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FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017 / RABI AL AKHAR 22-23, 1438 AH emergency number 112 NO. 16370 44 PAGES 150 FILS

OIC WARNS AGAINST EMBASSY MOVE TO JERUSALEM

ME expects big changes with Trump
Trump to assume power
CAIRO, Jan 19, (Agencies): Donald Trumps all-
but-dismissal of human rights as a foreign policy
principle could hit like an earthquake across a Mid-
dle East landscape beset by warring factions and
beleaguered governments, with some players eyeing
the prospect of once unimaginable new alliances.
Syria is the foremost test of Trumps promise of a return to
a hard-headed realpolitik and
could quickly show whether
America is truly abandoning
promotion of democracy and
the rule of law in a way that
could reshape much of the
regions post-Cold War, post-
9/11 order.
Trump has raised the pos-
sibility of a broad new US
partnership with Vladimir Pu-
tins increasingly authoritarian
Russia and has even hinted at
aligning with Syrian President
Bashar Assad, which would
amount to a dramatic reversal
from years of the Obama ad-
ministration calls for Assads
ouster. Trump seems to calcu-
late that their shared enemy in
the Islamic State is more im-
US President-elect Donald portant than shared values.
Trump and his wife Melania When it comes to civil lib-
step off a plane upon arrival erties, our country has a lot of
at Andrews Air Force Base in problems, and I think its very
Maryland on Jan 19. (AFP) hard for us to get involved in
other countries, Trump ex-
plained last July as Turkey was
Amir condoles punishing tens of thousands of
people seemingly unconnected The Capitol in Washington is seen at dawn on Jan 18, as the city prepares for Fridays inauguration of Donald Trump as president. (AP)
deaths in Italy to a failed coup attempt. We
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19, need allies, Trump said in a
(Agencies): His High- New York Times interview. I Movement disorder mimics Parkinsons
ness the Amir Sheikh Sa- dont know that we have a right
bah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber to lecture.
Al-Sabah sent a cable of
condolence, Thursday, to
Italian President Sergio
Mattarella over the vic-
When Barack Obama de-
clared a new beginning with
the Muslim world in a land-
mark speech eight years ago,
Senior Bush, wife hospitalized ... stable
tims of an avalanche that he mentioned democracy six HOUSTON, Jan 19, (AP): Former Presi-
times and broached the subject dent George H.W. Bush and his wife,
Newswatch
buried a mountain hotel in
an earthquake-hit region
of central Italy.
of human rights on a dozen
occasions. Trump has barely
Barbara, remain hospitalized in Houston,
where he was in intensive care for pneumo- Iraq forces clear east Mosul
mentioned these as foreign pol- nia and she was being watched after com-
His Highness the Amir
expressed sympathies
over the dead and wished
icy principles, extolling instead
deal-making, diplomatic and
economic, and championing
plaining of fatigue and coughing.
The 92-year-old former president went
into the ICU on Wednesday and underwent
RIYADH: Saudi Arabias govern-
ment should end the kingdoms ban
ahead of push for west bank
speedy recovery for the on women driving and reform the MOSUL, Iraq, Jan 19, (Agencies): offensive against IS-held Mosul on
the ght against IS. a procedure to protect and clear his airway male guardianship system, a United
injured. that required sedation, family spokesman Iraqi forces battled the last holdout October 17, the west bank had al-
His Highness the Human rights will not be Nations independent expert said on
his top priority, concluded Jim McGrath said in a statement. Thursday. jihadists in east Mosul Thursday after ways been thought to be where fed-
Crown Prince Sheikh Bush was stable and resting comfortably at Philip Alston spoke at the end of commanders declared victory there eral forces would meet the toughest
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- Mustafa Alani, the director of
the security and defense depart- Houston Methodist Hospital, McGrath said. a 12-day visit during which he met and set their sights on the citys west, resistance.
Jaber Al-Sabah and His The 41st president was placed in the cabinet ministers, people living in where more tough ghting awaits. But elite troops struggled in the
ment at the Geneva-based Gulf
Highness the Prime Research Center. ICU to address an acute respiratory prob- poverty, activists, Islamic experts The announcement that the left east too and only broke the back of
Minister Sheikh Jaber and others. bank of the Tigris River that divides the jihadists there in recent days, af-
Some believe the change lem stemming from pneumonia, McGrath My concern is that the govern-
Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad will in the end be largely a mat- said. He later told The Associated Press Mosul had been retaken was a key ter stepped up coordination and in-
Al-Sabah sent cables of ment is in fact deferring to a rela- creased aerial and advisory support
ter of style, noting that Obama that doctors were happy with how the pro- tively small portion of conservative milestone in an offensive that began
similar sentiment. has fought jihadism all over the cedure went. Bush was rst admitted to the voices, Alston told a news confer- three months ago but could yet last from the US-led coalition.
Several children were region as well. Aaron David hospital Saturday for shortness of breath. ence. several more. Once they have fully secured the
among more than 25 Miller, a Mideast adviser un- I dont think theres a whole lot of This is obstructing the economic Staff General Talib al-Sheghati, east coast, Iraqi forces will need to
people unaccounted for, der ve American presidents, money to be gained betting against George and social progress which the oil- who heads the Counter-Terrorism tackle the west bank of the river,
feared dead, Thursday expects Trump to prove risk- Bush, McGrath said. Were just kind of rich kingdom aims to achieve under Service (CTS) spearheading the which is a little smaller but more
after the avalanche en- its Vision 2030 wide-ranging reform ghting in Mosul, declared the left densely populated.
averse and remain consistent in a wait-and-see mode. programme, said Alston, the UN spe-
gulfed a mountain hotel with Obamas own reluctance McGrath said Barbara Bush, who is 91, bank liberated at a big press con- Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst at the
in earthquake-ravaged cial rapporteur on extreme poverty Institute for the Study of War, said
to interfere in other countries had not been feeling well for a couple of and human rights. ference on Wednesday.
central Italy. affairs, use military force, re- weeks and decided to take it out of com- So I feel very strongly that the Iraqi forces were still ghting there that the worst may be yet to come.
The national civil pro- main engaged in Iraq or get tru- mittee and have the experts check it out. kingdom should move to enable on Thursday, ushing out ghters The coalition and the ISF (Iraqi
tection agency said the ly involved in Syrias civil war. He described the move as precautionary. women to drive cars, said Alston, from the Islamic State group in two security forces) should plan for west-
Hotel Rigopiano had suf- But its clear that several Physicians initially believed the former an independent expert who reports key northern locations by the river: ern Mosul to be the hardest ght in
fered a direct hit by a two- long-standing allies in the Mid- president would be released later this week to the UNs Human Rights Council. a large hotel and a presidential com- Mosul, he said.
metre (six-feet) high wall following several days of treatment, but (AFP) pound. It is denser urban terrain, with
dle East are relishing an end to
of snow on Wednesday. what they saw as moralizing his stay has been extended, McGrath said. CTS moved in on Thursday morn- older neighbourhoods and narrower
Emergency services rhetoric, confused signals and There is no timetable for his release. LONDON: Six British nationals have ing so there would not be... pressure streets that will make clearing opera-
were struggling to get am- unfullled red lines, and favor- Doctors want to see how the former rst been killed and several more injured on the army, which is charge of that tions challenging, Martin said.
bulances and excavation ing a Trump pivot to counter- lady responds to treatment before allowing in a road crash in Saudi Arabia, sector, Staff Lieutenant General Ab- IS and Sunni insurgent groups
equipment to the remote terrorism and security. her to return home, he said. Britains foreign ministry said on dulghani al-Assadi, a top commander also have had historical support
site with the rst snow Egypts President Abdel Fat- The Bushes, who were married Jan. 6, 1945, Thursday. zones in western Mosul, he added,
We are supporting the fami- in the CTS, told AFP.
plough only arriving just tah el-Sisi is still waiting for a have had the longest marriage of any presiden- The Joint Operations Command warning that federal forces advancing
lies of six British people who have in the streets could encounter more
before midday. White House invitation, having tial couple in American history. At the time of sadly died following a road accident coordinating the ght against IS also
Italian broadcasters been shunned by Obama for his their wedding, he was a young naval aviator. in Saudi Arabia, a Foreign Ofce said that the army on Thursday broke hostile residents than they have on
showed images of piles bloody crackdown on the Mus- She had been a student at Smith College. spokeswoman said. into the town of Talkif, which lies the eastern side.
of masonry and rubble lim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia After World War II, the pair moved to We are also helping several more just north of Mosul and has been be- According to an estimate by the
inside the hotel, which is expecting a renewed push the Texas oil patch to seek their fortune British nationals who were injured in sieged by Iraqi forces for weeks. United Nations, around 750,000 peo-
from Washington on its arch- and raise a family. It was there that George the crash, she said, without specify- Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ple still live on Mosuls west bank,
Continued on Page 37 ing how many. which includes the old city and key
rival Iran, instead of Obamas Bush began his political career, represent- said around the new year that rid-
more neutral stance and its ac- ing Houston for two terms in Congress in Glasgow Central Mosque released landmarks such as the mosque where
a statement naming two of the vic- ding the country of IS, which seized
companying criticism of the the late 1960s and early 1970s. around a third of Iraq in 2014, could IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
tims as Glasgow couple Moham-
US$/KD 0.30530/40 kingdoms treatment of women Bush, who served as president from 1989 mad Aslam and Talat Aslam, who take three more months. proclaimed his caliphate in June
and killing of civilians in Ye- to 1993, has a form of Parkinsons disease have ve children, saying they had He had initially promised to do so 2014.
Euro/KD 0.3241 men. And Israels nationalist and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair just completed umra, a pilgrimage to by the end of 2016 and many observ- Colonel John Dorrian, spokes-
leadership has made almost a for mobility. He was hospitalized in 2015 in Makkah, Islams holiest site. ers have argued his new timetable man of the US-led coalition that has
Yen/KD 0.0026
Continued on Page 37 Continued on Page 37 Continued on Page 37 was still optimistic. dropped close to 10,000 munitions on
Before Iraq launched its massive Continued on Page 4
British /KD 0.375

KSE +83.98 pts at closing Jan 19 Iran collapse kills Jail upheld for MP wont support
See Page 35

Dow -38.08 pts at 21:25 Jan 19

See Page 36
Nasdaq -6.89 pts at 21:25 Jan 19
FTSE -39.17 pts at closing Jan 19
Nikkei +177.88 pts at closing Jan 19
Gold $1,196.05 per oz (London)
NYMEX crude $52.02 pb
Brent crude $54.15 pb
3-month $ LIBOR rate 1.03011%
thirty firefighters
TEHRAN, Iran, Jan 19, (AP): A historic
high-rise building in the heart of Irans
capital caught re and later collapsed
Thursday, killing at least 30 reghters
and leaving their stunned colleagues and
bystanders weeping in the streets.
The disaster at the 15-story Plasco
building, inadvertently shown live on
state television, came after authorities
said they repeatedly warned tenants
about blocking stairwells with fabric
from cramped garment workshops on
its upper oors.
Fireghters, soldiers and other emer-
Fireghters battle a blaze that engulfed Irans oldest high-rise, the 15-storey gency responders dug through the de-
bris into the night, looking for survi-
Plasco building in downtown Tehran on Jan 19. State television said 200
reghters had been called to the scene and 38 had already been injured vors. While it was not clear how many
battling the blaze before it fell. (AFP) Continued on Page 4
Kuwaiti royals
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19,
(AFP): Kuwaits court of
appeals on Thursday up-
held a ve-year jail term
for ve men including three
members of the Al-Sabah
ruling family for insulting
top judges online.
The court also conrmed
a one-year jail term against
a sixth man and upheld the
acquittal of six others.
The royals include
Sheikh Athbi Al-Fahad
Al-Sabah, a nephew of
Continued on Page 37
anti-expat session
By Abubakar A. Ibrahim
Arab Times Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Chairman of the
parliamentary Human Rights Committee
MP Adel Al-Damkhi has stressed the need
to address the lopsided population issue,
without discriminating against expatriates.
This came after MP Abdulkareem Al-Kan-
dari announced completion of the required
number of signatures for a request to hold a
special session to discuss the problem.
Al-Damkhi claried that the Kuwaitiza-
tion policy in government institutions is
necessary but it should not be implemented
at the expense of expatriates. If I feel the
Continued on Page 37

LOCAL
IICO chief hails role of world
humanitarian organizations
Kuwaits Al-Maatouq honored at Doha event
DOHA, Jan 19, (KUNA): President of the International Al-Maatouqs remarks were echoed to Kuwait News Agency
Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) and Amiri (KUNA), following the honoring of leaders of humanitarian work by
Diwan Adviser Abdullah Al-Maatouq has reiterated the Doha-based General Secretariat of humanitarian funds of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which held a function on
the significant role played by several world organiza- late Wednesday.
tions in supporting humanitarian issues and preserv-
The event, held under the auspices of Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs
ing peoples lives and fortunes around the globe. Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, saw the honoring of Dr
Abdullah Al-Maatouq
Al-Maatouq added that honoring
is dedicated for all humanitarian
workers, particularly those who
were exposed to risk at every
moment when they tried to reach
those in need in besieged and dif-
ficult accessible areas.
He expressed gratitude to those
working in the humanitarian funds
of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) to call symbols
and leaders of humanitarian work
to Qatar to be honored.
He also expressed apprecia-
tion and pride of the humanitari-
an and leading role played by
Qatars Amir, government, and
people besides various humani-
tarian organizations in this
respect.
He said Qatar hosting of this
UN event, with the participation
of senior regional and UN figures,
put additional responsibilities on
our shoulders to support regional
and international humanitarian
Dr Abdullah Al-Maatouq being honored at Dohas OIC event. efforts, adding that this noble
gesture reflects the good image of
the State of Qatar.
We appreciate this generous
initiative, which coincides with
the assumption of Ambassador
Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed
Al-Meraikhi of his new role as
envoy of the Secretary General
of the United Nations for
Humanitarian Affairs to com-
plete the process we started four
years ago through which we have
tried to work for the rights of
mankind in various regions of
the world with the support of the
humanitarian leader, Kuwaits
Amir His Highness Sheikh Sabah
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,
government and foreign minis-
try. On his part, Assistant
Secretary General of the UN for
humanitarian partnerships
Rashid Khalikov praised the dis-
tinctive humanitarian role of the
State of Kuwaits leadership,
government, and people.
He told KUNA, on the side-
lines of the ceremony, that the
substantial assistance, provided
by Kuwait for needy people,
reflected their genuine image in
the humanitarian sphere.
He pointed to the great and
important role of His Highness
the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah in the field of humani-
tarian action which prompted the
UN to bestow His Highness the
Top & above: Some photos from the 2nd awareness campaign about breast cancer. title of Humanitarian Leader.
He added that His Highness
2nd Awareness Campaign on Breast Cancer concludes has played an important role in
regulating humanitarian activi-
ties, especially conferences of
Board Director of Cancer Awareness Second Awareness Campaign on in the near future.
Nation (CAN) Dr Abdulrahman Breast Cancer under the tagline The campaign is sponsored by donor countries to support Syria
Al-Awadhi affirmed that the cam- You deserve our care, explained Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Fawaz for three consecutive years.
paign launched by CAN to raise that many people suffer from daily Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and For his part, Director General
awareness about breast cancer will life pressures and psychological is part of Ahmadi Governorates of Kuwait Zakat House Dr
achieve distinguished results in the stress due to which they need main course of a long-term devel- Ibrahim Al-Saleh said the honor-
coming ten years and contribute to everlasting protection and continu- opmental project titled My ing enjoyed by Kuwait, its wise
increasing the rate of early diagno- ous awareness about prevention Beautiful Governorate which was leadership, and humanitarian
sis of the disease. of chronic diseases. The initial launched early 2015 and consists organizations was an evident of
According to a press release, Dr idea behind the campaign came of several development courses its noble values and its humani-
Al-Awadhi, in his speech during from Britain, and it is due to related to all aspects, particularly tarian perspective along its long
the closing ceremony of the accomplish several achievements health and awareness aspects. history.
Guide to travellers
Mobile app on Indian
Customs launched
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: To facilitate interna-
tional passengers about Baggage Rules, govern-
ment of India has released a multi-lingual mobile
App Indian Customs Guide to Travellers. occur in places far from hospitals.
The app, a first-of-its kind mobile application,
contains a ready reckoner of the customs bag-
gage rules and entitlements of passengers com-
ing from various countries.
It contains 24X7 contact details of customs
officers of major airports and provides informa-
tion to users as per their need.
After installation of this app on smart phones,
it works in offline mode and is available on all
three platforms, Android Play Store, Windows &
Apple Store and serves as a Ready Reckoner of
Customs Baggage Rules and Passengers
Entitlements. The details are available on www.
cbec.gov.in.
It is advised that all international passengers
travelling to India from Gulf countries may wish
to download this multi-lingual mobile app and
may find it useful, since all contents of this app
are available in four vernacular languages to pro-
vide real-time information to international travel-
lers with regard to their travel related queries.
Contracts yet to be renewed
71 KPA workers in a dilemma
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Seventy-one employees at
Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) are facing uncertainty as
steps have yet to be taken to renew their employment
contracts which will expire in February, reports
Al-Qabas daily quoting sources.
Sources disclosed most of these employees have
accumulated unused leave days up to 180 days and they
might not be given a chance to use these leave days in
case their services are terminated.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Dr Al-Maatouq speaks at the honoring ceremony in Doha.
mp profile getting to know you
Mohammed Hadi Al-Huwailah
(Tribal/Conservative)
Fifth Constituency
MOHAMMED HADI AL-HUW-
AILAH was born in 1971. He holds
a masters degree in Political
Science and obtained his PhD in
Management from Yarmouk
University in Jordan. He is a faculty
member at Saad Al-Abdullah
Security Sciences College
and Arab Open
University. He is a mem-
ber of the International
Institute for Strategic
Studies, Royal Institute
for International Studies
in London, Kuwait
Journalist Association
and International
Journalist Association.
Al-Huwailah was elect-
ed MP in 2008, 2009 and Al-Huwailah
2013. In the July 2013
election, he won sixth place in his
constituency with 2,139 votes;
while in the November 2016 elec-
tion, he won 10th place with 2,851
votes.
In the current Parliament,
Al-Huwailah was elected member
of the Education, Budget and Final
Accounts committees as well as
Kuwaits parliamentary delegation.
In the previous Parliament, he was a
member of the Interior, Defense,
Education, Culture and Guidance
Affairs committees. He stood for
the February 2012 election but
failed to secure a legislative seat. He
boycotted the December 2012 elec-
tion in protest against the one-vote
one-man system.
On why he boycotted the elec-
tion, Al-Huwailah explained his
decision was based on his convic-
tion that the one-vote decree contra-
vened the Constitution. He was
quick to add though that the
Constitutional Courts verdict must
be respected.
He observed that Kuwaitis are
frustrated over the political instabil-
ity and lack of development in the
country. He said the next stage is
delicate and requires extraordinary
efforts due to challenges in neigh-
boring countries. He affirmed
national development will be the
priority of the next Parliament, indi-
cating he will adopt ideas aimed at
pushing for development.
He is an advocate of direct for-
eign investment, taking into consid-
eration the current economic crisis.
He asserted Kuwait must enact laws
which attract foreign investors,
stressing some laws hinder the
progress of local investments.
In a question addressed to State
Minister for Cabinet Affairs and
Minister of Health Sheikh
Mohammed Al-Abdullah
Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Al-Huwailah
pointed out an ambulance is consid-
ered the most important means of
providing immediate treatment dur-
ing accidents so when hospitals use
advanced ambulances, the chance of
survival is higher. He added it has
been observed that ambulances take
a long time to transport victims of
accidents to hospitals due to traffic
congestion, especially if accidents
parliamentary delegation headed by
He wanted to know why a rich
country like Kuwait does not allow
the Ministry of Health to use heli-
copters in such emergencies. He
also asked if the ministry intends to
use helicopters in the future, partic-
ularly to transport accident victims.
In his second query, Al-Huwailah
underscored the importance of pro-
viding the best healthcare to the
people, adding that infants need
more care whereas some newborns
must stay in incubators.
He also asked Ministry of Oil
Mustafa Al-Shamali why Kuwait
Foreign Petroleum Exploration
Company (KUFPEC) did not tap its
potentials for more than 30 years.
He claimed KUFPEC never played
its operator role in any joint projects
with other international companies
and its impact on Kuwaits econo-
my is very limited.
He inquired about the reasons
behind the companys failure to be
on par with international companies
after 30 years in spite of its financial
capabilities, the companys strategy
in oil and gas production and
reserve, current oil and natural gas
production, quantity produced for
the past 30 years as an individual
entity, stake in the joint production
with international companies, value
of projects executed individually
and in partnership with international
companies over the past 30 years,
justifications for failure to execute
2
Voting Record
Electricity and Water Tariffs
(2016), approved
Financial Controllers audi-
tors (2016), approved
Domestic Workers and
Domestic Workers Recruitment
(2015) approved
Consumer Protection (2015),
approved
Anti-Corruption (2015),
approved
Cyber Crime (2015), approved
Surveillance Camera (2015),
approved
Military Service Conscription
(2015), approved
DNA Law (2015),
approved
Granting Citizenship to
4,000 Bedouns Bill (2013),
approved
Anti-Money Laundering
and Financing Terrorism Bill
(2013), approved
Writing-off Loan Interests
of Citizens Bill (2013),
approved
Unemployment Insurance
Bill (2013), approved
Small and Medium Enterprises
Bill (2013), approved
One Vote Decree (2013),
approved
National Unity Decree (2013),
approved
Amendment of Sport Law
(2013), approved
Anti-Corruption and Financial
Disclosure Decree (2013),
approved
Annual Plan for 2011/2012
(2013), approved
Foreign Agreements (2013),
approved
Amendment of Housing Care
Law (2013), approved
Privatization of Kuwait Airways
Corporation Draft Law (2013),
approved
Electronic Transactions Draft
Law (2013), approved
Final Accounts for 1999/2000
and 2010/2011 (2013), approved
Telecommunications and
Information Technology Authority
Bill (2013), approved
Amendment of Companies Law
(2013), approved
Amendment of Cooperative
Societies Law (2013), approved
Settlement with Iraqi Airways
Decree (2013), approved
Proposal to discuss KD 50 sal-
ary increment (2008), approved
Proposal to discuss draft law on
writing-off loans (2008), approved
Proposal to discuss reports of
the Legislative Committee on
draft laws regarding diwaniya
(2008), approved
new projects, profit made since
establishment and losses if any.
Statement
Speaking as member of Kuwaits
parliamentary delegation,
Al-Huwailah affirmed the country
is keen on protecting human rights
and maintaining security in the
Arab region.
After a special session organized
by the Arab Parliament and Arab
Federation for Human Rights at the
Arab League headquarters,
Al-Huwailah said Kuwait partici-
pates regularly in Arab parliamen-
tary activities, such as those related
to human rights and Arab security.
He hopes such a gathering would
strengthen pan-Arab coordination on
human rights, indicating the Kuwaiti
Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim has
taken part in a series of Arab-level
parliamentary meetings hosted by
the Arab League. He disclosed the
participants in these meetings pre-
pared documents on various issues
concerning children, youths and
women.
He also condemned the massa-
cres and crimes against humanity in
Syria as the regime of President
Bashar al-Assad has been using
chemical weapons against his own
people. He expressed sorrow over
the loss of numerous lives because
of these criminal acts.
He said the despotic Syrian
regime is committing the darkest
crimes ever in Syrian history
through which many innocent chil-
dren and women lost their lives.
The massacres are similar to those
committed during the reign of
Hitler, as well as the genocides in
Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia. The
entire world should rise against the
illegal use of chemical weapons,
he added.
He once praised Minister of
Defense Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah
for addressing the problems of
employees and for joining the fam-
ily members of military martyrs in
the fifth Hajj caravan of the minis-
try. He asserted this step is an affir-
mation of the ministers concern for
employees and their needs, hoping
other ministers would follow suit.

LOCAL
Al-Shall Report
Big rise in Boursa liquidity positive
Boursa Kuwait Liquidity
14 working days passed since the
beginning of the current year
and until the end of last week. Boursa
Kuwait achieved liquidity in the
amount of KD 595.7 million, a daily
liquidity average of KD 42.5 million,
or 3.7 times the daily trading average
for 2016 which scored KD 11.6 mil-
lion and 2.7 times of 2015 average
which was at KD 15.9 million. We
frequently reiterated that the more
important variable of the Boursa
which affects it up or down is the
liquidity variable. The big rise in the
liquidity since the beginning of the
year is quite positive if it is a genuine
sustainable one, says Al-Shall
Economic Report prepared by
Al-Shall Consulting Co headed by
Jassem Al-Saadoun.
In one of our previous reports,
(35/2016), we stated that 80% of list-
ed companies are sold by a discount
on their book value and 45.4% of
these listed companies sold at a dis-
count between 50% and 90%. The
week before last, we called for gov-
ernment intervention to reduce the
supply of listed stocks and profit from
that through contemplated investment
and not the Boursa support. The
recent rise in the Boursa liquidity
would be positive and sustainable if
the current liquidity directed to the
Boursa was private sectors funds
aiming at benefitting from continues
weakness, which dropped most prices
to an unjustifiable level, creating
lucrative investment opportunities.
In this case, the private sectors
intervention substitutes the govern-
ments intervention and may support
it if the continued drop duration in the
Boursa liquidity coincides with a hot
real estate market, especially in its
investment activity. After the recent
correction in prices, the rise in interest
rates and their pressure on prices and
liquidity, those funds headed towards
the only available cheap asset, name-
ly, the stocks at the Boursa. It is also
supported by the rise in oil prices
after producers agreement in the end
of last year and the rise in the liquid-
ity and prices of the regional stock
exchanges especially the Saudi mar-
ket which recovered in the last two
months of 2016 substantial losses and
began to achieve gains by the end of
the year.
On the contrary, that liquidity may
be temporary if it resulted from inject-
ing public funds to purchase high
value operational stocks and aiming
at reinforcing the demand side to sup-
port prices. It is usually associated
with the entry of private risk funds
that bet on cheap stocks which any
rise in their prices would achieve high
instant profits. Continued rise in
liquidity for several weeks drives the
nave to try to catch up those who
preceded them to achieve quick prof-
its after which the musical chairs
game begins. Such liquidity lasts for a
limited period during which holders
of expensive stocks benefit from liq-
uidating their stocks and settling their
financial conditions. In other words,
the general liquidity transforms to pri-
vate funds and exits the Boursa.
Gamblers on cheap stocks begin with-
drawing leaving behind new victims,
liquidity is harmed and the trust level
drops again.
The chances whether this liquidity
is sustainable or opportunist and tem-
porary are equal or perhaps joint. If
we take a sample of 10% of listed
companies, which takes a highest
liquidity, or 18 companies, we note
they captured 52.1% of all market
liquidity. The market value of 10
companies of these 18 companies is at
least KD 100 million each and for the
other 8 companies is between KD
17.7 million and KD 99.9 million, i.e.
a mixture of big and small companies
or a mixture of investments with
unknown source and adventure obses-
sion. The gap is still wide between
liquid and an illiquid company con-
tinues. 92 listed companies, or 50% of
listed companies, captured 97.5% of
the Boursa liquidity while 92 compa-
nies continued to be a burden on the
Boursa and illiquid, captured only
2.5% of this liquidity.
However, we should admit that
what we mentioned is just an indica-
tor and there is no judgment on
Boursa liquidity trends. Time is still
too short to conclude judgments but it
is worth following up.
Ireland Visa Application Centre launched in Kuwait
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Residents of
Kuwait can now apply in Kuwait City
for visas to Ireland at a modern and
centrally-located Visa Application
Centre launched in cooperation with
the Embassy of Ireland. Applicants
can visit the VFS Global Centre,
located at Level 30, Arraya Center,
Alshuhada Street, Kuwait City,
Kuwait, to submit visa applications.
The centre was formally inaugu-
rated by HE Patrick Hennessy,
Ambassador of Ireland to Kuwait, on
Jan 19, 2017. Kuwait is the first coun-
try in the Gulf region where appli-
cants can apply for a visa to Ireland
from the professionally appointed
VFS Global Visa Application Centre.
The new Ireland Visa Application
Centre caters to the growing needs of
outbound travellers from the country.
Reviewing demographic structure a necessity
The file photo shows the trading floor of Kuwait bourse. The price index logged strong rally during the week amid
surge in liquidity which breached the 800 million mark to hit a multi-year high.
Demographic Structure
According to the latest available
data about population and workforce,
figures of the Public Authority for
Civil Information (PACI), indicate
that the total population of Kuwait
scored 4,330,000 with 30.5%
Kuwaitis on 30/06/2016. Work force
figures for the same period indicate
that its number scored 2,645,000
workers, 16.7% of which is Kuwaitis.
Certainly this structure is imbalanced
and with a big gap that should be
remedied. The imbalance in the qual-
ity of the population and the labor
force is more dangerous because the
level of education and expertise is
quite low to the majority. The purpose
behind reviewing the demographic
structure, as if it was discovered yes-
terday, is the current talk about the
desire to discuss its conditions. What
we want to emphasize is that its struc-
ture is not the mistake of the expatri-
ates but the sin of the miserable pub-
lic policies.
The root of the problem lies in the
public policies. The demographic
increase and in the foreign labor are
only a variable subordinate to the finan-
cial expansion resulting from the pros-
perous oil market. The badness of that
expansion does not affect the demo-
graphic growth only but it is designed
to attract the marginal part of it as well.
Figures indicate that most of the demo-
graphic expansion occurred in the
1970s when the population growth in
the period 1973-1982 scored about
5.9% of the total population, about
7.3% of non-Kuwaitis and for the peri-
od 2003-2016 it scored 4.1%, and 4.8%
of non-Kuwaitis. These two periods
were periods of intensive financial
expansion. But it scored during the
period 1997-2001, the post-recession
period following the Asian Tigers
crisis in autumn 1997; it scored only
1.4% of the total population and 0.3%
of non-Kuwaitis. In fact, the expansion
period witnesses prosperous trade in
humans. Individuals and companies
importing labor against expensive com-
mission increase only to release them
into the streets to look for work. This
More convenient and streamlined services assured
With Ireland being a popular destina-
tion for tourism, business and higher
education, travellers from Kuwait
will experience enhanced conve-
nience and ease when applying for
their visas through customer-centric
and professionally managed services
offered at the centre.
VFS Global has been serving the
Government of Ireland since 2004,
and currently serves the client in 10
countries from 41 visa application
centres globally. The company has
been operating visa processing ser-
vices in Kuwait since 2005, and today
serves 13 client governments in the
country.
Speaking at the launch, HE Patrick
Hennessy said, I warmly welcome
the new visa service launched in
cooperation with VFS Global. It
represents a human and political crime.
Anyway and without any effort, the
near future will witness a continuous
decline in the demographic growth rate
with continued oil market recession.
The remedy of the four structural
imbalances in Kuwait lies in adopting
a correct development approach or
project which, if found, does not only
remedy the quantitative acceleration
in demographic growth but by replac-
ing it with the qualitative accumula-
tion. This kind of project should be
driven neither by emotion nor by
inhumane inclinations that target the
innocent victim instead of the guilty.
We have to keep in mind that Kuwaitis
until a near past were immigrants
searching for earning their living.
We say this in advance of deviation
in treating the imbalance by exerting
pressure on its weakest rings rather
than addressing the real problem and
by escaping the adoption of the diffi-
cult path, such as reviewing the
expansion of the horizontal housing
i.e. a genuine development project to
guarantee the sustainability of the
countrys stability: economically,
politically, and socially.
GCC States Growth Projections
World Bank Report
In its January 2017 report, the
World Bank raised its projections for
real GDP growth for the six GCC
countries, increasing five of them and
one country Bahrain decreased.
The highest growth rates expected
were for Qatar whose economy is
expected to grow by about 1.8% in
2016 (June 2016 report) but its
January 2017 report issued after the
rise in oil prices in late 2016, doubled
its growth estimates in 2017 to 3.6%
but it reduced it to 2.1% in 2018.
The second highest growth rate
expected was for Oman which the
Bank increased its growth projec-
tions from 2.5% in 2016 to about
2.9% in 2017, then to 3.4% in 2018.
The United Arab Emirates came
third with increased forecast for
growth from 2.3% in 2016 to 2.5% in
2017 and to 3% in 2018. Kuwait
Opening the Visa Centre
means those living in Kuwait will be
able to apply in person for an Irish
visa, and will benefit from this smooth
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
3
non-conventional oil production. winning of the radical Right, is a
Despite the high projections of probability, with very serious conse-
growth rates for most of the GCC
countries, they remain weak com-
quences on the performance of the
world economy if happened. The
pared to their historical levels and foregoing variables will have impacts
remain below the level of being able on geopolitical violence events in
to create enough jobs opportunities, our region with their unbearable lev-
while unemployment is the real forth- els regardless of the position of any
coming challenge for all of them. party. The results of Irans presiden-
Even the weak growth rates are not tial election this year will also have
guaranteed. 2017 will be rich with an impact on them.
potential political changes worldwide The purpose of the above is that the
that would have significant adverse growth of the world economy will have
effects on the performance of the a positive effect if it rises and a nega-
global and individual economy similar tive impact if it drops on the demand
to the changes in 2016 when Britain side for oil, which has become obvi-
exited from the EU, Donald Trump ously difficult to agree on its levels or
wining the US presidency elections. to guarantee any level. The reports of
The region also has its own surprises. the World Bank and the International
The geopolitical violence events have Monetary Fund are examples of the
positive effects if they cool down and weak ability to predict. The geopoliti-
negative impacts if they intensify on cal events of the region are an influen-
potential growth rates either from a tial factor on the supply side of the
psychological perspective or from traditional oil market. It is very difficult
decrease or increase of saved or wast- to predict the course of those events,
ed resources of its funding. In sum- and their potential impact, positive or
mary, increased revenues because of negative, on cohesion of oil prices at a
the oil agreement and the support of time of huge financial deficits.
the increase to growth rates in most Therefore, we believe that logic invites
GCC States are not guaranteed or sus- us to be extremely cautious. Economic
tainable. Assuming that the agreement and financial reform rely on hypothe-
would be respected and those other ses that are accomplishable in a normal
risks are not to be realized only given time while the conditions of the world
a short pace of time that enhances the and the region demand adopting the
chances of success of the reforms but worst case scenario for reform pro-
does not postpone it. grams because stability and not growth
is at stake.
Global Economy Growth
The Weekly Performance of
Prospects
Two reports were released in Boursa Kuwait
January 2017 each with its vision of The performance of Boursa Kuwait
the potential global economy growth. for the last week, was more active
One was issued by the World Bank compared to the previous one, where
which expects growth of 2.7% in all indexes showed an increase, the
2017, and the second was released by traded value index, the traded volume
the IMF which expects growth by index, number of transactions index,
3.4%, with 0.7% difference which is and general index, AlShall Index
big. The difference involves all com- (value weighted) closed at 391.8
ponents of the global economy, points at the closing of last Thursday,
advanced, emerging and developing showing an increase of about 17.2
countries. An example of the differ- points or about 4.6% compared with
ence is the World Banks estimate for its level last week and it increased by
the economic growth for KSAs econ- 28.8 points or about 7.9% compared
omy, the largest regional economy. with the end of 2016.
The World Bank estimated its growth The following tables summarize
in 2017 by 1.6% which is 4 times IMF last weeks performance of Boursa
Photo by Bassam Abu Shanab estimate at 0.4%. Kuwait.
The significant difference in the Description Week 3 Week 2 Diff
estimates is because macro variables, 19/01/2017 12/01/2017 %
mainly political, became very influ- Working days 5 5
AlShall index (38 Companies) 391.8 374.6 4.6%
came forth with increase in growth ential on the performance of global Boursa Kuwait index (price) 6,435.8 6,107.7 5.4%
estimates from 2% in 2016 to 2.4% economy, while estimating their cor- Value Trade (KD) 317,658,264 197,282,900
in 2017 and then to 2.6% in 2018. rect weight and track is extremely Daily average (KD) 63,531,653 39,456,580 61.0%
The fifth position went to Saudi difficult which causes the discrepan- Volume Trade (Shares) 3,799,919,334 2,755,320,551
Arabia the largest economy in the cy between the two estimates. In Daily average (Shares) 759,983,867 551,064,110 37.9%
region, the World Bank raised its 2016, with weak growth, dominant Transactions 60,746 44,127
estimate from 1% in 2016 to 1.6% in expectations were for Britain remain- Daily average (Transactions) 12,149 8,825 37.7%
2017, and then to 2.5% in 2018. ing within the European Union. They Most Active Sectors & Companies
Bahrain alone has reduced growth also did not expect the winning of Description Value Traded % of Total
estimates from 2% in 2016 to 1.8% Donald Trump. Facts came con- Companies KD Market
in 2017 but it remains higher than trary to expectations with negative Mobile Telecom Co K.S.C 22,125,253 7.0%
what is anticipated for Saudi Arabia. effects. And 2017 is full of such Kuwait Finance House 20,205,484 6.4%
But this means that the increase in issues at global and regional levels. National Bank Of Kuwait 18,526,848 5.8%
oil prices did not support its growth. President Trump ushered his reign Warba Bank 13,429,959 4.2%
The World Bank adjusted estimates by introducing a new term to eco- Alimtiaz Investment Co. K.S.C.C 12,756,334 4.0%
upwards between its June 2016 report nomic policies named Trump Total 87,043,877 27.4%
and January 2017 report is based on Impact. The fear of a return to pro-
how true will its assumptions that a Description Value Traded % of Total
tectionism and starting a new cold
barrel of oil price in 2017 settles at Sectors KD Market
war with a change in its poles has
Financial Services Sector 90,719,435 28.6%
US$ 55. But this is also dependent on become a fact. And next March is the
Banks Sector 77,628,277 24.4%
other assumptions, such as how far beginning of Britains exit talks from
Real Estate Sector 62,781,023 19.8%
will the agreement to withdraw 1.8 EU. The differences in its impacts Industrials Sector 30,603,523 9.6%
million barrels a day from oil produc- are quite big, whether it would be
Telecommunications Sector 30,341,257 9.6%
tion: 1.2 million barrels a day from safe exit or stormy exit with inter-
OPEC countries and 0.6 million bar- vention from the new US Alshall Index Week 3 Week 2
rels a day from outside producers, Administration. The two poles of the 19/01/2017 12/01/2017
primarily Russia, will last. Secondly European Monetary Union, namely Increased Value (# of Companies) 25 19
and to a less degree in the short term, Germany and France, will have gen- Decreased Value (# of Companies) 4 5
it is based on the technical develop- eral elections. The fear of repeating Unchanged Value (# of Companies) 9 14
ments that might reduce the cost of the American experience, i.e. the Total Companies 38 38
Jan 12 to Jan 19, 2017
Al-Shall Index
Thu Thu Diff Close Diff 21 Salhiah Real Estate Company 1453.6 1453.6 0.0 1433.4 1.4
# Company Name 19/01/17 12/01/17 % 2016 % Real Estate Sector 222.9 207.3 7.5 195.8 13.8
1 The National Bank Of Kuwait 386.2 368.7 4.7 362.9 6.4 22 The National Industries 126.9 119.7 6.0 109.0 16.4
2 The Gulf Bank 207.2 195.0 6.3 195.0 6.3 23 Kuwait Cement Co 663.3 648.2 2.3 618.1 7.3
3 Commercial Bank Of Kuwait 358.2 362.5 (1.2) 349.7 2.4 24 Refrigeration Industries Co 107.0 107.0 0.0 110.5 (3.2)
4 Al-Ahli Bank Of Kuwait 212.8 196.4 8.4 196.4 8.4 25 Gulf Cable & Electrical Industries 177.9 163.9 8.5 149.9 18.7
5 Kuwait International Bank 235.5 220.9 6.6 214.7 9.7 26 Contracting & Marine Services Co 39.1 33.6 16.4 39.1 0.0
6 Ahli United Bank 378.6 356.6 6.2 361.0 4.9 Industrial Sector 190.6 182.8 4.3 172.4 10.6
7 Burgan Bank 297.7 283.4 5.0 283.4 5.0 27 Kuwait National Cinemas 728.2 728.2 0.0 778.4 (6.4)
8 Kuwait Finance House 1270.0 1270.0 0.0 1172.1 8.4 28 Kuwait Hotels Company 145.8 145.8 0.0 145.8 0.0
Banking Sector 404.2 390.0 3.6 379.3 6.6 29 The Public Warehousing Co 2677.8 2561.4 4.5 2406.1 11.3
9 Commercial Facilities Co 128.5 119.8 7.3 112.6 14.1 30 Mobile Telecommunications Co - ZAIN 728.4 572.3 27.3 541.1 34.6
10 International Financial Advisors 389.1 324.2 20.0 251.3 54.8 31 Safat Energy Co 14.5 12.2 18.9 11.1 30.6
11 National Investments 143.5 133.4 7.6 119.5 20.1
Services Sector 971.4 862.0 12.7 822.1 18.2
12 Kuwait Investment Projects 1158.8 1114.2 4.0 1114.2 4.0
32 Livestock Transport & Trading Co 186.7 181.7 2.8 178.3 4.7
13 Coast Investment & Development 72.4 62.2 16.4 52.6 37.6
33 Danah Aalsafat Foodstuff Company 91.0 90.0 1.1 89.0 2.2
Investment Sector 344.6 324.0 6.4 311.7 10.6
34 Kuwait United Poultry Co 60.0 65.3 (8.1) 65.3 (8.1)
14 Kuwait Insurance Company 63.9 63.9 0.0 61.7 3.6
15 Gulf Insurance Company 410.6 410.6 0.0 382.1 7.5 35 Kuwait Food Co 2581.6 2561.9 0.8 2561.9 0.8
16 Al-Ahleia Insurance Company 169.0 170.9 (1.1) 170.9 (1.1) Food Sector 894.0 888.1 0.7 887.2 0.8
17 Warba Insurance Company 83.6 83.6 0.0 83.6 0.0 36 Sharjah Cement Co 354.1 358.3 (1.2) 358.3 (1.2)
Insurance Sector 150.6 151.0 (0.3) 145.0 3.9 37 Gulf Cement Co 342.7 322.6 6.2 302.4 13.3
38 Umm Al-Qaiwain Cement Industries 588.6 588.6 0.0 551.8 6.7
18 Kuwait Real Estate Company 124.7 114.9 8.5 100.1 24.6
19 United Realty Company 220.3 197.8 11.4 191.7 14.9 Non Kuwaiti Companies 231.0 228.0 1.3 222.6 3.8
20 National Real Estate Company 298.1 261.4 14.0 238.5 25.0 General Index 391.8 374.6 4.6 363.0 7.9
and efficient service. Im sure it will Professional staff with local lan- Kuwait
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friends choosing to visit Ireland, and applications info.irelandkuw@vfshelpline.com
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promised service quality to travellers 100% secure handling of pass- 1700 hrs | Sunday - Thursday
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travel trade in this region and we are Door-step delivery of passports *VFS Global will be responsible
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LOCAL
Tunisia, Kuwait discuss prospected development funding
TUNIS, Jan 19, (KUNA): The State
of Kuwait Ambassador to Tunisia Ali
Al-Dhari on Thursday discussed with
Tunisian Minister of Development,
Investment and International Coop-
eration Mohammad Fadhel Abdelke
means of expanding scopes of mutual
cooperation; through funding joint en-
terprises in the country.
Wrong approach being eyed to
deal with population imbalance
Statements from parliamentarians not helpful
Volunteers seen with Kuwaiti humanitarian aid in Syria
Kuwaiti aid trickles into Syria from Turkey
Some 18 trucks laden with humani-
tarian aid crossed into Syria from
the southern Turkish province of
Hatay, the Kuwaiti Society for Relief
announced on Thursday. Director
General of Kuwaiti Society for Relief
Abdulaziz Al-Obaid told KUNA that
the trucks carried basic necessities
Kuwait distributes relief aid to displaced Iraqis
Ambassador Al-Dhari, in a state-
ment to KUNA, said the discussions
also dealt with various other economic
and business issues, namely a previous
Kuwaiti pledge to offer loans valued at
USD 500 million.
The talks also dealt with prepara-
tions for a visit by a delegation of Ku-
wait Fund for Arab Economic Devel-
including food baskets, heaters and
mattresses for needy Syrian families.
Moreover, he said that the aid is
part of Kuwaits efforts to mitigate
the misery the Syrian people are
mired in, as he thanked all those
involved in such benevolent deeds.
Meanwhile, head of the Kuwaiti
opment to Tunisia, due in February, to
examine ventures that might be funded
by the State of Kuwait.
Kuwait, during Tunisia 2020 busi-
ness conference, held last November,
pledged USD 500 million to back Tu-
nisian development schemes.
Meanwhile, Kuwait Red Crescent
Society (KRCS) distributed on Thurs-
KUNA photo
charitys delegation in Turkey Mo-
hammad Al-Houli said that the Ku-
waiti contingent was able to deliver
the aid despite frigid temperatures.
He also pointed out that the truck-
loads of aid, worth KD 80,000, will
arrive in the war-torn nation to be
distributed to Syrian families.
day 2,500 food packages, 2,500 rst
aid kits, and 30,000 liters of heating
oil to displaced Iraqis from the city of
Mosul.
KRSC teams also delivered aid to
areas near the Turkish borders, distrib-
uting 2,500 food packages, 2,500 of
rst aid kits, as well as 25,000 loaves
to Iraqi refugees in cooperation with
KUWAIT CITY, Jan
19: Nobody can deny
the fact that the popu-
lation imbalance issue
in Kuwait is a serious
problem that needs
to be solved urgently.
However, the recent
parliamentary state-
ments in this regard
cannot be considered
as the right solution,
especially since they
were aimed at gain-
ing the support of citi-
zens through passion-
ate speeches that have
nothing to do with the
correct solutions,
reports Al-Rai daily
quoting sources from
the banking sector.
They asked, Were expa-
triates compelled to come
to Kuwait or did they come
against the will of the authori-
ties in order to be dismissed
by force in such a manner
against their own will?
The sources pointed out the
fact that expatriates received
a generous invitation from
the Kuwaiti government and
citizens, represented by those
who own companies, to come
to Kuwait and offer their ser-
vices.
They wondered what alter-
native measures are available
if expatriates, especially the
qualied ones, are repelled
from the country in such a
manner.
In this regard, economic
expert Rasheed Al-Bader said
the extravagance in establish-
ing cities and ofces that need
large number of laborers for
cleaning and maintenance ac-
tivities has led to increase in
number of expatriates workers
in the country.
He indicated that in ad-
vanced countries, only one
servant is needed to care for
about ten houses but in Ku-
wait, each house has two-three
servants.
Al-Bader criticized the
governments policy of ap-
pointing citizens in the public
sector and offering national
support subsidy which has led
to buildup of Kuwaiti employ-
ees in the public sector.
IS targets in the Mosul area since the
The inspection team afliat-
ed to the Charitable Societies
Department in the Ministry
of Social Affairs uncovered a
number of violations in col-
lecting donations and sum-
moned a number of Twitter
users to take legal measures
against them, reports Al-
Shahed daily quoting sources.
Sources disclosed these
tweeters collected cash dona-
tions in Kuwait and abroad
a violation of the ministrys
regulations. Sources said those
who responded to the summon
of the ministry signed a pledge
not to repeat the offense while
the names of those summoned
but did not come were submit-
ted to the Ministry of Interior
which will take legal action
against them. Sources added
the inspection team will contin-
ue such campaigns and moni-
tor charitable organizations.
rors of Mosul, but at least 300,000 chil-
Ministry of Interior has
suspended the issuance of old
Kuwaiti passports from on Jan
19 until Saturday, Jan 21 for
the upgrade of travel docu-
ments in line with the security
systems implemented in inter-
national airports, reports An-
nahar daily.
In a press release, the min-
istry explained that the Citi-
zenship and Passport Affairs
sector has decided to stop
receiving applications for re-
newal of passports because
the Information Systems De-
partment is currently carrying
out preliminary tests for pav-
ing the way for the issuance of
electronic passports.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
the Barzani charitable organization,
Director of Disasters and Emergency
Management at KRSC Yusuf Al-
Meraj told KUNA.
KRCS official noted that this was
part of an ongoing campaign to al-
leviate the suffering of the Iraqi
people which was called upon by
His Highness the Amir of Kuwait
Kuwait Top: National Security Bureau chief with Silverman and (above) with
Sunil Jain.
Sheikh Thamer holds talks with US, Indian envoys
National Security Bureau chief Sheikh
Thamer Al-Ali Al-Sabah on Thursday
received US Ambassador to Kuwait
Lawrence Silverman discussing bilat-
eral ties and issues of common inter-
est.
The Security Bureau said in a state-
ment that Sheikh Thamer received
Silverman on the occasion of his
Speakers cover traffic accidents
Islamic Medicine Center holds
lecture to tackle fire incidents
By Marwa Al-Bahrawi
Al-Seyassah Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: The Islamic
Medicine Center, in cooperation with
the Public Relations and Media De-
partment at Kuwait Fire Service Di-
rectorate (KFSD), organized a lecture
for the directorates employees to
raise their awareness on ways to deal
with re incidents in houses, hospitals
or any building.
Iraq forces
Continued from Page 1
announced on Wednesday that almost
operation began, said the battle would
be tough but argued the jihadists had
also been severely weakened since
October.
They lost a lot of fighters, a lot of
resources, a lot of vehicle-borne impro-
vised explosive devices and a lot of
weapons during the first half of this bat-
tle, he said.
The city is for all intents and pur-
poses surrounded so they wont be able
to resupply or reinforce whatever
remains, he explained.
Unlike most of the previous major
battles to retake Iraqi cities from IS, the
current offensive did not empty Mosul
of its population.
The UN and other relief organisations
had planned for an unprecedented exo-
dus of up to a million people but there
are currently only around 150,000 civil-
ians displaced as a result of the Mosul
offensive.
The presence of so many residents in
west Mosul as IS fights to the death for
its last major bastion in Iraq was also a
concern however.
Many families have escaped the hor-
dren remain trapped in the west of the
city and now face the prospect of a
brutal siege, Save the Childrens Misty
Buswell said.
Children have already paid a heavy
price during the battles for the east, with
civilians so far making up nearly half of
all casualties in the conflict, she said.
In the narrow and densely populated
streets of the west, in Mosuls old city,
children and their families run an even
greater risk of being caught in the cross-
fire or being hit by bombs.
Most Islamic State (IS) commanders
in Mosul have been killed in battles with
Iraqi government forces that raged over
the past three months in the eastern side
of the city, an Iraqi general said on
Thursday.
The fight to take the western side of
Mosul, which remains under the jihad-
ists control, should not be more diffi-
4
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah.
Al-Meraj also said that KRCS will
continue to support displaced Iraqis in
various parts of the country.
The Iraqi army and allies are carry-
ing out military operations in Mosul to
rid the country from the so-called Is-
lamic State (IS).
KUNA photos
appointment as the new top Ameri-
can diplomat to the country. He also
wished him success during his tenure.
Separately, the bureau chief hosted
the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait,
Sunil Jain, holding talks on the Ku-
waiti-Indian relations, means of pro-
moting these ties and regional affairs
of joint concern. (KUNA)
Director of the Islamic Medicine
Center Dr Manal Matar revealed the
lecture also covered the main causes
of trafc incidents such as the use of
mobile phones by hand while driving.
Matar afrmed several related lec-
tures are slated for the coming period
in coordination with Public Relations
and Media Department Director at
KFSD Khalid Al-Amir as well as In-
formation and Social Media Depart-
ment Director Reda Al-Salman.
cult than the one on the eastern side,
Lieutenant-General Abdul Ghani al-
Assadi told Reuters before embarking
on a tour of areas newly retaken.
Assadis Counter-Terrorism Service
all of the citys eastern half had been
brought under government control.
God willing, there will be a meeting
in the next few days attended by all the
commanders concerned with liberation
operations, he said, replying to a ques-
tion on when he expects a thrust into the
western side of Mosul to begin.
It will not be harder than what we
have seen. The majority of (IS) com-
manders have been killed in the eastern
side. He did not give further details.
Since late 2015, government forces
backed by US-led coalition air power
have wrested back large amounts of
northern and western territory overrun
by IS in a shock 2014 offensive.
Iran collapse
Continued from Page 1
people were in the steel-and-concrete
building, witnesses said many had
slipped through a police cordon while
the fire burned to go back inside for
their belongings.
They asked us ... using loudspeakers
to evacuate the building, but some peo-
ple went inside again, saying their pre-
cious documents, their bank checks,
their entire life was in their shops, said
witness Masoud Hosseini.
They went inside to fetch those doc-
uments. I felt like they cared about their
belongings, checks and money more
than their lives.
Firefighters went inside to bring
them out, and then suddenly the build-
ing collapsed, Hosseini said.
Iranian authorities did not immedi-
ately release definitive casualty figures,
which is common in unfolding disasters.
Irans state-run Press TV announced
the firefighters deaths, without giving a
source for the information. Mayor
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said more
than 20 bodies of firefighters had been
recovered by Thursday night.

LOCAL
The Editor-in-Chief of Arab Times and Al-Seyassah newspapers attended a luncheon organized by Sheikh Hamad Al-Shunaifi at his palace in Dhurma town of Saudi Arabia in honor of Sheikh Salih Ibn Ghanim Al-Sadlaan who
Mashael Naji Al-Shimmari with staff members of Kuwait University.
Student Al-Shimmari granted masters degree
Faculty of Applied Medical Studies at
Kuwait University has granted masters
degree in medical laboratories to a stu-
dent Mashael Naji Al-Shimmari after she
passed the thesis.
A staff member Dr Laila Fali super-
vised the discussion. The committee for
the discussion included the Dean of the
faculty Prof. Saoud Al-Obeidi and
Assistant Dean for Scientific Researches
Amiri Diwan lauded for support
KU Dean visits Opera House
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: A dele-
gation from the Deanship of
Students Affairs at Kuwait
University headed by Dean Dr Ali
Saif Al-Nami Wednesday visited
Sheikh Jaber Cultural Center
Opera House.
The delegation included Vice
Dean for Student Affairs Dr Thaql
Al-Ajmi, Vice Dean for Students
Services Dr Fawaz Al-Enezi,
Al-Seyassah daily.
Prof. Jacob Mathieu.
Al-Shimmari revealed that she
received help from different medical
bodies in Kuwait including the Faculty of
Medicine and Central Laboratories
Department at Kuwait University.
She thanked everyone who helped
her especially Prof. Ali Dashti from
Microbiology Department at Faculty of
Applied Medical Studies.
departmental heads and staff of the
deanship.
Dr Al-Nami said the delegation
was honored to visit the center to
familiarize and learn about the ser-
vices and activities provided to visi-
tors.
He praised the Amiri Diwan for
his infinite support and promotion
of Kuwaiti arts and culture.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
5
recently recovered from an illness.
Ministry okays list of varsities
in US, Canada for scholarships
Decision aims to encourage section of excellent students
KUWAIT CITY,
Jan 19: Ministry of
Higher Education
Al-Rajaan case file with Public Prosecution
has issued the first KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Minister of Meanwhile, the minister declared government has agreed with the
ministerial decision Justice and State Minister for that he has not received the request parliaments Priorities over a num-
Naitonal Assembly Affairs Dr Faleh of General Customs Department ber of priorities, particularly the
approving a list of Abdullah Ali Al-Azeb affirmed that from the General Public Prosecutor amendment to the DNA testing law.
universities in the the case file of former director gen- concerning 13 petitions over the He said an initial agreement has
United States and eral of Public Authority of Social contraband containers at Shuwaikh
Security Fahad Al-Rajaan is with Port. been reached with the committee
Canada for its the Public Prosecution, which will He said there is no agreement over seven priorities, while the
scholarship stu- carry out necessary procedures in yet over the priority of the judicial eighth priority will be prepared after
accordance with the constitution, structure law. receiving approval of the Council of
dents, says reports Al-Rai daily. The minster revealed that the Ministers.
A s s i s t a n t
Undersecretary for
Missions, Evaluation and
Cultural Relations
Fatima Al-Sinan told
KUNA Thursday that the
decision issued by
Minister Dr Mohammed
Al- Fares is considered
the first brick of the
national excellence pro-
gram. She noted 51 uni-
versities classified
among the best universi-
ties in the world in all
recommended specialties
were listed.
She noted the Decision
No. 12/2017 aims to encour-
age and attract a section of
excellent students who wish
to enroll in the recommended
universities. She added the
decision is in line with the
pillars of the development
plan of the country, which
the ministry is keen on find-
ing necessary means to
achieve through investment
in the human resource
through innovation.
She reiterated that stu-
dents applying for the uni-
versities approved by the
ministry will be accepted
directly or they could join
the mission without enter-
ing competition for annual
seats, indicating they will
receive an additional
monthly allowance equiva-
lent to 50 percent of the
allowances of their counter-
parts on normal missions
who got direct admission
plus 25 percent additional
allowances.
Board Chairman of
Kuwait Science Club and
Chairman of the Higher
Organizing Committee for
the 9th International
Inventions Exhibition of the
Middle East Talal
Al-Kharafi affirmed that the
large number of attendance
since the beginning of the
exhibition signifies the
excellent position Kuwait
occupies in the world map,
reports Al-Seyassah daily.
He explained that the
exhibition brought together
inventors from all parts of
the world to the place where
they have been exchanging
ideas and inspirations and
getting acquainted with the
latest inventions. This will
contribute to increased
number of innovative ideas
globally and close the gap
between inventors and
investors.
Al-Kharafi indicated that
development of countries
can be measured by the rate
of patents that serve human-
ity.

LOCAL
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah (right), leads the Kuwaiti delegation at the conference.
OIC voices support for
Palestine cause: Kuwait
Call to rescue Myanmar Rohingyas
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah talking to his team member at the
OIC meeting.
Other Voices
The secret of success
By Ahmad Al-Sarraf
W hy do some people succeed while were well-known. Today, when I com-
others do not? What is the mean- pare myself with most of them, I realize I
ing of a successful life? Is it the ability have achieved much more success than
to achieve large financial gains? Is they did even though their educational
occupying a top political or social posi- qualifications are much better than mine.
tion a sign of success? Is it represented
by having a good family and living in leave business school and take a job at the
peace, or is it linked with artistic and Gulf Bank. He even predicted that I will
literary fame?
Actually, there is no definite answer
that can be considered as the
ideal one because the answer
varies based on our distinc-
tive experiences and the
influence of the environment
and the culture we live in.
Let us get back to the ques-
tion of why few manage to find
success while majority do not.
Some believe that success
needs good luck, intelligence
and hard work. However, real-
ity says otherwise. According
Al-Sarraf
to scientific researches, luck
has nothing to do with success, as we had
clarified in a previous article.
Intelligence without hard work also
cannot bring any success. Imagine a very
intelligent person who stays at home
doing nothing! Of course, he will die of
starvation.
Therefore, it is hard work that leads to
success. Hard and incessant work has
always been a common factor in the lives
of successful people in all fields includ-
ing sports, art, and business and so on.
Regarding my own experience (if I am
a successful man), I was never an intelli-
gent person. My marks in examinations
were often poor and hardly enabled me to
News in Brief
Officers lauded: Undersecretary of
Ministry of Interior Lieutenant
General Sulaiman Al-Fahad received
Lieutenant Bader Al-Qattan, First
Sergeant Khaled Al-Daihani from
Bayan Police Station and Master
Sergeant Meshal Salmeen from Bayan
Investigations Department.
During the meeting, they were hon-
ored for their speedy investigation and
record-time arrest of the suspect of an
arson attack on the offices of the prin-
cipal and secretary of Farhan Al Khalid
School in Bayan area.
Major General Ibrahim Al-Tarrah,
Adel Al-Hashash and other officials
from Ministry of Interior were present
at the meeting.
health services department crashing at
Removing garbage: The Public
Sanitation Supervisory Department of
Capital Municipality removed ten tons
of restaurants garbage and changed
300 trash bags during a recent cam-
paign to clean Souk Al-Mubarakiya,
which is part of its daily campaigns
held with the cooperation of Public
Service Department and Public
Relations and Media Department,
reports Al-Seyassah daily.
The General Supervisor Jamal
Al-Fadhli revealed that the team has
been removing about ten tons of gar-
bage every morning and evening in
pass and move from one grade to the
next. The excellent students in my class
My father objected to my decision to
fail. However, I took it up as a challenge.
Besides working at the bank, I had joined a
night school where I finished
secondary level education and
then I graduated from univer-
sity. At that time, I had my own
commercial project. For seven
years I was involved in three
activities at the same time - the
bank job, night study and man-
aging my project. This meant
that I managed to finish activi-
ties of 21 years in just seven
years. During that period of
extreme hard work, my intelli-
gent colleagues preferred a life
of relaxation and spent their
hours chatting.
Thomas Stanley, in his bestseller book
titled The Millionaire Next Door, wrote
that he studied the lives of hundreds of
rich people and discovered that most of
them did not perform well in school.
Everyone had expected them to fail in
life. However, many of their intelligent
colleagues work under their leadership
today. He concluded by saying that the
main factor behind success is and will
always be serious hard work, and not
intelligence.
email: habibi.enta1@gmail.com
areas of Kuwait City, Mirqab, Al-Qibla
and Sharq.
munity in Myanmar and called
Doctor, nurses hurt: A doctor
with two nurses and a motorist sus-
tained various degrees of injuries in an
accident on Wafra Motorway, says
Al-Seyassah.
The driver was trapped inside the
saloon vehicle after he lost control,
swerving and crashed into a concrete
barricade at the diversion on Wafra
Motorway (Road 306) toward Sabah
Al-Ahmad Housing City.
Public Relations and Security Media
Department stated the Kuwait Fire
Service Directorate (KFSD) was noti-
fied about a saloon vehicle of the
the aforementioned location, and a
team of firemen was deployed to the
location with paramedics and security
operatives.
have been suffering from recur-
Asian mugged: An unidentified
Asian has filed a complaint with the
Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Police Station
accusing five unknown persons of
assaulting him and stealing his money,
civil ID and cell phone, reports
Annahar daily.
The complainant told the police he
was mugged in Hassawi. Police are
looking for the suspects.
KUNA photo
KUALA LUMPUR,
Jan 19, (KUNA): A
communique issued in
an extraordinary meet-
ing of Foreign Ministers
of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) underscored col-
lective support of the
Palestinian cause, a
Kuwaiti official said on
Thursday.
Speaking to KUNA, Ku-
waits Deputy Foreign Min-
ister Khaled Al-Jarallah noted
that the communique rmly
supports a UN resolution that
renders Zionist settlements on
Palestinian territory legally
void.
Moreover, the Kuwaiti official
said that the statement also
approves of UN resolution
2334/2016, which states that
Zionist entitys settlement activ-
ity is a blatant violation of inter-
national law and has no legal
validity.
On a recent Middle East peace
conference held in the French
capital Paris, he pointed out that
the statement heaped praise on
efforts to encourage a two-state
solution to the Zionist-Palestinian
conflict.
Meanwhile, Al-Jarallah also
noted that the statement urged
OIC member nations to step up
efforts to cleave to international
law and decisions made at OIC
conferences.
Sovereignty
It also highlighted the religious
and spiritual significance that the
holy city of Jerusalem holds, as
well as Palestines rightful sover-
eignty over the city.
The State of Kuwait on
Thursday urged the international
community to intervene and halt
atrocities targeting the Muslim
Rohingya community in in
Myanmar.
The State of Kuwait Deputy
Foreign Minister, Khaled
Al-Jarallah, in a statement to
KUNA following an extraordi-
nary meeting of the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation, dedicat-
ed for discussing tragic condi-
tions suffered by the Muslim
community in Myanmar, said not
only the OIC should shoulder the
responsibility regarding plight of
the Royhingyas, but also the
international community.
He added that participants in
the meeting underscored in their
statements necessity of relieving
the innocent Rohingyas, who
have been subjected to brutal
practices as part of a campaign of
ethnic cleansing and killings as
well as other acts of unprece-
dented ugly nature.
Final communique of the spe-
cial meeting, Al-Jarallah added,
underscored difficult conditions
suffered by the Rohingya com-
on the international community
to act hastily to deal with this
problem.
The conferees have reached an
explicit decision; condemning
repression of the Muslim commu-
nity, tasking a special panel to visit
the towns and areas where the
Muslims live and contact authori-
ties of Myanmar to try persuade
the leadership in that country to
adopt a different approach of treat-
ing the Muslim minority.
Somali Ambassador to Kuwait
Abdul Qader Sheikh on Thursday
lauded the State of Kuwait for
aiding nations in need world-
wide, namely his people who
ring droughts.
The ambassador, in a state-
ment to KUNA as he emerged
from a meeting with the Deputy
Chairman of Kuwait Red
Crescent Society Anwar
Al-Hasawi, expressed gratitude
for the generous aid provided to
the Somali people, particularly
the help following the drought
that hit hi the nation in 2013.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
DIWANIYA
A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION
Problem rests with citizens
Why blame expats for all ills?
IT LOOKS like the defect in the population structure is
the talk of the town at the moment, columnist Dr Adel
Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim wrote for Al-Anba daily.
In this connection we have observed that the govern-
ment officials, parliamentarians and even some popular
voices have started calling for reviewing the current
population structure arguing that the expatriates make
as much as seventy percent of the countrys population,
as if this is something new.
As a matter of fact, attempts to talk about this issue
have not only concentrated on adjusting the population
structure, some have even directly confirmed the impor-
tance of imposing restrictions on the expatriates sug-
gesting that this can be realized through the imposition
of more charges on them in addition to other unstudied
decisions in general and on the menial workers in par-
ticular to force them to leave the country.
But for us and in light of the above, we reserve the
right to wonder, why have they concentrated on the
expatriates now? Havent they come to the country
legally? And who brought them into our country? And
who hired them in the private companies and public
instructions?
Not just that, who signed the agreements and con-
tracts for the recruitment of the expatriates of various
specializations to work in the countrys different sectors
and institutions? And who ignored the plans that had
been earlier set up to Kuwaitize the country? In this
regard we say these plans no longer exist in reality.
Yes, we would like to make clear that those who
were responsible for the above violations are the
Kuwaitis officials and ordinary citizens the citi-
zens who obtained the licenses from the concerned
authorities to bring foreign manpower and then abandon
them to their fate and expose them at the mercy of the
security authorities to be arrested
and deported from the country.
Apart from the above, we
would like to make it clear that
some Kuwaiti officials are also
responsible for bringing the expa-
triate manpower into the country
and finding them work in various
State ministries and instructions.
The same officials are responsi-
ble for seeking the renewal of
contract of these expatriates.
Speaking of the private sec-
tors, this sector prefers the expatri- Al-Ibrahim
ates over the citizens. This is the
naked truth and an undeniable fact.
Such being the case, we wonder, why the media
have failed to draw the attention of the officials in the
country in general and the MPs in particular to this fact
and inform them that the Kuwaitis themselves are
responsible for this defect in the population equation. In
other worlds, the problem rests in the Kuwaitis alone.
Given the above, we wonder what justification can
be given by the authorities to put this psychological
pressure on the expatriates, day and night, as if they
have entered the country illegally.
However, do these officials realize that their state-
ments show that they have failed by all means? Is there
any rational official to encounter this overwhelming
campaign that is directed against the expatriates?
It is unfortunate, that these officials compete to issue
statements against the expatriates and there are some
others who put more restrictions on them.
However, this happens although these officials pay
visits to many Arab and foreign countries to persuade
them to provide different kinds of specialists to work in
ministries and various government institutions.
This is the fact indeed and we would like to say
loudly to review the population structure in the country
provided this is done in a specific and studied manner
and punish any Kuwaiti official who is responsible for
this defect, provided the remedy should not come at the
expense of the expatriates who have committed no mis-
take, rather the government should be held accountable
for the problem.
Anyway, we are still attaching hopes on the rational
people (officials, citizens and the media men) in general
to shun notorious statements which are issued from time
to time against the expatriates. Not just that, these peo-
ple should also work to refute and refuse these state-
ments.
In other words, these rational people are requested to
shoulder their responsibility and confess that Kuwait is
responsible for this unhealthy population structure
which should be handled in the right perspective and not
at the expense of the expatriates because we respect
them irrespective of the nature of their work.
Also:
I dont find any convincing explanation for the
fierce attack that has been launched by various authori-
ties against the expatriates, columnist Hani Al-Mir
wrote for Al-Rai daily.
Some people have called for imposing different
kinds of fees while others have called for deporting as
many as one million. Not just that, yet others have
called for imposing charges on the remittances of expa-
triates in addition to imposing medical fees and increas-
ing the electricity tariff and then there are those who
have called for slapping a road tax on them.
Oh esquire masters, the expatriates came to our
country to earn money and we must not generalize
our vision on all just because some of them have
committed some infringements, but certainly most of
them work for our community and some perform vital
jobs in the field constructional, steel works, carpen-
try, painting, maintenance, mechanical, cleaning,
security, barbers, cooks, commissioning agents, driv-
ers, and so on.
It is needless to say the Kuwaitis are not yet
groomed to do these works, or rather this is impossible
for us to expect them to do some jobs.
Meanwhile, we have observed how the arguments
currently revolve around the defect in the population
structure, but I think the fears raised in this connection
seem unjustifiable.
In other words, the increasing number of the expatri-
ates in the country doesnt call for any fear. In this
context, we say the expatriates in a country like the
United Arab Emirates (UAE), for instance, exceeding
their counterparts in Kuwait, but its needless to say that
no attempts have been made by the officials in UAE to
deport them, rather the UAE government has managed
to handle this issue in a smart manner and the expatri-
ates have been turned into a feeder community of the
economy.
In the meantime, the concerned authorities there
apply the laws firmly on the violators. The expatriates
in the UAE who are caught stealing power cables or the
manhole covers are those who dont have contracts and
do business without license.
Meanwhile, we have observed how the UAE is free
of those contractors who won tenders and violated the
terms and conditions. Not just that, there are no stray
workers unlike here because those who are involved in
such violations workers or sponsors will be pun-
ished severely.
It is the right of the Egyptian government to follow
6
up the affairs of overseas Egyptian citizens and try to
help them by all means possible. The Egyptian diaspora
contributes a high percentage of national income due to
which the government is concerned about their situa-
tions and occasionally follow their affairs, as is its legal
and sovereign right. But we, as a country that hosts an
Egyptian community that lives and works here, also
have rights such as non-interference of others in our
internal affairs, Talal Al-Saeed wrote for Al-Seyassah
daily.
No one from outside Kuwait has the right to inter-
fere in the decisions taken by the state even if those
decisions harm the Egyptians or any expatriate com-
munity working here. It is the right of any foreign coun-
try to withdraw its citizens from Kuwait any time it sees
fit. We also have the right to take decisions that serve
our interests; those who do not like that should pack and
leave.
We are saying this in response to the statements
released by Egyptian ministers and officials, as we con-
sider them as interference in Kuwaits internal affairs.
Such interference is unacceptable and only makes us
angry. I do not know the response of our officials here
to such provoking statements. They have their ways and
diplomatic channels to deal with those statements, but
here we are talking about the effects of those official
Egyptian statements on the public.
Egyptians as expatriates have the right to a good
living, provided they do not interfere in any matter that
does not concern them, they concentrate on what they
came here for and they do not break any laws of the
country. A lot of expatriate brothers have lived with us
for many years and have gained a lot of good from this
great land. Some have left, some died and were buried
here and others considered Kuwait their own country.
This does not mean any foreign official, irrespective of
their position, is allowed to interfere in the internal
affairs of Kuwait even if their community fills up the
whole country.
Decisions of Kuwait should be respected. If the
government retreats even one inch in a decision it
undertakes because of outside pressure, it should know
that this pressure will continue and will look as if we
have given up our sovereignty. That is not at all accept-
able.
Just because they work here, they should not think
they have the right to interfere in internal affairs or they
can cancel the role of a citizen. This message should be
clear to those Egyptian officials who issued the state-
ments under the thought that it is in the interest of the
Egyptian community in Kuwait. In fact, it caused more
damage than good. We know our rights and their rights
very well.
After 35 years of successful management of a giant
Kuwaiti investment group with a capital exceeding $35
billion, the fighter jet pilot Faisal Hamad Al-Ayar
amazed us with his documentary book titled Money
and Sand, Yousef Al-Jassem wrote for Aljarida daily.
The title of the book is quite significant as it con-
nects the desert nature of the Gulf countries with busi-
ness. The climate in desert is changeable between clear
blue skies and dusty storms, just like the world of busi-
ness that moves between gains and losses.
The book gives a look into the brave background of
Al-Ayar as a fighter jet pilot and of how he used to
survey the scene from above, which helped him become
a distinguished writer and researcher. In his book, Faisal
Hamad Al-Ayar (Abu Mubarak) managed to remove
heavy covers from many successful investment projects
established since the 1970s. He also documented the
hard times and the mysterious economic setbacks in the
history of local and international investments. He col-
lected jumbled information and edited them in a won-
derful documentary style.
In my opinion, the book Money and Sand will
be an important reference for the researchers and
specialists in business and investment especially for
issues like the Santafi purchase and the Spanish
embezzlements in addition to other issues. It was
good of Al-Ayar to not name the individuals involved
in each issue, which will help in keeping the book
away from personal disputes and to maintain its sta-
tus as a professional reference.
We use this opportunity to ask the economy and
investment figures to follow the steps of Al-Ayar in
revealing the treasures of information they keep in
their memories in order to enrich the Kuwaiti eco-
nomic library so that it will be very helpful for
researchers and experts. This was also what the eco-
nomic pioneer Hamza Abbas did through the recent
publication of his valuable biography titled This is
my advice to you.
Diverting the attention of people away from main
issues by distracting them with trivial matters is a policy
based on the divide-and-conquer principle adopted by
the government, Abdulwahab Al-Nasser wrote for
Annahar daily.
This policy has deflected the concerns of people
away from the real political and economic problems that
citizens face. We thought this policy was a matter of the
past but the National Assembly has confirmed to us that
we are mistaken.
For a long time, seminars and manifestos of the elec-
tion candidates had included economic reforms, dignity
of citizens pocket, fighting corruption, amending the
election law and putting an end to squandering of public
funds. However, no change has happened yet and we
have realized that their concerns are only over trivial
matters such as Christmas tree, Negative Phenomenon
Committee and Speakership of the National Assembly.
These issues seem to be of higher priority than the sig-
nificant issues such as election law, crazy wastage of
public funds in the governmental bodies and widespread
corruption.
The terrorism we see today is the creation and prod-
uct of some countries which want to spread terror and
fear between nations while making governments busy
with this plague. Whoever wants to know the creators
and manufacturers of terrorism should look at these
countries whose territories are free of terror operations,
columnist Yaqoub Yousef Al-Omar wrote Al-Qabas
daily.
The world underestimated terrorism and slacked in
pursuing terrorists in the beginning. This prompted ter-
rorists to do whatever they like until the matter became
serious. They have become dangerous for everyone as
they formed cells across the globe, through which they
are able to carry out big terrorist operations that take
many innocent lives. If the Western world was serious
in fighting against terrorism from the beginning, the
situation would not have been like this.
Terrorism is like a dangerous disease that was
neglected and not treated at the beginning until it spread
to the whole body, so the treatment turned very difficult.
I then say this, even if the focal point of terrorism in
Raqqa and Mosul is terminated and become extinct, its
sleeper cells will remain active and carry on terrorist
operations for a long time.
Compiled by Zaki Taleb
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

LOCAL 7

Info minister stresses need to

promote cultural activities
Meets discuss ways to achieve objectives of invention fair
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19,
(KUNA): Minister of In-
formation and Minister
of State for Youth Affairs
Sheikh Salman Sabah Sa-
lem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah
stressed that cultural
Farwaniya Governor Sheikh Faisal (right), while receiving the Jahra Governor. activities should be pro-
moted to enhance national
Farwaniya governor receives Jahra governor identity. Sheikh Salman
Al-Humoud, who is also
Farwaniya Governor Sheikh Faisal liberations on major issues affecting Chairman of the National
Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah Wednesday re- all governorates in Kuwait, especially
ceived in his ofce Jahra Governor ret aspects concerning both governo- Council for Culture, Arts
General Fahad Al-Amir who paid him a rates. and Literature (NCCAL),
courtesy visit to deliberate on ways to They discussed certain inadequa- made this remark during
enhance coordination between the two cies in the services offered by the gov- a meeting, on Thursday,
governorates. ernorates and the effects on residents,
The governors exchanged pleasant- stressing the need for further coopera- that discussed the NC-
ries before they began extensive de- tion and bridge-building henceforth. CALs 2017 agenda. Cul-
ture plays a vital role in
building the minds, the
minister said, adding that
developmental accom-
plishments cannot be re-
alized without implement-
ing the NCCAL strategy
aimed at overhaulting the KUNA photo
key sector. Minister Sheikh Salman chairs the meeting discussing NCCALs 2017 agenda.
He encouraged NCCAL
board members to exert
more efforts in sponsoring
cultural events.
Meanwhile, on the second
day of the 9th International
Invention Fair of the Middle
East, meetings were held to
discuss ways to achieve the
objectives of the fair, which
Oil Minister Al-Marzouq with the TBY team members. will display 150 inventions
presented by 200 inventors
Oil minister discusses with TBY from 36 countries worldwide.
According to a press release,
these meetings were between
privatization of electricity sector Kuwait Science Club and Ku-
wait Chamber of Commerce
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Leading global across all markets. and Industry (KCCI), along
publisher The Business Year (TBY) recently This week, the minister attended the rst with Kuwait Economic Soci-
met with Essam Abdul Mohsen Al-Marzouq, meeting of the Tariff Committee to work ety, investors, businesspersons
the newly appointed Minister of Oil and the on the implementation of tariffs for utilities and representatives from the
Minister of Electricity and Water of Ku- and to build environmental awareness about private sector who visited the
wait. The minister spoke extensively about the usage of water and electricity. fair and saw all 150 inventions.
privatization plans in the electricity sector Essam Abdul Mohsen Al-Marzouq has Representing Kuwait Sci-
and elaborated on his intentions to move the extensive executive experience in the pri- ence Club in the meeting were
Ministry of Electricity and Water away from vate sector, previously in the renery, the Deputy Board Director
being a producer in order to become more of shipbuilding, and dredging industry. Prior
a regulator. With the nalization of Kuwaits to his ministerial appointment, he served of the club and Head of the
rst commercial power plant, Al-Zoor North as Chairman of Boursa Kuwait and on the Higher Organizing Commit-
I, which was developed under a public-pri- board of the Kuwait Petroleum Company tee of the fair Talal Jassem Al-
vate partnership model, the rst steps have (KPC). Al-Marzouq expressed his commit- Khara and the board mem-
taken in this direction. ment to bring his private sector experience bers of the club. Representing
Al-Marzouq also commented on the re- into the ministries. KCCI was its Deputy Presi-
cent deal among OPEC and non-OPEC TBY is currently in the last phase of de- dent Abdulwahab Al-Wazzan
members to cut oil production across the veloping its second edition on the country, and his accompanying delega-
board. He emphasized this is not about The Business Year: Kuwait 2017. This tion.
pushing commodity prices up: The oil year, the publication is compiled in close The objectives of the fair
price is a product of supply and demand consultation with its local partner, the Ku- include meeting of investors
and OPECs price-inuencing mechanism wait Direct Investment Promotion Author- with inventors, ways to grasp
is less powerful than a decade ago now ity (KDIPA). This edition will go to print investment opportunities for
that there are other important actors on the in 2Q2017 and will include some 150 in-
market, he told TBY. This dialogue is terviews with high-level executives in the the participating inventions,
important for sustainable energy production public and private sector. and ways for these inventions
to nd their way into the mar-
ket.
The outcome of the sec-
Kuwait Today ond day discussions about the
fair were represented through
Beacon M28 - - - 3ft NW means which could guarantee
Prayer Timings Beacon N6 16 10 - 3ft NW the achievement of the fairs
Fajr ........................................................ 05:19 Qaruh Island 18 16 17 3ft NW objectives. Some of these in-
Sunrise ................................................... 06:43 Umm Al-Maradim 18 15 - 3ft NW
Zohr ........................................................ 11:59 Sea Island Buo - - - - - vestments opportunities will
Asr ........................................................... 14:56 Salmiya 16 12 - 3ft NW be announced to the mem-
Maghrib ................................................. 17:16 4 days forecast - Marine bers and associates of KCCI
Isha ........................................................ 18:36 Friday, Jan 20
Expected weather .................................. Mostly sunny through direct communication
Weather Sea state .......................................Slight to moderate between the club and KCCI.
Wave height........................................................1-4 ft
Expected weather for the next 24 hours: Max Temp........................................................... 20C
By Night: Partly cloudy with light to moderate Min Temp............................................................ 10C
south easterly wind, with speed of 06-26 km/h with a Wind Direction .................................................. N-NW Minister of Health Dr Jamal
chance for fog forming at night. Wind Speed .............................................. 10-30 km/h Al-Harbi has sent a letter to the
By Day: Partly cloudy with light to moderate east- Saturday, Jan 21 Cabinet to nominate the man-
erly to south easterly wind, with speed of 06-28 km/h Expected weather ...................................Partly cloudy
with a chance for scattered light rain. Sea state .......................................Slight to moderate ager of his ofce Abdulaziz
Station Max Min Wave height........................................................1-3 ft Al-Tasha for the position of
Exp Rec Max Temp........................................................... 19C
Kuwait City 20 13 Min Temp............................................................ 07C Assistant Undersecretary for Ofcials of KSC, KCCI, KEC along with investors and businesspersons during the 2nd day of 9th Intl Invention
Kuwait Airport 21 10 Wind Direction ..............................................NW-VRB Medicines and Medical Equip- Fair of Mideast.
Abdaly 21 09 Wind Speed .............................................. 06-26 km/h ment and to supervise medical
Bubyan 19 11 Sunday, Jan 22
Jahra 21 12 Expected weather .........Partly cloudy + scattered rain warehouses and medical engi- Coordinates with KU, MoE
Failaka Island 18 11 Sea state .......................................Slight to moderate neering management, which
Salmiya 18 14 Wave height........................................................1-3 ft are the responsibilities of Eng.
Ahmadi
Nuwaisib
18
19
15
11
Max Temp........................................................... 20C
Min Temp............................................................ 07C Farah Dashti who happens to PAAET in bid to improve
Wafra 21 09 Wind Direction ................................................ SE-NW have long experience and good
Salmy
4 days forecast - Weather
20 11 Wind Speed .............................................. 08-30 km/h
Monday, Jan 23 repute in the eld, reports Al- admission performance
Friday, Jan 20 Expected weather .................................. Mostly sunny Rai daily. KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Dean of Admission and
Expected weather .................................. Mostly sunny Sea state .......................................Moderate to rough However, sources from the
Max Temp........................................................... 20C Wave height........................................................3-6 ft Registration at the Public Authority for Applied Edu-
Min Temp............................................................ 10C Max Temp........................................................... 17C health sector were surprised by cation and Training (PAAET) Dr Rabah Al-Najadah
Wind Direction .................................................. N-NW Min Temp............................................................ 06C the move to appoint Al-Tasha, disclosed that the institute is in constant coordination
Wind Speed .............................................. 10-30 km/h Wind Direction ...................................................... NW the ofce manager of the cur-
Saturday, Jan 21 Wind Speed .............................................. 20-40 km/h with Kuwait University and the Ministry of Education
Expected weather ...................................Partly cloudy Tide times at Shuwaikh Port rent minister and former min- as regards the most sought specialties in the labor mar-
Max Temp........................................................... 19C 1st high tide: ...................................................... 16:59 ister Dr Ali Al-Obeidi, for ket in general, reports Al-Anba daily.
Min Temp............................................................ 07C 2nd high tide: ..................................................... 04:48 such a sensitive and compli-
Wind Direction ..............................................NW-VRB 1st low tide:........................................................ 10:33 Dr Al-Najadah revealed that PAAET has been em-
Wind Speed .............................................. 06-26 km/h 2nd low tide: ...................................................... 23:18 cated position. barking on major projects to improve admission per-
Sunday, Jan 22 Sunrise: ............................................................. 06:43 They revealed that Al-Ta- formance in the institute in order to ease the process of
Expected weather .........Partly cloudy + scattered rain Sunset: .............................................................. 17:15 selecting courses and future professional life. She said
Max Temp........................................................... 20C Recorded yesterday at Kuwait Airport sha was brought into the of-
Min Temp............................................................ 07C Max temp ............................................................ 19C ce from Ministry of Public the process includes taking the record of attendance
Wind Direction ................................................ SE-NW Min temp ............................................................. 06C Works. and producing students account online to guarantee
Wind Speed .............................................. 08-30 km/h Max Rh ................................................................84% their rights.
Monday, Jan 23 Min Rh .................................................................35% The sources questioned his
Expected weather .................................. Mostly sunny Max Wind....................................................N 25 km/h qualications and his capabil- She noted the school authority is not considering an
Max Temp........................................................... 17C Total Rainfall in 24 hrs ....................................... 0 mm ity to take up the responsibili- increase in the percentage of admission. She stressed
Min Temp............................................................ 06C Recorded yesterday at South Dolphin the institution accepts students from various segments
Wind Direction ...................................................... NW Min/Max/ Air Temp ........................................ 11/17C ties linked with such a sensitive
Wind Speed .............................................. 20-40 km/h Min/Max Rel Hum ...........................................57/81% position for managing medi- of society into all colleges and institutions. He stressed
Marine Forecast Wind Direction/Wind Speed........................N/32 km/h
cine and medical equipment that the children of Kuwaiti and Bedoun women are
Station Max Min Sea Todays Prev Wave Dir/Max Wave Ht .............................. N/- ft also part of the segments, in addition to the children
Exp Rec Surf Waves Min/Max Sea Surface Temp .......................... 14/15C management, especially since of diplomats, academic staff and other beneciaries of
Ht Dirn Sea Current ................................................Downdraft the ministry is on the verge
South Dolphin 17 11 14 3ft NW Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Minister of Education and PAAET Director Gen-
Umm Mudayrah 17 14 - 3ft NW Meteorological Dept. of taking several measures erals scholarships.
and procedures to increase the

deaths charges of health services pro-
vided to expatriates including PAS decides to maintain directors: The Public Au-
Fouz Saleh Nasser Rashed Al Fathli, 19 years old buried on Thursday. Condolences: (Men)
Waha, Block 2, Street 10, House 2, Opp. Jahra Telecommunication Center (Diwan Al Ardi), the prices of medicines. thority for Sport (PAS) has decided that the boards of
Tel: 66266099, (Women) Saad Al Abdullah, Block 11, Street 160, House 19; Assayel Saleh directors of the sports bodies will continue on a care-
Nasser Rashed Al Fathli 21 years old, buried on Thursday. Condolence: (Men) Waha, Block taker basis until new ones are elected.
2, Street 10, House 2, Opp. Jahra Telecommunication Center (Diwan Al Ardi), Tel: 66266099, The move is line with the ministerial decision No.
(Women) Saad Al Abdullah, Block 11, Street 160, House 19; Mubarak Husein Ali Dashti, 91
years old, buried on Thursday. Condolence: (Men) Dasma, Al Naqi Mosque, Tel: 96662345, 847/2016 that was issued by Minister of Information
(Women) Dasma, Block 6, Maki Husein Jumma Street House 22A Opp. Police Station. Jasem and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Sal-
Ghloom Mulla Husein Ashour, 74 years old, buried on Thursday. Condolence: Jabriya, Hu- man Sabah Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah on October
seiniyat Al Balosh, Tel: 95575578.Maleha Mubarak Bin Dabis Al Azemi, widow of Mubarak 20, the authority said in a statement on Thursday. The
Murthi Al Fatteh Al Azemi, 45 years old, buried on Thursday. Condolence: Fahad Al Ahmad, decision stipulates that the current boards of directors
Block 4, Street 414, House 8, Tel: 99076080/97677782/96622260. Jalawi Jeaithn Obaid Al
Mutairi, 55 years old, to be buried on Friday after Asr prayers. Condolence: (Men) Eshbeliya, work temporarily for three months until the new ones
Block 4, Street 409, House 2, Tel: 99449846, (Women) Salam, Block 3, Street 302, House are formed in light of schedules and procedures in this
3, Tel: 99635514.Yousef Abdul Rahman Rashed Al Haroon, 24 years old, to be buried on regard, it added. The authority is keen of empowering
Friday after Asr prayers. Condolence: (Men) Dahiyat Abdullah Al Salem, Block 3, Street 30, sports board directors to achieve their missions until
House 2, Diwan Al Haroon, Tel: 69623233, (Women) Surra, Block 1, Street 6, House 3.
elections, in accordance with the amended systems,
Jan 19, 2017 Dr Jamal Al-Harbi are held, it noted.

LOCAL
Court Cases
Citizen cleared of phone abuse
Man acquitted in drugs
case as ruling quashed
By Jaber Al-Hamoud
Al-Seyassah Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: The Court of
Appeals overturned the ruling of the
First Instance Court which sentenced
a citizen to ve years in jail with la-
bor for the possession of hashish and
brain stimulants that were found in his
car, resulting in the acquittal of the ac-
cused.
The Public Prosecution charged the
citizen with possession of the above-
mentioned drugs for personal use as
per the arresting ofcers report.
Case les indicate the citizens
car collided with another in front of
the arrest-
ing ofcers
house. When
the ofcer
went out, he
saw the dam-
ages caused
by the acci-
dent and then
he searched
the car of the
citizen only to
nd the drugs. Al-Enezi
Attorney
Faisal Eyal Al-Enezi defended the
citizen in court where he pointed out
the invalidity of arrest procedures and
absence of incriminating evidence
against his client. He argued that op-
pression of peoples freedom and
searching them without a valid reason
could distort the justice system.
manner before the rape in an isolated
Citizen cleared: The Court of Ap-
peals overturned the ruling of the First
Instance Court which sentenced a
citizen to one year in prison and ned
him KD 1,000 for misusing his mobile
phone when he sent SMS which con-
tained bad and insulting words to the
A bulldozer razes the outer boundary of a Shisha Cafe.
Municipality razes 18 cafes
The Emergency Team at the Kuwait
Municipality branch in Hawally Gover-
norate conducted an intensive cam-
paign against unlicensed cafes, result-
ing in the demolition of 18 cafs found
to have put up illegal structures, reports
Al-Seyassah daily.
Director of the branch Falah Al-Shim-
mari disclosed the campaign was aimed
at tracking down cafs and restaurants
that constructed unlicensed extensions,
in addition to inspecting the validity of their
licenses.
Meanwhile, in Mubarak Al-Kabeer,
the Emergency Team conducted a simi-
lar campaign in Subhan Industrial Area,
leading to the conscation and destruc-
tion of 1,513 kg of expired foodstuff
News in Brief
Security forces lauded: Security
forces are the nations protective shield
that staves off all threats and challenges,
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior
Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah
Al-Sabah said on Thursday.
The Interior Minister made the remarks
in a statement issued by the Ministry of
Interior after a ceremony where 16 briga-
diers ascended to Major General status, as
approved by the Cabinet.
Moreover, he underscored their promo-
tion as a token of appreciation for their
efforts to safeguard the nations security,
adding that such diligence leads to an
impenetrable security apparatus. (KUNA)
Komen meets Jarrah: Deputy Prime
Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh
Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah tackled on
Wednesday with Secretary General of the
Arab Interior Ministers Council Dr.
Mohammad bin Ali Komen the main
issues put on the agenda of the upcoming
meeting of the Arab ministers council.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement
that Sheikh Khaled received from Komen
an invitation to attend the councils meet-
ing in Tunis next March.
The statement noted that Sheikh Khaled
was briefed on the councils secretary gen-
erals efforts and Arab joint work through-
out years. For his part, Komen expressed
appreciation to Sheikh Khaled for the
warm welcome he received.
Komen also praised Kuwaits efforts
and commitment to Arab cooperation in
various fields. (KUNA)
MoH driver hurt: An unidentified
Asian who works as a driver for the
Ministry of Health was critically injured
after he reportedly drove the Ministry car
into a cement barrier, reports Annahar
daily.
The incident took place on a highway in
plaintiff as stated in the minutes of the
police station where the complaint was
led.
Attorney Zaid Al-Khabbaz, who
defended the accused in court, argued
the indictment is invalid as there is no
relation between his client and the sup-
posed crime. He pointed out the case
le lacks evidence that his client com-
mitted the crime.
Al-Khabbaz said the mobile phone
used in committing the crime does not
belong to his client and it was not reg-
istered under his name. He added the
results of investigations were incon-
clusive due to the contradictory state-
ments of the ofcer in charge of the
case. He then asked the higher court
to cancel the decision of the First In-
stance Court and acquit his client.
Pledge frees officer: The Court of
Appeals chaired by Judge Nasr Salem
Al-Hayed dismissed the verdict of the
Court of First Instance that acquitted
a Captain working at the Ministry of
Interior of raping a youth. The court
however refrained from pronouncing
the penalty, but ordered the accused
to sign an undertaking to be of good
moral conduct for two years with bail
bond of KD 1,000.
The case le indicated the Public
Prosecution Department accused the
man of abducting the youth by trick,
with the intention of raping him. He al-
legedly stopped the youth for violating
law and arrested him in an unlawful
location.
The ofcer broke down and wept
profusely when the victim identied
him during the investigation and he
confessed the crime. The court later
amended the charges to unlawful arrest
and detention, attempted rape.
found in a food industry operating in the
area.
The teams leader, Nasser Al-Hajeri,
said the inspectors carried out routine
inspection of food companies in the
area, afrming the team will intensify its
campaigns to ensure that the foodstuff
sold by these companies pose no haz-
ard to consumers.
On the other hand, the Public Rela-
tions Department in the Municipality
urged the public to report their com-
plaints through hotline number 1844448
or its Twitter account @Kuwmun.
The department assured that every
complaint or suggestion will be dealt
with as per the policies of the Munici-
pality
Arab nabbed
Travelers robbed
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Farwaniya
securitymen arrested an Egyptian
for stealing from passengers at Ku-
wait International Airport.
This came after the security-
men responded to complaints from
a number of passengers who lost
valuables while they were busy pre-
paring for their trip with their small
bags left in trolleys along with other
suitcases. A team was formed to
expatriate was arrested in Fahaheel
gather information and identify the
suspect, resulting in the arrest of
the Egyptian who had in his posses-
sion several stolen items like mobile
phones, iPads and cash.
During interrogation, the suspect
said he stole small bags and took
valuable items in the bathroom. He
also admitted to stealing from shops
and involvement in six misdemea-
nor cases in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.
The value of the items he stole is
estimated at $4,000 and he told
ofcers that he enters the country
whenever he gets a visit visa.
Wafra in the vicinity of the Sabah
Al-Ahmad housing area . As soon as The
Operations Room of Interior Ministry
received the information, paramedics
rushed to the location and referred the vic-
tim to the intensive care unit of the Adan
Hospital.
Brigadier Abdullah Safa.
Filipinas arrested: Personnel from
Private Tasks Department have arrested
two Filipinas 33 and 47 year-old for
violating residence law, reports Al-Anba
daily.
10-year jail upheld in violent
robbery, murder of 2 guards
Asian gangs caught running liquor factories
By Jaber Al-Hamoud
Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies
KUWAIT CITY, Jan
19, The Court of
Cassation upheld the
decision of a lower court
on the execution one of
those convicted of
involvement in a rob-
bery case with violence
and first-degree mur-
der, 10 years jail term
with hard labor on
another convict and fine
of KD 50 for two more
convicts.
These four convicts were
involved in the robbery with
violence and rst degree mur-
der that happened a few years
ago in Suleibiya vegetable mar-
ket, during which two security
guards lost their lives.
The Public Prosecution charged
a 21-year old Bedoun and a
17-year-old Syrian with premedi-
tated murder of the two guards, as
the Bedoun shot them while the
Syrian held a knife as an accom-
plice.
The other two convicts, a
20-year-old Syrian and a 21-year-
old Kuwait, were accused of help-
ing the two assailants escape in
addition to hiding the suspects and
murder weapons.
The convicts carted away with
KD 13,000 during the heist wihich
left two security guards dead.
boost bilateral ties between the
Woman acquitted: A Kuwaiti
court acquitted a woman in her 30s
who was accused of negligence af-
ter her three-year old son fell from
the stairs and sustained several in-
juries. According to the case le,
the Public Prosecution accused
the woman of neglecting her mi-
nor son, thereby violating Articles
164 and 166 of the Penal Code and
Articles 2, 91 and 94 of Law No.
21/2015 concerning the rights of
children.
During the court session, Law-
yer Maryam Faisal Al-Bahar, rep-
resenting the woman, stressed that
her client has denied all allegations
against her from the beginning, in-
sisting that the allegations are ma-
licious due to former disputes be-
tween the plaintiff and her client.
Indian selling diesel: An Indian
area for selling diesel, says Al-
Seyassah.
According to security sources,
Ahmadi securitymen were patrol-
ling Fahaheel area when they saw
a private tanker transferring oil via
a hose into a bus. They approached
the driver and checked his details
to discover he is an Indian expa-
triate. When they questioned him,
he revealed that he has been tak-
ing diesel from petrol stations and
selling them to owners of heavy
vehicles.
He was arrested and referred to
the concerned authorities for nec-
essary legal action.
Sources afrmed that Ahmadi
securitymen will not hesitate in
arresting violators of law in the
governorate based on instructions
from Ahmadi Security Director
evant authority. Initial investigation re-
vealed that one of members had taken
Running liquor factory: A gang
of Asian expatriates was arrested
by security operatives for running
a liquor factory at a house in Zahra
area.
Kuwait City as seen from the Shuwaikh beach Ahmad Surour - KUNA
Kuwaits Army Chief-of-Staff Lt Gen Mohammad Al-Khoder with British and GCC officials.
Kuwait, UK-US discuss military ties
Kuwaiti Armys Chief of Staff
Lieutenant General Mohammad
Al-Khoder discussed Wednesday
with Britain Ambassador to Kuwait
Mathew Lodge and Military
Attache in the embassy Colonel
Finlay Mclean issues of common
interest. The two sides also tack-
led military topics and ways to
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General
two countries, Ministry of Defense
Moral and Guidance Public
Relation Office said in a state-
Four Syrians assault Kuwaiti citizen
Two girls dead, 4 hurt in accident
By Mishal Al-Sanousi
Al-Seyassah Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: A Ku-
waiti citizen was trapped inside
his vehicle after a two-vehicle col-
lision at West Sabah Al-Ahmad
area.
Acting on information, a team
of remen was deployed to the
scene and they used special equip-
ment to remove the victim. He was
airlifted by paramedics to a hospi-
tal for treatment.
Two girls dead: Two girls died
and four other people sustained
severe injuries when a German-
made vehicle collided with a mini-
bus on Jahra Motorway.
Public Relations and Secu-
rity Media Department stated the
General Public and Security Media
Department stated that ofcers from
the Hawalli Security Directorate and
anti-narcotics ofcers coordinated
investigation to verify information
about the activities of the gang in-
volved in the manufacture and ped-
dling of liquor.
They raided the place, arrested all
suspects, and referred them to the rel-
rity department for the necessary legal
action.
a house in Zahra area on behalf of the
gang to run the liquor factory.
Meanwhile, Hawally securitymen
arrested a ve-member Nepalese gang
for operating a local alcohol factory in
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
ment. Earlier, Al-Khoder met with
the GCC Military Affairs General
Secretariats outgoing Assistant
Director Brigadier Khalifa Hamid
Al-Kaabi. The ministrys state-
ment added the meetings were
attended by a number of senior
military officials.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Armys
Assistant Chief of Staff for the
Mohammad Al-Khoder discussed
with Commander of the US
Central Command Joseph Votel
General Fire Service Directorate
received report about a two-vehi-
cle crash on Jahra Motorway and
remen rushed to the scene to deal
with the situation.
Upon arrival, the ofcers man-
aged to remove the injured people
using hydraulic equipment after
cutting parts of the vehicle to fa-
cilitate the process.
Two of them were already dead.
Their remains were deposited to
Forensics, while paramedics re-
ferred the injured people to hospi-
tals in critical condition.
Kuwaiti assaulted: Four Syr-
ians engaged a Kuwaiti citizen in
a ght in front of a commercial
complex in Salmiya area. They
suffered injuries in different parts
Rumaithiya. In a press statement, the
Interior Ministry disclosed that the ar-
rest happened after the securitymen put
the gang under surveillance based on
information they obtained from a reli-
able source.
When the securitymen raided the
house of the suspects, they found ve
barrels of local alcohol. The suspects
were then referred to the relevant secu-
Syrian woman who attempted to end
And, security operatives raided a
liquor factory and a prostitution den
in Mangaf area, and recovered drums
full of local liquor and equipment for
brewing the contraband. The suspects
8
KUNA photo
on Thursday issues germane to
bilateral cooperation.
A statement by the Ministry of
Defense noted that Al-Khoder
also held talks with the visiting US
military official over issues of
mutual concern, chiefly, ones
dealing with security.
The meeting was attended by
armys operations and planning
department Major General Ahmad
Al-Omairi. (KUNA)
of their bodies.
A team of securitymen and par-
amedics went to the scene when
the Operations Room of the Inte-
rior Ministry received report about
the ght.
The injured people were re-
ferred to Mubarak Hospital for
treatment.
Initial investigation revealed
that the ght started with an argu-
ment between a Syrian and the Ku-
waiti citizen, and developed into
sticuffs. A case was registered
for investigation.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian expa-
triate led a complaint in Maidan
Hawalli police station against un-
known persons that assaulted him.
He provided details of the suspects
to the police. A case was regis-
tered.
managed to escape before the arrival of
the police, says Al-Seyassah.
Ahmadi securitymen received infor-
mation about the activities of a group of
expatriates using two rooms at a house
in Mangaf area for prostitution and
manufacturing liquor. There was a bed,
red lights and decorations of a prostitu-
tion ranch inside the second room.
Suicide attempted: A 20-year-old
her life by consuming quantity of medi-
cine pills and detergent inside her apart-
ment in Nugra, has been referred to the
intensive care unit of the Mubarak Hos-
pital, reports Al-Rai daily.
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

LOCAL/GULF 9

Newspaper accused of sowing sedition during protests

Bahrain lifts ban on electronic daily Al-Wasat DUBAI, Jan 19, (Agencies): Bahraini
authorities on Thursday lifted a ban on
the electronic edition of Al-Wasat news-
paper, which was accused of sowing
sedition during protests triggered by the
execution of three Shiites.
The information ministry said in a
statement that it has decided to allow the
daily to use electronic media, after it had
banned the daily on Monday from post-
ing online.
The ban that was open-ended did not
affect the paper edition, and was due to
the newspapers repeated publishing of
and spreading (material) that sows sedi-
tion in society and harms national unity,
the ministry said at the time.
It was imposed a day after protests
broke out against the execution of three
members of Bahrains Shiite majority
convicted of a deadly bomb attack on
police in 2014.
Al-Wasat was suspended for two days
in August 2015 after being accused of
violating the law and repeated dissemi-
nation of information that affects nation-
al unity and the kingdoms relationship
with other countries.
Sunni-ruled Bahrain has been rocked
by sporadic unrest since March 2011
when security forces brutally crushed an
Arab Spring-inspired uprising.
At the height of the 2011 uprising, Al-
Wasat was suspended and its chief edi-
tor Mansoor al-Jamri tried and ned for
allegedly publishing false information. It
was later allowed to reopen.
People in Bahrain continue protests
against the ruling Al Khalifah regime
over the execution of three Shia Mus-
lim activists convicted of killing three
policemen during a pro-democracy rally
back in March 2014.
Scores of demonstrators blocked roads
with burning tires in the village of Nu-
waidrat, located about ten kilometers
south of the capital, Manama, on Mon-
day and threw rebombs at an anti-riot
police vehicle. A plume of smoke could
be seen in the sky as re burnt on street.
Police cars could be heard from hundreds
of meters away, with their sirens going.

MPs call for effective and fruitful

GOIC Secretary General Abdulaziz Al-Ageel with GCC Secretary General
Dr Abdullatif Al-Zayani.
GCC economic dev discussed
Al-Zayani visits GOIC
headquarters in Doha
DOHA, Jan 19: Dr. Abdullatif Bin
Rashid Al-Zayani, Secretary General
of the Gulf Cooperation Council visited
the headquarters of the Gulf Organiza-
tion for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) in
Doha, Qatar, where he met Abdulaziz
Bin Hamad Al-Ageel, GOIC Secretary
General.
The meeting was attended by Dr Ali
Al-Mulla, GOIC Assistant Secretary
General for Industrial Projects Sector,
Shamlan H O Al Jeheidli, GOIC As-
sistant Secretary General for Industrial
Information and Studies and heads of
departments at GOIC.
During his visit, Dr. Al-Zayani got to
know more about GOICs activities to
support joint industrial endeavours in the
Gulf. He also listened to a presentation on
GOICs programs, events and initiatives,
in addition to its leading role in providing
Presenters and performers on stage at the Student Exclusive at Abu Dhabi
Sustainability Week 2017.
Focus on empowering youth
Over 600 students take part in
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
ABU DHABI, Jan 19: More than 600
students from the UAE and countries
around the world took part in the sec-
ond annual Student Exclusive at Abu
Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW)
on Wednesday. Now a signature event
of ADSW, the Student Exclusive is fo-
cused on empowering young people to
think and act sustainably.
His Excellency Dr Ahmed Belhoul,
Minister of State for Higher Education,
delivered the events keynote address,
describing the Student Exclusive as in-
tegral to the success of ADSW.
The culture of the UAE is based on
sustainability. If you go back 100 years,
people only consumed what they re-
quired; they only used what they needed.
But today, we are all guilty of consump-
tion that is not very responsible. The
government is trying to help us by raising
awareness, and by investing in renew-
able energy resources. But regardless of
what we do as the government, a culture
of sustainability needs to be embedded in
you, our young people. You are the fu-
ture, and sustainability starts with you.
Decision
When Masdar was established a de-
cade ago, the UAE leadership wanted
to create a company that would invest
in renewable energy, but we cannot do
that without human resources, HE Dr
Belhoul added. So we took the decision
to establish a holistic ecosystem, by not
only creating Masdar but also the Mas-
dar Institute of Science and Technology.
We are proud today to see the achieve-
ments of both Masdar and Masdar In-
stitute, which are empowering our best
young talent.
Commenting on the success of the
Student Exclusive, Dr Nawal Al Hosa-
ny, Executive Director of Sustainability
and Brand at Masdar, Abu Dhabis re-
newable energy company, also stressed
the need for young people to take re-
sponsibility. The Student Exclusive is
a platform that puts youth opinions at
its core, she said. If we can empower
young people to see how sustainability
affects every aspect of their lives, then
statistical data and information about the
industrial sector in the GCC.
Dr. Al-Zayani commended their
Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders
of GCC states, for their high interest in
the industrial sector in light of its im-
portance and key role in promoting eco-
nomic development in the region.
Moreover, Al-Ageel reiterated GO-
ICs commitment to continue to work
under the umbrella of the Secretariat
General of the GCC to achieve desired
objectives, in accordance with the guid-
ance of their Majesties and Highnesses,
the leaders of GCC states, to strengthen
joint economic ventures and promote
the industrial sector to be up to the ex-
pectations of GCC nations. He added:
His Excellencys visit paves the way
for promising future cooperation and
coordination in this area.
we can also empower them to be future
advocates of sustainability. This years
Student Exclusive was held on the
theme Creating a sustainable future by
empowering young minds.
Moderated by Khalid Al Ameri, a
prominent UAE national journalist and
social media inuencer, and fellow Emi-
rati Waheeda Al Hadhrami, Creative
Talent Developer at TwoFour54, this
years event hosted a diversity of young
talent, who shared their own distinct
perspective on adopting sustainable be-
haviour.
The Student Exclusive welcomed cal-
ligrapher Diaa Allam, pianist Mona Al-
hashmi, futurist Lina Nahhas, musicians
G-beat, parkour coach Amal Murad,
artist Hessa Al Ajmani, and singer Khal-
ifa Nasser.
Presented
Hasan Al Redaini, the UAEs rep-
resentative to Solar Impulse 2, the rst
aircraft to circumnavigate the world pow-
ered only by solar energy, and two previ-
ous student winners of the Zayed Future
Energy Prize from Cashmere High
School in New Zealand and the Korean
Science Academy of KAIST also pre-
sented to the Student Exclusive audience.
The Student Exclusive also featured a
presentation by Fatema Al Mulla, Mar-
keting Executive at Masdar, on the nd-
ings of The Masdar Gen Z Global Sus-
tainability Survey, the rst global study
of youth attitudes towards sustainability,
renewable energy and climate change; a
talk by Dr Majid Al Qassimi, Director
of the Animal Health & Development
Department at the UAE Ministry of
Climate Change and Environment on
The natural world and sustainability;
and a presentation on the sustainability
narrative of Expo 2020 by Alya Al-Ali,
Director for Youth, Expo 2020.
The nal community awareness event
of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will
be The Festival at Masdar City on Jan
20-21. Open to the public, The Festival
will host sustainability-themed games
and activities, live entertainment and
food stalls.
discussion of population imbalance
Approve 50 pct citizens, 50 pct expats plan
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19:
A number of MPs stressed
the need for the parliamen-
tary session, which is to be
held on Feb 2 for discussing
the demographic problem,
to be effective and fruitful,
reports Al-Rai daily.
MP Safa Al-Hashem afrmed
that the Feb 2 parliamentary ses-
sion is very important, as discus-
sions will be held on the growing
rate of expatriates in Kuwait as
well as the need for the govern-
ment to take necessary actions to
deal with this issue.
She stressed the need to present a
draft law for increasing the service
charges for expatriates, as this will Inaugural Open Talk Session
help in reducing the number of expa-
triates in Kuwait to 30 percent within
three years.
Face-to-face Open Talk session held
MP Al-Hashem lamented about
the security, social and economical
dangers that will threaten the coun- Al Habtoor hosts social media followers
try if this negative trend of increas-
DUBAI, UAE, Jan 19: Khalaf Ahmad This is what I cannot condone. For a The West should take a leaf out of our
ing rate of expatriates is not curbed Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of the book too. We look after each and ev-
soon. country to prosper you need peace and
Al Habtoor Group, hosted his inaugural stability. An environment with a militia ery one of our citizens. We dont have
In this regard, MP Dr Waleed Al- Open Talk session with a group of homeless people on our streets like in
Tabtabaie insisted on the importance presence does not allow for prosperity.
50 of his social media followers. Open Al Habtoor said that stability and London, Paris or New York. This is un-
of dealing with the problem of popu- Talk is a monthly series of face-to-face acceptable to us.
lation imbalance urgently, calling for visionary leadership in the United
discussions on key issues impacting the He also discussed the ease of doing
the approval of a ten-year plan that UAE and wider region. Arab Emirates has enabled the UAE to business in the UAE, and his endeav-
will ensure the population of Kuwait Al Habtoor said, Social media is prosper. He said others should follow ours to support the Governments plan
consists of 50 percent citizens and 50 such a powerful platform. I have many the UAEs lead. The rest of the GCC for the Year of Giving in 2017.
percent expatriates. followers who I have been interacting should adopt some of our policies for I support many causes around the
He said the current imbalance in with for some time. It was good to get the benet of the entire bloc. He added, world, but charity starts at home. I en-
population structure negatively af- the opportunity to meet some of them courage people to give more to help peo-
fects the state security of Kuwait. face-to-face. I look forward to the next ple in need. A few years ago, I launched
However, Al-Tabtabaie claried Open Talk session with more of my so- a Foundation in my name to support
that he is not calling for the depor- cial media followers. my philanthropic effort. He added,
tation of expatriates who have been The audience was made up of sev- We cant rely on governments to do
contributing to the development of eral nationalities including people from everything. We have a responsibility as
around the GCC, North Africa, Iran, citizens of the world to help wherever
the country but the deportation of Iraq, Jordan, Italy, Poland, the United possible.
marginal laborers who represent a Kingdom and South Korea. Take Palestine for example, he
burden for the country especially The Open Talk session, which lasted said. Governments around the world
when it comes to the public services. one hour, generated a lot of debate on have given false promises so many
Meanwhile, MP Saleh Ashour issues ranging from entrepreneurship times. The Palestinians are worse off
indicated that all Gulf countries are to the political challenges in the Middle than ever. They need to sit down with
suffering from population imbal- East as well as political changes in the the Israelis and nalize a deal that works
ance problem, as these countries are United States and Europe. The Chair- for both parties. Unfortunately, they
not able to depend on their citizens man was asked why he has, on occa- have been forgotten.
to work in the technical and service sions, been critical of certain sects. The event was broadcast live on the
sectors. He answered saying, I dont judge a Al Habtoor Groups social media plat-
He stressed that expatriates play person by their nationality or religious forms as well as Al Habtoors KAH
a major role in developing a coun- belief, but if you look at the facts, the Publications, a website and application
try, especially Arab employees and militia in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria are that features all the Chairmans articles
Al Habtoor addressing the session.
laborers. all Shia. They are destroying the region. and speeches.
However, MP Ashour said it is
unacceptable for a Kuwaiti citizen to
feel homesick in his own country, as
expatriates in Kuwait constitute 70
percent of Kuwait population while
in some Gulf countries, it is almost
90 percent.
He insisted that the accepted ratio
is 50 percent of citizens and 50 per-
cent expatriates.
MP Ashour explained that the de-
mographic problem is due to lack of
a proper governmental vision and
necessary contributions, as the gov-
ernment has done nothing in this
regard except issue some statements
and press releases. It shows weak-
ness when dealing with inuential
people and owners of some compa-
nies who make enormous sums of
money through visa trading.
He enquired if Minister of Social
Affairs and Labor can confront this
issue, stressing the need to present
laws through cooperation between
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor
and Ministry of Interior to set condi- The signing of MoU in progress.
tions for bringing expatriates into the
country. Ties will help to create, secure healthy marine and freshwater environment
Also, MP Adnan Abdulsamad re-
vealed that the government has all
relevant data and detailed statistics
about population of Kuwait, their
MEMAC and CEFAS sign co-operation MoU
nationality and profession.
He insisted that it is not fair to MANAMA, Jan 19: The Regional valled breadth of specialist areas to pro- doubled in the last few years with about
place the entire responsibility on Intergovernmental Organization, Ma- vide a fully integrated, multi-disciplin- Fifty thousand vessels entering the re-
expatriates, as the government and rine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre ary approach to UK as well as Overseas gion last years.
many citizens are also responsible (MEMAC) signed a Memorandum of governments and organisations. CE- So rising the preparedness level to-
for the demographic problem. Understanding (MoU) with the UKs FAS cooperation extends around the wards any incident and Regional moni-
MP Abdulsamad explained that an Centre for Environment Fisheries and world to help create and secure healthy toring will be vital in implementing
expatriate comes to Kuwait based on Agriculture Science (CEFAS) on Jan 18 and sustainable marine and freshwater the different conventions and protocols
at Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. environments. in order to protect and safe guard the
a request presented by a Kuwaiti cit- The MoU was signed by MEMAC CEFAS has evolved from a small marine environment and the Member
izen or a Kuwaiti company. There-
Director, Capt A.M. Al Janahi, and Dr sheries laboratory in Lowestoft, found- States obligations and resources.
fore, when he comes to Kuwait, he Richard Dowdeswell, CEFAS Devel- ed in 1902, to an international organisa- What was also agreed upon during
has to be treated in a humanitarian opment Manager. tion. And especially today in the gulf the MoU signing ceremony was to com-
manner in all cases. The MoU was signed as one of the by signing an MoU with MEMAC to mence the different programmes and ex-
In addition, Head of parliaments MoUs to be signed in the Region for exchange and share knowledge and to change visits and execute the mutual tar-
Public Funds Protection Committee strengthening the co-operation between participate on different Regional proj- gets in the eld of emergency response
MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri stressed the UK Government and our Region as ects and programmes. and training. Dr Richard Dowdeswell,
that solving the demographic prob- UK Prime Minister Theresa May stated Captain Al Janahi stated that the a CEFAS representative, stated that a
lem must be done in a fair manner during the GCC summit in Manama. MoU came just in time as the Region dedicated team of experts are already in
without affecting the expatriates CEFAS is a world leader in marine is in need of much more cooperation Kuwait to meet the needs of our partners
who are residing legally in Kuwait science and technology, providing in- in the eld of research and enhance in the Middle East.
and doing their jobs in a proper novative solutions for the aquatic envi- the preparedness level towards the oil To assure of our comprehensive ser-
way. ronment, biodiversity and food security. and chemicals pollution to protect the vices, our experienced teams are used to
He insisted that the focus should CEFAS is the UKs most diverse marine environment as the Region wit- tailoring our provision to meet the needs
be on marginal labors and violators centre for applied marine and freshwater nesses several investment activities be- of our cooperation purpose on the eld
of the residency law. science and research, covering an unri- sides the heavy shipping trafc which of protecting the marine environment.

INTERNATIONAL
World News Roundup
Tourists take photos of the US Capitol as the National Mall is covered with protective plastic covering in Washington, DC on Jan 18. Washington DC is preparing the Inauguration of Donald Trump to take place Jan 20 at
the US Capitol. (Inset) A protestor yells as others gather for a march on the Capitol Building as preparations continue ahead of the presidential inauguration on Jan 18, in Washington. (AFP/AP)
Loans
Dems take aim at Mnuchin
Student loan giant
targeted in lawsuits
CHICAGO, Jan 19, (AFP): In separate lawsuits, US
authorities targeted the nations largest student loan
company Wednesday, alleging it failed to help bor-
rowers and illegally cheated some into making bigger
loan payments than needed.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the
state of Illinois sued Navient, a loan servicer that used
to be a part of Sallie Mae. The company holds $300
billion of the nations $1.4 trillion in student loan debt
accounting for 12 million borrowers.
The federal lawsuit alleges Navient cheated bor-
rowers by incorrectly applying payments, obscuring
relevant repayment information for struggling bor-
rowers, and harming the credit of the disabled,
including injured military vet-
erans.
The companys improper
actions cost borrowers huge
sums, accounting for a large
portion of the $4 billion in
unpaid interest added to princi-
pal balances, federal authori-
ties alleged.
For years, Navient failed
consumers who counted on the
company to help give them a
Cordray fair chance to pay back their
student loans, said Richard
Cordray, the director of the CFPB, an Obama admin-
istration agency set up by Congress in 2010 as part of
financial regulatory reform following the sub-prime
mortgage crisis.
Lawsuit
At every stage of repayment, Navient chose to
shortcut and deceive consumers to save on operating
costs. Too many borrowers paid more for their loans
because Navient illegally cheated them and todays
action seeks to hold them accountable, Cordray said
in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan added
Navients former owner Sallie Mae Bank to the
charges, alleging abuses stretching further back into
the beginning of the student loan process.
My investigation found Sallie Mae put student
borrowers into expensive sub-prime loans that it knew
were going to fail, Madigan said.
The deceptive loans carried very high interest rates
and fees and, not surprisingly, were mostly given to stu-
dents at the worst schools poorly accredited for-profits,
the Illinois attorney generals office said in a statement.
Navient responded by claiming the charges were
unfounded and politically motivated, coming in the
last two days of the outgoing Obama administration.
Also:
WASHINGTON: Borrowers who say OneWest Bank
refused to help them when they struggled to pay their
mortgages appeared Wednesday on Capitol Hill,
where they urged the US Senate to vote against con-
firming the banks former chief executive, Steven
Mnuchin, as Treasury Secretary.
The event, organized by Senate Democrats includ-
ing Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, featured a
handful of OneWest borrowers who spoke about their
personal experiences.
They included an 86-year-old woman who said the
bank ordered her to pay off a reverse mortgage or get
out of her house after her husband died, and a Nevada
mother of two who lost her home in 2010 after she
was unable to secure a loan modification.
Steve Mnuchins company had no interest in help-
ing us, said the Nevada mother, Heather McCreary.
They wanted to foreclose because they were focused
on their profits.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau picks
up a baby while visiting a smoked
meat restaurant on Jan 18 in LIle-
Perrot, Quebec, Canada. (AP)
America
New rules for collecting info: The
Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday
unveiled revised rules for collecting, ana-
lyzing and storing information on
American citizens, updating the rules for
the information age and publishing them in
full for the first time.
The guidelines are designed in a man-
ner that protects the privacy and civil
rights of the American people, CIA
General Counsel Caroline Krass told a
briefing at the agencys headquarters in
Langley, Virginia.
The new rules were released amid con-
tinued public discomfort over the govern-
ments surveillance powers, an issue that
gained prominence following revelations in
2013 by former government contractor
Edward Snowden that the National
Security Agency (NSA) secretly collected
the communications data of millions of
ordinary Americans.
The guidelines were published two days
before President elect-Donald Trump is
sworn into office and may be changed by
the new administration. Trump has said he
favors stronger government surveillance
powers, including the monitoring of cer-
tain mosques in the United States.
The CIA is largely barred from collect-
ing information inside the United States or
on US citizens. But a 1980s presidential
order provided for discrete exceptions gov-
erned by procedures approved by the CIA
director and the attorney general.
Known as the Attorney General
Guidelines, the original rules over time
became a patchwork of policies and pro-
cedures that failed to keep pace with the
development of technology that can store
massive amounts of digital data, said
Krass.
In 2014, legislation gave US intelligence
agencies two years to develop procedures
limiting the storage of information on US
citizens.
The new procedures, under development
for years, were signed on Tuesday by CIA
Director John Brennan and Attorney
General Loretta Lynch. (RTRS)
Widow pleads not guilty: The widow
of the gunman behind the deadliest mass
shooting in modern US history pleaded not
guilty on Wednesday to charges she aided
her husband in planning the attack.
Noor Salman, 30, entered her plea at a
hearing in federal court in northern
California where she was arrested on
Monday in relation to last years assault by
her husband Omar Mateen.
The judge in the case ordered that she
be held pending a bail hearing on Feb 1.
Forty-nine people died in the assault on
Healthcare
Top issue facing the country
More Americans say fix Obamacare
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AP):Sylvia
Douglas twice voted for President
Barack Obama and last year cast a bal-
lot for Democrat Hillary Clinton. But
when it comes to Obamacare, she
now sounds like President-elect
Donald Trump. This makes her chuck-
le amid the serious choices she faces
every month between groceries, elec-
tricity and paying a health insurance
bill that has jumped by nearly $400.
Its a universal thing, nobody likes
it, Douglas, a licensed practical nurse
in Huntsville, Alabama, said of Obamas
signature law. They need to fix it with
whatever works, but not make more of a
mess like they have now.
That Americans agree on much of
anything is remarkable after a presi-
dential race that ripped open the
nations economic, political and cul-
tural divisions. But on the brink of the
Trump presidency, a new poll finds
ample accord across those divisions on
the need to do something about health
care in the United States.
More than 4-in-10 Republicans,
Democrats and independents say
health care is a top issue facing the
country, The Associated Press-NORC
Center for Public Affairs Research
poll showed. Thats more than named
any other issue in the survey, con-
ducted Dec. 14-19.
But there seems to be little agree-
ment on what to do about it.
Democrats say they want to fix
problems in the current program
among them, rising costs and dwin-
dling competition but not dismantle
it. They warn that the GOP is threaten-
ing the coverage gained by 20 million
people under the 2010 overhaul.
Republicans want to repeal Obamas
signature law but fear the political
damage of stranding millions of
Americans who secured coverage.
Congress nonpartisan budget analyst
lent weight to that concern Tuesday,
estimating that a bill passed in 2016 to
only repeal not replace the law
would result in 18 million more unin-
sured people and a spike in premiums.
Trump says he has a plan, but so far
hes given no details. He told The
Washington Post last weekend that his
approach would provide insurance
for everybody.
Congressional Republicans say the
revamp will offer universal access to
coverage, not quite the same thing
The desire to fix Obamacare stretch-
es across party lines, but some are
the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando,
Florida. Mateen was killed in a shootout
with police and during the attack called
dispatchers to pledge allegiance to the
Islamic State terror network.
Salman was charged in an indictment
unsealed Tuesday with assisting her hus-
band in his bid to help a terrorist organiza-
tion and misleading local police in Florida
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on
information related to the attack.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Nominee Price tries to reassure on
healthcare but Dems not buying it
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AP):
Offering reassurances, President-
elect Donald Trumps pick for
health secretary said Wednesday
the new administration wont pull
the rug out from those covered by
Obamacare. Democrats were
unimpressed, noting a lack of spe-
cifics.
Rep Tom Price, R-Ga., also told
the Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee
that Trump is absolutely not plan-
ning to launch an overhaul of
Medicare as he tries to revamp
coverage under President Barack
Obamas signature healthcare law.
He acknowledged that high pre-
scription drug costs are a problem,
but did not endorse the idea of
government directly negotiating
prices.
Throughout the nearly four-hour
hearing, Democrats peppered
Price with questions about his
stock trades. The sometimes con-
fusing exchanges involved differ-
ent transactions under distinct cir-
cumstances. Price, who has signed
a government ethics agreement to
sell his stock, was clearly annoyed
by the suggestion that he profited
from his official position. Im
offended by that insinuation, he
told Sen Elizabeth Warren,
D-Mass.
skeptical it can be done.
It cant be made to work, said in the next year, the survey said.
James Gemind, a 55-year-old restau-
rant worker from Orlando, Florida.
Thats why both sides have been
unanimous in their agreement that it
has to be repealed or replaced. Part of
it is funding; it just does not exist to
insure everybody.
Health care aside, in the poll there
was more modest agreement on other
national priorities.
About a third of Republicans and a
quarter of Democrats put unemploy-
ment among their top issues. About a
fifth named the economy in general as
a top priority regardless of party,
according to the poll. Most Americans
said the government should put a sub-
stantial amount of effort toward
addressing the publics priorities, but
Snowden Salman
10
Committee Chairman Lamar
Alexander, R-Tenn., lauded Prices
performance, but ranking Democrat
Patty Murray of Washington said
she remains deeply concerned. No
Democrats offered support for the
62-year-old nominee, an orthope-
dic surgeon-turned-legislator.
Price said he wants to reopen a
bipartisan dialogue on healthcare
centered on practical solutions.
One of my goals in this entire
debate is to lower the tempera-
ture, said Price, speaking in even,
measured tones. People need to
know that no rug is going to be
pulled out from under them.
Alexander said he took that to
mean that the Trump administra-
tion will be careful, and not attempt
to repeal the 2010 healthcare law
without a replacement ready to go.
The Affordable Care Act is provid-
ing coverage to about 20 million
people, and government as well as
private experts say repealing with-
out a concrete substitute would
make millions uninsured and spike
premiums.
But Sen Tim Kaine, D-Va., Hillary
Clintons running mate, said, I
dont think lowering the tempera-
ture is consistent with rushing to
repeal and replace. Trump has
promised to unveil his plan when
Price is confirmed.
few expect much will be accomplished
Overall, domestic issues including
health care, education, the environ-
ment and racism were cited by 86
percent of Americans.
But Democrats were more likely to
mention the environment, racism and
poverty, while Republicans were more
likely to cite immigration, terrorism,
government spending and taxes.
Immigration was named by 40 per-
cent of GOP respondents, compared to
15 percent of Democrats. Trump dur-
ing the campaign connected immigra-
tion to national security and vowed to
build a wall along the southern US
border and make Mexico pay for it
an idea Mexican leaders have not
accepted. Trump now says Mexico
will pay for it eventually.
Federal prosecutor Roger Handberg told
magistrate judge Donna Ryu at an initial
hearing on Tuesday that Salman was well
aware her husband was going to conduct
the attack.
However her family and her attorney
Linda Moreno insist the young woman --
who grew up in California and who had a
four-year-old son with Mateen -- had no
prior knowledge of the attack and was her-
self the victim of domestic abuse. (AFP)

INTERNATIONAL
US President Barack Obama waves as he leaves after his nal press conference at the White House Jan 18, in Washington, DC. I think its in Americas interest and the worlds interest that we have a constructive relationship
with Russia. Thats been my approach throughout my presidency, Obama said at his nal press conference. (AFP)
Politics
From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
Haley supports moving
US embassy in Israel
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AP): South Carolina Gov
Nikki Haley declared her support for moving the US
Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a shift
rmly endorsed by Donald Trump but one that could
trigger increased violence in the Middle East.
Haley, Trumps pick to be the US ambassador to
the United Nations, told the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee on Wednesday that she absolutely backs
the embassy move because thats what Israel and con-
gressional Republicans want. But a spokesman for Jor-
dans government recently told
The Associated Press that the
embassy move would be a red
line for Amman and iname
the Islamic and Arab streets.
Jordan serves as custodian of
a major Islamic shrine in east
Jerusalem and the Palestinians
seek a capital there.
Congress ordered the embas-
sy relocation more than 20 years
ago, but presidents ever since,
Haley Republican and Democrat, have
refused to comply. Several Republican senators have
proposed legislation that would withhold 50 percent of
the State Departments 2017 budget until the embassy
move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is completed.
During a conrmation hearing that lasted nearly
three-and-a-half hours, Haley took a tougher stance
against Russia than Trump, who will be sworn in Fri-
day, and agreed with a Republican senator who said
Syria is committing genocide against its people.
Haley said she believes Russia committed war crimes
by bombing Syrian civilians in the city of Aleppo. Rex
Tillerson, Trumps choice for secretary of state, de-
clined to make that accusation during his conrmation
hearing last week.
While Trump has said he believes Russia can be a
partner, Haley said she doesnt think Moscow can be
trusted right now. She said shes opposed to lifting
existing sanctions against Russia unless it changes its
behavior in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere. Cooperation
with Russia in such areas as counterterrorism, Haley
said, depends on Moscow altering course.
The problem is there are no boundaries with Rus-
sia, said Haley, who added that the US needs to let
Moscow know we are not OK with Russias annexa-
tion of Crimea in 2014 and its incursions into eastern
Ukraine.
Haley assailed the Obama administration for failing
to block a UN Security Council resolution that con-
demned Israels settlements in east Jerusalem and the
West Bank. She pledged to reject future measures that
she said unfairly targeted the Jewish state, if the Senate
conrms her nomination.
Abstain
Haley said she wont go to UN headquarters in New
York and abstain when the UN seeks to create an in-
ternational environment that encourages boycotts of
Israel.
She told the committee the UN resolution was a ter-
rible mistake that makes a peace agreement between
the Israelis and the Palestinians harder to achieve.
Israels ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon,
thanked Haley in a statement issued during the hearing
for her unequivocal support and her clear statement re-
garding the UNs discrimination against Israel.
Haley acknowledged she is new to international di-
plomacy.
But she said while the UN has had many successes,
citing health and food programs that have saved mil-
lions of lives, any honest assessment also nds an in-
stitution that is often at odds with American national
interests and American taxpayers.
The United States contributes 22 percent of the or-
ganizations budget, and Haley questioned whether
such a sizable investment is worthwhile.
We are a generous nation, Haley said. But we
must ask ourselves what good is being accomplished
by this disproportionate contribution. Are we getting
what we pay for?
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
holds a Marine Corps Ka-Bar ghting
knife while being interviewed in his
Pentagon ofce, on Jan 18. The knife
was given to him earlier in the day by
his Senior Miltary Assistant Marine
Brig Gen Eric Smith and was carried
by Smith on all of his deployments.
Sending thousands more American
troops into Iraq or Syria in a bid to
accelerate the defeat of the Islamic
State group would push US allies to
the exits, create more anti-US resist-
ance and give up the US militarys key
advantages, Carter said in an Associ-
ated Press interview. (AP)
America
Obama hopes for quiet after WH:
He is ready for some quiet time, plans to
do some writing and intends to give his
successor space to govern, at least on most
issues.
President Barack Obama gave some in-
sight into his vision for life after the White
House during a nal news conference on
Wednesday in which he praised the role of
a free press and shared personal reections
on how his daughters had dealt with the
results of the 2016 election.
Obama and his family will leave for
Palm Springs, California, on Friday after
the inauguration of Republican Donald
Trump as the 45th president of the United
States.
I want to be quiet a little bit and not
hear myself talk so darn much, said
Obama, 55, who wants to write a book
during his rst year out of ofce and spend
time with his family.
Obama, a Democrat who made history
in 2008 when he was elected Americas
rst black president, has said repeatedly
he appreciated the example set by his
predecessor, Republican George W. Bush,
who steadfastly refrained from weighing
in publicly with his views after leaving the
Oval Ofce.
But Obama made clear there were some
issues on which he would not hesitate to
speak out - issues where I think our core
values may be at stake, like new obstacles
to voting, institutional efforts to silence
dissent or the press and any push to deport
undocumented people who were brought to
America as children.
In 2012, Obama said his administration
would allow people brought to the United
States illegally by their parents to remain
in the country on temporary authorizations
that allow them to attend college and work
- one of the executive actions on immigra-
tion that Trump has pledged to undo.
The notion that we would just arbitrar-
ily or because of politics punish those
kids, when they didnt do anything wrong
themselves, I think would be something
that would merit me speaking out, Obama
said. (RTRS)
Outcome not changed: Fake news 15 percent of people surveyed reported
probably did not change the outcome of
the US presidential election, according to a
study of news consumption by voters.
The study bolsters arguments by Fa-
cebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, who has
Politics
US Senate committee okays Trumps defense pick
Pentagon preps new military options
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AFP): He
wants to frantically bomb the Islamic
State group and has slammed White
House micromanagement of Ameri-
cas warghting generals, but Presi-
dent-elect Donald Trump has offered
few specics about what his Pentagon
will look like.
While Obama administration of-
cials, who cede control of US for-
eign policy at noon Friday, say they
did everything possible to destroy IS,
senior military commanders are now
drawing up fresh plans.
These could potentially see more
US troops being sent to the Middle
East and have the Pentagon taking a
more aggressive stance in other key ar-
eas, which include countering growing
Iranian regional inuence.
During his campaign, Trump said he
would bomb the shit out of IS and
claimed to have a secret plan to quick-
ly defeat the group.
He gave no details, but later said
he will convene his top generals and
give them a simple instruction: They
will have 30 days to submit to the Oval
Ofce a plan for defeating IS.
An early indication of a break from
Obama policy came last week at the
conrmation hearing for incoming
Pentagon chief James Mattis, a re-
tired Marine general who has garnered
broad cross-party support and will
likely be one of the rst of Trumps
cabinet to be sworn in.
He said an ongoing push toward
Raqa, the IS groups main stronghold
in Syria and the capital of its supposed
caliphate, needs to be reviewed and
perhaps energized on a more aggres-
sive timeline.
A key question is whether Ameri-
ca will arm Syrian Kurdish forces to
lead the ght a move sure to in-
furiate ally Turkey, which considers
the Kurdish ghters terrorists or
whether the United States should send
in more combat troops.
A US defense ofcial, speaking on
condition of anonymity, told AFP that
senior planners are readying a slew of
options for the president and Mattis to
weigh.
Resources
If the proper resources includ-
ing arms cannot be distributed to
the partners who are actually going to
ght going into and around Raqa, then
another option would be to put coali-
tion or US folks somewhere on the
ground to be able to leverage that kind
of combat power or direction of com-
bat resources, the ofcial said.
Potential Syria plans could include
adding one or more US ghting bri-
gade, each of which has thousands of
troops.
sought to deect criticism that the huge
social network may have been used to fuel
the spread of misinformation that impacted
the 2016 race.
However, the researchers did reach some
potentially troubling conclusions -- that
seeing fake news stories, and eight percent
reported seeing and believing them.
The report was published this week as
a working paper by the National Bureau
of Economic Research, known for its
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
State Department lacks interim
boss a day before inauguration
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AP): Its a
little more than a day before Donald
Trump becomes president and he
still has no one ready to run Ameri-
can diplomacy until his nominee is
conrmed. And with Russian-spon-
sored Syrian peace talks scheduled
on Trumps rst full business day in
ofce, the State Department doesnt
know who, if anyone, to send.
Succession and continuity in lead-
ership has been settled at the National
Security Council, whose boss doesnt
require conrmation, and appears on
track for the Pentagon and CIA with
Senate votes expected shortly after
Trumps inauguration at noon on Fri-
day. But Rex Tillersons fate isnt like-
ly to be resolved until next week at the
earliest, and ofcials in Foggy Bottom
are unsure about some of their most
immediate plans. Trumps transition
team didnt respond to inquiries from
The Associated Press.
Decades after Henry Kissinger
supposedly quipped, Who do I call if
I want to speak to Europe, the rest
of the world may now be asking the
same of the State Department. The
situation appears only marginally
better at several other federal agen-
cies, according to holdover, nonpo-
litical ofcials, many of whom have
bemoaned the limited contact theyve
Currently, only about 500 US troops
are in Syria, mostly special operations
forces working behind the front lines
to train local Kurdish and Syrian Arab
ghters.
Having more US troops would be
one way that you can offset not hav-
ing the ability to properly arm and re-
source the (local forces), that would be
an option, the ofcial said.
General Joe Dunford, chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednes-
day he would present Mattis with op-
tions to accelerate the campaign
against IS.
What is really important is rst that
we have a conversation about what we
are doing today, why we are doing it,
and what other things might be done
and why we havent done it to date,
Dunford told reporters in Brussels.
Because Obama was elected in 2008
on the promise of ending US conicts
in the Middle East, he has been loathe
to put US forces in combat and has
insisted on oversight of even minor
strategic tweaks. Trump, on the other
hand, is a business executive accus-
tomed to delegating, so may grant
Mattis greater autonomy.
The anti-IS campaign began in
earnest in August 2014 and has seen
a US-led coalition pummel targets
Trump Clinton
11
had with incoming Trump aides, a
lack of serious discussion about pol-
icy and widespread confusion over
who will ll a bewildering assortment
of top administration jobs.
Such concerns are only natural
in presidential transitions. But the
State Departments role as an inter-
nationally engaged agency makes it
in some ways unique. The rest of the
world doesnt pause while Washing-
ton determines its diplomatic chain of
command.
Up to now, the transition team has
largely yielded on matters of national
security to retired Gen Michael Flynn,
Trumps national security adviser,
and Jared Kushner, the president-
elects son-in-law. But the circle will
have to be expanded once the new
administration assumes the full re-
sponsibility of government.
When President Barack Obama
took ofce in 2009, the Senate con-
rmed seven Cabinet members on
Inauguration Day. Republicans and
Democrats are still negotiating over
Trumps picks, yet it looks unlikely
more than four will make it through
Friday: Retired Gen James Mattis for
Defense; Rep Mike Pompeo for CIA;
retired Gen John Kelly for Homeland
Security; and Elaine Chao for Trans-
portation.
across Iraq and Syria.
Also:
WASHINGTON: James Mattis, Pres-
ident-elect Donald Trumps pick for
defense secretary, breezed through a
Senate committee vote Wednesday,
paving the way for his full conrma-
tion and quick swearing-in after Trump
takes ofce.
The Senate Armed Services Com-
mittee approved Mattiss nomination
all but unanimously, with just one
Democratic senator voting no.
Mattis is the rst cabinet nominee to
pass the committee stage of his nomi-
nation, and he could be fully conrmed
as soon as Friday, Senate Democratic
minority leader Chuck Schumer said.
Some Democratic senators had ini-
tially expressed reservations that Mat-
tiss appointment runs counter to dec-
ades of Pentagon tradition -- and US
legal custom.
US law prohibits ofcers from serv-
ing as defense secretary for seven years
after leaving active duty -- but retired
Marine general Mattis only hung up
his uniform in 2013.
A cornerstone of US democracy is
that civilians, not people in uniform,
control the military, and the command-
er-in-chief is the president.
role in determining recessions in the US
economy.
Researchers Hunt Allcott of New York
University and Matthew Gentzkow of Stan-
ford concluded that despite the widespread
consumption of fake stories, this was not
likely a determining factor in Donald
Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton.
They said pro-Trump fake stories were
shared on Facebook about three times more
than pro-Clinton stories -- 30.3 million
shares compared to 7.6 million. (AFP)

INTERNATIONAL
World News Roundup
In this Nov 10 le photo, an Emirati man smokes a water pipe while watching coverage of President-elect Donald Trump at a coffee shop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Donald Trumps all-but-dismissal of human rights as
a foreign policy principle could profoundly shake a Middle East landscape beset by warring factions and beleaguered governments, with some players eyeing once unimaginable new alliances. Syria is the foremost test of
Trumps promise of a return to hard-headed realpolitik and could quickly show whether America is truly abandoning promotion of democracy and the rule of law in a way that could reshape the regions order. (AP)
Syria
Little Syria opens in NY
Rep Gabbard makes
unannounced ME trip
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AP): Democratic Rep. Tul-
si Gabbard has made an unannounced trip to Syria
and Lebanon, traveling to the region two months after
she sat down with President-elect Donald Trump to
discuss foreign policy.
The Hawaii congresswoman has frequently chal-
lenged President Barack Obama on national security
issues. In the meeting with Trump, she warned him
about escalating the civil war in Syria by establishing
a no-y zone to protect civilians from bombing. She
has said she believes that creating such a safe zone
off limits to military aircraft could bring the US into
direct conict with Russia and result in nuclear war.
Spokeswoman Emily Latimer said Wednesday that
Gabbard, who is a major in the Army National Guard,
has long been committed to peace and ending coun-
terproductive, interventionist
wars.
Latimer wouldnt say if
Gabbard met with Syrian Pres-
ident Bashar Assad.
As a member of the Armed
Services and Foreign Affairs
Committees, and as an individ-
ual committed to doing all she
can to promote and work for
peace, she felt it was important
to meet with a number of indi-
Gabbard viduals and groups including
religious leaders, humanitarian
workers, refugees and government and community
leaders, Latimer said in a statement.
She said she wouldnt provide any additional de-
tails on the trip until Gabbard returns.
Al-Watan, a pro-government Syrian daily, reported
that a US delegation including Gabbard visited the
city of Aleppo. The paper said the delegation visited
the Aleppo citadel, which has been partially damaged
by ghting, along with parts of eastern Aleppo that
had until Dec 22 been in rebel control.
The State Department has issued a travel warning
for Syria and continues to warn US citizens against all
travel to the country.
A State Department ofcial, who was not autho-
rized to speak publicly about the matter, said as the
trip was private, the department was not involved.
The ofce of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.,
was not consulted prior to Gabbards trip, according
to a senior Republican aide.
In 2005, the administration of President George W.
Bush withdrew the ambassador from the US Embassy
in Damascus following the assassination of Lebanons
Prime Minister Raq Hariri, for which Syrian agents
were blamed.
the Islamic State terror group.
An exhibition chronicling a Middle Eastern com-
munity that once ourished in Lower Manhattan is
moving into the old neighborhood.
Little Syria, NY: An Immigrant Communitys Life
and Legacy opens Thursday evening with a reception
at Metropolitan College of New York. It runs through
March 24.
The college is within the footprint of the mostly
vanished Little Syria, a block from where three struc-
tures survive.
The exhibit was created by the Arab American Nation-
al Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The exhibit had been
displayed from October through early January at the Ellis
Island National Museum of Immigration.
From the 1880s to the 1940s, Little Syria sprawled
from New Yorks Battery Park up to where the twin
towers were later built. The neighborhood served as
an incubator for other Arab enclaves, including De-
troits.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is
greeted by US Air Force ight crew
at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
on Jan 18, on his return to the United
States after the nal foreign diplomat-
ic voyage of his time as Washingtons
top diplomat. Kerry formally leaves of-
ce on Friday, Jan 20 when incoming
US President Donald Trumps admin-
istration takes over the White House
from President Barack Obama. (AFP)
America
Guantanamo prisoner loses bid: A
Guantanamo prisoner from Algeria lost a
last-minute legal maneuver Wednesday
to go home before President-elect Donald
Trump takes ofce.
US District Judge Rosemary Collyer in
Washington declined to intervene in a De-
fense Department decision not to repatriate
Sufyian Barhoumi in the nal days of the
Obama administration.
A government review board approved the
repatriation of Barhoumi in August. But De-
fense Secretary Ash Carter did not give nal
approval and issue a 30-day notice to Congress
of his impending release as required by law.
In an emergency court petition, Barhoumis
attorney, Shane Kadidal, said he feared that
Barhoumi and a Moroccan prisoner in a similar
situation might not make it out under Trump,
who has said he wants to continue using the
detention center on the US base in Cuba.
US District Judge Colleen Kollar-
Kotelly is considering a similar motion
led on behalf of the Moroccan prisoner,
Abdullatif Nasser. The 51-year-old was
cleared for repatriation by the review board
in July. But the Department of Justice said
his country did not provide some needed
information until Dec 28, which was too
late for the Defense Department to give its
required 30-day notice to Congress. (AP)
Jury selection set for plotter: Jury
selection is set to begin for a Florida man
accused of conspiring to detonate a bomb
at a Florida Keys beach in solidarity with
Court records show jurors will be ques-
tioned in Key West federal court beginning
Friday for the trial of 25-year-old Harlem
Suarez. Opening statements could occur as
soon as Monday.
The FBI says Suarez told an informant
he wanted to detonate a backpack bomb on
a Key West beach. He was arrested in 2015
after accepting an inert device from an FBI
employee posing as a terrorist.
Prosecutors say Suarez drew inspiration
from the Islamic State for his alleged plot.
Suarez faces a lengthy prison term if con-
victed of attempting to use a weapon of mass
destruction and supporting terrorism. (AP)
FBI probing fake bomb threats:
Twenty-seven Jewish community centers
in 17 US states reported receiving false
telephone bomb threats on Wednesday,
prompting evacuations and an FBI probe
Detainees
Case on Muslims rounded up after 9/11
SC weighs suit vs Bush officials
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (Agencies):
Conservative Supreme Court justices
on Wednesday voiced skepticism
about allowing legal claims to proceed
against former US Attorney General
John Ashcroft and others made by non-
US citizens, mainly Muslims, swept
up after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks who
said they were abused in detention.
The senior ofcials under former
President George W. Bush, also includ-
ing former FBI Director Robert Muel-
ler and Immigration and Naturalization
Service Commissioner James Ziglar,
have asked the justices to reverse a
2015 lower court ruling letting the
long-running litigation proceed.
During arguments in the case, con-
servative Chief Justice John Roberts
expressed concern that permitting such
lawsuits against senior US ofcials would
become a way of challenging national
policy through litigation seeking mone-
tary damages against the individuals who
implemented the policy.
Roberts said that would be an ex-
traordinary departure from Supreme
Court precedent.
The civil rights lawsuit seeks to hold
the former ofcials responsible for al-
leged abuse of immigrants after they were
rounded up following the 2001 hijacked-
airliner attacks by al-Qaeda Islamic mili-
tants on the United States and held at a
federal detention facility in New York.
It was led by a group of Muslim, Arab
and South Asian non-US citizens who,
their lawyers said, were held as terrorism
suspects based on race, religion, ethnicity
and immigration status and abused in de-
tention before being deported.
A key legal question is whether the
ofcials can be sued based on a 1971
Supreme Court ruling in a case involv-
ing federal drug enforcement agents
that allowed such lawsuits in limited
circumstances. The court has been re-
luctant to extend that ruling to other
types of conduct.
You are asking us to go further,
Kennedy told the detainees lawyer,
Rachel Meeropol of the Center for Con-
stitutional Rights legal activist group.
The plaintiffs were charged only
with civil immigration violations. But
they said they were subjected at Brook-
lyns Metropolitan Detention Center to
23-hours-a-day solitary connement,
strip searches, sleep deprivation, beat-
ings and other abuses and denied the
ability to practice their religion.
They said their rights under the US
into the second wave of hoax attacks to tar-
get American Jewish facilities this month.
The JCC Association of North America,
a network of health and education centers,
said the threatened organizations were
working with police and many had resumed
operations after no bombs were found nor
injuries reported, as was the case after the
earlier series of threats on Jan. 9.
No one claimed responsibility for the
calls on Wednesday nor nine days ago, and
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Judge scolds government over
Iraq detainee abuse pictures
NEW YORK, Jan 19, (AP): A fed-
eral judge scolded the government
on Wednesday for being overpro-
tective of potentially disturbing im-
ages of how the military treated
prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan
and proceeding as if court review
of its decisions about the pictures
should not exist.
US District Judge Alvin Hel-
lerstein said in a written decision
that the government had not ex-
plained the criteria it considered in
determining that the release of an
undetermined number of pictures
he had already ordered released
would threaten Americans over-
seas.
The government has said re-
lease of the photographs showing
abuse of detainees in Iraq and Af-
ghanistan could provoke attacks
against US military forces or incite
anti-US sentiment across the re-
gion. It released 198 pictures last
year, but hundreds or thousands
more are believed to exist.
The judge said the government
fell far short of defending its claims,
including by failing to explain why
the photographs would produce
such results. He chastised the gov-
ernment for arguing that judicial re-
view of national security judgments
Constitution to due process and equal
protection under the law were violated.
The lawyer for the former ofcials
argued they should be considered im-
mune from such lawsuits.
Only six of the eight justices par-
ticipated in the case, with two of the
courts four liberals, Elena Kagan and
Sonia Sotomayor, recused. All of the
four conservative justices took part. tainees were held, but not against se-
The two remaining liberals, Stephen
Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, ex-
pressed some sympathy for the detainees.
You know from day one that many
of them have nothing to do with ter-
rorists, and yet you allow that system
that might have been justied in Oc-
tober (2001) to persist for months and
months when these people are being
held in the worst possible conditions
of connement, Ginsburg said.
Nasser Carter
12
is disallowed.
But that is not the law, he said.
The judge noted US involvement
in the region has changed dramati-
cally in the 12 years of his rulings
regarding an American Civil Liber-
ties Union lawsuit brought under
the Freedom of Information Act to
force release of the pictures.
He said the government should
consider that US troop presence in
Iraq has declined from more than
100,000 troops in 2009 to approxi-
mately 5,000 today and it should
determine whether the many pho-
tographs of abuse already released
have caused violence. Internation-
al outrage resulted after some im-
ages of abuse at the Abu Ghraib
prison in Iraq appeared publicly in
2004 and 2006.
To give in to fear of our en-
emies, their propaganda, or their
blackmail, is to surrender some of
our dearest held values, he wrote.
He cited the Islamic State
groups presence in parts of Iraq
and said the groups pernicious
campaign of public beheadings,
enslavement, and indiscriminate
killings of people it considers apos-
tates are indisputable proof that its
members ... do not need pretexts
for their barbarism.
Breyer said he was also concerned
about the length of detention, with
some held for up to eight months.
Thats whats worrying me a lot,
he said.
The court potentially could de-
cide to allow claims to move forward
against lower-level ofcials in charge
of the detention facility where the de-
nior Bush administration ofcials.
The New York-based 2nd US Cir-
cuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2015
that Ashcroft, Mueller and Ziglar
could be sued, based on the 1971 Su-
preme Court ruling. In 2013, a judge
had dismissed the claims against them
but allowed some against detention
facility ofcials, including the war-
den, Dennis Hasty. All the defendants
sought Supreme Court review.
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
has not named any suspects nor described a
likely motive.
The FBI and the Justice Department are
investigating possible civil rights violations
in connection with threats, the FBI said in
a statement.
The FBI will collect all available facts
and evidence, and will ensure this matter is
investigated in a fair, thorough, and impar-
tial manner, the statement said. (RTRS)

INTERNATIONAL
Europe
Migrants deemed security risk
IS uses Net headhunters
to recruit young Germans
BERLIN, Jan 19, (Agencies): Islamic State (IS) is us-
ing headhunters on social media and instant mes-
saging sites to recruit disaffected young people in
Germany, some as young as 13 or 14, the head of the
countrys domestic intelligence agency said on Thurs-
day.
Hans-Georg Maassen also drew parallels between
the militant Islamist group and past radical move-
ments such as communism and Adolf Hitlers Nation-
alist Socialists which also tried to lure young people
keen to rebel against their parents and society.
On social media networks there are practically
headhunters who approach young people and get them
interested in this (Islamist) ideology, Maassen told
foreign reporters in Berlin.
Maassen cited the case of a teenage German-Mo-
roccan girl identied as Saa
S., who is accused of stabbing
a policeman at a train station in
Hanover last February, and a
12-year-old German-Iraqi boy
who tried to detonate two ex-
plosive devices in the western
town of Ludwigshafen in De-
cember.
About 20 percent of an esti-
mated 900 people from Germa-
ny who have been recruited by
De Maiziere Islamic State to join the ght
in Iraq and Syria are women,
some as young as 13 or 14, he said.
German authorities are monitoring 548 Islamists
deemed to be a security risk, but German law does
not allow for their arrest until they have committed a
crime, Maassen said.
He said he was satised that police and security
ofcials had communicated well over the case of the
failed Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri, who killed
12 people on Dec 19 by ramming a truck through a
Berlin Christmas market.
The case sparked criticism because German author-
ities had identied Amri, who was imprisoned in Italy
for four years, as a security risk and had investigated
him for various reasons, but he was never taken into
custody.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere
said on Wednesday the cases of all those deemed a se-
curity risk in the aftermath of the Berlin attack would
be reviewed.
Security lapse complaint dismissed: Allegations
of poor security arrangements when a man deliberate-
ly drove a big truck into crowds, killing 86 people, in
an attack in the French Riviera resort of Nice last July
were dismissed by a public prosecutor on Thursday.
All of the security stations were sufciently
manned, said prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre, closing
an inquiry into allegations by relatives of some vic-
tims that security measures had been wanting.
Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a
large truck into a crowd celebrating Frances Bastille
Day holiday in Nice.
Gun imported to Switzerland in 1990s: The gun
used by Berlin attacker Anis Amri was imported to
Switzerland in the early 1990s, but it remains unclear
what then happened to the weapon, Swiss authorities
said Wednesday.
Investigators are still trying to gure out how Amri
got hold of the .22-caliber handgun made by German
manufacturer Erma, which went bankrupt in the late
1990s.
The weapon was used to fatally shoot the Pol-
ish driver of the truck Amri drove into a Christmas
market, one of 12 people killed in the Dec 19 attack.
On Dec 23, Amri shot in the shoulder one of two Ital-
ian policemen who had stopped him for an identity
check near Milan. Amri was killed in the subsequent
shootout.
maintaining that arrangement, he said. If
Germany reviewing nearly 550 migrants: Ger-
many said on Wednesday it would review the cases of
nearly 550 asylum seekers who have been deemed a
security risk, spurred by new questions about the han-
dling of a Tunisian migrant who killed 12 people last
month at a Berlin Christmas market.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told lawmak-
ers the countrys Joint Terrorism Task Force would
look carefully at each of the 547 people identied as
a security risk to determine if they needed to be de-
ported or taken into custody.
Burkhard Lischka, domestic policy spokesman for
the Social Democrats in parliament, said authorities
had lost track of three of those people, and he drew
parallels to the case of the failed Tunisian asylum
seeker, Anis Amri, who plowed a truck through the
Berlin Christmas market.
Somali migrant faces charges in Italy: A Somali
man faces charges in Italy for murder, torture and extor-
tion allegedly committed among refugees in Libya after
several migrants identied him by chance in Milan.
Italian media reported Wednesday that Osman
Matammud was arrested on September 26 outside a
reception centre for migrants after around 15 people
identied him and threatened to lynch him.
Initially believing he was a people smuggler, Italian
authorities widened their investigation after a dozen
alleged victims testied that Matammud, 22, commit-
ted serious offences in Bani Walid, Libya.
practical solution to preserving a common
Albanian teacher arrested: Albanian police said
Thurday they had arrested a female teacher for mak-
ing statements supportive of the Islamic State extrem-
ist group.
The teacher, whose name was not given, is being
questioned at the anti-terror ofces in the capital, Ti-
rana, according to a spokesman who declined to be
identied as the investigation is ongoing.
A private television station, TVKlan, broadcast the
previous evening footage of the woman telling her
young students at a Muslim school in Shkodra, 120
kms (75 miles) north of Tirana that IS are good peo-
ple but the state wants to ght them.
the sidelines of the World Economic Forum
Rapper gets 1-yr sentence: Spains Supreme Court
has sentenced a rapper musician to a year in prison for
exalting terrorism and humiliating terrorism victims in
Twitter messages.
In the tweets posted between 2013 and 2014, Cesar
Montana Lehmann, 52, of the Def Con Dos rock band,
talked of sending a cake bomb to former King Juan
Carlos on his birthday. He also said some politicians
made him long for a former leftist armed group.
Montana was also banned from holding public of-
ce for 6 years.
Members of the German Bundestag commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack on Breitscheidplatz in the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) in Berlin on Jan 19. On
Dec 19, 2016 a man drove a truck into the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, killing a total of 12 people and severely injuring several others. (AFP)
British Foreign Secretary, Boris John-
son bats as he plays cricket on his
visit to the Arun Lal Cricket Academy
in Kolkata on Jan 19. (AFP)
Britain
Brexit wont hurt fight vs crime:
Britains exit from the European Union
is not likely to hurt international coopera-
tion against crime and terrorism, Londons
police chief said Wednesday.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ber-
nard Hogan-Howe said he expects Brexit
to be net neutral.
Hogan-Howe told journalists that Brit-
ain should be able to retain some form of
association with the EU police organi-
zation, Europol, and maintain similar
arrangements to the current European
Arrest Warrant, which allows for quick
arrest and extradition of suspects across
the bloc.
There is a joint benet for all of us in
somebody stabs someone in London and
disappears to Paris, the French dont want
them, and we want them back.
We will continue to work together. Just
getting the arrangements in place will take
some kind of effort, he said.
Hogan-Howe, who is stepping down
next month after 5- years, said cross-bor-
der cooperation was essential to deal with
the potential threat posed by an estimated
12,000 people who traveled from Europe
to areas of Syria controlled by the Islamic
State group.
About half have returned to Europe, and
more are expected to do so as the territory
controlled by IS shrinks. (AP)
Border controls unlikely: British
Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit plans
are unlikely to lead to the re-establishment
of a physical border or customs controls
between Northern Ireland and the Irish Re-
public, Irelands Finance Minister Michael
Noonan told Reuters.
May said this week that Britain would
not remain a full member of the European
Unions customs union, potentially mean-
ing a tighter border between the British
province of Northern Ireland and the Irish
Republic, which will be Britains only land
frontier with the EU once it leaves the bloc.
However, May has pledged to nd a
travel area between Britain and Ireland that
predates their EU membership, while also
limiting immigration.
Asked if this would make customs
controls likely along a border that 30,000
people cross each day to go to work, Noo-
nan told Reuters: I dont think so and its
far too early to say.
If you look at Mrs Mays speech, she
committed to the free travel area (between
Ireland and the UK). She wasnt as strong
on what she would like from the customs
union; she said it might be associate mem-
bership, Noonan said in an interview on
in Davos on Thursday.
In other words, she opened up a negoti-
ating space around the customs union and it
is where that lands that will decide whether
goods have to be checked on the border.
But a lot of this can be done electronically
now and it wouldnt necessarily mean a
hard border. (RTRS)
destroyed by Islamic State insurgents
Sculpture makes Trafalgar shortlist:
A 14-foot high sculpture of a winged bull
made of empty date syrup cans could be
greeting visitors to Londons Trafalgar
Brexit
Well find ways to compete if no trade deal
Britain open for business: May
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19, (Agen-
cies): British Prime Minister Theresa
May on Thursday told the worlds elite
that Britain is open for business de-
spite Brexit, even as banks announce
they are planning to shift jobs out of
London.
May sought to reassure the World
Economic Forum in Davos that Brit-
ains vote to quit the European Union
did not signal a retreat into protec-
tionism, as a slew of banks revealed
plans to relocate staff following her
announcement Tuesday that Britain
would leave the EUs single market.
The United Kingdom a country
that has so often been at the forefront
of economic and social change will
step up to a new leadership role as
the strongest and most forceful ad-
vocate for business, free markets and
free trade anywhere in the world, the
prime minister told a packed hall.
It was the same venue where Chi-
nas President Xi Jinping on Tuesday
delivered a clarion call for open mar-
kets and against protectionism, in the
lead-up to Donald Trumps inaugura-
tion as US president on Friday.
May added that Britain will seek the
freedom to strike new trade deals with
old friends and new allies right around
the world. London is already in discus-
sions on possible deals with Australia,
New Zealand and India, and has been
seeking closer ties to China for years. forced him to move his own goal
Business leaders gathered in Da-
vos, anxious for clarity on how Brexit
will affect them, expressed relief that
Mays negotiating strategy is taking
shape though they said the proof
will be in her much-trumpeted trade
deals.
Murray Rode, CEO of US-based
Tibco Software whose European
headquarters are in London, said May
clearly meant to convey Britains go-
ing to be separate but global, so every-
body calm down.
But its the actions that follow that
are going to matter, he stressed.
Lance Uggla, president of nancial
analysis rm IHS Markit, said May
had given a very clear vision and
stance of how she intends to approach
divorce negotiations following Brit-
ains referendum vote in June to quit
the EU.
But he added May had not yet pro-
vided enough details on what happens to
reassure nervous multinationals.
Conceding that Britain must face
up to a period of momentous change
and that the road ahead will be uncer-
tain at times, May said it was a vote
to take control and make decisions for
ourselves and to become even more
global and internationalist in action
and spirit, too.
As well as seeking to pursue a
bold and ambitious free trade agree-
ment with the EU, May said Britain is
looking to strike trade deals with old
friends and new allies.
Already, she said tentative discus-
sions have begun with Australia, In-
dia and New Zealand and that China,
Brazil, and the Persian Gulf states
have expressed their interest in strik-
ing trade deals.
Square next year if it is chosen from a
shortlist unveiled on Thursday.
Entitled The Invisible Enemy Should
not Exist, the sculpture by Michael Ra-
kowitz took inspiration from the statue
of a protective deity that once stood at
the entrance to Nineveh, Iraq, which was
in 2015.
It is among ve candidates, two of which
will next occupy Trafalgar Squares fourth
plinth from 2018 and 2020 respectively.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Do not abandon hope, PR
guru tells soft Brexit camp
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19,
(RTRS): A British PR guru who
is leading a campaign for a soft
Brexit says all is not lost despite
Prime Minister Theresa Mays in-
sistence on a clean break from the
EU single market.
Roland Rudds political and busi-
ness links are near unparalleled: he
advised former Prime Minister Tony
Blair and counts David Cameron as
a friend, and his nancial PR rm Finsbury represents, he said he
Finsbury represents about a quarter
of FTSE 100 companies.
He also heads the Open Britain
group, which is campaigning for
Britain to retain as close ties as
possible with the European Union
particularly retaining member-
ship of the single market.
But on Tuesday, May put paid to
the idea, saying Britain would quit
the market when it leaves the EU to
be able to control the high rates of
immigration that spurred millions of
voters to choose Brexit.
Rudd has not abandoned hope.
He conceded Mays speech had
those from the bloc, potentially put-
posts and now try to get an agree-
ment that he describes would be
as good as being in the single
market.
I still think there is a lot to ght
for. The prime minister has articu-
lated her early view about the direc-
tion of travel but how we get there,
in what form and how it nally gets
It is about embracing genuine free
trade, because that is the basis of our
prosperity but also the best way to ce-
ment the multilateral partnerships and
cooperation that help to build a better
world, she said. not a threat, but German Finance Min-
British nance minister Philip Ham-
mond warned the European Union on
Thursday that Britain would nd other
ways to remain competitive after Brex-
it if it did not strike a comprehensive
trading deal with the bloc.
At the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland, he stuck closely to
the governments message that it wants
to explore ways with the EU to ensure
that decades of close ties are not bro-
ken saying with goodwill, anything
was possible.
But Hammond, who is keen to show
Davos that Britain is open for busi-
ness, said while the government did
not want to leave the economic main-
stream and trigger a race to the bottom
on tax, the decision was not entirely
in our gift.
We have to remain competitive.
The best way to do that is to have a
comprehensive trading relationship
with the European Union, our clos-
est neighbours, the nance minister,
known as the Chancellor, told Reuters.
But if we cant achieve that then we
will have to nd other ways to maintain
Hogan-Howe Noonan
13
driven is all up for discussion, he
told Reuters on the sidelines of the
World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland.
In practical terms, he said he
would push for a transitional period
for many companies to avoid a cliff
edge and adjust to new and uncer-
tain trading conditions.
While denying that he is a
mouthpiece for the companies
was cognisant of what a lot of busi-
ness wants because thats my day-
to-day job.
What I would say is that they
are very focused on the transitory
arrangement, because she (May)
was being very optimistic and say-
ing, look we want to get this done in
two years, he said.
British bank Barclays said on
Thursday that it was looking for a
three-year transition period for the
nancial sector.
Rudd also rejected the idea of
curbing migration by applying exist-
ing controls for non-EU citizens to
ting him at odds with Amber Rudd
the British interior minister and
his sister.
Instead he said he would press
for some kind of exible overall cap
on immigration numbers.
No one voted to stop immigra-
tion, they said they wanted to con-
trol immigration, he said.
our competitiveness, because our rst
obligation of government is to make
sure that our people are able to main-
tain their standard of living.
Hammond later said that this was
ister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Brit-
ain should not try to gain competitive
advantage by cutting corporate tax
rates after the G20 leading economies
agreed not to do so in 2015.
Recalling a pledge by May to make
Britain a global player post-Brexit,
Schaeuble said: A truly global econ-
omy has to stick to whats been agreed
globally.
Britain and the EU have stuck fast to
their opening gambits as May prepares
to trigger some of the most complicat-
ed talks since World War Two by the
end of March.
The prime minister said in a speech
this week that Britain would quit the
EU single market when it leaves the
European Union.
She threatened to withdraw the bloc
without any agreement with Brussels
in place, unless she failed to win a good
deal, in what aides say was a speech
aimed at a domestic audience.
British ofcials however now hope to
reassure businesses in Davos that there
will be prospect of falling off a cliff
edge into uncertain trading conditions.
Among its rivals are The End by
Heather Phillipson which features a swirl
of whipped cream, topped with a cherry. A
y has landed on the cream while a drone
sits on the cherry.
Models of all ve shortlisted works will
be on display at the National Gallery in
London from Jan 19 to March 26.
Originally a platform built in 1841 to
hold an equestrian statue of King William
IV, the fourth plinth remained bare for over
a century due to a lack of funds. (RTRS)

INTERNATIONAL
World News Roundup
Israel
Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing
Web of investigations
strike Israels King Bibi
JERUSALEM, Jan 19, (RTRS): Benjamin Netan-
yahu has spent 30 years in public ofce, including
11 years as Israels prime minister, but this year his
political future is being called into question as seldom
before.
Police say they have questioned Netanyahu twice
since Jan 2 at his ofcial residence in Jerusalem in two
separate criminal cases involving allegations of abuse
of ofce.
Netanyahu, known to supporters and opponents as
Bibi, has denied any wrongdoing, saying repeat-
edly: there will be nothing because there is nothing.
No charges have been brought.
Almost every night on television and every day
in newspapers since Jan. 2, purported leaks have ap-
peared describing what the media say are details of the
investigation.
Prosecutors have conrmed
almost none of what has
emerged, only that Netanyahu
has been questioned and that
one of the cases relates to gifts
he received from businessmen.
Reuters was unable to indepen-
dently conrm the specics of
the activities under investiga-
tion.
The leaks, though, have
Netanyahu fuelled opposition calls for him
to go, and separate opinion polls conducted on behalf
of the Jerusalem Post, the Walla news website, the
Globes business newspaper and Channel 2 all show
his partys popularity is slipping. Netanyahu has said
the media is out to get him and he has no intention of
stepping down.
Campaign
This orchestrated campaign includes media people
who are acting not just as journalists but also as inves-
tigators, judges and executioners, he told a weekly
meeting on Monday of legislators from his right-wing
Likud party, who welcomed him with chants of King
Bibi.
I intend to keep leading the Likud and the country
for many more years.
In the second investigation, Haaretz newspaper and
Channel Two news say police have tapes of Netan-
yahu speaking to an Israeli newspaper publisher about
a mutually benecial deal. Sections of transcripts,
which Reuters has not independently authenticated,
have been aired nightly for the past week.
The attorney-general has conrmed recordings ex-
ist, but has said he does not intend to release them yet.
The rst case Netanyahu has been questioned about,
according to a Justice Ministry statement, involves
receiving gifts from businessmen. Under Israeli law,
public servants and their immediate family are prohib-
ited from taking gifts or receiving benets, unless they
are small gifts that conform to social norms.
Police and the Justice Ministry have not provided
further information about either case.
According to Haaretz, one of the businessmen was
Arnon Milchan, an Israeli-born Hollywood producer,
who supplied Netanyahu and his wife with hundreds
of thousands of shekels (1 shekel=$0.26) of cigars and
champagne. Netanyahus lawyers do not dispute that
he received gifts, but say there was nothing wrong
in getting presents from personal friends. Milchans
lawyer in Israel, who is handling the matter, de-
clined to comment.
Channel 10 and Haaretz have said the second busi-
nessman who supplied Netanyahu and his family with
gifts was Australian casino tycoon James Packer.
Channel Ten reported on Tuesday that Netanyahus
son Yair, 25, whom the Prime Ministers Ofce said is
a friend of Packer, was questioned by police.
Representatives of Packer, who owns a home in Is-
rael and has high-tech investments in the country, did
not respond to requests for comment.
According to Channel 10, the gifts included tickets
to a Mariah Carey concert in Israel for Netanyahus
wife Sara, gourmet meals for the family and Packer
hosting Yair Netanyahu at his home in Colorado,
aboard his yacht and at a hotel room in New York.
Media reports regarding the second case have star-
tled many in Israel, because they say Netanyahu dis-
cussed a possible deal with a man many people be-
lieved to be his sworn enemy.
Limit
According to Channel Two, Netanyahu is being in-
vestigated over discussions with Arnon Mozes, owner
and publisher of the widely-read Yedioth Ahronoth
newspaper, to receive positive coverage in exchange
for Netanyahu-backed legislation that would limit the
distribution of competing free daily Israel Today.
Reuters found no evidence such an agreement was
ever nalised.
Netanyahu, writing on Facebook on Sunday, said
extracts of transcripts of his conversations with Mozes
carried in the newspapers did not represent the full
picture, but he could not elaborate while under inves-
tigation.
Israel Today is nanced by U.S. casino billionaire
Sheldon Adelson, who is a Netanyahu supporter. The
paper is staunchly pro-Netanyahu. In 2014, the oppo-
sition proposed a bill to restrict its distribution. Net-
anyahu opposed it, and shortly afterwards called early
elections, which he won.
Two media spokespeople for Adelson contacted by
Reuters for comment did not respond and Mozes and
Yedioth Ahronoth have not responded to requests for
comment. Mozes declined to answer reporters ques-
tions as he walked into the police station where he was
quizzed on Monday.
Netanyahu has accused Mozes and his newspaper
several times of trying to topple him. During the 2015
election campaign, Yedioth Ahronoth took an edito-
rial line against Netanyahu, frequently running critical
reports on him.
Netanyahus conversations with Mozes were re-
corded in the run-up to the March 2015 election at the
prime ministers request by a former staff member,
and the tapes were seized by police in a separate in-
vestigation, according to Channel Two and Haaretz.
The newspapers editor, Ron Yaron, published a
front-page op-ed on Sunday in which he said that had
such a deal between Netanyahu and Mozes been con-
cluded, Yedioth Ahronoths entire staff would have
resigned. Netanyahu said Yedioth Ahronoths nega-
tive attitude towards him and Israel Todays opera-
tions remained unchanged. Every evening, ltered,
carefully chosen transcripts are disseminated, the
prime ministers Facebook response said.
According to what Channel Two described as ex-
cerpts from a transcript of a Netanyahu-Mozes con-
versation, the prime minister told the newspaper
publisher: Were talking about moderation, about
reasonable reporting, to lower the level of hostility
towards me from 9.5 to 7.5.
A Bedouin woman sits on a demolished structure of a house in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, near the southern city of Beersheba, Israel on Jan 18. As
protesters were demonstrating against the court-ordered demolition, an Israeli Arab rammed his vehicle into a group of police ofcers on Wednesday, killing one of
them before he was shot dead during clashes in southern Israel, police said. (AP)
Arab Israelis begin strike after demolitions
Arab communities in Israel began
a one-day general strike Thursday
over the death of a Bedouin man and
house demolitions in the southern Ne-
gev desert a day before.
Two Arab parliamentarians an-
nounced they would table a bill call-
ing for a freeze on demolitions in Arab
neighbourhoods, a day after a police
Nasser al-Qidwa, a member of Fatahs
Central Committee and the nephew of
late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat,
speaks during a press conference
in the West Bank City of Ramallah,
on Jan 18. Al-Qidwa, widely seen
as a possible successor to Palestin-
ian president Mahmud Abbas, held a
news conference on the outgoing US
administration of Barack Obama and
Donald Trumps presidency. (AFP)
Erdogan Morsi
Mideast
Turkey approves articles: Turkeys
parliament approved the rst seven articles
in a second round of voting overnight on a
constitutional bill that will extend President
Tayyip Erdogans powers, keeping the
reform on course for a spring referendum.
The two largest opposition parties in par-
liament say the 18-article bill, which could
enable Erdogan to rule until 2029, will fuel
authoritarianism in the NATO member and
European Union candidate country.
The ruling AK Party, backed by the
nationalist MHP, says it will bring the strong
executive leadership needed to prevent a
return to the fragile coalition governments of
the past. The seven articles approved over-
night include increasing the number of MPs
to 600 from 550, lowering the minimum age
to be a lawmaker to 18 from 25, and holding
parliamentary and presidential elections
together every ve years. (RTRS)
Egypt to try 304 over attacks: Egypts
prosecution has referred 304 suspects includ-
ing Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Turkey
to military trial for allegedly organising
militant groups that claimed several attacks
in Cairo last year.
The case is one of the largest to link
armed attacks with the Muslim Brotherhood
movement of Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist
president toppled by the military in 2013.
A prosecution statement on Wednesday
said the suspects, many of them abroad,
had set up the Hassam militant group that
claimed responsibility for several assassina-
tions and attacks in Cairo and the Nile Delta.
Morsis ouster ushered in a crackdown tour debating a reform of the constitution, at the Turkish parliament in Ankara
that decimated the Islamist movement and
killed hundreds of his followers, and set off
a jihadist insurgency that has killed hundreds
raid in a Bedouin town led to the
deaths of an ofcer and a local resi-
dent in disputed circumstances.
Firas Al Omari, from the Higher
Arab Monitoring Committee which
represents Arab communities in Is-
rael, said there would be a one-day
general strike as well as three days of
mourning for the Bedouin man killed.
Focus
Gazas Guevara, Al-Taluli, returns home after hiding
Hamas halts electricity protests in Gaza
JABALIA, Palestinian Territories, Jan
19, (AFP): The 25-year-old nicknamed
Guevara because of his admiration for
the Latin American revolutionary had
returned to his home in Gaza after days
of hiding, but was not giving up.
He had avoided home after a warning
that Hamas security forces were looking
for him due to his role as an organiser
of recent protests over severe electricity
shortages.
In a mock army jacket and with a Che
Guevara-like beard, Mohammed Al-
Taluli was being greeted by dozens of
supporters from his neighbourhood of
Jabalia, a crowded, overgrown refugee
camp north of Gaza City.
Demands
We are going to continue asking
for our humanitarian demands, he said
while seated at a plastic table in a room
in his home he called his ofce.
Hamas, the Islamist movement that
runs the Gaza Strip, has managed to end
a recent series of protests over the elec-
tricity crisis with a security crackdown
and aid from Qatar used to purchase
more fuel.
But frustration in places like Jabalia
remains, and there are once again warn-
ings that deteriorating conditions in the
Palestinian enclave of two million peo-
ple may be leading to a larger eruption
of anger. Gazans face electricity short-
ages all year, but the problem is exacer-
bated in winter and mid-summer, when
power usage spikes.
of security personnel. (AFP)
premeditated murder, a judicial source said.
Jordanian kills wife, daughters: A Jor-
danian was charged Thursday with stabbing
to death his wife and two young daughters
and seriously wounding a third in appar-
ent honour killings, judicial and security
sources said.
The killings took place on Wednesday
in the northern town of Ramtha and the
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (center), casts his vote during the second
on Jan 18. The parliament backed the two nal sections of the 18-article new
constitution late Jan 15 after a marathon week of debating that began on Jan 9
and included sessions that often lasted late into the night. (AFP)
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
He said that a major demonstra-
tion was planned for Saturday, while
schools in the Negev would be closed.
Schools in towns other than in the
Negev will focus during the rst two
periods today on the attacks against
our homes and villages, he told AFP.
The Arab town of Qalansuwa was
almost completely closed, an AFP
The Hamas authorities in the coastal
enclave usually provide electricity in
eight-hour intervals, but supply was re-
duced to four hours this month.
Protests began modestly, with doz-
ens of people holding candles, before
culminating on Jan 12 with thousands
marching in Jabalia towards the electric-
ity company.
Hamas security forces red into the
air to disperse the crowd, carried out ar-
rests and hit an AFP photographer who
required stitches to his face.
Further protests were prevented by a
show of force by Hamas security.
Perhaps sensing the urgency, Hamas
sought help, including from Turkey and
Qatar, which agreed to donate $12 mil-
lion for fuel purchases.
On Monday, Hamas said it was re-
turning to eight-hour electricity -- and
was releasing all those arrested in con-
nection with the protests.
A Gaza government spokesman ar-
gued that Jabalia protesters were attack-
ing security forces and public buildings,
but also said that Hamas was responding
to demands by working to improve elec-
tricity supply.
There is no security solution, Sala-
ma Maroof told AFP.
Che Guevara admirer Taluli felt safe
enough to return home after the an-
nouncement that those arrested would
be released, but for him and others, the
electricity shortages are only one in a
series of frustrations.
Many young people feel trapped be-
prosecutor charged the 28-year-old with
A security source said the man turned
himself in to the authorities after the crime,
claiming to have killed them to defend the
familys honour because he suspected
that his wife was cheating on him. (AFP)
Israel deploys missiles: Israels upgrad-
ed ballistic missile shield became operational
14
journalist on the ground said, with
shops and restaurants shuttered,
while Israeli media reported most of
Nazareth -- the largest Arab city in Is-
rael -- was also closed.
A similar strike was held on Jan 11
after Israeli authorities tore down 11
homes in the Arab town of Qalansu-
wa. (AFP)
tween Hamass strict rule and Israels
blockade of the enclave, which has been
in place for about a decade and prevents
them from leaving.
Egypts border with Gaza has also
remained largely closed, and unemploy-
ment is around 42 percent.
Destruction
Three wars since 2008 between Pal-
estinian militants in Gaza and Israel
have left behind death and destruction,
not to mention psychological scars.
Even those with longtime businesses
have suffered.
I need electricity for more than eight
hours to complete my work for the cus-
tomers, said 29-year-old Mohamed
Abu Sharaf, whose family has had a
print shop in Gaza City for 40 years.
As he spoke, the electricity cut again.
The reasons for the electricity short-
ages are multi-layered, with the rst
simply a lack of capacity.
Gaza has one power plant that runs
on diesel fuel and which has been previ-
ously bombed by Israel.
It also imports electricity from Israel
and Egypt, but it is not nearly enough.
Ageing power lines and theft add to
the problem, with Gaza losing up to 20
percent of electricity that makes its way
onto the grid, Maroof said.
The recent shortages were compli-
cated by a dispute with the Palestinian
Authority, based in the West Bank and
dominated by Palestinian president
Mahmud Abbass Fatah party.
on Wednesday, in a Star Wars-like exten-
sion of its capabilities to outer space where
incoming missiles can be safely destroyed.
The Defence Ministry said the US-funded
Arrow 3 system, jointly developed by state-
owned Israel Aerospace Industries and US
rm Boeing Co, was handed over the Israeli
Air Force.
The Arrow 3, together with the Arrow
2, which has been operational since 2000,
would signicantly reduce the possibili-
ties of ballistic missiles hitting Israel, the
ministry said in a statement. (RTRS)
Rivlin to receive pacemaker: Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin will be hospitalised
over the weekend and receive a pacemaker
after cardiac arrhythmia was detected in
the otherwise healthy leader, his ofce said
Wednesday.
Doctors of the 77-year-old vegetarian re-
cently detected cardiac arrhythmia requiring
greater monitoring capability, his ofce said
in a statement.
The procedure will not necessitate general
anaesthetic, and Rivlin is expected to spend
no more than 24 hours in hospital before
returning to work, his ofce said. (AFP)
Israel to extend army chiefs term:
Israels defense minister has decided to
extend the term of Israels military chief of
staff by a year.
A statement Wednesday by Defense
Minister Avigdor Lieberman says Lt Gen
Gadi Eizenkot will serve an additional year,
for a total of four years. He called Eizenkot a
valued general who is leading the military
successfully and professionally. (AP)

INTERNATIONAL
Asia
SKorea rejects arrest warrant
Beijing shouldnt be so
narrow-minded: Taiwan
TAIPEI, Jan 19, (Agencies): China should not be so
narrow-minded, Taiwan said Thursday, after
Beijing pressed Washington to block the island from
attending Donald Trumps inauguration.
A former premier will lead Taipeis delegation as
foreign dignitaries from around the world descend on
the US capital for the president-elects swearing in.
But Beijing has asked the US to bar the self-ruling
island it sees as a renegade province and part of one
China to be reunified.
We urge again the American side not to allow any
Taiwanese official delegation to attend the US presi-
dential inauguration ceremony and to have any kind
of official contact with Taiwan, said Hua Chunying,
a spokeswoman for Chinas ministry of foreign
affairs, at a regular press briefing Thursday.
Former premier Yu Shyi-kun, who is leading
Taiwans delegation hit back.
Dont be so small, Yu,
who belongs to the ruling
Beijing-sceptic Democratic
Progressive Party, was quoted
as saying by Taiwans state
Central News Agency.
There hasnt been any lead-
er with such a narrow mind in
all Chinese dynasties, added
Yu, referring to Chinese
President Xi Jinping.
Trump Since Trump was elected in
November, there have been a
series of diplomatic upsets, with China incensed by a
protocol-smashing phone call between the billionaire
and Taiwans leader Tsai Ing-wen.
It was further angered by Trumps suggestion that
the one China policy could be negotiable and
demanded Washington ban Taipei from the inaugura-
tion.
A Taiwanese delegation has attended in previous
years, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, but
never includes the islands president.
Arrest warrant for Samsung heir rejected: A
South Korean court on Thursday refused to authorise
the arrest of the heir to the Samsung business empire,
in a setback to prosecutors probing a corruption scan-
dal engulfing President Park Geun-Hye.
Officials on Monday sought the arrest of Lee Jae-
Yong on charges of bribery, embezzlement and per-
jury, sending shock waves through the group, which
is a major part of the South Korean economy and
includes the worlds largest smartphone maker.
It is already reeling from the debacle over the recall
of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 device and reports have
suggested it could face sanctions from overseas
authorities if Lee is punished.
Lee, who became Samsungs de facto head after his
father suffered a heart attack in 2014, is accused of
bribing Choi Soon-Sil, Parks secret confidante at the
centre of the scandal, and receiving policy favours
from Park in return.
N. Korea preps to launch new missiles: North
Korea is preparing to test new rockets, a report said
Thursday, after its leader Kim Jong-Un said the coun-
try was in the final stages of developing inter-conti-
nental ballistic missiles.
Pyongyangs missile programme and its pursuit of
nuclear arms have seen it repeatedly sanctioned by the
UN Security Council.
Quoting high-level South Korean officials and
South Korean and US military sources, the Souths
Yonhap news agency said two new missiles had been
loaded onto mobile launchers.
They were believed to be equipped with new
engines that the North tested last April, it added, when
Pyongyang said they would guarantee an eventual
nuclear strike on the US mainland.
The missiles existence appeared to have been
intentionally leaked by Pyongyang, according to
Yonhap, to send a strategic message to incoming
US president Donald Trump, due to be sworn in on
Friday.
Ire over ad featuring hijab-wearing girls:
Tempers have flared over an Australia Day advertis-
ing campaign featuring children wearing Muslim
headscarves, fanning debate over the meaning of the
January 26 national holiday.
The image of the young girls wearing hijabs was
removed from a Melbourne billboard this week after
the advertising firm behind the campaign to promote
the holiday, which was backed by the Victoria state
government, received threats.
Far-right groups posted a picture of the poster on
social media claiming it to be a misrepresentation of
Australia Day and accused the government of being
too politically correct.
In response, a crowdfunding campaign to raise
Aus$20,000 (US$15,000) to have the advertisement
reinstated kicked off Wednesday and by late Thursday
had received more than Aus$140,000 in pledges.
The people who found it offensive are the same
ones that complain the Muslims dont assimilate,
and yet here we have two lovely girls celebrating
Australia Day, the campaigns organiser, Dee
Madigan, told the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation.
Help oppressed Rohingya: Malaysia on Thur-
sday urged an organization of Islamic nations to help
end the persecution of Myanmars Rohingya Muslim
minority, while Indonesia offered to be a facilitator to
find a solution to the crisis.
Prime Minister Najib Razak told the opening of a
special meeting of foreign ministers from the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation that the violence
against Rohingya, which has galvanized Muslims in
Southeast Asia, was no longer Myanmars internal
affair as it has fueled an exodus of refugees that could
destabilize the region.
He warned that the violence must end otherwise
militants including the Islamic State group could infil-
trate and radicalize the Rohingya.
Sat to keep tabs on airliners: Nearly three years
after a Malaysian airliner vanished, its still possible,
if unlikely, for a plane to disappear. But thats chang-
ing with new satellites that will soon allow flights to
be tracked in real time over oceans.
New international safety standards also begin to
kick-in beginning next year, although the deadline for
airlines to meet most of the standards is still four years
away. Even then, it could be decades before the
changes permeate the entire global airline fleet
because some of the requirements apply only to newly
manufactured planes.
Lee Jae-yong (right), a vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics Co leaves from a detention centre after waiting for the courts decision in Uiwang, South Korea on
Jan 19. A Seoul court denied a request to arrest Samsung Electronics Vice-Chairman Lee Jae-yong, allowing Lee to return home, a setback to prosecutors inves-
tigating an influence-peddling scandal that toppled South Koreas president. (AP)
A man looks at couplets for the Lunar
New Year, known locally as the
Spring Festival, at a traditional market
ahead of the holidays, this year mark-
ing the Year of the Rooster, in Taipei
on Jan 19. Taiwanese decorate their
homes with flowers and pray for good
fortune at temples to celebrate during
the annual holiday season, the big-
gest of the year. (AFP)
Asia
IS militants free 2 Filipinos: An
Islamic State-linked kidnap gang in the
Philippines freed two Filipinos held cap-
tive for nearly three months, the military
said on Thursday, the second release in
less than a week by a group notorious for
beheading foreigners.
It was unclear if a ransom was paid but
the military said its intensified operations
against the heavily armed Abu Sayyaf
group likely forced it to release the cap-
tives.
Weve added more forces there so
thats the most probable reason, said
Franco Alano, spokesman for the militarys
Western Mindanao Command.
Abu Sayyaf on Saturday freed the cap-
tain of a South Korean cargo ship captain
and a Filipino crew member held since
October last year.
The group, which was born out of a sep-
aratist ideology but is better known for
banditry and piracy, is still holding about
two dozen foreign and Filipino captives on
Jolo island, its stronghold where more than
10,000 troops have been deployed.
The military was expecting more cap-
tives to be freed in the coming days as its
operations take their toll on the rebels,
Alano said. (RTRS)
China says Duterte to visit again:
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will
visit China in May to attend a multilateral
summit, Chinas foreign ministry said on
Thursday, making his second visit to
Beijing since taking office as he seeks to
further distance himself from Washington.
Duterte has carried out a stunning
U-turn in Philippines foreign policy since
assuming office last year, making overtures
towards China while berating traditional
ally the United States.
In a statement issued after Duterte met
Chinas Vice Foreign Minister Liu
Zhenmin in Manila on Tuesday, the
Chinese foreign ministry said Duterte said
he was pleased with how ties had devel-
oped since he came to China last year.
I will come to Beijing in May to attend
the One Belt, One Road international
cooperation summit forum, and I look for-
ward to meeting President Xi Jinping
again, the ministry paraphrased Duterte as
saying, without elaborating.
The Philippines Department of Foreign
Affairs said it could not immediately con-
firm the comments were made as no minis-
try officials were present at the meeting.
Both sides agreed that territorial dis-
putes in the South China Sea were a small
part of bilateral relations and to set up a
bilateral consultation mechanism to deal
with issues that arise in the region, Chinese
foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua
Chunying said on Thursday at a regular
press briefing.
China has given few details about the
summit, but diplomatic sources in Beijing
say the government is expected to invite a
large number of foreign leaders to attend.
(RTRS)
through which an estimated $5 trillion in
Philippines
Hope as communist peace talks open
Duterte challenges priests to showdown
MANILA, Jan 19, (Agencies):
Undeterred by a blessing from Pope
Francis, Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte launched an angry rebuke on
Thursday of priests and bishops criti-
cal of his drugs war, accusing them of
homosexuality, corruption and of
abusing children.
Duterte was furious over concerns
by the Catholic Church of alleged
extrajudicial killings during his crack-
down and lambasted clergymen for
denouncing him instead of using their
influence to get people off drugs.
His no-holds-barred tirade came a
day after one of Dutertes top advisers
met Pope Francis at the Vatican and
said the Pontiff had told him he would
bless the Philippines, and also bless
your president.
In a speech to policemen, the fire-
brand leader of one of only two major-
ity Catholic Asian countries chal-
lenged the church to a showdown
and threatened to expose priests and
bishops for a litany of abuses.
Most people here are Catholics. If
you are a good priest, make them
understand that they will die, he said,
referring to drug users.
You criticise the police, you criticise
me. For what? You have the money.
You are all crazy ... when we were mak-
ing confessions to you, we were being
molested. They are touching us. What is
your moral ascendancy, religion? What
is the meaning of it?
The Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines had no immediate
comment when contacted by Reuters.
Dutertes aide, Jesus Dureza, was at
the Vatican this week to deliver a letter
from the president, thanking the Pope
for his 2015 visit to the Philippines.
Remark
Duterte had famously called the
Pope a son of a bitch for causing
traffic snarl-ups, and later apologised,
saying his remark was aimed at incom-
petent officials.
The Popes blessing did not stop
Duterte chiding the church, which is
among a few institutions willing to
oppose his war on drugs. Police fig-
ures show 7,042 people have been
killed during the campaign, 2,250 in
anti-drugs operations and most of the
other deaths still being investigated.
Duterte said members of the clergy
had wives and were engaging in
homosexual acts, practices prohibited
by the Catholic Church. Priests were
also misusing state funds, he said, and
they could not explain where vast
amounts of money from public dona-
tions had gone.
ceasefire during talks in Norway last
The Philippines expressed hope
Thursday of securing a permanent
ceasefire deal with communist rebels
waging one of Asias longest insur-
gencies, as peace talks resumed in
Italy.
Vietnam halt anti-China protest:
Police in Vietnams capital stopped an anti-
China protest within minutes on Thursday at
a ceremony to commemorate a clash between
the two countries in the South China Sea
more than four decades ago.
Vietnam and China have a longstanding
dispute over the South China Sea, nearly
all of which is claimed by China. Four
other countries have claims in the sea,
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Police chief apologizes
SKorean murdered in police HQ
MANILA, Jan 19, (AFP): A South
Korean businessman kidnapped by
Philippine policemen under the
guise of a raid on illegal drugs was
murdered at the national police
headquarters in Manila, authorities
said Thursday.
Philippine police chief Ronald
Dela Rosa said he felt deep shame
as he announced the latest devel-
opment in the case, which has
fuelled fears about widespread
abuse by officers as they prosecute
President Rodrigo Dutertes deadly
anti-drug war.
They know the whole story of
how they took him, brought him to
Camp Crame, and strangled him,
Dela Rosa said, referring to police
officers accused of involvement in
kidnapping and murdering the busi-
nessman, who was aged in his 50s.
Camp Crame, the national police
headquarters, has a jail as well as
administration buildings where all
the top officers are based. It was
not clear exactly where the man,
who has been identified only by his
surname of Ji, was killed in Camp
Crame.
Ji disappeared from his home in
Angeles city, about two hours drive
north of Manila, in October last
year.
The kidnappers demanded from
The communists have been waging
a national democratic revolution
since 1968 to overthrow a capitalist
system that has created one of Asias
biggest rich-poor divides and claimed
30,000 lives, according to the military.
A new round of negotiations began
in Rome on Thursday, with the gov-
ernments chief negotiator Silvestre
Bello saying longstanding contentious
issues could be hurdled.
I am one with President (Rodrigo)
Dutertes optimism that in this round of
talks, we are able to finalise and approve
the joint ceasefire agreement, Bello said
at the opening of the talks.
There are reasons to hope we can
hurdle the task.
Duterte, 71, said it was his dream
to secure a lasting peace deal within
his six-year term.
After assuming office in June last
year, the self-styled socialist launched
the peace process and appointed three
communists to his cabinet.
Both sides agreed to a temporary
August. The government said then it
was aiming for a final peace deal with-
in 12 months.
However the communists said this
week they would need at least two
more years after negotiators agreed on
Duterte Xi
15
his wife a ransom and she initially
paid five million pesos ($100,000),
thinking he was still alive, authori-
ties said on Wednesday when they
first announced details of the police
officers involvement.
Police chiefs said then that three
officers were directly involved and
one superior oversaw the opera-
tion. The policemen led the wife to
believe her husband was alive for
months, but he had been in fact
killed on the day he was abducted,
police said on Wednesday.
The policemen were from a spe-
cial taskforce focused solely on ille-
gal drugs stationed at Camp
Crame.
The incident has shocked and
angered the South Korean govern-
ment, with Foreign Minister Yun
Byung-Se demanding those behind
the crime be brought to justice.
Dela Rosa expressed deep
regret and apologized on Thursday.
I want to just disappear from the
face of the Earth because I am so
ashamed of what my people did,
he said.
The police force have been
under intense scrutiny as the front-
line troops in Dutertes efforts to
eradicate illegal drugs in society,
with human rights groups accusing
them of mass extrajudicial killings.
a series of economic and political
reforms before even beginning seri-
ous discussions on a final peace pact.
On Thursday, the communists chief
negotiator Fidel Agcaoili pointed out
serious obstacles in the talks as he
reiterated the rebels demand that near-
ly 400 jailed guerillas be released.
Duterte last year released 18 top
leaders to kickstart the peace process
but had refused to free the rest, calling
them his aces in a poker game.
It is a matter of justice and an obli-
gation of the (government), Agcaoili
said.
Neither should the political prison-
ers be treated as trump cards to extract
concessions from the (communists).
Such conduct is bound to further erode
mutual trust and confidence.
In the week-long talks in Rome,
negotiators will discuss some of the
toughest and most complicated issues
involving political, economic and con-
stitutional reforms at the heart of the
communists grievances.
Despite the challenges, the commu-
nists understand their best chance for
securing most of their goals is during
the presidency of Duterte, who has
pivoted his nations foreign policy
away from the United States towards
China.
trade passes each year.
The protest in Hanoi started after a
peaceful commemoration for soldiers of
what was then South Vietnam who were
killed in 1974, when China seized the
Paracel islands, which it still holds.
Police dragged about 20 protesters on to
a bus after they ignored a warning to dis-
perse and began marching with banners
and chanting Demolish Chinas Invasion
and other slogans. (RTRS)

INTERNATIONAL
World News Roundup
A man cleans snow from his car after a heavy snowfall in the hill town of Murree, some 58 kms (36 miles) northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan on Jan 18. The mercury has dropped to
minus 2 degrees centigrade in some of the areas including Kalam, Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Chitral after a heavy snowfall blocked roads during harsh winter. (AP)
India
Beat impending ban
Surrogate mothers last
chance to make babies
MUMBAI, Jan 19, (RTRS): Inside a bungalow in a plush
residential area of Gurugram, on the outskirts of New
Delhi, a group of women in different stages of pregnancy
share the hope their babies will be delivered safely or
risk losing the chance of big money, forever.
Successful pregnancies have never been more im-
portant at this surrogacy centre where every bed is
taken following a jump in demand as India inches to-
wards banning commercial surrogacy.
These women could be among the last in the country
to rent their wombs for money if the Indian parliament
passes a bill to outlaw commercial surrogacy a 15-year-
old industry estimated to be worth as much as $2.3 billion
annually in its next session starting in February.
Indias surrogacy industry has come under attack
by womens rights groups who say fertility clinics are
baby factories for the rich,
and that a lack of regulation
results in poor and uneducated
women signing contracts they
do not fully understand.
Yet some of the women the
bill aims to protect are current-
ly queuing up for a last chance
to make around 400,000 rupees
($5,900) money they said
they could only dream of oth-
erwise.
Razia Sultana, 32, had an
Pant embryo transferred into her
uterus in the nal week of December.
Until six months ago, she arranged egg donors and
surrogates for infertility clinics, making 5,000 rupees
for each referral, but decided to become a surrogate
herself on the day she rst heard about the ban.
My children supported my decision saying bear-
ing a child was better than selling a kidney, which I
was considering too, she told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation.
She will stay at the centre for nine months, meet
her children once a week and only go outside with an
escort.
These are small compromises. I have no other op-
tion to make this kind of money.
The Indian government believes the ban will check
unethical practices.
We are concerned about the health of the surrogate
mother and that the legal and nancial rights of the
child are protected, said Manoj Pant from the Min-
istry of Health and Family Welfare.
India wants to be on par with developed and de-
veloping nations that do not legitimise commercial
surrogacy.
Until the ban on surrogacy passes, India continues
to be among a handful of countries where women can
be paid to carry anothers child through in-vitro fertili-
sation and embryo transfer.
Most women at the Gurugram centre are from mi-
grant colonies close to the sweatshops where they
once worked.
Ruby Kumari, 35, heard about surrogacy three
years ago at the export factory where she worked 12-
hour shifts, stitching 50 garments an hour a target
her manager would stretch to 60 or even 70 and
earning 250 rupees a day.
The possibility of earning 400,000 rupees hooked
her and she agreed to rent her womb.
The day I delivered, the childs parents gifted me
50,000 rupees in addition to my fee, Kumari said. I
came back and enrolled my daughter into an English-
medium school.
Kumaris husband also works in a garment factory
and makes 2 rupees for each item he irons. Pregnant
with her second surrogate child, Kumari said her fam-
ily had no future if not for surrogacy.
Like Kumari, Jayalakshmi Verma is another surro-
gate who wonders why gifting motherhood is wrong
and why work that earns her respect and money would
be made illegal.
The 28-year-old single mother of three said: My
in-laws threw me out of their house, my manager at
the export factory was abusive and I was forced to
quit. Here I have got respect for carrying a child.
Hindu Sena party president, Vishnu
Gupta (right), places a garland of
owers on a poster of US President-
elect Donald Trump during an event
in New Delhi on Jan 19. The inaugu-
ration of US President-elect Donald
Trump takes place on Jan 20. (AFP)
Subcontinent
24 children killed in bus collision:
A truck loaded with sand collided with a
school bus early Thursday, killing at least
24 young children in the northern Indian
state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.
At least two dozen other children were
injured when the speeding truck collided
head-on with the bus, said Javeed Ahmed,
the states top police ofcial.
The children, between the ages of 3 and 12,
were studying at a school in the town of Etah.
Another police ofcer, Daljeet
Chaudhry, said visibility was low due to
dense fog.
Police ofcer Parasuram Singh said the
truck driver suffered serious injuries to his
legs, which were amputated at a hospital.
The area is about 270 kms (170 miles)
southeast of New Delhi.
State education authorities had closed all
schools in the district because of a severe
cold wave, and Ahmed said authorities
would check why the school had stayed
open.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted
his condolences, saying: Anguished by
tragic accident in UPs Etah. I share the
pain of the bereaved families & condole
(the) passing away of young children.
(AP)
Three women killed in blast: At least
three women were killed and ve others in-
jured in an explosion in the remote forests
of conict-torn central India, police said on
Thursday.
A 14-year-old girl was among the dead
in the blast triggered by an improvised
explosive device which exploded after a
group of women collecting herbs accidently
stepped on the device in restive Chhattis-
garh state.
Two women died on the spot and one
died in the hospital. Five more are injured
in the blast, Abhishek Meena, police chief
of Narayanpur district, told AFP.
One of the injured was a six month-old
girl, he said.
The ofcer said they were yet to ascer-
tain whether the explosive was meant to
target the security forces in the area, which
is one of the strongholds of Maoist rebels.
The rebels are often accused of planting
IEDs to target the troops patrolling the
vast swathes of the resource-rich region.
Thousands of armed Maoists inspired by
Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong
are ghting the Indian government for land,
jobs and other rights for poor tribal groups,
with thousands of lives lost in the the
decades-old insurgency. (AFP)
2016 deadliest year for journalists:
Afghanistan suffered its deadliest year on
record for journalists in 2016, according to
Pakistan
Bloggers families deny charges
Free 2 scribes: watchdog
ISLAMABAD, Jan 19, (Agencies):
The Committee to Protect Journalists
has urged Pakistan to free two local
journalists who were convicted on
defamation charges.
A statement from CPJ says the
two, who worked for a regional lan-
guage newspaper, were sentenced to
ve years each. CPJ is an internation-
al media freedom watchdog.
Thursdays statement quotes
court documents as saying that
Ikhlaque Ahmed Jokhio and Qur-
ban Ali Gadehi, who work for a
Sindhi-language weekly, were sen-
tenced on Jan 9.
The charges against them were re-
lated to a series of reports they wrote
about an alleged desecration of a
graveyard by a property developer.
The New York-based group warns
that journalists should not be imprisoned
simply for doing their job of reporting.
Pakistan is considered one of the
worst places to work for journalists.
Meanwhile, the families of two
missing Pakistani bloggers claimed
their loved ones were innocent on
Wednesday after a virulent social
media campaign painted the activists
as blasphemers deserving execution
under the countrys draconian laws.
A total of ve men, who had stood
against religious intolerance and at
times criticised Pakistans military,
vanished within days of each other
earlier this month, sparking fears of
a government crackdown.
No group has claimed responsibil-
ity for their abduction and security
sources have denied involvement.
But blasphemy accusations target-
ing the disappeared activists have
been multiplying on Facebook and
Twitter, triggering a ood of threats.
The allegation can be fatal in deep-
ly conservative Muslim Pakistan,
where at least 17 people remain on
death row for blasphemy.
People are making this up, it is
hearsay, said Mesha Saeed, the wife
of Ahmed Waqass Goraya who went charge, they could be targeted by ex-
missing from Lahore on Jan 4.
People are saying that Waqass is af-
liated (to blasphemy). But the content
attributed to Waqass on that page, he
would never do that. Whatever content
is on that page, we condemn it and he is
not responsible for any of it.
Im just a student, Im a simple
person. I dont understand why are
we being trapped like this, she said.
Rights groups have long criticised
the colonial-era blasphemy legisla-
tion as a vehicle for personal vendet-
a report released Thursday which said the
country is the second most dangerous for
reporters in the world after Syria.
As least 13 journalists were killed last
year, the Afghan Journalists Safety Com-
Modi Mao
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
tas as even unproven allegations can
result in mob lynchings.
A number of NGOs and observ-
ers say the online campaigns are to
silence progressive voices and are
carefully coordinated.
Several liberal online commentators
have already closed their social media
accounts in the wake of the accusations.
Pakistan is ranked among the worlds
most dangerous countries for journal-
ists, and reporting critical of the military
is considered a major red ag.
Rights groups say activists and
journalists often nd themselves
caught between the countrys securi-
ty establishment and militant groups
including the Taleban.
Faraz Haider, brother of Profes-
sor Salman Haider, who disappeared
from capital Islamabad on Jan 6, said
the charges were also putting the lives
of other family members in danger.
The liberal activists disappeared
since Jan 4, and some rights groups
and newspapers have questioned
whether state or military agencies
were in some way involved.
Pakistans Interior Ministry has
said it is seeking information and the
Federal Investigation Agency says
it has not arrested them. Other state
agencies and the countrys military
declined to comment.
Haider, a leftist writer and profes-
sor, disappeared in early January as
did liberal bloggers Goraya, Aasim
Saeed and Ahmed Raza Naseer, as
well as Samar Abbas, head of an anti-
extremism activist group in Karachi.
All were reported missing sepa-
rately by their families within a week
of each other. In recent days, the
missing activists have been accused
of blasphemy in online posts and by
at least three television commenta-
tors.
Haider Shah, of the Rationalist So-
ciety of Pakistan, said the blasphemy
allegations endangered the activists.
Even if they were freed without
tremists who believe violence is justi-
ed to defend Islam, he added.
These people will be running
from these allegations for the rest of
their lives, Shah said.
In 2011, a Pakistani governor,
Salman Taseer, was assassinated by
his bodyguard after calling for reform
of the blasphemy laws. His killer was
hailed a hero by religious hardliners,
and tens of thousands of supporters
attended his funeral after he was ex-
ecuted last year.
mittee (AJSC) said, adding that the Taleban
was behind at least ten of the deaths.
The committee also found 101 cases of
violence against the media in 2016, a 38
percent increase on 2015, underscoring the
threat against a small band of media work-
ers who put their lives on the line to report
events in their war-torn country.
This increase in violence against
journalists has turned Afghanistan into the
second most dangerous country for journal-
ists in the world, after Syria, Najib Shari,
chairman of the committee, told reporters
on Thursday.
The report noted that a shift in the
Talebans policy towards the media was the
main driver of the increase in the level of
threats and deadly violence against journal-
ists. (AFP)
16
Africa
New Gambia president sworn in: A
new Gambian president has been sworn
into ofce in neighboring Senegal, while
Gambias defeated longtime ruler refuses
to step down from power, deepening a
political crisis in the tiny West African
country.
Adama Barrow was inaugurated
Thursday in a hastily arranged ceremony
at Gambias embassy
in Senegal. The small
embassy room held
about 40 people,
including Senegals
prime minister and
the head of Gambias
electoral commission.
A jumbo TV
screen broadcast the
swearing in ceremony
to several hundred
watching outside the
embassy Barrow
Also at the event were ofcials from
West Africas regional bloc, ECOWAS,
which is threatening to invade Gambia to
force outgoing president Yahya Jammeh to
step down.
The U.N. Security Council was set to
vote later Thursday on a draft resolution
endorsing the West African regional forces
efforts to remove Jammeh. (AP)
Ruling party accused of killings:
Members of the youth league of Burundis
ruling party have beaten, tortured and
killed scores of people across the country
in recent months, according to Human
Rights Watch.
Members of the Imbonerakure youth
group carry out violent crimes with impu-
nity because President Pierre Nkurunzizas
government is unwilling to prosecute or
rein in the youth group, said the rights
group in a report released Thursday.
Imbonerakure members have been fre-
quently mentioned among the perpetrators
of violence that has rocked Burundi since
April 2015, when Nkurunziza announced
he would seek a disputed third term.
Burundians live in fear of the next
attack, afraid to speak out to denounce the
killings, torture, and other abuses, said Ida
Sawyer, Central Africa director at Human
Rights Watch. The killers and torturers
who carry out violence so freely and the
Burundian ofcials who support them need
to know that there are consequences for
their actions. (AP)
Injured remain at bombing scene:
At least 46 severely injured people remain
in a refugee camp that Nigerias military
says it mistakenly bombed, the Interna-
tional Committee for the Red Cross said
Wednesday, raising the possibility that the
death toll could signicantly rise.
The UN refugee chief called the killings
truly catastrophic.
And a graphic new witness account by
a Doctors Without Borders eld coordina-
tor said the camp was hit twice, with the
military jet circling for a second bombing
within minutes.
The Red Cross statement called for an
urgent evacuation of the victims, saying
that patients are attended to in an open-air
space in a precarious environment in a
remote community still threatened by Boko
Haram extremists. (AP)
Qaeda says attack punishment:
Al Qaedas North African afliate said a
suicide bomb attack on a military camp in
northern Mali that killed up to 60 people
and wounded more than 100 others on
Wednesday was punishment for groups
there cooperating with France.
The attack struck at the heart of still-fragile
efforts by the government and rival armed
groups to work together to quell violence that
has plagued the restive desert north for years.
The bombers forced their way into the
camp shortly before 9 a.m. (0900 GMT),
running over several people before blowing
up their vehicle just as 600 soldiers were
assembling, said Radhia Achouri, a spokes-
woman for Malis U.N. peacekeeping force
MINUSMA. (RTRS)
Pro-Biafrans announce Trump rally: A
pro-Biafra group on Wednesday announced
its intention to hold a rally in Nigeria in sup-
port of Donald Trump on his inauguration day
as US president.
Hundreds of protests against Trump are
expected to take place around the world on
Friday when the billionaire businessman is
sworn into ofce as 45th president of the
United States.
But the Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB) movement is bucking the trend,
choosing instead to rally on the Republi-
cans behalf in Nigerias southern oil hub,
Port Harcourt. (AFP)
Ivory Coasts resume cocoa loading:
Ship loading resumed at Ivory Coasts two
ports in the cities of Abidjan and San Pedro on
Thursday, cocoa exporters said, after a tem-
porary shutdown a day earlier due to unrest in
some factions of the security forces.
Port activities were disrupted when para-
military gendarmes red shots into the air
and sealed off access to the port in Abidjan,
the commercial capital, forcing companies
to close down.
The port reopened later in the day, but
many cocoa exporters had already sent
home personnel. Heavy gunre then erupt-
ed in San Pedro after nightfall. (RTRS)
M23 rebels missing: Ugandas gov-
ernment says hundreds of members of a
Congolese rebel group have ed a military
camp where they had been awaiting am-
nesty since the signing of a peace deal with
Congos government in 2014.
Government spokesman Ofwono
Opondo said in statement Thursday that
some members of M23, a Tutsi-led rebel
group that once controlled vast territory in
eastern Congo, have been quietly escaping
into the general public.
Opondo said Ugandan authorities have
arrested 101 M23 members who were be-
ing ferried in trucks heading for Congo.
Opondo said 270 M23 members are still
detained in western Uganda. This means
hundreds of the rebels have escaped. (AP)
The news of missing M23 ghters is
likely to alarm Congos government, which
has repeatedly urged Ugandas government
to hold the rebels. (AP)

INTERNATIONAL
Lat/Am
Student shoots 3, self: A
15-year-old student opened re
with a gun at a private school in
this northern Mexico city Wednes-
day, hitting a teacher and two other
students in the head before killing
himself. Another student suffered
lesser injuries in the shooting, which
was captured on a video posted to
social media.
Nuevo Leon state Gov Jaime Rod-
riguez said the shooter died at a hos-
pital and the other three victims with
head wounds were ghting between
life and death. The boy wounded in
the arm was out of danger.
A video, apparently from the
schools surveillance camera, shows
a female teacher handing out materi-
als and students seated at their desks
when a boy opens re with a pistol
from a sitting position, hitting a boy
sitting in front of him, who immedi-
ately slumps to the ground.
He next shoots the teacher, who
was looking in another direction,
and she falls to the ground. The boy
rises from his seat and walks around,
ring shots at his classmates, before
turning the gun on himself. (AP)
sible motive.
Prize-winning activist slain: A
Mexican indigenous leader who was
awarded the prestigious Goldman
Environmental Prize in 2005 for his
ght against illegal logging has been
shot dead, less than a year after an-
other winner of the award was slain
in Honduras.
The prosecutors ofce for the
northern state of Chihuahua said
Wednesday in a statement that
51-year-old Isidro Baldenegro was
killed Sunday at an uncles home
in the town of Guadalupe y Calvo.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
17
Authorities were investigating a pos- peaceful protests against illegal log- An agreement to cooperate on
ging in the Sierra Madre Mountains air and maritime search and rescue
Prosecutors said Baldenegro was helped protect the forests, lands and in the Florida Straits was signed on
shot at least six times and suffered rights of his people, Goldman Presi- Wednesday in Havana, and another
wounds in the chest, abdomen and dent Susan R. Gelman was quoted as setting territorial limits in contested
leg. They were searching for a saying. (AP) Gulf of Mexico waters was sched-
25-year-old male suspect who was uled for signing on Wednesday or
also at the home and ed after the Thursday, according to diplomatic
shooting. US, Cuba complete deals: sources.
The Goldman Environmental The Obama administration and A third agreement on health pro-
Foundation issued a statement Cuba continue to sign cooperation tocols for dealing with issues such
saying it was deeply distressed agreements this week, scrambling as bird flu was scheduled for sign-
by the killing and calling for an to complete negotiations on a range ing on Wednesday, but postponed
investigation. It said Baldenegro of issues with just days to go until for later this week. It would be the
was a leader of the indigenous Donald Trump is sworn in as US last of 22 accords that have been
Tarahumara people. president, potentially bringing a chill concluded in the last 18 months.
His relentless work organizing to relations. (RTRS)

INTERNATIONAL
World News Roundup
This undated le image provided by NASA shows the agencys outline for a journey to Mars. A group of NASA-funded researchers are entering an isolated geodesic dome perched on a remote Hawaii volcano to study human
behavior for future long-term space exploration, including voyages to Mars. The six crew members entered the structure on the Big Islands Mauna Loa on Jan 19, and will spend eight months together in the research facility
Climate
No turning back
Tipping points bedevil
the climate scientists
PARIS, Jan 19, (AFP): Of the many things that keep
climate scientists awake at night, tipping points may be
the scariest.
To start with, these thresholds for deep, sometimes
catastrophic change in the complex web of Earths nat-
ural forces, caused by man-made global warming, are
largely invisible.
You cant see them on the horizon, and could easily
cross one without noticing.
Also, there is no turning back at least not on a
human timescale.
Ice sheets with enough frozen water to lift sea levels
more than a dozen metres; powerful ocean currents that
keep bone-chilling winters at bay on both sides of the
Atlantic; monsoon rains upon which hundreds of mil-
lions in Asia depend for food
all are at risk of irretrievable
disruption.
There are points-of-no-re-
turn where, for example, a cer-
tain amount of warming triggers
unstoppable collapse of glaciers
off of Antarctica, even if the
planet cools again, explained
Ben Strauss, vice president of
the US research group Climate
Central.
Think of someone leaning
Strauss
back on two legs of a chair, sug-
gests Sybren Drijfhout, a professor at the University of
Southampton.
The tipping point is when youre exactly in between
two states, he said. A tiny perturbation a gentle
shove will make the system tip over.
In the case of ice sheets, how this might happen is
well understood.
Thick ice shelves astride land and sea in Greenland
and Antarctica act as giant bulkheads, preventing even
larger inland ice masses from sliding into the ocean.
West Antarcticas would lift the global watermark by
at least six metres.
Were these ice dams eroded by warming water
(below) and air (above) to fall away, the blocking
features may not be able to re-form even after hundreds
of years of cooling, Strauss told AFP.
Illustration
As if by way of illustration, an ice block nearly 100
times the size of Manhattan is poised to break off West
Antarcticas Larsen C ice shelf within months, scien-
tists said earlier this year.
But if experts agree on the mechanics, they sharply
disagree on how much a region would need to warm up
to trigger collapse, or how long it would take.
We dont know exactly when we might pass these
points or whether we already have crossed some of
them, Strauss added.
James Hansen, former head of NASAs Goddard In-
stitute for Space Studies, has argued that West Antarc-
tica could disintegrate rapidly, adding up to a couple of
metres to ocean levels this century.
But most experts say humanity is still within a safe
operating space for the ice sheets, even if the margin
for error has become uncomfortably thin.
Other tipping points could trigger the natural re-
lease, on a massive scale, of the same greenhouse
gases that humans have spewed into the atmosphere,
further destabilising the delicate balance that has
made our planet so liveable over the last 11,000
years.
Methane and CO2 locked in the increasingly mis-
named permafrost of Russia, Canada and northern Eu-
rope is equivalent to roughly 15 years worth of global
emissions from fossil fuels at todays levels.
The release of these gases negligible so far
would, in turn, aggravate the problem in a vicious cir-
cle of warming, what scientists call a positive feedback
loop.
Likewise, rock-like formations in shallow ocean
waters called methane hydrates, prime suspects for
episodes of rapid global warming millions of years ago.
Little is known about what it would take to trigger their
disintegration today.
without physical contact with any other human being. (AP)
In this May 23, 2014 le photo pro-
vided by the University of Hawaii, Lu-
cie Poulet (right), uses a geotechnical
tool while Annie Caraccio records the
data during a previous study outside
the domed structure that will house
six researchers for eight months in
an environment meant to simulate an
expedition to Mars, on Mauna Loa on
the Big Island of Hawaii. (AP)
Trump Solberg
Discovery
Trump could enact changes: President-
elect Donald Trump could enact sweeping
changes to environmental policy in the
beginning days of his administration, with
far-reaching effects both in the United States
and around the world, experts say.
Even though the pro-oil Republican
billionaire is buoyed by a partisan majority
in Congress, he wont need the support of
lawmakers for a host of changes he could
make by presidential at.
But experts admit it is impossible to pre-
dict Trumps rst steps after his inaugura-
tion on Friday.
Even though he declared climate change
a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese during
a speech in 2012, he has since said he was
joking. He also told the New York Times
that he would keep an open mind to the
2015 Paris climate deal, and that climate
change might be inuenced by human
activity.
A key pledge of his during the campaign
was to cancel the 2015 Paris accord, but
during conrmation hearings this month,
his nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Till-
erson, said he felt it was important for the
United States to stay at the table. (AFP)
Army plans environmental study: The
Army has started the process of launching a
full environmental study of the $3.8 billion
Dakota Access pipelines disputed crossing
of the Missouri River in North Dakota,
though a federal judge could stop the effort.
The Army published a notice Wednesday
of its intent to prepare an environmental
impact statement on the Lake Oahe crossing.
Texas-based developer Energy Transfer
Partners wont be able to lay pipe under the
reservoir while the study is ongoing it is
currently blocked from doing so anyway. A
study could take up to two years, according
to the Energy Department.
ETP asked US District Judge James
Boasberg on Tuesday to block the study; he
scheduled a hearing for Wednesday after-
noon in Washington, DC.
ETP wants Boasberg to rule on whether
the company already has the necessary
federal permissions to nish the pipeline
under Lake Oahe, the water source for the
Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The tribe and
Space
Experts to enter dome on Hawaii volcano
Study paves way for voyage to Mars
HONOLULU, Jan 19, (AP): A group
of NASA-funded researchers are
poised to enter an isolated geodesic
dome on a remote Hawaii volcano
to study human behavior in long-
term space exploration, including a
planned voyage to Mars.
The six scientists enter their new
home Thursday on the Big Islands
Mauna Loa volcano for an eight-
month stay. The team will have no
physical contact with people in the
outside world and will work with a
20-minute delay in communications,
the time it would take for an email to
reach Earth from Mars.
The study will assess the psycho-
logical difculties associated with
living in isolated and conned con-
ditions for an extended time. The
project is designed to help the US
space agency send humans on long
space voyages including to Mars by
the 2030s. Were hoping to gure
out how best to select individual as-
tronauts, how to compose a crew and
how to support that crew on long-du-
ration space missions, principal in-
vestigator Kim Binstead, a University
of Hawaii science professor.
She said NASAs timeline is re-
alistic unless the agency is directed
to do something different by the new
administration. Trumps transition
team did not respond to an emailed
request for comment on NASAs
plan.
Leading the crew is mission com-
mander James Bevington, a freelance
space scientist who has acted as a vis-
iting researcher for the International
its supporters believe the four-state pipeline
threatens drinking water and cultural sites.
ETP disputes that and says the pipeline will
be safe.
The stretch under Lake Oahe is the last
big chunk of construction for the 1,200-mile
pipeline. ETP has said in court documents
there is already oil in a portion of the pipe-
line leading up to the lake in anticipation of
nishing the project. But the Corps wants
to look at alternate routes, the potential for
a pipeline leak and tribal treaty rights in the
wake of opposition by Standing Rock. (AP)
between 2000 and 2012, wiping out one
In this May 23, 2016 le photo, a man bathes his son on a hot afternoon in a slum
in Mumbai, India. For the third straight year, Earth set a record for the hottest year,
NOAA and NASA announced. NASA says 2016 was warmer than 2015 by a
lot. Its mostly global warming with a little assist from the now-gone El Nino. (AP)
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Space University. The other team
members include engineers, a com-
puter scientist, a doctoral candidate
and a biomedical expert.
They were selected from a group of
700 applicants that went through cog-
nitive and personality tests as well as
extensive interviews.
When I started, my biggest fear
was that we were going to be that
crew that turned out like Biosphere 2,
which wasnt a very pretty picture,
Bevington said.
Biosphere 2 was a 1990s experi-
mental greenhouse-like habitat in Ar-
izona. It housed different natural eco-
systems and a small crew in an effort
to understand what would be needed
for humans to live on other planets.
Experiment
The experiment quickly spiraled
out of control as the habitat failed to
maintain safe levels of carbon dioxide
and the crew grew discontent.
The latest HI-SEAS mission is the
third round of research funded by
NASA, which has dedicated over $2
million to the Hawaii project. Previ-
ous missions focused on food re-
quirements and crew cohesion.
Mars is one of the best places in
the solar system to look for signs of
past or current life, said Binstead,
adding that would be the most signi-
cant scientic discovery of all time.
Furthermore, man-made disasters
or natural catastrophes such as an as-
teroid hit could force a human exodus
from Earth, she said.
Right now, all of our eggs for life
Norway spurs $400mn fund: Norway
on Thursday said it will raise $400 mil-
lion to encourage Brazils farmers to stop
destroying the rainforests, launching a fund
also backed by food giants Unilever and
Nestle.
Announced at the World Economic Forum
in Davos, Switzerland, the plan is a major
effort to reform harmful small-scale farming,
which is one of the biggest drivers of defor-
estation in Brazil.
According to the WEF, about 2.3 million
square kilometres of rainforest were cut down
18
are in one basket. I think its a good
overall strategy for us as a species to
spread out further. The researchers
will wear devices around their necks
that measure their moods and prox-
imity to other team members. Theyll
also use virtual reality devices to
simulate familiar and comforting sur-
roundings they wouldnt have access
to while living on Mars.
They will wear space suits when-
ever they leave the compound to con-
duct daily tasks including geologi-
cal and mapping studies. The crew
eats mostly freeze-dried foods that
have a long shelf life. Some canned
food and lightweight snacks are also
brought in, including one of Hawaiis
favorites. Spam gets quite popular,
Binstead said.
Occasional resupply deliveries are
recovered with a robot in order to
maintain the crews isolation. The
1200-square-foot simulated space
home has small sleeping quarters for
each member as well as a kitchen,
laboratory and bathroom.
The University of Hawaii operates
the facility called Hawaii Space Ex-
ploration Analog and Simulation, or
HI-SEAS.
There are a number of other Mars
simulation projects around the world,
but the Hawaii project has been re-
ceiving federal funding for several
years and is unique, the university
says, because of its accessibility,
weather and Mars-like geography,
tucked away on a rocky, red plain be-
low the summit of the worlds largest
active volcano.
of the worlds only natural mechanisms to
absorb greenhouses gases.
The future of the planet depends on our
common ability to both protect and restore
forests at unprecedented scale, said Erna
Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway in a
statement. Crucially, the fund is expected
to help rainforest countries meet their com-
mitments under the UNs Paris Climate
Agreement, the landmark deal signed in 2015
to curb global warming. (AFP)
Primates facing extinction: Gorillas,
monkeys, lemurs and other primates are in
danger of becoming extinct, and scientists say
its our fault that our closest living relatives
are in trouble, a new international study
warns.
About 60 percent of the more than 500
primate species are now threatened with ex-
tinction and 3 out of 4 primate species have
shrinking populations, according to a study
published in Wednesdays journal Science
Advances .
While scientists had tracked dwindling
numbers of individuals and groups of
primates in forests around the world, this is
the rst big-picture look. The result was a
bigger wake-up call than previously thought,
said researcher Paul Garber of the University
of Illinois.
The outlook is not very good, said Gar-
ber, who recently returned from the jungles of
Brazil studying marmosets.
The decline has been blamed on human
activities including hunting, mining and oil
drilling. Logging, ranching and farming have
also destroyed precious habitat in Africa,
Asia and South America. Primates, which
include apes, monkeys and humans, have
forward-facing eyes and grasping ability
that set them apart from other mammals.
Scientists study them to learn about human
behavior and evolution. (AP)
 A Dogs Purpose filmmakers accused of animal cruelty

From Al Gore to water politics heats up Sundance

LOS ANGELES, Jan 19, (Agencies): As former US vice president Al
Gore filmed the sequel to his environmental documentary last year, he
did not expect to be dealing with a new president who has dismissed
climate change as a hoax.
Gores An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, premieres at the
Sundance Film Festival on Thursday a day ahead of Donald Trumps
inauguration as US President.
The directors, Jon Shenk and Bonnie Cohen, said that while the film
presents an urgency to address climate change, it is not all doom and
gloom as environmentalists believe there is hope in adopting clean,
renewable energy.
I think the film will be surprisingly hopeful for people who have
been bowled over by Trumps denial, Shenk said in an interview
ahead of the United States largest independent film festival held in
Park City, Utah each year.
Film
The climate community of environmental activists and people who
are concerned about the climate are deeply concerned - of course, how
can they not be?, Shenk said.
On-demand streaming services have brought documentaries to a
wider audience in recent years, fostering a growing appetite for a genre
once regarded as the poor cousin of the entertainment industry.
At Sundance, more than ten documentaries and virtual reality expe-
riences will explore climate change through different perspectives,
from Gores personal mission to farmers in Montana working to pro-
tect their natural resources in Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman.
All these films were done and banked before election day and
theyve arrived at the same time, so were at the right place at the right
time, Sundance festival director John Cooper said.
Water & Power: A California Heist looks at water wars in
California, centering on towns where residents are unable to access
How do we make science the hero, make it accessible to people
who dont understand this stuff? Theres such a compelling story bur-
ied within the numbers.
Also:
LOS ANGELES: Animal lovers on Wednesday called for a boycott of
the upcoming movie A Dogs Purpose after video footage emerged
of an apparently terrified dog on the set being forced into rushing
water.
The video shot in 2015 and published by the celebrity website TMZ
shows a German Shepherd struggling to get away from his handler at
the edge of a pool with swirling water.
He aint gonna calm down till he goes in the water, you just gotta
throw him in, someone is heard saying on the video, as the dog claws
at the edges of the pool and is finally pushed into the turbulent water.

The Gore film is the centerpiece of Sundances first-ever New
Climate segment showcasing films and hosting discussions about
issues ranging from water to coral reefs.
Trump has dismissed man-made climate change as a hoax and said
during his campaign that he would pull the United States out of the
2015 Paris climate agreement. However in November, he said he now
had an open mind on the 200-nation accord.
An Inconvenient Sequel follows Gore ten years after his Oscar-
winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, as he educates chil-
dren on climate change, visits scientists to collect data to present at
forums and attends the Paris climate summit.
Shenk said the film includes Trumps victory and its potential
impact on the issue.
clean drinking water but local private farms are able to tap into the
states groundwater bank.
Thriller
Theres something about a film. The topic comes alive in a way and
people react more to it. You can get lost in the technicalities of water,
but this is a thriller and an expose, said Water & Power director
Marina Zenovich.
In Chasing Coral, director Jeff Orlowski captures an emotional
race against time as environmentalists try, fail and then succeed in
documenting coral reef deaths last year.
How do you take climate change and make it emotional?,
Orlowski said.
The one-minute video, which TMZ said was shot near Winnipeg,
Canada, during the movies production, ends with the dog going
under the surface after running into the wall of the pool. Crew mem-
bers are then seen rushing to recover the animal.
Animal rights groups expressed outrage over the footage and urged a
boycott of the movie as many took to social media to express their anger.
PETA is calling on dog lovers to boycott the film in order to send
the message that dogs and other animals should be treated humanely,
not as movie props, Lisa Lange, vice-president for the People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, told AFP.
Another Canada-based group, Animal Justice, said it had filed a
complaint with Canadian authorities calling for the filmmakers to be
charged with animal cruelty.

Variety
Features

This image released by the Sundance Institute shows Tye Sheridan (left), and Alden Ehrenreich in a scene from The Yellow Birds, a film by Alexandre Moors. The film is an official selection of the US
Dramatic Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. (AP)

Film

Lovingly constructed Red Turtle entertains slowly

LOS ANGELES: Robert
Redford and Jason Segel are
dealing with the afterlife in
strange ways in Netflixs teaser-
trailer for the science-fiction
movie The Discovery.
Redford stars as a doctor who
has made a scientific breakthrough
that shocks the world and chal-
lenges everything we know about
life and death. It appears in the
trailer accompanied to the music
of Roy Orbisons Only the
FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Fun act not enough to save Split
By Lindsey Bahr
S plit is a movie in which James McAvoy plays a
man with 23 personalities. Some of them are kind.
Some are strange. Some are talented. Some are
deranged. One is a woman. One is a child. And one of
them likes to kidnap teenage girls, lock them in a base-
ment and make them dance naked. As with any thriller,
outsider even among her friends Claire (Haley Lu
Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula). With raven
black hair and pale, porcelain skin, and a haunted, far-
off gaze, she looks like an emo Snow White who has
seen some stuff. Indeed, Casey does have a disturbing
backstory that we get a peek at through multiple flash-
backs to one particularly poignant day in her childhood
where her father teaches her big life lessons (and how
soothing colors, it doesnt even have dialogue, let alone
a throbbing soundtrack. Those sounds you hear are the
sounds of silence, and eventually they become hyp-
notic.
As Dudok de Wit tells it, he received an email out of
the blue in 2006 from the vaunted animation studio,
asking if hed be interested in working on his first fea-
ture (the director is known for his animated shorts.) He

Lonely that the discovery
enables those trying to commit
suicide to do so multiple times.
Theyre just going to keep try-
ing to kill themselves, says
Segels character in the teasers
only dialogue.
Charlie McDowell directs and
co-wrote the screenplay with Justin
Lader. Rooney Mara, Jesse
Plemons, Riley Keough, and Ron
Canada also star. (RTRS)
LOS ANGELES: New York
Governor Andrew Cuomo has
proposed a three-year extension of
the states production incentive
program.
Cuomo unveiled the extension
Tuesday night as part of his pro-
posed budget for the 2017-18 fiscal
year. The three-year extension will
take the program through 2022.
The tax credit had been set to
expire in 2019, prompting recent
lobbying efforts for an extension
by Teamsters Local 817 and
MPAA president Chris Dodd,
along with New York City studio
heads. The New York state film
tax credit program was initiated in
2004 and provides $420 million
annually in tax breaks to qualified
production companies that make
feature films or television series,
pilots and movies. (RTRS)
Hardings mother Lavona, and Paul
LOS ANGELES: Julianne
Nicholson is joining the cast of
Margot Robbies Tonya
Harding comedy biopic I,
Tonya with principal photogra-
phy launching in Atlanta.
She joins a cast that includes
Sebastian Stan as Hardings spouse
Jeff Gillooly, Allison Janney as
of course, this one from writer-director M. Night
Shyamalan chooses to focus on the increasingly scant-
ily clad teenage girls in peril. Forgive me if Im a little
bored already, but not even McAvoy sporting a tight
turtleneck and pleated midi skirt while affecting a posh
accent as one of the personalities, Miss Patricia, is
enough to really save this film.
To be clear, McAvoy is delightfully weird playing
the various iterations of Kevin, although it might ruin
him as a romantic lead for anyone who revisits
Atonement after seeing this. Its actually a shame
that the story, which keeps reminding us that there are
23 personalities, only chooses to show the audience
about 8 of them for no particular reason.
The story of Kevin and all of his personalities feels
like a crazy X-Men spinoff in some ways. Hes being
treated by a psychiatrist, Dr Karen Fletcher (a perfectly
campy Betty Buckley), who believes to her core that
people with dissociative identity disorder are actually
super humans. Shes staked her career on it and Kevin
is her model patient. He usually sees her in the form of
Barry, a kind fashion designer, but lately shes starting
to suspect the person visiting her is actually the per-
verted, OCD alter ego Dennis pretending to be Barry.
Its a construct that should increase the tension imme-
diately (especially knowing that there are three girls in
his basement and wondering what hes capable of), but
it never really lands despite some menacing ambiguity
in McAvoy and subtle terror from Buckley, who gets
some terrific close-ups.
The girls, by the way, are mostly non-entities with
the exception of Anya Taylor-Joys Casey Cook, an
Walter Hauser as bodyguard
Shawn Eckhardt. Nicholson,
whose credits include Sophie and
the Rising Sun, Black Mass, the
TV series Eyewitness and
August: Osage County, is on
board to play Hardings first skating
coach, Diane Rawlinson.
Miramax bought US distribution Redford
to shoot a rifle) while deer hunting. This all ostensibly was, and he came up with the story of a man cast away
comes in handy when shes in captivity, but her strate- on a deserted island.
gies arent nearly as thrilling or resourceful as, say, The directors research took him to his own deserted
what we saw in 10 Cloverfield Lane, which cleverly island, in the Seychelles, where he shot thousands of
subverted the tropes of the girl in captivity narrative
photographs. He wanted to recreate the feeling of how
while still making an exciting film. time stands still in such a place. He spent nine years
Scare creating that animated world. And you can tell.
The film begins with a roiling sea. A man is lost in
Perhaps thats because the haziness of exactly what the waves; we dont know how he got there. Finally, he
Dennis and Patricia and Hedwig (a lispy 9-year-old)
washes up on a tranquil island, inhabited seemingly
and the beast they keep talking about are going to do only by a few friendly crabs on the beach.
to the girls never becomes real enough to either scare or Exploring the rocky cliffs, he slips and falls into a
intrigue the audience. You never want to find yourself
crevasse, and seems about to drown in the water below
in a purported thriller asking yourself out of boredom when he steels his nerves, dives deeper down, and finds
whether its going to be slaughter or rape.
a way out. Slowly, in this way, he learns how to cope
Split isnt a disaster; its just all over the place and with the forces of nature around him. And slowly we
not nearly as effective as it should be for something with
relax, too, into the rhythms of this natural world.
such a good premise and performances. For some M. Its tempting to continue recounting the plot here,
Night Shyamalan devotees, itll be enough though
but this is one of those films where the less you know
and thats not even counting the surprise of the final shot. beforehand, the better. Suffice it to say that as our main
character learns to be patient with nature, we too sense
When was the last time an animated film actual low- the need to slow down and wait for our own gratifica-
ered your pulse rate? tion.
In its typical Hollywood form, an animated feature is Of course nature can be terrifying, too, in sudden
usually the cinematic equivalent of a sugar rush a ways, and so another thing this expressive film man-
frantic barrage of colors and movement and jokes and ages to convey is how vulnerable man is to the caprices
sounds. of nature. Finally, were also asked to contemplate our
Its safe to say that The Red Turtle, a fortuitous attitudes toward death but now were really getting
collaboration between Japans famed Studio Ghibli and ahead of ourselves. No more plot revelations here,
Dutch animator-director Michael Dudok de Wit, is other than to say that the entire cycle of life is lovingly
very, very different. A fable, beautifully drawn in calm, portrayed. (AP)
rights last month to the comedy, and Sophie Nelisse are attached to Morgan will direct from his
which will center on Hardings star in Evan Morgans murder own script, which centers on a
attack on rival figure skater Nancy mystery The Kid Detective. once celebrated kid detective
Kerrigan, which was aimed at UTA and Myriad Pictures will (Brody) whos now 29 and contin-
breaking Kerrigans leg so she handle sales and production is set ues to solve the same trivial mys-
couldnt compete in the 1994 Winter to begin in early 2017. Myriad teries between hangovers and
Olympics in Lillehammer. (RTRS) will introduce the film to interna- bouts of self-pity. That changes
tional buyers at the upcoming when a naive client (Nelisse)
European Film Market during the seeks to discover who brutally
Cuomo LOS ANGELES: Adam Brody Berlin Film Festival. murdered her boyfriend. (RTRS)
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

NEWS/FEATURES 20

People & Places

Film

New talent & fresh stories

12 must-see indie
films at Sundance
LOS ANGELES, Jan 19, (RTRS): The Sundance Film
Festival has been the launching pad for some of the
greatest indie films ever made. The likes of Reservoir
Dogs, Little Miss Sunshine, and last years
Manchester by the Sea all got their starts at the
mountainside festival. That track record of finding
new talent and fresh stories is what keeps studio
executives and fan lovers flocking to Park City. So as
Sundance gets ready to kick off on Thursday, hope
springs anew.
There are a number of films that are already gener-
ating massive buzz, sight unseen. They range from
Oscar contenders to crowd pleasing comedies to
ripped-from-the-headlines documentaries. If they live
up to the hype, all of them
should score big paydays.
Heres a look at the films that
are most likely to spark all-
night bidding frenzies.
Mudbound: Cast: Garrett
Hedlund, Carey Mulligan,
Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige;
Director: Dee Rees.
Why buyers are circling:
Studio executives are already
buzzing about Mudbounds
Aniston awards season prospects. The
adaptation of Hillary Jordans
novel focuses on a black and white family living and
working together in the segregated South.
The Big Sick :Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Ray Romano,
Holly Hunter, Zoe Kazan; Director: Michael Justin Timberlake looks on from left as Ellen DeGeneres, winner of the awards for favorite animated movie voice, favorite daytime TV host, and favorite comedic
collaboration, speaks on stage at the Peoples Choice Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Jan 18, in Los Angeles. (AP)
Showalter
Why buyers are circling: Word on the street is
The Big Sick is the most commercial film at this
years festival. One sage executive quipped that it out-
Apatows Apatow, which makes sense considering
that Judd Apatow is executive producing this roman-
tic comedy. The film was written by Silicon Valleys
Nanjiani, who also stars, and is loosely based on his
relationship with his wife and co-writer Emily V.
Gordon. Think heartfelt with big laughs.
The Yellow Birds: Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Tye
Sheridan, Jack Huston, Jennifer Aniston; Director:
Alexandre Moors
Why buyers are circling: The boatload of rising
actors headlining this film has caught studios atten-
tion Sheridan is on the cusp of big screen stardom
in Steven Spielbergs Ready Player One and
Ehrenreich was just tapped to play a young Han Solo
in the next Star Wars spinoff. Plus its got serious liter-
ary pedigree. Kevin Powers novel about army life in
Iraq was a critical favorite, won lots of writing prizes,
and was a best-seller. Not every great book makes a
good film, but with this cast, attention must be paid.
Wind River: Cast: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth
Olsen; Director: Taylor Sheridan Blake Lively poses with the award for Tyler Perry accepts the award for Priyanka Chopra accepts Favorite Justin Timberlake with Favorite Male
Why buyers are circling: Sheridan is coming of favorite dramatic movie actress. (AP) favorite humanitarian. (AP) Dramatic TV Actress Award. (AFP) Singer and Favorite Song Award. (AFP)
Sicario and Hell or High Water, two back-to-back
hits that he wrote. Wind River marks his directorial
debut. The Weinstein Company nearly landed the film
out of Cannes, but a deal collapsed. Since that time
Sheridans star continues to rise along with Wind
Peoples Choice Awards
Rivers price.
The Hero: Cast: Sam Elliott, Nick Offerman,
Laura Prepon; Director: Brett Haley
Why buyers are circling: Following lauded turns Perry receives humanitarian award
on Justified and in Grandma, Elliott has never
been hotter. His distinctive baritone and signature
handlebar mustache are front-and-center in this drama
about a fading movie star grappling with the emo-
tional wreckage of his life. Bonus: It reunites Elliott
with Haley, the director of the 2015 art house hit, Ill
DeGeneres scoops 3 trophies
See You in My Dreams. This one could be another LOS ANGELES, Jan 19, (Agencies): Blake Shelton Favorite Comedic TV Actor
hit with the AARP set. Comedian and talk show host Ellen Favorite Female Country Artist Jim Parsons
City of Ghosts: Director: Matthew Heineman DeGeneres on Wednesday earned the Carrie Underwood Favorite Comedic TV Actress
Why buyers are circling: Heineman is an Emmy title of most decorated Peoples Choice Favorite Country Group Little Sofia Vergara
winner and Oscar nominee, who turned heads with Awards winner, taking home her 20th Big Town Favorite Network TV Drama
Cartel Land, his daring look at the Mexican drug award over a two-decade period. Favorite Pop Artist Britney Greys Anatomy
wars. This time he dives into an even thornier global This year, DeGeneres won three Spears Favorite Dramatic TV Actor
issue the rise of ISIS. City of Ghosts is ulti- awards, including favorite daytime TV Favorite HipHop Artist G Justin Chambers
mately a story of heroism, documenting the courage host, favorite animated movie voice Eazy Favorite Dramatic TV Actress
of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a group of Jennifer Lopez accepts the award for and favorite comedic collaboration Favorite R&B Artist Rihanna Priyanka Chopra
citizen journalists who risk their lives to bring footage favorite TV crime drama actress at award, which she won with singer Favorite Album Blake Shelton Favorite Cable TV Comedy
of ISISs atrocities in Syria to the wider world. the Peoples Choice Awards at the Britney Spears. If Im Honest Baby Daddy
The Polka King: Directors: Maya Forbes, Wally Microsoft Theater on Jan 18, in Los The only thing that would make Favorite Song Justin Timberlake Favorite Cable TV Drama
Angeles. (AP) me happier, and not a lot happier, Cant Stop The Feeling! Bates Motel
Wolodarsky; Cast: Jack Black, Jenny Slate, Jason
Schwartzman, Jacki Weaver because this makes me happy, but if it Favorite Cable TV Actor
was voted on by animals because I Movies Freddie Highmore
Why buyers are circling: Its a bizarro black com-
edy that could have been cooked up by the Coen love animals and I think they know Favorite Movie Finding Dory Favorite Cable TV Actress
brothers, with Black playing the Bernie Madoff of the Variety how much I love them, DeGeneres Favorite Movie Actor Ryan Vera Farmiga
polka scene. The Polka King tells the true story of said at the ceremony in Los Angeles. Reynolds Favorite TV Crime Drama
Jan Lewan, a Polish immigrant who became a musical In the acting categories, Jennifer Favorite Movie Actress Criminal Minds
LOS ANGELES: M. Night Shyamalans Lopez, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor
star only to rip off his adoring fans with an elaborate
Ponzi scheme involving communist tchotchkes. You
horror-thriller Split and Vin Diesels Tom Hanks, Priyanka Chopra, Sofia Favorite Action Movie Mark Harmon
xXx: Return of Xander Cage are poised Vergara and Johnny Depp also took Deadpool Favorite TV Crime Drama
cant make this stuff up. to fight for the North American box office
78/52: Director: Alexandre Philippe home awards, which are voted on by Favorite Action Movie Actor Actress Jennifer Lopez
crown with about $20 million each this fans. Robert Downey Jr Favorite Premium Drama Series
Why buyers are circling: Catnip for film buffs. coming weekend.
This documentary breaks down the infamous shower Foxs historical drama Hidden Figures, The Big Bang Theory was named Favorite Action Movie Actress Orange Is The New Black
scene from Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho, polling the which has won the past two weekends, is favorite network TV comedy for a Margot Robbie Favorite Premium Comedy
likes of Guillermo del Toro, Eli Roth, and Peter likely to remain a solid contender in the fifth consecutive year. Favorite Animated Movie Voice Series Fuller House
Bogdanovich for their thoughts on how the Master of $15 million to $18 million range. In music, Justin Timberlake was Ellen Degeneres In Finding Dory Favorite Premium Series Actor
the Macabre was able to make bathing such a terrify- Universal is launching Split, starring voted favorite male artist and won favor- Favorite Comedic Movie Bad Dwayne Johnson
ing experience. James McAvoy as a man with 24 person- ite song for Cant Stop the Feeling! Moms Favorite Premium Series Actress
Rebel in the Rye: Director: Danny Strong; Cast: alities, at approximately 3,015 North American girl group Fifth Harmony Favorite Comedic Movie Actor Sarah Jessica Parker
Nicolas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, Sarah Paulson American venues. Shyamalan produces and was named favorite group for the sec- Kevin Hart Favorite Network SciFi/
Why buyers are circling: The Catcher in the directs from his own script. (AFP) ond year in a row. Favorite Comedic Movie Actress Fantasy TV Show Supernatural
Rye remains the most famous story of teenage rebel- Other stars taking home crystal stat- Melissa Mccarthy Favorite Cable SciFi/Fantasy
lion, so this look at J.D. Salingers early years, before LOS ANGELES: Matthew McConaughey uettes this year included Jennifer Favorite Dramatic Movie Me TV Show The Walking Dead
he became famous and then famously reclusive, is laughed off his 47-pound weight gain for Lopez, Johnny Depp, Sofia Vergara, Before You Favorite Premium SciFi/
sure to generate interest. Its not just for bookworms. his latest role of Kenny Wells at the New Kevin Hart, Melissa McCarthy and Favorite Dramatic Movie Actor Fantasy Series Outlander
Rebel in the Rye also provides a meaty role for York City premiere of TWC-Dimensions Justin Timberlake. Tyler Perry received Tom Hanks Favorite SciFi/Fantasy TV
Hoult, a talented actor who always seems on the verge Gold Tuesday night at AMC Loews the humanitarian award at the show, Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress Actor Sam Heughan
of hitting the next level of stardom. Lincoln Square. hosted by Joel McHale at the Microsoft Blake Lively Favorite SciFi/Fantasy TV
ICARUS: Director: Bryan Fogel I enjoyed getting into Kenny and doing Theatre and broadcast on CBS. Favorite Family Movie Finding Actress Caitriona Balfe
Why buyers are circling: The pitch here is that my research and all of a sudden I looked in Dory Favorite Competition TV Show
the mirror and was like, You put on a lot Music Favorite Thriller Movie The The Voice
Fogel started out making a Morgan Spurlock film and
ended up with a Laura Poitras movie. Whatever the
of weight, McConaughey, said the star. Favorite Male Artist Justin Girl On The Train Favorite Daytime TV Host
case may be, he certainly stumbled into one hell of a
The crime-adventure film inspired by Timberlake Favorite Movie Icon Johnny Ellen Degeneres
story. An experimentation with performance enhanc-
true events follows Wells and his dream of Favorite Female Artist Britney Depp Favorite Daytime TV Hosting
finding gold in Indonesia. He pairs up with Spears Team Good Morning America
ing drugs connected Fogel with Dr Grigory mythic geologist Michael Acosta, played Television
Rodchenkov, a Russian scientist who has the goods Favorite Group Fifth Harmony Favorite Late Night Talk Show
by Edgar Ramirez, and launch a gold- Favorite Breakout Artist Niall Favorite TV Show Outlander Host Jimmy Fallon
on the countrys doping program. mining business that leads to more than he
Landline: Director: Gillian Robespierre Cast: Horan Favorite Network TV Comedy Favorite Animated TV Show
bargained for. (RTRS) Favorite Male Country Artist The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons
Jenny Slate, Edie Falco, John Turturro, Jay Duplass,
Finn Wittrock LOS ANGELES: Andy Lau, star of
Why buyers are circling: The Obvious Child Infernal Affairs and the recent The
team reunites for a comedy set smack in the middle of Great Wall, has been injured while film-
the 90s. This ones a multi-generational story that ing in Thailand. Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski is set to who won an Oscar and several other
indie players hope will have that same emotionally Mr Andy Lau was shooting a commer- preside at the 42nd edition of the Cesar awards for best supporting actress in The
honest moments and caustic humor that made of cial in Thailand on Jan 17, 2017 when he Awards, Frances equivalent to the Oscars. Help, was named Woman of the Year on
Robespierre and Slates previous effort a hit with had a little accident and fell off a horse, Although the honorary role of president Wednesday by Harvard Universitys Hasty
Sundance crowds. resulting in a pelvic laceration. A medical entails hardly more than a speech introduc- Pudding Theatricals.
Step: Director: Amanda Lipitz team took care of him and everything is ing the ceremony, it underscores the The Pudding is proud to honor an
Why buyers are circling: The uplifting story fine now Please do worry, said a state- French Academy of Cinema Arts and actress whose depth of talent has captivat-
about Baltimore high-schoolers who are tied together ment from Topman Global, one of Laus Techniques unwavering admiration for ed audiences with her comedic wit and
by their love of step and their desire to be the first in companies. (RTRS) Polanski. (RTRS) her graceful portrayals of the underrepre-
their families to go to college. sented, the student group said in a state-
LOS ANGELES: Controversial French- CAMBRIDGE, Mass: Octavia Spencer, Diesel McConaughey ment. (AP)

NEWS/FEATURES
Iranian pop singer Hamed Homayoun performs during the 32nd Fajr International Music Festival in the capital Tehran on Jan 18. (AFP)
Obit
Mythical character
Nigerian electro-funk
pioneer Onyeabor dies
LAGOS, Jan 19, (Agencies): Pioneering Nigerian
electro-funk musician William Onyeabor, who
amassed a following among the worlds pop stars
but remained reclusive and enigmatic, has died. He
was 70.
His record label Luaka Bop announced his death
on Wednesday, saying that Onyeabor died in his
sleep this week at his home in Enugu, in the coun-
trys southeast.
Before exploding on the international stage late
in his career, Onyeabor introduced synthesisers into
Nigerian pop and travelled the world to learn do-it-
yourself record-making.
From 1977 to 1985, Onyeabor released nine
albums of electro-funk, which he recorded, pressed
and printed at his personal pressing plant, Wilifilms
Limited.
An old photo shows Onyeabor, dashing in a pin-
striped suit and a black fedora decorated with a
white feather, sitting in a nest of recording equip-
ment with each hand on a
different electronic keyboard.
Active in the same years as
Nigerian pop giant Fela Kuti,
Onyeabor startled many lis-
teners with a sound that inde-
pendently resembled some of
the electronica on the rise in
the West.
Onyeabor, referred to as
The Chief, stopped making
Onyeabor music in 1985 when he found
religion and retreated to his
mansion, refusing to talk about his former life.
Specialises
But his career made a comeback when Talking
Heads frontman David Byrnes New York-based
label Luaka Bop, which specialises in world music,
reissued a compilation of his hits in 2013.
A film documentary followed along with a global
tour in which celebrated pop artists covered
Onyeabors songs alongside African percussion and
horns.
Gigs included US late-night talk shows and
Londons Barbican, with artists including Byrne,
Blurs Damon Albarn and members of LCD
Soundsystem, Hot Chip and Bloc Party.
Byrne, in a eulogy for Onyeabor on his blog,
described the concerts as some of the best times
Ive ever had on stage.
Onyeabors music came to life -- it was fresh
and transcendent. Everyone felt it. We played it, but
he created it, he said.
Byrne said that Onyeabors skills -- his develop-
ment of synthesisers, his meaningful lyricism and
his entrepreneurs sense of how to make records --
were all way ahead of their time.
He continues to inspire musicians and fans
around the world, Byrne said.
Onyeabors skill set did not extend to live perfor-
mance. He never gave concerts and declined to take
part in the international celebrations of his work
late in his life, and declined most interviews.
US psychedelic rocker Devendra Banhart during
the cover tour described Onyeabor as a mythical
character from Nigeria.
He joked that the world might be better off never
hearing Onyeabors track Atomic Bomb, driven
by a funky bassline with other-worldly effects.
Its the catchiest song Ive ever heard; when it world of Kanye West.
gets in my brain, I cant sleep, Banhart said.
Also:
OAKLAND, Calif: Authorities say two musicians
with the band Tower of Power remain hospitalized
after being hit last week by an Amtrak train in
Oakland.
The East Bay Times reports that drummer Dave
Garibaldi is in fair condition but will remain hos-
pitalized for the next few days, according to a state-
ment from the band. Garibaldi suffered head and
facial injuries last Thursday night.
Bassist Marc Van Wageningen remains in criti-
cal condition, but has been responsive. Van
Wageningen suffered broken ribs, a concussion,
and internal injuries. He underwent surgery.
Fans of the funk/R&B band have raised nearly
$100,000 to help with medical expenses. The musi-
cians were heading to a performance at an Oakland
nightclub when they were hit by the train near Jack
London Square.
In this Nov 2, 2016 file photo, Carrie
Underwood performs at the 50th
annual CMA Awards at the
Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
John Legend, Underwood, Keith
Urban and Metallica are set to per-
form at the Grammy Awards on Feb
12. (AP)
Variety
NEW YORK: Paul McCartney on
Wednesday filed a lawsuit to secure the
copyright to the Beatles back catalog in a
case that could have wide ramifications for
the music industry.
The complicated dispute centers around
the US Copyright Act of 1976 which
aimed to address pop musics checkered
history with artists by ensuring long-term
rights for songwriters and their heirs.
Under the law, artists could reclaim
copyright for songs 35 years after they
gave them away or 56 years for tracks
from before 1978.
But in a startling win for publishers, a
British court in December refused to grant
Duran Duran the US rights to the pop
groups early hits such as Rio and the
James Bond theme A View to a Kill
on the grounds that the US act did not
apply in Britain.
McCartney filed the lawsuit in a federal
court in New York against Sony ATV
Music Publishing, which was also involved
in the Duran Duran case, in a bid to guar-
antee the transfer of copyright. (AFP)
NEW YORK: Chart-topping singer John
Legend and metal legends Metallica will
be among the performers at this years
Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy
announced Wednesday.
The music industrys signature gala
takes place in Los Angeles on February
12, with Beyonce leading nominations.
Legend, who is best known for his ballad
All of Me, is a favorite of the Grammys.
The 38-year-old has won 10 awards and
has performed each year since 2014.
Metallica, one of the most influential
groups in heavy metal, in November
released its first album in eight years
which, like Legends latest, came out too
late for Grammy eligibility.
The Recording Academy, which plans to
announce further performers later, will also
give the ceremony a country music flavor
with two of the genres top stars to play
Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.
(AFP)
ST LOUIS: A new course at Washington
University in St Louis is focused on the
The St Louis Post-Dispatch reports that
75 students are registered for Politics of
Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic
Aesthetics, which began this week.
Theres a waiting list to get in.
The professor, Jeffrey McCune, says he
course focused on the rapper, producer and
fashion designer offers a way for students
to connect issues of politics, race, gender,
sexuality and culture.
Its not the first college course about
West. Georgia State University offered one
in 2015, and a 2014 course at the
University of Missouri focused on West
and Jay-Z. (AP)
TRENTON, NJ: Kelly Ripa, singer
Wyclef Jean and soccer pro Carli Lloyd
are among the 15 newest members of the
New Jersey Hall of Fame.
The group announced Tuesday also
includes singer Connie Francis, actor Ray
Liotta and musician Tommy James for
Music
Obama praised
Hip-hop commander
ATLANTA, Jan 19, (Agencies): Not
only is President Barack Obama the
nations first black president, but its
safe to say he has been Americas
first hip-hop commander-in-chief.
Obama embraced hip-hop more than
any of his predecessors: Hes refer-
enced Jay Zs lyrics and Kanye West in
speeches, released playlists on Spotify
that included Nas, Chance the Rapper,
Mos Def and Method Man, and was
caught dancing to Drakes Hot Line
Bling at a White House event.
And in a recent televised concert
celebrating the opening of the
National Museum of African
American History and Culture,
Obama was shown rapping along
when Public Enemys Chuck D per-
formed Fight the Power.
Ice Cube called Obama an anomaly.
It will probably be a long time
before we see another president do
something like this, the Hall of
Fame rapper said. It was kind of a
now-or-never thing.
Throughout his presidency, which
ends when President-elect Donald
Trump takes office on Friday, Obama
paved a way for several rap stars to
enter the White House for political
discussion and musical performanc-
es.
Concerts have taken place at the
White House since the 1800s when
President John Adams was the first
occupant. A few rappers, such as
Run-DMC, visited the mansion to
meet previous presidents over the
years.
But the Obama administration
gave them a prominent role. In 2011,
Common performed poetry at an
event at the White House, though Big
Seans 2014 performance is consid-
ered by some to be the first true rap
performance at there, when he joined
Ariana Grande for Right There. major key for me. He represents all
Since then, a barrage of rappers
have taken the stage there, including
Wale and Kendrick Lamar, whom
Obama has praised often (he cited
Lamars How Much a Dollar Cost
from the rappers black-empower-
ment album To Pimp a Butterfly as
his favorite song of 2015).
Concert
In November, BET saluted the
Obamas with a star-studded concert
celebrating a mixture of gospel, R&B
and rap music; the president and first
lady Michelle Obama joyously
danced as De La Soul rapped their
classic Me Myself and I. Earlier
this month, several hip-hop artists
including Wale, Chance the Rapper
and J. Cole took part in another pri-
vate farewell jam at the White House.
Obama held up flash cards as
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel
Miranda performed a freestyle rap in
Rose Garden area of the White
House. Mrs Obama even got into the
rap act, performing a comedic one
the performing arts. TV journalist Connie
Chung and author Carol Higgins Clark
represent arts and letters.
Basketball Hall of Famer Carol
Blazejowski, heavyweight boxer Chuck
Wepner and NFL Pro-bowler Rosey
McCartney Legend
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
with former Saturday Night Live
star Jay Pharoah to promote her col-
lege initiatives. (The president never
tried to rap publicly himself, admit-
ting once: Thats one thing I cant
do is rap. I like rap but I cannot rap.)
Hip-hop doesnt hurt anybody,
said Nas, who has visited the White
House. It helps people. Some of the
nicest people in the world are hip-hop
artists. (Obama) respects it. He loves
it. Its a part of his world. He is hip-
hop. Hes a hip-hop fan that makes
him relatable. It makes him real.
Last year, Obama invited several
rappers including Nicki Minaj,
Rick Ross and Ludacris to the
White House to discuss different
ways to continue the My Brothers
Keeper initiative and spur justice
reform in the United States.
Criticized
It was a gathering of the minds,
said Ludacris, who was once criti-
cized by Obama for his politically-
themed rap song called Politics in
2008. That was extremely important
for hip-hop, because hes giving us a
voice. Hes done a great job of sup-
porting hip-hop and certain artists,
continuing to say we should put out
positive messages. I think hes done
enough. Weve made strides.
Now, several rappers are paying
homage to Obama. Lamar said hip-
hop owes Obama some gratitude for
giving rap artists an opportunity to
visit the White House. Chance the
Rapper joined actor Kenan Thompson
saluting Obamas presidency in holi-
day-themed tribute Jingle Barack
on Saturday Night Live last month.
Obama always represents hip-hop
in so many ways, Khaled said. His
playlist is hip-hop. Ive been to the
White House. Im hip-hop. It was a
workload was not the cause of his
cultures. Thats what a president is
supposed to do.
The rock supergroup Audioslave
on Wednesday announced its first
concert in more than a decade as part
of protests against Donald Trumps
presidential inauguration.
Audioslave fronted by
Soundgardens Chris Cornell with
guitarist Tom Morello and other
members of Rage Against the Machine
will play the Anti-Inaugural Ball
Friday in Los Angeles.
The show will be led by of
Rage a newer supergroup that
brings together Morello with Public
Enemy rapper Chuck D and Cypress
Hill rapper B-Real.
The Anti-Inaugural Ball which
will be livestreamed and raise funds
for a group working against sexual this skin and do all this.
assault will also feature veteran
protest artist Jackson Browne,
Hollywood star and singer Jack
Black and rapper Vic Mensa.
Grier are the sports inductees.
Businessmen Alfred Koeppe, Arthur
Imperatore, spiritual teacher Peace Pilgrim
and Army officer Philip Kearny also are
in the Class of 2016. (AP)
TOPEKA, Kan: A tour bus belonging to
the country group Eli Young Band was
damaged in a fire on the Kansas Turnpike,
destroying most of the bands electronic
and sound equipment.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the
driver was the only person with the bus
when the fire started late Tuesday while it
was parked at a service area east of down-
town Topeka. He had just filled up the bus
and parked it for the night, and escaped.
Shawnee Heights Fire District Battalion
Chief Rick Deibert says the bus and a
trailer were a complete loss. (AP)
21
Music
Damraus Juliette
Tenor Kaufmann
returns to stage
PARIS, Jan 19, (Agencies): The
superstar German tenor Jonas
Kaufmann made a triumphant
return to the stage in Paris on
Wednesday after taking five
months out to recover from dam-
aged vocal cords.
The dashing Munich-born sing-
er the biggest draw in the opera
world at the
moment
ruptured a
blood vessel
in his vocal
cords last
year, forcing
him to pull
out of a series
of major pro-
ductions in
Europe and
the US. Kaufmann
But he final-
ly returned to the stage Wednesday
to sing Wagners Lohengrin at
Opera Bastille in the French capital.
It was in the third act of the
demanding opera that Kaufmann
displayed the full quality and
nuances of his rich tenor voice,
wringing maximum emotion from
the music.
Before the evenings events he
admitted that he should have
taken more care of his voice to
avoid the problems he has endured.
The singer, who had previously
postponed his comeback because
the injury was not healing, spoke
of his worry and frustration.
Difficult
It was very difficult to have to
wait so long to be able to sing
again, he told AFP, especially
because no one was able to tell me
if it would take one month, two
months or three months to heal.
If I had known I would have
taken some holidays but I had to
wait and wait. I went to the doctor
twice a week to see if it was get-
ting any better.
Then when it had almost healed
the vein burst for a second time,
he said.
The hugely popular performer,
whose dark good looks and rare
acting talent have taken him to the
top of the opera tree, apologised to
his fans for the repeated cancelled
performances in October.
I can understand the irritation
of all those who had organised
expensive trips to come and listen
to me. Unfortunately... sometimes
a singer faces events that require
him to take a long rest, he added.
Kaufmann, 47, also told of the
moment when his exceptional
voice gave way.
I was in Naples to sing a few
songs from my new album Dolce
Vita and I just wasnt able to. I
was on stage and quack, it was
gone. Then I understood.
It is not the first time I have
been sick. I know the voice is a
fragile thing, but this has shown
me that I should have reacted fast-
er, that I should have taken more
care, Kaufmann said.
I thought I just had a sore
throat and I continued to sing until
this very strange thing happened.
The singer had maintained a
punishing performing and record-
ing schedule over the past few
years, singing in up to three differ-
ent operas a month.
But Kaufmann insisted that his
problems.
Keep your eyes on Diana
Damrau, if you can, as she darts
about the stage as the innocent and
impetuous teenage heroine in the
opening scene of Gounods
Romeo et Juliette.
She is like a bird you cant
catch, going here and going there,
the German soprano said in an inter-
view last week at the Metropolitan
Opera. Everything is magic and
new and beautiful, and shes fresh
and sparkling, inside and outside.
Through all this and the cos-
tumes and makeup you dont see
that Im an old mom, Damrau,
who is 45 and the mother of two
young sons, added with a hearty
laugh. Its wonderful to step into
Audiences will get to judge how
well she manages this transforma-
tion on Saturday when the Bartlett
Sher production, new this season,
is broadcast live in HD to movie
theaters around the world.
As for all that running she does in
that first scene, Damrau said: Its
hard work, but its fun work. At the
moment, unfortunately, I have no
time for sports, so my sports are
onstage, thats my workout.
By the operas tragic end, of
course, Juliette has matured.
From a young, inexperienced girl,
she becomes a loving wife,
Damrau said. She stays loyal to
her husband and they die together
at the end, one of the most beauti-
ful things you can do.
Critics and audiences alike have
been wowed by the powerful
onstage chemistry Damrau enjoys
with her co-star, tenor Vittorio
Grigolo.
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

NEWS/FEATURES 22

People & Places

PARIS a guy thing

Issey Miyake
Issey
Miyake
Walter Van Beiren-
donck

OAMC

Classical & punk

Coats stand out

PARIS, Jan 19, (Agencies): Subzero temperatures were an
apt backdrop for fashionistas who arrived in Paris for the first
day of warmly-wrapped fall/winter 2017 menswear fashion Lemaire
shows.
The travelling press bid ciao to Milan and said bonjour to
Paris kicking off 50 fashion shows, endless parties, million- Above and below: Models present cre-
dollar business deals and the last leg of the menswear mania that ations by Issey Miyake; Lemaire;
will sweep the French capital for five days. OAMC; Walter Van Beirendonck and
Powerhouse Valentino unveiled its couture-infused cre- Valentino during the Mens Fashion
Week for the Fall/Winter 2017/2018
ations from the now-solo designer Pierpaolo Piccioli on Day collection in Paris on Jan 19. (AFP)
1 and what a show it was.
Here are the some highlights of Wednesdays events in Paris:
Valentino
It was all about new beginnings as designer Pierpaolo
Piccioli flew solo at the Valentino menswear helm for the
first time following the departure of co-designer Maria
Grazia Chiuri to Dior.
The normally-elitist, hierarchical seating was replaced so
everyone sat in the front row. The houses traditional mens-
wear venue the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild was unhealthy, and its behaviour that chil-
moved as well to a nearby town house with significantly dren will model.
Damon said he was still nervous
fewer celebrities. about what the next four years will
Above all, the new beginnings were found in the houses bring now that Trump is about to
more focused styles with Piccioli producing Valentinos become the most consequential per-
strongest menswear show yet. son on the planet.
The theme was subversive: the dapper gentleman mixed Issey Miyake He cited the beautiful handwritten
with flashes of punk and garments featured slogans evok- note that George H.W. Bush wrote
ing Jamie Reid of Sex Pistols fame. Slim bow in 1993 to Bill Clinton as the then
ties came alongside multiple layering, while Republican president handed over to
coats and caps seemed to channel a funky his Democratic successor, which read,
sneaker-wearing Sherlock Holmes. I am rooting for you. (AFP)
Carven
Carven has named former Dior head studio
designer Serge Ruffieux as its new creative MANILA, Philippines: The US can-
didate in the Miss Universe pageant said
director, taking over its womenswear designs Wednesday she did not vote for Donald
next month. Trump but she hopes the president-elect
Ruffieux came out of the creative shadows can unify Americans at a nerve-wrack-
briefly in 2016 to hold the spotlight at Christian Dior, for ing point in US history.
which he co-designed the praised Avenue Montaigne cou- Deshauna Barber, a 27-year-old
Fashion

ture show. He also won notice for his time as the right-hand Army officer from the District of
man of the late French designer Sonia Rykiel. Columbia, expressed confidence
Facetasm America can hurdle its political difficul-
The Tokyo-founded company Facetasm has won plau- ties after one of the most controversial
dits for its conceptual styles with hints of punk. elections Ive ever seen in my life.
Its name was based on its founder Hiromichi Ochiais Barber is among 86 candidates
idea of the varying angular sides of a diamond angles vying for the Miss Universe crown on
that seem contrasting that yet produce an inner harmony. Jan 30 in Manila, where journalists
Wednesdays color-rich show was an example of this asked her about Trumps victory and
classic yet subversive theme. and business worlds are holed up this inauguration on Friday.
Voluminous layering in contrasting patterns, hoods, heads- Valentino week. Although everyone may not agree,
Obviously its no secret that I including myself, with the election, I
carves and bubble jackets provided the contrasts. A silken didnt vote for him, said the 46-year- still support the commander-in-chief
slip with lace detailing jarred beautifully with a bright citrus old star of the Jason Bourne spy and I plan to until the end of his reign
yellow urban jacket, worn off one shoulder as if in a state of Lemaire series. in office, Barber told The Associated
hurried (un)dress. But he added: I wish him well, and Press in an interview. I just hope that
Lemaire we all must. A successful American were able to give him a chance. (AP)
Christophe Lamaire is a master of fusing minimalism and Issey Miyake president is good for all of us.
the classic. Damon defended fellow A-lister
The former-Hermes designer produced yet another deft, wear- Meryl Streep over her verbal brawl LOS ANGELES: The manager of rocker
able collection with clean lines that riffed on the utilitarian. with the US president-elect, who Alanis Morissette admitted on
It was also highly masculine. The on-trend elements were labelled her one of the most overrated Wednesday to fleecing the singer of
oversize shirt pockets, belts with multiple hoops, big black actresses in Hollywood after she used nearly $5 million and falsely claiming
leather boots and a silver applique that hung from the waist, an awards speech to trash him. the money was used to grow marijuana.
Hes right, shes totally overrated Jonathan Todd Schwartz agreed
evoking a set of workmans keys. to plead guilty to embezzling the
But the colors, and the coats, and high-waisted sartorial as an actress, Damon joked, before
adding: I thought what she said about money in court papers filed in Los
pants were the elements that provided the classical balance in Angeles federal court.
this very thoughtful display. bullying was very important ...
Bullying people with less power is Schwartz admitted that between
Valentino May 2010 and January 2014 he with-
drew about $4.8 million from
Morissettes account without her
not be as high profile as the fashion inspiration from a T-shirt her mother DAVOS, Switzerland: Movie star knowledge and labeled the unauthor-
Variety weeks in Milan, Paris, London and
New York but draws plenty of fash-
once wore for her Dollhouse collection
of pastel-coloured and sparkly tops,
Matt Damon said Wednesday he was ized cash withdrawals as sundry/per-
sonal expenses on accounting
grudgingly rooting for Donald Trump
ionistas for its variety of brands. dresses, skirts and trousers and designs to make a success of his presidency, records.
On Tuesday night, Marc Cain cre- adorned with cartoon characters. When confronted about the missing
BERLIN: Sporty, couture and ative director Karin Veit sent models despite Hollywoods bitter opposition
It rarely happens that one piece of funds, he then lied and claimed the
1980s-inspired looks dominated the down the runway in ribbed jumpers, to the Republican billionaire. money was used as an investment to
catwalks at the Mercedes-Benz clothing gives me the inspiration for a I would like to see him be success-
sporty jackets, patterned trouser suits illegally grow cannabis.
Fashion Week Berlin, with a wide and tutu skirts, at times worn with leg whole collection but this time it was ful, I really would, Damon told Schwartz also admitted to embez-
selection of designers offering cre- warmers. There were also animal an old T-shirt of my mums from the CNBC at the World Economic Forum zling more than $1.7 million from one
ations for womens winter wardrobes. prints on coats and trousers. 1980s, Hoschek said. (RTRS) in Davos, the Swiss ski resort where other unidentified celebrity and a
The Tuesday-to-Friday event may Austrian designer Lena Hoschek took movers and shakers from the political Damon Trump sports figure. (AFP)

click
Alcoholics Anonymous: If you know
someone who cant stop drinking and would
like to help them please check us out and we
promise to try to help at www.aaarabia.org
There are no fees. This is a genuine public
service.
Drinking problem?: Friends of Bill W. are
available to help. Totally condential. Email:
rohsecretary@gmail.com
Narcotics Anonymous: NA can help with
addiction problems. Totally confidential:
94087800 English/Arabic.
Cancer online support group: If you
are Cancer patient or family member ghting
with this deadly disease, come join our online
support group. Best way of dealing with this
disease is providing support and share our
experience with each other. There are lot of
things which even doctors cant tell so be
member of this website and start sharing your
experiences which may help others. October is
recognized as National Breast Cancer Aware-
ness Month (NBCAM). The primary purpose
is to promote self examination and screening
mammography as the most effective way to
save lives by detecting breast cancer at early
stage. For more information visit: http://ght-
ingwithcancer.webs.com/
Latest
Invitation to Grand Mosque: The Visits
In commemoration of the International Hindi Day, Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan organized an Interschool Nukkad Natak (Street Play) Com-
petition on Jan 10, 2017 for students of classes 8, 9 and 10. The
topic for the event was Votes for Notes. The students highlighted
Department is pleased to invite you to visit the
Grand Mosque, which is one of Kuwaits most
treasured religious and cultural landmarks to
discover the beauty of Islamic arts and archi-
tecture. Free guided tours are available all year
round on ofcial working days between (9-11
am) and (5-7 pm), within a special tour pro-
gram designed to cater to the needs of different
age groups. The program is as follows:
Reception; Auditorium show; (according to
age group); Touring the Mosque; Q & A; Art
the ongoing situation of vote bank politics and offered interesting
and viable solutions for the same, leaving the audience spellbound.
FAIPS secured the rst position and their fth consecutive win
showing their commendable acting prowess.
workshops; (according to age group between
5 and 18 years old); Snack break; Distribution
of the Grand Mosque publications and souve-
nirs; End of tour.
According to these age groups:
Age group: 5 to 9 years old: Morning: 60
visitors max; Evening: 20; 10 to 15 years:
Morning: 100 visitors max; Evening: 45; 16
and above: Morning: 140 visitors max, Even-
ing: 105:
Tour language: Arabic- English- French;
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Arabic (English upon prior request); Arabic-
English- French; Arabic (English upon prior
request); Arabic- English- French: Arabic
(English upon prior request)
Rules and Regulations:
Please arrive in time for your visit.
All visitors are kindly required to abide by
the mosques dress code. Male visitors should
wear long pants. Shorts and sleeveless shirts
are not allowed. Female visitors: should wear
head cover and long loose clothing (available
23
at the mosque).
Foods and drinks are not allowed inside the
prayer halls.
For school visits, teachers are responsible
for their students and are required to cooperate
with the staff members of the Grand Mosque.
Photography is allowed inside the Grand
Mosque (please note that disrespectful poses
are strictly prohibited).
If you would like to book a tour, please
contact us:
Tel: 22980813/ 22980815/ 22980812
Email: gmvisits@gmail.com
Fax: 22473708
Chinese Embassy notice: Please be noted
that effective starting today, the photo used in
a Chinese visa application must meet the re-
quirements (For details, please visit the website
of Chinese embassy http://kw.chineseembassy.
org/eng/). Application with non-compliant
photos will not be processed.
Thank you for your attention and coopera-
tion.
IEI Kuwait Chapter membership: The
Institution of Engineers (India), Kuwait
chapter invites all its members to update their
membership information for the year 2016-17
and actively participate in the chapter activi-
ties. Indian engineers residing in Kuwait are
welcome to join the pool of more than 700,000
engineers by becoming corporate or non-cor-
porate members of The Institution of Engineers
(India). IEI, Kuwait Chapter conducts many
technical events for the benet of its members.
Please watch for the upcoming events in your
registered e-mail or announcement in the me-
dia. The chapter has science club activities for
members children, and ladies wing activities
for the members family. IEI, Kuwait chapter
Continued on Page 24
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

24

Fans can get a peek at teams

A look at events, attractions surrounding Super Bowl LI

HOUSTON, Jan 19, (AP): Houston is the
nations fourth largest city, a sprawling me-
tropolis larger than some small states. But the
good news for those visiting for Super Bowl
LI is that most of the events surrounding the
game will be concentrated downtown, making
it easy to visit a number of attractions.
There are thousands of hotel rooms down-
town where fans can stay, and from there its
about 11 miles to NRG Stadium, home of the
Houston Texans, where the Feb 5 game will
be played.
Super events
Super Bowl LIVE is a free fan festival that
stretches from Discovery Green across from
the George R. Brown Convention Center to
Root Park near the Toyota Center, where the
Houston Rockets play. The festival, which
runs from Jan 28-Feb 5, will include artists,
exhibits and games. An area called Houston
Live will showcase the city and its history.
Super Bowl LIVE will also include a virtual
reality experience, Future Flight, created with
help from NASA, which will take fans on a
90-foot-drop tower ride mimicking a space-
ight to Mars.
Texas artists headline three days of concerts,
Feb 2-4. Day one features Solange, Leon
Bridges is one of three performers Friday, and
Saturdays headliner will be ZZ Top.
The convention center hosts the NFL Expe-
rience Jan 28-29 and Feb 1-5. Billed as an in-
teractive theme park, it will have games, youth
football clinics, autograph sessions, a display
of Super Bowl rings and a chance to take a
picture with the Lombardi Trophy, given each
year to the Super Bowl champions. Open daily
10:00 am-10:00 pm except Sundays. It closes
at 8:00 pm Jan 29, and shuts down for good at
3:00 pm on game day. Tickets start at $25 for
children 2-12, $35 for those 13 and over and
are on sale here.
Super Bowl opening night
Fans can get a peek at the teams in the Super
Bowl on Jan 30 at Super Bowl Opening Night
downtown at Minute Maid Park, home of the
Houston Astros. The event is the rst time
during Super Bowl week that players in the big
game meet with media as fans watch from the
bleachers. It features a performance by rock
band X Ambassadors and an appearance by
Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon.
I will always be grateful to the city of Hous-
ton and its fans for giving me a chance to play
professional football, said Moon, who starred
for the Houston Oilers. On Super Bowl Open-
ing Night, I am excited to return to my second
home and to help fans experience the energy of
the big game before kickoff on Sunday.
Those attending the event will get gift
bags with a radio which they can turn to
NFL Network coverage to listen in on player
interviews. Doors open at 5:30 pm, interviews
are from 7:15-8:15 pm and 9:00 pm-10:00 pm.
Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased here.
Get the app
To get all the information about Super Bowl
week at your ngertips, download the ofcial
Super Bowl app. The app includes details on
events, transportation, tips on navigating dif-
ferent areas of the city and even a trivia game.
Traveling around downtown
Free circulator shuttles will run downtown
during Super Bowl week. Called Greenlink,
three routes will take guests from parking lots
on the west side of downtown to the entrance
to Super Bowl LIVE and in and around Dis-
covery Green. Theres also a prepaid parking
app fans can download to reserve spots at
guaranteed rates. The app, called Fan Mobile
Pass app, also provides directions to the lots.
A traveling nightclub
Club Nomadic, dubbed a traveling
nightclub experience, will be open dur-
ing the weekend of the Super Bowl. The
62,500-square foot, three-story nightclub holds
9,000 people with special areas for celebri-
ties and VIP ticket holders. The venue, 2121
Edwards St., hosts the EA Sports Bowl with
a performance by Sam Hunt and the Chain-
smokers on Feb 2, welcomes Bruno Mars on
Feb 3 and ends with a performance by Taylor
Swift on Feb 4. Tickets are pricey, but can be
purchased here.
Not just football
Looking for a break from football? Catch
a basketball game! James Harden and the
Houston Rockets host the Atlanta Hawks and
former teammate Dwight Howard on Feb
2. A Feb 3 game against Chicago features a
halftime ceremony where Hall of Fame center
Yao Mings jersey will be retired. Games start
at 7:00 pm and tickets may be purchased here.
Hang with a Heisman winner
Though Johnny Manziel amed out of the
NFL after just two lackluster seasons that were
notable more for his off-the-eld problems
that his football skills, he still has a huge fan
following and will be looking to cash in on
that during Super Bowl week. Manziel, who
starred at nearby Texas A&M before being
drafted by the Cleveland Browns, will host
two autograph signings leading up to the Super
Bowl. The events will be held at two local
malls on Feb 2-3 and $99 will get an auto-
graph by the man known as Johnny Football,
with an extra $29 charge for an inscription of
up to four words. A photo opportunity with the
quarterback is $99, but fans can take a sele
for just $50.

BSK
Kuwait. Interested parties must register their
intention to attend no later than Jan 25, 2017 in
order to be considered.
To register your interest and to receive
further details please contact Abigail Bartho-
lomew at q8debates@gmail.com

BSK students visit the Scientific Centre
Year Three students from the British School of Kuwait
(BSK) visited the Scientic Centre as part of their science
curriculum. The students were fascinated by the wonder-
ful array of experiments and investigations which allowed
them to use their scientic thinking to solve problems.
Photos from the event.
The students experimented with nding out their BMI, how
much water was in their body and how long it took to cycle
off a packet of fries! They were also able to test their strength
using a grip machine and a hang from a bar that timed them.
BSK has always valued a hands on approach to enrich-
ing its British based curricula. Year Three were a credit to
the school in their behaviour and manner around the Scien-
tic Centre and greatly enjoyed the visit.
Thank you to all those involved, and we look forward to
the next outing for Year Three!
Art
Intimate Reflections at Dar Al
Funoon: Dar Al Funoon will open a solo
exhibition by Nurieh Mozaffari Intimate
Reections on Jan 16 at 07:00 pm. The artist
will be present.
Nurieh Mozaffari was born in Iran. She
became seriously interested in painting at the
age of 18 and soon after embarked on a BA
majoring in Art in Iran. Later, she completed a
Masters degree in painting at the Art Univer-
sity in 1996. Teaching in the Faculty of Art at
a university was a natural next step. In between
and subsequent to her studies her work has
appeared in many exhibitions both joint and
solo.
Nuriehs work has been exhibited interna-
tionally since 1984. She had more than 20 solo
exhibitions and over 100 group exhibitions
among them Museum of Contemporary Art
Tehran, Institut Du Monde Arabe Paris Art
Gallery Vancouver Museum Canada.
Her works have been exhibited four times in
the Iranian paintings biannual.
The exhibition will run until Feb 2. Gallery
hours: Sunday to Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00
pm and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Saturdays by ap-
pointment. For details contact 22433183.
CAP to showcase Until: Contemporary
Art Platform (CAP) is showcasing Until an
exhibition by Kuwaiti artist Ghadah Alkandari
will run until Feb 22.
Ghadah Alkandari is a Kuwaiti artist born
in Delhi in 1969. In 1992 she received a BA
in Mass Communications from the American
University in Cairo. But it was a six-week
painting course at the School of Visual Arts
that shaped my current painting style, which
was also inuenced early on by both clas-
sical painters: Cezanne, Matisse, Schiele,
Modigliani and Klimt, and comic books: Mad
Magazine, Archie and Asterix.
Her body of work ranges from large-scale
acrylic paintings, primarily gurative, explor-
ing the wide spectrum of human emotion and
familial complexities, to smaller intimate pen
and ink surreal drawings detached and focused
on everyday happenings.
The artist had numerous solo exhibitions in
Kuwait, and has participated in several group
exhibitions locally and internationally, includ-
ing the Arab Culture in Diaspora exhibition
in Kuwait, Femmes Artistes Du Koweit at
the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (2006),
Approaches to Figurative Practices at the Third
Line Gallery, Dubai (2007), and JAMM Con-
temporary Art Auction in Kuwait (2010).
Since 2009, Ghadah Alkandari uses her blog
prettygreenbullet as a platform to display her
work on a daily basis.

General
IEI Kuwait membership: The Institution
of Engineers (India), Kuwait chapter invites
all its members to update their membership
information for the year 2016-17 and actively
participate in the chapter activities. Indian
engineers residing in Kuwait are welcome to
join the pool of more than 700,000 engineers
by becoming corporate or non-corporate mem-
bers of The Institution of Engineers (India).
IEI, Kuwait Chapter conducts many technical
events for the benets of its members. We have
upcoming technical seminar in August and a
mega workshop in September. Please watch
for further details in your registered e-mail or
announcement in media. The chapter has sci-
ence club activities for members children, and
ladies wing activities for the members family.
IEI, Kuwait Chapter has facility to register stu-
Photos from the event. dent members for AMIE examination for those
interested in pursuing career enrichment.
For more information and on chapter mem-
Indian Lawyers Forum conducts legal seminar on uniform civil code in India bership, kindly contact IEI, Kuwait Chapter
ofce on 22445588 extn 314 between 5:30
pm to 8:30 pm (Sunday through Thursday)
The Indian Lawyers Forum, (ILF) the association of Indian that Indian Lawyers Forum has 128 Indian lawyers, law Uniform Civil Code. They argued that introduction of Uni- or through email to ieikwt@hotmail.com.
Law Graduates and Lawyers in Kuwait, conducted a legal graduates and their family members as members. Sev- form Civil Code will not infringe ones fundamental rights. You may also contact engr Ashok Kumar
seminar for Indian community on UNIFORM CIVIL CODE eral of ILF members are working with Kuwaiti Law rms Adv. Sumod and Adv. Mohammed Bashir described the (97275974) or engr Karthikeyan (99840191)
in India at Hidine Auditorium Abbassiaya. and Corporations as Senior Lawyers and are with 15 to various legal aspects of introduction of Uniform Civil Code for any further clarication.
The Subject was intoruduced by Adv. Mohammed Ba- 20 years practicing experience in Indian courts. President in India and the advantages it may bring to the community.
sheer, Adv. Thomas Stephen and Adv. Sumod. promised all kinds of legal support to the community. All Indians are considered equal and the Lawyers were
Prominent advocates from ILF, Adv. Thomas Panicker, President also said that, in case of any associations wish highlighting the advantages of introducing Uniform Civil KIFF anti-drugs campaign: As part of the
Adv. Suresh Pulickal, Adv. Mini, Adv. Vidhya, Adv. Vinod, to conduct legal seminar, Indian Lawyers Forum is ready Code in India, equal and unform law for all citizens of India. Fraternity fest, Kuwait India Fraternity Forum
Adv. Jeseena Bashir, Adv. Smitha, Adv. Shibin and SA Lab- to co-operate with them in their endeavour to help the com- The seminar concluded with vote of thanks by Adv. (KIFF) is conducting Anti-Drugs Campaign
ba & Chessil Ramapuram actively participated in the debate. munity. Suresh Pulickal, Secretary of the forum welcomed Shivadas, Treasurer of the Forum. among Indians living in Kuwait. According
The ILF President, Adv.Thomas Panicker inaugurated the guests and audience. Those who wish to contact with Indian Lawyers Forum to the available statistics of Indian Embassy,
the function. President in his speech described the activi- All who spoke on behalf of ILF were highlighting ther may contact tel. Nos. 97203939, 23718748, 60% of the convicted Indians in Kuwaiti Jails
ties of Indian Lawyers Forum to the gatherings. He said problems/disadvantages associated with, India not having Email. advpanicker@gmail.com are arrested on drug-related cases. The recent
cases of death and captives of Indian drug
For more information and on chapter mem- 1914-1967, the ofcial period of offering story (optional). abusers is a threatening news. To defend and
bership, kindly contact IEI, Kuwait chapter medical services in Kuwait? Your story will be part of a new book to be to campaign against such social crisis by pro-
ofce on 22445588 extn. 314 between 5:30 Please share with us your story or your published by DAI. tecting individuals as well as the society has
pm to 8:30 pm (Sunday through Thursday) memory during those old days by writing the I am condent that your contributions will become obligatory. In this current situation,
click or through email to ieikwt@hotmail.com. event and sending it to the following email ad- be an essential part of the history of Amricani.
Kuwait India Fraternity Forum is conducting
campaign by distributing handouts, conduct-
You may also contact Engr Ashok Kumar dress: Mystory@darmuseum.org.kw Share with us!
Notes: 1. Please send your story only to ing counseling, seminars etc. to educate the
(97275974) or Engr Karthikeyan (99840191)
Latest for any further clarication. the above mentioned email. Story shared in Jan 25
Indians living in Kuwait informed President
Instagram, Facebook or Twitter will not be Saifudheen Nalakath in a press release. For
Debating Championships: The trials to more details contact: 55062071 or email at
Continued from Page 23 considered.
kiffkuwait@gmail.com.
Share your story with Amricani: Do you 2. Please write your story or memory and select the National Schools Debating Team
or any of your family members, acquaint- sign it with your full name, and your contact which will represent Kuwait at the World
has facility to register student members for ances or friends happen to have a story with number. Schools Debating Championships in Bali
AMIE Examination for those interested in
NYF offers free yoga classes: NYF Kuwait
the American Missionary hospital in Kuwait 3. It will be great if you send us your per- in August 2017 will take place from 3:30
pursuing career enrichment. (Mustashfa Lemraicani) during the years from sonal photos or those of the place related to the pm-7:30 pm on Feb 1 at the British School of Continued on Page 25
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

25

Peugeot 103: almost a natural emblem

Iconic moped lives on in hearts of Moroccans

RABAT, Jan 19, (AFP): In France it slipped
into legend after delighting long-haired
teenagers in the seventies and eighties, but in
Morocco the tireless moped spurts on despite
an invasion of cheaper Chinese scooters.
The Peugeot 103 has been around for so
long in the North African country that most
Moroccans do not notice it.
But with its rounded handlebars, spluttering
engine and signature exhaust cloud of blue
smoke, the Peugeot 103 is to Morocco what
the Renault 4L is to Madagascar: almost a
national emblem.
We adore the 103, says Mohammed
Ngaire, a salesman at a used motorbike and
moped market in the capital Rabat, showcasing
the most beautiful specimens of the Peugeot
103 still in circulation.
Come and see, we have them all, calls the
63-year-old, a popular character at the seaside
venue who says he was once a 400-metre
champion in running.
The Fox, named after its headlight that
makes it look like a fox. The Ninja with its
black coat and steel hubcaps. The safe Vogue,
and the unmissable 103 Sport Prestige, he
adds.
Passersby can also admire the Ramzey, a
Turkey-made knockoff.
They can even nd the antique Motobe-
cane, whose clumsy appearance and large
saddlebags today inspire love in grandfathers
France-wide.
That ones a real Rolls Royce. When you
have one, its for life. But nowadays good
deals are rare, Ngaire says.
The rst models of the Peugeot 103 were
made in France in 1971, intended for older
people living in the countryside.
But the model caught on fast, overtaking
its predecessors the 101 and 102, becoming
a must-have among youth and blue-collar
workers.
In Morocco, they started arriving in the
eighties, says a mechanic in central Rabat
who gave his name as Habachi.
The model became popular among the
working class and low-ranking public ser-
vants, says the man in his fties.
Today its become a bit outdated. But its
so solid, it still has a lot of followers.
No permit is required to drive the moped,
which can be spotted at virtually every street
corner in Morocco.
They scoot around in all their legendary
glory -- starting pedals, 49cm3 engine, mi-
raculous petrol tank back-up, 45-km-per-hour
(28-mile-per-hour) speed limit and all.
Some models have been customised in new
chrome colours.
at over their handlebars as they overtake cars
when it shuttered its DIMAC-Peugeot plant in
A Moroccan man drives his Peugeot 103
moped in the capital Rabat on Dec 13. (AFP)
But the must-have item is a special kit to
boost the engines carburator.
Urban legend has it that all thieves in the
southern city of Marrakesh once pimped their
mopeds like this, so police were ordered to
arrest anyone riding one at more than 80 kms
an hour.
In amateur videos shared online, moped fa-
natics from all over North Africa appear lying
at lightning speed on the motorway.
France stopped producing the 103 in 2011
and Morocco followed suit three years later
Casablanca.
Nostalgic moped lovers are now forced
to make do with an obsolete if beautiful
catalogue of seven models priced from 7,400
dirhams ($740) for the orange 103 Classic to
10,600 dirhams for a Fox with a pointy nose.

Brain Attack in Women seminar on Jan 21

60 pct of stroke deaths are in women

By Chaitali B. Roy
Special to the Arab Times

A s Mira Bose started wrapping up the birth-

day party she had organized for her daugh-
ter on the evening of Dec 23, she suddenly felt
she had no recollection of what had transpired
earlier that evening, and why she was doing
what she was doing. Bose had been clearing the
table, and she sat down suddenly on the chair.
When questioned by anxious family members
Bose had no answers apart from the fact that her
memory of that evening had been wiped out in
its entirety. She could not remember the party,
the guests who arrived or anything else for that
matter. A quick visit to a hospital revealed that
Bose had suffered an ischemic stroke. Medical
attention in time managed to save her life and
also prevented other complications.
Women who are twice as likely as men to
experience depression and anxiety, and report
higher level stress levels than men are more
likely to suffer a stroke than their male counter-
parts.
There are some frightening gures associ-
ated with strokes in women that deserve our
attention. For instance, not many know that
nearly 60% of stroke deaths are in women, and
surprisingly stroke kills twice as many women
as breast cancer. According to Dr Riaz Khan,
Consultant Neurologist at Ministry of Health,
Kuwait, stroke is the third leading cause of death
for women, yet most women are unaware of
their risk of having a stroke.
Stroke is a medical emergency and it is
important to get treated as soon as possible. The
risk of stroke increases with age, and in general
women live longer than men, which accounts for
the fact that 6 in 10 people who die from stroke
are women. It is imperative that a stroke victim
gets to a hospital as soon as possible for life
saving treatment, and although the incidence of
stroke is high in women, long term effects can
be minimized with immediate treatment.
Awareness
The good news is that more and more people
are surviving and beating stroke, the ugly cousin
of heart disease. To raise awareness about this
A yer of the event. silent killer, Indian Womens Association is
organizing a Health Awareness Seminar titled
Brain Attack in Women which will feature
8-day workshop starts Jan 21 leading experts in Kuwait who will speak about
this potentially devastating but preventable A yer of the event.
disease and help determine the stroke risk in

Needlab coming to Kuwait women. The speakers include Dr Riaz Ahmed

Khan, Dr Khaja Sharfuddin and Dr John K
John. The seminar which will take place on Jan
21, 2017 at the Gulf University of Science &

with needlab_kwt matters Technology from 6-8:30 pm is open to all. Arab

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: The needlab_kuwait
matters is a traveling architecture workshop
series that focuses on unveiling new ways of
creating a dialog between local materials, social
practices, environmental forces and the latest
software and technologies.
Following the motto act local, think glob-
al, it will be held in different locations and
experimented based on the same research
agenda. needlab is making an architectural/
social experiment using augmented reality in
different parts of the world, starting from their
rst stop in Kuwait, to understand vernacular
architecture, cultural behavior and craftsman-
ship of each country and publish a book with all
the ndings. needlab_kuwait matters is hosted
alongside Kuwait University and it is based on
building and exhibiting an architectural-scale
structure made of local sand lime brick in Al
Shaheed Park. Students will be testing new
methods of construction using local brick in
an environmentally responsive way that incor-
porates augmented reality as part of the design
and product. To fabricate the pavilion, we are
collaborating with Fab Lab.
The 8-day workshop and lecture program
will be on Jan 21 until Jan 28. The pavilion will
be installed in Al Shaheed Park for one month
and then KU grounds permanently.
Covering a range of softwares and skills, the
workshop is open to students, practicing archi-
tects and engineers. Its tutored and designed
by the founder of needlab, Sameera Chukappali
in partnership with Alessandro Mattoccia and
click
General
Continued from Page 24
offers free yoga, breathing, meditation and reiki
classes by a well-experienced female yoga teach-
er for all age groups. Classes are given on the
basis of different health problems, stress and
other problems by different techniques. Contact:
99315825.
call 99039723 or 94067999 or email: kuwait-
Leadership Excellence Course: The
Leadership Excellence Course (LEC) is a course
modeled on the Seerah of Rasoolullah who is the
best model of leadership for all mankind. The
LEC focuses on the lessons that we can learn
from the Seerah of Rasoolullah and see how we
Professor Rodrigo Rubio from Basics Archi-
tects in Spain. Its in collaboration with Ku-
wait University-Arch Dept, KFAS, Ministry of
Youth, Zain, Al Shaheed Park, Kuwait English
School, Babnimnim, National Industries, Fab
Lab Q8, Nuqat, Khaleejesque and YourAOK.
This workshop is also bringing in three free
public events which are:
A Panel Discussion on Jan 22 which will
be held in Kuwait University Khaldiya Cam-
pus. Here, there will be 9 panelists sitting on the
stage and openly discussing their take/opinion
on the questions.
Panelists: Ricardo Camacho, Dr Hussain
Dashti, Sulaiman Al Othman, Rodrigo Rubio,
Ian Purser, Rafael Portillo, Alessandro Mattoc-
cia, Jassim Al Nashmi.
A Lecture Series on Jan 25 which will be
held in Al Shaheed Park for public and stu-
dents to attend. Five speakers will explain one
project of theirs/or the concept they believe in
that could enhance the social life of people and
respond to the climate through architecture.
The inspiration of this project could be based
on vernacular architecture of the country or on
advanced design systems that they have come
up with.
Speakers: Ricardo Camacho, Dr Hussain
Dashti, Rafael Portillo, Sulaiman Al Othman,
Rodrigo Rubio.
The Pavilion Opening Ceremony on Jan
28 at Al Shaheed Park.
For more info go to needlab.org or follow @
needlab_matters on Instagram.
can apply them in our lives to become winners in
this world and the next.
The objectives of the course are 1. Understand
what leadership is from the Seerah of Rasoolull-
ah and how to apply it in our lives today 2.
Understand the purpose of our lives and learn to
live that purpose with condence 3. Understand
the importance of connecting to Allah and learn
how to do it 4. Understand how to leverage your
strengths and overcome weaknesses 5. Under-
stand how to articulate your life goal and create a
road map to achieve it.
For more information please visit www.
leckuwait.com or call 99514995 / 66363310.
AWL registration: If you would like to join
the American Womens League (AWL), please
awl@yahoo.com. All American women and
wives of Americans are welcomed.
Ugandans register with UIK: Are you
Continued on Page 27
Times catches up with Dr Riaz Khan who shares
his insight into this silent killer.
Arab Times: What is a stroke? Is it right to
say that women are more likely to get strokes
than men? I read that 1 in 5 women suffer a
stroke at some point in their life. Is that right?
Why is it that women are more susceptible to
heart disease?
Dr Khan: Stroke is the third leading cause
of death for women (in comparison, it is the
fth leading cause of death for men). There are
some interesting, thought-provoking gures on
strokes. Each year more than 137,000 Ameri-
cans die from stroke, about 60 percent of them
women. Each year 55,000 more women have
a stroke than men. Every year, about 425,000
women experience a stroke. Nearly 77,000
women die from causes related to strokes.
Annually, 55,000 more women than men experi-
ence a stroke. Women have a higher life-time
risk of stroke. Now coming to your question of
what is a stroke. A sudden stoppage of oxygen
and blood ow to the brain causes injury to the
cells. This happens when the blood vessels are
blocked or they are damaged.
AT: Are there different types of stroke?
Dr Khan: There are different types of
strokes. For example, Ischemic (Blockage)
stroke accounts for 87% of strokes.. This is
caused by a blockage in the blood vessels to the
brain. Then there is Hemorrhagic (Bleeding)
which makes up about 13% of strokes. This is
caused by burst or leaking blood vessels in the
brain. Transient Ischemic Attacks or TIAs are
warning strokes that can happen before a ma-
jor stroke. They occur when blood ow through
abrain artery is briey blocked or reduced. TIA
symptoms are temporary but similar to those
of a full-edged stroke. A person who has a
TIA is 9.5 times more likely to have a stroke.
One should remember that a TIA is a medical
emergency.
Dr Riaz Khan
AT: Are there some symptoms that are
unique to women - that are female specic?
Dr Khan: Women may report symptoms not
often associated with strokes in men. There are
reported additional symptoms that are unique
to women. These include sudden face and limb
pain, sudden hiccups, sudden nausea, sudden
general weakness, sudden chest pain, sudden
shortness of breath, sudden palpitations, diz-
ziness not associated with vertigo, headaches,
and numbness over the entire body that is more
severe on one side.
AT: Is it possible that a woman may have had
a stroke and she doesnt come to know of it?
Dr Khan: Yes, it is quite possible. Women
do not think they are going to have a stroke.
They think of it as a mans disease Nearly half
of surveyed women said that they didnt know
that following a stroke, many of them experi-
ence nerve damage, problems swallowing
and depression, which can prevent them from
getting needed rehabilitation. Unique symp-
toms in women create a problem, as they are
often not recognized as a stroke symptom and
treatment is often delayed. The most effective
stroke treatments are only available if the stroke
is recognized and diagnosed within the rst
three hours of the rst symptoms. Women can
experience hiccups with a little bit of chest pain
with their stroke symptoms, sometimes sending
them down the pathway looking for either heart
disease or indigestion.
AT: Is it right that the incidence of stroke is
higher in pregnant women?
Dr Khan: Pregnancy also increases the risk
of stroke, particularly in the nal months and in
the immediate period after delivering the child.
Stroke risk increases during a normal pregnancy
due to natural changes in the body such as
increased blood pressure and stress on the heart.
Women who are pregnant should monitor their
blood pressure during and after pregnancy to
lower the risk of stroke.
AT: Is there a connection between birth con-
trol pills and strokes in women? I read that use
of birth control pills doubles the risk of stroke
especially in women with high blood pressure.
Does smoking increase the risk of stroke in
women as well?
Dr Khan: Only 11 percent of women know
that pregnancy, lupus, migraine headaches,
birth-control pills and hormone replacement
therapy increase their stroke risk. Certain types
of birth control medicines may raise stroke risk
in women with high blood pressure, especially
if they smoke. Women have some unique risk
factors for stroke. Having high blood pressure
during pregnancy raises a womans risk for
stroke. In fact, women should be screened for
high blood pressure before starting a birth con-
trol regimen. Migraines can increase a womans
stroke risk by two and half times. Women who
experience migraines with smoke are advised to
stop smoking immediately.
AT: What is the situation in Kuwait? How
strong is the awareness here?
Dr Khan: The Ministry of Health has made
great efforts and established Stroke Units in
all the major hospitals around the country. The
emergency care departments at Al Sabah, Al
Amiri, Mubarak Al Kabeer, Al Jahra, Al Adan,
Al Farwaniyah Hospitals where they receive and
treat all stroke cases. A Stroke Registry has been
established, and Kuwait Neurological Society is
actively involved in the awareness campaign.
AT: What should women do to prevent this
threat?
Dr Khan: They should try to control high
blood pressure. They shouldnt smoke. They
should consume less sodium. They should lower
their cholesterol and lose excess weight. They
should get physically active.
AT: And what about measures regarding
awareness?
Dr Khan: It is important for society in
general to support scientic research through
funding. We should try to develop, share and
apply scientic standards and guidelines and
best practices. We should advocate for and urge
increased government funding to support im-
proved healthcare systems and patient outreach.
We need to educate the public and build national
awareness about stroke prevention, stroke treat-
ment, and recovery resources.

WEF launches new senior advisory board for S. Asia at Davos
DAVOS, Jan 19: With the theme of
Responsive and Responsible Leader-
ship, the annual meet of World Eco-
nomic Forum (WEF) got underway
at Davos on Tuesday. The annual
meeting in Davos remains a global
platform unmatched in engaging lead-
ers from across business, government,
international organizations, academia
and civil society in peer-to-peer work-
ing sessions.
In line with growing inuence of
South Asian countries in global af-
fairs and on account of having some
of the fastest growing economies in
the world, the Forum has this year
formulated a senior advisory board
called the South Asia Regional
Strategy Group (RSG) comprised of
senior government ofcials, business
leaders, academics and experts. The
invitation only agship group and its
members are committed to the shared
mission of accelerating the regional
transformation of South Asia through
public-private cooperation. The RSG
provides strategic guidance on the
Al-Harbi and Al-Marzouq inaugurating the medical centers.
3 medical centers launched
Minister lauds performance
level of Al-Salam Hospital
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Minister of
Health Jamal Al-Harbi praised the high
performance level of Al-Salam inter-
national Hospital afliated to Kuwait
Finance House (KFH). Al-Harbis
statement came on the sidelines of the
inauguration of three medical centers
at Al-Salam International Hospital in
presence and participation of KFH
Chairman Hamad Abdulmohsen Al-
Marzouq.
The centers are for dentistry, kidney
diseases and physical therapy. Al-Harbi
indicated that the hospital offers dis-
tinguished healthcare services to Ku-
waitis who hold AFIA health insurance
cards, noting that the new centers have
13 dentistry clinics and 16 kidney di-
alysis machines equipped with the latest
technology. The minister expressed his
pleasure with the high-quality services
provided by Al-Salam Hospital.
Meanwhile, Al-Marzouq accompa-
nied the Minister on a tour to explore the
development and expansion work for
New service effective March 26
Etihad goes double
daily to Dsseldorf
ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan 19: Etihad
Airways today announced its Abu
Dhabi Dsseldorf route will be op-
erated 14 times a week with the addi-
tion of a new daily service, effective
March 26, 2017.
The double daily schedule will pro-
vide greater choice to local passengers
travelling between Abu Dhabi and
Dsseldorf, and further increase con-
nectivity to and from Germany over
the airlines Abu Dhabi hub. Etihad
Airways will also increase interna-
tional connections through codeshar-
ing with partner carrier airberlin via
Dsseldorf.
The new mid-morning departure
from Abu Dhabi and return over-
night service from Dsseldorf will
offer two-way connectivity to addi-
tional markets across Asia and Aus-
tralia, including Brisbane, Beijing,
Shanghai, Chengdu, Seoul, Ho Chi
Minh City, Jakarta, Phuket, Kath-
mandu and Seychelles. The extra
daily frequency will provide further
connections to popular destinations
including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur,
Sydney, Mumbai and Delhi.
With the additional capacity, Eti-
had Airways frequency between Abu
Dhabi and its three German gateways
of Dsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich
rises from 35 to 42 services a week,
ensuring consistency of double daily
ights to each city. Partner carrier air-
berlin also operates twice-daily ights
between Abu Dhabi and Berlin.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways
Chief Executive Ofcer, said: In-
creased frequency to our key destina-
tions globally is a focus for Etihad Air-
ways as expansion ensures more travel
Flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and Dsseldorf, effective 26 March 2017:
Flight No. Origin Departs Destination
EY 23
AB4009 ** Abu Dhabi 02:35
EY 24
AB4008 ** Dsseldorf 11:30
EY 29 *
AB4237 ** Abu Dhabi 08:55
EY 30 *
AB4263 ** Dsseldorf 21:00
Note: All departures and arrivals are listed in local time.
* Additional daily Dsseldorf service
** airberlin codeshare on Etihad Airways ights
From left: Amitabh Kant, Ajay Khanna, Srivatsan Rajan, Adeeb Ahamed and Ms Gita Gopinath some of the key members of the South Asia Re-
Forums regional agenda, and is the
highest-level decision making body
for the Forums activities in South
Asia.
The South Asia RSG is chaired by
the new centers that reect the capacity
of the hospital and the appetite to cope
with the latest medical technology. He
pointed out that KFH boosts support to
Al-Salam International Hospital that is
considered as a pioneer medical edice
in the private sector.
For his part, CEO Al-Salam Inter-
national Hospital Dr Ayman Al-Muta-
wa stressed the importance of the role
played by private medical institutions in
easing the burden on government hospi-
tals and medical centers and helping the
health ministry realize its strategy and
plans. He viewed private medical insti-
tutions as key partners of the govern-
ment in improving healthcare services
in the country.
Al-Mutawa said that the expansion
efforts and increasing the capacity of the
hospital by establishing 3 medical cen-
ters for dentistry, kidney diseases and
physical therapy will denitely support
the hospitals goals by offering best ser-
vices to patients.
options for guests looking for greater
exibility. We are therefore delighted
to soon offer double daily options to
all four German destinations on Etihad
Airways and our strategic partner air-
berlin.
Thomas Schnalke, Dsseldorf Air-
port CEO, added: Etihad Airways
is one of the worlds highest quality
airlines, and with its new twice-daily
service between Dsseldorf and Abu
Dhabi, this clearly shows that the air-
line recognises the great signicance
of the Rhine-Ruhr Region as an attrac-
tive destination with one of Europes
strongest catchment areas.
North Rhine-Westphalia is a key
business region, home to many inter-
national companies, and it is hugely
important to offer the best possible ac-
cessibility for business travellers from
the Gulf. Abu Dhabi too is an excel-
lent destination for both leisure and
business, and promises to appeal even
more for travellers from Dsseldorf
and the neighbouring region with these
new services.
airberlin, which operates a daily
service between Dsseldorf and Abu
Dhabi, has notied Etihad Airways
of its decision to discontinue the route
and redeploy the aircraft onto other
markets from the beginning of the
2017 summer schedule. airberlin will
continue to offer its Dsseldorf-based
customers access to Abu Dhabi and
beyond through codesharing on Etihad
Airways existing and new ights from
the western German city.
Passengers booked on airberlin
ights from Dsseldorf to Abu Dhabi
and beyond will be reprotected on ser-
vices operated by Etihad Airways.
Arrives Frequency Aircraft
Dsseldorf 07:20 Daily Boeing B787-9
Abu Dhabi 20:00 Daily Boeing B787-9
Dsseldorf 14:10 Daily Airbus A330-200
Abu Dhabi 05:50 Daily Airbus A330-200
RSG highest-level decision making body
gional Strategy Group)
Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog
who will be supported by two Vice-
Chairs, Ajay Khanna, Chief, Strategic
and Public Affairs, Jubilant Bhartia
Group and Srivatsan Rajan, Chairman,
Iconic launches SS 17 collection
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Captivate in
chic separates and owing silhouettes
with bohemian undertones. The look is
inspired by the 70s smart boho trend
with the classic shapes taking center
stage in a clean and streamlined casual
line with offbeat pairing. Making you
believe in the power of a woman to
change attitudes and life and ultimately
the world around her. Cant go wrong
with tapestry, jacquard, and cotton and
patterned knit. Decorate paisley, pais-
ley mixes with oversized checks, and
ditsy medley inspired print are some
such details that create that statement.
Key colors this Spring include astral
aura, radiant yellow, zinfandel while
key pieces include printed column
maxi dresses, cold shoulder tops and
placement printed shirts.
The collection Stately Nomads is in-
spired by the nomadic traveler collect-
ing beloved pieces from their travels
and mixing them in offbeat pairings to
create a Soft tailoring look with con-
tinuation of minimalist dressing.
Modern
This trend is a modern line that re-
ects the style sensibilities of the urban
women. An interesting element to the
collection is the presence of prints
that draws essence from the world
travels. Key colors from this collec-
tion are burnt brick, caviar, nude and
evening sand while key pieces include
color block lace jumpsuit, lace tie up
blouse, applique sweat top and match
the set top with cropped culottes.
The collection Wayfarers Mix is all
about clean lines, simple cuts and a
soft, slightly oversized silhouette lend
easy structure to the looks. A juxtapo-
sition of stripes and oral mixes adds
newness and a fresh, contemporary
attitude, while loose, easy silhouettes
create an effortless yet elegant look.
Key colors from this collection are
paradise pink, evergreen and egret
while Key Pieces are embroidered
sweat dress, long shirt and printed shirt
dress.
The collection Fearless Romance
consists of dresses which accentuate the
female form, while contrasting textures
on ladylike ensembles lend an eccentric
ambience to this look. Both pretty and
daring this collection is laced with
bursting blooms with fresh aesthetics
of colors and lavish embroideries. Key
colors include bubblegum pink, pale
blue, cream and egret while the Key
Pieces are patterned blouse, rufe maxi
dress and applique pencil skirt.
The mens collection consists of
Havana Spice, Tokyo Calling and
Modern Nautical.
Havana Spice is a casual daywear
look is inspired by the faded grandeur
of old Havana and a relaxed Cuban
lifestyle with a strong tropical inspira-
tion for prints and easy utility. Endless
Summer afternoons, perhaps playing
chess in street-side cafs offer direc-
tion for light and casual 50s tailoring.
Fabrics are textured and washed for
comfortable and easy-to-wear outts.
Key pieces include eld jacket, knit
resort shirt and tropical printed Polos
while key colors are olive, white, berry
and washed navy blue for a strong
rustic essence.
The Perennial trend freshens up with
neat designs to update your maritime
style with a modern twist incorporat-
ing monochrome contrasts and simple
accent colors with the Modern Nautical
collection. The styling has a casual
sports hybrid feel with stark graphics.
Stripes are blocked and laid on more
into fresh white bases for maximum
sporty effect. Jackets and outerwear are
with more technical details. Key pieces
include graphic short sleeve sweatshirts,
SS 17 collection
Bain & Company. The multi-stake-
holder group also comprises of big
names in government, business and
academics including Harin Fernando,
Minister of Telecommunications and
Look inspired by 70s smart boho trend
Al-Ghunaim, Al-Sumait resign from executive roles
Global names Al-Darmaki new chairman
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Global In-
vestment House (Global), a regional
Asset Management and Investment
Banking rm headquartered in Kuwait
with ofces in major capital markets in
the MENA region, today announced
the resolution of the board meeting
held on Tuesday, Jan 17, to elect a new
chairman following the death of the
late Chairman Hisham Al-Otaibi.
The board named Hareb Al-Darma-
ki as Chairman and Bader Al-Sumait
was nominated, subject to regulatory
approvals, as a board member to ll
the vacant board seat.
Maha Al-Ghunaim and Bader Al-
Sumait have submitted their resigna-
tions to the board from their execu-
tive roles as Group Chief Executive
Ofcer and Chief Executive Ofcer
respectively. These resignations were
in accordance with their retirement
plans and came after Global reported
three consecutive protable years and
distributed dividends. The board has
nominated Abdul wahab Al-Halabi,
board member, to act as Chief Execu-
tive Ofcer after obtaining regulatory
approvals.
Commenting on the announce-
ment, Chairman Hareb Al-Darmaki
said, We appreciate the commit-
ment of Al-Ghunaim and Al-Sumait
to Global since the establishment of
the company and mainly during the
past few years where they have suc-
cessfully placed the company on the
right track, reported protability in a
challenging environment, strength-
ened the management team and repo-
sitioned Global as a major player in
the region.
He concluded, We believe their
experience and continued involvement
on the board level is an added value for
all stakeholders.
Maha Al-Ghunaim, commented, I
would like to take this opportunity to
thank our shareholders and the board
blocked striper and graphic tees, sporty
baseball jacket, white trucker and white
pants while key colors are the quintes-
sential white, navy blue and red.
Tokyo Calling, this minimal, sports-
luxe story is inspired by the spare
aesthetic of Japanese Zen. Hi-tech and
clean-nish fabrics bring a contempo-
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Digital Infrastructure, Sri Lanka,
Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Direc-
tor, Lulu Financial Group, Ms Gita
Gopinath, Professor of Economics,
Harvard University, Nikhil Meswani,
Photos from the event
38th weekly salary draw
ABK announces winners
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 20: Al Ahli Bank
of Kuwait (ABK) held its 38th Double
Your Salary weekly draw on Jan 16 at
the Banks Head Ofce in the presence
of a representative from the Ministry of
Commerce, announcing the names of
the winners for this week. The promo-
tion includes weekly draws, with two
winners per draw. The campaign will
run until June 27, 2017.
The winners this week were: 1.
Raweyah Ali Eissa Salman Al Attar,
Al Shaab Branch; 2. Nermeen Adbul-
rahman M .Abu Zaid, Salmiya Branch.
New customers who transfer their
salary to ABK receive KD 100 and
will automatically be entered into the
weekly draws to double their salaries.
Existing customers who are already
transferring their salary to ABK are en-
tered into a separate draw.
The next Double Your Salary draw
for their support and Global manage-
ment and employees for their com-
mitment and hard work. Im condent
that Globals strong team, is well posi-
tioned to build on its success and grow
the company.
She added, I would like to thank all
the regulators and our valued clients
for their vote of condence and assure
them that Global will remain com-
mitted to create value and offer them
investment products and services suit-
able for their needs.
Bader Al-Sumait said, We are
proud that we leave Global after imple-
menting the succession plan leaving
behind a strong team thus ensuring a
smooth transition and continued com-
rary element to this casual and easy-
wear look. Abstract nature landscape
prints and a clean color palette offer
a casual yet sophisticated feel which
can be taken from the Campus to the
lounge in evening. Key pieces include
technical fabric hoodie, neoprene coat,
ottoman crew neck sweats, lounge
26
Executive Director, Reliance Indus-
tries and Ms Shamina Singh, Presi-
dent, Mastercard Center for Inclusive
Growth, among others.
The World Economic Forum has
been at the helm of creating a better
tomorrow, through its engagement
with local and global leaders across
continents. I believe that the new
South Asia Regional Strategy Group
will be able to create changes on
ground in key areas across the region
and will allow greater private and
public co-operation that enhances
community development, said Adeeb
Ahamed.
The RSG is expected to identify
critical issues, challenges and op-
portunities in South Asia and debate
on how to address them. They would
also be engaged in ongoing initiatives,
provide guidance and advice to de-
velop regional projects while helping
mobilize action. The projects will be
constantly monitored by the group and
ensure value delivery and impact in
the region.
will be held on Jan 23 where two new
lucky winners will be announced. All
winners will be contacted personally
and a weekly announcement will be
made through the media with the win-
ners names.
For more information about Al Ahli
Bank of Kuwait please visit eahli.com
or contact a customer service agent via
Ahlan Ahli at 1899899.
mitment to current operations and all
product lines and services of the group.
I would like to second Al-Ghunaims
appreciation to all stakeholders and
mainly Global family.
Abdul Wahab Al-Halabi comment-
ed, I would like to thank the board for
their condence and support in my pro-
spective appointment. Global is a lead-
ing player in the regional asset man-
agement industry and I look forward to
working with the team on driving that
growth forward. I would like to thank
Al-Ghunaim and Al-Sumait for their
signicant efforts in building a thriving
business and for their continued sup-
port as board members and the smooth
transition.
hoodie and joggers sets. Key colors are
textured tones of greys, ivory, taupe
and petrol blue.
Head over to ICONIC and shop the
latest spring summer collection avail-
able at The Avenues, The Mall, Level
1, Salam Mall in Salmiya and Sama
Mall.

h o
By Jacqueline Bigar
Happy birthday for Friday, Jan. 20, 2017:
cut the workday short or schedule a long lunch
with your peers. Others seem to be up for more
gregarious interactions. Tonight: With your
This year you feel an innate tension between
who you are and your professional obligations.
favorite people.
Sometimes this subconscious struggle adds a
level of fatigue to your days. If you are single, Aquarius - (Jan
you could meet someone of significance some-
time after summer. Enjoy getting to know this **** Take charge of an important project.
Your associates might decide to leave you
person! If you are attached, so much goes on
between you and your sweetie that people
never seem to know whether you are coming or
alone to tend the shop. Youll discover that a
lot could fall on your shoulders because you are
going. Come fall, you will become more visible
as a couple. SCORPIO pushes you into the
present and accounted for. Tonight: A must
appearance, but then go off and follow your
limelight.
The Stars Show the Kind of Day Youll
whims.
Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average;
2-So-so; 1-Difficult
Pisces - (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
***** Reach out to a loved one you care a
Capricorn - (Dec 22 - Jan 19) lot about. If you have been considering getting
together in the near future, set up a visit. Your
***** Activity surrounds friends and a pos- intuition might not always have a clear expla-
sible goal. You might be in weekend mode nation, but thats OK. You dont need to
already. As a result, you probably will want to explain yourself. Tonight: Try something new.
home decor
make affordable shelving
Create a makeshift library with three stacked stools
in a sophisticated palette of gray and white. Paint
the tops of two stools in a warm white and one in
a warm gray.
When dry, paint the bottoms of the two stools in
gray and the other in white. Use sticker letters to
spell out library-related words in Latin, Italian, and
French and adhere them to copper plant tags.
Glue the plant tags to the fronts of the dry stools
and stack the stools as seen in the photo.
Dear Abby
Couples long marriage
based upon 3 principles
By Abigail Van Buren
Dear Abby: Many of your published letters come
from unhappy married women. Some of them seem
unable to get objective advice that would make
themselves and their marriages happier. Im fortu-
nate to be happily married (33 years) to a wonderful
woman who has a clear perspective.
Three pearls of wisdom she could share:
1. Dont sulk because your husband cant read
your mind. Trust him; hed like to help. And listen
to your tone as you point out how he can.
2. The way you talk about him
to your friends is an expression
of your delity. Talk about him
honestly, but with respect. If you
do, hell admire and encourage
your close friendships and take a
sincere interest in your friends as
people. If your MO is to grouse
and complain about him, in his
mind and heart he will feel youre
abandoning him.
Abigail Van Buren 3. Be clear that while your hus-
band might say hed like to treat
you like a queen, youre both better off being equals
partners, side-by-side. In our marriage, there is
no better half. There are two halves.
Its amazing how much joy we have experienced
during our years together, based on this simple foun-
dation. My esteem for my wife only grows each year
something that seems impossible, but then again,
fantastic things usually do.
Peter, a grateful husband
Dear Peter: Thank you for sharing those
words of wisdom because they apply to hus-
bands as well as wives. Theres a saying: The
higher the pedestal, the longer the fall. Part-
ners who treat each other as equals and with
respect and the key word is respect
usually have long-lasting and happy unions.
Those who complain behind a spouses back,
who denigrate rather than elevate, do not
make themselves look better or their mar-
riages healthier. Im glad you wrote.
Dear Abby: How do you deal with adult chil-
dren who ignore issues about their health? My
30-something son had a root canal a few days ago.
His face is swollen, he has lost sleep and is in pain.
His wife has tried everything to get him to get it
checked out, and she just called me in desperation.
Why does he do this? It isnt the rst time she
and others have begged him to take care of himself.
Shes pregnant and they have two other small kids.
He has insurance, so its not about money. Its just
so stressful for those of us who love him. He works
for himself and is a high-energy guy and a great dad.
Questioning my sons sanity
Dear questioning: Some men feel that
acknowledging pain is showing weakness.
They think that if they just gut it out a while
longer, things will get better. And while many
of them do, many also dont.
Pick up the phone and tell your daughter-
in-law to call the dentist who did the root
canal and ask whether what her husband
is experiencing is normal. And if the answer
is that its not, she should tell her husband
that the surgeon wants him to come in for a
recheck to be sure his wounds havent be-
come infected.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also
known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by
her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby
at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los
Angeles, CA 90069.
(Source: Universal Uclick)
r o
Aries - (Mar 21 - Apr 19)
*** Deal with others directly for the best
results. Others prefer the personal contact, even
20 - Feb 18) at work. A friend appreciates that you dont just
buy someone elses version of a story without
first asking him or her what happened. Your
loyalty is evident. Tonight: Have a meaningful
talk.
Taurus - (Apr 20 - May 20)
**** Others seek you out. You enjoy this
position, where you can say yes or no,
even in professional circles. Be clear about
your limits, though you still might want to
detach. You could realize the path to reaching
an important goal. Tonight: Join a fun yet flaky
friend for dinner.
Gemini - (May 21 - June 20)
indoor gardening
lipstick plan
This African violet relative is great for hanging bas-
kets because it produces arching stems with showy
owers that dangle from branch tips. The tubular
paired owers have dark purple cups encircling scar-
let owers. The plant blooms heaviest in fall, but can
ower sporadically year round. If you take it outdoors
in summer, the red owers may attract humming-
birds. Its an easy-to-grow plant with ashy red ow-
ers that really do look like tubes of lipstick.
Name: Aeschynanthus radicans.
Growing conditions: Medium light; 60-80F;
keep soil evenly moist.
Size: To 20 inches tall and 36 inches wide.
whats on today
Site for checking travel ban www.kuwaitcourts.gov.kw/mojweb/NGeneral/Main.jsp
SATURDAY
FBC tournament: Filipino Badmin-
ton Committee (FBC) is inviting all bad-
minton enthusiast in Kuwait to join their
regular badminton tournament being
held every Friday from 8 am to 7 pm
at Kuwait Disabled Sports Club, Bin
Khaldoun Hawalli. Over 10 badminton
courts are now available for badminton
practices and tournament and it is open
for all nationalities and from different
badminton organizations. Exclusive-pri-
vate court are also available on per hour
rental. For more information, please
contact Dr Chie Umandap 97197268
Arnis/Eskrima training: Eskrima-
dor-Kuwait a member of Cacoy Doce
Pares World Federation now opens a
new batch of training. Learn the Phil-
ippine national sports, which is Arnis/
Eskrima with the authentic style and
techniques. Training schedule will be
every Friday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
@ Kaifan Sports Complex-Karate Gym.
Text or call #50292148-Herms.
St Pauls Church activities: English
Worship Services on Fridays at 10.30 am
and on Sundays at 6.30 pm at St Pauls
Church in Ahmadi. The Friday English
Service has got separate sessions for
Children and Youth. Chinese Worship
Services on Fridays at 10.30 am at
House No 16, Street 9, Block 11, Salwa.
Urdu Worship services on Thursdays at
5.35 pm at St. Pauls Church, Ahmadi
and on Fridays at 5.45 pm at Diwaniya of
NECK Campus, Kuwait City. Please con-
tact Fr Harrison Chinnakumar for English
12-1.30 pm. Bknelled, Euphuize, Waqf,
and Urdu Congregations and his phone
numbers are 66396539 or 239859292
and email address: chaplain@stpaulsku-
wait.com. For Chinese congregation,
please contact Zhu Peijin and her number
is 99551783 and email address is: gree-
nolivettc@hotmail.com
Free IFRA coaching classes: Indian
Football Referees Association (IFRA)
will be starting free refresher/coach-
ing classes for existing referees, new
recruits, those aspiring to be referees
and even those who would like to learn
about the laws of the game at IEAS
Salmiya (Don Bosco).
Classes will be from 9:00 am to 12:00
pm every Friday.
Those interested may call 99519439
or get in touch with any IFRA member
for registration.
Scrabble sessions are back: Scrab-
ble sessions are back for all to come,
learn and play with us at Better Books,
Salmiyah, Bldg 19, next to Badur Travel,
opposite the Ministry of Private Education,
click
General
Continued from Page 25
a Ugandan living and working in Kuwait?
Would you like to get in touch with other
Ugandans in Kuwait both socially and
professionally? Then please get in touch
with us. We would like to invite you to
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
27
s c o p e
*** Pace yourself, and know how much you
need to accomplish. You might want to
the right way to proceed. Tonight: Make it an
early night. Scorpio - (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
reschedule an important meeting, especially if
it has financial implications. A boss or higher-
up is likely to be impressed by your approach,
Virgo - (Aug 23 - Sept 22): ***** Encourage others to be more open.
Your feedback might not be needed, as others
thinking and style. Tonight: Off to join friends. **** You can be annoying when you are on
a quest to get information. Try a more subtle,
seem willing to say what really is on their mind.
Even if you make a judgment, try not to let any-
Cancer - (June 21 - July 22) less controversial route. When the topic opens
one know. As a result, youll get more informa-
tion. Tonight: Zero in on what you want.
up, ask a casual question or two. Ultimately,
***** If you feel somewhat exhausted by
recent arguing, just let the feeling go. Approach
you will avoid putting someone on the defen-
sive, and you will get the real facts. Tonight:
Sagittarius - (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
others with an open mind; the results will be
better. Dont lose your sense of direction, Hang with pals. **** You are all smiles, and are ready to
move forward. Sometimes you dont realize
which could be hard with all the ideas running
through your head. Tonight: Out for TGIF! Libra - (Sept 23 - Oct 22) how significant your presence can be. You
dont have to say much; in fact, saying little
Leo - (July 23 - Aug 22) *** Be sensitive to the costs of proceeding
could be more effective in allowing others to
share more of themselves. Tonight: Opt for
in a certain direction. Remember, there are
more privacy.
*** You could be going over several issues
in your head. You might want to seek out oth-
always factors that you cant predict. Achieving
a goal might be dependent on you brainstorm-
ers who have been in similar situations. Dont ing with trusted, different-minded individuals. Born today: Comedian Bill Maher (1956),
be surprised if you learn something new Dont shy away from an odd idea. Tonight: film director David Lynch (1946), astronaut
because of these conversations. You will know Treat a friend. Buzz Aldrin (1930)
beauty tips taste buds
gelatin for beauty oreo balls
Why the obsession with gelatin? Ingredients: 1 (16 ounce) packages Oreo cookies,
Gelatin is made up of collagen. When you con- crushed, 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, soft-
sume gelatin, this stimulates the body to create ened, 1 (24 ounce) packages white chocolate bark,
more. This is key, since our bodies produce less of 1 (24 ounce) packages chocolate bark
it as we age (hence all those wrinkles). Consuming Directions: Mix Oreos and cream cheese to-
versus lathering can signicantly improve the look gether. Roll into walnut size balls. Chill for an hour.
and feel of your skin by providing more elasticity. Melt approximately 3/4 package of white almond
The dynamic duo of collagen and keratin in gela- bark. Stick a toothpick in an Oreo ball and dip it in
tin can improve hair quality, growth, and texture, the melted white almond bark. Allow to harden on
making it shiny and strong. These proteins have wax paper. Melt about 1/4 package of chocolate al-
also been shown to improve nail strength and rate mond bark. When Oreo balls are no longer sticky to
of growth. the touch, decorate with drizzles of chocolate and
white almond bark.
emergency number 112
Civil ID info: 1889988
Al-Siddeeq St (at the back of Ambassador
Supermarket and SM Supermarket, near
Salhiya Police Station & Kuwait Airways
Bldg) in Kuwait City. There will be a com-
munity started and lunch after Friday
prayers at KPC Center in Farwaniya. For
further information, please call KPC
Center, Tel 4712574.
SATURDAY
Fathers Love Intl Ministries: Have
you had a challenging week? Want to
hear something different for a change?
Something positive and energizing? At
FLIM, you will find all this and much more
... Love, laugher, life and liberty. You will
find a community of God-loving believers,
who come every Friday, Saturday,
Monday and Wednesday to praise and
worship together. There always a word of
blessing and edification for everyone who
comes to the Fathers House. So, dont
be left out! Come join the family! You will
be restored, received, renewed and
greatly rewarded!
Fathers Love Encounter Service on
Friday at 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
African service on Saturday at 7:00
pm to 9:00 pm
Empowerment Services on Monday
at 6:30 pm 8:30 pm
Tamil Service on Wednesday at 7:00
pm to 9:00 pm
Please call 66020972, 99874730,
Photos from the event. 51003531.
on Friday afternoons from 2:30-5:30 pm. to large number of helpless individu- Experience Science for Adults:
Inviting all kids aged 8 and above to join als aficted by disease, poverty and Registration is now open for Experience
me and play competitively with me Rohai- calamities in diverse ways. Its noble Science for Adults.
na. Classes are held every Saturday from and timely help to all individuals helped Why should kids have all the fun?!
them to recover safely and live more ful- The ve week programme will be held
Zooeae are some of the lovely words and lled lives. on Saturday from 10:00 am-11:30 am at
there are 200,000 more you can learn Contact volunteers for more informa- the Yarmouk Cultural Centre.
with us. But the fun part is playing this tion: 97861967, 50533630, 97213475, Registration is limited to 16. You may
wonderful game competitively. So come 66961480, 66461397. register at either the Amricani Cultural
and see us and call me @66634224, Ro- Centre, Sunday to Thursday 10:00-3:00
haina Tanweer. or the Yarmouk Cultural Centre, Sun-
Redeemed Christian Church: The day to Thursday 10:00-6:00.
Redeemed Christian Church of God For more information, please
Santhwanam Anniversary & AGM: (HOD Parish) worship in English. email:education@darmuseum.org.kw
Indian voluntary organization Santhwa- Celebration Service: Friday 9 am
nam Kuwait 16th Anniversary-cum-An- 11 am; Divine encounter: Sunday, 6:30
nual General Body Meeting today at Ab- pm 8:30 pm; Digging Deep (Bible Football coaching workshops: In-
basiya United Indian School Auditorium studies): Tuesday, 6:30 pm 8:30 pm; terested in Coaching/professional de-
at 5:00 pm. Night vigil every last Friday of the month velopment?
Since its inception in 2001 the organi- from 10 pm. This weekend Everton Academy,
zation has surged forward to a state Venue: New Mishref. For more infor- Bayan will be welcoming three top
wide presence with medical relief to mation and direction please call 9927- coaches from Glasgow Celtic F.C., the
more than 8500 poor patients and un- 6603, 6557-7482. Email: rccghouseof- Scottish Premier League Champions,
derprivileged families in India. It has davidq8@gmail.com including their International Academy
helped many Indian expat patients in Manager, Tony Massie.
Kuwait for repatriation and further sup- They will be delivering a certied
port for medical treatment. Tagalog Khutba for Filipinos: The Celtic Coach Education program on
Its voluntary services are supported Ministry of Awqaf, Islam Presentation Saturday, 6-8pm, Sunday, 6-8pm and
by more than 2,700 expat Indians in Ku- Committee, & Kuwait Philippine Cultural Monday, 8- 9.30pm. Certicates will
wait and 50 active volunteers working to Center (KPC Center) invites all Filipino only be awarded to coaches attending
reach out the needy. Muslim & Muslima to hear Khutba all 3 sessions.
Over the years, Santhwanam has (Sermon) in Tagalog every Friday at Places are limited - register at Bayan
risen as a source of valuable support Marzouq Al-Badr Mosque, Abu Bakr ofce any evening 5-8pm.
register with the Ugandans in Kuwait year. If you have any questions regarding Indian Embassy SPDC notice: At-
(UIK) association, an informal organiza- this association or if you are interested in
tion of Ugandans living and working in registering, then please send us an email at
tention of all Indian associations/Indian
schools in Kuwait is once again drawn
Kuwait. The purpose of this exercise is to ugandansinkuwait@gmail.com. We hope to Scholarship Programme for Diaspora
get together as Ugandans and to consider to hear from you soon. Children (SPDC) which was introduced
taking the rst steps to establishing a more
by Government of India in the academic
formal organisation. This association is year 2006-2007 with the objective to make
voluntary. It is designed to create a forum
Free drum music classes: Free profes- higher education in India accessible to the
for Ugandans in Kuwait to foster a sense sional drum music classes are available at children of overseas Indians and promote
of community, to communicate more ef-
Salmiya for all age groups from beginners India as a centre for higher studies.
fectively with each other and to encourage Under the scheme, 100 PIO/NRI stu-
to advanced by a well experienced drum
Ugandans out here to work together. We dents were awarded scholarship of up
are also planning a celebration to mark teacher. For more details: 94974295.
50 years of Ugandans Independence this Continued on Page 28
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

28

Couch slouch
click
Will & Grace returns to TV
General

Arabic legal drama Justice Continued from Page 27

to US$ 4,000 per annum for undergraduate

set for international exposure courses in Engineering, Technology, Humani-

LOS ANGELES, Jan 19, (Agencies): Ground-
breaking Abu Dhabi-set legal drama Justice,
inspired by L.A. Law and written by Emmy
Award-winning US producer and writer Wil-
liam Finkelstein in collaboration with a local
team, is set for a shot at global exposure.
IM Global Television has taken worldwide
distribution rights to the Arabic TV series
which is the rst legal procedural out of the
Middle East and the biggest TV show out of
the United Arab Emirates.
Justice is nanced by Image Nation Abu
Dhabi, which is run by US exec Michael
Garin. Its produced in tandem with Walter
Parkes, whose LA-based Parkes/MacDonald
Productions has a partnership with Image Na-
tion. Another American, former HBO Europe
drama chief Marc Lorber, served as show-
runner. Dubai-based Beeline Media was the
on-the-ground producer.
The show revolves around a strong female
character named Farah, a Western-educated
lawyer, played by Emirati actress Fatima Al
Taei. Upon returning home to Abu Dhabi,
Farah goes against her familys expectations
that she will join her fathers law rm and
instead strikes out on her own as a defense at-
torney. The storylines are based on real Sharia,
or Quranic law, cases from the Abu Dhabi
Judicial Department, which partnered on the
production for authenticity.
The 20 one-hour episodes are directed by
young Egyptian helmer Ahmed Khaled, who
made a splash with Doors of Fear, consid-
ered the rst TV horror series in the Arab
world. Writer Finkelsteins credits include
L.A. Law.
Justice was not conceived solely as a
so-called Ramadan drama, the popular Arab
TV dramas and soaps aired during Ramadan, a
period when local TV consumption soars. It has
broader ambitions on a similar scale to the Turk-
ish TV shows that have become a global force. It
could become the Arab worlds rst international
TV export and is the rst international skein be-
ing sold by IM Globals TV unit.
As the rst of many international scripted co-
productions for IM Global Television Distribu-
tion, we are honored to work with Image Nation
and Beelink Media in delivering Justice to
the global market, said Eli Shibley, IM Global
Television President of International Distribution
and Co-Productions, in a statement. He went on
to praise the unparalleled production value and
contemporary storytelling of the series, calling
them a true testament to the seamless creative
collaboration between top level local talent and
talented US creatives.
ties, Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management,
Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture,
NBC has given a 10-episode order to a Animal Husbandry and some other courses.
revival of comedy Will & Grace, the broad- The scheme is open to NRIs/PIOs from
over 40 countries (including Kuwait) having
caster announced Tuesday. substantial Indian Diaspora population.
The limited series will reunite Emmy The Scheme was revamped and launched
winners Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, in July 2016. Under the revamped Scheme,
Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally with series number of scholarships has been enhanced from
creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, 100 to 150 with introduction of 50 scholarships
who will serve as showrunners and executive for children of Indian workers employed in the
producers. James Burrows, who directed the Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries.
entire eight-season run of the original series, The Scheme is now applicable to four categories
will serve as director and executive producer of applicants:
on the revival. (i) Persons of Indian Origin
Were thrilled that one of the smartest, (ii) Non-Resident Indians
funniest, and most dening comedies in NBC (iii) Children of Indian workers working in
history is coming back, said NBC Entertain- ECR countries (including Kuwait).
ment chairman Robert Greenblatt. This (iv) Children of Indian workers in ECR coun-
groundbreaking series for everything from gay tries - studying in India
rights to social and political commentary all The institutions that are covered under this
Scheme are:
disguised as a high-speed train of witty pop (i) NITs, IIITs, Schools of Planning and
culture is coming back where it belongs. Architecture
(ii) A Grade institutions accredited by
National Assessment and Accreditation Council
American Crime Story is reuniting with
(NAAC) and recognised by University Grants
author Jeffrey Toobin for a future season, Commission (UGC).
Variety has conrmed. (iii) Other institutions covered under Direct
ACS producers Fox 21 TV and FX Pro- Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) scheme.
ductions have together optioned Toobins book Income criteria will be applicable to all four
A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal categories. Applicants will seek scholarships
That Nearly Brought Down a President for after they obtain admission in the approved list
use for an upcoming installment. The book of educational institutions.
pulls apart the threads of the Clinton sex A yer of the event Applications are required to be submitted
scandal that devoured the late 1990s, framing online at SPDC portal - http://spdcindia.gov.
it as a legal thriller surrounding Paula Jones, in/login/index.php. Last date for submission
of applications was extended till Oct 14, 2016.
Kenneth Starr, and Monica Lewinsky.
The rst season of ACS, The People v. Nodal ofcer for SPDC is P. Bharadwaj, Deputy
Secretary (OIA-II), Ministry of External Affairs,
O.J. Simpson, was based on Toobins The
Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson. New Delhi, Tel: 00-91-11-24197952, Email:
dsoia2@mea.gov.in
That rst season garnered a massive pile of
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following events Tajweed and Recitation:
Learn and practice the art of reciting the Holy
Before the nal episode of Girl Meets Quran (tajweed). The instructor will also answer
World airs on Friday, stars Rowan questions related to the meaning of the Arabic
Blanchard (Riley Matthews), Ben Savage words and verses.
(Cory Matthews) and Sabrina Carpenter Every Sunday & Tuesday @ 10 11:30am;
(Maya Hart) and creator Michael Jacobs have every Monday @ 5-6:30pm.
a special message for followers of the Boy The TIES Center is the social and educational
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In this exclusive featurette, which you more information, please call 25231015 or e-mail
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video. A yer of the event (attention Enlightenment into Islam)

tv highlights
Cinema
Cinema programme from Thursday 19/01/2017 to Wednesday 25/01/2017

Al Atr (Kuwaiti Film) 360 14 13:00 (Sat) Patriots Day Ajial 3 21:30 (No Thu, Fri, Sat) Grand Hamra 7 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 Journey to Space 3D 12:30 pm
15:00 (Thu, Fri, Sat) Grand Gate 5 14:30, 16:30, 18:15, Humpback Whales 3D 05:30 pm
Sharqia 1 12:30 (No Fri) Sharqia 3 19:15 The Great Wall
17:00 (No Mon) 20:15, 22:00 Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 08:30 pm
14:30, 16:30, 18:30, Fanar 1 21:45
19:00, 21:00, 23:00, Fanar 3 16:00, 00:45
20:30, 22:30, 00:30 Marina 1 21:15 A Monster Calls Monday
01:00 Marina 1 11:45 (No Fri)
Muhalab 2 12:00, 16:00 (No Fri) Avenues 1 18:00
360 15 12:00 (No Fri) 19:00 Avenues 1 15:45, 20:45 Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am
14:00, 18:00, 20:00, Avenues 3 13:00, 16:00 (No Fri)
14:00, 18:45, 20:45, Avenues 1 13:30 (No Fri) 360 11 12:45 (No Fri) A Beautiful Planet 3D 10:30 am
22:00, 00:05 21:45, 00:30
Fanar 2 12:45 (No Fri) 22:45, 00:45 23:00 15:00, 17:15, 19:45, 05:30 pm, 07:30 pm
360 8 12:45 (No Fri) Avenues 3 13:30 (Fri) 22:00, 00:15
14:45, 16:45, 18:45, Al-Kout 1 12:45 (No Fri) Humpback Whales 3D 11:30 am
15:30, 18:15, 21:00, Avenues 7 00:45 Grand Hamra 8 14:15, 16:30, 19:30,
20:45, 22:45, 00:45 14:45, 16:45, 18:45, 09:30 pm
23:45 360 7 12:15 (No Fri) 22:00
Marina 2 12:00 (No Fri) 20:45, 22:45, 00:45 Flying Monsters 3D 12:30 pm, 06:30 pm
Al-Kout 2 20:45 14:30, 16:45, 21:30, Grand Gate 4 14:15, 16:45, 19:00,
14:00, 18:00, 20:00, Al-Kout 4 13:15 (No Fri)
Grand Hamra 1 14:00, 16:45, 19:30, 00:05 21:15 Journey to Space 3D 08:30 pm
22:00, 00:05 21:45
22:00 Al-Kout 2 12:15 (No Fri) 23:30 (Thu, Fri)
Avenues 4 12:45 (No Fri) Bairaq 1 13:00 (No Fri)
00:45 (Thu, Fri) Tuesday
14:45, 22:15, 00:15 15:00, 17:00, 19:00, 23:30
21:00, 23:00, 01:00
Grand Gate 7 14:30, 17:15, 20:00, Grand Hamra 3 14:45, 17:00, 19:15, Assassins Creed Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am
16:45 (No Thu, Fri, Sat) 22:30 Journey to Space 3D 10:30 am
Avenues 6 13:00 (No Fri) Bairaq 2 22:15, 00:15 21:30 Avenues 7 22:15
Plaza 22:00 (Thu, Fri, Sat, Mon) 00:00 (Thu, Fri) 360 4 22:00, 00:30 Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am
15:00, 17:00, 19:00, The Bye Bye Man 09:30 pm
21:00, 23:00, 01:00 Laila 18:30 (No Thu) Grand Gate 2 14:15, 16:30, 18:45,
22:30
Sharqia 3 22:00, 00:15 21:00, 23:00 Sing A Beautiful Planet 3D 12:30 pm, 05:30 pm,
Avenues 10 11:30 (No Fri) Fanar 1 11:30 (No Fri)
360 1 12:00, 20:00 (No Fri) Grand Hamra 5 14:30, 17:00, 19:15, 360 3 16:15 08:30 pm
22:30
19:30, 00:30 Moana Grand Hamra 2 14:30, 16:45 Humpback Whales 3D 06:30 pm
14:00, 16:00, 18:00, Avenues 7 12:15 (No Fri)
22:00, 00:05 Grand Hamra 6 14:15, 17:15, 20:00, Marina 1 16:45 Grand Gate 8 14:00, 16:15, 18:30 Secret Ocean 3D 07:30 pm
14:30, 20:00 Avenues 10 13:45, 16:00, 18:30
360 5 20:45, 22:45, 00:45 22:15
360 9 11:45 (No Fri) 00:30 (Thu, Fri)
Avenues 8 21:30, 23:45 Avenues 11 14:30 Laf Wa Dawaran (Arabic Film) Wednesday
360 3 11:45 (No Fri) 360 4 12:30 (No Fri) 360 6 17:45 Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am
13:45, 15:45, 21:15, Grand Hamra 9 15:00, 17:30, 20:15,
18:30, 20:45, 23:00, 14:45, 17:15, 19:45
23:15, 01:15 22:30 Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am
Al-Kout 3 12:30 (No Fri) 01:00 (Thu, Fri)
01:15 360 15 16:15 Hacksaw Ridge 05:30 pm
14:30, 16:30, 18:30, Al-Kout 4 17:15, 19:30, 23:45 Al-Kout 2 16:30 Grand Hamra 2 19:00, 21:45
Grand Gate 1 14:00, 16:00, 18:15, A Beautiful Planet 3D 11:30 am
20:30, 22:30, 00:30 20:30, 22:45 Bairaq 2 15:45, 20:00 00:15 (Thu, Fri)
Passengers Grand Gate 3 14:00, 16:15, 18:30,
06:30 pm, 09:30 pm
Bairaq 3 12:30 (No Fri) 01:00 (Thu, Fri) Grand Gate 6 14:15, 17:00, 19:30, Humpback Whales 3D 12:30 pm
14:30, 16:30, 21:45, Grand Hamra 7 20:15, 22:30 20:45 22:15
Grand Gate GC 15:00, 17:30, 20:00, Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 07:30 pm
23:45 22:30 00:45 (Thu, Fri)
Khaidi No. 150 (Telugu Film) Surfs Up 2: Wavemania Journey to Space 3D 08:30 pm
Laila 16:00 01:00 (Thu, Fri)
20:30 (No Thu) Muhalab 1 16:00 (Fri) Avenues 1 11:30 (No Fri) Taht Al Tarabeza (Arabic Film) Thursday
Ballerina 19:00 13:30 (Fri) 360 6 20:00
xXx: Return Of Xander Cage Avenues 3 16:00 (Fri) Avenues 8 15:30 Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am
Sharqia 3 12:00 (No Fri)
Sharqia 2 13:00 (No Fri) 17:15
18:45 360 3 14:00 Warriors Gate A Beautiful Planet 3D 10:30 am
15:00, 17:00, 19:00, Plaza 16:00 (Thu, Fri, Sat, Mon) 360 6 15:45 360 6 22:15, 00:30 07:30 pm
Muhalab 1 15:00, 17:00 (No Fri) Flying Monsters 3D 11:30 am
21:00, 23:00, 01:00 19:00 Al-Kout 4 15:15
14:00 (Fri)
Muhalab 1 01:00 Muhalab 2 16:00 (Fri)
Ajail 1 16:15, 19:00, 22:00 Bairaq 2 14:00 La La Land 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm
Muhalab 3 12:15 (No Fri) 360 7 19:00 Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 12:30 pm
Fanar 1 13:30, 15:30, 17:30
14:15, 16:15, 18:15, Marina 1 14:30 How to find us Grand Hamra 4 14:45, 17:15, 19:45, Journey to Space 3D 05:30 pm
20:15, 22:15, 00:15 Marina 2 16:00 22:15 Humpback Whales 3D 08:30 pm
Fanar 4 12:15 (No Fri) Avenues 4 16:45 (Thu, Fri, Sat) 1. 360 Zahraa Area, South Surra, 6th Ring Road, corner of
14:15, 16:15, 18:15, King Faisal Highway OK Jaanu (Hindi Film) Friday
Avenues 8 11:30 (No Fri)
20:15, 22:15, 00:15 13:30, 17:30, 19:30 2. Ajial Ajial Complex, Fahaheel Ajial 2 15:45 A Beautiful Planet 3D 02:30 pm, 06:30 pm,
Marina 1 00:05 360 5 12:15 (No Fri) 3. Al Bairaq Between Jaber Al Ali East & Al Agalia West 18:30 (No Thu, Fri, Mon) 09:30 pm
Marina 3 12:45 (No Fri) 4. Al Fanar Al Fanar Complex, Salem Al Mubarak Street, near 21:30 (No Thu) Journey to Space 3D 03:30 pm
14:30, 16:45, 18:45
14:45, 16:45, 18:45, Sultan Center, Salmiya Humpback Whales 3D 04:30 pm
Al-Kout 2 14:30, 18:45 Gautamiputra Satakarni
20:45, 22:45, 00:45 5. Al Kout Al-Kout Complex, at the end of the Coastal Road, Secret Ocean 3D 05:30 pm
Bairaq 2 12:00 (No Fri)
Avenues 1 01:15
18:00 Fahaheel (Telugu Film) Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 07:30 pm
Avenues 2 12:15 (No Fri) 6. Al Muhalab Al Muhalab Complex, Behind Hawally Clinic, Hawally Ajial 2 18:45 (Thu, Fri, Mon) Flying Monsters 3D 08:30 pm
14:15, 16:15, 18:15, Dangal (Hindi Film) 7. Al Sharqiya Arabian Gulf Street, Souq Sharq, near the Amiri Hospital 21:30 (Thu)
20:15, 22:15, 00:15 Saturday
Sharqia 3 14:00 8. Laila Gallery Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya
Avenues 5 13:15 (No Fri)
Muhalab 1 11:45 (No Fri) 9. Marina Marina Mall, Between Salem Al Mubarak Street & Shatamanam Bhavati Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am
15:15, 17:15, 19:15, (Telugu Film)
21:15, 23:15, 01:05 21:45 Arabian Gulf Street, Salmiya Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am
Avenues 9 11:45 (No Fri) Fanar 3 12:30 (No Fri) 10. Metro Metro Complex, Farwaniya, near Crowne Plaza Hotel & Ajial 3 15:30, 18:30 05:30 pm, 07:30 pm
13:45, 15:45, 17:45, 18:15, 21:30 Farwaniya Garden A Beautiful Planet 3D 11:30 am
Avenues 4 19:00 11. Plaza Salem Al Mubarak Street, near Sultan Center, Salmiya
Guppy (Malayalam Film)
19:45, 21:45, 23:45 03:30 pm, 08:30 pm
Avenues 11 12:30 (No Fri) Avenues 7 16:45 12. The Avenues The Avenues Mall, Al Reggai near Al Rai, 5th Ring Ajial 3 21:30 (Thu, Fri, Sat) Journey to Space 3D 12:30 pm, 06:30 pm,
16:45, 18:45, 20:45, Avenues 10 21:00, 00:15 Road & Ghazali Road Intersection 09:30 pm
22:45, 00:45 360 2 13:45, 17:00, 20:15, NB: Friday no show before 1:30 pm IMAX Humpback Whales 3D 01:30 pm
360 10 12:15 (No Fri) 23:30 Imax film programme at The Scientific Kenya: Animal Kingdom 3D 02:30 pm
Regular show KD3:000; 3D-Digital KD3.500; VIP show
14:15, 16:15, 18:15, 360 6 12:30 (No Fri) Center
KD6.000. On Monday, price is KD1.500 except Digital movies. Secret Ocean 3D 04:30 pm
20:15, 22:15, 00:15 360 9 18:00
360 12 11:30 (No Fri) Bairaq 3 18:30 Cinescape cinema movies inquiries and Fax Back hotline 1803456 Sunday Notes: All films are in Arabic. For
13:30, 15:30, 17:30, Plaza 15:45, 22:00 (Sun, Tue, Wed) 13. The Scientific Center IMAX Opp Holiday Inn, Salmiya, Gulf Road Showtime Available for Groups 09:30 am English, headsets are available upon
19:30, 21:30, 23:30 Ajial 4 15:30, 18:45, 22:00 Flying Monsters 3D 10:30 am request. Film schedule is subject to chang-
14. Grand Al-Hamra Grand Al-Hamra, tel: 22270333, www.grand cinemas.com 07:30 pm es without notice.
360 13 12:30 (No Fri)
14:30, 16:30, 18:30, Within 15. Grand Gate Grand Gate, tel: 22056464, www.grandcinemas.com A Beautiful Planet 3D 11:30 am For information call 1 848 888 or visit
20:30, 22:30, 00:30 Grand Gate 8 21:00, 23:00 06:30 pm, 09:30 pm www.tsck.org.kw

HEALTH
Flabby heart keeps pumping with squeeze from robotic sleeve
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (Agencies): Scientists
are developing a robotic sleeve that can encase
a abby diseased heart and gently squeeze to
keep it pumping.
So far its been tested only in animals, im-
proving blood ow in pigs. But this soft ro-
botic device mimics the natural movements of
a beating heart, a strategy for next-generation
treatments of deadly heart failure.
The key: A team from Harvard University
and Boston Childrens Hospital wound arti-
cial muscles into the thin silicone sleeve, so that
it alternately compresses, twists and relaxes in
synchrony with the heart tissue underneath.
Its a dramatically different approach than
todays therapies and, if it eventually is proven
in people, it might offer a new alternative to
heart transplants or maybe even aid in recovery.
You can customize the function of the as-
sist device to meet the individual needs of that
heart, said Dr. Frank Pigula, a cardiac surgeon
who, while at Boston Childrens, took the idea
to Harvard colleagues developing soft robotics.
More than 5 million Americans, and 41 mil-
lion people worldwide, suffer heart failure, a
number growing as the population ages. A heart
left damaged by a heart attack, high blood pres-
sure or other conditions becomes progressively
Three-parent baby born in Ukraine using new technique
weaker and unable to pump properly.
Options
For severe cases, the only options are a scarce
heart transplant or battery-powered mechanical
pumps that are implanted into the chest to take
over the job of pumping blood. These VADs,
ventricular assist devices, prolong life, but run-
ning blood through the machinery can leave pa-
tients at risk of blood clots, strokes and bleeding.
That shouldnt be a risk with the robotic
sleeve.
The nice thing about this is it can go on the
outside of the heart, so it doesnt have to con-
tact blood at all, said Harvard associate engi-
neering professor Conor Walsh, senior author
of the research published Wednesday.
Unlike with traditional rigid medical devic-
es, the soft robotics approach allowed design
of a sleeve that could t snugly over a hearts
irregular surfaces. It moves thanks to articial
muscles, a concept developed in the polio era
thats now being used in robotics. Theyre
powered by pressurized air that would have to
be carried in a pump in a backpack or fanny
pack much like the batteries that power todays
VADs.
The researchers programmed the robotic
sleeve to move in the same pattern as the weak-
ened heart muscle it surrounds while strength-
ening and optimizing each heartbeat. The
device can be tailored to compress different
sections of the heart.
And importantly, as the sleeve relaxes, it
helps the damaged heart better expand and re-
ll with blood ready to be pumped out with the
next heartbeat, said Pigula, who is now with the
University of Louisville.
The big test: The sleeve restored normal
blood ow in six pigs that had been put into
heart failure, Walshs team reported in the jour-
nal Science Translational Medicine.
The experiments were short, lasting only a
few hours, and more research to test how long
animals could live safely with the implanted
sleeve is crucial before it ever could be studied
in people, Walsh cautioned. Hed also like to
study if physically moving damaged heart mus-
cle essentially exercising it might spur with little success.
it to heal and require less assistance from the
sleeve over time.
Im quite impressed with where this research
is going, said Dr. Christopher OConnor, chief
executive of the Inova Heart and Vascular In-
stitute in suburban Washington, who wasnt
involved with the sleeves development.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
In this image from video, provided by Har-
vard University, a robotic sleeve designed
to encase a diseased heart and gently
squeeze it to help it better pump blood. (AP)
Researchers have previously tried socks
and other ways to encase or compress the heart
Unlike those prior attempts, the new sleeve is
smart, its robotic, said OConnor, who edits of its own nucleus.
an American College of Cardiology heart fail-
ure journal. They really worked on developing
a device that can mimic the contraction of the
weakened heart muscle and augment it so there
29
is improved heart function without the theoreti-
cal clot risk.
A baby boy has been born in Ukraine to an
infertile couple after the rst ever use of a new
technique using the DNA of three parents, the
head of a Kiev fertility clinic said Wednesday.
The boy was conceived using DNA from his
mother and father but also from an egg donor
in a technique called pronuclear transfer, said
Valeriy Zukin, director of the Nadiya private
fertility clinic in Kiev.
It is the rst delivery (using) pronuclear
transfer all over the world, Zukin told AFP.
The clinic said in a statement that the
34-year-old mother gave birth to a healthy boy
on Jan 5 after trying for a baby for more than
15 years and undergoing several failed rounds
of IVF This became possible after the womans
eggs were fertilised with her partners sperm,
but then their nuclei were transferred to a do-
nors egg which had previously been stripped
As a result of the procedure, the egg was al-
most entirely made up of genetic material from
the couple, plus a very small amount (some
0.15 percent) of the female donors DNA.
 Libya electricity crisis keeps PM away from Davos
Libyas unity government chief
Fayez al-Sarraj called off taking
part in the World Economic Fo-
rum in Davos because of wors-
ening power cuts at home, his
spokesman said Thursday.
Total blackouts have struck the
south and west of the North African
country twice this week because of
production shortages and a spike
in demand due to a cold snap.
The power cuts, which can last
24 hours, also disrupt water sup-
Market Movements
AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries
JAPAN - Nikkei
S. KOREA - KRX 100
PHILIPPINES - All Shares
INDIA - Sensex
Big Oil back on acquisition trail as outlook brightens
LONDON, Jan 19, (RTRS): The
worlds top oil companies are back in
acquisition mode, targeting smaller
exploration and development rms to
boost oil and gas reserves rather than
the mega-mergers that followed previ-
ous slumps in crude prices.
Since late November, major oil com-
panies have announced 11 deals worth
more than $500 million each with a
combined value of $31 billion, the
clearest sign yet that oil executives are
more condent a recovery is underway.
When crude prices collapsed in the
second half of 2014, large oil rms
slashed spending on exploration and
production and ofoaded assets to
reduce debt so they could cope with
lower revenue from oil and gas sales.
But with crude reservoirs declin-
ing at a rate of 10 percent a year in
some cases, major oil companies are
now looking to snap up assets to start
growing again and there are plenty of
smaller rms burdened with debt look-
ing to sell.
Youre seeing the majors sharpening
their pencils after a long while and actu-
ally ipping around from disposals to
acquisitions, said Tony Durrant, chief
executive of British energy rm Pre-
mier Oil, which is looking to sell several
stakes in its North Sea operations.
Total acquisitions of oil and gas
elds, known as upstream assets, tri-
pled to $31 billion in December from
a month earlier, when the Organization
of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
Saudi most active nation
Middle East debt issuance
reached $77.8 bn in 2016
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIR-
ATES, Jan 19: Thomson Reuters,
the worlds leading source of intel-
ligent information for businesses
and professionals, today released
the annual investment banking
analysis for the Middle East re-
gion.
According to estimates from
Thomson Reuters / Freeman Con-
sulting, Middle Eastern invest-
ment banking fees reached $820.8
million dur-
ing 2016,
an 18%
increase
compared to
fees record-
ed during
2015 and
the highest
annual fee
total in the
region since
2008. Najjar
Nadim
Najjar, Managing Director, MENA,
Thomson Reuters, said: Bolstered
by Saudi Arabias $17.2 billion
bond sale in October, Middle East-
ern debt issuance reached $77.8 bil-
lion during 2016, a 145% increase
compared to the value raised during
2015 and by far the highest annual
total in the region since records be-
gan in 1980.
Saudi Arabia was the most ac-
tive nation in the Middle East
accounting for 29% of overall
activity, followed by United Arab
Emirates and Qatar. International
Islamic debt issuance increased
24% year-on-year to reach $37.9
billion during 2016. HSBC took
the top spot in the Middle Eastern
bond ranking during 2016 with
13.3% share of the market, while
CIMB Group took the top spot
for Islamic DCM issuance with a
13.5% share.
The value of announced M&A
Egypt mulls temporary stamp
duty on stock market deals
CAIRO, Jan 19, (RTRS): Egypt is
considering temporarily reintroducing
a stamp duty on stock market transac-
tions after the tax was frozen in 2014,
two nance ministry sources told Reu-
ters on Thursday.
The comments come a day after the
International Monetary Fund released
the details of its $12 billion, three-
year agreement to support a wide-
ranging programme to reform Egypts
ailing economy and restore nancial
stability.
The agreement revealed that Egypt
had committed to imposing either
a capital gains tax or a stamp duty
on stock market transactions by the
2017/18 scal year.
We are studying temporarily re-
imposing a stamp duty on stock mar-
plies and mobile phone and in-
ternet connections, highlighting
the failure of authorities to im-
prove everyday life in Libya amid
the political crises and insecurity
since its 2011 revolution that top-
pled Moamer Kadha.
Sarraj, whose UN-backed
Government of National Accord
(GNA) based in Tripoli is con-
tested by a rival administration
in eastern Libya, decided to stay
away from the Swiss resort of
18-1-2017
Change Closing pts
+11.70 5,745.40 GERMANY - DAX
+177.8 19,072.25 FRANCE - CAC 40
+9.53 4,199.94 EUROPE - Euro Stoxx 50
+40.63 4,362.21 HONG KONG - Hang Seng
+50.96 27,308.60
More than $30 billion of deals signed since late November
agreed to cut output for the rst time
in eight years, according to data from
consultancy Energy Market Square.
Deals in the last month of 2016
alone accounted for nearly a quarter of
total activity during the year.
BP announced a string of invest-
ments in the last two months of 2016,
including a $1 billion partnership with
Dallas-based Kosmos Energy in Mau-
ritania and Senegal in West Africa, as
well as acquisitions in Abu Dhabi and
Azerbaijan.
The British company also spent
$375 million on a 10 percent stake
in Enis giant Zohr gas eld in Egypt
while Russian oil giant Rosneft bought
30 percent stake of the same eld for
$1.575 billion.
Frances Total and Norways Statoil
bought into Brazils lucrative sub-salt
deepwater oil elds while ExxonMo-
bil Corp bought assets in Papua New
Guinea to meet growing Asian demand
for liqueed natural gas.
The trend continued in January with
Total boosting its stake in Ugandas
Lake Albert oil project by snapping up
most of Tullow Oils stake for $900
million.
ExxonMobile and Noble Energy
also struck deals worth nearly $10 bil-
lion combined for a larger slice of the
Permian Basin, the largest U.S. oil
eld.
While deal making outside the Unit-
ed States almost ground to a halt at the
start of 2016, acquisitions in North
transactions with any Middle East-
ern involvement reached $46.9
billion during 2016, 16% less than
the value recorded during 2015
and the lowest annual total in the
region since 2013. Middle Eastern
equity and equity-related issuance
totalled $2.6 billion during 2016, a
55% decline year-on-year and the
lowest annual issuance total in the
region since 2004, he added.
In respect to investment bank-
ing fees, syndicated lending fees
increased 50% year-on-year to
$444.0 million, a nine-year high,
while debt capital markets fees
more than doubled to $134.1 mil-
lion. Fees generated from com-
pleted M&A transactions totalled
$200.9 million during 2016, a 20%
decrease compared to 2015 and the
lowest annual total for M&A fees
in the region since 2012. Equity
capital markets underwriting fees
declined 51% to $41.8 million, a
12-year low.
Syndicated lending fees ac-
counted for 54% of the overall
Middle Eastern investment bank-
ing fee pool, the highest annual
share since 2004. Completed
M&A advisory fees accounted for
24% of fees in the region, while
debt and equity capital markets
underwriting fees accounted for
16% and 5%, respectively.
HSBC earned the most invest-
ment banking fees in the Middle
East during 2016, a total of $43.4
million for a 5.3% share of the
total fee pool. Rothschild topped
the completed M&A fee rankings
with 16.0% of advisory fees, while
HSBC was rst for DCM under-
writing. ECM underwriting was
lead by Sambacapital with $13.0
million in ECM fees, or 31%
share. Sumitomo Mitsui Finan-
cial Group took the top spot in the
Middle Eastern syndicated loans
fee ranking.
ket transactions pending the return to
a capital gains tax, which has been
postponed since May 2015, one of the
sources said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
The source did not say when the
levy might be reinstated.
Amr al-Munayer, a senior nance
ministry ofcial, told Reuters no law
to reinstate the duty was in the works
at this time. Sherif Samy, the head of
Egypts nancial regulator, told Reu-
ters he had yet to be consulted on such
legislation.
Egypt imposed a stamp duty on buy-
ers and sellers in May 2013, collect-
ing more than 350 million Egyptian
pounds ($18.77 million) in revenue
before the levy was replaced in July
2014 by a 10 percent capital gains tax.
Davos this week to focus on the
electricity crisis, his spokesman
Ashraf al-Thulthi said.
Tripoli itself has been left without
running water for the past week
because of power supply shortag-
es which have disabled pumping
stations in southern Libya.
An armed group has shut
down a gas pipeline in the west
that feeds a major power plant
serving the capital, deepening
the crisis. (RTRS)
Business
Change Closing pts
-2.50 11,596.89
-12.26 4,841.14
-3.67 3,290.33
-48.30 23,049.96
OPEC oil output to come down in January: IEA
PARIS, Jan 19, (AFP): Steeper cuts
in OPEC oil production are likely
this month as producers increas-
ingly implement a recent landmark
deal aimed at stabilising oil prices,
the IEA said Thursday.
Initial indications are that a
steeper (month-on-month) decline
may be on the way in January,
said the International Energy Agen-
cy, which analyses energy markets
for major oil consuming nations.
Under a landmark deal on No-
vember 30, aimed at reducing a
global supply glut that depressed
oil prices, the Organization of Pe-
troleum Exporting Countries is
meant to slash its output ceiling by
1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to
American shale basins have continued
at a steady pace.
In the Permian Basin, for example, the
time it takes to produce oil and gas after
an initial investment is far quicker and
cheaper than developing conventional
elds over three to ve years.
More deals are likely this year as
the large overhang of crude oil in the
world that has weighed on the market
since 2014 continues to clear and oil
prices rise.
When you can cut capex (capital
Minister sees a softer
Saudi Arabia in reforms
Saudis Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih speaks on the third day of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland on Jan 19. (AP)
Advisory council to debate proposed levy on remittances
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19, (Agen-
cies): Saudi Arabia will become a
softer, more tolerant place as it re-
forms its oil-dependent economy, a
leading government gure said at the
World Economic Forum in Davos on
Thursday.
Were going to turn Saudi Arabia
into a softer place, a more pleasant
place to live, said Khaled al-Falih,
Minister of Energy, Industry and Min-
eral Resources.
The changes will come under a plan
launched last year to shift the economy
of the worlds biggest oil exporter into
one led by the private sector.
While the plan calls for develop-
ment of non-oil industries, small and
medium enterprises, and a broader in-
vestment base, it also has what Falih
called soft factors.
Were going to strive to make peo-
ple happy within the kingdom, and
weve taken many steps to do that, he
told a panel discussion with two other
Saudi ministers.
The Islamic kingdom bans alcohol,
public cinemas and theatres, and nor-
mally segregates men and women in
public.
But a new entertainment authority
has already brought in some foreign
shows, seen by limited audiences.
Saudis Vision 2030 plan calls for
more sporting and cultural activities,
as well as a greater economic role for
women.
Saudi Arabia is founded on ultra-
conservative Wahhabi thought, which
SABIC still keen on Exxon Mobile venture in US
Saudi Basic Industries Corp
(SABIC) remains upbeat on a
proposed petrochemical venture
in the United States with Exxon
Mobil and a preliminary invest-
ment decision could be made
within months, SABICs chief ex-
ecutive said on Thursday.
Last July SABIC, one of the
worlds largest petrochemicals
groups, said it was studying
whether to build a petrochemi-
cal complex on the US Gulf
32.5 million bpd, effective January
1.
On Wednesday, the cartel had
said that its oil production fell in
December but remains well above
levels envisaged the deal.
However, steeper cuts would
come this month as Saudi Arabia
and nearby producers move to im-
plement the agreed reductions, the
IEA said.
OPECs elevated supply during
2016 helped push global oil stocks
to record levels and the explicit aim
... of the deal is to speed the mar-
kets return to balance by working
off the excess, the IEA said.
Coordinated action with non-
OPEC countries... could hasten the
spending), two-and-a-half to three
years later you see production decline
and reserves depleting and you have
one choice only and that is going af-
ter high quality resource, said Sachin
Oza, co-manager with Stephen Wil-
liams of the Guinness Global Oil and
Gas Exploration Trust.
If youve not spent any time lling
your hopper with these opportunities
that take ve years to build up, there
is only one choice: you have to buy
them, said Oza.
has been accused by foreign critics
of inspiring extremists, and the king-
doms minority Shiite community
complains of marginalisation.
Were going to promote tolerance
in our society, which exists today,
but make sure it is universal within
Saudi Arabia, Falih told the discus-
sion in the Swiss resort of Davos,
where 3,000 members of the political
and business elite have gathered for
annual talks.
He said the kingdom will ensure it is
a model for other Muslim societies
in terms of tolerance.
The energy minister says theres
been very strong compliance by
OPEC and non-OPEC oil countries to
the production cuts agreed on in De-
cember.
Speaking at the World Economic
Forum at the Swiss ski resort of Davos,
Khalid al-Falih said producers have
gone extra miles and the majority levy on each expatriate worker and
have exceeded their agreed cuts.
He said theres a very high level of
data available showing the rst part
of January has shown higher compli-
ance.
Saudi Arabias advisory Shura
Council will study a proposal next
week to impose a 6 percent levy on ex-
patriate remittances, the Saudi Gazette
newspaper said on Thursday, a meas-
ure which could help reduce the Gulf
states large budget decit.
The levy could also help to close
a current account gap created by low
oil prices. Roughly 10 million foreign
Coast with an Exxon afliate.
The project would supply eth-
ylene to other units making de-
rivatives.
SABIC chief executive Yousef
al-Benyan told Reuters on
Thursday that he would travel
to the United States at the end
of this month to look at the pro-
posed project.
The outlook is still very posi-
tive...We will be working with
Exxon Mobil to come up with a
process.
The IEA said the output cuts
have entered their probation pe-
riod and it is far too soon to see
what level of compliance has been
achieved.
The coming weeks will provide
more clarity.
In the meantime, the IEA said it
had revised upwards its estimate
for global oil demand growth in
2016 and now saw growth at 1.5
mbd, with most of the revision
contributed by stronger European
demand.
In 2017, however, we still ex-
pect the rate of growth for global
demand to fall back to 1.3 mbd, it
continued.
The Guinness Trust is a fund that
invests in rms in the early stages of
exploration or development of energy
resources which it believes will attract
investment from oil majors.
Investors reckon large rms will fo-
cus on underdeveloped basins in east
and west Africa, Romania and Alba-
nia, as well as nascent Latin American
reserves in places such as Colombia,
all areas where the growth potential is
seen as greater than in established re-
gions such as North America and the
workers transferred $9.4 billion to
their home countries in the third quar-
ter of last year, according to Saudi cen-
tral bank data.
The proposal was made by Hussam
al-Anqari, former chief of the General
Auditing Bureau, and approved by
the councils nancial committee, the
newspaper reported. Anqari said the
step would aid the economy by en-
couraging expatriates to spend within
the kingdom.
The government does not always
adopt measures recommended by the
council, and it may hesitate to tax
remittances for fear of raising com-
panies costs further, which could de-
ter private investment. Central bank
Governor Ahmed al-Kholifey said in
November that the government had no
plans for such a fee.
Government nancial plans an-
nounced last month included a new
their dependents, and other revenue
steps such as introduction of a value-
added tax in 2018.
But Finance Minister Mohammed
al-Jadaan said at the time of the an-
nouncement that before 2020, the
government would not surprise the
private sector with any new policy
initiatives beyond those already re-
vealed.
Saudi Arabia does not levy income
tax on individuals, and Jadaan said last
month that the government would not
introduce one for Saudi citizens or for-
eign residents.
very strong competitive structure
of this project.
We are very excited about
current developments with Exx-
on Mobil, not only the cracker
but also in the downstream type
of projects we are going to do.
He added that SABIC would
probably make an announce-
ment about the ethylene project
in the second quarter of this
year, though this was not certain.
(RTRS)
North Sea.
While slides in oil prices typically
unleash a wave of takeovers, compa-
nies emerging from the current down-
turn are generally shunning outright
acquisitions and instead looking at
specic deals for specic elds.
After a prolonged period of low oil
prices in the late 1990s Exxon merged
with Mobil, Total merged with Elf
Aquitaine and Petrona, Chevron
bought Texaco, BP snapped up Amo-
co and ARCO and Conoco and Philips
merged.
This time round, the only stand-
out acquisition has been Royal Dutch
Shells takeover of BG, which was an-
nounced in April 2015 and completed
in February a year later for $53 billion.
As large oil rms are wary of in-
creasing their debt burden at this point,
investors say corporate acquisitions
are likely to be limited in numbers and
scope but oil eld assets are very much
in the crosshairs.
Oil majors are opting for joint
ventures to develop specic elds in
complex deals, such as share swaps
or deferred payments, to lower their
risk and limit the amount they need to
spend upfront following two years of
budget cuts.
The international (ex-U.S.) asset
market is a buyers market, as sellers
continue in balance sheet preservation
mode, said Charles Whall, energy
portfolio manager at Investec Asset
Management.
the bottomline
DUBAI: Saudi Basic Industries
Corp (SABIC), one of the worlds
largest petrochemicals groups, re-
ported on Thursday that its quarterly
prot rose from a year earlier for the
rst time in ten quarters.
The earnings suggested that the
worst might be over for Saudi Ara-
bias petrochemical sector, which
has been squeezed by the plunge
of oil prices since 2014 and also
by government austerity measures,
which raised the cost of gas feed-
stock. (RTRS)
DUBAI: Saudi Arabias second larg-
est telecommunications operator,
Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), posted a
fourth-quarter loss on Thursday be-
cause of the cost of implementing a
government initiative to register n-
gerprints with phone numbers.
Mobily, an afliate of the United
Arab Emirates Etisalat , made a net
loss of 70.7 million riyals ($18.9 mil-
lion) in the three months to Dec 31.
This compares with a prot of 10.6
million riyals in the prior-year period,
according to a bourse statement.
The result beat estimates; six
analysts polled by Reuters had fore-
cast Mobily would make an average
quarterly net loss of 106 million ri-
yals. (RTRS)
DUBAI: Saudi Arabias King-
dom Holding , the investment rm
owned by billionaire Prince Al-
waleed bin Talal, posted a 6 percent
rise in fourth-quarter net prot on
Thursday.
Net prot of 40.2 million riyals
($10.7 million) in the three months
ending Dec. 31, versus 37.9 million
riyals a year earlier, according to a
bourse ling.
Earnings boosted by rise in divi-
dends, increase in revenue and op-
erating income from hotels and pro-
viding for impairment provisions in
same quarter of last year. (RTRS)
DUBAI: Saudi Arabian Mining
Co (Maaden), the Gulfs largest
miner, swung to a fourth-quarter net
prot of 15.67 million riyals ($4.18
million), it said on Thursday, but
the gure was well short of expec-
tations.
The rm had made a net loss of
5.68 million riyals in the same pe-
riod of 2015. (RTRS)
DUBAI: Samba Financial Group,
Saudi Arabias third-largest bank by
assets, reported a 12 percent fall in
fourth-quarter net prot on Thurs-
day, missing analysts forecasts.
The bank made a prot of 1.09
billion riyals ($290.6 million) in the
three months to Dec 31, down from
1.23 billion a year earlier, it said in a
bourse statement. (RTRS)
DUBAI: Banque Saudi Fransi,
which is partly owned by Credit Ag-
ricole, posted a 61 percent drop in
fourth-quarter net prot on Thursday,
widely missing analysts forecasts.
The bank, the fth-largest by as-
sets in the kingdom, made a net
prot of 374 million riyals ($99.7
million) in the three months ended
Dec. 31, compared with 950 million
riyals in the same period of 2015, it
said in a statement. (RTRS)
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
BUSINESS 31

Swiss watchmakers call time on 2 years of crisis

Luxury Swiss watchmakers, gathering this
week at the industrys premier annual show in
Geneva, hope 2017 will nally mark the end of
two crisis-hit years of falling sales.
Many top-ight brands, used to running their
ateliers at full throttle, have resorted to laying
off workers in the face of crumbling demand.
2016 has been difcult, Jean-Daniel Pas-
che, president of the Federation of the Swiss
Watch Industry, told AFP during the Salon
International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH),
which runs through January 20.
He said he expected this years exports of
luxury watches to be about the same level as
those of last year.
Exports for all of 2016 will be published next
week, but from January to November, they
were down 10.4 percent from the same period
last year, after a 3.3 percent decline in 2015.
Were near the end, I think, of what has
been a structural crisis, said Manuel Emch,
chief executive of the luxury brand Romain Je-
rome. Were seeing a recovery in China, and
the haemorrhage has stopped in certain mar-
kets, he added, referring in particular to Hong
Kong, the largest export market for Swiss
watchmakers.
Robust Chinese demand had led many
brands to expand production. However, a People attend the Salon
crackdown by Beijing on corruption in 2013 hit International de la Haute
hard, as has political uncertainty in Hong Kong Horlogerie (SIHH) profes-
following the umbrella revolution in 2014. sional fair in ne watch-
Hong Kong had long attracted Chinese making in Geneva on Jan
watch fans on the mainland. 16. (AFP)
Among the other factors weighing on the
sector were the collapse of the ruble, which
has crimped the buying power of Russian
clients, and rising competition from smart
watches connected to the internet. (AFP)

Commerce pick says NAFTA will be early target for team Trump

Trumps energy pick Perry softens stance on climate change

WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (Agencies):
Rick Perry, President-elect Donald
Trumps pick to run the US Energy
Department, said during his Senate
conrmation hearing on Thursday
that global warming caused by hu-
mans is real, but that efforts to combat
it should not cost American jobs.
The comment marks a shift for the
former Texas governor who had pre-
viously called the science behind cli-
mate change unsettled and a con-
trived, phony mess. It also clashes
with Trumps statements during his
campaign for the White House that
global warming is a hoax meant to
weaken US business.
I believe the climate is changing. I
believe some of it is naturally occur-
ring, but some of it is also caused by
man-made activity. The question is
how do we address it in a thoughtful
way that doesnt compromise eco-
nomic growth, the affordability of
energy, or American jobs, Perry said.
Trump, who will be sworn in as
president on Friday, has vowed to
slash US regulations curbing carbon
dioxide emissions and has suggested
pulling America out of a global cli-
mate change pact signed in Paris in
2015.
Perry, 66, was governor of Texas
from 2000 to 2015, making him the
longest-serving governor of the oil-
producing state in its history. He is
seen by Trump as someone who can
usher in jobs growth in the oil, gas and
Energy Secretary-designate Rick
Perry. (AFP)
coal industry.
As energy secretary, he would
lead a vast scientic research opera-
tion credited with helping trigger a
US drilling boom and advancements
in energy efciency and renewables
technology, and would oversee Amer-
icas nuclear arsenal.
The former Texas governor said
during the hearing that he also re-
grets having previously called for the
departments elimination, during his
failed bid for the Republican presi-
dential nomination in 2012.
That proposal, which has become
known as his oops moment, came
during a Republican presidential
I am going to protect the men and
women of the scientic community
from anyone who would attack them,
he said in response to a question from
Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell
of Washington about whether he
would cut the budget of climate sci-
ence at the department.
He also distanced himself from a
questionnaire the Trump transition
team sent to the department in De-
cember demanding names and publi-
cations of employees who had worked
on climate issues. After an uproar by
critics who said it amounted to a witch
hunt, the team disavowed the survey.
Approve
I didnt approve it. I dont approve
Commerce Secretary-designate
Wilbur Ross. (AP) of it. I dont need that information. I
dont want that information, Perry
candidate debate when he could not said on Thursday.
initially remember all of the three Perry said much of his focus run-
Cabinet-level departments he wanted ning the department would be on re-
to eliminate the departments of newing Americas nuclear weapons
Commerce, Education and Energy. arsenal.
After being briefed on so many of As a former Air Force pilot dur-
the vital functions of the Department ing the days of the Cold War, I un-
of Energy, I regret recommending its derstand the deterrent value of our nu-
elimination, he said in his opening clear weapons systems, and the vital
remarks to the Senate Committee on role they play in keeping the peace,
Energy and Natural Resources. he said.
Democrats on the committee ex- More than half of the departments
pressed worry that Perry would weak- $32.5 billion budget goes to maintain-
en the energy departments functions ing the US nuclear weapons arsenal
and potentially target its army of sci- and cleaning up the countrys nuclear
entists focused on climate research. waste legacy from the Cold War.
Perry sought to assuage them. The New York Times said on
Thursday that Perry was unaware of
the size of the nuclear role that the de-
partment plays when he accepted the
job last year.
Perry also said that he would sup-
port a bill in Congress backing a
states right to block nuclear waste
sites if Congress passes it into law.
Nuclear waste siting is a major hurdle
for expanding the US nuclear power
sector.
Breaking with Republican ortho-
doxy, a new Trump administration
will work quickly to re-do the North
American Free Trade Agreement, a
massive trade pact with Canada and
Mexico that has boosted trade but
still stings laid off workers across
the Midwest, President-elect Donald
Trumps pick for commerce secretary
told Congress on Wednesday.
At his conrmation hearing, bil-
lionaire investor Wilbur Ross said all
free trade agreements should be sys-
tematically re-opened every few years
to make sure they are working in the
best interests of the US.
Ross said he is pro-free trade, but
noted his close relationship with the
United Steelworkers union as proof
that he will ght to protect American
jobs. The union has endorsed him.
NAFTA is logically the rst thing
for us to deal with, Ross said. We
must solidify relationships in the best
way we can in our own territory be-
fore we go off to other jurisdictions.
That will be a very, very early top-
ic in this administration, Ross added.
I think all aspects of NAFTA will be
put on the table.
Trumps views on trade are at odds
with most congressional Republicans,
who generally support Americas
trade pacts as a way to boost US ex-
ports and to provide affordable con-
sumer goods.
But trade is a divisive issue in much
of the country, and Trumps attacks
on NAFTA and other pacts during
the election played well in parts of
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and
Wisconsin all states the business-
man won.
NAFTA was negotiated and signed
by President Bill Clinton, with broad
support among Republicans in Con-
gress.
Senators from both political parties
were deferential to Ross at the nearly
four-hour hearing, which was much
more subdued than the conrmation
hearings of other Trump nominees.
Ross remarks on trade were wel-
comed by some Democrats, who are
generally less enthusiastic than Re-
publicans about trade agreements.
Afterward, Sen. John Thune, R-
S.D, said Ross allayed fears that a
Trump administration would start a
trade war.
Thune, who chairs the Senate Com-
merce Committee, said he had been
concerned about some of Trumps
rhetoric on trade, specically a 35
percent tariff.

Reform oil sector

Egypt to end
capital control
CAIRO, Jan 19, (RTRS): Egypt will
scrap its remaining caps on transfers
and deposits of foreign currency by the
end of June and overhaul its oil sector
as part of ambitious efforts to reform
the economy under an IMF agreement,
the details of which were released on
Wednesday.
The International Monetary Fund
approved the three-year programme
with Egypt in November, releasing the
rst $2.75 billion instalment of a $12
billion loan intended to jumpstart an
economy battered by years of turmoil
that has driven away investors and
tourists, key sources of hard currency.
The Fund said on Wednesday that
Egypt was on track to receive the sec-
ond tranche of the loan, pending a visit
to review progress at the end of Febru-
ary.
Although (economic indicators)
for December have not been pub-
lished yet, early indications are that the
benchmarks for the next tranche of the
loan are likely to be met, IMF Mis-
sion Chief for Egypt Chris Jarvis said
at a news conference.
The deal came into effect days af-
ter the central bank took the dramatic
step of letting the pound oat freely
in currency markets. But the details of
the agreement and the governments
reform timetable were not immediate-
ly released in full, prompting questions
from economists about how the mar-
kets were expected to track the govern-
ments progress.
Released
The IMF released on Wednesday
the staff report from November out-
lining its appraisal of Egypts request
along with the details of its planned
reform programme.
Some of the toughest measures, in-
cluding oating the currency and intro-
ducing a value-added tax, have already
been implemented.
Egypts pound has more than halved
in value against the dollar since the
oat, trading at almost 19 pounds to
the dollar on Wednesday.
The exchange rate is more depreci-
ated than we expected given the funda-
mentals, Jarvis said.
The programme sets out a raft of
other measures including an end to
energy subsidies, reforms to public en-
terprises and an overhaul of monetary
policy that Egypt will make over the
next three years to restore economic
stability and long-term growth.
The restoration of macroeconomic
stability will allow Egypt to put the
economic turbulence of the post-revo-
lution period behind it, the IMF said
in its report.
A worsening dollar shortage crip-
pled imports, while the government
faced a ballooning public debt, partly
due to huge subsidy costs and poor tax
collection.
OIL SECTOR REFORMS
The deal also commits Egypt to
longer-term structural reforms and
new insolvency, industrial licensing
and other laws aimed at cutting gov-
ernment bureaucracy and encouraging
private sector investment.
Among the boldest moves is a plan
to reform the oil sector in general
and state oil rm EGPC in particular.
Egypt will develop that plan by the end
of March.
EGPC will also repay nearly $3.6
billion of arrears to international oil
rms and seek not to accumulate new
arrears.
US economy continues to expand
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AFP): The US economy con-
tinues to expand and is now seeing tight labor markets
and rising price pressures, as businesses nationwide have
an upbeat outlook for 2017, the Federal Reserve said
Wednesday.
Firms across the country and industries were said to be optimistic
Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen answers questions during a meeting of the Commonwealth Club on
Jan 18, in San Francisco. Yellen talked about the Feds goals and the best way to pursue them during her ap-
British bank rebuffs govt push
RBS wary to boost Iran trade
LONDON/ANKARA, Jan 19,
(RTRS): The Royal Bank of Scotland
has rebuffed efforts by the British gov-
ernment, a major shareholder, to coax
the lender into facilitating trade with
Iran as it seeks to avoid risky business,
sources with knowledge of the discus-
sions say.
In recent months British ofcials
have sought to boost business ties with
Iran a year on from the lifting of in-
ternational sanctions as Britain tries
to forge new trade ties following Junes
vote to leave the European Union.
The sources said Britains nance
ministry had tried to use the govern-
ments inuence with RBS and to a
lesser extent Lloyds, in which it holds
a minority stake, to help speed up trade
nance with Iran, including clearing
services for Iranian banks in pounds.
Despite the lifting of international
sanctions, which included banking re-
strictions, Iran continues to struggle to
access Western nance and tap major
Western banks, hindering trade and in-
vestment.
A senior Iranian banking ofcial
said Tehran had several meetings in
recent months with British government
ofcials.
We asked UK ofcials to help us to
overcome this issue. We were prom-
ised that the British government would
try to convince the banks, including
Lloyds and RBS, the ofcial said.
Optimism about 2017 growth: Fed survey
pearance. (AP)
Nothing is happening on the
ground.
A British government source said
the nance ministry was highly aware
of the complexities around UK and
Iranian banking channels and banks
would consider factors including re-
maining US sanctions, corruption and
money laundering issues.
The British government owns 71
percent of RBS, though its bank share-
holdings are managed by UK Financial
Investments which is meant to ensure
they are managed on a commercial ba-
sis.
Risk
The government does not take the
risk decisions they are only share-
holders, a Western source with knowl-
edge of discussions said. It is not the
role of shareholders to set the risk ap-
petite of a bank.
An RBS executive said separately
the bank was not really interested in
the Middle East and was focused on
Britain and Ireland for about 90 percent
of its prots.
A Lloyds spokesman said it was
a UK-focused retail and commercial
bank, adding that it was mindful that
Iran remains a higher risk country with
which to do business.
We therefore consider all requests
on a case-by-case basis in order to pro-
tect the bank and our customers, the government.
about growth in 2017, the Feds Beige Book survey of the economy said.
That could be an indication companies are expecting tax cuts and increased
spending from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump,
who takes ofce Friday.
Most of the 12 Fed districts reported tighter labor markets, including in-
creasing wages or trouble lling open positions, while price pressures have
intensied since the last survey in November.
rather than two, given expected in-
ity of increased stimulus spending by
spokesman said.
Edinburgh-based RBS was rescued
with a more than 45 billion pound
($55.42 billion) bailout at the height of
the nancial crisis.
The government also has just under a
6 percent stake in Lloyds and is aiming
to return the bank to full private owner-
ship this year after a 20.5 billion pound
taxpayer-funded rescue during global
turmoil nearly a decade ago.
Iran, which has sharply stepped up
oil production since sanctions were
lifted, remains restricted from most
dollar trades but is able to use other
foreign currencies including euros and
pounds.
But Tehran has struggled to get
transactions processed via the UK,
frustrating its efforts to boost access
to Londons nancial markets, which
remains one of the worlds biggest
sources of capital.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister
for Europe and America Affairs Majid
Takht Ravanchi expressed frustration
with the slow pace of ties at a meet-
ing in Tehran on Thursday with British
Minister for the Middle East and Africa
Tobias Ellwood.
Ravanchi said any progress in rela-
tions should be based on mutual re-
spect.
British ofcials have said resolving
banking issues was a priority for the
Improved hiring and wages is
generally good news in what has
been a sluggish recovery since
the 2008 financial crisis, but it
also could fuel inflation pressures
which would prompt the US cen-
tral bank to respond with more
interest rate increases, following
Decembers move, only the second
in a decade.
The so-called Beige Book report
collects views of economists, busi-
ness contacts and others in the 12
Federal Reserve districts in prepara-
tion for the monetary policy meeting
Jan 31 to Feb 1.
Fed policymakers have indicated
they expect three rate hikes this year,
ationary pressures and the possibil-
the Trump administration, although
much uncertainty remains about the
specics of those policies.
Ranged
Employment growth ranged from
slight to moderate and most districts
indicated that wages increased mod-
estly, the report said, in contrast to
the November report when the im-
provement in jobs was not as wide-
spread.
Contacts in many districts said
they expect labor markets to con-
tinue to tighten in 2017, with wage
pressures likely to rise and the
pace of hiring to hold steady or in-
crease.
And in another contrast to previous
surveys, when prices underwent only
slight increases at best, the latest re-
port said price pressures intensied
somewhat since the last report. How-
ever, retailers say they have struggled
to increase prices due to competition.
Only one district, Atlanta, reported
at rather than rising prices.
There also was good news in man-
ufacturing, as companies in most
districts reported increased sales
with several citing a turnaround ver-
sus earlier in 2016.
Seven districts highlighted im-
provements in manufacturing as a
source of growth since November,
including Kansas City, where out-
put, shipments and new orders in the
sector grew at their fastest pace in
over two years, and Philadelphia,
where manufacturing was one sec-
tor that provided the boost from the
prior period of slight growth.
That too is an improvement from
the last report when manufacturing
was described as mixed, and the
strong US dollar was containing de-
mand.
Meanwhile, retail sales expanded,
but several districts noted disap-
pointing holiday sales. Reports in
the energy industry were mixed, but
Dallas and Kansas City cited notable
improvements.
Growth expected
NYs commercial
realty optimistic
NEW YORK, Jan 19, (RTRS):
There are signs that the com-
mercial real estate market in New
York is weakening but optimism
about the US economy and re-
silient leasing activity suggest
growth is still expected this year
and in 2018, brokerage Cushman
& Wakeeld said on Wednesday.
While land sales and their
transaction volume in 2016 slid
noticeably, an indication poten-
tial buyers see a weak market in
a few years, the amount of for-
eign capital especially Chi-
nese pouring into New York
real estate is double from a dec-
ade ago.
New York commercial real es-
tate last year had a better year than
analysts predicted at the beginning
of 2016 and the outlook suggests
a growth cycle now in its seventh
year still has legs, the brokerage
said. Theres denitely a sense
in the US today of optimism, of
change, said Ken McCarthy,
principal economist at Cushman
& Wakeeld. Small business op-
timism is up, consumer condence
is up and of course the stock mar-
ket is up dramatically.
Cushman called it measured
optimism. Still, employment
growth in New York, which
outpaced the rest of the United
States from 2010 to 2015, slowed
last year as new jobs in the ofce-
using sector, such as nancial
services, accounting, legal and
technology, tapered some, he
said.
Economic growth will be
stronger this year and greater still
in 2018, perhaps 1.0 percentage
point more, but you cant con-
tinue to grow extraordinarily rap-
idly forever, he said.
Vacancy
The vacancy rate for Man-
hattan office space edged up to
9.3 percent in the fourth quar-
ter, up from 8.5 percent a year
earlier.
Leasing activity rose slightly
last year from 2015 and asking
rents rose 2.1 percent to $75.16
a square foot. But the effective
rate, which takes into account
landlord concessions to keep or
attract tenants, fell in a sign of a
tightening market.
Concessions may include in-
creased allowance to improve
ofces and an increase in free
months of rent.
In addition, a 60 percent pre-
mium that Class A ofce space
carried over Class B leases in 2007
has narrowed to only 30 percent,
Cushman & Wakeeld said.
Other signs of a weaker market
include a 34 percent decline in the
dollar amount of properties sold in
Manhattan to $39.6 billion from
$59.9 billion in 2015. Activity
slowed in the second half of the
year, as value of a square foot sold
fell to $1,263 from $1,616 in the
rst half of 2016.

BUSINESS
US sues Oracle alleging discrimination in pay
The US Labor Department on
Wednesday sued business soft-
ware giant Oracle alleging sys-
temic discrimination in pay against
female, African American and
Asian employees.
The administrative lawsuit also
challenges Oracles practice of fa-
voring Asian workers in its recruit-
ing and hiring practices for key
technical jobs, saying it discrimi-
nates against non-Asian applicants.
The lawsuit is the result of an
Trump plans for Scottish resort spark new conflicts concern
NEW YORK, Jan 19, (Agencies): Don-
ald Trump has vowed his company will
do no new foreign deals while he
is president. But hes left new and
deals open to interpretation.
Now those words are drawing scru-
tiny as his company conrms plans to
expand its golf resort near Aberdeen,
Scotland, raising concerns about con-
icts of interest.
A spokeswoman for the resort says
the expansion is not a new deal, but just
another construction phase that was in-
cluded in the broad plan approved by
the local government in 2008.
Some lawyers who specialize in
government ethics arent convinced.
Richard Painter, who served as chief
ethics lawyer for President George W.
Bush, said there are so many pending
issues before local governments at
each stage of a real estate project, its
like a new deal every time.
Each phase requires building per-
mits, each phase requires nancing,
each phase poses additional conicts
of interest, said Painter, a relentless
Trump critic who has urged him to
sell his company. Americans dont
want their president or any other high
ranking ofcial dependent on a foreign
government for a building permit.
The Scottish expansion is especially
worrisome, Painter said, because the
United States will need to negotiate a
trade deal with the United Kingdom
now that it has voted to leave the Eu-
ropean Union.
In that context, who is going to
deny a permit to the president of the
Wall St getting scant guarantees as Trump takes office
NEW YORK, Jan 19, (AFP): Wall
Street caught re following President-
elect Donald Trumps shock White
House win in November, but will this
largely speculative run zzle after
Trump takes ofce on Friday?
The question is worrying investors.
Yet Trumps initial steps may not offer
clear answers.
Since Trumps victory, major stock
indices in New York have experienced
two phases: they rallied for a month,
repeatedly smashing records, and then
stalled toward the New Year, though
holding on to unprecedented gains.
At the close on Wednesday, the Dow
nished at 19,804.72, fewer than 170
points from its Dec 20 record, which
brought it close to the 20,000-point
milestone. The broader S&P 500, often
seen as more representative, closed at
2,271.89, just under six points from its
own all-time high set on Jan 6.
Since the election, the Dow and S&P
500 have gained 8.0 percent and 6.1
percent respectively.
Nevertheless, Wall Street analysts
have not been so pessimistic about the
outlook for the S&P 500 in 10 years,
forecasting a mere ve percent gain for
2017, according to a consensus set by
Bespoke Investment.
That signals an odd dichotomy,
said Nicholas Colas of Convergex. US
stocks are at/near all-time highs but
there is still considerable uncertainty
about the core fundamentals that keep
the market revving this deep into the
red line.
Glossing
Numerous explanations have been
put forward to justify the rally, per-
haps glossing over the fact that it was
unexpected. After all, before the vote,
conventional wisdom held that markets
were expecting Democrat Hillary Clin-
ton to win the presidency.
Analysts now repeat a different
conventional wisdom, that investors
are counting on a pro-growth Trump
agenda, in other words, tax cuts, de-
regulation and spending to stimulate
the economy.
Yet since winning the election, the
future president has offered few details
on any of these hoped-for policies, or
how he plans to pay for them. Some
observers are warning the market may
have been running on wishful thinking
since November, closing its eyes to net-
tlesome questions like Trumps very
public penchant for protectionism.
We sort of have been living in the
fantasy world of the last two months
on the expectations of what he will
do, said Karl Haeling of Landesbank
Baden-Wuerttemberg. Once he gets in
there, the risk of not going as quickly
and smoothly as we had hoped, that
goes up.
In a research note published early
this month which received considerable
comment, investment bank Morgan
Stanley spoke of an impetus to sell the
inauguration after having bought the
election.
After all, what incrementally posi-
tive and exciting outcomes could be
produced in the rst few weeks after
that? the analysts wrote.
Trump certainly has shown his abili-
ty to inuence markets in the short-term
by using mere words -- he sent the US
dollar diving at the start of the week, for
example, saying it was too strong.
But whatever economic policies
Trump decides to put in place, they will
take months if not longer to have any
direct impact.
Now investors must mix patience
investigation begun in 2014 by
the US agencys Ofce of Federal
Contract Compliance Programs,
and could result in the loss of mil-
lions in US government contracts
for Oracle, according to statement.
Federal contractors are re-
quired to comply with all applica-
ble anti-discrimination laws, said
Thomas Dowd, acting director of
the ofce.
We led this lawsuit to enforce
those requirements.
Indonesia business partner sees no conflicts of interest
United States? Painter said.
In addition to its Scottish resort, the
Trump Organization has several other
uncompleted international projects,
including a hotel in Vancouver, Brit-
ish Columbia, a golf course in Dubai
and two resorts in Indonesia. His part-
ner in Indonesia, billionaire developer
Hary Tanoesoedibjo, plans to attend
Trumps inauguration Friday and an
ofcial inauguration ball.
The Trump Organization did not re-
spond to requests for comment, except
for the brief statement from its resort
spokeswoman.
Trumps original 2008 proposal for
the resort, the Trump International
Golf Links, included plans to eventu-
ally add a 450-room hotel, a second
golf course, 500 luxury homes and 900
timeshare apartments. A recent article
in the Guardian newspaper in Britain
cited plans now for about twice the
number of homes and timeshare apart-
ments.
Ofcials at the local government,
the Aberdeenshire Council, couldnt
conrm the Guardian gures, but did
say plans for the second golf course
are still under review and have not
been approved. A website run by the
government shows the Trump Or-
ganization has had to undergo many
reviews since its 2008 plan was ap-
proved, including for small projects,
such as erecting a agpole and build-
ing a wall and adding six rooms to a
hotel already there.
Trumps Indonesian business part-
ner dismissed concerns by ethics of-
Investors counting on pro-growth agenda
In this le photo, traders work on the Mizuho Americas trading oor in New York. (AP)
Business world falls under Trumps thumb
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AFP): With
his carrot-and-stick manhandling of
the US business community, Presi-
dent-elect Donald Trump has major
companies falling over themselves
to offer goodwill gestures and prom-
ises to create US jobs.
This aggressive strategy in
which Trump has publicly threatened
major corporations over the use
of foreign labor has sent ripples
through a country that reveres free
enterprise and is not accustomed
to seeing the nations chief execu-
tive go mano a mano with individual
businesses.
But the tactic is creating the ap-
pearance of success.
Automaker General Motors and
the retail giant Wal-Mart Stores on
Tuesday joined the growing list of
companies that have promised to
ramp investment and employment
in the United States since Trump
began his post-election campaign
against off-shoring US jobs.
Trump has been quick to take
credit for any job creation and new
investments.
When NBC on Wednesday re-
ported that many of the company
announcements were old news
given a fresh coat of paint, Trump re-
sponded with an angry tweet, calling
it FAKE NEWS!
Some rms may indeed have recy-
cled investment plans long since an-
nounced or in the works, or empha-
sized job creation already scheduled.
But all were acting under pressure
from a president-elect who has used
his Twitter account to threaten com-
panies with a border tax and other
punishments, frequently causing
their share prices tumble as a result.
Car companies and others, if they
want to do business in our country,
have to start making things here
with hope, said Gregori Volokhine of
Meeshcaert Financial Services. The
only question is how long their patience
will last.
Any tax cuts wont take effect or any
have any fallout in the rst six months,
he added, echoing similar sentiment by
JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon.
In presenting the banks quarterly
The agency said Oracle refused
to comply with the routine requests
for employment data and records,
and that ofcials attempted for
almost a year to resolve Oracles
alleged discrimination violations
before ling the suit.
California-based Oracle, one
of the largest rms in Silicon Val-
ley, said in a statement that the
complaint is politically motivated,
based on false allegations, and
wholly without merit. (AFP)
Kawasakis ties to Apprentice left murky over Trumps involvement
NEW YORK, Jan 19, (RTRS): Jap-
anese motor company Kawasakis
sponsorship of The New Celebrity
Apprentice was cast into uncer-
tainty on Wednesday as the rm
issued contradictory statements
about its ties to the show over the
continued involvement of US Presi-
dent-elect Donald Trump.
Kawasaki Motors Corp USA
spokesman Kevin Allen said in a
phone interview on Wednesday
that Trumps role as an executive
producer on the show sparked
negative feedback from customers
cials that the US president-elects com-
panies overseas business deals might
be vulnerable to conicts of interest in
an interview on Wednesday.
Hary Tanoesoedibjo, 51, is the bil-
lionaire chairman and chief executive
of MNC Group, which is constructing
two luxury resorts in Indonesia that
will be managed by the Trump Hotel
Collection, a subsidiary of the Trump
Organization.
Like Trump, Tanoesoedibjo be-
lieves his countrys politics could
benet from his business acumen and
says he now devotes half his 16-hour
days to tending to Perindo, the political
party he founded last year, and other
political efforts.
We didnt add any new project
since he decided to run for president
so I dont think there is a conict of
again. WIN! Trump said Sunday on
Twitter.
Under the Trump spotlight, Ford
this month ended plans to build
a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico and
instead invest $700 million in the
United States, while Fiat Chrysler
repatriated production of one model
and announced the creation of 2,000
jobs.
Others in the auto sector have fol-
lowed, including Toyota and GM, but
companies in the tech sector, such
as Sprint and Amazon, also have
joined in.
Trump has thanked some of his
fellow business executives while also
congratulating himself: With all of the
jobs I am bringing back into the US
... I believe the people are seeing big
stuff, he tweeted Tuesday.
For companies, the upshot is
above all symbolic: avoiding bad
press, burnishing patriotic creden-
tials and ingratiating themselves with
the new administration.
The trend started in December
with Carrier, an Indiana manufactur-
er of air conditioners and home fur-
naces which came out ahead in the
bargain with Trump, getting tax state
breaks in return for keeping a few
hundred jobs in the United States.
Without unveiling new invest-
ments, other captains of industry
have joined in the theater at Trump
Tower in New York, the president-
elects headquarters, hoping to put
out res with the future inhabitant of
the White House.
After his company was called out
for the high cost of the future presi-
dential plane, the head of aircraft gi-
ant Boeing reported to New York in
an apparent show of contrition.
Were on the same page to pro-
vide the best capability for the lowest
cost, CEO Dennis Muilenburg told
results this week, Dimon declined to
celebrate any Trump effect for the
near-term.
And ultimately some analysts put
Trumps signicance into context, not-
ing that the stock rally may be justi-
ed by the rather solid state of the US
economy.
I expect over the next month or
JPMorgan settles mortgage discrimination lawsuit
JPMorgan Chase will pay $55
million to settle federal charges
that independent brokers work-
ing for the bank discriminated
against minorities seeking home
mortgages during the housing
crisis.
While the settlement is not
a big nancial dent to the giant
bank, the cases illustrate the
depth of the mortgage quagmire
that has trailed the nancial sec-
and unease among its executives,
prompting the company to sever
ties with the show.
Hours later, however, the compa-
ny issued a brief statement saying,
Recently published comments re-
lating to The New Celebrity Appren-
tice and President-elect Donald
Trumps involvement in the show
attributed to a Kawasaki employee
are a misrepresentation of the com-
panys position and the employee is
no longer with the company.
The statement did name the em-
ployee and did not make clear the
interest, Tanoesoedibjo said in an
interview at the Trump International
Hotel in Manhattan where he was stay-
ing before traveling to Washington for
Trumps inauguration on Friday.
A conict of interest happens when if
after he won the election and then we de-
cided to add more projects. Thats where
we get to a gray area, he said. But our
project actually has been decided long
before that. He said he signed the deal
with Trump in early 2015.
Trumps unusual path to the White
House as a businessman who has never
previously held political ofce and
his decision to retain ownership of his
companies has drawn him into conict
with ethics watchdogs.
Walter Shaub, director of the US Of-
ce of Government Ethics, has unsuc-
cessfully urged Trump to divest his
reporters.
Others merely popped in to say
hello, including Bernard Arnault,
head of the French luxury group
LVMH, who did not rule out expand-
ing operations in the United States.
Before his shock Nov 8 victory,
the real estate magnate was not the
business worlds preferred candi-
date.
While Wall Street banked on a
victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton,
most players in Silicon Valley were
resolved to oppose Trump, with the
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos even of-
fering to rocket him into outer space,
using the Twitter hashtag #send-
Donaldtospace.
After Trumps victory, the business
world seems to have seen the light.
Before there was any chance that
he would be elected, no one paid
much attention to his program, which
is what companies want: a lot of de-
regulation and tax cuts, said Aparna
Mathur, a scholar at the conserv-
ative-leaning American Enterprise
Institute in Washington.
Having both houses of Congress
and the White House in the hands of
a single party holds out the prospect
of ending years of gridlock in Wash-
ington.
One key point in Trumps agenda
still could undermine his relations
with the business sector: retaliatory
import duties on goods from Mexico
and China, which could end up be-
ing costly.
The bottom line is that if we are
going to Hire American, we are go-
ing to have to Sell American sell
our goods and services to the 95
percent of the worlds customers
who dont live in the United States,
warned Thomas Donahue, head of
the powerful US Chamber of Com-
merce.
two the market will continue to move
higher, because the economic data has
been accelerating over the last couple of
quarters, said Tom Cahill of Ventura
Wealth Management.
I dont think there is any reason that
wont continue to be the case. In gen-
eral this is a healthy economic environ-
ment.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
tor for a decade.
A federal suit led in Manhat-
tan Wednesday accused JP-
Morgan Chase & Co of charging
black and Hispanic borrowers
higher interest rates and fees
for mortgages from 2006 to at
least 2009, causing them to pay
an average of an extra thou-
sand dollars. The lawsuit alleges
that discrimination cost at least
53,000 minority borrowers tens
companys current relationship to the
show. Kawasaki Motors Corp USA
did not respond to an email from Re-
uters asking for clarications.
The show had aired on Sunday
an episode in which contestants
were asked to design a marketing
campaign for a new Kawasaki mo-
tor bike.
Movie star and former California
Governor Arnold Schwarzeneg-
ger replaced Trump as host of the
show last year after the New York
businessman began his campaign
for the White House.
conicting assets.
Trump has said the company would
not make any new deals abroad while
he is president and that his two elder
sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, will take
over his roles in running the business.
Tanoesoedibjo said he met with the
two brothers for two and a half hours
on Wednesday morning at Trump
Tower to discuss the resorts progress,
and said Donald Jr. was expected to re-
turn to Indonesia this summer.
MNC is investing between $500
million and $1 billion in the develop-
ments, one near Jakarta and the other
in Bali. It is paying the Trump Hotel
company to manage luxury hotels, golf
courses and country clubs at the two
sites. The properties should be open by
early 2019, Tanoesoedibjo said.
He demurred on how US-Indonesia
US jobless claims
near 43-year low
Housing starts surge in Dec
WASHINGTON, Jan 19,
(RTRS): US homebuild-
ing rebounded more than
expected in December as
a strengthening economy
boosts demand for rental
housing.
Other data on Thursday showed
the number of Americans ling
for unemployment benets unex-
pectedly falling last week to a near
43-year low, pointing to a further
tightening in the labor market that
should underpin economic growth
this year.
Housing starts jumped 11.3 per-
cent to a seasonally adjusted annual
rate of 1.23 million units last month,
the Commerce Department said.
Economists polled by Reuters had
forecast housing starts increasing to
a 1.20 million-unit rate in December.
Groundbreaking on new housing
projects increased 4.9 percent to 1.17
million in 2016. The housing market
remains on solid ground even as mort-
gage rates have jumped above 4 per-
cent.
The tightening labor market is driv-
ing demand for multi-family housing,
which has pushed up rents.
In a separate report, the Labor De-
partment said initial claims for state
unemployment benets fell 15,000 to
a seasonally adjusted 234,000 for the
week ended Jan. 14. That was just shy
of the 233,000 level touched in mid-
November, which was the lowest since
November 1973.
It was the 98th straight week that
claims remained below 300,000, a
threshold associated with a healthy la-
bor market. That is the longest stretch
since 1970, when the labor market was
much smaller.
The four-week moving average of
claims, considered a better measure
of labor market trends as it irons out
week-to-week volatility, fell 10,250
to 246,750 last week, the lowest level
since November 1973. The labor mar-
ket is considered to be at or near full
employment, with the unemployment
rate near a nine-year low of 4.7 percent.
US nancial markets moved slightly
This le photo shows employees working on building pipe at Pioneer Pipe in
Marietta, Ohio. New claims for US unemployment benets fell in the second
week of January, pulling the four-week average down to a 43-year low, the
Labor Department reported on Jan 19. (AFP)
32
of millions in higher interest pay-
ments and fees, in violation of
the Fair Housing Act.
The lawsuit said Chase origi-
nated about 260,000 wholesale
mortgage loans during those
years, with 40,000 of the loans
going to black applicants and an-
other 66,000 going to Hispanic
borrowers. It said the pricing
discretion was not based on bor-
rower risk. (AP)
But Trump, who originated the
Apprentice role in 2004, retained
an executive producer credit, which
usually involves payment, despite
being elected as US president in
November.
The New Celebrity Apprentice
airs on NBC, which could not im-
mediately be reached for comment
on Wednesday.
Kawasaki Motors Corp USA is a
unit of Japans Kawasaki Heavy In-
dustries Ltd.
Trump is to be inaugurated as US
president in Washington on Friday.
relations might change under a Trump
administration except to welcome
Trumps willingness to take on the
United States larger trading partners
in pursuit of what he calls better trade
deals.
When the US is pushing too hard
against another big country like China
or maybe a European country that may
create a situation where that country
may shift their investment somewhere
else, Tanoesoedibjo said, and poten-
tially to Indonesia.
He said he would decide before the
end of next year whether to run in In-
donesias 2019 presidential election,
while describing Trumps victory as
inspiring to would-be candidates with
thin political experience.
Maybe some day Ill call him for
political advice, he said.
on the data.
Home building is expected to make
a modest contribution to economic
growth in the fourth quarter after being
a drag on gross domestic product in the
prior two periods.
A survey on Wednesday showed
homebuilders condence easing
slightly in January, but remaining not
far from levels last seen in July 2005.
Construction remains constrained by
shortages of lots and labor. Builders
are hoping that the incoming Trump
administration will streamline and re-
form regulations.
Republican Donald Trump, who will
be sworn in as president on Friday, has
pledged to reduce regulations, among
other policy initiatives.
Last month, single-family home
building, which accounts for the largest
share of the residential housing market,
fell 4.0 percent to a 795,000-unit pace.
Starts for the volatile multi-family
homes segment soared 57.3 percent to
a 431,000-unit pace.
Permits for future home construction
slipped 0.2 percent to a 1.21 million-
rate last month as approvals for the
multi-family segment fell 9.0 percent.
However, permits for single-family
homes construction rose 4.7 percent.
Long-term US mortgage rates
marked their third week of declines this
week, after snapping a nine-week run
of increases.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said
Thursday the rate on 30-year xed-rate
loans fell to an average 4.09 percent
from 4.12 percent last week. That was
still sharply higher than a 30-year rate
that averaged 3.65 percent for all of
2016, the lowest level recorded from
records going back to 1971. A year
ago, the benchmark rate stood at 3.81
percent.
The average for a 15-year mortgage
declined to 3.34 percent from 3.37 per-
cent last week.
Mortgage rates surged in the
weeks since the election of Donald
Trump in early November. Inves-
tors in Treasury bonds bid yield rates
higher because they believe the pres-
ident-elects plans for tax cuts and
higher spending on roads, bridges
and airports will drive up economic
growth and ination.

BUSINESS
Former Volkswagen boss Martin
Winterkorn said Thursday that
he did not know the beleaguered
German auto giant was engaging
in systematic emissions cheat-
ing until shortly before the scam
broke.
Winterkorn told a parliamenta-
ry committee into the dieselgate
scandal that total clarity was and
is the order of the day, and that
he was still trying to understand
how the scandal could have hap-
ECB keeps stimulus as growth picks up pace
FRANKFURT, Jan 19,
(RTRS): The European
Central Bank kept its su-
per-easy monetary policy
unchanged as expected on
Thursday and its president,
Mario Draghi, told critics of
his stimulus path to be pa-
tient and wait for the euro-
zones recovery to take rm
hold.
With growth slowly picking up pace,
the ECB kept its various rates at next
to nothing or negative and asset buys
at a record pace. It reafrmed that rates
would stay at their current or lower lev-
els for an extended period and that it was
also ready to increase or extend it bond
purchases if the outlook worsens.
The recovery of all of the eurozone is
in the interests of everybody, including
Germany, ECB President Mario Draghi
told a news conference, responding to
criticism, notably from Berlin, of his
stimulus programme.
German savers have beneted not
only as savers but also as borrowers, as
entrepreneurs, as workers, like all the
other citizens of the eurozone. So we
have to be patient. As (the) recovery will
rm up, real rates will go up.
Draghi described the current eurozone
recovery as dampened by the sluggish
pace of structural reform and insisted
a very substantial degree of monetary
For driverless cars, a moral dilemma: Who lives or dies?
NY will win out from Brexit: Khan
PM May vows open Britain as
banks shift jobs from London
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19,
(AFP): Prime Minister Theresa May
on Thursday told the worlds elite
that Britain would be open for busi-
ness despite Brexit, but EU leaders
warned of challenges ahead and
banks said they would have to shift
jobs.
May sought to reassure guests
at the World Economic Forum in
Davos that Brexit did not signal a
retreat into protectionism, as a slew
of banks revealed plans to relocate
staff following her announcement
on Tuesday that Britain would leave
the single market.
The United Kingdom a coun-
try that has so often been at the fore-
front of economic and social change
will step up to a new leadership
role as the strongest and most force-
ful advocate for business, free mar-
kets and free trade anywhere in the
world, the prime minister told a
packed hall.
Freedom
Britain will seek the freedom
to strike new trade deals with old
friends and new allies right around
the world, she added, revealing
her government had already started
discussions on possible deals with
Australia, New Zealand and India.
Brexit was widely interpreted as a
rebellion against globalisation with
voters citing immigration and jobs
lost to low-wage economies as ma-
jor factors in their decision to vote
out.
May admitted that globalisation
can make people fearful and said
that governments needed to be more
involved to make sure it delivered
for all of the people in our respective
countries.
Despite her pitch that Britain was
open for business, several major
banks have announced plans to re-
locate staff from Londons major
nancial hub as the country leaves
the single market.
British Prime Minister Theresa
May delivers a speech on the third
day of the Forums annual meet-
ing, on Jan 19 in Davos. (AFP)
VW ex-boss denies prior knowledge of pollution cheating
pened.
The 69-year-old resigned in
September 2015, days after the
VW group admitted it had in-
stalled software in 11 million die-
sel vehicles worldwide to dupe
emissions tests and make the
cars seem less polluting than
they were.
A fastidious perfectionist with
the nickname Mr Quality, Win-
terkorn had once boasted joking-
ly in an interview: I know every
Inflationary pressures subdued Draghi
Mario Draghi (left), President of the European Central Bank (ECB) arrives
for a press conference following the meeting of the Governing Council in
Frankfurt/Main, Germany on Jan 19. (AFP)
policy stimulus was needed.
The euro fell to a day low of $1.0607
after Draghi said underlying inationary
pressures remained subdued and that,
once the base effect of rising oil prices
had been accounted for, there were still
no real signs of a upward trend.
While Draghi warned that global
risks to the eurozone economy were still
slanted to the downside, he said it was
too early to assess what impact Britains
planned exit from the European Union
and its single market would have.
The recovery still relies heavily on
More prominent judgments reflect minimizing the total harm: expert
JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon
said Thursday there will be more
job movement than we hoped for,
HSBC said staff generating about
20 percent of London revenue may
move to Paris while UBS said it
will denitely have to move some
staff from London.
Goldman Sachs was reported to
be halving its London staff to 3,000
and Lloyds was reported to be con-
sidering Frankfurt as a new base.
JPMorgan chief executive Jamie
Dimon said it looks like there will
be more job movement than the
4,000 the bank had previously esti-
mated.
May insisted that she would seek
an ambitious Free Trade Agree-
ment between the UK and the Euro-
pean Union, but other EU leaders
warned that reaching such a deal
would be a daunting task.
Pierre Moscovici, European
Commissioner for Economic and
Financial Affairs, said Britain can-
not have all the advantages of being
a member of the club when you are
out of the club.
Guy Verhofstadt, the EU parlia-
ment chief negotiator, wrote in the
Guardian on Thursday that the
days of UK cherry-picking ... are
over.
It is an illusion to suggest that
the UK will be permitted to leave
the EU but then be free to opt back
into the best parts of the European
project, he said.
Pain
International Monetary Fund
chief Christine Lagarde reportedly
said there would be a lot of pain
in negotiations and that a nal deal
would not be as good as EU mem-
bership.
The ultimate winners of banks
deserting Brexit-bound London will
not be rival nancial hubs in Europe
but New York and Asia, the British
capitals mayor warned Thursday.
Sadiq Khan spoke to AFP at the
World Economic Forum shortly
after Prime Minister Theresa May
told the meeting in Davos that Brit-
ain would remain open for business,
even as some banks start shifting
jobs from London to Europe.
While May insists that Britain
will abandon the EUs common
market, Khan said she should press
still in Brexit negotiations for privi-
leged access to the trading area and
for London to have the ability to hire
the right talent from abroad.
After meeting Norways prime
minister, Khan said he was tell-
ing European partners in Davos
that so-called hard Brexit may not
benet London or the UK because
rms will leave London, but theres
no guarantee theyre going to go to
Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt or Berlin.
screw in our cars.
But the former chief executive
said he knew nothing of the pol-
lution cheating scam until just be-
fore the scandal broke at the end
of August, a point he reiterated
Thursday.
I cannot understand why I was
not told about the problems with
(emission) measurements clearly
and early, he said, adding that fraud was committed in the sales
he never had the impression
that people felt they could not
ECB stimulus and markets could be-
come more volatile as the Federal Re-
serve gradually raises rates, underscor-
ing diverging policy paths between
Europe and the US.
That said, ination hit a three year
high last month, manufacturing activity
is accelerating and condence indicators
are rming, all pointing to solid growth
at the end of last year.
Indeed, eurozone business growth
was the fastest in more than ve years
in December, order books are surging
on export demand, and consumption is
In this le photo, an autonomous vehicle is driven by an engineer on a street through an industrial park, in Boston.
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology are asking human drivers how theyd handle life-or-death
decisions in hopes of creating better algorithms to guide autonomous vehicles. (AP)
Education systems failing to plug skills shortages: experts
AI threatens new workplace revolution
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19, (AFP):
If your job involves inputting reams of
data for a company, you might want to
think about retraining in a more special-
ised eld. Or as a plumber.
After industrial robots and interna-
tional trade put paid to many manu-
facturing jobs in the West, millions of
white-collar workers could now be un-
der threat from new technology such as
articial intelligence (AI).
The issue of how best to face up to
this Fourth Industrial Revolution has
been exercising politicians and business
leaders this week at the World Econom-
ic Forum in the Swiss Alpine town of
Davos.
The progress of articial intelligence
has been staggering in recent years,
said Vishal Sikka, chief executive of
Indian IT services giant Infosys.
But in many ways we are at the be-
ginning of this evolution and we face
the prospect of leaving a larger part of
humanity behind than in any other (in-
dustrial) advance, he warned.
Public disquiet about technological
change and globalisation has already
sparked a populist backlash in West-
ern countries, culminating in Donald
Trumps inauguration as US president
on Friday.
But much more dislocation could
yet be coming, and both the public and
Western governments need to wake up
to the challenge, observers say.
New technologies are going to com-
pletely disrupt and change the working
place for a long time, and governments
must put in place policies, skills train-
ing and safety nets to cope, Interna-
tional Monetary Fund chief Christine
Lagarde said.
speak openly with me.
German lawmakers are
seeking to establish when the
VW board and the govern-
ment were first informed of the
cheating.
The issue has a particular
bearing in Germany where inves-
tigators have placed Winterkorn
under probe and are examining if
of vehicles with manipulated
emission values. (AFP)
holding up, despite rising energy costs,
all pointing to the sort of resilience not
seen since before the blocs debt crisis.
But the underlying picture is mixed.
Ination is still just half of the banks
2 percent target and the jump is mostly
down to higher oil prices.
The market euphoria after Donald
Trumps surprising US election win is
also yet to be backed up concrete policy
action and the threat of more protection-
ist policies from the United States and
possibly Britain could reverse market
sentiment. The ECB last month agreed
to cut its asset buys by a quarter from
April but extended the 2.3 trillion euro
scheme, known as quantitative easing,
until the end of the year, promising sub-
stantial accommodation and extended
market presence.
The extension threatens to reignite
tensions between the bank and Berlin,
particularly as Germany heads towards
an election in the fall and with Finance
Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble often
pointing the nger at the ECB for prob-
lems. Berlin argues that super cheap
borrowing costs negate pressure on inef-
cient eurozone members to reform but
unduly punish frugal German savers,
who have seen the return on their sav-
ings evaporate.
Indeed, with German ination rates
above the eurozone average and govern-
ment bond yields in negative territory
across much of the yield curve, real rates
are negative for many savers, pushing
some voters towards the rightist Alterna-
tive for Germany party.
Education systems are failing to plug
skills shortages, experts say.
Europe and the United States have
hundreds of thousands of vacancies
in IT and engineering which often get
lled by immigrants, for want of home-
grown talent, feeding in turn the anti-
globalisation backlash.
And according to a survey of 18,000
employers in 43 countries by employ-
ment consultancy ManpowerGroup, up
to 45 percent of tasks done daily in the
workplace could be automated using
current technology.
For its part, global consultancy McK-
insey said more than 60 percent of jobs
and 30 percent of business activities
could be automated today.
Automation
We cant rely on government to
re-skill people in the face of rapid
technological change and automation.
Business will have to drive this, said
McKinseys global managing partner,
Dominic Barton.
Back ofce labour in banking, in-
surance and other nancial services,
which involves clerical work such as
data inputting, is seen as most at risk
from IT automation. But even profes-
sions like medicine and accountancy
could face upheaval as AI evolves to
ever-more sophisticated heights.
A computer using machine intelli-
gence is perfectly equipped to crunch
through the available academic litera-
ture when analysing suspected cancer
in a doctors patient.
But the doctor would still be needed
ultimately to exercise his or her judge-
ment over the best course of treatment,
a pattern of adding specialist value that
needs to be replicated in other profes-
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
Erdogan aide says rate option
on table for Turkey cenbank
ANKARA, Jan 19, (RTRS): Tur-
keys lira weakened on Thursday,
as comments from a senior presi-
dential adviser that an interest rate
increase could be possible were not
enough to arrest a slide in con-
dence that has sent the currency to
a series of record lows.
International investors have bat-
tered the lira this year, sending it
down some 7 percent already in
2017 on top of a double-digit
decline last year. President Tayyip
Erdogan has characterised the sell-
off as an attack on the economy by
outside forces.
Investors say they are worried
by the crackdown that followed a
failed coup in July and unnerved
by Erdogans stance on monetary
policy.
He has declared himself an en-
emy of interest rates, favouring
cheap credit to spur the economy.
The central bank could also use
the rate tool, its also on the table.
The central banks hands are not
tied, Erdogan adviser Cemil Ertem
said in an interview on broadcaster
NTV. His comments briey bol-
stered the currency. However, the
lira later lost steam and was down
sions if they want to stay relevant.
People have managed to adapt to past
shifts as new industries and types of
work emerge. Telephone operators used
to be a ubiquitous feature of daily life.
Now they are extinct, but life goes on
and IT support staff are instead found in
most companies.
Companies such as Uber and Airbnb
are disrupting old business models, cre-
ating new opportunities, albeit ones that
pay less well than the stable industrial
jobs of the past. And people will need
to be more exible, transitioning over
multiple careers during their working
lifetimes, experts predict.
Weve seen this problem before.
The issue is its happening faster and
faster, Mike Gregoire, CEO of US
software company CA Technologies,
told AFP. If we cant gure out a way
between businesses and government to
proactively help that population learn
new skills where they can be produc-
tive, I think youre going to see a very
unstable society, he said. Iagnemma, whose Cambridge-based
For Alain Roumilhac, president of
ManpowerGroup France who started
his working life as a welder, it all
comes down to one word: education.
Certain skill-sets will likely remain
in demand. Its always hard to nd a
good plumber, said the Frenchman.
But even that kind of skilled trade can
nd it useful to take on board elements
of training in science, technology, engi-
neering and mathematics (STEM).
Gregoire said that his home in Green-
wich, Connecticut lies adjacent to a riv-
er and his garden has a maze of pumps
to guard against ooding, all hooked up
to an iPhone app and programmed by
his plumber.
33
Martin Winterkorn, former
CEO of Volkswagen, arrives
as a witness to a session of
the German Bundestag emis-
sions investigation committee
in Berlin, Germany on Jan
19. (AP)
more than 1 percent in late trade at
3.8396.
Market participants say the cen-
tral bank needs aggressive rate in-
creases to put a oor under the lira
and clearly show the markets it is
independent. Erdogan has said the
bank is independent but he is free to
criticise it.
In a report this week, analysts at
UBS said interest rate hikes of at
least 2 percentage points may be
needed to anchor the currency in the
next month or two.
The banks benchmark repo rate
currently sits at 8 percent, while the
overnight lending rate the high-
est of the multiple rates it uses to set
policy is at 8.5 percent.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minis-
ter Mehmet Simsek said the central
bank would do what is necessary
on interest rates.
The central bank has rolled out a
series of measures since last week
culminating in the introduction
of forex swap auctions on Wednes-
day in an effort to support the
currency.
The moves have signicantly re-
duced volatility in the markets, Er-
tem said.
BOSTON, Jan 19, (AP): Imagine youre
behind the wheel when your brakes fail.
As you speed toward a crowded cross-
walk, youre confronted with an impos-
sible choice: veer right and mow down
a large group of elderly people or veer
left into a woman pushing a stroller.
Now imagine youre riding in the
back of a self-driving car. How would
it decide?
Researchers at the Massachusetts In-
stitute of Technology are asking people
worldwide how they think a robot car
should handle such life-or-death deci-
sions. Their ndings so far show peo-
ple prefer a self-driving car to act in the
greater good, sacricing its passenger if
it can save a crowd of pedestrians. They
just dont want to get into that car.
The ndings present a dilemma for
car makers and governments eager to
introduce self-driving vehicles on the
promise that theyll be safer than hu-
man-controlled cars.
Risk
There is a real risk that if we dont
understand those psychological bar-
riers and address them through regu-
lation and public outreach, we may
undermine the entire enterprise, said
Iyad Rahwan, an associate professor at
the MIT Media Lab. People will say
theyre not comfortable with this. It
would stie what I think will be a very
good thing for humanity.
After publishing research last year
surveying US residents, Rahwan and
colleagues at the University of Tou-
louse in France and the University of
California, Irvine, are expanding their
surveys and looking at how responses
vary in different countries.
They also are using a website created
by MIT researchers called the Moral
Machine, which allows people to play
the role of judging who lives or dies. A
jaywalking person or several dogs rid-
ing in the driverless car? A pregnant
woman or a homeless man?
Preliminary, unpublished research
based on millions of responses from
more than 160 countries shows broad
differences between East and West.
More prominent in the United States
and Europe are judgments that reect
minimizing the total harm, Rahwan
said. But to those focused on how the
vehicles act in ordinary situations, the
research scenarios are too unrealistic.
Just 5 miles from the lab in Cam-
bridge, the rst self-driving car to roll
out on Massachusetts public roads be-
gan testing this month in Bostons Sea-
port District.
We approach the problem from a
bit more of a practical, engineering per-
spective, said NuTonomy CEO Karl
company has also piloted self-driving
taxis in Singapore.
Iagnemma said the studys moral di-
lemmas are vanishingly rare. Design-
ing a safe vehicle, not a sophisticated
ethical creature, is the focus of his en-
gineering team as they tweak the soft-
ware that guides their electric Renault
Zoe past Boston snowbanks.
When a driverless car looks out on
the world, its not able to distinguish
the age of a pedestrian or the number
of occupants in a car, Iagnemma said.
Even if we wanted to imbue an auton-
omous vehicle with an ethical engine,
we dont have the technical capability
today to do so.
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

BUSINESS 34

Takata shares dive 17% Name: Kuwait Sharia Bloomberg Todays Todays closing Prev closing % 1-week 3-month YTD 12-month 24-month
Index name ticker value as of value value change change change change change change
Compatible Indices Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Composite AMIC January 19, 2017 180.89 180.15 0.41% 4.60% 21.67% 8.39% 30.96% -5.35%
Takata shares plunged 17 percent Thursday on a report Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Kuwait Only AMIC January 19, 2017 173.06 172.42 0.37% 4.44% 20.29% 8.30% 28.59% -7.29%
that two rival suitors are set to propose bankruptcy re- Providers: Al Madar Finance & Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Active
Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Banking Sector
AMIC
AMIC
January 19, 2017
January 19, 2017 283.91
-
285.40
- #DIV/0!
-0.52%
-100.00%
1.89%
-100.00%
20.43%
-100.00%
6.68%
-100.00%
20.39%
-100.00%
-14.10%
structuring plans for the airbag maker at the centre of the Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Investment Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 65.17 61.02 6.81% 16.30% 58.01% 38.73% 72.17% -13.29%
biggest-ever auto safety recall. Investment Co. Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Insurance Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 18.47 18.26 1.14% 1.67% 36.29% 17.11% 4.20% -38.37%
The stock fell by its maximum daily loss limit to close at 717 Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Real Estate Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 54.54 53.86 1.27% 4.82% 20.89% 11.88% 25.17% -5.65%
yen after trading had been suspended in the morning following Description: Index of Sharia Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Industrial Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 134.61 135.66 -0.78% 5.46% 21.58% 11.06% 21.11% -4.95%
Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Services Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 214.18 212.15 0.96% 6.93% 23.36% 8.49% 36.80% -2.78%
the rescue plan report by Japans Nikkei business newspaper. compatible companies traded on Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Food Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 383.22 382.60 0.16% 0.68% 1.08% 0.81% 37.35% -4.94%
Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Islamic Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 140.68 140.21 0.34% 3.88% 26.23% 9.05% 30.04% -6.42%
Swedens Autoliv, the worlds leading airbag manufacturer, Kuwait Sharia Compatible Index - Non Kuwaiti Sector AMIC January 19, 2017 488.73 483.49 1.08% 7.62% 56.75% 10.23% 102.51% 70.74%
and a consortium led by US autoparts rm Key Safety Sys- the KSE Kuwait Stock Exchange Index - Price KWSEIDX January 19, 2017 6,435.75 6,351.77 1.32% 5.37% 20.94% 11.96% 29.10% -2.83%
tems, are both expected to present competing turnaround pro- S&P 500 SPX January 18, 2017 2,271.89 2,267.89 0.18% -0.15% 6.10% 1.48% 20.76% 7.70%
Website: www.almadar-fi.com DJ Islamic Index. DJIM January 18, 2017 2,968.61 2,968.90 -0.01% -0.04% 1.25% 2.14% 16.80% 4.56%
posals as early as this week, the Nikkei said. (AFP)

Beijing to curb foreign investment by state-owned firms

China says can resolve trade disputes with new US govt

BEIJING, Jan 19, (Agencies): China and
the United States can resolve any trade
disputes through talks, the government
said on Thursday, as a Chinese newspa-
per warned US business could be targets
for retaliation in any trade war ushered in
by President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump, who is sworn into ofce on
Friday, has criticised Chinas trade
practices and threatened to impose pu-
nitive tariffs on Chinese imports.
Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross,
Trumps choice for commerce secre-
tary, voiced sharp criticism of Chinas
trade practices on Wednesday, telling
senators he would seek new ways of
combating them.
Chinese Commerce Ministry spokes-
man Sun Jiwen said the government
was willing to work with the new US
administration to promote the healthy
development of commercial ties.
I believe China and the United
States can resolve any disputes through
dialogue and negotiation and that the
China-US commercial relationship will
not signicantly stray from the path of
mutual benet, Sun told reporters.
Both sides benet with coopera-
tion, and both are hurt with conict,
he added.
But an inuential state-run newspa-
per took a harsher line.
In an editorial, the Global Times said
that as the United States has the strong-
er economy, China may suffer more
once a trade war starts, but China will
take the US on to the end.
There are few cases in modern his-
tory where only one party surrendered
in a trade war; rather, the two parties
ended up compromising with each oth-
er. How could Trumps team believe
China would surrender without any
countermeasures? it said.
The arrogant Trump team has un-
derestimated Chinas ability to retali-
India lenders told to recover loans from tycoon Mallya
NEW DELHI, Jan 19, (AFP): An In-
dian court ordered a consortium of
banks Thursday to start the process of
recovering loans from the tycoon Vijay
Mallya who has refused demands to re-
turn home from exile in Britain.
The Debt Recovery Tribunal ordered
a consortium of 17 banks led by the State
Bank of India to start the process of recov-
ering 62 billion rupees (around $1 billion)
at an annual interest rate of 11.5 percent
from Mallya and his companies, the Press
Trust of India news agency reported.
Among the companies named in
Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on during a gift handover ceremony at the
United Nations European headquarters in Geneva on Jan 18. (AFP)
ate. China is a major buyer of Ameri-
can cotton, wheat, beans and Boeing
aircraft, the paper added in the edito-
rial carried in its Chinese and English-
language editions, without elaborating.
Boeing Cos China ofce declined
to comment. Boeing anticipates China
will need 6,800 new jetliners worth $1
trillion over the next 20 years.
In October, Boeing and Chinese
planemaker Commercial Aircraft Corp
of China Ltd (COMAC) signed an
agreement to open a Boeing 737 com-
pletion facility in the Chinese coastal
city of Zhoushan.
The widely-read Global Times, run
by the ruling Communist Partys ofcial
Peoples Daily, is known for its stridently
nationalist tone, but its editorials cannot
be viewed as representing government
policies or ofcial statements.
In recent weeks, the Global Times
and other state-run Chinese news out-
the ruling were United Breweries
a liquor company which Mallya once
owned and in which he still retains a
small shareholding along with the
now defunct Kingsher Airlines.
The lenders had led a case with the
tribunal in 2013 to recover loans made
to Kingsher Airlines which started
running into nancial difculties in
2011 and eventually went bust.
There was no immediate comment
from Mallya who ed to Britain last
March as pressure grew from the banks
to pay back the loans.
lets have issued several warnings of
possible retaliation if the Trump ad-
ministration carries out threats of tar-
iffs or undermines Beijings claims on
self-ruled Taiwan.
In November, the Global Times
warned that China could switch large
orders from Boeing to Europe, Apple
phones would essentially be crowded
out and US soybeans and corn ban-
ished from China if Trump creates
problems for China on trade.
China is the worlds top producer
and consumer of cotton and top buyer
of grains such as soybeans to feed its
vast livestock industry.
Meanwhile, China said it will ban or
closely monitor overseas investments
by state-owned rms in certain sectors,
the latest move in a government ght
to stem capital ight and what it has
called irrational spending abroad.
The state-assets watchdog, which
He has repeatedly failed to appear
before investigators at the Enforcement
Directorate, a nancial crimes agency,
who suspect him of misusing funds
loaned by a state bank.
Experts say Thursdays ruling may
be too late to enable lenders to recover
anything from Mallya, who was known
for his amboyant lifestyle and styled
himself as the King of Good Times.
The DRT ruling is welcome, but
it has come three years too late, said
Anjali Sharma, a consulting professor
at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Devel-
manages the countrys 102 state-owned
giants, plans to draw up a list of sectors
that will either be off-limits to invest-
ment by SOEs or under strict supervi-
Thailand, Indonesia probe into
sion, according to a government state-
ment Wednesday. alleged Rolls-Royce corruption
The notice by the State-Owned Assets
Supervision and Administration Com- BANGKOK, Jan 19, (AFP): will determine appropriate actions
mission gave no details on what sectors Thailands agship airline on to take on any corruption found,
would be singled out, nor any timing. Thursday said it had launched a the statement added.
But the state-run China Daily report- probe into revelations that Rolls- Sansern Poljiak, secretary
ed Thursday that the list would include Royce paid millions of dollars in general of Thailands anti-cor-
heavily polluting industries or those vul- bribes to win contracts, including ruption watchdog the National
nerable to global commodity price uctu- to airline employees and govern- Anti-Corruption Commission
ations, such as business related to energy, ment ofcials. told AFP that his staff were
mining, real estate and the oil sector. On the same day, Indonesias an- seeking more information
It quoted the commissions vice- ti-corruption agency named the for- from UK and US authorities be-
chairwoman Huang Danhua as saying mer CEO of the countrys ag car- fore deciding whether to launch
the government would, however, seek rier Garuda a suspect for allegedly their own probe.
to encourage SOE overseas investment receiving bribes from Rolls-Royce He warned that some of the
in sectors including high-speed rail, while he was head of the airline. allegations unveiled by British
roads, telecommunications, and nu- The investigations come after investigators may have occurred
clear power. the renowned British engine-mak- too long ago to bring criminal
Overseas direct investment surged 44 er agreed to pay a $808 million charges, although civil compen-
percent to 1.13 trillion yuan (now $165 ne to authorities in Britain, the sation claims could still be made.
billion) in 2016, surpassing inward in- United States and Brazil to settle The public data released by the
vestment of 813.2 billion yuan, according bribery and corruption claims. British courts does not name im-
to the government, as Chinese companies After its largest ever graft plicated individuals.
went on a worldwide spending spree probe, Britains Serious Fraud But millions went to some-
across a range of sectors. Office (SFO) found Rolls one dubbed Intermediary 3
In one of the largest moves, Royce paid massive bribes who passed success fee money
ChemChina made a $43 billion bid over three decades to win con- around to Thai Airways staff and
for Swiss seed giant Syngenta that is tracts in Indonesia, Thailand, government ofcials.
awaiting approval by EU regulators. India, Russia, Nigeria, China The corruption claims cover a
The tide of outgoing investment and Malaysia. period when Thailand saw signi-
has alarmed authorities, who are grap- A British judge this week said cant economic and aviation sector
pling with slowing domestic economic the investigation revealed the growth and was mostly gov-
growth, capital ight, and the weaken- most serious breaches of the crim- erned by civilian governments.
ing yuan, which is close to eight-year inal law in the areas of bribery Thai Airways has long had a
lows against the dollar. and corruption prompting Rolls close relationship with the coun-
Chinese authorities have responded Royce, which cooperated with the trys powerful military, police and
by urging domestic companies to avoid probe, to apologise. government elites. Its board rou-
irrational overseas investments and But the ndings concern- tinely contains senior police and
tightening screening of such plans ing the engine maker Rolls- military ofcers.
while also announcing a number of Royce, which has no connection In Indonesia, the countrys
measures aimed at attracting more for- with Rolls-Royce cars, a marque Corruption Eradication Commis-
eign investment into China. owned by the Germany auto sion announced Thursday that
maker BMW will likely make ex-Garuda CEO Emirsyah Satar
for uncomfortable reading in the had been named a suspect for al-
countries where bribes were paid.
In Thailand investigators found
some $36 million in bribes and in-
legedly receiving kickbacks from
Rolls-Royce in exchange for buy-
ing planes tted with the compa-
opment Research in Mumbai. centives were paid between 1991 nys engines.
Perhaps in 2013, when the case was and 2005 to intermediaries in- Satar is accused of accepting
led, there was some value recoverable cluding agents of the State of 1.2 million euros and $180,000
in the company ... but now is there any- Thailand and employees of Thai in cash, as well as goods with a
thing left to recover for lendors? Airways to help the company value of $2 million while he was
Leased assets like planes have no win lucrative jet engine deals. head of the airline from 2005 to
value, the management has gone, there A Thai Airways statement 2014, according to the agency.
is no value to Vijay Mallyas promises. said the company will gather The agency said the corruption
I wouldnt place any bets on recovery. information from all the sources was alleged to have taken place in
Mallya, who remains a part-owner in order to investigate the matter Indonesia and Singapore, and it
of the Force India Formula One team, thoroughly. was working with Britains SFO
has come to personify Indias problems When all facts have been com- and Singapores anti-corruption
with bad debt that are piling up on the piled and reviewed the airline authorities.
balance sheets of banks.

investment funds
Funds Fund ManagerNet Asset Prev NAV Valuation
Prev NAV Dated Valued date Currency Funds Fund Manager Valuation
Net Asset Prev NAV Valued date
Prev NAV Dated Currency
Value (NAV) Value (NAV)

National Bank of Kuwait FORSA Financial Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.890 0.835 Oct 31, 2016
Real Estate Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Oct 31, 2016 KD 1.438 1.438 Sept 30, 2016
Money Market FundsWatani KD Money Market Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 KD 1.408 1.407 Sept 27, 2016 Markaz Fixed Income Fund Kuwait Financial Center Monthly Dec 31, 2016 USD 8.880 11.370 Nov 24, 2016
Watani KD Money Market Fund II NBK Capital Weekly Nov 29, 2016 KD 1.021 1.020 Nov 22, 2016 Mawazeen International Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 31, 2016 USD 10.180 8.890 Nov 27, 2016
Watani KD Money Market Fund (Islamic) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 KD 1.184 1.184 Sept 27, 2016 Markaz MENA Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Nov 15, 2016 USD 10.050 9.920 Oct 31, 2016
Watani Foreign Currency Money Mkt Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 USD 1.314 1.314 Sept 27, 2016
Watani Foreign Currency Money Mkt Fund (Euro) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 Euro 1.246 1.246 Sept 27, 2016
Watani USD Money Market Fund (Acc Kuwait & Middle East Financial & Inv. Co.
to Islamic Shariah principles) NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 USD 1.102 1.101 Sept 27, 2016 Al Rouyah Fund KMEFIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 1.290 1.262 Nov 30, 2016
Watani USD Money Market Fund (Acc Gulf Gate Fund KMEFIC Monthly Oct 31, 2016 KD 0.944 0.918 Sept 30, 2016
to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Oct 4, 2016 USD 10.041 10.041 Sept 27, 2016
Watani USD Money Market Fund NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Nov 22, 2016 USD 10.160 10.160 Oct 18, 2016 Global Investment House
Watani KD Money Market Fund (Acc Index Funds GCC Large Cap Index Fund Global Weekly Jan 12, 2017 KD 1.108 1.078 Dec 29, 2016
to Islamic Shariah principles) II NBK Global Asset Management Co. Ltd. Weekly Nov 22, 2016 KD 1.019 1.018 Oct 18, 2016 Equity Funds Al-Mamoun Fund A Global Weekly Jan 12, 2017 KD 0.602 0.581 Dec 29, 2016
Equity Funds NBK Gulf Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Oct 13, 2016 USD 1.193 1.189 Oct 6, 2016 Al-Mamoun Fund B Global Weekly Jan 12, 2017 KD 0.602 0.581 Dec 29, 2016
NBK Kuwait Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Nov 17, 2016 KD 0.604 0.566 Oct 16, 2016 GCC Large Cap Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 10, 2017 USD 143.260 143.430 Dec 27, 2016
NBK Qatar Equity Fund NBK Capital Weekly Oct 13, 2016 USD 1.641 1.636 Oct 6, 2016 Al-Noor Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 10, 2017 SAR 198.080 201.250 Dec 27, 2016
Gulf Equity Investment Fund NBK Capital Weekly April 7, 2016 USD 9.995 Global Saudi Equity Fund Global Bi-weekly Jan 10, 2017 SAR 204.270 209.340 Dec 27, 2016
Ijara Fund Thahabi Ijara Fund VI Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly April 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 Feb 29, 2016 Money Market Funds Global Money Market Fund Global Weekly Nov 20, 2016 USD 1.160
Thahabi Ijara Fund VII Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly April 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 Feb 29, 2016 Sectoral Funds EPADI Fund Global Weekly Jan 10, 2017 USD 104.430 105.760 Dec 27, 2016
Islamic KD Ijara Fund II Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD 10.000 10.000 March 31, 2016 Islamic Funds Global GCC Islamic Fund Global Weekly Jan 10, 2017 USD 97.230 96.940 Dec 27, 2016
Islamic KD Ijara Fund III Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD 10.000 10.000 Feb 29, 2016 Al-Durra Islamic Fund Global Monthly Jan 12, 2017 KD 1.146 1.118 Dec 29, 2016
Islamic KD Ijara Fund IV Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 KD 10.000 10.000 March 31, 2016
Islamic KD Ijara Fund V Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly May 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 March 31, 2016
Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund I Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 April 30, 2016 Kuwait Finance & Investment Co (KFIC)
Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund II Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 April 30, 2016 Al Wasm Fund KFIC Weekly Jan 4, 2017 KD 0.380 0.370 Dec 21, 2016
Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund III Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 Al Bashaer GCC Equity Fund KFIC Monthly Nov 30, 2016 USD 6.260 6.160 Sept 30, 2016
Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund IV Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016
Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund V Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 KAMCO
Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund VI Wafra Capital Partners L.P Cayman Islands Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 KAMCO Investment Fund KAMCO Monthly Nov 30, 2016 KD 0.889 0.857 Oct 30, 2016
Islamic Equipment Leasing Fund I Ltd Wafra Capital Partners L.P. Cayman Islands Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 10.000 10.000 May 31, 2016 KAMCO GCC Opportunities Fund KAMCO Monthly July 31, 2016 USD 115.890 114.380 Feb 29, 2016
Multi Asset Funds Thahabi Multi Asset Fund Con Portfolio Frontier Capital Management (Jersey) Ltd Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 96.164 95.710 April 30, 2016 KAMCO MENA Plus Fixed Income Fund KAMCO Dec 31, 2016 USD 10.260 10.250 Nov 30, 2016
Thahabi Multi Asset Fund Mo Portfolio Frontier Capital Management (Jersey) Ltd Monthly June 30, 2016 USD 88.490 87.790 April 30, 2016 KAMCO Real Estate Yield Fund KAMCO Nov 30, 2016 USD 10.220 10.180 Oct 30, 2016
Kuwait Education Fund KAMCO Quartely Sept 30, 2016 KD 1.457
Gulf Bank
Al Bashaer GCC Equity Fund Kwt. Fin. & Inv. Co. & Gulf Fin. House Monthly Nov 30, 2016 USD 6.626 6.206 Oct 30, 2016 Wafra International Investment Co.
Coast Fund Coast Investment & Dev. Co. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 KD 0.615 0.606 Nov 30, 2016 Wafra Equity Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Nov 30, 2016 KD 0.764 0.747 Oct 31, 2016
Sanaya Dow Jones Kuwait Index Fund Industrial & Financial Investment Co. Weekly Dec 29, 2016 KD 0.561 0.563 Nov 24, 2016 Wafra Bond Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 KD 1.029 1.025 Nov 30, 2016
Markaz Capital Preservation Program 1 Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.917 0.916 Nov 30, 2016 Masaref Investment Fund ISKAN Weekly Dec 30, 2016 KD 0.796 0.762 Nov 30, 2016
Markaz Capital Preservation Program 2 Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.940 0.938 Nov 30, 2016 Fajir Islamic Fund Wafra Co. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 KD 0.608 0.577 Nov 30, 2016
Markaz Gulf Real Estate Fund Bi-annual Dec 31, 2016 KD 1.420 1.421 Nov 30, 2016
Shuaa Capital Co.
Al Ahli Bank Emirates Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Jan 10, 2017 AED 15.170 14.920 Jan 3, 2017
Al Ahli Gulf Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.890 0.875 Nov 30, 2016 The Arab Gateway Fund Shuaa Capital Weekly Jan 3, 2017 USD 29.040 28.710 Dec 13, 2016
Al Ahli Kuwaiti Fund Al Ahli Bank Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.760 0.750 Nov 30, 2016

Al Aman Investment
Burgan Bank Al Aman Islamic Fund Al Aman Investment Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.342 0.322 Nov 1, 2016
Burgan Equity Fund Burgan Bank Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 1.698 1.627 Nov 27, 2016

Tharwa Investment Co.

Boubyan Bank Tharwa Investment Fund Tharwa Investment Co Weekly Nov 10, 2016 KD 1.356 1.361 Oct 31, 2016
Boubyan KD Money Market Fund Boubyan Bank Weekly Dec 27, 2016 KD 1.060 1.059 Nov 29, 2016 Tharwa Arab Investment Fund Tharwa Investment Co Bi-weekly July 31, 2016 USD 1.977 2.251 June 30, 2016
Boubyan KD Money Market Fund II Boubyan Bank Weekly Dec 27, 2016 KD 1.004 1.003 Nov 29, 2016 Tharwa World Fund Tharwa Investment Co Monthly March 31, 2016 USD 1.024 0.986 March 15, 2016
Tharwa Islamic Fund Tharwa Investment Co Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.590 0.576 Nov 10, 2016

Boubyan Capital Investment Co.
Boubyan USD Liquidity Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co Dec 27, 2016 USD 10.170 10.000 Nov 29, 2016 Bank Al-Bilad
Boubyan Kuwait Real Estate Fund Boubyan Capital Investment Co Dec 31, 2016 KD 1.020 1.020 Sept 30, 2015 Al Seef Fund Bank Al-Bilad Daily Jan 15, 2017 KD 0.389 0.370 Jan 1, 2017

Kuwait Investment Co. Commercial International Bank
Local Fund Al Raed Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Jan 12, 2017 KD 0.941 0.923 Jan 5, 2017 CIB Money Market Fund (Osoul) CI Asset Management Weekly Jan 17, 2017 EGP 279.130 278.970 Jan 15, 2017
Kuwait Investment Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 30, 2016 KD 0.629 0.607 Nov 30, 2016 CIB II Equity (Isthethmar) CI Asset Management Weekly Jan 17, 2017 EGP 141.000 137.950 Jan 15, 2017
Al Hilal Fund Kuwait Investment Co Monthly Jan 9, 2017 KD 0.542 0.542 Dec 31, 2016 CIB and Faisal Islamic Al Aman CI Asset Management Weekly Jan 17, 2017 EGP 83.260 79.070 Jan 11, 2017
Al Atheer Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD 1.098 1.076 Nov 30, 2016 Hemaya CI Asset Management Weekly Jan 2, 2017 EGP 166.690 163.750 Dec 1, 2016
International Global Bond Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 28, 2016 USD 23.770 23.760 Dec 21, 2016 Thabat CI Asset Management Weekly Jan 17, 2017 EGP 164.430 164.330 Jan 15, 2017
Diversified Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Jan 11, 2017 USD 17.780 17.710 Jan 4, 2017 Takamol CI Asset Management Weekly Jan 17, 2017 EGP 136.690 136.200 Jan 15, 2017
European Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Dec 30, 2016 Euro 19.820 19.120 Nov 30, 2016 Misr El Mostakbel CI Asset Management Weekly Jan 15, 2017 EGP 25.470 24.920 Jan 11, 2017
Pacific Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Weekly Jan 11, 2017 USD 27.810 27.410 Jan 4, 2017
North American Equity Fund Kuwait Investment Co Tw. Monthly Dec 30, 2016 USD 17.150 17.120 Nov 30, 2016

Noor Financial Investment Co.

Noor Islamic Fund Noor Financial Investment Co Monthly Feb 29, 2016 KD 0.613 0.645 Dec 31, 2015
National Investment Co. (NIC)
Al-Wataniya Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.560 0.547 Nov 30, 2016
Al-Darij Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.340 0.334 Nov 30, 2016
Al Zumorroda Investment Co.
Zumorroda GCC Fund Al Zumorroda Investment Co Monthly Jan 31, 2016 KD 0.481 0.543 Dec 31, 2015
Mawarid Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.520 0.528 Nov 30, 2016

Zajil Fund NIC Monthly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.730 0.729 Nov 30, 2016
Al Mada Investment Fund NIC Weekly Dec 31, 2016 USD 0.760 0.726 Nov 30, 2016 KFH Capital Investment Co.
Muthanna Islamic Index Fund (MUDX) KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.322 0.306 Nov 30, 2016
Muthanna GCC Islamic Banks Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Daily Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.644 0.620 Nov 30, 2016
Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) Baitak GCC Fund KFH Capital Investment Company Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD 0.883 0.869 Nov 30, 2016
Mumtaz Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Nov 24, 2016 KD 3.662 3.688 Nov 17, 2016

MIDAF Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD 2.850 2.747 Nov 24, 2016
Islamic Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Dec 31, 2016 KD 1.440 1.384 Nov 24, 2016 CapCorp Investment Co.
Markaz Arabian Fund Kuwait Financial Center Weekly Nov 10, 2016 KD 2.990 2.920 Nov 3, 2016 CapCorp Local Fund CapCorp Investment Company Weekly Dec 29, 2016 KD 0.801 0.713 Sept 29, 2016

BUSINESS
Saudi Telecom Co (STC) re-
ported a rebound in fourth-quar-
ter prot on Thursday while the
countrys second largest mobile
telephone operator Etihad Etis-
alat (Mobily) swung to a loss.
Market leader Saudi Telecom
reported a 10.3 percent increase
in net prot, it said in a bourse
statement, its rst rise in 10 quar-
ters.
STC, which owns stakes in
operators in the Gulf, Turkey
Kuwait winds up week
with 83.98 pts upswing
Zain gains 10 fils; KIPCO flat
By John Mathews
Arab Times Staff
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19 :
Kuwait stocks headed fur-
ther north on Thursday
to wind up the week on a
robust note. The price in-
dex rallied 83.98 points to
6,433.75 points driven by
mid and small caps even as
the blue chips closed mixed.
The KSX 15 benchmark slipped
4.66 pts to 944.85 points trim-
ming the months gains to 60 pts
while weighted index edged 0.36
pt higher. The volume turnover
meanwhile fell slightly after hit-
ting fresh multi-year high in the
last session. 821.5 million shares
changed hands a 2 pct drop
from the day before.
The sectors closed mostly in the
green turf. Oil and gas outpaced the rest
with a 3.25 pct rally whereas technology
shed 1 pct, the biggest loser of the day.
In terms of volume, nancial services
clocked the highest market share of 36
percent while real estate was close be-
hind with 35.65 percent contribution.
In the individual shares, Kuwait Fi-
nance House fell 10 ls to 580 ls after
trading 4.8 million shares while KIPCO
was unchanged at 520 ls off early
highs. Mabanee Co climbed 10 ls part-
ly recouping Wednesdays losses.
Zain rose 10 ls to 470 ls on back
of over 8 million shares and Wataniya
Telecom (Ooredoo) stood pat at KD
1.180. Kuwait Telecommunications Co
(VIVA) was at at KD 0.900 and logis-
tics major Agility followed suit.
National Bank of Kuwait dipped 10
ls to 690 ls and Gulf Bank of Kuwait
gave up 5 ls. The bank has recorded a
net prot of KD 32.80 million and earn-
ings per share of 11 ls in the Jan-Sept
period.
The market opened rm and pulled
higher in early trade. The main index
traded sideways for over an hour before
climbing further amid renewed buying
interest in select counters. It peaked at
6,437.68 points and managed to hold the
level till close.
Mideast Stocks
Saudi buoyed by Q4 earnings
Egypt tumbles on stamp duty worry
DUBAI, Jan 19, (RTRS): Egypts
blue-chip stock index tumbled on
Thursday after Reuters reported that
authorities were considering temporar-
ily reintroducing a stamp duty on stock
market transactions, while Saudi Ara-
bia was supported by quarterly corpo-
rate earnings.
The dropped 3.7 percent, its largest
single-day decline since June 2016.
Local traders were heavy net sellers
after a Finance Ministry source, speak-
ing on condition of anonymity, said:
We are studying temporarily re-
imposing a stamp duty on stock mar-
ket transactions pending the return to a
capital gains tax, which has been post-
poned since May 2015.
Mohammad El Nabarwy, chief in-
vestment ofcer of Cairo-based HC
Securities & Investment, said inves-
tors had priced in an expected three-
year delay in the launch of a capital
gains tax, so the market entered panic
mode.
Wak Dawood, portfolio manager
at Compass Capital, said however that
the market had overreacted. The index
had soared 56 percent since the Egyp-
tian pound was oated on Nov 3, leav-
ing it ripe for prot-taking.
The market needed a breather and
with the strong retail participation, any
dip in the market could turn into a sell-
off.
Six shares in the index slumped their
10 percent daily limits, including Ezz
Steel.
The Riyadh index edged up 0.3 per-
cent but trading volume dropped to its
lowest in 12 weeks.
The largest lender by assets, Na-
tional Commercial Bank, jumped 3.9
percent after posting a 7.5 percent rise
in net prot in the three months to Dec
31 to 2.29 billion riyals ($611 million).
The bottom-line was boosted by higher
income from commissions and invest-
ments.
That was slightly ahead of esti-
mates; analysts at Alistithmar Capital
and SICO Capital had given forecasts
for NCBs fourth-quarter net prot of
2.0 billion riyals and 2.09 billion riyals
respectively.
Al Rajhi Bank rose 0.4 percent after
Saudi Telecom Q4 profit rebounds
and Asia, made 2.15 billion riyals
($573.46 million) in the three
months to Dec 31, up from 1.95
billion a year earlier, as costs de-
clined.
The earnings gure was in
line with the average forecast
of six analysts polled by Reu-
ters.
Earlier, STC said it would pay
a quarterly dividend of 1 riyal per
share, in line with its three-year
policy that started in the fourth
Top gainer of the day, FutureKid
vaulted 9.4 pct to 116 ls and Ithmar
Bank rallied 9 pct to stand next. Kuwait
Cable Vision Co dived 10 percent, the
steepest decliner of the day and Abyaar
Real Estate Co topped the volume with
87 million shares.
Mirroring the days gains, the market
spread was heavily skewed towards the
winners. 89 stocks advanced whereas
30 closed lower. Of the 154 counters ac-
tive on Thursday, 35 closed at. 12,832
deals worth KD 62.9 million were trans-
acted a 3.5 pct fall in value from the
day before.
National Industries Group was un-
changed at 142 ls while Gulf Cable
climbed 10 ls. Kuwait Cement Co fell
10 ls to 440 ls and Kuwait Portland
Cement Co held ground at KD 0.980.
Metal Recycling Co stalled at 64 ls.
Jazeera Airways rose 10 ls to 680
ls whereas ALAFCO dropped 4 ls.
Heavy Engineering Industries and Ship-
building Co gained 6 ls while Con-
tracting and Marines Services Co gained
10 ls.
Climbed
NAPESCO climbed 10 ls to 870 ls
while Humansoft Holding Co stood pat
at KD 2.980. Combined Group Con-
tracting Co slid 30 ls to 520 ls while
AWJ Holding and Yiaco Medical Co
added 5 ls each.
Kuwait Food Co (Americana) was
unchanged at KD 2.620 and RISCO
fell 5 ls to 305 ls. The company has
posted a net prot of KD 4.64 million
and earnings per share of 47.37 ls in
the nine-month period ending Sept 30,
2016.
ACICO Industries Co gained 10 ls
and Shuaiba Industrial Co closed at at
300 ls. The company has recorded a
net prot of KD 1.66 million and earn-
ings per share of 20.94 ls in 2016, 9M.
Kuwait Foundry Co dropped 6 ls
to 230 ls and Al Rai Media Group
clipped 2 ls. Kuwait and Gulf Link
Transport Co inched 1 l into red and
KGL Logistics Co followed suit. Equip-
ment Holding Co added 3 ls.
Zimah Holding Co took in 2 ls
whereas Mezzan Holding shed 20 ls.
Automated Systems Co paused at 244
ls and Al Qurain Petrochemical Co
was down 5 ls at 270 ls.
In the banking sector, Al Ahli Bank
the kingdoms second-largest lender
reported a 5 percent rise in fourth-
quarter net prot, meeting analysts
forecasts as nancing, investment and
other income increased.
Shares in NCB are trading at a small
discount to analysts average fair value
estimate while Al Rajhi is trading at a
premium, according to Reuters data.
Saudi Basic Industries slipped 0.3
percent to 93.00 riyals. The largest pet-
rochemical maker reported a 47.7 per-
cent jump in fourth-quarter net prot
but that was at the lower end of fore-
casts. SABIC said lower average oper-
ating and other non-core costs were the
main reason for the rise in prot.
But PetroRabigh surged its 10 per-
cent daily limit after it swung to a net
prot of 183 million riyals in the fourth
quarter from a loss of 1.01 billion ri-
yals a year earlier, citing relatively sta-
ble operations and the positive impact
on inventory valuations of feedstock
price increases.
Sahara Petrochemical jumped 5.1
percent after swinging to a net prot in
the fourth quarter of 160 million riyals,
its highest quarterly prot since the
second quarter of 2014. It cited higher
sales volumes, product prices and in-
come from associates.
With most of the petrochemical sec-
tor having reported quarterly results,
earnings grew by roughly 5 to 10 per-
cent, said Santhosh Balakrishnan, se-
nior analyst at Riyad Capital.
Among telecommunications rms,
Zain Saudi climbed 2.5 percent after
reporting a narrower fourth-quarter
loss, marginally beating estimates as
revenue increased. But Mobily fell 0.7
percent after it swung to a loss, though
it beat estimates.
On Mobily, analysts at NCB Capi-
tal said: Sales weakness is a concern
while the companys ability to control
operating expenses is a key strength.
Mouwasat Medical Services fell 2.1
percent despite posting a 34.2 percent
rise in fourth-quarter net prot to 72.2
million riyals, ahead of analysts aver-
age forecast of 59.4 million riyals.
Builder Abdullah Abdul Mohsin Al-
Khodari Sons Co rose 2.9 percent after
making a fourth-quarter loss of 32.14
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
35
quarter of 2015.
Meanwhile, Mobily, an afliate
of the United Arab Emirates Eti-
salat, said pressure on revenue
from implementing a government
initiative to register ngerprints
with phone numbers ultimately
weighed on prot.
Mobily made a loss of 70.7
million riyals but beat estimates.
The average forecast of six ana-
lysts was for a net loss of 106
million riyals. (RTRS)
rose 5 ls to 325 ls and Commercial
Bank of Kuwait was unchanged at 420
ls. Ahli United Bank was up 10 ls at
430 ls. Burgan Bank slipped 5 ls to
320 ls and Kuwait International Bank
gained 6 ls. Boubyan Bank was un-
changed at 410 ls and Warba Bank di-
aled up 2 ls to settle at 246 ls.
Kuwait Investment Co climbed 5 ls
to 97 ls while Commercial Facilities
Co and National Investment Co took in
2 ls each. Securities House Co added
3 ls and Coast Investment Co inched
1 l higher. Al Mal Investment closed
at at 26.5 ls.
KAMCO rose 1 l to 91 ls whereas
Al Aman and Alola were up 5 ls each
to close at 26.5 ls and 63 ls respec-
tively. Osoul Investment Co dialed up 2
ls and Al Deera Holding followed suit.
Unicap paused at 57 ls.
Tamdeen Investment Co and Al
Madina added 5 ls each while Sok-
ouk Holding Co gained 4.5 ls. Ahleia
Insurance Co slipped 5 ls and Warba
Insurance Co took in 2 ls. KFIC edged
1.5 ls higher.
National Real Estate Co gave up 4 ls
after trading 11.7 million shares while
Salhiya Real Estate Co and United Real
Estate Co stood pat at 360 ls and 108
ls respectively.
The market was bullish during the
week. The price index closed higher in
all the ve sessions and rallied 328 pts
week-on-week. It has soared 687 points
from start of the month after gaining
2.37 pct during whole of 2016. KSE,
with 208 listed companies, is the second
largest bourse in the region.
In the bourse related news, Shuaiba
Industrial Co has recorded a net prot
of KD 1.66 million and earnings per
share of 20.94 ls in 2016, 9M up from
net prot of KD 1.33 mln and earnings
per share of 16.83 ls in same period of
2015.
Aqar Real Estate Investments Co. has
registered a net prot of KD 923,223
and earnings per share of 4.34 ls in the
January-September period down from
net prot of KD 1.72 million and EPS of
7.63 ls in the 9M of 2015.
Jeeran Holding Co has logged a net
prot of KD 431,750 and earnings per
share of 3.17 ls in the rst nine-month
of 2016 up sharply from net prot of KD
177,518 and earnings per share of 1.30
ls in the 9M of 2015.
million riyals compared with a loss of
1.04 million riyals in the year-earlier
period. EFG Hermes had forecast a
net loss of 42.84 million riyals. Kho-
dari said contract awards in the fourth
quarter rose.
Kuwaits index, which is usually
thinly traded, continued to gain and
added 1.3 percent in the heaviest daily
volume since 2013. The index is up
11.8 percent since Jan 1, outperform-
ing other regional and most emerging
markets. Telecommunications opera-
tor Zain climbed 2.2 percent on Thurs-
day.
EGF Hermes said in a note the rea-
sons for the strong volumes were un-
clear but it believed weaker real estate
prices were pushing money into other
assets, and local brokers reported high
participation among local investors.
Also, foreign investors were signi-
cantly underweight, and were probably
trying to catch up.
Saudi Arabia
The index added 0.3 percent to
6,876 points.
Dubai
The index edged down 0.1 percent
to 3,690 points.
Abu Dhabi
The index rose 0.2 percent to 4,705
points.
Qatar
The index added 0.6 percent to
10,941 points.
Egypt
The index slumped 3.7 percent to
12,807 points.
Kuwait
The index climbed 1.3 percent to
6,436 points.
Oman
The index rose 0.2 percent to 5,734
points.
Bahrain
The index rose 0.5 percent to 1,240
points.
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

BUSINESS 36

Toshiba dives on fears of huge loss at nuclear unit
Toshiba shares went into free-
fall Thursday, with the embattled
stock down by nearly half since
late December on concerns
about huge losses at its nuclear
power business in the United
States.
The Tokyo-listed shares dived
16 percent to end the day at 242.3
yen after Japanese media said
the vast conglomerate could book
losses of as much as 700 billion
yen ($6.1 billion) in the US unit.
Credit Suisse to pay $5.3b to settle claims
The stock fell as much as 26 known rms, said exact gures Credit Suisse is paying $5.3 bil- Some Credit Suisse employ- billion ne plus $2.8 billion for
percent earlier in the day, its big- were not nalised. lion to settle claims that it misled ees referred to the mortgages relief to struggling homeowners,
gest intraday decline in more We are still discussing how to investors about the quality of as bad loans and complete borrowers or communities.
than four decades, according to deal with this issue, and no con- mortgage-backed securities that garbage, according to the Jus- In a statement, Credit Sui-
Bloomberg. crete decisions have been made, it sold in the lead-up to the 2008 tice Department. sse said Wednesday that it is
The eye-popping loss would it said in a statement Thursday. nancial crisis. Todays settlement under- pleased to put the matter behind
force the company, which has Toshiba has fallen more than 45 In the agreement with the scores that the Department of it.
been struggling to move past percent since the company, which Department of Justice, the Justice will hold accountable the Its the latest bank to settle
an embarrassing accounting makes everything from nuclear Swiss bank acknowledged that institutions responsible for the with authorities for dealings in
scandal, to seek support from a reactors to laptops, warned in late it knew the mortgages it pack- nancial crisis of 2008, said At- mortgage-backed securities,
government-backed lender, the December of a possible one-time aged and then sold as securi- torney General Loretta Lynch, in complex investments that were
Nikkei newspaper said. loss on its US nuclear business. ties did not meet underwriting a statement Wednesday. one of the causes of the global
Toshiba, one of Japans best- (AFP) standards. Credit Suisse will pay a $2.5 nancial crisis in 2008. (AFP)

bottomline
the

DUBAI: Dar Al Arkan, one of Saudi months ended Dec 31. The occupancy
Wall Street slips; dollar, bond
Arabias largest property developers, rate was 98 percent with a lease length of

yields rise on strong US data

reported a 23.4 percent fall in fourth-quar-
ter net profit on Thursday.
Net profit of 37.3 million riyals ($9.8
million) in the three months ending Dec
31, versus 48.7 million riyals a year earli-
er.
Quarterly revenue 1.8 billion riyals
versus 2.2 billion riyals in the correspond-
ing period of 2015.
Income fell due to lower property sales
revenue and higher operating expenses,
Dar Al Arkan said. (RTRS)
closing share price Wednesday. If it gets
DUBAI: Saudi Arabian retailer Fawaz
Abdulaziz Alhokair Co reported a 56
percent fall in third-quarter net profit on
Thursday due to a seasonal decline in rev-
enue.
The company made a net profit of 40.49
million riyals ($10.80 million) in the three
months to Dec 31, down from 91.2 mil-
lion riyals in the year-earlier period,
according to a bourse filing. Alhokairs
financial year starts on April 1.
EFG Hermes had forecast the company
would make a quarterly profit of 61.2 mln
riyals during the quarter. NCB Capital
had forecast a profit of 37.0 mln riyals.
Alhokair, which owns franchise rights
for brands including Mango, Zara and
Banana Republic in the Middle East, also
said additional markdowns made during
the sales season to make up for softening
demand drove down income. (RTRS)
DUBAI: Saudi Arabian construction firm
Abdullah Abdul Mohsin al-Khodari
and Sons reported a widening fourth-
quarter net loss on Thursday.
Loss of 32.14 million riyals ($8.6 mil-
lion) in three months to Dec 31, compared
to loss of 1.04 million riyals in the year-
earlier period, according to a bourse state-
ment.
EFG Hermes had forecast a net loss of
42.84 million riyals.
Revenue plunged 48 percent to 201.07
million riyals, mainly because of slow
progress with current projects and a
decline in new project awards amid an
extended slowdown in the construction
sector.
Contract awards in fourth quarter were
worth 65.5 million riyals, up from 11.9
million riyals a year ago. (RTRS)
OMAHA: Union Pacific Corp (UNP) on
Thursday reported fourth-quarter profit of
$1.14 billion.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based company
said it had profit of $1.39 per share.
The results surpassed Wall Street
expectations. The average estimate of 12
analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment
Research was for earnings of $1.34 per
share.
The railroad posted revenue of $5.17
billion in the period, also beating Street
forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by
Zacks expected $5.14 billion.
Union Pacific shares have climbed
slightly since the beginning of the year,
while the Standard & Poors 500 index
has risen 1.5 percent. The stock has
increased 40 percent in the last 12
months. (AP)
icantly, Ahold Delhaize said. (AFP)
LONDON: Property developer British
Land Co Plc reported only a slight
decline in occupancy rate in the third
quarter, adding to signs that property
demand from companies continues to
hold up ahead of Britains exit from the
European Union.
Britains second-largest publicly listed
property developer reported an occupancy
rate of 97 percent with a weighted aver-
age lease length of 8 years in the three
9 years during the first half. (RTRS)
PARIS: Aircraft-engine company Safran
has agreed to buy seat and cabin manu-
facturer Zodiac Aerospace in a deal
worth 8.5 billion euros ($9.1 billion).
The companies, both based in or
around Paris, announced Thursday the
creation of a new global leader in aero-
space.
Safran will offer 29.47 euros per share,
which is 26.4 percent above Zodiacs
rose against the euro on
more than 50 percent of the share capital,
it will then merge the rest of the shares on
the basis of 0.485 Safran shares for one
Zodiac share.
Safran shareholders will also receive a
special dividend of 5.5 euros per share.
(AP)
nomic data.
PARIS: Frances Total is preparing to
drill for gas off Cyprus, close to ENIs
huge Zohr discovery off the Egyptian
coast which in 2015 renewed interest
among oil majors for exploration in the
Mediterranean.
Cyprus awarded ENI, Total and
ExxonMobil exploration licences near the
Zohr field in December, while neighbour-
ing Lebanon plans to restart its delayed
oil and gas licensing round in the region.
(RTRS)
tion of President-elect Donald Trump
MOSCOW: Russias energy giant
Gazprom returned to profit in the
third quarter of 2016 thanks to record
demand for Russian gas while prices
for hydrocarbons were falling, it said
Thursday.
Analysts had, however, expected the
company to do better than the 102.16 bil-
lion rubles ($1.72 billion at Thursdays
rate) it booked in net profit between June
and September. It made a loss in the same
period in 2015.
Projections by analysts, polled by the
Interfax agency, however varied signifi-
cantly due to uncertainty about exchange
rate trends.
Gazprom said it lost some 14.8 billion
rubles ($249 million due to the exchange
rate factor, compared with a gain a year
earlier. (AFP)
ises such as tax cuts, scal stimulus and
The Hague: Newly-formed Dutch-
Belgian retail giant Ahold Delhaize post-
ed a 30.1 percent jump in turnover for
2016, boosted by strong growth in its
US-based stores and online business in
The Netherlands.
Posting its first yearly trading update
since the mega-merger in July of Dutch
firm Ahold and former Belgian rival
Delhaize, the company said it had clocked
up 49.6 billion ($52.8 billion) in sales.
It did not give net profit.
Taking the merger into account, pro-
forma net sales stood at 62.3 billion euros,
up 2.4 percent from 60.8 billion euros, the
group said, ahead of full-year results
expected on March 1.
Delhaize America delivered strong
comparable sales growth and both Food
Lion and Hannaford grew volumes signif-
the dollar in choppy trade and was last
at after falling as much as 0.4 percent.
CANBERRA: Vegemite, the salty, brown
spread beloved in Australia, is going
home, purchased by an Australian dairy
company from the maker of Oreos.
Mondelez International Inc. said
Wednesday it was selling Vegemite and
other Australian and New Zealand gro-
cery products to Bega Cheese in a deal
worth about $345.3 million (460
Australian dollars). (AP)
Oil rallies from 1-week low; gold dips
NEW YORK, Jan 19, on Thursday about the economic out-
look and monetary policy.
(Agencies): The dollar
Bucking the trend of Asian shares,
which fell 0.24 percent, Japans Nik-
Thursday after comments kei stock index ended up 0.94 percent,
helped by a weaker yen.
from the European Cen- The pound was up 0.4 percent at
tral Bank chief, while US $1.2311 after a wild few Brexit-fueled
Treasury yields gained on days that saw its biggest rise in decades
against the dollar and two of its heavi-
a batch of solid US eco- est slumps in months.
US crude added 0.9 percent to
Trading in European equities $51.55 per barrel, after shedding 2.67
and the euro was choppy after percent on Wednesday. Brent crude
rose 0.8 percent to $54.34 after settling
ECB President Mario Draghi reaf-
rmed interest rates would stay at down 2.79 percent the day before.
current or lower levels for an ex-
US
tended period and that the central
US stocks edged lower on Thurs-
bank was ready to increase or ex- day as investors appeared wary of tak-
tend bond purchases if the outlook ing on too much risk ahead of Donald
worsens. Trumps swearing-in as president on
US shares slipped as investors re- Friday.
mained cautious ahead of the inaugura- The markets are also digesting a
clutch of information including the
on Friday. European Central Banks decision to
Oil futures rallied from one-week maintain its monetary policy, while
lows after the International Energy awaiting a speech by Federal Reserve
Agency said crude markets were tight-
Chair Janet Yellen.
ening. The S&P 500s energy index, After hitting a series of record highs
however, traded lower. in a post-election rally, Wall Street has
Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes been trading in a tight range as inves-
fell 20/32 in price to yield 2.46 percent, tors look for more details on Trumps
up from 2.39 percent late on Wednes- policies.
day. Yields had hit their highest since The S&P 500 has not moved more
Jan 4 after data showed US homebuild- than 1 percent in either direction since
ing rebounded in December and the Dec 7.
number of Americans ling for unem- Traders in the options market have
ployment benets unexpectedly fell grown increasingly cautious and have
last week to a near 43-year low. been loading up on defensive contracts,
The data was not enough to encour- even as overall levels of stock market
age US equity investors, which have
volatility are close to record lows.
been holding re ahead of the inaugu- At 11:04 am ET (1604 GMT),
ration as they wait to see if Trump will the Dow Jones Industrial Average
carry through on pro-business prom- was down 49.21 points, or 0.25 per-
cent, at 19,755.51. The S&P 500 was
lighter regulation that had sent stocks down 4.96 points, or 0.22 percent, at
soaring after the election. 2,266.93 and the Nasdaq Composite
Investors concerns on Trump de- was down 8.42 points, or 0.15 percent,
livering his campaign promises is prob- at 5,547.24.
ably the real Fear Factor, Peter Car- Adding to a recent spate of robust
dillo, chief market economist at First economic data was a report that indi-
Standard Financial, wrote in a note. cated US homebuilding rebounded
The Dow Jones Industrial Aver- more than expected in December. An-
age was down 46.11 points, or 0.23 other report showed weekly jobless
percent, to 19,758.61, the S&P 500 claims fell to a 43-year low.
had lost 4.79 points, or 0.21 percent,
Nine of the 11 major S&P sectors
to 2,267.1 and the Nasdaq Compos- were lower, with declines in energy,
ite fell 9.71 points, or 0.17 percent, to healthcare and nancials weighing on
5,545.94. the broader index.
The FTSEurorst 300 index of Eu- Exxon was off 1.5 percent following
ropean companies was down 0.19 per- a UBS downgrade to sell. Mercks
cent after falling as much as 0.4 percent 0.9 percent loss weighed the most on
earlier in the session. healthcare stocks.
The euro clawed back losses against Railroad provider CSX Corp jumped
17 percent after a source said CP Rail
CEO Hunter Harrison, who steps down
The currency had dipped after Draghis on Jan 31, is in advanced talks to team
comments. up with a former Pershing Square Capi-
The dollar rose against a basket of tal partner to shake up CSX.
major currencies, boosted by the solid Union Pacic was up 2.7 percent at
US data and comments a day earlier $106.61 after the company reported
by Federal Reserve Chief Janet Yellen a better-than-expected quarterly net
that signaled a path of steady interest prot.
rate increases for the worlds largest Declining issues outnumbered ad-
economy. vancers on the NYSE by 2,125 to 685.
Yellen was due to speak again later On the Nasdaq, 1,878 issues fell and
795 advanced.
The S&P 500 index showed 12 new
52-week highs and no new lows, while
the Nasdaq recorded 50 new highs and
16 new lows.
Europe
The euro slumped Thursday after
ECB chief Mario Draghi signalled
that the time had not yet come to wind
down unprecedented stimulus mea-
sures, although equities failed to get a
boost.
The euro fell below $1.06 at one
point, before bouncing back.
The eurozone indices, however,
didnt get their usual boost, he added.
The CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.3 per-
cent while Frankfurts DAX was stable.
Londons FTSE 100 fell 0.5 percent,
penalised by the gains in the pound.
Key gures around 1630 GMT
London FTSE 100: down 0.5 per-
cent at 7,208.44 points (close)
Frankfurt DAX 30: down 0.02
percent at 11,596.89 (close)
Paris CAC 40: down 0.3 percent
at 4,841.14 (close)
EURO STOXX 50: down 0.2 per-
cent at 3,288.62
Asia
The dollar rallied against high-yield-
ing currencies and cemented gains ver-
sus its major peers Thursday as dealers
took a speech by Federal Reserve boss
Janet Yellen as a hint that US rates will
rise further this year.
A weaker yen helped Japanese
stocks lead a broad advance across
Asian markets as optimism was buoyed
by Yellens remarks on the economy
but traders moved cautiously ahead of
Donald Trumps inauguration on Fri-
day.
The dollar was virtually at against
the yen, euro and pound a day after
surging around one percent against
each.
However, it jumped almost one per-
cent against the South Korean won,
0.4 percent against the Australian dol-
lar and 1.3 percent on Canadas dollar.
The Malaysian ringgit was down 0.1
percent, as was Indonesias rupiah.
On equity markets Tokyos Nikkei
nished 0.9 percent higher as exporters
were lifted by the weakening yen.
The gains came despite a 17 percent
plunge in Takata following a report
that two rival suitors are set to propose
bankruptcy restructuring plans for the
airbag maker at the centre of the big-
gest-ever auto safety recall.
And Toshiba slumped 16 percent
after the Nikkei business daily said
the conglomerate could book losses of
more than 500 billion yen in its nuclear
reactor business.
Sydney edged up 0.2 percent while
Seoul put on 0.1 percent, while Singa-
pore, Jakarta, Manila and Mumbai also
posted gains.
But Hong Kong lost 0.2 percent in
the afternoon and Shanghai closed 0.4
percent lower.
Investors are waiting for Trumps
post-inauguration speech hoping he
will provide some colour to his cam-
paign promises although there are
concerns among many Asian markets
about his protectionist rhetoric.
With so many prominent trade
hawks joining the Trump administra-
tion, it all points to a massive shift in
US trade policy. That does not paint a
rosy picture for regional ... exporters,
nor countries like Australia, which play
such a vital role in the global supply
chain.
In early European trade London was
at, Frankfurt added 0.2 percent and
Paris gained 0.1 percent.
Tokyo Nikkei 225: Up 0.9 per-
cent at 19,072.25 (close)
Shanghai Composite: Down 0.4
percent at 3,101.30 (close)
Hong Kong Hang Seng: Down
0.2 percent at 23,049.96 (close)
Oil
Oil prices recovered from a one-
week low on Thursday as the Inter-
national Energy Agency said oil mar-
kets were tightening even before cuts
agreed by OPEC and other producers
took effect.
Oil prices have gyrated this year as
the markets focus has swung from
hopes that oversupply may be curbed
by output cuts announced by the Or-
ganization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries and other producers to fears
that a rebound in US shale production
could swamp any such reductions.
Benchmark Brent crude was up 55
cents at $54.47 a barrel by 1430 GMT
after closing down 2.8 percent in the
previous session. US crude was up 5
cents at $51.63 a barrel, having dropped
to a one-week low on Wednesday of
$50.91.
The IEA said that while it was far
too soon to gauge OPEC members
levels of compliance with promised
cuts, commercial oil inventories in
the developed world fell for a fourth
consecutive month in November,
with another decline projected for
December.
Gold
Gold fell on Thursday as the dollar
and US bond yields surged after strong
US economic data and support from
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen for
higher US interest rates.
Better than expected jobs and hous-
ing data reinforced the view that the US
economy is sufciently robust to war-
rant rate rises, turning back recent falls
for the dollar and pushing 10-year bond
yields to their highest since Jan 3.
Higher interest rates also mean that
bond prices fall and yields rise, mak-
ing such investments more attractive
to those looking for safe-haven assets.
Though gold is such an asset, it does
not offer a yield to investors and costs
money to store and insure.
Spot gold fell 0.2 percent to
$2,201.76 an ounce by 1609 GMT, hav-
ing dropped by 1.1 percent in the previ-
ous session, its biggest fall since Dec 15.

exchange rates Jan 19

US dollar Sterling pound Euro Japanese yen Swiss franc Canadian dollar Swedish krona Saudi riyal UAE dirham Bahraini dinar Omani riyal
Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer
BEC Buy .301750 .303500 .303500 .370387 .369768 .369768 .321083 .321419 .321419 .002734 .002734 .002734 .301657 .302657 .302657 .221161 .219161 .219161 .029458 .029458 .029458 .079993 .080493 .080493 .081357 .081300 .081300 .799929 .799428 .799428 .783320 .777819 .777819
Sell .306150 .305850 .305850 .380387 .379388 .379388 .330083 .328519 .328519 .002914 .002914 .002914 .312657 .309657 .309657 .230161 .229161 .229161 .034458 .034458 .034458 .081293 .081133 .081133 .083057 .082750 .082750 .808429 .807928 .807928 .789000 .788819 .788819
Muzaini Sell .305050 .306250 .306250 .373010 .373010 .326880 .326880 .002697 .002697 .302970 .302970 .230510 .230510 .081654 .081654 .083356 .083356 .813070 .813070 .795218 .795218
Dollarco Sell .306500 .305850 .305850 .380000 .377035 .377035 .329000 .326970 .326970 .003500 .003650 .003650 .307000 .302505 .302505 .231000 .228850 .228850 .081500 .082435 .082435 .084000 .083610 .083610 .812000 .810255 .810255
Commercial Bank Buy .301000 .304850 .304850 .368000 .370774 .370774 .324000 .325443 .325443 .002837 .002837 .306000 .306109 .306109 .224000 .225454 .225454 .033372 .033372 .077000 .080741 .080741 .082149 .082421 .082421 .800355 .803169 .803169 .784615 .786308 .786308
Sell .307200 .306950 .306950 .377000 .373328 .373328 .330000 .327684 .327684 .002871 .002871 .315000 .308233 .308233 .235000 .227019 .227019 .033603 .033603 .083000 .081301 .081301 .082975 .082993 .082993 .808399 .808742 .808742 .792501 .791764 .791764
Gulf Bank Buy .304450 .304450 .304450 .371940 .371940 .371940 .323500 .323500 .323500 .002810 .002810 .002810 .308020 .308020 .308020 .222680 .222680 .222680 .033320 .033320 .033320 .080170 .080170 .080170 .081890 .081890 .081890 .797750 .797750 .797750 .781220 .781220 .781220
Sell .306550 .306550 .306550 .379420 .379420 .379420 .330100 .330100 .330100 .002890 .002890 .002890 .317690 .317690 .317690 .229520 .229520 .229520 .034340 .034340 .034340 .081890 .081890 .081890 .083600 .083600 .083600 .814380 .814380 .814380 .797480 .797480 .797480
NBK Buy .304850 .304850 .368010 .368010 .324210 .324210 .002863 .002863 .307200 .307200 .225290 .225290 .033320 .033320 .080610 .080610 .082340 .082340 .801620 .801620 .785390 .785390
Sell .306950 .306950 .371930 .371930 .327820 .327820 .002895 .002895 .310750 .310750 .227610 .227610 .033630 .033630 .081310 .081310 .083030 .083030 .808570 .808570 .791970 .791970
Burgan Bank Buy .304850 .304850 .370911 .370911 .325396 .325396 .002792 .002792 .307446 .307446 .225799 .225799 .033837 .033837 .080340 .080340 .082054 .082054 .799406 .799406 .782777 .782777
Sell .306950 .306950 .373619 .373619 .327791 .327791 .002946 .002946 .309736 .309736 .227450 .227450 .034084 .034084 .081115 .081115 .082850 .082850 .807107 .807107 .790274 .790274
ABK Buy .302300 .304800 .304800 .370320 .373620 .373620 .320740 .323600 .323600 .002665 .002665 .299060 .299060 .227880 .227880 .329400 .329400 .079910 .080620 .080620 .082677 .082370 .082370 .793620 .793620 .780080 .780080
Sell .308400 .306900 .306900 .380260 .378090 .378090 .329990 .328110 .328110 .002724 .002724 .306710 .306710 .232590 .232590 .336100 .336100 .082420 .081950 .081950 .083508 .083740 .083740 .810850 .810850 .792930 .792930
KFH Buy .303140 .304600 .304600 .365435 .367652 .367652 .321056 .323059 .323059 .002776 .002776 .305609 .305609 .224967 .224967 .033368 .033368 .080090 .080518 .080518 .081786 .082223 .082223 .794037 .801697 .801697 .777623 .785047 .785047
Sell .308670 .306950 .306950 .376547 .373681 .373681 .331296 .328682 .328682 .002933 .002933 .311255 .311255 .228483 .228483 .033799 .033799 .081861 .081369 .081369 .083591 .083088 .083088 .816600 .808785 .808785 .799556 .791970 .791970
KBE Sell .306150 .306150 .374700 .374700 .331900 .331900 .082810 .082810 .806500 .806500
Danish krone Indian rupee Pakistani rupee Sri Lanka rupee Bangladesh taka Philippine peso Australian dollar Hong Kong dollar Singapore dollar Jordanian dinar Egyptian pound
Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer
BEC Buy .040530 .040529 .040529 .000030 .004461 .004461 .002697 .002869 .002869 .001651 .002020 .002020 .003383 .003827 .003827 .006142 .005800 .005800 .224322 .222322 .222322 .037033 .036532 .036532 .213951 .214951 .214951 .423775 .422147 .422147 .017442 .021482 .021482
Sell .045530 .045529 .045529 .004184 .004537 .004537 .002987 .002901 .002901 .002231 .002062 .002062 .003967 .003871 .003871 .006442 .006267 .006267 .236322 .235322 .235322 .039783 .039632 .039632 .223951 .220951 .220951 .432775 .429647 .429647 .024695 .022251 .022251
Muzaini Sell .004484 .004484 .002918 .002918 .002062 .002062 .003853 .003853 .006156 .006156 .039456 .039456 .215040 .215040 .431200 .431200 .023900 .017300 .017300
Dollarco Sell .004500 .004478 .004478 .003100 .002916 .002916 .002300 .002060 .002060 .003950 .003881 .003881 .006750 .006145 .006145 .428000 .432270 .432270 .023000 .017414 .017414
Commercial Bank Buy .044221 .044221 .004000 .002000 .005000 .229000 .228750 .228750 .038936 .038936 .216649 .216649 .420000 .016000
Sell .044749 .044749 .006500 .004547 .004547 .002923 .002923 .003500 .002065 .002065 .003897 .003897 .007900 .006315 .006315 .235000 .231477 .231477 .039400 .039400 .219232 .219232 .434000 .432199 .432199 .024000 .034598 .034598
Gulf Bank Buy .043920 .043920 .043920 .230110 .230110 .230110 .038790 .038790 .038790 .214770 .214770 .214770
Sell .045260 .045260 .045260 .004660 .004660 .004660 .002960 .002960 .002960 .002090 .002090 .002090 .003940 .003940 .003940 .006370 .006370 .006370 .234790 .234790 .234790 .039570 .039570 .039570 .221340 .221340 .221340 .435960 .435960 .435960 .034920 .034920 .034920
NBK Buy .044130 .044130 .004470 .004470 .002010 .002010 .006090 .006090 .232450 .232450 .216640 .216640 .424370 .424370 .033890 .033890
Sell .045080 .045080 .004650 .004650 .002950 .002950 .002080 .002080 .006260 .006260 .235440 .235440 .219340 .219340 .431750 .431750 .034430 .034430
Burgan Bank Buy .043536 .043536 .004399 .004399 .002829 .002829 .002044 .002044 .003838 .003838 .006239 .006239 .228040 .228040 .218767 .218767 .424741 .424741 .033796 .033796
Sell .045929 .045929 .004667 .004667 .003003 .003003 .002066 .002066 .003894 .003894 .006321 .006321 .229778 .229778 .220417 .220417 .428904 .428904 .034417 .034417
ABK Buy .045630 .045630 .004518 .004518 .227640 .227640 .038840 .038840 .218470 .218470 .424750 .424750
Sell .046850 .046850 .004624 .004624 .002986 .002986 .002180 .002180 .007013 .007013 .230680 .230680 .039300 .039300 .221070 .221070 .431970 .431970 .035740 .035740
KFH Buy .044029 .044029 .004492 .004492 .002868 .002868 .002033 .002033 .003802 .003802 .006148 .006148 .231898 .231898 .216405 .216405 .424743 .424743 .017393 .017393
Sell .044901 .044901 .004632 .004632 .002934 .002934 .002078 .002078 .003914 .003914 .006328 .006328 .235376 .235376 .219743 .219743 .429924 .429924 .017702 .017702
KBE Sell .004594 .004594 .002901 .002901 .002057 .002057 .003873 .003873 .006211 .006211 .017995 .017995
Cyprus pound Yemeni riyal Thai baht South African rand Korean won Syrian pound Iranian Riyal Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Indonesian rupiah New Zealand dollar
Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer
BEC Buy .001374 .001364 .001364 .008291 .008230 .008230 .016426 .000255 .001286 .001285 .001285 .000084 .000147 .000181 .000181 .068677 .067416 .067416 .000019 .000018 .000018 .215304 .213304 .213304
Sell .001454 .001464 .001464 .008841 .008645 .008645 .024926 .000270 .001506 .001505 .001505 .000085 .000247 .000201 .000201 .074677 .074416 .074416 .000025 .000025 .000025 .224804 .224304 .224304
Muzaini Sell .001229 .001229 .008601 .008601 .002182 .002182 .002040 .002040 .068841 .068841
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Gulf Bank Buy .215310 .215310 .215310
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ABK Buy .219260 .219260
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KFH Buy .001199 .001199 .008485 .008485 .000197 .000197 .070853 .070853
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travellers cheques US dollar Sterling Euro local gold Gold 999 kg Gold 999 10 tola Gold ounce Gold gm 22k Gold gm 21k Gold gm 18k 100 gm 999 10 gm 999
BEC .3058500 .3793887 .3285190 BEC All rates in KD per unit of
Commercial Bank .3069500 .3733280 .3276840 Muzaini Exchange 11,974.470 1,416.370 382.895 10.990 10.490 8.990 126.570
.3065500 .3794200 .3301000
foreign currency
Gulf Bank
Al-Ahli Bank .3069000 .3780900 .3281100

INTERNATIONAL
Dozens of IS fighters killed in US strikes in Libya
WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (AFP):
American B-2 stealth bombers and
armed drones have attacked two Is-
lamic State military camps in Libya,
killing dozens of jihadists near their
former bastion of Sirte, an ofcial said
Thursday.
The strike late Wednesday came a
month after the United States ofcially
wrapped up military operations in and
around Sirte, where it had conducted
nearly 500 strikes to help the Libyan
unity government expel jihadists from
the coastal city.
The ghters were seen immediately
MP wont
Continued from Page 1
special session is against expatriates, I
will not support it, he added.
In another development, MPs Ri-
yadh Al-Adsani, Abdullah Al-Rou-
mi, Adel Al-Damkhi, Abdulkareem
Al-Kandari and Jamaan Al-Harbash
have presented a bill to repeal the
law on new electricity and water
charges as a matter of urgency. They
urged the concerned minister to im-
plement the proposal starting from
the date of its publication in the Of-
cial Gazette.
Meanwhile, MP Abdullah Al-Fahad
on Thursday submitted his statement
of assets and liabilities to Kuwait Anti-
Corruption Authority. He praised the
authority for carrying out its duties,
calling on the government to fully sup-
port the authority. He also urged the
executive and legislative authorities to
cooperate with the authority, consider-
ing its major role is to curb corruption
which has been rampant in the country
for many years.
He added, Everyone is demand-
ing for implementation of reforms and
combating corruption. The rst step is
to help the authority play its role effec-
tively, especially since Kuwaits rank-
ing in the world corruption perceptions
index has declined.
Jail upheld
Continued from Page 1
the Amir and the former head of the
secret service police.
He is also the younger brother of
international sports gure Sheikh Ah-
mad al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who is presi-
dent of the Olympic Council of Asia
and a member of the International
Olympic Committee.
They were among 13 people charged
with posting on Twitter and WhatsApp
fake footage showing a judge accept-
ing a bribe from an aide to ex-premier
Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad
Al-Sabah.
The defendants most of whom
were jailed for a week in June before
being released on bail were also
convicted of spreading lies about the
integrity of top judges.
The judges include the current and
former chiefs of the supreme judicial
council, the highest judicial authority
in the oil-rich Gulf state.
Also convicted was Sheikh Khalifa
Ali Al-Sabah, the editor of Al-Watan
newspaper and television which au-
thorities shut down for violating cor-
porate nance rules in a decision rati-
ed by the courts.
Thursdays rulings are not nal as
can still be challenged in the supreme
court.
The 13th defendant, who allegedly
posted online the footage, was sen-
tenced to 10 years in jail by a lower
court but the appeals court did not ex-
amine his case on Thursday as he is on
the run.
Amir condoles
Continued from Page 1
had been moved some ten metres from
its original location by the force of the
snow.
Local ofcials conrmed that one
body had been recovered from the ru-
ins and that two guests who were not
inside when the avalanche struck had
been saved.
Civil protection chief Fabrizio
Curcio said there had been around 30
guests and staff at the small ski hotel
on the eastern lower slopes of the Gran
Sasso mountain when the rst of four
powerful tremors rattled the region on
Wednesday morning.
Francesco Provolo, the head of the
Pescara province where the disaster
occurred, said there had been around
20 people staying at the hotel, includ-
ing several children along with sev-
en or eight staff.
Specialist mountain police who had
reached the hotel on skis or by helicop-
ter overnight had begun trying to move
the rubble with spades.
They were quoted as saying there
were no signs of life inside the build-
ing while one of their commanding of-
cers told reporters: There are many
dead.
Ambulances were blocked by two
metres of snow in the nearest village,
Farindola, some nine kilometres (5.5
miles) away, according to the civil
protection agency.
Antonio Di Marco, president of Pes-
cara province, said: What is certain is
that the building took a direct hit from
the avalanche, to the point that it was
moved by 10 metres.
Farindola mayor Ilario Lacchetta
described the huge dimensions of
the snowslide. It took the whole hotel
with it, he said.
One of the two survivors was heli-
coptered to a hospital in Pescara suf-
fering from hypothermia but was not
in a life-threatening condition.
Rai television reported that one of
them had told rescuers that his wife
and child were trapped in the hotel.
No civilians thought to have been killed: official
beforehand carrying weapons, wear-
ing tactical vests, carrying mortars and
standing in formation, the ofcial said,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
He added that no civilians were
thought to have been killed and no
women or children were present.
The camps were about 45 kilometers
(30 miles) southwest of Sirte.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook
said those targeted included IS ghters
who had previously ed Sirte.
They posed a security threat to Lib-
ya, the region and US national inter-
ests, Cook said in a statement, noting
Syrias Assad hopes rebels
will disarm after Astana talks
Aid still blocked, UN envoy invited to peace negotiations
DAMASCUS, Jan 19,
(Agencies): Syrian Presi-
dent Bashar al-Assad has
said he hopes rebels attend-
ing peace talks next week
in Kazakhstan will agree to
lay down their arms in ex-
change for an amnesty deal.
The talks, sponsored by regime
allies Russia and Iran and rebel
backer Turkey, will begin Monday
in Astana and are expected to last
less than a week.
Details on the format remain murky,
but Assad told Japanese television
channel TBS that he hoped rebels
would lay down their arms and re-
ceive an amnesty from the govern-
ment.
This is the only thing we can ex-
pect at this time, he added, according
to excerpts from the interview released
by his ofce on Thursday.
Assad said the talks would priori-
tise, as we see it, reaching a ceasere.
At this time, we believe that the
conference will take shape as talks
between the government and terrorist
groups in order to reach a ceasere and
allow these groups to join the recon-
ciliation deals in Syria, he said.
Damascus has reached a series of
local agreements under which rebels
which it refers to as terrorists
evacuate areas in exchange for an end
to bombardment or siege.
Such deals have been ercely criti-
cised by rebel groups as a deliberate
strategy of displacement. Assad said
the talks would also aim to protect
peoples lives and allow humanitarian
aid to reach various areas in Syria.
End
Repeated attempts by world powers
have failed to end Syrias war, which
erupted nearly six years ago with wide-
spread anti-Assad demonstrations.
Last year, the United States and
Russia worked together to put a tem-
porary truce in place and sponsored
several rounds of talks in Geneva, but
they did not secure a political solution.
In late 2016, a new partnership be-
tween Moscow and Ankara emerged,
despite their backing for opposite sides
in the conict.
They secured a fragile ceasere deal
that went into force on December 30,
The region was hit by four seismic
shocks measuring above ve mag-
nitude in the space of four hours on
Wednesday, when at least one person
was conrmed to have died.
The hotel is located around 90 kms
(55 miles) from the epicentre of the
quakes at Montereale, a small village
south of Amatrice, the town devastat-
ed in an August earthquake in which
nearly 300 people died.
Avalanche warnings were issued
across a region dominated by Gran
Sasso, a majestic 2,912 metres (9,554
feet) peak. The area has numerous
small ski resorts popular with day-trip-
pers from Rome and urban centres on
Italys east coast.
The one person conrmed dead
Wednesday was a man found buried
under the debris of a building in Castel
Castagna, a small town to the north of
Farindola.
The quake affected an area that
straddles the regions of Lazio, Marche
and Abruzzo which is home to many
remote mountain hamlets.
Although many residents had been
evacuated after last years quakes,
there were fears for families who had
decided to stay in their homes and are
now cut off.
Guido Castelli, the mayor of the
Marche town of Ascoli said his staff
were trying to check on around 1,000
people in cut-off hamlets. It is like
Waiting for Godot, he said.
Some 130,000 homes were with-
out electricity overnight as a result of
quake-damage to pylons and other in-
frastructure.
Schools in the affected region have
been closed until next week to allow
structural safety checks to be carried
out.
Senior Bush
Continued from Page 1
Maine after falling at his summer
home and breaking a bone in his neck.
He was also hospitalized in Houston
the previous December for about a
week for shortness of breath. He spent
that the strikes appeared to have been
successful.
The Pentagon had launched Opera-
tion Odyssey Lightning to help local
forces push IS from Sirte on August
1.
When operations concluded last
month, following the citys libera-
tion, the Pentagon left open the pos-
sibility of conducting additional anti-IS
attacks if Libyas Government of Na-
tional Accord asked for help in doing
so.
Wednesdays strike was conducted
with the cooperation of the GNA, after the NATO-backed ousting of
Tehran not worried, has options if Trump axes nuke deal
Iran deal working, must be maintained
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 19,
(Agencies): The United Nations, the
European Union and key players in
the Iran nuclear agreement deliv-
ered a united message Wednesday
aimed at US President-elect Donald
Trump: The deal is working and
must be maintained to keep Tehran
from developing a nuclear weapon.
Speaker after speaker at a UN
Security Council meeting on imple-
mentation of the 2015 deal stressed
its historic nature and its success af-
ter its rst year.
The agreement was negotiated
by Iran and six world powers the
US, Russia, China, Britain, France
and Germany and enshrined in a
legally binding UN resolution. It im-
posed limits on the Iranian nuclear
program in exchange for lifting UN
economic sanctions.
While Trump was not mentioned
by name, their messages were clear-
ly intended for the new US leader
who will be inaugurated Friday and
has strongly criticized the Iran deal,
vowing at times during the presiden-
tial campaign either to walk away
from it or to renegotiate it.
UN political chief Jeffrey Felt-
man told the council the nuclear
agreement is a good example of
how multilateral diplomacy, po-
and the Astana talks will be the rst
real test of their joint efforts.
The two powers have said US Presi-
dent-elect Donald Trumps administra-
tion should attend the talks, but Iranian
ofcials have voiced strong objections
to Washingtons presence.
Meanwhile, UN Syria envoy Staffan
de Mistura has been invited to peace
talks convened by Russia, Turkey and
Iran in the Kazakh capital Astana, his
spokeswoman Yara Sharif said on
Thursday.
A UN statement said de Mistura
himself would lead the UN team in
Astana because of the complexity and
importance of the issues likely to be
raised. The talks are expected to begin
Christmas 2012 in intensive care for a
bronchitis-related cough and other is-
sues.
Despite his loss of mobility, Bush
celebrated his 90th birthday by mak-
ing a tandem parachute jump in Ken-
nebunkport, Maine. Last summer,
Bush led a group of 40 wounded war-
riors on a shing trip at the helm of his
speedboat, three days after his 92nd
birthday celebration.
Bushs ofce announced earlier
this month that the couple would not
attend Donald Trumps inauguration
because of the former presidents age
and health.
Bush, who has been placed in in-
tensive care at a Houston hospital, is
suffering from pneumonia and has vas-
cular parkinsonism, a rare syndrome
that mimics Parkinsons disease. The
92-year-old Bush also broke a verte-
bra in 2015 and has used a motorized
scooter or a wheelchair in recent years.
Some answers to common questions
about his health:
Question: What are the risks of
pneumonia?
Answer: Pneumonia is an infection
of the lungs that can be mild or severe.
Elderly patients are at risk of deadly
complications.
The former president wrote to Pres-
ident-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 10,
saying that he would be unable to at-
tend Fridays inauguration because of
doctors orders: My doctor says if I sit
outside in January, it will likely put me
six feet under. Same for Barbara. So I
guess were stuck in Texas.
Q: What is vascular Parkinsonism?
A: People diagnosed with the con-
dition walk with shufing steps, and
brain scans suggest they have suffered
small strokes. However, they do not
have the characteristic tremors of Par-
kinsons disease, and they do not re-
spond to drugs for Parkinsons.
They look like Parkinsons from
the waist down. From the waist up,
they look very expressive, said Dr.
Alberto Espay of the University of
Cincinnatis Gardner Neuroscience
Institute.
Q: Is it different from Parkinsons
disease?
the defense ofcial said, noting that the
move had been authorized by outgoing
President Barack Obama.
B-2 stealth bombers, which have a
distinctive ying-wing design, con-
ducted the strike with the help of armed
drones.
The fall of Sirte -- former leader
Muammar Gaddas hometown lo-
cated 450 kilometers east of Tripoli
-- was a major setback for IS, which
has also faced military defeats in Syr-
ia and Iraq.
Libya descended into lawlessness
lic statements have reected shifting
litical will and perseverance can re-
solve the most complex issues.
It is imperative that its partici-
pants, the United Nations and the
broader international community
continue to support the full imple-
mentation of this historic multilat-
eral agreement for its full duration,
he said. Its comprehensive and
sustained implementation guaran-
tees that Irans nuclear program re-
mains exclusively peaceful.
Agreement
EU foreign policy chief Federica
Mogherini, who facilitated the agree-
ment, praised the deal as a major
achievement and said all participants
have fullled their commitments, cit-
ing a staggering 63 percent rise in
EU-Iran trade in the rst three quar-
ters of 2016 as one example of the
results of lifting sanctions.
But Mogherini stressed in a state-
ment read by the EU ambassador to
the UN that implementation is an
ongoing task and we expect full and
effective implementation through-
out the lifetime of the agreement.
Some limits on Tehrans nuclear
activities start to expire in less than
a decade.
US Ambassador Samantha Pow-
er, in possibly her nal appearance
on Jan 23.
De Mistura has said he hopes Astana
will support the next round of UN-led
talks he plans in Geneva from Feb 8.
Russias foreign minister has previ-
ously dismissed the negotiations in Ge-
neva as fruitless sitting around.
De Misturas humanitarian advisor
Jan Egeland said Russia, Turkey and
Iran had taken on an immense respon-
sibility as guarantors of a process that
aimed to enable a new beginning for
the civilian population.
Despite a nationwide cessation of
hostilities, aid is still not getting to
people who need it the most, and all
warring sides routinely do all they can
to stop aid getting to women, children
A: Yes. It does not get steadily
worse in the same way Parkinsons
does. Classic Parkinsons disease de-
velops when cells that produce one
of the brains chemical messengers,
called dopamine, begin to deteriorate
and die. Dopamine transports signals
to parts of the brain that control move-
ment. Parkinsons symptoms appear
after enough dopamine-producing
cells die that theres too little of this
neurotransmitter in the brain.
Vascular parkinsonism can closely
mimic a number of other disorders,
including classic Parkinsons, progres-
sive supranuclear palsy and excessive
uid on the brain.
ME expects
Continued from Page 1
public celebration of Trumps imminent
arrival, condent that its grief for how it
treats the Palestinians is over.
Heres a look at how Trumps poli-
cies could shake up the Middle East:
Syria and Islamic State
The US-led campaign against IS,
more than 60 nations strong, has lacked
in Syria the one thing it needs most: a
partner on the ground capable of re-
claiming and holding territory, as the
Iraqi government is doing in its ar-
eas. Widespread evidence of torture,
chemical weapons attacks and even war
crimes by Assads forces had made a
partnership infeasible to Obama and
most of Americas foreign policy estab-
lishment.
Meanwhile, Russias intervention
since September 2015 has dramatically
shored up Assads position. If Assad
and Putin now take on IS in its strong-
holds in northeastern Syria, it is less
difcult to imagine Trump accepting
perhaps a tacit partnership.
Trump has said Assad may be bad
but the rebels ghting to topple him
could be worse. He has said the US
has no idea who its allies in the country
are and has appeared most concerned
about containing the exodus of Syrian
refugees, fearing theyll spread terror-
ism. Assad recently suggested the US
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
longtime dictator Gadda in 2011, with
rival administrations emerging and
well-armed militias vying for control
of its vast oil wealth.
These strikes will degrade ISILs
ability to stage attacks against Libyan
forces and civilians working to stabi-
lize Sirte, and demonstrate our resolve
in countering the threat posed by ISIL
to Libya, the United States and our al-
lies, Cook said, using an alternate IS
acronym.
President-elect Donald Trumps po-
sition on Libya is unclear and his pub-
in the Security Council, said the
agreement shows the life-and-
death importance of hard-nosed di-
plomacy.
The deal is working, she stressed,
pointing to its achievements: Irans
plutonium reactor core at Arak is now
lled with concrete. The UN nuclear
watchdog has conrmed that Iran has
dismantled two-thirds of its centri-
fuges and shipped out 98 percent of its
enriched uranium. Its remaining ura-
nium is under continuous watch.
Irans foreign minister said
Thursday his country isnt worried
and has options if US President-
elect Donald Trump ditches a nucle-
ar agreement reached between Iran
and six world powers.
Despite grievances that Iran has
over the pact made with the current
US government, Mohammad Javad
Zarif said Iran still believes it should
be honored.
Whatever he does to the nuclear
deal, we are not worried because we
have our own options. But we be-
lieve its in the interest of everybody
to stick to the deal. Most importantly
its an international agreement. Its
not a bilateral agreement between
Iran and the United States, he told
reporters on the sidelines of a meet-
ing in Kuala Lumpur.
and wounded on the other side, he said.
Even if Syrias government ap-
proves UN aid plans, humanitarian
convoys get blocked by a complete,
hopeless, bureaucratic quagmire of
red tape, Egeland said.
Shells slammed into the northern
Syrian city of Aleppo Thursday, kill-
ing two people as thousands of gov-
ernment supporters gathered in a main
square nearby to celebrate last months
capture of the citys eastern neighbor-
hoods from rebels.
The shells struck a few kilometers
(miles) from Saadallah al-Jabiri Square,
where national music was blaring from
giant loudspeakers and people danced
and chanted pro-government slogans.
and Syria could be natural allies.
Such a shift would have consequenc-
es. Americas Sunni allies in the Arabi-
an Gulf will chafe at any outcome they
see as strengthening the hand of Assads
other main partner, Shiite Iran.
Israel and Palestine
Years of contentious relations be-
tween Obama and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu culminated last
month in a UN Security Council resolu-
tion declaring illegal the Jewish states
construction of settlements on occupied
land the Palestinians seek for a future
state.
Obamas decision to not veto the res-
olution followed bitterness in Israel over
the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
Trump has vowed to heal the wound,
apparently by embracing parts of Netan-
yahus nationalist agenda. He has ap-
pointed a pro-settlements ambassador,
vowed to move the US embassy from
Tel Aviv to more controversial Jeru-
salem and spoken of renegotiating and
even dismantling the Iran deal.
Whereas much of Obamas disap-
proval of Netanyahu was expressed in
moral terms, Trump has steered wide of
any such thing.
He is against this kind of moralism
and political correctness, said Eytan
Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations
at Israels Bar-Ilan University. He is a
businessman. If there is a potential for a
deal between Israel and the Palestinians,
he will do it. If there is no potential for a
deal, he will not do it.
Many fear overreach by Israel that
could trigger a new Palestinian upris-
ing. And some note the situation could
turn if the condent Netanyahu ever
provoked the mercurial Trump as he
has did Obama. Within a year, theyll
be annoying the hell out of each other,
predicted Miller.
The Gulf and Iran
If there is one authoritarian country
unlikely to enjoy the fruits of Trumps
human rights-free foreign policy, its
Iran. The president-elect regularly
chastised Obama for agreements that
provided new funds to a US-designated
terror sponsor and left it only several
years away from potentially returning to
nuclear weapons capacity.
37
views.
In 2011, he urged foreign military
intervention to topple Gadda.
We should do on a humanitar-
ian basis, immediately go into Libya,
knock this guy out very quickly, very
surgically, very effectively, and save
the lives, he said.
Then in 2015, he said the world
would be 100 percent better off if
Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Gaddai
in Libya were still in power, adding
that human rights abuses are worse
than they ever were in the two coun-
tries.
Beyond the talk of a nuclear renego-
tiation, Trump also has promised to get
American prisoners released and threat-
ened to shoot Iranian boats out of the
water if they provoke US Navy vessels
in and around the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans su-
preme leader, has said if the US tears up
the nuclear accord, we will light it on
re. But Iranian President Hassan Rou-
hani on Tuesday dismissed the possibil-
ity that Trump could undo the nuclear
deal, likening it to turning a nished
shirt back into cotton. The president-
elects tough talk on the deal was is
mainly slogans, he said.
Ofcials in Saudi Arabia, Irans re-
gional rival, are nonetheless pleased
with a president who might focus more
on Iran than its own human rights viola-
tions. Although its rights record routine-
ly ranks among the worlds worst, Rex
Tillerson, Trumps choice for secretary
of state, wouldnt call the key US ally a
rights violator.
A statement issued after a meeting in
Kuala Lumpur didnt mention the Unit-
ed States or Trump by name, but said
the OIC rejected any actions that could
undermine the ability of Palestinians to
claim part of Jerusalem in a future state.
It called on governments to desist
from any activities that might encour-
age Israel to pursue its illegal occupa-
tion and annexation of ....east Jerusa-
lem, including any such encouragement
through the transfer of their diplomatic
missions to the city.
The statement invited its 57-member
states to take the necessary steps and
measures in response to any such hos-
tile position, but didnt elaborate.
Trump has vowed to move the
American embassy to Jerusalem, a
politically charged act that would an-
ger Palestinians who want east Jerusa-
lem, home to key Jewish, Muslim and
Christian holy sites, as the capital of a
future state.
The move would also distance the US
from much of the international commu-
nity, including its closest allies in West-
ern Europe and the Arab world.
Israel captured east Jerusalem in the
1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a
move that is not internationally rec-
ognized. It claims the entire city as its
capital.
Twenty-four hours before he takes
the oath of ofce as the 45th US presi-
dent, Donald Trump arrived in Wash-
ington on Thursday, determined to
transform American politics over the
next four years.
The Republican billionaires arrival
caps an extraordinary and improbable
run for the White House that, once he
takes the reins from President Barack
Obama, will launch the United States
into a new era.
The journey begins and I will be
working and ghting very hard to make
it a great journey for the American
people, Trump tweeted before leaving
Trump Tower, his Manhattan home.
The 70-year-old president-elect
traveled aboard an ofcial govern-
ment jet to a military base near
Washington with his wife Melania.
The pair exited the plane and headed
into the nations capital for a day of
pre-inaugural festivities.
Newswatch
Continued from Page 1
They were travelling in a
minibus to Medinah, it said,
adding: Four members of an-
other family from Manchester
were also killed in the tragedy.
(AFP)
SAO PAULO: Latam Airlines
Group found a bullet hole in a
wing of a Boeing 767-300 dur-
ing maintenance in Brazil, the
company said on Wednesday,
the jet having own to New
York, Barcelona and Lima in
the past week.
The aircraft, which runs long-
range routes out of international
airports in Rio de Janeiro and
Sao Paulo, went in for routine
inspection on Sunday, a Latam
representative said. (RTRS)
ADEN: Twin rockets red from
the rebel-held outskirts of Yem-
ens third city Taez killed nine
civilians late on Wednesday,
a medic and a loyalist military
source said.
A garrison loyal to President
Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi has
held out in the city largely sur-
rounded by the Huthi rebels and
their allies who control the capi-
tal Sanaa and much of the north.
(AFP)
NEW YORK: Twitter says it
has suspended 360,000 user ac-
counts in the past 18 months for
threatening or promoting acts of
terrorism.
Lawyers for the families
of terror victims, including a
brother and sister killed in last
years bomb attacks in Brussels
and an American college stu-
dent slaughtered in Paris, say
that isnt enough. (AP)
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

LEISURE 38

C 2012 The New

York Times, distrib-
uted by The New
York Times
Scratch pad Syndicate

odds n ends
DENVER: The federal govern-
ment asked an appeals court
Wednesday to overturn an
order that bars the release of
endangered wolves in New
Mexico without the states per-
mission, a skirmish in a broader
battle over states rights and the
Endangered Species Act.
New Mexico and 18 other
states argue that the law re-
quires the US Fish and Wildlife
Service to cooperate with them
on how endangered species
are reintroduced within their
borders. Federal attorneys
counter that the law allows the
agency to go around a state, if
necessary, to save a species.
Many of the arguments at-
torneys made to the 10th Circuit
Court of Appeals in Denver on
Wednesday focused on the le-
gality of the court order restrict-
ing the release of more wolves,
not the broader issue of the
states role in restoring endan-
gered species.
But in hundreds of pages of
court lings, the states and the
federal government staked out
opposing positions on who has
the nal say.
The ght is unfolding amid
uncertainty about the future of
the Endangered Species Act.
Congress and the White House
will both be controlled by Re-
publicans who generally see it
as an impediment to jobs and
economic development.
And even if the court sides
with the Fish and Wildlife
Service, its not clear wheth-
er president-elect Donald
Trumps administration will
Light sculptures depicting owers and mushrooms are pictured during a photocall to promote the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House Gardens in west London on Jan 18. The Silk continue to fight after he takes
Road was chosen as the festival theme for 2017 due to its historical signicance. A very current topic of huge cultural importance as it spread trade and culture between East and West dating office. (AP)
back to the Western Han Dynasty of China in 206 BC. (AFP)
LAKELAND, Florida: Video of
Conceptis Sudoku Challenger contract bridge a massive alligator caught walk-
ing through a Florida nature
reserve in front of stunned on-
lookers has prompted crowds
The grid must be so completed that every row, column By Steve Becker of people hoping to catch their
and 3x3 box has every digit from 1 to 9 inclusive own glimpse.
The video taken by a visitor
DIRECTIONS: to the Circle B Bar Reserve on
Sunday shows the gator esti-
Fill each square mated to be about 12-feet long
with a number, one lumbering across a trail.
through nine. WFLA-TV reports ofcials
Horizontal are concerned the increased
squares should attention brought on by the
add to totals on video could pose a danger to
the gators. Polk County Natural
right. Resources Director Jeff Spence
Vertical squares says theyve already asked one
should add to person to leave who ran off a
totals on bottom. trail hoping for a picture of the
Diagonal animal. (AP)
squares through
center should add OAKLAND, California: Baby
to total in upper Yesterdays solution raccoons that inadvertently
and lower right. hitched a cross-country ride to
Northern California are recover-
ing at the Oakland Zoo.
Animal care authorities said
THERE MAY BE Tuesday that in September a
MORE THAN ONE man had unknowingly trans-
SOLUTION. ported the raccoons from Flor-
ida to Marin County in a moving
Todays Challenge truck.
The truck had been burglar-
Answer to yesterdays puzzle Time 10 Minutes ized while in Florida, allowing
8 Seconds a pregnant raccoon to enter
Your Working through a broken window and
Time __ Minutes give birth. (AP)
__ Seconds
TAMPA, Florida: A man ac-
cused of killing a amingo at
Word by Word Busch Gardens is heading to
court in Tampa to determine
whether he is competent to
stand trial.
Happy Saeed The hearing Wednesday
morning is scheduled to deter-
Call no man happy until he is dead mine whether 45-year-old Jo-
La taqol fe wasfi ayoma emreen enaho saeed seph Corraro of Orlando under-
ela bad an yamout. stands the charges against him
and is able to participate in the
proceedings. The Tampa Bay
Numbers Times reports Corraros law-
yers are asking to have doctors
examine him.
He is facing a charge of ag-
7459 Seven thousand four hundred
fifty nine
gravated cruelty to animals
stemming from the death of
Pinky the pink amingo on Aug
Sabat alaf wa arbai maah wa 2 while visiting Busch Gardens
tesah wa khamsoun with his family. (AP)
Sunday: The Practical Side of Bridge

SPORTS
Olympic champions Denmark struggle past Bahrain 30-26
PARIS, Jan 19, (AFP): Olympic cham-
pions Denmark struggled past Bahrain
30-26 on Wednesday to maintain their
undefeated record at the world handball
championships and assure top spot in
Group D.
The win followed a narrow 27-25 vic-
tory over Sweden in their opener and the
Bahrains pivot Mohamed Merza Salman (left), defends against Denmarks
left back Mikkel Hansen during the 25th IHF Mens World Championship 2017
Group D handball match Denmark vs Bahrain on Jan 18, at the AccorHotels
Arena in Paris. (AFP)
Someone should be fired
Brutal workout injuries
highlight college flaws
LOS ANGELES, Jan 19, (AFP):
The hospitalization of three US col-
lege American football players after
a grueling workout has exposed fail-
ings in safety standards at university
athletic programs, experts say.
Three members of the University
of Oregons football team were left
in hospital last week following the
punishing tness session, which was
described in media reports as mili-
tary-style training that had included
one hour of continuous push-ups.
At least one of the three, lineman
Sam Poutasi, was diagnosed with
rhabdomyolysis, a potentially dead-
ly condition which occurs when bro-
ken down muscle tissue leaks into
the blood stream.
On Tuesday, the University of
Oregon suspended the strength and
conditioning coach responsible for
the session, Irele Oderinde, while
the head of the football program is-
sued a public apology.
The university holds the health,
safety and well-
being of all of
our students in
high regard,
Rob Mullens,
Oregons direc-
tor of athletics,
said in a state-
ment.
We are con-
dent that these
athletes will
soon return to Poutasi
full health, and we will continue to
support them and their families in
their recoveries.
The university said future work-
outs would be modied while
noting that the football programs
strength and conditioning coach
would now report directly to the col-
leges director of performance and
sports science.
The case provoked an angry re-
sponse from Cleveland Browns
offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who
wrote on Twitter that it highlighted
a failure of college sports govern-
ing body, the National Collegiate
Athletic Association. Whoever is
behind this should be red, nothing
to do with football, Thomas wrote.
Wheres NCAA? How about
protecting athletes instead of your
paychecks! These are the petty
games coaches play when they
are clueless about actually coaching
the game and developing the kids.
Gives (football) a bad name.
The Oregon case is not unique.
Since 2000, there have been 21 re-
corded deaths of college football
players linked to participation in
conditioning workouts.
Although mass hospitalizations
Leading contenders gather for inaugural Championship title
Oman adds GC32 Champship to roster of top sailing events
MUSCAT, Jan 19: Omans status as
host to top international sailing cham-
pionships has been cemented with the
addition of the inaugural GC32 Cham-
pionships to its roster of world class
events.
One of the fastest growing classes in
world sailing, the GC32 foiling catama-
ran has enjoyed a surge of activity in
the past two years with a eet of around
25 boats now being campaigned on in-
ternational racing circuits such as the
GC32 Racing Tour and the Extreme
SAILING
Sailing Series.
For the rst time, the leading con-
tenders from both circuits will gather
in Muscat from Feb 27 to March 5 to
compete for the inaugural champion-
ship title with a total of 12 different
teams from around the world conrmed
as ofcial entries.
The event will also serve as a warm
up for the opening Extreme Sailing
Series event of 2017, which will be
held on the same Al Mouj race course
in Muscat a few days later from 8-11
March.
Egypt secure last 16 spot as Germany clinch 4th win
Danes were struggling again to impose
themselves against modest Bahrain, lead-
ing by just 24-23 with a quarter of an hour
to go.
Adding to their problems, the Danes
lost star player Mikkel Hansen (two goals
off three shots) with a red card after 40
minutes while injured Lasse Anderson
from rhabdomyolysis in college ath-
letes remain rare, the Oregon case
comes only ve months after eight
female volleyball players at a Texas
college were treated for the condi-
tion.
In 2011, 13 athletes at the Univer-
sity of Iowas football program were
hospitalized after a similarly punish-
ing workout.
Jay Hoffman, professor of sport
and exercise science at the Uni-
versity of Central Florida, said the
Oregon case highlighted the need
for minimum entry standards for
strength coaches.
A situation where an an athlete
is injured to the point where rhabdo-
myolysis has occurred is a clear is-
sue of negligence and inappropriate
exercise prescription, Hoffman told
AFP. Its not common but it hap-
pens way too often. Its something
that should never occur.
What needs to happen is that we
have minimum standards that are ac-
cepted by universities in the hiring
process. Strength coaches that are
hired need to have a degree in exer-
cise science and a certication from
an accredited body.
FOOTBALL
Hoffman said at present there
was no formal requirement by the
NCAA for coaches to have appro-
priate certication.
You can have a maths major
coaching football players or bas-
ketball players. Someone with no
knowledge of the human body, or
the effects of training on the human
body, Hoffman said.
Just think about a football coach
who starts training in the middle of
the summer and lasts until January.
Youre going through two potential
environmental extremes hypo-
thermia and hyperthermia.
If you dont have the back-
ground, how do you organize train-
ing so that you can safely increase
the volume and intensity to allow
athletes to make appropriate adjust-
ments to improve performance?
College programs needed to re-
vise the reporting structure within
each department as Oregon has
now done after the recent case
so that strength and conditioning
coaches were not hired and red by
the head football coach.
The problem is that the strength
coach is often answerable to the
football coach, Hoffman said.
If he has been hired by the foot-
ball coach, thats who he is going to
listen to. And that is sometimes in
contrast to whats in the best inter-
ests of the student athlete.
We wanted to get close to the ESS
event so we could combine and unite
the two eets and having an event to
kick off the 2017 season is very excit-
ing, said Christian Scherrer, manager
of the GC32 Class and co-organiser of
the championship with Extreme Sailing
Series organisers OC Sport.
We are hoping for some nice breeze
and at waters which are all conditions
Archive image of GC32 Championship.
ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017
39
was also sidelined. It was a tough game their shots. many clinched a fourth win from four hind, said Germany coach Dagur Sig-
against an awkward opponent. Also in Group D, African champions matches with a 31-25 win over Belarus urdsson.
They have a lot of qualities and it was Egypt defeated Argentina 31-26 to make and will next face Croatia in what will We lacked aggressiveness in defence,
really hard for us, admitted Denmark likely be a battle for top spot in the table. therefore it was a difcult game. After our
right winger Hans Lindberg. HANDBALL Uwe Gensheimer scored eight goals good start in the second half, when we
They played with an offensive de- and has 29 for the tournament. were ahead by three, four goals, Belarus
fence, its hard to nd the right solution. sure of a place in the last 16. In the rst half we were not good needed to take a risk. This became our
In attack, they have a lot of qualities in In Group C, European champions Ger- enough and always were one step be- advantage.
McDavid scores in overtime to
lead Oilers past Panthers 4-3
Sharks continue winning ways at rival Kings Staples Center
EDMONTON, Alberta,
Jan 19, (AP): Connor Mc-
David scored the winning
goal in overtime as the Ed-
monton Oilers won their
fourth game in a row, 4-3
over the Florida Panthers
on Wednesday night.
McDavid, who also had two
assists in the game, got a breaka-
way late in overtime and got the
puck away with 2.6 seconds left.
Floridas James Reimer made
the glove save, but the puck was
ruled to be across the line via vid-
eo review.
Zack Kassian, Mark Letestu and
Jordan Eberle also scored for the
Oilers, who have their longest win-
ning streak since December 2015.
Vincent Trocheck, Michael Sgar-
bossa and Greg McKegg had goals
for the Panthers, who have lost two
straight.
Sharks 3, Kings 2
In Los Angeles, Brent Burns,
Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels Austin Czarnik #27 of the Boston Bruins tries to get around the stick of Justin Abdelkader #8 of the Detroit Red
scored in the San Jose Sharks sev- Wings during the rst period at Joe Louis Arena on Jan 18, in Detroit, Michigan. (AFP)
enth win at Staples Center in their
last eight trips, topping the Los An-
geles Kings. NHL Results/Standings
Joe Thornton had two assists and
Martin Jones made 22 saves for
the defending Western Conference
champion Sharks, who wrapped up WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (RTRS): Results and standings from the NHL games on Wednesday.
their regular-season series against San Jose 3 Boston (SO) 5
their biggest rivals with three victo- Los Angeles 2 Winnipeg 6
ries in ve games. Edmonton 4 Arizona 3
After Burns scored his 19th goal Florida (OT) 3 Pittsburgh 4
Detroit 6 Montreal 1
in the opening minutes, San Jose
hung on through a scoreless third Western Conference Eastern Conference
period to continue its recent domi- Central Division
Atlantic Division
nation in downtown Los Angeles,
W L OTL GF GA Pts
W L OTL GF GA Pts Montreal 27 13 6 139 117 60
including three victories in last sea- Minnesota 28 10 5 141 96 61 Boston 23 19 6 122 123 52
sons rst-round playoff series. Chicago 28 14 5 132 120 61 Toronto 21 13 8 132 123 50
St Louis 23 17 5 128 135 51 Ottawa 23 15 4 111 111 50
Tanner Pearson and Marian Nashville 20 17 7 119 115 47 Florida 20 18 9 111 131 49
Gaborik scored for the Kings, who Dallas 19 19 8 126 144 46 Tampa Bay 21 20 5 126 135 47
ended a seven-game homestand Winnipeg 21 23 4 135 148 46 Detroit 20 19 6 118 132 46
Colorado 13 28 1 86 143 27 Buffalo 17 18 9 104 124 43
with four defeats. Metropolitan Division
Pacific Division
Red Wings 6, Bruins 5, SO
W L OTL GF GA Pts
W L OTL GF GA Pts
In Detroit, Thomas Vanek and Anaheim 25 13 9 125 117 59
Columbus 30 9 4 145 96 64
Frans Nielsen scored in a shootout, Washington 29 9 6 138 94 64
Edmonton 25 15 7 135 125 57 Pittsburgh 28 11 5 157 132 61
lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a San Jose 27 16 2 120 104 56 NY Rangers 28 16 1 158 123 57
comeback win over the Boston Bru- Calgary 24 20 3 124 127 51 Philadelphia 22 18 6 132 148 50
Los Angeles 22 19 4 113 113 48 Carolina 21 16 7 122 121 49
ins. Vancouver 21 19 6 112 130 48 New Jersey 19 18 9 105 132 47
The Red Wings rallied from 3-0 Arizona 13 25 6 94 143 32 NY Islanders 17 17 8 120 128 42
and 4-1 decits in the rst period, Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L).
and with 3:04 remaining in regula-
tion, Gustav Nyquist scored to pull
them into a tie. Andrew Copp, Shawn Matthais, Ja-
In the shootout, Tuukka Rask and cob Trouba and Nikolaj Ehlers scored Uncharacteristic request
Petr Mrazek stopped the rst shots for the Jets, who started a four-game
they faced before Vanek scored for homestand.
the Red Wings and Brad Marchand
countered with a goal for the Bruins.
Arizonas Mike Smith stopped 29
of the 35 shots he faced before being
Big Ben hopes to play up
Nielsen, who like Vanek joined the
team last summer as a free agent,
scored on the teams third attempt
replaced by Louis Domingue follow-
ing Winnipegs sixth goal midway
through the third period.
to Bradys gold standard
PITTSBURGH, Jan 19, (AP): Ben Ro-
and Vatrano missed the net with a Penguins 4, Canadiens 1
chance to extend the 1-on-1 duels.
Jets 6, Coyotes 3
In Montreal, Eric Fehr and Jake
Guentzel scored in the second period
ethlisberger intended for the moment to
be private. The camera following him Ryan and Mark
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ondrej
Pavelec made 30 saves in his season
to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins past
the Montreal Canadiens.
to mideld and the microphone tucked
inside Tom Bradys shoulder pads end- take top awards
ed up making that impossible. NEW YORK, Jan 19, (AFP): Atlanta
debut, and the Winnipeg Jets halted Defensemen Ian Cole and Olli Their brief exchange before Brady
a four-game losing streak with goals Maatta also scored for Pittsburgh, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who
and the New England Patriots vis- directed the NFLs highest-scoring
from six players. which won its second game in a row ited the Pittsburgh Steelers in October attack, and Oakland defensive end
It was Pavelecs rst NHL game after a three-game skid. Sven And- provided a snapshot into a rivalry that Khalil Mack took top awards in me-
this season after the veteran goalie righetto scored for Montreal, which never was. They bro-hugged. They la- dia voting announced Wednesday.
was sent to the American Hockey lost its second straight and has only mented the left knee injury that forced Ryan, who led the Falcons with
Leagues Manitoba Moose at the two wins in its last six games. Roethlisberger out the lineup on that club records in passing yards and
end of training camp. The 29-year- Penguins goalie Matt Martin was warm late fall afternoon. touchdowns, was chosen the 2016
NFL Most Valuable Player and Of-
old Pavelec was recalled Tuesday to back in form after Mondays wild And then Roethlisberger made an fensive Player of the Year.
start instead of Connor Hellebuyck 8-7 win over Washington, making uncharacteristic request : a signed When the Falcons host Green
and Michael Hutchinson, who each 19 saves. But Carey Prices woes Brady jersey to hang on the wall in Bay in a playoff showdown Sun-
struggled during the teams winless continued; he allowed three or Roethlisbergers home ofce next to day, Ryan will try to lift Atlanta into
skid (0-3-1). more goals for the eighth time in 10 Hall of Fam- the Super Bowl for only the second
Josh Morrissey, Blake Wheeler, games. ers Dan Marino, time, the Falcons having lost to Den-
John Elway and ver in the 1999 edition of the NFL
Jim Kelly. championship spectacle. Mack, who
matched an NFL record with quar-
I consider him
one, if not the best
terback sacks in eight consecutive
games, took Defensive Player of the
of all-time, Ro- Year honors from the Professional
ethlisberger said.
A group Ro-
ethlisberger does
Football Writers of America.
Ryan, in his ninth NFL season,
completed 373 of 534 passes (a club
the GC32 is best suited to so expect to hope will be the rst of many. not include him- record 69.9 percent of his throws)
self in. for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns
put on a good show for the people of The GC32 Championship is the latest Roethlisberger with only seven interceptions.
Muscat. international sailing event to be hosted Not even with The Falcons produced a one-sea-
And of course, with the cold and by Oman Sail, which actively promotes as many championships as Bradys son club record 540 points in this
freezing February weather in Europe, Oman as a world class host venue for longtime friend and occasional foil Pe- campaign and went 11-5 to claim a
we hope the warm sunny conditions in high prole international events. yton Manning (two). Not even with a rst-round playoff bye.
Oman will prove attractive. With the Since being established in 2008, spot in the top 10 in just about every Ryan, who set an NFL record by
support of Oman Sail and some nice Oman Sail has worked hard to attract major statistical category out there on completing touchdown passes to
warm weather, we are looking forward events to the Sultanate and now regu- Roethlisbergers still growing resume. 13 different receivers this season,
threw for 338 yards and three touch-
to a good championships which we larly welcomes the RC44 and Extreme downs in a 36-20 victory over Seat-
Sailing Series racing eets to its shores FOOTBALL tle last weekend.
for a Muscat meet. Mack, in his third NFL campaign,
In addition, the International Laser Not even with a bust in Canton one had 77 tackles and 11 sacks this
Class Association has staged a succes- day alongside Brady and the rest of the season for the Raiders. He also
sion of world championships at Oman guys whose jerseys adorn the walls of intercepted a pass, defelcted four
other throws, forced ve fumbles
Sails sailing centre at Mussanah Sports his home almost assured regardless of
City with the Laser Standard Mens what happens in Sundays AFC title and recovered three fumbles.
World Championships, Laser Masters game.
World Championship and the Laser The reason is simple: rings. Brady said. Obviously, with all the Super
Radial Youth World Championships has four, including two he earned while Bowls he has.
staged there to great acclaim in 2013 carving a path through the playoffs that This weekend provides Roethlis-
and the Laser Radial Women Worlds included victories in Pittsburgh in 2001 berger his best - and maybe his last -
and the RS:X Windsurng Worlds held and 2004. Roethlisberger has two, nei- chance to do to Brady what Brady has
in the same venue two years later. ther of which required Roethlisberger done to so many others over the last 16
In 2016 the Sultanate made history or the Steelers to take out Brady along years. Even if the last thing Roethlis-
by hosting the hugely successful Louis the way. Its why Roethlisberger just berger wants to do is get pulled into the
Vuitton Americas Cup World Series shakes his head when asked if hes part star quarterback vs. star quarterback
Oman, becoming the rst country in of the gold standard label that he so narrative that fueled so many show-
the Middle East to welcome Americas eagerly attaches to Brady. downs between Brady and Manning
Cup racing to its shores. Not as (his) level, Roethlisberger through the years.
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

SPORTS 40

Alibaba becomes major sponsor of Olympics

Chinas Xi pledges clean, green Winter Games in 2022

BEIJING, Jan 19, (RTRS): China will ous smog, a lack of snow and Chinas
hold a clean and green Winter Olym- poor human rights record.
pics when it hosts the games in 2022,
an event that will also help regional
Last month, a Chinese court jailed
for bribery a former deputy sports
Activists try again for referendum on Budapests 2024 bid
peace and stability, President Xi Jin- minister who had been a member of BUDAPEST, Hungary, Jan 19, new political group behind the cur- Several earlier attempts to hold they backed the referendum and
ping told the head the countrys Olympics committee for (AP): Opponents of Budapests bid rent referendum attempt, says the similar referendums in Budapest or would urge their supporters to sign
of the Internation- 10-1/2 years. to host the 2024 Olympics have Olympics will be too expensive, that nationally were either blocked by the petition.
al Olympic Com- begun gathering the 138,000 sig- the government is underestimating the courts or abandoned. Los Angeles and Paris are the
mittee. natures needed to hold a city refer- costs and that the money should be Organizers have 30 days to other bidders. The International
Beijing and OLYMPICS endum on the candidacy. spent instead on improving educa- gather the needed signatures. Olympic Committee will select the
the nearby city The Momentum Movement, a tion and health care. Several opposition parties said host city in September.
of Zhangjiakou
won the right to Meeting IOC President Thomas China and other countries along the Belt Xinhua made no mention of Inter- IOC sources have previously told Reu- IOC President Thomas Bach.
host the Games Bach in the Swiss city of Lausanne, Xi and Road routes, and enhance regional net access in its report. ters that major sponsors pay about $100 Sitting next to Alibaba executive
in 2015. The only said the 2022 Winter Olympic Games peace and stability, Xi added, referring Meanwhile, Chinese e-commerce million per four-year cycle, which chairman Jack Ma at a news confer-
other city bidding would be a remarkable, extraordinary to Chinas new Silk Road trade scheme. company Alibaba has become a major includes one summer and one win- ence, Bach added: This is an historic
was Almaty in and excellent event, state news agen- The report made no direct mention of a sponsor of the Olympic Games after ter games. The Alibaba deal comes as strategic partnership in the digital
Kazakhstan, after Xi cy Xinhua said late on Wednesday. possible lack of snow or Beijings terri- signing a deal with the International Asia prepares to host three consecu- world. It will transform the global
other competitors The preparations for the 2022 Win- ble smog problem. Large parts of north- Olympic Committee (IOC) that runs un- tive games, with South Koreas Pyeo- Olympic movement.
dropped out, citing costs and other ter Olympics will be a major task for ern China have been swathed in noxious til 2028, the two parties said on Thursday ngchang staging the 2018 winter games, The IOC hopes the deal will make
worries. China in the years to come. China will fumes this winter. Alibaba, which becomes the ofcial Tokyo the 2020 summer Olympics and the Olympics movement more tech-
While Beijing hosted the 2008 prepare and host the 2022 Games in a There have also been concerns e-commerce and cloud services part- Beijing the 2022 winter games. nologically efcient and secure, while
Summer Games to wide acclaim, its green, sharing, open and clean-ngered about Internet restrictions, though the ner, joins 12 other companies in- This is a ground-breaking, inno- also creating a platform for promoting
bid for the Winter Games was dogged manner, it paraphrased Xi as saying. IOC said in October it was condent cluding Coca-Cola and McDonalds vative alliance, and will help drive licensed products and extending the
by concern over numerous issues, Hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics China would guarantee uncensored In- as top Olympic sponsors. efciencies in the organisation of the reach of its newly-created digital plat-
such as corruption, the citys notori- will also boost the economic growth of ternet when it hosts the Games. No nancial details were disclosed. Olympic Games through 2028, said form, the Olympic Channel.

Storm interrupts Spore Open as favourites struggle

Stenson leads in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates,
Jan 19, (Agencies): Henrik Stenson
chipped in from 30 yards and had sev-
en more birdies Thursday to open the
Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with
an 8-under 64 in his rst competitive
round of 2017.
Showing no rustiness from an off-
season of little practice, the fourth-
ranked Stenson led by two strokes
midway through the rst round. Three-
time winner Martin Kaymer, Oliver
Fisher, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and
Marc Warren were next.
Stenson will do well to top 2016
he won the British Open for his rst ma-
jor title and nished the season as Eu-
ropes No. 1 and he prepared for the
new year by mostly ditching his clubs,
preferring to spend more time on the ski
slopes with his family in Utah.
Even his build-up to the Abu Dhabi
event wasnt ideal, with two overnight Al-Rubain shows off his medal at the Dakar Rallyt.
ights in three days from his home in

Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (center), goes to the basket between Indiana Pacers Myles Turner (left),
Orlando interrupted by his attendance
at an awards ceremony in Stockholm Kuwaits Al-Rubaian expresses
and Paul George during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Jan 18, in Sacramento, Calif. The Pacers
won 106-100. (AP) GOLF gratitude to sponsors and fans
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Kuwaiti weather conditions to complete the

Durants 40 points help where he beat Zlatan Ibrahimovic,

among others, to win Male Sports Ath-
lete of the Year at the Swedish Sports
Awards.
All Stenson needed was a few buck-
Motorbike Racing Champion Ibra-
him Al-Rubaian has become the rst
Kuwaiti and Arab to complete the In-
ternational Dakar Rally, which was
held recently in South America and
race.
Al-Rubaian explained that he
managed to cover more than 10,000
kilometers in an average time of 18
hours per day on a motorbike under
ets of balls and some good putting ses-

GSW silence Thunder

consisted of 12 stages. difcult conditions. In some stages,
sions to get him back on track. Playing In a press statement, Al-Rubaian one had to race for 20 hours in a
in an early-morning three-ball with indicated that he is the only Kuwaiti day and the navigational challenges
two more current major champions forced many participants to with-
in Dustin Johnson and Danny Willett, draw from the race.
Stenson birdied four of his rst ve RALLYING
George, Pacers rally past Kings 106-100 holes after starting at No. 10, complet- He expressed his appreciation and
gratitude to his sponsors and fans,
ing the hot streak with the chip-in after
leaving his approach ve yards short motorbike racer to have participated stressing that he hopes he has opened
OAKLAND, California, of the green. in this very difcult rally which was the doors for other Kuwaitis to par-
held in three different countries un- ticipate in this tough event.
Jan 19, (AP): Kevin Durant
dazzled against his old team
Frenchman Le Cleach wins He curled in a birdie putt from 15
feet on No. 17 and tapped in at the par-
5 18th to pick up another shot before
der different weather conditions.
He said that the rally was held on
It is worth mentioning that the
International Dakar Rally, formerly
with a season-best 40 points,
and the Golden State War- Vendee Globe in record time making birdie on two of his last three
holes to end a round in which he was
never in trouble.
Jan 2-14, starting from the Republic
of Paraguay with hot weather condi-
tions, and then crossing to Bolivia
known as ParisDakar Rally is
an annual off-road endurance rally
organized by the Amaury Sport Or-
riors beat Oklahoma City LES SABLES-DOLONNE, France, by a otilla of dozens of small boats
Jan 19, (AFP): French skipper with a helicopter beaming live tel- It was Stensons second best round to encounter heavy rains and high ganization (ASO). It was launched
121-100 on Wednesday Armel Le Cleach won the Vendee evision pictures hovering overhead. at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, only bet- hills, followed by Argentina with hot for the rst time in 1978.
night despite Russell West- Globe solo round the world yacht A crowd estimated at around tered by his course-record 62 in 2006
race on Thursday in a record time. 350,000 was waiting in icy but sun- when he was runner-up to Chris DiMa-
brooks 21st triple-double The 39-year-old got the better of ny conditions to accord the jubilant rco. It is a long course that suits Sten- He won in 2008, 10 and 11, and Al-Nasr win
for the Thunder. his titanic duel with British rival Alex but exhausted navigator a heros sons eye, and the same could be said should have won in 2015, only to
Westbrook had 27 points, 15 Thomson to cross the nish line at welcome on dry land. of Kaymer. throw away a 10-shot lead with 13
rebounds and 13 assists in an im- Les Sables dOlonne at 15:37GMT
after 74 days, three hours, 35 min-
Le Cleach, who has led the gru-
elling race for the last month and
The two-time major winner from
Germany mixed eight birdies three
holes to play on the nal day.
Johnson, at No. 3 the highest-ranked Kazma continue to
proved showing from his 20-point utes and 46 seconds at sea. a half, was tasting Vendee Globe player in a strong eld after Rory
outing on 4-for-15 shooting when
OKC rst faced Durant in the other
Le Cleach smashed the previous glory for the rst time after nishing
coming on his nal three holes with
two bogeys for his 66, his latest low McIlroys withdrawal on Monday, dominate league
record set by his compatriot Fran- runner-up in the last two editions. score at an event where he usually ex- shot 72 in his rst appearance in Abu
jersey here 2-1/2 months ago and cois Gabart in 2013 of 78 days 2hr While Le Cleach was savouring Dhabi. Defending champion Rickie KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19, (KUNA):
cels. Al-Nasr Basketball Team landed a
watched him dismantle the Thun- 16 min by almost four days. nally ascending sailings Everest Fowler also was at even par.
der from every which way. Thomson, Le Cleachs main rival Thomson, dogged by mechanical In Singapore, a lightning storm heavy surprise on Kuwait Basketball
In his two games against OKC, Du- since the maritime odyssey began problems on his Hugo Boss boat, cut short the first round of the Sin- team after defeating it with a score of
rant has scored 79 points on 28-for-40 on November 6, is expected to ar- will have to wait another four years gapore Open on Thursday after 69-66 in the 9th week matches of the
rive at the France Atlantic coast port for a fresh tilt at becoming the rst three-time champion Adam Scott National Basketball League.
shooting. Durant also had 12 rebounds later Thursday over 100 nautical non-French winner of the Vendee
Wednesday. tumbled down the leaderboard with Al-Nasr team players demonstrat-
miles behind. Globe. ed strong performance that enabled
Stephen Curry added 24 points and Le Cleachs state-of-the-art Le Cleach became the seventh a triple-bogey.
eight assists, and Klay Thompson had The Singapore Open has been regu- them to deservingly defeat Kuwait
Banque Populaire yacht was ac- winner of the coveted event rst team and increase its points to 10
14 points after he arrived back in the companied on its triumphant return staged 28 years ago. larly interrupted by Southeast Asias
ckle weather in recent years and al- from six matches. Kuwait Basket-
most half of the 156 entrants were una- ball teams points are 13 from seven
The Wizards are just 4-13 on the Hornets 107, Trail Blazers 85 matches.
BASKETBALL road but now 18-6 at home, where In Charlotte, North Carolina, Kemba
ble to complete the opening round after
In other matches, Kazma Basket-
theyve compiled their longest winning bolts of lightning lit up the sky around
Walker scored 23 points, Roy Hibbert the Sentosa Golf Club. ball Team continues to dominate the
streak since a 15-game run in the 1988- provided a huge boost off the bench, league chart after defeating Jahra
Bay Area just in time to play after a 89 season. Play was stopped for two and a
short absence dealing with a personal and Charlotte stopped a ve-game half hours and although the players team with a score of 80 65 baskets.
Washington never trailed and led slide. It is in top place with 15 points from
family matter. by as many as 19 points in the rst briey returned to the course in a vain
Pacers 106, Kings 100 Nicolas Batum added 17 points for effort to nish, play was abandoned 8 matches, while Jahra recorded 12
half, then held on after a 10-0 run by the Hornets, who limited the Trail points from seven matches.
Memphis made it a two-point game for the day when it became too dark
In Sacramento, California, Paul Blazers to 35 percent shooting and to continue the opening event of this Meanwhile, the match between
with 2 -1/2 minutes left. Thats when Adam Scott of Australia tees
George scored 24 points, Jeff Teague snapped an eight-game streak of allow- off on the 9th hole during the years Asian Tour. Hideto Tanihara Qadsiya and Al-Shabab teams and the
had 22 points, 11 assists and seven re- Wall took over, scoring on consecutive ing at least 100 points. Hibbert, who
drives. Marc Gasol led Memphis with SMBC Singapore Open golf and Satoshi Kodaira, both of Japan, match between Tadhamon and Sulai-
bounds, and the Pacers used a big sec- came in averaging 5.2 points per game, tournament at Sentosa Golf and South Koreas Kang Kyung-nam bikhat teams, which were due to be
ond half to rally for the road win. 28 points, and Mike Conley had 20. Clubs Serapong Course on
had a season-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shared the clubhouse lead at six-under held in Kuwait Sports Club hall, were
Indiana trailed by as many as 22 Rockets 111, Bucks 92 shooting, including an alley-oop pass Jan 19, in Singapore. (AP) par 65. cancelled due to a broken rim.
points in the rst half, and then out- In Houston, James Harden had 38 intended for Frank Kaminsky that in-
scored Sacramento 65-40 in the nal advertently went in.
two quarters to win for the seventh points, eight assists and six rebounds,
powering the Rockets to the win.
time in eight games.
Harden drilled a straightaway
Pistons 118, Hawks 95 NBA Results/Standings
Reserve Al Jefferson had 20 points In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Reggie
in 17 minutes for the Pacers, and 3-pointer with
six minutes left Jackson scored 26 points to lead the
Myles Turner had 16 points. balanced Pistons to the win.
to give Houston WASHINGTON, Jan 19, (RTRS): Results and standings from the NBA games on Wednesday.
76ers 94, Raptors 89 a 13-point lead Each of Detroits starters scored in Golden State 121Oklahoma City 100 NY Knicks 117 Boston 106
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid scored and shimmied his double gures, and the Pistons shot Indiana 106 Sacramento 100 Philadelphia 94 Toronto 89
49.5 percent from the eld. Tobias New Orleans 118 Orlando 98 Washington 104 Memphis 101
26 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 18 shoulders down Houston 111 Milwaukee 92 Charlotte 107 Portland 85
and resurgent Philadelphia won for the the court in a cel- Harris had 19 points, Reggie Bullock Detroit 118 Atlanta 95
seventh time in nine games. ebratory dance as nished with 15 and Andre Drummond Eastern Conference Western Conference
Embiid, who was questionable be- the Bucks called added 13 points and 17 rebounds. Atlantic Division Northwest Division
cause of the u, surpassed 20 points timeout. Detroit raced out to a 42-18 rst- W L PCT GB W L PCT GB
in fewer than 30 minutes in his 10th Eric Gor- quarter lead and never trailed. Toronto 28 14 .667 - Utah 27 16 .628 -
Boston 26 16 .619 2 Oklahoma City 25 19 .568 2-1/2
straight game. don made seven Pelicans 118, Magic 98 NY Knicks 19 24 .442 9-1/2 Denver 17 23 .425 8-1/2
With Embiid leading the way, the Durant 3-pointers and In New Orleans, Anthony Davis had Philadelphia 14 26 .350 13 Portland 18 26 .409 9-1/2
Sixers are no longer the NBAs laugh- scored 25 points 21 points and 15 rebounds, and New
Brooklyn 8 33 .195 19-1/2 Minnesota 14 28 .333 12-1/2
ingstock. Theyre only 14-26 but have for the Rockets, who had dropped three Orleans cruised past short-handed Or- Central Division Pacic Division
rejuvenated a city that has patiently of four. lando. W L PCT GB W L PCT GB
waited for a winner through three mis- Cleveland 29 11 .725 - Golden State 36 6 .857 -
Knicks 117, Celtics 106 Tyreke Evans and Langston Gal- Indiana 22 19 .537 7-1/2 LA Clippers 29 14 .674 7-1/2
erable seasons. loway added 18 points apiece for the Chicago 21 22 .488 9-1/2 Sacramento 16 25 .390 19-1/2
In Boston, Derrick Rose matched his
Wizards 104, Grizzlies 101 Pelicans, who never trailed after the Milwaukee 20 21 .488 9-1/2 LA Lakers 15 31 .326 23
season high with 30 points, helping the Detroit 20 24 .455 11 Phoenix 13 28 .317 22-1/2
In Washington, John Wall had 25 slumping Knicks to the road win. rst quarter and extended their lead to
Southeast Division Southwest Division
points and 13 assists, and the Wizards New York played without injured as many as 28 points.
W L PCT GB W L PCT GB
earned their 13th consecutive home starters Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton Atlanta 24 18 .571 - San Antonio 32 9 .780 -
win. Noah, but Mindaugas Kuzminskas and each had 14 points for Orlando, which Washington 22 19 .537 1-1/2 Houston 33 12 .733 1
James Ennis III missed a potential Willy Hernangomez each scored 17 nished 1-5 on a season-long six-game Charlotte 21 21 .500 3 Memphis 25 19 .568 8-1/2
Orlando 17 27 .386 8 New Orleans 17 26 .395 16
tying 3-pointer at the buzzer for Mem- points. It was just the third win in 14 trip that featured ve games in the last Miami 12 30 .286 12 Dallas 14 27 .341 18
phis. games for the Knicks. eight days.
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

SPORTS 41

Australia beat tourists by seven wickets

Smith century makes Pakistan pay for mistakes

PERTH, Australia, Jan 19, (AFP):
Pakistan was left lamenting missed
chances after Australia capitalised on
their errors to win the one-day interna-
tional in Perth on Thursday by seven
wickets, with skipper Steven Smith
scoring a century.
Pakistan made 263 for seven after
being sent to bat, having looked set
to post a much bigger score at several
CRICKET
stages. But the home side replied with
265 for three, winning with 30 balls to
spare.
After paceman Josh Hazlewood ap-
plied the brakes to a promising Paki-
stan innings with three wickets, skipper
Smith and ODI debutant Peter Hands-
comb put on 183 for the third wicket in
the chase to set their team on the path
to victory.
It could have been much different
for Pakistan, as they squandered two
golden opportunities to remove Hands-
comb early in his innings.
He was caught from a no-ball before
he scored, and was then dropped on 10.
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur could
only rue the mistakes that helped Aus-
tralia take a 2-1 lead in the ve-match
series.
When they claimed openers Da-
vid Warner (35) and Usman Khawaja
(nine) in ve balls Pakistan had Aus-
tralia wobbling at 45 for two.
One run later Handscomb was on
his way back to the pavilion for a duck
on debut, caught at rst slip from the
bowling of Junaid Khan.
Australia should have been 46 for
three, but Handscomb was recalled to
the centre due to a front foot no-ball.
To make matters worse, Handscomb
had another life on 10 when a simple
catch was dropped at point, with Junaid
again the aggrieved bowler.
It proved to be Pakistans undoing.
Handscomb eventually fell for 82
from 84 balls, but the game was safely
in Australias hands by then and the
Australia batsman admitted he had a
lucky day.
Smith brought up his eighth ODI
century by pulling the 97th ball he
faced to the mid-wicket boundary and
nished unbeaten on 108.
Earlier in the day, Hazlewood reined
the visitors in after they made a y-
ing start, picking up 3-32 from his 10
Australias Steve Smith bats during the third one-day international (ODI) cricket
match between Pakistan and Australia at the WACA in Perth on Jan 19. (AFP)
overs.
He claimed the vital wickets of
Babar Azam, who top-scored with 84
from 100 balls, Umar Akmal (39) and
opener Mohammad Hafeez (4).
Babar played beautifully and ap-
peared set to add another century to his
blossoming career, before he was bril-
liantly caught by Handscomb.
In his 21st innings, the Pakistani num-
ber three equalled the record held by four
other players for being quickest to 1,000
runs before falling to Hazlewood.
He attempted a pull shot and Hand-
Australia vs Pakistan Scoreboard
PERTH, Australia, Jan 19, (AFP):
Scorecard from the one-day interna-
tional between Australia and Pakistan
in Perth on Thursday:
PAKISTAN
Mohammad Hafeez lbw Hazlewood 4
Sharjeel Khan b Head ................... 50
Azam c Handscomb b Hazlewood....84
Asad Shaq c Khawaja b Head ....... 5
Shoaib Malik c Wade b Stanlake ... 39
Umar A. c Wade b Hazlewood ...... 39
Imad Wasim c Head b Cummins ..... 9
Mohammad Rizwan not out ........... 14
Mohammad Amir not out ................. 4
Extras (lb7, w8).............................. 15
Total (for 7 wickets, 50 overs) ..... 263
Fall of wickets: 1-36 (Hafeez), 2-85
(Sharjeel), 3-99 (Shaq), 4-162 (Ma-
lik), 5-222 (Babar), 6-244 (Umar),
7-246 (Wasim)
scomb took a great diving catch in the
outeld, with the third umpire conrm-
ing the Australian got his hands under
the ball.
Babar did have some luck and was
twice dropped by bowlers on their fol-
low-through.
He was dropped low down by James
Bowling: Hazlewood 10-0-32-3 (3w),
Stanlake 10-1-55-1 (2w), Cummins
10-1-42-1 (2w), Head 10-0-65-2,
Faulkner 10-0-62-0
AUSTRALIA
D. Warner c Rizwan b Junaid ........ 35
U. Khawaja c Rizwan b Amir ........... 9
S. Smith not out ........................... 108
P. Handscomb c Rizwan b Ali ....... 82
T. Head not out .............................. 23
Extras (b1, lb1, w5, nb1).................. 8
Total (three wickets, 45 overs) .... 265
Fall of wickets: 1-44 (Warner), 2-45
(Khawaja), 3-228 (Handscomb)
Bowling: Hafeez 6-1-30-0 (1w), Amir
10-0-36-1 (1w), Junaid 9-0-58-1 (1nb),
Ali 10-0-62-1, Wasim 8-0-59-0 (3w),
Malik 2-0-18-0
Australia won by seven wickets
Toss: Australia
Faulkner on 31 and then Patrick Cum-
mins grassed a tough chance when he
was 74.
Umar should have been stumped on
one to give part-time spinner Travis
Head (2-65) a third wicket, but wicket-
keeper Matthew Wade botched an easy
dismissal.

Sagan crosses 2nd, Bonifazio 3rd

Ewan sprints to stage 3 Yuvraj & Dhoni tons help

win at Tour Down Under
Australias Caleb Ewan (left), from
Orica wins stage three of the Tour
Down Under cycling race from
Glenelg to Victor Harbour near Ad-
elaide on Jan 19. (AFP)
Toulon boost
Giteau back for
Saracens game
TOULON, France, Jan 19, (AFP):
Australian playmaker Matt Giteau is
back in the nick of time to boost Tou-
lon in their quest to make the European
Champions Cup quarter-nals at Sara-
cens on Saturday.
The French club trail reigning
champions Saracens in Pool 3 with a
visit to the already-qualied English
giants their penultimate round-robin
outing.
Giteau, a key man in Toulons hat-
RUGBY
trick of titles from 2013-15, suffered
a broken ankle and an additional leg
fracture playing for the Wallabies
against New Zealand in the Rugby
Championship.
After ve months on the sidelines,
the Australian made a signicant
comeback in a bonus-point 27-12 tri-
umph over Sale, meaning it all comes
down to Saturdays Allianz Park
showdown.
Toulon will also be boosted by the
return of stalwarts Fijian Josua Tuis-
ova and South African Juanne Smith,
who both also got a run out against
Sale.
But Giteau the player dubbed
the boss by club president Mourad
Boudjellal is ready to step back into
his pivotal role.
His return comes as a welcome re-
lief for the club with Franois Trinh-
Duc out with an arm injury.
Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez elected to Hall of Fame
Bonds, Clemens making slow gains with changing electorate
NEW YORK, Jan 19, (AP): Hall of
Fame voters are still sharply divided on
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
The electorate is changing, however,
and that could be good news for both.
Bonds and Clemens inched past
the 50-percent mark for the rst time
Wednesday, each appearing on about
54 percent of ballots cast by the Base-
ball Writers Association of America.
For a fth straight year, Bonds and
Clemens fell short of the 75 percent
needed for induction, but their support
is slowly climbing.
Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan
BASEBALL
Rodriguez were elected to the Hall on
Wednesday.
Bonds and Clemens remain on the
outside looking in because of drug sus-
picions, but they could continue to gain
ground as more new voters are wel-
comed into the process.
I think, just generationally, people
ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 19, (AFP):
Emerging sprinter Caleb Ewan won his
second stage at the season-opening Tour
Down Under in Australia on Thursday.
The 22-year-old produced a powerful
nish to surge home from the nal turn
and claim the 144-kms third stage from
Glenelg to Victor Harbour in three hours,
24 minutes and 45 seconds.
Dutchman Danny van Poppel looked
set to claim victory as they rounded the
nal turn, with Ewan back in eighth, but
the Australian prevailed in a hectic dash
to the line.
World champion Peter Sagan weaved
his way through trafc to cross a close
second, with Italian Niccolo Bonifazio in
third and van Poppel fourth.
After what he described as a nervous
and stressful leg, Tasmanian Richie Porte
CYCLING struck a valiant 102 as the visi-
tors, who were chasing 382 for
retained his overall lead for BMC Rac-
victory, gave the hosts a scare
ing and remains the man to beat for the after they ended the reply on
General Classication with three stages 366-8.
remaining.
The nal push to the nish took a toll
on the eld with several riders, including
second-placed overall Spaniard Gorka
Izaguirre, crashing to the tarmac.
Izaguirre didnt lose any time as the fall
occurred with just under three kilome-
tres to ride and he remained 20 seconds
behind Porte, with Colombias Esteban
Chaves two seconds further back in third.
Ewan admitted he thought he was in
trouble heading for the nish.
I was a bit far back on the last turn,
he said. I was jumping around on wheels
and luckily I got through in the end.
He said he struggled for much of the
stage, after Wednesdays arduous second
stage in the Adelaide Hills.
Today was pretty tough backing up
after yesterday. It took me probably three-
quarters of the race to get into it again.
Ewan paid tribute to team-mate Luke
Durbridge for putting him in a position
to win.
A pack of four formed a breakaway
early in the stage and proved hard to run
down.
Well-credentialled Belgian Thomas De
Gendt was the rst to move and was soon
joined by Clement Chevrier, Jeremy Mai-
son and Vegard Laengen.
With around 30 kms remaining the
peloton started to reel the quartet in.
Norways Laengen eventually dropped
the other three and made a determined
bid to hang on, only to be hauled in with
around ve kilometres to go.
Stage four is 149.5 kms long from Ad-
elaides Norwood suburb to Campbell-
town.
in their 20s and 30s look at this differ-
ent than people in their 50s and 60s,
said Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City
At left, in a June 23, 2011 le photo, former San Francisco Giants baseball
player Barry Bonds leaves federal court in San Francisco. At right, in a July
14, 2011 le photo, former Major League baseball pitcher Roger Clemens
leaves federal court in Washington. (AP)
India clinch ODI series
CUTTACK, India, Jan
19, (AFP): Veterans Yu-
vraj Singh and Mahendra
Singh Dhoni turned back
the clock with blistering
centuries to set up Indias
series clinching 15-run
win against England in
the second one-day inter-
national in Cuttack on
Thursday.
England skipper Eoin Morgan
With England requiring 46
CRICKET
off the nal three overs the visi-
tors stood an outside chance but
Morgans unfortunate run out in
the penultimate over ended their
hopes.
The left-handed batsman hit 6
fours and 5 sixes during his 81-
ball blitz.
But it was the 256-run fourth-
wicket partnership between Yu-
vraj (150) and Dhoni (134) that
handed India an unassailable 2-0
lead in the three-match series.
The day belonged to the 35-year-
old Yuvraj, who made his highest
ever ODI score, and former captain
Dhoni as they delighted a sell-out
crowd at Cuttacks Barabati Sta-
dium.
The left-handed Yuvraj, who is
making a comeback in the ODI
side after a gap of three years,
counter attacked after India were
in early trouble at 25 for three.
Yuvraj, who last scored a hun-
dred against West Indies in the
2011 World Cup, recorded his
14th ODI century as he smacked
21 fours and 3 sixes in a 127-ball
knock.
In the process, he overtook the
great Sachin Tendulkars record
run tally in ODIs against Eng-
land, and he has now accumulat-
ed 1,478 runs in 36 matches.
Dhoni had a relatively sedate
start, seeing out two maidens be-
Star, a rst-time voter who supported
Bonds and Clemens. Maybe were
missing something Im not one of
Hosts beat England by 15 runs
Indian captain Virat Kohli (second right), walks with his teammates after victory in the second One Day Interna-
tional cricket match between India and England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Jan 19. (AFP)
India vs England Scoreboard
CUTTACK, India, Jan 19, (AFP): Final scoreboard of the sec- J. Root c Kohli b Ashwin ...................................................... 54
ond One-Day International between India and England in Cut- E. Morgan run out (Bumrah) .............................................. 102
tack on Thursday: B. Stokes b Ashwin................................................................ 1
INDIA J. Buttler st Dhoni b Ashwin................................................. 10
L. Rahul c Stokes b Woakes .................................................5 M. Ali b Kumar ..................................................................... 55
S Dhawan b Woakes ...........................................................11 C. Woakes b Bumrah ............................................................ 5
V. Kohli c Stokes b Woakes ..................................................8 L. Plunkett not out................................................................ 26
Y. Singh c Buttler b Woakes ..............................................150 D. Willey not out .................................................................... 5
M.S. Dhoni c Willey b Plunkett ..........................................134 Extras (lb7, w4, nb1)............................................................ 12
K. Jadhav c Ball b Plunkett ..................................................22 Total (8 wickets; 50 overs)................................................. 366
H. Pandya not out ................................................................19 Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Hales), 2-128 (Root), 3-170 (Roy), 4-173
R. Jadeja not out .................................................................16 (Stokes), 5-205 (Buttler), 6-299 (Ali)
Extras (b4, lb2, w9, nb1)......................................................16 Bowling: Kumar 10-1-63-1, Bumrah 9-0-81-2 (1nb, 1w), Jadeja
Total (6 wickets; 50 overs).................................................381 10-0-45-1, Pandya 6-0-60-0, Ashwin 10-0-65-3 (2w), Jadhav
Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Rahul), 2-22 (Kohli), 3-25 (Woakes), 5-0-45-0 (1w)
4-281 (Yuvraj), 5-323 (Jadhav), 6-358 (Dhoni) Did not bat: J. Ball
Toss: England
Bowling: Woakes 10-3-60-4, Willey 5-0-32-0 (1w), Ball 10-0-
80-0 2w), Plunkett 10-1-91-2 (1nb, 4w)), Stokes 9-0-79-0 (1w), Result: India won by 15 runs
Ali 6-0-33-0 (1w) Series: India lead the three-match series 2-0
Did not bat: R. Ashwin, J. Bumrah, B. Kumar Umpires: Anil Chaudhary (IND) and Ruchira Palliyaguruge
ENGLAND (SRI)
J. Roy b Jadeja .................................................................... 82 TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)
A. Hales c Dhoni b Bumrah ................................................. 14 Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
fore boosting his condence with a Yuvraj was caught behind off It was then that Morgan rose to
couple of boundaries. Woakes while Dhoni fell to Liam the occasion with an exemplary
Plunkett but their departure was showing as he put on 93 runs for
The wicketkeeper-batsman, who
scant consolation to the England the sixth wicket with Moeen Ali
survived a dropped catch on 43,
made the most of the reprieve to bowlers who were all carted around (55) to keep the chase alive.
the park. But the pressure of keeping pace
post his 10th ODI hundred as he
In Englands innings, Jason Roy with the ever-increasing run rate
hit 10 fours and 6 sixes. (82) and Joe Root (54) put on 100 nally got to the visiting side as
runs for the second wicket to try Plunkett remained unbeaten on 27.
and set up the chase but the Indian
spinners struck back to dent the op-
The third and nal ODI is sched-
uled in Kolkata on Sunday ahead of
positions hopes. the three-match Twenty20 series.
these people that thinks, like, Im right Farwaniya Equestrian Club to
and theyre wrong. Its just different
viewpoints.
A writer can receive a Hall of Fame hold 100-kilometer horse race
vote when he or she has been an active
member of the BBWAA for 10 consec- KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Farwani- tee has invited eight representatives
utive years, so newcomers are always ya Equestrian Club will organize from the International Equestrian
on the way. In 2015, the Hall of Fame the His Highness the Crown Prince Federation including three judges,
eliminated voters who had been inac- Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed 100-kil- adding that the committee contract-
tive for more than 10 years a move ometer Horse Race on Saturday, ed with a company for implement-
that further boosted the inuence of Jan 21 at Sabah Al-Ahmed Herit- ing the electronic timing system to
newer voters. age Village. A total of 78 horsemen ensure accuracy of results.
The closest thing to a Hall of Fame
exit poll is Ryan Thibodauxs online Al-Daihani revealed that prizes
vote tracker , which has charted over will be given to the rst ten win-
half the ballots from this years elec-
HORSE RACING ners, due to the long distance of
tion. Of the 14 rst-time voters identi- the race, which will start at 8am on
ed on the site as of Wednesday night, and horsewomen will participate in Saturday.
13 supported Bonds and Clemens. the race. Meanwhile, the Farwaniya
One of those rst-time voters was Board Chairman of Farwaniya Equestrian Club will hold a horse
Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, Equestrian Club Mubarak Al- race on Friday Jan 20 on Sheikh
who said he supported Bonds after
former Commissioner Bud Selig was
Daihani thanked His Highness the Ahmed Al-Jaber Racetracks un-
elected as part of this class by a veter- Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- der the patronage of the business-
ans committee. Selig presided over the Ahmed for his continuous support man Ali Al-Shalahi. A total of 67
era in which drug suspicion became so for the horseracing sport. horses will participate in the race
rampant. He said the organizing commit- which will have ve rounds.
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

SPORTS 42

City host Spurs

Buoyant Spurs aim to pile more misery on City

LONDON, Jan 19, (Agencies):
Tottenham Hotspur were the first club
to expose chinks in the armour of Pep
Guardiolas Manchester City and the
in-form north London side will seek to
inflict further damage at the Etihad
Stadium on Saturday.
When City travelled to White Hart
Lane in October they did so with for-
mer Barcelona mastermind Guardiola
threatening to turn his first season in
England into a cakewalk after his side
opened up with six straight Premier
League wins.
A 2-0 defeat, which could have been
heavier, proved not just a blip, but a
huge reality check for the Spaniard
whose side have never been the same
Liverpool vs Swansea beIN SPORTS
2HD, 11HD
15:30 Local (Saturday)
Palace vs Everton beIN SPORTS 1HD
18:00 Local (Saturday)
Bournemouth vs Watford beIN
SPORTS 4HD
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WBA vs Sunderland beIN SPORTS 5HD
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Stoke vs Man U beIN SPORTS 2HD, 11HD
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since.
While Tottenham have emerged as
City vs Spurs beIN SPORTS 2HD,
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Saints vs Leicester beIN SPORTS
2HD, 11HD
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Arsenal vs Burnley beIN SPORTS
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Chelsea vs Hull beIN SPORTS 2HD
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serious title contenders, winning their
last six league games to climb to sec-
ond, seven points behind Chelsea, City
have slipped to fifth following a 4-0
hammering at Everton last weekend.
Guardiola, who turned 46 on
Wednesday, needs a quick response
from a squad being derided as defen-
sively fragile, ageing and struggling
to adapt to his possession style of
play.
City have managed to keep clean
sheets in only 25 percent of their
matches under Guardiola with goal-
keeper Claudio Bravo, the man who
edged Englands Joe Hart out, and
big-money central defensive signing
John Stones, taking their share of
flak.
Ten points behind Chelsea,
Guardiola all but conceded that City
were out of the title race after the
Goodison Park debacle.
Spurs, on the other hand, could
hardly be in better shape, even if Jan
Vertonghens ankle injury against
West Bromwich Albion on Saturday
took some gloss off their recent run.
Mauricio Pochettinos side have
conceded only 14 goals in 21 league
matches and are scoring for fun with
19 in their six-match winning streak,
including Harry Kanes hat-trick in the
4-0 rout of West Brom.
Young England midfielder Dele
Alli is also in a rich vein of form so
Tottenham will head north confident
of a first away win against one of their
top-of-the-table rivals this season,
having lost to Chelsea and Manchester
United and drawn at Arsenal.
With City and Spurs facing each
other, the other teams in the top six
will look to gain some ground.
Chelsea will need to put aside spec-
ulation about striker Diego Costas
future when they host struggling Hull
City on Sunday when fourth-placed
Arsenal entertain Burnley.
Leading scorer Costa missed
Chelseas 3-0 win at Leicester City
last weekend with a back injury amid
reports of a bust-up with manager
Antonio Conte and a possible 30 mil-
lion-pound ($37 million)per year deal
to play in China.

Barcelona in second place

Man Utd dethrone Real as cash kings

LONDON, Jan 19, (AFP): Manchester
Uniteds relative failure on the pitch has
not been reflected off it as for the first
time in over a decade they top Deloittes
Le Roy, Renard hunt key pts
Football Money League for revenue in OYEM, Gabon, Jan 19, (AFP): title with Cameroon in 1988
the 2015/16 season. French coaches Herve Renard he has failed to reach the knockout
United who were last on top in the and Claude le Roy loom large over phase only once.
2003/04 campaign earned record rev- the key Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon, Senegal, DR Congo,
enue of 689m euros (515.3m, $736m) Group C clash between Morocco Ghana and Congo Brazzaville all
and dislodged Champions League and Togo in Oyem Friday. benefited from the 68-year-old with a
holders Real Madrid who have ruled the Renard, a Cup of Nations winner fondness for dark jackets and t-shirts.
roost for the past 11 years. with Zambia in 2012 and the Ivory Togo are the latest beneficiaries
Uniteds topping of the revenue table Coast in 2015, was hired by of wisdom gathered over three
in a season where they failed to spar- Morocco last year and given a
kle under Louis van Gaal in the league or mandate to reach the semifinals. Ivory Coast vs Dr Congo beIN
the Champions League leading to him Right now, a last-four place
must seem a long way off for the SPORTS MAX 1HD
being sacked is largely down to one blond, bronzed 48-year-old former 19:00 Local
thing according to Tim Bridge, Senior Paris rubbish collector who always Morocco vs Toyo beIN SPORTS
Consuiltant at Deloitte. wears a white shirt on matchdays.
It is the commercial power of MAX 1HD
Morocco could not translate pos-
Manchester United that takes them to the session into goals three days ago 22:00 Local
top of the league, he told AFP. and a goalkeeping blunder by Munir
More galling perhaps for Real is that Mohamedi gifted the Democratic decades in Africa and they were
despite passing the 600m euros barrier Republic of Congo a 1-0 win. never overawed when forcing a
A winner displays a trophy as officials look on after the awarding ceremony. for the first time they also found them- That loss left the Moroccans point- 0-0 draw with an Ivorian side that
selves edged into third by bitter rivals less and bottom of a table headed by appeared much stronger on paper.
Barcelona, who bettered them by just DR Congo with three points followed When Le Roy coached 2008
Tanfidh rules 1,200-meter category 100,000 euros 620.2m euros to Reals by title-holders the Ivory Coast and hosts and bronze medallists
620.1m although the Catalan side have Togo with one apiece. Ghana, his assistant was then
Jahra Equestrian Club witnessed ond place was the horse Sirwi stable. The horse Badrani from yet to top the table. Veteran Le Roy is at the Cup of unknown Renard. It prove a fruitful
remarkable competition between from Al-Adela and Al-Arwu Stable Sabah Al-Suleili won the 1,600- The top trio also filled the first three Nations a record ninth time and relationship for the younger
various horse categories during and in third place the horse Muklif meter race and the horse Sanafi although he can boast of just one Frenchman.
positions when Deloittes first published
its 13th Horseracing Competition, from the same stable. wa Bas from Al-Sahwu Stable the league in the 1996/97 season with
which attracted huge number of In the 2,400-meter race, the won the 1,000-meter race. United topping then on 88m pretty
spectators and participants. horse Humaal from Badin Stable Chairman of Jahra Horsemen much the amount they spent on Paul teams appearing in the top 20 five in 2017/18, said Bridge.
The horse Tanfidh from took first place and won the tro- Society Dagheem Al-Saeedi and Pogba almost 20 years later. the top 10 and generating total com- But with the rise of their European
Al-Husseini Stable won first place phy after completing the race in Abdullah Al-Adwani presented Uniteds reign, though, could be short- bined revenue of 3.2bn euros. competitors it might not be as great as
after completing the 1,200-meter 2:35:41 minutes, followed by the the cups and prizes to the win- lived as they failed to qualify for the Champions Leicester break in for the one thought.
race in 1:14:88 minutes. In sec- horse Istibdad from the same ning stables. Champions League this season, even first time and are 20th with revenue of It is a testament to European football
when figures from the huge Premier 172.1m euros whilst rivals West Ham generally and it has to be said clubs are
League TV deal that came into force this also crept into the top 20 in 18th spot operating in a more financially sustain-
Best of the Rest with recorded revenues of 192.3m
euros.
able manner now.
The introduction by UEFA of
SOCCER However, thoughts of the EPL being European Fair Play (EFP) has seen a
an unstoppable force and all 20 clubs huge reduction in losses.
entering the Top 30 next year should not The decline of Serie A continues.
First game since crash: Slowly and steadily, Memphis Depay to Lyon for a fee that could reach season are taken into account, according be taken for granted, says Bridge. Although there are four teams in the top
Rafael Henzel will climb into the cramped space to around 25 million euros ($26.7 million), British media to Bridge. When the new TV deal was announced 20 Juventus the highest at 10th
broadcast Saturdays friendly match for Brazilian club reported on Wednesday. The TV deal will counterbalance two years ago we might well have thought Deloitte think there is a real danger they
Chapecoense, the first since nearly the entire team was Depay, 22, joined United from PSV Eindhoven for some of it but much depends on where more there would be more English clubs could just have one representative next
killed in an air crash almost two months ago. a reported fee of 25 million ($30.7 million, 28.8 mil- they finish in the league, said Bridge. coming into the Money League for year.
Only six of the 77 passengers survived and lion euros) in June 2015. The truth is it will be a three-way
Henzel was one of them. But he had a disappointing first season under com- battle next year mainly because United
The stairway at the Arena Conda is very steep, but patriot Louis van Gaal and has made just one start in
all competitions since Jose Mourinho became manager are not in the Champions League and the
I have extra motivation to be in that stadium again and impact of the exchange rate (it was 1.33
see players wearing our shirt, the fans. It wont be that last July. (AFP)
euro to the pound when Deloitte did the
stairway that will stop me, Henzel told The 2015/16 table as opposed to Wednesdays
Associated Press after his morning show on radio
Oeste Capital. (AP) Arsenal extend Mertesackers deal: rate of 1.15) and weakening of the pound
Arsenal have triggered an option to extend Per following the decision to leave the
Mertesackers contract despite the centre back not European Union.
City complete Jesus transfer: Brazilian starlet playing a single game for the club so far this season It will be challenging for them to stay
Gabriel Jesus has formally completed his move to due to a knee problem, manager Arsene Wenger on top next year.
Manchester City from Palmeiras, the Premier League said on Thursday. German champions Bayern Munich
club announced on Thursday. The 32-year-old former German international under- and Manchester City fill out the top five
City agreed to sign Jesus on a five-year contract in went surgery after picking up the injury in a pre-sea- French giants Paris Saint Germain
August, but the 19-year-old was immediately loaned son friendly in July. (RTRS) dropping out of the leading quintet to
back to Palmeiras until the end of the Brazilian season sixth.
in December. Citys appearance in the top five for
With City having now completed his registration, he Resolve Payet stand-off: West Ham manager
could make his debut for Pep Guardiolas side in Slaven Bilic says Dimitri Payet will only get his wish the first time is on the back of reaching
Saturdays home game with high-flying Tottenham to leave the Premier League club if Marseille meet his the Champions League semifinals.
Hotspur. (AFP) asking price for the unsettled France midfielder. In all the top 20 clubs generated reve-

Payet is trying to engineer a return to Marseille and nue of 7.4 billion euros, a rise of 12 per-
has been training with West Hams Under-23 squad cent on the previous year.
Man Utd and Lyon agree Depay fee: this week after telling Bilic he wasnt willing to play The English Premier Leagues com-
Manchester United have agreed to sell Dutch winger in Saturdays win against Crystal Palace. (AFP) mercial attractiveness compared to other A show host presents a logo during the launch ceremony of a logo for the Euro
European leagues is reflected with eight 2020 soccer championship in St Petersburg, Russia on Jan 19. (AP)
 ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017

SPORTS 43

I am not worried, insists Zidane

Celta inflict shock copa defeat on wounded Real

MADRID, Jan 19, (AFP): After sur-
rendering a record 40-game unbeaten
run, Real Madrid suffered a second
defeat in four days as Celta Vigo took
a 2-1 rst leg lead from their Copa del
Rey quarter-nal at the Santiago Ber-
nabeu.
All three goals came in a six-minute
spell midway through the second-half
as strikes from former Liverpool strik-
SOCCER
er Iago Aspas and Jonny either side of
Marcelos reply for Madrid handed
Celta a famous win.
Real can still salvage their quest for
a rst ever treble of Cup, La Liga and
Champions League, but now need to
score at least twice when the visit Bal-
aidos for the second leg on Jan 25.
I am not worried, insisted Real
Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
It is not a good moment for us, two
defeats (in a row), but we can over-
come this. We still have the return leg
to go.
Losing 2-1 the result is not in our
favour, but we know we can go there
and change that.
Celta Vigo boss Eduardo Berizzo
said the Galicians rst win at the Ber-
nabeu in a decade didnt surprise him,
but that they would need to be even
better next week on home soil to nish
the tie off.
None of my teams victories sur-
prise me. It is a huge win, coming to a
place like this and facing the best team
in the world, but we believed we could
do it, said Berizzo.
We are happy to win, but it obliges
us to play even better in Vigo because
we are facing a brilliant opponent and
it is the toughest footballing test.
Cristiano Ronaldo was making
his rst appearance in the Copa del
Rey for two years as Zidane named
a strong side with just four changes
from the team that was beaten for the
rst time in 41 matches at Sevilla on
Sunday.
However, with temperatures plum-
meting below zero and the match not
kicking off until 21:15 local time, the
subdued atmosphere at the Bernabeu
was matched by a lacklustre Madrid
display.
Ronaldo had to wait until 33 min-
utes for his rst clear sight of goal, but
failed to make a clean connection with
Sergio Ramoss cut-back and Jonny
was able to clear from underneath his
own crossbar.
An unfortunate hand injury to
Marco Asensio as he was accidentally
trod on by Facundo Roncaglia ensured
Ronaldo moved from the centre of the
Madrid attack back onto his habitual
position on the left as Alvaro Morata
was introduced early in the second-
half.
Morata has scored four times as a
substitute this season, and nearly had
an instant impact when he blazed over
when well-positioned inside the area.
Instead, it was Celta who got the
opener as the game sprung into life in
the nal 25 minutes.
Marcelos miscued clearance from
Theo Bongondas cross only found the
grateful Aspas alone inside the area
and he ried the ball high past Kiko
Casilla for his 15th goal of the season.
Madrid rallied as they so often
have this season when Marcelo made
amends with a brilliant volley from the
edge of the box.
However, no sooner had Celta
kicked-off when they were back in
front as a huge hole appeared in the
middle of the Madrid defence and As-
pas teed up Jonny to bear down on goal
and slot coolly past Casilla.
Zidane threw on Karim Benzema for
the hapless Danilo as the hosts chased
the game in the nal 10 minutes.
And the Frenchmans daring ap-
proach should have been rewarded
with a second equaliser, but Benzema
somehow blazed over with the goal at
his mercy seven minutes from time
meaning Madrid have it all to do at Real Madrids Croatian midelder Luka Modric (left), vies with Celta Vi-
Balaidos next week. gos Serbian midelder Nemanja Radoja during the Spanish Copa del Rey
In the nights other tie, two late (Kings Cup) quarter-nal rst leg football match Real Madrid CF vs RC Cel-
goals from Ibai Gomez handed Alaves ta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid on Jan 18. (AFP)
a 2-0 win at second division Alcorcon.

Tunisia atone for opening defeat
Cameroon close in on last eight
FRANCEVILLE, Gabon, Jan 19, (AFP): Tunisia scored twice in the sec-
ond half to beat Algeria 2-1 in Franceville Thursday and haul themselves
back into contention for an Africa Cup of Nations quarter-nals place.
An Aissa Mandi own-goal broke the deadlock and Naim Sliti converted a penalty as the
Tunisians atoned for a 2-0 defeat by Senegal in their opening Group B game.
Substitute Soane Hanni scored a consolation goal for the Algerian Desert Foxes a minute into stop-
page time.
Among the pre-tournament favourites, Algeria have only one point from two matches and must defeat
top-ranked African team Senegal next Monday to have a chance of survival.
Algerias Mohamed Mefath (left), is challenged by Tunisias Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (right), during the African Cup of Nations Group B soccer match
between Algeria and Tunisia at Stade de Franceville Stadium, Gabon on Jan 19. (AP)
Saints set up Arsenal clash
Lucas sees Liverpool through in replay
PLYMOUTH, United Kingdom, Jan 19, (AFP):
Stand-in captain Lucas Leiva scored his rst goal in
seven years to earn Liverpool a 1-0 victory at fourth-
tier underdogs Plymouth Argyle in Wednesdays FA
Cup third-round replay.
The Brazilian, playing at centre-back, met coun-
tryman Philippe Coutinhos 18th-minute corner with
a rm near-post header to sink Plymouth, who had
drawn 0-0 at Aneld 10 days previously.
A second-string Liverpool team could even afford
for Divock Origi to squander a late penalty, the Bel-
Cameroons midelder Sebastien
Siani celebrates after scoring a goal gium striker seeing his effort saved by home goal-
during the 2017 Africa Cup of Na- keeper Luke McCormick.
tions Group A football match between Every week in training we play old versus young
Cameroon and Guinea-Bissau at the and he is a top scorer for old, which is unbelievable,
Stade de lAmitie Sino-Gabonaise in Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said of Lucass goal.
Libreville on Jan 18. (AFP)
SOCCER
Maybe it wasnt the most exciting game, but for us
its very important as its another game for a few of
the young boys, so thats all good.
Liverpool, third in the Premier League, will host
second-tier Wolverhampton Wanderers in round four
on January 28.
Lucas did a jig of joy after he evaded the atten-
tions of his marker to head the ball past McCormick
at Home Park.
It was his rst goal since a Europa League tie
against Steaua Bucharest in September 2010.
The goal also vindicated Klopps decision to put
Coutinho in his starting line-up for the rst time since
he limped off injured in the 2-0 defeat of Sunderland
Norwich Citys Josh Murphy (left), at Aneld in late November.
and Southamptons Harrison Reed Coutinho helped ensure the Premier League
battle for the ball during the English side dominated the opening exchanges of their
FA Cup, third round replay match at contest with the League Two promotion contend-
St Marys, Southampton, England on ers.
Jan 18. (AP)
Despite the setback of conceding, Derek Adamss
Senegal will become the rst qualiers for the quarter-nals if they defeat Zimbabwe later Thursday
in the second part of a double-header.
Although the northern neighbours have been regular competitors at the biennial African football show-
case, this was only their second Cup of Nations meeting.
The Carthage Eagles - as Tunisia are known, won 1-0 at the group stage in 2013 thanks to a stoppage-
time goal from Youssef Msakni, a starter in Franceville.
Tunisias Aymen Mathlouthi was much the busier goalkeeper during the opening half in the south-
eastern Gabonese city.
The vastly experienced shot-stopper used his hands and legs to foil Yacine Brahimi, Islam Slimani,
Adlane Guedioura and 2016 African Footballer of the Year Riyad Mahrez.
home side rallied and carved out a couple of chances
themselves.
But Loris Karius pulled off a ne save to tip away
Graham Careys long-range shot before Trent Alex-
ander-Arnold denied Arnold Garita with a smart in-
terception.
It was far from plain sailing for Liverpool in a place
known as Britains Ocean City and Karius found
himself placed under pressure as Argyle raised their
game.
Adams had to go into the game without striker Da-
vid Goodwillie after a civil court judge ruled that he
and former Dundee United team-mate David Robert-
son raped a woman in 2011.
Plymouth started where they had left off after the
break, but Karius dealt comfortably with David Foxs
low drive.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge wasted a decent
chance from a tight angle and Origi had a powerful
shot saved by McCormick.
Klopp decided to withdraw Coutinho in favour of
the clubs Under-23s captain Harry Wilson, who made
his senior debut.
The Welsh youngster almost doubled the lead when
he charged down McCormicks clearance, but the ball
sailed just over the bar.
The visitors had a narrow escape when Jake Jervis
saw his acrobatic volley graze a post, setting the scene
for a nervous nale.
Origi should have doubled the lead from the penalty
spot after Yann Songoo felled Alberto Moreno, but
his effort was superbly saved by McCormick, diving
low to his right.
Elsewhere, Southampton set up a fourth-round
clash at home to 12-time winners Arsenal after Shane
Longs scruffy stoppage-time strike gave them a 1-0
win over second-tier Norwich City.
Championship leaders Newcastle United beat Bir-
mingham City 3-1 at St James Park, Matt Ritchie
scoring twice.
A free-kick from midelder Bra-
himi was millimetres off target before
Mathlouthi thwarted striker Slimani
by stretching his left leg to push away
a header.
Good positioning by the goalkeeper
foiled Guedioura when the midelder
unleashed a stinging shot from outside
the box.
Mathlouthi then dived swiftly to his
right and foiled Mahrez, scorer of both
goals in a 2-2 opening-round draw
with Zimbabwe four days ago
Tunisia came closest to scoring in
the rst half when the quick reactions
of Algerian goalkeeper Malek Asselah
prevented the ball crossing the line.
Having weathered the rst-half
Algerian storm, Tunisia took the lead
ve minutes into the second half.
A throw-in and a ick set Msakni
free and his intended cross was de-
ected by Mandi into his own net.
The goal rattled the Desert Foxes
and they fell further behind on 66
SOCCER
minutes.
A Faouzi Ghoulam back-header
aimed at his goalkeeper was far too
weak and he then fouled Wahbi Khaz-
ri to concede a penalty.
Sliti calmly scored from the spot,
placing the ball in the right corner as
Asselah dived the wrong way.
Cameroon closed in on the quarter-
nals of the Africa Cup of Nations by
beating Guinea-Bissau 2-1.
The Indomitable Lions came from
behind to defeat Guinea-Bissau with
Sebastien Siani and Michael Ngadeu
netting after Piquetis contender for
goal of the tournament had given the
debutants the lead. Cameroon now
know a draw against Gabon in their
nal Group A game on Sunday will
secure them a place in the last eight
after a build-up to the nals marred by
the refusal of several marquee names
to accept call-ups.
Earlier, Aubameyangs penalty al-
lowed Gabon to come from behind
and draw 1-1 with Burkina Faso after
Prejuce Nakoulma had put the Stal-
lions in front at the Stade de lAmitie.
It was their second 1-1 draw in as
many matches.
Cameroon travelled to Gabon with
arguably their weakest ever squad at
the Cup of Nations but Hugo Brooss
side played well for much of their
opening draw with Burkina Faso and
showed great spirit to come from be-
hind against Guinea-Bissau.
The west African minnows were
heading for their rst ever win at the
tournament after Piqueti, who plays
for Sporting Bragas B team in the
Portuguese second division, put them
in front in the 13th minute.
It was a breathtaking goal as he col-
lected possession midway inside his
own half, lobbed one opponent and
then outpaced another on his way into
the box, where he crashed a shot past
Fabrice Ondoa.
However, Cameroon equalised
when skipper Benjamin Moukandjo
laid the ball off for midelder Siani to
hammer a rst-time effort into the net
from 20 yards just after the hour.
Ngadeu, the Slavia Prague defend-
er, then red in a low shot at the near
post to win it, although Belgian coach
Broos was still not too happy at the
end.
Our rst-half performance was not
worthy of Indomitable Lions, it was
more like tame lions, he said.
I have never seen such a weak
team. There was nothing, no aggres-
sion, no ght. But I think we de-
served to win the game on the basis of
our second half. We came here to get
through the group.
Guinea-Bissau, known as the Wild
Dogs, now have to win their next
game against Burkina Faso if they
are to stay alive, although they could
be aided by the injuries that have hit
Paulo Duartes team.
Sassuolo out
Stuttering Lazio
move into last 8
MILAN, Jan 19, (AFP): Ciro Im-
mobile and Sergej Milinkovic-
Savic struck in the second half as
stuttering Lazio overame Genoa
4-2 on Wednesday to book an Ital-
ian Cup quarter-nal with Inter
Milan.
Lazio enjoyed a bright start at
the Stadio Olimpico and were off
the mark on 20 minutes when Filip
Djordjevic sprung the offside trap
to meet Felipe Andersons through
ball and re into the roof of the net.
Djordjevics rst Lazio goal
since April 2016 augured well for
the hosts, but misfortune followed
instead.
Cristiano Lombardis angled
drive ashed across goal and Gil
Patric hit the side netting.
When Lucas Orban pulled
Djordjevic down from behind, the
penalty was given but Andersons
tame effort was easily parried by
Genoa keeper Eugenio Lamanna.
Although Goran Pandevs drive
at the other end inched wide of the
top corner, Lazio doubled their lead
10 minutes later, Wesley Hoedt un-
leashing a bouncing drive from 30
yards out that beat Lukas Zima.
But Lazio were soon back to
earth with a bump.
Mauricio Pinilla curled a superb
shot past Lamanna and into the far
top corner ve minutes before half
time and when Isaac Coes drive
took a deection Pandev pounced
on the loose ball to pull Genoa
level.
Lazio almost fell victim to a Lu-
cas Ocampos screamer that hit the
upright shortly after the restart, but
the hosts restored their lead in spec-
tacular fashion.
Milinkovic-Savic had come off
the bench to replace Lombardi on
the hour and when a poor clearance
fell kindly he controlled with his
chest before volleying home from
seven yards.
Pinilla came close to levelling
with an overhead kick that was just
SOCCER
off target.
But Lazio secured the points on
the counter minutes later, Jordan
Lukaku setting Immobile up for a
ne nish on 75 minutes.
Earlier, Cesena forward Karim
Laribi sent parent club Sassu-
olo crashing out of the competition
with a late winner in a 2-1 upset
that sent the second division side
into the last eight.
Sassuolo were off to a ying
start against the current Serie B
strugglers when Lorenzo Pellegrini
tapped home the rebound from
Matteo Politanos strike after just
four minutes at the Mapei Stadium.
But their hopes of hanging on for
the win were upset in three second-
half minutes, Ciano beating Sassu-
olo keeper Gianluca Pegolo from
the spot nine minutes from the end
and Laribi, who is on loan from
Sassuolo, sweeping a dramatic
winner past Pegolo.
Cesena will now meet either
Roma or Sampdoria in the quarter-
nal after their tie at the Stadio Ol-
impico on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Inter Milan edged
into the quarters with a 98th
minute, extra-time winner against
Bologna (3-2).
Sassuolos Alfred Duncan
(right), and Cesenas Mattia Vi-
tale vie for the ball during their
Italian Cup, Round of 16 soccer
match, at the Mapei Stadium in
Reggio Emilia, Italy on Jan 18.
(AP)

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Nole suffers huge shock, Serena serene
Rafa blitzes Baghdatis, Radwanska out
MELBOURNE, Jan 19,
(AFP): Novak Djokovic
suffered arguably the big-
gest defeat of his career
when he crashed out of the
Australian Open to 117th-
ranked Uzbek Denis
Istomin on Thursday,
extending his mystifying
slump in form.
With Istomin inspired, the
defending champion sent down 72
unforced errors as he lost 7-6
(10/8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 in
the second round to end his bid for
a record seventh title at Melbourne
Park.
Later, Rafael Nadal beat Marcos
TENNIS
Baghdatis and in the womens draw,
Serena Williams ousted Lucie
Safarova 6-3, 6-4. But third seed
Agnieszka Radwanska was a major
casualty when she lost 6-3, 6-2 to
Croatian veteran Mirjana Lucic-
Baroni.
It is more than a decade since
Djokovic made such an early exit from
the Australian Open, and he hasnt lost
in the second round of any Grand Slam
since Wimbledon in 2008.
Djokovic had only been defeated by
a player outside the top 100 once in the
past seven years, when he went down
to 145-ranked Juan Martin del Potro at
the Rio Olympics.
The stunning result blows the mens
competition wide open as the six-time
champion was widely expected to
reach the Jan 29 final, where he was
seeded to meet five-time runner-up
Andy Murray.
It also raises fresh questions for the
world number two, who has been in a
funk since completing a career Grand
Slam and winning his 12th major title
at last years French Open.
Its one of these days when you
dont feel that great on the court, dont
have much rhythm, and the player
youre playing against is feeling the
ball very well, he shrugged.
Thats sport.
While Djokovic was rocked by the
defeat, there was joy for Istomin, who
is coached by his mother and has never
got beyond the third round in 11 visits
to Melbourne Park.
I feel sorry for Novak, I was play-
ing so good today, he said. I sur-
prised myself also.
One beneficiary of Istomins win
could be world number three Milos
Raonic, who was seeded to meet
Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Despite suffering from flu, the
Canadian strode into the third round
with 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) demolition of
Gilles Muller and will next play
Frances Gilles Simon.
Croatias Ivo Karlovic made a
miraculous recovery from his record-
breaking 84-game win over Horacio
Zeballos two days earlier to beat
Level 0 Cricket Coaching Course for beginners
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 19: Kuwait
Cricket Coaches Panel is conduct-
ing a Level 0 Cricket Coaching
Course targeted at beginner coach-
es interested in development of this
skill for training junior cricketers.
The 3-day evening course will be
held at the KC Sulaibiya cricket
ground SCG from Jan 29-Jan 31,
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Latest sports scores at http://sports.arabtimesonline.com
Uzbekistans Denis Istomin cele-
brates his win against Serbias
Novak Djokovic during their mens
singles second round match on day
four of the Australian Open tennis
tournament in Melbourne on Jan
19. (AFP)
Australias Daria Gavrilova cele-
brates her victory against Croatias
Ana Konjuh during their womens
singles second round match on day
four of the Australian Open tennis
tournament in Melbourne on Jan
19. (AFP)
Australian wildcard Andrew
Whittington.
The 6ft 11ins (2.11m) Karlovic,
who fired 75 aces as he beat Zeballos
22-20 in the fifth set on Tuesday, won
6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to set up an encounter
with Belgiums David Goffin.
Grigor Dimitrov, a winner this
month in Sydney, beat South Koreas
Chung Hye-On in four sets to go into a
testing clash with Frenchman Richard
Gasquet.
Nadal, attempting to improve on an
injury-riddled 2016, swamped former
finalist Baghdatis 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 and
next plays top-rated German teen
Alexander Zverev.
Radwanska was the strong favourite
2017.
The aim of this course is three-
fold. One is to introduce you to the
various techniques applied in
coaching cricket correctly, second
is to build your interest and confi-
dence in coaching and third is to
prepare you for the more advanced
course which is Level 1 Cricket
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ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 20-21, 2017 44
Sports
against Lucic-Baroni, 34, but the
Poles famous shot-making deserted
her as she succumbed to her earliest
exit since 2009.
Britains Johanna Konta kept up her
hot run of form as she beat Japans
Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 to set up a meet-
ing with former world number one
Caroline Wozniacki.
US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova
ousted Russian qualifier Anna
Blinkova to stay unbeaten this year,
and WTA Finals winner Dominika
Cibulkova saw off Taiwans Hsieh
Su-Wei.
Second-seeded Williams, seeking a
record 23rd major title, will face fel-
low American Nicole Gibbs in the
third round after her high-level victory
over Safarova.
Meanwhile Australias Nick
Kyrgios, much-criticised for his lack-
lustre defeat to Italys Andreas Seppi
late on Wednesday, was fined $5,500
for an audible obscenity and racquet
abuse.
The temperamental Aussie, accused
by tennis legend John McEnroe of giv-
ing up during the match, also pulled
out of the mens doubles competition
citing an abdominal injury.
Powerhouse Serena Williams swept
past Lucie Safarova and into the
Australian Open third round on
Thursday to keep her Grand Slam
record hunt firmly on track.
The most recent was the 2015
French Open final.
The last time we played was in the
final of a Grand Slam... it wasnt easy.
Im really happy to have gotten
through, she said after celebrating by
wagging her lone index finger in the
air, in a sign she still sees herself as
number one. Spains Rafael Nadal serves against Cyprus Marcos Baghdatis during their mens singles second round match
Ive played two former top 10 on day four of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan 19. (AFP)
players, its a great way to start the
tournament. That was pretty good and
hopefully I can keep going.
Despite Williams being favourite
the Czech, 29, has a fighting streak, as
seen in the first round when she saved
nine match points before beating
Yanina Wickmayer.
Rafael Nadal set up an enticing
third-round showdown with rising
German star Alexander Zverev after
powering past Marcos Baghdatis at the
Australian Open on Thursday.
Ninth-seeded Nadal, hoping to
improve on an injury-hit 2016, was too
strong and accurate for the 36th-
ranked Baghdatis winning 6-3, 6-1,
6-3 in 2hr 13min.
Nadal, who beat Roger Federer in
the 2009 Australian final, will step up
his challenge for a second title against
the 19-year-old German in a draw now
missing six-time winner Novak
Djokovic.
The bottom half has opened up sig-
nificantly with the stunning defeat of
world number two Djokovic by
Uzbekistans Denis Istomin earlier
Thursday.
It will be a high-quality match
against a potential Grand Slam winner
and a future world number one, Nadal
said of his match with Zverev.
I have no injuries and I cant ask
for more right now, he added.
Coach that will be offered soon
after by Kuwait Cricket Coaches
Panel. For enrollment please send
your request via email to KC
Director Coaching sameer.desai@
kuwait-cricket.com. Further details
will be informed following your
enrollment.
Asian champs to
appeal AFC ban
SEOUL, Jan 19, (AFP):
Disgraced Asian title-hold-
ers Jeonbuk Hyundai
Motors will appeal to the
Court of Arbitration for
Sports after being banned
from this years AFC
Champions League over a
domestic match-fixing
scandal, the club said
Thursday.
We have decided to
appeal the case to the CAS
to justify our participation,
Jeonbuk said in an emailed
statement.
The Asian Football
Confederation on
Wednesday banned the
defending champions from
this years competition due
to its indirect involvement
in activities to manipulate
the outcome of matches
during the 2013 and 2014
K-League seasons.
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