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13Putin ‘probablyapproved’Litvinenko killing:Probe 47

Emotional farewell as Hewitt bows out7

E-Cigs grow inpopularity butwithout regulation

See Pages 4 & 5

L o c a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

Local Spotlight

In a horrifying incident, police in Kuwait arrested anAsian woman involved with a gang specialized in traf-ficking in babies. Trafficking in children is a form of

human trafficking, and its unclear exactly what fate await-ed these babies or how they would lead lives withoutdocuments or other necessary paperwork. There is alsofear that the babies were being trafficked for illicit pur-poses not to be sold to desperate would-be parents foradoption. Although security sources said that all thebabies involved were born outside wedlock, this doesn’tjustify their act and they should be punished for theircrime.

Police had the woman under surveillance for a whileand she was arrested with one of the mothers and fournewborn babies. The babies have been hospitalized. Thesuspect confessed to acting as a middleperson for hercompatriots. She said she usually took the babies imme-diately after birth and sold them for KD 250 each to child-less couples.

The fact that these babies were born outside wedlockfacilitated the process, as no claims will be made by theirparents. I guess their parents would not want to haveanything to do with them and may even be involved inselling the babies and making quick cash out of their ownflesh!

Several reports have been issued by the UnitedNations and organizations warning of the growing threatof organized crime in human trafficking, especially ofwomen and children, and in the trade of human organs inrecent years. This is a disgusting and shameful crime.Human trafficking has become the third largest illegaltrade in the world after drug dealing and arms running.

Trafficking in babies must receive strict punishment,and should not be merely classified as kidnapping or anycommon crime because there are gangs and criminalorganizations behind such evil acts. Luckily, this gang inKuwait was arrested before harming the poor babies. Theauthorities must be on alert to prevent and detect newcases of human trafficking. The government must imple-ment new laws for the protection of victims of traffickingand help them with full respect of their human rights.

Trafficking in babies

Photo of the Day

KUWAIT: File photo shows a close up shot of an urban bee hive in Kuwait. Urban bee-keeping has become a popular pastime in Kuwait in recent years with many city dwellerskeeping small apiaries in their gardens or on the rooftops of their buildings. Interestedparties can learn more about urban beekeeping at an exhibition on the subject at AlShaheed Park in Kuwait City through January 24. —Photo by Yasser Al Zayyat

By Shakir Reshamwala

shakir@kuwaittimes.net

Kaffeeklatsch

CASE STUDY 1: A university student stabbed in thehead by four persons who chased his car. A manarrested for stabbing a fellow motorist in the hand

and ramming his vehicle. A man beaten and shots firedat his car. Another motorist beaten, sworn at and threat-ened by a firearm. A truck driver run over by another.Scores of reports filed at police stations over blowsexchanged, insults hurled and obscene gestures made.

The common thread linking these traffic incidents inKuwait is dispute over the right of way. Yes, that’s true -people are resorting to invectives and beating and evenkilling each other because of such a trivial reason. Roadrage is for real, and itwould’ve been under-standable if motorists tookoffence if their rights weregenuinely trampled upon,although even in such cir-cumstances, violence isnever the answer.

But on Kuwait’s roads,right of way is roughlydetermined not by law but by bullying. Older cars alwaysmake way for newer cars, smaller vehicles move over forbigger ones, and drivers of some nationalities clear thepath for those of other nationalities. Fall afoul of theseunwritten rules of the road and you may be in for someserious headlight flashing, tailgating and honking, forc-ing you to quickly change lanes and invite the ire of oth-er motorists.

CASE 2: A man taken to hospital after being stabbed,having his finger broken and beaten to unconsciousness.A fight between six people, some of them drunk, in amall. A youth stabbed six times after being chased. A

man rushed to the ICU with a wound that required 20stitches after being hit with an axe. Scores of reports filedat police stations over blows exchanged, insults hurledand obscene gestures made.

The common thread linking these crimes is again a stu-pid one - staring. Of course, everyone stares at each otherin Kuwait. It is so common that you don’t even feel theeyes boring into you anymore, probably because you tooare busy staring at someone else. Again, staring can bebenign, or it can be provocative. Prolonged harmless star-ing is usually met with a glare, which forces oglers to averttheir gaze. Provocative staring on the other hand, that is

perceived to be mock-ing or leery, is one thatcan get you in trouble.In fact, official crime sta-tistics released a coupleof years back said mostbloody fights start withtwo or more partiesaccusing each other ofstaring at them.

CONCLUSION: The root cause of these incidents isrelated to the ego, which for many people in Kuwait,seems to be easily bruised. Fuelled by a heady mix ofhormones, money and arrogance, people take offensefor the slightest of slights, flying into rages and throwingjuvenile tantrums, providing ample fodder for the crimepages.

I’m sure these energies can be channeled to morefruitful pursuits, so the next time someone overtakes youon the highway or stares at you at the mall, resist theurge to retaliate, take a deep breath and relax - you don’twant to find yourself in jail, or as a news brief in the localdailies.

Take it in your stride

The root cause of these incidents isrelated to the ego, which for many people

in Kuwait, seems to be easily bruised.

22 FRIDAYJANUARY 2016

L o c a l

Kiosk No. 1 andthe Souq Al-Hareem

Story and photos by Athoob A. Alshuaibi

One of only three female vendors left at thefamed Souq Al-Hareem in Kuwait City,Umm Talal arrives early every morning toopen her shop. Her assistants usually comea few minutes before, often to find that it’s

been vandalized by unknown persons, with hatefulgifts of feces or urine left near the kiosk for the agingmerchant.

Umm Talal has run this shop since she took it overfrom her mother. The souq which is located behind theMubarakiya Market has become quiet, not teemingwith life as it was in its former glory, and who goesthere usually comes for a particular purpose. The waft-ing odors of clorox and sterilisers coming from the fore-front of the souq, where her kiosk is, overshadowed thescent of folk remedies, incense shops and the restau-rants around.

“The three of us we are exposed to vandalism, UmmAli and Umm Hussein and myself. I feel that someonewants to get us out of the market. In the past, there wasa dishonest security guard that stole our merchandise.Also, we sometimes get vandalized by teenagers. Evenon one National Day, some of them stole two Kuwaitiflags I had put them on the kiosk,” she complained.

Souq Al-Hareem (The Women’s Market) is narrowalleyway of kiosk in a side market next to the Souq AlMubarakiya in Kuwait City. At its high point, dozens offemale vendors sold traditional clothing, Arabic Kohl(eyeliner), siwak (A teeth cleaning twig), dayrum (Aplant used to beautify woman’s gums and whiten theirteeth), clothes and other accessories.

Umm Talal says that, today, the remaining three ven-dors bring traditional gowns from the UAE in addition tolocally produced clothes. “Beside the traditional dresses,prayer robes, veils, and apparel for women and childrenspecially designed for national holidays,” she added.

Umm Talal at her kiosk.

Some products are made in India and China. Traditional fancy dresses are highly demanded by schoolsduring national holidays.

22 FRIDAYJANUARY 2016

L o c a l

Umm Talal tells the story behind Kuwait’s famous women’s market

The traditional thoub, a gown worn by Kuwaiti men, is her best seller.

A disappearing heritageBuilt in the 1950s under the patronage of the late

Shaikha Mudhi Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the kiosks werededicated for Kuwait’s female vendors only. Since 2012,the old market, under the superintendence of theChairman of the Kuwait Voluntary Work Centre, SheikhaAmthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has been renovat-ed and restored.

But despite its renovation, the souq has lost most ofits vendors and remains under threat.

Under the souq’s governing regulations, vendorsmay only be the female Kuwaiti owners themselves.Umm Talal believes that the main reason why Souq Al-Hareem is covered in a deep sleep is the fact that manyof those ladies have grown older and can no longermanage the daily work hours or tasks needed to runthe shops. Some subcontracted their kiosks to foreign-ers, which is illegal. There are 68 kiosks at Souq Al-Hareem. Only three are still occupied. “Many of thosewere closed down by the Municipality either for sub-contract ing or se l l ing unpermitted mater ia ls , ”explained Umm Talal.

Vendors have also been harassed though it’s unclearwho is vandalizing the kiosks. Daily or regular visitsfrom Municipality inspectors also seem to focus moreon targeting the women’s kiosks than other vendors inthe same vicinity. The Municipality have denied the dai-ly visits and said that inspectors check all the publicmarkets in general once a week to ensure they are com-plied with regulations. The source mentioned that theyhave the authority to close any vendor if inspectorsreport a repetitive explicit and deliberate violation.

For one of the last remaining vendors, time is run-ning out and with the closure of those shops might gothe women’s souq and its history forever. “I cannotimagine my life without coming here every day. Despiteof all the harassments, I love my kiosk. But, at the sametime, I don’t know if my children are willing to take careof it after me though my daughter who’s recently grad-uated from high school, tends to show some interests inentrepreneurship,” Ummm Talal concluded.

Layers of clothes, accessories and beauty products hideunder the cardboard.

Their goods are only secured by cardboard, ropes andbricks while they’re closed.

Helpers wash the sidewalk around the kiosk. The kioskhas been repeatedly targeted by vandals that often leaveurine and feces to intimidate the female vendors.

The dayrum (right side of the box) is a plant used bywomen in the old days to whiten their teeth and beautifytheir gums.

L o c a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

By Priyanka Saligram

Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on Aug 2, 1990 rewrotehistory on many levels. Iraq’s occupation affect-ed life of Kuwaitis and expats alike. Uncertainty

and anxiety were rife and according to manyhuman rights reports, Iraqi forces tortured andkilled anyone suspected of opposing their regime,apart from looting homes abandoned in a hurryand generally indulging in large-scale destruction.The entire expat community in Kuwait at the timewere also forced to leave with hundreds of thou-sands fleeing via Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

The conflict’s political, economic and psycho-logical angles have inspired many documentaries.Now a new Indian film is set to talk about some-thing that nobody has ever broached before: Theworld’s largest human evacuation.

World RecordAirlift is an edge-of-the-seat entertaining

thriller. The story, based on a true event, is set in1990 in Kuwait, the time of the Gulf War whenSaddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The film hasactor Akshay Kumar playing Ranjit Katyal, a well-to-do Indian businessman based in Kuwait. As theIraqi troops move in and he and his family’s livesare put in danger, Katyal becomes the man whohelps evacuate 170,000 Indians from Kuwait andbrings them back safely to India.

Katyal and his fellow Indian refugees travelthousands of kilometers to Amman, Jordan,where they find safe passage. From Amman, the

Indian government flew over 488 Air India com-mercial flights over a period of 59 days to bring allthe Indian civilians back to India. Airlift focuses onthis largest human evacuation in history, whichhas also found its way to the Guinness Book ofWorld Records. In a cynical world, where oneoften wonders what their country has done forthem, this is a stark reminder of what the countrydid, not for one or 10, but for 170,000 of its own.

Memory laneFor many Indians in Kuwait who survived the

ordeal, this is almost like a trip down memorylane. Venkatraman*, a senior engineer who waswith Kuwait’s national carrier for more than 25years recalled how the invasion was a very unfor-tunate incident in Kuwait’s history. “When wereached office on that fateful day, we realized thatthe country was invaded and we couldn’t leave ina hurry or do anything since the company was inpossession of all our passports,” he said.

Venkatraman said that they could hear missilesand random firing all over the country and whilethis was a period of unease, there was one savinggrace: The attack occurred during the summervacation - which meant many Kuwaiti as well asexpat families were outside of the country. “WeIndians were treated with a lot of respect by theIraqi forces. During security checks on the road,one look at our civil IDs and they would say ‘Hindi?Yallah, go’,” he recalled.

He was one among the many Indians whowent back to India via Jordan and has nothing but

praise for the Indian Embassy. “Hats off to theIndian Embassy staff! They helped all the national-ities out; not only in Kuwait, but also in Jordan,and it was one time when all of us were exceed-ingly proud of our country.”

Ransacked and PlunderedOnce Kuwait was liberated and the dust set-

tled, Venkatraman’s company called each of theemployees individually and asked them to rejoinwork. “Our company paid us our dues and thiswas very welcome, since we left most of ourbelongings in Kuwait in a hurry.” On returning tohis Salmiya flat, he saw that it had been ransackedand he had to refurnish from scratch, but despiteeverything, he has no regrets. “We should alwaysbe grateful to Kuwait, its government and Bush Srfor liberating the country. Except for some spuri-ous elements who tried to exploit the situation,everything ended well,” he said.

Rumors aboundChristopher*, another Indian expat and invest-

ment head at a renowned local bank for 38 years,said that rumors flew around quicker than bullets -and posed more danger than ammunition. “Wewere warned of chemical bombs and retaliatoryattacks by the occupying forces and it didn’t helpthat we heard missiles flying all the time,” herecounted. Christopher and his wife had to convincetheir nervous 2 year-old toddler that uncollectedgarbage was being set on fire - and the blasts sheheard were merely exploding soda cans. “Soldiers

would come knocking at doors and it was a very try-ing time for us with a child. We had decided thatwhenever we had to go out to replenish resources,all three of us would go so that if something wentwrong, we’d go down together,” he said.

Water Cannons While many of their compatriots ended in

refugee camps near the border and faced a hardtime, Christopher and family chose to go toAmman. Amman wasn’t very easy as they had toface water cannons at the embassy while tryingto get a visa. The authorities saw their drenchedtoddler with gastroenteritis and let them in. “Wesaw many Indians at the airport and then knewthat a mass evacuation plan was in place,” hesaid. They flew Air India where everyone was justglad to be on the flight and heading homewards.“There were rumors that people working in cer-tain professions wouldn’t be allowed on theflight, but thankfully, these weren’t true,”Christopher said. The Indian government evenwaived all their ticket fares out of goodwill andbore the entire expense of evacuating thousandsof Indians.

After Kuwait was liberated, his boss contactedhim and after paying his dues, offered him hisprevious job, which Christopher happily accept-ed and returned to Kuwait. “Since many oil wellswere set ablaze, the entire place looked dark andgloomy with chemicals in the air... but we werejust grateful and happy to be back home.”

*Names changed on request

Indians recall Iraqi invasion ahead of Bollywood release

Airlifted to safety

Indian Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur address a press conference to promote their upcoming movie ‘Airlift’ in New Delhi on Jan 18, 2015. ‘Airlift’is based on the world’s biggest civil evacuation - that of Indians based in Kuwait during the Iraq-Kuwait war. The film is scheduled for release today. — AFP

L o c a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

By Nawara Fattahova

As a growing number of public spaces -restaurants, shopping malls, hospitals, air-ports - are banning smoking, more and

more people in Kuwait are turning to e-cigarettes(also called vapors) to satisfy their desire for nico-tine. Some think that it will help them quit smok-ing regular cigarettes. Others view it as a bulwarkagainst a possible cigarette price increase due topossible tax implementation. The American LungAssociation notes that electronic cigarettes are anunknown quantity. They are still a new technologyand as such unregulated by the US FDA. Indeed,many countries around the world do not regulatethe ‘vapors’ and research on the potentially harm-ful effects remains in its infancy.

What’s inside an e-cig?Even so, as the ALA points out, “ the main com-

ponent of e-cigarettes is the e-liquid contained incartridges. To create an e-liquid, nicotine is extract-ed from tobacco and mixed with a base (usuallypropylene glycol), and may also include flavorings,colorings and other chemicals.” The problem isthat because there is no regulation in Kuwait orelsewhere, it’s impossible to know what chemicalsexactly are in the e-cigarettes. There are also manydifferent brands of e-cigarettes and it’s unclearwhat chemicals are used in all the different brands.Some studies cited by the ALA have shown notonly nicotine but also formaldehyde, an ingredientused in anti-freeze and other harmful chemicals inthe e-cigarettes tested.

Expert opinionsKuwait Times spoke to two cardiologists to get

their opinion on this issue. Dr Bader Almahdi,Consultant Cardiologist at Al Seef Hospital, notedthat it’s difficult to make a judgment now on e-ciga-rettes or vaporizers as there isn’t enough data yet.“The e-cigarette is a relatively new trend, sinceabout 2004, so it hasn’t even been in the market for20 years. So we don’t have results about the long-term effect of this device, which is not clear yet,” hetold Kuwait Times.

“No doubt that it badly affects the human bodyas it contains 30 chemical substances - some thatare toxic, including nicotine. So the smoker is notavoiding the carcinogenic materials existing in reg-ular cigarettes. An e-cigarette is based on a heatingelement and cartridge that vaporize flavors. It is notapproved or licensed by the US Food and DrugsAdministration (FDA), so it’s on the same level asregular cigarettes. And what I know as a cardiologistis that it’s harmful, as nicotine increases heartbeatand hypertension. So I’m warning smokers that theyare not saving their health by replacing convention-al cigarettes with e-cigarettes. At the end of the day,it’s replacing one addiction with another,” he con-cluded.

Harmful substancesDr Khalid Al-Merry, International Cardiologist

at Al Salam Hospital, agrees that the e-cigaretteis harmful, yet he believes it might be less harm-ful than conventional cigarettes. “A regular ciga-rette contains more harmful substances such astar and carbon dioxide, but the e-cigarette alsoincludes nicotine and other substances thatcause addiction. While the e-cigarette is basedon vaporization, the conventional cigaretteworks by burning materials, which is worse. Butthe e-cigarette is not a treatment to quit smok-ing in any way. There are many better methodsto avoid or quit smoking such as tabletsapproved by the FDA. So if people use e-ciga-rettes for this purpose, it will only delay bettertreatments to quit smoking. But addictiondepends on the level of willpower, of course,” heexplained.

“It was noticed that the trend of smoking e-cigarette increased the number of adolescentsmokers. Many youth believe that the e-cigaretteis a toy and not a real cigarette and will preventthem from getting addicted. But in reality, theymay easily shift to smoking conventional ciga-rettes. Statistics have shown an increase in thenumber of adolescent smokers using e-ciga-rettes. I would never prescribe it to any patientas a way to help him quit smoking,” Merry toldKuwait Times.

And those who like themHussein, a 29 year old smoker started smoking

e-cigarettes about two months ago after many ofhis friends and relatives shifted to this trend. “I wassmoking a box or two per day for a couple of years,and when I started smoking the e-cigarette I wasonly smoking one single cigarette per day. Butafter a month I realized that its very expensive, as itcost me around KD 90. One 30 ml bottle cost KD15 in Kuwait while I found it now online its muchcheaper. Also the shop from where I used to buy itis telling me that it’s not always available and Ihave to wait a week to order it for me. For this rea-son I’m not smoking it much now, and I’m againsmoking cigarettes but less than before,” he noted.

He is not convinced that the e-cigarette is moreharmful than regular cigarette. “What I heard fromdoctors, each has a different opinion. I even did asearch online and didn’t find anything serious orworse than regular cigarettes. All my friends whowere smoking shisha (a water pipe) stopped smok-ing it completely, while those smoking cigaretteseither quit smoking totally or at least are smokingless. Also the e-cigarette is adjustable and the usercan regulate the percentage of nicotine andstrength of smoke. So he can make it very light oreven without nicotine,” added Hussein.

Ban or no ban?There have been rumors of a ban of e-ciga-

E-Cigs grow in popularity but without regulation

The problem is that because there is noregulation in Kuwait or elsewhere, it’simpossible to know what chemicals

exactly are in the e-cigarettes.

rettes but nothing official. An inspector of theMinistry of Commerce told the Kuwait Times thatthe Ministry is not in charge and they didn’t ban

the electronic cigarettes. But it seems thatCustoms at border points has listed it among itemsnot allowed in Kuwait.

8L o c a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti oil analyst said thatKuwaiti oil barrel has lost more than $90 of itsprice, dropping below USD 20 for the firsttime since January 2002. Analyst MohammadAl-Shatti said that the pumping of Iranian oilinto the market, expected in February 2016,will have a negative effect on the price of oilthis year.

He stated that the main reason for theweakness in oil prices was due to the increasein oil supplies which were from outside ofOPEC. He added that the moderate winterseason in the United States and Europe alsocontributed to the weakness in global oildemand, noting that the slowdown inChinese economic also was a factor in the cur-rent price of oil.

In 2016, Al-Shatti predicted that global oildemand would increase by 1.25 million bar-rels per day while the supplies from outside ofOPEC will fall for the first time in years by480,000 barrels per day. The price, thoughexpected to be low during most of 2016, willgradually increase in the fourth quarter espe-cially for the Brent mix which is expected tohit between $30-60 per barrel.

Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah told Editors-in-Chief including KuwaitTimes Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman-Alyanon Wednesday that the Gulf country plans tocut subsidies on fuel and power in a bid to

offset a fall in oil revenues. “We will lift subsi-dies and will raise the prices of petrol, electric-ity and water” and reduce subsidies for otherservices.

Kuwait is the only member of the six-nation energy-dependent Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC) that has not hiked the prices ofpetrol and power after income from oilplunged. Saudi Arabia, the United ArabEmirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain haveeither hiked or liberalized fuel and powerprices, saving billions of dollars. The Amir didnot give any timeframe for the measures.

Last year, Kuwait liberalized the prices ofdiesel and kerosene. The government hasallocated around $7 billion in the 2015/2016budget for fuel and power subsidies. A similaramount is earmarked for other forms of subsi-dies and social aid.

The Gulf state has posted a budget surplusin each of the past 16 years, accumulating fis-cal reserves in excess of $600 billion. ButKuwait is projecting a deficit of $23 billion inthis fiscal year, which ends March 31.

The price of oil, which contributes around94 percent of Kuwait’s revenues, has lostthree quarters of its value since mid-2014. Theprice of Kuwaiti oil has slumped to just $19 abarrel. The emirate has a native population of1.3 million and is also home to about 2.9 mil-lion foreigners. —Agencies

Kuwait oil lost $90 since June 2014Fuel, electricity subsidies to be slashed l Global oil demand may increase in 2016

The Gulf state has posted a budget surplus in each of the past 16years, accumulating fiscal reserves in excess of $600 billion

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti dialect is rich withdiversity in pronouncing one word indifferent ways and using differentvocabulary to indicate one meaningbased on the area. Depending on thedialect, Kuwaitis can tell where a personcomes from, be it from the areas ofQibla, Al-Murqab or Sharq. For example,people from Sharq pronounce the wordsugar as “shekar”, while in Qibla it is pro-nounced “shakar”.

There are different reasons that creat-ed such diversity in the Kuwaiti dialect,researcher Khaled Al-Rushaid said yes-terday. The main occurrence was thespread of the plague in 1831, killing 90percent of women then, while men sur-vived as they were away for the pearldiving season, he said. Later on, the menmarried other women from neighboringcountries, thus introducing new vocab-ularies and dialects in the country, Al-Rushaid explained.

The second reason was called “theyear of hailag”, where a famine drovemany people in neighboring countriesto settle in Sharq area. The newly-set-tled groups led Persian words like zoo-leya (carpet) and khaisha (a sack for riceor sugar) to blend in with the Kuwaitidialect, he said. Moreover in 1930, anoutbreak of smallpox spread in thecountry killing large numbers of citizens,leading people to marry from othercountries again, the researcher added.

Meanwhile, upon the discovery of oilin the 30s of last century, Kuwait startedbringing in foreign and Arab experts towork in the oil field. The foreignersintroduced English words that Kuwaitisuse up to this day, such as double, wireand ariel, Al-Rushaid said. The Indianlanguage also played a role in addingvocabulary to the dialect, with wordslike tijoury (a safe), dairam (lipstick)among others. —KUNA

Kuwaiti dialect rich in geographical diversity

MANAMA: Kuwait’s air force is sticking to plans topurchase Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet to replace age-ing fighter jets, despite a lengthy congressionalapproval process in Washington that has frustratedindustry players. “The Super Hornet is one of the bestsolutions for us,” Abdullah Al-Foudary, commander ofthe Kuwait Air Force, said on the sidelines of an indus-try event in Bahrain. “We have the legacy F-18s thatwe have to find a solution for in 2030-2040.”

US industry executives and military officials havegrown increasingly concerned about delays inapproving the sale of 28 Boeing F/A-18E/F fighter jetsto Kuwait, a deal valued at around $3 billion. Thefighter planes are of increasing importance to Kuwaitamid rising regional tensions. Kuwait, an ally of SaudiArabia, is also part of the Saudi-led coalition againstYemen and is primarily supporting that effort with itsair force and F/A-18s.

Al Foudary said the air force would play the mostimportant role in addressing regional threats. “Wehave to set up priorities and buy new capabilities so

we can cope in this situation,” he said. Boeing must decide in coming weeks whether to

start building the jets using its own funding to ensurethat materials that take years to procure are on handwhen needed. The company is likely to make thatinvestment as a bridge to additional US Navy ordersexpected in fiscal 2018, according to a source familiarwith the issue.

The company is anxiously awaiting the release ofthe Pentagon’s fiscal 2017 budget plan on Feb. 9 tosee if the Navy orders even a few jets in fiscal 2017,potentially through a separate war-spending supple-ment. US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus last week saidforeign military sales helped ensure continued pro-duction of U.S. weapons systems, such as the BoeingCo F/A-18E/F fighter jet, and also helped the US mili-tary and its allies work seamlessly in joint militaryoperations. But Mabus called for continued efforts toaccelerate what he described as a slow and “tortur-ous” approval process for military sales to foreign cus-tomers. —Reuters

Kuwait says sticks to F-18 jets despite approval delays

KUWAIT: The weather will be stable forthe upcoming days with average tempera-tures reaching between 21-26 degreesCelsius during daytime and between 7-12C during early morning and evening, saida meteorologist yesterday.

Acting head of the Kuwait Meteorologycenter Sami Al-Othman said that the sta-ble weather witnessed recently in Kuwait

was due to impact of the European high.The weather for today wil l be partlycloudy with minimum temperatureexpected 7-10 C, and 8-11 C later onFriday, said Al-Othman. On Saturday theweather will be warm in the morning andthe temperatures between 24-26 C in theevening and the minimum temperaturebetween 20-12. —KUNA

Kuwait weather to remain stable

9L o c a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

BAGHDAD: The success of an upcoming conference ofOrganization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states inthe Iraqi capital Baghdad is tantamount “to the triumph ofmoderation,” Kuwaiti MP Salah Ashour said yesterday.

Ashour made the remarks to KUNA as he was amongst aKuwaiti parliamentary delegation taking part in the sessions ofthe 11th conference of Parliamentary Union of the OIC, whichbegan on Wednesday and is chaired by Iraq.

“Holding this conference amidst trying times is a challengein itself,” Ashour said. “The success of this conference is akin tomoderation toppling terrorism and extremism,” he added.

“Given Iraq’s crucial position in the region, it is apropos to holdthe conference here,” Ashour noted, calling on all OIC memberstates to partake in the conference.

He also called on all nations embroiled in conflict to jointhe negotiating table “to analyze all issues in a rational andpractical way. Kuwait has endorsed all international laws thatcombat terrorism and has itself issued laws against terrorismand extremism,” Ashour added. MP Seif Al-Azmi and SecretaryGeneral of the Kuwait National Assembly Allam Al-Kandari alsomake up the Kuwaiti delegation to the OIC ParliamentaryUnion conference. —KUNA

Kuwaiti MP: OIC conference triumph for moderation

Truck driver arrested for releasing

hazardous liquid By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Environment police arrested a truck driver whoemptied a tank full of dangerous liquid industrial waste near afarm in Sulaibiya. The illegal action contaminated the soil andair. The driver was sent to the public prosecution as theEnvironment Protection Authority took samples for furtheranalysis.

Fire and petrol meet Kuwait Fire Service Directorate held a meeting with senior

officials of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) to discussmeans of cooperation in regards to conditions of safety andfire prevention at the oil companies buildings while also dis-cussing their existing and future projects.

Marine heritage festconcludes activities

KUWAIT: The ending ceremony for the marine heritage festi-val was held at the fishermen Diwaniya late Wednesday,under the auspices of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. During the ceremony, DeputyMinister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah pre-sented the winners from Kuwait and the Gulf region withprizes. Meanwhile, Chairman of the festival’s committeeSheikh Salem Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah gave a speech at theevent, where he thanked the Kuwaiti leadership for sponsor-ing and supporting the event. —KUNA

Kuwaiti MP Salah Ashour

MPA aims to ban female workers in

male-only areasBy Mishal Al-Salama

KUWAIT: Acting Director General of Manpower Public Authority(MPA), Ahmad Al-Mousa issued a decision banning the issuanceof work permits for females who work in areas that serve menonly, especially in cafes, health clubs, barbershops or hazardousindustries. Meanwhile the decision bans men from working inwomen’s only areas including beauty saloons, women healthclubs as well as selling women’s intimate clothes.

The number of parliament by-elections candidates for thethird constituency reached 45, including a lone woman, bear-ing in mind is that today is the last day of registration.Candidate Abdelmonem Al-Fuzaie said competition must befair to serve the country and its citizens, and lauded the gov-ernment’s performance and its decisions.

He said there are some issues that should be tacked andwondered about decisions of the housing authority as theydistributed lands of 400 meters squared north of Kuwait andMulaa area while lands in Jahra were of 500 meters squared,and considered that a contradiction. Al-Fuzaie spoke of vehi-cles insurance and said the citizen is burdened by bureaucracywhen an accident takes place and waits for so long before hereceives his dues.

Meanwhile candidate Fahad Al-Tawell said “I am runningfor parliament at the request of several residents in the con-stituency, adding that he does not have an election program,but “an election duty that I must perform.” Meanwhile, candi-date Waleed Hussein said there must be a ministry for crisesand catastrophes, to care for economic issues and naturalcatastrophes.

Fake detectivesarrested

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Criminal detectives arrested two expats who committed sever-al thefts and robberies, and posed as detectives. The total amount oftheir thefts is KD 46,500 along with 17 mobile phones. Salmiya detec-tives received a call about two unknown men breaking into an apart-ment, and told residents there they were detectives, then they stole goldworth KD 4,000 and KD 1,500 in cash then escaped.

Detectives gathered information that led them to the identity of thethieves after they attempted to rob a flat in Mangaf area. The two werearrested in cooperation and coordination with criminal evidence depart-ment. The men confessed to robbing an exchange company in Salhiyaarea after making employees believe they were from the municipalityand stole KD 15,000 at knife point. They also confessed to committingfour other crimes in Salmiya, Andalus and Sharq areas, breaking into flatsand screaming at residents to scare them, and in this way were able tosteal KD 16,000 as well as 17 mobile phones.

Residency violator nabbedRabiya police sent a Somali in violation of residency law to violators

follow up department at the instructions of its director General Brig SaudAl-Khader.

Tea boy busted for briberyResidency detectives arrested a tea boy, who works at the nationality

and travel documents department for bribery, as he offered a detectiveKD 500 to free a detainee.

Abandoned cars removedKuwait municipality’s road occupancy supervision department car-

ried out a campaign at Salmy scrap yard resulting in the removal of 52abandoned vehicles.

Illegal shack dwellersarrested, owners fined

KUWAIT: Capital police arrested 18 wanted men of variousnationalities on top of several building overlooking Mubarakiyamarkets. It was found out they were living in sheet metal shacksillegally constructed on top of some of the market’s buildingsand illegally rented out to expats. Building owners were citedfor using roofs for places to live and reside.

12Rouhani enters

Iran election row

over barred

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envoy as chief

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

DUBAI/CAIRO: Worsening enmity between rivalsSaudi Arabia and Iran is jeopardizing peaceprospects in Yemen where a nine-month-old warhas given Islamist militants a foothold in Riyadh’sbackyard.

Yemen’s principal warring factions-fighters loy-al to the ousted Saudi-backed Abd-RabbuMansour Hadi who are battling the Iran-alliedHouthi militia and loyalists of former president AliAbdullah Saleh-held talks last month inSwitzerland to try to end a war that has killed some6,000 people.

They were due to meet again on Jan. 14 in a bidto seal a lasting peace. But the Riyadh governmentcut diplomatic ties with Shi’ite Iran in a rowsparked by Saudi Arabia’s execution of SaudiShi’ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Jan 2.

Shortly after the row in which the Saudiembassy in Tehran was stormed, the UN-brokeredtalks between the two opposing sides were post-poned, with no clear date set to resume.

Saudi Arabia, a conservative Sunni Muslimmonarchy, sees revolutionary Iran as the para-mount threat to the Middle East’s stability, becauseof its support for Shi’ite militias that Riyadh sayshave inflamed sectarian violence.

For the Al Saud dynasty, the recent nuclear dealwas a double blow, freeing Iran from sanctions it

believed helped check its regional ambitions andraising the spectre of better ties between Tehranand Washington, Riyadh’s ally. While Yemen’s gov-ernment has long been mired in conflict withIslamist militants, secessionists and tribal fighters,its war coincides with unprecedented turmoil inthe Middle East.

Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen marks thefirst time it has openly confronted what it sees asIranian regional expansionism. As long as the warrages in Yemen, there is more space for militants togain territory as they exploit the security vacuum.

Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have both emergedin Yemeni regions where they had not previouslybeen present before Saudi Arabia entered the con-flict and a Saudi-led coalition began bombing theHouthis in March 2015. Saudi Arabia and Iranblame each other for Yemen’s conflict, furtherembittering a regional rivalry between the twonations being played out from Syria to Iraq andLebanon to Bahrain.

“The situation in the region will probably hard-en the Saudis’ position against the Houthis - whothey view as Iranian proxies,” said April LongleyAlley, senior Arabian Peninsula analyst for theInternational Crisis Group.

In turn, she said, that could empower “moremessianic trends within the Houthi movement

that see events in the region as the beginning ofthe end for the Saudi monarchy”.

“EXISTENTIAL NECESSITY” FOR SAUDIOn the battlefield in Yemen the struggle is

deadlocked. Despite Saudi-led air strikes, theHouthis firmly control Sanaa. Hadi’s fighters,backed by mostly Emirati and Saudi forces, havetaken control of the now de facto capital - thesouthern port city of Aden.

A senior diplomat following Yemen said thatfor the Saudis, the success of the Yemen war was“an existential necessity.” “From what I see on theground, the Houthis and Saleh are losing more andmore, but there are limits to that. The Houthis areinvincible in the north,” he said, adding this meansthe likelihood that either side will stop fighting isunlikely.

The United States, which backs the UN-spon-sored peace talks, is a major supplier of weaponsto Saudi Arabia and US officials say intelligence-sharing with Riyadh about potential targets inYemen has been boosted since March.

Coinciding with Saudi Arabia’s cutting ties withIran, the Saudi-led coalition intensified air strikeson Houthi positions. Days after the break-off,Tehran accused Saudi Arabia of bombing itsembassy in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, an accusa-

tion vigorously denied by Riyadh. Eyewitnessesand residents on the ground also said there was nodamage to the embassy.

Pro-Saudi commentators suspected Iran airedthe accusation to divert attention from the attackon Riyadh’s embassy in Tehran by protestersenraged at the Shi’ite cleric’s execution.

The clash showed just how quickly rhetoricfrom the marbled offices in Tehran and Riyadhplays out on the ground in Yemen, stiffening posi-tions among proxies and halting progress in end-ing a war that has displaced tens of thousands.

Mokhtar Al-Rahbi, Hadi’s press secretary, toldReuters the attacks on the Saudi mission hadserved to harden the views of Sunni Gulf Arabcountries, many of whom downgraded their ties insome manner with Iran, against the government inTehran.

“Iran will find itself solitary, fighting everyoneand this will reflect on the Yemen crisis becauseIran will now have to give some concessions inYemen ... in return for some flexibility in the posi-tions of Gulf countries.” Rahbi also blamed Iran forthe failure of the UN-brokered peace talks to bearfruit, because the Houthis had “procrastinated” oncarrying out key demands. The latest round of talksin December took place amid a precarious andwidely violated truce. — Reuters

Saudi-Iran dispute scuttles Yemen peace talksRIYADH: A picture made available by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) yesterday shows Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) performing atraditional dance with swords best known as ‘Arda’ as part of a welcoming ceremony at the Murabba Palace in Riyadh. — AFP

11I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

BEIRUT: In Syria’s coastal Latakia province,Abu Mohammad sends a warning from hisphone to a secret network of colleagues:“Caution: A Russian plane just took off inyour direction.”

Moments later, activists in a rebel-heldarea in northwestern Syria sound warningsirens that prompt civilians to take coverbefore incoming air raids. The message,sent via the mobile application WhatsApp,is part of an effort by a network of civilianand rebel coordinators across Syria who callthemselves “the monitors”. From positionsnear government-held military airports,they use messaging services or walkie-talkies-depending on Internet coverage-towarn activists, medics, and rebels aboutincoming aerial attacks. They track flightpaths and try to decipher communicationcodes to warn them that Syrian or Russianmilitary aircraft are headed their way.

Fearing retribution from forces loyal toSyrian President Bashar al-Assad, “the mon-itors” will not divulge their names or loca-tions. But Abu Mohammad agreed tospeak to AFP using a pseudonym. He sayshe is based near a Syrian army position inthe regime stronghold of Latakia, anddescribes dodging artillery and Russianreconnaissance drones to keep an eye onoutgoing warplanes.

His job has become even more compli-cated since September 30, when long-timeregime ally Russia began an air campaignin support of the government.

Russia operates military aircraft fromLatakia’s seaside military airport ofHmeimim, where thousands of its troopsare also based. “I know when the planetakes off, and as soon as it does, I tell peo-ple that a plane is coming towards them,”he tells AFP. “As soon as the news reaches

people, they either hide in their bomb shel-ters, or some people hide in undergroundtunnels.”

Walkie-talkies in minarets Rights groups have regularly accused

Assad’s regime of indiscriminate aerialbombardment of rebel-held territory sincethe conflict began with anti-governmentprotests in March 2011. Russia has alsobeen accused of causing civilian casualtiesin its strikes, though it denies the claimsand says it is targeting the Islamic Stategroup and other “terrorists”.

Another monitor in Latakia, Abu Omro,says he and his colleagues are looselyorganised into units and the network is notaffiliated with a specific rebel group. “Theidea is to protect people, and rebels, fromthe planes and the shelling... These moni-tors are really necessary,” he told AFP over

WhatsApp, which is popular across theMiddle East.

The monitors operate like a chain: whena Russian plane takes off from Hmeimim,the spotter warns counterparts in theprovinces where the plane is heading, whoin turn contact activists and rebels there.Activists who rely on the monitors say thewarnings are essential.

In the central province of Homs, activistHassaan Abu Nuh is on alert for messagesabout warplanes headed to his town ofTalbisseh, which is regularly bombarded byRussian and Syrian government planes.

Even before the Russian campaignbegan, activists had begun trying to findways to minimize casualties in air strikes.“When the regime began using warplanesand helicopters on cities, people startedthinking of ways to warn civilians,” he toldAFP via the Internet.—AFP

Secret Syria network saves lives with air raid warnings

DAMASCUS: Syria’s UN envoy will bethe regime’s chief negotiator in upcom-ing peace talks, a government sourcesaid yesterday as a dispute over theopposition’s representatives threatenedto delay the negotiations. The latest bidto end the Syrian war through indirecttalks between the government andopposition was scheduled to begin onJanuary 25 in Geneva.

But a disagreement over which partsof the opposition will be present, andwho will represent them, is posing newobstacles. Syria’s ambassador to theUnited Nations, Bashar Al-Jaafari, will bethe government’s chief negotiator, withDeputy Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Moqdad heading the delegation, theSyrian government source said.

Jaafari also served as the regime’schief negotiator in a previous round ofpeace talks in Geneva in 2014. The Al-Watan daily, which is close to the gov-ernment, said the delegation wouldalso include several senior lawyers andother foreign ministry officials.

On Wednesday, the main coalition ofopposition bodies, the so-called HighNegotiations Committee, announced itsown delegation to the talks.

But its decision to name a memberof the Jaish Al-Islam rebel group as itschief negotiator has drawn criticismboth from some of its own members,and opposition figures excluded fromthe coalition.

The National CoordinatingCommittee for Democratic Change, akey opposition

body still present in Damascus, saidit was “not acceptable” for the delega-tion’s chief negotiator to come from thearmed opposition. “This sends thewrong political message to the Syrianpeople,” it said in a statement.

And Haytham Manna, an oppositionfigure who does not belong to the HighNegotiations Committee, accused it ofincluding “war criminals” in its delega-tion.

He told AFP it was “impossible” forhim to participate in an opposition del-

egation with figures like MohamedAlloush, whose Jaish al-Islam group isactive mostly around Damascus.

‘Provocative step’ Damascus has not responded offi-

cially, but Al-Watan said “observers”deemed Alloush’s appointment “aprovocative step with the sole goal ofthwarting any possible dialogue”.

Russia’s Foreign Minister SergeiLavrov on Wednesday reiterated thatMoscow viewed the Jaish Al-Islamgroup and the powerful Ahrar al-Shamrebel organisation as “terrorist” groups.There is also disagreement aboutwhether the opposition will be repre-sented by one or two delegations.

The High Negotiations Committeeinsists it must be the sole oppositionrepresentative, but other oppositionfigures and Syria’s Kurds have beenexcluded from its ranks and also wantto participate in the talks. Al-Watansaid that Lavrov and US Secretary ofState John Kerry had discussed the

issue in Zurich on Wednesday.The newspaper said Lavrov had pro-

posed a joint delegation, with half themembers chosen by Moscow-a closeally of President Bashar al-Assad —and the rest by the High NegotiationsCommittee.

The daily said Kerry would now raisethe proposal with Saudi officials, whohave pushed back against the atten-

dance of other opposition figures atthe talks. It reported that Kerry wouldwarn that Moscow was ready to insisttwo opposition delegations attend thetalks.

The High Negotiations Committeesaid Wednesday it would not attendthe Geneva talks if another delegationwas added. It also said negotiationswere impossible if civilians continuedto face regime strikes and siege tactics.

According to Al-Watan, the UN’sspecial envoy for Syria, Staffan deMistura, will travel to Riyadh for talkson Sunday and hold a press conferenceon the Geneva talks on Monday. —AFP

Syria picks UN envoy as chief negotiator for peace talks

Talks scheduled for Jan 25 in Geneva

Pan-Islamic body urges de-escalation in

Saudi-Iran disputeJEDDAH: The world’s largest Muslim body calledfor a de-escalation of tensions between regionalrivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, telling member coun-tries that unity was required to eradicate terrorism.

The pan- Is lamic Organizat ion of I s lamicCooperation (OIC), which is based in the Saudi cityof Jeddah, appeared to take a balanced responseto the Riyadh-Tehran crisis after the Arab Leagueand the Gulf Cooperation Council both took stri-dently pro-Saudi positions.

The dispute escalated after Riyadh’s executionof a prominent Shi’ite Muslim cleric, which ledIranian protesters to storm Saudi missions inTehran and Mashhad. Riyadh cut its diplomaticties with Tehran in response. Other Gulf countriestook varying measures to downgrade ties withIran.

Without naming Saudi Arabia and Iran, OICSecretary General Iyad Madani, a Saudi, said thatthe continued strains in relations between somemember countries was contributing to “deepeningthe fractures in the Islamic political entity”.

Warning against widening sectarian tensions,he said the attacks against Saudi Arabia’s diplo-matic missions had “breached diplomatic norms”.

“This situation turns us from effectively address-ing the true challenges that threaten the future ofour member states and their peoples,” he said,before going on to name recent attacks by sus-pected Islamist militants in Afghanistan, Turkey,Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Libya and Mali.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, whospoke at the emergency OIC meet ing whichRiyadh had called for, said the attack on the king-dom’s diplomatic missions was not an isolatedincident, and that Tehran had done very little toend them.

“It is the responsibility of the host governmentto take measures, not to issue statements aim atdeflecting blame more than offering practical pro-tect ion to diplomatic miss ions,” Jubeir said,according to state news agency SPA. Iran’s deputyforeign minister Abbas Araqchi told Reuters on thesidelines of the meeting: “My hope is after this con-ference tension is not escalated, I hope the confer-ence plays its role to deescalate the situation. It’svery much hoped by OIC. But apparently some spe-cific countries do not like that. They prefer tension.But tension is in favour of nobody.”—Reuters

WENEVA: Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Moqdad gesturingas he speaks during a press conference at the United Nations Offices inGeneva. —AFP

12I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

IDOMENI, Greece: After a night on theGreek-Macedonian frontier in sub-zerotemperatures, some 2,000 mainly Syrianrefugees yesterday resumed their tortu-ous trek to northern Europe that was tem-porarily blocked by a border closure bySkopje. “I’m very happy the problem isresolved,” said 19-year old Imad. “I want togo to Germany to study”.

Imad and some 1,200 other conflictrefugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistanhad just spent the night in heated tentsoperated by aid groups.

Though cramped and stifling with thescent of body odour, the tents werenonetheless preferable to sleeping onparked buses-which is exactly what

another 600 refugees had to do for lack ofavailable space. Macedonia this weekdecided to close its border with Greece,and only reopened it yesterday forrefugees wishing to go to Germany orAustria.

“The border crossing for migrants near(the Macedonian border town of)Gevgelija opened early this morning, butonly those migrants whose Greek registra-tion papers show their final destination asGermany or Austria can enter,” a seniorpolice official in Skopje told AFP.

Greek police lend a hand by dulyadding ‘Germany’ or ‘Austria’ to therefugees’ registration papers. By midday,some 400 people had crossed the border.

“It’s a temporary procedure to reducepressure on the camp, which can onlyaccommodate 1,500 people at most,” aGreek police source said. Aid groups hadwarned that their resources had beenstretched to capacity, raising fears for thefate of families with small children alreadysuffering from colds.

Wood fires are burning in barrels out-side the tents, and benches have beenbrought up so the refugees don’t have tosit on the freezing soil.

“If this flow continues there is no possi-bility for accommodation,” said AntonisRigas, head of the local Doctors WithoutBorders mission to the Greek side of thefrontier. “It gets very cold at night. Early

this morning the temperature was minusseven Celsius (19 Fahrenheit),” he said.Leading children’s charities have warnedthat young refugees were at serious riskfrom the bitterly cold Balkan weather, asfigures showed 31,000 refugees and eco-nomic migrants had arrived in Greecealready this year.

Among them is Bashar Darwish, a gui-tarist with Syrian rock group KhebezDawlem, three of whose bandmates havealready reached Berlin.

“I want to rejoin them and continuegiving concerts,” he says. “Our songs areabout war, xenophobia, racism. We arepeople with the same problems and con-cerns as Europeans,” he says. —AFP

Refugees cross after Macedonia reopens Greek border

TEHRAN: Iran’s president has criticizedmoves by a powerful committee toexclude thousands of candidates, mostlyreformists, from next month’s parliamen-tary election, saying yesterday the decisioncould undermine the vote’s legitimacy.

Hassan Rouhani openly questioned theactions of the Guardian Council, a conser-vative-dominated panel that vets allprospective lawmakers, after it saidMonday that 60 percent of 12,000 electionhopefuls had been excluded.

Reformists, largely sidelined fromIranian politics since the disputed 2009 re-

election of hardline conservative presidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad, bore the brunt ofthe vetting, with just one percent of itshopefuls winning approval.Speaking inTehran, Rouhani was warmly applaudedwhen he suggested the public would seethrough steps that could amount tofavoritism, saying it would dent the ballot’scompetitiveness.

“It is called the House of the Nation, notthe house of one faction,” he told an audi-ence of provincial governors, implying thatnot only conservatives should contest theelection for seats in parliament.

“If there is one faction and the other isnot there, they don’t need the February 26

elections, they go to the parliament,”Rouhani said, laughing but then scorningsuch a prospect.

“No official without the vote of the peo-ple would be legitimate. Executors andobservers should pay attention that thelaw is respected.”

Rouhani’s intervention came after theGuardian Council said only 40 percent ofall candidates had been deemed eligible.The reformist camp, which disputedAhmadinejad’s re-election as presidentseven years ago, alleging widespreadfraud, largely ignored the country’s last

legislative polls in 2012, meaning it hasfew MPs.

But the movement has regroupedsince Rouhani, a moderate cleric, tookoffice in 2013, raising hopes of a come-back. The election vetting process hasbeen contentious for months and onMonday the Guardian Council revealedits initial list. Only 30 reformists from3,000 applicants were approved,according to the movement’s officials.The poll, following Iran’s nuclear dealwith world powers, is widely seen anopportunity for reformists and moder-ates close to Rouhani to make gainsagainst a currently dominant conserva-

tive camp in parliament.His remarks underscored tension about

the elections following the nuclear agree-ment his government struck with theUnited States and five other major worldpowers.

Urges rethink Iran’s president was elected in a land-

slide having pledged to end the nuclearcrisis, which peaked duringAhmadinejad’s tenure when sanctions bitever deeper, crippling Iran’s economy.

But the July 14 nuclear deal finally lift-ed those sanctions on Saturday andRouhani is seeking to build momentumfor domestic reforms, a prospect morelikely if there are fewer hardline conserva-tive MPs to block his legislation.

Some lawmakers fiercely opposedIran’s concessions that led to the nucleardeal, despite the long-running talks hav-ing the backing of Iran’s supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Those rejected from running in nextmonth’s vote can appeal. The GuardianCouncil will publish a final list of approvedcandidates on February 4. In pushing for arethink over the exclusions, Rouhani drewa contrast between parliamentary repre-sentation for Jews, Christians, Zoroastriansand other religious minorities in Iran,against larger groups.

“They are 10,000, 20,000,” he said. “Yetthere is a faction in this country with sevenor 10 million,” he added, again alluding toreformists.

The president said he had asked VicePresident Eshaq Jahangiri as well as theinterior and intelligence ministers, whooften assist the Guardian Council in fact-finding on candidates, to consult further,regarding the rejections.

Rouhani insisted the governmentdidn’t back any political faction but itwanted more dialogue to ensure “impar-tiality and a sound rivalry” at the polls. “Asthe leader said a very vibrant and livelyelection with long queues at the ballotboxes” is desirable, Rouhani added, refer-ring to Khamenei.

On Wednesday, Khamenei, 76, urged astrong turnout, arguing that those “whoapprove of the system, its interests andnational values” should be elected. —AFP

Rouhani enters Iran election

row over barred candidates

Exclusion could undermine vote’s legitimacy

TEHRAN: A handout picture provided by the office of Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani shows him (C, background) delivering a speech to provin-cial governors in Tehran yesterday. —AFP

Tunisia police,

rioters clash in

more job protestsKASSERINE: Tunisian police firing tear gas clashedwith hundreds of protesters who tried to storm localgovernment buildings in several towns yesterday inthe third day of rioting over jobs, resident said.

At least one policeman has been killed in some ofthe worst protests in Tunisia since the 2011 uprisingthat toppled autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. That trig-gered a series of “Arab Spring” revolts in the regionthat swept long-standing leaders from power.

Several thousands of youths demonstrated yester-day outside the local government office in Kasserine,the impoverished central town where protests beganthis week after a young man killed himself after appar-ently being refused a public job. Police fired tear gas todisperse protesters trying to storm local governmentbuildings in other towns, Jamdouba, Beja and Skira,and in Sidi Bouzid, where youths chanted “Jobs orAnother Revolution,” according state media and localresidents.

President Beji Caid Essebsi’s governmentannounced on Wednesday it would seek to hire morethan 6,000 young unemployed people from Kasserine,and start construction projects. On Thursday hundredscame to sign up for work, but tensions were still high.

“I’ve been out of work for 13 years, and I am a quali-fied technician. We are not looking for handouts justour right to work,” protester Mohamed Mdini toldReuters in Kasserine where crowds were angrily chanti-ng, “Work, Freedom, Dignity.”

The protests have evoked memories of the suicideof a struggling young market vendor in December2010 that became a catalyst for the Tunisian 2011“Arab Spring” uprising which inspired angry massprotests across the Arab world. Tunisia has been heldup as a model for democratic progress since that upris-ing with free elections and a modern constitution. Thecountry managed to mostly avoid the violent upheavalin other countries that toppled long-standing leaders.

But for many Tunisians, the revolution has not deliv-ered on economic promises. Jobs, high living costs anda lack of opportunities remain the priority for manyyoung Tunisians.

Three major Islamist militant attacks in Tunisia lastyear have also hit the economy hard, especially thetourism industry which is a key source of revenue andemployment.

Unemployment rose to 15.3 percent in 2015 com-pared with 12 percent in 2010, driven by weak growthand a decline in investment coupled with a rise in thenumber of university graduates, who comprise one-third of jobless Tunisians. —Reuters

13I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin“probably approved” the killing of ex-spyAlexander Litvinenko in London, a Britishinquiry into his agonizing death by radia-tion poisoning found yesterday.

Litvinenko, a prominent Kremlin critic,died in 2006 aged 43, three weeks afterdrinking tea laced with radioactive poloni-um at an upmarket London hotel. AndreiLugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun, two Russiansidentified as prime suspects by Britishpolice, probably carried out the poisoning

under the instruction of Russian securityservices, the inquiry said. Prime MinisterDavid Cameron’s office called the findings“extremely disturbing” but the govern-ment did not announce sanctions inresponse, instead summoning Moscow’sambassador to London for talks. It did,however, impose asset freezes on the twoalleged perpetrators named by the inquiry.

There were cries of “Yes!” at the HighCourt in London as the main findings wereread out. Litvinenko’s wife Marina, dressed

in black and accompanied by her 21-year-old son Anatoly, embraced supportersafterwards. She has spent years pushingfor a public inquiry to be held and hadcalled for sanctions against Russia and atravel ban on Putin.

“I’m very pleased that the words myhusband spoke on his deathbed when heaccused Mr Putin of his murder have beenproved true in an English court,” she toldreporters outside the court. She told AFPafter the hearing: “I can’t say it is what Ihoped for but I really appreciate it.”

Russia dismissed the findings, callingthe inquiry “politically motivated”. “Wehad no reason to expect that the final find-ings of the politically motivated andextremely non-transparent process.. .would suddenly become objective andunbiased,” foreign ministry spokeswomanMaria Zakharova said in a statement.Lugovoi, now a far-right, pro-Putin law-maker in Russia, described it as “absurd”.

‘Acting for a state body’ Judge Robert Owen, the inquiry’s chair-

man, said he was “sure” that Lugovoi andKovtun placed polonium-210 in the teapotat the Millennium Hotel’s Pine Bar, wherethey met Litvinenko on November 1, 2006.“The FSB operation to kill Litvinenko wasprobably approved by Mr (Nikolai)Patrushev and also by President Putin,” thereport said.

Patrushev is a former director of theFSB, the successor organization to theSoviet-era KGB spy agency, and has been akey security official since 2008. — AFP

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands withAndrei Fursenko (right), Aide to the President and former Minister ofEducation and Science of the Russian Federation, during the meetingof the Presidential Council for Science and Education at the Kremlinin Moscow yesterday. — AFP

Putin ‘probably approved’

Litvinenko killing: UK probe Cameron’s office calls findings ‘extremely disturbing’

Top Turkish tycoon dies

of heart attack aged 55

ISTANBUL: The chief executiveof Turkey’s biggest industrialconglomerate Koc Holding,Mustafa Koc, died suddenly aged55 yesterday following a heartattack, an Istanbul hospital said.

“We lost Mustafa Koc despiteall efforts by doctors as a result ofa heart attack he had at hishome,” the American Hospital inIstanbul said in a statement.Turkish television reports saidKoc had suffered the heart attackduring a morning workout. Thecompany also confirmed hisdeath in a statement.

Koc was the leader of thethird generation of one ofTurkey’s biggest industrial dynas-ties, founded by his grandfatherVehbi Koc in the 1920s. UnderVehbi Koc and his son Rahmi, theKoc conglomerate expanded to become the most important ofthe holding companies that dominate Turkish industry, withdiverse interests in energy, banking and the automobile sector.

It owns Turkey’s single largest industrial enterprise, the Tuprasoil refining group, as well as prominent household goods makerArcelik and the Yapi Kredi Bank. It also has a thriving auto industryjoint venture with Ford (Ford Otosan), and with Fiat (TOFAS).Mustafa Koc took over as chief executive of Koc Holding in 2003.He is survived by his father Rahmi Koc, 85. Vehbi Koc died in 1996aged 94.

‘Great loss for Turkey’ Turkey’s family-run conglomerates-including Koc and other

groups like Sabanci Holding-are the mainstays of the Turkisheconomy with interests in every sector. Koc Holding and some100 subsidiaries alone account for around nine percent of Turkishexports and eight percent of its GDP. The family is one of the rich-est in Turkey: according to 2015 estimates by the Turkish editionof Forbes magazine, Mustafa Koc had a fortune of over $1 billion.Rahmi Koc has a fortune of $2.5 billion while Rahmi Koc’s sisterSuna Kirac has estimated wealth of $2.2 billion. — AFP

ISTANBUL: Mustafa Koc,chief executive of Turkey’sbiggest industrial con-glomerate Koc Holdingduring an event inIstanbul. — AFP

14I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

DAVOS: France said yesterday that a Britishexit from the European Union would be atragedy, but warned that Britain’s demands forreform could not be met at any price. BritishPrime Minister David Cameron has said hewants a deal on his EU reform demands byFebruary so that he can campaign to stay in thebloc ahead of a referendum on membership,which he has promised to hold by the end of2017.

A British EU exit would be “a very badthing,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls toldreporters at an annual gathering of billionairesand political leaders in the snow-blanketedSwiss ski resort of Davos, where discussionshave turned to the spectre of a so-called Brexit.

“There needs to be a deal, but not at anyprice,” the French prime minister said.

“Anything that allows us to simplify theorganization of Europe, yes. Anything thatthrows into doubt the foundations of theEuropean project or the eurozone, no.” Valls’rather downbeat assessment contrasted withmore positive noises from his German andDutch counterparts in Davos yesterday.Cameron’s most hotly contested proposal is afour-year ban on top-up benefits for EUmigrants working in Britain, which critics say isdiscriminatory and threatens freedom of

movement in the EU.The British leader, who is to speak at Davos

later in the day, also wants the EU to giveBritain safeguards against more political inte-gration, to protect countries that do not usethe euro currency and to boost economic com-petitiveness.

Threat of European split The French premier said the EU faced multi-

ple pressures including from terrorism, refugeeflows and the risk of a British exit, “which couldlead to a fracturing of the European project,and not in a few years or decades, but in thenext few months”. Valls said the British leader isunlikely to win over fellow EU leaders by thetime of their February 18-19 summit inBrussels, at which France will be representedby President Francois Hollande.

Negotiations on London’s demands onlystarted a short time ago, Valls said, though hestill hoped a solution could be found inFebruary. During a debate at Davos, Valls said itwould be a “tragedy” if Britain were to leavethe EU.

In Paris, Hollande said he would be “particu-larly vigilant” during talks with Britain to ensurethe eurozone was not affected. “The Britishgovernment has made its demands... nothing

is insurmountable so long as the foundingprinciples of the union are preserved,”Hollande told a gathering of French ambassa-dors.

A European Union spokesman in Brusselssaid the “clear intention” was to strike a dealwith London in the February meeting and noother summit had been scheduled.

Top European officials say a deal is still pos-sible by then. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte,whose country holds the bloc’s rotating presi-dency, said in the same debate in Davos thathe was “fairly optimistic” of a positive outcomeat the February summit.

‘It would be a disaster’ “I am convinced that during the council in

February we will reach a fair deal with Britainand a fair deal for the 27 others,” EuropeanCommission head Jean-Claude Juncker told anews conference in Strasbourg the previousday.

Germany warned of the danger a Brexitwould present to the EU. “I hope that theBritish will stay in Europe and with us,” GermanFinance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said inDavos.

“It would be a disaster otherwise,” he said.—AFP

EU must avoid British exit,

not at any price: FranceThreat of European split looms large

LE MANS: Drivers are stuck in a traffic jam on the highway as French farmers block the access to Le Mans toprotest against falling prices of dairy and meat products yesterday in Le Mans, north western France. Thesign reads: “Le Foll you are mad, so we are blocking. —AFP

Danish migrant bill

under fire at UNGENEVA: The UN’s top human rights body took Denmark to taskyesterday that its treatment of asylum seekers, with diplomatsvoicing alarm over rising xenophobia and a plan to seize valu-ables from migrants.

In the Human Rights Council’s first review of Denmark’s rightsrecord since 2011, a number of the 87 country representativeswho took the floor decried the Scandinavian country’s recenttightening of its migration policies as it struggles to deal withrecord numbers of asylum seekers.

US representative Keith Harper was among those who voicedalarm over a bill expected to pass through the Danish parliamentallowing the confiscation of migrants’ valuables, among othermeasures. “We note with concern the bill pending in the Danishparliament that would permit the Danish authorities to search thebelongings of asylum seekers and seize cash and certain objectsof value,” he told the council.

Egyptian representative Mohamed Elmolla also blasted thebill, stressing that “confiscating valuable belongings to coverrefugees’ expenses (is) in clear violation of their rights under theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Gross misunderstandings But Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen insisted the inter-

national outcry over the bill was due to “gross misunderstand-ings.” “The Danish welfare state is based upon the very simpleprinciple that the state will provide and pay for those unable totake care of themselves, not for those who are able,” he told thecouncil.

“This simple principle applies for Danes seeking unemploy-ment benefits, as well as to asylum seekers,” he said, explainingthe reasoning behind the plan to seize asylum seekers’ cashexceeding 10,000 kroner (1,340 euros, $1,450), as well as any indi-vidual items valued at more than 10,000 kroner to help pay fortheir housing and benefits during the asylum process.

Wedding rings and other items of sentimental value areexempt, he stressed. In Copenhagen yesterday, the Danish law-makers gave a final nod to the bill, guaranteeing that PrimeMinister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s minority right-wing governmentwill win a January 26 parliamentary vote.

In Geneva, diplomats also raised concerns about other aspectsof the bill, including measures making it harder for some asylumseekers to obtain family reunifications and residency permits.

And many decried a perceived increase in xenophobic andracist discourse in Denmark.

Veronika Bard, representing neighboring Sweden voicedunderstanding over the challenges Denmark was facing, but saidher country was “concerned about the tendency of public dis-course in Denmark to be prejudiced towards migrants, some-times even amounting to hate speech.” —AFP

Protest in Moldova

after premier

hastily sworn CHISINAU: At least 8,000 people protested in the Moldovancapital yesterday against the appointment of Prime MinisterPavel Filip, whose hasty swearing-in ceremony at midnightalso prompted a government spokesman to resign.Parliament appointed Filip in hopes of ending months ofpolitical stalemate after the previous government was top-pled in a no-confidence vote in October.

But the move has caused a backlash from opposition law-makers and prompted a series of protests from citizensunhappy with Filip’s close ties to a prominent oligarch. Thereis widespread anger at Moldova’s ruling elites after a $1 bil-lion banking fraud plunged the country into crisis last year.

The repeated protests threaten to derail Filip’s chances ofrunning a stable government, at a time when Moldova seesits economy sinking and is trying to negotiate new fundingfrom overseas lenders, including the International MonetaryFund.

“I don’t see the advantages of Filip’s government andthere are lots of minuses. He was approved without anypublic support,” said analyst Nicolai Tveatkov. “(The govern-ment) is temporary and one cannot speak of achieving polit-ical stability.” A small of group of demonstrators broke intothe parliament building on Wednesday demanding newelections, clashing with riot police. Underscoring the senseof chaos, the spokesman of President Nicolae Timofti laterresigned. —Reuters

INCIRLIK, Turkey: German DefenceMinister Ursula von der Leyen yesterdayvisited a contingent of German troopsstationed at a Turkish air base as part ofthe coalition to defeat Islamic State (IS),hailing their contribution in the fightagainst the jihadists in Syria.

Six German Tornado reconnaissance

planes have been carrying out flightssince January 8 from the Incirlik base insouthern Turkey, as well as an Airbusrefuelling plane. Von der Leyen toldreporters at the base that the Tornadoshad already carried out over 30 flights,while the tanker plane had flown 40times to supply German but also French,

British and Italian planes. “It’s very good that the contingent has

set itself up so quickly,” said Van derLeyen. “The reconnaissance results thatthe Tornados deliver are of an extraordi-narily high quality,” she said. “We are thusmaking our contribution to thwarting theexpansion of IS.” —AFP

German minister hails Berlin’s help in fight against IS

DETROIT: President Barack Obama onWednesday hailed the revival of thenation’s auto industry while acknowledg-ing the water crisis in nearby Flint,Michigan, saying the detection of highlevels of lead serve as a reminder that thegovernment can’t shortchange basicservices. Speaking to auto workers aftertaking in the North AmericanInternational Auto Show, Obama said, “Iknow that if I was a parent up there, I

would be beside myself that my kid’shealth could be at risk.” He met withFlint’s mayor the day before and prom-ised federal help.

“What is inexplicable and inexcusableis once people figured out there was aproblem and that there was lead in thewater, the notion that immediately fami-lies weren’t notified, things weren’t shutdown_that shouldn’t happen anywhere,”Obama told CBS News in an interviewscheduled for broadcast on Sunday. “It’salso an indication of sometimes wedownplay the role that an effective gov-ernment has to play in protecting public

health and safety of people and clearlythe system here broke down,” he said.CBS released a clip of the interview onWednesday.

Nation’s attentionObama sought to highlight how his

administration extended the industry afinancial lifeline during the heart of theGreat Recession even as many otherscalled for the government to focus itsresources elsewhere. He said the out-come of his administration’s bet is evi-dent through a much-improved econo-my. Consumers bought nearly 17.5 mil-lion vehicles last year, a record. “What’strue of Detroit is true of the country,” hesaid. “I want people to remember how farwe’ve come.”

Obama spoke at the UAW-GM Centerfor Human Resources, the national head-quarters of the joint relationshipbetween the United Auto Workers andGeneral Motors. His visit took place aslongstanding problems with Flint’s drink-ing water have begun to capture thenation’s attention. Michigan Gov. RickSnyder asked Obama on Wednesday toreconsider his denial of a federal disasterdeclaration to address the crisis, sayingits severity poses an “imminent and long-term threat” to residents. Obamadeclared an emergency - qualifying thecity for $5 million - but determined that itis not a disaster based on the legalrequirement that such additional relief isintended for natural events, fires, floodsor explosions.

White House spokesman Eric Schultzsaid “primary responsibility” rests withstate and local officials but that Obamawould do what he can to help. In hisappeal letter, Snyder called it a “narrowreading” and likened the crisis to a flood,“given that qualities within the water,over a long term, flood and damaged thecity’s infrastructure in ways that were notimmediately or easily detectable.” Healso said the state and city cannot meetall the needs of Flint residents. The presi-

dent spent nearly an hour at the autoshow, looking at crash avoidance tech-nology from ZF TRW and sitting in a 2017Chevy Bolt EV, an all-electric car that willbe available late this year. He also lookedat a new Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

“You guys remember, ‘Get Shorty,’right?” Obama said to reporters and pho-tographers. “It’s cool driving a minivan.”Obama had lunch at a brewery withMayor Mike Duggan, a GM employee andothers, then stopped at watch makerShinola before heading to the show. TheWhite House wanted to shine the spot-light on Detroit, but Flint’s problemshave intervened. The crisis began in 2014when a state-appointed emergency man-ager switched Flint from Detroit water toFlint River water to save money. The cor-rosive water caused lead to leach fromold pipes. Flint returned to the Detroitsystem in October after elevated lead lev-els were discovered in children. — AP

15I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court challenge toPresident Barack Obama’s immigration policies couldhave an impact far beyond determining whether mil-lions of undocumented immigrants can remain in thecountry. The case has the potential to constrain the pow-er of Obama’s successor to bypass Congress and actalone. Should Obama’s order blocking deportations forcertain immigrants be invalidated by the justices, thedecision could hamper future presidents’ ability to craftpolicy through executive fiat, legal experts told Reuters.

“The question is not the merits of the immigrationissue,” said T Gerald Treece, a constitutional law profes-sor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston. “Thequestion is what the president’s power is.” The highcourt said Tuesday it would hear the lawsuit brought by26 states that seeks to overturn Obama’s 2014 executiveorder that shields more than 4 million immigrants in thecountry illegally from deportation proceedings.

The Democratic Obama White House, vexed by ahostile, Republican-controlled Congress, has employedthe president’s executive authority with increasing fre-

quency. In addition to the executive order on deporta-tions, Obama has acted alone to alter provisions of theAffordable Care Act, limit carbon emissions to combatclimate change and toughen the requirements onfirearms merchants. Should Obama lose before theSupreme Court, the case could tie the hands of a futurepresident to act in similar ways.

Federal immigrationThe immigration case likely will be argued before the

Supreme Court in April, with a decision handed down atthe end of June, guaranteeing that presidential power willbe a front-burner issue as the race for the White Houseintensifies. In taking the case, the justices indicated theywill consider whether Obama violated not just federalimmigration statutes but the Constitution as well, raisingthe possibility that the court could articulate a forward-looking principle that limits the reach of a president’sexecutive authority - particularly with regard to domesticissues. Presidents historically enjoy more freedom to actunilaterally when it comes to foreign affairs. — Reuters

Obama tours auto show, pledges

help for Flint’s water crisis

‘I want people to remember how far we’ve come’

DETROIT: President Obama gets out of 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, an all-electric vehicle with an estimated range of 200miles on a single charge, while touring the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. — AP photos

DETROIT: US President BarackObama speaks at the United AutoWorkers-General Motors Center forHuman Resources.

Mexican state lawmaker to be

questioned about ‘El Chapo’

MEXICO CITY: A state lawmaker from Joaquin “El Chapo”Guzman’s home of Sinaloa has been brought in to speak toinvestigators about her relationship with the recently recap-tured drug lord, Mexico’s attorney general’s office said lateWednesday. Federal police were transporting Lucero GuadalupeSanchez to Mexico City for questioning regarding an investiga-tion into her alleged use of fraudulent documents to visitGuzman in April in the maximum security prison he wouldescape from a couple of months later.

The lawmaker has not been charged with any crime, but sheresigned her position with the opposition National Action Partyon Wednesday. On Monday, El Universal newspaper publishedan interview with Attorney General Arely Gomez in which shesaid the government believed Sanchez spent New Year’s Evewith Guzman in Sinaloa. Guzman, of the Sinaloa cartel, was cap-tured Jan. 8 after his second escape from a Mexican maximum-security prison. — AP

US celebrities back

‘Dump Trump’ campaign

NEW YORK: Prominent actors, writers and thinkers joined a “StopHate Dump Trump” campaign to denounce the billionaireRepublican presidential frontrunner, saying he is a threat to theUnited States. Actors Harry Belafonte, Kerry Washington and JaneFonda, filmmaker Jonathan Demme and intellectual Noam Chomskyare among those lending their support to the drive to preventDonald Trump getting into the White House. “We are offeringAmericans a chance to be heard and engage in action, as Trump’scampaign gains momentum even as he increases his hateful anddivisive rhetoric,” said playwright Eve Ensler, one of three cofounders.

“We also intend to put the media and political institutions onnotice that they are accountable for normalizing Trump’s extremismby treating it as entertainment, by giving it inordinate and unequalair time and by refusing to investigate, interrogate or condemn itappropriately.” Trump announced his bid for the White House lastJune, dominating the news cycle of the presidential race ever sincewith insults slamming Mexicans and illegal immigrants, and a call fora ban on Muslims entering the United States.

The website said it united people as diverse as worker movementleaders, actors, teachers, farmers, students, poets and heads of com-panies. “We believe Trump is a grave threat to democracy, freedom,human rights, equality and the welfare of our country and all ourpeople,” the campaign said. “History has shown us what happenswhen people refuse to stand against hate-filled leaders. We pledgeourselves to speak out in every way possible against the politics ofhate and exclusion he represents.” Nearly 1,200 people had addedtheir signatures to the campaign within hours of it going live onWednesday. Jodie Evans, a documentary film producer andcofounder of the anti-war organization Code Pink, said the initiativehad arisen out of a conversation with Ensler and said the celebrityendorsements had come from their friends. “The media is pushingthe hate of Donald Trump like it’s a reality show,” she told AFP. Thethird cofounder is law professor Kimberle Crenshaw. — AFP

US immigration case could

set limits on presidential power

NEW DELHI: For more than a century, two mysteri-ous tree frog specimens collected by a British natu-ralist in 1870 and housed at the Natural HistoryMuseum in London were assumed to be part of avanished species, never again found in the wild.Until now. A group of scientists, led by renownedIndian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju, has rediscov-ered the frogs and also identified them as part of anew genus - one step higher than a species on thetaxonomic ranking. Not only have they found thefrogs in abundance in northeast Indian jungles, theybelieve they could also be living across a wideswathe of Asia from China to Thailand.

“This is an exciting find, but it doesn’t mean thefrogs are safe,” Biju said, adding that he hopes thediscovery leads to more awareness of the dangers ofunfettered development to the animals. The frogswere found at high altitudes in four northeast Indianstates, underlining the rain-soaked region’s role as abiodiversity hotspot. Some of the forest areas whereBiju’s team collected frogs in 2007 and 2008 werealready slashed and burned by 2014 for agriculturaldevelopment. The region’s tropical forests are quick-ly disappearing because of programs to cut trees,plant rice, expand human settlements and buildroads.

Industrial growth amid a decade-long economicboom has also increased pollution, to which frogsare particularly vulnerable. That same sensitivity toclimate and water quality makes them perfect envi-ronmental barometers, putting them at risk whenecological systems go awry. Of the more than 7,000amphibian species known globally, about 32 per-cent are threatened with extinction, according tothe International Union for Conservation of Nature.“This frog is facing extreme stress in these areas, andcould be pushed to extinction simply from habitatloss,” Biju said. “We’re lucky in a way to have found itbefore that happens, but we’re all worried.”

Collected specimensFinding the frogs was an accident. The team had

been searching the forest floor for other amphibiansin 2007 when, one night, “we heard a full musicalorchestra coming from the treetops. It was magical.Of course we had to investigate,” Biju said. For thestudy of the new frog genus, Frankixalus, publishedWednesday by the Public Library of Science journalPLOS ONE, Biju and his doctoral students teamed upwith researchers from the central Indian state ofPune, Sri Lanka, Brussels and the American Museumof Natural History.

They looked at the frogs’ behavior, collectedspecimens and described their outer appearanceand skeletal features. But it wasn’t until they hadsequenced the frogs’ genetic code that they con-firmed it as a new genus, and surprisingly foundanother DNA match from a single tadpole specimenreported recently under a mistaken identity in China.The frogs had long been considered lost to science,with the first - and only - previously known speci-mens collected in 1870 by British naturalist T.C.Jerdon in the forests of Darjeeling. Over decades, thefrogs were reclassified at least four times in cases ofincorrect identity as scientists drew conclusions fromtheir enlarged snouts or the webbing between theirtoes. Biju believes the frogs remained hidden fromscience so long because of their secretive lifestyle liv-ing in tree holes at heights up to 6 meters (20 feet)above ground. Most tree frogs live in shrubs or treeholes closer to the ground. But other experts sug-gest that, while the uniquely high habitat does makethem hard to find, the frogs probably remained inobscurity simply because there are so few scientistsworking in the remote region.

More species“This part of Southeast Asia, in particular, is

poorly inventoried,” said James Hanken, a biologyprofessor and director of the Museum ofComparative Zoology at Harvard University. Giventhe habitat threats and alarming rate of extinctionsworldwide, he said the “remarkable” tree frog find“points out that we may be losing even morespecies than we know or can fully document.” “Itdoesn’t in any way offset the tragic losses repre-sented by global amphibian extinction,” saidHanken, who was not involved in the tree frogstudy.

Biju’s team named the new frog genusFrankixalus after herpetologist Franky Bossuyt, whowas Biju’s adviser when he was a student at theVrije Universiteit in Brussels. Only two species with-in the genus have been identified, including theFrankixalus jeronii first described in the 19th centu-ry. The scientists are still trying to confirm whethera second collected species was mistakenly namedwithin another genus of tree frogs. There are now18 tree frog genera known worldwide. The studydocuments the tree frogs’ unusual maternal behav-ior, with the females laying fertilized eggs in a treehole filled with water, and then returning at regularintervals after the tadpoles hatch to feed them withunfertilized eggs. — AP

NEW DELHI: In this 2007 photo provided by biologist SD Biju, a Frankixalus jerdonii,belonging to a newly found genus of frogs, sits on the branch of a tree. — AP photos

16I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Scientists ID new genus of

tree frogs long thought extinct‘Frogs have been around for 350 million years’

MUMBAI: Western India’s Maharashtrahas become the first state to extendfull maternity benefits to women whohave babies using a surrogate mother,a state official said. All women in gov-ernment jobs who have a baby using asurrogate mother can now take 180days of maternity leave, putting themon an equal footing with women whoconceive naturally, the official said.The leave can only be taken once.

Surrogate mothers usually handover the babies to the clinic or thegenetic mother a few days after givingbirth. “It doesn’t make a differencewhether the child is conceived natu-

ral ly or through a surrogate - thewoman st i l l has to look after thechild,” said BJ Gadekar, a deputy sec-retary in the state’s finance depart-ment. “We want to treat them equal-ly.” India opened up to commercialsurrogacy in 2002, and is among just ahandful of countries and a few USstates where women can be paid tocarry another’s genetic child througha process of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF)and embryo transfer.

Surrogacy motherhood remains asensitive topic, and the governmentlast year banned foreigners from usingIndian surrogates, hurt ing India’s

lucrative $400-million-a-year businesswith over 3,000 fertility clinics. Mostwomen’s rights groups in India are crit-ical of the surrogacy industry, sayingfertility clinics are nothing more than“baby factories” for the rich.

But Sakina Bohura at AksharaCentre, a non-profit focused on genderrights in Mumbai, said the Maharashtradecision would help women who areforced to opt for surrogacy in order tohave children. “It’s a recognition thatsurrogacy is a valid choice for thesewomen,” she said. “It’s a very progres-sive stance by the Maharashtra gov-ernment.” — Reuters

Mrinalini Sarabhai,

legendary Indian

classical dancer, dies

NEW DELHI: Legendary Indian classical dancer, MrinaliniSarabhai, has died from complications related to old age,her family said. She was 98. Sarabhai was admitted to ahospital in the western Indian city of Ahmadabad with aninfection, her son Kartikeya Sarabhai said. She died in thehospital yesterday after her condition deterioratedovernight. “My mother Mrinalini Sarabhai has just left forher eternal dance,” her daughter and noted classical Indiandancer Mallika Sarabhai said in a Facebook post.

After training in dance, including a stint at the AmericanAcademy of Dramatic Arts, she returned to India andbegan her career as a dancer of the classical Indian danceform, Bharatanatyam. In 1948, Sarabhai set up an instituteof dance in Ahmadabad where she trained thousands ofdancers and choreographers. — AP

NEW DELHI: Preserved tadpoles of a frog named Frankixalus jerdonii, a new genus offrogs, are seen at Systematics Lab at the University of Delhi, Department ofEnvironmental Studies.

Maharashtra is first state to give

surrogacy mothers maternity benefits

17I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

CHARSADDA, Pakistan : A relative of a 2014 Peshawar school attack victim shows her son’s pictures to a stu-dent victim (left) of the Bacha Khan University attack at a hospital in Charsadda yesterday. —AFP

ISLAMABAD: As grieving Pakistani par-ents lament the government’s failure tokeep their children safe, analysts saythe Taleban have sent a message withtheir latest campus massacre-a nationalcrackdown on extremism has failed andthey can hit targets at will. The ram-page at Bacha Khan university left 21people dead Wednesday and shatteredthe sense of security growing in thetroubled northwest, a year afterPakistan’s deadliest ever extremistattack, a 2014 assault on a school innearby Peshawar.

The chilling similarities between thetwo atrocities starkly underscored thefailings of a government- and military-led initiative launched in the wake ofthe strike on the army-run school. “Ithappened again,” said Zaheeruddin,father of Kashan Zaheer, a ninth gradestudent who was wounded in theassault which saw Taleban gunmenstorm the Peshawar school and killmore than 150 people, most of themchildren, a year ago. “Staff and studentswere martyred again. The governmenthas failed. It has not been able to pro-vide us security.” The Peshawar attack,carried out by the same Taleban factionthat claimed the latest strike in nearbyCharsadda, prompted the military tointensify an offensive in tribal areaswhere jihadists had operated withimpunity.

The military says it has killed thou-sands in the campaign and swept oth-ers over the porous border intoAfghanistan. The government launcheda much-vaunted National Action Plan tocombat extremism, including the cre-

ation of military courts and the resump-tion of executions after a six-year mora-torium. Together the initiatives are cred-ited with making 2015 the least deadlyin terms of militant attacks since the for-mation of the Tehreek-e-TalebanPakistani (TTP) in 2007. But the BachaKhan attack was a message, saidPeshawar-based senior analyst andretired brigadier Saad Khan-that despitethe pressure “they can hit any target”.

The killing of young people “brings alot of pain, despondency and hopeless-ness, and that arouses emotions againstthe government, the same governmentwhich claimed it had broken the back ofthe terrorists,” he said. Defence andsecurity analyst Talat Masood said thegovernment and military had failed tofollow through. “This is the same pat-tern. They are looking for soft targetsand it is simply impossible to providesecurity to the soft targets, especiallythose near the border (withAfghanistan),” he told AFP. “Pakistanneeds to do a lot more.”

Selective crackdown Among the criticism is that little has

been done about key issues includingoversight of Pakistan’s thousands ofIslamic seminaries, widely seen asbreeding grounds for intolerance. Theresumption of hangings has been par-ticularly controversial, with rightsactivists saying that the majority of themore than 300 people executed in thepast year were not linked to extremism.And observers such as the PakistanInstitute for Peace Studies argue thatexecution is no deterrent for militants

who are already prepared to die fortheir cause.

Pakistan’s reaction to a recent attackon an Indian air base also highlightedwhat is viewed as a practice of onlycracking down on certain types of radi-cals, tolerating militants it deems usefulto its aims, such as those targeting arch-rival India. Islamabad moved swiftlyagainst Jaish-e-Mohammad, the groupbelieved by Delhi to be behind theattack on the base in Pathankot that leftseven dead, detaining some of its lead-ership and sealing its offices. But mediacommentators expressed wry surprisethat the group had any offices still openfor the government to seal, seeing as ithad been banned in 2002.

‘We are not safe’ For those who survived the 2014

attack, described as Pakistan’s 9/11 forthe way it united the country in shockand outrage, “sequels” such asWednesday’s university assault are mak-ing their courage waver. Ajun Khan losthis only son, Asfand, a tenth grader, inthe Peshawar school massacre. “Weunderstand their pain, we understandhow one feels when one sends his sonto school or university and later receiveshis dead body,” Khan said of the familiesof the latest strike.

Khan said parents of the Peshawarvictims are meeting on Thursday toexpress their sympathy and to chalk outa strategy-such as compulsory militarytraining for all civilians. “We are notsafe, even parents do not feel safe, weare worried about the future,” he said.“It is now the people’s war.” —AFP

Taleban send message of

impunity with school massacre

‘Staff and students were martyred again’

LGBT Indians to drive

taxis in Mumbai, sign

of social acceptanceMUMBAI: Mumbai’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendercitizens will soon be able to drive private taxis in the city, in asign of the increasing acceptance of the marginalized com-munity in India’s commercial capital. A project launched byWings Travels and community organization Humsafar Trustwill train up to 300 members of the LGBT community to drivecabs in the city. The service, to be called Wings Rainbow, maythen be expanded nationwide.

“The LGBT community, especially transgenders, have veryfew economic opportunities because of the huge stigma thatthey still face,” said Pallav Patankar, director of programs atHumsafar Trust in Mumbai. “We hope that this will set the ballrolling and that it will open up other such opportunities forthem.” India’s Supreme Court recognized transgender as alegal third gender in April 2014 and, in a landmark judgmentlauded by human rights groups, called on the government toensure their equal treatment.

Despite this, sexual minorities - especially transgender peo-ple who are more visible - have been driven to the fringes ofsociety into begging and sex work, and face discrimination injobs and basic services such as health and education. WingsTravels can place about 1,500 LGBT drivers in its taxi fleetnationwide, said Arun Kharat, the company’s founder anddirector. The travel and car rental company also operates ataxi service that employs retired army personnel and one withfemale drivers for women passengers. “Driving a taxi is a wayfor these marginalized people who may not get so manyopportunities to gain respectability and independence,”Kharat said. —Reuters

Indian millionaire

jailed for life for

security guard murder

NEW DELHI: An Indian court yesterday sentenced a million-aire businessman to life in jail for murder after he rammedhis SUV into a security guard for being slow in opening agate, a prosecutor said. Muhammad Nisham, 39, was con-victed on Wednesday for pinning the guard against a wallwith his Hummer over a delay in opening the gate of hisapartment complex in the southern state of Kerala. “Thecourt awarded life sentence for the murder and 24 years injail for other offences,” the public prosecutor involved in thecase, CP Udayabhanu, told AFP.

“He is a repeat offender and we are satisfied with thejudgment,” Bhanu said. Nisham was also fined eight millionrupees ($117,600), half of which he must donate to the vic-tim’s family. The 50-year-old guard, Chandarabose, was leftwith multiple injuries in the assault last January and diedafter suffering a cardiac arrest in the hospital where he wasreceiving treatment. Prosecutors had told the court thatNisham pursued the guard into the complex with hisHummer and squeezed him against a wall before gettingout and beating him with an iron rod.

It is not the first time Nisham has made headlines. Hefaces a separate criminal case for allowing his nine-year-oldson to drive a Ferrari in 2013, which caused outrage after heuploaded a video onto Youtube. Nisham made his fortunefrom beedis, the hugely popular hand-rolled Indian cigarettepacked with tobacco leaves, and also owns hotel and jewel-ry businesses in the Middle East. He reportedly has a passionfor luxury cars and owns a large fleet of them. —AFP

Afghan rocket kills

three in NW Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A rocket fired from Afghanistan hit ashop in a restive Pakistani tribal region close to the Afghanborder yesterday, killing three people, officials said. The inci-dent happened in Angoor Adda Bazaar in the SouthWaziristan tribal district, one of the seven semi-autonomousregions where the Pakistani military has been battling Talibanand Al-Qaeda linked militants for more than a decade. “One ofthe two rockets fired from Afghanistan’s Birmal town hit abread shop, killing three Afghan nationals who were residentsof South Waziristan,” a senior military official told AFP. —AFP

18I n t e r n a t i o n a lFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

JAKARTA: Indonesian President JokoWidodo broke ground yesterday onthe country’s first ever bullet train line,heralding the project as a symbol of“major cooperation” with China. Thecontroversial $5.6 bill ion projectsparked a fierce bidding war betweenChina and Japan as the two Asianpowerhouses jostle to build key infra-structure projects in Indonesia and

the wider region. Widodo kicked offthe first construction phase at a teaplantation in West Java, where one ofthe stations along the line will be situ-ated.

“Send my regards to (Chinese)President Xi Jinping,” Widodo said atthe event, attended by Chinese offi-cials. “This is a (sign of) major coopera-tion between Indonesia and China,”

he added, calling for the two tradingpartners to further expanded ties inother industries. The bullet trainshould in theory be able to travel upto 350 kilometers an hour (220 milesper hour) between the sprawling capi-tal Jakarta and the mountain-fringedcity of Bandung, about 160 kilometers(100 miles) away.

It is a key project for Widodo, whohas pledged to overhaul the archipel-ago’s rickety infrastructure in a bid toattract investors and boost growth inSoutheast Asia’s largest economy,which last year dipped below five per-cent. Last year Jakarta asked for pro-posals from investors for the ambi-tious project, with China and Japanbidding so intensely a senior ministerlikened Indonesia to a pretty girlbeing courted by many admirers.

After a chaotic bidding process,China was awarded the contract-infu-riating Japan, which was long expect-ed to build the track given its high-speed rail expertise. Indonesia lacks amass-transport system, forcing itsincreasingly affluent 250 million peo-ple to rely heavily on private trans-port, resulting in grinding traffic in thebiggest cities. Widodo said he hopedthe high-speed railway would spurdemand for future public transportalternatives in other parts ofIndonesia, as well as speed up themovement of people and goodsbetween cities, helping economicgrowth. Construction of the line isexpected to finish by 2018, and itshould be operational the followingyear. — AFP

China busts child

trafficking ring,

recovers 15 infants

SHANGHAI: Police in China have broken a child traf-ficking ring that they say had been selling children-from the remote southwest to buyers near the coast2,000 km (1,245 miles) away for as little as about$3,000, the state news agency Xinhua has reported.Police caught 78 suspects and rescued 15 infants, thereport late on Wednesday said. Xinhua said policespotted a suspicious couple in September that trav-eled frequently between the mountainous town ofLiangshan in Sichuan province and the city of Linyi inShandong province near the coast.

“The wife purchased infants in Liangshan, andtransported them to Linyi. The husband was responsi-ble for seeking buyers in the city,” it said, quoting thefindings of the investigation. Baby boys were sold for50,000-60,000 yuan ($7,600-$9,120), while girls weresold for 20,000-30,000 yuan, Xinhua quoted police assaying. The rescued infants were being cared for by alocal civil affairs department. Doctors had taken bloodsamples to help find their biological parents, Xinhuareported.

The investigation was continuing but Xinhua didnot give further details. Child trafficking is rampant inChina, where population control policies, althoughrecently relaxed, have bolstered a traditional bias formale offspring, seen as the main support for elderlyparents and heirs to the family name, and have result-ed in abortions, killings or abandonment of girls. Theimbalance has created criminal demand for abductedor bought baby boys, but also for baby girls destinedto be future brides attracting rich dowries. — Reuters

BANDUNG, Indonesia: This handout photo released by the Presidential Palace shows Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo (left) placing his signature on a memorial while attending a groundbreaking ceremony of thecountry’s first high-speed railway in Bandung yesterday. — AFP

Indonesia kicks off construction

of first bullet train Japan’s NHK cleared

in Taiwan ‘human

zoo’ defamation case

TOKYO: Japanese broadcaster NHK did not defame aTaiwanese woman by using the term “human zoo” to referto a century-old event involving her father, the country’ssupreme court ruled yesterday. The court overturned alower bench’s finding that had ordered the publically-funded broadcaster to pay a million yen ($8,500) damagesover a 2009 program. The broadcast examined the “Japan-Britain Exhibition” held in London in 1910 to which Japantook several members of Taiwan’s aboriginal population,including the woman’s father, as exhibits.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony at the time, and thepractice of exhibiting the little-known peoples of far-flungterritories was a common one among Western imperialpowers. In November 2013, Tokyo High Court orderedNHK to pay damages to the woman, a member of theisland’s Paiwan ethnic group, for defaming her by usingthe term, with the presiding judge reportedly saying theexpression had a “serious discriminatory meaning”. Thewoman argued that the term “human zoo” implied thePaiwan people were uncivilized, but that some of thosewho took part in the exhibition did so out of pride thatthey were representing their indigenous group.

But yesterday, the Supreme Court said it “cannot acceptthe judgment”, according to a ruling posted on its web-site. The purpose of the program was to describe “the factthat Japan followed the example of what was called a‘human zoo’ carried out by Western powers to advertisetheir efforts to civilize barbaric and inferior people in theircolonies.” “It is unreasonable to think that a general audi-ence would regard the plaintiff’s father as a person whoshould be treated as an animal in a zoo, thus the programdid not degrade the social reputation” of the Taiwanesewoman, it said. Japan emerged from self-imposed isola-tion in the middle of the 19th century and historians say ittook on colonies partly as an attempt to establish itself asan imperial power and to mitigate the self-perceived riskof being taken over by a Western country. — AFP

SEOUL: A South Korean court saidyesterday it had acquitted a manof sympathizing with North Koreafor following its Twitter account,arguing that simply readingPyongyang’s social media postsdid not violate Seoul’s securitylaws. Seoul prosecutors earliercharged the 73-year-old journalist,identified only by his surname Lee,with “distributing” materials thatpraised the communist North byfollowing Pyongyang’s officialTwitter account, @uriminzok.

Lee was, however, found guiltyof supporting the North in his ownblog postings and was sentencedto a one-year jail term, suspendedfor two years. South Korea’sNational Security Laws, enacted in1948 to protect the fledgling statefrom infiltration by the communistNorth, ban its citizens from prais-ing or sympathizing withPyongyang.

Domestic critics and internation-al rights groups argue that the lawis open to abuse and stifles freespeech, but officials insist it is justi-fied by the continued threat fromthe nuclear-armed North. TheSeoul Western District Court ruledthat, because Lee only followedNorth Korea on Twitter and did notre-tweet or mention any of theposts on his own account, he hadnot broken the law. “It can’t be saidthat he ‘distributed’ those posts asthey were only shown on Lee’sown account and were not shownto other people, such as Lee’s fol-lowers,” the court said in a state-ment. North Korea joined the glob-al social media networks in 2010and has posted more than 17,500tweets since then, mostly criticizingits major foes-South Korea and theUS-and praising its ruling Kim fami-ly. Its Twitter account has over18,500 followers. — AFP

S Korean acquitted for

following North on Twitter

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Dancers perform during the celebrationof the ‘Parachicos’ traditional festivity inChiapa de Corzo, Chiapas State, Mexicanon January 20, 2016. The ‘Parachicos’ is acelebration with pre-Hispanic origins,according to the municipality of Chiapade Corzo. — AFP

L i f e s t y l eFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

In the tiny hamlet of Mawlynnong in India’sfar north east, plastic is banned and spotlesspaths are lined with flowers-but its reputa-

tion as Asia’s cleanest village has proved amixed blessing. Until 2003 no tourists visitedthe remote community of 500 inhabitants highin the mountains of Meghalaya state, which hadno roads and was accessible only by foot.

Home to the Khasi tribal people,Mawlynnong is famous for being a rare matrilin-eal society, where property and wealth arepassed on from the mother to her youngestdaughter and children take their mother’s sur-name. In recent years the village has becomeknown for another reason-its exceptional clean-liness, far removed from the noise and dirt ofIndia’s big cities.

Bamboo dustbins stand at every corner, vol-unteers sweep the streets at regular intervalsand large signs order visitors to throw awayplastic packaging: littering is sternly frownedupon. “We clean every day because our grand-parents and our ancestors have taught us howto clean the village and the surrounding area,because it’s good for our health,” said BaniarMawroh, a teenager sitting at the entrance ofher small but gleaming family home.

After the village built its first road 12 yearsago, a journalist from Discover India travel mag-

azine wrote a now-infamous article naming itthe cleanest village in Asia. The trickle of touristsbecame a flood, with visitors now reaching 250a day in high season, swelling the village’s popu-lation by 50 percent. But the accolades havebrought several downsides. “Now there is noisepollution. I’ve talked to the village council whichhas written to the government to build a newparking lot further away.” said Rishot

Khongthohrem, 51, a guesthouse owner. Deepak Laloo, a former official of the

Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum, advisedthe village in the early stages of its tourism devel-opment but fears for the impact of the vistorinflux. “There’s no more privacy. A woman iswashing her clothes, she’s being photographed,”he said. “That social bond which binds the villagetogether is disintegrating,” he said.

Cholera outbreak Mawlynnong’s concern for hygiene emerged

about 130 years ago when an outbreak ofcholera struck. With no medical facilities in thevillage, cleanliness was seen as vital to preventthe spread of disease. “Christian missionariestold our ancestors: you can protect yourselffrom the plague (cholera) only if you maintaingood hygiene, be it at home, with food, on yourland, in the village, or for your body,”Khongthohrem said. Mawlynnong maintainedits fastidious habits and has gone on to other-achievements, eradicating open defecation-prevalent across much of rural India-with toiletsfor each of its approximately 95 households.

The village has even been hailed by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi in an autumn radioaddress imploring Indians to erase the poornational image of rubbish-strewn highways andmonuments under his Clean India campaign. “Iwas amazed to know that there is such a villagein remote north-east, Meghalaya which is sopassionately carrying the mission of cleanlinessfor years,” he said. While the pristine village isproud of its achievements, some believe it mustlimit visitor numbers to protect the wellbeing ofits inhabitants. “They must learn to regulate thenumber of tourists and to say no at some point,”tourism expert Laloo said. — AFP

‘India’s cleanest village’ clings on to its serenity

Indian Khasitribal villagerswash utensils ina restaurant inthe village ofMawlynnongin the north-eastern state ofMeghalaya. —AFP photos

An Indian Khasitribal villagerdries clothesoutside herhome in the village ofMawlynnong.

A group of Indian tourists eat at a restaurant.

There is a disturbance in the force. Therelease of “Star Wars: Episode VIII” hasbeen delayed from May 2017 to Dec. 15,

2017, the Walt Disney Co announcedWednesday. The date change postpones thenext “Star Wars” installment set to follow thebox-office hit “The Force Awakens.” Though“Star Wars” was once synonymous with thesummer blockbuster, the date change meansthat the franchise will again look to dominatemovie theaters in the holiday season. It hasproven a lucrative match for “The ForceAwakens,” which has made a record $861 mil-lion domestically and $1.88 billion globally infive weeks of release.

Disney offered no reason for the delay, butrumors have recently swirled that writer-directorRian Johnson (“Looper”), who is taking over for JJAbrams, is rewriting the script. Production is setto begin next month in London. In the interim,Gareth Edwards’ “Star Wars” spin-off “RogueOne” is due out Dec 16 this year. With prominentrelease dates now staked out by studios years in

advance for their largest franchises, the impactof the switch immediately caused ripples.

The new date sets up a potential but unlikelyhead-to-head between “Star Wars” and “Avatar.”James Cameron’s “Avatar 2” had been plannedfor Christmas 2017, though few expect 20thCentury Fox to hit that date with the much-delayed “Avatar” sequel. A spokesman for Foxdidn’t immediately respond to an emailWednesday. One movie definitely affected isSteven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” a sci-ence-fiction release for Warner Bros. It’s sched-uled for the same Dec 15 weekend in 2017.

Disney moved one of its other billion-dollarfranchises, “Pirates of the Caribbean,” to May 26,2017. The Johnny Depp series returns with“Dead Men Tell No Tales.”

At the same time, Sony Pictures moved twoof its biggest movies into summer 2017. The next“Spider-Man,” starring Tom Holland and directedby Jon Watts, shifted up three weeks to July 28,2017. Jake Kasdan’s “Jumanji” remake shiftedfrom Christmas 2016 to July 28, 2017. — AP

‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ release delayed to Dec 2017

This photo provided by Disney shows Daisey Ridley as Rey, left, and John Boyega asFinn, in a scene from the new film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” directed by JJAbrams. — AP

L i f e s t y l eFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

A dolphin jumpingthrough a loopheld by histrainer whorides a Belugaduring a performance of the Russia-basedMoscowDolphinariumin Bishkek. —AFP photos

Philanthropists handLithuania world-classmodern art museum

Local philanthropists are teaming up with a world-renowned architect to hand Lithuania’s capital Vilnius itsfirst modern art museum, with doors due to open in ear-

ly 2019. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the author of Berlin’slandmark Jewish Museum and New York’s NationalSeptember 11 Memorial and Museum, the Vilnius venue willfeature Lithuanian art from the Soviet-era 1960s through tothe present day.

A model of the future museum reveals a striking angularwhite concrete cube with a diagonal passageway and a largemirrored outer terrace at the back. “It is not my largest project,it is one of the smallest,” Libeskind said of the venue, the firstof its kind in the Baltic states. “It’s a museum for people. It is

not just for art lovers, but for families, for kids. People justenjoy the public space, then will enter the museum and thenget also interested in all the contents.” Philanthropist ViktorasButkus is spending 8.5 million euros ($9.2 million) on themuseum and its unique collection. Part of a vibrant crop ofpost-Soviet era entrepreneurs, Butkus earned his fortune in2010 by selling his stake in Fermentas, an enzymes producerfor biotechnology companies.

Rich collection “Since Lithuania regained independence in 1991 ... neither

museums nor collectors have bought works from this period”due to a lack of funding, he told AFP, referring to the periodspanning the Soviet and post-Soviet era. “A whole piece of ourcountry’s culture has thus disappeared” in galleries, compa-nies or abroad, added Butkus, who is financing the museumalong with wife Danguole. Butkus has collected about 4,000works of art, mostly over the past six years. They include paint-ings by surrealist Mikalojus Povilas Vilutis, by AugustinasSavickas-vaguely reminiscent of Chagall-as well as sculpturesby Ruta Jusionyte.

The collection also includes videos and snapshots docu-menting the development of Lithuanian photography.Danguole took art history courses to gear up for the project.“They are the first to buy art not officially sanctioned by thestate from the late Soviet era,” says art historian ErikaGrigoraviciene, adding that the Butkuses have compiled “oneof the richest collections of the period”. “There are interestingpaintings by artists exposed to solitude, despair, anger,” sheadded. “We noticed that there were many such works createdafter 1990, but galleries and museums did not have the mon-ey to buy them.” —AFP

Lithuanian painter Patricija Jurskaityte poses for a pic-ture in Vilnius. — AFP photos

The woodenmodel of Modern

andContemporary

Art Center byarchitect Daniel

Libeskind inVilnius.

Inside a travelling aquatic circus inKyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, whoopsand cheers go up as a dolphin leaps out

of a pool and slam-dunks a ball through abasketball net. Hundreds of people packedinside the Moscow TravellingDolphinarium to watch dolphins and belu-ga whales perform acrobatic stunts,against a painted backdrop of blue skiesand palm trees. A blonde female announc-er dressed as a sailor spurs on the animalslike champion athletes. “A real sportsmandoesn’t give up so easily,” she booms as abeluga named Dandy leaps out of thewater but fails to whack a ball hanging ona string with his tail.

But he does not fluff up his secondattempt. “And he’s got it this time!” thepresenter shouts as the crowd roars inapproval over a soundtrack of blaring rockand Russian pop ballads. While the NewYear’s show wowed crowds in landlockedKyrgyzstan, it also fuelled a long-runningdebate in former Soviet states about cruel-ty to animals. Travelling dolphinariums arebanned across much of the world butremain popular in the ex-Soviet bloc whereforms of circus entertainment prohibited inthe West, such as acts with wild animalslike lions and bears, continue to thrivedespite concerns about animal welfare.

Yet opposition to animal abuse hasgrown in recent times, with local activistsusing the Internet to gather data andmobilize opposition to practices they sayinvolve animal cruelty or stress. Before theMoscow dolphin circus rolled into town,1,500 people signed an online petitionimploring Kyrgyzstan’s President AlmazbekAtambayev to ban it. On opening night, agroup of protesters picketed the perform-ance with posters featuring drawings ofweeping dolphins, some of them by chil-dren. “Why has this dolphin circus endedup in Kyrgyzstan? Because it has nowhereelse to go and we are a poor country withlax legislation,” Anna Kirilenko of BIOM, anenvironmentalist non-profit organization

based in Bishkek, told AFP.Authorities in Bishkek however defend-

ed the show. “Dolphins love to be touched.Training and performances are a form ofplay for dolphins...they were born in cap-tivity and thus would not survive in thewild,” the mayor’s office said in a state-ment. Video footage secretly recorded bycitizen journalists showing a circus whalein the Russian city of Perm being kept in asmall metal container for days on end hasbeen used by activists to press their case. Arepresentative of the Moscow TravellingDolphinarium denied any connectionbetween the circus and the whale in Perm,saying the company never toured in Russiaoutside the capital.

Shooting stray dogs Animal abuse is a recurring theme in

Kyrgyzstan-the second-poorest country toemerge from the breakup of the Soviet

Union. In 2011, authorities in Bishkekannounced plans to shoot around 10,000stray dogs, sparking an international out-cry and a number of petitions demand-ing the creatures be spared. The govern-ment defended the shootings, arguingthat housing the dogs or organizing aprogram of mass sterilization was toocostly. Neighboring Tajikistan also has asometimes unsavory reputation on ani-mal welfare.

For many years, a white-bearded manpatrolled the streets of the capitalDushanbe with a sad-looking muzzledbear, offering rides to passers-by. Both heand his bear died in 2013. The stress anddiscomfort suffered by aquatic mammalsin travelling circuses has attracted particu-lar attention. In 2010, a beluga whalecalled Dale died from heart problems inKazakhstan while touring with a Russiancircus. Dale’s circus partner lost interest inperforming tricks after his death and disap-peared from the show shortly afterwards,Kazakh media reported.

‘Worst of the worst’ “These travelling dolphin circuses are

the worst of the worst in terms of cruelty,”said Richard O’Barry, founder of the US-based Dolphin Project that campaignsagainst dolphin captivity. “They haul dol-phins and whales around in a truck. Theylive in a coffin-sized box. Then they milk asmuch money out of them before they diefrom stress-related diseases.” O’Barry oncetrained dolphins for the US television showFlipper but turned his back on such dis-plays after the dolphin that most oftenplayed the lead character died in whatO’Barry believes was a suicide triggered bydepression. These days, he cautionsagainst what he calls “the born in captivityargument” used by dolphin circus ownersto justify their shows. “Very little researchhas been done on this subject,” O’Barrytold AFP. “Many of these dolphins proba-bly were born in the wild.” — AFP

Dolphin circus sparks animal

cruelty debate in Central Asia

A Beluga during a performance of theRussia-based Moscow Dolphinarium.

Icy winds and empty seatsdefined the first day of themenswear shows at Paris Fashion

Week - with heightened security fol-lowing November’s deadly attacksin the French capital. Some front-row celebrities were no-shows butthey ended up missing out on top-notch creativity for the fall-winter2016-17 season - with exaggeratedproportions featuring in Valentinoand Raf Simons.Here are the high-lights of Wednesday’s catwalk col-lections.

VALENTINODesigners Pierpaolo Piccioli and

Maria Grazia Chiuri did away withthe military styles that have pep-pered the nascent menswear aes-thetic. Wednesday’s show - in themagnificent 18th-century HotelSalomon de Rothschild town house- was all the better for movingValentino in a welcome creativedirection. Sixties’ styles began theproceedings soberly enough - whatthe designers humorously called“existential blandness.” Graphicmonochrome turtlenecks werepaired nicely with long black

coats with elongated, oversizeproportions, or tight-fitting double-breasted pea coats with skinnypants. But then flashes of punk - likesome blown-up black-and-whitecheck plaid on a statement coat -demonstrated that this collectionwas not going to remain sober allthe way through. True enough,embroidered pearls in NativeAmerican patterns served as sump-tuous decorations on a series ofenviable retro coats that showcasedthe house’s famed couture roots.

And then the designers really lettheir hair down in a tribal-bohemianfinale - which showcased perhapstoo many looks. Ponchos rubbedshoulders with embroidered feathermotifs, and bold tectonic patternson coats had fashionistas pullingout their smartphone cameras.

French federation tightens show security

France’s fashion federation isratcheting up security at ready-to-wear shows during the menswearand haute couture week, as thecountry still reels from some of theworst attacks on French soil inpeacetime. The federation said it iscollaborating with authorities inenforcing a national state of emer-gency until Feb 26 - a move, itadmits, “might generate some con-straints for the guests.” DesignerFranck Sorbier urged industry pro-fessionals to bring the bare mini-mum and banned big bags whiledesigner Elie Saab warned that peo-ple will be searched and refusedentry without ID. The Paris fashionseason is always a huge operationfor French authorities, who have to

divert traffic to accommodate thetraveling circus of fashionistas thattry to see over 70 official shows.

Raf Simons goes back to schoolIt was a back to school with a

dash of the 1980’s for Raf Simons,who’s been making ripples sinceOctober last year for resigning asChristian Dior’s creative director. Athis Wednesday night menswearshow, the Belgian designer showedthat he has retained a sense ofhumor - at least for his eponymouslabel. “Gargantuan” could be a bet-ter word than “oversized” todescribe the surreally exaggeratedproportions of Simons’ russet andblue college sweaters and stripedhigh school cardigans in his fall-winter 2016 show. Skinny modelssported skinny black drainpipes, fur-ther contrasting the oversizedshapes. Collars were nibbled awayas if a bored school kid had gothungry ahead of lunch break. Therewere some clever moments of fash-ion fusion - large, floppy cuffs thatmight readily be associated withslouchy high school adolescents attimes evoked Asiatic styles, whichalso feature long, sweeping cuffs.Most looks were, of course, unwear-able. But Simons is a fashion “intel-lectual” more interested in ideasthan practicality.

L i f e s t y l eFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Exaggerated proportions kick off

Paris menswear shows

Models present creations by Valentino

during men’s Fashion

Week for theFall/Winter 2016/2017

collection in Paris.—AP/AFP photos

Lemaire feels the bluesIt was a study in blue for former

Hermes designer ChristopheLemaire’s eponymous label. Thefocused 31-piece collection artfullyexperimented with some beautifulhues on loose silhouettes- such asblue gray, Prussian blue, navy andtrue indigo. Elegance was the nameof the game, with sumptuous, time-less fabrics on a cape, a sophisticat-ed neck tie or loose silky buttoned-

up shirts riffing nicely off the time-less stone cloisters where the showwas held. But Lemaire is an “it”designer now, and casual sneakerswith white soles and pants and jack-

ets with a sheen gave this collectiona contemporary feel.

Paris fashion goes digitalParis fashion organizers are

making it easier in the digital ageto follow shows and trends.Starting this month, the federationhas launched a new smartphoneapp called “Paris Fashion Week” to

help fashion followers knowwhere and when catwalk shows

are occurring. It also offers insightinto up-and-coming designersshowcased in a fashion fair calledDesigners Apartment that runsalongside the main fashion week.In addition, the “New Now” func-tion tells users in which shops spe-cific garments from some 30brands can be purchased as theyhit the shops. — AP

L i f e s t y l eFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Models present creations by Lemaire.

Models present creations by Walter VanBeirendonck.

Easy tips for making a tastier (and healthier)

TURKEY CHILI

F o o d

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

By Melissa D’ Arabian

Everyone has a favorite chili recipe, and this is the time of year tobreak out yours, invite over some friends and yell at footballplayers on TV. Maybe it’s time to try a new, healthier recipe, too?

Chili is classic American comfort food, so we automatically assumethat it can’t be healthy. But since it is so darned tasty, it’s worth theprice of admission to try. And while I’m not against the occasionalindulgence, I also love a recipe that manages to be both comfortingand healthy.

Enter my game day turkey chili. Stay with me, here. This will not beyour typical turkey chili because I have a few tricks up my sleeve.Don’t get me wrong, I love a good turkey chili. But they do occupy aspecial place in the stratified chili eco-system. Put them in a chili com-petition and you’ll see they land well below the fatty brisket chiliesthat feature tiny puddles of tasty melted fat that pleasantly coat thepalate. Turkey chili, if I’m honest, has been relegated to the “at leastit’s hot” status for too long.

Here are my tricks. First, make it a red chili. White chili step asidefor a moment. The red part comes from tomato, which is healthy, andfrankly just feels like comfort food. Second, skip the salt. Instead, usesoy sauce directly on the meat after cooking it.

This is perhaps the greatest tip I can give you regarding groundturkey! White-ish meat in a deep red chili looks a little strange. You

are reminded that you are eating The Healthy Turkey Chili.But deepen that meat color just a little with the soy sauce and you

are back in the land of Real Meaty Chili. The soy sauce also adds tonsof rich, savory meaty flavor, a big benefit for a meat that can taste alittle flat. Final tip: Add a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder, whichdeepens both the color and the flavor. This is turkey chili done right!And so, 2016 is off to a good start Game Day Turkey Chili.

Preparation In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over medium-high, heat

1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up, untilcooked through, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the turkey with the soysauce and smoked paprika, then mix until well-coated. Continue tocook until any moisture in the pot is gone, about 3 minutes. Spoonthe meat out of the pan and set aside.

Return the pot to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add theonion and red pepper, then cook until tender, about 5 minutes.Increase the heat to high, then add the beer to deglaze the pan,scraping the bottom to loosen any stuck bits. Simmer for 2 min-utes. Return the meat to the pot, along with the beans, tomatosauce, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, cayenne and cocoa pow-der. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, then simmer for30 minutes. Serve with hot sauce, yogurt, scallions and cheeseon the side.

Start to finish: 45 minutes; serves 82 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided1 pound lean ground turkey2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce2 teaspoons smoked paprika1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped1 red bell pepper, cored and finelychopped1 12-ounce light beer2 15-ounce cans low-sodium black beans,drained and rinsed1 14-ounce can low-sodium tomato sauce2 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes2 tablespoons chili powderDash of cayenne pepper1 teaspoon cocoa powderHot sauce, to tastePlain low-fat Greek yogurt, to serveChopped scallions, to serveShredded cheddar or Mexican cheese,to serve

INGREDIENTS

F o o d

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

By Meera Sodha

When it comes to food, India and China have more incommon than you might think. Both harbor a deeplove of ear-tingling chilies, vast quantities of garlic

and seafood. That’s probably why Chinese food has found itsway into the hearts of Indians. All across India, from Goa toPondicherry, you’ll find entire sections of Indian restaurantmenus dedicated to Chinese dishes, many of which haveachieved cult status, including “manchow soup,” “hakka noo-dles” and “Manchurian chicken.”

But these dishes also have been endlessly adapted so theynow are distorted versions of the originals and more Indianthan Chinese. Still, they are loved fiercely and cooked regularlyin Indian kitchens. Among the most special of dishes and per-fect for celebrating the Chinese New Year is this signatureIndo-Chinese dish - chili jumbo shrimp, which is made usingbird’s eye chilies, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

The shrimp are juicy, bright and enlivening, the heat of thechilies working perfectly against the natural sweetness of the

seafood. I love to serve these after a soup or dumpling coursealongside egg noodles or rice fried quickly in a little sesame oiland a side of salted and steamed greens, such as broccoli orbok choy.

Whatever you choose to serve them with, they will sit har-moniously alongside other Chinese dishes. Best of all, they canbe cooked in a matter of minutes, leaving you more time tocelebrate with family and friends.

Preparation In a mortar and pestle or with a spice grinder, roughly grind

the cumin seeds to a coarse powder. In a large skillet overmedium, heat the oil. Add the cumin, garlic, chilies, pepper,sugar and salt. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then add thetomato puree, soy sauce and all but a small amount of the gin-ger and scallions. Cook for another 2 minutes. Increase theheat to high and add the shrimp. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes,or until the shrimp turn from grey to pink. Remove from theheat. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remain-ing ginger and scallions.

CHILI SHRIMP recipe reflects China and India

Start to finish: 20 minutesServings: 4“ 2 teaspoons cumin seeds“ 2 tablespoons canola oil“ 5 cloves garlic, crushed“ 2 to 3 red bird’s eye, serrano or habanero chilies, finelychopped“ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper“ 1 teaspoon sugar“ 2/3 teaspoon salt“ 2 tablespoons tomato puree“ 2 tablespoons dark or regular soy sauce“ 11/2-inch chunk fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks“ 8 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped“ 11/2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp, shells removed

INGREDIENTS

T r a v e l

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Definitive Robert De NiromoviesThis weekend, Robert De Niro torments his soon-to-be-wed grandson (Zac Efron) inthe new comedy “Dirty Grandpa” - and while we’d imagine odds are against it join-ing the ranks of De Niro’s many critically acclaimed classics, this still seems like agreat excuse to take a fond look back at some of his proudest movie moments.With so many distinguished entries in his lengthy filmography, it was hard to nar-row things down, but even if it presented us with some tough choices, this is onelist of definitive films that truly lives up to its name.

THE GODFATHER, PART II (1974)

1972’s The Godfather was an instant classic, taking homethree Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and earn-

ing universal critical acclaim - so even if The Godfather Part IIhad been an absolute failure, Francis Ford Coppola wouldhave deserved credit for extreme chutzpah. Happily for all ofus, this turned out to be the rare case where there was anoth-er film’s worth of story to tell. Working with Godfather authorMario Puzo, Coppola managed to add a prequel to the origi-nal (starring De Niro as a younger version of Vito Corleone)while continuing its story, and the result was a BestSupporting Actor Oscar for De Niro - and one of the very fewmust-see sequels in American film. “It has an even broaderscope than the original,” observed Jeffrey M Anderson for theSan Francisco Examiner, “but does not fail in its depiction ofsmall, intimate moments and surprising emotional reveals.”

TAXI DRIVER (1976)

Deeply unsettling and unrelentingly bleak, Taxi Drivercaptivated critics and audiences - and earned four

Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture andBest Actor - by plunging viewers into the waking night-mare of alienation, obsession, and violence experiencedby its central character, troubled loner Travis Bickle. Notexactly family fare, in other words, but a film that verymuch reflected the disillusionment and general unease ofits time - and that remains painfully relevant after severaldecades, as noted by the Apollo Guide’s Dan Jardine: “Itsthemes of urban decay, anomie and violence whichinfuse the impending sense of doom at the heart of thisfilm still hang like black clouds over many cities today.”

THE DEER HUNTER (1978)

De Niro picked up a Best Supporting Actor Academy Awardnomination for his work in The Deer Hunter - one of nine

nominations the film received against five wins, including BestPicture - continuing a critically acclaimed run that included hisOscar-winning appearances in The Godfather Part II andRaging Bull. Like those films, The Deer Hunter is a challenging,confrontational drama that poses uncomfortable questions in

occasionally quite uncomfortable ways, using its main charac-ters (played by De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Savage)to grapple with the ghosts of the Vietnam War and the uncer-tain economic climate in late ‘70s America. “It has no moremoral intelligence than the Clint Eastwood action pictures,”argued Pauline Kael for the New Yorker, “yet it’s an astonish-ing piece of work, an uneasy mixture of violent pulp andgrandiosity, with an enraptured view of common life - poetryof the commonplace.”

T r a v e l

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

GOODFELLAS (1990)

De Niro reunited with Martin Scorsese - as well as hisRaging Bull and Once Upon a Time in America costar,

Joe Pesci - for this masterfully frenetic look at life in theMafia through the eyes of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a one-time mobster who rose through the ranks as a young manbefore famously turning informant in the early ‘80s.Scorsese employed a stellar ensemble cast for Goodfellas,including a number of future stars (among them Samuel L.Jackson), but the movie’s real draw came from the terribletrue story at its center, and how convincingly the seduc-tive pull of the criminal lifestyle was portrayed. “You walkaway,” wrote Richard Schickel for TIME Magazine, “tanta-lized by a view into the darkest part of yourself, glad thatthat part is still behind bars.”

Aviscerally violent, ruthlesslygripping, adrenaline-soaked depic-

tion of one man’s self-destructive spiral, RagingBull represents what can happen when a star believes

in a project enough to fight for it - and when a directorbelieves he’s down to his last chance at redemption, not only

as a filmmaker but as a human being. De Niro won a Best ActorOscar for his mesmerizing turn as real-life boxer Jake LaMotta,

and it’s easy to understand why - even without the 70 pounds hepacked on to play LaMotta’s post-retirement years, his commit-ment to the role is impossible to miss. Just as impressive isScorsese’s work, which earned him a Best Director nomination(and the film a Best Picture nomination); this is a movie that pres-ents a protagonist who is essentially unlikeable and wholly

relatable in equal measure, and dares the viewer to look away.As Amy Taubin wrote for the Village Voice, “The most obvi-

ous basis for the film’s claim to greatness lies inScorsese’s devastating critique of the very codes of

masculinity that shaped him as a filmmaker,and in Robert De Niro’s performance,

through which that critique ismade flesh.”

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HEAT (1995)

The ensemble heist thriller that most ensemble heistthrillers wish they were, Michael Mann’s Heat would have

been noteworthy even if all it did was bring Robert De Niroand Al Pacino together for a few scenes. Happily, the movie’smuch more than that: Mann juggles his incredible cast (whichalso included Val Kilmer, Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, andJon Voight) as deftly as he manages the many moving parts ina storyline pitting a dogged cop who’s sacrificed his family forhis career (Pacino) against a notorious criminal (De Niro), top-ping the whole thing off with stellar cinematography thatmakes Los Angeles look positively incredible. “Just when itseemed that the only hope for crime movies lay in the post-modernist artifice of films like Pulp Fiction, Mann reinvests thegenre with brooding, modernist conviction,” applaudedNewsweek’s David Ansen. “This one sticks to your gut.” -(www.rottentomatoes.com)

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)

Director Sergio Leone pursued Once Upon aTime in America through over a decade of

development after falling in love with the sourcematerial, Harry Grey’s novel The Hoods, and at onepoint envisioned completing it as a pair of three-hour films - a fittingly expansive running time forthe epic saga of a group of Jewish kids who risefrom penny-ante hoods in 1920s Manhattan andlater grow up to become key figures among thecity’s organized crime element. Portraying maincharacter David “Noodles” Aaronson, De Niroanchored a solid ensemble cast that also includedJames Woods and Elizabeth McGovern, but noneof them were enough to overcome the array ofedits faced by the film after Leone turned it in tothe studio - including the American edit, whichrearranged the storyline into chronological orderand trimmed the whole thing down under twohours and 20 minutes. In more recent years, arestored 251-minute version has seen release,finally allowing audiences to experience a closerapproximation of its director’s vision. As John Hartlwrote for Film.com, “Seeing what Leone alwaysintended is like getting your dirty glasses washed.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

48 Hours in Ho Chi Minh

City Welcome to one of Asia’s most compelling cities. Ho Chi Minh City is the energetic commercial hub of modern Vietnam, with wide boulevards, grand colonial buildings, fascinating cultural sights, and a vibrant tangle of narrow laneways - all framed by akinetic river of traffic. From noodle breakfasts to temple visits, art tours and cocktails witha view, here’s how to make the most of two days in former Saigon.

T r a v e l

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Day OneMorning

Pull up a stool at Ben Thanh market for ahearty breakfast of herb-laden pho(noodle soup) and ca phe sua da (iced

coffee with milk). From Ben Thanh’s iconicclock tower, it’s a short stroll to Ho Chi MinhCity’s Fine Arts Museum, a building displayingthe elegant architecture of French colonialtimes. Conduct your own exploration of thegalleries, which showcase centuries-old statu-ary and contemporary art inspired by thetragedy of war. Or visit with expat SophieHughes, who runs in-depth four-hour tours ofthe city’s art scene. From the heritage of theFine Arts Museum, continue to the soaringmodernity of the 68-storey Bitexco FinancialTower. Ascend to the 48th-floor SaigonSkydeck for views of the impetuous growth of

Vietnam’s economic capital. From the tower,make your way north along the Saigon Riverto the 3A Alternative Art Area. Crammed withcafes, galleries and retailers, the hip lanewaysare also punctuated with colourful street art.Cool down with a Tra Mojito (iced lemon andmint tea) at the Plantrip Cha teahouse.

AfternoonContinue along bustling Ly Tu Trong to Ho

Chi Minh City’s commercial hub and havelunch at the Secret Garden - negotiate yourway down an alley and up six flights of ricketystairs to this outdoor restaurant atop an artdeco apartment building. A few chickens peckaway happily in the restaurant’s rooftop herbgarden, views extend across the city, and thehome-style Vietnamese food is rustic and fullof flavour. The fresh sodas are excellent - trythe zingy ginger and lemongrass. After lunch,walk about 350m to the colonial red-brick ele-

gance of Notre Dame Cathedral. Across fromthe cathedral, check out the interior of Ho ChiMinh City’s glorious Central Post Office, whichwas built between 1886 and 1891. Highlightsof the Gustave Eiffel-designed buildinginclude wall-covering historic maps of the city.Then continue across 30/4 Park to the nearbyReunification Palace, which is accessed bywalking through iron gates that were castaside by Communist tanks when the city fell tothe North Vietnamese Army on 30 April 1975.Four decades on, the building’s 1960s archi-tecture and memory-packed halls make forone of the city’s most intriguing attractions.Don’t miss the basement, a labyrinth of tun-nels filled with maps, situation rooms and1960s telecommunications gear.

EveningIt’s now time for someone else to do the

work, so jump on the back of a motorbike or

scooter on a tour to explore the city after dark- coursing through the neon-lit excitement ofSaigon’s evening traffic could be the most funyou’ll ever have on two wheels. Both VespaAdventure and XO Tours incorporate lots ofstreet food into their nightly adventures. Ahighlight is grilled seafood and ice-cold 333beer in the District 2 neighbourhood; yourtwo-wheeled discovery of the city could alsoinclude raucous rock clubs or bohemian musiccafes. For a final nightcap, adjourn to one ofthe city’s exciting rooftop bars. Check out the21st-century innovation of Air 360, or the riverviews from the M Bar at Hotel Majestic.

Day TwoMorning

In previous centuries, the bustling Chinesequarter of Cholon was a separate settlement,but the district southwest of central HCMC isnow an integral part of the city’s modern sprawl.

T r a v e l

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Begin your second day by having another localbreakfast, this time with the friendly stallholdersat Cholon’s Binh Tay market, before negotiatingthe surrounding urban maze. Streets are fra-grant with medicinal herbs, storefronts are fes-tooned with Chinese-language signs, and Taoistand Buddhist temples stand near 19th-centuryCatholic churches. Explore almost five centuriesof Cholon history and architecture on a HeritageTour with long-term city resident Tim Doling, orcreate your own walking trail to discover themost interesting of the area’s many temples.Slowly burning coils of fragrant incense frameThien Hau Pagoda, dedicated to the Chinesegoddess of seafarers; and nearby at Phuoc AnHoi Quan Pagoda a riot of red, gold, green andyellow creates one of the city’s most beautifuland ornate temples.

AfternoonLunch back in central Saigon at

Propaganda bistro - overlooking 30/4 Parkand serving regional dishes from across thecountry - then continue about 1km west tothe War Remnants Museum. The human

tragedy of the decades of conflict that rackedVietnam in the 20th century is rendered inpoignant and often confronting detail here,but visiting this museum is essential. Be sure

to venture upstairs to see the RequiemExhibition, a striking showcase of images tak-en by legendary war photographers killed inthe conflict, and see if your country is repre-

sented in the ground-floor collection ofposters and photographs supporting the anti-war movement. After visiting this compellingmuseum, continue to the city’s lush BotanicGardens for some quiet reflection.

EveningBegin with craft beer at the Pasteur Street

Brewing Company - some of their brews uselocal ingredients such as Dalat coffee orrambutan and lemongrass - before trying theclassy southeast Asian flavours at restaurantand bar The Racha Room. For a more raffishexperience, crowd in with locals at the quirkyand loads-of-fun Quan Ut Ut. With a nameroughly translating to ‘Oink Oink Cafe’, thiseasygoing riverside eatery serves up slow-cooked American barbecue with a Vietnamesespin. From the energetic good times of QuanUt Ut, it’s just a short hop across the river toDistrict 4 and two of the city’s best after-darkvenues. Cargo plays host to live music fromaround the region; while nearby at TheObservatory, DJs and other performers raisethe roof on a regular basis.

L e i s u r eFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

ACROSS1. Periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin inreptiles.5. Minute blackish gregarious flies destructive to mushrooms andseedlings.11. Informal terms for a mother.15. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates.16. A large building at an airport where aircraft can be stored andmaintained.17. (Roman mythology) God of love.18. A Russian river.19. Relating to or near the ulna.21. Disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people.23. A tray for making cubes of ice in a refrigerator.25. Water frozen in the solid state.26. Of a cask or barrel.29. (Sumerian) Goddess personifying earth.31. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.32. Affected manners intended to impress others.33. Other than what is under consideration or implied.37. How long something has existed.40. Soft light-colored wood of any of various linden trees.41. Either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates.43. Type genus of the Ranidae.45. The sound made by corvine birds.46. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.48. To some (great or small) extent.51. Native to Egypt but cultivated widely for its aromatic seeds andthe oil from them used medicinally and as a flavoring in cookery.52. Tropical starchy tuberous root.53. Swiss mathematician (1707-1783).54. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin)worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.56. A state in southeastern United States.57. A doctor's degree in religion.58. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.59. A master's degree in business.63. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.66. A metric unit of length equal to one thousandth of a meter.

C R O S S W O R D 1 1 4 568. A flask that holds spirits.71. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.74. Genus of tropical plants with creeping rootstocks and smallumbellate flowers.75. Extremely pleasing.76. Having deserted a cause or principle.78. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.79. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters.80. Of or relating to Aram or to its inhabitants or their culture or theirlanguage.81. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN1. A master's degree in library science.2. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a com-mon policy for the sale of petroleum.3. An island of central Hawaii.4. A psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magicalincantation.5. Any branch of Shinto other than Kokka.6. South African plant widely cultivated for its showy pure whitespathe and yellow spadix.7. A hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers.8. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).9. (plural) Rare collector's items.10. A colorless and odorless inert gas.11. (New Testament) Disciple of Jesus.12. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).13. Among the largest bony fish.14. Showily imitative of art or artists.20. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible forresearch into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the UnitedStates.22. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.24. Any of various trees or shrubs of the genus Cassia having pinnate-ly compound leaves and usually yellow flowers followed by longseedpods.27. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.28. A ribbon used as a decoration.30. Large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spinycrest along the back.34. Relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administrationof a city or town or district rather than a larger area.35. Wet through and through.36. Third son of Elizabeth II (born in 1964).38. (Sumerian) God of the air and king of the Sumerian gods.39. Cook and make edible by putting in a hot oven.42. (New Testament) One of the three sages from the east who camebearing gifts for the infant Jesus.44. Mild form of diabetes mellitus that develops gradually in adults.47. Fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic whenwarm.49. Small family of usually tropical butterflies.50. A major waterfall in southern Africa.55. A slight convexity (as of the surface of a road).60. God of wealth and love.61. Many times at short intervals.62. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.64. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.65. A French abbot.67. An island northwest of Wales.69. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.70. God of love and erotic desire.72. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium andNorma.73. A recurring sleep state during which dreaming occurs.77. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

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T V l i s t i n g sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

00:20 Misfit Garage01:10 What On Earth?02:00 Unearthed02:50 Treasure Quest: Snake Island03:40 Storage Hunters UK04:05 The Liquidator04:30 Storage Wars Canada05:00 What Happened Next?05:30 How Machines Work06:00 Mythbusters06:50 The Carbonaro Effect07:15 The Carbonaro Effect07:40 You Have Been Warned08:30 Bear’s Wild Weekend WithStephen Fry09:20 Dual Survival10:10 River Monsters11:00 What On Earth?11:50 Unearthed12:40 Treasure Quest: Snake Island13:30 Misfit Garage14:20 Street Outlaws15:10 Engine Addict With Jimmy DeVille16:00 Alaskan Bush People21:00 Fast N’ Loud21:50 Street Outlaws22:40 Engine Addict With Jimmy DeVille23:30 Extreme Smuggling

THE HOBBIT- THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES ON OSN MOVIES HD

00:35 Mythbusters01:20 How It’s Made: Dream Cars01:44 How It’s Made: Dream Cars02:08 How The Universe Works02:55 What Could Possibly GoWrong?03:42 How The Universe Works04:29 Mythbusters05:16 How The Universe Works06:03 What Could Possibly GoWrong?06:50 Prototype This07:37 How Do They Do It?08:00 How Do They Do It?08:23 Mythbusters09:08 How The Universe Works09:53 Prototype This10:38 How It’s Made: Dream Cars11:00 How It’s Made: Dream Cars11:23 Invent It Rich12:08 What Could Possibly GoWrong?12:53 Prototype This13:38 Mythbusters14:23 How It’s Made: Dream Cars14:46 How It’s Made: Dream Cars15:10 How The Universe Works15:57 Invent It Rich16:44 What Could Possibly GoWrong?17:31 Prototype This18:18 How The Universe Works19:05 Mythbusters19:50 Strangest Weather On Earth20:40 What Could Possibly GoWrong?21:25 How It’s Made: Dream Cars21:50 How It’s Made: Dream Cars22:15 How The Universe Works23:00 Strangest Weather On Earth23:45 What Could Possibly GoWrong?

00:40 Who On Earth Did I Marry?01:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry?01:30 The Haunted02:20 Ghost Lab03:10 Deadly Affairs04:00 Swamp Murders04:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry?05:10 Who On Earth Did I Marry?05:30 The Haunted06:20 Deadly Affairs07:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones08:00 Dr G: Medical Examiner08:50 On The Case With Paula Zahn09:40 Fatal Encounters10:30 Murder Shift11:20 Deadly Affairs12:10 True Crime With AphroditeJones13:00 The Will13:50 I Almost Got Away With It14:40 California Investigator

15:05 Dr G: Medical Examiner15:55 Fatal Encounters16:45 On The Case With Paula Zahn17:35 Murder Shift18:25 I Almost Got Away With It19:15 The Will20:05 Deadly Affairs20:55 True Crime With AphroditeJones21:45 California Investigator22:10 Who On Earth...22:35 Who On Earth...23:00 Serial Killers23:50 Deadly Devotion

00:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch01:15 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch01:40 Wolfblood02:05 Wolfblood02:30 Violetta03:15 The Hive03:20 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch03:45 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch04:10 Wolfblood04:35 Wolfblood05:00 Violetta05:45 The Hive05:50 Mouk06:00 Lolirock06:25 Sofia The First06:50 That’s So Raven07:15 Gravity Falls07:40 Jessie08:05 Shake It Up08:30 Shake It Up08:55 That’s So Raven09:20 That’s So Raven09:45 Austin & Ally10:10 Austin & Ally10:35 A.N.T. Farm11:00 A.N.T. Farm11:25 Jessie11:50 Jessie12:20 Hank Zipzer12:45 Fish Hooks13:10 Good Luck Charlie13:35 I Didn’t Do It14:00 Dog With A Blog14:30 H2O14:55 Girl Meets World15:20 Liv And Maddie15:45 Jessie16:10 Violetta17:00 I Love Violetta17:10 Full Out

18:40 I Didn’t Do It19:05 First Class Chefs19:30 Violetta20:20 I Love Violetta20:30 Home On The Range21:47 The Good Dinosaur MovieSpecial22:00 Binny And The Ghost22:25 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch22:50 Sabrina Secrets Of A TeenageWitch23:10 Wolfblood23:35 Wolfblood

00:00 Christina Milian Turned Up00:55 The Grace Helbig Show01:25 Keeping Up With TheKardashians02:20 E! News03:15 Giuliana & Bill04:10 Ryan Seacrest With TheKardashians05:05 E! Entertainment Special06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians06:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 Giuliana & Bill11:10 The Grace Helbig Show12:05 E! News13:05 Christina Milian Turned Up14:05 Keeping Up With TheKardashians15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Dash Dolls18:00 E! News19:00 Hollywood Cycle20:00 WAGs21:00 Fashion Bloggers22:00 E! News23:00 House Of DVF

00:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives01:00 Rev Run’s Sunday Suppers02:00 Dinner At Tiffani’s03:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin04:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives05:00 Guy’s Grocery Games06:00 Chopped07:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin08:00 Chopped09:00 Grandma’s Secret Cookbook

09:30 Grandma’s Secret Cookbook10:00 The Kitchen11:00 Barefoot Contessa: Back ToBasics11:30 Barefoot Contessa: Back ToBasics12:00 Chopped13:00 Guy’s Big Bite13:30 Guy’s Big Bite14:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives15:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin15:30 Roadtrip With G. Garvin16:00 Chopped17:00 The Kitchen18:00 Siba’s Table18:30 Grandma’s Secret Cookbook19:00 Chopped20:00 Guy’s Grocery Games21:00 Ching’s Amazing Asia21:30 Ching’s Amazing Asia22:00 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera22:30 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera23:00 The Freshman Class23:30 The Freshman Class

00:10 Pick Me!01:05 Emmerdale01:30 Coach Trip02:00 Coronation Street02:30 Murdoch Mysteries03:25 The Jonathan Ross Show04:20 The Chase: Celebrity Specials05:15 The Chase06:10 Cook Me The Money07:05 Coach Trip07:30 The Jonathan Ross Show08:25 The Chase: Celebrity Specials09:20 Murdoch Mysteries10:15 The Chase11:10 Coach Trip11:35 Pick Me!12:30 Cook Me The Money13:25 Emmerdale13:50 Emmerdale14:20 Coronation Street14:45 Murdoch Mysteries15:35 The Chase: Celebrity Specials16:30 Grantchester17:25 Code Of A Killer18:20 Cook Me The Money19:10 Coronation Street19:35 The Chase: Celebrity Specials20:30 Grantchester21:25 Code Of A Killer22:20 Coronation Street22:50 Emmerdale23:15 Emmerdale23:40 Coach Trip

02:30 The Big C04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Young & Hungry06:00 Til Death07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:30 Young & Hungry11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 Til Death13:00 Young & Hungry16:30 Til Death17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 Fresh Off The Boat18:30 Black-Ish19:00 Parks And Recreation19:30 Baby Daddy20:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon22:30 Girls23:00 The Big C23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

00:00 Secrets And Lies01:00 Blindspot02:00 Empire03:00 Secrets And Lies04:00 Secrets And Lies05:00 American Idol06:00 White Collar07:00 Drop Dead Diva08:00 Witches Of East End09:00 American Idol10:00 White Collar11:00 Drop Dead Diva12:00 Top Gear (US)13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Witches Of East End15:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Witches Of East End19:00 American Idol21:00 Grey’s Anatomy22:00 Dominion23:00 The Strain

07:00 Top Gear (UK)08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 Supernatural10:00 Top Gear (UK)11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 Resurrection13:00 Shark Tank14:00 Supernatural15:00 Survivor: Cambodia16:00 The Voice18:00 Shark Tank19:00 Supernatural20:00 Resurrection21:00 Shark Tank22:00 Satisfaction23:00 Blood & Oil

00:30 Inside02:15 Truth Or Die04:00 The Italian Job (2003)06:00 Age Of Dinosaurs08:00 The Hulk10:30 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief12:45 The Perfect Storm15:00 The Malay Chronicles:Bloodlines17:15 The Hulk19:45 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief22:00 Battle Of The Damned

00:15 Truth Or Die-PG1502:00 The Italian Job (2003)-PG1504:00 Age Of Dinosaurs-PG1506:00 The Hulk-PG1508:30 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief-PG1510:45 The Perfect Storm-PG1513:00 The Malay Chronicles:Bloodlines-PG1515:15 The Hulk-PG1517:45 Percy Jackson And TheLightning Thief-PG1520:00 Battle Of The Damned-PG1522:00 Hitman-18

00:00 No Way Jose02:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days04:00 Planet 5106:00 Down To Earth08:00 No Clue10:00 Planet 5112:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days14:00 Space Dogs16:00 No Clue18:00 You Again20:00 The Foot Fist Way22:00 Hot Tub Time Machine 2

00:45 Sunshine On Leith-PG1502:30 The Railway Man-PG1504:30 Mandela: Long Walk ToFreedom-PG1507:00 Paranoia-PG1509:00 Romeo & Juliet-PG1511:00 Mandela: Long Walk ToFreedom-PG1513:30 The Railway Man-PG1515:30 Still Mine-PG1517:30 Romeo & Juliet-PG1519:30 Blood Ties-PG1521:45 Zulu-PG1523:30 Enemy-18

00:00 Twice Born02:30 Where Angels Fear To Tread04:30 The Alamo07:00 The Invisible Woman09:00 What Dreams May Come11:00 The Alamo15:30 Tea With Mussolini17:30 What Dreams May Come19:30 Thank You For Smoking21:15 We Gotta Get Out Of ThisPlace23:00 American Hustle

00:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show01:00 Good Morning America03:00 Downton Abbey04:00 Blood & Oil05:00 Good Morning America

T V l i s t i n g sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

HITMAN ON OSN MOVIES ACTION HD

01:15 The Guest-1803:00 Northpole-PG05:00 The Single Moms Club-PG1507:00 The Signal-PG1509:00 The Boxtrolls-PG11:00 Knight Rusty-PG12:30 The Hobbit: The Battle Of TheFive Armies-PG15:00 Draft Day-PG1517:00 The Boxtrolls-PG19:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-PG1521:00 The Cobbler-PG1523:00 Project Almanac-PG15

01:00 Krazzy Planet02:45 Pororo: The Racing Adventure04:30 Moomins And The CometChase06:00 Vampire Dog08:00 Ploddy Police Car On TheCase10:00 Dinosaur Island11:30 Pim And Pom: The BigAdventure13:00 Pororo: The Racing Adventure14:30 The Adventures Of DonQuixote16:00 Ernest & Celestine18:00 Dinosaur Island20:00 Captain Sabertooth And TheTreasure Of Lama Rama22:00 The Adventures Of DonQuixote23:30 Marvel’s Ultimate Avengers I

00:00 Ouija-PG1502:00 The Package-PG1504:00 Tales Of The Night-PG06:00 Marvel’s Hulk vs. Thor &Wolverine-PG08:00 Metallica: Through The Never10:00 Happy Feet-PG12:00 Last Vegas-PG1514:00 In My Dreams-PG1516:00 Metallica: Through The Never18:00 The Factory-PG1520:00 Whiplash-PG1521:45 Riddick-1823:45 Fifty Shades Of Grey-R

03:05 The Falcon And The Snowman05:15 Punks06:50 Mannequin08:20 Seven Years In Tibet10:35 Eight Men Out12:35 Charge Of The Light Brigade14:40 Still Life: A Three PinesMystery16:10 True Heart17:40 Teen Witch19:10 Punks20:45 Big Screen21:00 Impromptu22:45 Sirens00:20 Desperately Seeking Susan02:05 American Dragons

03:00 50 Ways To Kill Your Lover04:00 Private Crimes04:30 Private Crimes05:00 Britain’s Darkest Taboos07:00 Crimes That Shook Britain08:00 Surveillance Oz10:00 I Killed My BFF11:00 Crimes That Shook Britain12:00 Crime Stories13:00 Homicide Hunter14:00 After The First 4815:00 I Killed My BFF16:00 Crimes That Shook Britain17:00 Crime Stories18:00 The First 4819:00 After The First 4820:00 Homicide Hunter21:00 Crime Stories22:00 Crimes That Shook Britain

03:05 Calimero03:20 Zou03:30 Loopdidoo03:45 Art Attack04:10 Henry Hugglemonster04:20 Calimero04:35 Zou04:45 Loopdidoo05:00 Art Attack05:25 Henry Hugglemonster05:35 Calimero05:50 Zou06:00 Loopdidoo06:15 Art Attack06:35 Henry Hugglemonster06:50 Calimero07:00 Zou07:20 Loopdidoo07:35 Art Attack08:00 Calimero08:10 Zou08:25 Loopdidoo08:40 Jake And The Never LandPirates09:05 Sofia The First09:30 Miles From Tomorrow09:55 The Hive10:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse10:35 Doc McStuffins11:00 Sofia The First11:30 Jake And The Never LandPirates12:00 Miles From Tomorrow12:25 Special Agent Oso12:40 The Hive12:50 Handy Manny13:15 Jungle Junction13:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse14:00 Sofia The First14:25 Doc McStuffins14:50 Henry Hugglemonster15:15 Zou15:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse15:55 Loopdidoo16:10 Miles From Tomorrow16:35 Jake And The Never LandPirates17:00 Sofia The First17:25 Jungle Cubs

17:50 Aladdin18:15 Gummi Bears18:40 Jake And The Never LandPirates19:05 Miles From Tomorrow19:30 Sofia The First19:55 Doc McStuffins20:15 Jake And The Never LandPirates20:45 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West21:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse21:35 Sofia The First22:00 Jungle Cubs22:25 Aladdin22:50 Gummi Bears23:20 Lilo And Stitch23:45 Cars Toons23:50 Zou00:05 Henry Hugglemonster00:20 Calimero00:35 Zou00:50 Loopdidoo01:05 Art Attack01:30 Henry Hugglemonster01:45 Calimero02:00 Zou02:15 Loopdidoo

07:00 Star vs The Forces Of Evil07:25 K. C. Undercover07:50 Supa Strikas08:15 Lab Rats08:40 Annedroids09:10 Kirby Buckets09:35 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero10:00 Rocket Monkeys10:25 Ultimate Spider-Man10:50 Boyster11:20 Boyster11:45 Pair Of Kings12:10 Pair Of Kings12:35 Lab Rats13:00 Lab Rats13:30 Phineas And Ferb13:55 Phineas And Ferb14:20 Kickin’ It14:45 Kickin’ It15:10 Disney Mickey Mouse15:15 Rocket Monkeys15:40 Penn Zero: Part Time Hero16:05 Star vs The Forces Of Evil16:30 Kirby Buckets16:55 Gamers Guide To Pretty MuchEverything

17:25 K. C. Undercover17:50 Supa Strikas18:15 Lab Rats18:40 Mighty Med19:10 Annedroids19:35 Star vs The Forces Of Evil20:00 Kirby Buckets20:25 Gamers Guide To Pretty MuchEverything20:55 K. C. Undercover21:20 Supa Strikas21:45 Lab Rats22:10 Mighty Med22:40 Super Matrak23:05 Super Matrak23:30 Boyster

03:00 Leepu & Pitbull04:00 American Daredevils05:00 Big Rig Bounty Hunters05:50 American Pickers06:45 Down East Dickering07:35 Storage Wars: Best Of08:00 Duck Dynasty08:25 Counting Cars09:15 Mountain Men10:05 Shipping Wars11:00 Leepu & Pitbull12:00 Counting Cars13:00 American Pickers14:00 Storage Wars14:30 Storage Wars15:00 Pawn Stars15:30 Pawn Stars16:00 Ice Road Truckers17:00 Counting Cars17:30 Counting Cars18:00 Leepu & Pitbull19:00 American Pickers20:00 Storage Wars20:30 Storage Wars21:00 Search For The Lost Giants22:00 Pawn Stars22:30 Pawn Stars23:00 Outlaw Chronicles: HellsAngels00:00 Pawn Stars00:30 Pawn Stars01:00 American Pickers02:00 Outlaw Chronicles: HellsAngels

03:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles03:48 Henry Danger04:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn04:36 The Haunted Hathaways05:00 Winx Club05:24 Henry Danger05:48 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn06:12 SpongeBob SquarePants07:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles07:48 Sanjay And Craig08:12 Harvey Beaks08:36 Breadwinners09:00 Get Blake09:24 Rabbids Invasion09:48 Henry Danger10:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn10:36 The Haunted Hathaways11:00 Winx Club11:24 SpongeBob SquarePants12:12 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles13:00 Breadwinners13:48 Get Blake14:12 Rabbids Invasion14:36 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool15:00 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn15:24 Harvey Beaks15:48 SpongeBob SquarePants16:12 Harvey Beaks17:24 SpongeBob SquarePants17:48 Harvey Beaks18:12 SpongeBob SquarePants18:36 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn19:00 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool19:24 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool21:24 Breadwinners22:12 Sanjay And Craig23:00 SpongeBob SquarePants23:48 Henry Danger00:12 Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn00:36 Max & Shred01:00 100 Things To Do Before HighSchool01:24 Sanjay And Craig02:12 SpongeBob SquarePants

07:00 Rake08:00 Waiting For Charlotte08:55 Sensation: The Story Of TheWho’s Tommy10:00 The Odds11:30 Hopscotch13:15 Vernon, Florida14:15 Discovering: Lennon15:05 Rolling Stones: CrossfireHurricane17:00 The Journey18:40 Manito19:55 Writers’ Room20:25 The Odds21:55 Adonis22:05 Rolling Stones: CrossfireHurricane00:00 Theatreland00:30 Hollywood’s Best FilmDirectors01:00 The Wolfpack02:35 Manito

03:40 World’s Worst Mum04:30 Jon & Kate Plus 805:00 Little People, Big World05:30 Cake Boss06:00 Say Yes To The Dress ‚ÄìBridesmaids06:25 Cake Boss08:05 Perfect Look09:45 Catwalk 30+10:35 Curvy Brides11:25 Say Yes To The Dress ‚ÄìBridesmaids13:30 Oprah’s Master Class14:20 Oprah: Where Are They Now?15:10 Little People, Big World17:15 Dare To Wear18:05 Say Yes To The Dress: The BigDay18:55 Cake Boss19:20 My Big Fat Fabulous Life20:10 7 Little Johnstons21:00 My Big Fat Fabulous Life21:25 My Big Fat Fabulous Life21:50 7 Little Johnstons22:40 Long Island Medium23:05 Too Ugly For Love?23:55 Too Ugly For Love?00:45 The Day I Almost Died01:35 An Hour To Save Your Life02:25 Obsessive CompulsiveCleaners:...

23:00 Britain’s Darkest Taboos00:00 Britain’s Darkest Taboos01:00 My Crazy Ex02:00 I Was Possessed

03:00 Hamlet04:50 Discovering: Hamlet05:40 This Way Out06:00 The Red Road

You may be helping or guiding a new co-worker throughsome important matters at work today. Life seems to go your way just nowand your sense of goals can be very clear-take a look. You enjoy your workand others could learn from just observing you. Your attitude is that yourwork is fun. Difficulties, blocks and all manner of hot spots may be discov-ered and worked through-you are able to view all the aspects. Family happi-ly occupies most of your time this afternoon. You may find yourself runningerrands or just enjoying a home-cooked meal with family members tellingyou about their day. You like to support and help your family with the activi-ties that are enjoyable. Enjoy your own creative abilities-you might findsome new talents.

S t a r sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Afghanistan 0093Albania 00355Algeria 00213Andorra 00376Angola 00244Anguilla 001264Antiga 001268Argentina 0054Armenia 00374Australia 0061Austria 0043Bahamas 001242Bahrain 00973Bangladesh 00880Barbados 001246Belarus 00375Belgium 0032Belize 00501Benin 00229Bermuda 001441Bhutan 00975Bolivia 00591Bosnia 00387Botswana 00267Brazil 0055Brunei 00673Bulgaria 00359Burkina 00226Burundi 00257Cambodia 00855Cameroon 00237Canada 001Cape Verde 00238Cayman Islands 001345Central African 00236Chad 00235Chile 0056China 0086Colombia 0057Comoros 00269Congo 00242Cook Islands 00682Costa Rica 00506Croatia 00385Cuba 0053Cyprus 00357Cyprus (Northern) 0090392Czech Republic 00420Denmark 0045Diego Garcia 00246Djibouti 00253Dominica 001767Dominican Republic 001809Ecuador 00593Egypt 0020El Salvador 00503England (UK) 0044Equatorial Guinea 00240Eritrea 00291Estonia 00372Ethiopia 00251Falkland Islands 00500Faroe Islands 00298Fiji 00679Finland 00358France 0033French Guiana 00594French Polynesia 00689Gabon 00241Gambia 00220Georgia 00995Germany 0049Ghana 00233Gibraltar 00350Greece 0030Greenland 00299Grenada 001473Guadeloupe 00590Guam 001671Guatemala 00502Guinea 00224Guyana 00592Haiti 00509Holland (Netherlands) 0031Honduras 00504Hong Kong 00852Hungary 0036Ibiza (Spain) 0034Iceland 00354India 0091Indian Ocean 00873Indonesia 0062Iran 0098Iraq 00964Ireland 00353Italy 0039Ivory Coast 00225Jamaica 001876Japan 0081Jordan 00962Kazakhstan 007Kenya 00254Kiribati 00686Kuwait 00965Kyrgyzstan 00996Laos 00856Latvia 00371Lebanon 00961Liberia 00231Libya 00218

Lithuania 00370Luxembourg 00352Macau 00853Macedonia 00389Madagascar 00261Majorca 0034Malawi 00265Malaysia 0060Maldives 00960Mali 00223Malta 00356Marshall Islands 00692Martinique 00596Mauritania 00222Mauritius 00230Mayotte 00269Mexico 0052Micronesia 00691Moldova 00373Monaco 00377Mongolia 00976Montserrat 001664Morocco 00212Mozambique 00258Myanmar (Burma) 0095Namibia 00264Nepal 00977Netherlands 0031Netherlands Antilles 00599New Caledonia 00687New Zealand 0064Nicaragua 00505Nigar 00227Nigeria 00234Niue 00683Norfolk Island 00672N. Ireland (UK) 0044North Korea 00850Norway 0047Oman 00968Pakistan 0092Palau 00680Panama 00507Papua New Guinea 00675Paraguay 00595Peru 0051Philippines 0063Poland 0048Portugal 00351Puerto Rico 001787Qatar 00974Romania 0040Russian Federation 007Rwanda 00250Saint Helena 00290Saint Kitts 001869Saint Lucia 001758Saint Pierre 00508Saint Vincent 001784Samoa US 00684Samoa West 00685San Marino 00378Sao Tone 00239Saudi Arabia 00966Scotland (UK) 0044Senegal 00221Seychelles 00284Sierra Leone 00232Singapore 0065Slovakia 00421Slovenia 00386Solomon Islands 00677Somalia 00252South Africa 0027South Korea 0082Spain 0034Sri Lanka 0094Sudan 00249Suriname 00597Swaziland 00268Sweden 0046Switzerland 0041Syria 00963Serbia 00381Taiwan 00886Tanzania 00255Thailand 0066Toga 00228Tonga 00676Tokelau 00690Trinidad 001868Tunisia 00216Turkey 0090Tuvalu 00688Uganda 00256Ukraine 00380United Arab Emirates 00976United Kingdom 0044Uruguay 00598USA 001Uzbekistan 00998Vanuatu 00678Venezuela 00582Vietnam 0084Virgin Islands UK 001284Virgin Islands US 001340Wales (UK) 0044Yemen 00967Yugoslavia 00381Zambia 00260Zimbabwe 00263

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

COUNTRY CODES

You may be in a position of leadership this morning. It mayprove favorable for you to pace yourself today. Some changes that youwould like to see happen may take a little longer than you expected. Someparticular situation may affect you in a very direct manner. Two people lookout a window . . . One sees mud, but the other sees the sky. This is a timeduring which everything you do may seem to be slowed and require moreeffort than usual-your optimism is good. Patience with yourself and othersis important. Because you expect good things from others, you receive thesame input; support is easy to find among friends. Some past investmentwill begin to pay off soon-be patient. You and your loved one can enjoy ahappy evening.

You use your creative ideas to pull yourself out of a sluggishmorning. In the workplace you are pleased . . . You may discover where acontinuing problem had its beginning. Now it is time to work on ways inwhich this reoccurring situation can be stopped. This is, obviously, not agood time for social events-your mood is intent and you want answers.You can greatly reduce stress by taking the appropriate breaks. Walkingduring your break time may help you to think through the process of yourday-or if needed, a distraction from the work. If you have employees work-ing with you, you will teach them to take on the construction crew atti-tude: create, improve, always upward and forward. This evening is a goodtime to enjoy a movie.

This is a great time to be with others and to work together ina sense of cooperation. You may also be in demand for special types of jobs.This day may be such a day. There is some sort of settlement from a gener-ous partner or an inheritance coming your way-but there may be a wait. Donot get deeper in debt just now. Now that the holidays are over, it still maytake a little while before you really feel secure in your finances. You enjoy lifeand you enrich others with your positive attitude and, more than that, youwill succeed at whatever you set out to accomplish. Clear decisions affectingothers could be made at this time. Although there are signs of trouble with alove relationship, the trouble may be solved before the end of the evening-patience wins.

Testy energy could leave you feeling emotionally blockedand frustrated by the end of this day. Do not try to push too hard-youwould only be going against the flow of things if you do. This is a greattime for planning, designing or preparation. Any ideas to increase busi-ness or to make working easier, etc., should be written down for later.Take the driver’s position and really become involved with your part inthe business progress. At home this evening, you may have a friend dropin to visit you, and he or she may bring a friend. You draw emotional sus-tenance from your friends and you enjoy a relaxed social life. Real friendsdon’t care if your socks don’t match, so if you are not entertaining, enjoya movie or dinner away from home with your friends.

A greater appreciation for things of value and the idea ofvalue itself is in order. This could be a period of great material gain; it iscertainly a time when material things have a great deal of importancefor you. This is a very lucky day for making plans or decisions and findingyour way through just about any problem. You feel successful and ableto handle difficult situations. Good advice from a guide or older personmay be helpful-listen, it may mean a raise. This is a good day. Beingmore closely involved with another person may well become your high-est priority this evening. Marriage, contracts and partnerships are seenas keys to success and happiness and they have plenty of lessons toteach you. You enjoy companionship this evening.

You have the right amount of passion to pour into practicaland career decisions now. You may appear commanding and assertive.Adjust your requirements or dreams to rely more upon yourself and lessupon others when making important choices. Be patient with and aroundauthority figures today. You will be finding some shrewd ways of makingyourself heard. Obtaining and exchanging information is most importantto you. You may find much of the afternoon is occupied with neighborsand friends playing cards, popping popcorn and visiting with each other.Personal conversations become most important. Through your words ofencouragement, you could make some positive changes in many peo-ple’s lives.

By taking charge of your life and showing reliability, you caneasily gain the respect and admiration that you have been wanting toachieve from others. At this time, career or vocational decisions are bestmade from the planning viewpoint. You could be most persuasive withothers. The situation today is a natural for self-expression and encouragesmany creative ideas. Put your mind to work and take care of any details thatyou may have this afternoon-mental discipline should come easily.Problems and obstacles that have previously been difficult should soon findthe easy explanations you have been looking for so hard. Family, home, rel-atives and real estate play a bigger part in your life this year. You and yourfamily may be looking for a new home.

Before you sign on the bottom line, check out the document!Your very own personal luck is back! You may see some relief soon on thefinancial front. Be careful with your power as you could persuade someoneto do something they really do not want to do-then you will have regrets.You are at ease and comfortable in most situations. Be consistent with youractions so as not to confuse yourself or others. When asked to participate inanything . . . Express the need to think about it and then return an answersoon. Your true freedom comes from responsible awareness. It is good thatyou naturally gravitate to highly motivated people. Pay attention, there issomeone that will help you carry out some of your goals this year.

Just when you thought you had the finances under controlsome unexpected cost comes to your attention. This seems to happenoccasionally anyway so you are prepared. This could mean new tires or aplumbing repair. The problem will be solved in a short time so do notbecome too absorbed or concerned. If you have been setting money asidefor those thin times, you have been wise. You are more ambitious now andyou are open to new ideas for financial improvements. You have wonder-ful ideas for advertising or simplifying some work methods. Write thesesuggestions in a businesslike manner and seek an influential person toreview your ideas. Tonight there is time to play, go to a movie, count thestars, sing or just enjoy the evening.

The stars are on your side today . . . Professionally speaking,everything falls into place. The universe has been testing you-positivethings are on the horizon in many areas of your life. It is possible you madea job change last year and the time of testing is just about complete. Youridentity is evolving and at no time is the growth more obvious than now.You are able to see yourself in a new light and may decide to purchase finersuits for the workplace. Anything that seems like pressure from close rela-tionships is more for your benefit-it would be wise to just go with the flow.Ask yourself if you know the truth about any particular situation; you arelearning very well. There is harmony this evening and a party may evolve.

If you are involved in a work project, the accomplishments will benumerous. Letting machines do the work for you seems to be the future push inthe work industry. People demand automated, fast and not do-it-yourself sort oftoys. Eventually our transportation methods will far surpass the current ones.There is room for you in the invention industry or in the imagination department.Think outside of the box, so to speak, and start inventing. You may decide toshop later today because of a sale in the newspapers. You may also find somewonderful opportunities to spend money on products that will aid your creativeideas. Plenty of rest, nurturing, fun and good nutrition this evening will ease ten-sions of this very busy day.

H e a l t hFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

DAVOS: Humanity must stopburning coal, oil and gas to powerthe global economy or face anirreversible climate catastrophe,scientists, business chiefs and ana-lysts warned at an elite gatheringin the Swiss Alps. Barely five weeksafter the world hailed a 195-nationParis accord to stop global warm-ing, plummeting oil prices havethrown into perspective the chal-lenge of bringing about its prom-ised energy revolution. Crude oilprices this week plunged to fresh12-year lows under $27, slammedby gloomy economic forecasts,China’s slowdown and abundantcrude supplies.

“The economics at these priceswill mean that it is very cost effec-tive to use oil rather than renew-ables which are still very expen-sive at these prices,” said IHS chiefeconomist Nariman Behravesh.Governments would need to takedrastic action, for example byimposing a carbon tax, he toldAFP at the January 19-23 annualmeeting of the rich and powerfulin the snow-blanketed ski resort ofDavos, casting doubt, however, onwhether it would be possible todo so on a global scale. The post-2020 Paris Agreement, reachedDecember 12, aimed to avert themost calamitous effects of climatechange: severe droughts, floods

and storms, and rising seas thatwould engulf islands and coastalareas populated by hundreds ofmillions of people.

Catastrophic tipping pointsThe Paris accord set a target of

limiting warming of the planet to“well below” 2.0 degrees Celsius(3.6 Fahrenheit) compared withthe Industrial Revolution, whileaiming for an even more ambi-tious goal of 1.5 degrees. To do so,emissions of greenhouse gaseswill need to peak “as soon as pos-sible”, followed by rapid reduc-tions, the agreement stated.“Science indicates that if we cancome close to 1.5 C it allows us toavoid what we call catastrophictipping points,” said JohanRockstrom, executive director ofthe Stockholm Resilience Centre.

“We could avoid irreversiblemelting of the Greenland icesheet-seven meters of sea levelrise. We could avoid irreversiblemethane release from thawingpermafrost,” he added. “Thiswould allow us to stay in the adap-tation realm rather than the cata-strophic disaster realm.” Already,Rockstrom said, disruption to theEarth’s climate system was evidentin the unprecedented impact ofthe 2015-2016 El Nino weatherpattern, which is associated with a

sustained period of warming inthe central and eastern tropicalPacific and can spark deadly andcostly climate extremes.

Solar power gets cheaperTo avoid the worst, mankind

would have to protect the oceansand the planet’s ecosystem includ-ing its forests, in addition to slash-ing heat-trapping greenhouse gasemissions, he said. “Why? becausethe biosphere-nature to put it sim-ply-takes up 4.5 gigatonnes, actu-ally half of our emissions of carbondioxide.”

Renewable energies may startto win the financial argument,however, said Ratul Puri, chairmanof Hindustan Power. The cost ofsolar energy had plunged byabout 25 percent in the pastdecade, he said, increasing its lurein India, which relies heavily oncoal to power its economic devel-opment. “There will be a need fora balance because renewablesincluding solar are intermittent innature, and therefore any grid sys-tem as it is designed out needs tohave a balanced approach,” Purisaid. — AFP

LIANYUNGANG: An excavator moves coal onto a truck at a coalport in Lianyungang, eastern China’s Jiangsu province. — AFP

1,175 rhinos killed by

poachers in S Africa

PRETORIA: Nearly 1,200 rhinos were killed bypoachers in South Africa last year, officials said yes-terday, a slight decrease on 2014, but another yearof carnage fuelled by Asian-led demand for theirhorn.

Fewer than 100 rhinos were poached in 2008,since when numbers have rocketed. A record 1,215were killed in 2014. The slaughter has been drivenby demand for their horn in countries such as Chinaand Vietnam, where they are prized for their pur-ported medicinal properties. The horn is composedmainly of keratin, the same component as in humannails, but it is sold in powdered form as a supposedcure for cancer and other diseases.

“By the end of December 2015, the number ofpoached rhinos was 1,175,” Environmental AffairsMinister Edna Molewa told reporters, hailing the fig-ure as a success. “The onslaught against our rhinohas continued unabated, which has necessitatedwe step up our efforts. “We are very pleased toannounce that for the first time for a decade thepoaching situation has stabilized... This is very goodnews and very good cause for optimism.” The soar-ing price of rhino horn and the poaching crisis hassparked a debate on whether to legalize sales in anattempt to stifle the lucrative black market trade.Legally dehorning a rhino would see a farm ownerput the animal under anesthesia, then saw off thehorn.

A South African judge in November lifted a domes-tic ban on trade in rhino horn, alarming conservation-ists. The government lost an appeal against the deci-sion on Wednesday, but said it would go to theSupreme Court of Appeal. “It is hard to see any posi-tive conservation benefits from lifting the moratoriumon domestic trade in rhino horn,” Colman O’Criodain,wildlife trade expert at the WWF, said. “There is nodomestic demand for rhino horn in South Africa, so itis inconceivable that anyone would buy it-unless theyintend to sell it abroad illegally or they are speculatingthat international trade will be legalized.” — AFP

Abandon coal, oil or

face climate disasterScientists, business chiefs and analysts warn at Davos

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITYFOR CIVIL INFORMATION

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Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TOWEDNESDAY (21/01/2016 TO 27/01/2016)

SHARQIA-1LOST IN THE SUN 12:15 PMLOST IN THE SUN 2:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 4:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 6:30 PMLOST IN THE SUN 8:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:30 PMLOST IN THE SUN 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:00 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 3:45 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 6:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3RIDE ALONG 2 1:00 PMTHE BOY 2:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 4:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 6:45 PMTHE BOY 8:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 10:45 PMTHE BOY 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-1DARKNESS DESCENDS 11:30 AMKUNG FU STYLE 1:30 PMDILWALE - Hindi 3:30 PMDICTATOR - Telugu 3:30 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 6:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 8:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:45 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-2RIDE ALONG 2 12:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:00 PMTHE REVENANT 4:00 PMSOGGADE CHINNI NAYANA -Telugu 4:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 7:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 9:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 11:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 1:00 AM

MUHALAB-3MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 AMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 2:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 5:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 8:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 PM

FANAR-1OUR BRAND IS CRISIS 11:45 AMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 2:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 4:15 PMTHE REVENANT 6:30 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 9:30 PMTHE REVENANT 11:45 PM

FANAR-2DARKNESS DESCENDS 1:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 3:00 PMDILWALE - Hindi 5:00 PMDICTATOR - Telugu 5:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 8:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 12:05 AM

FANAR-3RIDE ALONG 2 12:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:30 PMKUNG FU STYLE 4:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 6:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 8:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 10:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 12:30 AM

FANAR-4MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 1:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 3:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 6:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 AM

FANAR-5THE BOY 11:45 AMTHE BOY 1:45 PMTHE BOY 3:45 PM

THE 5TH WAVE 5:45 PMTHE BOY 8:15 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 10:15 PMTHE BOY 12:45 AM

MARINA-1LOST IN THE SUN 11:30 AMTHE 5TH WAVE 1:30 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 3:45 PMLOST IN THE SUN 6:00 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 8:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 10:15 PMLOST IN THE SUN 12:30 AM

MARINA-2RIDE ALONG 2 12:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 2:00 PMTHE REVENANT 4:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 7:00 PMTHE REVENANT 9:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 12:05 AM

MARINA-3MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:30 PMKUNG FU STYLE 1:30 PMKUNG FU STYLE 3:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 5:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 8:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 PM

AVENUES-1KUNG FU STYLE 11:30 AMTHE 5TH WAVE 1:30 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 4:00 PMTWO COUNTRIES - Malayalam 6:30 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 9:30 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 12:15 AM

AVENUES-2DARKNESS DESCENDS 12:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 2:15 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 4:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 6:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 9:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 11:30 PM

AVENUES-3OUR BRAND IS CRISIS 1:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 1:30 PMFRIOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 3:45 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 6:15 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 8:45 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 11:15 PM

360º- 1RIDE ALONG 2 11:45 AMRIDE ALONG 2 1:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 3:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 5:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 7:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 9:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 11:45 PM

360º- 2KUNG FU STYLE 12:15 PMKUNG FU STYLE 2:15 PMKUNG FU STYLE 4:15 PMDILWALE - Hindi 6:15 PMDILWALE - Hindi 9:30 PMTHE BOY 12:30 AM

360º- 3DARKNESS DESCENDS 1:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 3:15 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 5:30 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 7:45 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.1MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 1:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 3:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 6:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:15 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.2RIDE ALONG 2 11:30 AMTHE 5TH WAVE 1:30 PM

RIDE ALONG 2 3:45 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 5:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 8:15 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 10:15 PMRIDE ALONG 2 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.3OUR BRAND IS CRISIS 12:45 PMLOST IN THE SUN 3:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 5:15 PMLOST IN THE SUN 7:45 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 9:45 PMLOST IN THE SUN 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.4DARKNESS DESCENDS 12:00 PMTHE REVENANT 2:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 5:00 PMTHE REVENANT 7:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 10:00 PMDARKNESS DESCENDS 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-1MIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 AMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 2:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 5:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 8:45 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-2THE 5TH WAVE 11:30 AMKUNG FU STYLE 1:30 PMFRIRIDE ALONG 2 1:45 PMNO FRITHE 5TH WAVE 3:30 PMRIDE ALONG 2 6:00 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 7:45 PMRIDE ALONG 2 10:15 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 12:15 AM

BAIRAQ-3OUR BRAND IS CRISIS 12:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 2:30 PMDILWALE - Hindi 5:00 PMTHE BOY 8:00 PMOUR BRAND IS CRISIS 10:00 PMTHE BOY 12:05 AM

PLAZARIDE ALONG 2 4:30 PMTWO COUNTRIES - Malayalam 6:30 PMRAJINI MURUGAN -Tamil 9:30 PMTHU+FRIMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 9:30 PMNO THU+FRI

LAILARIDE ALONG 2 3:45 PMTHE 5TH WAVE 5:30 PMMIN DAHAR RAGEL - Arabic 8:00 PMRIDE ALONG 2 10:45 PM

AJIAL.1TWO COUNTRIES - Malayalam 3:45 PMTWO COUNTRIES - Malayalam 6:45 PMTWO COUNTRIES - Malayalam 9:45 PM

AJIAL.2GETHU-Tamil 5:00 PMCHARLIE- Malayalam 7:30 PMGETHU-Tamil 10:00 PM

AJIAL.3NANNAKU PREMATHO-Telugu 3:45 PMFRICHARLIE- Malayalam 4:30 PMNO FRIDICTATOR - Telugu 7:00 PMDICTATOR - Telugu 10:00 PM

AJIAL.4RAJINI MURUGAN -Tamil 3:30 PMRAJINI MURUGAN -Tamil 6:30 PMRAJINI MURUGAN -Tamil 9:30 PMNO THU+FRISOGGADE CHINNI NAYANA -Telugu 9:30 PM

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Fajr: 05:19

Shorook 06:42

Duhr: 12:00

Asr: 14:57

Maghrib: 17:17

Isha: 18:38

Prayer timings

CHANGE OF NAME

I Syed Abbas Ali S/o SyedNazeeruddin holder of IndianPassport No. G2275319Marathi Str, Akkayapalli R.V.Nagar, Kadapa, herebychanged my name to SyedAbbas Ali Syed Nazeeruddin.(C 5114)22-1-2016112

BusinessFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

NBK reports net profits ofKD 282.2m for FY 2015

Page 38Tsipras set for Schaeuble showdown at Davos forum Page 39

LONDON: Oil fell yesterday, turning back towards 12-year lows onpersistent concerns about oversupply and the outlook for demand.Oil futures have hit their lowest levels since 2003 this week asinvestors worry that a glut of crude is combining with slowingdemand due to economic weakness, especially in China.

Benchmark Brent was down 21 cents at $27.67 a barrel by 1206GMT. Brent has lost 26 percent in January, on track for its biggestmonthly fall since 2008.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures tradedat $28.00 per barrel, down 35 cents from their previous close. Broadmarket sentiment remained bearish as producers around the worldpump 1 million to 2 million barrels of crude every day in excess ofdemand, creating a huge overhang of stored oil.

Iran’s return to the oil market this month added to the glut, afterthe lifting of international sanctions aimed at discouraging the coun-try from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“There are worries surrounding demand and oversupply,” saidHans van Cleef, senior energy economist at ABN Amro in Amsterdam.He said weaker demand in the Middle East, which has been hit bylower oil prices, could add fuel to the sell-off and there was little tostop crude falling to $20 per barrel. Indicating the glut may grow fur-ther, Iraq’s Oil Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi told Reuters the country’ssouthern region planned to increase output by up to 400,000 barrelsper day (bpd) this year to over 4 million bpd.

Concerns are also growing that China’s economy could slow fur-ther and cut demand in the world’s second-largest oil consumer.“Lower commodity and oil prices reflect weakening demand,” HSBCsaid yesterday. Meanwhile, Venezuela has requested that OPEC holdan emergency meeting to discuss steps to prop up oil prices,although delegates from other members of the producer group saidsuch a gathering was unlikely.

Investors will watch for data from the Energy InformationAdministration at 1600 GMT for more detail on the extent of oversup-ply in the United States.

Analysts expect crude stocks to have risen by 2.8 million barrels inthe week ended Jan. 15, according to a poll of eight analysts. Datafrom the American Petroleum Institute, a US industry group, showedcrude inventories rose by 4.6 million barrels. —Reuters

Oil prices fall near 2003 lowsOil glut, weakening economic

growth keep outlook bleak

Saudi to grant firstlicense in airline

liberalization MANAMA: Saudi Gulf Airlines is set to obtain regulatoryapprovals to launch flights within the kingdom by the end ofMarch, a top official at Saudi Arabia’s aviation watchdog said yes-terday. Should the license be granted to the privately-owned air-line, it would be the first to be awarded under plans to liberalizethe kingdom’s aviation market. “We expect them to fly end ofMarch, early April,” Abdulhakim Altamimi, assistant president forsafety, security and air transport at the General Authority of CivilAviation (GACA), told Reuters on the sidelines of the BahrainAirshow. Only national carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines and budgetoperator National Air Services currently serve a domestic marketof about 27 million people. Foreign carriers can only fly in and outof Saudi Arabia and not within the country.

The Saudi authorities began accepting applications to operateinternal flights back in 2012, although the process of granting licens-es has been slow: Qatar Airways, through its subsidiary Al MahaAirways, was one such applicant but red tape has delayed its launch.Saudi Gulf Airlines’ launch has also been delayed. It had hoped tocommence operations last November with four A320 single-aisleplanes. The carrier is now in the final regulatory stages of checkingmanuals for standard operating procedures and flying the necessary100 hours with a GACA inspector, Altamimi said. —Reuters

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait(NBK) reported net profits of KD282.2 million ( $ 929.7 million) forthe year 2015 compared with KD261.8 million ( $ 862.6 million) in2014, growing 7.8 percent year-on-year.

Total assets as of year-end 2015reached KD 23.6 billion ( $ 77.8 bil-lion) up 8.3 percent compared toyear-end 2014, while total share-holders’ equity increased by 3.8 per-cent to KD 2.6 billion ( $ 8.6 billion).Customer loans and advancesreached KD 13.6 billion ( $ 44.6 bil-lion) as of year-end 2015, growingby 13.8 percent year-on-year, whilecustomer deposits grew by 7.1 per-cent during the same period toreach KD 12.1 billion ( $ 39.7 billion)as of year-end 2015.

NBK continued to improve itsasset quality ratios with NPL/GrossLoans ratio dropping to 1.34 per-cent as of year-end 2015 down from1.50 percent a year earlier, and NPLcoverage ratio increasing to 322percent, up from 276 percent atyear-end 2014.

NBK Board of Directors has pro-posed the distribution of 30 fils pershare cash dividend, representing30 percent of the nominal share val-ue. The board has also proposed thedistribution of a 5 percent bonusshares (5 shares for every 100shares) for the year 2015.

Nasser Al-Sayer, NBK’s Chairman,said “NBK continued delivering solidgrowth and healthy performance in2015. Net profits in 2015 reachedKD 282.2 million, 7.8 percent year-on-year growth. This is a testimonyto NBK’s strong financial position,its market leadership and successfulconservative strategy that the Bankhas adopted since its founding in1952”.

Al-Sayer added that the solidresults in 2015 reflect the Group’sfocus on core banking businesses.During 2015, net operating incomegrew by 10.2 percent year-on-yearto KD 728.8 mill ion confirmingNBK’s strong domestic and regionalmarket positions.

“2015 was a year of deliverablesfor NBK, where we saw a confirma-tion of our earlier view that Kuwaitis moving into a new era of eco-nomic development. Activity is pick-ing up as the Government contin-ues to deliver on the awarding andexecution of mega projects. This hasreflected positively on the growthtrends of NBK’s operating income.During the year, several multi-bil-lion dollar development projectshave been awarded where NBKplayed a major role in their financ-ing. With the size of our balancesheet, regional & international pres-ence and relationships, we provedto be the largest beneficiary of thegrowing government expenditure,

leveraging the high growth oppor-tunity in the project finance busi-ness,” Al-Sayer highlighted.

Al-Sayer also added that“Despite the large drop in oil pricesover the past year, our outlook forthe Kuwaiti economy remains posi-tive. Kuwait has ample liquidity andsubstantial buffers making the

impact of lower oil prices relativelyless compared to other regionaleconomies. The government hasaffirmed in several occasions itscommitment to continue with itscapital expenditure plan mainly oninfrastructure projects which webelieve will relatively contain theimpact of a period of lower oilprices on the operating environ-ment in Kuwait.”

Isam Al-Sager, NBK’s Group ChiefExecutive Officer said; the solidresults of NBK confirm the Bank’sresilience and its ability to continueto grow and progress. “We contin-ue to emphasize on the Group’sstrategy focusing on market leader-ship domestically and strong posi-tioning regionally, all serving ourefforts for better diversification andbalancing of sources of income”.

“Domestically, NBK continues todefend its market share, achievinggrowth in all business lines. Theacquisition of a 58.4 percent stakein Boubyan Bank in 2012 was a long

term strategic move by NBK tostrengthen its domestic marketposition. Boubyan Bank continuesto acquire market share and its con-tribution to NBK Group profits isbecoming more material.”

Al-Sager also added that region-al and international operationsremained very lucrative supporting

the bank’s income diversificationstrategy. NBK Group generated 27percent of the year’s profits from itsbranches, associates and sub-sidiaries outside Kuwait affirmingthe banks’ successful strategy ofregional and international diversifi-cation.

Earlier during the year NBK con-cluded its exit from InternationalBank of Qatar (IBQ) selling its 30percent stake when attempts toraise it to a controlling stake werenot successful. We have achievedgood returns on our investment inIBQ over the years and this exit willstrengthen our position to seizebetter opportunities when presentin Qatar as the Qatari marketremains important for us.” Al-Sageradded.

Al-Sager also highlighted thatthe Egyptian market remains a keymarket for the growth of NBK onthe back of improving businesssentiment and political stability.“Egypt continues to offer an excep-tional growth opportunity and wegenerally target strengthening ourposition in the Egyptian market inthe coming period. In an effort toachieve unification and integrationat the Group level, we recentlyrebranded our Egyptian subsidiaryNBK-Egypt”.

During 2015, NBK boosted itscapital base through issuing $ 700million Additional Tier-1 (AT-1)securities and KD 125 million of Tier2 subordinated bonds. Theissuances are used to improveNBK’s capital as per Basel III require-ments and the directives of theCentral Bank of Kuwait and bothissuances were highly received byinvestors attracting two times sub-scription in both instances. As ofend-December 2015, NBK’s capitaladequacy ratio (CAR) reached 16.8percent exceeding regulatoryrequirements.

NBK continues to enjoy collec-tively the highest ratings among allbanks in the Middle East from thethree international rating agenciesMoody’s, Fitch Ratings andStandard and Poor’s. The Bank’s rat-ings are supported by its high capi-talization, prudent lending policies,and its disciplined approach to riskmanagement, in addition to itshighly recognized and very stablemanagement team. NBK was alsonamed among Global Finance’s listof the 50 safest banks in the worldfor the tenth consecutive time.

NBK enjoys the widest bankingpresence with a local and interna-tional network reaching 4 conti-nents. NBK’s international presencespans many of the world’s leadingfinancial centers including NewYork, Europe, GCC, Middle East,Singapore as well as China(Shanghai).

38B u s i n e s sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Nasser Musaed Al-Sayer

NBK reports net profits ofKD 282.2m for FY 2015

Profits grew 7.8% Y-o-Y l Total assets grew 8.3% Y-o-Y

l Al-Sayer: NBK continues delivering strong performance reflecting the strength ofits financial position, its high asset quality and conservative strategy

l FY 2015 profits primarily reflect high volume growth and strong operatingincome

l 2015 saw remarkable growth for NBK driven by the accelerated pace of projectexecution as the infrastructure spending gains momentum

l We remain confident in Kuwait’s economic outlook as the country’s financialposition is very solid enabling it to pursue its expansionary policies

l NBK led the financing of several mega projects affirming the Bank’s capabilitiesand expertise in arranging such large transactions

l Al-Sager: NBK continues strengthening its market leadership position and affirm-ing its strategy of income diversification both domestically and regionally

l NBK achieved growth in all business lines and continued to reap the benefits ofits ownership in Boubyan Bank

l Total assets grew by 8.3% YoY to KD 23.6 billion and shareholders’ equity by3.8% YoY to KD 2.6 billion

l Customer loans and advances reached KD 13.6 billion, up 13.8% YoY and cus-tomer deposits reached KD 12.1 billion, up 7.1% YoY

l NPL ratio declined to 1.34% and NPL coverage reached 322%l The Board has proposed cash dividends of 30 fils per share and 5% bonus shares

Isam Al-Sager

39B u s i n e s sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

DAVOS: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras readied to lockhorns with his eurozone foe German Finance MinisterWolfgang Schaeuble yesterday in what is certain to be one ofthe headline events at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Leftist leader Tsipras burst on to the international scene ayear ago, winning elections on a promise to face downGreece’s eurozone creditors which triggered six months of tur-bulent negotiations that nearly saw Athens thrown out of theeuro.

Twelve months to the week since he was elected, the 41-year-old premier is in Davos brushing shoulders with bankersand billionaires after caving to the eurozone leaders last Julyby agreeing a drastic third bailout in return for major reformshis government had until then resisted.

“Talking with Sigmar Gabriel at Davos, we stressed theimportance of reviving the economy with socially justreforms,” Tsipras said in a tweet, after meeting with Germany’svice-chancellor on the sidelines of the forum on Wednesday.

He also met with European Economics AffairsCommissioner Pierre Moscovici and US Vice President JoeBiden. “The leaders agreed on the importance of moving for-ward as quickly as possible on Greece’s economic reforms,including serious discussions with creditors on debt relief,” theWhite House said in a statement after the talks with Biden.

Later on Thursday Tsipras sits on a panel with Germany’spowerful finance minister Schaeuble who negotiated hardagainst Tsipras and his flamboyant then-finance minister YanisVaroufakis during an epic battle of wills last year.

More pension reforms The duel between Greece and its 18 eurozone part-

ners ended at a July summit with Tsipras signing up to a84 billion euro bailout that saved Athens from default.

Also present at the panel on Thursday will be France’sreform-minded Prime Minister Manuel Valls and DutchPrime Minister Mark Rutte, who currently leads the EU’ssix-month rotating presidency.

Moscovici told AFP on Wednesday that Greece’s latestproposal to cut the cost of its pension system is ambi-tious but still falls short of creditors’ demands. Greecespends a greater percentage of its GDP on pensions thanany other EU country, and has proposed a wide-rangingplan that has been broadly welcomed by creditorsthough caveats remain.

“This plan is global and has an ambition that is clearlygreater than what has been done in the past,” Moscovicisaid. “But that said, we believe that serious discussionsare still needed to fix the right parameters,” he added.

Greece must save 1.8 billion euros from state spend-ing on pensions under the three-year bailout that isoverseen by the European Commission, the EU’s bailoutfund, the European Central Bank and the IMF in July.

Those reforms are necessary in order for creditors tothen open talks about reducing Greece’s huge debt, ak e y d e m a n d o f b o t h T s i p r a s a n d t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a lMonetary Fund that is worried about the country’s debtload. —AFP

Tsipras set for Schaeuble

showdown at Davos forumGreek PM still hopeful of reviving social reforms

DAVOS: (L -R) French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Eni companyChairman of the Board, Emma Marcegaglia and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble attend a ses-sion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos yesterday. —AFP

Newsi n b r i e f

Gulf Air to get 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners

MANAMA: Gulf Air will secure 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamlinersunder a restructured order worth $4.2 billion, the Bahraini car-rier said in a statement yesterday. The 787-9s are scheduled tobe delivered from the second quarter of 2018 and will replace16 Boeing 787-8s which had been ordered previously, accord-ing to the statement which did not give details about the pre-vious order. Bahrain’s national carrier has gone through alengthy restructuring which aims to return the loss-making air-line to profit. It reported an annual loss of 62.7 million dinars($166.3 million) for 2014, down from a loss of 93.3 milliondinars in 2013.

Egyptian Refining Co to start production

CAIRO: The Egyptian Refining Company, a subsidiary ofone of Egypt’s largest investment companies QalaaHoldings, will start production at its $3.7 billion oil refineryin the first quarter of 2017, managing director MohammedSaad said. The refinery, which has a capacity to produce 4.2million tons of refined products annually, the largest inEgypt, will start trial production by the end of 2016, Saadsaid. “We have completed so far 80 percent of the con-struction work and we will complete the rest in Novemberthen start trial operations before we start production in thefirst quarter of 2017,” he said. Qalaa owns 19 percent ofthe Egyptian Refining Company (ERC), which will convertlowest value fuel oil into middle and light distillates thatEgypt needs for its domestic consumption.

Oman to establish first budget airline

DUBAI: Oman plans to establish its first budget airlineto boost tourism as the plunge in global oil pricesencourages the country to diversify its economybeyond oil and gas production. Muscat NationalDevelopment and Investment Co (MNDIC) - a ventureinvolving the Muscat municipal government and sev-eral state funds including the State General ReserveFund, Oman’s top sovereign wealth fund - said it hadbeen awarded an air services operator licence by thePublic Authority for Civil Aviation. The airline will helpmeet Oman’s strong air traffic demand, expected togrow 40 percent by 2019, and complement its realestate and entertainment projects, MNDIC’s chiefexecutive Khalid bin Hilal Al-Yahmadi said in a state-ment seen yesterday. He did not reveal a time framefor establishing the airline or describe its plans toobtain planes.

Saudi to issue 20bnriyals of bonds

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s government has contacted localbanks to sell them local currency bonds worth 20 billion riyals($5.3 billion), which will be allocated next week, the Maaalfinancial website reported yesterday, citing unnnamedsources. The pricing, tenor and other details of the bonds werenot disclosed. The government has been issuing 20 billionriyals of domestic bonds every month for the last severalmonths, to help cover a budget deficit created by low oilprices. The last issue was in mid-December.

DUBAI: The chief executive of Saudi Telecom (STC)believes that owning 50 percent of Kuwaiti affiliate Vivawould be reasonable, he told Saudi-owned televisionchannel Al-Arabiya yesterday.

The kingdom’s leading telecommunications operatorholds 26 percent of Viva but announced in November itwould launch a voluntary tender offer to acquire up to

100 percent of the Kuwaiti firm.However, its offer price of 1 dinar ($3.29) per share was

dismissed as “not fair” by Viva’s board last month. STC stillwent ahead at the same price with the tender, which isdue to close on Jan 31. “I think that the total of 50 percentis considered reasonable in Viva,” Khaled al-Biyari told thetelevision channel in an interview on the sidelines of the

Davos gathering.STC on Wednesday reported a 20 percent drop in

fourth-quarter profit as the benefits of higher revenuewere wiped out by rising service costs and expenses. TheSaudi firm’s shares were trading 0.9 percent higher at1005 GMT. Viva’s shares closed flat at 0.99 dinars inKuwait. —Reuters

Saudi’s STC would be happy with 50% of Kuwait’s VIVA

B u s i n e s sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

DAVOS: Chinese Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic’s Fang Xinghai (right) gestures next to InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde during a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annualmeeting in Davos yesterday. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The IMF yesterday opens formal nominations forthe next term of managing director, with incumbent ChristineLagarde seen as the leading candidate despite possibly facing a trialin France. The International Monetary Fund said nominations forthe five-year term to run the global crisis bank beginning in July willclose on February 10.

After a review of the candidates, the IMF executive board aims tohave decided on a candidate by March 3. Lagarde, the formerFrench finance minister who has overseen the IMF through thechallenging eurozone bailouts and is widely respected in the globalfinancial community, has not said directly that she wants to renewher position.

But she said several times in the past year that she is open to it.Asked about staying on at the annual IMF global meeting in Lima,Peru last October, she said: “I’m certainly open to the fact that itwould not be my last annual meeting. But this is not for me todecide.”

She already has the support of Britain and Germany. Britishfinance minister George Osborne yesterday tweeted that he was“delighted to nominate @Lagarde for (the) new term as head ofIMF”. He described her as “an outstanding leader with vision andacumen to steer global economy in years ahead”.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble also backedLagarde’s candidacy. She had proven to be a “far-sighted and suc-cessful crisis manager in difficult times,” the German finance min-istry in Berlin said in a statement.

Lagarde had “contributed substantially to the IMF’s high stand-ing,” the statement added.

Lagarde easily won a contest with several developing countrycandidates to take over the IMF in 2011 as Europe was sinking deepinto economic crisis. But her win came amid criticisms that the IMF’stop job should not be locked down by a European, as it has sincethe institution was created in 1944. Lagarde’s renewal also faces apersonal legal challenge: she could stand trial in France over herrole in a banking scandal that predates her arrival at the IMF.

In December investigating judges placed her under formalinvestigation in the long-running affair of Bernard Tapie, whoreceived a substantial state payout for his dispute with a state bankduring her time as finance minister.

Lagarde has said she would fight the trial order, and the IMFexecutive board at the time reiterated its confidence in her. OnWednesday the French press reported that Paris could supportIvory Coast-born French banker Tidjane Thiam as a replacement ifshe were not to run. But Thiam told US TV channel CNBC that hewould not speculate on taking the job and that he was focused onhis position as chief executive at Credit Suisse. He told CNBC thatLagarde had done “a phenomenal job” at the IMF. — AFP

IMF opens nominations for

managing director’s post Lagarde seen leading candidate despite trial in France

FRANKFURT: Shares in Deutsche Bank plunged more thannine percent on the stock exchange yesterday following a dis-astrous performance last year, highlighting the magnitude ofthe task facing its new chief executive John Cryan.

Deutsche Bank shares plunged 9.5 percent to an intradaylow of 16.03 euros in late morning trade, the biggest loser onthe blue-chip DAX 30 index. Late Wednesday, Deutsche Banksaid it expected an overall loss of 6.7 billion euros ($7.3 billion)for 2015 as a result of a total 12 billion euros in charges, thelion’s share of which was made up of litigation costs.

Deutsche Bank is currently mired in a tangle of around6,000 lawsuits. In May, it was fined a record $2.5 billion for itsinvolvement in rigging interest rates.

It has also faced probes by Swiss authorities for suspectedprice fixing on the precious metals market, and US investiga-tors have looked at its Moscow branch on suspicion of possi-ble involvement in money laundering. The group’s new chiefJohn Cryan-who took up his position last July-has pledged asweeping culture change within the bank, but investors areworried that the litigation costs will still hit profitability foryears to come.

For Barclays analyst, Kiri Vijayarajah, it was Deutsche Bank’spoor fourth-quarter performance that was the main factorbehind the plummet in the share price yesterday. “Thecharges are in line with expectations. But revenues and under-lying profits are weaker than expected,” he said.

In the fourth quarter alone, Deutsche Bank said it expects afourth-quarter loss of 2.1 billion euros, weighed down by“challenging market conditions.” “We weren’t particularly sur-prised by the additional burdens,” said LBBW analyst IngoFrommen.

“Only a small part of the restructuring costs had beenbooked so far. And it was clear that the litigation cases havenot been resolved yet.”

But “the combination of charges relating to litigation andrestructuring on the one hand and the weak profits on theother lead to a record loss that was more disastrous than we’dalready been expecting,” said Thorsten Wenzel of DZ Bank. Inaddition to write-downs totalling 5.8 billion euros due totougher regulations on capital requirements, Deutsche alsotook charges on assets such as its almost 20-percent stake inChina’s Hua Xia Bank, pushing it deeper into the red. — AFP

Deutsche Bank’s disastrous

year sends shares crashing

DJIBOUTI: Djibouti’s president has signed agreements withChina to set up a trade zone and establishing a legal frame-work to let Chinese banks operate in the tiny Horn of Africanation, the latest move to deepen ties with Beijing. China saidlast year that its military was in talks to build logistics facilitiesin Djibouti, a country of just 876,000 people which wants tobuild up its role as an international port and already hosts U.S.and French military bases.

The free zone for trade and business would cover an areaof 48 sq km (19 sq miles). In a statement, President IsmailOmar Guelleh said he wanted the first phase, covering 1.5 sqkm, to be operational before the end of 2016. Another agree-ment aimed to expand Djibouti’s role for transhipment ofgoods in trade between China and the world, the statementsaid. This would mean cargo coming to Djibouti - which is ona body of water linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden -and then being reloaded for other destinations.

It also said the president had signed an agreement for “theimplementation of a legal framework” for Chinese banks tooperate in Djibouti. It gave few further details about the rolethose banks would play or when such banks would operate.

The statement did not say who signed the deal on behalfof China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei saidhe also did not know who signed the agreement, or give anydetails, but he added that the two countries continued to“deepen political mutual trust” and had vibrant trade ties andpersonnel exchanges.

Separately, the World Food Program on Wednesday alsoannounced the opening of a new Horn of Africa logistics basein Djibouti, which borders Eritrea, Ethiopia and the breakawaySomali region of Somaliland. “We are opening this facility at acritical time, when Djibouti is playing a key role in ourresponses to several major crises in the region, including theconflicts in South Sudan and Yemen and the drought inEthiopia worsened by El Nino,” Valerie Guarnieri, WFP’sRegional Director for East and Central Africa. WFP said about aquarter of the people that it assists worldwide live in countriesthat will be supported by the Djibouti hub. — Reuters

Djibouti signs

banking, trade

deals with China

DUBAI: Oman expects speedier completion of a plannedpipeline to import natural gas from Iran now that internation-al sanctions against Tehran have been lifted, the energy minis-ter of the Gulf sultanate said yesterday.

Iran sits on one of the world’s largest gas reserves, whichOman has been eyeing as it hopes to feed energy-intensiveindustries and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants.

Price disagreements, Western sanctions that have stuntedIranian energy projects and US pressure on Oman to find oth-er suppliers have prevented real progress on the pipelineproject.

In 2013, the two countries signed an agreement on gassupplies to Oman in a deal valued at $60 billion over 25 years.Since then, however, the project - which includes building asubsea pipeline - has stalled.

“I am very optimistic that now the sanctions have been lift-ed, the gas pipeline project will move in a faster track thanbefore,” Oman Energy Minister Mohammed bin Hamad AlRumhy told Reuters by telephone. “We were facing lots of dif-ficulties. Now we can order compressors, we can order pipes,seek consultancy help, we can talk to banks about financing.Things have changed.”

Rumhy was speaking during a visit by Iranian Oil MinisterBijan Zanganeh to Muscat.

“We think we can finish the FEED (front-end engineeringdesign) in five months’ time,” Rumhy said. “So we are givingourselves by the end of Q2 to finish the FEED and hopefully bythe end of the year or Q1 next (year) to start the EPC (engi-neering, procurement and construction) work, which will takeus two years, (to) 2017-2018,” he said, adding that Omanhopes to start receiving Iranian gas by 2019.

The plan is to use Iranian gas for domestic needs as well asexporting it to global markets after having it liquefied inOman, Rumhy said. — Reuters

Oman to speed up gas

import plans from

Iran post-sanctions

41B u s i n e s sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bankyesterday left its key interest ratesunchanged at its first policy meeting of theyear, despite current volatility on theworld’s financial markets owing to concernsabout the slowing Chinese economy.

As widely expected, the ECB held itsmain “refi” borrowing rate at 0.05 percent,where it has been since September 2014.And it also left its other two lending rates-the marginal lending rate and the depositrate-unchanged at 0.30 percent and minus0.30 percent respectively.

ECB chief Mario Draghi was scheduledto explain the reasoning behind the latestdecision at his regular post-meeting news

conference. Analysts said they expectedhim to keep the door open for more stimu-lus later, in the face of recent financial mar-ket turmoil.

At its last meeting in December, the ECBcut its key “deposit” rate by a modest 0.10percentage point to minus 0.30 percentand extended the length of its asset pur-chase program known as quantitative eas-ing or QE by six months to March 2017.

At the same time, the ECB held its othertwo key rates-the refi and marginal lendingrates-unchanged at 0.05 percent and 0.30percent respectively, where they have beenfor more than a year.

Nevertheless, the measures were widely

seen as too timid, particularly as commentsfrom top ECB officials had fuelled specula-tion beforehand that it was preparing toaggressively ramp up its bond-buying pro-gram and further loosen monetary policy toinject some vim into a eurozone beset byyears of torpid growth and stagnant infla-tion.

In the wake of the widespread disap-pointment over the moves, ECB watcherssuggested that any sudden announcementof new measures this week would dent thecentral bank’s credibility.

‘Door still open’ But ECB chief Mario Draghi “will never-

theless surely indicate that the door is stillopen to further easing in the comingmonths,” Cates said. “Market-based infla-tion expectations are still far too low forcomfort and could become even furtherunhinged should the oil price continue itsdescent. Downside risks to the growth out-look have obviously increased as well as aresult of the recent financial market instabil-ity.” Oxford Economics economist Ben Mayagreed. “Markets will be looking for signs asto whether the renewed fall in the oil price,ongoing concerns about China and finan-cial market weakness will see the dovishcontingent of the governing council regain-ing the upper hand,” he argued. — AFP

ECB holds key rates unchanged

CAIRO: Chinese President Xi Jinping signeda slew of trade deals with Egypt’s leader yes-terday as part of a regional tour aimed atbolstering Beijing’s economic ties and cloutin the Middle East. After arriving lateWednesday from Saudi Arabia, Xi held talkswith Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisiand was to address the Cairo-based ArabLeague. State television broadcast live thesigning of 21 bilateral agreements at a presi-dential palace in Cairo in the presence of thetwo leaders.

Earlier yesterday state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the deals were worth$14 billion in the electricity, transportation,agriculture, civil aviation and housing sec-tors.

In an article in Al-Ahram ahead of his vis-it, Xi expressed China’s backing for Egyptrunning its affairs without outside interfer-ence.

“China supports the people of Egypt inmaking independent choices for the futureof their own country,” he wrote. He also saidChina supported Egypt “playing an activerole in regional and international affairs”.

Xi’s regional tour, his first to the Middle

East as president, will take him next to Iran.Beijing has long taken a backseat to otherdiplomatic players in the Middle East butanalysts say the region is crucial to Xi’s signa-ture foreign policy initiative-known as “OneBelt One Road”-touted as a revival of ancientSilk Road trade routes.

China, the world’s second-largest econo-my, also relies heavily on oil and gas import-ed from the energy-rich Middle East. Xi’s visitto Egypt comes just ahead of the January 25anniversary of the 2011 revolution that top-pled longtime Egyptian autocrat HosniMubarak.

Saudi-Iran row Mubarak’s ouster was followed by unrest

and eventually a military overthrow of hisIslamist successor Mohamed Morsi, thecountry’s first freely elected president, bythen-army chief Sisi.

As well as addressing the Arab League, Xiwas to visit Egypt’s newly convened parlia-ment, which was sworn in earlier this monthafter elections dominated by pro-govern-ment candidates. In Saudi Arabia, Xi metwith King Salman and oversaw the opening

of a joint-venture oil refinery in the YanbuIndustrial City on the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia is China’s biggest globalsupplier of crude. Few details have emergedof Xi’s talks with leaders in Riyadh but hehad been expected to seek to ease tensionsbetween Saudi Arabia, the region’s mainSunni power, and Shiite rival Iran.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its SunniArab allies broke diplomatic ties with Tehranearlier this month after protesters angry overRiyadh’s execution of a prominent Shiitecleric ransacked Saudi diplomatic missionsin Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia back opposingsides in a range of Middle East conflicts,including in Syria and Yemen, and there arefears the row could derail diplomatic effortsto resolve them.

Xi was expected today in Iran, just daysafter sanctions were lifted when Tehranimplemented its historic nuclear deal withworld powers. China, with the United States,Britain, France, Germany and Russia, wasamong the countries that reached theagreement with Iran in July to curtail itsnuclear activities in exchange for endinginternational sanctions. — AFP

CAIRO: Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi (left) greeted by children during awelcome ceremony in the Egyptian capital Cairo. — AFP

Xi signs Egypt deals as China looks to boost Mideast clout$14bn deals also include electricity and transportation

Iraq oil exports atrecord, unaffected

by Iran’s return BAGHDAD: Iraq’s plan to increase oil output this year willgo ahead, with exports running in January at a record leveland unaffected by Iran’s return to the market, Iraqi OilMinister Adel Abdul Mahdi told Reuters yesterday.

Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, expects outputfrom the country’s southern region to increase by up to400,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year to over 4 millionbpd, he said during an interview in Baghdad. Iraq also pro-duces oil from the north but revenues from those sales goto the Kurdish self-ruled region, not the central govern-ment in Baghdad. The north produces more than 600,000bpd.

Iraq will be offering competitive prices to market itsadditional crude output, the minister said, adding that ithad made contracts with Chinese refineries covering all of2016. “In fact, we in Iraq are not short of contracts,” he said.“Until now, the demand on our oil is more than our offer,even with the return of Iran.”

The United States, the European Union and the UnitedNations lifted most sanctions on Iran last week, removingrestrictions on Iranian oil sales under a deal in whichTehran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program. “Iraqi oilwill remain cheap for China,” Abdul Mahdi said.

“Our 2016 term contracts are fully booked.”The average cost of extraction in southern Iraq is about

$10 per barrel, he said.Crude prices have sunk to below $30 a barrel, from

more than $100 two years ago, amid a global glut fuelledmainly by rising production of North American shale oil.

EMERGENCY OPEC MEETING?Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s top producer, led a move by the

organization to preserve its market share, rejecting calls bysome members including Algeria and Venezuela to cut out-put in order to boost prices. Lifting oil prices now wouldrequire the Organization of the Petroleum ExportingCountries and non-OPEC nations to agree on curbing out-put by about 1.5 million bpd, the Iraqi minister said.

Iraq would support an emergency meeting of OPEC ifthe group could agree on curbing output in coordinationwith non-OPEC producers, he added.

An agreement should include “OPEC and non-OPECbecause now everybody is affected”, he said, indicating hewould back an Algerian proposal made in a previous meet-ing of the organisation to shave 5 percent off global out-put. “We should all agree on a certain level of productioncut: 5 percent of global production will be very good; evenless than that should be acceptable,” he said. “A 1.5-million-barrels cut from markets will significantly affect prices.”

If such an agreement were impossible, OPEC shouldrefrain from holding any extraordinary meeting in ordernot to depress prices further, he said.

“We are ready to attend on condition that everybodyattends and there should be an agreement,” he said. “Wewill send a wrong message if we go and meet and comeout with a negative result that will further negatively affectprices.” —Reuters

DETROIT: Brian Elliott stopped 29 shots,Dmitri Jaskin scored a key third-period goal,and the St Louis Blues beat the Detroit RedWings 2-1 Wednesday night. Ty Rattie alsoscored for St Louis. Elliott came within 2:13 ofbecoming the first goalie in 69 games to shutout the Red Wings, but Henrik Zetterbergspoiled his bid with a power-play goalthrough Justin Abdelkader’s screen. Detroitpulled Petr Mrazek with two minutes left, buttheir momentum was destroyed when DylanLarkin took a penalty with 58 seconds to play.Mrazek finished with 18 saves.

AVALANCHE 2, SABRES 1Francois Beauchemin scored a go-ahead

goal with 31.7 seconds left in the third periodto lift the Avalanche past the Sabres. AlexTanguay had a goal and an assist and SemyonVarlamov had 27 saves for Colorado.Beauchemin also had an assist. TheAvalanche, who scored twice in the third,went ahead when Beauchemin’s shot fromthe point went off Sabres defenseman MarkPysyk and beat goalie Robin Lehner high forhis sixth of the season. Buffalo’s loss spoiledthe return of Ryan O’Reilly, who played sixseason in Colorado and was facing his formerteam for the first time since being traded inthe offseason.

DUCKS 3, WILD 1Rickard Rackell scored the go-ahead goal

with 6:19 left in the third period and rookieJohn Gibson made 25 saves to lead the Ducks.Chris Stewart also scored for the Ducks, whoare 11-2-0 in their last 13 games againstMinnesota. Jakob Silfverberg added an emp-ty-netter with 49 seconds remaining. JarretStoll scored for the Wild, who have lost five ina row. Devan Dubnyk stopped 24 shots. — AP

LOS ANGELES: Dallas Stars center Vernon Fiddler (right) tries to get a shot in on Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick during thethird period of an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles. The Kings won 3-2. — AP

42S p o r t sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

ABU DHABI: Rory McIlroy won theopening skirmish of his much anticipat-ed battle with Jordan Spieth, edging theworld number one by two shots on hisfirst competitive outing of the year atthe Abu Dhabi HSBC Championshipyesterday. The world number threefrom Northern Ireland posted a firstround six-under par 66 to lie two shotsbehind American amateur BrysonDechambeau (64) with Henrik Stensonof Sweden in second after a 65.

McIlroy made two bogeys but com-pensated with eight birdies. Spieth, whouncharacteristically missed a couple ofshort putts, also had two bogeys in his

round of 68. World number six RickieFowler, the third player in the morningfeature group, opened with a two-under par 70. McIlroy is playing his firsttournament of 2016 - after a gap ofalmost two months since winning theDP World Tour Championship in Dubaiin November - but showed no signs ofring rustiness as he opened with twostraight birdies on the 1h and 11thholes after starting on the back nine ofthe golf course.

However, the putter took some timeto warm up as he dropped two shots onhis first nine - on the 13th and 17thholes - both because of three-putts.

Spieth, who won the Tournament ofChampions on the PGA Tour a couple ofweeks ago, needed six holes to make hisfirst birdie, but then added six more.The two bogeys came on the secondand fifth holes, but the defendingMasters and US Open championseemed most frustrated by a missedbirdie putt from four feet on the eighthhole. Stenson, who had a surgery doneon his right knee in December, had saidhis first challenge would be to walk the18 holes this week.

But with his iron play on song, the39-year-old Swede had absolutely notrouble throughout the day. The world

number five, who holds the courserecord of 62 in Abu Dhabi, closed with abogey after failing to make an up-and-down from the bunker on the ninthhole, but that was his only blemish. Helooked set for the first round lead untilDechambeau, who eagled the par 5 8thhole, grabbed top spot with a birdie, hisseventh, at the last. England’s RichardBland came in with a 67 which includeda lone bogey in his penultimate hole,the 17th of the course. Three-time AbuDhabi champion Martin Kaymer, wholost a 10-shot lead over the last 10 holeson the final day last year, made a decentstart with a three-under par 69. — AFP

McIlroy edges Spieth in Abu Dhabi

Blues down Red Wings

BUFFALO: The Buffalo Bills promoted KathrynSmith to be one of their special teams coaches,making her the first full-time female member ofan NFL coaching staff. The team announced themove in a release Wednesday night. Smith wasan administrative assistant this season for Billsassistant coaches under Rex Ryan, with whomshe has worked for seven years. She spent theprevious 12 seasons working for the New YorkJets in various capacities, including as playerpersonnel assistant from 2007-13. Ryan becameJets coach in 2009. Smith served as Ryan’s assis-

tant in 2014, his final season in New York beforehe was fired and then hired by the Bills. In hernew role as special teams quality control coach,Smith will assist special teams coordinatorDanny Crossman and his assistant Eric Smith.

“She certainly deserves this promotionbased on her knowledge and strong commit-ment, just to name a couple of her outstandingqualities,” Ryan said in a statement released bythe team. “She has proven that she’s ready forthe next step, so I’m excited and proud for herwith this opportunity.” Smith becomes the lat-

est female assistant to break the gender barrierin North America’s major professional sports.She follows in the footsteps of Jen Welter, wholast summer served a six-week training campinternship coaching inside linebackers for theArizona Cardinals. In August 2014, formerWNBA player Becky Hammon was hired to SanAntonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s staff,becoming the NBA’s first full-time paid femaleassistant coach.

Last month, the Seattle Mariners hiredAmanda Hopkins as an area scout. In announc-

ing the hiring, the team said Hopkins is believedto be the first female hired as a full-time scoutby a Major League Baseball team since the1950s. In promoting Smyth, Ryan said he con-sulted with Cardinals coach Bruce Arians. “Youcan see the success some of these young ladiesare having in the coaching profession, such asthe young lady that is an assistant to coachPopovich at the San Antonio Spurs, and realizehow exciting this is for women like KathrynSmith as well as the Bills organization,” Ryansaid. — AP

Bills hire first full-time female assistant coach

NEW YORK: Kevin Love had 17 points and 18 rebounds, and theCleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their embarrassing per-formance against Golden State with a 91-78 victory over theBrooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. LeBron James also had 17points and neither forward played in the fourth quarter, a welcomerest with a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers onThursday. More importantly for the Cavs, it was a welcome perform-ance after they were crushed 132-98 on Monday in the NBA Finalsrematch.

WARRIORS 125, BULLS 94Stephen Curry scored 25 points, and Golden State made it look

easy again in beating Chicago. Curry tied a season high with 11assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Klay Thompson added 20points. Harrison Barnes scored 19, and the defending championssimply outclassed Chicago after embarrassing LeBron James andthe Cavaliers in Cleveland on Monday night. The Warriors built a biglead in the first quarter and never were threatened after that,improving their league-best road record to 20-4. Derrick Rosescored 29 and Jimmy Butler added 23 points.

PISTONS 123, ROCKETS 114Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris each scored 22

points and Detroit beat Houston despite Andre Drummond settingan NBA record by missing 23 free throws. Drummond set a careerhigh and franchise record by attempting 36 free throws on a nighthe was intentionally fouled 21 times. The previous record for mostmisses was 22, set by Wilt Chamberlain on Dec 1, 1967. The Hack-A-Shaq tactic allowed the Rockets to take the lead in the third quarterwhen they did it 12 straight times, but it didn’t help them close thegap in the fourth when Drummond went out for good with 5 1/2minutes left after seven hacks in the quarter and Detroit leading107-94. James Harden had his first triple-double of the season andseventh of his career with 33 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and14 assists in the loss. Drummond finished with 17 points and 11rebounds.

THUNDER 109, HORNETS 95Kevin Durant scored 26 points to help Oklahoma City beat

Charlotte for its sixth straight win. Russell Westbrook collected 16points, 15 assists, eight rebounds and five steals in 27 minutesbefore sitting out the fourth quarter because the Thunder were incontrol. Steven Adams had 10 points and 10 rebounds for theThunder, who have won 21 of their past 25 games. Kyle Singleradded a season-high 11 points. Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, whoscored 52 points Monday in a win over Utah, led the Hornets with21 points. Jeremy Lin scored 16 points.

KINGS 112, LAKERS 93DeMarcus Cousins had 36 points and 16 rebounds, and Rajon

Rondo added 11 points and 17 assists in the Kings’ sixth consecutivevictory over the Lakers. Rudy Gay scored 16 points for the Kings,who have won three straight and six of nine. Cousins continued histear through 2016 with another brutally effective performance, scor-ing at least 29 points for the eighth time in the Kings’ nine games inJanuary. Kobe Bryant scored just two of his 15 points after halftimeand Brandon Bass had a season-high 18 for the Lakers, who havelost four straight and eight of nine to drop to 9-35.

HAWKS 104, TRAIL BLAZERS 98Paul Millsap had 23 points and nine rebounds, leading Atlanta to

its third straight win. Kent Bazemore also had 23 points for theHawks, who have won four straight against the Blazers. CJMcCollum had 28 points for Portland, which trailed by as many as 13points in the first half but came all the way to grab an 84-79 leadafter Meyers Leonard’s 3-pointer with 8:10 left. Kyle Korver wrestledback the lead for the Hawks with his first 3-pointer of the game,before Millsap’s 3-pointer and Al Horford’s jumper stretchedAtlanta’s lead to 98-92 with 1:53 left. Portland couldn’t catch up.

KNICKS 118, JAZZ 111, OTCarmelo Anthony had 30 points, nine assists and seven

rebounds, leading New York to an overtime victory over Utah. RobinLopez added 22 points and 12 rebounds for New York, which trailedby as many as 12 in the second half and by eight entering the fourthquarter. Derrick Williams scored 18 points, and rookie KristapsPorzingis had 16. Rodney Hood led Utah with 29 points, and GordonHayward finished with 27.

MAVERICKS 106, TIMBERWOLVES 94, OTChandler Parsons scored seven of his game-high 30 points in

overtime as short-handed Dallas rallied to beat Minnesota. TheMavericks, playing without Dirk Nowitzki, shook off a 10-point,

fourth-quarter deficit and a career game from Timberwolves rookieKarl-Anthony Towns to win in their fourth consecutive overtimegame at home. After trailing for much of the second half, Dallas wasnever behind in overtime. Parsons hit the biggest shot of the extraperiod, a 3-pointer with 2:36 to play to give Dallas a 98-93 lead. With1:25 to go, Devin Harris made a three-point play to extend the leadto eight. With Nowitzki (right knee) and Kevin Garnett (rest) watch-ing from their respective benches in suits, the 2015 first overall pickTowns had 27 points and career highs with 17 rebounds and sixblocks for Minnesota. Andrew Wiggins added 23 points for theWolves.

WIZARDS 106, HEAT 87John Wall had 18 points and 10 assists and Bradley Beal added

18 more as Washington Wizards sent injury-ravaged Miami to itssixth loss in seven games. Miami played without Dwyane Wade,who was scratched with shoulder soreness about a half-hour beforethe game. Halfway through the second quarter, starting centerHassan Whiteside abruptly fell to the floor and with a strained leftoblique and did not return to the game. Down to nine players, 33-year-old Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 11 points in 21minutes - six more than he had played in his previous 14 games this

season. One of the Heat’s remaining players, Luol Deng, who hadscored 16 points, left the floor with 2:25 remaining, holding a towelto his face.

RAPTORS 115, CELTICS 109DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points and Jonas Valanciunas had his

eighth double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds as Torontowon its season-high sixth straight game. Luis Scola chipped in with18 points and Kyle Lowry added 14 for the Raptors. Boston guardIsaiah Thomas had his fifth double-double of the season with 21points and 10 assists. Avery Bradley added another 19 points for theCeltics.

76ERS 96, MAGIC 87Jahlil Okafor scored 20 points, Ish Smith had 13 points and 11

assists and Philadelphia beat Orlando. Hollis Thompson added 17points and Isaiah Canaan scored 15 for Philadelphia, which has wontwo of three to get to six wins on the season. Elfrid Payton ledOrlando with 21 points and 10 assists, but the Magic were lethargicall night defensively and lost for the eighth time in nine games.Nikola Vucevic had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tobias Harrisadded 15 points and 10 boards. — AP

43S p o r t sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

NEW YORK: Utah Jazz forward Chris Johnson (23) hangs onto the ball as New York Knicks center Robin Lopeztrips over him during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Jan 20, 2016. — AP

Cavs bounce back; Warriors march on

Guardiola unsure

of Bayern’s level as

Hamburg clash looms

BERLIN: Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiolaadmits he is unsure of his team’s form ahead oftoday’s Bundesliga match at Hamburg in thewake of their shock defeat at Karlsruhe. Bayernlost 2-1 at second division Karlsruhe last Saturdayin their final warm-up before facing Hamburgaway in the first German league match of 2016.

And Guardiola admits it will take him a fewmatches to discover just how good Bayern arefollowing the four-week winter break. “I don’tknow at which level my team is playing at rightnow, we will need three or four games before Iknow that,” he said in Thursday’s press confer-ence.

“I probably won’t even know after the game inHamburg.” Having announced he wi l l leaveBayern in June, Guardiola’s team is currentlyeight points clear in the Bundesliga table andbidding to become the f irst c lub to win theGerman league title four years in a row. Guardiolahas said he wants to coach in England’s PremierLeague next season. He knows his three-yeartenure at Bayern will be judged on whether hecan repeat the 2013 treble of Champions League,German Cup and Bundesliga titles, achieved byhis predecessor Jupp Heynckes.

Guardiola, 45, has won five titles so far with theGerman giants, but is under pressure to win theChampions League with his side having exitedthe tournament at the semi-final stage for the lasttwo seasons. “I can live with that. Perhaps we willwin the Champions League,” he said. “JuppHeynckes and Ottmar Hitzfeld (who coachedBayern to the 2001 Champions League title), willalways be more important to the club than me.“They are German and were here longer than me.“I know the pressure from my time at Barcelona,so I can live with it.”

Bayern will need no reminding of their 4-1drubbing at the hands of last season’s runners-upWolfsburg at exactly the same stage of last sea-son. Having last beaten the Bavarian giants inSeptember 2009, mid-table Hamburg are expect-ed to take the game to Bayern, as they did in theirshock 3-1 home win over Borussia Dortmund lastNovember. “I’m sure they will attack, just as theydid against Dortmund,” said Guardiola. Bayernwill be at near full strength with only World Cupwinner Mario Goetze, wingers Franck Ribery,defenders Medhi Benatia and Rafinha all “need-ing more time” to get over injuries. —AFP

S p o r t sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

PARIS: Marseille eased into the last 16 ofthe French Cup on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Montpellier, while Lyonand Monaco also progressed after beat-ing lower-level opposition. Record 10-time winners Marseille grabbed a fortu-itous first-half lead at the StadeVelodrome when Georges-KevinNkoudou’s scuffed shot hit RamyBensebaini and trickled into the net foran own goal. Brice Dja Djedje thenadded a second on 55 minutes to sealMarseille’s passage into the next round,with the draw to be conducted onThursday.

Earlier, Lyon beat third-tier Chambly2-0. Bruno Genesio’s side took control oftheir tie on a freezing evening inBeauvais with two goals from Maxwell

Cornet and Mathieu Valbuena in thespace of two minutes midway throughthe first half. “In the Cup, you have tomove on. Bearing in mind the playingconditions, it was a decent perform-ance,” said Lyon coach Genesio. “Wemanaged to score quickly and that’simportant in these types of contests. Weknow these matches can sometimes be atrap and I want to salute the attitude ofmy players.” In Annecy, Monaco weretaken to extra time by second-tier Evianbefore the principality side prevailed 3-1.Lacina Traore headed in just before half-time to give Monaco the lead, but thehosts hit back through Morgan Kamin toforce extra time.

However, goals from Mario Pasalic(103) and Helder Costa (119) ensured

Monaco advanced to the next round.Fourth-division Trelissac stunned Lille asthey knocked out the six-time champi-ons on penalties following a 1-1 draw.Troyes, still winless in Ligue 1 this sea-son, moved into the last 16 following a3-1 win over fourth-tier Concarneau,while Nantes beat Mantes 1-0 andLorient saw off Boulogne 3-1, both afterextra time. On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain remained on course to defendtheir domestic treble as ZlatanIbrahimovic converted an 88th-minutepenalty in a 2-1 win over Toulouse at theParc des Princes. Toulouse had taken an11th-minute lead through Swiss interna-tional Francois Moubandje before DavidLuiz leveled for PSG early in the secondhalf. —AFP

Marseille join Monaco and

Lyon in French Cup last 16

BEAUVAIS: Chambly’s midfielder Yann Le Picard (left) vies with Lyon’s French forward Aldo Kalulu Kyatengwa(center) during the French Cup football match between Chambly and Lyon at Pierre Brisson Stadium inBeauvais on January 20, 2016. —AFP

ZURICH: Transfer spending around the worldhit a record $4.18 billion in 2015 and hasgrown by nearly half in five years, FIFA saidyesterday. With television and sponsorshipmoney rocketing, there were an all-time high13,558 transfers in 2015, up 3.1% on the previ-ous year, said FIFA’s Global Transfer Marketreport which monitored 6,500 clubs aroundthe world. Some $4.18 billion (3.83 billioneuros) in transfers were registered by FIFA, up2.6% on 2014 and more than 44% higher than2011 spending. English Premier League clubsare still the main spenders but China’s SuperLeague is showing the biggest growth, thereport said. According to the Deloitte consul-tancy, English clubs spent $1.2 billion (1.1 bil-lion euros) in the summer transfer window lastyear.

Bale record feeMeanwhile, Welsh star Gareth Bale joined Real

Madrid in 2013 for a world record fee in excess of100 million euros ($109 million, £77 million), aleaked report reveals. Whistleblowing websiteFootball Leaks posted a copy of the agreementbetween Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur onlineon Wednesday. The deal allowed Madrid theoption of paying 91,589,842 euros in one lumpsum within 15 days of the transfer, or 99,743,542euros in four installments over three years.

Madrid also agreed to pay a solidarity fee of1,015,875 euros and forego any outstanding pay-ments on the transfer of Dutch midfielder RafaelVan der Vaart to Tottenham from Madrid in 2013.Numerous Spanish media outlets reportedMadrid had taken up the four installment option.Real Madrid refused to comment when contact-

ed by AFP on Thursday. However, Bale’s agentJonathan Barnett called for an investigation intohow the documents came to be leaked.

“There should be an inquiry and an inde-pendent investigation because it’s outrageous,”he told The Telegraph. “There also needs to bean apology from the Football Association to theclubs and the player. “I think it’s disgraceful thatpeople can get hold of this sort of stuff. It showscomplete disregard for both clubs and the play-er.” Real have long maintained Bale only cost 91million euros. Indeed another provision of thecontract states Madrid would cite that figure tothe media, whilst Tottenham wouldn’t releaseany statement regarding the transfer fee.

In exchange, Madrid agreed to ensure Balewouldn’t make any “negative or derogatory com-ments” regarding Tottenham and their chairman

Daniel Levy. Madrid were reluctant to announce aworld record fee to appease Bale’s teammate andthree-time World Player of the Year CristianoRonaldo, whose move from Manchester United toMadrid for 94 million euros in 2009 was the previ-ous record. Bale has consistently been linked witha move back to England with United among thoserumoured to be interested.

However, according to the agreement,Tottenham have a right of first refusal shouldMadrid sell Bale back to the Premier Leaguebefore 2019.Bale enjoyed a stellar first season inMadrid, scoring in the finals as Real won theChampions League and Copa del Rey againstrivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona respectively.However, after a poor second season, the 26-year-old has been hampered by injuries so farthis year. —Agencies

Transfer spending hits a new record $4.18 billion

ROME: Defending champions Juventus will takeon Inter Milan for a place in the Italian Cup finalafter edging Lazio 1-0 in the quarter-finalsWednesday with goalline technology summonedto clarify the winning goal. On the back of 10 winsin a row in Serie A, Juventus grabbed the only goalof the night in the 66th minute at the StadioOlimpico.

Swiss international Stephan Lichtsteiner, a for-mer Lazio star, was in the right place at the righttime to nudge the ball over the line after a fiercedrive from Simone Zaza had come off the crossbar.Lazio’s Albanian goalkeeper Etrit Berisha thoughthe had done enough to thwart Lichtsteiner’s close-range rebound but goalline technology showedthe ball had just crossed the line. “It will be a won-derful semi-final, you have to face the biggestclubs to reach the end, but right now we arefocused on this weekend’s meeting with Roma inthe league,” said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri.

On Tuesday, Inter had defeated Napoli 2-0 in amatch overshadowed by an ugly row betweenrival coaches Roberto Mancini and Maurizio Sarri.Mancini blasted Napoli counterpart Sarri a “racist”and claimed his rival called him a “poof”. Manciniand Sarri clashed on the touchline after AdemLjajic killed off the quarter-final tie at the San Paolostadium in Naples in injury time to add to StevanJovetic’s opener. “Maurizio Sarri is a racist and menlike him have no place in football,” fumed Mancinito RAI TV after the game. “He used racist words. Hestarted insulting me and then shouted at me, call-ing me a poof.”

Mancini said Sarri had used the words “frocio”and “finocchio”, both pejorative terms meaninghomosexual. Sarri brushed off the exchange aspart and parcel of the game. “I’ve seen and heardworse on a pitch,” he said. “I hope that in the coldlight of day, Mancini will also change his point ofview. “In my words, there was no form of discrimi-nation, I have nothing against homosexuals. I’veapologized to Mancini, for me everything’s ok.”The other semi-final will be between third-divisionAlessandria and AC Milan. — AFP

ROME: Juventus’ Paul Pogba (left) and Lazio’s Stefan Radu jump for theball during an Italian Cup soccer match between Lazio and Juventus, atRome’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, Jan 20, 2016. — AP

MADRID: Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigoplayed to a 0-0 draw and Barcelona defeatedAthletic Bilbao 2-1 in the quarterfinals of theCopa del Rey on Wednesday. Barcelona gotthe away victory but Aritz Aduriz’s late goalkept Athletic alive going into next week’ssecond leg at the Camp Nou. Atletico andCelta will play the return match at theVicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid, whereAtletico has won its last nine matches.

Atletico relied on solid defending tokeep the hosts from scoring, but DiegoSimeone’s team failed to take its chances oncounterattacks. Celta nearly scored in the82nd but Gabi Fernandez cleared the balljust in front of the goal line to maintain thedeadlock. “It was an open match, but theyhad more ball possession,” Simeone said.“Now any draw other than 0-0 will benefitthem. We need the victory at any cost.”

The sides had met in the Spanish leaguejust 10 days ago, with Atletico winning 2-0

in Vigo. Atletico Madrid leads the Spanishleague with 47 points from 20 games.Barcelona is two points behind from 19games. Celta is fifth with 34 points, alsofrom 20 games. Barcelona was set for a 2-0win at the San Mames in Bilbao, but Adurizfound the net in the 89th after Barcelonadefender Dani Alves failed to clear a ballfrom inside the area. Athletic almost equal-ized a couple of minutes later after a balldeflected in front of the goal, but Barcelonagoalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made agood save to secure the win.

Munir El Haddadi gave Barcelona thelead in the 18th after a cross by Ivan Rakitic,and Brazil striker Neymar increased the leadin the 25th after a long ball sent into thearea. “Athletic pressured a lot,” Barcelonacoach Luis Enrique said. “It was complicated,but I’m satisfied with the result despite con-ceding the late goal.” The Catalan club gotthe win - its fifth in a row - despite playing

without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Messiwas rested after receiving a knock on hisright leg in the Spanish league gameagainst Athletic over the weekend, whileSuarez served the last of his a two-gamesuspension for insulting Espanyol oppo-nents in the first leg of the round of 16 ofthe Copa del Rey.

Suarez, the Spanish league’s top scorerwith 18 goals, netted a hat trick inBarcelona’s 6-0 rout of Athletic in theleague on Sunday. The Basque club playedthat game with 10 men after goalkeeperGorka Iraizoz was sent off for a foul thatprompted a penalty kick to Barcelona inthe fourth minute. The quarterfinalmatchup is a rematch of last year’s final inthe Copa del Rey, which Barcelona won 3-1. The teams also met in the Spanish SuperCup final a few weeks later, when Bilbaocame out on top to win its first major titlein more than 30 years. — AP

45S p o r t sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

Messi, Suarez-less Barca edge towards Cup semis

Atletico, Celta Vigo play goalless draw

Gay club boss urgesplayers to ‘declare

their homosexuality’ MILAN: The gay president of an Italian fifth divisionclub has called for Serie A players and officials to‘declare their homosexuality’, as the furor overNapoli coach Maurizio Sarri’s gay slurs rumbled yes-terday. Sarri has steered Napoli to the top of Italy’stop flight and the side are firmly in title contention26 years after winning their last ‘scudetto’. But the57-year-old hit the headlines for all the wrong rea-sons on Tuesday when he called Inter Milan coachRoberto Mancini a ‘poof’ during a heated disputeafter his side’s quarter-final Cup defeat to theNerazzurri.

Sarri, who now risks a two-game touchline ban,claimed the slurs were said in the heat of themoment. But the controversy has overshadowedNapoli’s brilliant first half of the season and leftSarri, who has transformed Napoli from also-rans totitle contenders, with egg on his face. AlessandroCecchi Paone, the president of fifth division sidePositano, close to Naples, labeled Sarri’s slurs as“offensive and homophobic” and suggested Napoliorganise a benefit match between the sides to helpspread awareness of the issue.

But Paone said gay players, coaches or officialscould make a bigger impact by coming out them-selves. The 54-year-old announced he was gay 18months ago and said he has earned nothing butrespect. “Everyone gives me credit for having thecourage to admit I was gay. Now would be the time,in Serie A, for a coach, player or official to come toterms with his own homosexuality and become anexample to follow,” Paone said in Gazzetta delloSport. “Mancini has jolted a climate that effectivelyprevents players from declaring their homosexuali-ty because these kinds of homophobic incidents,that I see all the time in the minor leagues, don’t getthe publicity they deserve.”

While Sarri awaits the announcement of a possi-ble ban that could hamper his side’s campaign, hisrant has highlighted arguably the last big taboo infootball. In 2009 Gareth Thomas, at the time Wales’smost-capped rugby union player, admitted he wasgay while still actively playing. Yet gay footballersremain a rarity at the top level of the sport.Englishman Justin Fashanu was the first profession-al footballer in Britain to admit his sexuality, in 1990,but committed suicide eight years later, aged 37.

Last year former Aston Villa, West Ham andEverton midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger announcedhe was gay, claiming: “I’ve never been ashamed ofthe way I am.” In 2015 reports that two PremierLeague stars, one of whom was allegedly anEngland international, were on the verge ofannouncing their ‘coming out’ dominated head-lines in Britain’s tabloids. But currently, there are noknown openly gay footballers in the English andScottish professional leagues.

Homosexuality in Italian football also remainstaboo, although Juventus midfielder ClaudioMarchisio won fans among the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual, Transexual) community several years agowhen he said it was “not fair” homosexuals shouldbe accepted elsewhere and not in football. He toldthe Italian edition of Vogue magazine in June 2012:“If someone comes out at their place of work, thank-fully now it no longer causes controversy. “But ifyou do that at a football training camp, the reactionwouldn’t be the same. It is not fair.” Paone, mean-while, said his candor on the subject has only boost-ed his club’s chance on the pitch. “Things are goinggreat, I have great relations with the players andthere’s no problem about me going into the dress-ing room,” he added. “What’s more, the team isplaying even better.” — AFP

Holders Juventus set-up Inter clash

Lichtsteiner sends Juve into Cup semi-finals

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s Sheyi Ojo (right) fights for the ball against Exeter’s Will Hoskins during the English FA Cupthird-round replay soccer match between Liverpool and Exeter at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool on Wednesday Jan 20,2016. — AP

S p o r t sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

LONDON: Petr Cech’s stunning formwith Arsenal appears to have goneunnoticed by his sponsors Adidas, whodelivered a pair of new goalkeepergloves to the training ground of his for-mer club Chelsea. The Czech Republicinternational, 33, spent 11 very success-ful years with Chelsea, notably winning

four Premier League titles and the 2012Champions League, before crossingLondon to join Arsenal during the closeseason. He was expecting a new pair ofgloves to be delivered ahead ofSunday’s match between the clubs atthe Emirates Stadium, only for Chelseato inform him that they had been sent

to their Cobham training base in error.Asked on Thursday if he would check

Cech’s new gloves for signs of skuldug-gery, Arsenal manager Arsene Wengerreplied: “He’s big enough to check hisown gloves. “I think he has enoughgloves. These kind of mistakes can hap-pen. I consider him now as a real

Arsenal player who looks to me as if he’sbeen here forever. “He has adapted sowell and integrated to team spirit. Thiskind of incident is an accident.” Arsenalare currently top of the table on goaldifference from Leicester City, withdefending champions Chelsea 19 pointsoff the pace in 14th place. — AFP

Gloves off as Adidas forget to Cech address

LONDON: Son Heung-min’s thunderousfinish helped Tottenham Hotspur secure a2-0 victory at Leicester City and Liverpooleased past fourth-tier Exeter City 3-0 in FACup third-round replays on Wednesday.Son, who rifled home the opening goalafter 39 minutes, set up Nacer Chadli forthe second with a beautiful pass in the sec-ond half as the eight-times Cup winnerseased through against surprise PremierLeague high-flyers Leicester. Liverpoolscored early through Joe Allen, but thenmade heavy weather of their lower leagueopponents and did not add to their leaduntil substitute Sheyi Ojo curled homesuperbly.

Joao Teixeira rounded off a comfortablevictory for Juergen Klopp’s side with a neatnear-post finish eight minutes from time.After the first meeting between Tottenhamand Leicester had ended in a thrilling 2-2draw and with both teams harboringhopes of challenging for the PremierLeague title, their managers showed wherethe FA Cup ranks in their priorities. Bothmade a raft of changes to the sides theyfielded at the weekend and left out their

principal attacking weapons, with JamieVardy warming the Leicester bench formost of the match and Harry Kane startingon the sidelines for Spurs.

The game began at a pedestrian paceand only sprang to life after 39 minuteswhen Son finished emphatically, thumpingthe ball into the top corner past KasperSchmeichel as the Leicester defenceretreated. Demarai Gray tested Spurs keep-er Michel Vorm at the start of the secondhalf with a curling effort, but Leicesterstruggled to find any momentum and fellfurther behind after 66 minutes. The ballfound its way through to Son, who slid aperfectly-weighted through ball for Chadlito calmly finish past Schmeichel and roundoff a pleasing display for Tottenham man-ager Mauricio Pochettino.

“The performance was fantastic,” he toldthe BBC. “We played well from the begin-ning to the end. I think we deserved thisvictory.” Liverpool manager Klopp intro-duced a smattering of experience to theside that drew 2-2 at Exeter, in the shape ofAllen, Jose Enrique and Christian Benteke,but it was still populated mostly by acade-

my graduates. One of those, Brad Smith,made a telling contribution as seven-timeswinners Liverpool took the lead after 10minutes. The 21-year-old Australianexchanged passes with Benteke and drilledhis low cross into the box for Allen to side-foot home.

The second half was as one-sided asthe first and with a similar outcome asLiverpool pressed and dominated butfailed to find the killer blow. While thehosts’ struggles to extend their advan-tage added to the tension inside Anfield,the second goal was worth waiting for asOjo strolled into the area before beauti-fully curling his finish into the roof of thenet. That effectively ended any hopes ofan upset and was swiftly followed by athird goal as Teixeira was fed through byBenteke and calmly slotted home, allow-ing Klopp to sing the praises of his youngplayers. “They showed they are talentedwith really big skills,” he told BT Sport.Spurs travel to third-t ier ColchesterUnited in the fourth round and Liverpoolhost Premier League rivals West HamUnited. — Reuters

Spurs oust LeicesterLiverpool beat lowly Exeter in FA Cup

Arsenal’s duo

Sanchez, Ozil in

line for Chelsea

LONDON: Arsenal’s key creators Mesut Oziland Alexis Sanchez could both return frominjury for Sunday’s Premier League clash withchampions Chelsea, manager Arsene Wengersaid yesterday. German playmaker Ozil missedlast weekend’s 0-0 draw at Stoke City with aminor foot injury, but Wenger said that hewould be available for the London derby atthe Emirates Stadium. Wenger is also hopefulthat Sanchez will be able to feature for thefirst time since succumbing to a hamstringproblem at Norwich City on November 29,although the Chilean is not certain to beinvolved. “The good news is that Ozil certainlywill be available,” Wenger told his pre-gamepress conference at the Arsenal trainingground.

“Sanchez, the next two days will be deci-sive, but this time, I think he will make it forselection.” On Sanchez, Wenger added: “Thedoubt is about him having been out for a longtime, and the risk of a setback. “To be clear onall the tests is one thing. To be clear aftertraining is another. The intensity of a big gameyou can never replicate in training, but youcan make the risk minimal. “I’m cautious withhim because we cannot afford a setback,which would mean a very long period out. Wedon’t want to take this risk. The signs he’sshown in training this week are positive.”

Wenger said that midfielder FrancisCoquelin had returned to full training yester-day following a knee injury. Striker DannyWelbeck (knee) is due back in training nextweek and midfielder Tomas Rosicky is sched-uled to play for Arsenal’s under-21 side onFriday as he pursues his recovery from a kneeinjury of his own. Arsenal top the table ongoal difference from Leicester City, withManchester City a point back in third place.Chelsea are 19 points adrift in 14th. Wengeralso said that he would happily help UK Anti-doping after the agency’s chief executive,Nicole Sapstead, said on Wednesday that shewanted to speak to him about comments hehas made about doping in the past.

Wenger, 66, said in November that footballhad a doping problem and accused Europeangoverning body UEFA of not doing enough tostamp it out. “I have more desire than time,but I’m more than happy to help if I can inclarifying things for people who want to fightagainst doping,” he said yesterday. “I’ve saidwhat I have to say. In football, in our job, welook like we want to tackle the problem now.For a long period it looks to me like we didn’t.“I am available. We have to tackle doping andfight against it, you and me. I am not thinkingI can do more than people responsible to dothat, but if they need to talk to me, I’m avail-able.” He added: “I’m sure that not one club inEngland is trying to dope its players.” — AFP

MELBOURNE: Lleyton Hewitt bade anemotional farewell under the AustralianOpen floodlights yesterday as David Ferrersnuffed out any chance of fairytale finalflourish from the local hero. After worldnumber two Andy Murray had trampled onhome sensibilities by mauling AustralianSam Groth to reach the third round, theRod Laver Arena crowd settled in to watchformer world number one Hewitt try toextend his illustrious singles career for atleast another two days.

Eighth-seeded Spaniard Ferrer playedthe villain to perfection, however, endingthe two-times grand slam champion’srecord 20th campaign at Melbourne Parkwith an emphatic 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory. Notthat renowned street-fighter Hewitt wentwith a whimper. He fought to the last evenwhen defeat was inevitable. “Every time Iplay out here at Rod Laver Arena, it’s like asecond home,” the 34-year-old Adelaidenative told the fans after a typically pugna-cious display in which he cursed a linejudge and mouthed off at the chairumpire. “Playing for Australia has alwaysbeen my biggest honor ... I feel fortunateto finish here.”

The scandal over alleged match-fixingin tennis that has clouded the tourna-ment’s opening days lingered on thoughwith even Hewitt being quizzed aboutonline speculation that some of his pastmatches had been implicated. “Good lucktaking me on with it,” he said angrily at thepost-match media conference, his threechildren sitting beside him. “It’s disap-pointing. Throwing my name out therewith it makes the whole thing a farce.”Hewitt’s sentiments echoed those of worldnumber one Novak Djokovic , who onWednesday was moved to deny anywrongdoing after an Italian newspaperreport said a 2007 match he lost at theParis Masters was fixed.

NO DISTRACTIONSThere were no distractions for Murray

though as he ruthlessly demolished big-serving Groth 6-0 6-4 6-1 as the top seedssailed through on a day of bright sunshine.The 2014 champion and fourth seedStanislas Wawrinka swatted away Czechveteran Radek Stepanek in the twilight,whi le women’s third seed GarbineMuguruza and two-t imes championVictoria Azarenka also charged into thethird round. Rafa Nadal’s first-round exit to

Fernando Verdasco punched a hole in thebottom half of the draw, but four-timesfinalist Murray was not about to join thefallen Spaniard. He disarmed Groth, theworld’s fastest recorded server, with a clin-ical returning game, showing his guile bylobbing the 6-ft-4in (1.93m) Australianrepeatedly when he lumbered forward indesperation.

Murray has trounced both his first roundopponents and Portuguese 32nd seed JoaoSousa is next in the firing line. Since herback-to-back titles at Melbourne Park in2012-13, two injury-blighted years havekept Azarenka from claiming a third but thepowerful Belarusian is looking dangerous.The former world number one, seeded 14thhere, hammered Montenegro’s DankaKovinic 6-1 6-2 at Margaret Court Arena toset up a match with Naomi Osaka andoffered some chi l l ing words for theJapanese qualifier. “I’m feeling in the bestshape body-wise, you know, spirit-wise,everything-wise,” Azarenka told reporters.

She remains on course for a mouth-watering fourth-round clash with SpanishWimbledon runner-up Muguruza, whocrushed Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-2.Wawrinka eased past 37-year-old qualifierStepanek 6-2 6-3 6-4 in the Hisense Arenaand the Swiss next faces another Czech inLukas Rosol. Thirteenth seed Milos Raoniccontinued to shape as a dark horse, beat-ing Tommy Robredo 7-6(5) 7-6(5) 7-5.Underlining the fickle nature of grandslams, Nadal’s first-round slayer and com-patriot Fernando Verdasco exited after ahard-fought four-set loss to pint-sizedIsraeli Dudi Sela.

The on-court drama spilled into thestands early in the day at Rod Laver Arena,where a spectator was injured in a tumbledown the stairs during former French Openchampion Ana Ivanovic’s 6-3 6-3 win overAnastasija Sevastova. She faces big-hittingAmerican youngster Madison Keys next in ameaty third-round clash. Teenager Osakagave a bow to thrilled Japanese fans afterdumping 18th seed Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-4,continuing her impressive main drawdebut at a grand slam. Born to a Haitianfather and raised in the US, Osaka remainsa curiosity in her mother’s country but ashow-court appearance against Azarenkacould change all that. “I always think thatthey’re surprised that I’m Japanese,” thefrizzy-haired 18-year-old shrugged with anAmerican accent. —Reuters

S p o r t sFRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

MELBOURNE: Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt (center) gestures as he walks off courtwith family members after his defeat in the men’s singles match against Spain’sDavid Ferrer on day four of the 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament inMelbourne yesterday. —AFP

Emotional farewell as Hewitt bows out

Murray disarms Groth with masterly display

MELBOURNE: Playing tennis carries its risks but at this year’s AustralianOpen, watching has been even more dangerous after a series of med-ical emergencies in the opening few days. Several players were strug-gling with injury in the build-up to the season’s first Grand Slam, but sofar it’s the spectators and ball kids who have had more problems inMelbourne. Yesterday, Ana Ivanovic was shaken after an elderly fan wasbadly hurt in a fall on some steps in Rod Laver Arena, in worrying sceneswhich held up play for 30 minutes. “I was really shaking, because thesound of the lady falling was really loud. I could hear it,” said the formerworld number one, who looked on anxiously before the spectator wasfinally stretchered away.The incident came after Bernard Tomic was leftfearing for a spectator’s life after she suffered a seizure during his first-round match against Denis Istomin. In dramatic scenes, an anti-allergyshot was quickly passed through the crowd and eventually the patronwas taken out of the venue, with the worst of the danger past.

Tomic said it was difficult to know how to react as a player, watch-ing somebody in clear danger but also then having to refocus on one ofthe biggest matches of the season. “Potentially someone’s dying and

we’re not sure what’s going on. You know, we had 15 minutes’ gapbetween that service game then only to play one point,” he said after-wards. “You know, at one stage I was looking directly at the lady. It wasnot a good moment to be in for me. I felt very, very sad. I really hopeshe’s okay.” French former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also showed hiscaring side when he assisted a dazed and tearful ball girl after she hadbeen struck in the face with a ball.

Realizing the girl was in trouble, the Frenchman took her by the arm,took the balls from her hand and led her from the court-an act of kind-ness which drew warm applause. “I saw she was in trouble,” the modestTsonga said later. “It was normal to help her out of the stadium. I hopeshe’s okay. “To be honest I didn’t do anything special.” It mirrored a situ-ation earlier in the tournament, when Spain’s Carla Suarez spotted aball boy swooning in the intense heat, and led him from the court,again to applause. Perversely, injuries to players have been relativelyfew, although Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman also fell victim to theheat when he was stretchered away from his opening match withsevere cramps. —AFP

When even watching tennis is ‘dangerous’Teen qualifier Osaka

feels Japanese loveMELBOURNE: Teenage qualifier Naomi Osaka gave a bow to thecrowd after moving into the Australian Open third round yesterday,in a gesture to the hordes of Japanese fans supporting her. It was anice touch from a player who is enjoying an amazing Grand Slamdebut and who represents the Asian nation-yet understands virtual-ly no Japanese. “I’m trying to study Japanese but I get really nervouswhen I hear it,” she said.

“It’s really fast. Sometimes it sounds like they’re rapping, so thenI’m just like, ‘Oh my god-I didn’t hear the first part of the question.’“Then I look like an idiot, and I don’t want to look like an idiot.”Eighteen-year-old Osaka, the daughter of a Japanese mother andHaitian father, she moved to New York as a young child and mostlytrains in Florida. Her dad reportedly preferred to see the dual pass-port-holder play under the Japanese flag rather than the UnitedStates, and she has been embraced by Japan. —AFP

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016

PORTLAND: Portland Trail Blazersguard CJ McCollum (right) passesthe ball away from Atlanta Hawksforward Kent Bazemore duringthe second half of an NBA basket-ball game in Portland, Ore onWednesday, Jan 20, 2016. — AP