IS jihadists claim Paris attacks that killed 128 - Kuwait Times

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Israel razes homes of four Palestinians in West Bank

IS jihadists claim Paris

attacks that killed 128France vows ‘merciless’ response • Concert hall, stadium, cafes targeted

(Right) Victims of a shooting attack are seen on the pavement outside La Belle Equipe restaurant in Paris late Friday. (Top left) French President Francois Hollande,protected by armed bodyguards, stands near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris early yesterday; (Above left) A memorial of flowers and candles is seen inStrasbourg, eastern France, yesterday. — AFP

PARIS: Islamic State jihadists yesterday claimed a seriesof coordinated attacks by gunmen and suicide bombersin Paris that killed at least 128 people in scenes of car-nage at a concert hall, restaurants and the national stadi-um. French President Francois Hollande also blamed theIslamist extremist group for the bloodshed and called thecoordinated assault on Friday night at six different sitesan “act of war”.

Authorities identified the body of a French nationalknown to the intelligence services near the Bataclan con-cert hall, where 82 people were killed by armed men whohad shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is greatest!”) beforegunning down concert-goers. Police sources said he wasprobably one of those who stormed the building asaround 1,500 people were watching a Californian rockband. The discovery of Syrian and Egyptian passportsnear the body of other of assailants appeared to justifyfears over the threat posed to Europe by extremism inthe Middle East.

The attacks, which saw the first-ever suicide bombingson French soil, were “prepared, organized and plannedoverseas, with help from inside (France) which the inves-tigation will establish,” Hollande said. Analysts at EurasiaGroup said the attacks “confirm a structural shift in themodus operandi of the Islamic State, and represent aprelude to additional attacks in the West.” A man arrestedin Germany in early November after guns and explosiveswere found in his car may be linked to the attacks in Paris,Bavaria’s state premier said, without giving details.

The streets of the French capital were eerily quiet yes-terday, as authorities declared a state of national emer-gency following the worst attacks in Europe since the2004 Madrid train bombings. While many residentsstayed inside out of fear, hundreds gathered sponta-neously at blood donation centres while others flockedto place candles and flowers at the sites where peoplehad died.

Continued on Page 15

SEE PAGES 10, 11, 14, 20 & 40

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah on Friday night sent a cable of condolence toFrench President Francois Hollande following the attacksin Paris. The Amir strongly condemned “these criminalacts of terrorism which run counter to all teachings ofholy faith and humanitarian values”, and expressed sin-cere condolences over the large number of victims.

He reaffirmed Kuwait’s solidarity with the French peo-ple and government, saying Kuwait supports all measuresFrance might take to protect its security against terroristacts. He also renewed Kuwait’s commitment to the inter-national campaign against all forms of terrorism. HH theCrown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahand HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-

Hamad Al-Sabah also sent similar cables to Hollande. National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem also

strongly condemned the terrorist attacks. He sent a cableof condolence to the President of the French NationalAssembly Claude Bartolone to express profound griefover the tragic incidents and reaffirm full support to thepeople and government of friendly France. Ghanem saidterrorism has become a global menace everywhere in theworld, which requires a global collective effort to eradi-cate it. He wished those wounded in the multiple attacksquick recovery.

Meanwhile, a Kuwait Foreign Ministry official saidFriday night that Kuwait followed, with profound concernand grief, the news of the despicable acts of terrorism

which hit Paris. Such heinous acts can only strengthen theresolve of the friends in France to pursue their role in thefight against terrorism, the official said, reaffirmingKuwait’s solidarity with France in all measures it mighttake to protect its security and stability.

Kuwait maintains its principled stance against all formsof terrorism whatever the sources or justifications mightbe, the official stressed. He expressed condolences to thegrieving families and wished the wounded quick recov-ery. Kuwait Ambassador to France Sami Al-Suleimanurged all Kuwaiti nationals and students to remain vigi-lant for their safety and follow the instructions of the localauthorities.


Kuwait reaffirms solidarity with France

Amir sends condolences • No change in Schengen visa issuance

WASHINGTON: The US-British missile strikebelieved to have killed “Jihadi John” came togetherat lightning speed, but was months in preparation.Shortly before midnight Thursday, two US MQ-9Reaper drones and one British MQ-9 cruised aboveRaqqa, the Syrian heart of the Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate that stretches deep into Iraq, USofficials said. The aircraft’s controllers monitoredtwo people who had entered a parked car.

One, they were convinced, was MohammedEmwazi, the British computer programming gradu-ate who catapulted to infamy in Aug 2014 when hepresented the beheading of American journalistJames Foley, the first of several grisly videos inwhich he presided over the decapitations of foreignhostages. Brandishing a knife, dressed head to toein black, and speaking with a London accent,Emwazi became known as “Jihadi John”, the mostpotent symbol of the group’s brutality and a high-value target for US and British intelligence agencies.

US officials said the US and British military opera-tion to kill Emwazi had been in the works wellbefore the drones finally unleashed Hellfire missileson Thursday night. US and British agencies hadtracked the Islamic State propagandist and allegedexecutioner for months before delivering informa-tion on his movements and location to the US mili-tary, officials said.

In the days leading up to the strike Emwazi hadbeen moving around Raqqa, visiting his wife’s resi-dence and an Islamic State media operations cell,said one US official, speaking on condition ofanonymity. The subsequent US and British opera-tion unfolded quickly.


‘Jihadi John’

Search for ‘Jihadi

John’ took months

ANTALYA, Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) meets SaudiKing Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud yesterday before the upcoming G20 TurkeyLeaders’ Summit. — AFP

BELEK, Turkey: Turkish President TayyipErdogan urged world leaders yesterday toprioritize the fight against terrorism asthey gathered for a summit in southwest-ern Turkey, saying the Paris attacksclaimed by Islamic State showed the timefor words was now over. The worst blood-shed in France since the end of World WarTwo cast a pall over preparations for thetwo-day summit of the Group of 20 majoreconomies that begins today and is due to

be attended by heads of state includingUS President Barack Obama and RussianPresident Vladimir Putin.

French President Francois Hollande haspulled out of the meetings but toldErdogan by phone that his foreign andfinance ministers would attend, Turkishpresidential sources said. At least 127 peo-ple were killed as bombers and gunmenwent on a rampage across the French


Terrorism center-stage

as world leaders meet

ECKWERSHEIM, France: Rescuers work at the scene where a high-speed TGVtrain coach and engine carriage lie in a canal in near Strasbourg after derail-ing yesterday. — AFP

STRASBOURG, France: Ten peoplewere killed after a French high-speedtrain derailed during a test run yester-day, local officials said, announcing arise in the death toll. The train accidenthappened “because of excessive speed”at Eckwersheim in eastern France astechnicians were on board for testing,said a top local official Dominique-Nicolas Jane. However, police said thecause of the crash had not been deter-mined. A source close to the investiga-tion said dozens of technicians wereaboard. Another 32 people wereinjured, 12 seriously. FrenchEnvironment Minister Segolene Royalsaid at the scene that a further five were

unaccounted for. All those aboard thetrain were employees of the SNCFnational railways.

The accident is the worst since theFrench TGV trains went into service in1981. A total of 49 technicians, but nopaying passengers, were onboard whenthe accident happened during testingon one of the next generation of TGVhigh-speed trains due to go into servicein Spring 2016, the local prefecture said.The train ended up near a bridge in thewater of a roughly 40-m-wide canal. Apolice dive team, helicopters and tens ofrescue vehicles were sent to the scene inresponse to the crash. The initial toll wasput at “at least five dead”. — Agencies

10 dead as French train

derails during test run

L O C A LSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

By Muna Al-Fuzai

[email protected]

War in theheart of Paris

French newspapers described the Paris attacksas a ‘War in the heart of Paris’ with black mast-heads. The Paris attacks are indeed an act of

radical terrorism. It is an insult to humanity, and anincident that should unite the world to combat ter-ror regardless of its location, source and power.

A state of emergency has been declared acrossFrance after attacks on restaurants, a concert halland a sports stadium on Friday in Paris killed atleast 128 people with hundreds being injured andmany of them in critical condition so far. It isindeed a barbaric attack and whoever is behindthis mission should not be allowed to escape pun-ishment, be they militants, French citizens, immi-grants or even state intelligence. So far, there aremixed reports over who is who behind this mess.So far , all media reports are directing fingers toconservative Islamic groups that could have a con-nection with the Islamic State (IS) or Salafi groups,or even new groups. All attacks have caused dam-age against clear targets and innocent civilians.

Four gunmen killed at least 80 young peopleattending a rock concert at the Bataclan music hall.The attackers were killed at the site. The assaultcame as France, a member of the US-led coalitionwaging air strikes against the Islamic State (IS),was on high alert for attacks. Police said eightassailants had also died, seven of whom had blownthemselves up with explosive belts at various loca-tions, while one had been shot dead by police.

Although IS has later declared its responsibilityfor the attacks, and they are a pure murderers , Ithink the assumption to believe this theory aloneis not enough. I think such attacks need also thework of insiders, professionals and trained killers,probably French Immigrants with conservativeroots who really hate France. There is a possibleexistence of accomplices who might be fleeingright now. Especially with the growing of conserva-tive Salafi ideologies in France in recent years. Ithink France now should be open to all options.The blood of innocent people must not go in vain.

What happened is really a terrible crime againsthumanity. Therefore, we should not rest to consid-er we are safe just because we are thousands ofmiles away. There is no safe place as long as thereare others who worship killing and bloodshed.

Reports also said that Paris has cancelled allpublic transportation services including the Metroyesterday, as French newspapers decried a ‘War inthe heart of Paris’ with black mastheads.Meanwhile, some Arabs on social media here weretrying to undermine the crime and in fact, some oftheir comments were provocative , rude and illogi-cal because they kept comparing the number ofdead people in Syria and other places with thehundreds of those who died in Paris. This compari-son is wrong and naive.

All Arabian Gulf states have condemn the Parisattacks including Kuwait’s government, becausethe attacks violate all human and moral values. Iexpress my condolences to the French govern-ment and people of France for the terrorist attackswhich are in violation of all religions, ethics andmanners.

In my view

By Athoob Al-Shuaibi

KUWAIT: French Ambassador Christian Nakhle yesterdaythanked everyone for the condolence messages hereceived after the terrorist attacks in Paris late Friday. Hewas speaking during the third day of the Nuqat conference“Copy & Paste” at the Americani Centre of Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyah (DAI). Nakhle then joined the audience in amoment of silence to support the families of the victims ofthe attack.

FridayOn Friday, the program started with a gathering

(diwaniya) about the copy and paste syndrome by person-alities in the social media world and the influential role ofbloggers and fashionistas. The discussion was moderatedby Faisal Al-Fuhaid, followed by talks by art historian DrSlawa Mikdadi, who spoke about transforming art narra-tives from imitation to original works of art. ArchitectsKevin Mitchell, Manar Mursi and other professionals alsospoke later.

“The best thing about Nuqat is not just the event itself,but that the conference acts as a catalyst to link a lot ofevents going around in town at the same time. It bringstogether different cultural experiences and not only art, asyou can actually witness art being created live. Art

becomes a performance as well. You get musical events,performance arts, lectures, workshops and different peoplefrom different places. It brings everything together. Also, itaddresses people on many levels. You can be a person whohas passion for arts or you could be somebody who’s a spe-cialist - you can find layers of information that you canextract. It is incredibly enriching and very satisfying,” saidarchitect Waleed Shaalan, the host of Nuqat.

SaturdayYesterday, nine talks including those by artist Cyril

Duval, conceptualist Jason Steel and documentary photog-rapher Laura Boushnak, and an interactive game for theaudience were held. Boushnak spoke about her experi-ences in documenting the problems of education in theregion. Kuwait Times asked her about the need of main-taining human dignity while documenting tragic cases. “Ispend a lot of time with the people I take pictures of and Ican tell you that no one likes to be pictured as a victim toevoke pity. Some photographers take tragic images to sellthem for the purpose of sympathy, while what those peo-ple need is empathy. This is why my project focuses on suc-cess stories and dignity appears clearly through myimages,” she replied.

Nuqat’s cohosts are the Amricani Cultural Center, DAI,LOYAC and Al Shaheed Park, who are all offering their

spaces for Nuqat’s main program. Its cultural partnersinclude Institut Francais, the French Embassy and theBritish Council. The conference continues with activitiesand programs until November 18.

Nuqat conference audience paysrespect to Paris attacks’ victims

French Ambassador acknowledges condolences messages

French Ambassador Christian Nakhle and Hessa Al-Humadhie stand for a moment of silence in support ofthe families of the victims of the Paris attack. Waleed Shaalan leads the audience into a moment of silence for the Paris attacks’ victims.

Photographer Laura Boushnak speaks at the event.

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Chairman of the parliament’s foreign affairscommittee MP Kamel Al-Awadhi condemned the terror-ist attacks that claimed the lives of 150 and injuredaround 200 others in France. Awadhi stressed that terror-ism is blind and that it strikes many places worldwideregardless of religion, doctrine or state. He also stressedthat nobody could claim that terrorism originates fromcertain countries, adding that Arab countries were themost countries that suffered from its impact. “Thoseattacks probably present an opportunity for the world tostand united and face this black malicious terrorism,” heunderlined.

Kuwait, UK meetingKuwait and the United Kingdom are currently prepar-

ing various security and economic issues to be discussedduring both countriesí joint committee meeting, due tobe held by the end of November. Informed sources saidthat Kuwait’s delegation to the meeting would be head-ed by Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Jarallah, addingthat security concerns would take a major part of discus-sions, including providing Kuwait with developed Britishsecurity equipment as well as training Kuwaiti securitystaff members. Further, the sources denied that a Britishrequest to hand over bedoons (stateless residents) whohad resorted to the United Kingdom back to Kuwaitwould be discussed on the meeting. The sources alsostressed that Kuwait said it would only receive bedoonsregistered with the Central Agency for Illegal Residents.

E-media billThe parliamentary educational affairs committee is

scheduled to discuss a bill on authors and patent rightsin addition to the e-media bill on its meeting today, saidinformed sources, noting that Minister of Informationand Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah is scheduled to attend the meeting.

Abdali polyclinicHealth minister Dr Ali Al-Obaidi said that a special

budget had been allocated to pull down and rebuild theAbdali polyclinic, adding that consultations had alreadystarted to select an engineering consultant office todesign and execute the project.

MP Awadhi condemnsParis attacks

terrorism is blind

MP Kamel Al-Awadhi

LONDON: Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Pathfinder Tradeand Invest Michael Thomasannounced yesterdayorganizing of a visit of adelegation of British busi-nessmen to Kuwait fromthe 21st to the 25th ofFebruary in order to discussinvestment opportunitiesin the state’s developmentplan.

Thomas said in a state-ment to Kuwait NewsAgency (KUNA) that helooks forward to head theBritish delegation, which hoped to include the largest pos-sible number of representatives of all the vital sectors suchas renewable energy, health, education, technology, andtourism, in addition to various infrastructure projects.

He said that British businessmen will hold severalimportant meetings with their Kuwaiti counterparts andofficials in the state in order to access to investment oppor-tunities and projects available. He stressed that Britishcompanies are ready to help Kuwait in achieving its ambi-tious plan to build a strong and diverse economy capableof creating jobs and wealth for future generations.

Thomas described the development plan in Kuwait as aradiant light and came at a time the Middle East is witness-ing enormous developments and changes chiefly the bigdrop in oil prices and security tensions such as those expe-rienced by Syria and Yemen.

The Kuwaiti government projects he said came at avery exciting time where most of the countries in theregion have cut funding for major projects because ofthe collapse in oil prices. Thomas felt that the Kuwaitigovernment has realized what it must do to diversifysources of national income so as not to face bigger diffi-culties and challenges in the future, especially if oilprices continue to fall for longer periods. He stressedthat the development plan in Kuwait is characterized bythe size of its large and ambitious projects which targetvital sectors capable of advancing economic develop-ment projects forward. —KUNA

British businessdelegation to visit

Kuwait late February

Michael Thomas

L O C A LSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

KUWAIT: Engineer Magdi Sabri, headof the organizing committeeannounced the start today of theEGOV Forum for the 3rd consecutiveyear - Information Management andSecurity - under the patronage of HisHighness the Prime Minister SheikhJaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.The Forum will be inaugurated byMinister of State for the Council ofMinisters Affairs and Chairman of theCentral Agency for InformationTechnology Sheikh MohammadMubarak Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah at 6pm in Mariott Courtyard Hotel’sArraya Ballroom, in the presence ofgovernment and legislative personal-ities with a host of leaders and spe-cialists from the State InformationSystems departments.

Commenting on this annualevent, Sabri said that the EGOVForum, which is being held for thethird consecutive year, had attractedin the previous two years top technol-ogy companies which had already

sketched the trajectory of the EGworldwide and is looking today toleading the new stage ushered by theInternet for Everything phenomenonwhich will take the whole world tounprecedented and unimaginabledimensions, when all things, workprocesses and people will becomedirectly, in one way or another, con-nected to the internet.

Executive managersSabri welcomed the executive

managers from international compa-nies such as EMC, IBM, Microsoft,FireEye, Fortinet, Cisco and Unify. TheForum hosts this year a number oflocal companies which have distin-guished themselves regionally andinternationally such as ITS And Knet.

Sabri added: “ The EGOV3 forumtackles two main topics that greatlyimpact the development of EG pro-grams in Kuwait and other countries,namely, Information Managementand Information Security. The

Internet for Everything phenomenondominates these two issues throughthe various dimensions it imposes onthe large data bases analysis systems,Cloud computing, mobile smartphones or social media and othersthat form the basis of the informationstructure necessary for the EG pro-grams. The Smart Cities topic isstrongly present in these programs inorder to ensure an active popular par-ticipation and a wide provision ofgovernmental services in all walks oflife.

New horizonsSabri added that the NoufEXPO

team was proud to organize thisevent and cooperate with the CentralAgency for Information Technology inholding the Forum. He added thatthe assistance of all governmentalagencies in this effort drives the roleof the Agency and the EG programstowards new horizons that serve theprogress and development in the

State of Kuwait, especially becausethe Information Technology is a vitalfactor in attracting the productivework force among the youths in par-ticular and in strengthening thenational economy with new sourcesof income. Sabri concluded his state-ment by thanking the companies, theinstitutions and the specialists whohelped in convening the Form as wellas the guests from outside the Stateof Kuwait.

Engineer Magdi Sabri

EGOV3 Forum opens today under Prime Minister’s patronage

KUWAIT: Minister of Information andMinister of State for Youth Affairs andChairman of National Council for Culture,Arts and Letters, Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said UNESCOselection of the late Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as an international educa-tional and cultural figure for 2014-2015represents a tribute to Kuwait.

Sheikh Salman told KUNA, the UNESCOchoice is a recognition of the late SheikhAbdullah Al-Jaber in the construction ofeducational and cultural renaissance ofKuwait since the mid-thirties that left itsmark in Arab and international scenes. Italso represents a beacon of cultural andeducational thought that proceeded itsage in Arab and international arenas.

Meanwhile, UNESCO held a ceremony tohonor the late Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah - mastermind of much of Kuwait’scultural and educational accomplishments- as the 2014-15 international personality ofeducational and cultural achievementsheld in French capital today.

Representing His Highness the Amir

Sheik h Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in the ceremony was DeputyMinister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs SheikhAl i Jarah Al-Sabah. The late Sheik hAbdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had led theeducational, cultural and enlightenmentrenaissance in Kuwait. —KUNA

UNESCO choice of Sheikh Abdullah

Al-Jaber ‘an honor for Kuwait’

Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah

KUWAIT: Deputy head of the Informatics Award organizing committee Bassam Al-Shammari is seen at the press conference. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Ten government and Arab institu-tions have won the 2015 prizes of HisHighness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-SabahInformatics Award, as the best users ofsocial media in the Arab World. Winners ofthe 15th version of the Award cover thegovernment, the private sector, education,health and civil society.

Kuwait has won three prizes, deputyhead of the Informatics Award organizingcommittee Bassam Al-Shammari told apress conference yesterday. The NationalMobile Telecommunications Company(Ooredoo) won third place in the privatesector category, while charity organization

Direct Aid won the award of the civil socie-ty, and Taiba Hospital was given the secondprize in health, he added.

Shammari said that the Royal HashemiteCourt (Jordan) won the first prize for gov-ernment bodies, followed by the DubaiMedia Incorporated (DMI), while the DubaiCulture and Arts Authority came third inthe culture category.

Two Saudi companies, Almarai and Jairiwon first and second places in the privatesector category respectively while DallahHospital received the third prize in health.The education prize was awarded to QatarFoundation, Shammari said. —KUNA

Informatics awards given

to 10 gov’ts, Arab bodies

Slogan of Kuwait as capital for

Islamic culture 2016 chosen

KUWAIT: Assistant Secretary General ofNational Council for Culture, Arts, andLetters (NCCAL) for the cultural sectorMohammad Al-Asousi said that the tech-nical committee of the celebration ofKuwait as the capital of Islamic culture2016 has chosen the slogan of the event.

The committee cancelled the previousslogan that ran counter to the terms of thecelebration and so the slogan designed byJassem Al-Nasrallah was chosen for theevent, Asousi said yesterday. “A number ofcountries across the globe will take part inthe event as a step to promote andstrengthen our relations with the world inthe areas of arts and culture. Some officialbodies in the country, civil society organi-zations and the private sector will alsoparticipate in it through presenting differ-ent cultural activities,” he said. Kuwait’scelebration as a capital of Islamic culture2016 will coincide with the launch of

Qurain Cultural Festival slated for January18.

The celebration comes in implementa-tion of the resolution issued during thesixth conference of ministers of culture ofthe Islamic countries. The State of Kuwaitwill, through the event, seek to show thereal image of Islam - the religion of toler-ance and peace - and the civilized imageof Kuwait among the world’s countries.

A supreme committee was formedunder the chairmanship of His Highnessthe Premier Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and some ministers, andanother committee headed by Minister ofInformation, Minister of State for YouthAffairs and President of NCCAL SheikhSalman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah was also formed to supervise thiscelebration and other events during thecoming year as they believe in the interestof such cultural activities. — KUNA

Kuwaiti paper wins 3rd place in

European medical conference

Authority urges settling

sports disputes internally

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti scientific paper has wonthe third place in a recent major Europeannephrology event, director of the kidneyand urinary tract surgery program at KuwaitInstitute for Medical Specialization,Abdullatif Al-Turki said yesterday. The paper,prepared by the Kuwait Institute for MedicalSpecialization, an affiliate of the Ministry ofHealth, came third in the 11th Europeanconference on kidney and urinary tract sur-gery held in Turkey lately, Turki said.

Turki, a consultative doctor of kidney

and urinary tract surgery at the AmiriHospital, noted that the paper was pre-pared by a trainee doctor of the programAbdulrahman Al-Kandari, on treatment ofkidney stones. A host of papers from theprogram were submitted to the Europeanconference, held in the Turkish city ofAntalya, 6-8 November. Previously, the pro-gram took part in an Arab conference onsurgery of kidney and urinary tract, held inAmman, Jordan, 3-6 November with fourpapers, Turki said. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Public Authority forSports (PAS) called on national sportsauthorities to resort to the judicialauthority or the circuit tasked of dis-putes in the sector for tackling differ-ences. PAS said in a statement yester-day that the State rules do not barreferral to the judicial authorities, or theOlympic committee, the sports unionsor the cup tribunal. The dispute cases

should be referred to the competentauthorities at the national level, insteadof seeking justice from “organizationsoutside the country.” It expressed grati-tude to the Minister of Justice and theHigher Judicial Council for establishingthe sports court in the country. It alsothanked the political leaders for theirlimitless support for the Kuwaiti sports’independence.—KUNA

L O C A L

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

KUWAIT: Sheikha Intisar Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah is pictured with Nuwair’s team. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat Sheikha Intisar Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah is pictured with some participants.

KUWAIT: For the second time and coinciding with the WorldKindness Day, the Nuwair Initiative yesterday organized its ‘DriveKindly’ Yellow Parade along the Arabian Gulf road, said SheikhaIntisar Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, the initiative’s chairperson. She notedthat the parade aims at promoting the Ministry of Interior’s instruc-tions to drive carefully and rationally. Over 40 yellow vehicles andthree school buses took part in the parade along with scores of peo-ple, Ali added. “The parade aims at generating awareness aboutbeing kind on the road and promoting compassionate driving like

following traffic rules, giving way to others, and being considerateand cheerful on the road in general,” she explained, noting that theparade started at the beginning of the Gulf Road and ending atBenaid Al-Gar with participation from both public and private sectorbodies. Meanwhile, Gaya Kruchlik, the campaign’s manager, said thatthe parade only include vehicles painted in yellow to highlight thefact that yellow represents kindness, happiness, optimism and posi-tivity. She added that Kuwait now joins other world countries cele-brating the Kindness Day. — KUNA

Nuwair initiative organizes

‘Drive Kindly’ Yellow Parade

Sheikha Intisar Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah with the Camaro team. The parade underway.

Sheikha Intisar Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah with the bicycle team. Yellow vehicles pass by the Kuwait Towers.

KUWAIT: A fire described as ‘minor’ brokeout in the Crude Oil Unit in ShuaibaRefinery on Friday but it was rapidly extin-guished without any casualties, KuwaitNational Petroleum Company said. Thefire broke out due to a malfunction in oneof the unit’s pumps which caught the

blaze, KNPC acting spokesman AliAbdullah told KUNA. The fire was put outin record time and no one was hurt, headded. Abdullah said the affected pumpwould be sealed in the coming hours andthe Crude Oil Unit would be re-operatedas soon as possible. — KUNA

Minor fire extinguished

in Shuaiba Refinery: KNPC

KUWAIT: A fire broke at an apartment located in the Arbeed apartment buildings inRega’ie yesterday. Firefighters managed to put the blaze under control before it couldspread to other apartments. Three firemen were injured and were treated at the scene.Meanwhile, a case was filed to investigate the cause of the fire. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: The Manpower PublicAuthority mulls canceling the KD 250financial security deposit that employersexecuting government projects have tomake for each worker brought fromabroad, said informed sources. Manymajor companies had requested remov-

ing the insurance imposed last April ongrounds that the fee accumulates in viewof the number of laborers each companybrings, the sources said, adding that thecompanies believe that these fundscould instead be utilized in finishing theprojects quicker. “For example, a compa-ny bringing 2,000 laborers would have topay half a million,” explained the sources.

Companies request wokrers’

recruitment insurance waiver

KUWAIT: Since 2011 and until October2015, some 7,243 illegal residents haveadjusted their status in Kuwait, the CentralAgency for Remedying of the IllegalResidents’ Status said yesterday. The illegalresidents have adjusted their status, revert-ing back to their Saudi, Iraqi, Iranian,Jordanian, and other nationalities, Head ofthe status adjustment department of theapparatus Colonel Mohammad Al-Wohaibsaid. He called on illegal residents, who areyet to adjust their status in the country, to

visit the headquarters of the central appara-tus to do the necessary measures needed.

Wohaib affirmed that those complyingwith the law will be given residency visaswhich could be renewed every five yearsin addition to healthcare, education andration cards. Other privileges such as pri-ority in employment after Kuwaiti nation-als and facilitating procedures for obtain-ing driving licenses will also apply uponadjustment of their status, said the offi-cial. — KUNA

Over 7,200 illegal residents

adjusted their status: Agency

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior’s Relations and SecurityMedia Department announced yesterday that all police-men and women will start wearing their black winteruniforms as of today Sunday November 15, 2015.

By Athoob Al-Shuaibi

KUWAIT: A rapid wave of change is necrotizing the Arabic language,as its rich and beautiful vocabulary is under the threat of the influenceof English. Although there are no statistics about the number of peo-ple who have abandoned their mother tongue, there certainly is aglobal trend towards the adoption of English in everyday conversa-tions, education and business. This abandonment of the mother lan-guage in favor of English is not limited to Arabic speakers. It is happen-ing globally in almost all countries of the world.

Bringing people togetherLanguage was invented by our ancestors millions of years ago to sup-port them in transmitting ideas between each other. With about 8,000languages around the world, it helps bring people together, and isconsidered a type of protection from ideas from those who speak dif-ferent languages.

As a cultural tool, language helped develop the first human inven-tions. Therefore, it has been improved to accommodate more concep-tions. It is a changing tool to keep up with man’s present needs. Thepower of language is linked to the prosperity a person can provide tomankind. Therefore, weaker languages diminish with time, while thelanguage of industry, luxury and science becomes the prevailing one.The changing process of speech has been a continuous one. Thus, it isa misnomer to call it a problem, and maybe the right thing is to face itwith an open mind.

“Once upon a time, specifically during the reign of the Abbasids andUmayyads, classical Arabic was the most powerful language in theworld,” said Hayat Al-Yaqout, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Nashiri, anon-profit e-publishing house. “People who converted to Islam at thattime needed to learn the language not only to understand the religion,but because the Islamic state was the exporter of inventions, scientistsand philosophers. It was the cool language that everyone desired tolearn.”

Endangered generationSo why call to safeguard language if change and development are

mainstream? How bizarre is the thought of robbing the identity of awhole community simply by speaking in a different language? Yaqoutbelieves future Arab generations are endangered if they grow up notknowing classical Arabic. They need it because, from her point of view,dialect is poor of powerful vocabulary. “Language is a thinking tool;without a strong Arabic language, they won’t be able to keep and livewith the values that come with it. Every language brings its own val-ues. Therefore, the future generations will forget their origins and theirArab identity,” Yaqout told Kuwait Times.

But roaming in shopping centers, one might overhear parentsspeaking most of the time in English with their children. Also, Englishhas become a requirement to hiring a domestic worker or nanny.Generally, using this language in daily conversations between youthsand children is no longer limited to private school goers.

It is clear and obviousthat English is taking overArabic at all levels. InKuwait, for example, afterbeing a subject taught inmiddle school, Englishwas introduced in theelementary stages in thelate ‘90s. “We became ageneration that fears theignorance of English andare obsessed with theimportance of learningthe language,” said DrAbdulaziz Abal, an assis-tant professor at theAmerican University ofKuwait “I was only 15years old in the UnitedStates with my familywhen the Iraqi regimeinvaded Kuwait. A lot ofKuwaitis like me did notunderstand what wasgoing on. We were set tosurvival mode, and inorder to get through this,we had to learn properEnglish. I think it’s stillsomewhere in our sub-conscious that we mightlose our country again,and therefore we mustprepare our children tostudy and work abroad,”he told Kuwait Times.

Most powerfulAlthough Spanish

speakers outnumbernative English speakers,

English is the most powerful language in the world. The media in gen-eral is a propagation tool, as movies, TV shows, Internet and socialmedia are making it cool to speak English. Abal said the world is unani-mous that English is the global language of business and academia.Plus, education and public life have become dependent on Englishsources because Arabic data on the Internet lacks of credibility.“Everything is in English,” he said.

“When we try to see it from the child’s perspective, we find that hechooses to speak in the language used in daily life and not his mothertongue, because he doesn’t need it,” said Abal. “We shouldn’t fear collo-quial language. It’s close to the heart, and therefore will be absorbedand understood quicker than the classical language. Dialect is usefulwhen we use it with Arab children who were raised in circumstancesthat led to weakness in their Arabic spoken or written skills,” he added.

When Abal asks students which subjects they detest the most, theimmediate response is Arabic and Islamic studies. He said the majorityof Arabic and Islamic teachers are bitter or harsh with their students,and their teaching style is primitive. “They teach them how to receiveit, not how to use it. I don’t blame them for choosing English. The childin his subconscious doesn’t want to speak the language of killers, asthe media is trying to paint this image of Arab Muslims. He wants tospeak like his favorite Disney character, or his favored YouTube celebri-ty,” he said.

Yaqout said classical Arabic won’t addany cognitive value to those who spenttheir first years listening and speakingthe slang used in their country. Yaqoutagrees with Abal that it’s not the chil-dren or their parents’ fault. “Arabic lan-guage teaching curricula is stupid andnot suitable for everyday use. Arabicdealt with as a written languagealthough it’s primarily spoken. As a mat-ter of fact, all languages in the worldbegan by being spoken. Writing is a kindof abstraction because there are no rea-sons for writing letters in certain ways.On the other hand, children learnEnglish by singing, making presenta-tions and holding conversations withtheir peers in class,” Yaqout explained.

“If the next generations are raised notknowing how to understand or use clas-sical Arabic language and depend onlocal dialects, the gap will get bigger,and it’s more likely that religious peoplewill appear to protect their monopolyon the Holy Quran and its interpreta-tions. This is exactly what happened tothe Bible when Latin became extinct.History repeats itself,” warned Yaqout.

L O C A L


Special Report

Arabic vs English: Mother tongue

threatened by language globalization

Hayat Al-Yaqout

Dr Abdulaziz Abal

F r o m t he A r a bic pr e s sSUNSDAY, NOVEMBER 15 2015

Some media outlets lately want to escalatesocial crises to become political crises. Sorryto all those who spoke, be it at the profes-

sional, social or security levels, as all our wordstoday were written for the sake of one word -Kuwait.

Some of them are talking without realizing thatthey are a media reflection of their countries.Some people spoke about expatriates as beingmercenaries. We have written before about thedanger of the growth of the expat population, andthat the state should carry out a study and preparea strategy to expel those who do not have a job inKuwait. We tell the media to either accept the situ-ation gracefully or drop it all together.

I wonder who said that expats who are stayingin this country of sunshine are people who wait forour weddings to eat free of charge. Excuse me!Some people want to raise family reunion fees to25 percent of the monthly salary of an expatemployee! Fear God, you owners of propertieswho make annual rent increases without anysupervision or accountability.

You media, where are you over those who aredividing their government homes and rentingthem to expatriates? Excuse me, where is the lawagainst iqama traders who are slaughtering theexpat in his country to bring him here? Somemedia raise the slogan of getting rid of expatriateswithout legal justification, while they renew con-tracts of some of them. Is it “just where my interestlies?”

Last word: “Kuwait is not for a group withoutanother, and is not for a sect without others, it isfor all. Our pride comes from it, and our existenceis from it. Our heads are high by belonging to it,sincere to it by doing work that builds, effort thatenriches and a blood that sacrifices. We all realizethe gravity of the responsibility and the impor-tance of protecting it through believing in thedemocratic system, and shun practices that lead todivisiveness. Stay away from extremism and bewise and let public interest be first, because allthat is fortified protection of this country’s securityand stability” (From the speech of His Highness theAmir during the opening of the parliamentaryterm on Oct 30, 2006).

—Translated by Kuwait Times

A message from

Kuwait’s daughter

Al-Anbaa

By Dr Nermin Al-Houti

CrimeR e p o r t

KD 100,000 robberyA man was arrested for robbing a another in

Sharq and stealing KD 100,000 from him, said secu-rity sources, noting that the suspect’s other threeaccomplices were still at large. Case papers indicatethat a stateless person filed a complaint reportingthat four people attacked him in Sharq and stolethe money from him. Investigations led to the mainsuspect who admitted to stealing the money, assist-ed by three other expats including one who hadalready fled the country. The suspect also led thepolice to a vehicle where KD 80,000 of the stolensum was hidden. A case was filed and further inves-tigations are in progress.

Video leads to thieves’ arrestA video recorded by a high school student in

Hitteen helped police identify two car robbers, saidsecurity sources. The video was uploaded by thestudent to social media networks and police detec-tives linked it to several car robberies in the area.Policemen summoned the student who describedthe robbers in detail and a search warrant wasissued to arrest them.

Jahra campaignJahra security launched an inspection campaign

in Qasr were they confiscated 10 ATVs that were rid-den recklessly, endangering the riders’ lives andthose of others. —Al-Rai

KUWAIT: A woman who had been wanted for 16 casesinvolving up to KD 54,000 in financial claims was arrest-ed in Fahaheel, said security sources. Case papers indi-cate that a police patrol suspected the woman’s vehicleand on stopping and checking her personal informa-tion, she was found wanted.

Attempted murderA man was arrested for deliberately running over a

pipefitter and dumping him while bleeding in a desertarea, thinking he was already dead, said securitysources. Case papers indicate that the man was foundseriously injured and bleeding along the Salmi highwayand he was rushed to Jahra Hospital. The man said thathe had done a pipefitting job on a stateless person’sranch and the latter refused paying the sum hedemanded and ran him over. Summoning the suspect,he claimed that it was the pipefitter who jumped out ofthe vehicle and fell underneath the wheels. He said thathe fled the scene out of fear. A case was filed and fur-ther investigations are in progress.

Drunk engineer caughtAn engineer working at Shuaiba Port was arrested

while trying to enter the port area while heavily drunk,said security sources, noting that guards at the portgates were about to let him in as he was an authorizedstaff person, but stopped on noticing that he wasdrunk. Searching the vehicle, security men fund a bottleof home-made liquor in the glove compartment.

UFOs

Al-Anbaa

By Dr Saleh Al-Ojairi

Thanks to rapid development, spread ofmeans of communications and the speedin accessing information through the

Internet, text messages and other media, peoplein various countries have been exchanging lotsof information including info that might beuntrue or twisted when they are passed downfrom one person to another, or from one mediameans to another. Some of these pieces of infor-mation may sometimes talk about exaggeratednatural disasters or seeing some celestial bodiesup in the sky, such as recent stories about spot-ting UFOs over Kuwait.

Well, I would like to point out that severalpeople around the world have reported seeingUFOs, as indicated in many lengthy detailedstudies. However, what I tend to believe more isthat what those people have really seen wassome weather-related phenomenon happeningdue to rain, humidity, drought, lightning, lenticu-lar clouds, weather forecast balloons or experi-ments on some secret weapons by some coun-tries that may all be mistaken for and imaginedas UFOs that seem to beholders like alien space-ships sent to explore Earth.

The truth is different, however, because mostof those who reported seeing UFOs describedthem as circular or oval objects, which meansthey cannot be made by intelligent aliens fromouter space because we earthlings are sane crea-tures who geometrically manufacture every-thing in three dimensions, ie length, width andheight. What has been seen is aerial or naturalphenomena rather than objects made by intelli-gent aliens, because the sun, earth, moon, andeven an orange or lentil seed are all circular inshape.

I do not wish to lengthen my talk about thistopic because things are already settled forastronomers who have thousands of highlysophisticated and developed telescopes pointedto the sky day and night, and none of them haseven mentioned spotting a single UFO. So, UFOsare actually weather and aerial phenomena, andnot spaceships made by intelligent aliens fromouter space to explore and study us. At least, thisis what we believe so far. But one has to keep inmind that for the past four decades, humanexperiences have shown that things can turnstranger and more complicated than we couldever expect!

—Translated by Kuwait Times

Woman arrested

for KD 54,000 debt

Al-Jarida

Terrorist cells

KUWAIT: The International Bank of Kuwait (IBK) won the Superbrands award during a ceremony to honor thestrongest brands in Kuwait held recently at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa. The Superbrands organi-zation is acclaimed worldwide as being an independent authority and arbiter of branding excellence.

Zain Group’s Head of Corporate Sustainability, JenniferSuleiman receives the CSR award.

Winners from the ceremony pose in a group photo.

DUBAI/KUWAIT: Zain Group, a leadingmobile telecom innovator in eight marketsacross the Middle East and Africa, has comeaway with three prestigious awards from the10th annual installment of the CommsMEAAwards held in Dubai last week.

Zain Group was presented with the awardfor the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)Initiative of the Year for its Family ReconnectProgram supporting refugees in Jordan andSouth Sudan; while Zain Jordan was present-ed with the award for best Industry Servicefor its Innovative Campus (ZINC). The thirdplaudit Zain Group received at the awardsceremony was for its managed operation inLebanon, which was acknowledged as hav-ing the best Marketing Campaign, as relatedto the introduction of its Tawasol prepaid lineoffer to the Syrian community in Lebanon.

CommsMEA is a highly respected onlineand print telecom publication with circula-tion across the Middle East and Africa, and itsannual awards ceremony identifies some ofthe best performing telecom companies andindividuals from within the region in the last12 months. The gala ceremony held atJumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai was

attended by high-profile regional and inter-national industry figures.

Across its awards, the CommsMEA judg-ing panel applauded Zain Group’s commit-ment to the region, and its continuous effortsto offer its customers the best quality of serv-ice possible at all times.

Lifestyle servicesCommenting on the successful night, Zain

Group CEO, Scott Gegenheimer said, “Weappreciate the recognition that has been giv-en to the Group and its operating entities bythese awards. Zain is transforming into a dig-ital lifestyle services provider and whiledoing so we shall continue with our effortsto innovate, offer the best customer experi-ence possible, and support the communi-ties we serve.” Zain Group’s CSR award wasfor its work in the Family ReconnectProgram, where it tied up with Ericsson andRefugees United (REFUNITE) in launching aproject in Jordan and later with the addi-tion of the International Rescue Committee(IRC) in South Sudan, empowering separat-ed families and displaced people to searchfor their missing loved ones and friends

through a mobile phone platform. Theproject leveraged simple mobile technolo-gy in support of the 1.4 million people whoare internally displaced in South Sudan andsimilarly for approximately 750,000 peoplewho are refugees in Jordan as a result ofconflicts in both Syria and Iraq, helping toclose the digital divide among those whomight otherwise fail to gain access.

Tragic circumstances Responding to the CSR award, Zain

Group’s Head of Corporate Sustainability,Jennifer Suleiman, said, “There are manytragic circumstances at play in our region atthis point in time, which has resulted inmassive displacement and suffering forlarge numbers of people. We sincerelyappreciate CommsMEA’s acknowledgmentof some of the work we are doing in thisarea, and we shall use the award to bringgreater awareness to the difficult plight ofrefugees across our region.”

Zain’s Industry Service award was inrelation to Zain Jordan’s initiative to enableaspiring entrepreneurs to turn their ideasinto reality by scaling up and converting

their plans into productive start-up proj-ects. ZINC was inaugurated in October2014 by King Abdullah II and Queen Raniaof Jordan and is spread over 800 squaremeters of premises in King HusseinBusiness Park. The campus has more than60 strategic partners and vendors, led byCoventry University, which supports andprovides resources for mentoring youthand coaching start-ups.

Touch’s Tawasol offering, for which itreceived the best Marketing Campaignaward, saw the operator introducing thenew product, which bridged the communi-cations gap between Lebanon and Syria,offering a tailor-made plan including inter-national minutes and SMS from Lebanon toSyria for a discounted price.

Targeted at displaced Syrians temporari-ly residing in Lebanon as a result of theconflict in their home-country, Touch insti-tuted a highly effective marketing cam-paign utilizing targeted outdoor panelsaround refugee camps for Syrians inLebanon, as well as conducting some mar-keting activities inside the camps them-selves.

Zain scoops 3 prestigious prizes at CommsMEA awards

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) hasrecruited more than 350 Kuwaiti graduates ofboth genders during 2015 as part of its com-mitment to providing distinctive careeropportunities to ambitious young Kuwaitis.

“ The development of human talentremains a top priority for NBK,” said Salah Al-Fulaij, NBK-Kuwait Chief Executive Officer.“NBK maintains its position as a major nation-al employer in the private sector. In 2015, NBKhired more than 350 Kuwaiti citizens. Thisconfirms NBK’s full support of government

efforts to employ young national cadres inthe private sector and develop the humancapital of Kuwait.”

Fulaij added “NBK continued in 2015 toinvest in its employees to develop their skillsets and expand their knowledge base. Wealso strengthened our partnership with lead-ing universities and academic institutions toorganize many of the high level training pro-grams to prepare the next generation ofbankers - the promising young leaders.

“We believe that our people are our most

valuable resource and to that end we haveimplemented numerous professional trainingprograms to continue developing ouremployees while focusing our recruitmentefforts on hiring the country’s best assets.”noted Fulaij.

Aiming at developing the skills of youngKuwaitis, NBK offers several training anddeveloping programs including NBKAcademy, Shabab Program, SummerInternship Program and the first of its kindNBK High Fliers Program. NBK also organizes

Executive Training Programs in line with thebank’s commitment to developing andinvesting in its key resource and human capi-tal.

NBK training programs are parts of a con-tinuous process to develop and grow youngtalents. The initiative provides the traineeswith the right environment in which theyhave the opportunity to increase their under-standing on the theoretical, technical andpractical functionalities of various MajorBanking Units.

NBK attracted more than 350 Kuwaiti graduates


Philippines boosts security ahead of economic summit

Page 12

Jordanian killer was on a journey to ‘paradise or hell’Page 8

NEW YORK: New York, Boston and other cities in theUnited States bolstered security on Friday night afterdeadly gun and bomb attacks on civilians in Paris, butlaw enforcement officials said the beefed-up policepresence was precautionary rather than a response toany specific threats. The New York Police Departmentsaid off icers f rom its Counter terror ism ResponseCommand and other special units were deployed inareas frequented by tour ists, and at the FrenchConsulate in Manhattan.

“ Teams have been dispatched to crowded areasaround the city out of an abundance of caution to pro-vide police presence and public reassurance as we fol-low the developing situation overseas,” the NYPD said ina statement. New York, the site of the Sept 11, 2001,hijacked plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 peopleand destroyed the World Trade Center’s twin towers, isconsidered a top target for potential attacks by Islamistmilitants. The top of the Empire State Building and thespire at One World Trade Center were lit up Friday nightwith blue, white and red, the colors of the French flag.

The nearly simultaneous gun and bomb attacks in Pariskilled at least 120 people in various places across theFrench capital and wounded many others. The NYPD didnot say how many extra officers were sent to guard theareas of concern nor did it specify the areas where theextra officers were sent. “Every time we see an attack likethis, it is a reminder to be prepared, to be vigilant,” NewYork Mayor Bill de Blasio told ABC 7 television. New YorkGovernor Andrew Cuomo said he directed state lawenforcement officials to monitor the Paris situation for anyimplications for New York state and to remain in constantcommunication with their local and federal partners.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey saidpolice were on heightened alert at all of the agency’sbridges, tunnels and rail facilities, as well as at the WorldTrade Center in lower Manhattan. It said it was increas-ing patrols and checking of buses and trains and pas-sengers’ bags. US Department of Homeland SecuritySecretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement that “we knowof no specific or credible threats of an attack on the UShomeland of the type that occurred in Paris tonight.”

The National Basketball Association, which had 11games on the schedule Friday night, said it was increas-ing security at each of the venues. The most popularsport, American football, would not have any gamesuntil Sunday as previously scheduled. “Security at ourgames is always at a heightened state of alert,” NationalFootbal l League spokesman Br ian McCar thy said.Outside of New York, law enforcement and transporta-tion agencies said they were also on high alert. The USCapitol Police in Washington boosted patrols around theCapitol complex, a spokeswoman said. “There is current-ly no known threat to the Capitol Complex,” she said inan email.

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washingtonhad deployed additional law enforcement resources toFrench-owned sites and other high-profile locations as aprecaution, said Officer Sean Hickman. Hickman saidthere was no known imminent threat. In Boston, thepolice department said it deployed additional resourcesand was working closely with federal authorities but sawno credible threat in the city, where Islamist militantsympathizers set off home-made bombs at the BostonMarathon finish line in April 2013. Massachusetts StatePolice said they took “several actions”, including bolster-ing security around the State House in Boston.

The Boston Police Department said in a statementthat it was encouraging officers to remain vigilant asthey conduct patrols. The St Louis Police Departmentsaid it added an extra layer of security for the World Cupsoccer qualifying match between the United States andSt. Vincent on Friday night. Chicago police said theywere following developments in France to determinewhether to bolster city security but was not aware ofany immediate threats. “Tonight the City of Chicagostands shoulder to shoulder with the City of Paris in thewake of today’s despicable and horrifying attacks,”Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.

San Francisco police officers have been told to main-tain high visibility and increase patrols in areas of highpublic traffic, such as bus and train stations, said Sgt.Michael Andraychak. Police have been in contact with

US cities beef up securitythe French Consulate and are working to address anysecurity concerns it may have. In Pittsburgh, which washosting a National Hockey League game on Friday, a

police spokeswoman said public safety personnel wereworking with intelligence authorities to identify anyindications of local threats. Amtrak, the US passenger

train service, said it was monitoring the events in Parisbut said there were no specific or credible threatsagainst the railway. —Reuters

Muslim woman donates $1 for

every hate TweetSYDNEY: An Australian Muslim woman has donat-ed close to Aus$1,000 (US$700) to charity afterpledging to give one dollar every time she receivesa hate-filled Tweet. Susan Carland, who teaches atMonash University in Melbourne, tweeted onOctober 22 that she was donating to UNICEF forevery nasty comment from trolls. “Nearly at $1,000in donations. The needy children thank you, haters!,”she said at the time. Carland said she had previouslybeen blocking, muting, ignoring or occasionallyengaging with trolls but decided some months agoto turn it around based on the Quran’s injunction of“driving off darkness with light”.

“I felt I should be actively generating good in theworld for every ugly verbal bullet sent my way,” shewrote in a column for Fairfax Media on Friday.Carland said any Muslim seemed to attract a lot ofhate online, and abuse directed at her ranged fromwishing her dead, to insults about her dress senseand accusations that she was a “stealth jihadist”. Butshe said making the donations meant she now bare-ly batted an eyelid when a “ghastly tweet” wasserved up to her. “It represents nothing more than achalk-mark on my mental tally for the next install-ment to UNICEF,” she wrote. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

AMMAN: Days before he shot dead five peoplein a canteen during his lunch break, Jordanianpolice officer Anwar Abu Zeid sent a message tofriends saying he was going on a journey to “par-adise or hell”, friends and security sources said.The message, on the WhatsApp mobile messag-

ing application, may hold clues for police seekinga motive for Monday’s shooting spree in whichtwo Americans, two Jordanians and a SouthAfrican were killed at a police training facility.

Relatives described the 29-year-old policecaptain as pious but not an extremist”, though he

would wake at dawn each day to worship in themosque in his village in rural northern Jordan. Buttwo officials close to security matters and relativessaid evidence was growing of radical Islamistinfluences on Abu Zeid, and a security source,who asked not to be identified, suggested themessage to close friends supported this notion.

“When we prepare our luggage for a jour-ney ... we fear we may forget something, how-ever small, and the longer the journey, thestronger the concern that we won’t forget any-thing,” the source quoted him as saying. “Sowhat if we are going to a residence ... in paradiseor hell,” the source added, but did not say onwhich day the message was sent. The killingstook place at the US-funded King AbdullahTraining Centre near Amman on the 10thanniversary of Al-Qaeda suicide bombings thattargeted three luxury hotels in the capital andkilled 57 people.

No group has claimed responsibility forMonday’s attack. The Americans killed were for-mer members of the US military and were con-tracted to train police from regional allies such asIraq and the Palestinian territories. The SouthAfrican killed was also a trainer and the two slainJordanians were translators. Several accountsfrom officials with contacts in the security forcessaid Abu Zeid had smuggled an assault rifle andtwo handguns into the compound in his car. Asan officer, he was not searched as he entered.Security sources said that shortly after noonprayers he charged into a canteen on the com-

pound, shouted Allahu Akbar (God is the great-est) and fired at least 50 bullets. He then wentoutside and a police sniper shot him in the headnear the outer gates of the compound after hedefied calls to surrender, they said.

Sleeper cellsInvestigators have not concluded yet

whether Abu Zeid was acting alone or was partof a wider sleeper cell of jihadists, one officialclose to intelligence matters said. As a graduateof Jordan’s top military academy, Abu Zeid, whohad two young children, had a secure job andperks that many Jordanians dream of. But hehad sought an honorary early discharge forwhat he said were “private reasons”, only to findhis way blocked because he had not completed10 years service, the security sources said.

A close confidant of the attacker, speaking oncondition of anonymity, said Abu Zeid had feltincreasingly humiliated and angry at working ina job where US trainers seen as “enemies of Islamwere defiling his country.” Some relatives arealready referring to him as a “martyr”. The fact thatthe attacker came from one of the native tribes inJordan that form the backbone of the securityforces is a particular blow for the kingdom’sHashemite dynasty, security experts say.

Some tribes have become increasingly dis-gruntled over perceived corruption and feelthey are being marginalized economically, pos-ing what security experts see as an additionalthreat to a country long worried about possible

attacks by militant Islamists inspired by Al-Qaeda. “It is an attack from within the loyalistestablishment and it compounds the complexinternal risks beyond the conventional jihadithreat that comes from a suicide bomber blow-ing himself up, which is a more obvious risk, “saidone official familiar with intelligence matters.

Disaffected youthThe decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict and

turmoil along Jordan’s borders with Israel pro-vide fertile ground for Islamic militancy, andmistrust of the West has long been fuelled by aperceived U.S. bias towards Israel. Jordan is nowan ally of Washington in the US-led campaignagainst Islamic State militants who hold largeareas of neighboring Syria and Iraq. Its stepped-up military role in this campaign has angeredmany in Jordan who believe it serves the ene-mies of their Muslim faith. Others fear the overtmilitary intervention could provoke a militantbacklash inside the country.

Monday’s shootings have also reawakenedlongstanding concerns that Islamic State sup-porters have recruited Jordanians to sleepercells that could one day attack, and fear theycould include anyone from computer techni-cians to professors. Such concerns wereheightened by a prominent parliamentariansaying last month that he had learned frommedia linked to Islamic State that his son hadcarried out a suicide bombing in Iraq’s Anbarprovince. —Reuters

Jordanian killer was on a journey to ‘paradise or hell’ Investigators ask if he was lone wolf or part of a cell

ALEPPO: A fighter from the Syrian pro-government forces checks docu-ments reportedly left by Islamic State (IS) group fighters in a tunnel near theKweyris military air base after they took control of the surrounding villagesfrom IS. —AFP

NABLUS: Israeli troops razed theWest Bank homes of fourPalestinians accused of attackingIsraelis yesterday, pressing a contro-versial policy of punitive demoli-tions after weeks of deadly unrest.The demolitions came hours aftertwo Israelis were shot dead in anapparent ambush near the flash-point West Bank city of Hebron onFriday in the most serious attack onIsraelis in nearly a month. In Nablusin the northern West Bank, troopsdestroyed the homes of threePalestinians accused of killing anIsraeli settler couple on October 1 atthe start of the latest flare-up of vio-lence, the army said.

Before dawn, the army destroyedthe family homes of Kerem Razek,Samir Kusa and Yahya Haj Hamed,all three of whom are awaiting trialfor the murder of Eitam and Na’amaHenkin in their car in front of theiryoung children. In Silwad, northeastof Ramallah, the army razed thehome of a Palestinian accused ofkilling an Israeli on a West Bank roadin June. The home of MouadHamed, accused of killing MalachiRosenfeld, was destroyed in a con-trolled explosion that caused dam-age to at least two neighboringhouses, an AFP photographerreported. The demolitions in Nablusprompted clashes between protest-ers and the Israeli army in whichnine Palestinians were wounded,two of them by live ammunition,Palestinian medical sources said.The army operation came after theHigh Court ruled in favor of thedemolitions on Thursday.

The policy is controversial even

in Israel. The government argues itacts as a deterrent but critics saythe main victims are relatives forcedto pay for another person’s actions.Last month, the governmentordered an intensification of thepolicy in response to a wave ofstabbing and shooting attacks andother deadly unrest. Dalia Kerstein,director of the Hamoked NGOwhich filed the appeals against thedemolitions, said she had expectedthe families to be given 48 hours toleave. “(The demolitions) areimmoral, it is collective punishmentand they will ignite the West Bank,”she said. “How can (Israelis) not seeit will fan the flames?”

Demolition orders against sev-eral other homes of alleged attack-ers are still being contested in theIsraeli courts. The intensified dem-olitions are among a raft of get-tough policies Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has orderedunder pressure from far-right coali-tion partners. They also includeminimum jail terms for Palestinianstone-throwers, looser rules ofengagement for the army and thewithholding of the bodies ofalleged attackers to prevent theirfunerals becoming political rallies.But the crackdown has done littleto stop the violence. Since October1, 12 Israelis have been killed. Onthe Palestinian side 81 peoplehave died, including one IsraeliArab. Many have been allegedattackers but they have alsoincluded protesters shot in clasheswith the army. Friday saw threePalestinians die after being shot bytroops. —AFP

Israel razes homes of 4 Palestinian ‘attackers’

Deterrent or collective punishment?

WEST BANK: Palestinians look at the rubble of the house ofPalestinian Yahya Hamad, a member of a group accused ofkilling an Israeli settler couple in the Itmar settlement after itwas destroyed by Israel yesterday. —AFP

BEIRUT: The international talks in Vienna onSyria’s conflict are expected to include discus-sion of which members of the fragmentedopposition will attend any final negotiationson a peace deal. Here are some of the maingroups operating inside Syria and abroad:

Opposition in exileNational Coalition: The leading opposition

grouping in exile, created in Doha inNovember 2012. The group includes mem-bers from across the political and ethnic spec-trum and represents some military forces,though it is often accused of being removedfrom the realities on the battlefield. It hasbeen recognized by 120 countries as the rep-resentative of the Syrian people and partici-pated in two rounds of peace talks in Genevawith regime delegates in 2013 and 2014. TheCoalition believes the war must be resolvedalong the lines of a document produced bythe so-called Geneva I conference amongleading powers in 2012. It called for a transi-tional government with full executive powers,which the Coalition says means PresidentBashar Al-Assad must step down. It is current-ly headed by Khaled Khoja, and is based inTurkey.

Cairo ConferenceFormed in January 2015, the grouping

brings together some 150 domestic and exiledopposition figures, including Kurds. One of thegroup’s co-founders is Haytham Manaa, alongtime dissident. The grouping was repre-sented in talks in Moscow and presents itselfas an alternative to the National Coalition,though it has not been recognized as such.

Muslim BrotherhoodThe powerful group is banned in Syria but

remains a prominent member of the opposi-tion. It belongs to the National Coalition, buthas its own backers, including countriesincluding Turkey. The group dates back to the1930s and led an uprising in Syria that wasbrutally crushed by then-president Hafez Al-Assad in 1982.

Independent figuresThere are also a variety of high-profile

independent Syrian opposition figures over-seas who have been mentioned as potentialparties to any negotiations.

Domestic oppositionNational Coordination Committee for

Democratic Change (NCCDC): Founded in2011, the group includes leftist, nationalistand Kurdish parties as well as individual dissi-dents. From the beginning of the conflict, itdeclared its opposition to any foreign inter-vention in Syria. The group is generally toler-ated, but its members have been regularlyharassed and detained by regime forcesthroughout the conflict. It participated intalks organized by Moscow on the conflict in2014 and 2015. Popular Front for Change andLiberation: a coalition of parties establishedin 2011 and led by Qadri Jamil, a formerdeputy prime minister who was fired in 2013.

He now lives in Moscow and has goodrelations with the Russian government.Another of the group’s key figures is FatehJamous, a former head of the CommunistLabor party, who was imprisoned by theregime for 20 years, but continues to live inSyria. Building the Syrian State party:Founded in 2011 and led by Louay Hussein, aprominent activist from the same minorityAlawite sect as the president. He was arrest-ed in Damascus in 2014 and accused of“weakening national sentiment.” Freed inMay, he fled to Madrid. His party is opposedto the use of violence.

Figures close to the regime: There are sev-eral individuals who present themselves aspart of the Syrian opposition but participatein the current government. Among them isAli Haidar, the current minister of nationalreconciliation and head of a branch of theSyrian Social Nationalist Party, who partici-pated in talks in Moscow on the war. Othersinclude members of several parties createdafter a multi-party law was passed in 2011,some of whom were invited to peace talks inMoscow. —AFP

Syria’s divided opposition

VIENNA: Some 20 countries and internationalbodies met in Vienna again yesterday groping fora way out of Syria’s horrific civil war, with deepdivisions over President Bashar Al-Assad’s futureand which rebel groups to back. The second suchgathering in two weeks comes as Islamist rebelssuffer a number of setbacks in Syria and Iraq at thehands of Assad’s army helped by Russian airstrikes, and Kurdish forces backed by the US.Before leaving for Vienna, US Secretary of StateJohn Kerry warned that a quick breakthrough wasunlikely in the talks which bring together key play-ers like Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UN specialenvoy Steffan de Mistura.

“I cannot say... that we are on the threshold of acomprehensive agreement, no,” said Kerry, whoarrived in the Austrian capital on Friday afternoonfor preliminary talks with his Saudi, Turkish and UNcounterparts. “The walls of mistrust within Syria,within the region, within the international com-munity are thick and they are high.”In over fouryears, fighting between Assad’s regime and rebelgroups as well as Islamic State (IS) militants haskilled over 250,000 people and forced millions intoexile, leaving many of them stranded in neigh-bouring states. Others have headed to Europe,where authorities have been on alert after severaldeadly jihadist attacks this year.

In the latest, 120 people were killed in a waveof coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday, includinga massacre during a rock concert by men shouting“Allahu akbar” and blaming France’s military inter-vention in Syria. At the last talks on October 30,the participants urged the United Nations to bro-

ker a peace deal between the regime and opposi-tion to clear the way for a new constitution andUN-supervised elections. Building on that, thisround of talks in the Austrian capital will try toagree on a roadmap for peace that would includea ceasefire between Assad’s forces and someopposition groups.

‘Assad must go’But a key issue-which was absent from the last

meeting’s declaration-remains Assad’s future.Western and Arab countries want him out of theway in order to allow a transitional government tounite the country behind a reconciliation processand to defeat IS. British Foreign Secretary PhilipHammond said on Friday that Assad “has to go”.He added, however, that Western powers “recog-nise that if there will be a transition he may play apart, up to a point, in that transition”. But Russia,carrying out air strikes against Syrian rebels sincelate September, is together with Iran sticking withAssad, seeing him as the best bulwark against IS.

“Syria is a sovereign country, Bashar Al-Assad is apresident elected by the people,” Russian PresidentVladimir Putin said in an interview released Friday.That aside, the talks will focus on deciding which ofthe Syrian government, rebel and opposition fac-tions-none of whom will be represented at thetalks-will shape the country’s future. But decidingwhich of the many opposition groups are moderateenough to be acceptable and which to sideline as“terrorists” is likely to be no easy task. “It will requiredeep breaths on several sides, including the USside,” Hammond said on Tuesday.

Violence ragesOn the ground, widespread fighting was rag-

ing in Syria and Iraq and further afield, with ISclaiming a twin bomb attack in Beirut onThursday that killed 44 and wounded least 239.The attack, the biggest ever attributed to IS inLebanon, harked back to a campaign against theShiite movement Hezbollah between 2013 and2014, ostensibly in revenge for its military supportto Assad. But in Syria, Assad’s army scored its sec-ond important victory in two days on Thursday bycapturing Al-Hader, a former opposition bastionlargely controlled by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-NusraFront and other Islamists. Bolstered by theRussian air strikes, the breakthrough came just 48hours after regime forces broke a siege by IS ofthe Kweyris air base in the east of Aleppoprovince.

On Friday the US-backed Syrian DemocraticForces coalition of Syrian Arab and Kurdish fight-ers it had ejected IS from Al-Hol, a key position onthe border with Iraq for the supply of arms andequipment. In Iraq, Kurdish peshmerga forces andYazidi minority fighters, backed by US-led airstrikes, liberated the town of Sinjar and cut a key ISsupply line, Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzanisaid Friday. And the US military said Friday that is“reasonably certain” that it killed “Jihadi John”, thenotorious militant with a British accent in grisly ISexecution videos, in a drone strike in Syria. USPresident Barack Obama said the US has now halt-ed the expansion of IS, calling in an interviewbroadcast Friday for a stepped up drive to “com-pletely decapitate” the militants’ operations. —AFP

‘Deep breaths’ for tough new Syria talks in Vienna

JARASH: People carry the body of Anwar Abu Zeid, a police captain whoshot dead two US instructors, a South African and two fellow Jordaniansat a police training centre during his funeral in the city of Jarash, 50 kilo-meters in the north of the Jordanian capital Amman. —AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces appear better positionedthan ever to launch an offensive against IslamicState militants controlling Ramadi, now thatmonths-long efforts to cut off supply lines to thecity are having an effect, but plenty of risksremain. The fall of Ramadi, the capital of Anbarprovince, to the group in May was the biggestdefeat for Iraq’s weak central government in near-ly a year, dampening its hopes of routing theSunni militants from the country’s north and west.

Retaking the city of 450,000 would provide amajor psychological boost to Iraqi security forces,who have mostly collapsed in the face ofadvances by Islamic State, which last year seized athird of Iraq, a major OPEC oil producer and USally. The ultimate goal for Iraqi forces is to breakIslamic State’s grip over its main stronghold

Mosul, the biggest city in the north. Criticalmomentum is needed in order to achieve that.

The Ramadi offensive has been impeded byheavy use of improvised explosive devices, inade-quate troops and equipment due to governmentcash shortages, and stringent rules of engage-ment for US-led air strikes, Iraqi army and federalpolice officers involved in the battle said. Recentgains, however, have raised expectations that themilitary is set to strike, six months after vowing toquickly seize the city, 100 miles west of Baghdad.Iraq’s elite US-trained counter-terrorism forceshave led the campaign to put a cordon aroundthe city. Backed by armoured divisions of the fed-eral police, they cut off the southern and westernapproaches to prevent reinforcements arrivingfrom cities near the Syrian border. —Reuters

With Ramadi encircled, the Iraqi forces brace for urban warfare


PARIS: Sirens blaring, blood on the roads, weeping rela-tives: nightmare scenes played out on the streets of Parison Friday night as at least 120 people were killed in simul-taneous attacks. Pierre Montfort lives close to a Cambodianrestaurant on Rue Bichat, where one of seven attacks tookplace in a night of bloodshed not seen in decades. “Weheard the sound of guns, 30-second bursts. It was endless.We thought it was fireworks,” he said.

Another witness described the scene: “For a moment,we could only see the flames from the gun. We werescared, how did we know he wasn’t going to shoot thewindows?” Florence said she arrived by scooter a minute orso after. “It was surreal, everyone was on the ground. Noone was moving inside the Petit Cambodge restaurant andeveryone was on the ground in bar Carillon,” she said. “Itwas very calm-people didn’t understand what was goingon. A young girl was being carried in the arms of a youngman. She seemed to be dead.”

On Rue Charonne, a little further east, fire engines drivepast, their sirens wailing. A man said he heard shots ringout, in sharp bursts, for two or three minutes. “I saw severalbloody bodies on the ground. I don’t know if they weredead,” he said. “There was blood everywhere,” said another

witness. Outside the Saint-Louis Hospital in the north ofthe capital a police cordon had been set up. Standing near-by, a tearful man said his sister had been killed. At his side,his mother burst into tears and collapsed into his arms.“They won’t let us pass,” he said, pointing at the intersec-tion 50 metres (yards) away. Further east, near the Bataclanconcert hall and not far from the scene of another deadlyattack in January on the offices of satirical French maga-zine Charlie Hebdo, the area was on lock down.

Police say around 100 people were killed at the musicvenue, with reports saying armed attackers shot dead peo-ple attending a rock concert one by one before policestormed the building. “My wife was in Bataclan, it’s a catas-trophe,” said one man as he tried to run into the site butwas blocked by the police cordon. “All I can tell you is thatit’s worse than Charlie Hebdo,” said a security officer. In thenorth of Paris, near the Stade de France stadium, threeexplosions left at least five dead as France were playing afriendly football match against Germany. “We heard explo-sions 25 minutes after the start of the match. It continuedas normal. I thought it was a joke,” said Ludovic Klein, 37,who came from Limoges to watch the match with his 10-year-old son. — AFP

Apocalyptic scenes as PARIS: The string of coordinated attacks in and aroundParis late Friday left more than 120 people dead, in theworst such violence in France’s history. The assailantsstruck at least six different venues, ranging from theStade de France football stadium to a pizzeria.

Bataclan concert hall, 82 deadA full house of 1,500 people were packed into the pop-ular venue in eastern Paris for a concert by the US bandEagles of Death Metal. About an hour after the bandtook to the stage, the concert hall was turned into “abloodbath” according to a French radio reporter at thescene. Black-clad gunmen wielding AK-47s stormedinto the hall and fired calmly and methodically at hun-dreds of screaming concert-goers. Fellow radio pre-senter Pierre Janaszak heard the first shots andthought it was part of the act. “But we quickly under-stood. They were just firing into the crowd.” He said heheard an attacker say, “It’s the fault of Hollande, it’s thefault of your president, he should not have intervenedin Syria.” Four assailants were killed after policestormed in-three by activating their suicide vests and afourth shot dead-but not before they had killed at least82 people.

Stade de France, 4 deadThree loud explosions were heard outside France’snational stadium during the first half of a friendly inter-national football match between France and Germany.At least four people died outside the glittering venuewhich staged the 1998 World Cup final with severalothers seriously hurt. One of the explosions was near aMcDonald’s restaurant on the fringes of the stadium. Atleast one of the two explosions in rue Jules-Rimet wasa suicide bomb attack. French President FrancoisHollande, who was watching the game, was immedi-ately evacuated. The two sides played on to the end.Afterwards, bewildered fans poured onto the pitchwhile waiting for all the exits to be declared secure. Thestadium emptied in a relatively calm atmosphere.

Rue de Charonne, 18 deadA little further east, on Rue de Charonne, 18 peoplewere killed, with one witness saying a Japanese restau-rant and nearby cafe were the main targets. “There wasblood everywhere,” the witness said. Another man saidhe heard shots ring out, in sharp bursts, for two orthree minutes. “I saw several bloodied bodies on theground. I don’t know if they were dead,” he said.

Rue Alibert, at least 12 dead The terrace of a Cambodian restaurant on Rue Alibertin the 10th district, Le Petit Cambodge, was the sceneof another attack, which killed at least 12 people. “Weheard the sound of guns, 30-second bursts. It was end-less. We thought it was fireworks,” Pierre Montfort, alocal resident, said. Florence said she arrived by scoot-er a minute or so after. “It was surreal, everyone was onthe ground. No one was moving inside the PetitCambodge and everyone was on the ground in (theadjacent) Carillon bar,” she said. “It was very calm-peo-ple didn’t understand what was going on. A girl wasbeing carried in the arms of a young man. She seemedto be dead.”

Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, at least 5 dead

A few hundred meters from the Bataclan, the terrace ofthe Casa Nostra pizzeria was targeted. Five peoplewere killed by attackers wielding automatic rifles,according to witness Mathieu, 35. “There were at leastfive dead around me, others in the road, there wasblood everywhere. I was very lucky.” Another witnesssaid he saw shots being fired from a black Ford Focus.

Boulevard Voltaire, 1 deadA judicial source said one of the attackers died whenhe detonated his suicide vest on Boulevard Voltaire,near the Bataclan. — AFP

Paris attack targets

PARIS: Dried blood can be seen on the window of the Carillon cafe in Paris yesterday, a day after over 120 people were killed in a series of shooting and explosions. — AP

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama looks down ashe speaks to the press in Washington, DC after beinginformed about a series of deadly attacks that rockedParis. - AFP

PARIS: The French and European flags (at half mast) are seen at the Elysee palace inParis yesterday. — AFP

PARIS: A victim under a blanket lays dead outside the Bataclan theater in Paris. — AP

PARIS: Blood and medical items are picturedoutside the Bataclan concert hall. — AP

PARIS: Victims lay on the pavement in a Paris restaurant. — AP PARIS: Victims belongings lay on the pavement outside the Bataclanconcert hall yesterday. — AP


terrorists hit Paris

PARIS: It should have been a Friday night like anyother in central Paris, with locals and visitors alikewatching a show, enjoying a meal or shrugging offthe cares of the week over a drink. But for the sec-ond time in less than a year, France and the worldare asking how carnage could strike at the heart ofthis much-loved city, including at a concert hallbarely a few hundred steps from January’s deadlyattack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

“As we went to our car we saw dozens of peoplerunning out of the Bataclan,” local resident CaterinaGiardino, an Italian national, said of the 19th centu-ry theatre-turned-music venue where gunman cladin black systematically killed nearly 100. “Many ofthem were covered with blood, people werescreaming,” she added, sitting on a bench with afriend as she recalled how one young man emergedfrom the concert hall with the bloody imprint of ahand on his shirt.

The exact sequence of gun and bomb assaultson the concert hall, a sports stadium and restau-rants in the French capital that left at least 120 deadis still unclear. The first blast was heard at 9.17 pmoutside the Stade de France national sports stadi-um, where France and Germany were playing afriendly soccer international in the presence ofPresident Francois Hollande. Spectators distinctlyheard a second detonation about two minutes later.No claim of responsibility has been made so far, butwitnesses at the Bataclan music venue heard thekillers shout Islamic slogans and condemn France’srole in the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State inSyria.

Inside the hall, California-based rock band Eaglesof Death Metal were on stage promoting theirfourth album when the audience began to noticesomething was not right. “I turned round and I sawone of these attackers, he was very young, barely20, with a small beard,” Julien Pearce, a reporter forEurope 1 radio who was in the theatre said. “At firstwe thought it was part of the show, pyrotechnics orwhatever. But when I turned round and saw himwith his assault rifle and saw flames coming fromhis barrel, I understood it was no joke,” he added. Asthe gunman paused to reload, Pearce managed tosneak round the side of the stage and out throughan exit. But witnesses described how others werenot so lucky.

“People were falling like dominoes,” said a 22-year-old message-runner who gave his name asToon. He had walked through the doors of the the-atre just as three gunmen began shooting indis-criminately at those inside. “One of the guys had abig hat. They were all dressed in black,” he said,adding that he turned on his heels and fled. Earlyindications were that members of the band, formedin the late 1990s by lifelong friends Jesse Hughesand Josh Homme, were safe. Hughes’ mother, JoEllen Hughes, told a Reuters reporter outside herhome in Palm Desert, California, that she had spo-ken to her son by telephone after the attack andthat he was unhurt but “very upset and shaken.”

Outside the venue, there was panic. Paris policechief Michel Cadot told local television the gunmanhad sprayed the terraces of several nearby cafeswith bullets before entering the hall. One witnesssaw a man racing down a street outside screaming“War’s broken out!” A young Parisian said he and 60others hid for an hour in the cellar of a bar on astreet behind the theatre. Emergency services wereby now in full swing. Dozens of ambulances wereracing to the Bataclan. Soldiers in camouflagefatigues were gathering on the nearby BastilleSquare.

Shortly after midnight Paris time, a handful of

loud bangs were heard coming from the theatre,not long after Hollande had issued a statement say-ing operations were under way to free those still inthe theatre. “The police assault was extremely diffi-cult. The terrorists who locked themselves in one ofthe floor had explosives belts which they detonat-ed, and the four were killed during the assault,” saidCadot. Hollande was quick to declare a state ofemergency after what he called a terrorist attack ofunprecedented scale on French soil. The InteriorMinistry declined to say whether there were furthergunmen on the loose.

For his government, as for the French, the com-

ing days are likely to raise as many questions asanswers. If the attack was linked to France’s role inSyria, why was it yet again targeted above othermembers of the US-led coalition? Could the author-ities, who already had the country on a heightenedlevel of security and had promised improved sur-veillance after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, have donemore to prevent this new assaults? And will theFrench, who in January defiantly came out on thestreets in their hundreds of thousands to mourn theCharlie Hebdo victims, have the courage to over-come their growing security fears and do the samea second time?— Reuters

NEW YORK: New York lit One World Trade Center, the tallest building inAmerica, red, white and blue in solidarity with France after attackers killedat least 120 people in Paris. It was a powerful symbol of US friendship andsupport for the French, made from the tallest building in the United States,which was built on the site of the 9/11 attacks on New York. Its 408-footspire is so large it can be seen across much of America’s largest city andacross the Hudson River in New Jersey.

“Today, and in the days ahead, New York will light One World TradeCenter in blue, white and red as we stand in solemn solidarity with thepeople of France,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “We join them in mourn-ing those who were killed and in praying for those who were injured orlost loved ones. And we continue to stand side by side with them in ourcommitment to a free and peaceful world.”

The French attacks are among the deadliest in the West since theSeptember 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York, Washington andPennsylvania. Other US buildings also lit themselves in the colors of theFrench flag, including city hall in San Francisco and the Omni Hotel inDallas, Texas. Elsewhere in the city, French expats gathered in UnionSquare to express their solidarity with their compatriots. Some of the 50 orso demonstrators carried handmade signs reading “Don’t be afraid,” and“Pray for Paris,” as they stood together in silence. “It’s very hard not to be inParis at this moment,” said Anais Bourrut-Lacouture, 22, a business student.

Celebrated guerrilla artist Banksy on his Twitter account made a pleafor “Peace for Paris, posting a painting in which the iconic lines of the EiffelTower were fashioned into a peace symbol. The image was re-tweetedthousands of times. New York police meanwhile were on heightened alert,deploying counter-terrorism reinforcements to crowded places and out-side the French mission to the United Nations, and the French consulate.The New York police department said the reinforcements were made “outof an abundance of caution” to reassure the public. — AFP

NY lights World Trade

Center red, white, blue

NEW YORK: One World Trade Center’s spire is shown lit in Frenchflags colors of white, blue and red in solidarity with France aftertonight’s terror attacks in Paris. — AFP

Disbelief, panic as Paris struck the second time

PARIS: Police are seennear the Cafe La Belle

Equipe at the Rue deCharonne yesterday, fol-lowing a series of coordi-

nated attacks in andaround Paris late Friday

which left more than 120people dead. — AFP

SAINT DENIS: Soccer fans leave the Stade de France stadium after an international friendly soccer match in Saint Denis,outside Paris. An explosion occurred outside the stadium. — AP

MOSCOW: People leave flowers and candles outside the French embassy in Moscow yesterday to pay tribute to the vic-tims of the deadly attacks in Paris. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

MANILA: The Philippines put its military and police onfull alert yesterday and pledged “higher security” forworld leaders meeting at an economic summit inManila next week after gunmen killed more than 120people in Paris. US President Barack Obama is set tojoin the leaders of China, Japan, Australia, Canada and15 other countries at an annual Asia-Pacific EconomicConference summit in Manila on November 18-19.“There is no credible threat registered at this time, butlet us all be cooperative and vigilant,” PresidentBenigno Aquino said in a statement, also expressingsolidarity with France after gunmen shouting “Allahuakbar” massacred scores of diners and concert-goersacross Paris.

The Filipino leader later met with his top securityadvisers, his spokeswoman Abigail Valte toldreporters. “President Aquino wanted to ensure that allour preparations are in place and all contingencieshave been planned for,” she said. The Philippine mili-tary put the 125,000-member force on “full alert” yes-terday, hours after a similar announcement by the150,000-strong national police. “The alert status wasalso raised... as a matter of procedure following anyinternational terrorist incident such as this morning’s

terrorist attack in Paris,” military spokesman ColonelRestituto Padilla said in a statement. “Philippine APECsecurity planners are now seriously looking into thisrecent incident to ensure our security preparations areappropriately upgraded.”

Filipino security forces conducted a mock terroristattack and response at the APEC venue yesterday,with about a hundred Special Forces troops jumpingout of a military helicopter and storming the building.Other members of the security forces lay on the pave-ment outside the Philippine International ConventionCentre, acting out the role of bloodied civilian casual-ties. Philippine marines also deployed anti-aircraftguns and riot police around the summit venue asauthorities conducted a full rehearsal of the visitingleaders’ motorcades travelling between the summitvenues and their hotels. Military helicopters flew lowoverhead while naval gunboats patrolled the watersof nearby Manila Bay.

Heightened securityAsked about the implications of the Paris attacks

on the APEC summit, Foreign Undersecretary Lauradel Rosario, a member of the organizing committee

said by text: “Higher security.” National policespokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor saidthe authorities “have not monitored any specific ordirect threat” to the country. “Nonetheless, target-hardening measures on vital installations, particularlysea ports, airports and our rail systems have been fur-ther elevated to maximize deterrence againstunforseen events,” he said in a statement. ThePhilippines has cancelled more than a thousandflights, deployed 18,000 police, and declared publicholidays in Manila to ensure a safe and efficient sum-mit, the organizers have said.

Major streets in the usually chaotic capital arebeing closed to traffic to speed up the shuttling of del-egates, with police asking building owners to closetheir windows to prevent their use by snipers. ThePhilippines has a long history of Islamic militancy in asouthern region about 1,000 kilometers from Manila,although extremists have also carried out deadlyattacks in the capital. Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyafgunmen killed more than 100 people when they fire-bombed a ferry on Manila Bay in 2004, while thegroup regularly kidnaps foreign tourists and bombschurches and shopping malls in the south. — AFP

Philippines boosts security ahead of economic summit

125,000-member force on ‘full alert’

MANILA: Members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force conduct a raid to simulate an attack as part of heightenedsecurity efforts leading up to next week’s APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit of Leaders yesterday in Manila. — AP

SEOUL: Tens of thousands of peopletook to the streets of central Seoul yes-terday in a massive protest against theconservative government’s drive forlabor reform and state-issued historytextbooks. Police sprayed water on thecrowd, estimated to number about50,000, as some protesters attemptedto push through barricades at the rallyoutside City Hall in central Seoul. Aheadof the rally, labour unionists scuffledwith scores of plainclothes policemento prevent the arrest of the head of themilitant Korean Confederation of TradeUnions (KCTU), who showed up for apress conference near the protest site.

Labor activists successfully blockedpolice from arresting KCTU PresidentHan Sang-Kyun, who has been soughtfor leading outlawed labor strikes lastyear and May Day protests this year.“Down with (President) Park Geun-Hye”,the unionists chanted following thescuffles, calling her conservative gov-ernment “fascist”, an AFP journalist onthe scene said. Authorities said theyhad mobilized 20,000 riot police for fearthat the protest might turn violent.

Organizers of the protest said therewould be a march toward the presiden-tial Blue House, a move which is likely

to spark a clash with police.Participants, many of whom were busedin from across the country, chanted slo-gans demanding the withdrawal of agovernment labor policy which KCTUsays benefits businesses by keepingwages low and making it easier forcompanies to fire activists. They alsocondemned the opening of protectedmarkets for some agricultural goodsand a plan to impose government-issued textbooks on schools starting in2017.

The textbooks have become a bitterideological battleground between leftand right in South Korea, with criticsaccusing Park’s administration of seek-ing to deliberately manipulate and dis-tort the narrative of how the SouthKorean state was created. Conservativecritics argue that currently the authorsare too left-wing, but liberal opponentsaccuse the government of reverting to apolicy used by past authoritarianregimes in South Korea including thatof late president Park Chung-Hee, fatherof the current president. Yesterday’s ral-ly was the largest South Korea has seensince 2008 when the country was hit bywaves of protest against the import ofUS beef. — AFP


SEOUL: South Korean protesters stage a rally against government policy in Seoul yesterday. — AP

WASHINGTON: The United States expressedalarm about the political crisis in Cambodia onFriday and urged the authorities to drop chargesagainst opposition leader Sam Rainsy. ACambodian court issued an arrest warrantagainst Rainsy over an unserved defamation sen-tence Friday, in what many saw as a power playby Prime Minister Hun Sen’s supporters. Thiscame after Hun Sen threatened Rainsy with legalaction for urging the international community topressure him to exit the office he has held formore than three decades.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner saidthe deteriorating political climate in Cambodia“includes assaults against two opposition law-makers and now the arrest warrant against oppo-sition leader Sam Rainsy.” “The timing of thesecharges gives the appearance of undue politicalinfluence in the judicial process. “More broadlythe pattern of actions against the oppositionsuggest a return to the harsh political practicesand tactics that the Cambodian people havemade make clear they no longer want,” he toldreporters in Washington.

Rainsy was sentenced for defamation in a2011 case, while he was living outside Cambodia,for accusing the country’s foreign minister ofbeing a former Khmer Rouge member. It was one

of a string of convictions against the oppositionleader, the main challenge to Hun Sen’s powerfulgrip over the country. Rainsy insists the convic-

tions were politically motivated and he returnedto Cambodia ahead of 2013 elections only afterreceiving a royal pardon. — AFP

US raises alarm over Cambodia crackdown

NEW DELHI: Congress party President Sonia Gandhi, center, former Indian prime ministerManmohan Singh (right), party Vice President Rahul Gandhi (left) release a book during cele-brations marking the birth anniversary of the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inNew Delhi yesterday. — AP

Seoul gripped by large-scale anti-government rally

MUMBAI: For residents of the bustling Indianport of Mumbai, the horrific attacks in Paris onFriday night carry somber echoes of a bloodyseries of killings in their own city seven years ago.A total of 166 people were killed in November2008 when Islamist gunmen stormed luxuryhotels, the main railway station, a Jewish centreand other sites in the booming metropolis, thefinancial heart of India. “Anger is filling up insideme again as the pictures, the videos and thesocial media chats make me relive the horror ofthat night even more graphically,” said SouravMishra, who was injured in the November 26attacks.

Mishra was enjoying a beer with friends atLeopold Cafe, a popular tourist haunt in the his-toric district of Colaba, when two gunmen burstin. “One second I was drinking and chatting withmy friends... the next second we had bulletswhizzing past killing fellow diners,” he said. Thecoordinated spate of attacks began at around10:30 pm when gunmen armed with powerfulassault rifles and grenades seized two five-starhotels, the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi Trident, tak-ing hostages. Military commandos later stormedthe Taj and began a battle with militants thattransformed the city into a war zone for 60 hoursas live television footage of the shootout wasbeamed around the world.

Fifty-two people died at the Taj Mahal hotelwhile another 38 perished at the Oberoi Trident.A 20-minute killing spree at Mumbai’s main rail-way station, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, leftsome 80 people dead. “It had a psychologicaleffect on each and every ‘Mumbaikar’. The entirecity was under siege for three days,” said ManojSingh, 39, who was working at a television stationin Mumbai at the time. “This is French media, sothey do not show all the images. But I could seethe pictures they are not showing in my mind,” hesaid.

‘Horrifying’ memories Mumbai and New Delhi were placed on high

alert following the attacks on the French capital,with beefed-up security at airports and metrostations, a Home Ministry official said. There wasno specific threat to the Indian cities, he said,adding that raising the alert level was “standardprocedure” following large-scale terror incidents.Nirmala Ponnudurai, who had to have a piece ofbullet shrapnel removed from her head afterbeing shot at the station, said the events in Paris“bring back all the memories”. “Even after theyears have passed by it’s not an easy situation todeal with,” she said.

Chintan Sakariya, who witnessed the attackon Nariman House, a Jewish Community Centre,”said reading about the Paris attacks on Saturdaymorning had given him “goosebumps”. “Thememories are fresh and unforgettable. They arehorrifying,” he said. The Paris attacks have echoesof the Mumbai atrocity not just in their co-ordina-tion but in their choosing of “soft targets”, accord-ing to terror analysts. “There are similaritiesbecause of the targeting of a restaurant, a crowd-ed place and in terms of targeting a prominentcity,” Sameer Patil, a terrorism and security expertin Mumbai said.

While it took less-experienced Mumbai threedays to bring the city under control, “because ofthe law enforcement machinery that Paris hasand the experience of the Charlie Hebdo attacksin January” French special ops were able to quick-ly mobilize a response, he said. VappalaBalachandran, former deputy head of India’s for-eign intelligence agency, said while the securityservices had learnt from the 2008 attacks, theParis atrocities showed how difficult they were toprevent. “Even the better protected countries andcities are not able to stop the subversion fromwithin and the fact that terrorists are constantlyadapting,” he said. — AFP

Paris attacks evoke dark memories for Mumbai

TOKYO: A powerful 7.0-magnitude earth-quake struck off the southwestern coast ofJapan early yesterday, authorities said, with asmall tsunami observed on one island but nomajor damage reported. The US GeologicalSurvey (USGS) put the epicentre of the shallowquake about 160 kilometres (100 miles) fromthe town of Makurazaki in southwestern Japan.

It was centered about 10 kilometres underthe ocean floor and struck at 5:51 am (2051GMT Friday), the USGS and Japan’sMeteorological Agency said. TheMeteorological Agency issued a tsunami advi-sory as a result of the quake but cancelled itabout 90 minutes later. A tsunami measuring30 centimetres (about one foot) in height wasobserved on the southern island ofNakanoshima, it said. No major damage fromthe quake or tsunami was reported, while a pairof nuclear reactors on the southern island ofKyushu were unaffected, its operator said.

“We have not received any reports ofinjuries or damage following the earthquakeand tsunami advisory,” Tetsuro Shinchi, an offi-cial with the Kagoshima prefectural govern-ment on Japan’s main island of Honshu, toldAFP. Still, he said residents were being urged toexhibit caution.

“I felt a fairly strong jolt, but I have not seenanything unusual,” he said.

A nuclear power facility on Kyushu wasoperating normally, an official said. “There wasno abnormality at the number one and thenumber two reactors following the quake,” saidNaoyuki Igawa, a spokesman with operatorKyushu Electric. “We are still checking but wehave not seen any damage to the facility.” Japanis situated at the juncture of several tectonicplates and experiences a number of relativelyviolent quakes every year.

But building codes are rigorous and regulardisaster drills are held, helping to ensure thatdespite their frequency and magnitude, quakesusually pass without loss of life or significantdamage to property in Japan. A massive under-sea quake that hit in March 2011 sent a tsunamibarrelling into Japan’s northeast coast.

As well as killing thousands of people anddestroying communities, the waves alsoswamped the cooling systems at theFukushima nuclear plant, sending three reac-tors into meltdown.

The nuclear disaster, the world’s worst sinceChernobyl, displaced tens of thousands of peo-ple and rendered tracts of land uninhabitable,possibly for decades. — AFP

7.0-magnitude quake hits off Japan coast

TOKYO: Japan Meteorological Agency ear thquake exper t KojiNakamura speaks during a press conference at the meteorologicalAgency in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP

I N T E R N AT ION A LSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

LONDON: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks after unveiling a statue of the 12th century Indian philosopher Basaveshwara, on thebank of the River Thames in London yesterday. British Prime Minister David Cameron announced trade deals worth £9 billion (12.7 billioneuros, $13.7 billion), as Modi indicated he wanted the UK to stay in the EU.—AFP

LONDON: London’s hallowed Wembley Stadium gaveIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a raucous welcomeusually reserved for football stars David Beckham andWayne Rooney as 60,000 people celebrated British-Indianties. Members of Britain’s large Indian diaspora, many wav-ing India’s tricolour flag and wearing Modi masks, chantedthe visiting leader’s name and let out a deafening cheer ashe took to the stage for an hour-long speech, which com-bined soaring rhetoric with detailed policy strategy.

On a chilly night, Modi broke the ice with a joke, saying“they told me England would be cold, but not this cold!” Hecalled it a “historic day”, and attempted to counter accusa-tions of neglecting minorities by paying tribute to Sikhswho had “spilled blood to protect Mother India”, althoughwas more reserved on Muslims, calling for a deeper Sufiinfluence. Both Sikhs and Muslims were among around 500protesters who barracked departing Modi supporters alongthe fabled Wembley Way. A police line separated the oppo-sition groups in scenes more often witnessed after a heatedfootball match.

Undeterred, Modi fan Kamlesh Chudasama, called theevent “absolutely fantastic.” “Watch out, India is coming fast,”he added. “We’ll be the superpower soon.” Fellow supporterParesh Kotecha called Modi’s speech “brilliant”, saying “thefuture is bright” for India. Earlier, the crowd danced in theaisles as they were entertained by a raft of singers, dancersand musicians. Slick videos highlighted India’s economicprowess, in a muscular production underscoring the coun-try’s shift from British colonial possession to a global powercourted for its vast markets, deep-pocketed investors andstrategic importance. “We are here to experience the aura ofModi, it is the aura of truth and development. There is nocomparison for him in this era,” said audience memberMahdu Kabra, 32.

The event also underscored Modi’s shift from politicalpariah to-according to his many supporters-India’s savior,after he swept to office last year promising economicreform and less bureaucracy. Only a few years earlier, Britainand several other countries had shunned Modi due to accu-sations he turned a blind eye while he was chief minister ofGujarat to 2002 communal violence in which hundredswere killed. “All great leaders had protests, look at Churchill.This is a trivial and fragile way to bring him down. It’s apolitical vendetta,” Kabra said.

British-Indian PM The iconic British stadium had been thoroughly Indianite

for Modi’s visit, with burger vans replaced by kiosks sellingchicken tikka and samosas. Inside, the sacred turf had beencovered with two giant lotus leaf designs, one in Union Jackcolors, another in the white, green and saffron of the Indiantricolor. The Indian flag had also been recreated by coveringseats with plastic sheets behind one goalmouth, where astage had been set up. A massive “UK Welcomes Modi” ban-ner showed on screens above the stadium’s entrances.Many of Modi’s supporters wore orange bandanas andscarves, the colour of Modi’s ruling rightist Bharatiya JanataParty. “The development Mr Modi has done in the last 10years, since he has been chief minister over there, has beenunbelievable,” said Suresh Bhojani, 37, from Bolton. —AFP

Thousands cheer Modi

at London mega-rally500 protesters barrack departing Modi supporters

PRICE: April Hoagland and Beckie Peirce, aUtah couple who married last year, went to aroutine hearing Tuesday expecting to hear anupdate on how long it would be before theycould adopt the baby girl they’d been raisingas foster parents for three months. Instead,they were shocked and devastated when ajudge in the central Utah city of Price orderedthe child be removed from their home withina week and placed with a heterosexual cou-ple, citing a belief that children are worse offwhen raised by gay couples.

There were audible gasps in the court-room, Hoagland said, and outrage echoedaround the country this week as nationalLGBT groups, Utah’s Republican governor andDemocratic presidential candidate HillaryRodham Clinton criticized the judge’s ruling.State officials and an attorney for the womenfiled court documents demanding the judgerescind his decision. Judge Scott Johansenreversed course later in the week but couldstill order the child removed at a Dec 4 cus-tody hearing. “We’re just happy we don’t haveto say goodbye to her on Tuesday,” Hoaglandtold The Associated Press. “That’s a big relief.”

Hours after finding out they would be ableto keep the girl for at least a few more weeks,the couple spoke at a courthouse Friday after-noon in Price, a city two hours southeast ofSalt Lake City in scrub-dotted coal countrypunctuated by low hills and stark buttes. Thecouple said they were stunned whenJohansen made his initial ruling in courtTuesday, mentioning research that said chil-dren raised by heterosexual families do betterand that “same-sex marriages have doublethe rate of instability as heterosexual mar-riages.”

State lawyers countered with evidence tothe contrary and asked Johansen to reconsid-er, but he declined, Hoagland said. TheAmerican Psychological Association has saidthere’s no scientific basis that gay couples are

unfit parents based on sexual orientation.“Obviously, we can prove him wrong becausewe have two great children at home,” saidPeirce, who was wearing a T-shirt quotingpioneering gay leader Harvey Milk: “Rightsare won only by those who make their voicesheard.”

References to instability in same-sex mar-riages were crossed out in Johansen’s neworder, released Friday. It now says the courtmerely cited concerns that research hasshown children are more emotionally andmentally stable when raised by a mother andfather in the same home. “We all make mis-takes as humans. We all have our own opin-ions. Sometimes they come out in the wrongsetting,” said Peirce, a paramedic. “I’m notgoing to guess as to where it came from. I’mjust going to be thankful that he decided tofix it.”

Hoagland, a stay-at-home mother, andPeirce are among a group of same-sex mar-ried couples who were allowed to becomefoster parents in Utah after last summer’s USSupreme Court ruling that made gay mar-riage legal across the country. The couple isalso raising Peirce’s biological children, girlsages 12 and 13. They were worried aboutwhat would happen to their girls at school inthe small central Utah city with about 8,400people. Instead, the girls discovered wide-spread support from their classmates,Hoagland and Peirce said.

They said they want to adopt the 9-monthold baby, who wasn’t with them Friday asthey spoke to reporters. Ashley Sumner,spokeswoman for the Utah Division of Childand Family Services, said the agency is cau-tiously optimistic and relieved. But Johansen’sdecision still leaves open the possibility thathe could order the child removed at a Dec. 4custody hearing, she said. “We’re moving inthe right direction, but it ’s not the finalanswer,” Sumner said. —AP

After outcry, Utah judge reverses

order taking baby from lesbians

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister JustinTrudeau said on Friday it was too soon to saywhether the deadly attacks in Paris wouldprompt him to reconsider his pledge towithdraw Canada from airstrikes againstIslamic State militants in the Middle East.Trudeau, who spoke briefly to the mediaminutes before boarding a plane, said hisgovernment would focus on balancingsecurity and freedom amid concern aboutpossible future attacks. Asked whether thegun and bomb attacks on civilians in Pariswould cause him to reconsider his pledge,Trudeau said:

“It’s too soon to jump to conclusions, butobviously governments have a responsibili-ty to keep their citizens safe, while defend-ing our rights and freedoms, and that bal-ance is something the Canadian govern-ment, and indeed all governments aroundthe world, will be focusing on.” He spokeminutes before he departed for his first

overseas trip since taking power less thantwo weeks ago. During the election cam-paign that vaulted his Liberals to victoryover the nine-year-old Conservative govern-ment of Stephen Harper, Trudeau pledgedto withdraw Canadian jets from the US-ledairstrikes against Islamic State.

He has also said he wants Canada to bemore welcoming to Syrian refugees and hasbeen outspoken against portions of newnational security laws passed by Harper in thewake of attacks against Canadian soldiersand on Parliament Hill in 2014. Trudeau’spositions could be shaken by the bloodshedin Paris. Trudeau told reporters there was noindication so far that any Canadians had beentargeted or were victims in Paris. “I’ve beenspeaking with our national security team toensure that everything is being done to keeppeople safe and we will have more to say aswe learn more about this terrible tragedy,”Trudeau said. — Reuters

After Paris attacks, Trudeau

mulls Canada military policy

PRICE: Equality Utah Executive Director Troy Williams, left, April Hoagland, center,Beckie Peirce smile during a press conference outside of the Juvenile Court in Price,Utah on Friday.—AP

SAN FRANCISCO: People tend to an injured person near Union Square in SanFrancisco on Friday. According to The San Francisco Fire Department, a double-decker tour bus crashed into multiple vehicles and pedestrians. —AP

SAN FRANCISCO: A double-deckertourist bus careened wildly out of controlFriday in San Francisco’s crowded UnionSquare, running down a bicyclist, at leasttwo pedestrians and striking several carsbefore it plowed into scaffolding lining aconstruction site. Twenty people werehurt, including six critically. Twelve peo-ple suffered minor injuries in the crashthat happened just before 3 pm, SanFrancisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-Whitesaid. The others suffered moderateinjuries.

Union Square is one of the city’s mostpopular tourist destinations with severalhigh-end stores, including Macy’s andSaks Fifth Avenue, as well as its UnionSquare Park and skating rink. The scaf-folding was in front of what is going to bea new Apple store. The square wascrowded with shoppers and touristswhen, according to eyewitnesses, the buscame roaring across two city blocks at ahigh rate of speed. It struck several mov-ing vehicles in its path as well as the bicy-clist and the two pedestrians, the latterending up trapped underneath the vehi-cle after it plowed into the scaffolding.

It also knocked down several powerlines used to propel the city’s fleet ofelectrical buses. Firefighters had toextricate the two people under the busas well as one trapped on the top deck,Hayes-White said. As many as 30 peo-ple were believed to have been onboard when the vehicle went out ofcontrol, officials said. The driver wasconscious and able to speak when fire-fighters pulled him from the wreckage,Hayes-White said.

But she added it was too early tospeculate about what caused him tolose control. “The police departmentwill investigate what those circum-stances involved, whether i t wasmechanical failure, whether it was driv-er error. It’s way too early to tell rightnow,” she said. San Francisco policeOfficer Albie Esparza couldn’t immedi-ately say which bus company ownedthe vehicle. Six of the injured are incritical condition San Francisco GeneralHospital spokesman Brent Andrewsaid. They are three men and threewomen between the ages of 20 and 60,he said. — AP

Tour bus crashes

in San Francisco

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All articles appearing on thesepages are the personal opinion ofthe writers. Kuwait Times takes noresponsibility for views expressedtherein. Kuwait Times invites read-ers to voice their opinions. Pleasesend submissions via email to: [email protected] or via snailmail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait.The editor reserves the right to editany submission as necessary.

A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Washington Watch

Pakistan’s influential military chief will visit the USfrom today, a trip analysts say will underscoresecurity issues facing Islamabad and

Washington in the region as well as the imbalance incivilian-military power in Pakistan. The Nov 15-20 visit- apparently instigated by General Raheel Sharif -comes weeks after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif metwith US President Barack Obama at the Oval Office todiscuss many of the same issues said to be on hisarmy chief’s agenda, including Afghan peace talksand Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions.

Analysts said Raheel Sharif’s influence over bothissues makes him, rather than the civilian leadership,the dominant broker for Washington’s regional agen-da. The Americans “know where the power is”,Pakistani defence and security analyst Talat Masoodtold AFP. However that is likely to make the visit “a bittrickier” for Sharif as he tries to balance Washington’sdemands, particularly in Afghanistan, said analystZahid Hussain, a columnist for Pakistan’s top Englishnewspaper Dawn.

Stability in Pakistan’s neighbour Afghanistan hasspiralled after a Taleban surge in recent months, andObama announced in October that Washington willkeep thousands of soldiers in the country past 2016.Pakistan has been historically close to the Taleban andWashington sees Islamabad as one of its few partnerswith the influence to bring the militants to the negoti-ating table. The new Taliban leader Mullah AkhtarMansour is believed to have close ties to Pakistan.

Sharif will also hold detailed discussions with USdefence officials about the militant Haqqani network,which comes under the umbrella of the Taleban andhas been described by US officials in the past as a “ver-itable arm” of Pakistani intelligence, a security officialsaid. Some in Washington believe Pakistan has notdone enough to bring its influence to bear and to per-suade the group to renounce violence, and duringNawaz Sharif’s trip in October Obama stressed thatPakistan needed to take action against groups thatundermine peaceful dialogue.

The pressure has increased since an initial round ofpeace talks was broken off this summer when thedeath of long-time Taleban leader Mullah Omar wasannounced. Nawaz Sharif agreed last month to helpAfghanistan re-start the talks, but Washington’s con-cerns over the collapse of negotiations are “casting ashadow over the general’s coming visit”, Hussainwrote this week. Masood, a retired lieutenant general,noted the unusual circumstances surrounding thetrip. “It’s not that the Americans have invited him buthe has invited himself,” he said, adding that it wouldbe Sharif’s second visit this year. “Normally this doesn’thappen.” It signals the “importance of the problemsthat both the countries seem to be facing in theregion and especially because of the Afghan situa-tion”, he said.

By Military Only A military statement issued this week said that

Raheel Sharif will use the US trip to “clearly highlightPakistan’s perspective of new emerging regional reali-ties”, in what some saw as implied criticism of NawazSharif’s government’s failure to take long-term stepsto tackle extremism. But other sources downplayedthe significance of the question over who instigatedthe visit, with one security official saying all that mat-ters is that the discussions are taking place, “even if wehave proposed these meetings”.

Issues such as Pakistan’s nuclear weapons arebeing handled “by the military only”, he said, so it wasnatural for the army to want to talk to its US counter-parts. “Our political leaders are not even aware of thestrength of our nuclear weapons... They are alsounaware of military needs and other operationaldetails,” he said. “We understand that internationalpowers and India have concerns about our shortrange smaller nuclear warhead weapons,” a secondsecurity official said, adding that the US is expected toraise the issue with Sharif. The general will argue thatPakistan must maintain its nuclear capability to com-bat the threat from archrival India, he said. —AFP

Focus

Pak army chief heads to US as

pressure grows

By Dr James J Zogby

Everyone made nice, when Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu came to Washington last week.It was make up time. The Administration sought to

demonstrate that despite, what the President referred to astheir “minor difference” over the Iran deal, there were noremaining hard feelings. Three-quarters of the Congresswelcomed Netanyahu with a letter denouncing Palestinianviolence and incitement. And the Israeli PM was fawnedover during an appearance at a liberal think-tank.

Before, during, and after the visit, official statements andpress coverage largely focused on two themes: Israel’s secu-rity needs in the wake of the P5+1 Agreement with Iran; andhow, despite Netanyahu’s testy relationship with PresidentObama, the US-Israel relationship remains as strong as ever.When Palestinians were discussed at all, it was most often asperpetrators of incitement and violence or as a problem tobe solved so that Israel could live in peace.

Suffering President Obama did speak of the need to “lower the

temperature between Israelis and Palestinians” and his con-cern “that legitimate Palestinian aspirations are met througha political process”. For his part, Netanyahu stated that heremained “committed to a vision of two states for two peo-ples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes theJewish state”. But in the overall scheme of things, thePresident’s call to “lower the temperature” and Netanyahu’sresponse that he was open to “discussing...practicalways...[to] lower the tension”, appeared to be “throwaway”lines - oft repeated, but never implemented.

What was missing was any forthright acknowledgmentof the suffering of Palestinians under a harsh occupation

that has abused and humiliated them, denied their funda-mental rights, and sucked the very life out of their hopesfor the future. There was nothing new here, since the fail-ure to address these realities has long characterized USpolicy discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

From the earliest days of the Zionist enterprise inPalestine, the West has portrayed the resultant conflict in asimplistic equation - Jewish humanity confronting the Arabproblem - real people versus an abstraction. Even whenPalestinian national rights were finally recognized, the poli-cy discussion shifted only slightly with the call for aPalestinian state presented as necessary, not to freePalestinians from the nightmare of Israeli rule, but to insurethat Israel would remain a “Jewish state”.

There were occasions when leaders deviated from thisdominant narrative. Bill Clinton spoke about Palestiniansuffering in his remarkable address to the PalestinianNational Council in 1998, as did Barack Obama in his 2009Cairo University address and his 2013 Jerusalem speech.But instead of marking a permanent change in our policydiscourse, these appeared to have been one-off exercises.In any case, in recent years, there has been little or no men-tion of the cruel burdens faced by Palestinians. And no out-right denunciation of Israel’s cruel treatment of the captivepeople over whom it rules or any proposed action tochange this deplorable situation.

Sympathy We can talk about “lowering the temperature”, but

unless the behaviors that raise that temperature are calledout by name, nothing will change. Sympathy is, of course,due to victims of stabbings. And those who incite suchbehavior should be called to account for their words. Butwhere is the sympathy for the thousands of families in

Hebron who have been evicted from their homes to makeway for extremist Israelis who have settled in the midst oftheir city; or the fathers who have been subjected tohumiliating treatment at Israeli checkpoints in front of theirchildren; or the children who have recoiled in shock at thesight of their fathers demeaned in this way; or the innocentvictims of collective punishment, whose only crime was tobe related to someone who is alleged to have committed aviolent crime; or the family members of those who havedied at checkpoints because they were denied access tohospitals; or the 50 percent of young Palestinians whohave no jobs, no prospect of a job, and therefore no hopefor the future?

In the end, these Palestinian lives matter and must beacknowledged and protected. In the absence of concernfor Palestinian lives, talk of one-state or two-states is emp-ty. In the face of the systematic violations of Palestinianrights, it is an abomination to argue that a two-state solu-tion is needed in order to protect Israel’s Jewish character.

Palestinians are victims, invisible victims. It is this historyof abuse to which they have been subjected and the angerand despair it has fostered that has led the very young toact out, as they have. Their desperate actions aredeplorable and should not be celebrated. They shouldinstead set off alarm bells causing us to reflect on how wein the West have contributed to their anger and despair byignoring them for so long. Netanyahu should not havebeen hosted and feted in Washington, he should havebeen called out by policy makers for his behavior. Until thatoccurs, nothing will change. Palestinians will remain invisi-ble victims, denied their rights, and peace will remain aselusive as ever.

NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of the ArabAmerican Institute

Invisible victims

By Michel Moutot

Simultaneous attacks on multiple tar-gets by gunmen and suicide bombersworking in unison: A nightmare sce-

nario that France’s anti-terror agencies haddreaded for months came true in Paris onFriday night. Security officials and expertshave predicted that an unprecedentedattack was in the offing, and would be nighimpossible to thwart. “Determined guyswho are prepared to die, who have studiedtheir target and have a solid operationalbackground, they can do a lot of damage,”Yves Trotignon, who used to work for DGSEintelligence agency’s anti-terrorist service,recently told AFP. “More jihadist fighters aregraduating as veterans every day. Facedwith that, it has to be said, the (security)services are overwhelmed,” he said.

Eight assailants - a mix of gunmen andsuicide bombers - killed more than 120people and wounded over 200 in attacks atsix popular Parisian recreational spots lateFriday. Targets included the Bataclan con-cert hall and eateries around the Stade deFrance sports stadium where a France-Germany football match was underway.Also hit was a restaurant in a vibey Parisianneighbourhood near Republique square,not far from the erstwhile offices of theCharlie Hebdo satirical magazine where 12people were gunned down in January.

The events of Friday were exactly thekind of multi-pronged attack authoritieshad been dreading. So far this year theyhave been fortunate: More than one poten-tial bloodbath was prevented by theoffender’s own ineptitude. In April, AlgerianIT student Sid Ahmed Ghlam was arrestedafter he shot himself in the leg by accident,leading police to uncover a plot to attack achurch in Paris’ Villejuif suburb.

Battle-Hardened and Trained And in August, two off-duty US service-

men and a friend overpowered a gunmanwho opened fire on passengers on a high-

speed train from Amsterdam to Paris. Butthe authorities’ luck was bound to run outas radicalised Muslims return from war-zones battle-hardened and well-trained,said the experts. And they are cominghome in such great numbers that it isimpossible to keep tabs on them all. “Therisk is greatest from groups of young menwho return hardened from conflicts, maybein Syria, maybe Libya or Yemen, then obtainweapons here (in France) and go over intoaction,” Trotignon said.

Since the January slaying of 17 peoplein joint attacks on Charlie Hebdo, knownfor its satirical caricatures of Islam, and aJewish supermarket elsewhere in Paris,anti-terror, intelligence, police and rescueservices have been rehearsing for anothersuch multi-pronged assault. Like anti-terrorservices the world over, French expertsclosely studied the Mumbai attacks in Nov2008, in which 10 attackers struck five dif-ferent spots in concert, killing about 170people.

But plan as they like, the experts agreethere will always be an element of surprise.And things have become complicated bywall-to-wall media coverage - with attack-ers nowadays positioning themselves “formaximum publicity”, a senior anti-terrorofficial recently told AFP on condition ofanonymity. “Right now, we fear Kalashnikovattacks” - exactly like the one on theBataclan theatre which ended when policestormed the building, but only after at least82 people were killed. —AFP

Security services’ nightmare comes true

PARIS: A woman reacts as she looks at the flowers and messages left at a rail cordon close to the Bataclan theatre inthe 11th district of Paris yesterday, a day after a series of attacks on the city resulting in the deaths of more than 128people. —AFP

By Khurram Shahzad

N E W SSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Continued from Page 1

The attack on the Bataclan took place a short distancefrom the former offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine thatwas attacked by jihadists in January. Like those attacks,the massacre sparked an outpouring of emotion aroundthe world, with London’s Tower Bridge, Berlin’sBrandenberg Gate and New York’s World Trade Center allilluminated in the red, white and blue of the French tri-colore.

Shocked survivors told how eight militants, all wear-ing suicide vests, stalked the city, indiscriminately gun-ning down people at bars and restaurants on a busyFriday night. In the worst of the bloodshed, dozens ofpeople were mown down at a sold-out show byAmerican rock group Eagles of Death Metal. The gunmenthen began executing hostages one by one, witnessessaid. “They didn’t stop firing. There was blood every-where, corpses everywhere. Everyone was trying to flee,”Pierre Janaszak, a radio presenter who was at the concert,told AFP.

The gunmen were heard raging at Hollande and hisdecision in September to begin air strikes on IslamicState jihadists in Syria. “I clearly heard them say ‘It’s thefault of Hollande, it’s the fault of your president, heshould not have intervened in Syria’,” Janaszak added. Theband survived the attack but abruptly cut short theirEuropean tour and have returned to the United States,the concert promoters said.

As heavily-armed police stormed the Bataclan ataround 12.30 am (2330 GMT), three of the gunmen blewthemselves up, while a fourth was hit by police fire. Apolice officer who took part in the storming of the build-ing told AFP: “It was horrible inside, a bloodbath, peopleshot in the head, people who were shot as they werelying on the ground.”

In a statement posted online yesterday, IS said “eightbrothers wearing explosive belts and carrying assaultrifles” conducted a “blessed attack on... Crusader France”saying the targets were “carefully chosen”. It also referredto French air strikes on IS in Syria, threatening furtherattacks “as long as it continues its Crusader campaign.”

A total of 128 people were killed and 300 wounded, ofwhom 80 were said to be in critical condition. The tolldoes not include the eight attackers. Among the victimswere at least three foreigners, including two Belgians anda Portuguese man, officials said yesterday. France hasbeen on high alert following the January attacks and nar-rowly averted more bloodshed in August when a gun-man was overpowered on a packed high-speed traincoming from Amsterdam. No arrests had been made by5:00 pm (1600 GMT) yesterday. Police were trying toidentify the attackers’ body parts and screening hours ofCCTV footage.

Hollande immediately declared three days of nationalmourning, and France will hold a minute’s silence at mid-day tomorrow when flags will be lowered to half mast.“Faced with war, the country must take appropriateaction,” Hollande said after an emergency meeting ofsecurity chiefs. He also announced three days of nationalmourning. “France will be merciless towards these bar-barians from Daesh,” he said, using an Arab acronym forIslamic State. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy said in astatement: “The war we must wage should be total.”

In a sign of the tension gripping the world’s most visit-ed city, the Eiffel Tower was closed indefinitely and themain cinema chains shut on police advice. DisneylandParis also said it would not open in a move of solidarityand several of Paris’ big department stores were alsoclosed after initially opening for several hours. Hollande

himself was hastily evacuated from the Stade de Francewhen suicide bombers blew themselves up outside thestadium during a friendly football international betweenFrance and Germany. As the drama unfolded, theGerman team decided to spend the night at the stadiumrather than risking the drive through the French capitalto their hotel, the manager said. After being whiskedfrom the stadium near the blasts, Hollande declared anational state of emergency, the first since World WarTwo. Border controls were temporarily re-imposed tostop perpetrators escaping.

US President Barack Obama described the carnage as“an attack on all of humanity” and an emotional PopeFrancis said he was “shaken” by the “inhuman” attacks onthe French capital. British Prime Minister David Cameronsaid the attacks showed IS jihadists had stepped up theircapabilities. “Last night’s attacks suggest a new degree ofplanning and coordination and a greater ambition formass casualty attacks,” he said.

The carnage took place after France tightened bordersecurity ahead of key UN climate talks just outside theFrench capital which begin on Nov 30 and will be attend-ed by Obama and dozens of other world leaders. AndIranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was due to visitFrance today, postponed his trip.

As well as the stadium and the concert hall, severalrestaurants were also targeted, including a popularCambodian eatery in the trendy Canal St Martin area,where at least 12 people died. Outside the restaurant,mourners yesterday left flowers, a candle and the Frenchnational flag emblazoned with the Latin slogan of Paris,which reads: “It is buffeted by the waves, yet remainsafloat.” Another 18 people were killed at nearby Rue deCharonne where witnesses said a cafe and a Japaneserestaurant were targeted.

Sylvestre, a young man who was at the Stade deFrance when bombs went off there, said he was saved byhis cellphone, which he was holding to his ear whendebris hit it. “This is the cell phone that took the hit, it’swhat saved me,” he said. “Otherwise my head would havebeen blown to bits,” he said, showing the phone with itsscreen smashed. French newspapers spoke of “carnage”and “horror”. Le Figaro’s headline said: “War in the heart ofParis” on a black background with a picture of people onstretchers.

Julien Pearce, a journalist from Europe 1 radio, wasinside the concert hall when the shooting began. In aneyewitness report posted on the station’s website, Pearcesaid several very young individuals, who were not wear-ing masks, entered the hall during the concert, armedwith Kalashnikov assault rifles and started “blindly shoot-ing at the crowd”. “There were bodies everywhere,” hesaid. The gunmen shot their victims in the back, finishingsome off at point-blank range before reloading theirguns and firing again, Pearce said, after escaping into thestreet by a stage door, carrying a wounded girl on hisshoulder.

Toon, a 22-year-old messenger who lives near theBataclan, was going into the concert hall with two friendsat around 10.30 pm when he saw three young mendressed in black and armed with machine guns. Hestayed outside. One of the gunmen began firing into thecrowd. “People were falling like dominoes,” he toldReuters. He saw people shot in the leg, shoulder andback, with several lying on the floor, apparently dead. Butamid the shock, some residents were defiant. Speakingto AFP at the Bataclan, concert-goer Charles insisted hewould not be cowed by terror. “We won’t give in to fear,”he said. “I’m going to a concert on Tuesday. Keep rock-ing!” — Agencies

IS jihadists claim Paris attacks that killed...


Two missiles destroyed the car targeted in the strike.The United States expressed growing optimism on Fridaythat Emwazi was dead but cautioned that a formal deter-mination would take time. “We’re 100 percent sure the guywe hit is dead. We are reasonably sure the dead guy isJihadi John,” said one US official, speaking on condition ofanonymity.

The strike illustrates an apparent improvement inWestern intelligence-gathering over the past year or morein a rugged region where reliable on-the-ground informa-tion is scarce and where the United States has struggled toinfiltrate the extremist group. Use of American spy satel-lites, eavesdropping sensors and drones have beenexpanded over the past year, US officials and a former offi-cial said. Some monitoring resources were moved to Syriafrom Afghanistan.

Emwazi was principally tracked and targeted throughsurveillance technology included both satellite andground-based sensors rather than informants on theground, said one US government source familiar withdetails of Thursday’s operation. Britain’s GCHQ intelligenceagency and America’s National Security Agency haveextensive electronic surveillance coverage of the region,including systems for locating targets through mobile-phone signals, officials say.

The attack on Emwazi follows a series of strikes by theUnited States and Britain against other British recruits tothe Islamic State movement. In August, a man fromBirmingham regarded as one of Islamic State’s top com-puter experts, Junaid Hussain, was killed in a US dronestrike. Around the same time, two other British recruits toIslamic State, Reyyad Khan and Ruhul Amin, were killed by

drone strikes launched by British forces, a European gov-ernment source confirmed. The White House said inAugust that the Islamic State’s second-in-command waskilled in a US air strike in Iraq.

An activist group called Raqqa is Being SlaughteredSilently said Emwazi was killed close to what is known asthe Clock Roundabout, several blocks away from IslamicState’s main headquarters and the Islamic Court building.It said the location was one where Islamic State carries outpublic executions. The activist group said on its Twitterfeed that Emwazi was killed at 11:40 pm and that therewere at least 14 more airstrikes around the city between11:51 pm and midnight on Thursday. Islamic State fighterscordoned off the area, it added.

Emwazi participated in videos showing the killings ofUS journalists Foley and Steven Sotloff, US aid worker PeterKassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning,Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and other hostages. Kassig,from Indiana, was also known as Abdul-Rahman, a namehe took after converting to Islam in captivity.

Emwazi used the videos to threaten the West, admon-ish its Arab allies and taunt US President Barack Obamaand British Prime Minister David Cameron in front ofhostages kneeling in orange jump suits. It was not imme-diately clear which British agencies led the hunt for JihadiJohn, but in the past both Britain’s domestic intelligenceservice, known as MI-5, and its foreign intelligence service,known as MI-6 have been involved with the CIA in opera-tions against Al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

Britain said it had a crucial role in the operation. “Wehave been working, with the United States, literally aroundthe clock to track him down. This was a combined effort.And the contribution of both our countries was essential,”Cameron said. — Reuters

Search for ‘Jihadi John’ took months


The embassy is in touch with the competent authori-ties and keeps close watch on the developments of thesituation, he added. Separately, the French embassy yes-terday said no changes have taken place in measures forissuing Schengen visas to Kuwaitis wishing to visit France.A Schengen visa is still issued in 48 hours, an embassystatement noted. France has tightened border security inthe wake of the attacks that hit Paris late Friday.

Yet, this does not lead to any change, not in the least,on the issuance of Schengen visas that are issued in twodays’ time, the statement said. Schengen visas that havebeen already issued are valid, the embassy said, notingthat tightening security implies potential securityinspection during travels among member states. FrenchAmbassador to Kuwait Christian Nakhle also stronglydenied banning Kuwaitis or people from other national-ities from entering France in the aftermath of theattacks. — Agencies

Kuwait reaffirms solidarity with France

The iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House are lit in red, white and blue, resembling the colors of the French flag, in Sydney yesterday, as Australians express their solidarity with France followinga spate of coordinated attacks. — AFP


capital overnight, targeting a concert hall, restaurants,bars and a sports stadium. “We are now at a point wherewords end in the fight against terrorism. We are now at astage where this should be put at the forefront,” Erdogantold reporters ahead of the summit, also due to be attend-ed by leaders from Europe, China, Japan, Canada, Australiaand Brazil, among others.

Although the G20 usually focuses on economic issues,the fight against terrorism was already expected to be onthe agenda. The summit comes two weeks after a suspect-ed bomb attack on a Russian airliner killed 224 people inthe Sinai Peninsula. It also comes just over a month aftertwo suspected Islamic State suicide bombers blew them-selves up at a peace rally in the Turkish capital Ankara,killing more than 100 people in the worst such attack inthe country.

Events such as the attacks in Paris made it crucial for theworld’s top economies to stand shoulder to shoulder at thesummit, China’s vice finance minister said. “We must worktogether, we must enhance our solidarity,” Zhu Guangyoutold a news conference in the coastal resort of Belek, whereleaders began gathering for the summit. Speaking inVienna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said therewas growing consensus among global powers that theyhad to work together to confront Islamic State.

The G20 summit takes place just 500 km from Syria,where a 4-1/2-year conflict has transformed Islamic Statemilitants into a global security threat and spawnedEurope’s largest migration flows since World War Two.Erdogan condemned the Paris killings and pointed toTurkey’s own long battle with domestic security threats,which include its fight with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)militants in its southeast and recent bomb attacks linked toIslamic State. — Reuters

Terrorism center-stage as world leaders meet

CAIRO: The criticism was blunt - and startling, since itcame from a TV presenter on a state-owned station that,like most other media in Egypt, usually has nothing butpraise for Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, the country’s general-turned-president. Presenter Azza El-Henawy demandedSisi take action after deaths from floods in areas north ofCairo last month that many blamed on neglect of infra-structure by authorities. She said corruption was beingignored and addressed the president, saying, “As long as noone is held accountable, you will be just talking and mak-ing promises and we will get no results ... This is why thepeople are fed up.”

Henawy was promptly suspended by the state broad-caster for “unprofessional conduct”. Her outspoken com-ments on Nov 1 pointed to the erosion of the aura of invin-cibility that Sisi has enjoyed. Sisi had seemed impervious tocriticism ever since he, as military chief, led the 2013 ousterof Egypt’s first freely elected president, the IslamistMohamed Morsi, after nationwide protests against Morsiand the political domination of the Muslim Brotherhood.Sisi then stormed into the presidency with a 2014 landslideelection victory.

For more than two years, he has been lauded as Egypt’ssavior. The media have praised his every move, telling thepublic that he is putting Egypt on the path of security andeconomic revival. He’s had virtually no political opposition,since secular political parties have largely joined the cheer-leading and a fierce crackdown has crushed theBrotherhood, killing hundreds of its protesting supportersand jailing thousands more. Secular and pro-democracyactivists who fueled the 2011 uprising against longtimeautocrat Hosni Mubarak were not spared, with dozensjailed, mostly for breaking a law effectively banning streetprotests.

But in recent weeks, Sisi seemed to struggle with expec-tations among a population that is fatigued by years of tur-moil and has still seen little improvement in the economy,corruption or infrastructure. Worries over the economy havebeen compounded by the crash of a Russian passengerplane in the Sinai Peninsula that killed all 224 on board. TheUS and Britain believe it was downed by a bomb planted bythe Sinai branch of the Islamic State group, which has beenwaging an insurgency against Sisi’s government. Russia sus-pended flights to Egypt and on Friday took the further step

of halting EgyptAir flights to Russia - all likely to have a dev-astating effect on tourism.

Sisi himself appears to have little tolerance for criticism.“It’s inappropriate! We are crossing all boundaries. It’s inap-propriate!” he said, visibly angry during an address on Nov 1after a different TV presenter was critical of him for meetingwith a senior Western businessman when theMediterranean port city of Alexandria was inundated byrain. “Are you punishing me for taking this job?” he said. Thespeech inspired widespread mockery on social media.

Asked by a TV reporter Wednesday about the tourismcrisis, he proclaimed bombastically that people shouldn’tworry so much. “We don’t eat? Then, we won’t eat. We gohungry? So be it. What is the problem? As long as our coun-try is secure and we’re moving forward. Success is clear,” hesaid.

Although the grumbling hardly poses any immediatethreat to Sisi’s authority, even a dulling of enthusiasm couldrepresent a shift in his popularity. There are no reliable opin-ion polls on Sisi’s approval ratings. But relatively low turnoutin last month’s first round of parliamentary elections - 26.6percent - has been interpreted by commentators, including

supporters, as evidence of distrust in a political processoverseen by Sisi and discontent over the economy.

Cracks have grown in the fierce anti-protest law imposedafter Morsi’s fall, despite long prison sentences imposed onthose who organize rallies. In recent weeks, numerousgroups have held protests to air various grievances, thoughthe demonstrations have not been large and focused onspecific demands, not larger political issues. “These socialand economic crises are beyond Sisi’s control,” explainedImad el-Deen Hussein, editor in chief of the independentAl-Shorouk daily and a Sisi supporter. “It is impossible to tellaccurately if he is losing popularity. But that is the generalfeeling many have.”

Henawy’s defiant commentary was the most overttoward Sisi, but there has increasingly been grumbling overperceived policy failures. Reasons included the flooding, theloss of value by the Egyptian pound, the negative falloutfrom the arrest of a wealthy newspaper owner and the mili-tary’s detention of a leading rights advocate and investiga-tive journalist. On her show this week, Lamees El-Hadidi, apopular TV anchor who ranks among Sisi strongest support-ers, appeared to indirectly fault Sisi. — AP

Egypt woes erode Sisi image of invincibility

S P O RT SSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

PRETORIA: Oscar Pistorius reported yes-terday for his first day of community serv-ice in the South African capital Pretoria aspart of his parole conditions after beingreleased from jail three weeks ago. TheParalympian athlete was allowed out ofprison after serving one year of his five-year sentence for killing his girlfriendReeva Steenkamp in the early hours ofValentine’s Day, 2013. Pistorius, 28, arrivedat Garsfontein police station in Pretoria,driven by his sister Aimee, and declinedto speak to waiting reporters. He is serv-ing the rest of his sentence under housearrest at his uncle’s home in the city. In hisfirst appearance in public since his

release, he walked into the police stationwearing sunglasses and a white T-shirt,and carrying a backpack. The disgracedsprinter was found guilty last year of cul-pable homicide-a charge equivalent tomanslaughter-after telling his trial that heshot Steenkamp through a bathroomdoor because he mistook her for anintruder. His parole conditions have notbeen released, but are reported to allowhim to meet with Steenkamp’s parentsJune and Barry if they wish. TheDepartment of Correctional Services hasalso said Pistorius would undergo “contin-ued psychotherapy” and face restrictionson owning firearms.

State appeal Pistorius was jailed after a six-month

trial that made headlines around theworld. Prosecutors said he killedSteenkamp in a fit of rage, firing fourshots through the locked toilet door.They described the double amputee asan egotistical liar obsessed with guns,fast cars and beautiful women, who wasnot prepared to take responsibility forhis actions. The case is currently beingreviewed by the Supreme Court ofAppeal as state prosecutors push tohave the culpable homicide verdictoverturned in favor of a murder convic-tion.

The court heard arguments fromboth sides last week, and is expected totake some weeks before announcing itsdecision. The five appeal judges couldalter the original trial verdict and sendthe case back to the high court for a newsentence. If he was found guilty of mur-der, he would face a minimum of 15years in prison. Pistorius’s family madeno comment on his community serviceyesterday. When he was released, a fami-ly spokeswoman said he would servethe rest of his sentence “under the strictconditions that govern correctionalsupervision.” Pistorius shot Steenkamp, amodel and law graduate, at the peak of

his fame, following his historic perform-ance in 2012 when he became the firstdouble-amputee to race at Olympic lev-el. During the trial, Pistorius often brokedown, weeping and at times vomiting ashe heard how Steenkamp was hit by hol-low-point bullets he fired from the 9mmpistol that he kept under his bed. In theshooting’s aftermath, he lost his glitter-ing sports career, lucrative contracts andstatus as a global role model for the dis-abled. His release on house arrest was inline with normal treatment of SouthAfrican convicts, but was criticized bywomen’s rights groups and many othersin the country.— AFP

Pistorius reports for first community service

BANGALORE: Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (right) takes the catch to dismiss South African cricketer AB de Villiers for 85 runs duringthe first day of the second Test match between India and South Africa at The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday. —AFP

BANGALORE: India’s spin twins RavichandranAshwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared eight wick-ets as South Africa crumbled for 214 on theopening day of the second Test in Bangalore yes-terday. AB de Villiers marked his 100th Test witha stroke-filled 85 to bolster the score after Indiancaptain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected tofield in overcast conditions at the Chinnaswamystadium.

Opener Dean Elgar’s 38 was the next highestscore as the top-ranked Proteas, who lost thefirst Test in Mohali by 108 runs, once again floun-dered against the spinners on a pitch that heldno demons. India replied with 80 for no loss bystumps with Murali Vijay unbeaten on 28 andShikhar Dhawan finding form with 45 not outafter being dismissed for a pair in Mohali. SouthAfrica, aiming to bounce back in the four-Testseries, were reduced to 120-5 before being dis-missed in just 59 overs during the post-tea ses-sion to hand India the early advantage.

Off-spinner Ashwin wreaked havoc with thetop order by claiming three of the first five wick-ets, including two in his opening over when hewas brought on to bowl the eighth over. Ashwinfinished with four for 70 to build on his eight-wicket match haul in the first Test. Left-armerJadeja, who also took eight scalps in Mohali,returned with four for 50, including the impor-tant wicket of de Villiers off the last ball beforetea. De Villiers hit 11 boundaries and a six, beforewicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha dived in frontof the stumps to pick up a low catch.

‘Too many soft dismissals’South African coach Russell Domingo blamed

the batsmen for the low total, saying there wasnothing in the wicket to suggest anotherbowler-dominated game. “There were far too

many soft dismissals from us,” he said. “The pitchwas fine. We just did not play well.” Domingo,however, did not rule out a turnaround in theTest. “At the moment we are obviously too farbehind in the game, but things can change fastbecause six to seven wickets can fall in a session.”

De Villiers walked in at 45-3 to generousapplause from some 23,000 fans who regard himas one of their own due to his stint with theBangalore team in the Indian Premier League.He got off the mark with five runs, courtesy of anoverthrow by Indian captain Virat Kohli thatraced to the fence. De Villiers, who went to lunchunbeaten on 19, brought up South Africa’s 100with a superb cover drive off fast bowler VarunAaron and reached his half-century with a singleoff Ashwin.

Ashwin praised de Villiers’ effort but felt the

star batsman was not at his best. “AB is a world-class batsman and played his strokes, but Ithought he was a bit edgy today,” the off-spinnersaid. “There was not much for us in the pitch butwe bowled well. Even when AB was batting, wewere able to maintain control by taking wicketsat the other end.”

Ashwin trapped Stiaan van Zyl (10) leg-beforewith his second delivery and had Faf du Plessis(0) caught at short-leg by Cheteshwar Pujara offthe fifth to make it 15-2. Aaron claimed the keywicket of Hashim Amla (7) in the 15th over,uprooting the captain’s off-stump as the Proteaswere reduced to 45-3. The ninth-wicket pair ofKyle Abbott (14) and Morne Morkel (22) put on37 to steer the tourists past the 200-run mark forthe first time in the series. They had fallen for184 and 109 in Mohali.— AFP

India spin out SA for 214

South Africa 1st inningsS. van Zyl lbw b Ashwin 10D. Elgar b Jadeja 38F. du Plessis c Pujara b Ashwin 0H. Amla b Aaron 7A. de Villiers c Saha b Jadeja 85J. Duminy c Rahane b Ashwin 15D. Vilas c&b Jadeja 15K. Abbott run out (Dhawan, Saha) 14K. Rabada c Pujara b Jadeja 0M. Morkel c Binny b Ashwin 22I. Tahir not out 0Extras (lb-2 nb-6) 8Total (all out, 59 overs) 214Fall of wickets: 1-15 S. van Zyl,2-15 F. du Plessis,3-45 H.Amla,4-78 D. Elgar,5-120 J. Duminy,6-159 D. Vilas,7-177

A. de Villiers,8-177 K. Rabada,9-214 M. Morkel,10-214 K.AbbottBowling: I. Sharma 13-3-40-0(nb-4); S. Binny 3-2-1-0; R.Ashwin 18-2-70-4; V. Aaron 9-0-51-1(nb-2); R. Jadeja 16-2-50-4.

India 1st inningsM. Vijay not out 28S. Dhawan not out 45Extras (b-4 nb-3) 7Total (for no loss, 22 overs) 80Fall of wickets: To bat: C. Pujara, V. Kohli, A. Rahane, W.Saha, R. Jadeja, S. Binny, R. Ashwin, I. Sharma, V. AaronBowling: M. Morkel 7-1-23-0(nb-3); K. Abbott 6-1-18-0;K. Rabada 5-1-17-0; J. Duminy 2-0-9-0; I. Tahir 2-0-9-0.

SCOREBOARD

Scoreboard at stumps on the first day in the second Test between India and South Africa on yesterday in Bangalore,India.

Australia 1st innings (overnight 416-2)J. Burns b Henry 40D. Warner c Craig b Boult 253U. Khawaja c Latham b Bracewell 121S. Smith c Watling b Henry 27A. Voges c Wating b Boult 41M. Marsh c and b Bracewell 34P. Nevill st Watling b Craig 19M. Johnson st Watling b Craig 2M. Starc c Latham b Craig 0J. Hazlewood not out 8N. Lyon not out 4Extras (4lb, 1b, 1w, 4nb) 10Total (9 wickets declared; 133 overs) 559Fall of wickets: 1-101 (Burns), 2-403 (Khawaja), 3-427 (Warner), 4-462 (Smith), 5-512 (Voges), 6-539(Marsh), 7-547 (Nevill) , 8-547 (Starc), 9-547(Johnson)

Bowling: Southee 29-6-88-0, Boult 26-2-123-2(1w), Henry 22-2-105-2, Bracewell 25-1-81-2 (4nb),Craig 23-0-123-3, Williamson 3-0-11-0, Guptill 3-0-7-0, McCullum 2-0-16-0.

New Zealand 1st inningsM. Guptill lbw Starc 1T. Latham c Smith b Lyon 36K. Williamson not out 70R. Taylor not out 26Extras (lb4, nb3) 7Total (2 wickets, 42 overs) 140Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Guptill), 2-87 (Latham)Bowling: Starc 11-3-17-1, Hazlewood 11-1-48-0(1nb), Johnson 8-1-34-0, Lyon 8-1-24-1, Marsh 4-1-13-0 (2nb)To Bat: B McCullum, BJ Watling, D Bracewell, MCraig, M Henry, T Southee, T Boult.

SCOREBOARD

PERTH, Australia: Scores after the second day in the second Test between Australia and New Zealand atthe WACA Ground in Perth on yesterday.

Williamson carries New Zealand’s hopes after huge Australian total

PERTH: In-form batsman Kane Williamsoncarried New Zealand hopes with anotherfighting half-century at stumps on the sec-ond day of the second Test at the WACAGround yesterday. After Australia haddeclared their first innings at 559 for nine,New Zealand were 140 for two in reply onan easy-going pitch. Williamson wasunbeaten on 70, with Ross Taylor on 26 notout, the pair having added 53 runs but theKiwis still trailing by 419 runs with eightwickets in hand. Put in to bat around 40minutes before tea, the Kiwis lost boththeir openers.

Martin Guptill was trapped leg beforewicket by left-arm quick Mitchell Starc forjust one when the score was six. TomLatham again looked solid in making 36,but Australian captain Steve Smith wasrewarded for his decision to bring off-spin-ner Nathan Lyon back into the attack. Lyonremoved Latham in his first over after teawith Smith taking a sharp catch low to hisleft. Williamson again looked in total con-trol after scoring 140 and 59 in Brisbane,and his only moments of concern camewhen his concentration appeared to waverduring a short spell by all-rounder MitchellMarsh provoking him to play a couple offalse shots.

One significant setback for Australia dur-ing the second day was an apparent ham-string injury suffered by first innings centu-rion Usman Khawaja. The 28-year-old, whohas scored centuries in the two Testsagainst the Kiwis and made 121 on Friday,pulled up sharply after chasing a ball to theboundary and immediately left the field.He didn’t return and Cricket Australia saidhis injury would be assessed today. Earlierin the day, New Zealand foiled Australianopener David Warner’s bid to break morebatting records when they removed himfor 253, caught in slips off paceman TrentBoult. Australia, ahead 1-0 in the three-

match series after a 208-run win inBrisbane, had resumed at 416 for two, withWarner on 244 and eyeing MatthewHayden’s record WACA score of 380 againstZimbabwe in 2003. However, he addedjust nine runs before some much-improvedbowling from Boult had him edging toMark Craig in slips.

‘Determined and focused’It was the second-highest individual

score at the ground, behind only Hayden’smassive knock. Warner faced 286 balls andwas at the crease for 409 minutes, hitting24 boundaries and two sixes in an impres-sive innings that was the highest of hiscareer and his first double-century at Testlevel. Warner said he was pleased to bat forsuch a long period for the second match insuccession. “I faced 200 balls for the firsttime last game,” he said. “For me it is aboutbeing determined and focused. “I achievedwhat I set out to do and that was to score adouble hundred in my career, and it hasput us into a great position. “But it’s goingto be tough to take 20 wickets on thisdeck.”

At one stage Australia were 512 for fouryesterday, but they collapsed after lunchwith New Zealand spinner Craig (3-123) ona hat-trick as the wickets tumbled in thechase for quick runs. Paceman DougBracewell (2-81) provided a rare moment ofdelight for the visitors when he took a bril-liant reflex catch off his own bowling toremove Marsh for 34. Bracewell, who con-ceded a draw was their main focus, said theKiwis were rewarded for bowling with moreconsistency. “It was pretty pleasing to havea good day like that after yesterday,” hesaid. “We spoke about improving and beingmore consistent and we got a few rewards.“We talked about making them hit ourgood balls rather than giving them therelease we were yesterday.”— AFP

PERTH: New Zealand’s batsman Kane Williamson plays a shot during day two of the sec-ond cricket Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Perth yesterday. —AFP

VIVA announces 3 draw winners

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing andmost developed telecom operator, announcesthe three winners of “Get ready for the Clasico”campaign’s draw, held in presence of a repre-sentative from the ministry of commerce andindustry. The winners are: Amr Ibrahim Hussain,Sultan Meshal Al-Sabah and Hatem Nawaf Al-Mohammed. This campaign granted the chancefor those three persons to win and travel toMadrid to watch the upcoming match betweenReal Madrid vs Barcelona live from Bernabeustadium on 21 November 2015. VIVA announcedits official sponsorship of Real Madrid FootballClub in 2012, being the first in Kuwait to spon-sor this world renowned football club. To findout more about VIVA’s new prepaid packages, orany of its other competitive promotions, prod-ucts and packages, visit one of the 70 VIVAbranches, or the VIVA website atwww.viva.com.kw, or call VIVA’s 24 hour callcenter on 102.


Western ConferenceCentral DivisionW L OTL GF GA PTS

Dallas 13 4 0 62 45 26St. Louis 11 4 1 45 37 23Minnesota 10 3 2 46 40 22Nashville 9 3 3 43 38 21Winnipeg 8 7 2 48 52 18Chicago 8 7 1 41 41 17Colorado 6 9 1 43 44 13

Pacific DivisionLos Angeles 10 6 0 39 33 20Arizona 9 6 1 46 44 19Vancouver 7 5 5 50 42 19San Jose 8 8 0 43 42 16Anaheim 5 8 4 29 45 14Calgary 6 11 1 44 68 13Edmonton 6 11 0 44 54 12

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

Montreal 13 2 2 62 33 28

Ottawa 8 5 3 50 51 19Tampa Bay 8 8 2 42 43 18Detroit 8 7 1 36 39 17Buffalo 8 8 0 39 44 16Boston 7 7 1 49 48 15Florida 6 7 3 43 41 15Toronto 4 8 4 34 48 12

Metropolitan DivisionNY Rangers 12 2 2 51 28 26Washington 11 4 1 50 37 23NY Islanders 9 6 3 49 42 21Pittsburgh 10 6 0 36 33 20New Jersey 9 6 1 40 40 19Carolina 6 9 1 32 46 13Philadelphia 5 8 3 30 48 13Columbus 5 12 0 40 60 10Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one pointin the standings and are not included in the losscolumn (L)

NHL Results/StandingsColumbus 2, Pittsburgh 1; Calgary 3, Washington 2 (OT); San Jose 3, Detroit 2; NY Islanders 4, Anaheim 1.

NEW YORK: LeBron James scored 31 points, MoWilliams made a tiebreaking jumper with 41 sec-onds left and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat theNew York Knicks 90-84 on Friday night for theireighth straight victory. Cleveland remainedunbeaten since dropping its opener at Chicagoand matched its best start through nine gamesat 8-1. Williams scored Cleveland’s final six pointsand finished with 20. Carmelo Anthony scored26 for the Knicks, but 22 came in the first halfand his only field goal in the second half was afollow dunk as James kept his friend in checkwhen it mattered. Arron Afflalo had 14 points forthe Knicks.

BULLS 102, HORNETS 97Jimmy Butler had 27 points, Pau Gasol added

19 points and 13 rebounds and Chicago beatCharlotte. Nicolas Batum scored 12 of his 28points in the third quarter and was 5 of 6 from 3-point range for Charlotte. Kemba Walker had 16points, nine rebounds and seven assists.Charlotte trailed for most of the fourth quarter,but Jeremy Lamb scored eight straight points topull the Hornets within 88-87 with 5:54 left. ButButler hit a jumper and made a pair of freethrows and Derrick Rose had a driving layup toget the lead up to 94-87 with 4:32 left. Lambmissed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left thatwould have tied it at 100. Butler then iced it witha 22-footer to put the Bulls up 102-97.

THUNDER 102, 76ERS 85Russell Westbrook had his second straight

triple-double and Oklahoma City beatPhiladelphia. Westbrook stepped up while topscorer Kevin Durant sat out with a strained lefthamstring. Westbrook finished with 21 points, acareer-high 17 rebounds and 11 assists for the21st triple-double of his career. It was his third inhis past four games against Philadelphia. DionWaiters scored 14 points and Enes Kanter had 13for the Thunder, who won their third straight.Christian Wood scored 15 points and NerlensNoel had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the76ers, who lost their 19th in a row. Philadelphia’sJahlil Okafor, who had led all rookies with 20.6points per game, finished with six on 3-for-18shooting.

NUGGETS 107, ROCKETS 98Danilo Gallinari had 27 points, Will Barton

scored a career-high 26 and Denver beatHouston to spoil the return of Ty Lawson.Kenneth Faried added 14 points and 11rebounds for Denver. The home crowd didn’tgive Lawson a warm reception despite his most-ly productive six years with the Nuggets. Hehelped Denver reach the playoffs four straightseasons and win a franchise-best 57 games in2012-13 before a disappointing first-round exitagainst Golden State. Trouble off the court,including multiple arrests, soured his reputationwith the fans and preceded him being dealt toHouston in the summer. James Harden led theRockets with 28 points. Terrence Jones added 23off the bench and Dwight Howard had 12 pointsand 10 rebounds.

KINGS 111, NETS 109DeMarcus Cousins had 30 of his season-high

40 points in the second half and added 13rebounds, Rajon Rondo had a triple-double andSacramento Kings beat struggling Brooklyn. Itwas the second straight victory for the Kings,who had snapped a six-game losing streak onWednesday. Rondo had his third triple-double infour games, with 23 points, 14 assists and 10rebounds. Reserve Ben McLemore had a season-high 15 points and Marco Belinelli had 14. JarrettJack had 21 points and 12 assists for the Nets,who have opened the season with a 18 record.

GRIZZLIES 101, TRAIL BLAZERS 100Zach Randolph’s put-back basket with less

than a second left and a season-high 31 pointsfrom Marc Gasol led Memphis to a victory overPortland. Portland had a final shot with 0.6 of asecond left, but Al-Farouq Aminu’s 17-footer wasshort and the Grizzlies snapped a four-game los-ing streak. The Trail Blazers lost their fourthstraight and haven’t won since a 115-96 victoryover Memphis on Nov 5. Randolph’s winningbasket gave him 15 points for the game. JeffGreen scored 14, while Mike Conley and new-comer Mario Chalmers added 11 points apiece.CJ McCollum led Portland with 26 points.

MAVERICKS 90, LAKERS 82Zaza Pachulia notched his sixth double-dou-

ble in nine games and Dallas sent Los Angeles toits fourth straight loss. Kobe Bryant returned toaction after missing the Lakers’ two previousgames with a tight back. He hit his first threeshots and finished with 19 points while playing aseason-high 32:25. Dallas extended its recordwinning streak in the series between the teamsto nine. Pachulia led the Mavs with season highsof 18 points and 16 rebounds. He was acquiredlast summer after free agent DeAndre Jordandecided to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers.Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 21 pointsand was 3 of 5 on 3-point shots.

PACERS 107, TIMBERWOLVES 103Paul George scored 29 points, Monta Ellis

added 24 points in his best game this seasonand Indiana beat Minnesota for its sixth win inseven games. Zach LaVine and Andrew Wigginseach scored 26 points and led a furious chargethat almost brought Minnesota back from a 27-point deficit in the final 16 minutes. AfterIndiana built an 87-60 lead with 4 minutes left inthe third quarter, the Timberwolves pulled with-in 101-100 with 1:18 left. Ian Mahinmi added 12points and nine rebounds and Glenn RobinsonIII scored 11 points and had five rebounds off thebench for Indiana. Karl-Anthony Towns, theleague’s seventh-best rebounder, had 12 pointsand nine rebounds for Minnesota. NemanjaBjelica and Shabazz Muhammad each had 10points.

CELTICS 106, HAWKS 93Isaiah Thomas scored 17 of his 23 points in

the second half and added 10 assists as Bostonrecovered from early shooting troubles to beatAtlanta. The Hawks played without coach MikeBudenholzer, who returned to Atlanta earlierFriday for a family emergency. Assistant KennyAtkinson coached the team. Amir Johnsonscored 19 and Jared Sullinger had 10 points and10 rebounds for Boston, which closed the gameon a 10-0 run while holding the Hawks without a

point for the final three minutes. The Celtics out-rebounded the Hawks 50-35 and had only 10turnovers to Atlanta’s 17. Paul Millsap led Atlantawith 14 points and eight rebounds, but scoredonly four in the final three quarters. Al Horfordadded 13 points, Kent Bazemore scored 12 andKyle Korver finished with 11 points for theHawks.

RAPTORS 100, PELICANS 81Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and 10

rebounds, DeMar DeRozan added 15 points and11 assists and Toronto pulled away in the secondhalf for a win over New Orleans. After trailing bynine points during the first half, the Raptorsturned a 40-40 halftime tie into a rout againstthe banged-up Pelicans - New Orleans was with-out five regulars. Five Raptors scored in double-figures, including Kyle Lowry with 20 points.Toronto begins a five-game road trip Sundaynight at Sacramento and plays 11 of its first 15games of the season on the road. Guards EricGordon and Jrue Holiday led New Orleans.Gordon had 30 points and Holiday added 19.The Raptors hit just 2 of 10 3-point attempts inthe first half, but made 7 of 11 from beyond thearc in the second half.

MAGIC 102, JAZZ 93Evan Fournier scored 21 points and Orlando

raced out to a big early lead to defeat Utah.Tobias Harris added 19 points and 13 reboundsfor the Magic, who won for the fifth time in theirlast seven games. The Magic jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the first four minutes while the Jazzmissed eight of their first nine shots and turnedthe ball over four times. They stretched theiradvantage to 22 points early in the second quar-ter and were up by as many as 23 in the fourthbefore the Jazz got within seven points in theclosing minutes. Gordon Hayward and TreyBurke each scored 16 points for the Jazz.Hayward was their only starter to make a fieldgoal in the first half.— AP

DENVER: Denver Nuggets forward JJ Hickson (7) pressures Houston Rockets guard James Harden(13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov 13, 2015 in Denver. —AP

Cavaliers roll to eighth straight win

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GBToronto 7 3 .700 -Boston 4 4 .500 2NY Knicks 4 6 .400 3Brooklyn 1 8 .111 5.5Philadelphia 0 9 0 6.5

Central DivisionCleveland 8 1 .889 -Chicago 6 3 .667 2Detroit 5 3 .625 2.5Indiana 6 4 .600 2.5Milwaukee 4 5 .444 4

Southeast DivisionAtlanta 8 3 .727 -Miami 6 3 .667 1Orlando 5 5 .500 2.5Charlotte 4 5 .444 3Washington 3 4 .429 3

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 6 3 .667 -Denver 5 4 .556 1Utah 4 5 .444 2Minnesota 4 5 .444 2Portland 4 6 .400 2.5

Pacific DivisionGolden State 10 0 1.000 -LA Clippers 5 4 .556 4.5Phoenix 4 4 .500 5Sacramento 3 7 .300 7LA Lakers 1 8 .111 8.5

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 6 2 .750 -Dallas 5 4 .556 1.5Houston 4 5 .444 2.5Memphis 4 6 .400 3New Orleans 1 8 .111 5.5

NBA Results/StandingsIndiana 107, Minnesota 103; Orlando 102, Utah 93; Boston 106, Atlanta 93; Cleveland 90, NY Knicks 84; Toronto 100,New Orleans 81; Chicago 102, Charlotte 97; Memphis 101, Portland 100; Oklahoma City 102, Philadelphia 85; Dallas90, LA Lakers 82; Denver 107, Houston 98.

NEW YORK: New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) trips over St LouisBlues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91), of Russia, as Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61)block the puck in front of the Rangers’ goal in the third period of an NHL hockey gamein New York on Thursday, Nov 12, 2015. The Rangers defeated the Blues 6-3. —AP

Flames overwhelm Capitals WASHINGTON: Sean Monahan scoredhis second goal of the game 1:40 intoovertime to give the Calgary Flames a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals onFriday night. Michael Frolik also scoredfor Calgary and Karri Ramo stopped 34shots. Michael Latta and Jay Beagle hadthe goals for Washington, and PhillippGrubauer finished with 26 saves. Inovertime, Monahan took a pass from TJBrodie and beat Grubauer from right infront. Washington coach Barry Trotzchallenged the goal, claiming thatMonahan was offside, but the goal wasquickly confirmed. Monahan has sixgoals this season, including four in thelast four games. The Flames, which losttwo straight entered the game with theworst record in the Western Conference.

BLUE JACKETS 2, PENGUINS 1Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots

and narrowly missed his 12th careershutout as Columbus held offPittsburgh. Scott Hartnell scored histeam-leading eighth goal to help theBlue Jackets improve to 5-5 under JohnTortorella. Brandon Saad picked up hissixth with a power-play goal in the sec-ond period that gave Columbus a 2-0lead. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 savesfor the Penguins but Pittsburgh went 0for 6 on the power play. Patr icHornqvist deflected a shot from thepoint past Bobrovsky with 52 secondsremaining to spoil Bobrovsky’s shutoutbid. Hornqvist appeared to tie it with 13

seconds left but the referees waved itoff after ruling Hornqvist intentionallykicked the puck into the net.

SHARKS 3, RED WINGS 2Joe Pavelski scored his ninth goal of

the season, Martin Jones made 26 savesand San Jose beat Detroit . MelkerKarlsson and Matt Nieto also scored forthe Sharks, who improved to 7-1 inDetroit s ince the 2010-11 season.Tomas Tatar and Teemu Pulk k inenscored for the Red Wings, and JimmyHoward finished with 11 saves. PavelDatsyuk made his season debut forDetroit after missing the first 15 gamesdue to off-season ankle surgery. Hereceived a standing ovation when com-ing onto the ice for his first shift.

ISLANDERS 4, DUCKS 1Frans Nielsen scored twice in the

third period, backup goalie ThomasGreiss stopped 24 shots, and New Yorkbeat Anaheim. Brock Nelson and CalClutterbuck also had goals for theIslanders, who won two of three on aCalifornia road trip. Nelson, who hadthe Islanders’ only goal in a 2-1 loss atLos Angeles on Thursday night, hasscored in consecutive games for thefirst time since last Dec 2-4. Corey Perryscored for the Ducks, who were comingoff consecutive over time losses athome against the Coyotes and Oilers.Anton Khudobin f inished with 25saves.— AP

BELGRADE: Met by cheers and a standing ova-tion from supporters, a professional Serbian bas-ketball player has made an extraordinary come-back to the court-two years after losing her legin a bus crash. Wearing a prosthetic limb underblack leggings, 21-year-old Natasa Kovacevicscored five points towards Wednesday night’svictory by Red Star Belgrade, the club withwhich she began her career, in a return to thegame that she described as “sublime”. Many hadbelieved Kovacevic’s exemplary career was overwhen she was caught up in a deadly accident inSeptember 2013 while travelling with her

Hungarian club, Gyor. The club’s coach and general manager were

killed, while seriously injured Kovacevic had tohave her leg amputated. But 26 months later,she has shown a level of resilience that even herrivals applaud. “I am overwhelmed to be back,the feeling on the ground was sublime. I feel as ifI never left, as if two years has not gone by,” asmiling Kovacevic said after her team beatsouthern Serbian side Student Nis by 78-47. “Ineed to improve my fitness, if I’m honest I lostmy breath a little, but I will work and it willcome,” she said.

Spectators pointed out that what she lackedthrough her disability, Kovacevic made up forwith her experience in the game, despite heryoung age. The coach of the opposing team,Zvonimir Stankovic, was no less admiring. “Whatshe has accomplished, her perseverance,deserve everyone’s respect. We should all teachour children about her example,” he said. “Fromthe moment she entered the game, we treatedher like any other player,” he added.

‘One wish’ Natasa was emerging as one of the most tal-

ented Serbian players of her generation-primedto play for her basketball-mad country in theEuroBasket championship this year-whentragedy struck. At time she was just 19. “Fromthe beginning I have had one wish-to play bas-ketball again. Deep inside myself I am convincedthat this day will come,” she told local mediaafter the accident. Following the crash, theFrench Basketball Federation (FFBB) and its pres-ident Jean-Pierre Siutat, who had been close tothe deceased Hungarian coach Akos Fuzy, cameto the young player’s rescue.

Impressed by her will and courage, the FFBBhelped to finance the special prosthetic leg thatwould allow her to return to the competition. In2014, the International Basketball Federation(FIBA) made Kovacevic an ambassador for youngpeople and she gradually resumed training. Shealso created a foundation bearing her name thataims to help other young athletes. “My come-back is very important to me, but I hope it showsother people that they can do anything theywant if they have the will,” she said after her tri-umphant return.— AFP

BORDEAUX: Gracie Gold stormed to thewomen’s lead at the Trophee Bompardon Friday with Japanese teenager ShomaUno leading the men as reigning worldchampion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva andCanadian star Patrick Chan both strug-gled. US silver medalist Gold pulled out anear perfect short program to the popu-lar Argentinean tango music “El Choclo”to score a personal best 73.32 points atthe Meriadeck ice rink. The 20-year-oldimproved her previous best by over twopoints to lead Russian Julia Lipnitskayaby 7.69 going into the free skating finalin the fourth of the six-leg ISU Grand Prixseries. Gold is bidding to add to her silvermedal from Skate America last month tobook her ticket to the elite ISU Grand Prixfinal in Barcelona from December 10-13.

Reigning world and European cham-pion Tuktamysheva, who had finishedsecond in her opening Grand Prix atSkate Canada this month, fell twice totrail in fifth (56.21). Former three-timeworld champion Chan, who started offhis season by upstaging Olympic cham-pion Yuzuru Hanyu to win Skate Canada,also produced an error-strewn perform-ance to a Michael Buble song, “Mack theKnife” to sit a distant fifth 76.10 behindUno. Uno, the reigning world juniorchampion, also scored a personal best89.56 points with Russia’s Maxim Kovtunthird best with 86.82 ahead of Japan’s

Daisuke Murakami 80.24.Chan has won the Trophee Bompard

four times, most recently in 2013 whenthe 24-year-old set personal best scoresin the short program and free skate, andthe world record for free skate and com-bined total that year. But the Olympic sil-ver medalist, returning to competitionafter a year off, was far from his best fail-ing in his attempt at an opening quadru-ple jump before also stumbling on histriple axel. Olympic champions TatianaVolosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russiadominated the pairs event, scoring 74.50in the short program to open up a ninepoint lead on France’s Vanessa James andMorgan CiprËs (65.75 points).

In ice dancing, Americans MadisonHubbell and Zachary Donohue took thelead with 64.45. The American duo lastsummer joined the Montreal-baseddance centre where world and Europeanchampions Gabriella Papadakis andGuillaume Cizeron of France train.Papadakis was ruled out of the TropheeBompard after fresh fears over the headinjury the French figure skater suffered inAugust. The Montreal-based skater suf-fered panic attacks, depression, memoryloss and dyslexia after hitting her headon the ice during a training session lastAugust. The 20-year-old has undergonetreatment pioneered for members of themilitary suffering head trauma.—AFP

FIGURE SKATING

Chan, Tuktamyshevastruggle as Gold shines

at Trophee Bompard Serbian player back on the court after losing leg

BELGRADE: Serbian international basketball player Natasa Kovacevic plays with the ball duringa match between Red Star and Student in Belgrade. —AFP


BRUSSELS: Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi putthe finishing touches on a superb Belgium dis-play as the world number one-ranked team out-classed Italy 3-1 in Brussels on Friday. The matchthat will be remembered for its commemorationof the Heysel Stadium disaster 30 years ago-thenames of all 39 victims were shown on bigscreens in the 39th minute-will also be one thatserved as a lesson for Italy ahead of next sum-mer’s European Championships. The Azzurri gotoff to the best possible start possible at the KingBeaudoin stadium, Antonio Candreva tappinghome into a virtually empty net in the thirdminute after Simon Mignolet had parriedGraziano Pelle’s effort. Candreva should havedoubled Italy’s lead moments later only forMignolet to palm the Lazio winger’s angled strik-er over the bar. But Italy’s joy was short-lived.

Italy’s defense was nowhere near Tottenhamdefender Jan Vertonghen he leaned forward tomeet a dipping corner and head past a staticGianluigi Buffon and into the ‘keeper’s bottomcorner on 12 minutes. Antonio Conte expected atough test against Marc Wilmots’ hosts as theycontinue rebuilding following their disastrousfirst-round exit from last year’s World Cup. Thoseexpectations rang especially true in a one-sidedsecond-half that saw Manchester City forwardKevin De Bruyne give Belgium a 74th minutelead before Batshauyi came off the bench to firehome eight minutes from time.

Belgium were quickly out of the traps afterthe interval and kept the pressure high through-out. Vertonghen collected Romelu Lukaka’s mis-hit cross to fire just wide of Buffon’s net and min-utes later Buffon gave away a corner when hepanicked and hit the ball out while trying topass to a defender. When Chiellini stepped up toblock a shot from De Bruyne it fell to Axel Witsel,but his effort went wide. Lukaku was thenunlucky to see his header come off the post afterRoma midfielder Radja Nainggolan whipped in across from the left that had Buffon in a panic.

Italy were under pressure but on the counterSouthampton striker Pelle narrowly missed con-necting with Matteo Darmian’s delivery. Italycame close again when Eder ran on to anddeflected Florenzi’s pacey delivery from midfieldto see his shot come off the crossbar, withMignolet scrambling to clear, and Candreva’scross was wasted on Florenzi at the back postwhen Pelle had been screaming for quick ball ona promising counter. Yet Belgium continued tothreaten and Witsel needed just a touch to geton the end of De Bruyne’s delivery from the leftwing only to see the ball bounce inches wide ofBuffon’s far post.

Italy’s central defense was at fault on 75 min-utes when De Bruyne hit Belgium’s second goal.After Eden Hazard set up Batshuayi, LeonardoBonucci hurried to intercept only to run intoJuventus teammate Giorgio Chiellini. Buffon hadrushed out and got a touch but could do noth-ing when the ball fell to De Bruyne. Italy shouldhave levelled moments later when Pelle was leftunmarked to fire a bullet header from the edgeof the box that Mignolet parried sperbly. ButBatshuayi put the match beyond reach on 87minutes after he ran on to Ferreria Carrasco’sshort pass inside the area to fire inside Buffon’snear post after the Atletico Madrid winger hadItaly’s defense ball-watching.—AFP

Belgium celebrates No 1

ranking, outclass Italy

BRUSSELS: Italy’s Stephan El Shaarawy (right) fight for the ball with Belgium goalkeeperSimon Mignolet during a friendly soccer match at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels onFriday, Nov 13, 2015. Belgium won 3-1. —AP

WARSAW: Poland’s striker Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring during the interna-tional friendly football match Poland vs Iceland on November 13, 2015 in Warsaw. — AFP

WARSAW: Bayern Munich striker RobertLewandowski scored twice as Poland over-came fellow Euro 2016 qualifiers Iceland 4-2 in a high-scoring friendly on Friday. Thevisitors, cheered on by a small contingentof 200 Iceland fans, took the lead afterthree minutes when Gylfi Sigurdsson beatkeeper Wojciech Szczesny from the penaltyspot to notch his 12th international goal.Poland were roared on by a sellout crowdof 58,000 at the National Stadium but theylacked punch up front with Lewandowski,who scored 13 goals in Euro 2016 qualify-ing, being repeatedly caught offside.

The home team’s best first-half opportu-nity came in the 31st minute when winger

Kamil Grosicki ’s shot went just wide.Grosicki made amends eight minutes intothe second half, scoring from just inside thearea. Poland went 2-1 up 14 minutes laterwhen 18-year-old midfielder BartoszKapustka marked his second internationalappearance with his second goal. Icelandstruck back immediately as AlfredFinnbogason beat Szczesny butLewandowski restored Poland’s lead whenhe took advantage of chaos in the visitingdefense following a corner. Lewandowski,the Bundesliga’s leading scorer this seasonwith 14 goals, then made sure of victory inthe 76th minute with an accurate drivefrom a narrow angle. — Reuters

Lewandowski late double

helps Poland sink Iceland

BELFAST: Steven Davis was NorthernIreland’s inspiration once again as the sur-prise Euro 2016 qualifiers warmed up forthe tournament with a 1-0 friendly win overLatvia on Friday. Davis’s double strikeagainst Greece in October had sealedNorthern Ireland’s first ever appearance atthe European Championships and their firstberth in a major tournament since the 1986World Cup. And Northern Ireland captainDavis underlined why he is such a crucialfigure for Michael O’Neill’s side with thesecond half winner against the obdurateLatvians at Windsor Park.It was NorthernIreland’s first friendly win since March 2008,a barren run that had stretched over 23matches before Davis’s close-range finishbrought it to an end.

The Irish had never qualified for theEuropean Championships in 13 previousattempts, with even Manchester Unitedlegend George Best unable to lead hiscountry to the continent’s internationalshowpiece. But O’Neill masterminded afairytale qualifying campaign from anunheralded squad comprised of playersdrawn from the likes of Hamilton,Melbourne City, Fleetwood, Luton, RossCounty and Kilmarnock. They will be

regarded by many as group stage fodderonce they get to France next year, yetSouthampton midfielder Davis providesthe kind of vibrant presence that couldhelp the minnows unsettle the more illus-trious opponents they are likely to be pit-ted against in December’s group stagedraw. O’Neill took the opportunity toexperiment with a 3-5-2 formation as hebegan plotting his tactics for the finals.

Craig Cathcart, Jonny Evans and GarethMcAuley were solid at the back, but theywere hardly tested as Northern Ireland’sunbeaten run reached eight matches.Davis laid on an early chance for KyleLafferty when his precise pass set the strik-er clean through on goal, but he pulled hisshot tamely wide. The hosts kept pressingand Evans glanced past a post from OliverNorwood’s free-kick before the interval,while Lafferty’s shot was parried by AndrisVanins in the opening moments of the sec-ond half. Davis finally broke down theLatvia defense in the 55th minute. Cathcartpumped a high ball into the penalty areaand Davis arrived unmarked at the far post.His header was blocked by Vanins but Davisfollowed up to slot home from close-rangefor his eighth international goal.—AFP

Davis sinks Latvia to

keep Irish buoyant

PARIS: Athletics giant Russia was provision-ally suspended from track and field on Fridayover accusations of “state-sponsored” dop-ing as the IAAF scrambled to salvage thesport’s credibility just nine months out fromthe Rio Olympics. “Today we have been deal-ing with the failure of ARAF (All-RussiaAthletic Federation) and made the decisionto provisionally suspend them, the toughestsanction we can apply at this time,” IAAFpresident Sebastian Coe said.

“But we discussed and agreed that thewhole system has failed the athletes, not justin Russia, but around the world. “This hasbeen a shameful wake-up call and we areclear that cheating at any level will not betolerated.” Russian Mikhail Butov, an IAAFcouncil member and ARAF secretary general,presented his country’s position before 24 ofthe 27-strong IAAF Council chaired by Coe.But the council returned a vote of 22 for and1 against, the simple majority confirming asuspension for Russia, who were accused ofwidespread doping by an independent com-mission set up by the World Anti-DopingAgency (WADA) in a report which has shak-en track and f ield, one of the OlympicGames’ flagship sports.

In that report, commission head DickPound, a former president of WADA, calledfor Russia to be suspended for 2016 “so thatthey can take the remedial work in time tomake sure that Russian athletes can com-pete under a new framework”. The IAAF tookhis words to heart, saying the consequencesof the provisional suspension were that “ath-letes and athlete support personnel fromRussia may not compete in internationalcompetitions including World Athletic Seriescompetitions and the Olympic Games”.

It also means Russia “will not be entitledto host the 2016 World Race Walking Cup(Cheboksar y) and 2016 World JuniorChampionships (Kazan)”. The IAAF added:“To regain membership to the IAAF the newfederation would have to fulfil a list of crite-ria. “An inspection team led by IndependentChair Rune Andersen, an independent inter-

national anti-doping expert (Norwegian)and three members of the IAAF Council whowill be appointed in the next few days.” The335-page WADA report blasted Russian offi-cials for blackmailing athletes to cover uppositive tests as well as destroying test sam-ples.

Lamine Diack, whom Coe succeeded asIAAF president in August, has also beencharged with corruption by French investi-gators amid allegations he took bribes tocover up doping cases, principally in Russia.Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko hadbeen at pains before the council meeting tostress that Moscow was ready to reform or“create a new anti-doping organization”were the IAAF or WADA to demand it. Mutko,who initially ruled out any Olympic boycottin the event of a ban, also broached the ideaof appointing a “foreign specialist” as headof the doping laboratory, a move towardsopenness never before seen in Russiansport.

‘Cleaning up athletics’“We are ready to cooperate (with the

IAAF) so that our athletics is brought up tothe norms demanded of us. “But let’s do thistogether. We’re ready to do whatever ittakes.” The fallout from the WADA report’sdamning conclusions reached as far up asRussian President Vladimir Putin whoordered officials to launch their own internalinvestigation and cooperate with interna-tional anti-doping authorities. “We must doeverything in Russia to rid ourselves of thisproblem,” said Putin, an avid sportsman wholed Russia’s bid to host last year’s WinterOlympics and the 2018 football World Cup.

However, he added: “This problem doesnot exist only in Russia, but if our foreigncolleagues have questions, we must answerthem.” Calls by Russia’s star pole vaulterYelena Isinbayeva and Ukraine’s former polevault legend Sergey Bubka, the IAAF vice-president, not to enforce collective punish-ment against all Russian athletes also fell ondeaf ears. —AFP

Russia pays doping

price with IAAF ban

LONDON: Novak Djokovic has history in his sights as the worldnumber one aims to cap the greatest year of his life by winning afourth successive ATP Tour Finals title. Even by Djokovic’s alreadysky-high standards, 2015 has been a golden period for the 10-time Grand Slam winner, who has cemented his position as thesport’s preeminent force with one of the best single-seasons inthe Open era. With 78 wins from his 83 matches over the last 11months, the 28-year-old Serb has amassed 10 titles including theAustralian and US Opens, Wimbledon and a record six Masterstournaments.

The prize money from that haul has swelled Djokovic’s bankbalance by $16.7 million and underlined his right to be regardedas the world’s best, yet he has shown no signs of slowing down inthe closing weeks of the campaign. Since losing to Roger Federerin the Cincinnati final in August, Djokovic has embarked on a 22-match winning run that has brought him the US Open, the ChinaOpen and Masters titles in Shanghai and Paris. Now Djokovicarrives at London’s O2 Arena hoping to win the prestigious sea-son-ending Tour Finals for a fifth time.

Djokovic, who opens his Tour Finals challenge against Japan’sKei Nishikori on Sunday, would become the first player to win theevent four years in a row if he lifts the trophy on November 22and, ominously for his rivals, he claims he feels in the form of hislife. “I feel this season is even better than 2011. I’m in love withthe game. I really don’t find it that difficult to go out on the prac-tice courts and prepare myself in the off-season,” Djokovic said. “Ialways look to set up new goals to try to get as far as possible interms of my abilities and achievements.”

Massive priorityWith a fearsome record of 37 successive indoor match wins,

including 14 at the Tour Finals, few would bet against Djokovic,even with an early showdown against Federer looming in thegroup stage. World number three Federer, who starts his 14thstraight Tour Finals campaign against Tomas Berdych on Sunday,has a record six Tour Finals titles and has reached the final fourtimes in the last five years. The 17-time Grand Slam champion,defeated by Djokovic in the Wimbledon and the US Open finals,pulled out of last year’s final against Djokovic just hours beforethe scheduled start due to an injury, but he expects to mountanother strong challenge for the title.

“I’ve never had issues getting motivated for this event at theend of the season,” Federer said. “It’s a massive priority for me andbecause it’s a priority it helps me play better. “Indoors has helpedmy game throughout my career and the idea of playing fellowtop 10 players gets me really excited.” The other group in theround-robin tournament, which features the world’s top eightplayers, features Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka andDavid Ferrer. Most of the interest in that group will focus on for-mer Wimbledon champion Murray, who has made it clear hismain priority is Great Britain’s attempt to win the Davis Cup forthe first time since 1936.

Britain face Belgium on clay in Ghent less than a week afterthe Tour Finals and Murray has spent most of this week practic-ing on that surface at Queen’s Club. But the world number two,who starts against Spain’s Ferrer on Monday, hopes to make thebest of a difficult situation. “It’s been tricky with my preparationbeing mainly on the clay but it was never going to be perfect,”Murray said. “But I would have signed up to be in this situation atthe end of the year in comparison to last year and hopefully I canplay some good tennis here and in the Davis Cup.”—AFP

Djokovic targets Tour Finals history to cap golden year

MELBOURNE: Ronda Rousey of the US (left) faces-off with compatriot HollyHolm for the UFC fight in Melbourne. — AFP

Rousey scuffles with

Holm at UFC weigh-inMELBOURNE: Mixed martial arts starRonda Rousey and challenger HollyHolm scuffled and had to be separatedat the official weigh-in yesterday aheadof their weekend title fight inMelbourne. As the American UFC ban-tamweight champion approached Holmfor the obligatory stare down, the chal-lenger put her fist in Rousey’s face andshe responded with a raised elbow toswat her away. Then a war words erupt-ed as a fired-up Rousey started a shout-ing match with the former boxing worldchampion, who loudly declared: “I amhere to shock the world.”

Rousey put all the blame for the inci-dent on Holm, while calling the NewMexico native ‘fake’. “I just wanted to getin her face and show her that I was therefor a reason,” Rousey told reporters. “Sheput her fist on my face. I didn’t touch her,she touched me. “I told her that fake,sweet act... I can see right through it. “Allthat respect, all you being sweet I seeright now it is fake and you’re gonna getit on Sunday. “It’s not the first time yourcamp thought they had the perfect plan

to beat me. “I’m going to show you onSunday why I’m the champ.” The mostfeared female prizefighter on the planetboasts a 12-0 undefeated record andorganizers are hoping for a sell-out63,000 crowd at Melbourne’s EtihadStadium for the bout against Holm.

Rousey, a former Olympic judoka, hashelped push mixed martial arts into themainstream of US sport with a series ofdynamic knockout victories that haveearned her comparisons to Mike Tyson’srise in heavyweight boxing during the1980s. Holm is also undefeated in thesport with a 9-0 record, and offers a con-trast in calm to the quickfire verbals ofRousey. The pair had initially been dueto fight in Las Vegas on January 2 butthe contest was brought forward twomonths in a bid to spread Rousey’sappeal to another corner of the globe. Inher last bout, Rousey demolished Brazil’sBethe Correia with a first-round victoryin Rio de Janeiro, taking just 34 secondsto finish off her opponent. Australianbookies are predicting Holms will notlast two rounds.— AFP


BUENOS AIRES: Brazil’s David Luiz (front) fouls Argentina’s Lucas Biglia during a 2018 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday, Nov 13, 2015. — AP

BUENOS AIRES: Ten-man Brazil came frombehind to snatch a 1-1 draw against arch-rivalsArgentina on Friday in a tense World Cup qual-ifying battle between the two South Americansuperpowers. A second half strike from Santosplayer Lucas Lima salvaged a vital point forBrazil after Argentina had taken the lead mid-way through the half thanks to an EzequielLavezzi strike. Lavezzi’s Paris Saint-Germainteam-mate David Luiz was sent off for a sec-ond yellow card in the dying minutes butBrazil hung on for the draw.The result leavesArgentina winless after three games of SouthAmerica’s marathon qualifying campaign, with

only two points from a possible nine. Friday’s match at the Monumental Stadium

in Buenos Aires had been delayed by 24 hoursafter a deluge made the pitch unplayable onThursday. Argentina, missing a glut of injuredstars including Lionel Messi and SergioAguero, started the stronger against a Brazilside who welcomed back suspended strikerNeymar. Neymar however was largely anony-mous for long periods as Argentina got on topearly on and opened up Brazil with ease onseveral occasions. The only surprise was that ittook Argentina more than half an hour to geton the scoresheet. The goal came after superb

interplay between Argentina’s powerfulattacking front three.

Angel Di Maria darted inside on a jinkingrun near halfway before releasing GonzaloHiguain down the right flank. The Napoli strik-er looked up and picked out Lavezzi with asuperb low cross for the France-based star toram past Alisson Becker for 1-0 on 34 minutes.It was no less than Argentina’s bold attackingapproach deserved. Argentina might havetaken an early lead after only two minutes,when Facundo Roncaglia drew a save fromAllison from a wide angle with looping shot.

Moments later Di Maria embarrassed Luiz

down the right flank, turning the midfielderinside out before firing in a low cross whichflew across the face of goal. Brazil escapedhowever, with no Argentinean attacker onhand to meet Di Maria’s centre. Luiz mighthave leveled for Brazil shortly before half-timebut could only head over the bar from closerange after Willian’s freekick from the right.Argentina started the second half in the samevein, with Ever Banega only being denied agoal from a tight angle when his fierce lowshot struck the foot of the post in the 46thminute.

But it was Brazil who struck next, getting on

level terms through a cleverly worked goal on58 minutes. Dani Alves curled a sublime crossto the far post with the outside of right bootto pick out Douglas Costa, who headed firmlyagainst the bar before Lima smashed in therebound on the volley. Buoyed by the goalBrazil looked the likelier to grab a winner, withWillian going close with a shot deflected overthe bar. Manchester City defender NicolasOtamendi went close with a late header whichflew just wide. In the closing minutes Luiz wasshown a red card for two bookings within asmany minutes, but Brazil held on for thedraw.—AFP

Brazil’s fightback thwarts Argentina

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING

LOS ANGELES: The United States shook off anightmare start to launch their 2018 World Cupqualifying campaign with a 6-1 rout of St Vincentand the Grenadines on Friday. JurgenKlinsmann’s men were rocked when OalexAnderson put the Caribbean visitors ahead inthe fifth minute at the Busch Stadium in St Louis,Missouri. But Bobby Wood equalized six minuteslater and the United States cruised from there,with two goals from Jozy Altidore to go withgoals from Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron andGyasi Zardes. The United States came into thematch off of a Gold Cup flop on home soil and adefeat by Mexico in a crunch playoff for a placein the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.

So it was especially nervewracking for thecrowd to see St Vincent take a quick lead afterAnderson seized upon a long ball over the top ofthe American defense. He cut and fired it past USkeeper Brad Guzan. Wood responded six min-utes later, heading a ball from DeAndre Yedlinpast St Vincent goalkeeper Winslow McDowall.Johnson extended the lead in the 29th when hisfree kick deflected off the wall and intoMcDowall’s net. Just two minutes later Altidoremade it 3-1. Alone at the far post he headed intoan open net after Jermaine Jones had noddedon a corner kick.

With the US playing aggressively and domi-nating possession, Cameron headed in a cornerin the 51st. Zardes made it 5-1 in the 58th andAltidore wrapped up the scoring with his secondin the 74th, firing a left-footed blast from insidethe area that shot off a defender and into thenet. It was just the start to qualifying that the USneeded, and they will try to maintain themomentum when they visit Trinidad and Tobagoon Tuesday. The match was played before 43,433fans at the home of baseball’s St Louis Cardinals.A moment of silence was observed before kick-off to pay respect to the victims of terror attacksin Paris earlier Friday.— AFP

US rout St Vincent 6-1

ST LOUIS: St Vincent and the Grenadines goaltender Winslow McDowall (left) stops a shot ashe collides with St Vincent defenseman Roy Richards and United States forward Jozy Altidore(17) pressures in the first half of a 2018 World Cup qualifying soccer match Friday, Nov 13,2015. — AP

CARDIFF: Netherlands’ midfielder Arjen Robben (left) vies with Wales’s midfielderEmyr Huws (center) during the international friendly football match between Walesand Netherlands at Cardiff City Stadium in south Wales on November 13, 2015. —AFP

CARDIFF: Arjen Robben scored twice tolead the Netherlands to a 3-2 victoryagainst Wales in a friendly match in Cardiffon Friday. The Netherlands, which failed toqualify for next year ’s EuropeanChampionship in France, went aheadthrough striker Bas Dost’s header after 32minutes. Joe Ledley equalized for the hostson the stroke of halftime, converting arebound after Netherlands goalkeeperJasper Cillessen parried a penalty by JoeAllen.

Robben restored the visitors’ lead nineminutes into the second half, before Walesleveled again on 70 through a header frommidfielder Emyr Huws. But Robben wonthe match with his second goal in the 81stminute, racing clear of the Wales defenseand slotting past goalkeeper Owain FonWilliams with a composed finish. Wales

coach Chris Coleman, who is preparing forhis team to play at the Euros next year, wasencouraged by his squad’s display despitethe defeat.

Wales was missing its two biggest starsin Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, throughinjury. “We scored two goals without Baleand Ramsey, which is a big thing when youlook at who was getting the goals for us inthe qualification campaign,” Coleman said.“We are building and these lads need min-utes if they are to come with us to France.”Netherlands coach Danny Blind waspleased with the response from his playersin the team’s first match since missing outon next year’s championship. “It was a hardjob to motivate them after we missed outon the Euros but the team were focusedand put a lot of energy in the game,” hesaid.— AP

Robben’s double seals

3-2 win for Netherlands

ZENICA: A late goal by striker Edin Dzeko res-cued a 1-1 draw for Bosnia after the first leg oftheir Euro 2016 playoff with Ireland was ham-pered by poor visibility on Friday. The Irishtook an 82nd-minute lead through midfielderRobbie Brady, after thick fog had descendedon the Bilino Polje stadium, before Dzekoreplied with a neat finish. The players werebarely visible throughout the second half of adisjointed match during which the home sidehad the upper hand but fell behind againstthe run of play.

“It was difficult to relay instructions to theplayers in the second half because we couldbarely see anything at all from the dugout,”Bosnia coach Mehmed Bazdarevic told BHTtelevision. “We are a bit disappointed with theresult but I have to admit that we didn’t playwell, perhaps because we weren’t composedenough. Ireland defender Ciaran Clark told

Sky Sports: “It was a good night’s work, as ateam, it was a good performance. “We’ll con-centrate and try to get fit for (the return legon) Monday night. It’s going to be a toughgame, we’ve got the away goal but we’ve gotto go out there as if it’s 0-0 again.”

The game was played under tight security,amid fears of crowd trouble with several hun-dred Irish fans in the stadium, but it was anincident-free playoff after the home support-ers had applauded the visiting team’s nationalanthem. Bosnia dominated the opening halfas winger Edin Visca and full back MensurMujdza found space to operate on the rightflank against an Irish team missing several keyplayers through injur y and suspension.Ibisevic missed the best chance in the 22ndminute when he volleyed wide while Irelandkeeper Darren Randolph saved an Er vinZukanovic header. Senad Lulic then missed a

sitter on the hour, allowing Randolph to parrya feeble close-range effort after a ricochetfrom a poor clearance fell for the left winger.

With the fog getting thicker, Brady stunnedthe home crowd with a darting solo run and aclinical str ike with eight minutes to go,though Dzeko grabbed a draw three minuteslater after substitute Ognjen Vranjes foundBosnia’s top scorer in the heart of the penaltybox. Ireland need only a goalless draw in thereturn leg in Dublin to reach next year’s tour-nament in France, but Bazdarevic was confi-dent Bosnia still had a good chance of pro-gressing. “It’s not a good result but we arehopeful we can swing the tie our way and Istill believe we are the better team,” said theformer Yugoslavia midfielder. “However, wehave to improve our final pass and take ourchances because it’s going to be a very diffi-cult task.” — Reuters

Late goal saves Bosnia in playoff with Ireland

Spain’s late show ends

England unbeaten runALICANTE: Spain struck twice in the final 20minutes as goals from Mario Gaspar and SantiCazorla ended England’s 15-match unbeatenrun in Alicante on Friday. Villarreal right-backGaspar scored a sensational volley to open thescoring when he swivelled in mid-air to turnhome Cesc Fabregas’s pass. And Cazorlasealed the win for the European championswhen he slotted home from the edge of thearea six minutes from time.

“It is a prestigious result against a verystrong team that threatened us the wholegame,” said Spain coach Vicente del Bosque.England boss Roy Hodgson meanwhilelamented his side’s inability to take advantageof their few counter-attacking opportunities.

“The assessment of the result is it is obviouslydisappointing to lose,” said Hodgson. “For 70minutes I thought we worked hard defensive-ly. We always knew how good they are atkeeping the ball. “We were hoping that on acounter-attack we could cause them someproblems. We had moments in the game, butwe didn’t profit from those moments.”

Hodgson kept his pre-match promise toleave captain Wayne Rooney on the benchwith Harry Kane and Ross Barkley given theirchance to shine. And it was the visitors whohad the first two openings, but neitherRaheem Sterling nor Barkley could find thetarget when well-placed on the edge of thebox.—AFP

17Cavaliers roll to eighth straight win

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 201518Rousey scuffleswith Holm at UFC weigh-in

Spain’s late show ends England unbeaten run Page 19

STADE DE FRANCE: Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer France against Germany in Saint Denis, outside Paris. At least 35 people were killed in shootings and explosions around Paris, many ofthem in a popular theater where patrons were taken hostage, police and medical officials said Friday. Two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium. — AP

PARIS: It started as a celebration of football, aglamour friendly between France and world cham-pions Germany in front of 80,000 fans at Paris’sshowpiece Stade de France. Then they heard theexplosions. “I thought it was just a firework, thenmy friends told me what was going on in Paris,” saida French fan in his 20s as the grim reality of Friday’sdeadly attacks suddenly hit home. When three loudexplosions were heard from outside the stadiumduring the first half, football soon drifted from theminds of the spectators when it eventuallyemerged that three people had died near the arenain the north of the city.

Later, the death toll climbed to five outside theglittering venue which staged the 1998 World Cupfinal with 11 seriously hurt and around 30 peopleslightly injured. It emerged that one of the explo-sions was near to a McDonald’s restaurant on thefringes of the stadium. A police source later saidthat one of the blasts was caused by a suicidebomber on the Rue Jules Rimet. “A man wearing anexplosives belt blew himself up,” said the officer.French president Francois Hollande, who was inattendance at the game, was hurried from the sta-dium amid the early reports of shootings in centralParis and of the developing hostage crisis in the

Bataclan theatre.“The game’s going on and it’s awful-I’ll be hon-

est, I’m very spooked,” said an AFP journalist as thematch progressed. At first, very few, if any, of thecrowd appeared to be aware of the significance ofwhat was happening despite the appearance ofhelicopters low in the sky overhead during the sec-ond half and the audible sound of sirens from out-side. The crowd still loudly celebrated goals byOlivier Giroud and substitute Andre-Pierre Gignaclate in either half of the match that gave France thewin. However, with tight security building uparound the stadium, there was evident confusion

after the final whistle. With exit points being restricted, large numbers

of fans poured onto the pitch. There was no visiblesense of panic, but it was after 11:30pm local time(2230 GMT) before the pitch was emptied. “One ofthe fast food restaurants was being searched bypolice forensics and officers dressed in white out-fits,” added an AFP reporter outside the ground. Theevacuation of the fans finished at around midnight,many heading for their cars, others to catch thetrain back into the city. “The RER B (one of the mainsuburban train lines serving the station) isn’t work-ing...It’s a black Friday the 13th,” said 27-year-old

Sarah Gopal, carrying a French flag in her hand.The drama followed events earlier in the day

when the German team were evacuated from theirplush hotel in the west of Paris following a bombscare. When the players left the field at the end ofthe game, they had other concerns on their mindswhich went beyond the significance of the game.As they gathered in the tunnel, world famoussuperstars like Germany’s World Cup winnerThomas Mueller and Arsenal striker Giroud imme-diately turned their attention to the TV screens,staring blank-faced as the horror on the streets ofParis unfolded.— AFP

Shock, horror for fans at Stade de France

BusinessSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Kuwait trade surplus widens on brief oil price recovery

Page 22

Indian PM meets British PM at India-UK CEO Forum

Page 23

Etihad welcomesRoyalty as it displaysAirbus A380

Page 26Kuwait indices remain lackluster

Page 24

WASHINGTON: IMF experts recommendedFriday that the Chinese yuan be included inthe Fund’s SDR basket of currencies, backing astrong push by Beijing to join the elite group-ing.

Now the world’s second-largest economy,China asked last year for the yuan to be addedto the grouping, but until recently the yuan’sexchangeability on international markets hasbeen deemed too tightly controlled by Beijingfor it to fully qualify.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde said in a state-ment that the staff experts, in their report tothe IMF board, ruled the yuan or renminbi(RMB) now “meets the requirements to be a‘freely usable’ currency.”

That was a key hurdle to the yuan joiningthe yen, dollar, pound and euro in the Fund’s“special drawing rights” currency basket, seenas the leading currencies of internationalcommerce.

After years of keeping the yuan tightlycontrolled, China has moved over the pastfew years to allow it to be more widely used ininternational transactions. Lagarde said thestaff experts ruled that Beijing has addressed“all remaining operational issues” required forSDR inclusion, which will be decided by theexecutive board at a November 30 meeting.

“I support the staff ’s findings,” she said,adding to expectations that the board willalso back the yuan.

The Fund has been generally receptive tothe idea that the yuan could join the otherfour currencies in the grouping. While not afreely traded currency, the SDR is importantas an international reserve asset, and becausethe IMF issues its crisis loans-crucial to strug-gling economies like Greece-valued in SDRs.

On August 4 the IMF said the yuan fellshort of meeting all the standards for inclu-

sion, particularly on being “freely usable” ininternational finance.

China’s economic slowdown complicatedBeijing’s efforts to widen the currency’s use tomeet that requirement. But there was strongpressure to do so because the IMF reviews theSDR basket only every five years, and thedeadline for the current review is the end ofthe year. In a move seen as trying to accom-modate China’s push for inclusion, on August19 the Fund announced that it had extendedby nine months the implementation of thebasket revision, giving more time for adjust-ment to the potential inclusion of the yuan.

If a decision to include the yuan is madethis month, the actual inclusion could takeplace as late as September 30, 2016, givingBeijing more time to prepare.

“The extension would also allow users suf-ficient lead time to adjust in the event that adecision were to be taken to add a new cur-rency to the SDR basket,” the IMF said at thetime.

The recommendation Friday was broadlybacked by the United States. “We intend tosupport the renminbi’s inclusion in theSpecial Drawing Rights basket provided thecurrency meets the International MonetaryFund’s existing criteria,” the TreasuryDepartment said, using another name for theyuan. “We will review the IMF’s paper in thatlight.”

China happyChina yesterday welcomed backing from

IMF experts that the yuan should be includedin its reserve currencies, saying the movewould strengthen the world’s financial sys-tem. Now the world’s second-largest econo-my, China asked last year for the yuan to beadded to the elite basket of SDR currencies,but until recently it was considered too tight-ly controlled to qualify.

It now looks likely the yuan will be formal-ly admitted to the IMF’s “special drawingrights” currency basket at the end of themonth, which would mark a milestone inChina’s efforts to become a global economicpower.

The yuan hit headlines in August whenChina’s central bank devalued the currencyand said it would use a more market-orientedsystem to calculate the point around whichthe currency can trade each day. The movesent markets into a tailspin as investors tookit as a sign of slowing growth in China, a keydriver of the world economy, but the centralbank on Saturday said such reforms had tak-en it closer to joining the SDR basket.

“China thinks that the inclusion of the RMB(yuan) into the SDR basket will strengthenthe representativeness and the attraction ofthe SDR (and) that it will improve the existinginternational monetary system,” the People’sBank of China (PBoC) added. “It will have win

benefits both for China and the world.”

Yuan’s rapid rise The yuan has rapidly grown in importance

in recent years as China-the world’s top trad-ing nation-has used it to settle more of itscommerce, and made it directly convertiblewith more currencies. Including the Chinesecurrency in the SDR would l ikely boostdemand for yuan-denominated assetsamong central banks, and give it a sheen ofrespectability at a time when many investorsare questioning Beijing’s ability to managethe slowing economy.

Lagarde said IMF experts ruled Beijing hadaddressed “all remaining operational issues”required for SDR inclusion, which will bedecided by the executive board at aNovember 30 meeting. “I support the staff ’sfindings,” she said, adding to expectationsthat the board will also back the yuan.

That would mark an about turn from thebeginning of August-before the yuan devalua-tion-when the Fund said the currency was notfreely usable enough to be included in the bas-ket. Despite the recent misgivings, there hasbeen strong pressure for the IMF to act now asthe SDR basket is only reviewed every fiveyears. If a decision to include the yuan is madethis month, the actual inclusion could takeplace as late as September 30, 2016, givingBeijing more time to prepare. —AFP

IMF for inclusion of yuan in elite currency basket China welcomes IMF backing to make yuan world reserve currency

HONG KONG: A staff member displays the new version of the 100-yuan RMB (US 15.7 dollars) banknotes for photographers at the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong on Thursday. China released on Thursday anew version of the 100-yuan bill, which bears a golden “100” and adopts advanced anti-counterfeit technology. —AP

PARIS: Pressure is mounting on the French govern-ment to reform strict labor laws as evidence suggeststhey are deterring companies from hiring full-timestaff and could act as a brake on the country’s slug-gish economic recovery. It can be extremely difficultto dismiss permanent workers in France - the processcan take years as companies must take cases throughlabor courts, and often involves compensation pay-outs. Four out of five new hires in the country thisyear have been on short-term contracts.

Such temporary status is a drag on worker motiva-tion and company productivity, according to StefanoScarpetta, director of employment, labor and socialaffairs at the Paris-based Organization for EconomicCo-operation and Development (OECD). It needlesslyincreases employee turnover and reduces the incen-tive to invest in training, he said.

When 24-year-old Marine from Marseille landed ajob at a big cosmetics company in Paris last year, shethought she had made it. But on arriving, her employ-er was unwilling to give her a permanent job - andthe risk of the one-year contract she got insteadmade landlords unwilling to rent her a flat. In the end,she used a forged ID to pretend she was a studentand, with her parents as guarantors, found a studio inthe Paris suburb of Levallois.

“I don’t even feel guilty because I pay my rent, andI know there will never be a problem for that,” saidMarine, who did not want her surname publishedbecause of her rental situation.

Her fixed-term contract is called a CDD - Contrat ‡DurÈe DÈterminÈe. She would prefer to have a CDI, orContrat ‡ DurÈe IndÈterminÈe - a full-time job. In1982, 95 percent of the French workforce had a CDI.By 2012 it was only 86.5 percent, and for the under-25s, 48 percent.

The OECD’s Scarpetta said southern Europeancountries whose labour market rigidity was draggingon economic growth had made reforms to addressthe issue. “Now it’s up to France to see whether itwants to follow, because the risk is that they are theone lagging behind.”

The inflexibility of France’s labor market is one fac-tor capping the country’s growth at 1.5 percent overthe medium term, debt rating agency Moody’s said inits decision to downgrade France in September.French unions and leftist politicians, however, saymoves to loosen labor rules have increased povertyand inequality in countries like Germany and Britain,simply creating more low-paid, part-time jobs as wellas “zero-hour contracts” where an employer has noobligation to provide any work.

ITALY, SPAINIn I taly, the government earlier this year

eased firing restrictions for large firms earlier thisyear, introduced an open-ended contract inwhich rights gradually increase with seniorityand offered temporary tax breaks for companiesthat hire workers on permanent contracts.

Although it is still early days, the first batchof data seems promising. The share of new hireson temporary contracts dropped to 67.8 per-cent in Italy in the second quarter, from 68.6percent a year ago. In France, by contrast, thelatest data available show an increase in newhires on CDD contracts, to 85.3 percent in thefirst quarter from 84.4 percent over the sameperiod a year ago.

Italian trade unions and other critics, however,say firms in the country are simply taking advan-tage of the temporary tax breaks, and questionwhether the trend will continue. SuccessiveSpanish governments have also changed laws inthe past five years to reduce the cost of firingemployees on permanent contracts, dependingon the economic circumstances of the company -and the labor issue will be a central one in a gen-eral election next month. —Reuters

France faces pressure to loosen labor laws

IMF chief Christine Lagarde

FRANKFURT: Nicoley Baublies, head of the cabin crew union, demonstratesfor better pension plans for the Lufthansa flight attendants on the seventhand last day of a strike of the cabin crew union in Frankfurt on Friday. —AP

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s trade surpluswidened for the first time in threequarters in 2Q15, thanks to a tem-porary recovery in oil prices. Thesurplus expanded to KD 2.4 billionin the second quarter of 2015.However, it still remains compara-tively low. The pickup was mainlydue to a rise in oil revenues, given

that oil prices improved slightly in2Q15 and import growth slowed.

Oil export revenues edged high-er from KD 3.6 billion in 1Q15 to KD4.3 billion in 2Q15. The internationaloil price benchmark, Brent, rose

from an average of $54 per barrel in1Q15 to $62 per barrel in 2Q15,which in turn led oil revenues high-er. In spite of the marginal rise, rev-enues were still down by 41 percentyear-on-year (y/y). With oil prices

hitting new lows in 3Q15 and stay-ing there, we expect oil revenues tocome in lower in the coming quar-ters. Brent averaged $50 in 3Q15.

Non-oil export growth saw someimprovement, but continued tocontract in 2Q15, declining by 7percent y/y. Non-oil export growthwas propped up by a strongrebound in ethylene prices, but astronger Kuwaiti dinar against mostmajor currencies (with the excep-tion of the US dollar) kept any sig-nificant gains at bay. Growth in non-oil exports is poised to remain indecline in the near-to-mediumterm, against a backdrop of astronger dinar and weaker ethyleneprices in 3Q15.

Central Statistical BureauImport growth held strong at 9.7

percent y/y in 2Q15 and climbed toanother record high of KD 2.4 bil-lion. Growth in imports hasremained buoyant for a year now,mainly due to robust gains in capi-tal goods imports. Capital goodsimports grew by a strong 17.4 per-cent y/y in 2Q15. The demand forcapital goods has been on the risethis year, on the back of a pickup inspending on capital projects. Anongoing recovery in the demandfor transport and consumer goodsimports, (due in part to the strongerKuwait dinar) has also propped upoverall import growth of late.

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.485Indian Rupees 4.613Pakistani Rupees 2.888Srilankan Rupees 2.152Nepali Rupees 2.874Singapore Dollar 215.760Hongkong Dollar 39.305Bangladesh Taka 3.864Philippine Peso 6.482Thai Baht 8.515

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 81.283Qatari Riyal 83.730Omani Riyal 791.710Bahraini Dinar 809.490UAE Dirham 82.988

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 38.050Egyptian Pound - Transfer 37.974Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.422Tunisian Dinar 151.270Jordanian Dinar 429.300Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.031Syrian Lira 2.172Morocco Dirham 30.992

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 304.650Euro 331.920Sterling Pound 467.790Canadian dollar 230.800Turkish lira 106.420Swiss Franc 306.330Australian dollar 220.410US Dollar Buying 303.450

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

British Pound 0.457980 0.466980Czech Korune 0.004180 0.016180Danish Krone 0.040076 0.045076Euro 0.323266 0.331266Norwegian Krone 0.031204 0.036404Romanian Leu 0.087392 0.087392Slovakia 0.009111 0.019111Swedish Krona 0.031253 0.036253Swiss Franc 0.296438 0.306638Turkish Lira 0.100849 0.111149

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.209324 0.220824New Zealand Dollar 0.193391 0.202891

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.223706 0.232206US Dollars 0.300550 0.305050

US Dollars Mint 0.301050 0.305050

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003512 0.004112Chinese Yuan 0.046442 0.049942Hong Kong Dollar 0.037207 0.039957Indian upee 0.004411 0.004801Indonesian Rupiah 0.000018 0.000024Japanese Yen 0.002403 0.002583Kenyan Shilling 0.003166 0.003166Korean Won 0.000251 0.000266Malaysian Ringgit 0.066035 0.072035Nepalese Rupee 0.002919 0.003089Pakistan Rupee 0.002741 0.003021Philippine Peso 0.006411 0.006691Sierra Leone 0.000068 0.000074Singapore Dollar 0.211472 0.217472South African Rand 0.015308 0.023808Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001803 0.002383Taiwan 0.009209 0.009389Thai Baht 0.008187 0.008737

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.800879 0.808879Egyptian Pound 0.037467 0.040297Iranian Riyal 0.000084 0.000086Iraqi Dinar 0.000205 0.000265Jordanian Dinar 0.425697 0.433197Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000153 0.000253Moroccan Dirhams 0.020683 0.044683Nigerian Naira 0.001260 0.001895Omani Riyal 0.784878 0.790558Qatar Riyal 0.082968 0.084181Saudi Riyal 0.080603 0.081303Syrian Pound 0.001292 0.001512Tunisian Dinar 0.147356 0.155356Turkish Lira 0.100849 0.111149UAE Dirhams 0.081964 0.083113Yemeni Riyal 0.001377 0.001457

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

CURRENCIES TELEX TRANSFER PER 1000Australian Dollar 203.63Canadian Dollar 233.24Swiss Franc 307.65Euro 330.39US Dollar 304.95Sterling Pound 463.23Japanese Yen 2.51Bangladesh Taka 3.902Indian Rupee 4.599Sri Lankan Rupee 2.160Nepali Rupee 2.873Pakistani Rupee 2.887UAE Dirhams 0.08298Bahraini Dinar 0.8104Egyptian Pound 0.03789Jordanian Dinar 0.4337Omani Riyal 0.7919Qatari Riyal 0.08408Saudi Riyal 0.08128

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 304.900Canadian Dollar 232.105Sterling Pound 463.020Euro 329.150Swiss Frank 307.005Bahrain Dinar 809.245UAE Dirhams 83.310Qatari Riyals 91.340

Saudi Riyals 82.030Jordanian Dinar 429.635Egyptian Pound 37.861Sri Lankan Rupees 2.153Indian Rupees 4.601Pakistani Rupees 2.890Bangladesh Taka 3.883Philippines Pesso 6.450Cyprus pound 580.745Japanese Yen 3.475Syrian Pound 2.610Nepalese Rupees 3.860Malaysian Ringgit 70.705Chinese Yuan Renminbi 48.285Thai Bhat 9.485Turkish Lira 104.935

GOLD20 gram 221.4110 gram 113.405 gram 57.38

You may have been there before. You feelnervous, your palms sweat, and your stom-ach ties itself into knots. You don’t want to do

it. You would rather do anything else than talk inpublic. Is this you? The fear of public speaking isvery real and can be a barrier to career success.However, there are techniques to help you over-come your fear. There are even ways to help har-ness your energy in a positive way.

Below are 5 quick tips to help you overcomeyour fear of public speaking as suggested by thecareer experts at Bayt.com, the Middle East’s lead-ing job site:

1. Balance your confidenceThink back to your childhood, to the first time

your teachers made you get up to present a project.“Be confident,” they said. They were right. Expertsrecommend that speakers improve their perform-ances by striking the right balance of calm and anx-iety. Low confidence comes off as weak, unprac-ticed and unprofessional. Too much confidencecomes off as arrogant and could hurt your perform-ance as a lack of excitement (associated with anxi-

ety) is easily noticeable. Find your best balance.

2. The eye contact trialYou may have heard the legendary, “look over

their audience’s head to the back wall, as a tactic toease your nerves during a presentation. In realityyour audience will feel neglected and will loseinterest quickly. Next time you practice a speechplay the eye contact game. Similar to preparing fora job interview, ask some colleagues or friends tobe your ‘audience’ and then have them stand up bytheir seats as you begin your presentation. Whileyou speak make sure you look at each individual inthe eye; once they feel you’ve made eye contact,they may sit down. Try to have everyone seated in 5seconds.

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4. Less pointsIt’s easy to get carried away when you present a

concept you have become an expert on. In fact,97% of professionals in the MENA are very dedicat-ed to lifelong learning, as stated in the Bayt.com‘Learning in the Workplace in the Middle East andNorth Africa’ poll, March 2015, so know that youraudience is interested in what you have to say.However, your desire to share every single detailwith your audience could harm you. When plan-ning your speech, sketch out a quick outline to set-tle on the three main points you wish to get across

to your audience and make sure all other contentsupports only these points. This will keep your pres-entation focused on the big picture at all times.

5. Where do I put my hands?Body languages counts, and if you have

nowhere to put your hands, then use them! Mostpeople are familiar with the awkward feeling oftheir arms unnaturally hanging by their sides. Beingconscious is distracting, so rather than worry aboutyour hands, assign them a task. Point to presenta-tion aids if you use any, make hand gestures, holdindex cards if appropriate, mimic your descriptions,or count your points on your fingers. Just make sureyou avoid fidgeting and becoming excessive withyour gestures.

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Overcome your fear of public speaking in 5 easy steps

Kuwait trade surplus widens on brief oil price recovery

MANILA: A Philippine Air Force helicopter hovers over the venue as part of security preparations for nextweek’s APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit of Leaders yesterday in Manila. Thousands ofpolice and soldiers are mobilized for the annual summit of the APEC which is slated Nov18-19, 2015. —AP

BAYT.COM WEEKLY REPORT

ACCRA: Ghana’s finance minister on Friday saidthe economic outlook was brighter going into2016, as the country heads towards presidentialelections. Seth Terkper said the government inAccra was aiming for overall GDP growth of 5.4percent, to cut inflation to 10.1 percent and fur-ther reduce the country’s fiscal deficit. “We nowsee brighter prospects ahead,” he told parlia-ment.

“There is a clear sign that our fiscal consoli-dation efforts are yielding positive results, mak-ing the economy more efficient. “Accordingly,the GSS (Ghana Statistical Service) estimatesthat GDP will grow at 4.1 percent at the end of2015 compared to the 3.5 percent initially pro-jected.” Ghana’s economy, historically reliant oncocoa and gold exports, took off in 2010 afterthe discovery of oil, hitting 14.0 percent growththat year, making it an attractive emerging mar-ket.

But it has been on a downward trajectory

ever since, hit by falling global commoditiesprices and spiralling public sector debt that hasweakened the cedi currency. Growth has haslevelled off at about 4.0 percent since 2014,according to government figures. TheInternational Monetary Fund has imposed abudget deficit target on Ghana of 5.3 percent ofGDP as part of a $918 million loan agreement toboost growth and job creation. Terkper said itwas “on target” to meet that in the coming year,as the pace of public debt had slowed in the firsthalf of this year. But he said the “tighter fiscalspace” because of the IMF agreement meant thegovernment “must be even more prudent in2016”. Terkper said the government was target-ing 8.2 percent annual growth by 2018. “We willresist the temptation of election year over-spending,” he said. President John DramaniMahama is expected to seek re-election at thepolls against opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo. A date has not yet been set. — AFP

‘Brighter prospects ahead’ for Ghana economy: FM

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has kept its eco-nomic growth forecast at 10 percent for the2015/16 fiscal year despite a drought, itsfinance minister said, adding it was affect-ing agricultural areas only and he did notexpect to divert resources from the budgetto respond to it. Failed rains during boththe spring and summer have had devastat-ing consequences for the Horn of Africanation, creating food and water shortages.The government and aid agencies sayEthiopia needs $600 million to cope withthe crisis.

Although it has some of the highesteconomic growth rates in Africa, Ethiopia’seconomy still depends heavily on rain-fedfarming, which employs some three-quar-ters of the population of more than 90 mil-lion.

Ethiopia’s fiscal year starts on July 8.“Regarding the impact on economicgrowth, the drought affected areas areperipheral and pastoral communities in thesouthern and eastern parts of the country,”Finance Minister Abdulaziz Mohammedtold Reuters in an interview.

“Normally, those parts of the countrycontribute not more than 5 percent to ourGDP. On the other hand, we expect harvestto be more this year.” Abdulaziz said thegovernment will not divert funds from oth-er projects in its budget to deal with thedrought.

“The government has immediatelyresponded to the humanitarian crisis andso far we have been able to control the

impact of the drought,” he said. “But wehave not yet diverted any resource fromour development projects. We have beendoing it from our own reserves. We don’texpect any diversion.”

Earlier this week, the United StatesAgency for International Development(USAID) announced a donation of $97 mil-lion for Ethiopia to help feed more than 8million people in need of aid because of thedrought. It said its support included morethan 154,000 tons of emergency food aid tohelp about 3.5 million people in Ethiopia,including refugees from South Sudan,Somalia and Eritrea. Aid agencies have saidthe number of those needing supportcould to rise to 15 million people by early2016 after the drought, which has beenexacerbated by the El Nino weather effect.

El Nino, which is marked by warmingsea-surface temperatures in the PacificOcean, causes extremes such as scorchingweather in some regions of the globe andheavy rains and flooding in others.Meteorologists expect El Nino to peakbetween October and January.

The United Nations has said 350,000children are expected to require treatmentfor acute malnutrition in Ethiopia by theend of 2015. The Ethiopian governmentsaid it would start distributing 222,000 tonsof wheat this month and plans to import anadditional 405,000 tons if the scale of foodshortage does not ease. Addis Ababa hasallocated more than $190 million for theemergency. — Reuters

Ethiopia says drought to have no impact on GDP growth

NBK ECONOMIC REPORT

HAVANA: US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack (center right) and Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon (left of Vilsack) visit theGuira De Melenas cooperative organic farm in Guira De Melenas near Havana on Friday. In the foreground are “malanga” plants,or taro root. Vilsack is on a four-day visit to Cuba to try to boost agricultural trade. —AP


LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with members of the UK-India CEO Forum.

LONDON: Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi during his recent visit tothe United Kingdom held talks, in thepresence of his British counterpart DavidCameron, with high-profile businessmenfrom India and the UK on 13 November.

The event labeled, India-UK CEOsForum, saw the attendance of leadingbusiness figures from the two countries,including from the Indian side, TataGroup chairman Cyrus Mistry, BhartiEnterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal, LuluGroup Chairman Yusuff Ali M.A., CEO ofTata Consultancy Services N.Chandrasekaran and Bharat ForgeChairman Baba Kalyani.

Meanwhile, the UK side was repre-sented by Chairman of Standard Life SirGerry Grimstone, the Chairman of

Standard Chartered Bank Sir John Peace,Vodafone CEO Vitorioa Colao, BP ChiefExecutive Bob Dudley, HSBC ChairmanDouglas Flint, Rolls Royce CEO WarrenEast and others.

Speaking at the Forum, PM Modicalled for a globally integrated economy.Saying that cooperation between Indiaand Britain was mutually beneficial, heurged the CEOs to invest in the growingIndian economy. Adding that people ofboth countries had a historic relation-ship and were economically very com-patible, the prime minister called forgreater participation by the private sec-tor.

Two areas the Indian prime ministerhighlighted in his speech were thedefense industry where the country was

looking for technological expertise, anddeveloping the rail network in the coun-try through Public Private Partnerships.Stressing his government pro-activeapproach to business, the PM alsoemphasized his ‘Make in India’ programand skill development as being criticalto the country’s economic development.

For his part, Prime Minister Cameronvoiced his support for India and said theboth countries have the political will totake their economic relationship for-ward. The CEOs Forum is expected toidentify new areas of opportunity, pro-mote projects which will enable theseopportunities to be realized and exam-ine bilateral issues which, if addressed,would catalyze business between thetwo countries.

Indian PM meets British PM at India-UK CEO Forum

LONDON: Without the consumer, the euro-zone econo-my would have struggled to grow at all in the thirdquarter. Official figures on Friday showed the 19-coun-try euro-zone only expanded 0.3 percent in the July-September period from the previous quarter. That wasbelow market expectations for a second straight 0.4 per-cent rise and piles further pressure on the EuropeanCentral Bank to offer more stimulus.

On an annual basis, the euro-zone economy, whichcomprises 330 million people from the Atlantic to theeastern Mediterranean, was 1.6 percent bigger, justahead of the 1.5 percent rate in the second quarter butbelow the 2 percent recorded in the US.

Since emerging from its longest-ever recession overtwo years ago, the euro-zone has been stuck in a narrowgrowth range, despite favorable conditions such ascheaper oil, a lower euro and weak inflation. A slow-down in emerging markets, notably China, is hurtingtrade, leaving consumer spending as the main pillar ofgrowth.

“Strong household spending is insulating the econo-my from export and industrial weakness,” said Ben May,lead euro-zone economist at Oxford Economics.

Confidence remains fragile in a region that has spentmuch of the past seven years dealing with a financial cri-sis that has threatened the future of the euro itself.Problems aren’t confined to countries that sufferedmost from the crisis. Finland was the worst-performingeuro-zone country in the third quarter, contracting 0.6percent. Here are some things we learned from Friday’sfigures.

Consumer cheerThough the third-quarter data were preliminary,

they indicate that growth was highly dependent on onefactor - the consumer. The German and French statisticsagencies credited consumer spending for much of thegrowth their economies witnessed. Both expanded by0.3 percent in the quarter.

Consumer demand has helped compensate for sub-dued industrial and trade activity, which economistsblame on the emerging market slowdown. A number offactors have helped shore up spending, most notablythe halving in oil prices over the past year, which hastranslated into lower fuel prices. Money saved at theforecourt or on domestic energy bills is being spentelsewhere. Low inflation has helped, too, especially aswages are rising in many parts of the euro-zone. Andthough unemployment remains high, notably in Greeceand Spain, it’s been falling gradually.

Spain surgesSpain was the standout major euro-zone economy,

growing 0.8 percent in the quarter for a 3.4 percentyear-on-year increase. The country’s exporters appear tobe benefiting from a raft of economic reforms that havekept a lid on wages, boosting competitiveness.

There are questions over how sustainable the recov-ery is, however. Though the number of jobless has fallenby around half a million over the past year to just below5 million, about one in five workers is still out of work.Around half the country’s unemployed are thought tohave been out of work for so long they are potentiallylacking the requisite skills for jobs that come up. Spain,the euro-zone’s fourth-largest economy, also has to fullydeal with the bursting of its property bubble.

Portuguese PausePortugal only recently emerged from its bailout with

much praise, but the country’s economy isn’t managingto gain much traction. One of the euro-zone’s poorestcountries, Portugal saw its economy flat-line in the third

quarter following solid increases in the previous three.The fact the country is effectively without a govern-

ment following last month’s general election and couldbe heading to the polls again soon has raised concerns.

Ratings agency Fitch said this week that Portugal’seconomic outlook remains fragile and that it “may comeunder pressure if political instability and policy uncer-tainty damage confidence.”

Greek GrindGreece saw its economy shrink again. The 0.5 per-

cent fall offset the cumulative gains recorded in the pre-vious two quarters. The decline was unsurprising giventough controls on money flows, including a 60-euro aday limit on ATM withdrawals, since late-June.

It’s a far cry from a year ago, when there was opti-mism over Greece’s emergence from a long, savagerecession that contracted the economy by a quarter.Since then, the country has faced another crisis over itseuro membership, which culminated in the money con-trols and July’s bailout agreement, Greece’s third. — AP

Despite tail winds, euro-zone economy loses momentum

NEW YORK: Wall Street fell sharply onFriday and capped off its worst week sincethe dark days of August, hurt by a selloff intechnology companies, while departmentstores dropped on concerns about theupcoming holiday shopping season.

The three major indexes ended theweek down more than 3 percent, firmlyputting the brakes on a fast rally thatbegan in October. Dow component Ciscodropped 5.8 percent after it gave a flimsyforecast, citing a slowdown in orders andweak spending outside the United States.

It was the second-biggest drag on theS&P and the Nasdaq and pulled downshares of tech heavyweights includingApple and Facebook. Retailers were hit bydisappointing reports from departmentstore chains. Nordstrom lowered its full-year forecast on Thursday, spookinginvestors already on edge after Macy’s cutits forecast on Wednesday.

Added to that, data showed US retailsales rose less than expected in October,suggesting a slowdown in consumerspending. Consumer stocks have been abright spot this year as weak commodityprices, fears of a global slowdown and theanticipation of a US rate hike have hit moststocks, especially those of materials, energyand industrial companies. The S&P 600smallcap index lost 4.6 percent for theweek, its worst weekly performance in overthree years.

The underperformance of smallcaps rel-ative to larger companies in recent weekshints at vulnerability in the broader market,said Alan Gayle, senior investment strate-gist at RidgeWorth Investments in Atlanta,which has $50 billion in assets under man-agement.

“The market got to up within about apercent of its previous record high. It gotoverbought, but we really didn’t get thefollow-through we wanted from the smallcaps,” Gayle said.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell1.16 percent to finish at 17,245.24 pointsand the S&P 500 lost 1.12 percent to2,023.04. The Nasdaq Composite dropped1.54 percent to 4,927.88.

All three major indices had their worstweek since August, when fears about thehealth of China’s economy and stock mar-ket slammed global asset prices. The Dowlost 3.7 percent for the week, the S&P fell3.6 percent and the Nasdaq declined 4.3percent.

For 2015, the S&P is now down about 2percent. Nine of the 10 major S&P sectorsfinished lower on Friday, with the con-sumer discretionary sector’s 2.65 percentfall leading the decliners. Nordstrom andJC Penney both sank about 15 percent.

Fossil slumped 36.50 percent after thewatchmaker said current-quarter salescould fall as much as 16 percent. The S&Ptechnology index fell 2.01 percent, withApple down 2.92 percent. Facebook fell3.77 percent, its worst day in over a month.

Declining issues outnumbered advanc-ing ones on the NYSE by 1,903 to 1,154. Onthe Nasdaq, 1,761 issues fell and 1,027advanced.

The S&P 500 index showed no new 52-week highs and 36 new lows, while theNasdaq recorded 29 new highs and 181new lows. About 7.7 billion shares chang-ing hands on US exchanges, well above the7.1 billion daily average for the past 20trading days, according to ThomsonReuters data. — Reuters

Wall Street drops, ends worst week since August

BALI, Indonesia: Malaysia Airlines(MAS) could introduce a premium econ-omy option to attract long-haul businesstravellers as one part of a broader strate-gy to try to help it exit years of losses, itschief executive said in an interview onFriday.

The airline, which introduced a newbusiness class seat last week, will make adecision in “a couple of months”, ChiefExecutive Christoph Mueller toldReuters, speaking on the sidelines of anindustry event in Bali. “We are very hap-py with business class demand, and thisgives us the opportunity to increase therevenue per passenger in the economyclass. The target passenger is in econo-my class, and you don’t want to canni-balize the business class,” said Mueller.The airline is seeking recovery after suf-fering huge damage to its brand afterflight MH370, carrying 239 passengersand crew, disappeared in March lastyear. In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines FlightMH17 was shot down over rebel-heldterritory in eastern Ukraine, and all 298aboard were killed.

Mueller, an experienced industryexecutive, was hired to push throughrestructuring at MAS in May afterMalaysian national investment firmKhazanah took it private late last year aspart of a 6 billion ringgit ($1.37 billion)program that also cut the airline’s work-

force by a third.“We have to prove every quarter that

we are on track, and only against thedelivery of certain targets is the fundingprovided,” said Mueller, referring toprogress in his efforts to turn the compa-ny around. Introducing premium econo-my seats - usually wider and with moreleg room than in economy class - wouldallow MAS to compete more effectivelyfor business passengers against its rivals.Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airwaysbegan offering a premium economyoption in 2012, and Singapore Airlinesfrom this year.

Airlines like SIA also offer prioritycheck-in, boarding and baggage han-dling. All MAS aircraft currently operatein a two-class configuration - businessand economy - except for its Airbus jum-bo A380s, which also have a first classoption. MAS considered premium econ-omy for the A380s in 2012, but decidedagainst it in favor of additional economyclass seats.

The fate of the airline’s A380s remainsuncertain. The airline has unsuccessfullytried to sell two of the four-engined jets,and industry sources say it could also tryto offload the other four in the comingyears as it reworks its fleet plans. Muellersaid that while it is too early to talkabout retiring the A380s, he would “nev-er say never” to the option. — Reuters

Malaysia Airlines may launch premium economy service

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting with national security lead-ers to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement on Friday in the Roosevelt Roomof the White House in Washington. Joining him, from left are, National Economic CouncilDirector Jeffrey Zients, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, former Defense Secretary WilliamCohen, former Secretaries of State Colin Powell, James A. Baker III, Henry Kissinger andMadeleine Albright. —AP


KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended lastweek with mixed performance. The Price Indexclosed at 5,766.37 points, down by 0.08 percentfrom the week before closing, the Weighted Indexincreased by 1.77 percent after closing at 397.50points, whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at 954.64points up by 2.67 percent. Furthermore, lastweek’s average daily turnover increased by 30.15percent, compared to the preceding week, reach-ing KD 16.24 million, whereas trading volumeaverage was 145.57 million shares, recording aloss of 3.61 percent.

Kuwait Stock Market ended the week’s tradingactivity with mixed closings, whereas the PriceIndex recorded light weekly losses affected by thecontinued presence of some negative indicatorsrepresented by the selling pressures and the profitcollection operations in addition to the quickspeculations concentrated on the small-capstocks of the companies that did not disclose itsthird quarter financial results yet, among fears ofthe possibility of holding such companies’ stocksfrom being traded if not announced its resultsbefore the end of the disclosure period which willend on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Weighted andKSX-15 indices were able to end last week’s trad-ing activity in the green zone, supported by thepurchasing activity that included many large-capand operational stocks, especially of companiesthat disclosed positive nine months financialresults.

Also, the three stock market indicators wereable to realize good gains in the two sessions atthe beginning of the week resulted from the pur-chasing power that included many stocks of dif-ferent sectors, both of leading and small-capstocks, among a noticeable increase in the tradingactivity, especially the liquidity which reached itshighest level in more than two months. However,the profit collection operations witnessed by themarket on Tuesday’s session were able to stop theupward direction initiated by the indicators sincethe beginning of the week, pushing it to close inthe red zone, and somehow lightening its gains.

On Wednesday’s session, the market wit-nessed variance in its closings for the threeindices, whereas the Weighted and KSX-15indices were able to return to the green zonesupported by the collection operations that con-centrated on the large-cap stocks, especially thecompanies’ stocks that disclosed positive thirdquarter results, whilst the Price Index continuedits decline affected by the profit collection opera-tions executed on some small-cap stocks, losingall its weekly gains, and closing below its lastweek’s level. On the end of week session, thethree stock market indicators were able toincrease, however of the Price Index declinethroughout the whole session, as it was able toend it with very limited increase supported bythe positive trading witnessed the last moments;the Weighted and KSX-15 indices were able alsoto record good growth supported by the contin-ued purchasing operations executed on the oper-

ational stocks, enhancing by this its weekly gains.As far as the listed companies disclosures for

the 9 months 2015 results, the total number of thedisclosed companies reached 133 by the end oflast week, representing 69 percent of the 192 totallisted companies in KSE; the disclosed companiesrealized around KD 1.27 billion net profits for the 9months 2015, against KD 1.24 billion for the sameperiod of 2014, increasing by 2.29 percent. Whencomparing the net profits realized by the differentmarket sectors, the Banks sector came in the firstplace with a total profit of KD 681.06 million, whilethe Telecommunication sector came in secondplace with KD 151.75 million in profits, and theIndustrial sector came in third with a total profit ofKD 126.61 million. However, the Technology sec-tor took the last place among the market sectorsin terms of the realized profits, as its companies’profits reached around KD 1.53 million.

Moreover, the KSE market cap reached by theend of last week KD 26.36 billion, increasing by1.78 percent compared to its level in a week earli-er, where it was KD 25.90 billion. On an annuallevel, the market cap for the listed companies inKSE declined by 5.80 percent from its value at endof 2014 where it was KD 27.98 billion.

As far as KSE annual performance, the PriceIndex ended last week recording 11.77 percentannual loss compared to its closing in 2014, whilethe Weighted Index decreased by 9.43 percent,and the KSX-15 contracted by 9.94 percent.

Sectors’ IndicesEight of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the

green zone, and four recorded declines. Lastweek’s highest gainer was the Insurance sector,achieving 5.45 percent growth rate as its indexclosed at 1,112.80 points. Whereas, in the secondplace, the Technology sector’s index closed at883.72 points recording 4.07 percent increase. TheBasic Materials sector came in third as its indexachieved 2.06 percent growth, ending the week at1,032.96 points. The Telecommunications sectorwas the least growing as its index closed at 577.17points with a 0.04 percent increase. On the otherhand, the Industrial sector headed the losers listas its index declined by 2.30 percent to end theweek’s activity at 1,051.03 points. The Oil & Gassector was second on the losers’ list, which indexdeclined by 1.18 percent, closing at 781.01 points,followed by the Financial Services sector, as itsindex closed at 650.85 points at a loss of 0.49 per-cent. The Health Care sector was the least declin-ing during last week, as its index recorded a week-ly loss of 0.15 percent, closing at 951.51 point.

Sectors’ ActivityThe Real Estate sector dominated a total trade

volume of around 288.62 million shares changinghands during last week, representing 39.65 per-cent of the total market trading volume. TheFinancial Services sector was second in terms oftrading volume as the sector’s traded shares were

27.78 percent of last week’s total trading volume,with a total of around 202.22 million shares.

On the other hand, the Banks sector’s stockswere the highest traded in terms of value; with aturnover of around KD 25.79 million or 31.76percent of last week’s total market trading value.

The Real Estate sector took the second place asthe sector’s last week turnover was approx. KD13.77 million representing 16.96 percent of thetotal market trading value. — Prepared by theStudies & Research Department, BayanInvestment Co.

Kuwait indices remain lacklusterBAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

NEW YORK: Investors may wade intounknown territory next month as the FederalReserve readies the first rate hike in nearly adecade amid a corporate earnings recession.S&P 500 earnings are on track to close theirfirst reporting season of negative growth

since the Great Recession and estimates callfor sub-zero growth in the current quarter aswell.

Even if the trend reverses next year, asexpected, a Fed rate hike in December couldmark an unprecedented conflict between a

tightening cycle starting at the same time asearnings fall into recession.

“We can’t think of any instances when theFed was hiking during an (earnings) reces-sion,” said Joseph Zidle, portfolio strategist atRichard Bernstein Advisors in New York. “In

the last six months one can point at a lot ofdifferent things. But if you think about funda-mentals, falling corporate profits and thethreat of rising rates” are behind the marketstalling, Zidle said.

With more than 90 percent of S&P 500components having reported, S&P 500 earn-ings are down 0.9 percent in the third quar-ter. Absent surprisingly high numbers fromthe companies left to report, it will be thefirst negative growth quarter since the thirdquarter of 2009. Fourth-quarter estimates arefor a 2.4-percent earnings contraction,according to Thomson Reuters IBES data; thatwould set up the two quarters of decliningearnings, required for a bona fide ‘earningsrecession.’

That already occurred in the second andthird quarters, according to FactSet ResearchSystems, which calculates its quarterly resultssl ightly differently than does ThomsonReuters.

Furthermore, the decline in revenue hasbeen steeper than that in earnings, a badsign for investors who like to put money intocompanies that are growing sales and notjust cutting costs or buying back their ownshares. Last quarter’s sales are seen falling 4.3percent and estimates for the current quarterare for a 2.7-percent decline. It is hard toargue that those numbers correspond to aneconomy that is on the brink of becomingtoo hot and in need for monetary policytightening.

The bulk of the S&P 500’s earningsdeclines come from the energy and materialssectors as commodity prices have tumbled tomulti-year lows.

The Fed, then, could be looking at theearnings decline as it does low inflation: A

problem that will take care of itself once thedeclines fall out of the comparisons.

But if the Fed does decide to raise ratesdespite the gloomy earnings, that could hurtinvestors who may get whipsawed by thediverging cycles in the market and the econ-omy.

Conventional wisdom calls for a defensiveposition - buying healthcare, staples andtelecoms - when corporate profits are falling,and aggressively buying cyclicals like energyand materials at the start of a tighteningcycle. Both are happening at the same time.

“Rising interest rates are always a negativefor stocks, period,” said RBA’s Zidle. “In most(tightening) cycles, corporate profits arebooming so much that the rise in profits ismore than offsetting the drag of interestrates.”

FED PREPPING MARKETSThe Fed maintains its mantra of being

data dependent when it comes to tighteningmonetary policy, and though it has stronglyhinted of a December move, it also hasacknowledged that it watches stock prices.Investors are reacting accordingly: Last weekthe S&P 500 came within 1 percent of itsrecord high set in May, but Friday it was ontrack to close its worst week in two months.

“Since 2013 every time the Fed signals arate hike (the stock market) throws atantrum, and that’s a little bit of what we’reseeing now,” said Michael Arone, chief invest-ment strategist at State Street GlobalAdvisors’ US Intermediary Business in Boston.

“Over the last couple years, every time thishas happened the Fed has decided not toraise rates so we shall see if that cycle is bro-ken in December.” — Reuters

Investors face quagmire of falling earnings, higher ratesWALL STREET WEEK AHEAD

NEW YORK: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. Retailers were plunging Friday as earnings reports fromNordstrom and others touched off investor worries that the holiday shopping season will be a dud. —AP

KUWAIT: A paragraph in our last weekreport called for starting a process ofconfidence-building in Kuwait StockExchange (KSE). This process certainly war-rants legislation and decisions that copewith the essential changes in the globaland domestic investment climate. Forthose decisions and legislations to be fruit-ful, they need quick reform to some basics,namely, the supply of stocks and thedemand for them. As the Chinese did inthe quick reform measures last summerwhen they started first by limiting the sup-ply surplus coinciding with demand stimu-lating measures. And it seems until now atleast that the plan succeeded.

Most reactions focused on the sectionof the paragraph in which we mentionedthat 75 percent of the listed companies aresold at less than their book value. Theystressed two points which we value.

First is the call for government inter-vention to purchase from the 103 smallcompanies category. Is this a new orienta-tion to AlShall? The answer is that the call isdocumented in our reports more than 10times since 2008 and is irrelevant of courseto the failing support/subsidy. It is a call forpurchase for the benefit of the publicfunds.

Second, is the government administra-tion capable of studying, buying andrestructuring this huge number of compa-nies without corruption. Though we can-not guarantee that but specifying buyingcriteria, price levels and leaving the sellingas an option to shareholders and condi-tioning the consent of the absolute majori-ty of shareholders in each company arecontrols that will help restrict corruptionprospects and deviation in the decision.Benefits outweigh losses.

The purpose of the proposal was toreduce or withhold stocks from the supplyside and stimulate the demand side by sav-ing liquidity and increasing confidence inthe remaining companies after filtering thelisted companies. It justifies the drop in theliquidity of the first ten months of the cur-rent year by -32.5 percent vis-a-vis 2014,the drop in the second quarter liquidityby -18.7 percent compared with the firstquarter, the third quarter’s liquidity by -29.1 percent below the second quarter andthe drop in last October liquidity by -39.7percent compared with October 2014. Theproposal also is a preventative measure orhedging before liquidity shrinkage contin-ues or even accelerates associated with

pressure on prices which threatens totransform the crisis from one of assets priceto a deficit crisis in mortgages.

Until the impact of reduced supply clar-ifies, we notice that Abu Dhabi’s liquidity inthe first 10 months of 2015 was at $12.82billion, and the Kuwaiti liquidity was closeto it at $11.33 billion. But the share fromliquidity of a company listed at Abu Dhabi

market in the same period was $237 mil-lion per company (54 listed companiesonly), $59 million for a Kuwaiti listed com-pany (192 companies most of which aredormant), $ 519 million for Qatar (43 listedcompanies), $611 million for Dubai (62 list-ed companies), $2.29 billion for Saudi mar-ket (166 listed companies), and $40 millionfor the Omani, which is close to the Kuwaitimarket though its capital value is no morethan 22.3 percent of the Kuwaiti stock mar-ket’s capital value.

The bottom line is that diagnosisimplies that there is an unhealthy andunjustified case in the Kuwait stockexchange with open and strong exacerba-tion prospects. The best policies are thepreemptive or preventive ones like ourproposal here or before. But sitting idleand motionless to watch while the condi-tions continue their deterioration is nooption.

Local real estate market The latest available data at the Ministry

of Justice -the Real Estate Registration andAuthentications Department- excludingcrafts activity, parking lots, restaurants andthe coastal strip indicate drop in the realestate market liquidity during October

2015 by -8.4 percent vis-a-vis September2015 liquidity. Total value of contracts andagencies trading scored KD 187.2 millionversus KD 204.3 million but it dropped by -50.4 percent compared with October 2014trading.

October 2015 trading was dividedbetween KD 179.5 million for contracts andabout KD 7.7 million for agencies. Numberof real estate struck deals in the month was351 deals distributed between 334 con-tracts and 17 agencies. The highest sharewent to Al-Ahmadi Governorate whichcaptured the highest percentage in thenumber of real estate deals (119 deals) rep-

resenting about 33.9 percent of the totalnumber of deals, followed by HawallyGovernorate by 68 deals, representingapproximately 19.4 percent, while the low-est share went to Jahra Governorate by 18deals representing about 5.1 percent.

Value of private residential tradingscored KD 76.3 million, down by about -14.2 percent, compared with KD 88.9 mil-lion for September 2015. Its contributiondropped to 40.7 percent of total value ofreal estate trading compared with 43.5 per-cent in September 2015. The monthly aver-

age value for private residence trading in12 months scored about KD 137.2 million.This means that trading value in thismonth is lower by -44.4 percent comparedwith the average. Number of deals for thisactivity rose to 245 deals (226 deals inSeptember 2015). Therefore, the averagevalue per deal of private residence activityscored about KD 311.4 thousand.

Value of investment residence activityincreased to KD 71.2 million, an increase by5 percent, compared with KD 67.5 millionin September 2015. Its percentage shareout of total liquidity rose to about 38 per-cent versus 33.1 percent in September

2015. The average value for investment res-idence activity trading during 12 monthsscored KD 114.8 million, making value ofthis month trading lower by -38 percentthan the 12 months average. Its dealsscored 94 deals (91 deals in September2015). As such, the average value per dealfor the investment residence was about KD757.3 thousand, higher by 2.1 percent thanSeptember 2015 average.

Commercial activity trading value

dropped to about KD 34.5 million, adrop by -25.2 percent compared with KD46.1 million for September 2015. Its per-centage share out of total real estate trad-ing value dropped to about 18.4 percent(22.6 percent in September 2015). Averagevalue of commercial activity transactions in12 months scored KD 42 million whichmeans that trading value during this

month was lower by about -17.9 percentthan the 12 months’ average. Its transac-tions were 9 deals (11 deals in September2015). Therefore, the average value of thecommercial deal was at approximately KD3.829 million. Value of warehousing trad-ing activity was at approximately KD 5.3million (3 deals).

When we compare October 2015 trad-ing with October 2014, we note decline inthe real estate market liquidity from aboutKD 377.5 million to KD 187.2 million, i.e.-50.4 percent, as we mentioned. The dropinvolved the private residential activity by -49.5 percent, the investment residenceactivity by -51.1 percent and the commer-cial activity liquidity declined by -56.7 per-cent. If liquidity average continues at thesame average in the past 10 months of theyear, total real estate market liquidity in2015 will score about KD 3.27 billion, lessby -34.6 percent than 2014. This meansindicators hint at a drop in the real estatemarket’s liquidity coupled with decline inthe stock exchange liquidity this year.

Monetary and economic indicatorsThe periodical Quarterly Statistical

Bulletin (April – June 2015) of the CentralBank of Kuwait (CBK) as published on itswebsite, provided some economic andmonetary indicators whose developmentsare worth follow up and documentation.The balance of trade (commodity exportsminus commodity imports), for instance,achieved in the second quarter this year asurplus by KD 2.424 billion, up by 37.4 per-cent compared with the first quarter.Kuwait’s commodity exports during thesecond quarter scored KD 4.866 billion,89.2 percent of which were oil exports.

Kuwait’s commodity imports (excludingthe military) reached about KD 2.442 bil-lion, a rise of 4.3 percent as compared tothat of the first quarter. The surplus in thefirst quarter was KD 1.746 billion, whichmeans that the balance of trade surplus forthe first half this year reached about KD4.188 billion or KD 8.376 billion if calculat-ed to the entire 2015 year. The surplusmight be less due to the continueddecrease in oil prices in the third quarter

and the past part of the fourth quarter. Thesurplus will be less by -59.5 percent than itscounterpart value in 2014 which wasabout KD 20.677 billion due to the sharpdrop in oil prices.

The bulletin points to continuing dropin the weighted interest rates of balanceson deposits from 1.494 percent in the firstquarter of this year to about 1.485 percentin the second quarter, a quarterly drop by -0.6 percent. The weighted interest rates of

balances on loans continued its drop from4.394 percent to 4.379 percent, a quarterlydrop by -0.3 percent for the same period.

The bulletin also indicated that totaldeposits of the private sector at local banksscored about KD 34.166 billion, up from KD33.544 billion in the end of the first quarterthis year, a quarterly increase by 1.9 per-

cent. Finally, the local banks claims on pri-vate sector rose to about KD 33.753 billionfrom KD 33.046 billion in the end of thefirst quarter, a quarterly rise by 2.1 percent.

The CBK financial results The Commercial Bank of Kuwait

announced results of its operations for thefirst nine months ending 30, September2015 which indicate that the bankachieved net profits, after tax deductions,by KD 25.39 million (KD 25.34 million in thesame period of 2014). This means the bankachieved a slight increase in its profits byKD 49 thousands, or by 0.2 percent. Theslight rise in net profits level is due to therise in total operations incomes by a highervalue than the rise in total expenditures.

In details, total operational incomesincreased to KD 102.9 million (KD 100.5million in the same period of 2014). In oth-er words, these incomes increased by KD2.4 million, or by 2.4 percent, as a result ofincrease in net gain on disposal of assetspending sale by KD 5.1 million to KD 5.7million compared to KD 613 thousands inSeptember 2014. Item of net gain frominvestment securities increased by KD 2.3million to KD 4 million (KD 1.8 million).Item of fees and commissions increased byKD 2.2 million to KD 25.5 million (KD 23.3million). While item of net gains from deal-ing in foreign currencies declined by KD 5million to KD 1.6 million (KD 6.6 million inthe same period 2014).

Total operating expenses went up byless value than the increase in total opera-tions incomes and rose by KD 1.9 million,i.e. 7 percent, to KD 28.9 million (KD 27 mil-lion in the same period of 2014). Total pro-visions increased by KD 506 thousand, orby 1.1 percent, and scored KD 47.48 million

(KD 46.97 million in the same period 2014).This increased slightly the net profit mar-gin to 31.3 percent (31.2 percent in thesame period 2014).

Total bank assets scored KD 4.035 bil-lion, down by 4.2 percent, (KD 4.213 billionin the end of 2014) and increased by 3.6percent if compared with assets in thesame period 2014 in the amount of KD3.893 billion. Performance of customersloans and advances portfolio dropped by

KD 84.2 million, or by 3.6 percent, to KD2.236 billion (55.4 percent of total assets),vis-a-vis KD 2.320 billion (55.1 percent oftotal assets) in the end of December 2014.They also dropped by KD 103.9 million, orby 4.4 percent, when compared with KD2.339 billion (60.1 percent of total assets) inthe same period of 2014. Item of cash andshort term funds balances increased by KD161.1 million, or by 30.7 percent, to KD686.4 million (17 percent of total assets)

vis-a-vis KD 525.3 million (12.5 percent oftotal assets) in the end of 2014, andincreased by KD 243.4 million, 54.9 per-cent, when compared with its value in thesame period of last year at KD 443 million(11.4 percent of total assets), due to the risein the item of balances deposits at banksdue within seven days by 72.8 percent.

Figures indicate that the bank’s liabili-ties (without including total equity)dropped by KD 176.3 million, or by 4.8 per-cent, to KD 3.483 billion (KD 3.659 billion inthe end of 2014). While they increased byKD 168.7 million, or by 5.1 percent, whencompared with the total in the same peri-od 2014. Percentage of loans and advancesto deposits scored 66.5 percent down from73.2 percent in the same period of last year.

Analysis of financial statements, calcu-lated on annual basis, indicates that mostbank profitability indexes recorded risecompared with the same period of 2014.Return on average equities relevant to thebank shareholders (ROE) rose to 6.1 percent(5.9 percent). Likewise, the return on bankcapital (ROC) increased to 24 percent com-pared with 23.9 percent in the same periodlast year. While return on average bankassets (ROA) decreased slightly to 0.8 per-cent (0.9 percent). EPS remained constantat 18 fils for the two periods. (P/E) scored 25times in 30 September 2015 (improved)compared with 27.9 times in the same peri-od 2014. (P/B) scored 1.5 times (1.6 times inthe same period last year).

The weekly performance of KSE The performance of Kuwait Stock

Exchange (KSE) for the last week was mixedcompared to the previous one, where theindices of the trade value and the generalindex, show an increase, while the tradevolume index and number of transactionsindex show a decrease. AlShall Index (valueindex) closed at 392.5 points at the closingof last Thursday, showing an increase ofabout 12.1 points or about 3.2 percentcompared with its level last week, while itdecreased by 51.5 points or about 11.6 per-cent compared with the end of 2014.


Kuwait bourse needs confidence-buildingAL-SHALL WEEKLY ECONOMIC REPORT


DUBAI AIRSHOW 2015KUWAIT: Etihad Airways, thenational airline of the United ArabEmirates, welcomed Royalty to itsflagship Airbus A380 at the DubaiAirshow, giving visitors a glimpse of

the airline’s award-winning inflightproducts.

The aircraft was toured by HisHighness Sheikh Mohammed bin

Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Presidentand Prime Minister of UAE, andRuler of Dubai; Sheikh Maktoumbin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai;

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and ChiefExecutive of Emirates Airline &Group, and Chairman of Dubai Civil

Aviation Authority ; and HisExcellency Sheikh Sultan binTahnoon Al-Nahyan, Chairman ofthe Department of Transport (DoT),and a member of the Executive

Council, Abu Dhabi.The Abu Dhabi-based airline’s

496-seat A380 features the onlythree-room suite in commercial avi-

ation - The Residence by Etihad - aswell as nine First Apartments, 70Business Studios, and 415 EconomySmart Seats.

Etihad Airways’ cabin crew pro-vided VIPs, trade visitors and mediawith guided tours of the aircraftduring the day-long static displayat the Middle East’s premier aero-space industry event.

Etihad Airways currently oper-ates a fleet of five A380s - with a fur-ther five on order - flying to LondonHeathrow and Sydney from its AbuDhabi hub. From November 23, thecarrier introduces the aircraft onone of its double-daily flights toNew York. Beginning May 1, one ofthe thrice-daily Mumbai flights willbe served by an A380, and the air-craft will be inducted on one of thedouble-daily Melbourne scheduledservices, beginning June 1.

James Hogan, President andChief Executive Officer of EtihadAirways, said: “It’s been almost ayear since Etihad Airways tookdelivery of its first A380 aircraft andtoday we are promoting the best-inclass service to our industry part-ners at this prestigious globalevent.

“Etihad Airways has had atremendous response from gueststravelling on our A380 flights andwe look forward to welcomingmore with the introduction of theaircraft on a further three destina-tions over the next few months.”

Etihad Airways welcomes Royalty as it displays flagship Airbus A380

KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”announced a net profit attributable toshareholders of KD 2.39 million (EPS 5 filsper share) for the nine months ending30th September 2015, as compared with anet profit of 6.31 million during the sameperiod in 2014. Markaz’s total assets undermanagement (AUM) reached KD 1.05 bil-lion as of Sept 30th, 2015.

These results come amidst a prevalentnegative performance of the GCC equitymarkets due to low oil prices and geopoliti-cal tension in the region. S&P GCCComposite lost 11% during the ninemonths period, while Kuwait StockExchange weighted index dropped by 11.5percent during the same period. Globalmarkets also declined due to sluggishgrowth in Chinese economy and uncer-tainty concerning the US Federal Reserve’splan to raise interest rates. MSCI EmergingMarkets Index fell by 17.2 percent duringthe nine-month period, while MSCIWORLD Index lost 7.5 percent during thesame period.

Meanwhile, the company’s corporatefinance activities have strengthenedthroughout the nine-month period, withcontinued growth of announced and exe-cuted merger and acquisition transactions.During 2015, Markaz has been at the fore-

front of M&A activity in Kuwait and has suc-cessfully completed three key M&A transac-tions; a flagship tender offer in Kuwait’smarket by Al-Ahleia Insurance for KuwaitReinsurance completed in the third quarter,acquisition of a company in the hospitalitysector and a restructuring transaction.Markaz has also delivered on four generaladvisory assignments in addition to apipeline of transactions under execution.

It is worth noting that Markaz recently

received “Best Equity Manager in Kuwait -2015” award by Global Investor Magazine;it is the sixth consecutive year Markaz winsa Global Investor award. Markaz also won“Best Asset Managers for Corporates inKuwait 2015” from Global Finance maga-zine. Markaz was also named “BestInvestment Bank in Kuwait” by GlobalFinance in 2015. The award reflects thecompany’s professional skills in executingmany successful transactions for its clientsin the fields of credit markets, equities,merge and acquisitions along with offeringfinancial consultancy services.

Markaz announces net profit of KD 2.39m for 3 quarters

DUBAI: At the 2015 Dubai Air Show thisweek, GE Aviation and CFM International,its partner company with Snecma (Safran),secured and finalized several engine ordersand long-term contracts valued at morethan $17 billion with the region’s leadingcarriers. At the same time, GE Aviation alsoforged new relationships with the MiddleEast’s growing aviation industry players.

“The Middle East’s aviation industry ismaking a significant impact worldwide,” saidMuhammad Al-Lamadani, senior executiveand general manager of GE Aviation Salesfor the Middle East, Russia/Commonwealthof Independent States and Turkey. “GEAviation is honored to join the region’s avia-tion leaders to help take the industry to newheights.”

Highlights from the show include:l Emirates signed its largest single

engine MRO contract to date worth $16 bil-lion with GE Aviation for the maintenance,repair and overhaul (MRO) of the GE9Xengines that will power the airline’s fleet of150 Boeing 777X aircraft over a period of12 years. Emirates also signed a 12-year GEOnPoint solution contract, covering themaintenance and inventory support forvarious avionics, electrical power andmechanical systems on all Emirates Boeing777 aircraft in currently service and the 44more 777-300ERs on order.

l Etihad Airways signed an agreementwith GE for GE90-115B engines to power itstwo Boeing 777 Freighters and a 12-yearOnPointSM solution agreement for the newGE90 engines valued at more than $475million (USD) list price.

l Vietnam’s VietJetAir selected CFMInternational’s CFM56-5B engine to power 15

additional Airbus A321ceo aircraft and signeda long-term service agreement valued atmore than $700 million (USD) list price.

l Pegasus Airlines signed an eight-yearTime & Materials Support agreement withCFM International to cover a total of 90shop visits for the CFM56-7B engines pow-ering its fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft val-ued at $500 million (USD) list price.

l Royal Air Maroc selected GE Aviationfor a five-year exclusive OnPointSM solu-tion agreement for the time and material tomaintain, repair and overhaul its CF6-80C2engines that power its four Boeing 767 air-craft.

l Unison Industries, a wholly ownedsubsidiary of GE Aviation’s Services organi-zation, signed a 10-year Material ServicesAgreement with Qatar Airways to coverexternal Unison new parts and componentrepairs for all engine lines in the QatarAirways fleet.

l GE opened its Middle East AviationTechnology Center at the Dubai AirportFree Zone to support customers’ operationsby leveraging data analytics, domain expe-rience and software capabilities to increaseproductivity, maximize performance andminimize down time for customers usingGE’s platform for the Industrial Internet.

l GE Aviation and Dubai’s Museum ofthe Future signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) to accelerate innova-tion and advanced technology around theworld.

l GE Aviation successfully completed itsfirst transfer of avionics manufacture andsupport capability to the AdvancedElectronics Company (AEC) in Saudi Arabiafor the T-165 Hawk Advanced Jet Traineraircraft.

GE and its JVs garner more than $17bn in agreements

ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways has launchedan exciting new sales promotion within theGulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC),offering return Business Class and EconomyClass air fares to a range of worldwide desti-nations for as little as KD 141. The promotion

runs from 9 November till 12 November, andcovers more than 90 popular destinations inEurope, North America, Africa and the AsiaPacific region, include the UAE flag carrier’slatest new route to Tanzania, which launcheson 1 December 2015.

Nabil Matarweh, Etihad Airways’ GeneralManager for the Kuwait, said: “This is greatfor our Kuwait-based guests and with suchlow fares to so many popular destinationson our worldwide network it is an idealtime to travel and take advantage of this

great promotion.“ With Etihad Airways now flying five

times daily between Kuwait and Abu Dhabi,travellers will be able to find many conven-ient connections to the destinations onoffer and we look forward to our Kuwaiti

guests taking advantage of these terrificvalue offers.”

The special promotional fares, all viaEtihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub, start fromjust KD185 for a return Economy Classf l ight to European dest inat ions whichinclude destinations such as Munich andFrankfurt.

Premium guests are included in theSuper Sale promotion where customers canfly to New York and to London for as littleas KD 668.

Travellers to Etihad Airways’ Australianonline destinations can take advantage ofthe airline’s commercial agreement withVirgin Australia which allows customers toconnect onto a wider range of cities acrossAustralia.1. The unique US Preclearance facility in

Abu Dhabi has helped to facilitate andexpedite easy travel by allowing EtihadAirways guests flying on the airline’sservices to the United States to clear USimmigration and customs in Abu DhabiAirport.

2. To take advantage of Etihad Airways’promotional campaign, travellers shouldbook flights and purchase their ticketsbetween 9 and 12 November, and com-plete their travel before 10 December2015. Terms and conditions apply.

Etihad launches special promotion fares in GCC

Warba Bank launches credit card campaign

Get back up to 100 percent for every KD100 KD spendKUWAIT: Warba Bank haslaunched a credit card campaignas a part of the Bank’s new initia-tive for the Kuwaiti market. Thegoal is to provide existing cus-tomers with benefits for usingvarious credit cards in their pur-chases thus enhancing the card’svalue and making it easier forcustomers to accomplish the pur-chasing transactions.

This campaign offers cus-tomers special features in compli-ance with the provisions ofIslamic sharia as well as otherbenefits. The customer can getback a fixed and guaranteedamount accounting for 1 percentof all monthly purchases auto-matically. Moreover, the customerwill have a chance to get back upto 100 percent for every 100Kuwaiti Dinars of the monthlypurchases. This offer will not beapplicable for cash withdrawals.

Khalid Jassim Al-Subaie, theChief Retail Banking Officer atWarba Bank, said: “Warba Bank’spolicy is based on providingcompetitive and exclusive prod-ucts in the market that complywith Islamic Sharia , meeting cus-tomer needs and responding totheir requirements which witnessdaily increase due to the eco-nomic development and e-com-merce. The campaign alsoreflects Warba Bank’s keenness toprovide customers with new anddistinctive offers having unique

features on credit card level inKuwait. Customers can directlyget back cash amounts for eachpurchase transaction on thesame card automatically.”

Al-Subaie added: “Under thisoffer, the customer will receive afixed and guaranteed cash

amount at 1 percent of each pur-chase transaction carried outusing the credit card through anypoint of purchase including theinternet whether in Kuwait orabroad. This will also help cus-tomers to enter a monthly drawas an incentive to back up to 100percent for each KD 100 of pur-chases. The amount will bedeposited automatically in theprimary card account during the

subsequent month of the pur-chase transactions using thecredit card. The customer willthen be notified by an SMS mes-sage. In the case that a customergets back cash on the first month,the customer can get anotherchance to win during the nextmonth if the card is used in accor-dance with the terms and condi-tions. There is no limit for the pur-chase transactions; the more thecustomer spends, the higher hischances to get back amounts.The total transactions amount atKD 100 will give the customer achance for monthly recovery forusing cards. The number ofchances shall be 100 rangingbetween 5 percent-100 percentfor a period of one month. Thecampaign shall continue for 3Months from October till the endof December 2015. This cam-paign will be availed only by cus-tomers holding credit cardsbefore the campaign initiation.”

Al-Subaie continued: “WarbaBank is keen on rewarding its cus-tomers with the best offers andbiggest promotional campaignsthat provide them with uniquefeatures. The Bank also givesutmost care to its various creditcardholders giving the cards anadded value, contributing in cus-tomer satisfaction and increasingthe customers’ chances of gettingmore benefits on card use. In addi-tion, the Bank’s care and cam-

paigns strengthen the Bank’s pres-ence and market share in this sec-tor and expand the credit cardportfolio. Warba Bank has madegreat achievements in this trendembodied in the remarkablegrowth of issuing credit cards atvarious types. This enhances theBank’s competitiveness in theretail banking and cards, createsnew horizons in the Islamic bank-ing sector within a strategy aimingat the development of innovativeproducts and services which arespecifically tailored to meet theneeds of various market segmentsalong with constant care for per-formance level and service qualityprovided to the customers.”

It is worth mentioning thatdebit cards of “Safwa and Lamar”category give their cardholdersspecial benefits allowing themfree access to VIP lounges atmost international airports, inaddition to receiving a prepaidcard with “My Box” service thatgives the customer a localaddress in the Unites States ofAmerica, Britain, United ArabEmirates, and China.

Customers that wish to learnmore about credit cards cam-paign or other unique Warbaservices can contact the CallCenter on 1825555, visit any ofthe Bank’s branches or follow theBank’s official social mediaaccounts on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.

Khalid Jassim Al-Subaie

Al Tijari announce offerat Atlantis resort, DubaiIn cooperation with MasterCard International

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait(CBK) have announced its partnershipwith MasterCard international for theirPromotion with the famous Atlantis Dubai

the Palm, where customers can use theirCBK MasterCard debit or credit card tobook their getaway at Atlantis resort inDubai, and enjoy the exclusive offer for afamily fun packages from only KD 165.

The offer includes a variety of benefitsranging from spa sessions, to a full break-fast, a choice of lunch or dinner in 15Atlantis restaurants and unlimited access toAquaventure Waterpark, the lost chamberand many more benefits. Customers cantake advantage of the exclusive offer that isvalid for stays until 18 March 2016. Formore information, customers can check thelatest promotion section on bank websiteon www.cbk.com , booking can be madedirectly on the link in the website wherecustomers can avail the offer by using theircredit or debit CBK MasterCard.

MasterCard has always collaboratedwith Commercial Bank of Kuwait on creat-ing the most innovative, and dynamic cam-paigns to ensure their customers arealways satisfied. CBK urges its customer totake advantage of this special offer, andenjoy the wonderful world of Atlantisresort in Dubai.

BEIJING: The deputy chief of China’s top securi-ties regulator is under investigation, state mediasaid Friday, as the country moves the focus of itssweeping anti-graft campaign to the financialsector months after a stock market rout rockedglobal markets.

The official Xinhua news service said YaoGang, vice chairman of the China SecuritiesRegulatory Commission (CSRC), has comeunder suspicion of committing “severe discipli-nary violations”-normally a euphemism forgraft. Chinese authorities have been pursuing ahard-hitting campaign against crooked officialssince President Xi Jinping took office in 2013, acrusade that some experts have called a politi-cal purge.

In October, China’s anti-corruption watch-dog said it would expand its inspections to

major financial institutions, including the cen-tral bank and regulatory authorities, which arealready under pressure after a spectacular stockmarket meltdown.

The announcement last month said that thenew round of inspections will cover the centralPeople’s Bank of China, the China BankingRegulatory Commission, China InsuranceRegulatory Commission and the CSRC, among along list of others.

China Investment Corp, the world’s largestsovereign fund, commercial banks ICBC and theBank of China and the country’s major insur-ance companies will also come under scrutiny.

The anti-corruption watchdog will alsoexamine stock exchange operators in Shanghaiand Shenzhen, and the parent company ofmajor brokerage Citic Securities. —AFP

China probes securities regulator’s deputy head

LOS ANGELES: If you were going toreinvent MTV for a mobile generation,you’d probably come up with some-thing like YouTube Music. It’s a video-first music service that also plays inthe background like you’d expect amusic app to do. That sets it apartfrom other music apps out there,many of which give you a choice ofvideos or songs, but not interchange-ably.

But while YouTube Music offers alot of interesting features, most ofthem require a subscription to thenew YouTube Red service, which willset you back $10 a month - $13 if yousign up through YouTube’s iPhoneapp. Without Red, YouTube Music willplay ads similar to what you see onYouTube proper, and several otherfunctions won’t work at all. YouTube isoffering new users a 14-day free trialto Red, but to continue commercialfree, you’ll need to pony up.

YouTube Music is first and foremosta music-video app, albeit one thatdoesn’t forget that most people willbe using it on their phones. For thosetimes you’d rather just listen instead ofwatching, you can hit a toggle thatswitches the app to audio-only mode,which turns off the video playbackand swaps in a still image. You caneven turn off the screen and keep lis-tening while you do something else.

But here’s the first gotcha: Audio-only mode only works for paid sub-scribers. I also found the audio-onlytoggle worked far better on aSamsung Galaxy Note 4 than on aniPhone 5, where it introduced a jarringpause. You can similarly shrink thevideo to a little strip at the bottom ofthe app, which keeps it playing in acropped format while you look for thenext video. The app will even keepplaying if you switch to other tasks,like checking email - although againonly if you’ve paid up for Red.

There are some curious omissions.

For instance, there’s no easy way tocreate a playlist to queue up a bunchof videos in a row. The app does offer“song stations,” which queue upvideos from artists related to the oneyou’re on. You can toggle the range ofthe resulting mix with options like“less variety,” “more variety” or “bal-anced.” I started a station starting withPassenger’s “Let Her Go” and so far I’mpretty happy with the “balanced”playlist it created, which included“Counting Stars” from OneRepublicand “Burn” by Ellie Goulding.

You can also play all of the videosyou’ve thumbs-upped, which turnsthat grouping into a crude sort ofplaylist. YouTube Music is far less clut-tered than competing services likeApple Music, which has more lists andtabs than you’ll know what to do with.YouTube Music keeps the tabs to three- home, hot (trending videos), andthumbs up (your favorites). Homeoffers recommended videos, and it’seasy to find something playable. Yourmileage may vary with the “hot” tab; itdidn’t do much for me, although I’musually a bit out of sync with the main-stream.

Finally, there’s one more fun fea-ture, which is called “offline mixtape.” Itautomatically saves 20 audio-onlysongs for you based on your tastes, forwhen you know you’re going to getspotty reception. I wish it saved thevideos instead of just the audio, butthis will keep the tunes turning in apinch. Alas, offline mixtapes are dis-abled in the ad-supported version ofYouTube Music.

The app makes Google’s $10-a-month music subscription a lot moreattractive. Paying up not onlyunlocks features in YouTube Musicitself, it also gets you ad-free play-back on the main YouTube app,access to Google Play Music, and,down the road, some original materi-al from YouTube stars. — AP

t e c h n o l o g ySUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

LOS ANGELES: This photo shows the YouTube Music app on a mobilephone on Friday. — AP

PARIS: People in Paris took to socialmedia to find and offer refuge on Fridaynight, as the city was gripped by chaosfollowing a string of attacks that leftdozens dead. The Twitter hashtag #porte-ouverte, which means “open door ” inEnglish, was being used to offer shelter asauthorities urged people to evacuate thestreets. The hashtag trended globally,with more than 400,000 Tweets using it,in the few hours since its creation. “Thisaccount will be used for tweeting andretweeting places to stay safe tonight,”said a post from @PorteOuverteFRA, aTwitter handle opened within hours ofthe attacks. Dozens of addresses andphone numbers for apar tments werebeing tweeted on the handle, and it wasretweeting offers of accommodation fromother individuals.

A post from @LaraPlowright, written inmixed English and French, read: “Anyonestuck around gare du nord area, si besoin(if needed) #porteouverte quartier Garedu Nord, peut loger 2-3 personnes (can

accommodate 2-3 people).” Other postson the tag said taxis were offering freetransport for anyone in need a lift to shel-ter. Still, some people found the processconfusing amid the chaos. “I’m not usingthe tag at the moment, but people arestuck in various areas and cannot leave, Ihear,” said Alessandra Gargiulio, who waswaiting for her landlord’s permission toopen up her apartment for the night.

Gargiul io, 24, l ives in the 24tharrondissement on the other side of thecity from the attacks, but said she couldsee and hear helicopters and sirens fromher apartment. She spoke to Reuters viaFacebook messenger. “We’re super scaredhere, it’s hell, but we’ll use the tag and it’swor th tr ying ever ything,” said MariaVittoria Zanetti, 23, who had just becomeaware of the tag. Zanetti, also contactedover Facebook, is stuck at a friend’s apart-ment in the 2nd arrondissement. BothGargiulio and Zanetti, 23, have used theFacebook Safety Check to let fr iendsknow they are safe. — Reuters

Parisians offer refuge to strangers via Twitter

PARIS: People hug each other before being evacuated by bus near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris early yesterday. — AFP

PARIS: French people took to social media tofind friends and relatives, search for shelter andtell the world they were safe yesterday, after awave of attacks across Paris left more than 120people dead. Internet users posted poignantappeals on Twitter to find their loved ones whohad been at the scenes of the bloodshed,including at the Stade de France stadium and arock gig at the Bataclan theatre. “If anyone hasnews of Lola, aged 17, at #Bataclan thisevening, contact us,” read one post, whileanother expressed concern for a fr iendThibault, who was also at the concert. “He’s notgetting back to me: Help me”, it read.

Other Twitter feeds remained ominouslysilent after announcing the start of the concertat the Bataclan concert hall, where at least 82people were later killed by gunmen wielding

AK47s. Eight attackers struck numerous loca-tions around the capital, leaving more than 120people dead on Friday night, the bloodiestsuch incident in Europe for more than adecade.

Thousands of Parisians used the hashtag#PorteOuverte (open door) to organise placesto stay for people who had been left stranded -particularly in areas that had been attacked.The hashtag was re-posted 480,000 times asthe hours passed with the city on lock down,making it the second-most used keyword onTwitter in France after #fusillade (shooting)which was used 700,000 times. “If people arestranded, I can accommodate two of three peo-ple on Rue des Martyrs,” offered one user, whileWroteGabDeLioncourt said: “Our sofa is alwaysavailable for two/three people in Maraichers”.

Others set up an emergency website “porte-ouverte.eu” to help people find temporary shel-ter. Meanwhile, Facebook launched a “ParisTerror Attacks” check-in feature to let peoplesignal whether they were out of harm’s way,then notify their connections on the social net-working site. “Quickly find and connect withfriends in the area,” a message from theFacebook Safety Check service read. “Markthem safe if you know they’re OK.”

The feature also allowed people to checkwhich friends listed as being in Paris had notyet checked in as safe. “We are shocked andsaddened by the events unfolding in Paris,” aFacebook spokesman told AFP.“Communication is critical in these momentsboth for people there and for their friends andfamilies anxious for news.” — AFP

YouTube Music is a great video app - if you pay up

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO: WhenUS prosecutors this week charged twoIsraelis and an American fugitive withraking in hundreds of millions of dol-lars in one of the largest and mostcomplex cases of cyber fraud everexposed, they a lso provided anunusual look into the burgeoningindustry of criminal hackers for hire.The trio, who are accused of orches-trating massive computer breaches atJPMorgan Chase & Co and other finan-cial firms, as well as a series of othermajor offences, did little if any hack-ing themselves, the federal indict-ments and a prev ious c iv i l casebrought by the US S ecur i t ies andExchange Commission indicate.

Rather, they constructed a criminalconglomerate with activities rangingfrom pump-and-dump stock fraud toInternet casino break-ins and unli-censed Bitcoin trading. And just likemany legitimate corporations, theyoutsourced much of their technologyneeds. “They clearly had to recruit co-conspirators and have that type ofhacker-for-hire,” said Austin Berglas,former ass is tant spec ia l agent incharge of the FBI’s New York cyberdivision, who worked the JPMorgancase before he left the agency in May.“This is the first case where it’s thatclear of a connection.”

Berglas , who now heads c yberinvest igat ions for pr ivate f i rm K2Intell igence, said additional majorcases of freelance hacking will cometo light, especially as more peoplebecome famil iar with onl ine toolssuch as Tor that seek to conceal auser’s identity and location.

Rented TimeThis week’s indictments accused a

hacker referred to as “co-conspirator 1”of installing malicious software on theservers of multiple victims at the direc-tion of Gery Shalon, the alleged master-mind of the scheme now under arrestin Israel. A second indictment charges aman referred to as John Doe, believedto be in Russia, for an attack on onlinetrading firm E-Trade. Officials have notsaid if the co-conspirator and John Doewere the same person, or even if theFBI knows their true identities.

Law enforcement and computersecurity officials say that outsourcedcyber-crime services - including rentedtime on networks of previously com-promised personal computers and cus-tom break-ins - are most readily foundon underground Russian-languagecomputer forums, where skilled attack-ers advertise their services. The forumsare tight-knit communities where new-bies must be vouched for by multipleknown members and pay membershipfees that cost thousands of dollars, saidDaniel Cohen, who oversees an under-cover team at EMC Corp’s RSA Securitythat monitors the forums.

“You can find anything you want foran operation. Hackers, servers, soft-ware, code writing. They are all avail-able,” said Cohen. Individuals hide theiridentities even from each other, mak-ing infiltration and arrests rare. In thiscase, the ringleaders are accused of hir-ing hackers to steal contact informationand other data that they then used tohelp convince ordinary investors to buylittle-regulated stocks. Prosecutorshave not disclosed how the hackers

were compensated.Fees vary greatly in the cyber under-

ground, depending on the complexityof the assignment and supply of talentavailable to do a particular job. Elitehackers who pull off the most techni-cally challenging attacks might get apercentage of profits, while othersmight earn an hourly rate or get paid afew thousand dollars for winningaccess to a target ’s network ,researchers said.

Pump-and-DumpAll three of those accused this week

- Shalon, Joshua Samuel Aaron, who isat large, and Ziv Orenstein, who is alsoin jail in Israel - began promoting pen-ny stocks before the hacks took place,according to US government claims.They used websites includingPennystockdiscoveries.com andStockcastle.com to send emails as partof a scheme in which they invested inpenny stocks, spread false informationto boost their prices, and then soldthem to make windfall profits, accord-ing to an SEC suit f i led in July.Orenstein’s lawyer declined to com-ment, and Shalon’s lawyer did notreturn messages seeking comment. Inone case in early 2012, the SEC claimsthat they used the websiteStockcastle.com to promote shares inMustang Alliances Inc, reaping $2.2 mil-lion, the largest pump-and-dump citedin the regulator’s lawsuit. In March ofthat year, the British Virgin IslandsFinancial Services Commission issuedan alert warning that two entities tiedto Stockcastle were falsely claiming tobe registered in the territory.

That same year, the enterprisebegan a massive hacking spree to getcontact information for investors whomight be good targets, according toprosecutors. By the end of 2013 theyhad ordered up six hacks that provideddata on tens of millions of customers,prosecutors said. They hit the motherlode in 2014 when they attacked threeother firms, and stole data on 83 mil-lion customers from JP Morgan alone,prosecutors said. In addition to JPMorgan and E*Trade, the f i rmsattacked included the mutual fundgiant Fidelity Investments, Scottrade,TD Ameritrade Holding Corp and NewsCorp’s Dow Jones unit, the publisher ofthe Wall Street Journal, according tocourt documents and people familiarwith the cases.

“To do a ‘pump-and-dump’ opera-tion, you no longer need 30 peoplebehind phones in a strip mall,” saidShane Shook, a security consultant spe-cial iz ing in investigating f inancialbreaches. All you need is to find a hack-er on a “Dark Web” forum to provideaddresses from customers of financialservices firms like Fidelity or JPMorgan,then hire a spam service to push outpromotional emails, he said.

Shalon bragged about the stockmanipulation scheme, telling the hack-er known as co-conspirator 1 in a webchat message that it was “a small steptowards a large empire,” according tothe indictment.

His plan, Shalon told the hacker,was to distribute “mailers” on stocks tothose customers. The hacker asked ifbuying stocks was popular in America,the indictment said, prompting Shalon

to reply: “It’s like drinking freaking vod-ka in Russia.” Shalon ultimately madegood on his promise to build anempire, according to the indictments.Profits from the pump-and-dump fedinto a sprawling conglomerate includ-ing offshore Internet casinos and pay-ment-processing services for othercriminal operators, such as counterfeitpharmaceutical makers. Shalon alsoallegedly directed hackers to attackrival casinos, stealing customer dataand temporarily bringing down theirwebsites with denial-of-service attacks,which are easily commissioned online.

Butterfly and Hidden LynxWhile this week ’s indictments

opened the first major criminal caseinvolving outsourced hacking, therehave been other substantial break-insthat researchers believe were contractjobs. Researchers at Symantec in Julyattributed a series of precision breach-es at Apple, Facebook, Microsoft andTwitter in 2012 and 2013 to a sophisti-cated gang called Butterfly, which alsoattacked law firms and pharmaceuticalcompanies.

Computer security firm Symantecconcluded that the group likely worksfor hire, either for a client looking forfinancial gain in the stock market or forcompetitors. How Butterfly gets hiredremains unclear. Tech criminologist MarcGoodman, author of the book “FutureCrimes”, says another group, dubbedHidden Lynx by Symantec, may consistof contractors moonlighting from jobswith the Chinese military. “It’s crime as aservice,” “Goodman said. “They take allthe pain out of it.” — Reuters

Hired-gun hacking played key role in breaches

French seek friends, shelter on social media after attacks

Facebook setsup safety

check forParis friends

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook launched acheck-in feature to let people know thatfriends in Paris were safe after a series ofbombings and shootings in the Frenchcapital killed more than 120 people onFriday. The “Paris Terror Attacks” safetycheck let people signal whether they wereout of harm’s way, then notified all thosethey know at the leading social network.“Quickly find and connect with friends inthe area,” a message at the FacebookSafety Check page read. “Mark them safe ifyou know they’re OK.”

The feature also allowed people tocheck which friends listed as being inParis had not yet checked in as safe. “Weare shocked and saddened by the eventsunfolding in Par is ,” a Facebookspokesman told AFP. “Communication iscritical in these moments both for peoplethere and for their friends and familiesanxious for news.” — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

KUWAIT: A good stretch of the GulfRoad was dressed in blue as morethan 5000 residents came togetherto raise awareness about diabetesduring the annual walkathonorganized by the Landmark Group.The Beat Diabetes walk supportedby Ministry of Health and DasmanDiabetes Institute marked a verysuccessful completion for the sixthyear in a row.

Many dignitaries joined the sup-porters at the Yacht Club in the 3.2km walk sporting blue ‘BeatDiabetes’ T-shirts. Professional train-ers from Fitness First led a mass

warm-up session prior to thewalkathon. Participants were alsoprovided with complimentary t-shirts, caps and a healthy breakfast.The release of blue balloons, sym-bolic of the global color for dia-

betes awareness, signaled the startof the walkathon.

Saibal Basu, Chief OperatingOfficer, Landmark Group Kuwait,said: “Now in its sixth year, the BeatDiabetes initiative has touched thelives of millions of people acrossseven nations. The overwhelmingturnout that the walkathon drawsyear after year is truly heartwarm-ing. We are thankful to all the peo-ple who continue to support us inour fight against diabetes. Our mis-sion is to focus this momentum onfostering a better and seamlessunderstanding of the condition

and help the community achieve ahealthy, active lifestyle. I would liketo extend our appreciation andthank every person who joined usat the walk to spread the messageand support the campaign”.

Daily struggleProfessor Kazem Behbehani,

OBE, Director-General of DasmanDiabetes Institute, an affiliate ofKuwait Foundation for theAdvancement of Sciences (KFAS)added: “Living with diabetes is adaily struggle but can be managedby following a disciplined lifestyle.The involvement of the Institute inthe ‘Beat Diabetes Walkathon’stems from our mission to improvethe lifestyle of the population ofKuwait. Adopting a healthylifestyle, which includes regularexercise and physical activity suchas the walkathon, is essential in liv-ing well with diabetes. The condi-tion can lead to serious conse-quences if not detected and con-trolled at an early stage. Hence,awareness is extremely crucial. It is

really inspiring to see the dedica-tion of the Landmark Group andthe support they receive from theKuwait residents to spread the mes-sage about diabetes.”

To reinforce the Group’s coremessage ‘Beat Diabetes - Take theTest’, free blood glucose testingbooths were set up at allCentrepoint stores in Kuwait on 29October, 30 October, and 31October. Landmark Group wouldlike to thank its Partners - AlGhanim / Xerox, Fitness First,Bahrah Trading Co, One Touch.Media Sponsors - “Al Rai, Al Qabas,Al Seyassah Al Anba, Kuwait Times,Arab Times, Al Jarida, The Times. AlYaqza, Ahlan, Student Talk, The Talk,Al Hadaf, Bazaar, Mondanete, Sarab,Layalena, Styles , Business Islamica,Executive Woman, City Pages, Lana,Kidzine, Wave Line. BikersAssociation - Kuwait Dragon Riders,Bikers in Kuwait Encounter, FilipinoInternational Triathletes and otherentities who extended their sup-port to the Beat Diabetes cam-paign.

The Beat Diabetes initiative is ofparticular significance to the GCCcountries and India with bothregions ranking high in theInternational Diabetes Federation(IDF)’s list of countries for preva-lence of diabetes.

Landmark Group is the onlyretail and hospitality conglomerateto lead diabetes related education-al and community-focused activi-ties across six GCC countries andIndia. In November 2014, LandmarkGroup’s walkathons held acrossKuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrainand India drew an overwhelmingresponse.

KUWAIT: Dasman Diabetes Institute(DDI), a leading campaigner for diabetesawareness in Kuwait, held an informativeevent to commemorate World DiabetesDay on Thursday, 12 November, 2015 atits premises. The event allowed visitorsto consult with diabetes specialists anddietitians as well as gather healthy infor-mation from booths that explained vari-ous facts of diabetes and promotedhealthy lifestyle modification. Around1000 guests attended the event under-lining the interest in Kuwait to preventand manage this dangerous lifestyle dis-ease.

Many of the booths at the event wereabout educating visitors on properdietary habits, sage physical activitiesand oral health. At this event, there wereinformative booths by the KuwaitDiabetes Society, Kuwait PharmacistsSociety, Oral Health Program (Ministry ofHealth), and others that provided assis-tance to people living with diabetes.There were also various booths from vol-unteer organizations and exercise clubspromoting proper fitness regimens, tosupport youths willing to improve theirquality of life and well-being such as the“Blue Circle”.

During the World Diabetes Day eventthe “Prevention of DiabetesComplications” campaign was launched.This is an organizational wide initiativewas spearheaded and coordinated bythe Public Relations and Media ServicesDepartment and the Education andTraining department. The primary goal of

the campaign is to prevent the complica-tions of diabetes in people with diabetesthrough raising awareness about thecomplications, and empowering thoseaffected by diabetes to proactively takecontrol of their diabetes and improvetheir quality of life. The main key mes-sages were to take control of blood sug-ar, watch your cholesterol, keep bloodpressure in check, don’t forget your kid-neys, look out for your eyes and examineyour feet. The campaign slogan is “Life isbetter without complications” and was

promoted on social media with the hash-tag #STOPcomplications.

Diabetes careAs part of diabetes management, lec-

tures were organized in the auditoriumdelivering additional information aboutdiabetes care and to empower and edu-cate participants. Due to the fact thatsome diabetic patients are unable tocook healthy meals, a l ive cookingdemonstration emphasizing cookingnutritious international and Kuwaitirecipes was available for guests to watch

and learn, in collaboration with thePeruvian Embassy in Kuwait. The eventreflected an exciting environment foreveryone, and the activities were evenwas tailored towards young childrenthrough fun shows featuring mascots, amagic show, and other fun activities.

DDI’s awareness event also providedfree testing by professional staff whoconducted screenings for blood glucoseand HbA1c, as well as body measure-ments. These tests help physicians deter-mine those who are prone to diabetes,and provided them with free consulta-

tions to teach them how to better man-age their diabetes.

Holding such events and activitiesstems from Dasman Diabetes Institute’smission statement, where health promo-tion and awareness are a priority for theInstitute. Since its establishment by theKuwait Foundation of the Advancementof Sciences in 2006, the Institute organiz-es and takes part in many events andcampaigns annually to shed light on dia-betes and health in general. This is inaccordance with the Institute’s belief that“Prevention is better than cure”.

Thousands walk to support diabetes awarenessat Landmark’s Sixth Beat Diabetes Walk 2015

WASHINGTON: The Obama administra-tion wants you to eat your fruits and veg-etables. They also want the produce to besafe. Long-awaited rules announced bythe Food and Drug Administration Fridayare designed to help prevent large-scale,deadly outbreaks of foodborne illness likethose linked to fresh spinach, can-taloupes, cucumbers and other foodsover the last decade. That means makingsure workers are trained to wash theirhands, irrigation water is monitored forharmful bacteria and animals do notleave droppings in fields.

The rules will phase in over the nextseveral years and give the FDA sweepingnew oversight over how food is grown onfarms. The majority of farmers and foodmanufacturers already follow good safetypractices, but the rules are intended togive greater focus on prevention in a sys-tem that has been largely reactive afterlarge outbreaks. The Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention estimate that 48million people - or 1 in 6 people in theUnited States - are sickened each yearfrom foodborne diseases, and an estimat-ed 3,000 people die.

The Obama administration has saidthey don’t want people to eat fewer fruitsand vegetables because of safety con-cerns. “The rules will help better protectconsumers from foodborne illness andstrengthen their confidence that modernpreventive practices are in place, no mat-ter where in the world the food is pro-duced,” said Michael Taylor, the FDAdeputy commissioner for foods.

Food safetyThe FDA also released rules Friday that

will require importers to be moreaccountable for the safety of food theybring into the US market. The govern-ment estimates that about 52 percent offresh fruit and 22 percent of fresh vegeta-bles are imported.

Taylor said both rules could help pre-vent illnesses such as an ongoing out-break of salmonella linked to cucumberimported from Mexico. In that outbreak,four people have died and more than 700people have fallen ill.

There have been many other out-breaks linked to produce in recent years.In 2006, E coli in fresh spinach was linkedto several deaths, including a 2-year-old.The CDC later issued a report saying thecause may have been contaminated irri-gation water. A 2011 outbreak of listerialinked to cantaloupes killed 33 people.After outbreaks of cyclospora illnesseslinked to imported cilantro, Americaninvestigators found toilet paper andhuman feces in Mexican fields wherecilantro is grown.

The agency has haggled over how towrite the rules since Congress approvedthem in 2010, trying to find a balancebetween food safety and regulatingfarms with safety measures already inplace. The FDA originally proposed theproduce rules in 2013, but rewrote themlast year after some farmers said theywould be too burdensome. The finalrules, released under a court-ordereddeadline after advocacy groups sued overthe delays, largely follow that rewrite.

The regulations are tailored to coverfoods and growing methods that posethe greatest risk. They target producesuch as berries, melons, leafy greens andother items usually eaten raw and moreprone to contamination. A farm that pro-duces green beans that will be cookedand canned, for example, would not beregulated. There are also exemptions forsmaller farms.

Water qualityThe rules require farmers to test irriga-

tion water quality, regularly train workerson the best health and hygiene practicesand monitor wildlife that may intrude ongrowing fields, among other measures.There are also standards for keepingequipment and facilities clean.

Compared with the original 2013 pro-posal, the final rule requires less stringentstandards for irrigation water quality andreduces the frequency of testing, in somecases. The organic industry hadexpressed concerns about the rules,especially because many organic farmersuse raw manure as fertilizer and try totreat irrigation water with fewer chemi-cals.

Food industry groups and food safetyadvocates praised the rules. Sandra Eskin,director of food safety at the PewCharitable Trusts, called the new rules amajor public health victory. She said thefocus now shifts to Congress, which willhave to pay for the FDA’s efforts. “Withthe rules now being finalized, its crunchtime for FDA to be ready to help foodprocessors and growers meet the require-ments and then to ensure they canenforce them,” Eskin said.

FDA has asked for an extra $109 mil-lion to implement the entire food safetylaw, which also includes separate rulesaimed at food manufacturing facilitiesreleased in September. ActingCommissioner Stephen Ostroff said incongressional testimony this fall that get-ting those dollars over the next budgetyear is crucial to ensure the rules work asintended. The 2010 food safety law alsoauthorized more inspections by the FDAand gave the agency additional powersto shut down facilities. — AP

New produce safety rules aimto prevent illness outbreaks

Dasman Institute holds open day commemorating World Diabetes Day 2015

SEATTLE: A customer leaves a Chipotle restaurant in Seattle as the companystarted to reopen the outlets closed because of an E coli outbreak in the PacificNorthwest, Wednesday, November 11, 2015. — AP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

SEATTLE: Federal regulators plan to cut mil-lions in Medicare and Medicaid funding forWashington state’s largest psychiatric hospitalafter a recent inspection found “multi-systemwide failures” have caused serious harm topatients and placed the health and safety of allpatients at risk.

In addition, federal officials said WesternState Hospital’s governing body “failed to pro-vide oversight and supervision necessary toensure patients are protected from abuse andneglect and received safe and appropriate psy-chiatric, medical and nursing services,” accord-ing to a letter sent this week to hospital CEORon Alder and acquired by The AssociatedPress on Friday. The US Department of Health

and Human Services said it will end itsprovider agreement with the 842-bed facilityon November 28, the letter said. TheLakewood, Washington facility receives $4.7million from Medicaid and $11.2 million fromMedicare annually, according to state officials.

State officials said they plan to fix the prob-lems before the two-week deadline. “We havebeen under the threat of losing federal fund-ing since the inspection in September,” KathySpears, spokeswoman for the stateDepartment of Social and Health Services, saidin an email Friday. The agency is working withthe federal Centers for Medicare and MedicaidServices to correct the problems, she said.

“Patient and staff safety remain priorities

and to that end we are working to recruit morestaff, which is key to improving safety and pro-viding quality services to the patients at all ofour state psychiatric hospitals,” she said. “Wehave not lost federal funding.”

Stephanie Magill, a Centers for Medicareand Medicaid Services spokeswoman inSeattle, said Friday that although terminationssometimes happen, “more often than not,facilities come back into compliance.”

The letter marks the fourth time in 2015that the hospital has been under threat of los-ing federal funds. The federal agency sent 90-day termination notices to the hospital inJanuary, March and September after findingthat patients were at risk. This is the first letter

that threatens funding cuts within weeks ofthe announcement.

The decision followed an inspection thatended on Nov. 5 in which investigators identi-fied several “immediate jeopardy” findings.“Immediate jeopardy” is defined by law as a sit-uation in which the hospital’s failure to complywith program requirements “has caused, or islikely to cause, serious injury, harm, impair-ment, or death to a resident.”

The infractions related to patient rights,quality assessment, medical staff, nursing serv-ices and infection control, the letter said.Western State Hospital has struggled withstaffing as it sought to comply with a federalcourt order issued in April that requires the

state to provide timely competency services.The hospital was in the process of openingnew wards to handle the competency cases,but when federal inspectors found the hospi-tal out of compliance, health services secretaryKevin Quigley announced that they ended thehospital expansion until they get things undercontrol. Jaime Smith, spokeswoman for Gov.Jay Inslee, said they are aware of the possibleeffect on the budget and ensuring patient andstaff safety is the most important thing. “At thesame time we are also focused on complyingwith recent court orders,” she said.“Accomplishing these two aims at the sametime is a complex issue. We are working withDSHS to determine viable next steps.” — AP

RIO DE JANEIRO: It is a disturbing scene: A Brazilianrape victim arrives at the hospital seeking an abor-tion, but first she must prove she was raped andundergo invasive questioning. That is the proposalcontained in a bill introduced by the controversialspeaker of Brazil’s lower house, Eduardo Cunha, thathas sparked protests by outraged women across thecountry.

Answering rallying cries issued on social networks,thousands of women have taken to the streets of Riode Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Brasilia calling for the bill tobe shelved and for the ouster of Cunha, anEvangelical Christian who is being investigated oncorruption charges. “The criminal is Cunha! Legalabortion now!” they chant. Cunha’s bill would requirerape victims to submit proof before having an abor-tion, make it a crime to help or induce a woman toabort and limit the definition of sexual violence tocases in which physical or psychological harm can beproven. Critics say the bill’s vague language alsothreatens access to the “morning-after pill,” an emer-gency contraceptive to prevent unwanted pregnan-cies. Brazil, the world’s largest Catholic country bypopulation, places tight restrictions on abortion.

It is a crime punishable by up to three years inprison, except in three cases: a brain-damaged fetus,risk of death for the mother and rape. Rights groupsestimate 850,000 women have abortions every yearin Brazil-but just 1,500 of them are legal.

Punishing rapists or victims?Marcela Arruda, a 32-year-old artist who joined

one march along with her mother and aunt, saidCunha’s bill was a throwback to 75 years ago, whenBrazil began allowing abortions for rape victims. “Itseems like we’re in 1940, not 2015. We’ve made a lotof gains, we’re not going to give up now, we’re notgoing to just shut up and take it,” she said.

Backers of the bill say it aims to strengthen rapeinvestigations. “We want the examination of the evi-dence to be mandatory to help punish the rapist. Themore we carry out these exams, the better thechances of punishing the rapist, of putting him in jail,”said Green Party lawmaker Evandro Gussi. The goal,he said, is to eliminate “any doubts that a rape wascommitted.”

Many women disagree. “To prove that you wereraped is extremely difficult. Because you get to thepolice station and they ask you, ‘Have you been drink-ing? How were you dressed? Did you consent?’” saidMarcela Vegah, a 26-year-old activist at a marchThursday in Rio.

The bill’s real aim is to further restrict access tolegal abortion, “which is already difficult,” said SinaraGumieri, a lawyer and researcher at Brazil’s Institutefor Bioethics, Human Rights and Gender.

Some critics call the bill a smokescreen to distractfrom accusations that Cunha took millions of dollarsin bribes in a massive corruption scandal that has

engulfed state oil company Petrobras. The controver-sies come as Cunha is center stage in Brazilian politics.As speaker, he has the power to decide whether toput to a vote a slew of pending impeachment peti-tions against embattled left-wing President DilmaRousseff.

Climate of fearEven when it is legal, abortion is not easy in Brazil.

Of the 68 centers authorized to perform the proce-dure, just 37 actually do, according to Gumieri’sorganization. Many require a police report, forensicmedical report or court permit. “Victims are beingtreated as suspects,” said Gumieri.

She said 36 percent of women who have hadabortions in Brazil are girls or adolescents who havesuffered sexual violence, usually in their own homes.Critics say the bill also threatens access to the “morn-ing-after pill.” “The bill is vague. It talks about non-abortive procedures or drugs. That’s the case with themorning-after pill, an emergency contraceptive.Confusion could arise in the interpretation,” said law-maker Erika Kokay of the ruling Workers’ Party, whovoted against the bill in committee. The legislation isthe latest salvo from a powerful conservative caucusin Brazil’s Congress that is also seeking to relax guncontrol laws, limit the definition of the family to het-erosexual couples and restrict indigenous Brazilians’rights to their ancestral lands. — AFP

Bill restricting Brazilabortions inspires anger

Federal regulators: Psychiatric hospital harming patients

WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court is giving anelection-year hearing to a dispute over state reg-ulation of abortion clinics in the court’s first abor-tion case in eight years. The justices said Fridaythey will hear arguments, probably in March, overa Texas law that would leave about 10 abortionclinics open across the state. A decision shouldcome by late June, four months before the presi-dential election.

The issue split the court 5-4 the last time thejustices decided an abortion case in 2007, andJustice Anthony Kennedy is expected to hold thecontrolling vote on a divided court. The case testswhether tough new standards for clinics and thedoctors who work in them are reasonable meas-ures intended to protect women’s health or a pre-text designed to make abortions hard, if notimpossible, to obtain.

Texas clinics challenged the 2013 law as a vio-lation of a woman’s constitutional right to anabortion. The high court previously blocked partsof the Texas law. The court took no action on aseparate appeal from Mississippi, where a statelaw would close the only abortion clinic, inJackson. States have enacted a wave of measuresin recent years that have placed restrictions onwhen in a pregnancy abortions may be per-formed, imposed limits on abortions using drugsinstead of surgery and raised standards for clinicsand the doctors who work in them.

The new case concerns the last category. InTexas, the fight is over two provisions of the lawthat Gov Rick Perry signed in 2013. One requiresabortion facilities to be constructed like surgicalcenters. The other allows doctors to performabortions at clinics only if they have admittingprivileges at a local hospital.

Surgical centerTwenty-two states have surgical center

requirements for abortion clinics, according tothe Guttmacher Institute, which supports legal

access to abortion. Eleven states impose admit-ting privileges requirements on doctors who per-form abortions in clinics, the institute said.

The measures go beyond what is necessary toensure patients’ safety because the risks fromabortions in the first trimester of pregnancy,when the overwhelming majority of abortionsare performed, are minimal, the institute said.

Nancy Northup, president and CEO of theCenter for Reproductive Rights, said Texas is oneof several states that have enacted “sham laws” torestrict access to abortion.” This law does notadvance women’s health and in fact underminesit,” Northup said.

But National Right to Life president CarolTobias said the clinics are more interested in pre-serving their cash flow than protecting women.“The abortion industry doesn’t like these lawsbecause abortion clinics would be forced tospend money to meet basic health and safetystandards,” Tobias said.

There is no dispute that the law has had a sig-nificant impact on Texas clinics. The state had 41abortion clinics before the clinic law. More thanhalf of those closed when the admitting privi-leges requirement was allowed to take effect.Nineteen clinics remain.

Wait timesNorthup said the effect of the law has been to

increase wait times for women in the Dallas areafrom an average of five days to 20 days. The focusof the dispute at the Supreme Court is whetherthe law imposes what the court has called anundue burden on a woman’s constitutional rightto an abortion. If allowed to take full effect, thelaw would leave no abortion clinics west of SanAntonio and only one operating on a limitedbasis in the Rio Grande Valley. The state hasargued that women in west Texas already crossinto New Mexico to obtain abortions at a clinic insuburban El Paso. — AP

Texas abortion law drawshearing from Supreme Court

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian women demonstrate in favor of abort legalization and against the president of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies,Eduardo Cunha, in Rio de Janeiro downtown on November 11, 2015. — AFP

EL PASO: In this August 11, 2014 file photo, the Hilltop Women’sReproductive clinic is seen in El Paso, Texas. — AP

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

What’s On - Submission GuidelinesAll photos submitted for What’s On should be minimum 200dpi.Articles must be in plain text and should include name and phonenumbers. Articles and photos that fail to meet these requirements willnot be published.

Please send them [email protected]

By Sajeev K Peter

Indian Ambassador Sunil Jain and hisspouse Dr Gargi Jain hosted a farewellreception in honor of the outgoing

Ambassador of Bhutan to Kuwait Dasho TashiPhuntsog and his spouse Rinzin Wangmo atthe India House, Indian embassy yesterday.

A cross section of the Indian communitymembers attended the farewell reception.

Ambassador Jain, briefly addressing the gath-ering, conveyed his good wishes to theAmbassador Phuntsog and his wife. He saidBhutan is a paradise on earth and it is a coun-try that is blessed with breathtaking scenic

beauty and rich cultural heritage. In his reply,Phuntsog expressed his gratitude toAmbassador Jain and Dr Gargi Jain for theirwholehearted support and cooperation.

He also conveyed greetings to the Indian

community in Kuwait. The ambassadorPhuntsog, who took office as BhutaneseAmbassador to Kuwait in March 2012, willleave the country early next month after com-pleting his tenure here.

Indian ambassador hosts farewell party in honor of Bhutanese ambassador

The Palestinian Culture Exhibitionat Bayt Lothan, November 23-26, 2015

Open Invitation: For Jerusalem

The Palestinian Culture Center holds thesecond of its two annual exhibitionsfor 2015 at Bayt Lothan. The show

includes a large collection of textile-basedtraditional handmade cross-stitch as well aspottery from Hebron, posters and booksabout Palestine in English and Arabic. Itaspires to reaffirm the Palestinian nationalidentity by its handicrafts and support edu-cation and families

The Palestinian Culture Center is a non-profit organization that was established inJordan in 1993. It aims to (1) preserve therich heritage and culture of Palestine, (2)help empower women and their families inthe refugee camps become economicallyindependent, and (3) sustain needyPalestinians in their homeland and in theDiaspora.

This year was an active year for theCenter due to the effects of the global finan-cial crisis which placed a further strain on thepoor. Furthermore, the violent and aggres-sive Israeli military onslaught on Gaza,Jerusalem and the rest of occupiedPalestine, have made the situation inPalestine dire, and the need for aid moreurgent. As a result, the Center has worked to

increase the salaries of the 550 or so womenwho do the embroidery work as well as payfor their transportation (from the camps). Wemotivate the ladies by granting bonuses forexcellent quality work. We also provide sup-port to Palestinians in the homeland by pro-viding financial aid to needy families, healthcare, and university scholarships.

Some of the Center’s accomplishmentsincluded support of some of the vital insti-tutes such as Almaqased hospital inJerusalem which was established in 1968with substantial financial support from TheState of Kuwait. The Center is also workingon providing the necessary financing of theWater Desalination Project in Gaza for pro-ducing potable water and assisting Gazaarea hospitals that were bombarded byIsrael, such as Alshefa Hospital, to produceand store oxygen for medical purposes.

Exhibition HighlightsTraditional cross-stitch embroidery of

dresses, linens, shawls, cushions, tablerunners, cards, frames, coasters, belts,purses, bookmarks and more:

l Handmade ceramics from Hebron.l Books, posters, key chains, kafiya’s

and DVDs as well as posters fromPalestine.

l Food sale of traditional Palestinianfood such as thyme, sumaq, baked goodsand other traditional plates.

l Palestinian folklore “Dabkah” will beperformed on and Thursday at 6:30 pm.

Palestinian embroidery using needleand silk thread is a manifestation of thePalestinian identity as it has evolved overthe ages. An age old art, all Palestinianladies, young and old, would spend hoursembroidering their trousseau, dresses,shawls and cushions. Using geometricshapes at first, and then evolving todepicting images from nature surroundingthem, the dresses are famous for theirflowery designs and bold natural colors ofindigo and red. Symbols of the ubiquitouscypress trees surrounding the orangegroves, roses, jasmine and the famous olivetree are typical motifs in these dresses.

The exhibition will be held at BaytLothan, Salmia, It will be held for 4 daysstarting Monday the November 23rdthrough Thursday 26th. It is open to thepublic from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm and 4:30to 8:30 pm.

The Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity signed a memorandum of understandingrecently with the Kuwait Society of Engineers for cooperation that includes hosting joint training courses.

The Public Authority for Industry celebrated the recent achievementof Abdulkareem Taki, Deputy General Manager, Administrative andFinancial Affairs Departments, who won two awards at the ‘Tatweeg’Excellence Awards Academy in the United Arab Emirates.

Viking Club of Radisson marks its yearend with members’ night celebration

The Viking Club of The Radisson Blu Hotelmarked its year end with a members’night celebration perked with dinner

and all night fun of games, presentations andprizes. The annual year end occasion offers itshealth club members and families to cometogether to celebrate and the hotel and clubmanagements to thank its members for theircontinuous support and patronage of theclub. The event commenced with the RadissonBlu Hotel General Manager Philippe Pellaudexpressing his brief message of welcome andgratitude to everyone who came to grace theoccasion. The speech was immediately fol-lowed by games for the kids and prizes for thelucky draw. Viking Club freestyle dance instruc-tor Christian Balingit took center stage withseven young kids and teen agers dancing to amedley of hiphop moves. Dinner immediatelyfollowed while Kuwait’s popular group “Al

Hassan Brothers” entertained everyone withmedley of classic and contemporary guitarsand Spanish Portuguese vocal renditions tothe delight of the crowd. In addition VikingClub fitness trainer Teodora Valcheva exhibitedone of her paintings and was up for auction,proceed of the sales was intended for charitydonations. The host of the occasion alsoannounced would be open soon “Azur” infinitypool located by the beachfront of the club. Thedouble level pool aims to provide additionalrelaxing aqua experience paired with a spec-tacular view of the Arabian Sea. Additionalfacilities such as the “Blu Route” a running trackpavement along the beachfront and a goodarea for fishing enthusiasts. Kayaks are alsoavailable for members’’ use in addition tobeach volleyball and basketball courts leisure-ly located along the beachfront. “Radisson BluKuwait has earned the respect, trust and confi-

dence of Kuwait as a good result of highlycompetitive and international standard hotelfacilities, services and outlets, hardworkingstaff that anticipate our clients’ needs. Wethank everyone for their usual and kind sup-port to the hotel” commented Pellaud. To addDirector of Recreations Ivan Tzenkov com-mented “The Viking Club will continuouslyprovide the best service to its clients and willnever cease to exhaust its resources to givemembers and guests excellent facilities andadded value for their membership fees”. VikingClub hosts 2,300 active members with com-plementary 16 free cardio and aerobics classesheld on daily basis, three pools, outdoor sportsfacilities, sauna, steam, massage services andequipped gym. Discounts are given to thehotel for club members. Further develop-ments and additional facilities of Viking Clubare currently on pipeline.

Series of lectureson life and timesof ProphetMuhammad (PBUH)

The TIES Center cordiallyinvites all those interestedto a special series of lectures

on the life and times of theprophet Muhammad (peace beupon him). You will learn all abouthis life, from his birth to his death.Every Thursday in November andDecember, 2015 at 7:00 pm.

In November, the focus will beon the battle of Uhud - examiningthe causes of the battle, ProphetMuhammad’s (PBUH) consultationwith his companions before goingto the battle, his dream thatdescribed the dramatic events thatwould occur at Uhud, reasons whythe companions decided to meetthe enemy outside of Madina, thehypocrites’ flimsy excuses to returnto Madina, some of his companionswho fought for personal reasonssuch as tribal honor, etc.

Also, you will learn about somemiracles that happened during thatbattle, the participation of the hand-icapped and elderly people -despite all odds, women’s crucialrole in the battle, failure to kill theProphet (PBUH) and how the battleended in favor of Muslims as well asgreat lessons will learn from that inour daily life.

Come and learn more about thelife and times of ProphetMuhammad (PBUH) in a friendlyenvironment. For more information,please call 25231015/6 or e-mail:[email protected] or log onto:www.tiescenter.net

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

The UK’s hottest restaurant hits TheAvenues Mall this year, Burger &Lobster made its way over from

London and officially opened its doorsopen last Thursday. Based on the samewinning formula as its London restau-rants, Burger & Lobster is aiming to takeKuwait by storm with the offer of its sim-ple yet unique dining experience thatoften sees Londoners and visitors alikequeuing around corners to get a taste ofthe B&L experience.

The Burger & Lobster concept is clear,there are no menus; it simply serves

Burger or Lobster. No, really! Choose froma massive 280 g burger, a whole lobster ora lobster roll, served with chips and freshsalad and all priced at KD 8,950. You canalso get your claws on the “big boys” jum-bo lobsters, which are sold by weight andare perfect for sharing.

Three premium cuts of high-grade freshbeef create the juiciest burgers around.The all-time favorite signature lobster rollis the made from chilled lobster meat in awarm, freshly baked buttery brioche. Therestaurant’s wild lobster is flown in alivefrom the Atlantic Ocean to its dedicated

tank at the restaurant where you will findlive lobsters to pick from. On top of this,the space in The Avenues, will also shakethings up with a slick bar, serving up arange of original mocktails and healthyjuices designed exclusively for Kuwait.

Maisie Denning, Marketing Manager atBurger & Lobster, London, said; “We aresure that the restaurant will be a hit aswe have so many fans from Kuwait whocome and visit us in the UK. We’re soexcited to finally be opening our firstrestaurant in the Middle East. It’s been along time in the planning, but we’re com-

ing for you!”The CEO of Gourmania International,

Mohammed Bseiso responsible for bring-ing the Burger & Lobster concept toKuwait, explained the concept further;“What distinguishes B&L from otherrestaurants is the fact that we serve onlythree items which gives us the opportuni-ty to put a strong focus on these thus per-fecting the end result.” Mohammed added“This outlet is the only the first of moreto come.”

On November 11th the restaurantopened its doors to a handful of VIP’s with

H.E. the Ambassador of the UnitedKingdom as the guest of honor. Duringthe event friendly B&L staff were servingminiature versions of the menu with a liveDJ adding to the vibe. It will be open tothe public from Thursday the12th ofNovember on a non-reservation basis!

To see what all the fuss is about take acheeky peak at their instagram page@BurgerandLobsterKuwait or check themout on Facebook and Twitter. Burger &Lobster Kuwait will be the 14th restau-rant in the brand’s portfolio, following thelikes of London, New York and Stockholm.

Burger & Lobster opens at The Avenues Mall

As part of The Sultan Center’s commit-ment to supporting a healthy lifestyleand fostering a sense of team spirit

amongst its employees, TSC Together held itsannual basketball tournament at the GulfUniversity of Science and Technology (GUST)on October 19, 21 and 24. Supported by TSCmanagement, staff, families and friends inattendance, the tournament proved to be anexciting event.

The Restaurant Team opened the eventwith a cheerleading dance as a special pres-entation for being the defending champion.

Over the course of the 3 day event each teaminvolved displayed a great sense of teamworkand enthusiasm as family and friends sat onthe sidelines and cheered them on.

The Head Office Team was first runner-upfollowed by the Salwa store while Al-KoutTeam took third place. Christian Lee, FritzQuerubin, Jess Frias, Benson Sarguilla andMosaab Khalil were named the Five MythicalPlayers while Jess Frias also took the MostValuable Player (MVP) title.

Nobelyn Dela Cruz (Hawally Team) wasnamed the Free Throw Queen, Michael

Tuazon (Hawally Team) won the 3-PointShootout award and Mira Magat (Al-KoutTeam) was declared the Best Muse 2015. TheChampionship Winner of 2015 TSC BasketballTournament went to the TSC Restaurant Team.

TSC Together is an Employee Sports andSocial Committee whose aim is to foster teamspirit along with the opportunity to sharecommon activities. TSC Together membersworked diligently to deliver a top-class event,for all TSC employees to enjoy in an environ-ment that embraces teamwork through funand engaging activities.

TSC employees compete in basketball tournament

The Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD) conducted a lecture on fire prevention and how to act during an emergency at Sabah Al- Salem Specialized Health Center. The lecture was followed by a practicalevacuation exercise, in which doctors, pharmacists, technicians and other employees participated. Arrangements were made by Head of the center Dr Zahra Hussein.

00:50 Gator Boys01:45 Call Of The Wildman02:15 Call Of The Wildman02:40 Bondi Vet03:35 Tanked04:25 Ten Deadliest Snakes05:15 Gator Boys06:02 Treehouse Masters06:49 Gangland Killers07:36 Call Of The Wildman08:00 Call Of The Wildman08:25 Dogs 101: Specials09:15 Ten Deadliest Snakes10:10 Treehouse Masters11:05 Tanked12:00 Dogs 101: Specials12:55 Bondi Vet13:50 Bondi Vet14:45 Ten Deadliest Snakes15:40 Treehouse Masters16:35 Tanked17:30 Gangland Killers18:25 Austin Stevens:Snakemaster19:20 Biggest And Baddest20:15 Tanked21:10 Shamwari: A Wild Life21:35 Shamwari: A Wild Life22:05 Treehouse Masters23:00 Biggest And Baddest23:55 Austin Stevens:Snakemaster

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

THE AGGRESSION SCALE ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

THE COURIER ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

00:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives01:00 Food Court Wars02:00 Mystery Diners02:30 Mystery Diners03:00 Man Fire Food03:30 Man Fire Food04:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives04:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives05:00 Guy’s Grocery Games06:00 Chopped07:00 Man Fire Food07:30 Man Fire Food08:00 Chopped09:00 Guy’s Grocery Games10:00 The Kitchen11:00 Barefoot Contessa11:30 Barefoot Contessa

04:00 Marry Me04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Marry Me11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:30 Marry Me17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers19:00 Hot In Cleveland19:30 2 Broke Girls20:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon22:00 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

00:00 One In The Chamber02:00 Punisher: War Zone04:00 47 Ronin06:00 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra08:00 The Aggression Scale10:00 The Courier11:45 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra14:00 The Perfect Storm16:15 A Stranger In Paradise17:45 The Courier19:30 The Amazing Spider-Man 222:00 Android Cop

00:00 Pretty Woman02:15 How To Lose A Guy In 10Days04:15 The Love Guide06:00 Muppets Most Wanted08:00 Life With Mikey10:00 The Love Guide12:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10Days14:00 Big Fat Liar16:00 Life With Mikey18:00 You Again20:00 AmeriQua22:00 No Way Jose

00:30 The Signal-PG1502:30 Testament Of Youth-PG1504:45 Stand Off-PG1506:30 Mandela: Long Walk ToFreedom-PG1509:00 Breathe In-PG1511:00 Stand Off-PG1513:00 Testament Of Youth-PG1515:15 Little Red-PG1517:00 Breathe In-PG1519:00 A Thousand Times GoodNight-PG1521:00 The Fold-PG1523:00 American Hustle-18

01:00 Grace Of Monaco03:00 Collaborator05:00 Casanova07:00 Serial (Bad) Weddings09:00 191111:00 Casanova13:00 The Butler15:15 The Trouble With Bliss17:00 191119:00 How I Live Now21:00 Men Of Honor23:15 The Master

01:00 3 Days To Kill-PG1503:00 Hours-PG1505:00 Knight Rusty-PG07:00 The Lego Movie-PG09:00 So Undercover-PG1511:00 House Of Versace-PG1513:00 Trigger Point-PG1515:00 The 7th Dwarf-PG17:00 So Undercover-PG1518:45 The Hunger Games:Mockingjay Part I-PG1521:00 Northmen: A Viking Saga-PG1523:00 The Interview-18

01:00 Blue Elephant 202:45 The Heart Of The Oak04:30 Goat Story 206:00 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius08:00 Blackie And Kanuto10:00 Memory Loss11:30 Space Dogs13:00 The Heart Of The Oak14:30 The Adventures Of DonQuixote16:00 Top Cat: The Movie18:00 Memory Loss20:00 Krazzy Planet22:00 The Adventures Of DonQuixote23:30 Marvel’s The Invincible IronMan

00:20 Fast N’ Loud01:10 Deadliest Catch02:00 Outback Truckers02:50 Manhunt With Joel Lambert03:40 Auction Hunters04:05 Garage Gold04:30 Baggage Battles05:00 How It’s Made: Dream Cars05:30 How It’s Made06:00 Alaskan Bush People06:50 Classic Car Rescue07:40 Fast N’ Loud08:30 Auction Hunters08:55 Garage Gold09:20 Baggage Battles09:45 How It’s Made: Dream Cars10:10 How It’s Made10:35 Deadliest Catch11:25 Outback Truckers12:15 Manhunt With Joel Lambert13:05 Auction Hunters13:30 Garage Gold13:55 Baggage Battles14:20 Alaskan Bush People15:10 Classic Car Rescue16:00 Fast N’ Loud16:50 How It’s Made: Dream Cars17:15 How It’s Made17:40 Marooned With Ed Stafford18:30 Kings Of The Wild19:20 Dual Survival20:10 Garage Gold20:35 Baggage Battles21:00 Ed Stafford: Into TheUnknown21:50 Kings Of The Wild22:40 River Monsters23:30 Classic Car Rescue

00:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch01:15 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch01:40 Wolfblood02:05 Wolfblood02:30 Violetta03:15 The Hive03:20 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch03:45 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch04:10 Wolfblood04:35 Wolfblood05:00 Violetta05:45 The Hive05:50 Mouk06:00 Lolirock06:25 Hank Zipzer06:50 Girl Meets World07:15 H2O: Just Add Water07:40 Jessie08:05 Wizards Of Waverly Place08:30 Wizards Of Waverly Place08:55 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch09:20 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch09:45 Austin & Ally10:10 Austin & Ally10:35 H2O: Just Add Water11:00 H2O: Just Add Water11:25 Jessie11:50 Jessie12:20 Hank Zipzer12:45 Gravity Falls13:10 Good Luck Charlie13:35 I Didn’t Do It14:00 Dog With A Blog14:30 H2O: Just Add Water14:55 Lolirock15:20 Austin & Ally15:45 Girl Meets World16:10 Violetta17:00 The Next Step17:25 Mako Mermaids17:50 Girl Meets World18:15 Dog With A Blog18:40 Gravity Falls19:05 H2O: Just Add Water19:30 Violetta20:20 The Next Step20:45 Good Luck Charlie21:10 Good Luck Charlie21:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place22:00 Binny And The Ghost22:25 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch22:50 Sabrina: Secrets Of ATeenage Witch23:10 Wolfblood23:35 Wolfblood

03:00 Odyssey07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street10:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street12:00 Graceland23:00 Banshee

00:00 Outlaw Prophet: WarrenJeffs-1802:00 Schuks! Your Country NeedsYou-PG1503:45 The Past-PG1506:00 Mr. Peabody & Sherman-FAM08:00 Stolen Child-PG1510:00 Hellboy: Blood & Iron-PG11:30 Captain America: The WinterSoldier-PG1514:00 Brave-PG15

00:00 The E! True Hollywood Story00:55 The Grace Helbig Show01:25 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons02:20 E! News03:15 Escape Club04:10 Beyond Candid WithGiuliana05:05 Fashion Police06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians06:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 Giuliana & Bill10:15 Giuliana & Bill11:10 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills11:35 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills12:05 E! News13:05 House Of DVF14:05 Fashion Bloggers14:30 Fashion Bloggers15:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons16:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons17:00 Giuliana & Bill18:00 House Of DVF19:00 WAGs20:00 Hollywood Cycle21:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians22:00 E! News23:00 Dash Dolls

00:10 The Chase: CelebritySpecials01:05 Who’s Doing The Dishes?02:00 Emmerdale02:25 Eggheads02:55 Coronation Street03:25 Agatha Christie’s Partners InCrime04:20 The Jonathan Ross Show05:15 Take On The Twisters06:10 Who’s Doing The Dishes?07:05 Coronation Street07:30 Agatha Christie’s Partners InCrime08:25 The Jonathan Ross Show09:20 The Chase: CelebritySpecials10:15 Who’s Doing The Dishes?11:10 Ant & Dec’s Saturday NightTakeaway12:30 Take On The Twisters13:25 Emmerdale13:50 Eggheads14:20 Coronation Street14:45 The Chase: CelebritySpecials15:35 Who’s Doing The Dishes?16:30 Kate Middleton: Heir We GoAgain!17:25 Shetland18:20 Take On The Twisters19:10 Coronation Street19:35 Who’s Doing The Dishes?20:30 Kate Middleton: Heir We GoAgain!21:25 Shetland22:20 Ant & Dec’s Saturday NightTakeaway23:40 Eggheads

00:00 Better Call Saul01:00 Quantico02:00 Homeland06:00 Parenthood12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show19:00 The Voice21:00 Blood & Oil22:00 Downton Abbey23:00 Tyrant

01:30 Close Encounters01:55 Close Encounters02:20 Mythbusters03:10 How It’s Made03:35 How It’s Made04:00 NASA’s Unexplained Files04:48 NASA’s Greatest Missions05:36 Curiosity: Brainwashed06:24 Curiosity: How Will TheWorld End?07:12 What Could Possibly GoWrong?08:00 How It’s Made08:25 How It’s Made08:50 Food Factory09:15 Food Factory09:40 What Could Possibly GoWrong?10:30 Mythbusters11:20 Redesign My Brain12:10 Curiosity: How Will TheWorld End?13:00 Strangest Weather On Earth13:25 Strangest Weather On Earth13:50 NASA’s Greatest Missions14:40 NASA’s Unexplained Files15:30 How It’s Made15:55 How It’s Made16:20 Food Factory16:45 Food Factory17:10 What Could Possibly GoWrong?18:00 Mythbusters18:50 Redesign My Brain19:40 You Can’t Lick Your Elbow20:05 You Can’t Lick Your Elbow20:30 What Could Possibly GoWrong?21:20 Curiosity: How Will TheWorld End?22:10 Strangest Weather On Earth22:35 Strangest Weather On Earth23:00 You Can’t Lick Your Elbow23:25 You Can’t Lick Your Elbow23:50 What Could Possibly GoWrong?

00:00 Punisher: War Zone-1802:00 47 Ronin-PG1504:00 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra-PG1506:00 The Aggression Scale-PG1508:00 The Courier-PG1509:45 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra-PG1512:00 The Perfect Storm-PG1514:15 A Stranger In Paradise-PG1515:45 The Courier-PG1517:30 The Amazing Spider-Man 2-PG1520:00 Android Cop-PG1522:00 Kiss The Girls-PG15

12:00 Chopped13:00 Guy’s Big Bite13:30 Guy’s Big Bite14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives15:00 Guy’s Grocery Games16:00 Chopped17:00 The Kitchen18:00 The Pioneer Woman18:30 Trisha’s Southern Kitchen19:00 Chopped20:00 Guy’s Grocery Games21:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives21:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives22:00 Man Finds Food22:30 Man Finds Food23:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin23:30 Roadtrip With G. Garvin

16:00 Stolen Child-PG1517:45 Godzilla-PG1520:00 Transit-PG1522:00 Insidious: Chapter 2-PG15

03:14 Grojband03:35 Johnny Test05:05 Total Drama: Pahkitew Island05:27 Total Drama: Pahkitew Island05:50 Regular Show06:00 The Amazing World OfGumball07:00 Uncle Grandpa07:25 Adventure Time07:50 Teen Titans Go!08:35 Ninjago: Masters Of Spinjitzu09:00 Ben 10 Omniverse09:45 Regular Show10:30 Clarence10:55 Dreamworks Dragons:Riders Of Berk11:20 Total Drama: Pahkitew Island11:40 Total Drama: Pahkitew Island12:05 Johnny Test12:50 New Steven Universe13:02 Steven Universe13:15 Uncle Grandpa13:40 Regular Show14:25 Adventure Time15:10 The Amazing World OfGumball16:00 Ben 10 Omniverse16:45 Ninjago: Masters Of Spinjitzu17:10 Ninjago: Masters Of Spinjitzu17:30 Teen Titans Go!18:20 Regular Show19:05 The Amazing World OfGumball19:51 Adventure Time

20:15 New Steven Universe20:27 Steven Universe20:40 Uncle Grandpa21:00 Teen Titans Go!21:50 Ben 10 Omniverse22:40 Adventure Time00:10 Regular Show01:40 Total Drama World Tour02:03 Total Drama World Tour02:26 Total Drama World Tour02:51 Grojband

03:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones04:00 California Investigator04:25 California Investigator04:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry?05:10 Who On Earth Did I Marry?05:30 The Haunted06:20 Forensic Detectives07:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones08:00 Nightmare Next Door08:50 On The Case With PaulaZahn09:40 Fatal Encounters10:30 Murder Shift11:20 Forensic Detectives12:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones13:00 The Will13:50 I Almost Got Away With It14:40 California Investigator15:05 Nightmare Next Door15:55 Fatal Encounters16:45 On The Case With PaulaZahn17:35 Murder Shift18:25 I Almost Got Away With It19:15 Forensic Detectives20:05 True Crime With AphroditeJones20:55 California Investigator21:20 The Will22:10 Who On Earth Did I Marry?22:35 Who On Earth Did I Marry?23:00 Deadly Affairs23:50 Deadly Women00:40 Who On Earth Did I Marry?01:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry?01:30 The Haunted02:20 Ghost Lab

03:05 Calimero03:20 Zou03:30 Loopdidoo03:45 Art Attack04:10 Henry Hugglemonster04:20 Calimero04:35 Zou04:45 Loopdidoo05:00 Art Attack05:25 Henry Hugglemonster05:35 Calimero05:50 Zou06:00 Loopdidoo06:15 Art Attack06:35 Henry Hugglemonster06:50 Calimero07:00 Zou07:20 Loopdidoo07:35 Art Attack08:00 Calimero08:10 Zou08:25 Limon And Oli08:35 Jake And The Never LandPirates09:05 Sofia The First09:30 Miles From Tomorrow10:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse10:30 Doc McStuffins11:00 Sofia The First11:30 Jake And The Never LandPirates

11:55 Miles From Tomorrow12:25 Doc McStuffins12:55 Loopdidoo13:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse13:35 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West14:00 Sofia The First14:30 Henry Hugglemonster14:45 Calimero15:00 Doc McStuffins15:30 Zou15:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse16:15 Sofia The First16:45 Jake And The Never LandPirates17:10 Aladdin17:40 Adventures Of The GummiBears18:10 Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers18:40 Jake And The Never LandPirates18:55 Cars Toons19:00 Miles From Tomorrow19:30 Sofia The First19:55 Doc McStuffins20:10 Jake And The Never LandPirates21:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse21:35 Sofia The First22:00 Aladdin22:30 Adventures Of The GummiBears23:00 Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers23:30 Lilo & Stitch00:00 Nina Needs To Go00:05 Henry Hugglemonster00:20 Calimero00:35 Zou00:50 Loopdidoo01:05 Art Attack01:30 Henry Hugglemonster01:45 Calimero02:00 Zou02:15 Loopdidoo02:30 Art Attack02:55 Henry Hugglemonster

07:00 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero07:25 Supa Strikas07:50 Supa Strikas08:15 K.C Undercover08:40 Lab Rats09:10 Star vs The Forces Of Evil09:35 Kirby Buckets10:00 Kickin’ It10:30 Phineas And Ferb10:55 Rocket Monkeys11:20 Boyster11:45 Super Matrak12:10 Super Matrak12:40 Mighty Med13:05 Ultimate Spider-Man13:30 Supa Strikas14:00 Kickin’ It14:25 Pokemon: XY14:50 Phineas And Ferb15:15 Rocket Monkeys15:40 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero16:10 Star vs The Forces Of Evil16:35 Kirby Buckets17:00 Mighty Med17:25 K.C Undercover17:55 Supa Strikas18:20 Lab Rats: Bionic Island18:45 Mighty Med19:10 Phineas And Ferb19:40 Kickin’ It20:05 K.C Undercover20:30 Supa Strikas20:55 Lab Rats: Bionic Island21:25 Kirby Buckets21:50 Kickin’ It22:15 Mighty Med22:40 Phineas And Ferb23:05 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero23:30 Phineas And Ferb

03:45 The Monster Project04:40 Ultimate Animal Countdown05:35 I, Predator06:30 Dangerous Encounters07:25 The Monster Project08:20 Incredible! The Story Of Dr.Pol09:15 Unlikely Animal Friends10:10 Expedition Wild11:05 Swamp Men12:00 When Sharks Attack12:55 The Pack13:50 Dangerous Encounters14:45 Predator CSI15:40 The Incredible Dr. Pol16:35 Unlikely Animal Friends17:30 Expedition Wild18:25 Swamp Men19:20 Predator CSI20:10 The Incredible Dr. Pol21:00 Unlikely Animal Friends21:50 Expedition Wild22:40 Swamp Men23:30 When Sharks Attack00:20 The Pack01:10 Dangerous Encounters02:00 Shark Kill Zone02:50 World’s Deadliest Killer Three

03:15 Sister Wives03:40 The Undateables04:30 Jon & Kate Plus 805:00 Little People, Big World05:30 Cake Boss06:00 Say Yes To The Dress06:25 Bakery Boss07:15 Toddlers & Tiaras08:05 Perfect Look08:55 Our Little Family09:20 Our Little Family09:45 Jon & Kate Plus 810:10 Little People, Big World10:35 Sister Wives11:00 Sister Wives11:25 Cake Boss11:50 Perfect Look12:40 Bakery Boss13:30 Oprah’s Master Class14:20 Oprah’s Master Class15:10 Jon & Kate Plus 815:35 Little People, Big World16:00 Toddlers & Tiaras16:50 Sister Wives17:15 Sister Wives17:40 Cake Boss18:05 Say Yes To The Dress18:30 The Undateables19:20 Say Yes To The Dress:Randy Knows Best19:45 Say Yes To The Dress:Randy Knows Best20:10 Bakery Boss21:00 Diagnose Me21:50 Living Without Arms: BodyBizarre22:40 Psychic Matchmaker23:05 Mob Wives23:55 Diagnose Me00:45 Living Without Arms: BodyBizarre01:35 Psychic Matchmaker02:00 Mob Wives02:50 Sister Wives

00:00 Programmes Start At 7:00amKSA

p32_Layout 1 11/14/15 9:03 PM Page 1

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Fajr: 04:49

Shorook 06:11

Duhr: 11:32

Asr: 14:32

Maghrib: 16:54

Isha: 18:13

Kuwait

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Sunday 15/11/2015Airlines Flt Route Time

MSC 405 Sohag 00:05NIA 251 Alexandria 00:15JZR 239 Amman 00:25JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40FDB 069 Dubai 00:55RJA 642 Amman 01:05THY 772 Istanbul 01:05MSR 614 Cairo 01:20ETH 3402 Addis Ababa/Riyadh 01:30DLH 635 Doha 01:35ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45PGT 858 Istanbul 02:00JZR 555 Alexandria 02:25UAE 853 Dubai 02:30GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30OMA 643 Muscat 02:55FDB 067 Dubai 03:05MSR 612 Cairo 03:10CEB 7694 Manila 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:15KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20THY 1464 Istanbul 03:25ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:25KAC 544 Cairo 03:35LMU 510 Cairo 04:05DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40THY 770 Istanbul 05:55THY 764 Istanbul 05:55FDB 5061 Dubai 06:30BAW 157 London 06:40QTR 8516 Doha 07:10KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:20QTR 1086 Doha 07:40FDB 053 Dubai 07:45KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50SVA 512 Riyadh 07:50KAC 382 Delhi 08:00OMA 641 Muscat 08:00KAC 354 BLR 08:15KAC 352 Kochi 08:20KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25KAC 346 Ahmedabad 08:30UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:50KAC 362 Colombo 09:00ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00KAC 284 Dhaka 09:10ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20QTR 1070 Doha 09:25FDB 055 Dubai 09:40IRA 665 Shiraz 09:40IRC 528 Ahwaz 10:00IRC 6507 Shiraz 10:30GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40UAE 873 Dubai 11:05SYR 341 Damascus 11:25JZR 165 Dubai 11:30AGY 682 Asyut 11:40MEA 404 Beirut 11:55SAW 701 Damascus 12:20FDB 075 Dubai 12:25JZR 561 Sohag 12:45

UAE 871 Dubai 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00FDB 057 Dubai 14:10QTR 1078 Doha 14:10AXB 393 Kozhikode 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KNE 472 Jeddah 14:35KAC 672 Dubai 14:45KAC 788 Jeddah 14:50GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00OMA 645 Muscat 15:30KAC 562 Amman 15:40ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45UAE 857 Dubai 15:45QTR 1072 Doha 16:10JZR 787 Riyadh 16:25FDB 051 Dubai 16:30ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:40KAC 542 Cairo 16:55RJA 640 Amman 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15KAC 502 Beirut 17:30GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30KAC 678 Muscat/Abu Dhabi 17:50JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55UAE 875 Dubai 18:00FDB 063 Dubai 18:05KAC 791 Madinah 18:10UAL 982 IAD 18:15JZR 177 Dubai 18:20KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30ABY 123 Sharjah 18:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:55KAC 742 Dammam 19:05KAC 774 Riyadh 19:25KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:30GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 618 Doha 19:35JZR 483 Istanbul 19:35KAC 674 Dubai 19:45KAC 102 New York/London 19:55OMA 647 Muscat 20:20FDB 061 Dubai 20:20MSR 606 Luxor 20:45FDB 5053 Dubai 20:50JAI 572 Mumbai 20:55DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:55MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:20ALK 229 Colombo 21:25UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1082 Doha 22:00JZR 125 Bahrain 22:00KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:05AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:25FDB 059 Dubai 22:30KAC 172 Frankfurt 22:35JZR 239 Amman 23:05JZR 185 Dubai 23:15UAL 981 Bahrain 23:25PIA 205 Lahore 23:40FDB 071 Dubai 23:45JAI 574 Mumbai 23:55

Departure Flights on Sunday 15/11/2015Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 988 Hyderabad/Chennai 00:05OMA 648 Muscat 00:05JAD 302 Amman 00:15FDB 072 Dubai 00:40JAI 573 Mumbai 00:55MSC 404 Asyut 00:55MSC 406 Sohag 01:00UAL 981 IAD 01:10NIA 152 Cairo 01:15MSR 615 Cairo 02:20THY 773 Istanbul 02:30DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:35ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45ETH 3403 Addis Ababa 03:05UAE 854 Dubai 03:45PGT 859 Istanbul 03:55OMA 644 Muscat 03:55FDB 068 Dubai 04:00MSR 613 Cairo 04:10ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:15KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:20QTR 1077 Doha 05:00LMU 511 Cairo 05:05THY 765 Istanbul 05:15CEB 7695 Manila 05:20JZR 560 Sohag 06:10FDB 070 Dubai 06:30THY 1465 Istanbul 06:55JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05THY 771 Istanbul 07:05FDB 5062 Dubai 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15FDB 054 Dubai 08:30QTR 8517 Sialkot/Doha 08:40QTR 1087 Doha 08:40BAW 156 London 08:45SVA 513 Riyadh 08:50OMA 642 Muscat 08:55KAC 171 Frankfurt 09:05KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 541 Cairo 09:55KAC 117 New York 09:55KAC 561 Amman 10:00KAC 501 Beirut 10:00KAC 671 Dubai 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:25FDB 056 Dubai 10:35JZR 482 Istanbul 10:35IRA 664 Shiraz 10:40KAC 677 Abu Dhabi/Muscat 10:50QTR 1071 Doha 11:00IRC 529 Ahwaz 11:00GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25IRC 6508 Shiraz 11:30JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20SYR 342 Damascus 12:25KAC 103 London 12:25UAE 874 Dubai 12:30AGY 683 Alexandria 12:40

MEA 405 Beirut 12:55KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00FDB 076 Dubai 13:10JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10KAC 792 Madinah 13:25SAW 702 Damascus 13:35JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15KAC 673 Dubai 15:00QTR 1079 Doha 15:10FDB 058 Dubai 15:10AXB 394 Kozhikode 15:20KNE 473 Jeddah 15:35SVA 503 Madinah/Jeddah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45KAC 617 Doha 15:45KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50KAC 741 Dammam 15:55ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25OMA 646 Muscat 16:30JZR 266 Beirut 17:05ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:30JZR 238 Amman 17:30FDB 052 Dubai 17:35QTR 1073 Doha 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45JZR 538 Cairo 17:45RJA 641 Amman 17:55SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:40JZR 124 Bahrain 19:10FDB 064 Dubai 19:20ABY 124 Sharjah 19:25UAE 876 Dubai 19:30UAL 982 Bahrain 19:30GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 283 Dhaka 20:35KAC 361 Colombo 20:45QTR 1081 Doha 20:50KAC 351 Kochi 20:55FDB 062 Dubai 21:20OMA 648 Muscat 21:20MSR 619 Alexandria 21:45DLH 634 Doha 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50FDB 5054 Dubai 21:50JAI 571 Mumbai 21:55KAC 381 Delhi 22:00JZR 502 Luxor 22:00ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:10KAC 301 Mumbai 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:25GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30UAE 860 Dubai 22:55QTR 1083 Doha 23:05KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:05KAC 205 Islamabad 23:10ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:15FDB 060 Dubai 23:35KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:35KAC 415 Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta 23:40

SHARQIA-1ATOMIC EDEN 12:15 PMATOMIC EDEN 2:15 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 4:00 PMATOMIC EDEN 6:00 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 8:00 PMATOMIC EDEN 10:00 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-2SPECTRE 12:30 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 1:30 PMSPECTRE 3:30 PMSPECTRE 6:30 PMSPECTRE 9:30 PMSPECTRE 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3GOOSEBUMPS 11:45 AMSPECTRE 2:00 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 5:00 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 8:15 PMSPECTRE 11:30 PM

MUHALAB-1ATOMIC EDEN 12:45 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 2:45 PMATOMIC EDEN 4:45 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 6:45 PMATOMIC EDEN 8:45 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 10:45 PMATOMIC EDEN 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-2PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 1:00 PMSPECTRE 1:30 PMAKHIL 4:15 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 4:15 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 7:30 PMSPECTRE 11:00 PM

MUHALAB-3SPECTRE 12:00 PMSPECTRE 3:00 PMSPECTRE 6:00 PMSPECTRE 9:00 PMSPECTRE 12:05 AM

FANAR-1STEVE JOBS 12:45 PMATOMIC EDEN 1:30 PMSTEVE JOBS 3:15 PMATOMIC EDEN 5:45 PMSTEVE JOBS 7:45 PMATOMIC EDEN 10:15 PMATOMIC EDEN 12:15 AM

FANAR-2BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 12:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 2:30 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 4:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 6:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 8:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 10:30 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 12:30 AM

FANAR-3PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 11:45 AMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 3:00 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 6:15 PM

PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 9:30 PMPARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION12:45 AM

FANAR-4SPECTRE 12:30 PMPARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION1:30 PMSPECTRE 3:30 PMSPECTRE 6:30 PMSPECTRE 9:30 PMSPECTRE 12:30 AM

FANAR-5SPECTRE 11:30 AMSPECTRE 2:30 PMSPECTRE 5:30 PMAKHIL 6:00 PMSPECTRE 8:30 PMEVERYDAY I LOVE YOU 8:30 PMSPECTRE 11:30 PM

MARINA-1UNCONSCIOUS 12:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 2:30 PMUNCONSCIOUS 4:30 PMUNCONSCIOUS 6:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 8:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 10:30 PMUNCONSCIOUS 12:30 AM

MARINA-2SPECTRE 12:00 PMSPECTRE 3:00 PMSPECTRE 6:00 PMSPECTRE 9:00 PMSPECTRE 12:05 AM

MARINA-3ATOMIC EDEN 12:15 PMATOMIC EDEN 2:00 PMATOMIC EDEN 4:00 PMATOMIC EDEN 6:00 PMATOMIC EDEN 8:00 PMSPECTRE 10:00 PMATOMIC EDEN 1:00 AM

AVENUES-1STEVE JOBS 12:15 PMSTEVE JOBS 2:45 PMSTEVE JOBS 5:15 PMSTEVE JOBS 7:45 PMSTEVE JOBS 10:15 PMSTEVE JOBS 12:45 AM

AVENUES-2PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 1:00 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 4:15 PMVEDHALAM 6:15 PMEYAL HAREEFA 9:15 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 11:30 PM

AVENUES-3ARBA’A KOTCHINA 12:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 2:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 4:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 6:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 8:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 10:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 12:30 AM

AVENUES-4SPECTRE 1:15 PMATOMIC EDEN 2:00 PMSPECTRE 4:15 PMSPECTRE 7:15 PMNO THUSPECTRE 7:15 PMSPECTRE 10:15 PMATOMIC EDEN 1:15 AM

AVENUES-5UNCONSCIOUS 12:00 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 2:00 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 5:15 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 8:30 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 11:45 PM

AVENUES-6ATOMIC EDEN 11:30 AMATOMIC EDEN 1:30 PMATOMIC EDEN 3:30 PMATOMIC EDEN 5:30 PMATOMIC EDEN 7:30 PMATOMIC EDEN 9:30 PMATOMIC EDEN 11:30 PM

AVENUES-7BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 1:30 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 3:45 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 6:00 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 8:15 PMEVERYDAY I LOVE YOU 8:00 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 10:30 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 12:45 AM

360º- 1GOOSEBUMPS 11:30 AMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 1:45 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 5:00 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 8:15 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 11:30 PM

36º- 2ARBA’A KOTCHINA 11:30 AMARBA’A KOTCHINA 1:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 3:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 5:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 7:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 9:30 PMARBA’A KOTCHINA 11:30 PM

360º- 3PREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 12:00 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 3:15 PMHOTEL TRANSYLVANIA2 5:15 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 7:15 PMPREM RATAN DHAN PAYO 10:30 PM

AL-KOUT.1SPECTRE 12:15 PMSPECTRE 3:15 PMSPECTRE 6:15 PMSPECTRE 9:15 PMSPECTRE 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.2BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 12:00 PMUNCONSCIOUS 2:45 PMBLUNT FORCE TRAUMA 4:45 PMUNCONSCIOUS 6:45 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TOWEDNESDAY (12/10/2015 TO 18/11/2015)

Prayer timings

MATRIMONIAL

CHANGE OF NAME

FOR SALE

I, NAGOOR GANI AHAMADSALIH, S/o Thiru. NagoorGani, Muslim, born on 21stApril 1960, Passport No.J5551958 (native district:Thanjavur), residing at No.158, Kandiyan Street,Chakkarapalli Post,Papanasam Taluk,Thanjavur Dist - 614211,shall henceforth be knownas N. MOHAMED SALIH S/oNagoor Gani Ahmad Salih.(C 5073)15-11-2015

I, Abdul Rasheed UsmanWalile changed to newname as Rasheed UsmanWalile, Indian Passport No.G5617919, VPO Rajawadi TK.Mahad, Raigad DT. MS.(C 5071)14-11-2015

I, Rakesh holder of IndianPassport No. Z1172230, S/oPravin Chandra Ratilal, R/o ofFlat No. 501, P, VardhamanNagar Mulund, (W),Mumbai, have changed myname from Rakesh to RakeshPravin Chandra Ratilal. (C5069)9-11-2015

Seeking for MarthomanGroom, Alliance invited forKerala Marthoman familyfor their daughter, 26 years,165 cm, Bsc Nurse, MOHKuwait, from Marthomanboys from Kuwait orWestern countries andEurope age limit 28 to 31years, Btech, MBA etc, fromGod fearing family. Contact

Furniture for Sale 3 split AC(General) bedroom sofabed, 2 chairs (IKEA) diningtable +5 chairs beufet 3 pcs2 level bed. Call: 22629161 /99642993. (C 5070)10-11-2015

email:[email protected](C 5074)15-11-2015


You might assume that working hard today will enable you to complete every-thing expected of you. However, a creative aspect between the Sun and ingen-ious Uranus can ignite distracting fireworks. An unexpected series of eventscould suddenly transform your day into a temporary obstacle course.Nevertheless, don’t blame your troubles on anyone else; how you handle yourresponsibilities is ultimately your call. The cosmos is testing your resiliency sothere’s little to do but laugh.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

There are too many alternatives to choose from today as you contemplate whereyou want to go next. But your resources are limited by the current circum-stances, forcing you to be clever enough to find the best route to your goals.Whether you lack money or time, don’t pilfer your energy by micromanaging thedetails of every contingency. Narrow the field of options prior to fine-tuningyour plan. Nevertheless, leaving room for the element of surprise may make allthe difference in the world.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

It’s growing more apparent that you can’t do every single thing youset your heart on, even if you’re ready to give it your all. Unfortunately, burningyour candle at both ends will exhaust you without any guarantee that you willaccomplish your goals. Try a totally different tactic now by employing self-disci-pline right from the start. Paring back your activities will make you more produc-tive in the long run. Remember, a laser-like approach is better than a scatteredone.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Being sensitive to the needs of others is one of your most admirable traits, butit’s unhealthy if your happiness is totally dependent on someone else’s feelings.The problem with placing the sole determinant of your emotional well-being inother people’s hands is that you can’t take responsibility for their shiftingmoods. Fortunately, you can have a positive impact on a situation by changingyour priorities. Remember, nurturing those you love begins with taking care ofyourself.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Although this should be a day of rest, you’re already worried about tomorrow.You’re acutely aware of the increasing emotional tension that exists between youand your workmates. Unfortunately, you may not know how to navigate thesedicey dynamics. You might mistakenly believe you can change your behaviorwithout addressing your true feelings. Nevertheless, you will only fuel additionalconflict today by pretending that everything is okay. There’s no question about it:if you want things to improve, radical honesty is your only viable option.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Thankfully, the intensity level at home seems to be more manageable today,yet you’re still not convinced that everything is truly returning back to nor-mal. To the contrary, you might be wondering if anything in your life will everbe the same. Luckily, you don’t need to take major action now. Although thisis a stressful period, maintaining a positive outlook on current events has adirect impact on the future. You must first visualize greatness if you are toachieve it.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

You may create an unnecessary crisis by attempting to squeeze one too manyactivities into your busy schedule today. There’s so much to do that you can’tpossibly feel satisfied by the amount you manage to accomplish while the ambi-tious Capricorn Moon visits your 4th House of Family. Unfortunately, your stresslevel won’t likely prevent you from attempting the impossible. Nevertheless, thesooner you simplify your life, the more time you’ll have available for the onesyou love.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Perhaps you recently missed a chance to share what’s on your mind with yourfriends. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity is starting to close, so youmust get the conversational ball rolling as quickly as possible today. You mightwant to wait for the perfect moment to declare your truth, but the time for con-templation is over. Anything that currently remains unsaid may be banished intothe shadows for an indeterminate amount of time. Speak now or forever holdyour piece.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You must be serious-minded about your current commitmentsand you expect others to respect your no-nonsense attitude. However, youstill may be unable to concentrate on your pressing obligations due to yourwandering imagination. Saying all the right words is easy; however, it’squite another thing to put them into action. Good intentions won’t takeyou as far as you want to go today; you have to walk your talk to be recog-nized.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

You might claim you’re not obsessed with getting ahead now, but the dynamicsof a relationship are changing and you want to make the most of the situation.It’s tempting to ignore the immediate pressure, but the current emotional insta-bility may be just the catalyst you need to propel you into your next develop-mental phase. However, it’s not just about seizing an irresistible opportunity; thereal potential comes from reconnecting with your heart’s desires. Happily, outerprogress becomes less problematic once you’re in touch with your soul.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Your confidence wanes as the day wears on, and you might have secondthoughts about attending a social event later this evening. But retreating for ashort while prior to your night out enables you to emerge physically revitalizedand emotionally refreshed, ready to fight off unnecessary change. Don’t beafraid of expressing your own power now, even if you think that you should waitfor a better time to act. Just remember to choose your battles wisely when yourintegrity is at stake.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Floating through the day by doing as little as possible sounds like a recipe forfun, but you won’t likely get away with this lovely plan of escape now. Althoughyou might linger over the breakfast table, you may retrospectively wish that youworked harder in the morning. You can’t accept a surprise invitation later in theday if you’re not finished with your chores. Thankfully, unexpected pleasurescould be yours if you fulfill your responsibilities in a timely manner. Finding ahealthy balance between work and play sets you up for success.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 1080

ACROSS1. An intricate network suggesting some-

thing that was formed by weaving orinterweaving.

4. Low stingless nettle of Central and SouthAmerica having velvety brownish-greentoothed leaves and clusters of small greenflowers.

12. Inquire about.15. A federal agency established to coordi-

nate programs aimed at reducing pollu-tion and protecting the environment.

16. Lacking gonads.17. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which

the pilot is talked down by ground controlusing precision approach radar.

18. A piece of furniture that provides a placeto sleep.

19. A region of central Spain.20. Thigh of a hog (usually smoked).21. An area of sand sloping down to the

water of a sea or lake.23. Infections of the skin or nails caused by

fungi and appearing as itching circularpatches.

25. A cardinal number represented as 1 fol-lowed by 100 zeros (ten raised to thepower of a hundred).

27. Nocturnal mouselike mammal with fore-limbs modified to form membranouswings and anatomical adaptations forecholocation by which they navigate.

29. A port and fashionable resort city onsouthern Mexico's Pacific coast.

35. An intensely radioactive metallic elementthat occurs in minute amounts in urani-um ores.

36. The United Nations agency concernedwith the interests of labor.

37. A unit of force equal to the force exertedby gravity.

38. Fear resulting from the awareness of dan-ger.

39. The doctrine or belief that there is no God.42. Fish-eating bird of warm inland waters

having a long flexible neck and slendersharp-pointed bill.

43. A small ball with a hole through the mid-dle.

44. A region of Malaysia in northeasternBorneo.

47. A member of western Finnish people for-merly living in the Baltic province whereSaint Petersburg was built.

48. Antibacterial drug (trade name Nydrazid)used to treat tuberculosis.

49. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in amosque.

51. Used of a single unit or thing.52. Of or relating to a canton.55. Thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of

the lateral columns and anterior horns ofthe spinal cord.

58. (astronomy) A measure of time definedby Earth's orbital motion.

59. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.

62. Type genus of the Salmonidae.67. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of

the Old World.70. A military trainee (as at a military acade-

my).71. United States physicist who isolated the

electron and measured its charge (1868-1953).

73. The inner and longer of the two bones ofthe human forearm.

76. Clean or orderly.77. A training program to prepare college stu-

dents to be commissioned officers.78. A narrow zigzag ribbon used as trimming.79. A river in north central Switzerland that

runs northeast into the Rhine.

DOWN1. English writer and a central member of

the Fabian Society (1858-1943).2. A fencing sword similar to a foil but with a

heavier blade.3. A member of an agricultural people of

southern India.4. Small East Indian shrubby mint.5. Title for a civil or military leader (especially

in Turkey).6. Found in moist places as rounded jellylike

colonies.7. The number of which a given number is

the logarithm.8. Most important element.9. Not in action or at work.10. West Indian tree having racemes of fra-

grant white flowers and yielding adurable timber and resinous juice.

11. A flat wing-shaped process or winglikepart of an organism.

12. Title for a civil or military leader (especiallyin Turkey).

13. Someone who works (or provides work-ers) during a strike.

14. God of love and erotic desire.22. Derived by copying something else.24. Russian Soviet leader.26. Blood-sucking African fly.28. A genus of Indriidae.30. A chain of connected ideas or passages or

objects so arranged that each member isclosely related to the preceding and fol-lowing members (especially a series ofpatristic comments elucidating Christiandogma).

31. Not only so, but.32. A large heavy knife used in Central and

South America as a weapon or for cuttingvegetation.

33. Lustrous gray.34. A hostel for pilgrims in Turkey.40. German chemist who was co-discoverer

with Lise Meitner of nuclear fission (1879-1968).

41. Informal terms for a mother.45. (Norse mythology) God of light and peace

and noted for his beauty and sweetnature.

46. Before noon.50. A compartment in front of a motor vehi-

cle where driver sits.53. An alloy of copper and zinc (and some-

times arsenic) used to imitate gold incheap jewelry and for gilding.

54. A slender double-reed instrument.56. (archaic or Scottish) Faithful and true.57. Small low-growing annual or perennial

herbs of temperate and cool regions.60. A board with the alphabet on it.61. Australian shrubs and small trees with

evergreen usually spiny leaves and denseclusters of showy flowers.

63. (prefix) Indicating difference or variation.64. A period of 40 weekdays from Ash

Wednesday to Holy Saturday.65. A form of magnetic resonance imaging of

the brain that registers blood flow to func-tioning areas of the brain.

66. An independent ruler or chieftain (espe-cially in Africa or Arabia).

68. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that wasformed by an explosion.

69. (prefix) In front of or before in space.72. Resinlike substance secreted by certain

lac insects.74. A soft silver-white or yellowish metallic

element of the alkali metal group.75. Date used in reckoning dates before the

supposed year Christ was born.

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inf or m at ionSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

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General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

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

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

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 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

Dermatology

Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University 23845955

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

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

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

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

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 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

[email protected]

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

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The ‘Beautiful’ hitmaker is pleased herfellow ‘Voice USA’ coaches have foundhappiness together following their

recent divorces and has urged them to “tuneout the bulls**t”. She said: “My ultimateadvice is to be happy. Find happiness whereyou can and tune out the bulls**t. It’s hardfor anybody, no matter on what scale orwhich way you twist it. It’s a hard time. Andthen to be under a microscope at thesame time, I feel for both of themand their situation. More power tothem.” The 34-year-old singer alsopraised the ‘What You Waiting For’hitmaker’s parental skills and isglad her split from Gavin Rossdalehas turned into somethingpositive. She told PEOPLEmagazine: “[Gwen]’s agreat mom to herboys. I just thinkeverybodydeserves happi-ness and some-times the endof somethingmeans some-thing great is

going to happen.”Meanwhile, Christina recently admitted sheis glad the pair have found each other as sheknows how painful divorces can be from per-sonal experience. She shared: “I do knowfrom my own personal experience how diffi-

cult divorce can be. I knowfirst-hand what that’s

like, so good for them.Whatever makes

them happy - theydeserve it. Life ishard enough,

right?”

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015l if e st yle

G o s s i p

The ‘Maleficent’ actress worked alongside her husbandon drama ‘By The Sea’ and whilst she admits there aredays when they “drive each other absolutely mad”,

they are as strong as ever. She said: “ The film says,‘Whatever you go through, weather the storm and sticktogether’. Brad and I have fights and problems like any oth-er couple. “We have days when we drive each otherabsolutely mad and want space. So it was kind of a mes-sage to each other that we are going to weather whatevercomes and stick together.” But the 40-year-old actressadmits the film could have been a “disaster” for their mar-riage if they had just got together. She told the Daily Mirror

newspaper: “There were a few days when we thought thiswasn’t the best idea. There were days when we were reallyworried and it was hard. If we had married and were juststarting a relationship it would have been a disaster, butbecause we have been together so long we wanted to seehow far we could push our relationship and our love andsee if we could work together under very intense circum-stances and with very complex issues and see if it wouldmake us better. At the end, we came out of it thinking, ‘Thiswas the best honeymoon.’”

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pittwill always ‘stick together’

Dwayne Johnsonsays being a father

is ‘greatest job’he’s ever had

The ‘Furious 7’ hitmaker - who has 14-year-old daugh-ter Simone with his ex-wife Dany Garcia - insists thereis nothing he wouldn’t do for his little girl. He shared:

“I realised being a father is the greatest job I have ever hadand the greatest job I will ever have. I always wanted to bea great dad. I always wanted to give Simone things that Ifelt I never got. I said to her, ‘I will always, always take careof you, for the rest of your life. You are safe.’ Throughout theyears, throughout the ups and downs, I’ve realised that themost important thing that I could do with my daughter islead our life with love. Not success, not fame, not anythingelse but, ‘I’m always here for you. I love you.’” The 43-year-old actor recalled a particularly special moment when heasked his daughter what she loved most about their rela-tionship and she gave him a beautiful response. Speakingon an episode Oprah’s Master Class, he added: “There was atime where I said, ‘Do me a favour: I want you to tell mewhat is the thing that you love most about our relation-ship.’ And she said, ‘Well, that I trust you.’ And for a 13-year-old girl to say that to her dad, considering where I was at13, the instability I had. She said, ‘Well, that I trust you andthat we have a very special bond,’ that moved me. And so,you know, at 13, she’s saying that and I couldn’t ask for any-thing else.”

The 47-year-old singer may be 20 years older than her actor beau JoshuaSasse, 27, but she believes they’re the perfect pair and he makes herfeel uplifted and positive about life. Speaking on Australia’s ‘The

Project,’ she said: “I think the general consensus is, we kind of lookright together. “So even though on paper it might not look right,

it just is right. He is an absolutely brilliant, brilliant guy. “Andeven if I try and act cool and natural, it’s written all over myface that I am very happy.” The pair sparked speculation theywere dating last month when they uploaded a series of snapsonto their individual Instagram accounts and, after many

weeks of tongue wagging, Kylie has now confirmed theirrelationship status. The ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ hitmakerrecently revealed their romance kicked off after they meton the set of his television show ‘Galavant’ and she was inawe of his incredible talent. She said: “He’s amazing in it[the show]. It’s such a fun show. There are so many gueststars on the show and I was one of them so yes, that’s

where we met.”

Kylie Minogue ‘veryhappy’ with her

new toyboy lover

Christina Aguilera ‘feels’ forBlake Shelton and Gwen Stefani

Kourtney Kardashianis ‘starting to trust’

Scott Disick a bit moreThe ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ beauty - who split from her

partner earlier this year after nearly a decade together - is report-edly pleased her former flame is making good progress in rehab

and focusing on their three children, Mason, five, Penelope, three andReign, 10 months. A source told PEOPLE magazine: “Scott is doing welland seems very happy. He is committed to staying sober. He is happy toget his life back in order and is focused on being the best dad for thekids. “Kourtney is very pleased that Scott is doing so well. She is happythat he is finally focused on his sobriety. She likes that he is really mak-ing an effort when it comes to the kids. She is starting to trust himmore, but there are no talks of getting back together yet.” Meanwhile,the 36-year-old television personality previously took her children tosee their father in rehab where they enjoyed some birdwatching withthe 32-year-old model. An insider shared: “Scott was really happy to seethe kids and was very loving with them. He visited with them inside forawhile and then took them outside to admire the view from the bal-cony. “Kourtney stood back and let Scott do his thing with the kids. Butshe seemed to be on decent terms with Scott and they were chattingfrom time to time.”

The ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’star, who has gained 52 lbs, hasadmitted the past eight months have

been horrific but she feels “blessed” to beexpecting her second child with her hus-band Kanye West after struggling to fallpregnant following the birth of theirdaughter North two years ago. Speaking toE! News, she said: “I just don’t think preg-nancy and me really agree with each other.“You know, it was really hard for me to getpregnant so I do feel really blessed that Iam pregnant and, at the end of the day, it isa million times worth it. I’m really not com-plaining, I’m just being honest and beinghonest about [it]. I hate it. I’m not going tosit here and lie and act like it’s the most

blissful experience. It’s awful.” Meanwhile,the 35-year-old beauty recently said shewas anxious about giving birth to her baby,believed to be a boy, next month becausehe already weighs 7 lbs. She said earlier thisweek: “He’s [the weight of ] a REALLY heavypineapple, LOL! [I have] Anxiety, knowingmy baby is so big and I’m gaining a lot ofweight. My doctor wants me to manage itbetter, but it’s hard to! I have gained morethan I did the first pregnancy. I’m up 52pounds so far, with six weeks to go. Northwas just four pounds, so this is new to me.This baby is already seven pounds (sic).”

Kim Kardashian West says herpregnancy has been ‘awful’

The Formula 1 driver, 30, has claimedhe lost control of his £1.5 millionPagani Zonda and smashed into

three stationary vehicles in Monte Carlo inthe early hours of Tuesday morningbecause he was tired and “run down”. Hesaid: “It was a result of heavy partying andnot much rest for a week and a half. I am abit run down. I have been non-stop andtrying to fit training in at the same timeand not getting a lot of sleep.” The hand-some star, who was breathalysed at thescene but the resultscame back nega-tive, tookto his

Instagram immediately after the crash toset the record straight. He wrote: “Whilstultimately, it is nobody’s business, there arepeople knowing my position that will try totake advantage of the situation and make aquick buck. Nobody was hurt, which is themost important thing. But the car wasobviously damaged and I made very lightcontact with a stationary vehicle. Talkingwith the team and my doctor, we decidedtogether that it was best for me to rest athome and leave a day later.” Meanwhile, thesmash-up comes five years after Lewis wasslapped with a £300 fine for driving reck-lessly in Melbourne. Three years before

that, the athlete was also dished out adriving ban and handed a £430 fine for

speeding in France. His plushMercedes CLK, which he was driv-

ing at 123mph, was impoundedimmediately by the French

authorities.

The ‘Miss You Already’ star has been marriedto Will Kopelman for three years and insistsshe is happy to change herself “for the bet-

ter” for the sake of her marriage. She told UsWeekly magazine: “I think a good place to start iswhen a significant other points things out that aretough for them and they are things that you’rewilling to change in your life. “If you really said,‘Why am I fighting for this?’ Start with those. Myhusband used to tell me, ‘I hate that we’re alwaysracing to the airport. It’s like an anxiety attack.’And I thought, ‘Yeah, why am I fighting for that?’ Idon’t like anxiety, so now I pack the night before.“My husband and I compromise on a lot of thingslike that, it’s the little things that you can change

that can make the relationship stronger.Compromise is about changing yourself forthe better, it ’s an opportunity for you tobecome a more functional, better person.” The40-year-old beauty also praised Will and hertwo daughters, Frankie, nineteen monthsand Olive, three. She added: “That’s thebalance of life. The agony and theecstasy - that’s the seesaw we’re all on.“They’re all great, my kids are so amaz-ing, my husband is great. The kids aremy whole world, my universe, myeverything.”


G o s s i p

l if e st yle

Drew Barrymoresays compromise is key to successful relationship

Khloe Kardashianis glad she

has ‘supportive’boyfriend

The ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ star ishappy her boyfriend James Harden is sounderstanding of her need to call off the

divorce from her estranged husband Lamar Odomas she looks after the basketball star following hishospitalisation. She said: “Well I’m there helping himand I love him and I’ve always loved him. And thatwill never change and I just feel like it’s a reallyinsensitive thing to fast forward a divorce. But I lovehim and I always will and he’s a fantastic person whodeserves support and love and for someone to be byhis side and for me I’m that to him. “And thank God Ihave a fantastic family who loves me and loves himjust as much. And they’re so supportive and they’rewith me and I have a great boyfriend [James Harden]who’s understanding.” And whilst the 31-year-old tel-evision personality admits it is a “unique” relation-ship, she insists it is very simple on the inside. Shetold The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday’s show:“It’s definitely a very unique situation, to say theleast. Yeah he’s fine with it. I mean we have to com-municate a lot. And he’s really supportive and great.“I think the press and everything they make it morecomplicated. I think inside our circle we know exact-ly what’s going on and I feel sometimes it’s crazythat I, yes we live so much of our life in public, butthat I have to explain every step when that’s kind offrustrating.”

The ‘Boyhood’ actress - whowon an Oscar for her portrayalof Olivia Evans in the coming-

of-age film - admits she based hercharacter on her own experiencesbringing up her son Enzo, now 26.She said: “I was a single mom when Iwas 20, and there were times whereI didn’t know if I could buy him dia-pers and could buy food. “I knewwhat that was like. I was winningthat award for a character [in‘Boyhood’] who predominantlyraised her two kids and had to movethem time and time again and putherself through school and be theprimary breadwinner, and how wasshe going to do all that?”. The 47-year-old actress - who also hasdaughter Harlow, 12 - opened upabout the importance of womenbeing regarded as equals to their

male counterparts. She told HuffPost Live!: “The demographicschanged in America. We have only30 percent of families living in thetraditional ‘dad is the breadwin-ner, mom stays home’ model.“[But] right now, we have 66million women and childrenliving in poverty. Half ofthose ... would not beliving in poverty iftheir moms werepaid a full dollar [toa man’s dollar]. Sothe number onething we could at thismoment for child poverty... is to make sure their momsget paid a full dollar.”

Patricia Arquette struggled as

single motherin her 20s

The One Direction singer, 23, who is expecting his first childwith stylist Briana Jungwirth, revealed during a game of ‘IHave Never’ on the ‘Jonathan Ross Show’ that he is a member

of the mile high club after getting frisky in the sky. According tothe Daily Mirror newspaper, he isn’t the only member of the popu-lar boy band to have performed an explicit act on board an air-borne aircraft either as his band mate Liam Payne, 22, claimed hehas in the past as well. However, Niall Horan, 22, admitted duringthe interview recording that he is yet to check that off his bucketlist, while Harry Styles, 21, remained bizarrely tight-lipped through-out. Meanwhile, the ‘Little Things’ hitmakers recently revealed theyare taking an extended break from the limelight next year follow-ing the departure of their bandmate Zayn Malik. However, what

was initially believed to be a one-year break has now turned out tobe two years. Liam said: “Obviously we’re all going to take a breakfor a bit first and then consider where we are in the world. Then Ijust want to write songs. That’s been the most fun process out ofthis, except for touring, the writing of the songs. We’re going tocome back, so there’s something to write for as well, for us and forother people. We haven’t really had time to write an album.Writing’s not really a job, it’s so much fun. We’ve always had to rushit, so it’s going to be nice for the next two years - I’m going to writea few songs and see what happens.”

Louis Tomlinson gets frisky on a plane

Lewis Hamilton believes‘heavy partying’ to blamefor car crash in Monaco

The 29-year-old singer was so nervousabout making her acting debut in thetelevision series that she was sick on

her way to set and later handed it to cre-ator Ryan Murphy. Speaking toNews.com.au, she said: “I threw up on theway in a Ziploc bag in my Rolls Royce, and Isaved it and brought it for Ryan Murphy.Ryan was like, ‘Oh you think you can dis-gust me? You can’t.’ You think you can’t getanything past him but then he met me.And I’ll bring him a bag of my own vomit tothe set and I’ll just say ‘I did this in the car,I’m so nervous.’ “ And it wasn’t just Ryanwho got a special treat from the blonde

beauty - who portrays 100-year-old mon-ster The Countess in the show - as she alsomade her co-star Angela Bassett an explicitcake prior to their disturbing sex scene.Angela, 57, who portrays Ramona Royale inthe program, explained: “It’s her perform-ing a sexual act on my person. I didn’t eatany I was so shocked. I took it home andhid it in the garage refrigerator because Ihave young kids who I hope haven’t seenit.”

Lady Gaga vomited in a plastic bag and gave it to her‘American Horror Story’ boss


On a recent morning a small group of pensionersgathered round a monument to Communistleader Vladimir Lenin in a far-flung corner of the

bygone empire he helped found. The system he estab-lished disappeared from Kyrgyzstan in central Asiawhen the Soviet Union collapsed some 25 years ago butthe Russian leader still draws a crowd of die-hards in thecapital Bishkek each year to mark the anniversary of theBolshevik revolution. “The USSR was an opportunity tobe part of a great power,” historian Emil Jumabayev toldAFP in a separate interview. “Nowadays Lenin is a fea-ture of the city like any building, a road or a bridge. Hedoesn’t really bother people.”

Across the former USSR the fate of Lenin monumentshas become a symbol of a region still struggling todefine itself - and its relations with former imperial mas-ter Russia. The phenomenon is most striking in crisis-stricken Ukraine, where more than 500 statues of thebearded revolutionary have been torn down over thepast year, after Kiev turned westwards and Moscowresponded by seizing Crimea and backing separatistrebels.

Different Paths Around Central Asia the process may have been less

dramatic but the fate of Lenin has often echoed thepaths the different nations have taken since becomingindependent - with leaders seeking to impose their ownpersonalities or emphasise a historic identity. In isolatedTurkmenistan, the monuments to the man behind thedictatorship of the proletariat were replaced by goldenmonuments of post-Soviet leaders who have estab-lished their own authoritarian systems.

Meanwhile in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, Lenin hasrespectively been edged out by brutal 14th centuryMongol conqueror Tamerlane and medieval Persian-speaking emperor Ismoil Somoni. The debate has oftenbeen nuanced and in Kyrgyzstan, an impoverishednation that borders China but remains close to Moscow,Lenin lingers on. Kyrgyzstan’s main Lenin statue, oncepositioned on the main square in front of the nationalhistory museum, now occupies a slightly less prominentspace behind it.

When thousands in the majority-Muslim country usethe space for public prayers on the Islamic holidays theyface Mecca in the West, but Lenin gestures towards thenorth and Russia, where up to a million Kyrgyz work aslabour migrants. “While the statue is insignificant inpeople’s everyday lives, it can easily be turned into apoint of geopolitical contention,” Erica Marat, a regional

expert at the National Defense University inWashington, said.

History still occasionally complicates relationsbetween Kyrgyzstan, part of the Russian empire beforeit became a Soviet republic, and its allies in the Kremlin.Earlier this year, strongly pro-Russian PresidentAlmazbek Atambayev signed a decree to mark in 2016the centennial of a historic event some Kyrgyz politi-cians liken to a genocide, when Tsarist Russian authori-ties brutally crushed a revolt rippling across CentralAsia.

In the decree Atambayev was careful to draw a dis-tinction between Tsarist Russia and the Russians thatstill make up a tenth of Kyrgyzstan’s population, whilenoting the October revolution “cardinally changed theKyrgyz people’s situation”. “In contrast to the tsaristautocracy Soviet authorities succeeded in providingprospects for the national development of the Kyrgyz,”Atambayev’s decree reads.

No Yearning for Communism Kyrgyzstan is one of the few ex-Soviet territories that

still has an official public holiday to mark the anniver-sary of the Bolshevik revolution. Lenin and the SovietUnion still dominate the history museum once named

after him, despite periodic demands by nationalists tostrip away signs of the communist past in favour ofnods to an earlier nomadic history. “It would be wrongto get rid of the busts of Lenin and other Soviet items.These are a part of our history too,” culture ministryspokesman Baktygul Noruzbaeva told AFP.

But the economic and political system Lenin’sBolsheviks created dissolved quickly in Kyrgyzstan,where privatisation was rapid and the region’s largestbazaar grew up on the back of booming trade withChina. Last month neither of the country ’s twoCommunist parties bothered even standing in parlia-mentary elections. “Sadly there is no Communist move-ment in Kyrgyzstan any longer,” Marxist thinker GeorgyMamedov, 31, told AFP at the recent meeting near theLenin statue. But even this leftist admitted that themonument was a “dead symbol” of a country thatceased to exist when he was still a child. “It has fulfilledits evolutionary function,” Mamedov conceded. — AFP

Kyrgyz communist party supporters hold red flags in front of the monument to Lenin during the rally. —AFP Photos

Stuck between past and present, Lenin lingers on

Kyrgyz Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin during a rally to mark the 98th anniversary of Russia’sBolshevik Revolution in central Bishkek.

Kyrgyz Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet Union founder VladimirLenin during a rally to mark the 98th anniversary of Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution in cen-tral Bishkek.


They came from across the world to Ethiopia insearch of their “promised land”, but for manyRastafarians, struggling to win even basic rights,

the dream never materialized. “How did we survive sofar? I wonder,” said Reuben Kush, the grey-bearded pres-ident of the Ethiopian World Federation, a branch ofRastafarianism. Kush left his home in Birmingham inBritain a decade ago to join a Rastafarian communitybased in the southern Ethiopian town of Shashamane,250 km south of Addis Ababa.

But in decades of existence, the settlement’s around500 members have failed to win legal rights to property,education or work. Celebrating the 85th anniversarythis month of the 1930 crowning of their messiah,Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, the dreadlockedgroup sway in a circle chanting to a drum beat “EmperorSelassie I, Jah Rastafari”. Rastafarianism - which jetti-soned to worldwide notice in the 1960s and 70s withthe music of reggae stars and committed Rastafaris BobMarley and Jimmy Cliff - first emerged as a spiritualmovement in the 1930s among descendants of Africanslaves in Jamaica, who adopted Haile Selassie as theirleader at a time when he stood out as the only inde-pendent black monarch in Africa.

They even took their name from his pre-corona-tion title, “Ras” for “head” and his birth name “TafariMakonnen”. The “King of Kings” was deposed thenkilled by a military junta in 1974. A supporter ofdecolonisation and cooperation among African statesthen largely under European control, Haile Selassie inthe 1950s set aside 500 hectares (1,200 acres) inShashamane to welcome back descendants of slavesseeking to return “home”.

“Ethiopia is our land, for we blacks in the West,”said Kush. Rastafarians say it was the “divinity” of theland that drew them to Ethiopia, mentioned in theBible more than 30 times and believed to be thebirthplace of the Queen of Sheba, who visited thewise King Solomon. In the late 1970s, Mengistu HaileMariam’s Marxist-Leninist regime confiscated theShashamane plot, prompting most Rastas to flee its

authoritarian rule. When Mengistu’s rule was toppledin 1991, some returned. But life in the promised landremains a struggle, with exile followed by exclusion.“The Emperor had given us 500 hectares - today welive on six or seven hectares,” said Kush. “Today, wehave no control over our property.” Though manyturned their backs on their country of origin by notrenewing their passports, they have not been grant-ed Ethiopian nationality, leaving them effectivelystateless.

In t ightly control led Ethiopia, st i l l run byCommunist-inspired ex-rebels, land is a sensitive issuewith Rastas neither allowed to file building permits orown property. Nor can they work, pay taxes or sendtheir children to university. “What’s disappointing isthat I have to confess to my relatives back home thatwe aren’t integrated here either,” Kush said.

‘We’re in a Limbo’On the recent anniversary of the emperor’s corona-

tion, Rastafarians gathered as reggae music played andpsalms were sung in a church painted red, yellow andgreen - the colours of both the Ethiopian andRastafarian flags. The smell of marijuana hung in air. “Wewant to be identified as natural Ethiopians now - not asJamaican, nor American!” said Paul Phang, a Rastafarileader, without fully clarifying what he meant.

The Rastas’ political wing, the Ethiopian WorldFederation, started in the 1930s but is still lobbying fortheir basic rights. “We’re here to stay. We haven’t beenkicked out of Ethiopia after all these years, that meanswe are accepted,” Kush said. But they remain in legallimbo. “Our needs are basic human rights needs,” Kushadded. “We need to be able to tell our children that theyhave a state. Children are being born here and being

classed as stateless - not able to get identification hereand not able to get IDs from the countries where theirparents come from. So we’re in a limbo.”

But with each Rastafarian church celebrating its ownway, there are political divisions within the movementtoo. “If every one of us was in accord, then these naturalrights would have been granted to us already,” saidPhang, a priest from the Bobo Ashanti Rastafari group.“So because of this different ideology, different think-ing, it’s like we cannot approach the government in ouroneness.” — AFP

Promised land? Rastafaris struggle in Ethiopia

They even took theirname from his pre-coro-

nation title, “Ras” for“head” and his birth

name “Tafari Makonnen”.The “King of Kings” was

deposed then killed by amilitary junta in 1974. Rastafarians play music, sing and pray on Nov 2, 2015 in Shashamane. — AFP photos

President of the Ethiopian World Federation, one of the branches of Rastafarianism, Reuben Kush, stands in a room onNov 2, 2015 in Shashamene.

A boy washes his hands near a poster of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie in Shashamane.

Rastafarians Priest Briand (left) and Bandulai Bobo Shanti sing and pray on Nov 2, 2015 in Shashamane. A Rastafarian mural in seen in Shashamane.

39Promised land? Rastafaris

struggle in Ethiopia


The California-based rock band Eagles of Death Metal wasin the midst of a European tour, promoting its fourthalbum release, when the musicians found themselves

caught up in a terror attack at the Paris concert hall wherethey had begun to perform on Friday. The Bataclan music hallwas one of several entertainment sites around Paris targetedby gunmen and bombers in a coordinated assault that killed127 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility yesterday forthe attacks.

A Paris city hall official said at least 87 young people wereslaughtered at the Bataclan concert hall before anti-terroristcommandos launched an assault on the building. Early indica-tions were that members of the band, which also goes by theacronym EODM, were all safe. The group was formed in thelate 1990s by lifelong friends Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme,the group’s only two permanent members.

Hughes’ mother, Jo Ellen Hughes, told a Reuters correspon-dent outside her home in Palm Desert, California, 125 mileseast of Los Angeles, that she had spoken to her son by tele-phone and that he was unhurt but “very upset and shaken”.“From my understanding, I think the whole band’s beenaccounted for,” she said, adding that she was not sure aboutthe whereabouts or wellbeing of the rest of the entouragebecause the band and crew became separated in the pande-monium.

Hughes’ mother also said she believed the band had justgone on stage when the attack began, but she had no otherdetails, except that the musicians were taken into protectivecustody at a police station afterward. A person close to theband confirmed that the group was onstage performing whenthe deadly assault began. The Washington Post interviewedMary Lou Dorio, mother of one member of the band, who saidher son and the other members of the group escaped theconcert hall as the attack began. “It was awful,” she told ThePost, adding that her son, drummer Julian Dorio, had beenable to phone his wife from a local police station after theordeal.

Co-Founder Absent From ShowThe group’s US-based publicist, Jennifer Ballantyne of

Universal Music Enterprises, told Reuters by email thatHomme was not in Paris with the band on Friday. His absencewas not unusual as Homme is known for sitting out many ofthe group’s live shows due to multiple commitments to otherprojects. Ballantyne said another EODM member, guitarist-vocalist Eden Galindo, was reportedly safe and not inside thevenue, citing a Facebook post by yet another associate thatsaid: “Hey everyone. I just spoke with Eden. He is fine.”

The French band Red Lemons appeared to indicate

Hughes’s fiancee, porn star Tuesday Cross, was with Hughesand unharmed, too, saying: “We were with your mates Jesse,Tuesday, the other musicians outside, they’re safe, too, theytook a cab.” A statement posted on the band’s Facebook pageattributed to EODM, said: “We are still currently trying todetermine the safety and whereabouts of all our band andcrew. Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in thistragic situation.”

The bloodshed came about a month after the release ofEODM’s fourth album, “Unzipped”, which was followed by thegroup’s appearance and performance on the late-night ABCtelevision show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Homme, 42, andHughes, 43, both from Palm Desert, met as teenagers. Theyperform with a wide range of others who play under theEODM banner, both in the studio and in live concerts, includ-ing actor-musician Jack Black and Dave Grohl, the FooFighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer. The band’s

lyricism - and shows - are often known for lasciviousness, withthe two men seeing themselves in the tradition of sex, drugsand rock and roll.

According to band lore, the group took its name fromHomme’s joking description of the Polish band Vader as “theEagles of Death Metal”, a reference he and Hughes ultimatelyadopted for their own musical collaboration that critics say ismore in keeping with garage band rock than death metalrock. Homme also founded the band Queens of the StoneAge. EODM had last performed Wednesday in Glasgow andwas due to play next in Tourcoing, France yesterday. A Parisconcert scheduled for yesterday night by Irish band U2 wascanceled due to the state of emergency across France, accord-ing to a statement from HBO, which had planned to broadcastthe show. — Agencies

American rock groupEagles of Death Metalperforms onstage lateFriday at the Bataclan

concert hall in Paris,few moments beforefour men armed withassault rifles stormed

into the venue. — AFP photos

US band caught up in Paris attacks

A man plays the piano near the cordoned off area around the Bataclan theatre yesterday.

A note reading ‘Your wars our deads’ lies on the pavement near what appears to be bloodstains near the Bataclan the-atre yesterday.

A woman looks at flowers laid close to the Bataclan theatre yesterday.

Joshua Homme

Jesse Hughes

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IS jihadists claim Paris attacks that killed 128 - Kuwait Times