1. religion and spirituality
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
Kuwait eyes
bigger role
for SMEs
Israeli PM rejects
Palestinian bid
for UN deadline
NO: 16374
150 FILS
3
40 PAGES
SAFAR 24, 1436 AH
7
Abe pledges
constitution
rewrite after win
12
www.kuwaittimes.net
Al Arabi lift
Crown Prince
Football Cup
20
Two killed as Australian
police storm siege cafe
Hostages rescued after day-long standoff, hostage-taker shot
Saudi officer killed
in hostage rescue
RIYADH: A Saudi security officer was killed in an
operation to free three foreign laborers taken
hostage by a gunman in the capital, Riyadh, according to a police statement carried by the official Saudi
Press Agency yesterday.
Saudi police said an attacker armed with an
assault rifle seized the workers on Sunday evening
near a mosque and opened fire when surrounded by
police. Police said they were able to free the
hostages after a heavy exchange of gunfire. The
attacker was wounded and captured in the shootout. In addition to the slain officer, a civilian and a
member of the security forces were also injured.
Security officials did not disclose the identity of
the attacker, possible motives for the attack or the
nationality of the hostages. Also on Sunday, a Saudi
policeman was shot and killed in the eastern town of
Al-Awamiya by an unidentified assailant. The town is
heavily populated by minority Saudi Shiites and is
the hometown of revered Shiite cleric Nimr Al-Nimr,
an outspoken government critic who was sentenced
to death in October for inciting violence and sectarian strife - charges which he denies and which have
outraged his supporters.
The Eastern Province was rocked last month when
seven Shiite worshippers were shot dead in an attack
that police say appears to have been carried out by
supporters of the extremist Islamic State group.
Continued on Page 13
SYDNEY: Hostages run to safety during a cafe siege in the
central business district of Sydney early today. (Inset)
Emergency personnel wheel a blood soaked stretcher to
an ambulance. — AP
Parliament to debate
grilling against Mudej
Interior panel okays law on illegal arms
By B Izzak
News
i n
b r i e f
Kuwait policemen face
trial in liquor theft case
KUWAIT: Four police officers will testify before a military tribunal today in a case involving the disappearance of imported liquor bottles from the Drug Control
General Department’s (DGCA) warehouses. The officers,
including two colonels and two lieutenant colonels, are
accused of stealing alcoholic drinks that were prepared
to be destroyed. The officers, who work at the DGCA,
have reportedly filed for retirement, said sources quoted by Al-Aan news website yesterday. The tribunal was
formed by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister
Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, following an
immediate investigation he ordered after nearly 17,000
liquor bottles went missing last February.
Saudi woman held after
attending soccer game
RIYADH: A Saudi newspaper says a woman arrested after attending a soccer game claims she did
not know women were prohibited from going to
the stadium. The state-linked Okaz newspaper
reported yesterday that police in the city of Jiddah
have questioned the woman, who claims she
bought a ticket online without any problems and
went to the Friday night game between Jiddah’s
Al-Ittihad and Riyadh’s Al-Shabab in the kingdom’s
new Al-Jawhara stadium, where she was arrested.
Okaz did not identify the woman. The paper says
she was questioned by police for “impersonating”
a man by wearing pants, a long-sleeve top, a hat
and sunglasses. No charges have been raised so
far. Saudi Arabia enforces a strict segregation of
the sexes. There are no designated areas for
women at soccer stadiums.
Five killed in Philly
shootings at homes
SOUDERTON, Pennsylvania: Police yesterday surrounded a home outside Philadelphia where they
believe a suspect had barricaded himself after shootings at multiple homes. The man was suspected of
killing five people yesterday morning at three different
homes, police told WPVI-TV. The communities are about
four (6.5 kilometers) from each other in Philadelphia’s
northwestern suburbs. Officials are referring questions
to the district attorney’s office, which did not immediately return messages left by The AP.
KUWAIT: The National Assembly is scheduled to debate
today a grilling motion against Commerce and Industry
Minister Abdulmohsen Al-Mudej on allegations of financial and administrative violations in the ministry.
The grilling motion was submitted by MP Abdullah
Al-Turaiji who has repeatedly called on the minister to
step down because the evidence and documents he
prepares to submit during the grilling will condemn the
minister and force him out.
Ahead of the grilling, the Council of Ministers in its
weekly meeting yesterday heard the answers of the minister on all the points raised in the grilling and expressed
its total backing and support. The cabinet also praised
Mudej’s performance in the ministry.
Nevertheless, the debate of the grilling is not guaranteed to be held as some doubts have been raised about
the intention of the government to refer parts of the
grilling to the National Assembly’s legal and legislative
committee to establish it was in line with the constitution and the law.
The measure however requires the approval of the
majority of the National Assembly members including
the 16 cabinet ministers. If approved, the move will put
off the grilling for some time until the committee has
studied the grilling and issued its verdict.
A number of MPs however warned that they will not
accept sending the grilling to the committee and urged
the minister to face the grilling bravely and refute the
allegations.
MP Abdulhameed Dashti said he will speak in support of the grilling and warned if the Assembly refers it
to the legal committee, he will submit a new grilling
against the minister.
MP Saleh Ashour said he will oppose any move to
send the grilling motion to the legal committee and
demanded that the minister should face the charges listed in the grilling which he described as very strong. MP
Faisal Al-Duwaisan also called on the minister to refute
the charges in the grilling and said he will not approve
of sending it to the legal committee or anywhere else.
Under the Assembly charter, the griller will be given
90 minutes to explain and verify the allegations he
made in the grilling request and the minister will be given an equal duration to respond with the help of his
ministry staff.
In addition, the griller and the minister will be given
another 30 minutes each to respond to each other’s
charges. After that, three MPs in favor and three others
against the grilling will speak alternately for around 15
minutes each. In the end, the minister will be given
some time to make last comments, pleading for support
from the Assembly members. The grilling could end
without any further action or it may lead to a vote of noconfidence if 10 MPs file a no-confidence motion against
the minister.
Continued on Page 13
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High Tide
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SYDNEY: At least two people were killed as heavily
armed Australian police early today dramatically
stormed a central Sydney cafe to end a day-long siege
sparked when an Iranian-born Islamist took several people hostage. Security forces in SWAT-style gear intervened, unleashing a flurry of loud bangs and flashes in
the eatery in the heart of Australia’s biggest city, after a
number of the staff and customers managed to flee for
their lives.
An AFP photographer saw one body carried out.
Australian media said that in addition, the gunman was
shot dead by police. Sky News also reported four people were wounded, three of them critically. Royal North
Shore Hospital had admitted a woman in her 40s with a
gunshot wound to her leg, a spokeswoman told AFP.
She was in a serious but stable condition.
A bomb robot, which is used to detect and disarm
explosives, was subsequently sent into the building as
police declared the siege over and medics tended to
hostages. “Sydney siege is over. More details to follow,”
police announced on Twitter. The hostage-taker, who
earlier had unfurled an Islamic flag, was named by ABC
television and other media as a 49-year-old Iranian-born “cleric” called Man Haron Monis.
They published a photo of him sporting a beard and
a white turban and said he was on bail for a series of
violent offences. The pre-Christmas siege of the Lindt
chocolate cafe began yesterday morning and triggered
a massive security lockdown in Sydney’s financial district as hundreds of police surrounded the site. Monis’s
former lawyer Manny Conditsis said the public could be
assured that the siege was not the work of an organized
terrorist group.
Continued on Page 13
TUUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
LOCAL
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during his meeting with Parliament
Speaker of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. — KUNA
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in a group photo with KFAS directors.
Amir receives Pakistani speaker, sports delegation
Sheikh Sabah chairs KFAS meeting
Sheikha Naeema Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah presents His Highness
the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah the
International Olympic Committee 2014 Women and Sport Award, as
Sheikh Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah looks on.
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday Parliament Speaker of Pakistan Sardar
Ayaz Sadiq, in attendance of HH the Crown
Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah and National Assembly Speaker
Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem. Deputy Minister of
Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah
and head of the Kuwaiti-Pakistani Friendship
Committee MP Faisal Al-Shaya also attended
the meeting.
Later, the Pakistani speaker met HH the
Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace. MP Shaya
and National Assembly Secretary-General
Allam Al-Kandari were in attendance.
Pakistani Speaker Sadiq and his accompanying delegation arrived to Kuwait yesterday
morning. They were welcomed at the airport
by Ghanem, Shaya, Kandari, Pakistan
Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammad Aslam
Khan and Assistant Secretary General for
Members, Public Relations and Media Affairs
Sami Al-Shaya.
The two speakers held talks yesterday that
tackled bilateral ties and means of cooperation between the two parliaments, in addition
Kuwait, UAE sign
cooperation deals
ABU DHABI: Kuwait and the UAE inked in
Abu Dhabi yesterday four memos of understanding on bilateral institutional integration in cooperative domains, including oil,
gas, energy and industry.
The memos were signed by Kuwait’s
First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad AlSabah and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who cochaired the ministerial meeting of the UAEKuwaiti Higher Joint Committee that kicked
off yesterday. Another memo of understanding was inked between the stock markets of Kuwait and the UAE.
On the occasion of the signing of bilateral cooperative deals, Sheikh Sabah
Khaled stressed the significance of the joint
committee meeting to a further promotion
and development of bilateral relations in
various areas, and hailed the level of official
and fraternal relations between both Gulf
nations. Bilateral historical relations enjoy
mutual support on the part of His Highness
the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah and UAE President Sheikh Khalifa
bin Zayed Al Nayhyan, he said.
The joint committee meeting reflected
the interest of both countries’ leaders in
achieving more cooperation, coordination
and integration on both bilateral and Gulf
levels, especially in light of existing regional and international challenges, he added.
“We are looking forward to boosting
joint effective cooperation in order to
achieve wider levels and fresh vistas for
bilateral cooperation in economic, trade,
investment, energy and environmental
fields,” Sheikh Sabah Khaled noted.
Hailing bilateral economic and trade
cooperation, the Kuwaiti minister said twoway trade exchange hit roughly $3.8 billion
in 2013.
The UAE was the main destination for
Kuwaiti visitors in 2014, making up 29 percent of Kuwait’s foreign tourism size, he
said, adding that around 261 flights were
reported by both sides on a weekly basis.
Sheikh Sabah Khaled also commended
the UAE’s recent economic successes, primarily EXPO 2020 bid win and Dubai
Airshow 2013. The joint committee has met
for a couple of days in Abu Dhabi to discuss
ways and means of bolstering and cementing bilateral relations in political, economic,
trade, investment, industrial, legal, judicial,
environmental, financial and educational
fields. —KUNA
‘Kuwait in Egypt’ exhibition
beckons foreign investors
KUWAIT: The seventh Kuwaiti Week in Egypt
titled ‘Kuwait in Egypt’ kicked off yesterday
at Cleopatra Ballroom, the Semiramis Hotel,
Cairo with the participation of more than 70
Kuwaiti and Egyptian companies.
Egyptian Prime Minister Eng Ibrahim
Mehleb, ministers, Kuwaiti and Egyptian dignitaries, businessmen, artists and writers
attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition which will last till December 18.
“The exhibition, organized by Al-Jabriya
Exhibitions Group (JEG), is expected to bolster confidence of the international
investors in Egyptian market and attract
more of them at a very critical time for the
Egyptian economy, especially prior to the
international Economic Forum convened by
President Al-Sisi for next February,” said JEG
president, Ahmed Ismail Behbahani.
Pointing out that Kuwaiti investor problems in Egypt were a thing of the past,
Behbehani said that during his recent visit to
Kuwait, the Egyptian Minister of Industry,
Commerce, Small and Medium Projects,
Muneer Fakhkri Abdul Nour had promised
to solve all problems being faced by Kuwaiti
investors in Egypt.
“This exhibition will demonstrate the
strong relations between both countries
and will develop them further in various
fields, especially in economy,” he added.
Behbehani said that the exhibition’s motto would reflect Kuwait’s rich tradition in the
fields of economy, culture, media and arts
and the Cairo exhibition would reiterate the
strong bilateral relations between the brotherly countries and peoples. He pointed out
that Egypt has several advantages as a business hub such as an ideal location, its leading regional role as an Arab leader in various
fields such as tourism, real estate, infrastruc-
to the latest regional developments in regards
to terrorism. The Pakistani Speaker is to attend
part of a parliamentary session today. He will
also meet with First Deputy Prime Minister
and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled AlHamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and
Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Khaled
Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of Social Affairs
and Labor and Minister of State for Planning
and Development Hind Al-Sabeeh and
Minister of Finance Anas Al-Saleh.
Separately, HH the Amir received Chairman
of the Kuwait Olympic Committee Sheikh Talal
Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Chairwoman of
the Organizing Committee for Women Sport in
GCC countries Sheikha Naeema Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, for winning International
Olympic Committee 2014 Women and Sport
Award. His Highness also headed a meeting
for Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of
Sciences (KFAS).
Meanwhile, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received Minister of
Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr
Bader Al-Essa, and Head of the National
Security Apparatus Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah
Al-Salem Al-Sabah. — KUNA
Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem and his Pakistani counterpart during
their meeting.
Cabinet mulls oil price
slump aftershocks
draft law on Kuwait’s maritime zones ratified
KUWAIT: The Cabinet discussed in its weekly
meeting at Bayan Palace yesterday a series of
proposed precautionary measures to deal with
the current deterioration of oil prices and the
future prospects of oil markets.
Following the meeting, Minister of State for
Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah
Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah stated that His Highness
the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah underscored the importance of
quick and serious moves to put into effect the
directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during the
extraordinary cabinet meeting on Sunday, especially those related to the economic situation in
light of the developments on the oil market and
slump of oil prices.
He added that the cabinet mulled a number
of proposals to beef up national economy and to
push forward partnership between the public
and private sectors. The cabinet will complete
discussions of the proposals, its executive measures and timetables in the coming meeting, he
said. The Cabinet endorsed a draft decree on the
new lineup of the supreme council for the public
authority for people with special needs. It
approved a draft decree to consider Thursday
1/1/2015 a holiday for the government bodies
on the occasion of the New Year.
Maritime zones
The cabinet ratified, and referred to His
Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah a draft law on Kuwait’s maritime
zones and a draft law on Investment Protection
and Promotion Agreement with Greece.
Later, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Commerce and Industry Abdulmohsen Al-Mudej
briefed the cabinet about his refutation and
answers to the different questions and issues
raised by the grilling motion filed against him by
MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji before he ascend the parliament’s podium today.
After listening to his answers, the cabinet
expressed full support to the minister Mudej,
hoping the MPs would use the parliamentary
tools to oversee government’s performance in a
positive way that abides by the constitution and
parliament regulations.
Earlier, the Cabinet was informed about a letter addressed to His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from the
Turkish President and Chairman of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s
Standing Committee for Economic and
Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. The letter included an invitation
to Kuwait to endorse the OIC trade preferential
tariff scheme protocol and the rules of origin
agreement of the OIC’s preferential system.
The cabinet was also apprised of a letter sent
to His highness the Amir from President of
Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain who invited His
Highness the Amir to attend the first Muslim science and technology summit, to be held in
Pakistan next April.
It was also informed about a letter sent to His
Highness the Amir from the former US president
Bill Clinton who invited His Highness the Amir to
partake in the Clinton Global Initiative’s First
Middle East & Africa Conference, to be held in
Morocco in April/May of 2015.
The Cabinet was briefed about a letter sent to
His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah from his Tunisian
counterpart Mehdi Jomaa. The letter focused on
means to expand cooperation and strengthen
bilateral relations. The cabinet congratulated
Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and people on the National Day celebration on Tuesday.
It wished the Kingdom of Bahrain more progress
and welfare and stability.
Later, the ministers discussed the main
issues on the agenda of the coming National
Assembly sessions. They also debated the latest regional and international political developments. —KUNA
Egypt FM in Kuwait for joint panel meeting
Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb
ture, ports, education, healthcare, communication and others. He said the Investment
Ministry has taken a number of new measures to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that are
usually faced by potential investors.
Bahbahani said that Kuwaiti investments
in Egypt witnessed remarkable increases
over the past few years to over 25 per cent
of Arab investments in Egypt. They covered
diverse areas of investment. “The aim of
holding this activity in Egypt is to explore
investment opportunities,” said Behbahani
noting that Egypt was open to all Arab
investors and this was the main goal of holding international exhibitions for commercial
exchanges.
“The success achieved in the last six
events helped attract more participants to
take part in this year’s exhibition”, he said
pointing out that such activities would help
boost both bilateral relations further.
JEG CEO Jaber Ahmed Behbahani pointed out that the ‘Kuwaiti Week in Egypt’ provides diverse investment opportunities in
various fields such as civil aviation, electricity, energy, communication, agriculture and
real estate in addition to the promising New
Suez Canal project.
KUWAIT: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry
arrived yesterday for a three-day official visit to
Kuwait, where he is expected to hold talks with
First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
During his stay in Kuwait, the Egyptian Foreign
Minister is also to attend the 10th session of the
Kuwaiti-Egyptian joint committee to be chaired by
both countries’ foreign ministers. The minister was
received at the airport by Undersecretary of the
Foreign Ministry Khaled Al-Jarallah and several other ministry officials. On Sunday, Egypt’s Assistant
Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Ambassador
Abdulrahman Salah co-chaired a meeting of the
Kuwaiti-Egyptian Higher Committee at the level of
senior officials. He commended the strong ties
between his country and Kuwait following the
meeting, saying that the two states have always
supported each other at all times, especially at
times of distress. The Kuwaiti delegation was led by
Director of the Arab World Department at the
Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Abdulhameed AlFailakawi.
Kuwait’s support
Ambassador Salah also commended Kuwait’s
support to Egypt over the recent years, under His
Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, especially after June 30 events.
Kuwait’s support has not been confined to financial
aid, but also investments flowed to help the
Egyptian economy recover, Salah said.
Meanwhile, he referred to bilateral trade, which
is below expectations, saying a dual taxation
agreement is likely to remove barriers and encourage businessmen and investors. The Egyptian senior official expressed hope the Higher Committee
KUWAIT: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry speaks with Foreign Ministry
Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah shortly after his arrival to Kuwait. — KUNA
would agree to boost bilateral cooperation for
assisting other Arab and Africa countries, through
the Egyptian Partnership Agency for Development
and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic
Development (KFAED). He pointed to a rise of
Kuwaiti tourism to Egypt. Salah wished Kuwait
would take part in the international economic conference Egypt intends to organize in March, saying
they agreed today that economic teams from both
sides will meet to discuss the issue. He hoped both
sides would agree to declare 2015 “Egypt’s year in
Kuwait” at the media, culture and tourism levels.
Kuwait was the guest of honor at the 2014 Cairo
International Book Fair.
Matching views
For his part, Ambassador Failakawi said the
meeting manifested a matching of views regarding
bilateral ties, Arab issues and topics of common
interest. The meeting discussed major issues on the
Arab scene, especially developments in Syria,
Libya, Palestine, Yemen and Somalia, the Kuwaiti
senior official told KUNA.
He said the two sides also addressed a host of
agreements, memorandums of understanding and
executive programs relevant to bilateral ties. These
will be signed during the committee ministerial
meeting today. They include a cooperation agreement between Kuwait’s Saud Nasser Al-Sabah
Diplomatic Institute and the Egyptian Institute of
Diplomatic Studies, he said. In addition, the senior
officials also addressed enhancing cooperation in
media, education, oil, housing, sports, culture,
industry and maritime transport. — KUNA
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
LOCAL
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (center), HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah (third from left), National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem (fifth from left), senior sheikhs, ministers and other
top officials rise for the National Anthem. — KUNA
His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah looks
on as HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah cheers for children
who welcomed them to the venue.
Amir patronizes ‘women in charitable work’ conference
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday patronized and attended the inauguration ceremony of the international conference on the “role of women in charitable
work.”
Also present were HH the Crown Prince
Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,
National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali AlGhanem, former parliament speaker Jassem
Al-Khorafi, HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad
Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister
Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad AlSabah, Sheikhs, GCC Secretary General
Abdulatif Al-Zayani, Deputy Minister of
Amiri Diwan Affairs Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and
senior state officials.
The conference got underway with the
National Anthem and recitation of Holy
Quran verses, then His Highness was honored for the recent UN designation as a
humanitarian leader.
For his part, Dr Abdullah Al-Maatouq,
Chairman of the International Islamic
Charitable Organization (IICO), addressed
the attendees, namely HH the Amir, HH the
Crown Prince and the other senior leaders
and dignitaries, saying he was grateful to
HH the Amir for attending the conference,
providing all forms of support for “our initiative aimed at enabling the woman make
accomplishments in the charitable field.”
“Such generous sponsorship on part of
HH reflects his ardent advocacy of the
women status and their important role in
Dr Abdullah Al-Maatouq delivers his
speech.
Justice and Awqaf Minister Yaacoub AlSanea addresses the audience.
building and developing the society,” Dr
Maatouq said. “HH Sheikh Sabah has adopted humanitarian issues while the world is
gripped with seditions, catastrophes, conflicts, claiming lives every day.”
Dr Maatouq noted that the United
Nations has recently crowned HH the Amir
as “humanitarian leader,” in appreciation for
his unlimited role in the domain of humanitarian and development works, as well as
for leading Kuwait in the realm of humanitarian activities.
This conference is in line with objectives
of the IICO, supporting all segments of
mankind, contributing to women volunteering and charitable efforts for sake of opti-
mum productivity. A series of workshops at
this level have been organized since March
2012, resulting in “common understanding
that hurdles obstructing the women role
include social and cultural taboos, nonIslamic traditions and customs,” he said.
For his part, Minister of Justice and
Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs
Yaacoub Al-Sanea noted the woman pivotal role in the Muslim communities,
namely in the sector of charity activities,
noting that HH the Amir was the first
among Arab and Muslim leaders who “activated the term charitable diplomacy,” reiterating that he did earn the UN title
‘humanitarian leader.’ — KUNA
Government to implement
development plan projects: Minister
Kuwait eyes bigger role for SMEs in national economy
KUWAIT: Minister of Finance Anas Al-Saleh
said yesterday that the government would
execute the previously approved projects
of the state development plan despite the
current deterioration of oil prices and its
impact on the state budget.
Speaking at the Kuwait forum for small
and medium enterprises, Saleh believed
that going ahead with the development
projects would help revive the economy
and create more jobs. In the meantime, the
minister said that the government would
take measures to address the expected
budget deficit caused by the tumble of the
oil prices. He noted that these measures
include expanding partnership between
the public and private sectors as well as
using some of the foreign reserves and
commercial borrowing tools.
Saleh said that the slump of oil prices
provides a chance for introducing long
overdue economic and legislative reforms
to deal with the imbalances.
He stated that the most expected hypothetical price of oil in the upcoming state
budget would be in the range of $60 per
barrel. He disclosed that the Supreme
Council of Planning is studying a draft law
to increase electricity price as a prelude to
refer it to the National Assembly for deliberation and approval.
Bigger role
Meanwhile, minister Saleh said that the
Kuwaiti government is looking forwards to
KUWAIT: Minister Anas Al-Saleh
speaks at the forum. — KUNA
expanding the contribution of small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) to the national
economy. The government plan of action
and development plans target a bigger role
for the SMEs to give impetus to the national
economy and to diversify its resources
away from oil industry to achieve sustain-
able development and welfare, Saleh said
at the opening session.
He emphasized the necessity of offering
all support to SMEs to help expand the private sector and its added value to the economy. Overcoming obstacles facing SMEs
entrepreneurs, especially the finance and
land, should be a top priority in the coming
period, he said. The Minister said that out of
full understanding of the importance of
small and medium enterprises, the government has recently established the national
fund for SMEs with a total capital of KD 2
billion or (about $6.84 billion). This huge
sum is sufficient to finance an enormous
number of SMEs, he said, adding that each
enterprise is eligible to a loan of up to KD
500,000 (or about $1.71 million).
The forum, which is attended by a large
number of officials and experts from the
government, private sector and banking
sector as well as entrepreneurs, tackles a
plethora of issues relevant to the SMEs. The
forum’s agenda includes the topics of SMEs
in Kuwait reality and challenges; international SMEs success stories; investment
opportunities; finance for SMEs; the strategic and legislative view to SMEs and the
future vision of SMEs in Kuwait. —KUNA
Arab countries rank last globally
in knowledge-based economies
Jobless Arabs estimated at 22 million
AMMAN/KUWAIT: Director General of the
Arab Organization for Industrial
Development and Mining Adel Saqr AlSaqr said yesterday that Arab countries
rank last globally when it comes to knowledge-based economies, expenditure on
scientific research, development and innovation. Speaking at the opening of a forum
on technological capacity building in the
field of modern technologies in the Arab
countries, which is organized by the Arab
Organization for Industrial Development
and Reconstruction, in cooperation with
the Amman Chamber of Industry, that the
rate of spending in these countries on scientific research ranges between 0.2 to 0.3
percent, well below the world average rate
estimated at 1.8 percent, according to the
UNESCO report.
Saqr pointed to the humble participation of the Arab sector in investing in the
scientific research, stressing that the forum
is held in very complex conditions on the
Arab and international levels due to the
overheating competitions between different poles of the great powers, the global
economic recession, the decline in oil
prices as well as the ongoing develop-
ments witnessed by the Arab region and
their impact on research and development.
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
(KISR) representative at the forum, Dr Majid
Al-Rashidi said the importance of the
forum for Arab research centers, including
the Kuwaiti ones. He said that the forum
will discuss the best ways to establish a
partnership between researchers and the
private sector for the development of
technology in scientific research centers
and transfer them to the private sector
through applications and solutions to the
challenges faced by the industrial sector.
Arab unemployment
Separately, a report released yesterday
indicates that the number of unemployed
persons in Arab countries sky-rocketed in
end of 2013, reaching 22 million job seekers. The number of jobless people in Arab
countries is forecast to reach 80 million by
2025, said the report released by the
Diplomatic Center for Strategic Studies. It
noted that the figures have been compiled
on basis of official data.
Unemployment is one of the major hurdles facing development in the Arab states,
the report said, noting also that the rate of
Arabs without work is the highest in the
world. Arab work force growth is the
fastest in the globe, thus speedy and effective solutions must be found to tackle this
key problem. It linked the mounting unemployment in the Arab world to high population growth, failure to graduate university students of specializations needed in the
labor market, fall of domestic gross economic product, applying economic openness in many Arab countries, along with
privatization that resulted in dismissing a
large number of workers.
Citing other reasons, it mentioned
youth abstention from vocational work,
fears of involvement in free business and
shortage of enterprises intended to shore
up the Arab economies. It also cited bad
planning and lack of useful data for job
seekers.
Transit to democracy continued to overshadow conditions in the Arab world, coupled with uncertainty and fall of Arab
states’ economic growth to 2.6 percent (in
2013), it said, noting that the “Arab spring”
events resulted in losses, estimated at
$800 billion. — KUNA
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receives a ‘boom’
ship model.
SPECIAL REPORT
GCC must respond to new
regional economic realities
By Feras Fahed Abushaar
T
he six members of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) are famous for their worldclass oil and gas industry, with control of
over 20 percent of global supply. Since the discovery of black gold in the region, the GCC
states have accrued a massive amount of
wealth and power in a short span of time.
This meteoric rise in status brought exceptional attention and interest to the region. With this,
the Gulf states attracted the attention of neighboring regimes that sought both to gain increasing influence and soft power, as did the leaders of
the Islamic revolution in Iran who looked to
expand their ideologies into the Gulf, and in some
cases to gain even direct control, as Saddam
Hussein did when he invaded Kuwait in 1990.
It was after the Iranian revolution, however,
that it became obvious to the Gulf states that
they would need to organize in some way to
maintain order and stability within their realms.
In 1981, the Gulf Cooperation Council was thus
officially formed. The council’s primary goals
involved creating a more solidified and guaranteed collective security. With time however, in
order to further establish the roots of the institution and assure its success, the GCC was
allowed to extend beyond security concerns to
make the growth of the sub-regional economic
sphere and intra-Gulf economic relations a second priority.
Failed economic union,
a blessing in disguise
When analyzing the success of the GCC in
terms of its influence on the economic relations
of the Gulf states, one must note that the
region’s increasing wealth is largely the product
of each individual state’s natural resources and
trade agreements with foreign allies.
The reality is that, since its establishment, the
Gulf Cooperation Council has yet to stimulate a
dramatic increase in trade between the nations
in major industries other than food. This is natural to expect when the GCC nations are insignificantly involved in the production and manufacturing of marketable commodities. There is very
little to be traded between them.
The GCC has also yet to create a unified central bank or currency, as the European Union
did, thought it has been a topic of discussion
since its creation. From the perspective of the
institution, this seems a failure. But from the
individual member states’ view, it is a blessing.
If a central bank were to be established by
the member nations, its headquarters would
likely be situated in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi
Arabia. The kingdom’s size, both literally and
economically, far outweighs those of its fellow
member states. It would thus, in an economically collaborative effort, be at a much greater
advantage than its regional counterparts. Saudi
Arabia’s influence over the institution would be
disproportionate with the rest of the nations’
for this kind of economic agreement to be substantially beneficial for its neighbors to
endorse.
This failure isn’t necessarily a failure but
rather a manifestation of the true geopolitical
and economic reality of the region: A changing
economic sphere in which a single power in the
alliance has grown much larger than its partners for them to reasonably wish to cooperate.
Effects of a unified regional economy
Simultaneously, to fully integrate and merge
economically would have many effects on the
marketplaces of the rest of the Gulf. Because of
the open nature of the GCC marketplaces in
comparison with Saudi Arabia’s, such integration
would profoundly impact the kinds of businesses that will survive and could limit investments
of Saudis across the region in industries banned
in the Kingdom. Conservative Saudi influence on
the nature of neighboring economies and markets could incur private Saudi investors significant losses. It is not, then, that the GCC has
failed; rather it is that its operators have not reconciled its stated goals with the current economic reality in the region.
GCC successes
With that however, it is important to note
the successes of the GCC in this field. Because
of standardized and decreased bureaucracy
between the Gulf monarchies, locally established private business has found an exceptionally inviting environment in the region. The
Economic Agreement of the GCC has allowed
for the growth of massive multibillion dollar
private organizations that operate across a variety of industries including retail, food, telecommunications, banking and construction. The
largest of these is Kuwait-based Al Shaya Co.,
which operates more than 2,000 outlets across
the region (including all Starbucks locations), Al
Futaim, Al Kharafi and others. A recent study
published in the UAE claims “20,000 family
companies operate in the GCC with [a] total
global wealth estimated at over US $2 trillion.”
Shortcomings
Still the Gulf Cooperation Council has yet to
accomplish goals relevant to the region’s
economies. The GCC states have grown to foster increasingly different economic, social, legal
and political environments over the past 33
years and operate in far more distinctive manners than each other. The GCC as an institution
has not kept up. Now it is time for the GCC to
revise its goals and strategies in order to better
respond to the diverse economies of its member states and achieve its strategic goal of supporting the creation and collaboration of a
regional world power.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
LOCAL
Crime
R e p o r t
Inebriated man held with
drugs, knives in Amghara
KUWAIT: A man was arrested in Amghara scrap yard area
from a 4WD vehicle in a totally intoxicated state and
policed recovered drugs and knives from him. A routine
police patrol spotted the vehicle under shade and when
they approached it, they noticed a man inside. He was
asked to show his ID but he got out of the car in an abnormal condition. A pipe for taking drugs was found with him.
He was subjected to a precautionary search and four
envelopes with drugs, and knives were found on him. He
was arrested and sent to DCGD.
Egyptian injured
An Egyptian expat 63, sustained various bruises when
he fell from a high place in the gold market of
Mubarakiya. An ambulance rushed to the area and he
was taken to Amiri hospital. In a separate incident, a
53-year-old citizen sustained extensive injuries in his
thigh. He was taken to Amiri hospital.
Khaitan restaurant fire
A chimney in a Khaitan restaurant caught fire prompting
Farwaniya fire center to respond. The building was evacuated though no injuries were reported.
Armed robbery
A three-member armed robbers looted a cooperative
store at Saad Al-Abdallah and escaped with KD 250.
The trio used knives to threaten the cashier.
Social media clip
Voice detectives continued their search for a person who
appeared in a clip over social media after arresting two girls
who appeared in a clip showing rabbit jumping. The person that appeared with the horse is a she - male named
Sarah and was arrested. His boyfriend, an Iranian, who is an
ex-convict was sent to concerned authorities.
Drug addict flees
Jahra police are looking for a known person who
escaped leaving his car behind. Police found five narcotic tablets and knife in his car. — Al-Watan
Frenchman swindles
KD 31,000 out of citizen
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
KUWAIT: A citizen accused a French expat of swindling
KD 31,000 and beating him in Maidan Hawally. According
to him, the citizen got acquainted with the Frenchman
thinking that he was a businessman. He gave him KD
31,000 for investment, but the French disappeared after
tak ing the money. The citizen later spotted the
Frenchman at a hotel and when asked him for the money,
he allegedly attacked him.
Mystery behind Filipina death
after lion attack unraveled
Owner kills animals to wipe out evidence
KUWAIT: While the Health Ministry started an investigation
into the death of a Filipina expat who was attacked by a
wild animal, efforts by the detectives succeeded in unraveling the mystery that shrouded the case. Investigations and
interrogation of the owner of wild animals revealed that he
kept a lion and a lioness for more than three years, and the
Filipina used to take care of them and feed them without
any harm.
The owner of the animals, who works for the National
Guard, gave the true story as to how the maid was attacked.
He was arrested by detectives after it was proven that his
detained brother has nothing to do with the case.
The National Guardsman said the he bought the lion for
KD 1,800 and the lioness for KD 1,200 through instagram
from a Saudi man about three and a half years ago. He said
that the animals were kept in a cage on the roof and things
were safe to a point until neighbors started taking pictures
with them. On the day of the incident, while the maid was
doing laundry, she was surprised to see the lion out of its
cage. So she ran and fell on the stairs and the lion followed
her and bit her. He said the maid was taken to hospital and
was treated for her injuries which were diagnosed as a wild
animal bite and left the hospital.
He said the maid was fully alert and told the family what
happened with her. Then two days later, her wounds
became more complicated so she was taken back to the
hospital where she died because of those complications.
Meanwhile the health minister asked assistant undersecretary for legal affairs to start an extensive investigation into
the accident, adding that the ministry will take full legal
action in case the investigations reveal any negligence.
Meanwhile, Al-Watan local daily reports that the owner of
the animals confessed to killing the lion and lioness which
was pregnant, and burned up to wipe out the evidence.
Then he took the detectives to the place where he burned
them in a trash dump in Kabd area. — Al-Rai and Al-Watan
Deportation for
expats who drive
without license
KUWAIT:
Interior
Ministr y
Assistant
Undersecretary for Traffic
Affairs Maj General
Abdallah Al-Muhanna
clarified the administrative decision on deportation will be applied to
every expatriate who
drives without a license.
He informed that he
issued instructions to the
Maj General Abdallah
department handing
Al-Muhanna
such violations in this
regard. No fines will be
good enough in this type of offenses, adding that he
instructed the department to send the expat who
drives without a license to the deportation center
immediately.
He said that he would send a memo to Deputy
Premier, Interior Minister Shiekh Mohammad AlKhalid Al-Sabah to issue a law that bans registration
of any vehicle in the name of any expat who does not
have a driver’s license. — Al-Jarida
Diesel smuggling attempt foiled
KUWAIT: An attempt to smuggle diesel from Shuaiba Port to
the UAE was foiled yesterday, Kuwait General Customs
Department announced.
A company tried to smuggle 288 barrels of diesel which
were found mixed with other permissible oils inside 20 con-
tainers, Head of the department Khaled Al-Saif said. He did not
disclose the company’s name, however. The load was intended
to be shipped to Jebel Ali Port in the UAE, he said. Saif lauded
the customs staff for their alertness, and noted that legal measures are being taken against the company. —KUNA
Arab housing ministers meet in Amman
AMMAN: The Arab ministers of housing met in Amman,
Jordan yesterday for the 31st session of their ministerial
council under the patronage of Jordan’s Prime Minister
Abdullah Ensour. A Kuwaiti delegation, headed by Deputy
Director General of Public Authority for Housing Welfare
(PAHW) Khalaf Al-Mandeel, is participating in the two-day
meeting.
In his keynote speech, Ensour expressed his sadness
over the conflicts and destruction in the Arab world, especially as the meeting discusses housing and construction,
asking about the amount of demolition and the number of
people who have been living without homes for many
years. He called on the conferees to thrash out this issue in
their meeting’s agenda, urging them to adopt a message of
accepting and coexisting with the other.
Meanwhile, Gamal Gaballah, Director of the Arab
League Office for Environment, Housing and Sustainable
Development, said that the meeting is held at a time when
the Arab world is facing unprecedented major challenges,
including political complications, terrorism and repeated
crises, which have direct impacts on sustainable development pertinent to housing.
The issue of housing is considered a cornerstone in
national polices of all Arab countries and providing proper
housing units to citizens is a top priority of social and economic policies, he noted. He emphasized that the housing
policy is facing major challenges, including poor urban
planning, lack of funding, overpopulation, noting that the
private sector is not involved as a main partner in the housing process.
For these reasons, he said, realistic and objective solutions should be found in order to achieve a quantum leap
in the housing policy through facilitating measures and
involving the private sector in this field.
Gaballah called for designing a comprehensive future
strategy of the housing issue in the Arab world through the
contributions of experts to guarantee Arab comprehensive
strategic aims to meet the Arab world’s aspirations.
He stressed that the session’s agenda includes significant topics, mainly cooperation with international organizations and the United Nations Human Settlements
Program, noting that this move requires preparations for
an Arab regional report to be discussed in 2016.
For his part, Sami Halsa, Jordanian Public Works and
Jordan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour
Housing Minister and the head of the session, said that the
Arab League, through the housing ministers’ council, has
been exerting efforts to strengthen Arab cooperation in all
domains. — KUNA
ABK announces
first SMS banking
draw winner
Gulf national arrested
Jahra police arrested a Gulf national with drugs and
knives who drove a car with a UAE number plate.
KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait conducted their first weekly
draw on their SMS banking promotion, in the Head Office, in
the presence and supervision of the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry representatives. ABK’s fabulous offer addresses subscribers of SMS banking; they go into a draw and a winner of
the iPhone 6 Plus is declared, every week, for four weeks. The
duration of this promotion is from the 1st to the 31st
December. This first week winner was Maryam Hussain Ghazi
from Main Branch. Stewart Lockie, GM, Retail Banking stated,
“ABK encourages its customers to subscribe to SMS banking,
more so from a security viewpoint, it’s a safe means of keeping
track of their transactions. This service allows customers to
access their account, check account and credit card balance as
well as currency exchange rates, which implies that customers
remain informed of their banking transactions at all times.”
Lockie added, “The promotion is ongoing up to the 31st of
December, and we have 3 draws remaining. The next draw will
be held on December 14, 2014. To get a chance to acquire an
iPhone 6 Plus, all you have to do is subscribe to SMS banking
during the period of the promotion, to give yourself an opportunity to win.” For further information please visit one of the
ABK branches or chat directly with a customer service officer
from Ahli Chat service on our website www.eahli.com, or call
Ahlan Ahli at 1899899.
Policeman insulted
A sergeant at the Interior Ministry told Qairawan police
that a citizen insulted and beat him while he was on duty.
The suspect was arrested and released later on bail.
MPs discuss human
rights body bill
KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s Human Rights
Committee thrashed out a fresh draft law yesterday
authorizing a national human rights body.
Emerging from a parliamentary session held especially for the purpose, the Rapporteur of the
Committee, Abdul Hameed Dashti, told reporters that
the committee had listened to relevant remarks from
the Representative of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights for the Middle East Abdulsalam Ahmad.
The suggested national human rights agency
reflects Kuwait’s commitment to international recommendations in this regard, Dashti added.
The parliamentary committee will invite a group of
human rights experts and specialists to attend its next
meeting for further deliberations ahead of the adoption of the draft law, he pointed out. — KUNA
KUWAIT: Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled Al-Jarallah during his meeting with the ambassadors. — KUNA
Undersecretary, envoys
talk anti-terrorism efforts
KUWAIT: Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled AlJarallah met yesterday with ambassadors of the five permanent members at United Nations Security Council,
addressing international efforts in face of terrorism.
The envoys who took part in the meeting were the US
Ambassador Douglas Silliman, Alexey Solomatin of the
Russian Federation, Matthew James Lodge of the UK, Cui
Jianchun of the People’s Republic of China and ambassa-
dor of France Christian Nakhle. Jarallah and the five ambassadors discussed current international efforts to support
Iraq in encountering terrorism, particularly the Islamic
State (IS).
The meeting was attended by the Director of
International Organizations ambassador Jassim AlMubaraki and director of Under sectary’s office, ambassador Ayham Al-Omar. — KUNA
‘Intensified environment
protection research needed’
Maryam Ghazi receives her gift form ABK’s Stewart
Lockie.
KUWAIT: The Director General of the Kuwait Institute for
Scientific Research (KISR) Dr Naji Al-Mutairi emphasized the
importance of intensifying scientific research on conservation
of environment and water resources.
In his inaugural speech of a symposium on the development of water resources and conservation of environment in
Arab Gulf states held in cooperation with the Japan
Cooperation Center Petroleum (JCCP), Mutairi said that oilproducing Gulf countries are trying to abide by environment
protection standards, at the forefront of which Kyoto convention. He noted that striking a balance between expansion of
oil production and conservation of environment is a huge
challenge facing Gulf countries. He pointed out that most Gulf
countries rely on sea water for drinking water and industrial
purposes. Some Gulf countries have made strides in treatment
of sewage water, he said.
Mutairi underlined the need for legislative reforms and
drawing upon the experience of developed countries to
address the environmental challenge. He added that the
three-day symposium aims to review that latest studies and
researches on a wide array of key topic related to environment
and water resources protection.
Among these issues to be tackled during the symposium
are: the renewable energy sources, new strategies for developing and securing underground water, new water desalination and sewage water treatment techniques, he said.
Mutairi said a considerable number of Kuwaiti and Gulf
energy, water resources and environment experts are contributing to the event. Moreover, over 20 research papers
would be presented during the symposium. —KUNA
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
LOCAL
YAISH Travel to process
Russia visit, tourist visas
By Faten Omar
KUWAIT: The Russian Embassy announced
yesterday the launch of a relationship with
YAISH Travel Agency for the issuance of
travel and tourism visas in Kuwait.
Speaking at a press conference at the
Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait City, Russian consul in Kuwait Murad Karabekov said the
reliance on YAISH Agency to facilitate visas
was an “important step in the framework of
strengthening relations [between Russia
and Kuwait] by making it easier for visitors
from Kuwait to enter Russia.”
Russia, through its embassy in Kuwait,
issued approximately 2,00 visas to citizens
and residents in Kuwait last year. There are
around 700 Russian citizens residing in
Kuwait.
Ilya Bulgakov, Minister Counselor at the
Russian embassy, reiterated the depth
Russian relations with Kuwait and the
development in economic, cultural and
social, especially after the signing of several
agreements and several visits at the highest levels between officials in the two countries.
He added “The embassy is looking to
YAISH, through joint cooperation, to support the development of relations between
Russia and Kuwait in tourism, health, trade
and industry, environment, sports, youth
and other areas.”
Tourism in Russia has seen rapid growth
in recent years with the number of visitors
KUWAIT: (From left) Murad Karabekov, Ilya Bulgakov and Maher Samhouri at yesterday’s press conference.
—Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
exceeding 28 million in 2013. Russia has
several locations listed on the World
Heritage List of UNESCO and is a popular
tourist spot for winter game.
Maher Samhouri, CEO of YAISH Agency
for Tourism and Travel, said “ The plan
comes in the framework of the Russian
government’s desire to encourage tourism
in Russia, which is one of the most important countries exporting tourist traffic.”
He said that the Russian Embassy chose
YAISH for Tourism and Travel because of its
expertise, which extends for more than
four decades since its founding in 1971, as
well as the capabilities and expertise in
dealing with the international market,
especially the Central Asian states to represent many of the airlines in the region.
According to Samhouri, YAISH will facilitate the processing of travel and tourist
visa applications from citizens and residents wishing to visit Russia, with turnaround at three to seven days maximum.
He added YAISH is one of the largest
travel agents in Kuwait and is the sole
agent for Kazakhstan’s Astana Airways,
which is one of the fastest growing airlines
in the world, and Uzbek Airways.
He disclosed that the company will offer
a private and diverse performances to travel to Russia in cooperation with the different airlines in order to keep pace with the
expected growth in travelers from Kuwait
to Russia and hope that direct flights
between Kuwait and Russia would be a
future possibility.
Amir’s care for Informatics Award major motive: Sheikha Aida
Sheikha Aida Salem
Al-Ali Al-Sabah
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir’s special care
for activities of HH Sheikh Salem Al-Ali AlSabah Informatics Award over the past nine
years constituted a major motive for those
involved in these purposeful actions.
This affirmation was made by Sheikha Aida
Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, the award’s Board of
Trustees Chairperson, in a press statement. She
added that HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will patronize a ceremony tomorrow to honor winners of the
award’s 14th session.
HH the Amir’s particular care for such activities has served the State of Kuwait’s highesteem international status, recently capped
with the United Nations’ designation of His
Highness as a humanitarian leader and Kuwait
as a humanitarian center.
Sheikha Aida said that also during the
planned ceremony, the top “informatics medal”
will be granted to the digital camera inventor,
Steven J Sasson, whose innovation proved
quite useful in vital sectors, such as medical
research, education, communications, as well
as social and security domains. Sasson, an
American electrical engineer, invented the digital camera in 1975.
She said the honoring would be also for the
board of jurists, which comprises 11 Arab figures, including four representing the e-governments of the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Jordan,
along with four others from Arab research and
academic institutions. It also includes two from
Kuwait, one from Saudi Arabia and another
from Egypt, in addition to three others of civil
associations from Tunisia, Bahrain and
Palestine.
Sheikha Aida added that ten winners of the
award will be honored for best websites and
applications in the Arab world, including five
with the mostly browsed websites in the Arab
countries, along with five of leading smart
applications.
The top electronic websites’ winners are the
e-government of Bahrain, the Qatari airways, a
Jordanian medical company, Al-Jazeera and
Abu Dhabi’s center for electronic systems. The
Abu Dhabi’s e-government has won in the data
category.
She also mentioned winners of the best
applications, topped by a Jordanian electronic
company, Dubai police, a Kuwaiti advertisement company, the UAE transport department
and King Saud University for Quranic applications.
The event will conclude with granting an
honorary shield to the sponsor of the ceremony, HH the Amir, Sheikha Aida added, hoping
that Kuwait would witness further strides at
the level of sciences and technologies. —KUNA
Workshop discusses
woman empowerment
KUWAIT: All kinds of facilitations, including legislations,
should be provided in order to support woman empowerment and sustain her contribution to the private sector,
participants at a workshop said Sunday.
The one-day workshop on employing women in the private sector in GCC countries, organized by the Arab
Planning Institute (API), emphasized that contribution of
GCC women to the economic field is still bound to the
public sector despite women potential.
Women participation in the job market caught attention of development experts, said API Director General Dr
Bader Malallah in a speech on behalf of Minister of Social
Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Development
and Planning Affairs Dr Hind Al-Sabubaih.
Despite the growing numbers of women participation
in economy, they remains below expectations and do not
reflect academic and cultural capacities of women in the
Gulf region, he noted. He further said that challenges hindering the evolvement of the role of women in economy
should be tackled through legislations that would raise
awareness and promote the concept of women at the work
place and economy in general. —KUNA
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
LOCAL
In my view
Fighting corruption
in the Gulf
o
Job unity
or t
p
p
By Labeed Abdal
local@kuwaittimes.net
kuwait digest
A criminal
record!
By Arwa Al-Waqian
I
t is a disaster that we get accustomed to wrong
practices and consider them as everyday norms.
Those candid cameras record and violate personal liberties, go after scandals, chase people and
watch their behavior closely. They photograph
them people’s their permission as if they have no
liberties and rights and that it is up to us to track
and scandalize them.
The late Steve Jobs, the founder and former CEO
and board chairman of Apple, presented smartphones and made us become addicted to using
them. In fact, we have become enslaved to them.
We no longer enjoy anything around us because we
are always busy wanting to capture a photo or text
a message. This particular technology might be the
reason why so many people are losing much of
their human values and ethics!
In today’s tech savvy world, everybody is a
reporter or a journalist covering tragic incidents or
gruesome accidents. We come across many such
people on a daily basis who swirl around a crash
site taking photos without even helping the victims. They are so keen on becoming the first to post
such photos on social media sites so as to get more
fame and popularity. They would rather be taking
pictures even if they see people being burnt to
In today’s tech savvy
world, everybody is a
reporter or a journalist
covering tragic incidents or
gruesome accidents.
death or a woman lying on the street waiting for
somebody to call an ambulance to rescue her. This
was exactly what happened when a friend of mine
scolded a man for taking photographs on one such
occasion. Though he was polite enough to apologize, he sought to justify his action because everybody does the same!
It is even a greater disaster if the person photographed is a celebrity haunted by everybody forgetting the fact that he/she is a human and not a
messenger sent to the earth to spread virtue!
People no longer respect personal liberties.
Everybody appears to be in a race for a hit story to
‘publish.’ In the event of a road fatality, the victim’s
photo must reach his/her family first. We never find
such an urgency in saving a human life!
I recently watched a brilliant movie ‘Night
Crawler’ that talks about this phenomenon. It tells
the story of someone who decides to become a
journalist covering traffic accidents and tapping
police radio to know crash locations so that he
could quickly capture some photos while victims
were being rescued. Unfortunately, it has become a
daily practice for many people around us today.
They don’t realize the fact that rushing to track a
criminal act makes one a criminal some way or other! — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida
Al-Jarida
A
State Audit Bureau official recently underlined
the importance of improving the auditory
standards in Gulf Cooperation Council countries and elevating their competency on par with
international standards. He further underlined during
a recent forum that was held in Kuwait the need for
auditory systems in Gulf states to “implement their
plans and utilize the resources allocated to them fully
in order to reach the desired goals.” These recommendations need to be followed by firm implementation and commitment by auditory standards.
The GCC countries must cooperate in this field as
well. They need to activate strategies of auditory
authorities and exchange expertise, because primary
goal should always be the GCC citizen, who must get
the direct benefit from his country’s membership in
the GCC.
The GCC’s financial assets must be utilized to
achieve regional development. This goal can be
attained through encouraging global companies to
invest in the GCC states. This calls for joint mechanisms and methods to prevent possible violations
and corruption.
Many countries around the world, such as China,
have taken up the challenge of fighting corruption
after years of suffering from it. There, accountability
covers top officials who are responsible for maintaining state funds, assuring that they are utilized for the
public benefit. A top official, and no one else, is
immediately held accountable in case public funds
were discovered to have been used to serve personal
interests. This is a good example to follow.
Another good example that the GCC states can
follow is that of the European Union. The EU successfully overcame their differences and conflicts to
establish a unified economic bloc to serve all the citizens of the European Union.
washington watch
Eric Holder: profiling continues
By Dr James Zogby
I
first met Eric Holder during the Clinton years when
he was serving as Deputy Attorney General. Back
then, my community was deeply troubled by FBI
harassment, the government’s use of “secret evidence”
to detain individuals, and profiling of Muslim or Arablooking individuals at airports around the country.
Working with then Assistant Attorney General for
Civil Rights, Bill Lann Lee, the Department of Justice
convened a series of meetings, some chaired by
Attorney General Janet Reno, others by Holder, that
provided us with the opportunity to address each of
these concerns. Holder was responsive. Subjective airport profiling diminished, meetings were organized
between FBI field offices and leaders of the Arab
American community, and, after a case-by-case
review, most of the 23 Arabs who had been held on
“secret evidence” were released.
When he ran for president in 2000, George W Bush
tried to exploit lingering bitterness with profiling and
“secret evidence” in an effort to court the Arab
American vote in Michigan. Once elected, Bush
proved to be a disappointment. These practices
stayed in place and then, following the terror attacks
on 9/11, Bush and his Attorney General, John Ashcroft,
threw caution (and the Constitution) to the wind,
unleashing an unprecedented assault on civil liberties.
The Patriot Act gave law enforcement expanded
authority, as did a series of executive actions that
resulted in massive profiling campaigns in which
thousands of individuals of Arab descent were targeted.
Initially, there were round ups and deportations of
over 1200 (we will never know the exact figure
because after reaching 1200, the DOJ stopped releasing numbers). This was followed by a series of “call
ups” in which recent arrivals from Arab and Muslim
countries were ordered to report to immigration officials to be registered and questioned. This program
was so poorly conceived, badly executed, and arbitrarily administered that, within the affected communities, panic was widespread. In the end, thousands
were ordered deported-in many cases despite the fact
that they had complied with immigration requirements, were married with children, or were students in
degree programs. Arbitrary use of airport profiling
resurfaced, with individuals actually being ordered off
of planes simply because they were “Arab-looking”
and their presence had caused other passengers to
feel uncomfortable.
It was during this period that the DOJ under
Ashcroft issued “profiling guidelines,” cynically claiming to ban the use of this practice but doing so with a
national security loophole that provided justification
for the continued use of profiling against Arabs and
Muslims.
Following those nightmare years of civil liberties
violations at the hands of the Bush Administration, we
were relieved when Constitutional lawyer Barack
Obama was elected president. Obama promised a
government that would be guided by transparency
and accountability, due process, and respect for constitutionally protected rights. We were further heartened by the appointment of Eric Holder as Attorney
General.
From his earliest days in office, Holder indicated
that changing the “profiling guidelines” was one of his
priorities. Years dragged on with no action and just a
few months ago, Holder met with a group of civil liberties advocates, telling us that this issue remained a
personal priority, that he was close to a decision, and
that he saw action on this matter as an important part
of his legacy.
This week, the new guidance was finally issued. It
was more than a disappointment; it was an outrage.
Instead of ending Ashcroft-era profiling, the new guidance opened new loopholes.
Reading through the new guidelines, one detects a
note of misdirection. It begins by declaring that
“Biased practices...are unfair, promote mistrust of law
enforcement, and perpetuate negative and harmful
stereotypes. Moreover-and vitally important-biased
practices are ineffective...[and] simply not good law
enforcement.”
The new guidance then expands the characteristics
that law enforcement cannot use for profiling in “traditional law enforcement” to include: race, ethnicity,
gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or
gender identity. It then immediately pivots, allowing
law enforcement to “consider” these same characteristics to be used in cases of national security, immigration enforcement, or “authorized intelligence activity”.
Unlike the old guidance, the new guidance explicitly
exempts “interdiction activities in the vicinity of the
border” and “protective, inspection, or screening activities.”
Just look at this one example cited in the guidance
that defines when profiling is permitted: “A terrorist
organization that is made up of members of a particular ethnicity sets off a bomb in a foreign country. There
is no information that the organization is currently a
threat to the United States. To gain intelligence on the
evolving threat posed by the organization and to gain
into its intentions regarding the US homeland and US
interests, the FBI may properly consider ethnicity
when developing sources with information that could
assist the FBI in mitigating any potential threat from
the organization”.
In other words, if you are Lebanese, Palestinian,
Syrian, Iraqi, (I could go on, but you get the picture)
you can be fair game for law enforcement. The guidance also explicitly allows for “mapping”-that is creating community profiles of where persons of Arab
descent live, shop, pray, and gather. This “mapping”
program recalls and, therefore, legitimates the even
more shocking practices instituted by the NYPD.
As FBI Director Comey noted this week, the new
guidance “will have no effect” on his agents’ behavior.
It might even be argued that they make it worse, not
only because the new guidance is in some ways worse
than the Ashcroft loopholes, but because they were
issued by an Administration which we had hoped
would make real change.
Rereading the entire guidance, the only part with
which I can agree is the opening line which makes it
clear that profiling is bad law enforcement that wastes
resources, destroys trust with important communities,
and is, at best, ineffective.
We have just been shocked by the report on torture
which established that by engaging in this practice,
the US received no useful information that contributed to national security. The same can be said for
profiling. The DOJ and DHS have been challenged to
provide one example where the “mapping,” “call ups”,
or airport profiling either stopped a terror attack or
yielded useful information that improved national
security. They haven’t answered, because they can’t.
As Senator Richard Durbin, a long-time critic of profiling, noted, “The Justice Department pledged to
right this wrong, but this new guidance falls short...
I’ve pushed the Administration to put an end to racial
profiling for over a decade, and after reviewing these
new rules this fight will continue.”
NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of the Arab
American Institute
kuwait digest
Political culprit-victim bluff
By Thaar Al-Rasheedi
H
ow can someone, all of a sudden, change
from being a victim to become a ‘culprit’?
There is no better answer to this question
than the experience I went through last week when
an Asian truck driver slammed into the rear of my
car causing a lot of damage to it, while the truck
was not even scratched! I stepped off angrily and
started blaming him for not driving carefully and I
stress, I was blaming him - I was not shouting or
calling him bad names. Meanwhile, a number of
accident ‘watchaholics’ pulled over and gathered
around us as if they were waiting to watch a football final.
I continued blaming the Asian driver and called
the police to come and examine the accident as a
routine procedure. The problem is that the man hysterically burst into tears and kept begging me to let
him go without reporting the matter to the police.
The amount of tears falling from his eyes was shocking to me because I had done nothing that called
for all such crying. Yet, this was not the real problem. The real problem was when the onlookers
started looking down upon me as if they wanted to
accuse me of being unjust and unfair for making
the ‘poor’ man cry that way. Some of them looked at
me with disgust. At that very same moment and
before an audience that understood nothing, I all of
a sudden changed from a victim into a culprit!
It only took the real culprit some hysteric ‘crying
I continued blaming the
Asian driver and called the
police to come and examine
the accident as a routine
procedure.
performance’ before an audience that knew nothing
about the reality of what happened to ‘twist’ facts
and turn himself into a victim. I found nothing to do
amidst such confusion but to apologize to the driver. “Sorry for slamming into your truck and I promise
I will not do it again,” it seemed like I had to say.
However, I let the man go, leaving me with my badly damaged vehicle!
Despite being a member of the media who is
specialized in analyzing political facts and twisting
truth, that Asian driver beat me in my own line of
specialty within five minutes. The truth-twisting
that happened to me last week happens on daily
basis in our politics. It only take three basic elements to achieve it. First, we need an audience who
does not know the truth and only has to form an
opinion according to your political statements and
actions. Then, this audience will blindly take your
side. Second, your statements must include a bluff
and you have to present yourself as a victim even if
you have stolen 6 tenders, 7 bids and projects
worth three billion. The third thing is to convince
yourself that you are a victim.
The atmosphere in Kuwait is ready for those who
wish to twist the truth, because we have very sentimental people who focus on intentions more than
real actions. They never scrutinize facts and make
judgments according to the last image they receive!
—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
Islamic fighters capture 2 army bases in NW Syria
Abe pledges
constitution
rewrite after win
Page 8
Page 12
Israeli PM rejects Palestinian UN bid
Kerry meets Netanayahu amid renewed Mideast peace push
ROME: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday angrily rejected a Palestinian bid to set a UN deadline
for an end to Israel’s occupation amid a flurry of talks led by
US top diplomat John Kerry.
“We will not accept attempts to dictate to us unilateral
moves on a limited timetable,” the Israeli leader said before
flying to Italy. Amid a renewed drive to push the IsraeliPalestinian peace process to the top of the global agenda,
Kerry and Netanyahu met in the US ambassador’s sumptuous residence in Rome. The Americans are seeking to avert
an end-of-year showdown at the United Nations Security
Council, which could place them in a diplomatic quandary.
The Palestinians have said they will submit an Arabbacked draft text setting a two-year deadline for an end to
the decades-long Israeli occupation of their lands to the
UN as early as tomorrow.
Simultaneously France is leading European efforts to
cobble together a more nuanced resolution which could
prove more acceptable to the US administration. The
French text would also set a two-year timetable, but for
concluding a peace treaty without mentioning the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Paris is also hoping to seize more of the initiative by not
leaving the negotiations solely in the hands of the US. “The
RAMALLAH: In this Dec 10, 2014 photo, Palestinian Cabinet member Ziad Abu Ain (left) takes part in a protest
against Israeli settlements in the village of Turmus Aya near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Abu Ain died shortly
after the protest in which witnesses said Israeli troops fired tear gas at him and dozens of Palestinians marchers.
Witnesses also said Abu Ain was beaten by an Israeli soldier. —AP
absence of a peace process is fueling tensions on the
ground, so it is imperative to make rapid progress on a UN
resolution,” said French foreign ministry spokesman
Romain Nadal.
“It is vital to relaunch the peace talks as soon as possible
and on a credible basis to offer some kind of concrete
political horizon to the parties,” he said. US officials have
said Kerry is aiming to learn more about the European initiative during his hastily-arranged pre-Christmas trip.
Traditionally the US has used its power of veto at the UN
Security Council to shoot down what it sees as moves
against its close regional ally, Israel. But there is a growing
impatience in Europe over the peace impasse amid fears
the Middle East risks spiralling into even greater chaos.
Several European parliaments have called on their governments to move ahead with the recognition of a
Palestinian state. US officials told reporters accompanying
Kerry that Washington has not yet decided whether to veto
or back the French-led UN initiative.
The US administration opposes moves to bind negotiators’ hands through a UN resolution-particularly any
attempt to set a deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli
troops from the West Bank.
No ‘diktats’
But a US veto risks running contrary to Washington’s
avowed aim of a Palestinian state and would anger key
Arab allies-many of whom are much-needed partners in
the US-led coalition against Islamic State militants. And
Netanyahu said that “in the reality in which Islamic terrorism is reaching out to all corners of the globe, we will
rebuff any attempt that would put this terrorism inside our
home.” “We will stand firm in the face of any diktat,” the
Israeli said ahead of Monday’s talks, which included a brief
closed-doors meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo
Renzi.
Kerry will later fly to Paris for a dinner meeting with his
French, German and British counterparts and the new EU
foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. He will then travel
to London to meet with the chief Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erakat and the secretary general of the Arab League,
Nabil Al-Arabi, today.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is also to meet
with Arabi today. Diplomatic sources say Paris is hoping to
persuade the Palestinians to back their compromise resolution, rather than risk a US veto of the more muscular Arab
version. But the Palestinians appear divided, as frustration
grows over the snail’s pace of diplomatic efforts. Kerry met
first in Rome Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov, who said the talks were “crucial” to stop the situation in the Middle East from deteriorating. With snap Israeli
elections looming in March, some Europeans have pointed
to a narrow window of opportunity to push a UN resolution. — AFP
p8_Layout 1 12/15/14 10:02 PM Page 1
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Iranian support seen crucial for Yemen’s Houthis
SANAA: Iran has supplied weapons,
money and training to the Shiite Houthi
militia that seized Yemen’s capital in
September, as Tehran steps up its
regional power struggle with Saudi
Arabia, Yemeni and Iranian officials say.
Exactly how much support Iran has
given the Houthis, who share a Shi’ite
ideology, has never been clear. Sunni
countries in the Gulf accuse Iran of interference via Shiite proxies in the region,
something Tehran denies. But Reuters
has details-from Yemeni, Western and
Iranian sources-of Iranian military and
financial support to the Houthis before
and after their takeover of Sanaa on
Sept. 21. A senior Houthi official denied
there had been material and financial
support. But the assertions are still likely
to reinforce Saudi, and Western, fears
that Iran is exploiting turmoil between
Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, Bahrain and now Yemen.
Riyadh has suspended aid to Yemen,
angered by the Houthis’ growing power,
while Iran publicly welcomed the Houthi
victory. A senior Yemeni security official
said Iran had steadily supported the
Houthis, who have fought the central
government since 2004 from their
northern stronghold of Saadah.
“Before the entrance into Sanaa, Iran
started sending weapons here and gave
a lot of support with money via visits
abroad,” the official, who declined to be
named due to the sensitivity of the
issue, told Reuters. A second senior
Yemeni security official said “weapons
are still coming in by sea and there’s
money coming in through transfers”.
Swift victory
Iran, the first official said, saw victory
would be swift in Yemen, unlike in Iraq
and Syria, and “with not too much
expense”. A Western source familiar with
Yemen also said the Houthis had been
getting training and money. “It’s been
happening for over a year. We’ve seen
Houthis going out to Iran and Lebanon
for military training.”
“ We think there is cash, some of
which is channelled via Hezbollah and
sacks of cash arriving at the airport. The
numbers of those going for training are
enough for us to worr y about,” the
source said. The first Yemeni security
official said Houthi fighters had received
training by Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters
that the Quds Force, the external arm of
the Revolutionary Guard, had a “few
hundred” military personnel in Yemen
who train Houthi fighters.
He said about 100 Houthis had travelled to Iran this year for training at a
Revolutionary Guards base near the city
of Qom. It was not immediately possible
to verify this claim.
The official said there were a dozen
Iranian military advisers in Yemen, and
the pace of money and arms getting to
the Houthis had increased since their
seizure of Sanaa.
“Everything is about the balance of
power in the region. Iran wants a powerful Shiite presence in the region that is
why it has got involved in Yemen as
well,” said the Iranian official. Salah AlSammad, a senior Houthi adviser to the
Yemeni president, denied Iran had provided arms but said Iranian backing was
part of a shared vision in “confronting
the American project”. For its part, Saudi
Arabia provided “blatant” support to
allied tribal sheikhs and parties in
Yemen, he said.
Ship seized
Yemeni authorities point to the “Jihan
1” as evidence of Iran’s support. The ship
was seized by Yemen in 2013, smuggling
weapons from Iran to local insurgents.
The Yemeni official showed Reuters a
breakdown of the cargo, which included
Katyusha rockets M-122, heat-seeking
surface-to-air missiles, RPG-7s, Iranianmade night vision goggles and “artillery
systems that track land and navy targets
40km away”.
There were also silencers, 2.66 tonnes
of RDX explosives, C-4 explosives,
ammunition, bullets and electrical transistors. A few days after the Sanaa
takeover, Houthi gunmen surrounded
ADEN: Young Yemeni protesters walk past burning tires during a demonstration
demanding renewed independence in the southern city of Aden yesterday. — AFP
the National Security headquarters calling for the release from jail of eight
Yemeni crew members.
They were freed, as were two suspected Hezbollah members jailed for
planning to provide military training to
the Houthis. Iran denied any connection
with the arms found on Jihan 1. Sanaa
residents still can’t understand how the
Houthis managed to take control of their
city. Although the Houthis started as a
small movement in north Yemen, they
gained strength by tapping into the
grievances of Zaydi Shiites, about a third
of Yemen’s population. Their march to
Sanaa was led by fighters who exploited
popular discontent over corruption and
the removal of fuel subsidies. They also
exploited divisions within the army,
which largely melted away at the decisive moment.
“Most of the fighting is done by local
people supported by people from the
Houthis,” a Houthi fighter told Reuters.
With the Houthis now in control of the
capital, the airport and most of the port
of Hodeidah, there are fears of more
overt support from Tehran. — Reuters
Palestinians seek
end-of-occupation
vote this week
RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas will push for a
UN Security Council vote this week on a
resolution setting a November 2016 deadline for ending the Israeli occupation, officials said yesterday.
Such a move could set the stage for a
Security Council clash over the Jordanianbacked resolution or over a second proposal by France, which seeks a two-year deadline for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on
the terms of Palestinian statehood. US officials say Secretary of State John Kerry does
not consider either of the drafts acceptable.
Kerry is holding separate meetings on the
issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu in Rome on Monday and with
two top Abbas aides in London today.
Abbas consulted Sunday with members of
his Fatah movement and the Palestine
Liberation Organization.
Participants decided to push for a vote
tomorrow on the Jordanian proposal, PLO
official Wasel Abu Yousef said. However,
they set another meeting for today night,
suggesting that decision might change.
Another Palestinian official said the
Jordanian proposal only has the support of
seven members of the 15-member council,
meaning it would be defeated without triggering a US veto. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to discuss diplomacy with jour-
nalists. The Palestinian push at the Security
Council is largely symbolic. Abbas is under
pressure after US-led talks between Israel
and the Palestinians collapsed in the
spring. The Palestinians seek a state in the
West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east
Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967.
The UN General Assembly recognized such
a state as an observer in 2012. Parliaments
of several European countries have in
recent weeks recommended to their governments to recognize a state.
Netanyahu said an Israeli withdrawal
from the West Bank could pave the way for
a Hamas takeover there, as it did in Gaza
after Israel’s 2005 pullout. “We will not let
them do this, and I will say this to my colleagues in the diplomatic meetings I will
hold in Rome,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israel has indicted three
members of a Jewish extremist group for
setting fire to a bi-lingual school in
Jerusalem where Jews and Arabs study
together. Yesterday’s indictment accuses
Yitzhak Gabai of Jerusalem and Shlomo
and Nachman Twito, both of the ultraorthodox West Bank settlement Beitar Ilit,
of setting fire to the school late last month
and writing racist slogans on its walls.
Prosecutors say the three are members
of “Lehava,” a group opposed to Jewish
assimilation and co-existence between
Jews and Arabs. —AP
Austria to close Saudi school
for not naming teachers
VIENNA: Austria is to close a Saudi school in
Vienna for failing to provide the names of its
teachers and director and is also looking
into allegations that it used anti-Semitic
books, Vienna’s school board said yesterday.
Austria’s government wants to push ahead
with passing a law which prohibits foreign
funding for Muslim organizations and would
make standardized German-language versions of the holy Quran mandatory.
The law, which the government says is
aimed at preventing Austrian organizations
from turning into recruiting grounds for
jihadis, applies to institutions such as
mosques rather than schools.
But it set off a heated debate on the role
of other Islamic organizations in Austria,
where concerns about jihadist violence
have helped the FPO, a party critical of
Islam, attract a quarter of votes, according
to opinion polls. The Vienna Board of
Education decided to revoke the Saudi
School Vienna’s right to operate by the end
of the school year next summer after it
ignored a Dec. 1 deadline to name its
teaching staff, a rule all private schools
have to comply with, a spokesman said.
The school, which has 150 students and
teachers in Arabic, has four weeks to appeal
the shut-down and declined to comment
on the decision. The board, which says the
school is funded by Saudi Arabia, has also
asked it to provide official translations of
texts after media reports alleged the school
taught anti-Semitic content. The school
declined to comment. —Reuters
ALEPPO: Smoke billows from a weapons depot allegedly belonging to rebel fighters during an operation by Syrian regime forces to take control
of the Al-Maleh farms, west of the Handarat hill which is located just north of Aleppo, yesterday.—AFP
Islamic fighters capture 2
army bases in NW Syria
31 soldiers, 12 jihadists killed
BEIRUT: Al-Qaeda-linked and other Islamic fighters captured two key Syrian army bases yesterday in the northwestern province of Idlib after
two days of intense battles with government
troops that killed dozens on both sides, activists
said. The fall of the two bases - Wadi Deif and
Hamidiyeh, both located near the town of
Maaret Al-Numan - is a significant blow to the
Syrian army, which had managed to hold on to
them for more than two years, repelling repeated attacks by an array of opposition groups.
The battles for “these two bases were
exhausting the rebel factions,” said Hussam Abu
Bakr, a spokesman for the ultraconservative
Ahrar Al-Sham group, one of the strongest rebel
factions in northern Syria. He said his group captured Hamidiyeh base. The Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights and an Idlibbased activist who goes by the name of
Mohammed Al-Sayid said members of the AlQaeda-linked Nusra Front and other rebel factions captured the Wadi Deif base yesterday
morning and the nearby Hamidiyeh base in the
early afternoon.
Abu Bakr told The Associated Press via Skype
that government forces first withdrew from Wadi
Deif to Hamidiyeh and then from Hamidiyeh to
the nearby village of Bsida. Then, the rebels captured Bsida, forcing government forces to gather
in the village of Maar Hattat, which is now being
besieged, said Abu Bakr. “There are more deaths
and more prisoners every hour,” he added.
The Observatory said that at least 31 government soldiers and 12 opposition fighters have
been killed in the clashes since Sunday. The
group, which tracks the fighting in Syria through
a network of activists on the ground, said that
rebel factions also captured about 15 government troops.
Government forces have suffered enormous
losses at the hands of Islamic extremists in
northern Syria. Earlier this year, members of the
Islamic State group took over a string of government air bases in the northern province of
Raqqa, slaughtering scores of Syrian soldiers
after seizing them.
A Twitter account run by the Nusra Front in
Idlib province said fighters are now removing
mines from the area after the “Wadi Deif camp
was liberated.” Rebels and the Nusra Front con-
trol much of the countryside of Idlib province
while government forces dominate the provincial capital - also called Idlib.
The capture of the bases came a day after
rebels and Nusra Front fighters took over seven
government checkpoints around Wadi Deif and
Hamidiyeh. Idlib-based activist Asaad Kanjo said
the government still holds the town of Ariha in
Idlib as well as the Qarmid base near the provincial capital.
The Nusra Front has become one of the most
powerful factions in Idlib province after it last
month defeated the moderate Syria
Revolutionaries Front headed by Jamal Maarouf,
who has since fled the area. The latest round of
fighting came as European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels yesterday to discuss ways to
help implement a UN plan for a localized ceasefire in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The foreign ministers met informally Sunday with the
UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura.
The UN has been trying to bring about a strategic de-escalation of violence in Syria to permit
the delivery of humanitarian aid and set the
stage for peace talks. —AP
Iraq’s new PM battles to unite a fractured nation
TIKRIT: Pro-Iraqi government fighter walks past sandbags during a siege from the
Islamic State (IS) group on the outskirts of the Shiite Muslim area of Aziz Balad in the
Saladeddin province, north of Tikrit yesterday. — AFP
BAGHDAD: Three months after he took office
with a mission to unite his broken, warring country, Iraq’s new prime minister has swept away
the divisive legacy of his predecessor with a
burst of rapid and dramatic measures. But
Haider Al-Abadi faces a huge challenge forging a
common front against Islamic State fighters,
rebuilding an ineffective army and reasserting a
degree of central government authority across
Iraq. Time is short and the battle to contain the
militants who control swathes of territory is
draining the country’s finances. Millions of people have been displaced and sectarian anger is
growing.
Abadi has responded with a series of steps to
improve the Shiite-led government’s standing,
not just with Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Arab tribes
but also across borders with Gulf neighbors. His
successes include a deal last month with Iraq’s
autonomous Kurdish region on oil exports and
budget payments, which followed months of
dispute.
He has dismissed dozens of top army and
security officers appointed by former premier
Nouri Al-Maliki, announced a campaign against
corruption in the military, ordered curbs on
arrests without a judge’s authorization, and
decreed the speeding up of the release of
detainees when courts order them to be set free.
“His biggest achievement was his desire for
change, to deal with the mistakes of the last
eight years,” said former judge and minister Wael
Abdulatif, referring to Maliki’s two terms in
office. After Maliki alienated Iraq’s Sunnis and
Kurds by promoting hardline Shiite interests,
Abadi has tried to win over Iraq’s Sunni tribes
whose western and northern heartlands have
emerged as the core of Islamic State power. He
appointed a Sunni defense minister and has
held talks with Sunni tribal leaders.
The moderate Shiite Islamist has also tried to
mend fences with Sunni Arab states across the
Gulf, an effort which has not gone unnoticed in
the region.
“What I heard and saw from the prime minister is frankly the difference between day and
night (compared with) what we’ve known and
what we’ve heard from the previous prime minister Maliki,” said United Arab Emirates Foreign
Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, shortly
after visiting Baghdad last month. Regional
Sunni power Saudi Arabia is talking, once again,
about reopening its embassy in Baghdad soon.
Maliki state
Abadi shocked many Iraqis last month when
he said an investigation had found that at least
50,000 “ghost soldiers” were on the army payroll,
taking salaries without showing up for duty and
paying off officers who let them stay at home.
Promising greater accountability and transparency, he has also said he will win parliamentary approval for the 2015 budget, unlike this
year’s budget which was never endorsed due to
acrimony between Maliki and political parties.
Like Maliki, 62-year-old Abadi is a veteran
member of the Islamist Dawa Party. This was
outlawed under Saddam Hussein and both men
fled the country, returning only after Saddam
was toppled in 2003. But while Maliki spent his
exile living between Damascus and Iran and
working for the opposition under an assumed
name, Abadi, a qualified engineer, set up business in Britain where he worked for more than
20 years.—Reuters
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
In or out? Jeb Bush keeps
on mulling 2016 decision
DES MOINES, Iowa: Jeb Bush’s big donors
and allies are tantalized by his promise to
decide “in short order” whether to run for
president. But supporters are struggling to
understand what his actions mean and
whether they can predict his political intentions.
Bush was scheduled to give the commencement address yesterday at the
University of South Carolina during his second visit in recent months to the state that’s
set to host the South’s first presidential primary. On the eve of the appearance, he said
he plans to release an electronic book early
next year along with roughly 250,000 thousands of emails from his time as governor.
Surely, that’s a sign the former Florida governor is in. Bush also is expanding his private
equity business, and advisers insist he’s not
courting a political staff Iowa and New
Hampshire, even as other would-be candidates assemble their 2016 campaign teams in
the early voting states.
Surely, that’s a sign he’s out. About all anyone can say for certain is that, as Bush himself
has said, he’s still thinking about it.
“He’s begun the journey. How long it will
take him, I don’t know,” said Al Cardenas, a
longtime Bush friend and former chairman of
the American Conservative Union. “People are
interpreting activity to conclude that he’s
closer to running. I’m not of that school. “I
hope he runs, but I believe the activity is
based on getting serious.” Bush has said he
expects to make a decision by the end of the
month.
As the son of one president and brother of
another, he has the power to transform the
2016 contest like no other Republican. He can
tap into his family’s vast political network,
and his campaign would attract strong support from major donors and widespread
media attention.
High-profile speech
Bush spent much of the recent midterm
campaign out of the public eye. But the
address at South Carolina will be his fourth
high-profile speech in recent weeks. That
includes an appearance before corporate
executives in Washington, where he called for
his party to embrace an immigration overhaul
and to focus on governing. He also said
would make the call on running for president
“not that far out in the future.”
In an interview with ABC’s Miami affiliate
WPLG-TV, Bush said he was in the process of
writing an e-book about his time as governor
and that it would come out in the spring. At
about the same time, he will make public
about 250,000 emails from his time in office,
in an effort to promote transparency and to
“let people make up their mind.”
Bush said going through the material has
reminded him that “if you run with big ideas
and then you’re true to those ideas, and get a
chance to serve and implement them and do
it with passion and conviction, you can move
the needle. ... And that’s what we need right
now in America,” he said in the interview set
to air Sunday.
Slater Bayliss, a longtime Florida-based
Bush aide who helps lead a political action
committee founded by Bush’s sons, met with
strategists in Iowa during a late November
trip to his native state.
Former Iowa Republican Party Chairman
Chuck Larson was among those who discussed with Bayliss the state’s political trends,
policy issues and how the state might react to
a Bush campaign.
“If Jeb Bush decides to run for president, I
believe he will be incredibly well received by
conservatives in Iowa,” Larson said. Bush’s
spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell, like other
advisers, said the meetings were unauthorized and unrelated to his decision-making.
She said Bush “has not yet made a decision on whether he will pursue a run in 2016,
and has certainly not dispatched anyone to
meet with Iowa leaders,” Campbell said. The
same week Bayliss met with Iowa
Republicans, Bush was named chairman and
manager of a new private equity fund, BH
Global Aviation. As first reported by
Bloomberg, the offshore fund raised $61 million in September. Bush’s team described the
investment as an expansion of an existing,
and previously reported, private business,
which he would review should he run. Most
recent presidential candidates, including private equity investor Mitt Romney, formally
cut ties with their business interests years
before running.—AP
California gets funding
for quake warning system
LOS ANGELES: California received funding
to help begin an earthquake warning system across the state next year that would
provide enough time for trains to brake,
utilities to shut off gas lines and people to
dive under a table until the shaking stops.
Scientists have tried to make the public
alert system available, but money has been
a problem. Now, $5 million has been allocated in a major spending bill approved by
Congress, according to a joint statement
yesterday by Sen Dianne Feinstein, DCalifornia, and US Rep Adam Schiff, DBurbank.
Feinstein called it “a down payment” and
added that “more funding is necessary to
complete the system.” It would expand a
limited program developed by the
California Institute of Technology; the
University of California, Berkeley; and the
University of Washington in conjunction
with the US Geological Survey.
California trails Japan, Mexico and other
earthquake-prone areas in developing a
public alert system, which provides several
seconds of warning after a fault ruptures. A
comprehensive statewide system would
cost an estimated $80 million for the first
five years of operation. Seismic early warning systems are designed to detect the first
shock waves from a large jolt, calculate the
strength and alert people before the slower
but damaging waves spread.
The systems can’t predict quakes and
are most useful during big events where it
would be meaningful to warn people far
away to expect strong shaking, scientists
said. Several moderate earthquakes this
year in Southern California produced successful early warnings. Officials testing the
system in San Francisco got eight seconds
of warning before strong shaking arrived
from the 6.0-magnitude earthquake near
Napa in August. —AP
BILWI: Members of the Nicaraguan navy carry the body of the Jose Nicho, a ship’s cook killed during a shipwreck, in the Caribbean port of
Puerto Cabezas, also known as Bilwi, Nicaragua on Sunday. — AP
Friends pushed US student
rape victim to call cops
Friends trying to set the record straight
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia: Three friends of
an alleged victim of gang rape at a University of
Virginia frat house say a magazine article wrongly portrayed them as uncaring students who
were more concerned about their reputations
than her well-being.
Almost a month after the scathing Rolling
Stone article was published, Kathryn Hendley,
Alex Stock, and Ryan Duffin are still trying to set
the record straight. The friends said that the article about an alleged gang rape at a University of
Virginia frat house was wrong on a number of
key points, especially its assertion that they
urged the victim to not report the attack.
Their alleged indifference was woven into a
narrative that used the alleged attack to paint a
picture of a culture of sexual violence on college
campuses in the United States. The article set off
an intense debate about sexual violence, alcohol, fraternities and journalism ethics.
Duffin, a 20-year-old, third-year student
referred to as “Randall” in the Rolling Stone article, told the AP that not only did he encourage
the alleged victim to go to police, but he started
to police on his cellphone until she begged off
saying she just wanted to go back to her dorm
and go to sleep.
“I couldn’t help but notice that everything
that the article said about me was incorrect,”
Duffin said.
The AP also spoke with the other two friends
portrayed in the article: third-year, 20-year-old
U.Va. students Hendley and Stock, known as
“Cindy” and “Andy” in the article. None of the
three friends was contacted by Rolling Stone’s
reporter, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, before the article
was published; each of them rejected multiple
assertions made in the article, for which Rolling
HARTFORD: Firearms training unit Detective Barbara J Mattson, of the Connecticut State Police, holds up a
Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, the same make and model of gun used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook School shooting, for a demonstration during a hearing of a legislative subcommittee reviewing gun laws, at the Legislative
Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut.—AP
Families of Newtown victims
sue gun-maker, seller
HARTFORD: The families of nine of the 26 people killed
and a teacher injured two years ago at the Sandy Hook
Elementary School filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer, distributor and seller of the rifle used in the shooting.
The negligence and wrongful death lawsuit, filed yesterday, asserts that the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle should not
have been made publicly available because it is a military
weapon unsuited for hunting or home defense. “The AR-15
was specifically engineered for the United States Military to
meet the needs of changing warfare,” attorney Josh Koskoff
said in a release. “In fact, one of the Army’s specifications
for the AR-15 was that it has the capability to penetrate a
steel helmet.”
In addition to Bushmaster, the families have named
Camfour, a firearm distributor, and Riverview Gun Sales, the
store where the Bushmaster rifle was purchased in 2010.
Messages seeking comment from the defendants were
not immediately returned. Bill Sherlach, whose wife, Mary,
was killed in the shooting, said he believes in the Second
Amendment, but believes the gun industry needs to be
held to “standard business practices” when it comes to
assuming the risk for producing, making and selling a
product. “These companies assume no responsibility for
marketing and selling a product to the general population
who are not trained to use it nor even understand the
power of it,” he said. Nicole Hockley, Dylan’s mother,
planned a news conference later yesterday with several US
lawmakers. —AP
Stone has since apologized for and noted discrepancies.
All three say Erdely has since reached out to
them, and that she has told them she is rereporting the story. Hendley told the AP that
Erdely apologized to her for portraying her the
way she did.
Erdely and Rolling Stone Managing Editor Will
Dana did not respond to an email from The
Associated Press on Sunday morning seeking
comment. The three friends say they continue to
work on correcting the record about what happened that night, and at least one, Duffin, wonders to what extent he believes the victim’s own
version of what happened - or whether any discrepancies in her story matter.
“People at U.Va. want answers just as much as
I do,” Duffin says. “But if anything, the takeaway
from all this is that I still don’t really care if what’s
presented in this article is true or not because I
think it’s far more important that people focus
on the issue of sexual assault as a whole.”
Media interviews
Other news media have also interviewed the
friends, but this is the first time Duffin has
allowed his full name to be used. A lawyer representing the victim, who has been identified only
as “Jackie,” has declined several requests by the
AP to interview Jackie and did not immediately
respond to a request for comment for this article. The AP does not typically name alleged victims of sexual assault.
The Rolling Stone article, published last
month, described a culture of sexual violence
hiding in plain sight at U.Va. The article has
roiled the campus and caused a huge backlash,
with U.Va. suspending fraternity activities until
January, the Board of Visitors appointing an
independent investigator to look into the allegations and the university handing the case over to
the Charlottesville police.
The main focus of the piece is an alleged
gang rape that Jackie said happened on Sept.
28, 2012, during her first semester on campus. In
the article, she said she had gone out on a date
with a classmate named “Drew,” who later that
night lured her into a secluded room at a frat
house. Once inside the room, she said, she was
raped by a group of seven fraternity brothers
while her date and one other man watched.
As described in the Rolling Stone article, a
distraught Jackie met her three friends at a picnic table about a 20-minute walk from the frat
house and tearfully told them what had happened.
While the article said Duffin suggested they
take her to the hospital, it described Stock and
Hendley as carrying on a debate about what
would happen to her reputation and theirs
should word get out.
“The three friends launched into a heated discussion about the social price of reporting
Jackie’s rape, while Jackie stood beside them,
mute in her bloody dress, wishing only to go
back to her dorm room and fall into a deep, forgetful sleep,” the article said. “Detached, Jackie
listened as Cindy prevailed over the group: ‘She’s
gonna be the girl who cried rape, and we’ll never
be allowed into any frat party again.’”
However, Hendley told the AP that not only
did she not say any of that, she had arrived with
Stock to the picnic table only to have Jackie say
she didn’t want her to be part of the conversation. She said she watched from afar while Stock
and Duffin talked with Jackie. —AP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Uganda toddler abuse maid jailed for four years
KAMPALA: A Ugandan maid was jailed for four years
yesterday for abusing a toddler in a case that shocked
the country after a graphic video of the assault was
made public. The 22-year-old maid, Jolly Tumuhiirwe,
originally pleaded guilty last week to torture, but later
the charge was reduced to abuse, to which she also
pleaded guilty to on Friday.
Chief Magistrate Lillian Buchan told Tumuhiirwe she
had committed an “unjustifiable and inexcusable”
crime. She gave her a four-year sentence due to the
“ruthlessness exhibited” on an “innocent, helpless
child”. Worried parents, who installed a hidden camera
to film the situation when they were at work, were
shocked to see the footage showing the maid throwing
their 18-month-old daughter to the floor.
Tumuhiirwe is seen trying to force feed the child,
before slapping her hard. After the girl vomits, the
maid throws her facedown on to a hard floor, then hits
her with a torch on the bottom.
She then kicks the child’s face and stomach before
putting her entire weight on the girl’s back, and then
drags her out of the room, apparently unconscious.
The video has been seen or shared hundreds of
thousands of times on social media. Tumuhiirwe yesterday remained apparently emotionless as her sentence was handed down in a court in Kampala.
‘Long-term psychological consequences’
Ugandan newspapers called the footage “spinechilling” and “very disturbing”.
The child was left bruised and shaken. The court
was packed with family members of the toddler, as well
as journalists.
The child’s mother, Angela Mbabazi, broke down
outside the court after sentencing, putting her hands
over her face.
Her husband, Eric Kamanzi, 32, told reporters the
couple had shared the video with other parents “so
they can take a lesson from it”.
The case has gathered wide attention in Uganda,
where many middle class parents hire maids to look
after their children. Maids in Uganda are often poorly
paid, and regularly live in the houses where they work.
“It’s not for us to decide the punishment for what
she committed,” Kamanzi said. “We hope this has set an
example for other maids out there, that you can’t just
go to someone’s house and torture their baby and
expect to walk out.”
Family member Rose Zimulinda said that the child,
Arnella, was physically well, but that they would have
to address her “long-term psychological consequences
as they come”. She said she welcomed the sentence.
“We hope that these four years will help her to
reform and come back and be a useful person to society, because she’s still young, and be a mother,”
Zimulinda said. The UN children’s agency chief in
Uganda has condemned the abuse. “The video of this
baby being beaten is shocking,” UNICEF head Aida
Girma said. “Any such act of abuse and violence against
children is completely unacceptable.” — AFP
Anti-immigrant protests
‘bring shame on Germany’
BERLIN: Recent weekly protests by farright populists against immigrants, asylum
seekers and the “Islamisation” of Germany
“bring shame” on the country, Justice
Minister Heiko Maas said yesterday.
Ahead of the latest marches planned by
the “Patriotic Europeans against the
Islamisation of the Occident” (PEGIDA)
group, Maas told the daily Sueddeutsche
Zeitung that Germans should stand up to
racism and xenophobia.
He warned that Germany, amid a record
influx of asylum seekers from countries
stricken by war and poverty, is experiencing an “escalation of agitation against
immigrants and refugees”.
Among the enraged citizens who had
taken to the streets were people expressing
hostility against foreigners, he said, calling
the trend “repugnant and abhorrent”. The
centre-left Social Democrats called for “a
broad counter-alliance of civil society and
all political parties” against PEGIDA, whose
positions Maas said were “preposterous”.
The PEGIDA movement started with a
few hundred people in October in Dresden,
a city which until a quarter-century ago
was part of communist East Germany, and
had swelled to draw a crowd of 10,000 last
Monday. It has also spawned half a dozen
smaller clone groups, including in the western cities of Duesseldorf, Wuerzburg and
Bonn. Organisers in Dresden sought to rally
even greater numbers this Monday
evening, while anti-fascist counter demonstrators were set to march under the banner “Dresden for all - for a cosmopolitan
Dresden”.
Since the protests have grown in size,
the topic of immigration and refugees has
dominated Germany, a country whose Nazi
past makes expressions of xenophobia
especially troubling.
Germany, Europe’s biggest economy,
has become the continent’s biggest destination for asylum seekers and the world’s
number two destination for migrants after
the United States.
The influx of refugees from Syria, Iraq,
Afghanistan and several African and
Balkans countries has strained local governments, which have scrambled to house
the newcomers in old schools, office blocks
and army barracks.
Some asylum homes have been targeted by protesters, vandals and arsonists,
while elsewhere local residents have
sought to welcome refugees with neighbourhood support services, gifts and donations.
While some politicians have argued the
government needs to better listen to the
concerns of citizens about immigration,
others have pointed out that the fast-greying country needs immigrants.
“Refugees are good for our country,” the
parliamentar y leader of the Social
Democrats, Thomas Oppermann, told the
Focus news weekly.
“We Germans received a lot of support
after World War II, and these people
deserve our protection. And besides, many
Syrian refugees have qualifications that we
desperately need in this country.” — AFP
PARIS: A file picture taken on December 10, 2014 in Paris, shows the Uber smartphone app, used to book taxis using its service, is pictured on a
smartphone in front of a taxi. French government announced earlier yesterday, that the law prohibiting non-professional drivers to exercise
would be effective from January 1, 2015. — AFP
France to ban Uber’s
service from Jan 1
Taxi strike causes minimal disruption in Paris
ISTANBUL: Supporters of Zaman hold copies of the Turkish newspaper along with
signs reading “Free press can not be silenced” behind a Turkish flag during a
demostration against the arrest of journalists outside the Istanbul police headquarters yesterday. The Turkish government faced accusations of eroding democracy and
press freedoms after over two dozen people were arrested in raids against media
critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. — AFP
France urges African nations
to take charge of their security
DAKAR: France urged African nations yesterday to step up cross-border cooperation to
tackle security challenges from Islamist
groups in southern Libya to Boko Haram
attacks in Nigeria, as it seeks to scale back its
military commitments on the continent.
Amid budgetary pressures at home,
France is looking to reduce security commitments in Africa. It is scaling back the 2,000
troops it deployed a year ago to curb
Christian-Muslim violence in Central African
Republic, a former colony.
It is also pressing African nations to
improve counter-terrorism cooperation in the
Sahel, where it has deployed a 3,200 strong
mission to battle Islamist militants.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian told African leaders, security analysts
and businessmen in Senegal’s capital Dakar
that they should create a regular forum to
exchange ideas and “help Africa take charge
of Africa’s security.”
“A strictly national management of security is now an illusion. The terrorist threat
knows no frontiers,” he said, pointing to
spread of attacks by Boko Haram militants in
from Nigeria into northern Cameroon.
The most striking example of militants
exploiting a lack of border security was in
southern Libya, Le Drian said, where fighters
expelled from Mali by a French operation in
2013 have regrouped and threatened to
destabilise the whole Sahel.
UN special envoy to the Sahel region
Hiroute Gebre Selassie said there were persistent indications the Islamic State had set
up training camps in Libya.
“Weak states are facing a phenomenon
that goes beyond their frontiers,” Selassie
said, noting that cocaine trafficking through
the Sahel was worth an estimated $1.5 billion,
more than the security budgets of these
states. In Central African Republic and Mali,
France has handed control of peacekeeping
operations to United Nations missions. Le
Drian noted that it was mostly African troops
that made up the majority of the UN peacekeeping forces in Africa. —Reuters
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, welcomes the Prime Minister of
Bulgaria, Boyko Borissov, right, with military honors at the chancellery in Berlin,
Germany, yesterday. — AP
PARIS: The UberPop transport service will be
banned in France from Jan. 1 to avoid unfair
competition, the interior ministry said yesterday
as taxi drivers impeded morning traffic into Paris
in a one-day protest against the US-based online
cab-hailing firm. Uber allows users to summon
taxi-like services with their smartphones while its
UberPop arm links private drivers to passengers.
It has gained popularity around the world since
its 2010 launch but drawn controversy over its
aggressive approach to traditional taxi services.
France’s highly regulated taxi drivers say Uber
has hit their business unfairly as it has expanded
rapidly. Authorities have voiced concern that
UberPop drivers may not have the required commercial vehicle insurance.
Taxi unions had vowed to block 260 km (160
miles) of roads around Paris with slowly moving
taxi motorcades during the morning rush hour.
By late morning, traffic was mildly disrupted
on the highways leading from Charles de Gaulle
and Orly airports into the city centre, traffic
reporters said. But there were fewer bottlenecks
than originally anticipated due to the non-participation of some unions.
Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry
Brandet said a law passed this year that takes
effect in 2015 and regulates the taxi industry and
chauffeured cars “is even more constrictive for
these types of businesses”, a reference to Uber.
“Not only is it illegal to offer this service but additionally for the consumer there is a real danger,”
Brandet told iTELE, citing substandard driver
insurance. San Francisco-based Uber did not
respond to a request for comment.
On Friday, a commercial court in Paris refused
to hear a lawsuit brought by Uber’s competitors
that sought to ban UberPop on the grounds of
unfair competition. The court said the emergency request was unjustified and said any further actions to ban the service should be examined in a criminal court. Uber’s French subsidiary
was fined 100,000 euros ($124,290) in October
for fraudulent business practices, with a court
finding that it advertised UberPop as a car pool
instead of a paid transportation service.
Uber has continued to operate the service
pending appeal. The company has been banned
in the Netherlands and in the Indian capital of
New Delhi after a female passenger accused an
Uber driver of rape. — Reuters
Spain political establishment
‘panics’, party support surges
MADRID: Spain’s conservative ruling party and
the opposition Socialists are in panic mode as a
surge in support for upstart Podemos shows little signs of abating ahead of elections next year.
Less than a year since it was born out of the
Indignants protest movement, Podemos, with its
pledge to defend the poor and bring to heel the
elite “caste” of politicians and bankers, is leading
opinion polls.
That has sent the two main parties that have
governed Spain since the end of Francisco
Franco’s dictatorship in 1975 panicking.
The deputy leader of Spain’s ruling Popular
Party, Maria Dolores de Cospedal, compared
Podemos to Venezuela’s left-wing leaders and
late president Hugo Chavez who are often vilified by the Spanish right wing and media.
“This kind of party, based on demagogy and
populism... is very dangerous for the system and
for democracy, for the Popular Party and for any
political party,” de Cospedal said last month.
“We know they are against everything. We
don’t know what they are in favour of.”
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s target was
clear when he railed against parties that sow
“general mistrust... pointing the finger at the system”, even if he didn’t name names on that occasion. The main opposition party has also taken
aim at Podemos. “Populism has taken institutional form in Podemos,” said the Socialists’ leader
Pedro Sanchez. “We call them by their name.
They are the ones who have to explain whether
or not they defend the regime of Chavez and of
Venezuela.”
‘Panic’ and ‘populism’ -Analysts say the establishment’s backlash against Podemos is telling.“It
is an attack of panic against the new,” said economist Juan Ignacio Crespo.
Meteoric rise
Podemos has seen a meteoric rise in Spanish
politics. Just four months after it was formed, it
won 1.2 million votes and five seats in the elections for the European parliament in May.
In November, an opinion poll found that 28.6
percent of respondents would vote for Podemos
in next year’s elections. The ruling conservatives
got 26.3 percent while the Socialists had just
20.1 percent, the survey showed.
“We were born to win,” said its pony-tailed
leader Pablo Iglesias, a university lecturer. “Our
challenge is to build with others a political alternative to govern our country.”
Iglesias has yet to unveil detailed economic
policies for his party but has called for a possible
restructuring of Spain’s debt and a rise in the
minimum wage. Podemos has struck a chord
with a population fed up with years of tough
public spending cuts imposed by both the conservative ruling party and the Socialists since a
housing bubble burst in 2008. But its stance has
drawn sceptical responses from Spanish big
business, with critics warning that Iglesias’s leftwing economic views may scare off investors.
Spain’s right-wing press has also gone after
him, linking the Podemos leader to supporters
of the armed Basque separatist group ETA which
has killed hundreds of people. Even relatively
moderate newspapers such as the biggest-selling Spanish daily, centre-left El Pais, have covered allegations of misdoings by Podemos’s
leaders. Among these are accusations that its
deputy leader Inigo Errejon claimed pay for a job
he did not turn up to at Malaga University.
El Pais’s readers’ editor warned in a recent column that loyal readers were starting to be
turned off by what they saw as unfairly harsh
coverage of Podemos. Iglesias is a regular fixture
on numerous private channels which appreciate
his commercial value, said Fernando Cano, editor of the specialist media news site PR Noticias.
But journalists at Spanish national television
recently formally denounced the station’s reluctance to get Iglesias on air for an interview. “We
consider it an unacceptable veto that could be
interpreted as censorship,” they wrote. — AFP
MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister and PP (Popular Party) leader Mariano Rajoy (R) poses with
Senegalese President Macky Sall at the Moncloa palace in Madrid yesterday. — AFP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Strip bars and drugs uncovered in Philippine jail raid
MANILA: A raid on the Philippines’ biggest jail yesterday uncovered drug lords “living like kings” in
secret luxury cells with strip bars, sex dolls, a jacuzzi
and methamphetamines, the justice secretary said.
Police commandos in full battle armour and
tracker dogs swooped down on the infamously
crowded and corrupt Bilibid prison complex before
dawn to verify reports that drug rings were operated from behind bars.
Aside from the methamphetamine “ice”, police
found 1.4 million pesos ($31,000) in cash, inflatable
sex dolls, a strip bar and a jacuzzi, across 20 air-con-
ditioned “villas”, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said.
“They are here to serve jail time but instead,
they’re living like kings,” de Lima told reporters after
the raid. Jail officials who conspired with the
inmates face “outright dismissal”, she said.
During yesterday’s raid, one “villa” had a fully
inflated sex doll sprawled on the bed while an adjacent room was equipped with an elevated platform,
strobe lights and a mirror ball, police said.
Police said the platform was for strippers who
were smuggled into the jail compound. A bright
blue bra with feathers was hung beside the stage.
Another area had a small concert stage
equipped with a flat screen television, a drum set,
guitars and keyboards. A safe in one of the rooms
contained Rolex and Patek Philippe watches, Louis
Vuitton wallets and stacks of dollar bills, police said.
Bathroom floors and walls were covered in marble tiles, showers with hot water were encased in
glass and a bathtub had a flat screen television
attached to it.
One room was stocked with an expensive
whiskey brand. Bilibid, on the outskirts of Manila
was built for 8,900 inmates but currently houses
23,000. The luxury villas, for drugs lords, kidnap
gang leaders and other powerful inmates, were
scattered around the sprawling 500-hectare (1,230acre) compound.
De Lima expressed shock at the outcome of the
raid. But cases of rich inmates bribing prison
authorities and building small houses, or simply
leaving the jail, have emerged publicly repeatedly
over the years. The practice highlights corruption in
government and the wide divide between rich and
poor as the rest of the prisoners, mostly petty criminals, are crammed in squalid cells. — AFP
Philippine’s prosecutors
charge marine with murder
Murder punishable by up to 40 years in jail
LAHORE: A female supporter of Pakistan’s cricketer-turn-politician Imran Khan,
leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf blocks a main road during an anti-government
protest in Lahore, Pakistan, yesterday. Khan’s supporters block major roads and
staged sit-ins at different locations demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ouster
over alleged fraud in last year’s election. — AP
Pakistan’s Khan leads
anti-government protest
LAHORE: Workers from Pakistani cricketerturned-politician Imran Khan’s party shut
down major roads in the eastern city of
Lahore yesterday in the latest round of
protests against the government.
Dozens of supporters from Khan’s
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party gathered at different junctions of the city’s
major roads and burnt tyres, forcing the
suspension of public transport services.
Khan claims the 2013 general election
was rigged and wants Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, whose power base lies in
Lahore, to resign.
Local and foreign observers, however,
have rated the polls as credible. A heavy
police presence is on the streets to try to
prevent violence, following clashes at a
similar protest in the city of Faisalabad last
week. “A contingent of 15,000 police personnel have been deployed in the city to
avoid any untoward incident,” senior police
official Haider Ashraf told AFP.
Khan has vowed to paralyse major cities
around the country as part of his efforts to
topple Sharif’s government. A lengthy sit-in
protest outside the parliament building in
Islamabad in late August and early
September led to brief violent clashes and
destabilised Sharif’s government.
Khan has warned that he and his suppor ters will paralyse the countr y on
December 18 if their demands are not
met. — AFP
MANILA: Philippine prosecutors yesterday
charged a US Marine with murder over the death
of a Filipino transgender woman, in a case that
has fanned anti-American sentiment and tested
close military ties.
Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton
used “treachery, abuse of superior authority and
cruelty” against his alleged victim, lead prosecutor Emilie Fe delos Santos said as she announced
the charge.
“We believe we have a strong case,” delos
Santos told a nationally televised briefing.
Pemberton will not be allowed to post bail, she
said. Murder is punishable by up to 40 years in
jail. Jennifer Laude, a 26-year-old transgender
woman also known as Jeffrey, was found dead
on October 12 in a cheap hotel in a red light district of the port city of Olongapo.
Pemberton, who had just finished taking part
in US-Philippine military exercises near
Olongapo, had checked into the hotel with
Laude and was the last person seen with her,
police said.
The charge sheet against Pemberton released
yesterday detailed what the prosecutors said was
an unprovoked and relentless attack against a
defenceless victim.
“Respondent Pemberton choked Jennifer
from behind. Obviously, in that position, Jennifer
was deprived of the opportunity to defend herself,” the six-member prosecutors panel said in
the charge sheet.
“Undeniably, respondent (Pemberton) made
sure that Jennifer was dead. He did not stop at
badly beating her up and choking her, he made
sure she suffered to her death.
“He deliberately and repeatedly plunged her
head down the toilet until she breathed her last.”
Pemberton, aged 19 at the time of the death,
had asked via his lawyer to downgrade the murder charge to homicide, which carries a maximum 20-year prison term. He has made no other
comment on the case.
Outcry
Laude’s death sparked street protests in the
Philippines, a former US colony that gained independence in 1946 but has retained a close
alliance.
An enduring US military presence since the
independence has been a constant source of
anger for vocal and powerful American critics.
The United States was forced to close down
two major military bases in 1992, after the
Philippine Senate bowed to anti-US sentiment
and refused to renew their leases.
However the allies in 1998 signed a Visiting
Forces Agreement that allowed US troops to take
part in war games on Philippine soil. Military
MANILA: Philippine prosecutor Emilie Fe delos Santos talks to members of the media outside
the court building in Olongapo City, north of Manila yesterday, after filing charges against US
marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton accused of killing a Filipino transgender
woman. — AFP
exercises involving thousands of US soldiers have
since taken place each year.
In March a new agreement was signed to
allow a greater US troop presence in the
Philippines, including more exercises and the
building of new facilities. This was part of US
President Barack Obama’s so-called pivot to Asia.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino had
courted a greater US presence in an
effort to counter perceived rising Chinese
aggression in a long-running territorial dispute in
the South China Sea.
But the agreement signed in March has not
been implemented, while the Philippine
Supreme Court deliberates on a challenge to its
legality.
Anti-American groups have used the
Pemberton case to rally support for their opposition to the expanded military agreement.
Aquino has said the Pemberton case should
not sour relations with the United States.
However the case has thrown a spotlight on
controversial provisions of the 1998 agreement,
particularly one that allows the US government
to retain custody of American suspects even
while in the Philippines.
A public outcry pressured the Philippine government to secure the transfer of Pemberton
from a US warship to military headquarters in
Manila.
But even while at the military headquarters,
Pemberton has remained under official US custody and he has refused to attend any court
hearings.
Following yesterday’s filing of charges, the
local court which has jurisdiction over the case
will decide whether there are enough grounds
for Pemberton to stand trial.
There is no timetable for this process, and
even simple cases take many years to complete
in the Philippines’ overwhelmed justice system.
Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose
called for a “swift” trial.
Laude’s relatives and lawyers welcomed yesterday’s announcement, but said they would
remain on high alert to ensure there was no special treatment for Pemberton.
“This is not over yet. We don’t have justice
until Pemberton is jailed for life,” the victim’s sister, Marilou Laude, told reporters. The US
embassy had no comment on the Pemberton
case yesterday. — AFP
India to boost women drivers,
spurred by Uber rape claim
MONGLA: Bangladeshi workers from the forestry department use water to clean oil-covered vegetation on the banks
of the Shela River after an oil-tanker carrying 350,000 litres of furnace oil collided with another vessel in Mongla yesterday. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered digging an alternate waterway to stop vessels from moving through the Sundarbans after a major oil spill threatened the world’s largest mangrove forest. — AFP
Chinese who attacked
plane crew ‘barbarians’
BEIJING: Chinese state-run media
branded four unruly air passengers
“barbarians” yesterday after they
scalded an air hostess and threatened
to blow up a plane in a dispute over
seating.
The national tourism watchdog
vowed to “punish” the group after a
low-cost flight from Thailand to the
eastern city of Nanjing was forced to
return to Bangkok when a female
Chinese passenger threw hot water
and noodles at a cabin attendant.
Online video images also showed
another male passenger threatening
to blow up the aircraft following the
row with crew, reportedly because
they could not be seated together.
The China Daily, which is published
by the government, lambasted the
group in an editorial and said the incident would “tarnish” the image of the
Chinese people. “They believed that
behaving like barbarians would get
them what they wanted, forgetting
that civility demands that a fellow
human being be treated as an equal,”
it said.
“The incident should serve as a lesson not just for the four culprits, but
also for all Chinese to behave properly
to get respect.” Thai AirAsia Flight
FD9101 departed Bangkok’s northern
airport Don Mueang for Nanjing at
5:55 pm (1055 GMT) on Thursday with
174 passengers and six crew on
board, but was forced to turn back
after the rowdy behaviour.
China’s
National
Tourism
Administration said over the weekend
that the passengers-who were reportedly given token fines by Thai authorities-will be “severely punished” for
their actions and put on a database of
unruly tourists. — AFP
NEW DELHI: The alleged rape of a woman passenger by
an Uber taxi driver once again spotlights the risks of
India’s transport system, which fails to keep women safe.
One solution: Taxis driven by women for women.
Last year, the southern state of Kerala launched ‘She
Taxis’, a fleet of 40 pink taxis run by women, and fitted
with wireless tracking gear and panic buttons linked to
call centres.
Now the service has become a model for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s government to replicate
nationwide, its chief executive says. “The Delhi incident
shows the need for ‘She Taxis’ all over the country,” P.T.M.
Sunish told Reuters.
‘She Taxis’ has ferried 24,000 people on about 10,000
trips since Nov. 2013. Demand so far exceeds supply that
as many as half of callers have to be turned away, Sunish
said.
“I feel secure and the family is satisfied,” said Aswathy
Sreekumar, 25, a technology worker who has used the
service for seven months, after finishing work at midnight.
“Otherwise, I keep getting calls from my parents.”
Rising sex crimes have prompted Indian states and
small firms to launch taxi services run by women. The
trend grew after Dec. 2012 protests over the rape of a
young woman on a moving bus in the capital, New Delhi,
and her subsequent death.
Tougher laws and promises of better policing have
proved ineffectual. India’s public transport is the fourth
most dangerous in the world for women, and nighttime
safety ranks second worst, a recent poll showed.
Women commuters face sexual harassment and public transport is seen as risky.
“The Uber incident reinforces that you are safer when
a taxi is driven by a woman. People would be keener
now,” said social activist Susieben Shah, who started
Priyadarshini Taxi Service in 2010 in Mumbai. Now it aims
to expand to New Delhi and the southern tech hub of
Bengaluru.
Another company, Sakha Cabs, with 14 taxis in the
capital, plans to expand in nearby western Jaipur and in
eastern Kolkata.
Still, expansion is slow. Reluctant investors fear the
tiny number of women drivers will brake future expansion, and India’s male-dominated social structure will
deter aspirant drivers.
After the Uber incident India is stepping up support
for such training, an official of the Ministry of Women &
Child Development told Reuters.
But critics say better security is the answer.
“Government always resorts to knee-jerk reactions,” said
Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social
Research. “Failure in law and order implementation cannot be compensated by such measures.” — Reuters
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Myanmar army: Ethnic rebels kill 7 gov’t troops
YANGON: Ethnic rebels attacked an
army outpost in northeast Myanmar,
killing seven government troops and
wounding 20 others, state media said
yesterday.
Heavily armed ethnic Kokang guerrillas attacked the outpost last
Wednesday, the state -run Myanma
Ahlin daily reported, citing the army.
The report said the army camp, located
near the Chinese border, was surrounded by the guerrillas for two days.
Since coming to power in 2011, the
elected government of President Thein
Sein has been striving to strike a comprehensive peace agreement with
about a dozen ethnic rebel groups that
have been fighting for decades for
greater autonomy. It has preliminary
cease-fires with most, but clashes occur
sporadically, and the two sides cannot
agree on terms for a political settlement.The Kokang served as the main
fighting force for the now- defunct
Burmese Communist Party until signing
a cease-fire pact with the then-military
government in 1989. I n 2009, the
cease-fire was breached when government forces raided a Kokang weapons
factory and an explosives plant and
reportedly confiscated nearly 12 million methamphetamine tablets from
the homes of Kokang leaders who fled.
The army’s offensive was part of an
effort to force ethnic groups to incorporate their militias into a government
border guard force, a move most resisted. A short series of serious skirmishes
sent tens of thousands of refugees fleeing across the border into China for
safety, with government forces prevailing.
S e n s i t i ve m i l i t a r y n e w s i n
Myanmar is often published on a
delayed basis. —AP
Abe pledges constitution
rewrite after election win
Expected to reappoint broadly similar cabinet
TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
yesterday vowed he would try to
persuade a sceptical public of the
need to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution, the day after scoring a
thumping election victory.
The premier, who was re-elected by a landslide in Sunday’s polls,
pledged to pursue his nationalist
agenda while promising to follow
through on much-needed economic reforms.
“Revising the constitution... has
always been an objective since the
abandoned, with the bar of a twothirds parliamentary majority and
victory in a referendum thought
too high.
The conser vative leader has
also said he wants reforms to education that would instil patriotism
in schoolchildren and urges a
more sympathetic retelling of
Japan’s wartime misdeeds.
His ruling LDP and its junior
partner Komeito swept the ballot
on Sunday with a two -thirds
majority in the lower house of par-
Abenomics go-ahead
He insisted the election had
been a necessary plebiscite on his
big-spending, easy-money policies, k nown as Abenonmics,
although critics said the record
low turnout of around 52 percent
tarnished his mandate.
“ We must go ahead with
Abenomics swiftly, this is exactly
what has been shown in the vote.
We have to respond to that,” Abe
said, pledging to “compile an economic stimulus package immedi-
TOKYO: In this April 20, 2013 file photo, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, third right, strikes a
pose with members of Japan’s girls pop unit “Momoiro Clover Z” during his cherry blossoms
viewing garden party at Shinjuku-gyoen garden park in Tokyo. Most Japanese prime ministers
come and go, their names soon forgotten. Yasuhiro Nakasone was an exception in the 1980s as
well as Junichiro Koizumi in the early years of this century. Now, Shinzo Abe could be emerging
as one of the rare strong ones. —AP
Liberal Democratic Par ty was
launched,” Abe told reporters. “I
will work hard to deepen people’s
understanding and receive wider
support from the public.”
Abe’s desire to water down
Japan’s constitution, imposed by
the US after the end of World War
II, has proved divisive at home and
strained already tense relations
with China.
His attempt earlier this year was
liament. The coalition won a combined 326 of the 475 seats, crushing the main opposition
Democratic Party of Japan. Their
slightly-improved tally of 73 did
not include leader Banri Kaieda,
who fell on his sword yesterday.
Abe is expected to reappoint a
broadly similar cabinet after he is
formally named prime minister
again by the lower house on
December 24.
ately, within this year”.
The 60-year- old stormed to
power in 2012, pledging to revive
the animal spirits of Japan’s flagging economy with a blend of
monetar y easing, government
spending and structural reforms
to cut red tape.
The printing presses at the
Bank of Japan have run hot ever
since, pushing down the value of
the yen-to the delight of
exporters-and giving the stock
market a huge boost, as stimulus
programmes have provided an
economic shot in the arm.
But the premier has shied away
from tough reforms that economists say are vital if Japan is to get
back on a firm footing, including
employment deregulation and
tackling the entrenched interests
of the agriculture lobby.
A sales tax rise in April snuffed
out consumer spending, sending
Japan into the two negative quarters of growth that make a recession.
“From now on, he has to show
results in line with his promises,”
said Hideo Kumano, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research institute.
“If he fails to improve the economy, his political capital will be
reduced easily. A crucial phase is
still ahead.” On the diplomatic
front, his election victor y may
temper frayed relations with
China, which has painted him as a
dangerous revisionist, said Gerald
Curtis, a veteran Japan watcher
and professor at Columbia
UniversityRelations began to thaw
last month after more than two
years of chill, which Beijing
blamed on Abe’s provocative
nationalism, including a visit to a
war shrine and equivocations on
Japan’s wartime record of enslaving women for sex.
Beijing said it had “noted” the
outcome of the elec tion, and
offered a familiar call for Japan to
“learn its lessons from histor y
(and) play a constructive role in
regional peace and stability”.
“In the shor t-term, at least,
Sino-Japanese relations are on a
better track... signals coming from
Beijing and from Abe (are aimed
at trying) to improve the relationship,” Curtis said.
Masaru Kohno, a politics professor at Waseda University in
Tokyo, said despite his professed
desire to retell the histor y of
Japan’s aggressive warring-an
instinct largely unshared by the
Japanese public-Abe will be pragmatic.
“Many of the issues Japan is
facing such as depopulation and
women’s advancement should be
resolved with liberal policies,” he
said. —AFP
Executed Chinese teenager
found innocent 18 years on
BEIJING: A Chinese teenager executed after being
convicted of murder and rape 18 years ago was
declared innocent by a court yesterday, in a rare
overturning of a wrongful conviction.
The 18-year-old, named Hugjiltu and also
known as Qoysiletu, was found guilty and put to
death in Inner Mongolia in 1996, but doubt was
cast on the verdict when another man confessed to
the crime in 2005.
“The Inner Mongolia Higher People’s Court finds
Hugjiltu’s original guilty verdict... is not consistent
with the facts and there is insufficient evidence,” the
court in Hohhot said in a statement.
China’s courts, controlled by the ruling
Communist Party, have a near-100 percent conviction rate in criminal cases and confessions extracted
under dubious conditions are commonplace.
Leaders of the ruling communist party have
promised to strengthen the rule of law “with
Chinese characteristics”, but experts caution the
concept refers to greater central control over the
courts, rather than judicial independence.
The court’s deputy president gave Hugjiltu’s parents compensation of 30,000 yuan ($4,850), the
official Xinhua News Agency reported. The money
was a personal donation by the head of the court, it
BEIJING: The parents (L) of Hugjiltu are interviewed in Hohhot, northern China’s
Inner Mongolia autonomous region yesterday. —AFP
“Hugjiltu is found not guilty.” To howls of
anguish, the dead man’s mother, father and brother
burned a copy of the court decision on his grave,
footage on news portal Netease showed.
His brother Zhaoligetu told Sina.com: “My mother wished him ‘rest in peace’ and hoped he could
reincarnate.”
Campaign groups and experts welcomed the
court decision and said it was a signal to the rest of
the justice system that it must perform better.
added, rather than an official payment by the institution. “This is an amazing thing the court did, to
admit that they were wrong,” said Wang Gongyi,
deputy director of the research institute of the
Ministry of Justice.
“It also sends a clear message to the police and
prosecutors around the country: if there’s not
enough evidence, don’t impose wrongful convictions,” he told AFP.
“In the future this case will be singled out as
what not to do and will influence the entire legal
system.”
Grave miscarriage
In Hugjiltu’s case, authorities interrogated the
teenager for 48 hours, after which he confessed to
having raped and choked the woman in the toilet
of a textile factory, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported in November. He was executed 61
days after the woman’s death.
Hugjiltu’s family tried for nearly a decade to
prove his innocence, according to reports, and the
Higher People’s Court officially began a retrial in
November.
It said Hugjiltu’s confession did not match the
autopsy report and was inconsistent with “other
evidence”, and that DNA evidence presented at the
trial did not definitively connect him to the crime.
Police in Hohhot, where the crime took place,
said they opened an investigation into the officers
responsible for the original case, according to the
Legal Evening News.
Many on social media decried what they saw as
insufficient compensation for such a grave miscarriage of justice, with one asking: “Is 30,000 yuan
really enough to buy the life of a family member?”
China executes more people than the rest of the
world combined, according to rights groups. The
country put an estimated 2,400 people to death
last year.
“The central government wants to use this case
to send a clear signal to police and courts that they
need to do a better job,” said William Nee, China
researcher at Amnesty International.
“But without transparency in death penalty cases, it will be hard to determine if progress is being
made.”
China has occasionally exonerated wrongfully
executed convicts after others came forward to
confess their crimes, or in some cases because the
supposed murder victim was later found alive.
In one case, police claimed a body was that of a
woman who had recently disappeared and
charged Teng Xingshan with her murder. Teng was
executed by firing squad in 1989, but in 1993 the
supposedly murdered woman returned to the village saying she had been kidnapped. —AFP
HONG KONG: A group of friends take a ‘selfie’ together outside the prodemocracy protest site in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong yesterday. Police arrested protesters as they moved in yesterday to clear Hong
Kong’s last remaining pro-democracy site, with just a handful of demonstrators making a final peaceful stand, after the main camp was demolished last
week. —AFP
Hong Kong leader declares Occupy
protest ‘over’ as last site cleared
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s leader declared
an end to more than 11 weeks of sit-in
protests by pro-democracy demonstrators
after police cleared the last remaining camp
and arrested a handful of peaceful protesters yesterday.
A committed core of around a dozen
demonstrators had staged a sit-in at the
centre of the last site in the busy shopping
district of Causeway Bay as police cut away
barricades and tore down banners and shelters.
Seventeen people, from students to the
elderly, were arrested without resisting, with
some shouting “We will be back” and “Fight
to the end”.
Trucks and cleaning teams moved in to
remove the debris, and roads around the
site which have been closed for weeks
reopened.
Activists calling for free leadership elections occupied major traffic arteries after
China said in August that candidates for the
city’s chief executive elections in 2017
would first be vetted by a loyalist committee.
Campaigners said the move would
ensure a pro-Beijing stooge in the leadership role. Police demolished the city’s main
protest camp last week. “Following the
completion of clearance work in Causeway
Bay Occupy area, the episode of illegal occupation activities for more than two months
is over,” chief executive Leung Chun-ying
told reporters yesterday.
He said that the demonstrations had led
to “serious losses” in sectors including
tourism and retail. “Other than economic
losses, I believe the greatest loss Hong Kong
society has suffered is the damage to the
rule of law by a small group of people,” he
added.
Leung is vilified by protesters who cast
him variously as a wolf and a vampire and
have repeatedly asked for him to step down.
But Beijing has backed his administration
throughout the occupation.
“If we just talk about democracy without
talking about the rule of law, it’s not real
democracy but a state of no government,”
Leung said. Police chief Andy Tsang defended the behaviour of his officers-which has
been criticised for being heavyhanded.
“What is necessary will very much
depend on the circumstances,” he said when
questioned over levels of force.
‘Comparatively peaceful’ ending
He described police action as “appropriate” and the ending of occupy as “comparatively peaceful”.
Nevertheless, the force had received
almost 2,000 complaints from members of
the public over its behaviour, he said.
Most of those were related to “neglect of
duty” and “unnecessary use of authority”.
More than 900 people were arrested during the occupation with more than 200 protesters and 100 police officers hurt, he
added.
Causeway Bay hosted the smallest of the
three camps that sprang up in late
September, paralysing sections of the city, as
part of the student-led campaign for free
leadership elections.
The main Admiralty camp which
sprawled across a kilometre of multi-lane
highway through the heart of the business
district was cleared on Thursday.
Police cleared the other major protest
site in the working-class commercial district
of Mongkok-scene of some of the most violent clashes since the campaign began-in
late November.
Students who spearheaded the street
protests were among the sit-in group in
Causeway Bay Monday.
‘Let them arrest me’
They were joined by a 90-year-old campaigner surnamed Wong who sat on who
was later led away by police, walking slowly
using a cane.
“I will let them arrest me,” he said. “We
have to get back what they owe us.”
Protesters camped outside the government
complex were also asked to leave by officials
Monday afternoon, with most packing up
their tents and belongings.
Demonstrators feel their lengthy occupation has put the democracy movement on
the map with Beijing and the local administration, after it saw tens of thousands of supporters on the streets at its height.
But it has achieved no political concessions from either Hong Kong’s leaders or the
Chinese government, with both branding
the protests “illegal”.
Chinese state-run media triumphantly
declared the Hong Kong pro-democracy
movement “defeated” after the Admiralty
site was cleared, and warned domestic and
foreign “hostile forces” against destabilising
the city. However, protesters have vowed to
struggle on in their fight for fully free elections through various means including
refusal to pay rent and taxes.
Activists including leading student protesters Lester Shum and Joshua Wong
appeared in court Monday following their
arrests at the Mongkok clearance.
The court was adjourned for authorities
to decide whether to lay charges, local
media said. —AFP
S Korea activist slams
Japanese journalist
SEOUL: A Japanese journalist accused of
defaming South Korean President Park
Geun-Hye went on trial in Seoul yesterday,
in a case which has strained relations
between the two countries and raised questions about media freedoms.
Tatsuya Kato, who until October 1 was
bureau chief of Japan’s conservative Sankei
Shimbun newspaper, is charged with criminal libel punishable by up to seven years’ jail.
The charge stems from an August article
he wrote about Park’s whereabouts on the
day the Sewol passenger ferry sank in April
with the loss of 300 lives.
At a preliminary court hearing last
month the journalist insisted he had acted
in the public interest and had no intention
of defaming Park.
A South Korean conservative activist
who brought the charge against Kato gave
evidence Monday as the full trial began. “I
was indignant at his article, which defamed
our president with groundless allegations,”
Chang Ki-Jung told the court.
Kato’s article picked up rumours circulating in the South Korean media and broker-
ages that the unmarried Park had disappeared for a tryst with her former aide Jeong
Yun-Hoe at the time of the sinking.
Park has condemned “groundless” allegations over her personal life and administration. Chang told the Seoul Central District
Court that Kato had aggravated ties
between Tokyo and Seoul by picking up
unconfirmed rumours.
“(Kato) insulted the South Korean people
by picking up groundless allegations,” he
said. The court accepted a request from
Kato’s lawyers to summon Jeong as a witness on January 19.
South Korean defamation law focuses on
whether what was said or written was in the
public interest-rather than whether it was
true.
Media freedom group Reporters
Without Borders has criticised the trial,
arguing that Kato’s report was clearly in the
public interest.
The trial comes at a time of a widening
political scandal over allegations by the
Segye Times newspaper last month that
Jeong meddled in state affairs. —AFP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
NEWS
SYDNEY: One of the hostages runs towards police from a cafe in the central business district of Sydney yesterday. —AFP
Tensions surface as Australian Muslims fear Sydney backlash
SYDNEY: Religious leaders and ordinary Australians sought
to defuse communal tensions yesterday, after a siege at a
Sydney cafe by a gunman who forced hostages to display an
Islamic flag raised fears of a backlash against the country’s
Muslim minority. Within hours of the attack on the Lindt cafe
in the centre of the city, a Muslim group reported that
women wearing the hijab had been spat on and the rightwing Australian Defence League called on followers to
protest at two major mosques.
The protests did not materialize and little is known about
the true motives of the gunman. But in the harborside city,
home to half of Australia’s 500,000 Muslims, police moved
on a man shouting anti-Islamic abuse at the scene of the
ongoing siege. The man strode up to a police cordon and
shouted: “Someone is going to die here because of Islam!
There is no such thing as moderate Islam. Wake up and smell
the coffee.”
He was confronted by another man who shouted back:
“Muslims are welcome here.” Police urged the first man to
leave, to a mix of catcalls and claps of support. The siege
Two killed as Australian police storm...
Continued from Page 1
“This is a one-off random individual,” he told broadcaster ABC. “It’s not a concerted terrorism event or act.
It’s a damaged-goods individual who’s done something
outrageous.”
The Australian newspaper called Monis a “self-styled
sheikh” who had sent offensive letters to the families of
dead soldiers and was on bail on charges of being an
accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.
It said he arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1996,
lived in Sydney’s southwest and was “understood to be
a fringe Islamist”. Police did not deny the reports. They
said they knew who the hostage-taker was but would
not identify him with operations continuing.
Motivation
The government said earlier there was no clear motivation. But the Islamic flag appeared to be one commonly used by jihadist groups bearing the shahada, or
profession of faith in Arabic script.
The gunman, reportedly armed with a shotgun,
made a series of demands through Australian media
but they were removed after police requested they not
be made public. Australia has been on high alert with
the government raising concerns that citizens who have
fought alongside Sunni jihadists in Iraq and Syria could
return home radicalized and carry out “lone wolf ”
attacks.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott convened a national
security meeting to deal with the “disturbing” development. Some six hours into the siege, three men
emerged from the cafe and ran for their lives. Around an
hour later two distraught women employees also fled,
and then several more people managed to run out late
in the night.
One of the escapees was barista Elly Chen whose sister Nicole said on Facebook: “Yessss I finally see you. I’m
so glad you’re safe!!!!”
‘Gunman rotating hostages’
Channel Seven reporter Chris Reason, whose office is
opposite the cafe, tweeted earlier: “From inside Martin
Place newsroom, we’ve counted around 15 hostages not 50 - mix of women, men, young, old - but no children.” Reason added: “We can see gunman is rotating
hostages, forcing them to stand against windows,
sometimes 2 hours at a time.” Journalist Chris Kenny,
who was in the Lindt cafe just before the siege began,
said he understood the automatic glass sliding doors
had been disabled.
The scene of the drama, Martin Place, is Sydney’s
financial centre and houses several prominent buildings, including the New South Wales2 parliament, the
US consulate, the country’s central bank and the
Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Many shops and offices in the area shut early due to
the scare, with only a trickle of people walking along
usually bustling streets. At the nearby Sydney Opera
House, which police had swept earlier Monday, evening
performances were cancelled.
“It’s sad to think this is my home and that it could
happen anywhere,” said onlooker Rebecca Courtney.
More than 40 Australian Muslim groups jointly condemned the hostage-taking and the use of the flag,
which they said had been hijacked by “misguided individuals that represent no one but themselves”.
The government in September raised its terror
threat level and police conducted large-scale counterterror raids across the country. Only two people were
charged. More than 70 Australians are believed to be
fighting for Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria. At least
20 have died. — AFP
coincides with growing concerns in Australia about the dangers posed by Islamist militants, with the country’s security
agency raising its national terrorism public alert to “high” in
September. The same month, anti-terrorism police said they
had thwarted an imminent threat to behead a random
member of the public and days later, a teenager in the city
of Melbourne was shot dead after attacking two anti-terrorism officers with a knife.
“Shock and honor”
New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione
said he was working closely with community groups and
there would be an increased police presence in the city to
“ensure that everyone is kept safe”. The Australian National
Imams Council, together with the Grand Mufti of Australia,
issued a statement saying it “condemns this criminal act
unequivocally”.
An umbrella organization encompassing all of the major
Muslim groups in the country called for calm and expressed
“utter shock and horror”. The group stressed that the black
and white flag, displayed by tense hostages in the window
of the cafe and juxtaposed against the “Merry Christmas”
sign stencilled beneath it, was a statement of faith, not politics.
“We remind everyone that the Arabic inscription on the
black flag is not representative of a political statement, but
reaffirms a testimony of faith that has been misappropriated
by misguided individuals that represent nobody but them-
selves,” the group said in a statement.
News of the hostage drama flashed around Sydney shortly after most of the city had begun the working day, shattering what should have been a quiet yesterday in the sunny
Australian commercial capital just over a week before
Christmas. Samier Dandan, a spokesman for the Imams
Council, said the group had already received reports of
women wearing the hijab, or Islamic head scarf, being spat
on and harassed. “We are sending out the message to our
community to be vigilant about where they are going
because we don’t want any incidents to fuel the fire,”
Dandan said.
Those reports bore out concerns of locals like Mohamad
Hasan, a computer engineer who emigrated to Australia
from Jordan 20 years ago, who said he was deeply worried
that Muslims like his wife could be attacked simply for wearing traditional clothing.
“I am worried because maybe I don’t look like a Muslim,
but my wife like, (is) wearing a head scarf, so she might be
affected by this,” Hasan said, speaking a few metres from the
scene of the hostage crisis.
“Some stupid people ... think ‘this is a Muslim, we should
get revenge (on) everyone looking like a Muslim’.” But many
Australians took to social media to express their support for
Muslims. The Twitter hash tag “#illridewithyou”, expressing
support for Muslims who felt vulnerable on public transport
in the wake of the siege, attracted tens of thousands of messages of supporters within a few hours. — Reuters
Parliament to debate grilling against...
Continued from Page 1
Voting on the motion can take place at least a week
after submission and to pass it requires the support of
a simple majority of the Assembly elected members,
currently 47 because three MPs are cabinet members
who are not allowed to take part in the vote on no-con-
fidence motions. If the motion is passed, it means an
automatic dismissal of the minister.
In another development, the National Assembly
interior and defense committee yesterday approved a
government-sponsored draft law for the collection of
illegal firearms. The bill will be sent to the Assembly for
voting.
Saudi officer killed in hostage rescue
Continued from Page 1
Police have also arrested several people in the shooting and wounding of a Danish man in the capital Riyadh
in November, an attack which was claimed by IS supporters.
There are growing concerns about militant attacks in
the kingdom in retaliation for its role in the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Saudi King Abdullah met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II
in Riyadh on Sunday to discuss regional issues, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Jordan is also part of the
US-led group of nations conducting airstrikes against
the IS group. — AP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
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Focus
Spending bill
a triumph of
divided govt
By David Espo
A
fter drawing opposition from both ends of the political
spectrum, the $1.1 trillion spending bill cleared for
President Barack Obama’s signature stands as a triumph
of divided government.
It’s the first of its kind for a while, and may also be the last.
“Remember this bill was put together in a bicameral, bipartisan
way,” House Speaker John Boehner said. Large numbers of lawmakers on both sides of the political divide would rather forget
parts of the bill, as evidenced by relatively close votes, 219-206
in the House and 56-40 in the Senate.
The legislation quietly locks in billions of dollars in spending
cuts that the tea party-strengthened Republicans extracted
from Democrats in recent years in a tumultuous string of battles.
Equally without much fuss, it reduces staffing at the agency the
GOP dislikes the most, the Environmental Protection Agency, to
levels last seen in 1989.
Yet it maintains funding for President Barack Obama’s health
care program that Republicans loathe so heartily that they shut
down the government last year rather than spend any money
on it. And it provides additional money for health research that
Democrats favor, and most of what the administration sought to
combat Ebola. It is stocked with provisions to prevent the use of
federal funds to pay for abortions, and with another to block the
government from giving endangered species list protection to
the sage grouse. More points on the Republican side of the
ledger.
But it doesn’t tamper with the administration’s proposed
greenhouse gas regulation, or allow guns on Army Corps of
Engineers land, changes that conservatives favored. Modest victories for the Democrats. Obama echoed Boehner’s assessment
on Friday as he urged the Senate to approve the legislation one day after he had been publicly chastised by Rep. Nancy
Pelosi, the leader of his own party in the House.
“This is what’s produced when you have the divided government that the American people voted for,” he said. “I think what
the American people very much are looking for is some practical
governance and the willingness to compromise and that’s what
this bill reflects.” Except that political leaders in both parties tend
to preach bipartisanship far more than they voluntarily practice
it. And possible presidential contenders on the verge of a campaign practice it even less often. That explains Republican Sen.
Ted Cruz of Texas, who emerged as the Senate’s most aggressive
foe of the bill. He’ll need support from tea party-aligned voters
in primaries if he runs, not middle-of-the-roaders eager for compromise.
In fact, House Republicans in general weren’t exactly thrilled
with the bill, which made no attempt to challenge Obama’s
immigration policy. And within moments of its passage, Rep.
Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the third-ranking GOP leader, made it
sound like the entire 1,764-page measure was merely the price
Republicans had to pay to resume legislative hostilities with the
president in the new year. “That battle begins in just four weeks
when we get the reinforcements of a Republican Senate in
January,” he said, echoing promises made by Sen. Mitch
McConnell and other GOP leaders on the other side of the
Capitol. A few weeks after that, money runs out for the
Homeland Security Department. By Republican reckoning, that’s
when they will have leverage to force Obama to roll back a policy that envisions work visas for 5 million immigrants living in the
country illegally. Then, unlike now, there will be no threat of a
government-wide shutdown looming in the background.
Republicans weren’t the only ones who said they were looking ahead. Pelosi called the legislation a Republican attempt at
“blackmail,” citing a provision that rolls back a regulation
imposed on banks after the economic calamity of 2008. Next,
she publicly reprimanded Obama for embracing it. Fifty-seven
Democrats voted for it regardless, exposing deep divisions
inside the party that were also echoed in the Senate. Pelosi
claimed victory anyway.
“We strengthened our position to achieve common sense
solutions” in the new Congress that convenes in January,” she
wrote to her members. “We hope to do so in a bipartisan way,
but stand ready to sustain the president’s veto when necessary,”
she added pointedly. Obama made no mention of vetoes in his
own remarks a day later. He said if he’d been able to write the
spending measure, “I suspect it’d be slightly different,” but
Americans want to see willingness to compromise.
So said the president whose party lost the midterm elections. The winning Republicans aren’t likely to see things quite
that way. They intend to challenge Obama’s policies on immigration, health care and the environment, and probably will produce a 10-year balanced budget plan that Democrats will not
abide. —AP
All articles appearing on these
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the writers. Kuwait Times takes no
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therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please
send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail
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The editor reserves the right to edit
any submission as necessary.
Sydney siege: The danger of ‘lone wolf’ attacks
By Madeleine Coorey
A
ustralia’s dramatic siege in which a
gunman displayed an Islamic flag
follows months of warnings about
“lone wolf ” attacks, and experts said
authorities must think harder about how
to tackle the problem. Heavily-armed
police surrounded the Lindt chocolate
cafe in Sydney’s financial heart yesterday
as an unknown number of people
remained inside hours after being taken
hostage.
The incident comes against a backdrop of warnings from the government
about radicalized Muslims, potentially
attracted to the conflicts in Iraq and Syria
and sympathizing with the Islamic State
group.
Australia upgraded its security alert in
September in the face of extremist
threats, ramping up an anti-terror crackdown after foiling a plot by Islamic State
jihadists to carry out “demonstration executions” in the country. “I am deeply concerned about the threat that lone wolf
terrorism poses to people,” Prime Minister
Tony Abbott said in September.
Anne Aly, an associate professor specializing in counter-terrorism at Curtin
University in Western Australia, said radicalization in Australia had been a gradual
process over the last five years but had
become more noticeable since the rise of
IS.
“The jihadist narrative is one that has
personally resonated with the everyday
lives of some young people in Australia,”
she said. “If you look at that narrative, it is
all about victimhood, persecution and
Muslims under attack.” The black flag
shown at a window in the Lindt cafe was
one commonly used by jihadist groups
bearing the shahada, or profession of faith
in Islam.
Australia has committed some 600
troops and several aircraft to Iraq and
Abbott has repeatedly called the Islamic
State group an “apocalyptic death cult”.
Aly said there was a growing right-wing,
nationalistic movement in Australia which
made some Muslims feel like outsiders.
“They feel there is some truth to
Muslims being under attack. And maybe
because they feel are so far away, they feel
they need to get out and do something.”
Concerns of violence
Counter-terror expert at Charles Sturt
University, associate professor Nick
O’Brien, said any connection to the IS
group (also known as ISIS) in the Sydney
siege would not come as a surprise.
“Once we have a situation when we have
Australians being recruited and travelling to the Middle East to fight for ISIS,
inevitably something is going to happen
here and unfortunately it looks like it
has,” he said.
Canberra has passed a law criminalizing travel to terror hotspots and cancelled the passports of 70-plus people to
prevent them heading to fight alongside
jihadists, amid concerns they could
return home and commit violence.
Australian National University visiting
professor Clive Williams said Australia
had attracted attention by committing
troops to operations in Iraq, but had not
so much to fear from fighters returning
from Syria radicalized.
“It’s the ones who want to go over
there and can’t go,” he said, adding the
siege was probably the work of a “lone
wolf”. “We need to think about that a bit
more strategically. It needs to be a bit
more sophisticated than taking away
their passport.”
Adam Dolnik, professor of terrorism
studies at Wollongong University, said it
was possible that the perpetrator was
sympathetic to the Islamic State group.
“The other possibility is we are dealing
with a psychopathology in need of a
cause,” he said, adding that the gunman
may have little religion or ideology.
However, he said there would be an association with Islam in most people’s
minds. “Of course, that can be very damaging,” he said.
The grand mufti of Australia Ibrahim
Abu Mohamed said in a statement with
other Muslim leaders that the community was “devastated” by the turn of
events and condemned “this criminal
act unequivocally”. “Any such despicable act only serves to play into the
agendas of those who seek to destroy
the goodwill of the people of Australia
and to further damage and ridicule the
religion of Islam and Australian
Muslims throughout this country,” they
said. —AFP
Mideast peace push puts US in tough spot
By Bradley Klapper
T
he Obama administration is in a diplomatic
bind on the Mideast as US Secretary of State
John Kerr y meets with top Israeli and
Palestinian officials in Europe this week. The US is
reluctant to do anything right now that can be perceived as interference in Israel’s election while
being pressed by close allies to endorse an IsraeliPalestinian negotiating framework that largely
adheres to US policy.
France is drafting a UN resolution that proposes a
two-year timetable for talks. The draft speaks of the
1967 Mideast borders as the basis for dividing the
land, which President Barack Obama has publicly
backed, but it doesn’t include key Israeli - and US
conditions such as Palestinian recognition of Israel
as a Jewish state.
The United States has long opposed the idea of
the UN Security Council imposing a framework for
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. But for Washington,
simply vetoing the plan could have pitfalls. A veto
would upset Palestinians and perhaps some Arab
allies frustrated by years of diplomatic gridlock.
Several are fighting alongside the US right now
against the Islamic State group.
A veto would also risk angering France as well as
other European countries that want to broaden
peace efforts after countless US-led mediation failures. America’s credibility as a peace broker could
be damaged as a result. At a White House meeting
last week, Obama’s top foreign policy aides were
unable to agree on an approach to France’s potential resolution.
Kerry suggested steering away from the effort at
a time of increased Mideast violence and with the
Israeli election a couple of months away, according
to a US official familiar with the discussion.
Compromise
Susan Rice, Obama’s national security adviser,
supported engaging allies to see if a compromise is
possible, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to
speak publicly on the matter. For now, the administration is trying to get an idea of what key countries
are hoping to accomplish or avoid.
Kerry was to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu in Rome yesterday, followed by the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in
Paris. The discussions continue today in London
with top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and the
head of the Arab League.
“Time after time, we have repulsed efforts to dictate conditions which have damaged the security of
Israel and which do not comply with real peace,”
Netanyahu said as he left for Rome. He said this
effort would be the same. “ We will rebuff any
attempt that would put this terrorism inside our
home, inside the state of Israel.” Kerry discussed the
escalating tensions in the Middle East on Sunday
with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who
told reporters in Italy’s capital that it was “crucial ...
we don’t allow the situation to degrade further.”
Support within Europe for France’s proposal is
unclear. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was
making his case to EU foreign ministers in Brussels
before his meeting with Kerry. French officials
believe the US opposes the draft right now, but
they say they would consider making changes.
France’s diplomatic push was prompted by a
Jordanian resolution, on behalf of the Palestinians,
last month that the US finds much more objectionable. That proposal demands a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank within two years and full
recognition of Palestine as a state, with no talk of
land swaps or security measures. The resolution
appears to have stalled. If it were to move to a vote,
Washington would almost surely veto it. —AP
ROME: US Secretary of State John Kerry talks before meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at
Villa Taverna on Sunday in Rome. —AP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
S P ORTS
Spanish matchfixing case
Italy eyes Olympic Games
MADRID: Japan coach Javier Aguirre, Manchester United midfielder Ander
Herrera, Atletico Madrid captain Gabi and 38 others have been named in an
alleged case of matchfixing involving a La Liga match in the 2010-11 season.
Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor filed its case in a Valencia court yesterday
following a probe into Real Zaragoza’s 2-1 win at Levante on the final day of the
campaign, which meant Zaragoza avoided relegation.
Mexican Aguirre was coach of Zaragoza at the time, while Spaniards Herrera
and Gabi were playing for the club. Gabi struck for Zaragoza in the 38th and 73rd
minutes of the match at Levante’s Ciutat de Valencia stadium and Uruguay forward Christian Stuani, now at Espanyol, replied for Levante 10 minutes
from time. Former Zaragoza president Agapito Iglesias and the club
itself were also named as defendants, along with the rest of the players from both teams.
In its court filing published on Monday, the prosecutor alleged
that the Levante players were paid a total of 965,000 euros ($1.2
million) in cash to deliberately lose the game. Zaragoza first made
bank transfers to its players and officials, including Aguirre, Herrera
and Gabi, and they then took the money out of their
accounts in cash and passed it on to the Levante players,
the prosecutor said. The fixing of matches, particularly
during the relegation battle at the end of the season, has
long been suspected in Spain. —Reuters
ROME: Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi launched a bid yesterday to
bring the 2024 summer Olympic Games to Rome, presenting it as a boost
for the country as the capital reels from a corruption scandal and the economy flounders.
Italy is the second country after Germany to officially launch a bidding
process that will cost less than in previous years after the International
Olympic Committee agreed to shoulder part of the budget. The prospect
of paying for the event, which cost its last host city London roughly 9 billion pounds ($14 billion), was quickly met with opposition from some corners in a country heading for its third straight year of recession.
“Olympics 2024 in Rome? No thanks!” wrote the consumers’ association
ADUC in an open letter to the premier, rejecting the idea of spending money on a sporting event while Italians were being asked to make sacrifices.
Two years ago, then-prime minister Mario Monti pulled Rome out of the
2020 Games campaign in mid-race, saying the effort would jeopardise austerity measures taken in an attempt to balance its budget and head off a
debt crisis. “All too often, Italy seems resigned,” Renzi said at an event in the
Italian capital to launch the bid. “You can lose, but what isn’t acceptable is
not to try to win,” he said.
This time around, Italy’s ability to manage the sort of big events that it
hopes will help revive the stagnant economy has been called into question
by several criminal investigations. —Reuters
Ireland can boost cricket
ADELAIDE: India’s players say they are focused on next week’s opening Test as
MS Dhoni’s arrival in Australia yesterday raised hopes he may lead his team
against the home side at the Adelaide Oval. The tourists, like the Australians, are
coming to terms with the tragic death of Test batsman Phillip Hughes, which
plunged the cricket world into mourning.
The Indians are preparing for Tuesday’s Test after a couple of two-day games
against a Cricket Australia XI, while the Australian squad only begun training on
Friday following the funeral of Hughes on Wednesday. The rescheduling of the
Test series has opened the door for Dhoni to lead the Indians in the series opener in Adelaide. Dhoni would have missed the originally scheduled first Test in
Brisbane, slated to start last Thursday, because of a long-standing wrist injury.
Dhoni flew into Adelaide on Saturday and will train with his team-mates
on Sunday, an Indian team spokesman said, though he added that
any decision on whether Dhoni would play in Adelaide was yet
to be made. The death of Phillip Hughes after he was struck in
the head by a bouncer in a domestic game late last month,
forced a rejigging of the Test series, with Adelaide now hosting
the opener. “We are professional cricketers, we have to move on,”
Indian paceman Ishant Sharma told reporters in Adelaide yesterday. “What has happened is really bad and everyone was really
shocked ... but we are professional cricketers and need to
look forward to what is coming next for us and that is what
we will do.” — AFP
Low avoids shock defeat
CAIRO: Low Wee Wern, a heroine of
Malaysia’s record-breaking run into the
world team final at Niagara Falls eight days
ago, made a wonderful recovery to avoid a
startling let-down and a shock defeat in
the women’s squash world championships
yesterday.
Low, who scored a career-best win over
world runner-up Nour El Sherbini in the
team semi-finals, now slipped to within
four points of a first round exit against
Nicolette Fernandes, the world number 21
from Guyana. At 3-7 down in the fourth
game and trailing two games to one, Low
Low Wee Wern in action in this file photo.
appeared to have no way back to a fresher
and more enterprising opponent, especially as she also appeared to be suffering
with an adductor problem which was a
legacy of her world team heroics.
However at the age of 24 Low has been
acquiring experience, and her ability to
think clearly, keep calm, and produce a
well-judged response carried her gradually to a 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2 victory. “I
was struggling with my movement,” she
admitted. “And with Nicolette you know
she’s going to be so fired up and dangerous. “But I also knew she was getting tired,
and that if I played my game she would
start to find it difficult. “I am not old, but I
am getting older!” Low half-joked. “I hardly
play people younger than me now, and I
am pleased I knew enough to make the
right choices today.”
Low kept the ball tight to the walls,
slightly increased the pace when she tried
to apply cross-court pressure, and gave little away.
On the match-changing point at 3-7
down in the fourth game she insightfully
read a Fernandes sidewall boast the
instant it was struck, moving forward early
and responding with a disguised backhand cross kill. She followed that with a
winning backhand drop to a clinging line,
and with three more rallies played patiently and economically, after which the danger had mostly gone. By the end of the
fourth game Fernandes no longer had the
resources to run down every ball.
The seventh seeded Low’s ability to
recover between matches may be seriously tested though, for her second round
encounter tomorrow is against Joshana
Chinappa, the in-form Indian national
champion. Chinappa’s progress came in
an opening session during which there
were defeats for two seeds - the 13th,
Jenny Duncalf, a world finalist three years
ago in Rotterdam, andthe 12th, Madeline
Perry, a former British Open finalist.
These seeding upsets were also setbacks for the older generation, with the
32-year-old Duncalf losing 11-8, 11-5, 11-5
to her up-and-coming English compatriot,
Emily Whitlock, and the 37-year-old Perry,
from Ireland, losing 14-12, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7
to Chinappa.
It became another good day for India,
with Chinappa’s fellow Commonwealth
gold medallist, Dipika Pallikal, later making a great comeback to win 9-11, 10-12,
11-6, 11-4, 11-7 against Samantha Teran,
the former world number 11 from Mexico.
Pallikal was within four points of defeat
at 7-7 in the final game, though by then
she had established a more consistent,
hard-hitting pattern which gradually, but
only narrowly, wore down her 33-year-old
opponent. — AFP
Dagher: Al Attiyah
deserves honor
A
li Dagher President of Lebanese
Motorcycle club and vice president of FIM Asia stated that the
honor of FIM deputy president to Nasser
Al Attiyah’ in Lebanon is the least we
can offer as a club sponsors and organize the motor sport events, today we are
here in Lebanon to express our happiness for what he has achieved in the
name of the Arab.
Dagher also confirmed this visit will
be a real chance to discuss the last
updates of the sport either locally or
internationally especially after the agenda of the championships was revealed
and after Al Attiyah became the second
person at FIM when he got the majority
of the votes at the election recently in
Jerez, Spain. With this position we will be
more motivated as the largest Asian
group to cooperate in order to reach the
required idealism in this sport as we have
today all facilities, we have to make use
of them to reach our target, which is the
promotion of motor sport.
Dagher stated that all look at the Asian
continent, Middle East region and north
Africa as a fast growing area in the field of
autobike sports, so all of us have to work
hard in order to keep this growing this
would come true throughout the continues efforts and communication between
concerned federations and clubs as it was
requested by Al Attiyah in many previous
occasions.
Dagher also stated that the distinguished role of Al Attiyah to find a fertilize soil to communicate is remarkable,
when he extended the communication
basics between Europe and Asia
throughout with exchange of experiences between them, as Europe has a
good organizational experience in Auto
bike sport, which was obviously reflected
by the organization of many international championships specifically in Qatar
Motocross world championship MX1’
and Moto’GP’ championship, in addition
to a round of World Cup for rallies , all
these indicators make us optimistic
enough that the middle east region will
witness more sport events in the near
future , as it is one of the main targets of
Nasser Al Attiyah FIM deputy president.
Dagher and Al Attiyah
TORONTO: Goalie Jonathan Bernier No. 45 of the Toronto Maple Leafsstops a shot in this file photo. — AFP
Leafs defeat Kings
TORONTO: James Reimer helped the Toronto
Maple Leafs to a 4-3 shootout win over Los
Angeles on Sunday, shutting out the Kings in the
tiebreaker.
Joffrey Lupul scored the lone goal for Toronto
in the shootout. Tyler Bozak was denied by
Jonathan Quick, and Mike Santorelli missed.
Reimer turned away Marian Gaborik and
Dustin Brown before Anze Kopitar missed for Los
Angeles. The Kings rallied from a 2-0 deficit and
led 3-2 in the third before the Leafs forced the
overtime. Toronto has won five straight.
Santorelli, Cody Franson and James van
Riemsdyk scored for Toronto before a crowd of
19,219 on a rare 5 p.m. local time Sunday start.
Justin Williams, Dwight King and Gaborik
scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion
Kings. Quick finished with 28 saves.
BLACKHAWKS 2, FLAMES 1
Brandon Saad scored with 7:03 left in the
third period, as the Blackhawks beat the Flames
for their 12th victory in the last 14 games.
After motoring past Calgary defenseman
Mark Giordano, Saad took a centering pass from
Jonathan Toews and lifted a shot past Jonas
Hiller’s glove. Toews also set up Patrick Sharp’s
power-play goal as the surging Blackhawks dealt
the Flames their fifth straight loss. Chicago had
won eight in a row before Saturday night’s 3-2
loss at the New York Islanders. Jiri Hudler had his
team-leading 12th goal for Calgary, which has
scored just eight times during its slide.
Chicago’s Antti Raanta made 23 saves while
subbing for Corey Crawford, who is out with a
foot injury. Hiller finished with 26 stops.
RANGERS 2, OILERS 0
Henrik Lundqvist made 16 saves as New York
beat Edmonton. Dan Girardi and Carl Hagelin
scored for New York (14-10-4), which has won
three straight and five of seven.
It was Lundqvist’s fifth shutout of the season.
He also had 29 saves in Saturday night’s 5-1 victory at Vancouver. The Oilers have lost four in a
row and 15 of 16 overall. — AP
NHL results/standings
Toronto 4, Los Angeles 3 (SO); Chicago 2, Calgary 1; NY Rangers 2, Edmonton 0.
Western Conference
Pacific Division
W L
OTL GF
Anaheim
21 6
5
95
Vancouver
18 10 2
89
San Jose
17 11 4
90
Los Angeles 15 10 6
82
Calgary
17 13 2
95
Arizona
10 16 4
70
Edmonton
7 19 5
65
Central Division
Chicago
21 9
1
95
St. Louis
20 8
2
89
Nashville
19 8
2
78
Winnipeg
15 10 6
73
Minnesota
16 11 1
81
Dallas
11 13 5
85
Colorado
10 13 7
78
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay
19 9
3
105
GA
83
86
82
73
85
99
104
PTS
47
38
38
36
36
24
19
61
70
57
74
70
103
98
43
42
40
36
33
27
27
82
41
Detroit
Montreal
Toronto
Florida
Boston
Ottawa
Buffalo
17 7
7
92 79 41
19 10 2
83 79 40
18 9
3
103 85 39
12 8
8
64 74 32
15 13 2
76 78 32
12 12 5
76 81 29
12 16 2
56 91 26
Metropolitan Division
Pittsburgh
19 6
4
94 69 42
NY Islanders 20 10 0
96 87 40
Washington 14 10 5
85 79 33
NY Rangers
14 10 4
84 77 32
Philadelphia 11 13 5
79 87 27
New Jersey
11 15 5
72 91 27
Columbus
12 15 2
71 95 26
Carolina
8 18 3
61 83 19
Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one
point in the standings and are not included in
the loss column (L).
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
S P ORTS
Lakers see off ‘Wolves’
MINNEAPOLIS: Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan for third
place on the NBA scoring list and had 10 points in the final
five minutes to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
Bryant needed nine points to move past Jordan and, after
missing four of his first five shots, he knocked down a pair of
free throws with 5:24 to play in the first half to join Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone on the NBA’s career scoring
podium. Bryant finished with 26 points on 7-for-20 shooting
and hit a 3-pointer with just over a minute to play that
helped seal the victory. Shabazz Muhammad had 28 points
and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves.
CENTURION: Hashim Amla will be
seeking a winning start when he
captains South Africa for the first
time in a home Test match when a
three-match series against the West
Indies starts at SuperSport Park
tomorrow. Amla leapfrogged oneday international captain AB de
Villiers to be given the Test captaincy
following the retirement of longserving Graeme Smith last season.
Under Amla’s leadership, South
Africa gained away wins against Sri
Lanka and Zimbabwe earlier this
year and his team will be strong
favourites to continue the winning
run against a West Indian side with
modest credentials.
The West Indies have lost ten of
12 previous Tests in South Africa,
managing just one win and one
draw. They currently languish in
eighth place on the International
Cricket Council Test rankings, while
South Africa are number one.
There are some question marks
about the home side’s batting order,
however, following the retirements
of Smith and Jacques Kallis, their alltime leading run-scorer, while the
reliable JP Duminy may miss the
whole series because of a knee
injury.
The opening pair of Alviro
Petersen and Dean Elgar may be vulnerable against experienced West
Indian fast bowlers Kemar Roach
and Jerome Taylor, with Petersen not
having made a century in 23 previous Test innings, which have yielded
only three fifties, while Elgar is a relative newcomer to the Test opening
role. Left-hander Stiaan van Zyl is
THUNDER 112, SUNS 88
Russell Westbrook had 28 points, eight assists and eight
rebounds, and Kevin Durant added 23 points and eight
rebounds as Oklahoma City won its sixth straight game,
beating Phoenix Suns 112-88. Westbrook recorded his eighth
straight game of scoring at least 20 points, and getting five
rebounds and five assists since his return from a broken
hand. By halftime, he had 24, five rebounds and six assists.
He narrowly missed getting his ninth career triple-double.
With the win, Oklahoma City - which started the season 3-12
- moved within a half-game of eighth place in the Western
Conference. The Thunder, with Westbrook and Durant back
after missing most or all of the first part of the season due to
injury, has won eight of their last nine games and is 11-13.
Gerald Green led Phoenix with 15 points. The Suns have lost
five straight games to fall to 12-13.
WARRIORS 128, PELICANS 122
Stephen Curry scored eight of his 34 points in overtime as
Golden State won its 16th straight by beating New Orleans.
Klay Thompson added 29 points for the Warriors, whose franchise-long winning streak includes a club-record 10 straight
road victories.
Tyreke Evans scored 34 points for the Pelicans, but fouled
out with three minutes left in overtime. Jrue Holiday had 30
points, nine assists and five steals for New Orleans, which
was playing without Anthony Davis but still led 107-99 with
4:16 left in regulation.
Andre Iguodala had a season-high 20 points and Shaun
Livingston scored 12 for Golden State. Marreese Speights
added 10 points, including a free throw that tied the game at
111, a scored that held until regulation ended.
WIZARDS 93, JAZZ 84
John Wall had 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds, as
Washington overcame a sluggish start to put away slumping
Utah. Wall also had five steals and three blocks, Bradley Beal
scored 22 points, and Paul Pierce added 15 for the Wizards,
who nearly succumbed to a letdown game after their big win
over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Washington committed 12 first-half turnovers against the
Jazz, but Wall, Beal and Nene led a third-quarter surge, and
Andre Miller’s driving layup in the first minute of the fourth
quarter produced the game’s first double-digit lead. Alec
Burks scored 19 points, and Gordon Hayward had 16 for the
Jazz, who have lost 11 of 12. The Wizards have won four
straight - the longest current winning streak in the Eastern
Conference - and seven of eight.
BULLS 93, HEAT 75
Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points as Chicago overcame a
sloppy start to beat offensively inept Miami. Heat leading
scorer Chris Bosh (calf strain) missed a game for the first time
this season, which left them without enough punch or size to
challenge Chicago. Miami shot a season-low 35 percent,
including 4 for 22 from 3-point range.
Dunleavy was shut out in the first half but scored 19
points on eight shots in the third quarter, when Chicago
outscored Miami 33-16. Dunleavy finished 4 for 5 from 3point range, while the Bulls shot 9 of 18 beyond the arc and
47 overall. Jimmy Butler had 17 points for the Central
Division-leading Bulls. They improved to 11-3 on the road,
best in the Eastern Conference. Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng
led Miami with 17 points apiece. The Heat’s point total
matched their season low. — AP
Amla seeks winning
home captaincy start
MINNEAPOLIS: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Bennett, top, pulls down a
rebound on top of Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (17) during the third quarter of an
NBA basketball game. — AP
NBA results/standings
Golden State 128, New Orleans 122 (OT); Chicago 93, Miami 75; Washington 93, Utah 84; LA
Lakers 100, Minnesota 94; Oklahoma City 112, Phoenix 88; Toronto 95, NY Knicks 90 (OT); San
Antonio 99, Denver 91.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Atlantic Division
Northwest Division
W
L
PCT
GB
Portland
18 6
.750
Toronto
18 6
.750
Oklahoma City 11 13
.458
7
Brooklyn
10 12
.455
7
Denver
10 14
.417
8
Boston
7
14
.333
9.5
Utah
6
18
.250
12
NY Knicks
5
21
.192
14
Minnesota
5
18
.217
12.5
Philadelphia
2
21
.087
15.5
Pacific Division
Central Division
Golden State
21 2
.913
Chicago
15 8
.652
LA Clippers
16 7
.696
5
Cleveland
13 9
.591
1.5
Phoenix
12 13
.480
10
Milwaukee
12 12
.500
3.5
Sacramento
11
13
.458
10.5
Indiana
7
17
.292
8.5
LA Lakers
8
16
.333
13.5
Detroit
5
19
.208
10.5
Southwest
Division
Southeast Division
Memphis
19 4
.826
Washington
17 6
.739
Houston
18
5
.783
1
Atlanta
16 7
.696
1
San Antonio
17 7
.708
2.5
Miami
11 13
.458
6.5
Dallas
17 8
.680
3
Orlando
10 16
.385
8.5
New Orleans
11 12
.478
8
Charlotte
6
17
.261
11
expected to make his Test debut in
place of Duminy at number six or
seven. South Africa still have worldclass performers in Amla and De
Villiers, who are expected at four and
five, while the hosts have a powerful
fast bowling attack in Dale Steyn,
Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.
On a pitch that usually favours
fast bowlers, the West Indian bowling looks reasonable but a perennial
problem for the tourists has been
inconsistent batting.
With Darren Bravo missing for
personal reasons and Chris Gayle
because of injury, they are likely to
rely greatly on Marlon Samuels, who
hit a double century in a warm-up
match last week, and the 40-year-old
Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Teams:
South Africa (likely): Hashim Amla
(captain), Alviro Petersen, Dean
Elgar, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers,
Stiaan van Zyl, Quinton de Kock
(wkt), Robin Peterson or Kyle Abbott,
Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne
Morkel.
West Indies (from): Denesh
Ramdin (captain, wkt), Kraigg
Brathwaite, Devon Smith, Leon
Johnson,
Marlon
Samuels,
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jermaine
Blackwood, Jason Holder, Kemar
Roach, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman
Benn, Sheldon Cottrell, Assad
Fudadin, Shannon Gabriel, Chadwick
Walton (wkt).
Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL),
Aleem Dar (PAK) TV umpire: Paul
Reiffel (AUS) Match referee: Ranjan
Madugalle (SRI). — AFP
Clarke to undergo surgery
SYDNEY: Australian cricket captain
Michael Clarke will undergo surgery
on his injured hamstring today, leaving him in a race against time to be
ready for next year’s World Cup.
Clarke’s decision to go under the
knife has ensured he will definitely
miss the three remaining test matches against India and possibly the 50over World Cup, starting in mid
February.
Cricket Australia team doctor Peter
Brukner said in a statement on
Monday that the 33-year-old’s injury
was “substantial” and it was too early
to say when he may be able to make
a comeback.
“ Whilst surger y is not always
required with hamstring injuries,
Michael has substantial damage to a
key part of the hamstring tendon and
it was felt the best course of action
was to surgically repair the damaged
area,” Brukner said.
“His recovery and the timing of his
return to play will be dependent on
the surgeon’s advice and how well he
recovers in the coming weeks.”
Clarke injured his hamstring while
fielding during Australia’s first test
win over India on Saturday. He also
suffered back pain while batting in
the first innings, forcing him to retire
hurt before he returned to complete
a century.
They were just the latest in a series
of chronic problems he has had with
his back and hamstrings over the
past two years and prompted him to
speculate that he many never play
again.
Cricket Australia announced on
Monday that Steve Smith would take
over as the new test skipper, but no
decision had been made yet on the
one-day team.
George Bailey is the current vicecaptain and has filled in for Clarke
before whenever the skipper has
been sidelined.
“The next 24 to 48 hours will give
us far better guidance on that
process. But I think George Bailey has
done a fantastic job,” Australian team
performance chief Pat Howard said.
“We’re number one in the world. He’s
led the last two series, so all that was
discussed.” — Reuters
LAHORE: In this photograph taken on November 16, 2014, Pakistani gym owner Bashir Ahmad (left) watches as young boxers take part in a training session at a gym in Lahore. — AFP
Pakistan’s Fight Club emerges from the shadows
LAHORE: In a dingy gym tucked away in a basement in
Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, pumped up teens get to
grips with jujitsu moves before unleashing volleys of ferocious punches.
Some dream of following in the footsteps of Bruce Lee
and Muhammad Ali, but others idolise the gym’s owner
Bashir Ahmad, the first Pakistani mixed martial arts (MMA)
fighter on the world stage.
With its exciting blend of wrestling and boxing, MMA is
fast becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Events attract
thousands of spectators and millions more tune in to
watch their muscled heroes battle it out on TV or over live
Internet streams. In Pakistan there are around 500 diehard
fighters that practise this extreme sport, which stands in
marked contrast to the country’s more sedate pastimes like
cricket, with its breaks for afternoon tea.
Today Bashir watches as youths-some lean and sinewy,
others muscular, trade blows as onlookers scream: “We
want blood! We want blood!”
Dawood Shahid, who at 12 years old already packs a
mean uppercut, says he used to watch American WWE
wrestling on TV for many years before switching over to
MMA. “WWE is made up, MMA is the real thing,” he says
after his friendly bout. In Pakistan, MMA is growing under
the watchful eyes of a close-knit circle that surrounds
Bashir. Short but tough and built like an ox, the PakistaniAmerican former soldier served with the US Army in Iraq
before devoting himself to martial arts, taking an MMA
course in Thailand where he took part in his first amateur
bouts under the name “Somchai”, meaning “man” in Thai.
In 2009, the 32-year-old returned to Pakistan, opened
his own gym and began to organise “extreme combat” in
metal cages, sowing the seeds of an underground scene.
Last year the Asian championship ONE, the MMA’s de
facto second division behind the US Ultimate Fighting
Championship with its millionaire stars like Canadian
George St-Pierre, approached Bashir for a fight in
Singapore, which he won. Pakistan had found its first MMA
victor.
‘IS IT CRICKET?’
That success energised young fans of the sport in
Pakistan but had relatively little impact on the rest of the
country, which remains in love with cricket and to a lesser
extent traditional wrestling. But unlike Brad Pitt in the cult
hit Fight Club, whose first rule was never to speak of Fight
Club, MMA adherents are trying hard to emerge from the
shadows. “Last year, I kept on travelling to different TV
channels to say ‘Hey I have a good idea, I have good fighters, I have a ring, I have this and that, the whole team, why
we don’t put a show on?’ But they replied ‘What is it? Is it
cricket?’” said Sheikh Sultan Shahid, an MMA promoter.
In Bashir Ahmad’s gym, youths from rundown neighbourhoods square up to to others from a posh suburb of
Lahore who pay $50 a month for training, bringing together two different worlds in this highly class-oriented society.
The son of a cleric from a poor family, Abdul Rafique, 19,
gets a $10 a week stipend from the proprietor of a gym,
who sees in him the making of a future warrior.
“I come from a poor family and I joined it because I am
studying as a sportsman and getting a scholarship and also
being trained for MMA. I really like MMA, I want to fight
with all my heart and soul,” said Rafique.
PROTECTION PRAYERS
In conservative Muslim Pakistan, apprentice fighters
have limited exposure to martial arts and are taught to
avoid hitting the face, which is considered forbidden in
certain sects of Islam-though it doesn’t prevent the neighborhood mullah from praying for the fighters’ protection.
And though some dream of the octagonal cages of Asia
and America, the more well-off fighters are more reluctant
to think of the sport in professional terms.
Harris Butt, a medical student with rock solid biceps and
abs, recently got his first offer to fight abroad, but his
mother didn’t allow him. After all, she said, better to be a
doctor than a patient after a fight.
Pakistan has battled an Islamist insurgency for more
than a decade, and its stuttering economy is plagued by
power blackouts, joblessness and high poverty frustrations
that may create the breeding ground in which combat
sports like MMA could thrive one day. For now, this Fight
Club remains confined to a handful of poor fighters and
some who can afford to pay up to $100 a month in a smattering of gyms. Mohammad Abdullah, a young MMA convert, is in no doubt about what is holding it back. “If MMA
moves into the open in Pakistan, you will see what good
fighters we are.” —AFP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
S P ORTS
Las Palmas eyeing King’s Cup upset
MADRID: Riding high in Spain’s second division, Las
Palmas are looking to transfer some of that form
into what could be one of the few upsets in the last
32 of the King’s Cup this week.
The Canary Islands club, who are three points
clear at the top of the Liga Adelante, beat top-flight
Celta Vigo 2-1 at home in the first leg, giving themselves a good chance of securing a last-16 clash
against Athletic Bilbao or third-tier Alcoyano when
they play at Celta today.
Like many Spanish clubs, Las Palmas have suffered severe financial problems in recent decades
and came close to folding just under 10 years ago
when they were playing in the third tier.
After emerging from insolvency proceedings
and cleaning up their finances under a new president, they were promoted back to the second division in 2005-06 and this term are well placed to
secure a berth in the top flight for the first time
since 2002.
Paco Herrera, a former Celta coach who was an
assistant to Rafa Benitez at Liverpool, has been in
charge at Las Palmas since July and has won plaudits for an attacking style that has yielded 31 goals
in 17 matches this term.
After Saturday’s 4-2 win at Recreativo Huelva,
Herrera played down the significance of the Cup
game and urged his players, who include former
Spain midfielder Juan Carlos Valeron, simply to
enjoy the experience. “It’s the kind of game you just
have to savour and I am not worried about the
result,” Herrera said at a news conference.
“But yes we do want to put on a good show,”
added the 61-year-old, who also had a stint in
charge at Real Zaragoza. Holders Real Madrid and
Sevilla are already through to the last 16 and Real
are almost certain to face city rivals Atletico, who
have a 3-0 advantage over third-tier Hospitalet
ahead of their second leg at the Calderon on
Thursday.
The victors in a Real-Atletico clash are likely to
meet record winners Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
Barca won their first leg at Huesca 4-0 and host the
third-tier side for the return on Tuesday.
New Real Sociedad coach David Moyes will want
to avoid an embarrassing upset when his side host
third-tier Real Oviedo tomorrow after a 0-0 draw in
the first leg. — Reuters
MARRAKECH: Real Madrid players listen to their coach during a training session at the Club World Cup soccer tournament in Rabat. Real Madrid will play against Cruz Azul during their semi final game in Marrakech today. — AP
Racing clinch eighth crown
BUENOS AIRES: Racing Club won the
Argentine league title when they beat
Godoy Cruz 1-0 in their final match of the
championship in Avellaneda on Sunday.
Midfielder Ricky Centurion headed
the only goal four minutes after halftime
to ensure Racing could not be caught by
River Plate in the championship race.
Racing last won the title 13 years ago.
They finished two points ahead of outgoing champions River. Both teams qualify
for next year’s Libertadores Cup, the
South American club championship,
along with Argentine holders San
Lorenzo and Copa Argentina champions
Huracan.
“I can’t believe it, this crowns our
dreams,” former Argentina striker Diego
Milito, a member of the 2001 title-win-
ning side, told reporters.
“This is what I came back home for,”
added the 35-year-old.Racing coach
Diego Cocca said: “I’m overjoyed because
we had tough times (early in the tournament) but this team were very brave to
pull through.”
River led the title race most of the way
while on a club record unbeaten streak of
31 matches in all competitions but faltered in the run-in as they prioritised the
Copa Sudamericana, which they won last
Wednesday. Boca Juniors also qualified
for the Libertadores Cup as Argentina’s
best-placed team in the Copa
Sudamericana, the region’s equivalent of
the Europa League. River won their berth
as last season’s Argentine league champions. — Reuters
America win Mexican League
MEXICO CITY: Four players were sent off in a
red hot Mexican championship final as America
beat UANL Tigres 3-0 in the second leg at the
Azteca to win a record 12th league title 3-1 on
aggregate on Sunday. It was the perfect way for
the Eagles’ Argentine coach Antonio Mohamed
to bow out after confirming on Saturday he was
leaving the club after news leaked midweek
they were lining up Uruguayan Gustavo
Matosas his successor.
Ecuador’s Michael Arroyo, Paraguayan central defender Pablo Aguilar and Mexico striker
Oribe Peralta scored the goals that dashed
Tigres’ dreams of a fourth title after winning the
first leg 1-0 at home in Nuevo Leon on Thursday.
America controlled the match from the start
and Arroyo gave them the lead in the in the
36th minute with a superb shot from a tight
angle that beat goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman,
levelling the aggregate score.
After Aguilar had headed America into the
lead on the hour, Tigres’ Colombian substitute
Hernan Dario Burbano was shown a red card for
bringing down goalbound midfielder Miguel
Layun less than two minutes after coming on.
Three minutes later the visitors were down to
nine men when Argentine midfielder Damian
Alvarez was sent off for hitting an opponent.
Argentine goalkeeper Guzman, who had earlier complained that America fans were directing lasers at him, was the third Tigres player
sent off in the 72nd minute for a second yellow
card for a foul after play had been halted for offside.
Peralta scored America’s third goal in the
78th minute but their substitute Luis Mendoza
was shown a straight red card for making fun of
Tigres players. “We were the best team so I’m
very happy for this group of players,” Mohamed
told Televisa. “I was brought here to be champions and make history and it’s done.”
On Saturday, he had said: “I’m saying goodbye because my dignity comes before everything else. When there’s talk of another coach, I
get my things and head home. “But this is football, the (directors) are within their rights to hire
another coach, I just didn’t like the timing or the
manner,” added the Argentine, who joined a
year ago when Miguel Herrera left America to
take charge of Mexico’s World Cup team.
America have won one more title than archrivals Guadalajara. It was Mohamed’s second
Mexican title as coach after leading Tijuana to
the Apertura two years ago. He is being succeeded by Matosas, who steered Leon to the
Apeertura and Clausura championships last season. — Reuters
Bayern chase
more records
BERLIN: Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich are in
“another league” according to their rivals with
more Bundesliga records set to tumble in this
week’s final two rounds of matches for 2014.
Bayern host strugglers Freiburg today
enjoying a nine-point gap at the top of the
table, then travel to face mid-table Mainz on
Friday in their final match before the German
league breaks for the winter. Freiburg are winless in their last four league games and have
never won in Munich after 13 defeats and two
draws having been thrashed 4-0 on their last
visit to Munich’s Allianz Arena in February.
“Now we must continue calmly into the next
two games to try and take the points up for
grabs,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz
Rummenigge.
Having conceded just three goals in 15
league games this season, Guardiola’s team
are on course to break the record they hold of
seven goals conceded for the first half of a
season set by Stuttgart in 2003/04 and
matched by the Bayern side of 2012/13.
Having conceded just one away goal so far,
they are also on course to equal their own
league record for the first half of the season,
also set in 2012/13, at Mainz on Friday.
This comes less than two years after Bayern
broke or equalled 25 records when they won
the treble of German league, cup and
Champions League titles in 2013 — the first
German team to achieve the feat.
“Bayern Munich are in a different league, I
think we can all agree on that,” said Augsburg
coach Markus Weinzierl after his side were
thrashed 4-0 at home by Bayern on Saturday.
“They have so much quality so their win
was fully deserved.” Arjen Robben, who scored
twice in the romp at third-placed Augsburg to
leave him with eight goals in 11 league
games, said the champions are relishing the
forthcoming winter break to recharge their
batteries. “We now have to survive the last
two games and then we’ll finally get a break,”
said the Dutch winger. Long-term injuries to
captain Philipp Lahm, David Alaba, Javi
Martinez, Thiago Alcantara and Holger
Badstuber have barely bothered Guardiola’s
star-studded squad. Germany captain Bastian
Schweinsteiger played 72 minutes of the
Augsburg win and is reaching full fitness after
a knee injury.
Tomorrow, second-placed Wolfsburg travel
to face Borussia Dortmund with last season’s
runners-up having dropped back into the relegation places again after Saturday’s 1-0
defeat at Hertha Berlin.
Despite qualifying for the Champions
League’s last 16 as group winners, Dortmund
started December bottom of the league and
are now 16th with the league’s worst record of
nine defeats in 15 matches so far. Coach
Jurgen Klopp says the 2013 Champions
League finalists are an “awesome team with
awesome problems”.
Klopp is without both attacking midfielders Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who tore his right
thigh in Berlin, and Germany winger Marco
Reus who has been ruled out until 2015 with
torn ankle ligaments. —AFP
FRANCE: A picture taken yesterday shows pictures of (left to right) Portugal’s
Cristiano Ronaldo, Germany’s Manuel Neuer and Argentina’s Lionel Messi reflecting
themselves in the Ballon d’Or 2014 trophy displayed at the Mellerio jewelry workshops in Paris. — AFP
MEXICO: Michael Arroyo of America shoots to score a goal against Tigre during their Mexican Apertura tournament final football match at the
Azteca stadium. — AFP
McCoist steps down
as Rangers manager
LONDON: Ally McCoist has quit as manager of
troubled Scottish giants Rangers and entered a 12month notice period, the Championship club
announced yesterday.
McCoist, a former Rangers striker who had been
in charge for two years, stepped down after media
reports said he was set to resign amid growing
pressure from fans of the fallen Glasgow side.
But despite the announcement, McCoist reported for training as usual at the club’s Murray Park
training facility on Monday and was seen guiding
his players through drills.
“The company announces that Alastair (sic)
McCoist, manager of the first-team squad, has
resigned,” Rangers said in a statement to the
London Stock Exchange. “His service contract dated 28 December 2010, which was subsequently
amended, has a 12-month notice period.
“The directors will hold discussions with Mr
McCoist to seek an amicable solution in the best
interests of the company, and expect to be in a
position to make a further announcement before
the end of the week.”
The former Scotland international’s salary will
revert back to £750,000 ($1.2 million, 950,000
euros) per year after the 52-year-old took a 50 percent wage cut earlier this year.
Rangers, who have won the Scottish league title
a record 54 times, currently play in the country’s
second tier. They were relegated from the topflight Scottish Premiership, which they have traditionally dominated with Celtic, to the fourth tier in
2012 as punishment for major financial problems.
McCoist, who took over in 2011, was praised for
staying at Rangers after their demotion, but his
role had come under scrutiny after a poor start to
the current campaign. Rangers are lagging nine
points behind Championship leaders Hearts and
were knocked out of the lower-league Scottish
Challenge Cup earlier this month after losing 3-2 to
Alloa Athletic in the semi-finals. The Ibrox club still
face cash problems after reporting an £8.3 million
operating loss last month and need to raise the
same amount by the end of this financial year.
A severance package for McCoist would reportedly cost Rangers around £800,000 under the
terms of his contract.His last game in charge was a
2-0 defeat by Queen of the South on Friday, which
was Rangers’ fourth loss of the campaign.
McCoist was reluctant to discuss his future after
the game, saying: “I have absolutely no comment
on rumors.” But when asked if he would still be in
charge next season, he replied: “Absolutely. I’m the
Rangers manager and that will hopefully be the
case for the foreseeable future.
“I told the (players) I was the Rangers manager
and I would continue to be the Rangers manager.”
McCoist won nine league titles during his time as a
player at Rangers and is the club’s all-time leading
scorer with 355 goals. — AFP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
S P ORTS
Familiar foes to meet again
in the Champions League
NYON: Poland’s former soccer player Jerzy Dudek, ambassador for the UEFA Europa
League final in Warsaw, shows a ticket with Belgium’s soccer team Club Brugge KV
during the draw of the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League 2014/15. — AP
Sevilla face tough
Europa task
NYON: Holders Sevilla and Borussia
Moenchengladbach, who have won the
Europa League and its predecessor the UEFA
Cup five times between them, will meet for
the first time following the draw for the last
32 yesterday.
Sevilla, who beat Benfica on penalties to
win the competition last season, also won the
UEFA Cup in 2006 and 2007 while Borussia
were UEFA Cup winners in 1975 and 1979.
“ The fact that we were second in our
group meant there were no soft touches for
us in the draw,” Sevilla sporting director
Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo said on the club’s
website (www.sevillafc.es).
“We have been paired with a tough team,
very competitive ... with good players both
individually and collectively and with a stadium that is usually full,” he added. “It’s the kind
Matches on TV
(Local Timings)
FIFA Club World
Championship
Cruz Azul v Real Madrid
22:30
beIN SPORTS 7 HD
German Bundesliga
Hamburger v Stuttgart
22:00
beIN SPORTS 9 HD
Bayern Munich v Freiburg 22:00
beIN SPORTS 4 HD
FC Koln v Mainz 05 22:00
beIN SPORTS 6 HD
of tie you’d expect later in the competition.”
The stand-out tie is Celtic’s meeting with Inter
Milan, a repeat of the famous 1967 European
Cup final which Celtic won 2-1 in Lisbon to
become the first British team to be crowned
European champions.
Celtic and Inter, who won the last of their
three European Cups in 2010, are among six
former European champions in the last 32
including five-time champions Liverpool, one
of eight teams who have dropped down into
the Europa League from the Champions
League.
Liverpool will face Besiktas and will be the
third English club Besiktas will have faced this
season after meeting Arsenal in the
Champions League playoffs and Tottenham
Hotspur in the Europa League group stage.
Liverpool crushed Besiktas 8-0 the last time
they met at Anfield in the group stages of the
Champions League in 2007.
Besiktas striker Demba Ba, who played in
England for West Ham United, Newcastle
United and Chelsea, told UEFA: “It’s a difficult
pairing. “Liverpool are having some hard
times now. If we can snatch a good result in
the first leg, it will be an advantage to be playing the second leg at home.”
Tottenham, winners of the UEFA Cup in
1972 and 1984, are drawn to play Fiorentina
who they have never played before in a competitive fixture.
Legia Warsaw, Poland’s only representatives especially keen to reach the final in
Warsaw on May 27, have a tough task against
former European champions Ajax Amsterdam
who have dropped down from the
Champions League.
There is an added incentive for all 32 in
this season’s competition with the winners
gaining a place in the Champions League
next season for the first time. — Reuters
NYON: European champions Real Madrid will
face Schalke 04, Barcelona will play
Manchester City and Chelsea will play Paris St
Germain in three ties repeated from last season following the draw for the Champions
league last 16 made yesterday.
Real Madrid knocked Schalke out of the
last 16 last season 9-2 on aggregate,
Barcelona beat Manchester City 4-1 while
Chelsea beat PSG on away goals in the quarter-finals.
Last week Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
said he would welcome being drawn against
PSG “because it will be easy for our fans to
travel to Paris”-and he got his wish when KarlHeinz Riedle drew the pair together.
Riedle, who performed the draw in his role
as ambassador for Berlin, the venue for this
season’s final on June 6 and who scored twice
when his Borussia Dortmund team beat
Juventus 3-1 in the 1997 final, also drew those
two clubs together. Last season’s beaten finalists Atletico Madrid face Bayer Leverkusen in
another Spain-Germany match-up.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will face
his old club AS Monaco in a competitive
match for the first time while five-time win-
ners Bayern Munich take on Shakhtar
Donetsk. Swiss club FC Basel play Porto. Real
Madrid crushed Schalke in last season’s Round
of 16 and club director Emilio Butragueno
told Spanish TV broadcaster Canal Plus: “Let’s
say that we are rather optimistic.
“We have the experience from last season,
a very, very good experience when we essentially won the tie in the first leg.” Real beat
Schalke 6-1 in the first leg and 3-1 in the second leg last season en route to their 10th
European Cup success.
After drawing English champions
Manchester City, Barca sporting director
Andoni Zubizarreta told Canal Plus: “It’s a
great tie against a great rival, a team we know
extremely well. “There is still a long way to go
until February and let’s see what shape each
team is in when the tie comes around, but for
sure it’s going to be a great tie with two great
matches.”
City director of football and former
Barcelona player Txiki Begiristain told Sky
Sports News: “Every tie in that draw is the
same, it’s fantastic, so we’re looking forward to
it. “We have improved our squad from last
season and we have some real quality up
front.”
The first legs will be played on Feb.17/18
and Feb. 24/25 with the second legs being
played on March 10/11 and March 17/18 next
year. The final is in Berlin on June 6. — Reuters
Champions League draw
Paris St Germain (France)vChelsea (England)
Manchester City (England)vBarcelona (Spain)
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) vAtletico Madrid
(Spain)
Juventus (Italy)vBorussia Dor tmund
(Germany)
Schalke 04 (Germany) vReal Madrid (Spain)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vBayern Munich
(Germany)
Arsenal (England) vAS Monaco (France)
FC Basel (Switzerland)vPorto (Portugal)
The first legs will be played on Feb.17/18 and
Feb 24/25 with ther second legs being played
on March 10/11 and March 17/18. — Reuters
NYON: Fernando Gomes, scout of the Portugal’s FC Porto (left) and Bernhard Heusler, president of Switzerland’s FC Basel 1893 (right) pose for
photographers next to the Champions League Trophy, during the draw of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2014/15. — AP
‘Maasai Olympics’ replace lion killings in Kenya
KIMANA: With ochre smeared on his cheeks, a
javelin in his right hand and an intense gaze in his
eyes, 18-year-old Maasai Tipape Lekatoo looks ready
to hunt lions lurking in the shadow of snow-capped
Mount Kilimanjaro.
But as Lekatoo hurled the javelin deep into the
veldt, there was no risk of impaling a lion. Instead,
his aim was to win a gold medal at the ‘Maasai
Olympics’, a biennial event focused on ending
Maasais’ enduring cultural tradition of killing lions.
“If I win, I will spend all the prize money to pay
for my university education,” said Lekatoo, a sinewy
6 foot 3 inch warrior who dreams of studying
tourism management in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Lekatoo’s first throw of 47 metres won him praise
from team mates and whoops from Maasai girls garlanded with garish beads and patterned crimson
shukas, or cloaks.
Like many other Maasai boys on the cusp of
manhood, Lekatoo no longer believes that following the ancient Maasai ritual of killing a lion is the
only way to become a moran, or warrior.
This point has been hammered home over the
last two days by David Rudisha, Kenya’s Olympic 800
metres champion and the world’s most famous
Maasai. The Maasais will be the biggest losers if the
lion becomes extinct, Rudisha repeatedly told the
throng of Maasai youth who are entering the job
market where tourism-related work is their best
chance of employment. “Killing of wild animals is
not going to benefit us in any way,” Rudisha told
Reuters, as zebras and elephants roamed on the
horizon. Atop the vast Maasai community land
straddled by the Tsavo and Amboseli national parks,
the battle between Maasais and lions that has gone
on for centuries nearly ended about a decade ago
when lions were brought to the brink of extinction.
Across Africa, the lion population has shrunk
from 100,000 a few decades ago to about 25-30,000
today, conservation groups say.
Hunted by young Maasai men and poisoned by
herders fed up with predators eating their cows and
goats, the lion population dwindled to less than 10
in the Aboseli-Tsavo ecosystem by 2003, said conservationist Tom Hill.
The problem was partly alleviated by a predator
compensation fund, set up by Hill’s conservation
charity The Big Life, incentivising farmers to stop
poisoning lions. But young men determined to
become warriors and win the hearts of Maasai girls
kept hunting.
CULTURE SHIFT
Then in 2008, Hill said a group of Maasai elders
turned up at his ranch and told him they wanted “to
stop lion hunting as part of the culture” of Maasai
warriors. “That was a stunning thing to hear,” Texasborn Hill said.”That was never even said out loud
before.” Perched under the flat-top acacia tortilis
tree, a traditional Maasai meeting place, Hill and the
KENYA: A Maasai warrior makes the high jump, in which athletes must touch a high line with the top
of their heads, at the annual Maasai Olympics in the Sidai Oleng Wildlife Sanctuary. — AP photos
“cultural fathers” of the warriors thrashed out some
ideas. “They said, ‘Don’t most boys compete for girlfriends in the world through sports?’ I said ‘yes’. Hill
added: “That was the beginning of the Maasai
Olympics.” On Saturday scores of young Maasais
representing four manyattas - a barrack for warriors
aged about 16-25 - competed against each other for
prestige, bragging rights and a prized breeding bull
for their manyatta. Besides javelin, events combining Olympic tradition and Maasai culture included
the hurling of the rungu-a warrior clubstick mostly
used to scare off jackals-at a ring-like target some
30 metres away.
The iconic Maasai jumping dance, accompanied
by rhythmic chanting as young boys leap in the air,
had become the “Maasai High Jump”.
When a warrior from Lekatoo’s Imbirikani manyatta won the 5,000 metres final, and a chance to
take part in the New York marathon, his whooping
team mates lifted him on their shoulders and
danced across the field. Awed Maasai girls joined
the celebration, their jingling ornaments dangling
from golf ball-sized holes in their earlobes.
PRIZED BULL
Fiercely proud and historically insular-as colonial
power Britain would testify-the Maasais only started
embracing elements of Western culture a few
decades ago.
Today, most Maasais wear Western clothes and
even those sporting traditional shukas are likely to
have mobile phones next to their rungu. Many warriors have Facebook profiles.
During this period of change, new generations
have sought jobs and lifestyles that other tribes in
Kenya take for granted. For many, a nomadic
lifestyle is no longer enough.
With this has come an understanding tha conservation may be the best way to benefit from the
wilderness and wildlife that surrounds them.
“You can’t kill a lion because the lion can support
you. The tourists will come to see that lion,” said
John Kapande, a 23-year-old warrior from the
Rombo manyatta. “That will pay for school fees and
help us.” It is a message reinforced by Daniel Sambu,
a Maasai running Big Life’s Predator Compensation
Fund. “David Rudisha didn’t become famous
because he killed a lion. He became popular
because of his running skills,” Sambu told the young
Maasais, advising them to try athletics.
Lekatoo finished fourth in the javelin, missing
out on a medal, but snatched silver in the 800
metres, netting himself a cool 15,000 Kenyan
shillings ($170).
His manyatta also topped the overall rankings. “I
will need more money (to go to university) but this
is a start,” said Lekatoo after Rudisha, the Maasai
Olympics patron, hung a medal around his neck.
“We are now going to dance back to our manyatta
with our bull.” — Reuters
A Maasai warrior holds up his stick to line his sight (right) as he prepares to throw a Rungu, a type of wooden
throwing club also known as a knobkerrie (left) in a throwing competition at the annual Maasai Olympics.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
S P ORTS
Bengals rout Browns, Patriots win
CLEVELAND: Johnny Manziel spent his first
NFL start being chased and taunted by
Cincinnati defenders as the Bengals rudely
welcomed the hyped rookie quarterback to
the league with a 30-0 demolition of the
Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Manziel failed to live up to the overwhelming buildup surrounding his debut as the AFC
North-leading Bengals (9-4-1) built a 20-point
halftime lead and rolled to their fourth straight
road win.
Bengals rookie Jeremy Hill rushed for 148
yards and two touchdowns, backing up his
postgame trash talk of the Browns following a
loss to them last month.
Manziel, promoted over the slumping Brian
Hoyer to spark the Browns (7-7), finished 10 of
18 for 80 yards and two interceptions. He was
sacked three times, under pressure all afternoon and had Bengals players imitating his
signature “money-rubbing” gesture more than
once. The Bengals got their first shutout since
Dec. 21, 2008 in Cleveland.
PATRIOTS 41, DOLPHINS 13
New England clinched the AFC East title for
the sixth straight season as Tom Brady threw
two touchdown passes in a big third quarter.
Leading 14-13 at halftime, the Patriots
scored on four consecutive series while piling
up 24 points, the most in any third period in
team history. New England (11-3) can secure
home-field advantage throughout the AFC
playoffs by beating the New York Jets and
Buffalo Bills. Miami (7-7) saw its slim postseason hopes dwindle further. The Dolphins cut
the lead to one point at halftime on Ryan
Tannehill’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Mike
Wallace.
BRONCOS 22, CHARGERS 10
Peyton Manning played through a thigh
injury and flu-like symptoms and Connor
Barth kicked five field goals to lead Denver to
a fourth straight AFC West title.
Manning came out of the game late in the
second quarter. He apparently hurt his thigh
while blocking linebacker Donald Butler on a
run by C.J. Anderson.
He returned for the start of the third quarter and on Denver’s second possession threw a
28-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius
Thomas to give the Broncos a 16-3 lead.
The Broncos (11-3) won their fourth
straight game. Denver’s 12th straight division
road win tied San Francisco’s NFL record set
from 1987-90.
The Chargers (8-6) entered the game as the
AFC’s No. 6 seed and saw their wild-card
chances diminished. They’ve lost two straight.
COLTS 17, TEXANS 10
Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes
as the Colts won their second straight AFC
South title. Indianapolis (10-4) has won four
straight.
It sure wasn’t easy. Luck was 18 of 34 with
187 yards and one interception on the same
day Reggie Wayne passed Peyton Manning for
the most games and wins in franchise history.
Wayne has played in 209 games, winning 142.
Houston (7-7) lost starting quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick with a left leg injury in the
second quarter. Rookie Tom Savage replaced
Fitzpatrick and was ineffective, going 10 of 19
for 127 yards.
The Texans took a 7-0 lead on Kendrick
Lewis’ 27-yard interception return. Luck tied it
with a 26-yard pass to Hakeem Nicks. Luck
hooked up with Dwayne Allen on a 3-yard
pass to make it 14-7 before halftime. Indy
sealed it with a late field goal.
SEAHAWKS 17, 49ERS 7
Marshawn Lynch rushed for 91 yards and a
touchdown, and Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass to rookie Paul Richardson, as the
Seahawks knocked archrival San Francisco
from playoff contention.
The defending Super Bowl champions
remained in contention for a division title and
No. 1 seed in the NFC. After a sluggish, sloppy
first half, Seattle (10-4) awoke in the final 30
minutes behind the running of Lynch and a
defense that shut out the 49ers, holding them
to 67 yards. Colin Kaepernick was sacked six
times and the 49ers didn’t run a play past the
Seattle 38 in the second half.
Lynch scored on a 4-yard run late in the
third quarter and the Seahawks took advantage of a short field on their next drive,
capped by Wilson’s strike to Richardson. The
loss and Detroit’s win eliminated San Francisco
(7-7) from contention.
NASHVILLE: Tennessee Titans running back Dexter McCluster (22) is brought down by New York Jets cornerback Darrin Walls (30) in the second half of an NFL football game. — AP
BILLS 31, PACKERS 13
Bacarri Rambo intercepted two Aaron
Rodgers passes and Marcus Thigpen scored on
a 75-yard punt return. Defensive end Mario
Williams also forced Rodgers to fumble, which
led to running back Eddie Lacy being tackled
in the end zone for a safety with 1:51 left. Dan
Carpenter hit all three field goal attempts,
including a 51-yarder in the second half to
help keep Buffalo (8-6) in the AFC playoff picture. The Bills were also have their first eightwin season since going 9-7 in 2004. The
Packers (10-4) had a five-game win streak
snapped, blowing an opportunity to get closer
to their sixth consecutive playoff berth.
Rodgers finished 17 of 42 for 185 yards, and
two interceptions.
STEELERS 27, FALCONS 20
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 360 yards and
William Gay returned an interception for a
touchdown as the Steelers (9-5) remained a
half-game behind Cincinnati in the AFC North
with their second straight win. The Falcons (59) ensured themselves of a losing season and
slipped out of first place in the NFC South.
Pittsburgh led 13-0 after Gay picked off Matt
Ryan’s pass over the middle on the first play of
the second quarter, returning it 52 yards.
The Steelers extended the lead to 27-13
with Le’Veon Bell’s 1-yard run in the opening
minute of the fourth period. The Falcons made
a game of it, pulling within a touchdown on
Ryan’s 4-yard pass to Roddy White. But the
Steelers clinched the victory with their final
possession, converting twice on third down to
run out the clock.
RAVENS 20, JAGUARS 12
The Ravens sacked rookie Blake Bortles
eight times and returned a blocked punt for a
NFL results/standings
Indianapolis 17, Houston 10; Kansas City 31, Oakland 13; New England 41, Miami 13; NY
Giants 24, Washington 13; Pittsburgh 27, Atlanta 20; Baltimore 20, Jacksonville 12; Buffalo 21,
Green Bay 13; Carolina 19, Tampa Bay 17; Cincinnati 30, Cleveland 0; Denver 22, San Diego 10;
NY Jets 16, Tennessee 11; Seattle 17, San Francisco 7; Detroit 16, Minnesota 14; Dallas 38,
Philadelphia 27.
American Football Conference
National Football Conference
AFC East
NFC East
W L T OTL PF PA PCT
Dallas
10 4 0 1 381 328 .714
New England 11 3 0 0 442 280 .786
Philadelphia 9 5 0 0 416 347 .643
Buffalo
8 6 0 0 302 254 .571
NY Giants
5 9 0 0 317 339 .357
Miami
7 7 0 0 327 301 .500
Washington 3 11 0 0 257 370 .214
NY Jets
3 11 0 1 230 360 .214
NFC North
AFC North
Detroit
10 4 0 0 281 238 .714
Cincinnati
9 4 1 0 311 289 .679
Green Bay
10 4 0 0 436 325 .714
Pittsburgh
9 5 0 0 389 339 .643
Minnesota
6 8 0 0 277 297 .429
Baltimore
9 5 0 0 376 267 .643
Chicago
5 8 0 1 281 378 .385
Cleveland
7 7 0 0 276 300 .500
NFC South
AFC South
Carolina
5
8 1 0 288 358 .393
Indianapolis 10 4 0 0 424 317 .714
New
Orleans
5
8
0 2 333 359 .385
Houston
7 7 0 1 324 277 .500
Atlanta
5
9
0 0 348 369 .357
Tennessee
2 12 0 0 231 390 .143
Tampa Bay
2 12 0 2 254 367 .143
Jacksonville 2 12 0 0 211 376 .143
NFC West
AFC West
Arizona
11 3 0 0 287 244 .786
Denver
11 3 0 1 407 303 .786
Seattle
10 4 0 0 339 242 .714
Kansas City
8 6 0 0 322 254 .571
San Francisco 7 7 0 0 251 285 .500
San Diego
8 6 0 0 303 294 .571
St. Louis
6 8 0 0 291 297 .429
Oakland
2 12 0 0 213 381 .143
touchdown. Baltimore (9-5) gained only 31
yards rushing through three quarters and
scored just once with its offense on the field.
But the defense was solid, and special teams
helped the Ravens stay in the thick of the AFC
playoff chase. Terrell Suggs was credited with
2 1/2 sacks and rookie Timmy Jernigan, starting for the suspended Haloti Ngata, had two.
Jacksonville (2-12) tried just about everything
in its bid to pull off an upset, including an
onside kick and a fake punt. Both worked, but
it wasn’t enough to earn the Jaguars their first
win on the road.
PANTHERS 19, BUCCANEERS 17
Derek Anderson threw for 277 yards and a
COWBOYS 38, EAGLES 27
Dez Bryant caught a career-best three
touchdown catches from Tony Romo as Dallas
rallied to beat Philadelphia after wasting a 210 lead. DeMarco Murray had a pair of TD runs
to help the Cowboys (10-4) move ahead of the
Eagles (9-5) into first place in the NFC East. The
Eagles dominated the Cowboys in a 33-10
road win on Thanksgiving, but Dallas takes
control of the division with two weeks left.
The Cowboys jumped to a 21-0 lead early in
the second quarter before Philadelphia rallied
behind Mark Sanchez. Chris Polk had TD runs
of 1 and 5 yards and Darren Sproles ran in
from the 1 to give the Eagles a 24-21 lead late
in third quarter. But Romo and the Cowboys
answered quickly with two touchdowns in a
span of 2:51. Murray scored on a 2-yard run to
cap a 78-yard drive. J.J. Wilcox then intercepted Sanchez’s pass and the Cowboys started
the fourth quarter at the Eagles 42. Romo then
hit Bryant in stride for a 25-yard scoring pass.
LIONS 16, VIKINGS 14
Matt Prater’s 33-yard field goal with 3:38
remaining lifted Detroit into a tie for first place
in the NFC North. The Lions (10-4) are now
even atop the division with Green Bay, which
lost to Buffalo earlier in the day, but Detroit
didn’t have an easy time, spotting the Vikings
(6-8) a 14-0 lead before a pair of second-quarter interceptions helped the Lions start their
rally. Even at the end, Detroit had to sweat out
a 68-yard field goal attempt by Minnesota’s
Blair Walsh on the game’s final play. The kick
was short.
DETROIT: Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright (17) bobbles the ball while defended by Detroit Lions cornerback Cassius Vaughn
(29) during the first half of an NFL football game. — AP
touchdown, Graham Gano kicked four field
goals and the Panthers improved their
chances in the NFC South playoff race.
The win, coupled with Atlanta’s loss to
Pittsburgh, put the Panthers percentage
points in first place ahead of New Orleans in
the division. The Saints (5-8) play at Chicago
on Monday night.
Anderson was 25 of 40 and improved to 2-0
as a starter in place of Cam Newton, sidelined
while recovering from a car accident Tuesday
that left him with two fractures in his lower
back. Greg Olsen tied a career high with 10
catches for 110 yards, and rookie Kelvin
Benjamin had eight grabs for 104 yards. Josh
McCown threw a touchdown pass and ran for
another for the Bucs (2-12).
CHIEFS 31, RAIDERS 13
Alex Smith threw for 297 yards and two
scores, while Kansas City shut down Derek
Carr and the Oakland offense. Knile Davis had
touchdowns running and receiving, and
De’Anthony Thomas returned a punt 81 yards
for another score as the Chiefs (8-6) got even
for a 24-20 loss to Oakland (2-12) last month.
The Chiefs led 10-6 early in the third quarter
before scoring three touchdowns in 4 minutes,
42 seconds. The last was a 70-yard throw from
Smith to Davis, who had taken over the majority of running back duties after Jamaal Charles
took a shot to the head.
Charles passed concussion testing and
returned briefly to the game. Carr finished 27
of 56 for 222 yards, throwing a TD pass in the
final minute. The Raiders’ rookie also was
sacked four times and fumbled a snap that led
to a Kansas City touchdown.
GIANTS 24, REDSKINS 13
Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes
to rookie Odell Beckham Jr. and the Giants
took advantage of an overturned touchdown
at the end of the half.
Manning and Beckham combined 12 times
for 143 yards, with touchdown passes covering 10, 35 and 6 yards. The win was the second
straight for the Giants (5-9) after seven consecutive losses. The Redskins (3-11) blew a touchdown and command of the game on a fumble
by Robert Griffin III as time expired at the end
of the first half. Griffin scrambled for an apparent 8-yard touchdown for a 17-7 lead, diving
over the pylon, then running on to the field
and spiking the ball with emphasis.
A video review by referee Jeff Triplette
determined that Griffin lost control of the ball
diving over the pylon and the play was ruled a
touchback.
The call incensed veteran Redskins receiver
Santana Moss so much that he bumped an
official while arguing and was ejected. Instead
of a 10-point lead, the Redskins led 10-7.
JETS 16, TITANS 11
Chris Ivory scored on a 1-yard touchdown
run with 3:09 left in a game marked by a brawl
between teams playing only for pride, with
the loser hoping for better draft position.
The Jets (3-11) got their first road win this
season in the first NFL game to end with a 1611 score. They also snapped a three-game
skid. Geno Smith threw for 179 yards and a
TD. He also was apparently hit by Titans
defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, starting a
brawl in the third quarter. Casey was flagged,
but not ejected.
The Titans (2-12) now have lost eight
straight and 11 of 12 in their worst skid since
1994 when home was in Houston. They got
the ball twice late, and reached the Jets 9
after three laterals on the final play came up
short. — AP
Bengals rout
Browns,
Patriots win
Lakers see off
‘Wolves
19
16
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
Familiar foes to meet again in the Champions League
Page 18
KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah presents the Crown Prince Football Cup to Al-Arabi captain Mohammed Jarouk. — KUNA
Al Arabi lift Crown Prince Football Cup
KUWAIT: Al-Arabi Sports Club defeated Kuwait Sports
Club 4-2 in extra time to lift His Highness the Crown
Prince Football Cup held at Kuwait Stadium in Kaifan
yesterday. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah partonized and attended
the final match.
His Highness the Crown Prince was received upon
arrival at the stadium by Minister of Information and
Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah
Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, Chairman of Board and
Director General of the Public Authority for Youth and
Sport (PAYS) Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-
Sabah, President of Kuwait Football Association (KFA)
Sheikh Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, KFA board
members, senior PAYS officials, and chairmen of the two
clubs.
The final game was attended by parliament speaker
Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem, Pakistani parliament speaker
PSG, Marseille
both beaten 1-0
PARIS: An early goal by Guingamp’s Jeremy Pied was enough to
hand champions Paris St Germain their first loss of the French
Ligue 1 season, leaving Olympique de Marseille still on top despite
their own defeat by Monaco on Sunday.
In the first of the day’s twin 1-0 upsets-which saw the top two
surprisingly felled-Pied’s diving header in the 11th minute secured
a home victory for the unheralded Breton side.
It was PSG’s second defeat of the week, following their 3-1
Champions League loss in Barcelona today. Despite strong early
possession and a searing shot over the bar by Edinson Cavani in
the second minute, the Parisians often appeared jaded against an
increasingly combative Guingamp, fresh from consecutive victories
over Reims and Caen.
Guingamp’s break came when a Younousse Sankhare header
steered a free kick to Pied, whose deadly lunge from near the
penalty spot left a beaten Salvatore Sirigu fuming.
PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the most profligate, miscontrolling incoming passes and sending a free kick into the wall. Team
mate Marco Verratti’s 19th-minute strike from outside the box
found Jonas Lossl’s waiting gloves.
The 13th-placed Guingamp also came close to further goals,
with Claudio Beauvue often looking dangerous and toying with
David Luiz in the PSG box before putting the ball wide in the 22nd
minute.
PSG’s efforts became more frantic in the second half but ultimately no more effective. Yohan Cabaye earned his latest yellow
card for a tardy tackle on Lionel Mathis.
With the pace intensifying, a fine Lucas Moura strike was deflected wide in the 77th and a Cavani cross could only find empty
space. Gregor y van der Wiel ’s well-placed centre brought
Ibrahimovic close to redemption in the closing minutes, but
Guingamp’s Danish keeper was up to the challenge.
Guingamp’s prowess handed OM a chance to widen their onepoint lead over second-placed PSG but that too was squandered.
M onaco’s coup de grace came in the 67th minute when
Bernardo Silva netted following an Anthony Martial centre and
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco feint.
The improving principality side, now up to sixth having let their
best players leave following last term’s second-place finish, almost
doubled their lead via Andrea Raggi’s head four minutes later.
Andre-Pierre Gignac and Mario Lemina had earlier come close to MONACO: Marseille’s French defender Rod Fanni (right) vies with
scoring for Marseille, whose 38 points represent their highest Monaco’s Portuguese midfielder Silva Bernardo (left) during the
return at this stage of a season since 1998-9. — Reuters
French L1 football match. — AFP
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Sheikh Faisal Al-Saud Al-Sabah, former parliament speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi, His Highness
Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His
Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Ali
Jarrah Al-Sabah and senior state officials. — KUNA
New skippers, but Gabba
record favors Aussies
BRISBANE: Australia, under new captain Steve Smith, take a one-nil series
lead over India into today’s second Test
in Brisbane where they have not lost a
Test in 26 years.
Smith, at just 25, was anointed
Monday as Australia’s 45th Test skipper
after Michael Clarke suffered a fresh
hamstring injury in the 48-run victory in
Adelaide and was ruled out for the rest
of the four-match series. The Australians
have proved formidable in steamy
Brisbane where the pace and bounce of
the Gabba wicket troubles touring sides,
none more so than India who have not
won in five attempts.
Australia’s last Gabba Test loss was
against the Viv Richards-led West Indies
by nine wickets in 1988. India will also
likely have a new captain with
Mahendra Singh Dhoni expected to
return to the leadership role after missing the series opener to recover from a
fractured thumb.
It is bitter-sweet for India with Dhoni
taking the reins from stand-in skipper
Virat Kohli whose twin centuries had the
tourists on the cusp of a remarkable
come-from-behind victory in Adelaide
until a late clatter of wickets on the final
day.
“I would be ver y happy that he
(Dhoni) is going to be fit and available
for the second Test,” Kohli said. “I t
doesn’t matter if I have the ‘c’ in front of
my name or not. That doesn’t change
anything as far as my mindset is concerned.”
But former Australia Test captain Ian
Chappell believes Kohli should be
installed as India’s full-time skipper.
“Kohli’s performance over three-and-ahalf days must have tempted the selectors into thinking now is the right time
to elevate him to full-time Test captaincy,” Chappell said.
“There’s no doubt that M.S. Dhoni has
passed his use-by-date as a Test captain,
and this seems the perfect time to enact
the changeover.”
The teams have to back up from a
three - day turnaround and the
Australians are tinkering with freshening up their pace attack with Josh
Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc vying for
starting roles.
“We will see how they pull up,” coach
Darren Lehmann said on Sunday of the
bowlers who performed in Adelaide.
“We will pick the best team to get 20
wickets. A couple of them are sore but
the next day or two will tell. It’s a quick
turnaround.”
O ff-spinner Nathan Lyon is also
expected to figure prominently at the
Gabba, where he has taken 15 wickets
in three Tests at 21.87.
Lyon captured a career-best 12 wickets in the match, including seven for
152 in the second innings at the
Adelaide Oval, triggering a final-session
collapse to steer Australia to victory.
“He did a really good job (in
Brisbane) last year against England, got
some key wickets,” Lehmann said. “He
enjoys the bounce at the Gabba.”
India’s pace attack of Varun Aaron,
Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma
will also relish bowling at the Gabba,
while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
is in line for a return.
The Indian management’s decision to
hand a debut to rookie leg-spinner Karn
Sharma ahead of the more experienced
Ashwin in Adelaide came in for some
post-match criticism.
While off-spinner Lyon picked up 12
wickets and delivered a dramatic victory
to the home team on the last day, wristspinner Sharma ended with match figures of 4 for 238.
Despite India’s record at the Gabba, it
is a match that the tourists must at least
draw to still have a chance of winning
the series ahead of the third Test beginning Boxing Day in Melbourne. — AFP
Business
Ruble hits new low
despite interventions
Page 22
Asian stocks slump,
Tokyo leads losses
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
Page 25
Iran imports gasoil after several months, unlikely to
Belgian strike
paralyzes traffic,
continue
idles industry
Page 26
Page 23
NEW YORK: Traders work from handheld computers as they review stock information at the New York Stock Exchange during early trading, yesterday, in New York. US stocks opened broadly higher yesterday following the biggest
weekly losses in two and a half years. — AP
Oil hits five-year low as OPEC stands pat
Euro on defensive as markets eye ECB stimulus
NEW YORK: Oil prices plumbed 5-1/2-year lows yesterday,
pulling down emerging market assets and boosting
demand for the safe-haven yen, while global equity markets slipped further after last week’s rout amid nagging
worries about worldwide growth.
Stocks on Wall Street opened higher but soon retreated
as crude oil prices gave up early gains after the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries restated its determination not to cut output despite a global
energy glut.
The ruble hit record lows and Russian assets plunged on
concern about possible new US sanctions over Ukraine,
weak oil prices and one-sided bets that the currency would
extend its slide.
The yield rise on US Treasuries was limited by persistent
concerns about weakening growth and inflation globally.
US stocks dipped even as US manufacturing output posted its biggest gain in nine months in November as production expanded across the board, pointing to underlying US
economic strength.
“There’s a lot of things going on, but most of them are
driven off the drop in oil prices,” said Rick Meckler, president of hedge fund LibertyView Capital Management in
Jersey City, New Jersey. “You had some traders take profits
on the early (US stock market) gains once oil moved to
negative.” The Dow Jones industrial average was down
142.64 points, or 0.83 percent, at 17,138.19. The Standard &
Poor’s 500 Index was down 17.70 points, or 0.88 percent, at
1,984.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 56.23
points, or 1.21 percent, at 4,597.37.
In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top regional
shares fell 2.28 percent at 1,291.66, while MSCI’s all-country
world index, which measures stock performance in 45
countries, fell 1.14 percent to 404.07.
MSCI’s emerging markets index fell 1.66 percent.
Brent crude hit a five-year low close to $60 a barrel
before paring losses, trading down 50 cents to $61.35. US
crude for January traded down $1.32 at $56.49 a barrel.
Growth worries have supported bets the Federal
Reserve might consider keeping its pledge to leave shortterm interest rates near zero for a “considerable period” in
its latest policy statement at the end of two-day meeting
tomorrow.
The price on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes rose
slightly, pushing the yield down a tad at 2.0886 percent.
The euro was last down 0.27 percent against the dollar,
at $1.2426. The dollar was 0.61 percent lower against the
yen at 118.05 yen. — Reuters
Gulf markets stabilise
as oil’s plunge pauses
DUBAI: Most Middle East stock markets
became more stable yesterday, after plunging
in previous days, as the price of oil recovered
slightly. But fund managers said it was by no
means clear that any sustained recovery of
stock prices was starting.
Brent crude climbed above $62 per barrel,
after hitting 5-1/2-year lows of $60.28 earlier,
as traders began pricing in expectations of
improving global manufacturing data to be
published later this week.
Dubai’s stock index inched up 0.1 percent as
most shares in the emirate gained. The market
rose as much as 4.8 percent during the day
before giving up almost all those gains by the
end of the session.
The Dubai index had tumbled 14.4 percent
in the two previous sessions as oil’s plunge
triggered panic selling. With the outlook for oil
still uncertain, very few people are willing to
call a bottom for Gulf stock markets.
“It’s just a normal technical rebound, there’s
nothing more at this stage,” Sebastien Henin,
head of asset management at The National
Investor in Abu Dhabi, said of Monday’s equity
market trading. “It is not a game changer.”
Abu Dhabi and Oman also gave up all their
intra-day gains and closed down 0.7 percent
and 0.9 percent respectively. Renaissance
Services, which provides services to the oil and
gas sector, was the biggest loser in Muscat,
tumbling 8.8 percent.
Gulf bourses have been closely correlated
with oil prices for the last few weeks as
investors became worried that a sharp decline
in oil revenues could trigger large government
spending cuts and thus slow non-oil growth.
Analysts and fund managers believe this is
unlikely to happen in countries other than
Oman and Bahrain, since the big Gulf
economies have huge fiscal reserves. But stock
markets may remain under pressure from retail
investor selling until there is clear evidence
that government spending and corporate profit growth is staying strong.
Qatar, Saudi
Qatar’s market was the most upbeat and
jumped 3.1 percent on Monday as all traded
stocks rose. Shares in Barwa Real Estate surged
5.4 percent after the firm won a 750 million
riyal ($206 million) contract from a government company to build and operate low costwarehouses.
Qatar is expected to maintain strong economic growth and a fiscal surplus next year
despite oil’s plunge, the government said on
Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s benchmark, on the other
hand, underper formed the region and
dropped 2.6 percent as an initial recovery gave
way to a fresh sell-off across the board. The
market’s year-to-date gains, which peaked at
30.6 percent in September, have now turned
into a 7.4 percent loss.
Analysts say many Gulf investors may continue selling into any strength for a while.
“Upcoming catalysts which will help determine the direction of markets will be the 2014
results, along with the announcement of the
Saudi budget for 2015,” Sherif El Haddad, manager of the EFG-Hermes Middle East and
Developing Africa Fund, said in a monthly
report on Monday.
Saudi Arabia is expected to announce its
budget near the end of this month, and possi-
bly next Monday.
“Looking ahead, we suspect that the big
falls in equities have probably now happened,”
Jason Tuvey, London-based Middle East economist with Capital Economics, said in a note on
the Gulf. “But if oil prices settle at $60-65 per
barrel over the coming years, as we expect, a
sharp rebound in stock markets across the Gulf
seems unlikely.”
YESTERDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
DUBAI
The index inched up 0.1 percent to 3,325
points.
ABU DHABI
The index edged down 0.7 percent to 4,181
points.
SAUDI ARABIA
The index fell 2.6 percent to 7,905 points.
EGYPT
The index rose 1.3 percent to 8,832 points.
QATAR
The index jumped 3.1 percent to 11,460 points.
OMAN
The index fell 0.9 percent to 5,572 points.
KUWAIT
The index edged up 0.4 percent to 6,302 points.
BAHRAIN
The index lost 0.3 percent to 1,378 points.
— Reuters
BEIJING: People walk under Christmas lights outside a shopping mall in Beijing yesterday. Retail sales, a key indicator of consumer spending, increased 11.7 percent in
China in November, official data showed on December 12, while fixed asset investment, a measure of government spending on infrastructure, expanded 15.8 percent
on-year in the first 11 months — the lowest since growth of 13.7 percent for the full
year of 2001. — AFP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
BUSINESS
AirAsia confirms order
of 55 Airbus A330Neos
PARIS: Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia X
confirmed yesterday its order of 55 longhaul A330Neo passenger planes from
Airbus at a list price of $15 billion, in what is
the biggest single order for the line of aircraft.
Since signing an agreement to purchase
50 of the new-generation A330s in July,
AirAsia X has added five more planes to its
order, the group said in a statement. Airbus
will begin delivering the fleet in 2018,
AirAsia X said.
The Malaysian carrier is now Airbus’s
biggest customer for the A330 family of aircraft, having already ordered 91 of them to
date. “ This latest deal with Airbus will
enable AirAsia X to consolidate its growth
rate in 2015-2017 before ramping up deliveries from 2018 onwards,” said Tony
Fernandes, co-founder and director of the
company.
“The A330 has proven itself to be exactly
the right aircraft for our business model,
combining low operating costs, long-range
flying capability and high levels of comfort.”
The A330Neo is an updated version of
Airbus’s wide-body medium-haul jet with
fuel-saving engines.
AirAsia X is the long-haul and low-cost
affiliate of AirAsia, which was a failing carrier in 2001 when Fernandes acquired it. The
former record industry executive quickly
turned the airline around with his no-frills,
low-fare formula.
Since then, it has recorded spectacular
success and aggressive growth at the
expense of national flag carrier Malaysia
Airlines. —AFP
Alibaba boss taps
up Taiwan youth
TAIPEI: Anti-Beijing protesters chanted
outside a high-level business meeting in
Taiwan yesterday where the founder of
China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba called
on the island’s youth to start businesses on
the mainland.
Trade with China is a particularly sensitive topic as fears grow over the mainland’s
increased influence on Taiwan-a factor
which contributed to the ruling Beijingfriendly party’s worst-ever polls defeat at
recent local elections in Taiwan.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who recently
became Asia’s richest man, was addressing
business leaders from China and Taiwan to
tie in with an eight-day visit by a top
Chinese envoy. Dozens of pro-independence activists chanting “Chinese communists back to China!” and “Chinese communists are coming to trap Taiwan investors!”
were held back by police barricades outside the two-day forum.
One was pushed to the ground as he
tried to break through police lines and four
protesters were taken away, but later
released.
“The summit is a joint effort by Beijing
and the rich and the powerful of the two
sides to decide the future of Taiwan’s economy. Taiwan is a democratic country, they
have no right to do that,” said Lai Chungchiang, spokesman for the group.
Senior China envoy Chen Deming, who
was also at the business meeting, has been
dogged by protesters during his tour. But
Ma, 50, encouraged young people to “reach
out” to the mainland and Alibaba itself.
“I welcome those young people from
Taiwan who would like to start up their
businesses in the mainland to reach out to
Alibaba, either joining Alibaba or Alibaba’s
business ecosystems,” said Ma.
“The theme of the forum is transformation and upgrade, but (this can be done)
only if everybody upgrades their mindset
and hands over the future to young people.” He also urged Taiwan’s small businesses to sell their products to the mainland
using Hangzhou-based Alibaba as a platform.
Ma, a former English teacher, started
Alibaba in his apartment in 1999. He has
seen his fortune balloon after a recordbreaking $25 billion initial public offering
on the New York Stock Exchange in
September.
Young people and small businesses are
particularly incensed by trade deals
between Taiwan and China that they feel
have been agreed in secret and not benefited the ordinary Taiwanese public.
Students took over parliament for three
weeks from March to protest against a service trade deal. Taiwan and China split in
1949 at the end of a civil war, but Beijing
still claims the island as part of its territory
awaiting reunification-by force if necessary.
Yesterday’s meeting was attended by
top business figures, including Morris
Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co, the world’s biggest contract microchip company. — AFP
BEIJING: Anti-China protesters of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) clash with police
outside the venue of 2014 Cross-Strait CEO Summit in Taipei yesterday. Anti-Beijing
protesters chanted outside a high-level business meeting in Taiwan yesterday where
founder of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba called on the island’s youth to start
businesses on the mainland. — AFP
MOSCOW: People walk past a sign advertising currency exchange rates in Moscow, Russia, yesterday. The ruble crashed through 60 to the dollar, trading at 60.33 by early afternoon. The falling price of oil - the chief source of Russian exports and tax revenues - has weighed heavily on
the currency. The ruble started the year at 32.85 to the dollar. — AP
Ruble hits new low
despite interventions
MOSCOW: The Russian ruble tumbled to new
record lows yesterday despite repeated interventions by the central bank to keep the
national currency afloat.
The ruble broke through level of 60 to the
dollar and 75 to the euro for the first time, hitting 61.25 to the greenback and 76.10 to the
European single currency in afternoon trading.
The slump came even though the Central
Bank spent nearly $6 billion so far this month
on market interventions to slow the ruble’s
slide.
Russian agencies said the dollar jumped
from 61 back to 60 at around 1300 GMT, possibly due to the latest intervention.
The bank made interventions every day last
week, and on Thursday decided to hike its key
rate by one percentage point to 10.5 percent.
Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said last
week that the bank is prepared to spend up to
$85 billion over next year to prop up the ruble
if necessary.
The ruble’s depreciation continued through
the weekend however, pulled down by a global
slump in oil prices and the effect of Western
sanctions imposed over Moscow’s annexation
of Crimea and its role in eastern Ukraine.
“During a crisis like the one Russia is experiencing now, only changing expectations can
lead to stabilisation,” economist Maxim Buyev
wrote in the Vedomosti daily to explain the
seemingly unstoppable slide of the national
currency. “The government must offer a clear
plan of reforms,” he added.
Vedomosti further reported Monday that
the government plans to cut budget spending
by 10 percent in 2015. The cuts would impact
transportation programs as well as spending on
space, aviation and development of the Far
East, the report said.
Creeping inflation has already led even the
bread industry to prepare for 10 percent price
hikes for the politically sensitive product,
Russian media reported last week.
The Russian economy is set to contract next
year. The World Bank said last week that its
forecast of a 0.7 percent contraction is based
on a scenario where crude oil is at $78, and that
the economy will shrink by 1.5 percent if the
price is $70.
The 2015 budget is balanced on the
assumption of selling oil at $95 per barrel-a
price well above the current level hovering
around $60.
The ruble’s continuing slide has led to “a
growing sense that the currency crisis is spiralling out of control” and increasing speculation that government could undertake stricter
measures like capital controls, said Neil
Shearing, chief emerging markets economist at
London-based Capital Economics.
“In the absence of an improvement in relations with the West and a lifting of the economic and financial sanctions on Russia, the appeal
of capital controls and external debt default
will grow,” he said. —AFP
Malaysia Airlines shares
suspended as part of rescue plan
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines
suspended its shares from the
country’s stock exchange yesterday
under a government rescue plan
for the flag carrier which is fighting
for survival after losing two planes
this year.
The airline, whose already lossmaking operations took a further
beating after the two tragedies,
said in a notice to the Kuala
Lumpur stock exchange last week
that trading would be suspended
from Monday.
A Malaysia Airlines spokesperson confirmed the stock ceased
trading. Under a plan announced in
August, state investment fund
Khazanah Nasional, which already
owned around 70 percent of the
carrier, is acquiring all remaining
shares, de-listing the stock, and taking the company private to deal
with its problems.
Malaysia Airlines has chalked up
losses for years even before this
year’s disasters involving flights
MH370 and MH17, in which a total
of 537 lives were lost. Khazanah’s
plans include pumping $1.73 billion into the airline, cutting 6,000
jobs-or 30 percent of its workforceand trimming its route network.
Earlier this month it tapped the
head of Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus,
Christoph Mueller, to take over in
the middle of next year as CEO.
Mueller, who is German, initiated
an Aer Lingus turnaround strategy
that involved hefty job cuts.
Malaysia Airlines has struggled
for years, with analysts blaming
poor management, unwise business decisions and government
meddling. MH370, carrying 239
people, disappeared in March after
inexplicably diverting from its
Kuala Lumpur-Beijing course. No
trace of the aircraft has been found.
MH17 went down in July in
rebellion-torn eastern Ukrainebelieved to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile-killing all 298
aboard.— AFP
KUALA LUMPUR: This photo taken on December 12, 2014, shows a
man gesturing below a digital display shows a share price of Malaysia
Airlines (top-C) on the last day before suspension at Malaysia Stock
Exchange in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia Airlines suspended shares from
the country’s stock exchange yesterday under a government rescue
plan for the flag carrier, which lost two planes this year. — AFP
EXCHANGE RATES
Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.
ASIAN COUNTRIES
2.468
4.673
2.916
2.218
2.930
223.620
37.730
3.741
6.554
8.925
61.555
121.740
GCC COUNTRIES
Saudi Riyal
78.031
Qatari Riyal
80.390
Omani Riyal
760.330
Bahraini Dinar
777.200
UAE Dirham
79.689
ARAB COUNTRIES
Egyptian Pound - Cash
41.950
Egyptian Pound - Transfer
40.824
Yemen Riyal/for 1000
1.366
Tunisian Dinar
158.970
Jordanian Dinar
412.960
Lebanese Lira/for 1000
1.963
Syrian Lira
2.086
Morocco Dirham
33.540
EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES
US Dollar Transfer
292.500
Euro
365.330
Sterling Pound
405.980
Canadian dollar
254.020
Turkish lira
126.930
Swiss Franc
304.050
Australian Dollar
241.900
US Dollar Buying
291.300
GOLD
20 gram
238.100
10 gram
121.740
5 gram
61.560
Japanese Yen
Indian Rupees
Pakistani Rupees
Srilankan Rupees
Nepali Rupees
Singapore Dollar
Hongkong Dollar
Bangladesh Taka
Philippine Peso
Thai Baht
Irani Riyal transfer
Irani Riyal cash
UAE Exchange Centre WLL
COUNTRY
Australian Dollar
Canadian Dollar
Swiss Franc
Euro
US Dollar
Sterling Pound
Japanese Yen
Bangladesh Taka
Indian Rupee
Sri Lankan Rupee
Nepali Rupee
Pakistani Rupee
UAE Dirhams
Bahraini Dinar
Egyptian Pound
Jordanian Dinar
Omani Riyal
Qatari Riyal
Saudi Riyal
SELL DRAFT
229.17
258.98
305.10
364.41
292.95
460.65
2.48
3.748
4.727
2.220
2.950
2.892
79.60
777.51
40.85
416.24
759.70
80.67
78.03
SELL CASH
226.17
259.88
303.10
365.41
295.95
463.65
2.50
4.018
5.027
2.655
3.485
2.790
80.07
779.58
41.45
421.89
767.00
81.22
78.43
Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd
Rate for Transfer
US Dollar
Canadian Dollar
Sterling Pound
Euro
Swiss Frank
Bahrain Dinar
UAE Dirhams
Qatari Riyals
Saudi Riyals
Jordanian Dinar
Egyptian Pound
Sri Lankan Rupees
Indian Rupees
Pakistani Rupees
Bangladesh Taka
Philippines Pesso
Cyprus pound
Japanese Yen
Selling Rate
291.750
260.085
456.630
366.500
303.035
775.760
79.330
80.935
77.975
411.660
40.707
2.225
4.716
2.867
3.759
6.481
715.865
3.480
Syrian Pound
Nepalese Rupees
Malaysian Ringgit
Chinese Yuan Renminbi
Thai Bhat
Turkish Lira
2.710
3.945
87.645
48.035
9.885
131.225
Bahrain Exchange Company
CURRENCY
BUY
SELL
Europe
Belgian Franc
0.007614
0.008614
British Pound
0.453428
0.462428
Czech Korune
0.005218
0.017218
Danish Krone
0.044969
0.049969
Euro
0.359333
0.367333
Norwegian Krone 0.036048
0.041248
Romanian Leu
0.083870
0.083870
Slovakia
0.008542
0.018542
Swedish Krona
0.034831
0.039831
Swiss Franc
0.297222
0.307422
Turkish Lira
0.128307
0.135307
Australasia
Australian Dollar 0.233236
0.244736
New Zealand Dollar 0.221380
0.230880
America
Canadian Dollar
0.247663
0.256163
US Dollars
0.288300
0.293000
US Dollars Mint
0.288800
0.293000
Asia
Bangladesh Taka 0.003467
0.004067
Chinese Yuan
0.046086
0.049586
Hong Kong Dollar 0.035614
0.038364
Indian Rupee
0.004615
0.005016
Indonesian Rupiah 0.000020
0.000026
Japanese Yen
0.002391
0.002571
Kenyan Shilling
0.003264
0.003264
Korean Won
0.000254
0.000269
Malaysian Ringgit 0.080797
0.086797
Nepalese Rupee
0.002988
0.003158
Pakistan Rupee
0.002731
0.003011
Philippine Peso
0.006465
0.006745
Sierra Leone
0.000065
Singapore Dollar 0.219927
South African Rand 0.019189
Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001872
Taiwan
0.009234
Thai Baht
0.008570
Bahraini Dinar
Egyptian Pound
Iranian Riyal
Iraqi Dinar
Jordanian Dinar
Kuwaiti Dinar
Lebanese Pound
Moroccan Dirhams
Nigerian Naira
Omani Riyal
Qatar Riyal
Saudi Riyal
Syrian Pound
Tunisian Dinar
Turkish Lira
UAE Dirhams
Yemeni Riyal
0.769137
0.038196
0.000081
0.000201
0.408339
1.000000
0.000145
0.023924
0.001185
0.753458
0.079604
0.077337
0.001733
0.154617
0.128307
0.078628
0.001320
0.000071
0.225927
0.027689
0.002452
0.009414
0.009120
Arab
0.777137
0.041296
0.000082
0.000261
0.415839
1.000000
0.000245
0.047924
0.001820
0.759138
0.080817
0.078037
0.001953
0.162617
0.135307
0.079777
0.001400
Al Mulla Exchange
Currency
US Dollar
Euro
Pound Sterlng
Canadian Dollar
Indian Rupee
Egyptian Pound
Sri Lankan Rupee
Bangladesh Taka
Philippines Peso
Pakistan Rupee
Bahraini Dinar
UAE Dirham
Saudi Riyal
*Rates are subject to change
Transfer Rate (Per 1000)
291.950
364.150
460.300
256.950
4.715
40.815
2.215
3.715
6.554
2.898
777.350
79.500
78.000
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
BUSINESS
Central banks, oil price rout to rule markets in 2015
PARIS: Addicted to liquidity and disconnected from the real economy, global
markets are likely to dance in 2015 to the
different monetary policy tunes played
by the US Fed, the ECB and China, while
plunging oil prices could spice up the
mix. In 2015, “like the last seven years, it is
the central bank interventions which will
have an influence over the markets,” said
Romain Boscher, a stock portfolio manager at Amundi.
For the past several years central
banks have tried to stimulate stalled
economies by a mix of injecting massive
amounts of liquidity into markets, lowering interest rates to ultra low levels and
snapping up assets.
Well irrigated with this liquidity, stock
markets have done well and government
borrowing rates have fallen, but in the
real economy the situation isn’t quite as
rosy and the situations vary.
Thus in 2015 monetary policy will no
longer be uniform, said Mathieu L’Hoir, an
equity strategist at AXA Investment
Managers.
“The divergence between the central
banks ... will have the consequence of
introducing considerably more volatility
in the markets,” he added.
The United States and Britain, two
countries whose central banks launched
early and aggressive asset purchase programmes, are enjoying a recovery and
interest rates are expected to begin rising
in 2015.
But Japan has just launched more
asset purchases as its economy has stumbled back into recession, while China is
lowering rates and injecting liquidity to
ensure no hard landing as its growth
slows.
And pressure is on the European
Central Bank to undertake a similar programme to avoid the risks of deflation
and recession.
“The ECB has its hands and feet tied
and it has to meet expectations,” said
L’Hoir. “Action is needed quickly given the
evolution in inflation.” But a rout in oil
prices is complicating the situation.
‘Massive game changer’
Crude prices have almost halved since
June to levels not seen since 2009, when
the world was still locked in a financial
crisis.
“Oil prices, it is like a massive global
budgetary boost, especially for countries
which subsidise energy,” said L’Hoir,
pointing to India and Southeast Asia.
But for Europe, which is battling the
spectre of deflation, cheaper crude is
making it more difficult for the ECB to
achieve its mission of keep consumer
prices stable.
Falling prices may sound good for the
consumer but are not welcome from a
central bank’s point of view as they can
trigger a vicious circle where businesses
and households delay purchases, throttling demand and causing companies to
lay off workers.
Nevertheless, if it manages to avoid
skidding into deflation on cheap oil
prices, Europe can expect cheaper crude
to eventually help give consumers more
spending power.
“The rout in oil prices could be a massive game changer for the world economy,” said Berenberg analyst Holger
Schmieding.
“For users of energy, it is equivalent to
a huge tax cut. In fact, it’s even better
than that: the cut will not show up in bigger fiscal deficits and hence future liabilities of the energy users. Instead, Russia
and other energy producers will have to
foot the bill.”
The danger is what costs that could
levy from energy producers. Russia,
already wounded by the impact of
Western sanctions over Ukraine, has seen
its ruble tank.
“The risk that a badly wounded bear,
Russia, may turn more aggressive in its
increasing desperation is the key risk to
global peace and to the European economic outlook which we have to watch
next year,” said Schmieding.
Fed rate rises?
Beyond the geopolitical risk of a flareup of the crisis in Ukraine, or uncertainty
surrounding elections in Britain and
Spain, the actions of the US Fed could
also be stick into the equity market’s
spokes.
The Fed raising interest rates may
increase the attractiveness of bonds relative to stocks, and the effect it has on
raising the value of the dollar can also
hurt equities as it weighs on corporate
performance.
But Christopher Low, an economist at
FTN Financial, said “as long as the Fed
doesn’t get carried away and raise its
rates too high, stocks should perform just
fine”.
A stronger dollar will also reverberate
across the globe, particularly in emerging
markets, which are particularly dependent on the value of the dollar given its
importance in trade.
“When there is a change in monetary
policy in the United States, there is a
change in monetary policy across the
globe,” said L’Hoir. Besides central banks,
2015 may also be the year the Chinese
stock markets finally arrive.
The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock
Connect launched in November 2014
aims to give investors worldwide direct
access to Chinese shares.
“China is in the process of giving birth
to the world’s second-largest stock market,” said Boscher.
He said “this will take years to achieve
but it can only be favourable to international investors.” —AFP
Belgian strike paralyzes
traffic, idles industry
Flights, trains halted, offices shut
LISBON: In this photo taken on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, a man carries a euro
currency symbol on his shoulder as he marches with others towards the
Portuguese parliament during a protest by Portugal’s main union General
Confederation of Portuguese Workers, CGTP, in Lisbon, Portugal. —AP
Portugal probe
exposes crisis feud
LISBON: Beware of bankers bearing a
grudge. An investigation by Portugal’s
Parliament into last summer’s collapse - and
4.9 billion euro ($6 billion) bailout - of the
country’s largest listed bank has turned into
gripping television as members of the
wealthy Espirito Santo banking dynasty
wash their dirty laundry in public.
The finger-pointing involves alleged
shady businesses, struggles for power, and
murky dealings in Africa. Regulators have
already accused Banco Espirito Santo’s leadership of fraud, forgery and money-laundering in the run-up to its collapse in July.
Banco Espirito Santo’s demise reignited
fears over Portugal, which is one of the eurozone’s most fragile economies and which
needed to be bailed out in 2011. It also
raised questions over other potential financial skeletons in Europe.
The committee hearings are trying to figure out how Espirito Santo’s international
tourism-to-farming business empire, with
the bank at its heart, collapsed so suddenly.
The tensest moment of the hearings in
Parliament came last week with the testimony of two cousins: dapper former bank CEO
and family patriarch Ricardo Espirito Santo
Salgado, 70, who rubs shoulders with
European royalty; and pugnacious board
member Jose Maria Ricciardi, who is 10
years younger and tried to oust Salgado in a
boardroom coup last year. In almost 17
hours of testimony that ended in the early
hours of the morning, the pair testified separately and gave contradictory versions of
events. Salgado denied any wrongdoing
and pointed the blame at others. The
Portuguese government and Bank of
Portugal, he claims, refused his last-minute
plea to help the bank avoid bankruptcy.
And Salgado accused a rogue Luxembourgbased company accountant of concealing
debts of more than 1 billion euros. He also
regretted obscure business deals at the bank’s
Angolan arm, BES Angola, which holds more
than 1 billion euros in bad loans to reportedly
unidentified creditors.
Amid occasional memory lapses and an
insistence that some Espirito Santo board
proceedings were not recorded, Salgado
was unable to identify who held a 30 percent stake in Luxembourg-based Espirito
Santo International, an umbrella company in
which the family owned the balance.
Ricciardi came into the cramped hearing
room after his cousin and stunned parliamentarians with his version of events. He
claimed to have tried to blow the whistle on
the group’s financial difficulties in a letter to
regulators last May and said the overexposed bank should have requested state
aid as far back as 2008.
Salgado, who is suspected by regulators
of concealing problems by shifting money
around group companies to plug financial
holes, hinted that his cousin “had something
to gain” by contacting regulators. He didn’t
elaborate on that claim, though.
Ricciardi insisted that Salgado was at the
center of events concerning group interests
that stretched from Libya to Panama and
that no major decisions were taken without
Salgado’s consent. He also said recording
equipment at board meetings was on a
table for all to see.—AP
BRUSSELS: Trade unions brought
Belgium to a standstill yesterday
as the biggest general strike in
years grounded flights, cut international rail links and shut sea
ports in protest at the new government’s austerity plans.
In the climax to a month of
industrial action against new
Prime Minister Charles Michel’s
policies, striking workers stopped
public transpor t while most
schools, businesses and government offices shut down.
The tension boiled over in isolated incidents of violence as
union members clashed with riot
police outside the offices of a
hardline Flemish nationalist party
that is part of the coalition, and
torched a car in the port city of
Antwerp.
Pickets also blocked traffic outside the Brussels headquarters of
the European Union, a 28-nation
bloc that has seen years of
protests against austerity aimed at
cutting debts that threatened the
euro currency.
The Belgian strike came days
after a day of protest in I taly
against Prime Minister Matteo
Renzi’s ambitious reform plans,
while there have been similar
demonstrations in Spain and
Greece in recent months.
“There has never been a strike
this strong,” Marie-Helene Ska, the
head of the Christian CSC union,
was quoted as saying by the Belga
news agency.
Belgian trade unions launched
their movement last month with a
march of more than 100,000 people in Brussels, which ended in violent protests that left dozens of
police officers injured.
PM won’t budge
Unions went ahead with yesterday’s general strike after premier
Michel’s right-of-centre government refused to budge on plans to
save 11 billion euros ($13.7 billion)
over five years.
His coalition, which took office
in October, intends to raise the
retirement age from 65 to 67 from
2030, scrap plans for a usually
automatic cost-of-living raise next
year and introduce public sector
cutbacks.
French-speaking Michel-who at
38 is Belgium’s youngest prime
minister since 1840 — heads a
coalition of three Flemish-speaking right-leaning parties and his
own Francophone liberals.
Antwerp and Ostend for 24 hours
from 2100 GMT Sunday.
Some 50,000 passengers have
been affected as a total of 600
incoming and outgoing flights
have been cancelled at Brussels
international airpor t, spokeswoman Florence Muls said.
London and trains to the French
capital Paris, Amsterdam in the
Netherlands and the German city
of Cologne have also been halted
until early today.
The strike also paralysed activity in the port of Antwerp with 28
ships waiting to enter and 23 ships
BRUSSELS: Trains remain on the tracks at the Midi/Zuid railway station during a nationwide general strike in Brussels yesterday. Belgium braced for the biggest national strike in years after
unions grounded all flights and severed international rail links in protest at the new government’s austerity policies. —AFP
The government formed five
months after elections had hoped
to calm a nation deeply divided
between the richer Flanders and
the poorer French-speak ing
Wallonia, but instead has led to
weeks of industrial action.
The last national strike in
Belgium was in 2012 against the
government of socialist prime
minister Elio di Rupo.
Belgian airspace was closed
after air traffic controllers joined
the strike, preventing flights from
landing or taking off from airports
in Brussels, Charleroi, Liege,
‘A real disaster’
“All flights are cancelled.
Everything is immobilised,” Muls
told AFP, adding that it had
affected some travellers trying to
get away early for the Christmas
holidays.
“It’s a real disaster” for the airpor ts and passengers, JeanJacques Cloquet, managing director of Charleroi said on the RTBF
news website, adding there would
be a knock-on effect during the
busy holiday period.
Eurostar rail ser vices from
Brussels to the British capital
waiting to leave, a spokeswoman
told AFP, although there were fewer problems at the por t of
Zeebrugge.
Belgian rail SNCB said domestic
inter-city train services were cancelled and trams, buses and metro
services were all cancelled, leading
many people to take the day off
work and stay home.
Most post offices were able to
stay open despite the strike which
also affected schools, nurseries,
prisons and hospitals, where consultations and non-urgent operations were cancelled. —AFP
Honda Alghanim organizes second Open Day for Honda motorcycles
KUWAIT: After the huge success of Honda Open Day earlier this
year, which included the biggest display of Honda motorcycles
in Kuwait, Honda Alghanim organized its second Open Day in its
showroom, offering another exciting opportunity for enthusiasts to learn more about the latest models, features and designs
of the recently released motorcycles and ATVs. The Open Day
also introduced stylish accessories, merchandise and motorbike
gears that offer safety and unadulterated enjoyment while driving. The attendees included representatives of Honda Alghanim
management and a crowd of Honda enthusiasts, in which the
latter had the opportunity to take advantage of the promotions
offered exclusively at the event, including discounts on all
motorcycles and up to 50% discounts on accessories and spare
parts. Visitors also got to test-drive their favorite Honda motorcycles and ATVs, and buyers received exclusive gifts with their purchases.
DJ music and remixes added a festive, youthful air in the
motorcycles showroom, where in the midst of all the excitement, Honda Alghanim unveiled to the crowd the new
Goldwing F6C, and handed Hussein Taqi the keys to the first F6C
sold in Kuwait. The Goldwing F6C, which Honda launched
returns with an innovative stripped-down design that injects a
jolt of adrenaline into the power cruiser arena, making it best
choice for the modern rider. Available in Bordeaux Red and Pearl
Black, the Goldwing F6C is based on the Gold Wing chassis and
engine, with a stylish tail section that incorporates aluminum
passenger grab rails that are removable for a streamlined look.
With an awe-inspiring power-to-weight ratio, it features a lighter
body while its 1,832cc fuel-injected six-cylinder power plant
delivers a flood of torque from nowhere at five-speed gearbox.
Meanwhile, its low seat height of 28.8 inches gives the Valkyrie
an easy handling and a brilliant all-around performance.
The Goldwing F6C also includes a wealth of exceptional features including: Adjustable seats, curb weight with low center of
gravity, multi-function digital LCD instrumentation, 19-inch cast
aluminum front wheel with 17-inch rear, as well as an ABS mod-
el that contributes to consistent braking action under a wide
variety of road conditions.
Alghanim Motors, the sole distributor of Honda vehicles in
Kuwait, invites its customers to check the new Goldwing F6Cup
close by visiting the Alghanim motorcycles showroom in
Shuwaikh - opposite the Classic Cars Museum - open Saturday
to Thursday, from 8:30 AM until 8:30 PM, and on Fridays, from
10:00 AM until 8:00 PM. Alghanim Motors, the sole distributor
of Honda automobiles, motorcycles, power products, and
marine products in Kuwait, is committed to providing customers with flexible payment solutions and efficient and costeffective services.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16 2014
BUSINESS
Vietnam upholds banking tycoon’s 30-year jail term
HANOI: A Vietnamese court yesterday upheld
the 30-year jail sentence on a disgraced banking
tycoon for his role in a multi-million dollar scandal that shocked the nation’s financial markets.
Nguyen Duc Kien, 50, was found guilty in
June of fraud, tax evasion, illegal trading and
“deliberate wrongdoing causing serious consequences”. He denied the charges but was
imprisoned for three decades and handed a 75
billion dong ($3.5 million) fine.
“Kien still said he was innocent, but the court
has totally rejected the defence and concluded
that there was no foundation to reduce his sentence,” his lawyer Bui Quang Nghiem told AFP
after the ruling.
Kien appeared at the Hanoi Court of Appeals
every day over the course of his 10-day appeal
hearing. The flamboyant multi-millionaire was
on trial in June alongside seven other defendants, all top bankers at Asia Commercial Bank
(ACB) which counts global banking giant
Standard Chartered as one of its “strategic partners”.
Five of the defendants, who had been sentenced to between two and eight years in jail,
appealed alongside him in December.
One defendant, Le Vu Ky, 58, a former vicechairman of the ACB board, had his sentence
reduced from five to four years Monday. All the
other sentences were upheld.
Kien-a shareholder in some of Vietnam’s
largest financial institutions and a founder of
ACB-and his accomplices were accused of causing losses of $67 million through illegal cross-
bank deposits and investments.
They were said to have exploited legal loopholes to run complex schemes for raising and
transferring cash. These endangered the state’s
management of Vietnam’s money markets,
according to the verdict at the time.
Kien first rose to public prominence as a vocal
critic of corruption in Vietnamese football, using
his role as chairman of Hanoi Football Club to
sound off against Vietnam’s Football Federation.
When Kien was arrested in August 2012 it
sent “shockwaves across the country”, state
media reported at the time, and caused ACB’s
share price to plunge.
Some experts interpreted the arrest of the
high-profile banker as part of bitter infighting
within the ruling Communist Party. —AFP
Sandeep Saihgal - VP Huawei Device ME
Gadgets and technology
innovations to shape
the industry next year
2015 consumer electronics trends
DUBAI: With the advent of the CES set to
take place in Las Vegas January 2015,
technology enthusiasts are turning their
attention to the trends that are likely to
emerge from the world’s biggest consumer electronics event.
For nearly 40 years CES has served as a
platform for innovators and breakthrough
technologies, offering a global stage
where next-generation innovations are
introduced to the market. We spoke to
Sandeep Saihgal, Vice President of Huawei
Device Middle East ahead of the event for
his thoughts on what we can expect to see
at the show come January.
Standout Smartphone Features
Whilst most Smartphone vendors tend
to hold their product launches until
Mobile World Congress, we may well start
to see some emerging smartphone innovations making an appearance in Las
Vegas. There are three main smartphone
features that we think consumers will start
to see being developed in our smart
devices in 2015.
Flexible Screens - We have already seen
some prototypes of this kind of OLED
technology but with peaked interest from
consumers we believe there will be more
announcements of bendable smartphone
screens coming our way next year.
Seamless Voice Control - While technology is not new, there has been a lot of
R&D invested into voice control technology, looking to improve its functionality
with the help of various syntaxes. It will
not be long before vendors start integrating expanded voice enabled features into
our smart devices.
Three dimensional screens - One of the
most competitive features for vendors to
improve is screen resolution, offering crystal clear experiences for consumers. What
is the next stage? We think that we may
start to see the emergence of 3D screen
technology taking the user experience to
another level of interactivity.
Next Level Wearables
It is pretty safe to assume that
Wearables will play a significant role at
CES and indeed most of the consumer
electronics shows in 2015. In last year’s
show we saw our fair share of fitness,
activity and health trackers however more
recently the market started to heat up significantly. Consumers can expect to hear
more from Google’s Android Wear and the
first smartwatches built to run it. Then it is
a small step for other manufactures to get
involved. CES will also coincide with the
launch of Apple’s iWatch, which many
believe will be the point when the smartwatch industry truly kicks off. Perhaps we
will see wearables taking the next jump
though, with the introduction of standalone devices that do not need a mobile
device to operate or devices that are compatible on a variety of operating systems.
The smartphone will become the hub of
a personal-area network consisting of
wearable gadgets such as on-body healthcare sensors, smart jewelry, smart watches,
display devices (like Google Glass) and a
variety of sensors embedded in clothes and
shoes. These gadgets will communicate
with mobile apps to deliver information in
new ways and enable a wide range of products and services in areas such as sport, fitness, fashion, hobbies and healthcare.
Smart Car Innovation
There are various types of collaborative
innovations between the technology and
automotive industries that we can expect
to be showcased at CES, however we
believe that we will start seeing more of
the high-end automotive companies
introducing 4G LTE and WiFi Hotspot technologies in their cars. Any further smart
car innovation rests upon cars utilizing a
strong network connection. Additionally
with the proliferation of smart devices,
consumers are increasingly demanding
more WiFi hotspots for back-seat entertainment.
This trend plays into the wider Internet
of Things, and as this becomes more prolific, technology will continue to embed
itself into people’s everyday lives, changing how they engage with the world,
including their driving experiences.
Connectivity
Long Term Evolution (LTE) and its successor LTE Advanced (LTE-A) are cellular
technologies that improve spectral efficiency and will push cellular networks to
theoretical peak downlink speeds of up to
1 Gbps, while reducing latency. All mobile
users will benefit from improved bandwidth, and superior performance combined with new features such as LTE
Broadcast will enable network operators
to offer new services.
Early Greek vote threatens
state funds: Finance minister
ATHENS: Cash-strapped Greece could face
a funding shortage if early elections are
held in the middle of delicate negotiations
with EU-IMF creditors, the country’s finance
minister warned yesterday.
Failure to elect a president in a process
starting Wednesday would bring a snap
poll and Greece could face a “significant”
financing gap, Gikas Hardouvelis said.
“If there is no government...there will be
a significant financing gap,” Hardouvelis
told Naftemboriki daily. “The gap is manageable until February...but requirements
increase from March onwards.”
According to the International Monetary
Fund, Greece will require some 10 billion
euros ($12.5 billion euros) this coming year.
And early polls are a real possibility by
February given the balance of power in
parliament.
They would be held in the middle of fiscal talks with EU-IMF creditors in which
Greece hopes to negotiate some 7.0 billion
euros in loans, Hardouvelis said.
Analysts have warned that the embattled government of conservative Prime
Minister Antonis Samaras will be hardpushed to elect a president.
In a note on Friday, ratings agency
Moody’s said an early election would be a
“credit negative event” for Greece.
Government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi
said Monday: “We have been warned by
ratings agencies that early elections would
constitute a credit event.”
She later added that the government
“has safeguarded the country against any
danger.”
The parliamentary vote for a new president originally was supposed to be held in
Februar y, but brought for ward to
December 17 by the government.
Samaras said this was to remove political uncertainty at a time Greece is locked in
negotiations with its international creditors
over its latest budget and fiscal reforms for
the coming year.
The government, which has a slim lead
of 155 MPs in the 300-seat chamber, needs
to muster 200 MPs in the first two rounds of
voting to elect its candidate, former EU
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.
In a third or final round that would take
place December 29 it would need 180 MPs.
The prospect of early elections has
alarmed financial markets and last week
caused Greek stocks to slide dramatically,
with the Athens stock exchange index losing about a fifth of its value.
European
Economic
Affairs
Commissioner Pierre Moscovici flies to
Athens on Monday for a two-day visit to
support to the government.
Last week, European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that
an early poll could see “extreme forces” take
power in the crisis-hit country, referring to
radical leftist party Syriza, which has a
steady lead in opinion polls.
“I think the Greeks ... know very well
what a wrong election result would mean
for Greece and the eurozone,” Juncker said
on Austrian TV. “There is a chance that the
helm of the country could be taken by
extreme forces.”
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, a 40-year-old
former Communist, has pledged to raise
wages and pensions, halt privatisations and
re-negotiate Greece’s bailout agreement
with the EU-IMF creditors. — AFP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
BUSINESS
China in strong position in a world of low oil prices
KCIC Weekly Analysis on Asia
KUWAIT: Prices of goods are decelerating
around the world. Over the last few years,
disinflationary pressures have been prominent among developed economies, such
as in the eurozone, where inflation is
below 0.5% YoY this year, and in Japan,
which is still suffering from some deflation
expectations. Now, emerging markets are
starting to face a similar problem. In
emerging Asia, large economies such as
South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines and
Thailand all witnessed a decline in inflation
in November, well below their central bank
targets. China confirmed its downward
trend in inflation for November too.
Chinese inflation has been trending
down for around twelve months already,
with the decline intensifying in the last six
months. Consumer prices, measured by
the consumer price index (CPI), softened
from 2.5% YoY in May to 1.4% YoY in
November, partly due to lower oil prices.
Global oil prices began to fall in June, due
primarily to a supply glut, with Brent crude
plummeting from more than $110 per barrel in June to less than $70 today. China is a
net oil importer and the decreasing value
of oil imports is already translating into
cheaper domestic goods.
The transmission mechanism between
lower global oil prices and the price of consumer goods in China is evident in the
price of producer prices, as indicated by
producer price index (PPI), which has been
in deflation for nearly three years. In the
last six months, PPI deflation swelled from
0.9% YoY in July to 2.7% YoY in November.
Additionally, slowing internal demand is
India’s inflation
rate flat, raising
rate cut hopes
MUMBAI: India’s wholesale inflation
fell to a five-and-a-half-year low driven
by ongoing falls in fuel and food
prices, data showed yesterday, boosting expectations of an interest rate cut
early next year.
The Wholesale Price Index, India’s
inflation measure with the biggest
basket of goods, slipped to a lowerthan-expected zero percent in
November from a year earlier, the lowest rate since July 2009, official data
showed.
The latest WPI compares with a fiveyear-low of 1.77 percent recorded in
October, and was below analysts’ estimates of about 1.1 percent. Analysts
said Reserve Bank of India governor
Raghuram Rajan’s aggressive policies
to curb price rises appeared to be paying off.
The sharp fall in global crude oil
prices also helped keep inflation in
check in India, which imports most of
its fuel.
“This means the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) will be under pressure to
cut rates,” said Arun Singh, senior
economist at credit data firm Dun &
Bradstreet.
Figures released on Friday showed
consumer inflation slowed to 4.38 percent, a three-year low, while industrial
output contracted, also putting pressure on the central bank to cut rates.
That inflation figure was below the
RBI’s six-percent goal for January 2016,
and down sharply from double-digit
inflation last year.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is
hoping for a cut in borrowing costs to
boost investment and stimulate the
faltering economy, which is mired in
the longest slowdown in a quarter of a
century.
But even with inflation falling, the
RBI has resisted appeals to loosen
monetary policy. Rises in prices of food
especially have caused huge hardship
for India’s 1.2 billion population, of
which nearly a quarter live in severe
poverty, according to the World Bank.
Rajan, a former chief economist of
the IMF, said earlier this month a cut in
its benchmark repo rate was “premature”, but indicated a reduction was
very likely in early 2015 if inflation continued to fall.
“ The world has not changed
between now and the last RBI policy
meeting. The fall in inflation was
expected,” said Ashutosh Datar, economist at IIFL Holdings Ltd, who predicted
the RBI will wait for two more months
of inflation data before acting.
India’s economy grew by 4.7 percent
last year and the RBI expects it to
expand by 5.5 percent this year-far
below the near double-digit growth
needed to generate employment for
tens of millions of new entrants to the
job market. —AFP
However, the downside risk is the potentially harmful effect lower prices may have
on inflation expectations and wage
growth, but this scenario is unlikely in the
short term.
Oil prices are widely expected to
remain low for the next few months. There
are no signs that global demand will recover - the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut oil
demand forecasts for next year - nor that
excess supply in the oil market will ease.
OPEC will likely leave the output limit
unchanged due to differences within the
organization and uncertainty regarding
OPEC’s degree of impact on oil prices and
revenue. Also, less stable producers are still
producing at a high level. At the same
time, the US dollar has been considerably
appreciating, hence triggering a depreciation in non-pegged emerging market currencies. If the currency trend continues, it
may offset the positive effects of lower oil
prices on net oil importers by making
imports more expensive in local currency
terms. However, China is more protected
from the US dollar strength, as the Chinese
yuan is not allowed to move less than 2%
from a midpoint rate set daily.
The world reserve currency is expected
to remain strong as expectations for a policy rate hike increase. As such, among
emerging markets, China is in a good position going into next year as it faces lower
oil import costs, more room for additional
monetary stimulus and increasing real disposable income at the right time to introduce important reforms.
Asian stocks slump,
Tokyo leads losses
Ooredoo Kuwait appoints new
Chairman of Board of Directors
KUWAIT: Ooredoo Kuwait announced yes- dled key projects like the restructuring of
terday the appointment of Sheikh Saud Bin the organization and job evaluation and
Nasser Al Thani as Chairman of Board of compensation review.
Sheikh Saud holds several
Directors. He will succeed
key positions in reputable
Sheikh
Abdullah
Bin
establishment, such as Vice
Mohammad Bin Saud Al Thani,
Chairman of Ooredoo Oman’s
who was recently appointed as
board of directors and board
Chief Executive Officer of Qatar
member in Arabsat. He has a
Investment Authority.
Bachelor of Arts in Public
Sheikh Saud is currently the
Administration from Western
Chief Executive Officer of
International
University,
Ooredoo Qatar. He joined
Phoenix, Arizona.
Ooredoo in 1990. Since then, he
Ooredoo also appointed
has gained a wide range of
Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo as Vice
experience in internal relations,
Sheikh Abdullah
Chairman of Board of Directors,
personnel administration,
human resources and policies Bin Mohammad Bin and Ahmed Ali Al-Mohannadi
Saud Al Thani
as board member.
and procedures. He has han-
also contributing to the decline in inflation.
Core inflation, which excludes food and
energy costs, fell from 1.7% YoY in June to
1.3% YoY, with the latest dip coming from
lower recreation, education and cultural
prices, while the PPI deflation swelled due
to weakness in the industrial sector.
The Chinese economy is in a clear
deceleration trend, but lower oil prices will
help the net importing economy. The
Cheaper input costs will help industrial
companies reduce the downside effects of
sluggish demand on profits. At the same
time, lower consumer prices, through softening energy prices, may also support consumption. On the policy side, lower inflation in the economy allows the People’s
Bank of China (PBoC), the nation’s central
bank, to introduce additional stimulus.
Investors focused on BoJ’s quarterly Tankan survey
HONG KONG: Asian markets fell yesterday as oil remained near five-year
lows, while investors in Japan
shrugged off Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe’s decisive re-election and
focused instead on the faltering
economy.
Sydney shed 0.64 percent as a
hostage crisis erupted in the heart of
the city, with terrified people cowering inside a cafe where an Islamic flag
was displayed against a window,
sparking a security lockdown in an
area home to government and corporate headquarters.
Stocks on the Australian market
dropped 33.5 points to close at
5,186.1, while in Tokyo the Nikkei 225
index closed down 1.57 percent, or
272.18 points, at 17,099.40. Seoul finished flat, falling 1.35 points to
1,920.36.
Hong Kong lost 0.95 percent, or
221.35 points to close at 23,027.85,
but Shanghai ended 0.52 percent, or
15.25 points, higher at 2,953.42.
Tokyo slipped after Abe’s widely
expected election win in a snap poll
on Sunday that he had billed as a referendum on his economic policies.
“The elections are a net plus for
the market, but really came as no surprise and thus are not likely to be a
very large factor in today’s trading,”
said Nomura Securities equity market
strategist Junichi Wako.
“Analysts are essentially back to
where they were before-hoping for a
thorough fleshing out of Abe’s plan
to revitalise the economy,” he told
Dow Jones Newswires.
Japanese confidence down
Investors were also focused on
the Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan
survey that showed confidence
among major Japanese manufacturers edged down in the three months
to December.
The slide in Asian markets comes
after crashing oil prices dragged US
stocks to one of their worst losses of
the year on Friday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
fell 1.79 percent and the S&P 500
tumbled 1.62 percent. It was the S&P
500’s first weekly loss in nearly two
months and its worst single-week
decline — 3.5 percent-since May
2012.
Oil prices bounced back some-
what in Asian trade yetsreday but
remained near five-year lows. US
benchmark West Texas Intermediate
rose 49 cents to $58.30 while Brent
gained 68 cents to $62.53 in afternoon trade, reversing losses in both
contracts in early trading.
Lower oil prices benefit consumers, but traders have been
unnerved by the speed of the freefall
in crude prices, which could put projects on hold in the oil sector and hurt
energy companies and banks.
In other markets:
Wellington fell 0.29 percent, or
15.88 points, to 5,499.07. Fletcher
Building was off 0.62 percent at
NZ$8.05 and Air New Zealand was
down 1.21 percent at NZ$2.44.
Taipei fell 41.70 points, or 0.46 percent, to 8,985.63. Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co finished 0.74 percent
higher at Tw$136.0 while Hon Hai
Precision Industry shed 2.12 percent to
Tw$87.7.
Manila finished up 0.71 percent, or
Kuala Lumpur fell 1.8 percent, or
31.17 points, to 1,701.82. Malayan
Banking slid 2.49 percent to 8.60 ringgit, while AMMB Holdings dropped
3.28 percent to 6.19.
Jakarta closed down 1.01 percent,
or 52 points, at 5,108.43. Car maker
Astra International lost 2.09 percent to
7,025 rupiah, while food producer
Indofood Sukses Makmur rose 0.38
percent to 6,575 rupiah.
Singapore closed down 0.90 percent, or 29.99 points, to 3,294.14. Oil
TOKYO: A businessman is reflected on a share prices board in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s share
prices fell 227.17 points to close at 17,144.41 points at the morning session of the Tokyo Stock
Exchange as investors shrugged off Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s widely expected weekend election win and focussed on drops on Wall Street and lower oil prices. —AFP
Oil prices have plunged more
than 50 percent since June.
On forex markets the dollar was
lower, buying 118.23 yen in early
Monday trade against 118.79 yen in
New York on Friday afternoon.
The euro fell to 147.31 yen from
148.05 yen and to $1.2453 from
$1.2464 in US trade.
Gold was at $1,210.54 an ounce at
1035 GMT compared with $1,225.00
late Friday.
51.41 points, at 7,275.62. Philippine
Long Distance Telephone lost 0.14
percent to 2,840 pesos while Universal
Robina rose 1.24 percent to 196.40
pesos.
Bangkok closed down 2.41 percent, or 36.46 points, at 1,478.49.
Media operator BEC World plunged
5.66 percent to 50.00 baht, while oil
company PTT Exploration and
Production sank 5.33 percent to
106.50 baht.
rig maker Keppel Corp fell 1.24 percent to Sg$8.00 while Singapore
Airlines finished down 0.43 percent at
Sg$11.58.
Mumbai ended 0.11 percent, or
31.12 points, lower at 27,319.56
points. India’s IT outsourcing giant
Tata Consultancy Services fell 3.78
percent to 2,362.80 rupees, while the
Housing Development Finance Corp
gained 4.94 percent to 1,123.10
rupees. —AFP
Ford EcoBoost Police Interceptors repeat as quickest accelerating in Michigan
DUBAI: Ford Motor Company, manufacturer of
the best-selling police vehicles since 1996,
trumped the competition in recent instrumented
acceleration testing conducted separately by the
Michigan State Police and Los Angeles Sheriff’s
Department.
The EcoBoost-powered Ford Police
Interceptor sedan bested all V8-equipped competitors’ sedans in testing by both Michigan and
California authorities, while Ford Police
Interceptor utility with EcoBoost out-accelerated
the competition’s all-new V8-equipped utility and
all base V6-powered sedans.
“We are thrilled to repeat as having best acceleration,” said ArieGroeneveld, Ford Taurus,
Explorer and Police Interceptor chief engineer.
“Quickly closing the distance between an officer
and a target vehicle is key to safely avoiding highspeed pursuits. Our police vehicles are built
around officer safety, and outstanding performance is yet another demonstration of that commitment.”
Testing results
Preliminary results of Michigan State Police
testing show the 2015 Ford Police Interceptor
sedan with all-wheel drive is fastest of the fast posting a 0-60 mph time of 5.85 seconds, compared to 6.31 seconds for a competing 5.7-liter V8
sedan with all-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is standard on Ford Police Interceptor sedan, optional
on the competing model.
The Ford EcoBoost-powered sedan also
topped a competing 6.0-liter V8-equipped sedan,
which clocked a 0-60 mph time of 6.17 seconds.
“Ford Police Interceptors are the only police
vehicles to be pursuit-tested for three years in a
row by both Michigan State Police and Los
Angeles County Sheriff’s Department with traction control and electronic stability control safety
systems fully engaged,” said Jonathan Honeycutt,
marketing manager, Ford police vehicles. “Our
safety philosophy entails testing our vehicles as
our agencies will drive them.”
Ford also took top honors in Michigan State
Police 0-100 mph testing: Police Interceptor
sedan turned a 14.19-second 0-100 mph time,
while a competing 5.7-liter sedan posted 15.63
seconds and a rival 6.0-liter sedan took 14.69 seconds. The results are similar for utility vehicles.
Ford Police Interceptor utility with standard allwheel drive hit 60 mph in 6.55 seconds and 100
mph in 16.13 seconds. A competing all-new utility vehicle powered by a 5.3-liter V8 posted a 0-60
mph time of 7.31 seconds and a 0-100 mph time
of 18.99 seconds.
Additionally, Ford Police Interceptor utility
repeated with fastest lap time around Grattan
Raceway among police utility vehicles.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department testing results
Results from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department tests are even more dominant for
Ford Police Interceptor. For the first time, the
department conducted testing with a “key on
and drive” policy - meaning stability and traction
control settings were in default mode as when
the vehicles are first turned on.
Ford Police Interceptor sedan repeated as
the quickest-accelerating vehicle overall in Los
Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tests,
with a 0-60 mph time of 5.9 seconds. The
EcoBoost-equipped Ford Police Interceptor
utility not only out-accelerated its competition,
but was quicker at 0-60 mph than all base
model (V6-powered) sedans.
At Auto Club Speedway in Fontana,
California, where testing was conducted, Ford
Police Interceptor sedan with EcoBoost placed
first overall, posting a fastest lap of 1:20.47. The
EcoBoost-equipped Police Interceptor utility also
placed first and posted best-in-class stopping
distances. Through October 2014, the most
recent data available, Ford has commanded
more than half of the new police vehicle market 56 percent - hitting a high of 66 percent market
share for July.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
BUSINESS
BPG Group to Introduce Obi mobiles brand in ME, Africa and CIS
DUBAI: Obi Mobiles, the new technology brand co-founded by veteran marketer and former Apple CEO John
Sculley, has appointed the BPG Group to
manage and effectively introduce the
brand to the highly smartphone savvy
EMEA market. Following successful
launches in India and most recently the
UAE, the technology company has now
engaged with the Dubai-headquartered
BPG Group for creative advertising and
media planning and buying services.
Through its specialist businesses BPG
| bates and BPG Maxus, the agency will
create regionally relevant campaigns to
tell the Obi Mobiles story and reinforce
their core brand essence of “Whoever
You Are”. Amit Rupchandani, Managing
Director for the MENA region at Obi
Mobiles, said: “We needed to find a communications partner who had the ideas,
innovation, creativity and understanding of our business to help us achieve
our ambitious growth strategy. In BPG
Group we have found a partner with
whom we can confidently move forward
and bring our products to a smartphone
hungry market in the weeks and months
ahead.”
Commenting on the new partnership
with Obi, BPG Group CEO Avi Bhojani
said: “As one of the longest established
and largest marketing solutions groups
in the MENA region, BPG | Group is ideally geared to helping this new, innovative and exciting mobile brand make a
dynamic and lasting impact.”
Speaking about the appointment,
BPG MaxusCEOSatish Mayya added: “We
are extremely excited to have been
appointed as the media AOR for the
region. Given our long experience in the
region and use of media as an innovation tool to deliver the message effectively, and Obi Mobiles’ need for a partner who will look at things differently,
we feel that it will be a perfect fit.”
BPG bates General Manager Suneesh
Menon added: “Firmly aimed at the
young and trendy smartphone user, we
are looking forward to ensuring Obi
Mobiles can have maximum impact
among a tech-savvy, young and highly
mobile population.”
At its launch in Dubai in September,
Obi Mobiles announced that Jumbo
would become its exclusive distributor
in the region covering the markets of
the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar
and Iraq.
VIVA launches e-store for
added customer convenience
KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing
and most developed telecom operator,
announced today the launch of its EStore, a full-fledged online shopping
facility for its customers. This new service
will be available for customers starting
from 16 December 2014, via VIVA’s website www.viva.com.kw/
VIVA continues to look for innovative
concepts to reach out to its customers
wherever they may be. With this latest
launch, VIVA is becoming closer to its
customers and making their payment
solutions easier than ever. The E-Store
will simplify the challenges of E-commerce by providing the customer with
an engaging and dynamic experience
throughout the checkout experience.
Through the new online E-Store,
VIVA’s customers can select from any of
VIVA’s products and services, or any of its
latest promotions, place them into a
shopping basket and then proceed to
the checkout to a secure payment portal
in accordance with current payment
security regulations and policies.
VIVA’s E-Store will be available 24
hours a day throughout the week, allowing its customers the ease to browse
through all its products, services, pack-
ages and promotions. Customers will
also be able to view product images as
well as video pertaining to the manufacture’s release preview of products and
services. In addition, VIVA’s E-Store customers will be able to conveniently
select a preferred delivery date for the
products they purchased which will be
delivered right to their door step.
VIVA is always keen to offer the latest
and best services to its customers to
ensure a high level of customer service
satisfaction. VIVA will continue its commitment to provide its clients with fast
and reliable services that exceeds customers’ expectations.
With this new service, VIVA reiterates
its commitment to continuously provide
unique services designed to exceed the
customers’ expectations, as the main
objective of the company is to satisfy the
customers in every possible way by
adding real value to the customers experience while enjoying unrivalled communication.
To find out more about VIVA’s latest
initiatives, offers and promotions, visit
one of the 62 VIVA branches, or the VIVA
website at www.viva.com.kw, or call
VIVA’s 24 hour call center on 102.
Jazeera Airways Group shareholders
expand business activities
KUWAIT: In an Extraordinary General Assembly
held yesterday, Jazeera Airways Group shareholders approved a series of Board of Directorsrecommended amendments to the Group’s
Articles of Incorporation that permit the Group
to start new business lines and activities within
the passenger airlines sector and the aircraft
leasing sector, in addition to other complementary sectors both locally and internationally.
Jazeera Airways Group Chairman, Marwan
Boodai, said: “We thank our shareholders for
their continued support and for approving the
amendment in the articles. These amendments
will immediately enable us to take advantage of
opportunities in our market and further boost
our National Carrier status and in par with other
carriers in the Gulf and Middle East in terms of
potential, scope and breadth of operation to
serve the long-term objectives of the Group.”
Shareholders ratified all 25 Board-recommended amendments. Below is a summary of
the amendments to the Group’s Articles of
Incorporation:
•The company may provide all travel and aviation transport services, cargo, freight, and air mail
transport services locally and internationally.
• The company may provide airlines with purchasing and acquisition services for aircraft and
other assets, and coordinate with manufacturers
accordingly.
• The company may provide airlines with leasing services for aircraft and other assets.
• The company may engage in aircraft remarketing services, aircraft sales services, and aircraft leasing services for the company or other
airlines.
• The company may provide services related
to financing, technical support, and asset management for airlines.
• The company may participate in joint
investment opportunities in the aviation sector,
as well as directly investing in ‘order and placement’ services for aircraft, engines, and spare
parts.
• The company may provide airlines with support services including ground handling, maintenance and engineering, and others support
services directly or through subsidiaries and
agencies.
• The company may provide fleet acquisition
financing and services.
• The company may own vehicles, real estate,
and other assets directly relating to company
activities.
• The company may engage in travel and
tourism services, tour operations, land transport
services, auto rental services, currency exchange
services, in-air and on-ground duty free services,
advertising revenue generating activities, customer competitions and events, publishing of
magazines and other periodicals.
• The company may offer duty facilitation
services to third parties for items related to the
aviation sector.
• The company may establish academic, professional, and technical training institutes for
professions related to the aviation sector.
• The company may invest its earnings in
deposits and funds.
Jazeera Airways Group is a Kuwait Stock
Exchange-listed company with a fleet of 15
A320s, through its wholly-owned leasing-arm
Sahaab Aircraft Leasing. Sahaab has assets
placed with Virgin America, SriLankan Airlines,
Flynas, TAP Portugal and Jazeera Airways.
Iran imports gasoil
after many months,
unlikely to continue
United Foundries signs
sale, purchase deal for
two metallurgy companies
KUWAIT: United Foundries Company months ending 30 September 2014. Fully
SAE, a non-core asset of Qalaa Holdings, EGP 64 million of those losses were consigned today sale and purchase agree- tributed by AAC and AMC.
ments for 100% of two metallurgy com“We have made a clear commitment
panies for a total deferred consideration to our shareholders and our board to
of c. EGP 260 million at the current rate finalize the disposal of our discontinued
of exchange.
companies by the end of 1Q15 to avoid
Under the terms of the transactions, a the consolidation of needless losses on
group of investors led
our P&L,” said Hisham Elby Ahmed Sid Ahmed Khazindar, Co-Founder and
one of the original
Managing Director of Qalaa
founders and share Holdings (CCAP.CA on the
holders of the two
Egyptian Exchange, formercompanies - will
ly Citadel Capital), an
acquire 100% of the
African leader in infrastrucshares of Alexandria
ture and industry.
Automotive Casting
“This transaction is funSAE (AAC) for a
damentally about the
deferred consideration
reduction of risk as we look
of EUR 27 million and
to focus on our proven win100% of the shares of
ners going for ward and
Hisham El-Khazindar
Amreya
Metal
thus refrain from sinking
Company SAE (AMC)
funds into turnarounds that
for a deferred consideration of EGP 20 may or may not succeed,” added Elmillion. Both companies produce cast Khazindar.
parts and components for the local and
Execution of the transactions will
global automotive assembly industry.
result in neither a capital gain nor a loss
The sale amounts are payable over a to Qalaa Holdings at the consolidated
six-year period ending June 2021, and level at this time.
the buyers may receive discounts in the
The transactions are expected to close
event that payments are made on an in January 2015 and are subject to condiaccelerated schedule.
tions precedent; both SPAs include furBoth companies are classified as “dis- ther provisions to protect the interests of
continued operations” in Qalaa’s financial UCF until such a time as the sale amount
statements alongside a group of compa- is paid in full.
nies including turnkey contractor ESACO;
United Foundries and its plant, which
and agrifoods brands Enjoy, Misriyeen, specialize in the production of consumEl-Aguizy and Mom’s Foods. Together, ables for the cement industry, are not
discontinued operations contributed subject to sale under these agreements
losses of EGP 143.9 million to Qalaa and remain non-core assets of Qalaa
Holdings’ income statement in the nine Holdings.
SINGAPORE: Iran resumed gasoil imports this quarter
after a gap of several months on rising consumption of
heating oil during winter, but the arrivals are unlikely to
continue as the demand is only seasonal, industr y
sources said on Monday.
Iran’s imports are expected to have a muted impact
on Asian gasoil margins as the volumes are too small and
they come at a time when the region is flooded with supply from new capacity in the Middle East and China,
traders said.
“Gasoil imports have been done due to seasonal conditions and they will certainly not continue,” oil ministry
news agency Shana quoted Mohsen Qamsari, the director of international affairs of the National Iranian Oil Co,
as saying. Only small volumes have arrived over the past
two months, Qamsari said.
A source close to the matter, who declined to be
named as he was not authorised to speak to media, said
Iran was expected to import about 2-3 cargoes of high
sulphur gasoil this year.
“The imports might be similar to last year and are not
as considerable as they used to be about 2 to 3 years
ago, as production is up,” he said.
Iran has had to increase its refining capacity over the
past few years due to Western efforts to prevent it from
importing fuel as part of sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear
activities.
Iran hopes to boost its oil refining capacity to 3 million barrels per day by 2018 from 1.9 million now with
the opening of new refineries as the OPEC member seeks
to reduce its dependency on imports of oil products.
The gasoil cargoes coming to Iran are likely from the
Middle East, a second source said, without giving any
further details.
Each cargo to Iran, which uses gasoil to generate power, is likely to contain about 60,000 tonnes of gasoil, a
trader said.
Australia, Asia-Pacific’s top gasoil importer, imports
about 800,000 to 1 million tonnes a month every month.
Qamsari also said that Iran has been expor ting
500,000 tonnes a month of fuel oil and 100,000 tonnes a
month of liquefied petroleum gas.
Talks between Iran and six powers, the United States,
China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, failed last
month to resolve a 12-year stand-off over Tehran’s
nuclear ambitions as the sides agreed to extend the talks
till June 2015. —Reuters
Toyota brings
unprecedented exceptional
offers this December
KUWAIT: Mohamed Naser Al-Sayer & Sons,
one of the Al-Sayer Group Holding
Companies and Toyota brings spectacular
offers for range of Toyota models this
December, towards the end of the Group’s
60th Year Anniversary Celebrations.
• Exceptional price deals on Land Cruiser
models
• First time ever attractive price for
Prado and Rav4
• Excellent price offer and 3000 liters of
fuel on FJ Cruiser
• Get 1000 liters of fuel and 1 ounce of
Gold with Avalon
• Buy Camry for a “never to be repeated”
price
• 3000 liters of fuel and 2 free service/40000 KM with Corolla, Yaris Sedan and
Yaris Hatchback
This unprecedented offer is in addition
to 5 years warranty with unlimited mileage,
3rd party insurance, free car registration
and “Musada” roadside assistance.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
technology
Sony hacking highlights test to ‘One Sony’ vision
TOKYO: Leaked emails reveal a cultural gulf
between Japan’s Sony Corp and Hollywood subsidiary Sony Pictures Entertainment, highlighting
the challenge of CEO Kazuo Hirai to turn around the
money-losing company under the slogan One Sony.
The Japanese conglomerate is heading for its
fifth net loss in six years, raising questions about its
ability to hold on to businesses ranging from making television sets to movies. While activist hedge
fund investor Daniel Loeb has given up his call for
Sony to spin off its entertainment arm, others
believe it should exit weak product lines such as TVs.
Bilingual Hirai is linked to both sides of Sony,
having experience at both the video games and
music businesses. He is therefore widely considered
one of the company’s few executives capable of
bringing together the manufacturing and moviemaking cultures of Tokyo and Hollywood.
But along with racial jokes related to U.S.
President Barack Obama and disparaging remarks
about top actors, leaked emails from Sony Pictures
executives reveal tension between Hirai and the
film studio. The emails were leaked following a
cyberattack on Sony’s computer systems last
month by a group demanding the company pull
upcoming film “The Interview”, a comedy criticised
by North Korea for depicting the assassination of its
leader. They show Hirai ordered the film to be
toned down and encountered resistance from the
film’s creators including co-director and actor Seth
Rogen. Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal tried
to mediate.
The emails also show film executives viewed
Hirai and Chief Financial Officer Kenichiro Yoshida
with trepidation ahead of cost cuts aimed at
increasing profit margins.
Sony Pictures Chief Executive Officer Michael
Lynton in October forwarded to Pascal an email
from Yoshida, marked “confidential” and seeking
“serious consideration to modifying the
Entertainment executives compensation plans”.
“This is also what I am now dealing with,” he
wrote. Sony declined to comment for this article
and Hirai was not made available for interview.
Company sources said Sony Pictures was taking the
lead in the investigation and that Hirai was briefed
frequently. People close to the investigation told
Reuters the North Korean state is a principal suspect.
ONE SONY
The hack comes as Hirai is trying to prove Sony is
better off with all of its businesses including cameras, films and insurance under one roof.
Last year, Loeb called on Hirai to sell part of the
entertainment business to fund restructuring in its
electronics arm. That, Loeb said, would also force
the market to assess the value of the entertainment
business more highly.
That business has recently been helping to partially offset weakness in smartphones. Last month,
Hirai forecast sales at the Sony Pictures to rise to as
much as $11 billion in three years, 36 percent more
than current business year.
“The entertainment segment has maintained
profitability for 18 years straight, and as a generator
of stable profit, it is a major pillar of the Sony
Group,” Hirai told investors on Nov. 18, days before
the hack became apparent.
Sony shares have risen around 18 percent this
year in recognition of Hirai’s turnaround efforts. In
September, however, Sony cut its outlook for the
sixth time on Hirai’s watch. Many investors and analysts now believe Hirai should make more drastic
cuts in its electronics arm.
Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal said Yoshida’s
appointment this year spurred change, such as an
exit from personal computers. Goyal said Sony
could eventually sell its TV set business. Mitsushige
Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Asset
Management, said Sony should also exit the commoditised smartphone market as well. “Phones,
TVs... It would be better to wind down those areas,
and soon,” he said. Sony should focus instead on
highly-profitable products such as its image sensors
which are used in smartphones including Apple
Inc’s iPhones, he said. “There’s no reason to do
everything.” — AP
People finding their ‘waze’
to once-hidden streets
LOS ANGELES: When the people whose
houses hug the narrow warren of streets paralleling the busiest urban freeway in America
began to see bumper-to-bumper traffic
crawling by their homes a year or so ago,
they were baffled.
When word spread that the explosively
popular new smartphone app Waze was
sending many of those cars through their
neighborhood in a quest to shave five minutes off a daily rush-hour commute, they
were angry and ready to fight back.
They would outsmart the app, some said,
by using it to report phony car crashes and
traffic jams on their streets that would keep
the shortcut-seekers away.
Months later, the cars are still there, and
the people are still mad. “The traffic is
unbearable now. You can’t even walk your
dog,” said Paula Hamilton, who lives on a
once quiet little street in the Santa Monica
Mountains in a neighborhood called
Sherman Oaks.
Hamilton’s winding little road up the lowslung mountains that separate the city’s traffic-clogged San Fernando Valley from its
equally traffic-clogged west side is now filled
each weekday morning with a parade of
exhaust-belching, driveway-blocking,
bumper-to-bumper cars.
So is practically every other nearby street
that parallels the busy Interstate 405 freeway.
On the other side of the mountain, where
cars cruise down roads into tony Brentwood,
traffic has also been the hot topic of late,
with several people telling each other they
will fool the app with their phony accident
reports. “I don’t know if you could find anyone who would admit to doing it, but several
people have said they will,” longtime resident
Joann Killeen said.
If they have, they’ve obviously failed.
Killeen said her four-mile commute to UCLA,
where she teaches a public relations class,
can take two hours during rush hour. “The
streets on the west side are no longer a
secret for locals, and people are angry,” she
said.
That’s because the app can’t be outsmarted, Waze spokeswoman Julie Mossler said.
“With millions of users in LA, fake, coordinated traffic reports can’t come to fruition
because they’ll be negated by the next 10
people that drive down the street passively
using Waze,” she said.
Besides, Mossler added, “people are inherently good,” meaning most wouldn’t really
screw with the app, no matter what they
might say.
Indeed, of all the angry people interviewed for this story, none would admit
doing so, although most said they heard
someone else had. Many, however, have
been complaining to local officials.
“First thing this morning, my field deputy
took an earful from a resident up there,” said
City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents Hamilton’s neighborhood.
There are some things that can be done
to mitigate the situation, said Los Angeles
Department of Transportation spokesman
Bruce Gillman, like placing speed bumps and
four-way stop signs on streets. Lanes could
even be taken out to discourage shortcut
seekers, but a neighborhood traffic study
would have to be done first. “Road diet, they
call it,” Gillman said. “It’s to make streets so
people can walk, people can bike.” But the
bigger problem, Gillman said, is that everybody is using smartphone apps these days
and they will quickly find every shortcut out
there.
“I plead guilty to that,” said Richard Close,
who is president of the Sherman Oaks
Homeowners Association that represents
Hamilton’s neighborhood.
As soon as he gets over the hill to Killeen’s
neighborhood, Close said, he uses the app to
find the fastest route to his office in Santa
Monica. Killeen herself admitted she uses
Waze and also Sigalert.com to get around
town. —AP
LOS ANGELES: This Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 early morning rush hour traffic winds it’s
way along a narrow street in Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles. — AP
Agility establishes
technology company
to offer IT solutions
KUWAIT: Agility, a leading global logistics provider, has set up Foresight, a new
technology company that offers IT consultancy services and solutions, under its
Infrastructure group of companies.
Agility plans to offer the services of
Foresight to the government and commercial sectors in Kuwait to help them
become more innovative, efficient, and
competitive in the global marketplace.
Tarek Sultan, CEO of Agility, said:
“Agility is a firm believer in technologydriven transformation. In today’s virtually
connected and highly competitive world,
Foresight will play an important role in
helping companies in both the public
and private sectors to up their game
through the use of innovative and efficient technology.”
Foresight’s IT services portfolio
extends to private and public organizations, and includes business transformation, management consultancy, technology innovations, and IT solutions and
development. The company currently
lends its technology expertise to two
government projects - Kuwait
Government Online Phase II (KGO II) and
Kuwait General Administration of
Customs (KGAC).
Alessandro Magnoli Bocchi, CEO of
Foresight
Speaking about e-Government,
Alessandro Magnoli Bocchi, CEO of
Foresight, said: “E-Gov is not just about
putting processes online, but re-engineering them. Process prioritization, harmonization and re-engineering across
key government functions are essential
steps leading to the accessibility of E-Gov
services online. Foresight supports E-Gov
through our IT solutions, backed by
Agility’s robust technology framework
and high level of expertise.”
MAINE: In this Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 file photo, a shopper pays for her purchases at a Target store in South Portland, Maine. Criminals stole personal information from tens of millions of Americans in data breaches last year. — AP
Identity theft victims
face months of hassle
SAN FRANCISCO: As soon as Mark Kim
found out his personal information was
compromised in a data breach at
Target last year, the 36-year-old tech
worker signed up for the retailer’s free
credit monitoring offer so he would be
notified if someone used his identity to
commit fraud.
Someone did. The first monitoring
report showed crooks opened
accounts in his name at Macy’s and
Kohl’s department stores, where they
racked up more than $7,000 in charges.
“My heart basically sank,” he said. Over
the next seven months the New York
City resident spent hours on the
phone, most of a day in a police station
filing a report, and countless time
sending documents to banks and credit reporting agencies to clear his credit
history.
He’s hardly alone. The Target hack
during last year’s Black Friday shopping
weekend was just one in a wave of
data breaches that have exposed more
than 100 million customer records at
U.S. retailers, banks and Internet companies.
The latest high-profile hack, at Sony
Pictures Entertainment, resulted in
Social Security numbers and other personal details of nearly 50,000 current
and former Sony employees and film
actors being stolen and posted online
for anyone to see. While cases are difficult to trace, analysts at Javelin Strategy
& Research estimate that one in three
Americans affected by a data breach
ultimately became the victim of fraud
last year - up from one in nine in 2010.
Although banks often absorb
bogus charges, it’s up to victims to
clean up their credit histories and
recover stolen funds. On top of lost
time, money and emotional energy,
victims face the frustration of rarely
seeing anyone pay for the crimes.
Identity theft cases are rarely prosecuted, said Avivah Litan, an analyst who
studies fraud and identity theft for the
research firm Gartner.
Local police have limited resources,
and criminals are often overseas, “so
unless it’s part of a bigger pattern,
they’re not going to spend much time
pursuing it.” Kim said a police detective
who took his complaint later told him
the accounts were opened by someone in California, but Kim never heard
any more about the investigation.
In the past year, Target and other
major retailers have said they’re
increasing security. President Obama
has urged banks and stores to speed
up adoption of “chip-and-pin” payment
cards, which are harder to hack. But
reports of data breaches continue. And
as Federal Trade Commission member
Terrell McSweeney said recently,
“Disturbingly, the news has seemed to
desensitize many people to the real
risks created each time an event
occurs.”
Kim can’t be certain Target was the
source of the fraud he experienced, he
acknowledged. Experts say crooks
often steal or buy consumer information from more than one source, and
use it to compile a complete dossier on
potential victims. That’s likely the way
hackers last year impersonated the rich
and famous to get credit reports on
Paris Hilton, Michelle Obama and even
General Keith Alexander, then-head of
the National Security Agency.
Alexander told a public forum this
fall that when he tried to file his taxes,
he learned someone else had already
claimed a $9,000 refund in his name.
Fraudsters also used his identity to
apply for about 20 credit cards. The FBI
eventually caught a suspect, he said;
the FBI declined comment.
Meticulous by nature, Kim documented every conversation with an
investigator or company representative. He was fortunate, he added, that
his employer let him use the phone
and fax machine where he works. “If I
worked at a stricter company, it would
have been a nightmare,” he said. But
Kim was never reimbursed for sending
affidavits and other documents by certified mail to various banks and agencies.
While identity theft is certainly a
global problem, experts say it’s difficult
to measure worldwide losses. However,
a Department of Justice study estimates identity theft of all kinds was
responsible for US financial losses of
$24.7 billion in 2012 - nearly double the
$14 billion lost from all other property
crimes such as burglary and theft.
According to Javelin surveys in the US,
when an existing credit card is exposed
and then used for fraud, the average
loss is $1,251. When a social security
number is exposed and then used to
open new accounts, the average loss is
$2,330.
Banks take the biggest financial hit,
but identity theft victims’ out-of-pocket
losses can range from an average of
$63 for misuse of credit cards to $289
for fraud involving social security numbers. Of course that doesn’t quantify
lost time and stress.
Albert, who didn’t want his last
name published because he fears
being victimized again, learned in 2012
that his personal information was
exposed by a data breach at University
of Miami Hospital, where he’d gone for
minor surgery. After submitting his federal tax return the following year, the
60-year-old Miami resident found the
government had already issued a
refund to someone else using his social
security number.
It took eight months for the airline
reservations employee to get his
$4,000 refund, which he needed to pay
off debts. Albert said he doesn’t know if
the tax scammer used personal information from the hospital breach or
some other source. But experts say
health records are a treasure trove for
scammers, since they may contain
financial information, insurance numbers and personal data that can be
used to obtain drugs, medical services
or other benefits.
Albert now subscribes to a credit
monitoring service and has asked
reporting agencies for a “freeze” to
block any applications for credit in his
name. However, that “freeze” required a
laborious process to lift when he later
applied for a mortgage and then
Internet service from AT&T. He still worries someone will claim the Social
Security benefits he’s counting on
when he retires.
“There’s a rage that comes up, when
you realize what happened,” he said.
“You feel violated. You feel attacked.”
Kim just got all of the fraudulent
accounts removed from his credit history this month. He and other victims
say the experience has made them
even more careful about their financial
data and credit records. Kim, for example, registered for a security alert from
the major credit reporting agencies,
which advises lenders to contact him if
someone tries to get credit in his name.
The alert expires in seven years,
but Kim said he “absolutely” plans to
renew it. “I have to be watchful,” he
added. “I know something else could
happen.” — AP
NEW DELHI: An official holds the newly-launched Vivo X5Max smartphone at a promotional event in the Indian capital New Delhi. Chinese
smartphone maker Vivo has launched the world’s slimmest smartphone. — AFP
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
H E A LT H & S C I E N C E
Economic growth means more
garbage to Maputo’s dump scavengers
MAPUTO: In a foul-smelling, brown
fog, hundreds of stooped figures
pick their way like ghosts across an
ocean of garbage while herons
wheel and dive over their heads. A
truck arrives, breaking the lethargy.
With shouts and whistles, people
rush from all sides. Children throw
themselves on and cling to the vehicle’s tailboards. Clambering up, they
tear frantically at its contents,
unleashing an avalanche of leftovers, shredded paper, bottles and
‘Nothing for my children’
More than 900 tons of waste is
dumped daily in this landfill in
Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, a city
of more than a million people. Over
an area the size of 17 football fields,
layer upon layer of garbage is piled
as high as a three-storey building. In
places, it spills over into the surrounding residential neighborhood.
Illuminated by dozens of small fires lit
to burn plastic coatings off wiring,
this almost lunar landscape, where
is estimated to live on less than one
dollar a day, it is hard to see how she
survives. “I am suffering, but if I didn’t
do any work I would have nothing for
my children,” she tells AFP.
Like a parallel universe
Maputo’s five-star hotels, new
shopping malls and high-rise apartments are only a few kilometers
(miles) from the dump but they
might as well exist in a parallel universe. Spend your days here and the
MOZAMBIQUE: A file photo taken on October 14, 2014 shows people sifting through garbage at
the Maputo municipal garbage dump site. —AFP photos
MOZAMBIQUE: File photo shows people sifting through garbage at the Maputo municipal
garbage dump site.
tin even before the truck has come
to a stop.
This particular truck is the one
13-year-old Jason Matthias and his
friends have been waiting for. It
comes from a posh area with several
luxury hotels. Jason grins as he displays his prize-a cream puff pastry
still in its packaging-before wolfing
it down. Wrested from the other
children in the scrum around the
truck, it is a big improvement on his
breakfast of mouldy bread. Asked to
name the toughest part of life at the
dump, the shy teenager, who visits
with his mother, pauses to think.
“Hunger,” he whispers.
garbage forms hills and valleys, is
busy day and night.
Jason and his mother are among
at least 500 “catadores” (collectors)
who depend on what they can
unearth here. Most are women and
children, the most vulnerable members of society, who have no other
options. Tina Feliciana turned to the
dump after her husband died. The
mother of three sells plastic by the
kilogram to a small recycling operation close to the dump. With few buyers, she must accept what is offered.
On average she earns $16 (13 euros)
a month. Even in Mozambique,
where more than half the population
only evidence of the frenetic pace of
economic growth in a nation rich in
coal and gas is that there is more
garbage than ever.
The southern African country has
been ranked among the 10 fastestgrowing economies in the world over
the past decade, even before significant dividends from the fossil fuels
have begun to flow in. The average
annual growth of 7.5 percent is
expected to continue in 2014 and
2015, according to the International
Monetary Fund. But 22 years after the
end of a civil war that left the economy in tatters, Mozambique still ranks
178th out of 187 countries on the
United Nations annual Human
Development Index.
In theory, children are not allowed
at the Hulene dump. In practice it is
impossible to keep them out. “When I
started here (in 2009) few children
were coming in. Now there are
almost the same number as the
adults,” the dump’s manager, Americo
Zacarias, told AFP.
A baby’s cries can be heard above
the din of truck engines, coming
from somewhere in the garbage.
After draping him hastily in bubble
wrap for protection, his mother hid
him so that she could scramble in the
latest truckload of garbage. To the
“tut-tuts” of the older women, the
teenage mother slinks back, chastened, to claim the infant. The dump
is the only life Paolo Cunha and his
two siblings have ever known. Their
father has been stationed at the gate,
directing the flow of garbage trucks,
since before they were born. The
diminutive 11-year-old spends his
days perched on a dumpster. He
kicks his feet against the sides-one
foot in an oversized boot, the other in
a plastic flip-flop scrounged from the
garbage.
Live ammo in the rubbish
Going barefoot is not an option.
Apart from the usual hazards like
broken glass lurking in the waste,
abandoned weaponry including live
ammunition
is
sometimes
unearthed. “It comes in with the rubbish,” Paolo’s father, Dercio Cunha,
says with a shrug. In an effort to protect themselves from the toxic
methane gas that constantly streams
from the garbage, many children
wear masks, fashioned out of old
socks or other garments, with the eye
holes cut out. Just a few hours on the
Hulene landfill can leave your lungs
aching.
Grandmother, Helen
Arnaldo, 48, said she had been working at the dump for “maybe twenty
years” but still felt “OK”.
Hulene is considered a health hazard by people living close by. Besides
the acrid fumes it gives off, in rainy
summer months the stench is
unbearable and swarms of flies from
the dump invade houses. Over the
past decade, several public protests
have been staged to get it closed.
When Mozambique’s Portuguese
colonial rulers chose the site half a
century ago, it was well outside the
city’s limits. Before 1960,
Mozambique was one of the least
urbanized countries in the world. By
2010 the urban population had
increased from four percent to 38
percent, the UN estimates.
Engulfed by the city
During this rapid phase of largely
uncontrolled urbanization, Maputo
engulfed the dump, so that it now
lies in the heart of the urban sprawl.
In 2007 authorities announced that
they would close the dump and
move it to a more “sanitary” site, 20
kilometers (12 miles) away, outside
the city’s modern limits. After numerous delays the municipality now says
it is going ahead after securing millions of dollars in funding from South
Korea, one of the country’s new trading partners. Even if it goes ahead
this time, the new dump will not be
ready before early 2016. It is unclear
what will happen to the catadores
when it closes.”I don’t know what we
will do. Perhaps we will have to
become thieves,” says gatekeeper
Dercio Cunha as his children run off
to greet the next truckload of
garbage. “We will have nothing to
feed our kids.” —AFP
AUSTRALIA: A Taronga Zoo chimpanzee gathers some Christmas presents
after some gift-wrapped food treats and other tasty decorations were left
inside the exhibit in Sydney. The chimpanzees were quick to pounce on the
festive-themed enrichment items prepared by keepers, showing off their
natural foraging skills to uncover the food inside while some seemed just as
happy playing with the cardboard box packaging. —AFP photos
Shock treatment: What’s
missing from Sierra
Leone’s Ebola response
GENEVA: The failure of Sierra Leone’s strategy for fighting Ebola may be down to a
missing ingredient: A big shock that could
change people’s behavior and finally prevent further infection. Bruce Aylward, the
head of Ebola response at the World Health
Organisation, said Sierra Leone was well
placed to contain the disease-its worst outbreak on record-with infrastructure, organization and aid. The problem is that its people have yet to be shocked out of behavior
that is helping the disease to spread, still
keeping infected loved ones close and
touching the bodies of the dead.
“Every new place that gets infected goes
through that same terrible learning curve
where a lot of people have to die ... before
those behaviors start to change,” Aylward
told Reuters. While neighboring Liberia has
turned the tide of Ebola, and both Mali and
Nigeria quickly smothered outbreaks,
Sierra Leone has more than 70 percent of
cases reported in the past three weeks and
more than half the 18,000 confirmed cases
in the nine-month-old outbreak.
The WHO’s death toll from outbreak has
climbed to 6,583 but the actual figure is
likely to be far higher due to under-reporting of cases. The flare-up in Sierra Leone’s
capital Freetown and the country’s more
heavily populated western areas resemble
the massive infections suffered in August
by Liberia’s capital Monrovia.
That country got its infection rates
under control after panic in quarantined
areas led to a riot and the shooting of a
young boy by security forces. Scenes of
people dying in the street raised alarm
across the country and prompted a military
deployment by the United States to build
treatment centers. “In Monrovia you had
bodies on the streets, you had a riot, you
had someone shot - awareness went
through the roof in a very, very short time
as a result,” said Aylward.
“You don’t want to see that kind of thing
drive public awareness but it has an impact
very, very fast. People changed behaviors
in Monrovia - bang! Like that.” Mali also
learned through a shock. Just as it seemed
nobody had been infected by its first Ebola
patient in October, another cluster of
deaths sprang up the following month.
Aylward said he told Malian officials that
the only way to stop the outbreak was to
trace anyone who may be at risk. “That’s
when the contact tracing... took a jump
from around 60-70 percent completion to
98 percent,” he said.
Learning curve
Denial and ignorance are part of the
problem but a weak healthcare system and
logistics also play a part. Officials in Kono where an explosion of infections was discovered this week - said the eastern district
of 350,000 inhabitants had only one ambulance and no Ebola treatment centre. WHO
staff are visiting neighbouring West African
countries to try to get people to change
their ways in case Ebola strikes, but worry
there has been little change in remote border areas, Aylward said. “The forest area of
these three countries has got some really
special and concerning practices, where
they share meals with the corpse, where
they sleep with the corpse,” he said.
“You know these are high, high risk
behaviors.” In Sierra Leone, where as many
as 365 Ebola deaths may have been linked
to a single traditional funeral early in the
epidemic, Sierra Leone’s Health Minister
Abu Bakarr Fofanah said the government
was considering banning some unsafe practices. He recognized however that it would
be difficult to police such a law. Fofanah
noted that some areas of eastern Sierra
Leone that were hit hardest early in the epidemic-around the towns of Kenema and
Kailahun-have seen a massive reduction in
case numbers as people change behavior.
“The areas that are now doing badly are the
areas that were affected last. They are still
on the learning curve.” —Reuters
Roche biotech unit submits
skin cancer drug
application to US regulator
ZURICH: Genentech, US biotech unit of Swiss drugmaker
Roche holding said yesterday it had filed a marketing
application to US regulators for the use of its experimental
drug in combination with another medicine to treat an
advanced form of skin cancer.
Cobimetinib is designed to be used with another
Roche drug called Zelboraf for patients with tumors that
have a mutation in a gene known as BRAF that allows
melanoma cells to grow. When used in this way, the drug
helped people with advanced melanoma live longer
without their disease worsening, results of a Phase III trial
showed in July. —Reuters
German drugmakers
appeal drug suspensions
linked to Indian data
AUSTRALIA: A Cotton-Top Tamarin inspects it Christmas cracker as they discover some gift-wrapped food treats and other tasty decorations in their
exhibit at Taronga Zoo.
FRANKFURT: German drugmakers including Stada,
Torrent’s Heumann and Dr Reddy’s betapharm have
appealed a regulator’s decision to suspend approval of
some drugs over concerns about clinical trials conducted by an Indian company.
Regulators in France, Germany, Belgium and
Luxembourg this month suspended marketing
approval for 25 drugs over the quality of trial data from
India’s GVK Biosciences. Companies that have filed an
appeal will be allowed to resume sales of affected products until their appeals are either approved or struck
down, Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and
Medical Devices (BfArM) said on Monday.
“We are reviewing the appeals thoroughly and quickly,” a spokesman for BfArM said. The regulator last week
had published a list of 80 affected products that their
manufacturers would not be allowed to sell until they
had provided new clinical data. —AP
AUSTRALIA: Taronga Zoo’s 15-month-old chimpanzee “Fumo” opens one of
his Christmas presents after the chimps at the exhibit discovered some giftwrapped food treats and other tasty decorations.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
H E A LT H & S C I E N C E
Cancer patients testing
drugs on mouse ‘avatars’
‘It’s not testing cosmetics. It’s trying to save my life’
BALTIMORE: Charles Cook, manager of facilities and operations at Champions
Oncology, displays mouse carrying a cancer patient’s tumor graft under its skin.
Merck advancing breast
cancer drug to mid-stage
TRENTON: Drugmaker Merck & Co said
Wednesday that it will advance a new cancer
drug into bigger patient tests, after promising
findings in an early study against a very
aggressive, common type of breast cancer.
Merck said its Keytruda shrank tumors to some
extent in one-third of 27 patients evaluated in
a study called KEYNOTE-012. All had what’s
called triple-negative breast cancer that had
spread outside the breast, and about 85 percent had worsened after multiple rounds of
chemotherapy and other treatments ? some
five or more treatments.
The drug is in a hot new class of medicines,
mostly still experimental, called immunooncology drugs. They harness the body’s
immune system to fight cancer through a
mechanism that “uncloaks” a substance called
PD-1 on hidden cancer cells so they can be
spotted and attacked by key immune cells
called T cells. Merck, based in Kenilworth, New
Jersey, said it will start mid-stage patient tests
of Keytruda in the first half of 2015. It’s received
accelerated approval for advanced melanoma,
but needs further testing for permanent
approval.
The company, the world’s fourth-biggest
drugmaker by revenue, has now reported positive results in testing of Keytruda in melanoma,
triple negative breast cancer and non-small cell
lung cancer, head and neck cancer, bladder
cancer, stomach cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma. Altogether, Merck is studying Keytruda
against 30 different cancer types.
Tumors shrink
“We’ve now shown efficacy against seven
cancers,” Dr Alise Reicin, Merck’s vice president
for cancer drug development, said in an interview. “There’s tremendous excitement in the
oncology community” about Keytruda. Merck
reported the latest results Wednesday at the
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
The patients got infusions of Keytruda,
known chemically as pembrolizumab, every
two weeks and periodic scans to determine
the drug’s effects. While 33 percent had some
tumor shrinkage, 19 percent had tumors shrink
at least 30 percent. Of those, one had her
tumor disappear without relapse, two are still
receiving therapy and responding, one is off
therapy but was still responding, and one has
relapsed. In another seven patients, tumors
stopped growing but did not shrink.
Triple-negative breast cancer, the type
affecting 15 percent to 20 percent of the
roughly 1.7 million new breast cancer patients
a year worldwide, doesn’t respond to three of
the main types of treatment for breast cancer.
Those target the hormones estrogen and progesterone and a protein called HER-2, all of
which fuel cancer growth. On Saturday, Merck
reported at another medical conference that in
a study of patients with the blood cancer
Hodgkin lymphoma, who had all failed other
treatments and weren’t eligible for a transplant, two-thirds responded to Keytruda. —AP
TRENTON: This product image provided by Merck & Co shows packaging for
its new cancer drug, Keytruda. —AP
BALTIMORE: Scientists often test drugs in mice.
Now some cancer patients are doing the same with the hope of curing their own disease. They are
paying a private lab to breed mice that carry bits of
their own tumors so treatments can be tried first on
the customized rodents. The idea is to see which
drugs might work best on a specific person’s specific cancer.
The mice may help patients make what can be
very hard choices under difficult circumstances.
Studies can suggest a certain chemotherapy may
help, but patients wonder whether it will work for
them. Often there’s more than one choice, and if the
first one fails, a patient may be too sick to try another.
So hundreds of people have made “mouse avatars”
over the last few years to test chemotherapies.
“What I’m doing is personalized cancer treatment.
It’s the wave of the future,” said Eileen Youtie, a Miami
woman using mice to guide care for her hard-to-treat
form of breast cancer. “Part of this is trying to eliminate chemos that are not going to work on me. I
don’t want to waste time taking them and poison my
body.” But there are no guarantees the mice will help.
“There’s not a lot of science” to say how well this
works, and it should be considered highly experimental, said Dr Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical
officer of the American Cancer Society. There are
some early encouraging reports, he said. One study
of 70 patients found the mice generally reflected
how well patients responded to various drugs. But
there is no evidence that using mice is any better
than care based on medical guidelines or the gene
tests that many patients get now to help pick drugs.
Average patient
Mouse testing costs $10,000 or more, and insurers don’t cover it. It takes several months, so patients
usually have to start therapy before mouse results
are in. “I do see promise, but it’s very time-consuming, it’s very expensive. For the average patient, standard care is going to be the way to go,” said Alana
Welm, a cancer researcher at the Oklahoma Medical
Research Foundation. She gave a talk on mouse
avatars last week at the San Antonio Breast Cancer
Symposium. It was the third major cancer meeting
this year to feature work on customized cancer mice.
Several labs breed these mice but the main supplier to patients has been Champions Oncology, a
company based in Hackensack, New Jersey, that also
operates in London, Tel Aviv and Singapore. About
7,000 mice are kept in a Baltimore lab with six rooms
that resemble stock rooms of a shoe store, with tall
shelves that hold row upon row of plastic cages
labeled with each cancer patient’s name.
Most mice are white-haired females with beady
red eyes, but others are hairless. Some live alone
while others climb over one another and sleep in
small piles. All have easy access to food and water,
and many bear signs of the tumor graft - a shaved
portion of hair, an incision scar and a lump growing
off one side.
First drug
Patients have a tumor sample sent to Champions,
which charges $1,500 to bank it, plus $2,500 for each
drug tested in groups of mice implanted with bits of
the tumor. Most patients try three to five drugs and
spend $10,000 to $12,000, said Champions’ chief
medical officer, Dr Angela Davies.
Youtie spent $30,000 “because I want them to test
all the possible drugs,” even some for other types of
cancer. That approach helped Yaron Panov, a 59-yearold Toronto man diagnosed four years ago with
liposarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer. No specific drugs
were recommended, and “I was given six months to
live,” he said. Tests on his avatar mice suggested the
first drug he was prescribed would not work but that
one for colon cancer might.
“It was working on the mice so I knew it would
work on me,” he said. “It’s such a boost of confidence”
and it makes it easier to endure side effects, said
Panov, whose cancer is in remission. Reuven Moser, a
71-year-old man from Tel Aviv said his avatar mice
confirmed that drugs prescribed for colon cancer
that had spread to his liver were a good option.
“Most of the time the oncologists want to follow a
protocol, but they don’t know how it will affect the
patient,” Moser said. “It was very reassuring” to see
the mice respond, he said. Moser’s mice were bred in
February and he is still undergoing treatment.
Dr Andrew Gaya of Leaders in Oncology Care, a
private clinic in London, helped lead the 70-patient
study of avatar mice and gave results at a cancer conference in September. It looked back at how well
tumor grafts are under the mouse skin - not in
places where the cancer normally occurs, such as
the pancreas or lungs, and therefore don’t reflect
the human tumor’s environment. The mice also
have highly impaired immune systems so they can
tolerate the human tumors. That means they don’t
reflect how a person’s immune system would
respond to a treatment and cannot be used to test
immunotherapies. “Even if it turns out these have
real value,” they’re likely to be eclipsed by newer
advances, such as ways to grow tumor cells in a lab
BALTIMORE: In this photo, Charles Cook, manager of facilities and operations at
Champions Oncology, opens a plastic cage containing mice carrying bits of a cancer
patient’s tumor in a lab. —AP photos
BALTIMORE: Charles Cook, manager of facilities and operations at Champions
Oncology, pulls a plastic cage containing mice carrying bits of a cancer patient’s tumor
from a shelf in a lab.
mice performed in patients whose outcomes from
treatment were already known. About 70 percent of
the time, tests in the mice suggested something that
turned out to have helped the patients, he said. And
if something had not worked in the mice it almost
never worked in a patient.
Immune systems
Mice have some drawbacks, said Dr Benjamin
Neel, director of research at Princess Margaret
Cancer Centre in Toronto and a spokesman for the
American Association for Cancer Research. The
dish that take only a few weeks, he said.
For now, mice seem the best bet, along with
gene testing and her doctors’ advice, said Youtie,
the Miami woman with breast cancer. Her mouse
testing suggested that either of two drugs would
be effective, so she chose the one thought to have
fewer side effects on the heart. She recently finished chemotherapy, is about to finish radiation
treatment, and said she does not feel guilty about
using the mice. “Animal abuse? I don’t look at it that
way,” she said. “It’s not testing cosmetics. It’s trying
to save my life.” —AP
MANSOORI
W H AT ’ S O N
(From left) supervisor Amira Al-Qatan, event supervisor Manal Thiyab, English language advisor
Yasser, Intermediate Education Supervisor Adel Al-Rashed, School Director Jamila Al-Rifae and
Sebamed’s Ayman Sharaa.
Daeya Joint School, in the Asima district held an open awareness day earlier in the week. Sebamed was among the sponsors of the event. —Photos by Joseph Shagra
TIES CENTER
The Effects of Food Additives on the Body and Mind
by Dr Kamel Al-Farraj
What are the effects of addictive chemicals in food? Why
do food companies add so many chemicals? Why is fast
food bad for you? What do neuroexyto toxins do to your
food and to your brain? Dr Kamel will answer all these
questions and many more. Tuesday, December 23 @ 7pm
Greetings
H
appy Birth Day
Charvi. Wishing
you a very happy birthday to our little
angle Charvita Polineni
and many more happy
returns of the day...
With love Mom & Dad
Lata & Santaram Naidu
Polineni Grand
Parents: P
Subbarayudu Naidu &
Leelavati Brothers and
Sisters: C. Harshavardhan, Vathsalya, Hemanth,
Rupesh and Nani
What’s On - Submission Guidelines
All photos submitted for What’s On
should be minimum 200dpi.
Articles must be in plain text and
should include name and phone
numbers. Articles and photos that
fail to meet these requirements will
not be published.
Please send them to
news@kuwaittimes.net
A
mbassador of Myanmar to Kuwait Aye Khaing organized a farewell party for the outgoing Thai
Ambassador Surasak Chuasukonthip. Several ambassadors and diplomats attended the event.
—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
W H AT ’ S O N
Russia’s Ambassador Alexey
Solomatin speaks at the event.
KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem AlHumoud Al-Sabah seen in attendance. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Russian children’s show on Salmiya stage
KUWAIT: Russia’s Moskova troupe held a children’s show at Salmiya Theater Sunday night.
Russia’s Ambassador Alexey Solomatin was in
attendance, and emphasized the strong cultural
ties with Kuwait which he said “is manifested
through the exchange of visits to get acquainted with the culture of both countries.” He
stressed keenness on bringing Russian culture
to Kuwait and enhancing Kuwaiti cultural presence in his country.
Solomatin thanked Kuwait’s National Council
for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCAAL) and appreciated presence by Council Chairman, Minister
of Information and Minister of State for Youth
Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud
Al-Sabah. This affirms interest in getting familiarized with Russian arts, he said. It is the first
time that Moskova performs in Kuwait, and the
Middle East. Moskova offers classic and modern
dances from the Russian folklore, which
Solomatin hoped would gain Kuwaiti’s admiration. Sunday’s show that commenced with a
ballet, included an Indian dance on oriental
music and also one from Middle Ages Europe, as
well as many from the Russian folklore. —KUNA
TSC offers you the
perfect holiday Dinner
S
ince 1986, The Sultan Center has
been preparing Holiday dinners for
families in Kuwait. This is considered to be part of its traditions, in order
to give its customers the chance to spend
more time with their families and enjoy
the perfect dinner with their beloved
ones.
TSC is committed to satisfying its customers’ needs and tastes, this year cus-
tomers can enjoy a delicious turkey dinner complete within all the trimmings
from cranberry sauce and old fashioned
stuffing to pumpkin and apple pie, in
addition to wide variety of side dishes to
suit every taste.
According to Makram Malaeb Group
International and Non-Food Commercial
Director at TSC:” Since many customers
are travelling or working during the holi-
day season, TSC offers its loyal customers
the chance to enjoy the delicious cooking
that has been done by a name they trust”
“Orders could be placed 24 hours in
advance and collected from TSC Salmiya,
Hawally or Al-Kout store” he added.
TSC also offers a range of party or
cheese platters that can be ordered
directly at the deli counter. This season let
your Holiday’s begin with TSC.
IDAK releases oral health guide during cultural show
T
he Indian Dentists’ Alliance in Kuwait
(IDAK), affiliated to the Kuwait Dental
Association and registered with the
Indian Embassy Kuwait, released the 4th volume of the IDAK oral health guide in a glittering ceremony on the 12th of December 2014
in the Pearl Tent, Safir International Hotel,
Bneid Al Gar. The theme of the health guide
was “Special Health Care Needs and Dentistry”.
The dignitaries for the event included the
ambassador of India to Kuwait, Sunil Jain,
Assistant Under Secretary of Dental Affairs,
Ministry of Health, Dr Yousef Al Duwairy,
Secretary General of Kuwait Institute of
Medical Specialisation, Dr Ibrahim Al Hadi,
Director of Dental Administration, Dr Sabiha Al
Mutawa and many distinguished guests from
Indian associations, schools, Armed Forces,
Ministry of Health, Kuwait University and private sector.
‘IDAK Dentist of the Year’ was awarded to
Dr Sudhir Walvekar by Director of Dental
Administration, MOH, Dr Sabiha Al Mutawa. A
senior and greatly respected figure in the dental fraternity and general community, Dr
Sudhir Walvekar has played a significant role in
uniting Indian dentists and the establishment
of the alliance.
This year’s cultural show was aptly called
FACES 2014, acronym for a ‘Fun, Art, Cultural
and Entertainment Show’. The stunning show
was impeccably planned and performed by
the IDAK family. From tiny tots to senior dentists participated in the cultural extravaganza,
which included a variety of programs including music, dance, song, mime and drama,
enthralling the audience and transporting
them to a magical land where the rich culture
of India blended with the culture of Middle
East. A skit highlighting the benevolent and
humanitarian contributions of Kuwait in the
world was presented and greatly appreciated.
The IDAK Council thanked the Finance
Committee headed by Dr Sudhir Walvekar,
Editororial Board headed by Dr Sunil Kumar
Gupta, Public Relations Committee headed by
Dr Johncen George, Event Management
Committee headed by Dr Dilip George,
Membership Committee headed by Dr Jacob
Lonappan, Cultural Committee and the entire
executive committee for organising the event
in such an impressive manner. Cultural program was entirely planned and orchestrated
by the Cultural Committee headed by Dr Aju
Wilson with Dr Abraham Thomas, Dr Aysha
George, Dr Garima Soni, Dr Joshin Thomas and
Dr Pramod Menon as members. President Dr
Roy Francis and Secretary Dr Rajesh Alexander
congratulated the entire team of IDAK for
organising such a beautiful event.
IDAK’s members form a major part of the
expatriate Dental professionals in Kuwait. Over
the years, IDAK has always been in the forefront of community service and has conduct-
ed numerous Oral health camps. It has partnered with other associations and participated
in screening camps to provide easy access of
specialized dentists to the low income expatriate community. IDAK also conducts regular
screening camps in both Indian and Kuwaiti
schools thereby educating the younger generation with good oral habits and general dental
care. Keeping its focus on its goal of educating
the community about dental health, IDAK
started publishing Oral Health Guides since
2007. These guides explain dental diseases
and treatment modalities in simple language
that has received a lot of appreciation. The
Oral Health Guide is published both in English
and Arabic since 2010.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
TV PROGRAMS
00:20
01:10
02:00
02:50
03:15
03:40
04:05
04:30
05:00
06:00
06:50
07:40
08:30
08:55
09:20
09:45
10:10
10:35
11:25
12:15
13:05
13:30
13:55
14:20
15:10
16:00
16:50
17:15
17:40
18:30
19:20
20:10
20:35
21:00
Grylls
21:50
22:40
23:30
Grylls
Gold Rush
Alaskan Bush People
Fast N’ Loud
Storage Hunters
Container Wars
Garage Gold
How It’s Made
How It’s Made
Treehouse Masters
Wheeler Dealers
Extreme Fishing
Fast N’ Loud
Storage Hunters
Container Wars
Garage Gold
How It’s Made
How It’s Made
Gold Rush
Gold Rush
Alaskan Bush People
Storage Hunters
Container Wars
Garage Gold
Extreme Fishing
Wheeler Dealers
Fast N’ Loud
How It’s Made
How It’s Made
Treehouse Masters
Deadly Islands
Dual Survival
Container Wars
Garage Gold
Get Out Alive With Bear
Deadly Islands
Manhunt
Get Out Alive With Bear
00:00 Giuliana & Bill
00:55 The Soup
01:50 E!ES
02:20 E! News
03:15 Escape Club
04:10 E!ES
05:05 E!ES
06:00 Kourtney & Kim Take New
York
06:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New
York
07:50 Style Star
08:20 E! News
09:15 Giuliana & Bill
10:15 Giuliana & Bill
11:10 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
11:35 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
12:05 E! News
13:05 Extreme Close-Up
13:35 THS
14:30 Style Star
15:00 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians
16:00 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians
17:00 Giuliana & Bill
18:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
18:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
19:00 THS
20:00 Fashion Bloggers
20:30 Fashion Bloggers
21:00 House Of DVF
22:00 E! News
23:00 Kourtney And Khloe Take
The Hamptons
00:05 Chopped
00:55 Amazing Wedding Cakes
01:45 Guy’s Big Bite
02:10 Guy’s Big Bite
02:35 Jenny Morris Cooks The
Riviera
03:00 Jenny Morris Cooks The
Riviera
03:25 Charly’s Cake Angels
03:50 Amazing Wedding Cakes
04:40 All You Can Meat
05:05 Roadtrip With G. Garvin
05:30 Reza’s African Kitchen
05:50 Siba’s Table
06:10 Sweet Genius
07:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin
07:25 Roadtrip With G. Garvin
07:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
08:15 Chopped
09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back
To Basics
09:30 Chopped Canada
10:20 Recipes That Rock
10:45 All You Can Meat
11:10 Roadtrip With G. Garvin
11:35 Grandma’s Secret
Cookbook
12:00 Chopped
12:50 Siba’s Table
13:15 Jenny Morris Cooks The
Riviera
13:40 Mystery Diners
14:05 Guy’s Grocery Games
14:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin
15:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
15:45 Amazing Wedding Cakes
16:35 Chopped
17:25 Jenny Morris Cooks The
Riviera
17:50 Guy’s Big Bite
18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
18:40 Siba’s Table
19:05 Grandma’s Secret
Cookbook
19:30 Mystery Diners
19:55 Burger Land
20:20 Guy’s Grocery Games
21:10 Amazing Wedding Cakes
22:00 Reza’s African Kitchen
22:25 Reza’s African Kitchen
22:50 Ching’s Restaurant
Redemption
23:15 Ching’s Restaurant
Redemption
23:40 Burger Land
00:40 The Hungry Sailors
01:30 Brendan’s Magical Mystery
Tour
02:00 Emmerdale
02:55 Coronation Street
03:25 Cilla
04:20 Paul O’grady For The Love
Of Dogs
05:15 May The Best House Win
Abroad
06:10 The Chase
07:05 Brendan’s Magical Mystery
Tour
07:30 Cilla
08:25 Paul O’grady For The Love
Of Dogs
09:20 Tricked
10:15 May The Best House Win
Abroad
11:10 Emmerdale
12:00 Coronation Street
12:30 The Hungry Sailors
13:25 The Chase
14:20 Brendan’s Magical Mystery
Tour
14:45 May The Best House Win
Abroad
15:35 Big Star’s Little Star
16:30 Murdoch Mysteries
17:25 Murdoch Mysteries
18:20 The Jonathan Ross Show
19:10 Coronation Street
19:35 Big Star’s Little Star
20:30 Murdoch Mysteries
21:25 Murdoch Mysteries
22:20 Coronation Street
22:50 Emmerdale
23:45 May The Best House Win
Abroad
00:00
01:00
02:00
03:00
04:00
05:00
06:00
07:00
Edge
08:00
09:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
Predator CSI
Engineering Connections
Situation Critical
Battleground Brothers
Adventure Wanted
Britain’s Greatest Machines
Britain’s Underworld
Arctic Kingdom: Life At The
Predator CSI
Engineering Connections
Situation Critical
Megacities
Knights Of Mayhem
Family Guns
Witness Disaster
The Known Universe
The Next Mega Tsunami
Salvage Code Red
Master Of Disaster
The Known Universe
The Next Mega Tsunami
Salvage Code Red
Master Of Disaster
Megacities
00:00 Enlisted
00:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
01:00 The Colbert Report
01:30 Saturday Night Live
02:30 Wilfred
03:00 Raising Hope
03:30 The Goldbergs
04:00 Men At Work
04:30 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
05:30 Better Off Ted
06:00 Til Death
06:30 My Name Is Earl
07:00 Late Night With Seth
Meyers
08:00 Men At Work
08:30 Better Off Ted
09:00 Raising Hope
09:30 Dads
10:00 Baby Daddy
10:30 My Name Is Earl
11:00 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
12:00 Til Death
12:30 Growing Up Fisher
13:00 Better Off Ted
13:30 My Name Is Earl
14:00 The Goldbergs
14:30 Dads
15:00 Baby Daddy
15:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
16:00 The Colbert Report
16:30 Til Death
17:00 Late Night With Seth
Meyers
18:00 Raising Hope
18:30 About A Boy
19:00 The Simpsons
19:30 Baby Daddy
20:00 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
21:00 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
21:30 The Colbert Report
22:00 Eastbound & Down
22:30 Ja’mie: Private School Girl
23:00 Legit
23:30 Late Night With Seth
Meyers
00:00
01:00
02:00
03:00
04:00
05:00
06:00
07:00
08:00
09:00
11:00
12:00
12:30
13:00
Show
14:00
15:00
16:00
16:30
17:00
Show
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
23:00
Suits
Homeland
The Newsroom
Supernatural
Revenge
Once Upon A Time
Suits
Sleepy Hollow
C.S.I.
Once Upon A Time
Revenge
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
The Ellen DeGeneres
00:00
01:00
03:00
04:00
05:00
07:00
07:30
08:00
Show
09:00
10:00
10:30
11:00
Show
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
Witches Of East End
Good Morning America
Grimm
Boardwalk Empire
Good Morning America
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
The Ellen DeGeneres
C.S.I.
Suits
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
The Ellen DeGeneres
C.S.I.
Switched At Birth
State Of Affairs
The Voice
Supernatural
24
Emmerdale
Coronation Street
The Ellen DeGeneres
Castle
Witches Of East End
24
Live Good Morning America
Castle
Witches Of East End
24
Castle
Witches Of East End
Grimm
Boardwalk Empire
00:00
02:00
04:15
06:00
08:00
10:15
12:00
14:00
15:45
18:00
20:00
21:45
Escape Plan
Star Trek Into Darkness
Escape From L.A.
Europa Report
Star Trek Into Darkness
One Good Cop
Escape Plan
Europa Report
Star Trek Into Darkness
One Good Cop
The Call
Fast & Furious 6
00:00
02:15
04:00
06:00
08:15
10:00
12:00
13:45
16:00
18:00
19:45
22:00
Star Trek Into Darkness
Escape From L.A.-PG15
Europa Report-PG15
Star Trek Into Darkness
One Good Cop-PG15
Escape Plan-PG15
Europa Report-PG15
Star Trek Into Darkness
One Good Cop-PG15
The Call-PG15
Fast & Furious 6-PG15
Kill ‘em All-PG15
00:00 Take This Waltz-18
02:00 Stand Off-PG15
04:00 The Hitchhiker’s Guide To
The Galaxy-PG15
06:00 Scary Movie 5-PG15
08:00 Mystery, Alaska-PG15
10:00 Stand Off-PG15
12:00 Keeping The Faith-PG15
14:15 Dr Seuss’ Cat In The Hat16:00 Mystery, Alaska-PG15
18:00 Along Came Polly-PG15
20:00 Bachelorette-PG15
22:00 Freeloaders-18
23:45 Monty Python’s Meaning Of
Life-18
01:00 Everything Must Go-PG15
03:00 Hick-PG15
04:45 Temptation: Confessions Of
A Marriage Counselor-PG15
06:45 The Butler-PG15
09:00 The Chateau Meroux-PG15
11:00 Temptation: Confessions Of
A Marriage Counselor-PG15
13:00 The Butler-PG15
15:15 Grand Piano-PG15
17:00 The Chateau Meroux-PG15
18:45 Mud-PG15
21:00 Age Of Heroes-PG15
23:00 Maniac-R
01:30 Born On The Fourth Of
July-18
04:00 Bringing Out The Dead
06:30 Cheerful Weather For The
Wedding-PG15
08:30 Emperor-PG15
10:30 Twist Of Faith-PG15
12:15 The Past-PG15
14:30 My Last Day Without You
16:30 Emperor-PG15
18:45 Red Lights-PG15
21:00 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
23:30 The Happening-18
01:00 The Purge-PG15
03:00 Last Vegas-PG15
05:00 The Smurfs 2-PG
06:45 Red Tails-PG15
09:00 The Company You Keep11:00 Christmas At Castlebury
Hall-PG15
13:00 Free Birds-PG
14:45 Beautiful Creatures-PG15
17:00 The Company You KeepPG15
19:00 Ain’t Them Bodies Saints21:00 The Invisible Woman-PG15
23:00 12 Years A Slave-18
01:00 Barbie In The 12 Dancing
Princesses
02:45 Khumba
04:30 Santa’s Magic Crystal
06:00 Casper’s Scare School
08:00 The Great Bear
10:00 Dino Time
11:30 Los Campeones De LA
Lucha Libre
13:00 Khumba
14:30 Barbie And The Diamond
Castle
16:00 Ploddy Police Car
18:00 Dino Time
20:00 Garfield’s Fun Fest
22:00 Barbie And The Diamond
Castle
23:30 Ploddy Police Car
00:00 Legendary Amazons-PG15
02:00 The Lone Ranger-PG15
04:30 Snowflake , The White
Gorilla-PG
06:00 Magic Journey To AfricaPG15
07:45 Mirror Mirror-PG15
09:45 The Good Doctor-PG15
11:30 The Lone Ranger-PG15
14:00 Frozen-PG
16:00 Mirror Mirror-PG15
18:00 Peace, Love &
Misunderstanding-PG15
20:00 Hit And Run-PG15
22:00 Killing Them Softly-18
00:30 World Match Racing Tour
01:30 Hero Indian Super League
Highlights
02:00 Futbol Mundial
02:30 ICC Cricket 360
03:00 Live Cricket
11:00 Golfing World
12:00 PGA Tour Highlights
13:00 PGA European Highlights
14:00 World Match Racing Tour
15:00 Volvo Ocean Race
Highlights
15:30 Hero Indian Super League
Highlights
16:00 Hero Indian Super League
Highlights
16:30 Live Hero Indian Super
League Football
19:00 Futbol Mundial
19:30 NHL
22:00 Challenge Series Golf
Highlights
22:30 Champions Tour Highlights
23:30 PGA Tour Highlights
00:00
00:30
02:30
03:30
04:00
07:00
08:00
09:00
10:00
11:00
14:00
15:00
18:00
20:00
23:00
WWE This Week
NHL
World Match Racing Tour
WWE This Week
Live WWE Raw
Golfing World
World Match Racing Tour
World Match Racing Tour
World Match Racing Tour
HSBC Sevens World Series
Golfing World
WWE Raw
NHL
WWE Raw
Golfing World
00:30 Bangladesh v Zimbabwe
ODI Highlights
01:30 Bangladesh v Zimbabwe
ODI Highlights
02:30 ICC Cricket 360
03:00 Live Australia v India
International Test
11:00 ICC Cricket 360
11:30 LG ICC Awards 2014
12:30 India v Sri Lanka ODI
Highlights
13:30 India v Sri Lanka ODI
Highlights
14:30 ICC Cricket 360
15:00 Australia v South Africa ODI
Highlights
16:00 Story of the World Cup
1992
17:30 ICC Cricket 360
18:00 ICC Cricket World Cup
Tales
18:30 ICC Cricket World Cup
Tales
19:00 ICC Cricket World Cup
Tales
19:30 ICC Cricket World Cup
Tales
20:00 ICC Cricket World Cup
Tales
FAST & FURIOUS 6 ON OSN MOVIES ACTION
KILLING THEM SOFTLY OSN MOVIES PREMIERE HD
20:30 ICC Cricket World Cup
Tales
21:00 ICC Cricket World Cup
Tales
21:30 ICC Cricket 360
22:00 New Zealand v South Africa
ODI Highlights
23:00 New Zealand v South Africa
ODI Highlights
00:00 Scary Movie 4
01:30 Love Potion No.9-U
03:15 Face Off
05:30 Bringing Down The House
07:15 Welcome To The Sticks-PG
09:15 John Carter
11:30 Hollywood Homicide
13:30 The Parent Trap-PG
15:45 Face Off
18:00 Tomorrow When The War
Began
20:00 Owning Mahowny-U
21:45 Thorne: Scaredycat-FAM
00:00
00:30
01:30
02:30
03:00
04:00
05:00
05:30
05:55
06:30
07:30
08:30
09:30
According To Jim
Castle
Grey’s Anatomy
According To Jim
The Listener
The Listener
According To Jim
Melissa & Joey
Melissa & Joey
Dirt
The Walking Dead
Castle
According To Jim
10:00
11:00
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:00
14:30
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
21:25
22:00
23:00
Grey’s Anatomy
According To Jim
The Listener
The Listener
According To Jim
Melissa & Joey
Melissa & Joey
Dirt
The Walking Dead
Grey’s Anatomy
Army Wives
MasterChef Australia
Switched At Birth
According To Jim
According To Jim
Detroit 1-8-7
The Walking Dead
01:30
03:25
05:00
07:00
FAM
08:35
10:15
12:00
14:05
PG
16:00
17:45
19:35
22:00
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde-PG
Girl Happy-FAM
Private Lives Of...-FAM
The Toast Of New Orleans-
00:00
00:30
01:00
02:00
Pawn Stars UK
Pawn Stars UK
Christmas Specials
Pawn Stars
The Pirate-FAM
Three Little Words-FAM
Tea And Sympathy-PG
The Last Time I Saw ParisSingin’ In The Rain-FAM
San Antonio-PG
Cimarron-FAM
The Night Of The Iguana
02:30
03:00
03:30
04:00
04:30
05:00
05:30
06:00
07:00
07:30
08:00
08:30
09:00
09:30
10:00
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
12:30
13:00
13:30
14:00
15:00
15:30
16:00
16:30
17:00
17:30
18:00
18:30
19:00
20:00
20:30
21:00
21:30
22:00
23:00
23:30
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars UK
Pawn Stars UK
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Christmas Specials
Storage Wars: New York
Counting Cars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
American Restoration
Pawn Stars UK
Storage Wars: New York
Counting Cars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Christmas Specials
Pawn Stars UK
Pawn Stars UK
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Christmas Specials
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars UK
Pawn Stars UK
Pawn Stars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Classifieds
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
Kuwait
KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (11/12/2014 TO 17/12/2014)
SHARQIA-1
KILL THE MESSENGER
THE HUNTED
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
THE HUNTED
KILL THE MESSENGER
THE HUNTED
11:30 AM
1:45 PM
3:30 PM
5:45 PM
8:15 PM
10:15 PM
12:30 AM
SHARQIA-2
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
12:00 PM
3:00 PM
6:00 PM
9:00 PM
12:05 AM
SHARQIA-3
GET SANTA
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
KILL THE MESSENGER
12:45 PM
3:15 PM
3:15 PM
5:30 PM
7:45 PM
10:00 PM
12:45 AM
MUHALAB-1
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
KILL THE MESSENGER
THE PYRAMID
KILL THE MESSENGER
THE PYRAMID
KILL THE MESSENGER
11:45 AM
1:45 PM
3:45 PM
6:00 PM
8:00 PM
10:15 PM
12:15 AM
MUHALAB-2
THE HUNTED
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HUNTED
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
11:30 AM
1:15 PM
2:00 PM
4:00 PM
6:15 PM
8:30 PM
11:30 PM
1:15 AM
MUHALAB-3
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
12:30 PM
3:30 PM
6:30 PM
9:30 PM
12:30 AM
FANAR-1
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
THE PYRAMID
GET SANTA
THE PYRAMID
1:00 PM
3:15 PM
5:30 PM
8:00 PM
10:00 PM
12:15 AM
FANAR-2
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
FANAR-3
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HUNTED
5:45 PM
7:45 PM
9:45 PM
12:30 AM
FANAR-4
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
12:00 PM
3:00 PM
6:00 PM
8:45 PM
11:45 PM
FANAR-5
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
Digital(2D)
ACTION JACKSON-HINDI
LINGAA - TAMIL
LINGAA - TAMIL
LINGAA - TAMIL
NORTHMEN - A VIKING SAGA
12:30 PM
2:30 PM
6:00 PM
2:30 PM
6:00 PM
9:30 PM
12:45 AM
MARINA-1
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
KILL THE MESSENGER
THE HUNTED
KILL THE MESSENGER
THE HUNTED
KILL THE MESSENGER
12:15 PM
3:30 PM
5:45 PM
7:45 PM
10:15 PM
12:15 AM
MARINA-2
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
THU+FRI+SAT
THE PYRAMID
THE PYRAMID
10:45 PM
12:45 AM
11:30 AM
2:00 PM
4:30 PM
7:00 PM
9:30 PM
12:05 AM
12:45 PM
1:45 PM
3:45 PM
11:30 AM
1:30 PM
4:15 PM
7:00 PM
9:45 PM
12:30 AM
AVENUES-1
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
THE HUNTED
1:00 PM
3:00 PM
5:00 PM
7:00 PM
9:00 PM
11:00 PM
1:15 AM
AVENUES-2
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
LINGAA - TAMIL
LINGAA - TAMIL
LINGAA - TAMIL
THE PYRAMID
11:30 AM
2:30 PM
6:00 PM
2:30 PM
6:00 PM
9:30 PM
1:00 AM
AVENUES-3
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR-3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
11:45 AM
2:00 PM
5:00 PM
8:00 PM
11:00 PM
AVENUES-4
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
GET SANTA
Special Show “DUMB AND DUMBER TO”
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
KILL THE MESSENGER
12:30 PM
3:00 PM
5:30 PM
6:00 PM
8:00 PM
10:30 PM
1:00 AM
360º- 1
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
11:30 AM
2:30 PM
5:30 PM
8:30 PM
11:30 PM
360º- 2
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
LINGAA - TAMIL
LINGAA - TAMIL
LINGAA - TAMIL
LINGAA - TAMIL
12:00 PM
3:30 PM
7:00 PM
12:00 PM
3:30 PM
7:00 PM
10:30 PM
360º- 3
NIGHTCRAWLER
NIGHTCRAWLER
NIGHTCRAWLER
NIGHTCRAWLER
NIGHTCRAWLER
NIGHTCRAWLER
11:45 AM
2:15 PM
4:45 PM
7:15 PM
9:45 PM
12:15 AM
AL-KOUT.1
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
2:24 PM
3:00 PM
6:00 PM
9:00 PM
12:05 AM
AL-KOUT.2
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
GET SANTA
THE PYRAMID
GET SANTA
THE PYRAMID
11:30 AM
1:45 PM
4:00 PM
6:15 PM
8:30 PM
10:30 PM
12:45 AM
AL-KOUT.3
THE HUNTED
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HUNTED
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HUNTED
11:45 AM
2:00 PM
5:00 PM
8:00 PM
10:00 PM
1:00 AM
SITUATION WANTED
Mitsubishi Lancer Ex model 2010, km 55,000, golden
color, good condition, KD
1850. Contact: 97800987.
(C 4887)
16-12-2014
M.Com fifteen years experience in independently handling accounts of medium
sized companies up to finalization level familiar with
computerized accounting
systems seeking suitable
position. Mobile #
66019422.
(C 4886)
15-12-2014
Mitsubishi Galant 2009,
blue color, (4 clr) full
options, KD 1450. Tel:
50994848. (C 4884)
AVENUES-5
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
1:15 PM
Special Show “GET SANTA “
1:45 PM
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
4:15 PM
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
7:15 PM
Special Show “NIGHTCRAWLER “
7:15 PM
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
10:15 PM
THE PYRAMID
1:15 AM
6:30 PM
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (DOLBY ATMOS) 9:30 PM
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (DOLBY ATMOS) 12:30 AM
12:00 PM
2:00 PM
4:15 PM
6:15 PM
8:30 PM
10:45 PM
MARINA-3
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR-3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -3D
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
FOR SALE
Nissan Pathfinder 2002,
black color, full options. KD
1250. Tel: 66729295.
(C 4885)
15-12-2014
TUITION
We need a teacher for
account’s level 300 & 301.
Tel: 99019450. (4888)
16-12-2014
ACCOMMODATION
Looking for room within an
apartment for a couple,
preferably A/C with
attached bathroom in the
vicinity of Hawally. Contact:
99745402. (C 4881)
13-12-2014
SITUATION VACANT
Full time live in home
nurse/nanny to look after
an 87 year old women who
requires assistance with all
daily activities (hygiene,
meals, dressing etc.) Salary
KD 180 + determined on
experience and qualifications. Benefits include own
room with bathroom,
meals, one day off per
week, one-month holiday
every year, ticket home
every year. We are also able
to transfer a visa if required.
Please call 99633674 before
Wednesday December 17th
or 99380307 to apply.
(C 4882)
14-12-2014
112
THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY
FORCIVIL INFORMATION
Automated enquiry
about the Civil ID card is
1889988
Prayer timings
Fajr:
05:10
Shorook
06:35
Duhr:
11:43
Asr:
14:34
Maghrib:
16:52
Isha:
18:14
Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)
Airlines
BBC
JAI
JZR
JZR
KLM
JZR
THY
FDB
QTR
IAW
PGT
ETH
GFA
UAE
JAI
FDB
RJA
ETD
MSR
KKK
PIA
OMA
QTR
ICV
MSC
IAW
THY
JZR
THY
DHX
BAW
KAC
KAC
FDB
QTR
SVA
KAC
KAC
KAC
KAC
UAE
ABY
ETD
FDB
QTR
IRA
GFA
UAE
MSC
JZR
MEA
UAE
MSR
KAC
KAC
JZR
KAC
Flt
043
574
239
267
411
539
772
069
1084
1157
858
620
211
853
526
067
648
305
612
6507
205
643
1076
673
401
1159
6776
503
770
170
157
416
412
053
1086
512
352
302
206
332
855
125
301
055
1070
675
213
873
405
165
404
871
610
514
382
561
672
Arrival Flights on Tuesday 16/12/2014
Route
Dhaka
Mumbai
Amman
Beirut
Amsterdam/Dammam
Cairo
Istanbul
Dubai
Doha
Al Najaf
Istanbul
Addis Ababa
Bahrain
Dubai
Chennai/Abu Dhabi
Dubai
Amman
Abu Dhabi
Cairo
Istanbul
Lahore
Muscat
Doha
Luxembourg/MXP
Alexandria
Al Najaf
Istanbul
Luxor
Istanbul
Bahrain
London
Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta
Manila/Bangkok
Dubai
Doha
Riyadh
Kochi
Mumbai
Islamabad
Trivandrum
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Abu Dhabi
Dubai
Doha
Lar
Bahrain
Dubai
Sohag
Dubai
Beirut
Dubai
Cairo
Tehran
Delhi
Sohag
Dubai
Time
00:05
00:10
00:25
00:30
00:40
00:40
00:45
00:55
01:00
01:30
01:35
01:45
02:30
02:35
02:50
02:55
03:05
03:10
03:10
03:20
03:20
03:25
03:45
04:00
04:05
04:45
05:05
05:25
05:35
05:40
06:40
06:45
07:10
07:45
07:50
07:55
08:10
08:20
08:25
08:30
08:40
09:00
09:20
09:40
10:00
10:40
10:40
11:00
11:25
11:30
11:55
12:50
13:00
13:10
13:45
13:45
13:55
QTR
JZR
KNE
SVA
FDB
GFA
KAC
KAC
ABY
UAE
FDB
NIA
KAC
QTR
JZR
RJA
ETD
SVA
GFA
JZR
UAL
JZR
UAE
JZR
FDB
ABY
KAC
QTR
SYR
KAC
AXB
KAC
KAC
KAC
KAC
GFA
KAC
KAC
KAC
JAI
MSR
FDB
OMA
DLH
ALK
MEA
ETD
FDB
UAE
GFA
QTR
KLM
ETD
FDB
AIC
PIA
UAL
JZR
THY
FDB
1078
335
472
500
057
221
788
284
127
857
051
251
562
1072
331
640
303
510
215
325
982
777
875
177
063
121
786
1080
341
618
393
774
674
678
542
217
166
104
742
572
618
061
647
636
229
402
307
073
859
219
1074
415
309
059
981
239
981
185
764
071
Doha
Al Najaf
Jeddah
Jeddah
Dubai
Bahrain
Jeddah
Dhaka
Sharjah
Dubai
Dubai
Alexandria
Amman
Doha
Al Najaf
Amman
Abu Dhabi
Riyadh
Bahrain
Al Najaf
IAD
Jeddah
Dubai
Dubai
Dubai
Sharjah
Jeddah
Doha
Damascus
Doha
Kozhikode
Riyadh
Dubai
Muscat/Abu Dhabi
Cairo
Bahrain
Paris/Rome
London
Dammam
Mumbai
Alexandria
Dubai
Muscat
Frankfurt
Colombo
Beirut
Abu Dhabi
Dubai
Dubai
Bahrain
Doha
Amsterdam
Abu Dhabi
Dubai
Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad
Sialkot
Bahrain
Dubai
Istanbul
Dubai
14:05
14:10
14:25
14:30
14:30
15:00
15:10
15:15
15:45
15:45
16:00
16:15
16:20
16:40
16:40
16:55
16:55
17:15
17:30
17:50
17:55
17:55
18:00
18:20
18:40
18:40
18:45
18:50
18:55
19:15
19:15
19:15
19:25
19:25
19:25
19:30
19:40
19:55
20:00
20:00
20:05
20:20
20:20
20:50
21:10
21:20
21:30
21:35
21:40
21:45
21:55
22:15
22:15
22:30
22:30
22:35
23:10
23:15
23:35
23:45
Airlines
AIC
PIA
FDB
JAI
BBC
KLM
DLH
KAC
IAW
ETH
THY
PGT
KAC
UAE
FDB
ETD
MSR
KKK
OMA
PIA
QTR
MSC
QTR
THY
IAW
ICV
FDB
THY
JAI
JZR
RJA
JZR
GFA
THY
FDB
BAW
QTR
KAC
SVA
KAC
KAC
ABY
KAC
UAE
ETD
KAC
JZR
FDB
QTR
KAC
GFA
IRA
KAC
JZR
KAC
MSC
UAE
MEA
Departure Flights on Tuesday 16/12/2014
Flt
Route
976
Goa/Chennai
206
Lahore
072
Dubai
573
Mumbai
044
Dhaka
411
Amsterdam
635
Frankfurt
283
Dhaka
1158
Al Najaf
621
Addis Ababa
773
Istanbul
859
Istanbul
381
Delhi
854
Dubai
068
Dubai
306
Abu Dhabi
613
Cairo
6508
Istanbul
644
Muscat
206
Lahore
1085
Doha
406
Sohag
1077
Doha
765
Istanbul
1160
Baghdad
673
Hong Kong
070
Dubai
6776
Dubai
525
Abu Dhabi/Chennai
164
Dubai
649
Amman
560
Sohag
212
Bahrain
771
Istanbul
054
Dubai
156
London
1087
Doha
513
Tehran
513
Riyadh
787
Jeddah
671
Dubai
126
Sharjah
101
London/New York
856
Dubai
302
Abu Dhabi
561
Amman
334
Al Najaf
056
Dubai
1071
Doha
165
Rome/Paris
214
Bahrain
674
Lar
541
Cairo
776
Jeddah
677
Abu Dhabi/Muscat
402
Alexandria
874
Dubai
405
Beirut
DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION
Time
00:05
00:40
00:45
01:10
01:35
01:55
02:15
02:25
02:30
02:45
02:55
03:25
03:40
03:50
03:55
04:05
04:10
04:10
04:15
04:20
04:30
05:05
05:15
05:40
05:45
05:45
06:30
06:35
06:35
06:55
07:05
07:10
07:15
07:30
08:25
08:45
08:50
08:55
08:55
09:25
09:25
09:40
09:50
09:55
10:20
10:25
10:30
10:35
11:00
11:15
11:25
11:40
12:05
12:20
12:20
12:25
12:30
12:55
JZR
KAC
JZR
MSR
JZR
UAE
KAC
QTR
FDB
KAC
KNE
SVA
GFA
KAC
ABY
KAC
FDB
JZR
NIA
QTR
JZR
UAE
ETD
RJA
SVA
GFA
JZR
JZR
UAL
ABY
UAE
QTR
FDB
SYR
AXB
GFA
KAC
KAC
JAI
MSR
KAC
OMA
FDB
DLH
DHX
ALK
ETD
KAC
MEA
FDB
GFA
UAE
KAC
ETD
QTR
KLM
KAC
PIA
FDB
330
785
176
611
324
872
673
1079
058
617
473
501
222
773
128
741
052
266
252
1073
538
858
304
641
511
216
184
238
982
121
876
1081
064
342
393
218
361
343
571
607
351
648
062
636
171
230
308
301
403
074
220
860
205
310
1075
415
411
240
060
Al Najaf
Jeddah
Dubai
Cairo
Al Najaf
Dubai
Dubai
Doha
Dubai
Doha
Jeddah
Jeddah
Bahrain
Riyadh
Sharjah
Dammam
Dubai
Beirut
Alexandria
Doha
Cairo
Dubai
Abu Dhabi
Amman
Riyadh
Bahrain
Dubai
Amman
Bahrain
Sharjah
Dubai
Doha
Dubai
Damascus
Kozhikode
Bahrain
Colombo
Chennai
Mumbai
Luxor
Kochi
Muscat
Dubai
Dammam
Bahrain
Colombo
Abu Dhabi
Mumbai
Beirut
Dubai
Bahrain
Dubai
Islamabad
Abu Dhabi
Doha
Dammam/Amsterdam
Bangkok/Manila
Sialkot
Dubai
13:00
13:00
13:45
14:00
14:10
14:15
15:00
15:05
15:10
15:15
15:20
15:45
15:45
15:50
16:25
17:00
17:00
17:05
17:15
17:40
17:45
17:45
17:50
17:55
18:15
18:20
18:40
18:50
19:15
19:20
19:40
19:50
19:55
19:55
20:15
20:15
20:50
20:55
21:00
21:05
21:15
21:20
21:20
21:35
21:50
22:10
22:15
22:15
22:20
22:30
22:30
22:50
22:55
23:00
23:05
23:15
23:30
23:35
23:55
34
stars
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
CROSSWORD 756
STAR TRACK
Aries (March 21-April 19)
This is a good time to work on a project of a large or complicated manner.
You might enjoy stepping back to see what others have to offer–observing. You should
enjoy great headway later as you and others struggle to complete this project. Care must
be exercised this afternoon as you could find yourself making some inappropriate choices–in particular as to how they could affect your living situation. You may suffer from a
bit of wanderlust and find yourself looking for adventure and something new and different. You could be seeking out some form of independence and allow yourself to go to
places that you have never gone before. These experiences could bring you romantic
encounters, a love that might not be too choosy–careful.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Many projects come to your attention–recognition is easy to find. Your
ideas gain a great deal of attention. Since you will be feeling so healthy and natural, you
are likely to be the one taking the lead in an important project–attitude is everything. You
should have all of the support that you could possibly want from those around you.
Finding yourself on the same wavelength with others is a most welcomed situation.
General good feelings are in the air and should have you in the mood to think about just
how much support and harmony you really have in your life and how you might return
the encouragement of others. You could probably sell an ice house to an eskimo with little problem; you are very persuasive and will appear calm and in control.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
ACROSS
1. A sign of assent or salutation or command.
4. Impairment of the sense of smell.
11. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.
15. A corporation's first offer to sell stock to
the public.
16. Greek wine flavored with resin.
17. An Arabic speaking person who lives in
Arabia or North Africa.
18. Examine by palpation for medical purposes.
20. Degree of figurative distance or separation.
22. Remote in manner.
23. The United Nations agency concerned
with atomic energy.
26. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.
27. Capable of wounding.
28. Rise or heave upward under the influence of a natural force, as on a wave.
30. In a gay manner.
32. Electronic warfare undertaken to insure
effective friendly use of the electromagnetic spectrum in spite of the enemy's use
of electronic warfare.
36. Relating to the Urdu language.
39. (chemistry) P(otential of) H(ydrogen).
40. The basic unit of money in Sri Lanka.
42. A trivalent metallic element of the rare
earth group.
46. A nucleic acid that transmits genetic
information from DNA to the cytoplasm.
47. Large west African tree having large
palmately lobed leaves and axillary
cymose panicles of small white flowers
and one-winged seeds.
50. A soft silvery metallic element of the
alkali earth group.
54. Hard greenish-brown wood of the
lignum vitae tree and other trees of the
genus Guaiacum.
57. Silver-coated candy bead for decorating cakes.
60. Of or relating to a language that arises
from contact between two other languages and has features of both.
61. Highly excited.
64. A confidential or secret meeting.
66. A stiff chitinous seta or bristle especially of an annelid worm.
68. Any physiologically active internal
secretion especially one of uncertain classification.
72. Tastelessness by virtue of being cheap
and vulgar.
73. The largest city in Kazakhstan and the
capital until 1998.
76. (`cease' is a noun only in the phrase
`without cease') End v 1.
77. Used of a single unit or thing.
78. Lead someone in the wrong direction.
80. An inflammatory disease of connective
tissue with variable features including
fever and weakness and fatigability and
joint pains and skin lesions on the face or
neck or arms.
81. The network in the reticular formation
that serves an alerting or arousal function.
82. A great raja.
83. (Brit) A tough youth of 1950's and
1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes.
DOWN
1. Monotypic genus of palms of
Australasia.
2. A translucent mineral consisting of
hydrated silica of variable color.
3. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (trade
name Dolobid) used to treat arthritis and
other inflammatory conditions.
4. Not airtight.
5. Up to the present time.
6. A mug intended for serving beer.
7. A mouth or mouthlike opening.
8. Device for converting sound waves into
electrical energy.
9. Not out.
10. A river in north central Switzerland that
runs northeast into the Rhine.
11. Small toothless anteater with prehensile tale and four-clawed forelimbs.
12. (botany) Relating to a plant of the family Araceae.
13. (Polynesian) An alcoholic drink made
from the aromatic roots of the kava shrub.
14. In bed.
19. Thick stew made of rice and chicken
and small game.
21. The compass point midway between
northeast and east.
24. How long something has existed.
25. United States writer (born in Poland)
who wrote in Yiddish (1880-1957).
29. A metric unit of length equal to one
hundredth of a meter.
31. (Akkadian) Mother and earth goddess
in Gilgamish epic.
33. An accountant certified by the state.
34. Any of several aromatic herbs having
edible seeds and leaves and stems.
35. Deficient in amount or quality or
extent.
37. A white metallic element that burns
with a brilliant light.
38. A gradual decline (in size or strength or
power or number).
41. (informal) The best of its kind n.
43. Massive plantigrade carnivorous or
omnivorous mammals with long shaggy
coats and strong claws.
44. Unknown god.
45. Any of several cultivated grapevines
that produce sweet white grapes.
48. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.
49. A long narrow natural elevation or striation.
51. A heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent
metallic element (resembles arsenic and
antimony chemically).
52. Small free-swimming tunicates.
53. A republic in southeastern Europe on
the southern part of the Balkan peninsula.
55. Genus of tall smooth herbs of forested
mountains of Europe and Asia minor.
56. A city in central Illinois.
58. Functioning correctly and ready for
action.
59. Half the width of an em.
62. A republic in West Africa on the Gulf of
Guinea.
63. English conspirator who claimed that
there was a Jesuit plot to assassinate
Charles II (1649-1705).
65. A Bantu language.
67. Russian physicist (1895-1971).
69. A kiln for drying hops.
70. A small island.
71. A notable achievement.
74. A hormone secreted by the anterior
pituitary gland that controls the degree of
pigmentation in melanocytes.
75. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).
79. A person who announces and plays
popular recorded music.
Optimism is easy to find this monday. This is a fine time to try out some new
ideas or engage in some new business dealings or investments.
Compromise should be exercised whenever possible. Mental stimulation from others is
key for you right now and it is a good idea to make every effort to cooperate and compromise when the opportunity arises. At home this evening, it is good that you always look
for ways to have family members together in open conversation times. Sharing chores is
good as one person can become exhausted doing everything solo. Insights into purchases for the family can be considered now, which may include a new car, or groceries. You
may be of great help to someone today without even knowing it.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Communication and successful leadership qualities are in your favor. You are able
to handle most any situation. You want adventure, freedom and to go where no one has gone.
These are really strong yearnings and you could become engaged in some pretty interesting
adventures at this time. Consider a trip. If you cannot afford it just now, it may be time to start planning and saving for one. Romance is possible. Someone that you are close to could be very supportive in all of this and increase your feeling of support and rapport. It should be a happy time
with a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love.
Go ahead and spread your wings and feel the wind beneath them. You will be guided.
Leo (July 23-August 22)
You will find that materialistic things and the whole concept of value take
on more importance for you now. Financial security and enjoying the finer things in life,
appreciating and creating things that others want to have are the experiences that
assume a high priority. You may feel like being totally different at this time–trying out new
and unusual things. This is a perfect time for new ideas, a breakthrough in thinking, a novel approach. Everything seems to work together to bring out your more unique and
unusual qualities. It will please you to learn that someone you are close to is supportive of
your dreams and wishes. It will not take much for you to come up with new solutions to
old problems or to be very inventive.
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
You may find yourself in the mood for some rather deep and penetrating
conversations or thoughts. Expect some real insight into your own inner workings or psychology and in a form that you can manage. Procuring and sharing information assume
more emotional significance for you just now, and that would be achieved in any way it
comes: business insights, personal insights or over the-back-fence gossip. Communicating
feelings becomes important. You may find yourself out and about hunting for new clothes
before the next family celebration. There is much anticipation between you and your family and friends regarding the new year celebrations and you can feel it in the air as you
shop. You make a discovery this evening.
WORD SEARCH PUZZLE
Libra (September 23-October 22)
It may be a perfect time to be assertive and to move forward in your career
decisions. This should be a wonderful time to be with others and to work together.
Someone in authority could come to you with a proposition for a very special task. Your
management and directional abilities are prominent. There is a yearning for adventure
and far horizons that beckons to you now. There is an opportunity to join up with a few
sports enthusiasts and you look forward to getting together what you will need for this
event. To roam, to wander and wonder, to seek freedom and go where no one has gone
before, are the things that are deep and powerful longings. You have a great deal of
energy that runs over into the evening and you make plans.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
You should find this a particularly enjoyable day, perhaps filled with some
renewed appreciation for all that is beautiful and fine. A feeling of value and valuing may
find you bestowing affection on those near you. Your ability to make good common
sense decisions concerning group matters is appreciated. You seem to be blessed with a
natural sense of what the public wants and needs at this time. Clear decisions that influence others could be made now. Anything that gets accomplished today will probably be
due to the fact that you took the initiative to get the ball rolling. You could feel that you
have a good support system. Being as flexible as possible will help you move forward
with others. Magazines with gossip news entertain you this evening.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
The need for emotional security is strong. Charisma, self-transformation,
the development of personal power–all play a bigger role in your life now,
more than ever before. You present a most positive and upbeat side while you lecture or
speak to young people that need to hear what you have to say. Fun and upbeat activity
that helps you to teach will prove successful. You will be able to make a positive difference. Work this afternoon may include shoveling snow or chopping wood. Moral issues
and the love of others are much more important now than material concerns–which may
create a most unselfish time. This afternoon is a good time for surrounding yourself with
friends. You are happy to be included in whatever activities are considered.
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
You are quite talented at figuring things out by digging beneath the surface and getting at what is beneath and behind a situation. This talent is what could have a friend
or associate coming to you for help and advice regarding something quite personal and emotional.
You should have little problem in handling and understanding any sort of emotional material. Your
friendships will be strengthened by your compassion at this time. You may be a bit more on the
reflective side this afternoon–wanting to spend more time with your loved ones. You may not feel
very outgoing or want to present yourself to the world. Too many parties lately may have you looking for some quiet time. You work your magic in a relationship this evening.
Aquarius (January 20- February 18)
Because you could be feeling an urgency to get total control over your life,
you may find yourself with a greater interest or experience in healing and investing–and of
course, the great mysteriousness of life and death. Sensual needs are but one of the life
issues that you could find being emphasized for you now. You are embarking on a phase of
emotional directness and impulsiveness now, one that is marked by forceful and powerful
feelings. Emotional beginnings and perhaps even the establishment of some new habit
could be what you are dealing with at this time. Just be sure that they are good changes as
they will set the tone for quite some time to come. Tonight you may need to call a halt to
someone that has borrowed one too many things.
Pisces (February 19-March 20)
Feeling very nostalgic and domestic could be calling to your attention the
need for security and a sense of roots. Anything relating to family, home, relatives or real
estate may play a bigger part in your life. You want to belong on a private, intimate and personal level. You long to be needed and to feel that it really is all right to have needs. You are
quite practical when it comes to dealing and working with others. You know just what to do
and can act without haste and emotion. You are called on to make use of your natural abilities and common sense. Friendships and interaction in group activities play a more important part for you now. Friends are our only true riches and the satisfaction that comes from
doing things cooperatively is wonderful.
Yesterday’s Solution
Yesterday’s Solution
Daily SuDoku
Yesterday’s Solution
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
i n f o r m at i o n
For labor-related inquiries
and complaints:
Call MSAL hotline 128
INTERNATIONAL
CALLS
GOVERNORATE
Sabah Hospital
24812000
Amiri Hospital
22450005
Maternity Hospital
24843100
Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital
25312700
Chest Hospital
24849400
Farwaniya Hospital
24892010
Adan Hospital
23940620
Ibn Sina Hospital
24840300
PHARMACY
Ahmadi
Jahra
Capital
Al-Razi Hospital
Physiotherapy Hospital
Farwaniya
Hawally
24846000
24874330/9
Kaizen center
25716707
Rawda
22517733
ADDRESS
PHONE
Afghanistan
0093
Luxembourg
00352
Albania
00355
Macau
00853
Algeria
00213
Macedonia
00389
Andorra
00376
Madagascar
00261
Angola
00244
Majorca
0034
Sama Safwan
Abu Halaifa
Danat Al-Sultan
Fahaeel Makka St
Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd
Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd
23915883
23715414
23726558
Anguilla
001264
Malawi
00265
Modern Jahra
Madina Munawara
Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1
Jahra-Block 92
24575518
24566622
Antiga
001268
Malaysia
0060
Argentina
0054
Maldives
00960
Armenia
00374
Mali
00223
Australia
0061
Malta
00356
Austria
0043
Marshall Islands
00692
Bahamas
001242
Martinique
00596
Bahrain
00973
Mauritania
00222
Bangladesh
00880
Mauritius
00230
Barbados
001246
Mayotte
00269
Belarus
00375
Mexico
0052
Belgium
0032
Micronesia
00691
Belize
00501
Moldova
00373
Benin
00229
Monaco
00377
Bermuda
001441
Mongolia
00976
Bhutan
00975
Montserrat
001664
Bolivia
00591
Morocco
00212
Bosnia
00387
Mozambique
00258
Ahlam
Khaldiya Coop
Fahad Al-Salem St
Khaldiya Coop
22436184
24833967
New Shifa
Ferdous Coop
Modern Safwan
Farwaniya Block 40
Ferdous Coop
Old Kheitan Block 11
24734000
24881201
24726638
Tariq
Hana
Ikhlas
Hawally & Rawdha
Ghadeer
Kindy
Ibn Al-Nafis
Mishrif Coop
Salwa Coop
Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St
Salmiya-Amman St
Hawally-Beirut St
Hawally & Rawdha Coop
Jabriya-Block 1A
Jabriya-Block 3B
Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St
Mishrif Coop
Salwa Coop
25726265
25647075
22625999
22564549
25340559
25326554
25721264
25380581
25628241
Adaliya
22517144
Botswana
00267
Myanmar (Burma)
0095
Khaldiya
24848075
Brazil
0055
Namibia
00264
Brunei
00673
Nepal
00977
Kaifan
24849807
Bulgaria
00359
Netherlands
0031
Shamiya
24848913
Burkina
00226
Netherlands Antilles 00599
Burundi
00257
New Caledonia
Cambodia
00855
New Zealand
0064
Cameroon
00237
Nicaragua
00505
Canada
001
Nigar
00227
Cape Verde
00238
Nigeria
00234
Cayman Islands
001345
Niue
00683
Central African
00236
Norfolk Island
00672
Chad
00235
N. Ireland (UK)
0044
Chile
0056
North Korea
00850
China
0086
Norway
0047
Colombia
0057
Oman
00968
Comoros
00269
Pakistan
0092
Congo
00242
Palau
00680
Cook Islands
00682
Panama
00507
Shuwaikh
24814507
Abdullah Salem
22549134
Nuzha
22526804
Industrial Shuwaikh
24814764
Qadsiya
22515088
Dasmah
22532265
DAY: 0RQGD\
Expected Weather for the Next 24 Hours
%<'$< 6XQQ\ZLWKOLJKWWRPRGHUDWHVRXWKHDVWHUO\ZLQGZLWKVSHHGRINPKDQGVRPHVFDWWHUHGFORXGVZLOO
DSSHDU
%<1,*+7 &ORXGVZLOOLQFUHDVHJUDGXDOO\ZLWKOLJKWWRPRGHUDWHVRXWKHDVWHUO\WROLJKWYDULDEOHZLQGZLWKVSHHGRI
NPKZLWKDFKDQFHIRUVFDWWHUHGUDLQ
WARNING
1R&XUUHQW:DUQLQJV
Bneid Al-Gar
22531908
Shaab
22518752
STATION
0$;(;3
0,15(&
Qibla
22459381
.8:$,7&,7<
ƒ&
ƒ&
Ayoun Al-Qibla
Mirqab
ƒ&
ƒ&
Costa Rica
00506
Papua New Guinea 00675
22456536
$%'$/<
ƒ&
ƒ&
Croatia
00385
Paraguay
00595
Cuba
0053
Peru
0051
Cyprus
00357
Philippines
0063
Cyprus (Northern)
0090392
Poland
0048
Salmiya
25746401
Jabriya
25316254
Maidan Hawally
25623444
Bayan
25388462
Mishref
25381200
22630786
%8%<$1
ƒ&
ƒ&
-$+5$
ƒ&
ƒ&
)$,/$.$,6/$1'
ƒ&
ƒ&
Czech Republic
00420
Portugal
00351
6$/0,<$+
ƒ&
ƒ&
Denmark
0045
Puerto Rico
001787
$+0$',
ƒ&
ƒ&
Diego Garcia
00246
Qatar
00974
Djibouti
00253
Romania
0040
-8/8,$+3257
ƒ&
ƒ&
Dominica
001767
Russian Federation 007
4$52+,6/$1'
ƒ&
ƒ&
Dominican Republic 001809
Rwanda
00250
Ecuador
00593
Saint Helena
00290
Egypt
0020
Saint Kitts
001869
El Salvador
00503
Saint Lucia
001758
England (UK)
0044
Saint Pierre
00508
Equatorial Guinea
00240
Saint Vincent
001784
800$/0$5$'(0
ƒ&
ƒ&
24810221
Jahra
24770319
New Jahra
24575755
West Jahra
24772608
South Jahra
24775066
North Jahra
24775992
North Jleeb
24311795
Ardhiya
24884079
Firdous
4 DAYS FORECAST
Temperatures
DAY
DATE
WEATHER
MAX.
MIN.
Wind Direction
Wind Speed
7XHVGD\
Eritrea
00291
Samoa US
00684
3DUWO\FORXG\VFDWWHUHGUDLQ
ƒ&
ƒ&
1:
NPK
Estonia
00372
Samoa West
00685
:HGQHVGD\
6XQQ\
ƒ&
ƒ&
1:
NPK
Ethiopia
00251
San Marino
00378
7KXUVGD\
6XQQ\VFDWWHUHGFORXGV
ƒ&
ƒ&
1:
NPK
Falkland Islands
00500
Sao Tone
00239
)ULGD\
6XQQ\VFDWWHUHGFORXGV
ƒ&
ƒ&
1:95%
NPK
Faroe Islands
00298
Saudi Arabia
00966
Fiji
00679
Scotland (UK)
0044
Finland
00358
Senegal
00221
PRAYER TIMES
24892674
Omariya
24719048
N Khaitan
24710044
Fintas
87&
.8:$,7$,53257
22465401
Sabah
6)&&+$57
RECORDED YESTERDAY AT KUWAIT AIRPORT
Fajr
MAX. Temp.
°C
France
0033
Seychelles
00284
Sunrise
MIN. Temp.
French Guiana
00594
Sierra Leone
00232
Zuhr
MAX. RH
°C
%
French Polynesia
00689
Singapore
0065
%
km/h
Gabon
00241
Slovakia
00421
Gambia
00220
Slovenia
00386
mm
Georgia
00995
Solomon Islands
00677
Germany
0049
Somalia
00252
Ghana
00233
South Africa
0027
Gibraltar
00350
South Korea
0082
Greece
0030
Spain
0034
Greenland
00299
Sri Lanka
0094
Grenada
001473
Sudan
00249
Guadeloupe
00590
Suriname
00597
Guam
001671
Swaziland
00268
Guatemala
00502
Sweden
0046
Guinea
00224
Switzerland
0041
Guyana
00592
Syria
00963
Haiti
00509
Serbia
00381
Asr
Sunset
Isha
23900322
MIN. RH
6(
MAX. Wind
TOTAL RAINFALL IN 24 HR.
All times are local time unless otherwise stated.
83
UTC
9
ŵŤŚƀ
7
PRIVATE CLINICS
Ophthalmologists
Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor
25622444
Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea
25752222
Dr. Masoma Habeeb
25321171
Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy
25739999
Dr. Mohsen Abel
25757700
Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl
25732223
Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly
25732223
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)
Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner
24555050 Ext 510
Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali
25644660
Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478
Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah
25311996
Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory
25731988
Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary
22620166
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz
25651426
General Practitioners
Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi
24555050 Ext 123
Dr. Yousef Al-Omar
24719312
Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem
23926920
Dr. Kathem Maarafi
25730465
Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528
Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi
24577781
Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501
Urologists
Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy
22641534
Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul
22639955
Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660
Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120
Dr. Leons Joseph
66703427
Psychologists
/Psychotherapists
00687
22451082
Sharq
W Hawally
Issue Time Paediatricians
Plastic Surgeons
Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf
22547272
Dr. Khaled Hamadi
Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari
22617700
Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed
Dr. Abdel Quttainah
25625030/60
Family Doctor
Dr Divya Damodar
23729596/23729581
Psychiatrists
Dr. Esam Al-Ansari
22635047
Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan
Dr. Zahra Qabazard
DrAdrian arbe
23729596/23729581
Dr. Verginia s.Marin
2572-6666 ext 8321
25340300
25710444
Dr. Sohail Qamar
22621099
Dr. Snaa Maaroof
25713514
Dr. Pradip Gujare
23713100
Dr. Zacharias Mathew
24334282
Dermatology
22613623/0
Gynaecologists & Obstetricians
Endocrinologist
25665898
Dr. Mohammed Salam
Bern University
23845955
Dentists
Dr Anil Thomas
Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami
25343406
Dr. Shamah Al-Matar
22641071/2
Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly
25739272
Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed
22562226
Dr. Salem soso
22618787
Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer
22561444
Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan
22619557
Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash
22525888
Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan
25653755
Dr. Bader Al-Ansari
25620111
Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer
22610044
Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher
25327148
Internists, Chest & Heart
Dr. Adnan Ebil
22639939
Dr. Mousa Khadada
22666300
Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan
Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra
25728004
25355515
Dr. Mobarak Aldoub
24726446
Dr Nasser Behbehani
25654300/3
Soor Center
Tel: 2290-1677
Fax: 2290 1688
info@soorcenter.com
www.soorcenter.com
Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924
Physiotherapists & VD
Dr. Deyaa Shehab
25722291
22666288
Rheumatologists:
Dr. Adel Al-Awadi
22655539
25339330
Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888
Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees
Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan
General Surgeons
Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman
25330060
3729596/3729581
Neurologists
Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri
25633324
Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan
25345875
Gastrologists
Dr. Sami Aman
22636464
Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly
25322030
Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali
22633135
Kaizen center
25716707
Noor Clinic
23845955
Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah
25722290
Internist, Chest & Heart
DR.Mohammes Akkad
24555050 Ext 210
Dr. Mohammad Zubaid
MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC
Assistant Professor Of Medicine
Head, Division of Cardiology
Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital
25339667
Consultant Cardiologist
Dr. Farida Al-Habib
MD, PH.D, FACC
Inaya German Medical Center
Te: 2575077
Fax: 25723123
2611555-2622555
William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677
Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677
Holland (Netherlands) 0031
Taiwan
00886
Honduras
00504
Tanzania
00255
Hong Kong
00852
Thailand
0066
Hungary
0036
Toga
00228
Ibiza (Spain)
0034
Tonga
00676
Iceland
00354
Tokelau
00690
India
0091
Trinidad
001868
Indian Ocean
00873
Tunisia
00216
Indonesia
0062
Turkey
0090
Iran
0098
Tuvalu
00688
Iraq
00964
Uganda
00256
Ireland
00353
Ukraine
00380
Italy
0039
United Arab Emirates 00976
Ivory Coast
00225
United Kingdom
0044
Jamaica
001876
Uruguay
00598
Japan
0081
USA
001
Jordan
00962
Uzbekistan
00998
Kazakhstan
007
Vanuatu
00678
Kenya
00254
Venezuela
00582
Kiribati
00686
Vietnam
0084
Kuwait
00965
Virgin Islands UK
001284
Kyrgyzstan
00996
Virgin Islands US
001340
Laos
00856
Wales (UK)
0044
Latvia
00371
Yemen
00967
Lebanon
00961
Yugoslavia
00381
Liberia
00231
Zambia
00260
Libya
00218
Zimbabwe
00263
Lithuania
00370
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
lifestyle
G O S S I P
Cosby
working on new album
Don’t expect catfight in
Batman V Superman
Smith
Amy Adams:
A
my Adams says fans shouldn’t expect a catfight between Lois Lane
and Wonder Woman in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’. The
actress will reprise the character of Lois after assuming the role in
2013’s ‘Man of Steel’, but insists there won’t be tension between the female
protagonists vying for the attention of Superman because it would be too
obvious. She said: “They always think that if you put in another woman and
automatically ... ‘Catfight!’ No, I think that’s a male fantasy thing. I don’t think
that’s reality.” Gal Gadot has joined the project - which is set to be released
on March 25, 2016 - as Wonder Woman after appearing in several ‘Fast &
Furious’ movies, and Amy, 40, said she was relieved to find out the star
would be involved in the movie because she didn’t want to be the only
female working on the film. She added: “It’s exciting to get to bring in all
these other characters and I was really excited that Gal was involved,
because it was a nice to have another girl on set, even if we don’t work
together a lot, it was nice to have her there.” However, the ‘Her’ actress
admitted she is unsure about the plots for future films, ‘Justice League Part
One’ and ‘Justice League Part Two’, in which the pair may argue. She added
to Coming Soon: “I don’t know how it will turn out, if we’re going to be competition, but we are not in this, I can safely say, and we’re not in real life.
She’s just the coolest girl ever.”
breaks silence on the media, his wife
B
ill Cosby gave a brief interview to
Page Six on Friday, where he
addressed journalistic standards and
his wife’s reaction to the flood of rape accusations. The 77-year-old star says he only
expects the black media to exhibit excellence in journalism by maintaining a neutral mind. He also says that his wife, Camille
Cosby, has relied on love and the strength
of womanhood to weather the ongoing
public scrutiny. Cosby has remained largely
silent in light of the more than two dozen
women who have come forward to accuse
him of having drugged and raped them.
The Page Six interview ended abruptly
when Cosby said that he wasn’t supposed
to talk to the media. Representatives for
Cosby did not immediately respond to the
AP’s request for comment.
Jolie’s acting ‘frustration’
A
S
am Smith has started working on a new
album. The ‘Money On My Mind’ hitmaker
released his debut record, ‘In the Lonely
Hour’, earlier this year, but is already well on the
way to completing his second album having
already settled on the name and cover art, as well
as some of the tracks. He revealed: “I’ve already
come up with the title, the concept, the artwork,
everything. “I’m already recording really rough
demos on the road.” The 22-year-old crooner
recently received six Grammy Award nominations
for his first record, but insists he hasn’t been able
to rest because he is always writing songs to
express his emotions. He continued: “I believe if
you’re a creative person you won’t be able to stop
creating. I can’t stop writing.” However, fans of his
first album may be disappointed as he has confirmed his sophomore record will follow a different theme from that of unrequited love, after
ngelina Jolie felt “frustrated” as an actress. The 39-yearold star - who made her directorial debut with ‘The Land
of Milk and Honey’ in 2011 and released her second picture ‘Unbroken’ this year - has confessed she didn’t feel, as an
actress, as “connected” to films as she would have liked and is
“much happier” working on movies behind the camera. She
told The Daily Telegraph Magazine: “As an actress, you learn
about your character, and you understand the overall picture of
any film you’re working on, but there’s so much you’re not a
part of. “There’s so many times I’ve felt frustrated with films I’ve
been in, or seen them and not felt connected to them, or
haven’t watched them at all. I’m much happier directing.” The
Oscar-winner admitted she was nervous about making the
switch from actress to director but felt compelled to take on the
role with ‘The Land of Milk and Honey’ - which focusses on the
atrocities committed by the Bosnian-Serb forces during the
Serbian War between 1992 and 1995 - as she felt so strongly
about the topic. Angelina - who penned the script following a
trip to Bosnia as part of her ambassadorial duties for the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - said: “I was nervous
another director might be less sensitive about the material, so I
volunteered myself.”But I didn’t think I’d be any good at it. I just
wanted to do my best.”
releasing his demons in a new song. He explained:
“The reason I’m happy is because something
clicked about four weeks ago. “I wrote a song. It’s
about my family and something that happened in
my life as a kid which has really scarred me as a
person. “It was the most honest record I’ve written
in my whole life. It’s all just clicked.” The star added
he is also hopeful about working with his pal Ed
Sheeran on his new music, after recently striking
up a friendship with the ‘Thinking Out Loud’
singer. He told The Sun newspaper: “He’s one person, when we’re talking about celebrities in the
industry, who I’d actually count as a friend. Him
and Jessie Ware. “Ed’s an amazing man. He helps
me and gives me advice. I would love to work with
him.”
Madonna
plans world tour
M
adonna is planning a world tour in 2015. The ‘Hung Up’ hitmaker wants to mark 30 years since her groundbreaking
‘Like a Virgin’ concert series from 1985 with a string of
shows across the globe in support of a planned new album. A
source said: “This is going to be one very special tour. Madonna
wants to pull out all the stops, especially because it is 30 years since
the ‘Virgin’ tour. “Like her 2012 ‘MDNA’ tour, where she played 88
dates in places including Europe, South America and Asia, Madge
will be travelling the world. Once the new record is finished she can
concentrate on the concerts.” Despite already having nine huge
tours under her belt, the 56-year-old singer wants to “push boundaries” and offer something new with her 2015 gigs. The source
added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Madonna knows that in
order to stay relevant she has to keep reinventing herself and push
boundaries. “The new tour will show a side of her that no one has
seen before.” OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder recently revealed
he had been working with Madonna on “her best stuff in more than
a decade”. He added: “The tracks I’ve done with her are really hard
to explain.”
Wonder to guest
on Ronson record
S
tevie Wonder will feature on Mark Ronson’s new album. The ‘Uptown Funk’
hitmaker has teamed up with a string of guests for ‘Uptown Special’, including the soul legend - who appears on the first and last tracks on the record Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford, and Bruno Mars.
Mark teamed up with award-winning author Michael Chabon for many of the
lyrics on the album, which is his fourth studio release. He said: “I wanted lyrics to
push farther than most of what’s going on in R&B and pop today. “I wrote Michael
to ask if he’d be interested in writing lyrics for the album.” Other acts on the album
include Keyone Star, the winner of an audition Mark held at the Jackson State
University in Mississippi, and Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow. Meanwhile, Stevie has
been praised by Sir Elton John as one of the greatest singers and musicians of all
time. The ‘Rocket Man’ hitmaker told GQ magazine:”He’s so multitalented that it’s
hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes him one of the greatest ever. Along
with Ray Charles, he’s the greatest R&B singer who ever lived. Nobody can sing like
he does. As a keyboard player he never ceases to amaze me. I like to think I’m a
pretty good musician, but he’s in a whole other league. “When people discuss the
history of music, they will talk about Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles
and Stevie Wonder - and they will still be the greatest.”
Stipe rules out
REM reunion
M
ichael Stipe insists R.E.M. will never reunite. The ‘Losing My Religion’ hitmakers - comprising Michael, Peter Buck and Mike Mills - went their separate
ways in 2011 after over three decades together and the frontman insists
they won’t perform together again because there’s “no point” and he “despises” nostalgia. Asked if they will get back together during an interview on ‘CBS This Morning’,
Michael said: “No. That will never happen... There’s no point. I love those guys very
much and I respect them hugely as musicians and as songwriters and everything but
I just don’t want to do that thing that people do...I despise nostalgia. I’m not good at
looking back.” Despite his feelings about a reunion, the ‘Nightswimming’ singer
hasn’t completely ruled out performing again himself in the future. He said:”That’s
maybe an exclusive, but I think I will sing again. Not soon, maybe...I don’t know. “I
love my voice and I think it’s still... I think it actually got better as I got older. “I sing in
the shower. And I’m not bad. You would be surprised at my play list.” The 54-year-old
musician most misses performing when he watches other people’s gigs. He said: “I
just needed to step away for a while. [But] when I go to see bands perform live, that’s
when it’s hard for me. I look up on the stage and I think: ‘I wish I was there.’—Bang
Showbiz
Ford excited by Blade
Runner sequel
H
arrison Ford thinks the script for the ‘Blade Runner’ sequel is
“the best” he’s ever read. The Hollywood legend starred in the
1982 original and is set to return for the much-anticipated
sequel, and Ridley Scott has revealed he can’t wait to reprise his role as
Rick Deckard in the dystopian sci-fi sequel. Ridley, who directed the
original and has helped to write the sequel, said: “I sent him this
[script] and he said, ‘Wow, this is the best thing I’ve ever read’, so it’s
very relevant to what happened [in] the first one.” Speaking to MTV
News, the director added: “I’m not just doing a sequel with lots of
action and see how far we can go with the special effects because you
can’t, really. “Blade Runner kind of landed on a somehow very credible
future. And it’s very difficult to change that because it’s been so influential with everything else.” Earlier this month, Ridley reopened the
possibility of directing the ‘Blade Runner’ sequel. The movie-maker
previously said he won’t be returning to the role for ‘Blade Runner 2’,
but appears willing to perform a U-turn. He said: “I don’t know about
not directing ‘Blade Runner 2’ yet.”
37
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
LIFESTYLE
F e a t u r e s
Zainab Ashadu speaks about her leather bags at her Lagos workshop.
Handbag designer Zainab Ashadu, 32, designs a bag with a worker on July
17, 2014 at her Lagos workshop.
Zainab Ashadu shows high-quality leather.—AFP photos
Nigerian luxury handbags: Making a mark overseas
ention northern Nigeria and the first
thing that may spring to mind is Boko
Haram. Zainab Ashadu is hoping to
change that-by selling designer handbags. The
Nigerian designer is the brains behind the
Zashadu brand, whose modern, colorful creations use the ancient art of tanning and
leather-dyeing from the country’s north. “I
think people like the story behind the bags.
They like the fact that the bag has roots and
origins,” the 32-year-old told AFP at her
bustling workshop in a working class district
of Lagos.
From the cramped premises in Festac,
which buzzes with the sound of Singer sewing
machines, a team of about half a dozen artisans make between 200 and 300 bags every
year. Ashadu’s parents were from the north,
which is these days rarely out of the news
because of the Islamist insurgency that has
been raging since 2009.
But the region has long been known for its
high-quality leather, which the designer turns
into clutch purses and handbags that sell
overseas for between 150-800 euros ($180980, 120-630 pounds). The leather comes from
the north’s biggest city, Kano, goatskin from
the ancient northwestern city of Sokoto as
well as python skin from snake farms in the
region.
M
Sustainability, know-how
Unlike European fashion houses, which
import raw leather from Nigeria and then tan
and dye it overseas, Ashadu decided to make
use of the centuries of know-how of artisans in
Kano. “It is very important for me to work in a
sustainable way,” she said. “I work with small
families of tanners, the animals are traceable,
we use vegetable dyes and other environmentally friendly dyes, and also the dyers work all
together to save energy.” The designer gets her
inspiration from hours of hunting for bargains
in the maze of stalls in the huge Mushin market, in the Lagos suburbs.
The market sells Nigerian leather off-cuts
and rejects, particularly from Italian fashion
houses. “It’s so vibrant... there’s so much
leather available and sometimes the sellers
have no idea of the quality of what they sell,”
said Ashadu. “There’s antelope-that is very
soft-there’s goatskin, sheepskin...”From there,
the material is turned into bags by her team,
all of whom have been trained at a specialist
school of leatherwork in the northern city of
Zaria.
adapt to a different way of doing business.
“You need to be tough-skinned, adaptable
and to have a great sense of humor,” she said.
“Nigeria is a very hard place to... do anything,
let’s put it that way. It’s definitely very hard to
run a business. But it’s more earthy. You feel
like your feet are on the ground.”
Understanding and adapting to a different
style of doing business is key to getting ahead,
with some overseas firms looking to invest in
Nigeria put off by red tape and logistical constraints.
Power cuts that often last more than 12
hours are a major problem and force businesses to invest in huge, costly electricity generators.
At Ashadu’s workshop, in a modest house
belonging to her family, power comes from a
small generator. What’s important is adapting
as much as possible to how her employees
work, rather than trying to apply to the letter
what she learnt at the London College of
Fashion.
Adaptability key
Ashadu is one of an increasing number of
returning Nigerians or “repats”, chancing their
arm in their home country after years spent
overseas. She spent her early childhood years
in Lagos but was a teenager in London, where
she was variously a model, actress, buyer and
architecture student.
She came back in 2010 and has had to
‘Made in Africa’
Zashadu bags have won a small but loyal
following locally. Private sales have been held
in unexpected locations such as a hotel suite
with champagne and macaroons and at an
upmarket yacht club. In the last year, the
brand, which is marketed online abroad, has
established a presence in boutiques in
London, Miami, Dublin, Johannesburg and
Zainab Ashadu poses with her creations.
most recently in Paris. French designer
Charlotte Ziegler, who sells Zashadu bags at
the Franck et Fils department store, said she
was intrigued by Ashadu’s unusual profile and
also its “sustainable luxury”. But she admits it
was a risk.
“For 200 or 400 euros, people sometimes
prefer to buy a product with a (recognized)
designer label,” she said. Ashadu is confident
and knows that she’s tapped into a trend.
“People love Africa and Africa is something
that is new in this way and people love to
jump on bandwagons,” she said. “And this one
ticks all the boxes: it’s made in Africa, it’s beautiful-looking, it’s made sustainably, it’s international.”—AFP
Kurt Geiger’s new women
autumn winter collection
voking the power of scarlet, print, texture
and silhouettes, shoes are designed for
the Kurt Geiger girl’s taste in British traditions and the magic of fashion. Laced sandals
and slippers with stars, stones and sparkle
reflect the glittering water of the Grand Canal
whilst an increase in brown, tan and earthy
tones, cuddly shearling and suede protect her
in the great English outdoors. New Chelsea
boots, Derbies and Go-Go boots ensure that
the flat ankle boot and over the knee styles
continue to be all the rage. Stilettos masked as
second skin with mesh, sassy leopard or lace.
Flats get the fantasy treatment too with slippers and skaters in touchy feely velvet with
brooches and bows. This season a duel attitude fuses function and fantasy.
Roeg’s portrait of Italy is a vision of a real
working city made by man. Designed in
Britton, made in Italy, Venetian lace adds a dec-
E
The new Promesse collection driven
by an unerring source of inspiration
aume & Mercier, one of the oldest Swiss
watch manufactures still in operation, has
consistently celebrated women and their
unique individuality through its timepiece creations. This is a world where it enjoys unique
credibility thanks to its ability to grasp feminine
wishes and catch their attention. Through the
new Promesse collection, Baume & Mercier
intends to provide a refined response to
women’s aspirations by bringing them models
in tune with the times. Baume & Mercier’s success among women is intrinsically linked to its
flair for revealing each of the numerous facets
of their personality. This tradition, initiated by
B
Louis-Victor Baume in 1869 with the gold pocket watch gifted to his daughter Melina, morphed into a true love story when William Baume
and Paul Mercier teamed up in 1918 to form
Baume & Mercier Geneve. From then onwards,
they began creating iconic jewelry-watch models epitomizing the Art Deco period. Their wrist
worn designs and inspired shapes were to
make them powerful symbols of female emancipation. Driven by an unerring source of inspiration, the watchmaking Maison created a variety of models during the “golden fifties” (heyday of the wristwatch), such as the “Marquise”
timepieces with their “bangle” bracelets. These
designs were to revolutionize the world of
women’s watches and write some of the most
beautiful pages in the history of 20th century
watchmaking.
During the 1960s, this success encouraged
the brand to create beautiful jewelry watches
imbued with an elegance and refinement that
enabled Baume & Mercier to showcase its
expertise in the field of women’s timepieces.
Passionate about equilibrium, as embodied in
the golden ratio or “divine proportion” symbolized by the Greek letter “phi” - its logo since the
1960s -, Baume & Mercier began exploring the
world of design at the dawn of the 1970s.
During this period, the visionary House redefined the principles of women’s timepieces and
ventured into the uncharted territory of original
watchmaking shapes in a burst of creativity.
Jewelry watches and watch jewelry: feminine time interpreted by Baume & Mercier
unprecedented inventive heights. The Mimosa
and Galaxy models, released from industry
stereotypes and vividly embodying this
momentum, won first prize at the “Golden
Rose” Watchmaking and Jewelry awards in
Baden-Baden in 1972, and the Stardust in turn
claimed victory in 1973. This expertise and ability to interpret women’s watchmaking expectations established the Baume & Mercier’s legitimacy and its international reputation. More
keenly attuned than ever to their needs and
wishes, the Maison has now chosen to unveil
Promesse, an intensely delicate and timeless
collection representing a true ode to femininity.
A design brimming with promise
A classic, precious watch conveying a strong
emotional charge, Promesse is the recognizable
descendant of a 1970s model from the Baume
& Mercier museum collection. It offers today’s
women an opportunity to discover how the
originality of its timeless lines embody a cherished Baume & Mercier tradition. Decidedly different due to its unconventional shapes,
Promesse features a design with a gentle aesthetic tempo, playing with an oval bezel nestled
inside a soft, round case.
Available in two extremely feminine 30 mm
and 34 mm sizes, Promesse transforms time
into a subtly perceptible vibration. The curves
of the bracelet harmoniously reflect those of
the polished steel case. This delicate aesthetic
approach may be viewed as a visual interpretation of the ripples produced by a drop of water.
Materializing a phenomenon that lasts a mere
fraction of a second, it crystallizes this kinetic
event in polished steel so as to make time stand
still and record a promise made in that timeless
moment. This elegantly understated and
refined watch is driven by a Swissmade quartz
caliber or a mechanical self-winding movement.
The classic shape of the Promesse collection
is enhanced with a precious touch by enhancing its oval bezel with mother-of pearl, capping
it with 18K red gold or gracefully highlighting
the design by setting it with diamonds. The
pure, delicate and contemporary silver-colored
dial with its “drapÈ guillochÈ’’ decor or carved in
shimmering azure mother-of-pearl, provides an
eminently readable display of time with the
help of Roman numerals and indexes. Thus
adorned, the Promesse watch appears on the
wrist like the mirror of its owner’s soul, providing a chance to preserve some of life’s most
meaningful moments through an understated
aesthetic accentuated by its lines.
orative dark Italian glamour to the Kurt Geiger
London B series of signature stilettos.
Crimson sets a darker mood for accessories
with saffiano leather bags crafted in classic
shapes in shades of scarlet, oxblood and hot
pink; as well as a rich wine python print. This
season the ‘London’ saffiano bag is introduced
with a limited edition hand painted Venetian
lace print, echoing the Kurt Geiger London
lace shoes. Exclusively for the Middle East the
Carvela collection will offer an edited series of
styles with rhinestones, shine and sparkle.
Fairy tale courts with encrusted bows, mules
that shimmer and block heel sandals boasting
an intricate lattice upper; this season shoes
reflect in both silver and gold with accents of
black and nude.
The AW’14 collection for women is available at the Kurt Geiger Stores located at The
Avenues and 360 mall.
Alpha unveils attractive winter packages
t’s holiday seasons and Alpha Holidays has
announced unique and exciting winter holiday packages for customers in the UAE and
GCC. Valid till March 2015, the packages comprise a host of world-class destinations to
choose from.
Whether travellers want to take a city break
to the Hungarian capital, Budapest, or travel to
Cambodia for the awe-inspiring temples of
Angkor, Alpha Holidays has destinations for
everyone. Other destinations include London,
Paris, Budapest, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka and
more. What’s more, attractions include a city
tour of Paris, a romantic getaway to Vienna and
travellers can also choose to explore one of
Europe’s most popular destinations, Paris. A
guided chauffeur driven tour of Kandy and
Colombo or an exploration tour of Sri Lanka
completes the range.
“At Alpha Holidays, our focus has always
been on giving our customers something more
than just a holiday. We’ve planned out some
amazing winter holidays this season, with packages for all kinds of travellers”, said Samer
Assaad, Director at Alpha Holidays. He believes
I
that it is important to deliver a complete experience rather than just helping people get to
their desired destinations. “We’ve really
stepped it up this winter and our holiday packages are planned out to deliver a seamless holiday experience”, he added. Recently, Alpha
Holidays was announced as the no. 1 seller for
Costa Cruises as the brand had held a competition for several tourism agencies around the
world. The challenge was to secure bookings
for 300 people within 1 month. Alpha Holidays
not only won the contest, but also reached the
target much before the stipulated period. The
team was awarded a prize by the Head of Sales
& Marketing Mediterranean New Markets,
India, Africa and Middle East. Alpha Holidays
offers exceptional quality of service, professional travel intelligence and innovative customer
care for both leisure and corporate travellers,
thanks to its team of loyal, passionate and dedicated staff. Alpha Holidays is part of Alpha
Tours - the market leaders in the tourism and
travel industry across the Gulf, with a wide network of international partners, high service levels and a strong heritage.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
lifestyle
M U S I C
Actors, from left, David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo and Tim Roth pose with
producer Oprah Winfrey and director Ava DuVernay at the premiere of
“Selma” at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Sunday in New York. — AP photos
&
M O V I E S
Producer Oprah Winfrey attends the premiere of “Selma”.
This photo released by Paramount Pictures shows, David Oyelowo, center,
as Martin Luther King, Jr and Carmen Ejogo, right, as Coretta Scott King in
the film, “Selma,” from Paramount Pictures and Pathe.
‘Selma’ stars on poignancy
and parallels of movie
A
t Sunday’s premiere of “Selma” in
New York, the cast acknowledged
parallels between their film about
the African-American civil rights movement
and recent protests nationwide, calling
attention to the deaths of unarmed black
males at the hands of police.”You can look
out your window and you can see people
protesting and you can look at the film and
it looks similar, said Oprah Winfrey, who is a
producer on the film and has an acting role
as well. “People are wearing different kind
of clothes, it’s a different era but the same
issues still prevail.”“Selma,” co-written and
directed by Ava DuVernay, is based on the
1965 marches from the Alabama cities of
Selma to Montgomery, led by the Rev. Dr
Martin Luther King. At the time, they were
calling for voting rights.
David Oyelowo, who plays King in the
film, added “We couldn’t have predicted
what would happen in terms of what’s
going on, race relations-wise. We finished
shooting in early July and by early August
Michael Brown had been murdered and
now we’re in the middle of the Eric Garner
situation. I just think it shows. ... We do not
live in a post-racial America.” He added he
hopes “Selma” shows “that this struggle
continues and we all have to participate.”
And participate is what some of the actors
in the film have done. Actress Lorraine
Toussaint said she took her 10-year-old
daughter to march in a protest in New York
the day before.
‘I Can’t Breathe’
“I wanted to make sure that she knows
that she can make a difference; that it is
important to stand up and speak out
when there is wrong, when there is injustice,” said Toussaint.
“Evil only propagates when we are
silent and so you know it’s a difficult time
but our voices matter and I wanted my
daughter to know that her voice matters.”
Others took their activism to the red carpet. Actor Wendell Pierce wore a shirt that
said “I Can’t Breathe” for Garner, who died
in July at 43-years-old after being put in a
chokehold by a New York City police officer during an arrest for allegedly selling
loose, untaxed cigarettes.
“This is not a movie about the past,” he
said. “It’s a movie about a very, very acute
present because it’s all the same issues
that have been going on for a long time.”
Co-star Ruben Santiago-Hudson raised his
hands for photographs, in reference to
the killing of Brown, an 18-year-old who
reportedly had his hands up when he was
shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson,
Missouri.
Tyler Perry, who is not in the movie but
was there to support Winfrey, said the
continued turnout for the protests has
given him hope.
“Emotionally for me it just let me know
that ever ything is gonna be OK .
Everything is gonna be OK. It’s like being
in a battle with a lion or tiger and then
you see all this help coming your way, you
know, and I think that it is beyond moving
and powerful and phenomenal.” “Selma”
opens in limited release Dec 25 and goes
wide Jan 9. — AP
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr.
attends the premiere of
“Selma”.
Actor Tim Roth attends
the premiere of “Selma”.
‘Birdman,’ ‘Grand Budapest’ top
Critics Choice Awards nominations
W
‘Hobbit: Battle of
Five Armies’ rules
foreign box office
T
he Battle of the Five Armies” was the one film to rule them
all at the foreign box office this weekend, picking up a massive $117.6 million. The final installment in Peter Jackson’s
six-film Middle-earth series debuted in 38 foreign territories,
including such major markets as Japan, Russia and Mexico. It
opens in the US on Dec 17. Imax screenings accounted for $6.4
million of the film’s opening.
Among the notable territories, Germany accounted for $19.5
million, the United Kingdom contributed $15.2 million, France
added $14.5 million, and Russia amassed $13.4 million, ranking as
the biggest Warner Bros. opening ever in the country. Sliding in at
number two on the foreign charts, “Exodus: Gods and Kings”
earned $18.8 million from 6,096 screens in 27 markets. The biblical epic debuted overseas last week ahead of its Stateside release
in roughly 10 markets including Mexico and Australia and has so
far made $50.2 million internationally. Domestically, the story of
Moses earned a mediocre $24.5 million in its initial weekend in
theaters. With a pricetag of $140 million, the film needs foreign
audiences to turn out in a big way.
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1” and “Penguins of
Madagascar” were the third and fourth highest-grossing films
overseas, picking up $16 million and $14.7 million, respectively.
The “Hunger Games” sequel has earned $611.4 million worldwide, while the “Madagascar”spinoff has picked up $175.5 million. Fifth place finisher “Interstellar” blasted past $600 million
globally last week. The space adventure earned $11.4 million
overseas, pushing its worldwide total to $621.8 million. Chinese
audiences were a boon to “Interstellar,” delivering $122.9 million
in ticket sales. — Reuters
Malick’s ‘Knight of Cups,’
set for Berlin competition
T
errence Malick’s “Knight of Cups” and Andrew Haigh’s “45
Years,” with Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, will
compete in competition at next February’s Berlin Film
Festival. Starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett- who looks set for
a busy Berlin - and Natalie Portman, “Knight of Cups” will world
premiere in competition at Berlin, where Malick took Berlin’s
Golden Bear in 1999 for “The Thin Red Line,” which was also nominated for seven Academy Awards. Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella,”
also starring Cate Blanchett, plus a large cast of Lily James,
Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgard, Holliday Grainger, Sophie
McShera, Derek Jacobi and Helena Bonham Carter, will play out of
competition, seeing its international premiere.
Titles feature in an eclectic mix of competition contenders
including Germany’s Andreas Dresen - who won a Berlin Jury
Grand Prix for “Grill Point” - with his new film, “As We Were
Dreaming.” Brit Peter Greenaway’s will compete for 2015’s Golden
Bear “Eisenstein in Guanajuato,” an account of the Russian master’s
sojourn in the Mexican city. Alexey Gurman’s “Under Electric
Clouds,” and “Ixcanul,” the feature debut of Nicaragua’s Jayro
Bustamante, also make the cut.
Berlin 2015 competition, first titles
“45 Years “(Andrew Haigh, UK
“As Were Dreaming,” (Andreas Dresen, Germany, France)
“Knight of Cups,” (Terence Malick, US,)
“Eisenstein in Guanajuato,” Peter Greenaway, Netherlands, Mexico,
Belgium, Finland)
“Ixcanul,” (Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala, France)
“Under Electric Clouds,” (Alexey German, Russia, Ukraine, Poland)
Out of competition
“Cinderella,” (Kenneth Branagh, US)—Reuters
ith 13 bids, “Birdman” led nominations for the Critics’ Choice Movie
Awards, followed by 11 for “The
Grand Budapest Hotel,” a one-two punch for
Fox Searchlight. “Boyhood” followed with
eight. The noms for Angelina Jolie
(“Unbroken”) and Ava DuVernay (“Selma”)
mean that two of the six director contenders
are women. Among the films earning more
attention than in this year’s previous
kudos announcements: “Interstellar” (seven); “Guardians of the Galaxy” (five) and
“Unbroken” (four). The voting, by the
Broadcast Film Critics Assn, is one of the
more reliable Oscar predictors, in terms of
winners. The group has matched the eventual Oscar-winning best pic in 12 of the last 15
years. As for nominations, the CCMA are a
good guide for what’s popular in awards
conversations, but several factors limit the
noms’ powers as an Oscar omen.
For one thing, this group cites six contenders in most categories, compared to five
from the Academy. In addition, the CCMA
has separate categories for comedy film,
action film and sci-fi/horror, in addition to its
top prize, which is labeled simply best picture. The overlap means some films have a
shot at taking two “best” prizes-and that
individuals like Ralph Fiennes and Michael
Keaton are nominated three times for one
film: actor, comedy actor and in the ensemble category. “Gone Girl” and “The Imitation
Game” each earned six nominations; aside
PICTURE
Birdman
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
Whiplash
Selma
Mr Turner - Jacqueline Durran
HAIR &amp;
DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay - Selma
David Fincher - Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Inarritu - Birdman
Angelina Jolie - Unbroken
Richard Linklater - Boyhood
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Imitation Game - Graham Moore
Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theor y of Ever ything - Anthony
McCarten
Unbroken - Joel Coen &amp; Ethan Coen,
Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson
Wild - Nick Hornby
from “Guardians,” three films earned five
apiece: “Into The Woods,” “Selma,” and “The
Theory of Everything.” Films with four bids, in
addition to “Unbroken,” are “Edge of
Tomorrow,” “Inherent Vice,” “St Vincent” and
“Whiplash.”
Among the surprise omissions were
Steve Carell and “Foxcatcher” (which surprisingly only received two). The awards are given out by the Broadcast Film Critics Assn.,
which the org says consists of nearly 300
reviewers from TV, radio and online. In all, 61
films were cited at least once, in 28 categories. The lengthy roster included mentions
for films as diverse as “The Babadook,” “Lucy,”
“The Skeleton Twins,” “Top Five” and “22
Jump Street.” The ceremony will be held Jan
15 at the Hollywood Palladium, hosted by
Michael Strahan and airing live on A&amp; E.
The date once again coincides with the
Oscar nominations announcement, which
means the first televised appearance by
some newly anointed contenders. It also
means a long day that annually inspires
muttering and clenched teeth from awards
strategists and journalists.
The complete list follows:
ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton - Birdman
David Oyelowo - Selma
Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything
ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston - Cake
Marion Cotillard - Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore - Still Alice
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon - Wild
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin - Inherent Vice
Robert Duvall - The Judge
Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
Edward Norton - Birdman
Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons - Whiplash
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman - Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas
Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr.,
Armando Bo
Boyhood - Richard Linklater
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Wes Anderson,
Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler - Dan Gilroy
Whiplash - Damien Chazelle
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman - Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Robert Yeoman
Interstellar - Hoyte Van Hoytema
Mr Turner - Dick Pope
Unbroken - Roger Deakins
ART DIRECTION
Birdman - Kevin Thompson/Production
Designer, George DeTitta Jr./Set Decorator
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Adam
Stockhausen/Production Designer, Anna
Pinnock/Set Decorator
Inherent Vice - David Crank/Production
Designer, Amy Wells/Set Decorator
Interstellar - Nathan Crowley/Production
Designer, Gary Fettis/Set Decorator
Into the Woods - Dennis Gassner/Production
Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
Snowpiercer - Ondrej Nekvasil/Production
Designer, Beatrice Brentnerova/Set
Decorator
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Jessica Chastain - A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game
Emma Stone - Birdman
Meryl Streep - Into the Woods
Tilda Swinton - Snowpiercer
EDITING
Birdman - Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
Boyhood - Sandra Adair
Gone Girl - Kirk Baxter
Interstellar - Lee Smith
Whiplash - Tom Cross
ACTING ENSEMBLE
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Milena
Canonero
Inherent Vice - Mark Bridges
Into the Woods - Colleen Atwood
Maleficent - Anna B. Sheppard
MAKEUP
Foxcatcher
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
Maleficent
VISUAL EFFECTS
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie
ACTION MOVIE
American Sniper
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Edge of Tomorrow
Fury
Guardians of the Galaxy
ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Bradley Cooper - American Sniper
Tom Cruise - Edge of Tomorrow
Chris Evans - Captain America: The Winter
Soldier
Brad Pitt - Fury
Chris Pratt - Guardians of the Galaxy
ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt - Edge of Tomorrow
Scarlett Johansson - Lucy
Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay Part 1
Zoe Saldana - Guardians of the Galaxy
Shailene Woodley - Divergent
COMEDY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
St. Vincent
Top Five
22 Jump Street
ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jon Favreau - Chef
Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton - Birdman
Bill Murray - St. Vincent
Chris Rock - Top Five
Channing Tatum - 22 Jump Street
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rose Byrne - Neighbors
Rosario Dawson - Top Five
Melissa McCarthy - St. Vincent
Jenny Slate - Obvious Child
Kristen Wiig - The Skeleton Twins
SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Babadook
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Interstellar
Snowpiercer
Under the Skin
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Two Days, One Night
Wild Tales
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Citizenfour
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Last Days in Vietnam
Life Itself
The Overnighters
SONG
Big Eyes (“Big Eyes”)
Everything Is Awesome (“The Lego Movie”)
Glory (“Selma”)
Lost Stars (“Begin Again”)
Yellow Flicker Beat (“The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay Part 1”)
SCORE
Alexandre Desplat - The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson - The Theor y of
Everything
Trent Reznor &amp; Atticus Ross - Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez - Birdman
Hans Zimmer - Interstellar
YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Ellar Coltrane - Boyhood
Ansel Elgort - The Fault in Our Stars
Mackenzie Foy - Interstellar
Jaeden Lieberher - St Vincent
Tony Revolori - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Quvenzhane Wallis - Annie
Noah Wiseman - The Babadook — Reuters
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
lifestyle
M U S I C
In this image provided by Turner Classic Movies, Vivien Leigh appears in
character as Scarlett O’Hara, left, and Hattie McDaniel as Mammy, in the
film, ‘Gone with the Wind.’ — AP photos
&
M O V I E S
In this image provided by Turner Classic Movies, Clark Gable, left, appears
in character as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, in the film
“Gone with the Wind.”
In this image provided by Turner Classic Movies, Clark Gable, left, appears
as Rhett Butler, and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in a scene from the film,
‘Gone with the Wind.’
Research explores racial tensions
with movie’s 1939 premiere
S
eventy-five years after the premiere of
the movie “Gone with the Wind,”
research is shedding light on the racial
tensions that existed at the time between
the producer and city of Atlanta officials.
Emory University film studies professor
Matthew Bernstein has conducted extensive
research into the archives of the film’s producer, David O. Selznick. His findings illustrate some of Selznick’s concerns with the
city’s treatment of the film’s black stars at the
Dec. 15, 1939 premiere.
“Producer David O. Selznick was upset
that Hattie McDaniel would not be invited to
the Atlanta premiere,” said Bernstein. “He
argued over and over that she should be
allowed.” McDaniel played the character,
Mammy, and went on to become the first
black actor to receive an Academy Award for
her performance as Best Supporting Actress
in 1940. Selznick was guided by the office of
Atlanta’s then-mayor William B. Hartsfield. It
was Hartsfield that originally reached out to
Selznick to bring the premiere to the city. But
due to the racial segregation laws in the Jim
Crow south, none of the movie’s black stars
were allowed to attend the premiere or even
be included in the movie’s promotional program. McDaniel did attend the Los Angeles
In this photo taken from video Matthew Bernstein, an Emory University Film Studies
professor, discusses the racial tensions between the “Gone With the Wind” movie producer David O Selznick and City of Atlanta officials during the film’s premiere at the
Loew’s Grand Theater on Dec 15, 1939.
premiere and was featured in the program.
“Selznick, because he was Jewish, was
very mindful of the persecution of the Jews
in Europe in the late-1930s under Nazism,”
Bernstein remarks. “And he saw an analogy
Doha Film Institute
appoints Fatma
Al-Remaihi as CEO
T
he Doha Film Institute has announced the
appointment of Fatma Al-Remaihi as its Chief
Executive Officer in an indication that Qatar’s
government-backed film industry hub is now running
on all cylinders after previous CEO Abdulaziz Al-Khater
stepped down in August. Besides being in charge of
the DFI’s year-round film funding initiatives and its
international strategic partnerships Al-Remaihi - who
had been DFI’s acting CEO since August - will continue
to serve as Director of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, the
second edition of which wrapped earlier this month.
She will also head its new Qumra event dedicated to
fostering first and second works from around the
world which will have its first edition March 6-11 2015.
Born and raised in Doha, Al Remaihi graduated
from Qatar University with a degree in English
Literature. She has been part of the Doha Film Institute
team since joining in 2009 as an advisor to the first edition of the now scrapped Doha Tribeca Film Festival. A
mother of four, she was subsequently instrumental in
forging a partnership with Italy’s Giffoni Experience
fest for children and adopting Giffoni’s jury model,
involving hundreds of kids as jurors, for Ajyal. Ajyal this
year also featured the Doha Giffoni Youth Media
Summit attended by children’s film fest directors from
around the world.
Under her leadership, the DFI has established a new
film fund dedicated to supporting Qatari talent and is
clearly refocussing its resources on fostering a local
industry. “I am honored to be appointed as the CEO of
the Doha Film Institute. It is a privilege to work with the
filmmakers in our local and regional community, and I
look forward to continuing to support them in telling
their stories,” Al-Remaihi said in a statement. — Reuters
between that persecution and the life of
African-Americans under Jim Crow, especially in the South.”
Bernstein spent years poring over the
Harry Ransom Center’s Selznick archive at
the University of Texas, Austin. Among the
items studied, memos and telegrams
exchanged with Selznick’s staff document
the extent of his efforts to persuade Atlanta
officials to change their minds. However,
Katharine Brown, Selznick’s east coast assistant and story editor, concedes in a Dec 8,
1939 letter to Selznick that efforts to include
the black cast must end.
“I hope this will not prove to be a dissatisfaction to you but with everyone so touchy, I
am trying very hard to use my very best
judgment not to create situations,” Brown
writes. In contrast to the city’s treatment of
the movie’s black cast, local black organizations performed at various events leading up
to the night of the premiere.
“One of the most fascinating things about
the festivities is Martin Luther King Jr, when
he was 10 years old, actually appeared on
stage at a charity ball dressed as a slave in
front of a mock-up of Tara singing with the
Ebenezer Baptist Church choir,” Bernstein
points out. Steve Klein, a spokesman for The
King Center, confirmed the event as a reflection of the times but offered a poignant
analogy for the civil- and human-rights icon.
“It’s kind of neat that he could go on and be
awarded the Nobel Prize.” — AP
In this Dec 15, 1939, file photo, searchlights frame
the “Tara” facade of the Loew’s Grand Theater on
Peachtree St. for the movie premiere of “Gone
With the Wind in Atlanta.
Conchita Wurst won’t be a
‘bitter old drag queen’
A
fter a whirlwind year that saw her win
the Eurovision Song Contest and perform at the European parliament and
United Nations, “bearded lady” Conchita
Wurst is headed for the recording studio but
doesn’t rule out hanging up her stiletto heels
in the coming years. “There was just no time
till now (to record an album) because there
were so many great invitations, so many great
opportunities that I couldn’t miss out, I wanted to meet all these people, do all those
Austrian transvestite singer Tom
Neuwirth alias Conchita Wurst poses for
a photographer ahead of an AFP interview in Vienna. — AFP photos
things,” the Austrian diva said in an interview
with selected media, including AFP.
The album, due to be released in the
spring although no date has yet been set, will
have a more modern sound and move away
from the James Bond theme song style of her
Eurovision hit “Rise like a Phoenix.” Offers
came in from songwriters around the world,
“and that’s just so great that people see
something in me that they think is interesting
enough to send me their stuff. Because those
songs are their babies.”
Conchita Wurst-the alter ego of Tom
Neuwirth-captured hearts around Europe and
even beyond with her Eurovision win, despite
a certain backlash over her sexuality and look,
combining a black beard with a long glossy
mane and never-ending eyelashes. Flush
from her success, she has performed at
London’s Trafalgar Square, modeled for JeanPaul Gaultier at Paris fashion week, and is the
German voice of owl Eva in the Dreamworks
film “Penguins of Madagascar.”
‘It can be over in a second’
Next up is an invitation to the Golden
Globes in Los Angeles on January 11, “and
obviously I need to go!” even if that means
putting her recording schedule briefly on
hold. “It can be over in just a second,” she said
of her success. With her message of tolerance
and anti-discrimination, Wurst has been seen
Austrian transvestite singer Conchita Wurst is pictured during an AFP interview.
“Maybe in 20 years, maybe next year, I have
by many as an ambassador for gay rights. She
no idea... I love what I do, I love being
also performed this year in front of the EU
Conchita, I love dressing up, doing my makeparliament in Brussels and for UN chief Ban
up.” “As Conchita, I’ve got everything that I
Ki-moon. But she insists: “I don’t see myself as
need to be glamorous and in the spotlight,
a political figure.”
giving interviews, doing photo shoots. And
“I just want everybody to be respected. It
on the other side, there’s Tom, this shy, borshouldn’t be politics because for me it’s not,
ing boy. And I love to be shy and boring
one of the most natural things in our society
when I’m in private.” “So I will do it as long as
should be to be respectful.” When Wurst-who
it’s fun.” The day she turns into a “bitter old
says she would love to sing a James Bond
drag queen,” she will know it’s time, Wurst
theme song-hangs up her wig, skintight
said. — AFP
clothes and stiletto heels remains to be seen.
New York’s Apollo channels Duke Ellington for holidays
A
half century after Duke Ellington
transformed “The Nutcracker” into a
jazz suite, New York’s Apollo Theater
has channeled him in a production that
reaches into opera and tap-dancing. The
Apollo, the legendary Harlem venue where
a who’s who of musical greats including
Ellington have played, put on performances
Saturday and Sunday that offered a jazz flavor to holiday celebrations.
Ellington, amid a revival of his career in
1960, recorded “The Nutcracker Suite” in a
new interpretation of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s
score to the 1892 Christmas-themed ballet
which in recent decades has became a seasonal staple around the world. With booming saxophone solos, Ellington’s renditionarranged with Billy Strayhorn-playfully
evokes holiday cheer. Ellington, who entertained at a Harlem speakeasy during
Prohibition, renamed the “Dance of the
Sugar Plum Fairy” the “Sugar Rum Cherry.”
David Berger, a composer who has studied Ellington, conducted the Apollo’s version which stayed true to the Tchaikovsky
original by bringing in ballet. Students
from the Dance Theater of Harlem dressed
in gold and then switched to red as they
glided with floral wreaths on stage. In addition to “The Nutcracker Suite,” the Apollo
put on a collection from Ellington’s three
“Sacred Concerts”-in which the jazz pioneer
sought to bring religious dimensions to his
work. The soprano Priscilla Baskerville,
whose work with New York’s Metropolitan
Opera has included “La Boheme” and “Porgy
and Bess,” delighted the crowd with her
voice’s power on songs including “Heaven,”
The marquee at the Apollo advertises Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite.
which sweeps between operatic drama and
bouncier jazz. Ellington originally wrote the
songs for Alice Babs, a Swedish songstress
known for her three-octave range. Babs,
originally a pop singer who represented
Sweden at one of the first Eurovision competitions, died earlier this year at age 90.
In another highlight for the audience,
the tap-dancer Jason Samuels Smith took to
the stage for the Biblically inspired “David
Danced Before the Lord With All His Might”
as his shoes’ music gradually merged into
the orchestra’s percussion.
The Broadway actor Norm Lewis
employed his sturdy baritone for songs
including “99 Percent,” whose verses straddle singing and spoken word. And true to
the music’s Gospel influences, the jazz
orchestra was backed by a choir from the
Arts High School in nearby Newark, New
Jersey. The holiday concerts cap a busy year
for the Apollo, which celebrated its 80th
anniversary and has been expanding a
Hollywood-style “Walk of Fame” for jazz
greats. Last month, the Apollo commemorated Bob Marley’s famous 1979 concerts
with a performance that featured some of
reggae’s most popular stars and a surprise
appearance by the elusive R&B singer
Lauryn Hill. — AFP
The soprano Priscilla Baskerville performs songs by
jazz legend Duke Ellington at Harlem’s Apollo Theater
in New York. — AFP photos
Research explores
racial tensions
with movie’s 1939
premiere
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014
39
Christmas decorations on sale on a market stall in Chester, North West England on December 14, 2014. — AFP
Truffles and turkeys await
Christmas tables at ‘Belly of Paris’
A
t the temple to gastronomy outside
Paris, Rungis market, Marinette shows
off a tray of fat white truffles from Italy,
at 1,800 euros a kilo ($1,000 per pound). “Put
your nose in there,” she tells her customers,
who brave the early morning hours to supply
restaurants and retailers throughout France
and beyond during the lead-up to Christmas.
Rungis, the largest fresh food market in the
world, is abuzz the week before Christmas as
wholesalers sell everything from oysters and
salmon to gruyere, green beans and sides of
beef. Located a few kilometers (miles) south of
Paris, Rungis is spread over 234 hectares, making is just a bit larger than the sovereign state
of Monaco. Some 12,000 employees make this
well-oiled machine run to the tune of 9 billion
euros in sales each year, up 3.8 percent from
2012 to 2013. “I’ve worked here for 35 years!”
Marinette said. “I love truffles, caviar and also
foie gras. I know all the sellers here - the atmosphere is great.”
Rungis, built to replace the old Les Halles
market in Paris that closed in 1969, is a massive
source of economic growth, supporting an estimated 102,000 jobs throughout the country.
When the doors open each morning at 2am, the
first buyers are usually sushi chefs who value
selection over price. Later buyers look for a bargain, when prices are cut for quick sale. Hardest
for seafood sellers - who sell about 200 kilos of
fish a day - is knowing how much to buy as
more restaurants place last-minute orders due
to uncertain client demand, which increases the
risk of too much stock. “With ten days before
Christmas, they’re under a lot of stress,” said
David Bourganel, development director at
Rungis. Three thousand restaurants buy directly in person from Rungis each morning, while
another 30,000 from as far away as Asia and the
Middle East receive deliveries. Oysters, salmon
and turkeys are the big holiday items, with
prices rising with demand. A lobster costing 20
to 30 euros per kilo in June will be twice that in
December, sellers said. By 5am, the activity is in
the Le Saint-Hubert cafe adjacent to the meat
hall, where butchers in bloodied white smocks
gather around the zinc bar to warm up over a
glass of wine or beer. “You get thirsty,” quipped
Eric, a meat-cutter with 30 years under his belt
at Rungis, who said that despite the cold feet
and late hours, working at Rungis is lively and
convivial. “It’s really about relationships, and
you see a lot of fathers and sons. It’s a lot of
camaraderie.” — Reuters
Britain
Animal Art Sale
A girl touches a bronze sculpture depicting a rhinockeros as she poses for the photographers
during a press preview.
Children sit under a crocodile based table, as they pose for photographers during a press preview of a themed auction that features the animal as artistic inspiration, entitled ‘Creatures Great and Small’.
People stand next to an early 20th century elastolin life-size model of a
kangaroo.
A girl stands next to an art installation depicting a gorilla entitled
‘Silver Back’ by artist David Mach, as she poses for the photographers
during a press preview of a themed auction that features the animal as
artistic inspiration, entitled ‘Creatures Great and Small’, in London, yesterday. The two-meter tall gorilla by the Turner Prize nominated artist
is the third of an edition of three, the first of which holds the Guinness
World Record for the largest art installation made entirely from coat
hangers. The sale scheduled for Dec 17, 2014, explores animals across
a diverse range of mediums and styles, from intricate carving details in
19th century furniture through to contemporary sculpture, according
to Christie’s auction house. — AP photos
Children lay underneath a hippoptamus’ occasional table.