Sides reject Iranian interventions

Transcription

1 cricket Page 42 & 44 THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Established in 1977 / THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017 / JUMADA AL AWWAL 5, 1438 AH emergency number 112 NO PAGES 150 FILS U.S., SAUDI DEFENCE CHIEFS CONSULT ON POLICY Sides reject Iranian interventions US$/KD /75 Euro/KD Yen/KD British /KD KSE pts at closing Feb 1 See Page 35 Dow pts at 21:25 Feb 1 See Page 36 Nasdaq pts at 21:25 Feb 1 FTSE pts at closing Feb 1 Nikkei pts at closing Feb 1 Gold $1, per oz (London) Opinion The African... Muhammad VI By Ahmed Al-Jarallah Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times THE speech delivered by the King of Morocco Muhammad VI at the African Union (AU) Summit is considered as a historic document. In fact, it is the future roadmap of the African continent, as it contained facts which reminded the 56 member countries to arise from the errors of the colonial remnants which had made them appear as being outside the global movement. After the 33-year absence of the Kingdom of Morocco in the AU, it did not return through the backdoor. Instead, the natural pathway of its house was opened, as was described by the king in his speech when he said, It is a beautiful day when one returns home after a very long absence. Africa is my continent and my home. I am finally home and I am happy to see you. Everyone knew that Morocco, despite its exit from the AU, did not turn its back on it. Morocco is one of the main contributors in the peace-keeping forces among several other countries. Throughout the past 16 years, it strived on African resurgence through 1,464 agreements which it signed with various countries of the union. All these countries worked with a similar mentality, which is to participate in the development of African countries. It is not possible for the natural pathway to your house to be closed on the face of everyone who believes the best for the richest, though least developed, Continued on Page 37 ahmed@aljarallah.com Follow me on: ahmedaljarallah@gmail.com NYMEX crude $53.01 per barrel Brent crude $55.91 per barrel 3-month $ LIBOR rate % Amiri Diwan photo HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah walking hand-in-hand with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh. HH the Amir and his accompanying delegation were in Saudi Arabia to attend the annual National Festival of Heritage and Culture (Janadriyah 31) See Page 3 Other Voices Respect for presidency... not President By Ali Ahmed Al-Baghli Former Minister of Oil WE have been intimate with tens of US presidents throughout our lives... from Eisenhower to Barack Obama... passing through Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Regan, Carter, George Bush the father, Clinton and Bush the son... but Donald Trump as president is something else. For the first time in history, Americans and Europeans in 670 cities protested against his election as president because his personal conduct before running for president was very bad. He is a person inclined to physical violence. We saw him beating a person in the wrestling ring and shaving his hair. The history of his wife is also full of controversies as indecent and obscene photos of her were published in one of the pornography magazines. So the whole world, including Americans, was shocked when such a personality was elected to lead the most powerful and richest country in the world. Trump did not disappoint the perspective of his opponents so much of them in the US and abroad. On his first day in the Oval Office, he issued several controversial executive orders; such as the presidential order to ban citizens of seven Muslimmajority countries to enter the United States of America. The order even included those with dual citizenship in what is regarded as first degree human catastrophic decision which continues to stir turmoil around the world. Al-Baghli Trump puts himself in silly situations as expressed by Egyptian actor Adel Imam!! Since Trump s remarks on Twitter about the famous magazine Vanity Fair, where he said, The magazine was dead and its editor-in-chief does not have talent; the tweet was followed by a banner on the magazine s website in red that read, The Way Down, Big Trouble And Dead! The Magazine Trump Doesn t Want You To Read. In the aftermath of all this, subscriptions of Continued on Page 37 ali-albaghli@hotmail.com Funding sought for IS fight RIYADH, Feb 1, (Agencies): New Pentagon chief James Mattis agreed in a telephone call with his Saudi counterpart to oppose Iranian interventions in the Middle East, Saudi state media reported on Wednesday. Mattis and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed their full rejection of the suspicious activities and interventions by the Iranian regime and its agents, the Saudi Press Agency said. The two ministers spoke on Tuesday. Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Shiite Iran of interference in the region, while some of President Donald Trump s picks for cabinet have adopted an anti-iran stance. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general, has described Iran as the biggest destabilising force in the Middle East. Trump has opposed an July 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran that saw the lifting of international sanctions in exchange for guarantees that it will not pursue a nuclear weapons capability. Newswatch WASHINGTON: Former CIA Director David Petraeus says the US isn t doing enough to stop the Islamic State from using the internet to spread its propaganda and recruit new members. During congressional testimony Wednesday, Petraeus said the so-called countermessaging efforts are not adequate. He didn t mention any specific programs. His remarks come a day after The Associated Press published an investigation that found a counter-propaganda program aimed at thwarting the Islamic State s use of social media for recruiting is plagued by incompetence, cronyism and skewed data. The program, known as WebOps, is run by defense contractors at US Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Petraeus says the US must work more closely with internet service providers and social media platforms. He says a prior collaboration succeeded in blocking large amounts of child pornography. (AP) NEW DELHI: A landmine blast killed four policemen in southeastern India on Wednesday, a senior officer said, with Maoist rebels suspected of being behind the latest attack in the restive region. A vehicle carrying 13 police officers hit the landmine as it travelled through Koraput district near the border between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states. Local police chief S. Shyni told AFP that a security operation is under way but did not provide further details. Continued on Page 37 On Sunday, the White House said Trump and King Salman, Prince Mohammed s father, agreed on rigorously enforcing the Iran deal. Also during Tuesday s call, Prince Mohammed said he looked forward to working together to serve the interests of both countries and the fight against terrorism, SPA said. It is the latest hopeful comment issued by the longtime US ally about the administration of Trump, who took office on Jan 20. Prince Mohammed, one of the most powerful figures in Saudi Arabia, underscored the US secretary of defence s experience in the region, SPA said. Mattis, 66, commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a division in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, he became head of US Central Command which covers the Middle East and Afghanistan. The United States and Saudi Arabia have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil. But ties between Riyadh and Washington became increasingly frayed during the administration of president Barack Obama. Continued on Page 37 Tijari records net profit Details Page 30 Tehran confirms new missile test DUBAI, Feb 1, (Agencies): Iran s defence minister said on Wednesday it had tested a new missile but this did not breach the Islamic Republic s nuclear accord with world powers or a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the pact. Iran has test-fired several ballistic missiles since the nuclear deal in 2015, but the latest test was the first during US President Donald Trump s administration. Trump said in his election campaign that he would stop Iran s missile programme. The recent test was in line with our plans and we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our defence affairs, Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan told Tasnim news agency. The test did not violate the nuclear deal or (UN) Resolution A US official said on Monday that Iran testlaunched a medium-range ballistic missile on Sunday and it exploded after travelling 630 miles (1,010 kms). The Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday and recommended the matter of the missile testing be studied at committee level. The new US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, called the test unacceptable. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Tehran would never use its ballistic missiles to attack another country. Some 220 Iranian members of parliament reaffirmed support for Tehran s missile programme, calling international condemnation of the tests illogical. The Islamic Republic of Iran is against weapons of mass destruction, so its missile capability is the only available deterrence against enemy hostility, the lawmakers said in a statement carried on state media on Wednesday. The state news agency IRNA quoted Ali Shamkhani, head of Iran s National Security Council, as saying Iran would not seek permission from any country or international organisation for development of our conventional defensive capability. Continued on Page 37

2 LOCAL 2 Health minister values efforts exerted by office in London Global anti-smoking conference opens LONDON, Feb 1, (KUNA): Kuwait s Health Minister Dr Jamal Al-Harbi valued Wednesday the financial and security responsibility efforts exerted by the director of the Kuwait Health Office in London recently to protect public funds. Dr Faisal Al-Shahab, the Office s director, in cooperation with the British police, was able to bust the foreign employees involved in embezzlement acts in the office, Al-Harbi stated to KUNA, adding that legal charges have been filed against these workers by the British authorities. Health Minister Dr Jamal Al-Harbi meets with postgraduate doctors. Photo during the Global Anti-Smoking International Alliance Conference. As a result of that incident, the health ministry is going to adopt strict measures, including strict auditing and revision on the financial statements of cases of medical treatment abroad at all Kuwaiti health offices, he affirmed, noting that the ministry is to contract international audit institutions in that regard. The ministry will also implement the e-linking application between its health offices and departments of medical treatment abroad and financial affairs departments in order to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents involving financial frauds on public funds, said the Kuwaiti minister. Dr Jamal Al-Harbi paid visits to British hospitals to get a first-hand knowledge on the wellbeing and the quality of health care provided to Kuwaiti patients. Al-Harbi visited the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation a world-leading cancer center where he discussed with its Chief Executive Cally Palmer means of cooperation, especially in the form of exchanging expertise. During his visit, Al-Harbi followed up on the treatment progress of Kuwaiti patients and listened to a detailed explanation of their treatment and recovery plans. Al-Harbi told KUNA, Tuesday, that he asked the hospital s administration to meet the needs of Kuwaiti patients as well as that of their escorts. The Kuwaiti minister also visited Cromwell Hospital a private sector hospital and a health destination for patients from the Middle East - where he visited a number of Kuwaiti patients and inquired after their wellbeing, encouraging them to contact the Kuwaiti health office in the UK for any assistance. Al-Harbi said that Kuwaiti government is keen on giving proper health care to its citizens, inside and outside the country; hence, it is giving strict orders to its health offices to offer the KUNA photo KUNA photo Engineers Without Borders begins initiative KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Engineers Without Borders Kuwait, with the strategic support of State Ministry for Youth Affairs, has commenced the beautification and renovation of the roadsides and pedestrian alleys in Jabriya area, with the cooperation of the Cooperative Society of the area, reports Annahar daily. Head of Engineers Without Borders Kuwait Eng Zainab Garashi explained that this initiative is aimed at improving the roadside that stretches from King Fahad Road to Fahaheel Expressway. The renovation will include maintenance of facilities such as benches and installation of new benches using reusable and recyclable materials. She went on to explain that part of the alley will be painted green by planting seedlings. The path will be reshaped and the lampposts will be repaired or replaced. Notice posts and boards containing advisory instructions will also be installed along the path. best services to Kuwaiti patients during the course of their treatment. The Kuwaiti Health Minister is accompanied by a delegation of senior officials in his visit to the UK. Dr Jamal Al-Harbi met Tuesday with a number of Kuwaiti postgraduate doctors who are enrolled in different specialties of fellowship programs in the UK, Scotland and Ireland. Al-Harbi told KUNA that the number of Kuwaiti scholars and trainees in the UK are around 150 doctors from different specialtie, pointing out that he was eager to meet with his colleagues who are studying and training at English hospitals and universities. Dr Jamal added that his ministry is willing to send many doctors abroad, stating that they will be a great asset to Kuwait when they return to their homeland as they were working side by side with the most talented doctors in the world. He also noted that the doctors are the main pillar in the health system and that they should be given all types of necessary support, affirming that he will not hold back any effort needed to achieve that goal. Also: KUWAIT CITY: The Global Anti- Smoking International Alliance Conference kicked off on Wednesday, under the auspices of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. In a speech to open the conference, Chairman of Kuwait Society for Smoking and Cancer Prevention Dr Abdulrahman Al-Awadhi said that smoking is one of the leading causes of death around the world. Moreover, he cited a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) as showing that the epidemic claims the lives of six million people every year. On global efforts to stifle growing nicotine addiction, Al-Awadhi revealed that most nations have now spiked prices for cigarettes and tobacco products, a measure he described as an effort to kick the habit for good. Chairman of Kuwait Society for Smoking and Cancer Prevention Dr Abdulrahman Al-Awadhi Regional advisor for WHO s Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) in the Middle East Dr Fatima Al-Awa KUNA photos Secretary General of the Gulf Anti-Smoking Committee Anwar Burahma LASIK surgery safe: Dr Al-Zufairi Diabetes one of most dangerous diseases that affect the eyesight KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Ophthalmologist and Eye Surgery Consultant at Abdulrahman Al-Bahar Center, Head of medical staff and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Eye Surgery at Dar Al-Shifa Hospital, and a renowned specialist in treatment of cataract and vision-related diseases Dr Yousef Al-Zufairi stressed that the diabetes is one of the most dangerous diseases that affect the eyes, urging diabetic patients to carry out regular checkup of their eyes, reports Al-Anba daily. He elaborated about various eye diseases and treatment methods, insisting on the need for Kuwait to have a bank for eyes especially since it has necessary facilities for such a project. Dr Al-Zufairi revealed that Kuwait currently obtains corneas from Iran, which has banks for eyes. Despite developments in the field of eye surgery and treatments, doctors have not been able to carry out full eye transplant, he said, adding that surgery is currently limited to only cornea transplants and has not yet ventured into dealing with retina and eye nerves. Dr Al-Zufairi warned against the use of contact lenses, as they have a bad effect on the cornea especially under hot weather conditions in Kuwait. He recommended the use of sunglasses for the protection of eyes from the harmful rays of the sun in the country. He indicated that LASIK surgery is safe and takes about 20 minutes, adding that local anesthesia is used to carry out the surgery. Briefs Kuwait Today CONGRATS: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent Wednesday a cable to newly elected chairman of the African Union Commission (AUC) Moussa Faki Mahamat. Similar cables were also sent to him by His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al- Mubarak Al-Hamad Al- Sabah. (KUNA) PROVISIONS: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) Jamal Jafar revealed that the provisions of the new tenders law has exempted operations of extraction and sale of oil, its derivatives, gas and petrochemical products as well as services related to digging and maintenance of oil wells, reports Al- Anba daily. He clarified that the Central Tenders Committee (CTC) is in charge of the purchase, contracting and services contracts of value more than KD 5 million each, indicating that Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) will form a purchase committee to deal with these contracts while KOC will be in charge of contracts that are of value not more than KD 75,000 each. Prayer Timings Fajr... 05:16 Sunrise... 06:37 Zohr... 12:02 Asr... 15:05 Maghrib... 17:26 Isha... 18:45 Weather Expected weather for the next 24 hours: By Night: Clouds will disappear gradually with moderate freshening at times north westerly wind, with speed of km/h with a chance for rising dust over open areas. By Day: Partly cloudy with moderate to fresh north westerly wind, with speed of km/h with a chance for rising dust over open areas. Station Max Min Exp Rec Kuwait City Kuwait Airport Abdaly Bubyan Jahra Failaka Island Salmiyah Ahmadi Nuwaisib Wafra Salmy days forecast - Weather Thursday, Feb 2 Expected weather... Temperature will decrease + rising dust Max Temp... 11C Min Temp... 05C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Friday, Feb 3 Expected weather...cold + rising dust Max Temp... 10C Min Temp... 01C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Saturday, Feb 4 Expected weather...cool Max Temp... 14C Min Temp... 02C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Sunday, Feb 5 Expected weather...cool Max Temp... 15C Min Temp... 03C Wind Direction... NW-VRB Wind Speed km/h Jaber Nagyan Jaber Al Mutairi, 70 years old, buried on Wednesday. Condolences: Ardiya, Block 8 Street 5, House 65, Tel: / ; Ziyad Hamad Mohammad Al Fouzan, 55 years old, buried on Wednesday. Condolence: (Men) Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 1, (Saleh Al Abdali, avenue 1, Diwan Al Fouzan, Tel: (Women) Shuwaikh, Block 3, Ahmad Khaled Al Fouzan Street House 4, Tel: ; Lulwa Mosaed Saleh Al Mutawa, 84 years old, buried on Wednesday. Condolence: (Men) Shuwaikh, Block 3, Diwan Al 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 Qaruh Island ft NW Umm Al-Maradim ft NW Sea Island Buo Salmiyah ft NW 4 days forecast - Marine Thursday, Feb 2 Expected weather... Temperature will decrease + rising dust Sea state... Moderate to rough Wave height ft Max Temp... 11C Min Temp... 05C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Friday, Feb 3 Expected weather...cold + rising dust Sea state... Moderate to rough Wave height ft Max Temp... 10C Min Temp... 01C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Saturday, Feb 4 Expected weather...cool Sea state...slight to moderate Wave height ft Max Temp... 14C Min Temp... 02C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h deaths Qanaat, Tel: (Women) Shuwaikh, Block 3, Street 30, House 1; Nasser Ahmad Sharekh Damouk Al Azemi, 19 years old, buried on Wednesday. Condolence: Sabah Al Salem, Block 13, Street 2, avenue 2, House 41, Tel: ; Salem Saad Edbais Al Mutairi, 81 years old, buried on Wednesday. Condolence: Eshbeliya, Block 2, Street 202, House 13, Tel: / ; Mohammad Abbas Mohammad Ashkinani, 57 years old, Wednesday. Condolence: Maidan Hawally, Al Huseiniya Al Ashkinaniya, Tel: Feb 1, 2017 Sunday, Feb 5 Expected weather...cool Sea state...slight to moderate Wave height ft Max Temp... 15C Min Temp... 03C Wind Direction... NW-VRB Wind Speed km/h Tide times at Shuwaikh Port 1st high tide:...15:12 2nd high tide:...02:38 1st low tide:...08:59 2nd low tide:...21:08 Sunrise:...06:38 Sunset:...17:26 Recorded yesterday at Kuwait Airport Max temp... 19C Min temp... 04C Max Rh...77% Min Rh...38% Max Wind... SE 43 km/h Total Rainfall in 24 hrs...0 mm Recorded yesterday at South Dolphin Min/Max/ Air Temp... 11/17C Min/Max Rel Hum...45/81% Wind Direction/Wind Speed...S/46 km/h Prev Wave Dir/Max Wave Ht... N/1 ft Min/Max Sea Surface Temp... 14/14 C Sea Current...End of Upwelling Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Meteorological Dept.

3 LOCAL 3 HH Amir attends Janadriyah 31 in Riyadh His Highness the Amir and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques watching the camel race festival. His Highness the Amir at the prize distribution ceremony. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. King Salman shaking hands with Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad. Amiri Diwan photo King Salman with Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Sheikh Sabah thanks Saudi King for warm reception RIYADH, Feb 1, (KUNA): His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended Wednesday the opening ceremony of the National Festival for Heritage and Culture (Janadriyah 31), which was patronized by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia. The event is to see participations by Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar and Oman, in addition to Egypt as this year s guest of honor. The festival, organized by the National Guard, includes races and local music performances, is expected to draw over one million visitors. The event highlights heritage and modernity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The opening ceremony kicked off with camel racing, which is one of the most prominent sport competitions at the event. The festival also includes cultural activities, symposiums, lectures, seminars, and dancing of Ardha (folk dance), in addition to an honoring of three Saudi distinguished personalities; Ahmad Mohammad Ali, a banker, Abdulrahman Al-Shebaili, media figure, and Sofia bint Said bin Zegar, a formative artist. His Highness the Amir along with the accompanying officials, have since returned to Kuwait. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad was received upon his arrival at the airport by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah and Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Anas Khaled Al-Saleh. His Highness the Amir was accompanied during his visit to the Kingdom by Sheikh Jaber Al-Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheikh Faisal Al-Saud Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Director of His Highness the Amir s Bureau Ahmad Fahad Al-Fahad, Chief of the Amiri Protocol Sheikh Khaled Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah and Chairman of Media and Cultural Affairs at the Amiri Diwan Yousef Hamad Al-Roumi. His Highness the Amir cabled Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz expressing deep gratitude for the warm and elaborate hospitality accorded to him and his accompanying delegation during the visit to the Kingdom. He also expressed heartfelt satisfaction for the meeting he held, during the visit, with King Salman and Bahraini Monarch Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa, as well leaders of other GCC member States, saying these meetings were distinguished with cordial and brotherly atmosphere, depicting the historic bonds between the State of Kuwait and its people with the other GCC Arabian countries and peoples. Moreover, His Highness the Amir praised noticeable order and good organization of the festival, namely well-prepared camel races. His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad prayed to His Almighty Allah to empower Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques with life-long good health and wellness, hoping the Kingdom would witness further promotion and prosperity, under the sagacious leadership. Present clear vision to address lop-sided population structure Panel chair confirms Parliament to hold special session today Photo from the event. Photo by Mohammad Morsi New Kuwait strategic vision ambitious Social responsibility linchpin of development, says official KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1, (KUNA): Social responsibility is a virtue that is incumbent upon the nation s public and private sectors to attain development, an official in the Ministry of Information (MoI) said on Wednesday. In a speech to open Kuwait s second conference and exhibition on social responsibility, Assistant Undersecretary for the department of Media Services Yousef Mustafa said that this notion is embedded in Kuwait s national strategy for sustained development. Moreover, he noted that the two-day conference, which is sponsored by Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, will delve into this virtue given how crucial it is for overall growth and development. On social responsibility, Mustafa said that it is not limited to philanthropy and volunteerism, rather, it encompasses abidance by laws and respect of human rights. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Arab Society for Social Responsibility Sultan Al-Bazghi applauded Kuwait for hosting such events that center around admirable qualities. He also described social responsibility as a form of conduct that is obligatory on all segments of society. Meanwhile, Minister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudhan affirmed that the process of implementing the 2035 New Kuwait strategic vision is ambitious, in the sense that it has specific stages and programs with various effective implementation mechanisms that differ from the previous mechanisms, reports Annahar daily. In an interview with the daily, Al-Roudhan indicated that launch of the plans and strategies for the projects will coincide with the inauguration of applications that will electronically link the state agencies in order to facilitate the development of business environment in the country and attract foreign investors. The minister revealed that the delay Kuwait suffers in terms of execution of projects is what pushes the country to double its efforts in executing the next plans, which include establishment of companies to accomplish major projects, logistics, storage and airports. He said, There is a distinguished competitive aspect in Kuwait, which is the ability to use its geographical location as transit. There is a need to better the business environment, which has apparently started to take shape according to the World Bank. The country is also keen on developing and supporting small and medium enterprises and the operating environment. The minister went on to say, Geographically, Kuwait qualifies to become the regional commercial center. This is what distinguishes it for establishing transit and commercial projects in the border areas in terms of free zone areas that serve the Gulf marketing and contribute to increasing non-oil revenues. He highlighted the fact that the transit business is not new to Kuwait, affirming that there are companies and projects that will work on accommodating the academic output and benefiting from the national labor force, especially since the coming stages will provide more than 100,000 jobs for Kuwaiti youths. By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Chairman of the parliamentary Legislative Affairs Committee MP Mohamed Al-Dalal has asked the government to present a clear vision to address the lopsided population structure issue, affirming that MPs have the right to demand and look for solutions to populationrelated problems like the rising number of marginal workers and visa traders. He confirmed that the Parliament will hold a special session on Thursday to discuss these issues, including the need to balance the population structure without harming the expatriates. He emphasized the need to confront visa traders because change is possible only if the lopsided population structure issue is addressed. He pointed out this project must be implemented in a more organized manner in order to protect expatriates, especially those living with their families here. Meanwhile, Parliament speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim adjourned Wednesday s regular session due to lack of quorum. Taking decisions during parliamentary sessions require the presence of at least 33 members. Items in the agenda of the session include the request to lift the immunity of MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei. Photo by Rizk Taufik MPs engaged in a heated argument during Wednesday s parliamentary session. Al-Ghanim adjourned the session until Feb 14, 2017 adding that Thursday s special session will be for the lopsided population structure issue and another special session is slated for next Wednesday to vote on the no-confidence motion against Minister of Information and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah. Commenting on the lack of quorum in Wednesday s session, Al-Dalal claimed the session was adjourned due to the behavior of MPs. He pointed out they were supposed to discuss a number of important issues such as the request to lift immunity, response to the Amiri address, government program and economic document. He claimed some MPs hurled baseless accusations at the Legislative Committee whose tasks include reviewing a request to lift immunity to ensure there is no conspiracy to prevent the concerned lawmaker from performing his duties. Explaining what happened in the previous Parliament, he said the committee s tasks include reviewing the request to lift immunity, listening to the views of the concerned lawmaker and submitting a report to the legislature. He added, We discussed the request to lift the immunity of Al-Tabtabaei. Members agreed on the urgency of the matter which was debated in the presence of Al-Tabtabaei so there was no malicious intent. Due to the sensitivity of the issue, the committee did not mention details in its report. The same happened in 2014 with the report on the request to lift the immunity of MP Sadoun Al-Otaibi yet the latter is now opposing the rule. This was also the case with the request to lift the immunity of former MP Abdulhameed Dashti but no one voiced objection at the time. He then unveiled his plan to refer these issues to the Parliament Office to prevent anyone from turning them into personal conflicts, asserting this might require amendment of parliamentary bylaws. He went on to say the speaker took the right decision with the adjournment of the session due to lack of quorum, alleging some MPs are trying to take revenge and embarrass Al-Tabtabei. In another development, Al-Tabtabaei said the prime minister will be next person to face grilling if no step is taken regarding increase in the prices of petrol and electricity. He underscored the need for the government to prioritize the price hike issue, otherwise, it will be held accountable.

4 LOCAL 4 Kuwait acknowledges the efforts of youth in development process Kuwait Municipality to execute new projects in Kuwait City NEW YORK, Feb 1, (KUNA): By engaging the youth in many international and local events, Kuwait acknowledges the efforts by this sector of society, and calls for gearing their energy towards achieving the country s sustainable development goals for 2030, in addition to realizing the United Nations conventions and laws, said a Kuwaiti diplomat. Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the UN Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi made this remark in his speech at the 6th UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, which kicked off Jan 30. Al-Otaibi lauded the UN for taking the youth under its wings and encouraging them to promote the organization s and its subsidiary bodies goals towards sustainable development. Following the steps of the UN, Kuwait has strived to promote the role of its youth in all domains. It established the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs in 2013 to collaborate efforts and to encourage initiatives that guarantee young adults participation in mapping their future policies. Some of these initiatives are the launch of two e-portals: one for encouraging volunteerism and the other for youth training. The goal behind creating these e-portals is to invest in their time and to raise the level of their competence, the Kuwaiti diplomat said. The country has other strategic plans geared toward revising international laws, legislations and agreement related to youth in order to create a supportive environment for this segment of the society, he added. Al-Otaibi also said the Youth Ministry has been active in many international youth forums and events and has signed many local, regional and international agreements related to youth. The Youth Forum is held annually by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since It offers people an opportunity to voice their opinions, share ideas, and think together about what they can do to achieve sustainable development. Kuwait Municipality is set to execute several projects to boost economy and commerce as well as attract tourists to the capital, Kuwait City. The projects plan includes establishing a center for entertainment, culture and education in Abdullah Al-Ahmad Street, the municipality s Director-General Ahmad Al-Manfouhi told KUNA on Wednesday. Another vital project is the first business zone in Mirqab residential area, where foreigners could have full ownership of tax-free residences, he added. On her part, the municipality s deputy director-general for projects Engineer Nadia Al-Shereeda said the Abdullah Al-Ahmad Street projects will involve a residential area and a heritage village to showcase Kuwait s history. KUNA photo View of the location of the projects to be executed in the capital, Kuwait City. Dar Al-Salam Takaful Insurance Company held the annual general meeting for 2015 fiscal year after obtaining necessary approval from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Board Chairman Dr Ali Al-Shimali chaired the meeting in the presence of the Chief Executive Officer Saad Makki and approved about 99.4 percent of financial statements with the proposed 10 percent deduction of profits as the mandatory reserve, and another 10 percent optional reserve. Panel chair asks govt to present Reveal details of report of multi-million deposits KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: MP Shueib Al-Muweizri has sent a letter to the National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim, requesting him to uncover every detail, fact and recommendation made in the report prepared by the fact-finding committee formed to investigate the case of multi-milliondinar deposits, reports Al-Qabas daily. In the letter, MP Al-Muweizri affirmed his acknowledgment that the people had chosen them to represent them based on their confidence in their choice. In return, it is the duty of MPs towards the people of Kuwait to reveal to them the facts regarding the case that involves the public fund. He asked Al-Ghanim to take necessary measures as per the standing orders of the Parliament to reveal all details contained in the report concerning the multi-million-dinar deposits case, so that people are aware of the pockets into which the public funds went as well as everyone who had hand in the real estate business during his tenure in the Parliament. Meanwhile, Kuwait Bourse has given companies listed on the Capital Market, whose market value have been dwindling, one year deadline to amend their status and submit their real market value within the period, reports Al- Shahed daily. The daily quoting a source noted the companies in question will be put under a special watch among companies that could not carry out their responsibilities for three years consecutively if the situation remains the same. He said Kuwait bourse has the right to classify the companies among low performers in the parallel markets, indicating their transactions can be stopped if the situation persists. He explained the bourse has laid down new rules and regulations on the system of operating the accounts of clients, in addition to updating indices related to the daily transactions. He stressed any party that is interested in the sale securities of companies listed on the Stock Market, which is not less than 5 percent of the capital or more, should ensure that a financial broker receives certificates for the amount intended to be sold. It should be supported by official document and notification to the Capital Market Authority concerning details of the transaction. Awqaf to train imams, muezzins from Europe PAHW anticipates 1,325 jobs to be filled by Kuwaiti nationals KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Public Authority for Housing Welfare anticipates the number of vacancies to be filled by Kuwaitis in general positions by the end of this year will reach 1,325, costing KD million, indicating that the current 27 vacancies will be filled in March, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to a report released by the authority, ten available senior-level positions will gulp up to KD 76,000 in the form of salaries. This is in addition to another 13 support jobs that will consume KD 20,000. The authority is in need of 42 engineers including 27 Kuwaiti junior engineers and 15 experienced expatriate engineers. Regarding job vacancies for expatriates, the report revealed that 650 jobs have been penned down for the current fiscal year. This number is likely to increase to 665 with a total salary of KD million. It declared the need to fill vacancies for 38 expatriate engineers who were either relieved of their jobs or had willingly resigned earlier this fiscal year. Meanwhile, Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have taking a giant stride towards resolving the problem related to issuance of Umra visa for Bedoun residents through coordination with Saudi authorities. A source reported that Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is waiting for a response from Saudi Arabia to allow Umra operators to secure visa for Bedoun pilgrims based on the regulations of Saudi Ministry of Hajj. He indicated that the ministry will soon train several imams and muezzins from Europe on religious moderation and its application through the Higher Committee for Moderation. The source said Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and State Minister Municipal Affairs Mohammad Al- Jabri announced that the Fourth International Conference of Nationalities will be declared open in March. Moreover, the committee formed in the Public Authority for Housing Welfare based on recommendations from the Minister of State for Housing Affairs Yasser Abul to test government houses in Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City has commenced activities to carry out the assignment, reports Al-Anba daily quoting informed sources. They explained that the committee was set up after some inadequacies in one of the housing units were discovered. The committee is following the guidelines allotted in line with internationally approved standards and the contracts signed with the concerned companies. The sources revealed that the committee will present a final comprehensive report over construction, hygiene and electricity tests within the next two weeks, indicating that this report will include categories and definitions of materials used for construction and rate of appropriateness to the specifications agreed with the contractors and the Constitution. Director General of Elderly Care Department at Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Amani Al-Tabtabaie says the private sector will be allowed to open elderly care homes as per the new Law No: 18/2016 on social aid for the elderly which was approved recently by the National Assembly, reports Al- Shahed daily. He said the executive bylaw has defined the mechanisms for supporting the private sector, the terms and conditions for granting licenses, and the conditions related to prices, accommodation and services.

5 LOCAL 5 Association s visit most significant mission ever undertaken Kuwaiti lawyers discuss professional issues with Dutch counterparts PARIS, Feb 1, (KUNA): A 35-member delegation from Kuwait Bar Association held talks on Monday with Dutch counterparts in The Hague examining professional issues of common concern and bilateral ties between the State of Kuwait and the Dutch nation. Muhannad Al-Sayer, the Kuwaiti association secretary, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the attorneys visit to the Netherlands would help in swapping expertise and cementing the two countries ties in various domains, particularly the law profession. The visit is the most significant mission ever undertaken by the association, he added, noting that its benefits are very much broad and not restricted to the profession. The Kuwaiti lawyers are visiting the Netherlands to examine works of the judicial and legal organizations. The delegation has visited offices of Kuwait Petroleum International in The Hague, examining most substantial tasks undertaken by the company. They have also been involved in a seminar on chemicals arms crimes, during which Dr Talal Al-Azmi, the State of Kuwait Representative at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague, has lectured about the issue, shedding light on some legal defects in this respect. During the five-day mission, the Kuwaiti attorneys will attend hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, visit the International Criminal Court and meet with counterparts in the International Bar Association to gain advantage of international experience in trials and mechanism of action of the lawyers in those courts. The visit to the Netherlands by the Kuwaiti lawyers is the second of its kind since Raising border issue with Kuwait unjustified, says Iraqi premier Kuwait sponsors ward at Irbil hospital KUNA photo Kuwait s General Consul in Irbil Dr Omar Al-Kandari meets representatives of Ministry of Education in Federal Government of Iraq and representatives from Ministry of Education from Iraqi Kurdistan Region. KUNA photos Photos show relief aid distribution to Syrian refugees in Jordan. Hike in health insurance after 2 yrs Ministry intends to restart aid to Kuwaiti women wed to expats KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, and State Minister for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh revealed that the ministry intends to restart disbursing social aid to Kuwaiti women married to non-kuwaitis, reports Aljarida daily. It is worth mentioning that disbursement of social aid for all Kuwaiti women married to non-kuwaitis was suspended in last phase. Al-Sabeeh stressed that Kuwaiti women married to non-kuwaitis are excluded from the condition of mental disability and that only the physical disability will be taken into consideration until the relevant law is amended. Meanwhile, Ministry of Health has urged expatriates to avoid crowding in front of health insurance centers and to wait until the expiry of their health insurances in order to avoid the congestion and disorder seen in these centers that lead to delay in issuance of health insurance cards, reports Al-Shahed daily. News in Brief The ministry affirmed that the health insurance charges will be increased only after the new hospitals of health insurance are built, which will take another two or more years. Furthermore, head of General Department of Residency Affairs Major General Talal Marafie stressed the keenness of the department to do its best in facilitating procedures for citizens and expatriates, reports Al-Seyassah daily. He explained that the department, based on directives from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Lieutenant General Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, will launch one application form for all types of transactions. This new form will come into effect from Feb 12 and will facilitate procedures as well as offer a better way to audit the information and avoid errors. Major General Marafie revealed that the form is available for download on the website of Ministry of Interior Al-Durrah to set standards: Board Chairman of Al-Durrah Domestic Labor Company Eyad Al-Sumait affirmed that the news circulating about the cost of bringing domestic workers into the country and their salary scale are not true, revealing that the concerned companies have not yet set any cost either now or before. In a press statement, Al-Sumait explained that the procedures set by the government so far for the issuance of commercial licenses have been completed. The board met two days ago and endorsed the actual operation plan based on which the company may start its actual activities in the course of the next seven months. Al-Sumait indicated that they are in the process of setting up standards and mechanisms, and the infrastructure of the company, revealing that they are currently working from the temporary headquarters but the actual headquarters will soon be ready. BA Course to start in Sept: Dean of Faculty of Public Health at Kuwait University Dr Nasser Behbehani has declared that the course of Bachelors Degree in Health and Social Behavioral Sciences will start next September and will consist of four specializations, reports Al-Anba daily. He revealed that the course of Masters in Public Health (MPH) will commence in 2018, adding that the faculty is also set to launch PhD program in Public Health. Singer to undergo surgery: The young Kuwaiti singer Ahmed Al Qattan who has suffered a fracture in the pelvis shall undergo a surgery at the Al-Razi Hospital, reports Al-Rai daily. It is worth mentioning Al-Qattan was involved in a traffic accident. BAGHDAD, Feb 1, (KUNA): Iraqi Premier Haidar Al-Abadi termed as unjustified some parties raising issues of Khour (inlet) Abdullah and border demarcation with State of Kuwait, with which borders already demarcated in line with a UN resolution. The aim of raising these issues at this time is to deviate attention from victory achieved in the city of Mosul, Abadi told a news conference. Unjustified media frenzy has been created over Khour Abdullah, he added. He explained that the government discussed the mapping of maritime boundaries between Iraq and Kuwait MP Hanan Fatlawi had asked Abadi about claims that the the Iraqi government relinquished rights in Khour Abdullah. UN Security Council resolution 833 demarcates land borders and part of maritime boundary up until border sign 162. Kuwait Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah, in a statement over the issue two days ago, said new maps were needed following maintenance of border signs in line with resolution 833. We are not changing positions of the signs, he affirmed. Kuwait and Iraq agreed to start drawing the new maps and will share the cost. We have informed the UN about Kuwait s readiness to draw these border maps, and we are awaiting approval of the Iraqi side, he said. Al-Jarallah explained that Khour Abdullah is a waterway between Kuwait and Iraq. The two countries signed an agreement in 2012 to organize navigation in this inlet. Sponsored Meanwhile, Kuwait s Al- Najat Charity society announced Wednesday that it had sponsored the opening of a ward at a private hospital in Irbil which receives people injured in the military operations in the city of Mosul. The society is set to open several other humanitarian projects in the city in the coming months, head of the health committee at Al-Najat told KUNA on Wednesday. Kuwait has built two hospitals for emergency cases in Iraq and Kurdistan region, while also working on building three medical centers in refugee camps in Kurdistan s Dahuk city. In late 2016, the Iraqi government, backed by regional forces and international alliance, launched a military operation to liberate Mosul, Iraq s second largest city from the control of the so-called Islamic State (IS), who conquered the city in Furthermore, around $250,000 will be used to cover expenses of cancer treatment for Syrian refugees residing in Jordan, said Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) Tuesday. Speaking to KUNA, KRCS Deputy Chairman Anwar Al- Hasawi said that the society was cooperating with King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), noting that all expenses of Syrian refugees suffering from cancer will be covered. This is part of the KRCS mission to ease the pain of millions of Syrian refugees residing in Jordan and neighboring countries to Syria, affirmed Al-Hasawi, adding that the society will continue its mission within this domain. Senior official at the KHCC Nsreen Al-Kharabshe said that the center was very grateful for the KRCS support, hoping that such cooperation will continue in the future. She affirmed that the KHCC, which was established in 1997, will offer all necessary assistance to help the Syrian refugees during their dire situation. Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) has delivered relief aid to 400 Syrian refugee families in the Ruwaished area near the Jordanian-Iraqi border. Khaled Al-Zaid, head of the KRCS field team told KUNA that the society has delivered basic food, date, blankets and clothes to the Syrian families in which most of these families are living in random tents. Algerian diplomat hails Kuwait Photos by Iehab Qurtal Photos from the event organized by Australian Embassy in Kuwait at Jumeirah Hotel. Al-Jarallah attends Australian National Day celebration Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Khaled Al-Jarallah attended an event organized by the Australian Embassy in Kuwait at the Jumeirah Hotel on the occasion of the country s National Day. Responding to journalists, Al- Jarallah affirmed that Kuwait never transgressed on Iraqi lands under the demarcation policy and neither will Kuwait allow any transgression over her lands under the UN Resolution No: 833 that clearly resolves the issue. He reaffi rmed Kuwait s readiness to cooperate with Australia in the political, security and military fi elds, in addition to investment avenues. He recalled the role played by Australia during the liberation, saying a lot of opportunities are KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1, (KUNA): Algeria s Ambassador to Kuwait Abdulhamid Abdawi has heaped praise on Kuwait for its efforts to assist needy nations, describing the country as a beacon of humanity. In a statement to KUNA after visiting Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS), Abdawi said that KRCS has provided relief aid for years on end to nations victimized by natural disasters and conflicts. Moreover, he added that he discussed with KRCS officials various strategies for increased cooperation between KRCS and the Algerian Red Crescent Society. Meanwhile, KRCS Director General Abdulrahman Al-Oun told KUNA that the society has been quick to respond to calls of help from people mired in misery, adding that the aid given is nondiscriminatory. available to cooperate on. For his part, the Australian ambassador to Kuwait H.E Warren Hauck said he looks forward to establish new ties with Kuwait in different fields. He took the opportunity to congratulate HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on the 11th anniversary of his ascension to power.

6 LOCAL 6 Set up panel to organize population structure: MP KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaie has proposed a parliamentary bill for establishment of a national committee for organizing and managing the population structure, reports Al-Anba daily quoting informed sources. Indicating that the bill centers on various objectives that could solve the population crisis in the country, they explained that the bill has specified the purposes of the proposed committee. The committee will be mandated to focus on achieving and maintaining balance in the population structure and executing the plan that has been prepared in this regard. It will also focus on getting rid of the phenomenon of marginalized labor force and ensure every citizen receives all their rights as per the texts of the Kuwaiti Constitution. The committee will be in charge of studying comprehensive dimensions of the population structure, and setting up plans and necessary labor policies that will bring the number of expatriates down to about 50 percent of the total population such that no nationality should exceed 25 percent of the total number of citizens. Dr Al-Tabtabaie gave the proposed committee a timeline of seven years to set, implement and accomplish its mandate. The committee will also be in charge of providing recommendations to the relevant bodies regarding the produce of the higher education, and working on covering the shortage of national manpower in the local labor market, in addition to providing annually at least 15 percent of the jobs occupied by expatriates in Protect Kuwait identity: Tabtabaie Embassy of India advisory ome unscrupulous agents Sare duping members of Indian community in Kuwait by extorting money from Indian nationals/students/professionals who have submitted their educational/professional certificates/degrees for attestation/verification through local authorities/embassy of Kuwait in New Delhi. Further, these agents faking as representatives of Embassy of Kuwait, New Delhi are asking those who contact them to deposit big amount of Indian Rupees to the undermentioned bank account towards mandatory attestation fee charged by concerned Indian universities and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for verification by using a fake ID: kuwaitembassy_in@hotmail.com. The details of the fraudulent bank account are as below: the government sector to the national labor force. The committee will be mandated to determine the actual number of required specializations of expatriates and cancel the residencies of extra labor force of which the government is not in need of. It must issue mandatory organizational decisions for all institutions and companies that bring expatriates from overseas in a manner that will not clash with the demographic organization plan. Other duties of the proposed committee will be - establishment of a holding company to bring and employ expatriates, setting a new mechanism to solve problems in aspects of legal, finance and humanitarian, establishing residential cities for expatriates, and submitting periodic reports Account No : ; Account Name : Mr. Laltanpuia; Name of the Bank : Syndicate Bank; IFSC Code : SYNB The Embassy of Kuwait, New Delhi has confirmed that they have not asked anyone to deposit money in any bank account for the above purpose and that the ID kuwaitembassy_in@hotmail. com does not belong to them. In view of above, the Embassy advises Indian community members not to fall prey to the perpetrators of such fraud mentioned above. It is important to note that process of verification of educational/professional certificates does take time due to procedure/due diligence involved including response from the concerned educational institutions situated in various parts of India. to the parliament regarding its activities every quarter of the year. Al-Tabtabaie indicated that the committee will be under the supervision of the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, representatives from several concerned ministries and authorities, and representatives from the private sector. According to the MP, the main objective behind the establishment of the committee is to protect Kuwait from population inflation caused by expatriates and the consequences of such inflation such as losing the identity of the state and of its society, to amend and set up the policies of plans to rectify the current flaws in the population structure in a manner that will achieve economical, social and vocational security. DIWANIYA A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION Once bitten, twice shy Be cautious in Iraq dealings FROM TIME to time, we see one Iraqi MP sometimes talking about the Bubiyan Port and sometimes about Abdullah Bay. This happens although this topic has been finalized and settled by the United Nations through its resolution while demarcating the borders between Kuwait and Iraq, columnist Mishref Eqab wrote for Al-Shahed daily. Recently, some Iraqi politicians and some Iraq MPs created a new crisis alleging the Iraqi government had allowed Kuwait to annex the Abdullah Bay area on the Arabian Gulf coast of the Iraqi city Basra. Not just that, it was reported the Iraqi parliament had last Thursday enlisted this topic on its agenda. In this context, we say this statement that was issued by the Iraqi MP that the Iraqi cabinet Wednesday had endorsed a proposal to grant the Abdullah Bay Canal to Kuwait, hinting this development is treason against Iraq and its people. In the meantime, some other Iraqi MPs have said giving the Abdullah Bay Canal to Kuwait was an unconstitutional decision. For his part, the MP from Basra governorate told the press last Thursday that giving of Abdullah Bay to Kuwait, could be deemed as treason, injustice against the Iraqis and an illegal action. He added giving of Abdullah Bay Canal to Kuwait through a vote organized by the Iraqi cabinet is high treason and hinted the Iraqi government has no right to give away any Iraqi territory to a third party. In spite of the above, a statement issued in Kuwait recently indicates the State of Kuwait shall build a housing project in addition to a hospital in Basra where some of our esquire writers have considered this Kuwaiti initiative rational and reflects Kuwait s keenness to assist Iraq in order to enable Baghdad to make progress in development. He added Kuwait has submitted a political and strategic proposal that shall govern the future relations between Kuwait and Iraq. This development represents an unprecedented action in achieving mutual understanding between the two countries. These writers further suggested that Kuwait should stretch its hand of friendship in such Mishref Eqab policy as a new diplomatic venture by Kuwait towards Iraq. We in turn also call for a balanced Kuwait policy with Iraq, provided we do not commit the same mistakes of the 1980s with the criminal regime of Saddam Hussein, simply because the Muslims should not be bitten twice from the same hole. We know that unfortunately Iraq has yet to deal seriously with the problem of the Kuwaitis missing in Iraq because the number is too big (more than three hundred citizens). It seems this problem is not a priority in Iraq. As a matter of fact, the so-called lightning diplomacy looks unsuitable for the Third World countries in general and for Iraq in particular because we know some Iraqi MPs still cast doubts on the Kuwaiti attitudes and have accused the State of Kuwait of assisting the United States of America to invade Iraq. Moreover, some Iraqi politicians have yet to recognize Kuwait as an independent State and have hinted that the border problem should be settled through bilateral negotiations between the two countries away from the interference of the UN Security Council. These politicians also accuse Kuwait of violating the Iraqi borders and stealing their oil. In other words, the Iraqi government has yet to recognize the border demarcation between Kuwait and Iraq although this demarcation has been endorsed by the United Nations. Meanwhile, we would like say here that Kuwait has concluded necessary pacts with the biggest fifty countries in the world and as such we have to deal with Iraq on this basis. Such being the case and thinking that Kuwait is a small country is baseless because Kuwait is a big country given its international obligations and the support it renders to all countries of the world. Not just that, Kuwait s strength is derived from a state of cohesion between the Kuwaiti leadership and its people as well as through unity at the national level among the country s various components. Likewise, Kuwait s strength is derived from its democracy and Constitution which can be deemed as the best of its kind in the region and every Kuwaiti is proud of this achievement. Meanwhile, we suggest talking of the Iraqi debt payable to Kuwait and the writing off the same, should be done through the Kuwaiti National Assembly, because Kuwait has tasted bitterness during the consecutive Iraqi regimes from the royal regime to Abdulkarim Qasim and up to Saddam Hussein and as such Iraq must abide by good neighborhood rules and eventually honor all UN Security Council resolutions pertaining to the relationship between Kuwait and Iraq. But the strange suggestion in this connection is calls for Kuwait to invest in Iraq in general and in the governorate of Basra in particular in addition to establishing of a free zone between the two countries and additional investments in North Iraq. In conclusion, we suggest we have to be cautious in dealing with Iraq when it comes to handling all suspended issues between the two countries, because it would be very easy for Iraq not to abide by any agreement as was the case with the former Iraqi regimes. Nonetheless, we know it will not be easy for us to forget the Iraqi invasion of our country, its repercussions and associations because they are still alive in our minds. In this context, we cite the last statement that was issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry denying that the Iraqi farmers had relinquished their farms along the Kuwaiti borders in return for some money paid to them by the Kuwaiti government. Also: One Iraqi politician who is not working for the incumbent political organization in response to my question said raising once again the border issue between Kuwait and Iraq is something internal and to be exact, the issue is between the former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki who is looking forward to be reinstated as prime minister and the incumbent Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi who is currently busy with the liberation of Iraq from the Islamic State (IS) or the so-called DAESH terrorists, columnist Hassan Ali Karam wrote for Al-Seyassah daily. When I asked him about the differences in the Iraqi government over the border issue between Kuwait and Iraq, he said, the current Iraqi government has representatives from various Iraqi political blocs. Such being the case, he went on to say the ministers are not dealing with all various issues as a unified bloc, rather they represent their own blocs. He added the topic of Kuwait for the Iraqi politicians is a lucrative business that shall enable them to make political gains. Moreover, this business will help increase their popularity in the country. He went on to say this happened although Iraq is supposed to abide by international resolutions related to the Kuwaiti question in terms of the border demarcation between the two countries and Iraq must fully abide by it since we know all these resolutions are issued by the UN Security Council pursuant to the Chapter VII of the UN Charter. This was said by an Iraqi politician, but the question I would like to address to the pretty Iraqi MP Hanan Al-Fatlawi is what about the Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations? However, this question is dictated by the fact that every time upon any amelioration in the Kuwaiti- Iraqi relations, we see one Iraqi politician raising the head to impede progress in terms of relations between the two countries. In this connection, we say Kuwait is still awaiting the arrival of the new Iraqi ambassador to Kuwait, particularly since we know this post lies vacant since the end of the term of the former Iraqi ambassador to Kuwait Mohammad Hussain Bahr Al-Oloum. This happened, although it was repeatedly reported that the current Iraqi ambassador to Japan will be appointed as an accredited Iraqi ambassador to Kuwait. With regard to the differences over the border issue between Kuwait and Iraq if any we would like to address them to the pretty Hanan Al-Fatlawi, and say that the most important thing to work on is to remove the effects of the previous differences over this issue and if this is not realized, then we have to at least work to ignore these differences. I say this because the differences over the border issue are not confined to Kuwait and Iraq, rather many countries of the world are in disagreement over such type of issues, but it is needless to say the economic relations of these countries have not been affected by the border-related differences. However, we in Kuwait and you in Iraq must understand that co-existence between our two countries is inevitable because there is a joint history between the two countries commercial ties and economic bonds between the peoples and this should result in ignoring any differences over the borders. In this context, we say Kuwait since the downfall of the unjust Saddam Hussein s regime has stretched a hand of friendship to the new Iraq and has put all its financial potentials at their disposal to assist Iraq and its people. Not just that, Kuwait is still going ahead in terms of extending every possible support to the Iraqi families who suffered because of the Iraqi war on terrorism. I think the most significant issue than the difference over the border issue is to open the latter between the two countries, because reconciliation between the interests of the two countries shall surmount their differences over the border topic and its sensitivity. Consequently, we suggest the Iraqi politician must exploit the differences if any over the borders issue to liquidate their own internal conflicts. In the meantime, these politicians must keep in mind that Kuwait in spite of its small area and population vis-a-vis Iraq, Kuwait is not a weak country, rather it is a strong country and the country derives its strength from the secret behind the survival and existence of Kuwait. Last, but not the least, Kuwait has been and still is looking forward to see Iraq a strong country and peaceful neighbor, because the strength of Iraq will constitute a strength for Iraq and the neighborhood of the peaceful Iraq guarantees safety for Kuwait. The name Khawr Abdullah is that of one of the Kuwaiti rulers. However, our Iraqi neighbors want Khawr in any way possible, either legally or illegally, Talal Al-Saeed wrote for Al-Seyassah daily. According to history, Kuwait has never attacked even a single inch of the Iraqi territories. However, for over a century, the Iraqis have been attacking Kuwaiti lands and they invaded our territory. This historical crime was ended through the demarcation of the land and marine borders under the supervision of the United Nations and with the approval of both parties. What now do the Iraqi lawmakers want from us? They know well that the matter of demarcation of borders was considered final and is not subjected to debate or controversy. Apparently, this issue has lowered the popularity of those lawmakers and people have revolted against them. It seems they turn to Kuwait in order to distract their people. Yes, we do respect our good neighbors but we cannot keep silent when the matter is concerning our land. No one disagrees on the difficulty in carrying out perfect political reform in this present time especially with the prevalence of corruption in all state institutions, and the current difficulty in realizing achievements via the parliamentary institution due to several reasons such as inability to form majority for agreeing on an agenda, Dr Hamad Ismail Al-Ansari wrote for Al-Rai daily. In my former article titled Democratic transition necessity or luxury, I had clarified that the main problem is in the failure to complete the democratic system, continuation of the consecutive governments in the quotas policy and lack of vision in the National Assembly. The government admitted a strange matter in its study, which was published in Al-Rai newspaper on January 10, through which it calls for reform of election system, promotion of parties and participation of militaries. Even though I believe the government is not serious about reforming the political system and the National Assembly is unable to confront the government, which always supports it, I feel there is hope in adopting some reform laws over the Parliament, provided there is public pressure and opinion in support of the law in Abdullah Al-Salem Hall. A blogger scheduled an interview with the Chairman of Parliament s Budget Committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad on Al-Rai TV and the interview apparently was held a couple of months back, Hassan Al- Essa wrote for Al-Jarida daily. The data quoted by MP Abdulsamad has not changed and the government did not dispute it. He claimed that an undersecretary in a ministry receives allowances worth about KD 60,000 along with his regular salary per annum. He explained these allowances are actually meant for those who are members of teams, committees and administrative councils. He revealed that an expatriate consultant who receives a monthly salary of KD 5,500 collects bonus worth around KD 920,000 per year. MP Abdulsamad went on to reveal that a certain senior official at a public authority, which deals with public funds, collects a similar amount, while his deputy receives more than that, a matter that is very laughable. We have told officials umpteen times to be role models to other people and represent the fountain of sacrifices. You all should discourage corruption in administrations and agencies under your watch. Compiled by Zaki Taleb

7 LOCAL 7 Other Voices News in Brief Asian hurt in fall: An Asian expatriate sustained serious injuries when he fell from the second floor of a house in Jaber Al-Ali area, says Al-Seyassah. According to security sources, when the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information about the incident, securitymen, paramedics and firefighters rushed to the location. Paramedics referred the victim to Adan Hospital where he was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. Investigations revealed that the laborer lost his balance and fell from the second floor while he was carrying out some electrical repairs in the house. Cross-dressers fight: Two crossdressers were arrested for attacking each other during a quarrel between them inside a popular restaurant on Arabian Gulf Street, says Al-Seyassah. According to security sources, when the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information about the quarrel from the restaurant manager, securitymen rushed to the location to discover some customers managed to Where do we go? Post adds to services rot By Ahmad Al-Sarraf Reader Ala a says: When the education is so bad in our country, and the health services are on the decline and our roads are in such a mess that the fragile windshields of our cars cannot withstand the force of the flying gravel on our roads, it is useless to complain about the poor level of postal services. It may seem so, but the fact that all state services have reached the same level and the poor citizens and residents have to bear the brunt of our road when the windshields give way, but certainly he cannot afford to sustain to losing an important message. We hear complaints of poor postal services particularly from those who are obliged to rely on this means of transport or communication. Ala a continued by saying he needed to send papers overseas, so he went to the Nuzha Post Office and found out it was closed. He was advised to go to the Abdullah Al-Salem Post Office and there the Kuwaiti supervisor refused to take anything from him on the pretext his job was to receive and distribute mail. He then asked Ala a to go to the Keifan Telecommunications Tower or the one on the Beirut Street. When Ala a went to Keifan he found there was no place to park the car and headed for Hawalli, there he found there was a traffic jam and finally when he reached the center, the supervisor asked him to go to the Safat Post Office, the mother of all postal services in Kuwait. At the post office, a little bit after eight in the morning, he found a place to park his car and felt happy that at last he will be able to dispatch his parcel within minutes, but his optimism was short-lived. At the post office, he did not find any employee on duty. He then proceeded to the private post boxes and there too no one was there, except for the people who owned those boxes. Finally, he returned to the main hall and found an Asian cleaning worker Al-Sarraf The area designated for excavation. who informed him that the work at the post office starts at 1:30 pm and stops at 10:00 pm. Ala a says that he left the building and returned in the afternoon at 3:00 pm. Again another surprise awaited him because the man at the counter said his parcel could not be accepted because he does not have the 2017 stamp because it had not arrived although it was the second week of January. It seems the end of 2016 had taken the Mr Assistant Undersecretary for postal services by surprise and he was not prepared for that. The employees suggested that Ala a should go to the Qortuba Post Office because the office of the undersecretary was located in that area and the 2017 stamps may be available with him, if not, it would give him an opportunity to complain to the most senior official in the country about the cause of his suffering. Ala a said he had mixed feelings because of all this chaos and negligence and disregard to the rights of humans in addition to the time wasted and exhaustion. He decided to go to the nearest courier office and paid twenty times more than what he would have paid to send the parcel by ordinary mail. The reader bemoans the sorry state of the services, and how even the simplest issue becomes so complicated. If this is the state of simple service of receiving and delivering mail, after all that has become a means of social media to do the work on behalf of the Ministry of Communication although the ministry boasts of an army of employees and the budget allocated to it. Here one wonders, what is the case of security, education, health and other more complex services that do not benefit from such media means as the Ministry of Communication. Will a day come when, for example, citizens will be forced to take their letters to Dubai or collect them from there? habibi.enta1@gmail.com Ministry launches probe Ancient sites damaged KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Director of Antiquities and Museums at the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, Dr Badr Duweish said he was shocked when he saw bulldozers and heavy equipment trampling the monuments of Kuwait in Subbiya, northeast of Kuwait, which dates back to the Bronze Age, reports Al-Rai daily. Duweish witnessed this tragedy when he was touring the area with tne Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty. The site is believed to be one of the largest sites in the world and contained oval shaped housing facilities and is likely to be a village dating back to 5000 BC. He pointed after he informed the Ministry of Interior, the security personnel rushed to the site and launched an investigation. He added, the archaeological area is protected since the excavations work began in The work is carried out by foreign teams from Poland, Georgia and Kuwait. He disclosed the area was fenced and maps were made in coordination with the concerned authorities. Sources in the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters said the council has already filed complaints against people who broke into these archaeological sites, but no action has been taken because the cases are registered against unknown persons. However, this has been denied by the Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Operations Affairs Major- General Jamal Al-Sayegh who stressed that all complaints are looked into according to law. settle the quarrel. Securitymen also discovered that the suspects are actually men who were wearing women clothing and makeup. Both suspects were arrested and referred to the concerned authorities for necessary legal action. Meanwhile, an Egyptian expatriate filed a case at Nugra Police Station against a compatriot, accusing the latter of insulting him and threatening to attack him during a quarrel between them in Nugra area. Fire erupts in flat: Fire broke out inside a flat on the fifth floor of a residential building in Salmiya area. No injuries were reported, says Al-Seyassah. According to sources, when the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information about the flat on fire, firefighters rushed to the location and extinguished the fire within a short time. Investigations revealed that the fire broke out in the kitchen of the flat. Meanwhile, firefighters extinguished a fire that engulfed a vehicle on Fourth Ring Road. Investigations revealed that the fire broke out due to short circuit issue in the engine. Chinese officers from the 24th Chinese navy pose for a picture with Kuwaiti officials next to a Harbin destroyer, which arrived as part of the Chinese fleet at Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City on Feb 1. (AFP) Chinese warships dock at Shuwaikh Port By Shawqi Mahmoud Al-Seyassah Staff Commandant of Floating Marine Units at the Kuwaiti Navy Captain Haza Mutlaq Al-Alati emphasized essence of the three Chinese warships visiting Kuwait in the framework of cooperation between the Naval Forces from both countries, and benefiting from Chinese technology in the update of Kuwaiti Naval warships. In response to questions from the press during a reception for the visiting Chinese Navy at Shuwaikh Port Wednesday, Captain Alati declared Kuwait is the last point of call for the Chinese warships after stopping over at the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The reception was held in the presence of the Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Wang Di, with diplomats from the embassy, and members of the Chinese Community in Kuwait who hoisted the flag of their country during inspection of the visiting warships. Captain Al-Alati informed the ships participated in protecting convoys at Aden Strip and the coasts of Somalia, and there will be a schedule for exchange of ideas between naval forces of both countries starting from Thursday. New escalation in Filipino maids crisis; abuse on rise KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: In a new escalation to the issue of Filipino workers in Kuwait, Chairperson of Labor, and Human Resources Development Committee in the Philippines Parliament J. Flaniova claimed that there is a huge number of cases of abuse of Filipino workers in Kuwait and urged the Philippine government to speed up the process of putting on hold the recruitment of Filipina household workers to Kuwait, reports Al-Rai daily. Flaniova, said in a press statement, that he had received numerous reports of abuses of Filipino workers in Kuwait, and therefore he urges the government to expedite the issue of putting on hold the recruitment of domestic workers to countries which are known to maltreat them. He cited how a Filipina Household Service Worker (HSW) was allegedly beaten to death by her employer on Jan 25, coincidentally on the same day that Filipina HSW Jakatia Pawa was hanged. The dead victim is identified as Amy Capulong Santiago, 33 years old who arrived in Kuwait in August He explained as of the beginning of 2017, a total of 500 Filipinos, most of them HSW, were in detention in Kuwait due to various reasons. Peeping-Tom held: Police have arrested an unidentified Egyptian salesman for spying on a female diplomat while trying new clothes inside a change room of a shop at an unidentified location, reports Al-Rai daily. When the woman saw the man spying on her, she called the Operations Room of the Interior Ministry; the Egyptian was arrested and taken to the area police station. The diplomat is said to have withdrawn the complaint to save her efforts of going to the police station Egyptian salesman caught peeping at female diplomat A multicolored butterfly captured in a photo. (KUNA - Jaber Abdulkhaliq) Top GTD offi cial reinstated Female teachers housing allowance raised By Jaber Al-Humoud Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: The Administrative Court ruled in favor of 30 female expatriate teachers and approved their request for housing allowance increment to be paid retroactively from April 2, Lawyer Zaid Al-Khabbaz representing the 30 female teachers sued the Ministry of Education saying each of them was paid KD 60 housing allowance since every now and then. However, the Egyptian who was wanted by law for failing to pay KD 700 to a company and had been sentenced in absentia, has been handed over to the Sentences Enforcement Department. The man is expected to be deported after serving the sentence. Kuwaiti arrested: Acting on information the security authorities raided the home of a Kuwaiti and took him into custody for possessing explosives material, reports Al-Shahed daily. According to a security source the contraband was hidden in the annex of the house. The raid was conducted by personnel from the General Department of Weapons Investigation in collaboration with the Criminal Evidences Department and explosives experts. 51 persons nabbed: During traffic April 1, 2011 as per Decision No. 1/2011 of Civil Service Commission (CSC). He added the housing allowance was increased from KD 60 to KD 150 effective from April 2016 but the ministry refused to pay the difference retroactively from April 1, 2011 to April 1, 2016 despite the repeated promises in that concern. The lawyer considered the act a violation of Article 2 of CSC Decision No. 4/2016 and the court decided that expatriate campaigns launched in all areas of Kuwait from Jan 22-28, officers from General Traffic Department issued a total of 32,237 traffic citations, seized 116 vehicles, detained 51 individuals in traffic custody and referred some expatriates for deportation after they were caught driving vehicles without driving licenses. According to a press statement issued by Ministry of Interior, the patrol teams seized 31 vehicles that were involved in cases. The General Traffic Department affirmed continuation of 24/7 traffic campaigns in all governorates for ensuring safety of road users. Drug pills seized: Customs officers at the Kuwait International Airport recently foiled the attempt of an Egyptian man to smuggle 930 narcotic pills (Tramadol) and a piece of hashish hidden in one of his bags, reports Al-Shahed daily. The contraband and the smuggler have been referred to the General teachers deserve the difference of housing allowance, indicating similar lawsuits are to be reviewed. Official reinstated: The Administrative Court has invalidated the decision of former Interior minister to refer the Director of Technical Office at the General Traffic Investigations Department for retirement. The court instead ordered reinstatement of the Department of Drugs Control. Meanwhile, police are looking for an unidentified person for impersonating police and robbing KD 1,720 from a Bangladeshi mandoub, reports Al-Anba daily. The Bangladeshi told the Zahra Police Station that the man claimed he was a policeman, robbed his money and drove off. When the complainant gave police the car plate number of the suspect, securitymen discovered the car was reported stolen by the owner. Debt not cleared: Police have arrested a Kuwaiti for failing to pay KD 23,000 debt, reports Al-Shahed daily. A police source said the suspect had parked his vehicle in No Parking zone in Mangaf and when police checked his ID, securitymen discovered he was wanted by law for failing to pay debt. He has been handed over to the Sentences Enforcement Department. official. According to the case file, the plaintiff counsel Lawyer Abdulmohsen Al-Qattan filed the lawsuit on behalf of his client, insisting that Decision No. 270/2016 was issued to retire his client starting from end of work on Feb 8, He stated that his client submitted a petition against the decision immediately, but the administration did not respond to it positively or negatively.

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9 LOCAL/GULF 9 Plan to open institute for studies in Leuven University GCC to organise cultural heritage exhibition in Brussels BRUSSELS, Feb 1, (KUNA): The Head of Mission of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to the European Union (EU), Ambassador Amal Al-Hamad, said Wednesday that the mission is to organize the Gulf Cultural Heritage Exhibition at the European Parliament during the period on Feb 6-10 under the auspices of two Members of the European Parliament. She told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the exhibition will feature a number of paintings of heritage and craft tools and traditional costumes, stressing the importance of the exhibition which is the first of its kind organised jointly by the six GCC countries. The exhibition will show the striking similarity and rapprochement between GCC countries, as well as contribute to boosting the cultural cooperation between the European Parliament and the GCC which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. On the other hand, Ambassador Al-Hamad indicated to the opening by the GCC mission in Brussels of an institute for studies of the GCC in the Leuven University soon. She explained that the institute will include a collection of books and historical publications and geographical, cultural and other materials for reference for researchers and students. In this context, Ambassador Al-Hamad stressed the importance of the institute, which is the first of its kind in a Belgian university where the focus will be on interaction and the exchange of visits between academics and researchers, and students from both sides, and a platform to organize lectures and various activities throughout the year. Kuwait academics hail Abu Dhabi for organising Global Space Congress Inter-Arab space co-op readies for lift off KUNA photo The Head of Mission of the Gulf Cooperation Council to the European Union Ambassador Amal Al-Hamad. Sheikh Dr Waleed Al-Rabea, Secretary-General of Islamic Heritage Revival Society with the Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah during his visit to the Kuwait s pavilion at the Humanitarian Center. National Day festivities Heritage Revival Society head congrats HH Amir and citizens KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Secretary General at the Islamic Heritage Revival Society Sheikh Dr Waleed Al-Rabea recently issued a statement to congratulate the country, its leadership and citizens as this year s National Days festivities and 11th Year Anniversary of His Highness the Amir s ascendancy to power approach in February. Dr Al-Rabea declared that Kuwaitis are overwhelmed with the sense of belonging to the beloved country where Almighty God in His mercies guarantees the safety and security of each person. He thanked God for giving His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah the grace News in Brief Saudi fest hailed: The King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa on Wednesday affirmed that Saudi Arabia s National Festival for Heritage and Culture (Janadriyah 31) set an example to be followed at the cultural level in the Gulf and Arab regions. In remarks broadcast by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), King Hamad expressed pleasure for attending this annual grand festival that has become a civil tradition, an Arab and humanitarian gathering, luring elite literati, poets and researchers from various corners of the globe. King Hamad praised diverse intellectual and cultural activities, designed to bolster the Gulf civil identity, maintaining generations bonds with their heritage and culture. (KUNA) Aptitude test delayed: There is possibility for the aptitude test in Kuwait University to be postponed due to several problems confronting the method of organizing the next one that the university administration has already fixed for March 25, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting informed source. He said the concerned officials have been contemplating the postponement due to shortage of invigilators, lack of inspection apparatus and other issues, as well as paucity of fund and repeal of consultancy offices in the university by Ministry of Finance. The source said the Center for Evaluation and Measurement at the university will present the case before the Higher Committee on Aptitude Test within the next few days, adding that the committee is to succeed in the leadership of the country, and noted his era is filled with tranquility and achievements, including the ability to eliminate crises and build the nation. He stated the Amir protects his people while maintaining the glorious name of Kuwait in the comity of nations, affirming the political, social and humanitarian roles she plays at the global level. He observed concerted efforts the Amir exerts in the field of humanity and kindness was recognized across the world to the extent that Kuwait was selected the Humanitarian Center, while the Amir honored by the United Nation as a Global Humanitarian Leader. expected to deal with all problems, since it is the supervisory body. Saudi actor s father dies: The well-known Saudi actor Nasser Al-Qasabi has received condolences from his fellow Kuwaiti actor Abdul Hussein Abdul Redha, also known as Abu Adnan, on the death of his father who has been buried in Al-Naseem Cemetery in East Riyadh, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Several actors such as Abdullah Al-Sadhan and other citizens had attended the funeral. A number of Saudi Twitter users posted photographs of the funeral as well as old photographs of actor Nasser Al-Qasabi and his late father. UAE to grant visa to Russians: The United Arab Emirates will offer Russian visitors visas on arrival in the country in a bid to boost tourism and trade, state news agency WAM reported on Sunday. Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-maktoum has approved a cabinet decree recommending Russians be granted visas as soon as they arrive, WAM reported. The report did not say when the change would come into effect. The UAE, home to global tourism hub Dubai, is keen to bolster trade and tourism as visitor numbers from once core markets, including Russia, have declined due to economic slowdowns and a strong dollar. The UAE s dirham is pegged to the dollar. Last September, the UAE granted visas on arrival to holders of Chinese passports. ABU DHABI, Feb 1, (Agencies): Kuwaiti academics partaking in the Abu Dhabi s Global Space Congress, lauded Wednesday the organization of the event which will hopefully lead to the launch of several space programs in the region. Speaking to KUNA on the sideline of the event, which began yesterday, the Kuwaiti academics said that they had participated in several workshops held on the sideline of the congress, stressing that such participation was crucial for the development of more scientific and space programs within the GCC. Dr Halah Al-Jasser, from the Physics Department of Kuwait University (KU), said that Kuwait was keen on partaking in events promoting space programs in the region, adding that recently a Kuwaiti delegation took part in the celebrations to launch an Arab-funded satellite at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) and KU were part of the team that funded the satellite project, said Al-Jasser. On his part, KFAS official Dr Bassem Al-Faili said that he was impressed by the congress and the UAE s ability to host such grand events. The fellow GCC and Arab country is taking the right steps towards partaking in the world s space ambition especially after it launched its own Space Agency in 2014, he said. The Global Space Congress began Tuesday with the participation of 600 scientists, experts, and academics. Meanwhile, tangible progress between Arab nations on space cooperation has moved up the regional agenda with sector leaders from the UAE, Algeria, Egypt and Bahrain signalling their readiness to drive the momentum at a first-of-a-kind meeting at the Global Space Congress which ends today (February 1) after a twoday airing in Abu Dhabi. Discussing the issues impacting Space & The Arab World, the sector leaders concurred that inter-regional co-operation was essential to push forward Arab space ambitions. Forum Chairing the session, the first time space leaders from the nations sat together in a focussed forum, Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency said: There is a trend in the Arab world to move in the space sector and great interest in regional co-operation and we have to find ways to co-operate. Al Ahbabi said the region has a historic legacy to uphold in delivering successful space programme. This region has a great history in terms of science, especially in astrology. In the ninth and tenth centuries Arab scientists contributed greatly so its proper that this region can take and contribute through science and technology again. The future of space activities can contribute greatly to the growth and stability of the region. The discussion heard of common challenges facing the Arab nations in the space arena financing, poor public perception, human capacity building requirements and knowledge transfer and inter-regional co-operation, said the delegates could ease the load. Eng. Salem Humaid Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs for the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre said though international cooperation in space was now the norm nothing concrete has been delivered in terms of regional co-operation though it had been on the agenda for some time. We need to see something tangible, he said adding regional co-operation could go some way to addressing the need or more youth and women in the sector, knowledge transfer and to encourage the private sector to become long-term partners. Dr Mohammed Ahmed Al Amer, Chairman of Bahrain s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said regional co-operation was vital in addressing sky-high sector costs. Space programmes are almost inhibititively costly and with the situation we now have in the region of financial turmoil. He added co-operation would help address some public perceptions that governments were looking to the sky at the expense of dealing with issues on the ground. Dr Al Amer said perceptions had to be addressed through school, university and public pro- From left to right: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit take part in a press conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Feb 1. The United Arab Emirates top diplomat has come out in defense of US President Donald Trump s order temporarily barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering US. (AP) UAE Space Agency signs MoU with S. Korea UAE, S. Korea eye space collaboration ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb 1: The United Arab Emirates, represented by the UAE Space Agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Korean Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MISP), defining a framework for collaboration and the exchange of information and expertise in the fields of space science, research, and technology. The signing took place in a ceremony held at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi during the Global Space Congress, the largest international gathering of space industry leaders in the Middle East. The ceremony was attended by Dr Khalifa Al Romaithi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, and a number of senior officials from the UAE space sector. The Korean delegation included Dr Yanghee Choi, Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Republic of Korea, Park Kang-Ho, the Korean grammes to get the message across that by raising the bar high we will create achievements in innovation. We now have co-operation between the UAE and Bahrain and if we can expand that to include other Arab countries it would be a positive move. Eng. Al Marri said universities have a role to play in developing the sector s future workforce. Over the last three to four years there has been activity in partnering for the sector with the UAE University the American University of Sharjah, Masdar and Khalifa University all starting space specific programmes. Al Marri added that up to 100 national engineers and scientists would work on developing the Khalifa SAT which is planned for a 2018 launch. The panel, which also included Dr Azzedine Oussekdik, Director General of the Algerian Space Agency and Dr Mahmoud Hussain, Acting Chairman of Egypt s National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, agreed strides were being made in regional human capacity building. Dr Oussekdik said in Algeria five universities now UAE and S. Korean officials after signing the MoU. offered education up to masters and PhD level in space sciences while Dr Hussain said graduates would qualify from Egyptian universities in space related programmes with the new few years. Other initiatives coming out of the region were laid out. They include a UAE Space Law to follow on the recently announced national space strategy. Bahrain, meanwhile, said Dr Al Amer, would focus its efforts not on satellite manufacture but more on data usage: this is where we will get added value. Our strength lies in GIS and analytics, he said. Our focus is building capacity in operating satellites. Algeria, said Dr Oussekdik, is preparing a space law and a space programme up to In the future we would like to master the sub-systems of satellites, he explained. Egypt, however, would focus on satellite manufacture, according to Dr Hussain with an ambitious programme requiring up to 1,000 engineers. We plan to manufacture a series of satellites starting 2030, he said while adding the country would also look to establish an African Space Agency in Egypt. We also have a ambassador to the UAE, Dr Gwang- Rae Cho, President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korean space industries and other senior representatives from MSIP. The MoU between the UAE Space Agency and the MSIP promotes cooperation in various aspects of space exploration, including space science, research, technology, remote sensing, and navigation. In addition to this, the MoU encourages collaboration on space policy, law, regulation, and personnel training for space activities. Dr Khalifa Al Romaithi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency said: The UAE and Korea have a long-standing relationship across many fields including business, education, science, culture, and heavy industry. Korea has been a significant supporter of our space efforts since the UAE Space Agency s founding and we look forward to furthering our relationship through the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and experience in the space sector. Dr Yanghee Choi, Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning, said: International cooperation is essential to the space development. In this regard, the conclusion of MoU will pave the way for both countries to further strengthen their already existing cooperative relationship in the space sector and take their strategic partnership to the next level. Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, said: The establishment of mutually beneficial international partnerships and the exchange of scientific knowledge are key components of the UAE Space Agency s strategic vision, and the signing of this MoU is a significant step in this regard. In our view, it is extremely important that all competent entities in the space sector work together towards the common goal of enhancing the welfare of humanity, and we welcome the experience and insight our Korean peers have to offer. long-term plan to give the private sector in Egypt some role in the manufacture of space technologies. Over 600 international space industry leaders attended the conference to define policies, strategies, and finance resources, unveil new technology applications, and explore public and youth buy-in into the space sector. The exclusive gathering was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and saw Heads of Space Agencies, C-Level executives from leading space and aerospace companies, government ministries, top researchers and academics network at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. Nick Webb, Managing Partner of Streamline Marketing Group (SMG), which organises the Congress in association with the UAE Space Agency, says the high profile gathering succeeded in facilitating collaborative development and the implementation of core space and satellite technology strategies.

10 INTERNATIONAL 10 World News Roundup l Enfant-Jesus Hospital is viewed on Jan 31, 2017 in Quebec City, where four victims remain and two victims are in critical condition after the Quebec mosque attack on Jan 29, (Inset): This undated selfie portrait sourced on social network shows Alexandre Bissonnette, a Canadian political science student known to have nationalist sympathies who was charged with six counts of murder over the shooting spree at a Quebec mosque. (AFP) Counterterrorism Military didn t distort intel No Americans will be targeted in raids: WH WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (AP): The White House said Tuesday that no American citizen will ever be targeted in raids against terror suspects, a blanket statement that appeared to signal a break from the Obama administration s strategy for pursuing and targeting suspects in counterterrorism operations overseas. Under former President Barack Obama, the Justice Department had issued a legal opinion giving the US the authority to target Americans who are working with terrorists abroad. White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters the Trump administration will lean on the guidance of Central Intelligence Agency director Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Spicer Mattis, but he added that no American citizen will ever be targeted. It was not immediately clear whether Spicer s intended to recalibrate US policy. The US specifically targeted and killed American Anwar al- Awlaki, a radical cleric, in Yemen in Other Americans, including suspected terrorists, have been killed in US drone strikes, but they were not specifically targeted. A US service member and an American child died in a ground raid authorized by President Donald Trump last week. The child was the 8-year-old daughter of al- Awlaki. Al-Awlaki s 16-year-old American son was killed in a US drone strike in Sunday s raid left nearly 30 others dead, including more than half a dozen militant suspects. Several more children were also killed. Whether the US should target its own citizens in drone strikes has been the subject of much debate. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump discussed going after the families of suspected terrorists, but he did not specify what that meant. The US has been striking al- Qaeda in Yemen from the air for more than 15 years, mostly using drones. Sunday s surprise predawn raid could signal a new escalation against extremist groups in the poor but strategically located country. Last week, the Trump administration imposed an immigration and travel ban on people from seven countries, including Yemen, citing terrorism concerns. Obama said in 2013 that he did not believe it would be constitutional for the government to target and kill any US citizen with a drone, or with a shotgun without due process, nor should any President deploy armed drones over US soil. He added, however, that if that citizen wages war against America or is actively plotting to kill Americans, his citizenship should no more serve as a shield than a sniper shooting down on an innocent crowd. Later that same year, the Obama administration triggered a fiery debate on Capitol Hill over the limits of its drone program following the death of al-awlaki s teenage son, an American citizen. Sixteen-year-old Abdulrahman al-awlaki, an American citizen at the time of the 2012 strike that killed him, hadn t seen his father in two years when he was killed. He had no known links to al-qaeda and is said to have lived the life of an ordinary teenage boy. A Defense Department review delivered to Congress on Tuesday concludes that senior leaders at the US Central Command did not exaggerate the progress the US was making in fighting Islamic State militants, two US officials said. The long-awaited report from the Pentagon s inspector general is not expected to satisfy intelligence analysts who complained that officials were improperly reworking intelligence assessments being prepared for President Barack Obama and other top policymakers to offer a rosier view of US operations against IS. The probe began after at least one civilian analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency told authorities he had evidence that officials at the Florida-based Central Command, which overseas operations in the Middle East, were improperly reworking the conclusions of these assessments. A House GOP task force concluded in a report last year that there were persistent problems in 2014 and 2015 with the command s analysis of US efforts to train Iraqi forces and fight IS in Iraq and Syria. The several hundred-page classified report, however, did not provide evidence that there were intentional efforts to distort intelligence analyses, said one US official who had been briefed on the report. While the report provided no evidence that IS intelligence assessments were altered, it did find that analysts concerns were real and that if they didn t believe their work was being respected that sentiment could have affected the overall intelligence report, a second US official said. Talk radio, intolerance in focus as Quebec seeks answers after shooting In the wake of Sunday s fatal attack on a mosque in Quebec City, attention is turning to the role of populist talk radio stations and their possible role in whipping up resentment against Muslims. The day after the massacre at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, one local talk show host in Quebec City told his listeners several times that two hooded men shouting Allahu Akbar! had carried out the attack. Is this Islamophobia or an Islamist attack? asked Sylvain Bouchard on station FM93. In fact, police that day charged a white Quebec America Noor Widow seeks jail release: Lawyers for the widow of the man who carried out a deadly attack at a Florida nightclub are urging a judge to release her from jail pending trial on charges she supported her husband s terroristic plans. Noor Salman s attorney on Wednesday are expected to argue in an Oakland federal court that the widow is not a threat to public safety or at risk of fleeing. Family members have pledged their homes as collateral. Salman was arrested in November at her mother s home in Rodeo, California, a San Francisco suburb. She is charged with helping her husband plan his attack of the Pulse nightclub, where he killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. Attorney Haitham Amin said prosecutors have yet to turn over to Salman s legal team much of the evidence they have collected to make their case. Amin and court papers filed Tuesday by Salman s lead attorney Charles Swift say it appears Salman is charged with being present when her husband was making plans to attack the nightclub. In particular, Swift cites media accounts reporting that Salman accompanied Mateen on a scouting trip in a car to the nightclub in the days before the attack and that she was with her husband when he purchased ammunition at a Walmart near their Fort Pierce home. Swift wrote the evidence will show that the purported scouting trip occurred while the family was on their way home from babysitting the children of a relative, that Mateen chose to drive into Orlando and to pass by the Pulse Night Club, and that Noor, who did not possess a driver s license at the time, was at most a reluctant passenger who wanted to go home. Federal authorities arrested Salman in November at her mother s suburban San Francisco home and charged her with aiding Mateen s support of the Islamic State and then lying to FBI agents and police investigating the Orlando, Florida nightclub attack. (AP) Jury convicts plotter: A federal jury convicted a man Tuesday of a plot to detonate a nail-filled backpack bomb on a Florida Keys beach that prosecutors said was inspired by the Islamic State extremist group. Court records show the jury in Key West convicted Harlem Suarez, 25, on Tuesday of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization after a seven-day trial. Suarez faces a man with six counts of premeditated murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted weapon for the attack. Members of Quebec s Muslim community suggest views expressed on what is known popularly as radio poubelle (garbage pail radio) may be encouraging extremist views in a province which has at times struggled to cope with immigration. Quebec has seen a steady rise of right-wing groups, especially since a heated debate in 2007 about reasonable accommodation : how far the province should go to make immigrants feel welcome. maximum of life in prison at sentencing set for April 18. Suarez, whose family emigrated from Cuba, came to the FBI s attention through Facebook posts praising the Islamic State group and containing extremist rhetoric, according to an FBI affidavit. By intending to place an explosive device on a public beach, Harlem Suarez posed a grave threat to the residents and visitors of Key West, said Miami US Attorney Wifredo Ferrer in The province last year unveiled draft legislation to ban face-coverings in the public sector in a move criticized as marginalizing Muslim women and potentially inflaming anti-immigrant tensions. This unhealthy climate is fed by garbage pail radio where you can say anything and where the hosts vomit all over Muslims, Jews in short, everyone who isn t us but them, wrote Michele Ouimet, a columnist for the La Presse daily. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on Tuesday would not answer directly when asked by a reporter whether the radio stations were a news release. Let this case serve as an example to others that the US attorney s office and our law enforcement partners stand as a united front against all domestic threats. According to a criminal complaint, Suarez told an FBI informant he wanted to make a bomb, bury it on a Key West beach and detonate it. He was arrested in 2015 after taking possession of an inert explosive device provided by an FBI informant, it partly to blame. But, he added: Words are important written words, spoken words. People need to think carefully about that. By Tuesday morning, Bouchard had radically changed his tune. Did I make a mistake? Yes, he said on air warning listeners to beware of unverified social media messages. He also interviewed Quebec City Muslims, who called for acceptance in Quebec society, and Mathieu Fiset, a native-born Quebecer, who went from skin-head neo-nazi to opponent of the alternative-right. (RTRS) added. Suarez had given the informant some bomb supplies, including two boxes of galvanized nails, the backpack and a cellphone to be used as a detonator, the complaint said. I can go to the beach at the night time, put the thing in the sand, cover it up, so the next day I just call and the thing is gonna, is gonna make, a real hard noise from nowhere, Suarez told an FBI source in a recorded call, according to the complaint. (AP)

11 INTERNATIONAL 11 US President Donald Trump walks through the Cross Hall to the East Room to nominate Neil M. Gorsuch to take Justice Antonin Scalia s vacancy on the US Supreme Court during an event at the White House on Jan 31, in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump nominated federal appellate judge Neil Gorsuch as his Supreme Court nominee, tilting the balance of the court back in the conservatives favor. (AFP) Politics Bitter, months-long fight looms Senate s GOP united, Dems skeptical of Trump court pick WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (AP): Senate Republicans stood united behind President Donald Trump s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, bracing for a bitter, months-long fight with Democrats over a conservative judge similar in philosophy to the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, immediately praised Gorsuch, a Denver-based judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, saying he has an impressive background and a long record of faithfully applying Gorsuch the law and the Constitution. One after the other, Senate Republicans echoed the leader, describing Gorsuch as a well-qualified jurist. If confirmed, the 49-year-old Gorsuch would be the youngest justice on the court and could be shaping decisions for decades. Democrats signaled they will challenge the choice, insisting that Gorsuch, the Ivy League-educated son of a former Reagan Cabinet official, prove to them he is a mainstream nominee. Democrats are still furious with the way Republicans treated former president Barack Obama s nominee for the open seat last year, refusing to even grant a hearing or a vote to Judge Merrick Garland in Obama s final year in office. Instead, the seat remained empty for 10 months and the court operated with eight justices as McConnell maintained that the next president should make the nomination. This is a stolen seat being filled by an illegitimate and extreme nominee, and I will do everything in my power to stand up against this assault on the court, said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon. Merkley suggested Monday, before the nominee was announced, that he will hold up the nomination and force Republicans to find 60 votes for confirmation. Republicans hold a majority. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer hasn t officially said whether he would back a filibuster, the procedural maneuver that would require 60 votes. But he said after the nomination was announced that the Senate must insist on 60 votes, meaning McConnell will need bipartisan support. And any senator can move to filibuster. Democrats are under intense pressure from liberal groups and the party base to challenge every Trump nominee. As the nomination was announced, hundreds were protesting at Schumer s Brooklyn home, pressuring him to vote against Cabinet picks and block the Supreme Court nominee. Like Merkley, a handful of Democrats came out in immediate opposition to Gorsuch. Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren, who said Gorsuch has sided with large companies over workers, and Ohio Sen Sherrod Brown, who said Gorsuch s rulings haven t favored American workers or women s rights. Brown and Warren are up for reelection in Warren s Massachusetts colleague, Democratic Sen Ed Markey, also said he will oppose Gorsuch. Oregon Sen Ron Wyden indicated he would as well, citing Gorsuch s stand against laws that allow terminally ill people to end their lives. Schumer is in a tough position as he decides how to move forward. As liberal groups and Democratic voters angry about Trump s election victory press him to lead the loyal opposition, he must also be mindful of 23 Democrats and two independents up for re-election in 2018, including 10 in states won by Trump. Some of those senators could face blowback from voters who see Democrats as obstructing Trump s pick. And some might decide to vote for Gorsuch. Sen Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, said he had little sympathy for fellow Senate Democrats feeling pressure to support Trump s nominee because they re running for reelection in 2018 in states that Trump won. Manchin is among those up for re-election I n I didn t come here to say, Oh my goodness, if I don t do this, I might not get re-elected, Manchin said Wednesday on MSNBC s Morning Joe. He s said he will examine Gorsuch s record and make a determination of whether to provide my consent. Several other Democrats were also noncommittal. Montana Sen Jon Tester, a Democrat up for re-election next year in the Republican-leaning state, said he looks forward to sitting down with Judge Gorsuch, looking him in the eye, asking him tough questions, and finding out if he shares our Montana values. McConnell said he hoped all senators Democrats included show Gorsuch fair consideration and respect the outcome of the presidential election with an up-or-down vote on his nomination, just like the Senate treated the four firstterm nominees of Presidents Clinton and Obama. America 31% Americans OK ban: Imposing a temporary travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim countries, President Donald Trump said the move would help protect the United States from terrorism. But less than one-third of Americans believe the move makes them more safe, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. The Jan poll found roughly one in two Americans backed the ban, which also suspends admission of all refugees for 120 days, although there were sharp divisions along party lines. Trump has pushed back against critics who say the travel ban targets Muslims. He says the extreme vetting is necessary to protect the country and its borders. This is not about religion, Trump said in a statement after announcing the travel ban on Friday. This is about terror and keeping our country safe. In the Reuters/Ipsos poll some 31 percent of people said the ban made them feel more safe, while 26 percent said it made them feel less safe. Another 33 percent said it would not make any difference and the rest said they don t know. Trump s executive order blocked citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and placed an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees. Some Republican lawmakers criticized Trump s order and said it could backfire by giving terrorist organizations a new recruitment message. This executive order sends a signal, intended or not, that America does not want Muslims coming into our country, senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a joint statement. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 49 percent of Americans agreed with the order and 41 percent disagreed. Some 53 percent of Democrats said they strongly disagree with Trump s action while 51 percent of Republicans said they strongly agree. Democrats were more than three times as likely as McCain Republicans to say that the US should continue to take in immigrants and refugees, and Republicans were more than three times as likely as Democrats to agree that banning people from Muslim countries is necessary to prevent terrorism. Cheryl Hoffman, 46, of Sumerduck, Virginia said she was thrilled that Trump ordered the ban. I understand that the country was founded on immigrants, said Hoffman, who participated in the poll. Please, I get that. But I m worried that refugees are coming in and being supported by my tax dollars. Another poll respondent, Veronica Buetel, 57, of Green, Ohio felt just the opposite: Yes, we do live in scary times, but there are other, better ways to root out terrorism. (RTRS) Gabbard to shoulder trip: Hawaii Rep Tulsi Gabbard said Tuesday she will personally cover the cost of her recent trip to Syria. Gabbard, a Democrat, met with Syrian President Bashar Assad while on the trip. A release sent out by her office late Tuesday said she will reimburse a group called AACCESS-Ohio, or the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services, for the expenses because it has become a distraction. She said the important issue at hand is whether Americans want their taxpayer dollars to continue to be used in support of militant groups that she said are working with al-qaeda and the Islamic State group to overthrow the Syrian government. Critics had questioned the source of funding for the trip, and little is known about the group. Gabbard has come under intense criticism for meeting with Assad. But she said there s no possibility of a viable peace agreement unless Assad is part of the conversation. Lawmakers have accused the Assad government of war crimes and even genocide as the number of people killed during the violence in Syria continues to mount. The war, now in its sixth year, has killed hundreds of thousands of people, contributed to Europe s worst refugee crisis since World War II and given the Islamic State group room to grow into a global terror threat. Rebel groups in Syria are bitter over a string of territorial losses, including last month s defeat in Aleppo, Syria s largest city. Russia, with its massive air power, and Iran, with thousands of Shiite militiamen in Syria, turned the war unequivocally in Assad s favor. Gabbard said her trip included stops in Aleppo and Damascus, Syria s capital. She also visited Beirut during the trip, which began in mid-january. Gabbard said she also met with refugees, Syrian opposition leaders, widows and family members of Syrians fighting alongside groups like al-qaeda, and Syrians aligned with the Assad regime. (AP)

12 INTERNATIONAL 12 World News Roundup Britain Tooth fairy or disaster? Britain s Europe exit gamble on Trump LONDON, Feb 1, (AFP): Hailed last week as an ace up the sleeve for Britain in the upcoming Brexit negotiations, relations with US President Donald Trump are turning into a diplomatic headache for Prime Minister Theresa May. Trump s rejection of the European Union and his enthusiasm for a swift post-brexit trade deal with Britain appeared to boost May, demonstrating that she had other options if EU leaders offered an unattractive deal. Trump has come along like the tooth fairy, this is one massive, magnificent gift, one Brexitsupporting MP told the Spectator magazine last week. The bond between the two leaders was reinforced on Friday when Trump hosted May in the White House, and pictures of them holding hands were splashed over the front pages of Britain s newspapers. But instead of arriving home to plaudits, she flew into a firestorm as Trump Trump announced a temporary measure preventing refugees and travellers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the country, sparking global protests. May initially refused to condemn the move, but then issued a statement saying she did not agree, highlighting the peril of pinning her fortunes on the US president in the eyes of some commentators. The election of Mr Trump has transformed Brexit from a risky decision into a straightforward disaster, wrote Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman. The emperor Nero has now taken power in Washington -- and the British are having to smile and clap as he sets fire and reaches for his fiddle. The diplomatic tangle is further complicated by May inviting Trump for a state visit later in the year, when he will be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Petition More than 1.7 million people have signed a parliamentary petition demanding that the trip be downgraded over concerns that he will damage the reputation of the highly popular queen. The petition is to be debated in parliament on Feb 20. Anything that embarrasses the queen plays badly in British politics, said London School of Economics (LSE) professor Iain Begg. Meanwhile, British lawmakers have submitted more than 100 pages of proposed changes to legislation published last week which will give Prime Minister Theresa May the authority to begin Britain s exit from the European Union. The bill, consisting of only two clauses and less than 150 words in total, was drawn up after the Supreme Court ruled that May could not trigger the legal Article 50 exit process without the approval of parliament. May wants to start the exit process by the end of March. Below are the details of amendments submitted so far and how they will be discussed in parliament. Key points Amendments seek to change the meaning of the legislation, or attach additional conditions to it. These range from changing the purpose of the bill significantly to making just minor technical alterations. Any amendments will need to win approval in both houses of parliament, and as such are unlikely to pass unless a substantial number of lawmakers from May s ruling Conservative party rebel against their leader. There has so far been no indication such a rebellion is likely. A Reasoned Amendment seeking to scupper the legislation will be voted upon on Wednesday at 1900 GMT. It is not expected to win sufficient support to derail the government s plans. The bill then progresses to the next legislative stage. May s Conservatives have an overall majority in the elected lower chamber of parliament, the House of Commons. The Conservatives do not have a majority in the unelected House of Lords. But Labour and Conservative Party sources have said there is a willingness to ensure the legislation can be passed in time to allow May to trigger Article 50 by March 31. The first batch of substantial amendments will be debated in the House of Commons next week during a three-day Bill Committee debate due to start on Feb. 6. Votes are expected to be held during this stage. Not all proposed amendments will be debated, or will make it to a vote. There is currently a fixed timetable for the debate in the House of Commons. Amendments are not expected to slow this down. If there is insufficient time to debate amendments, they will be voted upon without debate. The House of Lords is expected to begin debating the bill on Feb. 20 and could complete its scrutiny by March 7. Process Any Member of Parliament (MP) can submit a proposal to change the bill which is formally known as the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. These amendments are then grouped according to their aims by parliamentary officials ahead of the committee debate. Some are rejected on technical grounds such as being outside the scope of the original bill. The final say on which amendments are selected for debate will rest with deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle. These amendments are first discussed and voted upon at the committee stage of legislation under broad subject groupings. If MPs vote in favour of a particular set of amendments, they are carried forward to the Report Stage, where they will be debated in more detail. Similar amendments are likely to be consolidated and redrafted at this stage and new amendments can also be introduced. Amendments passed at this stage will be incorporated into the bill and subject to a final vote, after which it is then passed to the House of Lords, where it will undergo a similar process. Both houses must agree on the final draft, and the bill can be passed back and forth until they do. Members of the Jarl Squad dressed in Viking costumes carry flaming torches, during the Up Helly Aa Viking festival in Lerwick on the Shetland Isles, Scotland on Jan 31. (AP) British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for the weekly Prime Minister s Questions session at the House of Commons in central London on Feb 2. British MPs are expected today to approve the first stage of a bill empowering May to start pulling Britain out of the European Union. (AFP) Corbyn Britain Cameron May didn t have advance notice: British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she was not given advance notice of US President Donald Trump s plan to sign an executive order suspending the US admission of refugees shortly after the two met in Washington. Last Friday, Trump issued an executive order barring refugees from the United States and suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, stirring protests at home and abroad. Responding to a question from opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, May told parliament: If he s asking me whether I had advance notice of the ban on refugees, the answer is no. If he s asking me if I had advance notice that the executive order could affect UK citizens, the answer is no. If he s asking if I had advance notice of the travel restrictions, the answer is we all did because President Trump said he was going to do this in his election campaign. (RTRS) Trump won t last the year : Less than two weeks after Donald Trump s inauguration and amid anger over his immigration policy, hundreds of Britons are betting that the US president will not last a year in office. Bookmaker Ladbrokes is offering odds of 4/1, or 4 pounds for every one pound wagered, on the real-estate tycoon being replaced as president of the United States in It s incredible how many people are betting, taking the 4/1 about him being replaced this year, and even the 11/10 on him being impeached or even resigning in the first term, said Matthew Shaddick, head of political odds at Ladbrokes. He said several hundred punters had laid bets, typically worth about 25 pounds ($31) each. Among a blackboard of Trump Specials on offer at a Ladbrokes shop on London s Strand were a 4/1 wager on the former reality TV star serving a full two terms in office, as well as 5/2 odds on Trump s planned state visit to Britain being cancelled. (RTRS) Cameron tried to sack editor: Former British Prime Minister David Brexit Bill set to clear 1st legislative hurdle UK set to publish Brexit strategy LONDON, Feb 1, (Agencies): Britain will publish a long-awaited Brexit strategy paper on Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament following demands by lawmakers. The government last month promised a White Paper offering its Brexit plans for scrutiny after the Supreme Court ruled it could not begin Brexit negotiations without parliamentary approval. Meanwhile, British MPs are expected Wednesday to approve the first stage of a bill empowering Prime Minister May to start pulling Britain out of the European Union. Ahead of the vote, which was scheduled to take place at 7:00 pm (19:00 GMT), MPs were debating the legislation which would allow the government to trigger Article 50 of the EU s Lisbon Treaty, formally beginning two years of exit negotiations. It will be the first Brexit-related vote in the House of Commons. The opposition Labour Party has said it will not block the bill and, although dozens of its MPs could rebel, it should easily pass the second debate stage scheduled for next week. May is under intense pressure to push the bill through quickly, having promised EU leaders she will trigger Article 50 by the end of March. She told MPs she would publish a long-awaited Brexit strategy paper on Thursday, opening it to parliamentary scrutiny while the Article 50 legislation makes its way through parliament. It will reflect the government s plan for Brexit, May s spokeswoman told reporters. The government had sought to exclude parliament, insisting it had the power to trigger Article 50 on its own, but the Supreme Court last week ruled it must consult lawmakers. Most MPs campaigned to stay in the EU ahead of last June s referendum, but as debate on the bill began Tuesday, many said they would accept the result, however reluctantly. Cameron attempted to have the editor of a national newspaper that strongly supported Brexit sacked during last year s European Union referendum campaign, the BBC has reported. The bill could be delayed in the upper House of Lords, where May s Conservative Party does not have a majority and where the unelected peers have no fear of a public backlash. A new survey revealed that MPs who campaigned to leave the EU are relatively united in what they want whereas those who were on the other side have more diverse views. Some 72 percent of Leavers favour controlling immigration or not paying into the EU budget over retaining access to Europe s single market. This reflects May s own position. She has said she wants to end the free movement of people from the EU, a demand she acknowledges is incompatible with maintaining membership of the single market. Prioritise Remainers are much more divided over what to prioritise which may well make them less able to shape the debate, said Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe research programme. The vast majority of Leavers (86 percent) also believe Britain will be able to make up for any loss in trade with the EU through other deals, whereas 71 percent of Remainers believe it cannot. In a speech on Tuesday, Ken Clarke, who may be the only Conservative MP to vote against the Brexit bill, accused Leavers of pursuing a fantasy wonderland. At just 143 words, the European Union Notification of Withdrawal Bill has been tightly drafted, making it difficult to amend either to delay the government s plans or to tie its hands in the talks. But May s opponents are still trying, and dozens of amendments are scheduled for debate over three days in the House of Commons which begins on Monday. The bill will then move to the Lords for debate from Feb 20, with the government hoping for their approval by March 7. Cameron, who led the campaign for Britain to stay in the EU, met the owner of the Daily Mail tabloid, the country s second-biggest selling paper with the largest online audience, to urge him to either rein In this file photo dated Nov 1, 2016 the leading groom gestures as the procession with Britain s Queen Elizabeth II and the President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos arrive by carriage at Buckingham Palace in London. The invitation to US President Donald Trump for a state visit, one of the highest honors it can bestow on a visiting statesman where the queen acts as personal hostess with the traditional pomp and ceremony involved, has provoked a passionate debate on Jan 31. (AP) Britain s withdrawal from the European Union seems likely to end up under review by the EU s top court, which might insist on changes to any Brexit treaty, its chief justice told Reuters in an interview. Koen Lenaerts, president of the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ), stressed that the political process was still in its early stages. It was impossible to foretell what aspects of Brexit might be referred to the ECJ by national courts handling cases raised by interested parties. But asked if such a momentous EU political crisis was likely to end up at the Luxembourg-based court, the Belgian jurist said: Yes, it is. Even a lawyer with the wildest imagination would be unable to anticipate exactly how, he emphasised: But it probably will, one day or another, end up on the docket of the Court not because of the Court, but because of parties bringing the case. Citing a judgement two decades ago that forced a change to EU banana trade pacts with Latin American states, Lenaerts said the ECJ could ultimately amend any post-brexit EU-UK trade deal though he stressed this was a purely speculative reflection. His comments raised the possibility that Britain s divorce terms from the EU could ultimately be shaped by the very court whose jurisdiction it is determined to escape, as Prime Minister Theresa May spelt out in a speech last month. The prospect of court battles going on well after Brexit, expected to take effect in about two years time, underlines the uncertainty surrounding the process, which is outlined in a bare 261 words in Article 50 of the EU s Lisbon Treaty. British judges have already upheld some private complaints to oblige May to change tack on how the government launches the process and at least one case is under way, in Ireland, which campaigners hope can trigger an ECJ review of her plan. in or sack its editor Paul Dacre, according to the report by BBC TV s Newsnight programme. A spokesman for Cameron told the BBC he denied the report and had merely sought to persuade them of his pro-eu case. The Mail, which Dacre has edited for 25 years, has long been a fierce critic of the EU and, like the majority of Britain s national newspapers, was an outspoken supporter of the campaign to leave the bloc. (RTRS) Ireland favours pre-clearance: Ireland s cabinet is fully in favour of retaining US customs pre-clearance arrangements at the country s airports, Prime Minister Enda Kenny said on Tuesday, a day after calling for a review of the arrangements. Ireland s Dublin and Shannon airports are among a handful of locations outside North America where passengers can clear customs and immigration before travelling to the United States under an international agreement between the two governments. Kenny has ordered a complete review of the arrangements following what the government described as the concern caused by President Donald Trump s curbs on immigration that are being carried out by US officials at the two airports. The cabinet this morning were very fully in favour of retaining our pre-clearance and the Attorney General has confirmed that the issue in so far as the legality is concerned is a matter entirely for the United States courts, Kenny told parliament. (RTRS)

13 INTERNATIONAL 13 Policemen walk past their cars standing on the grounds of the Bilal mosque in the Griesheim district of Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on Feb 1. German police arrested a Tunisian man suspected of recruiting for the Islamic State group and planning an attack, as they carried out sweeping raids in the west of the country. (Inset): Policemen of a special unit stand next to their cars on the grounds of the Bilal mosque in the Griesheim district of Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on Wednesday. (AFP) Extremism Tunisian linked to museum attack German police arrest 3 suspected jihadists BERLIN, Feb 1, (AFP): German police said they arrested three people in Berlin on Tuesday suspected of trying to reach foreign war zones in order to train to carry out an attack. The suspects may be linked to the Islamic State group and had planned to travel to war zones, likely Syria or Iraq, a Berlin police spokesman told AFP. Police also carried out searches, but there has been no indication of concrete plans to carry out an attack in Germany, according to the Bild daily s website. The suspects, whose Merkel gender was not immediately given, were aged 21, 31 and 45, the spokesman said. He added that investigators suspect they were trying to reach a camp to train to launch an attack. At least two of the people arrested lived in Berlin, Bild reported. Those arrested frequented the same mosque attended by a Tunisian man suspected of ploughing a hijacked lorry into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12. The Dec 19 attack was claimed by IS. The mosque, which is being investigated by authorities, was also searched. Arrested Meanwhile, a Tunisian man arrested in Germany on Wednesday on suspicion of recruiting for the Islamic State group is also accused of involvement in the deadly 2015 attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, German prosecutors said. The 36-year-old is wanted by Tunisian authorities on suspicion of participating in planning and carrying out the attack, which killed more than 20 foreigners, the prosecutor s office in the western state of Hesse said in a statement. They also suspect him of involvement in a bloody jihadist assault on the border town of Ben Guerdane last March, it added. Tunisia issued a warrant for his arrest in June 2016 but he escaped extradition from Germany late last year because Tunisian authorities failed to provide the required documentation for his deportation, according to the prosecutors. The suspect was taken into custody in the early morning as police carried out sweeping antiterror raids in Frankfurt and nearby towns. There was no immediate response from Tunis to the arrest. At the moment we don t know the identity of this person, there are several suspects in the Bardo and Ben Guerdane cases currently on the run, Tunisian prosecution spokesman Sofiene Sliti told AFP. The case is likely to reignite debate about Tunisia s cooperation in taking back nationals due for deportation. The issue has already caused tensions between the German government and Tunis after it emerged that the Tunisian national who ploughed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market in December, killing 12 people, was a failed asylum-seeker. Anis Amri should have been deported months earlier but Tunisia did not provide the necessary paperwork until after the attack. More than 1,000 officers were involved in Wednesday s dawn searches in the Frankfurt area, which targeted dozens of homes and offices as well as two mosques. Alexander Badle, a spokesman for the Frankfurt prosecutor s office, said the Tunisian national did not put up any resistance when he was taken into custody. The suspect is accused of recruiting for the IS jihadist group and of trying to build a network of IS supporters with the goal of staging an attack in Germany. Prosecutors are also investigating 15 other people aged 16 to 46 over the alleged plot. Badle stressed the plans were still at a very early stage. There was no concrete danger of an attack, he told reporters in the western city of Wiesbaden. The suspect arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker in August 2015, the prosecutors statement said. He had already lived in the country for a decade some years earlier. He was arrested the following August on an outstanding 2008 conviction for causing bodily harm. After serving a 43-day sentence, he was kept in detention awaiting deportation to Tunisia before the authorities were forced to release him again. As the Tunisian authorities, despite repeated reminders from the German authorities, failed to supply the necessary deportation documents within the 40-day period, the suspect was released on November 4, 2016, the statement said. He was kept under surveillance from the day of his release until his arrest on Wednesday, it added. Germany has been on high alert since the December 19 Christmas market assault, wich was claimed by the Islamic State group. The attack fuelled criticism of Germany s security services and of Chancellor Angela Merkel s liberal asylum policy, with opponents saying not enough was done to stop Amri. Europe Fillon decries coup : French presidential candidate Francois Fillon on Wednesday asked his fellow conservative lawmakers to stay loyal to him in the face of a scandal over his wife s work, denouncing the furore that has hurt is campaign as the work of left-wing opponents. We are facing an institutional coup d etat from the left, said a member of parliament for The Republicans party who attended a meeting with Fillon. The lawmaker, who wanted to stay anonymous, said Fillon asked his fellows to hold on for 15 days long enough for the official inquiry into the affair to run its course. Nobody will stop Francois Fillon and the Right from being present in the first round of the presidential election and the second round of the presidential election, Fillon s spokesman Thierry Solere said later. Fillon has lost his spot as favourite to win the presidential election this year since the opening of an official inquiry into a newspaper report that his wife and family earned over 1 million euros, mostly taxpayer-funded, for doing very little work. (RTRS) Court upholds acquittal: Portugal s supreme court on Tuesday upheld the acquittal of an ex-policeman sued for libel by the parents of Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who disappeared during a family vacation in Goncalo Amaral, who had led the inquiry into the child s disappearance just a few days before her fourth birthday, in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal, was sued over his 2008 book The Truth of the Lie. In the book, he accused Kate and Gerry McCann of concealing their daughter s body after her accidental death. Goncalo had originally been ordered to pay the parents of the missing girl 500,000 euros ($540,000), plus more than 100,000 euros in interest, but that judgement was struck down on appeal last April. The supreme court ruled McCann Tuesday that Goncalo Amaral did not abuse the liberty of expression, as his claims remained within the limits tolerated in an open and democratic society. (AFP) Slovakia okays law: Slovakia s parliament has overridden a veto by President Andrej Kiska and approved legislation that will tighten conditions for the official registration of churches. Starting in March, the law will increase the number of members needed for a religion to become official and eligible for state subsidies from 20,000 to 50,000. The bill was drafted by the ultranationalist Slovak National Party, which is a member of the governing coalition. It has made no secret of its intent to target Muslims. There are about 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia, and the community had already considered the original number restrictive. Its leader, Mohamad Safwan Hasna, called Tuesday an unfortunate day for religious freedom in Slovakia. The move is another sign of anti- Islamic sentiment in Catholicdominated Slovakia. (AP) Four terrorists killed: Azerbaijani security forces said Wednesday they had killed four alleged Islamist terrorists suspected of plotting attacks in the predominantly Muslim nation. States, lawmakers OK caps EU roaming charges to end June BRUSSELS, Feb 1, (Agencies): European travellers will no longer have to pay roaming charges for using their mobile phones within the EU after the bloc reached a deal Wednesday that will take effect in June. The hard-won accord is the key element towards delivering the long-delayed free roaming promise first made by Brussels with great fanfare in early This was the last piece of the puzzle. As of June 15, Europeans will be able to travel in the EU without roaming charges, said Andrus Ansip, the commission s vice-president for the Digital Single Market. The plan was initially delayed The special operation on Tuesday was carried out by the State Security Service (SSS) and targeted four Azerbaijani citizens suspected of planning serious crimes motivated by religious extremism, the security agency said in a statement. They had pledged allegiance to a terrorist organisation active abroad and were planning terrorist acts across the when angry telecoms operators in tourist magnets such as Italy and Spain complained of the deal s knock-on effects and threatened to hike domestic prices to pay for travellers from northern Europe using their networks. They complained that free roaming would in effect make poorer Europeans in the south pay for wealthy tourists phoning home or surfing for data while on holiday. Roaming charges have long been a lucrative source of extra income for telecoms companies. To solve the issue, negotiators for the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU s 28 member states agreed on a country, it said, without giving details. The group offered armed resistance using automatic rifles and guns, the statement added. (AFP) Ukraine fighting continues: Freezing and nerve-shattered residents of an eastern Ukraine town battered by scale of wholesale charges telecom operators pay each other when customers use their mobile phones abroad. The overall deal still needs final approval by the European Parliament and member states but this is expected to be a formality. In a move that angered consumer advocates, the Commission had in December said free roaming would have some limits to ensure there was no abuse of the new system. Telecoms operators would be able to closely track usage and crack down on users unfairly taking advantage of cheaper phone deals available in other EU countries. an upsurge in fighting between troops and Russia-backed rebels flocked to a humanitarian aid center Wednesday to receive food and warm up. Heavy shelling of government-held Avdiivka, just north of the rebel stronghold city of Donetsk, began over the weekend and persisted into early Wednesday. Donetsk city also was hit. (AP)

14 INTERNATIONAL 14 World News Roundup Jordan Eight in Jordan jails Jailing of offi cers a test of free speech AMMAN, Jordan, Feb 1, (AP): When retired Maj Gen Mohammed Otoom was summoned to Jordan s domestic intelligence service over a critical web comment, he wasn t too rattled. After all, he was a 30-year veteran of the agency that sought to question him. To his surprise, Otoom, 63, was detained on the spot and has spent almost three weeks in a crowded prison cell. Seven others, including another ex-officer and a former member of parliament, have also been jailed on warrants from the state security court for protesting on social media against the government s planned price hikes and its purported failure to go after corrupt officials. The high-profile case spotlights Jordan s unwritten red lines in public debate, at a time when the USallied kingdom faces growing security threats and an economic downturn accompanied by spikes in poverty and unemployment. Traditionally, it was permissible to criticize the government, while the royal family, religion and the security forces were seen as off limits. Some say Jordan has further curtailed free expression, using Raeseh security arguments such as the threat posed by Islamic State extremists, to retract political reform promises made in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in the region. In this context, the detention of members of Jordan s security and political establishment should be seen as a warning to ordinary Jordanians to steer clear of anti-government protests, said Otoom s wife, Raeseh. Message This is meant to send a message to the rest of the people so they stay silent, she said in an interview in her home in a middle-class neighborhood of the Jordanian capital, Amman. Relatives of the detainees portray them as patriots who risked their status for the good of the country. Four portraits of King Abdullah II adorn the walls of the Otoom living room, alongside one of the general in uniform. But authorities have suggested the men pose a threat to national security. Prime Minister Hani Mulki told parliament in mid- January that the security court ordered their arrest for allegedly engaging in actions that could incite public opinion and change the basic situation of the society, in violation of the law. He cited article 149 of the Jordanian penal code which carries a minimum sentence of seven years for leaders or founders of a group that seeks to change the basic social order. Mulki said at the time that the government respects the right to free expression, provided it does not violate the law and does not compromise higher national interests. Government critics say Jordan has several vaguely worded laws that allow for the prosecution of people expressing their opinions. Freedom House, a US-based pro-democracy group that has rated Jordan as not free, slammed the detention of the senior officials as a violation of the right to free speech. The decision to charge them with incitement shows the government s determination to muffle dissent and criticism, the group said. Government spokesman Mohammed Momani declined comment on the case because it s a legal matter. He said last month that the government is weighing new legislation to combat what he described as a rise in hate speech on social media. The case against Otoom and the others comes at a time of growing dissatisfaction with government policies. Fifty-eight percent of Jordanians believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, up from 43 percent in April, according to a poll published Monday by the US-based International Republican Institute. A weak economy, rising prices, administrative and financial corruption, poverty and unemployment were given as top reasons, according to a November survey of 1,000 respondents, with an error margin of 3.5 percentage points. Bound Discontent is bound to rise with expected price hikes in coming weeks. The government has said it is increasing taxes on some goods to help reduce a spiraling budget deficit. On Wednesday, gas prices went up by more than 6 percent, with part of the increase to be used to help narrow the deficit, state media said. In recent weeks, retired security officers who previously accused the authorities of not going after senior officials suspected of corruption emerged as critics of the austerity measures. The officers said that if the government retrieved millions of dollars allegedly lost to corruption, it would not need to impose new burdens on Jordanians. Retired Lt Col Khaled Majali, who served under Otoom, wrote on his website that 7.5 million Jordanians are screaming loudly, wake up, there is still time to fix things and they are ready to renew loyalty and move to a better future. Otoom s wife said her husband posted a brief comment, taken from a poem about the last Arab king of Andalusia, who was told by his mother after losing his throne: Now cry like women for a throne that you didn t defend like men. Otoom was summoned by the intelligence service after that post, along with former legislator Wasfi Rawashdeh and retired army Col. Omar al-osofi. Rawashdeh had urged the king in an open letter to be careful of the ones who are killing the love of the people for you, and criticized what he said is longstanding nepotism. Al-Osofi published an essay about dictatorship, his son, Wael, said. A fourth detainee, Hussam Abdallat, who served in the prime minister s office for 20 years, was arrested after holding a meeting with other activists at his home to launch an anti-corruption initiative, said his brother, Mohammed. What they were calling for is anti-corruption, transparency and freedom of speech, Mohammed Abdallat said. He said only his brother and another participant in the meeting are still in jail. Defense lawyer Abdel Qader Khatib said a total of eight men are in custody, One is from the Muslim Brotherhood, once Jordan s most organized opposition group, but increasingly weakened by internal rifts and government restrictions in recent years. Relatives rejected suggestions of a conspiracy, saying the former legislator and the ex-security officers acted on their own in posting their comments. Israeli settlers scuffle with security forces at the Amona outpost, northeast of Ramallah, on Feb 1, as they evict the hardline occupants of the wildcat settlement outpost in line with a High Court ruling that determined the homes were built on private Palestinian land. Israeli police began evicting dozens of hardline Jewish settlers from a wildcat outpost, just hours after unveiling plans for 3,000 new homes in other West Bank settlements. (AFP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the award ceremony of the Turkish Academy of Sciences at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on Feb 1. (AFP) Lavrov Mideast Abbas Russia to invite Bibi, Abbas: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to meet in Moscow was still in force. Lavrov said at a conference in Abu Dhabi that Russia was grateful that the two sides had in principle accepted the invitation. No date has been given for the meeting, which Russia s Foreign Ministry first announced in September. (RTRS) Israel sorry for Mexico row: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed a spat with Mexico over US President Donald Trump s proposed border wall Tuesday, saying the countries relations were stronger than a passing row. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, meanwhile, spoke with Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto and said he was sorry about the misunderstanding. Netanyahu wrote on Twitter that Israel will continue to have good relations with Mexico. (AFP) Egypt officials use state funds: Social media, TV stations and newspapers in Egypt are abuzz after reports that the parliament speaker and his two deputies are using state funds to get flashy cars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The scandal comes at a time when Egyptians are being constantly called upon to do with less to weather the country s worst economic crisis in decades. Only last week, President Abdel-Fattah el-sisi told a youth conference that Egypt was poor, very, very poor. (AP) Policeman tries to kill self: An armed police officer receiving psychiatric treatment caused panic Wednesday when he barricaded himself into a room at an Istanbul hospital and attempted to commit suicide. Earlier, Turkish media reports said the man had taken doctors and other staff hos- Outposts Israel to build 3,000 new settler homes Violence erupts during outpost eviction AMONA, West Bank, Feb 1, (Agencies): Rightist protesters scuffled with Israeli police carrying out a court order to evict settlers from an illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, hours after the government announced more construction in larger settlements. Around 330 Israeli settlers live in Amona, the largest of scores of outposts built in the West Bank without official authorisation. The Supreme Court ruled in November, after a lengthy legal battle, that settlers had to leave Amona because their homes were built on privatelyowned Palestinian land. With no weapons visible, but wearing backpacks, hundreds of police walked past burning tyres and pushed back against dozens of nationalist Israeli youths who flocked to Amona in support of the settlers. Several protesters were detained by police during the scuffles and there were a few instances of stone-throwing. A police spokesmen said at least 10 officers were injured slightly by rocks and caustic liquid thrown at them. A Jew doesn t evict a Jew! the youngsters chanted. The Amona settlers themselves stayed largely put inside their homes after erecting makeshift barriers in front of their doors and vowing passive resistance to eviction. We won t leave our homes on our own. Pull us out, and we ll go, one settler told reporters. It is a black day for Zionism. Watched On a nearby hilltop, Issa Zayed, a Palestinian who said he was one of the owners of the land on which Amona was built, watched the scene through binoculars. With God s help, it will be evacuated and our land will return to us, he said. Earlier, Israel announced plans for 3,000 more settlement homes in the West Bank, the third such declaration tage at Istanbul s Cerrahpasa hospital. But Zekayi Kutlubay, the hospital s chief physician, said the police officer was alone in the room and did not hold anyone hostage. He said police were trying to convince him not to kill himself. He is alone in the room, Kutlubay told reporters outside of the hospital earlier. There is no hostage crisis. (AP) in 11 days since US President Donald Trump took office. Trump, a Republican, has signalled he could be more accommodating toward such projects than his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama. An announcement a week ago by Israel that it would build some 2,500 more dwellings in the West Bank, territory captured in a 1967 Middle East war and where Palestinians now seek statehood, drew rebukes from the Palestinians and the European Union. It followed approval a few days before of over 560 new homes in East Jerusalem, also taken by Israel in The decision... will place obstacles in the path of any effort to start a peace process that will lead to security and peace, said Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Withdrew Palestinians want the West Bank and Gaza Strip for an independent state, with its capital in East Jerusalem. Israeli troops and settlers withdrew from Gaza in In 2006 Amona saw a violent partial eviction, with nine shacks torn down by authorities. Police were confronted by thousands of settlers and more than 200 people were injured. Most countries consider all Israeli settlements to be illegal. Israel disagrees, citing historical and political links to the land which the Palestinians also assert as well as security interests. The Amona issue had caused tensions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s coalition government. But they eased after he got behind a law proposed by the Jewish Home party, a far-right political ally, to retroactively legalise dozens of outposts. This would not apply to Amona because of the existing court decision. We have lost the battle over Amona but we are winning the campaign for the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (left), visits an exhibition of Iran s latest achievements of space technology, in Tehran, Iran, Feb 1. Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi (center), and Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan accompany Rouhani. (AP) Land of Israel, cabinet minister and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett tweeted after the evacuation began. Legislation The legislation is expected to be passed in parliament next week. It is opposed, however, by Israel s attorneygeneral and legal experts predict it eventually would be overturned in court. Police arrested four protesters and distanced dozens of others from Amona, with seven of the families so far evacuating peacefully with their children. Youths confronted the forces with chants such as How will you feel tomorrow after you evacuate a Jew from his home? and Today it s me, tomorrow it will be you, as police began evacuating them from the area. Earlier, some women holding children left their homes, as youths barricaded themselves inside. Teenage girls wrote slogans about their right to the land of Israel on the walls of the caravan homes, soon to be demolished. Protesters said that they would not leave willingly but that they would not resort to violence against the police. We won t be going, they ll have to take us, Amona resident Rivka Lafair, 19, told AFP. Far-right lawmaker Moti Yogev, whose Jewish Home party is part of Israel s governing coalition, joined the settlers in a show of solidarity. He told AFP that the demolition of the outpost was a bad decision but that the new homes announced by the defence ministry late on Tuesday were some compensation. Yes, Amona will be destroyed, but against Amona we are going to build 3,000 new homes, he said. The former US administration of Barack Obama despaired of Israel s accelerating settlement expansion which it regarded as the biggest obstacle to Middle East peace. Turkey, Israel to boost ties: Senior Turkish and Israeli officials are meeting for the first time in nearly seven years, seeking to find ways to further improve ties and to discuss regional developments. Turkey and Israel formerly close allies reconciled last year and restored ambassadorial-level diplomatic ties, mending a deep rift caused by the deaths of 10 Turkish activists during an Israeli commando raid on an aid vessel that tried to breach the blockade on Gaza in Turkish Foreign Undersecretary Umit Yalcin and his Israeli counterpart, Yuval Rotem, were meeting in Ankara on Wednesday for their two countries first political consultations session since (AP) Israel sets up cyber edu centre: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday announced the creation of a National Centre for Cyber Education to train young people in a sector he views as key. The new facility will have a $6-million budget over the next five years, Netanyahu told students in Tel Aviv on the sidelines of the Cybertech 2017 international conference. Its aim will be to increase the number and raise the level of young Israelis for their future integration into the Israeli security services, industry and the academic world, he said in a statement released by his office.. (AFP) An Israeli soldier on trial: An Israeli military prosecutor on Tuesday sought a prison sentence of three to five years for an Israeli soldier who shot dead a wounded Palestinian as he lay on the ground. We believe the appropriate sentence for the accused should not be less than three years and not more than five years, the prosecutor, Nadav Weisman, said during a court hearing in Tel Aviv. Elor Azaria, 20, was convicted this month of manslaughter in a military court for the killing of Abdul Fatah al-sharif, after a trial that deeply divided Israel. (AFP)

15 INTERNATIONAL 15 Immigration Indonesia unlikely refuge Trump policy dims hope for refugees Khairullah PUNCAK, Indonesia, Feb 1, (Agencies): After getting death threats from Al-Shabab militants, Mohamed Dahir Saeed and his wife fled their native Somalia with plans to seek safety in Australia. They arrived in nearby Indonesia, only to be told the sea is closed for anyone attempting to make the perilous boat journey south. That was two years ago. Now another chance may be disappearing for Saeed and thousands of other asylum seekers who have made it to this Southeast Asian country with dreams of finding better lives elsewhere. The majority of people here, the US takes them, Saeed said. Now the US they say no Somalian, no Iraq, no Syrian, no Iran, no Sudan... So maybe we will go to another place. I hope, he said, seated outside his tiny house perched above the Ciliwung River. For thousands of asylum seekers and refugees from Iraq, Somalia and other conflictscarred countries, Indonesia is an often yearslong hiatus as they wait for the US or another country to accept them. President Donald Trump s travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim countries and suspension of the US refugee program has now made their tenuous situation even more uncertain. Indonesia is home to nearly 14,000 men, women and children seeking resettlement in other countries, according to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency. About 7,500 have been recognized as refugees, giving them the prized UN card that inches them closer to realizing their dreams of a better life. But last year just 610 were resettled in other countries such as the US, Canada, Germany and New Zealand. At least 2,700 of those in limbo here are from countries listed in Trump s 90-day travel ban: Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya. Asylum seekers in general are affected by his 120-day suspension of the US refugee program, and by his decision to cut the number of refugees the US accepts this budget year by more than half, to 50,000. Some 3 million refugees have been resettled in the US since Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980, according to the Pew Research Center. Saeed, 31, said that if he had the chance he d tell the US president that as a Somalian he s a peace man. He said he left Somalia after Al-Shabab militants fighting the government pressured him to join their group, and that one of the militants wanted Saeed s wife for himself. Al-Shabab Now in Somalia there is a war from Al-Shabab and government. So these Somalis who run from Somalia, they need peace because they need to work, they need to feed their family. They are looking for a better life. Indonesia, a vast but poor archipelago country of more than 250 million people in Southeast Asia, might seem an unlikely refuge. Initially, many people fled there because they believed it would be a jumping-off point to reach Australia by boat. That possibility no longer exists: Since September 2013, the Australian government has turned back the often barely seaworthy vessels. Puncak, a small West Java city nestled beneath a mountain that tempers Indonesia s tropical heat, is a magnet for men from the Middle East seeking sex and a pleasant climate. Because of its proximity to Jakarta, where asylum seekers can be summoned for a refugee interview, and because of the low cost of living, many families from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Pakistan and other nations also scrape out an existence there. Saeed is waiting in Puncak for a UNHCR interview he said he was told could happen in a year. Before that, he and his wife stayed on Batam, an Indonesian island near Singapore, in accommodations overseen by the International Organization for Migration. It was good there, he said. Food, a room and an operation for his wife to remove a cyst that made her infertile. But when UNHCR told them there would be no refugee interviews there, they made the agonizing choice a month ago to come to Java. They sold their mobile phones for money. His wife is sick again, but an operation is out of the question. One plus: The cool climate means they don t to buy a fan or an air conditioner an unthinkable expense. Despite the meager existence in Puncak, the endless days of boredom, the frustration and the waiting, living among the general population is for many preferable to the alternative of staying in one of the Indonesian government s overcrowded detention centers or camps. The government of predominantly Muslim Indonesia allows asylum seekers to live in the community but they are not permitted to work and lack access to schools and public hospitals. There is no financial support unless a nongovernmental group gets involved. If relatives or friends abroad stop sending money, surrendering to a detention center is the only option left. Khairullah, a minority Sunni Muslim from Iraq, said he fled Mosul about two years ago with his wife and two young sons. The Iraqi city was liberated last month from Islamic State group militants who captured it in the summer of I want to go outside (Iraq) because there my life is very dangerous. Maybe I m dead, maybe my wife is dead. Maybe one of my children, said Khairullah, who ran a barbershop in Iraq. He said he couldn t afford to live in Turkey or Jordan, but a friend convinced him that life in Indonesia s camps was decent, with two rooms for a family, money and food. Also: SYDNEY: The United States will apply extreme vetting to up to 1,250 asylum seekers it has agreed to resettle as part of a deal with Australia, a spokesman for President Trump said in the United States on Tuesday. Washington agreed on a deal late last year to resettle asylum seekers, mainly from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, held in Australia s processing centres on remote Pacific islands in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Under the deal, Australia would in return resettle refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Providing details of the plan for the first time, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the deal covered many of the refugees held in the two offshore processing centres, although they must satisfy recently tightened immigration policies. The deal specifically deals with 1,250 people that are mostly in Papua New Guinea being held, Spicer told reporters in Washington. Part of the deal is that they have to be vetted in the same manner that we re doing now. There will be extreme vetting applied to all of them, he said. Performers pose for photos after taking part in a lion dance show as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations of the Year of the Rooster in Hong Kong on Jan 31. The Chinese New Year fell on Jan 28 this year and marked the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese calendar. (AFP) In this Jan 21, 2017 file photo, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Joseph Dunford greets Defense Secretary Jimn Mattis at the Pentagon. By visiting Japan and South Korea on his first official overseas trip, Mattis is seeking to reinforce key alliances after President Donald Trump campaign-trial complaints that defense treaties disadvantaged the United States. (AP) In this July 21 file photo, entrepreneur Peter Thiel speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Thiel was able to gain New Zealand citizenship in 2011 despite never having lived in the country because a top lawmaker decided his entrepreneurial skills and philanthropy were valuable, documents reveal. Thiel didn t even have to leave California to become a new member of the South Pacific nation. (AP) Asia Japan gets cost cuts on F-35: Tokyo has secured cost cuts on support equipment for its next batch of six US F-35 stealth fighter aircraft of around $100 million, according to sources and Japanese budget papers, on top of savings being finalised for all buyers of the high-tech jets. The deal represents a rare case of Tokyo negotiating down the price of military hardware from its US ally and underscores progress for the Lockheed Martin Corp -run F-35 program, which has faced criticisms over cost overruns and other problems. US President Donald Trump, who lashed the program as out of control in December, said on Monday he had been able to shave some $600 million from the latest US deal to buy about 90 F-35s from Lockheed. But defence analysts and sources downplayed news of those cuts, saying the discount hailed by Trump was in line with what had been flagged by Lockheed for months and would apply to other countries committed to the program. Lockheed and the Pentagon did not directly respond to questions regarding the Japanese deal. (RTRS) Abduction tycoon sparks fear: The mystery over the reported abduction from Hong Kong of a Chinese billionaire deepened Wednesday after a newspaper advert appeared in his name pledging loyalty to China, in a case that has heightened fears over Beijing s meddling. The whereabouts of financier Xiao Jianhua one of China s richest men are Diplomacy Mattis seeks to reassure nervous allies Pentagon chief heads to Asia WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (AP): By visiting Japan and South Korea on his first official overseas trip, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is seeking to reinforce key alliances after President Donald Trump s campaign-trail complaints that defense treaties disadvantaged the United States. The visits also reflect the urgency of concerns on both sides of the Pacific about North Korea s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general, inherited a North Korea problem that has grown more worrisome as the communist nation s leader, Kim Jong Un, claims progress toward fielding a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the United States. Former Secretary of State John Kerry said in early January the US may need more forceful ways of dealing with North Korea if it develops a ballistic missile of intercontinental range. Mattis, who entered office hours after Trump on Jan 20, took off from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland before daybreak and is due to arrive Thursday in Seoul, where he will meet with his counterpart, Defense Minister Han Min Koo, amid a swirl of political turmoil. President Park Geun-hye was impeached in December and the constitutional court is reviewing whether to formally end her rule. Later in the week, Mattis is to hold talks in Tokyo with Defense Minister Tomomi Inada and other senior Japanese government officials. North Korea is expected to be at or near the top of Mattis agenda. Beyond its long-range missile aspirations, the North already has missiles capable of hitting South Korea as well as US bases in Japan. Xiao Duterte Trump said during the campaign that while he supports the alliances with Japan and South Korea, he would not rule out abandoning them if they refuse to pay more for their own defense. It could be that Japan will have to defend itself against North Korea, he told a campaign rally in August. The first foreign leader he met as president-elect was Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; they ll meet again in Washington on Feb 10. Mattis has said little in public since taking office. But he has left no doubt that America s security alliances, including those in Asia, are a top priority. He is the first recently retired military officer to serve as defense secretary since George C. Marshall in during the Korean War. Pentagon chiefs regularly visit South Korea and Japan, reflecting their status as US treaty allies. Chuck Hagel, who visited the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea as defense secretary in September 2013, said in an interview that Mattis is making the right move. It was a smart decision to visit these allies early, Hagel said. He believes officials in Tokyo and Seoul are wondering: Can we rely on the US? What is the future here? The US has about 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea and about 50,000 in Japan. Hagel said Tokyo and other US allies in Asia have been particularly upset by Trump s decision to pull the US out of a Pacific Rim trade initiative, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the centerpiece of former President Barack Obama s effort to strengthen US economic ties in the region. unclear after reports in overseas Chineselanguage media that he was taken from Hong Kong by mainland security agents last week. The reports suggested Xiao s disappearance was part of China s ongoing anticorruption campaign, which some critics believe has been used to target President Xi Jinping s political opponents. Xiao had been staying at Hong Kong s Four Seasons hotel and was looked after by female bodyguards, local media reported. A front-page advert in Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, attributed to Xiao, said he had always loved the (ruling Communist) party and the country and would soon meet with media. (AFP) Ban won t run for presidency: Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that he won t run for South Korea s presidency, a surprise announcement that removes a key figure in the scramble to replace impeached President Park Geun-hye and further stirs the country s already tumultuous politics. The withdrawal of Ban, who had been considered the only major conservative contender, boosts liberal Moon Jae-in, who has enjoyed a comfortable lead in opinion surveys since Park was impeached in December. Ban Ban told a hastily arranged news conference that he had wanted to use his 10 years of experience as UN chief to resolve a national crisis and achieve unity. But he said his pure patriotism and push for political reform were badly damaged by political slander and various fake news that targeted him. He did not elaborate, but Ban has faced growing media questions about his political competence and corruption allegations. I was also very disappointed by oldfashioned, narrow-minded egoistic attitudes by some politicians, and I came to a conclusion that it would be meaningless to work together with them, he said. Politics in South Korea has been upended by a massive scandal involving Park and her confidant, which prompted millions to take to the streets in protest. Prosecutors accuse Park of letting her friend Choi Soon-sil pull government strings from the shadows and colluding with her to extort money from businesses. (AP) Philippine rebels end ceasefire: The Maoist-led rebel group in the Philippines said on Wednesday it was terminating a unilateral ceasefire it declared five months ago and resuming a protracted guerrilla warfare that has killed tens of thousands of people. The New People s Army said in a statement that the ceasefire agreed to last August would expire on Feb. 10, but added the rebels would still support peace talks with the government of President Rodrigo Duterte. In our experience and in the experience of other peoples, it is possible to negotiate while fighting until the substantive agreements are forged to address the roots of the armed conflict and lay the basis for a just and lasting peace, the group said. It said the decision was made because the government failed to comply with its obligation to pardon and release all political prisoners and has treacherously taken advantage of the ceasefire to encroach on its territory. (RTRS) Killings are extrajudicial: Most of the thousands of killings of poor suspects under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte s anti-drug crackdown appear to be extrajudicial executions and may constitute crimes against humanity, Amnesty International said Wednesday. The London-based human rights group urged Duterte s government to adopt an approach that respects human rights in its fight against drugs and crime, and called on the police and judiciary to prosecute officers involved in unlawful killings. After investigating the deaths of 59 people, the group said it concluded that the vast majority of these killings appear to have been extrajudicial executions. It said it interviewed 110 witnesses, relatives of slain suspects, drug users, police officers and even hired killers from November to December. The group said it is deeply concerned that the deliberate and widespread killings of alleged drug offenders, which appear to be systematic, planned and organized by the authorities, may constitute crimes against humanity. (AP) Women suicide bombers : Indonesian women are taking on a more active role in violent extremism, with some seeking to become Islamic State (IS) group suicide bombers, a leading security think tank has warned. The growing problem was highlighted after the arrest in December of two women with links to IS allegedly planning suicide attacks in the world s most populous Muslim-majority country, according to a report from the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC). Many from Indonesia which has long struggled with Islamic militancy have flocked to join IS in the Middle East, while radicals in the country have pledged allegiance to the group and attacks and plots have been linked to the jihadists. But the increasing eagerness of Indonesian women to get involved in radicalism themselves, rather than merely support their extremist husbands, poses new risks, said the report from IPAC, which is headed by veteran Indonesian security analyst Sidney Jones. Indonesian women in extremist organisations are now catching up with the lethal practices of their sisters in other parts of the world, according to the study. (AFP) NZ sets Sept 23 poll: New Zealanders will go to the polls on Sept 23 in an election set to be dominated by the economy and the need for stable government, Prime Minister Bill English said Wednesday. English, who took over as leader in the South Pacific nation in December following the shock resignation of his predecessor John Key, will seek a fourth term for the conservative National Party-led coalition. Asked to nominate the focus of his campaign, English replied growth, pointing to an economy expanding at about 3.5 percent a year. He also said New Zealand needed continuity amid ongoing international political turmoil. (We) have provided successful and stable government, which matters more now at a time of uncertainty in many parts of the world, he told reporters, after panning the implementation of US President Donald Trump s ban on travellers from seven mainly Muslim nations. (AFP)

16 INTERNATIONAL 16 World News Roundup Lat/Am In this handout photograph released by the Press Information Department (PID) on Jan 31, visiting Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas (center), inspects the guard of honour during a ceremony at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad on Jan 31. Pakistan and Palestine called upon the international community to implement the United Nations Security Council s Resolution 2334 that demands Israel end its settlements in the West Bank. (AFP) Subcontinent Don t offend Muslims Bangladesh arrest 4 cafe attack suspects DHAKA, Feb 1, (Agencies): Bangladesh security forces on Wednesday arrested four members of an Islamist militant group blamed for an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in 2016 which killed 22 people, most of them foreigners. The July attack in Dhaka s diplomatic quarter was claimed by the Islamic State and was the worst militant attack in Bangladesh, which has been hit by a spate of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past few years. The four arrested, aged 21 and 28, were members of a faction of the Jamaat-ul- Chowdhury Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant group, known as New JMB, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and which police believe was involved in organising the cafe attack. One of them, was the IT head of the group, Mufti Mahmud Khan, spokesman of the police-led Rapid Action Battalion, which is involved in counter-terrorism efforts. They were arrested in a raid on a house on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, he said, adding that firearms and a huge quality of explosives were found. Police have killed around 50 suspected Islamists in raids since the cafe attack, including the man police said was the attack mastermind, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. Bangladesh booksellers warned: Bangladesh s largest bookfair began in Dhaka on Wednesday with police warning organisers against selling books that hurt religious sentiment in the Muslim-majority country. The month-long Ekushey Bookfair draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the crowded capital, making it one of Bangladesh s keynote cultural events and giving readers a chance to interact with authors. But the fair has incurred the wrath of Islamist extremists who hacked and critically injured a top secular writer in 2004 and killed a US-based atheist blogger moments after he signed books for readers in Last year a 73-year-old publisher was arrested and his stall at the fair was shut down after a book called Islam Debate triggered protests by Islamists who said the work was offensive to Muslims. Police said they have tightened security for the annual fair, which is being organised at a park on the campus of Dhaka University, the country s main secular bastion. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia visited the fairground on Tuesday, asking the authorities to scrutinise the books before they are cleared to be displayed at stalls. Sri Lanka arrest astrologer: An astrologer who made several predictions that Sri Lanka s President Maithripala Sirisena would die has been arrested and released on bail, police said Wednesday. Most Sri Lankans follow astrologers advice, and the suspect, Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni, is a former navy sailor convicted of attempting to assassinate India s then-prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in The Police Media Division said Wijemuni was arrested Tuesday evening on the charges of making false predictions and comments that could mislead the public. A court in the capital, Colombo, released him on bail on Wednesday. Wijemuni posted several videos on Facebook predicting Sirisena would die of illness or accident before Jan 27. His predictions raised concerns of top government officials, and Media Ministry Secretary Nimal Bopage asked police in December to investigate. A Nepalese man immerses an idol of Hindu deity Madhav Narayan as other devotees take holy dip in Triveni River during Madhav Narayan festival in Panauti village near Kathmandu, Nepal on Jan 31. During this month long festival, devotees recite holy scriptures dedicated to Hindu goddess Swasthani and Lord Shiva. (AP) Asia Record year for meth pill seizures: Myanmar police made record meth pill seizures last year, data obtained by AFP showed Wednesday, underscoring the country s ongoing and pivotal role as a major global narcotics producer. Police confiscated a record 98 million tablets, nearly double the 50 million seized in 2015, according to police data. Myanmar is one of the world s top drugproducing nations, churning out huge quantities of methamphetamine as well as heroin, opium and cannabis much of it bound for consumers in Asia and beyond. Most production takes place in remote border territories controlled by ethnic minority militias or rival armed groups allied to the powerful military. While low-level smugglers are often arrested, few cartel leaders have ever been brought to justice over the past three decades. Given the powerful vested interests involved, tackling the trade remains a major hurdle for the newly installed civilian administration of Aung San Suu Kyi. (AFP) Ko Ni fallen hero : The family of an assassinated adviser to Myanmar s government had worried about his activities and warned him to be careful, but he pursued his work for the sake of the country s people, regardless of who they were or what religion they believed, his daughter said Tuesday. Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer who advised Aung San Suu Kyi and her ruling National League for Democracy party, was shot in the head at close range as he was walking out of the Yangon airport Sunday. His family feels no regret for his highprofile political work and considers him a fallen hero, his daughter, medical doctor Yin Nwe Khine, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. We were always worried about him and the danger he might face because of politics, she said. (AP) Thai official resigns: A Thai official caught on camera drunkenly stealing paintings from a Japanese hotel said Tuesday he will resign, after causing intense diplomatic embarrassment for Bangkok. News of the sticky-fingered bureaucrat s failed heist first emerged last week when Japanese media reported that the official had been arrested trying to lift three paintings from a hotel in Kyoto. Hotel staff noticed the paintings worth around $125 were missing, checked the building s CCTV and swiftly Afghanistan Govt loses ground to Taleban Afghan progress bleak KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb 1, (Agencies): In his first report to the new Trump administration, a US watchdog that monitors billions of dollars in aid to Afghanistan issued a bleak progress report, saying the Afghan government controls barely half the country, its security forces numbers are on the decline and drug production is on the rise, while eradication is down. The one bright spot, says the report, is a noticeable drop in corruption when procuring goods and services. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has launched a country wide anti-corruption campaign since taking power in 2014 elections, which ended in controversy and the formation of a so-called Unity Government. In this government Ghani is president and his presidential election rival, Abdullah Abdullah, is chief executive. In his 269-page report released Wednesday, John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction s (SIGAR) office, noted that this latest quarterly report is the first since President Donald Trump took office Jan 20. He said it was a good opportunity for the new administration to reflect on the $117 billion Washington has invested in Afghanistan since The Taleban were ousted in December 2001 by the US-led coalition after they refused to hand over al-qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, blamed for the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. Investigation In just the last three months, Sopko s office conducted an investigation that resulted in a $99 million dollar single-source contract being canceled, it flagged a large hotel/ apartment construction project that had been abandoned after receiving $85 million in loans from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a US government institution, and revealed that Afghan contractors working on US-funded projects were not being paid. SIGAR was set up in 2008 following widespread reports that hundreds of millions of US taxpayers dollars was being lost to waste, corruption and mismanagement by both Afghan and US contractors. identified the culprit, Suphat Saguandeekul, a 60-year-old official with Thailand s Commerce Ministry. Suphat who is deputy director of the Department of Intellectual Property, tasked with trying to roll back Thailand s reputa- Suu Kyi Ko Ni After 15 years and billions of dollars reconstruction remains tenuous and incomplete, Sopko said in his report. The Afghan security forces need continued donor support, plus mentoring and limited tactical support from the US military, to block insurgent advances, he also said. Afghanistan is the largest and longest operation in NATO s 68-year history, yet 15 years on the SIGAR report says the Afghan National Security Force numbers are down and insurgents control or influence more area than ever before. Citing an Asia Foundation survey, the report also says most Afghans say their country is moving in the wrong direction. According to the United Nations, more than half a million people fled their homes because of conflict last year, the highest number since record keeping began in Last week, Afghanistan s Defense Ministry spokesman said insurgents launched 19,000 attacks in the last 10 months compared to about 700 counter-insurgency operations carried out by Afghan Security Forces in the same time. The Taleban have shot dead a woman accused of adultery in northeastern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday. Ahmad Naweed Frotan, a spokesman for the Badakhshan provincial governor, said Amir Begum was killed late Tuesday in the remote Yumgan district after being accused of having an affair. We strongly condemned the brutal killing of Amir Begum in front of the eyes of her family members, said Frotan. He said if there was any truth to the allegations they should be taken up by a court, not armed men. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, an insurgent rocket attack killed a civilian in the southern Helmand province, which has seen heavy fighting in recent months. Ghulam Nabi Charkhi, head of the provincial counterterrorism department in Helmand, said three others, including a small child, were wounded in the attack in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. tion as a counterfeit hub was promptly arrested and charged with theft. (AFP) Photographer enters politics: A former Khmer Rouge member who was chief photographer at a prison where about 20,000 people were tortured before being executed says he is forming a political party to contest Cambodia s 2018 general election. Nhem En, 57, said Wednesday he is establishing the Khmer Family Party after concluding that leaders of Cambodia s ruling and opposition parties are not sincerely working for the benefit of the people and nation. An estimated 1.7 million people died from torture, starvation, exhaustion or lack of medical care under the Khmer Rouge s rule of the country in (AP) Nieto Wall awakens patriotism: Mexicans are replacing profile pictures on social media with their country s flag. Others are calling for boycotts of American products like Coca-Cola and Starbucks. US President Donald Trump s vow to make Mexicans pay for a massive border wall has not only caused a diplomatic row, it has sparked patriotic fervor south of the border. On Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, people are using the hashtag #WeAreAllMexico, punctuating anti- Trump tweets with cries of Viva Mexico! and boasting that they live in the best country in the world. President Enrique Pena Nieto s spokesman, his foreign and finance ministers, and government departments have made the country s green, white and red flag their profile photo on Twitter. A slew of hashtags encourage Mexicans to stay away from American goods: #AdiosProductosGringos (goodbye gringo products), #AdiosStarbucks, #AdiosMcDonalds and #AdiosCocaCola. Telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim, the world s fourth richest man, called a rare news conference to express his great pleasure at the burst of national pride and support for the president, even though Pena Nieto s economic reforms have chipped away at the billionaire s telephone empire. (AFP) Nieto challenges rules: Mexico s president on Tuesday sought to overturn rules the country s telecommunications agency imposed on broadcasting networks and limit the regulator s power. President Enrique Pena Nieto filed a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court that argues the agency does not have the authority to regulate some broadcast content, Humberto Castillejos, his chief legal counsel, told a news conference. The regulation on so-called audience rights, published in December by the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), set out rules applying principally to Mexico s largest broadcaster Televisa and its rival TV Azteca. Audience rights is a term in Mexican law that encompasses issues such as advertising disguised as journalism, the line between opinion and fact and discriminatory content. (RTRS) Chavez TV series banned: Venezuela has banned TV networks from broadcasting a new series on late president Hugo Chavez, calling the US-Colombian production an attack on the legacy of the charismatic socialist firebrand. El Comandante, a 60-episode series on Chavez s life, premiered Monday night in Colombia. It is also due to air in seven other Latin American countries and the United States from Tuesday. But in Venezuela, the National Telecommunications Commission banned the series and launched a campaign Tuesday urging Venezuelans to report any cable channel that insults Hugo Chavez s legacy by broadcasting the series El Comandante. Here we don t speak badly of Chavez, it said on Twitter. The move comes after Chavez s successor, President Nicolas Maduro, branded the series trash, and urged Venezuelan filmmakers to respond with their own productions showing the deep truth of a giant man like Hugo Chavez. (AFP) Renegades could fuel crime : Brazil and Colombia are stepping up security along their border to stop drug gangs from recruiting renegade FARC rebels and their weapons as the guerrillas disarm, officials said Tuesday. The countries have agreed to send army and police reinforcements to the border as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) begins implementing a historic peace deal with the government, said Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas. As the peace process moves forward, ending a half-century conflict, there is concern that disaffected FARC fighters and their heavy weapons could fall into the hands of powerful drug gangs such as the First Capital Command (PCC) in Brazil or the Gulf Clan in Colombia. Colombian officials have already warned that the Gulf Clan is recruiting FARC renegades. (AFP) Chile battles worst wildfires: Strong winds are continuing to stoke the flames of raging wildfires in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 800 families in the coastal town of Dichato. Firefighters and residents fought the fast-spreading blazes on the ground Tuesday, while a Russian supertanker plane and a Brazilian Hercules have dumped thousands of gallons of water on the area 290 miles (470 kms) southwest of the Chilean capital. A Boeing supertanker from the United States also assisted local emergency crews Tuesday. The fires have consumed forests, livestock and entire towns, prompting President Michelle Bachelet to declare a state of emergency, deploy troops and ask for international help. (AP) Kin of victims get compensation: Relatives of more than 1,000 people murdered in the worst massacre of El Salvador s civil war are to be given up to $35,000 each by a compensation commission set up Tuesday, the government said. The disbursement complies with a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights handed at the end of The court ordered a full investigation of the 1981 massacre that occurred in the town of El Mazote, where government troops raped and slaughtered its inhabitants on suspicion of aiding leftwing guerrillas. It also said the remains of those killed should be given to their families for burial, and compensation paid. (AFP)

17 INTERNATIONAL 17 Africa Morocco s king hails return to AU: I am finally home, King Mohammed VI said Tuesday as the African Union readmitted Morocco after a 33-year absence, deferring the issue of Western Sahara for another day. Morocco s return came a day after 39 of the AU s 54 member states agreed to allow it back in the fold, despite stiff resistance from countries such as South Africa and Algeria over the status of the disputed former Spanish colony. Faced with the AU s decision, Western Sahara officials appeared to accept the new reality, saying AU membership might help speed up efforts to end a protracted conflict. It is a beautiful day when one returns home after too long an absence, Mohammed VI told the closing ceremony of the AU summit in Ethiopia. His speech came after a long day of feverish speculation in the halls of Salek the AU headquarters over whether he would indeed show up. Morocco quit the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 after the bloc admitted the former Western Sahara as a separate member. Morocco maintains that the territory under its control which is home to large reserves of phosphate, a key ingredient in fertilisers, as well as rich fish stocks off its coast is an integral part of the kingdom. From the moment that Morocco did not impose conditions we take their word for it and accept that Morocco be admitted to the African Union, said Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, foreign minister of the SADR, which claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara. (AFP) Strategy for withdrawal from ICC: African leaders on Tuesday adopted a strategy calling for a collective withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. The non-binding decision came behind closed doors near the end of an African Union summit. It was the latest expression of impatience by African leaders with the court, which some say has focused too narrowly on Africa while pursuing cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Late last year, South Africa, Burundi and Gambia all announced plans to leave the court, leading to concerns that other states would follow. Desire Assogbavi, head of Oxfam International s liaison office to the AU, confirmed the adoption of the strategy. A source close to the continental body s legal council also confirmed it, saying countries had been divided on whether to call for leaving the court individually or together. The source said the majority of countries also wanted the meaning of immunity and impunity amended in the Rome Statute, the treaty that set up the court in The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. (AP) 2 Russian pilots die: Two Russian pilots and a Congolese officer died when two army helicopters crashed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the military said Tuesday. The two Russian-built MI-24 choppers The King of Morocco Mohammed VI delivers a speech in the main plenary of the African Union in Addis Ababa on Jan 31. Morocco s King Mohammed VI took a seat at the African Union headquarters Tuesday for the first time in 33 years after being readmitted by the bloc. Morocco s return to the fold comes a day after 39 of the AU s 54 member states agreed to allow Morocco back in the fold, despite stiff resistance from countries such as South Africa and Algeria over the status of Western Sahara. (AFP) crashed in mountainous terrain on Friday because of bad weather, General Leon Mushale, DR Congo s operational commander in North Kivu province, told a press conference in the regional capital of Goma. Troops found three bodies an FARDC (Congolese army) officer and two Russian pilots, he said. The crashes happened in the unrestwracked east of the country during a reconnaissance patrol against the so-called M23 rebel group, which says it has taken another Russian pilot prisoner. Two FARDC officers and three Russian crew members were also injured, and taken to hospital in Goma by UN troops, he said. (AFP) 6 killed in Nigeria clashes: Police say at least six people have been killed in communal violence between mostly Christian farmers and mostly Muslim herdsmen in central Nigeria. David Misal, a police spokesman for Taraba state, says the violence between Fulani herdsmen and farmers from the Mumuye ethnic group began Friday and continued Tuesday morning in the Lau local government area. He says 80 houses have been burned. Witnesses say Tuesday s violence began when youth from the Mumuye group attacked a Fulani village. Clashes between farmers and herdsmen over land are common in Nigeria, especially in the Middle Belt region. Tensions in Taraba state increased earlier this month when governor Darius Ishaku was quoted in local media urging Christian farmers to rise up against terrorists. (AP) Fighters thwart bombings: Two people were killed as self-defense fighters helped thwart more deadly suicide bombings in Nigeria and Cameroon on Tuesday, officials and witnesses said. In Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria s biggest city and the birthplace of the Boko Haram insurgency, a lone bomber attempted to attack a mosque near the city s university during morning prayers. A member of a civilian self-defense force stopped the bomber from reaching the mosque but the bomb killed them both, said police spokesman Victor Isukwu. The bomber s body was so mangled it was impossible to determine the age or gender, witnesses said. It took aid workers about an hour to pick up the scattered flesh and bones, said witness Simon Madu. (AP)

18 INTERNATIONAL 18 World News Roundup A member of the Pollution Response Team collects a sample of an oil spill from boulders at the coast, a day after an oil tanker and an LPG tanker collided off Kamarajar Port in Ennore, in Chennai on Jan 30. (Inset): Members of the Pollution Response Team lift the body of an oil-covered turtle from boulders at the coast, a day after an oil tanker and an LPG tanker collided off Kamarajar Port in Ennore, in Chennai. (AFP) Climate Environment Crisis for tea Incinerator shows promising results Stuen OSLO, Feb 1, (Agencies): Oslo s main trash incinerator has shown promising results in the world s first experiment to capture greenhouse gases from the fumes of burning rubbish as a new way to slow climate change, officials said on Tuesday. If built at full scale, however, the technology would be a very costly way to limit carbon dioxide emissions as part of an international agreement to curb global warming reached by almost 200 nations at a summit in Paris in So far, research into capturing carbon has focused mainly on emissions at the chimneys of coal-fired power plants. It had been unclear if the same could be applied at an incinerator for municipal and household waste. We had very promising results, said Oscar Graff, head of carbon capture, utilisation and storage at Aker Solutions, which ran the year-long test since January 2016 with a facility bolted onto Oslo s main Klemetsrud waste incinerator. Here you have almost everything which can burn... plastics, tyres, suitcases, whatever, he told Reuters. He said the test found no show stoppers such as chemical reactions producing damaging foam, pollution or emissions to the air. The incinerator, which generates energy for heating buildings in the Norwegian capital, emits about 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, about 0.6 percent of Norway s total. Technically it should be possible to build a carbon capture plant, Johnny Stuen, technical director for the Klemetsrud waste project, told Reuters. The future of Darjeeling tea, known as the champagne of teas for its distinctive aroma, is in doubt as erratic rains compound other problems facing the industry, estate owners say. Since 2012, worsening drought and landslides caused by downpours have weakened bushes and washed away soil in the famous tea region in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Poor rains have also led to more pest attacks, with redspider mite, tea mosquito bug and blister blight causing major damage to the crop, local tea experts say. Yields have fallen to an average of 8,500 tonnes a year since 2010, down from about 10,000 tonnes a year between 2000 and 2009, according to the Indian Tea Association (ITA). Darjeeling tea is facing a big disaster, Arun Singh, head of Goodricke Group Ltd, which has more than 10 tea estates in the region, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Our crops decline every year due to climatic factors, he said. The Darjeeling hills, in West Bengal state, host 87 tea estates employing some 70,000 people. Annual turnover is about 4.7 billion Indian rupees ($69 million) a year. German banking giant Deutsche Bank on Tuesday announced it would stop financing coal projects as part of its commitments under the Paris Agreement to tackle global warming. Deutsche Bank and its subsidiaries will not grant new financing for greenfield thermal coal mining and new coalfired power plant construction, it said in a statement. Existing exposure to such projects will be gradually reduced, it added. The lender said the decision was in line with the pledges it made at last year s Paris climate conference, along with 400 other public and private companies, to help fight global warming. This file photo taken on Nov 27, 2009 shows a honeybee hovering over a flower in Kathmandu. A wing-deforming virus shortens the lifespan of wild honeybees, already contending with a startlingly long list of existential threats, researchers said on Feb 1. Spread by microscopic mites, the microbe disrupted bee foraging and cut short their lives, experiments have shown. (AFP) Discovery Bees hit by wing virus : A wingdeforming virus shortens the lifespan of wild honeybees already contending with a startlingly long list of existential threats, researchers said Wednesday. Spread by microscopic mites, the microbe disrupts bees foraging and curtails their lives, experiments confirmed for the first time. Deformed wing virus strongly reduced the chances for workers to survive to foraging age, scientists reported in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B. It also reduced the life expectancy and total activity span of infected bees, they found. Bees around the world -- especially in Europe and North America -- have been decimated in recent years by a mysterious blight called colony collapse disorder, in which entire populations disappear or die out. Research has pointed an accusing finger at agricultural pesticides, viruses, fungi, parasites, malnutrition because of fewer flowers -- or some combination of the above. More than just the survival of the bees is at stake. Scientists recently calculated that 1.4 billion jobs, and three-quarters of crops, depend on pollinators, mainly bees. All told, there are some 20,000 bee species that fertilise more than 90 percent of the world s 107 major crops. At the same time, the United Nations estimates that 40 percent of invertebrate pollinators -- mostly bees and butterflies -- are at risk of extinction. Scientists led by Kristof Benaets from the Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution in Leuven, Belgium, set up an experiment using radiofrequency identification (RFID). (AFP) Oldest soft tissue remains: The rib of a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur that lived 195 million years ago has yielded what may be the oldest remains of soft tissue ever recovered, scientists said Tuesday. The find promises a chance to extract rare clues about the biology and evolution of long-extinct animals, a team wrote in the journal Nature Communications. Such information is mostly missing from preserved hard skeletons, which form the bulk of the fossil record. We have shown the presence of protein preserved in a 195 million-year-old dinosaur, at least 120 million years older Environmental entrepreneurs bid to save polluted lake Lake Baikal s green startups sprout IRKUTSK, Russia, Feb 1, (RTRS): Denis Klimentyev, an eco-entrepreneur in eastern Russia s Irkutsk region, produces camelina oil, used in cooking, and sells it to supermarkets as part of a co-operative also supplying herbal teas and jams made from wild forest fruits. Klimentyev wants to set up an independent distribution network for locally produced organic products, encouraged by the training he received two years ago at a school for green startups in economically depressed areas around Lake Baikal, the world s biggest freshwater body. Until February 2014, I thought I was all alone (here)... an idealist and enthusiast willing to produce something no one really needs or knows about, he said. Many of the green businesses nurtured by the School of Environmental Entrepreneurship have been launched by ex-employees of failing businesses, such as pulp mills or chemical plants, which were once the backbone of small towns in the area. One of the school s experts, environmentalist Marina Rikhvanova, is a former director of local green group Baikal Wave, which fought for 25 years to protect the lake. It holds a fifth of global freshwater resources, and is home to more than 1,500 unique species of plants, fish and marine mammals. As well as running biodiversity conservation programmes, Baikal Wave played a major role in two international environmental campaigns. One targeted the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, which was built in 1966 by the Soviet government, then owned by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska from 2002 until 2010 when it was re-acquired by the state. Activists said it had polluted the lake for more than 40 years with chemical substances. The other protest was against plans to lay the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean pipeline to bring oil from Russia to Asia within half a mile of the lake s shores. Both campaigns achieved their aims: the mill was closed down by the government in 2013, and the pipeline route was changed. But in 2015, under a recent Russian law, Baikal Wave was declared than any other similar discovery, study co-author Robert Reisz of the University of Toronto Mississauga, told AFP. These proteins are the building blocks of animal soft tissues, and it s exciting to understand how they have been preserved, he added. Reisz and a team scanned a rib bone of Lufengosaurus, a common dinosaur in the Early Jurassic period. Fully grown, these lizards measured about eight metres (26 feet). The researchers used a photon beam a foreign agent, designating it as a rights group funded from abroad. Following state-imposed fines for not having registered as such, it closed down in Most of the group s employees and experts have since set up new environmental initiatives in the region. The school for green entrepreneurs was established in 2012 in Baikalsk, a small town on the lake s shores, by Elena Tvorogova, a director of the charitable foundation Revival of Siberia, with support from En+ Group, a metals, mining and energy company owned by Deripaska. The Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill shut down a year later, causing the loss of 300 jobs, on top of 1,400 earlier lay-offs. For the first few years, the school mainly supported strawberry-growing ventures run by former staff at the mill and other local residents, selling the fresh fruit in the region or processing it into jam. Now the school runs short courses twice a year, mainly in Baikalsk, for around 50 participants each time who live around the lake. As a result of the nine sessions held so far, 101 business ideas have been worked out by people aged from 14 to 58 - and 20 of those have come to life as eco-enterprises. Fairs The school supports them by running trade fairs and promoting their products in catalogues and on websites, and presents their ideas to potential investors. The school receives funding from En+ Group and a number of local businesses, while experts from Russia s biggest bank Sberbank help with training. We are not only trying to bring up a new generation of social and environmental entrepreneurs in the region we are also attempting to think about the future of mono-towns in Russia, said Tvorogova. Thousands of mono-towns still rely on a single factory or enterprise, a legacy of Soviet times. If that business closes, it can have a dramatic negative impact on the local economy and residents quality of life. With labour and social mobility still very low in Russia, former employees end up living off social welfare, while many young people move Benaets Reisz to cities to look for work. We are also trying to give new skills, knowledge and opportunities for young people here, so that they don t leave the area for larger cities, and can contribute to the sustainable development of their regions, Tvorogova said. Andrey Ilyin runs the Eastern Siberian Centre for Energy Saving, which promotes energy-efficiency solutions for households, trains local people to economise on energy, and sells insulation materials for construction. We are a new generation of entrepreneurs - the ones that are not only after quick profits, but also have social and environmental goals, which is truly good, not only for us but for the development of the region, Ilyin explained. Fellow alumni Olga Lopatkina and Petr Lopatkyn have set up a small chocolate production business using honey from bee-keepers in the Baikal area. We think our business is also about social impact, so we hope it s useful and necessary in today s Russia, said Lopatkina. Other projects incubated by the school range from production of plant oils, herbal teas, mushroom products and crafts, to organic gardening and recycling. The school is now looking at ways to solve a new environmental problem in the area the invasion of Lake Baikal by green algae (spirogyra). The problem has been caused by high use of phosphate-based detergents as new hotels and housing blocks have sprung up around the lake in the past few years to accommodate a rise in tourists, who can number up to 1 million in the summer. Most private homes and guest houses struggle to treat their waste water as municipal plants are overloaded and domestic equipment often malfunctions for the same reason, meaning that sewage is discharged directly into the rivers and canals that feed Lake Baikal. We are looking at opportunities to set up or support local businesses which would encourage residents to harvest the algae from the lake shores, and produce something useful from it bio-compost, paper and packaging, or organic fertilisers, said Rikhvanova. at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center in Taiwan to examine the insides of the bone, specifically its chemical contents. They found evidence of collagen proteins within tiny canals in the rib and concluded they were probably remnants of the blood vessels that supplied blood to the bone cells in the living dinosaur. Most previous studies had extracted organic remains by dissolving away other parts of the fossil, the team said. (AFP)

19 Film DiCaprio to star in, produce Black Hand I Am Not Your Negro is radical, of the moment By Lindsey Bahr Somewhat deep into the searing and utterly necessary documentary I Am Not Your Negro, director Raoul Peck overlays audio from a 1960 US Government film The Land We Love, in which the narrator extols the virtues of America and the freedoms afforded all citizens, with images from the 1965 Watts Riots. While the juxtaposition might not be a revolutionary technique to convey incongruities, in this film it captures the sum of the essential American hypocrisy: Black people suffer while the white people play. Peck s restraint to build to and save that gut punch for a moment when he s certain the audience can comprehend not just the images but the ideas behind it, is a testament to the studied excellence of the film. It is not only a must see, but one that should be studied and absorbed over many viewings. I Am Not Your Negro is inspired and informed by Remember This House, an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin in which he aspired to tell the story of America through the death of three friends Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Baldwin had written only 30 pages before his own death in Peck uses Baldwin s words (read by Samuel L. Jackson) from Remember This House and archival footage of various speeches and interviews to create an urgent narrative of race in America that encompasses past and present. Baldwin was writing and speaking about his time, his friends and their moment, but his ideas and truths transcend the specificity of the 1960s. It makes sense when Peck fast-forwards to images of Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin and Amir Brooks, or headlines about mass shootings. History is not the past, it s the present, Jackson says for Baldwin. We are our history. Using Baldwin s words and ideas as a guide, Peck seamlessly connects segregation, civil rights and Black Lives Matter while also offering a radical and undeniable indictment of the way in which media can poison a populace, whether through the distractions of mindless reality television or the not-so-subtle othering of black people in films that made Baldwin feel outside the system of reality. Powerful I Am Not Your Negro being a film makes Baldwin s criticisms of the medium even more powerful. We get to see the terrified black janitor being told by police that, justly or not, he will likely be accused of raping and murdering a local girl in They Won t Forget, or a lightskinned girl (Dorothy Black) getting exposed as black to her white classmates when her mother (Louise Beavers) comes to pick her up from school in John M. Stahl s Imitation of Life. But perhaps some of the most powerful moments come just from watching Baldwin himself so eloquent and perceptive and so misunderstood by those around him whether speaking to Dick Cavett on national television or standing in the front of a banquet hall. His eyes get wide and large with urgency as he explains his ideas. His forehead crinkles when someone else tries to tell him he s got his own experience wrong. Baldwin s words, Jackson s reading and Peck s elegant and scorching composition will resonate for years to come. I Am Not Your Negro, a Magnolia Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for disturbing violent images, thematic material, language and brief nudity. Running time: 95 minutes. Four stars out of four. Also: LOS ANGELES: Leonardo DiCaprio will star in and produce an adaptation of Stephan Talty s book The Black Hand for Paramount Pictures. The true story about the origins of the mafia in America follows Joe Petrosino nicknamed the Italian Sherlock Holmes an NYPD cop who goes after the ruthless gang in the early 1900s. The thugs (with the calling card black hand) migrated from Italy to America, and kidnapped people to extort money from their families. They were loathed by law-abiding Italian families who were frightened, but nevertheless helped Petrosino behind the scenes. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Jeremy Bell of The Gotham Group will produce. DiCaprio s producing partner, Jennifer Davisson, will also produce with Gotham, as well as Nathaniel Posey on behalf of his Appian Way Productions. (Agencies) Variety Features THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017 This image released by STX Productions shows Britt Robertson (foreground), and Asa Butterfield in a scene from The Space Between Us releasing in the US on Feb 3. (AP) LOS ANGELES: Pakistan has finally lifted a ban on Indian films screening in the country. On Jan 26, 2017, Pakistan s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave his go ahead. That was followed some days later by notification from the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage. The Federal Government is pleased to continue the existing open policy to display all international movies (including Indian films) in Pakistani cinemas, it said. Pakistani importers of Indian films are now required to submit a request to the Information and Broadcasting Division that includes the name and cast of the film. The request will be forwarded to the Ministry of Commerce for an import license. The first Indian film to release will be Kaabil, starring Hrithik Roshan, this week. That will be followed by Shah Rukh Khanstarring Raees next week. Longstanding cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir resumed in September (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: FilmRise has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Swedish director Kasper Collin s Lee Morgan documentary I Called Him Morgan. The documentary made its world premiere at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival, then screened at the Toronto, Telluride and New York film festivals. I Called Him Morgan will be released theatrically by FilmRise in partnership with Submarine Deluxe in March. Guy Lodge said in his Venice review for Variety: It s fitting that Kasper Collin s excellent documentary I Called Him Morgan, a sleek, sorrowful elegy for the prodigiously gifted, tragically slain bop trumpeter Lee Morgan, is as much a visual and textural triumph as it is a gripping feat of reportage. The film chronicles the tragic life story of jazz musician Lee Morgan, who was shot and killed by his common-law wife Helen in 1972 while performing at a club in New York City. He began playing the trumpet alongside John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey as a teenager and scored a major hit in 1964 with The Sidewinder. (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: Liam Neeson, European group Studiocanal and producer Michael Shamberg are teaming for Hard Powder, a Rocky Mountains-set action revenge thriller that is likely to prove a hot ticket at next month s Berlin Film Festival market. Directed by Hans Petter Moland and written by Frank Baldwin, Hard Powder will go Film BIFF to refl ect daily apocalypse Berlin film fest promises laughs BERLIN, Feb 1, (Agencies): Penelope Cruz, Hugh Jackman, Catherine Deneuve, Richard Gere and Robert Pattinson are among the high-wattage stars due on the red carpet at February s Berlin Film Festival, organisers said Tuesday as they unveiled the line-up. The 67th Berlinale is the first major cinema showcase in Europe each year and presents nearly 400 productions from around the world. The 11-day event will kick off in the German capital Feb 9 with the world premiere of the French biopic Django about Gypsy-jazz great Django Reinhardt and his family s persecution in Nazi-occupied Paris. Eighteen films will vie for the Golden Bear top prize, which last year went to harrowing Italian refugee documentary Fire at Sea from a jury led by Meryl Streep. This year Dutch director Paul Verhoeven ( Basic Instinct, Elle ) will lead the seven-member jury including US actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and Mexican actor and director Diego Luna ( Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ). Berlinale chief Dieter Kosslick told reporters that the event, known as the most politically minded of Europe s top festivals, would shine a light on what he called dark times in the West. The programme we have put together features films that deal with themes of courage and confidence and do it with a whole lot of humour, he said. You never know what is going to be happening in the world when you start assembling the line-up but it s as if the filmmakers were able to look into the future and see current developments. But despite all the turmoil in the world, it s an upbeat programme. In keeping with its long post-war tradition, the festival will mix arthouse cinema from European veterans including Poland s Agnieszka Holland ( Europa Europa ), Britain s Sally Potter, Germany s Volker Schloendorff, previous Golden Bear winner Calin Peter Netzer of Romania and Aki Kaurismaki of Finland with popcorn fare. The latest Wolverine instalment of the X-Men superhero series Logan starring Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Richard E. Grant will have its world premiere in Berlin and T2: Trainspotting, the sequel to the drugfuelled Scottish cult classic will get a gala screening. Potter ( Orlando ), one of four women directors in competition, has pulled together a cast including Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharif Timothy Spall for the comedy The Party set in a house in present-day London. Gere stars with Steve Coogan, Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall and Chloe Sevigny in the thriller The Dinner by US director Oren Moverman ( Love & Mercy ), an adaptation of the Dutch novel by Herman Koch. Section Cruz joins Mandy Patinkin ( Homeland ) in the Spanish production The Queen of Spain set in the 1950s under Franco, screening in the Berlinale Special sidebar section. French production The Midwife by Martin Provost stars Deneuve as the mysterious former mistress of the title character s father. And Pattinson is due in Berlin for a screening of James Gray s The Lost City of Z an adaptation of a bestseller by David Grann of the New Yorker. This year s Berlin International Film Festival will reflect the dark chaos of the modern world and deliver a timely commentary on events in the United States, but viewers will also be able to enjoy plenty of lighter moments, its director said on Tuesday. Despite all of the resentment in the world, it is a conciliatory and life-affirming programme in the sense that the artists describe the daily apocalypse in which we have found ourselves, also in a visual way, but not without humour and... they don t describe it without an exit route, Dieter Kosslick told reporters. Our Berlinale programme is also an answer to the kind of brainless, simple stories that we re hearing from across the pond that take your breath away and leave you thinking: this just can t be true! While Kosslick did not mention the name of President Donald Trump, who has provoked an international uproar by suspending travel to the United States by citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, he said this year s line-up was protest enough. The choice of movies aims to show that diversity beats monotony, and tackles issues such as persecution of homosexuals and discrimination against racial minorities, he added. Here is the complete list including the official English title, director, well-known stars and countries where the films were produced: Main showcase Ana, mon amour, Calin Peter Netzer, winner of the Neeson into production in March in and around Banff, Alberta, and other locations in Canada. It stars Neeson as Nels, an upright snowplow driver, awarded a Citizen of the Year prize by his glitzy Colorado ski town, whose life is turned upside down when his son is murdered by a powerful local drug kingpin. (RTRS) 2013 Golden Bear, Romania/Germany/France Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja ( On the Beach at Night Alone ), Hong Sang-soo, South Korea Beuys, Andres Veiel, Germany (documentary on controversial 20th century German artist Joseph Beuys) Colo, Teresa Villaverde, Portugal/France The Dinner, Oren Moverman starring Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney and Rebecca Hall, US Django, Etienne Comar, France (debut feature, opening film, biopic on the life of Gypsy jazz great Django Reinhardt) El bar ( The Bar ), Alex de la Iglesia, Spain (out of competition) Felicite, Alain Gomis, France/Senegal/Belgium/ Germany/Lebanon Final Portrait, Stanley Tucci starring Armie Hammer, Geoffrey Rush and Clemence Poesy Britain/ France (out of competition, biopic on Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti) Hao ji le ( Have a Nice Day ), Liu Jian, China (animated feature) Helle Naechte ( Bright Nights ), Thomas Arslan, Germany/Norway Joaquim, Marcelo Gomes, Brazil/Portugal Logan, James Mangold starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Richard E. Grant, US (out of competition, latest Wolverine instalment of the X-Men superhero series) Mr Long, Sabu, Japan/China/Taiwan/Germany The Party, Sally Potter starring Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Bruno Ganz and Kristin Scott Thomas, Britain Pokot ( Spoor), Agnieszka Holland, Poland/Germany/Czech Republic/Sweden/Slovakia Return to Montauk, Volker Schloendorff starring Stellan Skarsgard, France/Germany/Ireland Sage femme ( Midwife ), Martin Provost starring Catherine Deneuve, France/Belgium (out of competition) T2 Trainspotting, Danny Boyle starring Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle, Britain (out of competition) Testrol es lelekrol (On Body and Soul), Ildiko Enyedi, Hungary Toivon tuolla puolen ( The Other Side of Hope ), Aki Kaurismaki, Finland/Germany LOS ANGELES: It s been over a decade since The Ring and its sequel The Ring Two first chilled audiences with the havoc wrought by a diabolical videotape. It s such a long stretch that many of today s moviegoers will draw a blank at the very concept of watching a movie on a VCR, so unfamiliar are they with the age of be kind, rewind. Credit Paramount with trying to overhaul Rings, a new installment in the long-dormant horror franchise, for the Netflix era. Trailers for the latest chapter show a lot of people staring at shocking footage on their laptops, but the studio may still need to have strong stomach. After all, there s something even scarier than technological anachronisms barreling towards Rings. (RTRS)

20 NEWS/FEATURES 20 People & Places Film Woodpeckers unlikely love story Diaz s Motherland sweet and upbeat By Dennis Harvey In highly developed nations, the birth process is usually one dominated by medical science perhaps overly so with the mother in virtual quarantine conditions. But there s something to be said for a more communal approach, like the one colorfully portrayed in Motherland. US documentarian Ramona S. Diaz s latest is a lively and engaging glimpse at a Manila maternity ward where overcrowding and limited technological resources have forced some solutions that may not be ideal, but are admirable nonetheless. The docu won a Sundance Special Jury Award for commanding vision, a rather odd phrase for a film whose primary impression is one of charm and humor amid challenging circumstances. The Jose Fabella Hospital boasts what is purportedly the world s single busiest maternity unit, with as many as 100 births a day. Its patients are a microcosm of the Philippines in general: Mostly poor, Catholic, and already burdened with several children. (No doubt religion is a major factor in many women s reluctance Diaz to use birth control.) Even in the delivery rooms themselves, mothers are often crammed two or more apiece onto beds. Before and after giving birth, they stay in a ward that at first glance seems wildly noisy, cluttered, even chaotic by First World standards. Yet there s a compensating sense of community, one that likely echoes these women s home environments, in which neighbors rely on each other to get along under economic duress. (Many live without electricity or direct water.) Some of the mothers are alarmingly young, while others have already had numerous offspring before reaching their mid-20s. Hospital staff members (which include one flamboyantly larger-than-life transgender doctor) try to encourage good habits for the babies sakes, though sometimes their advice falls on deaf ears, as the women are accustomed to deprivation. Memorable The film follows several principal subjects during their overlapping hospital stays, including one young woman who briefly can t find her baby on the ward (its ID tag is found on the floor, which is no laughing matter); the husband of another woman seldom visits because he can t raise bus fare on a weekly income of about $10. The most memorable figure is Lerma, a salty-tongued older woman who finally consents to a tubal ligation after seven children. But the sudden sense of responsibility that suggests is undone when she insists on leaving the hospital despite doctors advice, her new baby still suffering from pneumonia. Indeed, there seem to be frequent health complications for the newborns. Because Fabella Hospital lacks funding for incubators, women are encouraged to incubate babies themselves via Kangaroo Mother Care, in which they (and sometimes their husbands) use tube tops to press infants against their own bodies for heat ideally 24/7 until the baby s weight, temperature, and other vitals have stabilized. If all this sounds rather bleak, that does a disservice to Motherland, which overall is perhaps surprisingly sweet and upbeat closer to Thomas Balmes 2010 Babies than a grim report on Third World privation. Rather, the emphasis here is on institutional success at coping with adversity; protagonists positive attitudes are not always well-informed, but they re nonetheless preferable to miserable defeatism. The women certainly leave better-informed than they came in, and you can t accuse the medical professionals (who often deliver slightly haranguing messages over the hospital loudspeaker) for a lack of valiant effort. There s also a tangible parental camaraderie that may not extend past the discharging of patients, but is so pervasive that when one new father hands his baby off to a total stranger while searching for a taxi home, you accept his casual trust rather than suspiciously expecting the worst, as one might elsewhere. There s an ease of intimacy to Diaz s observations that suggests her crew was embedded for some time in the ward. The camerawork is crisp and bright, the editorial assembly likewise effortlessly engaging, capturing a sense of lives revealed in the everyday workings of the hospital. Prison movies even prison movies shot in real prisons with actual prisoners are no novelty anymore, and haven t been for a long time. But Jose Maria Cabral s Carpinteros does come up with an interesting hook based on an actual custom at the Dominican Republic facility where it was shot: It chronicles a fictional heterosexual romance between convicts at adjacent male and female institutions, one lived almost entirely long-distance through elaborate sign-language communication. (The title, which translates as Woodpeckers, comes from male prisoners practice of perching on windowsills and pecking messages with their hands to women several hundred feet away.) It s a conceit interesting enough to give the writerdirector a leg up in drawing audiences into an inherently unlikely love story. Cabral s debut film, Check Mate, was his country s 2012 Oscar submission for foreign-language film. But while Carpinteros is strong enough in atmosphere and assembly, it s limited by characters who aren t developed with great complexity, and a climax that pours on a little too much credulity-stretching hyperbole. The result is a drama that, while OK, falls short of being truly memorable. We learn very little about lanky, bearded new fish Julian (Jean Jean) save that he s been incarcerated for robbery (though he hasn t actually been sentenced yet), and has some money to make his time at Najayo Prison a little better. That s fortunate, because sans cash, prisoners are left to sleep on a corridor floor, among other hardships. Julian soon forges an uneasy alliance, exchanging favors with musclebound, hot-tempered fixer Manaury (Ramon Emilio Candelario). When Manaury is moved to another unit as punishment for fighting, he can no longer communicate visually with his girlfriend in the female prison next door, red-haired live-wire Yanelly (Judith Rodriguez). But Julian can, so Manuary arm-twists him into learning pecker-talking a system not unlike sign languages for the deaf, albeit much more improvised so that Julian can relay Manuary s messages to her. Yanelly doesn t really want to hear from Manuary, however, because when she was last stuck in solitary she, too, is inclined to fly off the handle and pick fights Manaury cheated on her by flirting longdistance with another female inmate. (RTRS) Iranian actress Shaghayegh Farahani poses for a photo as she arrives for a screening during the 35th edition of the Fajr Film Festival at Milad Tower in Tehran on Jan 31, (AFP) Indian Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan (right), carries his son Abram after paying respects at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Jan 31, Khan visited the city to attend a promotional event for the Bollywood fi lm Raees. (AFP) Depp Variety Farrell LOS ANGELES: Johnny Depp s lavish spending including $3 million to blast author Hunter S. Thompson s ashes from a cannon led him to the brink of financial ruin, according to an explosive lawsuit filed Tuesday. Over the best part of two decades, the 53-year-old actor has been spending $2 million a month, according to The Management Group (TMG), which is suing the star in Los Angeles for an unpaid loan. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is alleged to have forked out $75 million on 14 homes, including a 45-acre (18-hectare) French castle, a chain of Bahaman islands, several Hollywood homes, penthouse lofts in downtown LA and a horse farm in Kentucky. Since 2000, the Oscar-nominated actor has spent $18 million on a yacht, bought 45 luxury cars and shelled out almost $700,000 a month on private planes and a staff of 40 people, according to the lawsuit. Beverly Hills-based TMG says Depp has accrued more than 200 artworks by Warhol, Klimt and other masters, 70 collectible guitars and a Hollywood memorabilia collection so extensive it is stored in 12 locations. (AFP) LOS ANGELES: Colin Farrell is in negotiations to co-star with Denzel Washington in the legal drama Inner City from Nightcrawler director and scribe Dan Gilroy. Sony recently acquired the package that Gilroy wrote and will helm. Cross Creek will co-finance the film under its Sony deal, along with Charles King s Macro and Lone Star Capital. Jennifer Fox is producing with Escape Artists Todd Black and Cross Creek s Brian Oliver. Washington plays a hard-nosed liberal lawyer named Roman J. Israel, who s been fighting the good fight while others take the credit. When his partner has a heart attack, Israel suddenly takes on the role of the firm s frontman. He soon uncovers details about the crusading law firm s history that run afoul of his values of helping the poor and dispossessed, and finds himself in an existential crisis that leads to extreme action. (RTRS) Film Docu details HK teen s fight with superpower Joshua taking on might of China LOS ANGELES, Feb 1, (AFP): A scrawny millennial with gaunt features and a studious frown, Joshua Wong looks like he d struggle to take on a large steak, let alone the might of Communist China. Yet the bespectacled activist is the unlikely hero to a generation in Hong Kong, where he led a movement inspiring hundreds of thousands to join his cause for elections free from Beijing s interference. At the age of just 17, he spearheaded mass blockades that brought parts of the Asian financial center to a standstill in 2014, sparked by restrictions from Beijing on how Hong Kong s next leader will be chosen. Hailed as one of the world s most influential figures by Time, Fortune and Foreign Policy magazines, he is now the focus of an award-winning Netflix documentary due for release later this year. We hope people around the world recognize that social movements can make things happen. They can make things change, Wong, now 20, told AFP by telephone from Hong Kong. People may be depressed or downhearted with the political situation in their own country, but it s still optimistic to see hope and seek change by street activism. Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower tells the story of how Wong became one of China s most notorious dissidents after the mainland Communist Party backtracked on its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong. Critics say the 79-minute documentary could not have picked a better moment, with political engagement piqued in the West as protesters take to the streets to decry the policies of new US leader Donald Trump. You have a lone teenager taking on China and it s one of the things that attracted me to the story. The odds don t get much bigger. Talk about David and Goliath, Los Angeles-based director Joe Piscatella said in an interview. At the age of just 14, Wong campaigned successfully for Hong Kong LOS ANGELES: Nicole Kidman is in early negotiations to join Warner Bros Aquaman as the mother of the titular superhero, played by Jason Momoa. to drop a pro-china National Education program, rallying a crowd of 120,000 to his cause. Handover He was one of the 78 people arrested in September 2014 during another giant pro-democracy protest after China reneged on a pledge made during the handover to give Hong Kongers the right to choose their next leader. Umbrellas were used to shield activists from waves of police pepper spray, giving the nascent Umbrella Movement its banal yet iconic symbol of resistance. Galvanized by Wong s passion, the Umbrella Movement made headlines around the world, but was ultimately unable to shake up Hong Kong politics after weeks of protest. Wong continues to campaign under the banner of a new political party, Demosisto, for a referendum to determine who will rule Hong Kong after the one party, two systems principle codified in Chinese agreements with Britain expires in 30 years. I m still hopeful for the young generation here. In Hong Kong, more young people may be legislators in the future. I would say that this is just a starting point, Wong said. Born to middle class Christian parents Grace and Roger Wong in 1996, Wong began his life of activism at age 13 with a protest against plans for a high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and the mainland. It was here that Piscatella s producer, documentary filmmaker Matthew Torne, first encountered Wong and, seeing something extraordinary in the youngster, started his camera rolling. The first time I met Joshua, I was in awe He s kind of a conundrum in that, when he walks into a room, he s not somebody you notice right away, Piscatella said. You give him a microphone and a bullhorn and there s a change in him where suddenly he just becomes this other person where he s passionate and Warner Bros has set an Oct 5, 2018, release date for Aquaman. James Wan is directing the superhero film with Peter Safran producing. Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, This fi le photo taken on Jan 8, 2017 shows Hong Kong politician Joshua Wong attending a political forum hosted by Taiwan s grassroot New Power Party (NPP) in Taipei. (AFP) has this ability to connect with a large group of people. Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower was picked up by Netflix and awarded the audience prize at this year s Sundance Film Festival, where Wong attended screenings, describing the support for the film as unbelievable. Since the end of the Umbrella Movement, Wong has been denied entry into Malaysia and Thailand, attacked in the street and abused by pro-china protesters in Taiwan. But he takes it all in his stride. That s my life, he shrugs, describing the drawbacks of his high profile, with a quiet insouciance, as inconvenient and vowing to fight on. We didn t win in the last battle, he said, but I m still optimistic for winning in the final war. Also: LOS ANGELES: Two of the most influential unions in US filmmaking spoke out Tuesday to denounce President Donald Trump s ban on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations. The criticism follows a White House decree on Friday suspending the US refugee program and banning migrants from Syria, while calling a 90-day halt on entries from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The DGA strongly believes that artists regardless of their national origin, faith, or gender should be able to come to the United States to showcase their work, the Directors Guild of America said in a statement. Policies that prevent this, without due consideration, should be of concern to all who care about art and cinema. The open exchange of art is core to who we are, it s what motion pictures and television are increasingly about drawing humanity together, transcending borders and cultures. SAG-AFTRA, which represents some 160,000 performers, echoed the criticism, avowing equality of opportunity regardless of race, gender, creed, disability, sexual orientation or country of birth. and Rob Cowan are executive producing. Aquaman is based on the DC Comics character who s king of Atlantis, born halfhuman as Arthur Curry and half-atlantean. Aquaman s mother is Atlanna, who has escaped the underwater kingdom and had a son with a lighthouse keeper. Kidman was nominated for an Academy Award in the best supporting actress category for her work in Lion. She s also starring in and executive producing HBO s series Big Little Lies. (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: Sound engineer Richard Portman, who received 11 Academy Award nominations and won for his work on Michael Cimino s The Deer Hunter, died on Saturday at his home in Tallahassee, Fla. He was 82. He was an icon of his craft of motion picture sound re-recording, recognized with the highest honors of his field, his daughter Jennifer Portman wrote on her Facebook page. He was eccentric, irreverent, and real. Portman worked on nearly 200 movies and mixed the sound for George Lucas Star Wars. Portman received two Oscar sound nominations in 1973 for Francis Ford Coppola s The Godfather and Michael Ritchie s The Candidate. He was also double-nominated in 1974 for Peter Bogdanovich s Paper Moon and Mike Nichols The Day of the Dolphin. (RTRS)

21 NEWS/FEATURES 21 Music Rimes sultry on Remnants Estefan steps out of her parents shadow By Mark Kennedy mily Estefan, Take Whatever You Want (Al- Shrimp Records) Eien She arrives with a last name beloved in the music world and dangerously treads in the same footsteps as her parents, who have 26 Grammy Awards combined. And yet Emily Estefan manages to make an impressive splash on her debut album. The 22-year-old daughter of pop superstar Gloria and Emilio Estefan s Take Whatever You Want is a 14-song shimmering, jazz-influenced beauty she wrote, performed on and produced. It s not what you might initially expect from the offspring of a couple that gave us infectious pop like Rhythm Is Gonna Get You and Conga. The younger Estefan combines the slinky soulfulness of Erykah Badu, the righteousness of Lorde and the free jazz of Ornette Coleman. It s sometimes a little self-indulgent, but Estefan never wears out her welcome. Estefan The album veers from the doo-wop of It s OK to girlpower anthems like Reigns (Every Night) to the laid-back soul of Dream Catcher. The tone whipsaws from vulnerable to rebellious to forceful, with Estefan not afraid to use profanity or unleash her powerful vibrato. In the album s liner notes, the graduate of the Berklee College of Music thanks her parents who have always waited up at 3 a.m. to hear these songs. But her music charts a fiercely independent course. Burn my number, lose my name, she sings in one tune. I ain t one to follow fame. Our advice: Don t forget this name, as if you could. LeAnn Rimes, Remnants (RCA UK/ Thirty Tigers / Sony RED) Somewhere in between a debut, a multiplatinum album at 13 and coming out of an emotional spin cycle called real life 20 years later, a humbled LeAnn Rimes has grown up. The evolution is obvious, sometimes painfully so, on Rimes latest album, Remnants. The industry fell in love with Rimes big voice in 1996 with her big hit album Blue and the hits and awards that followed. A few twists and turns along the way to stardom left her on the outside looking in at the machine that made her. Now she s picking up the pieces. The voice is still there, though more mature and soulful. Skip The Story, the song that hopes it will be a hit, and head right for the good stuff. Do It Wrong With Me shows the kind of earthy reach that Rimes can coax from her voice. It s a sultry torch number that she handles perfectly. The top track is Learning Your Language, featuring minimal guitar work that travels along a beautiful melody. Rimes voice coos and quivers in all the right places. See I m a book of insecurities/ The kind a boy puts down and never ever reads, sings a vulnerable but knowing Rimes. Joey Alexander, the 13-year-old jazz pianist, broke ground after scoring two Grammy nominations last year, though he walked away from the ceremony empty-handed. This year, he has another chance to win. He s nominated for best improvised jazz solo with Countdown at the Feb. 12 show, airing live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Alexander said he was thankful for his Grammy nominations last year, but it was more special to perform on the live telecast and help bring jazz to a stage dominated by pop music. I m very happy to share my music, and not just my music, but the music of jazz that maybe people haven t heard about, he said. Alexander, who is Indonesian, has performed on a number of stages along with the Grammys, including Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Newport Jazz Festival and the White House. Countdown is the title track from Alexander s sophomore album, released last year. His competition at the Grammys includes John Scofield, Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch and Ravi Coltrane, son of the late jazz icon John Coltrane. Grammy-winning hitmaker Timbaland has worked with everyone from Jay Z to Justin Timberlake to the Empire TV series cast, but his latest muse is Chinese pop singer Jane Zhang. Timbaland and Zhang, a global international sensation known as The Dolphin Princess thanks to her whispery high vocals, partnered for the song Dust My Shoulders Off, which reached the top 10 on the US itunes songs chart. Timbaland gave me such a brand new life journey; it s not just about music... (he) really makes me feel refreshed, Zhang, 32, said in a recent interview. He s got a lot of ideas when we re doing music; some ideas just suddenly come without any reasons. I don t know, I just love those ideas. Dust My Shoulders Off is an additive, beat-driven pop song. It s a departure from the sound Zhang has been known for back home, which helped her score multiple hits. The collaboration came about quickly: Two weeks after meeting with Timbaland s manager in a recording studio, Zhang was recording with the man behind hits for Missy Elliott and Nelly Furtado. The 2017 Grammy live collaborations look to be as imaginatively conceived as ever. The awards, which take place on Feb 12, announced on Tuesday that Maren Morris and Alicia Keys will perform together, Anderson. Paak will join A Tribe Called Quest and Dave Grohl, and the Weeknd will team up with Daft Punk. The lineup mixes new talent with Grammy veterans. A country singer and songwriter, Morris is nominated for four awards this year including best new artist. Keys, meanwhile, has 15 Grammys to her name..paak, also a best new artist contender is joined by a 15-time winner in Grohl. In 2016, Tribe released their first album since 1998 s The Love Movement. Previously announced performers at this year s show are Adele, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Metallica, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. This year s Grammy nominees are led by Adele and Beyonce with strong showings from Drake, Rihanna, Kanye West and Chance the Rapper. (Agencies) A picture taken on Dec 11, 2016 shows dancers performing at the opening of the Astana Ballet Theatre in the Kazakh capital of Astana. (AFP) This cover image released by RCA shows Remnants, a release by LeAnn Rimes. (AP) Williams Variety Prince Albert LOS ANGELES: English rock bassist John Wetton, who served as frontman for King Crimson and supergroup Asia, died on Tuesday, according to Wetton s website and a tweet from Asia. The progressiverock musician had been battling colon cancer. Bandmate Geoff Downes made a public statement on the band s Facebook page, saying Wetton will be remembered as one of the world s finest musical talents, and I for one of many was wholly blessed by his influence. It was a massive privilege for me to have worked with this genius so closely on our numerous projects together over the years. Wetton s long list of musical credits include a rise to fame with Mogul Thrash, Family, and King Crimson followed by stints with Uriah Heep, Roxy Music, and Wishbone Ash. Alongside Steve Howe, Wetton formed the group Asia, for which he served as the frontman and lead songwriter. His bass playing was revolutionary. His voice was from the gods. His compositions - out of this world. His sense of melody and harmony - unreal. He was literally a special one, Downes wrote in the Facebook post. Asia went on to release a chart-topping self-titled album, the biggest selling album in the world in Wetton wrote hits like Heat of the Moment and Only Time Will Tell, the former holding at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. Wetton joined and departed Asia several times throughout the last few decades, leaving in 1983 only to rejoin in the following few years. He came back again in 2006, after which the band released four albums: Phoenix, Omega, XXX, and Gravitas. Wetton also had a successful solo career both before and after rejoining Asia in 2006, with albums Caught in the Crossfire (1980) and his final solo release Raised in Captivity (2011). (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: Pharrell Williams and his wife, Helen Lasichanh, have welcomed triplets. Williams publicist says that the family is happy and healthy. She didn t say where or when the babies were born or their genders. The babies join 8-year-old big brother Rocket. The 43-year-old Williams married Lasichanh, a model, in It s shaping up to be a busy year for Williams. He served as a producer on Hidden Figures, which has been nominated for Best Picture at next month s Academy Awards. (AP) PHILADELPHIA: Prince Albert of Monaco says the childhood home of his late mother, Princess Grace Kelly, will reopen to the public next year or earlier. Albert tells People magazine that the Philadelphia home he purchased last year for $754,000 will house regional offices for the Princess Grace Foundation and a US extension of Monaco s Princess Grace Irish Library. It will also be made available for public events once it is renovated. Albert says that since the home sits in a residential neighborhood, it won t be exclusively a museum. Albert visited the home in October. His Culture Artistic level here is very strong Kazakh ballet makes its mark ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Feb 1, (AFP): In the snowy foreground of a brand new steel and glass building in Kazakhstan s capital Astana, a dancer in national dress stands frozen in a dramatic flourish, her body arching towards the sky. The cast-iron abstract sculpture stands at the entrance of the second major ballet theatre to have opened in the new capital in the last few years. Together they point to the energyrich country s ambition to stamp its own mark on an art form inherited from its Soviet past. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union 25 years ago, ballet has enjoyed mixed fortunes in the Muslimmajority Central Asian region s newly independent countries. Much of Kazakhstan s multimillion-dollar ballet boom has been funded by the government, but private sponsors and international partners have also stepped in. President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 76, famously announced in 2013 that a country that builds factories is thinking years ahead... a country that builds theatres is thinking in terms of centuries. At the Astana Ballet Theatre s opening last year, stars of its troupe wowed spectators in a production curated by Brazilian resident choreographer Ricardo Amarante. The artistic level here is very strong: they can do Kazakh national dance, classical ballet and contemporary, the neo-classical specialist, who has been working with the troupe for the last year, told AFP. The support from the government is there and now it is important local ballet keeps its mind open to new styles to add, to build on, its classical foundations, he added. Next door to the 800-seat auditorium is the first certified professional choreography academy recognised throughout Central Asia and unveiled in September. Three years earlier, the city s largest theatre, Astana Opera, also with its own ballet troupe, opened at a cost mother accepted a marriage proposal from his father, Prince Rainier III, in The home was built in 1935 by Kelly s father, John B. Kelly. He was a three-time Olympic gold medal-winning rower in the 1920s. (AP) LOS ANGELES: After Jillian Michaels briefly floated her industrial-chic home on Malibu s Los Flores Beach last fall as a luxury rental at a bank-account busting $40,000 per month, she s relisted it for sale at $8.88 million. The new price tag is substantially lower than the $9.75 million of $320 million (297 million euros). The building is considered one of the architectural showpieces of Astana, the capital since Appeal The money being poured into ballet and other arts, even as Kazakhstan suffers an oil-linked economic downturn, testifies to the enduring appeal of cultural tastes popular in the Soviet era. Russian dancer Galina Ulanova, widely considered one of the greatest ballerinas of all time, has helped drive the development of Kazakh ballet. Ulanova taught and danced in the country s former capital, Almaty, during World War II after being evacuated from the Kirov ballet in Leningrad, the former name for Saint Petersburg. Under the USSR, ballet became particularly popular in major cities, where Russian-speaking elites helped buttress a cultural agenda driven by Moscow. Now ballet is equally popular among Russian-speakers and Kazakh-speakers in a country where over a fifth of the population is ethnic Russian, says Svetlana Dzhalmagambetova, a former senator who sat on the parliament s social and cultural development committee. The Soviet Union did two things very well: space exploration and ballet, said Kazakh-speaking Zhanat Zhunusbekova, after watching Amarante s ballet Diversity at the Astana Ballet Theatre. We used to have to go to Russia to see a ballet like that. Now we have it here, she added. After the end of the Soviet era in 1991, state funding for the arts shrivelled up across the region, which suffered a protracted economic slump. In the resource-poor countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan it has never recovered to pre-soviet levels, driving artists abroad in search of work. They earn no more than $140 per month, Aigul Muratalieva, a teacher the celebrity trainer asked for the property when it first hit the market nearly a year ago. Property records show that the fit-as-afiddle entrepreneur and television personality she s perhaps best known as a hardcharging personal trainer on the first few seasons of The Biggest Loser, and last year her reality show Just Jillian aired on E! purchased the house in September 2010 for $6.62 million. The three-story residence a boxy and muscular concoction of poured concrete and glass linked by a dramatic switchback floating staircase with rift-cut white oak Ukrainian singer Jamala, winner of the Eurovision Contest 2016, holds a placard reading France during the draw of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kiev on Jan 31, The ceremony of symbolic Eurovision Key handover and draw of the participants took place in Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Jan 31, (AFP) at Kyrgyzstan s main ballet school, told AFP referring to the country s ballet dancers. They gain experience here then go abroad. Our repertoire has greatly diminished. We have no soloists to take on the leading roles in important productions. In other countries a new emphasis on pre-soviet national culture has emerged at the expense of the classical arts. Turkmenistan s authoritarian first president Saparmurat Niyazov banned ballet along with opera, insisting both were out of synch with the country s national mentality. During early independence, Kazakh ballet artists would also leave for foreign countries where their classical training was appreciated and they were better paid. Now, increasingly, the best ones stay. The prima ballerina of Astana Opera, Aigerim Beketayeva, starred at the London Coliseum in 2014 in popular Russian choreographer Boris Eifman s production of Rodin. But like her international awardwinning male counterpart Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, Beketayeva has remained attached to the Astana Opera troupe, which she joined after being offered a flat in the capital by the government. Often when you watch ballet artists you can see the effort, their straining for perfection, Gulnara Zhumaseitova, a ballet expert at the Institute of Literature and Arts in Almaty, told AFP. But Beketayeva is so effortless and natural, she said. Zhumaseitova said however that the government must use the new academy to further develop national dance that represents our culture and traditions as well as find its ballet niche on the world stage. National productions based on our dances are something people might come from abroad to see. Currently, they can still watch a better version of Swan Lake in London or Paris, she said. treads measures in at just over 4,300 square feet with three en suite bedrooms, all on the top floor, and 3.5 bathrooms. Polished-concrete floors run throughout the main floor, which includes a doubleheight living room with fireplace and sensational sunset views, a media lounge, and a dining area that opens on one side, through a retractable wall of glass doors, to a spacious beachside terrace. The house is chock-a-block with smart technology that controls the A/V systems and automatic window shades. The listing agents are Madison Hildebrand and Jennifer Chrisman of The Malibu Life team at Partners Trust. The LA native, a property gossip column staple the last couple of years, sold a modest but stylishly done two-bedroom and two-bathroom bungalow above Laurel Canyon last spring for $1.05 million. She continues to own a secluded 7-acre spread above Malibu s Point Dume that was scooped up in July 2014 for a bit more than $3.6 million and includes a Craftsman-style lodge and guest house, swimming pool, a terraced orchard, and extensive equestrian facilities. (RTRS) RALEIGH, NC: A young North Carolina family may have a few joint parties in their future after the couple s new baby daughter was born on the same day as both of her parents. WTVD-TV reports London Hall was born at a Raleigh hospital on Jan 27, 2017 giving her the same birthday as mom Lisa Lowe-Hall and dad Michael Hall. The station reports that London was due on Jan 26, Complications during the labor forced doctors to deliver the baby by cesarean section early on the morning of the 27th. London is the couple s first child. Lowe- Hall calls the 6 pound, 7 ounce little girl, the best birthday gift I think either one of us could have. (AP)

22 22 Lifestyle Donations commodified Rent-a-monk biz thrives as Japan loses temple ties FUNABASHI, Japan, Feb 1, (AFP): In a quiet room thick with the smell of incense, Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe chants sutras to commemorate the one-year anniversary of a woman s death. The 41-year-old may look like a traditional holy man in Japan but he wasn t dispatched by a temple. Instead, the family ordered him through a fast-growing rent-amonk business that has angered traditionalists who warn it is commercialising the religion. Watanabe s employer, Tokyo-based firm Minrevi, said demand for its monk delivery service has spiked since it started in May 2013, as more and more Japanese lose their ties to local temples and lose faith in an opaque donation system. The monk later rings a small traditional bell and bows to relatives as the 30-minute ceremony winds down at the grieving family s home near Tokyo. There are many temples in the neighbourhood, but I didn t know where to call, said the deceased woman s middle-aged son, who asked not to be named. Also, I have no idea how much I should donate. But this has a clear pricing system. At the click of a mouse, customers can hire a monk from Minrevi from 35,000 yen ($300) depending on the ceremony. Retailing giant Aeon sent shockwaves through Buddhist circles in 2010 when it started a service that had a price list for This picture taken on Nov 10, 2016 shows Buddhist monk Kaichi Watanabe (right), speaking to relatives during the one-year anniversary of a woman s death at her home in Funabashi, Chiba prefecture, a suburb of Tokyo. (AFP) introducing customers to temples for funeral services. The open pricing flew in the face of longstanding system in which monks collect donations, known as ofuse, in return for performing ceremonies. But there has been growing unease about the murky system which leaves the amount up to families, who have to make several more donations after a funeral for more than a decade. Japan s Buddhist temples count on donations to do renovations, which can cost several million dollars, but there has been criticism that they re more interested in raising revenue than offering spiritual guidance. Chiko Iwagami, an executive member of the Japan Buddhist Federation, acknowledged that some monks have improperly demanded specific amounts of money at memorial services, hurting public trust. Duties That ignores the spirit of donations, Iwagumi said, noting that monks are not supposed to expect financial rewards for performing their duties. Aeon s fledgling operation outraged the federation, which demanded it take down the price list. The company complied but still runs its service. Earlier this year, the federation also blasted online retailer Amazon for listing Minrevi s monk-renting service. They have commodified donations. This is extremely unfortunate, Iwagami said. But Minrevi s vice-president Masashi Akita brushed off the criticism, saying the company is just offering a platform to connect customers with monks. The firm has a roster of about 700 monks nationwide with business on track to grow by 20 percent this year, he added. Akita, who grew up in rural community where his neighbours regularly visited a temple, said the business is just a sign of the times. I was shocked when I first learned that some people didn t know how to contact a monk, he said. So I wanted to be that bridge. The Japanese government does not keep track of the religious identification of citizens, but participation in rituals related to both Buddhism as well as native Shintoism the two major religions in the country is common across the nation. Some firms also offer Shinto priests services. But attachment to religion has fallen into decline. As the population rapidly ages and small rural communities shrink, some 30 percent of Japan s 75,000 Buddhist temples are at risk of closing by 2040, said Kenji Ishii, a professor of religion at Kokugakuin University in Tokyo. Japanese have maintained ties with temples because of funerals and other types of commmunity-related events, not for religious reasons, he added. Buddhist leaders now have to think how they re going to run their sects with shrinking revenues. But it seems like they don t want to look at the reality. Watanabe, who conducted the service near Tokyo, doesn t see a clash between the business and spiritual aspects of his job. I want to spread the teachings of Buddhism, he said. This service gives us more opportunity to visit homes. I think it s meaningless if we cannot be there to help. Travel Indian Embassy Notice INDIA has further liberalized grant of visas to nationals of USA, Canada and Japan. Fee structure is as below: 1. Visa fee for USA nationals: (a) Tourist visa: Multiple Entry of ten years duration KD 36; (b) Business visa: Multiple Entry of one year duration KD 51; (c) Business visa: Multiple Entry of ten years duration KD Visa fee for Canadian and Japanese nationals: (a) Tourist visa: Multiple Entry of six months duration KD 14; (b) Tourist visa: Multiple Entry of one year duration KD 22; (c) Tourist visa: Multiple Entry of ten years duration KD 42; (d) Business visa: Multiple Entry of one year duration KD 39; (e) Business visa: Multiple Entry of ten years duration KD Visa fee for Kuwaiti nationals: (a) Tourist visa: Multiple Entry of six months duration KD 14; (b) Business visa: Multiple Entry of One year duration KD 39; (c) Business visa: Multiple Entry of Five years duration KD 64. All applicants may visit Passport and Visa Centres of CKGS at (a) 17 Floor, Behbehani Building, Sharq, Kuwait : Tel. No ( indiavisa.kuwait@ckgs.com) or ; (b) Complex Kais Alghanim, 4 Floor, Mecca Street, in front of Annod Complex, Fahaheel, Kuwait: Tel. No ( indiavisa. kuwait@ckgs.com). (c) Jleeb Al Shuyoukh (Abbasiya) 2nd Floor, Jleeb Al Shuyoukh Block 1, Street 1, Xcite Building, Kuwait Tel. No ) ( indiavisa.kuwait@ckgs.com). CKGS s website is In emergency cases, Indian Embassy accepts visa applications directly at its Visa Wing from applicants. click A boom in Alaska trips Cruises offer more in-depth experiences By Beth J. Harpaz demand for more in-depth experiences A from learning how to scuba dive to dining in a private home in port are shaping what s new in the cruise industry this year. Other cruise news: a boom in Alaska trips, a few precious sailings to Cuba and potentially game-changing new technology. High seas, high tech Princess Cruises will debut a coin-sized medallion in November aboard the Regal Princess that could dramatically change guest experiences. Passengers will carry or wear the medallion, which will direct them to their cabins, unlock their doors as they approach and alert crew members to their schedules and preferences, whether it s a class they ve signed up for or a favorite cocktail. It will also streamline getting on and off the ship. Alaska Alaska expects 1.06 million cruise passengers this year, likely breaking its 2008 record of 1.03 million visits. The Alaska Travel Industry Association says larger ships are bringing more visitors, and destinations like Sitka, Juneau and Icy Strait Point have built out piers to accommodate bigger vessels. Smaller ships are simultaneously expanding service, specializing in more remote destinations the bigger ships can t reach. Holland America Line marks its 70th year of exploring Alaska with the redeployment of its Oosterdam ship from Europe to Alaska. Seabourn, a small-ship line, returns to Alaska in June for the first time in 15 years. Lindblad launches a new ship, National Geographic Quest, whose itineraries will include Alaska. This June 26, 2014 file photo shows a cruise ship docked in Juneau, Alaska, while a paraglider soars above. (AP) Carnival Miracle will do a 14-day round-trip to Alaska from Long Beach, California, that will include Carnival Cruise Line s firstever call at Icy Strait Point. Crystal Cruises, which last summer sailed the largest luxury passenger vessel ever through the Northwest Passage, offers a repeat trip from Anchorage on Aug 15. In 2018, Norwegian Cruise Line will launch Norwegian Bliss, a ship custom-built for Alaska trips. Cuba Long-term prospects for travel from the US to Cuba remain uncertain under the new presidential administration. But for now, a number of cruises are scheduled through spring. Havana is on the itinerary for sailings from Florida in April and May aboard Royal Caribbean s Empress of the Seas, and in May on Norwegian Cruise Line s Norwegian Sky. The Fathom brand continues seven-night sailings to Cuba every other week through May. New experiences onboard and onshore Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line offering scuba-diving certification through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Passengers begin the course at home online, continue lessons in a ship pool and finish with four mandatory open-water dives in ports of call. Carnival Cruise Line is offering longer sailings of nine to 15 days with options for more immersive and adventurous experiences beyond beaches and bars. Passengers might visit a school in Mexico or get a homecooked meal at a private house in Jamaica. People are looking for meaningful experiences, said Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz. MSC Cruises launches a wellness experience in April with personalized health assessments and fitness programs, along with a Weight Watchers cruise from Miami to the Caribbean in May. Princess is expanding Discovery at Sea offerings for kids with new programming such as MythBusters science activities and destination-themed programs on culture and nature. Princess is also featuring a new show, Born to Dance, produced with famed composer Stephen Schwartz, paying tribute to Broadway s greatest choreographers and dancers. Holland America Line s new programs include cooking shows and workshops in partnership with America s Test Kitchen, plus Rijksmuseum at Sea, with interactive displays about the famed Amsterdam museum as a tie-in to the cruise line s Dutch heritage. HAL has also just rolled out a partnership with BBC Earth, with games, activities and live concerts during screenings showing wildlife and wilderness. Norwegian Cruise Line has opened a new private destination in southern Belize called Harvest Caye with a beach, villas for daily rental, a lagoon for canoeing and kayaking, and Flighthouse with a zip line, ropes course and more. The port also makes it easy for guests to explore Belize on shore excursions. Cunard s Queen Mary 2 this year offers trans-atlantic cruises themed on space exploration and fashion. Disney Cruise Line will offer Marvel Day at Sea programs featuring Marvel Comics characters in activities, shows, parties and films on seven sailings on Disney Magic from New York City this fall. New ships In November, Royal Caribbean debuted the world s largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, with a 5,479-passenger capacity, two 10-story enclosed dry slides and an escape game room. This year Viking Cruises adds two more ocean-going ships, Viking Sky and Viking Sun, with the Sun embarking on Viking s first-ever world cruise, 141 days long, in December. Viking is also adding two new river ships, Viking Herja and Viking Hild. Crystal Cruises not only launches two new river ships this summer, Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler, but the cruise line is debuting AirCruises on a private Boeing jet that will take guests around the world, starting with a 27-day, $159,000 trip. The world is getting wealthier and the wealthy want to travel, said Crystal CEO Edie Rodriguez. Silversea Cruises launches Silver Muse in April with eight dining venues including a jazz club and Hot Rocks, where guests can cook their own meat, fish and vegetables tableside. Silversea s refurbishment of Silver Cloud as an ice-class expedition ship will be done in November, in time for 11 Antarctic and eight Arctic trips in In July, American Queen Steamboat launches American Duchess, the first contemporary boutique paddle-wheeler vessel built for Mississippi River cruises. The company already operates American Queen on the Mississippi and American Empress in the Pacific Northwest. (AP) 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. 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: Latest 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. Continued on Page 23

23 23 Psychological counselling services offered to students CBSE appoints ICSK Principal Dr Binumon as pre-exam counsellor KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Dr V. Binumon, the Principal of The Indian Community School Kuwait, has been appointed as a counsellor for Kuwait region as part of the CBSE annual pre-examination counselling. This is the 19th consecutive year that CBSE will provide psychological counselling services to students at the time of preparation as well as during the examinations to overcome exam related stress. The pre-examination counselling for students and parents will begin from Feb 9 and will continue up to April 22, The counselling session will be carried out telephonically and Dr V. Binumon can be reached at the mobile number between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm on all days from Feb 9, 2017 to April 20, Dr V. Binumon is trained personnel who has a brilliant record as an Education Counsellor and is empathetic to the needs of students. He has undergone courses and training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy as well. Simultaneous to the counselling session, students and parents shall be instructed on techniques of harnessing stress and stressrelated problems. The CBSE annual counselling is an outreach programme which is carefully designed keeping the heterogeneity of students population and geographical spread. Multiple modes of communication such as telephonic counselling, question answer columns in newspapers and online counselling through CBSE website are used to reach out to more and more examinees during this phase. CBSE Tele-Counselling is offered by principals and trained counsellors from within CBSE affiliated schools located inside and outside India. It is a voluntary, free of cost service provided by the counsellors. This year 76 Principals, trained counsellors from CBSE affiliated government and private schools and few psychologists will participate in Tele-Counselling and address exam related psychological problems of the students. 60 of them are available in India while 16 are located in Nepal, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Sultnate of Oman, Al Khobar), UAE (Sharjah, Dubai, Ras Al-Khaimah) and Kuwait. For the eighth year CBSE has arranged to provide counselling to differently abled children to take care of the needs and anxiety of special children. CBSE experts will answer queries of students through weekly question answer columns to be published in major national dailies during the month of February. Information related to examinations and techniques to cope with exam related anxiety is also provided at the CBSE Dr V. Binumon website through micro link Helpline. As challenges are a part of one s life at different stages, one of the challenges during school years is learning to handle examination pressure. Therefore, equipping oneself to form these emotions in simple ways is the wisdom to move ahead in life with a healthy competition. When the students are writing exams, what one writes is not as important as how one writes. The students who are stressed should have a fear-free environment to produce great results in exams. This is the purpose of providing one with the pre-exam counselling. Students who have any stress related issues regarding the examinations may feel free to contact Dr V. Binumon between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm on all days from Feb 9, 2017 to April 20, click Latest Continued from Page 22 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 Continued on Page 28

24 24 Overheard in the Souk the grapevine It is quite common to be driving down one of the many ring roads in Kuwait and be met with congestion that causes traffic to slow to a crawl and sometimes, halt completely. Then suddenly, one may find that the overcrowding has dissipated and the source of the jam remains unknown. Researchers studying traffic flow point out that if there are enough cars on a highway, any minor disruptions to the flow of traffic can cause a chain reaction that amplifies until it produces a wave of stopped or slowed traffic. The solution is for drivers to anticipate higher traffic densities ahead and slow down to leave more room in front of them instead of snuggling up to the car ahead and abruptly braking. This may sound like sheer common sense, but look around and you may find it lacking. The love month is here! This is the favourite month of lovers and the hopeless romantics out there but it s the month dreaded by those who have been single for ages and celebrated by those who are simply happy being single forever. Love will find you as they always tell those who constantly look for their soulmate who might just be out there. Finding true love is never easy, it is a quest that requires time, energy and determination. It might seem to you that everyone around you is in a happy relationship and that only you struggle to find that significant other. However, although luck and patience are key ingredients when it comes to finding true love, that doesn t mean that there aren t some steps you can take towards finding your true love. But as they say, before finding love, be sure that you love yourself and you have love in your heart. How can you give love and be loved if you don t have love? Hey, don t lose hope! Who knows, you might just get lucky this love month so welcome February and embrace it with open arms with the hope of finding that one great love. The National Assembly finally succeeded in debating the grilling request submitted against the Minister of Information and Minister of Youth Affairs. Even though the minister saw the grilling motion as unconstitutional due to its lack of clarification, he agreed to stand on the podium in order to clarify and reveal what he described as facts to the general public about irregularities that he has been accused of committing in his ministries. The debate took over 12 hours with both sides naming, shaming and trading accusations. Finally the minister and his supporters demanded the Parliament to give the minister more time to correct the problems surrounding Kuwaiti sports activity and other irregularities found in the ministries. However, the proponent of the interpellation motion and their supporters presented no-confidence motion against the minister in an attempt to remove him out of power. We are waiting to see whether or not the minister will survive the motion when this will be debated in a special session next week. Tongues Way BSK A photo from the event BSK students tackle Mutla a Ridge A group of twenty-two Sixth Form students and 10 teachers embarked on a journey from the comforts of the suburb of Salwa and the British School of Kuwait (BSK) for the desert and the heights of Mutla a Ridge. The torrents of rain around Thursday lunchtime filled the conversations with rumours of cancellation, but as the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad weather, only incorrect clothing. The rain cleared, the sun shone and the students and staff headed to Mutla a Ridge for their first night of camping. High up on the ridge with a view of the city lights as the sun began to set the students wrestled with their tents in challenging wind speeds. Food was cooked, camp fires were sung around and sleep was needed before their first day of trekking. The students rose before the sun to a chilly morning and clear sky. They began their journey along the ridge before finding a safe route down. Even those whose feet were blistered from wearing new boots for the first time made it all the way to the end which was about 30 kms. It was an epic day and all felt a strong sense of achievement and even enjoyment by the time it came to food and sleep. The next morning students rose again this time feeling slightly more experienced but more tired. With a total of 12 kms to walk, they made their way across the sand to various heights with panoramic views before reaching their final destination and successfully completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Adventurous Journey Practice. The students faced navigational, physical, social and emotional challenges but managed these challenges carefully and thoughtfully and were a credit to themselves. They are now better prepared physically and mentally for their overseas trip to Sri Lanka at the end of February. FAIPS successfully holds 2nd Inter-School Quiz Competition A photo from the event Quizzing is a forte that FAIPS proudly seeks to exploit time and again. With an aim to identify young quizzers and instill in them a thirst for knowledge and awareness Catch Them Young an Inter-School Quiz Program was created to pick out such enthusiastic quizzers from classes IV and V. On January 5th, 2017 the IBS (International British School) venue was abuzz with students who had come to witness and participate in the 2nd Inter- School Quiz Competition, a battle of knowledge and wit displayed by the youngsters of different Indian schools in Kuwait. Following a preliminary round held in the month of December, six out of the ten Indian Schools that qualified for the finals were the- Indian English Academy, Gulf Indian School, Indian Learners Own Academy, Indian Educational School, Indian Community School and the host school, FAIPS-DPS. Under the able guidance of the quiz master Ms. Sarmistha Roy, the quiz progressed taking the participants through different nerve-wracking rounds including one by the Principal of FAIPS. After a volley of questions ranging from Sports, Current affairs, Entertainment and Literature, the winners of the 2nd Inter-School Quiz Competition emerged following the Buzzer Round. Indian English Academy (Don Bosco) came 1st, followed by FAIPS-DPS in the 2nd position and Indian Community School Khaitan in the 3rd place. The Chief Guest, K.G. Alexander and the Guest of Honours, Jaffar and Zoheb, Kidzania gave away the prizes to the winners and participants. A photo from the event. ICSK Junior holds special assembly to mark Republic Day of India The air was full of patriotic fervour as the enthusiastic students of ICSK Junior celebrated 68th Republic day of India with assemblies reflecting the theme on Jan 23 and 24, The corridors and class rooms were decorated to ring in the festive spirit. Assemblies began with the recitation of the verses from the Holy Quran followed by the school prayer. The tri-colour was hoisted by the principal in charge Mrs Sherly Dennis and the students took the pledge in honour of our incredible country. Thought for the day depicted the importance of this day. The tiny tots from KG performed a wonderful dance praising the Mother land, followed by a speech reminding citizens about our duties towards our country. A patriotic song which followed the dance highlighted the unique features of our land and how proud we are to be called Indians. A street play was performed depicting the value of fundamental duties and fundamental rights of Indian citizens. A wonderful dance performance to the foot tapping dance numbers was the highlight of the show. Principal, Mrs Sherly Dennis addressed the assembly and asked some questions about our constitution. Master Arjun received loud cheers as he said the complete preamble of the constitution without any errors. The prizes for the winners CCA Competitions for the month of January were given after which the assembly was dispersed with the singing of Indian National Anthem.

25 25 Irish author first novelist to win Costa prize twice SEAL who says he killed bin Laden has book deal NEW YORK, Feb 1, (Agencies): The Navy SEAL who has said he fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden has a memoir coming out this spring. Scribner told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Robert O Neill s The Operator will be published April 25. According to Scribner, O Neill s book will vividly recount a career that included some 400 missions, notably the May 2011 raid on bin Laden s compound in Pakistan. O Neill also was on the missions that helped rescue Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates and SEAL Marcus Luttrell from Afghanistan. In a statement issued through Scribner, O Neill said he wanted to show the human side of the battles fought for the country worldwide. They are extraordinary people, but they are also normal and I was proud to serve with them, he said. I also wanted to show that it is possible to do anything you want, no matter where you are from, as long as you work hard, avoid negativity and never quit. O Neill first alleged that he had killed bin Laden in 2014, an announcement that the government has neither affirmed nor disputed. Around the same time, the head of Naval Special Warfare Command issued a letter criticizing violations of the SEAL ethos against self-promotion. A critical tenant of our ethos is I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions, wrote Rear Adm. Brian Losey. Our ethos is a life-long commitment and obligation, both in and out of the service. Violators of our ethos are neither teammates in good standing, nor teammates who represent Naval Special Warfare. Another SEAL on the bin Laden mission, Matthew Bissonnette, wrote the best-selling No Easy Day in Completed under the pseudonym Mark Owen, the book offered a detailed accounting of the raid but did not identify by name the SEAL who killed bin Laden. Bissonnette was threatened with prison for not clearing his manuscript with the Pentagon and last year agreed to pay the government millions of dollars for back earnings and legal fees. A Scribner spokesman said the Pentagon has cleared O Neill s book. O Neill is the recipient of numerous honors, including two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars with Valor and a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor. His book, Scribner announced, will offer powerful stories about and new insights into our war against terror, and will capture the fierce and unique brotherhood among SEALs many of whom spend up to 300 days away from their families and rely on team members for their survival. Irish writer Sebastian Barry on Tuesday became the first novelist to scoop the Costa Book of the Year award twice, with his portrayal of an 1850s gay relationship between US soldiers. Days Without End was the judges unanimous choice for Barry s searing, magnificent and incredibly moving description of how the West was won, said the award chair Kate Williams. The novel follows the relationship of two young men fighting for the US army, as they journey from Wyoming to Tennessee. Collecting his 30,000 ($38,000, 35,000 euros) prize at a ceremony in London, Barry said he was thrilled with the win. You have made me crazy happy from the top of my head to my toes in a way that is a little bit improper at 61, said the author. Barry previously won the Costa Book of the Year award in 2008 for his novel The Secret The roving ambassador of Arabic culture Scripture. While he is the first novelist to take the prize on two occasions, poets Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes have each won twice. Williams praised the beautiful characterisations and brilliant writing of this year s winner, explaining Barry chose to write about the same-sex relationship between the two soldiers after the author s son came out as gay. The award is open to authors living in Britain and Ireland and attracted 596 entries for the 2017 prize, five of which were shortlisted. Last year the award was picked up by Frances Hardinge for The Lie Tree, a 19thcentury detective novel. Also: NEW YORK: A former special agent who once helped capture the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo is working on a book. HarperCollins told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Drug Enforcement Administration official, writing under the pseudonym Cole Merrell, was collaborating with author Douglas Century on Hunting El Chapo. The book is scheduled to come out Oct 17. Century s previous books include Barney Ross and Street Kingdom. According to the publisher, Hunting El Chapo will offer a cinematically detailed take on the investigation and eventual capture of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman-Loera in El Chapo escaped in 2015, was recaptured last year and was extradited to the US earlier this month. NEW YORK: Ohio Gov John Kasich, a prominent Republican detractor of President Donald Trump, has a book deal. Thomas Dunne Books says Tuesday that Kasich s Two Paths: America Divided or United will be published April 25. The book will reflect on Kasich s career, his run for the presidency and his views on a wide range of issues, from media coverage of politics to voting rights. The 64-year-old Kasich was a leading competitor to Trump in the GOP primary race and declined to endorse Trump after he clinched the nomination. The two have continued to feud, with Kasich calling Trump s recent immigration executive order ham-handed, and Trump supporting a contender for state party chair in Ohio who defeated a Kasich backer for the job. Ismael: Founding father of Kuwaiti novel By Bader Abu Raghabah Al-Otaibi Kuwaiti Freelance Journalist Special to the Arab Times Ismael Fahad Ismael is a veteran Kuwaiti litterateur, novelist, short story writer, playwright and literary critic. He is a writer of greater eminence in Arabic literature with an amazing prolificacy through his numerous outstanding novels, short stories, plays as well as critical studies. He was born in 1940 at the village of Al-Sebiliyat in Abu Al-Khasseeb town in Al-Basra province, south of Iraq to a Kuwaiti father and Iraqi mother. He hails from Zubairi family came from Najd in Saudi Arabia. He completed his schooling in Iraq and gained a bachelor s degree in literature and criticism in 1979 from the Higher Institute for Theatre Arts in Kuwait where he worked in teaching at one of its government schools. In his more than half-century creative literary journey, Ismael has thirty seven publications (37) to his credit which include twenty six novels (26), one novella (1), two collections of short stories (2), three plays (3) and five studies (5). Ismael was interested in writing fiction at an early age, and his debut short story collection entitled Al-Bughaah Al-Dakinah (The dark spot) was published in Though he was released his second collection of short stories titled Al-Aghfass Wal Lughah Al-Mushtarakah (The cages and the common language) in 1974, his attention was already shifted to novels. His first novel titled Kanat Al-Samaa Zarghaa (The sky was blue) has been published in 1970, and its introduction was written by Salah Abdul Saboor, the late famous Egyptian poet and here is an excerpt from it: It was a surprise for me, and this is the novel of twentieth century which came from the far east of Arabia. That novel was banned in Iraq and Syria due to its storyline which had been based on a military coup incident in Iraq and the running away of soldiers. The compilation was the first volume of this fourfold book and the other three subsequent published novels are: Al-Mustanghaat Al-Dhaweiyah (The photic swamps) (1971), Al-Habl (The rope) (1972) and Al-Dhifaf Al-Okhra (The other shores) (1973). Published In 1975, he released his novel Malaf Al- Hadithah 67 (The file of case 67) which explores the troubled psyche of an innocent expatriate Palestinian who has been investigated for nothing in Kuwait. And in that year, Ismael has also published his novel Al-Shaiyah, where its title named after a small Lebanese town which was witnessed to a genocide and mass atrocities during the ongoing civil war there. The alienation and falsity of relationships among the friends were the central themes of his novel Al-toiyoor Wal Asdighaa (The birds and the friends) which was published in He dealt successfully with various complex aspects of human life to reflect the reality of Kuwaiti society at that time in his novel Khutwah Fee Al-Hulom (A move in the dream) which was released in His trilogy which its title derived from the name of Nile river in Arabic language, was a breath of fresh air in Arabic fiction due to its authentic subjects such as history, heritage, traditions, politics as well as love story of course, and its events present the bewildering variety of sight and sounds of the old city of Cairo, the capital of Egypt and starting from 17th century South till the end 1980s. The three parts of published collection are namely: Al-Neel Yajri Shamalan: Al-Bidaiyat (The Nile flows north: The beginnings) (1983), Al- Neel Yajri Shamalan: Al-Nawatteer (The Nile flows north: The gatekeepers) (1984) and Al-Neel Al-Ttam Al-Raehah (The Nile, the taste, the smell) (1989). After the liberation of Kuwait in February 1991, Ismael left his own country to the Philippines, his self-imposed exile where he spent five of his years there. Then, he started writing his novel entitled Ihdathiyaat Zaman Al-Ozlah (coordi- nates of the time of isolation) which was published in This work derived from the writer s experience as a resistant citizen during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (Iraq-Kuwait war) in August 1990 until the liberation of Kuwait in February 1991, and is considered the longest novel ever written in Arabic. It has been serialized in seven parts (sevenfold book) which were published under the following titles: Al-Shams Fee Burj Al-Hoot (The Sun in the Pisces) (1996), Al-Haiyatu Wajhun Akhr (The life is another face) (1996), Ghaidu Al-Ashiyaa (The bond of things) (1996), Dawaer Al-Istihaalaat (The circles of impossibility) (1996),Thakirat Al-Hudhoor (The memory of presence) (1996), Al-Ababiliyoon (1996) and Al-Assf (The blast) (1996). Ismael has published his novel titled Baaedan Ela Huna (Far away..to here) in 1997, which revolves around the alienation of Srilankan housemaid named Kumari and her Kuwaiti sponsor (Kafeel) who called Saud. Style His political novel entitled Yahdithu Amss (It happens yesterday) was also published in 1997 by which he has introduced the old relations between Basra (in Kuwaiti litterateur Ismael Fahad Ismael and some of the book covers of his works. Iraq) and Kuwait through a unique style to add a new dimension to the Arabic novel, breaking new ground in the literary vista. Ismael s historical novel named Al- Kaaenu Al-Dhil (The shadow organism) Bader Al-Otaibi was released in 1999, and revolves around the thievish journey of Hamdoon Ibn Hamdi, one of the most famous Arabian bandits in the old city of Baghdad. In 2000, The dramatic novel of Ismael Fahad Ismal, Samaa Naaeiyah (A remote sky) has been published as a cumulative social aggregations on Kuwaiti people due to the effects of war (Iraq-Kuwait) and liberation of Kuwait in February His only novella in terms of its literary genre, has been published in 2010 under the title Mesk (Musk), and through it, the writer deals with social issue based on the story of separation between a Kuwaiti married couple who were divorced laterly and their alienation at many terminals like Athens in Greece and Berlin in Germany after September 11 attacks. Toiyoor Al-Taaji (Al-Taji s birds), one of his creative novelistic works which was published in 2014, and he narrated the bitter agonies of three Kuwaiti captives who were jailed in Al-Taaji, the notorious Iraqi camp during the Invasion of Kuwait period. In the same year, Ismael has also published a part of his autobiographical novel about his close friend Naji Al-Ali ( ), the late famous Palestinian cartoonist who was lived in Kuwait at the previous time period, as well as it deals with Al-Badoon s issue those who have no rights because they are non-kuwaiti citizens and who live in Kuwait without any nationality. This novel has been titled Fee Hadhrat Al-Anghaa Wal Khil Al-Wafi (In the presence of the phoenix and the loyal friend) (2014), and has been nominated on the long list for the 2015 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (Arabic Booker Prize). His last novel seems to be a wonderful blend between poetry and fictional biography on the life story of the late legendary Nabati poet Ibn Laboon ( ) who was born in Saudi Arabia (Najd), lived in Iraq (Al-Basra) and died in Kuwait. The novel was published in 2015 under the title Al-Dhuhoor Al-Thani Le Ibn Laaboon (The second appearance of Ibn Laaboon). Finally in terms of novelistic career, Ismael latest novel s Al-Sebiliyat was published in 2015 and its title has been derived from his birthplace, the village of Al-Sebiliyat in Iraq as a part of his biography through the story of an old woman called Om Ghassem, the main character and her relationship with a donkey which reflect the value of home at the end. Passion As long as, Ismael has wanted to be a film maker since his childhood but his financial circumstances always prevented him to fulfill that eternal dream. May be this passion turned him later to the theatre and led him to became a talented playwright. His debut play Al-Nass (The text) was published in 1982 and staged in Bahrain where his second play entitled Al-Aardh Lam Yabda (The show did not start) (2003) was staged there too, and his last play is Lel Hadath Baghiyah Ibn Zaiydoon (The event has a sequel, Ibn Zaiydoon) which was published in As a literary critic, he has published five studies on different themes such as the Kuwaiti short story, the late Kuwaiti poet Ali Al-Sabti, the Kuwaiti litterateur and novelist Laila Al-Othman and other experiences for some Arab writers. And these books were released under the following titles: Al-ghissah Al-Arabiyah Fee Al-Kuwait (The Arabic story in Kuwait) (1977), Al-Fiel Al-Dirami Wa Nagheedhuhu (The dramatic action and its antithesis) (1978), Ali Al-Sabti: Shaaeron Fee Al-Hawaa Al-Talgh (Ali Al-Sabti: A poet in open air) (2002), Ma Taalamatuhu Al-Shajarah Laila Al-Othman (What the tree, Laila Al-Othman has learned) (2005) and Mubdeoon Mughaiyeroon: Kalimaat Mughaamerah (Contrasting creatives: Adventurous writings) (2006), respectively. In addition to his many contributions to Arabic literature and commonly known by his honorific titles such as the roving ambassador of Arabic culture or the sheikh of Gulf novelists. Ismael has also earned the respect of the entire Kuwaiti modern literary sphere for playing a very crucial torch-bearer s role in discovering, nurturing and promoting young literary talents in his own country from the middle of 1960s. Ismael Fahad Ismael considers himself an experimental writer, and he has been outspoken about his early life in Iraq, his works and influences on his works which some of them have been translated into several foreign languages such as English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Italian. He has been conferred with many awards include the incentivizing state award in 1989 for his novel Al-Neel Al-Ttam Al-Raehah (The Nile, the taste, the smell), and he also was awarded the incentivizing state award in 2002 for his contribution to Kuwaiti literature and Arabic criticism, for his critical book entitled Ali Al-Sabti: Shaaeron Fee Al-Hawaa Al-Talgh (Ali Al-Sabti: A poet in open air), as well as he is the recipient of the Sultan Bin Ali Al-Oais Cultural Foundation Award in Unfortunately, Ismael Fahad Ismael once said that he failed to write his autobiography.

26 26 US $100 mn global catering deal sealed Etihad Aviation and Lufthansa Group extend cooperation ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb 1: Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa German Airlines, part of Europe s largest aviation group, today unveiled details of a new commercial partnership. The two airline groups have concluded a US $100 million global catering agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul. Addressing a press conference today in Abu Dhabi, the chief executives of both airline groups spelled out plans to broaden their commercial partnership. James Hogan, Etihad Aviation Group President and Chief Executive Officer, said: Partnerships are at the heart of our strategy and remain fundamental for us to compete effectively and efficiently in a complex and competitive global market. Our collaboration with one of the aviation industry s most established and recognised brands is undoubtedly the most significant non-equity partnership with an airline we have ever announced. This partnership is the platform for a much wider strategic collaboration A photo from the event between our two organisations. It demonstrates the commitment of the Etihad Aviation Group Board and Abu Dhabi to our European growth strategy. Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: We welcome the opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with the Etihad Aviation Group. Together we can create added value for our customers and shareholders. Partnering with the Etihad Aviation Group fits perfectly the Lufthansa Group s global strategy for our passenger airlines and service companies. The four-year catering contract will see Lufthansa s LSG Sky Chefs provide catering services to Etihad Airways in 16 cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas. This makes LSG the largest provider of catering services to the UAE s national airline, outside its Abu Dhabi home base. Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa Technik (LHT) also signed an MoU to explore cooperation in maintenance, repair and overhaul services across Etihad Airways and its airline equity partners, and opportunities for synergies with Etihad Airways Engineering. Etihad Airways and Lufthansa are also exploring further cooperation in a number of areas, including freight operations, procurement and passenger services to improve their competitive offering globally and in the European market. The previously announced codeshare between the two airline groups goes on sale today, Feb 1, for flights between Abu Dhabi and Germany. Lufthansa will place its LH code on Etihad Airways twice daily flights between its Abu Dhabi hub and both Frankfurt and Munich. Etihad will put its EY code on Lufthansa s long-haul, non-stop intercontinental services between its home base of Frankfurt, the business and commercial capital of Germany, and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and the Colombian capital, Bogota as soon as government approval is obtained. The codeshare agreement will grow both carriers global networks, giving Lufthansa increased access to important feeder markets throughout the Indian Subcontinent via Abu Dhabi, while Etihad will gain access into South America through Germany. To facilitate both connectivity and the customer experience associated with this codeshare, the Abu Dhabibased airline will also move its operations at Lufthansa s hubs, from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 in Frankfurt, and Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 in Munich. The Lufthansa Group signed an agreement in December 2016 with airberlin, in which Etihad Aviation Group holds a 29 percent stake, for the wetlease of 38 aircraft. Lufthansa s pointto-point carrier Eurowings will wet lease 33 aircraft, and Austrian Airlines, a Lufthansa Group airline, will take on five aircraft. The agreement between Eurowings and Air Berlin, signed on Dec 16, 2016, will last for six years and is slated to begin on 10 February 2017 when the first aircraft starts operating for Eurowings. KFH holds honoring ceremony for car dealerships Group Chief Retail and Private Banking Officer at Kuwait Finance House (KFH), Waleed Mandani said that the strong ties that bind KFH and the car dealerships are the pillars for a stable auto market. This relationship has represented for over 40 years a main factor for delivering best services to customers, achieving the cross selling targets, and addressing customers financing needs. Speaking at the car dealerships honoring ceremony Up to 25 pct off at select Jumeirah hotels room bookings Enjoy exclusive getaways with ABK Visa Card Al-Danah Q1 draw on March 30 Gulf Bank reveals daily winners for week KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah daily draws on Jan 29, 2017 announcing the names of its winners for the week of Jan 22 Jan 26, The Al-Danah daily draws include draws each and every working day for two prizes of KD 1,000 per winner. The winners were: (Sunday 22/1): Mohammed Sultan Ismel Al-Qalaf, Adel Abdullah Mohammed Al- Naser; (Monday 23/1): Ebrahim Khaled Saad Abdullah, Nader Naser Theyab Al-Turki; (Tuesday 24/1): Naser Amran Abdullah Kanaan, Rajaa Sulaiman Dawoud Mohammad; (Wednesday 25/1): Rozat Shafiq Abbasi, Sawsan Abdulrazaq Jassim Al- Abdulsalam; (Thursday 26/1): Hanaa Nader Al-Khudari, Mahmoud Hasan Haq Aadrmnabada Gulf Bank s Al-Danah 2017 draw lineup includes daily draws (2 winners per working day and each receive KD 1000). Al-Danah s 1st Quarterly draw for the prize of KD 200,000 will be held on March 30, the 2nd Quarterly draw for the prize of KD 250,000 will be held on June 29 and the 3rd Quarterly Draw for the prize of KD 500,000 will be held on Sept 28. The final Al- Danah draw for 1 Million Kuwaiti Dinars will be held on Jan 11, 2018 whereby the Al-Danah Millionaire will be announced. Five reasons why the Al-Danah account is the best: 1) Kuwait s single biggest yearly cash prize of KD 1 Million 2) Kuwait s biggest quarterly cash prizes, up to KD 500,000 3) Two winners of KD 1,000 every working day 4) The most chances to win 5) Only Bank that transfers your chances to win from year to 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. Chance to win Nissan Patrol Burgan Bank to announce Salary draw winner KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Burgan Bank will soon be announcing the lucky winner of its newly re-launched Al Thuraya Salary Account. The winner will be granted a Nissan Patrol SUV. The new draw rewards new and existing customers who transfer their salary to Burgan bank a chance to win a Nissan Patrol SUV every month. The new draw is part of Burgan Bank s approach of rewarding loyal customers with higher chances of winning A group picture of car dealerships with KFH officials themed Success Partners that was held to celebrate 40 years of partnerships, Mandani added: the relationship between the two sides has been improving over the years and now it is a role model that encourages others to follow suit. We extend our thanks and appreciation to our success partners in recognition of their cooperation with KFH. This spirit allows us to beat the odds and overcome challenges. He voiced hope that the year 2017 witnesses while encouraging new customers to benefit from the bank s unique offerings. With the introduction of this new monthly draw, every KD 10 available in the account provides the customer a chance to win. The Al Thuraya Account s features range from the option to hold money in Kuwaiti dinar and any other major currencies, access to account-related services such as standing orders, loans and credit cards and much Bank praised KIB donates wheelchairs KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: On a recent visit by the Bank s Corporate Communications Unit team to the Hospital, Kuwait International Bank (KIB) donated wheelchairs to Al-Amiri Hospital, as part of an ongoing initiative aimed at providing moral and financial support to the local healthcare sector. During the visit, a team from KIB s Corporate Communications Unit met with Hospital Director Dr Fatima Al-Asoumi, who expressed her gratitude for the Bank s ongoing efforts to support the healthcare sector, praising KIB s various social responsibility initiatives dedicated to promoting health awareness and healthcare development. Nawaf Najia, Manager of the Corporate Communications Unit at KIB, said: KIB is constantly working to enhance the lives of different segments in the community through A photo from the event ongoing programs and initiatives; a concept embedded in the very essence of our social responsibility philosophy. Healthcare continues to be one of our biggest platforms, as we are keen on promoting a greater sense of health consciousness across the community in Kuwait. KIB believes that its role goes beyond the provision of banking services, as it adopts an array of social initiatives that serve to better the community and cater to the needs of people across all segments. The Bank has devoted a major part of its leading social responsibility program to the area of health. Throughout the year KIB offers its strategic sponsorship to leading healthcare organizations and initiatives, and focuses on promoting awareness regarding key health issues affecting Kuwait s society, such as cancer and diabetes. more. The account has been further developed in response to offering more benefits and increasing chances to win. Customers wishing to open an Al Thuraya account can do so by simply visiting the nearest Burgan Bank branch and obtain all the necessary details, or simply call the bank s call center on For further information, customers can also visit the bank s website on more growth and success in the auto market, indicating concerted efforts contribute in achieving stability in the market, while further boost the growth indicators. Mandani reiterated that KFH spares no efforts to offer best customer service while constantly improves its products as per international standards. KFH is keen on increasing its market share and strengthening its role in revitalizing the market. KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK), VISA and Jumeirah Properties have joined forces to offer ABK Visa cardholders fantastic Jumeirah Hotel deals and exclusive travel discounts for Customers making bookings using their ABK Visa card before March 31, 2017 can enjoy a range of unbeatable benefits, such as up to 25 percent off the best available room rate at selected Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts across the UAE, Kuwait and Maldives, and up to 10 percent off best room rates at selected Jumeirah Hotels in Europe. For visits booked to UAE, Kuwait or Maldives, customers can get up to 25 percent off the best available room rate at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Jumeirah Emirates Towers and Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa, Jumeirah Dhevanafushi and Jumeirah Vittaveli. Bookings must be for a minimum of three nights and will include complimentary buffet breakfast, access to the hotel s Kids Club and, for Dubai only, exclusive beach access and unlimited access to Wild Wadi Waterpark. In Europe, customers can get a 10 percent discount of the best available room rate if they book for a minimum of two nights in any of the following participating Jumeirah hotels: Jumeirah Frankfurt, Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah, Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel and Grosvenor House Suites. Guests will also receive complimentary breakfast for two guests, a complementary 50 EUR spa or food and beverage credit, two tickets to a local cultural attraction, seasonal VIP amenities and late check-out until More information on UAE, Kuwait and Maldives offers can be found at and information about stays in Europe can be found at TasteEuropewithvisa. For more information about Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait please visit eahli.com or contact a customer service agent via Ahlan Ahli at Gulf Bank launches Gulf Live new interactive teller machines KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Gulf Bank is pleased to be one of the first banks in Kuwait to launch its Interactive Teller Machine (ITM) entitled Gulf Live across many of its branches. With cutting-edge technology and live customer service representatives, customers can easily conduct their daily transaction needs. Gulf Live is a live video conversation with Gulf Bank s representatives allowing customers to avoid queues in branches and has extended hours of services. Through Gulf Live customers can withdraw amounts up to KD 5,000 and deposit amounts up to KD 3,000. Customers can also cash and deposit checks, in addition to a variety of transaction which are usually offered by the branch tellers. Choosing a denomination which ranges from KD 1 to KD 20, conducting all transactions by simply using a civil ID rather than a debit card, are also part of Gulf Live. The new ITMs enable Gulf Bank to offer its customers the benefits of both self-service video banking and the branch experience in one simple solution. In fact, it combines video banking and remote transaction processing banking technology embedded within the ITM to give the customer the choice of self-service or connecting with a remote teller in a highly personalized, two-way audio/ video interaction. The new Gulf Live machines are available at the Gulf Bank head office on Mubarak Al-Kabeer Street in Kuwait City, as well as the Jabriya branch and Al Adan branch. Gulf Bank will be deploying this new service at different branches throughout the year. To find out more about the Gulf Bank, customers can visit the bank s bilingual website at call the Customer Contact Center on , or visit one of Gulf Bank s 56 branches in Kuwait. Photo of Gulf Live interactive teller machine Book all-inclusive flight, hotel Qatar Airways offers holiday packages for DJWE visitors DOHA, Qatar, Feb 1: Qatar Airways Holidays, the leisure division of Qatar Airways is offering fantastic packages for visitors travelling to the fourteenth edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watch Exhibition 2017 (DJWE) taking place between February. Qatar Airways Holidays has designed special flight, hotel and tour packages for visitors to this international luxury event, providing seamless travel arrangements and allowing them to discover what Doha has to offer during their trip. A range of Economy and Premium packages are available, including for premium travel a first class return ticket and two nights stay at a five star hotel starting from KWD 135 per person. Qatar Airways Holidays exclusive hotel packages also offer complimentary services such as buffet breakfast, room upgrades, airport shuttle, parking, early check-in,late check-out and discount vouchers for spa, activites and meals depending on the availability. Travellers can book flight and hotel packages or hotels from now until 25 February by visiting www. qatarairwaysholidays.com/djwe. Qatar Airways Senior Vice President of Commercial Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, Ehab Amin, said: Qatar Airways Holidays is offering visitors to Doha complete travel packages at special prices, to ensure travellers enjoy visiting this international event and their opportunity to explore Doha. Visitors booking through Qatar Airways Holidays website will benefit from holiday extras such as early checkin and late check-out, airport shuttles and much more, all designed to make their travel as glamorous as the jewellery and watches they will discover at the fair. Travellers looking for transportation for the entirety of their trip can also hire cars as well as city and cultural tours from Qatar Airways Holidays website. This annual luxury exhibition welcomes more than 400 brands showcasing their striking gemstone and accessories collections at Doha Exhibition and Conference Centre (DECC) in the heart of Doha s business district. DJWE 2017 is organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) who together with this year s partners, Auditoire, gives discerning visitors an exclusive experience; one that brings together old world hospitality with cosmopolitan sophistication to deliver a wealth of new experiences a series of new fairytale stories in luxury. Qatar Airways Holidays is the leisure travel division of Qatar Airways. It offers a diverse range of full-service holiday packages, hotels, car rentals, tours and airport transfers for all types of traveller that demand a seamless and hasslefree travel experience. Travellers planning holidays can choose flights and accommodation, book transfers, insurance and destination activities all with Qatar Airways Holidays from Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman to more than 150 Qatar Airways destinations worldwide and beyond to over 1,500 tourism global destinations.

27 27 h o r o s c o p e By Jacqueline Bigar Happy birthday for Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017: This year you might be more stubborn than you realize. You are also prone toward impulsiveness. Make it a point to slow down and take in the big picture. Detach as much as possible, and you will feel better. If you are single, you could meet someone quite exotic and different from you. Whether or not this is a long-term bond, you will change because of relating to this person. If you are attached, getting 100 percent involved in whatever you are doing will result in a stronger bond between you and your sweetie. You will enjoy all the one-on-one time you can get. TAURUS knows how to get you fired up. 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 ll discover how different your opinion is from someone else s. A domestic matter or real estate issue weaves right through your day. Know what you want and go for it, but know that you could change your mind about your objective later. Tonight: Add some mischief. Aquarius - (Jan 20 - Feb 18) **** You will state your case and also support yourself in heading in a certain direction. You could find it nearly impossible to continue down your chosen path. You might opt to be more spontaneous and impulsive. Count on there being ramifications. Tonight: Settle in. Pisces - (Feb 19 - Mar 20) **** Continue your disciplined approach in order to get more of what you want. You could feel frustrated by not being able to do everything you had set out to do. An unexpected windfall or expense could throw your present comfortable status in the air. Tonight: Mellow out. Aries - (Mar 21 - Apr 19) **** Put your best foot forward. The unexpected could elicit an element of confusion. Several close loved ones will come forward and prove to be helpful. Take an overview of the present situation. Detach, and you will feel better and more secure. Tonight: Think weekend. Taurus - (Apr 20 - May 20) *** You might want to pull back and think before you take action. Use the morning and part of the afternoon to re-evaluate a decision. You could be flipping back and forth between two approaches. This process helps you to see more clearly. Tonight: You feel up to snuff. Gemini - (May 21 - June 20) *** Use the daylight hours to zero in on what you want. You could find that others are acting unpredictably, each embodying his or her unique style. Nevertheless, a wonderful opportunity emerges. What is stopping you? Tonight: You are going to need all the rest you can get. Cancer - (June 21 - July 22) **** You might have had enough of someone else s nagging. Your cold shoulder is likely to let this person know that you have had enough! Listen to news with a big smile. Toward the end of the day, you will feel like celebrating. Tonight: Opt for an early weekend. Start now! Leo - (July 23 - Aug 22) **** Reach out to someone you care about, as he or she always puts an interesting slant on an issue. Be willing to explore new ideas. Detach from a person who seems interesting but is closed down. Avoid negativity, if possible. Tonight: A friend could play a strong role. Virgo - (Aug 23 - Sept 22): **** You might want to make a decision, but you recognize that you need to depend on a key person. A discussion could be difficult at best. Honor a fast change, knowing full well what is about to happen. Trust that you will see the big picture. Tonight: Read between the lines. Libra - (Sept 23 - Oct 22) ***** Defer to a partner who feels secure. This person has quite a few ideas that you might want to listen to. Be willing to let go and trust your gut. Later in the day, several intense talks are likely to fill your agenda. Brainstorm away. Tonight: Opt for something different. Scorpio - (Oct 23 - Nov 21) ***** Reach out to an associate who makes all the difference when you work with him or her. You both are competent, but you produce a better product when you work together. Don t feel challenged by this person s energy. Tonight: Go along with a friend s suggestion. Sagittarius - (Nov 22 - Dec 21) **** Let a creative person give you strong feedback. You might be put off by one of his or her requests and will try to pull away. Once you give someone a reaction, try to mellow out some. Deal with what needs to be handled. Tonight: Grab an opportunity for a little R and R. Born today: Author James Joyce (1882), model Christie Brinkley (1954), actress Farrah Fawcett (1947) home decor indoor gardening beauty tips taste buds faux mercury glass christmas cactus lipstick tips for thin lips turkey lettuce wraps Supplies: Glass votive or vase, spray bottle filled with water, Krylon looking glass mirror like spray paint, newspaper Method: Wash glass votive or vase; dry. Spray water on inside of glass. While still wet, lightly spray inside of glass with mirror-like spray paint. Holding onto the outside of the glass, swirl the paint around the inside until the entire interior is coated. Place glass upside down on newspaper or a paper plate; let dry. Repeat process with water and paint four to five times or until satisfied with the effect. Many of the plants sold as Christmas cactus are a closely related species sometimes called Thanksgiving cactus, because it usually blooms a few weeks earlier than Christmas cactus. Both types flower in response to cool temperatures and short day length. In fall, keep the plant in a sunny, cool, frost-free location until you see flower buds beginning to develop.it s an old-fashioned favorite with exotically shaped blooms. Growing conditions: Bright light; degrees F., 55 degrees F. in fall; keep soil moderately dry Size: To 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide If you have thin lips, use light shades to make them appear fuller. Define the lip using the neutral lip pencil from slightly beyond your natural lip line and then apply lipstick covering up lip defining line If your upper lip is too thin or does not have a good shape, outline it with the lip liner similar to your lipstick and in the center portion, draw a second line giving it the precise shape using a brown pencil. Apply color including the brown line. This will make your lips look fuller. To hide lip lines, apply lipstick vertically. Ingredients: Cooking spray, 2 cups chopped cooked turkey, 1 cup chopped onion, 1 cup water, 1/2 peanut butter, 2 tbs Soy Sauce, 2 tbs lime juice, 2 tbs honey, iceberg lettuce, washed, dried Directions: Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat and add turkey and onion; cook until onion is tender. Add water, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice and honey to skillet. Stir until sauce is smooth and coats turkey. Top each lettuce leaf with 2 tbs turkey mixture. Wrap lettuce around filling to enclose. Serve immediately. Dear Abby Teen twins ready to take different paths By Abigail Van Buren Dear Abby: I am a 14-year-old identical twin. My sister and I are sick of the whole twin thing and want to go to separate schools. We really want to be our own people. We have wanted this for a long time now. However, I m not sure we can because, where I live, you have to go to the school in the town you live in. Do you have any suggestions on things we can do to make new, different friends, and how we can look different from each other? We are moving this year, so next fall we will be in a new school. The twin thing in New Hampshire Dear twin thing: You and your sister are smart girls. What you want to do will be healthy for both of you, and I congratulate you for wanting to do it. It s important that each of you develop as individuals, and the move will give the perfect opportunity to start. If you have been dressing alike, make a point of not doing it from now on. If you have been wearing your hair in the same Abigail Van Buren style, change that too. When you enroll in the new school, join separate clubs, go out for different sports, etc. If you do, people will no longer perceive you as molded from the same cookie cutter. Good luck. Dear Abby: As a baby shower gift for my (soon-tobe) grandson, I plan on opening up a UTMA (Uniform s to Minors) account for his college education with a $5,000 initial deposit. My idea is to add $1,000 every year on his birthday for the first five years. Would it be tacky to challenge, or encourage, his other three grandparents to contribute to the account by matching their contributions every year up to my $1,000? Or would it be better to just tell them my plans and let them know they can also make deposits to the account? I don t know the financial situations of the others, and I don t want to offend anyone. Your thoughts? About to be a grandpa in Arizona Dear grandpa: I m voting for your second idea, for the reason you gave. While the concept of an education fund for your grandbaby is laudable, making it a challenge might create financial stress for the other grandparents and be perceived as one-upmanship if they are unable to donate as much to the fund as you do. Dear Abby: An older friend and I have exchanged s since last spring. Hers have been mostly political and disparaging toward minorities. I asked her to please not send this stuff since we have opposite opinions on the subject, and I don t plan to change my mind. I enjoy our in-person talks because they are nothing like the s she sends, which are forwards somebody else has put together. I quit reading them, but is there a way to politely stop her from disseminating nasty propaganda? I have tried fact-checking and sending corrections to her and to those on the long list of people she has sent these s. It doesn t work. Fact checker Dear fact checker: Because someone sends you s does not mean you must read them all. Filter your so that the political rants go into a special folder, then delete them en masse. 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 THURSDAY Site for checking travel ban TIES Center classes: Assalamu Alaikum Brother/Sister, Starting in February 2017, the TIES Center will be 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. This Thursday, Feb 2, we will being with the life of Adam (peace be upon him). The TIES Center is the social and educational hub for English Speaking Muslims in Kuwait. For more information, please call or info@tiescenter.net or visit Intimate Reflections at Dar Al Funoon: Dar Al Funoon will open a solo exhibition by Nurieh Mozaffari Intimate Reflections on Jan 16 at 07:00 pm. Nurieh Mozaffari was born in Iran. She became seriously interested in painting at the age of 18 and soon after embarked on a BA majoring in Art in Iran. Later, she completed a Masters degree in painting at the Art University in Teaching in the Faculty of Art at a university was a natural next step. In between and subsequent to her studies her work has appeared in many exhibitions both joint and solo. Her works have been exhibited four times in the Iranian paintings biannual. The exhibition will run until Feb 2. Gallery hours: Sunday to Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Saturdays by appointment. For details contact FRIDAY KIUC reception committee formed The Unity Conference of Islahi Centre s in Kuwait-Indian Islahi Centre (IIC) & Kuwait Kerala Islahi Centre (KKIC) under the Patronage of Kerala Nadvathul Muhjahideen (KNM)) will be held on Friday, Feb 10, at 6 pm at Abbasiya Community Hall. Prominent Islahi Leaders and Scholars from India who will address the conference are Swalahudeen Madani (Secretary Kerala Nadvathul Muhjahideen), Haneef Kayakkodi (Asst Secretary, Kerala Jammiyathul Ulama) and M.M. Akbar (Director, Niche of Truth). Kuwait Aukaf Representatives and leaders of various Organizations from Kuwait also will participate in the event. For the successful accomplishment of the conference 94-member conference reception committee has been formed from the Joint Islahi Centre Council meet held at Jaleeb IIC Auditorium on Jan 27. Dr AmeerAhmed, N.K. Muhammed, Mahmood Apsara, V.A. Moidunni, Abubaker Vadakkancherry, Ibrahim Kutty Salafi, Hilal Toyaota, Muhammed Rafi Nandi, Ahmed Kutty Salmiya, Mohiyuddin Moulavi and Naser Frontline are the chief patrons of the program Chairman (MT Muhammed) Vice Chairman (Abdul Rahiman Adakani) General Convener: (Dr Abdul Hameed Koduvally) Various Sub committees with Chairman & Conveners are as follows: Program Committee: CV Abdulla & Engr Anwar Sadath; Publicity: Ayyub ghashiyah and Alfajr) 3. Junior Born in the years 2007 & 2008 a. Quran Recitation (Surah Almulk and Alqalam) b. Quran By-heart (Surah Annaba e and Annaziath) 4. Senior Born in the years 2004, 2005 & 2006 a. Quran Recitation (Surah Taha) b. Quran By-heart (Surah Aljumu a and Aswaf) Competitions will be held separately for boys and girls of each category except for Kids. The students may opt to register online through website. More details with regard to the competition is also available on the same website. The last date for registration is Tuesday, Jan 31, Both point and grade based valuations will be followed for the winning participants/school. A photo from the event. Khan & Manaf Muthottam; Finance: Muhammed Baby & Jaseer Puthoor Pallikkal; Reception: Sidhique Madani & Muhammed Ali Vengara; Refreshment: Salih Vadakara & T.K. Ibrahim; Transportation: MoosaTirur & Shabeer Kollam; Stage & Sound: Sunil Hamza & N.K. Raheem; Volunteer: Eng Firose Chunkathara & Rafeek Pulikkal; Book stall: Sa ad Kadaloor & Shahid Kannaeth; Unit Co-ordination: Abdul Azeez Salafi & Muhammed Hussain; Ladies Co-ordination: Shylaja Baker & Nasheeda Rasheed. The Joint Council was inaugurated by Ismail Kutty Madani, a renowned Islahi scholar in Kerala and who engaged as the former Da ee in Kuwait for a prolonged time in the past. In his inaugural address he stressed the role of unity and prophetic teachings in nurturing a value added Muslim society. He narrated in his unique way of presentation the quality of a true believerin straight path sustaining with perseverance and unity under various hurdles of life. The council meet was presided by V.A. Moidunny and Abdu Adakani made the Keynote address. Dr Abdul Hameed Koduvally, Abubacker Sidhique Madani, Engr Anwer Sadath, Engr Muhammed Ashruf, Engr Ummer Kutty, Abdul Azeez Salafi, Jaseer Puthoor Pallikkal, Manaf Mathottam, Ayyub Khan, Muhammed Ali Vengara, Abubaker Vadakkanchery and CV Abdulla addressed the gathering. For further details you may please contact the following. Sameer Mohammed (Principal, EMIS Salmiya Branch), Mobile: Feroze Hameed (Principal, EMIS Khaitan Branch), Mobile: EMIS is run by the Education Board of Kerala Islamic Group and functions with two branches in Khaitan and Salmiya. Admissions are open to boys and girls of age 4 to 15 to various classes. The Madrasa whose medium of teaching is English pays special focus on Quran recitation and Hifz. Other subjects taught include Arabic, Islamic Studies, Fiqh, Hadis and Islamic History. The Madrasa functions on all Saturdays from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. Transportation facilities are available from all areas of Kuwait. Scrabble sessions are back: Scrabble sessions are back for all to number 112 Civil ID info: Inter School Quran Competition: The English Madrasa for Islamic Studies (EMIS) invites participants from all non- Arab speaking students studying in private schools in Kuwait registered under the Ministry of Private Education to participate in the up coming Inter School Quran Competition scheduled on Friday, Feb 3, 2017 at Al Najath boys school, Salmiya. The competing items for the respective categories are detailed below: 1. Kids Birth date on or after the year 2011 a. Quran By-heart (Surah Al Fathiha and last 10 Surahs) 2. Sub Junior Born in the years 2009 & 2010 a. Quran Recitation (Surah Annaba e, Annaziath and Abasa) b. Quran By-heart (Surah Al A ala, Alcome, 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. FBC tournament: Filipino Badminton Committee (FBC) is inviting all badminton enthusiast in Kuwait to join their regular badminton tournament being held every 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. Exclusiveprivate court are also available on per hour rental. For more information, please contact Dr Chie Umandap 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. Training 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. Father s Love Int l Ministries: Have you had a challenging week? Want to hear something different for a change? Something positive and energizing? At FLIM, you will find all this and much more... Love, laugher, life and liberty. You will find a community of God-loving believers, who come every Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday to praise and worship together. There always a word of blessing and edification for everyone who comes to the Father s House. So, don t be left out! Come join the family! You will be restored, received, renewed and greatly rewarded! Father s Love Encounter Service on Friday at 11:00 am to 2:00 pm African service on Saturday at 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Empowerment Services on Monday at 6:30 pm 8:30 pm Tamil Service on Wednesday at 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Please call , ,

28 28 Witherspoon on Lies role Talk show host Winfrey to join CBS 60 Minutes LOS ANGELES, Feb 1, (RTRS): Oprah Winfrey, the inspirational talk-show host, TV executive and interviewer, will join CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes in the fall, the network announced Tuesday. Her body of work is extraordinary, including thousands of interviews with people from all walks of life. She is a remarkable and talented woman with a level of integrity that sets her apart and makes her a perfect fit for 60 Minutes, said Jeff Fager, the program s executive producer, in a prepared statement. I am thrilled that she will be bringing her unique and powerful voice to our broadcast. Winfrey has a longstanding and unique relationship with CBS. The company agreed red on 1999 to purchase King World Productions, a syndicated-tv powerhouse that launched Winfrey s famous and durable talk show. At the time, Winfrey, a substantial King World shareholder, was expected to control one-half a percentage point of CBS stock. The relationship stands today: Winfrey is an executive producer of CBS syndicated Dr. Phil program. CBS did not offer details of the types of segments Winfrey might contribute to 60 Minutes. But she is known for her ability to get even the most famous actor or actress to disclose close-held feelings and emotions. One of the show s most penetrating interviewers of celebrities, Morley Safer, retired from the newsmagazine last year, just days before passing away. Winfrey these days has been focused on OWN, a joint-venture cable network operated by her Harpo production unit and Discovery Communications. Hearst publishes O: The Oprah Magazine she founded. And she joined the board of Weight Watchers in Big Little Lies has major star power, but the question of who would get which role was settled pretty quickly. Nicole Kidman wanted to play Celeste, the picture-perfect wife with a dark secret, from the start a move that co-star/co-executive producer Reese Witherspoon agreed was a natural fit. I actually thought she was perfect, and it s a challenge, Witherspoon says. That s a big undertaking. But Witherspoon wasn t set on any particular role. Perhaps, she thought, she d play Jane, the single mom who s new in town. (Shailene Woodley ultimately was cast in that role.) Enter writer David E. Kelley. To me, when I read the book, I just immediately saw Reese as Madeline, no question, he says. Then, when Reese and I met, and I mentioned that she was Madeline, she did give me a look like, well, that was news to her. Witherspoon admits she was taken aback by the suggestion that she was right for the character of the fast-talking helicopter mom Couch slouch who can be a bit overbearing. I was like, I am not! You don t know me! I am not like that woman! I don t know if I should be insulted! But Kelley insisted she would eviscerate the character. (Director Jean-Marc Vallee, for the record, thought Witherspoon could play either Madeline or Celeste.) Jon Stewart was set to make an appearance Tuesday on CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The former Daily Show host has popped up a few times on The Late Show since Colbert took the reins in September Stewart is an executive producer of Late Show but is not a hands-on presence. Judging by the clip below, the Stewart and Colbert discuss the headlines and controversy stirred by the first few days of the Trump administration. Stewart s visit to Late Show raises the question about the status of his deal to deliver topical short-form content for HBO s various platforms. Stewart signed a wide-ranging production pact with HBO in 2015 after ending his nearly 17-year run on Comedy Central s Daily Show. Sources close to the situation said Stewart continues to work on a venture to produce timely animated programming using cuttingedge technology. Fans had expected that Stewart would use the HBO platform to comment on the raucous 2016 presidential election, but no material to date has surfaced. Sources emphasized that the technology is new and the production infrastructure is still being assembled. But Stewart remains committed to the HBO deal. James Corden has joined The Late Late Show with James Corden s production company Fulwell 73 as a full partner. He joins existing Fulwell partners and founding members Gabe Turner, Ben Turner, Ben Winston and Leo Pearlman. The working relationship between the Fulwell 73 partners and Corden stretches back almost 15 years. As well as the Emmy Awardwinning The Late Late Show with James Corden, they have worked together on a multitude of projects, including James Corden s World Cup Live, Comic Relief s Smithy sketches, When James Met Robbie, When Corden Met Barlow, various One Direction projects, including This Is Us, Samsung and Cadburys commercials, and the recent Apple Music commercial. Recent projects at the London-based independent production company, which was formed in 2007, include Usain Bolt movie I Am Bolt, a sports documentary released theatrically by Universal, Class of 92, starring David Beckham, also with Universal, and the BBC s Mo Farah: Race of His Life. tv highlights A painting by Fadi Yazgi A Tribute to Khaled B. Fadi Yazgi Dar Al Funoon announces an exhibition A Tribute to Khaled B. by Fadi Yazgi, opening on Feb 6, 2017 at 7:00 pm the exhibition continues through Feb 24, Recognised as one of the region s most fascinating, figurative artist working today, Yazigi will be showing a broad range of his most recent body of work, including colourful works on paper, paper bags and rice paper, alongside small-scale sculptures. Reflective and contemplative, the show is in part, a tribute to a special friend of the artist who passed away recently, Memories of the past and coping with both loss and survival are among the themes that run through the exhibition. Many of the pieces on show feature a bird as their subject, sometimes flying, but often stable and grounded, indicating both the artist s decision to remain in his homeland, even in the midst of war, rather than take flight, he tenaciously remains hopeful click Latest Continued from Page 23 website of Chinese embassy kw.chineseembassy.org/eng/). Application for the future. Recalling his late, dear friend, Yazigi notes: He could be this bird made of bronze holding wings. Because he was here and suddenly he s no longer around. About Fadi Yazigi: Fadi Yazigi is a multi-disciplinary figurative artist who depicts everyday life in his home country with gritty accuracy. Yazigi was born in 1966 and studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus University. He still lives with his family in Damascus and works in the old city. Yazigi has held several solo shows and participated in a number of collective exhibitions and international art fairs. His work can be found in public collections worldwide Gallery Hours Sunday to Thursday: l0 am-1pm & 4-8pm Saturday: by appointment Getting To The Gallery Al-Watiah, Behbehani Compound, House No. 28 For further information call 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! Feb 9 TIES Center Diwaniya: Insight Into Kuwaiti Culture: The Diwaniya A diwaniya is a large reception room attached to the main house with the amenities to make guests comfortable. Part of Kuwait s tradition since the earliest days of its history, diwaniyas were social venues for elderly men in the community, or a place where the ruler met ordinary citizens to hear their concerns. In today s fast paced life, the diwaniya is an important way to network, exchange information and keep in touch with friends. Join the TIES Center for an insightful trip to Al-Duaij diwaniya. Also, you will have the opportunity to taste some traditional Kuwaiti dishes. Buses between the TIES Center and the diwaniya in Qadsiya will be provided. Registration Required - Fee: 2 KD (discount for families and Arabic students) Thursday, February 9 - Buses leave the TIES 5:30pm Family Law in a Nutshell: In this special legal presentation, Atyab Al Shatti, Esq. and Najmah Brown, Esq. from Al-Adwani Law Firm will provide anoverview of the Family Law system in Kuwait. Learn about the marriage contract, divorce, alimony, child custody, and child support, in addition to recent updates in Kuwaiti family law. Wednesday, February 7pm Contact address: Villa No 67, Street 413, Block 4, Shuhada Area, Kuwait Phone: +(965) info@tiescenter.net Cinema Cinema programme from Thursday 02/02/2017 to Wednesday 08/02/2017 Split Sharqia 1 13:00 (No Fri) 15:15, 20:30, 00:45 Sharqia 2 23:30 Muhalab 1 23:30 Muhalab 3 13:30, 22:30, 00:45 Fanar 1 11:30 (Sun, Tue, Wed) 19:45, 22:00, 00:30 Marina 1 14:45, 20:00, 22:15, 00:30 Avenues 5 23:45 Avenues 6 12:30 (No Fri) 14:45, 17:15, 19:45, 22:15, 00: :30 (No Fri) 13:45, 16:15, 18:45, 21:15, 23: : :00 Al-Kout 1 Laila 22:45 12:45 (No Fri) 15:00, 17:15, 21:45, 00:05 Kaabil (Hindi Film) Sharqia 1 17:30 Muhalab 2 19:00 Fanar 5 18:00 Avenues 1 15:15, 00:30 Avenues 5 14: : :00 (Sat) 16:00 (No Mon) 19:00 (Sun, Tue, Wed) 22:00 Bairaq 3 18:00 Ajial 2 15:30 (No Fri) xxx: Return Of Xander Cage Sharqia 1 22:45 Muhalab 1 13:30 (Fri) 21:30 Muhalab 3 11:30 (No Fri) Fanar 4 23:00, 01:00 Marina 2 11:30 (No Fri) 22:30, 00:45 Avenues 2 22:00, 00:15 Avenues 9 14:45, 21:30 Avenues 10 01: : :15, 22: :00 (Fri) :00, 23:00, 01:00 Al-Kout 1 19:30 Kung-Fu Yoga Sharqia 2 12:15 (No Fri) 14:30, 16:45, 21:15 Muhalab 3 15:45, 18:00, 20:15 Fanar 4 11:45 (No Fri) 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45 Marina 2 13:30, 15:45, 18:00, 20:15 Avenues 5 Avenues 7 22:00 Avenues :45 11:45 (No Fri) 19:15 12:15 (No Fri) 14:30, 19: :45 (No Fri) 20: :15 (No Fri) 15:30, 17:45, 20:00, 22:15, 00:30 Al-Kout 3 12:15 (No Fri) 16:45, 21:15, 23:30 Bairaq 1 13:30 (Fri) 15:45, 18:00, 20:15, 22:30 Laila 15:45, 18:00 Monster Trucks Sharqia 2 19:00 Sharqia 3 14:45, 17:00 Muhalab 2 14:30, 16:45 Fanar 3 14:45, 17:00 Marina 3 15:00, 19:30 Avenues 2 12:45 (No Fri) 15:00, 17:15, 19:30 Avenues 5 17:00 Avenues 10 13:45, 18:15, 20:30 Avenues 11 16: :15 (No Fri) 14:45, 19:15, 21: : :00 (No Fri) 14:15, 16:30, 18:45 Al-Kout 3 14:30, 19:00 Bairaq 2 11:30 (No Fri) 17:30, 19:45 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Sharqia 3 12:30 (No Fri) 22:15 Muhalab 2 12:15 (No Fri) 22:00, 00:15 Fanar 3 22:30, 00:45 Marina 3 12:45 (No Fri) 17:15, 21:45, 00:05 Avenues 5 21:30 Avenues 9 12:30 (No Fri) 17:00, 19:15, 23: : :30 (No Fri) 13:45, 16:00, 20:30, 00: :45 (No Fri) 15:00, 17:15 19:30, 21:45, 00:05, 22:15 (No Sun) Al-Kout 2 13:30, 20:00, 22:15, 00:30 Bairaq 1 00:45 Raees (Hindi Film) Sharqia 3 19:15, 00:30 Muhalab 1 15:30, 18:30 Fanar 5 12:00 (No Fri) 15:00, 21:00, 00:05 Marina 1 12:00 (No Fri) 17:00 Avenues 3 11:30 (No Fri) Avenues 4 14:30, 17:30, 20:30,23:30 12:00 (No Fri) 15:00, 21:15, 00: :30 (No Fri) 15:30, 18:30, 21:30,00: :30 (No Fri) 17:30, 23:45 Bairaq 1 13:00 (No Fri) Bairaq 3 11:45 (No Fri) 21:00, 00:05 Plaza 15:45 (No Fri) 18:30, 21:30 (Sun, Tue, Wed) Ajial 3 15:45, 18:45, 21:45 Dangal (Hindi Film) Muhalab 1 12:15 (No Fri) Fanar 3 11:30 (No Fri) 19:15 Avenues 1 12:00 (No Fri) 18:00 (Sun, Tue, Wed) 21:15 Avenues 4 18:00 (No Sat) :15 (No Fri) 16:30, 19:45, 23: :15, 20:30 Bairaq 3 14:45 Ozzy Fanar 1 11:30 (Thu, Sat, Mon) 15:45 Avenues 7 12:45 (No Fri) 17: :30 (No Fri) 14:30, 16:30 Al-Kout 4 16:30 Bairaq 2 13:30 Swallows And Amazons Fanar 1 13:45, 17:45 Avenues 8 11:45 (No Fri) 14:00, 16: :00 (No Fri) 15:15, 19:45 Al-Kout 2 11:30 (No Fri) 15:45, 18:00 Live By Night Fanar 2 12:45 (No Fri) 15:30, 18:15, 00:15 Avenues 7 15:00, 19:30, 00:15 Avenues 11 21:15, 23: :45 (No Fri) Al-Kout 4 How to find us 22:00, 00:45 11:30 (No Fri) 18:30, 00:30 Laila 20:15 Rahaf (Arabic Film) Fanar 2 13:30 (Fri) 20:45, 22:30 Avenues 8 20:30, 22:30, 00: :30, 20:30, 22:30, 00:30 Al-Kout 4 21:00, 22:45 Bairaq 2 22:00, 23:45 Jomonte Suvisheshangal (Malayalam Film) Avenues 1 18:15 (No Sun, Tue, Wed) :00 (No Sun, Tue, Wed) Plaza 15:30 (Fri) 18:30 (No Sun, Tue, Wed) Ajial 4 15:30, 18:30, 21:30 Al Atr (Kuwaiti Film) 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: , Avenues 8 18: :00 Jackie Avenues 10 11:30 (No Fri) 22: :45 (No Fri) 14:00, 20:45, 23:00 Moana Avenues 10 16: :45 (Fri) :00 Al-Kout 4 14:15 Sing :30, 17:45 Laf Wa Dawaran (Arabic Film) :30 Taht Al Tarabeza (Arabic Film) :00 The Great Wall :15 Ballerina :15 Bairaq 2 15:30 La La Land :15 Bogan (Tamil Film) Plaza 21:30 (No Sun, Tue, Wed) Ajial 1 16:00, 19:00, 22:00 Nenu Local (Telugu Film) Ajial 2 15:30 (Fri) 18:30 (No Thu) Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal (Tamil Film) Ajial 2 18:30 (Thu) 21:30 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 Paralysed patients communicate thoughts via brain-computer interface Low social rank bigger health risk than obesity PARIS, Feb 1, (Agencies): People on the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder may live two years less on average than those at the top, according to a large-scale study published Wednesday. This makes social rank a bigger risk factor for illness and premature death than either high alcohol consumption or obesity, and it nearly equals the risk posed by physical inactivity, researchers said. On average, a low social rank shaved over 25 months off the average lifespan, compared with six months for heavy alcohol intake and eight months for obesity, according to Lifepath, a European Commission-funded consortium that conducted the study. For diabetes, the risk was almost four years in lost life, and for smoking nearly five. The study was the first attempt to weigh the health risk of socioeconomic status against other modifiable factors, the authors said, at least in high-income countries. Low socioeconomic status is one of the strongest predictors of premature mortality worldwide, but health policymakers often do not consider it a risk factor to target, Lifepath said in a statement. Because these circumstances are modifiable, they should be included in the list of risk factors targeted by global health strategies, said Silvia Stringhini of the Lausanne University Hospital, the lead author of the study. Smoking, drinking and physical inactivity are already the focus of national and global public health policies. Social rank could be improved by government policies on tax or education, for example, said the study, published in The Lancet. The researchers reviewed data from 48 previous studies covering more than 1.7 million people from seven countries Australia, Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and the United States. They conceded that their research was limited by the fact that they had used the participants occupation whether a street sweeper or a CEO as the sole measure of socioeconomic status. Scientists have developed a brain-computer interface that reads the brain s blood oxygen levels and enables communication by deciphering the thoughts of patients who are totally paralysed and unable to talk. In a trial of the system in four patients with complete locked-in syndrome incapable of moving even their eyes to communicate it helped them use their thought waves to respond yes or no to spoken questions. People who are paralysed except for up and down eye movements and blinking are classified as having locked-in syndrome. If all eye movements are lost, the condition is referred to as complete locked-in syndrome. Researchers leading this trial said the brain-computer interface (BCI), which is non-invasive, could transform the lives of such patients, allowing them to express feelings and opinion to their loved ones and carers. Counter to expectations, the researchers said, the patients reported being happy despite their condition. The striking results overturn my own theory that people with complete locked-in syndrome are not capable of communication, said Niels Birbaumer, a neuroscientist at Switzerland s Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, who co-led the study. The trial, published in the journal PLOS Biology on Tuesday, involved four patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a progressive motor neuron disease that destroys the part of the nervous system responsible for movement. The researchers asked personal questions with known answers, such as: Your husband s name is Joachim?, and open questions that needed yes or no answers, such as Are you happy?. The BCI technique used technologies called near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalography (EEG) to measure blood oxygenation and electrical activity in the brain. The machine records the blood flow... and calculates how (it) changes during yes and during no, and the computer develops an idea, a pattern, Birbaumer told Reuters. And after a while, we know what the patient is thinking, when he thinks yes, or when he thinks no, and from that we calculate the answer. The known questions elicited correct responses seven times out of 10, and the question Are you happy? resulted in a consistent yes response from the four people, repeated over weeks of questioning. John Donoghue, director of the Wyss Center, welcomed the work as a crucial first step in the challenge to regain movement for completely locked-in patients. He said his team now plans to build on these results to develop the technology further and eventually aim for it to be available to people with paralysis resulting from ALS, stroke, or spinal cord injury.

30 Iraq significantly reduced oil output in January, according to industry sources and export data on Wednesday, but has yet to reach levels expected by OPEC from its second largest producer. A Reuters survey on Tuesday found Iraq lowered output by 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) compared with December almost all the 210,000 bpd reduction it was supposed to make under the deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Iraq significantly reduces oil output in Jan Exporting Countries. The finding that output fell at all was a surprise to some in the market. Baghdad s initial request to be exempt from the OPEC agreement, plus loading programmes pointing to continued high Iraqi exports, had led to scepticism it would cut. But Iraqi officials have been stressing that reductions both in production and exports would be made. We re not having any technical difficulties with this, Iraq s oil minister Jabar al-luaibi told Reuters in an interview in London last week, referring to implementation of the cut. While Iraq s production did indeed fall by 200,000 bpd, according to the Reuters survey it dropped by that amount from million bpd in December, rather than from the million bpd reference level for Iraq under the OPEC deal. (RTRS) Egypt s trade deficit narrows by 17.4 pct Egypt s trade deficit narrowed by 17.4 percent in 2016, following a rise in exports and a decline in imports, a government offi cial told Reuters on Wednesday. Import-dependent Egypt s economy is struggling to recover after a mass uprising in 2011 that drove away tourists and foreign investors and created a shortage of foreign currency that has sapped its ability to purchase from abroad and revive key industries. Egypt s exports rose to $ billion in 2016 from $ billion a year earlier, while imports have been reduced to $ billion from $ billion in 2015, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Trade deficit reached $ billion from $ billion in 2015, the official added. The central bank had been keeping the pound artificially strong at 8.8 per dollar and had been rationing its reserves, prioritizing the imports of essential goods. On Nov. 3 it fl oated the pound in a sudden move and raised interest rates. (RTRS) Market Movements Change Closing pts INDIA - Sensex , AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries , JAPAN - Nikkei , S. KOREA - KRX , PHILIPPINES - All Shares , GERMANY - DAX , FRANCE - CAC , Change Closing pts HONG KONG - Hang Seng , Business Tijari records net profit of KD 50.4mn for 2016 KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Commercial Bank of Kuwait (Tijari) announced a net profit of KD 50.4 million a growth of 9.1 percent compared to last year with earnings per share of 33.8 fils compared to 30.9 fils for the year The Board of Directors recommended to the General Assembly cash dividend distribution of 15 fils per share and a bonus issue of 10 shares for each hundred shares, compared to 13 percent cash dividend and 6 percent bonus issue last year. Commenting on the bank s financial results, Elham Mahfouz, the Banks Chief Executive Officer said Commercial Bank s total assets reached KD 4,125.3 million at the end of December 2016 compared with KD 4,037.4 million for the year 2015 and operating income increased to KD million compared with KD 99.2 million for Mahfouz added that the Bank witnessed a growth in the fee income by 9.3 percent, foreign exchange income by 39.3 percent and in dividend income by 26.4 percent. Mahfouz explained that the above indicators were underpinned by establishing a solid provisions base against the credit portfolio where such provisions amounted to KD million as at the end of the 31st December 2016 and the provision coverage ratio was percent against NPLs. Mahfouz also referred to the other healthy Kingdom cuts output deeply Saudi Arabia cannot escape destiny as swing producer John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own. Editor By John Kemp Saudi Arabia has been forced to return to the role of swing producer in the oil market, despite the country s insistence for three decades it would never play the role again. Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) account for the majority of production cuts made so far under the OPEC and non-opec accords reached in November and December. By cutting their own output deeply, Saudi Arabia and its allies have masked the low level of compliance from the rest of the organisation. Outside OPEC, Russia has so far delivered only around a third of its promised cut of 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to sources. Russia and other producers have always pledged to phase in cuts, which are meant to be averaged over the first six months of Strictly speaking, OPEC and non-opec members have not yet failed to honour their promises since they could reduce output more steeply in the remainder of the compliance period. But Saudi Arabia and its GCC allies have once again supplied most of the upfront cutbacks, reducing their production by enough to create a deficit in the market and draw down excess crude inventories. Adjusting production to bring about a desired balance between supply and demand, or achieve a particular target price, is the classic role of a swing producer. Burden Saudi Arabia has been forced back into the role, despite insisting since the mid-1980s it would never assume the burden again. Saudi Arabia only officially played the role of swing producer for a short period in the early 1980s, when it failed to stem the oversupply of global oil markets and slide in prices. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries began setting an overall production target and allocating it among members at its ministerial conference in March The initial target for the group as a whole was set at 17.5 million bpd and Saudi Arabia s share was set at million bpd. One year later, in March 1983, OPEC revised the allocation system and Saudi Arabia formally assumed the role of swing producer, varying its output to balance supply and demand. Ministers agreed to establish a ceiling for total OPEC production of 17.5 million barrels per day, within which individual member countries were allocated, according to the communique issued afterwards. No quota is allocated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which will act as a swing producer to supply the balancing quantities to meet market requirements. Saudi Arabia had often acted as an informal swing producer, but this was the first time the role had been formalised. Saudi Arabia s role as a swing producer formally terminated in 1984 when it opted instead for a quota of 4.35 million bpd, though in practice it went on performing the swing producer role until September I have a strong feeling that this will work out and that OPEC will be in the driver s seat, Saudi oil minister Zaki Yamani told a news conference after the March 1983 meeting. Difficult But the following three years proved difficult for Saudi Arabia as other OPEC members cheated on their quotas, rival suppliers outside OPEC continued to raise their output, and oil prices fell. Saudi Arabia cut its output to balance the market and shore up prices to no avail, and then switched to a netback pricing system to recapture lost market share, sending prices tumbling to $10 per barrel. Yamani was sacked in October 1986 and replaced as Saudi oil minister by Hisham Nazer, who ruled out any return to acting as a swing producer ( Nazer rules out swing producer role for Saudi Arabia, Middle East Economic Survey, Sep 1987). We will conscientiously support OPEC... but we will not appoint ourselves custodians of the policies of OPEC, nor will we be willing to play the role of swing producer at all, Nazer said in an interview in September Nazer s successor as oil minister, Ali Naimi, was even blunter: Saudi Arabia tried in the past to play the role of the swing producer by reducing production to maintain a specific price, but the result was unfavorable to the kingdom, he said in an interview in March Despite the fact that its production fell from more than 10 million bpd in 1980 to less than 3 million bpd in 1985, prices collapsed. As a result, the kingdom not only lost in terms of prices but also lost its market share at that time. We have abandoned once and for all the role of swing producer, Naimi said ( Saudi oil minister spells out kingdom s views on current oil market, Middle East Economic Survey, March 1998). In practice, giving up the role of swing producer has proved impossible, however much the country s policymakers loathe it. Continued on Page 31 Board recommends 15% cash dividend and 10% bonus shares Elham Mahfouz, CEO of Commercial Bank of Kuwait financial indicators where the Banks capital adequacy ratio at the end of December 2016 stood at percent, the leverage ratio stood at percent, liquidity coverage ratio stood at 142 percent and Net Stable Funding Ratio stood at percent comfortably exceeding the minimum requirement set by the Central Bank of Kuwait. The Bank continues to demonstrate its cost leadership DUBAI, Feb 1, (RTRS): Saudi Arabia may increase its oil investments in the United States due to a more fossil fueloriented energy policy by the US administration of President Donald Trump, the kingdom s energy minister said. Trump had campaigned on a promise that Washington should boost US energy independence from oil cartels such as OPEC, of which Saudi Arabia is its de facto leader and by far the group s biggest producer. But Saudi Arabia s Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Khalid al-falih, told the BBC that there are huge areas of alignment in interests between the two traditional allies. President Trump has policies which are good for the oil industries and I think we have to acknowledge it... He has steered away from excessively anti-fossil fuels, unrealistic policies, Falih told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. I think he wants a mixed energy portfolio that includes oil, gas, renewables, and make sure that the American economy is competitive. We want the same in Saudi Arabia. Last year Saudi Arabia unveiled sweeping plans aiming to end the kingdom s addiction to oil and transform it into a global investment power through a broad reform plan dubbed Vision Asked whether there is a worry about Trump s promise to pursue energy independence and block crude imports from Saudi Arabia, Falih said: We have no problem with the growth of American indigenous oil supply. I have said repeatedly, as long as they grow in line with global energy demand, we welcome them. We had billions of dollars invested in refining and distribution in the United States and we may be increasing that investment on the back of proindustry, pro-oil and gas policies of the Trump administration. Continued on Page 31 with operational efficiency, a competitive advantage for the Bank which continues to maintain one of the lowest cost/income ratios among Kuwait banks at 27.9 percent for the year ended Dec 31, Mahfouz hailed the tremendous efforts exerted by the Bank s different departments and staff members for enhancing the credit & investment portfolio quality which was reflected in the gains generated from these portfolios with the Bank building strong bond portfolio and extending credit lines for projects of national importance. Apart from this, the Bank s strong financial indicators are due to its prudent policy to use a portion of the operating profits to build the provisions and aggressive policy on write offs adopted during to clean the loan portfolio. Mahfouz went on saying that the NPL ratio dropped from 0.90 percent to 0.50 percent, it is much lower than the industry average emphasizing the Bank s continuous efforts to recover the previously written off loans where the Bank managed to recover KD 106 million during last four years. She, further, added that the Bank intends to continue its prudent & conservative policy of building the required provisions during 2017 and beyond, in order to meet the challenges of volatile economic and geopolitical situation in the region. Mahfouz further commented that the Bank s strategic objectives to diversify its income sources and mitigation of risks, particularly those related to geographical and sector concentration are being pursued in letters and spirit, indicating that the Bank s strategy and focus on available growth opportunities will be instrumental to analyse with a fine tooth comb the market conditions and emphasise on core business activities with efficient management of risks and associated returns. She also pointed out that this strategy bore its fruit during 2016 and it is forecast to continue yielding benefits for the Bank in the future. On the other hand, Mahfouz pointed to the ratings the Bank has obtained from the international rating agencies such as Moody s, Standard & Poor s and Fitch Ratings noting that the Bank s good performance was recognized by these rating agencies. She further said that the Bank has a rich record of social responsibility activities and this was proven in its continued contributions to identify the needs of the community with its diverse segments and to satisfy such needs effectively by sponsoring several social activities & initiatives. These efforts were recognized with the Bank receiving a certificate of recognition for the pioneering CSR projects at the level of GCC countries, where the Bank was honoured at the sideline of the 33rd session of the Council of Ministers of Labor & Council of Social Affairs of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States which was recently held in Riyadh. Mahfouz concluded her statement by extending her appreciation and thanks to the Bank s shareholders for their support to the Bank, valued customers for choosing Commercial Bank of Kuwait as a source of their banking services, staff members for their loyalty and dedication at work and the regulatory authorities represented in the Central Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Capital Markets for their sincere efforts in safeguarding the banking sector and financial units, emphasizing that the Bank s Management spares no efforts for maintaining and safeguarding the interests of the Bank and its stakeholders. Aramco to have the right to book Saudi oil reserves: minister Saudi may raise US oil investments: Falih Move partly in response to worrisome rise to American protectionism Europe hopes to restart Gulf free trade talks: EC s VP A picture taken on Jan 31, 2017 shows European Commission Vice- Presidenty Jyrki Katainen posing for a picture following an interview with AFP at the EU offices in Riyadh. Europe hopes to restart dormant free trade talks with Gulf states partly in response to the worrisome rise of protectionism from the new American government, Katainen said. (AFP) In this fi le photo, Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak (left), and Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia attends a news conference after a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, at their headquarters, in Vienna, Austria. (AP) Global oil output cut by 1.4 mln bpd: Russian min NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia, Feb 1, (RTRS): Global oil output was cut by 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) last month, Russian energy minister Alexander Novak told President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, citing preliminary data. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers led by Russia agreed in December to cut oil output in the RIYADH, Feb 1, (AFP): Europe hopes to restart dormant free trade talks with Gulf states partly in response to the worrisome rise of protectionism from the new American government, a European Commission vice-president said Tuesday. We would like to restart FTA negotiations with GCC, Jyrki Katainen, who is in charge of jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness for the EU s executive arm, told AFP in an interview during a visit to the Saudi capital. Free trade talks that began almost 30 years ago between the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and the EU have been on hold for many years, the former Finnish prime minister said. But things are different now with political momentum in favour of such negotiations, he said after talks first half of this year by a combined 1.8 million bpd in an effort to tackle oversupply and support oil prices. Russia has said it would cut production by 200,000 bpd by the end of the first quarter and by 300,000 bpd thereafter. Some countries have cut more than was planned and are moving ahead of schedule. Russian oil production was down by 117,000 bpd with Saudi officials including the finance and commerce ministers. Katainen arrived from similar meetings in the United Arab Emirates. It s been quite interesting to hear that authorities here as well as in UAE, they agreed with us... that (the) political situation is quite worrisome, Katainen said. He cited growing protectionism and said it s partially true that the isolationist policies of US President Donald Trump are giving impetus to EU free trade efforts. If free trade talks resumed it would be a strong signal to the world that the EU and the Gulf believe in open trade. Shortly after taking office on January 20 Trump withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an agreement of 12 Pacific Rim economies. in January, Novak said during a meeting at Putin s Novo-Ogaryovo residence, adding that Moscow was also moving ahead of schedule with its cuts. He did not elaborate on the source of the preliminary data. A Reuters survey this week put compliance with the OPEC production agreement at 82 percent, with January output cut by more than 1 million bpd in January. There is growing protectionism in developed economies -- not only the United States -- where globalisation is increasingly regarded as a responsible for sending jobs abroad and eroding living standards. Katainen, however, said the benefits come from increasing trade. He said the need for the economies of both Europe and the Gulf to modernise is another factor boosting the prospects for a resumption of free trade talks. Saudi Arabia, the world s largest petroleum exporter, has begun a wide-ranging economic diversification effort to cope with a collapse in crude revenues since After the interview with AFP Katainen left for talks with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is leading the kingdom s economic reform drive.

31 BUSINESS 31 Tesla, BMW electrics fall short of highest crash-test rating Two luxury electric vehicles the Tesla Model S and the BMW i3 fell short of getting the highest safety ratings in new crash tests by the insurance industry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested 2017 models of both vehicles. Neither earned the institute s Top Safety Pick award, which is given to vehicles that get the highest rating in five different crash tests and offer a crashprevention system with automatic braking. To get a highest Top Safety Pick- Plus designation, vehicles must meet all of those criteria and have good headlights. In the 2017 model year, 38 vehicles have won the Top Safety Pick-Plus designation, including two plug-in hybrids: the Toyota Prius Prime and the Chevrolet Volt. But no all-electric vehicles are on the list. The institute hasn t yet tested the allelectric Chevrolet Bolt, which went on sale at the end of Tesla s Model S, an all-electric luxury sedan that starts at $72,500, earned good ratings in four of the institute s five tests, including a side impact test and a head restraint test. But it earned a lower rating in a small overlap frontal crash test, which replicates what happens when the front corner of the car collides with a tree or telephone pole at 40 miles per hour. The Tesla s safety belt allowed the crash dummy to move too far forward and it hit its head on the steering wheel. The institute said Tesla made a production change this month to address the problem, so the car will be tested again. (AP) This Sept 7, 2016 photo provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows a Tesla Model S before crash safety testing. (AP) Investors continue to flee Turkish lira s multi-year fall may not be over yet LONDON, Feb 1, (RTRS): After weakening for four years in a row and suffering its worst January in almost quarter of a century, Turkey s lira currrency looks cheap on a historical basis. But the trough may not have been hit. The currency fell 18 percent last year against the dollar, and in real effective exchange rate (REER) terms adjusted for inflation and against a range of currencies of its main trade partners it weakened almost 10 percent. On a REER basis, the lira currently trades some 22 percent below its own 10-year average. And on a 20-year basis, it is 17 percent below its average. Only the Egyptian pound, devalued last year, and the Mexican peso, pummelled by US President Donald Trump s trade threats, look cheaper on an REER basis versus historic averages. On our broad overview of emerging market FX, Argentina and Mexico are cheaper, but Turkey is right towards the cheap end of the range, so the answer to the question (on whether it is undervalued) is yes, said Robert Minikin, head of Asia FX strategy at Standard Chartered. But investors continue to flee, fearing more weakness ahead. We are not convinced that the currency is undervalued... and the simple reason for that is that almost all of the lira depreciation over the last five years has been offset by higher unit labour cost growth than its trading partners, UBS strategist Manik Narain said. Calculating the lira s real exchange rate on the basis of unit labour costs (ULC) taking changes in productivity into account the lira s depreciation looks less pronounced. Steep wage increases have boosted Turkey s unit labour costs more aggressively than those of its trade partners, Narain said, which is why exports and foreign direct investment have not responded as strongly to the depreciation as one might expect. Investors are also disappointed with piecemeal policy tightening by the central bank, which is widely believed to be under political pressure to avoid raising rates too much. The other worry is Turkey s balance of payments deficit of roughly 4 percent of annual economic output. Saudi Arabia Continued from Page 30 In March 1999, Saudi Arabia was again taking the lead in cutting production to shore up prices after the Asian financial crisis. Saudi Arabia and its GCC allies ended up providing most of the production cuts that helped drain excess stocks and push prices higher in 1999 and The only country that reduced production voluntarily, according to the March agreement, is Saudi Arabia, with marginal help from Kuwait and the UAE, while all other oil producing countries were forced to reduce their production because of technical, political, or natural factors, Anas Alhajji and David Huettner wrote shortly afterwards. In the most recent round of cuts, agreed in November and December 2016, Saudi Arabia and the GCC are again shouldering the biggest share, despite spending months insisting this is what they would not do again. The problem is that the role of swing producer is not one that Saudi Arabia s policymakers have voluntarily accepted, but one which has been thrust upon them. Saudi Arabia is the only producer that exports enough and has the centralised control to exercise some degree of market power in the oil market. Other major oil producing countries are net importers, or their production is split among many small independent companies, or is too small to have much influence on global prices. Saudi Arabia is the only country that has production centralised in one company (Saudi Aramco) and exports enough to have a major influence on global prices (7-8 million bpd). (RTRS) Saudi may Continued from Page 30 Falih added that he is looking forward to coordinating energy policies with the nominee for US Energy Secretary, former Texas Governor Rick Perry. Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco will have the right to book the kingdom s oil reserves through the initial public offering (IPO) it plans for next year, energy minister Khalid al-falih said on Wednesday. The reserves under the ground are by constitution owned by the state but the state will give Aramco through the concession the exclusive right to monetise those reserves, Falih told reporters in Riyadh. Aramco through its IPO will basically offer investors an ownership in that right. Aramco s crude oil and condensate reserves were billion barrels, it said in its 2015 annual report. Reuters reported last week that the first independent audit of Aramco oil reserves had confirmed the company s own figures. Aramco had asked two US oil reserve auditing specialists to review its deposits. The reserves are being certified and the certification process is ongoing... We are well under way in the certification that is very, very reassuring, Falih said. US factory activity hits 2-yr high in Jan This file photo taken on January 4, 2017 shows The Shinola Watch factory in Detroit, Michigan. US manufacturing activity expanded in January for the fifth consecutive month as production, employment and prices all improved, and orders held steady, the Institute for Supply Management said on Feb 1. The ISM manufacturing index rose 1.5 points to 56 percent the highest since November 2014 with a strong majority of the industries surveyed reporting growth. (AFP) Private payrolls surge; construction spending falls WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): US factory activity accelerated to more than a two-year high in January amid sustained increases in new orders and raw material costs, pointing to a recovery in manufacturing as domestic demand strengthens and the drag from low oil prices ebbs. Other data on Wednesday showed private employers boosted hiring last month. While construction spending slipped in December, the underlying trend remained strong. The signs of momentum in the economy at the start of the year came as Federal Reserve officials resumed their two-day policy meeting. The US central bank, which has forecast three rate hikes this year, is not expected to raise rates when the meeting ends later on Wednesday. The Fed hiked its benchmark overnight interest rate in December to a range of 0.50 percent to 0.75 percent. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity increased 1.5 percentage points to a reading of 56.0 last month, the highest since November A reading above 50 indicates an expansion in manufacturing, which accounts for about 12 percent of the US economy. Some of the increase likely reflects a surge in business confidence following last November s election of Donald Trump as president. Trump has pledged to cut taxes and reduce regulations. The business mogul-turned politician, who was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, is yet to offer more details about the proposed fiscal stimulus package. The production sub-index increased 2.0 percentage points and a gauge of new orders edged up 0.1 percentage point. A measure of factory employment jumped 3.3 percentage points. Manufacturers reported paying more for raw materials, which suggests producer inflation could accelerate in coming months. The ISM s prices index increased 3.5 percentage points in January to its highest level since May A collapse in oil prices in 2015 and a surge in the dollar weighed on manufacturing for much of last year, with most of the pain coming through sharp cutbacks in business spending on equipment. Oil prices have since risen above $50 per barrel, lifting some of the fog off manufacturing. January s data so far suggests that the economy is poised for an acceleration after gross domestic product increased at a 1.9 percent annualized rate in the fourth quarter. The deceleration from the third quarter s brisk 3.5 percent pace reflected a wider trade deficit. Separately on Wednesday, the ADP National Employment Report showed private employers added 246,000 jobs in January, up from 151,000 in December. The report, jointly developed with Moody s Analytics, come ahead of the Labor Department s more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public- and private-sector employment. Economists polled by Reuters are looking for private payroll employment to have grown by 169,000 jobs in January, up from 144,000 the month before. Total non-farm employment is expected to have climbed by 175,000. The dollar rose to a session high against the euro, while prices for US government bonds fell. US stocks were trading higher. Job gains still solid: cenbank US Fed holds rates steady, remains upbeat on economy WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday in its first meeting since President Donald Trump took office, but painted a relatively upbeat picture of the U.S. economy that suggested it was on track to tighten monetary policy this year. The central bank said job gains remained solid, inflation had increased and economic confidence was rising, although it gave no firm signal on the timing of its next rate move. Measures of consumer and business sentiment have improved of late, the Fed said in a unanimous statement following a two-day policy meeting in which it left its benchmark interest rate in a range of 0.50 percent to 0.75 percent. Fed policymakers also highlighted that unemployment was still hovering near its recent low. The unemployment rate is currently 4.7 percent, at or near the level many policymakers consider to be full employment. The central bank raised rates in December for only the second time in a decade and forecast three rate increases in The Fed is still awaiting clarity on the possible impact of Trump s economic policies. Fed Chair Janet Yellen recently underscored that with the economy near full employment, the Fed risked a nasty surprise on inflation if it is too slow with rate hikes. The Fed said in its statement it still expects inflation to rise to its 2 percent target in the medium term, although it noted that market-based measures of inflation compensation are still low and survey-based measures of long-term inflation expectations are little changed. It did however indicate that the effects of weak oil prices had ended, something that will give it a clean inflation reading going forward. On Monday, the Commerce Department reported an uptick in inflation to 1.7 percent. The economy continues to chug along and sentiment has improved. The Fed does sound more confident about eventually getting to its 2 percent inflation target, said Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management. In this file photo, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks while being interviewed as part of a conversation at a Radcliffe Day event at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (AP) US auto sales seen to drop in January DETROIT, Feb 1, (AP): US auto sales appear to have lagged in January, although the slowdown could be temporary. January is typically a slow month for car sales. But strong consumer confidence, low gas prices and good deals on new vehicles should help sales speed up once the weather warms and buyers get their tax refunds. While sales aren t expected to top last year s record of million, they re still expected to come in at historically high levels. One X-factor is President Donald Trump. Promised tax cuts and infrastructure spending could increase demand for new vehicles. But his threatened taxes on vehicles imported from Mexico could make some new cars more expensive. Mexico imported nearly 2 million vehicles to the US last year. It seems policy will play a bigger role in the market than ever before, said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with the car shopping site Edmunds. com. Sales at General Motors, which sells the most vehicles in the US, fell 3.8 percent from last January, while Ford s sales were down 1 percent. Fiat Chrysler s sales dropped 11 percent. Nissan s sales rose 6 percent thanks to strong truck and SUV sales. Other automakers report sales later Wednesday. ALG, an automotive forecasting firm, predicts overall sales will be down 1.5 percent from last January to 1.1 million. January is typically the weakest month of the year for US auto sales, as winter weather and holiday debts keep buyers away from car dealerships. This year, the hangover could be even more acute, since a strong December capped off a record year for the industry. Consumers are finding some good deals. As auto sales slow after seven straight years of increases, automakers are increasingly desperate to make a deal. Incentive spending averaged an estimated $3,635 per vehicle in January, up 21.6 percent from a year ago, ALG said. Edmunds said 10 percent of all new car loans in January had zero-percent financing.

32 BUSINESS 32 Zain announces Khalid Al Saleh winner of Grand Prize The winner receiving the Grand Prize Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, announced the winner of the Grand Prize in its Pay Online and Win draw that saw a weekly postpaid winner of four valuable prizes when paying their bill using Zain s website or app. Zain concluded the campaign by announcing Khalid Saleh Essa Al Saleh winner of the Grand Prize in the fi nal draw, which includes iphone 7, iphone 7 Plus, Touch Hotspot LTE-A with free 1.5 TB Prepaid Internet line valid for 3 months, and a PlayStation 4 (1 TB). The campaign was concluded with 8 winners of valuable prizes across the past 8 weeks. Postpaid customers got one chance to enter the draws for every KD1 paid through Zain s digital channels, including the company s website (pay.kw.zain.com) and Zain s app available for ios and Android. Zain launched this exciting promotional campaign to reinforce its leadership position and its pledge in offering the best products and services to meet its customers personal and professional telecommunications needs, who are considered Kuwait s biggest family of subscribers. Rating supported by company s strength in recurring cash flows by its major ops KFH Capital affi rms Al Mazaya share fair value at fi ls KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: KFH Capital has affirmed Al Mazaya Holding s share fair value range at Kuwaiti fils. The rating, mentioned in an official report issued by KFH Capital recently, is based on the robust growth potential of Al Mazaya s current investments, now centered in Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Turkey. The rating is supported by the company s strengths in recurring cash flows generated by its major operations, mainly those in areas of real estate. As per the report, KFH Capital s rating reflects Al Mazaya Holding s 2016 performance and the future outlook over the next three years in a conservative way that takes into consideration only the profits the company reaps through projects that are now under construction. This excludes the new enterprises that the company is planning to develop, including, for example, the Al-Sharq Project in Kuwait, although the plot has already been purchased by the company and the design and process layout work already started. This is in addition to the Q-Line Project in the United Arab Emirates; their design and layout works have already been completed in preparation for the execution stage. The strength of the company s share is attributable to its ability to increase its total profits over the coming three years, according to the report. The company s overall net profits are predicted to rise in 2018, 70 percent of which shall be generated by rental returns especially when the delivery of real estate projects is approaching the final stages. This advantage places Al Mazaya Holding among top regional companies that boast high cash flows Photo shows Al Mazaya projects and considerable operating revenue streams. The report underlined the strengths currently boasted by the company and over the coming three years, including the diversification the company has achieved within the asset base and revenue streams. While revenue streams Commemorative gift to the people of Kuwait: Al-Mattar NBK launches a National song KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: On the occasion of Kuwait s anniversary of independence and the anniversary of liberation, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), in another first-of-its-kind initiative, launched a special musical production presented as a commemorative gift to Kuwait. Titled Baqoon, the national production, consists of a series of tableaux that depict the social responsibility carried by Kuwait. The song is revealed on Al Rai and Kuwait TV stations as well as in cinemas. Social media followers can watch the song through NBK social media channels on You- Tube NBKGroup and Facebook NBK- Group or NBKGroup and Special competitions are held with valuable prizes for NBK social media followers. It s worth mentioning the participation of Kuwaiti swimming champion Fai Al-Sultan and world champion in free skydiving Osama Najaf in this national production. Both heroes reflected the cultural progressive side of the country. Also, to be noted the efforts of the Ministries of Interior, Defense, the Red Crescent Society and many other partners who also had a remarkable contribution in this initiative. Manal Al-Mattar, NBK Public Relations Assistant General Manager said: This unprecedented musical work featuring numerous cultural, community and social activities and charities carried by Kuwait is performed by the famous Kuwaiti singer Abdullah Al- Rewaished as a commemorative gift Manal Al-Mattar for Kuwait and to raise awareness towards social responsibility and to encourage youth to volunteer. The unprecedented National song is a piece of art that is rich in connotations and invokes remarkably vivid community-related associations. It will be a part of NBK s social program on the occasion of National Day that includes a host of activities and functions that highlight the spirit of the celebration, Al-Mattar added. NBK reinforced its position as a lead contributor to the development of the Kuwaiti society through its commitment to corporate social responsibility. Equate to start sukuk roadshow DUBAI, Feb 1, (RTRS): Kuwait s Equate Petrochemical, a joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Co and Dow Chemical Co, will start investor meetings on Feb 5 ahead of a potential sukuk, according to a document issued by the banks arranging the deal seen by Reuters. Meetings will start in Abu Dhabi and will continue in London on Feb 6 and 7, in Honk Hong on Feb 9, Singapore on Feb 10 and Kuwait City on Feb 12. The potential Islamic debt sale, part of a $2 billion sukuk programme, will be arranged by Citi, HSBC, JP Morgan, KFH Capital and NBK Capital as global coordinators and bookrunners, with Mizuho, MUFG, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and SMBC Nikko joining as joint bookrunners. are real estate-related, they are diversified by geography, varying between developed-for-sale and rental properties. This mitigates operating risks and ensures good growth prospects for real estate assets. The company s high net profits and cash generation have been hailed as well. DIB appoints banks ahead of potential sukuk sale: sources DUBAI, Feb 1, (RTRS): Dubai Islamic Bank, the largest sharia-compliant bank in the United Arab Emirates, has appointed banks ahead of a potential benchmark-sized US dollar sukuk sale, banking sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. The group of banks arranging the deal includes Bank ABC, Boubyan Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC, Maybank, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Islamic Bank and Standard Chartered, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information is private. Dubai Islamic Bank did not immediately respond to an ed request for comment. The planned Islamic debt issuance would come at a busy time in the Gulf Cooperation Council debt capital market, as banks, sovereigns and corporates tap international funds to replenish their coffers and improve liquidity, which has been squeezed by low oil prices. After an issue in January by Bahrain s Gulf International Bank, the UAE s Bank of Sharjah recently mandated Bank ABC, Emirates NBD, JP Morgan and National Bank of Abu Dhabi to arrange fixed income investor meetings for a potential senior unsecured five-year international bond. Kuwait s Equate Petrochemical announced on Wednesday the dates of a series of investor meetings ahead of a potential sukuk issue, while Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Oman and possibly Saudi Arabia are among the regional sovereigns expected soon to raise dollardenominated debt. DIB s sukuk, expected to be upwards of $500 million, is likely to be a five-year deal, said one of the bankers. The timing of the issue has not been decided yet, but the Islamic bond could hit the market next week, said the same banker. DIB s latest sukuk was a $500 million five-year issue in March last year which offered a 3.6 percent profit rate. The bond, part of a $2.5 billion sukuk programme, was listed on the Dubai Financial Market and the Irish Stock Exchange. National Day song PL AI offers both opportunities and challenges Fintech having huge impact on finance industry By Yacoub Husein Nuseibeh, CFA Member of CFA Society Emirates, previous CFA Society president Fintech is having a huge impact on the finance industry, with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data analytics and blockchain, all changing the way the industry works. The rapid pace of development and expected adoption of fintech technologies has led many industry experts to believe that the finance profession has peaked and that there will be the need for fewer finance professionals going forward. Although this is a very bold statement, there are varieties of reasons that point to this being the case. The foremost factor is blockchain technology (also known as Distributed Ledger Technology) and its potential seismic impact on financial transactions across the globe. Blockchain technology has started sweeping the different areas of transactional finance, such as clearing, settlement, payments and execution. Slowly, many market leaders and exchanges are investing in this technology because it is secure, extremely efficient and saves costs by eliminating a lot of back office and operations staff who manually reconcile transactions and conduct investigations. But it is not only blockchain being adopted by organisations, AI has started being employed in current processes to learn about all the reasons for mismatched transactions and then provide solutions to eliminate such errors. Therefore removing manual tasks and eliminating the need for many back office professionals. Nuseibeh Secondly, although it is still in its infancy, we know that there are many algorithmic trading systems used around the world in different streams of asset management. Although some of them have proved to be highly successful, the rapidly changing market environment means that one strategy cannot always be successful. With AI, data scientists are able to create smart machines that keep refining (learning) from the new additional data that is available or suboptimal outcomes and devising better strategies. This is clearly impressive but what is even more astounding is that this happens in very quick speed rather than the days or months required for manual changes in strategy. While many companies will keep these revenue generating models for themselves, we have started seeing investment managers using AI in financial retirement companies like Charles Schwab and Vanguard Group, as well as other investment advisors such as Wealthfront and Betterment. Most online AI tools ask individuals a few questions to find the strategy that best fits their needs and risk profiles, they then offer a smart product that is not static and is able to quickly change its strategy given market news or financial results. This is far more pragmatic and quicker than the services of any financial advisor. (Top): Rasha Al Roumi and flight and cabin crew. (Above): the new Bowing ER aircraft Kathma. Carrier maintains delivery schedule for total of 10 new Boeing ER Kuwait Airways third aircraft arrives KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Following the arrival of its first two Boeing ER aircraft, in December 2016 and January 2017, Kuwait Airways, the official national carrier of the State of Kuwait, has welcomed the arrival of the third of 10 aircraft on order, landing at Kuwait International Airport (KWI) at 16:30 hours local time, on Tuesday. Sporting Kuwait Airways new livery and branding, the third widebodied, Extended Range aircraft has been named Kathma following the theme of naming the new aircraft after place names in the country. Kathma is a town situated just North West of the capital, Kuwait City. The new Boeing ER will enter service within the week and will be immediately deployed on some of Kuwait Airways most popular, long-haul routes, including: New York, London, Paris and Rome; with other routes namely to the airline s Far East destinations to have use of the new aircraft sometime during the upcoming Summer Schedule. The arrival of the third aircraft matches the schedule outlined between Kuwait Airways and Boeing to have all 10 aircraft delivered and in commercial service before the end of Q Kuwait Airways Transformation Strategy, as revealed in September of last year, is the driving force behind the many changes and fleet additions being seen at the airline, over the last few months; additional fleet acquisitions with Airbus 10 A350 and 15 A320neo aircraft will also be part of a 35-strong fleet of brand new aircraft. The Airbus aircraft are set to start delivery in With these new additions, Kuwait Airways claim is that it will have the youngest commercial airline fleet, in the world, by The ongoing progress we have been witnessing at Kuwait Airways, in recent months, is something of great pride that we want to share with the Kuwaiti people and the nation as a whole. These new fleet acquisitions are part of the bedrock of our new philosophy and commitment to see the official national carrier of Kuwait continue to grow market share, passenger numbers and regain its place as a competitive regional player in the aviation sector, said Rasha Al Roumi, Chairperson and CEO of Kuwait Airways. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders and true patriots of Kuwait who continue to offer their unwavering support for Kuwait Airways ambitions; a mission that will reassert a sense of pride in the official national carrier, as well as the country s international standing in both the aviation and travel communities, Al Roumi added.

33 BUSINESS 33 VW to pay $1.2bn or more to US owners of big diesels Siemens boss worried over Trump protectionist policy Volkswagen has agreed to pay at least $1.2 billion in buybacks and compensation to settle claims from US owners of cars with larger diesel engines that the company rigged to cheat on emissions tests. And the German automaker could pay even more as much as $4 billion if it can t repair many of the cars in a way that satisfies regulators. The proposed settlement filed late Tuesday before Judge Charles R. Breyer in US District Court in San Francisco covers owners of some 78,000 Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche cars with 3.0-liter diesel engines. Volkswagen has already agreed on a $15 billion settlement for some 500,000 smaller, 2.0-liter diesel engines. With the settlements for both small and large engines, all of our customers with affected vehicles in the United States will have a resolution available to them, Hinrich J. Woebcken, head of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a statement. We will continue to work to earn back the trust of all our stakeholders. Under Tuesday s proposed class action settlement, owners of 20,000 older models dating back to , which cannot be fixed to meet pollution standards, will be offered buybacks or trade-ins. (AP) The chief executive of German industrial giant Siemens said Wednesday he was concerned about protectionist United States policy under Donald Trump, saying the country had been built by immigrants. What we re hearing from the States at the moment worries us, worries me personally, because it doesn t fit with this country, Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser told a press conference in Munich, adding that the US was known for its free movement, its openness. America became great thanks to immigrants, he went on. Newly-installed president Donald Trump has vowed to build a wall on the US border with Mexico, signed an executive order to suspend refugee arrivals and impose tough new controls on travellers from seven Muslim countries. He has also threatened to impose heavy border taxes on manufactured goods from outside the country, especially Mexico. Germany, too, has been targeted by the new US administration, with Trump s top trade advisor accusing Berlin of keeping the euro undervalued to make its exports cheaper in an interview Tuesday. Kaeser would not be drawn on possible consequences of US protectionism for Siemens, saying that despite the rhetoric, Trump has a very good team of advisors. (AFP) UK factory costs balloon at record pace House price growth weakens LONDON, Feb 1, (RTRS): Sterling s fall since Britain voted to leave the European Union stoked the sharpest rise in factory costs on record last month but offered little boost to exports, tainting otherwise robust manufacturing growth at the start of The Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) edged down to 55.9 from December s 2-1/2 year peak of 56.1, matching the consensus forecast in a Reuters poll. The survey out on Wednesday suggested Britain s economy continues to expand at a solid rate after outpacing its rivals last year, with the PMI s gauge of factory output pointing to the fastest growth since May But it also drove home the view shared by Bank of England policymakers, who meet this week, that rising prices will soon put a brake on household spending, a key driver of the economy. Factories raw material costs rose at the fastest pace since PMI records began 25 years ago fuelled by the pound s near 20 percent drop against the dollar since June s Brexit vote, the bottomline FRANKFURT: Siemens AG, the German maker of power turbines, trains and medical machines, said Tuesday that its net income rose 25 percent to 1.93 billion euros ($2.06 billion) for its most recent quarter and raised its earnings prediction for the year. The Munich-based company said the strong performance in the final three months of last year the company s fiscal first quarter allowed it to raise its outlook for all of fiscal It now expects earnings per share in a range of euros, up from euros previously. Revenue rose 1 percent to billion euros. (AP) GENEVA: Roche, the world s top cancer drug maker, warned Wednesday that new competition could weaken growth but voiced confidence that a pipeline of new products would help offset any slowdown. Patents on several of the Swissbased company s top-performing cancer treatments are due to expire, leaving Roche vulnerable to so-called biosimilars. But Roche has put out a range of new products in recent months, highlighted by Tecentriq, its firstever treatment designed to boost the body s natural cancer-fighter defences. (AFP) THE HAGUE: Dutch telecoms firm KPN said Wednesday that one-off expenses cut group profits by nearly a third last year and it warned of challenges ahead. Bottom-line net profit tumbled by 29 percent to 370 million euros ($399 million) in 2016, the company said in a statement. Full-year sales were down 2.9 percent at 6.8 billion euros over the same period. Lower profits were mainly driven by higher net financial expenses totalling 312 million euros, related to the sale of shares in Telefonica Deutschland and a bond sale in the third quarter, KPN said. (AFP) MADRID: Spain s second-biggest bank BBVA on Wednesday said that solid revenues and a costcutting drive helped lift profits by more than 30 percent last year. Hit by a severe crisis several years ago, Spain s banking sector has recovered but at a cost as thousands are laid off and it struggles to get rid of toxic assets. BBVA said net profit jumped by 31.5 percent to 3.47 billion euros ($4.0 billion) last year, beating analysts expectations. (AFP) STOCKHOLM: Sweden s Volvo, the world s second-largest truck maker, said Tuesday that bottomline profits fell sharply in 2016, hit by a decline in sales in North America. Volvo said in a statement that net income for the year fell by 12.4 percent to 13.2 billion kronor (1.4 billion euros, $2.0 billion). Overall group sales contracted by three percent to billion kronor. The decrease was primarily an effect of the slowdown in the North American truck market, which was partly counterbalanced by improving demand for the Group s products in Europe and Asia, it said. (AFP) as well as higher prices for steel and oil. In response, manufacturers raised the prices they charged for their goods at the fastest pace since April With input prices rising steadily and firms increasingly looking to pass these on, this will likely eat into new orders during the course of the year and hence weigh on output, Barclays economists Andrzej Szczepaniak and Fabrice Montagne wrote in a note to clients. A separate Citi/YouGov survey of the British public on Wednesday showed inflation expectations for the year ahead rose to the highest since December 2013 in January. In previous months spiralling manufacturing cost pressures had been matched with an improvement in export orders, but this faded in January s PMI. Orders from abroad rose at the weakest rate since last May, before the Brexit vote. However, this may prove to have been a soft patch. Earlier on Wednesday the National Institute of Economic and Social Research raised its forecasts for growth and said exports would contribute as imports weaken. The PMI showed manufacturers were optimistic about the outlook and Rising interest rates, slowing job creation potential hurdles Spain s economy braces for bumpier 2017 MADRID, Feb 1, (RTRS): Spain s factories have had a buoyant start to the year suggesting economic recovery still has some momentum, but a spike in consumer prices, a slowdown in job creation and international uncertainties paint a less rosy picture ahead. Activity in Spain s manufacturing sector grew at the fastest pace in over 18 months in January, with firms in the sector creating jobs at a rate not seen in nearly 20 years, Markit s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) survey showed on Wednesday. The spurt followed data showing Spain trouncing most of its eurozone rivals with 2016 growth: national output expanded by 3.2 percent for the second year running, cementing a three-year turnaround from a devastating relaxed about the sharp increase in costs, although it remained to be seen if this would hurt growth later. Domestic demand faltered the last time producers increased prices this quickly in 2011, and we doubt that this time will be different, said Samuel Tombs, economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. recession. The government, however, expects growth to slow to 2.5 percent this year, though that will still outperform its eurozone peers France and Germany as easy borrowing terms and continued hiring sustain household spending. Headwinds are multiplying at a time when some of the underlying imbalances - including a dysfunctional labour market that relies excessively on temporary, lowskilled jobs - have yet to be fixed. Spain, the eurozone s fourth largest economy, imports most of its energy and is especially reliant on oil. With these prices on the rise and domestic electricity costs also soaring, family purse strings are likely to tighten. Inflation hit a four-year high in four years in January. French President Francois Hollande (left), and French Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri (center), listen to Jean Basseres, head of French Job Centers, as they visit the Salon des Entrepreneurs (Entrepreneurship Fair) in Paris, on Feb 1. (AFP) Investors fret over political risks before election Frexit fears force up French borrowing costs LONDON, Feb 1, (RTRS): The premium investors demand to hold France s government debt compared to that of its main euro zone peers hit multi-year highs on Wednesday, with bonds under pressure from political risks ahead of presidential elections. All euro zone bonds have fallen out of favour recently as global growth and inflation signals feed investor appetite for Feisty negotiations ahead No UK-EU trade deal before mid-2020s: ex-ambassador LONDON, Feb 1, (AFP): Britain s future trade arrangements with the EU will not be concluded until the early mid-2020s at best, its former ambassador to the bloc said Wednesday, warning of feisty negotiations ahead. London will conclude free trade agreements (FTAs) with other countries much quicker than with the European Union, which is serious about demanding an exit fee from Britain, Ivan Rogers said. The former diplomat, who quit last month as Britain s ambassador to the EU, said the divorce process was likely to get feisty. It s a negotiation on a scale that we haven t experienced probably ever but certainly since World War II. This is going to be on a humongous scale, Rogers told parliament s European Scrutiny Committee. He said proceedings were still in the phoney war period and would undoubtedly descend into an extremely feisty atmosphere and a mercantilist fist-fight, before reaching a conclusion. British Prime Minister Theresa May intends to trigger Article 50, which starts a two-year clock ticking to departure, by the end of March. Even after talks conclude, senior European figures believe it would probably take until the early mid-2020s before any deal is ratified across all the European national and regional parliaments, he said. Rogers said that post-departure, he was in no doubt that Britain would negotiate free trade agreements with other countries faster than it would with Brussels. While several EU figures think the Brexit separation deal must be concluded before talks on future trade arrangements, Rogers said he thought it inevitable that the two would have to take place concurrently. The EU has estimated Britain s departure bill at 55 billion to 60 billion euros, EU sources told AFP. From the EU s point of view, UK withdrawal will explode a bomb under its seven-year budget, costing poorer countries up to 12 percent of the structural funding they receive from Brussels, Rogers said. Richer states like Germany and France would be under pressure to make up the shortfall. Rogers said he quit his post nine months early because he thought the same team in place at the start of the Article 50 process should see it through to the end. If we get it right, the country gets to the other side of it prosperous and healthy and maybe even happier on sovereignty, he said of Brexit. riskier investments like stocks. But French debt has been particularly badly hit, with the election in April and May a major factor. Investors fear the possibility of a win for Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front (FN). In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, the FN said it would put leaving the euro at the heart of its economic platform. Le Pen is not expected to win in polls, but the campaign of the former favourite, conservative Francois Fillon, has suffered from allegations his wife was paid for work she did not seem to have done. France s 10-year bond yield rose to a near 17-month high on Wednesday of 1.13 percent. The gap, or spread, to its German equivalent hit an almost three-year high of 64 basis points (bps). Compared with similarly-rated Belgium, it was the highest since at least April 2008 at 26 bps. The France spread to Belgium is the gauge we use for political risk, and that has widened further after an adviser to Le Pen fleshed out their Frexit plans, said ING strategist Martin van Vliet. And with Fillon under the microscope as well, France is definitely underperforming. A poll on Wednesday showed an increase in support for both Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron, with Fillon, the candidate of The Republicans, not making the second round. French government bonds are trading purely on election fears, and the polls this morning showed increased support for Le Pen so that adds to it, BBVA strategist Jaime Costero Denche said. I think the market is going to react to every poll from this point on. Most other euro zone yields were up 3-4 bps on Wednesday on the back of strong euro zone economic data. Data on Wednesday showed euro zone factories started 2017 by ramping up activity at the fastest rate for nearly six years. Inflationary pressures within the factory sector were also a concern within Markit s survey after input costs grew at their fastest pace in almost six years. Spain s economy is facing a day of reckoning, Angel Talavera, senior euro- zone economist at Oxford Economics, said in a note on Wednesday. A large part of Spain s cyclical recovery is explained by the decline in oil prices. An unexpected surge in these costs would hit Spain harder than its neighbours, Talavera estimated, with growth slowing from an average 2.2 percent between 2017 and 2018 to 1.7 percent if oil prices averaged 75 euros a barrel over the period. Under that scenario eurozone growth would only fall from 1.5 percent to 1.3 percent. Manufacturing accounts for around a tenth of British economic output, and recent strong manufacturing PMIs have not fully transferred into subsequent official growth statistics. Meanwhile, annual house price inflation fell to its weakest level since November 2015 last month, and the outlook remains clouded due to uncertain economic prospects, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Wednesday. Nationwide said house prices rose 0.2 percent in January, slowing from a 0.8 percent jump in December, to leave prices 4.3 percent higher than a year earlier, down from an annual increase of 4.5 percent the month before. Idea enjoying a renaissance One income for everyone: far fetched, or future fact? PARIS, Feb 1, (AFP): It is a utopian idea, literally, but is enjoying a renaissance as politicians and policy wonks grapple with technologydriven changes that could redefine our very understanding of work. If robots and machine intelligence threaten to render many white-collar jobs obsolete, then what will people do for money? Enter the concept of a universal basic income, a flat sum paid to all regardless of your existing wealth or ability to work. It is one of the rare ideas that has support from both the libertarian right which favours tearing up the welfare state and the left wing. In France, Benoit Hamon has emerged as the surprise Socialist candidate for April s presidential election first round, on a radical programme that includes such an income to be funded in part by a new tax on industrial robots. National or local governments in other countries such as Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, Scotland and Brazil are already evaluating how such a revenue might work in practice. Finland is furthest down the road. On Jan 1 it started a two-year trial to give 2,000 unemployed Finns a monthly unconditional payment of 560 euros ($590). At the least, advocates argue, a basic income could replace the thicket of unemployment benefits currently on offer in many advanced economies. Those can, perversely, discourage people from retraining in new fields or taking on lower paid work that society needs, such as care for the elderly. At its most ambitious, the proponents say, it would give everyone a safety net and encourage new modes of thinking: work might no longer define our lives and instead we might find productive existences in volunteering for the greater good, or in the creative arts. There s a whole new suite of technologies coming on stream and Global FDI falls 13 pct in 16: UN GENEVA, Feb 1, (RTRS): Global foreign direct investment (FDI) fell 13 percent in 2016 and a possible 10 percent rise in 2017 is beset by uncertainty, the United Nations trade and development agency UNCTAD said on Wednesday. FDI, which largely comprises cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and investment in start-up projects abroad, is a bellwether of globalisation and a potential sign of growth of corporate supply chains and future trade ties. FDI recovery continues along a bumpy road, said UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi. Significant uncertainties about the shape of future economic policy developments could hamper FDI in the short-term. Global FDI was an estimated $1.52 trillion in The United States was the top destination with $385 billion, an 11 percent rise from Britain was second with $179 billion, up almost sixfold because of three big M&A deals, and China third with $139 billion. Inflows to India and Africa both slipped about 5 percent, and Latin America by 19 percent. Europe saw a 29 percent fall, partly because of a significant drop in investment channelled via low tax regimes in Switzerland, Ireland and the Netherlands. people will need to adapt somehow, said Anthony Painter, director of the Action and Research Centre at the Royal Society of Arts in London, which in December released a research paper after a year-long study into the idea. The basic income just gives them a fighting chance, he told AFP, stressing the more immediate benefits that would come from redrawing the existing tangle of support for the jobless. If mass unemployment and fears of technology are modern trends, the concept of a universal income goes back centuries. In his 1516 book Utopia, English philosopher and statesman Thomas More imagined an ideal republic where private property is abolished and all receive a basic stipend. It is a pre-industrial society, of course, where agriculture is the foundation of the economy and people s needs are basic. Things are more complicated today. A December study by OFCE, an economics think tank linked to the Sciences Po university in Paris, said that to ensure nobody loses out from the elimination of existing benefits, a universal income for French adults would need to start at 785 euros per month. That is a little over what Hamon is proposing although pollsters give him little chance in the election given the dismal standing of the Socialist party under the departing president, Francois Hollande. OFCE found that that level would translate into supplemental spending of 480 billion euros, or an extra 22 percentage points of French GDP which is unrealistic in practice. There are also philosophical objections. In June, Swiss voters rejected a proposed universal income in a referendum after critics slammed the idea as rewarding the lazy and the feckless. Women are, slowly, getting more seats in the corporate boardroom NEW YORK, Feb 1, (AP): The number of women sitting at the table in corporate boardrooms across the country is rising very slowly, but it s rising. Just over 15 percent of all director seats at publicly traded US companies were held by women as of Dec 31, according to a study by Equilar, a corporate research firm. That s up from 14 percent a year earlier and from 12 percent in So, the trend is toward more equal representation on boards, but parity won t happen until the end of 2055 unless the pace picks up, according to Equilar. That s nearly 40 years away, which may be about when girls born today begin sitting on corporate boards. Demonstrating how far remains to go toward gender parity, 738 companies still have no women on their boards. Last year, nearly 60 companies that had no female directors since at least 2011 added one or more women. Even so, it s still much easier to find a woman in the boardroom than in the corner office, according to a separate, global survey of 3,400 companies by Credit Suisse. While women occupied nearly 15 percent of board seats at the end of 2015, only about 4 percent of CEOs are women. Companies in other countries have gotten closer to gender parity than the United States, and government pressure has played a big role. Several European countries have set quotas and targets for how many corporate board members should be held by women. That s why women held 24 percent of European board seats at the end of 2015, the highest rate in the world.

34 BUSINESS 34 Flydubai profit tumbles Profit at state-owned budget carrier flydubai plunged last year, a sign of pressure on the Middle East s aviation sector, but revenue continued rising as Dubai strengthened its role as an international hub. Profit sank to 31.6 million dirhams ($8.6 million) in 2016, the airline said on Wednesday, from million dirhams in But revenue increased 2.4 percent to 5 billion dirhams. Flydubai carried a record number of passengers last year, up 14.4 percent to 10.4 million people, as it launched flights to Bangkok and increased flight frequency on existing routes. Its fleet grew to 57 aircraft from 50. (RTRS) Name: Kuwait Sharia Compatible Indices Providers: Al Madar Finance & Investment Co. Description: Index of Sharia compatible companies traded on the KSE Website: Bloomberg Today s Today s closing Prev closing % 1-week 3-month YTD 12-month 24-month Index name ticker value as of value value change change change change change change Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Composite AMIC February 1, % 1.23% 24.09% 14.45% 29.86% -1.36% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Kuwait Only AMIC February 1, % 1.09% 21.99% 13.48% 26.40% -4.23% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Active AMIC February 1, % -4.11% 57.65% 42.31% 77.58% 6.96% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Banking Sector AMIC February 1, % 0.93% 19.85% 11.28% 16.42% % Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Investment Sector AMIC February 1, % -4.09% 61.73% 45.28% 73.14% % Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Insurance Sector AMIC February 1, % 6.53% 47.56% 39.64% 35.65% % Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Real Estate Sector AMIC February 1, % -1.38% 23.89% 16.12% 19.54% -2.15% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Industrial Sector AMIC February 1, % 6.07% 30.05% 20.88% 28.03% 3.27% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Services Sector AMIC February 1, % 1.57% 25.54% 14.59% 35.60% 1.41% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Food Sector AMIC February 1, % -1.17% 0.05% 0.55% 33.00% -5.73% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Islamic Sector AMIC February 1, % 0.90% 28.84% 16.25% 30.00% -2.32% Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Non Kuwaiti Sector AMIC February 1, % 3.58% 73.82% 33.02% % % Kuwait Stock Exchange Index - Price KWSEIDX February 1, , , % 0.42% 26.59% 19.13% 33.41% 3.18% S&P 500 SPX January 31, , , % -0.05% 8.62% 1.79% 17.51% 14.23% DJ Islamic Index. DJIM January 31, , , % 0.10% 4.57% 2.91% 12.99% 5.64% NEW DELHI, Feb 1, (AFP): India s finance minister pledged to raise spending on the rural poor and halved the basic rate of income tax in his annual budget Wednesday, seeking to ease the pain of a shock move to ban high-value banknotes. Arun Jaitley defended so-called demonetisation, saying it would increase revenues by forcing people to declare untaxed wealth, but conceded it had hit the economy and promised relief for the poor and middle classes ahead of key polls. Jaitley pledged to double the income of farmers, who have been hard hit by the currency ban, in the next five years and bring 10 million households out of poverty by He also promised more affordable housing for the poor and halved the basic rate of income tax to five percent. My overall approach while preparing this budget has been to spend more in rural areas, poverty alleviation through fiscal prudence, Jaitley said in a speech to parliament. The finance minister said tax evasion had become India s new normal as he laid out further measures to increase the number of people paying their taxes after last November s currency ban. He said the rate cut was intended to reward those already paying income tax, and encourage more to do so. The basic tax rate applies to those with annual incomes of between 250,000 rupees ($3,700) and 500,000 rupees. We are largely a tax non-compliant society. When too many evade tax, the burden falls on those who are honest, Jaitley said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi s unanticipated decision removed around 86 percent of India s cash at a stroke, triggering massive queues outside banks and a cash shortage that has hit businesses across the country. Analysts said the budget was in line with expectations that the government would target communities worst hit by the move, with elections beginning in the key battleground state of Uttar Pradesh later this month. That s applying a balm to this segment, which is broadly the lower middle class and which has been more vulnerable to the cash ban, said Sunil Sinha, principal economist at India Ratings & Research, referring to the tax cut. This is what s been the flavour of the budget -- to reduce the pain of demonetisation. Jaitley relaxed India s fiscal deficit target to 3.2 percent for the financial year 2017/18, citing the increase in government spending, but said it would be back on track for a three-percent deficit the following financial year. He announced plans to spend a record 3.96 trillion rupees on infrastructure including modernisation of India s roads, airports and crumbling railways. That includes a trillion-rupee plan to improve safety on the railways after a slew of deadly accidents. Targeting corruption, Jaitley announced a ban on cash transactions worth more than 300,000 rupees and said the government was considering new legislation to seize the assets of big time offenders who flee abroad. Indian banks are currently trying to recover more than $1 billion owed by the Formula One tycoon Vijay Mallya who left the country for Britain last year. Finmin Jaitley revises up 2017/18 deficit to 3.2 pct India boosts spending and cuts taxes as cash ban bites Asian factories rev up Trump threat to demand looms large SINGAPORE, Feb 1, (RTRS): Factories in China and Japan started 2017 on a positive note in a sign the global manufacturing revival is carrying through from late last year, but rising protectionism in the United States threatens to snuff out a nascent recovery in Asian exports. As global growth has gathered momentum over the past year thanks to a bounce in consumption, businesses have ramped up production in a boon to worldwide trade and investment. That has shown up in major economies like Japan, where manufacturing activity expanded in January at the fastest pace in almost three years as export orders surged, Markit/Nikkei purchasing manager index (PMI) numbers showed. In China, the world s second-biggest economy, factory activity expanded for the sixth month in December, according to an official PMI survey, led by an investment and construction boom that has helped spur global growth. Even in laggard South Korea where manufacturing contracted for the sixth straight month, exports rose at the fastest pace in nearly five years. The fairly solid underlying numbers, however, belied the growing uncertainty stoked by rising protectionism in the United Stated. Indeed, in export-reliant Asia, and other regions where global supply chains are closely inter-linked, the election of Donald Trump as US president has emerged as a major risk to both world trade and broad economic growth. Later in the day, analysts will get an opportunity to gauge the health of manufacturing activity in Europe and North America through similar PMI surveys. The Trump factor, allied with a stronger dollar as the US Federal Reserve starts to raise interest rates at a faster pace, could knock global economic growth, and hurt Asian manufacturing and exports. On Tuesday, the Trump administration added to global political frictions, criticising China, Japan and Germany as having deliberately devalued their currencies. Analysts warn a slowdown in Chinese economic growth and a pullback in stimulus in the Asian economic powerhouse could also hit demand across the region and elsewhere. China s official PMI stood at 51.3 in January, slowing marginally from 51.4 in December, but above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis. China s manufacturing sector has been buoyed by a government infrastructure building spree and a housing boom, which have fueled demand for building materials from cement to steel. However, some analysts question whether the growth will be sustainable once the impact of earlier stimulus measures begins to wear off and as the property market starts to cool. Other major regional economies like Indonesia showed positive momentum in manufacturing activity, while Indian factory activity returned to modest growth in January, bouncing from a contraction in December triggered by the government s scrapping of high value banknotes. An Indian office-worker walks past a digital screen showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Finance Minister Arun Jaitley delivering the budget speech at Parliament at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai on Feb 1. India is to halve the basic rate of income tax to fi ve percent, Jaitley announced on Wednesday in his annual budget. (AFP) Trump comments on currencies roil mkts Japan to offer US job boost to Trump: Kyodo TOKYO, Feb 1, (Agencies): Japan s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will propose plans to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the US when he meets President Donald Trump at an upcoming summit in Washington, Kyodo news reported Tuesday. Tokyo is busy putting together an investment package which would translate into hundreds of thousands of new US jobs, Kyodo said, citing unnamed Japanese government sources. Abe will pitch Japanese companies cooperation in projects like high-speed rail construction and shale oil development, the report added. The package is to be put forward when the two leaders meet on Feb 10. Japan is one of Washington s closest allies but Trump alarmed Tokyo policymakers during his election campaign late last year by musing about pulling thousands of US troops from the region and suggesting that officially pacifist Japan may need nuclear weapons. Kyodo said that Abe will take up the issue of auto trade at the summit and stress economic contributions of Japanese automakers investments and jobs in the US. Concerns Earlier this month Trump set off concerns about the fate of Japanese firms doing business in the United States after threatening Toyota with punitive tariffs over its new vehicle plant in Mexico. Toyota later said it will invest $600 million and create 400 jobs at one of its US plants just weeks after Trump criticised the Japanese auto giant. Trump, speaking to a group of pharmaceutical executives at a White House meeting on Tuesday, accused Japan of currency manipulation. You look at what China is doing and what Japan has done over the years, and they played the money market and the devaluation market and we sit there like a bunch of dummies, he said. Japan is not deliberately weakening the yen to boost its exports, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday when asked in parliament about President Donald Trump s accusations of currency manipulation. The criticism that our policies are intended to direct the yen lower is undeserved, Abe told fellow lawmakers during a budget committee hearing. Instead they are aimed at spurring inflation, he said. Devaluation Every other country lives on devaluation, he said. You look at what China s doing, you look at what Japan has done over the years.... They play the money market, they play the devaluation market and we sit there like a bunch of dummies. Trump occasionally has railed against Japan s trade surplus with the US, which fell 4.6 percent last year from a year earlier to $60.2 billion, according to preliminary Japanese trade figures. The yen s value fell steadily after Japan s central bank implemented massive monetary easing four years ago, hoping to counter deflation and get people and businesses to spend more money. Injecting massive amounts of cash into the economy through the same sorts of asset purchases used by the Federal Reserve for quantitative easing caused the yen s value to fall from about 80 yen to the dollar to a low of about 125 yen to the dollar in mid Trump is not the only critic of that trend toward a weaker yen. But Japan generally has won grudging acceptance of its unorthodox monetary policies from its major trading partners. 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 NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 KD Sept 27, 2016 Watani KD Money Market Fund II NBK Capital Weekly Nov 29, 2016 KD Nov 22, 2016 Watani KD Money Market Fund (Islamic) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 KD Sept 27, 2016 Watani Foreign Currency Money Mkt Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 USD Sept 27, 2016 Watani Foreign Currency Money Mkt Fund (Euro) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 Euro Sept 27, 2016 Watani USD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 USD Sept 27, 2016 Watani USD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 USD Sept 27, 2016 Watani USD Money Market Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Nov 22, 2016 USD Oct 18, 2016 Watani KD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Nov 22, 2016 KD Oct 18, 2016 Equity Funds NBK Gulf Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Oct 13, 2016 USD Oct 6, 2016 NBK Kuwait Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Nov 17, 2016 KD Oct 16, 2016 NBK Qatar Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Oct 13, 2016 USD Oct 6, 2016 Gulf Equity Investment Fund NBK Capital Weekly April 7, 2016 USD Ijara Fund Thahabi Ijara Fund VI Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly April 30, 2016 USD Feb 29, 2016 Thahabi Ijara Fund VII Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly April 30, 2016 USD Feb 29, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund II Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD March 31, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund III Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD Feb 29, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund IV Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD March 31, 2016 Islamic KD Ijara Fund V Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 USD March 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund I Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD April 30, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund II Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD April 30, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund III Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund IV Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund V Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund VI Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD May 31, 2016 Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund I Ltd Wafra Capital Partners L.P. Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD May 31, 2016 Multi Asset Funds Thahabi Multi Asset Fund Con Portfolio Frontier Capital Management (Jersey) Ltd Monthly June 30, 2016 USD April 30, 2016 Thahabi Multi Asset Fund Mo Portfolio Frontier Capital Management (Jersey) Ltd Monthly June 30, 2016 USD April 30, 2016 Gulf Bank Al Basha er GCC Equity Fund Kwt. Fin. & Inv. Co. & Gulf Fin. House Monthly Nov 30, 2016 USD Oct 30, 2016 Coast Fund Coast Investment & Dev. Co. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Sanaya Dow Jones Kuwait Index Fund Industrial & Financial Investment Co. Weekly Dec 29, 2016 KD Nov 24, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 1 Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 2 Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Markaz Gulf Real Estate Fund Bi-annual Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Al Ahli Bank Al Ahli Gulf Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Al Ahli Kuwaiti Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Burgan Bank Burgan Equity Fund Burgan Bank Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 27, 2016 Boubyan Bank Boubyan KD Money Market Fund Boubyan Bank Weekly Dec 27, 2016 KD Nov 29, 2016 Boubyan KD Money Market Fund II Boubyan Bank Weekly Dec 27, 2016 KD Nov 29, 2016 Boubyan Capital Investment Co. Boubyan USD Liquidity Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co Dec 27, 2016 USD Nov 29, 2016 Boubyan Kuwait Real Estate Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co Dec 31, 2016 KD Sept 30, 2015 Kuwait Investment Co. Local Fund Al Raed Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Jan 31, 2017 KD Jan 26, 2017 Kuwait Investment Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 30, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Al Hilal Fund Kuwait Investment Co Monthly Jan 30, 2017 KD Jan 23, 2017 Al Atheer Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 International Global Bond Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 28, 2016 USD Dec 21, 2016 Diversified Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Jan 25, 2017 USD Jan 18, 2017 European Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 30, 2016 Euro Nov 30, 2016 Pacific Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Jan 25, 2017 USD Jan 18, 2017 North American Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Tw. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 USD Nov 30, 2016 National Investment Co. (NIC) Al-Wataniya Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Al-Darij Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Mawarid Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Zajil Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Al Mada Investment Fund NIC Weekly Dec 31, 2016 USD Nov 30, 2016 Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) Mumtaz Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 22, 2016 KD Dec 15, 2016 MIDAF Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 24, 2016 Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 24, 2016 Markaz Arabian Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Nov 10, 2016 KD Nov 3, 2016 Funds Fund Manager Valuation Valued date Currency Net Asset Prev NAV Prev NAV Dated Value (NAV) FORSA Financial Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Oct 31, 2016 Real Estate Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Oct 31, 2016 KD Sept 30, 2016 Markaz Fixed Income Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Dec 31, 2016 USD Nov 24, 2016 Mawazeen International Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 31, 2016 USD Nov 27, 2016 Markaz MENA Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 15, 2016 USD Nov 15, 2016 Kuwait & Middle East Financial & Inv. Co. Al Rou yah Fund KMEFIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Gulf Gate Fund KMEFIC Monthly Oct 31, 2016 KD Sept 30, 2016 Global Investment House Index Funds GCC Large Cap Index Fund Global Weekly Jan 26, 2017 KD Jan 19, 2017 Equity Funds Al-Mamoun Fund A Global Weekly Jan 26, 2017 KD Jan 19, 2017 Al-Mamoun Fund B Global Weekly Jan 26, 2017 KD Jan 19, 2017 GCC Large Cap Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 24, 2017 USD Jan 17, 2017 Al-Noor Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 24, 2017 SAR Jan 17, 2017 Global Saudi Equity Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 24, 2017 SAR Jan 17, 2017 Money Market Funds Global Money Market Fund Global Weekly Nov 20, 2016 USD Sectoral Funds EPADI Fund Global Weekly Jan 24, 2017 USD Jan 17, 2017 Islamic Funds Global GCC Islamic Fund Global Weekly Jan 24, 2017 USD Jan 17, 2017 Al-Durra Islamic Fund Global Monthly Jan 26, 2017 KD Jan 17, 2017 Kuwait Finance & Investment Co (KFIC) Al Wasm Fund KFIC Weekly Jan 18, 2017 KD Jan 4, 2017 Al Basha er GCC Equity Fund KFIC Monthly Nov 30, 2016 USD Sept 30, 2016 KAMCO KAMCO Investment Fund KAMCO Monthly Nov 30, 2016 KD Oct 30, 2016 KAMCO GCC Opportunities Fund KAMCO Monthly July 31, 2016 USD Feb 29, 2016 KAMCO MENA Plus Fixed Income Fund KAMCO Dec 31, 2016 USD Nov 30, 2016 KAMCO Real Estate Yield Fund KAMCO Nov 30, 2016 USD Oct 30, 2016 Kuwait Education Fund KAMCO Quartely Sept 30, 2016 KD Wafra International Investment Co. Wafra Equity Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Nov 30, 2016 KD Oct 31, 2016 Wafra Bond Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Masaref Investment Fund ISKAN Weekly Dec 30, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Fajir Islamic Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 KD Nov 30, 2016 Shuaa Capital Co. Emirates Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Jan 24, 2017 AED Jan 2, 2017 The Arab Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Jan 3, 2017 USD Dec 13, 2016 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 Nov 10, 2016 KD Oct 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 Dec 31, 2016 KD Nov 10, 2016 Bank Al-Bilad Al Seef Fund Bank Al-Bilad Daily Jan 22, 2017 KD Jan 15, 2017 Commercial International Bank CIB Money Market Fund (Osoul) CI Asset Management Weekly Feb 1, 2017 EGP Jan 29, 2017 CIB II Equity (Isthethmar) CI Asset Management Weekly Feb 1, 2017 EGP Jan 26, 2017 CIB and Faisal Islamic Al Aman CI Asset Management Weekly Feb 1, 2017 EGP Jan 26, 2017 Hemaya CI Asset Management Weekly Feb 1, 2017 EGP Jan 2, 2017 Thabat CI Asset Management Weekly Feb 1, 2017 EGP Jan 29, 2017 Takamol CI Asset Management Weekly Feb 1, 2017 EGP Jan 29, 2017 Misr El Mostakbel CI Asset Management Weekly Feb 1, 2017 EGP Jan 29, 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 Jan 31, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Muthanna GCC Islamic Banks Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Jan 31, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Baitak GCC Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Weekly Jan 31, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 CapCorp Investment Co. CapCorp Local Fund CapCorp Investment Company Weekly Dec 29, 2016 KD Sept 29, 2016

35 BUSINESS 35 UAE bank NBAD offers blockchain payments National Bank of Abu Dhabi said on Wednesday it had become the first bank in the Middle East and North Africa to introduce real time, cross-border payments on blockchain, becoming the latest lender to use the technology. Through a partnership with Ripple, a US start-up specialising in blockchain technology, NBAD said it would allow customers to cut the cost and speed of payments. Several other banks have already partnered with Ripple, which uses the blockchain technology that underpins digital currency bitcoin to help banks speed up their dealings with one another, including Santander, Standard Chartered and Unicredit. Standard Chartered is also an investor in the company. Blockchain works as an electronic transaction-processing and record-keeping system that allows all parties to track information through a secure network, with no need for third-party verification. NBAD s move follows an announcement in October by the UAE s largest lender, Emirates NBD, that it was working with Indian bank ICICI on a pilot project to use blockchain technology for global remittances and trade finance. (RTRS) Kuwait ends pts up in volatile session Kuwait National Cinema gains 40 fils; KFH flat By John Mathews Arab Times Staff KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1 : Kuwait stocks headed north on Wednesday as it kicked off the month on a firm note. The price index rose pts in volatile trade to pts after two-day retreat even as the board remained mixed. The KSX 15 rose 1.9 pts to points and is up 102 points during the year while weighted index edged 0.79 pts higher. The volume turnover meanwhile dipped below the 600 million mark as investors zeal waned. 586 million shares changed hands a 5.85 pct fall from the day before. The sectors closed mixed. Basic materials outperformed the rest with 2.44 percent gain whereas parallel market shed 2.41 percent, the biggest loser of the day. In terms of volume, real estate accounted for the highest market share of 41.8 percent while financial services stood next with 30.7 pct contribution. In the individual shares, National Bank of Kuwait was unchanged at 730 fils off early lows with a volume of over 2 million whereas KIPCO was down 10 fils at 550 fils. Kuwait Food Co (Americana) shed 20 fils and Mabanee Co gave up 10 fils extending an identical drop on Tuesday. Zain climbed 15 fils on back of 11.4 mln shares to 510 fils while Wataniya Telecom (Ooredoo) slid 60 fils to KD Kuwait Telecommunications Co ( VIVA) dropped 10 fils and Agility stood pat at 740 fils. Burgan Bank rose 5 fils to 335 fils and Kuwait Finance House closed flat. The bank has registered a Q4 net profit of KD million and KD m during the 2016 fiscal year The board has recommended a cash dividend of 17% or 17 fils per share. The market opened firm and edged higher in early trade. The price index failed to hold on to the gains and headed south amid selling pressure. It reversed course and rose sharply to peak at points before retreating again and slipped into red. It bottomed at 6825 pts and clawed back in the final minutes to close modest gains. Top gainer of the Zimah Holding Co rallied 8 pct to 67 fils while Kuwait Foundry Co jumped 7.9 percent to stand next. Safat Energy Co slumped 6.9 pct, the steepest decliner of the day and Abyaar Real Estate topped the volume with 98.6 million shares. Despite the day s uptick, the losers outnumbered the winners. 53 stocks advanced whereas 59 closed lower. Of the 144 counters active on Wednesday, 32 closed flat deals worth over KD 55 mln were transacted a 4.9 pct drop in value from the day before. National Industries Group was flat at 160 fils with a volume 3.4 million shares and Gulf Cable followed suit after vacillating earlier in the session. Heavy Engineering Industries and Shipbuilding Co slipped 6 fils and RISCO was down 10 fils at 320 fils. Kuwait Portland Cement Co gained 20 fils and Kuwait Cement Co was up 5 fils at 465 fils. Metal and Recycling Co added 3 fils while Hilal Cement Co and Al Qurain Co shed 10 fils each to close at 140 fils and 295 fils respectively. Gains Jazeera Airways erased Tuesday s gains with 10 fils drop to 680 fils while ALAFCO added 5 fils to settle at 255 fils. The company has posted a 72.8 pct surge in profits to KD 5.2 mln in the quarter ended 31 December, Burgan Well Drilling Co slipped 5 fils and Al Rai Media Group clipped 2 fils. Mezzan Holding Co was down 10 fils at 990 fils and Boubyan Petrochemical Co dropped 10 fils to 570 fils. Kuwait Food Co (Americana) shed 20 fils whereas Humansoft Holding climbed 20 fils to KD Equipment Holding Co fell 2 fils to 73 fils and NICBM took in 2 fils to close at 214 fils. NAPESCO was unchanged at 900 fils. OSOS and Combined Group Co dropped 10 fils each to end at 490 fils and 190 fils respectively while Kuwait National Cinema Co jumped 40 fils to KD In the banking sector, Gulf Bank was unchanged at 255 fils and Al Ahli Bank too did not budge from its earlier close of 325 fils. Commercial Bank of Kuwait gave up 5 fils to wind up at 405 fils. Kuwait International Bank slipped 4 fils to 220 fils and Ahli United Bank gained 10 fils. Boubyan Bank added 5 fils and Warba Bank retreated 4 fils to 234 fils. Kuwait Investment Co and National Investment Co dialed down 2 fils each while International Financial Advisors inched 1 fils into red. Coast Investment Co took in 1 fils while KFIC and Osoul Investment stood pat at 53 fils and 71 fils. Tamdeen Investment Co and Al Imitiaz Investment Co gained 10 fils each while Bayan Investment Co edged 1 fils into red after trading over 5 million shares. KMEFIC paused at 40 fils and Sokouk followed suit. Securities Group Co stalled at 64 fils with brisk trading. National Real Estate Co and Kuwait Real Estate Co was unchanged at 126 fils and 81 fils respectively whereas Mazaya Holding took in 2 fils. Salhiya Real Estate Co was up 5 fils at 395 fils. The market has been mixed during the week and has slipped 5 pts in last four sessions. It had rallied 1082 points during January after gaining 2.37 pct during whole of KSE, with 208 listed companies, is the second largest bourse in the region. In the bourse related news, Boubyan Bank s fourth quarter profit rose 13.5 pct year-on-year to KD million from KD million in Q4- of For the full year, profit was up 16.6 pct to KD mln from KD million in Al Mowasat Health Care has posted KD 1.8 million profits during the fourth quarter of 2016 and for the fiscal year of 2016, earnings rose 35.3 pct to KD 4.52 million from the year before. The board of directors has recommended a dividend payout of 20% or 20 fils per share. Injazzat Real Estate Development has posted a net profit of KD 550,000 in the last quarter of 2016 and during the fiscal year of 2016, the bank earned KD 3.2 million. The board of Injazzat has recommended a cash dividend of 5% or 5 fils per share for FY 2016, with a total value of KD 2.03 million. Jeeran Holding Co. has logged a net profit of KD 431,750 and earnings per share of 3.17 fils in the first ninemonth of 2016 up sharply from net profit of KD 177,518 and earnings per share of 1.30 fils in the 9M of Kuwait Building Materials Mfg. has registered a net profit of KD 159,204 and earnings per share of 5.3 fils in the January-September period as against net profit of KD 363,059 and earnings per share of 12 fils in the same period last year. Mideast Stocks Top banks weigh on Abu Dhabi Gulf stock markets move little DUBAI, Feb 1, (RTRS): Shares in two of Abu Dhabi s top banks fell on Wednesday after fourth-quarter earnings, while other Middle East markets hardly moved as global equities and oil prices offered little positive impetus. National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) slid 5.0 percent after posting a fourth-quarter net profit of 1.33 billion dirhams ($362 million), up 28 percent from the prior-year period and broadly in line with analysts forecasts. NBAD s board proposed an unchanged cash dividend for Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank lost 2.2 percent after announcing a 16 percent fall in profit to 1.0 billion dirhams. Three analysts had on average forecast a profit of 979 million dirhams. First Gulf Bank, which is to merge with NBAD on April 1, added 0.4 percent after posting a profit of 1.53 billion dirhams, down 11 percent but above the 1.37 billion dirham average forecast of analysts. The general Abu Dhabi market index fell 0.5 percent. In neighbouring Dubai, the index added 0.3 percent, buoyed by advances in midsized companies. Emaar Malls Group rose 0.4 percent after posting a 3.9 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit to 452 million dirhams. EFG Hermes had forecast million dirhams and SICO Bahrain million dirhams. DAMAC Properties climbed 3.0 percent. The developer is set to open its Trump-branded golf course project in Dubai in coming weeks. Qatar s index, which was trading higher most of the day, closed flat. Qatar Electricity and Water, which was expected to announce quarterly results later on Wednesday, fell 2.2 percent. Egypt s main index fell 0.7 percent, taking its losses since hitting a record-high close on Jan 17 to 6.3 percent. This is still not a deep correction and the pullback is the normal course of action following three months of strong gains, said a Cairo-based stock broker. Commercial International Bank (CIB) fell 0.8 percent to Egyptian pounds after reporting a 34.8 percent rise in its fourth-quarter net income to 1.55 billion pounds ($82.9 million). The board recommended a cash dividend of 0.50 pounds for Rise Analysts at Cairo-based Naeem Brokerage said that despite net income coming in line with its expectations, CIB s results were negative because of a sharp rise in bad loans, which could result in higher provisioning in coming quarters and a contraction in net interest margins. The bank is unlikely to repeat a strong performance in its trading portfolio in the coming quarter, meanwhile the return on equity has declined, which directly impacts valuation, Naeem said. It has a reduce recommendation on CIB with a target price of 55.2 pounds. In Riyadh, the index closed nearly flat. But Etihad Atheeb Telecommunication jumped 9.4 percent in heavy trade after saying it had signed a deal with top telecommunications operator Saudi Telecom Co to sell it some of its tower network for 230 million riyals ($61.3 million). STC closed 0.4 percent higher. Banks were weak with three-quarters of the 12 listed lenders declining. Alinma Bank was the worst performer in the sector, dropping 2.3 percent. Saudi Arabia The index fell 0.01 percent to 7,101 points. Dubai The index added 0.3 percent to 3,654 points. Abu Dhabi The index fell 0.5 percent to 4,526 points. Qatar The index edged down 0.01 percent to 10,596 points. Egypt The index declined 0.7 percent to 12,584 points. Kuwait The index rose 0.2 percent to 6,848 points. Oman The index edged up 0.3 percent to 5,793 points. Bahrain The index fell 0.5 percent to 1,297 points.

36 BUSINESS 36 iphone sales lift Apple to record quarter This file photo taken in Vertou, western France on Dec 28, 2016 shows logos of US multinational technology company Apple. (AFP) Apple on Tuesday reported a rebound in iphone sales to lift the tech giant to record revenue in the past quarter in quarterly results that eased concerns of slowing growth. The results showed strong demand for Apple s iphone 7 models launched last year, with demand outpacing supply. Revenue climbed to an all-time record $78.4 billion compared to $75.9 billion in the same period a year earlier, the company said in its earnings update for the quarter ending in December. Compared with the same quarter a year earlier, profit dipped 2.6 percent to $17.9 billion. Apple shares were up nearly three percent to $ in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings results. Apple said that it sold 78.3 million iphones the most ever in a quarter up fi ve percent from the same prime holiday shopping period the prior year. The sales made Apple the world s top smartphone vender in the fi nal three months of last year, overtaking Samsung, according to industry tracker Strategy Analytics. The growth promised to assuage concerns by investors that iphone sales, which account for the bulk of Apple s revenue, were softening due to three quarters of sequential decline. We re thrilled to report that our holiday quarter results generated Apple s highest quarterly revenue ever, and broke multiple records along the way, said Apple chief executive Tim Cook. (AFP) the bottomline Global equities, dollar rebound RICHMOND: Investment gains by Altria swelled profits during the fourth quarter, though the continuing decline of cigarette sales weighed on revenue and shares fell Wednesday. Cigarette sales fell 1.9 percent to $5.45 billion as shipment volume of Altria s cornerstone brand, Marlboro, declined 4.8 percent. Overall cigarette shipments slumped 4.8 percent. The Richmond, Virginia, company has cut spending to offset those declines. (AP) NEW YORK: Harley-Davidson on Tuesday revealed gloomy sales ahead after soft results last year, due to weakness in its home market despite the ascendancy of President Donald Trump s America First agenda. The chief of the iconic motorcycle brand said he hopes to turn the company s fortunes around by drawing in new, younger, fans, and introducing dozens of new models. Net profit for 2016 fell eight percent to $692.1 million, as motorcycle sales dropped nearly two percent, faltering especially hard in the fourth quarter, when the count was 42,414, down 12 percent from late (AFP) NEW YORK: Sprint Corp reported a slimmer quarterly loss and revenue that beat estimates as the No. 4 US wireless carrier added more subscribers than Wall Street expected. Sprint shares rose as much as 5.8 percent but gave back some of the gains. By late afternoon the stock was up 1.5 percent to $9.25. The company added 405,000 net postpaid subscribers, or those who pay their bills monthly, in its third quarter ended Dec 31. Analysts looked for an additional 380,000 such subscribers in the period, according to market research firm FactSet StreetAccount.(RTRS) DES MOINES, Iowa: The nation s top publisher of magazines and websites for women has announced the layoff of 40 employees. Meredith Corp spokesman Art Slusark says the job cuts are part of a company reorganization that included promotions, new assignments and the layoff of about 1 percent of its 3,800 workers. Half are in New York and half are in other company locations including 10 in Des Moines, the company s headquarters. Meredith publishes 20 magazines including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Allrecipes, and owns about 130 special interest publications and digital products targeting millennial women. (AP) MIDDLEBURY: Thor Industries Inc has announced plans to expand its northern Indiana operations of recreation vehicle manufacturer Jayco and create more than 300 new jobs. The announcement late Monday afternoon says the expansion of more than 400,000 square feet in Middlebury is due to the growing demand for Jayco s travel trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers and motorhomes. The expansion about 30 miles east of South Bend includes two manufacturing plants, including one that s expected to begin operations in early February and add about 200 jobs. The second plant is expected to begin operations by mid-june. (AP) SAN FRANCISCO: Online retail colossus Amazon on Tuesday said it will strengthen its distribution muscle, and create US jobs, by building its first air freight hub, an investment of nearly $1.5 billion. A hub for the company s growing fleet of Prime Air cargo planes will be built at an airport in northern Kentucky, adding more than 2,000 workers to the approximately 10,000 people it already employs at fulfillment centers in that state. Seattle-based Amazon did not specify the amount of the investment, but the local economic development organization placed the figure at $1.49 billion. (AFP) CANTON, Ohio: The Dix Communications newspaper chain, with operations in northeastern and east-central Ohio, has been sold to GateHouse Media for $21.2 million. The Dix family announced the sale to Pittsford, New York-based Gate- House on Tuesday. Dix Communications operations include a printing facility in Wooster and more than 30 daily and weekly newspapers, online-only publications and specialty publications. Its larger newspapers are the Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier, The Daily Record in Wooster, the Ashland Times-Gazette, The Review in Alliance and The Daily Jeffersonian in Cambridge. (AP) STOCKHOLM: Swedish home appliance maker Electrolux has reported a jump in fourth-quarter profits and a slight increase in sales, but cautioned about a weak market in South America hitting its earnings. The world s second-largest appliance maker after US rival Whirlpool, Electrolux said net profit for the period was 1.3 billion kronor ($148 million), up from a 393 million kronor deficit a year earlier. The company said it had quarterly sales of 32.1 billion ($365 billion), a 1 percent increase from 31.8 billion during the same period last year. (AP) TOKYO: Nintendo Co President Tatsumi Kimishima told reporters Wednesday the company is committed to delivering more content for smartphones, noting that the success of Pokemon Go, a smartphone augmented-reality game, boosted sales of other Pokemon games and of 3DS machines. That helped Kyoto-based Nintendo, which creates Super Mario games, report a better-than-expected October- December profit of 64.7 billion yen ($569 million), more than twice its same-period profit in the previous year. Investors were unimpressed, sending Nintendo stock sinking 2 percent in Tokyo trading. The stock had already slipped when the price for the Switch was announced earlier this month. (AP) TOKYO: Japan s Toshiba is set to dramatically reduce its nuclear operations and stop building new atomic power plants after suffering billion of dollars of losses on US projects, a report said. The engineering conglomerate, a once proud pillar of corporate Japan, is undergoing major restructuring after an accounting scandal and huge losses in its nuclear business. The company now intends to announce plans to exit nuclear power plant construction by the middle of February, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday on its website, citing an unnamed Toshiba executive familiar with the matter. (AFP) ahead of Fed decision on rates Oil rises as OPEC, Russia deliver on supply cuts NEW YORK, Feb 1, (Agencies): Stocks moved higher around the globe and the US dollar rose along with oil prices on Wednesday as risk assets enjoyed a reprieve from the downturn that has gripped markets in recent days. The dollar had suffered its worst January in three decades after President Donald Trump complained that every other country lives on devaluation, while the US sat by like a bunch of dummies. It rose 0.4 percent Wednesday, boosted by a stronger-than-expected initial reading on US employment and solid manufacturing data. Bruised dollar bulls were also looking to the decision by the Federal Reserve later in the day that is expected to announce the central bank s intention to raise US interest rates a number of times this year. Wall Street stocks opened higher, powered by a 5-percent jump in Apple, to join most major indexes from Europe, Asia and emerging markets on the rise. Apple shares were the top boost to all the three main indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose points, or 0.29 percent, to 19,921.48, the S&P 500 gained 3 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2, and the Nasdaq Composite added points, or 0.45 percent, to 5, Both the pan-european FTSE 300 and the STOXX 600 indexes were up around 1 percent. The Nikkei added 0.56 percent and MSCI s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.36 percent in a largely quiet session. MSCI s index of emerging market bourses rose 0.5 percent as well. That all combined to help MSCI s 46-country All World index snap a four-day losing streak, though the recent protectionist noises from Trump s team kept markets jittery. US Treasury yields jumped after the US data from payrolls processor ADP that showed strong jobs gains in January, raising expectations that Friday s closely watched government employment report will also show strong growth. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, edged further above $55 a barrel, supported by signs that Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are delivering on promised supply reductions. Metals took a breather from their recent rise, with copper falling from a two-month high as concerned grew over a strike in the world s biggest copper mine in Chile. Gold fell by nearly 1 percent on the strong dollar and profit-taking from its recent rise. US The S&P 500 slipped into the red and the Dow pared gains in late morning trade on Wednesday, led by losses in energy and utilities sectors, ahead of the Federal Reserve s decision on interest rates. However, the Nasdaq, which is more technology heavy, was lifted by a 5.6 percent rise in Apple after the company s strong earnings and iphone sales. The Fed is expected to keep interest rates unchanged in its first policy meeting after President Donald Trump took office, as the central bank seeks greater clarity on his economic policies. Investors will parse the Fed s statement, expected at 2:00 pm ET (1900 GMT), for any changes following a spate of strong economic data. Wall Street has paid close attention to Trump s comments and decisions, which have caused volatility in the market. His move to restrict travel to the United States unleashed uncertainty and losses on Wall Street in the past few days. At 11:06 am ET the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up points, or 0.08 percent, at 19,879.3, the S&P 500 was down 2.2 points, or 0.09 percent, at 2, and the Nasdaq Composite was up points, or 0.26 percent, at 5, Investors hope quarterly earnings support valuations, especially after a post-election rally pushed Wall Street to record highs. Earnings of S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 7.1 percent in the latest quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. However, investors are struggling with the question of whether the rally has gone ahead of itself, Self said. The S&P 500 is trading at 17.6 times forward 12-month earnings, above the 10-year median of 14.7 times, according to StarMine data. Eight of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors were lower, with energy s 0.84 percent loss dragging the broader index, followed by utilities. Dow component Exxon slipped 1 percent after a string of price target cuts. The oil major had reported results on Tuesday. While Apple provided the biggest boost to the three indexes, Microsoft fell 1.2 percent and dragged down the S&P and the Nasdaq. Oneok Partners jumped 25 percent to $54 after biggest shareholder Oneok Inc said it would buy the rest of the company for $9.3 billion. Declining issues outnumbered advancers on the NYSE by 1,489 to 1,293. On the Nasdaq, 1,430 issues rose and 1,228 fell. The S&P 500 index showed 28 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 97 new highs and 12 new lows. Europe Global stock markets rose on Wednesday and the dollar recovered with sentiment boosted by strong American jobs data ahead of a keenlyawaited Federal Reserve announcement. While up on the day, European markets were off their highs at the close as Wall Street gave up early gains which had been fuelled in part by strong results from Apple. Frankfurt and Paris still managed gains of around one percent, but London underperformed as a strong pound took its toll on exporters. The British currency and the FTSE index have been in an inverse correlation since Britons voted to leave the EU. The late bout of weakness had some observers worried as to stock markets underlying strength. Key figures around 1650 GMT London FTSE 100: Up 0.1 percent at 7, points (close) Frankfurt DAX 30: Up 1.1 percent at 11, (close) Paris CAC 40: Up 1.0 percent at 4, (close) EURO STOXX 50: Up 0.9 percent at 3, (close) Asia The dollar on Wednesday recovered from a hefty sell-off that came after Donald Trump and one of his key economic advisers hit out at other nations using their weaker currencies to gain a trade advantage. The outbursts are the latest from the unpredictable administration that has spooked global markets and fuelled a wave of uncertainty, leading traders to seek out safe investments. Later, Trump told a meeting of business executives that China and Japan had played the money market and the devaluation market, suggesting they had been keeping their currencies weak to boost trade. The comments sent the yen and euro surging against the dollar Tuesday. The US unit clawed back slightly Wednesday although most high-yielding currencies, including the South Korean won, Australian dollar and Indonesian rupiah, held gains. The greenback s struggles this week are a far cry from the rally that followed Trump s November election win, when investors bet his plans to cut taxes and spend big on infrastructure would fire the US economy, stoke inflation and lead to interest rate hikes. In Tokyo, the Nikkei ended a volatile day 0.6 percent higher, boosted by the dip in the yen and bargain-buying two days of big losses. Hong Kong ended down 0.2 percent, with dealers brushing off data showing Chinese factory activity expanded last month, suggesting the world s number two economy is stabilising. Sydney and Seoul each closed 0.6 percent higher, while Singapore rose 0.5 percent and Wellington added 0.1 percent. Mumbai jumped one percent after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his annual budget that he would halve the basic rate of income tax to five percent. n Key figures around 0800 GMT Tokyo Nikkei 225: Up 0.6 at 19, (close) Hong Kong Hang Seng: Down 0.2 percent at 23, (close) Shanghai Composite: Closed for holiday Oil Oil rose to around $56 a barrel, supported by signs that Russia and OPEC producers are delivering on promised supply reductions, although a report showing a large rise in US crude inventories curbed Wednesday s gains. Russia has cut production in January by around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to data provided to Reuters on Wednesday. A day earlier, a Reuters survey found high compliance by OPEC with agreed cuts. Brent crude was up 50 cents at $56.08 a barrel at 1441 GMT, having risen as high as $ US crude rose 41 cents to $ The producer efforts were countered by signs of a persistent supply glut in the United States. US crude inventories rose by 5.8 million barrels, industry group the American Petroleum Institute said on Tuesday, more than analysts forecast. Following on from Tuesday s API report, the US government s official inventory figures are due later on Wednesday. Analysts expect crude stocks to rise by 3.3 million barrels. The cuts by Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries follow last year s agreement to lower supplies by a combined 1.8 million bpd, to prop up prices which are still half their level of mid A Russian cut of 100,000 bpd would be a third of Moscow s pledge to reduce its output by 300,000 bpd. However, Russia has said that its planned output reduction would be gradual. OPEC has implemented most of its reduction. A Reuters survey on Tuesday found that OPEC members in January have delivered on about 82 percent of their deal to lower supply by 1.16 million bpd. Gold Gold fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday as the dollar strengthened ahead of an interest rate decision by the US Federal Reserve which is expected to provide clues on monetary policy this year. Gold is highly exposed to interest rates, particularly in the United States, as higher rates lift the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets and boost the dollar, in which gold is priced. The Fed is expected to keep US interest rates unchanged on Wednesday in its first policy decision since President Donald Trump took office, as the central bank awaits greater clarity on his economic policies. It s a little too early for the Fed to press ahead with the rate hike at the moment but it will be interesting to see the comments they make with regards to Trump s presidency and the expectations for inflation, said Capital Economics commodities economist, Simona Gambarini. Capital Economics expects rate hikes in the second half of the year, Gambarini said, which could hurt gold. 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 Feb 1 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 11, Canadian dollar Philippine peso Syrian pound Gold tola 1, Gold ounce 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 Campaign part of feud against IS Syrian opp n figure to deploy all-arab force in Raqqa CAIRO, Feb 1, (Agencies): A Syrian opposition figure who says he controls 3,000 Arab fighters has told Reuters they are training with US-led coalition forces in preparation to help drive Islamic State from its de facto capital in the city of Raqqa. Ahmad Jarba commands the Syrian Elite Forces, described by the US military as a significant component of the coalition assembled against Islamic State. Its involvement in the battle for Raqqa, alongside the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is welcomed by Washington, which is keen to broaden the political base of the opposition forces in the area. Now we are preparing for the battle of Raqqa, Jarba said in an interview in Cairo. There is a training programme with the coalition forces. We will be ready to enter this battle in force and we are in the process of preparing for it to liberate our lands. The SDF launched an operation in Raqqa province in November aimed ultimately at seizing the northern city from Islamic State. The first two phases captured territory to the north and west of Raqqa and the third will seek to take remaining areas. One decision awaiting US President Donald Trump is whether to directly provide weapons to Kurdish fighters as they push toward Raqqa. Trump has made defeating Islamic State a key aim and ordered his joint chiefs of staff to devise a plan in 30 days to defeat the group. The United States considers the Kurds allies in Syria but has said the Raqqa operation should be predominantly Arab, the ethnicity of most of its residents. The SDF already includes an Arab contingent, the Syrian Arab Coalition, but recruiting Arab allies has been a priority to ease ethnic concerns locally and in neighbouring Turkey. Jarba said he had struck a deal with the US-led coalition in December to deploy his all-arab force in the fight for Raqqa. In the last two months there have been meetings with senior officials of the American army and the international coalition forces against terrorism, he said. Colonel John Dorrian, spokesman for the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve, described Jarba s men in December as a notable force, and said the Syrian was an influential player in the region. The SDF also confirmed in December that Jarba s forces would be joining it from the second phase of the attack on Raqqa. Jarba enjoys strong ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and commands what he says is a force of 3,000, currently deployed between Deir al-zor to the east, Raqqa to the north and Hasaka in the northeastern corner of Syria. He aims to attract new recruits among locals who helped expel President Bashar al-assad s army from northeastern Syria in before losing ground to Islamic State, which swept through the area in There is a feud between us and this terrorist organisation, said Jarba, who hails from northeastern Syria. He welcomed Trump s move to heal differences with Russia, a key Assad ally whose military support has swung the six-year civil war in favour of the government. What we are hoping for is that there will be a American-Russian agreement, because the differences between America and Russia are what have harmed us as Syrians, he said. Jarba said he would likely visit the United States in the coming months and may also travel to Russia. Also: UNITED NATIONS: UN-led peace talks on Syria have been postponed until February 20 to allow a ceasefire to take hold and to give the opposition time to present a united front, the UN envoy said Tuesday. The talks in Geneva had been scheduled to begin on February 8 but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week announced they would be delayed, without providing reasons. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura told a closed meeting of the Security Council that the postponement would help bolster preparations for the talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year war. We want to give a chance both to the government to become seriously engaged in discussions and the opposition (...) to actually be able to be given a chance to come with one unified opposition, De Mistura told reporters after the meeting. The African Continued from Page 1 continent in the world in terms of natural resources. The king s speech was of distinction, despite a sincere emotional tinge expressing the continent s importance to Morocco and vice verse. The words were carefully chosen with vision that transcended from the injuries of the past. This is because there were several fateful challenges that the monarch had to remind about in order to administer effective prescription for overcoming them and to liberate the continent from the complex of dependence on the West. Mohammad VI said, For years, the development rate in some of the North African countries did not exceed that of some other African countries, which is an indication of their inability in understanding the aspirations of their people However, Africa continues to take steady steps towards democracy and political stability with development reaching higher rates every year. For a long time, majority of the countries in the world knew the importance of Morocco and its pioneering role in ensuring development reaches Africa through its accumulative successful experience in cooperating with various countries in the continent as well as its ability to generate initiatives. Because of that, Morocco has been regarded as the main destination for about 15 percent of the world s population. The huge applause that the speech of Mohammad VI received during the AU summit reflects the leaders great appreciation for the content of that speech. It is also an affirmation of the historic role of Morocco in ensuring the unity of the continent. The speech did not detach itself from the main task of this more-developed nation in the continent, which is to propagate development experiences to make Africa greater and more powerful, especially with the return of Morocco to AU and based on statements of several African leaders. Morocco represents a strong boast in which that the union s countries should invest in order to enhance its unity and solidarity. Respect for Continued from Page 1 the magazine increased 100 times. The tweet has been viewed by millions of tweeters, and just like that, President Trump has become the most hated president in the United States of America and many countries in the world. He also tweeted criticism against China for unlawfully seizing an unmanned US naval probe in international waters in South China Sea. He said, China steals the United States Navy research drone in international waters rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented [sic] act, instead of unprecedented. Unpresidented quickly became the top trending topic on Twitter. But I was pleased when an American Muslim woman in hijab addressed a gathering of people in one of the gardens in Washington. We respect and love the presidency but we do not love and respect this president. We ask God to help the United States of America, her friendly people and the people around the world from the recklessness and rashness of the new American President Donald Trump. Sides reject Continued from Page 1 Saudi leaders felt Obama was reluctant to get involved in the civil war in Syria and was tilting towards its rival Iran. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al- Jubeir has expressed optimism that the Trump administration will be more engaged in the region, particularly in containing Iran. Saudi Arabia is part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Syria, while US forces provide aerial refuelling and intelligence support to Saudi military operations against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Also: WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary James Mattis has directed the Pentagon to seek an increase in overall spending to address shortfalls and new requirements needed to accelerate the campaign against Islamic State, according to a memo released on Wednesday. In addition to the proposed 2017 fiscal year budget amendment request, Mattis also asked for a broader budget and strategy review looking ahead to future years but did not offer estimates in his guidance to the Department of Iraq s PM says US travel ban punishes those fighting terror BAGHDAD, Feb 1, (Agencies): Iraq s Prime Minister Haider al-abadi said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump s decision to ban Iraqis from travelling to the United States punishes those who are fighting terrorism. Trump signed an executive order barring citizens of Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries from entering the US for at least 90 days, a move he billed as an effort to make America safe from radical Islamic terrorists. The travel restrictions, which come on the heels of repeated assertions by Trump that the US should have stolen Iraq s oil before leaving in 2011, risk alienating the citizens and government of a country fighting against militants the president has cast as a major threat to America. You come to the victim to hold him accountable, to the people who are sacrificing, who are fighting terrorism, to punish them, Abadi said, in his first reaction to the ban. We do not now want to do anything now... but we are studying all our choices. The Iraqi foreign ministry has already called on Washington to review the travel restrictions, which it said were the wrong decision. And parliament voted to back reciprocal measures against the US if Washington does not change course a move that does not implement restrictions but which does reflect the widespread displeasure with Trump s ban. The dispute over the travel ban comes amid a massive Iraqi operation to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group a battle for which a US-led coalition is providing air support and other assistance. Even if Iraq did implement travel restrictions on Americans, it does not seem likely that they would be applied to coalition forces. But US senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham said the ban could impact military cooperation and security in other ways. This executive order bans Iraqi pilots from coming to military bases in Arizona, where they have received training, they said in a joint statement that drew condemnation from Trump. Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism, they said. The travel restrictions have upended the lives of Iraqis who were planning to move to the US some of whom have waited for years to obtain visas. Iraq President Fuad Masum said Wednesday that his American counterpart Donald Trump s decision to ban Iraqi citizens from entering the United States was a shock and called for it to be reviewed. Masum is the latest in a string of Iraqi officials to condemn Trump s executive order last week barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from US entry for at least 90 days, a move billed as an effort to make America safe from radical Islamic terrorists. Iraq s inclusion among the countries whose citizens are prohibited from travelling to the United States is a shock to us, Masum said in a statement. UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Gulf federation s foreign minister, said the US was within its rights to take what he said was a sovereign decision concerning immigration. Sheikh Abdullah also voiced faith in the American administration s assurances that the move was not based on religion, and noted that most of the world s Muslim-majority countries Tehran confirms Continued from Page 1 The Security Council resolution was adopted to buttress the deal under which Iran curbed its nuclear activities to allay concerns they could be put to US move sovereign decision : UAE FM US authorities to investigate phone contacts Extreme vetting to include social media WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (AFP): Travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries singled out for extreme vetting will face scrutiny of their social media footprint and phone records, the new Homeland Security secretary said Tuesday. Secretary John Kelly sought to explain President Donald Trump s travel ban four days after he issued it with no warning, setting off mass protests, legal challenges and confusion. There are many countries, seven that we are dealing with right now, that in our view and my view don t have the kind of law enforcement, records-keeping, that kind of thing, that can convince us that one of their citizens is indeed who that citizen says they are, Kelly said in a press conference. For that reason, he said, US authorities will investigate visa applicants social media use and telephone contacts, so that we can see who they are talking to. On Friday, Trump ordered a suspension of arrivals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and were not covered by the order. This is a temporary ban and it will revised in 3 months, so it is important that we put into consideration this point, he said following talks with his Russian counterpart in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi. Some of these countries that were on this list are countries that face structural problems, he continued. These countries should try to solve these issues... and these circumstances before trying to solve this issue with the United States. The Emirates is one of the United States closest Arab allies. It is part of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group and hosts American troops and warplanes taking part in the anti-is campaign. It is also home to a center backed by the US that aims to counter extremist propaganda online. The seven-state federation prides itself on being a tolerant, forward-looking nation that nonetheless embraces its traditional Arab and Islamic heritage. The local population is dwarfed some four-to-one by foreign residents, many of whom are not Muslim. America s largest Arab export market, the Emirates also has commercial connections to the new US president. Trump has lent his name to a soonto-open golf course and real-estate project being developed in the Emirati city of Dubai, the Middle East s commercial hub. The Abu Dhabi tourism office is a tenant of Trump Tower in New York. Libya Libya s UN-backed government has criticised US President Donald Trump s temporary ban on its nationals and those of six other countries entering the United States, which put in question attendance at a high-profile conference on Libya planned in Washington for mid-february. The executive order by Trump comes at a time of uncertainty over US policy in Libya, which remains mired in the chaos that followed the NATObacked 2011 uprising against longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), was strongly supported by former US President Barack Obama s administration, but has struggled to assert its authority in Tripoli and beyond. Factions in eastern Libya aligned with a rival government and with powerful military commander Khalifa Haftar welcomed Trump s election, hoping for more support for their anti- Islamist stance. Trump s travel ban has angered some Libyans, including students studying or planning to study in the developing atomic bombs, in exchange for relief from tough economic sanctions. The resolution urged Tehran to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons. Critics say the resolution s language does not make this obligatory. Tehran says it has not carried out Yemen, as well as all refugees, to give time for the new government to develop procedures for extreme vetting to weed out potential extremists. With the move under widespread criticism, Kelly denied it specifically targets Muslims, which could violate the US Constitution. The vast majority of the 1.7 billion Muslims that live on this planet, all other things being equal, have access to the United States, he said. And a relatively small number right now are being held up for a period of time until we can take a look at what their procedures are. Trump s order halted immigration from the seven countries for at least 90 days, but Kelly suggested that for some the ban could go on longer if stronger vetting procedures are not in place once the review period has elapsed. Some of those countries that are on the list may not be taken off the list anytime soon. There are countries that are in various states of collapse, for example, Kelly said, without offering specifics. any work on missiles specifically designed to carry nuclear payloads. The test on Sunday, according to US officials, was of a medium-range ballistic missile, a type that had been tested seven months ago as well. Iran has one of the Middle East s largest missile programmes but its potential effectiveness has been limited The sudden order caught many US immigration gateways and foreign airlines by surprise, resulting in many people with legal US residency being blocked from boarding aircraft for the United States or being detained upon arrival. US Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan cleared up an issue that had impacted many travelers with dual nationality, saying they could enter the United States as long as the passport they present is acceptable. Travelers will be assessed at our borders based on the passport that they present, not any dual national status, he said. That clarification got a cheer from Europe s Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos, who tweeted after speaking by phone with Kelly: Glad that issue of EU dual nationals is resolved. McAleenan meanwhile said that through Monday 721 people had been denied boarding while more than 1,000 people were granted waivers from the Trump order to allow them to enter the country. United States. GNA Foreign Minister Mohammed Siyala called it an unjust decision that should be reviewed. These actions represent racial discrimination on the basis of religion and are incompatible with human rights, he told local TV station Libya s Channel. Authorities in eastern Libya have made no formal comment, though a member of the eastern parliament, Youssef al-fakhri, said that despite Libya s political and security problems, the measure was not appropriate. Refugees The Trump administration said 872 refugees will be allowed into the United States this week despite a presidential order suspending the US refugees program. Kevin McAleenan, the acting head of Customs and Border Protection, said Tuesday that the refugees were already traveling and stopping them would cause undue hardship. Their admission comes despite President Donald Trump s warnings that refugees like these, vetted under the Obama administration, were not adequately screened to ensure they are not potential terrorists. The refugee ban was part of an executive order signed Friday by Trump that has stoked outrage and protests. Besides the 120-day ban for refugees, the order also bans entry to the United States from citizens of seven majority Muslim countries and indefinitely bars travel by Syrians to the US. At a news briefing with McAleenan, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said the travel ban for the seven countries may be extended and other countries could also be added to the list. I would be less than honest if I told you that some of those countries that are currently on the list may not be taken off the list anytime soon, Kelly said. They re countries that are in various states of collapse and may not be able to verify that people applying to come to the United States are who they say they are. In his first briefing with reporters since he was confirmed, Kelly defended Trump s order and said its intention is to keep would-be terrorist out of the United States and not serve as a ban on Muslims. Early in his campaign, Trump had called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Kelly said the vast majority of the 1.7 billion Muslims that live on this planet, the vast majority of them have, all other things being equal, have access to the United States. The troubled rollout of the immigration and travel order prompted an interagency phone call on Monday, according to two US officials. Participants included top Trump advisers Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, along with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Acting Secretary of State Tom Shannon. The officials said Kelly and Shannon told the White House they would take the lead in clearing up the situation. One of the officials said Bannon and Miller agreed to let the agency leaders take the lead after prodding from Flynn, Trump s national security adviser. Kelly had a briefing Tuesday, in which he sought to clarify the extent of the new refugee and immigration and travel restrictions. The State Department, meanwhile, issued coordinated guidance to embassies and consulates overseas. The officials weren t authorized to speak publicly about internal government discussions and demanded anonymity. Kelly, a retired Marine general, also said the order was not a travel ban but a temporary pause that allows us to better review the existing refugee and visa- vetting system. White House Sean Spicer made that point too in his daily briefing to reporters. But Trump referred to it as a ban in a tweet Tuesday defending the decision not to provide advanced notice to travelers. Spicer also called it a ban on Monday. If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the bad would rush into our country during that week, Trump wrote. A lot of bad dudes out there! The rollout of the order has been widely criticized, a point McAlleenan conceded, saying communication among government agencies had not been the best. But he said the refugees waivers were being done in concert with the State Department. He said the refugees would be processed through the end of the week. According to guidance provided to some refugee aid agencies by the State Department none of the refugees are from the seven countries singled out for an all-out travel ban. Those countries are Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Kelly denied reports that he had been out of the loop in the White House planning for the immigration restrictions. Kelly told reporters he looked at two drafts of the order before the Friday signing and that high-level government lawyers and agency officials were involved in drafting it. by a poor record for accuracy. However, Hossein Salami, deputy head of Iran s powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Sunday, the day of the test, that the country was now one of the few whose ballistic missiles were capable of hitting moving objects. Such a capability would enable Iran to hit enemy ships, drones or incoming ballistic missile. Some of Iran s precision-guided missiles have the range to strike its regional arch-enemy Israel. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran s new missile test a flagrant violation of the UN resolution. He said he would ask Trump in their meeting in mid- February for a renewal of sanctions against Iran. We have confirmed that Iran did have a medium-size missile launch testing on Jan 29, on Sunday. This is absolutely unacceptable, Haley told reporters following a closed-door council meeting. The ambassador accused Iran of trying to convince the world that they are being nice before adding: I will tell the people across the world that is something we should be alarmed about. The United States is not naive. We are not going to stand by. You will see us call them out, warned Haley. We are committed to making them understand that this is not anything that we will ever accept. Tehran has neither confirmed nor denied firing any missiles at the weekend. Under a council resolution that endorsed the historic nuclear deal with Iran, Tehran is barred from developing missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads. Any violation of that resolution could trigger a snapback of sanctions that were lifted under the nuclear agreement, opening up the Iranian economy to investment and opportunities. The US ambassador challenged Iran s assertion that its missiles are not in violation of the UN resolution because they are for defense purposes and not designed to carry nuclear warheads. They know that they are not supposed to be doing ballistic missile testing of anything that can carry warheads, said Haley. Newswatch Continued from Page 1 Images showed the charred frame of a vehicle overturned under a tree as locals looked on at the rescue efforts. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took to Twitter to condemn the attack. Strongly condemn the cowardly act & condole martyrdom of police personnel in landmines blast. My deep sympathies with bereaved families, Patnaik said. (AFP) NEW DELHI: A building under construction collapsed Wednesday in northern India killing at least four labourers, an administrative official said, in the latest deadly accident to highlight shoddy construction standards in the country. Workers were placing a concrete slab on the top floor of the seven-storey residential building in Uttar Pradesh state s Kanpur district when it came crashing down. (AFP) NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans police say a drive-by shooting killed two men in front of a high school during a basketball game. Local media report that Edna Karr High School s auditorium was at capacity and was locked down for more than an hour Tuesday night. Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said the men were in a car after being turned away from the game. He says the bullets apparently came from a silver sedan. Harrison says one victim died on the school lawn, the other at a hospital. School officials told local media that one victim graduated from Karr two years ago. A police news release says neither was a current student. It says both men had multiple bullet wounds, and the coroner will identify the two after autopsy. (AP) DOVER: Delaware prisons have been put on lockdown following an incident at the state s maximum security facility. A Department of Correction spokeswoman says an emergency situation was reported at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna late Wednesday morning. The facility was placed on lockdown, as were all prisons in the state per DOC policy. DOC spokeswoman Jayme Gravell provided few details but described the situation as an isolated incident. Gravell says firefighters were called to the scene after reports of smoke, but they re being held on standby. (AP)

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 1 Minutes 37 Seconds Your Working Time Minutes Seconds Word by Word Yesterday s solution Two 45-day-old Bengal tiger cubs (Panthera Tigris Tigris), cuddle at the Wild Shelter Foundation (FURESA) in Jayaque, 40 kms west of San Salvador, on Jan 31. Four Bengal tiger cubs, an endangered species, were successfully born through normal delivery at FURESA animals shelter. (AFP) contract bridge By Steve Becker Scratch pad odds n ends SAN FRANCISCO: A tiny unborn hummingbird is getting in the way of a big bridge project in the San Francisco Bay Area. The discovery of a nest and egg in a tree is stalling the start of upgrades on the Richmond- San Rafael Bridge about 30 miles north of San Francisco, offi cials said Tuesday. The species, Anna s Hummingbird, is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act that forbids the removal of the egg and offers other protections to birds. The nest about half the size of a fi st was discovered about a week ago when work was set to begin. It was found on the Richmond side of the $70 million bridge project, in one of about two dozen trees that were to be removed to widen the freeway, offi cials said. Under the protection act, the tree must stay put until the hummingbird baby is gone. The goals of the act are to protect, restore and manage migratory bird populations to ensure long-term sustainability. We ve dealt with this on all sorts of things on every project we ve worked with in the Bay Area, Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesman Randy Rentschler said. (AP) CINCINNATI: A baby hippo born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo has a name it s Fiona (fee-oh -nuh). The zoo s mammal curator Christina Gorsuch says members of the team giving the week-old female calf 24-hour care thought the name that means fair was a perfect fit for the fair little girl. The zoo says 17-year-old Bibi gave birth six weeks early Jan. 24 to the fi rst Nile hippo born there in 75 years. Staffers have been working to help her grow, get stronger and learn to nurse on her own. They keep her close enough to her parents so they can hear and smell each other. Gorsuch says Fiona still has a long way to go and isn t out of the woods yet. (AP) MANHATTAN, Kansas: A ferret is recovering after being fitted with a pacemaker during a rare surgery at Kansas State University. The 4-year-old ferret, named Zelda, is owned by Carl Hobi of Olathe, who took her to the Veterinary Health Center in Manhattan, Kansas, after Christmas. Zelda had a thirddegree block in her heart, which caused a low heartbeat and a lack of energy. The university said tests determined Zelda was a good candidate for a pacemaker, although it had to be special ordered because of her veins small size. (AP) Words Aqwalan Deeds, not words. Amaalan la aqwalan. Numbers 7470 Seven thousand four hundred seventy Sabat alaf wa arbai maah wa saboun

39 SPORTS ARAB TIMES, THUSAY, FEBRUARY 2, Al-Mullah and Khaled plays second place Al-Assaf, Al-Ansari reign W for the win scenario By Ronchie dela Cruz Special to the Arab Times KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Another funfilled action night with the FAST-Kuwait team as they played for a big W for the win scenario and Muath Al-Assaf finally took his 1st win with a big finish against his peers together with no other than Omar Al Ansari who had recorded another fastest time under the Professional Category. W for the win scenario is another brilliant creation of FAST Pres. Ronil Garcia with a lot of help from other members who all came in early to setup the scenario with the presence of Range Officer Wilbert Zingapanto to observe the safety positions of the targets and ensures the safety of everyone for the competition. The scenario was set up where the targets were laid out in the target area barricaded and heavily covered, the shooter had to start in the center of the shooting area, where left and right were barricaded and the shooter had to run backwards to pass the barricades and proceed to their targets either left or right. The shooter had to start by engaging the 1st two targets in the middle of the shooting area at a distance of 3 meters within the port hole, and run backwards either to the left or right, then move forward to engage another 2 targets at 7 meters and another 2 targets at 5 meters but had to move. Then they had to run all the way to the either side and do the same as left and right sides mirrors each other. Looks very simple but the shooter can only shoot the targets as long as they are inside the shooting area or charge line, the shooter also needed to run backwards, left or right, up and down making a pattern that looks like the letter W and also to avoid disqualification for unsafe gun handling. At the start of the fun shoot, Garcia told all the competitors that safety was the priority of both the range and the organization and briefed them with the scenario after which, they gave each competitor a 5 minutes walk through the course of fire. An aggregate scoring method was used to calculate the final score for each competitor with a bullet in Alpha earning 5 points, while in Bravo and Charlie brought 3 points and Delta 1 point. SHOOTING The time taken to complete the shoot played a major part in the standing as the total score was divided by the time taken over the course to get the result. The shooter could also get penalized and 10 points deducted from the total score if they received procedural errors and hit no-shoot targets, they could also be disqualified if they violated any gun safety handling rules. If there was a malfunction of any of the range equipment during the competition, the shooter was given or allowed to re-shoot. Standard Category Muath Al Assaf emerged victorious tonight and showed everyone that practice really gives you the edge. He is one of the 5 shooters to have a perfect shoot performance and in his case, almost a perfect ace as he had 19 Alpha, the highest recorded in both categories with 1 Delta under seconds that put him on top with hit factors. On his 2nd attempt, he had made little adjustments that took him 2 more seconds to finish the course in seconds with 18 Alpha and 2 Charlie for hit factors. And even on his 3rd attempt, he had a good line and finished the course faster than his 1st attempt with seconds and collected 16 Alpha, 1 Bravo, 2 Charlie and 2 Delta for hit factors. Majid Al Mullah finally made several adjustments and took 2nd place tonight and the 2nd shooter with a perfect shoot performance under seconds and collected 8 Alpha, 8 Charlie and 4 Delta that gave him hit factors. He tried to run faster on his 2nd attempt and finished the course in seconds but sacrificed his hits by collecting all the alphabets with 11 Alpha, 1 Bravo, 2 Charlie, 1 Delta and 5 Mikes for hit factors. Completing the Tough 3 line-up is FAST VP Cesar Isidro who dropped from last week and took 3rd place tonight. He finished the course in seconds but was not able to hit the marked that could have put him on top. He collected 15 Alpha, 2 Charlie, 1 Delta and 2 Mikes that dragged his hit factors down to Abdelrahman Abubakar rejoined the group and took on hard tonight and settled for 4th place. He finished the course in seconds and collected 11 Alpha, 7 Charlie, 1 Delta and 1 Mike for hit factors. Completing the Magic 5 line-up is Hamad Al Kandari who happens to get the fastest time in the same category by finishing the course in seconds and could also easily took on the top spot if he had not miss. He collected 8 Alpha, 7 Charlie, 2 Delta and 3 Mikes for hit factors. Last man standing is Rasheed Al Twalah, who was back in action again and took on the challenge as he finished the course in seconds after hitting 15 Alpha, 3 Charlie, 1 Delta and 1 Mike but received a procedural errors when he forget to move while engaging the his last target and finished with hit factors. Fawaz Al Anizi was one of a dead shot shooter but could not make it to the positive line as he receives 8 procedural errors for engaging all 4 targets (left and right) without moving and could have easily grabbed 4th place if he had not received those procedural errors. He took on the challenge with his 2nd attempt and ensured himself he will not commit the same mistake. This time he finished the course in seconds and collected 10 Alpha, 1 Bravo, 2 Charlie, 2 Delta and 5 Mikes for hit factors. Although they did not have a complete line-up tonight, the following shooter was able to maintain their current standings after 5 official funshoots as Al Assaf, Al Mullah, Twalah and Abubakar joins the top rank tonight with Isidro and Al Kandari while Al Anizi was dropped out from the Magnificent 7 line-up, the line-up that separates the men from the boys together with Cajucom who did not participate in tonight s competition. Professional Category Omar Al Ansari recaptured his title tonight with a big win and the 3rd shooter with a perfect shoot performance under seconds and the fastest time recorded in both categories. He collected 11 Alpha, 8 Charlie and 1 Delta for hit factors and his 2nd win for the FAST League Abdullah Khaled was a guest shooter who showed everyone that he is not new to this game and came in 2nd place after finishing the course in seconds and hitting 16 Alpha, the highest number of hits in the same category together with 4 Charlie that gave him hit factors and too close for comfort with the top finisher. Humoud Al Sabah continues to shine and perform very well as tonight he landed in 3rd sport after finishing the course in seconds and collected 14 Alpha and 6 Charlie as the last shooter to record a perfect shoot performance that gave him hit factors. Garcia landed in 4th place and almost took the top spot but missed. He collected 11 Alpha, 7 Charlie and 2 Mikes after finishing the course in seconds that gave him hit factors. Fifth place and completing the Magic 5 line-up is Mohammed Al Sadoon. He finished the course in seconds and collected 10 Alpha, 6 Chalir, 3 Delta and 1 Mike for hit factors. He made another attempt and although he had finished a little faster in his 1st with seconds, he had 10 Alpha, 6 Charlie, 2 Delta and 2 Mikes for hit factors. Sixth placed is Tamer Al Mutariat. He finished the course in seconds and collected 8 Alpha, 7 Charlie, 4 Delta and 1 Mike that gave him a score of hit factors for his 1st attempt. In his 2nd attempt, he finished the course in hit factors with a perfect shoot performance this time and collected 12 Alpha, 6 Charlie and 2 Delta that gave him hit factors. With the above result and only 6 shooters participated in the professional category, the following shooter maintains their current standings with Al Ansari, Al Mutariat, Al Sabah, Al Sadoon and Garcia who was joined by Khaled while Al Mutawah did not participate in tonight s competition. Meanwhile, FAST officials have announced that all newcomers and members wishing to participate in the weekly shoots should come to the range ahead of time for a dry run over the course. The aim of this dry run is to ensure the newcomers safety as well as that of all those present at the range. Those newcomers who fail to turn up for this dry run will not be allowed to take part in the actual competition. Also, FAST-Kuwait are accepting new membership. Inviting all practical shooters out there to join them and be a part of their camaraderie and had a lot of fun for this sport. For details, contact Garcia on and Isidro on or look up on Facebook FAST-Kuwait or fastkuwait@yahoo. com. Muath Al-Assaf Omar Al-Ansari FAST family pose for a group photo during fun shooting tournament. Jackets hold off Rangers as Wild breeze past Oilers NEW YORK, Feb 1, (AP): Seth Jones scored twice while Alexander Wennberg had a goal and two assists as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the New York Rangers 6-4 on Tuesday night. Brandon Saad added a goal and an assist while Nick Foligno and Matt Calvert also scored for the Blue Jackets, who led 6-0 early in the third. Joonas Korpisalo, starting in place of All-Star Sergei Bobrovsky, stopped 33 shots. The Blue Jackets won for the sixth time in 13 games since a franchiserecord 16-game winning streak and beat the Rangers for the second time in three meetings this season after losing the previous seven. Wild 5, Oilers 2 In Edmonton, Alberta, Tyler Graovac scored twice as the Wild beat the Oilers. Jason Zucker, Zach Parise and Chris Stewart also scored for the Wild while Darcy Kuemper made 41 saves. Adam Larsson and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal for the Oilers. Sharks 3, Blackhawks 1 In San Jose, California, Tomas Hertl NHL Results/Standings Hertl scores winner as Sharks top Blackhawks scored the game-winner with 2:03 remaining in regulation after Patrick Marleau got his 499th career goal, helping San Jose beat Chicago for its seventh win in eight games. Hertl, who missed 32 games with a knee injury, got his first goal since Oct. 27 when he knocked in the rebound of Brent Burns shot. Ducks 5, Avalanche 1 In Anaheim, California, Jakob Silfverberg scored two goals and John Gibson made 28 saves as Anaheim wrapped up a three-game season sweep of struggling Colorado. Rickard Rakell, Korbinian Holzer and Cam Fowler each added a goal for the Ducks, who moved ahead of Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division by picking up at least one point for the 16th time in their last 18 games. Kings 3, Coyotes 2 In Glendale, Arizona, Jake Muzzin scored a power-play goal with 1:49 to play as the Kings snapped the Coyotes season-best three-game winning streak. Anze Kopitar and Jordan Nolan also scored for Los Angeles and Peter Budaj had 30 stops. Penguins 4, Predators 2 In Pittsburgh, Patric Hornqvist WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): Results and standings from the NHL games on Tuesday. San Jose 3 Chicago 1 Anaheim 5 Colorado 1 Minnesota 5 Edmonton 2 Los Angeles 3 Arizona 2 Dallas 6 Toronto 3 Winnipeg 5 St Louis 3 Florida 6 Ottawa 5 Western Conference Central Division W L OTL GF GA Pts Minnesota Chicago Nashville St Louis Dallas Winnipeg Colorado Pacific Division W L OTL GF GA PTS San Jose Anaheim Edmonton Los Angeles Calgary Vancouver Arizona Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L) Boone Jenner #38 of the Columbus Blue Jackets takes a shot as Kevin Klein #8 of the New York Rangers defends on Jan 31, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (AFP) scored twice and Matt Murray stopped 37 shots, leading Pittsburgh to the win. Trevor Daley and Chris Kunitz also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Sidney Crosby picked up an assist on Hornqvist s first goal for the 994th point of his career. Islanders 3, Capitals 2 In Washington, Ryan Strome and Montreal 5 Buffalo 2 New Jersey 4 Detroit 3 Boston 4 Tampa Bay 3 NY Islanders 3 Washington 2 Columbus 6 NY Rangers 4 Carolina 5 Philadelphia 1 Pittsburgh 4 Nashville 2 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Montreal Ottawa Boston Toronto Florida Tampa Bay Buffalo Detroit Metropolitan Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Washington Columbus Pittsburgh NY Rangers Philadelphia NY Islanders Carolina New Jersey Sima Azimi trains students to prepare for Oly competition Afghan women practice ancient Shaolin martial arts KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb 1, (AP): While Afghanistan s Buddhists were carving the giant sandstone statues in Bamiyan in 500 A.D., Buddhists in China were creating martial arts in the Shaolin temple in Henan Province. Fifteen hundred years later, 10 ethnic Hazara women and girls practice the martial arts of Shaolin on a hilltop in the west of Kabul. They are preparing for the day that Afghanistan can send its women s team to the Shaolin world championship in China. Sima Azimi, 20, who is originally from Jaghuri, in central Afghanistan, trains nine students in the martial arts to prepare for Olympic competition, but also to protect themselves on the streets of Kabul, where women are routinely harassed. Azimi remembered an incident in which a thief tried to snatch her purse, but with her martial arts skills she fought back and saved it. Raihana Amiri, also 20, hopes to participate in international Shaolin competitions and bring honor and pride to Afghanistan, which is battered by decades of war. When they aren t training on the snow-covered hills that surround Kabul, Azimi trains her students in a grungy, dark club financed by a young cinema actor. Azimi said it was difficult to find all the tools needed to train. For instance, she had to order a Shaolin sword from Iran, where she had studied the art for three years. They could not find Shaolin uniforms, but, undeterred, they designed and ordered uniforms made by a Kabul tailor. Shaolin martial arts students follow their trainer, Sima Azimi, 20, in black, during a practice session on a hilltop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan 25, While studying in Iran, Azimi competed in two competitions where she won gold and bronze medals. A year after returning to Afghanistan, she decided to train young girls who lived in the Hazara-dominated neighborhoods of the capital. Most of her students are teenagers, while a few of the older students study in universities. Azimi charges between $2 and $5 a month depending on what they can afford. Some of my students families had problems accepting their girls studying Wushu (martial arts), she said. But I went to their home and talked to their parents. In religiously conservative Afghanistan, girls are often discouraged from aggressive sports. Many parents fear a sporting accident could result in a girl breaking her hymen before marriage, which is considered deeply shameful. While strides have been made for women in Afghanistan, Azimi said there s still much to change. She firmly believes that girls and women can stand toe-to-toe with boys in Shaolin martial arts. In an Olympic Committee competition in Kabul, Azimi took first position among female Shaolin participants. Johnny Boychuk scored in the third period while Thomas Greiss made 28 saves as the Islanders beat the leagueleading Capitals. Strome s first goal since Dec. 31 lifted New York to a 2-1 lead at 6:31. Anthony Beauvillier stole the puck behind the Capitals net and passed it to Brock Nelson. The Islanders forward sent a quick pass to Strome, and he tapped it past goalie Philipp Grubauer. Hurricanes 5, Flyers 1 In Raleigh, North Carolina, Sebastian Aho had three goals and an assist, leading the Hurricanes to the victory. Aho, a 19-year-old from Finland, became the first Carolina rookie to record a hat trick since Erik Cole during the season. It was the third multiple-goal game this season for Aho, who has 15 goals. Bruins 4, Lightning 3 In Tampa, Florida, Zdeno Chara scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Tuukka Rask made 18 saves as the Bruins beat the Lightning for their first three-game winning streak since early December. Boston also got goals from Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Frank Vatrano. Alex Killorn scored twice and Brayden Point also had a goal for the Lightning, while Victor Hedman had three assists and Ben Bishop stopped 31 shots. ICE HOCKEY Stars 6, Maple Leafs 3 In Dallas, Kari Lehtonen made 40 saves as the Stars scored five times in the first period. Dallas took a 3-0 lead on goals by Devin Shore, Radek Faksa and Lauri Korpikoski. After Korpikoski s goal at 11:18, Curtis McElhinney replaced Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen. Tyler Bozak scored on a power play at 13:50 of the first for Toronto but Brett Ritchie and Jamie Benn answered to give the Stars a 5-1 lead after one. Jets 5, Blues 3 In St. Louis, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler each had a goal and two assists, powering Winnipeg to the win. Patrik Laine, Jacob Truba and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for the Jets, who improved to within the Central Division. Ondrej Pavalec made 24 saves. Alexander Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo scored for the Blues, while Jake Allen made 19 saves. Canadiens 5, Sabres 2 In Montreal, Max Pacioretty scored three times and Carey Price made 37 saves, leading the Canadiens to the win. David Desharnais and Paul Byron also scored for Montreal. Alexander Radulov and Phillip Danault each had two assists. Panthers 6, Senators 5 In Sunrise, Florida, Jonathan Marchessault scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period to lift Florida to the victory. With the score tied at 4-4, Ottawa goalie Mike Condon tried to clear the puck from behind the net but lost control of it. Marchessault grabbed the loose puck and poked it into the open net with 6:03 left. Devils 4, Red Wings 3 In Detroit, Kyle Palmieri scored twice and Cory Schneider made 27 saves, helping New Jersey hold on for the road win. Stefan Noesen gave the Devils the lead on their first shot 1:28 into the game. Palmieri put New Jersey ahead 2-0 lead less than five minutes later and restored its two-goal advantage with 34 seconds left in the second period on the first of his team s two short-handed goals.

40 SPORTS 40 Simon denies Chelsea, Watford stun Arsenal Spurs held LONDON, Feb 1, (AFP): Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet went from zero to hero as Premier League leaders Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield, while Arsenal s title challenge was torpedoed by Watford s shock 2-1 win on Tuesday. Antonio Conte s Chelsea grabbed the lead in the 25th minute when David Luiz cheekily took a quick free-kick that flashed past Mignolet, who was caught out while he lined up his defensive wall. Mignolet looked bewildered that Mignolet the Brazil defender s effort wasn t ruled out, but referee Mark Clattenburg allowed Luiz to celebrate his first goal since rejoining Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain in August. Georginio Wijnaldum came to Liverpool s rescue as the midfielder equalised with a SOCCER 57th minute header from James Milner s cross. Costa should have won it for Chelsea in the 76th minute when Joel Matip fouled him in the penalty area. However, the Spain striker s spotkick was pushed away by Mignolet as the keeper made amends for his earlier error. For just the second time in their last 17 leagues games, Chelsea finished without three points, but the Blues are still nine points clear of second placed Tottenham. It s a pity Diego missed the penalty, but we must be happy with the result and the performance be- FRANCEVILLE, Gabon, Feb 1, (AFP): The nearly men of African football in recent years, Ghana go into a sixth consecutive semi-final at the Cup of Nations when they face Cameroon in Franceville on Thursday. The Black Stars have not won the trophy since 1982, instead gaining a reputation for coming up just short all too often over the last decade. Avram Grant s side lost on penalties to the Ivory Coast in the final two years ago, while their current run of near misses began with a 1-0 last-four defeat to Cameroon at home in Accra in Gyan But in Gabon they have seemed like a side on a mission to end their long title drought and a 2-1 quarter-final win over DR Congo in Oyem on Sunday, secured thanks to a goal each from the Ayew brothers, took them through to the last four. It s not just by chance but by the hard work the team has put in, Ghana s assistant coach Maxwell Konadu told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the Black Stars consistency at the tournament. The players are always willing to do something for their nation. One thing we all dream to achieve is to win the cup this time around. Konadu confirmed that Ghana are hopeful of having skipper Asamoah Gyan -- a survivor of the 2008 squad -- back fit from the adductor injury suffered in their last group game against Egypt and that kept him out of the DR Congo win. Meanwhile, Razak Brimah will hope to keep his place in goal despite being fined $2,500 by the Chelsea s David Luiz (right), heads the ball away from Liverpool s Roberto Firmino during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England on Jan 31, (AP) cause it is not easy to play away at Liverpool, Conte said. Fourth placed Liverpool, 10 points behind Chelsea, have only won one of their last nine matches in all competitions, but their battling display at least partially eased the pain of Saturday s FA Cup embarrassment against second tier Wolves. Arsenal s Alex Iwobi (right), and Watford s Craig Cathcart challenge for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Watford at The Emirates Stadium in London on Jan 31, (AP) Black Stars hope Gyan makes semis Resurgent Cameroon stand in Ghana s path Ghanaian FA after upsetting supporters with an outburst on Facebook. Razak said he was responding to insults directed at his mother but nevertheless issued an official apology. I accept that as an ambassador for my country Ghana and a role model for many across the globe, I should not have reacted this way, said the 29-year-old. The sedate town of Franceville, set amidst lush green rolling hills Cameroon vs Ghana bein SPORTS MAX 1 HD 22:00 local around the Mpassa river, was the venue for Cameroon s penalty shoot-out win over Senegal in the last round. So while Ghana had to travel to the south-east of Gabon from Oyem, Cameroon were able to stay at their base in the nearby town of Moanda, one of the biggest manganese producers in the world. There Hugo Broos s side have been preparing in the knowledge they have already exceeded expectations in making it this far. Their build-up has been slightly tarnished over a disagreement relating to bonuses, with Broos saying the country s federation has shown the team a lack of respect. But the coach insisted that the issue will not be held up as an excuse if their run ends here. We have not been happy since the start of the tournament but you have never seen that on the field, he said. If we lose it will not be because the money is not good, it will be because Ghana are better than us. Cameroon progressed from their group at the expense of hosts Gabon and then edged out a muchfancied Senegal thanks to a Sadio Mane miss in a penalty shoot-out that followed a goalless draw. I m not sure happy is the right word, but I m proud because the boys did outstanding things against a really good side, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said. At the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger was again watching from high in the stands as he served his touchline ban and the Arsenal boss was rocked in the 10th minute when Younes Kaboul s powerful strike deflected in off Aaron Ramsey. Watford suffered an embarrassing FA Cup defeat at third tier Millwall on Sunday and had gone seven league games without a win. But the view from the posh seats got even more uncomfortable for LONDON, Feb 1, (AFP): Premier League clubs have shelled out a record 1.4 billion in transfers this season, according to a report Wednesday that warned of over-reliance on Chinese largesse. The Deloitte consultancy study said top-tier English sides made 40 million pounds ($50 million, 46 million euros) in profit from the January transfer window, the first time they have come out of the football horse-trading in the black. The market closed on Tuesday night with Southampton swooping for Napoli s Italy forward Manolo Gabbiadini for at least 14 million while Burnley completing the reported club-record 13 million signing of Norwich winger Robbie Brady. Deloitte said total gross spending by Premier League clubs for the 2016/17 season is now almost 1.4 billion, smashing the previous record of 1 billion last season. The latest eye-watering outlay was far in excess of any other league in world football, said Dan Wenger three minutes later as Troy Deeney doubled Watford s lead with a close-range finish after Etienne Capoue unhinged the Arsenal defence. Alex Iwobi got one back for Arsenal when the young winger rammed home from Alexis Sanchez s cross in the 58th minute. Gunners forward Lucas Perez hit Brady the crossbar in the closing stages, but Watford held on for their first league victory at Arsenal since Arsenal are nine points behind Chelsea in third place and Wenger said: It was obvious we were not sharp enough. It looked mentally that we were not ready for the challenges. Everybody in the Premier League is strong physically and 90 percent (effort) is not enough. Tottenham missed a chance to close the gap on Chelsea after being held to a dour 0-0 draw by struggling Sunderland. Mauricio Pochettino s side, who lost England left-back Danny Rose to a first half injury, rarely got into top gear in their second successive draw. Struggling champions Leicester crashed to a third successive league defeat as Sam Vokes controversial strike gave Burnley a 1-0 win at Turf Moor. Claudio Ranieri s team were shattered when Michael Keane nodded down for Vokes from a corner and the ball appears to hit the striker s hand before he lashed in from close range in the 87th minute. Leicester, with just one win in their last eight league games, are now two points above the relegation zone. It was handball for everybody but not the referee. He didn t see it and we lost the match, Ranieri fumed. Sam Allardyce celebrated his first league win as Crystal Palace manager at the sixth attempt as the lowly Eagles won 2-0 at Bournemouth. Scott Dann s 46th minute tapin from Damien Delaney s flick on put third bottom Palace ahead and Christian Benteke wrapped up the points in second half stoppage-time. Fourth bottom Swansea boosted t eir bid for survival with a 2-1 win over Southampton at the Liberty Stadium. Middlesbrough drew 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside Stadium. Payet debuts as OM eliminate OL Lazio end Inter winning run, reach semis MILAN, Feb 1, (Agencies): Inter Milan s run of nine successive wins in all competitions ended when they lost 2-1 at home to Lazio in their Italian Cup quarter-final on Tuesday. Both teams finished with 10 men after a bad-tempered game littered with angry exchanges. Lazio lost 3-0 to the same opponents in Serie A little more than a month ago and had an early let-off when Inter, who controlled the early exchanges, hit the post with a longrange shot from Geoffrey Kondogbia. But the visitors went ahead in the 20th minute when Felipe Anderson beat two defenders to a cross and scored with a glancing header. Lucas Biglia added Lazio s second from a penalty in the 56th minute after Inter defender Miranda fouled Ciro Immobile and was sent off. Stefan Radu followed for Lazio for a second bookable offence in the 76th minute and Marcelo Brozovic pulled one back for Inter with a looping header with six minutes left. Marseille s star recruit Dimitri Payet made his debut on Tuesday but it was Brazilian Doria who booked the SOCCER team s French Cup quarter-final berth with a 2-1 extra time win over Lyon. Payet rejoined the Ligue 1 side on a four-and-a-half-year deal on Sunday after Marseille paid 30 million euros ($31.3 million, 25 million) to bring him back to the Stade Velodrome. And the 29-year-old former West Ham player came on to a standing ovation after 94 minutes as the Cup clash was deadlocked 1-1 and heading into extra-time. It was exceptional, a moment that I will remember forever, said an emotional Payet, who had effectively gone on strike at his London club in his bid to return to France. I had the shivers when I walked onto the pitch. The public were totally behind us, we wanted to reward them with victory. The important thing was to win whether I was on the pitch or not. In the locker room I m not in the same place and I haven t the same jersey, Lyon s defender Emanuel Mammana (right), and Lyon s midfi elder Lucas Tousart (left), challenge for the ball with Marseille s midfielder Remy Cabella, during the French Cup soccer match between Marseille and Lyon, at the Velodrome Stadium, in Marseille, southern France on Jan 31, (AP) EPL makes profi t for fi rst time: Deloitte Premier League hits record transfer spend but I have the same passion. I haven t played for a month and I felt it, but I m motivated to find my level again. Despite the arrival of the star of the winter transfer window it was old recruits who kept 10-time Cup winners Marseille on track in the 100th edition of the tournament in which they hold the joint record number of trophies along with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain who travel to Rennes on Wednesday. Rod Fanni, recalled last summer by former coach Frank Passi, headed in the opener on 24 minutes before Corentin Tolisso equalised for the visitors on 64 minutes. And 22-year-old Doria, who had been sidelined by former Marseille boss Marcelo Bielsa and loaned out twice, stole the show. He came on in place of another new recruit Patrice Evra who picked up a thigh injury three minutes after the break and fired in the winner after 109 minutes at the Velodrome. Evra, we ll know more tomorrow, I don t think it s serious, said Marseille coach Rudi Garcia. We knew that he and Dimitri Jones of Deloitte s sports business department. In all, the 20 Premier League clubs spent 215 million on new players during the market from January 1 until Tuesday, Deloitte said, the secondhighest amount for this window since The bottom six teams fighting for their Premier League lives -- Hull City, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Swansea, reigning champions Leicester City and Middlesbrough -- accounted for more than 50 percent of the January sales spending. But the Premier League still came out in the black as a whole. The sales of Oscar, Dimitri Payet, Odion Ighalo and Memphis Depay, as well as around 20m worth of sales to Championship clubs, have helped Premier League clubs record net receipts for the first time in a transfer window, said Jones. As was the case last year, it is clubs in the bottom half of the table who have driven expenditure this January, investing in their squads in an attempt to secure survival. The vast amounts thrown about by English sides was put into context by Germany s Bundesliga. German clubs shattered their previous total record in splashing out million euros ( 83 million) in the January transfer window, easily beat the previous record of 65 million euros set during the 2014/15 season. But that was still well short of the amount in the Premier League this winter. This month has seen the increasingly wealthy Chinese Super League flex its financial muscles SOCCER with Brazil international Oscar leaving Chelsea for Shanghai SIPG in a move worth 51 million. With Tuesday s deadline day made more complicated by the fact several Premier League clubs had important fixtures, one of the few big deals in the closing hours of the window saw more Chinese spending as Watford striker Ighalo joined Changchun Yatai for a fee reported to be around 20 million. But Deloitte warned the days of Chinese teams splashing out on players could be coming to an end. The spending activity by clubs in the Chinese Super League (CSL) has grabbed many headlines in recent weeks, said Jones. CSL clubs have spent over 150 million so far during their current off-season, which began in November However, with the CFA having recently announced that tighter regulations around player transfer and salary expenditure are to be introduced, as well as imposing limits on the number of foreign players allowed, it will be interesting to see whether CSL clubs match this level of expenditure in future off-seasons. Payet aren t 100 percent. I m happy for Doria, he s young, he s learning in a position that he isn t used to, but in our system players must sacrifice themselves to help the team. He has remained serene every time he has had difficulties and he has been criticised, he has gotten down to work. Lyon, who had beaten Marseille 3-1 just ten days ago, exit the tournament they have won five times, most recently in It s a huge disappointment. It hurts to be eliminated from the French Cup, said Lyon coach Bruno Genesio. We have to pick ourselves up, and learn from this for our next match. Ligue 1 sides Bordeaux, Lille and Lorient also advanced, as Nantes and Dijon exited. Lille ground out a 1-0 win at home against Nantes with Sebastien Corchia slotting in a penalty after 81 minutes. A last-gasp Gaëtan Laborde goal two minutes into time added on helped Bordeaux past Dijon 2-1 as top flight tailenders Lorient were made to work hard for a 3-2 extra time win at Chateauroux.

41 SPORTS 41 Having stood unopposed, the following persons were elected by the General Assembly of Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) to the OOC Board: Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Zubair as OOC Chairman, Sheikh Saif bin Hilal Al Hosni as OOC Vice-Chairman, Taha bin Sulaiman Al Kishry as OOC Secretary General and Khalid bin Ali Al Aadi as OOC Treasurer. Elected to the Board membership unopposed were Sheikh Badr bin Ali Al Rawas, Fareed bin Khamis Al Zadjali, Engineer Mohsin bin Hamad Al Masroori and Saadah bint Salim Al Ismailiyah. Most of the former board personalities retained their positions except Mr Khalid bin Ali Al Aadi, Chairman of Oman Tennis Association, who was elected for Treasurer and Engineer Mohsin bin Hamad Al Masroori, First Vice- Chairman of Oman Football Association, who came in as board member. Complex to play big role in delivering best ever AIMAG Ashgabat welcomes NOC delegates ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Feb 1: Representatives of five National Olympic Committees visited the Ashgabat Olympic Complex during the first NOC Open Day on Tuesday hosted by the organising committee of the OCA s 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Delegates from Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, China, Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan were welcomed as the first visitors from participating NOCs to look around the sights of Ashgabat city and the newly-built sports facilities. AIMAG 5 will be held from Sept with 62 NOCs 45 from Asia and 17 from Oceania and 21 sports. Around 600,000 tickets will be available for the events. The Chairman of the AIMAG 5 Executive Committee, Dayanch Gulgeldiyev, said: We are delighted to be able to show our hosts around our beautiful city and the world-class facilities of the Ashgabat Olympic Complex. We believe that the complex will play a big role in delivering the best ever AIMAG and we look forward to welcoming representatives and spectators form all participating NOCs in September. The complex, which boasts over 30 different sites, including 15 competition venues and the Athletes Village, is in the last phase of construction and will completed in March. In September, the Athletes Village, which has over 4,600 bedrooms, will host around 5,500 athletes, 1,750 team officials and 1,170 technical officials. Here are the comments of some of the visiting NOCs: Wang Lee Yuh Fang, Deputy Secretary General of Chinese Taipei NOC: The Athletes Village feels like an athlete s dream come true. It is evident that a lot of thought has been put into the design of both the apartments and the recreational facilities. The fact that the Village is within walking distance of the Ashgabat Olympic Complex is also a big advantage being close to their venues is always extremely helpful for athletes. Bassam Al Oubari, Sport Mission Specialist from Saudi Arabia: I am very impressed by the level of readiness of the venues we toured today. It seems as if the entire Ashgabat Olympic Complex is ready and waiting for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games to begin. Our athletes will be happy to know that they will be competing in the very best venues Tokyo medals to be made from recycled donated metal Olympians urge speedy resolution to Trump travel ban NEW YORK, Feb 1, (RTRS): The World Olympians Association (WOA) expressed concern on Tuesday about the potential impact US President Donald Trump s travel ban on visitors from some Muslim-majority nations could have on athletes and urged a quick resolution. The WOA, which serves as the member organization for the more than 120,000 Olympians worldwide, wants to ensure the right of athletes to compete is protected in the wake of Trump s controversial immigration order. Like many across the world, the WOA is concerned about the impact of the recent executive order on immigration signed by President Trump, WOA President Joël Bouzou said in a statement. We have specific concerns in relation to the impact this could have on certain athletes who may OLYMPICS Trump be restricted in their ability to train and compete in the United States over the next three months. By executive order on Friday, Trump banned immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and temporarily halted the entry of refugees. The US Olympic Committee (USOC) said on Monday they were told by the US government that Trump s ban should not impact athletes traveling to the United States for international events. According to the USOC, the US government told them it would work to ensure athletes from all countries would have expedited access to the United States for international competitions. But the WOA wants a formal resolution put in place. We note (yesterday s) statement from the United States Olympic Committee providing assurance that athletes will be able to visit and compete in the United States but we urge the relevant US authorities to urgently put in place a formal resolution to ensure the right of athletes to compete and train in the USA is properly protected, said Bouzou. Meanwhile, the medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be forged from recycled metal from old mobile phones and appliances donated by the general Russia loses 2012 Oly silver medal LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Feb 1, (AP): Russia has been stripped of an Olympic silver medal from the women s 4x400-meter relay at the 2012 London Games for doping. Antonina Krivoshapka tested positive for the anabolic steroid turinabol in reanalysis of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, the IOC said Wednesday. Russia previously lost its women s 4x400 silver from the 2008 Beijing Olympics in a separate doping case. The IOC has yet to decide if medals will be reallocated. Jamaica was third in the London relay, which was won by the United States. Ukraine was fourth. The IOC also disqualified Krivoshapka from her sixthplace fi nish in the individual 400 in London. Krivoshapka now faces being banned by the IAAF, a move that could threaten her relay gold and individual bronze from the 2013 world championships in Moscow. The US was second in the 4x400 relay and could be in line for gold. public to give them a sense of direct involvement in the Games, organisers said on Wednesday. Also: SEOUL: South Korea launched a support team aimed at helping the home nation finish in the top four at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Wednesday and announced it had increased a special grant to help athletes prepare for the Games to almost $30 million. The alpine town of Pyeongchang will host Asia s first Winter Games outside Japan in almost exactly a year s time. South Korea will send more than 130 athletes to participate in seven sports with the aim of winning 20 medals.the support team would comprise representatives from the ministry, the 2018 organising committee (POCOG), national winter sports bodies as well as the Korean Sport and Olympic committee, the ministry said in a statement. Photo from the event Gen Assembly of OOC elects its new board OLYMPICS Winners celebrate on the podium with officials during the His Highness the Amir sixth Shooting Grand Prix awarding ceremony. One of the team showing off their medals in September. Bakhytzhan Ordabayev, Kazakhstan NOC President Advisor: Throughout the day we have heard presentations from many people from the Executive Committee. Everyone we have met seems to be working hard to ensure a high level of service in each of their areas we are confident that Ashgabat 2017 is on track to deliver great Games. Kuwait continue to dominate Shooting GP KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1, (KUNA): Head of the Drag Race Committee at the Basel Salem Al-Sabah Motor Racing Club Sheikh Duaij Al-Fahad Al- Sabah affirmed that the club s racers are fully prepared to present a positive participation in the second round of the Arabian Drag Racing League (ADRL), which is scheduled to be held on Feb 2-3. In his statement, Sheikh Duaij Al-Fahad said that the championship is considered as a prominent one in the region, which receives Kuwaiti team bag more gold medals KUWAIT CITY, Feb 1: Kuwait s national shooting team continues to dominate majority of the competitions in the ongoing His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sixth Shooting Grand Prix, which kicked off last Saturday at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Basel racers fully prepared for Arabian Drag Racing League DRAG RACING Athletes village in Ashgabat Olympic Complex. huge turnout of fans and boasts of excellent organization, indicating that more than 50 Kuwaitis are due to participate in the championship. He affirmed his confidence in the ability of the Kuwaiti drag racers to give their best per- Sheikh Duaij Al-Fahad Al- Sabah head of the Drag Race Committee at the Basel Salem Al-Sabah Motor Racing Club. formance in the championship, which will reflect the actual level that Kuwaiti sports have reached in this regard. Female participants in the Championship Shooting International Olympics Complex. More than 650 sharpshooters from 46 countries are participating in the event. Kuwait s national team bagged more gold medals after the women s team took top place in the skeet category, followed by Qatar s skeet team in second place and the SHOOTING Bahraini team in third place. In the men s 10-meters air rifle competition, the Saudi team bagged the gold medal after defeating the Omani team which took silver while the Jordanian team took the bronze. In the individual men s 10-meter air rifle competition, Atta Al-Enezi from Saudi Arabia won the gold medal with a score of points, defeating his compatriot Sofor Al- Dousari who won the silver by scoring The bronze medal went to Alaa bin Ali from Tunisia, who managed to score 175 points. Bahraini sharpshooter Maryam Hassani increased the number of gold medals bagged by Bahrain after coming first in the individual skeet competition, defeating Kuwaiti Eman Al- Shamma who took the silver medal while Qatari Reem Al-Sherbini took the bronze medal. Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sixth Shooting Grand Prix will conclude its activities today with two competitions which are considered the toughest and most challenging of all the double trap (150 targets) for men, and 50-meter rifle prone position for men. At the end of the fourth day of the tournament, Kuwait still remains on the top of the medals table with 14 points (6 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze). In second place is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with seven points (4 gold, 2 silver and bronze). Qatar is in third place with eight points as well (1 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze) followed by Bahrain in fifth place with five medals (3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze), Morocco and Egypt sharing sixth place with one gold each, Lebanon in seventh place with two silver medals, Oman in eighth place with 2 silver and 4 bronze medals and Iraq in ninth place with 1 silver while Jordan, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates share the tenth place with a bronze medal each. In her role, Kuwaiti skeet gold medalist Afrah Hussein attributed her win and that of her colleagues to the huge support they receive from the shooting club, as well as the competence of the training crew which have always been there to guide, motivate and polish the skills required to win such major events.

42 SPORTS 42 America clear frontrunner to host 2026 WC Trump policies cloud potential US World Cup bid WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): President Donald Trump s controversial immigration policies could hurt an expected US bid to host the 2026 World Cup although plenty of time remains for concerns to ease before the decision by world soccer s governing body FIFA. The United States hosted the World Cup in 1994 and is viewed as the favourite to host the 2026 tournament since the 2018 and 2022 finals were awarded to Russia and Qatar, respectively. FIFA has said that neither Europe nor Asia will be able to bid for 2026, leaving the CONCACAF region, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, as the clear frontrunner. Officials from the region have yet to settle on a firm bid and there have been informal discussions about a possible joint bid involving the United States, Mexico and Canada. With the 2026 tournament expanding to 48 teams from 32 such a set-up might appeal to decision-makers with a vote due in 2020 and all 211 FIFA member associations FIFA getting a ballot. But Trump s recent policies on immigration issues raise the issue of whether those federations may be turned off the idea of taking the sports biggest event to the United States. By executive order on Friday, Trump banned immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries Iran, SOCCER Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and temporarily halted the entry of refugees. Perhaps more relevant to a possible World Cup bid, Trump wants to build a US-Mexican border wall to keep out illegal immigrants and says Mexico will pay for it. Mexico has flatly refused, making the issue a point of national pride. A US bid for the 2026 World Cup could meet a lot of criteria that would make a 48-team tournament credible existing stadia, welcoming crowds, possible partnerships in co-hosting portraying a united alliance of the North and Central Americas, said Alan Tomlinson, a professor at the University of Brighton and author of two books on FIFA. And FIFA s cash cow may need a reputational revival after the events in Russia and Qatar. But all this will almost certainly be undone by Trump s determination to put in place a new US isolationism that most FIFA members across the world can only find distasteful and demeaning as FIFA seeks to involve its full membership in the decision as to who will host this expanded event. Regional soccer officials have been tight-lipped about Trump s moves and their possible impact on a World Cup bid. How this plays out in terms of international events, I think that s frankly a secondary issue right now. The issue involving the executive order and its implications are far broader than that, US Soccer Federation (USSF) president and FIFA Council member Sunil Gulati told reporters on Sunday. Gulati declined to comment when asked if the USSF had a public stance on Trump s policy and US Soccer did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, also the head of Canada s federation, likewise did not immediately respond to questions about the impact of Trump s policies. LOSAIL, Qatar, Feb 1: Qatar s Rashed Al-Naimi kick-starts his challenge for the FIA MERC 2 title at this weekend s QMMF Qatar International Rally, but the JRM-built Subaru Impreza WRX STi driver faces a strong challenge from a host of Qatari and Kuwaiti drivers entered in the increasingly popular Group N category of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). Cars such as the Subaru Impreza and various derivatives of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution used to dominate rallying at the front of the leader board but, as rules and regulations changed over the years and World and Regional Rally Cars were introduced by the FIA, the Japanese brands became synonymous with success in the showroom or Group N section for more standard cars that lack the suspension and engine development of their newer counterparts and can be run effectively on lower budgets. Al-Naimi, 26, was embroiled in a fierce battle for the MERC 2 title last season with Lebanon s eventual champion Rodolphe Asmar and teams up with Hugo Magalhães - his brand new Portuguese navigator - as he bids to win the title in this year s five-round championship. Magalhães resides at Viana do Castelo in Portugal and has considerable experience in European and WRC rallies, most recently with Lebanese duo aim to upset Gulf applecart Henry Kahy and Rony Maroun the likes of Bernardo Sousa in a Ford Fiesta RRC. This is my first event of 2017 and I am so looking forward to taking part in Qatar, said Al-Naimi who recently arranged a competition to offer a ride to the winner in his Autotek-run rally car. The goal is the victory in Group N and, perhaps, an outright podium finish. Standing in his way are several experienced drivers: Meshari Al-Thafiri, 34, has been a regular on the MERC scene for several seasons and once finished as the runner-up in the esteemed Pirelli Star Driver competition. The Kuwaiti has a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X at his disposal and will be co-driven by his brother Fares Al-Thafiri. Several other Qatari drivers will be hoping to stop Al-Naimi winning on his home sand. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah enjoyed mixed fortunes in a switch to cross-country rallying in 2016 and the brother of 13-time Qatar Rally winner Nasser Saleh has called upon the services of Cypriot Savvas Laos to try and help him achieve the win in MERC 2 in the second of the JRM-built NR4 cars run by Autotek. Irish co-driver Killian Duffy achieved considerable success at world level with Qatar s Abdulaziz Al- Kuwari (a former winner of the Qatar International Rally) and Duffy takes a break from working on the sport professionally in the Republic of Ireland to team up with Nasser Sadoon Al-Kuwari in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX on this occasion. Saif Al-Naimi is an unknown quantity in an Evolution X with Slovenian co-driver Vili Oslaj on hand to read his notes. Other entrants in Group N include the veteran German female campaigner Edith Weiss. The Lebanese duo of Henry Kahy and Rony Maroun will be hoping to upset the regular Gulf establishment with their first entry in Qatar with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. Maroun has been a regular in Lebanese rallies for several seasons with the likes of Nassar Nassib and Joseph Hindy and tackled the recent Sharjah Rally with rookie Mohamad Chebab, the son of former senior Dubai International Rally organiser Faez Chehab. BMC beat Sky to team trial in Valencia tour opener Qatari, Kuwaiti drivers lead challenge for honors Germany s Kittel wins again in Dubai RALLYING Top-seeded Halep beats Konjuh: Top-seeded Simona Halep won her first match since an opening-round exit at the Australian Open, beating Ana Konjuh 6-4, 7-6 (2) Wednesday at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The fourth-ranked Romanian, who was broken three times, will next face Natalia Vikhlyantseva in the quarter-finals. The Russian wild-card entry defeated eighthseeded Daria Kasatkina 7-6 (4), 6-2. Playing in her home city for the first time, third-seeded veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova swept aside Moscow-born Australian Daria Best of the Rest Gavrilova, winning 6-1, 6-3. That sets up a quarter-final against Yulia Putintseva, who earlier beat Annika Beck 6-4, 6-0. Also, fifth-seeded Elena Vesnina of Russia beat Olympic doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-1. Vesnina and Makarova won the women s doubles gold medal in Rio de Janeiro. (AP) Woods returns to iconic landmark: Tiger Woods return to competitive golf continues in Dubai at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic (Feb 2-5, 2017). Ahead of the event he visited the Burj Al Arab, the iconic Dubai landmark where he famously hit balls from the helipad in Woods, making his eighth appearance in the tournament that he won in 2006 and 2008, took time out to practise his swing on the terrace and was on the helipad again to take a helicopter tour of the city that in 2019 will become home to a course he is designing. Woods was interviewed by Peter Dawson, former Chief Executive of The R&A and former Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. CYCLING RAS AL-KHAIMAH, UAE, Feb 1, (AFP): Defending Tour of Dubai champion Marcel Kittel of Quick Step outsprinted the field to clinch a second stage win after a 188 km ride from Dubai to Ras al- Khaimah on Wednesday. Having won Tuesday s opening of five stages, the German who has won nine Tour de France stages edged fellow sprint specialists Dylan Groenewegen and Jakub Mareczko after the peloton comfortably closed down a plucky escape 11km from the line. Thursday s third stage is also a flat run over 200 km to Fujairah. BMC Racing Team beat out Team Sky to claim victory in a 37.9 km team time trial on the opening stage of the Tour of Valencia with Italian Manuel Senni taking the leader s jersey. The American team set the pace with a time of 43 min 14 sec with Sky second 24 seconds back and Quick-Step Flores a further 28 seconds behind in third. Vuelta a Espana winner Nairo Quintana leads the Movistar team as he prepares to tackle the Giro d Italia-Tour de France double later in the year, but the Spanish team are better known for their climbing and finished 1min 05sec back on BMC in fourth. Tour de France champion Chris Froome is not going head-to-head with old foe Quintana as he is instead defending his title as part of Sky s team at the Herald Sun Tour in Australia this week. Jail terms for Karabatic brothers: Three days after leading France to a sixth world handball championship team captain Nikola Karabatic and brother Luka were given two-month suspended sentences for their key role in a betting scandal. The brothers were feted as national heroes on Sunday after France beat Norway for the world title in Paris, but on Wednesday the pair were handed the stiffer penalties on appeal in Montpellier, where they played in 2012, having previously only been fined. (AFP) Bets totalling 100,000 euros were placed Germany s Marcel Kittel celebrates as he crosses the fi nish line to win the second stage of the Dubai Tour 2017 cycling race, from Dubai International Marine Club to Ras Al Khaimah, in Dubai, on Feb 1. (AP) Shiffrin boosts lead STOCKHOLM, Feb 1, (AP): In absence of her main rival, Mikaela Shiffrin strengthened her position in the race for the overall World Cup title Tuesday by winning a parallel slalom city event, while Linus Strasser became the surprise winner of the men s competition. Shiffrin s 28th win in her 99th World Cup start stretched the American s lead over defending champion Lara Gut to 180 points. The Swiss skier skipped the event to rest a sore right arm and thigh after hooking a gate in a super-g in Italy on Sunday. I came here for a reason. I am happy to get that crossed off the list, said Shiffrin after her maiden win in a city event, which also counts toward the slalom standings. It was a great show tonight. I think everybody enjoyed it. We could hear everybody screaming. This is really fun, added Shiffrin, who can become the first American overall champion since Lindsey Vonn won her fourth title in Vonn returned just weeks ago from an 11-month injury layoff and did not qualify for the event, where racers compete head-to-head in a knock-out format, with the winner over two runs advancing to the next round. Only the slalom top 12 and the four best ranked skiers from the overall standings were allowed to start. In the final between the two top-ranked slalom skiers, Shiffrin won both runs against Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia. The result also boosted Shiffrin s chances to win the discipline title for a fourth time. The Olympic champion leads Velez Zuzulova by 145 points with two races remaining. If Shiffrin finishes third or better in the March 11 slalom in Squaw Valley, California, she wraps up the title even a week before the World Cup finals in Aspen, Colorado.

43 SPORTS 43 Falcons use table tennis to stay loose ahead of Super Bowl Pats Brady hungry for much more, with no end in sight HOUSTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had some bad news for the National Football League s 31 other teams as one of the most prolific passers of all-time said he has no plans to hang up his cleats anytime soon. FOOTBALL Brady, who turns 40 in August, is the NFL s oldest starting quarterback and will play in a record seventh Super Bowl when the Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. But despite a career that has already assured him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible, Brady is happy to keep chasing more records and Super Bowl rings. Hopefully I can keep going. I don t see any end in sight, Brady told reporters on Monday when he met with the media for the first time ahead of Sunday s game. A victory against the Falcons would give Brady a quarterback record fifth Super Bowl and tie him with retired New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are introduced during opening night for the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game at Minute Maid Park on Jan 30, 2017 in Houston. (AP) linebacker Charles Haley as the only players to win five NFL championships. Before the 2015 season, Brady, who was 38 at the time, said he felt like he had another seven or eight years left in Women line-up raises eyebrows Houston s downtown revamped in time for Super Bowl HOUSTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): When Houston last hosted the Super Bowl in 2004, the oil city s sleepy downtown lacked the sizzle befitting the big game and that prompted civic leaders to act. This time, fans arriving for Sunday s American professional football championship will discover a revamped downtown district with twice as many residents, a renovated convention area and a plethora of food and entertainment offerings. the NFL. He got the Patriots one win away from a Super Bowl berth that season and returned in 2016 to once again play at an elite level. (I ll play for) as long as I m willing to make the commitment to taking good care of myself, said Brady. I got a good routine. It has gotten better as the years have gone on. It s nice to feel better as the season goes. To be an older player and have the mental experience and then to also Greatest ever RAK Half threatens record DUBAI, Feb 1: The intense spotlight of the global road running community, falls on the 11th edition of the RAK Half Marathon on Feb 10, where perhaps the greatest combined day of men s and women s half marathon racing in history beckons. Arguably the strongest ever women s half marathon field has been gathered and the Men s field too just oozes class, with twelve men able to boast best marks below the hour. However, it might well be the women s line-up that raises eyebrows and race standards the highest, at this notoriously fast race in the UAE s northernmost emirate, just one hour s drive from Dubai, which increasingly, punches above its weight in every sector. Rio Olympic Marathon Champion Jemima Sumgong, a mere sixth here a year ago, prior to her London & Olympic victories, will find it no easier this time round. She ll be severely tested by threetime Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba, like Sumgong London Marathon bound, and considered by many as the greatest female distance runner in history. Relatively inexperienced at this distance, Dibaba will be making her half marathon debut on a recordeligible course, but the chances are she ll find it equally hard to notch up another win, such is the calibre of the assembled field. MARATHON Although not yet an Olympic Champion, reigning IAAF World Half Marathon Champion Peres Jepchirchir returns too, looking to pick up in 2017 where she left off, after her astonishing streak from last year, but even she was only fourth at RAK 2016, six weeks before storming to the world title in Cardiff. Casting a shadow over them all, but another athlete without any Olympic hardware, is the returning course record holder and three-time New York Marathon champion Mary Keitany, who set a world record here in 2011 of 65:50. She is also intensely keen to prove in 2017 that her being left off the Kenyan Olympic marathon squad for Rio was an error and uses this race yet again as preparation for her London Marathon challenge. Eight women in the line-up have run under 68 minutes, four of them under 67 minutes and for the first time this year, the women will be highlighted by having their own start, prior to the elite men and masses. Last year Sumgong s 66:58 was a personal best, but she was nowhere near the rostrum. Indeed, the first 11 home were a long way under 70 minutes, with Cynthia Limo leading them home in 66:04, the second fastest time of When one considers that 19 of the fastest 50 women s times in history have been run on this route, the chances of another super-fast in-depth finish, are very high. For the men, Patrick Makau s 58:52 race record of 2009 could be under serious threat, with two of the pacemakers being sub-60 minute performers themselves and so well capable of assisting with a fast pace through to the latter stages. Past winners such as Sammy Wanjiru and Geoffrey Kaworor have enhanced the event s reputation as one of the toughest wins to chalk up and this year will be no different. Stanley Biwott returns after his second last year, itself ten weeks before his runner-up finish at the London Marathon. Having placed 2nd in A file photo of Amlosom Nguse at RAK 2016 First-of-its-kind off-road racing event Sharjah Sports Desert Fest 2017 roars into life today 2013 here as well, he ll be doubly keen to ensure a third time lucky performance and he may well choose to avoid the tactical men s affair of twelve months ago, when just six seconds covered the first six home. While this is always a possibility, Race Director Nathan Clayton s prerogative, has always been to promote great racing as well as fast times and strong fields ensure the best chance of each unfolding. Challenging Biwott is a powerful array of the established and the ambitious; a year ago, Eritrea s Nguse Amlosom took 3rd, and Bahrain s Abraham Cheroben 4th, each just a stride behind Biwott, before they placed 9th and 10th respectively in the Rio Olympic 10,000m final. One of the form men at both half and full marathon of 2016, and another with London ambitions ten weeks after RAK, is Daniel Wanjiru, Amsterdam Marathon winner last October and RAK runner-up in The Elite Women start at 6.45 am UAE time (2:45 GMT, 21:45 EST*), the men 15 minutes later and all is being covered on live local TV. For the Organisers Elite Men 1. Solomon Yego (KEN), 58:44; 2. Abraham Cheroben (BRN), 58:48; 3. Stephen Kibet (KEN), 58:54; 4. Stanley Biwott (KEN), 59:36; 5. Bedan Karoki (KEN), 59:14; 6. Daniel Wanjiru (KEN), 59:20; 7. Edwin Kipyego (KEN), 59:30; 8. Nguse Amlosom (ERI), 59:39; 9. Adugna Tekele (ETH), 59:40; 10. Yigrem Demelash (ETH), 59:48; 11. Augustine Choge (KEN), 60:01; 12. Shadrack Korir (KEN), 60:53; 13. Sondre Moen (NOR), 62:19; 14. Gabriel Geay (TAN), 62:25; Pace, SHARJAH, Feb 1: Sharjah s Al Bayader Desert is set to welcome thousands of visitors and petrol heads who will participate in the muchawaited first Sharjah Sports Desert Festival (SSDF 2017), which commences today (Thursday). Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al-Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, the two-day event aims to attract desert and safari motorsport enthusiasts from the UAE and beyond to enjoy the first-of-its-kind desert off-roading experience in Sharjah. Organised by Sharjah Sports Channel, a subsidiary of Sharjah Media Corporation (SMC), SSDF 2017 will feature an array of events and competitions, a number of which have been formulated for professional contestants and others for non-competing spectators, with the aim of offering all family members an unforgettable experience. Themed Become a Desert Hero, SSDF 2017 contestants will participate in three vehicle classes. Entrants in the Buggy Quad Bikes category and in the MX1 and MX2 vehicle category will compete in Enduro Knockout challenges, while participants in the Side X Side vehicle category will compete in a Time Trail challenge. There will also be a number of off-road motorcycle races. For non-competing spectators, SSDF 2017 offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy the desert ambiance of Al Badayer, where they can make the most of a variety of activities, including a safari tour from Al Badayer desert to Mleiha in Sharjah. Visitors can also participate in a number of desert sports in safety and comfort. Designed to be an all-inclusive affair, SSDF 2017 has an array of entertainment offerings for younger members of the family, with its Kids Zone hosting sand painting, balloon bending and white henna painting. A Flames of Wonder show will be also performed twice a day by expert pyro technicians. A key aspect of SSDF 2017 sees it as a platform for prominent brands specialising in desert sports in the UAE. The event is being supported by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the independent government entity that is committed to establishing Sharjah as an investment, tourist and business destination, as well as developing the emirate s cultural heritage and natural landscapes. Rashid Al-Obed, Director of Sharjah Sports Channel, said: We have worked extremely hard over the past few weeks to put everything in place and to finalise all the arrangements for what will be a spectacular festival. We are proud to announce that the venue ready for SSDF 2017 to get underway. The event offers the perfect opportunity for off-road and desert racing enthusiasts to showcase their skills in front of a large audience. With a racetrack designed by Emirati motocross star Mohammed Al- Balooshi, SSDF 2017 is the first-ofits-kind desert off-roading experience in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. The MX rally champion was crowned Tunisia Arab Champion for the second year in a row in 2010 and also led the Red Bull Under My Wings project in the UAE. Al-Balooshi, who was the first Emirati to participate in the Dakar Rally, will be monitoring the racing events to ensure that the contestants adhere to the festival s rules and regulations. Sharjah Sports Channel is giving exclusive broadcast coverage of the two-day event to allow enthusiastic armchair spectators to watch it live at home. Image of the activities set to take place during the Sharjah Sports Desert Festival 2017 Kenneth Keter (KEN), 59:48; Pace, Geoffrey Yegon (KEN), 59:44; Pace, John Maina Ndirangu (KEN). Elite Women 1. Mary Keitany (KEN), 65:50 CR; 2. Peres Jepchirchir (KEN), 66:39; 3. Jemima Sumgong, 66:58; 4. Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH), 66:56; 5. Belaynesh Oljira (ETH), 67:27; 6. Netsanet Gudeta (ETH), 67:31; 7. Helah Kiprop (KEN), 67:39; 8. Veronicah Niyaruai (KEN), 67:58; 9. Rose Chelimo (BRN), 68:08; 10. Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN), 69:07; 11. Gesa-Felicitas Krause (GER), Debut; 12. Etagegn Woldu (ETH), Debut; Pace, Timothy Kimeli; Pace, Geoffrey Kipyego. NBA Results/Standings The Texas megacity near the Gulf Coast, with a population of more than 6 million that makes it the United States fifth-biggest metropolitan area, is best known as a hub of the US petroleum industry and for NA- SA s famed Mission Control Center. But those were not sufficient draws for travelers. We were losing convention business, said Peter McStravick, who oversaw the downtown revitalization. feel great physically, I think it s a great benefit for me. The Atlanta Falcons, preparing to battle the New England Patriots in Sunday s Super Bowl, brought along another game to help keep themselves loose ahead of the title clash. The Falcons have imported their table tennis craze to Houston, a pastime that has helped the players bond, while stoking their competitive drive. Quarterback Matt Ryan, the leading Two of the reasons included a lack of hotel rooms within walking distance (of the convention center) and a lack of destination appeal, said McStravick, who is chief development officer of Houston First, a local government corporation. City planners and business owners are eager to show off the transformation dubbed Avenida Houston Spanish for Houston Avenue which was led by groups such as Houston First. candidate for National Football League MVP honours, said on Tuesday that after going through some game films the players would have the rest of the day free for relaxation and some table tennis. We ve got a pretty good setup with our game room, Ryan told reporters. There s some ping pong going on, which you guys who have been in the locker room know that s a big thing for us at (team complex in) Flowery Branch. And so, it has been fun. I brought my paddle. It gets pretty intense. We had some fun with that last night after Media Night. We played a little bit of ping pong and had a good time. As part of an offseason redesign, the Falcons replaced a row of lockers in the middle of the room with a table tennis table and it became such a hit with players that they added another two and now take the game on the road. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said head coach Dan Quinn loves to encourage competition. That s just another fun thing to bring us closer together, and we have fun with it, said Jarrett. When it s time to work, we work. When it s to compete in other things, we do that too. Everything is about competition, what we do. It s like you got competitors in the locker room, so in between meetings just do a little thing of competition. You know that s Coach Q s thing everything about competing. So it s fun. Denver Nuggets Danilo Gallinari (right), dunks against Los Angeles Lakers Ivica Zubac during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Jan 31, 2017 in Los Angeles. (AP) Leonard nets 36 pts as Spurs hold off Thunder Wizards top Knicks SAN ANTONIO, Feb 1, (AP): Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points as the San Antonio Spurs held Russell Westbrook scoreless in the fourth quarter for a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. Westbrook had 27 points, 14 assists and six rebounds in 34 minutes, but was shut out after scoring 14 points in the third. Rookie forward Domantas Sabonis matched a season high with 13 rebounds and had 13 points. LaMarcus Aldridge added 25 points for San Antonio, while Spurs coach Gregg Popovich collected his 1,126th career victory, leaving him one shy of tying the league record for most wins with one franchise held by Utah s Jerry Sloan. Wizards 117, Knicks 101 In Washington, Bradley Beal went shot for shot with Carmelo Anthony and then some as Washington blew out New York to move into a tie for first place in the Southeast Division. Beal scored 28 points, Markieff Morris had 24 and John Wall added 15 points and 13 assists as the Wizards rolled to their fifth victory in a row. Beal was 12 of 18 from the floor, while Anthony was 10 of 17 for 26 points. Raptors 108, Pelicans 106, OT In Toronto, Kyle Lowry had 33 points and 10 assists, and made the tie- WASHINGTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): Results and standings from the NBA games on Tuesday. LA Lakers 120 Denver 116 Portland 115 Charlotte 98 San Antonio 108 Oklahoma City 94 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Boston Toronto /2 NY Knicks Philadelphia /2 Brooklyn Central Division W L PCT GB Cleveland Indiana Chicago Milwaukee Detroit /2 Southeast Division W L PCT GB Washington Atlanta Charlotte /2 Miami /2 Orlando BASKETBALL Houston 105 Sacramento 83 Washington 117 NY Knicks 101 Toronto 108 New Orleans (OT) 106 Western Conference Northwest Division W L PCT GB Utah Oklahoma City Denver Portland /2 Minnesota /2 Pacific Division W L PCT GB Golden State LA Clippers Sacramento /2 LA Lakers /2 Phoenix Southwest Division W L PCT GB San Antonio Houston Memphis New Orleans /2 Dallas GNC out after NFL nixes advertisement Super Bowl 51 security tightens amidst tension over Trump order HOUSTON, Feb 1, (RTRS): Security in Houston, America s fourthlargest city, is tight ahead of Sunday s Super Bowl 51, though officials have vowed to support peaceful demonstrations against President Donald Trump s executive order restricting entry to the United States for travelers from some Muslim-majority nations. The approach by state, regional and federal US security officials reflects a delicate balancing act as more than 1 million spectators are expected to flood into the Texan city as the New Trump England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons. Protests against Trump s executive order on immigration have spread across the United States, including one last weekend in downtown Houston near where the National Football League has placed many pre-game activities. Protests are expected to continue throughout the week and into the weekend, even at the game itself. Halftime performer Lady Gaga has been an outspoken critic of Trump. While much of the world is talking about Trump s executive orders, including travel restrictions on seven Muslim-majority nations, players and coaches at the breaking jumper with 4.3 seconds left in overtime as Toronto outlasted New Orleans. Jonas Valanciunas added 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Lowry matched his season high from 3-point range, going 6 of 14. Jrue Holiday scored 30 points and Anthony Davis had 18 points and 17 rebounds for his 30th double-double as the Pelicans lost their second straight. Rockets 105, Kings 83 In Houston, Ryan Anderson had 25 points and 11 rebounds while Eric Gordon added 17 points as Houston used a big second-quarter run to beat Sacramento. Anderson shot 6 of 12 from 3-point range and Houston went 14 of 45 from behind the arc as a team. James Harden finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and Clint Capella had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who shot 45 percent. Super Bowl remain silent. Movie and television stars, business tycoons and politicians have all expressed concern over President Trump s controversial policies but members of the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, who will clash in the National Football League s championship game on Sunday, dodged questions with the same skill they slip tackles. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was willing to answer a question about his underwear habits but refused to talk politics. A man of few words, Belichick had none when asked what message he might have for President Trump, simply shaking his head. Belichick s quarterback Tom Brady, who will be competing in his seventh Super Bowl, was no less blunt when asked about his relationship with the President, flatly stating: I m not talking politics. Meanwhile, GNC Holdings Inc will not advertise during Sunday s Super Bowl after the National Football League rejected the retailer s advertisement due to its policy against promoting supplements, the league and GNC confirmed on Tuesday. Fox has been commanding an average of $5 million per 30 seconds of air time, and GNC s spot was supposed to kick off the company s turnaround effort. Sales at the vitamin retailer have dropped consistently, including an 8.5 percent fall in same-store sales in domestic company-owned stores during the third quarter of Trail Blazers 115, Hornets 98 In Portland, Oregon, Damian Lillard scored 27 points as Portland handed Charlotte its fifth straight loss. Allan Crabbe added 21 points off the bench for the Blazers, who have won four of their last five games. Kemba Walker scored 22 points for the Hornets and moved into third place on the team s career scoring list. Nicolas Batum, who spent his first seven seasons in Portland, added 18 points and eight rebounds. Lakers 120, Nuggets 116 In Los Angeles, Nick Young scored 23 points while Lou Williams added 21 as Los Angeles survived a frantic fourth quarter to snap its seven-game home losing streak against Denver. Rookie Ivica Zubac scored a careerhigh 17 points for the Lakers, who snapped their three-game skid despite getting outscored in the wild final period.

44 PRIME TIME thursday (all times are kuwait local) 07:15 inter vs pescara/soccer... bein sports 4hd 09:30 cagliari vs bologna/soccer... bein sports 4hd 10:15 mainz vs dortmund/soccer... bein sports 5hd 11:45 west ham vs man city/soccer... bein sports 2hd 13:30 alaves vs atletico/soccer... bein sports 3hd 16:35 bucks vs jazz/basketball... bein sports 1hd 17:45 stoke vs everton/soccer... bein sports 2hd 20:30 torino vs atalanta/soccer... bein sports 4hd 44 Sports Latest sports scores at India sink England to clinch series Chahal spars Poms collapse CRICKET India s Yuzvendra Chahal bowls during the third Twenty20 International cricket match against England at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, India on Feb 1. (AP) Scoreboard BANGALORE, India, Feb 1, (AFP): Final scoreboard of the third and fi - nal Twenty20 international between India and England in Bangalore on Wednesday: INDIA V. Kohli run out (Jordan)... 2 L. Rahul b Stokes S. Raina c Morgan b Plunkett M.S. Dhoni c Rashid b Jordan Y. Singh c Buttler b Mills R. Pant not out... 6 H. Pandya run out Extras (b4, lb3, w8) Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Kohli), 2-65 (Rahul), (Raina), (Yuvraj), (Dhoni), (Pandya) Bowling: Mills (4w), Jordan (2w), Plunkett , Stokes (2w), Ali , Rashid To bat: A. Mishra, J. Bumrah, Y. Chahal, A. Nehra ENGLAND J. Roy c Dhoni b Mishra S. Billings c Raina b Chahal... 0 J. Root lbw b Chahal E. Morgan c Pant b Chahal J. Buttler c Kohli b Bumrah... 0 B. Stokes c Raina b Chahal... 6 M. Ali c Kohli b Chahal... 2 L. Plunkett b Bumrah... 0 C. Jordan st Dhoni b Chahal... 0 A. Rashid not out... 0 T. Mills c Kohli b Bumrah... 0 Extras (lb2, w3)... 5 Total (all out; 16.3 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Billings), 2-55 (Roy), (Morgan), (Root), (Buttler), (Ali), (Stokes), (Jordan)9-127 (Plunkett), (Mills) Bowling: Nehra , Chahal , Bumrah Mishra , Pandya , S. Raina Toss: England Result: India won by 75 runs Series: India clinched the threematch series 2-1 Umpires: Anil Chaudhary (IND) and Nitin Menon (IND) TV umpire: Chettithody Shamshuddin (IND) Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM) BANGALORE, India, Feb 1, (AFP): Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal claimed six wickets to demolish England and hand India a 75-run series-clinching win in the third and final Twenty20 international in Bangalore on Wednesday. Chahal recorded his T20 best of 6-25 to help skittle out England for 127 in 16.3 overs. The visitors, chasing 203, lost eight wickets for eight runs in the space of 18 deliveries. The 23-year-old Chahal became only the second bowler in T20 cricket to get six wickets in an innings after Sri Lanka s Ajantha Mendis achieved the feat twice with figures of 6-8 and The attacking spinner started England s batting rot in the 14th over of the innings, getting dangermen Joe Root (42) and skipper Eoin Morgan (40) on consecutive deliveries to derail the tourists chase. Root and Morgan had kept the chase alive with their 64-run thirdwicket stand but the innings fell apart after their departure. Chahal got three wickets in his fourth over to rip through the England middle and lower order five batsmen were out on zero as India won the series 2-1. Chahal, who recieved the man of the match and series award for his eight scalps in three games, got great support from seamer Jasprit Bumrah s three wickets. Earlier scintillating half-centuries from Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni helped India post a mammoth 202 for six after being put into bat. India rode on the 55-run thirdwicket partnership between Raina (63) and Dhoni (56) to thwart the England bowling attack after an early wicket fall. The hosts lost skipper Virat Kohli for two after a terrible mix up with Lokesh Rahul (22) saw the star batsman being run out. Kohli was furious with Rahul for not responding to his call for a single. Raina counter-attacked with two boundaries and five sixes during his 45-ball knock as he put on crucial partnerships with Rahul and Dhoni. Rahul was bowled by Ben Stokes but the left-handed Raina carried on the power hitting as he recorded his fourth T20 fifty with a six off leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Dhoni, who smacked five fours and two sixes in his 36-ball blitz, joined forces with Raina as the duo carted the England bowlers to all parts of the ground. Raina fell in the 14th over while Dhoni, who put on 57 runs with veteran batsman Yuvraj Singh, stayed on until the second delivery of the final over. A vintage Yuvraj turned on the heat with his 10-ball 27 as he hit seamer Chris Jordan for two fours and two sixes to give India 24 runs in the 18th over. India, who won the Test (4-0) and ODI (2-1) series against England, now head into the one-off Test against Bangladesh starting next week in Hyderabad. Women s skeet gold medalists Kuwait display the national flag on the podium after receiving their medals. Details Page 41 German clubs shatter record BERLIN, Feb 1, (AFP): German clubs shattered the previous record in splashing out million euros ($105m) on fresh talent during the Bundesliga s January transfer window. Bayern Munich, Germany s richest club, kept their purse closed but have signed Hoffenheim s Germany pair Niklas Suele and Sebastian Rudy for next season. However Bayern s rivals took the chance to boost their squads. The combined winter spending of the Bundesliga s 18 clubs, based on transfer sums according to transfermarkt.de, easily beat the previous record of 65 million euros set during the 2014/15 season. However, the million euros was dwarfed by the 215 million (250 million euros) that Premier League clubs shelled out. Dortmund made one of the most eye-catching buys when they snapped up Sweden s 17-year-old striker Alexander Isak dubbed the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic from AIK. Isak heads a trio of teenage talent which Bundesliga clubs want to nurture despite no experience in a top league. Promising Jamaican teenager Leon Bailey, 19, joined Bayer Leverkusen from Belgium s Genk. See Also Page 40 Ivanovic joins Russia s Zenit MOSCOW, Feb 1, (AFP): Defensive stalwart Branislav Ivanovic ended his hugely successful Chelsea career on Wednesday when he signed for Zenit Saint Petersburg for an undisclosed fee. The 32-year-old Serbian has signed a two-and-a-halfyear contract with an option of another year. I had a strong desire to return to Russia, Ivanovic, who scored five goals in 54 matches for Lokomotiv Moscow in before joining Chelsea in 2008, told the Zenit website. I feel high motivation and a desire to continue playing at the highest level. Ivanovic won two Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Europa League, three FA Cups and one League Cup during his spell at Chelsea. 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: