MPs angry... want answers on floods Session set

Transcription

1 cricket Page 41 THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Established in 1977 / SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 / JUMADA AL THANI 28, 1438 AH emergency number 112 NO PAGES 150 FILS MINISTER VOWS TO NAME, SHAME COMPLACENT PERSONNEL MPs angry... want answers on floods Session set Opinion By Ahmed Al-Jarallah Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times I WAS born and brought up in Egypt. I will continue living in it and I will be buried in its land. I will never leave it. This was the response of Hosni Mubarak to the harshest kind of threats launched against him with the aim of forcing him to relinquish power. Every possible kind of accusations was hurled against him. In reality, he was not only accused as an individual, but doubts were cast on Egypt as a whole through such accusations in order to subdue and tame it. Six years of accusations, to handle which you chose the judiciary while you bore the pain, and due to your faith in Allah followed by your faith in your nation and its institutions which you had built, as well as the integrity of the judiciary, which is inspired by your sincerity in work, you get a new sash on your lapel which is a testimony of your good nurturing. The vow that you took when the crisis had intensified and many assumed you will flee Egypt has proven that your adherence to your conviction of guiltlessness, justice and loyalty cannot be shaken by any force in this world regardless of its strength. Therefore, we ask you to forgive them. The trait to forgive when in a place of power belongs to great people the history makers because they usually engage in patriotic battles in every place, such as during the October 1973 war when you and your compatriots in the Egyptian Air Force together drew the clearest image of heroism, and during your presidency when you engaged in a battle of development, growth, opening up to the world and bolstering democracy. You made Egypt s experience of the last three decades a source of inspiration for the Third World countries, as well as a valuable lesson in preservation of the state and its establishments even during the toughest period of conflict. O hon. President Hosni Mubarak, they have been hard on you. They kept mistreating you from every dawn. Now, your prayer for innocence has been accepted. From the start, you did not believe in contradicting your national conscience when dealing with your country and its people. Continued on Page 37 ahmed@aljarallah.com Follow me on: Drivers abandon their vehicles in pools of water that collected after Friday s heavy downpour. US coalition investigates civilian deaths Iraqis pause Mosul push NBK opens China branch Details Page 32 London attacker taught English in Saudi Arabia LONDON, March 25, (Agencies): The British man who killed four people during a London rampage had made three trips to Saudi Arabia: He taught English there twice on a work visa and returned on a visa usually granted to those going on a religious pilgrimage. More details about attacker Khalid Masood s travels, confirmed by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Britain, emerged Saturday amid a massive British police effort to discover how a homegrown ex-con with a violent streak became radicalized and why he launched a deadly attack Wednesday on Westminster Bridge. The embassy said he taught English in Saudi Arabia from November 2005 to November 2006 and again from April 2008 to April 2009, with a legitimate work visa both times. He then returned for six days in March 2015 on a trip booked through an approved travel agent and made on an Umra visa, usually granted to those on a religious pilgrimage to the country s Islamic holy sites. The embassy said Saudi security services didn t track Masood and he didn t have a criminal record there. Before taking the name Masood, he was called Adrian Elms. He was known for having a violent temper in England and had been convicted at least twice for violent crimes. Masood drove his rented SUV across London s crowded Westminster Bridge on Wednesday, striking pedestrians. Then he jumped out and stabbed to death police officer Keith Palmer, who was guarding Parliament, before being shot dead by police. In all, he killed four people and left more than two dozen hospitalized, including some with what have been described as catastrophic injuries. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, calling him a soldier who responded to its demands that followers attack countries in the coalition fighting MOSUL, Iraq, March 25, (Agencies): Iraqi government forces paused in their push to recapture western Mosul from Islamic State militants on Saturday because of the high rate of civilian casualties, a security forces spokesman said. The halt was called as the United Nations expressed its profound concern over reports of an incident during the battle on March 17 that killed or wounded dozens of people in the Islamic State-held al-jadidah district of Mosul, apparently involving air strikes by Iraqi or US-led coalition forces. We are stunned by this terrible loss of life, Lise Grande, the humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said in a statement. Civil defence officials and residents have said many people lay buried in collapsed buildings after air strikes against Islamic State insurgents triggered a big explosion. The exact cause of the collapses was not clear but a local lawmaker and two residents People look at tributes in Parliament Square, London on March detonated an IS truck filled said the air strikes may have 25, laid out for the victims of the with explosives, destroying Westminster attack on Wednesday. (AP) lated area. buildings in the heavily-popu- IS in Syria and Iraq. Reports on the numbers of British officials said security civilian casualties have varied at Parliament will be reviewed but Civil Defence chief Brigadier Mohammed Al-Jawari after new footage emerged that showed the large gates to the told reporters on Thursday that complex were left open after rescue teams had recovered 40 bodies from collapsed buildings. Masood rushed onto the grounds. There are concerns that accomplices could have followed him Residents escaping besieged western Mosul have told of in and killed even more people. Iraqi and US-led coalition air The footage from that day shows strikes demolishing buildings pedestrians walking by the open and killing civilians in several gates and even a courier entering cases. the grounds. The insurgents have also Former Metropolitan Police used civilians as human shields commissioner Ian Blair told the and opened fire on them as they BBC that changes to the outer try to escape Islamic State-held soft ring of Parliament s security plan are likely in the aftermath dents said. neighbourhoods, fleeing resi- of Masood s attack. The recent high death toll The new footage follows earlier video that showed slight delays Old City forced us to halt op- among civilians inside the and confusion during the evacuation of Prime Minister Theresa Federal Police spokesman said erations to review our plans, a May from Parliament as the attack unfolded. weighing new offensive plans on Saturday. It s a time for Masood, who at 52 is considerably older than most extremtions are to go on. and tactics. No combat operaists who carry out bloodshed in The US-backed offensive to the West, had an arrest record in drive Islamic State out of Mosul, now in its sixth month, has Britain dating to In 2000, he slashed a man across the face recaptured the entire eastern in a pub parking lot in a racially side of Mosul and about half of charged argument after drinking four pints, according to a But advances have stuttered the west. Continued on Page 37 Continued on Page 4 Photo by Rizk Taufiq Hosni Mubarak is innocent... forgive them O President ahmedaljarallah@gmail.com Newswatch CAIRO: Four Egyptian soldiers were killed in an explosion that hit their armoured vehicle on Saturday in the northern Sinai peninsula, where the government is battling an Islamic State-led insurgency, security sources said. The incident occurred about 20 km (12 miles) south of the Mediterranean town of al-arish. An insurgency in Egypt s rugged Sinai region has gained pace since the army toppled president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt s oldest Islamist movement, following mass protests against his rule in mid (RTRS) CAIRO: Egypt s Interior Ministry said a man was killed and three members of his family were injured on Friday when a device exploded while he was cleaning up his backyard in a Cairo suburb. The Interior Ministry stated that the explosion in Maadi during the afternoon of March 24 was the detonation of an improvised explosive device. It occurred as a property guard discovered the device and tampered with it when cleaning out a garden attached to a property on Algeria Street. The guard was killed during the incident and three members of his family were injured. (AP) LUXOR, Egypt: Police have used tear gas to disperse an angry mob of Muslims approaching Continued on Page 37 By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Kuwaiti lawmakers have expressed their concern and displeasure when they saw some Kuwaiti areas under water following a heavy rainfall in some parts of the country. The MPs say the government must hold the contractors and workers of the concerned ministry responsible for the floods. The lawmakers want to allocate two hours of Tuesday s session to discuss what causes the flooding of roads and some areas. They have asked the Minister of Public Works Abdul- Rahman Al-Mutawa to present a preliminary report during the debate explaining the reasons for the floods and action taken by the Ministry. However, the minister said Saturday a Commission of Inquiry from various government agencies such as the Public Authority for Housing Welfare, Ministry of Electricity and Water, the Kuwait University and the Ministry of Public Works has been formed to study the causes of water collection in various areas during Friday s heavy rainfall. Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Al-Mutawa disclosed he held an emergency meeting Saturday with the Ministry officials to discuss the causes of this phenomenon. He added those found guilty contractors or workers from the ministry will be named and shamed and referred to the Public Prosecution. He said the commission has been asked to submit the report within two weeks. Earlier, the minister had said some officials in his ministry may be found guilty of dereliction of duty, referring to what happened to the Kuwaiti roads after the rainfall. Speaking to reporters, Al- Mutawa has promised to hold to account all those responsible because the life of citizens was put at risk. Those guilty will not escape accountability, he said. For his part, MP Talal Al- Jalal said what happened to the streets Friday in Fahaheel, Mangaf and Sabahiya cannot be tolerated. All those responsible should be punished and he pointed to the Ministry of Public Works which must be Continued on Page 37

2 LOCAL 2 Top and above: Some photos from the beach cleaning campaign. Photos by Mahmoud Jadeed Lebanese Embassy in cooperation with Capital Governorate organizes beach cleaning campaign Lebanese Embassy in Kuwait in cooperation with the Capital Governorate organized a cleaning campaign at Shuwaikh beach in the presence of Governor Thabet Al-Muhanna and Head of the Lebanese community Maher Khair. The event was part of the environment campaign Kuwait in the Heart of Lebanon, which included a blood donation drive on March 4 in commemoration of the National Days. He pointed to the endless support HH the Amir of Kuwait extends to Lebanon. For his part, Al-Muhanna praised initiative of the Lebanese Embassy being the first diplomatic mission to organize such an activity. He also thanked the organizers and Lebanese Embassy for ensuring a successful event. Culture and arts pillars of modern state Kuwaiti playwright kicks off world premiere of Petrol Station KUWAIT CITY, March 25, (KUNA): Kuwait First Film Festival kicked off Friday amid distinguished atmospheres including shows of art and cinema. The shows outline the leading cinema march of the State of Kuwait that was launched in the beginning of the last century. Addressing the festival, Secretary General of National Center for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Ali Al-Yoha said in a speech on behalf of Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah that culture and arts are pillars of the modern state. Al-Yoha added that art industry has evolved in the State of Kuwait, and become a mirror of progress and development, referring to keenness of many countries on organizing festivals to brief their nations on latest development in cinema industry. Kuwait has made great strides in cultural fields, and been existing on area of cinema for 40 years, he said. Meanwhile, Shaker Abul, head of festival, said the event would not be based only in showcasing cinema works of directors but it will help participants share expertise and ideas. The festival will hold several lectures, seminars and workshops which feature some experts in this industry, he noted. It invited some guests from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, Malta and Czech Republic, he revealed. The event is held under the auspices of Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah, who is also Acting Information Minister and Chairman of NCCAL. The pioneers of filmmaking, who have played outstanding roles on artistic arenas in Kuwait and all over the world, were honored during inaugurating the event in Dasma Theater. Directors Khaled Al-Nasrallah, Hashem Mohammad, Abdullah Al-Mekhyal and others were honored during the event which runs until March 28 at the National Library of Kuwait. Meanwhile, Kuwaiti playwright Sulayman Al-Bassam returns to the Kennedy Center stage in Washington from March Top and above: Some photos from the opening of the First Kuwait Film Festival. Move to register driver position under commercial activity KUNA photos Panel to probe files tied to drugs, massage centers, illegal cafés KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Chairman of the Negative Phenomena Committee MP Mohammad Al-Hayef declared that the committee will start discussing several files which are under the responsibility of Ministry of Interior, Reports Al-Anba daily. 24 to 27 for the world premiere of the first work to his newest trilogy, Petrol Station. The story takes place at a remote petrol station on the border of an unnamed country in the Gulf. It s a modern dystopian story which addresses the problems of human identity, borders, loyalty, betrayal, love, ambition and the struggle for power in a civil wartorn country where the currency of exchange is smuggled petrol and fleeing refugees, Al-Bassam told KUNA. He revealed that the committee will investigate files related to drugs, massage centers and illegal cafés. Meanwhile, Al-Hayef indicated the possibility of cancelling fines of Syrian residents in Kuwait. Meanwhile, Deputy Director- Petrol Station is the tragic backdrop to a familial standoff where the crimes and secrets of one generation make violent claims on the lives of the next, he added. The cast consists of only American actors who portray widely diverse characters ranging from migrant workers to greedy warlords. With various travel bans being imposed by the US, I was faced with the fact that my usual troupe of pan-arab actors probably couldn t perform in the United General of a sector in Public Authority for Manpower Ahmad Al-Mousa has issued an administrative circular which obliges all concerned labor departments to register driver position under commercial activity provided the drivers have valid Kuwaiti driving license, reports Al-Anba daily quoting informed sources. Meanwhile, the authority declared that they will start receiving employers registered under the authority to add mobile numbers to the data in the authority inorder to facilitate communication with companies and employers. States at this time, Al-Bassam explained. So we are using an all-american cast to present a cross-cultural drama. Al-Bassam s time as an artist in residence at New York University is what he says allowed him to develop an American voice to tell an Arab story in which he deliberately choose to write the story in English. Choices around casting; African American and Spanish speakers, and the way the story might carry echoes of other stories and moments from American or Western politics will resonate with US audiences where it is no longer happening somewhere else but on their own doorstep, he said. Al-Bassam was inspired to write Petrol Station after finding interest in the periodic violence of the human experience. I first started writing it in 2003 at the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq where scenes reminded me of the burning oil fields in Kuwait from the withdrawing Iraqi army twelve years Street in Egypt s Sharm el-sheikh named after Amir KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Governor of South Sinai Major General Khalid Foda revealed that a street in Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt has been named after His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, reports Al-Rai daily. He said this during a distinguished ceremony which was attended by the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Egypt Mohammad Al-Thuwaikh as well as a number of Kuwaiti and Egyptian diplomats and political leaders. The governor said this honor is in appreciation for the humanitarian stances of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait and his consistent role in supporting Egypt. It is worth mentioning that Sharm Al-Sheikh earlier named two roads after the late Emirati president Sheikh Zayed Al-Nahyan and King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad bin Essa. Director of Imported Food Department at Kuwait Municipality Eng. Al-Humaidhi Al-Mutairi affirmed the keenness of the municipality to tighten supervision on the shipment of meat and poultry products that arrive from Brazil, reports Al-Anba daily. In a press statement issued by the municipality, Al-Mutairi said the Arabian Gulf countries, in the last few days, have taken several steps to enhance supervision of the Brazilian meat and poultry and checking the relevant documents. These steps were taken when some Asian countries decided to stop importing Brazilian meat and poultry products after receiving information about the accusations leveled by Brazilian police against more than 30 companies for bribing health inspectors into granting meat certificates for rotten meat products. earlier, he said. Petrol Station is a shift in the form of spatial and temporal space where events in the play intersect with current and modern day events. Al-Bassam s previous work includes his five part Arab Shakespeare Trilogy in which the second work, Richard III: An Arab Tragedy, was also presented at the Kennedy Center. He said he hopes to offer performances of Petrol Station to Kuwaiti and Arab audiences soon.

3 LOCAL 3 Speaker Al-Ghanim wraps up 3-day visit to Sweden Bahraini minister hails Amir for his role in regional stability MANAMA, March 25, (KUNA): Bahraini Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al-Mutawa hailed His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for his primary role in maintaining stability and peace in the Gulf area. A statement by the Kuwaiti embassy in Bahrain on Friday said Al-Mutawa, during a meeting with the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Bahrain Sheikh Azzam Al-Sabah, acknowledged the strong relationship that bonds the two nations. On his part, Sheikh Azzam Al- Sabah praised the Bahraini-Kuwaiti relations, pointing out the perfect relationship has remained intact between the two nations, He praised the Kingdom for its keenness on bolstering the bilateral relations with Kuwait. Meanwhile, Kuwait s National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim held talks with Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Isabella Lovin, also Minister for International Development Cooperation, in Stockholm Friday. The talks addressed ways to coordinate Kuwaiti-Swedish stands toward a number of several regional and international issues such as terrorism and Arab-European cooperation prospects, Natiaonal Assembly s media and public relations department said in a press statement. The two sides also discussed their bilateral relations and similarities between their countries foreign policies, particularly in humanitarian intervention and efforts in conflict and disaster-stricken countries, pointing out the urgency to coordinating joint effort in that regard. For her part, Lovin commended Kuwait s recent humanitarian efforts, especially in organizing and hosting three international donors conferences for Syria, in addition to its countless aid and relief campaigns in several countries in Asia and Africa. In return, Al-Ghanim praised Stockholm s foreign policy in supporting peace initiatives and a number of Arab issues, particularly the Palestinian cause, pointing out Sweden as the first European country to recognize Palestine as an independent state. Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim, along with his entourage, concluded on Saturday a three-day official visit to Sweden. Speaker Al-Ghanim and his associates were seen off at the airport in Sweden by the State of Kuwait Ambassador to the nation, Nabil Al- Dekheel. The delegation, comprising a number of MPs, was in Rabat, Morocco, on Saturday, where the legislators took part in the Arab Inter- Parliamentary Union conference, before they proceeded to Sweden on Tuesday for meetings with the nation s officials and counterparts. Kuwait lives up to its status as Int l Humanitarian Center Assistance offered to people in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen KUNA photos Top & above: KRCS volunteers distributing relief aid to the displaced people in Mosul. Six PAAET experts say received threats of probe and punishment Kuwait Today Prayer Timings Fajr...04:26 Sunrise... 05:46 Zohr... 11:54 Asr...15:23 Maghrib...18:03 Isha... 19:20 Weather Expected weather for the next 24 hours: By Night: Clouds will disappear gradually with light to moderate northeasterly to light variable wind, with speed of km/h. By Day: Partly cloudy with light to moderate northerly to northeasterly wind, with speed of km/h. Station Max Min Exp Rec Kuwait City Kuwait Airport Abdaly Bubyan Jahra Failaka Island Salmiyah Ahmadi Nuwaisib Wafra Salmy days forecast - Weather Sunday, March 26 Expected weather... Partly cloudy Max Temp...26C Min Temp...15C Wind Direction...N-NE Wind Speed km/h Monday, March 27 Expected weather... Sunny Max Temp...28C Min Temp...16C Wind Direction...NW-VRB Wind Speed km/h Tuesday, March 28 Expected weather... Clouds to increase+scattered rain Max Temp...29C Min Temp...15C Wind Direction... S-SE Wind Speed km/h Wednesday, March 29 Expected weather... Partly cloudy+scattered rain Max Temp...27C Min Temp...17C Wind Direction...SE Wind Speed km/h Marine Forecast Station Max Min Sea Today s Exp Rec Surf Waves Ht Direction South Dolphin ft NW Umm Mudayrah ft NW Beacon M ft NW Beacon N ft NW KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Six academics from the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) revealed that they have received threats of investigation and punishment due to their posts on their Twitter accounts, reports Al-Qabas daily. In an interview with a number of academics, they said such moves by the concerned authorities are in violation of Article 36 of the Kuwaiti Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression. Dr Hashem Al-Rifai, who is a professor at PAAET, stressed his rejection of the PAAET policy which insists on referring employees for investigations if they expressed opinions about the spread of corruption in their workplace. He revealed that corruption in PAAET is related to granting promotions to some undeserving employees as well as illegal appointments. Meanwhile, Prof. Bashar Al-Othman said the threats against academics due to their posts on social media are increasing and have nothing to do with the open and free environment that has become available on the Internet especially social media. He affirmed that he is against any moves that seize the right of academics to monitor and criticize the administrative performance in their workplaces. In addition, Dr Muhammad Al-Watyan indicated that he was the target of a severe attack by the PAAET administration when he spoke out about stolen researches, appointment of some individuals in undeserving positions and suspicious promotions. Qaruh Island ft NW Umm Al-Maradim ft NW Sea Island Buo Salmiyah ft N 4 days forecast - Marine Sunday, March 26 Expected weather... Partly cloudy Sea state...slight to moderate Wave height ft Max Temp...26C Min Temp...15C Wind Direction...N-NE Wind Speed km/h Monday, March 27 Expected weather... Sunny Sea state...slight to moderate Wave height ft Max Temp...28C Min Temp...16C Wind Direction...NW-VRB Wind Speed km/h Tuesday, March 28 Expected weather... Clouds to increase+scattered rain Sea state...moderate to rough at times Wave height ft Max Temp...29C Min Temp...15C Wind Direction... S-SE Wind Speed km/h Wednesday, March 29 Expected weather... Partly cloudy+scattered rain Sea state...moderate to rough at times Wave height ft Max Temp...27C Min Temp...17C Wind Direction...SE Wind Speed km/h Tide times at Shuwaikh Port 1st high tide:... 10:52 2nd high tide:... 21:47 1st low tide:... 16:04 2nd low tide:... 05:08 Sunrise:... 05:47 Sunset:... 18:02 Recorded yesterday at Kuwait Airport Max temp...22c Min temp...15c Max Rh...100% Min Rh...77% Max Wind...E 71 km/h Total Rainfall in 24 hrs mm Recorded yesterday at South Dolphin Min/Max/ Air Temp...16/20C Min/Max Rel Hum...76/93% Wind Direction/Wind Speed... NE/66 km/h Prev Wave Dir/Max Wave Ht... N/1 ft Min/Max Sea Surface Temp...-/-C Sea Current... Beginning of Upwelling Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Meteorological Dept. deaths Taiba Mishari Al Abdul Aziz Al Kulaib, 86 years old, widow of Abdullah Sayed Husein Al Refaie, buried on Saturday. Condolences: (Men) Kaifan, Block 7, Street 76, House 3, Opp 3rd Ring Road, Diwan Al Kelaib, Tel: (Women) Kaifan, Block 2, Street 22, House 6, Tel: Only for ladies; Khadeeja Ali Husein Bouhamad, 66 years old, wife of Jasem Mohammad Husein Bouhamad, buried on Saturday. Condolences: (Men) Da iya, Huseiniyat Al Bohamad, Tel: (Women) Qadisiya, Block 1, Huseiniyat Sayed Al Shuhada, Tel: ; Fathel Shaaban Abbs Husein, 52 years old, buried on Saturday. Condolences: Salwa, Block 1, Al Mutanabi Street, Husaineat Al Imam Al Husein, Tel: Ameena Ahmad Mohammad Al Hamadi, 65 years old, wife of Jumma Mohammad Al Kandari, to be buried on Sunday after Asr Prayers. Condolences: (Men) Sabah Al Salem, Block 9, Street 2, Avenue 9, House 16, Tel: ; Fatima Mokhtar Mohammad Ashkinani, 84 years old, wife of Mohammad Mohammad Ali Bin Bakhi, to be buried on Sunday at 9:00 am. Condolences: (Men) Sharq, Al Husainiya Al Khazaliya Al Jadeeda, Tel: (Women) Sharq, Huseiniyat Sayed Ali. March 25, 2017 KUWAIT CITY, March 25, (KUNA): Living up to its UN-bestowed status as an International Humanitarian Center, Kuwait continued to offer assistance to people in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen throughout the week. Starting with Irbil, Iraq, where Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) has delivered food and medical aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have fled violence in Mosul and are now staying at Irbil s southwestern Jamkur refugee camp. KRCS aid workers distributed 3,000 food and medical parcels and 15,000 loaves of bread to over 11,000 IDPs at Jamkur refugee camp in Irbil. Iraq s Barzni Charity Foundation s Representative Dyar Kheder voiced much appreciation to KRCS for its nonstop humanitarian relief to Iraqi people. Still in Irbil, as Kuwaiti makeshift clinics began providing medical aid last Sunday to displaced Iraqis in the war-torn city of Mosul, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). Speaking to KUNA, Kuwait s Consul General in Irbil Omar Al-Kanderi said that Kuwait is working with UN organizations stationed in Irbil province to carry out a relief program for displaced Iraqis in the region of Kurdistan. Moreover, he noted that Kuwait has equipped two mobile clinics with the latest medical tools to meet the growing healthcare needs of displaced people, adding that the country has delivered aid worth $ five million. Last Monday, KRCS distributed 3,000 food parcels on Iraqis from Mosul and Hamam Al-Alil refugee camps in southern Mosul. The food aid covered newly displaced Iraqis from the right side of Mosul due to the military operations in their area. In Baghdad, the Kuwait by your side Campaign, funded by the Kuwait Society for Relief, has distributed inkind aid and equipment to displaced Iraqi widows. The aid was doled out in a ceremony held at Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in the presence of Kuwait Ambassador Salem Al-Zamanan and Secretary General of the Iraqi Cabinet Mahdi Al-Alaq. Goal Addressing the audience, Al-Zamanan pointed out that 2,500 women are from the five Iraqi governorates of Baghdad, Anbar, Saladin, Diyala, and Nineveh, with 500 women for each governorate. The goal of this aid is to economically empower the widows and help them have a permanent source of income for their families, he noted. He unveiled that the beneficiaries would launch poultry breeding, beauty salons for women, dressmaking, and bakery businesses. The ambassador noted that the program to train the widows and provide them with the required equipment and kits for their enterprises have cost $1.045 million. The campaign also delivered food 2,500 food baskets to displaced people in northern city of Mosul. In Yemen, A joint Kuwaiti-Yemeni campaign launched six water projects in Marib governorate with a cost of $500,000. A statement by the Yemeni-Kuwaiti Relief Agency said these projects would be implemented in four districts in the Yemeni governorate, where more than 60,000 people reside. The Undersecretary of Marib governorate Abd Rabo Moftah thanked Al-Kanderi Kuwait s Sheikha Hessa in a group photo during her honoring ceremony in Egypt. Cairo University s School of Medicine honors Sheikha Hessa Chairwomen of the Council of Arab Businesswomen Sheikha Hessa Al-Sabah was honored late Thursday by the esteemed Cairo University s School of Medicine. On the sideline of the 190th anniversary of the school of medicine and 110th anniversary of the obstetrics and gynecology Robotics Championship 1st place winning team members. KUNA photo Minister Al-Fares receives KU team that came 1st in Smart Robot Kuwait urges citizens in Rome to avoid crowds ROME, March 25, (KUNA): Kuwait s Embassy to Italy Friday urged Kuwaiti citizens in Rome to avoid crowds and protests to be held during a European Union summit, due in central Rome on Saturday, marking EU foundation. The embassy, in a statement, Kuwait s people and government for the donation, affirming that the campaign was making a visible difference on the ground. Meanwhile, in Beirut, Director- General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Abdulwahab Al-Bader met Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri last Thursday informing the top lawmaker about KFAED s philanthropic projects in the country. Emerging from the meeting, Al- Bader told journalists that he informed Speaker Berri about ventures financed by the Fund in various regions of Lebanon. Last December, KFAED signed an accord and a grant agreement worth $50 million to fund a sewage network in the southern coastal regions of Al- department, a service was held for Sheikha Hessa in honor of her advance work for women issues within the GCC and Arab scenes. Speaking to KUNA, Sheikha Hessa, also president of the federation of Arab-African businesswomen, said that Arab women have an important role in the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohammad Al-Fares Saturday received the Kuwait University Team that came first in Smart Robot category during the 10th Arab Robot Championship which was recently held in Qatar. He affirmed that the achievement is an addition to several other achievements realized by Kuwait University students in fields other than artificial intelligence. The minister received the team at the VIP Hall inside Kuwait International Airport along with Kuwait University President Prof Hussein called on Kuwaiti citizens to abide by instructions issued by the Italian police and security authorities which would be enforced on Saturday. The 27 leaders of the EU member countries will meet in the Italian capital tomorrow to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Rome Sarafand. Another accord worth $25 million was dedicated for supporting communities hosting Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Domestically, Kuwait s International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) announced last Tuesday that local charities have joined forces to deliver aid worth $50 million to victims of a severe drought in Somalia. Speaking at a press conference to launch a media campaign for the aid program, IICO Chairman and Advisor at the Amiri Diwan Dr Abdullah Al-Maatouq said that IICO had overseen an agreement to provide much needed relief for the needy in the impoverished African nation. Moreover, he said IICO launched an urgent relief program that encompassed around 70 million displaced development and progression of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Sheikha Hessa thanked Cairo University for the honoring, saying that she dedicated it to the Kuwaiti leadership and people in addition to all the members of the Arab businesswomen council. Ahmad Al-Ansari. Other officials in attendance included the Dean of Students Affairs Dr Ali Al-Nami, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Development and Activities Faisal Maqseed and several other senior officials of the education sector. Treaties, which established the union. They will adopt a political declaration reaffirming their commitment to continue to work together within the EU. The embassy of Kuwait advised nationals to be vigilant for their own safety. Somalis, which comprised food and medical aid. On relief programs in the works, Al-Maatouq noted that IICO is in the process of putting together an economic aid package designed to lift scores of Somalis out of sheer penury. He also encouraged fervent Kuwaiti philanthropists to keep the aid coming, in a nation with a remarkable penchant for altruism. Based in Kuwait, IICO has provided humanitarian aid to 136 nations and is one of the most prominent global charities. A humanitarian crisis of epic proportions has unfolded in Somalia, as the country has been ravaged by the third drought in 25 years due to lack of rainfall.

4 LOCAL 4 Above: Some of the student participants. Several talented students participate in Watani Ommi show organized by WAVG By Heba Al-Taweel Al-Seyassah Staff Several talented students in their various educational grades participated in the show titled Watani Ommi organized by Watan Annahar Volunteer Group (WAVG) in Shaab area Friday under the patronage of Sheikh Duaij Al-Khalifa. In an address, Sheikh Duaij said it was an honor to sponsor and attend the event held in commemoration of Mothers Day. He also praised the participating students and stressed the importance of supporting talent and youth creativity. For her part, member of Watan Annahar Volunteer Group Muneera Al-Utaibi said the artistic event saw the participation of students from kindergarten to the university stage. Kuwait keen on implementing resolutions of Arab summits Panel maintains diesel, kerosene price of March for April Philanthropists, organizations urged to contribute KRCS launches donation campaign for Yemen KUWAIT CITY, March 25, (KUNA): Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) announced the launch of a campaign on Sunday to collect donations for 18 million people affected by the ongoing war in Yemen. The society aims to ease living conditions for Yemenis, as there are over two million children suffering from lack of food and medical items, KRCS Board Chairman Hilal Al- Sayer told KUNA on Saturday. Yemen is facing one of the worst famines in the world, he said, calling on philanthropists and organizations to contribute to the donation campaign held at KRCS headquarters. Al-Sayer also called on them to support KRCS projects aiming to develop services for Yemenis in need. These projects include education, health, water resources and food. The society will receive cash and Knet donations from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, as well as online donations through KRCS website, he noted. DEAD SEA, Jordan, March 25, (KUNA): Kuwait s Finance Minister Anas Al- Saleh said Saturday Kuwait was keen on implementing resolutions of regular Arab summits, as well as economic summits to improve welfare of Arab citizens. Al-Saleh, also Deputy Premier, made the remarks to KUNA after his arrival in Jordan to chair Kuwait s delegation to the Arab Economic and Social Council s Ministerial meeting, due in the Dead Sea on Sunday. He hoped the meeting would further boost common Arab economic and social action. The Arab Finance and Economy Ministers will be preparing draft resolutions and draft final communique of the Arab Summit, due on March 29. The Arab League Secretary General s report over implementation of the last Arab summit s resolution, reports by the economic and social sector of the League s secretariat, the Arab free trade zone and the water development strategy for will be discussed by the ministers. They will also discuss knowledge-based economy, Sudanese president s initiative for agriculture investment in Sudan to help address food security, in addition to social development, terrorism, scientific research and Arab women development. Meanwhile, subsidy committee headed by the Undersecretary of Finance Ministry Khalifa Hamada has maintained diesel and kerosene price of March for April 2017, and the price will remain 110 fils per liter, reports Al-Rai daily quoting reliable sources. The same sources added the committee considered the recommendation of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) to keep diesel and kerosene prices of March for April. As regards fuel prices, sources noted the committee decided to fix Premium at 85 fils, Super at 105 fils and Ultra at 165 fils per liter. Al-Saleh Iraqis pause Photos by Rizk Taufiq A performance by some of the students. Some of the Omanis visiting the KU s Academic Publication Council booth at the 22nd Muscat Int l Book Fair. KU s council takes part in Oman book fair The Academic Publication Council of Kuwait University participated in the 22nd Muscat International Book Fair which was held on Feb 22-March 4 at the Oman Conventional & Exhibition Center. The book fair was inaugurated by Oman s Minister of Information Dr Abdul Munim bin Mansour al-hasani in the presence of official dignitaries, educationalists, representatives from publishing houses, readers and all new development enthusiasts. The participation of the council represents the contribution of the university in educational and cultural fi elds and affirms the role of the council in supporting academic publications. The university sold 1,157 copies of its publications during the book fair. Continued from Page 1 in the last two weeks as fighting enters the narrow alleys of the Old City, home to the al-nuri mosque where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-baghdadi declared a caliphate spanning large areas of Iraq and Syria in We need to make sure that taking out DAESH (Islamic State) from the Old City will not cost unwanted high casualties among civilians. We need surgical accurate operations to target terrorists without causing collateral damage among residents, the Federal Police spokesman said. An army statement published in the Al- Sabah state newspaper said that future operations would be carried out by ground troops highly trained for urban combat. Our heroic forces are committed to the rules of engagement which ensure protection of civilians the statement said. A US deputy commanding general for the coalition told Reuters on Friday that the solution could lie in a change of tactics. The Iraqi military is assessing opening up another front and isolating the Old City, where the militants have put up fierce resistance, US Army Brigadier General John Richardson said. Fleeing residents have described grim living conditions inside the city, saying there was no running water or electricity and no food coming in. Aid agencies say as many as 600,000 civilians remain in the western half of Mosul. But families are streaming out of the northern city, Iraq s second largest, in their thousands each day, headed for cold, crowded camps or to stay with relatives. Hunger and fighting are making life unbearable inside. The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said that since the campaign on western Mosul began on Feb. 19, unconfirmed reports said nearly 700 civilians had been killed by government and coalition air strikes or Islamic State actions. The militants have used car bombs, snipers and mortar fire to counter the offensive. They have also stationed themselves in homes belonging to Mosul residents to fire at Iraqi troops, often drawing air or artillery strikes that have killed civilians. The United Nations Grande said civilians were at extreme risk as the fighting in Mosul intensified and all sides must to do their utmost to avoid such casualties. International humanitarian law is clear. Parties to the conflict all parties are obliged to do everything possible to protect civilians. This means that combatants cannot use people as human shields and cannot imperil lives through indiscriminate use of fire-power, she said. The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group is investigating reports of an airstrike in a western neighborhood in the Iraqi city of Mosul that allegedly left more than 100 civilians dead last week, according to a statement given to The Associated Press on Friday. The suspected high toll underscores the difficulties that Iraqi troops face in the weeks-long fight to route the Sunni militant group from the densely urban part of the city, Iraq s second-largest. Residents of the neighborhood known as Mosul Jidideh told an Associated Press team at the scene that scores of residents are believed to have been killed by a pair of airstrikes that hit a cluster of homes in the area earlier this month. Over 137 people were inside. The entire neighborhood was fleeing because of missiles that hit, so people were taking refuge here, said Ahmed Ahmed, one of the residents of the neighborhood. One airstrike hit the residential area on March 13, followed by a second strike four days later, the residents said. The coalition statement said multiple allegations were being investigated. AP reporters saw at least 50 bodies being recovered from the wreckage of the buildings. A team of Iraqi rescue engineers worked to recover the bodies on Friday, after being prevented from reaching the site for days due to fierce frontline clashes, according to Safaa Saadi Jawad, one of the engineers.

5 LOCAL Preventive steps protect kids from cyber hazards KUWAIT CITY, March 25: (KUNA): The application of social preventive approaches is essential and instrumental in protecting children from hazards of online exposure to extremist and violent contents, a US executive official affirmed Friday. Opening dialogue between parents and their children about various social issues and monitoring children s online use and access to social media networks and websites are two of the most effective ways to protect children s safety, security, and lives, Zainab Al-Suwaij, Executive Director of the American Islamic Congress (AIC), told KUNA. Al-Suwaij made her remarks on the sidelines of her participation in Kuwait s first regional conference on protecting children against cyber hazards, stressing the importance of finding an open communication platform Dialogue, monitoring yields results between parents, children, and governments to help eliminating radical and extremist situations in their societies. Raising public awareness at home is not enough; it should also be conducted in schools, colleges, universities, media, and social media, she said, adding that the internet world is wide and difficult to control. Meanwhile, Al-Suwaij valued Kuwait s role and efforts in holding the conference and highlighting an important international issue, indicating that the event has broken the fear barrier regarding its subject when a number of participating children Zainab courageously shared their personal experience with online extremism and violence. In another development, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) on Friday called for launching a plan to protect Arab urban and architectural heritage. The plan is to include a database on historic buildings and sites, especially in conflict-ridden areas, said ALECSO Director General Dr Abdullah Muhareb, of Kuwait. His remarks were read on his behalf by ALECSO director of culture Hayat Qatat during the international forum on the observatory of Arab urban and architectural heritage. The forum s theme proclaims the observatory as a tool to monitor destruction suffered by Arab cities during war and armed conflicts. ALECSO, according to Muhareb, is urged to revitalize the role of the observatory, which was launched in October last year. Upon the launch, the observatory was set to establish the database that will help the Tunis-based organisation extend technical assistance to Arab countries in the areas of documentation, media and control, as well as assessment of reconstruction in conflict-plagued Arab cities to save archaeological sites. One of the most important cities that needed observation is Jerusalem, which has been, and still is going under continuous attacks by Israel, Muhareb noted. News in Brief Forger arrested: An employee of Ahmadi Service Center Department was arrested for committing forgery on a number of applications, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The General Department of Public Relations and Media Security of Ministry of Interior explained that the Search and Information Department affiliated to General Department for Residency Security Affairs received information about the activity of the employee after which a team was formed and it launched intensive investigations. They discovered that the employee would forge the signature of the officer in-charge of the center and use his seal without his permission on the applications in order to pass them. The suspect was arrested and referred to the concerned authorities for necessary legal action. Travel ban flouted: Undersecretary for Ports Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, Major-General Mansour Al-Awadhi has referred a Kuwaiti and two employees working at the Nuwaiseeb border post for interrogation, reports Al-Anba daily. The employees have reportedly helped the Kuwaiti to leave and enter the country although he carries a travel ban. During interrogation the employees are said to have admitted to helping the Kuwaiti but denied receiving money. The Kuwaiti is reportedly a relative of one of the employees. DIWANIYA A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION Nasser, Mubarak foiled Iraqi plots Egypt Kuwait s friend in need THE Egyptian court recently issued a verdict to acquit former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak of all charges, columnist, the State of Kuwait former envoy to the United Nations and former secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullah Bishara wrote for Al-Qabas daily. As a matter of fact, Kuwait s history talks about two prominent Egyptian leaders who have played a historical role in the past and present and Kuwait s diplomacy showers praises on these attitudes. In other words, these two leaders actually have eked for themselves a permanent presence in the Kuwaiti history; each of them making contributions in their own way in the life of Kuwait. The former Egyptian president the late Jamal Abdul Al-Nasser turned down the former Iraqi president Abdulkarim Qasim claims to annex Kuwait to Iraq. In this context, we say we can t forget the cable that was sent by president Nasser to the then Amir of Kuwait the late Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem praising the independence of Kuwait and considered this development a victory for the Arab nation. On June 27, 1961, a historic statement was issued which said Al-Nasser had closely followed up a sudden conflict between the government of Iraq and the government of Kuwait. In the statement Nasser defined the attitude of the then Arab United Republic (Egypt and Syria) to this conflict hinting the relations among the Arabs were never governed either by old or new treaties and agreements. He went on say Cairo doesn t accept the Iraqi logic of annexing Kuwait, simply because the unity should only be based on a free consensus choice that is capable of reflecting the reciprocal free will of the peoples. He added the independence of Kuwait is a step that should be inevitably encouraged and secured by us motivated by our nationalistic spirit. On June 30, 1961, the State of Kuwait requested military help from Britain. But on July 5, Bishara 1961, Cairo issued a statement opposing the British existence in Kuwait saying the British presence constitutes a danger to the Iraqis and the entire Arab nation. It added Kuwait should join the United Nations immediately following the complete withdrawal of the British troops and from there the independence of this Arab country (the State of Kuwait) will be final. For its part, the State of Kuwait, on June 23, 1961, applied to join the Cairo-based Arab League (AL), but the conditions put up by Cairo in this connection means the request remained pending following the implementation of the conditions and one of the conditions was complete withdrawal of British troops from Kuwait. This Egyptian attitude resulted in the then British troops withdrawing from Kuwait. This withdrawal superseded token Arab troops that reflected the political and diplomatic keenness of the Arab nation to protect Kuwait. In spite of the above, the acceptance of the Kuwaiti request to join the Arab League, was not so easy, rather the negotiations lasted one month. Following this development, the Kuwaiti diplomacy was set up in accordance with the Arab League resolution, in harmony with the targeted hope, far from the reality and inspiring the ambitions for the future, paying no attention to the stiff facts indicating that Kuwait is a small country, without army and threatened by a bigger and stronger neighbor, hence it chose to take care of this threat depending on goodwill and clean conscience. Notwithstanding, president Nasser opposed the ambitions of the then Iraqi president Qasim and as such he managed to foil the plot, but it is needless to say Nasser also deprived Kuwait of a security partnership with Britain but remained sincere to the State of Kuwait. In this context, we say following the downfall of the regime of Qasim in February 1963 a delegation from the Al-Baath party visited Cairo to discuss unity between Egypt and Iraq and Nasser repeated his keenness towards Kuwait and this was evident when he urged the Iraqi delegation to reach a mutual understanding with the State of Kuwait. In this connection, we recall how president Nasser during the unity negotiations addressed the then Iraqi foreign minister Sayed Taleb Hussain Shibib saying the Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Sabah is a young and nationalist like you and it would be easy for you to understand him. The second Egyptian leader is the former president Hosni Mubarak who has at heart the interests of Kuwait. He adopted an attitude to keep abreast the reality that prevailed during the Tenth Arab Summit held in Cairo in August 1990 to discuss the Iraqi invasion and occupation of the State of Kuwait. It is needless to say president Hosni Mubarak successfully managed this summit through vitality of the man who had realized the dimensions of this invasion and occupation by throwing his support in favor of the State of Kuwait. Consequently, the Tenth Arab Summit emphasized the right of the State of Kuwait to liberate its territories and accept any kind of assistance that may be given to Kuwait irrespective of the nationality of this help. Based on this historical resolution, the historical international coalition participated in the liberation of Kuwait. Given the above, we conclude whereas, president Nasser foiled and frustrated the dreams of Qasim to annex the State of Kuwait, president Hosni Mubarak ended the illusions of Saddam Hussein. As a matter of fact, Hosni Mubarak was a friend of the Arab Gulf countries where he explained to us the concepts of Saddam Hussein and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen to use the potentials of the Gulf region to serve their own projects. In conclusion, we say Mubarak had maintained the solidarity of Egypt and boosted its regional and international position. We recognize his virtue and believe in his nationalism. We in Kuwait appreciate the two presidents Nasser and Mubarak although Nasser deprived Kuwait from the shelter of the umbrella whereas Hosni Mubarak restored this right to Kuwait. Also: President Dr Mohammad Al-Munsif Al-Marzouqi is the third president of the Republic of Tunisia who was elected in 2011 and remained president until 2014, columnist Mishref Eqab wrote for Al-Shahed daily. Marzouqi represents a pattern of presidents who we can recall with pride, dignity and an example to be followed. He was elected president in a democratic contest. Not just that, he also handed over the reign to his successor in a democratic manner although the latter was his opponent. Not just that, he congratulated the man on his victory. Al-Marzouqi is a Tunisian political thinker and opponent of the former Tunisian president Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali. He is also a defender of human rights and holds PhD in medicine. As a matter of fact, Al-Marzouqi can be deemed a prominent personality at the Third World level and can be likened to Nelson Mandela. He always called for more democracy, freedom and protection of human rights. Al-Marzouqi is the founder president of The Congress Party for Sake of the Republic until Dec 13, 2011 the date of his election as president of Tunisia. Apart from the above, Al-Marzouqi is the former president of the Tunisian League of Human Rights. However, following his loss in the 2014Tunisian presidential elections, he by the end of 2014 founded a movement called The People of Citizens Move. On Dec 20, 2015 he founded the Tunis Will Move Party, and before that he in association with some Arab personalities founded The Arab Council for Defending the Revolutions and Democracy and was its president. Meanwhile, we say Al-Marzouqi on June 25, 2015 participated in the Fleet of Freedom No. 3 which left for Gaza Strip in a bid to break the besiege that had been imposed on that part of Palestine by Israel. He with his companions was arrested by the Israeli authorities and whisked away for interrogation. However, following the interrogation Israel deported Al-Marzouqi to Paris and from there he returned to Tunisia on July 1, 2015 and was received by hundreds of his supporters. On the other hand, the American The Time magazine in 2013 chose him as one of the 100 influential personalities in the world. The US Foreign Policy Magazine selected him as one of the best global thinkers of 2012 and His wife is a French physician and former Tunisian first lady occupied the second rank among these thinkers. Al-Marzouqi still leads the campaigns for human rights in addition to his activities as political and social activist as well as a thinker and researcher. Leaders cleaving to distorted ideologies and beliefs are not worthy of emulation except for those who are also sick in ideology and mentality, lacking serious thoughts just like animals that are easy to manipulate, control and convince with any ideology contradicting nature or destructive activities that violate the tenets of Islam, Abdul-Aziz Khuraibet wrote for Al-Shahed daily. The only right ideas that may convince them are the wrong and distorted ideology from those sick people. They live in a special world of darkness with distorted ideology to the extent that they see whoever disagrees with them as unbelievers who deserve the worst possible punishment in the form of killing, maiming or torture. Terrorists believe that monstrous acts will bring them close to Allah the Almighty; thus, any society devoid of religion should reform the inadequacies with blood and terror rather than virtue and moderate preaching devoid of violence and intimidation. It behooves countries and their media institutions to wage war against extremist ideologies. They should orientate the youth and pull them from terrorist groups that portend danger to the religion and Muslims. A judicial source posted a comment regarding the ongoing political squabble about the multimillion deposits, columnist Khaled Ahmad Al-Tarrah wrote for Al-Qabas daily. The comment was transparent and pragmatic, as it pointed to lack of laws that eventually lead to injustices. Do not address us in political language, because we don t understand it. Our duty is to enforce law, he said. I ve been looking ahead to the comment drawing attention of the Parliament and relevant authorities ever since it was published. The judicial source revealed the root of the problem to be lack of laws to counter the new tricks of corruption. We have seen many cases of public funds misappropriation since the Liberation of Kuwait, while State Audit Bureau continues to present notices against the official establishments in vain. It seems that the power of corruption is greater than every attempt to institute reform! He also observed corruption in elections through the vote buying phenomenon, and stated the importance of passing laws to eliminate the problem. Sadly, the recommendations of State Audit Bureau and results of parliamentary investigations do not bring the culprits to book, and cases are usually shelved due to lack of evidences or laws. We hope the aforementioned issues will receive appropriate response from the Parliament, especially the Legislative Committee, as it entails serious crimes such as money laundering, misappropriation of public and vote buying, which adversely affect the political life. The massive love and passion that welcomed legendary Kuwaiti artiste Abdulaziz Al-Mefrij (Shadi Al-Khaleej), when he returned to the country from an overseas medical trip, exemplified the fantastic place this wonderful man has in the hearts of young and old Kuwaitis, Yousef Al-Jassem wrote for Aljarida daily. This was evident from the faces of people who gave him a grand welcome at the airport. They were singing Oh Kuwait! We have returned to your safe beaches. He had composed this national song about half a century ago. Many of the people at the airport were almost 60 years old and had spent their childhood with him. Others were youths who witnessed later part of his shows at Bayan Palace. Many of them still remember the feelings of love and beauty that were expressed through his passionate songs in the 1960s and 1970s the time when this legendary singer had released most of his evergreen songs with which he bombarded our entertainment industry. While we welcomed back this ace singer into the country, we had to sadly bid farewell to some unique patriots in his field Mohammad Al-Bader, Khalid Al-Shimali and Jameel Al-Sultan. Their demise is a great loss for Kuwait, but that is the will of Allah to whom we all shall return. May Allah grant them Al-Jannah and give their families fortitude to bear the loss. Compiled by Zaki Taleb 5

6 LOCAL 6 AFC seats runners get FIFA nod Intefadah site owner gets death threats KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Palestine-born American activist and owner of Intefadah website, Ali Abu Ne mah, has been receiving death threats after a lecture he delivered at the American University of Kuwait few days ago on Racial Discrimination in Israel, reports Al-Qabas daily. This is not the first time Abu Ne mah is receiving death threats since the beginning of his activism 15 years ago. He visited Kuwait for the first time based on invitation from the university and BDS Boycott Movement- Kuwait Chapter to mark the annual World anti-apartheid Week. He spoke about hidden and open boycott that successfully led to the suspension of operation in Israel by four international companies based on its support and connection with occupation. He also spoke about the Trump experience in the new US Administration and contradictory action of the judges and civil society organizations over his measures against minority groups and immigrants, in addition to his one-state proposal in an attempt to combine Palestinians and Israelis after the idea of a two-state system was aborted. Abu Ne mah also touched on the role played by Palestinians in America and the website he has established and managing since Runners get FIFA nod: Candidates vying for the four available Asian Football Confederation (AFC) seats on the FIFA council have been cleared to stand for election by the world governing body, the AFC said on Friday according to the Al-Anba daily. The four successful candidates during the Bahrain AFC Congress in May to represent Asia along with the Bahraini vice-president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the head of the AFC, and members from Japan and Malaysia. The four spots include one reserved for women. Australian Moya Dodd, formerly a co-opted member of the old FIFA Executive Committee, will take on Mahfuza Ahkter of Bangladesh, Han Un-gyong of North Korea and Susan R. A. Shalabi of Palestine. The Chinese Football Association General Secretary Zhang Jian, South Korea s Mong Gyu Chung, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait and Mariano V. Araneta Jr of Philippines will contest for the other three spots. The Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Ahmad, who heads the Association of National Olympic committees and is an influential International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, has a FIFA Council seat currently. The term ends in May. The FIFA Council replaced the largely discredited Executive Committee as FIFA s decision-making body under reforms instituted in the wake of the 2015 corruption scandal in soccer s world governing body. Around 460 people die due to drug overdose in 7 years Cybercrimes rate still high: official The car in which four people were hurt. 15 B deshis hurt in accident; Four pulled from car By Mishal Al-Sanousi Al-Seyassah Staff Some 15 Bangladeshis, an Indian and a Kuwaiti citizen were injured when a bus toppled on Abdali Motorway. Eight of the victims who sustained severe injuries were referred to Jahra hospital by ambulance, indicating they could not be airlifted due to bad weather. Meanwhile, four people sustained various degrees of injuries in a traffic collision on the Salmi Motorway opposite Jahra cemetery. One of them was trapped inside his vehicle after the incident. Acting on information, a team of Youth stabs preacher KFSD photo securitymen, paramedics and firemen was dispatched to the location by the Operations Room of the Interior Ministry. Upon arrival, firemen used special equipment to cut and remove the person trapped inside the vehicle. All injured people were referred to Jahra Hospital via ambulance. Drugs found as man arrested after chase By Mishal Al-Sanousi Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, March 25: A motorist accompanied by another person was arrested by security operatives in Sulaibiya area in possession of illicit drug and related tools after defying orders to stop for checking. A security source said officers on a round of the aforementioned area spotted the suspect s vehicle moving in an erratic and ordered the driver to pull over for checking, but he ignored them. The officers chased and arrested the suspect with his companion. They went ahead and conducted a search inside the vehicle and recovered illicit drug and related tools. The duo was referred to concerned authorities. Preacher stabbed: Police are looking for an unidentified youth for stabbing in the shoulder an Egyptian imam of a mosque in Umm Al-Haiman, reports Al-Rai daily. The incident happened in the parking lot of the area cooperative society when the suspect driving a pickup wagon drove in the opposite direction and asked the imam to give him way. The imam obliged by reversing his vehicle and the youth got angry because he felt the imam was not quick enough to obey his order. Both people were involved in an argument and the suspect stabbed the imam and drove off. The imam has been admitted to a hospital. Hospital sources said the imam is lucky enough because the stab is not life threatening. KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Statistics issued by the concerned government institutions show 460 people died from an overdose of drugs during the past seven years, with an average of 66 deaths per year, reports Al-Qabas daily. Kuwaitis topped the list with 120 victims, followed by Arabs in second place with 200 drug addicts and the Asians came in third with 140 victims. According to the statistics, 33 deaths were recorded in 2016, 63 cases in 2015, 63 in 2014 but the highest rate was recorded in 2013 a total of 88. This was followed by 86 in 2012; 72 in 2011; 41 in 2010, and 16 in the first three months of 2017 to date. Cybercrimes rate high: Director of the Cyber Crimes Department affiliated to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ministry of Interior Colonel Yousef Al-Habib said the rate of cybercrimes is still high, in spite of the Electronic Crimes Law, reports Al-Rai daily. Al-Habib pointed out this is because some people are not aware about the modern means of communication, particularly the social media, as well as lack of the culture of tolerance in society. Al-Habib explained about 3,958 cyber crimes were recorded in 2016 compared to 1,000 cases in the first three months of 2017, an increase of nearly 100 cases for the same period last year. Victims of scam: Approximately 10,000 Kuwaitis were victims of scam groups outside the country, reports Al-Shahed daily. A security source pointed out these groups claim to represent telecom companies in Kuwait and congratulate victims about winning prizes. The victims are requested to send bank details such as account number and pincode and those who are ignorant about what is happening around the world fall prey to these cheats. Drugs with inmate: Officers from the General Department for Jails and Sentences Enforcement stopped a new inmate of Central Prison from smuggling drugs into the prison, reports Al-Seyassah daily. A total of 12 nylon rolls with substances suspected to be drugs was discovered inside the area where the inmate was placed following a hearing session at Justice Palace and before he was taken to jail. Officers also found a pack of yellow-colored drug inside the electricity box of a bus that transports inmates from Justice Palace to the Central Prison. In addition, 23 substances suspected to be drugs were discovered in a prison cell along with some illicit items and money. Sheep thieves sought: Police have arrested three people, a Kuwaiti, a GCC citizen, and a bedoun and looking for two others for stealing sheep from livestock pens, reports Al-Anba daily. A security source said plainclothes police from the Criminal Investigations Department were in the Al-Safat Sheep Market and suspected a broker when he said the owner of the sheep had left the animals in his care and gone for breakfast. KFSD photos Top and above: Successful participants of the course are presented certificates. Fire training course ends The Public Relations and Media Department of Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD) Thursday concluded a training course titled Fire Service in Every Home in the presence of the Director of Firefighter Training Center Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al-Ansari. Director of Public Relations and Media Department Lieutenant Colonel Khalil Al-Amir said the course was launched at the start of last week under the supervision of the Human Resources Development Sector, in Other Voices collaboration with the Firefighter Training Center. He revealed that 60 male and female citizens and expatriates participated in the training course, which was being held for the 12th consecutive year. Seven other individuals participated in the interactive audiovisual session, which was organized for the first time based on directives from Deputy Director General for Human Resources Development Major General Engineer Khalid Al-Tarkit. Rains talk of the town By Yusuf Awadh Al-Azmi ALLAH the Almighty says in chapter 51:22 of the Holy Qu ran In the heavens are your provisions and whatever you are promised. Rain has many meanings in the life of the people living in the desert. It s the time when barren land becomes green and pasture for the livestock remain abundant throughout the season. In other words, rain is the symbol of sustenance. The sight of clouds and rainfall instill optimism and hope in the souls of herdsmen; the rain brings special joy and happiness that can only be understood by a Al-Azmi Bedouin, in addition to the positive impact of every drop. A Bedouin considers it glad tiding from the skies. Socially, the optimism sparked by rainfall positively affects social communication. Tales of the rain are usually circulated, which become the main topic of almost every gathering. The news is about the rain and people s feelings change at this point. It is not surprising to hear statements like the rain is chasing away diseases; the rain is washing the land and souls, among other phrases. Naturally, we are not here to determine how those phrases would fair scientifically, the main point is phrases adorn the mouths of people during rainfall, and without any doubt, the phrases yield positive effect. Culturally, the rain has its special News in Brief tradition, and it is not surprising to find the production rate of poems rising during rainfall given that poetry is the master of literature in our region and the pop culture of optimism and romanticism that characterizes the love between people connected by the rain. In its capacity, the rain is considered a culture, and sometimes, literature. With every drop, the verse of a poem is made or a paragraph of a tale or even a song is tailored the rain has an incomparable beautiful culture. I remember the famous Algerian writer Ahlam Mosteghanemi s wonderful word about the rain, which said it is of no use seeking refuge under an umbrella of words. Under the rain, silence is better. One of my dearest friends said one day, while he was traveling to the City of Light, Paris, one of the things he wished for on his four-day trip was the rain. He watched the rain washing the streets, and based on his Bedouin mentality, he considered it to be good sign and good luck. Unfortunately, it did not rain again throughout his four-day visit, and just when he sat in his seat aboard the plane, the rain started falling, washing the side of his window as if it was bidding him farewell. The rain has its own culture and philosophy in the life of desert people and the life of many people living in this world, as every raindrop brings optimism. O Allah, send upon us helpful, wholesome and healthy rain that is beneficial and not harmful, now and not later. Twitter@alzmi1969 US man dies in mishap: A 49-year-old US citizen died on the spot following a two-vehicle collision on a street in Mina Abdullah, reports Al-Rai daily. The other motorist, a 39-year-old Pakistani was rushed to the Adan Hospital in an air ambulance. The details of the accident are not available. Fire breakout denied: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Al-Salam International Hospital Dr. Ayman Al-Mutawa has denied rumors about a fire outbreak inside the hospital s facilities. Actually, it was a minor fire that broke out in the ground floor of one of the hospital s neighboring buildings, used as a nurses residence, in Bneid Al-Qar area of Kuwait City, Al-Mutawa affirmed in press statement Friday. Al-Salam hospital has taken all necessary measures to evacuate 120 nurses and transport them to nearby hotels to ensure their safety, he said, affirming that no wounds or injuries were sustained among the nurses. Al-Salam hospital is equipped with the latest firefighting tools and methods to secure the safety of patients and visitors, Al-Mutawa noted, commending fire fighters quick response and control of the fire within a short time. (KUNA) Kuwaiti high on drugs: A 23-year old Kuwaiti reportedly requested a passerby to call police after he felt helpless, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily added, the Kuwaiti was high on drugs and he had reportedly consumed meth. The daily added, the youth felt very sick while driving along the King Faisal Road and when police arrived he handed over the sachets of meth. Without going into details the daily said the Kuwaiti has been admitted to a hospital. A case of consuming drugs has been filed against him. Costly car stolen: A Kuwaiti has filed a complaint with the Doha Police Station accusing a compatriot woman of stealing his expensive vehicle, reports Al-Anba daily. The complainant said the woman made away with the vehicle after paying KD 250 advance but never returned the vehicle.

7 LOCAL 7 Iranian held with fake nationality Clampdown on forgeries to continue: official KUWAIT CITY, March 25: An Iranian expatriate was arrested for obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship illegally, reports Al-Rai daily. According to the police report, when detectives received a tip-off about the illegal Kuwaiti citizenship of an Iranian man, they launched intensive investigations and arrested the suspect after confirming the forgery act. The suspect, when questioned, had confessed that he was aware of the forgery which helped him obtain Kuwaiti citizenship and attain state benefits provided to Kuwaiti citizens. Detectives discovered that a Kuwaiti citizen, with the aim of marrying an Iranian widow, had submitted false documents to the General Department of Citizenship Affairs to secure Kuwaiti citizenship for the suspect, who was her son from her deceased Iranian husband. She had allegedly informed the citizen that she will agree to his marriage proposal only if he managed to secure Kuwaiti citizenship for her son. As per the law of Kuwait, if any individual, when applying for naturalization, presents fake documents, his/her citizenship can be revoked following a decision from the Cabinet based on a request sent by the Minister of Interior. The arrest of the Iranian man is within the framework of the tremendous efforts being exerted by Kuwait to discover cases of forgery which enabled many foreigners to acquire Kuwaiti citizenship. The concerned authorities have been able to discover several such cases, despite the huge challenges they have been facing in this regard. A senior official from Ministry of Interior recently denied reports that the Photo by Rizk Taufiq Municipality tankers collecting the rain water trapped in the underpass between Mangaf and Sabahiya. Heavy downpour caused minor flash floods on Friday, March 24, which swept away cars, leaving some of them submerged under the water. ministry is under pressure to bring an end to its efforts to discover such cases of forgery. He affirmed that all relevant authorities will continue to exert efforts for arresting those who obtained Kuwaiti citizenship through fraudulent ways. The Iranian embassy in Kuwait has acted in a manner that is contrary to diplomatic norms and to protocol circulars, the Kuwaiti foreign minister has said, reports gulfnews.com. According to established diplomatic norms, no diplomatic mission accredited to Kuwait may conduct any kind of official correspondence with any local authority except through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid said as he answered a query from MP Waleed Al Tabtabai regarding letters addressed by the Iranian embassy to Kuwaiti daily Al Jareeda. The embassy on Nov 9 and Jan 3 wrote to the daily to request it to cease publishing reports attributed to its correspondent in Iran, Firzad Qassimi. The embassy said no reporter under that name was accredited by the Iranian authorities and requested the paper to refrain from publishing reports emanating from Iran pending the identification of their author. The embassy added that it reserved the right to respond legally. Al Tabtabai, known for his vociferous anti-iran stances, sought clarifications from the foreign minister about the Iranian embassys attitude. Sheikh Sabah said that the ministry had raised the issue during official meetings with the Iranian ambassador. He pointed out that the ambassador was told that such practice was contrary to diplomatic norms and it should not be repeated. Sheikh Sabah said the ambassador told him that the information office of the embassy has been told not to indulge in such practice again. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fulfilling its responsibilities and obligations according to the constitution and the law. It is also keen to take all diplomatic and legal measures in case Kuwait is subjected to distortion, abuse or infringement of its interests, he said, quoted by Al Jareeda daily on Saturday. Al Jareeda in January published the two Iranian embassy letters on its front page. Photos by Rizk Taufiq Top and above: Municipality workers at Sabahiya bridge clearing water. Heavy rain stirs chaos Unusually heavy rain with thunderstorms pounded Fahaheel, Mangaf, Abu Halifa and Mahboula on Friday, March 24 evening. The downpour caused flash floods in many areas, leaving the vehicles stuck in deep water. Many cars were submerged in rain water at the Sabahiya bridge underpass. Municipality workers with their tools had to toil hard to open drains and remove water with the help of tankers. People had to use tow trucks to remove their vehicles stuck in the mud at some places. Rubber boats were at hand to rescue people trapped in the shoulder-high water. Senior officials from the KFSD and Municipality were present at the location to oversee the operation. Traffic crackdown Cars seized, 55 citations By Meshal Al-Sanousi Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Mubarak Al-Kabeer traffic officers issued 55 traffic citations and seized four vehicles during a traffic campaign launched in Qurain and Qosur areas based on instructions from Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major General Fahad Al-Shuwai. According to security sources, the General Traffic Department has affirmed that such sudden traffic campaigns will continue in all governorates, and reckless drivers and violators of traffic rules will be arrested. Meanwhile, heavy traffic congestion was experienced on Banks Street in Shuwaikh area after two vehicles collided. According to security sources, when the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information about the accident, traffic officers rushed to the location. They dealt with the situation and restored the traffic flow to normal. No injuries were reported. And, a Sudanese expatriate suffered from injuries when his vehicle collided with another on Jahra Road. He was referred to the nearest hospital by paramedics while securitymen took necessary action. News in Brief Case adjourned: The Court of Appeals adjourned until April 26 the case of Abu Turab and his mother who are accused of joining DAESH, says Al-Seyassah. Abu Turab who was brought from the Central Jail alongside his mother denied all charges leveled against him. Lawyer Mejbil Al-Shrika representing Abu Turab s mother said his client should be honored rather than denigrated by accusing her of joining DAESH, indicating she made great sacrifice for her children. The Criminal Court had sentenced Abu Turab to five years in prison with hard labor, together with his brother whom the family claimed he died 10 years ago, and acquitted the mother of all charges. Meanwhile, the Criminal Court presided over by Judge Salem Al-Azmi sentenced a public prosecutor to 28 months imprisonment and a fine of KD 500 for forging trade documents. The same circuit sentenced a citizen to 19 months in prison and KD 3,000 fine for publishing the photos of a female citizen on social media. Cream causes burns: A Kuwaiti woman in her 30s sustained skin burns after she used a slimming cream which she bought from a social networking website, says Al-Seyassah. According to sources, the victim bought the cream after seeing an advertisement on a social networking website which claimed that the cream is special for slimming. However, after an hour of using it, she started experiencing burning sensations on her skin. She was rushed to the nearest hospital where she received treatment for skin burns. After obtaining a medical report, the victim went to the nearest police station and lodged a complaint. Necessary action will be taken against the seller.

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9 LOCAL/GULF 9 Kuwaiti fund grants $20.4 million loan to Zimbabwe KFAED, Lebanon sign loan deal worth USD 36.9 mln BEIRUT, March 25, (KUNA): The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has offered Lebanon a loan at a cost of KD 11.2 million (USD 36.9 million) to provide the country with a steady supply of water used for consumption and irrigation. The agreement was co-signed on Saturday by KFAED s Director General Abdulwahab Al-Bader and the President of the Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction Nabil Al-Jassar. Speaking to KUNA after the deal was sealed, Al-Bader said that the loan will fund efforts to deliver an adequate supply of water to the Lebanese town of Bsharri, where residents have long suffered from a dearth of fresh water. Moreover, he noted that the Al-Bader water will be instrumental in boosting local agricultural production, which in turn, will help buoy the Lebanese economy. The KFAED Director General added that the loan will also fund a project to build 11 tube wells with a production capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day, to ensure a sufficient supply of water. On the loan, he said that it will be paid over a 25-year timeframe with yearly installments to cover the expenses of the projects. Copious amounts of Kuwaiti financial aid have trickled into Lebanon over the years to finance development projects in the country. Meanwhile, a loan agreement was signed in Harare between the Government of The Republic of Zimbabwe and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development whereby Kuwait Fund will make a loan in an amount of KD. 6,000,000/- (equivalent to about US$ 20.4 million) to assist in the financing of the Zhove Irrigation Project in Zimbabwe. It is worth mentioning that in extending its loans and developmental assistance, Kuwait Fund depends exclusively on its own resources. The loan was made in pursuance of an initiative by His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of the State of Kuwait announced at the 3rd Africa-Arab Summit held in Kuwait during the period November 2013 to grant concessionary loans to African countries to the tune of one billion US dollars spread over the succeeding five years for financing development projects in the African countries. The loan agreement was signed by P.A Chinamasa (M.P) Minister of Finance and Economic Development on behalf of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and Hamad Al-Omar, Deputy Director-General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development on behalf of Kuwait Fund. Bader Nasser Al-Houti, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Republic of Zimbabawe, and Ayad Al-Gharaballi, Regional Manager for Central East & South African Countries at Kuwait Fund attended the signing ceremony. The project aims to support the economic and social development in Beitbridge District, specifically Ferguson, Bishopstone and Cawood Ranches together with Mtetengwe, Mabidi and Malala communal lands situated along the left bank of Mzingwane river. Arab Lawyers Conference concludes Kuwaiti lawyers who took part in Arab Lawyers Conference. KUNA photo Chairman of Kuwait Lawyers Association Nasser Al-Kuraiwen led a Kuwaiti delegation to the twoday Union of Arab Lawyers Conference titled Gulf Security is an Integral Part of Arab Nation Security that ended Saturday in Bahrain. At the closing ceremony, Al-Kuraiwen said the conference organized for occupation of the permanent office of the Union of Arab Lawyers in Bahrain was significant, as it shed light on ways to increase interrelation among Arab countries. He noted the topics of discussion will help overcome discrimination among Arabs. Kuwait affirms special support for Palestinian cause: Al-Dihani GCC draws up plan to fight extremism: offi cial The Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Dr Sultan Al-Qasimi and other dignitaries attend IGCF conference. Former US vice president Al Gore during an interview. Govt s role vital: ex-us VP Sharjah s ruler and Al Gore attend climate change meet SHARJAH, March 25: His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah attended a conversation panel with Al Gore, former US vice-president and founder-chairman of the Climate Reality Project as part of the sixth edition of International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017) at the Expo Centre Sharjah. Headlined Climate Change Are There Real Solutions? the lively panel discussion was moderated by HE Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Executive Chairman of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah. The discussion explored the role of governments in educating society on the existential threat of climate change and raising awareness of sustainable climate changing solutions. Disturbing numbers pertaining to environmental degradation continue to sound alarm bells across the globe at regular intervals. The World Bank, in collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, published a report in September 2016 pointing out that air pollution costs the world economy over $225 billion a year due to employee absences from work and the accrued costs of healthcare. The report also noted that an astounding 5.5 million deaths in 2013 were the direct result of air pollution. Climate Al Gore said: The climate crisis is very different from any crisis we have ever confronted before. The population has quadrupled, and as technologies continue to become more powerful, the prevailing pattern of short-term thinking does not provide an impetus to make the investments in long-term infrastructure changes that are needed to achieve sustainable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Doomsday projections related to the environment continue unabated. The one silver lining to emerge from such data is perhaps the fact that people are increasingly questioning what they can do to mitigate the conscious as well as the inadvertent environmental impact triggered by human actions. However, hurdles still exist and convincing the public to change their habits and lifestyles to help reduce global warming and prevent even worse consequences than those already happening is yet another challenge for governance, emphasised the former US vice-president. Noted Referencing a survey by Pew Research Center, Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi noted that while two-thirds of people surveyed believe major lifestyle changes will be needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions, awareness of the solutions that are readily available is still low. In response, Al Gore said: Some of the conversation has been dominated by inaccurate information. We cannot afford to allow science and reason to be undermined. Governments are in denial and we cannot continue to let political disagreements impair collective efforts to protect the environment. Praising the UAE leadership s focus on renewable energy, he added that the country s efforts should be replicated elsewhere. In addition, he expressed hope that governments will develop a solid consensus in the pursuit of environmental goals by highlighting the evidence that is widely available and the consequences that are already occurring. JORDAN, March 25, (KUNA): The State of Kuwait dedicates special concern for the Palestinian cause which tops agenda of the forthcoming Arab summit, says a ranking official of the Gulf state. Kuwait provides needed support as well special attention to the Palestinian question, re-affirmed Ambassador Aziz Al-Dihani, the Assistant Foreign Minister for the Arab World Affairs, in a statement to KUNA on Saturday. The diplomat was speaking to KUNA on sidelines of a meeting of permanent delegates at the Arab League. Al-Dihani, head of the Kuwaiti delegation at the envoys meeting, indicated that he agreed with the conferees on classifying the Palestinian issue as a prime topic in the agenda. It will top schedule of the forthcoming summit, due to its strategic significance, he declared. Kuwaiti people are in distress due to abusive acts against the Palestinians; such practices have also hampered the Middle East peace process, he added. Kuwait will host in May an international convention about the Palestinian children s hardships, caused by the Israeli breaches of their rights. As to the summit, set to kick off on Wednesday, he affirmed its significance, under chairmanship of King Abdullah II. The summit will also address other serious issues such as Syria, Libya and Yemen. Meanwhile, Kuwait s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has devised a strategy to stifle the rise of violent extremism and promote temperateness in the Gulf region, a Kuwaiti official said on Saturday in Riyadh. Speaking to KUNA after the third meeting of Assistant Ministers of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Undersecretary of Kuwait s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Fareed Amadi said that the meeting tackled a number of pivotal issues to set the stage for the meeting of GCC Ministers of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs slated for April in Bahrain. Assistant Foreign Minister for the Arab World Affairs Ambassador Aziz Al-Dihani. Tshwane Jazz Band in Kuwait Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture on April 18 Arab artist to receive UNESCO prize Amir congrats Greece: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable to Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, congratulating him on his country s national day. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables. (KUNA) Veteran athlete dies: The demise of the veteran Kuwaiti athlete, one of the founders of Al-Shabab Sports Club and former secretary of Kuwaiti and Asian basketball unions Saleh Habib shocked the sports sector of the country, reports Al-Qabas daily. The deceased was known for his outstanding and distinguished administrative capabilities in the history of Kuwaiti sports. He was also known for his great contributions for developing administrative work in the basketball union. The Tshwane Jazz Band News in Brief Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Joyce Mabudafasi officiated the send-off ceremony in Eersterust ahead of the jazz band s departure to Kuwait on Friday. Mabudafasi says she recommended the Tshwane School of Music Jazz Band when asked to invite a youth group, because she thinks of them as family. As a mother, when an opportunity arises, you fi rst think of your family. Then I thought of my kids. I speak so much about them everywhere, Mabudafasi said. The Tshwane School of Music provides music education to a broad base of youth in previously disadvantaged communities. The school also provides music therapy, facilitates exposure to and training in music technology and music business and provides a platform for music performances. The jazz band is expected back in South Africa on 7 April. Attendees were given a taste of what Kuwait can expect. Municipality to pay bonuses: Excellent performance bonuses will be disbursed to the employees of Kuwait Municipality before May, reports Al-Rai daily quoting a reliable source from the municipality. He revealed that the total value of the bonuses for all sectors and departments including the legal department is KD 800,000. The source indicated that the municipality has not yet prepared the list of deserving employees or submitted it to the Director General of Kuwait Municipality Eng Ahmad Al-Manfouhi for approval. FHS eyes e-service: Assistant Dean of Students Affairs at the Faculty of Higher Studies (FHS) in Kuwait University Dr Ayed Salman recently stated the faculty is on the verge of implementing e-applications system, reports Al-Anba daily. Dr Salman noted the faculty is planning to change the paper procedure to electronic system. PARIS, March 25: The Director- General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, will award the 14th edition of the UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to an Egyptian artist, Bahia Shehab, the first woman from the Arab region to receive this award, and French artist el Seed. The award ceremony of the Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture will take place on April 18 at UN- ESCO s Headquarters (Room IV, 4.15 pm). An international jury recommended the two laureates to the Director- General for their innovative use of Arabic calligraphy in street art. Bahia Shehab is an Egyptian artist, designer and art historian, whose work has been displayed in exhibitions, galleries and on the streets of cities in many parts of the world. As an engaged and committed calligraffiti artist, Bahia s project, No, A Thousand Times No, is a series of graffiti images centered on the one thousand ways of writing no in Arabic. Her artistic work in graffiti brings to the forefront issues pertaining to political and economic injustices, as well as personal issues and genderbased violations, reflecting her conviction that art is a tool for change that can provoke people to leave their comfort zone and engage in action for justice. Developed el Seed, was born in Paris to Tunisian parents in 1981 and learned to read and write Arabic in his late teens. He developed his unique pictorial style in calligraffiti that mixes poetry, calligraphy and graffiti and disseminates messages of peace and beauty perceptible even to those unable to decipher Arabic writing. el Seed says that the beauty of calligraffiti is like music that can be appreciated independently of intellectual analysis. As an artist of Maghrebin background, he uses his artwork in public spaces to engage viewers in a dialogue that questions stereotypical narratives around Arab and Islamic culture in Europe. Created in 1998 at the initiative of the United Arab Emirates, the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture rewards the efforts of two personalities or organizations, one from an Arab country and one from any other country, who have made a significant contribution to the development, dissemination and promotion of Arab culture in the world. The Prize carries a monetary value of $60,000, equally divided between the two laureates.

10 INTERNATIONAL 10 World News Roundup Immigration Home for migrants Austin churches offer sanctuary Barnhouse AUSTIN, Texas, March 25, (AP): Senior Minister Meg Barnhouse knows she ll need beds, a dresser, chairs and a mirror to make the classroom at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin feel more like a home for a mother and her young daughter who are still deciding whether they will become the latest immigrants seeking sanctuary from deportation by moving into a church. It would be the second time Barnhouse s congregation had offered sanctuary. She was hesitant in 2015 because of the unknown legal and insurance risks, but this time she agreed immediately. There is growing fear in the city s immigrant community as President Donald Trump s immigration and executive orders go into effect. And as more than 50 Austin area residents were detained in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation raids last month, a growing number of churches in the Austin Sanctuary Network are volunteering to offer physical shelter or support to churches that do. The Austin Sanctuary Network has broadened in the last year from a handful of churches and advocates to more than two dozen congregations and religious groups, three labor unions, several nonprofit groups and dozens of individual volunteers. This mirrors the loosely organized national sanctuary movement that has grown to more than 800 churches and congregations, with a good portion of those joining since Trump was elected. It s bewildering for people at this point. It s like trying to repair furniture when the house is on fire, said Pastor Jim Rigby, whose congregation at St. Andrew s Presbyterian Church in Austin has provided sanctuary to Guatemalan immigrant Hilda Ramirez and her 10-year-old son, Ivan, for more than a year. Opening our arms to our neighbors goes without question. Pastor Laura Walter s small Presbyterian congregation in Bee Cave, 12 miles west of Austin, hopes her church can expand the network to reach immigrant communities outside city limits. They are still discussing whether the small church has room to offer shelter or whether they could get a permit to build a temporary shower. Our faith calls us to live this out, Walters said. In the near future we ll be at the very least helping support refugees and asylum seekers. The churches are relying on a 2011 ICE policy directive telling agents to avoid sensitive areas such as churches, hospitals and schools when conducting deportation actions under most circumstances. Federal immigration officials said that policy is still in effect, but recent immigration arrests around the US, including inside courthouses, are increasing fears. In this, Feb photo, Hilda Ramirez, an immigrant living illegally in the US, reaches out to her son Ivan as she sits for an interview in the sanctuary at St Andrew s Presbyterian Church, in Austin, Texas, Ramirez, from Guatemala, and Ivan have taken refuge at the church for more than a year. (AP) America Give Tillerson team : US Sen. John McCain is urging President Donald Trump to nominate a team of senior officials at the State Department to back up new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke Saturday during an event in Brussels. He pointed to confusion over whether Tillerson would attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. He does now plan to be there. McCain said one aspect of that was that Tillerson doesn t have a team there at the State Department. And I think it s incumbent for the president and the administration to get people nominated and confirmed. The Arizona Republican added during a news conference at the German Marshall Fund s Brussels Forum that he expected that would be a rapid process. (AP) VA judge declines to block ban: In a sweeping affirmation of presidential authority, a federal judge in Virginia ruled against a Muslim civil rights group that sought to block the Trump administration s proposed travel ban. The ruling Friday by US District Judge Anthony Trenga is at odds with rulings from federal judges in Hawaii and Maryland who have issued orders preventing the bulk of the executive order from taking effect. Trenga had questioned at a hearing this week whether the injunction sought by the civil rights group is necessary, given the orders already in place from the Hawaii McCain Tillerson and Maryland judges. But his 32-page decision goes far beyond that technical question, giving a major victory to the Trump administration and its authority to issue the order, which would temporarily ban immigration from six Muslim-majority countries and suspend the US refugee program. (AP) House intel panel leaders split: The partisan divide over the House Intelligence Committee s probe of Russian interference in the US presidential election deepened on Friday, when the committee s top Democrat suggested its Republican chairman cancelled a public hearing after pressure from the White House. Panel chairman Devin Nunes said he had to cancel next Tuesday s hearing with officials from former Democratic President Barack Obama s administration in order to have a classified briefing with the directors of the National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The committee seeks additional information... that can only be addressed in closed session, Representative Nunes told reporters. FBI Director James Comey and NSA head Admiral Mike Rogers testified at a public hearing on Monday at which Comey confirmed for the first time that the FBI is investigating possible ties between Republican President Donald Trump s campaign as Moscow sought to influence the 2016 election. Representative Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee s top Democrat, said the cancellation was not in the public interest. I think that there must have been a very strong pushback from the White House about the nature of Monday s hearing. It s hard for me to come to any other conclusion about why an agreed upon hearing would be suddenly canceled, Schiff told a separate news conference. The scheduled witnesses, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, were in office when the purported hacking and disinformation by Russia to influence the election took place. (RTRS)

11 INTERNATIONAL 11 Analysis Outsider dealmaker faltering Trump presidency is perilously adrift WASHINGTON, March 25, (AP): Just two months in, Donald Trump s presidency is perilously adrift. His first major foray into legislating imploded Friday when House Republicans abandoned a White House-backed health care bill, resisting days of cajoling and arm-twisting from Trump himself. Aides who had confidently touted Trump as the deal s closer were left bemoaning the limits of the presidency. At the end of the day, you can t force somebody to do something, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. On its own, the health care bill s collapse was a stunning rejection of a new president by his own party. And for Trump, the defeat comes with an especially strong sting. The president who campaigned by promising so much winning, has so far been beset by a steady parade of the opposite. With each setback and sidetrack, comes more concern about whether Trump, the outsider turned president, is capable of governing. You can t just come in and Trump steamroll everybody, said Bruce Miroff, a professor of American politics and the presidency at the State University of New York at Albany. Most people have a modest understanding of how complicated the presidency is. They think leadership is giving orders and being bold. But the federal government is much more complicated, above all because the Constitution set it up that way. The ambitious agenda Trump vowed to quickly muscle through has now been blocked by both Congress and the courts. Whole weeks of his presidency have been consumed by crises that are often self-inflicted, including his explosive and unverified claim that President Barack Obama wiretapped his New York skyscraper. Earlier this week, the FBI director confirmed that Trump s campaign is being investigated for possible coordination with Russia during the election, an investigation that could hang over the White House for years. Trump s advisers say some of the churn is to be expected from a president with an unconventional style and little regard for Washington convention. They counter the notion of a White House in crisis by pointing to Trump s well-received nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. They appeal for patience, noting that the administration is indeed in its early days. Missteps But early missteps can be difficult to overcome, particularly for a president like Trump, who took office with historically low favorability ratings and has continued to lose support since his inauguration. According to Friday s Gallup daily tracking poll, 54 percent of Americans disapprove of his performance on the job. James Thurber, who founded the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, blamed Trump for an apparent misunderstanding or ignorance of how the separation of powers works that is hurting him at a time where he should have much more success. Trump is hardly the first president to stumble through his early days in arguably one of the hardest jobs in the world. Bill Clinton s presidency got off to a chaotic start and was quickly shrouded by an ethics controversy involving the firing of employees at the White House travel office. Jimmy Carter, another Washington outsider, clashed with his own party. Richard Nixon struggled to unite a deeply divided nation. There have been moments like this in history in terms of where the country is, in terms of the president kind of having a chaotic couple of months, said David Greenberg, a historian at Rutgers University. Still, he said Trump s challenges are exacerbated by his complete inexperience in the political arena, his personality and style. Trump campaigned as an outsider celebrating his lack of political experience by selling himself as a dealmaker willing to buck Republican orthodoxy and his own party s leadership. He alone would reshape Washington. He s tried governing the same way. His actions are a blitz. He rarely consults old Washington hands. And he hangs the threat of retribution over anyone who challenges him. And now he and his party have been dealt a stinging defeat on a signature campaign promise, a defeat that further weakens a president whose approval rating has hovered under 40 percent and humiliates Republicans who have pledged for seven long years to undo President Barack Obama s health care law. Trump s haphazard approach on Friday to the health care bill first demanding a House vote despite an uncertain result, then suddenly suggesting he d support a future bipartisan solution underscored Trump s political identity: He is an independent, seemingly uninterested in leading a political party or unifying the federal government. The failed vote despite Republican control of the White House and both houses of Congress highlighted severe cracks within the GOP that Trump s presidency won t easily mend. Reform Trump now wants to turn to tax reform, an ambitious, complicated plan at the center of his agenda, and he does so wounded by the health care collapse as well as the uncertain legal status of his travel ban and an ongoing federal investigation into possible contacts and coordination between his campaign aides and Russian officials. The loss exposed a limit to Trump s go-it-alone style, one forged over decades in the business world and seemingly proven effective by his improbable win. The novice campaigner used the sheer force of his celebrity and personality to draw loyal supporters and frequently bend the Republican Party to his whims. He defied the party leadership repeatedly, skipped a debate, refused to sign a loyalty pledge and turned the scathing power of his Twitter account on fellow Republicans even after he clinched the nomination and the party pined for unity. This is who he is. He s a dealmaker. He knows how to do deals and there s no deal here, said Ed Cox, chairman of New York state s Republican party, who has known Trump for decades, sometimes as friend, sometimes as foe. He always wants to move on to the next thing, even going it alone. But experts say that maverick style has hurt his ability to govern effectively. US President Donald Trump, fl anked by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price (left), and Vice-President Mike Pence (right), speaks about the health care overhaul bill on March 24, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP) This Oct 18, 2016 fi le photo, shows the exterior of a house in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York, where President Trump spent his early childhood. The New York Post reports that a real estate investor who bought the house in New York City for $1.39 million in December 2016 has fl ipped it for a 50 percent profit. (AP) America Trump OKs Keystone pipeline: President Donald Trump greenlighted the longdelayed Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, declaring it a great day for American jobs and siding with energy advocates over environmental groups in a heated debate over climate change. The presidential permit comes nearly a decade after Calgary-based TransCanada applied to build the $8 billion pipeline, which will snake from Canada through the United States. Trump s State Department said the project advances U.S. national interests, in a complete reversal of the conclusion President Barack Obama s administration reached less than a year-and-a-half ago. It s a great day for American jobs and a historic moment for North America and energy independence, Trump said, standing alongside TransCanada s CEO in the Oval Office. Keystone will reduce costs and reliance on foreign oil while creating thousands of jobs, he said, adding: It s going to be an incredible pipeline. The decision caps the long scientific and political fight over a project that became a proxy battle in the larger fight over global warming. And Friday s decision, while long foreshadowed by Trump s public support for Keystone, represents one of the biggest steps to date by his administration to prioritize economic development over environmental concerns. TransCanada, Trump said, can now build Keystone with efficiency and with speed. Though it still faces other major hurdles, including disputes over the route, the president said the federal government was formulating final details as we speak. (AP) Software flaws all fixed: Apple said purported hacking vulnerabilities disclosed by WikiLeaks this week have all been fixed in recent iphones and Mac computers. The documents released by the antisecrecy site Thursday morning pointed to an apparent CIA program to hack Apple devices using techniques that users couldn t disable by resetting their devices. The iphone hack was limited to the 3G model from In a statement late Thursday, Apple said the flaw was fixed with the release of the iphone 3GS a year later. Apple also said the Mac vulnerabilities were all fixed in all Macs launched after Apple s statement was consistent with assessments from security experts, who say that many of the apparent vulnerabilities were in older technology. Apple is going further in saying those flaws have all been fixed, based on its preliminary analysis. Security experts say the exploits described in the WikiLeaks documents are plausible, but suggest they pose little threat to typical users. Besides being likely out of date, the techniques also typically require physical access to devices, something the CIA would use only for targeted individuals, not a broader population. (AP) Democrats oppose Gorsuch: Five HealthCare more Democrats said Friday that they will vote against Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and will support a filibuster against him. California Sen. Kamala Harris, Washington Sen. Patty Murray and Rhode Island Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse all said they believe the Denver-based appeals court judge has ruled too often against workers and in favor of corporations. New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall said Gorsuch had failed to convince him he d be an independent Trump blames Dems, turns to taxes US healthcare bill collapses WASHINGTON, March 25, (RTRS): President Donald Trump suffered a stunning political setback on Friday in a Congress controlled by his own party when Republican leaders pulled legislation to overhaul the US healthcare system, a major 2016 election campaign promise of the president and his allies. House of Representatives leaders yanked the bill after a rebellion by Republican moderates and the party s most conservative lawmakers left them short of votes, ensuring that Trump s first major legislative initiative since taking office on Jan 20 ended in failure. Democrats were unified against it. House Republicans had planned a vote on the measure after Trump late on Thursday cut off negotiations with Republicans who had balked at the plan and issued an ultimatum to vote on Friday, win or lose. But desperate lobbying by the White House and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan was unable to round up the 216 votes needed for passage. We learned a lot about loyalty. We learned a lot about the vote-getting process, Trump told reporters at the White House, although he sought to shift the blame to the Democrats even though his party controls the White House, the House and the Senate. Domestic With Friday s legislative collapse, Democratic former President Barack Obama s signature domestic policy achievement, the 2010 Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare remains in place despite seven years of Republican promises to dismantle it. The healthcare failure called into question not only Trump s ability to get other key parts of his agenda, including tax cuts and a boost in infrastructure spending, through Congress, but the Republican Party s capacity to govern effectively. Neither Trump nor Ryan indicated any plans to try to tackle healthcare legislation again anytime soon. Trump said he would turn his attention to getting big tax cuts through Congress, another tricky proposition. Republican supporters said the legislation would achieve their goal of rolling back the government s nanny state role in healthcare. The White House made undoing Obamacare its top priority when Trump took office two months ago. But the White House and House leaders were unable to come up with a plan that satisfied the clashing interests of moderates and conservatives, despite Trump s vaunted image as a deal maker. Amid a chaotic scramble for votes, Ryan, who championed the bill, met with Trump at the White House. Ryan said he recommended that it be withdrawn from the House floor because he did not have the votes to pass it, and Trump agreed. We were just probably anywhere from 10 to 15 votes short, Trump said. With no Democrat support we couldn t quite get there. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the bill failed because of Some win and some lose with Obamacare still around WASHINGTON, March 25, (AP): The old and the poor made out great when House Republicans failed Friday to dismantle Barack Obama s Affordable Care Act. The rich and the almost rich didn t do so well. The measure would have repealed major parts of Obama s health law, capping future funding for Medicaid and cutting tax increases for highincome families, health insurance companies and drugmakers. The bill would have repealed tax credits that people can use to purchase health insurance and replace them with a new tax credit that would have been less generous for most. The winners, losers and a few in between: Winners Some 24 million additional people who would have been without health insurance by That s the tally according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Individuals ages 50 to 64. Under the plan, premiums would have gone up and tax credits for most of these people would have gone down. Premium costs for a 64-year-old making $26,500 a year would have increased by $12,900 for a single year, according to the CBO. The poor. The bill would have limited future spending on Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, reducing their benefits. The working poor. The bill would have raised taxes for some low-income families because the new tax credits for buying health insurance were smaller than the credits under Obama s health law. For example, families making between $20,000 and $30,000 would have received tax increases averaging $200, according to the Tax Policy Center. Planned Parenthood. The bill would have eliminated all federal funds for the organization that provides health care to women. Losers The rich. The GOP health plan included nearly $1 trillion in tax cuts two traits that have plagued the Trump presidency since he took office: incompetence and broken promises. Democrats said the bill would take away medical insurance from millions of Americans and leave the morethan-$3 trillion US healthcare system in disarray. And some moderate Republicans opposed the bill because of worries that millions of America would be hurt. There were things in this bill that I didn t particularly like, Trump added, without specifying what those were, but expressed confidence in Ryan s leadership. Perhaps the best thing that could happen is exactly what happened today, because we ll end up with a truly great Obama Gorsuch over the next decade, and much of that would have gone to the very wealthy. Families making more than $1 million a year would have received tax cuts averaging more than $51,000, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. The well-off (but not quite rich). Families making more than $200,000 a year would have received tax cuts averaging $5,680. Also, people with higher incomes would have been eligible for tax credits under the GOP plan. These tax credits are used to help pay insurance premiums for people who don t have insurance at work or from federal programs like Medicare. Medical device makers. The bill would have repealed a tax on medical devices, saving the industry $20 billion over the next decade. Drugmakers. The bill would have repealed a tax on prescription drugs, saving the industry $29 billion over the next decade. Young adults. The bill would have allowed insurers to charge higher premiums as people age and become more susceptible to health problems. Because of this provision, the CBO estimates that younger patients would have seen their premiums drop. Healthy people who choose not to have health insurance. The bill would have repealed penalties for not having health insurance. Large companies that don t provide health benefits for employees. The bill would have repealed penalties on these employers. A bit of both Health insurance companies. The bill would have repealed a tax on health insurance companies, saving them $145 million over the next decade. However, these companies were projected to lose 24 million customers by States. The bill would have limited the future growth of Medicaid spending, pushing the cost to the states. But the bill also would have provided much more flexibility to states on how they spend this money. healthcare bill in the future after this mess known as Obamacare explodes, said Trump, who had posted multiple tweets throughout March proclaiming that Obamacare is imploding and repeatedly saying that Republicans were coming together to pass the bill. Friday s events cast doubt on whether Ryan can get major legislation approved by fractious Republican lawmakers. I will not sugarcoat this. This is a disappointing day for us. Doing big things is hard, Ryan said at a news conference, adding that his fellow Republicans are experiencing what he called growing pains transitioning from an opposition party to a governing party. voice against President Donald Trump, who nominated Gorsuch in January. The stakes don t get any higher, Harris said in a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle. Some argue that if a nominee has a stellar legal resume, he or she is qualified to sit on the bench and our job is done. I disagree. As US senators, we have an obligation to also examine a nominee s legal approach and ask whether he or she considers the impact of those decisions on our society and the daily lives of our people. (AP)

12 INTERNATIONAL 12 World News Roundup Summit Union marks 60th versary EU leaders renew fraying bloc s vows ROME, March 25, (RTRS): Europeans must contain their squabbling and carping about the EU if the Union is to survive, leaders warned on Saturday as they marked the 60th anniversary of its founding in Rome by signing a formal declaration of unity. Four days before Prime Minister Theresa May, absent from the ceremony in the Italian capital, delivers an unprecedented blow to the bloc s growth by filing Britain s formal exit papers, her fellow leaders hailed 60 years of peace and prosperity and pledged to deepen a unity frayed by regional and global crises. But days of wrangling about the wording of a 1,000- word Rome Declaration, May s impending Brexit confirmation and tens of thousands of protesters gathering beyond the tight police cordon around the Campidoglio palace offered a more sober reminder of the challenges of holding the 27 nations to a common course. We have stopped in our tracks and this has caused a crisis of rejection by public opinion, said their host, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, noting Britons repudiation of the EU. Tusks He said the failure to push the project forward during a decade of economic slump had fueled a re-emergence of blinkered nationalism. Rome offered a fresh start: The Union is starting up again... and has a vision for the next 10 years, he said. Others, however, are wary of such enthusiasm for giving up more national sovereignty and also of others in the Union moving faster with integration. Poland s nationalist government has led protests against a multispeed Europe, which it fears would consign the poor ex-communist east to second-class status. Leaders hailed the visionary war generation of leaders from old foes France and Germany who signed the Treaty of Rome in the same room on March 25, 1957, along with Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; some offered personal memories of their own generation s debts to the expanding European Union. Ruins Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU chief executive, recalled how his father in Luxembourg was forced into the German army in World War Two; Donald Tusk, the summit chair born in Gdansk a month after the Treaty was signed, remembered growing up in the ruins of war and yearning for freedom behind the Iron Curtain. That really was a two-speed Europe, he said in a pointed dig at his domestic foes now ruling in Warsaw, who have tried to block a push by the western powers to deepen their integration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the bloc s dominant leader who faces a re-election test in September, stressed the Union must also address the complaints of generations for whom war is fading into history. We will in the future have to concern ourselves above all with the issue of jobs, she told reporters. Fearing that the departure of its second-biggest economy and major global power could prompt the unravelling of the bloc, many leaders argue that only forward motion can revive popular support for the EU by generating economic and security benefits. Today we renew our vows and reaffirm our commitment to an undivided and indivisible Union, Juncker told them, urging the bloc not to get bogged down in details that alienated voters. Tusk, too, warned against the impression the EU was about petty regulations: Why should we lose our trust in the purpose of unity today? Is it only because it has become our reality? Or because we have become bored or tired of it? he asked. Merkel said leaders wanted to respond to people s concerns, about the economy, welfare, migration and defence with a protective Europe that offered assurances on their wellbeing. All 27 national leaders, along with the heads of Brussels institutions, signed a declaration which concluded: We have united for the better. Europe is our common future. Also: VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis told Europe s leaders on Friday the continent faced a vacuum of values as they marked the EU s 60th birthday, condemning anti-immigrant populism and extremism that he said posed a mortal threat to the bloc. Prime ministers and presidents from 27 EU member states have descended on Italy to mark the 1957 founding Treaty of Rome, receiving a papal blessing on the eve of the anniversary. However, celebrations have been tempered by a string of crises, including prolonged economic turmoil, an influx of migrants and Britain s decision to leave the bloc, that have raised fears for the future of the union. When a body loses its sense of direction and is no longer able to look ahead, it experiences a regression and, in the long run, risks dying, Francis told the leaders gathered in an ornate, frescoed chamber in the heart of the Vatican. Just six nations signed the original treaty in 1957 and on many levels the EU can be viewed as a success, swelling to embrace 28 countries gathered in the world s largest trading bloc and blessed with rising life expectancy and solid prosperity. But with anti-european parties gaining support, the pope warned of a growing split between EU citizens and their institutions and said greater solidarity was the most effective antidote to modern forms of populism. The Argentinian-born pontiff told the leaders they needed to promote Europe s patrimony of ideals and spiritual values with greater passion and vigour. For it is the best antidote against the vacuum of values of our time, which provides a fertile terrain for every form of extremism, he said, mentioning the attack in London this week by a British-born convert to Islam, who killed four people. The pope has repeatedly criticised Europe over the past five years for its perceived lack of vision, drawing the ire of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014 when he described the EU as an elderly woman who was no longer fertile and vibrant. He adopted a less hostile tone on Friday, but urged the continent not to close in on itself and resurrect walls a message aimed as much at US President Donald Trump as at EU leaders struggling to deal with mass immigration. Some 1.6 million refugees and migrants reached the European Union between 2014 and 2016 and how to handle them has been a major point of contention between member states. Pope Francis poses with the heads of State and of the EU institutions for a family photo in the Sistine Chapel at the end of an audience at the Vatican on March 24. The pontiff is receiving leaders of EU countries the day before an European Union summit in Rome to highlight the 60th anniversary of the bloc s foundation on March 25. (AP) A man stands in front of floral tributes to victims of Wednesday s attack outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 24. On Thursday authorities identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism but was not currently on a terrorism watch list. (AP) Britain Queen honours British minister: British foreign affairs minister Tobias Ellwood who tried to resuscitate a police officer stabbed to death in the attack on Britain s parliament has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth, the prime minister s office said on Friday. Ellwood and security minister Ben Wallace, who helped coordinate the government s response to Wednesday s attack, were appointed to the Privy Council, which has advised the monarch since the Norman era and is comprised of senior politicians, judges and bishops. Ellwood, a former captain in the British army, received widespread public attention when he was pictured with blood on his face and hands after joining unsuccessful attempts to revive PC Keith Palmer, one of four people killed by Khalid Masood who ploughed a vehicle into pedestrians on a bridge and than ran through the gates of parliament armed with a knife. The attacker was shot dead by armed police officers. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, although it was unclear what links, if any, Masood had with the militant group. (RTRS) Prince George to start school: Prince George, Britain s third in line to the throne, is to start school in southwest London in September, Kensington Palace announced on Friday. Three-year-old George, the elder child of Prince William and his wife Kate, will attend the private Thomas Battersea school. The choice is a break from a recent family tradition of sending younger royals to Wetherby School in the affluent Notting Hill area which was attended by both William and George s uncle Prince Harry. The move follows the decision in January of William and Kate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to base their family in London as William gives up his job as an air ambulance helicopter pilot to focus on carrying out official duties on behalf of his 90-year-old grandmother Queen Elizabeth full-time. George and his sister Charlotte, 1, previously lived with their parents at Anmer Hall, their country mansion on the queen s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England. Their Royal Highnesses are delighted to have found a school where they are confident George will have a happy and successful start to his education, Kensington Palace, the Cambridges London residence, said in a statement. (RTRS) UKIP party loses only lawmaker: Britain s UKIP party, widely credited as having been a major factor behind the country s decision to leave the European Union, lost its only lawmaker on Saturday when Douglas Carswell announced he was Extremism Authorities file terror charges against Antwerp driver Attacker cheerful on eve of rampage BIRMINGHAM, England, March 25, (AP): Long before his short stints in jail turned into years behind bars, Khalid Masood was known as Adrian Elms, with a reputation for drinking and an unpredictable temper. At least twice he was convicted of violent crimes, well before he stabbed a police officer to death Wednesday in London with a motion that one horrified witness described as playing a drum on your back with two knives. But as he checked out of his hotel to head toward London for his deadly rampage, the manager said he was struck by his guest s friendly manner. Within hours, Masood drove his rented SUV across the crowded Westminster Bridge, leaving a trail of dead and wounded. Then he jumped out and attacked Constable Keith Palmer, an officer guarding Parliament, stabbing him to death before being shot to death by police. In all, he killed four people and left more than two dozen hospitalized. Masood, who at 52 is considerably older than most extremists who carry out bloodshed in the West, had an arrest record dating to The violence came later, first in 2000 when he slashed a man across the face in a pub parking lot in a racially charged argument after drinking four pints, according to a newspaper account. The victim, Piers Mott, was scarred for life, said his widow, Heather. Masood s last conviction was in 2003, also involving a knife attack. It s not clear when he took the name Masood, suggesting a conversion to Islam. Heather Mott said Masood appeared to come out of jail even worse. She said she got chills when she learned the identity of the London attacker. What a pity they didn t realize he was a nutter, she said. Police are combing through massive amounts of computer data and have contacted 3,500 witnesses as they look for clues as to why the Britishborn man launched the deadly attack. Clearly that s a main line of our investigation is what led him to be radicalized: Was it through influences in our community, influences from overseas or through online propaganda? Our investigations and our arrests will help in that, but the public appeal will make a big difference if people come forward with more information, said Britain s top counterterrorism officer, Mark Rowley. A security official who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation confirmed that Masood had spent time in Saudi Arabia but said investigators were still trying to determine how long he stayed and what he was doing. Prime Minister Theresa May said Masood was investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism years ago. But she called him a peripheral figure. The Islamic State group described leaving the party. Carswell, 46, defected to UKIP from the Conservative party led by then Prime Minister David Cameron in August 2014 and went on to win a by-election in the eastern seaside town of Clacton that year. Like many of you, I switched to UKIP because I desperately wanted us to leave the EU, he said in a statement. Now we can be certain that that is going to happen, I have decided that I will be leaving UKIP. Vehicle attacks: easy success for IS, challenge for the police BASEL, Switzerland, March 25, (AP): In the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State group became infamous for its spectacular variations on explosive vehicles. For attacks in the West, it has advocated the use of the same tool but suggested a simpler method, encouraging its followers to use regular vehicles to achieve bloodshed. Experts say that vehicle attacks whether IS-inspired or coordinated present a unique challenge for law enforcement officials as they are nearly impossible to predict and easy to pull off. They require no advanced training, no specialized materials. Almost anyone can own or rent a vehicle. Some feel that these low-tech, lone wolf operations can have the same psychological impact as larger, more sensational attacks. Four people were killed in London on Wednesday with this tactic in what was the worst attack on British soil since the transport network bombings on July 7, Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, says what makes such attacks so frightening is the relatively low barriers to entry. The method was embraced by al-qaeda before being revitalized by IS. It makes for a very effective unsophisticated high impact, very frightening form of an operation, he said. You don t need to know someone who can make you a bomb or buy you a gun in order to carry out an attack. It s a very difficult thing to fight against. There is no quick fix. British authorities on Thursday identified Khalid Masood as the man who mowed down pedestrians with an SUV and stabbed a policeman to death outside Masood as a soldier, claiming responsibility for the attack. Rowley said police are investigating whether he acted totally alone inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him. People made arrests across the country as they investigate whether anyone else helped Masood prepare his attack. Six people were released without charge Friday night, leaving four in custody on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Detectives have searched 21 properties in London, Brighton, Wales, Manchester and the central English city of Birmingham in one of Britain s biggest counterterrorism operations in years. Wednesday s attack was the deadliest in Britain since suicide Ellwood Kate Parliament. The British national wasn t on a terrorism watch list although he was once investigated for extremism. IS claimed the attack. Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence group, says it is almost impossible for law enforcement agencies to stop IS-inspired attacks, especially vehicular-style ones like the one in London. Since 2014, this simple but effective method has been laid out repeatedly and in detail in IS propaganda material which continues to circulate online. It s not a style of attack that you can monitor by increasing security and intel on who has weapons or other attention-grabbing variables, Katz told The Associated Press. Every car suddenly turns into a possible weapon, so it s really very difficult to stop. Vehicle attacks, like knife attacks, are aggressively promoted by IS and its online supporters. In its November issue of its online magazine Rumiyah, IS extolled the virtues of the car as a weapon of attack and offered guidance to its followers, suggesting the Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a possible target. Vehicles are like knives, as they are extremely easy to acquire, points out the online magazine issue. But unlike knives, which if found in one s possession can be a cause for suspicion, vehicles arouse absolutely no doubts due to their widespread use throughout the world. Two weeks later, an Ohio State University student rammed his car into a group of pedestrians on campus and then got out and started stabbing people with a butcher knife before being gunned down by a police officer. IS claimed the attack, which left 11 people wounded. bombers killed 52 commuters on London s transit system on July 7, Also: BRUSSELS: Belgian authorities have charged the Frenchman who drove his car at high speed through a busy shopping area in Antwerp with terrorrelated offenses. The Federal prosecutor s office said Friday that Mohamed R., 39, was charged with attempted murder in a terror context, and infractions against the gun law. After driving through the busy Meir shopping road on Thursday, he was arrested at the port docks. No one was injured. In the car, authorities found knives, a shotgun and a gas can with an unknown liquid. I will leave UKIP amicably, cheerfully and in the knowledge that we won. He said he would remain as Member of Parliament (MP) for Clacton, as an independent, until the next general election in Carswell s announcement comes just four days before Britain s Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggers the EU divorce process, following last June s referendum vote to quit the bloc that Britain joined 44 years ago. (RTRS)

13 INTERNATIONAL 13 France Putin meets Le Pen Macron set to win 1st round, says poll PARIS, March 25, (Agencies): Emmanuel Macron is set to win the first round of the French general election in four weeks time, BVA pollsters said, becoming the latest survey team to put the independent centrist ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen for the first time. The BVA poll did not give a second round prediction, but most that have done so in recent months show Macron easily beating the National Front leader in the second-round run-off due to take place between the top two scorers on May 7. Macron will get 26 percent of the first round vote, up one percentage point from his showing a week ago, BVA said. It put Le Pen on 25 percent, down one point. Scandal-hit third-placed candidate Francois Fillon slipped 2.5 percentage points on the week to 17 percent. Macron That showing follows a TV interview on Thursday night in which the conservative and erstwhile favourite accused President Francois Hollande of leading a smear campaign against him. The poll was conducted between Wednesday and Friday. It also showed far left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon gaining ground, up 2 points from a week earlier to 14 percent. Melenchon was considered by voters to have done well in the first TV debate between the main candidates that took place on Monday evening. Macron was also seen to have performed well in the debate. Meanwhile, Hollande on Friday vigorously denounced suggestions by the conservative presidential hopeful that Hollande is trying to discredit political rivals behind the scenes by using dirty tricks. The clash between the Socialist Hollande and the right-wing Francois Fillon threatens to further stain the French presidential campaign, already tainted by corruption scandals and voter frustration with the political establishment. It has also drawn comparisons to President Donald Trump s accusations of wiretapping by predecessor Barack Obama, and Trump s attacks on the US judicial system. Fillon, whose presidential bid is flailing because of corruption charges, told France-2 television Thursday night that he wants an investigation into suggestions in an upcoming book that Hollande intervenes in legal cases for political reasons. I am going to accuse the president of the republic, Fillon said. If we are looking for a cabinet noir, we found the cabinet noir, referring to an alleged secret bureau tasked with damaging political rivals. Tonight, I solemnly ask that there is an investigation opened on the allegations raised in this book, because this is a scandal of state, he continued. Hollande, who is not seeking re-election, responded by saying he condemns these false allegations with the greatest firmness. He insisted he had never intervened in any judicial procedure, including the recent investigation into accusations that Fillon employed family members for years for parliamentary jobs they never performed. Respected There is a dignity, a responsibility that needs to be respected. I think that Mr Fillon is beyond that, Hollande told France-Bleu radio Friday. Asked if there is a cabinet noir, Hollande said, There is an administration, fortunately, that functions. But it is not for us to meddle in judicial affairs. And my position has always been for the independence of the justice system, the respect for the presumption of innocence, and to never interfere. The book, Welcome to the Place Beauvau asserts that Hollande profited from a network of allies in France s intelligence and financial agencies and a complex mechanism to orchestrate judicial probes targeting prominent conservatives. However, its authors say that Fillon oversimplified their findings and the book itself says it is impossible to provide formal proof of such a secret bureau. Hollande s predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, was accused of similar secret interference in legal cases for political ends. Fillon, prime minister during Sarkozy s presidency, was once the front-runner in France s two-round presidential election on April 23 and May 7, but has seen his popularity sink since the jobs investigation opened. In another development, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his preferences in the French presidential election clear Friday by hosting far-right candidate Marine Le Pen at the Kremlin, but analysts are skeptical about Russia s ability to sway the outcome of the vote. Embracing Le Pen is part of Russia s efforts to reach out to nationalist and anti-globalist forces to build up its influence in the West and help overcome the strains in relations with the US and the European Union. Scrutiny Donald Trump s victory in the US presidential vote has emboldened the Kremlin, even though the ongoing US Congressional scrutiny of his campaign ties with Russia has all but dashed Moscow s hopes for a quick detente. US intelligence agencies have accused Moscow of hacking to interfere in the 2016 US election. During Friday s meeting with National Front leader Le Pen, Putin insisted that Russia has no intention of meddling in the French election and only wants to have a dialogue with a variety of politicians. He praised Le Pen, saying she represents part of a quickly developing spectrum of European political forces. Le Pen s anti-immigration and anti-eu platform appeals to the Kremlin, which has postured as a defender of conservative national values against Western globalization. She also has called for strong security ties with Moscow to jointly combat radical Islamic groups, promised to work to repeal the EU sanctions on Moscow over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine s Crimean Peninsula and pledged to recognize Crimea as part of Russia if she s elected. I long have spoken for Russia and France to restore their cultural, economic and strategic ties, especially now, when we face a serious terror threat, Le Pen told Putin on Friday. The meeting was a surprise addition to her meeting with Russian lawmakers, which was announced earlier this week. A Russia-friendly approach to geopolitics runs in the Le Pen family. Jean-Marie Le Pen, the National Front s co-founder, his daughter Marine and her niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen have all made numerous visits to Moscow over the years. Le Pen herself has repeatedly visited Russia, and her party borrowed 9 million euros in 2014 from the small First Czech Russian Bank, but the bank s license was later revoked. Russian President Vladimir Putin (right), speaks to French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on March 24. Le Pen has made multiple visits to Russia, as have her father, niece and other members of the National Front, often meeting with Russian legislators. (AP) Turkish rescue workers and medics work next to the bodies of migrants laid out near an ambulance in Kusadasi, Turkey on March 24. A Spanish aid organization said Friday that it feared that hundreds of migrants may have died off Libya s coast, and Turkish media reported that 11 migrants died and another four were missing after a boat sank off the Aegean coast. (AP) Van Beveren Europe Voronenkov Germany blocked Russian hacks: Germany last year warded off two cyber attacks by APT28, a top official said Friday, referring to a Russian hacking group also dubbed Fancy Bear that experts say successfully targeted Hillary Clinton s US election campaign. The first, in May 2016, was an attempt to create an Internet domain for Chancellor Angela Merkel s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in the Baltic region, said Arne Schoenbohm, president of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The second attack, several months later, involved a spear-phishing scheme directed against German parties in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. Experts said that attack used a NATO domain name to try to inject malicious software into the networks of politicians. The hacking of the Democratic National Committee in the United States and the leaking of confidential s was part of what US intelligence agencies concluded was a campaign ordered by President Vladimir Putin to influence the US election in favour of Donald Trump. The US agencies warned in January that Russia was likely to target other countries in the same way a concern for European governments in a year when France and Germany are holding major elections, with Merkel seeking a fourth term. (RTRS) Spying tied to Turkish community: Swiss federal prosecutors say they have concrete indications pointing to alleged political espionage by people linked to the Turkish community in Switzerland. Attorney General Michael Lauber s office says it opened a criminal investigation into suspicions of such spying on March 16, after having received permission from the federal government. Under Swiss law, prosecution of political offenses generally requires authorization by Switzerland s seven-member executive, the Federal Council, according to Lauber s office. Friday s announcement comes a day after Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter told his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, that Swiss authorities would investigate any illegal intelligence activities in Switzerland. Turkish voters face a referendum next month on constitutional changes that could grant sweeping new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has fanned tensions between Turkey and some European countries. (AP) Father seeks crash truth: Two years Migrants Boat sinks off Turkey 5 children among 11 dead ANKARA, March 25, (Agencies): Five children were among 11 Syrians killed after their plastic boat sank off Turkey s Aegean coast on Friday, the Dogan news agency said, the first such reported incident in months on an illegal migrant route meant to have been all but shut down. Television footage showed rescue workers standing next to bodies washed up on a beach near the coastal town of Kusadasi. The boat, believed to have been carrying 22 Syrian migrants, had been heading for Greece. A baby in a critical condition was among the 11 people rescued alive, Dogan quoted district governor Muammer Aksoy as saying. He said 11 bodies had been recovered. Dogan earlier said the authorities had detained two Turks suspected of organising the voyage after they swam ashore. The news agency initially said 12 people had been killed. Deal A deal between Turkey and the European Union on curbing illegal migration, struck a year ago, helped significantly reduce the migrant flow to Europe via the Greek islands. Some, however, are still trying to make the perilous voyage. More than 3,620 refugees and migrants have crossed to Greece from Turkey so far this year, according to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, and about 60 arrive on Greek islands each day. At least 173,000 people, mostly Syrians, arrived in Europe s deteriorating relations with Turkey could endanger the migrant deal, under which Ankara is supposed to help control migration in return for the promise of accelerated EU membership talks and aid. President Tayyip Erdogan, who accuses Brussels of failing to keep its promises, said on Thursday that Turkey would review all political and administrative ties with the EU after an April referendum, including the migrant deal. Erdogan has been angered by Germany and the Netherlands cancelling planned rallies on their territory by Turkish officials seeking to drum up support for a yes vote in the to the day after the Germanwings crash in southern France, the father of the plane s pilot detailed his doubts that his son intentionally brought down the aircraft to commit suicide and said he was seeking the truth about what happened. In the six years before the crash, we saw our son as a life-affirming and cheerful person. At the time of the crash, our son was not suicidal, Guenter Lubitz told journalists in a news conference on Friday. referendum, which is on constitutional changes that would extend the powers of the presidency. Meanwhile, Hundreds of migrants may have died off Libya s coast, a Spanish aid organization said Friday, and Turkish media reported that 11 migrants died after a boat sank in the Aegean. Video footage from DHA in Turkey showed a half-dozen covered bodies that were laid out near ambulances. The migrants boat capsized near the Turkish resort town of Kusadasi and nine people were rescued, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said. It said two people, believed to be smugglers, were detained. Concerns about the missing migrants near Libya rose after Spain*s Proactiva Open Arms group found five bodies near two capsized boats on Thursday. Proactiva spokeswoman Laura Lanuza said the German aid organization Jugend Rettet found a sixth body in the area Friday. The International Organization for Migrations said it had no confirmation of the two boats mentioned by Proactiva near the Libyan coast, but believed the bodies could be part of an earlier wreckage. About 120 people were believed to be on board a smuggler s boat that capsized on March 21, the IOM said, but only 54 were rescued. Meanwhile, the search for a third vessel reported missing in the area has so far proved futile. Lanuza said their vessel was expected to arrive Saturday at the Italian port of Catania to hand over the bodies of the five young men who had drowned. Other agencies, meanwhile, continued the search for more possible victims off Libya. The UN refugee agency said it was deeply alarmed by the reports. Both it and Proactiva said they feared the death toll may be much higher as migrant dinghies are normally crammed with around 120 people each. The agency cited NGO sources as saying the five floating corpses of the young men had been recovered 14 miles (22 kilometers) off the Libyan coast near two empty and partially submerged rubber dinghies. Investigators have concluded that his son, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately flew the Germanwings A320 jet into a French mountainside on March 24, 2015 on a flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf, killing all 150 people on board. Prosecutors have said Lubitz was suffering from a mental disorder with psychotic symptoms that led to suicidal thoughts but that he had concealed his illness from his President of Hungary, Janos Ader (left), and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda attend the welcoming ceremony in Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland on March 24. Ader came to Poland to take part in the Polish Hungarian Friendship Days. (AP) Lanuza said the boats were found Thursday morning, north of the Libyan town of Sabratha. The five men of African origin were estimated to be between 16 and 25 years old and appeared to have drowned, she said. The Red Crescent in Libya, and the Libyan coast guard, said Friday that they had no reports about dead migrants or capsized boats in Libyan territorial waters. Also: ROME: A four-year-old migrant girl who arrived in Italy alone from northern Africa is to be reunited with her mother on Monday, months after a stroke of luck allowed authorities to trace the woman, Italian police said. Police had initially hoped the two could be reunited last Christmas but bureaucracy delayed the reunion, said police inspector Maria Volpe who heads operations involving unaccompanied migrant children arriving in Sicily. It has been like giving birth, Volpe told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Friday, referring to the lengthy procedure to sort out the woman s travel papers. The girl, identified only as Oumoh, was one of 25,000 unaccompanied minors who reached Italy in Her mother had taken the girl from their family home in Ivory Coast to save her from female genital mutilation but the two got separated on the way to Europe, police said. Upon arriving in Tunisia, Oumoh s mother entrusted the child to a friend and headed back home to fetch some belongings. Before she returned the friend left for Italy with the girl, but the two got also separated before arriving in the country, police said. The coastguard rescued Oumoh from a rickety boat in the Mediterranean last November and brought her to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. Oumoh s identity remained a mystery for a few days until another girl recognised a photo of her while playing with the phone of the head of Lampedusa s reception centre. employer, part of the Lufthansa group. As the families of the crash victims and Lufthansa s Chief Executive Carsten Spohr paid their respects at the crash site in France on Friday, the pilot s father and an aviation journalist he hired to help sift through investigators files said there was no conclusive evidence dispelling his doubts over what had happened. The journalist, Tim van Beveren, said there was no evidence showing why the other pilot was unable to get back into the cockpit, that turbulence may have forced Lubitz to fly at lower altitudes and it has not been proven that Lubitz was conscious during the descent. (RTRS) Russian agent killed Voronenkov: A Ukrainian official said Friday that the killer of renegade Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov, who was gunned down in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, was a Russian agent, a claim quickly rejected by the Kremlin. Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine s interior minister, identified the man who shot Voronenkov on Thursday as 28-year-old Pavel Parshov and said he had been trained in Russia by Russian security services. Parshov was badly wounded in the attack and died shortly after in a hospital without regaining consciousness. He underwent a special course at a school for saboteurs, Gerashchenko wrote Friday in a Facebook post without explaining how that information was obtained. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters that Gerashchenko s allegation was absurd. (AP)

14 INTERNATIONAL 14 World News Roundup Mideast Israel ignores UN demand Settlements spoil two-state solution BERLIN, March 25, (Agencies): German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she was concerned about Israel s building in settlements in the occupied West Bank, which she said was undermining progress towards a two state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. Israel is building in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and occupied for nearly 50 years where Palestinians want to establish their state and capital. As before, I see no reasonable alternative to the goal of a two-state solution, Merkel told reporters before holding talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin. Both the Israeli and the Palestinian people have the right to live in peace and security and none of the other options can deliver that credibly, she said. Merkel s comments jar with past remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has expressed some ambivalence about a two state solution. Trump has, though, recently invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to visit. The German chancellor said the building in settlements posed an impediment to the resolution of the conflict. Mladenov I am very concerned about developments in the West Bank, which are leading to an erosion of the basis for a two-state solution, Merkel said. Frustration A meeting between the governments of Germany and Israel that was scheduled to take place in May has been cancelled amid rising frustration in Berlin with settlement activity in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. German governments have made strong relations with Israel a top priority ever since World War Two, going to great lengths to make amends for the killing of six million Jews by the Nazis. But relations have grown tense in recent years as Germany questioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s commitment to a two-state solution with the Palestinians. On Thursday, talks between the United States and Israel ended without agreement over limiting future construction on land the Palestinians want for a state. The four days of high-level meetings marked the latest step by Trump s aides aimed at opening the way to renewed peace diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians, despite scepticism in the United States and Middle East over the chances for success. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen since 2014 and settlements are one of the most heated issues. Palestinians want the West Bank and East Jerusalem for their own state, along with the Gaza Strip. Most countries consider Israeli settlements to be illegal. Israel disagrees, citing historical and political links to the land, as well as security interests. Israel ignores UN demand: Israel has ignored a demand by the United Nations Security Council to halt settlement building and some Palestinian groups are continuing to incite violence against Jews, UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the 15-member body on Friday. It was Mladenov s first report on the implementation a Dec 23 resolution adopted by the council with 14 votes in favor and a US abstention. Then Presidentelect Donald Trump and Israel had urged Washington to wield its veto. The resolution calls on Israel to take steps to cease all settlements activities in the occupied Palestinian territory including east Jerusalem. No such steps have been taken during the reporting period, Mladenov told the council. Israel for decades has pursued a policy of constructing Jewish settlements on territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with its Arab neighbors. Most countries view Israeli settlement activity as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel disagrees. The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Many of the advancements that were made in the past three months will further sever the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state and accelerate the fragmentation of the West Bank, said Mladenov of settlements, adding that they were one of the main obstacles to peace. Mladenov also said an increase in rockets fired from Gaza toward Israel was a worrying development and described it as regrettable that Palestinian Authority officials had not condemned attacks against Israelis. The continued incitement to violence against Jews emanating from Hamas extremists and some Palestinian groups is unacceptable and undermines trust and the prospects for peace, he said. Deserve Reactions by Hamas officials to terror attacks against Israelis have been particularly reprehensible and deserve condemnation, Mladenov said. The United States traditionally shields Israel, Washington s long-time ally that receives more than $3 billion in annual US military aid, from council action. The five council veto powers are the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China. The resolution, put forward by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and Trump, was the first adopted by the council on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years. Retired US Army Lieutenant Michael Flynn, who at the time had been chosen by Trump to be his national security adviser, called the UN missions of Malaysia and Uruguay before the vote in a bid to stop council action, UN diplomats said. Israel s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Friday: There can be no moral equivalency between the building of homes and murderous terrorism. The only impediment to peace is Palestinian violence and incitement. Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour told reporters: Settlements need to be stopped, not only because they are illegal, but they are the main obstacle in the path of the two-state solution. The resolution didn t impose sanctions on Israel, so the council isn t called on to take any action. But it does enshrine the world s disapproval of the settlements. Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, reiterated that the United Nations considers all settlement activities to be illegal under international law and one of the main obstacles to peace. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left), and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (right), shake hands after a joint statement prior to a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany on March 24. (AP) File photo shows ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak waving to his supporters from his room at the Maadi Military Hospital, as they celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the Oct 6, 1973 war. Mubarak returned home on March 24, free following his release from custody after legal proceedings that took years since his 2011 ouster. (AP) Qalash Mideast Al-Balshy Court suspends sentences: An Egyptian appeals court suspended a jail sentence on Saturday against the former head of the journalists union for harbouring colleagues wanted by authorities and for spreading false news, judicial sources and a lawyer said. Yehia Qalash and two colleagues were sentenced to two years in jail in November in a case which Amnesty International condemned as a further crackdown on freedom of expression in Egypt. The appeals court on Saturday gave Qalash and the two board members, Khaled al-balshy and Gamal Abdel Rahim, a one-year suspended jail sentence. Prosecutors had ordered the three men face trial last May, amid efforts by Egyptian authorities to quell rising dissent against army general-turned-president Abdel Fattah el-sisi. The charges against them related to a police raid last May on the Journalists Syndicate to arrest two opposition journalists who had sought shelter there from arrest. (RTRS) Haftar, Russia link seen: The head of US forces in Africa told reporters on Friday there was an undeniable link between Russia and powerful Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, underscoring US concerns about Moscow s deepening role in Libya. Earlier this month Reuters reported that Russia appeared to have deployed special forces to an air base in western Egypt near the border with Libya. Russia has denied the report. When asked about the presences of Russian troops in Libya, Marine General Thomas Waldhauser, the top US military commander overseeing troops in Africa, said there are Russians on the ground in the area, adding that Russia s attempts to influence Libya were concerning. (RTRS) Israeli troops question boy: An Israeli rights group has released an amateur video of Israeli soldiers surrounding and questioning a terrified 8-year-old Palestinian boy in the tense West Bank city of Hebron. The group B Tselem, which posted the video, said the soldiers led Sufian Abu Hitah around the neighborhood to identify other boys whom they suspected of having thrown stones and a firebomb at a nearby Egypt Six years of legal wrangling ends Mubarak free after charges dropped CAIRO, March 25, (Agencies): Far from the cameras that followed him closely over six years of legal wrangling, Egypt s ousted President Hosni Mubarak quietly returned home to his family on Friday after winning acquittals and release from a Cairo hospital where he has been detained for years. The 88-year-old onetime autocratic ruler now walks free, acquitted over his role in the killings of hundreds of protesters who defied his rule. He captured the world s attention when he stepped down in response to an 18-day uprising, and once again when he appeared then jarringly behind the bars of the defendant s cage in a trial that media dubbed the trial of the century. With muted street reaction, his discreet release underscored once again the failed aspirations of the Arab uprisings that swept across the region in The hopes carried by Egyptian activists that the former autocrat would be more severely punished for his abuse of power have been scuttled. Collapse While Arab Spring uprisings led to the collapse of central governments in countries like Yemen, Libya and Syria, Egypt managed to avoid a complete breakdown post Mubarak. But since his ouster, heavy-handed rule has returned to the country in full force, and its economy has tanked. For many, Mubarak s authoritarian rule for nearly three decades doomed any uprising to failure from the outset, given the depth and pervasiveness of institutionalized corruption under his leadership. Mubarak s legacy has been complicated by the gross crimes committed by his successors, but the abuses institutionalized under his regime corruption, police torture, military trials, emergency-style rule, economic Jewish settlement. At one point, he is seen being led through a Hebron street surrounded by seven soldiers. Eventually, several Palestinian women approach, a shouting match ensues and they walk away with the boy. (AP) Israel arrests hacker: A 19-year-old American-Israeli Jew was arrested Thursday as the prime suspect in a wave of bomb threats against US Jewish community centers, a startling turn in a case that had mismanagement are the ones that afflict most Egyptians today, said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. Mubarak left the Armed Forces Hospital in Cairo s southern leafy suburb of Maadi, where he has spent most of his detention since the 2011 revolt, and was driven in a motorcade to his home in the upscale Heliopolis district under heavy security, according to an Egyptian security official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. Mubarak s lawyer, Farid el-deeb, told the Al-Masry al-youm daily that the former president returned home with his sons, Alaa and Gamal, and that the entire family, including Mubarak s wife, Suzanne, celebrated his return by having breakfast together. Trial His lengthy trial unfolded alongside a series of national upheavals: the rise and fall of Islamists in 2013, and the military seizing power with its strongman, army chief-turned-president Abdel-Fattah el-sisi, who won the presidency in Many of Mubarak s opponents and supporters alike believe that since his ouster the country is now worse off. El-Sissi has restored military-heavy authoritarian rule and taken severe, purportedly corrective, economic measures that have left millions of Egyptians reeling. A Mubarak supporter, Sameh Ahmed, whose business was badly hurt from the last currency flotation and devaluation, expressed his enduring loyalty for the former leader, saying: Mubarak is my president. I hope Mubarak returns back to power, said Ahmed, I was living in better conditions during Mubarak s stoked fears of rising anti-semitism in the United States. The surprising arrest of the man, a hacker who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, came after a trans-atlantic investigation with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies. US Jewish groups welcomed the breakthrough in the case, which had drawn condemnation from President Donald Trump. Israeli police described the suspect as a hacker, but said his motives were still unclear. He s the guy who was behind the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (left), and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands before a meeting in Antalya, Turkey, late Friday, March 24. (AP) time than nowadays. Rights lawyers and activists believe that Mubarak s release is an illustration of the deep state restoring its power, rescuing one of its own. The trials, appeals and retrials followed by acquittals were only meant to buy time until the military took back power, said Ahmed Helmi, a rights lawyer in Cairo. There is a great deal of apathy now. The only reaction you can find on the streets is someone joking about Mubarak being back home, he added. Mubarak s return home is just... a tiny detail in the bigger picture. On March 2, Egypt s top appeals court acquitted Mubarak of charges that he ordered the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising. The court rulings capped three trials over the same charges of failing to stop the killings of protesters. He was sentenced to life in prison in the first trial in 2012, but acquitted in the two retrials. In May 2015, a criminal court convicted Mubarak for embezzling funds earmarked for the maintenance and renovation of presidential palaces, sentenced him three years in prison, and fined him and his two sons 125 million Egyptian pounds. The ruling was upheld by another court last year, and Mubarak s release Friday was for time served. Convicted Mubarak s sons also were convicted in the same embezzlement case and sentenced to three years in prison. They still face insider trading charges, but both are free and have made a series of highly publicized appearances where they were greeted enthusiastically by their father s hard-core supporters. Prosecutors on Thursday reopened another corruption case linked to allegations that Mubarak and his family JCC threats, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to the scores of anonymous threats phoned in to Jewish community centers in the US over the past two months. (AP) Hamas militant shot dead: A senior Hamas militant was shot dead near his home in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the group said, blaming Israel for the killing. An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the incident in the Hamas-run Palestinian coastal enclave. Mazen Fuqaha, a militant from the occupied West Bank whom Israel released in a prisoner swap in 2011 and exiled to the Gaza Strip, was shot several times, said Hamas police. Another senior Hamas official, Izzat El-Reshiq, said the killers used silencers. Thousands of peope were expected to turn out for Fuqaha s funeral on Saturday. (RTRS) UN renewal condemned: Iran s foreign ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, has condemned as selective and spiteful the UN Human Rights Council s resolution to renew the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, saying it was a politically-motivated move by a few countries abusing UN mechanisms, according to state TV. Ghasemi said Friday that the UN Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the special rapporteur on Iran for the seventh consecutive year despite the lack of endorsement by the majority of member states, and through reliance on the vote of a certain political bloc and its few allies in the region. (AP)

15 INTERNATIONAL 15 Hong Kong Large protests expected Hong Kong ready to choose new leader HONG KONG, March 25, (Agencies): A small electoral college chooses a new Hong Kong leader on Sunday amid accusations of meddling by Beijing, denying the Chinese-ruled financial hub a more populist leader perhaps better suited to defuse political tension. The vast majority of the city s 7.3 million people have no say in their next leader, with the winner to be chosen by a 1,200-person election committee stacked with pro-beijing and proestablishment loyalists. Three candidates are running for the top post, two former officials, Carrie Lam and John Tsang, and a retired judge, Woo Kwok-hing. Lam is considered the favourite. I hope we all remember on March 24, 2017, we hong Kong people have all come together and given our most sincere blessings for a more united, a better Hong Kong, Tsang told a rally of thousands of cheering supporters on Friday night. Mass protests are planned over the weekend Lam denouncing Beijing s interference in the election amid widespread reports of lobbying of the 1,200 voters to back Lam, rather than the more populist and conciliatory former finance chief, Tsang. Since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997, Beijing has gradually increased control over the territory even though Beijing promised wide-ranging freedoms and autonomy under the formula of one country, two systems, along with an undated promise of universal suffrage. Policies Many fear that Lam will continue the tough policies of staunchly pro-beijing incumbent Leung Chun-ying, a divisive figure who ordered the firing of tear-gas on pro-democracy protesters in 2014 and who wasn t seen to be defending Hong Kong s autonomy and core values. The political upheavals with Beijing over the city s autonomy and democratic reforms that many hoped would have allowed a direct election this time round have roiled a new generation and weighed on the city s economy, ranked 33rd globally by the World Bank in Political and social divisions, mainly over democracy and anxieties over China s creeping influence, have dominated political debate leading to some legislative and policy-making paralysis and the stalling of major projects, including a cultural hub and high-speed rail link to China. Businesses have also faced growing competition from mainland Chinese firms in core sectors like services and property. Housing prices, now among the world s highest, are widely seen to have been jacked up by an unrelenting wave of buying from rich Chinese, intensifying anti-china sentiment. Many observers, leading businessmen and politicians have warned Hong Kong can t afford another period of upheaval if the city is to regain its former capitalist mojo. Beijing s shadowy detention of five Hong Kong booksellers in late 2015, and the disappearance of a Chinese billionaire this year, have also undermined confidence in one country, two systems formula. While Beijing hasn t explicitly backed any candidate, senior officials have stressed certain conditions must be met including a new leader having the trust of China s Communist leaders. Just because a candidate is leading popularity polls doesn t necessarily mean you should vote for (that person), said Leung Chun-ying on Friday. Nearly 2,000 police will be stationed around the harbourfront voting centre in case of any unrest. A closer look at each potential replacement to unpopular incumbent Leung Chun-ying, whose term ends in June: Loyal The frontrunner A lifelong civil servant who rose to Hong Kong s second-highest office, former Chief Secretary Carrie Lam is Beijing s preference. She s seen as loyal to China s Communist leaders yet without the polarizing persona of her former boss Leung, whose initials inspired Lam s nickname of C.Y During the 2014 pro-democracy protests, Lam led the government debaters who faced off on television against the movement s student-activist leaders. Lam, 59 and a devout Catholic, was once one of Hong Kong s most popular government officials but her attempts to connect with ordinary people have reduced her support in opinion polls. She was the last candidate to set up an official Facebook page, which then drew a flood of angry emojis. She burnished her pro-beijing credentials with one of her final acts as chief secretary in December, when she suddenly announced that Hong Kong s new arts hub would include a branch of Beijing s palace museum, a decision that lacked public input. The peoples choice John Tsang, 65, has been dubbed Mr Pringles or Uncle Chips in Cantonese because his signature moustache lends him a resemblance to the snack food mascot. In turn, his fans call themselves small potatoes. He was Hong Kong s financial secretary before quitting in December to campaign for the leadership, but Beijing didn t approve his resignation for weeks, a sign taken by observers that he wasn t in favor. Lam s resignation, in contrast, was approved in days. Tsang, a fencing and martial arts enthusiast, moved to the US when he was 13 and earned degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard before returning to Hong Kong. He s one of Hong Kong s most popular officials, thanks to his easygoing persona; a few years ago he was hit on the head by an egg thrown by a protester aiming for Leung but merely shrugged it off, joking that he wasn t wearing a good suit. His detractors have criticized him for vastly underestimating Hong Kong s budget surplus for most of the nine years he was budget secretary as well as failing to use the Asian financial hub s massive stash of capital reserves effectively. The third option Woo Kwok-hing is a retired High Court judge who was unknown to most Hong Kongers until he declared his candidacy. Woo, 71, has little experience in politics and public administration aside from 13 years as chairman of the Hong Kong commission overseeing election affairs. Visitors take a picture of blooming cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo on March 25. Cherry blossom season has officially kicked off in Tokyo, marking the beginning of spring for the Japanese. (AP) Relatives of missing passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol react as they watch the salvage operation under way in the waters off Jindo, South Korea on March 25. Days after South Korean president Park Geun-hye was removed from office, the ferry was lifted slowly from the waters where it sank three years earlier a disaster that killed more than 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, and ignited public fury against Park and became a nationally polarizing issue. (AP) Gaoli Asia Turnbull Major nations responsible : The world s major nations are responsible for maintaining global peace, and all countries should remain committed to a road of stable and peaceful development, China s Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli said on Saturday. His comments followed media reports this week that North Korea was in the final stages of preparing for another nuclear test. Earlier this month, Pyongyang launched four ballistic missiles in response to joint US-South Korea military exercises, which it regards as preparation to war. Large countries have the responsibility to maintain global peace, should increase strategic dialogue, increase mutual trust, and respect each other s core interests and major concerns, Zhang said at the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia in southern China s Hainan province. He did not identify the large countries. North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests and a series of missile launches since the beginning of Washington has been pressing Beijing to do more to stop North Korea s nuclear and missile programmes. China has called for a dual-track approach, urging North Korea to suspend its tests and the United States and South Korea to halt military drills, so that both sides can return to talks. (RTRS) Aussie PM won t choose: Australia does not have to choose between the United States and China, the Australian prime minister said Friday as he announced a new beef export deal with the Chinese. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang oversaw signing of bilateral agreements that will expand their two-year-old free trade pact. China also agreed to remove a cap that allows only 11 Australian South Korea Ferry s recovery raises question of closure Can Sewol heal or harden rift SEOUL, South Korea, March 25, (AP): Days after South Korea s president was removed from office, a ferry was lifted slowly from the waters where it sank three years earlier a disaster that killed more than 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, and ignited public fury against Park Geun-hye and became a nationally polarizing issue. The ferry s recovery has raised the question of whether that process can bring closure to a country that was roiled and split by the ferry sinking. The quick answer would be: Not completely. And the ship s recovery is now political fodder ahead of a May election to choose a new president. What many South Koreans first want to know is whether the bodies of the nine missing victims are inside the hoisted Sewol wreckage and whether fresh causes of the sinking can be found. Finding the bodies could help ease the pains of families desperate to have back their loved ones remains, though some critics of the recovery effort say the bodies may have already been swept away. Some relatives went to the scene on boats to watch the salvage work that began Wednesday. It s uncertain whether the recovered ship will reveal something totally new regarding what happened on the day of the sinking. Disaster After interviewing crew members, shipping regulators and coast guard officers, government investigations already blame the disaster on a mix of factors such as overloaded cargo, improper storage, poor rescue efforts, negligence by crew members and corruption by the ship s owners. But many grieving family members and their liberal supporters believe the conservative Park government was trying to cover up deeper causes of the sinking amid unconfirmed rumors swirling on South Korean internet sites. One rumor speculates the ferry collided with a submarine, while another alleges the Sewol was overloaded with rebar to be used for the contentious construction of a navy base on Jeju. Distrust of the government s conclusion is partly, perhaps mostly, associated with the sharp conservative-liberal divide in South Korean society resulting from the country s turbulent modern history marked by Japan s colonial rule and the 1950s war that divided the Korean Peninsula into two rival countries. In 2010, a conservative-led government hoisted a sunken South Korean warship and blamed North Korea for torpedoing beef exporters to sell 400 million Australian dollars ($300 million) in frozen meat to the burgeoning ranks of the Chinese middleclass. China will be open to all eligible Australian beef exporters. Australia is the only country in the world with this market access, Turnbull told reporters. This new agreement will drive significant future growth. Turnbull later rejected arguments that Australia must choose between its most important security partner, the United States, and its most important trading partner, China, as tensions escalate between the world s two largest economies. We have a staunch, strong ally in Washington a good friend in Washington and we have a very good friend in Beijing, Turnbull told reporters. The idea that Australia has to choose between China and the United States is not correct, he said. (AP) Crimes to be documented : The United Nations top human rights body agreed on Friday to widen its investigation into widespread violations in North Korea with a view to documenting alleged crimes against humanity for future prosecution. Supporters of ousted South Korean president Park Geun-hye stage a rally opposing her impeachment in Seoul, South Korea on March 25. Park returned home Wednesday after being grilled by prosecutors in a long-awaited investigation of corruption allegations that ended her rule and now threaten to put her in jail. (AP) it near their disputed sea boundary. Many liberals didn t believe it and similar unconfirmed rumors flared. Some liberals cited a history of fabrication of evidence by past conservative, authoritarian governments including one headed by Park s dictator father. Bereaved families of the Sewol victims and liberal activists have been camping at a main Seoul boulevard near Park s office for more than two years, calling for a stronger investigation into the disaster and for higher-level officials to be held accountable. Accused Park s supporters have accused them of politicizing the issue and opposed the use of taxpayers money to salvage a civilian ship. Some ultra-conservative citizens even made a display of eating fried chicken and pizza in front of the victims relatives who were hunger striking at the boulevard. As the Sewol was being raised from waters, South Korean liberals escalated political offensive against Park, who was removed by a March 10 court ruling over a separate corruption scandal. While looking at the salvaging works and the Sewol surfacing for the first time in 1,073 days, which was conducted swiftly after Park s ouster, many people have resentments and questions on the incompetent, irresponsible government, said Lee Jae-jung, a spokesman for the main liberal opposition Democratic Party. On Tuesday, a day before the Sewol salvaging began, Park was summoned to a Seoul prosecutors office for questioning over allegations that she colluded with a confidante to extort money from companies and committed other wrongdoing. Analysts say her possible arrest could worsen the divide, given three of her supporters have died following clashes with police after the court removed her. Some experts say the ship s salvaging could re-ignite public debate about many Sewol issues, such as criticism that Park was out of contact for several hours on the day of the sinking. Others say the Sewol issue won t largely sway the results of the election as surveys show Park s liberal rival, Moon Jae-in, is already expected to win the vote easily. Lots of criticism will be leveled on Park and it will be burdensome for conservatives, said Chung Jin-young, a professor at Kyung Hee University. I don t think the Sewol issue will be settled now (upon its retrieval)... though it will be forgotten by many one day as time passes. North Korea said it categorically and totally rejected the resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council. The text was a product of the US hostile policy towards the DPRK (Democratic People s Republic of Korea) from A to Z, its envoy said after boycotting the debate. The 47-member state forum adopted a resolution, brought by Japan and the European Union and backed by the United States, on the final day of its four-week session without a vote. It called for North Korea to cooperate and allow access for UN investigators, which the reclusive state has never done. 11 killed in China s gold mine accidents BEIJING, March 25, (RTRS): Accidents at two neighbouring gold mines in central China s Henan province killed 11 people on Friday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing local authorities. Thick smoke engulfed a pit at the Qinling gold mine of China National Gold Group in Lingbao City on Friday morning, trapping 12 workers and six management staff, Xinhua reported on Saturday. Rescue workers retrieved seven bodies on Friday night. International pressure is building on the country ruled by Kim Jong Un over its nuclear tests Fox news reported on Thursday North Korea was in the final stages of launching another one, possibly within days. The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on foreign companies or individuals for violating export controls on North Korea, as well as Iran and Syria, the State Department said on Friday. The UN human rights office in Seoul would be strengthened for two years with international criminal justice experts to establish a central repository for testimony and evidence with a view to developing possible strategies to be used in any future accountability process. The Seoul office s current sixstrong staff record testimony from interviews with dozens of North Korean defectors each week, a UN official told Reuters. This not only brings North Koreans one step closer to justice for human rights crimes they have suffered, but should also make North Korean government officials think twice before inflicting more abuse, John Fisher from Human Rights Watch said in a statement. A UN commission of inquiry, in a landmark 2014 report based on interviews and hearings with defectors, catalogued massive violations - including large prison camps, starvation and executions - that it said should be brought to the International Criminal Court. (RTRS)

16 INTERNATIONAL 16 World News Roundup Asia Indonesia holds 4 militants PH rebels vow to revive ceasefi re MANILA, March 25, (Agencies): The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said on Saturday that its armed units will declare a unilateral ceasefire no later than March 31, ahead of the resumption of peace talks with the government of President Rodrigo Duterte next month. The CPP, who s armed wing, the New People s Army, has fought a nearly five-decade-long insurgency, expects that the Philippine government will declare a similar unilateral ceasefire as part of an agreement reached during backchannel talks from March 10 to 11, the group said in a statement. Negotiators from both sides agreed on March 12 to resume formal peace negotiations in The Netherlands from April 2 to 6, a month after an angry Duterte cancelled talks after the rebels ambushed soldiers after unilaterally ending a previous ceasefire. Duterte, in an interview on Saturday with reporters in Bukidnon province in the southern Philippines, said he would consult with the country s political and security leaders whether or not it would be good at this time to resume the government s unilateral cease- Duterte fire. I have to consult the (House) Speaker, I have to consult the Senate President, I have to convene the National Security Council, and I have to ask the generals of the army and the police, he said. Philippine troops rescue ship captain: Philippine soldiers on Saturday rescued one of two Filipino cargo ship crewmen taken captive just two days ago by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants, a security official said. The troops recovered Aurelio Agacac, the ship captain, in the remote village of Basakan in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, said Colonel Juvymax Uy, commander of the military s 104th Brigade and Joint Task Force Basilan. The kidnappers took Agacac and his companion Laurencio Tiro captive from a cargo ship off Basilan on Thursday, only hours after soldiers rescued two Malaysians held for about eight months on a southern island. Uy said the abductors were forced to abandon Agacac to delay the pursuing troops and evade a firefight. The victim looked alright, he told reporters. Uy said the soldiers had also captured a wounded suspect during the pursuit who died while being transported to the hospital in Basilan. Uy did not confirm that the kidnappers were Abu Sayyaf members. Philippines leader scolds EU: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hit out at the European Union on Friday for hypocrisy and called the bloc sons after its lawmakers issued a resolution calling for restraint and a rethink in his bloody war on drugs. Duterte castigated the EU for urging him to focus his campaign on drugs rehabilitation and stood by his security-centred approach to a crackdown that has left thousands of people dead since he took office nine months ago. He turned angry during a speech to Chinese businessmen, where he praised China for its no-strings-attached loans and aid and said he did not need the EU, or idiotic rehabilitation programmes that failed to stop addicts committing robbery, rape and murder. Fact-finding mission in Myanmar OK d: The UNbacked Human Rights Council on Friday approved a resolution by consensus to dispatch urgently an international fact-finding mission to Myanmar to probe alleged abuses by military and security forces, particularly against the minority Rohingya Muslim community. In a move bound to put pressure on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi s government, the 47-member body threw its weight behind existing efforts to investigate alleged rights abuses such as torture, rape, arbitrary killings and forced displacement of the Rohingya in western Rakhine state. Zaw Htay, a presidential spokesman, said Myanmar cannot accept the council s decision. What the UN Human Rights Council did to us is totally not fair and not right under international practices, Htay said by phone, citing a domestic investigation. They should have waited and watched the correspondent country s investigation, and the result coming out from that, and only then offer possible criticism of its work, he added. Sydney teen pleads guilty to plot: A Sydney teenager pleaded guilty on Friday to plotting a terrorist attack on an Australian Veteran s Day ceremony last year. The then 16-year-old was arrested and charged with one count of planning a terrorist attack on April 24, one day before hundreds of thousands of Australians gathered at ceremonies across the country to mark ANZAC Day. The annual holiday commemorates the April 25, 1915, Gallipoli landings in Turkey the first major military action fought by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I. The youth, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty in Parramatta Children s Court in western Sydney to planning a terrorist act by trying to source a gun or a bomb-making manual. He will remain in custody until the case returns to court on April 21. He faces a potential sentence of life in prison. Indonesian police arrest 4 militants: Indonesia s counterterrorism squad has arrested four suspected Islamic militants who were trying to establish a jihadist training camp in eastern Indonesia and who likely had links with Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines, police said Friday. National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said the men were arrested in several locations on the island of Java on Thursday and were connected to four militants ambushed by police on the same day near Jakarta. One of those in the ambush was fatally shot by police. Amar said all eight were members of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, a network of Indonesian extremist groups led by imprisoned radical cleric Aman Abdurrahman that was formed in 2015 and pledges allegiance to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-baghdadi. Muslim-majority Indonesia has carried out a sustained crackdown on militants since 2002, when bombings on the tourist island of Bali by al-qaeda-affiliated radicals killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. A new threat has emerged in the past several years from IS sympathizers. Somali soldiers walk near the wreckage of a car bomb attack in Mogadishu, Somalia on March 24. A police offi cial says the car bomb exploded near a restaurant and hotel in Somalia s capital killing at least one person and wounding others. (AP) School children light candles around a painting as a tribute to the victims of the London attacks, in Mumbai, India on March 23. A man went on a deadly rampage on Wednesday, fi rst driving a car into pedestrians then stabbing a police offi cer to death before being fatally shot by police within Parliament s grounds in London. (AP) A protester displays a caricature of President Rodrigo Duterte in front of the Chinese Consulate to protest China s alleged continuing militarization of the disputed islands off the South China Sea including alleged plan to build a monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal as well as months of Chinese vessels passing through the Benham Rise, east of the country on March 24, in suburban Makati city, east of Manila, Philippines. The protesters accused Duterte of siding with China instead of the Filipino people. (AP) Lat/Am 2 killed in Mexico fight: Two people have been killed and 22 injured in a fight between union factions at a steel pipe plant in Mexico s Gulf coast state of Veracruz. The Veracruz state prosecutor s office said Friday that firearms had been used in the confrontation. Mexico s labor department said the dispute involved supporters of rival factions of the union at the plant on the outskirts of the port city of Veracruz. The dispute has been going on for at least five years. Mexico s antiquated labor laws do not provide clear and agile methods to determine who represents workers at a given factory. (AP) Help ease med shortages : Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday he has asked the United Nations to help the South American nation alleviate medicine shortages, which have become increasingly severe as the oil-producing nation s economic crisis accelerates. Triple digit inflation and a decaying socialist economic model have left medications ranging from simple anti-inflammatory drugs to chemotherapy medication out of reach for most Venezuelans. Maduro did not specify the type of aid he requested, although he stressed that the UN has knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry. (RTRS) Convictions stand : A US judge on Friday refused to overturn the conviction of two nephews of Venezuela s first lady on charges that they tried to carry out a multimillion-dollar drug deal to help their family stay in power. Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Subcontinent More bloggers charged in Pakistan Ops kill 77 in Afghanistan ISLAMABAD, March 25, (Agencies): At least 77 rebels, including 22 fighters of so-called Islamic State (IS), have been killed and 16 others wounded in operations by security forces in different parts of Afghanistan in past 24 hours, said Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Friday. According to a statement by MoD, the operations had been conducted in Kapisa, Logar, Khost, Paktia, Kandahar, Faryab, Farah, Herat, Kunduz and Helmand provinces of Afghanistan. It further said that 23 rebels, including seven foreigners, were killed and three others wounded in the Pashtonkot district of Faryab, adding that 15 motorcycles, machine guns and anti-aircraft guns were seized. At least 22 more rebels were killed in Nesh district of Kandahar, as many IS rebels were killed in Nangarhar s Nazyan district and three were killed in Kunduz. Four more insurgents were killed in Laghman, the statement added. A man carrying a bomb blew himself up in front of a police checkpoint near Bangladesh s international airport on Friday, in a blast claimed by Islamic State. The militant group said it killed many officers and wounded others, an account not confirmed by authorities. The blast was the third incident involving explosives in the capital in a week. Police shot and killed a suspected militant who tried to cross a security checkpoint on a motorcycle armed with explosives in Dhaka s Khilgaon Efrain Antonio Campo Flores had argued in a motion challenging their conviction that they were entrapped in a sting operation and that their trial was tainted by a witness who Maduro Flores area on Saturday. A day before that, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a security forces base, again near Dhaka s airport, injuring two police officers. Police in eastern India have arrested eight men involved in smuggling human bones and recovered 18 skeletons from them, police said Friday. The men were arrested last week after police received a tip about a smuggling ring involved in removing bones from decomposing bodies taken from graveyards in Burdwan district of West Bengal state. Police also found chemicals the smugglers would use to clean the bones, after which they would wire the bones together to make whole skeletons. Three more bloggers were accused of blasphemy Friday in an Islamabad anti-terrorism court, while elsewhere in the city hundreds of security forces prevented a radical cleric from holding a protest to condemn another five bloggers, who were earlier charged with insulting Islam an offense punishable by death in this Islamic country. Police and government officials said the newest charges were laid against two bloggers from Pakistan s southern port city of Karachi and one from the federal capital. They were arrested earlier this week. One of the three used the alias, Allama Ayaz Nizami, and had over 12,000 followers on line, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give details of the cases against the three men. perjured himself. But US District Judge Paul Crotty in Manhattan rejected those arguments. The Court is not in any better a position than the jury was to find the facts of this case, nor do the interests of justice require that the verdict be set aside, he wrote. Attorneys for Flores de Freitas and Campo Flores did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Flores de Freitas, 31, and Campo Flores, 30, were convicted by a Manhattan jury in November of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. The two men are nephews of Cilia Flores, the wife of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Days later, Maduro blasted the conviction in a speech as an instance of US imperialism. (RTRS) Africa Allow US to strike Al-Shabab : Vowing he won t turn Somalia into a free fire zone, the commander of US Africa Command said Friday he wants greater authority to conduct airstrikes and use military forces in the African country to allow the US to strike al-qaeda-linked militants more quickly. Marine Gen Thomas Waldhauser said the White House hasn t yet approved the request. But he told reporters at the Pentagon the greater flexibility would help US and Somali fighters combat al-shabab extremists. Last month, The Associated Press reported that senior defense leaders recommended the expanded authorities to the White House. The proposed changes would allow US special operations forces to increase assistance to the Somali National Army, even if that puts US forces closer to the fight. It s very important and very helpful for us to have little more flexibility, a little bit more timeliness, in terms of decisionmaking process, Waldhauser said, saying the increased authorities would give the US greater ability Waldhauser to strike al-shabab and weaken the group. The military would act appropriately, he said, adding, We re not going to turn Somalia into a free fire zone. (AP) Somali pirates seize trawler: Police say Somali pirates have seized a fishing trawler owned by a local businessman and forced the mostly foreign crew to disembark. Col. Mohamed Hassan told The Associated Press on Friday that the pirates used a small skiff to board the trawler off the village of Eyl in the northern semiautonomous state of Puntland. Hassan says the pirates likely will use the trawler as a mother ship to carry out hijackings in international waters. The incident comes shortly after Somali pirates seized an oil tanker and its Sri Lankan crew for several days the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel in the area in five years. (AP) S. Sudan govt ignores famine: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accused South Sudan s government on Thursday of refusing to express any meaningful concern about the plight of 100,000 people suffering from famine, 7.5 million in need of humanitarian aid and thousands more fleeing fighting. The UN chief delivered a sharp rebuke to the country s president, Salva Kiir, saying that most often the international community hears denials a refusal by the leadership to even acknowledge the crisis or to fulfil its responsibilities to end it. Guterres told the Security Council that Kiir s intention to hold a national dialogue is not convincing in the absence of consultation with opponents, the systematic curtailment of basic political freedoms, and restrictions on humanitarian access. (AP) Niger releases 15: A court in Niger has freed fifteen civilians accused of complicity in an attempted putsch against President Mahamadou Issoufou, their lawyer said on Saturday. In December 2015, the government said it had foiled a coup and arrested people who planned to use aerial firepower to seize control of the West African country, a major Uranium producer and Western ally in the fight against Islamists in the Sahara. The fifteen were freed on Friday. Nine military officers including the alleged ringleader General Salou Souleymane, are still behind bars awaiting trial. From the start we were convinced our clients are innocent, lawyer Ali Kadri said on private local TV station Bonferey. There was no (evidence)... to suggest that they were implicated in this affair, he said. (RTRS) Katanga liable for damages: The International Criminal Court on Friday found Congolese former militia leader Germain Katanga liable for $1 million in damages to his victims, in a landmark ruling for the permanent war crimes tribunal. Judges specified that Katanga, convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes in 2014, should pay $250 to each of 297 victims individually, or $74,250 in all -- the first time the court has ordered a convict to pay damages to individual victims. Noting that Katanga is in prison, indigent and unlikely to pay, Judges acknowledged the ruling is partly symbolic and asked the court s Trust Fund for Victims to consider paying the damages on his behalf. (RTRS) Burkina Faso kills key jihadist: Burkina Faso s government says its military forces have killed a key jihadist and arrested 18 others in the country s north, close to the West African nation s border with Mali. Security Minister Simon Compaore said Friday that forces also seized weapons and ammunition in Wednesday s operation. He said Burkina Faso is determined to defeat any jihadists trying to enforce Shariah law and that operations are underway to track extremists near the country s northern border. A senior security officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press, said all those arrested Wednesday are linked to Ansaru Islam. (AP) French kidnapped in Chad: A French citizen kidnapped in Chad on Thursday near the border with Sudan s Darfur region has been taken into Sudan, a senior Chadian security source said on Friday. The Frenchman, who has not been identified, was kidnapped south of Abeche, a mining area about 800 km (500 miles) east of the capital N Djamena and 150 km from the border with Sudan. There were no immediate reports of any group claiming responsibility or making demands. We have a mixed Chadian-Sudanese force continuing the search, the Chadian source told Reuters. (RTRS)

17

18 INTERNATIONAL 18 World News Roundup In this Feb 28, 2017 fi le photo, construction crews clear rocks away from Oroville Dam s crippled spillway in Oroville, California. A team of experts is warning of a very signifi cant risk if the main spillway of the California dam is not operational again by the next rainy season. (Inset): In this Feb 14, 2017 file photo, water gushes from the Oroville Dam s main spillway in Oroville, California. (AP) California races nature, clock to make key dam repairs California is not just fi ghting nature as it attempts to repair the spillways at the nation s tallest dam that was badly damaged last month by surging storm waters. It s also racing the clock. Safety experts say there is no time for delays in the state plan to restore the critical main spillway at the 770-foot Oroville Dam, and they warn that California would face a very signifi cant risk if the spillway is not in working order by fall, the start of the next rainy season. A Nov. 1 target to fi x the spillway presents a very demanding schedule, as everyone recognizes, said a report prepared by an independent team of consultants and submitted to federal offi cials last week. A copy of the report was obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Also Wednesday, the state Legislative Analyst s Office warned that tens of billions of dollars are needed for repairs and updates for aging dams, levees, wetlands and other projects in California s fl ood-management system. Authorities have not provided a current estimate for the cost of repairs needed on the Oroville dam spillways. The report on the spillways sketches a challenging array of problems at the Northern California dam, where last month authorities ordered the evacuation of 188,000 people after surging releases of water tore away big chunks of the main spillway and then the dam s second, emergency spillway. At the time, offi cials feared rapid deterioration of the emergency spillway could send large, uncontrolled torrents of war from the lake behind the dam through surrounding towns. The spillway is used to release water when the reservoir is nearing full capacity. During the releases, water was even seeping from seemingly undamaged stretches of the main spillway, the fi vemember team found. Only 12 inches thick, the concrete spillway is heavily patched, at some places by clay stuffed into holes below the concrete. (AP) Space Environment Spacewalk complete Astronauts prep ISS for new parking spot CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, March 25, (Agencies): Spacewalking astronauts prepped the International Space Station on Friday for a new parking spot reserved for commercial crew capsules. The 250-mile-high complex already has one docking port in place for the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner, which should start carrying up astronauts as early as next year. Friday s spacewalk set the stage for a second docking location. A new docking device will fly up late this year or early next. NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough disconnected all four cables from an old docking port, using some extra force on one. He looped a spare tether around the balky cable and pulled, and off it came. Nicely done, Shane, Mission Control radioed. On Sunday, flight controllers in Houston will move the old port to provide better clearance for the future ships. Then on Thursday, the crew will conduct another spacewalk to secure the unit. Until the new crew capsules come on line, US astronauts will keep riding Russian rockets to orbit. As Kimbrough worked on the docking port and replaced Pesquet a computer-relay box, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet hunted for signs of an ammonia coolant leak in outdoor plumbing. The leak, while still small, has worsened recently, and NASA wants to pinpoint the location. No leaks. No flakes whatsoever, he reported. During their 6 ó-hour excursion, the spacewalkers also replaced a pair of Japanese cameras, greased latching mechanisms on the end of the big robot arm and even tackled some extra work. Mask Their crewmates welcomed them back inside, wearing special black glasses and face masks, after Kimbrough reported there was a yellow chalk-like substance on one of his gloves. As an added precaution, both of his gloves were bagged before they came off. NASA wants to cram in two and possibly three spacewalks before Kimbrough, the station s commander, returns to Earth on April 10. Before a third spacewalk, Orbital ATK needs to launch a cargo ship to the space station with replacement parts. That shipment was supposed to be there by now, but repeatedly has been delayed because of rocket concerns. It s unclear when the Atlas V rocket will be ready at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will be exciting to see a new way to bring crew members into orbit, NASA astronaut Robert Behnken said from Mission Control. He is among four astronauts training for the Dragon and Starliner test flights. A second spacewalk by Pesquet and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is planned for Thursday to install new cables to the relocated docking tunnel. Once all the work is finished, the US side of the station will have two docking ports for passenger spaceships and two for cargo ships. Russia, which jointly operates the station with NASA, has five docking ports. Also participating in the station program with research modules and equipment are Europe, Japan and Canada. NASA is expected to schedule a third spacewalk once its next cargo ship arrives at the station with more items to install. Engineers are troubleshooting a problem with the cargo ship s launch vehicle. In this combo picture, a view of Malaysia s landmark Petronas Twin Towers is seen before (above) and during lights out (below) for Earth Hour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on March 25. Earth Hour takes place worldwide and is a global call to turn off lights for 60 minutes in a bid to highlight the global climate change. (AP) Trump Discovery Thompson 10th Earth Hour marked: The lights were switched off around the world at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, to mark the 10th annual Earth Hour, and to draw attention to climate change. The initiative began in Australia in 2007 as a grass roots gesture by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia against man-made carbon dioxide emissions linked to a warming planet. In 2017, it involved the switching off of electric lights for an hour in 7,000 cities across 172 countries, with the aim of highlighting the need to act on climate change, and saving a few megawatts of power in the process. Among the famous buildings and structures that took part in Australia were Sydney s Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, Town Hall, and Sydney Tower Eye. Internationally the list includes some of the world s best known sky-scrapers and historic buildings including the world s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, London s Big Ben and Houses of Parliament, the Colosseum in Rome, Istanbul s Blue Mosque, the Eiffel Tower, Moscow s Kremlin and Red Square and the Pyramids of Egypt. While the organisers of Earth Hour said they do not audit results of the energy saving initiative, the group has commissioned research indicating up to one in four Australians gets involved. WWF says Earth Hour can take credit for various environmental initiatives, like the 2013 declaration of a 3.4 million hectare marine park in the waters off Argentina, the planting of a forest in Uganda and a ban on soft plastics in the Galapagos Island. (RTRS) Why would we be importing it?: US conservationist Coal ash a treasure... trash RICHMOND, Va, March 23, (AP): Shipping containers full of coal ash from China, Poland and India have come into the US through the Port of Virginia as foreign companies find a market for the same industrial waste that America s utilities are struggling to dispose of. Critics call it a missed opportunity. Coal ash is treasure as well as trash, useful for projects from roads to concrete to wallboard. They want Virginia to mandate more recycling of the ash that s already here, threatening to contaminate water sources or create an environmental disaster. We have millions of tons of this sitting along our riverbanks, said Travis Blankenship, former government affairs manager for the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. Why in the world would we be importing it from other states and countries? The nation s shift away from coal for electricity has reduced the supply of fresh coal ash, forcing industries that depend on it to look farther afield. Some turn to companies that have figured out how to reprocess ash discarded years ago in pits and ponds. Others look overseas. The Port of Virginia handled just one shipping container of coal ash in 2015, from India. Last year, there were about 22, from China and Poland. It all went on to Ohio and Wisconsin, according to a port spokesman who didn t know the Calif OKs vehicle pollution rules: California on Friday challenged the Trump administration s approach to car pollution, approving standards that the White House said still need review and setting up a potential face-off between federal and state regulators. California Governor Jerry Brown and other state officials have vowed to lead the defense of environmental and other traditionally liberal causes against President final destinations. Meanwhile, more ash has been trucked in from other states for concrete production in Virginia. Coal ash is an umbrella term. It includes bottom ash, which settles in boilers; fly ash, a powdery material captured in exhaust stacks; and synthetic gypsum, a byproduct of smokestack scrubbing. These materials can be had for several dollars a ton if trucked directly from a utility to a factory or job site. They re more expensive to obtain in a useful form after decades underground or underwater. That makes foreign imports economically viable. Dumps Nationally, there are more than 1,100 coal ash dumps, many unlined. In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency classified coal ash as nonhazardous, partly to avoid a stigma that might discourage proper containment and recycling, the agency said. The EPA stressed that this waste, with heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury and lead, must be properly managed to avoid risks to human health. We have two children who have been poisoned by this, Dan Marrow, who lives near a coal ash pond in northern Virginia, told lawmakers last month. Marrow is convinced a power station pond tainted his well and caused his daughters health problems. Dominion Donald Trump. About a dozen states follow California s car regulations in full or part, and the potential face-off between federal and state regulators could be expensive for automakers and a headache for consumers. On Friday, the California Air Resources Board in a unanimous vote finalized vehicle pollution rules for the state, set a mandate for zero-emission sales over the same time period, and ordered its staff to start work on targets for after This still image taken from live video provided by NASA shows astronaut Shane Kimbrough (right), works on the International Space Station during a space walk on March 24. (AP) Virginia Power recently agreed to hook residents up to public water lines. Marrow says that s an admission of guilt; Dominion says it s being a good neighbor. On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that arsenic is flowing out of a separate Dominion coal ash site in violation of the Clean Water Act, but imposed no fines after finding no threat to health or the environment. Dominion is closing 11 ponds containing around 29 million cubic yards of ash at four Virginia power stations to comply with EPA rules. It s been proceeding largely by treating and releasing the water, consolidating some ponds and capping the remaining dry material. The company insists its process is safe. Meanwhile, the ash has real value, and technology to reprocess it is already being used. We can... take the material that would be an environmental liability and transform it into something that has a beneficial use, said Jimmy Knowles of The SEFA Group, which partners with utilities in South Carolina and Maryland to recycle both old and new ash. SEFA competitor Separation Technologies can do the same thing. When I tell friends and family what my company does, they think we would have hundreds of these facilities around the country, said Tom Cerullo, of the Boston-based company. Last week the US Environmental Protection Agency said it would reconsider the tailpipe emissions targets after auto makers requested the review. The Obama administration rushed to finalize the federal standards after Trump s election and car manufacturers said there was not enough time for consideration. California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols chided automakers for requesting federal intervention and questioned whether they wanted to undermine California s authority. (RTRS) Shout loudly about warming : From Sense and Sensibility to Love Actually and Nanny McPhee, British actress Emma Thompson is known for her memorable roles in costumes dramas, comedies and fantasy films. But like fellow Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio, the 57-year-old is also an avid environmental campaigner, seeking to raise awareness on issues such as fracking and climate change. I think that we ve all got to shout as loudly as we can, Thompson told Reuters in an interview. Ordinary people now need to know more. They need to inform themselves. You can t just sit back and go look, I recycle. The actress was speaking in Sweden, where she is adding her voice to fellow activists criticism of Norway s plans to open up more oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. (RTRS)

19 Film NonStop acquires Nordic, Baltic rights to City of Ghosts Hamas TV channel builds Jerusalem set in Gaza KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip, March 25, (Agencies): Quiet on the set! Surrounded by militant training sites on uprooted Jewish settlement lands, the first movie set in the Gaza Strip is growing, depicting the history-rich, volatile alleyways of Jerusalem s Old City. The set is the latest effort by the al-aqsa channel, run by Gaza s Islamic militant Hamas rulers, to kick-start its drama production in the territory and release another series slated to air in the month of Ramadan. In Gaza, filming footage of Jerusalem and other central locations from the conflict is a challenge. Gaza s population of about 2 million live in mostly cramped conditions in the coastal sandy territory compared to the rugged mountain terrain of the West Bank, so crews have struggled to film the twisting ancient alleyways of Jerusalem s Old City. And that is how the idea to create a set depicting Jerusalem was born. The fate of Jerusalem is an emotional issue at the heart of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to the Old City with its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 war. Palestinians want the territory for their future state. Much of the wave of Palestinian attacks that erupted in 2015 originated from tensions surrounding the most sensitive holy site in Jerusalem s Old City. The hilltop compound is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, where the two biblical Jewish Temples stood and is the most sacred place in Judaism. It is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the goldtopped Dome of the Rock, the third-holiest site in Islam after Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Mohammed Thoraya, the channel s manager, described how the Old City was depicted on set. We brought something simple of the wall decorations there and thank God we could simulate something small of what is there, he said. On a recent day, actors divided into two groups. One portraying ultra-orthodox Jews and the other Arab residents of Jerusalem trying to prevent the Jews from entering the holy site compound that is still under construction. Struggled Clashes were staged, and actors playing Israeli policemen in riot gear and wielding M16 assault rifles struggled with those depicting the Arabs. Occasionally, an actor would smile or forget their lines, prompting the director to reshoot the scene, sometimes over 10 times. Actors are paid between $US 4 and $US 9 a day. The series being filmed is set to be aired in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in late May this year. It s the fifth such production by the al-aqsa channel. Some watchdogs have considered previous productions of the channel anti-semitic. Hamas is sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state. After winning the 2006 legislative elections, Hamas seized Gaza from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in bloody street battles in 2007, and has since fought three wars with Israel. The series, Gate, shows the steadfastness of Jerusalemites and their sticking to their land and properties in the face of Zionist settlement, said the director, Zouhir al-efrengi. Also: LOS ANGELES: NonStop Entertainment has picked up Nordic and Baltic rights to City of Ghosts, Matthew Heineman s critically acclaimed documentary about the extremist group Islamic State, or ISIS. City of Ghosts was acquired by Amazon Studios for US distribution out of the Sundance Film Festival and is currently competing at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. It is scheduled for release in the US on July 14. The documentary charts the rise of ISIS, while documenting the courage of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a group of citizen journalists who risk their lives to shed light on terrorist activities in Syria. City of Ghosts marks Heineman s follow up to Cartel Land which was nominated for an Oscar. NonStop will release the film in Scandinavia and the Baltics. Miracle Films will partner on Danish distribution, with a theatrical release expected in early fall. NonStop s new acquisitions also include Whose Streets, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis documentary about political protests in Ferguson, Mo.; Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles s Sundance-winning film Dina, a romance between a mentally challenged couple; and The Worker s Cup, a documentary about the migrant workers building Qatar s World Cup Stadium. Variety Features SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 LOS ANGELES: Colin Farrell is in talks to star in Tim Burton s live-action adaptation of Dumbo for Disney. Farrell would play the father of the children who fall in love with the lovable elephant. Will Smith, Chris Pine, and Casey Affleck all passed on the role. Eva Green and Danny DeVito are also in negotiations to join the film. Burton is directing from Ehren Kruger s script. Justin Springer, who worked on Tron: Legacy, is producing with Kruger. The original story followed an ostracized baby circus elephant who strives to achieve his full potential. Burton s movie will included both live-action and animated elements. The studio s emphasis on liveaction reboots follows the success of Maleficent, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and most recently, Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. The Mouse House has remakes of The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and other animated classics in the works as well. (RTRS) NEW YORK: Netflix is doubling down on Adam Sandler. The streaming giant has extended its deal with the comedian for four more feature films. As part of a previous four-movie deal, Sandler has already produced and starred in two films for Netflix. While neither Ridiculous 6 nor The Do-Over received anything close to good reviews, Netflix said Friday they are the biggest film releases for the service. Sandler s next Netflix film, Sandy Wexler, debuts April 14. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said Sandler s films have proven extremely successful with Netflix subscribers. To date, the majority of Netflix original films have been smaller dramas or documentaries. But some of its most ambitious and priciest acquisitions are due out this year, including War Machine with Brad Pitt and Bright with Will Smith. (AP) LOS ANGELES: Cher has dropped out of Lifetime s television movie Flint about the water contamination crisis, Variety has confirmed. The iconic actress and musician was scheduled to begin shooting Models display creations designed by Chika Kisada during the 2017 Autumn/Winter Collection at the Tokyo Fashion Week in Tokyo on March 25. (AP) the film next month, but is now unable to participate, due to a family matter. Cher cited a serious family issue as the reason for her departure from the project, though she did not offer details. This has been a project so near and dear to my heart and I was truly looking forward to helping tell this story. Unfortunately I will be unable to leave Los Angeles Film Terrifi c movie that leaves you cherishing the freedom Tickling Giants portrays Youssef By Owen Gleiberman would argue that the way we watch political documentaries has changed in the last two months. Before that, I if I had seen a movie like Tickling Giants, an ebullient portrait of Bassem Youssef, the heart-surgeon-turned-comedian who became known as the Jon Stewart of Egypt (or, at least, he did until his show was squashed by the regime and he felt like he had to escape the country), I would have been drawn to Youssef s barbed glee and charismatic cunning, and to his extraordinary fearlessness. But I also would have thought, as a documentary about a repressive government can lead one to think, How lucky I am to live in America, and also, There s no way that could ever happen here! We value our freedom way too much. I still believe those statements are true, yet after two months of President Trump his menacing autocratic style, his overt hostility to an unrestricted press, the testy threat encoded in his scowl it has already been demonstrated that the it can t happen here mentality is a form of complacency. The place where it can happen is...anywhere. Watching Tickling Giants, which unfolds during the three years that followed the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that was one of the key effusions of the Arab Spring, one observes not just the terrible fact of repression but how, exactly, repression works. Youssef was able to create his own show and turn it into a national phenomenon because Egypt, for a while, was free. Then the clampdown came again not overnight but slowly, by increments. That makes a film like Tickling Giants a lesson to us all. The movie was directed by Sara Taksler, a senior producer on The Daily Show, and under her assured and inquisitive hand, the whole Jon-Stewart-of-Egypt thing comes off as more revelatory than you expect. The way we commonly regard the Middle East I m intentionally putting this in benign prejudicial terms is: They barely even have comedy over there. They do, of course, but in America it s not just the entertainers who are funny. We ve become a nation of reflexive snarkers who worship Kimmel and Fallon as if they were heroes; the class clown is now everybody. Whereas the representatives we tend to encounter of a place like Egypt are deeply earnest and unironic people (no insult). That s true even of Bassem Youssef. When we first Farrell meet him, he s in his late thirties, handsome in a professorial way, with a hawkish profile, thick steely grayish hair, and an engaging overbite, and he knows from the start what the stakes are. The convulsive uprising in Tahrir Square results in the toppling of Hosni Mubarak, who had been the president of Egypt for 30 years (or as Youssef, with cheerful derision, puts it, his first term ), generally re-elected by 98 percent of the voters. That kind of power won t allow itself to be mocked, and the sweeping away of Mubarak kicks open the door to Youssef s dream of launching a national satirical news program, transparently modeled on The Daily Show, to be called Al-Bernameg (literally The Show ). Sleek It starts off as a homemade broadcast that gets 35,000 visitors on the day it s launched and five million visitors by the end of two months. That s enough to seduce a major Egyptian television network, and soon Youssef is seated behind a desk, on a very sleek and dazzling and American-style lit-up set, with no studio audience (though that will come). On each broadcast he says Welcome to the show The Show, which sounds like a joke that doesn t quite translate from the Arabic, but there s something rightly momentous in that title. Yousseff is planting his comic flag in a society of fake news: the cautious and controlled national media broadcasts, which range from outright propaganda to legitimate news that s still designed and packaged not to ruffle feathers. Youssef isn t just tweaking the powerful. He s bringing the news (which is one reason why he sometimes lapses into a mode of oratory as passionate and full of outrage as it is funny). He may see himself as a Jon Stewart figure, but he s also a lot like Lenny Bruce: a comedian who dares to utter the truths that no one else will. At moments, he scarcely even has to make jokes. Just reporting the entrenched corruption of Egyptian political culture with a Can you believe this? smirk is enough to spasm his viewers into cathartic laughter. How many people are watching? Before long, he has amassed a nightly audience of 30 million (total population of Egypt: 82 million), making The Show the most blockbuster TV program in the nation s history. Youssef himself becomes the most popular entertainer the most Sandler during the scheduled filming as I am dealing with a serious family issue that prevents me from going on location for the April filming, Cher said in a statement provided to Variety. I m so glad that Craig and Neil plan to move ahead and I know that this Lifetime movie will be done beautifully. (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: R.J. Cyler, who popular person, period in all of Egypt. Each night he s on, the very fact that he s on, saying these things, is a declaration of freedom. There have always been political comedians, but Bassem Youssef is something new: a freedom fighter using television comedy to blast holes in an autocratic society. Every laugh line is a bullet. Because we know how high the stakes are, Tickling Giants has an unfolding suspense. What will happen to Youssef? And to the nation? For a while, of course, it looks like the Arab Spring will take, as the first democratic elections are held, with Mohamed Morsi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, emerging as the winner. Youssef describes Morsi as the George W. Bush of Egypt, and that makes sense: It s still a divided nation, with the liberal protesters who flooded Tahrir Square and the more traditional, reactionary forces outside the urban areas lining up in a rough sort of blue state/red state divide. Morsi allows freedom of speech a revolution in itself and Youssef looks like a hero. He s even invited onto The Daily Show, and is as giddy as a 10-year-old when he arrives there; later, Jon Stewart goes to Egypt to be a guest on The Show, walking on hilariously with his face concealed in a black prison-torture hood. Now that s a scandalous joke. It s also what freedom looks like. It s in the first year of Sisi s reign that Youssef is at his most scalding and inspired. The Show is still on, though it has to jump networks, and Youssef, leading the program s writers, a cool and youthful-looking (and impressively gender-balanced) bunch, refuses to tone down his honesty. To him, it s all or nothing. He recognizes that this isn t even about him every joke he makes is about whether Egypt can breathe the air of a free society. But Youssef is also married, with a toddler daughter, and he s not drawn to martyrdom. He does The Show until it s taken away from him. When his first TV network sues him, on a bogus charge that one suspects was triggered by the regime (though the film never comes out and says so), Youssef loses the case and faces crippling fines that could send him to jail. So he sneaks himself and his family out of the country. Tickling Giants is a terrific movie that leaves you cherishing (a little more) the freedom we have, and holding in contempt (a little more) those who would compromise it. (RTRS) stars as the Blue Power Ranger in the Power Rangers movie, has joined the cast of the Sony-Studio 8 drug dealer drama White Boy Rick. The film stars newcomer Richie Merritt as Ricky Wershe Jr and Matthew McConaughey as Ricky s father, Richard Wershe Sr. Merritt was discovered in Baltimore during an extensive nationwide talent search. Previously announced cast features Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rory Cochrane as the FBI agents who begin working with Wershe as a confidential informant; Brian Tyree Henry as a narcotics detective Officer Jackson; Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie as Wershe s grandparents and Bel Powley as sister. (RTRS)

20 NEWS/FEATURES 20 People & Places Celebs Trump asked Emma for date Ford distracted when he fl ew over aircraft LOS ANGELES, March 25, (Agencies): Actor Harrison Ford said he was distracted and concerned about turbulence from another aircraft last month when he mistakenly landed on a taxiway at a Southern California airport after flying low over an airliner with 116 people aboard, according to an audio recording released Friday. I m the schmuck who landed on the taxiway, Ford told an air traffic controller shortly after the nearmiss on Feb. 13 at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Recordings of Ford s conversations with air traffic controllers were released Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration. The 74-year-old actor was told to land his singleengine plane on Runway 20L, but he instead landed on a parallel taxiway. An American Airlines flight was on the same taxiway, waiting to take off. A video released last month showed Ford s Aviat Husky plane from behind as it descends toward the airfield where the American Airlines Boeing 737 is slowly taxiing. Was that airliner meant to Ford be underneath me? Ford asked the air traffic control tower as he landed in the wrong spot. Oh. I landed on Taxiway Charlie. I understand now. Sorry for that, Ford said. In a phone call with an air traffic controller after the incident, Ford said he got distracted by the airliner and also mentioned big turbulence from another plane that was landing. The American Airlines flight, with 110 passengers and six crew members, departed safely for Dallas a few minutes later. When an air traffic controller told the Star Wars and Indiana Jones star to take his time getting the number from his pilot s license, remarking it isn t a big deal, Ford responded: It s a big deal for me. Assured After Ford told the employee his name, the man seemed taken aback and assured Ford he won t share his phone number with anyone. Landing on a taxiway, instead of a runway, is a violation of Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The agency s probe of the incident is still underway, spokesman Ian Gregor said Friday. Ford s publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon. Ford, who collects vintage planes, has a long record as an aviator. He has had several close calls and a serious accident in March 2015 when he was injured in his World War II-era trainer. It crashed on a Los Angeles golf course after engine failure. The star of Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark then goes on to explain that he landed in the wrong place because he was distracted by two jets. On the audio tape, released by the Federal Aviation Administration, the air traffic controller asks for Ford s name and pilot s license, assuring the film star that the mishap is no big deal. Well it s a big deal for me, hold on, Ford responds, adding that he is looking in a backpack, apparently for his pilot s license. At that point the audio cuts off. In the Feb. 13 incident Ford flew his single-engine Aviat Husky over an American Airlines Boeing 737 jet in Santa Ana, California, before landing on the taxiway that runs parallel to the runway. Taxiways are paths along which aircraft can taxi when moving to or from a runway, where planes take off and land. In 2015 Ford crashed a vintage plane onto a Los Angeles-area golf course, suffering serious injuries. British actress Emma Thompson says President Donald Trump once called her out of the blue years ago and asked her for a date. The Love Actually star turned him down. Thompson told a Swedish television talk show that the bizarre incident happened while she was filming the 1998 movie Primary Colors in California, as she and actor Kenneth Branagh were finalizing their divorce. One day, Thompson said, the phone rang in her movie set trailer. So I lift up the phone Hi, it s Donald Trump here, Thompson recalled on SVT s Skavlan show on Thursday. And I said, Really? Can I help you? And he said, Yeah, I just wondered if I could offer you some accommodation in one of my Trump Towers. They re really comfortable. Thompson, who had never met or spoken with the then New York businessman, was confused and asked why. Well, I think we would get along very well - maybe have dinner sometime, Thompson, now 57, recalled Trump saying. Thompson said she didn t know what to do with myself. I just said, I ll get back to you.. She never did, and said she has never met Trump since. On March 21, 1990, Touchstone Pictures previewed Pretty Woman at the Avco Westwood near UCLA, two days before its national launch. Variety columnist Army Archerd reported that laughter drowned out much of the dialogue and young Julia Roberts is headed for heavy stardom. In retrospect, that seems like a pretty safe prediction, but Roberts was not well known when she was cast in the film. (She had completed her role as Sally Fields daughter in Steel Magnolias, but the film hadn t been released yet). Roberts was only cast in Pretty Woman after numerous other actresses had passed on the role, including Meg Ryan, Karen Allen, Molly Ringwald, Diane Lane and Michelle Pfeiffer. And the project began with a much darker tone; in J.F. Lawton s original screenplay, streetwalker Vivian (Roberts) agrees to give up cocaine for her week with banker Edward (Richard Gere), but at the end he dumps her back on the street and drives off. But Disney execs thought Vivian s Cinderella transformation would work better as a romantic comedy. Garry Marshall was signed to direct and Gere and Roberts were eventually cast. Five months after the movie s debut, Walt Disney Studios took out an ad in Variety proclaiming that on Aug 25, Pretty Woman had become the highestgrossing film in the studio s 67-year-history. On Dec 31, Variety reported that the top three domestic films of the calendar year were Ghost, Pretty Woman, and Home Alone. Globally, Pretty Woman earned more than $460 million. In this March 22, 2017 photo, actors dressed as Israeli border policemen between stand during a shoot of the Gate movie in a recreated alleyway of Jerusalem s Old City in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. (AP) A man leafs through the book Judo with Vladimir Putin at the Leipzig Book Fair in Leipzig, Germany. The book explains Judo techniques in 221 pages and 77 color illustrations. (AP) Reynolds Variety Milian LOS ANGELES: Stars and fans were to gather Saturday for a public memorial to honor late actresses Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher nearly three months after their deaths. The ceremony honoring the lives of the mother-daughter duo will be held at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, the storied cemetery that is their final resting place. People will be granted attendance at the event on a first-come, first-served basis, and it will be live-streamed on com beginning at 1 pm Pacific. The ceremony is slated to feature music by James Blunt and Star Wars composer John Williams and display Hollywood memorabilia that Reynolds collected throughout her life. Fisher, 60, an actress and writer who starred as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, died Dec. 27 after suffering a medical emergency days earlier aboard a flight from London. Reynolds, 84, an Oscar-nominated actress who shot to fame after starring in Singin in the Rain at age 19, died the following day after being briefly hospitalized. (AP) SANTA MONICA, Calif: Disney CEO Bob Iger says the upcoming Star Wars sequel has not been changed due to the death of Carrie Fisher. Fisher completed filming her role as Princess Leia in The Last Jedi before her death following a heart attack in December. Iger said in an interview at a University of Southern California tech conference Thursday that Fisher appears throughout the film and her performance remains as it was. Iger says Disney is discussing what could be another decade and a half of Star Wars stories. (AP) LOS ANGELES: Lola Albright, the glamorous blonde actress best known for starring on the television series Peter Gunn, died Thursday at her home in Los Film Movie stirs existential debate Bokeh light on plot and thrills By Dennis Harvey ast people on Earth movies Lare practically a genre in themselves, having begun as a reaction to 1950s atom-bomb anxiety ( On the Beach, Five ), then remained a sporadic presence in all subsequent waves of screen sci-fi, including environmental and zombie apocalypses. Bokeh belongs to the category s least populist corner, in which the catastrophic event itself is not depicted and/or left entirely mysterious, with the focus on the few survivors. and how they manage or fail to carry on after civilization s end. Movies of this stripe (like Glen and Randa, The Quiet Earth or, more recently, The Road ) are bound to frustrate those anticipating any conventional fantasy thrills, while instead aiming to provide the abstract rewards of a speculative mood piece. That s likely to be the reaction to Bokeh, which takes its name from the photographic term for blurry parts of a picture produced by variable lens focus. Why that title? You might as well ask why the central figures here wake up one day to find themselves seemingly the last people on Earth; no answer will be forthcoming from this first feature from Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan. Light on plot and explanation, while not perhaps so deep as it would like to think itself on a philosophical plane, this minimalist drama is bound to induce a parting What was that about? shrug from many viewers. Nonetheless, they ll be held to a degree by the film s concept, confident execution, and use of beautiful Icelandic locations. Iceland is the place that young American couple Jenai (Maika Monroe) and Riley (Matt O Leary) have chosen for Angeles. She was 92. A native of Akron, Ohio, news of her death was first reported by the Akron Beacon-Journal. She went very peacefully, her friend Eric Anderson told the newspaper. She died at 7:20 a.m. of natural causes. We loved her so much. Albright was a receptionist at WAKR radio in Akron, then left to go to Cleveland s WTAM, where she wed announcer Warren their vacation, which is also her first time abroad. At first they behave like any other tourists, seeing the sights in town, eating out, going on guided walks, etc. But one morning after Jenai witnesses some odd lights in the sky during the night, they exit their hotel to find no one around... anywhere. Cars have seemingly been abandoned in the streets; shops are unlocked but empty. At first they assume the populace has been drawn away by some holiday event, or an emergency evacuation. But then it turns out that even the folks back home aren t answering their phones. TV stations have gone off air; the internet has remained stagnant since the prior evening. All human activity has apparently ceased, sans corpses or any other proof of disaster to explain it. Amuse At least we re here together, Riley says, and for a while they re able to amuse themselves with hedonism and consumerism that no longer knows monetary bounds. (They re spared immediate logistical hardships like failed electricity or heat, because Iceland s energy systems are geothermal-powered and while animal as well has human life seems gone, Mother Nature is otherwise carrying on as usual.) But Jenai longs for home and family. She can t accept whatever has happened, or their own mysteriously survival, with no apparent purpose or meaning to it. (This will also be a likely issue for viewers.) The co-directors screenplay is not high in incident, but it does move along briskly, taking advantage of picturesque settings inside and (increasingly) outside of Reykjavik, as our protagonists have a ready supply of vehicles, gas and time at their disposal. What the script does not do, Dean the first of three marriages. Her first film appearance came in 1947 in The Unfinished Dance, starring Margaret O Brien. She then starred with Judy Garland in Easter Parade in The next year she appeared opposite Kirk Douglas in 1949 s Champion, portraying a spurned lover. Douglas received an Oscar nomination for his work. (RTRS) French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani poses after she was honored with the medal of Officer de l ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay in Paris, France. (AP) rather oddly, is lend those protagonists much depth or personality, though the performers themselves are attractive and personable enough. Admittedly, the characters are still young. But surely they must have backgrounds, interests, and aspirations none of which the film bothers to express. We never even glean how serious they d be about each other if life still offered other prospects. Not unlike Burgess Meredith in the famous Twilight Zone episode where a voracious reader finds he s got all the time in the world and an open library after humanity likewise vanishes only to break his reading glasses here, we re stuck for eternity with two perfectly decent people who, it seems, just aren t very interesting company. Not even for each other. It s notable that when the duo finds it might not be alone, after all something that would invariably spell terror in a different kind of movie the discovery offers scant comfort. The more interesting existential debate this triggers represents a direction too briefly taken to really deepen Bokeh, which in any case soon trundles on toward a less-than-satisfying fadeout, with all narrative mysteries left dangling. The result is a What if? exercise that ultimately doesn t take its starting premise to any place that s terribly interesting. However, for at least as long as it appears to be heading somewhere, Bokeh holds attention with polish and resourcefulness on a limited budget. Joe Lindsay s widescreen photography makes the most of the striking landscapes on hand, Orthwein s editorial pace is unhurried yet lively, while Keegan DeWitt s solo-piano-based score strikes appropriately plaintive, spectral notes. (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: Versatile Cuban-American-Italian actor Tomas Milian, known for the intensity he brought to disparate roles, whether in dramas by directors like Bernardo Bertolucci and Steven Soderbergh or as the Roman lowlife character that made him a household name in Italy, died Thursday. He was 84. Milian died of a stroke in his Miami home, according to Italian news agency ANSA. A Method actor who studied with Lee Strasberg, Milian played in about 120 movies during a career spanning six decades. Most of the films were shot in Italy, where he worked with directors Michelangelo Antonioni, Luchino Visconti and Pier Paolo Pasolini besides acting in Spaghetti Westerns, cop movies, and the franchise based on his Roman lowlife character Er Monnezza ( Mr. Trash ). (RTRS) ROCHESTER, NY: A three-time Oscarwinning cinematographer is being honored by the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, for his work with such Hollywood icons as Francis Ford Coppola and Warren Beatty. Vittorio Stararo will be presented with the George Eastman Award during a ceremony Saturday night at the museum s Dryden Theater. The 76-year-old native of Rome, Italy, won Oscars for Coppola s 1979 film Apocalypse Now ; the Beatty-directed 1981 movie Reds ; and Bernardo Bertolucci s The Last Emperor in (AP)

21 NEWS/FEATURES 21 Stage Seinfeld to produce Letters Bareilles on learning from Waitress role Bareilles LOS ANGELES, March 25, (RTRS): Sara Bareilles wasn t content just to write the songs for a Broadway musical now she s starring in the show as well. The popular singer-songwriter will step into the lead role of Jenna in Waitress, the musical for which she wrote the score, when Jessie Mueller, the actress who originated the part, exits the production later this month. Bareilles, now in rehearsal to prepare for her March 31 start date in the show, sat down with Variety to talk about what she s learning from her new perspective on the musical she helped create. Question: You ve been in rehearsal for a few weeks now. How s it going? Answer: It s been exciting and overwhelming and frustrating and challenging and exhilarating. It s given me such a great, newfound understanding and respect for the amount that Jessie has been doing all this time. This role is so emotionally demanding, but it s also incredibly technical. All the tiny little nuance-details that I had not even noticed before. Now, learning it from the inside out, I realize: It s a beast! Q: How so? A: Just for example: There s a scene in which there s a song called Soft Place to Land, where the women are baking a pie together. In the preparation for that particular song, Jenna has to retrieve everything off of the baking racks behind her as she s still speaking about this subject matter that s really intimate and delicate. And you have to place things in an exact space on this table. I think once you ve done it a bunch of times it must hopefully! start to feel like second nature. But for this gal, I m like: You better leave those damn Post-Its on the table. I don t know where the egg goes! Q: Does it feel different at all, singing the songs in character versus singing them as yourself in a concert setting? A: I think the biggest difference for me is that as a songwriter-artist, I m used to speaking from the perspective of sharing something I ve already figured out, and sharing with the audience something that I ve already created and crafted. But as a character in a show, you re coming to these discoveries one by one, alongside your audience members. There s a slight shift in perspective. But I ve found that to be really interesting to play with, and actually something that I think about taking with me back into the realm of my own pop artistry. It s just an incredibly present way to communicate. Q: What made you decide you wanted to appear in the show, not just write the songs? A: There was just a perfect storm of things that lined up. I had originally thought that this year would get dedicated to making my next record, and I had gone into the songwriting process. And then when we got the news that Jessie was moving on, I hadn t made a lot of headway with my own record yet and I was still sort of holding space for this show in a strange way. It just felt like this was the time. I m as close to the show as I ll ever be. My friends are in the show. The band is the original band. Lots of things are still very similar to how it was created, and I feel like that s the show I want to be in. Q: Does Jessie have any advice for you about the role? A: Her big piece of advice was: Make sure you ask for what you need. Take care of yourself. What I ve learned from her is that she is such a hard worker, and she brings so much honesty and vulnerability to her role every night. Of course I m finding my own iteration of what my Jenna looks like, but I think the heart of that, her vulnerability and her relatability, are such incredible gifts. I look up to that very much. Even after Waitress opened last spring, you ve still been around as part of the Broadway community.i am straight-up fangirling. Do you ever have that experience where you enter into a new chapter in your life, or even just a new community, and you re like, Oh, these are my people! Here you are. I ve been searching for you my whole life. I had that experience once in college, when I met my a cappella group. I remember writing in my journal, I ve found my tribe. These are my people. As you go through life, you so crave those pockets of community and support. It sounds like you might want to do this whole Broadway thing again sometime.it does. I might! Also: LOS ANGELES: Jerry Seinfeld will produce Letters From a Nut by Ted L. Nancy, a new stage show based on the series of books by Ted L. Nancy, otherwise known as comedian Barry Marder. The show will premiere this summer as part of the Spotlight Entertainment Series of independently produced works at LA s Geffen Playhouse. Seinfeld, who wrote the introduction to the 1997 book Letters From a Nut, has been involved in New York stage productions in the past, directing Colin Quinn: Long Story Short on Broadway in 2010 as well as the 2015 Off Broadway run of Colin Quinn: The New York Story. The probably pseudonymous Pierre Balloon directs Letters from a Nut, which will star Marder alongside Beth Kennedy and Sam Kwasman. The show chronicles Nancy s epistolary interactions regarding poker-faced requests for absurdities including a city permit for his Electronic Nose Blowing Machine, or a Nordstrom mannequin that look like his neighbor s dead wife. Along with the seven-book series, Nancy s exploits have also been the subject a web series of animated shorts called Scammers, and Marder has shown up in an episode of Seinfeld s Comedians in the Car Getting Coffee. Letters From a Nut begins previews June 23 prior to a June 28 opening at the Geffen, where the production will run through July 30. In this March 5, 2017 fi le photo, Katy Perry performs Chained to the Rhythm during the iheartradio Music Awards at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Perry, Maroon 5 and One Direction s Niall Horan are set to perform at the annual Wango Tango concert near Los Angeles in May. Ryan Seacrest and iheartradio s KIIS FM made the announcement on March 24. (AP) Jane Fonda (left), and Lily Tomlin arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of Grace and Frankie Season Three in Los Angeles. (AP) Cyrus Variety West NEW YORK: Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and One Direction s Niall Horan are set to perform at the annual Wango Tango concert near Los Angeles in May. Ryan Seacrest and iheartmedia s KIIS FM announced Friday that rapper Machine Gun Kelly, former Fifth Harmony singer Camilla Cabello and Academy Award nominee and singer Hailee Steinfeld will also hit the stage at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, on May 13. Tickets for KIIS members go on sale March 31; tickets for the general public go on sale April 1. Other performers include Halsey, Alessia Cara, Miley Cyrus young sister, Noah Cyrus, and Julia Michaels, the singer who has also co-written hit songs like Justin Bieber s Sorry, Selena Gomez s Good for You and Nick Jonas Close. (AP) LOS ANGELES: Kanye West has settled a lawsuit by a Hungarian rock singer who accused the hip-hop star of sampling one of his best-known works without permission for the 2013 song New Slaves. The accord resolves claims that 85 seconds, or one-third, of New Slaves, which appeared on the No. 1 album Yeezus, was a copy of the plaintiff Gabor Presser s 1969 song Gyongyhaju Lany, which translates roughly as Pearls in Her Hair. I am very glad it is over, Presser was quoted as saying by Hungarian news agency MTI on Friday. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Lawyers for West and co-defendant Sony Corp s Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: Amy Schumer won t be playing Barbie after all. Variety reports the comedian has dropped out of a live-action film based on the Mattel doll due to scheduling conflicts. Variety says the movie was scheduled to start shooting on June 23, but Schumer has a lengthy promotional tour for her comedy, Snatched, which opens in May. She s also set to begin shooting She Came to Me with Steve Carrell soon. The magazine says Sony needs to stick to a June 29, 2018, opening date for the Barbie film, because merchandise surrounding the film s release is already in the works. The studio says it respects and supports Schumer s decision. Schumer defended her casting in the Music Who is Kendrick talking about in new song? Betty Who back with fizzy pop film in December, saying she was a great choice to play an important and evolving icon. (AP) By Mark Kennedy etty Who, The Valley (RCA BRecords) These might be anxious times but don t worry, Betty Who is back. Betty Who? Exactly. Even her stage name is fun. A new album of her infectious, fizzy pop music might be just what we need right now. The Australian singer is all about finding love, overcoming heartache and promoting self-empowerment on The Valley, her 13-track sophomore effort. Nothing gets Who down. It s like she swallowed the sun. Hole in my heart but I m still alive/i m so low I m high, she sings. Who, born Jessica Newham, comes to your rescue when you ve been dumped So dance with me tonight/ Baby you can cry tomorrow and is self-affirming, telling herself that on your worst days you re still beautiful. She s so good-natured that when her lover misses another, her advice is Pretend You re Missing Me. The album is bookended by the slightly off-kilter The Valley and ends with a moody cover of Donna Lewis I Love You Always Forever, the only song Who didn t help write. She even has a funny ode to Britney Spears, Mama Say, that includes the line I m your slave tonight. Who s earnest songs despite their electronic roots have a knack to transcend the dance floor. This is an artist, after all, whose Somebody Loves You became a hit after it was used a flash mob marriage proposal at a Home Depot. Viral Several of the new songs could go viral in the same way, including Some Kinda Wonderful, Beautiful and Free to Fly. Then you ll be able to say that s Betty Who. Who? Exactly. Kendrick Lamar called out rappers by name in his infamous Control verse released in 2013, but the internet is playing the guessing game about his target in a new song. Lamar released The Heart Part 4 on Friday and caused a frenzy on social media as fans and listeners tried to figure out whom the rap prince was referring to in the buzzed track. Drake, Big Sean and J. Cole were some of the rappers speculated to be Lamar s target on the song, which starts with the line, Don t tell a lie on me/ I won t tell the truth about you. On the second verse he raps, Tiptoeing around my name... you lame/ And when I get at you, homie, don t you just tell me you was just playing. The 29-year-old Compton rapper also name-drops President Donald Trump in the song, calling him a chump. Donald Trump is a chump, know how we feel, punk/ Tell em that God coming/ And Russia need a replay button, y all up to something/ Electoral votes look like memorial votes/ But America s truth ain t ignoring the votes, Lamar raps. Lamar is expected to release a new album this year. It will be the followup to 2015 s Grammy-winning To Pimp a Butterfly. On Control, Lamar received praise for his guest verse on the song by Big Sean, which also featured Jay Electronica. On the track, Lamar called himself the king of New York and the king of the coast. He also called out 11 rappers, including Drake, J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, Pusha T, Meek Mill, Mac Miller, Wale, Big K.R.I.T., Tyler, the Creator as well as his Control co-stars. Barry Manilow is adding his legendary voice to a concert series in New York City that raises money for human rights organizations. The Grammy-winning singer of songs such as Mandy, I Write the Songs and Looks Like We Made It will appear at the next monthly Concert for AmericA: Stand Up, Sing Out! on April 18 at The Town Hall. It also will be streamed live on Facebook. Manilow will join other performers and presenters including Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie, Lisa Lampanelli, LaChanze and Andy Cohen. Proceeds will benefit the NAACP, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Immigration Law NEWARK, NJ: A joke about Newark, New Jersey, on The Mindy Project led to dinner plans between US Sen Cory Booker and star Mindy Kaling. Noel Gallagher (left), and Jean Michel Jarre (right), perform on stage with the band Gorillaz as they play their new album Humanz in London on March 24. (AP) Center and the Sierra Club Foundation. Tickets range from $30 to $250. The monthly series, which started on Inauguration Day, is the brainchild of Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley. There have been two additional concerts in New York and Chicago. Four acts were tapped Thursday morning to headline the 2017 Kaaboo music festival: Red Hot Chili Peppers, P!nk, Tom Petty and the Heartbreaks and Muse. The fest, now in its third year, will take place from Sept in Del Mar, Calif near San Diego. The Chili Peppers continue a trend for the festival in its first three years to highlight Southern California-based groups No Doubt and Snoop Dogg led its inaugural edition. The band is also scheduled to headline the 2017 Bonnaroo Festival in June. The Kaaboo headliners will be joined by a long list of acts including Weezer, Jane s Addiction, David Guetta, Ice Cube, Jason Derulo, Logic, Alanis Morissette, Jackson Browne, Andy Grammer, Kesha, LiVE, X Ambassadors, Garbage and Michael McDonald. I am thrilled with this year s extraordinary lineup and proud to be building on the success of our last two Kaaboo Del Mar events, said Kaboo founder and CEO Bryan Gordon. We strive to curate an event that is multigenerational and diverse something for all of our fans. Also: LOS ANGELES: John Mayer s new single, Still Feel Like Your Man, is about ex-girlfriend Katy Perry. Lyrics for the upbeat, but wistful single include, I still keep your shampoo in my shower in case you want to wash your hair. In an interview with The New York Times, Mayer rhetorically asks who else would I be thinking about but Perry. Mayer adds that it s a testament to the fact that I have not dated a lot of people in the last five, six years. Mayer has had other high-profile girlfriends over the years, including Jessica Simpson and Taylor Swift. The singer tells the Times he uses an exclusive dating app these days. Her character joked after hearing that Booker had come to her colleague s event that I guess anything to get out of Newark, huh? Booker tweeted Ouch! at Kaling on Thursday. He added that he still loved her, though. She responded that if her character shades it, it means we know it s cool, and said the love was mutual. Booker then asked her to dinner in Newark. She asked for a train schedule, which the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey quickly sent her. (AP) LOS ANGELES: Variety has named veteran music journalist Shirley Halperin as Executive Editor, Music signaling the entertainment publication s launch of a new initiative to cover the music and live entertainment businesses. Halperin, who comes to Variety from Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, where she served as news director and music editor, respectively, will be joined by her close associate Jem Aswad, who is being named senior music editor. The two have worked hand in hand at Billboard for the past three years. Halperin will work out of Variety s Los Angeles offices, while Aswad will continue to be based in New York. He will report directly to Halperin. (RTRS)

22 22 Books Hidden Figures author Shetterly receives literary prize Feast for the soul: Jim Harrison on food and poetry By Ann Levin Really Big Lunch (Grove), by Jim A Harrison In 2004, Jim Harrison wrote an article for The New Yorker about a 37-course lunch he ate in France that likely cost as much as a new Volvo station wagon. Fully expecting to be criticized, he offered a defense at the outset. My response... is that none of us 12 disciples of gourmandise wanted a new Volvo. We wanted only lunch and since lunch lasted approximately 11 hours we saved money by not having to buy dinner. Absurd? Yes, but also funny and true and typical of Harrison, whose dry wit and mordant insight are on glorious display in this new collection of essays published a year after his death. Harrison, a prolific poet and novelist best known for Legends of the Fall, died of a heart attack at age 78. The book cover of A Really Big Lunch by Jim Harrison. While nominally about food his friend Mario Batali wrote the introduction what distinguishes the essays are Harrison s poetic sensibility, metaphysical musings and moral outrage at the state of our nation. Several were written around the invasion of Iraq, which left him seething. Maybe the rage comes from the fact that our body politic... has been fed by Chef Bush a fresh skunk hacked up with an ax... he writes in 2003 s Eat or Die. Later that year, in Paris Rebellion, he wonders, Has my country become a pack of wild dogs bent on eating the world? Faced with such dispiriting questions, Harrison inevitably turns to food and poetry and also hunting, fishing, dogs, birds and the great outdoors. Nearly every piece, except perhaps the recipe for bear posole, first published in The Montana Writers Cookbook, has a saying wise enough to carry in your wallet. Some will flat out break your heart. Consider this: A several-hour walk in the forest heals more wounds than any doctor of my experience. Many people think a Ferrari is beautiful but it isn t if you compare it to a horse. We all need to eat well in order to dig the graves of stockbrokers. And just in case you wondered, he has no regrets about that 37-course meal. No question looms larger on a daily basis for many of us than What s for lunch? and, when that has been resolved, What s for dinner? There have been mutterings that the whole food thing has gone too far in America, but I think not. Good food is a benign weapon against the sodden way we live. Also: CLEVELAND: An author whose book was the basis for the Oscar-nominated movie Hidden Figures has won an award for writing literature that promotes diversity and confronts racism. Margot Lee Shetterly s book and the namesake movie are about the contributions of a team of black women mathematicians to the NASA space program. Best-selling novelist Isabel Allende has received a lifetime achievement award. Allende s novels include The House of the Spirits. Shetterly and Allende were among five winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards announced Thursday. Also cited were Tyehimba Jess for his poetry collection Olio, Peter Ho Davies for his novel The Fortunes and Katan Mahajan for his novel The Association of Small Bombs, a National Book Award finalist last fall. The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards were established in 1935 and are presented by the Cleveland Foundation. (AP) Food This March 17, 2017 photo provided by The Culinary Institute of America shows the Three Pleasures chocolate-banana panna cotta dessert in Hyde Park, in New York. (AP) Feel good about serving and good about eating Try nutty panna cotta with banana split By The Culinary Institute of America essert is not French for butter, sugar, Dand cream, but as far as most people are concerned, it could be. For centuries, the word itself conjured images of sweet macarons, decadent custards, buttery cakes, and pictureperfect pies. But there must be a healthier way to make dessert, right? With its sweet, salty, and creamy components, this panna cotta dessert is a dish you can feel good about serving and good about eating. It also happens to include that all-time favorite flavor combination of banana, chocolate, and pecans, which basically makes this a banana split. You will recognize the components of this dish, but set aside your expectations. Most panna cottas you ve enjoyed have likely contained cream, eggs, and plenty of added sugar. This recipe contains none of those things, and while the result is shockingly delicious (no cream!), it won t behave like other panna cottas in terms of texture and your ability to unmold it. We ve given you some handling advice in the recipe. We ve plated ours like a snazzy restaurant dessert, but there s no pressure for you to do the same. You can serve this dish like a classic ice cream sundae, if you d like. Then, start experimenting. Three pleasures chocolate-banana panna cotta Start to finish: 8 hours (Active time: 1 hour) Servings: 12 Pecan Butter (recipe below); chocolatebanana panna cotta (recipe below); roasted pecan and chocolate shards (recipe below); coconut-banana sorbet (recipe below); bananas, for garnish (optional) click Alcoholics Anonymous: If you know someone who can t stop drinking and would like to help them please check us out and we promise to try to help at There are no fees. This is a genuine public service. Prepare the pecan butter for use in the chocolate-banana panna cotta and roasted pecan and chocolate shards. Prepare the chocolate-banana panna cotta and freeze or refrigerate, as desired. Prepare the roasted pecan and chocolate shards and refrigerate while you prepare the sorbet. Prepare the coconut-banana sorbet mixture. Wait to process in your ice cream machine until as close to serving as possible (no more than 2 hours, for ideal results). To serve as a plated dish: Place a round roasted pecan and chocolate shard on a plate. Unmold the panna cotta from its silicone mold and place on top of the chocolate round. Scoop a portion of sorbet (about 2 tablespoons) and place it beside the panna cotta. Top with chocolate shards, and garnish with diced and pureed bananas and leftover pecan butter, if desired. To serve in a container: Scoop a portion of sorbet (about 2 tablespoons) and place on top of the panna cotta. Garnish with chocolate shards. Top with diced and pureed bananas and leftover pecan butter, if desired. Pecan butter Makes about 2 cups (about 32 servings) 8 ounces (about 2 cups) pecans 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until they begin to brown, about 12 minutes. the hot pecans to a food processor, add the salt, and blend until a butter consistency forms, about 3 minutes. The mixture will seem too dry to start, but with a few minutes, it will come together. Scrape the sides of the Drinking problem?: Friends of Bill W. are available to help. Totally confidential. rohsecretary@gmail.com Narcotics Anonymous: NA can help with addiction problems. Totally confidential: English/Arabic. Cancer online support group: If you are Cancer patient or family member fighting with this deadly disease, come join our online support group. Best way of dealing with this disease is providing support and share our experience with each other. There are lot of things which even doctors can t tell so be member of this website and start sharing your experiences which may help others. October is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). The primary purpose is to promote self examination and screening mammography as the most effective way to save lives by detecting breast cancer at early stage. For more information visit: bowl, as needed. Set aside until needed, and refrigerate leftovers in a covered container. Chocolate-banana panna cotta Makes 12 servings 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin (from about 1-1/2 packets) 2 tablespoons cold water 8 ounces (about 1-1/2 cups) chopped dark chocolate, about 56% 1 tablespoon pecan butter (recipe above) 1-1/4 cups coconut water 2 bananas Set out 12 molds or serving vessels. For panna cottas that can be unmolded and plated on a dish, use silicone molds large enough to hold 1/4 cup of filling. Otherwise, prepare bowls, jars, or other containers that are large enough to top with sorbet and chocolate pieces. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and water. Mix with a fork until the gelatin is moistened. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Place the chocolate and pecan butter in a medium heat-safe bowl and set aside. Add the coconut water and bananas to a blender and pureed until smooth. to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the soaked gelatin. Stir until it is completely melted. Pour the banana mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture into molds or containers. For silicone molds, freeze at least 6 hours or overnight, then unmold and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. If using bowls or other serving dishes, freeze for at least 3 hours (thaw at least 1 hour before serving), or refrigerate overnight. Roasted pecan and chocolate shards Makes 12 servings 9 ounces (about 1-3/4 cups) finely chopped dark chocolate, about 56 percent 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pecan butter Prepare a hot water bath with barely simmering water. Place the chocolate in a heatsafe bowl and melt over the hot water bath until about halfway melted. Add the pecan butter and stir until the chocolate is fully melted and the pecan butter is incorporated. Line a baking pan with a silicone baking mat. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the pan and spread into a thin, even layer. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. If desired, use a round cutter about the same size as your panna cotta mold to cut bases for your unmolded panna cotta. Break up the scraps to use as garnish. If serving in dishes, break up the chilled chocolate to use as garnish. Refrigerate until ready to use. Coconut-banana sorbet Makes 12 servings 4 bananas 1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted 1 tablespoon lime juice Place the bananas, coconut and lime juice, in a blender and puree until smooth. to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer s instructions. to a covered container and freeze until needed. This sorbet should be made as closely to serving as possible. Due to its lower sugar content, it will become icy after about 2 hours. (AP) fightingwithcancer.webs.com/ Latest Chinese Embassy notice: Documents issued in Kuwait and to be used in China mainland shall first be notarized and legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait, and then be legalised by Chinese Embassy in Kuwait. Specific requirements and information for document legalisation, please refer to the website of Chinese Embassy in Kuwait. For documents issued by member countries of the Apostille Convention*, after getting Apostilles from the competent authorities, they can be used in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR of China directly. *Refer to the Convention of Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents Invitation to Grand Mosque: The Visits Department is pleased to invite you to visit the Grand Mosque, which is one of Kuwait s most treasured religious and cultural landmarks to discover the beauty of Islamic arts and architecture. Free guided tours are available all year round on official working days between (9-11 am) and (5-7 pm), within a special tour program designed to cater to the needs of different age groups. The program is as follows: Reception; Auditorium show; (according to age group); Touring the Mosque; Q & A; Art workshops; (according to age group between 5 and 18 years old); Snack break; Distribution of the Grand Mosque publications and souvenirs; End of tour. According to these age groups: Age group: 5 to 9 years old: Morning: 60 visitors max; Evening: 20; 10 to 15 years: Morning: 100 visitors max; Evening: 45; 16 and above: Morning: 140 visitors max, Evening: 105: Tour language: Arabic- English- French; Arabic (English upon prior request); Arabic- English- French; Arabic (English upon prior request); Arabic- English- French: Arabic (English upon prior request) Rules and Regulations: Please arrive in time for your visit. All visitors are kindly required to abide by the mosque s dress code. Male visitors should wear long pants. Shorts and sleeveless shirts are not allowed. Female visitors: should wear head cover and long loose clothing (available at the mosque). Foods and drinks are not allowed inside the prayer halls. For school visits, teachers are responsible for their students and are required to cooperate with the staff members of the Grand Mosque. Photography is allowed inside the Grand Mosque (please note that disrespectful poses are strictly prohibited). If you would like to book a tour, please contact us: Tel: / / gmvisits@gmail.com Fax: Chinese Embassy notice: Please be noted that effective starting today, the photo used in a Chinese visa application must meet the requirements (For details, please visit the website of Chinese embassy eng/). Application with non-compliant photos will not be processed. Thank you for your attention and cooperation. IEI Kuwait Chapter membership: The Institution of Engineers (India), Kuwait chapter invites all its members to update their membership information for the year and actively participate in the chapter activities. Indian engineers residing in Kuwait are welcome to join the pool of more than 700,000 engineers by becoming corporate or non-corporate members of The Institution of Engineers (India). IEI, Kuwait Chapter conducts many technical events for the benefit of its members. Please watch for the upcoming events in your registered or announcement in the media. The chapter has science club activities for member s children, and ladies wing activities for the member s family. IEI, Kuwait chapter has facility to register student members for AMIE Examination for those interested in pursuing career enrichment. For more information and on chapter membership, kindly contact IEI, Kuwait chapter office on extn. 314 between 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm (Sunday through Thursday) or through to ieikwt@hotmail.com. You may also contact Engr Ashok Kumar ( ) or Engr Karthikeyan ( ) for any further clarification. Share your story with Amricani: Do you or any of your family members, acquaintances or friends happen to have a story with the American Missionary hospital in Kuwait (Mustashfa Lemraicani) during the years from , the official period of offering medical services in Kuwait? Please share with us your story or your memory during those old days by writing the event and sending it to the following address: Mystory@darmuseum.org.kw Notes: 1. Please send your story only to the above mentioned . Story shared in Instagram, Facebook or Twitter will not be considered. 2. Please write your story or memory and sign it with your full name, and your contact number. 3. It will be great if you send us your personal photos or those of the place related to the story (optional). Your story will be part of a new book to be published by DAI. I am confident that your contributions will be an essential part of the history of Amricani. Share with us! March 31 FOCUS to conduct TIPS 2017: FOCUS International Kuwait has been conducting TIPS for the past four years with the support of a students organization based in Kerala. TIPS was established in 2010 with venues at a few nominated centers. To date TIPS is the only model entrance examination recognized with Continued on Page 23

23 23 Photos from the event National and Liberation Day celebration at ICSK Senior The Indian Community School (Senior) conducted a special assembly on the occasion of the 56th National Day and 26th Liberation Day of Kuwait on 23rd February The enthusiastic and energetic students of class VIII hosted the event under the guidance of Mrs. K. Lamba. These two glorious anniversaries are very important for everyone in Kuwait, be it, citizens or expatriates, people impatiently await to celebrate it every year. The students conducted diverse colourful programmes to highlight the social and cultural heritage of Kuwait. These values are reinforced daily, however each year during the National Day we celebrate the culture we live in a special manner. The assembly commenced with a procession by students in the traditional attire of Kuwait, emphasizing the cultural and religious values. This was followed by inspiring speeches about the history of Kuwait which enlightened the students with the glorious past. Students sang melodious songs, proclaiming the greatness of Kuwait and about its achievements. The audience also enjoyed the Arabic traditional dance performed by the students. Dr V. Binumon, the Principal of ICSK (Senior) appreciated the students and teachers for organizing a wonderful assembly and also emphasized in his speech that the Independence Day should be reviewed as a golden leaf in the history of Kuwait depicting the hard work of the ancestors, who strived hard to achieve sovereignty for their homeland. After the independence, the sovereign state contributed towards establishing peace and building better lives for its nationals. The most important highlight of the assembly was the great humanitarian and benevolent works of the Amir of Kuwait His Highness, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for his whole hearted support to help the poor and needy all over the world. These compassionate efforts have brought Kuwait to the zenith of glory among the humanitarian countries in the Middle East. The school premises were adorned with the flags of the foster country. The assembly culminated with paying homage to the land and the ruler for the unswerving support extended to the Indian diaspora. Photos from the event click Latest Continued from Page 22 ICSK Junior organises collaborative work with ACAS Nursery is a wonderful place for children that radiate a very warm, homely, cheerful and educational atmosphere for the tiny tots. It was an honour to have the students and teachers of ACAS in ICSK Junior for a collaborative activity program. The objectives of the programme were, Get exposed to another culture Promote understanding and respect towards other culture Value our cultural diversity The little ones of LKG-D experienced a fun filled day enriched with the knowledge of cultures about our mother land India and foreign land Kuwait. fills to sort the examination and preparation in an easy process. To do so, TIPS publishes answer keys along with all possible methods of solutions, on the day of exam itself. Heeding to popular demand and appreciation from both parents as well aspiring students we have decided to conduct TIPS 2017 on March 31. We request you to share this news in your esteemed media. For more details contact The programme began with welcome address which was delivered by Mrs. Shyamala Raghupathy from ICSK Junior followed by the introduction of students from ACAS and ICSK Junior. The students were paired up for all the activities and games. The little ones sang their respective national anthems. Students of ICSK Junior proudly presented an Indian traditional dance and were dressed up in their ethnic wear. The song and dance added to the vibrancy of the programme. ACAS student and teachers enjoyed fun filled Indian traditional game MOKSHA PATAM (snake and ladder) conducted , , Website: April 7 CIGI to conduct CLP in Kuwait: The Kuwait Chapter of CIGI, acronym for Centre for Information and Guidance India, is all set to begin its flagship program CLP (Community Leadership Program) in Kuwait. by the tiny tots of ICSK Junior with help of teachers Mrs Shyamala Raghupathy and Mrs Gazala Anwar. A delightful activity called threading the beads was conducted by the ACAS students which help in improving the motor skills of the young ones. The children enjoyed a story from Panchatantra tales (The honest wood cutter) was also narrated in the class. Towards the end of the programme students were treated to some mouthwatering Indian and Arabic sweets. The day was memorable one for both ACAS and ICSK members. An introductory session to CLP was conducted at Rajdhani Palace Hotel where in more than 100 members representing various socio-cultural and religious organizations of Kuwait participated. The 120 minutes presentation was delivered by CIGI Senior Resource Persons Sameer Mohammed and Engineer Afzal Ali. The session that briefed the scope and benefits of CLP included tips and exercises centralized valuation and centers within and outside the country. TIPS model entrance aims at providing hands on experience for students attending various competitive exams to professional courses. The test will follow the pattern of NEET/JEEmedical-engineering entrance exams and shall be conducted in as many as 50 centers across Kerala, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and every gulf country. Hoping to arm the students with an experience that would help them to assess and prepare themselves, the examination is evaluated in a centralized manner. The test should foster self-confidence as well as decrease the fear of competitive exams in aspiring students. TIPS certify the experience of the real competitive examination. TIPS help the students with landon leadership, creative thinking and non-verbal communication. The presenters detailed the CLP program, which is scheduled to begin on the 7th of April. A comprehensive course plan has been designed in which the total course will be divided into three sets namely Individual Development, Family Orientation and Sociological Development. The Individual Development set includes various sessions that focus on personality development, creativity & problem solving skills, effective leadership, essential life skills, career enhancement workshops, emotional intelligence, spiritual psychology, motivation and empowerment. The Family Orientation Set includes modules on interpersonal relationship, pre-marital counselling, child & geriatric counselling, family improvement program, student psychology and counselling, remote & applied parenting. Social Development set includes sessions on project management skills, team building, effective communication, public speaking and presentation skills, conflict resolution, social psychology and behavior modeling techniques. Continued on Page 24

24 24 Art Paintings part of city s cultural heritage Sao Paulo street art debate over what makes cities livable SAO PAULO, March 25, (AP): When completed in 2015, the mayor s office hailed the graffiti panels along Avenida 23 de Maio as Latin America s largest open-air mural 70 works of street art stretching for more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) along a boulevard connecting a well-to-do district with the city center. Then this January, they were painted over. It wasn t done by vandals or other graffiti artists, as often happens with street art, but by sanitation workers acting on the orders of Sao Paulo s new mayor, Joao Doria, a millionaire businessman and former host of The Apprentice Brazil. The mayor even donned a pair of orange coveralls and wielded a spray gun to put a thin layer of gray paint over the murals angering people who considered the paintings part of the city s cultural heritage and sparking a debate about what is art and what should be protected. Removal of the murals was among the first acts of Doria s Pretty City campaign: a traveling circus of street cleaners and maintenance workers who install new trash cans, plant trees, pick up garbage and cover up graffiti around Sao Paulo every weekend. Doria says the goal is not just to clean up Sao Paulo but to restore In this March 20, 2017 photo a child walks alongside a street mural in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (AP) Paulistanos pride in their hometown. Many in Sao Paulo have cheered the campaign for aiming at a widely despised style of street art known as pichacao a generally monochromatic, rune-like calligraphy covering buildings across the city. Doria s administration has increased fines for pichacao, is installing cameras to catch practitioners, and encourages everyone, especially taxi drivers, to report it. Identity But most Brazilians make a distinction between pichacao derived from the Portuguese word for tar and the colorful and pictorial street paintings they call graffiti. The latter are largely tolerated, often celebrated and widely seen as linked to Sao Paulo s urban identity. Many considered the murals on 23 de Maio a showcase for Brazil s vibrant graffiti art, and Doria s decision to paint over all but a few touched a nerve about what can be lost when cities revitalize blighted areas. Some of Doria s critics tie the cleanup campaign to other parts of his business-oriented agenda: a privatization plan to sell off city stadiums and open bids for concessions in public parks as well as an effort to revitalize the dilapidated downtown, an important canvas for pichacao. This is not just about a fight against pichacao, said Marcio Siwi, a doctoral candidate at New York University who studies art, architecture and urbanism in Sao Paulo. This is bigger than that. This is about bringing revenue into the city in a way that s very controversial. Other cities have waged similar campaigns. The mayor of Lima, Peru, in 2015 ordered the painting over of murals authorized by his predecessor and was showered with complaints from artists and architects who said the murals had reclaimed a dilapidated area. New York has largely won its war to banish the graffiti that once covered subway cars an art style several graffiti artists in Brazil have cited as inspiration but many New Yorkers protested when the owner of a Queens warehouse known as 5Pointz, which had become a shrine to graffiti art, painted over its murals in 2013 ahead of its demolition. Sao Paulo has tried to clean up pichacao before, but it has also long touted its street art, with even the city s own tourism bureau offering it up as a slice of the real, gritty city. One law even calls for graffiti to be valued and protected as long as it is done with permission. Pichacao, though, is always considered illegal. Street art in Sao Paulo is a postcard for Sao Paulo, said Eduardo Kobra, an artist who started out in pichacao and is now invited to paint murals in cities worldwide. click Latest Continued from Page 23 The course will span over 12 months with 3-hour sessions held on the first Friday of every month. Prominent speakers from India and other GCC chapters will be addressing the sessions. Various live scenarios, workshops and practical approaches will be among the methodologies used during the classes. The venue of the program will be announced later. Registration and other detailed information are available on and The session began with the Quran recitation by CIGI visionary Ashraf Mohammed followed by the welcome speech and introduction of speakers by Chief Coordinator Abdul Azeez. Vice President Faseehullah presided over the function. The Chairman of CIGI Kuwait Chapter - Dr Amir Ahmed inaugurated the session and Abdul Gafoor delivered the vote of thanks. A man looks at a model of planet Earth as he visits an exhibition in the House of Brandenburg-Prussian History in Potsdam, eastern Germany. (AP) 9-inch marble statue could sell for $3mn at auction April 15 DAI Experience Science: Scientists from the Islamic world helped build the foundation of today s science. In biology, astronomy, chemistry, physics, optics, and math, Muslim scholars like Ibn Haythem, Ibn Hayyan, Al- Fazari, and others, made significant contributions to their fields. Experience Science is a special programme led by Dr B (Dr Bahareh Azizi), who s planned some pretty cool experiments that include strawberry DNA, Oreo moon phases, and bending light! Designed for children ages 10-13, each Experience Science 90 minute session (3:30-5 pm), which will be held at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre, includes a look at the role of Muslim scientists in a specific field, what s happening in that field today and a couple of hands-on experiments. Week One (April 15): Human Biology and DNA Week Two (April 22): Astronomy Week Three (April 29): Chemistry and Alchemy Week Four (May 6): Optics and Physics Week Six (May 13): Family Day at Amricani To register your year-old for this programme, please visit the museum shop at either the Yarmouk or Amricani cultural centres. Spaces are limited; to register, education@darmuseum.org.kw Till painting under fire at NY museum NEW YORK, March 25, (Agencies): An abstract painting of lynching victim Emmett Till on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York was the subject of a weeklong protest by a black artist who decried the canvas as an injustice to the black community because it was painted by a white woman. Parker Bright spent several days this week standing in front of the painting by Dana Schutz, who used historic photographs as inspiration for her depiction of Till, a 14-yearold black Chicago boy killed by white men in Mississippi in Till s mother insisted on an open-casket funeral to show the world the mutilated body of her son, and Jet magazine published photos of his corpse. The brutality sparked outrage that helped galvanize the civil rights movement. In an interview published Thursday in Artnet News, Schutz said that when she made the painting last year, it was a response to a summer that felt like a state of emergency. There were constant mass shootings, racist rallies filled with hate speech, and an escalating number of camera-phone videos of innocent black men being shot by police, she said. The photograph of Emmett Till felt analogous to the time: what was hidden was now revealed. Bright, who engaged onlookers in conversations about Open Casket, argued in a Facebook Live video that Schutz doesn t have the privilege to speak for the black people as a whole or for Emmett Till s family. No one should be making money off a black dead body, he said, demanding that the curators remove the painting from the biennial exhibition. Bright s protest found supporters online. A Berlin-based British artist, Hannah Black, sent the biennial curators a letter lambasting Schutz for using black pain as raw material. She called on the museum to destroy the painting. Whitney curators Mia Locks and Christopher Y. Lew, both Asian American, defended their inclusion of Schutz s unsettling image in the show. By exhibiting the painting we wanted to acknowledge the importance of this extremely consequential and solemn image in American and African American history. Locks said any attempt to shut down a conversation about art is a dangerous and slippery slope and feels to me like an affront to the belief in art and the capacity of art to hold all those complexities. Controversy Scott Rothkopf, the Whitney museum s chief curator, said the museum took pains to publicly acknowledge the controversy. Schutz, who didn t respond to interview requests from The Associated Press, said in a statement provided by the museum that Open Casket was an effort to engage with the loss. I don t know what it is like to be black in America. But I do know what it is like to be a mother. Emmett was Mamie Till s only son. I thought about the possibility of painting it only after listening to interviews with her, she wrote. She dismissed accusations of trying to profit from Till s killing, pledging that the painting was never for sale and never will be. The controversy was the subject of false news reports. Several websites circulated a bogus letter purporting to be from Schutz calling for the painting to be removed. Whitney patron Robyn Autry, an African- American professor of sociology who came to see the painting from Connecticut, said viewing it was painful because of the subject material, but artists can do what they want. That has to be the case. But then people will respond to it however they will respond to it. Elias Schultz, a 20-year-old student from New York, said it s important to let everyone be heard. I don t think that Schutz is doing any harm by bringing more attention to the story of Emmett Till, she said. The 2017 Whitney biennial exhibition is on view until June 11. It features the work of 63 individuals and collectives, about half of whom are female artists and about half are non-white. Also: NEW YORK: She s small but mighty and she could be worth more than $3 million. Christie s announced Friday that a 9-inch-tall marble sculpture, called the Guennol (gwehn- AHL ) Stargazer, will be auctioned on April 28 in New York. The statue of a female idol from ancient Turkey dates to around 3000 to 2200 BC. It s thought that the idol was related to fertility. About 15 nearly complete idols survive. The auctioneer says this one like most has a neck injury, suggesting it was ritually killed at the time of burial. It has button-like eyes; a vertical, carrotshaped nose; a pear-type torso; and no discernible chest. The work, from a private collection, has been on loan at The Metropolitan Museum of Art at various times. HONG KONG: As visitors sip champagne at Hong Kong s Art Basel event this week and take selfies with replicas of deceased leaders Fidel Castro and Mao Zedong, a more urgent issue is rumbling through dealers exhibiting - how big an impact China s capital controls will be in the coming year. Over the past six months, Chinese buyers In this photo provided by Christie s is the 9-inch-tall marble sculpture called the have faced larger constraints to get money out of the country, as the government increases scrutiny on capital outflows and steps up measures to bolster its yuan currency. Typically, Chinese collectors had circumvented restrictions by using methods including underground banking but galleries attending Art Basel and Hong Kong s Art Central exhibitions said getting money out of the mainland had become much harder. Hong Kong-born Pearl Lam, who runs her own contemporary art galleries around Asia, said China s capital controls had prompted many galleries to allow customers to pay in installments but the repayment periods had sometimes been stretched to up to three years with others not able to pay at all. A lot of us have got into problems because somewhere in the middle they cannot pay. So the problem is after you take a certain percentage and then they cannot follow up. What do you do? You cannot sell the painting, Lam told Reuters in an interview. Chinese buyers have been a huge boon to the global art market despite slowing sales in 2016, accounting for 20 percent of global sales by value according to an Art Basel Market report released on Wednesday. The global art market achieved total sales of $56.6 billion in Buying through private dealers rather than via auction houses has also been increasingly common but non-payment and late payment remain crucial issues in the Chinese market, the report said, citing an average of 40 percent of dealers forced to accept payment terms beyond two months. Hong Kong is a key centre for art transactions due to the absence of tax and an independent currency which is pegged to the US dollar. However the number of mainland buyers attending the fairs this week in China s special administrative region was notably less, dealers observed. Often wealthy Chinese customers have assets outside China which they can use to pay for the artwork but China s restrictions on capital have become more blatant over the past few months, said Charles Fong, a gallery manager at Parkview Art Hong Kong. We can feel it. It has become tighter and more and more people have started asking to pay in installments. General KIFF anti-drugs campaign: As part of the Fraternity fest, Kuwait India Fraternity Forum (KIFF) is conducting Anti-Drugs Campaign among Indians living in Kuwait. According to the available statistics of Indian Embassy, 60% of the convicted Indians in Kuwaiti Jails are arrested on drug-related cases. The recent cases of death and captives of Indian drug abusers is a threatening news. To defend and to campaign against such social crisis by protecting individuals as well as the society has become obligatory. In this current situation, Kuwait India Fraternity Forum is conducting campaign by distributing handouts, conducting counseling, seminars etc. to educate the Indians living in Kuwait informed President Saifudheen Nalakath in a press release. For more details contact: or at kiffkuwait@gmail.com. NYF offers free yoga classes: NYF Kuwait offers free yoga, breathing, meditation and reiki classes by a well-experienced female yoga teacher for all age groups. Classes are given on the basis of different health problems, stress and other problems by different techniques. Contact: Leadership Excellence Course: The Leadership Excellence Course (LEC) is a course modeled on the Seerah of Rasoolullah who is the best model of leadership for all mankind. The LEC focuses on the lessons that we can learn from the Seerah of Rasoolullah and see how we can apply them in our lives to become winners in this world and the next. The objectives of the course are 1. Understand what leadership is from the Seerah of Rasoolullah and how to apply it in our lives today 2. Understand the purpose of our lives and learn to live that purpose with confidence 3. Understand the importance of connecting to Allah and learn how to do it 4. Understand how to leverage your strengths and overcome weaknesses 5. Understand how to articulate your life goal and create a road map to achieve it. For more information please visit or call / AWL registration: If you would like to join the American Women s League (AWL), please call or or kuwaitawl@yahoo.com. All American women and wives of Americans are welcomed. Ugandans register with UIK: Are you a Guennol Stargazer. (AP) Continued on Page 25

25 25 Gaming Property values of theme parks in dispute Mickey vs Tax Man: Disney, Universal fight tax bills ORLANDO, Fla, March 25, (AP): It takes a lot of land to accommodate Cinderella s castle, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Epcot s 11-country World Showcase and a hefty purse to pay the property taxes on it. To cut tax bills in the tens of millions of dollars, the specialists at Orlando s famous theme parks have employed methods from the creative placing cows on undeveloped land and claiming an agricultural exemption to the traditional negotiating or appealing to a county board. Over the past couple of years, however, such tactics aren t quite doing the job: Property assessments and taxes have jumped and so has the number of lawsuits the theme parks and other businesses have filed against Orange County s property appraiser. That s Rick Singh, who was re-elected to a second four-year term last fall despite the thousands of dollars in donations park officials gave his opponent. In lawsuits filed last year, the theme parks said Singh s office had failed to use proper appraisal methodology. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts issued a statement describing increased assessments on some of its properties for 2015 as unreasonable and unjustified. Beyond such terse statements, officials from Disney, the development arm of Universal Orlando and SeaWorld of Florida are saying very little about an issue they hope to resolve in court. But they have spoken loudly with their wallets. Groups affiliated with all three companies gave $19,000 to Singh s Republican opponent. Singh, a Democrat, got only $5,000 from the groups. Backlash The backlash isn t surprising, said Doug Head, chairman of the watchdog group Orange County Watch. Head said the appraiser s position has traditionally been a cushy post for local politicos waiting to retire, but Singh is one of the first to have substantial professional training. He uses professional expertise, and he clearly figured out there is a lot more value than is properly being reflected, Head said. He did what he needed to do, and people accustomed to the way business was done weren t happy. Singh said his methods for assessing properties are no different than those of his predecessors except when looking at resorts and hotels. Then, he considers their income statements and the local bed tax paid by hotel customers, which he said his predecessor didn t use. Income isn t considered when assessing theme parks. It s a matter of being fair and equitable, Singh said. If the single mother who is working two jobs has to be held accountable to pay her fair share, so should everybody else. The importance of the three theme parks to Orange County, which includes Orlando, can t be overstated: The properties owned by Disney, Universal and SeaWorld are valued collectively at about $10.7 billion. Properties owned by the largest resort and timeshare companies are worth another $6.3 billion. The three theme park companies pay 7 percent of the county s property taxes more than $135 million last year. That revenue helps to mitigate the impact of hosting 66 million visitors in 86,000 hotel rooms and 15,500 timeshare units every year, and to finance law enforcement, schools, parks and public health programs. Disney also pays property taxes to a private government established by the Florida Legislature that provides the Disney parks and resorts with services including utilities, roadways and firefighters. Property values for the theme parks, resorts and other large commercial properties are set by a team of almost two dozen of the county s seasoned appraisers in what Singh calls the most complex tax roll in the world due to the constant growth. Singh said the appraisers use a cost approach when evaluating theme parks. Tax bills go up not just from rising property values but also from new construction, which is constant at the parks. What does it cost to improve the land? What does it cost to build this?... What is the labor cost? Factor in all that and then it depreciates, and that s your cost approach, he said. But the results are meeting a wall of resistance. Last year, Disney, Universal and SeaWorld filed a dozen lawsuits against Singh s office, the tax collector and the state Department of Revenue. Several other Orlando resorts also have sued. The companies pay taxes only on their properties assessed values; the market values reflect what the properties could be sold for. This vide game released by Electronic Arts shows a scene from Mass Effect: Andromeda. (AP) click General Continued from Page 24 Ugandan living and working in Kuwait? Would you like to get in touch with other Ugandans in Kuwait both socially and professionally? Then please get in touch with us. We would like to invite you to register with the Ugandans in Kuwait (UIK) association, an informal organization of Ugandans living and working in Kuwait. The purpose of this exercise is to get together as Ugandans and to consider taking the first steps to establishing a more formal organisation. This association is voluntary. It is designed to create a forum for Ugandans in Kuwait to foster a sense of community, to communicate more effectively with each other and to encourage Ugandans out here to work together. We are also planning a celebration to mark 50 years of Ugandan s Independence this year. If you have any questions regarding this association or if you are interested in registering, then please send us an at ugandansinkuwait@gmail.com. We hope to hear from you soon. Free drum music classes: Free professional drum music classes are available at Salmiya for all age groups from beginners to advanced by a well experienced drum teacher. For more details: Indian Embassy SPDC notice: Attention of all Indian associations/indian schools in Kuwait is once again drawn to Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC) which was introduced by Government of India in the academic year with the objective to make higher education in India accessible to the children of overseas Indians and promote India as a centre for higher studies. Under the scheme, 100 PIO/NRI students were awarded scholarship of up to US$ 4,000 per annum for undergraduate courses in Engineering, Technology, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and some other courses. The scheme is open to NRIs/PIOs from over 40 countries (including Kuwait) having substantial Indian Diaspora population. The Scheme was revamped and launched in July Under the revamped Scheme, number of scholarships has been enhanced from 100 to 150 with introduction of 50 scholarships for Andromeda delivers mixed results Mass Effect stumbles in trip to galaxy By Lou Kesten ime for spring break! Why not book a trip Tto the Andromeda Galaxy, where fun and adventure await on exotic planets no human has ever set foot on before? Two problems: First, it takes 600 years to get there. Second, your travel agent may have exaggerated a bit, and those faraway worlds aren t quite as human-friendly as promised. Mass Effect: Andromeda (Electronic Arts, for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, $59.99) invites you to take part in this grand adventure but, like the journey it describes, it delivers mixed results. Occasionally it rewards you with the gosh-wow sense of wonder that every science fiction fan craves, but you have to work your way through some hoary genre cliches to get there. You can play as Sara or Scott Ryder, the offspring of one of the galaxy s most renowned explorers. Early on, the young, inexperienced Ryder is thrust into the role children of Indian workers employed in the Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries. The Scheme is now applicable to four categories of applicants: (i) Persons of Indian Origin A flyer of the event. of Pathfinder, whose job is to find a decent place to live for all these refugees from the Milky Way. Early attempts to establish habitats haven t gone well, so Ryder needs to figure out what went wrong. The most glaring issue is the Kett, a race of lizardlike conquerors bent on destroying every other sentient species in the galaxy. More puzzling are the Remnants, robotic killing machines guarding mysterious monoliths that may hold the secrets to turning Andromeda s planets into livable worlds. Your crew members include a couple of humans and some familiar alien types from the earlier games, and part of the intrigue comes from trying to figure out why they were so eager to flee the Milky Way. You ll also be joined by one of the locals, a creature called an Angaran that looks kind of like a lion, if you made it stand on two legs and wear clothes. All your companions have different talents that come in handy in battle, and Ryder can be customized with psychic powers (ii) Non-Resident Indians (iii) Children of Indian workers working in ECR countries (including Kuwait). (iv) Children of Indian workers in ECR countries - studying in India or tech skills that let her, say, fling turrets into enemy camps. The firefights are fastpaced and engaging, though I missed the previous games ability to pause the action and issue commands to your squadmates. Developer BioWare has built its reputation on compelling storytelling, and here s where Andromeda falls a bit flat. The overarching story doesn t quite have the urgency of the race-against-extinction plot of the franchise s earlier chapters. The Kett are a less formidable villain than the dreaded old Reapers, and the Remnant story line seems like a rehash of the discovery of Prothean tech that drove the original trilogy. It s also bedeviled by some aggravating technical issues, like creepy facial animations and a clunky menu system. And yet, there are rewards. Some of the side missions recapture BioWare s storytelling magic, and the scenery from the dusty wastelands of one planet to the lush forests of another is eye-popping throughout. It s a rough journey, but I m glad I took it. Two-and-a-half stars out of four. (AP) The institutions that are covered under this Scheme are: (i) NITs, IIITs, Schools of Planning and Architecture (ii) A Grade institutions accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and recognised by University Grants Commission (UGC). (iii) Other institutions covered under Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) scheme. Income criteria will be applicable to all four categories. Applicants will seek scholarships after they obtain admission in the approved list of educational institutions. Applications are required to be submitted online at SPDC portal - in/login/index.php. Last date for submission of applications was extended till Oct 14, Nodal officer for SPDC is P. Bharadwaj, Deputy Secretary (OIA-II), Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, Tel: , dsoia2@mea.gov.in Scrabble sessions are back: Scrabble sessions are back for all to come, learn and play with us at Better Books, Salmiyah, Bldg 19, next to Badur Travel, opposite the Ministry of Private Education, on Friday afternoons from 2:30-5:30 pm. Inviting all kids aged 8 and above to join me and play competitively with me Rohaina. Classes are held every Saturday from pm. Bknelled, Euphuize, Waqf, Zooeae are some of the lovely words and there are 200,000 more you can learn with us. But the fun part is playing this wonderful game competitively. So come and see us and call Rohaina Tanweer. Experience Science for Adults: Registration is now open for Experience Science for Adults. Why should kids have all the fun?! The five week programme will be held on Saturday from 10:00 am-11:30 am at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre. Registration is limited to 16. You may register at either the Amricani Cultural Centre, Sunday to Thursday 10:00-3:00 or the Yarmouk Cultural Centre, Sunday to Thursday 10:00-6:00. For more information, please education@darmuseum.org.kw TIES Center events: TIES Center announces following events Tajweed and Recitation: Learn and practice the art of reciting the Holy Quran (tajweed). The instructor will also answer questions related to the meaning of the Arabic words and verses. Every Sunday & 10 11:30am; every 5-6:30pm. The TIES Center is the social and educational hub for English Speaking expats in Kuwait. For more information, please call or info@tiescenter.net or visit www. tiescenter.net. TIES Center classes: TIES Center is conducting a series of classes about some of the Prophets and Messengers of God who strove very hard to spread monotheism and teach their respective peoples how to worship God. Their message was not only spiritual; they also taught people how to conduct their daily lives and develop the living conditions on earth. In this series, we will focus on the following prophets: Adam, Nouh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Ayoub (Job), Yousuf (Joseph), Mousa (Moses), and Eisa (Jesus) - may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah (to Whom all might and majesty is ascribed) be upon them all. We will not only focus on historical facts, but will also deduce some important lessons whose application in our daily interactions and chores determine our success and salvation. Join us every Thursday at 7 pm to learn about the life and times of those messengers of firm resolve. The TIES Center is the social and educational hub for English Speaking Muslims in Kuwait. For more information, please call Continued on Page 26

26 26 US-bound travellers advised of new directive Etihad reassures passengers of service, inflight offering ABU DHABI, UAE, March 25: Etihad Airways is reassuring passengers of its highest level of service to minimise disruption following the introduction of a new US travel directive on electronic devices. Effective March 25, passengers on all US-bound flights from, or transiting through, Abu Dhabi International Airport will not be permitted to carry electronic devices bigger than a smart phone or mobile into the aircraft cabin. Items such as laptop computers, tablets including ipads, gaming devices, cameras and e-readers will be required to be placed in checked-in luggage. Medical devices are exempt and can be carried onboard. All Etihad Airways US flights have mobile and Wi-Fi connectivity, together with power and USB points at every seat enabling guests to remain connected through their mobiles and smart phones. And with an onboard inflight entertainment system offering hundreds of hours of free programmes, international movies, live TV news and sports channels, interactive games, and music in every seat, guests are able to keep themselves busy throughout their journey without the need of a laptop or tablet. Etihad Airways is sending alerts to all US-bound travellers advising of the new directive. Signage is being placed at check-in desks at airports around the world where staff will inform guests to pack any prohibited electronic devices in their checked luggage. US-bound passengers travelling via Abu Dhabi must check-in their electronic devices at the point of origin. The directive, issued by the US Transportation Security Administration, does not affect flights departing from the United States. At Abu Dhabi International Airport, all Etihad Airways guests travelling to the United States clear US Immigration and Customs at the US Preclearance facility in Terminal 3 the only one of its kind in the Middle East. When guests land in the US, they arrive as domestic passengers with no requirement to queue for immigration checks again. Due to the additional security measures, Etihad Airways will deploy more staff at the US Preclearance facility to provide assistance. To avoid inconvenience, guests are encouraged to pack the prohibited items in their checked baggage prior to reaching the Preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi. Any prohibited electronic devices will have to be declared and placed in padded envelopes before being securely taken to the aircraft luggage hold by staff. Such items will be returned to guests on arrival in the US, while conveniently, other items of checked-in luggage can be collected at the final destination in the United States. Guests are also encouraged to avoid carrying spare battery packs larger than the permitted size as these will not be allowed in either the luggage hold or the cabin. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said: We remain committed to ensuring we provide guests the highest levels of service and quality experience that we are renowned for, at Abu Dhabi International Airport and throughout their journey to minimise the impact of the new measures. Etihad Airways offers excellent facilities on the ground at Abu Dhabi International Airport and inflight to keep guests entertained during their journey. While we are communicating the new directive to guests before they begin their travels to the US, we are implementing a number of measures at Abu Dhabi International Airport to ease the process. We continue to work with the relevant authorities and advise guests to comply with the directive to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted journey to the United States. In addition to the onboard offering, all cabins have a selection of digital lifestyle magazines that can be viewed for free on a smartphone via the Wi-Fly homepage. A variety of printed international magazines and newspapers are also available for guests travelling in the premium cabins. Children receive a kid s pack with games and toys, and there is a Flying Nanny on board to assist parents. At Abu Dhabi International Airport, passengers have access to free Wi-Fi. Guests travelling in the premium cabins can use Etihad Airways lounges. For those with sufficient time before departure, guests can pay for access to Etihad s Business Class lounge in Terminals 1 and 3 which offer computer terminals, Wi-Fi, business facilities, and a wide selection of newspapers, business and lifestyle magazines, international cuisine, shower rooms and children s play rooms. First and Business Class guests are also able to use the US Premium Lounge located after the US Immigration checks at Terminal 3. For any further updates on the new directive and our policies, guests are advised to check Etihad Airways website at etihad.com Management guru live and in person for first time in Kuwait Vigor Events hosts Kaizen pioneer Sheikh Duaij Al-Sabah honoring ABK for sponsoring Ministry of Social Affairs Mother s Day event. Spreading joy among senior citizens ABK marks Mother s Day with staff, clients ABK staff during Mother s Day celebration. KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) celebrated Mother s Day with its employees and customers on March 21, 2017, spreading the joy of this occasion across its branches with delightful gestures. The Bank welcomed staff members with a box of chocolates as a token of appreciation for their ongoing efforts, and in recognition of the key role they play in supporting their families. ABK female customers were also recognized and were presented with fresh flowers upon entering any of the Bank s branches throughout the day. The Bank also celebrated this occasion with the elderly, as it sponsored the Ministry of Social Affairs Mother s Day event, which was held at the elderly home. The event aimed to spread joy among senior citizens in the midst of a fun ambiance with live music and gifts, specially arranged for this special day. ABK continuously seeks opportunities that allows the Bank to engage with its people and spread positivity in the surrounding communities in which it operates. For more information about ABK please visit eahli.com or contact an ABK customer service agent via Ahlan Ahli at KUWAIT CITY, March 25: April 2017 signifies a remarkable one day conference hosting the management guru and founder of the Kaizen Institute Masaaki Imai for the first time in Kuwait. Organized by the prominent Vigor Events and co-organized by Al- Gas Events Company, the conference is set to focus on Operational Excellence for leaders going beyond the mere use of improvement tools and building a culture that promotes excellence in all kinds of operations within a factory, a telecom company, a hospital, a bank, or a governmental institute. During this conference, Masaaki Imai will advocate his philosophies and Kaizen Institute s principles and methodologies to achieve the ultimate Operational Excellence within any organization. Masaaki Imai was the first to write and speak about the remarkable leadership principles known as the Toyota Production System, what we call Lean thinking today. His contribution has been one of integrating various kaizen management practices, such as Just-intime, TQM, and TPM, into the cultural environments of client companies. Over the last three decades Masaaki Imai has authored books and articles, held lectures on kaizen, quality, leadership, Lean and other related management subjects, has consulted with global companies, introduced kaizen as a commonsense continuous improvement approach on every inhabited continent. During the conference, the Management guru will speak not only to leadership issues but also to frontline issues at the gemba or the real place where value is added. He will elaborate on the steps required to make a company world-class and moving it from a resultoriented to process-oriented company. It is also worth noting that Masaaki Imai has received International Awards and Recognitions such as the Asia-Pacific Human Resource Development Award, the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Prize for Gemba Kaizen, and the First Honorary Fellow of Quality Control of India (First Fellow ever). In two additional sessions, senior consultants from Kaizen Institute will also take part in the conference shedding a light on the practical application of the Kaizen best practices & methodologies. The conference is organized in collaboration with Kaizen Institute and with the media support from the International Advertising Association Kuwait Chapter on April 9 at Hilton Resort Al Mangaf from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. A photo from the event Reshaping learning experience ACK holds PBL symposium KUWAIT CITY, March 25: The School of Engineering s Center for Project Based Learning (PBL) at the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) successfully wrapped up its second Project Based Learning Symposium, under the theme of Reshaping the teaching and learning experience. The symposium brought together industry employers, educators and students to share experiences and insights related to PBL in engineering education. Keynote speakers, Prof Anette Kolmos, Director of the Aalborg Centre for Problem Based Learning in Engineering Science and Sustainability, Aalborg University, Denmark, and Dr Ronald Ulseth, Director of Academics and Research, Iron Range Engineering / Minnesota State University, USA, shared their wealth of international experiences and knowledge in PBL, while also highlighting PBL as a strategy to achieve innovation in the field of engineering education. They presented evidence for PBL leading to higher academic performance and higher overall quality of education. From their end, Prof Kolmos and Dr Ulseth stated: PBL is widely regarded as a highly effective model for students to acquire both technical skill and the much desired employability skills that companies need. ACK has a dedicated staff providing high quality PBL for their students. During his welcome speech, Dr Martin Jaeger, Manager of the PBL Center at ACK, stated: Through learning approaches such as PBL, students take ownership of their learning, they become managers of their own learning, and develop skills and knowledge within a constructive environment. State-ofthe-art laboratory facilities related to Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Petroleum Engineering, tied together with simulations of real world scenarios, all play important roles in enhancing students learning process. He added: Students are being introduced to the simulation of multidisciplinary engineering design projects that requires the collaboration of students from different engineering disciplines. They work in teams, solve real life engineering problems, develop solution techniques, and develop critical thinking that enhances learning and prepares them for the workplace. Stay tuned live on Marina FM 4 days left until Al Danah s KD 200K first quarterly draw Group driven by CSR commitment Al-Babtain organises blood donation drive KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Al Babtain Group recently organized a blood donation initiative for its employees in collaboration with the Kuwait Central Blood Bank, for the second consecutive year. The latest initiative to increase the blood stock in the country aims at helping medical facilities save lives. The event took place, at Nissan Al Babtain showroom located in Al-Rai area. Driven by its Corporate Social Responsibility commitment to being a positive force in the community, the Al Babtain Group is proud to help meeting the needs of Kuwait Central Blood Bank. The initiative also aims to raise awareness about the importance of our individual contribution in enhancing solidarity and improving health in our society, even through small acts of kindness. Blood donation is a simple act, and Al Babtain Group encourage more people and organizations to donate as to ensure the wellness the society. Mobilities & Materialities of the Gulf Burgan Bank sponsors symposium at AUK Photos from the event KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Burgan Bank recently sponsored the 2017 Gulf Studies Symposium organized by the Center for Gulf Studies at the American University of Kuwait. Themed under Mobilities and Materialities of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, the third edition bi-annual event was held from March at the central garden campus. Renowned local, regional and international scholars gathered together under one roof to examine the long historical development of people in the Gulf through an analysis of historical and archaeological evidence that ties the patterns of migration and settlement in the region to wider patterns of integration, globalization, and trade. The bank s continued contribution to the annual symposium reflects the brand s mission to improve every segment of the Kuwaiti community as part Employees of all Al Babtain Group volunteered to donate blood to the Kuwait Central Blood Bank. The donation process was managed by a dedicated team from the Kuwait Central Blood Bank, who tested all donors to ensure donation eligibility. Al Babtain Group s latest campaign of its full-fledged CSR program entitled ENGAGE Together to be the change. This program sheds light on important aspects affecting every segment of the society by promoting social welfare through educational, cultural, social and health initiatives. Burgan Bank s approach to ENGAGE begins with a vital principle that as a Kuwaiti financial institution, its conduct and policies should be aligned with the needs and interests of its community. is part of its several Corporate Social Responsibility strategy that highlights the importance of giving back to society. click General Continued from Page or info@tiescenter. KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Gulf Bank announced today that there are 4 days left until Al Danah s first quarterly draw for KD 200,000 which will be held on Thursday, 30 March 2017 and will be aired live on the Al Dewaniya program on Marina FM 90.4, from 1 pm until 2 pm. The draw event will take place in the presence of a representative from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Gulf Bank invites its customers to tune in to Marina FM 90.4, Al Dewaniya program to find out who is the lucky winner of the Al Danah KD 200,00 prize. In addition, Gulf Bank will be announcing the 3 monthly winners of the red account draw for an iphone7 Plus, ipad Pro and Apple Watch. Gulf Bank s Al Danah 2017 draw lineup includes daily draws (two winners per working day and each receive KD 1000), Al Danah s second quarterly draw for the prize of KD 250,000, which will be held on 29 June and the third Quarterly Draw for the prize of KD 500,000 will be held on 28 September. The final Al Danah draw for 1 Million Kuwaiti Dinars will be held on 11 January 2018, whereby the Al Danah Millionaire will be announced. Five reasons why the Al Danah account is the Best: 1) Kuwait s single largest yearly cash prize of KD 1 Million in the world, according to Guinness World RecordsTM 2) Kuwait s biggest quarterly cash prizes, up to KD 500,000 3) Two winners of KD 1,000 every working day 4) Offers the most opportunities to win 5) Only account that transfers your chances to win from the previous year onto the following year. Only Al Danah Makes Millionaires. Al Danah also offers a number of unique services including: the Al Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al Danah calculator to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al Danah winner. Gulf Bank s Al Danah account is open to Kuwaiti and non-kuwaiti residents of Kuwait. Customers who open an account and/ or deposit more will enter the draw within two days. To take part in the Al Danah 2017 upcoming quarterly and yearly draws, customers must have an Al Danah account containing at least KD 200; customers can visit one of Gulf Bank s 56 branches, transfer on line, or call the Customer Contact Center on for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to to find out more about Al Danah and its winners. net or visit Sports Chess Round Robin Challenge: Registrations are open for chess coaching and the Annual Round Robin Challenger Series. Send your name, Civil ID No., mobile number, age, rating to saviosgomes@gmail.com with CCR in Continued on Page 27

27 27 h o r o s c o p e By Jacqueline Bigar Happy birthday for Sunday, March 26, 2017: This year you have the ability to touch people on many different levels. You also note a tendency to feel more complete in the company of others. Observers find you to be unusually charming. If you are single, you are likely to be swept off your feet by someone you meet. Avoid putting this person on a pedestal, and try to be more realistic. If you are attached, the two of you enjoy a real sense of happiness and euphoria that strengthens your bond. Pisces understands your fragility even more than you do. The Stars Show the Kind of Day You ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult Capricorn - (Dec 22 - Jan 19) **** You have a lot on your mind right now, and as a result, you could be overwhelmed. Understand what others want from you. Determine whether you can do what they ask. Be honest about your limitations. A family member could be sarcastic at best. Tonight: In the moment. This Week: Tension builds on the home front. Aquarius - (Jan 20 - Feb 18) *** Take stock of your finances before you commit to any plans today. You could be impulsive and are likely to overspend. Your selfdiscipline might not kick in to the level that you need. Curb a tendency to cause yourself problems. Tonight: Having fun does not have to cost money. This Week: Maintain an open mind in conversations. Pisces - (Feb 19 - Mar 20) ***** Someone who is observing you might find you to be particularly charming. You have a tendency to look at situations and plans with great imagination. Plan more exactly, and you will experience less mishaps as a result. Tonight: You are in your element. You can do no wrong. This Week: Be aware of the costs of proceeding as you have been. Aries - (Mar 21 - Apr 19) *** You might decide not to share as much as you normally do. Perhaps you don t feel ready, as you are likely to be mulling over certain ideas. It would be wise to touch base with a friend or loved one with whom you enjoy brainstorming. Tonight: Wind down from the weekend. This Week: Be aware of your fragility. Taurus - (Apr 20 - May 20) ***** Make an effort to bring friends and family together for a late brunch or early dinner. If you can, host it at your place. You ll gain more insight about a loved one who is often distant. A conversation with a trusted adviser will enlighten you. Tonight: Where the action is. This Week: Not until Wednesday do you feel up to snuff. Gemini - (May 21 - June 20) ***** You might need to visit with an older friend. For some of you, there is a lot of responsibility required from you today. Imagine what you need to do in order to complete what you must. Remember to make some time for yourself. Tonight: Give in to a friend s request. This Week: Go for what you want. Cancer - (June 21 - July 22) **** Your moodiness is recognized by many people. You ll show your ability to detach from your issues. Consider what it is like to walk in someone else s shoes. You are full of energy, and you want to gain more understanding of a complicated situation. Tonight: Be near music. This Week: All eyes turn to you, as others want your feedback. Leo - (July 23 - Aug 22) **** An older friend or loved one wants to have much more to do with your life and also wants to spend more time with you. Make a plan to meet halfway and visit with this person soon. Let your feelings and imagination dominate your plans. Tonight: As you like it. This Week: Try to detach. Virgo - (Aug 23 - Sept 22): **** Defer to a key person in your life whom you often take for granted. Stop this behavior while you can, and become more caring and attentive. You will create more happiness by expressing yourself more frequently. Tonight: In the whirlwind of the moment. This Week: A partner could be unusually demanding. Libra - (Sept 23 - Oct 22) *** You might have made a promise to join a friend on a hike or maybe explore a flea market together. Spending time outside helps you clear out some heavy issues. Do not push too hard to have your way. Enjoy the first signs of spring. Tonight: Make it an early bedtime. This Week: Say yes rather than deal with a major hassle. Scorpio - (Oct 23 - Nov 21) **** Your focus is everywhere but where it should be. You see a situation in a unique way. Changes to plans could be disruptive. Look at the positives when dealing with a loved one. You might hear too much information to absorb everything that is said. Tonight: Be a bit naughty. This Week: Dive into work Monday to squeeze in all your work by Wednesday. Sagittarius - (Nov 22 - Dec 21) *** Tension is high as you experience a schism between home and what you want. In some way, you might view a personal matter as dysfunctional. Bypassing problems isn t possible unless you take responsibility for the issues. Only then can you change the outcome. Tonight: At home. This Week: Tap into your creativity for answers. Born today: Singer Diana Ross (1944), actor Leonard Nimoy (1931), former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O Connor (1930) home decor indoor gardening beauty tips taste buds TV wall chinese evergreen benefits of strawberries for skin veggie moussaka Turn your TV wall into a focal point. Hang paneled artwork behind the TV to frame it, and surround the TV with plenty of storage. This TV could have been placed on the console beneath it, but to maximize space and functionality in an apartment rental, take your TV to the wall and place a console beneath it that can be used as a serving surface when entertaining. Plus, having a piece of furniture beneath a wall-mount TV grounds it and prevents it from seeming as if there s a random black object floating on the wall. This plant has great foliage; the leaves are punctuated with shades of silver, gray, or shades of green making Chinese evergreen an attractive choice to brighten low-light areas of your home. Take a cue from shopping mall plantings and use Chinese evergreen as a ground cover around an upright, treelike houseplant. Or showcase it alone as a specimen plant. Why We Love It: It s extra tough and has attractive leaves that brighten low light spots. Name: Aglaonema commutatum Growing Conditions: Low to medium light; F.; keep evenly moist Size: To 3 feet tall and wide Note: All parts of this plant are poisonous and can cause severe irritation of the lips, tongue, and throat if eaten or chewed by pets or children. Today, scientifically it has been proven that strawberries with their anti-oxidants, astringent and anti-inflammatory properties help slowing down aging process, treat burns and offer best form of UV protection Being rich in alpha-hydroxylic acid, Strawberries help get rid of dead skin cells. They have a high content of salicylic acid making them the ideal agents to treat acne. It also includes extensive Vitamin C content that boosts up collagen production and minimizes fine lines and wrinkles. Omega- 3 fatty acids found in strawberries lighten the skin tone and reduce dark circles You can also use this fruit to tone your skin, improve skin texture, and lighten pigmentation and acne marks. Ingredients: 140g dried green lentils, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp allspice, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube, 200g sweet potatoes, thinly sliced, 1 large aubergine, sliced and the biggest slices halved again, 250g low-fat fromagefrais, 1 large egg, 50g feta cheese, crumbled, 4 tomatoes, thickly sliced. Method: Heat oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas 4. Put the lentils, onions, garlic, herbs and spices in a large pan, and pour in 850ml water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 mins. Tip in the tomatoes, stock cube, sweet potato and aubergine, then cover and simmer for a further mins until the lentils and veg are tender, and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the bay leaves. Meanwhile, beat the fromagefrais, egg and cheese together. Dear Abby Work assignment abroad makes waves back home By Abigail Van Buren Dear Abby: I took an assignment with my company that posted me to Hong Kong for two years. My adult children, ages 21, 26 and 29, were supportive, although my youngest was not especially happy about it. We video chat with our kids, trying to stay involved as much as possible. We have also visited multiple times. It s not always ideal, but we try. We have also offered to pay for them to visit us as often as they would like. My company has asked me to stay one more year because I haven t completely finished what I was sent here to do. I m inclined to do it. My youngest child, however, is so angry at me for even considering it that she won t talk to me. She refuses to come and visit, and is punishing me for needing to stay an additional year. Am I choosing my job over my children? Abigail Van Buren Professional woman from Michigan Dear professional woman: Yes, you are, but there s a practical reason for it. Also, your adult children aren t children anymore, even though your youngest is acting like one. As a career woman, if you feel you should stay in Hong Kong to complete your assignment, that is what you need to do. Dear Abby: I am responding to the letter from Unsure in the West (Oct. 9). You advised that you see nothing wrong with what she did in opening a box in a grocery store and eating some of the contents before paying at the checkout. You should know that legally, eating or using the contents of an unpaid item in the aisle is considered shoplifting. The perpetrator can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I am a certified protection professional. While the intent may not be to steal, retailers whose industry loses billions of dollars to theft each year require that items in their stores be paid for before they can be used or eaten. An employee of mine was assigned to work in a major grocery chain. He took a bottle of eye drops and used them while he was in the aisle. He had taken the exact change from his pocket and was holding it in his hand as he walked to the checkout. Before he could get there, he was arrested by store security. As a courtesy to me, the chain agreed to reinstate him if he passed a lie-detector test determining his intent to steal. (He passed the test.) I strongly recommend that the practice of using or eating items before paying for them never be condoned. Allan in Yonkers Dear Abby: I apologize for saying otherwise and thank you for your letter. Other readers also responded to that column citing firsthand experiences working in the retail field. Several of them mentioned that it is impossible to correctly charge for food that is sold by weight if someone has eaten some, such as fruit. Others said that customers sometimes get to the register to pay and realize they have left their wallet at home, or their credit card is rejected. A reader also suggested that if someone wants to pay for food after consuming it, that s what restaurants are for. In restaurants, if the customer can t pay, there are dishes to be washed. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA (Source: Universal Uclick) what s on today emergency Site for checking travel ban Affordable art exhibition: Dar Al Funoon will showcase Affordable Art Exhibition starting on Monday, March 20, 2017 at 7 pm. The exhibition continues through Sunday, March 26, It is spring time, and it is time to allow the young artists to fl ourish and build their future in the art market. Dar Al Funoon is happy to announce the upcoming exhibition of affordable art. As always, we have selected a variety of works which feature a range of diverse works by young and established artists. We hope you will be able to discover the aspiring artists and enjoy the exhibition. Football coaching workshops: Interested in Coaching/professional development? This weekend Everton Academy, Bayan will be welcoming three top coaches from Glasgow Celtic F.C., the Scottish Premier League Champions, including their International Academy Manager, Tony Massie. They will be delivering a certifi ed Celtic Coach Education program on Saturday, 6-8pm, Sunday, 6-8pm and Monday, pm. Certificates will only be awarded to coaches attending all 3 sessions. Places are limited - register at Bayan office any evening 5-8pm. Bridge game: Bridge tournament is being held every Sunday and Wednesday at 20:00 hours, played at the Graduates Club, next to Kuwait Engineering Society. Interested Bridge pairs Arnis/Eskrima training: Eskrimador- Kuwait a member of Cacoy Doce Pares World Federation now opens a new batch of training. Learn the Philippine national sports, which is Arnis/Eskrima with the authentic style and techniques. Trainclick Sports Continued from Page 26 the subject. No entry fee. Kwt-Brits football supporters: A new football supporters website for British expats living and working in Kuwait has been set up by an Everton supporter, Trevor Powell. The Kuwait Brits Football Supporters Association (KBFSA) site aims to provide contact information for supporters of each others whereabouts and also in the future hopes to organise social events such as quizzes and even five-a-side matches on a home international teams basis. We need expats to register their support and hence we can then start to cast around for a suitable meeting venue. The site can be accessed at Free fitness classes: Free fitness classes at B.FIT studio in Salmiya! Classes include Zumba, Masala Bhangra workout, aerobics, toning & much more. Contact for further information. Hurry and enroll now! FBC tournament: Filipino Badminton Committee (FBC) is inviting all badminton enthusiast in Kuwait to join their regular badminton tournament being held every or individual players please contact Mohammed Merchant, Tel: , , IPC Islamic Courses: Say: O my Lord, let me grow in knowledge. IPC is offering Islamic courses in English (for ladies only). Muslims and non-muslims are welcome. Friday from 8 am to 7 pm at Kuwait Disabled Sports Club, Bin Khaldoun Hawalli. Over 10 badminton courts are now available for badminton practices and tournament and it is open for all nationalities and from different badminton organizations. Exclusive-private court are also available on per hour rental. For more information, please contact Dr Chie Umandap A flyer of the event. 1. Tilawa Surah Ar-Rad and Surah Ibrahim Sundays at 5:30-7:00 pm; 2. Principles of Tafsir (part 2) - Sundays at 7:00-8:30 pm; 3. Tajweed 3 - Tuesday, at 5:30-7:00 pm; 4. Jesus in Surah Mariam (part 2) - Tuesdays at 7:00-8:30 pm. Instructor: Sr Zeinab Hassan Ashry Place: IPC - Women Section Al-Rawdah, Area 3, Street 30, House 12, opp The echo of your love and the sound of the sea have a few things in common they are both constant, soulful and eternal. Happy 45th wedding anniversary Ireneo Malinao and Marietta Malinao. Greetings and love from your family, relatives and friends. number 112 Civil ID info: th Ring Road. ipc_sch@yahoo.com, Telephone: St Paul s Church activities: English Worship Services on Fridays at am and on Sundays at 6.30 pm at St Paul s Church in Ahmadi. The Friday English Service has got separate sessions for Children and Youth. Chinese Worship Services on Fridays at am at House No 16, Street 9, Block 11, Salwa. Urdu Worship services on Thursdays at 5.35 pm at St. Paul s Church, Ahmadi and on Fridays at 5.45 pm at Diwaniya of NECK Campus, Kuwait City. Please contact Fr Harrison Chinnakumar for English and Urdu Congregations and his phone numbers are or and address: chaplain@stpaulskuwait.com. For Chinese congregation, please contact Zhu Peijin and her number is and address is: greenolivettc@ hotmail.com Redeemed Christian Church: The Redeemed Christian Church of God (HOD Parish) worship in English. Celebration Service: Friday 9 am 11 am; Divine encounter: Sunday, 6:30 pm 8:30 pm; Digging Deep (Bible studies): Tuesday, 6:30 pm 8:30 pm; Night vigil every last Friday of the month from 10 pm. Venue: New Mishref. For more information and direction please call , rccghouseofdavidq8@gmail.com ing schedule will be every Friday from 11:00 am to 1:00 Kaifan Sports Complex-Karate Gym. Text or call # Herms. Free IFRA coaching classes: Indian Football Referees Association (IFRA) will be starting free refresher/coaching classes for existing referees, new recruits, those aspiring to be referees and even those who would like to learn about the laws of the game at IEAS Salmiya (Don Bosco). Classes will be from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm every Friday. Those interested may call or get in touch with any IFRA member for registration. Courses Islamic and Arabic courses: Islamic and Arabic courses are being offered at the Enlightenment into Islam Center starting from 5:00-7:00 pm. Registrations can be done at the main office Women s Committee in Qurtoba. For more information contact: , , and IPC Arabic Course: IPC Rawdah Ladies Section will commence the Arabic Conversation Course. The students must have successfully completed at least 3 levels of Arabic. Placement test will be taken by those who took Arabic class outside IPC. Class is every Friday from 9-11 am. IPC Rawdah

28 28 McCarthy explains Spicer transformation E! s The Arrangement evokes Cruise, Holmes comparisons NEW YORK, March 25, (Agencies): The Arrangement may remind viewers of rumors about the effect of Scientology on the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. The drama series, which airs Sunday on E! Entertainment, stars Christine Evangelista as Megan Morrison, an up-and-coming actress who meets A-list actor Kyle West (Josh Henderson) on an audition. He s instantly smitten, and a lunch date leads to an overnight in Mexico. Everything seems to be progressing until Kyle offers Megan a marriage contract arranged by his self-help group, The Institute of the Higher Mind. She s offered an Instarelationship and the money and perks of being with one of Hollywood s biggest stars. When I first read the script I was very intrigued by the premise and it caused me to ask myself what I would do and I found that to be interesting, Evangelista said. I also liked how this young girl, her life, changes overnight and she s faced with situations and decisions and tests and is she able to endure them, and I think it posed a lot of moral questions... for her and I thought that was very interesting. In one way her life changes in a very exciting way overnight. With the other it s like at what cost? What s the expense? And it definitely comes at a price. That price includes the glare of the spotlight, jealous friends and a loss of freedom, thanks to Kyle s self-help group. The Institute helps people find what s been holding them back, search for their own happiness, Evangelista said. How they go about that is in a very manipulative way. It sort of makes people almost... a prisoner to them. Evangelista, who appeared on The Walking Dead, is aware of comparisons to Scientology and Cruise and Holmes, who divorced in 2012 after five years of marriage, but emphasizes that the show is fiction. Of course we want people to be intrigued by what we re doing, but The Institute is a totally fictionalized group, she said. These are fictional characters. Megan is a waitress when we meet her. You know that s not really like anyone we know. People want to know what happens behind closed doors and behind the curtain in Hollywood and it s intriguing. Also: LOS ANGELES: Chris Brown will guest star on ABC s Black-ish, and the network has released the first look at the musician in character on the sitcom. Brown, known for both his music talents Couch slouch and highly-publicized controversial behavior, will appear next week on the episode airing Wednesday, March 29. He will play a rapper named Richard Youngsta. The episode, aptly titled Richard Youngsta, is about Dre (Anthony Anderson) who is excited about doing a campaign with a popular rap star, but becomes conflicted when Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) and Ruby (Jenifer Lewis) provide feedback suggesting it plays on stereotypes. Meanwhile, Bow is determined to get the family to stop eating so much takeout food, but realizes the family may be too accustomed to eating whatever they want. Black-ish marks the second role on a scripted broadcast show for Brown, whose TV acting credits are limited, but include an arc on The O.C. On the film side, he s appeared in Stomp The Yard, Think Like A Man and This Christmas. LOS ANGELES: Although Melissa McCarthy s impersonation of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Saturday Night Live seems like it was a role made for her, she was initially flabbergasted at being asked to fill the role. During and interview with husband Ben Falcone on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, McCarthy revealed exactly how she came into the role. SNL called and Kent Sublette, one of our old friends from the Groundlings, who is one of the head writers there now, called and he goes, I hear you re in New York. Do you have any interest in coming in and doing Spicer for us? McCarthy said. I was like What?! LOS ANGELES: After having her songs performed for years on RuPaul s Drag Race, Lady Gaga finally makes 5 debut on the show s Season 9 premiere. But instead of a separate entrance, Gaga pretends to be one of the queens competing in the drag competition. She glides into the workroom with her face partially obscured by a headpiece. That a damn good Lady Gaga impersonator, declares contestant Charlie Hides. Another contestant, Alexis Michelle, says, So this is the Derrick Barry of this season, referring to the Britney Spears lookalike that competed on Season 8. Gaga even recorded a segment as her male alter-ego Ronnie, before revealing her true self. Ronnie happens to be the name of one of her guard dogs. Conference on recent trends in women s health held in Dubai Experts stress importance of pre-marital screening DUBAI, UAE, March 25: Pre-marital screening of couples is crucial to prevent genetic disorders, congenital anomalies & several medical, psychological marital problems, according to HE Dr Maryam Matar, Founder and Chairperson, UAE Genetic Diseases Association. Speaking at the Conference on Recent Trends in Women s Health at the Millennium Airport Hotel, Dubai recently, she stressed that pre-marital screening was imperative to examine the detection and prevention of at risk marriages, minimizing the prevalence and impact of common genetic disorders. Leading doctors of the country shared their experience and delivered talks during the conference. Speakers at the conference touched upon the importance of implementing the appropriate guidelines for screening diseases affecting women s health, and employing evidence-based approaches for diagnosis. Developing evidence-based management and treatment strategies to address diseases affecting women was also stressed. They also spoke about the importance of counseling and educating female patients to promote health management and disease prevention. Speaking on the topic Gestational Diabetes, Dr Kishore Kumar Katam, Specialist Endocrinologist Thumbay Hospital Ajman suggested preconception counseling, lifestyle modification, adequate antenatal care, choosing the right agent for glycemic control, preferring insulin over other medications and postpartum evaluation as some sure shot ways A photo from the event. to keep diabetes at bay, during pregnancy. Discussing Pre-Eclampsia in Parturient Evidence Based Approach, Dr Prashanth Hegde, Medical Director and Specialist Gynaecologist Thumbay Hospital - Ajman outlined evidence-based approach in the management of preeclampsia and discussed ways to optimize care for such patients. Use of Evidence based guidelines coupled with preeclampsia-specific checklists, team training and communication strategies, and continuous process improvement strategies are likely to reduce hypertensive related morbidity and mortality among pregnant and parturient women, he concluded. HE Dr Maryam Matar, Founder and Chairperson, UAE Genetic Diseases Association (GDA) spoke on the topic Importance of Premarital Screening (PS) and Improving the Quality of Genes. The Premarital Screening Program in the UAE is mandatory & influences marriage decisions. It plays a crucial role in that it allows informed reproductive decisions. The GDA strives to reduce the prevalence and impact of common genetic disorders in the UAE through preventative awareness programs, screening based on research studies and knowledge sharing, conducted by experts in the field using the most innovative technology at the lowest costs, she explained. Speaking on the topic Genetic Engineering The Next Designer Baby is on the Way, Dr P. K. Menon, Director of Thumbay Labs discussed in detail the strategies, technologies and implications of genetic engineering with regard to designer babies. Dr Pankaj Srivastav, Consultant Gynecologist Conceive Fertility Hospital - Sharjah outlined the aim, strategies and complications of ovulation induction, discussing the topic Evolving Trends in Ovulation Induction. Dr Osama Mahmoud Rizk Mohamed, Consultant Gynecologist and Medical Director of Thumbay Hospital Fujairah explained Ovarian Malignancy. Elaborating on his topic Rehabilitation in Breast Cancer, Dr Praveen Kumar, Dean- College of Allied Health Sciences, GMU said that maintaining a healthy body-weight, abstaining from smoking and alcohol and engaging in regular physical activities were some ways to lower the risk of breast cancer. Exercise is increasingly being implemented as a therapeutic tool in patients with breast cancer. Physical exercise has shown to be a suitable adjunct therapy to battle long term chronic conditions and has been successful in reducing mortality and improving overall quality of life, he added. The Conference on Recent Trends in Women s Health was organized by Gulf Medical University Ajman, in association with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Thumbay Hospitals. Accredited by the Ministry of Health for 5.5 CME hours, the conference was attended by healthcare professionals across broad disciplines including doctors, nurses, researchers and policy makers. The conference speakers were honored with mementos. Certificates were distributed to the seminar attendees. tv highlights Cinema Cinema programme from Thursday 23/03/2017 to Wednesday 29/03/2017 Akher Deek Fe Masr (Arabic Film) Sharqia 1 13:15 (No Fri) 19:15, 21:45, 00:05 Muhalab 2 12:30 (No Fri) 17:00, 19:15, 00:30 Fanar 3 11:45 (No Fri) 17:45, 20:15, 22:30, 00:45 Marina 3 13:00 (No Fri) 15:15, 17:30, 22:00 Avenues 5 12:15 (No Fri) 14:30, 19:15, 21:30, 23:45 Avenues 9 13:15 (No Fri) 15:30, 17:45, 20:00, 22:15, 00: :30, 15:45, 18:00, 20:15, 22:30, 00: :15 (No Fri) 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15, 23: :30 (No Fri) 13:45, 16:00, 20:45, 23:00 Al-Kout 2 12:15 (No Fri) 14:30, 18:45, 21:00, 23:30 Bairaq 3 13:00 (No Fri) 15:30, 17:45, 20:00 Laila 20:30 The Lego Batman Movie Grand Gate 7 14:00, 16:00 Barbie Video Game Hero Sharqia 1 13:30 (Fri) 15:30, 17:15 Muhalab 3 16:00 (No Fri) 17:45 Fanar 2 13:45 (Fri) Fanar 3 14:15, 16:00 Marina 1 13:30 (Fri) 15:15 (Fri, Sat) 17:00 Avenues 7 11:45 (No Fri) 13:45, 15:45, 17:30, 19: :45 (No Fri) :45 (No Fri) 14:30, 16:15, 18:15 Al-Kout 4 13:30 (Fri) 15:00, 16:45 Bairaq 1 14:30, 16:15 Bairaq 3 13:30 (Fri) Grand Hamra 7 14:15, 16:15, 18:15 Grand Gate 3 14:30, 16:00, 17:30, 19:00, 21:00, 23:00 Sharqia 2 Muhalab 3 Fanar 4 Marina 2 Avenues 4 Avenues 6 Collide 11:30 (No Fri) 18:00, 20:00 22:00, 00:05 (No Thu, Fri, Mon) 01:00 (Thu, Fri, Mon) 11:45, 14:00 (No Fri) 19:30, 00:30 21:30 (No Thu, Fri, Mon) 11:30 (No Fri) 13:30, 15:45, 20:00 22:00, 00:15 (No Thu, Mon) 01:00 (Thu, Mon) 11:45 (No Fri) 13:45, 18:15, 22:45, 00:45 11:30 (No Fri) 16:00 (No Sat) 20:30, 01:00 12:15, 14:15 (No Fri) 16:15, 18:15, 20:15 22:15, 00:15 (No Thu) 01:15 (Thu) Avenues 11 11:30 (No Fri) :45 (No Fri) 17: : :15 (No Fri) 15:15, 17:15, 19:15, 21:15, 23:15, 01: :15 (Sat) 14:15 (Fri, Sat) 16:15, 18:15, 20:15, 22:15, 00:15 Al-Kout 1 20:00 22:00, 00:05 (No Thu) 01:00 (Thu) Bairaq 3 22:15, 00:15 Laila 22:45 Grand Hamra 1 14:15, 16:30, 19:00, 21:30 00:00 (Thu, Fri) Grand Hamra GC 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, 22:30 01:00 (Thu, Fri) Grand Gate 2 14:15, 16:15, 18:15, 20:15, 22:15 00:15 (Thu, Fri) Grand Gate GC 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, 22:30 01:00 (Thu, Fri) Don t Knock Twice Grand Gate 6 14:45, 17:00, 19:15, 21:15, 23:15 Life Sharqia 2 13:30, 15:45 (No Fri) Sharqia 3 Muhalab 2 14:45 21:45 (No Thu) Fanar 1 21:30 Fanar 4 17:45 22:15, 00:30 (No Thu) Fanar 5 12:15 (No Fri) 14:30, 16:45 Marina 3 19:45, 00:15 Avenues 4 13:30, 22:30 Avenues 10 12:45 (No Fri) 15:00, 17:15, 19:30, 21:45, 00: :30, 23: :45, 00: :30 (No Fri) 13:45, 16:00, 18:15, 20:30, 22:45, 01: :30 (No Fri) 14:45, 17:00, 19:30, 21:45, 00:05 Bairaq 2 11:45 (No Fri) 16:30, 21:30, 00:05 Laila 18:15 Grand Hamra 3 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, 22:30 Grand Gate 5 14:00, 16:15, 18:45, 21:15 23:30 (Thu, Fri) Katamarayudu (Telugu Film) Sharqia 2 14:00 (Fri) 22:00 (Thu, Fri, Mon) Sharqia 3 16:15 (Fri) 19:15 (Fri, Sat, Mon) 22:15 (Thu) Muhalab 1 16:00 (Fri, Mon) 19:00 (No Thu) 22:00 (No Sun, Tue, Wed) Muhalab 2 21:45 (Thu) Muhalab 3 13:45 (Fri) 21:45 (Thu, Fri, Mon) Fanar 2 Fanar 4 Avenues 3 Avenues 6 Al-Kout 1 Al-Kout 3 Plaza Ajial 1 Ajial 2 Ajial 3 Ajial 4 Sharqia 3 Muhalab 1 Avenues 8 15:45 (Fri) 21:45 (Thu, Fri) 22:00 (Thu, Mon) 16:00 (Fri, Mon) 19:00 (No Thu) 22:00 (No Sun, Tue, Wed) 13:30 (Fri) 22:15 (Thu) 22:00 (Thu) 13:30 (Fri) 16:30 (Fri, Mon) 21:45 (Thu, Fri, Mon) 15:30 (Fri, Mon) 18:30, 21:30 (No Thu) 21:45 (Thu) 21:45 (Thu) 15:30, 18:30, 21:30 (No Thu) 22:15 (Thu) 15:45 (Fri) 18:45 (Fri, Mon) 21:45 (Thu, Fri) 16:00, 19:00 (Fri, Sat, Mon) 22:00 (Thu, Fri, Sat, Mon) Sleepless 11:45 (No Fri) 01:15 (Thu) 11:30 (No Fri) 01:00 11:30 (No Fri) 13:30, 20:45, 22:45, 00: :45 (No Fri) 13:45, 15:45, 17:45, 19:45, 21:45, 23:45 Al-Kout 2 16:45 Grand Hamra 4 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00, 22:00 00:30 (Thu, Fri) Grand Gate 8 14:30, 16:30, 18:30, 20:30, 22:30 Power Rangers Sharqia 3 13:45 16:15 (No Fri) 19:15 (No Fri, Sat, Mon) Muhalab 1 13:30 19:00 (Thu) 22:00 (Sun, Tue, Wed) Fanar 1 11:30 (No Fri) 14:00, 16:30, 19:00, 23:45 Marina 1 12:00 (No Fri) 14:30 (No Fri, Sat) 18:45, 21:15, 23:45 Avenues 2 12:00 (No Fri) 17:00, 19:30, 00:30 Avenues 4 18:00 Avenues 11 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00, 23: :00 (No Fri) 14:30, 17:00, 22:00, 00:30 19:30 (No Sat) :00 (No Fri) 21: :15, 22: :30 (No Fri) 16:30, 21:30, 00:05 Al-Kout 1 12:30 (No Fri) 15:00, 17:30 Al-Kout 3 11:30, 14:00 (No Fri) Bairaq 1 Laila 15:45 Ajial 4 How to find us 19:15, 00:45 12:00 (No Fri) 18:00, 20:30, 23:30 16:00 (No Fri, Sat, Mon) 22:00 (Sun, Tue, Wed) Grand Hamra 5 19:45, 22:30 00:45 (Thu, Fri) Grand Hamra 6 14:30, 17:00, 19:30, 22:00 01:00 (Thu, Fri) Grand Gate 1 14:00, 16:30, 19:00, 21:30 00:00 (Thu, Fri) Zahra a Area, South Surra, 6th Ring Road, corner of King Faisal Highway 2. Ajial Ajial Complex, Fahaheel 3. Al Bairaq Between Jaber Al Ali East & Al Agalia West 4. Al Fanar Al Fanar Complex, Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya 5. Al Kout Al-Kout Complex, at the end of the Coastal Road, Fahaheel 6. Al Muhalab Al Muhalab Complex, Behind Hawally Clinic, Hawally 7. Al Sharqiya Arabian Gulf Street, Souq Sharq, near the Amiri Hospital 8. Laila Gallery Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya 9. Marina Marina Mall, Between Salem Al Mubarak Street & Arabian Gulf Street, Salmiya 10. Metro Metro Complex, Farwaniya, near Crowne Plaza Hotel & Farwaniya Garden 11. Plaza Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya 12. The Avenues The Avenues Mall, Al Reggai near Al Rai, 5th Ring Road & Ghazali Road Intersection NB: Friday no show before 1:30 pm Regular show KD3:000; 3D-Digital KD3.500; VIP show KD On Monday, price is KD1.500 except Digital movies. Cinescape cinema movies inquiries and Fax Back hotline The Scientific Center IMAX Opp Holiday Inn, Salmiya, Gulf Road 14. Grand Al-Hamra Grand Al-Hamra, tel: , cinemas.com 15. Grand Gate Grand Gate, tel: , Kong: Skull Island Muhalab 1 16:00 (No Fri, Mon) Fanar 2 13:15, 15:45 (No Fri) 18:45, 00:45 21:45 (No Thu, Fri) Marina 2 15:45, 20:15 Avenues 2 14:30, 22:00 Avenues 3 13:30, 00:45 16:00 (No Fri, Mon) 19:00 (Thu) 22:00 (Sun, Tue, Wed) Avenues 5 16:45 Avenues 8 15:30, 18: :30 (No Fri) 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, 22:30, 01: : :00, 19:00 Al-Kout 3 16:30 (No Fri, Mon) 21:45 (No Thu, Fri, Mon) Bairaq 2 14:00, 18:45 Grand Hamra 5 14:45, 17:15 Grand Hamra 8 14:30, 17:00, 19:15, 21:45 Grand Gate 4 14:15, 16:45, 19:30, 22:00 00:30 (Thu, Fri) The Windmill Massacre Fanar 5 19:00, 21:00, 23:00, 00:45 Avenues 1 12:15 (No Fri) 14:15, 16:15, 18:15, 20:15, 22:15, 00: :30 (No Fri) 13:30, 15:30, 17:30, 19:30, 21:30, 23:30, 01:15 Al-Kout 4 13:00 (No Fri) 18:30, 20:30, 22:30, 00:30 Logan Avenues 7 21:00, 23: :15, 23:00 Grand Hamra 2 14:00, 16:45, 19:30, 22:15 Grand Gate 7 18:15, 21:00 23:45 (Thu, Fri) Phillauri (Hindi Film) :00 Ajial 2 15:45, 18:45 21:45 (No Thu) Vengeance: A Love Story Grand Hamra 7 20:15, 22:15 Oru Mexican Aparatha (Malayalam Film) Plaza 15:30 (No Fri, Mon) 18:30 (Thu) Ajial 3 15:45 (No Fri) 18:45 (No Fri, Mon) 21:45 (No Thu, Fri) Ajial 1 Ajial 4 Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam Film) 15:30, 18:30 (Thu) 19:00 (No Fri, Sat, Mon) IMAX Imax film programme at The Scientific Center Sunday Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am 07:30 pm A Beautiful Planet 3D 11:30 am 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 12:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 05:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 08:30 pm Monday Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am A Beautiful Planet 3D 10:30 am 05:30 pm, 07:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 11:30 am 09:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 12:30 pm, 06:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 08:30 pm Tuesday Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am Journey to Space 3D 10:30 am Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am 09:30 pm A Beautiful Planet 3D 12:30 pm, 05:30 pm, 08:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 06:30 pm Secret Ocean 3D 07:30 pm Wednesday Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am 05:30 pm A Beautiful Planet 3D 11:30 am 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 12:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 07:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 08:30 pm Thursday Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am A Beautiful Planet 3D 10:30 am 07:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 12:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 05:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 08:30 pm Friday A Beautiful Planet 3D 02:30 pm, 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 03:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 04:30 pm Secret Ocean 3D 05:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 07:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 08:30 pm Saturday Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am 05:30 pm, 07:30 pm A Beautiful Planet 3D 11:30 am 03:30 pm, 08:30 pm Journey to Space 3D 12:30 pm, 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 01:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 02:30 pm Secret Ocean 3D 04:30 pm Notes: All films are in Arabic. For English, headsets are available upon request. Film schedule is subject to changes without notice. For information call or visit

29 HEALTH 29 Lifestyle and heredity get the most blame Two thirds of cancers caused by genetic mistakes WASHINGTON, March 25, (AP): Cancer patients often wonder why me? Does their tumor run in the family? Did they try hard enough to avoid risks like smoking, too much sun or a bad diet? Lifestyle and heredity get the most blame but new research suggests random chance plays a bigger role than people realize: Healthy cells naturally make mistakes when they multiply, unavoidable typos in DNA that can leave new cells carrying cancer-prone genetic mutations. How big? About two-thirds of the mutations that occur in various forms of cancer are due to those random copying errors, researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported Thursday in the journal Science. Whoa: That doesn t mean most cases of cancer are due solely to bad luck. It takes multiple mutations to turn cells into tumors and a lot of cancer is preventable, the Hopkins team stressed, if people take proven protective steps. Thursday s report is an estimate, based on a math model, that is sure to be hotly debated by scientists who say those unavoidable mistakes of nature play a much smaller role. But whatever the ultimate number, the research offers a peek at how cancer may begin. And it should help with the why me question from people who have done everything we know can be done to prevent cancer but they still get it, said Hopkins Dr. Bert Vogelstein, a pioneer in cancer genetics who co-authored the study. They need to understand that these cancers would have occurred no matter what they did. Gene mutations cause cancer but what causes the mutations? You might inherit some mutations, like flaws in BRCA genes that are infamous for causing aggressive breast and ovarian cancers in certain families. More commonly, damage is caused by what scientists call environmental factors the assault on DNA from the world around us and how we live our lives. There s a long list of risks: Cigarette smoke, UV light from the sun, other forms of radiation, certain hormones or viruses, an unhealthy diet, obesity and lack of exercise. Then there are those random copy errors in cells what Vogelstein calls our baseline rate of genetic mutations that will occur no matter how healthy we live. One way to think of it: If we all have some mutations lurking in our cells anyway, that s yet This undated flourescence-colored microscope image made available by the National Institutes of Health in September 2016 shows a culture of human breast cancer cells. (AP) another reason to avoid known risks that could push us over the edge. How cells make typos New cells are formed when an existing cell divides and copies its DNA, one cell turning into two. Every time DNA is copied, about three random mutations occur, Vogelstein said. We all harbor these kinds of mutations and most don t hurt us because they re in genes that have nothing to do with cancer or the body s defense mechanisms spot and fix the damage, said Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society, who wasn t involved in the new research. But sometimes the errors hit the wrong spot and damage genes that can spur cancerous growth or genes that help the cell spot and fix problems. Then the damaged cells can survive to copy themselves, allowing important mutations to gradually build up over time. That s one reason the risk of cancer increases with age. The study findings Thursday s study follows 2015 research by Vogelstein and statistician Cristian Tomasetti that introduced the idea that a lot of cancer may be due to bad luck, because those random DNA copying mistakes are more common in some kinds of cancer than others.

30 3rd plane bought under sanctions deal arrives in Iran Canada determined to diversify its oil exports An Airbus A330 airliner arrived in Tehran on Saturday, the third of 200 Western-built passenger aircraft ordered by IranAir following the lifting of sanctions on Iran last year. The long-haul A landed at Tehran s Mehrabad airport, the official news agency IRNA reported, as flag-carrier IranAir tries to renew its decaying fleet. The aircraft joins another A330 and a smaller A321 delivered to Iran earlier this year by Airbus. Airbus was not immediately available for comment. Iran s pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani s success in ending international sanctions by reaching a deal with world powers has also intensified tensions ahead of May presidential elections with hardliners, who have criticised the deal for a lack of tangible economic benefits since sanctions were lifted. Iran has ordered 100 airliners from European planemaker Airbus and 80 from Boeing and is in talks to finalise a deal to buy 20 turboprop aircraft from ATR, jointly owned by Airbus and Italy s Leonardo Finmeccanica. The country has not directly purchased a Western-built plane in nearly 40 years, the one exception being the sale of an Airbus to replace one shot down by the US Navy in (RTRS) Canada s natural resource minister said Saturday his government is happy the Keystone XL pipeline has finally been approved by the White House, but he noted that obstacles remain and said Canada remains determined to diversify its oil exports beyond the United States. The minister, Jim Carr, told The Associated Press that US President Donald Trump s approval of the pipeline is good news. But he said there are other important projects like the recently approved TransMountain pipeline that will allow for exports to Asia. Ninetyeight percent of Canada s oil exports now go to the US. We want to ensure we have access to Asian markets, Carr said in a telephone interview. We want to ensure we have more than one customer, as much as we love Americans. Canada needs infrastructure to export its growing oil sands production. Alberta has the third-largest oil reserves in the world and is America s largest supplier of foreign oil. Keystone XL would carry more than one-fifth of the oil Canada exports to the United States. The pipeline owned by TransCanada received a presidential permit Friday, but Carr said he expects protests and noted it still needs a permit from the state of Nebraska. He s heard the Nebraska process could take eight months. (AP) Market Movements Change Closing pts AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries ,796 JAPAN - Nikkei , GERMANY - DAX , INDIA - Sensex , HONG KONG - Hang Seng , Change Closing pts FRANCE - CAC , EUROPE - Euro Stoxx , S. KOREA - KRX , PHILIPPINES - All Shares , Business Boursa Kuwait weekly report Bayan Investment Co Kuwait indices end trading in green zone Boursa Kuwait ended last week in the green zone. The Price Index closed at 7, points, up by 3.42% from the week before closing, the Weighted Index increased by 0.54% after closing at points, whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at points up by 0.63%. Furthermore, the week s average daily turnover decreased by 2.95%, compared to the preceding week, reaching K.D million, whereas trading volume average was million shares, recording a decrease of 3.13%. The three indices of Boursa Kuwait ended last week s trading in the green zone supported by the random purchasing operations that targeted some leading stocks, in addition to the speculative operations that concentrated on some small-cap stocks and some idle stocks, especially of market value less than its book value, amid optimism to the annual financial results of such companies, which positively reflected on the Price Index performance in particular, and enabled it during the last week from breaking the 7,000 point level up to reach its highest levels since The Boursa witnessed such performance in light of a declined trading indicators during the week, where the total value dropped from K.D million to reach K.D million, while the traded volume declined to reach 1.89 billion stock down from 1.95 billion stock in a week earlier. As per the daily trading activity, the Boursa Kuwait initiated its first session of the last week with mixed gains for the three indices, amid a noticeable increase in the trading activity especially the cash liquidity which recorded a growth of 67.48% to reach around K.D. 42 million by the end of the session, where such came by the support of the purchasing activity that was present during the session and the quick speculative operations executed on some small-cap stocks, in addition to the purchasing operations executed on some heavy stocks. On the next session, the Boursa was able to continue its upward direction, and the three indices were able to end the session in the green zone, supported by the continued quick speculative operations on the small-cap stocks, amid fluctuation in the trading activity, where the traded volume increased by 2.43% however the trading value dropped by 15.62%. The Boursa continued its renaissance in the mid-week session and was able to realize gains for the three indices amid a continued purchasing operations that included many listed stocks of different sectors, especially the Technology and Consumer Goods, the most growing sectors by the end of the session. However on Wednesday s session, the three Boursa indices fluctuated and closed mixed, where the Price Index was able to close in the green zone solely, with noticeable gains by the end of the session that exceeded 2%, to close above 7,000 point level for the first time since more than two years, supported by the continued speculative operations on the small-cap and idle stocks, while the Weighted and KSX-15 indices declined by the end of the session affected by the profit collection operations executed on some leading and heavy stocks. On the end of week session, the three Boursa indices met in the green zone closing area, supported by the speculative operations, however at lower pace than the previous session, executed on some leading and heavy stocks of different sectors, especially of the Industrial and Banks sectors, to end the session with limited gains. For the annual performance, the Price Index ended last week recording 22.54% annual gain compared to its closing in 2016, while the Weighted Index increased by 11.70%, and the KSX-15 recorded 8.83% growth. Sectors Indices Nine of Boursa Kuwait s sectors ended last week in the green zone, while the other three recorded declines. Last week s highest gainer was the Industrial sector, achieving 11.17% growth rate as its index closed at 1, points. Whereas, in the second place, the Health Care sector s index closed at 1, points recording 5.98% increase. The Consumer Services sector came in third as its index achieved 3.75% growth, ending the week at points. The Real Estate sector was the least growing as its index closed at 1, points with a 0.58% increase. On the other hand, the Technology sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 2.11% to end the week s activity at points. The Consumer Goods sector was second on the losers list, which index declined by 2.04%, closing at 1, points, followed by the Banks sector, as its index closed at points at a weekly loss of 0.02%. Sectors Activity The Real Estate sector dominated a total trade volume of around million shares changing hands during last week, representing 43.89% of the total market trading volume. The Financial Services sector was second in terms of trading volume as the sector s traded shares were 35.06% of last week s total trading volume, with a total of around million shares. On the other hand, the Banks sector s stocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of around K.D million or 27.17% of last week s total market trading value. The Financial Services sector took the second place as the sector s last week turnover was approx. K.D million representing 26.17% of the total market trading value. Committee to discuss ways to stabilise prices OPEC in Kuwait to verify extent of production cuts By Kamel Al-Harami Independent Oil Analyst The committee for monitoring production cuts, which is headed by Kuwait, will meet soon to verify the extent of production cuts. The Kuwait meeting will not come up with any firm promises by OPEC and Russia to cut production by 1.8 million barrels per day. Since the beginning of December, the oil prices began to improve and hit $57 per barrel. All oil-producing countries were jubilant that the oil prices have finally begun to pick up and are expected to be smooth sailing for the rest of the year. It seems our jubilation did not last long, as the oil prices are nearing $50 and Al-Harami there are no indications of any real reduction in the oil surplus in the market, which is more than 200 million barrels. However, this is not due to non-compliance by OPEC and Russia, as the compliance rate is more than 85 percent and there has been no cheating this time. It is because of the revival of the USA shale oil in a calm manner. It seems shale oil needs some comfort zone of stable and steady oil price in order to pick up again without any threats of further weakening of oil prices. This time, OPEC is facing a new threat, as the trick of reducing production is not workable because it gives the enemy sufficient period for ensuring stability of shale oil again. The Kuwait meeting will end with a clear certificate of compliances and perhaps higher level of adherence than in the past. It will recommend continuing the path of production cuts, if not more cuts. However, this is the dilemma that conventional oil producing countries are facing. The more they cut, the higher the temptation for shale oil producers to seek more rigs and further production, as they would be safely secure and more stabile. It will be an opportunity of being secure under the guarantee of OPEC to continue oil reduction. So what can be done now? What further actions will be taken by OPEC next May? How to move forward? Of course, it still has two month to watch and observe the markets. However, oil producing countries just cannot compete with shale oil companies, as they dig deep in their pockets to reduce costs. This we simply cannot do, even though our production cost, which is less than $10 per barrel for most Gulf oil producers, is increasing but our annual expenses in meeting our budgets require the oil price to be more than $65 per barrel. Any level below this means further borrowings from international banks, and further misery. On the other hand, such a level will be like heaven for shale oil producers, ensuring huge rewards for its shareholders. OPEC is facing a hard time, as it simply can neither go ahead with the status quo option nor free the production levels because it will mean further weakening of oil prices which will fall below $40 level in no time. The only option available to OPEC is further oil production cuts. It will generate better cash flow than any figure if oil price is below $40 per barrel, as we are in need of cash much more than shale oil producers. OPEC is in need of an oil price level of $69 and more, while shale oil producers can be happy with an oil price level of $50. This is the challenge for OPEC from now onwards. naftikuwaiti@yahoo. com Saudi to extend new settlement period, short-selling on April 23 Reforms aimed at joining international equity indexes New focus on supply rather than physical amount pumped Goodhart s Law and OPEC s output deal John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own. Editor By John Kemp No evidence has emerged of cheating on the OPEC/non-OPEC production agreement so far. But Goodhart s Law is a reminder traders should expect countries to try to circumvent any target once it has been chosen. Goodhart s Law states that any observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control purposes. Charles Goodhart was a Bank of England official and he was expressing the bank s frustration that any measure of the money supply it started targeting ceased to be a good target soon after it was chosen. Anthropologist Marilyn Strathern subsequently reformulated the law as a more general problem of measurement and accountability in any organisation or system. When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure, she wrote Central bankers have long known that once a target is chosen, banks and other institutions have a strong incentive to innovate around it to escape from control. The question is whether OPEC and non-opec countries will fall victim to the same problem with their agreement to reduce oil output now they have settled on a measure to assess compliance. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries publishes two figures for its members oil production in its Monthly Oil Market Report. The first is based on direct communications from member countries while the second is based on a survey of six secondary sources, mostly statistical agencies and specialist oil industry publishers. The secondary sources are Platts and Argus,? the US Energy Information Administration, the International Energy Agency, Cambridge Energy Research Associates, and Petroleum Intelligence Weekly. The use of secondary sources dates from disputes in the 1980s about whether members were submitting inaccurate data to cheat on their output allocations (Goodhart s Law in operation again). So the OPEC agreement reached towards the end of 2016 relies on secondary sources rather than direct communications to set both the production level and assess compliance with the target. The use of secondary sources was a key demand from Saudi Arabia to ensure the agreement was transparent, credible and verifiable. But the selection of the secondary sources as the control target has put the system under scrutiny and pressure as never before. Before the agreement was reached, Iraq in particular devoted a lot of effort to lobbying the secondary sources to raise their estimates of its output and bring them into line with government figures. DUBAI, March 25, (RTRS): Saudi Arabia s stock exchange said it would extend the period for settling trades and introduce short-selling on April 23, reforms that may help the market join international equity indexes, attracting billions of dollars of fresh investment. From April 23, trades will be settled within two working days of execution, the exchange said in a statement late on Thursday. That system is used by many big emerging markets. At present, trades must be settled on the same day, which inconveniences foreign investors as they need to have large amounts of money on hand before trading. This can be hard given Riyadh s time zone and its Sunday-Thursday business week. Saudi authorities had previously said they would change the settlement period, a reform demanded by index compilers such as MSCI, sometime during the second quarter of 2017 but had not announced a date. MSCI is due to decide in June The apparent aim was to establish a higher production baseline from which any subsequent cuts would be calculated. Iraq started to share detailed field-byfield production data with the secondary sources and other media organisations in an effort to bring their estimates closer to government numbers. Now the agreement is in operation, the question is how accurately the secondary sources are capturing OPEC members production. Secondary source estimates have become the focus of intense interest as OPEC officials have sought to focus oil traders attention on compliance. In general, the secondary sources show aggregate compliance has been high, with Saudi Arabia shouldering more than its fair share to make up from weaker compliance by other members. But in an ironic twist, confusion has arisen about the Saudi numbers, where have been unusually large discrepancies between government production data and secondary source estimates for January and February. Secondary sources and government production data (notified to OPEC and the Joint Organisations Data Initiative) usually track each other closely in the case of Saudi Arabia. Secondary source estimates are normally a little lower than government production data, but the gap averaged just 72,000 bpd in 2016 and was never greater than 102,000 bpd. Continued on Page 31 whether to begin reviewing Saudi Arabia for inclusion in its emerging market index. An April date for the settlement change would give MSCI time to evaluate its impact before making a decision. The exchange also said it would permit short-selling of stocks, and the borrowing and lending of securities, on April 23. This could make the market more attractive by giving investors flexibility to hedge. To limit the risk of destabilising the market, the exchange will impose several restrictions; investors can only sell borrowed stocks short, the practice is limited to certain investors such as funds, and the exchange will specify which individual stocks can be sold short. Short-selling is banned around the Gulf but foreign investors have been able to get around the ban in some markets by using offshore swaps. In Saudi Arabia, though, banks have refused to offer swaps for fear of jeopardising their business within the kingdom, said regional hedge fund MENA Capital. The Saudi exchange s decision to allow the practice will significantly expand our shorting universe, the fund said. After it starts reviewing whether to admit a country into an index, MSCI usually takes 11 months before deciding, and actual inclusion then tends to come a year later. This could mean Saudi Arabia entering MSCI s emerging market index in mid-2019, though MSCI can move faster if it wishes. Rival index compiler FTSE has said it will decide this September whether to upgrade Saudi Arabia to a secondary emerging market. A smaller amount of emerging market funds are benchmarked to its index than MSCI s.

31 BUSINESS 31 Uber tells US court customers must arbitrate disputes Twitter may build paid Tweetdeck client for brands A US appeals court in New York on Friday weighed arguments over whether Uber Technologies Inc customers gave up their right to sue the company when they registered for its popular taxi hailing service. The case could have wider implications for internet businesses, which often require customers to agree to bring disputes through private arbitration as part of long lists of terms and conditions when they register for services. Theodore Boutrous, arguing for Uber, urged the three-judge 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals panel to send a class action lawsuit by Connecticut Uber passenger Spencer Meyer over the company s pricing practices to arbitration, which US District Judge Jed Rakoff refused to do last year. When users register for Uber on their smartphones, Boutrous said, they are told on the registration screen that by registering, they are agreeing to terms and conditions. Boutrous said a typical smartphone user can t miss the notice, and can easily read the terms and conditions by touching a link. Jeffrey Wadsworth, arguing for Meyer, said it was not reasonable to expect customers to know they were giving up their right to sue when they agreed to standard terms and conditions from an internet-based service. (RTRS) Twitter is considering reviving its long-neglected Tweetdeck desktop client, for a fee: The company has been surveying users whether they d be willing to pay for a version of the software that would include advanced analytics, alerts and other pro features that would make it more suitable for brands, media organizations and other power users looking to stay on top of Twitter trends. The is premium tool set will provide valuable viewing, posting, and signaling tools like alert, trends and activity analysis, advanced analytics, and composing and posting tools all in one customizable dashboard, according to the survey, which was first reported on by users on Twitter. The paid Tweetdeck version would come without ads, and allow users to monitor multiple accounts. The survey also included a mockedup screenshot of the software: Twitter acquired Tweetdeck all the way back in 2011, when the software was one of the most popular third-party Twitter clients. Tweedeck has remained popular with Twitter power users, but the company hasn t rolled out any major updates for it for some time. There s no word yet on how much Twitter may charge for a paid version of Tweetdeck, and The Verge reported Thursday evening that the new version hasn t actually been built yet by the company. (RTRS) Co plans to invest $25bn in broadband infrastructure and tech Trump touts Charter hiring that was in works for 2 years WASHINGTON, March 25, (RTRS): US President Donald Trump on Friday touted Charter Communications Inc s decision to invest $25 billion in the United States and a plan the company announced before he was elected to hire 20,000 workers over four years. At a White House event with the second-largest US cable company s Chief Executive Thomas Rutledge and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Trump praised Charter for planning to close its offshore call centers and move them to the United States. Much of the announcement was not new. Charter said last May that it planned to add 20,000 jobs as part of its merger with Time Warner Cable and acquisition of Bright House Networks. As early as June 2015, Rutledge said Charter would need an additional 20,000 employees after those deals. On a number of occasions, Trump has touted job announcements at the White House that had been previously planned or announced. The company said more than a year ago in February 2016 that it planned to close foreign Time Warner Cable call centers and move the jobs to the United States. On Friday, Trump said, We re embracing a new economic model the American Model. We re going to massively eliminate job-killing regulations that has started already, big league - reduce government burdens, and lower taxes that are crushing American businesses and American workers. You re going to see thousands and thousands and thousands of jobs, of companies, and everything coming back into our country. Charter, which has 24 million residential and business customers in 41 states, said on Friday it had committed to Trump to hiring those workers within four years. It plans to invest $25 billion in broadband infrastructure and technology in the next four years. In May 2016 Rutledge said in a recorded interview there would be some overlap in management positions (after the TWC merger) but said the company would hire about 20,000 people over four years. US growth prospects not fully reflected in markets: Mnuchin WASHINGTON, March 25, (RTRS): US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday that he believes fi nancial markets could improve significantly once they fully reflect the potential for US economic growth from President Donald Trump s economic policies. Mnuchin said at an event sponsored by news website Axios that optimism about US growth from policies such as regulatory reform and tax reform is definitely not all Rutledge said the broadband investment was being made in the right regulatory climate and right tax climate... We re committed to spending that predicated on the kind of regulatory consistency and efficiency that we expect as a country. Charter agreed in May 2016 to make significant broadband investment under a deal with the Federal Communications Commission that was part of winning approval to acquire the cable networks. At that baked in to market valuations. US stock prices and the dollar have strengthened significantly since Trump was elected in November, largely in anticipation of corporate profits rising as regulatory burdens ease and tax rates fall. Some of those gains were retraced this week as Republicans in Congress faced stiff opposition from conservatives in passing a bill to replace the Obamacare health law. I think there is some good news time Charter agreed to extend highspeed internet access to another two million customers within five years, with one million served by a broadband competitor. Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement on Friday that the commission was working to set rules of the road that encourage companies to build and upgrade broadband networks across the country. He credited the FCC s investment-friendly policies in part for Charter s commitments. The agency is considering a petition by the American Cable Association to strike the requirement Charter extend service to areas already served by companies because it could harm smaller competitors. Charter also touted its plans to open a new bilingual call center in McAllen, Texas and said it expects to employ 600 there by the end of Plans to open a call center in Texas were announced last October. that s baked in, but yet, I think there is further room for significant growth in the economy that would be reflected in the markets, Mnuchin said. The consequence would be that the market could go up significantly, Mnuchin added. Treasury secretaries in the past have shied away from publicly discussing market valuations. But Mnuchin said Trump s policies could produce growth of 3 percent to 3.5 percent, which is significantly higher than the fourth quarter reading of 1.9 percent. We re in an environment where the US assets are the most attractive assets to invest in on a global basis. Mnuchin said he is still aiming to achieve passage of comprehensive tax reform by the time Congress takes its August recess. He also said he expects the Trump administration s Obamacare replacement bill to pass later on Friday. In December, Trump announced that telecommunications group Sprint Corp and US satellite company OneWeb would bring 8,000 jobs to the United States, and the companies said the positions were part of a previously disclosed pledge by Japan s SoftBank Group Corp. In January, Sprint Chief Executive Marcelo Claure said of its decision to shift 5,000 call center jobs to the United States that the company had plans to do this for a while. Coal trading rises to levels last seen in 2014 Vitol posts record volumes as gasoline trade booms LONDON, March 25, (RTRS): Vitol s annual traded volumes rose 16 percent in 2016 to a new record as the world s largest independent energy trader sold more gasoline and diesel in markets such as the United States and Australia. The Swiss-based company said on Friday its crude oil and product trading rose to 2,597 million barrels last year, or more than 7 million barrels a day. Crude represented 48 percent of its traded portfolio and volumes also rose 16 percent. The biggest jump in percentage terms came from gasoline, up 44 percent and gasoil, up 26 percent, driven by increasing demand in the United States, Australia and Vitol s growing presence in key African markets. Vitol s turnover, however, fell to $152 billion in 2016 from $168 billion in 2015 as a result of lower energy prices. (Global) demand growth of 1.4 million barrels a day exceeded our expectations slightly, but the continued efficiency gains within the exploration and extraction sector ensured the market was well supplied and the impact on price constrained, Vitol said. The firm also said oil prices in 2016 were no longer in the steep contango market structure that boosted results in Contango is a market structure in which the price for delivery of a product in the future is higher than the immediate price. Vitol also said growth in the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from US shale was creating new opportunities. Our 2016 volumes increased by 131 percent and, longer term, we anticipate that the ample supply of LPG will facilitate the switch away from solid fuels for cooking in economies across Africa and Asia, it said. In addition, we are working with power plants and light industry in Africa to help them move from burning fuel oil and diesel to LPG, a cleaner and more efficient source of fuel. Vitol said its coal trading increased to levels last seen in 2014, reflecting a growing pull from Asia as new coal-fired power stations became operational, with an estimated increase in coal generation capacity in 2016 of more than 50 gigawatts. The trader has also appointed Russell Hardy, a member of the executive committee, to the newly created role of CEO for Europe, Middle East and Africa as the company s growing size demand more focussed management. For its Geneva presence, David Fransen shifted from managing director to chairman while Gerard Delsad, the company s chief information officer, is now also the new management head. During 2016, Vitol consolidated and expanded its presence in the retail sector by increasing its stakes in existing ventures while also adding Royal Dutch Shell s aviation business in Australia. Through a joint venture with U.S. firm Sargeant Marine called VALT, Vitol increased its presence in asphalt. The venture trades 1.3 million tonnes a year and has one of the largest asphalt shipping fleets. In production, Vitol said its focus remained its stake in the Sankofa Gye Nyame field off Ghana operated by Eni. It expects its first oil to be produced in the summer of 2017 and gas in the first half of Britain s poorest, excluded from banking, turn to high-cost credit LONDON, March 25, (RTRS): Poorer people in Britain are being excluded from the financial system and forced to rely on expensive and substandard banking products, according to a report by British lawmakers published on Saturday. There are 1.7 million adults in the country that do not have access to a bank account, the report said, raising the risk that they will turn to high-cost sources of credit such as payday loans, doorstep loans sold at a customer s home, and a system known as rent-to-own. In the latter method, a company rents consumer goods to a customer at a high cost, with ownership not transferred until the final payment. Usage of rent-toown has more than doubled in the last five years to over 400,000 households in Britain, according to Christine Allison, financial inclusion fellow at the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation. StepChange Debt Charity estimates 2.6 million people in Britain are struggling with severe problem debt, and another 8.8 million show some signs of financial difficulty. Particularly at risk are those in the lowest income brackets, the report said, defined in British government data as having an average weekly household income of 130 pounds to 240 pounds ($162-$299). Regulation of short-term payday loan companies has been effective in curbing some of their practises such as exorbitant interest rates, but other forms of high-cost credit have flourished instead, according to Claire Tyler, a lawmaker in the House of Lords who chaired the committee on financial exclusion. There is a poverty premium where the poor pay more for credit, Tyler told Reuters in an interview. The report called on the Financial Conduct Authority to establish new rules requiring banks to have a duty of care towards their customers to address some of these problems, but left the definition of that duty up to the regulator. Britain s Treasury department and nine of the biggest banks in 2014 agreed new guidelines stipulating that so-called basic bank accounts should be fee-free, in an effort to widen access to banking. Tyler said data were not yet available to show the impact of those new rules. The report also said Britain s poorer and more vulnerable people were hardest hit by bank branch closures, echoing a report by Reuters last June that showed banks were disproportionately closing branches in the lowest-income areas while expanding in wealthier ones. US business spending picking up, but may slow in second quarter Core capital goods orders slip 0.1% in Feb WASHINGTON, March 25, (RTRS): New orders for USmade capital goods unexpectedly fell in February, but a surge in shipments amid demand for machinery and electrical equipment supported expectations for an acceleration in business investment in the first quarter. Manufacturing is recovering from a prolonged slump, driven by the energy sector, bucking a slowdown in the broader economy. The Federal Reserve last week described business investment as appearing to have firmed somewhat. In this Feb 8, 2017, photo, washers and dryers appear on display for sale at a J. C. Penney store in Pittsburgh. On March 24, the Commerce Department releases its February report on durable goods. (AP) Shoppers look elsewhere for inspiration NEW YORK, March 25, (AP): Erica Dao used to shop at malls once a month, looking in stores and seeing what the mannequins displayed. Now, she mainly looks for inspiration on social media. I discover brands through Instagram, said Dao, 33, of St Paul, Minnesota. Elizabeth Troy says she was the queen of sales, going through discounted items at J. Crew and Banana Republic stores at malls near where she lives in Richmond, Virginia. But her go-to source has become the online subscription service Stitch Fix, which lets her try on clothes at home and decide what to keep. I almost never go out to buy now, says Troy, 50. Goodhart s Law Those kind of shifts illustrate the way people are changing how they buy clothing. Shoppers aren t just showrooming at stores and then buying the same items online if they can find better prices it s a more significant separation from the mall. That is spelling big problems for mall chains like The Limited, which has shut all 250 of its stores, and Wet Seal, which filed for bankruptcy. Department stores like Macy s and JC Penney anchors for the malls are also closing stores. Sears Holdings Corp has said there s substantial doubt about its future, but believes its plan to turn around its business should reduce that risk. The number of distressed retailers those with cash problems and poor credit profiles Continued from Page 30 But in January 2017, the secondary source estimate was 117,000 bpd higher than the government data, for the first time in more than a year. Then in February, the difference swung the other way, with the secondary source estimate 214,000 bpd lower than the government figure notified to OPEC. The discrepancy caused significant comment in the oil market and the Saudi energy ministry responded by issuing a rare statement on March 14: The difference between what the market observes as production, and the actual supply levels in any given month, is due to operational factors that are influenced by storage adjustments and other month to month variables. Saudi sources have told Reuters that operational issues regularly require the addition of withdrawal of oil from storage ( Saudi pledges stable oil supply as market confused by data. Saudi Arabia wants traders to focus on the amount of oil supplied to the market rather than the physical amount pumped from oil wells in any given month. The difference between production and supply is caused by flows into and The evidence is building that manufacturing activity is on something of an upswing and that capital spending on business equipment is poised to advance for the second consecutive quarter, said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York. The Commerce Department said on Friday that non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, dipped 0.1 percent last month after rising 0.1 percent in January. That suggested a slowdown in business spending in the second quarter. Shipments of these so-called core capital goods jumped 1.0 percent after declining 0.3 percent in January. Core capital goods shipments are used to calculate equipment spending in the government s gross domestic product measurement. Last month s jump reflected increases in orders at the end of Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods orders rising 0.6 percent last month. Orders for machinery inched up 0.1 percent while shipments increased 0.9 percent. Orders for electrical equipment, appliances and components advanced 2.2 percent, the biggest increase in seven months, and shipments rose 1.5 percent. A recovery in oil prices from multiyear lows is driving demand for equipment in the energy sector, helping to lift the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing, which accounts for about 12 percent of the US economy is also being underpinned by a burst of confidence amid promises by the Trump administration to slash taxes for businesses, boost infrastructure spending and repeal some regulations. Details of the fiscal stimulus package, however, remain vague, resulting in a moderation in orders for equipment in the last couple of months. Economists say business spending could slow in the second quarter even as they expect an acceleration this quarter. A separate report on Friday from data firm Markit showed its US manufacturing sector index fell in March to a five-month low. Business optimism has been at cycle highs since the start of the year, but has yet to translate into commensurate strength in real activity, said that are facing strong competition Sarah House, an economist at Wells is at the highest rate since 2009, says Fargo Economics in Charlotte, North Moody s Investor Service. Carolina. Retail is increasingly becoming Spending on equipment is expected boring, said James Reinhart, CEO of to pick up after a 1.9 percent annualized growth pace in the fourth quarter. the used-clothing marketplace thredup. He says much of the merchandise Still, that will likely be insufficient to at stores is homogenous, while online offset the drag on GDP from slower each day there s a whole new assortment. deficit. consumer spending and a wider trade Department stores make regular The Atlanta Fed is forecasting the announcements about the next way economy growing at a 1.0 percent rate they re going to win customers back, in the first quarter after expanding at like offering more athletic-inspired a 1.9 percent pace in the final three clothes or adding tech areas. But months of they re fighting a market in which people are already buying fewer clothes, demand for transportation equipment Last month, a 4.3 percent jump in spending online or at discounters when offset the dip in core capital goods they do, and demanding more personal bookings, and hoisted overall orders and convenient ways to buy. for durable goods, items ranging from toasters to aircraft that are meant to out from the country s storage tanks. last three years or more, 1.7 percent. Sources have told Reuters that production could fluctuate slightly from in January. Durable goods orders rose 2.3 percent month to month, but supply to the Civilian aircraft orders soared 47.6 market will remain stable at around 10 percent in February, driven by an increase in plane orders at Boeing. million bpd, in line with commitments to OPEC. Orders for motor vehicles and parts What we are watching closely is fell 0.8 percent in February, while orders for defense aircraft declined 12.8 the supply. Saudi Arabia will not supply the market more than 10 million percent. There were increases in orders bpd, a Saudi-based industry source for primary metals, but orders for fabricated metal products fell as did those told Reuters. Pumped production is the basis of for computers and electronic products. the government s direct communication to OPEC, but the supply figure is goods increased 0.2 percent last month Unfilled orders for core capital usually leaked to journalists and tends after rising 0.5 percent in January. Inventories of overall durable goods rose to form the basis of the secondary source estimates. (RTRS) 0.2 percent last month.

32 BUSINESS 32 Virgin America will be latest brand to disappear In this file photo, a Virgin America plane taxis past an Alaska Airlines plane waiting at a gate, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. (AP) After months of teasing, Alaska Airlines has bad news for loyal customers of Virgin America their airline s name is being dumped. Alaska announced that it will retire the Virgin brand, probably in 2019, adding that name to a list including Continental and US Airways that disappeared in the past decade. Launching a new airline takes lots of money and patience one reason that Virgin America s debut in 2007 was so eye-catching. The other was its hip vibe including mood lighting and young, attractive flight attendants. So when Alaska announced last year that it was buying Virgin for $2.6 billion, it was like asking Virgin customers to trade in their sports car for a minivan a solid, reliable ride, but not exciting. Alaska Airlines knew it, too. Last June, CEO Brad Tilden held out hope to Virgin fans that he might keep the Virgin America brand, and run it as a separate airline under the same corporate umbrella. Tilden said he believed in the power of the Virgin America brand, and we don t want to lose all that loyalty. But running an airline within an airline adds complexity and costs. Alaska flies only Boeing jets; Virgin uses Airbus planes. Sometimes a split personality works in airline business, sometimes it doesn t remember Ted, by United Airlines? And so Alaska s announcement came as no surprise to people in the business. (AP) Bank to present business review for 2016 and earnings forecasts for 2017 Burgan Bank s AGM and Shafafi yah Forum to be held on March 29 KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Burgan Bank announced today that its Annual General Assembly meeting of shareholders will be held on March 29, at 12:00 pm at the KIPCO Tower 56th floor. As part of its corporate philosophy of advocating transparency with its investors, Burgan Bank will hold its An ideal card for frequent travelers annual Shafafiyah forum following the AGM. The forum will allow the Bank to present a business review for 2016 and earnings forecasts for 2017 to shareholders, partners, institutional investors and other members of the financial community. The Shafafiyah Forum is an annual event that is held amongst Kuwait Projects Company s (KIPCO) subsidiaries, and reflects a strong corporate governance practice, which promotes corporate fairness, transparency and accountability. The forum provides an ideal platform to discuss financial reports and outlook as well as market predictions openly with shareholders. NBK launches Foreign Currency Prepaid Card KUWAIT CITY, March 25: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has recently launched NBK Foreign Currency Prepaid Card; as part of its ongoing efforts to facilitate customers banking transactions while traveling abroad, enabling cardholders to pay using the hosting country s currency. This new innovative card is the safest and most convenient means of payment, as it delivers a more secure and convenient experience for NBK customers during their travel, and gives them peace of mind knowing that they have recharged their prepaid cards before leaving home, thus avoiding any exchange fluctuation. NBK Foreign Currency Prepaid Card is available in seven currencies: US Dollar, Euro, Pound Sterling, UAE NBK single currency prepaid card. Dirham, Egyptian Pound, Indian Rupee, and the Jordanian Dinar. Customers can recharge their cards through NBK Online Banking, NBK s IVR, NBK Call Center, or any of NBK branches. Commenting on the newly launched card, NBK Assistant General Manager- Consumer Banking Group, Hanadi Khazal said that this card is ideal for frequent travelers as it provides a full range of benefits to NBK customers and facilitates their purchase transactions outside Kuwait. The new card is an example of leveraging innovation to deliver on client needs, and builds on NBK s ongoing efforts to providing frequent travelers with the flexibility and security while paying for their purchases in any of the currencies provided by the card, be it for online shopping, point-of-sale, or ATM withdrawals. Moreover, NBK Foreign Currency Khazal Prepaid Card offers a range of benefits including: Travel insurance of up to $100,000, exclusive offers and rewards from Visa, SMS Service, in addition to easy login to your account via NBK Online Banking, and other benefits that meet travelers lifestyle and needs. In addition, customers can apply for the card with ease and convenience through NBK Online Banking or NBK Call Center, and the bank will deliver the card to them free of charge anywhere in Kuwait. NBK Credit Cards are widely accepted worldwide and are the safest, most convenient and rewarding way to pay, offering value added features, numerous discounts, and excellent rewards. For more information contact NBK Call Center at , or visit nbk.com Deal in line with strategy to develop stock market Boursa Kuwait signs MoU with MEIRA KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Boursa Kuwait has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Middle East Investor Relation Association on Thursday, March 23, at Boursa Kuwait Headquarters. Khaled AlKhaled, Boursa Kuwait Vice-Chairman and CEO, and Alex MacDonald-Vitale, MEIRA Chairman, signed the agreement to mark the start of this partnership. MEIRA is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote investor relations best practice throughout the Middle East. Through this partnership, Boursa Kuwait will be playing a leading role in the support of the MEIRA Kuwait Chapter in an effort to raise the standards of the Investor Relations role by rolling out specialized awareness and training programs. Commenting on this agreement, Khaled AlKhaled said: Developing the exchange scene in Kuwait requires extensive work on many different levels. One primary level is engaging with our stakeholders with the persistent and consistent transparent approach, which we have adopted since the start. He also added This has allowed us to establish positive relations with them that in turn has and will continue to support the evolvement of Boursa Kuwait into the leading exchange we seek to create. Boursa Kuwait aims to partner with organizations and entities that share the same interests and objectives, in order to ensure a valuable outcome and a mutually beneficial partnership. In line with this agreement, Boursa Kuwait aims to further establish and deploy best practices with regards to the existing investor relations activities and framework, and indeed lev- Khaled Al Khaled and Alex McDonald during the signing of the agreement. erage the knowhow and competence of market experts, such as MEIRA, AlKhaled added. The objectives of MEIRA are to foster a culture of effective communication between listed companies, exchanges, regulators, advisers and the buy and sell side communities in the Middle East, and to promote transparency in the market. It also plays an essential role in the governance framework which must be adhered to in terms of listed companies and licensed individuals. Commenting on its role in reinforcing effective investor relations, Mac- Donald-Vitale at MEIRA said: We are delighted to embark on this strategic partnership with Boursa Kuwait. This Memorandum of Understanding Kuwait s bank carries on international expansion policy, aiming to strengthen its position: Al Sager further strengthens the existing platform of collaboration between MEIRA and Boursa Kuwait, at a time when continued improvement in standards of best practice is of critical importance to the market s development. He also added At MEIRA, we look forward to supporting Boursa Kuwait s efforts to develop the Kuwait financial market. Following the signature of the MOU, MEIRA plans to host a training session on Investor Relations on April in Kuwait, which is open to public, interested in IR matters. For more information on Boursa Kuwait, please visit or info@boursakuwait.com.kw. NBK is fi rst GCC bank to open branch in China KUWAIT CITY, March 25: National Bank of Kuwait opened its new branch in People s Republic of China, holding a ceremony at Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai attended by the Kuwaiti Ambassador Samih Jawhar Hayat and the bank s top executives, led by Isam Jasem Al Sager, NBK Group Chief Executive Officer and Shaikha Khaled Al Bahar, NBK Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer. NBK has previously set up a representative office in Shanghai in The bank s activities were limited to non-operational activities such as client referral, information gathering, and market research. Since then, NBK decided to expand its presence in China through transforming its representative office into a branch, becoming the first GCC bank to launch a fully-fledged branch in China. This step positions NBK to seize expansion opportunities and to reinforce mutual investment cooperation between the MENA region and China. The Kuwaiti Ambassador Samih Jawhar Hayat highlighted the importance of Kuwait-China long-standing diplomatic relationship since the 70s, the importance of encouraging private sector investments and trade between the 2 countries, and the support and excitement on the one belt one road vision of China. He also mentioned that Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has a significant presence in China, and that Shanghai is the main hub for business in Asia. The Kuwaiti Ambassador appraised the strength and history of NBK, and the importance of the opening of a branch in China, He thanked also the Chinese and Shanghai authorities. He ended his speech by wishing good luck and expressing his full support and help for the Bank. Isam Jasem Al Sager, NBK Group Chief Executive Officer said: NBK carries on its regional and international expansion policy, aiming to strengthen its position in the local and international banking arena. Moreover, opening a branch for NBK in China adds a new milestone in the bank s series of expansions. He also noted that NBK will continue during the upcoming period to focus on strengthening its position in the GCC markets, as well as Egypt, due to the promising growth opportunities that those markets reflect. Al Sager pointed out that NBK has become a leading regional group, with over USD79 billion in assets. Launching a new branch in China establishes NBK s presence in the Chinese banking market, in which the bank has been present through its representative office since 2005, thus becoming the first GCC bank to open a fully-fledged branch in China. NBK s presence in China aims to fulfill the needs of a growing customers base, reflecting NBK s prestigious position and the strength of its brand name which represents quality, trust, and safety. Al Sager highlighted that China is the largest trading partner of the MENA region among the Asian countries at present. As business ties between China and the MENA countries are expanding, trade and commercial Photos from the opening ceremony of NBK s new branch in China. activities between China and MENA are growing in tandem, making China a strategic market for NBK to set up a branch presence. Shaikha Khaled Al Bahar, NBK Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer Said Today marks a milestone for NBK. The vision that we had is being realized in a country that embodies culture, civilization, dignity, might, perseverance, knowledge and technology in a history that traces back to thousands of years. Al Bahar Added opportunities in China are boundless, and we are confident of our ability to handle all financial and banking requirements of our customers in Kuwait and China. Around 20 Chinese construction companies operate in Kuwait. Our own new headquarters is being constructed by a Chinese company. The growth in business volumes necessitates full-fledged operation than just a representative office. Our solid banking and financial dealings combined with an impeccable reputation and track record landed us in China, where the highest standards of professionalism are required. NBK has a wide local and international network of branches across 4 continents, with its international presence extending to cover many of the world s leading financial centers including, New York, London, Paris, Singapore and Shanghai. NBK also has a wide regional network covering Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. On the credit rating front, NBK continues to maintain the highest ratings amongst its peers in the Middle East, unanimously by the top credit ratings agencies; namely Moody s, Fitch and S&P. NBK ratings are supported by its strong capitalization, prudent lending policies and its disciplined approach to risk management and sound credit risk policies, in addition to the expertize and stability of its management team. Moreover, NBK maintained its listing in The World s 50 Safest Banks list for the 11th consecutive time and was awarded as the Best Bank in Kuwait in 2016 by the Banker, Euro-money and Global Finance. Photos from the opening ceremony of bank s new branch in People s Republic of China.

33 BUSINESS 33 Germany urges US to rethink dumping report robots seen taking 30 percent of UK jobs Germany urged the United States on Friday to rethink a report, commissioned under Barack Obama s administration, that said some European Union countries were dumping steel. Global steel prices have slumped as Chinese producers, which account for about half of worldwide steel supply, have flooded export markets, bringing protests and anti-dumping complaints by the United States and the European Union among others. In November, the US Commerce Department said in a preliminary finding that nine exporters, including Germany and four other EU member states, had dumped certain imports of carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length (CTL) plate. German steel producers were assigned dumping margin of 6.56 percent by the US Commerce Department while companies from other countries face anti-dumping duties of up to percent. Among the German companies accused of dumping were Dillinger Huette and Salzgitter. The November preliminary report has been criticised for appearing to use alternative methods for calculating dumping margins, which breaks World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. (RTRS) Up to one-third of British jobs could be taken over by robots by the early 2030s, impacting 10 million Britons but with women less likely to face redundancy, a UK study showed on Friday. The research, by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, found 30 percent of UK jobs could face automation compared to 38 percent in the United States, 35 percent in Germany, and 21 percent in Japan. Researchers, however, said this wouldn t necessarily lead to less employment as jobs may change rather than disappear. But the distinction between men and women was clear, with PwC estimating 35 percent of men s jobs were at risk compared to 26 percent of women s because of the high number of women in sectors requiring social skills like education and health. Male workers are also more concentrated in jobs requiring lower education levels, like transportation and manufacturing. PwC Chief Economist John Hawksworth said in the future employees of both genders will have to be more adaptable, not stuck in the stereotypes. (RTRS) Greece s primary surplus in 2016 higher than forecast EU pushes for preliminary deal on Greek bailout by April 7 BRUSSELS, March 25, (RTRS): The European Commission President Jean- Claude Claude said on Friday eurozone lenders and Greece should reach a technical deal before a meeting of eurozone finance ministers on April 7. In a statement responding to a letter by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras criticising International Monetary Fund (IMF) demands for labour reforms, Juncker declined to take a clear position on the contentious issue. The IMF is pushing Greece to adopt such reforms as a condition to join an 86 billion euro ($93 billion) bailout programme, so far funded only by eurozone creditors. In the letter, Tsipras had sought to link Greek support for a declaration marking the EU s 60th birthday in Rome on Saturday to a recognition that the EU legal framework on social issues, known as acquis, also applied to Greece. For me, there is no doubt that the EU social acquis applies to Greece as to any other EU member state, Juncker said. Athens is at odds with requests from the IMF to change rules to make it easier to fire workers by weakening trade union bargaining powers. Greece says this would go against EU principles. There is no one-size-fit-all in the social acquis or in the economic textbook when it comes to organising collective bargaining. Let me add that there is no place for ideology either, Juncker said. Meanwhile, eurozone lenders estimate Greece had a primary surplus between 2 and 3 percent of its gross domestic product last year, much higher than the target set under its bailout programme and more than previously forecast, an EU official told Reuters on Friday. Better-than-expected figures could smooth bailout talks, which have stalled for months over fiscal targets and the pension and labour market reforms required by creditors in exchange for the disbursement of loans to pay debt due in July. Under Greece s 86 billion euro ($92.9 billion) bailout programme, the third since 2010, Athens was supposed to reach a primary surplus the budget balance before debt-servicing costs of 0.5 percent of GDP last year. The EU official said the Greek authorities estimate now that last year s primary surplus will be around 3.5 percent of GDP, although the final figures will be known only in April. This would be already in line with Greece s target for 2018, when the programme ends. The Commission and the institutions are still assessing the data and have so far given a more cautious estimate of between 2 percent and 3 percent of GDP, the official said, noting this would still be a massive overachievement. In its last economic forecasts released in February, the European Commission had estimated a primary surplus for 2016 of 2 percent. The size of the primary surplus is a source of contention between eurozone governments and the International Monetary Fund, which believes the surplus in 2016 was only 0.9 percent. The EU executive, which together with the European Central Bank and the European Stability Mechanism represents eurozone lenders in Greek bailout talks, has also already said it saw Greece reaching its fiscal targets this year and in 2018, which are set respectively at 1.8 percent and 3.5 percent of GDP. The IMF, which Germany wants to participate to the bailout programme to guarantee more discipline, has much lower projections. KFH offers discounts on BMW, Range Rover, Land Rover, Mini Cooper KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) has launched a hefty marketing campaign in collaboration with Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive. The first of its kind in Kuwait, the campaign offers unprecedented discounts to KFH Elite, Ruwad and Tammayuz segments of customers on 21 models of the luxurious German cars; BMW, Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery and Mini Cooper. KFH offers several financing advantages to forward sale customers and to the financing leasing programs. The benefits are installment without profit 0% for a period of 5 years, free periodical maintenance, 5 year warranty and other benefits that reiterate KFH leading position in the car financing market, yet reflect its keenness to offer the best discounts and advantages to its customers and reinforce its ties and cooperation with the instrumental partners in the market. Mohamed Ghandour, Group Deputy General Manager Products at KFH said that the campaign is a tip of the iceberg, indicating KFH strives to uniquely offer competitive discounts to its customers in continuation of its pioneering role in the field of auto financing. Ghandour statement was made on the sidelines of the campaign launch in presence of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive officials and the General Manager Yousef Al-Qatami. He added that KFH has the largest market share and works tirelessly to strengthen its position in the market for the best interest of its customers. KFH spares no efforts in offering best discounts to customers in collaboration with its partners in this field. This campaign encompasses different global trademarks. It is considered as the biggest campaign in terms of cars diversity and number of models; SUVs, family, sports, luxurious, sedan KFH and Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive officials pose for group photo etc. This comes in line with KFH strategy to aspire for customers ambitions and meet their needs. He illustrated that the campaign includes different financing products such as forward sale, financing leasing and financing against securities. KFH, for the first time, offers free comprehensive insurance on the financing leasing (lease to own) throughout the 3-5 years leasing period. Ghandour stressed the importance of customer service, while meeting their requirements, boosting the market and strengthening ties with partners. Meanwhile, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive General Manager Yousef Al-Qatami praised the strong partnership with KFH, indicating that the long partnership with KFH contributed in offering best discounts and privileges to customers. He added our partnership with KFH will be a major pillar for Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive endeavors for the year KFH offers customers 0% profit on car financing, and we offer 5 year maintenance and warranty. This is a real opportunity to customers to own the cars. It s undoubtedly the best offer in the market. More gradual easing seen Russian cbank trims rates as inflation falls MOSCOW, March 25, (RTRS): Russia s central bank trimmed its main lending rate on Friday and said there could now be gradual easing as inflation eases down to new post-soviet lows. After holding the key rate at 10 percent since September, the central bank cut it to 9.75 percent, saying inflation was slowing down quicker than forecast. It signalled small cuts could follow in the second and third quarters of the year. We could have pauses, though we really see a trend towards easing, towards lowering the rate in the medium term, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said. But we will do that very carefully and smoothly. The bank is focused on bringing inflation to 4 percent by the end of the year and has kept policy tight since 2014 despite a deep economic slump brought on by the collapse in global oil prices and Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. The decision to ease policy on Friday came despite the majority of analysts predicting in a Reuters poll the extremely cautious bank would hold rates. Nabiullina said at a news conference that further rate cuts could come at any board meeting. While the central bank pointed to a slowdown in inflation from 5 percent in January to 4.3 percent in March, it expressed concerns about the inertia of inflation expectations and volatility on global markets. To keep inflation close to the target level there could be a need to retain moderately tight monetary policy on the horizon of two to three years, Nabiullina said. Capital Economics said in a research note it took Nabiullina s rhetoric to mean the central bank was not yet on the brink of lowering interest rates dramatically. Previously, Nabiullina has said the key rate should exceed inflation by percentage points. Eurozone economy is sparkling LONDON, March 25, (RTRS): If the latest surveys of business intentions are to be believed, the Euro-zone economy is sparkling, growing at a pace that easily explains the hints from some European Central Bank policymakers of a pullback from their easy-money regime. IHS Markit s Euro-zone Flash Composite Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), an influential guide to the buying plans of businesses and hence growth, hit a near sixyear high this month. It climbed to 56.7 from February s 56.0, its highest reading since April 2011 and better than any predictions in a Reuters poll. At the same time, flash surveys for the ECB may roll back policy as economy grows currency bloc s two largest economies Germany and France also stormed past expectations to register near sixyear highs, conditions likely to play into elections in both countries this year. This is a really solid rate of expansion. It s an economy firing on all cylinders, Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, said of the Euro-zone. He added that it implied first quarter economic growth of 0.6 percent quarter on quarter, which would be the joint highest reading since the first quarter of One immediate impact may be to put pressure on the ECB to begin rolling back its historically easy monetary policy, a combination of zero to negative interest rates and a large assetbuying programme. Earlier this month the ECB pledged to extend its bond-buying programme to at least the end of the year, citing weak underlying inflation and lacklustre growth in the Euro-zone. It will, however, reduce its monthly spend from April. It also highlighted that it no longer felt a sense of urgency to take further action. Since then some ECB policymakers, notably Austria s Ewald Nowotny and Italy s Ignazio Visco, have spoken of a rate hike within or just after the period of the bond-buying programme. These (PMI) numbers will likely reinforce the ECB s view that downside risks are diminishing. But the central bank will only tighten gradually, Morgan Stanley said in a note. The key will be inflation, control of which is the ECB s primary mandate. Markit s Euro-zone PMI sub-index measuring prices charged by businesses rose to a near six-year high of Inflation in the Euro-zone was 2.0 percent in February around the ECB s target. What we are picking up is an increase in suppliers ability to hike prices due to strong demand. If that continues to intensify the ECB should become more worried, Markit s Williamson said. All nine of Friday s PMI reports manufacturing, services and composite for the Euro-zone, France and Germany beat even the most optimistic forecasts in Reuters polls of economists. France s composite registered 57.6 in March from 55.9 in February, a particularly significant rise given the country s economy is generally lagging and this put it above Germany. How such data plays into the French presidential election, the first round of which is in April, remains to be seen. National Front candidate Marine Le Pen will be hoping to capture votes from those angry with their economic lot. But the two other leading candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Francois Fillon are both calling for economic reform. A hefty chunk of the electorate has yet to decide who to vote for, if the polls are anything to go by. Germany s PMI was driven mainly by strong demand for manufactured goods from the United States, China, Britain and the Middle East. The manufacturing index reflecting more than two-thirds of the economy rose to 57.0 from 56.1 in February. Company s 6th showroom in Bahrain and 173rd globally Malabar Gold & Diamonds opens new showroom in Manama KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Malabar Gold & Diamonds the leading jewellery retailer has extended its presence in Bahrain by opening a new showroom in Temple Road at Manama, Bahrain. Hesham Zaal Khalifa Zaal Al Buflaseh along with Abdul Salaam KP, Group Executive Director, Malabar Group jointly inaugurated Malabar Gold & Diamonds 173rd showroom globally at Temple Road, Manama, Bahrain at March 23, 2017 in the presence of Sakkeer P., Regional Head, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Mohammed Rafeeq, Branch Head Malabar Gold & Diamonds, management members, media, dignitaries & well-wishers. Hesham Zaal Khalifa Zaal Al Buflaseh along with Abdul Salaam KP, Group Executive Director, Malabar Group jointly inaugurated Malabar Gold & Diamonds 173rd showroom globally at Temple Road, Manama, Bahrain on March 23, 2017 in the presence of Sakkeer P., Regional Head, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Mohammed Rafeeq, Branch Head Malabar Gold & Diamonds, management members, media, dignitaries & well-wishers. The showroom displays a significantly large collection of traditional as well as contemporary jewellery in gold, certified diamonds, platinum and precious gem jewellery across the world that can hold you spell-bound with their awe-inspiring beauty. As a part of the inaugural offer, Malabar Gold & Diamonds is providing its customers exciting promotions during this period. Customers will get an assured free gift on every jewellery purchase as a part of inauguration. To add more glitter, the new outlet also offers zero deduction on gold (GCC) exchange and no making charges on 8 gram gold coins. These offers are valid until April 1, Malabar group offers exquisite and beautiful jewelry as a part of various brands presented at Malabar Gold & Diamonds namely Ethnix Handcrafted Designer Jewellery, Era Uncut Diamond Jewellery, Mine Diamonds Unlimited, Divine- Indian Heritage Jewellery, Precia Gem Jewellery and Starlet Kids Jewellery. Portugal logs lowest deficit since return to democracy LISBON, March 25, (RTRS): Portugal slashed its budget deficit last year by more than half to 2.1 percent of gross domestic product, the lowest level since its return to democracy in 1974 and beating the 2.5 percent target agreed with Brussels. Public debt rose, however, an issue of come concern in a country that only recently needed an international bailout to keep afloat. Official data showed on Friday the budget gap ended for the first time below the European Union s 3 percent threshold, reinforcing the government s hopes to exit the bloc s excessive deficit warning procedure later this year as it expects the gap to narrow further. Portugal will finally leave the excessive deficit procedure behind. The exit will reinforce confidence in our economy at home and abroad, increasing our capacity to invest in reforms that boost our competitiveness, Finance Minister Mario Centeno told a news conference. In the years to come our deficit will remain clearly below what is required, he said, referring to the 3 percent limit. The primary balance, discounting debt payments, was a surplus of 2.2 percent of GDP last year. If Eurostat, the European Union s statistics agency, confirms the estimates, the European Commission is likely to discuss Portugal s case in April to see whether to end the procedure of strict deadlines and targets applied to countries that fail to comply with the gap limit. Portugal s National Statistics Institute put this year s deficit at 1.6 percent, in line with the target set in this year s budget. In 2015, the deficit was 4.4 percent. Still, the country s gross public debt rose last year to percent of GDP from 129 percent in 2015, ending just short of 2014 s record high of percent. The INE said it expected it to fall to percent this year. The headline (deficit) number is obviously positive... However, it is only when the debt-gdp ratio begins to decline that we can talk about an improvement in the country s economic and financial conditions, said Filipe Garcia, head of Informacao de Mercados Financeiros consultants in Porto. The minority Socialist government, which came to power in late 2015 and is backed in parliament by the hard left, has managed to combine budget consolidation with a reversal of the austerity measures imposed by previous administration under the country s international bailout.

34 BUSINESS 34 China lifts suspension on Brazilian meat imports China lifted its suspension on imports of Brazilian meat on Saturday following clarification of inspection irregularities uncovered in a police investigation into alleged bribery of health officials, Brazil s Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said. Chinese authorities will keep the ban in place for only one chicken processing plant in the southern Brazilian state of Parana operated by Seara Alimentos Ltda, another senior Brazilian agriculture official said. Sources in China also said that Beijing had forbidden the entry of meat approved by seven Brazilian veterinary experts. Brazilian meat imports have already started being cleared in Shanghai, one of the sources said. Lifting the suspension was the result of a giant effort by Brazil to explain that the investigation targeted the conduct of individuals and not the quality of the meat, Maggi told Reuters. China has accepted our explanations and we will continue sending products there without restrictions except for the plants that we ourselves decided to suspend. Brazil is the top supplier of beef to China, accounting for about 31 percent of its imports in the fi rst half of last year. The second supplier, Australia, is still rebuilding its herd after drought and is not seen as able to meet China s fast-growing demand. The South American country also supplies more than 85 percent of China s poultry meat imports, according to the United States agriculture department. Other major producers, such as the United States and some smaller European markets, are banned from supplying to China due to bird flu outbreaks. Brazil President Michel Temer plans to call Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the coming days, an aide to Temer aide told Reuters. Brazil suspended exports from 21 meat processing plants following the federal police investigation in alleged bribery of health inspectors made public last week. Only one is authorized to export directly to mainland China - the plant operated by Seara Alimentos Ltda, which is owned by Brazil s JBS SA, the world s biggest meatpacking company. On March 20, China suspended imports of all meat products from Brazil, the world s top beef exporter, as a precautionary measure after inspectors there were accused of taking bribes to allow sales of tainted food. (RTRS) May has revealed little of her strategy to secure best possible deal Britain to fire starting gun on Brexit negotiations DUBLIN, March 25, (RTRS): The nine-month Brexit phoney war is set to come to an end next week when British Prime Minister Theresa May notifies the European Union of Britain s intention to leave, starting two years of unprecedented negotiations. May will send a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Tusk will then send draft negotiating guidelines to the 27 other member states within 48 hours. That means it will finally be down to business after an at times painstakingly slow drawing of battle lines. Britain appears to have set its course for a hard Brexit, where a clean break is favoured to regain control over immigration, while the EU s chief negotiator this week spelled out its need for early agreements on citizens rights, money and borders. But May has revealed little of her strategy to secure what she calls the best possible deal for the world s fifth-largest economy. Her letter next week and Tusk s reply may offer markets keen for details some hints at how rocky the path ahead may be. The tone of this process might have implications for sterling markets, said Investec economist Chris Hare. Anti Brexit campaigners carry a Germany fl ag and European fl ags outside Britain s parliament in London on March 25. Britain s Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to start the process of leaving the European Union on March 29. (AP) May has other domestic political issues to tackle as well, including Monday s deadline to form a new regional government in Northern Ireland or risk having its decisionmaking moved back to London, and a Scottish Parliament vote on Tuesday on whether to second a second independence referendum. On Friday, revised fourth-quarter GDP data will outline how Britain will come to the Brexit negotiating table with a far healthier economy than most predicted last June. After retail sales suffered their biggest squeeze in nearly 7 years on Thursday as higher inflation begins to bite, timelier indicators next week including mortgage approvals, house prices and consumer confidence may be worth watching more closely. The potential economic implications of 2016 s other major earthquake at the ballot box the election of US President Donald Trump - could play out at a much faster pace with Friday s do-or-die rescheduled vote on a new healthcare bill. The vote has been billed by financial markets as a crucial test of Trump s ability to work with Congress to deliver on pro-growth policies like tax cuts and infrastructure spending. Leaders from Trump s Republican party postponed what was supposed to have been his first legislative victory because of opposition from two flanks in the party on Thursday. Even if it gets approval from the House, the legislation could face an even tougher fight in the Senate, the other chamber of Congress. A raft of speeches from top Federal Reserve officials - ten days after the bank raised interest rates for the second time in three months - may pale in comparison to the political drama, as could GDP revisions and key manufacturing surveys. In a date-heavy week around the world, euro zone flash inflation readings for March stand out after annual price rises surged to a four-year high of 2.0 percent in February, zooming up to the European Central Bank s target of below but close to 2 percent. Rising inflation across the 19-country bloc has put pressure on rate setters to say when and how extraordinary stimulus measures could be scaled back, although still weak underlying figures have limited discussions so far. We expect that run to have come to an end this month, wrote economists at RBC Capital Markets, referring to the six consecutive months of year-onyear headline inflation rate rises. With the oil price effect abating and underlying inflation still weak, we see headline inflation continuing to moderate from here and falling to 1.5 percent year-on-year by yearend. Next week also brings a string of emerging central bank policy meetings with Czech rate setters set to hold their last meeting before the bank s self-imposed deadline for lifting a 3-1/2-year old currency cap. Mexico s central bank meets on Thursday after a spike in inflation to an eight-year high prompted its chief to hint at more interest rate hikes following one just last month. Mexican rates are now at their highest in almost eight years. China-backed buyout fund Canyon Bridge relaunches its bid for US deal approval NEW YORK, March 25, (RTRS): Canyon Bridge Capital Partners LLC, the China-backed buyout fund that agreed to acquire Lattice Semiconductor Corp in November for $1.3 billion, has resubmitted the deal for US government review, three people familiar with the matter said. The move comes after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a government panel which reviews acquisitions by foreign entities for potential national security risks, did not complete its assessment by Friday, within the maximum time of 75 days that is awarded for assessing applications. Refiling the deal with CFIUS resets the clock and gives it additional time of up to another 75 days for it to complete its national security review and discuss potential issues with the companies, the sources said. Another factor in Canyon Bridge and Lattice resubmitting the application was that the vacancies left in senior positions at several government agencies more than two months after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump have reduced the panel s capacity to review cases expeditiously, two of the sources added. The development does not necessarily spell trouble for the deal. Some transactions which previously refiled their application with CFIUS, including ChemChina s $43 billion acquisition of Swiss seeds and pesticide maker Syngenta AG, were subsequently approved. Canyon Bridge and Lattice had previously said they had expected the deal to close in early Since announcing our partnership with Canyon Bridge in November 2016, we have had continued, ongoing and productive discussions with CFIUS. We look forward to working closely with the committee throughout its review, Lattice said in a statement. Lattice declined to comment on the refiling of the deal with CFIUS. Canyon Bridge also offered no comment. CFIUS did not respond to requests for comments. Canyon Bridge co-founder Benjamin Chow s intention was to create a deal structure that would minimize US government scrutiny, three sources told Reuters. A China-born American, Chow was working for a Chinese state-backed entity called China Reform Fund Management when he decided, in the middle of deal talks with Lattice last August, to set up Canyon Bridge in Palo Alto, California, according to Lattice s proxy statement to its shareholders. This changed the role of China Reform, which is controlled by the top decision-making body of the Chinese government, from outright Lattice acquirer to sole investor in Canyon Bridge. China Reform did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters revealed last November that China Reform Fund Management was the sole investor in Canyon Bridge. After that story, several US lawmakers wrote to US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew asking for US regulators to block the deal. Lattice has argued that its chips do not have military applications, and are not therefore a security risk. The company s shares, however, are trading at around $7 per share, well below the deal price of $8.30 per share, indicating investor concern that CFIUS could find that some of its chips have potential to be used in military equipment in the future. Most foreign buyers of US companies with activities that potentially affect national security file their deals with CFIUS. When they register, they indicate whether they think the deal requires a full review, known in CFIUS terminology as a covered transaction. While Chow was not seeking to conceal the involvement of China Reform in the deal, he believed a buyout fund based in the United States bidding for Lattice would trigger the minimum amount of scrutiny by CFIUS compared with a Chinese buyer, according to three people close to the deal, who requested anonymity to discuss the deliberations. Chow s plan called for registering the deal with CFIUS as a non-covered transaction, indicating its position to CFIUS that no review was merited, according to the sources. Chow told Reuters in a statement that he created Canyon Bridge to attract a broad base of general partners and limited partners, though he did not identify any new investors beyond China Reform. He did not comment on whether Canyon Bridge was also aimed at minimizing CFIUS scrutiny, but added that he always expected to file for a CFIUS review. CFIUS decisions are not made public, making it difficult for acquirers to know in advance how CFIUS would likely view a case without the advice of regulatory lawyers who deal regularly with the secretive panel. Canyon Bridge s US law firm, Jones Day, supported Chow s plan, taking the view that a US limited partnership backed by Chinese investment with no governance rights over the US partnership would not be viewed as a foreigncontrolled entity by CFIUS, and therefore the deal would not trigger a review, according to the sources. A Jones Day spokesman did not respond to several requests for comment by telephone and . Lattice and its lawyers disagreed because of Canyon Bridge s reliance on a single Chinese-controlled investor, according to the sources. They convinced Canyon Bridge to call in law firm Covington & Burling LLP for a second opinion, which also backed Lattice s view, the sources said. Covington & Burling did not respond to a request for comment. Lattice eventually convinced Chow that they should both plan to file the deal with CFIUS as a covered transaction, indicating to CFIUS it should get a review. As we made clear at the time of our announcement and in our proxy statement, we have always been committed to the CFIUS process. We first reached out to CFIUS months before selecting a strategic partner and reached out to it again after entering negotiations with Canyon Bridge, but before signing an agreement, Lattice said in a statement. By that stage however, Canyon Bridge was already formed. While it only had one investor, Chow wanted to keep it to potentially attract more investors in the future, the sources said. The deal was announced on Nov 3, with Canyon Bridge, rather than China Reform, as the acquirer. Splintering euro zone debt mkt is down to Draghi, not politics LONDON, March 25, (RTRS): Big bond funds are becoming increasingly reluctant to lend to the eurozone s weakest members, looking past a crowded electoral calendar to an eventual winding down of the European Central Bank s ultra-loose monetary policy. In recent months, the funds have been hiking the premiums they demand to buy bonds from highlyindebted southern European states such as Portugal and Italy. Many analysts have put much of that to fears that the anti-establishment wave behind Brexit and Donald Trump s US presidential election win could sweep anti-establishment parties to power in a series of European elections this year. But the first of those votes in the Netherlands last week threw into sharp relief that for many investors there are more risks facing the bloc s weakest debt markets than just politics. There was little change in relative borrowing costs after Prime Minister Mark Rutte fended off a challenge from the far-right populist Geert Wilders in the Dutch election. Top of the risks list is whether the European Central Bank will soon withdraw the life support that has kept many of the weaker economies functioning and compressed government bond yields. Political The better the political outcome in all of these European elections, the more flexibility the ECB has to one day withdraw the stimulus, said Michael Krautzberger, the head of European fixed income at the world s biggest asset manager, BlackRock. I would expect that we have much more country differentiation in a scenario where the ECB finally withdraws from the market because that uniform factor falls away. At the start of April, the ECB will scale back the billions of euros its spends each month on a bondbuying scheme designed to prop up growth and inflation. That may be just the start. At its March meeting, ECB President Mario Draghi said its sense of urgency was over. Investors have begun to anticipate interest rate rises by the end of this year. Some analysts warn that if the ECB tries to wind down its programme quickly, borrowing costs for so-called peripheral countries relative to Germany known as the spread could widen by as much as 1-2 percentage points. Bloc s weakest links seen most vulnerable Rue massive corruption scandal Samsung shareholders welcome stock gains SEOUL, South Korea, March 25, (AP): Shareholders of Samsung Electronics praised the company Friday for big gains in its share price while lamenting its involvement in a massive corruption scandal that brought the arrest of the company s de facto leader. Kwon Oh-hyun, Samsung s chief executive, told an annual shareholders meeting the scandal was regrettable, but the company did nothing illegal. Five Samsung executives, including its vice chairman and founding family heir apparent Lee Jae-yong, have been indicted on bribery and other charges. The scandal resulted in the impeachment of President Park Geunhye earlier this month. Calls to reform Samsung and other conglomerates are gaining momentum after Samsung, Hyundai, SK, LG and other major businesses made big donations to foundations controlled by a friend of Park s who has been charged with meddling in state affairs. Some shareholders expressed concern over growing public hostility to Samsung, South Korea s biggest company. The company s image has also taken a big hit from cases of overheating and sometimes exploding batteries of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smart phones. Samsung ended up discontinuing the product just weeks after it was launched in August. Shin Jong-kyun, a Samsung president, promised shareholders the company will put flawless products through extensive safety checks. The precautions would be perfect, he said. Samsung is due to unveil the Galaxy S8 smartphone next week, its first major smartphone launch since the battery fiasco. But the main focus of attention during Friday s meeting was the scandal. Some found fault with the company s apologies. One shareholder, who said he worked at the company for 26 years, demanded an explanation for how Samsung s board of auditors, which included a former national chief prosecutor, could have allowed corporate funds to be misused. Kwon, the chief executive, denied Samsung did anything unlawful in For the likes of Portugal that would put borrowing costs back towards levels seen as unsustainable for managing debts. In a similar way that some emerging countries suffered in the backdraft of US hints it would scale back monetary easing in 2013, the bloc s weakest links may be punished by markets. The drugs don t work already and when you take steps towards pricing in less drugs QE then you price in spread widening, said Richard McGuire, head of rates strategy at Rabobank. Spain and Italy have been among the poorest performing bond markets in the euro area this year. The German/Italian 10-year yield gap this week rose above 200 basis points to its widest in three years. There was little change in these spreads last week s Dutch election. Investors say French bonds could win some respite if the eurosceptic Marine Le Pen is defeated in May s presidential vote. But it is unclear whether the same is true for the debt of Italy and Portugal, where governments have struggled to implement structural reforms and shore up a fragile banking sector. As the ECB gradually withdraws monetary stimulus this year and next, that will place a disproportionate challenge on the weaker countries to grow under the tighter monetary stance, said Andrew Bosomworth, head of portfolio management in Germany at PIMCO, one of the world s largest bond investors. Hence we see valuations in peripheral countries as vulnerable, especially if they do not or cannot compensate for less monetary stimulus with stimulative fiscal policy or growth-enhancing structural reforms. Election uncertainty in the eurozone has also been weighing down market inflation expectations in the bloc. Analysts say those expectations should snap back once the political hurdles are cleared, meeting the ECB s near 2 percent target and supporting the case for tighter policy. For the currency market, some argue the prospect of tighter policy is set to prove as least as important as politics over the next six months. Bets against the euro hit their lowest in nearly a year after this month s ECB s meeting and major banks have abandoned predictions for a fall to parity with the dollar. Politics is always only part of the equation and ECB policy is certainly as important, if not more important, for eurozone bond markets, Valentijn van Nieuwenhuijzen, chief investment strategist with Dutch financial group NNIP said. If the underlying backdrop in terms of growth, earnings, inflation is actually surprising to the upside. Politics are a sideshow rather than a driver of markets. making the donations to Park s associate. It was a donation that was traditional and customary, Kwon said. The auditing committee found it was executed through normal procedures. Samsung says it will require its board of directors to approve any donations of over 1 billion won ($89 million) to prevent future scandals. A newly created committee to improve the company s governance structure will be appointed by next month, the company said. It is still searching for a global business leader to join its board. While shareholders were shaken by the scandal and resulting damage to the company s image, many praised the company for delivering strong results overall. Samsung stock jumped more than 60 percent from a year ago thanks to strong performance of its semiconductor business, which offset the damage from the Note 7 battery troubles. I can t help rejoicing over how the value of my asset has gone up, said one shareholder surnamed Park. Gas search will continue: Cyprus NICOSIA, Cyprus, March 25, (AP): Cyprus said Friday it won t give up a search for oil and gas off its shores despite a call to stop by Turkey which warned that it would take all necessary measures to protect its interests in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as those of breakaway Turkish Cypriots. Cyprus government said it s regrettable that Turkey is resorting to threats to advance its own interests under the guise of concern for the rights of Turkish Cypriots. The Republic of Cyprus will resolutely continue its policy in the field of hydrocarbons, in full respect of international and European law, the Cyprus government said in a statement. The Turkish government said earlier Friday that it expects Greek Cypriots to cease their gas search and to stop acting as if they re the sole owners of the ethnically divided island s natural resources. It also implied that a continued search for gas could further jeopardize stalled talks aimed at reunifying the island as a federation.

35 BUSINESS 35 Venezuela plant to begin assembly of Hyundai cars geologist for Shell says co hid Nigeria spill dangers A Venezuelan auto assembly plant, MMC, hopes to restart output of Hyundai Motor Co vehicles by 2018 after a fiveyear halt due to a lack of dollars from the government to import parts, a company executive said in an interview. Vehicle assembly has nearly ground to a halt in the crisisstricken OPEC nation for lack of parts of assembly. The socialistrun country s currency controls require businesses to obtain dollars through the government, but low oil prices have left it without enough hard currency to disburse. MMC, which assembles and sells Hyundai and Mitsubishi Motors Corp vehicles in Venezuela, plans to sell imported autos in the coming months as it brings the factory back online. The automotive industry is cyclical; it seems like we ve hit the bottom and we want to be ready for better times, MMC Vice President Jose Gomez said in an interview on Thursday. We re not going to wait for the good times to arrive to start getting ready. (RTRS) Royal Dutch Shell s Nigeria subsidiary fiercely opposed environmental testing and is concealing data showing thousands of Nigerians are exposed to health hazards from a stalled cleanup of the worst oil spills in the West African nation s history, according to a German geologist contracted by the Dutch-British multinational. An environmental study found astonishingly high pollution levels with soil literally soaked with hydrocarbons, geologist Kay Holtzmann wrote in a letter to the Bodo Mediation Initiative. The people of Bodo in the oilproducing southern Niger Delta should get urgent medical tests, Holtzmann wrote in the letter dated Jan 26 and seen by The Associated Press. Shell did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The cleanup halted 17 months ago was part of a British out-of-court settlement in which Shell paid $83.5 million to 15,600 fishermen and farmers for damages from two oil spills caused by old pipelines in 2008 and 2009 that devastated thousands of hectares of mangroves and creeks. Lawyers alleged 500,000 barrels of oil spilled. (AP) Strain on fuel system worsened by departure of staff in PDVSA s trade and supply unit Venezuela upped fuel exports to allies as supply crunch loomed HOUSTON/CARACAS, March 25, (RTRS): A gasoline shortage in OPEC member Venezuela was exacerbated by an increase in fuel exports to foreign allies such as Cuba and Nicaragua and an exodus of crucial personnel from state-run energy company PDVSA, according to internal PDVSA documents and sources familiar with its operations. Leftist-run Venezuela sells its citizens the world s cheapest gasoline. Fuel supplies have continued flowing despite a domestic oil industry in turmoil and a deepening economic crisis under President Nicolas Maduro that has left the South American country with scant supplies of many basic necessities. That changed on Wednesday, when Venezuelans faced their first nationwide shortage of motor fuel since an explosion ripped through one of the world s largest refineries five years ago. At the time, the government of then-president Hugo Chavez curbed exports to guarantee there was enough fuel at home. This week s shortage was also mainly due to problems at refineries, as a mix of plant glitches and maintenance cut fuel production in half. Unlike five years ago, Caracas has continued exporting fuel to political allies and even raised the volume of shipments last month despite warnings within the government-run company that doing so could trigger a domestic supply crunch. Shipments from refineries to the domestic market needed to be redirected to meet those export commitments, the internal documents showed. Should this additional volume... be exported, it would impact a cargo scheduled for the local market, read one sent from an official in the company s domestic marketing department to its international trade unit. Venezuela last month exported 88,000 barrels per day (bpd) of fuels equivalent to a fifth of its domestic consumption to Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries, according to internal PDVSA documents seen by Reuters. That was up 22,000 bpd on the volumes Venezuela had been shipping to those two countries under accords struck by Chavez to expand his diplomatic clout by lowering their fuel costs through cheap supplies of crude and fuel. The order to increase exports came from PDVSA s top executives, according to the internal s seen by Reuters. Venezuela s oil ministry and state-run PDVSA, formally known as Petroleos de Venezuela SA, did not reply to requests for comment for this story. The strain on the country s fuel system has been worsened by the departure of staff in PDVSA s trade and supply unit who are key to ensuring fuel gets to where it is needed and making payments for imports, three sources close to the company said. The unit has seen around a dozen key staffers depart since Maduro shook up PDVSA s top management in January. Among those who left was the head of budget and payments, two sources said. Every week someone leaves for one reason or another, said a PDVSA source familiar with the unit s operations. Some have been fired, while others have left since the shake-up inserted political and military officials into top positions and bolstered Maduro s grip on the company that powers the nation s economy. The imposition of leaders with little or no experience in the industry has further disillusioned some of the company s experienced professionals and accelerated an exodus that had already taken hold as economic and social conditions in Venezuela worsened. EU stalls Russian gas plant Critics fear Nord Stream 2 will increase Gazprom s dominance BRUSSELS/FRANK- FURT, March 25, (RTRS): Russia has the European Union in a bind. The bloc is divided between eastern European and Baltic Sea countries that see a new pipeline carrying Russian gas across the Baltic making the EU a hostage to Moscow and those in northern Europe, most especially the main beneficiary Germany, for whom the economic benefits take priority. The result, EU sources say, is that the EU executive, the Commission, sensing that there may ultimately be no legal basis to block approval of Nord Stream 2, is delaying it as long as possible, hoping to get past 2019 the date when Russia must renegotiate a gas transit deal with Ukraine. There s a difference between not supporting the project and having a legal basis to stop it, said one EU diplomat, adding that the aim for now was a break to avoid the project going anywhere in And for now, that means doing nothing, to the intense frustration of members such as Denmark, whose prime minister challenged the Commission at a summit of EU leaders this month to make good on strong words criticising the pipeline. Last summer, seven eastern member states, all formerly dominated by Moscow and at the centre of an EU antitrust case accusing Gazprom of abusing its market dominance, sent a letter of protest to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. They too are still waiting for a clear response. EU sources say the Commission is in fact cultivating uncertainty by hinting that the pipeline may fall foul of EU rules, in the hope of scaring off Western investors, for a time at least. And in fact, last July, Gazprom s Western partners Uniper, Wintershall, Shell, OMV and Engie did withdraw from pledges to provide 1.2 billion euros of equity for the pipeline, a twin to Nord Stream 1, which began pumping in Germany is also not actively promoting the pipeline for now, with a parliamentary election looming this autumn. The feeling is: Why use up political capital to defend it? said one EU diplomat. Broadly, the plan to bring more Russian gas to Europe plays into deep divisions between EU nations over whether to do more business with Moscow while countering its military power plays in Ukraine and Syria. Germany itself has taken a firm stance on maintaining economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea and its support for rebels in eastern Ukraine. But it also argues that EU market rules guarantee that the pipeline remains a purely commercial project, while eastern and Baltic states accuse President Vladimir Putin of exploiting energy exports as a geopolitical tool. Clarity Meanwhile, littoral states that feel increasingly threatened by Moscow s military posturing in and around the Baltic Sea want clarity from Brussels before going ahead with routine environmental assessments of Nord Stream 2. This has lots of geopolitical questions and it is not fair that one country should answer alone whether this is an good idea, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said last month. This is not a question only for Denmark but for the European Union. Russia already accounts for onethird of EU gas imports, and that could Fund urges removal of FX curbs, tighter monetary and fiscal policy rise with the help of Nord Stream 2, as Gazprom fights for market share with the EU s domestic supplies decreasing. It would also sharply reduce the need for Russia to export gas through Ukraine, where the EU is trying to support stumbling economic reforms. This would deprive Kiev of lucrative transit fees, and of a lever in its tortured relations with Moscow. Hence the Commission s desire to at least stall approval until But sooner or later, EU sources grugingly admit that Russia s determined push for Nord Stream 2 looks set to carry it over the numerous legal and financial hurdles in its path. Gazprom s Western partner firms say they are looking for new ways to share the financial burden, notwithstanding the uncertainty. If it isn t stopped politically, its commercial logic will prevail, one industry source said. Gazprom is busily ordering steel pipes, renting facilities in Sweden, Finland and Germany and applying for permits to lay the 1,225 km (760 mile) pipe. And Germany, by hosting the end-point of the 55 billion cubic metre a year pipeline, stands to grow into a gas hub for central, eastern and southern Europe, alongside the Dutch and British markets. What Germany wants, Germany gets, said one official in Brussels. IMF says Nigeria s economy needs urgent reform report ABUJA, March 25, (RTRS): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to warn Nigeria its economy needs urgent reform, according to a report seen by Reuters that could delay talks over $1.4 billion in international loans. The Washington-based fund will urge Nigeria, a major oil producer, to introduce immediate changes to its exchange rate policy and say its recent reform plan is not enough to drag Africa s biggest economy out of recession, according to the 68-page report. Much more needs to be done, the IMF said in the document, written after a final meeting between its representatives and top officials in the capital Abuja before the fund issues its verdict on Nigeria s economy, expected on March 29. Further actions are urgently needed, it said. The report - from the fund s acting secretary and addressed to members of its executive board - is set to form part of the IMF s verdict, although Nigeria can request alterations. Three people familiar with the negotiations said it would send an important signal to institutional lenders. The World Bank has been in talks with Nigeria for a loan of at least $1 billion for more than a year and the African Development Bank (AfDB) has $400 million on offer, but discussions have stalled over economic reforms. Nigeria is seeking the funding for infrastructure investment and to help plug an expected record deficit in this year s budget as it boosts spending to try to end a recession. The tone of the IMF will be critical in terms of signalling, said one of the people familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. Two of the people with knowledge of the loan talks said the lenders were unlikely to withhold funding entirely. President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected a devaluation of the naira currency and backed curbs imposed by the central bank that force firms to buy dollars needed for imports for a premium on the black market. Nigeria has at least five exchange rates - the official one, a rate for Muslim pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia, one for school fees abroad and a retail rate set by licensed exchange bureaus. The IMF said that if Nigeria did not remove foreign exchange restrictions and unify the exchange rates, it risked further deterioration in (forex) reserves and a disorderly exchange rate depreciation. The report said Nigeria should also tackle its over-dependence on oil, low government revenues, a large infrastructure deficit, a rising debt service and double-digit inflation. Nigeria has not asked the IMF for fiscal support. An IMF spokeswoman declined to comment. A spokesman for the presidency directed inquiries to the ministries of finance and budget and national planning. The finance ministry and central bank did not respond to repeated attempts to seek comment. A budget and planning ministry spokesman declined to comment. A World Bank spokeswoman said the lender was continuing its discussions with Nigeria and other partners and will determine with the government the most appropriate lending instrument to support the implementation of reform plans. The AfDB declined to comment. Earlier this month, Nigeria released an Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) for 2017 to 2020 calling for a market-determined exchange rate. But it offers few concrete steps. The ERGP is more optimistic on growth than (IMF) staff... does not explicitly call for tighter monetary and fiscal policy in the near term, and assumes no immediate change in exchange rate policy - all of which are essential to reduce vulnerabilities and increase investors interest, said the IMF. investment funds Funds Fund Manager Valuation Valued date Currency Net Asset Prev NAV Prev NAV Dated Value (NAV) National Bank of Kuwait Money Market Funds Watani KD Money Market Fund II NBK Capital Weekly Jan 17, 2017 KD Nov 29, 2016 Watani USD Money Market Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Jan 17, 2017 USD Nov 22, 2016 Watani KD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Jan 17, 2017 KD Nov 22, 2016 Gulf Bank Al Basha er GCC Equity Fund Kwt. Fin. & Inv. Co. & Gulf Fin. House Monthly Feb 28, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 Coast Fund Coast Investment & Dev. Co. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Sanaya Dow Jones Kuwait Index Fund Industrial & Financial Investment Co. Weekly Jan 26, 2017 KD Dec 30, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 1 Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 2 Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Markaz Gulf Real Estate Fund Bi-annual Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Al Ahli Bank Al Ahli Gulf Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Al Ahli Kuwaiti Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Burgan Bank Burgan Equity Fund Burgan Bank Monthly Feb 26, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Boubyan Bank Boubyan KD Money Market Fund Boubyan Bank Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Feb 21, 2017 Boubyan KD Money Market Fund II Boubyan Bank Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Feb 21, 2017 Boubyan Capital Investment Co. Boubyan USD Liquidity Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co Feb 28, 2017 USD Feb 21, 2017 Boubyan Multi-Asset Holding Fund Boubyan Bank Feb 28, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 Kuwait Investment Co. Local Fund Al Raed Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly March 16, 2017 KD March 9, 2017 Kuwait Investment Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Al Hilal Fund Kuwait Investment Co Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Feb 13, 2017 Al Atheer Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 International Global Bond Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly March 15, 2017 USD March 8, 2017 Diversified Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly March 15, 2017 USD March 8, 2017 European Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Jan 31, 2017 Euro Dec 30, 2016 Pacific Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly March 15, 2017 USD March 8, 2017 North American Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Tw. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 National Investment Co. (NIC) Al-Wataniya Fund NIC Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Al-Darij Fund NIC Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Mawarid Fund NIC Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Zajil Fund NIC Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Al Mada Investment Fund NIC Weekly Feb 28, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) Mumtaz Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly March 9, 2017 KD Feb 23, 2017 MIDAF Kuwait Financial Center Weekly March 9, 2017 KD Feb 23, 2017 Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly March 9, 2017 KD Feb 23, 2017 Markaz Arabian Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Nov 10, 2016 KD Nov 3, 2016 FORSA Financial Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Real Estate Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Markaz Fixed Income Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly March 9, 2017 USD Feb 23, 2017 Mawazeen International Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly March 12, 2017 USD Feb 27, 2017 Markaz MENA Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Feb 28, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 Kuwait & Middle East Financial & Inv. Co. Al Rou yah Fund KMEFIC Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Gulf Gate Fund KMEFIC Monthly Oct 31, 2016 KD Sept 30, 2016 Global Investment House Index Funds GCC Large Cap Index Fund Global Weekly March 9, 2017 KD Feb 23, 2017 Funds Fund Manager Valuation Valued date Currency Net Asset Prev NAV Prev NAV Dated Value (NAV) Equity Funds Al-Mamoun Fund A Global Weekly March 9, 2017 KD Feb 23, 2017 Al-Mamoun Fund B Global Weekly March 9, 2017 KD Feb 23, 2017 GCC Large Cap Fund Global Bi-weekly March 7, 2017 USD Feb 21, 2017 Al-Noor Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 31, 2017 SAR Jan 24, 2017 Global Saudi Equity Fund Global Bi-weekly March 7, 2017 SAR Feb 21, 2017 Money Market Funds Global Money Market Fund Global Weekly Nov 20, 2016 USD Sectoral Funds EPADI Fund Global Weekly March 7, 2017 USD Feb 21, 2017 Islamic Funds Global GCC Islamic Fund Global Weekly March 7, 2017 USD Feb 21, 2017 Al-Durra Islamic Fund Global Monthly March 9, 2017 KD Feb 23, 2017 Kuwait Finance & Investment Co (KFIC) Al Wasm Fund KFIC Weekly March 16, 2017 KD Feb 15, 2017 Al Basha er GCC Equity Fund KFIC Monthly Feb 28, 2017 USD Dec 31, 2016 KAMCO KAMCO Investment Fund KAMCO Monthly Jan 31, 2017 KD Nov 30, 2016 KAMCO GCC Opportunities Fund KAMCO Monthly July 31, 2016 USD Feb 29, 2016 KAMCO MENA Plus Fixed Income Fund KAMCO Jan 31, 2017 USD Dec 31, 2016 KAMCO Real Estate Yield Fund KAMCO Jan 31, 2017 USD Dec 30, 2016 Kuwait Education Fund KAMCO Quartely Sept 30, 2016 KD Wafra International Investment Co. Wafra Equity Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Wafra Bond Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Masaref Investment Fund ISKAN Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Fajir Islamic Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Shuaa Capital Co. Emirates Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Feb 7, 2017 AED Jan 31, 2017 The Arab Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Feb 7, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 Al Aman Investment Al Aman Islamic Fund Al Aman Investment Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 1, 2016 Tharwa Investment Co. Tharwa Investment Fund Tharwa Investment Co Weekly March 13, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Tharwa Arab Investment Fund Tharwa Investment Co Bi-weekly July 31, 2016 USD June 30, 2016 Tharwa World Fund Tharwa Investment Co Monthly March 31, 2016 USD March 15, 2016 Tharwa Islamic Fund Tharwa Investment Co Monthly March 13, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Bank Al-Bilad Al Seef Fund Bank Al-Bilad Daily March 15, 2017 KD March 1, 2017 Commercial International Bank CIB Money Market Fund (Osoul) CI Asset Management Weekly March 23, 2017 EGP March 20, 2017 CIB II Equity (Isthethmar) CI Asset Management Weekly March 23, 2017 EGP March 20, 2017 CIB and Faisal Islamic Al Aman CI Asset Management Weekly March 23, 2017 EGP March 20, 2017 Hemaya CI Asset Management Weekly March 1, 2017 EGP Feb 1, 2017 Thabat CI Asset Management Weekly March 23, 2017 EGP March 20, 2017 Takamol CI Asset Management Weekly March 23, 2017 EGP March 19, 2017 Misr El Mostakbel CI Asset Management Weekly March 20, 2017 EGP March 15, 2017 Noor Financial Investment Co. Noor Islamic Fund Noor Financial Investment Co Monthly Feb 29, 2016 KD Dec 31, 2015 Al Zumorroda Investment Co. Zumorroda GCC Fund Al Zumorroda Investment Co Monthly Jan 31, 2016 KD Dec 31, 2015 KFH Capital Investment Co. Muthanna Islamic Index Fund (MUDX) KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Muthanna GCC Islamic Banks Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Baitak GCC Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 CapCorp Investment Co. CapCorp Local Fund CapCorp Investment Company Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017

36 BUSINESS 36 Meyers to rejoin JPMorgan UK s Lamprell sees tough year ahead, recovery only in 2018 Barry Meyers is set to rejoin JPMorgan Chase & Co from Barclays Plc to take on the role of Managing Director of UK Equity Capital Markets (ECM), according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. A spokeswoman at JPMorgan confi rmed that Meyers, who has been leading the UK ECM team at Barclays since March 2015, would report to Nicholas Hall and would also become head of ECM for Sub- Saharan Africa. JPMorgan ended 2016 as the top bookrunner in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, with a market share of more than 10 percent of the deals in the region, raising over $67 billion for its clients. (RTRS) Oil rig builder Lamprell Plc lowered its revenue forecast for this year and said it expected to start seeing a recovery in activity only in Lamprell said on Friday it expected 2017 to be probably its toughest year yet, despite early signs of recovery in drilling activity. We do see early signs of optimism, but caution remains the watchword, Chief Executive Christopher McDonald told Reuters, adding that it would be another months before it sees any flows to the service sector. The company expects 2017 revenue to be in the lower half of its earlier forecast range of $400 million to $500 million, in the absence of large project deliveries in the second half of the year. Lamprell, like its peers, has been cutting costs as oil explorers have slashed spending and cancelled contracts to counter a more-than-2- year rout in oil prices. The company said it had cut about 20 percent of its administrative staff in 2016, leaving it with 1,031 core admin employees. The company had a total workforce of 5,762 employees at the end of Lamprell raised the total impact of the settlement related to a delay in delivery of a jackup rig to Ensco Plc to $42.6 million as cost estimate of additional services rose to $17.6 million from $10 million. The company said in July that it had taken a $25 million exceptional charge to its 2016 revenue due the settlement. Lamprell said on Thursday settlement talks to recover cost from the maker of the rig kit, Cameron LeTourneau, are ongoing. Last year, Saudi Aramco signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a shipbuilding complex with National Shipping Co of Saudi Arabia, a state-controlled firm which ships oil for Aramco, South Korea s Hyundai Heavy Industries and a unit of Lamprell. (RTRS) Commodities Weekly Gold set for weekly gain Crude edges up as Saudi curtails its supplies to US LONDON, March 25, (RTRS): Oil edged higher on Friday, boosted by hopes that an OPEC output cut was beginning to balance a long-oversupplied market, but benchmark prices were on track for weekly losses as concerns persisted over an excess of crude. Benchmark Brent crude futures were at $50.72 per barrel at 12:55 GMT, up 16 cents from their last close. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 20 cents at $47.90 a barrel. Brent was heading for a weekly fall of around 2 percent, while WTI was off just over 1.8 percent. Analysts said the gains were a sign that the crude benchmarks, trading roughly 12 percent below the highs reached in January this year, had levelled out. The flat price is starting to bottom. A lot of the negativity has been priced in, said Olivier Jakob, managing director of PetroMatrix. Saudi Arabia said its crude exports to the United States would fall by around 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) between February and March, boosting price sentiment. It said the expected drop could help draw down US inventories that stood at a record 533 million barrels in the week to last week. In the United States, shale drilling has pushed up oil production by more than 8 percent since mid-2016 to just above 9.1 million bpd, though producers have left a record number of wells unfinished in Permian, the largest oilfield in the country, a sign that output may not rise as swiftly as drilling activity would indicate. Saudi exports to other regions, notably Asia, remained elevated despite an effort led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and supported by other producers including Russia, to cut output by 1.8 million bpd during the first half of the year. Many are now watching for whether OPEC, whose committee monitoring the cuts will meet over the weekend in Kuwait, will extend the deal. Scepticism In Russia, private oil producers are ditching their scepticism and lining up behind an extension of output cuts after previous oil price increases compensated for lost income. Unless OPEC extends the curbs beyond June or makes bigger cuts, traders say oil prices are at risk of falling further. OPEC s goal of drawing down inventories to normal levels is not going to be reached before their agreement expires on June 30, said US investment bank Jefferies in a note to clients. Dennis Gartman, founder and editor of the Gartman Letter said the longer-term outlook was for continuing low oil prices. This slump is very real... Fracking has only just begun here in the US and it will be transferred swiftly to other countries abroad, so the supply of crude oil is going to increase rather dramatically in the years to come, he told the Reuters Global Markets Forum on Friday. Gold was on track for a second weekly gain on Friday as concern about the ability of US President Donald Trump to push legislation through Congress held the dollar near seven-week lows, making bullion cheaper for holders of other currencies. Spot gold was up 0.2 at $1, an ounce at 15:23 GMT. The metal has risen 1.6 percent this week and on Thursday touched $1,253.12, its highest since Feb 28. US gold futures were flat at $1, an ounce. Gold, seen as a safe haven asset, has benefited from falls in the dollar, US bond yields and stocks this week as Trump s difficulty in passing healthcare reform has undermined faith that he can deliver on promises of tax cuts and investment. Showdown Trump has set up a showdown with lawmakers by demanding support for the healthcare bill in a vote on Friday. This is a key event not just for gold but for all risk assets, said Robin Bhar at Societe Generale. We should see some safe haven flows into gold if he can t get it passed because it means all his other programmes have a low probability of succeeding, he said. Failure to pass the bill could push gold through technical resistance at around $1,250, analysts said. If the market can consolidate above $1,250 in the coming days we could see an attempt at the 200-day moving average of $1,259.50, Tim Brown at MKS PAMP wrote in a note. Away from Congress, focus could move to the US Federal Reserve. Three Fed officials, Charles Evans, James Bullard and William Dudley, were due to speak on Friday. Gold prices have been supported by expectations that the Fed will raise interest rates more slowly than some had feared. Higher rates tend to pressure gold by lifting the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion and boosting the dollar, in which gold is priced. Bullard said on Friday that just one more rate hike this year would be appropriate following a rise earlier this month, but that he would not fight a second one. Dudley said that delicate policy changes were necessary. Silver was up 0.7 percent at $17.67 an ounce. Platinum was 0.6 percent higher at $ an ounce. Palladium was up 1.6 percent at $812 an ounce, having hit a twoyear high of $ earlier in the session. Wall St, dollar pare losses after healthcare overhaul bill pulled NEW YORK, March 25, (RTRS): US shares pared losses to end slightly lower on Friday after Republicans pulled their bill to overhaul the US healthcare system due to a shortage of votes, dealing a blow to US President Donald Trump, while European shares fell ahead of the decision. The benchmark US S&P 500 stock index ended a touch lower after falling as much as 0.4 percent earlier, before a House Republican leadership aide said the bill to dismantle Obamacare had been pulled by US House Republican leadership. Traders were on tenterhooks during most of the session as they awaited the outcome of the vote. European stocks slipped as caution prevailed ahead of the decision, with the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares falling about 0.5 percent for the week. But many analysts and investors have seen a failure of the bill as a catalyst to bring forward action on pro-growth policies such as tax reform, deregulation and infrastructure spending. The market is taking it as a positive that they are not pursuing something that looked like it was hitting a brick wall, and that means it s more likely they can move on to other issues the market would like such as deregulation and lower taxes, said Margaret Patel, senior portfolio manager at Wells Fargo Asset Management in Boston. MSCI s all-country world equity index was last up 0.24 point, or 0.05 percent, at The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down points, or 0.29 percent, at 20, The S&P 500 closed down 1.98 points, or 0.08 percent, at 2, The Nasdaq Composite ended points higher, or 0.19 percent, at 5, Europe s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index closed down 0.16 percent at 1, The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, hit a seven-week low of before the healthcare decision but pared losses after the announcement and was last marginally higher at If this stronger dollar has legs, it depends on the next step, said Paresh Upadhyaya, director of currency strategy at Pioneer Investments in Boston. If there is a pivot to taxes from healthcare, the market has to see the plan. Decision The dollar was last up 0.3 percent against the yen at yen after touching a four-month low of yen before the decision. Benchmark 10-year US Treasuries prices turned flat after the decision, with their yields last at percent after Hong Kong shares tick up as investors await earnings In this fi le photo, traders work on the Mizuho Americas trading fl oor in New York. Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street on March 24, led by gains in technology companies and banks. (AP) hitting a session low of percent earlier. A dramatic session on Wall Street ended with stocks slightly lower on Friday as they pared losses in late-afternoon trading after Republicans pulled their bill to overhaul the US healthcare system. The benchmark S&P 500 shot up briefly into positive territory before falling back into the red as Republicans pulled the legislation due to a shortage of votes just before the markets closed, leaving investors to assess how the healthcare bill s failure would affect President Donald Trump s broader economic agenda. Investors had worried earlier this week that the failure of the bill, which would have dismantled the law known as Obamacare, would prove an ominous sign for Trump s ability to push through his economic agenda, including tax reform. But some analysts and investors have seen a failure of the bill as a catalyst to bring forward action on tax reform in particular. Now that they ve taken the healthcare issue off the table, I think the market is more optimistic that they can do other things that are more doable that are not so complicated, such as regulatory reform and lowering taxes, said Margaret Patel, senior portfolio manager at Wells Fargo Asset Management in Boston. The back-and-forth over the bill this week has led to some of the most volatile trading Wall Street has seen since Trump s election in November. For the week, the S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent, its worst weekly decline of the year. The S&P 500 has climbed 9.6 percent since Trump s election, notching a series of record highs along the way. But the rally has stalled recently, and Tuesday s 1.2 percent drop set off concerns about the beginning of a larger fall. Shares of hospital operators finished sharply higher, with Tenet Healthcare up 7.4 percent. The potential dismantling of Obamacare has pressured hospital stocks over concerns the benefits the companies gained from coverage expansion would diminish. Gainer In corporate news, Micron Technology jumped 7.4 percent after the chipmaker s revenue and profit forecasts beat expectations. The stock was the biggest percentage gainer on the S&P and helped lift the Nasdaq. GameStop tumbled 13.6 percent after the company s profit projection fell below estimates. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.07-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a to-1 ratio favored advancers. The S&P 500 posted 19 new 52-week highs and three new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 58 new highs and 40 new lows. About 6.2 billion shares changed hands in US exchanges, below the 7.1 billion daily average over the last 20 sessions. The dollar pulled back from near a four-month low against the Japanese yen on Friday, and was on pace to snap an eight-day losing streak against the safehaven currency, after Republicans killed their bill to overhaul the US healthcare system. With a risk-averse mood across markets, the greenback has slipped about 1.3 percent against the yen this week. On Friday, it was up 0.31 percent at yen. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was down 0.02 percent at , after falling to a seven-week low of , earlier in the session. The euro gained 0.19 percent, at $1.0800, close to a seven-week peak of $ touched on Wednesday on the view that the European Central Bank is heading toward tightening monetary policy as growth and inflation accelerates across the eurozone. Sterling fell against the dollar and euro from the previous session s onemonth highs, as investors braced for Britain to begin next week the formal process of leaving the European Union. Hong Kong stocks eked out marginal gains on Friday, with investors awaiting corporate earnings and a vote on a new US healthcare bill seen as Trump s first policy test. The benchmark Hang Seng index added 0.1 percent, to 24, points at the close. The main index has gained 0.2 percent this week. The Hong Kong China Enterprises Index lost 0.1 percent, to 10, points. Analysts worry that Trump s failure to pass the healthcare bill would cast doubt on his ability to deliver on the promises of tax cuts and infrastructure spending. We all have the same assumption. If he meets some obstacle here, he would also meet obstacles elsewhere, said Alex Wong, a director at Ample Finance Group. There are concerns in the Hong Kong market, but not big enough to be overly anxious. Wong noted investor appetite for risky assets remains solid, but wild swings may be seen in some stocks as earning reports start to trickle in. Most sectors in Hong Kong lost ground, with resource stocks leading the declines. Shares in China Huishan Dairy Holdings plunged 85 percent on Friday, before trade was halted. It was not immediately clear what triggered the slide. In December, US-based short-seller Muddy Waters questioned the firm s profits and said it had inflated spending on its cattle farms to artificially raise capital expenditure figures. BEC Muzaini Dollarco Commercial Bank Gulf Bank NBK Burgan Bank ABK KFH KBE BEC Muzaini Dollarco Commercial Bank Gulf Bank NBK Burgan Bank ABK KFH KBE BEC Muzaini Dollarco Gulf Bank ABK KFH KBE exchange rates March 25 Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy US dollar Danish krone Cyprus pound Sterling pound Indian rupee Yemeni riyal travellers cheques US dollar Sterling Euro local gold BEC Commercial Bank Gulf Bank Al-Ahli Bank BEC Muzaini Exchange Euro Pakistani rupee Thai baht Japanese yen Sri Lanka rupee South African rand Swiss franc Bangladesh taka Korean won Gold 999 kg 12, Canadian dollar Philippine peso Syrian pound Gold tola 12, Gold ounce 1, Swedish krona Australian dollar Iranian Riyal Gold gm 22k Saudi riyal Gold gm 21k Hong Kong dollar Lebanese pound Gold gm 18k UAE dirham Singapore dollar Malaysian ringgit gm Bahraini dinar gm Jordanian dinar Indonesian rupiah Omani riyal Egyptian pound New Zealand dollar All rates in KD per unit of foreign currency

37 INTERNATIONAL 37 Aid reaches Mokha district, says UNHCR 100 civilians killed a month in Yemen war, most by coalition: UN GENEVA, March 25, (RTRS): An average of 100 civilians a month are dying in Yemen s war which enters its third year this weekend, most killed by the Saudi-led coalition s air strikes and shelling, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. In a statement marking the second anniversary on Sunday, it said it had confirmed 4,773 civilians killed and 8,272 injured in the conflict pitting Iran-allied Houthi rebels against the ousted Yemeni government backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition. The latest victims included 32 Somali refugees and a Yemeni civilian killed by shelling from a coalition warship and shooting by an Apache helicopter in an attack on their boat off the coast a week ago, it said. A further 10 are missing. Civilians in Taiz were suffering desperate shortages of food and water due to Popular Committees allied to the Houthis who encircle the city and prevent aid deliveries, it said. Meanwhile, aid has reached the embattled district of Mokha in Yemen, where fighting in a two-year-old civil war has been escalating since January, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday. Intensified fighting has led to more than 48,000 people being driven from their homes in Taiz governorate where Mokha is located in the past six weeks alone, UNHCR said. Humanitarian access to Mokha has been particularly challenging due to clashes and movement restrictions imposed by the warring parties. Distribution, which began last Monday, was allowed after weeks of negotiations, UNHCR said. UNHCR s field staff reported many (people) were traumatised and living in desperate conditions, lacking water and sanitation and sharing limited resources with local host communities, the agency s spokesman, Matthew Saltmarsh, told reporters in Geneva. At least 3,416 people received wash buckets, sleeping mats, blankets and mattresses and other essential items, Saltmarsh said. An average of 100 civilians a month are dying in Yemen s war which enters its third year this weekend, most of them killed by the Saudi-led coalition s air strikes and shelling, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. In a statement marking the second anniversary on Sunday, it said it had confirmed 4,773 civilians killed and 8,272 injured in the conflict which has pitted Iran-allied Houthi rebels against the ousted Yemeni government backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition. Captains of small wooden dhows are carrying food and wares from the United Arab Emirates to war-torn Yemen. But supplies are falling even from this centuries-old Arabian sea route that is one of the last lifelines to a country on the brink of famine. A two-year-old civil war has severely restricted the flow of food into the main Yemeni cargo ports of Hodeidah and Salif on the Red Sea, where all the large grain silos are located. The small wooden boats sailing from souks in the UAE are moving small but vital supplies by making for the smaller ports to the south coast that are of little use to larger vessels and often sidestepping military inspections that choke traffic by dropping anchor at secluded coves nearby. The deals originate in the sprawling Al Ras Market, a collection of dusty alleyways near the Dubai Creek where an array of food and spices are on display including colourful sacks of Pakistani and Indian rice. The dhows plying the ancient trade route that once carried the likes of pearls, frankincense and myrrh supply 14,000 to 18,000 tonnes of foodstuffs a month to Yemen, according to traders. That represents a drop of about percent over the past year because of problems with payment, as well as adverse sailing conditions. The Yemeni currency is destroyed, sometimes we can t get paid enough. We can only go once a month because the seas are too rough, said trader Mohammed Hassan, at a docking station at nearby Port Khaled in Sharjah Sometimes we have to wait 40 days. The volumes of food carried on this route represent a small fraction of the supply to Yemen, which relies on imports for 90 percent of its food. But it has become increasingly important as fighting has raged, the economy has collapsed and Yemen has needed all the help it can get. MPs angry Continued from Page 1 primarily held responsible, he added. Al-Jalal wondered where the millions of dinars allocated by the Public Works Ministry to maintain the roads are spent if the streets of Kuwait are flooded by just one hour of rainfall. He called on the government to reward those who risked their lives to save the lives of others and drain the rain water. He also asked the government to compensate those whose cars got damaged by the rain water. MP Riyadh Al-Adsani stated what happened was a clear case of negligence and lack of willingness to deal with the rain water and put in place radical solutions. He said the Ministry of Public Works must take full responsibility particularly the ministry s Maintenance Department. He admitted it is the nature we are talking about, but obviously the problem today is either related to the implementation or poor maintenance. He added, Although the Ministry confirmed clearing approximately 90 percent of the drainage system, what we witnessed today is just the opposite. He showed a desire to submit a parliamentary query in this regard, with particular focus on the maintenance budget. He called on the Minister of Public Works to open an investigation into the incident and punish those responsible because people s lives are at risk when such incidents occur. MP Abdul-Kareem Al-Kandari asserted areas which were affected included Fahaheel, Mangaf, Sabahiya and other surrounding areas and called on the Minister of Public Works Abdul-Rahman Al-Mutawa to refer those responsible to the Public Prosecution. Meanwhile, MP Issa Al-Kandari blamed the flooding on the bad choice of contractors and what he called policy of selfish interests. He said after the rainfall several roads were dangerous for driving and the flying gravel shattered the windshields of so many cars. London attacker Masood Continued from Page 1 newspaper account. Masood s last conviction, in 2003, also involved a knife attack. The British press quoted people who had contact with Masood over the years describing him as a man who seemed to lose control at a moment s notice. One victim, Danny Smith, told The Sun newspaper that Masood had stabbed him in the face with a kitchen knife after an argument just three days after they met. Hundreds of British police have been working to determine his motives and if he had any possible accomplices. Two men, aged 27 and 58, remain in custody for questioning after being arrested in the central English city of Birmingham, where Masood was living. Authorities haven t charged or identified the men. Seven others who had been arrested in connection with the investigation have been set free. A 32-year-old woman arrested in Manchester and a 39-year-old woman arrested in east London have been released on bail. Police are scouring Masood s communications systems, including his possible use of the encrypted WhatsApp device, to help determine if he had any accomplices in the attack. Details about how he became radicalized aren t clear, although he may have become exposed to radical views while an inmate in Britain or while working in conservative Saudi Arabia. It s also not clear when he took the name Masood, suggesting a conversion to Islam. The Islamic State soldier who killed four people in an attack on the British parliament may have been inspired by calls to arms against the West but the militant group has given no evidence yet that he acted on specific instructions. Almost 24 hours after the Airstrikes across rebel-held Syria kill and wound scores BEIRUT, March 25, (AP): Warplanes struck rebelheld parts of Syria Saturday hitting a women s prison and a clinic, killing and wounding scores of people, amid clashes on multiple fronts between government forces and insurgent groups in some of the worst violence the country has witnessed in weeks, opposition activists said Saturday. The airstrikes, of which some activists said included Russian air raids, concentrated on the rebelheld northwestern province of Idlib, the central province of Hama and suburbs of the capital Damascus that have come under attack by insurgent groups over the past week. One of the airstrikes hit a main street in the Damascus suburb of Hamouriyeh killing at least 16 people and wounded more than 50, activists said. The airstrikes caused wide destruction in the area. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said in a statement released in Geneva that he is deeply concerned by the recent escalation of violence in Syria, highlighting that it undermines a Dec. 30 cease-fire brokered by Turkey, Iran and Russia who back opposing parties in the conflict. The statement said de Mistura had communicated with the foreign ministers of the three countries, appealing to them to exert urgent efforts to uphold the cease-fire. Speaking after meeting on Saturday with the UN envoy in Geneva as part of a fresh round of Syrian peace talks, Nasr al-hariri, the head of the main opposition delegation, lashed out at Assad s killing machine and both named, and showed photos of some of the victims including some featuring graphic imagery. This is the fault of warplanes, he told reporters. These are the ones who claim to fight terrorism who are responsible for this horrible massacre in Hamouna. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes on Hamouriyeh killed 16, including eight women and children, and wounded more than 50. The Local Coordination said 18 were killed and dozens were wounded. Both groups said some people are still missing, and that the death toll could rise. They have been hitting Hamouriyeh for days but today they struck an area packed with civilians, said Awis al-shami of The Civil Defense searchand-rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, via text message. The airstrikes come as insurgent groups have been on the offensive in Damascus and the central province of Hama for the past days. Government forces and their allies launched a counteroffensive capturing some of the areas they lost in Damascus and Hama. Opposition activists also reported airstrikes in Idlib province hitting several towns and villages as well as the provincial capital the carries the same name. killings the group issued a brief statement calling Masood one of its soldiers. But it offered no details to suggest that Islamic State s leadership losing ground to enemies in Syria and Iraq knew of his plans in advance. That in itself does not rule out coordination between Masood and militants in the shrinking, self-styled caliphate. Islamic State frequently delays releasing video footage or other material showing the planning and implementation of operations. But the nature of Wednesday s killings, carried out by a single assailant armed only with a hire car and a knife, matched a pattern of recent attacks which require no training, military expertise or outside guidance. Islamic State spokesman Abu Mohammed al Adnani called on sympathisers across the world to carry out exactly those kind of attacks in an appeal issued when the group was at the peak of its power in late If you can kill a disbelieving American or European... smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him, said Adnani, who was killed in a US air strike in Syria last August. British counter-terrorism police say they are still trying to establish whether Masood, a criminal with militant links, acted alone, with support or under instruction of others. He had shown up on the periphery of previous terrorism investigations that brought him to the attention of Britain s MI5 spy agency, but the 52-year-old was not under investigation at the time of the attack. Help uphold Syria ceasefire: UN envoy Relatives and friends bury the body of Khadeer, who was killed during fi ghting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants, on the western side of Mosul, Iraq on March 25. (AP) The Observatory said a Friday night attack struck a prison run by militants, killing at least 16 people including prisoners and prison staff in Idlib city. It added that women were among the dead as well. The monitoring group, which has a network of activists around the country, said some people were killed by gunfire as prison guards chased detainees who tried to flee after the attack. The Syrian National Coalition, one of the largest opposition groups, said the airstrikes on Idlib targeted among other things a women s prison, saying that dozens of people were killed or wounded. The Observatory and the Syrian Civil Defense group, also known as the White Helmets, said an airstrike struck a clinic in the village of Kfar Nubul in Idlib province. They had no immediate word on casualties. The Local Coordination Committees said five air raids struck the city of Idlib without giving further details. Idlib is a stronghold of Syrian insurgent groups and is regularly targeted by Syrian and Russian warplanes. In the central province of Hama, Syrian government forces and their allies launched a counteroffensive, capturing some of the areas they lost in an attack by insurgents earlier this week. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Saturday that government forces regained control of the village of Kawkab and repelled an attack on the town of Qamhana. The Observatory reported intense clashes in the area adding that, under the pressure of shelling and airstrikes, insurgents had to withdraw from some recently gained areas. On Wednesday, insurgents advanced to within a few kilometers of the government-held city of Hama in their new offensive spearheaded by an al-qaeda-linked group. The fighting forced thousands of civilians to flee the area, according to Khaled Okasha, an Egyptian security analyst and former police officer, said Masood appeared to be the latest in a series of attackers he described as sympathetic and loyal from afar rather than central figures in Islamic State. Those assailants are inspired by Islamic State s online campaigns, Okasha said, and often leave behind the Islamic State materials from which they drew their inspiration. So the operation has an Islamic State signature on it, and straight after the operation... the DAESH (Islamic State) leadership in Syria put out a statement claiming responsibility even though they may have had no advance knowledge, he said. A French judicial source said last month that an Egyptian man who attacked soldiers with machetes at the Louvre museum in Paris told police he identified with the beliefs of Islamic State but had not received instructions from or sworn allegiance to the group. international aid groups. Elsewhere, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has written to the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran to urge them to undertake urgent efforts to uphold the ceasefire regime in Syria and to smooth the way for peace talks, a statement said on Saturday. The Special Envoy recalls that the joint efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey to guarantee the ceasefire are indispensable for improving the conditions on the ground and contributing to an environment conducive for a productive political progress, the statement said. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Friday condemning the unlawful destruction of cultural heritage and warning the Islamic State extremist group, al-qaeda and other combatants that such attacks may constitute war crimes. The resolution approved by the UN s most powerful body expands previous measures which were limited to the illicit trafficking in looted cultural items to fund terrorism, and focused on Iraq and Syria where Islamic State extremists have destroyed ancient sites including Palmyra. The newly adopted measure targets not only IS, al-qaeda and its affiliates but all parties to conflicts. It condemns and urges prosecution of those responsible for attacks against historic monuments and sites and buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes as well as those who carry out illegal excavations, loot and traffic in stolen goods. Irina Bokova, head of the UN cultural agency UNESCO, called the resolution historic saying it reflects new recognition of the importance of cultural heritage for peace and security. Heritage is identity it is belonging, she told the council after the vote. The deliberate destruction of heritage Hosni Mubarak Continued from Page 1 Such a firm belief is another sash to be added to the sashes of pride and honor that adorn your coat. On the other hand, those who attempted to weaken Egypt are bleeding from their injuries of defeat, regret and isolation. You are now in your humble house after six years of tough times, which afflict those who believe in their God and in their country. All eyes are looking at you as a model now. Hence, open your doors for the people of Egypt who will come to apologize and seek inspiration from your determination for ensuring the stability of Egypt in the face of all kinds of storms. It is about the citizen who, regardless of the positions he assumes, returns to his house with his head lifted high and with pride like that of the pyramids, the citizen who persists in is a war crime it has become a tactic of war, in a global strategy of cultural cleansing. Bokova said that s why defending cultural heritage is a security imperative, inseparable from that of defending human lives. UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman said the resolution aims to strengthen international cooperation to deprive terrorists of funding, but also to protect cultural heritage as a symbol of understanding and respect for all religions, beliefs and civilizations. The resolution calls for international cooperation in investigations, prosecutions, confiscations and the return of looted and trafficked cultural property. It also calls on member states to carry out measures including introducing or improving cultural inventory lists and adopting import and export regulations that require certification of the provenance of cultural items. Yuri Fedotov, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, called the destruction of landmarks such as the giant Buddhas in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, the Roman monuments in Palmyra and shrines and mosques in the Iraqi cities of Tikrit and Mosul reprehensible attempts to erase history. But the destruction and looting are also generating profits for terrorists through trafficking, carried out in collusion with organized crime groups, he said. Those profits fund further acts of terrorism, and enable yet more destruction and looting of cultural sites and archaeological treasures. Fedotov said his office is working with UNESCO, INTERPOL and others to strengthen national, regional and international responses. We have the treaties, tools, guidelines and training materials, he said. But we need to operationalize commitments more effectively, and we need member states to provide more resources in the spirit of shared responsibility. cultivating and nurturing hope like the gushing waters of the Nile River. Indeed, they will come to you people who believe in their nation and in its loyal men, from all provinces and even from the Arab world to apologize to you for the hardship they caused you and for their assumptions, some of which are alike sins in the eyes of Almighty Allah. What if all those assumptions were malicious? Indeed, the course witnessed some mistakes; it is rare to find no mistakes. However, mistakes committed in the course of a nation of the size of Egypt are not to be blamed because the initial intention was to adhere to the national principles and serve the people. But such mistakes do not mean the country can be slaughtered, like some who portrayed to be pious in the eyes of people when in reality they were slaves of personal interests, and afflicted with violence, destruction and sedation of people like a herd of sheep being dragged into the dictatorship slaughterhouse the office of the supreme leader of scoundrels who attempted to put Egypt between a rock of takfiri and disloyalty, and a hard place of surrender to their desires. But they were on your watch and also on the watch of the people. In less than a year, they were tossed out by the people, and the trust was then placed on one of the most obedient children of the military institution Field Marshal Abdul Fattah el-sisi. Almighty Allah suffices us on them. He is the best disposer of the affairs. It is enough that they are being punished today for their injustice, as some are in the prisons, some have run away, some have been killed and some others are shunned by the people. All that remains is your memoirs when you write them, when many questions will be answered, and Egyptians, Arabs and the world will be your witnesses. Newswatch Continued from Page 1 Christian homes in southern Egypt. The Friday clashes injured four policemen and seven of the Muslim villagers. Police have made eight arrests. (AP) NEW YORK: For years, family members of those killed on Sept. 11 and insurance companies tried unsuccessfully through the courts to hold Saudi Arabia or businesses and organizations there responsible for the terrorist attacks. Now that Congress has cleared the way, they re making a fresh effort. In the next year, the Manhattan federal courts will make rulings signaling to thousands of family members of those killed and injured first responders whether passage of the 2016 Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act was largely a symbolic exercise or a catalyst to getting them to trial. (AP) TUNIS: Tunisia s government has summoned the British ambassador to protest against a decision to restrict carry-on electronic goods on flights from Tunisia, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Britain has announced that from Saturday it will ban passengers from carrying some phones, laptops and tablets on flights from six countries in the Middle East including Tunisia. (RTRS) ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates, one of the world s top aviation hubs, has said it was surprised by the ban on laptops in plane cabins bound for the United States because UAE security was already tight, but it pledged to cooperate with US authorities. Washington announced the new measure on Tuesday, prohibiting electronic devices larger than smart phones in cabins on flights from 10 airports in countries including the UAE, Qatar and Turkey. (RTRS) ANKARA: Turkey s foreign ministry summoned Switzerland s deputy ambassador to Ankara on Saturday over a protest in the Swiss capital Bern against President Tayyip Erdogan, the state-run Anadolu agency reported, Anadolu said some 250 people, including supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), staged a rally earlier on Saturday in Bern calling for a No vote in an April referendum in Turkey that could give Erdogan sweeping new powers. (RTRS) WASHINGTON: The Trump administration announced sanctions Friday on 30 foreign companies and people from 10 countries, including China, and accused the entities of engaging in proliferation activity. These determinations underscore that the United States continues to regularly impose sanctions under existing authorities, as warranted, against entities and individuals that engage in proliferation activity with Iran, North Korea, and Syria, the State Department statement said in a statement. The companies included under the newly imposed sanctions are based in China, North Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. (AP) DUBAI: Iran denied on Saturday US accusations that its fast-attack boats were harassing warships at the mouth of the Gulf, and said Washington would be responsible for any clashes in the key oil shipping route. US Navy commanders earlier accused Iran of jeopardising international navigation by harassing warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and said future incidents could result in miscalculation and lead to an armed clash. (RTRS)

38 LEISURE Sherman s Lagoon By J.P. Toomey N E W Y O R K T I M E S CROSSWORD 38 Mutts By Patrick McDonnell Hagar The Horrible By Chris Browne Beetle Bailey By Mort Walker Garfield By Jim Davis Baby Blues By Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott Conceptis Sudoku The grid must be so completed that every row, column and 3x3 box has every digit from 1 to 9 inclusive Answer to yesterday s puzzle Challenger DIRECTIONS: Fill each square with a number, one through nine. Horizontal squares should add to totals on right. Vertical squares should add to totals on bottom. Diagonal squares through center should add to total in upper and lower right. THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE SOLUTION. Today s Challenge Time 9 Minutes 3 Seconds Your Working Time Minutes Seconds Word by Word Yesterday s solution In this March 23 photo provided by the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Wendy Rice, the zoo s head keeper of Africa section, bottle-feeds a baby Nile hippopotamus born prematurely in January and named Fiona, in the hippo s enclosure at the zoo in Cincinnati. The zoo says the female hippo, which weighed 29 pounds at birth and is the fi rst Nile hippo born at the zoo in 75 years, is getting more independent and now tops 100 pounds (45.36 kilograms), meaning her days of napping on her human caretakers laps are dwindling. (AP) contract bridge By Steve Becker Scratch pad odds n ends WELLINGTON, New Zealand: They took an eight-hour flight just to look out the airplane s window, but it was an extraordinary view. A charter plane that left Dunedin, New Zealand, late Thursday fl ew close to the Antarctic Circle to give the eager passengers an up-close look at the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights. Otago Museum Director Ian Griffi n came up with the idea. An astronomer, Griffi n said he was inspired after seeing the Southern Lights while fl ying as a guest on a NASA observatory plane. He says the 134 seats on the chartered Boeing 767 sold out within fi ve days and one man traveled from Spain for the trip. He says he could have fi lled the plane several times over, although they were only selling window seats and seats immediately adjacent, leaving the middle of the aircraft empty. I thought it was absolutely brilliant, Griffi n said. We were right under it. There were beautiful streamers, auroral streamers. This green-colored stuff that moves quickly, it looks like you re looking into a green, streaky river. Passenger Nick Wong said he d stumbled upon the idea of the fl ight last year through social media and decided to sign up. I didn t think we would actually see such a spectacular display, even by the naked eye, he said. It was really great to be a part of an adventure with like-minded people who were equally or more excited at viewing this phenomena as I was. Wong, a cancer research scientist, said he loves going camping and looking at the stars, something he found more stunning in New Zealand after moving from Australia three years ago. (AP) FLAGSTAFF, Arizona: A Texas college student stranded for fi ve days near the Grand Canyon says she was making farewell videos for her family as she grew desperate for help. Arizona authorities say 24-year-old Amber VanHecke was well-equipped and did everything right after getting lost in a remote area during a solo road trip. VanHecke said in a Facebook post that she was heading to a hiking trail but was led astray by her maps app and wound up in the middle of nowhere with an empty gas tank. She told ABC s Good Morning America that she even tried to chase down a truck to no avail. I was panicking and crying and sobbing. I was a mess, VanHecke told the show. VanHecke said nobody had reported her missing because of a miscommunication with her family. (AP) History Tareekh History repeats itself. Al tareekh Yoeaid Nafsoh. Numbers 7513 Seven thousand five hundred thirteen Sabat alaf wa khamso maah wa thalath ashar

39 SPORTS 39 Participants pose for a group photo during the FBAA 43rd Conference Master Cup Qualifier Part 2. Ali Cafe, Robinsons Land Corporation and Equipment Co trail behind Toyo Tires take lead in FBAA 43rd Conference Master Cup Qualifier Part 2 Ko misses just 2nd LPGA cut Kerr shoots 69 to take Kia lead CARLSBAD, California, March 25, (AP): A 10-foot putt stood between top-ranked Lydia Ko making the cut or getting a rare weekend off. She rolled it just right. So after taking Saturday off, she ll be driving out to Palm Springs on Sunday to start preparing for the season s first major. Ko, the defending Kia champion, missed the cut for just the second time in 91 LPGA Tour starts when she bogeyed two of her final three holes Friday at the Kia Classic. Cristie Kerr, the 2015 Kia champion, shot a 3-under 69 for a tworound total of 9-under 135, good for a one-shot lead over Mo Martin and Mirim Lee. Ko fell apart on the last three greens. She missed short putts on 16 and 17 for a bogey and par, and three-putted No. 18 to finish at par- 72 for a 36-hole total of 2-over 146. The cut was at 1-over. So while there won t be a repeat champion at the Kia, Kerr can win it for the second time in three years if 3-way tie for lead in Puerto Rico Open Johnson vs Johnson in KO stage AUSTIN, Texas, March 25, (RTRS): It will be Johnson v Johnson as world number one Dustin takes on double major champion Zach in a round-of-16 clash at the WGC-Dell Match Play in Texas on Saturday. And five-times major champion Phil Mickelson will meet in-form Australian Marc Leishman as the World Golf Championships event enters the knockout phase after completing the round-robin phase at Austin Country Club. Big-hitting Dustin Johnson emerged with a perfect record, wrapping up the group phase with a 5&3 shellacking of fellow American Jimmy Walker on Friday. He said he fancied his chances of beating namesake and compatriot Zach, not because of the world rankings but because of his form. No matter what ranking I am, I feel I should win, he told reporters. I feel like I ve got a bit of an advantage, just because I m playing so well. Zach Johnson, meanwhile, said he would relish the challenge of taking on GOLF the game s hottest player. Mickelson finished group play in style at with a 6&5 thumping of fellow American J.B. Holmes. Leishman was given a scare before winning his group in a three-way playoff with Englishman Lee Westwood and American Pat Perez after they all finished with the same record in their group. Asked for his thoughts about facing Mickelson, known for his light-hearted trash talking, the laid-back Leishman sounded unfazed. Among other round-of-16 match-ups will be Spaniard Jon Rahm versus American Charles Howell III, Englishman Paul Casey against Japan s Hideto Tanihara and American Bubba Watson against Englishman Ross Fisher. Rahm won his group by beating countryman Sergio Garcia 6&4. Howell topped his group after an eventful three-way playoff with Englishman Tyrrell Hatton and Spain s Rafa Cabrera-Bello. Hatton was eliminated at the first extra hole after incurring a two-stroke penalty for putting without replacing his ball after he had caused it to move fractionally. Howell finally emerged victorious four holes later. The round-of-16 on Saturday morning will be followed immediately afterwards by the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau, D.A. Points and Bill Lunde were locked in a three-way tie for the lead NHL Results/Standings WASHINGTON, March 25, (RTRS): Results and standings from the NHL games on Friday: Anaheim 3 Winnipeg 1 GOLF Battle for gold Old guard out to keep young guns at bay LONDON, March 25, (RTRS): Javier Fernandez, Yuzuru Hanyu and Patrick Chan have won the last six men s titles at the figure skating world championships but the old guard will be under pressure in Helsinki to quell the growing threat posed by a gang of high-flying upstarts. In the final global meet before next February s Winter Olympics in South Korea s Pyeongchang, the trio will be eager to show that they are still capable of pulling off more soaring quadruple jumps than their younger rivals. Jimmy Walker plays a shot from a bunker on the 15th hole during round-robin play at the Dell Technologies Match Play golf tournament at Austin Country Club on March 24, in Austin, Texas. (AP) when darkness suspended secondround play on Friday at the Puerto Rico Open. The three Americans were knotted at 11 under par on the rain-softened Coco Beach course, with Lunde having three holes to complete as one of 45 players returning early on Saturday to finish the round in Rio Grande. DeChambeau fired a seven-under-par 65, Points a 69, and Lunde was fourunder for the day after an opening 65. New Zealand left-hander Tim Wilkinson joined a large group one off the lead with a sizzling 63, playing his last eight holes in seven under par. PGA Tour rookie Trey Mullinax, who grabbed the first round lead at 63 five days after getting married, remained at nine under par after 13 holes when play was halted. she keeps up her strong play through the weekend. Kerr kept the lead despite bogeys on two of her final four holes. To stay atop the leader board will take making it routine, just playing my game every day and keeping it simple. Staying out of my own way. Kerr had been tied at 6-under 66 with Martin and In Gee Chun after the first round. Martin shot a 70 on Friday while Lee had a 67. Mi Jung Hur, Austin Ernst, Jackie Stoelting and Karine Icher were tied at 6-under 138. Just seven years ago, American Evan Lysacek captured the 2010 Olympic gold without attempting a single quadruple jump. That prompted 2006 Olympic gold medallist Yevgeny Plushenko to claim Lysacek was not a true champion and that he had won gold by dancing rather than skating like a man. Now it is no longer a question of if the top contenders will attempt a skill that requires them to lift off into the air and complete four revolutions before touching down on the ice, but how many quads they will pull off. The battle for the gold medal is likely to be between double world champion Fernandez and Japan s Hanyu, who won the Olympic and world titles during a magical few weeks in The two Brian Orser graduates have been untouchable at the world championships for the last two years, leaving the rest of the field to chase bronze. However, with 17-year-old American Nathan Chen capturing the top prize at last month s Four Continents competition, the chasing pack is closing in fast. FIGURE SKATING Fernandez, 25, still expects to be fighting it out with Hanyu for gold in Helsinki but said emerging talents such as China s Jin Boyang and Japanese teenager Shoma Uno could not be discounted. When Chan decided to take a break after his Olympic dreams were dashed, his quad repertoire was limited to quad-toeloops. A year into his comeback, he has added a quad Salchow to his arsenal in an attempt to keep pace with the young tyros. Fernandez said the younger skaters were developing quickly. Recent form suggests that the other titles will be more clear cut as defending women s champion Evgenia Medvedeva has not been beaten this season, while 2010 Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have enjoyed a comeback to savour. Following a two-year hiatus, the Canadians have won every meet they have entered and look set to end the two-year reign of their French training partners Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron. Dallas 6 San Jose 1 Tampa Bay 2 Detroit (OT) 1 NY Islanders 4 Pittsburgh 3 Western Conference Central Division Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS W L OTL GF GA PTS Chicago Montreal Minnesota Ottawa Toronto St Louis Boston Nashville Tampa Bay Winnipeg Florida Dallas Buffalo Colorado Detroit Pacific Division Metropolitan Division W L OTL GF GA PTS W L OTL GF GA PTS San Jose Washington Anaheim Pittsburgh Columbus Edmonton NY Rangers Calgary NY Islanders Los Angeles Carolina Vancouver Philadelphia Arizona New Jersey Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L) By Michelle Fe Santiago Arab Times Staff KUWAIT CITY, March 25: The FBAA 43rd Conference Master Cup Qualifier Part 2 dubbed the 16th Toyo Tires Cup opened with five teams battling it out to bag the championship cup in the badminton open doubles tournament. Toyo Tires, Robinsons Land Corp, Ali Café and Equipment Co are among the teams competing in various categories such as Category 1 High & Low, Category 2 High & Low, Category 3 High & Low and Category 4 High & Low. Toyo Tires once again lashed out the other teams and took the top spot on the first week. Meanwhile, Ali BADMINTON Café, Robinsons Land Corporation and Equipment Co trailed behind. This conference is composed of rotating doubles team tournament where individual scores are recorded and the team with the most number of points won gets the spot for the award. Barry Lood topped the Category 1 High; while Saravanan took the second spot. While in Category 1 Low, Ryan Aguilar took the lead followed by AldrinTuralde as one of the highlights. FBAA would like to thank the following sponsors for contributing to the tournament, Sunil Nanda, Abhay Chaturvedi, Monty Oberoi of Abdulhadi Almailem Trading Isles pip Pens in SO PITTSBURGH, March 25, (AP): John Tavares and Anthony Beauvillier scored in the shootout to lead the New York Islanders over the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in the NHL on Friday night. Beauvillier opened the shootout with a goal, and Tavares snapped a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury in the next round. Sidney Crosby scored in the shootout for Pittsburgh, but Jaroslav Halak, making his first start since Dec. 29, stopped Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino. Anders Lee scored his 28th goal of the season, while Brock Nelson got his 17th and Casey Cizikas his eighth for the Islanders, who moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. New York is tied with Boston at 82 points, but the Islanders have a game in hand on the Bruins. The Islanders have 18 wins in 31 games since Doug Weight was named interim coach on Jan. 17, replacing Jack Capuano. ICE HOCKEY Halak, a former All-Star, made 37 saves. Stars 6, Sharks 1 In Dallas, Adam Cracknell scored his first hat trick in seven NHL seasons and Dallas handed San Jose its fifth straight loss. Cracknell opened the scoring in the first period, capped a three-goal flurry in the second and beat goalie Aaron Dell on a short-handed breakaway in the third for his career-high 10th goal of the season. The Sharks entered two points ahead of Anaheim and Edmonton in the Pacific Division despite their longest losing streak of the season. San Jose has been outscored 16-5 during the stretch. Brett Ritchie, Jamie Benn and John Klingberg also scored for the Stars. Joe Thornton scored for San Jose on the power play in the second period. Dell had 23 saves. Dallas Kari Lehtonen made 20 saves four nights after shutting out San Jose. Ducks 3, Jets 1 In Anaheim, California, Andrew Cogliano scored late in the second period and Jonathan Bernier made 17 saves as Anaheim beat Winnipeg. Corey Perry and Jakob Silvferberg also scored for Anaheim, which is now tied with San Jose for the lead in the Pacific Division with eight games remaining for both teams. The Sharks lost 6-1 to Dallas, giving the Company Exclusive distributor of Toyo Tires, Marc Antonio, Alene Valencia and Kris Clarinan of Robinsons Land Corporation, Ibrahim from Equipment Company Stars hand Sharks 5th straight loss Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (left), puts pressure on Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler (right), during the first period of an NHL hockey game on March 24, in Anaheim, California. (AP) Ducks renewed hope of winning the division title for the fifth season in a row. Bernier s outstanding play in relief of John Gibson has been a big reason why the Ducks are in contention for another division banner, improving to in his last eight games. They ve won three straight overall. Josh Morrissey scored a power-play goal and Michael Hutchinson made 32 saves for the Jets, who did not pick up a point in eight games this season against Anaheim, San Jose and Edmonton, the top three teams in the Pacific Division. Lightning 2, Red Wings 1, OT In Detroit, Nikita Kucherov scored 3:28 into overtime to lift Tampa Bay over Detroit. Situated on the edge of the crease, Kucherov redirected a hard pass from Brayden Point into the net. The Lightning are one point behind the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders for the final Eastern Conference wild card. The Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators will play two regular-season games in Stockholm, Sweden, in November as part of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series. The NHL and the NHL Players Association announced Friday that the two teams will face each other at the Ericsson Globe on Nov It will be the sixth time the NHL has played a regular-season game in Europe, but the first time since These will be the 21st and 22nd games played in Europe, and the seventh and eighth played in Sweden. The Washington Capitals recalled forward Paul Carey from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. Carey, 28, made his season debut with the Capitals on Nov. 20 and skated in four games with three shots on goal. and Medo Aboud of Proteins Company Ali Café. For more information about FBAA please visit or info@fbaakuwait.org NFL Roundup Colts release Jones Chicago Bears sign Sanchez CHICAGO, March 25, (RTRS): The Chicago Bears signed quarterback Mark Sanchez to a oneyear contract on Friday. Sanchez is expected to back up starter Mike Glennon for the Bears, who are coming off a 3-13 season and finished last in the NFC North. The 30-year-old Sanchez, the New York Jets 2009 firstround pick (fifth overall) out of USC, visited with the Bears on Thursday and now joins his fifth NFL team. The Carolina Panthers signed running back Jonathan Stewart to a one-year contract extension through the 2018 season. Stewart, who turned 30 on Tuesday, was set to count $8.5 million against the salary cap in 2017, but the new deal reportedly will spread the money out to save cap space. Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is reportedly asking for a premium price on the open market, and teams are not willing to Sanchez meet the demand. Peterson remains unsigned during free agency and ESPN s Jeremy Fowler reported that it is because the asking price is too high. A source from a team in the market for a running back told ESPN that Peterson wanted more than $8 million in the first year of a contract. The Indianapolis Colts released defensive tackle Arthur Jones to clear salarycap space. Jones, 30, was set to count $7.35 million against the cap in 2017 after the Colts signed him to a five-year, $33 million deal as an unrestricted free agent on March 13, 2014.

40 SPORTS 40 BOSTON, March 25, (AP): The Phoenix Suns Devin Booker scored 70 points, becoming the sixth different player in NBA history to reach that total, but the Boston Celtics got 34 points from Isaiah Thomas and outlasted the visitors on Friday night. Booker joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, David Robinson and Elgin Baylor as the NBA s 70-point scorers. Baylor also held the previous record against the Celtics with 64 points in Minneapolis for the Lakers on Nov 8, The win was Boston s third straight, and avenged its buzzer-beater loss in Phoenix earlier this month. The rematch was dominated early by the Celtics as they hit eight 3-pointers during a 37-point second quarter to grow their lead as high as 26 points. Cavaliers 112, Hornets 105 In Charlotte, North Carolina, LeBron James had 32 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and Cleveland bounced back from its worst defensive outing of the season with a win over Charlotte. Kyrie Irving added 26 points and Kevin Love had 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Cavaliers snapped Charlotte s three-game winning streak and clinched the Central Division. Rockets 117, Pelicans 107 In Houston, James Harden scored 38 points, including eight down the stretch, and tied a career high with 17 assists to help Houston pull away from New Orleans. The Pelicans had scored seven points in a row, capped by a 3-pointer from DeMarcus Cousins, to cut the lead to two with about two minutes left. Harden scored Houston s first points in almost 2-1/2 minutes after that on a driving layup to extend the lead. And after a bucket by Cousins on the other end, Harden made three free throws to leave the Rockets up with about 90 seconds left. Bucks 100, Hawks 97 In Milwaukee, Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo picked up his second straight double-double with 34 points and 13 rebounds as Milwaukee held on to beat Atlanta. The Bucks, who have won 11 of 13 games, moved into a tie with Atlanta for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks have lost six straight. Warriors 114, Kings 100 In Oakland, California, Stephen Curry had 27 points, seven rebounds and a season-high 12 assists to help Golden State beat Sacramento. Draymond Green added a seasonbest 23 points with eight assists, while Ian Clark scored 10 points to help the Warriors improve to an NBA-best Golden State has won six straight since its season-high three-game losing streak. Wizards 129, Nets 108 In Washington, John Wall scored 22 points despite dealing with migraine headache symptoms earlier in the day, Bradley Beal added 19 points and Washington cruised past Brooklyn to clinch a playoff spot. Brandon Jennings had 18 points, one of three bench players to score in double-figures as the third-place Wizards moved a game ahead of idle Toronto in the Eastern Conference. Nuggets 125, Pacers 117 In Indianapolis, Nikola Jokic had 31 points, 17 rebounds and a big 3-pointer to turn back a late Indiana rally as Denver beat the Pacers. Wilson Chandler scored 12 of his 24 points in the opening quarter, and Danilo Gallinari added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Magic 115, Pistons 87 In Orlando, Florida, Elfrid Payton had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his fourth triple-double of the season while Terrence Ross scored 18 points as Orlando routed slumping Detroit. It was another costly defeat for the Pistons, who entered the night just one game out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference and lost for the third straight time and the sixth in their last seven games. 76ers 117, Bulls 107 In Chicago, Rookies Dario Saric and Shawn Long had career highs in scoring, leading Philadelphia over desper- KEFAK team Booker scores 70, Celtics beat Suns Nuggets hold off Pacers Booker BASKETBALL BTC joins Annual Fireman s Day 2017 KUWAIT CITY, March 25: In line with Group initiatives to support community affairs, Bahrah Trading Company (BTC) one of the Al-Sayer Group Holding Companies participated as one of the sponsors of Fireman s Day 2017 organized by Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD) at the Souk Sharq Marina. The event was inaugurated by Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al-Sabah and was attended by senior officials from KFSD, Ministry of Interior, National Guards, KOC, KNPC, etc. The annual event is held to honor the commitment, sacrifice and loyalty extended by firefighters when controlling fires, saving lives, and preserving properties. Lieutenant-General Khaled Al-Mekrad, the Director General of KFSD delivered the key note address explaining preparedness of KFSD in tackling challenges of fire prevention and firefighting especially in the backdrop of increasing high rise constructions. Bader Musaed Al-Sayer, Business Director Al-Sayer Group Holding received the memento in recognition of BTC s sponsorship from the Minister ate Chicago. Saric scored 32 points, extending his double-digit points streak to 22 games, the longest by a rookie this season. He added 10 rebounds. Shawn Long, playing in his ninth career game, had 18 points and seven rebounds. Lakers 130, Timberwolves 119, OT In Los Angeles, Jordan Clarkson had career highs of 35 points and eight 3-pointers as Los Angeles rallied to beat Minnesota to snap a six-game skid. Julius Randle added 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who earned just their second victory since the All- Star break. They had lost 15 of 16 coming into the matchup of last-place teams in their respective divisions. Notable left-foot striker Dias shines KIFF beat KEFAK for legends Friendship Cup 2017 KUWAIT CITY, March 25: The prospect of watching legends of Indian football in Kuwait play together was made a reality by Kuwait Indian Football Federation (KIFF) in a veterans Friendship Cup 2017 one-off match played at Bayan Grounds last Friday 17/03/2017. It was a joy to see, some of the superstars of a golden era gone by, display their immortal footballing skills, and the spirited fire still burning in them. The primary objective of the event was to unite Indian football and support the work of India s two prominent Winners pose for a group photo with the organisers during the 8th Kuwait Open Tennis tournament. KIB concludes sponsorship of 8th Kuwait Open Tennis Tournament Kuwait International Bank (KIB) recently concluded its sponsorship of the 8th Kuwait Open Tennis Tournament, which took place under the patronage of the President of the Kuwait and Arab Tennis Federations, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The tournament kicked off on March 2nd and took place at Al-Yarmouk Sports Club and the Kuwait Tennis Federation (KTF) courts, featuring around 500 participants of all ages. The tournament was the largest organized by KTF throughout the entire season, as it included 302 matches overall. The closing game was attended by various sponsors, KTF members, parents of the players, as well as a huge audience of local sports fans. During the closing ceremony, over 50 players from all age groups and winners of the tournament were recognized for their sportsmanship and performance throughout the tournament. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Nawaf Najia, Manager of the Corporate Communications Unit at KIB, stated: The Bank pays special attention to promoting a culture of sports across the community and, for that reason, actively seeks to support community-based sports initiatives and activities. We are proud of KIB s sponsorship of this tournament, as it refl ects our ongoing belief in the importance of sports and our role in encouraging regular exercise among people to achieve a healthy lifestyle, enhancing both physical and mental well-being. Najia also congratulated international tennis player, Mohammad Al- Ghareeb, who was honored during the closing ceremony for his outstanding athletic performance. He lauded Al-Ghareeb s sportsmanship in boosting Kuwait s standing internationally and successfully representing Kuwait in Davis Cup, The World Cup of Tennis, over the course of 20 years; his performance successfully placing Kuwait amongst international rankings. KIB considers sports a cornerstone of its social responsibility program and so, the Bank is keen on providing its full support to athletes and local talents within various different sports. The Bank continues to be an adamant supporter of local athletes who have acted as a true inspiration to the community, as well as those who have played a role in strengthening Kuwait s standing, within the region and internationally. Top & above: Photos taken from the event. State for Cabinet Affairs. Hamza Melakandy General Manager BTC along with his team members from were also present at the event. According to Bader Musaed Al-Sayer We highly value the cooperation from our distinguished partners at KFSD. As a supplier of major brands of firefighting and rescue vehicles Al- Sayer is proud to partner with KFSD for this important event. Our wide range of special vehicles supports their operations with maximum efficiency. KFSD, KOC, KNPC and National Guard displayed a wide array of firefighting vehicles, equipment and support vehicles including fire trucks supplied by BTC. The event witnessed strong participation from public in response to KFSD s effort to promote public awareness on fire prevention and tackling. BTC exhibited brochures and videos of their advanced firefighting vehicles and accessories including Empl, Magirus and Resqtec exclusively at their stand, which was visited by His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al-Sabah, who also appreciated BTC s partnership with the KFSD. KIFF team organizations in Kuwait, their programs and projects a platform for budding footballers and beyond. But between the first and final whistle on the pitch, it was wonderful to see every legend involved in the game giving everything to win the match. KIFF XI, having a better share of exchanges won the match 3-1 thanks to a first-half hat-trick scored by notable leftfoot striker Rummel Dias. KEFAK, who played a disciplined game all throughout, pulled one back through O.K. Razzak who headed past the famous Goan goalkeeper Alvaro Dias in the goal. KIFF has been the premier football organization for Indian football since 1994, while Kerala Expats Football Association Kuwait (KEFAK) has been in force for a few years now, but has gained great popularity. The match was officiated by one of the Top most official Bashir with Rafi and Sameer Nasri on the lines. A number of people came forward in support of the Friendship Cup Melwyn Fernandes sponsored the beautiful Jerseys, Salvador Dias, Fedelis Fernandes, Bosco Leitao, Robert Bernard, etc, sponsored and prizes. Salvador Dias, President KGA, presented the Friendship Cup to the winning captain while other trophies were handed over by Claro Fernandes Asst Sports Secretary KIFF, Sameer Nasri Hon Registrar KIFF, Raymond D Sa, Austine Abreo (V. President KIFF) and Dominic Periera (President KIFF). A number of dignitaries including past presidents of KIFF were present on the occasion. South Carolina upsets Baylor Florida stuns Wisconsin NEW YORK, March 25, (AP): Chris Chiozza went end to end and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Florida an victory against Wisconsin on Friday night in the first overtime game of this NCAA Tournament. Nigel Hayes had given the Badgers (27-10) a 2-point lead with 4 seconds left on two free throws. With no timeouts left, the Gators inbounded to Chiozza and the point guard stopped right the arc and dropped in the winner for Florida (27-8). Wisconsin s Zak Showalter forced overtime with a leaning 3-pointer off one leg with 2.1 seconds left in regulation as the Badgers wiped out a 12-point deficit in the last 4:15. South Carolina 70, Baylor 50 In New York, Sindarius Thornwell scored 24 points and seventhseeded South Carolina cruised BASKETBALL past third-seeded Baylor on Friday night in the East Regional semifinals, the Bears worst NCAA Tournament loss. The Gamecocks (25-10) were in control from the middle of the first half on, mixing defenses and hustling all over the Madison Square Garden court to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time. South Carolina will meet the winner of the Wisconsin-Florida game on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four at stake. DJ Dozier and Chris Silva had 12 points each and Duane Notice added 11 for the Gamecocks. Kentucky 86, UCLA 75 In Memphis, Tennessee, De Aaron Fox scored a careerhigh 39 points as the Kentucky Wildcats beat UCLA Friday night in a showdown between two NBA Results/Standings LA Lakers 130 Minnesota (OT) 119 Golden State 114 Sacramento 100 Philadelphia 117 Chicago 107 Milwaukee 100 Atlanta 97 Houston 117 New Orleans 107 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Boston Toronto /2 Philadelphia /2 NY Knicks /2 Brooklyn /2 Central Division W L PCT GB Cleveland Milwaukee /2 Indiana /2 Chicago Detroit Southeast Division W L PCT GB Washington Atlanta Miami Charlotte Orlando /2 SOCCER of college basketball s goliaths for a spot in the South Regional final. The only No. 2 seed to survive and advance, the Wildcats (32-5) won their 14th straight game. Now the NCAA s most successful team ever will play another of basketball s titans Sunday in top-seeded North Carolina with a trip to yet another Final Four on the line. The third-seeded Bruins (31-5) still have the most national titles. Yet they leave their third Sweet 16 under coach Steve Alford short of the Elite Eight. North Carolina 92, Butler 80 In Memphis, Tennessee, Joel Berry II scored 26 points and Justin Jackson added 24 as top-seeded North Carolina moved to the Elite Eight with a victory over Butler in the NCAA South Region on Friday night. Luke Maye Chiozza WASHINGTON, March 25, (RTRS): Results and standings from the NBA games on Friday: recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, helping fuel a quick start for Carolina (30-7). The Tar Heels never let their lead get under double digits in the second half. Andrew Chrabascz led the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (25-9) with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Kelan Martin finished with 16 points for Butler, which struggled shooting early and did not recover. Carolina, which reached the Elite Eight for the 27th time, will face the winner of Friday s second game between UCLA and Kentucky. The Tar Heels connected on 54.4 percent of their shots, while Butler was at 43.5 percent. Boston 130 Phoenix 120 Washington 129 Brooklyn 108 Cleveland 112 Charlotte 105 Orlando 115 Detroit 87 Denver 125 Indiana 117 Western Conference Northwest Division W L PCT GB Utah Oklahoma City /2 Denver Portland /2 Minnesota /2 Pacific Division W L PCT GB Golden State LA Clippers /2 Sacramento Phoenix /2 LA Lakers Southwest Division W L PCT GB San Antonio Houston /2 Memphis /2 Dallas New Orleans /2

41 SPORTS 41 Amla dismissed after reaching 50 Proteas at stumps on day 1, 3rd Test vs NZ HAMILTON, New Zealand, March 25, (AP): Colin de Grandhomme and Matt Henry took four wickets as New Zealand s depleted bowling attack shared honors with South Africa s powerful batting lineup Saturday on the rain-affected opening day of the third cricket test. At stumps, after only 41 overs had been bowled around intermittent rain, South Africa was with Faf du Plessis 33 not out and Temba Bavuma 13 not out. For the first time in five years, New Zealand went into a test without both of its senior fast bowlers, Tim Amla Southee and Trent Boult, who are injured. In their absence Henry playing in this series for the first time shared the new ball with medium pacer de Grandhomme and South Africa-born Neil Wagner reverted to the role of third seamer that he often peforms behind Southee and Boult. The trio bowled consistently well throughout a day limited by intermittent rain to only 41 overs, capturing regular wickets to prevent South Africa from establishing the substantial partnership it needed to fully capitalize on its decision to bat on winning the toss. The seamers bowled all but two of the overs bowled on day one. Proteas captain du Plessis still has the chance to justify his decision as the senior batsman at the crease. He admitted at the toss that the decision to bat first was a a call on a hard-to-predict pitch which had a piebald appearance. In the two one-day internationals South Africa and New Zealand played at Seddon Park earlier this month, the ball turned prodigiously. The pitch prepared for the test didn t have the appearance of a turner, looking brownish-gray with tufts of grass which were the survivors of a ravaging disease which had otherwise denuded he wicket block. It was also softish after a preparation disturbed by inclement weather. The New Zealanders were able to find just enough seam movement or swing in humid conditions to Saturday to make batting difficult. Amla featured in the best stand of the day with J.P. Duminy which added 59 for the third wicket after Henry and de Grandhomme struck early to leave South Africa 5-2. Henry first removed Theunis de Bruyn for a duck on his test debut. The regular middle-order batsman was thrust into the opening role in his first his innings while Shakib s knock included four boundaries and a six. The second ODI in the threematch series will be played at the same venue on Tuesday. test as South Africa addressed the form slump of regular opener Stephen Cook. De Bruyn lasted five balls before Henry, who had regularly tempted him outside off stump, encouraged him to play a slightly wider delivery which he edged to Tom Latham at second slip. Elgar lasted 12 balls before he shouldered arms to a ball he expected to bounce over his stumps and which, without deviating from its course, collided with off stump. J.P. Duminy was the beneficiary of New Zealand s dysfunctional relationship with the Decision Review System, twice surviving lbw appeals before falling to Henry close to lunch. He mis-timed a ball which reared at him unexpectedly and which, in attempting a pull shot, he top-edged to Jeetan Patel at fine leg. Amla rebuilt the innings with his 32nd half century in tests but he was only just past the milestone before was also undone by the mysteries of the pitch. He sought to turn a ball from de Grandomme through midwicket but misjudged its lenth and it ducked under his bat to take the stumps. Rain finally chased players from the field near the drinks break in the second session and they were unable to return. South Africa, who lead the threematch series 1-0, need only a draw for a series victory. SOUTH AFRICA 1st Innings Dean Elgar b de Grandhomme...5 Theunis de Bruyn c Latham b Henry...0 Hashim Amla b de Grandhomme...50 J.P. Duminy c Patel b Henry...20 Faf du Plessis not out...33 Temba Ravuma not out...13 Extras (1lb,1w)...2 Total (for four wickets) Overs: 41. Batting time: 174 minutes. Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-5, 3-64, Still to bat: Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Morne Morkel. Bowling: Matt Henry (1w), Colin de Grandhomme , Neil Wagner , Jeetan Patel Umpires: Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker, Australia. TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena, Sri Lanka. Match referee: David Boon, Australia. Tourists beat hosts by 90 runs in ODI series opener Tamim century sets up Bangladesh win over Sri Lanka DAMBULLA, March 25, (RTRS): Opener Tamim Iqbal struck his eighth hundred and shared a 144- run stand with Shakib Al Hasan to set up a comprehensive 90-run win for Bangladesh over Sri Lanka in the first One-Day International at Dambulla on Saturday. Left-hander Tamim hit a 142- ball 127 while all-rounder Shakib scored a brisk 72 off 71 deliveries to help Bangladesh post in their 50 overs after the hosts won the toss and put them in to bat. Sri Lanka, who suffered their first Test loss to their South Asian rivals on Sunday, were bundled out Tamim for 234 in reply with nearly five overs remaining. The hosts were reduced to 31 for three in the 11th over and never recovered. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal s 59 was the only knock of substance from Sri Lanka s top order while all-rounder Thisara Perera struck a few late boundaries in his 55 from 35 balls. CRICKET Seamer Mustafizur Rahman was the most successful bowler for Bangladesh with figures of Earlier, Bangladesh lost opener Soumya Sarkar for 10 but recovered through a second-wicket stand of 90 between Tamim and Sabbir Rahman who scored 54. Sabbir and captain Mushfiqur Rahim (one) were out in successive overs to bring Tamim and Shakib together and the duo rebuilt Bangladesh s innings before accelerating on. Tamim hit 15 fours and a six in CRICKET Scoreboard DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka, March 25, (RTRS): Scoreboard at close of play in the fi rst One Day International between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on Saturday: BANGLADESH innings T. Iqbal c Gunathilaka b Kumara S. Sarkar c Chandimal b Lakmal...10 Sa. Rahman c Tharanga b Gunaratne...54 M. Rahim c&b Sandakan...1 S. Al Hasan c Sandakan b Lakmal...72 Mosa. Hossain not out...24 Mahmudullah not out...13 Extras (lb-10 w-13)...23 Total (for 5 wickets, 50 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-29 S. Sarkar,2-119 Sa. Rahman,3-120 M. Rahim,4-264 S. Al Hasan,5-289 T. Iqbal Did not bat: M. Hasan, M. Mortaza, T. Ahmed, M. Rahman Bowling: S. Lakmal ; L. Kumara (w-3); T. Perera ; S. Pathirana (w- 2); L. Sandakan (w-3); A. Gunaratne (w-1); D. Gunathilaka SRI LANKA Innings D. Gunathilaka lbw b Mortaza... 0 U. Tharanga c Mortaza b Ahmed 19 K. Mendis c sub b M. Hasan... 4 Chandimal c Sarkar b M. Hasan.. 59 A. Gunaratne c Mosa. Hossain b Al Hasan M. Siriwardana c sub b M. Rahman 22 S. Pathirana c Mahmudullah b Mortaza T. Perera c Mahmudullah b M. Rahman S. Lakmal c Sa. Rahman b M. Rahman... 8 L. Sandakan run out (M. Rahman) 3 L. Kumara not out... 0 Extras (lb-5 w-4)... 9 Total (all out, 45.1 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-0 D. Gunathilaka,2-15 K. Mendis,3-31 U. Tharanga,4-87 A. Gunaratne,5-121 D. Chandimal,6-153 M. Siriwardana,7-171 S. Pathirana,8-208 S. Lakmal,9-232 L. Sandakan, T. Perera Bowling: M. Mortaza ; M. Hasan ; T. Ahmed (w-2); S. Al Hasan (w-1); M. Rahman (w-1); Mosa. Hossain Umpires: Michael Gough; Umpire: Ranmore Martinesz; TV umpire: Sundaram Ravi; Match referee: Andy Pycroft. India s Kuldeep Yadav bowls during the first day of their fourth Test circket match against Australia in Dharmsala, India on March 25. (AP) DHARAMSALA, India, March 25, (AP): Newcomer Kuldeep Yadav took 4-68 Saturday as Australia wasted a strong start to its first innings and was bowled out for 300 on day one of the fourth Test against India. Steve Smith (111) held the innings together at the HPCA Stadium with his 20th Test hundred. Openers Lokesh Rahul and Murali Vijay successfully negotiated the one over remaining in the day s play with India scoreless at stumps on 0-0. After tea, Matthew Wade (57) Top & above: photos taken during the FBC 81st regular tournament. FBC holds 81st tourney, 9th Winner-Take-All CRICKET By Michelle Fe Santiago Arab Times Staff The Filipino Badminton Committee in Kuwait (FBC) opened its 81st regular tournament on Friday at the Kuwait Disabled Sports Club in Hawally with a number of exciting and power-packed matches that included veteran and amateur players in various categories. Meanwhile, FBC simultaneously held on Friday the 9th Winner-Take- All Advance/Intermediate Mix Doubles category one day tournament with Hassan Khan and Bernabe Oblianda bagging the Championship Cup while Marc Carandang India vs Australia Scoreboard DHARAMSALA, India, March 25, (AP): Scoreboard Saturday at stumps on day one of the fourth Test between India and Australia at the HPCA Stadium: AUSTRALIA 1st Innings David Warner c Rahane b Kuldeep Yadav Matt Renshaw b Umesh Yadav... 1 Steve Smith c Rahane b Ashwin Shaun Marsh c Saha b Umesh Yadav... 4 Peter Handscomb b Kuldeep Yadav... 8 Glenn Maxwell b Kuldeep Yadav... 8 Matthew Wade b Jadeja Pat Cummins c & b Kuldeep Yadav Steve O Keefe run out sub (Sh. Iyer)/Saha... 8 Nathan Lyon c Pujara b Kumar Josh Hazlewood not out... 2 Extras: (1b, 10lb) Total: (all out) Overs: Minutes:347 Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-144, 3-153, 4-168, 5-178, 6-208, 7-245, 8-269, 9-298, Bowling: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins (21) had extended their seventh-wicket partnership to 37 runs, giving Australia much needed respite. Kuldeep Yadav then broke through in the 73rd over, dismissing Cummins with a simple caught and bowled. Wade, who scored his fourth Test half-century, added another 24 runs for the eighth wicket with Steve O Keefe (8). O Keefe was run out by substitute fielder Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja (1-57) bowled Wade close to stumps. India took the second new ball and Australia was dismissed with Nathan Lyon (13) falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-41). Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets in the post-lunch session as Australia collapsed from to It was a dream debut for the 22-year-old Kuldeep Yadav, who had waited patiently in the wings this entire series. I was told in the morning that I would play. I have been trying hard to get this chance, and both my coaches and myself used to get impatient. But I knew this chance would come, he said. Smith batted really well, but the other wickets came easy. I learnt the flipper from Shane Warne and used it to get (David) Warner out. That was a nice feeling. Smith and Warner (56) put on 134 runs for the second wicket after Australia won the toss and opted to bat. Umesh Yadav (2-69) bowled Matt Renshaw early in the innings. Warner, dropped at third slip on the first ball of the match, scored his 24th Test half-century off 72 balls. His partnership with Smith developed either side of lunch for the highest second-wicket stand in this series. The partnership was broken after lunch as Warner was caught at slip off Kuldeep Yadav and the slide began as Australia collapsed to and Mirza Khalid Baig landed on the fi rst runner-up spot. On the same day, FBC also held the awarding ceremony of the 77th tournament winners. FBC President Jimmy Carandang is inviting all badminton enthusiasts to join every Friday in the regular tournament from 8 am to 1 pm and Australia s Matthew Wade plays a shot during the fi rst day of their fourth Test cricket match against India in Dharmsala on March 25. (AP) , Umesh Yadav , Ravichandran Ashwin , Ravindra Jadeja , Kuldeep Yadav INDIA 1st Innings Lokesh Rahul not out... 0 Murali Vijay not out... 0 Total: (for 0 wickets)... 0 Overs: 1. Minutes: 3. Still to bat: Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bowling: Josh Hazlewood Toss: Won by Australia. Umpires: Marais Erasmus, South Africa, and Ian Gould, England. TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney, New Zealand. Match Referee: Richie Richardson, West Indies. First, Shaun Marsh (4) was caught behind off Umesh Yadav in the 38th over. Kuldeep Yadav struck twice more, bowling both Peter Handscomb (8) and Glenn Maxwell (8) with some clever turn. Wade then put on 30 runs with Smith as Australia crossed 200 in the 57th over. Smith reached his hundred off 150 balls to become the first Australian skipper to score three centuries in a Test series on Indian soil. Overall, he became the second visiting captain to the 8th Winner-Take-All for Novice 1 Category. On the other hand, FBC Singles and adults/kids badminton coaching/tutorial and court rental are from 2 pm to 5 pm. For inquiries please call FBC new hotline number or visit the Kuwait Disabled Sports Club in Hawally. Australia bowled out for 300 after Yadav shines on debut Smith scores third century of series Afridi quits as PSL prez, player ISLAMABAD, March 25, (AP): Shahid Afridi has quit as president and player of Pakistan Super League champions Peshawar Zalmi due to personal reasons. My best wishes with Peshawar Zalmi nd as far as my Peshawar fans r concerned I know they are with me wherever i go, Afridi tweeted late Friday night. Afridi hinted he might play for another franchise in the PSL next year, saying that he won the trophy for one team, time for another. The fl amboyant all-rounder handed over the captaincy to West Indian Darren Sammy before the start of the second edition of PSL after he was named president of the Peshawar Zalmi franchise. Earlier this month, the enigmatic all-rounder missed the historic fi nal of the PSL in Lahore due to an injury in his right hand. do so, after Alastair Cook s feat in Soon afterward, Smith was caught at slip off Ravichandran Ashwin (1-54). In all, he faced 173 balls and hit 14 fours. It was Ashwin s 79th wicket in the season, going past Dale Steyn s record of 78 wickets in From 140-odd for one, you have to push on but full credit to India. They really bowled well in the postlunch session. We found a way to grind out 300 runs and it was a good effort. Steve (Smith) is playing a different game at the moment, and he is making it look very easy, Wade said. The cracks (on the pitch) are playing a big role with the spinners as well as the quicker bowlers, and we will look to create opportunities tomorrow. India skipper Virat Kohli was ruled out of the match as he had not fully recovered from a shoulder injury when fielding on day one in the third Test at Ranchi. The four-match series is pegged at 1-1. Australia won the first Test in Pune by 333 runs, while India won the second Test in Bengaluru by 75 runs. The third Test was drawn.

42 SPORTS 42 MOTOR RACING Australian GP Starting Grid Starting grid for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park on Sunday 1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 2. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 3. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Mercedes 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 5. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull TAG Heuer 6. Romain Grosjean (France) Haas Ferrari 7. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso Renault 9. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Toro Rosso Renault 10. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull TAG Heuer Vettel posts second-fastest time Hamilton takes pole in record pace at Australian GP MELBOURNE, March 25, (AP): Something that surprised Lewis Hamilton after he posted the fastest lap ever at the Albert Park circuit and equaled Ayrton Senna s record of six pole positions at the Australian Grand Prix was that his time wasn t even quicker. New technical and tire regulations for the 2017 season were designed to make the F1 cars faster and maybe reduce Mercedes dominance. Hamilton maintained Mercedes status quo at the front of the grid, although Ferrari is showing signs of competing for the top of the podium. Sebastian Vettel split the Mercedes drivers with the second-fastest time in qualifying, and Kimi Raikkonen was fourth. The times kept improving during the three practice sessions and the Mercedes driver s last flying lap in qualifying Saturday was 1 minute, seconds. It gave his 62nd pole position overall in F1, behind only Michael Schumacher (68) and Senna (65), and lowered the lap record Vettel set in the third practice session. Hamilton went more than a second under last year s qualifying time, but said we thought it would be more than that. Maybe it s the track It s cool today. I m sure during the year it s going to ramp up much quicker. Vettel, a four-time world champion, said Hamilton s qualifying lap was only just out of his reach, but he was looking forward to racing the new, faster cars in GP conditions. People are fired up, Vettel said. We re motivated for tomorrow. We have a good car and we re working well as a team. Nice to see that things are working. We had a mixed day yesterday, but confidence in the car was there from testing. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during qualifying for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, on March 25. (AP) Evidence in testing was that the heavier, more aerodynamic cars could corner faster and were significantly faster than the 2016 edition. Hamilton said it was up to the drivers now to show how dramatic the regulation changes can be. Our job is to put the car where it is most uncomfortable, he said. We are going to take it over the edge or just hold it on the edge of that cliff through 11. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India Mercedes 12. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Renault 13. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 14. Esteban Ocon (France) Force India Mercedes 15. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber Ferrari 16. Antonio Giovinazzi (Italy) Sauber Ferrari 17. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) Haas Ferrari 18. Stoffel Vandoorne (Belgium) McLaren 19. Jolyon Palmer (Britain) Renault 20. Lance Stroll (Canada) Williams-Mercedes. (RTRS) Germany s Ozil doubtful for Azerbaijan qualifi er: Loew Queiroz praises China s Lippi ahead of Tehran showdown the whole lap. While knowing he can go faster, Hamilton was content with his position for Sunday and conscious that Ferrari would pose a bigger challenge than last season. It has put us in great stead for tomorrow, he said. Now we re making sure we do our homework make sure we ve got an answer for these guys (Ferrari). Hamilton started from pole position here last year but finished second to Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the Grand Prix. Rosberg also edged Hamilton for the world drivers championship and then retired, creating room for Bottas to move across from Williams. The big disappointment for the 80,000 spectators Saturday came in the last stage of qualifying when local hope Daniel Ricciardo slid his Red Bull rear SOCCER BEIJING, March 25, (RTRS): Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has heaped praise on China counterpart Marcello Lippi ahead of their vital World Cup qualifier next week, the Portuguese saying the man who led Italy to the global title in 2006 is good for Asian soccer. Lippi took over as China coach to revive their flagging fortunes last October and after drawing his first game in charge, the 68-year-old Italian led his side to a 1-0 home win over South Korea on Thursday to keep the side s hopes alive. The win lifted China on to five points, still four adrift of the third-place playoff spot with four games remaining, and table-topping Iran will not be taking them lightly in Tehran on Tuesday despite an unbeaten start to the final group campaign. Lippi has been everywhere in football and he will make China a stronger and more intelligent team, Queiroz, whose side have yet to concede a goal in six matches and top the standings on 14 points, told the South China Morning Post. We know that China will be well-organised and will be compact in defence. We have to be patient to try and break them down but also be careful of their counter-attacking. After leaving Italy in 2010, Lippi had a successful two-andhalf-year spell in charge of Chinese powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande before he was coaxed out of retirement last year and Queiroz is delighted to see the Italian back in the dugout. Queiroz, who has been in charge of Iran for six years and led Team Melli to the 2014 World Cup, believes Iran will continue to improve and remains proud of his achievements so far. The top two sides in Asian Group A will advance to the finals in Russia next year while the third-place finishers qualify for a series of playoffs. Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil is doubtful for Sunday s World Cup 2018 qualifier at Azerbaijan after receiving treatment for a back injury, coach Joachim Loew said on Saturday. Ozil, who missed their 1-0 friendly win over England on Wednesday, skipped Friday s training session before the team headed for Baku and will have to wait until later on Saturday for a final decision, the coach said. Yesterday Sami Khedira, Mario Gomez and Julian Draxler trained normally with no problems at all, Loew told reporters in Baku. The three players were also sidelined for the England game. Everyone trained apart from Mesut, Loew said. He will have to wait until the last training (session). He had back problems and received treatment yesterday and today. We will train today and then decide. Loew said he was planning to start with Benedikt Hoewedes as a partner to Mats Hummels in the central defence, replacing Antonio Ruediger, who had started against England. England goalkeeper Joe Hart hailed the experimental formation that manager Gareth Southgate adopted against Germany on Wednesday, saying that it was good to see them try something new. Although England lost the game 1-0 in Dortmund, their performance was widely praised. The same formation has been instrumental in the success of Premier League leaders Chelsea this season but is a departure from the or favoured by Roy Hodgson at Euro 2016 or the adopted by his successor Sam Allardyce, who lasted just 67 days in the England job. first into the gravel and stopped at turn 14, and walked off the track as the red flag came out. I m fine physically but emotionally it s tough, said Ricciardo, who was third in the driver standings last year.

43 SPORTS 43 Spain, Italy level on points in Group G MADRID, March 25, (RTRS): Diego Costa was among the scorers as Spain strolled to a 4-1 win at home to Israel in a World Cup qualifier to stay top of Group G. Manchester City playmaker David Silva put Spain ahead in the 15th minute with a low shot through the legs of goalkeeper Ofir Marciano while Vitolo doubled their lead on the stroke of halftime just after Israel had squandered a chance to level. Chelsea striker Diego Costa scored a fourth international goal in four games to put Spain 3-0 up early in the second half with a header from a corner although Israel striker Lior Refaelov made amends for an earlier miss by pulling one back in the 76th minute. Isco then restored Spain s three-goal advantage in the 88th minute, rolling the ball into the near corner to complete a sweeping counter started by a burst forward from Costa from the halfway line. Kalinic rocket keeps Croatia in driving seat National Guard squash team display their trophies as officials look on after the closing ceremony. National Guard squash team dominate Championship The squash team of the National Guard won the championship title of this season s Ministries and Government Institutions Squash Championship which was held at the squash courts of Kuwait Squash Association. The National Guard squash team won the competitions of both singles and teams category. Miraj shows class in Championship KUWAIT CITY, March 25: In the 22nd Mangaf Clinic Horseracing Championship held this weekend, the horse Miraj from Al-Bathal Stable came first in the 1,600-meter race of fifth setting for Class 1 horses by ending the race in 1:44:56 minutes. Second place was taken by the horse Watani from Al-Nayef Stable and third place by the horse Qabi from Al-Saihan Stable. The prizes were presented to the winners by Director General of Mangaf Clinic Mohammad Al-Shammari and Board Chairman of Farwaniya Equestrian Club Mubarak Al-Daihani. HORSE RACING Meanwhile, the horse Abta from Al- Jenfawi Stable won the 1,000-meter race of first setting for Class 4 horses within 1:03:88 minutes, followed by the horse Dasman from Al-Zamawi Stable in second place and the horse Odhbati Inti from Al-Qanni Stable in third. In the 2,000-meter race of second setting for Class 4 horses, the horse Mubader from Al-Odheila Stable won the race by clocking 2:17:55, followed by the horse Haizoom from Abu Sheba Stable in second place and the horse Plattini from Ibn Dhamna Stable in third place. In addition, the horse Haya Taal from Al-Khathiya Stable won the 2,000-meter race of third setting for Class 3 horses within 2:13:29 minutes, followed by the horse Suttam from Al- Odheila Stable in second place, and the horse Aliya Tuweiq from Al-Qanni Stable in third. Director General of Mangaf Clinic Muhammad Al-Shammari extended his appreciation and gratitude to Farwaniya Equestrian Club for the successful organization of the 22nd edition of the horseracing championship. He also thanked the participants as well as the huge number of spectators for supporting the sport of our forefathers. Best of the Rest Valverde eyes title: Chris Froome fell out of contention for the Tour of Catalonia after ceding over 25 minutes to leader Alejandro Valverde during the sixth stage on Saturday. A group attack that included Valverde s Movistar broke away early and left Froome behind in the peloton. The three-time Tour de France winner, who entered the stage second in the classification at 21 seconds behind Valverde, was unable to close the gap and faded the rest of the way. (AP) Barcelona to honor Cruyff: La Liga champions Barcelona will pay tribute to visionary midfielder and In the singles category, National Guard team players Muhammad Nasser Al-Aaha, Abdulaziz Al-Misra and Faisal Al-Ajmi took the top three positions, followed by Bader Abdulkareem Al-Rabah from the squash team of Ministry of Interior. In teams category, the National Guard squash team defeated the team of Ministry of Interior in the fi nal match to Spain top Group G with 13 points from five points, ahead of Italy on goal difference. Israel are third on nine points and Albania are fourth on six. Every game is like a World Cup for us, everything is at stake in every game and we know that every time three points are up for grabs they could be decisive, Spain coach Julen Lopetegui told reporters. Thiago Alcantara dictated the play for Spain in midfield and created their first effort with a snapshot from outside the area which Marciano tipped onto the bar. Israel forced an opening when a lapse in concentration from Gerard Pique allowed Eran Zahavi to race towards goal but the striker lost his composure as he entered the area. Spain s patient build-up play paid off when Jordi Alba slid the ball through a defender s legs to Silva on the left side of the area, allowing the City midfielder to fire through Marciano s legs. Israel defender Eitan Tibi was carried off on a stretcher shortly after the first goal following a challenge from Pique. The visitors had had little possession but carved out an excellent move just before the break, Lior Refaelov s header forcing David de Gea into a brilliant low save. Spain were quickly knocked into shape and got their second with the next move, Thiago laying on a pass which looked destined for Silva although the midfielder, who was offside, waited for Vitolo to send the ball trickling over the line. Costa further stretched Spain s lead after the break with a simple header but Refaelov smashed the ball into the roof of the net after Rami Gershon had headed against De Gea s near post before Isco struck late on. Italy 2, Albania 0 In Palermo, Italy survived some first-half scares on the way to a 2-0 win over Albania in a World Cup qualifier marred by crowd trouble caused by away fans on Friday. A Daniele De Rossi penalty and win the title. Teams of Ministry of Interior and Kuwait Fire Service Directorate came second and third respectively. The National Guard team were composed of Muhammad Nasser Al-Aaha and Abdulaziz Al-Misra, Faisal Al-Ajmi, Saad Al-Salem, Faisal Hussein and Abdulrahman Al-Samhan. Ministry of Interior was represented by Bader A winner and his fans celebrate after the awarding ceremony. Vivlos of Japan claims Dubai Turf over 1,800 meters Al-Rabah, Yasser Khan, Dhari Al-Shayeji, Fahad Jawad Askar, Nasser Al-Sabah and Khalifa Al-Bloushi. The closing ceremony of the championship was attended by the Head of Kuwait Squash Association Abdulaziz Al-Awadh and Head of Sports Fields at the Public Authority for Sports Ahmad Al-Sayegh. Impressive Arrogate wins 10M Dubai World Cup DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 25, (AP): Arrogate showed his class again as he came from dead last out of the stalls to win the Dubai World Cup by an impressive 2 1/4 lengths on Saturday. With the win, four-year-old Arrogate became the highest-earning racehorse ever, surpassing California Chrome, winner of the same race last year. Arrogate has grossed $17,084,600 for winning seven races out of eight in his career. coach Johan Cruyff by naming one of their new stadiums after the late Dutchman and his statue will also be erected at the Nou Camp. The club are planning to relocate their Mini Estadi, the home of their B team and occasional venue for their women s team, to their training ground and president Josep Maria Bartomeu said the new ground will be named the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Cruyff broke down barriers, he was the man who made us lift our heads up and see that nothing is impossible, Bartomeu said at a presentation on Saturday, a day after Cruyff s first death anniversary. His death was a huge loss, not just for everyone connected with Barcelona but also for anyone who loves football. (RTRS) In the second richest horse race in the world at $10 million, run over dirt and 2,000 meters at Meydan Racecourse, Arrogate produced a powerful finish under jockey Mike Smith to beat Gun Runner and Neolithic in a for the U.S. The winning time was 2 minutes, 2.15 seconds - slower than the course record set by Chrome last year - but understandable given the soft conditions after a second straight day of rain and thunderstorms in Dubai. Even halfway into the race, Arrogate was nowhere in the picture, but last year s runner-up Mubtaahij was showing encouraging form as jockey Christophe Soumillon managed to settle near the rail from his wide draw of 14 out of 14 Ȧrrogate, the No. 1-rated racehorse in the world, started gaining momentum around the 800-meter mark and swept past more than half a dozen rivals before setting his sight on the leaders. At the top of the straight, Smith was wide and finding a clear path, and Mike Smith, jockey of Saudia Arabia (bottom right), celebrates with the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as he holds the golden whip after winning the $10,000,000 Dubai World Cup horse racing at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on March 25. In the second richest horse race in the world, run over dirt and 2,000 meters at Meydan Racecourse, the horse Arrogate produced a powerful fi nish under jockey Mike Smith to beat Gun Runner and Neolithic in a for the US. (AP) coaxed Arrogate to hit top gear. With 200 remaining, he caught the leaders, and the result was never in doubt with the last 100 remaining. A relieved Smith said: The start, it just went wrong and was not what he was used to; he missed it and then found traffic. I thought that was it but this horse is unbelievable. He found his massive stride and galloped, carrying me into the race, then quickening in the straight, and actually winning quite easily. This horse can do anything; he can win in the lead, he can come from dead last, he hasn t even taken a breath. What a horse! HORSE RACING Arrogate gave trainer Bob Baffert his third Dubai World Cup victory after Silver Charm (1998), and Captain Steve (2001). I looked away after 50 meters and prayed Mike would just bring him back safely, Baffert said. When he missed the break, I gave him no chance at all. I was so mad at myself, thinking I shouldn t have brought him. But that s the greatest horse I ve ever seen run, I can t believe he won. Vivlos of Japan, trained by Yasuo Tomomichi and ridden by Joao Moreira, won the Dubai Turf over 1,800 meters, one of the two races on the card offering $6 million in prize money. Moreira left it late to break from the outside and catch Heshem and Godolphin s Ribchester over the last 100 meters. Ciro Immobile header gave Italy three points in SOCCER Costa Group G as their veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made his 1,000th senior appearance. De Rossi had to wait to take his penalty when two firecrackers were thrown onto the pitch by Albania fans behind the goal. The match was then interrupted for nearly 10 minutes in the second half as Albania fans set up more firecrackers, creating a cloud of smoke over Buffon s penalty area. The match resumed after the Albania players appealed to their supporters for calm. Italy are level on 13 points with Spain at the top of the group although their rivals lead on goal difference. Albania s defeat left them with six points and further dented their hopes of a first-ever World Cup finals appearance. Croatia 1, Ukraine 0 In Zagreb, Croatia stayed top of World Cup qualifying Group I after a superb first-half goal by striker Nikola Kalinic gave them a 1-0 home win over Ukraine in an action-packed game. The result left the Croatians on top of their group with 13 points from five games, three ahead of second-placed Iceland who moved one place up after a 2-1 win in Kosovo. Third-placed Ukraine and Turkey in fourth have eight points each. The home side missed several chances either side of Kalinic s 38thminute thunderbolt while a cagey Ukrainian outfit rarely troubled Croatia s rearguard in the Maksimir stadium. Mario Mandzukic hit the post for Croatia and Kalinic twice came close before he broke the deadlock in the 38th minute, drilling an unstoppable shot into the top corner after good work by Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. Turkey 2, Finland 0 In Ankara, Cenk Tosun scored twice in the first 13 minutes as Turkey beat Finland 2-0 in their World Cup Group I qualifier in Antalya on Friday and boost their hopes of qualification for next year s finals. Tosun is top scorer of the Turkish league but the goals were the first he has registered for the national team for exactly one year. On nine minutes, Ismail Koybasi whipped in a cross from the left, which Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan flicked on for Tosun to net. Four minutes later Tosun produced a looping header from Selcuk Inan s corner to beat goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky at the far post. The win moves Turkey above Iceland in third place on eight points, behind Ukraine on goal difference having played one game more. Finland remain fifth with one point from five games. Austria 2, Moldova 0 In Vienna, Austria squandered a hatful of chances before two goals in the last 15 minutes gave them a 2-0 win over Moldova which kept their World Cup qualifying hopes alive on Friday. Marcel Sabitzer scored with a glancing header from Marko Arnautovic s cross in the 75th minute and substitute Martin Harnik added the second in the last minute to leave them four points behind leading pair Serbia and Ireland in Group D. David Alaba struck the underside of the crossbar in an early attack, leading to a tale of frustration as the ball refused to go in for the hosts. Ireland 0, Wales 0 In Dublin, Ireland s Seamus Coleman broke his leg after a scything challenge from Wales defender Neil Taylor, who was immediately dismissed in the goalless Group D qualifier at Dublin s Aviva Stadium. The Everton fullback left the field on a stretcher, with an oxygen mask on his face, after Taylor recklessly clattered into him on 68 minutes of the encounter that left Wales facing a tough task to qualify directly for the World Cup.

44 PRIME TIME sunday (all times are kuwait local) 08:00 argentina vs chile/soccer... bein sports 4hd 09:45 venezuela vs peru/soccer... bein sports 4hd 11:15 uruguay vs brazil/soccer... bein sports 3hd 12:30 bremen vs leipzig/soccer... bein sports 5hd 14:30 barcelona vs valencia/soccer... bein sports 3hd 16:00 burgdorf vs kiel/handball... bein sports 7hd 20:00 suns vs hornets/basketball... bein sports 8hd 20:45 usa vs honduras/soccer... bein sports 3hd 44 Sports Latest sports scores at Rampant US back on track Hernandez equals record SAN JOSE, California, March 25, (Agencies): Just before they walked onto the field for a critical World Cup qualifier, American players received a message from Bruce Arena. Their response was emphatic, elders and youth alike. Clint Dempsey came back from an irregular heartbeat at age 34 to score his second international hat trick, 18-year-old phenom Christian Pulisic had one goal and set up three others, and the US routed Honduras 6-0 Friday night to get back in contention for an eighth straight World Cup berth. Surprise starter Sebastian Lletget got his first international goal in the fifth minute after Pulisic s shot Hernandez deflected off the goalkeeper, Michael Bradley doubled the lead in the 27th and Dempsey scored off Pulisic s perfectly weighted chip in the 32nd. Finding room to maneuver in a central midfield role, Pulisic made it 4-0 just 12 seconds into the second half with his fourth international goal. Dempsey rounded the keeper to score following a feed from Pulisic in the 49th, and Dempsey got another on a 23-yard free kick in the 54th. With 55 international goals, Dempsey moved within two of Landon Donovan s American record. In its first competitive match since Arena replaced Jurgen Klinsmann, the US moved from last to fourth in the final round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region, tied at three points with Honduras and with Trinidad and Tobago but ahead on goal difference, Mexico leads with seven points, followed by Costa Rica with six and Panama with four. The top three nations qualify for next year s tournament in Russia, and the fourthplace nation advances to a playoff. With a victory at Panama on Tuesday, the Americans could move into the top three. The US had never before won a hexagonal game by more than three goals. The American Outlaws and the rest of the lively crowd of 17,729 loved every second of this long-awaited showing. Gloom had descended upon the Americans in November when they opened the hexagonal with a 2-1 home loss to Mexico and a 4-0 wipeout at Costa Rica. The defeats caused the US Soccer Federation to fire Klinsmann, who had coached the Americans since 2011, and bring back Arena, who led the team from Dempsey was sidelined from August until this month by an irregular heartbeat and started only because of injuries to Bobby Wood and Jordan Morris. Tim Howard, the Americans 38-year-old goalkeeper, got his 38th shutout. He returned only two weeks ago from a leg injury sustained in the November loss to Mexico. Geoff Cameron, back from a knee strain that had sidelined him for fourth months, was shifted to right back from central defense because of injuries to others, and Jorge Villafana was inserted on the left. SOCCER But there were yet more injuries. Lletget hurt his left ankle on Ever Alvarado s tackle, was replaced in the 18th minute and left the stadium on crutches. Defender John Brooks was stretchered off the field, hand over his face, in the 69th due to dehydration. Arena admitted he decided weeks ago to play Pulisic in central midfield. With Fabian Johnson hurt, Arena started wide midfielders largely overlooked by Klinsmann: Lletget and Darlington Nagbe. Wearing red from head to toe, the US went ahead when Jozy Altidore poked the ball ahead to Pulisic. His left-footed shot that went off goalkeeper Donis Escobar, and Lletget tapped in the ball with his right foot from 2 yards. Bradley, given his debut by Arena in 2006, doubled the lead when he took a pass from Bedoya, cut to his left, took four touches and cut the ball back to beat Escobar with one-hopper from about 25 yards. Showing poise beyond his years, Pulisic created the third goal when he lofted a pass to Dempsey, who allowed the ball of bounce off his right shoulder. Dempsey held off Henry Figueroa and, while falling, scored with his right foot from 8 yards. Striker Javier Chicharito Hernandez scored a record-equalling 46th international goal to send Mexico on their way to a 2-0 win over Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier. United States Michael Bradley (right), is defended by Honduras Jorge Claros during the first half of a World Cup qualifying soccer match on March 24, in San Jose, California. (AP) Vesnina stunned as Raonic, Nadal reach 3rd round MIAMI, March 25, (RTRS): Venus Williams overcame windy weather and an unfamiliar opponent in Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach the third round of the Miami Open on Friday. After rain delays pushed her match well into the night, three-time champion Williams moved past her 20-year-old challenger The biggest upset of the day came when Elena Vesnina, fresh off her victory at Indian Wells, suffered a stunning loss to world number 594 Ajla Tomljanovic. Williams told the Miami Herald she struggled with the windy conditions. I t wasn t easy out there, the wind felt like a gale force, she said. I never saw her before. I didn t know what to expect. I m very impressed with her game and determination, and that will take her very far. Top seed Angelique Kerber also prevailed in her evening match, beating Duan Yingying Duan 7-6(3) 6-2. Croatian wild card Tomljanovic led 13th seed Vesnina 5-3 in the third set on Thursday when a thunderstorm halted play and returned on Friday to finish the job, sealing the victory on her third match point to move into the third round. Vesnina, five days removed from the biggest victory of her career at the BNP Paribas Open, committed a dozen double faults in the two hour, 12 minute match. French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, whose opening match on Thursday was also interrupted, fared better than Vesnina. The sixth-seeded Spaniard trailed 46thranked American Christina McHale when play was suspended on Thursday but staved off a match point in the tiebreak before emerging with an (6) 6-4 victory. Winners display their trophies on the podium. Zaina crowned U-18 champ of HH Amir Cup Horse rider Zaina Al-Ali was crowned the Under-18 champion of His Highness the Amir Cup for Show Jumping Competition, which is part of the tournament being held at the Hunting and Equestrian Club. Bader Al-Haifi took second place and Al-Kadi Al-Marshoud took third place. In the Under-14 competition, TENNIS Nadal the promising horse rider Abdulrahman Al-Awadh took first place, followed by Suhaib Al-Mutawa in second place, and Zaina Al-Mutawa in third. Meanwhile, Noura Al-Qoud took first place after jumping 135 cm in the main setting of the day, which is part of the grand prize of the tournament. Second place was taken by Bavel Kronko from Belarus, and third place by Ayesha Al-Qoud. In the intermediate horse jumping setting, Ali Al-Kharafi took first place after jumping 125 cm, followed by Rakan Al-Hassawi in second place, and Abdullah Al-Roudhan in third place. In the short distance horse jumping setting, Yousef Al-Noemi came first after jumping 105 cm, followed by Abdulrahman Al-Fazai in second place, and Moniek Harts from Netherlands in third place. The entertainment section of the championship was cancelled due to the rain. THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Published by: Arab Times Publishing House Editor-in-Chief AHMED AL JARALLAH Editorial Office: Airport Road, Shuwaikh P.O. Box 2270, Safat, Kuwait Telephone: & Fax: arabtimes@arabtimesonline.com Advertising: Tel: Ext: 175 Fax: advt@arabtimesonline.com Annual Subscriptions: Individuals KD 45/- Companies and Official Departments KD 75 Airmail charges extra for overseas Tel: Fax: