Saudi Crown Prince's visit adds to strong, historic ties

PALU, Indonesia: Nearly 400 people were killedwhen a powerful quake sent a tsunami barrelling intothe Indonesian island of Sulawesi, officials said yester-day, as hospitals struggled to cope with hundreds ofinjured and rescuers scrambled to reach the strickenregion. The national disaster agency put the officialdeath toll so far at 384, all of them in the tsunami-struckcity of Palu, but warned the toll was likely to rise. Some540 people were badly injured, it added.

In the city - home to around 350,000 people - par-tially covered bodies lay on the ground near the shore,the day after tsunami waves 1.5 m high hit the coast.There were also concerns over the whereabouts ofhundreds of people preparing for a beach festival thathad been due to start Friday evening, the disasteragency said. Hospitals were overwhelmed by the influxof injured, with many people being treated in the openair, while other survivors helped to retrieve the remainsof those who died.

One man was seen carrying the muddy corpse of asmall child. The tsunami was triggered by a strongquake that brought down buildings and sent locals flee-ing for higher ground as a churning wall of water

crashed into Palu, where there were widespread powerblackouts. Dramatic video footage captured from thetop floor of a parking ramp in Palu, nearly 80 km fromthe quake’s epicenter, showed waves bring down sever-al buildings and inundate a large mosque. “I just ranwhen I saw the waves hitting homes on the coastline,”said Palu resident Rusidanto, who like many

Indonesians goes by one name.About 17,000 people had been evacuated, the dis-

aster agency said, and that figure is expected to rise.The shallow 7.5 magnitude tremor was more powerfulthan a series of quakes that killed hundreds on theIndonesian island of Lombok in July and August.

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ISSUE NO: 17644

28 Pages 150 Fils

www.kuwaittimes.net

Established 1961 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

MUHARRAM 20,1440 AH SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

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Saudi Crown Prince’s visit adds to strong, historic ties

Prince Mohammad bin Salman to hold talks with Amir, Crown Prince

In my view

My Loulwah

[email protected]

By Farah Abdul Hasan Khajah

Up until that day, I believed that I had endured myshare of pain for this lifetime, and that what I hadovercome had made me stronger and grow as a

person. But never in my life did I ever imagine that Godwould put my strength and my ability to grow to the testby taking away my precious daughter, my Loulwah. At fourmonths of age, buckled safely in her car seat, my baby waskilled by a reckless, speeding driver.

I remember that day so clearly. You were propped upagainst the yellow pillow, watching your siblings, yourfather and I as we played together and solved puzzles.There was a safe place for you in the corner of the couch -a place I had gotten so accustomed to seeing you everyday. You were so calm and content, smiling at us and gig-gling. I can still hear our laughter and feel our happiness.

Later, we prepared to head to the seaside as we usuallydo on Saturdays. Your father Tareq took your sister Besmaand your brother Ahmad in his car, while I tucked yousafely in your car seat in my car, your nanny Ma. Ceceliasitting in the rear seat beside you, and we all headed outtogether. After a short while on the road, I could sense thatsomething was wrong with one of my tires, so I parked mycar in the “safety” lane to assess the situation.

I turned on my flashers, checked all four tires, and wasfiguring out what to do next, when I suddenly found myselfflung across the highway. With my body throbbing withpain and covered in blood, I lay helplessly on the hotasphalt, trying to make sense of what had just happened.But in my incoherent state of confusion, I found myselfstaring intently at your side of the car. It was completelycrushed. All I wanted was to walk over to you, to check onyou, to hold you in my arms, and to protect you. But alas,God had other plans.

The next morning, as I lay in the hospital bed, yourfather told me that you left our world and would never,ever, be coming back. I remember that moment clearly, tothe minute and to the second. The weeks since the acci-dent have been the most difficult weeks I have everendured in my life. The feeling of helplessness consumesme every day - physically, mentally and emotionally. I findmyself worrying about Besma and Ahmad - what should Isay when they ask me about you? I worry about Ma.Cecelia, who barely survived the crash - will she recover?And I worry about your father, Tareq - how are we goingto pull through this?

My heart yearns for you Loulwah. I mustered up all thecourage I had to enter your room again, and once inside, Ifound myself searching for you, hoping that I would sud-denly wake up from this nightmare, hoping that by sheermagic, you would be there, and that everything would bealright again. I search for your sweet baby scent in yourclothes, your bed, your bouncer, your changing table, andin every corner of our home. I want to cling on to anythingthat is you, to prove you existed, but you were never there.Nothing is the same without you, and nothing will ever bethe same without you.

I refuse to believe that your life was in vain. Your short-lived time on this earth was for a larger purpose. Your pur-pose in life, and mine now, is to protect everyone, childrenand adults from getting killed or injured while parked inthe “safety” lane. Although for a mere four months, yougraced us with your presence to make people aware of thedangers of reckless driving. While you were not the first,hopefully you will be the last as your passing has touchedthe country as a whole.

I cannot understand how there is zero to little respectfor life on our streets in Kuwait. I cannot comprehend howthe Ministry of Interior passed this complicated rule ofallowing the use of the “safety” lane while simple rulesagainst reckless driving have never been respected.Inadequate penalties of limited punishment are currentlyenforced for highly dangerous traffic violations that putmany lives at risk daily by just driving.

How many mothers have to achingly hold their lifelessinfants and children in their arms for a change to finally bemade? Who will put an end to reckless driving on ourstreets? Will your passing be the end of this decision to usethe “safety” lane and return it to its original purpose, a placewhere drivers can feel safe in the event of an emergency?

And who will take my guilt away for parking in the“safety” lane on that fateful day, assuming that you, mydearest Loulwah, your nanny Ma. Cecelia, and I would allbe safe? I love you Loulouty, and I always will. Loving youwas so easy, and it came so naturally from within, and wasthe deepest love I have ever known. You have been themost beautiful gift to our family. I am sorry that neither Inor our country could protect you on that horrid day, but Ipromise that I will strive for change. I will do everything Ican to make it better for everyone else, for you, Loulouty.

Your loving mother,Farah

COLOGNE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech to officially openthe newly-built central mosque yesterday. — AFP

COLOGNE: Thousands of demonstra-tors hit the streets of Cologne yesterdayas Turkish President Recep TayyipErdogan opened one of Europe’s largestmosques at the end of his visit toGermany, with police out in force tomanage rival rallies. The inaugurationcapped a controversial three-day statevisit aimed at repairing frayed ties withBerlin after two years of tensions.During his stay in Berlin, Erdogan mettwice with Angela Merkel for talks, withboth leaders signalling their interest in acautious rapprochement. But the

German chancellor stressed that “deepdifferences” remained on civil rights andother issues.

Before returning home, Erdogan trav-elled to the western city of Colognewhere several thousand critics turnedout to protest everything from Turkey’srecord on human rights and press free-dom to its treatment of minority Kurds.Erdogan supporters meanwhile gatherednear the Cologne Central Mosque, animposing dome-shaped building com-missioned by the Turkish-controlledDitib organization.

Cologne police cordoned off a largearea around the mosque for safety rea-sons, but thousands of Erdogan support-ers spilled into the side streets, hopingfor a glimpse of the Turkish leader. Manywaved Turkey’s red and white flag orheld up pictures of Erdogan, with

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Erdogan opens mega mosque in Cologne

NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeobrought the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatartogether Friday for the first time since their diplomaticfeud erupted but there was no sign of a let-up in ten-sions between the Gulf powerhouses. At the start of ameeting with counterparts from the six-nation GulfCooperation Council (GCC) along with allies Egypt andJordan, Pompeo said that those present had “a sharedinterest in a wide range of security issues”.

But speaking to reporters later, Qatar’s foreign min-ister said there had been “no progress” in resolving themore than year-long dispute with Saudi Arabia. Heinsisted that the gas-rich state remained “open to dia-logue” with the Saudis and its allies. “We are gratefulfor the efforts President Donald Trump makes to trysolving this crisis but the responses from the blockadecountries are not positive,” said Mohammed binAbdulrahman Al-Thani.

He added a proposed regional security alliancebringing together the US, Gulf allies, Egypt and Jordanis at risk of credibility if the Gulf dispute is notresolved. The Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA) ismeant to serve as a bulwark against Iran and extrem-ism, Washington says. But it is unclear how it can getoff the ground given the dispute. “Regarding thealliance and the creation of the alliance, by ignoring the

GCC rift, we don’t think that, even if it’s initiated, that itwill be initiated effectively,” Sheikh Mohammed said.“There is a serious challenge among the states and weneed to address this challenge, in order also to provethe credibility of this alliance. And we believe there’s anopportunity over here,” he said.

The United States said that all the countries foundcommon cause against Iran, Saudi Arabia’s archrivalwhich the Trump administration has been seeking to iso-late. “All participants agreed on the need to confrontthreats from Iran directed at the region and the UnitedStates,” the State Department said in a statement. Inapparent reference to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the state-ment called for forging greater cooperation in theMiddle East “anchored by a united GCC” which could“advance prosperity, security and stability in the region”.

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‘No progress’ in ending Gulf feud; MESA plan at risk

KUWAIT: Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of Defense Prince Mohammadbin Salman Al-Saud arrives in Kuwait today on anofficial visit, which includes official rounds of talkswith HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah and HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Prince Mohammad binSalman’s visit to Kuwait is the second since he wasnamed as Crown Prince. He earlier visited Kuwait in2015 and was received by HH the Amir and seniorstate officials.

The Saudi Crown Prince’s visit stresses the keen-ness of the two brotherly countries to continuouslyconsult on various issues, developments and ways tostrengthen joint cooperation in different fields. Thisvisit comes within the framework of brotherly rela-tions between the two countries due to the historicrelationship, geographical proximity and popular

cohesion treasured for over a hundred years. Over the years, Kuwaiti-Saudi relations have wit-

nessed major developments in various economic, culturaland media fields, such as the 1971 agreement on facilitat-ing the entry and exit of cars between the two countries.Kuwaiti people will always remember with gratitude thekingdom’s historic stances and support towards Kuwait,especially the “heroic and decisive” help offered bySaudi Arabia to Kuwait in the struggle against the Iraqiinvasion and occupation in 1990-1991 until the liberationof Kuwait and restoration of legitimacy.

In the economic field, the oil policy of the twocountries has been consistent and has led to stabilityin the oil markets as one of the largest producers of oilin the world. Without a doubt, both countries, withtheir great political and economic components anddistinct social ties, have had a great influence in serv-ing Arab and Islamic issues. — KUNA Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman

PALU, Indonesia: Residents make their way along a street full of debris after an earthquake and tsunami hitSulawesi island yesterday. — AFP

Hundreds killed as quake-tsunami hit Sulawesi; Amir sends condolences

Pakistan-Kuwait JMCsession concludesin IslamabadISLAMABAD: The fourth Session of Pakistan-Kuwait Joint MinisterialCommission (JMC) concluded in Islamabad on Friday with the signing ofseveral agreements. Kuwait Minister of Commerce and Industry KhaledAl-Roudhan and Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar co-chaired theJMC meeting. During the delegation level meeting, the two countriesagreed to review implementation status of the decisions of third sessionheld in 2011.

Both countries agreed to cooperate on facilitating visa procedures,trade and investment, as well as bolstering coordination on the security,maritime and aviation domains. Cooperation in the petroleum and indus-trial sectors, in education and media, in health, science and technology aswell as agriculture were also discussed. In a statement to KUNA afterthe signing ceremony, Pakistani Finance Minister said that the sessionbetween the two delegations was very constructive.”We are happy thatthe JMC session has commenced after seven years. Pakistan and Kuwaitare brotherly countries and we have to make sure that the economicrelations between them reflect these cemented ties,” he added.

He praised the Kuwaiti minister for his vision towards developmentand trade and ensured that a Pakistani delegation, comprising of busi-nessmen, will soon visit Kuwait to explore investment avenues. Duringthe session, the Pakistani minister invited Kuwaiti businessmen to investin Pakistan including farmland, milk and food processing plants. He saidKuwaiti businessmen may export agricultural commodities of desiredquality to their country and other countries. He said the investors fromArab countries might also benefit from attractive investment opportuni-ties in special economic zones of Pakistan especially in areas like auto-motive, food processing and textile as well as in oil and gas exploration.

Khaled Al-Roudhan also met with Prime Minister of Pakistan ImranKhan in Islamabad where various issues of mutual interests were dis-cussed. After the session, the Kuwaiti minister told KUNA “The meetingwent very well and we discussed number of issues of mutual interest. Wediscussed all the areas where we should cooperate and enhance cooper-ation.” Al-Roudhan pointed out that there was a lot of room for improve-ment and advancement in the relationship between the two countries andKuwait has taken a step forward by coming to Pakistan for the fourthSession of Pakistan-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC). KuwaitiMinister of Commerce and Industry led a 22-member Kuwaiti delegationin the session. During the session, the two countries discussed coopera-tion in various areas. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwait condemned Israel’s relentless viola-tions of UN resolutions and international law related tothe Palestinian cause, called for political solutions toSyrian and Yemeni crises and urged an end to ethniccleansing against Rohingya Muslim minority inMyanmar. Deputy Premier and Foreign MinisterSheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, in hisaddress to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s(OIC) Ministerial Meeting in New York, said Israel hasbeen violating every international law and convention,including the UN charter and resolutions of UNGeneral Assembly (UNGA) and Security Council relat-ed to Palestinian cause.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, in the meeting held onsidelines of UNGA 73 Session, urged the internationalcommunity to live up to its responsibilities to counterIsrael’s “illegal and inhumane” practices. The UNSC, headded, should stop Israeli “aggression and massacres”against the unarmed people of Palestine. Kuwait, anon-permanent member in the UNSC, coordinatedwith Palestine and tabled a draft resolution last June toprovide international protection for the Palestinianpeople. “But the Security Council did not approve it,”he added.

However, added Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, the collec-tive efforts among Arab and Muslim countries resultedin the UNGA’s approval of the draft resolution. OnSyria, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled urged the UN, theSecurity Council and Syria’s political parties to doubletheir efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict, which hasentered its eighth year, in line with UNSC resolution2554 and the 2012 Geneva Communique in order tohonor the aspirations of the Syrian people. Kuwait, headded, has sponsored the UNSC resolution 2401 thatcalled for an immediate cessation of hostilities, safeevacuation for the wounded and delivery of aid forthose in need. He reassured Kuwait’s full support toStaffan de Mistura, the UN Security General’s specialenvoy to Syria.

GCC initiativeMeanwhile, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled extended full

backing to the legitimate government in Yemen as wellas the political solution that was based on the GCC ini-tiative and its implementation mechanism, UNSC reso-lution 2216 and outcome of the national dialogue.Kuwait had recently provided USD 250 million to UNagencies, international government and non-govern-ment organizations to provide humanitarian assistanceto the Yemeni people, he said.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also supported endeavorsof UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to resumenegotiations between the warring parties. On the oth-er hand, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled called for a swifthalt to the ethnic cleansing against the RohingyaMuslim minority in Myanmar, and said internationalhumanitarian organizations should have greater

access to the Rohingya. He said Kuwait had facilitat-ed a visit for the UNSC ambassadors to Bangladeshand Myanmar last May to have a first-hand accountof ordeal of Rohingya. He commended the govern-ment of Bangladesh for hosting the Rohingyarefugees and urged Myanmar to grant the Rohingyafull citizenship and allow their return. The Kuwait del-egation to the OIC meeting included AssistantForeign Minister for the Minister’s office AmbassadorSheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s perma-nent representative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi andAssistant Foreign Minister for international organiza-tions Nasser Al-Hayyen.

Other meetings Sheikh Sabah Khaled said the UNGA event had wit-

nessed meetings at the levels of the GCC, the ArabLeague, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the

Non-Aligned Movement, the G-77 for Asian Dialogue,in addition to many bilateral-level meetings for boost-ing states’ ties and discussing regional and internationalaffairs. He noted Kuwait’s particular interest withrespect of its participation in the UN Security Councilsession on nuclear arms — which was presided by theUS President Donald Trump. Kuwait remains a memberof the UNSC.

At another UNSC session, chaired by US Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo, Kuwait addressed the confereeson necessity of the council member states’ unity withrespect of this crucial issue. Moreover, Kuwait has tak-en part in a ministerial meeting on difficulties facing thefunding for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinianrefugees, he said, noting that Kuwait declared USD 42million worth of aid to the agency — thus bringing thetotal aid provided by the country to the organizationthis year to 50 million. — KUNA

Saudi CP’s visitto Kuwait‘important’:Kuwaiti diplomat KUWAIT: The visit by Saudi Crown Princeto Kuwait will be “another important mile-stone in the long and historic relations,” saida Kuwaiti diplomat yesterday. In a statementto KUNA, Kuwaiti Ambassador to SaudiArabia Sheikh Thamer Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said that His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh

Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, andthe Kuwaiti peoplewelcome PrinceMohammad to hissecond home.

For very manyyears, Crown Princesfrom the two broth-erly countriesexchanged visits thathad a significantimpact on strength-ening relations,cooperation andexchange of views.During its meeting

last week, the Kuwait Cabinet welcomed theSaudi Crown Prince’s visit to the country,noting that his visit is a part of the deep-

rooted relations between Kuwait and SaudiArabia and a great opportunity to exchangeviews over a host of issues of mutual interestand further cement cooperation at differentlevels.

The strong relations linking Saudi Arabiaand Kuwait in the past, the present and futureare a great example for Arab nations to fol-low, said the Ambassador who indicated thatthe visit would focus on developing ties andwould touch on issues of mutual interests aswell as development within the region and theworld. For his part, Kuwaiti Deputy ForeignMinister Khaled Al-Jarallah told the pressthat the relation between Kuwait and SaudiArabia is “distinct and growing”.”We arealways proud of the development of relationswith Saudi Arabia and look admiringlytowards the achievements of the Kingdom,”Al-Jarallah added. —KUNA

NEW YORK: Deputy Premier and Foreign MinisterSheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, addressingan Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC)Ministerial Meeting in New York. — KUNA photos

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah partakes in GCC, Arab, US meeting.

Sunday, September 30, 2018

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VIENNA: The visiting Head of KuwaitAnti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha),Consultant Abdulrahman Al-Nemsh,affirmed Friday the authority’s effortsto extend cooperation efforts with theInternational Anti-CorruptionAcademy (IACA). On sidelines of theseventh session of the meetings of theAssembly of Parties in IACA,Consultant Al-Nemsh told KUNA thatthe authority is keen to strengthen itscooperation with the academy in orderto acquire expertise and improvetechnical capabilities.

Nazaha seeks to conclude aMemorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the academy to strength-en future cooperative efforts throughdevelopment and availability of train-ing programs related to the areas ofprevention and anti-corruption in linewith the latest methods of scientificand research knowledge.

Regarding the seventh sessionmeetings, Al-Nemsh pointed out thatseveral topics were discussed, includ-ing the election of the members of theBureau of the Assembly of Parties.Kuwait has joined the agreement toestablish IACA in 2015 and in cooper-ation with the academy organized aregional training and education ses-sion last year. The training was the firstof its kind in the Middle East and over13 different nationalities participatedin it. The meeting of the Assembly of

Parties, which kicked off on Thursday,unanimously elected Kuwait as aRapporteur of the Bureau for theAsian Group in the Academy for ayear.

A senior official at the IACA laudedthe tremendous level of cooperationwith the State of Kuwait, hoping thatthe two sides would maintain and con-tinue collaborating in the future. Onthe sideline of the Seventh Session ofthe Conference of the States Parties tothe United Nations Convention againstCorruption (UNCAC), the IACA’sDean and Executive Secretary MartinKreutner said that the two sides havebeen working on bolstering ties sincethey began cooperating six years ago.

IACA’s officials continuous visits toKuwait, the holding of the first regionalanti-corruption training session in theGCC country, as well as Kuwait’sefforts in countering corruption werecrystal indications of the strength of therelations between Kuwaiti and IACArelations said the official. Kreutneradded that the high level of politicaland social advocacy in this year’sgathering was tremendous, affirmingthat it would contribute to the effortsagainst corruption worldwide.Dialogue amongst IACA members andthe global community as a whole willensure better management of issuesconnected with corruption, said theagency senior official. — KUNA

Nazaha aims to extend cooperation with international academy

Kuwait condemns Israel’s violations, calls for Syrian, Yemeni crises’ end

VIENNA: IACA’s Dean and Executive Secretary Martin Kreutner during hisspeech in the Seventh Session of the Conference of the States Parties to theUnited Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). — KUNA

Sheikh Thamer JaberAl-Ahmad Al-Sabah

Urged the international community to live up to its responsibilities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar and KuwaitMinister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudhan at thePakistan-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission. — KUNA photos

Officials and delegates from Pakistan and Kuwait pose for a photo after the signing ceremony.

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KUWAIT: The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Wang Di hosted a reception on the occasion of the 69thAnniversary of the founding of the China at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel over the weekend. Higher officials,diplomats, the Chinese community in Kuwait and media persons attended the event. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunica-tions company in Kuwait, concluded itsstrategic partnership of The Challenge com-petition organized by Engineers WithoutBorders. The conclusion ceremony was heldat Holiday Inn Hotel under the patronageand presence of HE Minister of SocialAffairs and Labor and Minister of State forEconomic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh.

Zain’s support to the competition came inline with its Corporate Sustainability andSocial Responsibility strategy, which closelyfocuses on contributing to the developmentof the youth sector and the encouragementof various student activities. The company

partners with many organizations, includingstudent bodies, to invest in education, whichis considered an essential element of thefurther progress of national economy.

The Challenge competition, which wasorganized by Engineers Without Bordersand lasted for 10 months, included a seriesof events and academic activities aimed atengineering students from the College ofEngineering and Petroleum. The top 3 win-ning teams were announced during thecompetition’s closing ceremony in which 25teams competed for designing the best sus-tainable housing unit to be applied inrefugee camps in Kenya.

Zain’s support springs from the compa-ny’s core Corporate Sustainability andSocial Responsibility strategy. The compa-ny believes that supporting initiatives suchas this one provides young people withskills and tools necessary to help themhighlight and develop their skills, ultimatelycontributing to the further progress ofnational economy. As a leading nationalcompany, Zain firmly believes in the impor-tance of contributing to the progress of theyouth sector, and looks to empower andprepare the nation’s youth for the importantroles they will play in the further progressof the country.

Zain concludes its partnership of The Challenge competition

Organized by Engineers Without Borders

Strategy needed to lessen impact ofKuwait’s public debt KUWAIT: A clear strategy is needed to moderateKuwait’s public debt and to lessen its impact on thecountry’s economy and finances, said a specialized eco-nomic study on Friday. The study, prepared byDevelopment Study Center Kuwait (DSCK), said thatKuwait’s public debt reached KD 4.7 billion (USD 15 bil-lion) in 2017, around 13 percent of the national budget.

The DSCK said that since 2013, public debt was onan upward trend, reaching around KD 1.5 billion (aboutUSD 4.9 billion). “Creating an economic atmosphere fordebt management connected with the state’s economywill set the suitable rates for the public debt”, a repre-sentative from the center said. He went on to say thatcreating a comprehensive tax system that is connectedwith economic activities and standards of living was the

correct path to seek.In regards to the current level of public debt, the

DSCK affirmed that it was within international stan-dards; however, “public debt is likely to increase due tothe decrease in oil prices.” The center study said thatany enormous increase in public debt will have “nega-tive connotations” on the country, affirming that it wasimportant to diversify the state’s earnings to includenon-oil revenues, which in turn would decrease bor-rowing to cover the debt.

The DSCK suggested the formation of an efficientmarket for debt to decrease spending mid and longterm debt management, leading to an increase in hedgefunds and investment base. The center indicated thatcoordinating finance and monetary policies wouldachieve interest rates, stability and prevent pressure onthe volume of liquidity. It called on the government toshare regular statistics on public debt and interest ratesin addition to other data to better manage public debt.The DSCK is a recently formed center aimed atencouraging economic, political, and social coordina-tion amongst the government and private sectors andcivil society organizations. —KUNA

Kuwait humanitarianaid slow-paced butready for fresh start KUWAIT: Kuwait humanitarian aid for refugees andpeople in need witnessed a much-needed swift to aslower pace this week, but is gearing up for a freshnew start. Thus, such activity this week was largelylimited, but it was marked by prominent Kuwaiti posi-tions in the humanitarian field. On September 22, adelegation from the Salwa Zakat Committee ofKuwaiti Charity Association launched a relief pro-gram providing assistance to Syrian refugees,patients, orphans and needy families in Jordan.

Director of Resources and Development of thecommittee and head of the delegation to Jordan,Omar Al-Shaqra told KUNA that their current visitaims to cover some of the needs of Syrian familiessuffering from difficult circumstances. Al-Shaqraadded that he and his accompanying delegation metwith Kuwait Ambassador to Jordan Aziz Al-Dehani,who praised efforts by the committee for the Syrianrefugees.

On September 23 in New York, Deputy DirectorGeneral of Al-Najat Kuwait Charity Dr Jaber Al-Windah said that participation in the humanitarianevents held on the sidelines of the General Assembly ofthe United Nations came due to the importance placedby the charity on working as a team globally, along with

the goals of sustainable development, set by the UN. In a statement to KUNA, Al-Windah said that the

Al-Najat Charity represented Kuwait in the meetingsand conferences on achieving sustainable develop-ment goals in countries surrounding Chad Lake, whichstarted on September 20, under auspices of theAfrican Union (AU), institutions and universities,including regional and international organizations. Al-Windah noted that the association’s participation andchairmanship come from the belief in the need for col-lective action and strategic partnership among NGOs,government bodies and international institutions toachieve goals of sustainable development in accor-dance with UN resolutions 2030 and 2063. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Hind Al-Sabeeh honoring Waleed Al-Khashti for Zain’s support.

Deputy Director General of the Kuwaiti Charity Association DrJaber Al-Windah

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Photo of the Day

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Towers decorated with the colors of the Saudi flag ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s visit to Kuwait. (Inset) Kuwait’s Central Bank was also decorated with the colors of theSaudi Arabian flag. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: KIB recently sponsored the ‘ArtMeditation’ workshop which was organized by theAl-Sidra Association for the Psychological Care ofCancer Patients, as part of its strategic partnershipwith the Association. This initiative came as part ofthe Bank’s program which aims at supporting can-cer patients, as well as awareness raising initiativesand activities. This unique workshop provided par-ticipants with the opportunity to utilize art in ameaningful way to help them channel their feelingsand emotions through art. In doing so, the work-shop helped spread awareness about the impor-tance of different methods of psychotherapy forcancer patients.

KIB noted that this sponsorship came as a partof its ongoing commitment to participate in eventsthat impact diverse segments of the local commu-

nity. As a leading financial institution, KIB hasalways sought to spread awareness throughout thecommunity about the importance of regular healthcheck-ups in identifying early signs of healthissues, especially cancer.

With its strategic partnership with Al-SidraAssociation, KIB continues to devote a particularfocus to promoting health consciousness. TheAssociation is dedicated to providing psychologi-cal counseling and healthcare to cancer patients,reflecting the Bank’s commitment to its socialresponsibility program and humanitarian duties.KIB continues to add to its track record of activi-ties aimed at the local health sector, stemmingfrom its belief in the vital role the health sectorplays in the well-being of all members of thecommunity.

KIB sponsors the ‘Art Meditation’workshop for cancer patients

As part of its strategic partnership with Al-Sidra association

EPA highlights significance of the‘Green & CleanEnvironment’ Expo KUWAIT: The Environment Public Authority (EPA)called to further the continuous attention put towardsenvironmental issues and problems. In this regard, the‘Green & Clean Environment Forum’, is set to open onTuesday. It is to be organized by the Leaders GroupCompany for Consultancy and Development in collabo-

ration with the EPA and a number of relevant ministriesand bodies at Jaber Al-Ahmed Cultural Center fromOctober 2nd to 3rd.

EPA’s PR manager Shaikha Al-Ibrahim issued a state-ment emphasizing the significance of the forum, theaccompanying expo and the topics to be discussed not-ing that the topics can form short and long term patriot-ic priorities. Al-Ibrahim added that the forum couldachieve many goals if the issues were well taken care ofwith the ultimate goal being the protection of naturalresources and the further development of clean environ-mental resources in order to make the environmentgreener and resources more sustainable.

Furthermore, Al-Ibrahim stressed that the EPA hasalways focused on sustainable environment practices andencourages various initiatives calling for keeping pollu-tion at the minimum possible levels while at the same time

coping with the demands ofurban expansion, populationincreases and the growingneed for power generationand transport. Finally, Shestressed that the success ofsuch activities and thespread of a new environ-mental awareness culturewould greatly help theEPA impose environmentlaws and protect the envi-ronment, especial ly asrecent estimates of annualplastic wastes in Kuwaithave reached an alarming44 tons.

EPA’s PR managerShaikha Al-Ibrahim

Kuwait’s crude oil exports to Japan hitfour-month highTOKYO: Kuwait’s crude oil exports to Japan in August hita four-month high of 8.28 million barrels, or 267,000 bar-rels per day (bpd), becoming Japan’s fourth-biggest oilprovider, according to government data showed Friday.Kuwait’s crude oil bound for Japan jumped 34.0 percentfrom a year earlier, up for the first time in four months, theJapanese Natural Resources and Energy Agency said in apreliminary report.

The figure was the highest since April, when it recorded8.77 million barrels (292,000 bpd). Japan’s overall importsof crude oil increased 5.9 percent year-on-year to 3.39million bpd for the first gain in three months. Shipmentsfrom the Middle East accounted for 89.2 percent of thetotal, up 1.4 percentage points from the year before. SaudiArabia remained Japan’s No1 oil supplier, although importsfrom the kingdom shrank 14.1 percent from a year earlier to1.16 million bpd, followed by the United Arab Emirates with1.00 million bpd, up 14.2 percent. Qatar ranked third with289,000 bpd and Iran fifth with 177,000 bpd, respectively.Japan is the world’s-third biggest oil consumer after theUS and China. —KUNA

Minister takes decision prior to Jaber Hospital opening KUWAIT: A recent decision by Kuwait’s Minister ofHealth (MoH) Dr Bassel Humoud Al-Sabah, whichinvolved the transfer of a number of health executives,was made in preparation for the opening of Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Hospital, said the Ministry ofHealth in a statement yesterday. According to a pressrelease, the ministry added the other decisions takenincluded the necessary relocation of medical equipmentand manpower in preparation for the opening of thenew hospital in South Surra area. Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Hospital, a project costing around KD304 million (approximately USD 1 billion), was handedby contractors to the ministry back in July. —KUNA

Municipality continues to removeunlicensed campsKUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality announced yester-day that it has intensified its efforts to remove vio-lating camps around the country, whose owners setthem before the official start of camping season.The efforts have so far resulted in removal of 14

unlicensed tents in Jahra governorate, Rasheed Al-Bader, head of the municipality’s central emergencyteam, stated.

The operations are ongoing in cooperation withthe Municipality’s specialized departments in all sixgovernorates, in addition to ministries and statebodies related to the spring camps committee, Al-Bader said. The Municipality urges all citizens andresidents to commit to the official camping season.The kick off date for the season is to be announcedsoon and will be made available through variousmedia outlets, he noted.

As the camping season approaches, environmentpolice began increasing their patrols in desert areasto monitor any environmental violations as theyusually increase during this season. Police receiveda call about a rubbish fire in Wafra desert, so fire-men were called in to put out the fire. It was deter-mined the fire was deliberately started to get rid ofrubbish. The environment law 32/2014 bans suchpractices, which carries a fine anywhere up to KD500-10,000. The environment police said they willapply the law strictly against those who burn rub-bish in the desert. —Agencies

L o c a l Sunday, September 30, 2018

5Established 1961

Kuwait to partake in the Arab Energy Conference

Minister Al-Rashidi will chair the second technical session

Last week I wrote an article about a recent decision bythe municipality to deport any street cleaner who iscaught begging. After the story was published, I got

some questions related to a topic related to begging - tip-ping. David, a Kuwait Times reader, sent me this letter: “DearMuna - I have a question related to your article about streetcleaners begging for money. I routinely see people giving“tips” to street cleaners performing their cleaning duties asthey pass by in their cars. I have done this too. Since beg-ging is prohibited by Kuwait law, am I in danger of beingarrested if a law enforcement officer sees me ‘tipping’ theselaborers?”

Well, here is what I think. In my earlier column, I spokeabout those who decide to give money, clothing or food tosuch cleaners as charity and an act of kindness. I don’t seeany harm in such fine behavior. I agree that many people doso every day and I don’t think they will stop for any reason.

But, there is a difference between begging and tipping.With the latter, you decide whether to give money or not towhomever you want to due to their satisfactory services. So,if you decide to give money as a tip, or old clothes or food,then such an act has nothing to do with the decision of themunicipality.

I believe that begging is an insult to the state and thereputation of the country. It is good to prevent and fightsuch an ugly phenomenon because it is based on payingmoney, whether the beggar is honest or a crook. The spreadof begging in any country opens the way for robberies andgangs to exploit women and children to make it a career thatthreatens the whole nation, especially tourists. But tipping isa matter of debate between supporters and opponents, andboth have a point of view that deserves attention.

In Kuwait, it seems the issue of tipping depends on theservice you receive and personal satisfaction. The tip is nev-er mentioned in black and white on a cafe or restaurantmenu. There is no policy that forces anyone to tip. Itdepends entirely on the customer’s satisfaction, but does notexceed a dinar or two. I think sometimes it seems unreason-able to pay an additional amount after you have received therequired service. Many local companies do not impose tip-ping guidelines, as in some cases it’s a source of infightingamong employees.

I am personally against tipping, and here is why. It is oneof the worst habits that has spread in our Arab countries, tothe extent that it has become like a bribe. So only if you paythe bribe, others will carry out their duties. The ministry ofcommerce in Kuwait has made a good decision to prevent allrestaurants and shops from charging fees for the servicesthey provide to customers by imposing a minimum value oforders, or what is known as a mini charge.

There are some attempts to get rid of this habit. Icelandis a good example of this, and the practice of tipping in thiscountry is declining. If you visit Iceland, you should knowthat tipping in a restaurant is viewed as an insult. So how canwe prevent the habit of tipping becoming common andacceptable behavior? It is simple - don’t pay more for some-thing or to someone when you don’t have to. Giving moneyto a worker in a restaurant because of good service andencouragement is different from giving money to a cleaneron the street. The latter is charity, while the former is encour-agement, and both are optional. You have the choice.

Tipping in Kuwait

[email protected]

By Muna Al-Fuzai

local spotlightKUWAIT: Minister of Oil and Minister ofElectricity and Water Bakheet Al-Rashidiwill participate in the first ministerial ses-sion of the 11th Arab Energy Conference,which will be held from 1 to 4 October inthe Kingdom of Morocco, Kuwait OilMinistry said yesterday. In a press state-ment, the ministry said that the meetingswill address several topics, most importantof which are changes in the oil and natural

gas markets, including consequences ifany to Arab oil exporting countries.

The statement noted that Minister Al-Rashidi will chair the second technicalsession dealing with the subsequentpetroleum industries on the Arab andinternational levels. The delegation willinclude Kuwaiti Ambassador to MoroccoAbdul Latif Al Yahya, ActingUndersecretary of the Ministry of Oil

Sheikh Talal Nasser Al-Athbi Al-Sabah,Assistant Undersecretary for EconomicAffairs Mohammad Al-Juwaiser, ActingDirector of Energy Research FuadMohammad and Public RelationsController and Acting Petroleum MediaSupervisor Sheikha Tamadhur Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The conference will beattended by official delegations from Arabnations and headed by the ministers of

energy, oil, gas and electricity as well as anumber of secretaries-general in interna-tional and Arab organizations specializedin energy and economy, in addition to theparticipation of Arab and foreign experts.The idea for convening Arab EnergyConference was decided by the Council ofMinisters of the Organization of ArabPetroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)in May 1977. — KUNA

Al Sayer Group yesterday sent flowers and a cake tocongratulate Kuwait Times on its 57th anniversary.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: A meeting was held between Iraqi andKuwaiti border officials. The Kuwaiti side was headedby Director General of the Land Security DepartmentMaj Gen Faisal Al-Essa, and the Iraqi side by com-mander of the fourth zone Maj Gen Salam Kazim. Bothsides discussed means of achieving security integrationbetween border security departments in a way thatguarantees the security of land borders, besidesincreasing coordination and cooperation in the field ofmonitoring borders.

Municipality citationsThe Municipality’s PR department said Jahra munici-

pality public cleanliness department removed 128,079cu/m of rubbish and debris, besides distributing andchanging 711 containers. The department also issued522 citations and warnings and 569 signs wereremoved, in addition to 60 abandoned cars. TheMunicipality’s PR department added Mubarak Al-Kabeer municipality removed 78,166 cu/m of debris,placed 358 stickers on abandoned cars and 17 aban-doned cars were removed, while 59 citations wereissued to roaming vendors and for public cleanliness, in

addition to issuing 13 licenses.

Detour on Sheraton Roundabout The traffic department said a detour was opened on

Fahd Al-Salem (Sheraton) Roundabout, and urgedmotorists to follow proper traffic instructions and becautious while maneuvering through the detour.

Meeting betweenIraqi, Kuwaitiborder officials

KUWAIT: Mohammed Saleh Al-Mulla, son of the formerMP, Saleh Al-Mulla, was yesterday stabbed during a fightwith three other citizens in Andalus, said security sources.The sources added that along with two of his friends,Mohammed fought with three others and was rushed toAl-Sabah hospital’s ICU where his condition is now stable.The sources also explained that the other five juvenilesinvolved in the fight were arrested and are pending furtherlegal actions.

Held at knife point Two Bangladeshi nationals told Sulaibiya police sta-

tion they were mugged by a man at knife point. The mug-ger held his knife firmly to the neck of one of the individ-uals and proceeded to rob them. They managed to givepolice the mugger’s license plate number of the car hewas driving. The suspect robbed KD 80 from the victims.

Fireman run over A fireman narrowly escaped death when he was

accidentally run over by an expat. He was rushed toAmiri hospital and was in critical condition. The fire-man was off duty and was hit while crossing the road.

He has sustained several injuries and his condition hasnow stabilized.

Nephew steals KD 400A Gulf national accused her nephew of stealing KD

400 and an expensive watch from her house during a visit.Police is preparing the case and is set to summon the sus-pect for questioning.

Moroccan caught with drugs Police has sent a Moroccan to the Drugs Control

General Department for being in possession of hashishjoint and a bag containing marijuana. Police had stoppedthe man during a routine check and asked him for his IDs.They noticed that he was acting strangely and proceededto investigate his vehicle in which they found the bag withthe drugs inside.

Citizen pulled over Hawally traffic patrolmen noticed a vehicle with acci-

dent marks. It was pulled over to issue a citation and thenthe police noticed the driver, a citizen, was in an abnormalcondition, and after further evaluation was in debt of KD300. The patrolmen had also found undisclosed drugs onhim and he was sent to concerned authorities.

Reward for stolen car A citizen put out a KD 500 reward for anyone who

provides any information about his stolen vehicle whichwas taken by an unknown person in the Ahmadi gover-norate. Police are currently looking for the suspect.

— Al-Rai/Al-Anbaa

Ex-MP’s sonstabbed duringfight in Andalus

KUWAIT: Kuwaitis gather on the lawn outside the National Assembly building inKuwait City yesterday, in protest against the government’s new censorship regula-tions on publications, which resulted in several books being banned from enteringthe country .— Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

InternationalIsrael leader lashes Iran, claims ‘secret atomic warehouse’

Page 7

Conflict and drought ravage Iraq’s prized date palmsPage 7

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Under pressure, Trump orders FBI Kavanaugh probe WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump, under intensepressure from moderates in his own party over his SupremeCourt nominee, on Friday ordered an FBI investigation intosexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh at therequest of Senate Republicans, a move that will delay thecontentious confirmation process by a week. The key playerin a day of dramatic and unexpected developments wasSenator Jeff Flake, a moderate Republican retiring from theSenate in January who provided the decisive vote to approveKavanaugh’s nomination in the Judiciary Committee and sendthe matter to the full Senate.

But Flake, after urgent consultations with colleaguesincluding Democratic Senator Chris Coons, cast the voteonly after asking the Republican-led panel to request that theTrump administration pursue an FBI probe lasting up to sev-en days of the explosive allegations against Kavanaugh.Trump, who had previously rebuffed Democratic demandsfor an FBI probe, granted the request, ordering the “supple-mental investigation” to be “limited in scope and completedin less than one week.” “Just started, tonight, our 7th FBIinvestigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He will someday berecognized as a truly great Justice of The United StatesSupreme Court!,” Trump said in a Twitter post late on Friday.

Flake’s move came a day after an extraordinary hearing inwhich university professor Christine Blasey Ford detailed hersexual assault allegation against Kavanaugh. Flake’s actionalso came only hours after two protesters who said theywere sexual assault survivors cornered him in an elevator andcastigated him for announcing he would vote for Kavanaughin the committee. “That’s what you’re telling all women inAmerica - that they don’t matter, they should just keep it tothemselves,” one of the protesters shouted at Flake, a fre-quent Trump critic who looked shaken by the encounter.

Flake, who had a pained expression when he made hisrequest for an FBI probe in the committee after forcing abrief delay in the scheduled vote, was supported by two oth-

er Republican moderates, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins,both of whom have not announced whether they would sup-port Kavanaugh. The allegations against Kavanaugh, with thebackdrop of the #MeToo movement against sexual harass-ment and assault that has toppled a succession of powerfulmen, have riveted the country even as they have imperiled hisconfirmation chances.

Trump’s nomination of Kavanaugh, a conservative federalappeals court judge, for a lifetime job on the top US courthad appeared to be going along smoothly until Ford’s allega-tion surfaced last week. He has denied her allegation andaccusations of sexual misconduct made by two other women.The committee vote followed a jarring and emotional hearingon Thursday in which Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexuallyassaulting her in 1982 when both were high school studentsin Maryland. Kavanaugh denied the accusation and accusedDemocrats - who have opposed his nomination from the out-set - of a “calculated and orchestrated political hit.”

In a statement issued by the White House, Kavanaughsaid he would cooperate with the FBI investigation. If con-firmed, Kavanaugh would consolidate conservative control ofthe nation’s highest court and advance Trump’s broad effortto shift the American judiciary to the right. The controversyhas unfolded just weeks ahead of the Nov 6 congressionalelections in which Democrats are trying to seize control ofCongress from the Republicans.

‘Ripped apart’“This country’s being ripped apart here,” Flake told his fel-

low senators about the nomination fight. “I think we can have ashort pause,” he added. “We ought to do what we can to makesure that we do all due diligence with a nomination this impor-tant,” Flake said. Even before Flake’s move, it was unclear ifRepublicans had the votes to confirm Kavanaugh on theSenate floor. Republicans hold a slim 51-49 majority in theSenate, making the votes of Murkowski and Collins crucial.

Trump can afford to lose the vote of only one senator inhis own party if all the Democrats vote against Kavanaughand Vice President Mike Pence casts a tie-breaking vote.Trump said Murkowski and Collins must do what they thinkis right. Moderate Democrats Joe Manchin and HeidiHeitkamp, who have not yet announced how they will vote onKavanaugh, also supported Flake’s move. Trump indicated hewas sticking with Kavanaugh, saying he has not thought“even a little bit” about replacing him. —Reuters

SADR CITY, Iraq: Abu Hauraa (right), a licensed Iraqi arms seller watches as a client inspects a pistol in his shop in the capital Baghdad’s eastern Sadr City district. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States announced yesterdayit will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city ofBasra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned therefollowing increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backedmilitia, including rocket fire. The decision adds to mount-ing tension between the United States and Iran, which isthe target of increasing US economic sanctions. USSecretary of State Mike Pompeo, as he explained themove, renewed a warning that the United States wouldhold Iran directly responsible for any attacks onAmericans and US diplomatic facilities. It followed recentrocket attacks that Pompeo said were directed at theconsulate in Basra. US officials said the rockets, however,had not impacted the consulate, which is located on theBasra airport compound.

“I have made clear that Iran should understand thatthe United States will respond promptly and appropri-ately to any such attacks,” Pompeo said in a statement.Pompeo did not explicitly say whether a US responsewas imminent, however, and other US officials did not

disclose potential response options. Still, Pompeo saidthe threats against US personnel and facilities in Iraqwere “increasing and specific” and added thatWashington was workingwith Iraqi forces and USallies to address them. “Welook to all international par-ties interested in peace andstabil ity in Iraq and theregion to reinforce our mes-sage to Iran regarding theunacceptabil ity of theirbehavior,” he said.

‘Chaos, death, destruction’In a statement, the US

State Department said theconsulate was placed on“ordered departure,” which technically involves a draw-down in staff. Although some personnel could remain onthe diplomatic compound, the move is believed to effec-

tively close the consulate, at least temporarily. The deci-sion came days after US President Donald Trump andIranian President Hassan Rouhani exchanged taunts at

the United Nations GeneralAssembly, with Trump vow-ing more sanctions andaccusing Iran’s leaders ofsowing “chaos, death anddestruction.” Trump’s nation-al security adviser, JohnBolton, speaking at a nearbyevent in New York onTuesday, warned “there willindeed be hell to pay” if Irancrosses the United States, itsallies or harms US citizens.

In May, Trump withdrewthe United States from an international deal to put curbson Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing sanc-tions. France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia have

stayed in the pact, vowing to save it despite the restora-tion of US sanctions. The rial has lost 40 percent of itsvalue against the US dollar since April. Iran has blamedUS sanctions for the currency’s fall, saying the measuresamount to a “political, psychological and economic” waron Tehran, and accused the United States and Israel ofinvolvement in a deadly attack at a military parade insouthwestern Iran this month.

Basra has already been rocked by violent protestsseen by experts as a rejection of the Iraqi political estab-lishment that has held on to power-with the support ofthe United States and Iran-despite failing to improvepeople’s lives there. Protesters in Basra ransacked andtorched Iraqi government buildings this month and theIranian consulate was set alight by demonstrators shout-ing condemnation of what many see as Iran’s sway overIraq’s affairs. For the first time in several years, mortarshells also landed this month inside Baghdad’s heavilyfortified Green Zone, which houses parliament, govern-ment buildings and many foreign embassies. —Reuters

US shuts consulate in Iraq’s BasraWashington pulls diplomats from Iraqi city, cites threats from Iran

Macedonia - the country that may change its nameSKOPJE: A small, poor and landlocked country, Macedonia hasstruggled for a quarter of a century to win recognition for itsname despite protests from neighboring Greece. Today its citi-zens will vote on whether to rename their country “TheRepublic of North Macedonia” as part of a compromise withAthens, which has its own northern province called Macedonia.Here are five things to know about the Balkan state.

Name debateMacedonia’s official name at the United Nations is the

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, theresult of its 27-year-long row with Greece. A number ofcountries have recognized the Balkan state under its constitu-tional name of Macedonia, including the US, Russia and evenChina, but not the European Union.

Deceptive flags Macedonia is home to around two million people, mostly

Orthodox Slavs and an ethnic Albanian minority that makesup around a quarter of the population. Passing through thenorthwest of Macedonia, a traveler might think they were inAlbania. Under a 2005 accord, residents have the right to flythe red and black Albanian flag and the two headed-eagle isprevalent in a number of villages. Having avoided inter-eth-nic war during the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia in the1990s, Macedonia found itself facing conflict in 2001 whenethnic Albanian rebels launched an insurgency. Up to 200people were killed during the seven-month conflict withMacedonian armed forces. The internationally-brokeredOhrid agreement, reached in August 2001, provided greaterrights for Macedonia’s Albanian minority, including power-sharing, better representation in the public sector and offi-cial status for the Albanian language.

Emigration Macedonia is one of the poorest countries in Europe

with an average salary of 400 euros ($470). A quarter of itsactive working age population is unemployed. Youngsters

are particularly badly affected and many have emigrated.Authorities do not have official figures on emigration andhave not organized a census since 2002, but according tothe World Bank about a half a million Macedonians-or aquarter of the population-are living abroad.

HeroesTwo historic personalities make Macedonians especially

proud: Mother Teresa and Alexander the Great. Both, how-ever are disputed, with Mother Teresa also claimed byAlbania and Alexander by Greece. Although Mother Teresawas born in Skopje under the Ottoman Empire, she was ofAlbanian ethnicity.

Sunshine state The national flag is a stylised yellow sun on a red field.

Macedonia boasts 280 sunny days a year, according to theMeteorological Institute. However, Macedonia is theEuropean nation that produces the least solar energy: 0.04percent of total production, says the Agency for Energy. Themountainous country is a paradise for hikers with threenational parks, 50 lakes and thousands of kilometers oftrails. Its cuisine-a mix of Ottoman, Mediterranean andAustrian-Hungarian influences-is reputed to be among thefinest in the Balkans. As is its wine. —AFP

US would hold Iran responsible for any attacks

SKOPJE: Two girls walk past a campaign poster reading ‘A safefuture for our children’ displayed on the window of the office ofthe coalition that supports the ‘yes’ in the upcoming referendumon whether to change the country’s name to ‘Republic ofNorthern Macedonia’. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Sunday, September 30, 2018

7

Palestinians ask UN court to revoke ‘Jerusalem embassy’

UN calls on Israel, Hamas to rein in violence JERUSALEM: Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki said yesterday the Palestinians have petitioned theUN’s top court, alleging that the US inauguration of anembassy in Jerusalem was illegal. The Palestinians havefiled a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)“for violating international law by moving its embassy inIsrael to the occupied city of Jerusalem”, he said, quotedby the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

In December, US President Donald Trump recognizedJerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite Palestinianclaims on part of the city and breaking with longstandingUS policy. Palestinians have since refused all contact withthe Trump administration. The US embassy was trans-ferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, a daymarked by mass protest in the Gaza Strip, where about60 Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli fire inborder clashes. Israel occupied east Jerusalem along withthe West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War and laterdeclared the entire city its united capital.

Palestinians claim the predominantly Arab eastern areaas the capital of a future Palestinian state. UN resolutionscall on countries to refrain from moving their embassiesto the city until its status is resolved in an Israeli-Palestinian deal. “The ICJ was asked to declare that mov-ing the embassy to occupied Jerusalem constituted a vio-lation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,”WAFA wrote in English. The court said the Palestiniansuit, filed on Friday, asked the body “to order the UnitedStates of America to withdraw the diplomatic missionfrom the Holy City of Jerusalem and to conform to theinternational obligations f lowing from the ViennaConvention”.

Gaza violence Meanwhile, the UN called yesterday for Israel and

Hamas rulers to rein in violence a day after border clashesin which the Gaza health ministry said seven Palestinianswere killed. “I am deeply saddened by reports that sevenPalestinians, including two children, were killed, and hun-dreds of others injured, by Israeli forces during demon-strations in the Gaza Strip yesterday (Friday),” the UN’shumanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories,Jamie McGoldrick, said in a statement.

“I call on Israel, Hamas and all other actors with theability to influence the situation, to take action now toprevent further deterioration and loss of life.” Two boysaged 12 and 14, were among those killed in the clashesFriday, the bloodiest day of border protests since May 14,when more than 60 Palestinians died in violence accom-panying the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem,a move that enraged Palestinians.

The Israeli army said in a statement yesterday thatsome 20,000 “rioters and demonstrators” had gatheredat multiple sites along the Gaza-Israel border and thatpeople had hurled “over 100” grenades and explosivedevices at troops and the at the border fence. The mili-tary said troops fired “in accordance with standard oper-ating procedures” and that Israeli aircraft also struck twopositions belonging Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas. “Hamasis responsible for the violent riots and their conse-quences,” it said. It declined to comment directly onFriday’s reported deaths.

Palestinians have been protesting almost weekly alongthe Gaza border since March 30 in what they call the“Great March of Return”. At least 193 Palestinians havebeen killed by Israeli fire since then, the majority duringborder protests, while one Israeli soldier has been shotdead by a Palestinian sniper. “I call on Israeli forces toensure that their use of force is in line with their obliga-tions under international law,” McGoldrick said. “All

actors must ensure that children never be the target ofviolence and neither be put at risk of violence, norencouraged to participate in violence.” In yesterday’s

statement the Israeli army said Hamas was “endangeringchildren by sending them to the security fence as a coverfor terror activity”. — Agencies

SINGAPORE: Singaporean schoolchildren will takefewer exams from next year under reforms unveiledFriday aimed at easing pressure on stressed-out pupilsin a country obsessed with high achievement. The tinycity-state regularly tops global rankings when it comesto taking tests-but has faced criticism for putting pres-sure on students from a young age, and for a focus onrote-learning that curbs creative thinking. From 2019,students in the first two classes of primary school,aged six to eight, will no longer take exams, the educa-tion ministry said.

Mid-year examinations will also be removed forsome other levels of primary school as well as for thosein the first and third years of secondary school.Outlining the reforms, Education Minister Ong Ye Kungsaid that teachers were “on a high-speed train... I thinkit’s time to take a pause.” “It will send a strong signalthat we are at a strong position of rigour, and can affordto unwind a bit without undermining the performanceoutcomes,” he was cited as saying in local media.

In addition, students will no longer be told theiracademic position in class and in their school, to allowthem to focus on learning and discourage comparisonswith their peers. The reforms are aimed at movingaway from an over-emphasis on academic results, theministry said. Many young pupils in Singapore are sentto expensive private tutors outside regular school,reducing the time they have to play, and it is notunusual to see parents studying with their children onthe subway. Many welcomed the move, with PunithaGovindasamy commenting online: “About time too!Children can now have a more rounded childhood.Hopefully parents see the value in this.” — AFP

Education hothouse Singapore seeks to ease the pressure

GAZA: Mourners carry the body of Mohammed Al-Houm, 14, who was killed during a protest along the Israel-Gaza bor-der fence, during his funeral in the Bureij refugee camp, in central Gaza yesterday. — AFP

Malaysia’s Anwar faces sodomy accuser in electionPORT DICKSON: Malaysian leader-in-waiting AnwarIbrahim started campaigning yesterday for a poll set toreturn him to frontline politics-but faced a surprise chal-lenge from an ex-aide whose sodomy allegations landedthe political heavyweight in prison. Anwar is expected toeasily win the local election on October 13 and re-enterparliament as an MP, just months after being released fromjail following his alliance’s shock win at national polls.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, 93, has pledged tostep aside within two years to hand power to Anwar, hisformer nemesis with whom he teamed up to oust scandal-plagued Najib Razak and his long-ruling coalition at theMay election. Following the vote, Anwar, 71, received aroyal pardon releasing him from prison where he wasserving a sentence for sodomy in a case that his support-ers said was politically motivated.

He needs to be elected as an MP to qualify to take overfrom Mahathir, and earlier this month a lawmaker from hisparty vacated his seat in the coastal town of Port Dicksonto make way for Anwar, a former deputy premier.Yesterday, hundreds of flag-waving supporters of the rul-ing Pact of Hope alliance marched to a hall in the town asAnwar and the other candidates formally registered for thepoll. But there was shock when it emerged that one of hissix rivals in the election is Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan,a former volunteer in his office whose accusations ofsodomy led to him being jailed in 2015.

The ex-aide, who is running as an independent candi-date, was booed by Anwar supporters when he registeredhis candidacy with some of the crowd reportedly shouting:“Have you no shame?” Anwar shrugged off the prospectof Saiful using the decade-old sodomy allegations toattack the veteran politician during the poll race.

“That is his issue, and I don’t want to interfere. I wantto focus on my work, and I think the leadership is takingthe same decision as well,” he was cited as saying in TheStar newspaper. — AFP

Israel leader lashes Iran, claims ‘secret atomic warehouse’UNITED NATIONS: Israel’s prime minister has accusedarch-enemy Tehran of harboring a secret atomic ware-house, making deft use of ample props and vowing that hiscountry would never let Iran develop nuclear weapons.Iran “hasn’t abandoned its goal to develop nuclearweapons,” Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN GeneralAssembly, where his annual appearance has frequentlyfocused on Israel’s chief enemy, the Islamic republic.“Israel will never let a regime that calls for our destructionto develop nuclear weapons. Not now, not in 10 years, notever,” he said. “Israel will do whatever it must do to defenditself against Iran’s aggression.” “What Iran hides, Israelwill find,” the prime minister added.

Israel bitterly opposes the Iran nuclear deal, brokeredby the United States, Russia, China and European nationsin 2015 and has congratulated President Donald Trump forwalking away from the deal. Netanyahu opened his speechby claiming that Iran had a secret atomic warehouse inTehran, holding up a map and a photograph of an out-wardly “innocent looking compound” which he urged theUN atomic agency to inspect. “Today I’m disclosing forthe first time that Iran has another secret facility in Tehran,a secret atomic warehouse for storing massive amounts ofequipment and material from Iran’s secret nuclearweapons program,” he said.

He also claimed that the Iranian-linked Lebanese Shiitemilitia Hezbollah had positioned three missile sites nearBeirut airport, holding up what he called “a picture worth athousand missiles” and titled “Beirut Precision GuidedMissile.” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zariflater ridiculed Netanyahu’s allegations, saying that previousclaims by Israel had not stood up to scrutiny when investi-gated by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency.

“Netanyahu has to explain how Israel, being the onlyregime that has nuclear weapons in the region, can so cyni-cally level such allegations against a country whose nuclearprogram’s peacefulness has been repeatedly certified bythe IAEA,” Zarif told Iran’s official IRNA news agency.“The only purpose of this is to undercut the reality thatIsrael is the biggest threat to the region and Netanyahuhimself has stood in a facility that produces nuclearweapons and threatened the annihilation of other nations.”

‘European appeasement’ Netanyahu also accused Iranian agents of plotting

attacks in the United States and Europe, as well as beingan aggressor in the Middle East. He accused the Iranianregime of brutally oppressing its own people for fourdecades, and of waging violence in Iraq and Syria, arming

Hezbollah in Lebanon, financing Hamas in Gaza and firingmissiles into Saudi Arabia. He tore into Europe for its poli-cy of “appeasement” with Iran, a word that evokes in his-tory European capitals’ reluctance to stand up againstAdolf Hitler in the run-up to World War II. “Have theseEuropean leaders learnt nothing from history? Will theyever wake up?” Netanyahu hectored. “We in Israel don’tneed a wake-up call because Iran threatens us every day.”He said Israel was “deeply grateful” to the Trump adminis-tration for withdrawing from the Iran deal, an agreementwhich he claimed had had the “unintended consequence”of bringing Israel closer to its Arab neighbors. “Byempowering Iran, it brought Israel and many Arab statescloser together than ever before ... in an intimacy andfriendship that I’ve not seen in my lifetime and would havebeen unimaginable a few years ago.” — AFP

Conflict and drought ravage Iraq’s prized date palmsBASRA: Sweet Iraqi dates adorn tables in homes acrossthe country, but the fruit tree and national symbol has comeunder threat from conflict and crippling drought. Shoppingin the southern city of Basra, Leila only buys “the queen ofdates”-those produced in the surrounding province. Herhusband Mehdi, 68, said the couple have the sweet fruit“every lunchtime, and also for snacks between meals”. Thepair devours a kilo over two to three days, at a cost of5,000 dinars, or just over $4 (3.40 euros). But high unem-ployment and price hikes mean not all families can affordsuch luxury. For trader Salem Hussein, who has been sellingdates for 40 years, the decline set in long ago-before thedrought and even this century’s series of deadly conflicts.

Imports fill the gapThe 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war decimated the groves of

date palms on Iraqi soil, he said, dressed in a sky blue robeand white skullcap. The majority of trees lining the Shatt al-Arab waterway, marking the border between the two coun-tries, were incinerated by shells and rockets. Hussein oncedreamt of expanding palm groves and introducing evenmore varieties than the 450 already boasted by Iraq, whichused to be known as the land of 30 million palm trees.

The country’s dates were long exported “to the UnitedStates, Japan and India”, recalled the 66-year-old. “Wethought of developing and doubling the number of palms,but the figure only falls.” Official estimates put the declineat 50 percent of pre-1980 numbers. “We hoped for a bet-ter future-and it got even worse,” Hussein lamented. Iraqiagriculture has been especially hard hit by drought thisyear, resulting in an official ban on the growing of rice andcereals which require a lot of water and the deaths ofthousands of animals.

With Iraqi farmers hiking their prices due to the drought,seller Aqil Antuch has adapted to keep his cash-strappedcustomers happy. He now sells dates imported from Iran,Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait at hiscentral Basra shop, which he has run for 25 years. “The

Saudis, who produce a high quantity, want to sell their mer-chandise and lower the price to 1,500 dinars per kilo,” saidAntuch, 52. It’s a far cry from decades past. Saddam Hussein“never let a foreign date enter Iraq”, he said of the formerdictator, who presided over the Iran-Iraq war and wasdeposed by the US-led military invasion in 2003.

Sick palms once ‘like patients’ Shopper Mehdi remembers palm trees in his garden dur-

ing the dictatorship, when Iraq was under an internationaltrade embargo. “We would go to the agriculture office witha sick palm tree and they would examine it like a patient atthe doctor’s,” he said. But, in recent years, farming has alsobeen hit by an exodus from rural areas, as Iraqis flock tocities and informal neighborhoods. Irrigation channels have

become open sewers and the rows of trees which once pro-vided shade have disappeared. Palm groves have also beenripped up to make way for oil installations, the country’sbiggest source of revenue. Other groves have been snappedup for construction of new buildings. In a cruel irony, themajority of dates now sold in Iraq come from trees whichfirst took root in the country, before being replanted in oth-er Gulf states decades ago.

One Basra grower, Raed Al-Jubayli, said surviving pro-ducers have been hit by a double “tragedy”-drought andpollution from oil installations. “Buying a palm tree costsaround $250. The maintenance then costs about $12 perseason, while its four kilos of dates don’t sell for more than$3.50,” he said. But Jubayli remains proud of the datepalm’s “ancestral heritage” and its diverse uses. — AFP

BASRA: An Iraqi man picks up dates from a palm tree at a farm in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. — AFP

NEW YORK: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the General Assembly at the United Nations inNew York. — AFP

Sunday, September 30, 2018

8I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Tensions inBarcelona as thousandsprotest BARCELONA: Thousands of people demon-strating both for and against Catalan inde-pendence shut down parts of centralBarcelona yesterday, two days before theanniversary of a vote on secession last yearthat polarized the wealthy Spanish region.Tensions remain high in the independence-minded region a year after the October 1vote deemed illegal by Madrid but celebrat-ed by separatist Catalans.

Pro-independence groups camped outovernight on Friday to prevent a demon-stration in support of police deployed inCatalonia during last year’s failed bid tosplit from Spain. Catalan authorities said

almost 1000 people were injured afterpolice tried to stop voting at polling sta-tions across the region a year ago. Twopeople were arrested during scufflesbetween separatist protesters and policeyesterday, in which demonstrators threwpaint at riot police keeping them apart fromthe rival unionist demonstration.

Narcis Termes, 68, an electrician attend-ing the separatist protest with his wife saidhe was no longer hopeful about theprospects of Catalonia gaining independ-ence. “Last year we lived through one of ourbest moments. I watched my parents crywith joy at being able to vote but now we arestuck,” he said. Over several hours pro-inde-pendence groups chanting “Neither forget-ting nor forgiveness” faced off with unionistprotesters chanting “Long live Spain” aheadof a weekend of further demonstrationsplanned to mark last year’s vote. Joan Puig, a42-year-old mechanic, recording the protestin support of the police on his phone, saidthat the conflict had been stoked by politi-cians on both sides. “It’s getting more andmore tense,” he said. —Reuters

BARCELONA: Catalan regional police ‘Mossos D’Esquadra’ officers clash with sep-aratist protesters during a counter-protest against a demonstration in support ofSpanish police in Barcelona yesterday. —AFP

Cameroon holds its breath as separatists’ anniversary loomsLIMBE: Cameroon is nervously await-ing the first anniversary tomorrow of adeclaration of independence by itsEnglish-speaking minority less than aweek before the country plunges intopresidential elections. Attacks areoccurring daily in the two regions thatare home to this French-speakingcountry’s anglophones, and many saythey are afraid. In the worst-affectedareas, some people have f led withwhatever possessions they can carry.

Others say they rarely venture out oftheir homes, fearing separatists as wellas the security forces. On October 12017, radicals declared the creation ofthe “Republic of Ambazonia,” coveringtwo English-speaking regions incorpo-rated into francophone Cameroon in1961. The declaration went largelyunnoticed outside Cameroon, and“Ambazonia”-named after a bay at themouth of the Douala River-has beenrecognized by no-one.

But the move marked the start of a

crisis that has cast a shadow over theOctober 7 elections, in which 85-year-old president Paul Biya, who has ruledthe country for 35 years, is seeking aseventh straight term in office. “Thearmy killed lots of people on October1,” Monsignor Emmanuel Bushu, bishopof the Buea, capital of SouthwestRegion, said at the time. “For nearlytwo weeks, they shot at people like youshoot at birds.”

Mounting toll Biya’s crackdown coincided with a

surge of bloody attacks by the sepa-ratists, gunning down troops and policeand burning schools and other per-ceived symbols of the Cameroonianstate. At least 400 civilians have beenkil led this year, according to theInternational Crisis Group think-tank.The government says 109 members ofthe security forces have been killedsince the end of 2017.

Atrocities have been committed onboth sides, according to watchdogs.“The brutal attacks against ordinarypeople and security forces are furtherproof of the horrific escalation of vio-lence,” Amnesty International said onSeptember 19. According to UN fig-ures, 246,000 people in the SouthwestRegion have f led their homes, and25,000 have sought shelter in neigh-boring Nigeria, many of them living

from hand-to-mouth in the forests.Estimates of displaced people in theneighboring Northwest Region-theother restive anglophone region-arenot available.

The government has imposed tightcontrols, including over the mainstreammedia, and both sides are fighting forpublic opinion in the domain of socialmedia. The economic damage, too, has

been severe. The state-run palm oilcompany Pamol has deserted some ofits plantations, and cocoa and coffeeproduction has stopped because vil-lages have abandoned their crops, theCameroon NGO Human Is Right said inJuly. The government has set up anemergency aid fund for the tworegions, to which many Cameroonianshave given generously. —AFP

MAROUA, Cameroon: Photo shows the Kaliao River in downtown Maroua, theregional capital of the Far North Region. Eight candidates are running in theOctober 7 elections against 85-year-old President Paul Biya, who has ruled thecountry for 35 years and is seeking a seventh straight term in office. —AFP

Cameroon’s anglophone conflict rooted 100 years agoYAOUNDE: Cameroon elects its president on October7 against the backdrop of bloody violence in its twoseparatist English-speaking regions, which have vowedto not let voting take place. Tensions can be traced backto events a century ago when Britain and France occu-pied Cameroon, taking over Germany’s major colony inWest Africa. Some background:

World War I split Cameroon was a German colony until 1916, when

British and French troops forced the Germans out. Thetwo countries divided it into separate spheres of influ-ence that were later formalized by the League ofNations, the forerunner to the UN. The much largerFrench colony gained independence in 1960. A year lat-er, the British colony also gained independence. Some ofthe English-speaking areas chose to join newly formedNigeria, others to become part of the federation ofCameroon. In 1972 the Cameroon’s federal structurewas scrapped and it became one state.

English-speaking minority Cameroon’s two mainly English-speaking southern

provinces are home to around a fifth of its 23 millionpopulation. Named the Northwest Region andSouthwest Region, they jut into southeastern Nigeria.The English-speaking areas are allowed some self-gov-ernance and national authorities have made concessionsto their language, for example opening bilingual schools.But many English speakers complain of discrimination atthe hands of the francophone majority in education, thejustice system and the economy.

Disputed ‘unity’ Calls for a breakaway English-speaking state mount-

ed in the 1990s, with demands for a referendum on inde-pendence accompanied by low-level unrest. In 2001banned protest rallies turned violent. Several peoplewere killed when security forces moved in and seces-sionist leaders were arrested. The separatist SouthernCameroons National Council (SCNC) set up a “govern-ment” in Britain and leaders moved into exile.

2016 flare-up There was a new outbreak of tensions in November

2016. Lawyers in two regions, which are also strong-holds for the political opposition, went on strike todemand the right to use Anglo-Saxon common law.Teachers followed, protesting at the appointment offrancophones in the regions’ education system. The fol-lowing month the national flag was torched at protestsand a separatist version hoisted. Demands for greaterautonomy were rejected by President Paul Biya, in pow-er for more than 35 years, leading to an escalation.

In 2017 anglophone separatists took up arms, attack-ing security forces and torching symbols of the adminis-tration, such as schools. They kidnapped police officers,civil servants and businessmen, sometimes foreigners.Biya branded the secessionists “a band of terrorists” andordered a crackdown with curfews, raids and otherrestrictions. In January 2017 senior secessionist activistswere arrested and charged with terrorism and rebellion.In an apparent effort to calm the situation Biya haltedthe secessionists’ trials in August. In October separatistsmade a symbolic declaration of independence. “We areno longer slaves of Cameroon,” said Sisiku Ayuk Tabe,the self-declared “president” of a new republic called“Ambazonia”. —AFP

YAOUNDE: In early January, with Christmas lights still twin-kling in the streets of Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, ChristelleTimdi received the phone call she had almost given up hopeof getting. Returning home to Cameroon from Libya twomonths before, gaunt, weak and clutching her baby girl bornjust days after she had bought her freedom from a Tripolidetention centre, she burst into tears at the memory of whatshe had been through. On top of beatings, the trauma of wit-nessing rapes and her friends sold off as slaves, her mosthaunting recollection was seeing her boyfriend Douglasfalling into the dark waters of the Mediterranean during anattempted crossing to Europe.

But that night in January, it was his voice on the line.“He’s not dead!” she told theThomson Reuters Foundationby text message after Douglascalled to say he had survived.“He was kidnapped, sold, andthank God, soon he’ll be inCameroon.” Timdi, 33, andDouglas are among thousandsof African migrants who, afterfailing to reach Europe insearch of a better life, havebeen flown home from NorthAfrica by the InternationalOrganization for Migration (IOM), with funding from theEuropean Union.

In the past two years, the IOM and the EU have rampedup support for Africans to return to their countries, driven bythe deaths of thousands on sea crossings to Europe andsome governments there seeking tighter rules to stem theinflux. But seven to 10 months after going home toCameroon, returning migrants interviewed by the ThomsonReuters Foundation are struggling to get their lives back ontrack. Many are battling alone the trauma of the torture, sex-ual violence and slavery they endured in Libya. In addition,they face harsh discrimination from fellow Cameroonians,and are struggling to repay family debts owed to theirLibyan jailers and torturers.

Business supportIn late 2016, the EU and the IOM launched their biggest

repatriation project yet: a 174 million-euro ($204 million)fund to help bring back migrants and jump-start their livesin a way that would remove the need to head for Europe.The program has so far returned more than 45,000 peopleto 14 African countries. Of those, 37,000 have receivedbasic post-arrival assistance, and about 7,000 support tostart a business.

Since June 2017, the IOM has helped almost 2,200Cameroonians go home, providing health check-ups on theirreturn and equipment to set up small businesses. More than800 have received livestock, tools and other assistance,

worth about 700,000 CFAfrancs ($1,264) each, for farmingand other new ventures, the IOMsaid. IOM’s Cameroon officehead Boubacar Seybou hopesthe scheme will show migrantsthey can make a living at homeand smooth their integrationback into their communities.

Timdi, for example, has set upa small fashion boutique and agrilled fish stall. Without the IOMhelp, “life would have been very

hard, if not impossible here”, she said. But for now the cou-ple still live with their parents in separate cities, as neitherearns enough to move out. Timdi’s family spent 1 million CFAfrancs - collected from relatives and neighborhood savingsand loans groups - to free her from her captors in Libya. Thedebt left her parents in a precarious financial position, andshe is trying to help them slowly pay it back. “I feel guilty,really guilty,” she said.

Sold as a slaveAfter Timdi’s partner disappeared under the waves, he

was fished out by human smugglers who held him for ransomof about $800 in a detention centre in Tripoli. Once back inCameroon, Douglas spent two months in and out of hospital

to treat the illnesses and injuries he suffered in Libya. “Thisonly increased the costs my family had to pay for me,” hesaid. He applied for IOM business assistance in February, butby late September had yet to receive a response. In themeantime, he started running a small chicken, duck and fishfarm with his uncle and brother.

But business is slow, and the cost of living high. “Herethe salaries are pathetic,” he said. In Cameroon, laborersearn about 150 euros a month compared with 150 euros a

week for a seven-hour day in Morocco, he said. At night,he sleeps badly, disturbed by his experiences in Libya,where he was kidnapped twice and auctioned off as aslave, then forced to work for two months building homes.“Your days are spent working without pay,” he said. “Oftenyou just think: ‘I wish I was dead’.” Since coming home, hehas also been ridiculed and shunned by some locals.“People say that you’ve become like a rebel, since in Libyathere are only rebels,” he said. —Reuters

Beatings, rapes and slavery - haunting recollection

Cameroon migrants grapple with Libya trauma and debts

YAOUNDE: Christelle Timdi grilling fish at her stall in Yaounde, Cameroon. —AFP

Cameroonians narrate their

Libya ordeals

Dutch terror suspects ‘had 100 kg of fertilizer for car bomb’THE HAGUE: Dutch investigators said yesterday they found alarge quantity of bomb-making materials including fertilizer like-ly to be used in a car bomb following the arrest of seven terrorsuspects. The seven were seized Thursday in the cities ofArnhem and Weert by elite Dutch anti-terror units and are sus-

pected of wanting to carry out a “major” attack in the country.The suspects briefly appeared for the first time in the RotterdamDistrict court on Friday on terror-related charges, where theircase was remanded until next week. The men, who range from 21to 34 years, were not named and will remain under maximumsecurity conditions-which means they are only allowed to talk totheir lawyers. During Thursday’s search “police confiscated asubstantial amount of raw materials to make bombs at the sus-pects’ homes,” the Dutch public prosecution service said Friday.Officers also found “100 kilograms of fertilizer, possibly for usein a car bomb,” the prosecutors added in a statement. Officershad previously placed a group of people under surveillance,including a 34-year-old Dutch man of Iraqi origin who was con-victed in 2017 of attempting to reach territory controlled by thejihadist Islamic State group.

The suspects came from Arnhem, the port city of Rotterdam

and villages close to those two cities. Two others in the groupalso had convictions related to attempts to travel to Iraq orSyria. The men are suspected of wanting to attack civilians at amajor event in the Netherlands, the Dutch secret service (AIVD)said, but a possible target was not named. Dutch Prime MinisterMark Rutte during his weekly press conference told journalists“a drama has been prevented in our country”. “These arrestsshow how important it is to remain vigilant,” Rutte said, adding itmeant the chances of a terror attack in the Netherlands“remained a reality”.

The Netherlands has been largely spared the kind of terrorattacks which have rocked its closest European neighbors in thepast few years, but there has been a series of recent scares.Thursday’s arrests came three months after two men werearrested in Rotterdam on suspicion of preparing attacks inFrance and the Netherlands. —ÅFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Sunday, September 30, 2018

9

Beijing eyes anti-terror force to protect overseas interests

‘Turbulence’ in ties threatens US-China security meetingBEIJING: China is working to develop a first-class, crackanti-terror force that can operate at home and abroad andprotect the country’s overseas interests, a senior Chineseofficer said in comments carried by state media yesterday.In late 2015, China passed a new anti-terrorism law thatallows the military to venture overseas on counter-terroroperations, though experts have said Beijing faces bigpractical and diplomatic problems to actually executesuch an action.

China says it faces a threat not only from home-grownIslamists in its far western region of Xinjiang, but also frommilitants in the Middle East, some of whom it says are fromXinjiang. In November 2015, Islamic State said it had killeda Chinese citizen it had taken hostage in the Middle East.In an interview with the official Xinhua news agency,Zhang Xiaoqi, intelligence chief at China’s paramilitaryPeople’s Armed Police which is part of the Chinese military,said developing special forces was an important componentof the country’s overall military modernization. “The missionscope of the special forces stretches from land to sea, fromhome to abroad,” Zhang said.

He said that “anti-terror fight preparations” must be ready

to safeguard national strategic interests anywhere. “We mustwork hard to build an internationally first-rate counter-terrorcrack force,” Zhang added, without giving details. China,

which has consistently said that it does not interfere in theaffairs of other countries, is the only permanent member ofthe UN Security Council which has not taken military actionin Syria. The government is yet to specify how any overseasmilitary, counter-terror operation would work.

‘Turbulence’ in US ties Meanwhile, a key diplomatic and security meeting

between China and the United States next month may nottake place due to tensions in relations, sources briefed onthe matter said, potentially the latest casualty of worseningties. Beijing and Washington are locked in a spiraling tradewar that has seen them level increasingly severe rounds oftariffs on each other’s imports.

Friction between the world’s top two economies is nowmoving beyond trade, with US President Donald Trumpaccusing Beijing this week of seeking to interfere in con-gressional elections, marking what US officials toldReuters was a new phase in an escalating campaign byWashington to put pressure on China. On the militaryfront, China has been infuriated by the United States put-ting sanctions on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forbuying weapons from Russia, and by what Beijing sees asstepped up US support for self-ruled Taiwan, claimed byChina as its sacred territory.

Two Beijing-based diplomatic sources familiar with theplans said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and USDefense Secretary Jim Mattis were both due in Beijing

next month for the US-China Diplomatic and SecurityDialogue, which first took place last year in Washington, areboot of earlier high-level talks under previous adminis-trations. However, both sources said that this meeting wasnow in doubt. “There is a lot of uncertainty because of theturbulence in the relationship,” said one the sources. Thesecond source said that the People’s Liberation Army wasespecially unhappy with the United States at the momentbecause of the US sanctions on the Chinese military andUS support for Taiwan, including approving a new roundof arms sales this week.

“The PLA is fed up over the Taiwan issue. They’reincreasingly hardline on this,” the source said. Bothsources spoke on condition of anonymity as the tripshave not been made public. They also cautioned themeetings may still take place as planned, and that nofinal decisions have been reached. China’s DefenseMinistry said it was talking to the United States aboutthe dialogue. “China and the United States have allalong maintained communication about the diplomaticand security dialogue,” it said in a statement to Reuters,without elaborating. — Agencies

China alleges threats from home-grown

Islamists

TOKYO: Braving steady typhoon-drivenrain, several hundred protesters held ademonstration yesterday in Tokyoagainst the closure of Tsukiji, the world’sbiggest fish market and a lucrative touristmagnet. The two-hour protest drew fish-mongers, clients and fans of the market,which is due to close its doors onOctober 6 after 83 years to move to asite in Toyosu, several kilometers east.

“Save the culture of Tsukiji” and“Tsukiji can live for another 100 years”were among the slogans chanted by theprotesters, who have filed a legal suit in abid to prevent the move. Lawyer KenjiUtsunomiya told AFP he had “alwaysargued for Tsukiji to stay in Tsukiji.” “Thenew site at Toyosu is not suitable forwholesalers. There are going to be a lot ofproblems,” said Utsunomiya, who ran to

be mayor of Tokyo in 2012 and 2014.Critics worry about soil contamination atToyosu, which delayed the move from itsoriginal date of 2016. Tokyo mayor YurikoKoike insisted earlier this month that thenew complex, located on a former gasplant, would be safe and provide a “cut-ting-edge” environment for the selling offish. Utsunomiya however said that pro-testers could not understand why Tokyowould get rid of a site like Tsukiji which hasa “global reputation and which all the for-eign tourists will want to visit, especially aswe approach the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.”

Proponents of the move argue thatTsukiji is no longer fit for purpose, espe-cially when it comes to modern-dayhygiene and fire regulations. But AsunaroSuetake, one of the protesters, said it was“strange to move the world’s biggest fishmarket to a polluted site, especially whenthe majority of fishmongers areopposed.” Tsukiji market opened in 1935and is famed for its pre-dawn tuna auc-tions, with one fish going for more than$320,000 at the market’s final NewYear’s auction last year. The new Toyosumarket will officially throw open its doorson October 11. — AFP

‘Save Tsukiji’:Japan protesterscry out

Powerful typhoon batters Okinawa, churns to Japan mainlandSHIBUSHI: A powerful typhoon pummeledJapan’s southern island of Okinawa yesterday,injuring at least 17, as weather officialswarned the storm would rip through theJapanese archipelago over the weekend.Typhoon Trami, packing maximum gusts of216 kilometers per hour near its centre, wasforecast to hit the mainland today and causeextreme weather across the country intotomorrow.

Television footage showed branchesripped from trees by strong winds blockinga main street in the regional capital Naha, aswell as torrential horizontal rain and massivewaves splashing over breakwaters on aremote island in the area. Local policemen inrain jackets wielding chainsaws were bat-tling the furious wind to remove fallen trees.The gusts were strong enough to overturn atruck and smash the glass windows of abank. Some 700 people were evacuated toshelters in Okinawa and electricity was cutto nearly 200,000 homes, public broadcast-er NHK said.

At least 386 flights were cancelled, mainlyin western Japan, according to NHK. WestJapan Railway said it would suspend all serv-ices in the Osaka region and cancel someShinkansen bullet trains by noon today.Seventeen people suffered minor injuries instorm-related accidents in Okinawa and sev-eral houses suffered some damage but no onewas feared dead, local officials said. “Thenumber may rise further as we are in the mid-dle of sorting out figures,” said MasatsuneMiyazato, an official at the island’s disaster-management office. “People in Okinawa areused to typhoons but we are strongly urgingthem to stay vigilant,” he said.

‘Very strong force’The weather agency warned people

across Japan to be on alert for strongwinds, high waves and heavy rain.

“The typhoon is feared to bring recordrainfalls and violent winds over large areas,”agency off ic ia l Yasushi Kaj iwara toldreporters. “Please stay on alert, evacuateearly and ensure your safety,” the officialsaid. After raking the outlying islands, thetyphoon is forecast to pick up speed andapproach western Japan today “with a verystrong force” as it barrels over the main-land, he added. There have already beenheavy downpours in large areas of westernand eastern Japan, including the capital, asthe storm spurred a seasonal rain front.

The weather agency issued a warning oflandslides in Wakayama, western Japan,where local authorit ies separatelyannounced that a local river had reached“dangerous levels”. Fishermen in Kagoshimabay, where the typhoon is expected to makelandfall, were already making preparations,tying down their boats as Tramiapproached-even as forecasters warned that

another typhoon was following in its course.Angler Masakazu Hirase told AFP: “It’sdreadful because we already know there’sanother typhoon after this one but you can-not compete with nature. We do what wecan to limit the damage.” If the forecastholds, it will be the latest in a series ofextreme natural events to strike Japan.

Western regions are still recovering fromthe most powerful typhoon to strike thecountry in a quarter of a century in earlySeptember. Typhoon Jebi claimed 11 livesand shut down Kansai Airport, the mainregional airport. Officials at Kansai werealready making preparations, placing sand-bags and warning that they may be forcedto close the airport. Deadly record rainsalso hit western Japan earlier this year andthe country sweltered through one of thehottest summers on record. Also inSeptember, a magnitude 6.6 earthquakerocked the northern island of Hokkaido,sparking landslides and leaving more than40 people dead. — AFP

TOKYO: Demonstrators protest against the impending move of the Tsukiji fishmarket to Toyosu in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP

SHIBUSHI: A woman walks her dog as she watches waves hitting the seawall at the coastof Shibushi city, Kagoshima prefecture, on Kyushu Island yesterday, as typhoon Tramiapproaches. — AFP

Sunday, September 30, 2018

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Washington Watch

Trump’s two-state solution: News that was no newsBy Dr James J Zogby

If we’ve learned anything about President DonaldTrump, it’s that for him words have no meaning, orat least not their obvious meaning. Because he’s a

performer/salesman, he loves being on stage, knowingthat the things he says will get a reaction. In manyinstances he’ll say something to shock, knowing that itwill cause a distraction that can divert attention fromsomething else. As a result, when I hear Trump makesome outrageous remark at a rally or in a tweet, orappear to break new ground at a press conference -instead of taking it at face value - I first ask the ques-tion, “Why did he say that?”

This being the case, when I heard Trump this pastweek twice make reference to a two-state solution tothe Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I didn’t get excited, asdid some Israeli commentators on the right and theleft. I took it with a grain of salt, trying to figure outwhat game was being played. His first mention of twostates came during remarks that accompanied hismeeting with Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu. In answer to a question as to whether ornot he supported a two-state solution, he responded “Ilike the two-state solution. I like the two-state solu-tion,” repeating it twice, as if for emphasis.

Then looking at Netanyahu he again said, “I like thetwo-state solution. Yeah, that’s what I think worksbest. I don’t even have to talk to anybody, that’s myfeeling. Now, you may have a different feeling - I don’tthink so - but I think two-state solution works best.”Later, at another press event, in remarks that wererambling and at times incoherent, he said, “I thinkwe’re going to go down the two-state road, and I’mglad I got it out... You know what I did today? By say-ing that I put it out and if you ask most people inIsrael, they agree with that, but nobody wanted to sayit. It is a big thing that I put it out. Now the bottomline, if the Israelis and Palestinians want one state,that’s okay with me. If they want two states, that’s okaywith me. I’m happy if they’re happy. I’m a facilitator... Ithink probably two states is more likely...”

“I think it is in one way more difficult because it is areal estate deal because you need metes and boundsand you need lots of carve-outs and everything. It’sactually a little tougher deal, but another way it worksbetter because you have people governing them-selves.” What, you may rightly ask, was he trying tosay? On the one hand, nothing earth shattering. Trumpgave no indication that what he was supporting couldbe construed as fulfilling the Palestinians’ minimumrequirement of an independent sovereign state basedon the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.

As Netanyahu made clear, shortly after Trump’sremarks, “Everyone defines the term ‘state’ different-ly. I am willing for the Palestinians to have the author-ity to rule themselves without the authority to harmus.” In line with that, Netanyahu insisted that Israelwould never surrender security control of all the ter-ritories “west of the Jordan River” - a concern,Netanyahu said was understood by the US President.Speaking the next day, US Ambassador to Israel,David Friedman, added “Where Palestinian autonomyand Israeli security intersect, we err on the side ofIsraeli security.”

If anything, what Trump’s vague two-state frame-work suggests is more reminiscent of MenachemBegin’s Camp David plan for Palestinian Autonomy - asituation in which self-governance meant thatPalestinians would control themselves and theirdomestic needs, but would not control land, resources,or borders and security. These are reserved for theIsraelis. Seen in this light, Trump’s intention was not tobreak new ground, but rather to resurface and try tobreathe new life into an old and discredited approachby calling it a “two-state solution.” If it meant so little,then why did President Trump throw out these wordsat this time and in this way?

Deliberate In the first place, it was not an inadvertent slip of

the tongue. This was deliberate. Since he repeated itover and over again, the phrase was obviously in histalking points. And because he boasted that saying it“is a big thing”, he clearly wanted it to be noticed andcause a reaction.

Calling for “two states” was not intended toembarrass Netanyahu or push him to make conces-sions to the Palestinians. Nothing in Trump’s body lan-guage or in the rest of his love-fest with the Israelileader would lead to that conclusion. And nothing inrecent US policy actions (moving the Embassy toJerusalem, cutting aid to UNWRA and the PalestinianAuthority, and their announced intention to redefinewho is a Palestinian refugee, and efforts to delegit-imize the PLO) or inaction (refusal to speak outagainst massive settlement construction and the dem-olitions of Palestinian homes and villages) would sug-gest that this Administration was tilting in a pro-Palestinian direction.

It seems safe to say that the mention of two-states,at this time, was said more for affect than as a seriousrecognition of Palestinian rights. But toward whatend? It might have been intended to make it appearthat the long awaited (but no longer highly anticipat-ed) “ultimate deal” was still worth waiting for.

NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of theArab American Institute

An attack on a military parade in Iran is a blow to theimage of its Revolutionary Guards, but the eliteforce could yet turn the bloodshed to its advantage,

using public sympathy to bolster itself at the expense ofPresident Hassan Rouhani. Twelve Guards were among 25people killed on Sept 22 when gunmen fired on a viewingstand as military officials watched a ceremony in the city ofAhvaz marking the start of Iran’s 1980-1988 war with Iraq.The bloodshed exposed vulnerabilities of the Guards, cus-todians of clerical rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution,who have sought to project an image of invincibility.

Initial responses from ordinary Iranians have beenlargely sympathetic, however, with many posting on socialmedia to express support for the security forces. “The factthat the attack took place on the anniversary of Iraq’sinvasion of Iran is likely to prompt a nationalistic backlashamong Iranians,” said Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at theCrisis Group think-tank. Iran lost hundreds of thousandsof soldiers in the war with Iraq. Pictures of soldiers shield-ing women and children with their bodies or carrying themaway from the scene were widely shared, while more than20 newspapers used a photograph on their front pages ofa commando cradling a baby while holding an AK-47.

“See how a member of the Revolutionary Guards helpsa child without fear. Salute to your courage!” read oneTwitter post, typical of thousands. But a small number ofIranians shared pictures of the harsh suppression ofprotests in 2009, when the Guards shot and ran downcivilians in the streets. The public reaction was similar tothat seen last year after Islamic State militants attackedIran’s parliament and the mausoleum of the IslamicRepublic’s founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killing 18.

Rouhani could be loserThe Ahvaz incident could prove more of a setback for

Rouhani, a pragmatist leader whose position within Iran

has been severely weakened by the US withdrawal from anuclear deal with world powers that he engineered andwhich the Guards and other hardliners opposed. “TheGuards will blame Rouhani for the lax situation and shoreup their own agenda in the country,” said Ali Ansari, direc-tor of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University ofSt Andrews. “Rouhani is a lame duck. He’s long lost thepossibility of challenging the Guards,” Ansari added. “Helost it with the [nuclear deal] and they’ve hammered him.That’s the one gift that [US President Donald] Trump hasgiven to the Guards, further ammo.”

The attack is nevertheless an alarming security breach forthe Guards, who influence Iran’s approach to its neighborsand control a multi-billion-dollar stake in the economy. TheAhwaz National Resistance, an Iranian ethnic Arab separatistmovement, and Islamic State have both claimed responsibili-ty, though without presenting evidence. Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei said the five gunmen were paid bySaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and that Iranwould “severely punish” those behind the violence. SaudiArabia and the UAE are predominantly Sunni Muslim whileIran is mostly Shiite Muslim. Saudi Arabia and the UAE haverejected Khamenei’s allegations.

History suggests the Guards will react by oppressingdissidents, an approach that political activists warn couldfuel further violence in the southwest, where the attacktook place, and where long-standing grievances have ledto sporadic protests. To deflect attention away from Iran,they may strike abroad, an approach used by the Guardsbefore. On Sept 8, they fired seven missiles at a Kurdishopposition group in northern Iraq, killing 15 people. Thejudiciary executed three Kurdish dissidents hours later.The two actions were intended as a message to Iran’sKurdish community after recent militant clashes with secu-rity forces and can be seen as a blueprint for the IslamicRepublic’s likely response to the parade attack.

Regional rivalriesIran has had tense relations with its minorities, includ-

ing Kurds, Arabs, Azeris and Baluch, and has accused themof aligning with neighboring countries rather than Tehran.The missile attack against the Kurdish opposition groupwas also a warning to Iran’s foes Saudi Arabia, Israel andAmerica, analysts, activists and opposition groups say. Iranand Saudi Arabia are engaged in a battle for influence inthe Middle East, backing opposing sides in the conflicts inYemen and Syria as well as rival political groups in Iraqand Lebanon.

An Islamic State cell could have also carried out theparade attack, said an Iraqi military intelligence officer,who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity ofthe issue. After recent military defeats in Iraq, some ofIslamic State’s leadership crossed the mountainous borderinto Iran, heading for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said theofficer, who has participated in the interrogation of IslamicState detainees. They may have helped form and trainsmall groups to launch guerrilla attacks. “[Islamic State]managed to launch terrorist attacks in the West through itsself-dependent lone elements and carrying out suchattacks inside Iran will be much easier profiting from feel-ings,” the officer said.

For now, the Revolutionary Guards are tightening theirgrip at home. Human rights activists say they have arrestedhundreds of Sunni activists and members of Arab sepa-ratist groups that have claimed responsibility for pastattacks on oil pipelines. Yaqoub Al-Tostari, spokesman forone of two groups that call themselves the Arab StruggleMovement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, denies any links toGulf Arab states. “I can tell you that carrying and using agun is a common practice among Ahwazi Arab people,” hetold Reuters by WhatsApp. “After the cruel suppression ofthe civil movements, if our nation decides to resort to guns,it can deliver blows much bigger than this.” — Reuters

Guards may turn attack into political win

Comoros’ embattled oppn facingcrackdown

The voice of dissent in Comoros isincreasingly being stifled - oppo-sition figures, a writer and even

military leaders have been arrested whilethe media has been silenced by the gov-ernment of President Azali Assoumani.He is accused of trying to extend his rule“at any cost” and in July won 92.74 per-cent of votes cast in a referendum onincreasing his powers that was boy-cotted by the opposition. His victorymeant that the constitution was amend-ed so that he can now seek two consec-utive terms in office instead of the previ-ous single stint.

Initially he was elected in 2016 forfive years but is thought to be pushingfor fresh polls next year which he wouldconsider the first to be subject to theamended constitution. That could seeAssoumani rule until 2029. “The referen-dum was the most scandalous electoralcharade of recent years,” said the ThirdWay Collective, a group of activists crit-ical of the government. The modestturnout of 63.9 percent highlighted theextent of opposition to the changes.“The polling stations were deserted butthe ballot boxes were full. We are truly abanana republic,” said former vice-pres-ident Mohamed Ali Soilihi.

The vote also highlighted the deeptensions that divide the Indian Oceanarchipelago nation that has been rockedby several coups. The last putsch was in1999 when Assoumani, then the head ofthe army, seized power for the first time.He gave up power in 2006 before being

elected in 2016. Since the referendum,police have carried out a wave of arrests.“More than twenty,” estimated InteriorMinister Mohamed Daoudou. “Theywere arrested for different reasons butthey’re all linked to the destabilisation ofthe country,” he said. Since the middle ofAugust the offices of the main opposi-tion Juwa party have been shuttered.

A ‘terrorist act’ Six of its leaders including the current

chief and former head of state AhmedAbdallah Sambi have been prosecutedfor corruption and held in jail or underhouse arrest. “Since August 28, I havebeen unable to confer openly with myclient as there is always a police officereavesdropping,” said Sambi’s lawyer,Ahamada Mahamoudou. Five other indi-viduals, including the deputy head of thearmy colonel Ibrahim Salim, were arrest-ed in August for a “terrorist act” and anunspecified “plot”.

Writer Said Ahmed Said Tourqui hasbeen held in isolation accused ofattempting a coup. Threatened with thesame fate, several of his contemporarieshave opted to flee. Former vice-presi-dent Djaffar Said Ahmed Hassane head-ed to Tanzania after being made the tar-get of an international arrest warrant.Some opposition figures who stayedbehind have opted for silence. “We areextremely scared of being arrested,”said one opposition activist whodeclined to be named.

The media has also borne the brunt ofthe government’s crackdown on dissentwith more than 20 radio stations closedwhile the editor-in-chief of governmentnewspaper El Watan, Ahmed Ali Amirwas demoted to the rank of generalreporter. “The regime has ushered in aclimate of fear and intimidation,” saidseven action groups in a joint statementcondemning the “dictatorial powergrab”. But Assoumani’s supporters insistthe criticisms are fake news. — AFP

The scandals bedevilling Facebook

Facebook is at the center of controver-sy yet again after admitting that up to50 million accounts were breached

by hackers. Facebook chief executive MarkZuckerberg said engineers discovered thebreach on Tuesday, and patched it onThursday night. “We don’t know if anyaccounts were actually misused,”Zuckerberg said. “We face constant attacksfrom people who want to take overaccounts or steal information around theworld.” Facebook reset the 50 millionbreached accounts, meaning users willneed to sign back in using passwords. Italso reset “access tokens” for another 40million accounts as a precautionary meas-ure. Here is a roundup of the scandals dog-ging the social media giant.

Cambridge Analytica In Facebook’s telling, everything goes

back to 2013 when Russian-Americanresearcher Aleksandr Kogan creates a per-sonality prediction test app, “thisisyourdig-itallife”, which is offered on the social net-work. Around 300,000 people downloadthe app, authorizing access to informationon their profile and also to the data of theirFacebook friends. In 2015 Facebook makeschanges to its privacy policy and preventsthird-party apps from accessing the dataof users’ friends without their consent.

The same year the social network dis-covers Kogan has passed on the informa-tion retrieved via his app to the Britishcompany Cambridge Analytica (CA), whichspecializes in the analysis of data andstrategic communication. In 2016 CA ishired by Donald Trump’s US presidentialcampaign. Facebook says it was assured byCA in 2015 that the data in question hadbeen erased. But it estimates the firm could

have had access to the data of up to 87million users, most in the United States,without their consent, and mined this infor-mation to serve the Trump campaign.

Cambridge Analytica, which denies theaccusations, has since filed for voluntarybankruptcy in the United States andBritain. Facebook is accused of havingbeen lax in its protection of user data,slow to intervene and consistently vagueon its privacy settings. In 2011 it signed aconsent decree with US consumer pro-tection agency the Federal TradeCommission (FTC) settling charges that itdeceived consumers by telling them theycould keep their information on Facebookprivate, and then allowing it to be sharedand made public.

In March this year the FTC said it hadopened an inquiry into Facebook’s privacypractices, including whether the companyviolated the earlier agreement, whichwould incur hefty fines. Beyond the CAscandal, Facebook estimates the data ofnearly all its users may have, at some time,been retrieved without their knowledge.

Political manipulationFacebook and sites like Google, Twitter

and Tumblr are also accused of havingallowed the spread through their networksof “fake news”, including to manipulatepublic opinion ahead of the US election infavor of Trump. The sites have acknowl-edged finding on their platforms mes-sages, accounts and pages associatedwith the Internet Research Agency, aSaint Petersburg operation that is allegedto be a “troll farm” connected to theRussian government.

It is accused of spreading disinformationand propaganda including via postings -often in the form of sponsored ads that tar-get users based on their personal data - thatcould influence opinion, for example overimmigration. According to Facebook, morethan 120 million users had seen such con-tent. Facebook is in particular accused ofnot having been vigilant enough on moni-toring the content and authenticity of pagesand political ads that it carries. — AFP

Italy’s deficit rattlesmarkets in EuropeNEW YORK: Plans by Italy’s new populist govern-ment to loosen the budgetary belt a few notches roiledmarkets in Europe, while Tesla shares took a beatingafter CEO Elon Musk was charged with fraud.

With the spending plans putting the Italian govern-ment on a collision course with the EuropeanCommission, Milan took the brunt of the blow in equitymarkets, dropping by more than 4.6 percent at onepoint and ending the session 3.7 percent lower.Thursday’s budget deal that calls for a 2.4 percentdeficit for the next three years came after warningsfrom the EU to rein in spending and it vastly exceedsthe 0.8 percent deficit foreseen by the previous, cen-ter-left government.

“The Italian budget continued to cast a shadow overthe markets on Friday, setting up a rocky end to a rockymonth,” noted Connor Campbell, financial analyst atSpreadex trading group.

“Investors are distancing themselves from Italianbonds and stocks, and risk-off sentiment is spreading

across Europe,” said market analyst David Madden atCMC Markets UK.

“The severe sell-off in European financial stocks isreminiscent of the eurozone debt crisis,” he added.

The trading of shares in some Italian banks wasbriefly suspended amid heavy price falls, with BancoBPM leading the way down with a drop of 9.4 percent.

The top two Italian banks, UniCredit and IntesaSanpaolo, lost 6.7 and 8.3 percent respectively.

Shares prices of major European banks outside Italyalso slumped, with French lender Credit Agricole down4.4 percent, Deutsche Bank sliding 3.8 percent andBarclays losing 2.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the yield on Italian government bondsjumped and the euro also dropped heavily against thedollar. Italian government bonds “have unsurprisinglybeen under pressure” said analysts at UniCredit in anote to clients.

The spending plan “creates several important chal-lenges, from a confrontation with the EC to the possi-bility of a downgrade of the sovereign credit rating,”they said, adding that volatility in Italian bond priceswas likely to continue, especially as the EuropeanCentral Bank winds down expanding its purchases ofgovernment bonds. —AFP

NBK announces winners of ‘Car of Your Choice’ and the winner of KD 250,000

Boursa Kuwait witnesses mixed performance

All-new Ford truck F-MAX to offer power, efficiency and top technology 1412 13

BusinessEstablished 1961

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

China CB vows toensure liquidityamid trade rowBEIJING: China’s central bank pledged to maintainits “prudent and neutral” monetary policy and touse multiple tools to keep liquidity ample, as theworld’s second-biggest economy comes underincreasing pressure from a heated trade disputewith the United States.

On its website following a quarterly meeting ofits monetary policy committee, the People’s Bankof China (PBOC) said yesterday it will fine tunemonetary policy in a pre-emptive way and controlthe pace of deleveraging. The PBOC is expected tokeep policy relatively loose to support a slowingeconomy as China faces increased headwinds from

trade frictions with Washington.The central bank said it would strike a balance

between interest rate, exchange rate and interna-tional balance of payments. The PBOC will contin-ue to closely watch broad changes in internationaland domestic economic trends and guide reason-able growth in money supply, credit and totalsocial financing.

“The prudent monetary policy will be kept neu-tral, neither too loose nor too tight,” it said.

The United States and China imposed fresh tariffson each other’s goods on Monday as both sidesshowed no signs of backing down from an increas-ingly bitter trade dispute that is expected to hitglobal economic growth. Investors and policy mak-ers worry that the tariff row could further hurtChina’s already slowing economy.

Economists have noted that disruptions in supplychains are likely to be more company specific, andwill take time to be reflected in broad economic dataand corporate earnings reports. —Reuters

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s first comprehensive bank-ruptcy law went into effect last month, one of manyreforms to the legal system that economists say maybe more important in the long run than high-profileprivatizations.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030push to diversify the economy away from oil hasgrabbed attention for its big-ticket initiatives, such as a$500 billion business zone and a plan, now shelved, tosell part of the state oil firm.

The legal reforms have attracted less media cover-age because they are highly technical, but they areextensive, ranging from new laws to the creation ofcourts and training of judges, and they have accelerat-ed over the past couple of years.

The new bankruptcy law creates a clear way forstruggling companies to obtain relief from creditorswhile they restructure-or for firms to be liquidated-and may free up billions of dollars now frozen indebt disputes.

There are still concerns about the legal system,highlighted by the detentions of top Saudi business-men and officials in a corruption crackdown last year,but the reforms are changing the playing field forcompanies. “While the headline setting Vision 2030continues to be the face of change in Saudi Arabia,the driving force behind it remains the tangible and

impactful modifications done to local laws and regu-lations that drive investment,” said Bruce McAlister, ageneral counsel for industrial conglomerate GE , a topforeign investor.

He cited the bankruptcy law, new laws on govern-ment-private sector partnerships, and rules allowing100 percent foreign ownership of trading firms. “Thelegal reform process is progressing. It’s a work inprogress and it will take more time, but the environ-ment is clearly changing,” said Grahame Nelson, headof the Riyadh office of Al-Tamimi & Co.

New foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabiatotalled just $1.4 billion in 2017, below smaller coun-tries in the region such as Oman. Privately, business-men have said that in addition to low oil prices, theunpredictable legal system swayed their decisions.

Sharia compliantFor decades, Saudi Arabia did little to develop its

commercial law because it depended heavily on state-led investment in the oil industry. Also, the legal systemis based on sharia, a set of Islamic principles thatstresses the idea of fairness and gives little weight tolegal precedent; many foreign firms come from a com-mon law tradition where precedent is important.

The reforms don’t change the religious basis of thesystem, but they aim to make commercial matters

smoother and more predictable with new institutionsand procedures. For example, a committee of expertswill oversee bankruptcy cases. This could eventuallyspeed the resolution of long-running disputes such asa $22 billion, nine-year-old impasse over debts left bycollapsed Saad Group and Ahmad Hamad al-Gosaibi &Bros Co, bankers say.

Tim Callen, International Monetary Fund missionchief to Saudi Arabia, said its forecast for non-oil eco-nomic growth to accelerate from 1.1 percent last yearto over 3 percent early next decade was based partlyon the legal reforms.

Specialized commercial courts and appeal chamberswere established last year, with judges trained to han-dle specific types of business dispute. In 2016 theSaudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)opened, offering the services of about 125 arbitratorsworking in 11 languages.

Hamed Hasan Merah, the center’s chief executive,said it was meeting the biggest Saudi and foreign com-panies to persuade them to include recourse to SCCAarbitration in their contracts.

EnforcementSuch efforts aim to improve commercial judgments

within Saudi Arabia. Other reforms seek to reassureforeign firms by connecting the country more closely to

the legal system abroad. In the past, Saudi courts rarelyenforced the judgments of foreign courts and arbitra-tion centers against Saudi companies. This has beenchanging; the country received 163 applications toenforce foreign judgments worth $667 million last year.

Among several successful applications in recentmonths, a Riyadh court enforced a US ruling for aSaudi tourism firm to pay $3.8 million, and a Jeddahcourt ordered a Saudi miner to pay a Chinese firm$10.1 million, the Justice Ministry said without namingthe firms.

Authorities have also started to use a 2013 enforce-ment law that gives judges less room to use their dis-cretion, so foreign firms seeking restitution may nowget a result in a few months, said Glenn Lovell, partnerin Riyadh for lawyers Clyde & Co. Concern over theSaudi legal system has not disappeared. Muchdepends on how quickly and consistently courts canimplement new laws; the bankruptcy legislation has notyet been tested in practice, for example.

Many remaining worries for foreign investors arelinked to the government’s drive to push Saudi citizensinto jobs held by foreigners, via quotas and fees forresidency permits. Companies find it hard to obtainpermits and visas for foreign workers and theirdependents, and hope authorities will operate the sys-tem more smoothly and transparently. —Reuters

BUDAPEST: People hold up posters and banners as they take part in a demonstration against the Hungarian government’s housing policy yesterday. —AFP

But concerns about Saudization, implementation of rules persist

Saudi legal revamp offers hope for investors

Sunday, September 30, 2018

12B u s i n e s s

NBK announces winners of ‘Car of Your Choice’ and the winner of KD 250,000

NBK celebrates exciting and fun-filled mega day, holds Al-Jawhara draws

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait celebrated itsexciting, fun-filled annual mega day on Friday (28thSeptember) at the Grand Avenue, The Avenues, in thepresence of officials from the Bank, comprising Salah Al-Fulaij, Chief Executive Officer, NBK-Kuwait, MohammedAl Othman, General Manager of Consumer BankingGroup, National Bank of Kuwait, Emad Al-Ablani,General Manager- Group Human Resources, NationalBank of Kuwait and Hanadi Khazal, Chief MarketingOfficer, National Bank of Kuwait. The event received agreat attendance from customers and visitors, givingthem a chance to win valuable prizes in the activities thatwere planned during the day.

NBK also announced during the event the winner ofKD 250,000 in Al-Jawhara account’s quarterly draw, inaddition to the five winners in the Summer Campaign’s“Win a Car of Your Choice” and the winners in the Zlatandraw campaign. The draws were held live in the presenceof representative from the Ministry of Commerce andIndustry.

Five winners of a car of their choiceThe Mega Day kicked off at noon with activities host-

ed by presenter Salman Al-Nejadi and covered live byKuwait Pulse FM 88.8, interacting with the crowds totake part in fun-filled games and win immediate prizes. At4 pm, the performances began with a special showorganized in partnership with Kidzania, followed by aperformance by a traditional band for everyone to enjoy.Live competitions then took place to win valuable cashprizes as well as prizes from stores participating inNBK’s Rewards Program.

Winners in the draws of the campaigns launchedsince the beginning of summer were also announced.The five winners in the “Win a Car of Your Choice”draw as part of NBK’s Summer Campaign are: HamadMohamed Yousef Al-Sabah, Rabih Said Mekadachi,Ghadeer Salem Hussain Al-Haddad, Ali Naser AliMohammad Ali and Mun Soo Park. The 5 winners wereawarded with an NBK Prepaid Card loaded with KD20,000 to be spent on the car of the winner’s choice atany vehicle dealership inside Kuwait. The quarterlydraw of Al-Jawhara account was also held live, in addi-tion to the winners in the Zlatan campaign exclusive toholders of the FIFA World Cup Visa Prepaid Card, inwhich the winners took home jerseys signed by thefamed football player, Zlatan Ibrahimovi.

Winner of KD 250,000During the event, the quarterly draw of Al-Jawhara

account was held live, announcing Ahmad NassimMahmoud Eid as the winner of KD 250,000. The drawwas held in the presence of the representative of theMinistry of Commerce and Industry.

NBK allows customers to automatically enter thedraws of Al-Jawhara account, giving them a chance towin KD 5,000 weekly, KD 125,000 monthly and a KD250,000 grand prize quarterly, for every KD 50 deposit-ed into their account. The minimum amount that can bedeposited in the account is KD 400 and the maximum isKD 500,000. If no withdrawals or transfers occur on theaccount during the required period, customers willreceive an additional chance to enter the draw for everyKD 50 held in the account, doubling their chance to win.

Continued success and excellenceSharing the excitement of the crowds at NBK’s Mega

Day, Mohammed Al-Othman, General Manager ofConsumer Banking Group, National Bank of Kuwait,said, “We have once again concluded a unique MegaDay in which we aimed at rewarding our loyal cus-tomers through activities, draws and prizes. This year’sevent distinguishes itself with the quality of competi-tions, offers and cash prizes that were distributed towinners. The event comes as part of our continued com-mitment to interacting and engaging with our customersand provide them with a fun-filled day for the wholefamily to enjoy.”

Al-Othman added, “This year, we ensured to introducethe technologically-advanced services that were recentlylaunched by the Bank, enabling our customers to com-plete their transactions in simple steps through NBKOnline and Mobile banking services, without having tovisit their nearest branch.”

Commenting on the success of the event, HanadiKhazal, Chief Marketing Officer, Consumer BankingGroup, National Bank of Kuwait, said: “We are very hap-py with the positive response received during our MegaDay. We wanted to engage with our loyal customers bydedicating a day for them and their families while alsoholding our draws live to announce in front of the crowdsthe names of winners in our biggest campaign for theyear, the “Win a Car of Your Choice” which was designedto give our customers the opportunity to choose andpersonalize the car they want to own.”

“The success of NBK’s Mega Day is a proof of our

commitment to customer satisfaction and to providingthem with the best level of service through advancedproducts, campaigning and events,” added Khazal.

Advanced technologiesDuring the event, the crowds were introduced to NBK’s

technologically-advanced services, starting with the Tap &Pay feature available at ATMs which enables customers towithdraw and deposit money with a simple tap and with-out inserting their card when using the NBK Tap & Pay. Inaddition to this new feature, customers can also enjoycardless cash withdrawals using their Civil ID or mobilephone number. They can also update their Civil ID detailsthrough the ATMs. The Bank also introduced the latestupdates to NBK’s Online and Mobile banking services, inaddition to the direct Video Chat service allowing cus-tomers to speak face-to-face with NBK Service Officers.

Two New Campaigns: Cashback and Win a GAC CarNBK concluded the Mega Day with an announce-

ment of two new and upcoming campaigns: The cash-back campaign and another campaign launched in col-laboration with GAC Motor.

NBK customers will have the opportunity to win acar from GAC Motor by simply downloading andusing the NBK’s Mobile Banking Application or mak-ing transactions through the ITM machine. Al-Shababaccount holders will be eligible to enter a separatedraw to win a car from GAC Motor.

NBK holds the Mega Day every year to reward itscustomers through an entertaining day that targets themand their families, in addition to announcing the winnersof NBK’s largest campaigns during the year. The Bankaims to remain their first choice when looking for thebanking experience that best suits their needs.

Mohammed Al Othman, General Manager of Consumer Banking Group and Emad Al-Ablani, General Manager-Group Human Resources during the announcement of the five winners in the “Car of Your Choice” campaign.

A special booth to introduce NBK’s advanced technological services One of the activities

Mohammed Al Othman, General Manager of Consumer Banking Group and Hanadi Khazal, Chief Marketing Officer,during the announcement of the winner of KD 250,000 in Al-Jawhara’s quarterly draw. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

From the event Announcing a new campaign in collaboration with GAC Motor

KidZania characters on stage

Area Managers at NBK: Ali Hasan, Ali Al-Mulla and Hamad Alwera during the announcement of the winners inZlatan Ibrahimovi campaign.

Children during their participation in the event

B u s i n e s s Sunday, September 30, 2018

13Established 1961

Dr Husayn examines recent trend for passive investing among investors

NBK analyses Kuwait’s upgrade,inclusion in FTSE Russell index

KUWAIT: Dr Husayn Shahrur, Managing Director ofthe MENA Asset Management Division at NBKCapital, presented on Kuwait’s upgrade and subsequentinclusion to FTSE Russell’s emerging market index. Hispresentation focused on three main areas:

Passive investing theme - Dr Husayn, spoke at lengthon the recent trend in preference for passive investingamong investors and shared an insightful analysis onthe increasing popularity of passive investment strate-gies in developed markets as seen in trend in assetflows across the globe. The ongoing trend in passiveinvesting supports the growing importance of globallyfollowed benchmarks like MSCI Emerging Marketindex and FTSE Russell Emerging Market index, whichtrack sizeable assets across emerging equity markets.He emphasized that Kuwait, a FTSE Russell EmergingMarket constituent and a potential entrant in MSCI EMindex, is likely to be immensely benefit in terms ofnotable flows going forward thus paving way forgreater foreign participation.

Index Classification - He further presented on themajor global index providers / indices that play a criti-cal role in shaping and influencing investment strategiesglobally. He also discussed the rationale behind countryclassification, delved deep into developed, emergingand frontier countries as classified by MSCI and FTSE,and provided an insight on the constituents of theemerging market indices.

Kuwait’s upgrade to emerging market status and itsimplications going forward - Dr. Husayn also spoke onKuwait’s recent upgrade to emerging market status andits implications for the local stock market going for-

ward. He highlighted how the recently announcedupgrade and subsequent inclusion to FTSE Russell’semerging market index is likely to be an importantdevelopment for the country’s stock market in morethan one way. Dr. Husayn expects that the FTSEupgrade will likely lead to overall improvement in theinvesting environment in Kuwait through increasedpresence of institutional investors. This could in turnresult in multiple positives - positive market sentiments,improved liquidity, increased transparency/governance,increased number of IPOs / equity issuances, increasedfocus on improving shareholder’s returns, lower cost ofcapital due to lower equity risk premium, increasedmarket sophistication by introduction of derivatives andsimilar hedging tools etc. He highlighted that the suc-cess of the FTSE upgrade has been a function of a slewof reforms achieved by Capital Markets Authority(CMA) and Boursa Kuwait. He briefly touched uponnotable initiatives like change in settlement cycle,change in tick sizes, market segmentation etc. whichhave been successfully achieved over the recent past.He lauded the ongoing initiatives of Capital MarketsAuthority (CMA) and Boursa Kuwait, which broadlyaims at reforming the existing regulatory, operationaland organizational framework to align with internation-al standards which is also likely to make the investmentcase for Kuwait stronger.

He further commented on expected flows and dis-cussed in detail the inclusion process for Kuwait. Hehighlighted that Kuwait’s inclusion is likely to attractpassive inflows of around USD 800 - 900 million inaddition to active flows. Dr. Husayn also spoke about

Kuwait’s potential inclusion in MSCI EM index, whichcould happen by June 2020, provided MSCI decides toupgrade Kuwait to emerging market status by June2019. This is likely to further support Kuwait’s overallinvestment case, which offers investors the right mix offundamental attractiveness and fund flow related cata-lysts. He highlighted that high oil prices, solid macro-economic outlook resulting in healthy earnings growthacross key sectors is likely to underpin Kuwait’s funda-mental outlook. This when supported with the secondtranche of FTSE flows (expected to be around USD400-450 million) which will be effective from 24thDecember 2018 (majority of trading expected on 20thDecember 2018) is likely to strengthen the case forKuwaiti equity market. He highlighted that these struc-tural developments will be key for the GCC region as awhole and its increased prominence among globalinvestors going forward. The region’s potentialincreased weight on the index coupled with relativelylow foreign ownership of companies will likely lead toincreased participation from foreign institutionalinvestors.

Dr. Husayn concluded his presentation with a dis-cussion on institutional investors and their role in shap-ing any market.

Finally, in response to questions from members ofthe media teams, Dr. Shahrur clarified the following:Managers of passive funds typically have some flexibil-ity of rebalancing their portfolios and do not necessari-ly have to buy all the quantities they require on the dayof the upgrade implementation.

Typically, ahead of passive flows, active managers

try to capitalize on the upgrade event and position theirfunds in the stocks that are expected to be part of theindex. Consistent with this, the Kuwait Bourse saw an80% increase in foreign funds flows in the first eightmonths of 2018 as compare to the same period of 2017.

It is expected that there were significant foreigninflows in September, especially on Sep 20. When theSeptember data is released, this will be evident.However, the net figures need not be very close to theamount expected from passive funds. It is possible thatthe net foreign fund flows in September were lower orhigher depending on whether active managers were netbuyers or sellers in September. This is especially so giv-en that it is believed that active foreign managers werenet buyers in the first eight months in 2018 as evidentby the increase in net foreign inflows.

Dr Husayn Shahrur

Boursa Kuwaitwitnesses mixed performanceKUWAIT: Boursa Kuwait ended last week with mixedperformance. The Premier Market Index closed at5,345.74 points, down by 0.32 percent, the MainMarket Index increased by 0.11 percent after closing at4,762.03 points, and the All-Share Index closed at5,138.52 points down by 0.18 percent. Furthermore, lastweek’s average daily turnover decreased by 59.34 per-cent, compared to the preceding week, reachingaround KD 20.81 million, whereas trading volume aver-age was about 104.18 million shares, recording adecrease of 35.16 percent.

The Premier Market Index and the All-Share Indexdeclined last week affected by the strong selling pres-sures executed on many listed stocks in the Boursa,headed by the leading and operational stocks listed inthe Premier Market, while the Main Market Index wasable to record limited weekly gains supported by therandom purchasing operations executed on somesmall-cap and mid-cap stocks.

In addition, the overall performance of the Marketduring the last week took a selling trend, as manytraders tended towards profit collections, and the sell-ing operations concentrated on the leading companies’stocks, especially the ones that joined FTSE RusselIndex lately, whereas after the positive performanceand the noticeable increases witnessed by such stocksduring the previous period, that came in parallel withthe optimism state that was present in the Market afterpromoting the Boursa to the emerging markets; somesessions last week witnessed strong profit collectionoperations executed on such stocks which contributedinto its decrease to a great extent, especially on the

first session of last week, which witnessed a drop in thethree Boursa indices, especially the Premier MarketIndex that recorded in the same session its highestdecrease since its launch with the application of thenew market segmentation phase last April.

Moreover, the market capitalization of the Boursarecorded a weekly loss of KD 48.95 million, as itreached by the end of last week around KD 28.75 bil-lion, down by 0.17 percent of its level in the previousweek, where it was KD 28.80 billion. The market capgains since the application of the new market segmen-tation reached around KD 897.47 million, or 3.22 per-cent. (Note: The market capitalization of the listedcompanies in the Market is calculated based on theweighted average number of outstanding shares as perthe latest available official financial statements).

Last week witnessed trading over 151 stock out of175 listed stock in the Market, where prices of 56 stockincreased against prices of 80 stock decreased, andprices of 39 stock remained at no change.

Sectors’ IndicesNine of Boursa Kuwait’s sectors ended last week in

the red zone, while the other three recorded increases.Last week’s highest loser was the Technology sector,as its index declined by 8.59 percent to end the week’sactivity at 851.18 points, The Health Care sector wassecond on the losers’ list, which index declined by 1.01percent, closing at 985.51 points, followed by theIndustrial sector, which index declined by 0.98 percent,closing at 981.76 points.

On the other hand, Last week’s highest gainer wasthe Oil & Gas sector, achieving 3.16 percent growthrate as its index closed at 1,134.70 points. The BasicMaterials sector came in the second place, as its indexclosed at 1,170.03 points recording 1.84 percentincrease, followed by Real estate sector, achieving 0.11percent growth rate as its index closed at 893.60points. — Prepared by the Studies & ResearchDepartment, Bayan Investment Co.

Bayan Weekly Market Report

CBK receives winners of drawsKUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK)recently received at its headquarters the winners

of its final ‘Your Trip Your Way’ draw launched bythe beginning of the summer to reward its card-holders. The reception was also attended byMOCI representative.

The winners were received by CBK’s cards centermanager, Abdul Aziz Malak who congratulated themfor winning flight tickets, cash prizes and gold.

Mexico says US, Canadacould reach new NAFTA deal in 48 hoursMEXICO CITY: The United States and Canada have toldMexico they could reach a compromise within 48 hours onkeeping the updated North American Free TradeAgreement a three-country deal, the Mexican economyminister said Friday.

Speaking as he presented the Mexican Senate with thecurrent US-Mexican agreement to update NAFTA-whichdoes not include Canada, the third member of the original

deal-Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo saidWashington and Ottawa were making a “very serious,”last-ditch attempt to bridge their differences. “For the firsttime, we’re seeing a real effort by both sides,” he said.

“In the next 48 hours, we will know if we are going witha trilateral agreement.”

Guajardo, Mexico’s top negotiator for “NAFTA 2.0,”insisted that even if no 11th-hour US-Canadian deal isreached, a three-way deal would still be possible at somepoint in the future. But that would mean “going ahead witha bilateral agreement and then later defining what legalactions we would have to take to maintain the possibilityof a three-way deal,” he said. A Canadian governmentsource told AFP that Canada’s top negotiator, ForeignMinister Chrystia Freeland, “is in constant communicationwith the Americans, both formally and informally.” —AFP

Sunday, September 30, 2018

14B u s i n e s s

All-new Ford truck F-MAX to offer power, efficiency and cutting-edge technology

KUWAIT: The all-new Ford Trucks F-MAXlaunched at the 67th IAA CommercialVehicles in Hanover, Germany. The F-MAXtakes its name from Ford’s legendary FSeries, and stands out in terms of its size,high level of comfort and durability. Theseattributes helped the F-MAX win the presti-gious International Truck of the Year award,a competition adjudicated by 23 judges from23 European countries. This award marksoutstanding success for the new F-Max.

The F-MAX will set a new benchmarkand will make a name for itself among theleading global brands in the heavy commer-cial segment. The new F-MAX was designedand tested by 500 Ford Otosan engineersover a 5-year period. Tests were carried outin 11 countries on 4 continents using 233prototype units. This involved 15,500 hoursof lab testing and 5 million kilometers ofroad testing.

“Ford Trucks has a very challengingpromise. Saying “sharing the load” as abrand promise, we commit our self to under-stand customers’ needs and share all kind ofload that they might have.” said HaydarYenig¸n, CEO of Ford Otosan. “We devel-oped our new tractor with Ford’s principlesof comfort, power, efficiency and technologyat its heart. To ensure that the design guar-antees the most, in terms of efficiency andpracticality, we examined every part andevery detail over and over again.”

Comfort of homeThe F-MAX offers comfort and luxury

with its 2.5m-wide cab along with its modern

design and driver-focused approach. Thedesign of the cockpit-style dashboard ensuresall functions are within easy reach. Even minordetails are incorporated to enhance the pleas-ure of the driving experience. The sense ofspaciousness in the cab is key.

The F-MAX provides all of this with itsflat floor providing 2160mm of floor-to-ceil-ing height and 260 mm of seat adjustment.Furthermore, the F-MAX offers drivers verygenerous airplane-style patented storage,and an innovative and groundbreaking 90degree foldable upper bed. It even has abraking feel that is similar to that of a car.Furthermore, it offers best-in-class NVH andinterior quietness thanks to its best-in-classtorsional cab stiffness, lower engine noiseand sound absorptive trim design.

The new F-MAX offers a range of stor-age that is roomy and easily accessible.Airplane-style over bed storage, spaciousoverhead storage and exterior storage areason both sides of the vehicle are all easy touse and easy to clean. The vehicle’s three-level door opening angle means that when itcomes to getting into and out of the cab, theF-Max is amongst the leaders. The fullysealed and water/dust-proof step covermake drivers feel that they are stepping intotheir own homes.

The powered interior lighting controlsfrom the bed area and driver compartment,automatic climate control systems andsteering wheel adjustment features; all offercomfort in the cabin. A mini fridge and cof-fee maker included in some models offerdrivers additional comfort.

Power & EfficiencyCost of ownership is a key factor for the

new F-MAX. F-MAX covers the three areasof cost of ownership. The new F-MAXoffers a high performance engine with500PS, 2500Nm and 400 kW braking pow-er. Superior aerodynamics, powertrain cali-bration and technical features also ensureoutstanding performance in terms of fuelconsumption with a 6 percent margin ofimprovement over previous models.Technical features include E-APU technolo-gy, eco-roll function, predictive cruise con-trol (Max Cruise). Up to 7 percent reduced

maintenance costs and long service intervalsreduce the total cost of ownership. F-MAX’sEcotorq engine offers maximum perform-ance and minimum fuel consumption underany road conditions.

Cutting-Edge TechnologyFord Trucks offers a revolutionary technol-

ogy ‘’ConnecTruck’’ with the new F-MAX.ConnecTruck offers a wide-range of benefits,which include remote monitoring of the vehicleusing remote diagnostic and over-the-air soft-ware, special topographic map means that F-MAX is able to analyze road conditions, allow-

ing the vehicle to drive at optimum speeds,thereby reducing fuel consumption by up to 4percent. Furthermore FMS Integration allowsthe ConnecTruck Module & Ford Trucks cloudto act as a data gateway for third-party fleetmanagement systems to access selected vehi-cle data. The F-MAX offers drivers invaluableassistance on the road thanks to features suchas Adaptive Cruise Control, Predictive CruiseControl (Max Cruise) with speed tolerancechoices, Advanced Emergency Brake System,Hill Launch Assist, Lane Departure Warning,Adjustable Speed Limiter Device andElectronic Stability Control.

KUWAIT: Ahli United Bank (AUB) announced that ithas won the ‘Best Governance Bank in Kuwait 2018’award from Capital Finance International Magazine.

The award, which was granted by CapitalFinance International, a leading business and finan-cial services publication, reaffirms the appreciationof international institutions for AUB’s leading posi-tion in this vital field. The award-giving processreviewed corporate governance practices by focus-ing on a number of elements that include processesand policies followed in corporate governanceapplications, as well as internal and external audit-ing, protecting shareholders’ rights, the overall andindependence of the board, risk management andtransparency levels. Capital Finance Internationalacknowledged that AUB, since its inception in 1941,is the oldest financial services provider of the coun-try, sustaining a rich legacy that keeps it at theforefront of the banking sector.

The magazine highlighted that the Bank fullyunderstands there is a need for regular communica-tions with its stakeholders and reinforcing its rela-tionship with regulatory authorities are both key toadapting to various industry requirements.

AUB’s commitment towards achieving corporategovernance excellence is shown in its operatingresults and the Bank’s overall strong performance.The Bank continues to drive a leading positionacross the wider industry in terms of return on shareand assets.

Commenting on receiving this award, MaiMohammed Al-Saghir, AUB’s Board Secretary andHead of Corporate Governance said, “The recentaccolade reflects the Bank’s excellence in corporategovernance applications in 2018, and one whichreaffirms its continued commitment to adhering tothe strong corporate governance standards. We arepleased to have received this important award, andthe recognition that AUB operates within a robustgovernance framework, which is a priority for theBank, and a guiding principle for our operations. Wewill continue to manage this important recognition inthe years to come.”

Al-Saghir also pointed out that, “AUB is commit-ted to adhering to the policies placed by regulato-ry authorities in Kuwait with the underlying objec-tive of achieving the excellence in what the Bankdelivers to its audiences. The Bank also works withits employees to explain what these policies are toensure the highest forms of transparency and gov-ernance are applied. We believe that effective gov-ernance across banks is an important and deter-mining factor to drive business success, along withit being the core foundation of long term sustain-able economic prosperity.”

The 2019 International Truck of the Year winner

AUB wins ‘BestGovernance Bank in Kuwait 2018’ award

Gulf Bank announces Al-Danah’s third quarterly winner of KD 500,0000KUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced Safiya Merza MuradAmin, as the winner of its third quarterly Al-Danah draw,taking home a cash prize of KD 500,000. The announce-ment was aired live on Wednesday (26th September 2018)at the ‘Diwaniyat Al-Yaqout and Al-Ansari’ program onradio station Kuwait Pulse (88.8 FM)

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah account is open to Kuwaiti andnon-Kuwaiti residents of Kuwait. Customers require aminimum of KD 200 to open an account and the sameamount should be maintained for customers to be eligiblefor the upcoming Al-Danah draws. If the customer’saccount balance falls below KD 200 at any given time, aKD 2 fee will be charged to their account monthly until theminimum balance is met. Customers who open an accountand/or deposit more will enter the daily draw within twodays. To take part in the upcoming Al-Danah quarterly andyearly draws, customers must meet the required hold peri-od for each draw. Al-Danah chances are added on a dailybasis, the more customers save and the longer they savefor, the higher their chances of winning. Furthermore, loyalcustomers will be rewarded and have their previous year’schances transferred to the next year.

Al-Danah offers several unique services to customers,including the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card, whichallows account holders to deposit money into theiraccounts at their convenience. Account holders can alsocalculate their daily, weekly and yearly chances of winningthe draws through the ‘Al-Danah Chances’ calculatoravailable on the Gulf Bank website and app.

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah final draw for KD 1 million will beheld on 10 January 2019, when the Al-Danah millionairewill be announced.

Inclusion of Boursa Kuwait in FTSERussel highlight of theyear: Markaz CEOKUWAIT: Manaf A Alhajeri, CEO of Kuwait Financial Centre“Markaz” stated, during his key interview at EuromoneyKuwait Conference 2018, that the inclusion in FTSE Russelhas been the highlight of the year. He stressed on the impor-tance of asking ourselves about the coming steps in order toachieve sustainable liquidity in the Kuwaiti market.

Alhajeri said, “The inclusion in FTSE Russel is a necessarystep for market reforms. However, it is not the only step. Weneed to ask ourselves, what is next? The country’s efforts toattract foreign investments through borrowings or foreigninvestments do not only aim to attract foreign liquidity but alsoto raise the standards of our practices.”

He added, “I think Kuwait’s inclusion in FTSE Russel isabout confidence, bringing better practices to the market,institutional investing and shifting the mindset from specula-tion to institutional investing. I genuinely believe that thisshould not stop at the stock market itself. It should find itsway to other parts of the financial practices in Kuwait such asM&As or AGMs. These could be more professional if theyinclude a multiplicity of institutional investor through mutualfunds for example, which should play a much more importantrole in the future to dance with the international money, inaddition to institutional funds from abroad.”

Asked about governance in the private sector, he said:“Listed companies are under thorough regulations by theCapital Market Authority, especially the financial sectorinstitutions including banks and other financial companieslike Markaz which are regulated by the Central Bank ofKuwait. I think the financial sector, banks and non-banks, iscertainly the best regulated sector in the GCC economy andin Kuwait. I do not think it is over regulated, because theyneed more transparency, more alignment of interest andmore accountability, which leads to higher economic com-petency. The governance culture in the financial sector haswitnessed a huge transformation since the establishment ofthe CMA. We can do much better in terms of restoring con-fidence in the stock market.”

Alhajeri stated, “Now that we attracted foreign funds; Ithink we need to go back to the domestic institutional fundswith a specific strategy for restoring their active role in themarket. I am not just talking about domestic funds; I am talk-ing about portfolio managers and key financial institutions inKuwait, who have played a major role in the genesis of thestock market, even before the advent of the CMA, and shouldcontinue with these policies which proved yield strong

returns.” Alhajeri pointed outthat Kuwait has many successstories in the financial sectorin comparison with the broadeconomy which included morechallenging topics such aseducation and health. Hestressed that the inclusion inFTSE Russel, in addition toother measures in the samedirection, will help in closingthe gap between the status offrontier markets and devel-oped markets, which has beena key challenge for the finan-cial sector. “I have to say thatthe achievements of this sec-

tor since the establishment of Kuwait Investment Authorityrepresent key milestones, like in the 1990s when KIA actuallylaunched the mutual funds industry in Kuwait. There havebeen successes and we need to capitalize on these success-es,” he noted.

About the diversity in geographic allocation for Kuwaitiinvestments, he said: “most of the Kuwaiti investors are eitherlisted companies or family offices, who derive their mainwealth from Kuwait, specifically in the local real estate sector,which yields high returns overpassing those in developedcountries, but the latter is better in terms of geopolitical sta-bility. These companies require local asset managers to man-age their assets and liabilities efficiently. In Markaz forinstance, we diversify our investments in different asset class-es globally. The general trend so far has been to go to inter-national players who are active in the family office business.With time, we realized that these international managers willcome to us, sometimes the family offices themselves, becausethere are real-life constraints that cannot be overcome with-out the support of what we offer. The international investmentmanager does not have the right expertise in the local realestate management for example, which is the largest part ofthe Kuwaiti investors’ assets.”

When it comes to the challenges that investment compa-nies face in Kuwait in the financial technology field, Alhajerisaid, “There are many challenges facing the financial sectorlike Fintech and adaption to technology trends in this sector.However, I think Fintech is not something new; it is an areawhere we keep investing in with more time and resources,especially in the fields of cyber security and client interface.”He added, “Looking at the business model of a company likeMarkaz, a company that is in the business of asset manage-ment largely institutional and family office money, in additionto investment banking, we and other investment banks, actu-ally incubate the companies you see today in the stock mar-ket. Some of them have made it to the global ranking in theFTSE index. Whereas the international money has 16 compa-nies in the premier market, we actually have full view of the175 companies.

KFH concludes program for exec managementKUWAIT: “Kuwait Finance House (KFH) is workingon building leaders and outstanding expertise thatkeep abreast of the accelerating growth of KFH-Group businesses. This reinforces the prestigious sta-tus of the Bank, while contributes in achieving sus-tained success,” said KFH-Group CEO- Mazin SaadAl-Nahedh.

Al-Nahedh statement was made during the lastsession of the advanced High Performance Leadersprogram that was tailored specifically for KFH seniormanagement. The program was held in three phases inefforts to efficiently achieve the maximum benefitswhere the seniors make the bigger impact they can ontheir team, organization, and customers.

He added in a press release, that investing in humancapital is the best investment, considering KFH humanresources the core asset of the Bank. KFH is keen oncontinually qualifying a well-trained and fully equippedteam that can deal with the latest developments of theIslamic finance industry as per highest standards ofprofessionalism and commitment. This is the major pil-lar for KFH to achieve the set targets in accordancewith its strategy in different fields on the level of theGroup that span different regions across the world.

It is worth noting that the last phase of thisadvanced program was organized and delivered byone of the world’s leading and largest graduate busi-ness schools- INSEAD, located in France, whereasthe first two phases were held by IMD businessschool for management and leadership located inSwitzerland. The program was delivered by a numberof well-known lecturers and global business leaderssuch as Prof Michael Yajazi, Dr Anand Narasimhan,and Prof Neil Jones.

Warba Bank announceswinners of Al-Sunbula drawKUWAIT: Warba Bank, “the Best investment Bank” and“Best Corporate Bank” in Kuwait, held its week 35th drawfor Al-Sunbula Account. The draw announced the 5 luckywinners in the presence of representatives from theMinistry of Commerce and Industry and Bank officials.

The bank proudly announces the lucky 5 winners whoreceived KD 1,000 each are: Ghaydaa Jassim Hasan Al-Dabi, Aeshah Obaid Benaih Al-Orf, Najat Najem HabeebAbdullah, Yousef Hamad Abdulmohsen Al-Ateeqi andYousef Mansour Marzouq Al-Azmi.

Al-Sunbula Account is the perfect choice for all cus-tomers who wish to save money and achieve steadyreturns while simultaneously have the opportunity to wincash prizes throughout the year. Due to the high traffic onthis account, for its offerings of unparalleled opportunities,Warba Bank has worked on enhancing Al-Sunbula accountto provide customers with more benefits. Such enhance-ments include increasing the number of winners and the

frequency of the draws. Now, on every Thursday the Bankholds draws for 5 weekly winners of KD 1,000 each. Inaddition, the Bank continues its monthly draws held on thefirst Thursday of every month, with cash prizes of KD30,000 divided amongst 4 winners: two winners gettingKD 10,000 each, and two winners getting KD 5,000 each.

Thus, the new development of Al-Sunbula account hasincreased the total number of winners to 24, and the totalamount of prizes to 50,000 KD instead of KD 30,000. Asfor the chances for winning, each customer is eligible toenter the draw against each KD 10. It is noteworthy, thatWarba Bank has recently launched the Al-Sunbula FixedDeposit, which provides depositors with high returns of upto 3 percent, as well as getting monthly chances to win inAl-Sunbula Account draws.

Furthermore, Warba Bank has launched its latestCustomer Onboarding solution, in line with its ambitiousfive-year strategy that enables non-Warba Bank cus-tomers to request opening Al-Sunbula account in an easyelectronic manner through the Bank’s website withouthaving to visit any of the Bank’s branches, by following 5simple steps that might take up to 5 minutes. New cus-tomers will be able to request opening the account at any-time, anywhere, and the Bank will receive, process andpass the new application for approval through whole newand unique electronic system used to implement this serv-ice. Warba Staff will then contact the customer to deter-mine the appropriate time to visit the branch to getrequired signatures, verify the customer’s identity, deliverhis/her debit card, and activate the account.

Manaf A Alhajeri

Sunday, September 30, 2018

15Te c h n o l o g y

Established 1961

KUWAIT: Continuing its annual Apple launch event since2014, Ooredoo Kuwait took the lead in launching Apple’slatest devices; iPhone XS and XS Max; at midnight onSaturday amidst a vast number of customers who came tothe headquarters in the heart of Kuwait City in order to getthe devices which were paired with an exclusive unprece-dented offer making this the biggest and most excitinglaunch event in Kuwait.

The head office branch welcomed thousands of cus-tomers who went above and beyond to ensure that theygain from this exclusive offer which was available for 8hours only. The offer consisted of the KD40 Shamel Mobilepackage with either an iPhone XS or an iPhone XS Maxinclusive of unlimited local calls, unlimited internet, 12 freeOoredoo Passports in addition to a free subscription toOoredoo’s digital entertainment partner from StarzPlay for24 months, offering a huge library of Hollywood andBollywood movies and TV shows plus dedicated Arabiccontent. In addition, customers enjoyed a KD100 referralvoucher that enables them to receive further discounts onboth iPhone XS models.

Social MediaIn addition to the heavy attendance of customers; a

number of celebrities participated in the launch includingAboudka, Hamad Qalam, Ahoud Al-Enizi, , DanaAltuwairesh, Hamad Al-Rahmani, Yaqoub Boushehri,Mahmoud Boushehri, and the television hostess Amani Al-Kanderi. They ensured to convey a vivid picture of theevent with details before and after the launch.

Apple’s representativesRepresentatives of Apple were also present at the event

and joined the leaders of Ooredoo; employees and cus-tomers in the launch of the latest devices. They also praisedthe activities of this celebration and expressed their thanksfor the efforts of all employees involved in the success of thelaunch. The representatives also stressed on the continuedstrong partnership between Apple and Ooredoo Kuwait.

Small businesses and cafes The company was also keen on ensuring that the cus-

tomers received special hospitality while they waited in lineand allocated a place for restaurants and cafes where theaudience enjoyed the most delicious and best food vendorsin Kuwait varying from burgers and pizza to ice cream, cof-fee and others.

In addition, the company in collaboration with Chipsstore, gifted each customer a special iPhone XS and iPhoneXS Max cases and screen protector after their transactionwas complete. The customers praised this gesture andchose from a variety of cases that were available to them ata special booth placed near the exit of the event.

Five consecutive years of successCorporate Communications Senior Director Mijbil Al-

Ayoub said: “We are pleased to be celebrating with ourcustomers for the fifth year in a row the launch of the newiPhone, in the biggest event in Telecoms for this year. Thisyear we ensured that we continue to give customers the

best and latest packages with competitive advantages andproducts; this comes from our values of caring and con-necting. We also ensured that each customer who pur-chased the best offer in Kuwait receives a gift as gratitudefor their attendance and support.”

Due to the high demand of the packages and arrival ofthousands of customers; Ooredoo ensured that theiremployees would also be a part of this launch; and fromtheir end multiple employees volunteered at the eventwhich started at 10pm on Friday evening and ended at 5amthis morning. The employee volunteers supported in organ-izing the queues inside and outside the branch alongsidethe external volunteers from Ooredoo’s volunteer programwhere they set an example in facilitating the entry and exitof customers into the branch; helping them and answeringany inquiries they might have.

Special RelationshipFrom his end, Bader Al-Bader, Marketing Manager at

Ooredoo Kuwait, stated that the success of these eventsare a reflection of the strong and strategic relationshipbetween us and Apple. We are keen on cooperating contin-uously with Apple in order to provide our employees withthe best experience in the world of telecommunications intandem with the most exclusive offers that best suit theneeds of our customers.

New generation of iPhoneiPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are the most advanced

iPhones ever, taking the vision for the future of the smart-phone to a new level, featuring stunning 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch Super Retina displays that offer remarkable brightnessand true blacks while showing 60 percent greater dynamicrange in HDR photos. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max bringan improved dual camera system that offers breakthroughphoto and video features, A12 Bionic chip with next-gener-ation Neural Engine, faster Face ID, wider stereo sound,longer battery life, splash and water resistance*, the mostdurable glass ever in a smartphone, a beautiful new goldfinish that joins silver and space gray, and introduceGigabit-class LTE for even faster download speeds. iPhoneXS Max offers a more immersive experience with overthree million pixels for videos, movies and games, offeringthe largest display ever in an iPhone. Both phones intro-duce Dual SIM to iPhone through the use of a nano-SIMand digital eSIM.

Ooredoo praised the Ministry of Interior for all its hardwork; headed by Director of the traffic department in theCapital Governate Col. Nayef Al-Hajraf and Acting Directorof the general security department in the Capital GovernateCol. Nasser Al-Adwani; as they were present throughoutthe night and supported in keeping the customers safe.

Ooredoo geo filter on snapchatOoredoo designed a special geo filter for this event on

snapchat on the night of the launch; the filter had theOoredoo building with the hashtag of the night along withthe company’s logo. This filter was used by all who attend-ed the event and also by people around the area who wereable to find the filter by location.

Thousands of customers gather at Ooredoo’s iPhone launch event

Customers get free cover, screen protector with every purchase

Ooredoo senior officials during the launching ceremony of IPhone XS yesterday — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

World’s firsthuman case ofrat disease foundin Hong KongHONG KONG: A Hong Kong man has devel-oped the world’s first ever human case of therat version of the hepatitis E virus, accordingto new research from one of the city’s leadinguniversities. There had previously been noevidence the disease could jump from rats tohumans, the University of Hong Kong saidFriday, warning the discovery had “majorpublic health significance”. “This study con-clusively proves for the first time in the worldthat rat HEV can infect humans to cause clini-cal infection,” the university added.

Rat hepatitis E virus is very distantly relat-ed to human hepatitis E virus variants, HKUsaid. The disease was found in a 56-year-oldman who persistently produced abnormal liv-er function tests following a liver transplant.He could have contracted the illness throughfood infected by rat droppings, researcherssaid, according to details of the findingsreported in the South China Morning Post.

The man lived in a housing estate where

there were signs of rat infestation outside hishome. He is now recovering after being treat-ed for the virus, the SCMP added. The humanversion of hepatitis E is a liver disease thataffects 20 million people globally each year,according to the World Health Organization.It is usually spread through contaminateddrinking water.

Symptoms include fever, vomiting andjaundice, and in rare cases liver failure.

Rodent problems in Hong Kong have esca-lated in recent months because of a sus-tained spell of hot and humid weather. HongKong has been hit hard by disease out-breaks in the past. In 2003, almost 300people died from SARS-severe acute respi-ratory syndrome. The bubonic plague, car-ried by rats, swept through mainland Chinaand Hong Kong in the late 19th centurykilling thousands. —AFP

ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra:Andorra is best known as a ski destinationand tax haven-but it’s the tiny principality’sstatus as one of Europe’s last countries withan abortion ban that activists want to high-light on International Safe Abortion Day.Even in cases of rape or when their lives arein danger, women in the country of 85,500people nestled in the Pyrenees mountainsbetween France and Spain, have no right toan abortion.

Only Malta, the Vatican and San Marino,another micro-state surrounded by Italy,have the same rules, putting them in agroup of outliers which lost a key mem-ber this year when Ireland voted tooverturn its near-total abortion ban. InAndorra, having an abortion is punish-able by up to six months in prison. “Ihad a baby that was at risk of dying inmy stomach, but I didn’t have the rightto have it removed,” said Sonia, wholearned in the fifth month that her fetushad an incurable disease and would like-ly not survive the pregnancy.

Sonia-her name has been changed-had already announced the pregnancyto her friends and family, but ultimatelydecided to make the “difficult” decision toabort. “I would have had to wait for him todie, keep him inside me for several daysbefore realizing, and then give birth to adead baby,” said Sonia, who is in her thir-ties. Like some 120 other women who headacross the border each year to Spain to ter-minate pregnancies, she travelled toCatalonia-Catalan is the official language of

Andorra-to have the procedure.“You come to our country to buy ciga-

rettes-we come to your country to buy ourrights,” reads a slogan on a pro-legalizationposter shared on social media. “It’s a formof torture,” said Vanessa Mendoza Cortesfrom the Stop Violencies (Stop Violence)group which is campaigning for the legal-ization of terminations.

On Saturday, the group is organizingAndorra’s first ever street protest in favor ofdecriminalizing abortion. “We should havethe right to have an abortion in our hospi-

tals, and not have to go to Barcelona withguilt and shame,” said Mendoza Cortes,who wants to make it an issue in next year’slegislative elections. She decried the localsystem as “hypocritical”, with the authori-ties turning a blind eye to women headingabroad for the procedure.

It’s an option that’s only open to womenwho can pay between 600 and 1000 euros($700-$1,160), usually handed to the

Spanish doctor in an envelope. Maria, whohad an abortion at 18, said she was “lucky”her family were able to scrape the cashtogether, but she is well aware that formany women “this is far from the case”.Today, aged 27, she recalls her shock at herAndorran gynecologist forcing her to listento her fetus’ heartbeat, trying to dissuadeher from ending the pregnancy.

The journey back from the abortion clin-ic in Spain took three hours by road, duringwhich she was doubled over with abdomi-nal pain. She returned deeply distressed,

but “there was no psychological ormedical support afterwards”, sheadded.

Doctors risk jail Andorran doctors risk up to three

years in prison and a five-year banfrom practicing if they are caught per-forming abortions. Even giving patientsinformation or the address of a clinicabroad is against the law, doctor EricSylvestre Dolsa said. “In cases wherethe mother’s life is in danger, it wouldclearly pose a huge ethical problem for

me as a doctor if you were to apply the lawstrictly,” said the general practitioner. He isone of few Andorran doctors openly back-ing legalization, “no matter the motivation”for ending the pregnancy.

Many doctors are reluctant to debateabortion frankly due to fear of the instabili-ty that could arise from the issue blowingup in a principality with a unique politicalset-up, he said. Although it is a parliamen-

tary democracy, Andorra has two “co-princes” as head of state: French PresidentEmmanuel Macron, and Joan-Enric Vives, aCatholic bishop staunchly opposed toabortion. Vives has threatened to abdicateif abortion is legalised, noted Elisa Muxella,head of Andorra’s Human Rights Institute.

“The government is hiding behind this

excuse and saying that if we had abor-tion it would put our institutions in per-il,” said Muxella. Sonia said she’d like tosee Macron take a public stance on theissue . “Do something for Andorranwomen,” she implored him. “I don’t wantto see my daughters go through thesame thing as me.”—AFP

Sunday, September 30, 2018

16H e a l t h

Established 1961

In Andorra, abortion punishable by up to six months in prison

NEW YORK: Prime Minister of Andorra, Antoni Marti Petit, speaks during the General Debateof the 73rd session of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York —AFP

Over 300endangered turtles hatch inSingaporeSINGAPORE: More than 300 hawksbillturtles have hatched on beaches inSingapore this month and been releasedinto the sea, authorities said Friday, in aboost for the critically endangered crea-tures. They hatched on three beachesacross the tropical Southeast Asiancountry, according to the National ParksBoard, which oversees parks and naturereserves. Over 100 turtles hatched onSentosa Island, a popular tourist desti-nation, according to the organizationthat manages the island. After their nestwas discovered in July, a barrier was

erected around the site to protect it frommonitor lizards and crabs

It was the fourth time since 1996that eggs of the critically endangeredturtles have hatched on Sentosa. Theother turtle nests were discovered at abeach on the east coast and onSatumu island south of the Singaporemainland, the parks board said. A totalof 321 turtles hatched over a 10-dayperiod from September 15. Hawksbillsget their names from their narrowpointed beaks and are found through-out the world’s tropical oceans, mainlyaround coral reefs.

They are threatened by damage totheir natural habitats from pollution andcoastal developments, and are also tar-geted by poachers. Their body parts areused to make turtle soup and their shellsare crushed into powder for use in jellydessert. The Hawksbill shell is also usedto make products like combs and orna-mental hairpins. The International Unionfor Conservation of Nature classifies theturtles as critically endangered. —AFP

Andorra, one of Europe’s last abortion holdouts

It’s a form of torture

HONG KONG: A woman walks past a block of the of the Choi Wan public housing estate inHong Kong where there were signs of rat infestation outside the home of a 56-year oldman who has developed the world’s first ever human case of the rat version of the hepati-tis E virus, according to new research from one of the city’s leading universities. — AFP

Science, tourism clash on GreatBarrier ReefSYDNEY: A row is raging over Australia’swarming-damaged Great Barrier Reef, withfirms worried that scientists’ apocalyptic warn-ings are scaring visitors out of the water. Everyyear, more than two million snorkel-wieldingtourists head to Australia’s famed coral ecosys-tem, generating revenues of $4.3 billion andsupporting 64,000 local jobs. But damagedone by higher temperatures-which turnpatches of the reef ashen white-has threatenedto put a break on the number of tourists willingto wrestle their way into a wetsuit.

There was surprise then, when the Reef andRainforest Research Centre recently publisheda markedly more optimistic report, heralding“significant signs of recovery” at major divesites around Cairns and prompting a flurry ofupbeat news coverage. If the report’s findingsseemed out of kilter with other studies aboutthe reef, that was by design. It was part of aneffort to show that not all of the Great BarrierReef is an aquatic wasteland, according to ColMcKenzie of tourism industry lobby groupAMPTO, which helped carry out the research.

“Overall, are we seeing a drop in visitationbecause of the negative press, absolutely weare, there’s no doubt about that,” McKenziesaid. He suggested visitor numbers to the reefand nearby islands had dropped by 10 percentin 2017 and were on track to plunge by a fur-ther 15 percent this year. Although governmentdata shows that the number of visitors to thebroader region has actually increased, thosefigures are older and don’t include coral-view-ing activities.

McKenzie said it was vital to get the mes-sage out that some areas of the massiveecosystem are still teeming with color and life.“What people miss with our reef system is...it’s a massive structure,” he said. His commentsare the latest salvo in a battle between ecolo-gists and the tourism industry, as they struggleto come to terms with competing interests andnew realities on the reef. Professor TerryHughes of James Cook University, who leadsthe surveys of bleached corals, cautioned thatwhile some damaged coral regain their colorwithin several months, more badly damagedreefs can take a decade to recover.

“It’s very early days yet,” he said, describ-ing a patchy recovery that makes generaliza-tions difficult. “Basically we are in year one inthe middle of the reef, or year two in thenorthern reefs, in the decade-long process ofrecovery.” The government’s AustralianInstitute of Marine Science says coral coverhas “continued to decline due to the cumula-

tive impacts of multiple, severe disturbancesover the past four years”.

The same institute showed that apart fromthe risk of extreme sea surface temperatures-with some areas more affected, the reef is alsograppling with the impacts of farming run-off,development and severe tropical cyclones.

Conflicting interests Even within government there are conflict-

ing interests at play, as well as rolling debatesabout how best to respond. Canberra has-sofar successfully-urged UNESCO to hold offlisting the reef as an endangered WorldHeritage site, fearing it would have an adverseeconomic impact and lead to tougher restric-tions on local industry. It has allocated some$1.4 billion to protect the site, but at the sametime backed a huge coal project nearby byIndian mining giant Adani and moved awayfrom legislating climate targets under theParis Accord. —AFP

QUEENSLAND: This file photo shows an aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef off the coastof the Whitsunday Islands, along the central coast of Queensland. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Baby Hawkbills turtles make its way to the sea on the beach atSisters’ island marine park in Singapore. — AFP

WHO revisesDR CongoEbola risk to ‘very high’GENEVA: The World HealthOrganization on Friday announced ithad revised its Ebola risk assessmentin the Democratic Republic of Congofrom high to “very high”. The WHOcited transport links and populationmovements as potential risk factors inoffering its latest assessment whilestressing that the global riskremained low. “As the risk of nationaland regional spread is very high, it isimportant for neighboring provinces

and countries to enhance surveillanceand preparedness activities.

“WHO will continue to work withneighboring countries and partnersto ensure health authorities arealerted and are operationally readyto respond,” the body stated. OnTuesday, the WHO’s deputy directorgeneral for emergency preparednessand response Peter Salama warnedthat neighboring Uganda faced an“imminent” Ebola threat following acase in a border town near LakeAlbert.

DC Congo’s tenth Ebola outbreaksince the first known case in 1976came on August 1 in a highly restivenortheastern region home to a clutchof armed groups near the borderwith Uganda, Rwanda and SouthSudan. The latest outbreak has killed101 people, according to a latestWHO tally. —AFP

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Sunday, September 30, 2018

17

Greetings

Sunday, September 30, 2018

18W h a t ’ s O n

Established 1961

Ateam of four Engineering alumni from theAustralian College of Kuwait (ACK) wonfirst place in the Kuwait national

“Challenge” competition organized by Engineerswithout Borders. The prize includes the opportu-nity to attend the annual conference of the “WorldFederation of Engineering Organizations” (WFEO)in London as well as present a paper in the “YoungEngineers Future Leaders Committee”.

Members of the winning ACK team were HanadiAlHouli, Huda Al Qahtani and Shabnam Mahmoudiwho graduated with a Bachelor of EngineeringTechnology (Civil) and Omayma Al Fassam whograduated with Bachelor of EngineeringTechnology (Mechanical) . The competit ionrequired students to submit a design to improveconditions in refugee camps. The focus of the ACKentry covered sustainable housing units for the

Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya that has around250,000 refugees.

The Head of the ACK Civi l EngineeringDepartment, Dr. Sayed Soleimani, mentored thealumni during their research for their entry and heexpressed his deep pride in their achievementcommenting that it is very pleasing when youngpeople are able to use their knowledge and skillsfor community development.

The submission from the ACK alumni covereddetailed aspects of the housing including water,sanitation, weather factors and use of sustainablelocal materials wherever possible. The members ofthe team were required to make a formal presenta-tion as well as respond to questions from the judg-ing panel. ACK has both Diploma and BachelorDegree level courses in Civi l , Electrical ,Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering.

It was memorable dayat the Life AbundantInternational Fountain

Church yesterday as fami-l ies , fr iends and wel l-wishers gathered for thewedding ceremony ofMr/Mrs Kokou. We praythat God will guide, pro-tect and blessing yourmarriage Amen.

ACK alumni win Engineers without Borders competition

From cozy gatherings and large-scalesoirees, to business meetings, work-shops and Exhibitions, you can count

on Hilton Kuwait Resort to provide you withthe best convention facilities to ensure yourevent is always extra special. Hilton KuwaitResort offers a wide range of venues forcorporate functions and ceremonies, start-ing with the Al Dorra Ballroom that featuresa grand space of 1,100 sq. meters and cancater for up to 1,500 guests.

The hotel has 13 meeting rooms, capableof accommodating up to 80 guests eachand equipped with the latest technology forpresentation and entertainment. Visitors can

also enjoy coffee breaks and a range ofdelicious cuisines prepared by the hotel’shighly experienced culinary team. HiltonKuwait Resort also provides a variety ofamenities including Wi-Fi access in allmeeting rooms and public areas of theresort, a fully-equipped Business Centre,ample parking, private entrances and mod-ern A/V equipment.

The hotel’s beautiful seaside resort, withits breathtaking surroundings, offers theperfect location for corporate events, prod-uct launches and open days. The space isideal for sports activities like football, bas-ketball, volleyball and two tennis courts,

providing everything you need for team-building and outdoor group activities.

Whether it is a small celebration or anextravagant affair, Hilton Kuwait Resortoffers a diverse range of wedding packagesto appeal to all tastes and requirements. TheAl Dorra Ballroom serves as a stylish cere-mony venue for weddings. Considered oneof the largest convention venues in Kuwait,the Al Dorra Ballroom can be divided intothree separate halls, a special stage setupthat accommodates around 900 guests, ahuge foyer, as well as two privateDiwaniyas, a private entrance and huge pri-vate parking.

Celebrate every event in a special wayat Hilton Kuwait Resort MMF Kuwait

elects new office-bearers

Malayali Media Forum (MMF)- Kuwait, a forum of journal-ists from Kerala, held its

annual general body meeting andelected its office-bearers for the year2018-2019. Sajeev K Peter (KuwaitTimes) has been elected as theGeneral Convener while NixonGeorge (Asianet TV) and JalinTriprayar (Jai Hind TV) have been

elected as Conveners. The generalbody also reconstituted the MMFexecutive committee for the year. Theoffice-bearers were elected unani-mously at the meeting which wasoverseen by Sathar Kunnil.

Earlier, outgoing General ConvenerT V Hikamat presided over the meet-ing while Convener Girish Ottapalampresented the annual report andConvener Nijas Kasim presented thefinancial statement. The meetingobserved that MMF tried its best todischarge its social commitment as adedicated Indian association inKuwait. The meeting also took note ofits humanitarian activities during theyear including its support to help theflood-affected people in Kerala.

Gear up for action-packed Thursdays, only on OSN

Start your weekend with heart-thumpingthrills as OSN, the region’s leadingentertainment network, premieres a

string of new and returning action dramas towatch this Super Season. Your Thursdaynight entertainment will reach new levels, allfrom the comfort of your couch with OSNSeries First HD. TV fans that love high speedcop car chases, stand-offs and shootouts willbe hooked by these shows:

Lethal Weapon, S3Premieres September 27, 8pm (KSA)The buddy-cop series follows a pair of

unlikely police partners. Season 3 sees theintroduction of Murtaugh’s (Damon Wayans)new partner, Wesley Cole, played by SeannWilliam Scott of American Pie fame.

NEW: Magnum P.I. S1Premieres October 4, 7pm (KSA)

This series remakes the 80s show whichstarred Tom Selleck as the charming privateinvestigator. The titular Thomas Magnum isnow played by Jay Hernandez (Suicide Squad)and the series charts how the ex-Navy SEALreturns home from Afghanistan and uses hismilitary skills to become a private investigatorin Hawaii. With the first episode directed byFast & Furious’, Justin Lin, expect full throttleaction from the beginning.

S.W.A.T S2Premieres October 4, 9pm (KSA)

S.W.A.T follows local lieutenant, DanielHondo (Shemar Moore), as he is torn

between his loyalty to the streets of SouthCentral LA and his duty to the force. After asuccessful debut season, season two will pickup from the events of the last episode whichsaw officer Jim Street (played by Alex

Russell) plotting revenge after he wasexpelled by Hondo for disobeying orders.

Catch up on your favourite shows andwatch live TV anytime, anywhere with OSNPlay and OSN On Demand.

Baked Rice with BarberriesIngredients:3 cups long-grain white rice2 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste1 1/2 cups plain yogurt1/2 cup canola oil, plus more1/2 tsp. crushed saffron4 egg yolks3 tbsp. unsalted butter3/4 cup barberries or dried cranberries1/2 cup currants2 tbsp. sugar1 tbsp. rose water

Instructions:Rinse rice in a strainer under running

water until water runs clear. Transfer to abowl with 2 tbsp. salt, cover with water,and soak for 2 hours; drain. Boil 6 cupswater in a 4-qt. saucepan over high heat.

Add rice; cook until it begins to rise tothe surface, about 12 minutes. Drain andrinse until water runs clear.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Transferrice to a bowl; stir in yogurt, oil, saffron,yolks, and salt. Pour rice mixture into agreased 9” x 13” baking dish; smooth topand cover with foil. Bake rice until a gold-en-brown crust forms on bottom, about 1hour, 45 minutes. Uncover, and run a knifebetween rice and dish to loosen crust;place a platter over dish and invert. Cutrice into squares.

Heat butter in a 10” skillet over medi-um-high heat. Add barberries, currants,and sugar; cook until hot. Add rose water;cook for 1 minute; remove from heat.Garnish rice with berries and currants.

CROSSWORD 2021

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who was a central figure in the cre-ation of OPEC (born in 1930).

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that with the cornea forms the outercovering of the eyeball.

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34. Acute ulceration of the mucous mem-branes of the mouth or genitals.

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74. A state in the eastern United States.

Friday’s SolutionDaily SuDoku

Wordsearch Puzzle Friday’s Solution

Sunday, September 30, 2018

19S t a r s

Established 1961

Friday’s Solution

Today may find you a bit unsatisfied with your surroundings. Itmay be someone or the physical place you are in that is just not sitting rightwith you. You may feel as if someone or something is holding you back ormay just feel frustrated by your life in general. This may be a great time for anevening out and about. Change your surroundings. Clear your head butchoose your company wisely to avoid any conflict as this is a time you needto have fun. You have to find a comfortable balance between work life, family,and social life. Aries, remember it is good for you to get out and enjoy your-self from time to time.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You may find your tendency to be indecisive may cause conflictwith someone you care about. Consider all the options diplomatically, thenmake a choice. Recognize that ignoring this situation is not the right choice.Consider consequences, then choose, and act. Someone may find your actionsoffensive. Pay no attention to anyone who doesn’t seem supportive. They willget over it, Taurus. Be the best you that you can be. Keep your actions pureand the reward you seek will come.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Others may be amazed when you turn your creative ideas intoreality. Your mind is in overdrive and your creativity is off of the charts. Youhave a million great ideas running through your head. Today finds you ableto turn them into reality. You are gifted and talented in many ways. Whenyour mind takes over you may find it hard to relax. This would be a goodevening for escape. Grab a book, light some candles, or curl up on the couchand watch a movie. It will take a while to wind down this evening after thisproductive day, Gemini. A wonderful ending to a great day is to be expected.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You are always quick to gather all the information possible onnew friends and new acquaintances. You have been known to be quite thedetective. Today finds you fascinated with gaining all the information andinsight you can. But, your focus today is on you! You desire to have a betterself-understanding. What exactly led you down the path you took. You haveput some thought into this before, but today you are determined to figure itout. Finding yourself is a mission you are on. You not only want to knowwho you really are but what exactly caused you to be this way, Cancer? Theanswers are held in your heart. Today could be a great day to make amends.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

You can stop looking for perfect relationships. Since every per-son is flawed, a relationship between two of those persons can’t be perfect.You just have to decide how much imperfection you can tolerate. Limit yourrelationships to the people who don’t have the flaws you can’t live with.Surround yourself with people who are aware of your imperfections and loveyou anyway. Peace is conceived when love and tolerance are united.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

You have a gift for taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary.This does not only apply to objects but also to people. You see the best in thosethat you encounter. Your positive spirit is contagious and you are able to put asmile on the face of the most negative people. There is no doubt, all eyes turn towatch you enter the room. Others are drawn to your energy. Today finds thatenergy at an all-time high! Others may wonder how you sprinkle happy every-where you go. Share the secret of your inner peace with them. It is people likeyou that make this world a better place to live in, Libra.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

You may find confrontation is right around the corner. Your valuesdon’t seem to be the same as someone you find yourself bumping heads with. Youmay find a lack of respect for this person and they seem to feel the same wayabout you. Remember, that is why they make chocolate and vanilla. Not everyone’staste is the same and this applies to people’s beliefs as well. Sometimes you mayfind it is best to agree to disagree and today is just one of those days. You mayfind yourself at a standstill with this person. Do not bother to fight this battle.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You may find yourself extremely creative today. This is a great way toexpress your emotions and feelings as well as having new experiences. You mayfeel drawn to take chances, take a new and different approach to problem solvingor just change your routine all together. You are more willing at this time to takefinancial risk. Hopefully this will lead you towards the stock market rather than thecasino. Either direction you may choose you are in the mood to do a bit of gam-bling. Good luck with this, Sagittarius. May the risks you take be profitable.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Your relationships have taken priority in your life. You value the loveyou have for others and the love you feel from them. Your emotional needs arebeing deeply satisfied. There is a vast difference between independence andloneliness. At this time, you seem to be becoming more of a homebody. You findmore at ease staying in surrounded only by your loved ones or close friends. Thisis where you belong as your feelings are finding you more reflective rather thanexpressive. You crave new beginnings, perhaps this would be a great time for anew experience or a new hobby.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

This is a time you feel more inward. You may be in the mood to onlyspend time with those closest to you. A nice evening at home will bring the mostpeace into your world today. This is a great time to do some soul searching. Youhave questions about what all happened in your world the led you to the placeyou are in today. You may be able to appreciate the hardships you have experi-enced and the lessons they taught you. This is a point you start to appreciate thewisdom you have gained through your life. You have learned to look for the posi-tive in all life brings your way. This alone will make you a better person who oth-ers want in their lives.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

You are at peace. You have stability in your life and this is verycomforting to you. Comfort and happiness are very familiar in your world.Now is a time music seems to draw you in. An outdoor concert, playing aninstrument, or simply turning up your favorite tunes will bring a great sense ofpeace into your world today. There is a nagging feeling to be free from wantthat seems to be coming over you today. A shopping trip or taking some timeto spoil yourself is in order. You work hard and constantly do for others. Takethe time this evening to do something special for you, Leo. You deserve it.

You may find yourself getting mixed signals from someone close toyou. You feel as if you don’t know up from down. The harder you try to please thisperson, the more you seem to do wrong. You could find yourself in the companyof someone whose values are opposite of yours. You do not like what they repre-sent. You have a strong sense of values and morals and are very picky about thecompany you keep. It is important to remain kind and try to be understanding.This is why they make chocolate and vanilla, not everyone has the same taste.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

Established 1961

Lifestyle

An actor performs on stage during a preview of the Fashionfreak show, created by Frenchfashion designer Jean-PaulGaultier, at the Folies Bergerestheatre in Paris. — AFP

People visit Liyuan Library on the outskirts of Beijing.

People read at Liyuan Library on the outskirts of Beijing.— AFP photos

‘I’m a slumdog’,Mike Tyson says

on India trip

Former boxing champion Mike Tyson declaredhimself a “slumdog” Friday as he made his firsttrip to India. The 52-year-old was in Mumbai,

home to the slums that inspired Danny Boyle’s 2008hit movie Slumdog Millionaire. “The most successfulfighters have come from slums. All the current topfighters are from the slums,” the controversial heavy-weight great told reporters. “I think the poorer youare the better boxer you are,” he added. “I am aslumdog. I grew up in a slum. I had the ambition toget out of the slums and that’s why I am here, Tysonsaid in quotes carried by the Press Trust of Indianews agency.

Around 50 percent of Mumbai’s population of 20million live in slums. Many of them live in Dharavi,often described as Asia’s biggest slum and the back-drop to Boyle’s film. The title of the movie causedcontroversy in India with critics claiming that thereference to dog was derogatory. Boyle insisted nooffence was meant. Tyson, in India to promote a newmixed martial arts league, said he planned to visitDharavi. Tyson is one of the most formidable andcontroversial sportsmen to date.

In 1986, at the age of 20, he became the youngestinternational boxing heavyweight champion in histo-ry. He held that title from 1987 to 1990 and achieved58 victories, including 44 by knockout. But his careerwas plagued with trouble, including drug addictionand stints in prison for rape. In 1992, at the age of 25,Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison for rape,serving three years behind bars. Tyson also notori-ously bit off a chunk of boxer Evander Holyfield’s earin a 1997 match. The heavyweight champion has inrecent years worked to clean up his image, appear-ing in comedy films like The Hangover. Last year heunveiled plans to launch a boxing fitness franchisenamed after himself. — AFP

Former US boxer Mike Tyson is greeted with roses dur-ing his visit to a local school on the sidelines of India’sfirst global Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) league, inMumbai yesterday. — AFP

Deep in the heart of a valley surrounded byrocky hills, a wooden library sits just over acreek on the outskirts of Beijing, seeminglyin the middle of nowhere. Every weekend,

hundreds of bookworms flock to Liyuan Library inJiaojiehe village, a book sanctuary surrounded bychestnut, walnut and peach trees whose brancheswere used to decorate the building. The lush environ-ment is what first drew architect Li Xiaodong to thevillage-the library has a steel and glass base but itsfacade is cladded with branches and twigs arranged invertical rows.

Visitors cross a narrow wooden bridge which leadsto a bright and airy space, sunlight seeping in throughgaps in the uneven wood, a design feature. Bookshelvesthat double up as walls line the reading area-basicallyone large room-and readers lounge with tomes on thefloor or on elevated platforms. With space for just 40people at a time, visitors stand in line to enter thelibrary, which only opens on weekends. The library,which opened in April 2012, draws hundreds of visitorsevery weekend, many of whom are attracted by thedesign, which makes for great pictures on social media.“We have now banned taking pictures inside, as somepeople come here just for taking pictures. They evencome in costumes, that’s really disturbing,” owner PanXi told AFP. “We still want to give those who love read-ing a conducive environment.” — AFP

Wooden library luresbookworms outside Beijing

People read at Liyuan Library on the outskirts of Beijing.

L i f e s t y l e Sunday, September 30 , 2018

21Established 1961

Fe a t u r e s

El-Gouna Film Festival

British rock group Led Zeppelin founditself winding on down the legal roadagain after a US appeals court ordereda new trial over claims the rockerscopied part of “Stairway to Heaven.”

The court in San Francisco overturned a 2016judgment by a jury which found no proof the clas-sic 1971 Zeppelin song breached the copyright of“Taurus,” written by Randy Wolfe of a LosAngeles band called Spirit. Wolfe’s trustee,Michael Skidmore, filed the case in 2015 on behalfof his late friend who long maintained he deservedcredit for “Stairway” but drowned in 1997 havingnever taken legal action over the song.

The case is “remanded for a new trial,” the high-er court panel ruled Friday in a 37-page decisionsupporting Skidmore’s appeal. It said that certaininstructions to the district court jury had been“erroneous and prejudicial” by arguing that com-mon musical elements are not protected by copy-right, and by failing to clarify that the arrangementof elements in the public domain could be consid-ered original. Experts called by the plaintiffs at thelower court trial said there were substantial similar-ities between key parts of the two songs, butdefense witnesses testified the chord pattern used

in the melancholic guitar intro to “Stairway” was socommonplace that copyright didn’t apply.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, sued alongwith the group’s singer Robert Plant and anothersurviving bandmate, John Paul Jones, testified in2016 that the chord sequence in question had“been around forever.” Page and Plant denied pla-

giarism. The appeals court panel further ruled thatthe lower chamber “abused its discretion” by notallowing the jury to observe Page listening torecordings of “Taurus.” Skidmore had argued thatthose observations were important in assessingPage’s credibility.

“Stairway” is estimated to have grossed $3.4

million during a five-year period at issue in the ear-lier civil trial. Zeppelin opened for Spirit when theBritish rockers made their US debut on December26, 1968, in Denver. Wolfe, nicknamed RandyCalifornia, wrote “Taurus” in late 1966. — AFP

Alittle-known French rapper whocaused a furore in France this weekwith a music video called “Hang

White People” has been ordered to facetrial on charges of inciting violence, legalsources said Friday. Nick Conrad, whosetrack and career had gone largely unno-ticed until the video came to the public’sattention this week, was interviewed bypolice on Friday and ordered to stand trialon January 9. The charge against him, ofinciting deadly violence, carries a maximumfive-year prison sentence and a fine of45,000 euros (39,000 dollars).

The track, called PLB for “Pendez lesBlancs” (Hang White People), was postedon YouTube on September 17 and gar-nered only a few thousands views before itwas shared last weekend by a controver-sial comedian with a large online following.After being highl ighted by far-r ightgroups in France, who regular ly ra i lagainst alleged racism against white peo-ple, both the interior minister, governmentspokesman and politicians of all stripescondemned the video.

Conrad, who had an average 40 monthlylisteners on Spotify and 186 subscribers tohis YouTube channel before the controversy,has become the subject of widespreadmedia coverage and public attention as aresult. “There will be a trial during which Ihope to be received like I was today in termsof being listened to,” Conrad said after hisinterview with police. “I think that a textdeserves to be studied in depth, not superfi-cially,” he added.

In scenes from the PLB video, which hassince been blocked by YouTube, the rappercan be seen torturing and then hanging a

white victim with a noose, in between wav-ing a gun around and smoking a cigar. Thelyrics evoke the killing of adults and childrenwith the rapper singing: “I walk into creches,I kill white babies, catch them quick andhang their parents.” Conrad, who is fromParis and is of Cameroonian origin,explained to Le Parisien newspaper that hewanted to “inverse the roles of the whiteman and the black man” and that the “shockwas intended.”

Many scenes make obvious reference tothe film American History X about the abuseof blacks by American neo-Nazis. One col-lateral victim of the furore is a BBC newspresenter with the same name as the Frenchrapper who presents a radio show in thesleepy eastern county of Norfolk. The BritishNick Conrad, who wrote online that he wasthe “fatter and more talented one” of thetwo, has asked to be left alone after receiv-ing death threats over social media. — AFP

Barbra Streisand is a loud and proudDemocrat who has made no secret ofher disdain for Donald Trump. Now,

she’s put that rage into a new song.Streisand has announced that her newalbum “Walls” will come out on November2, and on Thursday, she released the firsttrack-”Don’t Lie to Me,” which lays out herhatred of the Republican president. “Thiscollection of songs reflects what’s been onmy mind lately, and I look forward to shar-ing that with you,” she said on Twitter ofthe album, the first with mostly new mate-rial in more than a decade.

In “Don’t Lie to Me,” Streisand sings:“How do you win if we all lose? / Youchange the facts to justify.” “How do yousleep when the world keeps turning? / Allthat we built has come undone / How doyou sleep when the world is burning? /Everyone answers to someone,” she says inthe chorus, repeating the title over andover. “I had to write this song,” the Oscar-winning actress, singer and activist toldBillboard in an interview. “It’s my protest,in a sense, about this unprecedented timein our history.”

As for the title of the album, Streisandnoted: “I had an idea for the cover, meagainst this wall. The wall of society, thewalls of this presidency, the walls thatobstruct justice.” But Streisand, who hasactively campaigned for the DemocraticParty in the run-up to the midterm elec-tions in November, said she was neverthe-less hopeful about the future. “We have togrow as a nation, we just have to grow outof this and see the light; that’s all I cansay,” she told Billboard. — AFP

Streisand back with new album... and anti-Trump song

French rapper to face trialover ‘Hang Whites’ video

In this file photo Musical artist BarbraStreisand waits to listen to US PresidentBarack Obama speak during the Clinton GlobalInitiative annual meeting in New York. — AFP

Nick Conrad

US court opens new legal ‘Stairway,’ overturns Zeppelin case

In this file photo Led Zeppelin band members Robert Plant (right), John Paul Jones (center) andJimmy Page arrive at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees held in Washington, DC. — AFP photos

US actor Owen Wilson American actor and director Sylvester Stallone poses with his CareerAchievement Award.

Tunisian actor Mohamed Dhrif poses with hisBest Actor award.

Syrian director Talal Derki (right) and his spouse Heba Khaledpose with the best Arab documentary award during the closingceremony of the El Gouna film festival.

In this file photo taken on May 14, 1988 singer Robert Plant (left) and guitarist Jimmy Page performduring a Led Zeppelin reunion concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Egyptian actressLaila Elwi

Egyptian actressMona Zaki

Egyptian actressNelly Karim

Tunisian actressHind Sabri

Egyptian actress Yusra arrives for the closing cer-emony of the second edition of El-Gouna FilmFestival, at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El-Gouna on Friday. — AFP photos

A picture shows the stage prior to the start of the preview of the Fashion freak show, created by French fashion designerJean-Paul Gaultier, at the Folies Bergeres theatre in Paris. — AFP photos

Actors perform on stage during a preview of the Fashion freak show, created by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, at the Folies Bergeres theatre in Paris.

Sunday, September 30, 2018L i f e s t y l e Fa s h i o n

Established 1961 T

22

US singer and actress LadyGaga arrives to attend theCeline Spring-Summer 2019Ready-to-Wear collectionfashion show in Paris.

“Iwas weaned on musicals ... totally transfixed by theplumes and the paste jewels. I told myself that oneday I would stage a revue,” Jean-Paul Gaultier said

of a childhood dream that has now taken shape at theFolies Bergeres, a landmark Parisian theatre. “The FashionFreak Show”, which opens to the public next week, tracesthe journey of the enfant terrible of French couture fromhis humble origins in a Paris suburb to international star-dom. The 66-year-old began his career as an assistantwith Pierre Cardin and a pathbreaking trail followed thatintroduced man skirts, older men, fuller women and heavilytattooed models to the runway and the iconic cone braimmortalized by pop diva Madonna. “I have always lovedfreaks, strange people, troublemakers, aesthetics whichblend and unexpected encounters like when the boy fromthe streets consorts with the duchess,” Gaultier said.

The spectacle showcases 200 of his creations andbegins with “Nana”, Gaultier’s childhood teddy bear forwhom he made a conical bra when he was just five. Itshows a young Jean Paul being regularly punished in

school for drawing gowns in the classroom and goes on tohis stint at Cardin, his first collection and his inspirationsand muses, including Kylie Minogue, Madonna and PedroAlmodovar.

Boasting colors screaming Florida and enlivened byenergetic disco beats, the revue also showcases thequirky collections of the bad boy of fashion over theyears such as his corset dresses and the Perfecto gown.Gaultier’s life is laid bare with scenes from a gay cruisingclub and a moving moment when his lover and businesspartner Francis Menuge dies of AIDS. The show bringstogether about 15 actors and dancers playing personali-ties who are “almost naked, tottering on high heels, gen-erously proportioned and either wearing underpants ornot”, Gaultier said. The designer, whose signature attireis a striped Breton jersey, has an important message forthe audience at the end. “Fashion is superficial. Have Fun!Be Free!” — AFP

Fashion’s bad boy Gaultier showcases lifeand work in ‘freak’ revue

Superstar designer Hedi Slimane returned to theParis catwalk late Friday after a two-yearabsence with a slash and burn revamp of Celinethat declared that black is back. With his two

biggest fans, Lady Gaga and Karl Lagerfeld, sitting nextto each other in the front row, Slimane drew a pitch-black portrait of his hometown which he called “ParisThe Night”. He turned the Invalides-where Napoleonrests in his tomb-into a giant shadowy nightclub, sendingout 68 of his 72 models in looks hewn from a new deepmidnight black he has been working on for the last ninemonths. The “Sultan of skinny” stayed true to his verypersonal and sometimes polarizing style, with skinny tiesand slimline tightly-tailored black suits and leather jack-ets for both men and women.

By calling the collection “Celine 01”, the much-admiredminimalist vibe of his British predecessor Phoebe Philowas confined to history. With the Kavanaugh SupremeCourt vote having just ended on Capitol Hill, Slimanepicked an”uncomfortable moment” to grind a female

design legacy into the dust, The Guardian complained,especially since “Philo was notable for not equating awoman’s power with her sexuality”.

Philo fans’ anger While Philo’s fans also cried foul on social media, Wall

Street Journal’s critic Christina Binkley said Slimane hadthe Midas touch. “When Slimane launched his thing atSaint Laurent, people hated it,” she said. “He just launchedhis thing at Celine-no less stark a brand reset-and therewill be broad applause aside from a few careful critics.“The difference-they know the revenues are about togush.” Yet there were subtle new twists to Slimane’s eter-nal motifs. The man who is credited with inventing both theskinny and oversized looks that have dominated fashionover the last decade, lengthened his men’s suits and refinedthe mini-dresses he showed previously at Saint Laurent.Flashes of white and silver cut through the dark with blackand white striped shirts and coats, studs and sparingly-deployed sequins.

Slimane back in black asking of Paris fashion week

French fashiondesigner for Celine

Hedi Slimaneacknowledges theaudience at the end

of the CelineSpring-Summer2019 Ready-to-Wear collectionfashion show inParis. — AFP

L i f e s t y l e Sunday, September 30, 2018

23Established 1961

Fa s h i o n

‘Hardcore Hedi’ Here and there a blazing two-tone leopard

print raincoat or a gold or red lame dress liftedthe uber cool gloom. Critics hailed it as Slimaneat his most uncompromising and hardcore. Tohammer the message home, the bulk of his mod-els wore the black shades through which he seesthe world. “For those expecting the new Celineto look like Saint Laurent, you were not wrong,”tweeted Tyler McCall, of the Fashionista website,referring to the label that Slimane walked awayfrom two years ago. Influential blogger JulieZerbo added, “Hedi does Hedi (at Dior) does Hedi(at Saint Laurent) does Hedi (at Celine)....”

“Looks like black is the new black after all,”was the verdict of style magazine Dazed. Earlierthe painfully-private Slimane, 50, who confessedthat has been plagued by tinnitus over the lastyear, said he would remain true to himself. “Istand firm for my principles. Why should I giveup on what defines me? Becoming someone elseon the pretext that what I did in the past hasbeen digested or imitated” was nonsense, he toldthe French daily Le Figaro. He also hinted he wasplotting a revolution at Celine, which luxurygoods giant LVMH had given him carte blancheto remake in his image.

Journey into the night That made him the most powerful designer in

fashion after Lagerfeld at Chanel, who oncefamously shed 41 kilos (90 pounds) to squeezeinto Slimane’s skinny jeans. Slimane is adding amen’s line at Celine and has already dropped the

accent from the brand’s logo. “You don’t shakethings up by avoiding making waves,” he said.“When there is no debate it’s blind conformity.”The show was much less androgynous than manyhad expected with Slimane going for a far morefeminine look for his women, many sporting blacknet fascinators.

“I love Paris by night. I grew up between thesmoke of Le Palace and the white tiles of LesBains-Douches (nightclubs),” the reclusivedesigner said before the show in a rare interview.“It’s a pity that the city is eager to close downinteresting places like those now and turn itsback on Parisian nights. The lights still remain,though. The magic of the neons in the cafes, thesparkling Parisian youth,” said the designer, whohas lived in Los Angeles since 2008. Yet Slimanerespected the neighbors with his journey to theend of the night by keeping the noise down. Withmilitary drummers beating out a gentle marchthroughout the show, there was no danger hewould wake Napoleon under his dome. — AFP

Models present creations by Celine during the Spring-Summer 2019 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris.

Models present creations by Junya Watanabe during the Spring-Summer 2019 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris.

on Thursday night. “We don’t know if any accountswere actually misused,” Zuckerberg said. “This is a seri-ous issue.”

As a precaution, Facebook is temporarily taking downthe “view as” feature - described as a privacy tool to letusers see how their profiles look to other people. “It’sclear that attackers exploited a vulnerability inFacebook’s code,” said vice president of product man-agement Guy Rosen. “We’ve fixed the vulnerability andinformed law enforcement.” Facebook reset the 50 mil-lion breached accounts, meaning users will need to signback in using passwords.

Democratic US Senator Mark Warner cited thebreach as further proof of the privacy danger of compa-nies such as Facebook and Equifax not adequately pro-tecting the massive amounts of information they gatherabout people. “This is another sobering indicator thatCongress needs to step up and take action to protect theprivacy and security of social media users,” Warner saidin a statement. “As I’ve said before - the era of the WildWest in social media is over.”

The breach is the latest privacy embarrassment forFacebook, which earlier this year acknowledged that tensof millions of users had personal data hijacked byCambridge Analytica, a political firm working for Donald

Trump in 2016. “We face constant attacks from peoplewho want to take over accounts or steal informationaround the world,” Zuckerberg said on his Facebookpage. “While I’m glad we found this, fixed the vulnerabil-ity, and secured the accounts that may be at risk, thereality is we need to continue developing new tools toprevent this from happening in the first place.”

Facebook said it took a precautionary step of reset-ting “access tokens” for another 40 million accountswhere the “view as” was used. This will require thoseusers to log back in to Facebook. “People’s privacy andsecurity is incredibly important , and we’re sorry thishappened,” Rosen said.

Sophisticated hack No passwords were taken in the breach, only “tokens”,

according to Rosen. Information hackers appeared interest-ed in included names, genders, and hometowns, but it wasnot clear for what purposes, the executives said in a tele-phone briefing. The stolen tokens gave hackers completecontrol of accounts. Facebook is trying to determinewhether hackers tampered with posts or messages. Hackerscould have also gotten into third-party applications linkedto Facebook accounts, but it was too early to determinewhether that happened, according to the social network.

Attackers would have been able to meddle withInstagram accounts lined to Facebook, but could nothave tampered with the social network’s WhatsAppmessaging service, according to executives. Facebooksaid that it noticed an unusual spike in activity onSeptember 16 and determined nine days later that itwas malicious. Hackers took advantage of a “complexinteraction” between three software bugs, whichrequired a degree of sophistication, according toRosen. The vulnerability was created by a change to avideo uploading feature in July of 2017. “We may neverknow who is behind this,” Rosen said. “This is not aneasy investigation.”

The 50 million figure was the total number ofaccounts Facebook determined were breached by theattack since July of last year, but the social network didnot disclose the earliest incursion. Facebook is workingwith data privacy regulators as well as law enforcement,according to Rosen. Facebook this year is doubling to20,000 the number of workers devoted to safety andsecurity. When asked why people should still trustFacebook with their personal information, Zuckerbergoutlined anew ways the social network is ramping updefenses. “As I’ve said a number of times, security is anarms race,” Zuckerberg said. — AFP

Sunday, September 30, 2018N e w s

Established 1961 24

News in brief

Hooch kills 22 in Iran

TEHRAN: At least 22 people have died in Iran inthree separate incidents of poisoning by adulteratedbootleg alcohol, the semi-official ISNA news agencyreported yesterday. The largest number of deaths wasreported in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas,where 16 people died according to ISNA. BandarAbbas police chief, Esmail Mashayekh, told ISNA thata married couple had been arrested on suspicion ofproducing the liquor while the suspected distributorwas also detained. ISNA reported three deaths in aseparate incident in the northern province of Alborz.In North Khorasan province in the northeast, 25 peo-ple were treated for poisoning in the past 10 days ofwhom three died, police chief Alireza Mazaheri toldthe official IRNA news agency. Khorasan police raid-ed an underground distillery suspected of producingthe adulterated liquor and made 31 arrests on Fridaynight, IRNA reported. — AFP

Continued from Page 1

Indonesian president Joko Widodo said the militarywas being called in to the disaster-struck region to helpsearch-and-rescue teams get to victims and find bodies.

HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday sent a cable of condolences toWidodo. In the cable, HH Sheikh Sabah expressed sin-cere grief towards the victims of the earthquake andtsunami. The Amir wished for the quick recovery of thoseinjured in the disasters and expressed support towardsPalu’s people to overcome such tragedies. HH the CrownPrince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah andHH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables.

“When the (tsunami) threat arose yesterday, peoplewere still doing their activities on the beach and did notimmediately run and they became victims,” SutopoPurwo Nugroho, the spokesman for Indonesia’s disastermitigation agency BNPB said in a briefing in Jakarta.“The tsunami didn’t come by itself, it dragged cars, logs,houses, it hit everything on land,” Nugroho said, adding

that the tsunami had travelled across the open sea atspeeds of 800 kph before striking the shoreline. Somepeople climbed trees to escape the tsunami and sur-vived, he said.

“This was a terrifying double disaster,” said JanGelfand, a Jakarta-based official at the InternationalFederation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.“The Indonesian Red Cross is racing to help survivors butwe don’t know what they’ll find there.” The massivetremors were felt hundreds of kilometres away and therehas been little word about casualties in Donggala, aregion north of Palu where at least one person wasreported dead in Friday’s quakes. “We have heard nothingfrom Donggala and this is extremely worrying,” Gelfandsaid. “There are more than 300,000 people living there.This is already a tragedy, but it could get much worse.”

The quake hit just off central Sulawesi at a depth of 10km just before 1100 GMT - early evening in Indonesia -the US Geological Survey said. Such shallow quakestend to be more destructive. Pictures supplied by thedisaster agency showed a badly damaged shopping mallin Palu where at least one floor had collapsed onto thestorey below, while other photographs showed majordamage to buildings and large cracks across pavements.Homes and a local hotel were flattened while a landmarkcity bridge was destroyed.

Video from the scene showed the double-arched, yel-low bridge had collapsed with its two metal arches twist-

ed as cars bobbed in the water below. An AFP reporteron the scene saw widespread damage some 50 m inland.A key access road had been badly damaged and was par-tially blocked by landslides, the disaster agency said.

The main airport in Palu, capital of South Sulawesiprovince, was shut after the tsunami struck and wasexpected to stay closed for at least 24 hours, complicat-ing any disaster relief efforts. Friday’s tremor was also feltin the far south of the island in its largest city Makassarand on neighboring Kalimantan, Indonesia’s portion ofBorneo island. The initial quake struck as evening prayerswere about to begin in the world’s biggest Muslim major-ity country on the holiest day of the week, when mosquesare especially busy.

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations onearth. It lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonicplates collide and many of the world’s volcanic eruptionsand earthquakes occur. Earlier this year, a series of pow-erful quakes hit Lombok, killing more than 550 people onthe holiday island and neighboring Sumbawa. Indonesiahas been hit by a string of other deadly quakes includinga devastating 9.1 magnitude tremor that struck off thecoast of Sumatra in Dec 2004. That Boxing Day quaketriggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout theregion, including 168,000 in Indonesia. In 2010, about430 were killed when a huge quake sparked a tsunami offthe coast of Sumatra, while more than 600 died in aquake-tsunami disaster on Java island. — Agencies

Hundreds killed as quake-tsunami...

Continued from Page 1

crowds cheerfully breaking into regular chants ofthe president’s name or shouting “Who is the greatest?Turkey”. “Erdogan is very popular because he has donea lot for his people,” said Yusuf Simsek, 42, a computertechnician with Turkish roots.

At one of the rallies on the bank of the Rhine,demonstrators waved banners reading: “Erdogan notwelcome”. Cansu, a 30-year-old student of Turkish ori-gin, came from Switzerland to join the protest. “I wantto be the voice of people who can’t take to the streetsin Turkey. Because they have been arrested, killed orotherwise suppressed,” she told AFP. “Erdogan thinksanything that differs from his opinion is terrorism.”

Both Cologne mayor Henriette Reker and the state’spremier Armin Laschet declined to attend the mosqueceremony. The snubs echoed the lukewarm welcome

the Turkish leader received at a state dinner on Fridayevening hosted by German President Frank-WalterSteinmeier, which several opposition politicians boy-cotted. Merkel also skipped the banquet.

Ties between the two NATO countries soured afterBerlin criticized Ankara’s crackdown on opponents fol-lowing a failed 2016 coup, which saw tens of thousandsarrested. Tensions eased somewhat after several high-profile German-Turkish nationals were released thisyear, but five remain behind bars. Merkel, whose coun-try is home to more than three million ethnic Turks,stressed the need for continued dialogue to overcomedisagreements. But she also highlighted Germany’sinterest in a “stable” Turkey, which she relies on to helpstem the flow of migrants to Europe.

Erdogan, seeking international allies as he spars withUS President Donald Trump and the Turkish economy isin turmoil, likewise struck a conciliatory tone. In hisspeech at the mosque inauguration, he said his visit toGermany had been “successful” and strengthenedGerman-Turkish ties at “a critical period”. But he againlashed Germany for not taking stronger action against“terrorists” like supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’

Party (PKK) or followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen,whom he blames for the coup attempt. He also said hewished Germans had shown more support for Turkish-origin footballer Mesut Ozil, who recently quit theGermany team over perceived racism and discrimination.

Cologne is located in North Rhine-Westphalia statewhich is home to significant numbers of ethnic Turks,many of whom moved to Germany as so-called “guestworkers” from the 1960s. The giant Cologne CentralMosque opened its doors in 2017 after eight years ofconstruction and budget overruns, but had yet to beformally inaugurated. The size of the building, designedto resemble a flower bud opening, and its two toweringminarets has left some locals disgruntled, triggeringoccasional protests.

The Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute forReligion (Ditib) that commissioned the glass andcement structure is itself not without controversy. Thegroup runs hundreds of mosques across Germany withimams paid by the Turkish state. Known for its closeties to Ankara, it has increasingly come under scrutinywith some of its members suspected of spying onTurkish dissidents living in Germany. — AFP

Erdogan opens mega mosque...

Continued from Page 1

The US was planning to host a summit in October todiscuss the MESA plan, but that has been pushed backseveral months. A senior administration official has saidWashington was still planning to hold the summit at alater date.

Saudi Arabia - along with its Gulf allies, the UnitedArab Emirates and Bahrain - cut diplomatic and tradeties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supportingterrorism and being too close to Iran. Qatar denies thecharges, accusing its neighbors of seeking regimechange. The rift has proved a strategic headache forWashington as Qatar provides the main headquarters inthe region for the US Central Command, while Bahrainis home to the US Fifth Fleet and Saudi Arabia has longbeen one of its key allies in the region. Kuwait has ledmediation efforts in the crisis, which so far have madelittle tangible progress. — Agencies

‘No progress’ in ending Gulf feud...

KUWAIT: Books hang from branches of palm trees in Irada Square opposite the National Assembly building in protest against the government’s new censorship regulations on publications, which has resulted in banning manybooks from entering the country — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

F-35 stealth fighter crashes

WASHINGTON: A US F-35 stealth fighter plane wascompletely destroyed in a crash during training onFriday, officials said. The pilot safely ejected. The crashis the first of its kind for the troubled F-35 program,marking an unfortunate moment for the most expensiveplane in history. The Marine Corps said in a statementthat a Marine Corps F-35 had crashed around 11:45 am(1615 GMT) outside Marine Corps Air Station Beaufortin South Carolina. “It’s a total loss,” one official said.Images on social media show a plume of black smokerising above what users said was a crash site. Thecrashed plane was an F-35 “B” variant, used by theMarine Corps and capable of taking off from a shortrunway and landing vertically. The Air Force and Navyhave their own models. Unit costs vary, but the pricetag of F-35s is around $100 million each. — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook revealed on Friday thatup to 50 million accounts were breached by hackers,dealing a blow to the social network’s effort to convinceusers to trust it with their data. The social network isinvestigating the extent of harm done when hackersexploited a trio of software flaws to steal “accesstokens,” the equivalent of digital keys that enable peo-ple to automatically log back into the social network.Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said engi-neers discovered the breach on Tuesday, and patched it

Up to 50 million Facebook accounts breached in attack

Sunday, September 30, 2018S p o r t s

25

Emotional Casey revels in first Ryder Cup win for 12 years

SPARTI: Japanese runner Yoshihiko Ishikawa battledthrough cold and rain to win the 245.3km (152-mile)Spartathlon race yesterday, one of the world’s toughestultra-marathons. The 30-year-old, one of a record 60Japanese runners who took part, clocked 22 hours, 54minutes and 40 seconds for victory, for which hereceived an olive wreath and a cup of water from theEvrotas River. Ishikawa is no stranger to ultra-running,having finished fourth last year after clinching the men’stitle at the World 24-Hour Championships in Belfast,where he ran 267.566km (166 miles). Finishing secondin the 36th edition of the Spartathlon for the secondyear in a row was 44-year-old Radek Brunner of theCzech Republic in 23:36:43 while 41-year-old JoaoOliveira of Portugal was third in 24:33:35.

The first woman to cross the finish line and 17thoverall was Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Maraz, 38, in 27:04:28.The race traces the classical route of Pheidippides, anAthenian messenger sent to Sparta in 490 BC to seekhelp against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.According to Greek historian Herodotus, Pheidippidesarrived in Sparta “on the next day of his departure”.The Spartathlon is one of the world’s most difficultraces run over rough tracks, crossing vineyards andolive groves, steep hillsides and, most challenging of all,the 1,200m ascent and descent of Mount Parthenion inthe dead of night. This year’s athletes also faced coldtemperatures, rain and high winds.

The idea for the creation of the Spartathlon belongsto John Foden, a British RAF Wing Commander whofirst ran the course in 1982 in 36 hours. The firstSpartathlon was organised in 1983 with the participa-tion of just 45 runners from 12 countries. The race start-ed at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens on Fridaymorning with 381 runners from 51 countries with agesranging from 20 to 70 years, and ended in the southernGreek town of Sparta with many of the participantsfailing to reach the finish line. — AFP

Japan’s Ishikawa wins Spartathlon

‘Desperately wanted to be back on this team’SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES: An emotional PaulCasey fought to hold back tears after claiming his firstRyder Cup win since 2006 yesterday, saying he had“desperately” wanted to return to the matchplay show-down. After being persuaded to retake a EuropeanTour card by captain Thomas Bjorn in order to be eligi-ble for this year’s Ryder Cup in France, he sealed animpressive 3 and 2 victory over Dustin Johnson andRickie Fowler alongside Tyrrell Hatton.

“Ask him (Hatton) a question. Let me get my... hon-estly, let me get my breath,” stammered Casey aftersecuring Europe’s seventh of eight straight wins at LeGolf National.

The 41-year-old was left out of the side by ColinMontgomerie in 2010 despite being the world numberseven, slipping down the rankings after struggling withinjuries and poor form.

But he has rediscovered his best over the last fouryears, and has been in fine fettle this week, havingalmost inspired a comeback against Jordan Spieth andJustin Thomas on Friday before reeling off five birdiesin the first six holes yesterday.

“Desperately wanted to be back on this team

because I know how good it is,” said Casey afterregaining his composure.

“I mean, all these guys are amazing, and you know,once you’re a Ryder Cupper, you’re always a RyderCupper. I can’t tell you how proud I am.

“But it wasn’t just sort of to get here and be part ofthe team, it was to try and win a Ryder Cup back.”

Casey became one of only six men in Ryder Cup his-tory to make a hole-in-one at the Ryder Cup at the KClub in 2006 and has now won six points from 11matches. “Obviously playing alongside Paul, he’s aRyder Cup legend,” added Hatton. “What a player he is.It was the Casey Express train the front nine. I was justtrying to help out when I could.”

Casey admitted he had struggled to contain his emo-tions after the win, but the former world number threesaid it isn’t a rare occurence for him.

“There was a tear. I was emotional earlier. I’vealways been a bit that way. I cry in movies, as well,” hesaid. “Hey, not embarrassed. I care about it. It means anawful lot to me. I’m proud to be on this team and proudto be standing next to those other 11 teammates andproud to win a point.” — AFP

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES: Europe’s English golfer Paul Casey plays a tee shot during his fourball match onthe second day of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west ofParis, yesterday. — AFP

By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Kuwait Shooting Sport Club(KSSC) honored its shooters who partici-pated in the International YouthChampionship and the Clay TargetsGrand Prix that was held in Kazakhstanfrom September 17-27, in a ceremonyattended by President of Arab andKuwait Shooting Sport Federations, andSecretary General Obaid Al-Osaimi aswell as Director of Information andPublication at the Public Authority forSport Khalid Al-Subaie.

The shooters won four medals, asshooter Ahmad Nasser Al-Awwadclaimed second place and the silvermedal in the junior’s skeet, while theteam of Ahmad Al-Awwad, Saud Al-Hamly, and Salman Al-Rashidi took thirdplace and the bronze medal in the juniorsteam skeet event. Meanwhile, shooterMansour Al-Rashidi won the bronzemedal in the Grand Prix event, and SaudAl-Hamly won the silver medal in thejuniors Grand Prix.

Secretary General of Arab and KuwaitShooting Federations said this achieve-ment is not something new and camethrough well thought off plans that wereadopted by the board of directors, as wellas the efforts of the technical and admin-istrative departments, and the training bythe shooter, particularly the junior shoot-ers and their achievements, who are thefuture of Kuwait shooting.

Al-Osaimi dedicated this new achieve-ment to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the CrownPrince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber

Al-Sabah and HH the Prime MinisterSheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Kuwaitis.

Al-Osaimi lauded the support of theHonorary President of Kuwait ShootingSport Club Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah andInformation Minister, State Minister forYouth Affairs Mohammad Nasser Al-Jabri and PAS and its Director GeneralDr Humoud Fulaiteh. He said the contin-ued support of Kuwait shooting had agreat effect in making the achievements

and having the Kuwait flag flying high inworld arenas at all levels. Meanwhile’ HHthe Crown Prince Shooting tournamentwill start at the end of the week in theshotgun, 10 meter pistol and rifle as wellas Olympic archery and will be conclud-ed on Saturday. Kuwait Shooting SportClub Treasurer Essa Butaiban said theorganizing committee completed allpreparations for the tournament andSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad OlympicShooting Complex is ready to host thisimportant event that declares the start of

the shootingseason. He saidthe tournamentwill see verystrong competi-tion as the num-ber of shooterswho will partici-pate is over 300of all levels. Hesaid registrationwill close onTuesday.

KSSC honorsits shooters

Essa Butaiban

SOCHI: Valtteri Bottas upstaged his championship-leading Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton with adazzling lap in yesterday’s qualifying session to seizepole position for the Russian Grand Prix. The Finn,who has struggled to keep pace with the defendingfour-time champion for much of the season, relishedthe confines of one of his favourite tracks as heclocked a record lap in one minute and 31.387 sec-onds. His late fastest lap lifted him ahead of Hamilton,who aborted his final lap after running wide at TurnSeven, and put a grin back on his face as theMercedes pair delivered another front row lockout. Itwas his second pole this year and the sixth of hiscareer. “Alright guys, good job that,” said Bottas, ashe controlled his feelings after the session.

“I’m really happy, but it’s only the first step thisweekend. It’s a massively long run to Turn One fromthe start.” Bottas claimed his maiden Formula Onevictory in Russia last year and showed a clear affinitywith the track as Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, whotrails Hamilton by 40 points in the title race, tookthird. “I messed up in the last sector,” said a down-cast Vettel. “It was at Turn 15 and I think there wereone and half or two tenths lost, but not enough. “Itwas important to get as close as possible and itshould have been closer, but not enough to be athreat.” Vettel said he had reminded Bottas of thestart of last year’s race when Bottas, from third,passed both Ferraris to take the lead and win. “I justspoke to him so maybe we can turn that around thistime,” added Vettel.

RAIKONNEN FOURTH Vettel’s Sauber-bound Ferrari team-mate Kimi

Raikkonen wound up fourth ahead of KevinMagnussen of Haas, job-hunting Frenchman EstebanOcon of Force India and Ferrari-bound CharlesLecLerc of Sauber. Sergio Perez, in the second ForceIndia, was eighth ahead of Romain Grosjean in thesecond Haas and Marcus Ericsson in the secondSauber. The two Red Bulls did not qualify for thetop-10 shootout, knowing they face engine penaltiesthat will mean they start today’s race from the backof the grid along with both Toro Rosso cars andFernando Alonso’s McLaren.

On a bright blue-skied day by the Black Sea,Bottas began by setting the early pace ahead of theFerraris until Hamilton emerged to establish hissupremacy again, trimming his lap record, set in themorning’s final practice session, to 1:32.410.

To the dismay of home fans in the crowd at theSochi Autodrom, Russia’s only representative, SergeSirotkin, spun heavily and brushed the barriers in theclosing minutes in his Williams at Turn Nine.

This wrecked his hopes and left him exiting alongwith Brendon Hartley of Toro Rosso, retirement-bound two-time champion Fernando Alonso and hisMcLaren team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne, who sand-wiched Sirotkin in 18th, and last man Lance Stroll inthe second Williams.

It meant that, not for the first time, two of thesport’s biggest and most famous teams, multi-cham-pions Williams and McLaren, had lost both cars inthe opening session. Bottas and Hamilton continuedto top the times early in Q2, both taking the moredurable ‘ultra-soft’ tyres, as did the two Ferraris, aspart of a plan for Sunday’s race strategy. After theiropening runs, the ‘scarlet scuderia’ trailed by nearlyhalf a second each.

Hamilton switched to ‘hyper-softs’ and was signifi-cantly quicker before he aborted the lap, underinstructions, to avoid being required to start on thosetyres. The session, as a result, was relatively insipidas the two Red Bull drivers, Pierre Gasly of ToroRosso who faces a penalty, Marcus Ericsson ofSauber and Nico Hulkenberg of Renault were elimi-nated without much of a fight. — AFP

INNSBRUCK: Hot favourite Anna van der Breggenpulverised the opposition for a deserved gold medal inthe women’s world championships road race yesterdayas she soloed through huge crowds in central Innsbruckto wild applause.

The 28-year-old Dutch rider, who won silver in thetime-trial on Tuesday, made her break from around40km out and finished almost four minutes ahead of

Australia’s Amanda Spratt as Italy’s Tatiana Guderzotook bronze some 5min 26sec behind Van der Breggen.

The Olympic and European champion from 2016broke down in tears briefly on crossing the line.

“Until the finish line I never believed it,” she said.“World championships are so hard to win.”

“I had too many doubts after many near misses andonly let myself go right at the finish line,” said Van derBreggen. The winner made her move after theAustralian team had chased down an earlier attack toget Spratt into the lead group and timed her attack atthe bottom of a climb on the first of three circuits of thecity-centre.

Van der Breggen sustained her tempo to dropeveryone except Spratt, who relented within the finalkilometre to leave the Dutchwoman to go it alone foralmost two full, 23km-long laps of Innsbruck. —AFP

Bottas upstages Hamilton to take Russian GP pole

Van der Breggen storms to world road race title

INNSBRUCK: Netherland’s Anna Van Der Breggen poses with the gold medal during the winner ceremony of theWomen’s Elite road race of the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria yesterday. —AFP

Sunday, September 30, 2018S p o r t s

26

Yankees clinch top AL wild card, tie home run record

3 Ohtani hits, Trout HR lead Angels over A’s, 8-5BOSTON: Aaron Judge hit his first home run sincereturning from a fractured right wrist, and it was thehomer that tied the all-time single-season team recordas the New York Yankees clinched home-field advan-tage in the American League wild-card game with an11-6 victory over the host Boston Red Sox on Fridaynight. The Yankees reached 264 homers, tying the sin-gle-season record set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners.Judge tied the mark with a long drive that landed in thecenter field seats on the first pitch of the eighth inningoff Bobby Poyner. It was his 27th homer and first sinceJuly 21. The Yankees hit four homers to tie the recordand also secured home field in the wild-card game forthe second straight season. They will host Oakland onWednesday, and the winner advances to face the RedSox in the Division Series next Friday in Boston.

ANGELS 8, ATHLETICS 5Shohei Ohtani had three hits, Mike Trout hit his 39th

home run and Los Angeles held on to beat Oakland atAnaheim, Calif. Five Angels pitchers combined on afive-hitter, with Oakland not getting a hit until JedLowrie led off the sixth inning with a single. The A’sscored all five of their runs in the eighth inning on threehits, two walks, two Angels errors and a wild pitch. Thewin for the Angels was their fourth in a row and keptalive their chances of finishing the season at .500.

ROCKIES 5, NATIONALS 2David Dahl homered for the fifth straight game, Kyle

Freeland worked six tough innings and Coloradoclinched a spot in the postseason with a win overWashington at Denver. The Rockies secured at least thesecond National League wild card with their eighthstraight win while moving closer to their first-ever divi-sion title. They still hold a one-game lead over theDodgers in the National League West after LosAngeles won at San Francisco late. Freeland (17-7) wasknocked around for 11 hits but was able to hold theNationals to just two runs. He set the club record forthe lowest season ERA at 2.85.

DODGERS 3, GIANTS 1Justin Turner broke a tie with a two-run home run off

Madison Bumgarner in the fifth inning, sending LosAngeles to victory at San Francisco. Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu (7-3) earned the win, limiting the Giants to onerun and four hits in six innings. Kenley Jansen worked ascoreless ninth for his 38th save. Los Angeles has achance to clinch no worse than a wild-card berth onSaturday when Clayton Kershaw duels Giants rookieDereck Rodriguez.

BREWERS 6, TIGERS 5Ryan Braun hit a pair of solo homers, including a go-

ahead shot in the eighth, and Milwaukee kept pace withthe Chicago Cubs in edging visiting Detroit. Milwaukeeremained one game back of the first-place Cubs, whobeat St. Louis earlier in the day, in the National LeagueCentral standings with two games remaining. ChristianYelich hit a two-run homer, walked twice and scoredtwo runs for the Brewers. Yelich’s younger brotherCameron, who was recently honorably discharged fromthe United States Marine Corps, threw out the firstpitch and was in the stands for the game.

CUBS 8, CARDINALS 4Right-hander Kyle Hendricks limited St Louis to two

runs in eight innings, and Kris Bryant belted a home runin host Chicago’s afternoon victory. The Cardinals felltwo games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the duelfor the second NL wild-card spot with two gamesremaining. Hendricks (14-11) allowed two sixth-inningruns but no other scoring in his eight innings, winninghis third consecutive start. Bryant, who hadn’t playedsince Tuesday because of a bruised wrist, hit his 13thhome run.

MARLINS 8, METS 1New York third baseman David Wright made his

long-awaited return when he grounded out as a pinchhitter in the fifth inning of a loss to visiting Miami.Wright’s at-bat marked his first appearance in a bigleague game since May 27, 2016 — an 853-day span inwhich he underwent neck, shoulder and back surgeries.He said at a press conference earlier this month it is“debilitating” for him to play baseball and that hewould be unable to play beyond this season. Wrightsprung out of the dugout following the final out in thetop of the fifth to a standing ovation from the homecrowd. The at-bat was over as soon as it began: Wrighthit Jose Urena’s first pitch to third base, where BrianAnderson made a nice play on the sharp one-hopperand threw Wright out at first.

BRAVES 10, PHILLIES 2Johan Camargo started a four-run rally with a home

run, and Mike Foltynewicz threw five one-hit innings asAtlanta coasted to victory at Philadelphia. Camargowent 3-for-5 and broke open a scoreless game with aline drive homer, his 19th, against Jerad Eickhoff to helpthe Braves break a two-game losing streak and handPhiladelphia its ninth straight loss. Atlanta became thefirst National League team to reach 90 wins after threeconsecutive 90-loss seasons since the 1991 Braves.Philadelphia has not won since Sept. 19.

ASTROS 2, ORIOLES 1Marwin Gonzalez produced a soft line drive with the

bases loaded in the eighth inning to score a run, andHouston matched its victory total from last season witha win over host Baltimore. Houston left-hander TonySipp (3-1) earned the win, the team’s 101st, with a per-fect seventh inning. Closer Roberto Osuna notched his12th save with the Astros and 21st on the season. Astrosright-hander Gerrit Cole limited the Orioles to five hitsand one walk with four strikeouts over six innings. Colefinished his debut season in Houston with a 2.88 ERAplus a career-high 276 strikeouts over 200 1/3 innings.

INDIANS 14, ROYALS 6Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam during a 10-run

seventh inning as Cleveland broke open a tight game onits way to a rout at Kansas City. Donaldson also dou-bled during the big inning in which Cleveland sent 14batters to the plate. Jason Kipnis homered earlier in thecontest, and Roberto Perez had three RBIs as theIndians won for the fifth time in the past seven games.Right-hander Mike Clevinger (13-8) was charged withone run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings to win for thesixth time in his last seven decisions. Clevinger struckout five and walked none.

BLUE JAYS 7, RAYS 6Pinch hitter Randal Grichuk hit a three-run triple in

the seventh inning, and Toronto edged Tampa Bay at St.

Petersburg, Fla. Teoscar Hernandez and Rowdy Tellezhomered for the Blue Jays, and Richard Urena addedthree hits and two stolen bases. Tim Mayza (2-0)pitched one-third of an inning to get the win. Ken Gilespitched around a single in the ninth and struck out twoto earn his 26th save in 26 opportunities this season.

TWINS 2, WHITE SOX 1 (GAME 1)Jose Berrios struck out nine batters while giving up

one run and three hits over seven innings to leadMinnesota to victory over Chicago in the first game ofa split doubleheader at Minneapolis. It was just thethird win since pitching in the All-Star Game for Berrios(12-11), who became the eighth player in Minnesota his-tory to record 200 strikeouts in a season when he gotDaniel Palka to whiff in the sixth inning. FranciscoLiriano last accomplished the feat for the Twins in 2010.Trevor May struck out both batters he faced to pick uphis second save. Taylor Rogers gave up one hit over 11/3 innings to extend his scoreless innings streak to 25innings dating back to July 30.

TWINS 12, WHITE SOX 4 (GAME 2)Mitch Garver had four hits and drove in a career-

high six runs, and Chase De Jong picked up his firstmajor league win as Minnesota completed the double-header sweep of Chicago. Garver, usually a catcherbut playing first base in his first start since suffering aconcussion after taking a foul ball off his mask againstthe New York Yankees on Sept. 12, had a two-rundouble in the first and a RBI double in the secondinning as the Twins jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Headded a two-run single in the third inning to make it10-1 and an RBI single in the fifth inning that extendedMinnesota’s lead to 11-2.

PIRATES 8, REDS 4Elias Diaz hit a solo home run, and Colin Moran also

went deep with three RBIs as Pittsburgh topped hostCincinnati. With their 81st win, the Pirates ensured theywill finish over .500. They will play no more than 161games after having a rainout against Miami canceled.Tucker Barnhart and Eugenio Suarez each hit two-runhomers, and Barnhart had his first career five-hit gamefor Cincinnati.

MARINERS 12, RANGERS 6Robinson Cano went 4-for-5 with a double and two

RBIs, and Cameron Maybin was 3-for-5 with a doubleand four RBIs as Seattle downed visiting Texas. TheMariners snapped a two-game losing streak and pulledwithin a game of the last-place Rangers in the seasonseries between the teams. Texas is the only team in theAmerican League West that Seattle has a losing recordagainst this season. Staked to a 9-0 lead, Mariners left-hander Wade LeBlanc (9-5) nearly didn’t qualify for thevictory. In five innings, LeBlanc allowed six runs (fiveearned) on six hits, with two walks and six strikeouts.

PADRES 3, DIAMONDBACKS 2 (15 INNINGS)Freddy Galvis doubled home pinch hitter Javier

Guerra from first with no one out in the 15th inning togive San Diego a walk-off win over visiting Arizona.Guerra, who was 1-for-14 since being called up fromTriple-A El Paso, drew a walk from Diamondbacksreliever Matt Andriese to open the 15th. Galvis thenpulled a double into the right field corner, with Guerrabeating the relay home with a headfirst slide. Right-han-der Colten Brewer (1-0) worked two innings of scorelessrelief for his first major league win. Andriese (3-7) tookthe loss. The game lasted 5 hours, 2 minutes. — Reuters

BOSTON: Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees evades a tag from Blake Swihart #23 of the Boston Red Soxto score a run during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on Friday in Boston, Massachusetts. — AFP

WUHAN: A dominant Aryna Sabalenkathrashed Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-3 yesterdayto clinch the Wuhan Open in China, thebiggest tournament win of her career. TheBelarusian cruised to her second WTA title,facing little trouble from Estonia’s Kontaveit,who was unable to reproduce the sparklingtennis she played on her way to the final.

The 20th-ranked Sabalenka had oftenbeen unplayable this week in Wuhan with hermix of aggression, clever placement and ascorching serve, and left Kontaveit flat-footedseveral times as she raced to take the first set.

Kontaveit tried to fight back in the secondset, matching Sabalenka game for game until3-3 when her resistance was broken and theBelarusian took three games on the trot towin the title. “I try to be more calm on thecourt, not be aggressive with every shot,”Sabalenka said after her win. “I’ve startedthinking more on the court.” The Minsk-bornSabalenka is projected to climb to a career-best 16th after securing the Wuhan Open, a$2.7-million Premier 5 tournament whichawards 900 ranking points to the winner.

Last month, the 20-year-old grabbed herfirst WTA title, winning the ConnecticutOpen, which is one category below thePremier 5 tournaments. Her victory onSaturday not only made her the youngestWuhan Open finalist and champion, but alsothe youngest player to win a Premier 5 tour-nament since Belinda Bencic won the 2015Rogers Cup in Toronto at the age of 18.

‘JUST TOO STRONG’ Sabalenka, who was 111th in the world at

this time last year, has rocketed up the rank-

ings since and will now head to Beijing tocompete in the China Open, hoping to contin-ue her Wuhan Open form.

Kontaveit, whose impressive run to thefinal included a first-round upset of worldnumber nine and 2017 US Open championSloane Stephens, found Sabalenka’s powertoo much to handle. “Her game was reallyaggressive and I felt the pressure straightaway,” said the 27th-ranked Kontaveit, whohas said her aim is to finish in the top 20 atthe end of the year.

“She was just too strong today.” The victo-ry yesterday also means Sabalenka still has aslim chance to qualify for the WTA Finals in

Singapore next month. Six out of eight spotsat the annual tour finale are still up for grabs.Only world number one Simona Halep andWimbledon champion Angelique Kerber-whoboth failed to impress in Wuhan-havesecured their places.

Qualification for the WTA Finals is one ofthe main targets for many players at thisstage of the season, and nine of the world’stop 10 played in the 2018 Wuhan Open as thefrenzy for ranking points intensified.

Earlier, Elise Mertens of Belgium and DemiSchuurs of the Netherlands beat Czech pairAndrea Hlavackova and Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-3 to take the doubles title. — AFP

JAKARTA: From deadly fan beatings toteams being transported to matches inarmoured personnel carriers, Indonesiais fast gaining a reputation as Asia’smost violent football nation.

Last weekend 23-year-old PersijaJakarta fan Haringga Sirla was clubbedto death by supporters of arch-rivalPersib Bandung.

His murder once again highlightedthe Southeast Asian country’s decades-long struggle with hooliganism and ledto the suspension of its top-flight Liga 1.

Sirla was the 70th Indonesian foot-ball fan to die in match-related violencesince 1994, or about three deaths annu-ally, according to figures from footballwatchdog Save Our Soccer.

His brutal murder, captured in shakymobile phone footage and posted toYoutube, saw rival supporters usingrocks, sticks and planks to beat theyoung man outside Bandung’s main sta-dium before a match.

Police said they have detained 16people in connection with the killing.

It was the latest in a string of violentincidents between fans of the two clubswhose rivalry is so fierce that Persijasupporters have previously been urgednot to attend matches in Bandung, some150 kilometres (93 miles) southeast ofthe capital. The Football Association ofIndonesia (PSSI) suspended play indefi-nitely following Sunday’s incident, vow-ing a crackdown.

But critics are quick to point outIndonesia has been here before-and lit-tle has changed. “The penalties aren’t

enough,” Dex Glenniza, managing editorof website Pandit Football, told AFP.“Teams have not learned from the past.”

‘They’re just criminals’While fan violence may not be as

deadly as in some Latin American coun-tries including Brazil, where football isakin to a religion, hooliganism has longbeen a feature of the Indonesian game,observers said.

Die-hard supporters of top teamshave become notorious for unsavourybehaviour, with violent chants the normat matches and hardcore fans blindlyclinging to long-standing inter-clubfeuds. The security situation has becomeso dire that players from big-name rivalslike Persib and Persija are sometimestransported to matches in armouredpersonnel carriers.

Many hooligans have little interest inwhat’s happening on the pitch and caremore about squaring up against rivals,Glenniza said. “This is not about foot-ball anymore-they’re just criminals,” hetold AFP.

Yana Umar, the director general ofViking Club Persib (VCP), a fan clubwith 100,000 members, describedPersib as “a culture” with close ties tothe Sundanese ethnic group native tothe area.

He struggled to pinpoint the originsof his club’s feud with Persija-who hedescribed as “enemies”-but the unem-ployed father of four deplored Sirla’skilling. “It’s barbaric,” he said in an inter-view.—AFP

‘Not about football anymore’: Indonesia hit by hooligan violence

Sabalenka crushes Kontaveit to clinchWuhan Open

WUHAN: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus holds the trophy after she won the women’s singles finalmatch against Anett Kontaveit of Estonia at the WTA Wuhan Open tennis tournament in Wuhanyesterday. — AFP

S p o r t s Sunday, September 30, 2018

27

BARCELONA: Ernesto Valverde’s gamble of restingLionel Messi backfired yesterday as Barcelona made itthree games without a victory after being held to a 1-1draw at home to Athletic Bilbao. Messi came on in the55th minute at the Camp Nou and it was the Argentinian’sshot that was turned in by another substitute, Munir ElHaddadi, with six minutes left to play.

By then, however, Oscar De Marcos had given Bilbao adeserved first-half lead and despite a late rally, Messi andBarca could not find a winner. After drawing at home toGirona and being beaten by Leganes, Barca will head toWembley to face Tottenham in the Champions League onWednesday on the back of three games without a win.

The last time Bilbao took a point at the Camp Nou,Valverde was sitting in the away team’s dug-out, in 2004,during his first spell as Bilbao coach. Now in charge atBarca, Valverde will have questions to answer for thisresult, having made the bold decision to rest Messi, pre-sumably with Spurs in mind, along with Sergio Busquets.

Barca surrender top spot in La Liga if Real Madridbeat Atletico in the city derby later on Saturday.Bilbao move up to 14th. Lack of rotation was chiefamong the criticisms levelled at Valverde after theycrashed out of the Champions League quarter-finalslast season, with Luis Suarez admitting he regretsplaying 90 minutes against Leganes, three days beforethe collapse against Roma.

Valverde has certainly acted. Of the preferred 11 thatstarted a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven two weeks ago,

eight have started at least one of the three games since onthe bench. The trouble is that seven of those have beenrequired to come on as substitutes, which suggestsBarca’s squad is not deep enough to accommodate theshuffling Valverde has in mind.

Bilbao took the lead in the 41st minute and could havescored earlier. Inaki Williams’ attempted lob had Marc-Andre ter Stegen beaten but drifted wide. Ter Stegen hadto push Raul Garcia’s effort over and was then rounded byWilliams but the angle proved too tight.

Barca were not without opening themselves, as Suarezwas twice denied by Unai Simon but Bilbao looked themore likely to score. Ousmane Dembele conceded pos-session and Markel Susaeta’s cross was perfectly weight-ed to evade the scrambling Sergi Roberto at the backpost, where De Marcos slid the ball home.

Valverde waited until 10 minutes after half-time beforeintroducing Messi and Busquets. Sergi and Arturo Vidalmade way, the latter with a glare and shake of the head.Messi got to work. His bending free-kick looked destinedfor the corner, only for De Marcos to head off the line andanother shot hit the post.

Munir replaced Dembele and this last substitution paidoff. Messi shot twice, the first scrambled away by Simonbut the second fizzed across the face of goal for Munir todivert in.

Barca wanted a winner and they had six minutes to findone. There was to be no late drama, however, as Bilbaoclaimed a well-deserved point. — AFP

Valverde rests Messi against Bilbao but Barcelona drop more points

Barca head to Wembley to face Tottenham in Champions League

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Spanish forward Munir El Haddadi (L) vies with Athletic Bilbao’s Spanish midfielderPeru Nolaskoain during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao atthe Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona yesterday. — AFP

Match’s on TV (Local Timings)

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUECardiff City v Burnley 18:00beIN SPORTS HD 2

SPANISH LEAGUE PRIMERAHuesca v Girona 13:00beIN SPORTS HD 3Villarreal v Real Valladolid 17:15beIN SPORTS HD 3Levante v Deportivo Alaves 19:30beIN SPORTS HD 3Real Betis v Leganes 21:45beIN SPORTS HD 3

ITALIAN CALCIO LEAGUEBologna v Udinese Calcio 13:30beIN SPORTS HD 4Fiorentina v Atalanta 16:00beIN SPORTS Chievo Verona v Torino 16:00beIN SPORTS HD 2Frosinone Calcio v Genoa CFC 16:00beIN SPORTS HD 8Parma Calcio 1913 v Empoli 19:00beIN SPORTS HD 4Sassuolo Calcio v AC Milan 21:30beIN SPORTS HD 4

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA Eintracht Frankfurt v Hannover 96 16:30beIN SPORTS HD 5Augsburg v Freiburg 19:00beIN SPORTS HD 5

FRENCH LEAGUEStade Rennais v Toulouse 16:00beIN SPORTS HD 6Montpellier v Nimes Olympique 18:00beIN SPORTS HD 6LOSC Lille v Olympique Marseille 22:00beIN SPORTS HD 6

HUDDERSFIELD: Harry Kane rediscovered his scoringtouch just in time to face Barcelona with two goals forTottenham in a routine 2-0 Premier League victory atbottom club Huddersfield. The England centre-forwardhas struggled for goals since returning from the WorldCup, scoring just once, from a penalty, in his previoussix appearances for club and country.

However, he headed in Kieran Trippier’s cross in the25th minute to set Mauricio Pochettino’s side on theirway, and then added a penalty nine minutes later, whenFlorent Hadergjonaj was punished for tugging DannyRose’s shirt.

The victory, Tottenham’s third in eight days if themidweek defeat of Watford on penalties in the LeagueCup is included, suggests they are getting back to formas they prepare to host Barcelona in the ChampionsLeague at Wembley on Wednesday.

It will have done much to lift club spirits too, giventhe hamstring injury suffered during the week by mid-fielder Dele Alli, who is expected to be out for aroundfour weeks, although Spurs have yet to put a timescaleon his return. Christian Eriksen was absent too, with theabdominal injury he sustained during last Saturday’s 2-1win at Brighton, although he is hopeful of facingBarcelona. In any case, Kane’s form, allied to animpressive attacking performance from Lucas Moura,ensured that the absentees were not missed too much.Huddersfield were warned of the danger in the opening10 minutes, when Christopher Schindler misjudged thebounce of a Davinson Sanchez clearance, allowingKane to race clear, but goalkeeper Jonas Lossl held hisnerve and blocked with his feet.

The home side, who could have been behind evenearlier than that had Rose not headed just wide from a

Trippier cross, did not heed the lesson and were soonbehind. Terence Kongolo managed to hold up Lucas’srun, injuring himself in the process, but the Brazilian gotto his feet and fed Trippier to cross for Kane to head in.

Kongolo was carried off on a stretcher, and hisreplacement, Hadergjonaj, was soon experiencing hisown misfortune, as he was punished for a shirt tug onRose inside the area. Kane sent Lossl the wrong waywith the resulting penalty.

Huddersfield are struggling for goals, having scoredjust once at home in the league since February 11, butwere out of luck at key times. Chris Loewe’s sweet,swerving 25-yard shot, which came between Kane’stwo first-half goals, was pushed aside by the alert Paulo

Gazzaniga in the Tottenham goal.Right on half-time, Laurent Depoitre met Erik

Durm’s cross on the run with a volley that bounced outoff the underside of the bar. The second half ratherpetered out, with Lucas spurning two opportunities toscore the goal his performance merited, first beingdenied by Lossl after wriggling into space, and then fir-ing wide having won possession in midfield andcharged for goal.

Huddersfield continued to labour without reward,with Gazzaniga gathering a low shot from AlexPritchard and then watching Loewe bend a free-kickjust wide, before making a fine late save at his near postto turn aside substitute Isaac Mbenz’s shot. —AFP

Kane double lifts Spurs spirits

LONDON: Arsenal extended their winning streak to sevenmatches as Craig Cathcart’s late own goal and Mesut Ozil’sclinical strike clinched a hard-fought 2-0 win over Watfordyesterday. Unai Emery’s side were under the cosh in thesecond half at the Emirates Stadium, but they keptWatford at bay and broke out to steal the points.

Cathcart put through his own net with just nine minutesleft and Ozil wrapped up the points two minutes later.Arsenal have now won five successive league games forthe first time in over a year, with additional victories in theEuropa League and League Cup making it a purple patchfor new boss Emery. Not for the first time this season,Arsenal, who climb to fifth, could be considered slightlylucky after delivering another inconsistent display. ButEmery will take heart from the way they are grinding outresults while he continues to rebuild the damage from thefinal days of the Arsene Wenger era.

The only problem for Emery was an injury that forcedoff goalkeeper Petr Cech in the first half. Watford went intoa match against Arsenal higher in the table than theiropponents for the first time since 1984.

But Javi Gracia’s side wasted an early chance to showthat position was no fluke when Will Hughes volleyed widefrom the edge of the area. Emery was up against a formerteam-mate in Gracia, the pair played together at RealSociedad, and it was the Arsenal boss who would have theupper hand eventually.

Lacazette should have opened the scoring when heseized on Cathcart’s cumbersome attempt to turn andraced clear on goal. But, with only Watford keeper BenFoster to beat, Lacazette’s chip drifted tamely wide.

Cech bravely took a battering from AbdoulayeDoucoure, throwing himself into a crowd to catch JoseHolebas’s cross. Granit Xhaka tested Watford’s Foster witha stinging long-range drive that the keeper parried tosafety. But, after grabbing his hamstring following a goal-kick, Arsenal captain Cech was forced to limp off in firsthalf stoppage-time.

Bernd Leno, a pre-season signing from Bayer

Leverkusen, came on to replace Cech for his first appear-ance in the Premier League. The German did not take longto distinguish himself as he dived to keep out TroyDeeney’s flick with a superb finger-tip save.

Emery insisted this week that Aaron Ramsey wouldn’tbe distracted by reports that his negotiations with Arsenalhave broken down. The 27-year-old is out of contract atthe end of the season and is believed to be resigned toleaving Arsenal, with Manchester United and Chelseainterested in signing him.

Emery’s prediction appeared wide of the mark asRamsey was anonymous before being substituted in thesecond half, a departure marked by a frustrated shake ofthe head from the Wales midfielder.

With Arsenal struggling to build a head of steam,Watford began to take control. Leno had to race off hisline to deny Andre Gray, while Roberto Pereyra was nar-rowly off-target after dribbling through the Arsenaldefence. Emery’s creaky rearguard was exposed againwhen Isaac Success sprinted clear and clipped his shotpast Leno, only to see it hit the far post. But Arsenal sur-vived the onslaught to snatch the lead in the 81st minute.

Alex Iwobi’s cross to the near post was contested byLacazette and Cathcart, and it was the Watford defenderwho got the last touch to divert the ball into his own net.Watford had to throw men forward and Arsenal pickedthem off again in the 83rd minute, with Ozil applying thefinishing touch to Lacazette’s cross. — AFP

Arsenal ride their luck to make it seven in a row

LONDON: Arsenal’s Spanish defender Hector Bellerin (L) vies with Watford’s English striker Andre Gray (R) dur-ing the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Watford at the Emirates Stadium inLondon yesterday. — AFP

HUDDERSFIELD: Huddersfield Town’s Belgian striker Laurent Depoitre (CR) goes up for a header asHuddersfield Town’s Danish goalkeeper Jonas Lossl (R) comes to punch away during the English PremierLeague football match between Huddersfield Town and Tottenham Hotspur at the John Smith’s stadium inHuddersfield, northern England yesterday. — AFP

Fazio goes from villain to hero as Roma win derbyROME: Roma defender Federico Fazio went from villain tohero as his side continued their recent dominance overneighbours Lazio with a 3-1 win in a pulsating Derby dellaCapitale yesterday. Fazio made an awful mistake to giftLazio an equaliser midway through the second half but,after Aleksandar Kolarov put Roma back in front with afree kick against his old club, made amends by headingtheir third goal.

It was Roma’s seventh win in their last nine meetingswith Lazio in all competitions and pulled them up to fifthplace in Serie A with 11 points, one place and one pointbehind their opponents. Lazio, winners of their last fivematches in all competitions, dominated the earlyexchanges but Roma struck the first blow in the 45thminute.

A long ball was launched into the area, Lazio defenderLuiz Felipe and goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha collided andthe ball ran loose to Lorenzo Pellegrini who cleverly back-heeled it into the goal.

Pellegrini, who became the tenth different Roma playerto score in Serie A this season, had been on the pitch foronly nine minutes after replacing the injured Javier Pastore.It was all going smoothly for Roma until Fazio was dispos-sessed as he tried to dribble around Ciro Immobile and theLazio forward ran on to fire the ball wide of Patrick Olsenfor his first goal in a Rome derby.

But Roma were back in front within four minutes. Laziosubstitute Milan Badejl tripped Pellegrini from behind onthe edge of the area and Kolarov fired the free kickthrough a huge hole in the Lazio wall. Argentina defenderFazio completed the win, and atoned for his earlier mis-take, by meeting a free kick with a towering header toscore four minutes from time. — Reuters

SportVan der Breggen storms to world road race title

Sabalenka crushes Kontaveit to clinch Wuhan Open

Valverde rests Messi against Bilbao but Barcelona drop more points2725 26

Established 1961

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

City move top, Man Utd flop again

LONDON: Manchester City took advantage ofLiverpool’s late kick-off at Chelsea yesterday to movetop of the Premier League as Manchester Unitedslumped to a third defeat in seven league games, 3-1 atWest Ham.

United now trail their city rivals by nine points in10th and could trail Liverpool by 11 should JurgenKlopp’s men continue their 100 percent record atStamford Bridge. City showed the gulf in class betweenboth sides of Manchester as Brighton, who beat Unitedearlier this season, were comfortably seen off at theEtihad 2-0 thanks to goals either side of half-time fromRaheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero.

United’s worst league start in 29 years means theyare also five points adrift of Tottenham and Arsenal inthe race for a place in the top four as they were 2-0victors over Huddersfield and Watford respectively.

MISERABLE WEEK Defeat at the London Stadium compounded a miser-

able week for United manager Jose Mourinho havingalso been dumped out of the League Cup by Derby onpenalties and held at home by Wolves last weekend.

Mourinho’s switch to a three-man defence backfiredas Felipe Anderson and Victor Lindelof’s own goal gaveWest Ham 2-0 half-time lead. “After the result onTuesday the team obviously needs positive things, pos-itive feelings and to start losing after five minutes is notthat positive start that you need,” said Mourinho.

Paul Pogba was also under the spotlight after beingstripped of the vice-captaincy by Mourinho in midweekand a frosty training ground exchange between the pairon Wednesday. However, the French World Cup winnerfailed to make an impact before he was substituted 20minutes from time.

Marcus Rashford came off the bench to briefly giveUnited hope by pulling a goal back, but just three min-utes later Marko Arnautovic exposed more poor Uniteddefending to seal West Ham’s first home league win ofthe season.

CITY SLICKERS City face a big trip to Hoffenheim in the Champions

League in midweek having lost at home to Lyon toopen their campaign, but they have suffered no suchdomestic struggles in defence of their title. LeroySane’s pace again made a big impact as the German’slow cross was tapped home by Sterling at the backpost for his fourth goal of the season.

City could have had many more goals to show fortheir dominance, but had to wait until 25 minutes fromtime when Aguero slotted home after a neat one-two

with Sterling. “Every time we lost the ball, we recoveredand attacked with players at the edge of their penaltybox. That is a dream for us,” said a delighted PepGuardiola. Tottenham moved into fourth as Harry Kanescored twice in nine first-half minutes to easily see offstruggling Huddersfield.

Everton ended a four-game winless run to beatFulham 3-0 as Gylfi Sigurdsson made amends for miss-ing an earlier penalty to score twice either side of CenkTosun’s first goal of the season. Wolves’ impressivereturn to the top flight continued thanks to late goalsfrom Ivan Cavaleiro and Jonny Castro to earn a 2-0 winover Southampton.

Newcastle remain winless and in the bottom threeafter a 2-0 defeat at home to Leicester with two ofEngland’s World Cup squad Jamie Vardy and HarryMaguire on target. — AFP

Everton end four-game winless run to beat Fulham

MANCHESTER: Brighton’s Ivorian midfielder Yves Bissouma (C) vies with Manchester City’s Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero (L) and Manchester City’s English midfielder Raheem Sterling during the English Premier League football match betweenManchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, yesterday. — AFP

LONDON: Chelsea’s French midfielder N’Golo Kante is tackled by Liverpool’s Dutchdefender Virgil van Dijk (C) during the English Premier League football match betweenChelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in London yesterday. —AFP

LONDON: Substitute Daniel Sturridge’s sen-sational strike a minute from time preservedLiverpool’s unbeaten start to the PremierLeague season as Jurgen Klopp’s men sal-vaged a 1-1 draw at Chelsea yesterday.

For the second time in four days EdenHazard seemed set to haunt Liverpool as afterdeciding a League Cup tie between the pairon Wednesday, the Belgian fired Chelsea infront on 25 minutes.

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino hadefforts cleared off the line and XherdanShaqiri sliced wide a great chance asLiverpool were headed for defeat. But

Sturridge’s late intervention means they movelevel on points with Manchester City at thetop of the table ahead of a huge clashbetween the two at Anfield next weekend.

Chelsea are just two points back in thirdand showed their own title credentials bycontinuing an unbeaten start under MaurizioSarri with an impressive defensive displaycomplemented by Hazard’s class at the otherend of the field.

Both sides were back to full strength afterSarri and Klopp made eight changes for theLeague Cup between the pair. Salah wasback for Liverpool after being crowned thethird best player in the world for the past yearby FIFA on Monday.

But the dead eye for goal shown by theEgyptian last season to earn that accoladeahead of the l ikes of Lionel Messi andHazard was missing as Liverpool paid for awasteful start.

Twice Salah wriggled into clear shootingpositions on his favoured left foot on the edgeof the box inside the first 10 minutes, but hisfirst tame effort was easily saved by Kepa

Arrizabalaga before he blazed his secondhigh and wide.

Just as in midweek when Hazard came offthe bench to win the game with a stunningindividual run and finish, Liverpool wereundone by a moment of magic from Chelsea’snumber 10. Hazard was picked out by a finethrough ball from Mateo Kovacic and forcedonto his weaker left foot he still managed todrill the ball low past Alisson Becker for hisseventh goal of the season.

Chelsea have dominated possession sinceSarri took charge, but the hosts seemed hap-py to sit on their lead and not expose them-selves to Liverpool’s rapid counter-attackafter going in front.

Salah should have levelled against his oldclub just after the half hour mark when heoutmuscled Marcos Alonso and roundedKepa, but his goalbound effort was clearedoff the line by Antonio Rudiger.

The world’s two most expensive goalkeep-ers were on show and both Kepa and Alissonshowed why they cost a combined £140 mil-lion with big saves on the hour mark. — AFP

Sturridge salvages point at Chelsea to keep Liverpool unbeaten in league