Amir condoles Coptic deaths

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1 Page 39 badminton THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Established in 1977 / SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2017 / RAMADAN 2, 1438 AH emergency number 112 NO PAGES 150 FILS Moody s upgrades outlook on Kuwait to stable Amir condoles Coptic deaths New thinking key to population balance Al-Tameemi By Amer Theyab Al-Tameemi Economic Consultant and Researcher Since the beginning of this year 2017, one of the major talks of the town has been the population situation. One related issue is the imbalance between Kuwaitis and non- Kuwaitis, where non-kuwaitis represent 70% of the population while the Kuwaitis make up merely 30%. The total population hovers around 4.2 million today. Sixty years ago in 1957, when the first population census was conducted, the total population of the country was no more than 225,000. This means that the current population is almost 19 times its size in It is a significant increase and not compatible with normal population growth in normal societies. However, Kuwait went through economic and social changes after the beginning of the oil economy which induced significant growth of the population. Another issue which has been subject to debate is how the number of Kuwaitis reached its current level of 1.3 million, when we were only 115,000 according to the 1957 census. Questions have been raised by some politicians and other social activists on whether abuse of the naturalization procedures has taken place in the last 60 years and since the enacting of Law 15 of 1959, which stipulates the issue of nationality and naturalization. Of course such matters can be ticklish and divisive. Yet it is a major concern for a great number of Kuwaitis who want to know how the government has dealt with this important issue. The Kuwait population structure has not been considered seriously by the authorities since the liberation in We have to admit that the demographic characteristics after 1991 were degraded due to the influx of low quality labor in large numbers. According to the Central Statistics Office more than 75 percent of expatriates have not earned a high school education. More than 650,000 are domestic workers. That means for every two Kuwaitis there is one domestic worker. The situation in the private sector is not rosy either. Most of the Month of detention for public eating, drinking KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Those caught eating or drinking in public during daytime in the month of Ramadan will be detained until the end of the month, reports Al-Shahed daily quoting sources. They explained that no special consideration or exception will be shown to any nationality, as violators of this law will be referred for interrogations and then to the court where they will be given appropriate punishment. Expatriates caught in the act will be deported after the punishment ends. The sources revealed that the relevant state authorities will prepare brochures in this regard in different languages including Hindi in order to spread awareness about this law. They reiterated that those caught eating or drinking on roads, public places and in front of others during daytime in the month of Ramadan will face legal penalties. Ramadan Timings Iftar...Sunday... 18:40 Imsak...Monday... 03:07 employed workers are not skilled or highly educated. Now, if we decide to balance or improve the percentage of Kuwaitis in the population structure, we must consider a real and systematic solution. Education is the key. We must emphasize vocational education in order to produce skilled Kuwaiti workers who can assume responsibilities in many economic sectors and perform in many occupations. The educational system, after more than 80 years, is not coping with demand in the labor market. At the same time the value system is not conducive with the needs of that labor market as many Kuwaitis shun jobs and tasks that are essential to the economy. At the same time, there are many activities and businesses that are out of place but create demand for foreign labor. It is also important that the authorities, legislative and executive, recognize the need for change in employment policies. Employing Kuwaitis in the public sector and government departments cannot be sustained. The private sector must assume its responsibilities in the employment of the native labor force. This can be attained by identifying the jobs and occupations that must be held by Kuwaitis only. At the same time employment in the public sector must be rationalized and based on real needs. Now the government employs all Kuwaitis who apply for jobs and ends up creating disguised unemployment. Attitudes As for Kuwaitis and the high rate of their population growth, one can cite many causes. Kuwait is basically a Third World country which is subject to many features and attitudes of under-development. Any Kuwaiti family, regardless of the level of education of the parents may have an average of 4 children. The fertility rate is still high despite the enrollment of women in the work force. However, the naturalization of many people who came from non-urban social environments also added to this high population growth. It is important to adopt new plans to encourage Kuwaitis to rationalize their social norms and adopt the concept of a nuclear family. One can conclude that balancing of the population structure needs novel thinking and realistic approaches. It will not be easy to lower the number of non-kuwaitis without the preparation and training of Kuwaitis. Now it is essential to induce the natives to accept new fiscal policies that will rationalize subsidies and salaries and encourage them to accept employment in private firms and companies. I also think that while new policies are important, it is even more important to have the will to implement such policies. Newswatch KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait and other GCC countries have confirmed the introduction of the unified Value Added Tax (VAT) framework and selective tax policy with adoption of the domestic legislation, reports Al- Shahed daily. Saudi Arabia has since published the text of the GCC VAT Framework in its Official Gazette, which will be enforced 15 days after the date of publishing. Sources added the executive decrees will define activation of the law and specify the type of commodities that will be a focus for taxation. They noted the Gulf countries will enforce two types of tax under the executive legislation, citing VAT and selective tax the latter will be imposed on harmful commodities such as tobacco and fizzy drinks. The Gulf countries have agreed that 200 percent tax should be imposed on the importers of tobacco at the borders and calculation will be done according to the cost of import. Sources explained the initial agreement was to introduce selective tax on fizzy drinks and at least 5 Egypt hits bases in Libya CAIRO, May 27, (Agencies): Egypt launched a fresh round of air strikes over Libya on Saturday, Egyptian military sources and an eyewitness told Reuters, targeting militant camps it said were responsible for a shooting spree that killed dozens of Egyptian Christians. On Friday, Egyptian fighter jets struck eastern Libya just hours after a shooting that killed 29 and wounded 24 in the southern Egyptian province TRIPOLI, May 27, (AFP): Forces loyal to Libya s unity government said Saturday that 52 of its fighters were killed as they repelled rival militias in fierce clashes in the capital Tripoli. Apart from sporadic gunfire in southern Tripoli, calm returned to the city on Saturday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Among the 52 killed in Friday s clashes which centred on the southern district of Abu Slim, said Hashem Bichr, a security official of the Government of National Accord, were 17 members of pro-gna forces who had been executed. There was no immediate confirmation from medical or other independent sources of the death toll, updated from Friday s health ministry figures of 28 dead and more than 100 wounded that did not give a breakdown of the casualties. UN special envoy Martin Kobler condemned the fighting in which heavy artillery and tanks were used, urging restraint from all sides. Forces of the UN-backed GNA announced on their Facebook page they had defeated rival militias and taken control of a prison holding key leaders of the ousted regime of Muammar Gaddafi including his last premier, Baghdadi al-mahmudi, and former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi. Al-Hadhba jail had been under the control of the Fajr Libya militia coalition, which had seized Tripoli in 2014 and set up a government headed by Khalifa Ghweil. The Libyan capital has been gripped by a power struggle ever since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Gaddafi in The latest fighting started around a complex of luxury villas that until March served as headquarters of militias loyal to Ghweil, who was ousted when Continued on Page 37 of Minya when masked militants boarded vehicles en route to a monastery and opened fire at close range. Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah sent a cable to Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah el-sisi expressing condolences and sympathy over the victims of the armed terrorist attack. His Highness the Amir reiterated Kuwait s strong condemnation of these criminal heinous acts that target security and stability. His Highness the Amir Continued on Page 37 MoE alert against unjustified pricing Continued on Page 37 An Iraqi soldier helps a displaced girl after she and other family members leave their homes west of Mosul on May 26, as government forces continue their offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. (AFP) See Page 37 KUWAIT CITY, May 27, (KUNA): Moody s Investors Service announced changing the rating outlook on Kuwait to stable from negative. Concurrently, the long-term issuer rating has been affirmed at Aa2. According to its Global Credit Research issued late last night, Moody s decision to change the outlook to stable from negative reflects Moody s view that there are sufficient signs of Kuwait s government s institutional capacity to effectively implement its fiscal and economic reform program to preserve creditworthiness in the medium-term, which has the stated objective of diversifying and enhancing the economic base and its budgetary revenues. The affirmation reflects Moody s view that, despite Continued on Page 9 Coptic Christians carry coffins of their relatives who were killed during a bus attack, following their funeral service, at Abu Garnous Cathedral in Minya, Egypt on May 26. (AP) Group seizes jail holding ex-gaddafi officials Militia clashes in Tripoli kill 52 By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohammed Al-Fares said the cost for distribution of tablet devices to students is KD 26,390,254. In response to the question of MP Mubarak Al-Harees about the project, Al-Fares affirmed the ministry has intensified its efforts to ensure successful implementation of its development programs in the interest of students and the entire educational sector. He added the ministry is keen on improving the quality of education in line with global developments in this field. He disclosed the tablet device project is in accordance with the national strategy for introduction of technology in the educational sector which was launched in He said the distribution of tablet devices to students is one of many ways to support the educational sector and transform it from the stage of teaching to the level of creativity, interaction and skills development. He explained this is related to the plan to reduce weight of school bags, confirming the tablet devices will contain several educational and Agility settles contract case KUWAIT CITY, May 27, (KUNA): Kuwait s Agility, a leading global logistics provider, announced Friday a global settlement in the case involving the US government food-supply contracts, known as Prime Vendor, that the company held from 2003 to The settlement affirms our long-standing view that Agility acted transparently and responsibly as it carried out to nearperfection the extraordinarily complex mission Continued on Page 37 Kuwaiti envoy meets Qatar ruler amid rift DUBAI, May 27, (RTRS): Kuwait s foreign minister met Qatar s ruler on Friday for talks that appeared aimed at trying to ease renewed tensions between Qatar and fellow Gulf Arabs over its policy towards Iran and regional Islamist groups. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates signalled frustration at Qatar after its state media published purported remarks by Qatari Amir Tamim bin Hamad al-thani criticising Gulf rhetoric against Iran and suggesting tensions between the Amir and US President Donald Trump. Qatar said the remarks, published late on Tuesday, were fake and that the news agency that ran them had been hacked in an apparent attempt to misrepresent Sheikh Tamim s views. But Gulf Arab countries including Saudi Arabia allowed their state-backed media to run them throughout the day on Wednesday, infuriating Doha and triggering a war of words in regional media. Kuwait, which acted as a mediator during a previous Gulf dispute with Qatar, sent its top diplomat Sheikh Sabah Al- Khalid Al-Sabah to visit Sheikh Tamim on Friday. He conveyed greetings from the Kuwaiti Amir to the ruler and Qatari people, state news agency KUNA said, without elaborating. A Gulf Arab official told Reuters on Thursday that HH the Amir had offered during a conversation with Sheikh Tamim to mediate and host talks to ensure the feud does not escalate. Kuwaiti officials were not immediately available for comment. On Thursday Qatar s foreign minister told reporters Doha wanted to maintain strong and brotherly relations with GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. Rifts between Qatar and other regional states have implications far beyond their borders. Gulf countries have used their oil and gas wealth to influence events in the wider Arab world and relations can affect the political balance in Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. In a turbulent region, there is no alternative to Gulf unity, and Saudi Arabia is the linchpin, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter on Friday, calling on all Gulf states to rally around the dominant GCC power. Since the dispute erupted, authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have blocked the main website of Qatar-based al Jazeera television, which Riyadh and Abu Dhabi see as critical of their governments. On Friday some Al Jazeera television channels were also still blocked. The station says it is an independent news service giving a voice to all sides in the region. The latest tensions came days after Gulf Arab leaders met Trump at a Riyadh summit of Muslim nations meant to showcase solidarity against Sunni Muslim armed militant groups and Shi ite regional foe Iran. Relations between Qatar and other Gulf Arab states suffered an eight-month breach in 2014 over Qatar s alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood, whose political ideology challenges the principle of dynastic rule. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha in protest.

2 LOCAL 2 Hope this occasion sees Arab and Muslim nations enjoy further prosperity, progress HH the Crown Prince exchanges Ramadan greeting with Gulf leaders KUWAIT, May 27, (KUNA): His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah on Friday called Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz to congratulate him on advent of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. His Highness the Crown Prince wished this occasion would see Arab and Muslim nations enjoy further prosperity and progress. King Salman thanked His Highness the Crown Prince for his call, and hoped Kuwait enjoyed sustainable growth under wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah. His Highness the Crown Prince received a phone call from Qatar s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al- Thani on the occasion of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Sheikh Tamim wished is Highness the Crown Prince good health and many returns of the blessed occasion, praying for more prosperity and progress for Kuwait under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah, as well as for the Arab and Muslim nations. His Highness the Crown Prince thanked the Qatari Amir for his sincere brotherly sentiments, wishing him good health and Qatar perpetual progress, growth and prosperity, as well as for the Arab and Muslim nations. His Highness the Crown Prince also on Friday called Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa to congratulate him on advent of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. His Highness the Crown Prince also wished this occasion would see Arab and Muslim nations enjoy further prosperity and progress. King Hamad thanked His Highness the Crown Prince for his gesture, and hoped Kuwait enjoyed sustainable growth under wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. His Highness the Crown Prince 427 defaulters benefit from drive to pay back their debts: Al-Jabri Awqaf releases names of licensed Hajj Caravans received a phone call from Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa to congratulate him on holy month of Ramadan. His Highness the Crown Prince thanked Prince Khalifa for his call and wished the Kingdom of Bahrain enjoyed lasting development and growth under leadership of King Hamad. Sheikh Nawaf similarly received a telephone contact from Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassem Al- Thani, Qatari Minister of State, expressing congratulations on advent of the holy month Ramadan. Sheikh Hamad expressed good wishes to His Highness, Kuwait, the leadership, government and people, so they may witness further prosperity under the sagacious leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. His Highness Sheikh Nawaf reciprocated with identical warm sentiments, wishing the Qatari people all well-being under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of the sisterly State of Qatar. He also expressed good wishes to the Arab and Muslim nations on the blessed occasion. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Friday called Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, to congratulate him on advent of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. His Highness the Crown Prince wished this occasion would see Arab and Muslim nations enjoy further prosperity and progress, and that UAE enjoy development under leadership of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. Sheikh Mohammad thanked His Highness the Crown Prince for his call, and hoped Kuwait enjoyed sustainable growth under wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. KUWAIT, May 27, (Agencies): Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Mohammad Al-Jabri stated Friday that 427 defaulters have benefited from a campaign to pay the debts of those threatened by jail for inability to pay Photos from the inauguration Professor Al-Ansari opens 10th Student Research Day President of Kuwait University Prof Hussain Al-Ansari inaugurated the 10th Student Research Day on Thursday at Faculty of Allied Health Sciences in Abdulmohsen Al-Abdul Razzaq Health Sciences Center s Hall in Jabriya area. Graduating students participated in the event to display their researches on posters. Present at the event were the Dean of Faculty of Allied Health back their debts. In a press statement, the minister said that the campaign, themed Let them be with us in Ramadan, was launched upon directives from the wise political leadership with a view to helping defaulting people. The campaign, started with a donation of KD 500,000, has managed to collect KD 1.35 million for far, he pointed out, adding that the campaign would continue until the end of the holy month of Ramadan. One KD equals $3.29. Al-Jabri noted that the number of beneficiaries has increased drastically this year as only 170 people benefited from last year s edition. Meanwhile, Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs represented by Hajj Affairs Sector has issued a list of names of licensed Hajj caravans for this year, reports Al-Rai daily. Sciences Prof Saud Al-Obeidi, Vice-President for Researches at Kuwait University Prof Taher Al-Sahaf, and Assistant Vice-President for Researches Prof Haider Behbehani among others. Planning In this context, Director of Hajj Affairs Muhammad Al-Mutairi called on Muslims who are planning to go for Hajj to register with the licensed caravans only. He noted some caravans have started receiving applications for 1438 AH. Al-Mutairi warned potential pilgrims against dealing with unlicensed caravans for their own safety. He reminded pilgrims on the importance of signing a contract with the caravan, endorsed by Hajj Affairs Sector with details of their services. He pointed out that Hajj registration is done online and that paper applications have been cancelled. He added the list of names of licensed Hajj caravans is linked electronically to the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. He reiterated a prospective pilgrim can register with the Hajj program by entering his name, and his employer will be informed about his leave without delay. KUNA photo Sheikh Fawaz Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah with Nouria Al-Sa adani at Ahmadi Governorate HQ. Ahmadi Governor receives Al-Sa adani Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Fawaz Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Thursday received Nouria Al-Sa adani at the Ahmadi Governorate headquarters. During the meeting, they discussed the need to enhance cooperation for developing Ahmadi Governorate. The governor described Al-Sa adani Breaches of UN Resolution 2286 mounting Kuwait affi rms necessity of respecting int l rights laws NEW YORK, May 27, (KUNA): The State of Kuwait has affirmed necessity of respecting international human rights laws and protecting humanitarian and medical expeditions in regions afflicted with conflicts and violence. Horrific figures about civilian victims of conflicts and wars reflect extent of the tragedies, suffered by the globe s population nowadays, said Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, the permanent envoy to the UN, during a UN debate on sparing civilians in armed conflicts. Up to 65 million people have been driven out of their homes in strifes, violence and repression, he said, alluding to some contents of a report prepared by the United Nations Secretary General. Breaches of the UN Resolution 2286 have been mounting by conflicts parties in various regions of the globe particularly in the Middle East and Africa, he said, regretting that some parties have been intentionally targeting civilians and civil targets as a weapon to defeat their foes. Security Council resolution 2286 (2016) deals with protection of the wounded and sick, medical personnel and humanitarian personnel in armed conflicts. In Iraq, militants of so-called Islamic State (Daesh) try to defend themselves with human shields, practice sexual violence, enforce coercive marriage and abduct civilians, Ambassador Al-Otaibi said. as a prominent Kuwaiti fi gure in the fi eld of social activities, expressing appreciation for her opinions and her views. He affirmed that Kuwait has a large number of outstanding figures who are active in the field of social development and play a remarkable role through their participation both regionally and globally. In Palestine, the Israeli occupation authorities continue acts of abuse and violence against the Palestinian people, in addition to pursuing the settlement policy. Ambassador Al-Otaibi called anew on the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities as stipulated by the UN charter and relevant resolutions and confront urgently these ongoing Israeli breaches. The Security Council has adopted Resolution 2334, which affirms that the Israeli settlements are illegal, and illegitimate, urging Tel Aviv to halt all settlement activities in the occupied territories including East Jerusalem. On Syria, Al-Otaibi indicated that despite efforts to relieve the Syrian people s war-afflicted plights, with three international donation conferences hosted by Kuwait for that purpose, these acts have remained insufficient to meet humanitarian needs by millions of displaced and refugees. Hailing efforts for enforcing a cease-fire, setting up tension de-escalation zones and pursuing the Geneva talks, the envoy re-affirmed Kuwait s support for implementing UN resolutions namely 2254 to reach a political settlement and preserve the country s unity and sovereignty. He lauded the Arab coalition role for restoring legitimacy in Yemen, re-establishing medical facilities in liberated areas and distributing relief supplies to the needy in the troubled nation. News in Brief Speaker condoles Egypt s terror attack: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim sent a cable to his Egyptian counterpart Ali Abdel Aal Sayyed Ahmed expressing condolences and sympathy over the victims of the armed terror attack that took place in Minya, south, Friday. Al-Ghanim condemned the terror attack that targeted the innocent people, reiterating solidarity with the Egyptian people and full support to any measures Cairo might take to preserve its security and stability. At least, twenty-four people were killed and 27 wounded when gunmen attacked a bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt s Minya governorate. A security source said the bus came under attack while travelling on the desert road to the St Samuel Monastery in Minya, about 220km south of, Cairo. (KUNA) Kuwaiti aid reaches Gazans: The Palestinian Al- Falah charity on Friday distributed humanitarian aid provided by Kuwaiti donors to low-income families on onset of the fasting month of Ramadan. The relief supplies were given to the poor families as part of a humanitarian campaign, themed Ramadan brings us together, said the association chairman, Ramadan Tanboura, in a statement to KUNA. He indicated that the delivered items would be helpful for the locals to prepare sohoor and iftar meals in the coming fasting days. The association will be involved in a number of such humanitarian initiatives during the holy month to hand over food and cash money to the needy. Tanboura expressed gratitude to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti Government, people and charities for the effective support for the Palestinain people and their cause. (KUNA) Kuwait close ties with Russia: Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah said Thursday that Kuwait is looking forward to the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the country. President Putin is likely to visit other countries in the region as well, Al-Jarallah said while attending a celebration held by the Embassy of the Russian Federation to mark Russia s national day. Kuwait maintains exemplary deep-rooted relations with Russia and was the first Gulf state to establish diplomatic ties with Russia in December 1991.

3 LOCAL 3 73,000 blood bags collected so far this year By Marwa Al-Bahrawi Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Assistant Undersecretary for Legal Affairs at Ministry of Health Salman Ali Al- Haifi affirmed that the total number of blood bags collected so far this year has reached 73,000. About 8,000 bags of blood platelets have also been collected from blood donors and during blood donation campaigns. He said this in his speech, which he gave on behalf of Minister of Health Dr Jamal Al-Harbi, at an event organized by Ministry of Health on Thursday to celebrate World Blood Donor Day under the slogan Al-Harbi Donate Blood Give it now and in large quantity. Al-Haifi declared about the renewal of global recognition of blood and immunological laboratories as global reference laboratories to provide blood of rare kinds and to participate in the international blood exchange program to provide blood of rare kinds. He said the Central Blood Bank has become the third blood bank in the world to receive this recognition, affirming that the laboratories for genetic testing of blood groups have been accredited, making Kuwait second globally after the United States of America to have such laboratories. KUWAIT CITY, May 27: A professor in the Faculty of Allied Health of Health Sciences Center at Kuwait University Dr Nowall Al- Sayegh presented a research, which is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East and was funded by the research center of Kuwait University. According to a press release, the research is about assessment of public health status of the staff members and students of the Health Sciences Center of Kuwait University within the campus. This research can be used by any college affiliated to the Kuwait University, as well as by universities in the Middle East. It focuses on two objectives - Kuwaiti social service, and fundamental educational global studies related to identification of widespread health risks in order to determine the personal needs. Dr Al-Sayegh explained that the objective of this study is to compare students health in the colleges affiliated Kuwait Today Humanitarian duty : Al-Haifi Prayer Timings Fajr 03:17 Sunrise 04:50 Zohr 11:45 Asr 15:20 Maghrib 18:40 Isha 20:10 Weather Expected weather for the next 24 hours: By Night: Fair with light to moderate freshening gradually at times north westerly wind, with speed of km/h. By Day: Hot with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of km/h and some scattered clouds will appear. Station Max Min Exp Rec Kuwait City Kuwait Airport Abdaly Bubyan Jahra Failaka Island Salmiyah Ahmadi Nuwaisib Wafra Salmy days forecast Weather Sunday, May 28 Expected weather... Hot + rising dust Max Temp...44C Min Temp...29C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Monday, May 29 Expected weather...hot + high clouds Max Temp...43C Min Temp...30C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Tuesday, May 30 Expected weather... Hot + rising dust Max Temp...45C Min Temp...30C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Wednesday, May 31 Expected weather... Hot + rising dust Max Temp...46C Min Temp...31C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Marine Forecast Station Max Min Sea Today s Exp Rec Surf Waves Ht Dirn South Dolphin ft NW Umm Mudayrah ft NW Beacon M ft NW Al-Haifi stressed that donating blood is a humanitarian duty in which the whole society must participate, expressing gratitude to all who contributed to increasing the stock of blood and for their big role in saving the lives of others. He affirmed that the ministry will not spare efforts in providing comprehensive medical services such as blood transfusion services. Al-Haifi stressed the keenness of Blood Transfusion Services Department to provide safe blood through the best internationally-approved modern scientific methods, adding that it is on this basis that it earned global recognitions such as the one from American Blood Bank Corporation. The Board of Directors and management of Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) made a field visit to Al-Zour Refinery Project site in order to explore the latest developments. The visit follows another carried out a fortnight back at the Liquefied Gas project facilities. KIPIC Chairman Hamza Bakhash and CEO Hashim Sayyid Hashim, who were part of the delegation, said the work at Al-Zour Refinery is ongoing quite well despite some expected challenges. Hashim indicated, We will benefit from 50 percent of the supervisors, engineers, operations and maintenance staff who were working in Shuaiba Refinery before its closure. Study first of its kind in Middle East Al-Sayegh presents research to the Health Sciences Center in Kuwait University. From there, advices on the health services for students will be given, and a baseline will be established for assessing the students health. This was achieved through assessment of a sample using a questionnaire on general health (smoking, nutrition, body activity, sleep and fatigue), and Al-Sayegh objective measures (heart rate, blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and random blood glucose testing). Another objective of the study is to establish a database on health status of the members of the Health Sciences Center community, identify their health needs and provide necessary support or advice such as better nutrition, better management of stress, advices to stop smoking and treatments for sleeping disorders. Beacon N ft NW Qaruh Island ft NW Umm Al-Maradim ft NW Sea Island Buo ft - Salmiyah ft NW 4 days forecast Marine Sunday, May 28 Expected weather... Hot + rising dust Sea state... Moderate to rough Wave height ft Max Temp...44C Min Temp...29C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Monday, May 29 Expected weather...hot + high clouds Sea state... Moderate to rough Wave height ft Max Temp...43C Min Temp...30C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Tuesday, May 30 Expected weather...hot + rising dust Sea state...moderate to rough at times Wave height ft Max Temp...45C Min Temp...30C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Wednesday, May 31 Expected weather...hot + rising dust Sea State... Moderate to rough Wave height ft Max Temp...46C Min Temp...31C Wind Direction...NW Wind Speed km/h Tide times at Shuwaikh Port 1st high tide:...12:06 2nd high tide:...02:06 1st low tide:...19:36 2nd low tide:...07:30 Sunrise:...04:50 Sunset:...18:40 Recorded yesterday at Kuwait Airport Max temp...43c Min temp...27c Max Rh... 29% Min Rh... 05% Max Wind... N 50 km/h Total Rainfall in 24 hrs...0 mm Recorded yesterday at South Dolphin Min/Max Air Temp...27/38C Min/Max Rel Hum... 09/68% Wind Direction/Wind Speed... N/45 km/h Prev Wave Dir/Max Wave Ht...SE/3-ft Min/Max Sea Surface Temp... - /- Sea Current...Upwelling Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Meteorological Dept. deaths Hindi Mefreh Bin Bindi, 68 years old, buried on Saturday. Condolences: Qasser, Block 2, Street 1, House 22, Tel: ; Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Khalaf Al Enzi, 63 years old, buried on Saturday. Condolences: Qortuba, Block 2, Street 4, Avenue 5 House, Tel: ; Manei Mohammad Thwaimer Al Dehanni, 60 years old, buried on Saturday. Condolences: (Men) Sabah Al Nasser, Block 5, Opp 5th Ring Road beside Al Sahew ballroom, House 31, Tel: (Women) Ferdous, Block 7, Street 1, Avenue 6, House 26; Mansour Ahmad Karam Ahmad, 62 years old, buried on Saturday. Condolences: (Men) Bayan, Al Imam Al Sadeq Mosque, Tel: (Women) Al Mansouriya, Block 1, Jasem Al Wazan Street, Huseiniyat Al Malaya Zahra; Basaam Nasser Sultan Al Jewaer, 24 years old, buried on Saturday. Condolences: (Men) Kheitan, Nasser Al Jabri Street, Block 10, House 9, Tel: (Women) Sabah Al Salem, Block 4, Street 20, House 20. May 27, 2017 A board member of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Dherar Yousef Al-Ghanim Thursday received Chairman of Kuwaiti-Chilean Friendship Committee of Chilean Parliament Evan Flores and his accompanying delegation at KCCI headquarters. Ambassador of Chile in Abu Dhabi John Paul Coporn was also present at the meeting. Simple celebration by parents outside school criticized by MPs KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Overwhelmed with joy over the end of highschool exams, several parents held a simple celebration for their daughters outside a school in Adailiya area where a band was invited to perform. However, the issue eventually became a matter of public opinion, especially after MPs Mohammad Hayef, Waleed Al-Tabtabaie and Hamdan Al-Azmi portrayed the simple event as a serious phenomenon that destroys society, reports Al-Qabas daily. Ministry of Education is swarmed with a tide of noise from the MPs and issued a statement threatening to punish violators. However, a legal source affirmed the lack of law violation in the celebration of students due to two reasons. He explained that the first reason is that the celebration was held outside the walls of the school due to which Ministry of Education has no right to investigate this matter. The second reason is that it was the parents who invited the musical bands. Therefore, who will Ministry of Education hold accountable the parents or the students? the source asked. Meanwhile, a number of MPs criticized the ceremony held by the students of Adailiya High School for Girls to express their joy over the end of the academic year. The lawmakers urged Ministry of Education to hold the school administration and the organizers of the ceremony accountable. In this regard, MP Walid Al- Tabtabaie asked the ministry to investigate with the director of the educational district and the principal of the school in front of which the students held the ceremony. He stressed that the scenes that were obtained were inappropriate and that it was possible to prevent the band from performing in front of the school. On his part, MP Mohamed Hayef thanked the ministry for its statement, in which it denounced the behaviors of students. However, he stressed that such a statement is not enough, insisting that the administration of the school should be held accountable for not informing authorities about such kind of parties. In addition, MP Hamdan Al- Azmi said the act of students dancing in front of a school should not pass unnoticed, insisting that authorities must take deterrent measures to preserve the customs and traditions of the Kuwaiti society. Meanwhile, MPs Yusuf Al- Fadalah, Ahmed Al-Fadhl, Omar Al-Tabtabaei, Saleh Ashour and Salah Khorshid have presented a draft law to add a new article to Law No.19/2012 concerning the protection of national unity, reports Al-Qabas daily. The draft law stipulates one year imprisonment and a fine of KD 5000 or one of the two penalties against any Muslim who calls another Muslim an atheist or instigates others to call a Muslim an atheist, noting it makes no difference if the act is perpetrated in public via newspaper or magazine or social media. Joy over end of high-school exams Photos from the event Embassy marks Azerbaijan National Day Relations between Kuwait and Azerbaijan are progressive in all fields including the economic, political and tourism sectors, says Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Muhammad Al-Fares. Al-Fares made the statement in response to questions of journalists when he attended the Azerbaijan National Day celebration at the Embassy of Azerbaijan Thursday. He pointed out that Kuwait is keen on studying the experience of Azerbaijan in the educational field especially in universities. He asked Azerbaijani Ambassador Qahraman Ali visit him to discuss cooperation between the two countries in this field. Asked about some Palestinian teachers apology for not coming to Kuwait, Al-Fares explained a number of interviews which were supposed to be conducted in Ramallah were cancelled due to the difficult situation between the West Bank and Gaza; adding that several other teachers excused themselves from the interview. Photos by Iehab Qurtal He disclosed the ministry signed contracts with 102 Palestinian teachers and he welcomed all of them, affirming the ministry is keen on meeting their demands. Concerning the lawsuits filed by teachers against the ministry because of the retroactive enforcement of a decision regarding housing allowance, Al-Fares stressed the ministry is ready to implement the court verdict in this regard. He said the ministry will coordinate with its finance counterpart in order to secure the needed money.

4 LOCAL 4 Mission sheds light on Kuwait s efforts at confronting terrorism Major partner to eradicate DAESH Contractors said to violate some contractual obligations VIENNA, May 27, (KUNA): The State of Kuwait Permanent Mission to the UN agencies here has organized seminars shedding light on the Gulf country s efforts in confronting terrorism. The gatherings were held on sidelines of the 26th session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Sadeq Mohammad Maarefi, the State of Kuwait Ambassador to Austria and the Permanent Delegate to the International Organizations in Vienna, said in a statement to KUNA on Saturday that the seminars were held to publicize Kuwait s efforts in combating cross-border crimes particularly terrorism. Much light was shed on Kuwait s adherence to international treaties and support for efforts at the international and regional levels to confront cybercrimes. In shadow of dramatic regional events, the need has become pressing for coordinated international efforts for facing various forms of crimes, Maarefi said. Kuwait had witnessed a number of terrorist attacks, such as the bombing that targeted motorcade of the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, explosions at popular cafes and bombing of Imam Al-Sadeq Mosque. Among the lecturers were Zakaria Al-Ansari, the assistance justice undersecretary for legal affairs and Sergeant Rakan Al-Shraiaan as well as Khaled Al-Antari, representative of the Ministry of Information. Spokesman of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, US Central Command, Colonel Ryan Dillon said on Saturday that Kuwait is a key partner in the fight to eliminate the so-called Islamic State (IS) (DAESH). Operation Inherent Resolve is the US military s operational name for the military intervention against the IS. In a statement to KUNA and the Kuwait TV, Dillon commended Kuwait s contribution to the campaign against the IS. The country has recently provided 75 tons of food commodities to people in Mosul in northern Iraq, he KUNA photo The State of Kuwait Permanent Mission to the UN during the 26th session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. MPW eyes cancelling two new projects KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Ministry of Public Works has been considering revoking two new projects from contracting companies that violated some clauses of the contractual agreements, similar to the projects of Wafra Road and upgrade of Al-Bida a Roundabout, reports Al-Shahed daily quoting an informed source. He explained that the frustration overwhelming Ministry of Public Works is concerning the fact that such a decision may cost government millions of dinars. This is in addition to the fact that the ministry has not been handling the issue transparently enough with the public opinion over the fundamentals and mechanisms that determine the projects or its revocation. They did not issue any statements to clarify the kind of penalties meted out to the concerned contractors. In most cases, those contractors go scotfree without being held accountable by paying fines for the delay. The source declared that the method for revoking contracts is suspicious in certain cases, as it gives many of the contractors the right to file lawsuits against the government and demand for compensations. He added that this is contrary to the normal situation whereby the ministry should rather be asking for fines and compensations from the concerned contractors. Assistant Undersecretary for Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Affairs at Ministry of Commerce and Industry Eid Al-Rashidi says the ministry, in coordination with Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Union of Cooperative Societies, rejected all requests presented by some food companies before the month of Ramadan for increase in prices of their commodities, reports Al-Anba daily. In a press statement, Al-Rashidi revealed that the ministry is intensifying inspection campaigns on all cooperative societies, central markets, shops and all outlets in various parts of Kuwait. He explained that the ministry is comparing the current prices of commodities to the one recorded in the recent past. It also increased the number of commercial inspectors in the sector of Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Affairs in order to ensure its control over the commercial activity, as well as to develop a system for receiving complaints from consumers through the hotline No. 135 and trade centers. said. He also lauded the Saudi support to the coalition efforts, especially monitoring and controlling the borders with Iraq to stop infiltrators. Defeating DAESH is an international effort involving 71 countries, including latest NATO members, besides Ethiopia and Djibouti, the Spokesman said. Meanwhile, Colonel Dillion said that the coalition forces continued support to the Iraqi troops, carrying out 34 airstrikes against IS posts last week. The Battle of Mosul has been long and onerous, and the Iraqis have been fighting bravely, he said, noting that innocent civilians suffered a lot. Soon, DAESH will lose its biggest ever stronghold and the Iraqi flag will replace the black one of the IS all over Mosul, he said. On the fight against DAESH in Syria, the coalition spokesperson said that after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liberated Tabqa, Al-Sad and Al-Haraj, the coalition is keen on civilians safety, clearing these towns of all weaponry. Top and above: Some photos of the event Support for youth paramount Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and State Minister for Municipality Affairs Muhammad Al-Jabri attended the conference on supporting youths and small projects organized by Kuwait Municipality on Thursday. Representatives of the Industrial Bank, Kuwait Fund for Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises and some official bodies attended the conference. Al-Jabri confi rmed the Municipality believes in the importance of enhancing official support for small and KUNA photos Kuwait Towers to receive visitors medium enterprises. He stressed that the policy of the State in the last few years put into consideration support for youths and adopting their ideas. He also praised the role of Kuwait Fund for Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises in this regard. On the other hand, Municipality Director Ahmed Al-Manfouhi confirmed that Al-Jabri has recommended a number of projects which require support such as that of Barayeh Salem in Salmiya and the heritage youths project in Al-Rai. KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Kuwait Towers will receive visitors from 6:45 pm until 2:00 am throughout the month of Ramadan, reports Al-Seyassah daily quoting Acting Managing Director of Kuwait Towers Jarrah Al-Omani. Such a decision comes in the framework of the preparations taken by the Touristic Enterprises Company to receive visitors at its facilities during the month of Ramadan. Al-Omani said the Kuwait Towers restaurant will serve Iftar and Suhoor buffets as well as provide outside catering services based on a new specialized menu prepared by the top chef at special prices for this month. He revealed that the Iftar buffet is KD 11 per head for adults and KD 8 per head for children. The Sohoor buffet is KD 8 per head for adults and KD 6 per head for children. These buffets include special Ramadan drinks, mineral water, soft drinks and Arabic tea and coffee. Oct 6, 2016

5 LOCAL 5 Panel will soon finish preparing report on correctional facilities Committee members keen on alternative punishments KUNA photo Kuwait First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al- Hamad Al-Sabah conveyed Monday greetings of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. This came during Sheikh Tamim s meeting with Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled in Doha. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also conveyed His Highness the Amir s wishes that the Qatari people enjoyed further progress and prosperity. The meeting was attended by Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled s Office Director Ambassador Dr Ambassador Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Mohammad Al-Sabah and Kuwait Ambassador to Qatar Hafeedh Al-Ajmi. (KUNA) Coast Guards foil Iraqi cruiser attempt Twenty-one military personnel are granted exceptional promotions KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah has granted exceptional promotions to 21 military personnel for thwarting the attempt by an Iraqi cruiser to steal and hijack a patrol of the Kuwaiti Navy, reports Al-Rai daily. The Interior Ministry announced last week that the Coast Guard forces thwarted the attempt of an Iraqi cruiser carrying four people who tried to violate Kuwait s territorial waters and control the Kuwait Navy patrol under the threat of weapons as a result of which one security officer suffered minor injuries. Security sources told the daily the incident happened on Thursday night, May 18 and that the Coast Guard received a distress call from the security of the Iraqi maritime border patrol that an idle Iraqi boat with a group of fishermen were in Kuwait s territorial waters. The Kuwaiti side informed its Iraqi counterpart of the readiness of the Kuwaiti maritime security to help the boat and deliver it near the border between the two countries to prevent any violation or breach of international borders. The sources added, the Kuwaiti naval patrol led by Lieutenant Misha al Al- Foudari and one military man headed to Drive at cooperatives launched MoCI monitoring prices & fighting commercial fraud KUWAIT CITY, May 27, (Agencies): Minister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudan Saturday stressed that the ministry is monitoring prices of all goods and combating commercial fraud against consumers. While inspecting some cooperative societies, Al-Roudan, also Acting Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said in a press statement that the ministry is keen on implementing laws and decisions as part of policies aiming to maintain market stability and protect consumers. The ministry is also launching intensive campaigns at cooperative societies, central markets and commercial shops, and companies producing foodstuffs, meat, vegetables and fruits across the country for the same purpose, he empathized. Today s campaign aims to monitor prices at markets and protect consumers the site of idle boat to rescue it. The Iraqi boat, which was floating on sea due to mechanical fault and because it had run out of fuel, as had been claimed, during questioning one of those on board claimed he was sick and fell unconscious. Al-Foudari immediately contacted the operation room and asked for help to move the unconscious Iraqi for treatment on the Ouha Island. When they revived, the Kuwaiti forces informed the operations room. During the transfer of the Iraqi to the Kuwaiti patrol, one of the Iraqis hit the lieutenant and the other military man with sharp objects causing fractures and bruises and loss of consciousness. The Iraqis then attempted to use the Kuwaiti patrol for few minutes before returning to the Iraqi boat site where they left Al-Foudari and his colleague in the boat and left them. After Al-Foudari regained consciousness he was able to inform the operations room using his phone. The sources added a naval patrol led by Major Abdullah Saud Al-Halabi with support of another patrol led by Fahd Bassam Al-Mutawa intercepted the kidnappers, and wounded one of them after a shootout, before arresting them. from any exploitations, he noted. He affirmed the ministry s determination to combat any commercial fraud legally. Meanwhile, Ministry of Health is investigating a contract worth millions of dinars signed with a private sector company to make travel arrangements for Kuwaiti citizens who are referred for overseas treatments, and to play the role of mediator between the patients and the hospitals they are sent to, reports Al-Shahed daily quoting informed sources. They said the abovementioned contract, which was part of the points in the interpellation filed against the former minister of Health Ali Al-Obeidi, was referred to the Fatwa and Legislation Department along with the relevant documents including receipts and medical bills. KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Head of Parliament s Human Rights Committee MP Adel Al-Damkhi says, The committee will soon finish preparing the report on correctional facilities. By the end of next week, it will refer the report to the National Assembly, reports Al-Rai daily. In a press statement, MP Al-Damkhi revealed that the committee meeting, which was attended by representatives of Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Justice, witnessed discussions on implementation of the principles of forgiveness and alternative punishment, as well as the practicality and standards of these principles. He explained that the members of the committee are particularly keen about the need for alternative punishments, as this will help in reducing the financial costs incurred by the state for the inmates, especially juveniles and individuals whose offenses are considered petty. MP Al-Damkhi said the committee also discussed some complaints filed against the way personnel (detectives) of the immigration department deal with some expatriate committees, especially over humanitarian procedures for the Syrian community such as extension and issuance of family visas or any other visit visas, indicating that the concerned officials responded positively during these discussions. Meanwhile, a member of parliament s Human Rights Committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad revealed that the committee has proposed a law for making the committee a permanent parliamentary committee. Meanwhile, the parliamentary Youths and Sport Committee has forwarded the new draft law on sports to the State Ministry for Youth Affairs and this is considered a step towards lifting the international ban on local sports, reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources. Sources confirmed that the government, represented by the State Ministry for Youth Affairs, received the new draft law which meets the demands of international bodies and will lead to lifting the ban on Kuwaiti sports. Sources said the draft law will be translated to English within this week in order to send it to FIFA and its relevant committees. Sources added the government will instruct a delegation from the Public Authority for Sports to coordinate with the concerned international bodies after translating the draft and defining the points of dispute, indicating this will be done within two weeks. Kuwait congratulates Georgia on national day KUWAIT CITY, May 27: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has sent a congratulatory cable to the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili on the occasion of his country s National Day, wishing him a long and healthy life and more development for his country. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables. (KUNA) News in Brief New fees to promote saving: Planned new fees on power and water are primarily aimed at promoting consumption rather than reaping money, a ranking official affirmed. No matter how high the fees may be, they will not match the actual production cost, affirmed (eng) Electricity Undersecretary Mohammad Bou-Shehri, in an interview with KUNA. Cutting consumption by 10 percent per day saves some $1.8 million daily, equivalent to $640 million per year. This figure is not small particularly when considering projected consumption hike in the coming years, he said. Simultaneously with the imposition of the new fees, the power department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Information, is launching an awareness campaign titled consume with responsibility. The relevant regulations exempt private residences, which account to 40 percent of the consumption, in addition to excluding the citizen who lives in a rented apartment. The new fees laws are applicable on the commercial sector as of February 22, The National Assembly (Parliament) approved, on April , the relevant bill setting the rates for power and water consumption. The ministry has set the fees at five fils per Kilowatthour (kwh)) for the investment and commercial sectors, 25 fils (kwh) for the government sector, three fils (kwh) for the industrial and agricultural sectors, five fils for non-producing sectors, in addition to 12 fils for the other fields. As to the consumption of sweet water in the investment and commercial sectors the rates will be two KD for 1,000 imperial gallons, KD four (1,000 imperial gallons) for the government sector, KD (1,000 imperial gallons) for industrial and agricultural facilities, KD two for chalets and stables. ($=KD 0.303). Special needs students graduation: Under the auspices of Assistant Undersecretary for Administrative Affairs in the Ministry of Education Fahad Al-Gheis, Nibras Model School for Students with Special Needs organized a graduation ceremony for 36 students recently. In her speech, founder and CEO of the school Dr Noura Saleh Al-Dhaher extended her appreciation and gratitude to the curriculum supervisors in the College of Education at Kuwait University and the Public Authority for Handicapped Affairs (PAHA) for endorsing the education rehabilitation curriculum for people with moderate and minor mental disability.

6 LOCAL 6 KRCS launches donation drive on onset of Ramadan KUWAIT CITY, May 27, (KUNA): Living up to its status as International Humanitarian Center, Kuwait continued offering assistance to needy people in the Middle East and beyond throughout the just-ended week. On Sunday, May 21, Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) said it was launching a donations campaign with the onset of the fasting month of Ramadan to raise money for treating Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon as well the injured and patients in Yemen. Lama Al-Othman, director of projects development at the society, said the financial allocations would be used for patients in need for dialysis, treating refugees suffering from cardiac diseases and illnesses, cancer, spinal problems or those who need artificial limbs. The society receives donations throughout the fasting month at its headquarters from 10 am to 2 pm, or via its website. Donors who show up first encourage others to follow suit, particularly amid Ramadan s special spirituality, she says. The KRCS has organized a series of medical and relief operations for the refugees and the people of Yemen. Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Iraq Douglas A. Silliman praised Kuwait for its humanitarian efforts, especially the initiatives to alleviate the sufferings of the displaced Iraqi people. In a press statement after meeting the KRCS Deputy Chairman Anwar Al-Hasawi, Silliman lauded the KRCS s programs supporting the displaced families in Iraq. These programs have been appreciated by the Iraqi authorities and the humanitarian organizations operating in the country, he affirmed. The US diplomat was briefed on the society s philanthropic efforts and initiatives both on the local and regional scenes as well as around the globe. He was also offered an account of Kuwait s efforts through the Kuwait is by your side campaign to help the Iraqis. On his part, Al-Hasawi said in a statement that the society is committed to continuing consultations with the parties concerned with the issue of the displaced in Iraq, out of keenness to help and support. The KRCS looks forward to more coordination with the regional and international organizations in Iraq to achieve the relevant humanitarian and development projects there. In Irbil city Kuwait distributed later in the day 30 tons of urgent food aid to displaced Iraqis in the war-torn northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The aid is part of Kuwait s ongoing campaign entitled, Kuwait is By Your Side, an initiative launched to mitigate the misery many Iraqis are mired in, Najim-el-Din Mohammad, a representative of Iraq s Barazani Charity, told KUNA. Dismal On the recipients of the aid, he said they face dismal conditions and are in dire need of such support, as he thanked Kuwait for the copious amounts of aid that has flowed into Iraq. Meanwhile, Iraq s Minister of Immigration and Immigrants Dr Jassim Al-Jaf urged international organizations to work together to rebuild areas that have been liberated from the clutch of terrorism. Kuwait handed out some 6,000 food baskets to needy Iraqi families living outside of camps scattered across the war-ravaged city. In Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, the humanitarian campaign Kuwait Besides You said it rushed medical supplies to Yemen to help counter the recent cholera outbreak. The supplies were sent to the hospitals in the Abyan Governorate, Dr Emad Abdulrahim, a campaign official, said, reaffirming keenness on helping Yemeni people stop the spread of the deadly disease. The medical supplies comprise necessary medications and equipment to deal with the cholera spread, he said. For his part, Director of the Public Health and Population at Lawdar Health Directorate in Abyan Abdullah Mezahem expressed gratitude to Bid to treat Syrian refugees Kuwait distributes 30 tons of urgent food to displaced Iraqis in Mosul. KRCS distributes some 2,000 food baskets to Iraqi refugees in Basra. Kuwait s Peace Society for Humanitarian and Charitable Works in Kyrgyzstan. Kuwait for rushing to send live-saving medical aid to Yemen. He noted that 406 infection cases and two deaths were registered in his area. Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection spread through contaminated food or water. On Monday, May 22, KRCS announced it has distributed some 2,000 food baskets to Iraqi refugees in Basra, in coordination with the General Consulate of Kuwait and the Iraqi Red Crescent Society. Deputy Director of Youth and Volunteers Department Ahmad Al-Faqaan said the KRCS has continued its relief efforts in various Iraqi provinces, including Basra. Al-Faqaan, who heads Kuwait s relief delegation to Basra, said the food baskets contained all sorts of food needed for Iraqi displaced people in Basra. He expressed hope that the assistance will contribute to helping the displaced Iraqi families to overcome their hard conditions, stressing keenness of the KRCS to provide all help and assistance to displaced Iraqis in Iraq s various towns and cities, especially in Basra. He praised the role played by the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry represented by the Consulate of the State of Kuwait in Basra to facilitate the mission of the KRCS to work and coordinate with the Iraqi relief organizations, including the Iraqi Red Crescent to provide assistance to displaced Iraqis there. He said the KRCS program for the relief of displaced Iraqi families was praised by the Iraqi authorities as well as humanitarian organizations operating in Iraq. In Amman, capital of Jordan, Kuwait s Patients Helping Fund Society (PHF) said will offer the Palestinian refugees in Gaza pharmaceuticals worth $20,000. The PHF and UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) signed a medical aid agreement at the Kuwaiti embassy in Jordan. Kuwait s Ambassador to Jordan Hamad Al Duaij, PHF Chairman Dr. Mohammad Al-Sharhan and UNRWA Senior External Relations and Projects Officer, Munir Mannah attended the signing ceremony. The medical aid reflects Kuwait commitment to alleviating the impact of the humanitarian tragedy the Palestinian brothers in Gaza have been experiencing in the health sector, Al Duaij said. He added that for Kuwait, Palestine is the Arabs major cause. On his part, Dr Al-Sharhan said the UNRWA is the official authorized body committed to implement such agreements on the ground in real time. This is not the first with the UN agency, and will not be the last amid the Palestinian people s struggle and dire need for continued assistance, he stressed. UNRWA s Mannah said that a previous agreement was concluded to provide drugs to the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Kuwait is among the major donors to UNRWA, prompting the country to be a member in the agency s Advisory Commission, he added. Citizenships move hailed KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) congratulated the Kuwaiti citizens and their families whose citizenships have been restored, affirming that the decision to restore their revoked citizenships is a step that enhances national unity and social stability, reports Al-Qabas daily. In a press statement, ICM explained that the achievement was realized because of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah who gave direct instructions to solve this issue. As a result, efforts were exerted by the parliament and the government in this regard, and they reached a compromise over the matter. DIWANIYA A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION Any Arab-Israeli summit to serve desires of sponsors Obama planted, Trump harvested IN 2009, the former US president Barack Obama spoke at the Cairo University about the importance of countering extremism and terrorism. He spoke 9/11, an attack carried out by the terrorists on US soil and said this group had nothing to do with Islam except for identity, columnist Dr Faisal Al-Sharifi wrote for Al-Jarida daily. This will not negatively affect the Muslim citizens because they are part of the American civilization, he added. He then talked about ways of developing the joint cooperation between the United States and the Arabs and America s intimate relationship with Israel, stressing its right to establish its state and the importance of dialogue and sitting at the table of negotiations to solve the pending issues between the two parties. Obama then brought into play his mischievous intelligence and talked about the right of the Palestinians to live in peace after the long suffering they had experienced over the past 60 years without giving solutions or putting in place a plan of action. He also tried to portray the good intentions of the United States denying any expansionist intentions, and gave the example of Iraq saying the Americans have given the Iraqis the chance to run the affairs of their country. In his speech, President Obama knew how to mix poison with honey. At times he cited a Quranic verse and at other times he spoke about freedom and the right of peoples to manage their affairs. The subject of freedom is one of his priorities and he seeks to apply it in practice. He succeeded in doing so through the Arab spring machinery which destroyed the greenery and the Faisal Al-Sharifi land. Those who manufacture Al-Qaeda must reap DAESH. President Trump at least is much more crystal clear because he has put forward the interests of the Americans and made it his top priority unlike his predecessors. He said the world has to pay for the security and addressed the Gulf region with a threatening voice saying if they don t pay their very survival is at stake. The truth is Trump has harvested what Obama had planted and that the plan of normalization with the Zionist entity will not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the US diplomacy in the region, the region which is on the verge of changes at the foreign policy level because the US administration has used the stick and carrot. The Arabs and the Gulf states must be cautious of the promises made by President Trump. The Gulf states have to pay 19 billion dollars and he will get it. In the end, Trump did not come up with new things. His speech to confront terrorism and wipe out extremism from Syria, Iraq and Libya was what was said by his predecessor Barack Obama. In my view and many others and taking into account all that is happening in the Arab world today the real winner is the Zionist entity and that America will never abandon its support for Israel. It will continue to create a state of enmity with us every day and impose normalization and recognition of the Zionist entity on us accompanied by the conditions spelled out by Israel, primarily with the closure of the Palestinian file and forgetting about the Al-Aqsa mosque. Those who want to know the US position towards the Arabs must recall what the late Egyptian President Mohammed Anwar el-sadat had said when he accepted the terms and condition to stop the October War that he was not fighting Israel but it was a war with America. Also: A few days ago, the New York Times published a report which said the US President Donald Trump hopes to hold an Arab-Israeli summit perhaps next summer. The newspaper did not say how the US President will go about his plan to make his plan successful, columnist Mohammed Haza a Al-Mutairi wrote for Al-Qabas daily. What matters us is to what extent the Arabs are willing and prepared to sit at the same table with the Israelis and discuss their agenda, which so far remains unknown. Have we reached a stage where the Arab-Israeli conflict must be discussed under US auspices at a joint summit, especially after the failure of all Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, which were sponsored by the United States in the past? On the other hand, is the US President Trump aware that the Israelis have already turned a deaf year to the Arab initiative which was launched by Saudi Arabia in 2002? The Israelis have stayed mum in the face of the initiative and the issue remains rather suspended. Does President Trump know that Israel has put the Hamas document in the trash even before the proposal was announced? So what will be the appropriate atmosphere that Trump plans to create before he brings the disputing parties to the table of negotiations? President Trump must be fully aware that the Israeli politicians are not offering anything for nothing and peace is certainly not one of those things which they will offer on a silver platter and the reason for this one and only to continue building settlements with the aim of creating a greater Israel and Judaization of East Jerusalem. Peace cannot be accomplished with such policy. It is no secret that if we say that such a summit -- if at all takes place -- will not without bargains from Israel with least losses. What makes it worse and confirms the truth that the Israelis are not serious. Take for example what has been said by Netanyahu on the Golan Heights. He said the Golan Heights are not on the table for any future discussions as if it is a non-negotiable arbitrary annexation. Therefore, we will say that any future summit between the Arabs and Israel will serve the desires of their sponsors, that is to say how to keep the gains in the hands of the Jews. Hence, peace, coexistence and submission to the reality will be imposed on us unconditionally on our disintegrated Arab nation with little or no losses for Israel. It is a painful reality and we hope it will not happen. Steadfastness is thousand times better than signing on the eternal submissiveness. I think there has been a lot of talk about the US President Donald Trump s visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the Arab-Islamic-US summit in his first overseas tour since he took office. However, there are also aspects about this visit that have not been publicized. The GCC people should be convinced first with that before listening to the propaganda that we always hear from some of the Arab media outfits, Mohammad Al-Sabti wrote for Al-Rai daily. We should note that the Gulf States are among the few Arab countries that have maintained their stability in light of the wave of chaos witnessed in the Arab world. The reason for this is definitely the good governance of the GCC countries compared to other Arab countries, not forgetting the mistakes and negative aspects we must recognize. Nevertheless, the fact is that our systems, compared to the rest of the systems in the Arab world, excels in terms of governance, and not the wealth that our countries possess like what the propagandists claim because a lot of Arab countries are wealthier than us and have more resources than us even if they do not include oil. Besides the Gulf countries today has an entity that unites them the Gulf Cooperation Council. Despite the slow pace in achieving some of their objectives and the differences that emerge now and then, the GCC has a unified mechanism to a certain extent which is lost by the entire Arab world. The GCC states never held hostile stances against any of the countries in the region or against the world issues. They have always been a positive element in supporting stability and peace. All the countries of the world seek to make ties with the United States of America in order to achieve their interests. All the countries around the world, without any exception, wish to reach agreements with the USA. There is no big deal or criticisms raised about this until the Gulf states take same steps to reach deals with the USA. Then the media of these revolutionary Arabs depict the GCC as a moneypaying machine, deliberately forgetting the behavior of the entire world towards the White House and its commitment to a series of agreements. How could they forget to mention that President Trump s visit to Saudi Arabia is seen as launch pad to a chaotic region? The global race in the Arab region has become noticeably clear for the observers and those interested in the region s affairs. The alignment of Arabs has become peculiar in a manner that political analysts are posing its details after they overlooked its reasons and variables, Abdulmohsen Yousef Jamal wrote for Al-Qabas daily. Today, some find there are two trends in the regional reality which are globally supported. Some see precursors of war around. A testimony to that is the weapons deal at an unprecedentedly high cost. Others see the peace trend of the event as more attainable, especially with the scuffles faced by the US President Donald Trump in the US local politics. Undoubtedly, between the American stances of hesitance and the Russian decisiveness, these two major countries will not engage in any direct war regardless of the development of events. However, they will continue to monitor the Arab-Arab conflict, and will never allow their interests to be violated in any way possible. Therefore, it would be wise for us not to overshoot our dreams and ambitions beyond the reality of these two major countries. It is unfortunate that some of the Arab countries talk as though they are the ones running the policies of these major countries. We are forgetting the support of the West during the Arab revolutions to oust the Ottoman Empire. Later to the Arab surprise, the same western forces drew the maps in a manner that serve their interests. The history is repeating itself. As the former Zionist minister Moshe Dayan once said, Arabs never read. Stories about the discovery of spoilt foodstuff in restaurants, stores and public markets have become so familiar that we cannot watch a single television news program or read the local page of daily newspapers which are free of such stories, columnist Abdulmuhssen Juma a wrote for Al-Jareda daily. Serious stories which touch public health are no longer interesting for citizens who lost any hope that the government is capable of putting an end to such a dangerous phenomenon. It is quite known that each time banned or illegal substances are found or confiscated, there are similar or larger quantities smuggled into the markets. This happens in the case of drugs and all sorts of illegal substances. This dangerous phenomenon started about six or seven years ago but it is increasing day after day especially during some occasions including the advent of the month of Ramadan. Among the most dangerous incidents was the discovery a large quantity of spoilt babies milk ready for sale. A video clip showed a restaurant employee, who returned to his country when his contract ended, testifying that while he was working in the restaurant they used spoilt ingredients to prepare meals served to customers. It is true that such claims cannot be verified but the man did not mention the name of the restaurant or the owner so his story seems credible. In Saudi Arabia, if a trader deals with spoilt foodstuff or other products, he is defamed by publishing his name and the name of his company in addition to the criminal penalty he receives. In America, the action is taken by consumer protection organizations. After the recent summit in Riyadh, the situation of the region will be quite different compared to the past, Tareq Majed Buresli wrote for Al-Anba daily. Without involving the temporary political analysis of the summit, I believe the summit is not just a political event but a historical turning point which will reflect on all relations of the regional countries. The Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud attracted the entire world s attention to Riyadh, which is the Capital city of the Islamic world. He managed to restore the Saudi-American relations, rendering it stronger than ever before. The summit proved the superiority of Saudi politics, not only regionally but also in the international level. The Riyadh Summit restored the harmony among the Gulf countries and identified the right direction as well as enhanced cooperation and adoption of unified stances. This means the coming phase will witness political calmness and obvious compromise among the regional countries. This will bring about effective handling of the issues especially in areas where struggles are prevalent, namely Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya. This means, the struggles will be reduced and peace agreements are likely to be reached. It will also bring about an end to the proxy wars that the region has been suffering from for a long time. Compiled by Ahmed Al-Shazli

7 LOCAL 7 British judiciary said refuses to lift travel ban slapped on PIFSS chief Al-Shahed daily photo As soon as the Operations Room of the General Department for Firefighting received information that a perfume store on the roof of a house in Oyoun had caught fire, firefighters from the Jahra Firefighting Center rushed to the spot and put out the fire, reports Al-Shahed daily. No casualties were reported. The extent of the damage is not known. Official in financial irregularities Man in uniform allegedly flirting with semi-clad woman arrested KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The General Department for Criminal Evidences (E-Crimes Department) and General Department for Supervision and Inspection of the Ministry of Interior have arrested the man in uniform who allegedly appeared in a clip with a semi-clad young woman holding a glass of booze that was posted in the social media, reports Al- Anba daily quoting reliable security sources. The man reportedly works in the Jahra governorate. According to security sources, the suspect has denied the allegations. The Criminal Evidences Department will analyze the voice in the clip. Earlier, it was reported that police were looking for an unidentified man in uniform who is seen in a clip dancing and making immoral actions, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily added, the clip is posted in the social media for unknown reasons showing the semi-naked young woman holding a glass of booze and the policeman embracing her. Official referred to prosecution: Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority chaired by consultant Abdulrahman Al-Namash, has referred an unidentified undersecretary of a ministry to prosecution for allegedly committing financial and administrative irregularities in a series of contracts, reports Al-Rai daily. The arrest came immediately after the ministry received complaints about the suspect. The authority asserted serious action will be taken against the suspect. Betrayal of trust: An Egyptian woman has filed a complaint with the Maidan Hawally Police Station accusing her compatriot friend of betrayal of trust, reports Al-Rai daily. In her complaint to the police she said the friend asked her to stand guarantee for her at a Al-Rai daily photo The policeman with the woman holding a glass of booze. car rental office and rented the car in her name. After two months, she said, she received a call from the office and asked her to pay rent fee for two months. When she went to the office she discovered the friend had not only paid the charges for two months, she did not even return the car. The complainant has give police details about her friend. Police are looking for the friend. Two citizens stabbed By Meshal Al-Sanousi Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The British judicial authorities are refusing to lift the travel ban which has been slapped on the Head of Public Institute for Social Security (PIFSS) Fahd Al-Raja an, reports Al-Qabas daily. The daily quoting knowledgeable sources said in the meantime the British judiciary continues to look into the request by the Kuwaiti Public Prosecution to extradite the man to Kuwait. According to sources, Al-Raja an is obliged to report to the area police station once every three days as a precautionary measure to prove his presence in Britain. The sources pointed out, the British judiciary has set the next hearing for a longer date against the wishes of the Kuwaiti Prosecution which had requested for an urgent hearing. Two Kuwaiti citizens sustained serious injuries when they were stabbed during a quarrel that broke out among five Kuwaitis in Waha area. According to security sources, when the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information from a passerby about the quarrel, securitymen and paramedics rushed to the location to discover that some bystanders had settled the quarrel and took the injured individuals to Jahra Hospital. Securitymen rushed to the hospital to discover two of the quarrelers were admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. They launched investigations to find and arrest the other three suspects. Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi expatriate filed a case at Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Police Station against a Kuwaiti citizen, accusing the latter of attacking him. Securitymen summoned the suspect for investigations. Case referred to court: A 38-year-old who was arrested by the Maidan Hawalli police for inciting a 29-year-old Egyptian to commit adultery has been released on bail and the case has been referred to a court, reports Al-Anba daily. According to security sources, the arrest came after the woman complained to the Operations Room of the Ministry of Interior. At the time of arrest the complainant was seated in her car and the suspect was caught red-handed making gestures at the woman. During interrogation, he denied the accusations against him. Indian held trafficking in drugs: The Mina Al-Zour police and Nuwaiseeb investigators have arrested an unidentified Indian for selling narcotics to people in the chalets, reports Al-Rai daily. The arrest came after the Ahmadi police received a tip-off from unidentified sources following which the suspect was put under surveillance and caught red-handed in possession of sachets of heroin. Police then searched his place and seized 21 sachets of heroin and KD 1,500 cash. During interrogation, he is said to have admitted to the charge. The suspect and the contraband have been handed over to the General Department of Drugs Control. Woman, son die in traffic accident KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The remains of a Kuwaiti woman and her son who died after their vehicle overturned on a road in Salmi, have been referred to Forensics, reports Al- Rai daily. The cause of the accident is not known. Meanwhile, a 20-year-old Kuwaiti who was shot in the hands and neck back by unidentified persons, has been admitted to the intensive care unit of the Jahra Hospital, reports Al-Anba daily. Police are looking for the suspect. In the meantime, a Kuwaiti has filed a complaint with the Shuwaikh Industrial Area Police Station accusing a Jordanian of assaulting him, reports Al-Rai daily. After the Kuwaiti filed a complaint with the police, the Jordanian was summoned for interrogation and the latter claimed the Kuwaiti internationally collided with his car. The daily did not give more details.

8 LOCAL 8 Court Cases Photo by Rizk Taufiq Cannons being kept ready to fire at the Capital Governorate, to declare the end of fast on the fi rst day of the Holy Month of Ramadan. MoI officer held for bringing Citizen acquitted of drug peddling Court instructs KU to correct or change fi nal marks of student By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The Administrative Section in the First Instance Court cancelled the decision of Kuwait University to refrain from correcting or changing the final marks and evaluation rating of a graduate student. The court instructed the university to add the student s grades for his oral exams to his final marks and change his evaluation rating from very good to excellent. It also decided to compensate the student for the material and moral damages he suffered due to the mistake. Lawyer for the student, Attorney Mesha al Al-Ardi, disclosed in a press statement that the court pointed out the marks mentioned in the graduation certificate is an administrative decision which can be cancelled and reformed by adding or deducting grades for oral or written exams. The student graduated from the Faculty of Law in 2015 with a grade of in International Law which means his evaluation rating is very good but he found out later that his grade is supposed to be and his rating is excellent. Citizen acquitted in drug case: The Criminal Court acquitted a Kuwaiti citizen who was accused of peddling in heroin. The citizen was arrested from his house where he was found with an undisclosed quantity of drugs and drug paraphernalia. When questioned, he revealed that he was planning to sell the drugs. He was then referred to concerned authorities. However, during the court session, the defense counsel Lawyer Jarrah Al-Shuraika called for the invalidation of the arrest and search procedures that were followed, as they were carried out before the execution of the arrest warrant. He also called for nullification of the procedures as they violated laws and sanctity of his client s home, stressing that no incriminating evidences against his client were established besides the statements given by the arresting officer. in foreign girls for prostitution Asian arrested with 245 liquor bottles KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Upon orders of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah an unidentified officer in the Ministry of Interior has been arrested for betrayal of trust and taking advantage of his military uniform to manage a prostitution network, reports Al-Rai daily. According to security sources, as soon as the Operations Room of Interior Ministry received information that the officer was bringing in girls from China and supplying them to his customers, senior leaders Top and above: Some photos of Lieut-Gen Al-Khader s visit to the Naval Base. Lieut-Gen Al-Khader visits Mohammed Al-Ahmad Naval Base Chief of General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Khader visited the Mohammed Al-Ahmad Naval Base on Thursday. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief of General Staff General Abdullah Nawaf Al- Sabah, Head of the Armament and Equipment Authority Major General Ahmad Abdul Wahab Al-Amiri and Director of Military Security Directorate Brigadier Salim Salem Al-Wahaib. Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Khader was briefed on the duties and duties assigned to the naval force by the Navy in the Interior Ministry issued orders to put the officer under surveillance and issued an arrest order. After his arrest, the man is said to have admitted to the charge. 245 liquor bottles seized: An Asian bootlegger has been arrested and handed over to the General Department for Drugs and Alcohol Control, reports Al-Shahed daily. The daily added, the suspect was caught in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh with 245 bottles of booze. Police then raided the man s house in the area and seized an unidentified number of bottles of locally-manufactured booze. 26 law violators held: Personnel from the General Department for Residence Affairs have arrested 26 violators of residence and labor laws and those reported absconding domestic by their employers, reports Al-Anba daily. The arrested people are of various nationalities holding Article 20 residence permit. The arrest came after the Department received a tip-off from an unidentified person that the violators were sheltered by an unidentified person and that they were involved in illegal activities. All those arrested have been referred to the concerned authority to prepare their deportation from the country. KD 250,000 fireworks seized: Customs officers at the Shuwaikh Port have confiscated a shipment of fireworks with a street value of KD 250,000, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily added, the shipment came from an unidentified country. The list of packing issued by the country of origin showed the contents of the container as furniture, home accessories and clothes KUNA photos Commander Khalid Al-Kandari. He also reviewed the fl ow of missions carried out and checked the level of the navy s preparedness. He praised the performance and dedication of the navy to maintain the security and stability of the country. Bomb squad defuses live landmine By Meshal Al-Sanousi Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, May 27: A live landmine, which is part of the remnants of the Iraqi invasion in Kuwait, was discovered in Salmi desert area and defused without leading to any casualties. According to sources, the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received a call from a Kuwaiti citizen who claimed that he was walking across Salmi desert when he came across a strange object. Securitymen rushed to the location to discover it is a live landmine. They summoned the bomb squad which defused the landmine and checked the area to find any other of the same kind. They urged the public to be cautious when they come across any strange objects and to contact securitymen in case they see anything suspicious. Youth held for stealing seal of police offi cer hangers. The investigations are continuing. Money to go for DAESH : The investigations carried out by Ministry of Interior with the crew of two ships loaded with coal revealed that the money earned from selling the coal will be sent to the secret bank accounts of DAESH, reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources. They revealed that the investigations were conducted in cooperation with the General Customs Department and the General Coast Guard Department. The sources said a report will be submitted to the concerned authorities to complete the investigations concerning how the money will reach the terrorist organization especially with the tight security measures implemented by specialized authorities. Female staffer allegedly forged medical leave certs for money KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The Criminal Investigations General Department of the Interior Ministry is investigating the source of 42 forged medical leaves, reports Al-Anba daily. The daily added the suspicion centers around a female employee who may have issued the forged medical leave certificates in return for money. Sources said the employee has been subjected to intense interrogations. The Director of the Al-Jahra Health Area is said to have referred the issue to the CID following the discovery of the forgery. The daily said the doctors whose seals appear on the forged medical leaves will be interrogated. Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti born in 1993 has been arrested and referred to the General Department for Criminal Investigations for stealing a seal from the Rumaithiya Police Station, reports, Al-Anba daily The arrest came after a Sergeant Major from the Rumaithiya Police Station filed a complaint accusing an unidentified person of stealing the seal. The daily said the suspect was arrested by chance. He was ordered to pull over for violating a traffic law and when police checked his car they found sharp objects and the stolen seal. During interrogation the youth said he had gone to the police station to file a theft case and when he saw the seal and nobody around, he took the seal and walked off but denied using it for any purpose. MoI photo Lieut-Gen Al-Dousari visiting one of the injured officials in hospital. Lance Corporal Al-Mutairi honored Lieut-Gen Al-Dousari visits 2 injured offi cials in hospitals KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Undersecretary of Ministry of Interior Lieutenant General Mahmoud Mohammad Al-Dousari Wednesday visited Lieutenant Hussein Abdulsamad from the General Department of Rescue Police at Military Hospital where he was admitted in a critical condition after he was hit by a vehicle during an official assignment. According to a press statement issued by Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant General Al-Dousari visited the hospital to ascertain level of the injured officer s response to treatment, and he spoke to the concerned medical team handling the officer s case. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Al- Dousari also visited First Sergeant Ahmad Al-Shatti from the General Department of Special Forces at Farwaniya Hospital where he is receiving treatment for the injury he sustained when a stray bullet hit him at his workplace. Lieutenant General Al-Dousari declared that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah issued a directive for instructing to leave nothing undone in ensuring the injured officers are treated promptly inside or outside the country. He stressed the need to follow-up the treatment procedures until the officers return safely to the country. In his tours, the undersecretary was accompanied by Assistant Undersecretary for Operations Major General Jamal Al-Sayegh, Director General of Special Forces Major General Abdulaziz Al-Hajri, Director General of Public Relations and Media Security Brigadier Adel Ahmad Al-Hashash, and several other senior officials. Meanwhile, Undersecretary of Ministry of Interior Lieutenant General Mahmoud News in Brief Wife threatens to kill spouse: A retired Kuwaiti, born in 1961, has filed a complaint with the Salaam Police Station accusing his wife 54-year-old wife of threatening to kill him and their Sri Lankan maid, reports Al-Anba daily. Police have summoned the wife for interrogation. Bid to steal cellphone: A Kuwaiti has filed a complaint with the Abdullah Al-Salem Police Station accusing an unidentified woman of attempting to steal the mobile of his 17-year-old daughter and assaulting her when the latter was shopping inside a commercial complex, reports Al-Anba daily. Police have checked the CCTV camera installed in the complex to identify the suspect. Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi, whose identity has not been disclosed, has filed a complaint with the police accusing an unidentified person of stealing his smart phone while he was praying in a mosque, reports Al-Anba daily. Al-Dousari received in his office the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major General Fahad Al-Shuwei who was accompanied by Ahmad Al-Sarraf. During the meeting, Lance Corporal Majed Al-Mutairi from the General Traffic Department was honored for his distinguished and diligent work performance. Also, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Al- Dousari also received in his office Major Ahmad Al-Dhahwi, Captain Abdullah Al- Awadhi and Lieutenant Meshal Al-Bidan from the General Department for Criminal Evidences, on the occasion of them receiving postgraduate certificate (masters). The meeting was held in the presence of Director General of General Department for Criminal Evidences Major General Shihab Al-Shimmari. Lieutenant General Al-Dousari praised the three officers for the efforts they exerted during their academic endeavor, and for their distinct performance in their dissertations. In addition, Lieutenant General Al-Dousari received in his office the Director General for Service Centers Major Adeeb Suweidan and Director of the Department for Retiree Welfare Colonel Saif Al-Mutairi. The meeting was held to honor the ranking of Ministry of Interior in first place for being the best establishment among all government and private establishments and institutions in terms of caring for the retirees and catering for their various needs. In his speech, Lieutenant General Al- Dousari affirmed that the security establishment does not forget its retired personnel who contributed with their devotion in supplementing the security structure of the country and supporting its course, adding, They are the symbol of diligence and loyalty, due to which taking care of them is a given. Drugs, stun gun seized: Personnel from the Jahra Security Directorate have arrested a young bedoun for possessing a cocktail of drugs and stun gun, reports Al-Rai daily. The arrest came during routine patrolling in a suburb of Saad Al- Abdullah. The suspect was initially arrested for violating a traffic law and while issuing a citation police found him disoriented. The suspect has been handed over to the General Department for Drugs Controls. Bid to steal 6 heads of cattle: Police have arrested three men for beating a Kuwaiti and attempting to steal six heads of cattle, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily added, the suspects broke into the livestock pen, robbed six sheep and when they were confronted by the Kuwaiti they beat. Acting on information, police rushed to the spot and arrested the suspects. The men have been taken to the Taima Police Station for interrogation.

9 LOCAL/GULF 9 KU dept staff member organizes study tour to PACI Kuwait University department students with the PACI officials during study tour to PACI office. An academic staff member from the Department of Quantitative Methodology and Information Systems at the College of Business Studies in Kuwait University Dr Kamal Ruwaebih recently organized a study tour to the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) for students of Information Systems course. The visit was aimed to enable students in having a firsthand idea about the activities of PACI, its work procedures, its method of issuing smart civil ID cards, and the process of electronic signature and for identifying its impact for the benefit of the economic activities of Kuwait. MGRP provides 1,800 job opportunities for Kuwaiti youths in co-op societies Manpower sector offers training courses for applicants KUNA photos Al-Sabeeh emphasizes role of civil society and volunteers as she honors host of representatives from voluntary groups. Moody s upgrades Continued from Page 1 Kuwait s slower fiscal and economic reform progress relative to other highlyrated peers in the Gulf in response to lower oil prices, the sovereign s extraordinarily strong balance sheet, very high wealth levels and vast hydrocarbon reserves continue to support a credit profile that remains consistent with an Aa2 rating. Moody s report carried on saying that Kuwait s long-term and short-term foreign-currency bond and deposit ceilings remain unchanged at Aa2 and Prime-1, respectively. Kuwait s long-term localcurrency country risk ceiling also remains unchanged at Aa2. The decision also reflects Moody s view that Kuwait s institutional strength has improved to a degree that will help limit downside risks to the rating. In addition, fiscal performance in the past fiscal year proved slightly stronger than expected at the time of the last rating action. Positive fiscal reform steps undertaken by the Kuwaiti government so far include the establishment of a debt management unit at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and improved coordination between key institutions such as Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), MoF and Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). Some fuel subsidy rationalization was implemented in 2016, and implementation of additional excise taxes on harmful items, as well as further utility tariff reforms are likely to happen in the second half of Implement Preparation to implement a mediumterm budget framework supports this view. The proposed framework will cover a three-year rolling period and involves different entities in the budgeting process, such as Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, the Civil Service Commission, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, CBK, and the MoF. Furthermore, the Kuwaiti authorities have signaled a renewed willingness to increase transparency with regard to government financial assets. The successful Eurobond issuance earlier in the year supports improved transparency and institutional development. Finally, implementation of projects under the current five-year National Development Plan is progressing better than under previous plans, which supports the economic growth outlook. The decision to affirm the Government of Kuwait s Aa2 rating is driven by the government s very strong net asset position, which will persist despite ongoing debt issuance expected over the coming years. Given Kuwait s extraordinarily large hydrocarbon reserves, low oil production costs, its low fiscal and external breakeven oil prices, and Moody s expectation of oil prices remaining between $40-$60 per barrel over the coming 2-3 years, the rating agency thinks that Kuwait s credit profile will retain its key strengths, despite a more gradual reform pace than some of its peers in the region. Moody s also notes that, despite the sharp economic contraction, Kuwait s GDP per capita estimated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at $71,887 in purchasing power parity terms in 2016 remains extremely high by international standards, and that this level of wealth continues to provide a significant economic buffer in terms of social stability. Funding Going forward, Moody s expects Kuwait s government debt to rise to about 34 percent of GDP by 2020, as the government will increasingly use debt issuance as a source of funding its expenditures. At these levels, Kuwait s government debt ratio would remain below the Aa-rated median, and Kuwait s government debt affordability indicators would remain significantly stronger than those of most Aa-rated peers. For instance, government debt as a share of revenues would be around half, and interest payments as a share of government revenues would be around a third of the Aa-rated median. Furthermore, Moody s expects that the total assets managed by KIA at the end of the forecast period will continue to dwarf accumulated debt. Given the low external breakeven oil price, which the IMF projects at $43 per barrel in 2017 and $44 in 2018, Moody s forecasts a return of current account surpluses of around seven percent of GDP on average in , following a deficit of 4.8 percent in External debt levels will remain broadly stable at around 40 percent of GDP, and the projected recovery in foreign exchange reserves will support Kuwait s strong external liquidity position. The stable rating outlook signals that upward and downward pressures for Kuwait s rating are balanced, the report pointed out. Steady diversification of government revenues and economic activity away from the oil sector could apply upwards pressure on the rating. Additionally, sustained improvements to the institutional framework, in particular in government transparency and reporting standards, would support Kuwait s sovereign credit profile, it concluded. KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Manpower Affairs Sector at the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP) has said the sector provided 1,800 job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth in the sector of cooperative society, reports Al-Rai daily In a statement, Assistant Security General of Manpower Affairs Bandar Al-Rashid added the MGRP will organize training courses for applicants in their various specialties who have been selected to fill vacancies before they start their jobs; stressing employment priority is given to youth of the area s shareholders. He explained that applicants will be subjected to the certified cooperative society job preference standards entailing work experience, training courses, and marital status. He stated the registration conditions for jobs indicate that applicants should be a Kuwaiti above 18 years old. He should possess a suitable academic certificate for the advertised job without enrolling in any educational institute or registered with Public Authority for Social Security. Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has collected KD 1,241 million in fines from contractors of projects and their employees as well as supervision fees from 2013 to 2016, reports Al-Rai daily quoting informed sources. They indicated that the authority is expected to collect KD 400,000 this year. The sources said PAHW last year fined contractors of ongoing projects KD 300,000 for delays in execution of the contracts and also for breaching the terms of the contracts and the specified time schedule. They have no qualifications but they still want the top posts. It is doubtful that corruption and scandals will leave the education sector any time soon, according to a special report published in Al-Shahed daily. The report revealed that the latest corruption incident was witnessed by the Kuwaiti National Committee for Education, Science and Culture affiliated to UNESCO which had formed a committee of members under the chairmanship of Undersecretary of Ministry of Education Dr Haitham Al-Atari to choose its secretary-general. About 13 citizens, some of who hold more than a master s degree or had doctorate degree, had applied for the position. Surprisingly, the applicant who eventually got selected did not meet any of the declared conditions. He happens to work at Public Authority for Applied Teaching and Training (PAAET). He was announced winner even before the committee verified his background and discovered the unbelievable. Not only he does not speak English, which was one among the requirements, he does not meet any other requirements for that top post. States urged to rally behind Saudi Arabia No alternative to Gulf unity: UAE minister DUBAI, May 27: The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs has called for Gulf states to rally behind Saudi Arabia, Gulf news reported. In a turbulent region, there is no alternative to Gulf unity, and Saudi Arabia is the linchpin, Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash wrote on Twitter on Friday. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates signalled frustration at Qatar after its state media published purported remarks by Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani criticising Gulf rhetoric against Iran and suggesting tensions between the emir and US President Donald Trump. Since the dispute erupted, authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have blocked the main website of Qatarbased Al Jazeera television. On Friday some Al Jazeera television channels were also still blocked. The latest tensions came days after Gulf Arab leaders met Trump at a Riyadh summit of Muslim nations meant to showcase solidarity against Islamist militants and Irans regional meddling. Relations between Qatar and other Gulf Arab states suffered an eightmonth breach in 2014 over Qatars support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha in protest. Eight months later, they returned their ambassadors as Qatar forced some Brotherhood members to leave the country and quieted others. In the time since, Qatar repeatedly and strongly denied it funds extremist groups. However, it remains a key financial patron of the Hamascontrolled Gaza Strip and has been the home of exiled Hamas official Khalid Mashaal since Western officials also have accused Qatar of allowing or even encouraging funding of extremists like Al Qaidas branch in Syria, once known as Al Nusra Front.

10 INTERNATIONAL 10 World News Roundup Immigration 9th circuit ruling pending Travel ban fight heads toward SC showdown WASHINGTON, May 27, (RTRS): The fate of President Donald Trump s order to ban travelers from six predominantly Muslim nations, blocked by federal courts, may soon be in the hands of the conservative-majority Supreme Court, where his appointee Neil Gorsuch could help settle the matter. After the Richmond-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals declined on Thursday to lift a Maryland federal judge s injunction halting the temporary ban ordered by Trump on March 6, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the administration would appeal to the Supreme Court. A second regional federal appeals court heard arguments on May 15 in Seattle in the administration s appeal of a decision by a federal judge in Hawaii also to block the ban. A ruling by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals is pending. The Justice Department has not made clear when the administration would make its formal appeal or whether it would wait for the 9th Circuit ruling before appealing. If they take it up, the justices would be called upon to decide Trump whether courts should always defer to the president over allowing certain people to enter the country, especially when national security is the stated reason for an action as in this case. They also would have to decide if Trump s order violated the US Constitution s bar against the government favoring one religion over another, as the ban s challengers assert. Gorsuch s April confirmation by the Republicanled Senate over Democratic opposition restored the court s 5-4 majority, which means that if all the conservative justices side with the administration the ban would be restored regardless of how the four liberal justices vote. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Gorsuch was questioned about Trump s criticism of judges who ruled against the ban. Gorsuch avoided commenting on the legal issue, saying only that he would not be rubber stamp for any president. While the justices could decide in the coming weeks whether to hear the case, they likely would not hold oral arguments until late in the year, with a ruling sometime after that. A final resolution may not come until perhaps a year after Trump issued the executive order. The justices are not required to hear any case, but this one meets important criteria cited by experts, including that it would be the federal government filing the appeal and that it involves a nationwide injunction. US Navy Blue Angels perform a flyover above graduating US Naval Academy midshipmen during the Academy s graduation and commissioning ceremony in Annapolis, Maryland on May 26. America Joyful Ramadan Trump: US President Donald Trump wished Muslims a joyful Ramadan, on Friday, urging them to use the holy month to reject violence by Islamist extremists. On behalf of the American people, I would like to wish all Muslims a joyful Ramadan, said Trump, who is winding up a first overseas trip as president that included a stop in Saudi Arabia. This year, the holiday begins as the world mourns the innocent victims of barbaric terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and Egypt, acts of depravity that are directly contrary to the spirit of Ramadan, said the US leader, who campaigned last year on a pledge to ban Muslims from entering the United States. (AFP) Man kills 2 on train: Two people died Friday and another was hurt in a stabbing on a Portland light-rail train after a man yelled racial slurs at two young women who appeared to be Muslim, one of whom was wearing a hijab, police said. Officers arrested a man Friday afternoon who ran from the train, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Police were still working Friday night to identify the man and the people who were attacked. (AP) Nurse suspected of killing 60: A Texas nurse jailed for killing a baby more than 30 years ago has been charged with the murder of another infant, and could be behind the deaths of as many as 60 babies, officials said Friday. Genene Jones, 66, is pure evil and justice warrants that she be held accountable for the crimes she committed, said Nico LaHood, district attorney for Bexar County in Texas. Our Office will attempt to account for every child whose life was stolen by the actions of Jones. Our only focus is justice, said LaHood. (AFP) Chicago police beef up force: Chicago on Friday was bracing for the Memorial Day weekend by deploying an extra 1,300 police officers, hoping to prevent a repeat of last year s deadly street violence. The three-day weekend in the murderplagued Midwestern city ended with 71 people shot and six killed last year. It came in a year in which Chicago experienced the highest number of shootings in nearly 20 years, with approximately 4,300 shooting victims and more than 760 people killed, according to statistics compiled by the Chicago Tribune. (AFP) Judge tosses out life sentences: A federal judge on Friday tossed out two life sentences for one of Virginia s most notorious criminals, sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, and ordered Virginia courts to hold new sentencing hearings. In his ruling, US District Judge Raymond Jackson in Norfolk said Malvo is entitled to new sentencing hearings after the US Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional. (AP)

11 INTERNATIONAL 11 The red, white and blue lights, marking the 100th birthday of President John F. Kennedy, on the outside to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are reflected in the Potomac River in Washington, on May 26. The 100th anniversary of President Kennedy s birth is May 29. (AP) Obit Intelligence Honorable man, proud Pole Former Carter top aide Brzezinski dies aged 89 WASHINGTON, May 27, (Agencies): Zbigniew Brzezinski, the hawkish Polish-born Cold War strategist and former top aide to US president Jimmy Carter, has died, his family said. He was 89. My father passed away peacefully tonight, MSN- BC journalist Mika Brzezinski said on Instagram late on Friday. He was known to his friends as Zbig, to his grandchildren as Chief and to his wife as the enduring love of her life. I just knew him as the most inspiring, loving and devoted father any girl could ever have, she wrote. Born in Warsaw to a diplomat father, Brzezinski moved with his family to Canada in the late 1930s. He went on to attend McGill University in Montreal then earned a doctorate from Harvard, later becoming a US citizen. After serving under president Lyndon Johnson, he went on to become Carter s national security adviser during the Iranian hostage crisis. He was a driving force behind the failed US commando mission to rescue the hostages, after which he resigned. He believed Soviet influence would sweep through Iran if US Brzezinski strength did not prevail in the drama. Nominally a Democrat, he leaned conservative on security matters. A tough critic of the Soviet Union, he also helped broker the Camp David accords and worked on normalizing relations with China. Ideology Though a rigorous anti-communist, he held that US interests around the world should be addressed in terms of strategy and practicality, not ideology. He was an important part of our lives for more than four decades and was a superb public servant, Carter said in a statement. He passed away in Falls Church, Virginia, his family said. Brzezinski was an active professor and author well into his 80s. He did not support President Donald Trump s election and criticized his foreign policy as vague. Does America have a foreign policy right now? he tweeted in February. The President should outline why America is important to the world, but also why the world needs America. In 2011, he penned Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global Power, arguing that US strength abroad was key to global stability. But it would depend on America s ability to foster social consensus and democratic stability at home, he said, referring to the need for less income inequality and a meaningful response to climate change. He developed his ties to Carter on the Trilateral Commission, the group David Rockefeller created in 1973 as a forum for political and business leaders from North America, Western Europe and Japan. Brzezinski was the commission s first director. Tributes in his native land were effusive. The world has lost an outstanding intellectual, an experienced and effective diplomat, as well as an honorable man and a proud Pole, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said in a statement. He never forgot about the country of his origin. Through his tough stance against the Soviet Union, Brzezinski played a key role in the process of the collapse of the totalitarian communist system, which had been imposed upon the countries of Central and Eastern Europe after World War II, Waszczykowski added. Writing on Twitter, Polish President Andrzej Duda also paid tribute. Zbigniew Brzezinski is gone. He was once the voice of Poland in the White House. A free Poland. Because he tirelessly strove for our freedom. Thank you! Members of the US Coast Guard Silent Drill Team deliver a wreath to the grave site of Alexander Hamilton, in the graveyard of Trinity Church, in New York on May 26. As part of Fleet Week New York, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton honored Coast Guard founder, and the namesake of their vessel, with a wreath laying ceremony. (AP) North America Dems see hope for 2018: Republicans and Democrats alike are finding something to be happy about in the special election for Montana s only seat in the House. The Republican candidate, businessman Greg Gianforte, defeated his Democratic challenger, musician Rob Quist, with 50 percent to 44 percent of the vote in unofficial results. That s underperforming for a Republican in a state Democrat Hillary Clinton lost by 20 percentage points. Democrats hope lukewarm support for the Republican candidate will bode well for similar races in next year s midterm elections. If Democrats show strength in Republicanfriendly districts, the GOP will have to spend millions defending them. But Republicans says the Montana victory shows success in their strategy to focus on the Democratic candidate and the possibility that congresswoman Nancy Pelosi could return as House Speaker. (AP) Clinton delivers attack on Trump: Hillary Clinton launched a stinging attack on Donald Trump Friday, obliquely comparing him to former president Richard Nixon, who resigned in 1974 to escape impeachment, and savaging the Republican assault on fact-based politics. The defeated Democratic presidential nominee made her remarks in a commencement address at her alma mater Wellesley College, a women s liberal arts college in Massachusetts, 48 years after her own graduation. Never once uttering Trump s name, she urged the class of 2017 to get politically and socially involved, saying that the future of America depends on brave, thoughtful people like you insisting on truth and integrity. Coughing at one point before being passed a bottle of water and continuing briefly in a hoarse voice, the former secretary of state who made history as the first US woman to win a major party nomination for president was frequently interrupted by applause. Now, you may have heard that things didn t exactly go the way I planned, but you know what? I m doing ok, she said of her electoral defeat. I won t lie, Chardonnay helped a little too, she added to roars of delight. Clinton implicitly compared Trump to Nixon, the Republican president brought down by the Watergate scandal. He sacked his attorney general in a move some have compared to Trump s firing of FBI director James Comey, who was investigating Russian interference in last year s election and possible collusion by Trump s campaign. (AFP) Conservatives to elect new leader: Canada s official opposition Conservative Kushner ready to talk to investigators: lawyer Panel seeks Trump campaign docus Party is set to elect a new leader on Saturday, seeking to regroup and rebrand as it gears up for the 2019 election race against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau s still-popular Liberals. The race has had moments of Trumplike populism with a reality TV star and a candidate critical of immigration getting early attention. But three mainstream politicians have emerged as front-runners, suggesting the wave of populism that swept Donald Trump to the US presidency in November will not extend to Canada. Trump advisers plan war room to repel attacks over Russia probe BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, May 27, (RTRS): Once US President Donald Trump returns from his overseas trip, the White House plans to launch its most aggressive effort yet to push back against allegations involving Russia and his presidential campaign, tackling head-on a scandal that has threatened to consume his young presidency. Trump s advisers are planning to establish a war room to combat mounting questions about communication between Russia and his presidential campaign before and after November s presidential election, while bringing new aides into the White House, administration officials and persons close to Trump told Reuters. The strategic shake-up comes as Republicans in Washington increasingly have fretted that the probe, continued chaos in the West Wing and Trump s steady slide in opinion polls will derail the president s drive to reform healthcare, cut taxes and rebuild the nation s infrastructure. Upon Trump s return, the administration will add experienced political professionals, including Trump s former campaign manager, and possibly more lawyers to handle the Russia probe, which has gained new urgency since the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to head the investigation, the sources said. Beyond pushing back at suggestions that Moscow is unduly influencing Trump s administration, the messaging effort will also focus on advancing Trump s stalled policy agenda and likely involve more trips out of Washington that will feature the kind of raucous rallies that were the hallmark of Trump s campaign. A person in regular touch with the White House said it needed a different structure to focus on the new reality that there would be continued leaks to the media from the law enforcement WASHINGTON, May 27, (Agencies): The Senate Intelligence Committee, investigating Russian meddling in US 2016 election, has asked President Donald Trump s political organization to hand over all documents going back the campaign s launch in June 2015, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing two people briefed on the request. The letter from the Senate panel seeking all documents, s and telephone records arrived at Trump s campaign committee last week and was addressed to its treasurer, the Post said. This marked the first time the Trump campaign organization has been drawn into the bipartisan committee s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election, it said. Dozens of former campaign staffers are expected to be contacted soon to ensure they are aware of the request, the Post said, citing the two people. The letter was signed by Republican Senator Richard Burr, the committee s chairman, and Senator Mark Warner, its top Democrat, according to the Post, which said representatives for Burr and Warner declined to comment. The Senate panel s investigation is among several in Congress into Russian interference in the election, and is separate from a probe into the matter being led by a special counsel appointed last week by the Justice Department, former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller. Trump s campaign committee, based at Trump Tower in New York, is now led by Michael Glassner, a former deputy campaign manager, and John Pence, a nephew of Vice-President Mike Pence, the Post said. Glassner did not immediately respond to a request for comment and a White House representative had no immediate comment, the Post said. Trump s administration has been dogged by concerns about its ties to Russia and questions over whether Trump associates may have cooperated with Russians as they sought to meddle in last year s election on Trump s behalf. US intelligence agencies concluded in January that Moscow tried to sway the November vote in Trump s favor. Russia has denied involvement, and Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia. Controversy has engulfed Trump since he fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9 as Comey oversaw an investigation into possible collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia. Meanwhile, if the FBI wants to talk to Jared Kushner about his Russian contacts, they won t have to track down the president s son-in-law. Amid reports the FBI is scrutinizing Kushner s encounters, his lawyer says he stands ready to talk to federal investigators as well as Congress about his contacts and his role in Donald Trump s 2016 campaign. Federal investigators and several congressional committees are looking into Russia-Trump campaign connections, including allegations that there may have been collaboration to help Trump and harm his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. The FBI tries to be thorough in their investigations, said defense lawyer Edward MacMahon, who is Clinton Gianforte and intelligence communities, leaks that have increased in frequency since Trump fired former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on May 9. Since the firing of Comey, that really exposed the fact that the White House in its current structure... is not prepared for really a one-front war, let alone a two-front war, the person said. They need to have a structure in place that allows them to stay focused while also truly fighting back on these attacks and these leaks. The White House declined to comment on plans for a war room but said Trump will be looking to expand on momentum it believes it has built up during the president s trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Europe. A White House official confirmed plans to hold more rallies. Trump returns to Washington on Saturday from his first trip abroad as president. The president has had an incredibly successful trip overseas and the White House looks forward to continuing an aggressive messaging strategy to highlight his agenda when we return to D.C., said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, will be involved in the new strategic messaging operation, as will Steve Bannon, another top adviser who specializes in managing Trump s populist appeal and shaping his political image, the sources said. Bannon and Trump s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, have been laying the groundwork for the plan this week, they added. On Thursday, NBC News and the Washington Post reported that Kushner, who held several meetings with Russian officials following the election, is a focus of the probe, making him the first current White House official to be caught up in it, although Kushner, who is Trump s son-in-law, has not been accused of any wrongdoing. not involved in the case. If it s been publicly reported that he met with Russians, and the investigation has to do with administration officials meeting with Russians, well, then, they ll probably want to talk to everybody. Kushner was a trusted Trump adviser last year, overseeing the campaign s digital strategy, and remains an influential confidant within the White House. One likely area of interest for investigators would be Kushner s own meetings with Russians, given that such encounters with a variety of Trump associates are at the root of the sprawling probe, now overseen by former FBI director Robert Mueller. The race between 13 candidates is too close to call but the winner faces an uphill battle to re-unite the right-of-center party that held power for nearly a decade under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper before the center-left Liberals won a shock majority in The challenge will be to attack Justin Trudeau s weaknesses, but also to bring Conservatives who have left the party back into the fold, said Queen s University political science professor Jonathan Rose. (RTRS)

12 INTERNATIONAL 12 World News Roundup Well-wishers release thousands of balloons into the sky during a vigil to commemorate the victims of the May 22 attack on Manchester Arena at Tandle Hill Country Park in Royton, northwest England, on May 26. Britain has arrested a large part of the network behind Manchester s suicide bomb attack, police said on Friday, as the government came under fi re for cutting police budgets and election campaigning resumed. Two of the 22 victims killed in the attack Alison Howe and Lisa Lees were from Royton in Oldham, near Manchester. (Inset): People stop to observe a minute s silence in St Ann s Square gathered around the tributes, in central Manchester, northwest England. (AFP) Britain Britain Trust me for a hug Muslim man opens his arms to mourners MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, May 27, (AFP): I m Muslim and I trust you. Do you trust me enough for a hug? asks a blindfolded man, arms out wide, to mourners at the focal point of tributes to victims of the Manchester bombing. The request has had Mancunians stopping in their tracks at the city s St Ann s Square, which has become covered in flowers, balloons and cuddly toys in honour of the 22 people, many of them children, killed in Monday s blast at a pop concert. The masked man drew a curious and eclectic crowd, with bearded hipsters, mothers, schoolgirls in uniform and an old Indian gentleman in a grey suit looking on. Some viewed the request, written on a placard, with hesitancy, while others dived in, including a young boy, nearly knocking the man down with his enthusiasm. Oh thank you, have a blessed day! responded the human hug-dispenser. We could use the warmth, said a middle-aged lady, eyes reddened by tears. Abedi The square has become the scene of a continuous and sombre procession of mourners, eager to pay their own personal respects to the dead. They included a woman in a rock n roll T-shirt and black glasses, who laid tulips as her daughter grabbed her waist, and a schoolmaster offering drawings made by his pupils, carrying the words we are thinking of you. A uniformed policeman stood in line to pay his respects, with one of his off-duty colleagues among those killed at the concert. Offering Meanwhile, a veiled woman and her little girl tended to those waiting, offering a tray of small homemade pastries. Take one, you ve been standing for a long time, she said, successfully tempting a well-wisher. Meanwhile, the small man offering hugs waved his arms like a conductor, drawing a growing queue into his grasp, oblivious to who was on the receiving end, with his eyes covered for the whole duration. He wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Manchester worker bee, a historic mascot of the city that has come to define the tributes, and the slogan Manc and proud. After an hour and hundreds of cuddles, the young man flagged. Thanks to you all, it means a lot to me, he told the remnants of the audience, who applauded. Sometimes when bad things happen, the wrong people get blamed, you get stereotyped... Thank you! The man later revealed his identity to AFP as Baktash Noori Bako for his friends explaining he was 22-years-old, the same age as Salman Abedi, the suicide bomber. Likewise, he was born and raised in the city. Isn t Manchester a beauty? Such a great community, he said. The newly graduated computer engineer said he got the idea from social media, and was deeply moved by the response to his small cardboard placard. Less than a minute into it, straight away people were coming up to hug me, he said. I could tell some were tearing, it was sad. When you don t see people but you have that connection, it s beautiful. Three-year-old Ruby Tindall watches from her father Lee s shoulders during a vigil to commemorate the victims of the May 22 attack on Manchester Arena at Tandle Hill Country Park in Royton, northwest England, on May 26, (AFP) Britain 2 British jets dispatched: Two British fighter jets were dispatched from a Royal Air Force base in Scotland on Saturday after an incursion by Russian jets, Britain s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Two Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth this morning as part of the RAF s Quick Reaction Alert in response to two Russian aircraft entering the UK s airspace, the MoD said in a statement. Both aircraft have now returned safely to RAF Lossiemouth. Britain regularly scrambles fighters to intercept Russian aircraft near its airspace. Intercepts of Russian aircraft by NATO generally have increased in recent years amid heightened tensions between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. (RTRS) BA cancels flights: British Airways cancelled all its flights from London s two main airports until Saturday evening after a global computer system outage caused massive delays and left planes stuck on runways. BA said there was no evidence the problem had been caused by a cyber attack. The airline said terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick had become extremely congested because of the IT failure and all BA flights scheduled before 1700 GMT had been cancelled. Please do not come to the airports. We have experienced a major IT system failure that is causing very severe disruption to our flight operations worldwide, the airline said in a statement. (RTRS) Tillerson stokes fires for justice : US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted extremists must be wiped out and that fires for justice were burning hot over the Manchester attack, during a solidarity visit to Britain on Friday. Tillerson joined his British counterpart Boris Johnson at the foreign secretary s official residence in London to write a message in the book of condolence for victims of Monday s suicide bombing, which killed 22 people. Tillerson wrote that the attack broke people s hearts all across the United States. Britain was renowned for its strength in times of darkness and would not be broken by terror, he told reporters after 90-minute talks with Johnson. Even as our ally and friend mourns, the fires for justice burn very hot in all of our hearts, Tillerson added. We will drive out the terrorists and the extremists... we must drive them off the face of the Earth. (AFP) Corbyn links terror to wars: Four days after a suicide bombing plunged Britain Terror threat level lowered to severe UK closes on bomber s network LONDON, May 27, (RTRS): Britain lowered its security threat level to severe on Saturday following significant activity by police investigating the suicide bomb attack on a pop concert in Manchester, Prime Minister Theresa May said. Earlier, police hunting a suspected network behind Salman Abedi, the bomber who killed 22 people on Monday night, said they had made two further arrests overnight as they closed in on other possible cell members. May said this meant the independent body which sets the threat level had decided it should be lowered from its highest rating critical, which meant an attack could be imminent, to severe. A significant amount of police activity has taken place over the last 24 hours and there are now 11 suspects in custody, May said. The public should be clear about what this means. A threat level of severe means an attack is highly likely. The country should remain vigilant. The threat assessment has now been returned to the level it was at prior to the attack in Manchester, northwest England, and means soldiers who have been assisting police, would be withdrawn from Britain s streets from midnight on Monday. As well as killing 22 people, including seven children, Monday s blast injured 116 with 63 still in hospital and 20 in critical care, health officials said. In the latest police action, officers used a controlled explosion to gain entry to an address in the north of the city where two men were detained on Saturday. Some hours later, police cordoned off a large area in the Moss Side area of south Manchester and houses were evacuated with a bomb disposal unit sent to the scene. Security services had feared an experienced bomb-maker could be large but a source with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters on Thursday Abedi might have made the bomb himself or with an accomplice, lessening the risk of another attack. We are getting a greater understanding of the preparation of the bomb, Britain s most senior counterterrorism officer Mark Rowley said. There is still much more to do. There will be more arrests. Rowley, who said on Friday police were confident they had apprehended a Gritty part of Manchester city recalls angry suicide bomber MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, May 27, (AFP): The terror manhunt in Manchester focused on a gritty area of the city notorious for gangland murders on Friday as the head of a local mosque where suicide bomber Salman Abedi worshipped recalled him as an angry young man. Armed police raided a house in Moss Side overnight in connection with Monday s attack, shutting off a street of red-brick homes and shouting: Hands on the ground! Get on the ground! A 30-year-old man was arrested in the raid which involved around 30 officers, neighbours said, while police searched a barber s shop nearby where a local shopkeeper said three of Abedi s cousins worked. At the Salaam Community Association and Masjid, housed in a squat modern block, mosque chairman Abdullah Norris said 22-year-old Abedi had started coming there in January but had flouted mosque rules. Norris said he had told Abedi, who killed 22 people and injured 116 when he blew himself up outside a pop concert in the Manchester Arena, to leave the mosque after fi nding him in a prayer room after closing time. He was angry. He said I shouldn t shout because he s not a kid. I said: Yes you are, otherwise you would not behave in that manner, the 70-year-old told AFP as large part of the network, said there had searched or were still examining 17 addresses, mainly in northwest England, and there would be further raids. There will be more searches but the greater clarity and progress has led JTAC, the independent body which assesses threat, to the judgement that an attack is no longer imminent, he said. However, extra armed officers will still be on duty across the country with security stepped up at some 1,300 events over the long holiday weekend. The Times newspaper reported on Saturday that intelligence officers had identified 23,000 jihahist extremists living in Britain. Earlier this week a source with Tillerson Corbyn worshippers started to arrive for Friday prayers. Norris said Abedi had started coming to the small mosque in January even though he lived in a different part of south Manchester but was not a regular. The deprived neighbourhood has suffered from criminality in the past but the situation has improved in recent years. Media reports have linked Abedi to Moss Side s gangs and the murder last year of one of his friends, 18-year-old Abdul Wahab Hafi dah, heightened his anger. I remember Salman at his funeral vowing revenge, a family friend told The Wall Street Journal newspaper. Norris said he was unaware of Abedi s activities beyond praying and reading the Holy Quran and defended the role of the local Muslim community. Since our Muslim community has come to Moss Side it has become a much better place, he said. The arena attack was discussed at Friday prayers as the imam sought to reassure people and call for unity. Most of the news we ve been getting from the mosque is: keep calm, this has happened, obviously we don t agree with it, we don t condone anything like this and it s not what we practice, a 25-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said afterwards. knowledge of the matter told Reuters the security services were managing 500 active operations involving some 3,000 people who were thought to pose a threat. However, Rowley advised people to be vigilant but to go out as you planned and enjoy yourselves. There are a number of high-profile events over the weekend including soccer cup finals in London and Glasgow, and the Great Manchester Run. While police and politicians have praised communities in Manchester for their reaction to the bombing, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable said there had been a rise in reported hate crimes, from an average of 28 to 56 incidents on Wednesday. into mourning, political campaigning for a general election in two weeks resumed Friday with the main opposition leader linking acts of terrorism at home to foreign wars like the one in Libya. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn risked being assailed for politicizing the Manchester Arena attack that killed 22 people by claiming that his party would change Britain s foreign policy if it takes power after the June 8 vote by abandoning the war on terror. (AP)

13 INTERNATIONAL 13 US President Donald Trump (fourth left), speaks during a round table meeting of G7 leaders and Outreach partners at the Hotel San Domenico during a G7 summit in Taormina, Italy on May 27. Leaders of the G7 wrap up their meeting on Saturday with discussions focused on terrorism, climate and trade. (AP) NATO G7 Chaos at diplomacy talks NATO reeling from Trump reality show BRUSSELS, May 27, (Agencies): US President Donald Trump s performance at a shocking NATO summit has dealt a major blow to the alliance and may hand a win to Vladimir Putin, analysts say. Whether shoving aside Montenegro s PM or having handshake wars with France s new leader, Trump created chaos at what was meant to be a diplomatic showpiece. But optics aside, Trump failed to publicly endorse NATO s founding mutual defence guarantee and instead castigated the allies for failing to pay their way. The contrast with an upbeat Mideast visit, including a trip to Saudi Arabia in which he did big deals with no mention of human rights concerns, was striking. Ian Lesser of the German Marshall Fund think-tank in Brussels told AFP the failure to explicitly back the Article Five defence pledge is going to be immensely disappointing Putin to NATO leaders. In a bitter irony Trump s rebuke to NATO came as he unveiled a memorial to 9/11, the only time that the Article Five defence guarantee has been triggered. This is a major blow to the alliance, tweeted Ivo Daalder, a former US ambassador to NATO. After calling NATO obsolete Trump needed to say what every predecessor since Truman has said: The US is committed to Art 5. Network It was under president Harry Truman that the United States launched the post-war World War II network of alliances in Asia and Europe with the establishment in particular of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. On the campaign trail Trump worried transatlantic allies when he dismissed NATO as obsolete, and said he would weigh up whether a state triggering Article 5 if invaded had met its financial obligations. But hopes that post-election Trump would use his first visit to Brussels to show his full commitment were dashed with a series of awkward incidents and harsh statements. First he stared down new French President Emmanuel Macron during a white-knuckle handshake. Then he shoved aside Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, whose country is set to become NATO s 29th member later this year. Meanwhile, Poland s defence minister said Friday he was confident about US President Donald Trump s commitment to NATO amid doubts raised by his failure to publicly endorse the alliance s guarantee of collective defence. But Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz told public broadcaster TVP Friday that he had heard Trump at talks held behind closed doors and had no doubt that the US will absolutely respect Article 5 and the troop commitments they have made on NATO s eastern flank. It was very clearly said that the US is committed to NATO and to security on its eastern flank, Macierewicz added. Russia on Friday accused NATO of increasing the threat of conflict, insisting attempts by the US-led alliance to curb Moscow have left ties at their lowest ebb since the USSR collapsed. At present NATO-Russian relations are at their worst since the end of the Cold War, the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement. The ministry said NATO was pursuing a policy of containment towards Russia that has seen it bolster its forces along the country s border in eastern Europe. The direct consequence is the increase in the potential for conflict in Euro-Atlantic region, it said. The broadside from Moscow came a day after NATO leaders met in Brussels. Footage of US President Donald Trump appearing to push aside Montenegro s prime minister at the NATO summit were being relished Friday by those opposed to the Balkan country joining the military alliance. Caught on camera, the incident showed Trump making his way to the front of a lineup of leaders for a NATO family portrait, pushing past Montenegro s Dusko Markovic at Thursday s summit in Brussels. The apparent snub took place on the eve of Montenegro formally becoming NATO s 29th member in a move bitterly opposed by Russia, with the incident leapt upon by the country s pro-russian opposition. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump walk together during the G7 summit in Taormina, Italy on May 27. (AP) Europe Pope hits out at speculators: Pope Francis earned a rapturous reception on a visit to a struggling steel factory in northern Italy on Saturday as he denounced financial speculators and demanded dignity for working people. Without work for all there will not be dignity for all, the pontiff told several thousand uniformed and hard-hatted workers at the Ilva plant in the northwestern city of Genoa. The progressive transformation of the entrepreneur into a speculator is an economic illness, he said. The speculator is the same as a mercenary who has no company and sees workers only as a means to make profits. The assembled gathering responded with applause and cries of Francesco, Francesco as the Argentinian pope blasted the faceless nature of parts of today s economy. Taking questions from several of those gathered, including a CEO and an unemployed woman, Francis praised the honour and dignity of the good worker and the good boss who would share out the fruits of their respective labours. He contrasted that with speculators who chase maximum profits at the expense of workers left on the scrapheap, while adding that there were few greater joys than those experienced by working. (AFP) Greek police probing failures: Greek police scrambled Friday to figure out how a letter bomb managed to wound former PM Lucas Papademos despite security checks being beefed up after a wave of similar attacks in March. We want to determine whether security procedures were followed, a police source told AFP, hours after Papademos and two guards were injured Thursday by the bomb that exploded as they rode in an armoured car in Athens. The fact that the attackers managed to get past security is worrying, the source said, adding that experts were trying to determine the nature of explosive used. Former PM Antonis Samaras, who spoke with Papademos in hospital, said the letter bomb had been delivered to his home after apparently undergoing screening. Papademos sustained superficial injuries to the chest, abdomen and legs, Evangelismos Hospital in Athens said, after he apparently opened his mail whilst riding in the car. (AFP) Cyprus peace talks in limbo: A UN drive for a crunch Cyprus peace conference in Geneva has failed, leaving the future of talks on reunifying the island in limbo, a UN envoy acknowledged on Friday. Unfortunately, despite serious efforts to overcome their differences regarding the modalities for meeting in Geneva, the leaders were unable to find common ground, envoy Espen Barth Eide said. Without a prospect for common ground, there is no basis for continuing this shuttle diplomacy, he added. Eide had been engaged in intense shuttle diplomacy between Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in a bid to secure their agreement on the proposed conference. It was agreed that talks on Cyprus could go no further and only an international conference involving the three guarantors of the island s sovereignty Britain, Greece and Turkey could achieve real progress. (AFP) Moldova capital mayor arrested: The mayor of Moldova s capital was put under house arrest Friday on suspicion of influence trafficking in a city parking contract, sparking a conflict within the country s pro-europe governing coalition. The National Anti-Corruption Center alleged Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca told his deputy to sign a contract with Austrian company EME Parkleitsystem GmbH. Chirtoaca, who is under house arrest for 30 days, has not commented on US declines to confirm Paris deal G7 split as Trump goes own way TAORMINA, May 27, (AFP): President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would make a decision next week on whether the United States would abide by the 2015 Paris agreement on cutting global carbon emissions. The dramatic announcement came as a summit of G7 leaders in Sicily wrapped up in deadlock on the issue, with US partners voicing frustration at the president s failure to commit to the deal aimed at stemming global warming. I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week! Trump tweeted. No further comment was expected from the US leader, who was due to fly home later Saturday without giving the customary close-of-summit press conference. Officials said the meeting s final declaration would reflect a stalemate between the US and the six other participating countries, who are all strongly committed to Paris. German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised what she called a very difficult, not to say very unsatisfactory discussion with Trump on the issue. Here we have a situation of six against one, meaning there is still no sign of whether the US will remain in the Paris accord or not, she said. France also confirmed the stalemate. The United States is evaluating its policy with regard to the climate, so the six other G7 countries will reaffirm their commitment (to the Paris accord) while taking note of the US position, a senior official told reporters. Other delegates concurred that it was six against one at the gathering of leading democracies spanning North America, Europe and Japan. Under Trump, who once called climate change a hoax perpetrated by China, Washington has resisted intense pressure from its partners to commit to respecting the global 2015 accord on curbing carbon emissions. But Gary Cohn, Trump s economic advisor, on Friday said the president had told his G7 colleagues that he regarded the environment as important. His views are evolving, he came here to learn, Cohn said. His basis for decision ultimately will be what s best for the United States. The United States is the world s biggest carbon emitter after China. Trump had said he would listen to what US partners have to say at the G7 before making a decision on how to proceed. Abandoning the Paris agreement would carry a high political cost internationally, with Europe, Canada, China and Japan all strongly committed to the deal. It would also be fiercely opposed at home by the environmental activists and by American corporations that are investing heavily in cleaner technology. The stalemate on climate change was mirrored by divisions between the US and the other G7 countries over trade and migration at the annual summit, described by officials as the toughest in years. Delegates worked long into the Nations demand internet giants crackdown on extremist content TAORMINA, Italy, May 27, (Agencies): The G7 nations on Friday demanded action from internet providers and social media fi rms against extremist content online, vowing to step up their fi ght against terrorism after this week s Manchester attack. British Prime Minister Theresa May won solidarity from her G7 colleagues at summit talks in Italy after the suicide bombing Monday at a pop concert killed 22 people, including several children. The G7 also vowed a collective effort to track down and prosecute foreign fi ghters dispersing from conflicts such as Syria, which May said showed the morphing nature of the threat. We agreed the threat from DAESH is evolving rather than disappearing, she told a news conference, referring to the Islamic State group, also known by the acronyms of ISIS and ISIL. As they lose ground in Iraq and Syria, foreign fi ghters are returning and the group s hateful ideology is spreading online, May said. Make no mistake -- the fi ght is moving from the battlefield to the internet. May then headed home early from the summit to confront the critical threat still facing Britain. The United States, France and Britain s other partners in the G7 laid out their strategy in a joint statement adopted at the summit in Sicily. They called on internet service providers and social media companies to substantially increase their efforts to address terrorist content. Meanwhile, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou called on the leaders of the Group of Seven nations to take urgent measures to end the Libyan crisis and derided them for not keeping to aid promises to fi ght poverty in West Africa s poorest regions. Niger, which adjoins Libya to the south and has fought Islamists at home, is increasingly concerned about the situation in the North Africa country where rival governments oppose each other leaving a power vacuum that has enabled Islamist groups to establish a foothold in the country. Earlier, the United States reengagement in Syria s war gives impetus to the Group of Seven nations to fi nd a political solution to a confl ict going on now for over six years, night in an attempt to reach a compromise on the closing statement to be issued later Saturday. But while officials signalled some progress on bridging the gap in positions on trade, differences on the climate issue remained irreconcilable. Greenpeace regretted the outcome but held out hope that Trump might change tack. Europe, Canada and Japan stood up today and made a stand, revealing again how far Trump is out of step Pope Francis Papademos a senior French diplomat said on Friday. France, a NATO ally and key backer of the Syrian opposition, has sharply criticised US policy in Syria since the Obama administration pulled back from launching strikes against President Bashar al-assad in 2013 after a chemical attack that killed hundreds of people. Since the arrival of President Donald Trump, all eyes have been on what the US approach to ending the war in Syria might be beyond the fight to crush Islamist militants. In related news, Washington will not ease sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine and may even get tougher on Moscow, the White House said Friday, ending uncertainty over the US position on the thorny issue. We are not lowering our sanctions on Russia, Gary Cohn, US President Donald Trump s top economic advisor, told reporters at the G7 summit of leading industrialised nations in Sicily. If anything we would probably look to get tougher on Russia. The EU and United States under then president Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Moscow over its 2014 annexation of Crimea and fi ghting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-russia rebels. In related development, US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on Friday to expand sanctions against North Korea over its continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the White House said. Pyongyang has carried out repeated missile tests in the past year, prompting an array of countries to demand tougher economic sanctions to push the isolated country towards dismantling its weapons programmes. Meeting before a Group of Seven summit, Trump and Abe dedicated much of their discussion to the issue, aides said. President Trump and Prime Minister Abe agreed their teams would cooperate to enhance sanctions on North Korea, including by identifying and sanctioning entities that support North Korea s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, the White House said in a statement. with the rest of the world on climate change, Jennifer Morgan, Greenpeace s international executive director, said in Sicily. Nevertheless, the clean energy revolution is unstoppable with support from other governments and from industry, she said. Leaders must now keep resolve... President Trump should now return to Washington and make the right decision, take climate change seriously and take action with the rest of the world. the charge. The anti-corruption center said the company won contracts due to concerted actions from city hall officials. Chirtoaca suspended the contract with the company this month. The company has not commented. The 38-year-old mayor is also deputy chairman of the Liberal Party and his party said Friday evening that it was pulling out of the ruling coalition in the former Soviet republic over his arrest. (AP)

14 INTERNATIONAL 14 World News Roundup Turkey Newspaper staff detained Erdogan tells Merkel of anger over asylum ANKARA, May 27, (Agencies): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his disapproval to German Chancellor Angela Merkel over her country s reportedly giving asylum to people accused of links to last year s failed coup, he said in an interview published Saturday. We brought to the agenda the putschist soldiers whose asylum applications have been accepted and gave a firm reaction, Erdogan said, referring to his meeting with Merkel on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday. We asked: How can you do this? Erdogan said, quoted by the Hurriyet newspaper. Since the coup attempt, dozens of Turkish diplomats and high-ranking officials have sought asylum in Germany as Ankara continues its crackdown on those suspected of links to US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom it accuses of ordering the coup. German media reported this month that numerous Turkish military personnel and their families holding diplomatic passports had been granted political asylum. But Erdogan said Merkel told Erdogan him asylum approval was not up to her. Strained Relations between Berlin and Ankara have been strained since last July s attempted putsch, but have deteriorated further over several issues including the referendum campaign to expand Erdogan s powers. Ties also worsened after Turkey imprisoned Deniz Yucel, a German-Turkish journalist with Die Welt, on terror charges in February. Erdogan hit back at Germany s fixation with Deniz, saying he told Merkel: I reminded them: You have many Deniz, I gave you these documents. He was referring to 4,000 dossiers which Turkey previously said it gave its Berlin colleagues about terrorist suspects in Germany. Germany s interior ministry said Friday that 217 of the asylum applications came from Turks holding diplomatic passports while another 220 were from people with passports issued to other government employees and their dependants. It is not known officially how many have been given asylum or how many are from the military. EU presents timetable to renew ties: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the European Union had presented Turkey with a new 12-month timetable for renewing their relations, the Hurriyet daily said on Saturday. Speaking to reporters on the return flight from this week s NATO summit in Brussels, Erdogan was cited by Hurriyet as saying that during the summit, Turkey and the EU had agreed on giving a new impetus to relations and added Turkey s foreign and EU affairs ministries would work towards the timetable. Turkey s relations with the European Union, particularly Germany, have deteriorated sharply after a series of diplomatic rows. Erdogan was quoted as saying he had put the issue of the visa liberalisation on the agenda during meetings with EU officials, and that Turkish and EU officials would work together on the issue. Turkey agreed in early 2016 to help curb a flood of migrants into Europe in return for visa-free travel for Turks to Europe and 3 billion euros ($3.35 billion) in EU financial aid. But Brussels first wants Ankara to modify anti-terrorism laws that it says are too broad. Turkey arrests newspaper staff: A Turkish court formally arrested two opposition newspaper employees late on Friday, the state-run Anadolu news agency and the newspaper said, as part of a media crackdown that has alarmed rights groups and Turkey s Western allies. Last week, Turkey issued arrest warrants for the owner and three employees of the Sozcu newspaper, accusing them of committing crimes on behalf of the network of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for masterminding last July s failed coup. Gulen denies the charge. The two employees arrested were Mediha Olgun, Sozcu s internet editor, and Gokmen Ulu, its correspondent for the Aegean province of Izmir, said Anadolu and the paper, which is fiercely critical of President Tayyip Erdogan and his AK Party. Since the failed coup, Turkish authorities have shut more than 130 media outlets and a press union says more than 150 journalists have been jailed, raising concerns about media freedom in a country that aspires to join the European Union. Turkey coup probers find intel weakness: Turkish lawmakers probing last year s attempted coup blamed a US-based Muslim cleric s movement for the events in a long-awaited report in which the MPs also identified intelligence weaknesses. A cross-party commission including the main opposition Republican People s Party (CHP) was set up after a Turkish military faction tried to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last July. Commission The head of the commission Resat Petek said Friday the report clearly and with certainty found that the Islamic movement led by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the events of July 15, quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu. Turkey refers to the movement as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO). The Turkish government accuses Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, of ordering the failed coup. Erdogan family acquired tanker: The family of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are owners of a 26.5-million-euro ($29.64-million) oil tanker, which was acquired under a secretive offshore arrangement, a consortium of European news outlets reported Friday. The Belgian newspaper Le Soir, Spain s El Mundo, L Espresso of Italy and the French online site Mediapart are members of European Investigative Collaboration (EIC), a cooperative initiative in investigative journalism. The outlets began publishing on May 19 an investigation called the Malta files, delving into more than 150,000 documents from the Mediterranean tax haven. The Maltese government has said there are no secrets to be found in the cache. According to Friday s report, the Erdogan family became owners of an oil tanker called Agdash through companies registered in Malta and on the Isle of Man, a UK tax haven. Palestinian and foreign demonstrators protest before Israeli forces in the village of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on May 26. (AFP) A Tunisian woman shouts as she shows support for her government in front of the prime minister s office in Tunis, Tunisia on May 26. Tunisian government froze the assets of eight businessmen suspected of corruption. (AP) Ban Ali Mideast Zefzafi Tunisia freezes biz assets: Tunisian authorities on Friday froze the assets of eight businessmen suspected of corruption, including some already under house arrest. Graft was widespread under longtime president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted in a 2011 uprising, and has remained endemic ever since. The eight men allegedly profited from their ties to Ben Ali and members of his regime whose assets were confiscated in A government agency charged with confiscating property said it had seized property and frozen the assets of the eight over illegal profits. It came after an investigation showed their involvement in relations that enabled them to illegally make huge profits, commission head Mounir Ferchichi said. Tunisia declared a war on corruption this week after the arrest of three businessmen and a customs officer on suspicion of graft and financing protests in the North African country. (AFP) Morocco hunts protest leader: Moroccan authorities were engaged in a manhunt on Saturday for a protest leader in the neglected Rif region after his arrest was ordered for interrupting an imam s prayer sermon following more than six months of social unrest. The king s prosecutor late Friday ordered the opening of an investigation and the arrest of Nasser Zefzafi after he obstructed, in the company of a group of individuals, freedom of worship in the Mohammed V mosque in Al-Hoceima. The northern port city has been rocked by protests since the death in October of a fishmonger crushed in a garbage truck as he protested the seizure of swordfish caught out of season. Calls for justice for Mouhcine Fikri, 31, in the ethnically Berber Rif region soon evolved into a grassroots movement demanding jobs and economic development, with Zefzafi emerging as the leader of the Al-Hirak al-shaabi, or Popular Movement. Zefzafi s whereabouts on Saturday were unclear. (AFP) Suicide attack in Lebanon: A suicide Mideast UN warns of fresh violence due to Gaza crisis Palestinians end hunger strike RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories, May 27, (Agencies): Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on hunger strike since April 17 have ended their mass protest under a deal brokered by the Red Cross, Palestinian and Israeli sources said on Saturday. Some 30 of the more than 800 hunger strikers had been hospitalised in recent days, raising fears of an escalation of clashes with Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian analysts hailed the deal as a victory for the hunger strikers after Israeli authorities repeatedly vowed not to negotiate with convicted terrorists. Palestinian Authority prisoners affair chief Issa Qaraqe said it had come after some 20 hours of talks between Israeli officials and strike leader Marwan Barghouti, a figure revered among Palestinians but reviled by many Israelis. Confirmed An Israel Prisons Service spokeswoman confirmed the hunger strike was over but said the deal had been reached not with prisoners representatives but with the Palestinian Authority and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Israeli authorities conceded to one of the prisoners main demands that they should have two family visits a month instead of the one they were entitled to before the strike, the spokeswoman said. The ICRC had warned on Thursday that its doctors who have been visiting the prisoners were concerned about potential irreversible health consequences. ICRC spokesman Jesus Serrano welcomed Saturday s end of the strike and said it would do all it could to facilitate the additional visits. bomber detonated an explosive vest, killing himself and lightly wounding several Lebanese soldiers in the north of the country on Friday, security sources and the army said. The incident took place in the town of Arsal close to the Syrian border. Security forces were carrying out an arrest raid specifically targeting the bomber when he blew himself up. He was wanted The resolution of the strike coincided with the start of the Muslim dawnto-dusk fasting month of Ramadan. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas had urged US counterpart Donald Trump to raise the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the region earlier this week. He raised the issue again with Trump envoy Jason Greenblatt in a meeting at his headquarters in Ramallah on Thursday. Demonstrations in support of the prisoners had been held across the West Bank, leading to repeated bloody clashes with Israeli security forces. They come as the 50th anniversary nears of Israel s seizure of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War. The hunger strike was led by Barghouti, a prominent figure in his Fatah movement leader revered by many Palestinians in contrast to the increasingly unpopular president. Dubbed the Palestinian Mandela by supporters, Barghouti is serving five life sentences on charges of involvement in murders committed during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, that have made him a hate figure for many on the Israeli right. Vowed Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan had vowed there would be no negotiations with the hunger strikers, calling them terrorists and incarcerated murderers. But the Palestinian Authority s Qaraqe said Israeli officials had held some 20 hours of negotiations with Barghouti to end the strike. The United Nations Middle East envoy warned the Security Council on for involvement in a previous bomb plot, an army statement carried by the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported. The army denied reports that security forces had also seized two cars rigged with explosives, as stated earlier by the security sources. It did not elaborate. Lebanon s army has regularly clashed with Islamist militants around Arsal who Relatives react during the funeral ceremony of infantry soldier Emre Karagoz, killed in clashes between PKK terrorists and security forces, at Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque on May 26. (AFP) Friday that a power struggle between the rival Palestinian Fatah and Hamas movements had worsened a humanitarian crisis in Gaza that now risked exploding into another conflict. In Gaza we are walking into another crisis with our eyes wide open, the envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, told the 15-member Council. Unless urgent measures are taken to de-escalate, the crisis risks spiraling out of control with devastating consequences for Palestinians and Israelis alike. Controls Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah movement controls the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the Israeli occupied West Bank. The Islamist Hamas movements runs the Gaza Strip after seizing control from Fatah a decade ago. The Palestinian Authority, Hamas... and Israel, all have obligations for the welfare of Gaza s residents and must live up to their responsibilities to address the crisis and overcome this political impasse, Mladenov said. Mladenov said that in April the PA cut salary allowances to nearly 60,000 public sector employees in Gaza and the Gaza power plant, which supplies a third of electricity, stopped working due to a dispute between the PA and Hamas over fuel tax. He said power lines between Egypt and Gaza are down for technical reasons, leaving only Israeli electricity lines, which provide 60 percent of Gaza s power. However, in April the PA said it would no longer pay Israel to supply Gaza. Mladenov said that if that happened, electricity supply to Gaza would be further reduced by 30 percent, creating more hardship for the population. often come across the porous border with Syria. (RTRS) Tunisia opens attack trial: A Tunisian court held its first public hearing Friday in the trial of 26 people in connection with a 2015 jihadist beach massacre that killed dozens of foreign tourists. A student armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and grenades went on a rampage in the Port el-kantaoui resort near Sousse killing 38 holidaymakers, 30 of them Britons, before being shot dead by police. It was the second of two deadly attacks on foreigners claimed by the Islamic State group that year, which devastated Tunisia s once-lucrative tourism sector. Security was unusually tight at the Tunis courthouse for Friday s hearing, which lasted around an hour and a half and was attended by British diplomatic officials. (AFP) Israeli PM s kidney stone removed: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to work on Friday after surgery to remove kidney stones, his office said. The operation came just days after US President Donald Trump visited Israel on his maiden foreign tour. The medical intervention under anaesthesia was successfully carried out at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, a statement said. The prime minister has recovered and resumed all his duties. During Thursday evening s operation, Environment Minister Zeev Elkin, a fellow member of Netanyahu s right-wing Likud party, assumed the role of acting prime minister. (AFP)

15 INTERNATIONAL 15 Maritime Policy unchanged under Trump Chinese jets conduct unsafe intercept: US WASHINGTON, May 27, (Agencies): Two Chinese aircraft conducted an unprofessional intercept of a US Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea, the Pentagon said Friday, marking the second time in about a week that the US has complained about unsafe Chinese operations in the region. A defense official said one of the Chinese J-10 fighter jets flew about 200 yards in front of the US P-3 aircraft and about 100 feet above it, doing slow turns. The second Chinese fighter remained about 750 yards off the P-3 s right wing. The official wasn t authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Navy Cdr Gary Ross said the Navy P-3 Orion was operating in international airspace. He said the US is reviewing the incident and will convey concerns to the Chinese. Last week, US defense officials said two Chinese SU-30 jets conducted an Hodge unprofessional intercept of an American radiationsniffing surveillance plane in the East China Sea. Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lt Col Lori Hodge said at the time that the Chinese aircraft approached a WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft a modified Boeing C-135 conducting a routine mission in international airspace in accordance with international law. The WC-135 crew characterized the intercept as unprofessional due to the maneuvers by the Chinese pilot, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircraft, Hodge said. China denied US accusations about last week s intercept, saying its aircraft conducted a safe and professional operation. Surveillance Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the American plane was conducting surveillance over the Yellow Sea the northern part of the East China Sea and that the Chinese jets moved to identify and verify the plane in accordance with laws and regulations. In a separate incident this week, China protested a US Navy patrol that sent a guided missile destroyer near a group of man-made islands in the South China Sea, in the first American challenge to Beijing s claims to the waters since President Donald Trump took office. China s Defense Ministry told reporters that it had sought an explanation with US officials over the Thursday incident, which Beijing said involved the USS Dewey and took place around Mischief Reef, one of a chain of artificial islands China has built and fortified to assert its claims over the strategic waterway. China is deeply suspicious of any US military activity around its coastline, especially in the resource-rich South China Sea, parts of which are disputed by China and its smaller neighbors, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. Incidents such as Wednesday s interception are not uncommon. Earlier this month, two Chinese SU-30 aircraft intercepted a US aircraft designed to detect radiation while it was flying in international airspace over the East China Sea. Meanwhile, Washington s policy on the South China Sea has not changed under President Donald Trump, a senior US State Department official said on Friday. Speaking at a news briefing in Beijing, Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton also said there were no indications China had gone cold on further potential sanctions against North Korea. A US navy warship conducted a so-called freedom of navigation drill near Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands on Thursday, the first such manoeuvre under the Trump administration, prompting an angry response from Beijing. Also: HANOI: The US transferred its seventh security vessel this week to Vietnam, the embassy said Friday, boosting defence ties amid a spike in tensions in the South China Sea. The US coast guard gave its Vietnamese counterpart a high endurance cutter in a ceremony in Honolulu on Thursday, the embassy in Hanoi said. The gift comes several days after the US delivered six patrol boats to Vietnam s coast guard to strengthen its maritime law enforcement and humanitarian response operations. This cutter provides a concrete and significant symbol of the US-Vietnamese comprehensive partnership, US Coast Guard Rear Adm. Michael J. Haycock was quoted as saying during the handover in Hawaii. The security boost comes as the US ratcheted up tensions in the South China Sea this week by sailing a warship close to a reef claimed by Beijing. The move, the first freedom of navigation exercise under US President Donald Trump, sparked ire from China, who claims nearly all of the sea. Taiwan, Vietnam and several other Southeast Asian nations also claim parts of waterway, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits. But Hanoi has found itself increasingly alone in challenging China s island building campaign, especially as the Philippines warms up to the regional superpower. President Trump s rise to the White House has also cast uncertainty over American foreign policy in the region. Yet Trump has already extended a coveted White House invitation to Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, with the meeting slated for next week. Security and trade ties between the former wartime foes have deepened since Washington restored diplomatic relations with Hanoi in Smoke rises from houses following airstrikes by Philippine Air Force bombers as government forces battle to retake control of Marawi city from Muslim militants who lay siege for nearly a week on Saturday, May 27 in southern Philippines. (Inset): A damaged Armored Personnel Carrier is transported for repair as a queue of vehicles with fl eeing residents that stretches for miles (kilometers) following the siege by Muslim militants in Marawi city in southern Philippines. (AP) A boy plants rice in a paddy fi eld on the roof garden of a Roppongi Hills business, shopping and residential complex in downtown Tokyo on May 27. Some 160 people including 90 children participated in the annual event. (AFP) Cai Asia Bishop US fears N-arms race : Senior Trump administration officials fear a nuclear arms race in Asia-Pacific if an increasingly belligerent North Korea is not reined in, Australia s foreign minister said Friday after talks in New York. Pyongyang has launched a series of missiles this year, including a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range projectile this month which the North claimed was capable of carrying a heavy nuclear warhead, fuelling tensions with Washington. The US is worried that if North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is not stopped, other countries in the region including Japan and South Korea would be compelled to seek their own nuclear capability as a defence measure. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told The Australian newspaper this was conveyed to her in New York, where she held meetings with the US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. (AFP) Beijing appoints Cai: Beijing s mayor Cai Qi has been appointed as party chief of the capital city of Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. Cai is close to Chinese President Xi Jinping, sources with ties to the leadership have told Reuters, and is virtually assured a seat in the decision-making Politburo during the 19th Party Congress in autumn. The Politburo currently has 25 members but it is unclear whether the number of seats could be expanded, reduced or remain the same later this year. Cai and Xi overlapped during their time in various government positions both in the eastern province of Zhejiang and the southeastern province of Fujian. This is the latest move by Xi to put his allies in key positions ahead of the autumn party congress in Beijing. (RTRS) Ex-top cop executed: A former regional police chief in China was executed for murder, state media said Friday, after reports described his victim as a lover more than three decades his junior. Zhao Liping, 65, was found guilty of murder, bribery and possession of firearms and explosives Philippines Duterte under fire over sickening rape joke Philippines steps up bombing MARAWI, Philippines, May 27, (AFP): Philippine security forces on Saturday intensified a bombing campaign on homes and other buildings in a southern city where they have been battling Islamist militants for five days, and warned there may be collateral damage. President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law across the southern third of the Philippines in response to the clashes, which have claimed at least 48 lives and he has said are part of a campaign by the Islamic State (IS) group to establish a local caliphate. Most of the 200,000 residents of Marawi, one of the major Muslim cities in the mainly Catholic Philippines, fled the city because of the fighting as the military used air raids and engaged in street-to-street battles to flush out the militants. But, with security forces unable to end the crisis and the gunmen believed to be holding up to 15 hostages, the military warned on Saturday that it would step up the bombing assaults. In as much as we would like to avoid collateral damage, these rebels are forcing the hand of government by hiding and holding out inside private homes, government buildings and other facilities, military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said. Refusal Their refusal to surrender is holding the city captive. Hence, it is now increasingly becoming necessary to use more surgical airstrikes to clear the city and to bring this rebellion to a quicker end. The violence erupted on Tuesday when dozens of gunmen went on a rampage throughout Marawi in response to an attempt by security forces to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, a veteran Filipino militant regarded as the local leader of IS. The gunmen planted black IS flags, took a priest and up to 14 other people hostage from a church, and set fire to buildings. Thirteen soldiers, two policemen and 31 militants have died in the fighting, according to authorities. Two civilians were also confirmed killed inside a hospital that the gunmen had occupied on Tuesday, and the military has said nine other people may have been murdered at a militant checkpoint. Duterte has vowed to extinguish the threat of the militants, whom he has said belong to the local Maute terrorist group but are being backed by criminals in the area. Nevertheless, Duterte also said on Friday that he was prepared to talk with the group s by a court in Taiyuan, the capital of the northern province of Shanxi, in November. China s supreme court announced Friday that Zhao had been executed after it approved the sentence, according to the official Xinhua news agency. China carries out executions by Philippines peace talks with the communists break down MANILA, May 27, (AFP): Peace talks between the Philippine government and communist insurgents broke down on Saturday in a row over the rebels ordering their fi ghters to step up attacks. The two sides had just opened formal talks in the Netherlands when chief government negotiator Jesus Dureza objected to the communists telling guerillas to intensify attacks in response to President Rodrigo Duterte s declaration of martial law in parts of the country. The government panel is now left without any other recourse but to announce... that it will not proceed to participate in the fi fth round of peace negotiations, he said. He added that talks would not resume until there were indications of an environment conducive to achieving just and sustainable peace. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law over the southern third of the country on Tuesday in order to quell fi ghting with pro- Islamic State militants in a southern city. Communists insurgents, who are active in wide areas of the archipelago, including the south, responded to his declaration by ordering their guerrillas leaders. His spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said this was partly an offer made in the spirit of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began in the Philippines on Saturday. Together we pray for an end to terrorism that falsely claims to advance Islam and seeks to subjugate our land to the brutal IS, Abella said in a statement. In this spirit of Muslim peace, the president has offered the hand of peaceful dialogue to terrorist groups, to avoid bloodshed in this time of prayer, fasting and mercy. Meanwhile, Duterte came under fire Saturday for making a second joke about rape, with Chelsea Clinton leading online outrage and a rights group branding his sense of humour sickening. In a speech at a military camp on Friday aimed at lifting troops spirits after he imposed martial law across the southern lethal injection or shooting, but the method used this time was not specified. (AFP) Indonesia deports Corby: Indonesia has deported Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, whose trial and imprisonment on This photo taken on May 26 shows men praying to welcome the holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Thailand s restive southern province of Narathiwat. Muslims fasting in the month of Ramadan must abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset. (AFP) the tourist island of Bali mesmerized her homeland for more than a decade. Corby was escorted by officials to a Virgin flight to Brisbane on Saturday. Her 2004 arrest at age 27 after customs officers found 4 kgs (9 pounds) of marijuana inside her boogie board bag sparked a US military to test anti-icbm system WASHINGTON, May 27, (AFP): The US military will try to intercept an intercontinental ballistic missile in a landmark test of a defense system that comes amid broad tensions over North Korea s weapons program, the Pentagon said Friday. Scheduled for Tuesday, the test is the first time the military will attempt to intercept an ICBM. Previous trials have been against intermediate-range missiles, which are slower. to carry out more tactical offensives against state forces. Senior rebel negotiator Luis Jalandoni said that despite the government s ultimatum, the guerrillas attacks would continue. Government negotiator Silvestre Bello said the rebel panel had originally asked for a 10-minute recess to discuss the government s threat but refused to return to the table afterwards. The communist insurgency in the poverty-stricken Asian country began in 1968 and is one of the longest running in the world. It has claimed an estimated 30,000 lives, according to the military. Peace talks have been conducted on and off for 30 years, seeing a revival after Duterte, a self-declared socialist was elected president last year. However the fi ery Duterte has also taken strong positions against the rebels, imposing conditions including that the guerrillas stop extortion and arson activities. Duterte angrily called off the peace talks in February after the collapse of unilateral ceasefires that saw guerrillas killing several soldiers and police in a series of attacks. Philippines, Duterte told them they were allowed to rape up to three women. I will be imprisoned for you. If you rape three (women), I will say that I did it. But if you marry four, son of a whore you will be beaten up, he said. Duterte, who uses profanities regularly, also attracted controversy last year when during an election campaign speech he joked that he had wanted to rape a beautiful Australian missionary who had been murdered in a Philippine prison riot. Clinton joined many people on social media on Saturday to criticise Duterte, who has also carried out a war on drugs that has left thousands of people dead and rights groups say may be a crime against humanity. Not funny. Ever, wrote the daughter of ex-us president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton on her verified Twitter account. media frenzy in Australia on par with America s O.J. Simpson trial. The drama was tailor-made for TV: an everyday Australian beach girl who had apparently fallen prey to corrupt officials in an Asian country viewed with distrust in Australia. (AP) Indonesia arrests 3: Indonesian police arrested three suspects Friday for alleged involvement in twin suicide bombings that killed three policemen in Jakarta, while the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. The suspects in Wednesday s blasts were detained at three places in Bandung, the capital of West Java province, police spokesman Yusri Yunus said. The roles of each and their group are still being investigated, Yunus said. US terror monitors the SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted police at a bus terminal in eastern Jakarta. Three policemen and the two attackers were killed and 11 people, both police and civilians, were wounded. (AP)

16 INTERNATIONAL 16 World News Roundup Subcontinent Rebel commander killed in Kashmir: A top commander from the largest rebel group in Indian-administered Kashmir was killed in a gun battle with government forces on Saturday, police said. Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, head of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, was killed in an overnight gunfight in Tral area, some 40 kms (25 miles) south of Kashmir s capital, Srinagar. Hizbul Mujahideen is the largest indigenous rebel group fighting against Indian-rule in the Himalayan territory since a armed rebellion broke-out in One of Bhat s fighters was also killed in the gun battle, which erupted late Friday after government forces cordoned off a village following an intelligence tip-off. (AFP) Meanwhile, six suspected militants were killed Saturday in Indian-administered Kashmir along the heavily militarised border that divides the disputed territory with Pakistan, the Indian army said.. (AFP) India opens its longest bridge: India opened its longest bridge close to the border with China in a move seen as bolstering its defences in a sensitive region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the third anniversary of his rule by inaugurating the 9.1 kms (5.7 mile) long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river that will link Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states. Indian media Friday made much of the fact that the bridge has been built to support the weight of a 60 tonne tank. Modi has launched a drive to improve infrastructure in the isolated region, which comprises seven states linked to mainland India by a sliver of land that arches over Bangladesh. This bridge will not only save time and money, but it will bring about a new economical revolution for the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Modi said. The structure in mountainous Arunachal Pradesh, he said, will help farmers transport crops and herbs to markets in Assam. Experts say the $318 million project will consolidate New Delhi s defences in the region. (AFP) 18 killed in Afghan suicide bombing: At least 18 people, mostly civilians, were killed Saturday when a suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of provincial security forces in eastern Afghanistan, an Interior Ministry official said. Najib Danish, the ministry s deputy spokesman, said the target of the bomber was a group of guards providing security for US forces in Khost province, but most of the victims in the attack were civilians. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for Taleban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a media statement. Taleban insurgents have increased their attacks against Afghan security forces since announcing their spring offensive last month. The security forces were attacked near the province s This handout photograph released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) on May 26 shows an aerial view of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge across the River Lohit, a tributary of the River Brahmaputra, which was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Assam. (AFP) main bus station, said Danish. Six other civilians including two small children were wounded in the attack, he said. (AP) 100 dead in Lanka mudslides: Sri Lanka has appealed for outside help as the death toll from floods and mudslides on Saturday rose to 100 with 99 others missing. The Disaster Management Center said more than 2,900 people have been displaced. The military used large armored vehicles and boats to transport people to safety. But some remained trapped in interior villages where boats have been unable to reach. At an intersection close to Agalawatte, 98 kms (60 miles) south of Colombo, the capital, four bodies in coffins were kept in a house, awaiting boats to be taken to a temple where displaced people have taken refuge. Residents of Wehangalla village near Agalawatte were marooned as floodwaters swamped most of the buildings up to the roof. They had fled to higher terrain but four people among them died in a mudslide and three others are missing. They complained that government aid still had not reached the area and they were surviving on food provided by those in nearby villagers. (AP) Cargo plane crashes near Everest: A cargo plane crashed Saturday as it was trying to land at a small airport near Mount Everest, seriously injuring the two pilots and hostess on board, officials said. All three crew members were pulled alive from the wreckage of the plane, which broke into three pieces when it crashed as it was attempting to land at Lukla airport in heavy fog. A cargo plane has crashed in Lukla and we are trying to get more details. It crashed on approach to the airport, Sagar Acharya of Summit Air, which operates the aircraft. The three crew members have been taken to hospital. We are not yet sure what caused the accident, he added. Local media reported that the three crew members were in a serious condition. (AP)

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18 INTERNATIONAL 18 World News Roundup A passenger takes photos among live vegetation inside the forest bus in Taipei on May 26. (Inset): Journalists take photos of the forest bus in Taipei. (AFP) Taiwan s forest bus charms passengers With moss-covered seats and an explosion of lush plants and flowers throughout its interior the forest bus offers a fragrant leafy ride for passengers used to crammed public transport in Taiwan s capital. The ordinary single-deck city bus has been converted into a travelling green house decorated with orchids, ginger lilies and a variety of ferns is running on a special route through Taipei, with stops including an art museum, a popular temple and a night market. Florist Alfie Lin, who created the temporary installation, said he wanted to bring a touch of nature to commuters busy routines. I hope the public will feel that it s a beautiful and interesting experience, he told AFP. They can smell the scent of summer on the bus and see the vibrant green plants to feel messages from nature. Reactions have been enthusiastic, with passengers queueing to board and expressing hopes that it will become a permanent attraction in Taipei. For now the toll-free bus is running on a week-long trial, ending Sunday, and takes around 20 passengers. I feel happy and relaxed on the bus smelling the flowers and plants. I hope it can become a regular service on a doubledecker. It would become something special to Taipei, said housewife Celine Wei. Museum employee Larry Huang is also a big fan of the bus and has been on it three days in a row. There is no rushing on and off like a regular bus. We chat and take photos for each other. I feel like I m at a party with friends, he said. (AFP) Space Climate Juno flies around giant Cyclones and ammonia on Jupiter s atmosphere Bolton CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, May 27, (Agencies): Jupiter s atmosphere features colossal cyclones and rivers of ammonia welling up from deep inside the solar system s largest planet, researchers said on Thursday, publishing the first insights from a NASA spacecraft flying around the gas giant. The cyclones were discovered as the Juno spacecraft made the first of at least 12 planned close encounters with Jupiter, which scientists believe set the stage for the development of Earth and other planets in the solar system. Juno found cyclones as big as 870 miles (1,400 km) in diameter swirling over Jupiter s north and south poles, the research published in this week s issue of the journal Science shows. The spacecraft also detected an ammonia belt extending from the top of the atmosphere to hundreds of miles into Juno s interior, as far down as Juno s instruments can see. Outside the band, Juno found other features in the atmosphere, rather than the expected homogeneous mix of gas. Jupiter is surprising us in almost every way, lead researcher Scott Bolton, with the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, said in a phone interview. We re seeing hints that it is pretty exotic. Preliminary results suggest that Jupiter may have winds at all levels creating movement, an unanticipated finding, he added. Scientists expected Jupiter, which is more than 11 times the diameter of Earth, to be fairly uniform beneath its clouds. But it doesn t look like its rotating like a solid body, Bolton said. The findings released on Thursday were based on data collected when Juno passed about 2,600 miles (4,200 km) around Jupiter s poles on Aug 27. During Juno s next flyby on July 11, the spacecraft will pass directly over the planet s Great Red Spot, a massive storm south of the equator that has existed for centuries. Scientists hope to learn how the storm maintains itself and if a mass of material underlies the churning clouds. Juno is expected to continue its highly elliptical orbit around Jupiter for months, swooping close every 53 days to map the planet s interior so scientists can learn more about how and where Jupiter formed. Like the sun, the gas giant is mostly hydrogen and helium, but it also has carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and other elements, as well as organics and gases. Scientists hope that learning more about Jupiter s evolution will illuminate how Earth and possibly other planets were supplied with the ingredients for life. The solar-powered Juno spacecraft launched in 2011, and made its first tour around Jupiter on August 27, Juno moves in an elliptical orbit, skimming within 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) of Jupiter s cloud tops and passing over the poles. Juno s mission is scheduled to end in February 2018, when the probe will self-destruct by diving into the planet s atmosphere. The $1.1 billion project aims to peer beneath the clouds around Jupiter for the first time to learn more about the planet s atmosphere and how much water the planet contains. This NASA handout image released on May 25 shows Jupiter s south pole, as seen by NASA s Juno spacecraft from an altitude of 32,000 miles (52,000 kms). (AFP) Ke Jie Discovery Hassabis Google s AlphaGo retires on top: The Google-owned computer algorithm AlphaGo is retiring from playing humans in the ancient Chinese game of Go after roundly defeating the world s top player this week, its developer said Saturday. AlphaGo defeated brash 19-year-old world number one Ke Jie of China on Saturday to sweep a three-game series that was closely watched as a measure of how far artificial intelligence (AI) has come. AlphaGo last year become the first computer programme to beat an elite player in a full Go match, and its successes have been hailed as groundbreaking due to the game s complexity. Go has an incomputable number of moves, putting a premium on human-like intuition and strategy. But this week s contests in the eastern Chinese city of Wuzhen were its last, said DeepMind Technologies, the Londonbased AI company that developed AlphaGo and which Google acquired in In a blog post, DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis said AlphaGo s developers will turn to the next set of grand challenges, developing advanced general algorithms that could one day help scientists as they tackle some of our most complex problems. (AFP) Construction on telescope starts: Construction began in Chile on Friday on the European Extremely Large Telescope, which when completed will be the world s largest optical telescope, some five times larger than the top observing instruments in Scientists analyze scenarios to calculate potential effects Not good for Earth if US quits deal WASHINGTON, May 27, (AP): Earth is likely to reach more dangerous levels of warming even sooner if the US retreats from its pledge to cut carbon dioxide pollution, scientists said. That s because America contributes so much to rising temperatures. President Donald Trump, who once proclaimed global warming a Chinese hoax, said in a tweet Saturday that he would make his final decision next week on whether the United States stays in or leaves the 2015 Paris climate change accord in which nearly every nation agreed to curb its greenhouse gas emissions. Global leaders, at a summit in Sicily, have urged him to stay. Earlier in the week, Pope Francis made that case with a gift of his papal encyclical on the environment when Trump visited the Vatican. In an attempt to understand what could happen to the planet if the US pulls out of Paris, The Associated Press consulted with more than two dozen climate scientists and analyzed a special computer model scenario designed to calculate potential effects. Scientists said it would worsen an already bad problem and make it far more difficult to prevent crossing a dangerous global temperature threshold. Calculations suggest it could result in emissions of up to 3 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide in the air a year. When it adds up year after year, scientists said that is enough to melt ice sheets faster, raise seas higher and trigger more extreme weather. If we lag, the noose tightens, said Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer, co-editor of the peer-reviewed journal Climatic Change. One expert group ran a worst-case computer simulation of what would happen if the US does not curb emissions, but other nations do meet their targets. It found that America would add as much as half a degree of warming (0.3 degrees Celsius) to the globe by the end of century. Scientists are split on how reasonable and likely that scenario is. Many said because of cheap natural gas that displaces coal and growing adoption of renewable energy sources, it is unlikely that the US would stop reducing its carbon pollution even if it abandoned the accord, so the effect would likely be smaller. Worse Others say it could be worse because other countries might follow a US exit, leading to more emissions from both the US and the rest. Another computer simulation team put the effect of the US pulling out somewhere between 0.1 to 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.18 to 0.36 degrees Fahrenheit). While scientists may disagree on the computer simulations they overwhelmingly agreed that the warming the planet is undergoing now would be faster and more intense. The world without US efforts would have a far more difficult time avoiding a dangerous threshold: keeping the planet from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The world has already warmed by just over half that amount with about one-fifth of the past heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions coming use today. The size of the ELT has the potential to transform our understanding of the universe, say its backers, with its main mirror that will measure some 39 meters (43 yards) across. Located on a 3,000 meter-high mountain in the middle of the Atacama desert, it is This undated handout image released by the Greek Police on May 26, shows an illegally excavated ancient marble statue of a young man that Greek police confiscated from suspected antiquities smugglers who had allegedly proposed to sell it for euro 200,000 ($220,000). The badly battered work had been broken recently into four pieces about half a meter (1.6 feet) long when assembled, and was made around 550 BC. (AP) from the United States, usually from the burning of coal, oil and gas. So the efforts are really about preventing another 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius) from now. Developed nations particularly the US and Europe are responsible for the lion s share of past emissions, with China now playing a major role, said Rutgers University climate scientist Jennifer Francis. This means Americans have caused a large fraction of the warming. Even with the US doing what it promised under the Paris agreement, the world is likely to pass that 2 degree mark, many scientists said. But the fractions of additional degrees that the US would contribute could mean passing the threshold faster, which could in turn mean ecosystems being out of whack with the climate, trouble farming current crops and increasing shortages of food and water, said the National Center for Atmospheric Research s Kevin Trenberth. Climate Interactive, a team of scientists and computer modelers who track global emissions and pledges, simulated global emissions if every country but the US reaches their individualized goals to curb carbon pollution. Then they calculated what that would mean in global temperature, sea level rise and ocean acidification using scientifically-accepted computer models. By 2030, it would mean an extra 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the air a year, according to the Climate Interactive models, and by the end of the century 0.3 degrees Celsius of warming. See Also Page 13 due to begin operating in Among other capabilities, it will add to and refine astronomers burgeoning discoveries of planets orbiting other stars, with the ability to find more smaller planets, image larger ones, and possibly characterize their atmospheres, a key step in understanding if life is present. (RTRS) Storage of N-waste poses threat: The reluctance of US federal regulators to require operators of nuclear reactors to spend $5 billion to enhance the security of spent fuel rods stored underground threatens the country with a potential catastrophe, scientists warned on Friday. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission greatly underestimated the risk and potential contamination of a nuclear waste fire triggered by a quake or a planned attack, experts writing in the journal Science said. In 2014, the NRC found the chance of a disaster caused by leaving radioactive waste in storage pools was too remote to warrant the cost of moving it to safer dry casks. (RTRS)

19 Film DR Congo s Makala wins Cannes prize Zhao s The Rider tops Cannes Festival Directors Fortnight LOS ANGELES, May 27, (RTRS): Chloe Zhao s The Rider, Sony Pictures Classics second pick-up at this year s Cannes Festival, won the Art Cinema Award, the top prize at Cannes Directors Fortnight. In further plaudits, all given by the section s sponsors, Jonas Carpignano s neo-realist migrant drama A Ciambra, executive-produced by Martin Scorsese, won the Europa Cinemas Label Award, open to all European titles in Directors Fortnight. Granted by France s Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers, the SACD Award for best French film in Directors Fortnight was shared by two titles from leading Gallic auteurs: Philippe Garrel s Lover for a Day and Claire Denis Let the Sunshine In. Directed by Zhao, a Chinese-American, and capturing a fast-disappearing part of Americana, The Rider charts the frustrated dreams of a South Dakota rodeo rider, played by real-life cowboy Brady Jandreau. The Rider also marks a return to Directors Fortnight for China s Zhao who presented her feature debut Songs My Brothers Taught Me in Well received at Cannes, the moody, wistful film gains artful integrity from Zhao s favored docu-fiction technique roughly tracing a script around the experiences of her non-professional actors and dusty-dreamy visual style, Variety noted. Sold by Protagonist Pictures, The Rider is produced by Zhao s company Highwayman Films, with Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche of Caviar Films, and Mollye Asher. Cast in Italy s neorealist tradition, and inheriting some of the visuals of Beasts of the Southern Wild, on which Carpignano worked as an a.d., A Ciambra marks the first title to emerge from an emerging filmmaker film fund set up by Scorsese and Emma Tillinger Koskoff s Sikelia Productions and Rodrigo Teixeira s Sao Paulo-based RT Features. It is produced by Italy s Stayblack, RT Features, Sikelia Prods and RAI Cinema, the film arm of the Italian public broadcaster. Sold by Luxbox, A Ciambra was picked up at Cannes for North America by Sundance Selects. Carpignano s semi-sequel to Mediterranea, A Ciambra stars Pio Amato,who played a secondary character in Mediterranea, as a 14-year-old growing up in a Romani community on Italy s Calabrian coast. What does with his young lead, drawing from him a mature and complex performance, is truly remarkable. A moving and beautiful picture, Scorsese has commented. Opening Directors Fortnight, and starring Juliette Binoche and Gerard Depardieu, Denis Un Beau Soleil Interieur marks something of a change of direction for Denis, a romantic comedy, but a hardly standard one starring Binoche as a perpetually unsatisfied woman, and Depardieu as a potential love interest, though he hardly appears before the film s final stretch. Garrel cleaves much closer to his auteur hallmarks in Lover For a Day, another black-and-white Paris-set examination of love, but, Variety wrote, with a double ambition: to further deepen the director s ongoing Freudian analysis of female characters launched with Jealousy, while also starting to explore a new continent, female pleasure. Directors Fortnight closes with U.S. musicvid director Geremy Jasper s debut Patti Cake$, one of the biggest breakouts of Sundance, starring Danielle Macdonald as an outsized white girl harboring dreams of mega gangsta rap stardom, while living in a bathetic New Jersey burb. Also: CANNES, France: A documentary about the back-breaking work of a young Congolese coal seller to feed his family has won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival s Critics Week. Makala by French director Emmanuel Gras follows Kabwita, who goes door-to-door selling coal on his bicycle in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. Makala means coal in Swahili. There is something beautiful and dignified in his work, the director told AFP, earning his living by the sweat of his brow. I wanted to show a man of action, not someone in (the misery) of poverty but someone who lives their life, he added. His austere film, which has no voiceover, simply shows the extraordinary lengths Kabwita has to go to make a living, bent under huge loads of coal. Variety Features SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2017 Russian model Natasha Poly poses as she arrives on May 26, for the screening of the fi lm In the Fade (Aus dem Nichts) at the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. (AFP) LOS ANGELES: Paul Is Here, from Costa Rica s Valentina Maurel, a student at Belgium s Institut National Superieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de Diffusion (INSAS), snagged the First Jury Prize Friday at Cannes Cinefondation on Friday. Crucially, the First Jury Prize guarantees Maurel presentation of her first feature at the Cannes Festival a large leg-up when it comes to getting that film made. The prize was awarded by a jury headed by Romanian 2007 Cannes Palme d Or winner Cristian Mungiu ( 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days ). Also on the jury: French actress Clotilde Hesme ( Chocolat ), Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari ( Chevalier ), Moonlight s Barry Jenkins and pioneering Singaporean helmer Eric Khoo ( In the Room ). (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: Johnny Depp s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will hook in $75 million during the four-day Memorial Day holiday, early estimates showed on Friday. Should the number hold, Dead Men Tell No Tales, which will be playing at 4,276 North America locations, would wind up slightly below recent expectations of about $80 million. The pricey tentpole, with a $230 million budget, was heading for a $26 million opening day on Friday -- including $5.5 million from Thursday night previews, when comscore/screen Engine s PostTrak showed 44% of moviegoers rated the film excellent with another 37% labelling it very good. Dwayne Johnson s Baywatch, meanwhile, is struggling to make waves, coming in at the low end of projections. (RTRS) LOS ANGELES: In preparing to shoot Brad Pitt starrer War Machine, which Netflix releases May 26, edgy Australian auteur David Michod made it a top priority that his account of the US offensive in Afghanistan during the lead-up to the 2010 firing of US Army Gen Stanley McChrystal, though satirical, be immersed in a naturalistic backdrop. Producer Ian Bryce contacted us and said, Can you get your hands on US military equipment? recalls War Machine line producer Michael Flannigan. A couple of phone calls later the answer was yes, thanks to the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and the United Arab Emirates government. For the commission, which has Film Marlina head above the pack at Cannes H wood raids bookshelves for good stories CANNES, France, May 27, (AFP): Hollywood has always adapted the classics but film and television s voracious appetite for new material now has film-makers raiding the bookshelves like never before. Six of the movies in the running for the Cannes Film Festival s Palme d Or top prize which will be awarded Sunday are taken from books. Sofia Coppola drew from Thomas Cullinan s classic Southern Gothic novel for The Beguiled starring Colin Farrell as a handsome Union officer who stokes sexual tension and jealousy inside a girl s school during the American Civil War. And Francois Ozon turned up the temperature of Joyce Carol Oates sexual psycho drama Double Delight to almost unbearable levels for his steamy Amant double. The thirst for gripping new yarns has been fuelled by the boom in high-quality television series, meaning there are only so many good scripts going round, experts argue. Which is why cinema, like TV, is on the look out for really good stories, said Judith Becqueriaux, of the French publishing house Denoel. And a good book gives you a story which has already won over the public, she added. There is more and more demand for books to adapt, insisted Nathalie Piaskowski of the main French publishers body, with cinema adaptations rising by a fifth according to the latest available figures. Such is the demand that film-makers are not even waiting for books to be published before snapping up the rights. More than 130 international producers took part in a special book rights market at Cannes this week, with publishers pitching them some of their new releases and soon-to-published novels. A book adaptation gives a certain guarantee of success and helps the film get made, Piaskowski argued. Cannes is only one of a growing number of festivals where publishers are bringing books to be optioned for the screen. The Berlin festival has its own showcase called Books at the Berlinale in a link up with the world s biggest book market, the Frankfurt Book Fair. Sessions Similar organised pitching sessions are now also taking place in Los Angeles and Shanghai. Some of the biggest deals in Cannes this year were for children s books, with the movie franchise of the Moomins, the Finnish storybook characters, sold to Depp China. This comes as Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets the most expensive European film ever made at $190 million (170 millions euro) is about to hit the screens in July. The massive project from Luc Besson, of The Fifth Element fame, is based on a French comic book. For the last decade or so more and more film-makers are drawing from graphic novels because it s a super base and the stories are already well developed, said Alexis Ducord, whose comic animated film about a family of zombies, Zombillenium, was shown at Cannes. In a 12-month period, eight films drawn from books in our back catalogue have either been released or are about to be released, said Helene de Saint Vincent, who handles the rights for three graphic novel houses. But most directors are not interested in directing a book s narrative straight, according to Nathalie Carpentier, whose company CAL deals with a number of international publishing houses. Instead they are looking for a story which they can play with like a Playmobil toy and that will have enough action and emotion for the director to show that their film isn t simply bringing the book to the screen. But having a book optioned for a film is not quite the financial boon that many people believe. Average rights now sell for around 45,000 euros ($50,000), with the biggest deals reaching 200,000 euros with only a fraction of that going to the authors. In a year when revenge stories are everywhere at the Cannes Film Festival, one film has stood out as a gem of the genre. Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is that very rare beast, an Indonesian feminist Western with a neat line in dry humour. Critics have been jumping over themselves to praise it with Screen International calling it a thoroughly enjoyable, visually ravishing gem... that gives World Cinema a good name. It is not like any film you have ever seen before. For a start one of its non-speaking characters is a mummified man sitting on a porch. And not too many films with a heroine who spends most of her time travelling by bus and horseback with a severed head in her bag are praised for their subtlety. Which is what pleases the movie s young director Mouly Surya the most. Johnson attracted several big Hollywood pics, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Furious 7, War Machine posed a particular challenge. It s the first time we ve experienced a war movie with the military, says commission chief Jassim Al Nowais. (RTRS) It s not in your face. That is not the Indonesian or the Asian way, she told AFP at Cannes, where her film is showing in the Directors Fortnight section. We are not like Americans or Europeans, we like to do things subtly. Nothing demonstrates that more than the film s chilling opening sequence when a man on a motorbike calls at the isolated homestead of a widow on the remote Indonesian island of Sumba. After asking for a drink he tells her is going to take all her livestock, and that afterwards he and his friends will rape her. Then he orders her to make him some chicken soup. On Sumba, where lots of people carry swords, brigands come and warn you they are going to rob your house the day before they do it, 36-year-old Surya said. It s the tradition and is seen as polite. They don t put the gun in front of your head, they just put it on the table and say good evening to their victims. That makes the fear all the more terrible, Jakartaborn Surya argued. Sumba and its culture is exotic even for Indonesians, she admitted. It s only a hour from Bali but it is another world, Surya said. Its dry rolling hills look more like Texas than the lush landscape of most Indonesian islands. Many of its inhabitants are animists and as in some other islands in the Muslim-majority country families live with the mummified corpses of the dead for years, often serving them meals as if they were still alive. People know Indonesia as the world s most populous Muslim nation, said Surya, but is also incredibly diverse. And even on Sumba, where the society is strongly patriarchal, there are plenty of strong women much like the film s heroine, she insisted. One woman, who is a queen of a village I draw strongly on (for some of the characters), and another character is actually based on my aunt, who also comes from the countryside, Surya said. Indonesian star Marsha Timothy plays the widow while young singer Panendra Larasati, who made her name on the Indonesian Idol television show, is a revelation in her screen debut as her 10-month pregnant friend. Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is at the forefront of a resurgence in Indonesia s film industry since President Joko Widodo came to power in LOS ANGELES: The US premiere of superhero movie Wonder Woman went ahead with extra security in Los Angeles, including bomb sniffer dogs and a heightened police presence on the red carpet, after the cancellation of the film s London event after this week s British suicide bombing. Media and fans underwent extra bag checks for the open air red carpet at Hollywood s Pantages Theatre on Thursday, where the cast spoke of their regret at the Manchester pop concert bombing that killed 22 people. Britain raised its terror alert to critical and movie studio Warner Bros said on Wednesday it had decided to cancel its May 31 premiere in London for Wonder Woman. (RTRS)

20 NEWS/FEATURES 20 People & Places Music Celebs turn out for funeral Cornell remembered as voice of our generation LOS ANGELES, May 27, (Agencies): Music s elite and Hollywood stars remembered Chris Cornell at a somber memorial service Friday that focused on the Soundgarden frontman s love of family and friends as much as it did on his musical achievements as one of rock s leading voices. Chris was as melodic as The Beatles, as heavy as Sabbath and as haunting as Edgar Allan Poe, Tom Morello, Cornell s Audioslave bandmate, said during his eulogy. The demons he wrestled with were real, but he harnessed those demons and rode them like a mother-flipping chariot of lightning strapped with Marshall stacks to make some of the greatest rock n roll of all time. Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington and guitarist Brad Delson performed Leonard Cohen s Hallelujah for the crowd of mourners, including Brad Pitt, Pharrell Williams, James Franco, Christian Bale and numerous members of rock royalty, many of whom were moved to tears. Four large portraits of Cornell were on display on a dais where Morello, actor Josh Brolin, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Cornell Ament, film producer Eric Esrailian and Cornell s Soundgarden bandmates Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron delivered eulogies under overcast skies at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. They all spoke of the rocker s compassion and his delight in his three children. Cameron said he and Cornell had so many normal dad conversations about the Cornell kids: Christopher, Toni and Lily. Losing my brother and artistic soulmate will always pale in comparison with you three kids losing your dad, Cameron said. Let it be known that I am here for you and will forever be in your lives. Linda Ramone opened the service with word that Cornell was buried next to her late husband, punk rocker Johnny Ramone, whose headstone features a statue of him playing guitar. Cornell s grave marker, decorated with bouquets of flowers and several red roses, reads, Voice of our generation and an artist for all time. Cornell s music played before the hourlong service, and afterward as guests visited his grave site in the cemetery s Garden of Legends section. Among those paying respects were Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters; Krist Novoselic from Nirvana; Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield of Metallica; Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell of Jane s Addiction; singersongwriter Joe Walsh; guitarist Nile Rodgers; rocker Courtney Love and Bush s Gavin Rossdale. Gathered Scores of fans gathered outside the cemetery during the service awaiting a public viewing of Cornell s grave site later Friday afternoon. We had to be here. He was part of our generation, said 49-year-old Marcus Dubray, breaking into tears. He and his wife were visiting Los Angeles from Sacramento for her birthday when they heard about Cornell s service. I was ready to go to Seattle for the funeral, said fellow fan Alfredo Perez, 47. Melody Andrade brought her 4-year-old son Jude to memorialize the Seattle rocker. The pair wore matching T-shirts that read, Say Hello 2 Heaven, the title of a Temple of the Dog song Cornell wrote. I feel like this is just as big as the death of Elvis or John Lennon. That s why I had to bring my son, Andrade said. There will never be another. He s a modern day Freddie Mercury. I needed some closure on this. Fans brought flowers and notes and sang Cornell s songs together. Some listened to his music aloud on their phones. One fan brought a guitar and strummed Soundgarden songs. Many left heartfelt notes, guitar picks and one woman left roses wrapped in a flannel shirt, an emblem of the grunge era. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the final resting place for numerous stars, including Jayne Mansfield, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino and Cecil B. DeMille. Cornell, 52, was pronounced dead May 18 after he was found unresponsive in a Detroit hotel room hours after performing a concert with Soundgarden. Coroner s officials said preliminary autopsy results show the singer hanged himself, but full toxicology results remain pending. The singer s family has disputed the findings and claim Cornell may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed. Grunge Cornell was a leading voice of the grunge movement in the 1990s. Besides Soundgarden, he scored hits as a solo artist and with bands Temple of the Dog and Audioslave. He is survived by his wife and three children. A host of celebrities turned out in Los Angeles on Friday for a private funeral service for grunge rock icon Chris Cornell, who was found dead in his hotel room last week. Among those who gathered at Hollywood Forever Cemetery to pay their respects as the singer s ashes were buried were actors Brad Pitt and Josh Brolin, singer Pharrell Williams and Elvis Presley s daughter Lisa Marie Presley. Billboard.com said the service included eulogies by guitarist Tom Morello and Brolin. Cornell, one of the most recognizable voices of Seattle s grunge scene, was found hanging in his hotel room in Detroit on May 18 shortly after he finished a show with his main band Soundgarden. The coroner s office has ruled the death a suicide but his wife said the 52-year-old may have overdosed on anti-anxiety medication. The singer s attorney Kirk Pasich said fans would be allowed to visit his grave Friday afternoon following the funeral service. Cornell, who had a vocal range of nearly four octaves, was one of the most versatile singers in grunge, the subgenre that blended the rough edges of punk with dark introspection. His death closed another chapter in the Seattlebased grunge scene. Kurt Cobain, who defined grunge with his band Nirvana, shot himself in 1994 and Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland died on a tour bus in 2015 from a drug overdose. His widow Vicky, a Greek music publicist whom he met when she was working in Paris, wrote a moving tribute to her late husband this week in which she expressed her heartbreak. You were the best father, husband and son-inlaw, she said in the letter published by Billboard. com. Your patience, empathy and love always showed through. US actor Tom Cruise (right), waves with US director Alex Kurtzman (left), English actress Annabelle Wallis (second left), and French-Algerian actress Sofia Boutella (second right), during a press conference in Taipei to promote their new monster flick The Mummy. (AFP) US model and actress Kate Upton poses as she arrives for the amfar s 24th Cinema Against AIDS Gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d Antibes, France. (AFP) Stiller Variety DiCaprio LOS ANGELES: Ben Stiller and his wife announced Friday that they are separating after 17 years of marriage. Stiller and actress Christine Taylor released a joint statement Friday announcing their breakup. They were married in May 2000 and have two children, who they said will remain their priority. With tremendous love and respect for each other, and the 18 years we spent together as a couple, we have made the decision to separate. Our priority will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends, the actors wrote. We kindly ask that the media respect our privacy at this time. (AP) CANNES, France: A galaxy of stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman and Will Smith raised more than $20 million (18 million euros) at the AIDS benefit that is the social highlight of the Cannes Film Festival, organisers said Friday. The annual amfar Foundation for AIDS Research gala dinner last Thursday saw celebrities and benefactors paying up to $500,000 for a table at the exclusive Eden Roc hotel just along the French Riviera at Cap d Antibes. Actresses Jessica Chastain, Milla Jovovich and Eva Longoria, former footballer David Beckham, and directors David Lynch and Pedro Almodovar were among the other A-listers present for the auction to help the charity founded by the late Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor. (AFP) PHILADELPHIA: Jared Martin, who became a fan favorite with his portrayal of the charming cowboy Dusty Farlow on the 1980s soap opera Dallas, has died. He was 75. Martin died Wednesday at his Philadelphia home after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year, said his wife, Yu Wei. On Dallas, Martin played a rancher who was the lover of Sue Ellen, played by actress Linda Gray. Rest In Peace dear Jared Martin, Gray tweeted Friday. I have such beautiful memories of working with you as Dusty Farlow on Dallas. After retiring from acting, he founded a nonprofit that introduces inner city children to filmmaking. (AP) Film Unspoken emotions rippling across Phoenix s face Ramsay s You a brutal thriller By Guy Lodge Some filmmakers rust during periods of inactivity; Lynne Ramsay arches and tenses, lying in wait like an attack dog. And attack she does, though not in all the expected ways, in her astonishing fourth feature You Were Never Really Here, a stark, sinewy, slashed-to-the-bone hitman thriller far more concerned with the man than the hit. Working from a pulp-fiction source that another director might have fashioned into a Taken knockoff, Ramsay instead strips the classically botched job at the story s core down to its barest, bloodiest necessities, lingering far more lavishly on the unspoken emotions rippling across leading man Joaquin Phoenix s face, and the internal lacerations of trauma and abuse they cumulatively reveal. With the minimalism of the material providing the cleanest of canvases for the matchless technique of director and star alike, You Were Never Really Here isn t the genre crossover effort Ramsay s admirers may have feared, or possibly even have wished for. Rather, it s a kind of art-house signal flare, reminding the industry of perhaps its greatest working filmmaker not to work often enough. Arriving six years after We Need to Talk About Kevin, and emphatically consigning her unfortunate departure from the production of Jane Got a Gun to the recesses of memory, it s the most contained of her features to date. Razor-cut to just 85 minutes, it s marked by a precision that belies its allegedly hastened completion in time for its Cannes competition premiere. The absence of closing credits at the film s first press screening truly feels like its only missing detail: Thomas Townend s cinematography, Joe Bini s editing and a singularly juddering, disconcerting score by Radiohead s Jonny Greenwood all feel considered to the nth degree. Following her marvelous Kevin and 2002 s Morvern Callar, Here extends Ramsay s highly idiosyncratic style of literary adaptation, in which the written word is taken as a half-erased foundation for a more impressionistic, sensory evocation of the LOS ANGELES: Jay Z s Tidal is in the midst of another executive change: Jeff Toig, who became the streaming service s CEO 18 months ago, has left the company, A portrait of Chris Cornell is moved into place for funeral services for Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on May 26 in Hollywood, California. (AFP) Film changed me Manchester horror looms over Fade CANNES, France, May 27, (AFP): Hollywood actress Diane Kruger said Friday she took her new fi lm role as a mother who loses her family in a terror attack to show how survivors are often left alone with their suffering. Kruger, who drew glowing reviews for her part in In the Fade by German-Turkish director Fatih Akin, said the cast and crew in Cannes for the fi lm s premiere were haunted by the 22 victims of the Manchester bombing and the fate of their families. I haven t slept in days thinking about what happened, not just in Manchester but (in other attacks) all around the world, Kruger told reporters. We live at a time when such horrors are occurring almost daily. You read about 22, 23, 100 dead but you never see a fi lm about the people who are left behind. How do you continue to live after experiencing something horrible like that, how can you come to grips with such injustice? The star of Troy and Inglourious Basterds appears in her fi rst movie role in her native German as psyche at hand. Jonathan Ames 2013 novel of the same title is a crackling 90-page session of grisly shock therapy that reads very much as a readymade screenplay treatment. Writing solo for the first time since her 1999 debut Ratcatcher, Ramsay turns it inside out all the same. Adding an entire closing act to its death-trail narrative, her laconic screenplay also more tenderly exposes the soul of Phoenix s protagonist Joe: an ex-fbi agent and Gulf War veteran, now making a grim living as a contract killer specializing in the sex-slavery trade. Introduced in the middle of one of his evidently continual suicide attempts, Joe is a grizzled grizzly of a man, wasting not one more word than necessary Katja, a woman living in Hamburg who is married to a former Kurdish drug dealer who has put his life back on track (Numan Acar of Homeland ). When a bomb rips through her husband s offi ce, killing him and their young son, the police initially suspect a gangland killing or a dispute within the German port city s large Turkish community. It soon emerges, however, that neo-nazis were behind the atrocity and Katja, covered in tattoos and black leather, launches a crusade for justice. It was terrible to live with, really upsetting... the fi lm almost killed me, Kruger said. I haven t worked since... I haven t read a script since. The fi lm really changed me, it changed my life. Akin wrote the screenplay based on one of Germany s biggest postwar scandals: the discovery in 2011 of a group calling itself the National Socialist Underground (NSU) which carried out a series of racist murders over the course of a decade. on clients and professional allies, and reserving what kindness hasn t been pummeled out of him for his elderly mother (a fine, aching Judith Roberts), with whom he lives in his yellowing childhood house in Queens. Expanding significantly on the relationship as described in the novel, Ramsay picks out piquant observational details to etch a quiet mother-son bond grounded in shared anguish and victimhood, with delicate domestic nuances that are plainly the work of the woman who made Ratcatcher. Stray, chilling incursions of a man s admonishing voiceover into the film s densely layered soundtrack are all we need to fill in a backstory of severe spousal and parental abuse. (RTRS) Tidal confirmed on Friday. As part of Tidal s continued expansion this year we will be announcing a new CEO in the coming weeks, the company said in a statement. We wish former CEO, Jeffrey Toig, all the best in his future endeavors. Billboard was first to report the news on Friday, noting that Toig had left the company in March. Toig s departure is just the latest shakeup in a number of leadership changes since Jay Z acquired and then launched the service in early (RTRS) NEW YORK: Denis Johnson, the prize-winning fiction writer, poet and playwright best known for his surreal and transcendent story collection Son, has died at age 67. Johnson died Wednesday, according to his literary agent, Nicole Aragi. Johnson died of liver cancer at his home in The Sea Ranch, outside of Gualala, California. Denis was one of the great writers of his generation, Jonathan Galassi, president and publisher of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, said in a statement Friday. He wrote prose with the imaginative concentration and empathy of the poet he was. Johnson s honesty, humor and vulnerability were intensely admired by readers, critics and fellow writers, some of whom mourned him on Twitter. He won the National Book Award in 2007 for his Vietnam War novel Tree of Smoke and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Tree of Smoke, and, in 2012, for his novella Train Dreams. (AP)

21 NEWS/FEATURES 21 Music Music Sgt Pepper revisited Improvisation way of life, says trumpeter Maalouf BEIRUT, May 27, (Agencies): For star trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, famed for his award-winning film soundtracks and jazz-inspired mixing of eastern and western sounds, improvisation is a way of life. Improvisation is a discipline that people don t understand well, the Franco-Lebanese musician, who has played with Sting and Elvis Costello among others, told AFP. For me it symbolises and sums up perfectly the best way to live, alongside each other, he said during a trip to Lebanon to prepare for a July concert at a festival in Baalbek. To succeed in communicating with each other we must listen to each other and have empathy with others, despite the differences. The 36-year-old, born in Lebanon, fled with his parents both musicians during the country s 15-year-civil war and settled in France. He plays a four-pistoned instrument invented by his trumpeter father in the 1960s, as well playing the piano, composing and teaching. He won French cinema s Maalouf highest award, a Cesar, in February for the music to In the Forests of Siberia. He also wrote the score for Japanese director Naomi Kawase s Radiance which was nominated for a Palme d Or at this month s Cannes film festival. Composition aside, Maalouf has a passion for the spontaneous. He is the artistic director of m IMPROvise, a June festival in Etampes near Paris, with Quincy Jones protege, pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, topping the lineup. Gathered He has gathered hundreds of people for joint improvisations, including at the 2015 Fete de la Musique in Paris. To improvise with others is to share a unique moment that will never happen twice, he said. Nephew of leading Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, a member of the Academie Francaise, the trumpeter says he does not try to make his music popular. I write music that awakens a feeling in me that makes me happy. I have the impression that people appreciate that, he said. From the moment I m on stage my priority is not to party with my musicians, the most important thing for me is that the public understands my musical language. Before playing my music I address the audience and explain it to them. I want to be understood by people. Despite his film music success, he doubts he could work in Hollywood. In my way of working, there is a permanent search for creation and authenticity, he said. Hollywood is an industry that operates according to codes. It is very rare that a film goes outside the usual framework of the Hollywood film industry. If Steven Spielberg or Quentin Tarantino for example asked me to compose music for their films and told me what they want... I would be obliged to refuse, he said. I don t know how to do that. Listen, I think suspicion is completely warranted, to be honest, says Giles Martin, talking about the contingent of Beatles fans who are skeptically waiting, arms folded, to hear his new remix of Sgt Pepper s Lonely Hearts Club Band. You re talking about an album that everyone feels as though they own spiritually, if not physically. The reaction among those who ve actually heard his sonically evolved take on the 1967 classic in advance of the remixed album s release Friday in stand-along and boxed-set forms has been almost universally rapturous, actually. The irony is that, as original producer George Martin s son, the younger Martin spends a lot of his time in conversation de-emphasizing the idea that Sgt. Pepper is a producer s album and playing up the fab-ness of the core four as lads doing a slightly more advanced version of what they d always done. There s no trickery, Giles emphasizes. You get that from the extras. It s amazingly organic, the process. You know, for an album that s claimed to be the epiphany of music production, if you compare it to a modern-day record, there s really not a huge amount of production on there, apart from great arrangements of instruments. Emphasizing their humanness by taking off layers so you re in the room with the band helps achieve the goal, Giles says, of destroying the mysticism of this having been created on a cloud. The goal was also to reconcile the differences between the original 67 stereo and mono mixes, both of which have always had their warring adherents not just for those fans of a certain now we re 64 age but even more that when you tell your kids or grandkids about this album, they put it on and go, Oh yeah, this is cool, and not Why does it come out of one speaker? where, with the stereo, you suddenly had the band all on one side and the bass and vocals on other or, if it was the mono, Why does it sound old? Because it s not as if it s an old-sounding record. All that having been said, this is not such a radical remix that most of the people who ve played it casually over the years would even notice many of the differences. In other words, it s not Love, the more radical rethink of selections from the Beatles catalog he did with his father nine years ago. Love was different because the drive was to try to create this new world, Martin says. This is an embellishment of the world of Sgt. Pepper. On the eve of the 50th anniversary release, Variety took a deep dive into that world with Martin. Question: You have to love the passion of the hardcore fans on the message boards as they speculate about the choices you ve made before they hear the finished product. I just read several pages of people talking about the clucking sound effect at the end of Good Morning Good Morning... because apparently the chicken sound is different on the stereo from the mono, and people wonder, which one he is going to use? And then there are a different number of beats on the two version going from that into the Sgt Pepper s Reprise. It s stuff most of us have never thought about. Answer: Oh, you see, I do actually have to think about this stuff. And I don t take it lightly, because it s important to some people. There s an edit between Sgt. Pepper s Reprise and Good Morning on the album, the segue where the guitar cluck merges with the sound of the chicken. US singer Miley Cyrus performs onstage during NBC s Today show at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York on May 26. (AFP) British singer Rita Ora performs during the anfar s Cinema Against AIDS Gala at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d Antibes, France. (AFP) French-Lebanese trumpet player, teacher, composer and arranger Ibrahim Maalouf walks out from Sursock Museum with President of Baalbeck International Festival President Nayla De Freige in Beirut. (AFP) Variety NEW YORK: More than a year after a long-mulled reunion finally materialized, rock greats Guns N Roses last Thursday extended their tour in North America again. The group which starts a European leg in Ireland on Saturday after hitting the Americas and Asia announced an additional 15 shows to already scheduled dates in the United States and Canada this year. The new concerts include two nights at Madison Square Garden in New York and will close with shows on No 24 and 25 in Los Angeles, the band s home base. Guns N Roses, led by Axl Rose s raw, sweeping voice coupled with Slash s intricate guitar, still hold the record for the topselling debut album in US history, 1987 s Appetite for Destruction. (AFP) ROME: Italian fashion designer Laura Biagiotti, who pioneered the marketing of cashmere products in places such as China and the former Soviet Union, has died aged 73, her company said Friday. The veteran designer suffered brain damage following a heart attack late on Wednesday, and died early on Friday the AGI agency said. The Laura Biagiotti brand is known for its fine knitwear and loose clothes as well as perfumes, accessories and watches. Dubbed the Queen of mere, her company said it uses 50,000 kilogrammes (110,000 pounds) of the fine soft wool every year to make its clothes. (AFP) LONDON: Aerosmith s Joe Perry says the band s European dates will not be canceled in the wake of Monday s deadly attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. Perry says that the band doesn t want to live like that and the fans don t want to live like that. Aerosmith will play Munich on Friday on its Aero-Vederci Baby! Tour. Steven Tyler said the attack that left 22 dead hit him as a father and a musician. Others have decided to cancel events. The London premieres of The Mummy and Wonder Woman were canceled, while Blondie and Take That canceled shows in the immediate aftermath of the bombing. Netflix also scrapped a few screenings. (AP) Perry Music Ora plans new album Park s Light about family LOS ANGELES, May 27, (Agencies): Linkin Park released their seventh studio album, One More Light, on May 19, notching their seventh top 10 entry on the Billboard 200 album chart. For a band that s been together since 1996, One More Light finds members Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington, Rob Bourdon, Joe Hahn, and Brad Delson stretching out sonically, collaborating with Pusha T, Stormzy, and Kiiara on tracks as well as writing with pop hitmakers Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels, Ross Golan, and Eg White. That s our kind of spiritual imperative as artists, to always push the envelope and try to grow and there s no looking back, says Delson, who coproduced the album with Shinoda. The band is set to tour starting June 9 in Paris, but before they hit the road, Delson and Shinoda sat down with Variety. Question: Did you approach songwriting differently on this album? Brad Delson: For us, the barometer was the song. And that s how we approached it. I didn t come into the studio and say, Hey, I ve got a guitar riff. I came in and said, This is what s going on in my life, I m having this problem with a close friend, I have to get it off my chest. And that s what we d write about.... We were in a really honest place with each other when we were making this record so we had to kind of total trust to be as vulnerable as we needed to be to make these kinds of songs together. So when we actually finished the album and looked at it a little more from a distance it was really eye opening, like, Wow, there are some themes. And we kind of didn t even know what they were in the middle of the process, we were just working our way through it. It was pretty apparent that the songs were kind of ahead of our consciousness. Q: What was a theme that emerged that surprised you? Delson: There s a theme of fragility of life and that what we love can be taken away from us in an instant. I think when faced with those kinds of really scary or existential challenges, it puts everything in perspective and into place what it is we love and don t want to lose. Clapton Q: Do you agree, Mike? Mike Shinoda: This album is about how little control we actually have over what happens to us in life, and how we react to things when they don t go the way we want them to. It s about being human, being fragile, no matter what kind of tough facade we try to put on. It s also about family, and having the perspective of being a parent or being relied on.... We worked on this album for over a year think about how many things happen to you in a year. We lost loved ones, we fought with friends and each other. We raised kids, and watched those kids do things we don t want them to do. There was no shortage of life to sing about. Q: Having toured as much as you guys have, is it still something to look forward to? Delson: I m looking forward to touring for a lot of reasons. Hopefully, sleep will be one of them. And it s really awesome that we re gonna be able to play some of these songs, some of the new songs, for people for the first time. We retooled our whole show, so I m just excited to bring it out there. Also: NEW YORK: British singer Rita Ora, whose first bid to make it big in the United States became mired in litigation, released a giddy pop song Friday as she plans a new album and show. The Kosovo-born artist, long an A-list star in Britain, put out Your Song, an uptempo dance number cowritten with chart-topper Ed Sheeran. I don t wanna hear sad songs anymore / I only wanna hear love songs, Ora sings, her bright voice edging on raspy in the chorus. She announced that the song would appear on her second album, her first since 2012 and her debut on prominent US label Atlantic Records. In 2008, Ora was an early signing of rap mogul Jay Z when he set up Roc Nation, a label and entertainment promotion company. But in 2015, the 26-year-old filed a lawsuit to exit the contract, saying Roc Nation had invested little time in her as Jay Z and his firm focused on other pursuits. LONDON: Guitar legend Eric Clapton has been honoured by France for his services to music, the French embassy in London said Friday. Clapton was made a commander in the Order of Arts and Letters (l Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) on Thursday by French ambassador Sylvie Bermann, who called him an ambassador of the blues in France. The investiture took place at the Royal Albert Hall concert venue in London, where the 72-year-old bluesman is playing a run of nights. The French embassy tweeted a picture of Bermann placing the honour around Clapton s neck. (AFP) KISS cancel show Grande to hold benefit concert NEW YORK, May 27, (AFP): Pop star Ariana Grande promised Friday to return to Manchester to play a charity concert following a suicide attack at her show, as she urged fans to respond to the tragedy with love. In her first substantive comments since Monday s tragedy, the singer said she felt uplift by seeing fans compassion after the blast which killed 22 people and was claimed by the Islamic State group. The 23-yearold, who suspended her tour and returned to her Florida home to rest, said she planned a concert as an expression of love for Manchester. She said that the concert Grande would raise money for the victims of the attack and their families. The date has not yet been set. Closer Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before, she said in an essay posted on her social media accounts. We won t let this divide us. We won t let hate win, she said. Grande, whose fan base is dominated by girls and young women, said she had seen a beautiful, diverse, pure, happy crowd. She said that she viewed her concerts as places for her fans to escape, to celebrate, to heal, to feel safe and to be themselves. This will not change, she said. Grande wrote that her concert, by bringing people from varied backgrounds into the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena, showed the power of music to unite. Music is something that everyone on Earth can share, she wrote. Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy, she said. Stayed In the wake of the attack, Grande had faced criticism from some commentators in Britain, notably Piers Morgan, who said she should have stayed and visited hospitalized survivors rather than return home. Grande in her statement said she has been focused non-stop on the victims and that I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life. Grande canceled two weeks of concerts, including two shows in London, after the attacks. She flew home on Tuesday after releasing a brief message saying she felt broken. She plans to resume her Dangerous Woman tour in Paris on June 7. Despite the name of her tour and accompanying album, the former television child star turned bubblegum pop singer has rarely triggered controversy. She has only occasionally shared personal views, including criticizing double-standards for women in entertainment, voicing support for gay rights and advocating a vegan diet to prevent animal cruelty. Grande is not the only artist who plans a charity gig. Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, a Manchester native, said he will perform his firstever solo show on Tuesday to support a Red Cross-backed appeal. Also: MANCHESTER, England: KISS has canceled its show at the arena where deadly terrorist attacks occurred at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, earlier this week. Live Nation announced Friday that the rock group s May 30 concert at Manchester Arena will not take place. Band members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer said in a statement that they are heartbroken by the atrocity committed against the innocent victims of Manchester. The bombing on Monday night claimed the lives of 22 people, many of them teenagers and their parents. Refunds for the KISS show will be granted to all ticketholders at the point of purchase. MANCHESTER: Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher on Friday announced his solo debut with a concert in his native Manchester to support families affected by the deadly suicide attack at the city s arena. The singer, infamous during the heyday of Oasis in the 1990s for his foul mouth and hard-living, said that Tuesday s show will raise money for a Red Cross-supported appeal following the blast that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert.

22 22 Finding space for luggage in overhead bins isn t a worry Lounges vs lines: Testing travel with and without perks ORLANDO, Florida, May 27, (AP): Summer travelers may well find themselves stuck in long security lines and squeezed into cramped seats. For frequent travelers, or those who can and want to pay extra, perks are available including upgrades to first-class seats, airport lounges and free food. Are the benefits worth the cost? The Associated Press sent two journalists on a two-day visit to Orlando, Florida one with perks, and one without. Scott Mayerowitz, who until recently covered the airline industry, has elite status with airlines, hotels and car rental agencies. He also has a five-year membership in a Transportation Security Administration program that lets him use fast-track lanes at airport security. Premium credit cards aimed at frequent travelers get him into airport lounges. Candice Choi, who covers the food industry, has no such perks. Scott saved more than 45 minutes total in waiting in lines at the airport, avoided crowds and got free food along the way. Candice thought Scott s biggest advantage was the time he saved. The extra space and food he got seemed nice, but less meaningful for a short trip. This May 11 photo shows a breakfast of a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, yogurt and fruit while seated in first class during a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Orlando, Florida. (AP) Here s how their experiences differed: Security Scott breezed through the TSA s checkpoint in less than 2 minutes without having to take off his shoes. His laptop stayed in his suitcase, thanks to his membership in the Global Entry program, which includes expedited screening. It took Candice nearly 15 minutes to get through regular security, which included taking off her shoes and jacket. There was also a delay after she forgot to remove a bottle of water from her purse, and found herself waiting shoeless for her belongings as a TSA agent searched her bag. Airport Scott headed for the roomy airline lounge, and took advantage of the free Wi-Fi, newspapers and breakfast spread that included bagels, muffins, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt and coffee. A day pass costs more than $50, but credit cards aimed at frequent travelers often include lounge access as one benefit that comes with a hefty annual fee of $450 to $550. Scott s card also refunded him the $100 TSA Global Entry fee. At the gate with everyone else, Candice found a seat with a table. There were outlets to recharge phones and a tablet to order food and get flight updates. She generally avoids eating much right before and during flights, though, and didn t buy any food for the gate. Boarding and the Flights Scott s airline status means he boards early, and often gets upgraded for free to first class where there are no middle seats and passengers still get hot meals. Finding space for luggage in the overhead bins also isn t a worry. Elite status starts after flying 25,000 miles a year, or five roundtrip flights between New York and San Francisco. Rack up more miles, and the perks increase substantially. On this trip, Scott got upgrades both ways on Delta Air Lines. He was a served an egg sandwich, yogurt and fruit on the way to Orlando, a second breakfast after the first he enjoyed earlier in the lounge. Candice waited in a disorganized crowd by the gate to board. Her pass said Zone 3, which was really the sixth of Delta s seven boarding groups. The last passengers to board often struggle to find space for their bags, but there was still room in the overhead bins by the time Candice neared her seat. Blockbuster Politics leads Far Cry game to the US Museum SAN FRANCISCO, May 26, (AFP): The latest edition of the blockbuster shooter video game Far Cry plays out on US soil, inspired by angry political divides and intense isolationist passions in rural America. French video game powerhouse Ubisoft on Friday officially unveiled Far Cry 5, which pits players against a dangerous, violent cult calling the shots in a fictional setting of Hope County, Montana. Previous Far Cry games have been set in exotic spots in places including jungles of Africa, Himalayan mountains, and an archipelago in the South Pacific. The idea of bringing the action game to the US had been considered early in the franchise, but the idea was shelved after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the proclaimed end of the Cold War ushered in a calmer political atmosphere, according to executive producer Dan Hay. Political tumult that gained momentum during the past couple of years while the latest installment of the game was being developed brought a feeling that American society wasn t as safe and secure as one might hope, according to Hay. Hay said the economic crisis, Brexit, anti-immigrant agendas, and the divisive but victorious election campaign of US President Donald Trump has changed the climate. Inclined Hay and his team spent two weeks in Montana, seeking out people and groups distrustful of outside authority and inclined toward their own communities. When we were in Montana we met very real people, said Hay. When they talk, they give you pearls of wisdom. The pillars of Far Cry 5 became freedom, faith, and firearms, according to its creators. Hay and his team created a fictional cult led by a magnetic leader named Joseph whose three grown children help manage the flock. The game is about a father who believes the end of time is coming and he has been chosen to save people, whether they want to be saved or not, Hay said. Players will be pitted against the cult, and must form a resistance force by enlisting other in-game characters, an early glimpse revealed. Far Cry is definitely about chaos, but is it also about building a beautiful world, Hay said. Players will be called on to use weapons, strategy, stealth, and allies, and can get backup from dogs, gun-toting allies, and even propeller-plane bombing runs. Ubisoft plans to showcase the game at the major E3 video game show in Los Angeles in June and release it on February 27 of next year. It is not meant as a commentary on politics in America, Hay said. Montana is beautiful and filled with interesting people, but there is also this feeling of not wanting to be (messed) with and a sense of we can do it ourselves; and there is something really Far Cry about this. Official Far Cry 5 trailers providing glimpses into the game and its characters racked up more than 100,000 views within hours of being posted on YouTube early Friday. Ubisoft has sold some 42 million copies of Far Cry overall since the first installment launched in 2004, making it one of its biggest franchises, according to the company. click Alcoholics Anonymous: If you know someone who can t stop drinking and would like to help them please check us out and we promise to try to help at There are no fees. This is a genuine public service. 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 Continued on Page 23 US photographer Annie Leibovitz poses during her exhibition entitled Annie Leibovitz Archive Project #1: The Early Years on May 24 at the Zurich-based non-profit LUMA Foundation outpost at the Parc des Ateliers in Arles, southern France. (AFP) Warsaw museum spotlights remains of destroyed city NY exhibition fetes 70 yrs of Magnum Photos NEW YORK, May 27, (Agencies): An exhibition spanning the second half of the 20th century and celebrating the last 70 years of the oldest photographic cooperative in the world opened in New York Friday. James Dean striding through Times Square, Pablo Picasso holding a parasol for French painter Francoise Gilot and Marilyn Monroe on The Misfits set just three of the iconic Magnum photographs that capture the spirit of the 20th century. More than 240 prints and 300 projected photographs are on display in Magnum Manifesto exhibition at Manhattan s International Center of Photography until Sept 3. Magnum Photos was created by Robert Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and two other photographers on Feb 6, 1947 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Cartier-Bresson intended it as a photographic utopia or construction of observers. The New York exhibition has been divided into three chronological and thematic categories. Photographs from focus on postwar ideals of commonality and utopianism; the 1970s and 1980s on a fragmenting world, subcultures and minorities; and a world under threat, such as Thomas Dworzak s images of the Taleban and Alessandra Sanguinetti s from the aftermath of the 2016 Nice bombing that killed 86 people. Other topics are mental illness or drugs, says Clement Cheroux, one of the exhibition s two curators. Celebrating 70 years in the business, Magnum s 49 photographers continue to chronicle the world. Along the way there have been sources of tension, such moving into the realm of commercial commissions something disliked by traditionalists but seen as a way of bringing in revenue at a time when the media industry is increasingly starved of resources. Survived Magnum has survived as others have fallen by the wayside: Gamma, for example, filed for bankruptcy in 2009 before being bought by photographer Francois Lochon, while Sygma and Sipa went into liquidation in 2010 and 2012 respectively. Neither was commercial photography the only savior Magnum has diversified further with exhibitions, book publishing and art photography. A memorial to Confederate soldiers who died in a battle where the Nash Farm Battlefield Museum now sits, stands outside the museum in Hampton, Georgia. (AP) It remains precarious, says exhibition co-curator Clara Bouveresse. It s a huge challenge to find a viable economic model for photographers today, she says. After closing on Sept 3, the exhibition will travel on to Rome and Berlin. Hatfields and McCoys mingle peacefully in the mountainous region where their families waged one of America s most famous feuds. Now a museum near the Kentucky-West Virginia border is showcasing artifacts bringing the struggle back to life. The Hatfield McCoy Country Museum opened Friday in Williamson, West Virginia. Items on display include bullets fired by the warring families, a gun found at a battle site and fragments of Randolph McCoy s cabin, destroyed by the Hatfield clan in an infamous 1888 New Year s attack, said the museum s curator, Bill Richardson. The museum houses the largest collection of Hatfield and McCoy relics anywhere, he said. People who have heard about this story or seen it on television or read a book about it, they can actually see the real artifacts and documents, Richardson said. If you want to go from fiction to fact, this is where you can do that. Courtney Quick McCoy said she ll probably have goosebumps when she looks at relics from her family s feud with the Hatfields. You know that you are as close to your family as you ever could be, she said. The museum, in a former schoolhouse, is a short drive from many of the tragic events from the long feud, including the site of the McCoy cabin on the Kentucky side that was burned and two McCoys were gunned down in the New Year s day ambush. Hatfield family members and supporters were thrown in jail after the attack, and the hostilities soon ended. We re at ground zero, Richardson said. Everything you could possibly want to see and do and learn about this story, you can get it right here and get it in a day. Many believe the backwoods blood feud was rooted in the Civil War, but the bitterness was perpetuated by disputes over timber rights and even a pig. Historical markers on both sides of the state line describe many of the pivotal events. Summer bus tours take visitors to some of the key feud sites in both states. This much everyone can agree on: A small Civil War museum, nestled in an old farmhouse at the site of a purported battlefield, has closed its doors and boxed up its Confederate and Union artifacts. The leaders of a volunteer group that runs the Nash Farm Battlefield Museum said they preferred to close rather than fight a county commissioner s request to remove all Confederate flags from the museum. But the commissioner says she never made such a request. Whomever you believe, the closure has rankled residents as cities across the South most recently New Orleans wrestle with whether to remove Confederate symbols seen by some as vestiges of racism and others as icons of heritage. The issue has been especially sensitive since Dylann Roof, an avowed white supremacist who posed in photos with the Confederate flag, gunned down nine people at a South Carolina church in Spot The museum sat on a 204-acre, countyowned park that s about 30 miles south of Atlanta in Hampton and is a popular spot for weddings and other events. The curator gave the final tour May 18, and nearly every artifact most of them loaned by private owners had been removed by Thursday. It was a wonderful museum and a great educational facility, Henry County historian Gene Morris said. It s really a sad thing to see it gone. No official county action led to the museum s closure, spokeswoman Melissa Robinson said. The county board of commissioners said in a statement Thursday that commissioners needed to explore the facts more thoroughly but that the closure has caused much divisiveness and controversy. The museum was open Fridays and Saturdays and saw visitors from all 50 states and 15 countries in its seven-year run, said volunteer curator Bill Dodd. I think kids ought to have the ability to touch and hold history, he said. They learn more from touching it, feeling it, smelling it than they do from reading it in a book or looking at it on a stupid computer screen. Also: WARSAW: Curator Jaroslaw Trybus points to a glass display case with an ornate brass door handle inside. Seemingly banal, the 19th-century curio is one of the few things that remains of Warsaw s old city hall, which like 90 percent of the Polish capital, was destroyed during World War II. The door handle was ripped out by force, which you can see by the trim plate, by the city hall janitor during the Warsaw Uprising, Trybus told reporters at the Museum of Warsaw, which reopened Friday after four years of renovation and redesign. He recognised that something had to be saved from city hall as tens of thousands of Poles fought the occupying German Nazis in the ill-fated 1944 uprising. It was one of the war s bloodiest episodes, taking the lives of some 200,000 Warsaw residents. The failed two-month rebellion would go on to spark reprisals by the Nazis, who exacted their revenge by razing the city house by house, street by street, until it was just a pile of rubble. I think this story tells us more than a lot of articles, Trybus said, adding that the janitor also salvaged 11 spoons and a chunk of the floor. It shows how dramatic the uprising was, during which it was necessary to save such seemingly everyday objects as a door handle or a spoon.

23 23 Britain s real-life Iron Man has high hopes for jet suit French designer shows off DIY robot in public for 1st time BUCHAREST, Romania, May 27, (Agencies): A French designer has shown his humanoid DIY robot to the public for the first time. The life-size plastic model responded to English-language commands Friday, picking up and dropping a small ball and swiveling its head to follow people. Designer Gael Langevin unveiled the robot at a technology fair in Romania this week. The idea developed from a prosthetics hand he made in 2011, the first-ever made on a 3-D printer. The robot is made with a 3-D printer and microcameras. It is hoped the robot will be used to help children in schools and hospitals. If connected to the internet, it can answer a variety of questions taken from Wikipedia. Langevin admits his model, generically called InMoov, is not yet perfect. This is a little bit like Geppetto building Pinocchio. You make a robot and you send it in the world and you see what the others are going to do with it, he said. Children visiting the fair seemed thrilled. He is awesome, said Adrian Margineanu, a student at Bucharest s elite St. Sava school. I like it a lot. I m tempted to make one. For those who don t want to assemble it, InMoov offers a list of builders in different countries. Langevin estimates that more than 1,000 DIY robots have been made by people who followed his design. His robot can be programmed to speak English, Spanish, French, Russian and Dutch. But Romanian graphic designer Paul Popescu, 35, has been assembling his own robot and has plans to program it to speak Romanian. A basic model costs about 1,500 euros ($1,665). A woman poses next to French designer Gael Langevin s InMoov robot after he unveiled it at a technology fair in Bucharest, Romania on May 26. (AP) Also: SOMERSET, England: The British inventor of an Iron Man -style jet suit has lofty hopes that his project, which started out as fun experiment, could become a practical tool for industries ranging from entertainment to the military. Richard Browning, a 38-year-old former commodities trader with little experience of engineering, developed his jet suit with the help of friends over the last 18 months. It is powered by six gas turbine engines which combined generate 800 horse-power. We didn t set out to build an Iron Man suit it s just accidental, Browning said, in reference to the highly successful trilogy of super hero films starring Robert Downey Jr. The suit s engines are mounted on the pilot s lower back and on each arm. It powers up using a hand-held throttle. Browning said the suit is capable of carrying a person thousands of feet in the air, and in theory could attain a speed of around 280 miles an hour (450 kph). For safety reasons, however, Browning hovers just a few feet off the ground. Browning, who first developed the suit in his garage, describes it as a cross between a jet ski and a Formula One car. He believes it can be adapted to be used in the military, search and rescue and theme parks or in fact anyone who has the funds to buy one. Browning showed off his piloting skills at a flight test on Thursday, breaking his record for speed by travelling over 30mph, covering a distance of several hundred meters. Browning said he has received investment from a venture capitalist, and has also secured interest from entertainment giants and the British and U.S. militaries. Events Flyers from the events. click Continued from Page 22 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 Bangladesh embassy notice: The Embassy of the People s Republica of Bangladesh in Kuwait will follow the following office hours during the Holy month of Ramadan. Sunday to Thursday 09:30 am to 3:30 pm; Friday and Saturday Weekly holidays. Sri Lanka presidential scholarships: The Government of Sri Lanka calls for applications from foreign students for the award of Presidential Scholarships for undergraduate studies for the academic year 2016/17. Applications and details could be downloaded from lk. Applications need be forwarded through the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kuwait. Deadline for application May 31, For more information contact Chess coaching, round robin: Registrations are open for chess coaching and the summer round robin Challenger Series. Send your name Civil ID no., mobile number, age, rating to saviosgomes@gmail.com with CCR in the subject. No entry fee. Invitation to Grand Mosque: The Visits Department is pleased to invite you to visit the Grand Mosque, which Continued on Page 24

24 24 Graduating Class 2017 Graduating Class 2017 Dr Latifa Al-Dhakeel (KNES Alumni, Class of 2007) Graduating Class 2017 Mr Gharabally, Chairman, Abdulaziz Al Shawaf, Ms J. Perkins, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy and Madame Chantal, Director. click Latest Continued from Page 23 is one of Kuwait s most treasured religious and cultural landmarks to discover the beauty of Islamic arts and architecture. Free guided tours are available all year round on official working days between (9-11 am) and (5-7 pm), within a special tour program designed to cater to the needs of different age groups. The program is as follows: Reception; Auditorium show; (according to age group); Touring the Mosque; Q & A; Art workshops; (according to age group between 5 and 18 years old); Snack break; Distribution of the Grand Mosque publications and souvenirs; End of tour. According to these age groups: Age group: 5 to 9 years old: Morning: 60 visitors max; Evening: 20; 10 to 15 years: Morning: 100 visitors max; Evening: 45; 16 and above: Morning: 140 visitors max, Evening: 105: Tour language: Arabic- English- French; Arabic (English upon prior request); Arabic- English- French; Arabic (English upon prior request); Arabic- English- French: Arabic (English upon prior request) Rules and Regulations: Please arrive in time for your visit. All visitors are kindly required to abide by the mosque s dress code. Male visitors should wear long pants. Shorts and sleeveless shirts are not allowed. Female visitors: should wear head cover and long loose clothing (available at the mosque). Foods and drinks are not allowed inside the prayer halls. For school visits, teachers are responsible for their students and are required to cooperate with the staff members of the Grand Mosque. Photography is allowed inside the Grand Mosque (please note that disrespectful poses are strictly prohibited). If you would like to book a tour, please contact us: Tel: / / gmvisits@gmail.com Fax: June 5 TIES Ramadan breakfast: The Mr Gharabally, Chairman and South African Ambassador KNES holds Secondary Graduation ceremony Keeping With Tradition, May 27, witnessed the long anticipated, annual, Secondary Graduation ceremony of our hard working years 11, 12 and 13 held at the prestigious EBreez Ballroom, Symphony Hotel in Salmiya, Kuwait. Looking splendid in their impressive and colourful graduation gowns, the graduating students were ushered into the hall and the ceremony continued in earnest. There were dignitaries and esteemed guests at the awards evening and graduating ceremony. Notable amongst these are the guest of honour, Martine Morteau, Her Excellency the Canadian Ambassador to Kuwait, Jacky Perkins, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy, Kuwait, Gharabally Al Gharabally, the Chairman, and of course, Madame Chantal Al Gharabally, the School Director. The glittering ceremony started at 7:15 pm with the reading of the Holy Quran by one of the graduating students. Thereafter, we had the National anthems of Kuwait and the United Kingdom. One long serving member of staff (Mrs Hermilyl Asarani) received the Chairman s Award for good and loyal services. Eloquent speeches were given by members of the Kuwait National English School Student Council, the Head of Secondary, the School Director Madame Chantal Al Gharabally and the Guest of Honour. The Head Boy (Halvor Tonsberg) spoke TIES Center will be hosting Ramadan iftars, providing appetizers, the main course and drinks. Bring your favorite side dish or dessert to share with friends and family. Pre-registration appreciated. Monday, June 5 and Wednesdays, June 7, 14 and 6:30pm Contact address: Villa No 67, Street 413, Block 4, Shuhada Area, Kuwait Phone: +(965) ; info@tiescenter.net July 1 IMA summer classes: Indian Muslim Association (IMA) announces its much awaited Summer Islamic classes this year immediately after Eid ul Fitr. The classes were launched in 1994 when it was widely felt by the parents of his positive experience and successes at Kuwait National English School, the Head Girls (Mariam El Safty & Nada Abdelhalim) showed their gratitude to the many members of staff who had helped them throughout their life at the school and the School Prefect (Pamela Nassar) gave a philosophical approach to a student future journey through life. The School Director, Madame Chantal Al Gharabally, concluded by congratulating class 2017 and thanked them for giving a meaning to her life dedicated to students and education. In addition to the certificates and diplomas awarded to the graduating students, various special and prestigious awards were handed out as well, to deserving students. that there was a need to impart fuller knowledge to students when compared to that imparted in their regular schools This year IMA (Indian Muslim Association, Kuwait) with the coordination of IPC, opens the doors of its wellknown 2-month long, Summer Islamic Classes program to students in Kuwait from LKG up to 12th standard. Offering a syllabus with a wide range of Islamic subjects such as Quran reading/understanding/memorization, Prophet s Life and Day to day Jurisprudence. Apart from this, teachers work on Personality Development of the students and also engage them in various activities including field visits. Competitions are held on Islamic Quiz, Recitation of Quran and Elocution Date: July 1 to Aug 24; Timings: Mr Gharabally, Chairman, Ms Perkins, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy, Pamela Nasser, School Prefect and Madame Chantal, Director. Some of these awards included the Omar Al Gharabally Scholarship winners, The Gold Award from the United Kingdom Mathematics Challenge 2016/2017, the ECIS Award for international understanding (Ms Nada Abdelhalim) and the Director s awards which went to Mariam El Safty, Jasem Abdul, Rakan Hassan Hou Hou and Ahmed Abdelaziz. The Student of the Year Award 2017 went to Saifeldin Mohamed (Yr 11). The Graduation ceremony concluded with the traditional cutting of the Class 2017 Graduation Cake by the Head Boy, Head Girl, School Prefect, the School Director, the Chairman and the Guest of Honour. To end the evening, a delicious buffet was served to everybody in a 4:00 to 6:30 pm; Venue: Indian Community School, Junior Branch; Salmiya, Kuwait. General 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 very friendly and chic atmosphere at the Symphony Hotel. Overall, it was an occasion filled with glamour, joy and laughter as we bid goodbye to our graduating students, especially the year 12 and 13 students that are heading into tertiary education outside of Kuwait. In the audience, were proud parents and relatives of the graduating students, who could not conceal their joy and pride at the achievements of the children/ wards. The staff of KNES were not left out of this joyous occasion. Kuwait National English School would like to wish the Class of 2017 a happy and prosperous future. It has been our privilege watching you develop over the years and reach your full potential. 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! KIFF anti-drugs campaign: As part of the Fraternity fest, Kuwait Continued on Page 25

25 25 PINDOT Chief guest reminds members to impart good culture, values and tradition GSB Sabha Kuwait celebrates 14th Konkani Sourabha function By Suresh S. Rao Neramballi KUWAIT CITY, May 27: GSB Sabha Kuwait takes pride to celebrate its 14th Annual function Konkani Sourabha along with Chief Guest Shri Sujeer Srinivas Rao Kasaragod Chinna. The function was held on 28th April 2017 at Carmel School Auditorium, Khaitan, Kuwait with a lot of exuberance and ardors. It was truly a day of accomplishments and celebration. The auditorium was filled with GSB member families and invited guest Artist Shri Ravindra Prabhu and invited cine/drama artists Shri Shashibhooshan Kini and Shri H. Satish Nayak. The program started invoking the blessings of the Almighty God which was compered by Ms Shamita Bhat and Ms Disha Shenoy. Shri Sujeer Srinivas Rao Kasaragod Chinna was the honored Chief Guest for the event. The ceremonial lighting of the lamp was performed by the Chief Guest along with the President of the Sabha, Shri Gokuldas Bhat and the committee members, Vice-President Shri Srinivas Prabhu, Gen Secretary Shri Vishwanath Prabhu, Treasurer Shri Ganesh Prabhu B., Joint Secretary Shri Girish Shenoy, PRO Shri Shivshankar Nayak and Internal Auditor Shri Prakash Prabhu. In his welcome address, the President thanked and briefed the two years journey during his tenure as president for the year 2016 and The Chief Guest Shri Sujeer Srinivas Rao was given a warm welcome. In his address, he reminded the GSB members to impart good culture, values and tradition to be followed in the Konkani kids at this young age. He also said that being parents we should fulfill our duty of leading them from Darkness to Light and Ignorance to Knowledge. Soon after the Chief Guest speech, the Konkani film Ujjvadu and the Konkani book Thees Kaanio which was scripted by Shri Sujeer Srinivas Rao, was released by GSB advisory Committee members Shri Haridas Acharya, Shri B. Prakash Pai, Shri Rajaram Pai Kateel and Dr Surendra Nayak. Acknowledging the meritorious students of 10th and 12th class and Vihara 2016 (GSB picnic) prizes were distributed respectively by Chief Guest and Management Committee members. During the stage program GSB kids performed scintillating invocation and medley of folk and Kannada songs, duly choreographed by Smt Spoorthy Deepak Kamath & Smt Nayana Girish Shenoy. Later part of the Program was Family Antakshari which was duly conducted by Dr Aparna Bhat and Velarde bags top prize in photography contest Shri Srinath Bhat. The attraction of the function was Sangeeta Lahari with a mix of Konkani, Kannada and Hindi songs which was beautifully sung by Karaavali Gandarva Shri Ravindra Prabhu Mulky and followed by a Konkani drama Ayilore Ayilo which was translated into Konkani and directed by chief guest Shri Kasargod Chinna. The Konkani drama was much appreciated by all the audience which points out the corruption in the society and the way it s been handled by the each individual. With its first stage play in Kuwait, the Konkani drama was very well played by local GSB members and invited artists. The program was well scripted and compered by Ms Sanjana Shenoy. The program came to a close with the sumptuous dinner served by Udhayam Restaurant and Vote of Thanks by Ms Shamita Bhat. PINDOT marks 9th anniversary with fun, music and prizes By Michelle Fe Santiago Arab Times Staff The Pinoy Digital Photographers in Kuwait (PINDOT) celebrated on Friday at the Fusion Japanese Restaurant its ninth anniversary marking its colourful journey in the world of photography. PINDOT a Filipino word which means Click in English founded in April 2008 is a group of Filipino workers and residents of Kuwait who share their common passion in Digital Photography. PINDOT aims to encourage its members to get the most from their talent by joining a community of like-minded individuals who love their art and enjoy sharing their knowledge in photography. Members are of various professions such as architects, engineers, nurses, media, technical workers, IT, advertising executives and many more. PINDOT has gone a long way for the past nine years with its membership constantly growing, inspiring more Filipinos to explore their creativity in the field of photography. PINDOT which was founded by Jeb Elamparo, Brehn Garcia and Neil Ocampo started with only more than 10 members and now has almost a hundred members. The anniversary celebration dubbed PINDOT IX was attended by around 75 guests that included members, officers and their family members. During the programme, Ivy Laughton and Charisse Mae Ronquillo rendered song numbers respectively to the delight of the audience with former PINDOT president Leonel Pura and Antonio Alcantara on the guitars. There were also some parlour games such as What s in the box and Pindot Quizbee that brought down the house to laughter. Current PINDOT President Job Rejante III announced the top three winners in the photography contest with Nick Velarde bagging the top prize and trailing behind him were Remar Toledo and Emil Vilchez who got the second and third prize respectively. The winners received cash vouchers from the AABWorld. Meanwhile, certificates of appreciation were handed to some of the models who have joined in the photo shoots organised by PINDOT namely Angeline Cortez, Raiza Elamparo and Marge Carinugan as well as certificates to PINDOT s Hair and Make-Up Artists Marlon Aquino Malinao and Ehliza Carsola, fashion designer Resty Lagare and Maxxy Santiago of The Filipino Channel/The Arab Times for their invaluable support to PINDOT. There was also a raffle draw of prizes and Tin Celis won the Paul Buff light set. I would like to thank everyone who joined us in celebrating PIN- DOT s nine clicking years. The Execom will conduct and organize more activities for our members to gain more knowledge in photography and promote camaraderie among others. We will be sharing our passion and knowledge to the Filipino community. We are also planning to have some outreach programmes. The slogan of the group which is Share, Learn and Respect will continue to run in our blood, #PindotIX #PindotIsBackOn- Track, stated Rejante. First Prize by Nick Velarde Photo contest winners Nick Velarde, Remar Toledo & Emil Vilchez Among the various activities organised by PINDOT in its nine years of existence were the grand EBs, photo shoots for a cause, series of lectures on Composition, postprocessing tips & tricks, HDR tips & tricks, MACRO tips & tricks and an introduction to Strobist, photo shoots and photo walks to enhance the skills of all the members. The group also organised two portraiture workshops dubbed Landscape of Emotions featuring famous Filipino photographer Manuel Libres Librodo Jr as well as a Photography Workshop under the tutelage of Second Prize Entry by Remar Toledo another Filipino photography icon, Parc Cruz and Metrophoto Hothouse Series an intensive wedding photography workshop under Oly Ruiz, a Filipino wedding photography guru and last November, PINDOT also organised the Cinematica X Workshop under Parc Cruz and Ku Manahan, a Pro Folio workshop under Jerico Montemayor, Mark Floro s food photography workshop and many more. All Filipino photography enthusiasts who want to become a member of PINDOT may check details on www. pindot.org or the Facebook fan page on Third Prize by Emil Vilchez PINDOT Execom, members and guests click Sumptuous buffet General Continued from Page 24 India Fraternity Forum (KIFF) is conducting Anti-Drugs Campaign among Indians living in Kuwait. According to the available statistics of Indian Embassy, 60% of the convicted Indians in Kuwaiti Jails are arrested on drug-related cases. The recent cases of death and captives of Indian drug abusers is a threatening news. To defend and to campaign against such social crisis by protecting individuals as well as the society has become obligatory. In this current situation, Kuwait India Fraternity Forum is conducting campaign by distributing handouts, conducting counseling, seminars etc. to educate the Indians living in Kuwait informed President Saifudheen Nalakath in a press release. For more details contact: or at kiffkuwait@gmail.com. NYF offers free yoga classes: NYF Kuwait offers free yoga, breathing, meditation and reiki classes by a well-experienced female yoga teacher for all age groups. Classes are given on the basis of different health problems, stress and other problems by different techniques. Contact: A photo from the event. Leadership Excellence Course: The Leadership Excellence Course (LEC) is a course modeled on the Seerah of Rasoolullah who is the best model of leadership for all mankind. The LEC focuses on the lessons that we can learn from the Seerah of Rasoolullah and see how we can apply them in our lives to become winners in this world and the next. The objectives of the course are 1. Understand what leadership is from the Seerah of Rasoolullah and how to apply it in our lives today 2. Understand the purpose of our lives and learn to live that purpose with confidence 3. Understand the importance of connecting to Allah and learn how to do it 4. Understand how to leverage your strengths and overcome weaknesses 5. Understand how to articulate your life goal and create a road map to achieve it. For more information please visit or call / AWL registration: If you would like to join the American Women s League (AWL), please call or or kuwaitawl@ yahoo.com. All American women and wives of Americans are welcomed. Ugandans register with UIK: Are you a Ugandan living and working in Kuwait? Would you like to get in touch with other Ugandans in Kuwait both socially and professionally? Then please get in touch with us. We would like to invite you to register Charise Ronquillo sings with the Ugandans in Kuwait (UIK) association, an informal organization of Ugandans living and working in Kuwait. The purpose of this exercise is to get together as Ugandans and to consider taking the first steps to establishing a more formal organisation. This association is voluntary. It is designed to create a forum for Ugandans in Kuwait to foster a sense of community, to communicate more effectively with each other and to encourage Ugandans out here to work together. We are also planning a celebration to mark 50 years of Ugandan s Independence this year. If you have any questions regarding this association or if you are interested in registering, then please send us an at ugandansinkuwait@gmail. com. We hope to hear from you soon. Free drum music classes: Free professional drum music classes are available at Salmiya for all age groups from beginners to advanced by a well experienced drum teacher. For more details: Indian Embassy SPDC notice: Attention of all Indian associations/ Indian schools in Kuwait is once again drawn to Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC) which was introduced by Government of India in the academic year with the objective to make higher education in India accessible to the children of overseas Indians and promote India as Continued on Page 26

26 26 Step aims to cooperate with international educational institutions Australian College of Kuwait signs MoU with British Council Kuwait KUWAIT CITY, May 27: In a step aiming to cooperate with international educational institutions, the Center of the Continuous Education (CCE) at the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British Council in Kuwait. According to the MoU, exams of the world renowned IELTS tests are to take place in ACK campus, which will have a substantial effect in facilitating the procedures of the exams. The cooperation is in line with the objective of the Community Service Center of its role towards the Kuwaiti society. The MoU aims to enhance knowledge in English Language and establish cooperation between the British Council, being the British organization concerned with emerging culture and educational opportunities, and CCE, in order to provide educational opportunities to the Kuwaiti youth. Engineer Sager Al-Sharhan, Deputy Managing Partner Industry at ACK, stated: The College provides such opportunities due to the higher demand for taking IELTS exams by the young people wishing to continue their education or those searching for better opportunities and to test their English skills, especially that the test is a major pre-requisite in a large number of universities around the world. Representing the British Council in Kuwait, the MoU ceremony was attended by Grant Butler, General Manager, Muray Miller General Manager Examinations for MENA region, Anoj Janjula, Deputy GM Examinations, Mahmoud Mansour, Director of Testing Department, and Azim Parker. Representing ACK, Engineer Sager Al-Sharhan, Deputy Managing Partner Industry, Professor Isam Zabalawi, President, Dr Gad Elbeheri, Dean of the College, Group photo during the signing of MoU. Dr Usama Al-Jamali, Advisor to the Chairman at ACK, Ali Mubarak, Director of Corporate Training, and Dr Zeina Nehme, Manager of Alumni and Career Placement Center. IELTS is an international standardized test of English language leading to measure the English language skills. It is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education in Kuwait. In addition, it is significant for studying and living abroad, and is recognized by 9,000 institutions and universities all over the world. Further, the test is recognized by a large number of universities in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and is used by over two million people in the world. KFH organizes visit to nursing homes KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) organized a visit to nursing homes, as part of its social responsibility and within the framework of Ramadan program Increase Good Deeds in Ramadan 3. KFH s Public Relations team handed out gifts to the elderly in continuation of its efforts to communicate with all segments of the society in the holy month of Ramadan. KFH is keen on strengthening its social charity deeds for public welfare institutions, which is part of the social values. This step contributes in easing the suffering of the elderly while putting a smile on their faces. KFH has been always striving for optimally shouldering the social responsibility, caring for the elderly and offering gifts on various occasions. It is worth noting that KFH underlines its commitment towards assuming the social responsibility, as it firmly believes that it is an important humanitarian role and reflects its Islamic identity. click General Continued from Page 25 a centre for higher studies. Under the scheme, 100 PIO/NRI students were awarded scholarship of up to US$ 4,000 per annum for undergraduate courses in Engineering, Technology, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and some other courses. The scheme is open to NRIs/PIOs from over 40 countries (including Kuwait) having substantial Indian Diaspora population. The Scheme was revamped and launched in July Under the revamped Scheme, number of scholarships has been enhanced from 100 to 150 with introduction of 50 scholarships for children of Indian workers employed in the Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries. The Scheme is now applicable to four categories of applicants: (i) Persons of Indian Origin (ii) Non-Resident Indians (iii) Children of Indian workers working in ECR countries (including Kuwait). (iv) Children of Indian workers in ECR countries - studying in India The institutions that are covered under this Scheme are: (i) NITs, IIITs, Schools of Planning and Architecture (ii) A Grade institutions accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and recognised by University Grants Commission (UGC). (iii) Other institutions covered under Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) scheme. Income criteria will be applicable to all four categories. Applicants will seek scholarships after they obtain admission in the approved list of educational institutions. Applications are required to be submitted online at SPDC portal - spdcindia.gov.in/login/index.php. Last date for submission of applications KFH PR team handing out Ramadan gifts. PR team distributing gifts to patients. KFH visits patients at Mekki Jumaa and distributes gifts KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) visited patients at Mekki Jumaa Hospital as part of its corporate social responsibility and efforts to strengthen ties with the all segments of the society, especially in the month of Ramadan. KFH congratulated the patients on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan. The bank s PR team distributed gifts to the patients and wished them speedy recovery. This contributed in putting a smile on their faces, while easing their pain and suffering. was extended till Oct 14, Nodal officer for SPDC is P. Bharadwaj, Deputy Secretary (OIA-II), Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, Tel: , dsoia2@ mea.gov.in Bridge game: Bridge tournament is being held every Sunday and Wednesday at 20:00 hours, played at the Graduates Club, next to Kuwait Engineering Society. Interested Bridge pairs or individual players please contact Mohammed Merchant, Tel: , , TIES Center classes: TIES Center is conducting a series of classes about some of the Prophets and Messengers of God who strove very hard to spread monotheism and teach their respective peoples how to worship God. Their It is worth noting that such steps reinforce KFH s ties with the society, primarily because it prioritizes the support of humanitarian causes and contributions. Such initiatives comes within the framework of KFH s Ramadan program Increase Good Deeds in Ramadan 3 that includes various social and humanitarian events and activities stemming from the bank s endeavors to solidify its commitment towards the society, while supporting different social and humanitarian programs. message was not only spiritual; they also taught people how to conduct their daily lives and develop the living conditions on earth. In this series, we will focus on the following prophets: Adam, Nouh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Ayoub (Job), Yousuf (Joseph), Mousa (Moses), and Eisa (Jesus) may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah (to Whom all might and majesty is ascribed) be upon them all. We will not only focus on historical facts, but will also deduce some important lessons whose application in our daily interactions and chores determine our success and salvation. Join us every Thursday at 7 pm to learn about the life and times of those messengers of firm resolve. The TIES Center is the social and Continued on Page 28 Al-Muhanna receives bank delegation Capital governor hails KFH role in Ramadan KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Governor of the Capital Governorate Retired Lieutenant-General Thabit Al-Muhanna received a delegation from Kuwait Finance House (KFH) headed by Executive Manager Group Public Relations and Media at KFH, Yousef Abdullah Al-Ruwaieh and the PR team for the quest to enhance collaboration and coordination between the two sides. During the visit, the governor applauded KFH for its various contributions to support the society on all levels, which confirms the bank s keenness to take part in the issues that are of interest to the society and the development process. Al-Muhanna said that KFH visit reflects the bank s priority to support and serve the society in coordination and collaboration with the public and official authorities. Meanwhile, Al-Ruwaieh reiterated KFH s role in serving the society as part of the bank s social responsibility. He hailed the ceaseless efforts exerted by the Capital Governor Al-Muhanna, expressing the bank s appreciation to these efforts and the bank s readiness to boost collaboration, indicating KFH will distribute Iftar meals all days of Ramadan as part of its Ramadan program that includes various social and humanitarian events and activities stemming from the bank s endeavors to solidify its commitment towards the society, while supporting all social and humanitarian initiatives. Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts creates Excom-Y BAAR, Switzerland, May 27: Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has recruited a team of switched-on Generation Y employees and entrepreneurs to closely collaborate with the hospitality firm s executive team as it looks to glean fresh ideas on how to attract Millennial guests and talent. In a move that signals the Swiss hotel group s progressive Human Resources strategy and commitment to meeting ever-changing guest demands, the company has hand-picked an ExCom-Y Committee a team of 10 talented Millennials, six of whom are from across the company and the remaining four are young business leaders brought in from locations across the globe to provide a truly balanced and international perspective. They include Jessica Houlgrave, who spent six years working for leading global financial institutions and is now researching the impact of technology on the art ecosystem as part of an Art Business Master s degree at Sotheby s Institute of Art. She is also a competitive sailor and a passionate global traveller. I am honoured to have been selected to take part in this ground-breaking initiative, which I believe sets Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts apart as a forward-thinking hospitality company that puts guest and talent needs first, said Houlgrave. Lifestyle In the context of the ExCom-Y Committee it means analysing the Millennial mindset and lifestyle to help future-proof company strategy and I m excited to be able to contribute my thoughts as part of this collaborative effort. Houlgrave is joined on the committee by a group of high-flying entrepreneurs and business executives from countries including Germany, France and the US, who are proficient in several disciplines such as technology, hospitality and pharmaceuticals. They will work alongside a talented group of Mövenpick Millennials who have been selected from hotels in Dubai, Pattaya, Karachi and Switzerland. They too represent several nationalities and areas of expertise including front office, digital content and strategy, sales, marketing, F&B and brand and quality assurance. The ExCom Y Committee members all have one thing in common they are all from Generation Y, broadly defined as those born in the 1980s and 1990s. As we embark on an unprecedented growth phase, expanding our portfolio at a rapid rate, it s paramount we seek input and insights from our colleagues, particularly our young talent, who possess an intimate understanding of Generation Y trends, said Craig Cochrane, the company s Senior VP Human Resources. As Millennials become a more influential demographic and contribute significantly to our overall guest profile, it is imperative we incorporate their needs and wishes into our KFH delegation with the governor. Group photo Burgan Bank sponsors Africa Day hospitality offering. He added: To be successful, we must listen to our team members and to our guests, and the ExCom-Y Committee is integral to our Human Resources and development strategies as we seek progressive methods to evolve our brand and meet future guest and talent demands. Millennials currently represent around one-third of the global population. This influential demographic is on-the-go and always connected, using mobile devices and digital platforms throughout their journeys and demanding immersive travel experiences that introduce them to new cultures and activities. They blend business trips into personal vacations more than other travellers and rely on online sources for information about their hotels or destinations. Mövenpick has already had some success attracting Millennials who account for more than 30% of its guest total. We must not only recognise their needs as the customers of the future, but also as potential talent that we can engage and employ, said Olivier Chavy, President and CEO, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Burgan Bank, Kuwait s most progressive bank and a leading contributor to society, recently sponsored Africa Day, organized by the Embassy of The People Democratic Republic of Algeria to celebrate the continent s independence. The event, held on May 18, brought together senior government officials, ambassadors, foreign dignitaries and other VIP guests. Globally celebrated on May 25, the day reflects on the countries sacrifices for freedom and their victory as independent countries able to shape their own future. To mark the occasion, 32 countries participated in the historical Expo organized by the Algerian Embassy in Kuwait to showcase the collective achievements of the African countries in education, music, arts while celebrating respective cultural elements such as their national dresses and famed dishes. Since independence, African countries have worked to promote international cooperation and pledged to coordinate their economic, diplomatic, educational, health and defence policies for the benefit of all. Burgan Bank, which continues to record robust growth, expanded to North Africa and now owns two full-fledged subsidiaries in both Algeria and Tunisia. Having successfully transformed into a regional financial powerhouse, Burgan Bank currently owns 60 branches through its majority owned subsidiary Gulf Bank Algeria and a total of three branches through Tunis International Bank. The latest sponsorship reflects Burgan Bank s continued commitment to enriching the cultural landscape in Kuwait and building understanding between nations. Burgan Bank is also keen to support and encourage the development of friendly relations with the African people. The Bank also endeavours to advance economic development. The sponsorship comes in line with the Bank s goals in supporting the exchange of cultures and openness between Kuwait and the world cultures. The Bank is also keen to provide support for the development of the African continent and its people through strengthening the economic, social, cultural, political and sports relations. Sharing in a deepened sense of social responsibility, the ever-growing Kuwaiti bank will continue to celebrate and contribute to the progress and advancement of societies in which it operates.

27 27 h o r o s c o p e By Jacqueline Bigar Happy birthday for Sunday, May 28, 2017: This year you incorporate more spirituality into your life. You enjoy a distinct peacefulness, though you can become a warrior at any given point. You have unique strength. You also naturally express a tremendous passion for living. If you are single, that quality can be very attractive. You will draw many people toward you, particularly someone who could be very important to your life. If you are attached, the two of you experience life on a deeper and more caring level. Your interests are shared and enjoyed by your significant other. CANCER can be too emotional for you at times. The Stars Show the Kind of Day You ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-Soso; 1-Difficult Capricorn - (Dec 22 - Jan 19) **** Others are likely to react to your strong sense of direction. You might feel as if no one understands the basis for your decision. Know that, given some time, they eventually will. If you use logic and reason, people will know within hours why you are right. Tonight: Do your thing. This Week: A partner is determined to have his or her way. Aquarius - (Jan 20 - Feb 18) **** You could be in a position to make a difference when dealing with a situation that often arises in your immediate circle of friends. You might have strong feelings about this type of event that you are not fully aware of. Be careful, as there could be a backfire. Tonight: Out late. This Week: Clearly others hold the cards this week. Pisces - (Feb 19 - Mar 20) **** You might be surrounded by people who are loving and supportive one moment, and clashing the next. In your present mood, you ll float right past any uproar. Get together with a loved one, and have a picnic at a favorite spot. Tonight: Enjoy being away from the crowds. This Week: Focus on getting through all of your work by late Wednesday. Aries - (Mar 21 - Apr 19) **** You might feel more tuned in to nature and the spiritual universe this morning. Sharing this feeling with a loved one could be particularly rewarding. Later in the day, instead of being reactive to someone else s power play, you ll opt to sit back and smile. Tonight: Make it easy. This Week: Your passion runs high. Taurus - (Apr 20 - May 20) ***** You have a lot to share. A friend might turn around because he or she senses that there is a gentler quality coming from you. You are tuned in to those around you. A change of plans, which might be not voluntary on your part, flows over you with ease. Tonight: Visit with a pal. This Week: Express your view creatively. Gemini - (May 21 - June 20) *** Be aware of the costs of continuing as you have been. Emotions play into how you deal with your finances, and as a result, you spend money you shouldn t. Try to separate your feelings from your decisions. Avoid a difficult or demanding associate. Tonight: Go over your budget. This Week: You have the right words to charm even the most hostile boss. Cancer - (June 21 - July 22) **** Your feelings are always close to the surface; you can t escape them. With time, you will get through them by learning to embrace them rather than resist them. A partner or loved one might want to take more control of an emotional situation. Tonight: Go with the flow. This Week: Use caution with your funds. Leo - (July 23 - Aug 22) *** You might choose not to share so much right now. You have a unique sense of connection with your surroundings. Opt to take a walk by water. Make a call to a co-worker who seems to have been a bit off, and just say hi. Your support means a lot. Tonight: Play it low-key. This Week: You hit your power days Monday through Wednesday. Virgo - (Aug 23 - Sept 22): **** Your sense of humor comes out when dealing with a loved one. The two of you often spend hours giggling together like two little kids. A new friend might be demanding and/or controlling. Whom you choose to keep company with is your choice. Tonight: With friends. This Week: Seek a certain person s counsel. Libra - (Sept 23 - Oct 22) **** Don t get caught in the crosswinds of a power play taking place between a family member and someone else. Your compassion will come across even if you choose not to get involved. Plan a fun experience close to home. Tonight: Enjoy a favorite dessert on your way home. This Week: Zero in on what you want. Scorpio - (Oct 23 - Nov 21) ***** Take an overview of a situation. You see what is happening with those around you. You also know where you are coming from. In any case, sometimes you pull people together through your understanding of different perspectives. Tonight: Touch base with someone at a distance. This Week: Honor a fast change with a boss or parent. Sagittarius - (Nov 22 - Dec 21) **** One-on-one relating might be more costly than you realize, both financially and emotionally. Do not get caught in a power play; otherwise, you ll have a hard time bypassing the issue. A loved one demonstrates his or her understanding. Tonight: Be with your best friend. This Week: Follow a vision or a long term desire. Travel and new knowledge could be involved. Born today: Singer/songwriter Kylie Minogue (1968), actor Jake Johnson (1978), singer/songwriter Gladys Knight (1944) home decor indoor gardening beauty tips taste buds add seating avocado plant potato for fair skin bananacue Turn a window niche into a mini living area with a window seat. Choose slender, leggy furniture for small spaces because they take up less visual space. The eye is fooled into thinking the space is larger because you can see under and through these pieces of furniture. Add storage without eating up floor space by building shelves into the space between wall studs. Dear Abby The next time you make guacamole, take the avocado pit (often called the stone) and push the flat end into a six-inch pot of moist, multi-purpose soil. Leave the pointy end exposed. Make sure to keep the plant at about 65 F until the first leaf shoots appear. Aftet that, it likes normal room temperatures with slightly cooler temperatures (60 F) in winter. To encourage upward growth, pinch off new buds when they appear below the top leaves on the plant stalk. With proper care, in three years your Avocado will grow to an elegant, large-leaved houseplant about 3 feet tall. Things you will need: Potato slices, in pulp or juice form. Method: Use potato slices or the paste of potato as a mask or you can even apply the juice on tanned portions of the skin. This can be applied twice daily on your skin. After minutes, wash off with plain water. Ingredients: 6 pieces banana (Asian plantains), 2 cups brown sugar, 4 cups cooking oil Cooking Procedure: Heat a cooking pot then pour-in cooking oil. When the oil becomes hot, deep fry the bananas for 2 minutes. Gradually put-in the brown sugar, adjust the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the melted brown sugar coats the bananas. Note: Gently stir the bananas so that it can get coated with melted brown sugar easily. Remove the cooked bananas one by one and immediately skewer using a bamboo skewer. Note: 2 pieces per skewer is recommended. Let cool then serve. Walker tripped up by his chatty officemates By Abigail Van Buren Dear Abby: I have a step tracker. I am dedicated to getting in at least 10,000 steps every day, most of them walking around inside my office building at lunch. I walk quickly, often with headphones on. My problem is, I m constantly confronted by people who stop me wanting to chat. I honestly don t have time to talk to these people because I need my steps. My exercise is important to me. Furthermore, lunchtime is my time to be alone and de-stress before returning to the workday. I don t think I should have to leave the premises to walk. Staying in the building ensures that I have the entire hour to walk in air-conditioned comfort. How can I politely tell these people I don t have time to talk? I ve Abigail Van Buren said, Sorry. I need to get my steps! only to get confused looks and questions about what I mean and how the tracking works, which sets me back by precious minutes. Any advice? Getting to stepping in Austin Dear getting: Yes. All you have to say is, This is my time to exercise, and keep walking. Eventually, word will get around, and you ll have fewer interruptions. Your mistake may be in mentioning 10,000 steps. Dear Abby: I never expected to be writing to you, but I am frustrated. My husband, who is a great guy, sniffles constantly. He gets very annoyed with me when I call it to his attention and says I should just get used to it. He does it at home and in the car. He doesn t have a cold or a runny nose. I notice when we are out socially, he doesn t sniffle the entire time. I have tried to ignore it, but frankly it s the most irritating sound. I read recently that there are three top irritating sounds, and sniffling is one of them. I showed the article to my husband, but he shrugged it off. I usually know how to handle situations, but I m stumped with this one. Hope you don t think my letter is nothing to sniff at. Miserable in Mass. Dear miserable: If your husband hasn t discussed this with his doctor, he should. It s possible that he has a chronic sinus condition or allergies, and his problem could be easily corrected. It could also be a nervous habit. However, there is no chance that the sniffling will stop unless he s willing to seek treatment. I wish you luck in convincing him. Dear Abby: I m a 23-year-old girl still single. I haven t had a real kiss or dated, either. My mom and friends think it s because I read a lot of romance novels and imagine something like that happening to me. Are they right? Will I ever find love? Hopeless romantic Dear hopeless romantic: You probably will find love eventually. However, before you can do that, you will first have to spend less time reading and more time meeting men and making friends, and stop expecting them to live up to your fantasies. 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) ICSK Khaitan begins new year with tree plantation Like a plant, the more rooted a child is in his/her source of nourishment, the stronger he/she will grow. Proclaiming this, there cannot be a better way to begin the new academic year of a School than starting it with planting trees. To instill the concept of The Green School, a tree Plantation programme was held in The Indian Community School Kuwait Khaitan on the first day of the academic year The students of Class VIII along with the Principal, senior teachers and distinguished guests, enthusiastically participated in the programme. The school has got, courtesy of various philanthropic organizations working for environmental causes, to implement this what s on today emergency Site for checking travel ban AUK Graphic Design Capstone Exhibition: The American University of Kuwait (AUK) cordially invites you to visit the 10th Annual Graphic Design 2017 Capstone Exhibition taking place from May 22 until June 1 at the Promenade Culture Centre located at The Promenade Mall, 3rd Ring Road, Opposite Qadsiya. The exhibition will be open according to the following schedule: May 27-June 1; 9-11 pm The AUK Graphic Design Capstone represents an opportunity for senior students to fully incorporate their design strengths and learning into a focused, extended process of research and visual expression. The diversity of projects and resolutions are wide-ranging, from social activism campaigns to corporate identity rebranding and entrepreneurship. Blue Nights at Sultan Gallery: DEAN PROJECT is pleased to announce the opening of it s next exhibition, Blue Nights, which features the work of eleven contemporary artists. Curated by Mark Dean, this group show of contemporary pop art is a continuation of the Miami-based gallery s biannual collaboration with the historical Sultan Gallery in Kuwait. It will be on view from May 16 to June 15, 2017 green school. The representatives from these organizations, Gurdeep and team from Green Welfare Force Kuwait, Mohemmed Raouf from Gulf Palms, Ilyas from IMA Youth Wing and Krishan from Beas Cultural Society were present on this occasion to participate and help this drive make successful. The Principal K.G. Shirsath briefed the concept of the Green School and related future plans in his address and thanked the courteous associations for their contributions. Various types of plants were planted like date palm, berry, olive, lemon and a variety of flowering trees. Earlier, the school had collected all the used Photos from the event. The exhibition s title takes its name from Joan Didion s memoir, Blue Nights, originally published in Much like Didion a writer known for exploring the cultural values and experiences of American life the works in this group show comment on contemporary pop culture and the current global mood. Visually, all the works in Blue Nights contain or are the color blue. Similar to Didion s titular reference to the fi nal lingering hours of daylight in summer, the blues used in the show warn of darkness, though simultaneously seem to suggest that it may never come. Figurative and abstract, the exhibited works are executed in diverse media, yet cohesively come together to speak about the universal contemporary human experience and to export these ideas from the United States to Kuwait. DEAN PROJECTs fi rst exhibition in Kuwait was ten years ago, and for the gallery, this project marks the passage of time and an anniversary. Blue Nights brings together diverse artists working across disciplines to address contemporary issues of our existence and to share these experiences with a broader, more global audience. Artists featured in the show: Lluis Barba, Vincent Beaurin, Tim Berg & Rebekah Myers, Carlos Betancourt, Mel Bochner, Max Steven Grossman, Brad Howe, Hendrik Kerstens, Robert Polidori, Hunt Slonem, and Donald Sultan. Experience Science for Adults: Registration is now open for Experience Science for Adults. Why should kids have all the fun?! The fi ve week programme will be held on Saturday from 10:00 am-11:30 am at the Yarmouk Cultural Centre. Registration is limited to 16. You may register at either the Amricani Cultural Centre, Sunday to Thursday 10:00-3:00 or the Yarmouk Cultural Centre, Sunday to Thursday 10:00-6:00. For more information, please education@darmuseum.org.kw Football coaching workshops: Interested in Coaching/professional development? This weekend Everton Academy, Bayan will be welcoming three top coaches from Glasgow Celtic F.C., the Scottish Premier League Champions, including their International Academy Manager, Tony Massie. They will be delivering a certified Celtic Coach Education program on Saturday, 6-8pm, Sunday, 6-8pm and Monday, pm. Certificates will only be awarded to coaches attending all 3 sessions. Places are limited - register at Bayan office any evening 5-8pm. books from the students at the end of the academic year and along with used papers from the school, weighing more than five tons was sent for recycling. Students participated in this drive enthusiastically as the money earned from the used paper recycling has been spent for planting trees in the campus. The school management appreciated and congratulated the staff and students of ICSK Khaitan for this initiative and their sensitivity towards the environment. At the end of the activity students pledged to nurture and preserve these trees to make the school green in its true sense. number 112 Civil ID info: Ramadan Sports Mania 2017: Don Bosco Oratory Kuwait is once again pleased to announce its Ramadan Sports Mania for the Indian Community in Kuwait. The event will conclude the following indoor sports: 4-a- side rink football tournament (men s and ladies); 3 -a- side rink tie breaker tournament; 7-a-side men s, ladies and mixed box cricket tournament; open carom (single/ doubles) tournament. The tournaments will be played on a league cum knockout basis during the Holy month of Ramadan at the IEAS Quadrangle (Don Bosco) in Salmiya. For registration and more information: Contact TIES Center events: TIES Center announces following events Tajweed and Recitation: Learn and practice the art of reciting the Holy Quran (tajweed). The instructor will also answer questions related to the meaning of the Arabic words and verses. Every Sunday & 10 11:30am; every 5-6:30pm. The TIES Center is the social and educational hub for English Speaking expats in Kuwait. For more information, please call or info@tiescenter.net or visit

28 28 Price contestant breaks record Mitt helped Veep showrunner convey Meyer presidential loss Couch slouch LOS ANGELES, May 27, (RTRS): The band may have been broken up in Season 6 of HBO s Veep, but the actors chatted and laughed as though nothing was different at the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood. The FYC event took place on the heels of the news that the political satire had been renewed for a Season 7, and featured a screening of the seventh episode of the current season. Afterwards, People magazine editor-in-chief Jess Cagle hosted a panel of the ensemble cast, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, and Sam Richardson, and showrunner Dave Mandel. Mandel took over writing for Veep after the end of Season 4, and is responsible for both the storyline of Season 5, which saw President Selina Meyer lose her presidency and the Season 6 plotline in which many of the main cast no longer employed by Selina have gone their separate ways. Mandel said he decided to have Selina lose largely to keep the show funny. Taking (the presidency) away would sort of throw her into a tizzy and give us another chance to shake everything up, he explained. And for everybody else, put them out of jobs and make them, in some cases, damaged goods because they lost the election. Louis-Dreyfus concurred. Failure is our friend on this show, she said. (Selina) had to lose because winning is not that funny really. The panel discussed the different stories each character had in the new season, including Scott s Dan Egan becoming a CBS This Morning anchor. The media has always been a character in the show, there s always been reporter characters, Mandel said. And so the idea of having one of ours jumping to the other side was kind of interesting. Then the media would still be a character, and we d have Dan giving us news updates. The relationship between Hale s Gary Walsh and Selina Meyer, which Louis- Dreyfus termed was also taken to new heights this season in the episode Justice when Selina ended up sleeping in Gary s bed with him while he recovered from a massive heart attack. Chlumsky said she enjoyed playing Amy-with-a-fiance this season. I really love playing people that do things that they re not even aware of. And Amy is a great opportunity to do that. She gave (finding a boyfriend) a shot, and really thought she was in love. I ve been calling this the identity crisis season for everybody and she s a part of that. She s always been someone who likes to win, but she s been having loss after loss, so she s grasping for the familiarity. With the 2016 election still on the minds of many, Walsh, who plays press secretary Mike McClintock, said he thinks many are finding the show to be an escape from the real world of politics. I think people want to laugh at politics now more than ever, he said. So that s why there is a strong engagement and a fervor to watch Veep because it s been terribly depressing and disappointing in D.C. Mandel said they brought in Mitt Romney and members of George H.W. Bush s administration to help the cast understand what it s like to lose an election. According to him, Romney, who is both a millionaire and the patriarch of a large family, was able to find solace after losing the 2012 election in his money and family. On last week s episode of CBS s hit game show The Price Is Right, contestant Ryan Belz broke Plinko records by landing his chips in the $10,000 slot three times. For those who aren t rabid Price followers, Plinko involves a contestant standing at the top of a large vertical gameboard who then drops chips down into a series of channels. At the bottom of the gameboard are a series of slots, each worth a certain amount of money ranging from zero to $10,000. The contestant is given five chips and attempts to rack up as much money as possible. Belz started off his run on top, with his first chip landing in the $10,000 slot. He immediately flipped out and began yelling and clutching his chest in shock and joy. His second scored him an additional $1,000. After his third chip once again landed in the $10,000 slot, the audience began to chant Ryan, Ryan, to which the bespectacled Belz happily joined in. History has ordered a 10-episode scripted drama from executive producer Robert Zemeckis straight to series, Variety has learned. Currently titled Blue Book, the series chronicles the real top secret United States Air Force-sponsored investigations into UFO-related phenomena in the 1950s and 60s known as Project Blue Book. It will focus on college professor Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who is recruited by the military to spearhead the project. Rarely have I been associated with a project that is a perfect fusion of historical fact and extraordinary entertainment, said Zemeckis. We are grateful for A+E Studios and History s support for what I know will be a fabulous series. Fox News Channel lent support to its best-known anchor Sean Hannity, saying Thursday that the popular host would return to its air next week following a Memorial Day holiday vacation - an effort to tamp down speculation that a controversy currently enveloping Hannity could escalate further. Like the rest of the country, Sean Hannity is taking a vacation for Memorial Day weekend and will be back on Tuesday, the 21st Century Fox-owned network said in a statement. Those who suggest otherwise are going to look foolish. Hannity has become embroiled in a furor over his recent promotion of a discredited story about the death last summer of Seth Rich, a DNC staffer who was murdered in Washington, DC last July in what local police have stated they believe is a botched robbery. Hannity has in recent days promoted an unproven theory that Rich was killed in exchange for providing internal documents to Wikileaks, prompting statements of outrage from the Rich family. On Tuesday, Fox News said it had retracted a story, published on FoxNews. com, about Rich s murder - believed to mark a rare instance of the news outlet has withdrawing an article over its more than 20-year history. tv highlights click General Continued from Page 26 educational hub for English Speaking Muslims in Kuwait. For more information, please call or info@tiescenter.net or visit Scrabble sessions are back: Scrabble sessions are back for all to come, learn and play with us at Better Books, Salmiyah, Bldg 19, next to Badur Travel, opposite the Ministry of Private Education, on Friday afternoons from 2:30-5:30 pm. Inviting all kids aged 8 and above to join me and play competitively with me Rohaina. Classes are held every Saturday from pm. Bknelled, Euphuize, Waqf, Zooeae are some of the lovely words and there are 200,000 more you can learn with us. But the fun part is playing this wonderful game competitively. So come and see us and call Rohaina Tanweer. Sports Chess Round Robin Challenge: Registrations are open for chess coaching and the Annual Round Robin Challenger Series. Send your name, Civil ID No., mobile number, age, rating to saviosgomes@gmail.com with CCR in the subject. No entry fee. Kwt-Brits football supporters: A new football supporters website for British expats living and working in Kuwait has been set up by an Everton supporter, Trevor Powell. The Kuwait Brits Football Supporters Association (KBFSA) site aims to provide contact information for supporters of each others whereabouts and also in Cinema A flyer of the event Cinema programme from Thursday 25/05/2017 to Wednesday 31/05/2017 the future hopes to organise social events such as quizzes and even five-a-side matches on a home international teams basis. We need expats to register their support and hence we can then start to cast around for a suitable meeting venue. The site can be accessed at Free fitness classes: Free fitness classes at B.FIT studio in Salmiya! Classes include Zumba, Masala Bhangra workout, aerobics, toning & much more. Contact for further information. Hurry and enroll now! FBC tournament: Filipino Badminton Committee (FBC) is inviting all badminton enthusiast in Kuwait to join their regular badminton tournament being held every Friday from 8 am to 7 pm at Kuwait Disabled Sports Club, Bin Khaldoun Hawalli. Over 10 badminton courts are now available for badminton practices and tournament and it is open for all nationalities and from different badminton organizations. Exclusive-private court are also available on per hour rental. For more information, please contact Dr Chie Umandap 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. Courses Islamic and Arabic courses: Islamic and Arabic courses are being offered at the Enlightenment into Islam Center starting from 5:00-7:00 pm. Registrations can be done at the main office Women s Committee in Qurtoba. For more information contact: , , and Islamic classes in French: The Enlightenment into Islam is offering Islamic Classes in French for ladies. Timings 4:30 to 7 pm. Every Wednesday. Please register at the office (Women s Section), 2nd floor. For more information please contact us. Telephone , , , Fax (attention Enlightenment into Islam) IPC Arabic Course: IPC Rawdah Ladies Section will commence the Arabic Conversation Course. The students must have successfully completed at least 3 levels of Arabic. Placement test will be taken by those who took Arabic class outside IPC. Class is every Friday from 9-11 am. IPC Rawdah Embassies Chinese Embassy notice: Documents issued in Kuwait and to be used in China mainland shall first be notarized and legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait, and then be legalised by Chinese Embassy in Kuwait. Specific requirements and information for document legalisation, please refer to the website of Chinese Embassy in Kuwait. For documents issued by member countries of the Apostille Convention*, after getting Apostilles from the competent authorities, they can be used in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR of China directly. *Refer to the Convention of Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents Chinese Embassy notice: Please be noted that effective starting today, the photo used in a Chinese visa application must meet the requirements (For details, please visit the website of Chinese embassy org/eng/). Application with non-compliant photos will not be processed. Thank you for your attention and cooperation. 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. Alien: Covenant Sharqia 3 23:30 Muhalab 3 23:45 Fanar 3 00:30 Avenues 1 23: :45, 00: :15, 00:45 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Sharqia 3 21:30 Muhalab 3 21:45 Fanar 4 22:00, 00:05 Marina 3 21:30 Avenues 4 22:45 (No Sun) Avenues 11 22:15, 00: :45, 23:45 Al-Kout 2 22:00 Bairaq 3 22:00 Laila 21:45 Everything, Everything :05 Fast & Furious 8 Avenues 7 00:15 Gifted Sharqia 2 22:00, 00:05 Muhalab 2 22:15, 00:15 Fanar 5 23:30 Marina 1 22:00, 00:05 Avenues 4 00:45 Avenues 9 21: :15, 00: :30, 00:30 Al-Kout 1 21:30, 23:30 Bairaq 1 23:45 Here Alone Avenues 3 00: :00 Jurassic World Avenues 2 00:05 Bairaq 2 23: :45, 00: :30 King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword Sharqia 1 21:45 Muhalab 1 00:30 Fanar 2 21:45, 00:15 Marina 2 21:45, 00:15 Avenues 5 21:45, 00:15 Avenues 6 22:00, 00:30 Avenues 11 21:45, 00: :45, 00: :30, 00:05 Al-Kout 3 21:45, 00:30 Bairaq 3 00:05 Laila 23:45 Mamno o Min Al Ektirab Aw Altasweer Avenues 8 21:30, 23: :00, 00:15 00:30 Al-Kout 2 00:05 Minions Avenues 1 21:30 Avenues 2 22:00 Bairaq 1 21: : :30 The Bleeder (Chuck) Sharqia 1 00:15 Fanar 1 00:45 Marina 3 23:30 Avenues 10 22:00, 00: :45, 00:45 Al-Kout 4 22:15, 00:15 The Boss Baby Fanar 5 21:30 Avenues 3 22: :00, 00:05 Bairaq 2 21:30 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Hindi) Avenues 9 23:45 Sachin: A Billion Dreams (Hindi) Fanar 1 22: :05 Ajial 2 21:30, 00:15 How to find us Godha (Malayalam) :30 Plaza 21:30, 00:05 Ajial 1 00:05 Ramante Edanthottam (Malayalam) Avenues 7 21:45 Plaza 00:05 Ajial 1 21:30 Rarandoi Veduka Chuddam (Telugu) 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: , Muhalab 1 21:30 Fanar 3 21:30 Ajial 4 21:30, 00:15 Thondan (Tamil) :00 Ajial 3 21:45, 00:30 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 04:30 pm Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am 09:30 pm A Beautiful Planet 3D 12:30 pm, 02:30 pm, 05:30 pm, 08:30 pm Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 01:30 pm Humpback Whales 3D 03:30 pm, 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 Brazilian docs use fish skin to treat burn victims More Americans with Alzheimer s dying at home: report NEW YORK, May 27, (Agencies): One in 4 Alzheimer s deaths in the United States are now occurring at home a startling increase that marks a shift away from hospitals and nursing homes, according to a report. Alzheimer s deaths in hospitals and nursing homes or other long-term care facilities shrank from more than 80 percent to 60 percent over 15 years. Meanwhile, those dying at home rose from 14 percent to 25 percent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Alzheimer s disease is a progressive brain disorder that impairs memory, judgment and other mental abilities. It s most common in the elderly. In the final stages of the disease, people have trouble eating and carrying on a conversation, are vulnerable to pneumonia and infections, and often need around-the-clock care. The Alzheimer s death rate has risen nearly 80 percent since 1999 and the disease is the nation s sixth leading cause of death. Deaths have been climbing for some time. A big reason is declines in other causes of death particularly heart disease and cancer are enabling more people to live long enough to die from Alzheimer s, experts say. In the new report, the CDC analyzed death certificates from 1999 to 2014 and found a surprise a shift in where people with Alzheimer s are dying. Experts said it s not clear why more people with Alzheimer s are dying at home than in hospitals or nursing homes. One possible explanation is patient preference. For people losing their memories, it can be a comfort to remain in familiar surroundings, said A Yemeni child suspected of being infected with cholera receives treatment at a hospital in Sanaa. Cholera has killed 315 people in Yemen in under a month, the World Health Organization has said, as another aid organisation warned the outbreak could become a full-blown epidemic. (AFP) Jeff Huber, president of Home Instead Senior Care, an Omaha-based company that provides home care to tens of thousands of clients with Alzheimer s and dementia. But it can be difficult for families. Even if they have the insurance or money to get home-care workers to help, caring for an Alzheimer s patient can take an exhausting toll, experts said. As baby boomers age, the numbers dying from Alzheimer s are just going to get worse, said Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs for the Alzheimer s Association. The CDC also released Alzheimer s death rates for counties. The counties with the highest rates over 10 years were tiny Eddy County in east central North Dakota, and Hamlin County in eastern South Dakota. Several counties in the South were near the top of the list. It s not clear why. Doctors in some places might be better at diagnosing Alzheimer s, or coroners and medical examiners might more commonly put Alzheimer s on death certificates instead of other causes, said Christopher Taylor, a CDC epidemiologist who was the report s lead author. CANCUN, Mexico, May 27, (RTRS): The rapid reaction by the Democratic Republic of Congo to recent cases of Ebola showed lessons were learned from earlier outbreaks, a top global health official said on Friday, stressing the need to factor health into disaster risk plans. Two cases of the virus have been confirmed by the World Health Organization in Congo s remote northeastern Bas-Uele province since early May. Four people have died so far among the 43 suspected and confirmed cases. With the improved activation of early alert systems and emergency teams in Congo, hopefully we will not get into a full-blown outbreak like it was a few years before, the secretary general of the International Red Cross and Red Cross Also: FORTALEZA, Brazil: Researchers in Brazil are experimenting with a new treatment for severe burns using the skin of tilapia fish, an unorthodox procedure they say can ease the pain of victims and cut medical costs. Frozen animal skin and even human tissue have long been placed on burns to keep them moist and allow the transfer of collagen, a protein that promotes healing. Brazil s public hospitals, People couldn t recognise it in time New Ebola cases may show effect of improved alerts Societies told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview. This is very different from what we experienced in Liberia, Senegal and Guinea, where the outbreak was happening for the first time ever, said Elhadj As Sy. People couldn t recognise it in time, he said. Ebola in West Africa killed more than 11,300 between 2014 and Sy said the remote location in Congo about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from the capital Kinshasa - meant the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever was quasiquarantining itself. One is this time building on the past experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last outbreak as well as lessons learned in the last outbreak, he said. however, lack human and animal skin supplies and the artificial alternatives easily available in Western countries. Instead, gauze bandage, which needs regular changing - often painfully - is the norm. Tilapia is abundant in Brazil s rivers and fish farms, which are expanding rapidly as demand grows for the mildly flavored freshwater fish. Scientists at the Federal University of Ceara in northern Brazil have found that tilapia skin has moisture, collagen This latest Ebola outbreak is Congo s eighth, the most of any country. The fever was first detected in its dense tropical forests in 1976 and named after its river Ebola. Speaking on the sidelines of a United Nations conference on disasters, Sy said vulnerable people in areas plagued by conflict and natural disasters such as Somalia and South Sudan need measures to reduce exposure to risk and increase their resilience. The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction meeting in Cancun, which ended on Friday, was the first major meeting since a framework was hammered out in Sendai, Japan two years ago, setting ambitious targets for governments to cut deaths and economic losses from disasters by and disease resistance at levels comparable to human skin, and can aid in healing. In China, researchers have tested tilapia skin on rodents to study its healing properties, but scientists in Brazil say their trials are the first on humans. The use of tilapia skin on burns is unprecedented, said Odorico de Morais, a professor at Ceara University. The fish skin is usually thrown away, so we are using this product to convert it into something of social benefit.

30 Turkey seeks compromise over Russian ban on its tomatoes Kuwait refinery Qatar trade surplus In a bid to resolve a trade row with Russia, Turkey has proposed Moscow lifts its ban on imported Turkish tomatoes during periods when Russian growers are unable to produce their own. We understand Russia would like to develop its domestic (tomato) production but they are in a position to continue trading with Turkey while doing that, a senior Turkish official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday. Ankara and Moscow have been working to normalise ties after relations soured following the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey in November However, some Russian restrictions on Turkish goods remain in place, including tomatoes. Under the Turkish proposal, Moscow s ban would remain at times when Russia was producing its own tomatoes, with its main harvest season during summer months. It would be sufficient for Turkey for Russia to close borders for exports during when they produce and then reopen when they can t, the official said. It was not immediately clear how Moscow viewed the Turkish proposal, but Russian officials earlier this month said restrictions on tomato imports from Turkey would remain in place in some form for the next three to five years. (RTRS) State-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Co (KNPC) said on Saturday it expects to restart some units at its Mina Abdulla refinery in June after maintenance, Kuwait agency Kuna reported. Mutlaq al-azmi the deputy CEO of the refinery said the units were taken offline on May 12 and are set to restart on June 6. Among the units that are offline are two naphtha units, the vacuum distillation unit, a diesel and jet fuel treatment units. The refinery has capacity to refine 270,000 barrels per day of crude oil. (RTRS) Qatar s trade surplus last month jumped 105 percent on a year ago, according to data published on Saturday by the Ministry of Development, Planning and Statistics. Exports of petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons climbed 33.2 percent to billion riyals ($3.16 billion). Qatar Foreign Trade 04/17 03/17 04/16 Exports (mln riyals, FOB) 18,766 19,655 15,001 Imports (CIF) 8,935 9,795 10,206 Balance 9,831 9,860 4,795 Note: FOB - free on board, CIF - cost, insurance and freight. Previous figures are revised. (RTRS) Market Movements Change Closing pts INDIA - Sensex , HONG KONG - Hang Seng , S. KOREA - KRX , Change Closing pts PHILIPPINES - All Shares , AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries , JAPAN - Nikkei , EUROPE - Euro Stoxx , GERMANY - DAX , FRANCE - CAC , Business OPEC ponders how to co-exist with US shale Cartel wants higher oil prices VIENNA, May 27, (RTRS): First, they ignored each other. Then, they went into a bruising fight. Finally, they are talking, albeit with opposing agendas. The history of the relationship between OPEC and the US shale oil industry has evolved a great deal since the cartel discovered it had a surprise rival emerging in a core market for its oil around five years ago. US shale bankers came to Vienna this week and OPEC is readying a trip for its top officials to Texas in a bid to understand whether the two industries can co-exist or are poised to embark on another major fight in the near future. We have to coexist, said Khalid al-falih, Saudi Arabia s energy minister, who pushed through OPEC production cuts in December, reversing Riyadh s previous strategy to pump as much as possible and try to kill off US shale with low oil prices. OPEC and non-opec countries led by Russia agreed on Thursday to extend oil output curbs by nine months to March 2018, keeping roughly 2 percent of global production off the market in an attempt to boost prices. But OPEC now realises supply cuts and higher prices only make it easier for the shale industry to deliver higher profit after it found ways of slashing costs when Saudi Arabia turned up the taps three years ago. In the Permian Basin the largest US oilfield Parsley Energy Inc, Diamondback Energy Inc and others are pumping at the fastest rate in years, taking advantage of new technology, low costs and steady oil prices to reap profits at OPEC s expense. OPEC s latest calculus acknowledges the global clout of shale but seeks to hinder its growth by keeping just enough supply on the market to hold prices below $60 per barrel. All shale companies in the US are small companies, said Noureddine Boutarfa, who represented Algeria at the meeting. The reality is that at $50 to $60 a barrel, (the US oil industry) can t break beyond 10 million barrels per day. That is the level many analysts estimate US oil production will reach next year, in what would be a 1 million bpd rise, a staggering jump for an industry marked during 2015 and 2016 by scores of bankruptcies and thousands of layoffs after a two-year price war with OPEC. Still, that extra volume may not be enough to meet rising global demand or offset natural declines in traditional oilfields, which OPEC is banking on. For all OPEC members, $55 (per barrel) and a maximum of $60 is the goal at this stage, said Bijan Zanganeh, Iran s oil minister. So is that price level not high enough to encourage too much shale? It seems it is good for both. Some OPEC members seem keen to show they have shed any prior naivete about shale, making it a key topic during Thursday s meeting after barely mentioning it before. Shale s limitations, including rising service costs, also were discussed. We had a discussion on (shale) and how much that has an impact, said Market wanted deeper cuts, exit strategy Oversold: Oil traders punish OPEC for promising too much VIENNA, May 27, (RTRS): As OPEC s latest meeting wrapped up in Vienna on Thursday night, ministers congratulated each other on its rare spirit of amity and consensus. The talks were, without a doubt, a success. But two hours later, one veteran delegate was staring in despair at the numbers flashing red on his smartphone showing crude down some 5 percent to $51 a barrel. That is a disaster, he said. While OPEC has worked hard in recent years on improving communication to ensure the right message is delivered to financial markets, Thursday s experience showed the 14-member group and its non-opec allies still have a long way to go. The problem was not what was delivered, but what appeared to have been promised beforehand, industry analysts said. OPEC agreed on Thursday to extend its existing production cuts by nine months more than the Ecuador Oil Minister Carlos Pérez. But we have no control over what the US does and it s up to them to decide to continue or not. Mark Papa, chief executive of Permian oil producer Centennial Resource Development Inc, was asked by OPEC delegates to give a presentation on shale s potential last week. He appeared to have played his cards close to his chest. In terms of the threat, we still don t know how much (US shale) will be producing in the near future, Nelson Martinez, Venezuela s oil minister said after the talk. By the same token, some US shale leaders may also want a better insight into OPEC thinking and help OPEC understand that shale is not a flash in the pan. OPEC looks at shale and it scoffs, said Dave Purcell of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co, a US shale investment bank that attended the OPEC meeting for the first time. There s a rational skepticism globally, but it misses the mark. initially suggested six months in tandem with non-opec producers, including Russia. But hints from the group that it could deepen supply cuts, extend them by as long as 12 months, curtail exports and tell the market how exactly it would terminate supply curbs in 2018 had raised market expectations much higher. OPEC oversold the meeting to the market way too early, Amrita Sen, from the consultancy Energy Aspects, told Reuters in Vienna. The market reaction was all the more disappointing given that from OPEC s perspective, the meeting went very well. I have been in OPEC close to 20 years. It s the first time that I witness 100 percent compliance (with cuts) from OPEC and close to 100 percent from non-opec, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh told Reuters afterward. OPEC s No. 3 producer, Iran has repeatedly clashed in past meetings with OPEC s de-facto leader, its political arch-rival Saudi Arabia. Russia, which effectively is fighting a proxy war with Saudi Arabia in Syria, said on Thursday its energy cooperation with Riyadh would last well into the future. In its statement, OPEC said it could extend curbs further or cut more. Normally, all this would be more than enough to trigger a bull rally. It s strange. I don t know why (the market crashed) Zanganeh said. OPEC and non-opec oil producers first agreed to cut output in December 2016 the first joint deal in 15 years and said the curbs could be extended by a further six months. The extraordinary move was aimed at battling a global glut of crude that halved prices from 2014, forcing Russia and Saudi Arabia to tighten their belts and leading to unrest in Venezuela and Nigeria. For example, the UAE Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed al- Mazroui said he did not believe US oil production would rise by 1 million bpd next year. Some of OPEC s customers are happy to see an alternative. India, the world s third-largest oil consumer, said this week it is looking to the United States for greater supply. The new normal has to be accepted, Dharmendra Pradhan, India s energy minister said this week ahead of the OPEC meeting. The cuts helped push oil prices back above $50 per barrel but also spurred growth in the US shale industry, which does not participate in the output deal. That slowed a rebalancing of supply and demand, with global inventories still near record highs. As the price fell back towards $47 in early May, near a six-month low, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-falih said OPEC would do whatever it takes to rebalance the market, including a longer extension for the output cuts. If you declare nine months in advance, people are bound to expect more, Sen said. Russia also added to the expectations by saying this week that cuts could be prolonged by 12 months. The market was also disappointed OPEC did not mention its previously stated plan to bring stocks down from a record high of 3 billion barrels to their five-year average of 2.7 billion, said Olivier Jakob from the Petromatrix consultancy. OPEC meets again in November to reconsider output policy. While most in the group now appear to believe that shale has to be accommodated, there are still those in OPEC who think another fight is around the corner. If we get to a point where we feel frustrated by a deliberate action of shale producers to just sabotage the market, OPEC will sit down again and look at what process it is we need to do, said Nigerian Oil Minister Emmanuel Kachikwu. Oil prices seen stable Russia s role in OPEC By Kamel Al-Harami Independent Oil Analyst OPEC s agreement last Thursday was reached smoothly within a short time. All members of OPEC as well as Russia and other non-opec countries unanimously agreed to the historic deal that will last until the end of the first quarter of next year. This accord was reached and enforced because of the prior understanding reached between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Without Russia and its commitment to OPEC s resolution, such a deal would have just been a dream without any positive effect or impact on the oil market. Russia is the largest oil producing country with a daily production rate of over 11.5 million barrels and with over 100 billion barrels of oil reserve. It is also the largest Al-Harami producer of gas. Without its involvement and its influence on other OPEC members such as Iran and Iraq, the oil prices would have still been in the range of $30-$40 per barrel. Pace Last year, Saudi Arabia realized that it could not manage the market alone, considering the increasing production of shale oil at a fast pace such that the production rate is now more than five million barrels per day, which is over 50 percent of the total US domestic crude oil production. Therefore, it had to reach some sort of understanding with the biggest producer, which was receptive. This helped in reaching a deal in no time, paving way for the famous agreement in November last year to cut production by 1.8 million barrels per day. This pushed oil prices to reach above $54 level, with the full involvement and support of Russia by reducing its own crude oil production. The current glut oil situation is going to last for more than six months, which is beyond what OPEC had initially thought would be enough through daily production cuts of 1.8 million barrels. Last Thursday agreement has rectified the resolution, deciding on production cuts of an additional nine months until the end of the first quarter of next year in order for the market to use up the surplus oil. Oil prices will remain firm and steady from now on, with full cooperation of OPEC and Russia as well as other non-opec producers. In this manner, the oil prices will remain in the range of $50 and above. As long as there is commitment from all to the agreed production cuts, oil will remain stable and will help generate increase in demand. Hopefully, this will in turn make room for increase in production of additional volumes but gradually and with caution. The involvement of Russia and its cooperation with OPEC is the reason why oil prices are sailing smoothly. naftikuwaiti@yahoo.com Rouhani re-election is powerful message to West: Zanganeh Iran hopes to sign groundbreaking deals with oil majors In this file photo, Iran s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh (center), attends the 172nd meeting at OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria. (AFP) TMX pitch is broader than just slice of Aramco IPO Canada plays up its natural resources expertise TORONTO, May 27, (RTRS): The Toronto Stock Exchange s efforts to win a slice of the massive Saudi Aramco public listing plays up the country s deep experience in natural resources as part of a broader offer to help the kingdom with its shift away from oil dependence. In pitch documents obtained by Reuters, the TSX talks up a customized regulatory environment for resource issuers, its leading position in oil and gas equity capital raising, and strong trading interest from outside the country. The Canadian pitch is also broader than just for a slice of the Aramco IPO. On several trips to the kingdom, the most recent in late March, TMX executives have been joined by senior executives from some of the country s biggest banks, brokerages and other financial players as Canada Inc seeks a role in delivering the kingdom s broader Vision 2030 plan. One source directly involved in the Canadian pitch told Reuters they are focused on convincing the Saudis that Canada excels in 10 of the 12 areas they have targeted for development under that plan, including in mining and infrastructure. The source declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. We feel that we have put TMX and Canada s best foot forward and we continue to promote our strengths in pursuit of business opportunities in the region and around the world, TMX said in a statement. But its best chance of winning a part of the biggest IPO ever, expected to raise about $100 billion as early as next year, may lie in its geography and geopolitics, securities lawyers say. While the exchange, owned by the TMX Group Ltd, is widely considered an underdog in a race that has also excited larger exchanges in London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore its case could be bolstered by a recent change in US law that allows those affected by the September 11, 2001 attacks to sue the Saudi government, they said. We are inoffensive from a political perspective, said Sarah Gingrich, a Calgary-based partner at Fasken Martineau, who has previously worked in Dubai with Saudi clients for international law firm Freshfields. That law, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, came into effect in September, after the US Congress overrode a veto by former President Barack Obama. A group of insurers has since renewed a $6-billion lawsuit against the kingdom, seeking to hold it responsible for business and property damage as a result of the attacks, in which Saudi has long denied involvement. In a March 17 interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Saudi energy minister, Khalid al- Falih, said the so-called terror law is one consideration in the country s decision on whether to list in the United States. Falih, who is Aramco s chairman, declined to comment on the specifics of the IPO process at a recent news conference in Riyadh, citing legal restrictions. However, he said the Saudi government still intended to list Aramco in 2018 and that the preparations were on track. It was not clear if the issue was discussed during US President Donald Trump s recent visit. A spokeswoman for the NYSE, which sources have said planned to visit Saudi soon after Trump s visit, declined to comment on their efforts to win Aramco s business. VIENNA, May 27, (RTRS): Iran hopes to sign groundbreaking deals with oil majors such as Total and Lukoil this year as the re-election this month of reformist Hassan Rouhani to the presidency should boost investments. Iran s veteran oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, told Reuters in an interview he saw his country adding around a quarter to its production capacity in the next five years thanks to new projects with international companies. The development of new fields as well as improved oil recovery from mature reservoirs should allow Iran, OPEC s No. 3 oil producer, to have the capacity to pump 5 million barrels per day, or 5 percent of global crude, versus 4 million bpd now. Gas condensate output capacity should increase to 1 million bpd from about 600,000 bpd now. Meeting One important step was the election, because in this election Iranian people said yes to positive interaction with the world, Zanganeh said in Vienna after a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. I hope this message will be understood positively... especially by the superpower in the world, he said in a clear reference to the United States, which has had sanctions against Iran since the 1979 Iranian revolution. It is not the time to trigger actions against Iran, he said. US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions against Iran. It (the election) is a very clear message to the world. More than percent of Iran s young people, middle-class people, university students, sent this message. I hope the world receives it positively. Zanganeh said he hoped Iran would sign oil deals this year with France s Total, Russia s Lukoil as well as Danish Maersk and maybe Indonesia s Pertamina. Talks are focusing on the development of fields such as South Azadegan, Yadavaran, West Karoon, Mansuri and Abe-Timur and oil layers in the giant South Pars gas field. He said the rise in Iran s production capacity should not derail cooperation with OPEC, which on Thursday asked its members to curb output for another nine months to fight a global oil glut. All OPEC decisions are short-term decisions. Production capacity is part of our long-term plans, Zanganeh said. Zanganeh, who clashed with Iran s archrival Saudi Arabia at many previous OPEC meetings, said he was positively surprised by good cooperation within the organisation, its partnership with non-opec Russia as well as solid OPEC and non-opec compliance with output cuts. After more than two years, I think it s the first time we had a smooth meeting without any issue. I have been in OPEC close to 20 years, it s the first time that I witness 100 percent compliance from OPEC and close to 100 percent from non-opec.

31 BUSINESS 31 GM pickup owners sue, alleging emissions cheating Ford s ex-ceo leaves co with $51.1m Two US owners of General Motors diesel pickup models sued the giant automaker on Thursday, claiming it had used emissionscheating devices similar to those in Volkswagen s global dieselgate scandal. The company quickly denied the allegations. The lawsuit, fi led in a Detroit federal court, came the same week that US authorities brought legal action against Fiat Chrysler, accusing the company of likewise confi g- uring diesel-powered vehicles to deceive emissions tests, an allegation the company denies. In court papers, Andrei Fenner of California, the owner of a 2011 GMC Sierra pickup, and Joshua Herman of Louisiana, who bought a diesel Chevrolet Silverado in 2016, said testing showed that GM was no different than Fiat and Volkswagen in hiding harmful nitrogen oxide emissions. The two pickup models emit far more pollution on the road than in the emission certification testing environment, according to their complaint. The trucks allegedly employ at least three different defeat devices to turn down the emissions controls when the vehicle senses that it is not in the certifi cation test cycle, it added. The lawsuit, which claims to represent the interests of other owners, also accuses the German auto supplier Bosch of involvement in the alleged scheme. Bosch participated in the development of defeat devices for Volkswagen and agreed to compensate US consumers earlier this year. In a statement on its website, GM said there was no truth to the allegations. (RTRS) Ford s former CEO Mark Fields is leaving the company with an estimated $51.1 million in cash, stock awards and pension benefi ts. Fields, 56, retired earlier this week after three years as CEO. Ford made record profi ts during his tenure but its stock price dropped nearly 40 percent on investors concerns about the company s future. Executive compensation tracking firm Equilar calculated Fields compensation for The Associated Press. Fields will be eligible for $22.1 million in stock awards that are continuing to vest and an estimated $17.5 million in pension benefits. He could earn a $3.6 million bonus, but not if he s hired by a competitor. Fields has $7.9 million in vested stock options, but other stock options currently have no value because Ford s stock price has sunk so low. (AP) Merkel pushes back against renewed Trump criticism of surplus Trump and other leaders clash on trade at G7 summit TAORMINA, Italy, May 27, (RTRS): Leaders from the world s major industrialised nations began talks on Friday at a G7 summit in Sicily which is expected to expose deep divisions with US President Donald Trump over trade and climate change. The two-day summit, at a cliff-top hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, began a day after Trump blasted NATO allies for spending too little on defence and described Germany s trade surplus as very bad in a meeting with EU officials in Brussels. No doubt, this will be the most challenging G7 summit in years, Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who chairs summits of European Union leaders, said before the meeting. White House economic adviser Gary Cohn predicted robust discussions on trade and climate. Trump was elected in November after a campaign in which he rejected many of the tenets that the Group of Seven has stood for, including free trade, multilateralism and the liberal democratic values. European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron, had hoped to use the summit to convince Trump to soften some of his stances. But diplomats conceded as the talks began that the United States was unlikely to budge, meaning the final communique could be watered down significantly compared to the one the G7 unveiled at its last summit in Japan. The summit kicked off with a ceremony at an ancient Greek theatre overlooking the sea, where war ships patrolled the sparkling blue waters. Nine fighter jets soared into the sky above Taormina, leaving a trail of smoke in the red-white-green colours of the Italian flag. The leaders then adjourned to the San Domenico Palace, a one-time Dominican monastery that is now a luxury 5-star hotel. During World War Two, it housed Nazi air force chiefs. In a private meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Trump also denounced the German trade surplus as very bad and complained about the large number of German cars being sold in the United States, officials said. Summit Juncker tried to play down the comments ahead of the summit. But they underscored ongoing policy divisions between Trump and his partners four months after he took office. Trump is attending his first major international summit but is not the only G7 newcomer. Macron, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and British Prime Minister Theresa May will also be attending the elite club for the first time. Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed back on Friday against renewed criticism of Germany s trade surplus from US President Donald Trump, who told EU officials Germany was very bad on trade and suggested it was selling too many cars in the United States. Merkel told reporters she had explained to Trump during a G7 summit Macron snubs May on post-brexit trade deal talks TAORMINA, Italy, May 26, (AFP): France s new President Emmanuel Macron on Friday brushed off Theresa May s request for early talks on a trade deal with the EU after Brexit. As the two held their fi rst offi cial talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit, British Prime Minister May repeated that she would like to start talks on trade at the start of the negotiations, rather than waiting until after the thorny issues of Britain s fi nancial settlement and expatriate rights are resolved. in Sicily that the surplus was due in part to factors out of Germany s control and had also highlighted the extent of job-creating German direct investment in the United States. The two agreed to set up a working group that will exchange information on bilateral economic ties, a step German officials said was designed to forestall any punitive measures from Washington based on an incomplete picture of the relationship. The exchange between the leaders came after German media reported on Friday that Trump had sharply criticised Germany in a private meeting on Thursday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk. Spiegel reported that Trump had As regards Brexit I m very clear and I remain clear that we have under the (EU) treaty up to two years to negotiate withdrawal and the future relationship, and when we leave the EU it s important that we know not just what the withdrawal terms are but what that future relationship will be, which will include trade, she told reporters. May also reaffirmed her wish for early clarity on the position of EU citizens in the UK and vice versa, a Downing Street spokesman said. However, a source in the French told Juncker and Tusk: Look at the millions of cars that they are selling in the United States. It s horrible. We ll stop it. White House economic adviser Gary Cohn confirmed some details from the reports, but played them down. He said they re very bad on trade, but he doesn t have a problem with Germany, Cohn told reporters in the resort town of Taormina. Cohn said Trump had pointed out during the meeting with Juncker and Tusk that his father had German roots in order to underscore the message that he had nothing against the German people. Trump s spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump had tremendous respect for Germany and had only complained about unfair trade practices in the delegation said Macron had insisted on the EU s position that the terms of the divorce must be thrashed out first. The European Union will be united in the Brexit negotiations, but France and the United Kingdom will continue to maintain close ties in areas of economic, security and diplomatic cooperation between our two countries, the source said. Britain triggered the two-year process of leaving the European Union on March 29, following a referendum vote last year to end meeting. Earlier, Juncker called the reports exaggerated. The record has to be set straight, Juncker said. It s not true that the president took an aggressive approach when it came to the German trade surplus. But the persistent focus on Germany s surplus has unsettled Merkel s government. Peter Navarro, a Trump trade adviser, has repeatedly criticised Germany and suggested it is deliberately pushing down the value of the euro, an argument the Germans reject, noting that the currency s strength is largely determined by policies of the independent European Central Bank. The German trade surplus, which reached a record 253 billion euros ($283 billion) in 2016, has also been a source of contention within Europe, its four-decade membership of the bloc. The start of formal negotiations must wait until after a general election that May has called for June 8. May met separately at the G7 with US President Donald Trump, a critic of the EU who had declared his support for Brexit. The Downing Street spokesman said: The president and the prime minister reaffirmed their commitment to increasing trade between the UK and the US, including a post-brexit trade deal. with Berlin s partners encouraging it to do more to promote domestic demand. The United States had a $64.9 billion trade deficit with Germany in 2016, according to US government data, down from a $74.8 billion deficit the year before. Trump s attack on German automakers has raised eyebrows, in part because firms like BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen like their Japanese and Korean rivals - build many of their cars in the United States. Together, the three big German automakers employ tens of thousands of people at US factories and dealerships, and operate large vehicle assembly factories in several states that voted for Trump in the 2016 election, including South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. US economy slowed less than expected; outlook cloudier WASHINGTON, May 27, (RTRS): The US economy slowed less than initially thought in the first quarter, but softening business investment and moderate consumer spending are clouding expectations of a sharp acceleration in the second quarter. Gross domestic product increased at a 1.2 percent annual rate instead of the 0.7 percent pace reported last month, the Commerce Department said on Friday in its second GDP estimate for the first three months of the year. That was the worst performance in a year and followed a 2.1 percent growth rate in the fourth quarter. Economic indicators so far aren t entirely convincing on a second-quarter bounce in activity and show a US economy struggling to surprise on the upside, said Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West in San Francisco. The first-quarter weakness is a blow to President Donald Trump s ambitious goal to sharply boost economic growth. Campaign During the 2016 presidential campaign Trump had vowed to lift annual GDP growth to 4 percent, though administration officials now see 3 percent as more realistic. Trump has proposed a range of measures to spur faster growth, including corporate and individual tax cuts. But analysts are skeptical that fiscal stimulus, if it materializes, will fire up the economy given weak productivity and labor shortages in some areas. If the economy is going to grow at 3 percent for as long as the eye can see, businesses better spend lots of money on capital goods. That is not happening, said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania. The economy s sluggishness, however, is probably not a true reflection of its health, as first-quarter GDP tends to underperform because of difficulties with the calculation of data that the government is working to resolve. The government raised its initial estimate of consumer spending growth for the first Consumer spending raised slightly; inventories cut In this May 4, photo, a construction worker works on an apartment high-rise in Miami. On May 26, the Commerce Department will release its second of three estimates of growth for the January-March quarter as measured by the gross domestic product. (AP) quarter, but said inventory investment was far smaller than previously reported. The trade deficit also was a bit smaller than estimated last month. Economists had expected that GDP growth would be revised up to a 0.9 percent rate. Despite the tepid growth, the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates next month. The dollar was trading slightly higher against a basket of currencies on Friday, while US stocks were flat after six straight days of gains. Prices for longer-dated US government bonds rose. Though the economy appears to have regained some speed early in the second quarter, hopes of a sharp rebound have been tempered by weak business spending, a modest increase in retail sales last month, a widening of the goods trade deficit and decreases in inventory investment. In a second report on Friday, the Commerce Department said non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, were unchanged in April for a second straight month. Shipments of these so-called core capital goods dipped 0.1 percent after rising 0.2 percent in March. Core capital goods shipments are used to calculate equipment spending in the government s gross domestic product measurement. Second-quarter GDP growth estimates range between a rate of 2.0 percent and 3.7 percent rate. Delaying It looks instead that many companies may be delaying their equipment purchases for now to see if they get a better tax deal later on down the road, said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York. The GDP report also showed an acceleration in business spending equipment was not as fast as previously estimated. Spending on equipment rose at a 7.2 percent rate in the first quarter rather than the 9.1 percent reported last month. Growth in consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of US economic activity, rose at a 0.6 percent rate instead of the previously reported 0.3 percent pace. That was still the slowest pace since the fourth quarter of 2009 and followed the fourth quarter s robust 3.5 percent growth rate. With consumer sentiment hovering at lofty levels, consumer spending could pick up. But there are worries that surging household debt could cut into spending as monthly repayments squeeze paychecks. Businesses accumulated inventories at a rate of $4.3 billion in the last quarter, rather than the $10.3 billion reported last month. Inventory investment increased at a $49.6 billion rate in the October-December period. With new law, Lyft, Uber set to return to Texas capital city AUSTIN, Texas, May 27, (AP): Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft, which left Texas s tech-savvy capital city a year ago over local fingerprint requirements for drivers, are set to return after state lawmakers intervened. Both companies say they ll be rolling on Austin s streets again Monday, when Gov Greg Abbott is expected to sign into law a bill that puts the state not local governments in charge of regulating the ridehailing industry. Local leaders in Austin, the conservative state s most liberal city, argued unsuccessfully that its tech-driven economy was uniquely positioned to launch capable alternatives that could fill the gap. Austin is an incubator for technology and entrepreneurship, and we are excited to be back in the mix, Uber spokesman Travis Considine said Thursday.... We know that we have a lot of work to do in the city, but we couldn t be more excited for the road ahead. Uber and Lyft fled Austin after losing a bruising and expensive fight to replace the city s ordinance that required fingerprintbased background checks of drivers, a variety of data reporting and other requirements. Advocates for fingerprinting say it s the best way to weed out drivers with criminal records. Uber and Lyft have argued their background checks suffice and that fingerprint databases can be out of date. Fingerprinting can also slow down the process of adding new drivers. Austin became the chosen battleground as similar debates cropped up in similar large cities around the country, and the companies spent about $9 million on the campaign before they were rejected by the city s voters. The companies followed through on threats to leave rather than submit to the local rules, and quickly turned their efforts to lobbying for statewide regulations. Prices falling Off-lease used cars fl ooding US market DETROIT, May 27, (AP): In 2014, Infiniti leased more than 28,000 Q50 luxury sedans for as little as $329 per month in a growing US market. The leases accounted for more than three-quarters of Q50 sales. Now they re coming back to haunt the automaker. Like many companies that juiced sales with sweet leases during the past few years, Nissan s luxury brand now faces a hefty supply of nice, lowmileage used cars at a time when most people want SUVs. For the US auto industry, about 3.5 million vehicles will come off lease this year, after 3 million returned last year, according to Automotive Lease Guide. These are huge numbers when you consider that leasing all but came to a halt during the Great Recession about a decade ago. The numbers signal three shifts in the market: Lease deals are starting to wane as many companies cut back to control the used car supply. You can get a great late-model used car for a bargain price. Competition from used cars likely will push down the price of new ones. Since the lightly used cars are entering a market that favors trucks and SUVs, the prices will fall, says Jim Lentz, Toyota s CEO in North America. It s more difficult to get rid of them, he says. You re going to have very attractive certified used passenger car payments relative to new passenger cars. Three years ago, automakers leased about 3.3 million vehicles, just over 23 percent of US sales to individual buyers. The business was good. Cars were holding their values and automakers expected to sell them at a tidy profit when leases ended in two or three years. Cars were still popular, making up half of the nation s sales. Leasing continued to grow, hitting a record of over 30 percent of sales earlier this year. Meanwhile, buyer tastes shifted to SUVs and demand for cars faded. Car sales are now about 38 percent of the market. As a result, used-vehicle prices tumbled 7 percent during March compared with a year ago, according to an NADA Guides index. The organization expects them to fall 6 percent for the full year. Data collected by Kelley Blue Book shows leasing dropped to under 30 percent of sales in April after three years of increases. Toyota started to reduce leasing in General Motors cut sales to rental car companies last year to control the used car supply, Chief Financial Officer Chuck Stevens says. Now GM is reallocating incentive spending away from leases toward conventional financing, as new-car sales are expected to back off slightly from last year s record 17.5 million. Eric Lyman, lead analyst for Automotive Lease Guide, advises consumers now is a good time to lease a car, before leasing cuts become more widespread. Although he expects the number of vehicles leased this year to stay flat, payments are likely to rise as automakers offer less generous terms. But it will be difficult for automakers to stick to a strategy of raising lease costs unless they all go along. For example, if Honda leases a midsize Accord for $229 per month, Toyota will have to match the price on the Camry, the Accord s prime competitor, Lyman says.

32 BUSINESS 32 Al-Sayer announces winners of 2nd raffle of Toyota Genuine Parts promo A flyer of Al-Sayer Toyota Genuine Parts campaign. Mohamed Naser Al Sayer & Sons Co (MNSS) Group Spare Parts Division, one of the Al Sayer Group Holding Companies, held 2nd raffle on Wednesday 21 May 2017 at their Canada Dry outlet, to select the winners of the second draw of Toyota Genuine Parts special promotion in the presence of Abdulaziz Ashkanani from Ministry of Consumer Protection Affairs and Xavier Yesudas Manager Parts and Accessories Sales along with the members from Group Parts and Marketing. Names of the winners of the second raffle and the prizes won are as follows: First Prize, Salem Ashban Al Ali KD 1000; Second Prize Rami Najib KD 750; Third Prize Mohammed Faraj Faleh KD 500; Fourth Prize Kamlashanker Patidar KD 250. Be a Winner with Toyota Genuine Spare Parts. Customers will be entitled to enter one draw every month for three months upon every KD 5 spent on Toyota Genuine Parts to win exciting prizes. The offer is only available at Toyota Al-Sayer parts outlets and service centers for all invoices issued between 19 March and 18 June lucky winners will be selected in each monthly draw who will be presented with cash prizes in total of KD In addition to cash prizes all customers will also have a chance to win 2017 Toyota Yaris through the grand prize draw. All the winners can collect their prizes from Al-Sayer Group Head Quarters at Kuwait Free Trade Zone by presenting the official letter from Ministry. Last date to enter the draw will be the June 18 and the fi nal draw of this promotion will be held on June 20, Building highlighted at Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyya s Modern Architecture in Kuwait exhibition Gulf Bank headquarters recognized as Kuwaiti landmark KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Gulf Bank was founded in the heart of Kuwait in 1961, and its headquarters building is widely recognized as a Kuwaiti landmark. Dar Al-Athar Al- Islamiyya is currently hosting an exhibition entitled Modern Architecture Kuwait which showcases the history and architecture of Kuwait during the period of 1949 and 1989, and features the Gulf Bank head office. Gulf Bank s iconic building stands out on the Kuwaiti architectural landscape due to its outer façade. The design of the building was inspired by the sea, using accropode type structures which are designed to resist the action of waves. This outer concrete façade was created to provide protection from the sun and elements, as well as to provide a uniform look. Jean-Robert Delb, is the French architect who was appointed to design Gulf Bank s headquarters after the completion of his well-known Tour Europe in Paris. He was awarded the Deuxieme Prix de Rome in 1957 for his work. Laila Al-Qatami, Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications at Gulf Bank, said: Gulf Bank is honored to be highlighted for its place in the architectural landscape of Kuwait City. We would like to thank the organizers at Dar Al-Athar Al- Islamiyya for an enriching exhibition that deepens knowledge of our country s architectural environment, and provides information on the city s urban development. Gulf Bank is proud of its unique heritage and to being an active contributor to our country s growth and development. Gulf Bank thanks our valued customers for their continued loyalty to Gulf Bank. The Bank also expresses its gratitude and appreciation to all those who, over the years, have been part of the Gulf Bank family. Osama Al Balhan, Director of Media Programs and Public Relations at Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyya stated: Our exhibition on Kuwait s modern architecture combines history with architectural design. We are displaying the most distinguished buildings such as the Diwan Al Amiri s building, the National Assembly building, the Kuwait Towers, unique school buildings, along with distinguished buildings from the private sector which we believe have contributed immensely to the development of the city s landscape. We are pleased to have Gulf Bank s headquarters featured amongst the most iconic ones; it has long been considered as a monumental building in Kuwait. Commenting on the nautical theme of Gulf Bank s building and its identity, Al-Qatami said: The Bank s head office, which dates back to 1969, is one of the most recognizable buildings in Kuwait, its outer façade provides a solution to the country s harsh climate conditions by providing shading from sun exposure and heat, in addition to being uniquely inspired by marine elements used for protection of break waters. Additionally, the Bank s logo and branch concept design is also strongly inspired by Kuwait s seafaring heritage. The decor in our 56 branches has been specially designed in the shape of a dhow and fitted with complementary accessories in the same theme. Customers entering the branch experience the warmth and spirit of true Kuwaiti heritage in a high-quality banking environment. The construction of Gulf Bank head office started in 1969 and was finished in During this phase, the first banking institutions envisioned new purposed buildings that were built and conceived in different areas of the Central Business District. Over the years this area has expanded and changed, consequently not many of the early building constructed in that period remain and even fewer are still being used for their original purposes. Gulf Bank headquarters is one of the remaining few remaining still be using for its original purpose and with its outer façade in tact. For more information about Gulf Bank s initiatives, products, and services customers are encouraged to: visit one of the Bank s 56 branches, call the customer contact center on ; log onto com; or follow the Bank s social media channels. Photo shows Gulf Bank headquarters. The building has been widely recognized as a Kuwaiti landmark. Rob Little and Ibrahim Sattout, ASAR Partners For financing of KNPC clean fuel project ASAR acts as Kuwait legal counsel to ECAs, int l lenders KUWAIT CITY, May 27: ASAR Al Ruwayeh & Partners (ASAR), Kuwait s leading and most prominent corporate law firm, and one of the region s top tier firms, is pleased to announce that it has acted as Kuwaiti legal counsel for seven Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) and international lenders in respect of the financing of Kuwait National Petroleum Company s (KNPC) clean fuel project, the largest project and the first financing in KNPC s history. The ECAs involved in the financing include, Atradius Dutch State Business N.V, Nippon Export and Investment Insurance Trade, Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-Sure), SACE S.p.A, the Export Credits Guarantee Department (UK), Export-Import Bank of Korea and Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The banks extending the financing under the ECAs coverage include Bank of Tokyo- Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., Mizuho Bank, Ltd., Société Générale, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Standard Chartered Bank, BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Natixis, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A., Banco Santander S.A. and HSBC. The project consists of the upgrade and integration of the two largest existing refineries in the country, i.e., Mina Abdulla and Mina Al Ahmadi refineries. The project will increase the combined capacity of the refineries from the existing 736,000 barrels per day to 800,000 barrels per day, and will lower the sulphur content of petroleum products to 5%. The project is scheduled for completion in mid The overall cost of the project is KD 3.4 billion ($11.35 billion), and is part of the Kuwait s KD 30 billion ($100 billion) economic development plan. The financing extended to KNPC by the international lenders under the cover of the ECAs amounts to $6.25 billion and is the largest ever ECA backed corporate facility. The $ facility tranche is in addition to KD 3.4 billion ($11.35 billion) conventional and Islamic financing obtained by KNPC for the purpose of the project back in April The importance of this landmark financing comes from the fact that it is the first and largest financing ever obtained by KNPC and amongst the largest ECAs financing in the world. The ASAR team involved in the transaction include, Rob Little, Ibrahim Sattout and Dania Dib. Rob Little, Counsel at ASAR said: We are delighted to have acted on behalf of the ECAs and the international banks. Following our involvement last year in the local tranche of the financing of the project, our involvement in the international tranche is a testament to the strength and depth of the confidence that the international financial institutions have put in ASAR. This latest deal highlights ASAR s capabilities in servicing international financial institutions in the Kuwaiti market. Ibrahim Sattout, Partner at ASAR said: A transaction of this magnitude underlines the interest of the economic players in the oil sector and its development. We are privileged to have worked with and represented the lenders in this high profile transaction and we appreciate the confidence and trust that the lenders have put in our firm. We look forward to continuing to assist our clients in reaching their business and strategic objectives. With dedicated offices in Kuwait and Bahrain coupled with its associated offices and relationships, ASAR provides clients across an extensive range of industry sectors with comprehensive legal advice and support for their business activities in Kuwait, across the GCC and beyond. The firm has been consistently rated as the leading corporate and commercial law firm in Kuwait by reputable legal guides such as the Chambers Global Guide, International Financial Law Review (IFLR) and the Legal 500. In 2016, ASAR was awarded with the IFLR National Law Firm of the Year Award; an award which ASAR has been delighted to receive for the 8th consecutive year. The firm also won the Best Restructuring Deal in the Middle East award by IFLR in Further, the firm won the prestigious 2014 Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year and the 2014 Best Banking and Finance Legal Team Kuwait awards from Acquisition International Magazine in ASAR lawyers have also received multiple awards under different categories in the Fourth Edition of Best Lawyers in Kuwait. Empowering youth in the Arab world AAW sponsors Kuwait s Arab Youth 2017 activities KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Following the designation of Kuwait as the Capital of Arab Youth for 2017 by the Arab League, Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co (AAW) on Saturday announced the signing of an MoU with Kuwait s Ministry of State for Youth Affairs (MYA) to support MYA-led youth engagement programs. As part of the agreement signed with MYA, AAW will be supporting youth-targeted activities and initiatives taking place in the country over the next 12 months in the following areas: arts and culture, sports, leadership and empowerment, media, film making, and business. The year-long, national initiative was kicked off on May 15 at Kuwait s Bayan Palace in a ceremony held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sabah Al- Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who also attended the launch ceremony that included a ceremonial handover of the Arab Youth flag from the previous host country to Kuwait. Previous countries designated as Capitals of Arab Youth include Morocco in 2016 and Bahrain in The signing took place at the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs and was attended by MYA Under Secretary Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sa- AAW Chairman and CEO Faisal Ali Al Mutawa and Undersecretary of Ministry of Youth Affairs Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah while signing the Memorandum of Understanding. bah, MYA Assistant Undersecretary Shafeeq Omar, AAW Chairman and CEO Faisal Ali Al Mutawa, and AAW PR and Development Manager Fawaz Al Mutawa. AAW Chairman and CEO, Faisal Ali Al Mutawa said: We are proud and honored to sponsor the activities for Capital of Arab Youth 2017 organized by the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, who like us, are keen on empowering the youth and Photos from the events. The Commercial Vehicles Division of A&A held its fi rst test-drive event for Mercedes-Benz trucks. First event in Kuwait A&A organizes test-drive for Mercedes-Benz trucks KUWAIT CITY, May 27: Commercial Vehicles Division in A.R. Albisher & Z. Alkazemi Co (the Authorized General Distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Kuwait) organized the first Test- Drive event in Kuwait, that it affords an exclusive day for experience of driving medium and heavy size Mercedes-Benz trucks for the current and believe they are the cornerstone of society s progress. We look forward to further cooperation with the public sector in Kuwait and hope to continue to work together towards a path of success for today s younger generation and the ones that will follow. The sponsorship stems from AAW s social responsibility and interest in the development of youth in Kuwait and emphasizes the importance of partnerships between the private and public sector in order to build a better Kuwait for future generations. AAW is a long-standing supporter and funder of youth-related initiatives. The company is a partner of INJAZ-Kuwait, a nonprofit organization that equips students with the necessary skills to grow and excel in the private sector. It is a member of the PIN2 Challenge Competition, a business plan competition aimed for high schools. The company has a strong commitment to empower the youth and to inspire young professionals to pursue entrepreneurship opportunities in different fields. As part of this deep-rooted commitment, AAW s holds job shadowing programmes for hundreds of students throughout the year. AAW is one of the largest trading and commercial companies in the Middle East, with business operations across a range of growing sectors, including Consumer Goods, Pharmaceuticals, Furniture and Carpets, Real Estate, Kitchen Furniture, Home Appliances, Outdoor Gear, Sports and Fashion and Food & Beverages. The company operates over 100 different global brands in the Middle East s surging retail and consumer goods market. new customers of the company. In this event, A.R. Albisher & Z. Alkazemi provided an opportunity to identify the merits and capabilities of its trucks nearly in presence of the Marketing and Sales team in the Commercial vehicles division in the company, headed by Ralph Geyer, the General Manager of Commercial Vehicles and Daimler buses, and a representative for Daimler Commercial Vehicles Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The day started by registering the participants, and after a simplified explanation of the principles of driving and road safety, presenting the features of trucks, and highlighting their most recent specifications, after that, moving the participants to a tour inside the trucks cabin for presenting their most important merits, and then, they were afforded by the opportunity to live the experience of driving and testing the real abilities and capabilities of heavy trucks (Actros and Zetros) and the medium size (Atego and Accelo) for the first time in Kuwait from Mercedes-Benz trucks lineup. On the occasion of this event, Ralph Geyer, the General Manager of Commercial Vehicles and Daimler buses, affirmed saying that we grant today to our current and new customers the opportunity of enjoying a peerless experience for exploring the most recent technologies and capabilities of Mercedes-Benz Continued on Page 33

33 BUSINESS 33 ArcelorMittal tipped to take over Italy s Ilva Greek appeals court drops charges over ex-stats chief A consortium led by global steel giant ArcelorMittal is tipped to take over Italy s troubled Ilva steelworks, one of the most polluting industrial sites in Europe, a source told AFP Friday. The choice made by the administrators in charge of Ilva must still be approved by the government s economic development ministry. Ilva was nationalised and placed under special administration in 2015 after the Riva family, which owned it, was accused of failing to prevent toxic emissions from spewing out across the southern city of Taranto. The government quickly opened a tender for the steelworks which used to produce a third of the nation s output, wanting to keep the facility open in an area that suffers from high unemployment. ArcelorMittal, allied with Italian steelmaker Marcegaglia, was up against a consortium made up of the Indian group Jindal South West Steel, Italian specialist steelmaker Arvedi, the Italian state s CDP investment bank and Delfin, the holding company of Italian businessman Leonardo Del Vecchio. The ArcelorMittal-led offer was nearly 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), according to Italian media. ArcelorMittal and Marcegaglia have an agreement with the Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo that it will join the consortium if their offer is approved (AFP) Greece s court of appeal said on Friday it would not pursue charges against the country s former statistics agency chief who was accused of rigging state data to help creditors. The case surrounding embattled statistician Andreas Georgiou had long been a source of concern among lenders, who have extended three bailout loans to Greece since His accusers maintained his re-calculation of defi cit data helped creditors, and weakened Greece. Georgiou had faced charges from a prosecutor - which he denied - of falsifying fi scal data from But in a majority vote published on Friday, Greece s court of appeal said that there was insuffi cient evidence to try Georgiou and two co-defendants who also worked at ELSTAT, the country s national statistics agency. Georgiou has been acquitted by a different court over breach of duty charges, which he denied. The prosecution has appealed against that decision and a fi nal ruling is pending. A former International Monetary Fund statistician, Georgiou was appointed to head ELSTAT in 2010 and worked there until mid-2015 when his contract ended. Discrepancies in the way Greece calculated its budget defi cit before 2010 was one of the triggers of the fi nancial crisis which subsequently engulfed Greece. (RTRS) Workers have fallen far behind while stock, bond and house prices soared A decade since crisis, no real rise in worker s pay LONDON, May 27, (RTRS): Through the global economy s recovery over most of the past decade from a debilitating financial crisis, one thing that has not turned higher in any meaningful way is workers pay. This matters for those hoping for higher wages, but also for expectations of an eventual return to the way things were, both for interest rates and the political climate, at least in the developed world. The widespread perception, through the economic data and the word on the street, is that workers have fallen far behind while stock, bond and house prices have soared to record highs, juiced by zero interest rates and mass central bank asset purchases. This has helped develop a solid constituency for non-traditional parties and candidates, some of whom - notably U.S. President Donald Trump - have been voted into power. While job markets in major developed economies like the U.S., Britain and Germany have made impressive recoveries in terms of posts created and filled, there remains scant evidence the majority of people are doing much better on payday. U.S. jobs data for May due on June 2, always a focus for well-paid financial market traders and investors, are likely to reinforce the story: a solid pace of hiring but with average wages rising only a bit more than inflation. Indeed, for all of the talk of reflation trades based on now-fading expectations for sweeping U.S. tax cuts and deregulation, the global picture for consumer price inflation hardly looks much stronger than it did a year ago. Having attempted to put itself on autopilot for a series of modest interest rate increases this year, the Federal Reserve is already feeling compelled to set conditions for a follow-through rate rise in June that once seemed nearly a done deal. Some policymakers, including St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, are sounding outright worried that inflation hasn t picked up the way it should have done. On Tuesday, core personal consumption expenditure (PCE) inflation, the gauge the Fed watches and the last one before it next meets to set policy, is expected to keep those concerns alive by showing only a modest increase in April. Core euro zone inflation data on Wednesday are likely to be weak too. So European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, in remarks due Monday to the European Parliament, will most likely stick to his broad message that growth is looking solid but a convincing pickup in price pressures remains elusive. Indeed, for all of the strong evidence of a rebound in euro zone activity this year, brought on alongside a relatively weak euro, a recent ECB study suggests unemployment may be higher than official statistics suggest, another explanation for why wage growth remains so muted. In Britain, which narrowly voted nearly a year ago to leave the European Union, imported inflation from the pound s sharp depreciation since then has started to bite, wiping out a short period where workers had begun to enjoy real wage gains. What Britain and most of its major trading partners, including the U.S., also have in common is a period of particularly poor productivity - missing the most important ingredient in any formula seeking to raise standards of living. While still hiring at a blistering China reforms not enough to arrest mounting debt Moody s BEIJING, May 27, (RTRS): China s structural reforms will slow the pace of its debt build-up but will not be enough to arrest it, and another credit rating cut for the country is possible down the road unless it gets its ballooning credit in check, officials at Moody s said. The comments came two days after Moody s downgraded China s sovereign ratings by one notch to A1, saying it expects the financial strength of the world s second-largest economy to erode in coming years as growth slows and debt continues to mount. In announcing the downgrade, Moody s Investors Service also changed its outlook on China from negative to stable, suggesting no further ratings changes for some time. China has strongly criticized the downgrade, asserting it was based on inappropriate methodology, exaggerating difficulties facing the economy and underestimating the government s reform efforts. In response, senior Moody s official Marie Diron said on Friday that the ratings agency has been encouraged by the vast reform agenda undertaken by the Chinese authorities to contain risks from the rapid rise in debt. However, while Moody s believes the reforms may slow the pace at which debt is rising, they will not be pace, Britain s economy only managed to scrape out 0.2 percent growth in the first quarter, less than half the euro zone s rate. This suggests already dismal growth in output per worker likely went into reverse as business activity temporarily plays second fiddle to campaigning for a June 8 election. In the U.S. - where back in boom times not so long ago former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan spoke incessantly of the productivity miracle - the situation isn t much better. Unfortunately, one of the things that has been holding down wage enough to arrest the trend and levels will not drop dramatically, Diron said. Diron said China s economic recovery since late last year was mainly thanks to policy stimulus, and expects Beijing will continue to rely on pump-priming to meet its official economic growth targets, adding to the debt overhang. Moody s also is waiting to see how some of the announced measures, such as reining in local government finances, are actually implemented, Diron, associate managing director of Moody s Sovereign Risk Group, told reporters in a webcast. China may no longer get an A1 rating if there are signs that debt is growing at a pace that exceeds Moody s expectations, Li Xiujun, vice-president of credit strategy and standards at the ratings agency, said in the same webcast If in the future China s structural reforms can prevent its leverage from rising more effectively without increasing risks in the banking and shadow banking sector, then it will have a positive impact on China s rating, Li said. But Li added: If there are signs that China s debt will keep rising and the rate of growth is beyond our expectations, leading to serious capital misallocation, then it will continue to weigh on economic growth in the medium term and impact the sovereign rating negatively. China may no longer suit the requirement of A1 rating. Li did not give a specific target for debt levels nor a timeframe for further assessments. Moody s expects China s growth to slow to around 5 percent in coming years, from 6.7 percent last year, compounding the difficulty of reducing debt. But Diron said the economy will remain robust, and the likelihood of a hard landing is slim. After Moody s downgrade, its rating for China is on the same level as that on Fitch Ratings, with Standard & Poor s still one notch above, with a negative outlook. On Friday, Fitch said it is maintaining its A+ rating. Andrew Fennel, its direct of sovereign ratings, noted China s strong macroeconomic track record, but said that its growth has been accompanied by a build-up of imbalances and vulnerabilities that poses risks to its basic economic and financial stability. Government-led stimulus has been a major driver of China s economic growth over recent years, but has also been accompanied by runaway credit growth that has created a mountain of debt - now at nearly 300 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Some analysts are more worried increases is very slow productivity growth, Fed Chair Janet Yellen told a news conference in March. Joseph Lavorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank, wrote in a recent note that U.S. productivity has grown at just over a 0.6 percent annualised rate over the past five years, the about the speed at which the debt has accumulated than its absolute level, noting much of the debt and the banking system is controlled by the central government. UBS estimates that government debt, including explicit and quasigovernment debt, rose to 68 percent of GDP in 2016 from 62 percent in 2015, while corporate debt climbed to 164 percent of GDP in 2016 from 153 percent the previous year. A growing number of economists believe that a massive bank bailout may be inevitable in China as bad loans mount. Last September, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) warned that excessive credit growth in China signalled an increasing risk of a banking crisis within three years. The Moody s downgrade was seen as largely symbolic because China has relatively little foreign debt and local markets are influenced more by domestic factors, with many companies enjoying stronger credit ratings from home-grown agencies than they would in the West. Still, the rating demotion highlighted investor worries over whether China has the will and ability to contain rising risks stemming from years of credit-fuelled stimulus, without triggering financial shocks or dampening economic growth. second worst such period since World War Two. While central banks - and of course workers - remain hopeful that average earnings will pick up sharply in coming years, until productivity improves significantly, higher pay may just have to wait for another day. Move shakes up FICC industry New EU rules slash funds for fixed income research LONDON, May 27, (RTRS): New rules on pricing investment research are shaking up the European fixed income, currency and commodity (FICC) industry, with many funds planning to scale back or ditch a service that banks use to drum up business. Investment banks and other brokers have long provided research to funds as a way of attracting them to their trading business, and there has never been a formal bill attached. However, they must break out the cost of the research and charge for it separately under the EU regulations, MiFID II, which come into force in the new year. Many funds using FICC research are concerned this will simply land A&A organizes Continued from Page 32 trucks in Kuwait, which were offered by A.R.Albisher & Z.Alkazemi Co, and they have all applications of power and durability and standards of comfort and safety, in addition to their reliability and giant dependency, which proved its myth along twenty years in Kuwait and Area. The participants were afforded by the experience of the latest technology versions in Actros trucks, equipped by Mercedes PowerShift, which reflects what is exceeding 30 years of experience and skill in the production of transmissions of trucks, that the Mercedes PowerShift is distinguished by a complicated control technology for changing speed, in addition to a group of new functions for enhancing the features of the performance of the truck and increasing the comfort during driving. The Mercedes PowerShift don t only increase the profitability of the works of the owner of trucks fleet, it also helps in relation to the decrease of fuel consumption and the decrease of the total cost of ownership TCO, but also, it reduces the stress falling on the driver. That it is distinguished by an accurate selection of speeds and relatively short gearing periods, in addition to transmission of the moment values and relatively high ability; all would provide you with a high level of efficiency of performance and safety and easiness of operation. They were also afforded by the experience of the truck Zetros, which represents the ideal solution for meeting the huge demand to the developed trucks, which are enjoyed by reliability, durability and sustainability, to reflect a completion of the success story of Mercedes-Benz in the field of manufacturing the heavy trucks, that Zetros proved a great reliability in the harsh weather circumstances in relation to the tests of endurance and the towing power, which were executed in the hot areas with hot sands, at its heaviest load, which reaches 36 tons. them with an additional cost. Eight funds spoken to by Reuters said they expected to reduce the research services they use as a consequence of the reform. Their reactions supported the results of a poll of 270 fixed-income investors at a capital markets conference in London this month which found 59 percent had either not decided whether to continue using broker research or had decided to dispense with it altogether. On the other side, the drop-off in demand could hit the investment banks, if funds consequently reduce the number of brokers they trade with. The new rules severely limit the amount of detailed research funds can receive for free. Zetros is considered one of the specialized trucks to work on the rough roads, thanks to the huge ability of towing and the possibility of excellent movement distinguished thereby. That the decades of experience of driving on the rough roads met with the innovative technologies to produce a concept of this new truck specialized for the very difficult tasks. The tractor of the truck, half-trailer, is of Zetros model, puts new standards on dealing with the challenges of rough roads with big loads. The company, for the first time in Kuwait, provided the opportunity of experience of driving the most recent models of medium Mercedes-Benz trucks, Accelo and Atego, that it has a compact and modern design, through which Mercedes-Benz provides the maximum level of productivity, absolute comfort of driving, and highest standards of safety, in addition to the exceptional abilities of power and agility. Because, it is distinguished by reliable and individualized quality standards of Mercedes-Benz; the two powerful trucks are considered the ideal partner of the requirements of transporting for all companies. The trucks gained the admiration of the participants and they expressed their astonishment of the extent of power and solidity of the trucks and the extent of development of technology, especially the new Mercedes PowerShift in Actros trucks, which are the trucks that celebrates 20 years anniversary in middle east and Kuwait, that also more than 100,000 trucks were sold till now in the area. The participants praised on the quality of organization and welcoming them by A.R. Albisher & Z.Alkazemi Co, and it is noteworthy that A.R.Albisher & Z.Alkazemi Co adheres constantly to organize several events with an aim of affording the opportunity before its customers and more number of the public to know nearly the real specifications of the commercial vehicles and all trucks offered by it, and achieving the objectives of the company to be always one of the best automotive companies in Kuwait. As Li heads to Europe, China says resolute about opening its market BEIJING, May 27, (RTRS): China is determined to open its market and is positive about promoting talks on a China- EU investment agreement, a senior Chinese official said on Saturday ahead of Premier Li Keqiang s visit to Brussels for a summit with the European Union. The EU-China summit on June 2 will be the first since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump that has united the two economic powers against global warming and trade protectionism. China asked that the annual summit, normally held in mid- July, be brought forward to press home President Xi Jinping s defence of open trade at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, in response to Trump s protective stance. One big outstanding issue involves an investment pact that Beijing and Brussels agreed to negotiate in 2013 to make it easier for European businesses to work in China but which has yet to be sealed.that is seen as a forerunner to a future free-trade accord. EU officials have suggested that unless China moves forward with an offer to open its markets it will be hard to make progress on the agreement. Europe wants China to give EU businesses access to its market in the way that EU markets are open to Chinese investment. Assistant Chinese Commerce Minister Li Chenggang told reporters that talks on the invest- EU-China summit on June 2 Portugal public sector strike pressures govt for more wage hikes LISBON, May 27, (RTRS): Hundreds of schools and hospitals across Portugal were shut or offered minimum services on Friday as public sector workers went on a one-day strike to pressure the minority Socialist government for more wage increases than it has offered so far. The left-leaning government has reversed some of the austerity measures of the previous administration, trimming taxes and increasing wages and pensions in a bid to boost growth, but also kept up budget discipline and slashed the deficit last year to its lowest mark in more than Focus on pension and land reform IMF sets tough new Ukraine loan demands KIEV, May 27, (AFP): The International Monetary Fund said on Friday it will only release a new tranche payment to Ukraine once parliament approves a long-stalled pension system overhaul and land privatisation legislation. The IMF said after completing its latest mission to the war-torn country that Ukraine s economy was continuing to recover from a dire recession and was on course to expand by more than two percent of gross domestic product this year. Ukraine is using a $17.5-billion (15.6-billion-euro) IMF lifeline to recover from crises sparked by a Russian-backed war in the separatist industrial east that began in April 2014 and has claimed more than 10,000 lives. The loss of industries in the war zone and flight of foreign investors saw the former Soviet republic s economy shrink by 17 percent in But the IMF now expects Ukraine to achieve sustainable ment agreement was one of the most important trade and business topics between the two sides. The leaders and business community of China and the EU are paying great attention to these talks. There have been 13 rounds of talks to date, which have made good progress, Li said. Both have a consensus about reaching, at early date, a comprehensive, ambitious investment agreement, he added. China has always had a positive attitude towards pushing four decades. Protests had subsided since their peaks under the previous austerityminded government as economic growth in the debt-laden country returned after the worst recession since the 1970 s ended in But wages in the public sector remain low after crisis-time cutbacks, and unions now seek raises back to old wages this year and a proper increase of 2.5 percent next year. The government has already vowed to raise the minimum monthly salary to 557 euros in 2017 from 530 euros. Fresh demands for higher wages, these talks. Of course, because these talks involve a wide range of topics and are very complex, China and Europe s point of view on certain issues don t completely have a consensus, Li said. Fortunately both sides aim is the same. China s position on opening its market is resolute. The need for the investment agreement is urgent and would be the easiest way for Xi to meet pledges of making China s economy open to the world, European Commission Vice President Jyrki growth by cutting the expense of a pension system that accounts for nine percent of gross domestic product and supports about one third of the population. It also wants land sales approved by a parliament in which the government holds only a slim ruling majority and where opposition to the proposal is strong. The IMF said its discussions focused on the pending pension and land reform and on measures to speed up the privatisation process. Securing parliamentary approval of these draft laws will be needed to pave the way for the completion of the fourth review, it said in a statement. Ukraine has so far received only $1 billion of the $4.5 billion it hopes to see from the IMF this year. A spokesman for the global lending body told AFP that the size of the next tranche payment would be determined by the IMF s Executive Board after the legislation in question is passed into law. Overall, Ukraine has received $8.3 billion from the IMF since the package was approved in February Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has prepared a pension overhaul plan that will undergo further reviews before being submitted to parliament. Senior officials had said they do not intend to tackle the land privatisation issue until London-based emerging markets economist Timothy Ash said opposition forces in parliament led by former premier Yulia Tymoshenko could use the land reform issue as a pretext for trying to oust the government. Tymoshenko might still use the land issue to call a vote of no confidence in the Groysman government -- waiting for the time of optimal political tensions domestically, and land reform efforts could do the trick, he wrote in the Kyiv Post. Katainen told Reuters earlier this month while on a visit to Beijing. The EU remains wary of its second-largest trading partner, concerned by China s massive steel exports, its militarisation of islands in the South China Sea and a turn towards greater authoritarianism under Xi. But it does broadly agree with China on trade, despite a longrunning spat with Beijing on what Europe sees as China s dumping of low-cost goods on European markets. overtime pay and promotions in the public sector come a few days after the European Commission on Monday recommended to end the disciplinary process against Portugal for its excessive deficits, which would give the government more freedom in defining its spending policies. Still, pressure for more public spending may be difficult to heed as the government s plans to cut the gap further to 1.5 percent of GDP this year from 2 percent in 2016 risks being thwarted by an ongoing recapitalisation of state-owned bank CGD. Ana Avoila, coordinator of the Common Front of Public Sector Unions said some 75 percent of all workers joined the labour action, while in the healthcare and education sectors the participation approached 90 percent. Hundreds and hundreds of schools are shut, she said. Also, the Portugues teachers union, Fenprof, on Friday threatened to stage strikes and protests in June if the government fails to address their demands for a more favourable career progression and retirement, and to combat precarious employment in the sector, its leader Mario Nogueira said.

34 BUSINESS 34 Singapore s BOC Aviation orders six Airbus jets Mexico warns on NAFTA sourcing Singapore-based aircraft leasing firm BOC Aviation said Friday it has ordered six new Airbus planes worth around $1.05 billion. The order comprises four planes from the A320 NEO family and two Airbus A aircraft, the leasing company said in a statement. All six Airbus aircraft have been committed for lease to Portugal s flag-carrier TAP Portugal and will be delivered between 2018 and 2020, BOC said in a statement. Steven Townend, chief commercial officer for Europe, the Americas and Africa at BOC, said the deal with TAP Portugal represents yet another new European customer that will help it further expand its portfolio. TAP Portugal vice-president for finance Teresa Lopes said the airline s fleet renewal plan includes 53 brand new Airbus NEO aircraft. BOC Aviation, owned by Bank of China, is based in Singapore with offices in Dublin, London, Seattle and Tianjin. It is a key customer for both Airbus, based in France, and US rival Boeing. In January last year, it announced an order for 30 Airbus A320s worth more than $3 billion to meet growing demand. (AFP) Mexico s economy minister on Tuesday sounded a note of caution to the three countries involved in NAFTA trade negotiations, saying they should be careful not to adjust rules on local sourcing of parts too much, or risk driving business elsewhere. Speaking at an event in Mexico City with Canada s Minster of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said Mexico was not opposed to revising socalled rules of origin - which stipulate that products must meet minimum NAFTA-wide content requirements to be tariff-free. But he warned that Mexico, the United States and Canada could shoot ourselves in the foot if they tweak rules too much and drive investment elsewhere. Under these rules, manufacturers must obtain a minimum percentage of components for their products from the three NAFTA members. US President Donald Trump has threatened to leave the North American Free Trade Agreement if it cannot be reworked in favor of US workers, and his administration last week set the clock toward a mid-august start of renegotiation. Mexico sends the vast majority of its exports north to the United States, and local officials view the trilateral treaty as a lynchpin of their economy. (RTRS) New mechanism would introduce counter-cyclical factor to current system China says considering tighter controls on yuan currency SHANGHAI, May 27, (AFP): China said Friday it is considering a change to its mechanism for managing its currency to buffer it against market forces, in an apparent step back from liberalisation pledges. The potential new system would introduce a counter-cyclical factor to China s current system of allowing the yuan to trade within a government-set band, according to a statement on the website of the Foreign Exchange Trade System, an agency under the People s Bank of China. The statement did not explain how the mechanism would work but said it would take into account the country s economic fundamentals as a counter to market forces. The goal is to properly hedge against fluctuations based on market sentiment and to ease the potential herd effect, it said, adding that the current system was vulnerable to irrational expectations. China only allows the yuan to rise or fall two percent on either side of rate fixed daily. The band has been in place for more than a decade, gradually widened over the years, and authorities have taken steps to make it more market-based, earning plaudits for China and helping the yuan gain greater world recognition. Last October, it joined the dollar, pound, yen and euro in the IMF s special drawing rights reserve currency basket. But since last year, the yuan has plummeted to its lowest levels against the dollar in several years as the greenback spiked and Chinese investors and businesses moved huge sums of money offshore. The move sounds like an increased role for the fixing to be nudged away from where markets would set it, Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac Banking Corp. in Sydney, told Bloomberg News. The authorities actions give the impression that they are more worried about yuan stability than declared in their public statements. China has pledged to allow market forces to play a bigger role in its capital markets. But besides a slowing economy, authorities are currently grappling with mounting debt that this week earned China its first credit rating downgrade in nearly three decades, from Moody s. Having greater control over the currency could help authorities maintain yuan stability during the debt-reduction campaign. In election-year budget, Pakistan finmin goes for growth ISLAMABAD, May 27, (RTRS): Pakistan will lower corporate taxes and step up agricultural subsidies and loans to boost growth in the financial year from July, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday, outlining the plans in a final budget before elections in Pakistan s economy has rebounded in recent years, helped by improving security, low global oil prices and vast Chinese investment that is helping alleviate energy shortages. Growth hit an estimated 5.3 percent in the year to July short of the government s 5.7 percent target but the fastest rate since 2007 as agriculture output rose and the industrial and service sectors performed steadily. Dar said the government s focus for the 2017/2018 financial year would be to boost growth, hoping to capitalise on greater economic stability in the last few years. It s our number one priority, said Dar, who has been credited with steering the economy through a turbulent 2013 when Pakistan sought IMF loans to alleviate a balance of payments crisis. Dar said corporate tax rate would be trimmed to 30 percent, shaving about 100 basis points from the old rate, while agricultural subsidies announced last year would be continued. He also promised a new loan scheme for farmers at reduced interest rates, likely to go down well with rural voters ahead of the next polls expected before June 2018, and promised to reduce taxes on a commonly used fertilizer. Dar set a growth target of 6 percent for next year, which experts say is the minimum level needed for Pakistan to absorb new entrants to the workforce in a fast-growing population of nearly 200 million. Dar also announced a rise in the minimum wage and a one-off payment for soldiers and civil servants. The federal government s public sector development programme is due to be increased by 25 percent. With the IMF s three-year loan programme having ended in September 2016, there had been speculation Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif s government would loosen the purse strings before the next poll. Dar said the ruling PML-N party would maintain economic stability, forecasting the budget deficit would narrow to 4.1 percent in 2017/18 from the 4.2 percent estimated for the current year. By keeping the current expenditure under tight control, we will be able to create substantial space for development, Dar said. The finance ministry in its Annual Budget Statement said Pakistan s total expenditure for next financial year would increase by about 4 percent to 5.2 trillion rupees ($50 billion). Dar, in his speech, said the federal budget outlay would increase 11.7 percent to 4.75 trillion rupees. Various documents provided to journalists by the ministry showed slightly different figures. Paying for the boost in spending, Dar expects record tax inflows of 13.7 percent of GDP in the $300 billion economy. He announced a hike on dividend tax rates, from 12.5 percent to 15 percent. Pakistan has one of the world s lowest number of taxpayers as a percentage of the population, and Dar offered various incentives for citizens to become part of the tax net, including setting capital gains tax at 15 percent for filers and 20 percent for non-filers. Also: KABUL: Economic growth in Afghanistan will pick up slightly this year but not enough to provide the jobs needed by its growing population, leaving it dependent on foreign aid for years to come, according to World Bank and IMF forecasts on Thursday. In its latest Afghanistan Development Update, the World Bank forecast growth of 2.6 percent for 2017, up from 2.2 percent last year but well below the rates of 9 percent and above seen in the decade before With an average annual population growth rate of 3 percent and with an estimated 400,000 Afghans entering the labor market each year, much higher growth rates are required to improve per capita incomes, the report said. In a separate report, the International Monetary Fund said growth could reach 3 percent in 2017, up from 2 percent in While the United States and its NATO allies decide whether to increase the number of troops assigned to Afghanistan, the forecasts underline the fact that the economic fundamentals underpinning security and development remain dire. Plane makers seek to lure execs Business air travel sector is ready to take off again GENEVA, May 27, (AFP): The business aviation sector, in the doldrums for nearly a decade, could be readying to take off again, as plane makers seek to lure company executives with onboard connectivity and super-comfy seats, experts say. The 2008 global financial crisis and subsequent geopolitical and economic woes sent the business air travel sector into a tailspin, particularly in countries with very high potential such as China, Russia and Brazil. Since then, any nascent hopes of a rebound have often proved to be a chimera. But for some industry players, gathered in the Swiss city of Geneva for the business aviation trade fair EBACE, an improvement or at least the tentative beginnings of one could be finally be taking shape. The market is improving. We had a very solid year for orders so far, said Scott Neal, global sales director at US business jet maker Gulfstream Aerospace. We see very good activity in the United States, in the Asia Pacific region. We also see very good activity in Europe, especially in western Europe, Neal told AFP. Peter Likoray, sales director at rival manufacturer Bombardier, agreed. I believe the market has recovered and to a certain extent it continues to do so. By far the number one is still North America, number two is Europe. In Asia, we have actually very strong demand and that makes me very happy, he said. The huge Chinese market for business aviation has so far been hampered by a lack of infrastructure and the global economic slowdown. But there are still some sceptical voices. Despite being a closely guarded secret, it is now understood that most manufacturer backlogs are at near record lows even lower than during the aftermath of 2008, said Dan Hall, an analyst at Flight Ascend Consultancy told the specialist website, Flightglobal. French plane maker Dassault Aviation is expecting the market to rebound in The market is still somewhat difficult, but things are slowly beginning to move a little, said Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier. You can feel the tingle of anticipation in used aircraft, the prices and sales of which are starting to regain some altitude, the first tentative sign of an upturn, Trappier said. Despite the continuing uncertainty, Dassault Aviation has, its chief said, some draft projects for a new plane. In the meantime, the challenge is to better satisfy a customer base that is making longer and more numerous business flights. Broadband internet allowing business executives to hold and take part in video conferences while up in the air has, for example, become imperative. Increasingly, the airplane must be a flying office or a flying home, said Trappier. As early as this summer, Dassault Aviation will launch its first Falcon model equipped with broadband connection. Brazilian maker Embraer will deliver its Lineage 1000 E with broadband connectivity at the start of next year and connected versions of Bombardier s Global 6000 and Global 7000 executive jets have been on the market for a year. While companies and governments are remaining prudent about splashing out on big-ticket investments, there is in the sector a certain category of client who is ready to spend $50-60 million to buy a new plane in order to take advantage of new technologies or increased safety and security features, said Brandon Mitchener, director of the European Business Aviation Association. Indian automakers say new tax could make hybrids unviable NEW DELHI, May 27, (RTRS): Indian automakers will this week urge the government to lower a proposed sales tax on hybrid vehicles, as they fear the planned rate could make development of the technology unviable, industry sources and executives told Reuters on Monday. Last week, India said it would tax hybrid vehicles at a rate as high as 43 percent under a new unified tax regime set to come into effect from July 1. That would be significantly higher than the prevailing tax of about 29 percent on such cars. India s auto trade body, whose members include companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra and Toyota Motor Corp, will push to lower the proposed rate, an industry source involved in the matter said. If the tax is not reconsidered it will essentially make all hybrid cars unviable, R.C. Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki, the country s top-selling carmaker, told Reuters. It would drive hybrids out of the market, he said. The higher tax on hybrid vehicles comes at a time when India is designing a new green car policy that incentivises electric vehicles over hybrid and conventional models. This is already worrying some carmakers that have invested in hybrid technology. Bhargava said both electric and hybrid vehicles should be promoted, with buyers allowed to choose. The new tax structure proposes 12 percent tax on electric vehicles, about 28 percent tax on small petrol cars, and a 43 percent tax on luxury vehicles, the same rate as some hybrids. The country s revenue secretary, Hasmukh Adhia, on Monday clarified that small hybrid vehicles would be taxed at 28 percent whereas large hybrids would be taxed at 43 percent. He did not clarify what would qualify as large hybrids. India s auto trade body, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), had earlier asked that hybrid and electric cars be taxed 10 percent lower than petrol and diesel cars. Japan April consumer prices up for fourth straight month govt Mixed picture for policymakers efforts to boost growth TOKYO, May 27, (AFP): Japan s consumer prices rose again in April due largely to higher energy bills, data showed Friday, underpinning a mixed picture for policymakers efforts to boost growth amid on-and-off deflation. People visit the Apple store in the Orchard shopping district on its opening day in Singapore on May 27. Hundreds of people waited outside Apple s first store in Southeast Asia in Singapore, which opened on May 27. (AFP) Appetite for iphone parts spurs Taiwan economic growth Apple opens first official store in SE Asia SINGAPORE, May 27, (AFP): Apple opened its first Southeast Asia store in Singapore on Saturday, drawing hundreds of excited fans to the swanky two-storey site in the city s upmarket shopping district. Located on the affluent Orchard Road, the new shop easily distinguished by its iconic glass facade is expected to be one of the most popular Apple stores in the world according to the US tech giant. Merchandise such as the iphone and MacBook were strategically placed on display across the spacious first floor, while the upper level acted as a classroom for customers to participate in hands-on sessions. Hundreds of shoppers camped out in anticipation of the launch, while more than a thousand thronged the store soon after the doors opened, an AFP reporter observed. First in the queue was Xiang Jiaxin, a twenty-five-year-old Chinese national working in Macau who had queued for more than 12 hours overnight and planned a holiday to Singapore specially to coincide with the opening. I am very happy and excited to be part of this. I have participated in the official store openings in Macau, Guangzhou and Nanjing, he told AFP. Apple, which has a staggering $256.8 billion cash stockpile, celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. The Silicon Valley legend sprang out of Steve Jobs garage to reshape modern life with trendsetting gadgets. Most of its earnings come from the iphone, which faces increasingly tough competition in a saturated market. The tech behemoth has almost 500 stores globally with more than a million visitors daily. Aside from Singapore, its Asia shops are located in Hong Kong, China and Japan. Meanwhile, the seemingly insatiable global demand for smart phones and other high-tech products gave Taiwan s economy a welcome boost in the January to March period, official data showed The country s prospects have been improving on the back of strong exports, with investments linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics also giving the economy a shot in the arm. The labour market is tight and business confidence is strong. But consumer spending remains tepid and the Bank of Japan has struggled to lift inflation despite years of aggressive monetary easing. After stripping out the volatile cost of fresh food, the inflation rate came in at 0.3 percent, the fourth consecutive monthly rise after a 0.2 percent increase in both March and February and a 0.1 percent rise in January. Excluding fresh food and energy, however, prices stayed flat, following a 0.1 percent fall in March and 0.1 percent rise in February, according to the internal affairs ministry. But Friday s figures are still way off the Bank of Japan s 2.0 percent inflation target -- seen as crucial to conquering Japan s long struggle to slay deflation, blamed for holding back the once-booming economy. Inflation should climb a bit further in coming months, Marcel Thieliant, senior Japan economist at Capital Economics wrote in a commentary. But with the boost from higher energy prices set to fizzle out in the second half of the year, inflation will settle at levels well below the Bank Friday. The island is home to several key suppliers for Apple s iphone and is optimistic growth will continue as the global economic outlook improves. Growth in the first quarter was 2.60 percent year-on-year, bolstered by the strongest exports Taiwan has seen in almost six years. In particular, shipments of electronic components surged percent, coming from a low base a year earlier. With our leading edge in semiconductor manufacturing, and emerging demand for automotive electronics, internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence, we can expect to maintain export momentum, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said in a statement. Taiwan s industry giants include Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Full-year GDP growth was revised up 0.13 percentage points to 2.05 percent. of Japan s target, he added. The latest data came after separate figures this month showed Japan posted its longest economic expansion in over a decade. The economy grew 0.5 percent in the first three months of the year -- for a 2.2 percent annualised rate of expansion. That was its fifth straight quarterly rise and the longest string of gains since 2006, during the tenure of popular former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. A string of short-term leaders, including current prime minister Shinzo Abe, followed Koizumi. Abe swept back to power in late 2012 on a pledge to reignite Japan s economy with a plan dubbed Abenomics. The scheme -- a mix of huge monetary easing, government spending and reforms to the economy -- stoked a stock market rally and fattened corporate profits. But there had been growing criticism about the plan s muted impact on the wider economy. Japan has been struggling to defeat years of deflation and slow growth that followed the collapse of an equity and property market bubble in the early nineties. Falling prices can discourage spending by consumers, who might postpone purchases until prices drop more or look to save money instead. That puts pressure on businesses, creating a cycle in which firms then cut back on expanding production, hiring new workers or boosting wages.

35 BUSINESS 35 pound suffers biggest one-day fall since January as Conservative lead slides Sterling suffered its steepest fall since January on Friday after an opinion poll showed the governing Conservatives lead over the Labour opposition down to just 5 percentage points less than two weeks before a parliamentary election. The pound sank against the euro and by more than 1 percentage point against the dollar to its lowest in a month, more than 2 cents below last week s sixmonth highs. That lifted London s FTSE share index by half a percent to a record high while other major European markets fell. The multinational-dominated blue-chip index, which tends to rise when the pound falls, was up for a fifth straight week. The assumption that Prime Minister Theresa May s Conservatives would win handsomely, strengthening her hand in negotiations on Britain s departure from the European Union, has driven the pound higher since she called an election for June 8. But a poll by the YouGov organisation taken after Monday s bombing in Manchester showed her lead is just a quarter of what some polls showed a month ago and might deliver the slimmest of majorities. Sterling is likely to continue to be under pressure now until the election is out of the way, if polling continues to indicate it s a tighter race, said Nomura strategist Jordan Rochester. For the market the worst outcome is if we have further uncertainty with the chances of a hung parliament. By 1630 GMT, the pound had fallen to $1.2785, down 1.2 percent on the day in its biggest one-day tumble since Jan. 18. It fell 1 percent to pence per euro. The fate of the pound remains tied to how the British economy reacts to last year s shock decision to leave the EU and speculation over how 18 months of Brexit talks with Brussels will pan out. When May announced the election on April 18, fi - Boursa Kuwait weekly report nancial markets logic was that a big victory would let her face down hard-line Brexiteers in her party to make the compromises needed for a smoother departure. Labour have promised to turn back the budget austerity that has dominated seven years of Conservative government while struggling to get the economy growing faster or dig Britain out of debts racked up in the 2008 financial crisis. If it is a Labour victory, it s perhaps not as bad for sterling as you d expect, given the fiscal spending would eventually lead to higher real yields once the initial uncertainty passes, Nomura s Rochester said. (RTRS) Boursa ends in red, small-cap stocks weigh Boursa Kuwait ended last week in the red zone. The Price Index closed at 6, points, down by 0.57% from the week before closing, the Weighted Index decreased by 0.35% after closing at points, whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at points declining by 0.50%. Furthermore, last week s average daily turnover decreased by 53.10%, compared to the preceding week, reaching K.D 8.06 million, whereas trading volume average was million shares, recording a drop of 66.32%. The Boursa ended the week s trading with a decrease to the three indices, affected by the selling trend on many stocks headed by the small-cap ones that witnessed fluctuated performance during the week, where the first few sessions witnessed active purchasing activity caused such stocks to increase rapidly and pushed the Price Index to maximize its gains, before the last few sessions of the week witness a strong profit collection trend caused it to lose all its previous gains. Also, the leading stocks were million, the total market cap of the red zone. the Boursa capital value by K.D. 5.5 which caused the session to end in the subject to the selling pressures witnessed same company). Also, the mid-week session witnessed a continued fluctuation in the by the Boursa during last week s trading, as the same stocks were subject to Boursa Kuwait witnessed in the first three indices closings, with chang- As per the daily trading activity, the the profit collection operations after the session of the last week an increase ing positions, whereas the small-cap gains it realized in a week earlier, which to the three indices supported by the stocks were subject this time to the negatively affected the Weighted and speculative and the active purchasing profit collection operations executed KSX-15 indices that measure the performance of such stocks, to end by this the of listed stocks headed by the small-cap previous gains, which caused the Price operations that included a wide range on a number of small-cap stocks of three market indices the week s trading stocks, despite the large decrease in the Index to decline at the end of the session, while the Weighted and KSX-15 in the red zone. trading rate reaching very low levels On the other hand, Boursa Kuwait of both the value and volume; whereas indices were able to increase and compensate a part of its previous losses lost during the last week about K.D. 38 the volume reached about million stock, while the value reached by affected by the random purchasing op- million in liquidity, as the market capitalization for the listed companies in the end of the session K.D million erations that concentrated on a number the primary market reached K.D only, its lowest level during the current of leading and operational stocks. billion, down by 0.14% from its value year. The second session of the week The last two sessions of the week in an earlier week, where it reached witnessed a mixed closing for the three witnessed a strong selling trend that then K.D billion. On an annual indices, whereas the Price Index was included many stocks headed by the level, the market cap gains contracted able to continue its increase supported leading ones, which caused the three since the beginning of the year to reach by the continued quick speculative operations on the small-cap stocks, espe- since the beginning of the week, in indices to lose all its gains realized 5.09% compared to its value at end of last year, where it reached K.D cially the ones being traded below its light of the selling pressures and the billion. (Note: The optional delisting par and book values, while the Weighted and KSX-15 indices were subject to tions to benefit from the increased that trader s tend to profit collection opera- decision of Kuwait Slaughter House Company form the market during the the profit collection operations that included some leading and heavy stocks, their stocks recorded in the previous last week, contributed to decreasing sessions. Bayan Investment Co For the annual performance, the Price Index ended last week recording 16.34% annual gain compared to its closing in 2016, while the Weighted Index increased by 5.82%, and the KSX-15 recorded 3.37% growth. Sectors Indices Seven of Boursa Kuwait s sectors ended last week in the red zone, while the other five recorded increases. The Technology sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 5.08% to end the week s activity at points. The Telecommunications sector was second on the losers list, which index declined by 2.75%, closing at points, followed by the Oil & Gas sector, as its index closed at 1, points at a loss of 2.68%. The Banks sector was the least declining as its index closed at points with a 0.75% decrease. On the other hand, last week s highest gainer was the Consumer Services sector, achieving 2.10% growth rate as its index closed at points. Whereas, in the second place, the Insurance sector s index closed at 1, points recording 1.87% increase. The Consumer Goods sector came in third as its index achieved 1.76% growth, ending the week at 1, points. Sectors Activity The Financial Services sector dominated a total trade volume of around million shares changing hands during last week, representing 39.95% of the total market trading volume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms of trading volume as the sector s traded shares were 35.82% of last week s total trading volume, with a total of around million shares. On the other hand, the Banks sector s stocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of around K.D million or 35.05% of last week s total market trading value. The Financial Services sector took the second place as the sector s last week turnover was approx. K.D million representing 29.18% of the total market trading value. For more information, please visit our website: investment funds Funds Fund Manager Valuation Valued date Currency Net Asset Prev NAV Prev NAV Dated Value (NAV) National Bank of Kuwait Money Market Funds Watani KD Money Market Fund II NBK Capital Weekly April 11, 2017 KD March 28, 2017 Watani USD Money Market Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly April 11, 2017 USD March 28, 2017 Watani KD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly April 11, 2017 KD March 28, 2017 Watani USD Money Market Fund (Acc to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly April 11, 2017 USD March 28, 2017 NBK Kuwait Equity Fund Watani Investment Co. Weekly March 23, 2017 KD Gulf Equity Investment Fund Watani Investment Co. Weekly March 23, 2017 USD Gulf Bank Al Basha er GCC Equity Fund Kwt. Fin. & Inv. Co. & Gulf Fin. House Monthly April 30, 2017 USD March 28, 2017 Coast Fund Coast Investment & Dev. Co. Monthly March 28, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017 Sanaya Dow Jones Kuwait Index Fund Industrial & Financial Investment Co. Weekly Jan 26, 2017 KD Dec 30, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 1 Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Markaz Capital Preservation Program 2 Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Markaz Gulf Real Estate Fund Bi-annual Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Al Ahli Bank Al Ahli Gulf Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly April 30, 2017 KD March 31, 2017 Al Ahli Kuwaiti Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly April 30, 2017 KD March 31, 2017 Burgan Bank Burgan Equity Fund Burgan Bank Monthly April 23, 2017 KD March 26, 2017 Boubyan Bank Boubyan KD Money Market Fund Boubyan Bank Weekly May 2, 2017 KD April 25, 2017 Boubyan KD Money Market Fund II Boubyan Bank Weekly May 2, 2017 KD April 25, 2017 Boubyan Capital Investment Co. Boubyan USD Liquidity Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co May 2, 2017 USD April 25, 2017 Boubyan Multi-Asset Holding Fund Boubyan Bank April 30, 2017 USD April 25, 2017 Kuwait Investment Co. Local Fund Al Raed Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly May 18, 2017 KD May 14, 2017 Kuwait Investment Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly April 30, 2017 KD March 30, 2017 Al Hilal Fund Kuwait Investment Co Monthly April 30, 2017 KD April 29, 2017 Al Atheer Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly April 30, 2017 KD March 31, 2017 International Global Bond Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly May 17, 2017 USD April 26, 2017 Diversified Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly May 17, 2017 USD May 10, 2017 European Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly April 28, 2017 Euro April 26, 2017 Pacific Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly May 17, 2017 USD May 10, 2017 North American Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Tw. Monthly April 28, 2017 USD March 31, 2017 National Investment Co. (NIC) Al-Wataniya Fund NIC Monthly April 30, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017 Al-Darij Fund NIC Monthly April 30, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017 Mawarid Fund NIC Monthly April 30, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017 Zajil Fund NIC Monthly April 30, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017 Al Mada Investment Fund NIC Weekly April 30, 2017 USD Feb 28, 2017 Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) Mumtaz Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly May 18, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 MIDAF Kuwait Financial Center Weekly May 18, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly May 18, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 Markaz Arabian Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Nov 10, 2016 KD Nov 3, 2016 FORSA Financial Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly March 31, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017 Real Estate Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly March 31, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 Markaz Fixed Income Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly May 18, 2017 USD April 13, 2017 Mawazeen International Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly March 26, 2017 USD March 19, 2017 Markaz MENA Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly May 18, 2017 USD April 13, 2017 Kuwait & Middle East Financial & Inv. Co. Al Rou yah Fund KMEFIC Monthly March 31, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017 Gulf Gate Fund KMEFIC Monthly Oct 31, 2016 KD Sept 30, 2016 Global Investment House Funds Fund Manager Valuation Valued date Currency Net Asset Prev NAV Prev NAV Dated Value (NAV) Index Funds GCC Large Cap Index Fund Global Weekly April 26, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 Equity Funds Al-Mamoun Fund A Global Weekly April 26, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 Al-Mamoun Fund B Global Weekly April 26, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 GCC Large Cap Fund Global Bi-weekly April 25, 2017 USD April 11, 2017 Al-Noor Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 31, 2017 SAR Jan 24, 2017 Global Saudi Equity Fund Global Bi-weekly April 25, 2017 SAR April 11, 2017 Money Market Funds Global Money Market Fund Global Weekly Nov 20, 2016 USD Sectoral Funds EPADI Fund Global Weekly April 25, 2017 USD April 11, 2017 Islamic Funds Global GCC Islamic Fund Global Weekly April 25, 2017 USD April 11, 2017 Al-Durra Islamic Fund Global Monthly April 26, 2017 KD April 13, 2017 Kuwait Finance & Investment Co (KFIC) Al Wasm Fund KFIC Weekly March 16, 2017 KD Feb 15, 2017 Al Basha er GCC Equity Fund KFIC Monthly Feb 28, 2017 USD Dec 31, 2016 KAMCO KAMCO Investment Fund KAMCO Monthly Jan 31, 2017 KD Nov 30, 2016 KAMCO GCC Opportunities Fund KAMCO Monthly July 31, 2016 USD Feb 29, 2016 KAMCO MENA Plus Fixed Income Fund KAMCO March 31, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 KAMCO Real Estate Yield Fund KAMCO March 31, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 Kuwait Education Fund KAMCO Quartely Sept 30, 2016 KD Wafra International Investment Co. Wafra Equity Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Wafra Bond Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Masaref Investment Fund ISKAN Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Fajir Islamic Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Shuaa Capital Co. Emirates Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Feb 7, 2017 AED Jan 31, 2017 The Arab Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Feb 7, 2017 USD Jan 31, 2017 Al Aman Investment Al Aman Islamic Fund Al Aman Investment Weekly April 30, 2017 KD Dec 31, 2016 Tharwa Investment Co. Tharwa Investment Fund Tharwa Investment Co Weekly May 5, 2017 KD March 13, 2017 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 May 5, 2017 KD March 13, 2017 Bank Al-Bilad Al Seef Fund Bank Al-Bilad Daily May 21, 2017 KD May 7, 2017 Commercial International Bank CIB Money Market Fund (Osoul) CI Asset Management Weekly May 25, 2017 EGP May 23, 2017 CIB II Equity (Isthethmar) CI Asset Management Weekly May 25, 2017 EGP May 23, 2017 CIB and Faisal Islamic Al Aman CI Asset Management Weekly May 25, 2017 EGP May 23, 2017 Hemaya CI Asset Management Weekly May 2, 2017 EGP April 2, 2017 Thabat CI Asset Management Weekly May 25, 2017 EGP May 23, 2017 Takamol CI Asset Management Weekly May 25, 2017 EGP May 23, 2017 Misr El Mostakbel CI Asset Management Weekly May 21, 2017 EGP May 14, 2017 Noor Financial Investment Co. Noor Islamic Fund Noor Financial Investment Co Monthly Feb 29, 2016 KD Dec 31, 2015 Al Zumorroda Investment Co. Zumorroda GCC Fund Al Zumorroda Investment Co Monthly Jan 31, 2016 KD Dec 31, 2015 KFH Capital Investment Co. Muthanna Islamic Index Fund (MUDX) KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Muthanna GCC Islamic Banks Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 Baitak GCC Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Weekly Feb 28, 2017 KD Jan 31, 2017 CapCorp Investment Co. CapCorp Local Fund CapCorp Investment Company Weekly March 30, 2017 KD Feb 28, 2017

36 BUSINESS 36 Melania boosts Slovenia tourism Venezuela sets new exchange mechanism, as currency continues to slide The number of tourists in Slovenia rose by 8 percent year-onyear in March, boosted by the fact that new U.S. First Lady Melania Trump was born in the country. Overnight stays in Slovenia by tourists from the United States jumped 30.6 percent while the number of domestic tourists rose by 22.5 percent, the statistics office said on Thursday. Analysts said domestic tourist fi gures refl ected improved economic conditions in Slovenia, a country which narrowly avoided an international bailout for its banks in 2013 but expects economic growth of 3.6 percent this year versus 2.5 percent in The unemployment rate fell to 10.2 percent in March, down from 12 percent in the same month last year. (RTRS) Venezuela set a range on Wednesday for the fi rst offer in its new DICOM foreign exchange mechanism, effectively devaluing the previous SIMADI exchange rate by at least 60 percent as the currency continues its slide. The central bank said it would accept bids for dollars between 1,800 bolivars and 2,200 bolivars during two weekly auctions. These bounds are only designated for the first offer. DICOM is designed as another addition to the OPEC country s complex currency controls, the fi fth such plan in four years by a socialist government that has repeatedly balked at revamping its state-led economic system. Complex currency controls, enacted fi rst in 2003 in order to prevent capital fl ight, are thought by many to be behind Venezuela s economic crisis, which has left millions suffering food and medicine shortages. Most Venezuela say they cannot get access to official exchange rates anyway and so must go to the black market, on which the bolivar currency has collapsed more than 99 percent against the dollar since President Nicolas Maduro won the presidency in A thousand dollars saved then in local currency would be worth less than $5 now. On the black market, a dollar fetches nearly 6,000 bolivars a far cry from the SIMADI rate which on Tuesday was at 728 bolivars per dollar. Venezuela s strongest rate, known as DIPRO, is at 10 bolivars per dollar and reserved, says the government, for essentials such as food and medicine. (RTRS) Commodities Weekly Gold hits four-week high Crude slips further as OPEC meet disappoints LONDON, May 27, (RTRS): Oil prices slipped further on Friday following an OPEC-led decision to extend current production curbs that investors gauged did not go far enough to reduce a global supply glut. At Thursday s meeting in Vienna the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and some non-opec producers agreed to extend a pledge to cut around 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of output until the end of the first quarter of The initial agreement would have expired next month. Producers have expressed confidence that this plan will bring down crude oil stocks to their five-year average of 2.7 billion barrels but the market had hoped for a last-minute agreement on more far-reaching action. Crude prices tumbled 5 percent following the decision on Thursday and extended losses on Friday. Expectations had become so high that the mere extension of the status quo by nine months resulted in disappointment, said analysts at Commerzbank. Global benchmark Brent futures were down 37 cents at $51.09 a barrel at 1333 GMT, hitting a daily low of $ US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures traded at $48.59 a barrel, down 31 cents day on the day. Its intra-day low was $ US oil production has already risen by 10 percent since mid to over 9.3 million bpd, close to the output of top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia. Rising With US output rising steadily and OPEC and its allies potentially raising production in 2018 to regain lost market share, many traders, including Goldman Sachs, already expect another price slump. Other assessments pointed to the possibility of output cuts being extended into 2019 in order to bring down both crude oil and refined product stocks. Output controls will eventually be extended at least until the end of 2018, and more likely than not into At this pace, it will not be until at least the end of 2018, or indeed, 2019, when surplus inventories can be eliminated, said analysts at Deutsche Bank. Meanwhile, gold hit its highest in nearly four weeks on Friday as political uncertainty led investors to shun riskier assets in favour of bullion. We have had the political noise coming from Trump and the US administration and there is a certain element of uncertainty in the markets in general, which is supporting gold. Equities are also down, analyst Carsten Menke at Julius Baer in Zurich said. Leaders of the world s rich nations face difficult talks with Donald Trump at a G7 summit in Sicily on Friday after the US president lambasted NATO allies and condemned German trade policies a day earlier. Alternative Gold is used as an alternative investment during times of political and financial uncertainty. Spot gold had gained 1 percent to $1, per ounce by 1415 GMT, the highest since May 1. US gold futures gained 0.9 percent to $1, an ounce. Menke expects gold to remain rangebound with a price target of $1,200 in three months. The headwinds are coming from US monetary policy. We do expect a rate hike in June and we see the dollar strengthening again. On the upside, there s a lot of uncertainty, which keeps people from selling gold and maybe causing a little bit of buying. Data on Friday showed US gross domestic product increased at a 1.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter instead of the 0.7 percent pace reported last month, supporting the dollar. Among other precious metals, spot platinum climbed 1.6 percent to $961.24, its highest in a month. Head of Technical Analysis Stéphanie Aymes at Societe Generale said a bullish formation on the charts means platinum is expected to head towards $991. Platinum has been tracing a pattern similar to a triangle and more importantly a probable double bottom at $900/$890 levels, she said in a note. Platinum is up 2.8 percent for the week, the biggest weekly rise since early January. Spot silver rose 1.4 percent to $17.36 and was on track to gain 3.3 percent this week, its biggest weekly rise since early January. Palladium rose 1 percent to $779 and has added 1.8 percent this week, its first weekly gain this month. Wall Street records 7-day gains, dollar firms as sterling retreats NEW YORK, May 27, (RTRS): Oil prices recovered on Friday from some of the previous day s steep slide after investor disappointment that OPEC curbs did not go far enough, while Wall Street stocks eked out a seventh straight day of gains. US bond yields stayed steady and gold saw big gains as a risk-off sentiment and concerns about political uncertainty took hold, with spot gold rising to its highest since May 1. We have had the political noise coming from Trump and the US administration and there is a certain element of uncertainty in the markets in general, which is supporting gold. Equities are also down, analyst Carsten Menke at Julius Baer in Zurich said. Sterling slid more than 1 percent following a poll showing the ruling Conservatives lead shrinking two weeks before an election. Britain s pound tumbled to a more than four-week low of $ It was last down 1.03 percent at $ The US dollar, however, rose after upbeat data showed that the US economy slowed less than initially thought in the first quarter, as gross domestic product increased at a 1.2 percent annual rate. The GDP figure was a pleasant surprise. I don t think markets were looking for a revision this big, said Sireen Harajli, FX strategist at Mizuho in New York. It confirms or at least gives some relief to the idea that the weakness that we had seen in economic performance is likely to be transitory. The dollar index rose 0.2 percent, with the euro down 0.33 percent to $ Wall Street saw another strong day for consumer stocks, offset by weakness in healthcare and real estate shares. The flattening market had threatened to break a winning streak, but the S&P 500 eked out a slightly higher day ahead of a long weekend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.67 points, or 0.01 percent, to end the week at 21,080.28, the S&P 500 gained 0.75 point, or 0.03 percent, to 2, and the Nasdaq Composite added 4.94 points, or 0.08 percent, to 6, In Britain, the first opinion poll since a suicide bombing killed 22 people indicated the opposition Labour Party had cut the Conservative Party s lead to five points, with less than a fortnight to go to the parliamentary election. Prime Minister Theresa May has said a big win would strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations for Britain to leave the European Union. The sterling selloff was seen boding well for British exporters, however. British stock markets bucked the Oil, banks trip up European stocks Expectations for progress on Trump agenda dips Buy in May, till November stay Wall St Week Ahead NEW YORK, May 27, (RTRS): in May and go away is perhaps the oldest saw on Wall Street, but it appears there s no shortage of US mutual funds doing exactly that this year. After all, the S&P 500 has delivered a total return, including reinvested dividends, of 10.8 percent over the last six months, essentially capturing all of the average rolling 12-month total return on the index since 1990, so why not cash in? Indeed, political drama and high valuations are clearly driving some investors to take profits. American fund investors have yanked more than $17 billion from US stocks so far this month, data from fund tracker Lipper shows, with some $10.1 billion in withdrawals in the latest week alone, the second biggest outflow for the year. Some hearty investors, however, stand ready to bet against that flow and history and are advocating a buy-in-may approach this year. If anything you might want to buy in May and sell in November, said Chris Zaccarelli, Chief Investment Officer at Cornerstone Financial Partners, in Huntersville, North Carolina, who bases his bullishness on the healthy outlook for the global economy rather than expectations for a policy boost from the Trump administration. While stocks appear to have priced in hope for a Trump stimulus this year, Zaccarelli says his expectations for progress on Trump s agenda in 2017 has recently tumbled to 40/60 from 80/20 because he doesn t see Trump gaining enough support from a severely divided Republican party, which suggests to him that selling will be more opportune a few months down the road. If we go the entire year and Washington does nothing, no tax reform, no repatriation, I think there will be a little disappointment, he said. Ironically enough, the disappointment will be in November or December because people will realize they went the whole year and got nothing done. The sell-in-may tactic has been kicked around Wall Street for decades and is premised on the historic outperformance of the November-May period over the other six months of the year. It works. In the last 20 years, a $100 investment in the S&P from November through April would have become $343 while a $100 investment in May through October in the same years would have slipped to $98.5, according to Bespoke Investment Group, in Harrison, New York. From 1928 to 2017 the $100 would have become $4,270 from November through April but would only be worth $257 from investing from May through October, according to Bespoke. In the summer months things slow down so you tend to see the chances for a pickup in volatility. That s usually accompanied by weakness in the market, according to Paul Hickey, Cofounder of Bespoke Investment Group, LLC who is not selling now as he still has a positive view toward equities. Other factors that can drive a summer lull include a corporate tendency to hold stock-boosting investor meetings early or late in the year, a reduction of over-optimistic analyst estimates around mid-year, and a boost just ahead of the end-of-year holiday shopping season, says Linda Bakhshian, portfolio manager at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh. John Augustine, Chief Investment Officer at Huntington National Bank in Columbus, Ohio said he is taking the opposite tack to sell in May and moving into US small and mid cap stocks which have underperformed large caps so far this year. The small cap Russell 2000 index has risen just 1.8 percent year-to-date compared with 7.8 percent for the S&P 500, 6.6 percent for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 15.3 percent for Nasdaq Composite. To sell we d need a Fed that s more hawkish than expected mixed with economic data that s weaker than expected. That combination could give us a domestic stock sell off this summer. But markets have discounted that this week based after Fed minutes, thinking the Fed would stay dovish this Summer, said Augustine. downward trend and hit record highs. The pan-european FTSEurofirst 300 index lost 0.22 percent and MSCI s gauge of stocks across the globe shed 0.08 percent. Meanwhile, analysts said there was caution in the markets ahead of a meeting of leaders from the world s richest economies that was expected to expose deep divisions with US President Donald Trump over trade and climate change. US US stocks ended little changed on Friday ahead of the long holiday weekend, though indexes ended a two-week streak of losses and consumer shares were strong for a second day. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also eked out record closing highs, and the S&P 500 posted a seventh straight session of gains, matching a winning streak from February. Helping the consumer staples index, Costco Wholesale rose 1.8 percent to $ and was among the biggest drivers of the S&P and Nasdaq indexes. The warehouse club operator reported results Thursday. Trading volume, with just about 5.2 billion shares changing hands on US exchanges, was the lowest of the year. The US market will be closed on Monday for Memorial Day. The market is almost eerily quiet. The only thing that tends to move the markets at least recently is political news, said Tim Courtney, chief investment officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors, in Oklahoma City. Earlier in the day, a report showed that the US economy grew at a 1.2 percent pace in the first quarter, slightly more than the 0.7 percent estimated earlier. The higher reading was in line with economists expectations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended down 2.67 points, or 0.01 percent, to 21,080.28, the S&P 500 gained 0.75 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2, and the Nasdaq Composite added 4.94 points, or 0.08 percent, to 6, For the week, the Dow rose 1.3 percent, the S&P 500 gained 1.4 percent and the Nasdaq added 2.1 percent. The consumer staples index and the consumer discretionary index were both up 0.3 percent. The gains were mostly offset by declines in healthcare and real estate stocks. Ulta Beauty jumped 3.2 percent, the second-biggest percentage gainer in the S&P, after the company raised its fullyear forecast. Deckers Outdoor Corp ended up 18.8 percent and hit a nine-month high during the session after reporting a surprise quarterly profit. Among the laggards, GameStop fell 5.9 percent to $ The videogame retailer left its full-year earnings forecast unchanged despite beating profit estimates. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.14-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.12-to-1 ratio favored decliners. The S&P 500 posted 57 new 52- week highs and 8 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 97 new highs and 61 new lows. 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 May 27 Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy US dollar Danish krone Cyprus pound Sterling pound Indian rupee Yemeni riyal travellers cheques US dollar Sterling Euro local gold BEC Commercial Bank Gulf Bank Al-Ahli Bank BEC Muzaini Exchange Euro Pakistani rupee Thai baht Japanese yen Sri Lanka rupee South African rand Swiss franc Bangladesh taka Korean won Gold 999 kg 12, Canadian dollar Philippine peso Syrian pound Gold tola 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 Agility settles Continued from Page 1 to deliver food and related materials to US troops in an active war zone, Agility CEO Tarek Sultan said. The contracts spanned seven years, involved nearly 200,000 invoices to the US government, and were valued at over $8.6 billion. Agility settled on terms that preserve and validate the company s reputation for integrity. In the criminal portion of the case, Agility announced earlier that it has agreed to plead to a misdemeanor in connection with a single invoice valued at $551. The misdemeanor is a minor offense, unrelated to any of the original criminal charges. It requires Agility to pay a maximum of $551 in restitution, but carries with it no criminal fine. In the parallel civil proceedings of the case, the company has agreed to pay $95 million in cash. In addition, Agility and the US government have agreed to mutual releases of all outstanding contract claims related to the food-supply contracts. The agreement will resolve all legal issues related to these contracts for Agility employees, directors, officers and affiliates. The terms of the settlement are subject to final court approval. The settlement will allow Agility to resume the pursuit of new US government contracts. Under the terms of the settlement, the US government has agreed to remove Agility and all of its subsidiaries and affiliates from the list of suspended companies on its System for Award Management (SAM) database, formerly known as the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS), within 60 days. Friday s settlement removes uncertainty for investors and lenders, ends costly litigation, and opens a pipeline of potential government and commercial contracting opportunities, Sultan said. Agility has a healthy balance sheet and low net debt, Sultan said. The company can meet its obligations under the settlement without jeopardizing its current investments or its future growth. By bringing the case to an end, we have the ability to unlock additional value for shareholders. MoE alert Continued from Page 1 training applications; allowing communication between students, teachers, guardians or parents and the management of schools through the electronic gateway for students in the secondary level. The minister revealed the project is currently in the evaluation stage in order to determine its objectives and affirm its viability, clarifying there is no truth in the allegation that the distribution of tablet devices was suspended by the administrations of schools. He said the ministry is updating the software to install the latest version of Microsoft in the tablets. He added the tablets contain electronic pouch, interactive secondary level curriculum approved by the assistant undersecretary for public education affairs, technical instructions for various subjects, Microsoft Office, Net Support School, e-chapter Management Program that allows teachers and students to communicate effectively while teachers can send and prepare exam questions to save time and effort as well as to do away with printing papers. Meanwhile, Assistant Undersecretary for Commercial Control and Consumer Protection in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Eid Al- Rashidi said the ministry, in cooperation with its social affairs and labor counterpart and the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies, rejected the request of some food companies to increase prices of their products. He added the ministry has intensified inspection campaigns in cooperative societies, central markets, shops and other establishments to protect consumers. He explained the ministry compares current prices of commodities with those in the previous period to uncover unjustified price hikes. He said the ministry assigned more commercial inspectors in different locations to quickly respond to consumer complaints made through hotline number 135 and the external centers. He confirmed that the ministry has adopted several mechanisms to implement Consumer Protection Law No. 39/2014 properly, indicating a committee was formed to study typical contracts. He said the committee prepared a model for some sectors and it is currently studying the possibility of unifying the contract for car rental offices. On the role of the National Committee for Consumer Protection in dealing with unjustified price hikes, Al- Rashidi clarified this is not under the jurisdiction of the committee; asserting the ministry deals with the issue in accordance with Law No. 10/1979 on supervision of goods, services and crafts. Militia clashes Continued from Page 1 the GNA took office last year but refuses to recognise the new administration. Loyalist forces seized the villas in four days of intense fighting in March that saw them expand their control over the capital. Tripoli had been relatively calm since, but dozens of armed groups still operate and several parts of Tripoli remain beyond its control. Relying on militia support and pitted against a rival administration in eastern Libya, the GNA has struggled to assert its authority across the country. In a statement on Friday, the GNA blamed Ghweil and Salah Badi, another leader of Fajr Libya, for Friday s violence. This is their gift to the people for Iraqis launch broad assault on DAESH holdouts in Mosul ARBIL, Iraq, May 27, (Agencies): Iraqi forces have launched a broad assault on parts of battleground second city Mosul still held by the Islamic State group, the military announced on Saturday. The offensive is the latest push in the more than seven-month battle to retake Mosul, a linchpin in IS s now crumbling attempt to establish a cross-border jihadist state. Multiple security forces units are attacking what remains of the unliberated areas on the west bank of the River Tigris, the Joint Operations Command said in a statement. Army forces attacked Al-Shifaa neighbourhood and the Republican Hospital, federal police forces Al- Zinjili neighbourhood, and Counter- Terrorism forces attacked Al-Saha al- Oula neighbourhood, it said. All three neighbourhoods are located north of the Old City, a warren of closely spaced buildings and narrow streets that has posed significant challenges to Iraqi forces seeking to oust IS Ṫhe Joint Operations Command said later on Saturday that two colonels from the Iraqi army s 16th Division were killed in the Mosul area, but did not provide details about when or how they died. On Friday, the federal police said they had bombarded IS positions with Grad rockets and field artillery in preparation for attacking the Old City in the coming hours. But the Joint Operations Command did not mention any attack on IS-held areas of the Old City on Saturday. Earlier this week, the military said it had dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets on IS-held areas of Mosul, urging citizens to exit via safe corridors towards security forces. International aid group Save the Children expressed concern that the call for civilians to leave could expose them to additional danger. The Iraqi government must ensure all exit corridors are genuinely safe for people to flee, it said. The call for civilians to leave their homes is a U-turn on former directives that compelled civilians to stay and wait for the battle to pass -- instructions that also raised concerns about the risks. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost to the jihadists. Iraqi forces launched a major operation to retake Mosul in October last year, fighting their way to the city and retaking its eastern side before setting their sights on its smaller but more densely populated west. The battle has taken a heavy toll on civilians, pushing hundreds of thousands to flee, while hundreds more have been killed or wounded. On Thursday, the United States announced the results of an investigation into a deadly coalition air strike earlier this year. The probe found that at least 105 civilians had been killed and 36 remained unaccounted for, but said most had been killed by the secondary explosion of IS munitions stored in a nearby house. There have also been reports that members of an Iraqi interior ministry special forces unit tortured and killed detainees during the Mosul operation. Iraqi photographer Ali Arkady recounted witnessing the abuse, which he also filmed, in an article for German magazine Der Spiegel. US network ABC News also reported on Arkady s footage. The interior ministry has launched an investigation into the allegations. Abuses such as those described in the reports could sow the seeds of future conflict even as security forces near the end of the battle for Mosul, the month of Ramadan, it said in a statement. Mattia Toaldo, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the main figure to benefit from the Tripoli clashes was military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who supports the eastern administration. The man standing to gain from these clashes is again Khalifa Haftar who benefits from the increasing sense of chaos in the capital, he told AFP. Meanwhile, an armed Libyan group on Friday seized Al-Hadhba jail in south Tripoli where former officials of the regime of late strongman Gaddafi are being held, a judicial source said. The prison guards were forced to withdraw after an armed group loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord attacked, said the source requesting anonymity, adding that two guards were killed. The fate of the top former officials for Gaddafi, who was overthrown and killed in a 2011 revolution, was not known late on Friday. More than 30 are being held there, including Gaddafi s last premier Baghdadi al-mahmudi and his former intelligence chief, Abdullah Senussi. Both men were condemned to death in The official named the group that attacked the facility as the pro-gna Katiba Thowar Tripoli. Senior IRGC killed fighting IS A Kuwaiti shops for fruits at a market on the fi rst day of the Holy Month of Ramadan in downtown Kuwait City on May 27. For Muslims across the world, the beginning of the ninth month in the Muslim lunar calendar which marks the start of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayers and fasting. (AFP) Coalition acknowledges airstrikes near Mayadeen Syrian army, allied militia gain ground BEIRUT, May 27, (AP): Syrian troops and allied militia have pushed back Islamic State militants and US-backed opposition fi ghters, gaining control of a large swath of territory in the country s strategic southern desert, the governmentcontrolled media and a war monitor said Saturday. Also Saturday, the US-led coalition leading the campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria s northeast, acknowledged it has conducted airstrikes near the IS-controlled town of Mayadeen earlier in the week, targeting the group s propaganda facilities. In a statement ed to The Associated Press, the US-led coalition said it is looking into reports the airstrikes killed over two dozen civilians, but added the claims were unsubstantiated and lacked specificity or evidence. With the new advances, the government and allied troops secured an area nearly half the size of neighboring Lebanon. The strategic juncture in the Syrian desert aids government plans to go after IS in Deir el-zour, one of the militants last major stronghold in Syria. The oil-rich province straddles the border with Iraq and is the group s last gate to the outside world. The government and its allies have restored government control over mineral and oil resources, including the phosphate mines in Khneifes, once controlled by IS. The state-controlled Syrian Central Military media said the new advances secured over 5,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) in the desert area, widening the government s control south of Palmyra in Homs province and the highway IS s most emblematic stronghold. Meanwhile, a senior commander of Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was killed fighting Islamic State west of the Iraqi city of Mosul, the Tehran-based Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday. It is the first time Iran has announced the death of a senior commander during the operations launched in October to drive the Islamist militants out of Mosul. Commander Shaaban Nassiri was martyred in operations to free the area west of Mosul, the Tasnim news agency quoted the Revolutionary Guards as saying. Al-Hadhba jail is controlled by an Islamist group headed by Khaled Sherif, who was a deputy minister in the former government set up by the Fajr Libya coalition of militias that seized Tripoli in The group has not yet said whether it backs or opposes the GNA. Amir condoles Continued from Page 1 reaffirmed Kuwait s support to Egypt and whatever measures Cairo might take to counter such acts of terrorism. His Highness the Amir stressed Kuwait s unwavering stance rejecting all forms of terrorism, as well as the country s support to the international community in the fight against it and drying up its financing sources. His Highness the Amir prayed to Allah Almighty to bestow his mercy and forgiveness upon the deceased victims, wishing the wounded speedy recovery. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al- Hamad Al-Sabah sent two similar cables of condolences to the Egyptian President. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest directed at linking the ancient city to the capital Damascus. The area was the backyard of territories once controlled by IS militants linking Palmyra, the Jordanian border area, the IS de-facto capital Raqqa, and the oil-rich Deir el-zour. The large swath of desert, parts of which were in rebel hands, also abuts the Damascus and its suburbs. With their new gains, the government and allied forces have successfully isolated anti-government rebel fi ghters in the desert area east of Damascus, denying them advances toward the strategic Homs desert area. Offensive The multi-pronged offensive has been ongoing for over two weeks and caused tension in the area, prompting a US airstrike on Syrian government and allied troops near the border with Jordan. The opposition Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government and allied troops seized Saturday al-ilianiya, an area controlled by Syrian opposition fi ghters, backed by the US and western countries, in the desert near the border with Jordan. The Observatory said the government seized over 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) since the offensive began earlier this month. The advances also pave the way for the government and its allied troops to press toward the ISstronghold of Sukhna, a key node in the push toward the province of Deir el-zour, said Mozahem al-salloum, of the activist-run Hammurabi Justice News network that tracks developments in eastern Syria. The IRGC is the main backer of the Iraqi Shi ite paramilitary force known as Popular Mobilisation, fighting Islamic State west of Mosul. Nassiri was killed near Baaj, one of the last cities which remain under Islamic State control, near the Syrian border, according to Mashregh, an Iranian news website. Baghdadi is believed to be hiding in this region, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. Nassiri fought in the Iran-Iran war of and has been involved in the six-year war in Syria, backing President Bashar al-assad, according to Mashregh. The crowded battlefield has been a scene of escalating friction in recent weeks, as the government and its allies pushed their way further south where rebel fighters backed by the US military also operate. US warplanes struck a convoy and a base of Syrian and allied troops on May 18, in the first such battlefield confrontation between American and Syrian forces since the conflict began in US officials said the Syrian advances posed a threat to its troops and allies fi ghting the Islamic State group in the area. Meanwhile in Damascus, the Syrian government blamed the US-led coalition for airstrikes that killed 35 civilians late Thursday in Mayadeen in Deir el-zour province. The Syrian government called on the U.N. to condemn the airstrikes, saying they are illegitimate and should come to a halt. Activists said those killed in the late night airstrikes included family members of IS fighters. We are aware of the unsubstantiated allegations of civilian casualties resulting from these strikes, however, many of the reports lack specificity or evidence, the US-led coalition said in its statement to the AP. It said it is assessing the allegations as part of their routine review of all such claims. The coalition said its airstrikes on Thursday and Friday targeted IS media facilities, the number one driver of (IS)-inspired external attacks around the world. (The) destruction of these ISIS targets degrades their ability to project terror, the statement said, using a different acronym for the Islamic State group. A general from the Revolutionary Guards assumed the post of Iran s ambassador to Iraq in April, in a sign of the key role the military force is playing in its neighbouring country. Popular Mobilisation on Friday announced the capture of the Sinjar military base, near Baaj, moving its presence closer to the Syrian border. Iraq s Shi ite-led government is aiming to control the border in coordination with the Iranian-backed army of Assad. Linking up the two sides would give Assad a significant advantage in fighting the six-year rebellion against his rule. Egypt s increasingly embattled Christian minority following two church bombings last month that killed more than 45, also claimed by the group. Sisi said on Friday the air raids were targeting militant camps responsible for plotting the attack, and that Egypt would not hesitate to carry out additional strikes inside and outside the country. Two military sources told Reuters that three additional air raids were launched on Saturday morning in the area of Derna, a city where east Libyan forces led by Khalifa Haftar, a close ally of Egypt, has been trying to gain control from Islamists and other opponents. A resident in Derna told Reuters that warplanes were seen striking the Dahr Al-Hamar area in the southern part of the city on Saturday. Egypt s military spokesman declined to comment on the new raids. Derna has a history of Islamist militancy and is where Islamic State set up its first presence in Libya in However, the jihadist group was later chased from the city by local fighters and rival Islamists. The east Libyan air force said the strikes were targeting al- Qaeda linked forces. Egypt s military said in a statement it had conducted several intensive day and night-time strikes that successfully destroyed many targets, including training camps responsible for the Minya attack. A video uploaded to the military s Facebook page depicted fighter jets being armed with missiles and taking off as well as aerial footage of air strikes. A spokesman for the pro-al-qaeda Majlis Mujahedeen Derna, which controls the city in eastern Libya, said the Egyptian air force carried out eight raids on the city without causing casualties. The air force loyal to Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Egypt, on Saturday said it had participated in the strikes, describing them as heavy in casualties. Majlis Mujahedeen Derna ousted IS from Derna in 2015 and also fights Haftar s forces. The group has no known connections to IS in Egypt. The link between Derna and Friday s attack was not immediately clear, but Egypt has repeatedly expressed concern over militants crossing from Libya to Egypt to conduct attacks. In a speech on Friday, Sisi said setbacks to IS in Syria were driving its fighters to try to relocate to Libya and Egypt s Sinai. In past attacks, Egypt had usually identified local jihadists as the perpetrators. Friday s attack followed two suicide bombings of churches in April that killed 45 Copts. In December, a suicide bomber struck a church in Cairo, killing 29 Copts. IS claimed all the bombings and threatened more attacks on the Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt s population of 90 million. It has also killed several Christians in North Sinai, forcing dozens of families to flee. The latest attack drew global condemnation. Terrorists are engaged in a war against civilisation, and it is up to all who value life to confront and defeat this evil, US President Donald Trump said in a statement. Pope Francis, who had visited Egypt in April, sent a message to Sisi saying he was deeply saddened to learn of the barbaric attack. Pope Francis prayed Saturday for the Coptic Christians killed a day earlier in Egypt by Islamic extremists, saying that there are more Christian martyrs today than in ancient times. During a meeting with clergy in the Italian port city of Genoa, Francis urged them to pray for our brothers the Egyptian Copts, who were killed because they did not want to renounce their faith. Let s not forget that today there are more Christian martyrs than in ancient times, than in the early day times of the church, Francis told bishops, priests and nuns gathered in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. Twenty-nine people died in the attack Friday on Christians traveling to a monastery south of Cairo. The attack, which took place on the eve of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, was the fourth to target Egypt s Christian minority since December. The Egyptian Cabinet says 13 victims wounded in the attack remain hospitalized. Sisi blamed the attack on suspected Islamic State group extremists in Libya. After Francis visited Egypt last month, IS vowed to escalate attacks against Christians and urged Muslims to steer clear of Christian gatherings and Western embassies. Mourners sang, women sobbed and men cried out in anger in a packed Egyptian church at the funeral of some of the 28 Coptic Christians killed in Friday s bus attack. Eight wooden coffins were lined up in front of the altar, each bearing a golden cross and a white piece of paper printed with the name of the victim inside. Newswatch Continued from Page 1 percent VAT on other commodities and services by TEHRAN, Iran: Hundreds of Iranian worshippers have rallied in Tehran to denounce a Bahrain police raid on the hometown of a prominent Shiite cleric this week that left five of his supporters dead and 286 arrested. The Iranian demonstrators took to the streets after Friday prayers in Tehran, chanting Death to the House of Khalifa, a reference to the ruling family of Bahrain, and also, Death to the House of Saud, a reference to the Saudi royal family (AP) DUBAI: Iran s President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for improved relations with Gulf Arab countries during a telephone call with the Amir of Qatar, which has come under fire from its Gulf neighbours over its relationship with Tehran. Iran and the Gulf Arab states are backing opposing sides in the Syrian and Yemen conflicts. Relations were further hit last weekend when US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and accused Tehran of supporting terrorism in the Middle East. (RTRS) DUBAI: A Bahrain court fined a prominent journalist 1,000 dinars ($2,650) on Thursday for reporting in the kingdom without official permission, her lawyer said, after a trial seen by rights groups as an example of diminishing press freedom. Nazeeha Saeed, an awardwinning Bahrain correspondent for France 24 and the Arabic-language Monte Carlo Doualiya radio, was accused of working as a journalist without a permit, after authorities did not renew her accreditation in June (RTRS) ADEN: Two freelance cameramen were killed in rebel shelling of the outskirts of Yemen s third city Taez on Friday as they filmed fighting with government troops, security officials said. The clashes came after UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed flew out of the rebel-held capital of Sanaa on Thursday without securing agreement on a ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which begins this weekend. (AFP) ROME: A UAE lawyer sentenced to 10 years in 2013 for plotting against the regime was on Saturday awarded a major human rights award. Mohammed al-roken was among 69 people jailed on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government following a mass trial criticised by rights groups. (AFP) ANKARA: An earthquake of 5.1 magnitude hit Turkey s Manisa province east of the Aegean coastal city of Izmir on Saturday, broadcaster CNN Turk said, adding that initial reports showed no casualties or damage. The earthquake hit the Saruhanli district of Manisa at a depth of 10 kms (6 miles) and the effects were felt in neighbouring towns and cities as well, it said. (RTRS)

38 LEISURE Sherman s Lagoon By J.P. Toomey N E W Y O R K T I M E S CROSSWORD 38 Mutts By Patrick McDonnell Article of outerwear 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 0 Minutes 41 Seconds Your Working Time Minutes Seconds Word by Word Yesterday s solution A pet macaque monkey is seen chained to a wall at an alley in Jakarta on May 25. (AFP) contract bridge By Steve Becker Scratch pad odds n ends WASHINGTON: There s a glimmer of hope for America s ailing honeybees as winter losses were the lowest in more than a decade, according to a US survey of beekeepers released Thursday. Beekeepers lost 21 percent of their colonies over last winter, the annual Bee Informed Partnership survey found. That s the lowest winter loss level since the survey started in 2006 and an improvement from nearly 27 percent the winter before. The US government has set a goal of keeping losses under 15 percent in the winter. It s good news in that the numbers are down, but it s certainly not a good picture, said survey director Dennis vanengelsdorp. It s gone from horrible to bad. Reduction in varroa mites, a lethal parasite, is likely the main cause of the improvement, said vanenglesdorp, a University of Maryland entomologist. He credited the reduction in the parasite to a new product to fi ght the mite and better weather for pesticide use. The 10-year average for winter losses is 28.4 percent. (AP) PROVIDENCE, RI: US officials are warning people not to take selfies with seals, no matter how tempting. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration s fi sheries offi ce says seal pupping season is underway in New England and that means people might see seal pups on the beach during Memorial Day weekend. But they say there is no selfie stick long enough to safely get a selfie of a seal pup. NOAA says people and pets should stay at least 150 feet away from seals. Mother seals often leave their pups alone on the beach for up to 24 hours at a time. If a mother seal sees a human near her pup, she might feel threatened and abandon it. NOAA also says harassing a marine mammal is illegal. (AP) TIRANA, Albania: Albania s government has declared May 10 as Pelican Day in an effort to protect the habitat of a bird under threat. A statement Friday says Environment Minister Lefter Koka issued the order to help promote care for the birds, which face challenges from hunting and a shrinking habitat. (AP) Debts Doyoun Short debts make long friends. Al doyoun al moajalat al adaa totail omr al sadaqa. Numbers 7567 Seven thousand five hundred sixty seven Sabat alaf wa khamso maah wa sabah wa setoon

39 SPORTS 39 South Koreans too strong for Thailand China to play South Korea in Sudirman Cup final Son Wan Ho of South Korea hits a return during the men s singles Sudirman Cup match against Thailand s Suppanyu Avihingsanone at the Gold Coast Sports Centre on May 27. (AFP) MLB Scoreboard GOLD COAST, Australia, May 27, (AFP): Defending champions China will face three-time winners South Korea in the final of the mixed teams Sudirman Cup after fighting off a stern Japanese challenge at Australia s Gold Coast on Saturday. The 10-time winners needed victory in the fifth match by women s doubles pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan to seal a 3-2 win over the 2015 finalists Japan. Chen and Jia prevailed 21-12, over the Japanese duo Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi after a 49-minute tussle. South Korea, who beat China for their last Sudirman Cup title in Eindhoven in 2003, won the other semi-final 3-1 over Thailand. Japan took China all the way with wins in the mixed doubles through Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino 21-12, 14-21, over China s Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen and BADMINTON in the women s singles with Akane Yamaguchi over Sun Yu 21-17, Dual Olympic and five-time world champion Lin Dan fought off Kenta Nishimoto 21-19, in the men s singles while Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen took out the men s doubles 23-21, over Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda. Sung Ji Hyun defeated Ratchanok Intanon in the fourth match of the semi-final tie 21-13, to clinch passage to the final for South Korea. Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai gave the Thais the opening match winning their mixed doubles, 21-16, against Choi Solgyu and Chae Yoo Jung in 41 minutes. All the pressure was on Korea s men s singles spearhead Son Wan Ho, but he came through to overcome Suppanyu Avihingsanon, 18-21, 21-10, Choi Solgyu and Seo Seung Jae were too strong for a deflated Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Bodin Isara in the men s doubles 21-13, 21-16, leaving it all on Ratchanok Intanon in the women s singles to keep Thailand alive in the tie s fourth match. The Thai however was way below her best, unable to stick in the rallies that Sung forced her into. It is just amazing, South Korean head coach Kang Kyung Jin said. We ve made history. This year our team was called weak. At the last minute our senior men s doubles players left the team. We targeted the quarter-final. Now we are so happy. Scherzer pitches into 9th, WASHINGTON, May 27, (Agencies): Results from the MLB games on Friday. Atlanta 2 San Francisco 0 LA Dodgers 4 Chicago Cubs 0 Colorado 10 St Louis 0 Chicago W Sox 8 Detroit 2 Arizona 4 Milwaukee 2 Houston 2 Baltimore 0 Tampa Bay 5 Minnesota 2 Kansas City 6 Cleveland 4 Miami 8 LA Angels 5 Boston 3 Seattle 0 Toronto 7 Texas 6 Cincinnati 5 Philadelphia 2 NY Mets 8 Pittsburgh 1 Oakland 4 NY Yankees 1 Washington 5 San Diego 1 MLB Standings American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB NY Yankees Boston Baltimore /2 Tampa Bay Toronto /2 Central Division W L PCT GB Minnesota Cleveland Detroit /2 Chicago Sox Kansas City /2 Western Division W L PCT GB Houston LA Angels Texas Oakland Seattle National League Eastern Division W L PCT GB Washington Atlanta /2 NY Mets /2 Miami /2 Philadelphia /2 Central Division W L PCT GB Chicago Cubs Milwaukee /2 St Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh Western Division W L PCT GB Colorado Arizona LA Dodgers /2 San Francisco San Diego MLB Linescores American League Kansas City Cleveland Kennedy, Minor (6), Soria (8), K. Herrera (9) and S.Perez; Clevinger, Logan (6), B.Shaw (7), Miller (8), McAllister (9) and Gomes. W_Minor 2-1. L_B.Shaw 1-1. Sv_K.Herrera (10). HRs_ Kansas City, Moustakas, Moss. Cleveland, Ramirez. Oakland New York Manaea, Madson (8), Casilla (9) and Vogt; Tanaka, Clippard (8), Holder (9) and Au.Romine. W_Manaea 3-3. L_ Tanaka 5-4. HRs_Oakland, Vogt. Seattle Boston x3 8 0 Gallardo, Altavilla (6), Cishek (8) and Zunino; Rodriguez, Hembree (7), M. Barnes (8), Kimbrel (9) and Vazquez. W_Rodriguez 4-1. L_Gallardo 2-5. Sv_ Kimbrel (13). Texas Toronto x7 9 1 Griffin, Jeffress (6), Bush (8) and Lucroy; Bolsinger, Loup (5), D.Barnes (7), Tepera (8), J.Smith (9), Osuna (9) and Martin. W_Loup 2-0. L_Griffin 4-2. Sv_Osuna (8). HRs_Texas, Odor. Toronto, Smoak, Morales, Travis. Baltimore Houston x Gausman, Givens (7) and Castillo; Musgrove, Devenski (8), Giles (9) and Gattis. W_Musgrove 4-4. L_Gausman 2-4. Sv_Giles (14). HRs_Houston, Beltran, Marisnick. Tampa Bay Minnesota Archer, Colome (8) and D.Norris; Santiago, Pressly (6), Breslow (7), Belisle (8), Haley (9) and J.Castro. W_Archer 4-3. L_ Santiago 4-3. Sv_Colome (13). HRs_ Tampa Bay, Souza Jr, Morrison, Kiermaier. Detroit Chicago x Boyd, Greene (5), B.Hardy (6), C.Bell (6) and Avila, J.Hicks; Pelfrey, Beck (6), Swarzak (7), Jennings (8), Kahnle (8), Infante (9) and K.Smith. W_Pelfrey 2-4. L_Boyd 2-5. HRs_Detroit, Avila. Chicago, Davidson, Cabrera. Interleague Los Angeles Miami x Chavez, Petit (4), Alvarez (6), Middleton (7), B.Norris (8) and Maldonado; Straily, Phelps (6), Wittgren (8), Barraclough (9), Ramos (9) and Realmuto. W_Straily 3-3. L_Chavez 4-6. Sv_Ramos (5). HRs_Los Angeles, Maldonado, Fontana. Miami, Bour, Stanton, Realmuto. National League San Diego Washington x5 8 0 Perdomo, Yates (7), Diaz (8) and Hedges; Scherzer, Glover (9) and Wieters. W_Scherzer 5-3. L_Perdomo 0-2. Sv_Glover (4). HRs_San Diego, Schimpf. Washington, Turner, Taylor, Harper. Cincinnati Philadelphia Adleman, Wojciechowski (9), R. Iglesias (9) and Mesoraco; Nola, Leiter Jr (7), Rodriguez (9) and Rupp. W_Adleman 3-2. L_Nola 2-2. Sv_R.Iglesias (9). HRs_ Cincinnati, Schebler, Duvall. New York Pittsburgh degrom, Salas (9) and Rivera; Kuhl, Marinez (5), Barbato (6), Hudson (8) and Cervelli, Stewart. W_deGrom 4-1. L_Kuhl 1-5. HRs_New York, Walker 2. Pittsburgh, Polanco. St. Louis Colorado x C.Martinez, Bowman (8), Socolovich (8) and Molina; Senzatela, Lyles (9) and Wolters. W_Senzatela 7-1. L_C.Martinez 3-4. HRs_Colorado, Blackmon, Reynolds. Arizona Milwaukee (10 innings) Godley, De La Rosa (7), Chafin (8), McFarland (9), Rodney (10) and Iannetta; Guerra, Torres (6), J.Barnes (8), Knebel (9), W.Peralta (10) and Bandy. W_ McFarland 2-0. L_W.Peralta 5-3. Sv_ Rodney (13). HRs_Arizona, Lamb, Iannetta. Milwaukee, Bandy. Atlanta San Francisco J.Garcia, J.Ramirez (7), Vizcaino (8), Johnson (9) and Flowers; M.Cain, Morris (8), Kontos (9) and Hundley. W_J.Garcia 2-3. L_M.Cain 3-3. Sv_Johnson (10). Chicago Los Angeles x4 5 0 Arrieta, Pena (7) and Contreras; Wood, P.Baez (6), Hatcher (8) and Grandal. W_Wood 6-0. L_Arrieta 5-4. HRs_Los Angeles, Gonzalez, Utley. MLB Leaders American League BATTING: Segura, Seattle,.346; Trout, Los Angeles,.338; Bogaerts, Boston,.335; Garcia, Chicago,.333; Dickerson, Tampa Bay,.330; Castro, New York,.326; Judge, New York,.322; Lowrie, Oakland,.310; Hosmer, Kansas City,.300; Cano, Seattle,.298; 1 tied at.295. RUNS: Judge, New York, 36; Dickerson, Tampa Bay, 35; Trout, Los Angeles, 35; Gardner, New York, 32; Lindor, Cleveland, 32; Sano, Minnesota, 32; Bautista, Toronto, 31; Castro, New York, 31; Gallo, Texas, 31; 2 tied at 30. RBI: Cruz, Seattle, 40; Sano, Minnesota, 37; Trout, Los Angeles, 35; Garcia, Chicago, 34; Morrison, Tampa Bay, 34; Pujols, Los Angeles, 34; Mazara, Texas, 32; Gallo, Texas, 31; 5 tied at 30. HITS: Dickerson, Tampa Bay, 63; Castro, New York, 60; Bogaerts, Boston, 56; Pillar, Toronto, 56; Garcia, Chicago, 55; Segura, Seattle, 55; Hosmer, Kansas City, 54; Lowrie, Oakland, 54; Altuve, Houston, 53; Trout, Los Angeles, 53; 1 tied at 52. DOUBLES: Travis, Toronto, 17; Moreland, Boston, 16; Lowrie, Oakland, 15; CSantana, Cleveland, 15; Betts, Boston, 14; Dickerson, Tampa Bay, 14; Trout, Los Angeles, 14; Lindor, Cleveland, 13; Schoop, Baltimore, 13; 2 tied at 12. TRIPLES: Bogaerts, Boston, 4; Castellanos, Detroit, 3; Garcia, Chicago, 3; Miller, Tampa Bay, 3; 13 tied at 2. HOME RUNS: Judge, New York, 15; Trout, Los Angeles, 15; Davis, Oakland, 14; Gallo, Texas, 14; Alonso, Oakland, 13; Morrison, Tampa Bay, 13; Cruz, Seattle, 12; Dickerson, Tampa Bay, 12; Moustakas, Kansas City, 12; 5 tied at 11. STOLEN BASES: Dyson, Seattle, 13; Cain, Kansas City, 12; Maybin, Los Angeles, 10; Altuve, Houston, 9; Andrus, Texas, 9; Kiermaier, Tampa Bay, 9; Trout, Los Angeles, 9; Bogaerts, Boston, 8; DeShields, Texas, 8; Ellsbury, New York, 8; 4 tied at 7. PITCHING: Keuchel, Houston, 7-0; ESantana, Minnesota, 7-2; 13 tied at 5-3. ERA: ESantana, Minnesota, 1.80; Keuchel, Houston, 1.84; Vargas, Kansas City, 2.31; Sale, Boston, 2.34; McCullers, Houston, 2.43; Holland, Chicago, 2.47; Fulmer, Detroit, 2.55; Miley, Baltimore, 2.59; Rodriguez, Boston, 2.77; Triggs, Oakland, 2.77; 1 tied at STRIKEOUTS: Sale, Boston, 101; Archer, Tampa Bay, 88; Estrada, Toronto, 70; Salazar, Cleveland, 69; Darvish, Texas, 68; McCullers, Houston, 65; Morton, Houston, 65; Porcello, Boston, 62; Pineda, New York, 61; Severino, New York, 61; 1 tied at 60. National League BATTING: JTurner, Los Angeles,.379; Zimmerman, Washington,.362; Posey, San Francisco,.345; Freeman, Atlanta,.341; Harper, Washington,.340; Cozart, Cincinnati,.338; Kemp, Atlanta,.338; Blackmon, Colorado,.337; Gyorko, St Louis,.329; Conforto, New York,.326; 1 tied at.324. RUNS: Harper, Washington, 44; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 43; Thames, Milwaukee, 39; Blackmon, Colorado, 37; Conforto, New York, 36; Freeman, Atlanta, 35; Hamilton, Cincinnati, 35; Votto, Cincinnati, 35; Arenado, Colorado, 34; Hernandez, Philadelphia, 34; 3 tied at 33. RBI: Blackmon, Colorado, 45; Lamb, Arizona, 42; Reynolds, Colorado, 42; Harper, Washington, 40; Votto, Cincinnati, 39; Zimmerman, Washington, 39; Duvall, Cincinnati, 38; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 37; Arenado, Colorado, 34; Shaw, Milwaukee, 34; 4 tied at 33. HITS: Blackmon, Colorado, 69; Zimmerman, Washington, 59; Arenado, Colorado, 57; Inciarte, Atlanta, 57; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 56; Murphy, Washington, 56; Owings, Arizona, 56; Harper, Washington, 55; LeMahieu, Colorado, 55; 2 tied at 54. DOUBLES: Arenado, Colorado, 17; Zimmerman, Washington, 16; Grichuk, St Louis, 14; 8 tied at 13. TRIPLES: Blackmon, Colorado, 7; Cozart, Cincinnati, 4; Fowler, St Louis, 4; Hamilton, Cincinnati, 4; Galvis, Philadelphia, 3; Gordon, Miami, 3; Margot, San Diego, 3; Peraza, Cincinnati, 3; Pollock, Arizona, 3; Perez, Milwaukee, 3; 15 tied at 2. HOME RUNS: Harper, Washington, 15; Freeman, Atlanta, 14; Lamb, Arizona, 14; Schebler, Cincinnati, 14; Bour, Miami, 13; Conforto, New York, 13; Reynolds, Colorado, 13; Thames, Milwaukee, 13; Zimmerman, Washington, 13; 5 tied at 12. STOLEN BASES: Hamilton, Cincinnati, 25; Gordon, Miami, 14; Goldschmidt, Arizona, 12; Nunez, San Francisco, 12; Villar, Milwaukee, 12; Pollock, Arizona, 11; TTurner, Washington, 11; Broxton, Milwaukee, 10; Peraza, Cincinnati, 10; 2 tied at 9. PITCHING: Kershaw, Los Angeles, 7-2; Senzatela, Colorado, 7-1; Greinke, Arizona, 6-2; 10 tied at 5-2. ERA: Leake, St Louis, 1.91; Kershaw, Los Angeles, 2.01; Lynn, St Louis, 2.53; Scherzer, Washington, 2.77; Greinke, Arizona, 2.82; Nova, Pittsburgh, 2.83; Gonzalez, Washington, 2.90; Lester, Chicago, 3.19; Senzatela, Colorado, 3.19; degrom, New York, 3.23; 1 tied at STRIKEOUTS: Scherzer, Washington, 89; degrom, New York, 86; Samardzija, San Francisco, 79; Greinke, Arizona, 78; Ray, Arizona, 74; Kershaw, Los Angeles, 72; Martinez, St Louis, 71; Lester, Chicago, 64; Cueto, San Francisco, 60; Strasburg, Washington, 59; 1 tied at 56. Nationals trounce Padres WASHINGTON, May 27, (AP): Max Scherzer struck out 13 and gave up three hits over 8 2/3 innings, leading the Washington Nationals over the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Friday night. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Michael A. Taylor homered for the Nationals. Scherzer (5-3) got pulled by acting manager Chris Speier in the ninth, and Koda Glover got his fourth save. Speier is filling while manager Dusty Baker is away this weekend to attend his son Darren s high school graduation in California. Luis Perdomo (0-2) allowed three runs over six innings. Dodgers 4, Cubs 0 In Los Angeles, Alex Wood allowed two hits over five scoreless innings, Chase Utley and Adrian Gonzalez homered, and Los Angeles defeated Chicago in the series opener. Wood extended his career-high scoreless innings streak to 25-1/3, longest in the majors this season. The left-hander began the season in the bullpen, got a chance to sub for some of the Dodgers injured starters and has remained in the rotation since. Wood (6-0) struck out eight and walked two. The Dodgers have won nine of their last 11 at home, and their 19-8 home record is second-best in the majors. Jake Arrieta (5-4) continued to struggle for the World Series champions, whose three-game winning streak ended. The right-hander gave up four runs and five hits in six innings, struck out nine and walked one. Rockies 10, Cardinals 0 In Denver, Rookie Antonio Senzatela threw eight sharp innings to grab a share of the major league lead in wins and Charlie Blackmon had a homer and RBI single as part of an eight-run eighth for Colorado. Fresh off a 7-3 road swing, the Rockies kept right on rolling behind Senzatela, who joins Clayton Kershaw, Dallas Keuchel and Ervin Santana with seven victories. Senzatela (7-1) scattered five hits and showed plenty of poise as the 22-year-old escaped trouble courtesy of four double plays. Carlos Martinez (3-4) gave up three runs in 7 1/3 innings. Astros 2, Orioles 0 In Houston, Jake Marisnick and Carlos Beltran each homered for Houston to back a solid start by Joe Musgrove. Musgrove (4-4) allowed four hits in seven innings before the bullpen closed it out to send the Orioles to their season-high fifth straight loss. Ken Giles threw a perfect ninth for his 14th save. Kevin Gausman (2-4) yielded Travis hits grand slam as Blue Jays edge Rangers 7-6 Kendrys Morales #8 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a solo home run in the fifth inning during MLB game action against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre on May 26, in Toronto, Canada. (AFP) Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Nationals Park on May 26, in Washington. (AP) eight hits and two runs in 6-2/3 innings. Blue Jays 7, Rangers 6 In Toronto, Devon Travis hit his second career grand slam and Toronto posted its fourth straight win. Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales also connected for the Blue Jays, who activated star infielders Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki off the disabled list. Aaron Loup (2-0) pitched 1-1/3 innings. Roberto Osuna struck out Mike Napoli for his eighth save. A.J. Griffin (4-2) was forced to leave in the second after suffering a strained left intercostal muscle. Texas has lost four straight. Mets 8, Pirates 1 In Pittsburgh, Neil Walker homered twice in his return to his hometown and Jacob degrom gave New York s bullpen a needed rest. Walker, who grew up in Pittsburgh and played seven seasons for the Pirates, had three hits and drove in four runs. DeGrom (4-1) became the first Mets starter to get an out in the eighth inning since last June, pitching 8 1/3 innings and striking out 10. He also got two hits. Chad Kuhl (1-5) took the loss. Rays 5, Twins 2 In Minneapolis, Chris Archer struck out 11 while pitching into the eighth inning and Tampa Bay hit three home runs. Archer (4-3) gave up two runs and five hits in 7 2/3 innings and reached double digits in strikeouts for the fourth time in five May starts. Logan Morrison, Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza Jr. all went deep, and Alex Colome got four outs for his 13th save. Hector Santiago (4-3) gave up three runs and four hits in 5-1/3 innings. Marlins 8, Angels 5 In Miami, Giancarlo Stanton homered off the retaining wall behind the center field fence, a shot estimated at 460 feet, to lead Miami. Stanton hit his 12th homer his first since May 8. Justin Bour and J.T. Realmuto also connected for the Marlins and Christian Yelich hit three doubles. Dan Straily (3-3) got the win and A.J. Ramos picked up his fifth save. Jesse Chavez (4-6) allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings. The Angels became the final major league team to play at Marlins Park, which opened in Athletics 4, Yankees 1 In New York, Masahiro Tanaka BASEBALL struck out a career-high 13 to rebound from the worst stretch of his major league career but wound up a hard-luck loser when reliever Tyler Clippard s wild pickoff throw sparked a go-ahead, two-run eighth inning for Oakland. Sean Manaea (3-3), starting because Kendall Graveman was scratched with a sore pitching shoulder, matched Tanaka and allowed four hits in seven innings. Tanaka (5-4) left with the game scoreless after allowing Adam Rosales one-out single in the eighth. White Sox 8, Tigers 2 In Chicago, Melky Cabrera homered and had four RBIs, Matt Davidson went deep and Avisail Garcia drove in three runs to lead Chicago over Detroit after the first game of their doubleheader was postponed because of rain. Detroit and Chicago will try again to play two on Saturday after Game 1 got washed out. The postponement was the 26th this year one more than all of last season, according to Major League Baseball. Garcia s three-run double off Matthew Boyd (2-5) with two out in the third gave Chicago a 3-1 lead. Mike Pelfrey (2-4) worked five innings against his former team. Red Sox 3, Mariners 0 In Boston, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched six scoreless innings and Boston won its season-high fifth in a row. Rodriguez (4-1) went six innings and Craig Kimbrel earned his 13th save. Yovani Gallardo (2-5) went 5-1/3 innings for Seattle, which has won just one of its last seven. Royals 6, Indians 4 In Cleveland, Jorge Bonifacio s two-run double off Andrew Miller broke an eighth-inning tie and lifted Kansas City. Brandon Moss hit a three-run homer in the fourth and Mike Moustakas solo home run in the fifth tied the game. Lorenzo Cain started the winning rally with a single off Travis Bryan Shaw (1-1). Mike Minor (2-1) pitched two scoreless innings. Kelvin Herrera got his 10th save. Reds 5, Phillies 2 In Philadelphia, Tim Adleman tossed eight innings of one-hit ball and Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler homered for Cincinnati. Andres Blanco s first-inning single was all Philadelphia got off Adleman (3-2). The Phillies are 5-21 since an 11-9 start. Raisel Iglesias struck out Maikel Franco with two runners on for his ninth save. Aaron Nola (2-2) went six innings. Diamondbacks 4, Brewers 1, 10 Innings In Milwaukee, Jake Lamb homered in the fourth inning and hit an RBI double in Arizona s two-run 10th, and Arizona extended its winning streak to five games with a 4-2 win over Milwaukee. Chris Owings scored the first run in the 10th on a wild pitch by reliever Wily Peralta (5-3) before Lamb added the insurance run by doubling to the right-field corner. T.J. McFarland (2-0) got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth. Braves 2, Giants 0 In San Francisco, Jaime Garcia pitched 6-2/3 innings and drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the seventh inning to lead Atlanta over San Francisco. Garcia (2-3) did just about everything to get the Braves off to a good start on their nine-game trip. He allowed four hits and two walks to earn his fourth straight win against the Giants and delivered in the biggest at-bat of the game in the seventh inning against Matt Cain (3-3).

40 SPORTS 40 Last-gasp drop takes Toulou into top 14 final Highlanders whip Waratahs to continue late charge WELLINGTON, May 27, (AFP): The Otago Highlanders continued their late charge up the Super Rugby ladder with a convincing victory over the NSW Waratahs in Dunedin on Saturday. It was the Highlanders ninth consecutive win, with the six tries to four downing of the Sydneysiders propelling them up to second in the New Zealand conference. They were trailing at halftime, giving the Waratahs hope they could become the first Australian side to win a trans-tasman clash after 18 attempts this year. But when Waratahs lock Dean Mumm was sin-binned early in the second half the Highlanders pounced with two tries while they had a oneman advantage and they never looked back. It moved the Highlanders to 10 wins from 13 matches and left the Waratahs, with only four wins from 12 games. Highlanders captain Ben Smith said the dismissal of Mumm for a tip tackle was the turning point for his side. RUGBY In Tokyo, flanker Uzair Cassiem scored two tries as the Cheetahs thrashed Japan s Sunwolves 47-7 in Tokyo on Saturday to post their third victory of the Super Rugby season. Defeat by the South Africans left the Sunwolves with just a sole win from 12 matches this campaign -- a home win over the Bulls last month -- and Sunwolves head coach Filo Tiatia blaming familiar shortcomings. Cassiem crashed over in the 16th minute before loose forward Niell Jordaan added a second try just before halftime for the visitors. When Niel Marais capped a fine move early after the restart, the writing was on the wall for the Sunwolves, who have won just two games since joining Super Rugby last season. Sunwolves lock Sam Wykes broke a tackle to reduce the deficit to 19-7 on 47 minutes but Cassiem bulldozed over for this second try of the day to dash Sunwolves hopes of a comeback in front of a boisterous Tokyo crowd. To add insult to injury for the home side, Cheetahs hooker Torsten Van Jaarsveld scored a fifth try for the bonus point before replacement back Tian Meyer and winger Sergeal Petersen iced a comfortable win. In Melbourne, New Zealand s Canterbury Crusaders won a recordequalling 13th straight game to stay unbeaten in Super Rugby this season with a bonus-point win over Australia s Melbourne Rebels in Melbourne on Saturday. The benchmark Kiwi outfit scored six tries to three but encountered stiffer resistance from the Rebels in the second half after leading 31-7 at Cheetahs fullback Clayton Bloometjies (left), avoids a tackle during the Super Rugby match between the Sunwolves of Japan and the Cheetahs of South Africa at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo on May 27. (AFP) Michelin shares tyre tips to keep head cool during hot summer KUWAIT CITY, May 27: The scorching summer heat often compels us to pay extra attention to our health. However we often tend to forget that our cars, especially our tyres, need to be taken care of too. Considering the challengingsummer climate in the region, high temperatures can become a serious problem for tyres, especially if they are not properly maintained. Pierre Granzotto, General Manager for Passenger Cars and Vice President for Michelin Africa, India &the Middle East (AIM) shares some key tips on how to maintain your tyresduring the hot summer months: Check all tyres regularly All tyres including the spare should be checked regularly. One should look for any visible signs of wear or damage, such as deep cracks, exposed cables, cuts or uneven wear of the tyres. The depth of the tyre tread indicates the remaining service life. To determine the tread depth, a tread depth gauge can be purchased and used. Whereas a new tyre usually has a depth of 8mm, the minimum legal requirement for a tread in motor cars is 1.6mm, and motorists are recommended to change a tyre when its tread is 3mm. Check the tyre pressure once a month Tyre pressure is the life-blood of any tyre. Check the pressure of your tyres at least once a month. The air pressure in the tyre drops naturally at the rate of up to two pounds of air every month. However, high temperatures can increase the drop. Apart from the fact that they wear more quickly, poorly inflated tyres generate more heat due to excessive sidewall flexing, affecting the overall performance of the vehicle, including braking distance, handling, safety and fuel consumption. It is important to always check the pressure when the tyres are cold, meaning you have not driven the car for at least 2 hours or for not more than 3km. Check the tyre balance when you feel a vibration Ensure that your tyres are properly balanced. If you feel vibration through the steering wheel or through the vehicle body, your tyres could be balanced incorrectly. Balancing helps prevent half-time. The latest victory equalled the record held by the 2002 Crusaders -- who featured current coach Scott Robertson. The Crusaders free-wheeling win stretched New Zealand s dominance to 20-0 over Australian opposition this season and it has been a full year since the last Australian win over a Kiwi team. It was the Christchurch-based Crusaders 11th consecutive win over Australian teams and kept them firmly entrenched at the top of the New Zealand conference. In Marseille, a drop goal from Anthony Belleau with the last kick of the game gave Toulon a come from behind win over 14-man La Rochelle to reach the French Top 14 final on Friday. Toulon will face either defending champions Racing 92 or Clermont, who meet Saturday, in the final in Paris on June 4. In a tense semi-final played in front of 65,000 people at the Stade Velodrome, the match turned in the 50th minute when La Rochelle, who were leading 15-6 and comfortably placed, were reduced to 14 men. Centre Pierre Aguillon was red carded for a dangerous tackle on Toulon s James O Connor which left the Australian star arrowed head first into the turf. Welsh full-back Leigh Halfpenny, who scored 15 of his team s points in a big-hitting game where neither side managed a try, slotted over three quick penalties to level the semi-final at But a weary La Rochelle, who had finished the regular season on top of the table and were bidding for a first place in the final, had their chances to seal victory in a dramatic final phase. Zack Holmes, having replaced fellow Australian Brock James, had two shots from the halfway line but his first penalty fell just inches short while the second drifted wide. Toulon seized their chance and after a series of gruelling forward charges which inched towards the La Rochelle line, 21-year-old Belleau kept his nerve to pop over the winning drop kick after the hooter had sounded. premature wear of your tyres and eliminates vibration. It also protects the suspension, steering system and bearings of your vehicle. Check the wheel alignment when your vehicle tends to drift Ensure that your wheels are properly aligned. If your tyre has come into contact with a solid object, such as a kerb or pothole, or you have noticed uneven wear on your tyres, your suspension can be disrupted making your wheels sit at improper angles. During summer, tyre discrepancies such as these must be monitored extra In London, Northampton Saints produced a memorable performance in overcoming captain Tom Wood being sent off to beat French giants Stade Francais in their European Champions Cup play-off on Friday. The Saints -- European champions back in looked down and out when Wood was sent off with less than 20 minutes remaining reducing them Check all tyres regularly Check the tyre pressure to 13 men as Rory Hutchinson was in the sin bin. Wood s red card for stamping on Djibril Camara s head came at what looked like a most inopportune time as the hosts had fought back from 22-6 to trail and seemingly with the momentum. However, it was the French side -- winners of this season s European Check the tyre balance Check the wheel alignment carefully. Uneven tyre alignment can affect the handling of the vehicle and will cause the tyres to wear unevenly and prematurely, which in turn may lead to a tyre burst. There are several indicators of a misalignment; your car seems to be drifting to one side even when you think you re driving straight; your steering wheel vibrates; or you are driving straight but your steering wheel is not centred. Tyre alignment should be checked and corrected by a professional. Other tips to avoid tyre wear With the tyre being the only contact point between the vehicle and the road, one cannot do enough to ensure the best quality of a tyre. These maintenance procedures must be done all year round, but during the summer motorists are recommended to be extra cautious. To end, never overload your vehicle. Overloading increases tyre wear and fuel consumption, adversely affects vehicle handling and stability, and increases the braking distance. And keep an eye on the suspension. Old or worn shock absorbers can cause faster tyre wear and impact vehicle handling. Challenge Cup -- who wilted in the face of the intimidating atmosphere as chants of cheat cheat cheat directed at Camara rang round the ground. In Leeds, United Kingdom, Leigh made Super League history against Hull FC on Friday as they claimed their first ever away win in the competition thanks to a virtuoso display from Matty Dawson and Atelea Vea. Raikkonen on pole for Ferrari, Vettel second La Rochelle s player Arthur Retiere (center), vies with RC Toulon s Fijian winger Josua Tuisova (up) and RC Toulon s French prop Florian Fresia (right), during the French Top 14 rugby union match between RC Toulon and La Rochelle on May 26, at the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille, southern France. (AFP) INDIANAPOLIS, May 27, (AFP): Fernando Alonso rocked racing when he opted to skip the Monaco Grand Prix to run in the Indianapolis 500, but the two-time world champion s gamble was looking good as he prepared to swap one iconic venue for another on Sunday. The Spanish driver has been quick to get to grips with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualifying fifth for Sunday s 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 to make the second row of the starting grid behind pole-sitter Scott Dixon of New Zealand. I want to make something clear. I am not coming for a week off or to just have fun I am a racer, I am coming to race, Alonso declared on the Players Tribune website. Alonso The Indy 500 is one of the greatest events in the sport. Drivers all over the world know this. I belong there. More than a publicity stunt, Alonso said, his appearance at The Brickyard is a crucial second step in his bid to win motor racing s triple crown of the Monaco Grand Prix, which he s won twice, Indy, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only one driver has done it, Britain s Graham Hill. Equipment capable of winning All eyes on Alonso at 101st Indy 500 To grow up as a driver and become a more complete driver you need to win the best races in the world, the most prestigious races in the world, Alonso said. The Indy 500 is the biggest race in the world. Alonso s decision to make the trans-atlantic leap this weekend was made easier by his Clarence-Honda team s struggles in Formula One this season. In Indianapolis, however, his Andretti Autosport McLaren-Honda equipment gives him plenty of opportunity to win, with his own inexperience on the 2.5- mile (4-km) oval one of the biggest obstacles to victory. CAR RACING The equipment is capable of winning, he has the natural talent to be very competitive, but he doesn t have the experience, said Zak Brown, executive director of McLaren. But he s very smart. He s coming in very well prepared and the Indy 500 is a tough race, so anything can happen. Certainly Alonso s rivals consider him more of a threat than most Indy newcomers. He s more prepared than most rookies, said team-mate Marco Andretti, who will start from the third row. He has a lot of knowledge and experience of different cars in his previous teams. He s probably more ready than me when I started here at 19. Plenty can go wrong, however, over the course of 500 miles to scupper the chances of even the most competitive cars. In a field of 33 at speeds of 380 km/h the slightest mistake can spell disaster. Alonso will be up against drivers much more accustomed to oval racing. No fewer than seven former Indy 500 winners line up for the start, including Dixon, the winner in 2008, and last year s winner Alexander Rossi third fastest in qualifying behind Dixon and Ed Carpenter. The hardest part of the race is the wind, the traffic, the circumstances... The day of the race there is always a surprise for you, Marco Andretti said. There also remains some nagging uncertainty about the Honda engine, which have been less reliable than their Chevrolet counterparts. Alonso himself had to switch engines just prior to a qualifying run that put him in the middle of the second row, flanked by Japan s Takuma Sato and American J.R. Hildebrand. The hardest part is the race and everything that can happen in such an event: learn how to manage traffic, the little tricks for overtaking, using your car s performance, when, why, he said. All those little things that only experience can teach you. And I do not have that experience so I know I will be weaker in some aspects. MONACO, May 27, (AFP): Kimi Raikkonen secured his first pole position for nine years on Saturday when he outpaced his Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel in a dramatic qualifying session for Sunday s Monaco Grand Prix. The 37-year-old Finn, who had not taken pole position for 128 races stretching back to the French Grand Prix of 2008, dominated the afternoon s action to clock a fastest lap of one minute and seconds. That left him seconds ahead of the world championship leader and three-time champion Vettel who in turn was just two-thousandths of a second faster than third placed Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes. MOTOR RACING The Finn s Mercedes team-mate Briton Lewis Hamilton failed to make progress from Q2 and missed the cut for the top ten shootout, qualifying 14th after a miserable afternoon. Obviously, it s great, said a mumbling and softly-spoken Raikkonen afterwards, showing little emotion. We ll try to make the best of it tomorrow... Yes, of course it is good, but here it is all about the fine details. Dutch teenager Max Verstappen took fourth place ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Australian Daniel Ricciardo, Spaniard Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso, Mexican Sergio Perez of Force India and Frenhcman Romain Grosjean of Haas. Briton Jenson Button, back from retirement to replace two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso who is racing in the Indianapolis 500, was ninth for McLaren Honda ahead of his team-mate Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne. Button has a 15-place grid penalty for engine replacements and that is expected to lift Hamilton up to 13th. Hamilton misses cut for top 10 shootout Ferrari s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen drives during the third practice session at the Monaco street circuit on May 27, in Monaco on the eve of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. (AFP) I don t know what was wrong there, said Vettel of Mercedes problems. But this is one of the highlights of the season to race at Monaco. It is a difficult one to get right, but if you do, it is great. Bottas said: It was a really good lap for me. This is one of the most mentally-demanding circuits and I have felt support from the fans and appreciate it. On a perfect azure afternoon, with an air temperature of 27 degrees and a track reading of 53, Q1 delivered few surprises other than the early exit of Frenchman Esteban Ocon of Force India, who had crashed at Casino Square in the closing minutes of the morning s final practice session. The Q2 session began with the two Finns Bottas and Raikkonen on track swiftly followed by the title contenders Vettel and Hamilton, who survived a big moment at the top of the hill en route to Casino Square. It proved costly for Hamilton whose first flying lap was more than a second adrift of Raikkonen s early fastest. No grip, Bono, said Hamilton, talking to his engineer before he was stopped at the weighbridge on his way to Mercedes pits. By then, Raikkonen had clocked a Monaco GP Grid MONACO, May 27, (AFP): The starting grid for Sunday s Monaco Grand Prix after qualifying on Saturday:- 1st row Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 2nd row Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull 3rd row Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Toro Rosso) 4th row Sergio Perez (MEX/Force India) Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 5th row Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 6th row Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas) Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 7th row Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 8th row Estéban Ocon (FRA/Force India) Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 9th row Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 10th row Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) Jenson Button (GBR/McLaren) 1: to leap half a second clear of Verstappen at the front until Vettel slotted into second on his second run. In his haste, Hamilton weaved to heat his tyres and then had a major slide at the exit of Casino Square before he locked up at Mirabeau. Something wrong with the car, he reported. With just seconds remaining, Hamilton s hopes were ruined when Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne went into the barriers at the Swimming Pool exit, yellow flags flying. That s me out, right? said Hamilton, deprived of a clean lap and condemned to qualify 14th, one of five men eliminated along with Russian Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso, German Nico Hulkenberg of Renault, Dane Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Brazilian Felipe Massa of Williams. Yes, toasted, came the reply for Hamilton as he pulled in to the pits, his chest heaving and hands waving with frustration.

41 SPORTS 41 TENNIS BASKETBALL Tsonga warms up for Roland Garros with Lyon day breakthrough Wawrinka beats Zverev, retains Geneva Open title GENEVA, May 27, (Agencies): Stan Wawrinka warmed up for the French Open by retaining his home Geneva Open title on Saturday, beating Mischa Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The top-seeded Wawrinka clinched by breaking serve with a fierce forehand crosscourt pass to beat left-hander Zverev s advance to the net. Wawrinka s first title in 2017 is the 16th of his career, and the seventh on clay including the 2015 French Open. The Swiss is the No. 3 seed at Roland Garros, and first plays the 152nd-ranked Josef Kovalik of Slovakia. Victory against the 33rd-ranked Zverev avenged a loss when Wawrinka last faced him, at the previous Swiss event on tour in Basel in October. I would have hated you if you had beaten me in two tournaments, Wawrinka quipped to his opponent in the post-match ceremonies. Zverev, who came through qualifying, still seeks a first career title at age 29. The Russia-born German s second runner-up finish comes more than six years after his first, at Metz, France. It was a long week for me, Zverev said. I have never expected to be in a final in a clay-court tournament. Using serve-and-volley skills too rarely seen in modern tennis, Zverev took control of the first set after he and Wawrinka traded three straight breaks of serve. Zverev served for the set at 5-3, and trailed 0-30 before reeling off four straight points including two volley winners. Wawrinka quickly found trouble to begin the second set, then rallied from 0-40 down to hold serve and forced a break in the next game. Zverev saved two set points when trailing 5-2 on his serve and made Wawrinka serve out for the set. In the decider, Wawrinka put constant pressure on Zverev s serve and clinched with a third break. Zverev has earned the No. 32 seeding at the French Open, which begins on Sunday, and could play defending cham- Stanislas Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland kisses the trophy after beating Mischa Zverev of Germany in the fi nal match of the Geneva Open tennis tournament in Geneva, Switzerland on May 27. (AP) pion Novak Djokovic in the third round. In Lyon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga warmed up for the French Open by winning his first clay title in Lyon on Saturday, a 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 victory over Czech Thomas Berdych. Dibaba fails in record bid Chespol stoops to conquer Celliphine Chepteek Chespol of Ethiopia wins the 3000m Steeplechase during the 2017 Prefontaine Classic Diamond Leagueat Hayward Field on May 26, in Eugene, Oregon. (AFP) A file photo from the previous Futsal tournament. Late Abdullah Meshari Al-Rawdhan Ramadan Futsal tourney kicks off KUWAIT CITY, May 27: On the second day of the late Abdullah Meshari Al-Rawdhan Ramadan Futsal Tournament, matches for seniors category will be held between teams of Kazem Club and BMW, team of Teresh Group for Perfumes and RAR, and teams of Holiday Inn and Al-Zamel Rehabilitation Center. In the amateurs category, the late Dhari Al-Othman team will meet Al-Yahyi team, Al-Tawoon team will meet Al-Tadhamon team, and Kuwait team will face Hassan Abul Center team. Meanwhile, the tournament s higher organizing committee has completed preparations for the visit of the four superstars for this year s tournament - former France s Tsonga, seeded second, hit 13 aces to claim his third title after Marseille and Rotterdam -- both on hard court -- a record for him in a season. The 32-year-old Tsonga will open his campaign at Roland Garros -- where he Cleveland opens title defense as underdogs Warriors favoured over LeBron, Cavs in Finals LOS ANGELES, May 27, (RTRS): LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers open their title defense as underdogs against the Golden State Warriors as the NBA Finals get underway next week. The 2016 champion Cavaliers and the 2015 champion Warriors will battled for the crown for a third straight year in the best-of-seven starting at Golden State on Thursday. James scored 35 points and passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA s all-time playoff scoring leader as the Cavaliers routed the Boston Celtics on Thursday to claim their third straight Eastern Conference title. Both teams dominated throughout the playoffs -- the Warriors made history by going an unprecedented 12-0 through three rounds in the Western Conference, while the Cavs lost just one game to the Celtics to cap their dominant run. Welsh and Manchester United legend, Ryan Giggs, former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, Barcelona s Andrés Iniesta, and Egyptian superstar Mohamed Aboutrika. The four superstars, along with several participating players of the tournament, will play in show matches to be held on the sidelines of the tournament. This will allow fans to choose players who will appear in the series of the dream games, which the tournament is keen to annually host in order to give opportunity to the fans to witness famous players, and closely communicate with them, as well as provide a lifetime opportunity for local talents to play with famous footballers. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed Golden State as a minus-260 favourite, with Cleveland at plus-220, meaning a $100 bet on the Warriors would win $38.46 and the same bet on the Cavaliers would win $220, according to ESPN. The Warriors are listed as sevenpoint favourites for Game One at home, according to CBS Sports. I m going to be honest, James told reporters in Boston on Thursday. I m not in the right mind to even talk about Golden State. It s too stressful, and I m not stressed right now. The Cavaliers and Warriors split their two meetings this season, both winning at home. Cleveland won by one point on Christmas Day and Gold- EUGENE, United States, May 27, (AFP): Teenaged Kenyan star Celliphine Chespol recovered from a lost shoe to win the 3000m steeplechase with the second fastest time in history at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting on Friday. Chespol, still just 18, stormed to victory after a thrilling duel with Olympic champion and world record holder Ruth Jebet and fellow Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech over the closing laps at Eugene s Hayward Field. Chespol s hopes of a win looked to have evaporated when she stumbled on the water jump on the penultimate lap, appearing to lose her shoe as Jebet and Chepkoech pulled ahead. Despite stooping to adjust her footwear, the teenager regained her composure and clawed back the lost ground before producing a devastating burst of speed up the home straight to finish in 8min 58.78sec. Only the Kenyan-born Jebet of Bahrain, the world record holder with 8:52.78, has run faster. It was difficult but I try my best. I m happy of course, Chespol said afterwards. Chespol s outstanding performance was the highlight of the opening night of the two-day event, which resumes Saturday with a star-studded programme. ATHLETICS In the night s other main race, the women s 5000m, Ethiopia s Genzebe Dibaba failed in her bid to better the world record of 14:11.15 set by her sister Tirunesh in Dibaba, the 1,500m world champion, was racing against the clock for the final five laps after leaving the pack behind but could only finish in 14:25.22, well outside the world record, and her own personal best of 14:15.41 set in Lilian Rengeruk was a distant second in 14:36.80 while Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was third. I m happy that I won but I m not happy about the time, Dibaba said through an interpreter. The pace was real slow and I m not happy with how we started. We lost time in the first 3,000metres and it was hard to come back after that. In the long jump, 2012 Olympic champion Brittney Reese of the United States posted a world-leading leap of 7.01 metres (23 feet) for victory. Reese s jump handed her victory over 2016 Olympic gold medallist and compatriot Tianna Bartoletta, who could only manage a best of 6.83m. Britain s Lorraine Ugen was third with a jump of 6.78m. The goal was to come out and jump seven metres, just to see where my training and everything was at, said Reese, who will be aiming to dethrone Bartoletta at the World Championships in London in August. I feel like I m headed in the right direction to where I want to be. It was really important to come out here and tell myself I could perform. The women s javelin meanwhile saw a victory for Belarus s Tatsiana Khaladovich, who topped a strong field which included 2016 Olympic gold medallist Sara Kolak of Croatia and Czech world record holder Barbora Spotakova. en State prevailed by 35 points on Jan. 16. It will be James seventh straight trip to The Finals and eighth overall. I ve been very blessed the last few years to be a part of this league and play on the big stage, James said. But we re going to enjoy this for a couple more days before we have to lock in on that juggernaut out west. Golden State led the league with a record this season and is 27-1 in their last 28 games, including the playoffs. Playing in this league, you can t take anything for granted, Warriors guard Stephen Curry said after the Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four on Monday. Thirty teams suit up every year trying to get to this point, and only two teams do. So you have to appreciate it. While James is going for his fourth ring, Warriors forward Kevin Durant will be trying to win his first. Durant signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Warriors last offseason. Durant s only other time in the Finals was 2012 when he was with Oklahoma City, but the Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in a series that made James a champion for the first time. It s a little different, definitely. I can t lie, Durant said when comparing the 2012 Finals trip to this one. I went when I was 23 years old, and it felt like the Western Conference Finals was almost like the championship. So it s a little different now, obviously. We have a bigger goal in mind. James called the Warriors, the best team in our league the last three years. And they ve added an unbelievable player in Kevin Durant this year. We have to be ready for the challenge. twice reached the semi-finals -- against Argentine Renzo Olivo, a first round casualty in Lyon. It s fabulous, I couldn t be happier, said Tsonga. I had a great week after a difficult period on a physical level, picking up a shoulder injury while I was in fine form. It s my first title on clay and even if it comes a little late I m really happy. The 13th-ranked French player will move up to 11th in the world in Monday s ATP rankings. It was Tsonga s fifth win over thirdseeded Berdych in thirteen meetings and his second in three meetings on clay. Berdych, ranked 14th and the holder of 13 ATP titles, missed the chance to convert two set points while he lead 5-4, on his serve in the first set. In Strasbourg, France, Sam Stosur rallied past fellow Australian Daria Gavrilova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to win the Strasbourg International on Saturday and remain the top player in her country. Gavrilova, who was chasing her first WTA title at the French Open warmup, would also have dethroned Stosur as the Australian No. 1 player with a win. A file photo of Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball in the second half against Danny Green #14 of the San Antonio Spurs during Game Four of the 2017 NBA Western Conference Finals at AT&T Center on May 22, in San Antonio, Texas. (AFP) Stosur made the decisive break for a 4-2 lead in the decider after Gavrilova double-faulted. The 2011 US Open champion served out to love to finish the nearly three-hour final. Stosur has been the Australian No. 1 for 450 straight weeks, since October In Berlin, Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands won Nuremberg s WTA claycourt tournament for the second year in a row after her 6-2, 6-1 victory over Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday s final. The 25-year-old Bertens, ranked 19th in the world, was never troubled by the Czech Republic s Krejcikova. Bertens needed just 56 minutes to wrap up the title without losing a single set in any of her five matches and which she adds to her victory at Nuremberg last year. Her third WTA win is the perfect build-up to the French Open, which starts on Sunday. Bertens reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros last year -- her best result at a Grand Slam tournament to date -- where she eventually lost to Serena Williams. Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana of Movistar Team celebrates on the podium with the overall leader pink jersey after the 20th stage of 100th Giro d Italia, Tour of Italy from Pordenone to Asiago of 190 km on May 27, in Asiago. Dumoulin sights last-gasp Giro win, Quintana in pink ASIAGO, Italy, May 27, (AFP): Colombian Nairo Quintana retained the Giro d Italia pink jersey after a 20th and penultimate stage won by Frenchman Thibaut Pinot that saw Dutchman Tom Dumoulin remain in victory contention. Pinot, of the FDJ team, claimed his maiden Giro stage after dominating a five-man bunch sprint at the end of a thrilling 190 km ride from Pordenone to Asiago that saw Dumoulin s rivals attack the Dutchman throughout. Quintana, the 2014 champion, finished just behind Pinot in fifth to retain the race lead with a 39sec lead on Italy s two-time and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain) and a 43sec cushion on Pinot. I m very happy to win this stage ahead of some of the best riders in this Giro, said Pinot, who, as the French time trial champion, will Pinot claims 20th stage CYCLING confidently target a podium finish in Milan on Sunday. I came for a stage victory, which I m very happy about because it s always special to win a stage from a grand tour. But to win the Giro I will need to have one of the best days of my life on the bike. In any case, I ll give it everything. However Dumoulin, 53secs behind in fourth overall after finishing 15secs behind Pinot,is the overriding favourite for Sunday s 29.3 km race against the clock from Monza to Milan. After handing the pink jersey to Quintana on the final summit of Piancavallo to drop to second overall at 38secs on Friday, Sunweb team leader Dumoulin was warned he would be in for a tough, final day in the mountains. Quintana, Nibali and Pinot kept to thir word with a series of attacks on the final, 14km climb to Foza that preceded a final rolling section leading to Asiago. But their combined efforts failed to shake the Dutchman, who for the closing kilometres was left in a fiveman group containing allies in Bob Jungels (Quick Step), Adam Yates (Orica) and fellow Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek). Luckily, I had better legs than yesterday, Dumoulin said at the finish. I absolutely killed myself, but I m forever thankful and grateful to the help from Bauke Mollema, Adam Yates and Bob Jungels. On the 10th stage time trial where he took the pink jersey for the first time in this 100th edition, Dumoulin was over two minutes faster than Nibali and nearly three minutes faster than Quintana. At the finish, Quintana looked resigned to defeat as he said: We tried our hardest to take time from him (Dumoulin), but he found some allies. We took some time, which is better than nothing. Another top performance into Milan on Sunday could see Dumoulin become the first Dutch winner of the maglia rosa. But he added: We ll see. It all depends on the legs tomorrow. I m already very happy it worked out today. Results Stage 1. Thibaut Pinot (FRA/FDJ) 4hr 57min 58sec, 2. Ilnur Zakarin (RUS/ KAT) same time, 3. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA/BAH) s.t., 4. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA/ALM) s.t., 5. Nairo Quintana (COL/MOV) s.t., 6. Bob Jungels (LUX/QST) at 15secs, 7. Adam Yates (GBR/ORI) s.t., 8. Sebastien Reichenbach (SUI/FDJ) s.t., 9. Bauke Mollema (NED/TRE) s.t. 10. Tom Dumoulin (NED/SUN) s.t. General classification 1. Nairo Quintana (COL/Movistar) 90hr 00min 38sec, 2. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA/BAH) at 39secs, 3. Thibaut Pinot (FRA/FDJ) 43, 4. Tom Dumoulin (NED/SUN) 53, 5. Ilnur Zakarin (RUS/KAT) 1:15, 6. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA/ALM) 1:30, 7. Bauke Mollema (NED/ TRE) 3:03, 8. Adam Yates (GBR/ ORI) 6:50, 9. Bob Jungels (LUX/ QST) 7:18, 10. Davide Formolo (ITA/CAN) 12:55.

42 SPORTS 42 Soccer Roundup Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen makes a save at the feet of Toronto FC s Ben Spencer during secondhalf MLS soccer game action in Toronto on May 26. (AP) Toronto extend perfect run to 8 Reysol take lead in J-League TOKYO, May 27, (AP): Kashiwa Reysol beat Omiya Ardija 4-2 on Saturday to extend its winning streak to seven games and take the lead in the J-League. Hiroyuki Komoto gave the visitors an early lead with his first goal of the season two minutes in but Junya Ito equalized with five minutes remaining in the first half. Kashiwa seized momentum with two goals in five minutes in the second half from Kosuke Taketomi. Cristiano sealed the win with his fifth goal of the season in the 66th. Kashiwa improved to 27 points, two ahead of Gamba Osaka. Omiya remains at the bottom of the table after its 10th loss. Elsewhere, Hugo Vieira scored two goals and Ken Matsubara added SOCCER Silva joins Manchester City LONDON, May 27, (RTRS): Manchester City have begun what is predicted to be a record summer of spending across the Premier League by paying Monaco a reported 43 million pounds ($55 million) to sign versatile midfielder Bernardo Silva. Manchester City are delighted to confirm Bernardo Silva will join the club from Monaco on July 1, the club said in a statement on Friday. T h e 22-year-old Portuguese has been instrumental in Monaco s title win this season their first in 17 years and was part of the Silva another as Yokohama F Marinos beat Shimizu S-Pulse 3-1 to improve to 20 points. Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Jubilo Iwata finished in a goalless draw. Sagan Tosu beat Consadole Sapporo 1-0. Also: TORONTO: Victor Vazquez scored twice and Toronto FC routed the Columbus Crew 5-0 on Friday to extend their unbeaten streak to a club recordmatching eight games and move five points clear atop the Eastern Conference standings. side who beat City in the Champions League round of 16 and scored more goals than any other side in Europe s top five leagues. Silva made 51 appearances last season, scoring 10 goals and assisting a further 10. He joined the French side in 2015 from Benfica where he came through the academy and was nicknamed Little Messi. He has won 12 caps for the national side. City manager Pep Guardiola is a long-term admirer, describing Silva as an intelligent, physically strong and a fantastic player equally at home anywhere in midfield before their meeting this season. Silva s signing represents Guardiola s opening attempt to remodel the squad who disappointed in failing to win a trophy and finishing third in the Premier League this season. Toronto have seven wins and one draw since their lone league loss of the season, 2-1 defeat in Columbus on April 15. Columbus have lost five of seven since topping Toronto. Romero believes he has pro fed himself after final AFE calls for later games as summer kicks in BARCELONA, May 27, (RTRS): Spanish soccer players union AFE said on Friday it had asked for an urgent meeting with the league s organising body to ask that games in the summer months take place at night to avoid playing when temperatures are hottest. The first tier La Liga season finished last week, but Spain s second tier Segunda Division still has three weeks remaining and four play-off games. Play-off games in other divisions are also still to take place. Temperatures will be as high as 33 degrees Celsius this weekend in Madrid and 30 degrees in Seville, where Segunda Division games are taking place in the early evening and mid afternoon. The time has come to see if the league is only committed to television operators or whether they also care about the health of those on the pitch and on the stands, Xavi Oliva, managing director of AFE, told reporters. Oliva said the organisation was also concerned about games at the start of next season in Spain s hottest, asking that the organisers set kick off times according to likely temperatures where games are taking place. The AFE has asked for the league and the Spanish soccer federation, the RFEF, to allow referees to stop play for water breaks, as occurred in the 2014 World Cup. By doing this we can be sure that the footballers and other actors in the sport can do their job Romero safely and that fans can enjoy the spectacle of football in the right conditions. Sergio Romero has spent large parts of his club career sitting on the bench but after helping Manchester United win the Europa League, he believes he has shown he is good enough to be the club s number one goalkeeper. The Argentina No 1 has had to make do with only six Premier League starts in his two seasons with United since signing from Sampdoria, where he also had a limited role. But he spoke of his gratitude to Jose Mourinho for making him first choice in the victorious Europa League campaign. I chose to come here because of the type of club this is, one of the biggest in the world and an opportunity I couldn t turn down even though I knew it might be a little harder here to play a lot, Romero told reporters after United s 2-0 win over Ajax in the final on Wednesday. With Louis (van Gaal) I played 12 games and I felt good and so I thought I had played an important role for the team despite not playing a lot. Then with Jose I ve had a bigger role, I ve been able to play a little more and I ve been able to show I m a goalkeeper that can play for this club. Romero played the first four games of his first season at United as David de Gea was expected to move to Real Madrid, a transfer that was derailed on the final day of the transfer window due to administrative reasons. The Argentine did not feature again in the league in the 2014/15 season but with Real expected to move for the Spain No. 1 again this summer he could be in line to be United s first choice keeper next campaign and committed to stay at the club. My intention is to stay. I could be the number one or number two again, it all depends on hard work, but hard work is something I have plenty of, added Romero, who began his career with Argentine club Racing Club de Avellaneda. His consistency in the Europa League, where he kept eight clean sheets in 12 games, was a rare instance in which he replicated his prominent role for Argentina, where he is the most capped goalkeeper in the team s history, at club level. There were many moments when I returned home very happy, I ve kept a lot of clean sheets and helped my team mates on a lot of occasions that s given me enormous satisfaction, Romero added. I have to thank the coaching staff for showing faith in me and my teammates who made a lot of effort to make me feel tranquil and ending with this trophy in our hands makes us doubly happy. Chan Yuen-ting, the first female coach to lead a men s professional soccer club to a top-flight title, has resigned from her position as head coach of Hong Kong s Eastern Sports Club. Chan made headlines internationally after guiding the club to the Hong Kong Premier League title last season, but decided to stand down at the end of the just-completed campaign after Eastern relinquished their title to rivals Kitchee. Chan Yuen-ting has resigned as head coach, but will remain on the club s coaching staff, a club spokesman told Reuters. She will be studying for the next level of coaching badges with the Asian Football Confederation and will have to be out of Hong Kong a lot between June and December, so she decided she could not continue as head coach. Chan won the league title with Eastern last season before taking the club into the Asian Champions League for the first time. Eastern, however, struggled in the continental competition, picking up just one point in the group stages and suffering two heavy defeats at the hands of Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande. Szeto Man-chung, who previously worked as team manager, will replace Chan as head coach. Carlos Tevez may be reaping the rewards of China s football boom, but believes standards in his new home fall well below the level he has become accustomed to in a glittering career. The Argentine, who had spells at Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus, joined Shanghai Shenhua on a then world record 38-million-euro ($40 million) salary in December. However, despite the millions being ploughed into the Chinese game on the back of president Xi Jinping s demand for China to become a world force, Tevez hasn t been impressed with the quality of football he has seen. I don t think they will be able to compete with any of the big European sides, Tevez told Spanish TV station Movistar. I don t think they will get there in 50 years. Tevez hasn t done much to impress since arriving in the Far East, scoring just once from the penalty spot in four matches before being sidelined by injury. Without meaning to they can do you damage with a kick because they are clumsy. Yet, with the government cracking down on the number of foreign players each team is allowed to sign, Tevez expects big improvements from the new generation of Chinese players. Technically they are not very good, but I think with this new rule that the government have put in, the kids are going to have to start playing and that they will improve a lot. Watford have appointed former Hull City manager Marco Silva as their new head coach on a two-year deal to replace Italian Walter Mazzarri who left at the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Saturday. The 39-year-old, who has also managed in his native Portugal and Greece where he won the title with Olympiakos Piraeus, quit his job at Hull against the club s wishes on Thursday after they were relegated to the Championship (second-tier). His pedigree and promise speaks for itself with his achievements in top divisions elsewhere across Europe, as well as his work at Hull City last season, Watford chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury said in a statement. Silva was unable to secure top-flight survival at Hull but six home wins in 18 matches under him kept them alive in the relegation battle until the penultimate game of the season.

43 SPORTS 43 Celtic clinch perfect treble Rogic breaks Aberdeen hearts GLASGOW, May 27, (AFP): A stoppage time strike from Australian international Tom Rogic saw Celtic come from behind to defeat Aberdeen 2-1 to lift the Scottish Cup and seal a historic domestic treble the hard way. Jonny Hayes gave Aberdeen a ninth minute lead which was quickly cancelled out by Celtic s Stuart Armstrong two minutes later. The game looked destined Rogic for extra time before substitute Rogic scored a superb solo goal in the second minute of added on time to break the Dons supporters hearts and ensure Celtic won the Scottish Cup for a record-extending 37th time. The Hoops are now the first Scottish team to end a season unbeaten domestically as Brendan Rodgers joins Jock Stein and Martin O Neill as the only Celtic managers to lead the Glasgow giants to all three major honours in the same season. After basking in glorious sunshine for the previous week, a torrential downpour welcomed the players out on to the pitch at Hampden as they observed a minute s silence for the victims of the terrorist attack in Manchester earlier this week. The conditions didn t seem to bother the fired up Aberdeen players as their high-tempo start paid off when Hayes fired them into the lead. Leigh Griffiths switched off at a Niall McGinn corner allowing the Irishman space to send a Atalanta move up to fourth Kean caps stellar season for treble-chasers Juventus MILAN, May 27, (AFP): Teenage starlet Moise Kean came off the bench to score a last-gasp winner with his maiden Serie A goal as Juventus closed their record-setting season with a 2-1 win at Bologna on Saturday. Fresh from securing a record third successive league and Cup double, Juventus looked to be heading for a disappointing draw after Paulo Dybala levelled Saphir Taider s superb 52nd minute strike on 70 minutes. But Kean, who replaced Argentina playmaker Dybala with 11 minutes to play, had the final say for the Turin giants with a great diving header from Miralem Kean Pjanic s free kick in the 94th minute. It was the first goal scored in Serie A by a player born in 2000 or after, and has underlined 17-year-old Kean s bright future after being given his debut by Massimiliano Allegri earlier this season. Juve s 29th win of the campaign left the champions, who secured a record sixth consecutive scudetto with a 3-0 win over Crotone last week and face Real Madrid in the June 3 Champions League final, top of the pile seven points ahead of second-placed Roma. Roma host Genoa on Sunday in what will be Francesco Totti s final game with the club after a 25- SOCCER year career spent entirely with the Giallorossi. But with second spot up for grabs, and third-placed Napoli only a point further behind before they travel to Sampdoria, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said Totti s needs come second. What kind of party will it be if we don t get the three points? We have to think about winning first and foremost, he said. A second-place finish will guarantee Roma a place in the group stages of next season s Champions League, and seal a ninth runnersup spot since winning the Serie A title for the last time, in But Spalletti, who has been linked to the vacant position at Inter Milan following the recent sacking of Stefano Pioli, said he won t rain on Totti s parade. He will play a good portion of the game, the most important part, he added. Before Sunday s outing, Totti has racked up 784 appearances for Roma, 618 of which have been in Serie A. Although Roma won only one of their three league titles in Totti s time at the club, he has scored 307 goals for Roma, 250 of which came in Italy s top flight. Defeat for Roma could see Napoli, who are away to Sampdoria, spoil Totti s farewell party. Elsewhere, Atalanta capped their stunning season with a 1-0 home win in Bergamo where Papu Gomez s 52nd minute strike secured the points for Gian Gasperini s men. Atalanta, finishing well ahead of Lombardy cousins AC Milan and Inter, moved up to fourth, two points ahead of Lazio, before the capital side visit Crotone on Sunday. Crotone need a win against Simone Inzaghi s visitors if they are to have any hope of beating the drop. The Calabrians sit one point behind fourth-from-bottom Empoli, who visit already-relegated Palermo. Celtic s players and team members celebrate after winning the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, on May 27. (AP) low volley into the net despite the best efforts of Kieran Tierney on the line. Aberdeen s lead lasted just two minutes as Armstrong hauled Celtic level. Callum McGregor danced past a couple of tackles before slipping the ball across the edge of the box to Armstrong, who lashed a low shot between a couple of Dons defenders and into the bottom right-hand corner. Celtic s joy was short-lived as leftback Tierney was forced off with a mouth injury after being caught in the face by Jayden Stockley s swinging arm. The introduction of Socceroo star Rogic saw Celtic switch to a back three SOCCER with Niall McGinn, Ryan Jack and Stockley forcing Craig Gordon into saves as the Hoops struggled to adjust to the change. A reorganised Celtic emerged after the break and immediately came close when Griffiths got behind the Dons defence only to see his deflected shot bounce narrowly wide. Sinclair then beat the offside trap to collect a lofted pass from Rogic but Joe Lewis was off his line quickly to block his shot. However, it was the Dons who should have found themselves in front again. Hayes robbed McGregor of possession just inside the Celtic half and ran at goal but his pass across the box was behind Kenny McLean and a glorious chance was spurned. Patrick Roberts, who missed the U20 World Cup with England to play in the final, then looked to inspire the Hoops as he twisted and turned on the edge of the box before firing a shot that cannoned off the base of the post. Player of the year Sinclair then fluffed a chance to win as he completely miss-hit his volley from a Griffiths pass allowing Lewis to make the save. Paulo Dybala of Juventus vies with Federico Viviani of Bologna during the Italian Serie A football match at the Renato Dall ara Stadium in Bologna on May 27. (AFP) Uruguay maintain unbeaten run Japan, Italy, Portugal advance SEOUL, South Korea, May 27, (AP): Italy, Japan and Portugal advanced to the knockout stage of the Under-20 World Cup on Saturday. Two goals from Ritsu Doan gave Japan a 2-2 draw with Italy in their Group D clash in Cheonan after Italy went 2-0 ahead within the first seven minutes. Chelsea s Diego Costa (center), tries to score past Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina (left), during the English FA Cup fi nal soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London, on May 27. (AP) Galatasaray to rename stadium ANKARA, May 27, (AFP): Turkey s Galatasaray said Saturday it would rename its stadium after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan s call for the removal of the word arena from sports stadia, state media reported. The board of directors took the decision to change the stadium s name after the president made the call on this issue, club chairman Dursun Ozbek said, quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu. The Turkish football team s venue will be called Turk Telekom Stadium instead of Turk Telekom Arena from Monday, according to Hurriyet daily. Erdogan said Friday he was against the use of the word arena and had given instructions for their removal from stadia to Sports Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic. Of course you know what they used to do in arenas in the past? They would let people be shred to pieces. He claimed it was a term foreign to Turkish: What does arena mean? We don t have such a thing in our language. Andrea Favilli crossed from the left for Riccardo Orsolini to volley home from close range, and shortly after Giuseppe Panico got on the end of Francesco Cassata s hurried free kick to add a second. Japan spent much of the rest of the half pushing forward and were rewarded after 22 minutes when Doan scored af- Cup of contrasts as Pens, Preds clash PITTSBURGH, May 27, (RTRS): A stellar attack collides with a spectacular defense as the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins take on the upstart Nashville Predators in a Stanley Cup Finals full of contrasts starting on Monday. Something has got to give when the best-of-seven for the National Hockey League crown gets underway in the Steel City of Pittsburgh and home favorites Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin ICE HOCKEY and friends try to work the puck past brilliant Finnish goalkeeper Pekka Rinne. The Penguins could become the first team in 19 years to hoist the huge silver trophy in back-to-back years since the Detroit Red Wings, and claim their third title in a decade. You just think of it as a great opportunity, said Penguins captain Crosby, easing the pressure of another title chase. We don t really look at it as back-to-back. (Left to right): NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, Chris Kunitz #14, Sidney Crosby #87 and Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins pose with the Prince of Wales Trophy. (AFP) The Music City of Nashville, far better known for honky-tonks than for hockey, have been entertained by the artistry of Rinne, who has allowed a miniscule 1.70 goals against average in leading the Predators to their first ter a perfectly flighted free kick from Keita Endo. The impressive Doan was on target again early in the second half, dribbling past three defenders to score his fourth goal of the tournament from close range. Japan finished third in Group D, behind Italy on goal difference but enough to progress to the knockout stage. Sixteen of the 24 teams go through the top two teams from each of the six groups and the four best thirdplaced finishers. Group D winner Uruguay had already secured a place in the knockout stage with two wins from their first two games and the South American champions maintained their unbeaten record with a 0-0 draw against South Africa in Incheon. In Group C, Portugal beat Iran 2-1 in Incheon to move into the second round in second place. Standings Group C P W D L GF GA Pts Zambia Portugal Costa Rica Iran Group D P W D L GF GA Pts Uruguay Italy Japan South Africa Note: Standings read as played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against and points. NHL title shot. Rinne shut down the firepower of the Chicago Blackhawks, St Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks on the way to the Finals. It s a dream come true, Rinne said. But it s a funny thing, though. With everything that s happening around us, you still feel hungry, and now we have a chance to play for the Cup. It s a pretty amazing feeling. Pittsburgh had the second-best record in the regular season, while the Predators were the No. 16 team. The Penguins have four of the top six scorers this postseason in forwards Malkin (playoff-leading 24 points), Crosby (20), Phil Kessel (19) and Jake Guentzel (16). Nashville is paced by forward Filip Forsberg, who has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists). But the hungry Predators have not needed to pepper the net with goals given the stinginess of Rinne and his lively front men including Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, Roman Jose and P.K. Subban, who have helped ward off enemy attackers.

44 PRIME TIME sunday (all times are kuwait local) 08:00 arsenal vs chelsea/soccer... bein sports 2hd 08:30 athletics vs yankees/baseball... bein sports 12hd 10:00 fulham vs reading/soccer... bein sports 2hd 11:30 usa vs saudi arabia/soccer... bein sports 7hd 14:15 troyes vs lorient/soccer... bein sports 6hd 15:15 cagliari vs milan/soccer... bein sports 4hd 18:30 roma vs genoa/soccer... bein sports 4hd 21:28 crotone vs lazio/soccer... bein sports 4hd 44 Sports Latest sports scores at Arsenal deny 10-man Chelsea double Ramsey the hero LONDON, May 27, (AFP): Aaron Ramsey scored a 79th-minute header to earn Arsenal a stunning 2-1 win over Double-chasing Chelsea on Saturday and deliver embattled manager Arsene Wenger a record seventh FA Cup. Wenger has been barracked by his own fans and failed to secure Champions League qualification for the first time in 20 years, but he ends the season by surpassing Aston Villa s George Ramsey as the FA Cup s greatest manager. Alexis Sanchez s early opener for Arsenal, allowed to stand despite an apparent handball, was cancelled out by Diego Costa, only for Ramsey to reply immediately with the second FA Cup-winning goal of his career. Arsenal, plagued by defensive selection issues, claimed a third FA Cup win in four seasons and 13th in total, making them the outright most successful team in the competition s history ahead of Manchester United. Antonio Conte s Chelsea, who had Victor Moses sent off after he received a second booking for diving, were thwarted in their attempt to complete a Premier League and FA Cup Double for the second time. It meant no glorious farewell for Arsenal s players celebrate with the trophy after winning the English FA Cup final soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Wembley Stadium in London on May 27. (AP) departing skipper John Terry, who will bow out on 717 appearances and 17 major honours after spending the match on the bench. Victory was rich vindication for Wenger, whose Arsenal future is due to be decided by a board meeting in the coming days, and allowed him to salvage something from the most difficult season of his 21-year tenure. He is reported to have been offered a two-year contract and while dissent against him has mounted this season, the stirring nature of his side s win will surely have won back some of his Arsenal s Rob Holding (left), jumps for a header with Chelsea s Diego Costa during the English FA Cup final soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Wembley Stadium in London on May 27. (AP) team s disgruntled fans. The Frenchman s team took a fourth-minute lead with a goal that will be debated long after the final whistle. After blocking N Golo Kante s attempted clearance on the edge of Chelsea s box, Sanchez ran through to skewer a shot past Thibaut Courtois, only for an offside flag to be raised against Ramsey. Referee Anthony Taylor consulted his assistant referee before concluding, correctly, that Ramsey had not been interfering with play, but replays showed Sanchez had handled the ball when he charged down Kante s clearance. Arsenal s play brimmed with belief, Mesut Ozil forcing Gary Cahill to clear off his own line and Danny Welbeck and Ramsey hitting the same post in quick succession from a corner. SOCCER The absences of the suspended Laurent Koscielny, the injured Gabriel and the concussed Shkodran Mustafi brought club captain Per Mertesacker into Arsenal back three for his first start of the season. But there were few signs of ring-rust as the former Germany defender produced three crucial last-ditch blocks to thwart Costa. Chelsea stepped things up in the second half, with Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina foiling Kante and Moses and Pedro curling narrowly wide, before Cesc Fabregas entered the fray in place of Nemanja Matic. But Arsenal continued to threaten on the break, Hector Bellerin working Courtois with a firm, low shot, and in Exeter win final thriller TWICKENHAM, UK, May 27, (AFP): Exeter were crowned English club champions for the first time in their history as they beat Wasps after extra time in a tense, thrilling final at Twickenham on Saturday. Chiefs fly-half Gareth Steenson s penalty 30 seconds from normal time levelled the game and meant both sets of players had to endure another ten minutes each way in the warm London sun. And fly-half Steenson settled the matter with the only points in extra time just two minutes from the end to break Wasps hearts. The men from Devon made it second time lucky as they shrugged off the disappointment of last year s Twickenham defeat by Sarries to deny Wasps. It may not have been the points-fest so many had predicted but that was not due to a lack of effort and endeavour as Chiefs led at the break. Wasps had no answer when Chiefs worked a lineout superbly as Thomas Waldrom fed Luke Cowan- Dickie and the hooker s sublime pass inside to Nowell put the England wing through and across the line for a try converted by Steenson. the 68th minute the momentum tilted yet further in their direction. Already booked for holding back Welbeck on the touchline, Moses was shown a second yellow card for hurling himself to the ground in the Arsenal box in anticipation of an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain challenge that never came. Despite going a man down, Chelsea contrived to equalise in the 76th minute when Costa chested down substitute Willian s pass before beating Ospina with the aid of a slight deflection off Mertesacker. But Wenger reacted by sending on Olivier Giroud and within a minute of coming on for Welbeck, he crossed from the byline on the left and Ramsey charged in to net the winner with a stooping header. Bellerin shot just wide and Ozil hit the post after cutting inside Cesar Azpilicueta, but just as in the 2014 final against Hull City, Ramsey s goal was to prove the winner. 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:

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