much responsibility at this time and much of your work is recognized by people that may not express their appreciation. Perseverance, however, is crucial to your own sense of accomplishment–you will be glad you finished what you set out to accomplish. You may take on an easygoing manner with friends and family this afternoon. The need to relax and enjoy the home setting is essential. You may decide to do some sort of creative work that will add to the atmosphere or comfort of your surroundings. It’s a good time to ask favors from someone close. Yesterday’s Solution Yesterday’s Solution Daily SuDoku Yesterday’s Solution TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 INTERNATIONAL CALLS GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital Ahmadi 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 PHARMACY Jahra Capital Al-Razi Hospital Physiotherapy Hospital Farwaniya Hawally 24846000 24874330/9 Kaizen center 25716707 Rawda 22517733 ADDRESS PHONE Afghanistan 0093 Luxembourg 00352 Albania 00355 Macau 00853 Algeria 00213 Macedonia 00389 Andorra 00376 Madagascar 00261 Angola 00244 Majorca 0034 Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23915883 23715414 23726558 Anguilla 001264 Malawi 00265 Modern Jahra Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92 24575518 24566622 Antiga 001268 Malaysia 0060 Argentina 0054 Maldives 00960 Armenia 00374 Mali 00223 Australia 0061 Malta 00356 Austria 0043 Marshall Islands 00692 Bahamas 001242 Martinique 00596 Bahrain 00973 Mauritania 00222 Bangladesh 00880 Mauritius 00230 Barbados 001246 Mayotte 00269 Belarus 00375 Mexico 0052 Belgium 0032 Micronesia 00691 Belize 00501 Moldova 00373 Benin 00229 Monaco 00377 Bermuda 001441 Mongolia 00976 Bhutan 00975 Montserrat 001664 Bolivia 00591 Morocco 00212 Bosnia 00387 Mozambique 00258 Ahlam Khaldiya Coop Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop 22436184 24833967 New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11 24734000 24881201 24726638 Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop 25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241 Adaliya 22517144 Botswana 00267 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Khaldiya 24848075 Brazil 0055 Namibia 00264 Brunei 00673 Nepal 00977 Kaifan 24849807 Bulgaria 00359 Netherlands 0031 Shamiya 24848913 Burkina 00226 Netherlands Antilles 00599 Shuwaikh 24814507 Burundi 00257 New Caledonia Cambodia 00855 New Zealand 0064 Abdullah Salem 22549134 Cameroon 00237 Nicaragua 00505 Nuzha 22526804 Canada 001 Nigar 00227 Cape Verde 00238 Nigeria 00234 Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764 Cayman Islands 001345 Niue 00683 Central African 00236 Norfolk Island 00672 Chad 00235 N. 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The drummer - who joined the ‘Pure Morning’ group in 2008 - has “amicably” departed the band to focus on his own music, and singer Brian Molko and bassist Stefan Oldsal will now be joined on the road by former Colour of Fire drummer Matt Lunn. A group statement said: “The split is very amicable and Steve was keen to pursue his own musical ambitions, and has been writing and recording his own material over the last few years. “Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal would like to thank Steve for all his work with the band and wish him all the very best in his future career.” Fans will get their first glimpse of Matt when the group embark on their huge UK and Ireland tour later this month, on which they will be supported by The Mirror Trap. The 20-date tour begins at the Olympia in Dublin on 25 February and ends with two nights at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on 24 and 25 March. Some fans may already be familiar with the new touring drummer as his former group previously supported Placebo when they toured in 2004. Matt is the band’s fourth drummer, with original sticksman Robert Schultzberg replaced by Steve Hewitt in 1996. Steve left in 2007 due to “personal and musical differences”. K asabian rocker Serge Pizzorno can’t understand why Ed Sheeran is so popular, admitting he finds his success “scary”. The guitarist misses the music scene of the 1990s, which was dominated by Britpop and rock acts, and thinks the charts nowadays are “too pop” and “middle England”. Serge has cited acoustic songsmith Ed who is up for several Grammy Awards and BRITs as a prime example of what’s wrong with modern pop. Speaking in the new issue of Loaded magazine, he said: “I do miss the Britpop era. The loonies took over for a bit, which was great. It’s so pop right now. Too pop. It was great with Blur and Oasis. Those days were so exciting to watch and I’m not sure if we’re ever going to get that back. Ed Sheeran is killing it. It’s middle England. We are so middle England, it’s scary.” Despite enjoying a phenomenally successful 2014 - which included a headline set at the Glastonbury Festival - Kasabian have not been nominated for any prizes at the upcoming BRIT Awards. Although they have been snubbed from the ceremony, singer Tom Meighan is hopeful the event will still open people’s eyes to different genres of music. He said: “What’s good about the BRIT Awards is rock music - if you can call it that. It allows the music to reach out to people who usually watch ‘The X Factor’ or some thing. It’s about turning them on to alternative music which can only be a good thing.” The 250th celebratory issue of Loaded - which has Kasabian on the cover is available to buy in both print and digital formats now. Gallagher’s High Flying Birds for Calling Festival N J onathan Rhys Myers is to star in ‘Damascus Cover’. The ‘Mission Impossible III’ star will take on the lead role in the espionage thriller, which is based on the 1977 novel by Howard Kaplan. He said: “I’m enormously excited about this role. This was a hugely significant time in the conflict in the Middle East, post-cold war and with the collapse of the Berlin Wall when an amount of spies were redeployed to the Middle East, where the theatre of covert operations would now take precedence. “With a highly thoughtful and intelligent script by Daniel Berk and Samantha Newton I’m thrilled to be a part of this project and can’t wait to start shooting with a very gifted international cast and crew.” The 37-year-old actor has already joined Olivia Thirlby, Sir John Hurt and others in Morocco, as filming begins in the African oel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will headline Calling Festival. The one-day event will take place on Clapham Common in London on Saturday July 4 with Ryan Adams, The Hives and Echo and the Bunnymen also confirmed to perform. Speaking about the booking, Live Nation’s Vice President of Promotions Toby Leighton-Pope said: “We’re so pleased with the Calling Festival 2015 bill. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will be incredible and we’re so happy to welcome the fantastic Ryan Adams, The Hives and Echo and the Bunnymen. This year is going to be huge and we look forward to seeing the crowds back in Clapham this summer.” The band will perform their first outdoor headline set at the multi-stage festival four months after the release of their eagerly anticipated second album, ‘Chasing Yesterday’, which will be available from March 2. In October, the 47-year-old performer sold out his six-date spring tour - which will see him visit Belfast, Dublin, Nottingham, Glasgow, and Manchester before end in London on March 10 - in just 10 minutes. Previous headliners of the annual event include The Who, Eric Clapton, Bon Jovi and The Killers, with more than 80,000 music-lovers flocking to the festival in south west London last year to witness performances from Stevie Wonder and Aerosmith. Tickets for Calling Festival go on sale at 9am on Friday 6 February and are priced at £57.50 plus booking fee. country this week. Speaking about her role, Olivia added: “I’m thrilled to be a part of ‘Damascus Cover’. “It’s an honor to collaborate with and work alongside such a diverse and talented group of individuals on a project that looks closely at a fascinating time in history. I am extremely excited to begin the shoot.” The movie’s plot follows the story of an undercover spy who is sent to Damascus to help a chemical weapons scientist and his family sneak out of the country. Soon, things turn bad for the man, as he becomes the target of murderous conspirators. Dylan says comparisons Heidi Klum became model eater with Sinatra are a ‘joke’ H Madonna forgets recording experiences M adonna “can’t remember” making all her records. The 56year-old singer is preparing to release her 13th studio album, ‘Rebel Heart’, and admits she has released so many LPs throughout her illustrious career she cannot recall the creative process she went through to make all her albums. She said: “I cannot remember every record-making experience. It feels like there’s been too many of them. “But this [‘Rebel Heart’] has been really, really intense ... complicated. Just because there are so many people involved. “It’s like a train that keeps picking up people. And every time someone gets on the train, they add another flavor. “Then I have to step back and see, OK, how does this all fit into the big picture? So it does seem endless.” But the ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ hitmaker has no problem recalling her fourth studio album ‘Like A Prayer’, which came with a cover scented with patchouli oils to simulate church incense, because she now “cannot stand” the aroma of the plant species. She added in an interview with Mojo magazine: “Terrible, terrible perfume. I can’t stand it. I don’t [like it] any more. It’s a tree hugger’s smell.” eidi Klum had to give up her favorite German foods to make it as a model. The 41year-old catwalk star was born and raised in Bergisch Gladbach, a town just outside of Cologne, and she began her career she quickly realized she would have to ditch the delicious calorific treats she enjoyed, such as schnitzel, if she wanted to make it in the fashion business. She explained: “Once I started modeling, I changed my life. When I left Germany, I went to Paris, London and Milan and I saw how the girls were all so fit and ate differently. Coming from Germany, I ate all the schnitzel and potatoes that my mother would cook for me, but that doesn’t work if you want to be in this industry. “You have to be fit, your skin, your nails and your hair have to look great, as well as your body, of course, so I completely changed the way I ate.” Although she follows a strict diet and exercise regime, Heidi will still allow herself the occasional treat, and she enjoys nothing more than munching on a slice of pizza with her four children - 10-year-old Leni, her daughter with ex Flavio Briatore, and Henry, nine, Johan, eight, and Lou, five, with her former husband Seal. Speaking to You magazine, she said: “I eat everything but not on a daily basis. I don’t eat a lot of bread, spaghetti, rice or carbs - it’s not really necessary. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t eat carbs, but have them in moderation. I eat a lot of vegetables and I don’t eat a lot of sauces ... but when I go with my kids to a pizza restaurant, yeah, I’ll eat pizza.” Heidi accepts it is her responsibility to always be ready to strip off and look good and that’s her motivation for sticking to her regime of distance running and weight training. She said: “I always have to be ready to take off my clothes and look great ... If you’re not fit and you’re not 100 per cent, someone else is going to get the job. There are so many beautiful girls to choose from, so if you want to be top, your body has to look top. It’s just the way it is - it’s the job.” B ob Dylan thinks people are “joking” when they compare him to Frank Sinatra. The 73-year-old singer-songwriter’s 36th studio album, ‘Shadows in the Night’, features a number of songs associated with Sinatra - including ‘Autumn Leaves’ and ‘That Lucky Old Sun’ - but Dylan insists the legendary crooner is beyond compare. Asked whether it’s a risk to make records previously sung by Sinatra, he said: “There’s nothing risky about making records. “Comparing me with Frank Sinatra? You must be joking. To be mentioned in the same breath as him must be some sort of high compliment. “Nobody touches him. Not me or anyone else.” Dylan confessed his new album is “out of step with the current media culture” but dismissed accusations of being “corny”. He told the American Association Of Retired Persons magazine: “These songs, take ‘em or leave ‘em, if nothing else, are songs of great virtue. That’s what they are. “If they sound trite and corny to somebody, well so much for that. “But people’s lives today are filled on so many levels with vice and the trappings of it. Ambition, greed and selfishness all have to do with vice. “We see the destruction of human life and the mockery of it, everywhere we look. These songs are anything but that. Romance never does go out of fashion. “It’s radical. Maybe it’s out of step with the current media culture.” Kardashian West’s hair ‘part of her identity’ K im Kardashian West’s hair is “part of her identity”, according to Chris McMillan. The hairstylist - who is responsible for creating the “Rachel” haircut made popular by his pal Jennifer Aniston in ‘Friends’ - has opened up about working with the ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ star and insists he’s never had to use extensions because her natural hair is a great base to work with. He said: “Kim’s long, gorgeous hair is part of her identity.” Chris added: “Kim’s natural texture is so thick and wavy. Instead of fighting it, I like to go with it, keeping everything soft, easy and understated.” The celebrity stylist was on hand to style Kim’s stunning half-up, half-down hairdo at her nuptials to Kanye West - with whom she has 19-month-old daughter North - in Florence, Italy last year and confessed he’s proud she is still re-creating the look herself. Writing in his column for the February issue of Allure magazine, he said: “A wedding is not the time to do anything trendy. I teased her crown, parted her hair down the middle, and pulled two small sections straight back. This style has sort of become her go-to look since the wedding.” Chris also revealed he managed to smooth her tousled waves into a single braid in just six minutes in Paris during the run up to her wedding despite being allotted ten minutes. —Bang Showbiz 37 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 LIFESTYLE M u s i c & M o v i e s Katy Perry dazzles at Super Bowl halftime show S Musician John Legend performs “God Bless America” during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. —AP photos Model Chrissy Teigen and musician John Legend attend Super Bowl XLIX. inger Katy Perry dazzled at Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show in a spectacular performance featuring dancing sharks, a prowling metallic lion and a levitating star that shot fireworks into the night sky. Perry stalked into the University of Phoenix Stadium field in Glendale, Arizona riding the huge, fiery-eyed lion as she sang her megahit “Roar” while wearing a flame-festooned dress. The 30-year-old star performed a brief duet with rock legend Lenny Kravitz, and the pair sung “I Kissed A Girl,” one of Perry’s first big hits in 2008, during a brief but raunchy performance. The crowd cheered during the next segment that saw Perry perform on a desert island set-complete with palm trees, dancers dressed up to look like goofy sharks and beach balls, as the star sang “California Gurls.” The Super Bowl’s halftime show has become a must-see event in the middle of the NFL’s championship extravaganza. Halftime performances generate massive ratings and, sometimes, unexpected controversy such as when Janet Jackson inadvertently suffered a “wardrobe malfunction” that saw much of her breast exposed in 2004, or Prince’s 2007 show that featured a strangely shaped guitar that cast a phallus-shaped shadow. Perry’s 12.5-minute performance did not generate any such controversy and the reaction on social media appeared overwhelmingly positive, with many users praising her live singing, her dancers and her three quick costume changes. Actress Anna Kendrick hailed the pop star’s performance, sending her compliments via Twitter. “It’s official. Katy Perry is magic,” she wrote. “All jokes aside, @katyperry your voice tonight was actually unreal.” Rapper Snoop Dogg chimed in too, tweeting: “If you were wondering that was me in tha Shark costume!!” Missy Elliott was the star guest of the per- and elevated above the football field, cruising around the stadium as fireworks burst around her, to enthusiastic cheers and applause from the crowd. The New England Patriots defeated Seattle 28-24 at this year’s Super Bowl 49, denying the Seahawks a second consecutive title in the NFL champi- formance, making a foggy entrance to sing hits including “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It.” The newly-svelte rap diva’s high-energy number “Lose Control” was a crowd pleaser. Perry’s grand finale was a spectacular rendition of her huge hit “Firework.” She climbed onto a star-shaped platform onship spectacular. The Super Bowl was expected to draw a whopping 15 million viewers-or about one third of all Americans-many of whom look forward to the highly-anticipated halftime show and much-buzzed about commercials. —AFP Katy Perry, right, and Lenny Kravitz perform on stage. Singer Katy Perry performs during halftime of NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game. Idina Menzel sings the national anthem before the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game. ‘Uptown Funk’ holds onto British music chart top spot ‘U ptown Funk’ by English DJ and producer Mark Ronson secured a seventh week at the top of the British singles chart on Sunday, the Official Charts Company said. The single, which features Hawaii-born singer Bruno Mars, outsold Irish artist Hozier’s song about love and religion “Take me to Church”, which came in second place, and “LA Love” by Fergie in third. The top five was completed by “Lips are Movin” by Meghan Trainor in fourth and new entry “Four Five Seconds” by Barbadian star Rihanna, which also features Kanye West and Paul McCartney. Ronson could not hold on to number one position in the album charts, where Trainor’s new entry “Title” earned her a chart-topping debut studio album. Ed Sheeran’s “X” continued its long spell in the top five, charting in second place ahead of Ronson’s “Uptown Special”. —Reuters Gavin DeGraw performs at the Super Bowl XLIX. Brown asks for privacy as daughter remains in hospital S inger Bobby Brown on Sunday asked for privacy regarding his and his late wife Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, who according to police was found unresponsive in a bathtub at her Georgia home before she was revived at a hospital. The incident comes nearly three years after Houston, a superstar who battled substance abuse, drowned in a bathtub in Beverly Hills, California, in February 2012. Authorities have said cocaine use and heart disease contributed to her death. Brown, 21, was found on Saturday in the bathtub at her suburban Atlanta home by her husband Nick Gordon and a friend, the Roswell Police Department said. Gordon started CPR and police continued life-saving measures until an ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital. “Privacy is requested in this matter. Please allow for my family to deal with this matter and give my daughter the love and support she needs at this time,” said Bobby Brown in a statement issued by his lawyer Christopher Brown. Brown was taken to North Fulton Hospital in Roswell, a suburb north of Atlanta, police said. Doctors put her in a medically induced coma, according to Bobbi Kristina Brown, right, and Nick Gordon CNN and other media, all of whom quoted a single source close the family, but the hospital would not confirm those reports or give any updates on her condition. In January 2014, Brown married Gordon, who was also raised but never adopted by Houston, one of the bestselling recording artists of all time. Houston, whose dozens of hit songs include “How Will I Know” and “I Will Always Love You,” was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston and a cousin of pop singer Dionne Warwick. Bobbi Kristina Brown’s father, Bobby Brown, is a Grammy Award winner who started his career as frontman for the R&B group New Edition. Both of Bobbi Kristina’s parents struggled with substance abuse, and Houston described their 15-year marriage, which ended in 2007, as drug- and alcoholfueled. Bobby Brown was sentenced to 55 days in jail in 2013 after admitting to driving drunk in 2012. Bobbi Kristina Brown was hospitalized twice with anxiety after her mother’s death. —Reuters TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 lifestyle F e a t u r e s (Left) Indian visitors walk past the work of Iranian photographer Azadeh Akhlaghi on display and a painting by Indian artist Atul Dodiya, at the India Art Fair in New Delhi. — AFP photos An Indian woman chats on her mobile phone at an installation of sculptures by Indian artist K S Radhakrishnan. A work of Indian artist Suhasini Kejriwal. Indian security personnel sits alongside a locked door near the work of Indian artist, Suchit Sahni on display. W ith a giant stainless steel elephant, a graffiti mural and a dying tree branch, the Indian Art Fair opened Friday hoping to tap into the country’s growing demand for contemporary art. Growing wealth has fuelled an interest in art collecting among India’s super rich, but the New Delhi fair’s organizers said a rapidly rising middle class has also played a role in recent years. “Delhi is the most promising and largest art centre in India and something that is growing exponentially,” Neha Kirpal, fair founder and director, told AFP. “ The rising middle class in Delhi and love for art is something that is enabling strong commercial interests,” she said. Spread across pavilions over 20,000 square meters (215,000 square feet), the fair features more than 3,500 works from 1,200 artists from India and overseas. The event has been phenomenally successful since its first edition in 2008 and now draws hundreds of thousands of members of the public over three days. Coming on the heels of Christie’s second auction in the country in December that raised $12 million, art dealers said demand for a range of Indian works was high. “A few years ago, you know, there was concern in the market, but now steadily things have been rising,” Parul Vadehra, director of the Vadehra Art Gallery, said of the market’s slump after the 2008 global economic crisis. “With prices rising in the market, obviously that creates a lot of confidence among the collectors and the galleries as well as the artists,” Vadehra said. This year, themes at the fair range from environmental degradation to the responsibility of power. A stainless steel elephant with lotus-shaped cut outs by Indian sculptor Sonal Ambani portrays the “responsibility of power”, while a large dry tree branch with plastic bags as leaves depicts global “environmental degradation”. A large mural by a graffiti ar tist known as Daku shows life on a busy Delhi street, including pedestrians, rickshaw pullers and a pot-bellied police man. French artist Julian Segard, who spent months with Delhi’s homeless, portrays the city’s underbelly with pictures made from scrap paper and cardboard collected on the streets.—AFP A visitor gestures with his glass towards photographs by India-based US photographer Sebastian Cortes. Modern-day knights do battle in bone-crunching combat T he sound of swords crashing on to steel armor resonates around the municipal sports hall as two teams of heavily-armored knights commence a ferocious battle. One combatant launches himself into another, hauls his opponent to the ground, then regains his footing to smash his sword into another’s helmet. Welcome to Rise of the Knights III-the third edition of a Medieval Combat tournament held in an innocuous sports hall in Bernau, near Berlin. Teams from across Europe clashed in a day-long series of five-against-five battles on Saturday. Forget about choreographed re-enactment battles where no one gets hurt. Medieval Combat is a full-contact sport where armor-clad participants attack each other armed with an array of weapons. A small team of referees ensure the strict rules are followed during the violent clashes in a fenced-off area. Rather than kill an opponent, as in medieval times, victory means putting your opponent on the floor and the winning team is decided by who is left standing in the best of three rounds. Blows to the neck, feet, back of knees, groin and throat are strictly prohibited, but punching, kicking and tripping your opponent is allowed. The swords must not be sharpened, while the armor, which costs around 1200 euros (US$1357) for a set, has to all come from a specific historic period. It’s neither for the unfit nor faint-hearted as each combatant carries roughly an extra 25 kilos of armor. The weapons, ranging from long swords to polearms (wooden shafts with a blade on top), are blunt on all sides, but the fights are very real. “We had one guy sent to hospital with a cut near the eye, lots of bruises, a broken arm and a broken leg,” organizer Adam Nawrot, Vice President of the governing body, the International Medieval Combat Federation (IMCF), told AFP. The event has grown from a handful of teams in 2013 to 30 teams from across Europe this year. Poland I defeated the 2014 champions Battle Heritage Lions, made up of the English and Welsh national teams, 2-1 in this year’s final. The tournament served as a warm-up for the world championships held at Malbork Castle, a world UNESCO site, near Gdansk, Poland, from April 30-May 3 when the USA will defend their title. “I used to be involved in re-enactment groups, but I got frustrated because I had a weapon I couldn’t really use properly,” said Frenchman Julien Roumaud wearing his replica 14th century armor. The 33-yearold carpenter from Clermont-Ferrand had driven 18 hours across Europe with the French national team to compete. “It’s the complete sport, you have to be in top shape to cope with running around carrying Fighters from the Swedish team “Goteborg”, dressed as knights and medieval soldiers get ready to battle during the “Rise of the Knights III” tournament in Bernau, north of Berlin. — AFP heavy armor-it’s why I don’t drink anymore. “I train for about eight hours per week, skills and strategy, plus lots of cardio work like boxing. “The fights look like a big mess, but it’s very organized. “The adrenaline takes over, sure you are afraid, but it’s a good fear, it focuses the mind.” The red mist comes down During one bout, the referees struggle to stop a combatant who rains down blows on a floored opponent, which earns a yellow card. “Sometimes the red mist comes down when you’re in there,” explains Pawel Kurzak, 36, of the Battle Heritage Lions. “All sorts get involved from computer geeks to bankers and lawyers-there’s even a rocket scientist in the Germany team. “Western culture has evolved so that no one wants to upset or offend anyone. “But here, you get two teams who accept the dangers and challenge. “We’re friends outside the arena, but in there it’s a very, very different story.” A part-time security officer and fitness instructor, Kurzak played rugby after arriving in London from Poland in 2007, but was hooked when he first saw Medieval Combat. Kurzak’s desire to earn a place on the England team for the world championships is evident as he floors opponents in the early rounds with his polearm. “I’ll happily sing both the Polish and English anthems if I’m selected for Malbork,” he says with a grin. His strapping team-mate Luke Woods, another former rugby player, who teaches archery and makes bows, uses his bulk to flatten opponents.”For someone my size, wrestling is important, if I just stand there hitting you, I’m wasting energy,” said the 28year-old from Caterham, Surrey. “It’s like rugby or American Football, there is a place for everyone, no matter what your size or shape. “I’ve always like the idea of having a scrap-what little boy doesn’t want to hit someone with a sword? “For me, it encompasses everything I like about rugby, fighting and history, so I was hooked.” Woods explains how concussions occur if helmets are not fitted properly, while dislocated knees and shoulders are common. “It tends to be joints giving way when two guys clash-it’s a lot of weight to put on a pivot,” he added. A bout is quickly stopped when one combatant’s helmet flies off with the force of a blow. “Most important is the steel cod piece,” said Ingo Teske, from Battle Heritage South Africa who was in Bernau on a factfinding mission with hopes of sending a team to the world championships. “That’s the piece of equipment you most want to protect.” — AFP Dr Victoria Avery, Keeper of Applied Arts at the Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge examines two Bronze sculptures thought to be works by Michelangelo. — AP Bronze statues may be last remaining by Michelangelo T wo sculptures that languished in obscurity for more than a century may be the only surviving bronze works by Michelangelo, researchers announced in Britain yesterday. The international research team led by Britain’s University of Cambridge and the Fitzwilliam Museum uncovered new evidence linking the two nude works to Michelangelo, whose famed works include the painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Standing at a meter tall, the sculptures are of a young man and an older man riding panthers, and if confirmed the discovery would make them only surviving Michelangelo bronzes in the world. “It has been fantastically exciting to have been able to participate in this groundbreaking project,” said Victoria Avery, Keeper of the Applied Arts Department of the Fitzwilliam Museum. “The bronzes are exceptionally powerful and compelling works of art that deserve close-up study - we hope the public will come and examine them for themselves, and engage with this ongoing debate.” The pieces were attributed to Michelangelo in their first recording in the 19th century, but this was dismissed over the last 120 years as they were undocumented and unsigned. However, last autumn University of Cambridge Emeritus Professor of Art History Paul Joannides made a discovery that overturned this thinking. Joannides found a drawing of a muscular youth riding a panther in a student’s copy of lost sketches by Michelangelo, indicating that the artist was planning the unusual design for a sculpture. Further study of the bronzes found them to be very similar in style and anatomy to Michelangelo’s works of 1500 to 1510, the period in which scientific analysis indicates the statues were made. Though the Italian artist is known to have completed several statues in bronze, it has long been thought none of them survived. Michelangelo made a two-thirds size version of his famous marble statue David, but it disappeared during the French Revolution. A twice life-size bronze statue of Pope Julius II was melted down for artillery less than three years after Michelangelo completed it. The sculptures of the men riding panthers will be on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge from Tuesday until August. Research is continuing, and the final conclusions will be announced in July. — AFP TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 lifestyle F e a t u r e s A fortune teller using tarot cards to predict the future of a young woman at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok sheltering a shrine dedicated to the famous ghost ‘Nak’. — AFP photos Fortune tellers using tarot cards to predict the future of two women at a Buddhist temple in Bangkok. Thailand: Land of smiles, land of ghosts F rom exorcism ceremonies to spirit houses and amulets claiming to make wearers bullet-proof, Thailand is a culture soaked in superstition-an obsession critics say is holding the nation back. On a popular episode of “Humans defy ghosts”-a weekly Thai TV program that delves into the supernatural-a two-year-old girl who survived three days next to the dead body of her mother was asked a series of questions by one of the show’s panellists. “Who prepared your milk?” Kapol Thongplab enquired. “Who played with you? Who opened the door?” “Mummy,” the little girl replied, as genuinely convinced as her adult interlocutors that her mother’s ghost continued to sustain her in those harrowing days. In Thailand, a show like this is more than just entertainment. “In all countries, people believe in the afterlife,” Kapol, one of Thailand’s most famous ghost experts, tells AFP. “Westerners may believe in Satan. In the nations of Southeast Asia, we believe in ghosts. This kind of belief helps people refrain from doing bad things. Mr A may think ‘If I kill Mr B, he may become a ghost and come back to haunt me’.” The spirit world is everywhere in Thailand where animism and folk beliefs are deeply infused with Buddhism. Most buildings boast a ‘spirit house’-a shrine placed in an auspicious corner of a property where offerings can be made to appease ghosts lest they turn malevolent. From time to time Thailand’s notoriously fractious politics also draw on the occult. Competing camps have openly used black magic curses against each other while protesters often deck themselves out in amulets that they believe make them impervious to bullets or harm. Women praying before releasing fish into a canal to earn ‘merit’ at a Buddhist temple. People buying lottery tickets at a Buddhist temple. A young woman praying while holding tarot cards used by a fortune teller (left) to predict her future. Misplaced faith But some Thais say they are fed up with what they describe as naive superstitions that lead their countrymen to make poor decisions or leave them vulnerable to exploitation. AFP met one man, who wished to remain anonymous, leading an Internet campaign against Thai beliefs in ghosts. The man, who goes by the pseudonym “F***Ghosts” and runs a popular Facebook page with the same name, recently caused uproar when he posted a photograph of himself stepping on a row of zebra figurines at a busy road junction in Bangkok known for fatal crashes. Zebra statues are a common sight at accident spots due to the belief that their stripeswhich remind people of pedestrian crossings-will fend off the unhappy ghosts of previous traffic victims that many believe cause new crashes. “I thought about destroying them, but there is CCTV. I am afraid society would not accept it,” he told AFP. The man’s main gripe-which has received significant support on his Facebook page-is that Thais would rather put their faith in statues and amulets than take concrete steps to reduce personal risk, such as driving more safely. “These kind of beliefs keep Thailand an underdeveloped country,” he fumes. Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world, with 44 deaths per 100,000 population, according to a 2014 study based on World Health Organization figures. But while drivers cover their cars with protective trinkets to keep safe, many still speed and drink-drive. Mototaxis are laden with amulets but those at the wheel rarely use helmets, and often overload passengers. The “F***Ghosts” campaign appears to be having a partial effect, with authorities in January removing hundreds of statues that had built up around the accident black spot-known locally as “Kong Roi Sop”, the curve that claims 100 lives. But the removal could only go ahead once a Buddhist monk had initiated a ceremony making sure any evil spirits would leave the area. “At the beginning, the workers were quite concerned,” admitted Supit Kraimak, head of the local sanitation department. “But after the monk chanted, they felt more comfortable about the job.” A statue of the famous ghost ‘Nak’. Hublot & Behbehani Group unveil the Ferrari F1 Simulator H ublot&Behbehani Group unveil their latest activity, the Ferrari F1 Simulator in Kuwait. From January 28th till February 7th 2015, Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot showcases the different facets of the “Art of Fusion” combined with the Hublot Challenge in Kuwait, at the Grand Avenues in The Avenues Mall, featuring the ultimate F1 racing experience with the Ferrari F1 Simulator. The Kuwait experience is the fourth round of the Hublot Challenge in the GCC. The inauguration took place on January 28th, 2015 in the presence of Marco Tedeschi, Hublot Regional Director, and Behbehani Group man- agement. Hublot luxury timepieces featuring high complications and innovative material are exhibited in Prestige located at the Grand Avenue in The Avenue Mall throughout the duration of the Hublot Challenge. The activity saw an array of luxury timepieces, including the aptly named Big Bang Ferrari Ceramic Carbon with the mythic Ferrari Yellow, alongside the Big Bang Ferrari King Gold, the Big Bang Ferrari Titanium Carbon with its renowned red sapphire glass, and the Big Bang Pop Art. As the Official timekeeper of Ferrari, Hublot is offering guests and VIPs a fully immersive experience with the Ferrari F1 racing simulator as part of the exhibition. The simulator features the electronic and technical system which is used by professional race drivers. Equipped with HD graphics displayed onto a wrap-around curved screen with accompanying 3D effects, the ride transports drivers onto the track and gives a realistic driving sensation. Hublot watches are available at Hublot Boutique - The Avenues, Prestige and Behbehani Group showrooms. Lucrative business For much of Thailand’s soothsayers, astrologers and its huge monastic network, belief in the superstitious is also undoubtedly lucrative. Exorcisms, protective spells and trinkets are all readily available at a price, while books and films about haunting spirits are hugely popular. Businesses often pay monks to make annual visits to chase away evil spirits. Thais believe a violent or unexpected death is more likely to result in the creation of an angry ghost when a soul departs. And few ghosts are more famous than “Nak”, a woman who Thais believe lived in Bangkok in the nineteenth century and died during childbirth while her husband was away fighting a war. A fortune teller using tarot cards to predict the future of a woman (not pictured) at a Buddhist temple. There are many versions of the story, but in general they all describe how the husband returned to find his wife seemingly still alive. Nak was so devoted to him that she had remained as a ghost, but became a malevolent spirit when her husband discovered the truth and ran away. “On the eve of a lottery, this temple is open all night,” reads the sign on a shrine dedicated to Nak in Bangkok where locals make offerings to the ghost asking for cures, good luck and exemption from military service. Fortune-tellers ply their trade outside the shrine and devotees also release fish, turtles and frogs into a nearby canal to earn “merit”. According to the merchants selling the animals, the release of an eel will bring professional success and a frog can reduce sins. The head of the temple declined to be questioned by AFP. But those visiting were convinced their offerings to Nak would be rewarded. “I believe in her and I believe in ghosts,” said Netnaran Janvanu, a young mother at the temple, before adding matter-of-factly: “My friends believe in ghosts too.” — AFP A fortune teller using tarot cards to predict the future of a young woman. Thailand: Land of smiles, land of ghosts TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015 39 Chinese Artist Liu Bolin (center) stands during a performance with masks in the lobby of the Presidente Intercontinental Hotel in Mexico City on January 28, 2015. — AFP Magna Carta T he four surviving original Magna Carta copies went on display together for the first time from yesterday as Britain kicks off 800th anniversary celebrations for a contract with global significance. Considered the cornerstone of liberty, modern democracy, justice and the rule of law, the 1215 English charter forms the basis for legal systems around the world, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the US constitution. A total of 1,215 people, drawn from a ballot, have won the chance to see the unification at the British Library, which is bringing together its two originals with those of Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals from yesterday to Wednesday. The four parchments will also be on private show in parliament on Thursday, kicking off a year of celebrations for a document that still has resonance eight centuries on. “No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or disseized or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go and send against him except by the lawful judgment of his peers by the law of the originals reunited for 800th anniversary land,” it states in Latin. “To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.” Rebel barons challenged king In June 1215, the wayward king John agreed to the demands of rebellious barons to curb his powers and sealed the charter at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames west of London. Although nearly a third of the text was dropped or substantially rewritten within 10 years and almost all the 63 clauses have been repealed, Magna Carta’s principles have become “a potent, international rallying cry against the arbitrary use of power”, says the British Library. Anthony Clarke, one of Britain’s Supreme Court judges, said it remains important as governments seek a balance between issues of security, individual rights, the rule of law and the “principles of justice that lie at the foundation of society”. The principles that justice should be available to all, the law applies to all equally and leaders can only exercise power in accordance with the law continue to be fought for in many parts of the world. The Magna Carta Trust, which looks after the memorial site in Runnymede, believes the charter’s importance is growing. “800 years on, Magna Carta’s best days lie ahead,” it said. “As an idea of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, it is lapping against the shores of despotism. “The principles set out in Magna Carta have driven the Arab Spring and the continuing protests against despotism around the world.” Charter linked to prosperity Magna Carta’s principles extend well beyond the world’s common law jurisdictions such as the United States, India and Australia which inherited England’s legal system. Lawyer David Wootton, a former lord mayor of London-a role representing the city’s business heartland-said English law was the “common currency” of global business deals precisely due to the protections derived from Magna Carta. “Investors regard their money as safe here (in London) because of the protections in the legal system,” he said. “There is a close relationship between economic development, societal development and the quality of a country’s legal system.” Events are being staged across England throughout 2015 to mark the anniversary, including a major international commemoration event at Runnymede on June 15. Exhibitions, debates, conferences, church services, lectures, charity dinners, theatre performances, tourist trails, village fetes, and even a national peal of bells are being staged. There will also be a mock trial of the barons who forced the creation of the charter in parliament’s Westminster Hall to debate whether they were guilty of treason. — AFP The four surviving original Magna Carta copies are pictured in display cases at the British Library in central London. A detailed view of the British Library’s original copy of the London Magna Carta is pictured during a photocall at the British Library in London yesterday, as they display all four surviving Magna Carta copies together. A detailed view of the British Library’s original copy of the Canterbury Magna Carta is pictured.—AFP photos In a file picture taken November 6, 2014 visitors view the Lincoln Cathedral Magna Carta . ‘Spewing buffalos’: Understanding Uganda’s ‘Uglish’ A “detoother” or a “dentist” is a gold-digger looking for a wealthy partner, while “spewing out buffalos” means you can’t speak proper English. And a “side-dish” isn’t served by a waiter. Those and other terms are articles in Uganda’s strange, often funny locally-adapted English known as “Uglish,” which is now published for the first time in dictionary form. “It is so entrenched right now that, even when you think you cannot use it, you actually find yourself speaking Uglish,” Bernard Sabiiti, the author of the first Uglish dictionary, told AFP. A picture shows Bernard Sabiiti, the author of the first Uglish dictionary, posing with his book at his office in Kampala. —AFP “Even as I was researching, I was surprised that these words are not English because they were the only ones I knew. A word like a ‘campuser’-a university student-I used to think was an English word.” “Uglish: A Dictionary of Ugandan English,” which went on sale in bookshops across the east African country late last year, contains hundreds of popular Uglish terms, some coined by Ugandans as far back as the colonial period. Sabiiti, 32, said the informal patois was greatly influenced by the local Luganda language, and is a “symptom of a serious problem with our education system” that he claims has been deteriorating since the 1990s. Uglish is largely dependent on sentences being literally translated, word for word, from local dialects with little regard for context, while vocabulary used is derived from standard English. Meantime, Sabiiti says, influence from the Internet, local media and musicians have seen additional words and phrases created and slowly enter the lexicon. The result is colorful but at times confounding expressions. If you haven’t seen someone for a while, for example, you’re “lost”, while if you “design well”, you are snappy dresser. Today, Uglish is used by people from all walks of life, but particularly popular with youths. English is the working language in Uganda, and it remains the only medium of instruction in schools and in official business. But Sabiiti said everyone from the president to simple farmers speak at least some Uglish, which varies according to region, tribe and gender, and is regularly seen on signposts.”MPs are almost notorious at using Uglish, you see it in parliamentary debates,” said Sabiiti.—AFP
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