ISSUE NO: 17936

28 Pages 150 Fils

www.kuwaittimes.net

Established 1961 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

MOHARRAM 20, 1441 AHTHURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

Speaker meets Amir, says he will return home soon

Netanyahu, Gantz deadlocked after close Israeli election

‘Flying’ river taxi tests Seine waters in Paris

Judo federation bans Iran after fighter loses to avoid Israeli

Max 46ºMin 29º

MP claims 16 missiles flew over Kuwait; army on alert

News in brief

262172

Riyadh blames Iran, displays debris • Trump tightens curbs • Houthis threaten UAE

RIYADH: Saudi defense ministry spokesman Colonel Turki bin Saleh Al-Malki displays pieces of what he said areIranian cruise missiles and drones recovered from the attack site that targeted Saudi Aramco’s facilities duringa press conference yesterday. — AFP

By B Izzak

KUWAIT/RIYADH: Leading opposition lawmakerShuaib Al-Muwaizri said yesterday that as many as 16missiles flew over Kuwait’s airspace on their way to hitoil installations in neighboring Saudi Arabia. The missiles,believed to be cruise missiles, flew over Kuwait withoutbeing detected by the country’s air defenses and thatsome of them fell in the desert and the rest hit the Saudioil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais, knocking out morethan half of the kingdom’s oil production, Muwaizri, aformer cabinet minister, told reporters in the Assembly.

Late yesterday, the Kuwaiti army chief of staff saidyesterday the state of combat readiness of some armyunits has been raised as part of precautionary measurestaken in such circumstances. “This announcement comesin order to preserve the security of the country and thesafety of its land, water and airspace from any possibledangers in direct and permanent coordination with allmilitary and security authorities in the country,” the armychief of staff said in a press release.

It added what was seen or heard yesterday was partof those measures through the implementation of liveexercises by the marine and air force from 1:30 pm to 5pm in the afternoon. It called on the public not to payattention to any information or rumors circulated fromany source except official sources represented by thedirectorate of moral guidance and public relations.

Muwaizri strongly lashed out at the government,specifically the defense and foreign ministries, and heldthe respective ministers responsible for this serious fail-

ure. Muwaizri said the reason air defenses did not spotthe missiles is because an important military balloon wasdestroyed two years ago as a result of colliding with anaircraft belonging to a private airline. “Kuwait isexposed. Where are the billions spent on armaments” inthe previous years, the lawmaker asked.

Muwaizri said the destruction of the balloon hasharmed national security, but until this moment, the jus-tice ministry has not yet released the investigation reportinto the case. The lawmaker however did not say wherethe missiles came from, but it is clear they could havebeen fired either from Iran or Iraq. The United States hasblamed Iran for the attacks on Saudi oil installations amidreports that blamed pro-Iran Shiite militias in south Iraqto have fired the missiles. Iran-backed Yemen Houthirebels have claimed responsibility but Saudi Arabia didnot accuse them.

Muwaizri criticized the failure of the government andwondered what would’ve happened if the any of the mis-siles had crashed over Kuwaiti residential areas, sayingthe defense minister should be held responsible for theincident. The government on Sunday said security offi-cials have launched an investigation into reports that adrone was seen flying over Salmiya and Bidaa coast andover HH the Amir’s residential palace in Salwa. The law-maker said the issue should not be allowed to pass with-out a proper investigation and necessary actions.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said yesterday that strikeson its oil infrastructure were “unquestionably” sponsoredby Iran, adding that the strikes originated from the north

Continued on Page 24

Trump names security advisor

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trumpyesterday named his pointman for hostage situa-tions, Robert O’Brien, to replace his hawkishnational security advisor sacked just as relationswith Iran are entering a new crisis point. “I haveworked long & hard with Robert. He will do a greatjob!” Trump tweeted. Last week, Trump abruptlyfired John Bolton, a vigorous proponent of usingUS military force abroad and one of the mainhawks in the administration on Iran. — AFP

Pak denies Modi airspace permission

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan refused a request fromIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use its air-space on a flight to Germany, Pakistan’s foreignminister said yesterday, as tensions between the twonations ran high over the disputed region ofKashmir. “Keeping in view the situation in occupiedKashmir ... we have decided that we will not allowthe Indian Prime Minister,” Foreign Minister ShahMehmood Qureshi said in a video. — Reuters

Morocco TV show censured

RABAT: A Moroccan television show has beensuspended for three weeks allowing a celebrityguest to boast on air of “beating his wife”, thecountry media authority said yesterday. “Whoeverdoesn’t beat his wife is not a man,” popular singerAdil El Miloudi said in June on a Chada TV show,Kotbi Tonight, drawing laughter from a fellowguest, actor Samy Naceri, and host Imad Kotbi. “InMorocco, this is normal, anyone can do what hewants with his wife, hit her, kill her,” he insistedafter Kotbi jokingly said: “It’s forbidden to hit one’swife all over the world.” — AFP

Hariri suspends work at TV channel

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Haririannounced yesterday the suspension of Future TV,his ailing mouthpiece whose employees had recent-ly been on strike over unpaid wages. “It is with asad heart that I announce today the decision to sus-pend the work at Future TV and settle the rights ofthe workers,” Hariri’s office said in a statement. Hesaid the decision was motivated by “the same mate-rial reasons that led to the closing of Al-Mustaqbalnewspaper” in January this year. — AFP

JEDDAH: Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz binSalman gives a press conference in this Red Sea city onTuesday. — AFP

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia said Tuesday its oil output willreturn to normal by the end of September, seeking tosoothe rattled energy markets after attacks on twoinstillations that slashed its production by half. Theweekend strikes on Abqaiq - the world’s largest oil pro-cessing facility - and the Khurais oil field in easternSaudi Arabia roiled energy markets and revived fears ofa conflict in the tinderbox Gulf region.

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, whowas only appointed to the role earlier this month, said

that the world’s top energy exporter had dipped into itsstrategic reserves to maintain supply to clients. “I havegood news for you... the oil output to international mar-kets is back to what it was before the attack,” he toldreporters in the western Red Sea city of Jeddah.“During the past two days the damage was containedand 50 percent of the production has been recovered,”he added. “Production will be back to normal by theend of September.”

Prince Abdulaziz said the kingdom would achieve 11million barrels per day (bpd) capacity by the end ofSeptember and 12 million bpd by the end of November.“Restoring sustainable production capacity to 11 millionbpd by the end of the month is an ambitious target, giv-en the amount of repairs required” at the sites, AlexSchindelar, president of the Energy Intelligence group,told AFP.

Continued on Page 24

Saudi says output to be restored by end of September

MONROVIA: Rescuers hold a body after a fire at a Quranic school that killed at least26 children and two teachers yesterday. — AFP

MONROVIA: Dozens of children werekilled yesterday in a fire at a Quranicschool near the Liberian capital Monrovia.At least 26 children and two teachers diedin the blaze overnight, the president’soffice said, citing information from theemergency services. President GeorgeWeah visited the site in Paynesville, on theoutskirts of the capital, and said the causewas still unknown. “We are here to encour-age parents of the victims to have strength,

because it is painful to lose your kids inthis manner,” Weah told reporters. “Weextend our sympathy to the bereaved fam-ilies. We don’t know the cause of the fireyet, but we will encourage our investiga-tors to find how it happened,” he added.

Rescuers in white masks and surgicalgloves carried the children’s bodies in bagsfrom the burnt-out building as crowds ofpeople and relatives crushed together out-side. The sheet-metal roof of the building,which housed a school and boardingschool, was destroyed. “I was sleepingwhen I heard noise outside. My wifeopened the back door and we saw smokecoming from the front. We came out andsaw heavy fire at the back,” said local resi-dent Zazay.

Continued on Page 24

Liberia school fire kills dozens of children

NEW DELHI/NEW YORK: India announced yes-terday a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes, as abacklash gathers pace worldwide about a technolo-gy promoted as less harmful than smoking tobacco.The announcement by India came a day after NewYork became the second US state to ban flavored e-cigarettes following a string of vaping-linked deaths.“The decision was made keeping in mind the impactthat e-cigarettes have on the youth of today,”Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reportersin New Delhi.

E-cigarettes heat up a liquid - tasting of anythingfrom bourbon to bubble gum or just tobacco, and whichusually contains nicotine - into vapor which is inhaled.

Continued on Page 24

India bans e-cigs; New York bans flavored vapes

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook yesterday unveiled sec-ond-generation Portal smart screens, touting them as away to stay connected to loved ones at the leadingsocial network. Facebook also pushed down costs tomake new Portal, Portal Mini, and Portal TV devicesmore enticing to consumers at a starting price of $129.Portal and Portal Mini will begin shipping on Oct 15,while a notepad-sized Portal TV device that turns a tel-evision into a smart screen for video calls and more willbegin shipping on Nov 5 at a price of $149.

Facebook would not disclose how many Portaldevices have been sold since they were introduced latelast year, but said adoption has been strong enough toinspire second-generation models. Shipments of smartspeakers in the US last year nearly doubled to 57.5 mil-lion, with Amazon accounting for about 48 percent of

the market and Google claiming nearly 39 percent,according to International Data Corp. Amazon Echoand Google Nest smart devices use their respectivedigital assistant software to infuse in-home speakersand screens with voice-commanded intelligence.

“We know the smart device category is packed andcompetitive; and those devices are great,” Facebook

Continued on Page 24

Facebook plays to social ties with Portal screen

SAN FRANCISCO: A suite of Facebook Portal products isseen on display during a media event on Tuesday. —AFP

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received NationalAssembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim at hisresidence in the US on Tuesday. The audiencewas attended by deputy head of KuwaitNational Guard Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. “HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will return home innear future following successful medical tests inthe US”, National Assembly Speaker MarzouqAl-Ghanem said Tuesday.

Al-Ghanem made the statement after visitingHH the Amir at his residence in the US. He saidhe conveyed greetings of the Kuwaiti people toHis Highness the Amir. HH the Amir “expresseshis appreciation and gratitude for sentiments ofthe Kuwaiti people, and His Highness assures hewill return soon,” said Al-Ghanem. Minister ofAmiri Diwan Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabahannounced last Thursday that HH the Amir wasdischarged from a US hospital following suc-cessful checkups.

In related news, HH the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of

condolences yesterday to Afghanistan’sPresident Ashraf Ghani over two terroristbombings. In the cable, HH the Amir expressedhis sincere condolences to the victims of thetwo terrorist bombings; one took place in thecapital of Kabul and another in Parwanprovince. HH the Amir pointed out that Kuwaitrejects all forms of terrorism and prayed for thevictims and their families as well as for thewounded swift recovery. His Highness theDeputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh NawafAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highnessthe Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-MubarakAl-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables.

Kuwait National Assembly Speaker MarzouqAl-Ghanem also expressed his deepest sympa-thies, yesterday, after a pair of suicide bomb-ings in the Afghan capital left scores of peopledead and injured. In cables he sent to AfghanSenate chief Fazel Hadi Muslimyar and Speakerof Parliament Mir Rahman Rahmani, Kuwait’stop lawmaker wished mercy upon the souls ofthe victims and a speedy recovery for theinjured. — KUNA

Thursday, September 19, 2019

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Speaker: Amir will return home soon

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receives National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem athis US residence. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday received His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace. HisHighness Sheikh Nawaf also received Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Khaled Al-Saleh. HisHighness also received Kuwaiti Municipal Council Chairman Osama Humoud Al-Otaibi on the occasion of issuing an Amiri decree granting him the rank of minister. — KUNA

Deputy Amir receives Kuwait PM, officials

KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince receives His Highness the Prime Minister SheikhJaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace. — KUNA photos

HH the Deputy Amir receives Municipal Council Chairman Osama Humoud Al-Otaibi. HH the Deputy Amir receives Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

HH the Deputy Amir receives State’s Minister for Cabinet Affairs Anas Khaled Al-Saleh.

Kuwait wantsaction over humanitarian crisis in SyriaGENEVA: Kuwait yesterday called on theinternational community to do everything inits power to allow the unimpeded delivery ofaid into war-torn Syria, given the humanitari-an catastrophe unfolding there. The remarksby the Gulf state’s permanent delegate to theUnited Nations Jamal Al-Ghunaim came amidUN Security Council talks over an independ-ent inquiry into possible war crimes perpe-trated in Syria.

The culprits behind these crimes should heheld accountable for their actions, added thediplomat, saying his country strongly

deplores what the UN inquiry cited as “gravehuman rights violations” in Syria. He spoke ofKuwait’s “increasing alarm” over the deliber-ate and systematic targeting of civilians inSyria, which has also left the country’s infra-structure in shambles.

He asked the UN Human Rights Council totake serious action over the whereabouts ofthousands of people who have gone missingin Syria since the beginning of the country’scivil war. On the issue of Syrian refugees, hementioned His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s inten-tion on finding a “new approach” to deal withthe crisis, urging nations that have pledgedaid for Syria not to renege on that promise.He reiterated Kuwait’s support for a politicalsolution as the only feasible way out of theeight-year old conflict, urging the UNSecurity Council to intervene and stop fur-ther bloodshed. — KUNA

GENEVA: Permanent delegate to the UN inGeneva Jamal Al-Ghunaim.

IAEA, Kuwaitsign agreementto protect marineenvironmentVIENNA: Kuwait yesterday signed anagreement with the International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA) for the protection ofthe marine environment. The deal is significantsince it focuses on technical and scientificknowhow across several fields, which fits intoKuwait’s 2035 vision for sustainable develop-ment, Kuwait’s ambassador to Austria SadiqMarafie told KUNA after the deal was sealed.

The agreement, which was signed onbehalf of the agency by its Acting DirectorGeneral Cornel Feruta, is another chapter inKuwait’s storied relationship with the globalbody, the Kuwaiti diplomat said. A separatedeal will designate a Kuwait Institute forScientific Research (KISR) facility as among

centers affiliated with the IAEA, he revealedafter the signing held on the sidelines of theVienna-based IAEA General Conference. Twodays earlier, KISR signed a pair of deals withthe IAEA, focusing on the development ofnuclear expertise in a myriad of fields.

Cooperation with the United Nationsnuclear watchdog (IAEA) has had a majorrole in helping Kuwait achieve sustainabledevelopment, particularly in relation to foodagriculture, the environment and humandevelopment, a Kuwaiti official said onTuesday. Through its ‘technical cooperationprogram,’ the IAEA is supporting capacitybuilding, facilitating communication, enhanc-ing knowledge exchange and developingpartnerships with Kuwait, Kuwait Institute forScientific Research’s (KISR) ExecutiveDirector for Research and Construction,Osama Al-Sayegh said. Al-Sayegh, who isKuwait’s liaison officer at the IAEA GeneralConference, revealed that this cooperationhas been ongoing since 2003.

The technologies which are being trans-ferred from the agency are being applied toprojects involving various tasks. These includethe improvement of production and water

efficiency in regards to fodder crops, geneticmutation to improve barley harvest underharsh environmental conditions and subsur-face groundwater assessment. Al-Sayeghadded that the agency is also involved intraining KISR staff as part of Kuwait’s ambi-tious national development plans. — KUNA

VIENNA: Kuwait’s ambassador to Austria SadiqMarafie after signing the agreement. — KUNA

Parliamentarians,Luxembourg’sPM discuss bolstering ties KUWAIT: Visiting Kuwaiti parliamen-tarians held a meeting withLuxembourg’s Prime Minister XavierBettel, discussing with him issues ofmutual interest, and ways to bolster eco-nomic and investment ties. According tothe Al-Dustour television network, theKuwaiti delegation, headed by MP Al-Humaidi Al-Subaie, also touched on theissue of exempting Kuwaitis from theSchengen visa during their meeting with

Bettel. Prime Minister Bettel expressedsupport to the Kuwaiti desire to exemptKuwaiti national from the visa.

Elsewhere, the parliamentary delega-tion on Tuesday held talks with FernandEtgen, president of the Chamber ofDeputies of Luxembourg, on ways topromote the friendly ties between bothcountries. The talks dealt with coopera-tion in the parliamentary, commercialand investment cooperation as well asregional and international issues of com-mon concern, Al-Dostour news networkof the Kuwait National Assembly report-ed. The delegation of the sixth parlia-mentary friendship group, led by MP Al-Homaidi Al-Sobei’ei, included MPHomoud Al-Khodair. They discussedwith Etgen the role of visit exchanges byMPs from both sides in promoting thebilateral relations and handed him aninvitation to visit Kuwait. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Ahmadi governor received Iranian Ambassador to Kuwait MohammadIrani to discuss issues of mutual interests.

L o c a l Thursday, September 19, 2019

Astartup can be defined in many ways, but I liketo think of them as innovative, growth-oriented,newly-created businesses. Starting a startup has

become popular over the last decade thanks to thegreat success stories of geeks turned into self-madebillionaires, both internationally and locally. Starting astartup can be difficult at the beginning, but extremelyrewarding. It involves being innovative, thinking outsidethe box and taking risks. Starting a startup means longnights, doing more than one job and knowing how to beresourceful.

Many experts will tell you the best way to start is bytaking the MVP route. What is an MVP, you may ask?A minimum viable product (MVP) is a developmenttechnique for building a basic version of a product. Itenvisions that early adopters can test and provide feed-back to improve the product further. Building a mini-mum viable product can take multiple iterations toreach completion.

Although this technique is important - so is havingyour legal documents. I personally think what is moreimportant is having the passion and the love to start thebusiness. Make sure you have thought of how the busi-ness fits your personality and your belief system, howyou can help people with it and be a positive impact onsociety.

1. Business structure: There are a number of factorsto look into before figuring out the business structure -this includes the cost, your activity and location ofservices/products provided.

2. Constitutional documents: If you do end upobtaining a commercial license, make sure the docu-ments of the company reflect what you and your part-ners want to achieve.

3. Employment agreements: Make sure everyoneworking in the company including the founders/part-ners have employment agreements with the companyand are registered officially as employees.

4. Trademarks and copyright: You would want totrademark your logo and copyright any artistic or cre-ative work.

Setting up as a startup

Legalese

By Attorney Fajer Ahmed

3

Kuwait’s Al-Matouq underscores theParis peace conference’s significance

PARIS: Amiri Diwan Advisor andChairman of Kuwait’s InternationalIslamic Charitable Organization (IICO)Dr Abdullah Al-Matouq yesterdayunderlined the importance of the ParisInternational Conference for Peace andSolidarity, about values, understandingand ties between the Abrahamic reli-gions. Al Matouq, who is also envoy ofthe UN Secretary General, told KuwaitNews Agency (KUNA) that the confer-ence, which began on Tuesday under theslogan “joint commitment to humanitari-an issues,” reinforces dealing withhumanitarian issues.

A memorandum was signed amongthe Abrahamic religion representa-tives in which they are agreeing aboutachieving peace based on just ice,understanding and strong t ies , headded. Such conferences are a practi-cal step towards maximizing partner-ships aimed at spreading dialogue,peace and tolerance, while rejectingall forms of terrorism whatever their

source may be, Al-Matouq clarified.Participants in the conference

stressed following-up disturbing world-wide events that require intervention ofthe monotheistic religions, responsiblyachieving peacetime, he explained. It isvital to be the mediator and understandthe friendship between Judaism,Christianity and Islam, where the Parisconference commits to build bridges byreconciliation and consolidate relations.

Holding such events amid difficult cir-cumstances and current challenges fac-ing the world contributes to consolidat-ing the values of openness to culture, hepointed out. There is no doubt that allreligions have a moral and humanitarianresponsibility for leaders to intensify andstrengthen efforts to establish ethics insocieties, he said.

The conference, sponsored byMuslim World League’s SecretaryGeneral Dr Mohammad Al Issa, was inthe presence of President of the IslamicFoundation in France Dr Ghaleb

Bencheikh, Chief Rabbi of France HaimKorsia, French Prelate of the CatholicChurch Eric de Moulin-Beaufort, Kuwaiti

Ambassador to France Sami Al-Suleiman, along with many leadingscholars and Islamic experts. — KUNA

PARIS: Amiri Diwan Advisor and Chairman of Kuwait’s International IslamicCharitable Organization (IICO) Dr Abdullah Al-Matouq at the conference. — KUNA

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun yesterdaypraised efforts by Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS)in helping Syrian Refugees and Lebanese who are inneed for healthcare. President Aoun appreciated thecooperation between KRCS and the Lebanese RedCross for the benefit of the human beings.

This came during a meeting with Chairman of KRCSDr Hilal Al Sayer and his accompanying delegation, in thepresence of the Ambassador of Kuwait to Beirut,Abdel’aal Al Qinai, the statement added. The two sidesdiscussed KRCS’s activities inside and outside Kuwait,and ways to enhance its cooperation with humanitariansocieties and institutions in Lebanon.

On his part, Dr Al Sayer congratulated President Aounon the United Nations decision to establish the HumanAcademy for Dialogue and Convergence in Lebanon. Inthe meeting, Al Sayer explained the objectives of KRCSand its contribution to the construction of Al-Minya hos-pital in Tripoli, north Lebanon. He praised the coopera-tion between both KRCS and its Lebanese counterpart

the project of purchasing in a project to purchase agri-cultural products and distributing them to those in need.

According to the statement, Al Sayer briefed theLebanese President on other projects that have startedwork, including mobile clinics in cooperation with the

Lebanese Red Cross and international partners.Secretary General Maha Al Barjas, Director of Legaland Youth Affairs Dr Musaed Al Enezi and Director ofPublic Relations and Media Khaled Al Zaid attendedthe meeting. — KUNA

Lebanese presidentpraises KRSC’s aidgiven to refugees

BEIRUT: Lebanese President receives Chairman of KRCS. —KUNA

Afghanistan Ambassador Javid Hashimi hosted a reception at the Fotouh Ballroom Regency Hotel to celebrate the National Day of Afghanistan. Ministers, foreign dignitaries andmedia persons were invited to the celebration. — Photos Foaud Al-Shaikh

RIYADH: Mr Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister ofFinance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia opened theEuromoney Saudi Arabia Conference 2019, organ-ised by Euromoney Conferences in partnership withthe Ministry of Finance under the theme ‘Growingthe New Financial Ecosystem’.

In his keynote speech, Mr Mohammed Al-Jadaan,Minister of Finance said the conference took placeafter three years of positive progress and demon-strated Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the interna-tional economy. Then he added “Saudi Arabia iscommitted to working with other nations towardsachieving global economic prosperity and thePres idency of the G20 wi l l consol idate theKingdom’s international standing and affirm itsleadership in supporting the stability of the globaleconomy.”

“Under Vision 2030 and the Financial SectorDevelopment Program, Saudi Arabia is keeping pacewith global developments and achieving qualitativeleaps in the field of financial services, in line withbusiness and service development. The growth of tal-ented and active youth, as well as an increase inwomen’s participation in the labor market, are alsoimportant elements towards achieving our goals.”

He welcomed the Kingdom’s inclusion in theFinancial Action Task Force: “Our financial sector iscommitted to introducing further reforms in order toexpand financial services and implement legislationand measures to combat money laundering and ter-rorist financing. Our progress in these areas recentlyled to the Kingdom’s inclusion in the Financial Action

Task Force (FATF), taking place alongside 37 othercountries and it was the first Arab country to achievemembership.”

He also outlined that the government spending insupport of economic and social development hadincreased during last year:”The total expendituregrowth, in both the operational and capital sectors,reached nearly 16.1% in 2018, while the increase inthe first half of this year (2019) reached about 6.3%.At the same time, non-oil revenues increased during2018 by approximately 15.2%. The increase contin-ued during the first half of the year by 14.4% as aresult of the economic activity improvement andcontinued implementation of reforms and initiativesaimed at developing revenues and diversifying theirsources.”

“The budget deficit during the first half of theyear amounted to SR 5.7 billion compared to adeficit amounting to SR 41.7 billion in the same peri-od in the previous year and the real GDP growthrates in Q1 2019, which reached 1.7%, compared to1.4% in Q1 2018. Non-oil sector grew by 2.1% drivenby the private sector’s growth of 2.3%, compared to1.7% in the same quarter last year, while the FDIinflows increased by 23.8% in the first quarter of thecurrent year with increased investment opportunitiesfor the private sector.”

“The total credit facilities provided by banks andfinancing companies to SMEs in the first half of 2019amounted to SR 113 billion, compared to an increaseof 11.6% in the corresponding period of the previousyear. The banking performance also improved. Thetotal assets and liabilities of commercial banks dur-ing Q2 2019 amounted to SR 2.4 trillion, an increaseof 3% equivalent to SR 69.1 billion, compared to anincrease of 0.04% in the corresponding quarter ofthe previous year.

On the other hand, the demand for investment indomestic and international debt issues increased bymore than three times during the first half of the year.The first issuance in Euro was more than four timessubscribed. The nominal value of government Sukukwas reduced to SR1,000 in order to diversify the

investor segment and enhance trading and individualsavings.”

Finally, the Minister congratulated the nation andAramco for reestablishing full capacity oil produc-tion fol lowing the recent attacks: “I seize thisopportuni ty to congratulate the country, andAramco in particular, for bringing production backto normal which proves our ability to deal effective-ly and efficiently with the unprecedented crisis.”The first day highlighted the transformation offinancial institutions in the Kingdom including howemerging technologies are driving the explosion ofFinTech fueled by digitally-savvy millennials. It alsoexplored the use of FinTech to enhance databaseinfrastructure and develop customer-centric busi-ness models as an important means of enhancing e-commerce-related areas.

Speaking at the conference the Chairman of theCapital Market Authority (CMA), Mr MohammedElKuwaiz said the CMA was continuing to make hugeadvancements and highlighted the importance of newcapital markets laws recently approved by theCouncil of Ministers: “These new laws will have twopriorit ies, f irst ly to protect investors throughimproved mechanisms for compensation, strengthen-ing the independence of judicial committees, increas-ing the scope of reporting, rewarding those whoreport violations and strengthening penalties to deterviolators, and secondly to enhance the capital marketby modifying financial organization through the intro-duction of a depository center and the creation ofnew categories including the establishment of a‘clearing house’ to create a new derivatives market.”

He also outlined how judicial procedures in thecapital market have been strengthened: “Prosecutionprocessing time to deal with financial disputes hasbeen reduced from 24 to 10 months, with the aim of afurther reduction to 6 months. Many other reformshave also been completed including the automationof the judicial processes with everything to do with aclaim now dealt with electronically and we are alsomoving towards the introduction of group claimswhich will also help to speed up the process.”

Saudi FM opens 14th edition ofEuromoney Conference

Thursday, September 19, 2019

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Kuwait’s trade surplus with Japan down 18.3% in August TOKYO: Kuwait’s trade surplus withJapan plunged 18.3 percent from ayear earlier to JPY 59.7 billion (USD552 million) in August, down for thethird consecutive month due to contin-ued sluggish export performance, gov-ernment data showed yesterday. ButKuwait stayed in black ink with Japanfor 11 years and seven months, asexports still outpaced its imports by abig margin, according to a preliminaryreport by the Finance Ministry.

Kuwaiti overall exports to Japan fell18.2 percent year-on-year to JPY 70.2billion (USD 649 million) for the thirdmonthly decline. Imports from Japanalso slid 18.2 percent to JPY 10.5 bil-lion (USD 97 million), down for thesixth month in a row. Middle East’strade surplus with Japan shrank 36.3percent to JPY 543.1 billion (USD 5.0billion) last month, with Japan-boundexports from the region decreasing29.8 percent from a year earlier. Crudeoil, refined products, liquefied naturalgas (LNG) and other naturalresources, which accounted for 95.1percent of the region’s total exports toJapan, fell 30.9 percent. The region’soverall imports from Japan edged up0.7 percent on strong demand forautomobiles and steel.

The world’s third-biggest economyposted a global trade deficit of JPY136.3 billion (USD 1.26 billion) inAugust for the second straight monthof red ink due to weak exports amidUS-China trade tensions. Exports

declined 8.2 percent from the yearbefore on weak demand for semicon-ductor manufacturing equipment toChina and vehicles to the US. Importsslid 12.0 percent on lower crude oil andLNG prices. China remained Japan’sbiggest trade partner, followed by theUS. The trade data are measured on acustoms-cleared basis before adjust-ment for seasonal factors. Elsewhere,Boursa’s Kuwait main indices droppeddown yesterday, affected by the cur-rent tension in the region following theattack on two oil facilities in SaudiArabia. The all share index went down3.3 percent to reach 5,419.9 points.

Oil makes huge leap For the second consecutive day, the

price of Kuwait oil made another hugeleap by USD 3.34 to reach USD 68.47per barrel Tuesday, after being at USD65.13 pb last Monday, said the KuwaitPetroleum Corporation (KPC). As forthe Brent crude price, a decline wasrecorded of up to USD 4.47 to USD64.55 per barrel, the same with theWest Texas Intermediate, with a declineof USD 3.56 reaching USD 59.34.Theinstability and current hike in prices isattributed to the recent attack on oilfacilities in Saudi Arabia, which led to adecrease in Saudi production.

In other news, the exchange rates ofthe US Dollar was stable yesterday,exchanging at KD 0.303, also the casewith the Euro exchanging at KD 0.336,said the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK).CBK bulletin added, the British PoundSterling up to 0.379, but declined withthe Swiss Franc at KD 0.305. TheJapanese Yen remained unchanged atKD 0.002. Exchange rate prices fromthe central bank calculates price aver-age of the currency for the day, anddoes not reflect on the actual buyingand selling prices. —KUNA

Kuwait Stock Exchange

Photo of the Day

KUWAIT: A seaside photo from the Arabian Gulf Street taken at sunset. —KUNA

L o c a l Thursday, September 19, 2019

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SPDC and LinkedIn partner to support Kuwait Sustainable Development Award

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Secretariat general of the SupremePlanning and Development Council and LinkedInyesterday signed a partnership agreement to supportthe Kuwait Sustainable Development Award. Theagreement was signed in a special ceremony attend-ed by secretary general Khaled Mahdi, chairman ofKuwait Public Relations Society (KPRS) Jamal Al-Nasrallah and LinkedIn MENA CEO Ali Matar.

Mahdi stressed that the agreement will help sup-port the award in terms of training participants,human resources development and marketing theaward online. Nasrallah said KPRS’ participation inthe initiative comes as part of its social responsibili-ty and partnership with both the public and privatesectors in achieving development. Matar thanked the

council and stressed that LinkedIn seeks to assistpeople worldwide to find economic opportunitiesthrough establishing a digital economic map, whichmatches the New Kuwait 2035 vision.

New water pumping stationHeaded by Municipal Council member Ali bin

Sayer, the Mubarak Al-Kabeer committee at theMunicipal Council yesterday approved a request byMinistry of Energy and Water to build and maintaina water pumping stat ion in West Funaitees toreplace the old one in Mishref. The committee alsoapproved a request by the Cabinet SecretariatGeneral to allocate a location to build a club forf i ref ighters next to Messi la Water Vi l lage.Meanwhile, the head of the council’s Jahra commit-tee Ahmed Al-Hadban said that the committee yes-

terday approved the requests by Kuwait Oi lCompany to relocate the power plant to be builtalong Abdaly highway, build two roundabouts inNaseem and Taima and allocate a location to build amosque in Kabd.

Shadadiya chaos continues Chairman of Kuwait University teaching staff

members society Dr Ibrahim Al-Humoud said bothhis colleagues and students are still suffering inreaching and leaving Sabah Al-Salem University inShadadiya. Ibrahim added various basic services arestill to be completed, such as air-conditioning, PCsystems and LANs, along with enough toi lets.Ibrahim said a lack of special offices for assistantlanguage professors has forced them to spendbreaks in between lectures in their vehicles.

KUWAIT: Official sources said that the manpowerauthority has started checking various work per-mits after discovering manipulation in some workpermits issued in the private sector, where somelaborers registered as domestic helpers wereworking elsewhere. The sources added a specialteam has been assigned to examine work permitsissued during the previous three years. Violatorswill have their permits cancelled and held legallyaccountable.

Kuwaitizing KCCSU Chairman Meshaal Al-Sayyar stressed

the union’s full support to Kuwaitizing all leadingpositions in co-ops, adding this is in collaborationwith MSAL and the manpower authority.

Sexual harassment The court of cassation yesterday sentenced to

life a man accused of sexual harassment againstsomeone he was responsible for bringing up.Addressing the accused, who justified his crime topsychological disturbances he suffers from, thejudge stressed that even insane people refrain fromcommitting certain actions and avoid them. Thecourt of cassation also abstained from punishing afemale citizen working for MSAL for taking a KD100 bribe.

Swindling offense Police arrested a Bahraini wanted for a swindling

offense based on a complaint by a car rental office.It was found he had entered the country illegallyand decamped with a luxury car. A police sourcesaid the manager of a car leasing office complainedagainst a Bahraini man who took a car and did notreturn it or pay for it. When police checked hisinformation, there was no record of him being inKuwait. Detectives took over the case and caughthim in the rental car. He told them he enteredKuwait illegally.

Laborers found manipulating work permits

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Municipality capital emer-gency team carried out f ield cam-paigns to check construction work and

encroachments on state property. Headof the team Zaid Al-Enezi said thecampaigns resulted in issuing twowarnings to two bui ldings as theyclosed balconies and extended areas

with light material contrary to ministe-rial decision 206/2009. The campaignsalso resulted in arresting 21 roamingvendors, and 15 violations of workaffairs were checked by manpowerauthorities.

MoI undersecretary

Interior Ministry Undersecretary LtGen Essam Al-Nahham and top min-istry officials yesterday attended thefuneral of Special Forces corporal FahdAwwadh Al-Hajeri. Nahham also visit-ed in hospital a police officer from thenarcotics force who was injured whenhe was shot on duty.

Municipality field campaigns

EU warns no-deal Brexit ‘imminent’ STRASBOURG: The European Union’s two top offi-cials handling troublesome Brexit talks warned yester-day the risk of a no-deal exit looms large unless PrimeMinister Boris Johnson’s government swiftly offers con-crete proposals. “The risk of a no deal remains veryreal. That will maybe be the choice of the UnitedKingdom but never the choice of the European Union,”European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker toldthe European Parliament in Strasbourg.

If that happens, “the consequences are much moreserious, much more numerous than you want to say,”added EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier inremarks directed at pro-Brexit MEPs. “After Brexit,you will be accountable to the citizens,” he told them.The warnings came two days after Juncker andBrit ish Prime Minister Boris Johnson met inLuxembourg for talks and just six weeks beforeBritain is set to exit the bloc.

That trip ended in humiliation for Johnson when heavoided what was meant to be a joint press conferencewith his Luxembourg counterpart, put-off by a smallanti-Brexit protest nearby. Juncker emphasized Britainstill has not offered any viable solutions to rewrite awithdrawal agreement struck by Johnson’s predecessorbut rejected three times by the British parliament. “I amnot sure” a new deal will be reached, Juncker said. “Wehave very little time left. But I am sure we must try,”said the Commission chief, whose mandate ends onOctober 31 - the deadline for Britain to leave the EU.

Blame game The strident messages paralleled stepped-up moves

by Brussels and London to hand out blame for a chaot-ic no-deal Brexit. Barnier said “it is certainly not aquestion of pretending to negotiate,” adding: “It is ourresponsibility to pursue this process with determina-tion, with sincerity.” His words were taken as a dig atJohnson, who is seen by many in Brussels and Londonas running down the clock to have Britain exit the EU“with or without” a new deal.

If so, Johnson risks falling foul of a law hastilypassed by the UK parliament requiring him to ask foranother Brexit delay - a third - by October 19 if no newdeal is worked out with the EU. Britain’s parliament iscurrently suspended at Johnson’s initiative in a movebeing challenged in the Supreme Court in London.Adding pressure, the European Parliament yesterdayvoted a resolution noting the UK parliament’s law onasking for another Brexit delay, but stressing theremust be “reasons and a purpose for such an extension”.

The decision on whether to grant an extension, how-ever, is really up to the leaders of the other 27 EUmember countries. They are to hold a Brussels summiton October 17-18, seen as the last chance to strike adeal. London declared this week that discussions withthe EU on rewriting the withdrawal agreement would“soon take place on a daily basis,” up from twice-a-week currently. But an EU spokeswoman said yester-day that while Brussels was ready to meet “24/7”, dailytalks were not as yet happening.

Bogged down in the backstop The thorniest issue between Britain and the EU is

the “backstop” - an effort to guarantee that no hardborder will spring up between EU member Ireland and

the UK’s province of Northern Ireland while ensuringthat the EU’s single market will be protected. Under thewithdrawal deal reached last year, the UK was to stayin the EU’s customs union temporarily, in case talkstowards a trade deal failed.

But Johnson rejects the guarantee and is reportedlyexploring ways that Northern Ireland alone could abideby EU agriculture and food standards without a full-

fledged backstop. “The new British government... hasunderlined the backstop aspects it doesn’t like. That is notenough to reach a solution,” Barnier said in Strasbourg.“We need to find a legally operational solution in thewithdrawal agreement that fully answers each of the prob-lems, addresses each of the risks,” he said. Juncker said “Ihold no emotional attachment to the backstop” but was“profoundly attached to the goals it serves”. —AFP

GENEVA: Switzerland was among the first countriesto begin deploying 5G, but health fears over radiationfrom the antennas that carry the next-generationmobile technology have sparked a nationwide revolt.Demonstrators against the technology are due to fill thestreets of Bern later this month, but already a number ofcantons have been pressured to put planned construc-tions of 5G-compatible antennae on ice.

The technology has been swept up in the deepeningtrade war between China and the United States, whichhas tried to rein in Chinese giant Huawei - the world’sleader in superfast 5G equipment - over fears it willallow Beijing to spy on communications from countriesthat use its products and services. But far from the clashof the titans, a growing number of Swiss are voicingalarm at possible health effects from exposure to theelectromagnetic rays radiating from the new antennae,and are threatening to put the issue to a referendum inthe country famous for its direct democratic system.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. In February,Switzerland took a big step towards deployment whenit attributed 5G frequencies to three major operators,Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt, allowing the country torake in revenues of nearly 380 million Swiss francs

($384 million, 350 million euros). High on their success,the operators raced to trumpet on television advertise-ments and billboards that the cutting-edge technologywould be available this year in cities, in the countrysideand even in mountainous regions. By early July, 334antennae stations for 5G were operational across thecountry, authorities told AFP.

Referendum? But the rollout has run into some serious hurdles.

Several cantons including Geneva have buckled topressure from online petitioners demanding a halt toconstruction of the 5G infrastructure. But while no newantennae are being built in parts of the country, theoperators are still converting existing 4G antennae for5G use - something they can do without authorization.National carrier Swisscom thus says it expects 90 per-cent of the population to have 5G access by the end ofthe year.

Opponents meanwhile warn that 5G poses unprece-dented health and environmental risks compared toprevious generations of mobile technology, and areurging authorities to place a full-fledged moratorium onthe rollout. They will organize a large protest on

September 21 in front of the government buildings inBern, and are also working towards putting the issue toa popular vote. “I think we have most citizens on ourside,” Coco Tache-Berther, of the organizationFequencia, told AFP, saying Switzerland’s rapid roll-outof 5G was “ultra-shocking”.

Olivier Pahud, who regularly demonstrates against5G in front of the UN in Geneva, agreed, insisting thetechnology will have “impacts on health, on the envi-ronment, on people’s capacity to think.” And for peoplelike him, who suffer from “electromagnetic hypersensi-tivity”, the new technology will be devastating, he said.The condition is not recognized as a medical disorderin most countries, but sufferers insist that exposure tomobile phones, wifi routers, televisions and other gadg-ets cause them anything from mild discomfort to life-ruining disability. The powerful Swiss Federation ofDoctors is also urging caution, maintaining that “as longas there is no scientific proof that raising the radiationlimits will not impact health, one must refrain from rais-ing them.”

Noxious effect? In Geneva, it is Daniel Buchs, a doctor and a regional

parliamentarian with the centrist Christian DemocraticParty, who is leading the battle. “We are waiting for aserious, independent study that shows whether, yes orno, 5G has a noxious effect for the population,” he toldAFP. Such a study, he insisted, could help avoid a healthscandal similar to the one the world has seen withasbestos, which was long touted as safe but whichtoday is known to kill at least 107,000 people aroundthe world each year.

There are already several studies underway, includ-ing one by the World Health Organization, which toldAFP it had begun “conducting a risk assessment ofhealth outcomes from radiofrequency fields exposure.”A group of experts was also appointed by the Swissgovernment last year to probe the risks involved withintroducing 5G, and their findings should be publishedby the end of the year.

That study had originally been scheduled for publi-cation during the first half of the year. The delay, whichthe government said was linked to “the size of the task”,has sparked outrage among 5G opponents, who sus-pect pressure from operators might have played a role.“You really have to ask yourself what is behind this,”Tache-Berther said. — AFP

InternationalSchools, airports closed as Indonesia fires spark fears World at risk of pandemics that could kill millions, panel warns

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

Established 1961

MONTPREVEYRES: A high-speed 5G mobile network antenna is pictured near Montpreveyres, western Switzerland. Switzerland was among the first countries to begin deploying 5G, but health fears over radiation from the antennasthat carry the next-generation mobile technology has sparked a nation-wide revolt. — AFP

Health fears prompt Swiss 5G revoltFears over radiation from the antennas

LONDON: A pro-Brexit demonstrator stands with a ‘Brexit Now and Make Britain Great Again’ banner outside theSupreme Court in central London. — AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Thursday, September 19, 2019

7Established 1961

Netanyahu, Gantz deadlocked after Israeli electionsJERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu andhis main challenger Benny Gantz were deadlocked yes-terday after an Israeli general election, reports said,raising the possibility of a unity government or even theend of the premier’s long rule. Various Israeli mediareported that Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud and Gantz’sBlue and White had 32 seats each of parliament’s 120with more than 90 percent of the vote counted.

The reports were citing sources with the electionscommittee, as that level of results had not been official-ly posted yet and were not expected today. The resultsgave no obvious path for either to form a majoritycoalition, raising the possibility of negotiations towardsa unity government. If the results hold, it will be a majorsetback for Netanyahu, who hoped to form a right-wing coalition similar to his current one as he faces thepossibility of corruption charges in the weeks ahead.

With a hoarse voice and appearing haggard after daysof intense campaigning, Netanyahu spoke before sup-porters in the early hours yesterday and said he was pre-pared for negotiations to form a “strong Zionist govern-ment.” He seemed to hint at openness to forming anational unity government, but did not specifically say so.

In his speech to supporters in Tel Aviv, Gantz calledfor a “broad unity government” but cautioned that hewas waiting for final results. “We will act to form abroad unity government that will express the will of thepeople,” the former armed forces chief said. “We willbegin negotiations and I will speak with everyone.”Yesterday morning when journalists approached him ashe was on his way for a run, Gantz said “we’ll wait forthe final results ... and wish Israel a good unity govern-ment.” Netanyahu had not spoken in public since hisearly morning speech.

Arab turnout Ex-defence minister Avigdor Lieberman could prove

to be kingmaker, with the reported results showing hisnationalist Yisrael Beitenu with nine seats. The mainlyArab Joint List alliance was set to become the third-largest bloc in parliament with 12 seats, the reportssaid. That could put the Arab parties in a position toblock Netanyahu from continuing as prime minister ifthey decide to break with precedent and endorse Gantzfor the job.

Israel’s Arab parties have traditionally not endorsedanyone for prime minister. “The main difference in thisvote is the turnout among Arab citizens,” Joint List leaderAyman Odeh told journalists outside his home in thenorthern city of Haifa yesterday. “There’s no doubt thatthis is what made the difference. Without that, Netanyahuwould already be prime minister.” After exit polls werereleased on Tuesday night, Lieberman called for a unitygovernment with his party, Likud and Blue and White,saying the country was facing an “emergency.”

The election was the second in five months for Israel,and President Reuven Rivlin, who must choose some-one to form the next government, said there was a“need to avoid a third”. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, suffered one of the biggestdefeats of his political career after the previous elec-tions in April. His Likud along with its right-wing andreligious allies won a majority, but he failed to form acoalition and opted for a second election rather thanrisk having Rivlin choose someone else to try.

‘Normal again’ The stakes could not be much higher for the 69-

year-old Netanyahu, who many believe will seek immu-nity from prosecution in parliament should be surviveas prime minister. He spent election day warning he wason the verge of losing if his supporters did not turn outto vote, including in appearances at Jerusalem’s mainmarket and its central bus station, wielding a mega-phone to exhort the crowds. He repeatedly warned, ashe has in previous elections, that left-wing and Arabvoters were showing up in large numbers to vote himout, appearing on Facebook live to do so.

A campaign by Lieberman to “make Israel normalagain” appeared to have resonated with voters. Thestaunch secularist has long campaigned against what hesees as the undue clout of ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties,

which he accuses of seeking to impose Jewish religiouslaw on Israel’s secular population. Lieberman hasdemanded legislation to make military service mandato-ry for the ultra-Orthodox as for other Jewish Israelis - ademand he refused to drop after April polls, eventuallyblocking Netanyahu’s efforts to form a coalition. —AFP

Israel’s Lieberman:From nightclubbouncer to potential kingmakerJERUSALEM: Avigdor Lieberman, whosecampaign against Israel’s religious politicalparties may make him a kingmaker, hasturned from Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu’s closest ally to his biggestheadache. Reported results of Israel’s gen-eral election on Tuesday show bothNetanyahu’s right-wing Likud and formermilitary chief Benny Gantz’s centrist Blueand White without an obvious path to amajority coalition.

That raised the possibility of a unitygovernment - exactly what Lieberman hasbeen calling for. While it might be logicalto expect right-winger Lieberman to backNetanyahu, he failed to do so after similarresults in April - with the standoff leadingto Tuesday’s unprecedented second vote.He is fiercely opposed to what he sees asthe growing influence of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, which havebacked Netanyahu, and his campaignfocused on the need to “make Israel nor-mal again.”

In remarks yesterday morning,Lieberman reiterated he would only bewilling to join “a broad liberal government”comprising Netanyahu’s Likud withGantz’s Blue and White. Born in the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova, Lieberman, 61,emigrated to Israel in 1978, and retains aheavy accent when speaking Hebrew.

Upon arrival, the social sciences gradu-ate worked for a time as a nightclubbouncer and also completed his militaryservice. Lieberman started his careerinside Netanyahu’s Likud and rose throughthe ranks to become the prime minister’schief of staff during his first term from1996 to 1999. That year, he created thenationalist party Yisrael Beitenu, capturingthe support of many of the more than onemillion Jews who emigrated to Israel fromthe former Soviet Union, an electoral basethat has expanded considerably since.

Over the years, Lieberman has heldseveral portfolios, including foreign minis-ter from 2009 to 2012, then again from2013 to 2015. As Israel’s top diplomat, hewas the bane of the European Union,accusing it of following a pro-Palestinianpolicy hostile to Jews. Lieberman’s imagewas tainted by a corruption scandal thatsaw him leave government in 2012, but hewas cleared of the charges and a year laterhe returned. In November 2018, he

resigned as defense minister over a Gazaceasefire deal he considered a “capitula-tion to terror”.

Controversial statements His party won five seats in April’s elec-

tion, but the staunchly secular nationalist

refused to join a coalition under Netanyahuunless the potential ultra-Orthodox part-ners agreed to legislation on mandatorymilitary service. Most Jewish Israelis mustserve in the military, but the ultra-Orthodoxare given exemptions to allow them to pur-sue religious studies. —AFP

Israel’s Bedouins vote, but without much hopeNEGEV: A pick-up truck speeds down a road inIsrael’s dusty, desert south, bringing Sheikh Sayeh Al-Turi and his wife back from the polling station. “Everyvote can make a difference,” said Turi, a 70-year-oldfather of 15. Turi was among those voting in Israel’ssecond election in five months on Tuesday, called afterPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form acoalition after April polls.

Like some 250,000 Bedouins in Israel’s Negevdesert, he belongs to the country’s Arab minority,descendants of Palestinians who remained on theirland after the creation of the country in 1948.Altogether, they represent around 20 percent ofIsrael’s nearly nine million citizens and denounce whatthey say is discrimination by the Jewish majority.

Wearing a traditional white Bedouin scarf andsporting a large white moustache, Turi sits on a plasticchair near a collection of shrubs in the Negev. He isthe head of an unauthorized village in this desert thatis home to most of the country’s Bedouins living on themargins of Israeli society, often in poverty. Like 34other villages in the region, Al-Araqeeb-made up ofmakeshift shelters and lacking access to public water,schools or transport-is not recognized by the Israeligovernment.

Israeli authorities have been seeking to relocatesuch villages to authorized towns, but in many cases,residents say they will not be forced to leave theirhomes. Israel has carried out demolitions of structuresit deems illegal, and Turi says his village, where he wasborn, has been destroyed 161 times. In his village’scase, 22 families are refusing to move. Beyond thedemolitions, they allege land theft.

‘It’s my right’ Israeli authorities say they cannot allow illegal con-

struction and want to regularize the Bedouins’ livingsituations, including by improving their conditions.“The current government is extremist and criminal,”said Turi, who calls it a “state of occupation” and vot-ed against Netanyahu. “I don’t expect anything goodfrom this country,” he said. “I only believe God canchange things.”

His cousin Hakma voted too. “I have hope thatthere will be change, not only for me but for all theBedouins of the Negev,” she said. “Look where Icook!” she added, pointing to a gas stove on theground and dishes arranged in an improvised cup-board made from an unplugged refrigerator.

In the nearby town of Shaqef as-Salam, a crowdwas gathered under makeshift umbrellas to register tovote. Out of sight, men discretely distribute ballots forthe mainly Arab Joint List alliance. Saba, her face con-cealed by a black niqab veil like most women aroundher, says she votes in every election. “It’s my right. I’ma citizen like the others,” she said. To cast her ballot onTuesday, she said she travelled some 90 minutes fromBir Haddaj, a Bedouin village recognized by Israel.

‘I don’t vote’ Some activist groups allege attempts to limit the

Bedouin vote. On Sunday, the election committeeruled that Israeli organization Zazim (We Move)could not run buses to bring Arab residents topolling stations since it was not registered as anorganization active in the election. Seated on thesidewalk in front of a school being used as a pollingstation, Bassel Zaanoun was voting “so that they stopdemolishing our homes”. He said his home has beentorn down twice. “For now, we live in a makeshiftshack,” he added. —AFP

DUBAI: At a weapons exhibition in July in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, military officials whipped silkensheets off what they said were newly-developed dronesand missiles. The theatrical gesture revealed the proud slo-gan “Made in Yemen” spray-painted onto the weapons’bodywork. The moment was a celebration of sorts forYemen’s Houthi fighters. Despite years of air strikesagainst them, the militia now boast drones and missilesable to reach deep into Saudi Arabia, the result of anarmament campaign pursued and expanded energeticallysince Yemen’s war began four years ago.

Whether or not the Iran-aligned group carried outSaturday’s crippling raid on a Saudi oil plant-as it asserts-its capabilities mean it can fea-sibly claim responsibility for thestrike, a humiliating blowagainst its top adversary. Muchremains unclear about theattack: Some Western officialsbelieve responsibility lies withIranian-backed militias in Iraq,or Iran itself.

What is certain is thatHouthi weapon capabilitieshave evolved rapidly in the pastcouple of years in accuracy anddistance, analysts, UN data and Houthi media indicate.Their growing abilities also exemplify the threat Iran’s oth-er regional allies - be they in Iraq, Syria or Lebanon - poseto their foes and the global powers that seek to containthem. In one unverified Houthi video, a covert launch vehi-cle rises robotically out of the desert floor and fires offmissiles thousands of feet into a clear blue sky, beforeretracting into its hiding place.

Accuracy“They are getting better on accuracy,” a Saudi-based

security source said. “The message they’re sending is: Weare getting through and we are hitting the right locations.”

“As these technologies - long range drones or cruise mis-siles - spread, it really adds to the distance of warfare. Italso adds to the deniability of the perpetrator,” said JamesRogers, assistant professor in War Studies at University ofSouthern Denmark.

The Houthis’ growing military clout has checked Saudiambitions in Yemen. Riyadh leads a coalition that intervenedin 2015 to restore the government of President Abd-RabbuMansour Hadi, which the Houthis ousted from power in thecapital Sanaa in late 2014. The Houthis have built their arse-nal using local manufacturing, foreign expertise and partssmuggled in from Iran, their ally, and elsewhere. They alsotook over large swathes of Yemen’s conventional military,

including Scud missiles, whenthey seized the capital in late2014. The Saudi-led coalitionsaid in June the Houthis hadfired 226 ballistic missiles and710,606 “projectiles” during thewar. This proliferation has takenplace despite a years-long airand sea blockade on Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen andyears of strikes the coalition sayare against weapons depots,drone manufacturing locations

and military communications hubs.The Houthis’ reach has been getting longer. A new type

of Houthi drone appeared in mid-2018 which the UN hassaid can fly up to 1,200-1,500 km- putting Riyadh, AbuDhabi and Dubai within range. A 2018 study of Houthi’s mili-tary by Michael Knights of the Washington Institute forNear East Policy said the clearest example of direct Iranianhelp with advanced Houthi weaponry was the Burkan 2-Hmedium-range ballistic missile.

He said wreckage from 10 Burkan missiles suggestedthey were smuggled into Yemen in pieces and welded backtogether by a single engineering team, whose “fingerprintnon-factory welding technique” was found on all the mis-

siles. Iran denies arming the Houthis and says it played nopart in Saturday’s strike, which raised already simmeringtensions in the region between Tehran and its Gulf and U.S.adversaries.

Drones, missiles, rocketsPresident Hassan Rouhani said the attacks were carried

out by “Yemeni people” in response to the Yemen war. TheHouthis, who have this year also hit smaller oil targets and

airports in southern Saudi, said they carried out theAramco strikes with unmanned aerial vehicles. The UNsays the Houthis’ arsenal now also includes anti-shipcruise missiles, waterborne improvised explosive devices,ballistic and cruise missiles and rockets. The group seizedsome of the Yemeni armed forces’ arsenal when it invadedSanaa in 2014. But none of these had the range seen today,said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East and Africa editor for Jane’sDefense Weekly. —Reuters

Iran helped mentor drone and missile expertise-analysts

Yemen Houthi drones, missiles defy years of Saudi air strikes

SANAA: Armed Yemeni men gather in the capital Sanaa to show their support to the Shiite Houthi move-ment against the Saudi-led intervention in their country. —AFP

NOKEDIM: A supporter of Israel’s former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman and head ofYisrael Beiteinu party hangs his campaign poster outside a polling station in the IsraeliWest Bank settlement of Nokdim. —AFP

TEL AVIV: Benny Gantz (Bottom right), leader and candi-date of the Israel Resilience party that is part of the Blueand White (Kahol Lavan) political alliance, waving to sup-porters alongside his wife Revital and Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu waving to supporters along-side his wife Sara. —AFP

Houthi armed power has

grown rapidlyduring war

Thursday, September 19, 2019

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

News in brief

Boy shoots, kills brother

WASHINGTON: Five children were kil led orwounded by gunfire in the US state of Texas overthe weekend, including a four-year-old boy whowas shot dead by his f ive-year-old brother,according to police and US media reports. Thebloodshed showed once again the dangers offirearms in the United States, where 30 percent ofadults say they own at least one gun. The incidentinvolving the two brothers occurred Sunday inFort Worth, Texas where police said the older boyfound a gun in his home and fired the shot thatkilled his little brother. “At this time, there will beno charges f i led,” police spokesman JimmyPollozani said in an email. Several hours later, asix-year-old boy was seriously wounded in nearbyArlington, Texas, by a bullet probably fired by oneof his brothers. —AFP

Piracy operation smashed

ROME: Italian authorities said yesterday they havehelped smash what they cal led “the world’slargest” pirate streaming TV network with fivemillion customers in Italy alone. The financialpolice in southern city Naples said in a statementthey had arrested 23 people as part of the opera-tion against Xtream Codes, which had a turnoverof around 60 million euros ($66 million). Italianmedia reported that raids linked to the case hadbeen carried out yesterday in Bulgaria, France,Germany, Greece and the Netherlands in collabo-ration with The Hague-based Eurojust, the EU’sjudicial cooperation unit. The piracy operation wasallegedly created by two Greek nationals, policesaid in a statement. Italian media reported that thenetwork’s mastermind had been arrested inThessaloniki. The platform decrypted copyrightprotected television images and re-broadcastthem on the Internet “on a wide scale”. —AFP

Humberto gains strength

TEXAS: Hurricane Humberto gained strength andspeed as it moved closer to Bermuda yesterdaybut the islands are likely to be spared a direct hit,forecasters said. Hurricane force winds and rainsare expected to hit Bermuda in the night but thestorm’s eye is just shy of the archipelago’s westerncoast, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center(NHC) said. The storm packed 115 mph (185 kph)winds and it was about 285 miles (455 km) west ofBermuda, moving at 16 mph (26 kph) at 5 am yes-terday. It is a category 3 hurricane on the 5-stepSaffir-Simpson hurricane scale, the NHC said. Ahurricane warning is in effect for Bermuda andHumberto’s hurricane force winds extend morethan 60 miles from its center, with at least 6 inchesof rain expected through today. —Reuters

Woman ‘killed by partner’

CAEN: A young French woman was killed afterbeing stabbed 14 times by her male partner infront of their three children, prosecutors in north-ern France said, amid a growing campaign to haltthe deaths of women at the hands of their malecompanions. The man, 37, killed his 27-year-oldpartner during a dispute in the northern port cityof Le Havre on Monday as they were in theprocess of separation, prosecutors said in a state-ment late Tuesday. Their children, aged six, fourand two, looked on. “The accused confessed towhat happened and said he acted out of fear thatthe victim would prevent him from seeing his chil-dren,” the statement said. The mother died instant-ly and the man was arrested shortly afterward.Police sources said the stabbing happened in frontof a supermarket. The accused has been placed ina detention and will appear before a judge whowill decide on the charges. —AFP

LONDON: The world is facing a mounting threat ofdisease pandemics that could kill millions and wreakhavoc on the global economy, a international expertpanel has warned, and governments should work toprepare for and mitigate that risk. The GlobalPreparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), co-convenedby the World Bank and the World Health Organization(WHO), warned that epidemic-prone viral diseases likeEbola, flu and SARS are increasingly tough to managein a world dominated by lengthy conflicts, fragile statesand forced migration.

“The threat of a pandemic spreading around theglobe is a real one,” the group said in a report releasedyesterday. “A quick-moving pathogen has the potentialto kill tens of millions of people, disrupt economies anddestabilize national security.” While some governmentsand international agencies have made efforts to be vigi-lant and prepare for major disease outbreaks since thedevastating 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa,those efforts are “grossly insufficient”, the report said.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, a former WHO head whoco-chaired the board, added that current approachesto disease and health emergencies are “characterizedby a cycle of panic and neglect.” The report cited the1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic, which killed an estimat-ed 50 million people. With vast numbers of peoplecrossing the world on planes every day, an equivalent

air-borne outbreak now could spread globally in lessthan 36 hours and kill an estimated 50 million to 80million people, wiping out nearly 5% of the globaleconomy, it said.

In the case of a pandemic, many national health sys-tems - particularly in poor countries - would collapse.“Poverty and fragility exacerbate outbreaks of infec-tious disease and help createthe conditions for pandemicsto take hold,” said Axel vanTrotsenburg, acting chiefexecutive of the World Bankand a member of the panel.

Calling on governments to“heed the lessons these out-breaks are teaching us” andto “fix the roof before the raincomes”, Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus, director-gener-al of the WHO, said theyshould invest in strengthening health systems, boostfunds for research into new technologies, improvecoordination and rapid communication systems, andmonitor progress continually. The WHO also warnedearlier this year that another pandemic of flu - which iscaused by airborne viruses - is inevitable, and said theworld should prepare for it.

Climate catastropheMeanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

said the world was “losing the race” to avert climate dis-aster, but that greenhouse gas reduction targets werenot out of reach yet. He was speaking during an inter-view with the Covering Climate Now coalition of media,which includes AFP, days before a UN youth climate

summit that will be followed bya meeting with world leaders,where he will urge countries toraise their commitments setunder the Paris agreement.

The landmark accord sawcountries pledge to limit thelong-term rise in the averagetemperature of the Earth totwo degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, and if possibleto 1.5 degrees Celsius. “What Iwant is to have the whole of

society putting pressure on governments to make gov-ernments understand they need to run faster, because weare losing the race,” he said, adding: “What the sciencetells us today is that these targets are still reachable.”

Guterres said that inaction by some key countries,including the US, could be at least partly offset by actionat the sub-national level, for example in the carbon neu-

tral pledges made by the states of California and NewYork. “I think one of the best things of the US society isthe fact that it is a federal country... that decisions aredecentralized, so I will be always very strongly in favorof keeping decisions on climate change as decentralizedas possible,” he said. He noted that major cities, regionsand businesses were taking over, and that banks andinvestment funds were pulling out of the coal and fossilfuel sectors.

Guterres also cited the example of the EuropeanUnion, where only three countries now oppose the goalof carbon neutrality by 2050, and said that he felt a “newwind” in the push for renewable energy, especially withthe growth of solar in India and China. Failure to meetthe goals laid out under the Paris agreement could leadto the crossing of so-called “tipping points” such as thethawing of the Earth’s permafrost that further acceleratewarming, creating a situation where extreme weatherevents become the norm.

Guterres said he was heartened by growing societalawareness, which meant that hope was not yet lost, “butthat requires profound changes in the way we producefood, in the way we power our economies, in the way weorganize our cities, in the way we produce energy.” “Ifeel that more and more people, companies, cities, andgovernments, are understanding that needs to be done,”he said. —Agencies

‘We are losing the race’ on climate catastrophe, UN warns

World at risk of pandemics that could kill millions, panel warns

Ocean power: A green option failing to make waves BREST: The tidal power plant on theRance river in Brittany, France, stands as areminder of the underexploited potentialof energy generation from ocean tides,waves and warmth. Inaugurated at LaRichardais on the west coast by Charlesde Gaulle in 1966, the plant producesabout 500 Gigawatt hours of electricityper year-enough to power 250,000 out ofFrance’s 30 million-odd households.

It remains the sole power station of itstype in France and one of only two large-scale tidal plants in the world-the secondlargest after the Sihwa scheme inauguratedin South Korea seven years ago. “Oceanrenewable energy has huge global poten-tial, but is a largely untapped resource,”Simon Neill of Bangor University’s Schoolof Ocean Sciences in Wales said. Morethan two-thirds of the Earth’s surface iscovered by oceans and seas.

These offer limitless opportunity forpower generation from the kinetic energyof waves and tides, the temperature differ-ences between surface and deeper waters,and the osmosis that occurs when salt- andfreshwater meet. Yet ocean poweraccounts for the smallest portion of renew-able energy in the world, according to theInternational Energy Agency (IEA), an

intergovernmental policy-advisory body.The majority of marine energy projects arein the demonstration phase even thoughmany decades have passed since humanityfirst started using water motion for elec-tricity generation in the late 19th century.

Entirely predictable power source Despite being a renewable, low-pollut-

ing energy source, hydropower, whichincludes ocean and river dam schemes,today accounts for less than a fifth ofglobal electricity supply, and growth in thesector is decelerating. Electricity genera-tion from marine technologies increasedby just three percent last year. The IEAestimates it would need to expand by 24percent per year until 2030 to meetdesired targets for renewable energy.

According to France’s SHF hydrotechnicresearch institute, tidal energy has thepotential to provide 1,250 Terrawatt hours(TWh) of energy per year, up from just oneTWh today-about 0.2 percent of France’sannual consumption. It has a distinctadvantage in being “entirely predictable”,Neill said. As it is not dependent on weath-er variables such as wind or sunshine, thecontribution of tidal schemes to the energymix can be calculated far in advance.

Tidal energy is generated by installinga dam-like structure called a barrageacross a bay or lagoon to create a basinwhich is filled on the incoming high tideand emptied through turbines as the waterebbs out again. The main challenge,observers say, is the cost of erecting thesestructures. “Marine technologies holdgreat potential, but additional policy sup-port is needed for RD&D (research and

development) to enable the cost reduc-tions that come with the commissioning oflarger commercial plants,” says the IEA.

‘Enormous environmental impact’An additional drawback are the effects

on plant and animal life. The Rance bar-rage is 750 meters long and 33 meterswide and blocks the river mouth. “Tidalbarrages can change the tidal level in thebasin and increase turbidity (the amountof matter in suspension in the water),” saidthe IEA. The turbines may impair the natu-ral movement of marine animals and dis-rupt migration patterns. At the Ranceplant, “exchanges between the estuary and

the marine environment have been com-pletely blocked, which has had an enor-mous environmental impact,” marine ecol-ogist Antoine Carlier of France’s Ifremerinstitute told AFP.

One solution is to build future tidalplants outside of sensitive estuary zones.Another underused technology that hasfailed to take off despite its low environ-mental impact: tidal turbines placed on thesea floor where there is strong tidal flow.“There are problems with sealing, corro-sion and maintenance on these underwatermachines, which adds to the cost of theprojects,” explained Ifremer’s Marc LeBoulluec. —AFP

ALASKA: A landscape is seen near Denali, Alaska. Permafrost which is found tosome extent beneath nearly 85 percent of Alaska has been melting due toearths rising temperatures. —AFP

Tree-planting offset carbon emissions: But no cure-allPARIS: A few euros, a couple of mouse clicks and a tree isplanted - as air travel is increasingly becoming a source ofguilt, consumers and companies are looking for other waysto ease their conscience and reduce their carbon footprint.But as more polluting industries join efforts to offset theircarbon emissions, the effectiveness of the approach is opento debate, with some critics suggesting that tree-plantingschemes are nothing more than a fig leaf.

Once marginal, the offset movement has even reachedthe arch-enemy of environmentalists: big oil. Shell hasploughed $300 million (270 million euros) into forest plan-tations to reduce its carbon footprint by 2-3 percent, Italy’sENI has set an objective of zero net emissions via itsforestry investments, and France’s Total plans to set up aspecial “business unit” next year to spend $100 millionannually on compensation efforts. Beyond the grand state-ments, carbon offset schemes basically follow the same,

simple mechanism. A polluting company or individual pur-chases a credit equivalent to a ton of carbon dioxide andthe purchase price is paid directly or indirectly into anemissions reduction scheme, such as planting trees whichabsorb CO2 responsible for global warming or investmentin renewable energy sources. This is the principle that thecivil aviation industry is adopting with its initiative COR-SIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme forInternational Aviation) starting from 2020.

Sixty-five countries have signed up to it so far - equiva-lent to 87 percent of all international activity in the sector.“There will be a number of eligible carbon reductionschemes and airlines will be able to buy the equivalent tonsof CO2 via these projects,” says Nathalie Simmenauer, AirFrance’s head of environment and sustainable development.The aim is to reach “neutral carbon growth” - that is toensure future emissions are held at 2020 levels.

‘A cop-out’ While trees are an important tool for regulating the cli-

mate, reforestation alone cannot whitewash a company’scarbon-emitting activity, say activists. “If you don’t reduceyour emissions and don’t stop deforestation, you’re notgoing to solve anything by merely planting trees,” saysStephane Hallaire, president and founder of Reforest’Action,

which has planted 3.8 million trees in nine years. For justthree euros, the company will plant a tree adapted to thelocal biodiversity and purchase part of a carbon credit for aforeign forest conservation project. —AFP

Air-borne outbreak could kill

80 million

GAMBOA: German plant physiologist Klaus Winter works at theSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute, in Gamboa, Panama.The institute is developing a project of tropical domes, whereextreme climate scenarios are simulated to see how tropicalvegetation behaves. —AFP

The long road to clean energyPARIS: The vital transition to a zero-carbon economy is like-ly to be a long and rocky road. So-called green energy isbooming, but not fast enough to curb climate change, whichis accelerating at an alarming pace as oil, gas and coal con-sumption soar.

Booming renewables Solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro: over the past

decade, global production capacity of renewable energieshas increased fourfold. Aside from dams of more than 50megawatts, renewables capacity has reached 1,650gigawatts, compared with 410 GW in 2009, according to asurvey by the Frankfurt School of Management andBloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) ahead of the UNClimate Summit on September 23.

The main reason is the spectacular increase in their costcompetitiveness — since 2009, the price of energy gener-ated by solar panels has plummeted by 81 percent and thatof electricity generated by terrestrial wind farms has

plunged by 46 percent. With 640 GW, solar now has thegreatest capacity - compared with a total of 2,300 GW forall energies (green and fossil fuel) combined - exceedingboth coal and gas. It could meet the needs of 80 percent ofUS households.

Leading the wayChina, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, is also the num-

ber one investor in renewables, ploughing nearly $760 billioninto the sector over the past 10 years. By comparison, the UShas invested $356 billion and Europe $698 billion. In 2018,29 countries each invested $1 billion in the sector, comparedto 21 countries two years earlier.

“In an increasing number of countries either wind or solarare the cheapest form of electricity generation,” said BNEF’sAngus McCrone, noting that natural gas remains competi-tively priced in the US and coal in India. “Some countrieshave a split personality on this: they want to retain the mar-ket for the fossil fuels that they derive income from, on theother hand they don’t want to be left behind in the techno-logical race and do nothing on renewables,” he said.

4% of the world’s energyThe room for improvement is certainly huge. In 2018,

renewables were the source of 12.9 percent of the world’selectricity, according to the BNEF/Frankfurt report, whichestimated that this led to two billion fewer tons of CO2 equiva-lents being emitted into the atmosphere last year. —AFPr

LA RICHARDAIS: Photo shows the external part of the La Rancetidal-turbine power plant in La Richardais, western France. Francedreams of harnessing the energy of the oceans, from tides to cur-rents and waves, to produce sustainable electricity. —AFP

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Thursday, September 19, 2019

9

Scenic Kashmir at the heart of India-Pakistani animosityKASHMIR: The Muslim-majorityHimalayan region of Kashmir has been atthe heart of more than 70 years of ani-mosity since the partition of the Britishcolony of India into the separate coun-tries of Muslim Pakistan and majorityHindu India. Here are some facts aboutthe region:

Kashmir dividedIndia rules the populous Kashmir

Valley and the Hindu-dominated regionaround Jammu city, Pakistan controls awedge of territory in the west, and Chinaholds a thinly populated high-altitudearea in the north.

DisputeIndia and Pakistan have been fighting

over Kashmir since 1947, when theygained independence from Britain. At thetime of the partition, Kashmir wasexpected to become part of Pakistan,like other Muslim-majority regions.However, its Hindu ruler wanted to stayindependent and following an invasion

by Muslim tribesmen from Pakistan, hehastily acceded to India in return forhelp against the invaders, sparking war.

WarsSince the war sparked by partition,

India and Pakistan have fought two otherwars. One, in 1965, was again sparked bytheir dispute over Kashmir. A third, in1971, largely over what becomeBangladesh.

DivisionsA UN-monitored ceasefire line

agreed in 1949 and formalized into aLine of Control (LOC) in 1972 splitsKashmir into two areas - one adminis-tered by India, one by Pakistan. Theirarmies face off over the LOC. In 1999,the two countries fought along the LOCin what some analysts called an unde-clared war. Their forces exchanged reg-ular gunfire until a truce in late 2003,which largely held for years. Clasheshave become more frequent in recentyears.

The insurgencyMany Muslims in Indian Kashmir have

long resented what they see as heavy-handed New Delhi rule. In 1989, aninsurgency by Islamist militants began.Some fought to join Pakistan, somecalled for independence for Kashmir.India responded by pouring troops intothe region. India also accused Pakistanof backing the separatists, in particular

by arming and training fighters in its partof Kashmir and sending them into IndianKashmir. Pakistan denies that, saying itonly offers political support to theKashmiri people.

Indian KashmirNew Delhi claims the whole of Jammu

and Kashmir as an integral part of Indiabecause the Hindu maharaja agreed tojoin India in October 1947. Until veryrecently, India governed its part ofKashmir as the northernmost state ofJammu and Kashmir. It had special sta-tus, enshrined in the constitution, allow-ing it to make its own laws. But on Aug 5,India scrapped that status, splitting thestate into the two directly administeredterritories, one formed by Jammu andKashmir, and the other consisting of theBuddhist-dominated enclave of Ladakh.

Pakistani KashmirConsists of the smaller Azad Kashmir,

or Free Kashmir. Regions to the north,known as the Northern Areas, or Gilgit-Baltistan, which Pakistan administersseparately, also formed part of the statebefore independence. Pakistan says aUN-mandated referendum should takeplace to settle the dispute over theregion, believing the majority ofKashmiris would opt to join Pakistan.

ChinaControls a third section, the remote

Aksai Chin plateau, historically part of

Ladakh. India fought a border war overAksai Chin with China in 1962, afterChina occupied a 38,000 square km(14,000 square mile) chunk of territory.

GeographyParts of Kashmir are strikingly beauti-

ful with forest-clad mountains, riversrunning through lush valleys and lakesringed by willow trees. The westernHimalayan region is bounded by Pakistanto the west, Afghanistan to the north-west, China to the northeast, and India tothe south.

PopulationTwelve and half million in India’s

Jammu and Kashmir and more than 3million in Pakistani Kashmir. About 70percent are Muslims and the rest Hindus,Sikhs and Buddhists.

AreaWith an area of 222,236 square km

(85,783 sq miles), it is almost as big asBritain. India controls 45 percent, in thesouth and east, Pakistan about a third inthe north and west, and China the rest.

EconomyAbout 80 percent agriculture-

based. Crops include r ice, maize,apples, saffron. The area is also knownfor handicrafts such as carpets, wood-carving, woollens and silk. Tourism,once flourishing, has been badly hit bythe conflict. —Reuters

Prison becomes ‘second home’ for Turkish cartoonist ISTANBUL: Renowned Turkish car-toonist Musa Kart says he has spent asmuch time in prison and courthousesas he has at work since PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan came to power.His latest stint in jail started in April,after an appeals court upheld his sen-tence of three years and nine monthsfor “helping terrorist organizations”.Released last week pending anotherappeal, Kart told AFP: “For 15 years,prisons and courthouses have becomea second home to me.”

Kart, who was recognized last yearby the Swiss Foundation Cartooningfor Peace, was among 14 journalistsand staff from the renowned opposi-tion paper Cumhuriyet convicted in thecase. He was initially arrested in 2016after Erdogan launched a major crack-down on opponents in the wake of afailed coup. “I have spent almost thesame amount of time in court corridorsas I spent in the paper. It is very unfor-tunate,” he said.

Unfailingly optimistic and modest,Kart refuses to be run down by hisordeals, and says he always made aneffort to look his best for prison visi-tors. “I never welcomed my visitors ina hopeless state,” he said. “I wouldshave, pick my cleanest shirt from mymodest wardrobe and welcome them

with open arms. We would spend ourtime tell ing jokes.” His morale wasboosted by the knowledge he haddone nothing wrong. “If you believethat your position is right, if you havean inner peace about your pastactions, then it is not that difficult tostand prison conditions,” he said.

‘A political shadow’Kart has been in and out of trouble

since Erdogan took power in 2003.His first lawsuit came in 2005 over acartoon portraying Erdogan, thenprime minister, as a cat entangled in aball of wool. “I have drawn cartoonsfor over 40 years... I did it in the pastwith other political leaders, but I wasnever the subject of a court case,”Kart said. “The frame of tolerance hasseriously narrowed today.” The cur-rent case against him claims he con-tacted members of the Gulen move-ment accused of orchestrating thefailed coup in 2016.

I t a lso says the 14 Cumhur iyetstaffers had conspired to change thepaper’s editorial policy to support theGulenists, as well as Kurdish rebelsand the u l t ra- lef t Revolut ionaryPeople ’s Liberat ion Party-Front .“Today the accusations of terrorismhave gone wel l beyond a real ist icpoint,” Kart said. “When you take alook at my cartoons, you see howmuch I am against any kind of terror-ist organization and how seriously andstrongly I cr i t ic ize them.” Rightsadvocates including the ReportersWithout Borders have ca l led on

Turkey to revise its anti-terrorism anddefamation laws, which they claim areabused to silence opponents.

Cumhuriyet-Turkey’s oldest dailyfounded in 1924 - is not owned by abusiness tycoon but by an independ-ent foundation, making it an easiertarget for authorities. The paper’s for-mer editor-in-chief Can Dundar fledto Germany after being convicted in2016 over an art ic le a l leging thatTurkey had suppl ied weapons toIslamist groups in Syria. It has itsown internal problems, too-Kart andsome of the others actually quit thepaper last year over disagreements

with the new management.But the case has added to the chill-

ing effect that has infected the wholeof the media in Turkey, which has thehighest number of imprisoned journal-ists in the world. No date has been setfor the next appeal, and Kart has noidea how the saga will end. “Everyoneknows that there has been a politicalshadow hanging over our case,” hesaid. Whatever happens, he said hisfocus would remain on drawing.“Cartoons are really a very stronglanguage because you can find a wayto express yourself under any circum-stances, even under pressure.”—AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Toxic haze from Indonesian forestfires closed schools and airports across the country andin neighboring Malaysia yesterday, while air qualityworsened in Singapore just days before the city’sFormula One motor race. Illegal fires to clear land foragriculture are blazing out of control on Sumatra andBorneo islands, with Jakarta deploying thousands ofsecurity forces and water-bombing aircraft to tacklethem. Indonesian blazes belch smog across SoutheastAsia annually, but this year’s are the worst since 2015and have added to concerns about wildfire outbreaksworldwide exacerbating global warming.

Yesterday, air quality deteriorated to “veryunhealthy” levels on an official index in many parts ofpeninsular Malaysia, to the east of Sumatra, with theKuala Lumpur skyline shrouded by dense smog. Nearly1,500 schools were closed across Malaysia due to theair pollution, with over one million pupils affected,according to the education ministry. A growing numberof Malaysians were suffering health problems due tothe haze, with authorities saying there had been a sharpincrease in outpatients at government hospitals-manysuffering dry and itchy eyes.

Indonesian authorities said hundreds of schools inhard-hit Riau province on Sumatra were shut, withoutproviding a precise number, while about 1,300 wereclosed in Central Kalimantan province on Borneo. Borneois shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Poorvisibility closed seven airports in the Indonesian part ofBorneo, the transport ministry in Jakarta said. Scores offlights have already been diverted and cancelled in theregion in recent days due to the smog.

Singapore smog race? Air quality in Singapore worsened to unhealthy lev-

els and a white smog obscured the striking waterfrontskyline, featuring the Marina Bay Sands casino resortwith its three towers and boat-shaped top level. Theworsening pollution increased fears that this weekend’s

Formula One race may be affected. Organizers say thepossibility of haze is one of the issues in their contin-gency plan for Sunday’s showpiece night race, but havenot given further details.

The city-state’s tourism board said spectators wouldbe able to buy masks as protection from the haze ifconditions did not improve and assistance would beprovided for those who feel unwell, the Today newsportal reported. The fires have sparked tensionsbetween Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia’s environ-ment minister initially suggested the haze was fromMalaysian fires despite satellite data showing hundredsof blazes in Indonesia and only a handful in its neigh-bor, prompting anger from her Malaysian counterpart.

Indonesia later sealed off dozens of plantationswhere it said fires were blazing, including some ownedby Malaysia-based firms, deepening the row. But PrimeMinister Mahathir Mohamad, who has struck a diplo-matic tone throughout the crisis, said Malaysia maypass legislation forcing its companies to tackle fires on

plantations abroad. Malaysia wants its firms with sitesoverseas to put out blazes contributing to the haze, hesaid, adding: “Of course, if we find they are unwilling totake action, we may have to pass a law to make themresponsible.”

The Indonesian government has insisted it is doingall it can to fight the blazes. But this year’s fires have

been worsened by dry weather and experts believethere is little chance of them being extinguished untilthe onset of the rainy season in October. Indonesia’smeteorology, climate and geophysics agency said yes-terday that over 1,000 hotspots-areas of intense heatdetected by satellite that indicate a likely fire-had beensighted, most of them on Sumatra. —AFP

Air quality worsens in Singapore

Schools, airports closed as Indonesia fires spark fears

PEKANBARU: Forest fire continues to blaze in Pekanbaru in Riau province yesterday. Toxic haze fromIndonesian forest fires closed schools and airports across the country and in neighboring Malaysiayesterday. —AFP

News in brief

Open-air lessons for pupils

TAEZ: Twenty Yemeni pupils listen to their teacherwith textbooks balanced in their laps as they sit undertrees in their southern village, where the school build-ing remains unfinished. In war-torn Yemen, the stu-dents of Al-Kashar began a new school term without abuilding, tables or chairs. But their teachers are stillcommitted to providing them with an education.Wearing a white shirt and baseball cap, teacherAbdelsalam El-Mahmudi squints in the sunlight as heholds a large sheet of white paper for a lesson onIslamic theory. His colleague, English teacher MogebAli Mohsen, writes the alphabet on a breeze block wall.Financing for the construction of classrooms was inter-rupted by Yemen’s war, which has engulfed the countrysince 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its allies launchedan offensive against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. —AFP

Plane missing in Indonesia

TIMIKA: An Indonesian cargo plane with four peopleon board lost contact with air traffic control yesterday,an official said, the latest incident to hit the country’spoor aviation record. The Twin Otter DHC6-400, setoff from the city of Timika yesterday at 10:39 am andwas headed to Ilaga, a mountainous region in theremote eastern province of Papua and was scheduledto arrive 50 minutes after taking off. “After 2.5 hours,there has been no information from the nearest airporton the plane’s whereabouts, we decided to announcethe plane has lost contact,” local transportationagency head, Yan Purba told Metro TV. The aircraftwas carrying three crew members and one passengeras well as 1.7 tons of rice. Search and rescue havebeen assembled for the missing plane which was flyingin a good weather condition, Purba said. —AFP

Palestinian waving knife shot

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian woman brandishing aknife at the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalemand the northern West Bank was shot dead by Israelisecurity forces yesterday, police and medical sourcessaid. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said anunidentified “terrorist” had approached securityforces at the vehicle passage of the checkpoint, ignor-ing calls to stop and pulling a knife before being shotin the leg. Medics treated her at the scene and thenevacuated her for further treatment, a police statementsaid. Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital pronounced herdead. Police distributed a picture of a yellow-handledknife they said she had held. —AFP

Duterte warns ex-cons

MANILA: More than a thousand ex-prisoners prema-turely freed under a controversial law in the Philippineswill be captured “dead or alive” if they do not surrenderbefore today deadline, President Rodrigo Duterte said.His government is scrambling to track down the formerinmates - including convicted murderers and rapists -who were released early due to what he concedes was awrong application of the law and possible corruption ofprison officers. Earlier this month Duterte set aSeptember 19 deadline for the ex-convicts to return tojail or face the consequences, and put a one million-peso($19,000) price on their heads. “The one million prize isavailable to those who can capture them dead or alive,”Duterte told reporters on Tuesday night. “But maybedead would be a better option. I will pay you smiling,”added the president, known for his brutal anti-drugcrackdown that has claimed thousands of lives. —AFP

SINGAPORE: This overview shows the Marina Bay Sands hoteland resort blanketed by haze in Singapore yesterday. —AFP

Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart

Thursday, September 19, 2019

10A n a l y s i s

Established 1961

Garments for lease: ‘Rental’ apparel bringwrinkles for stores

Lisa Batitto, 54, says she has virtually stopped buyingclothes ever since she started renting them. The NewJersey-based museum publicist spends $277 a month

on three subscriptions, including one from New York &Company, a women’s mid-price clothing chain with hundredsof US stores. This is less than what she previously spent, shesaid. “I still have clothes in my closet from when I was buying,but I can’t tell you the last time I bought anything,” she said.

From New York & Company, owned by RTW RetailwindsInc, to Bloomingdale’s and Banana Republic of Gap Inc, moreretailers are offering to lend out their clothing for a monthlyrental rate. Even fast-fashion stalwart H&M, with nearly 5,000stores globally, said in August it would include a limited rentalservice featuring its premium-priced collection made fromrecycled fibers in a revamped central Stockholm store.

The services cater to a growing number of people likeBatitto who want to purchase just a few items and rent therest. But the strategy comes with risks. It costs a lot to shipitems back and forth, and it remains to be seen if rental clotheswill cannibalize retail sales over the longer term. Fees roughlyrange from $50 to $160 per month to rent several items, withan option to buy at a discount. While most services are online,some stores are creating space for people to drop off, browseor collect clothing available for lease.

San Francisco-based fashion rental service Le Totebought the operations of Lord + Taylor stores from strug-gling Canadian department store operator Hudson’s Bay Colast month. Inside the next nine months, it plans to builddrop-off lockers and large display areas in 38 Lord + Taylordepartment stores. Competitor Rent the Runway hasexpanded its physical drop-off network over the past yearwith 25 points for customers to return garments in its ownstores plus some WeWork locations and Nordstrom storesin the Los Angeles area.

Rent the Runway can turn around an item in as little as aday, a company spokeswoman said. The company opened a300,000 square foot fulfillment center in Texas in July in addi-tion to its New Jersey facility to deal with increased demand.The risk is rental services could take spend away from tradi-tional sales in a sector where changing shopping habits andfalling prices have nearly halved the percentage spend onapparel by the average US consumer over the past 30 years.

In addition, physical stores are struggling with onlinecompetition from players like Amazon. Year-to-dateannounced store closures have already exceeded the totalrecorded for 2018, said Coresight Research in a recent note.The US garment rental market, excluding costumes, wasworth $1 billion in 2018, less than 1 percent of the totalapparel market, according to GlobalData. But it grew 24 per-cent in that year compared to 5 percent for the wider cloth-ing market, data shows.

That growth can come with a hefty price tag. At Le Tote,once subscribers drop off boxes containing up to 15 items ofclothing, a chain of activity will start to ready items for theirnext assignment. Le Tote currently ships boxes to its onlinesubscribers using USPS Priority. “Shipping is our biggest cost,so having these stores as touch points for customers to comein, pick up and drop off significantly reduces our shippingcosts,” Chief Executive Rakesh Tondon said in an interview.

CaaStle, a New York-based company that provides tech-nology and logistics for the New York & Company,Bloomingdale’s and Banana Republic rental services amongstothers, branched out from its own Gwynnie Bee women’sapparel business in 2018 to set up rental services for others.Contrary to analysts’ concerns that rental could cannibalizesales, offering rental captures more revenue as consumers buyclothes in addition to their subscription, said CaaStle ChiefExecutive Officer Christine Hunsicker in an interview.

Rental platforms buy clothing wholesale from brands, butmany are introducing revenue-sharing models whereby plat-forms allow brands to upload items for lease and then takecare of cleaning and delivery in return for a share in the rev-enue. This model is better for cash-flow but not as profitable,said Le Tote CEO Tondon. Le Tote raised around $75 millionover the past five years from investors including Azure Capital,Sway Ventures and Google Ventures, and has been profitableat the operating level for over three years, he said.

Jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co, which operates under arevenue-sharing model with Rent the Runway, has increasedofferings on the platform from 12 items when it launched inNovember to 29 currently, including skinny jeans and embroi-dered denim jackets. “When the product comes back, they putit back to like-new,” Levi’s Chief Executive Chip Bergh said inan interview. Brands from Levi’s to upmarket US labelRebecca Taylor - whose silk dresses retail at hundreds of dol-lars - are putting more stock to rent to open new revenuestreams, capture new customers and harvest valuable feed-back, they say.

Tiarra Phillips, an 18-year-old college student from a smalltown in Georgia in the southern United States pays $69.95 amonth for her subscription to Express, a fashion mall brandwhose rental service is also powered by CaaStle. Phillips saidshe has never been to one of Express’s network of over 600physical stores, but has rented items ranging from leggings todresses. “They tell you not even to wash it, to just wear it andsend it back and then you get a new box, so I don’t really haveto do anything; I can just sit at home,” she said. —Reuters

View of a room of the regional hospital of Comodoro Rivadavia in the Patagonian province of Chubut, Argentina, on Sept 11, 2019. —AFP

Strikes as recession squeezes oil-rich ChubutShuttered schools, hospital services

pared back to a minimum, officials onstrike - Argentina’s southern oil-pro-

ducing province of Chubut is a microcosm ofthe country’s crippling economic crisis. Thedebt-burdened Patagonian province is suf-fering the same explosive cocktail of gallop-ing inflation, a plummeting peso and colossaldebt. Public servants in the country’s oil hub,whether teachers, doctors, judges or police,are no longer paid on time.

“I don’t know when this is going to end,”said an exasperated Yael Matos, a teacher inthe provincial capital Comodoro Rivadavia,1,800 km south of Buenos Aires. Matos isone of Chubut’s 60,000 civil servants whohave yet to receive their salary for August.“We don’t have a payment date, we weresupposed to receive our salary today, butthat didn’t happen,” she told AFP.

On a classroom blackboard, the date“August 1” is scrawled in chalk, marking thelast day of classes before a teachers’ strike

now stretching into its ninth week. “There isempathy from society,” says Matos, whoadmits that the school year - which in thesouthern hemisphere runs from March toDecember - is all but lost.

Limited healthcare Healthcare is among the frontline public

services to suffer in Chubut, with skeletalstaffing levels at the Comodoro Rivadaviaregional hospital, where around a thousandstaff are on strike. Staff complain about a lackof clean sheets for patients, and supplies ofIV bags pile up in the hallways unattended.Only one elevator works; the other collapseda few years ago and the shaft is now blockedoff with wood. The cutbacks have badlyaffected union-assisted medical care, nowonly available three times a week. “You haveto calculate when you get sick, it’s grim,” saidGladys Diaz of the hospital’s mental healthdepartment. In the morgue, autopsies havebeen curtailed due to a shortage of supplies.

“This hospital has no income, no supplies, noinfrastructure,” said Diaz. “We don’t get oursalaries, or any increases. All we want is to bepaid for the work we do,” said AnitaFernandez, a warehouse clerk at the hospital.

‘People can’t pay’ In the city, where state oil company YPF

was founded in 1922, the decline in commer-cial activity is palpable. “People can’t paybecause they are not being paid themselves,”says Maria, a sales assistant in a store.Protests and pickets that form part ofArgentina’s daily economic life have alsoaffected oil industry activity. “The industryhas suffered a reduction of between 30 and40 percent,” said David Klappenbach of thePetrolero Jerarquico trade union.

Chubut, with a population of nearly600,000, produces 30 percent ofArgentina’s oil and 50 percent of its naturalgas. Some 18,000 workers are employed in17 firms exploiting its natural resources.

Klappenbach says the region has also lostout to the giant Vaca Muerta shale gasdeposit in neighboring Neuquen province,where the government has invested heavily.

In much the same way as the country’scenter-right President Mauricio Macri soughta $57 billion bailout from the InternationalMonetary Fund, Chubut availed itself of a$700 million loan it has been unable to repay.Chubut is now the province with the highestdebt per capita - as 80 percent of its debt isin dollar bonds in a country whose peso cur-rency has depreciated by more than 65 per-cent since the beginning of 2018.

“Revenues did not fall so much, but theexpenses increased 80 percent in the firsthalf of 2019 in relation to the same period theprevious year, and a large part is due toservicing the public debt,” said Facundo Ball,director of the economics faculty at theNational University of Patagonia. Nearly 70percent of its oil revenue goes towards debtrepayment. —AFP

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Can Saudi loss be US oil producers’ gain? Not so fast...

Even though weekend attacks on Saudi oil facilities cutthat country’s output in half, American petroleum pro-ducers appear neither ready nor willing to fill the void

and capture new market share for themselves. The so-calledfracking boom - in which new technologies unlocked tremen-dous oil and gas deposits in shale formations - has more thandoubled US output to almost 12 million barrels per day overthe last decade. The United States is now the world’s largestproducer and regularly exports more than three million bar-rels per day as well.

Why not jump at the chance to make up for the suddenshortfall while Saudi Arabia recovers from the attack, whichknocked an estimated five percent of global capacity offline?Not so fast, producers and analysts say. Holding on to sparecapacity for just such an occasion “implies having existing oilfields that are being willfully kept offline until their produc-tion is needed by the market,” Jesse Mercer of the energy

intelligence firm Enverus wrote in a blog post. “That is simplynot how US tight oil production works.”

This is also not something US officials can simply dictate.“US production comes from hundreds of thousands of indi-vidual wells controlled by hundreds of privately owned andpublicly traded companies,” said Mercer. Ramping up outputwould mean spending more on rigs, crews and infrastructure,he said. “None of this can be done overnight.”

Mike Wirth, head of the US supermajor Chevron, drovethe point home in an interview with CNBC. “You can’t justflip a switch and see more oil coming into the market,” hesaid. “There is months of leap time in setting up new rigs.”While it was early to assess the market implications of theattack on Saudi facilities, “the fundamental backdrop has notchanged,” he said.

A ‘short-term event’ Indeed, the disruption to Saudi output is mere blip on the

radar, said Harold Hamm of the Oklahoma oil producerContinental Resources. “We want to meet demand. That is forsure,” he also told CNBC. But “short term bites and or short-ages” will not change a company’s budgeting for the year.“We are going to stay where we are for the time being.” RTDukes of the research consultancy Wood Mackenzie toldAFP the outlook for demand was already dimming, with mar-

ket participants fearing a week economy could create over-supply next year. “That is not removed in a short-term event,”he said. A rapid increase in investment “would take sustainedand much higher oil prices than where we are today.”

Smaller producers are also reticent as for several monthstheir creditors have been pushing them to cut spending andraise revenues. And, though it has slowed, US crude oil pro-duction is still growing. It is forecast to reach 13 million barrelsper day in the first quarter of next year, up from an estimated11.8 million barrels per day this year, official figures show.

With new pipelines now operational, the country haspartly removed one of the main obstacles to greater pro-duction: The lack of infrastructure to deliver crude from thePermian Basin, an oil rich region covering parts of Texas andNew Mexico, to the Gulf of Mexico. Still, according toMercer, export capacity at US terminals in the gulf is fornow capped at 4.5 million barrels per day. He also says USshale oil and Saudi petroleum are not of the same chemicalcomposition.

While in the short-term producers do not expect tobump up capital spending, they will still enjoy higher prices,which shot up nearly 15 percent on Monday before paringsome of these gains on Tuesday. For the moment, higherprices should help fatten margins and help hedge againstfuture price drops. —AFP

France pledges billions in fight to halt start-up drain

How do you stop European tech firmsfrom moving to the US once they starteyeing the big time? Part of the solution

is finding them access to funding at home.French President Emmanuel Macron has madethe continent’s latest move to muster help forhomegrown start-ups, promising five billioneuros ($5.5 billion) of tech investments overthe next three years. The funds, pledged bybanks, insurers and other big investors, includetwo billion euros earmarked for “late stage”projects requiring significant amounts usuallyout of reach to burgeoning EU firms.

“The battle we’re fighting is one of sover-eignty,” Macron told tech executives and ven-ture capitalists at an Elysee Palace dinner onTuesday. “If we don’t build our own championsin all new areas - digital, artificial intelligence -our choices... will be dictated by others,” hesaid. Officials across Europe fear being leftbehind as American giants, and more recentlyChinese firms, increasingly dominate the cut-ting-edge technologies crucial to future eco-nomic growth.

Young European start-ups generally haveplenty of access to venture capital, with $23billion (20.8 billion euros) invested last year,according to the investment firm Atomico. Theproblem is that after getting an idea off theground, firms often struggle to find the largeramounts of money needed to propel a business

into the big leagues. “There aren’t any largefunds with the capacity for putting up 50, 100or 200 million euros,” Olivier Novasque ofSidetrade, a business software editor, told AFP.

“But in the digital realm, you have to bethinking right away about conquering theworld” and quickly scaling up operationsbefore a rival does, said Novasque, a for-mer vice president of the Tech in Francetrade body.

French ‘unicorns’? US laws also make it easier to give employ-

ees stock options, an attractive tool for youngfirms that are ramping up operations. “Policiesthat currently govern employee ownershipacross Europe are often archaic and highlyineffective. Some are so punishing that theyput our startups at a major disadvantage totheir peers in Silicon Valley and elsewhere,” theNotoptional collective of tech entrepreneurswrote in an open letter in January.

As a result, European firms often jump theAtlantic to tap into the much deeper Americancapital markets, where pension funds and otherinstitutional investors are more willing to makebig bets on tech. In the first quarter of this yearalone, nearly $31 billion was poured into start-ups in the US, with so-called “mega rounds” offinancings larger than $100 million making up29 percent of the total, according toTechCrunch.

In Europe, however, pension funds are bare-ly present in the tech sector, with Atomico esti-mating they have invested just $350 million ayear in aggregate since 2013. “That’s less than0.01 percent of total assets under managementof European pension funds of around $4 tril-lion,” the firm wrote in its State of European

Tech report in December. “We can writechecks of up to 45 million euros,” said Jean-Marc Patouillaud of Partech Ventures, a majorinvestor in French start-ups. “But you have tobe able to raise more than that, and we wouldn’twant to be on our own” for major capital-rais-ings, he said recently on BFM television.

If firms had access to bigger investmentpools, “there’s no reason why we can’t see techgiants emerge in Europe,” said Yann duRusquec, managing director of investment firmEurazeo Croissance. “The competence andambitions of European entrepreneurs are real-

ly quite strong - that wasn’t so much the case10 or so years ago,” he added. Macron saidTuesday his ambition is to see 25 “unicorns” -firms valued at more than $1 billion ahead ofexpected share offerings - by 2025.

As his digital affairs minister Cedric O reg-ularly points out, the last time an unlistedFrench company was valued that high was in1996, with software group Dassault Systemes.“The important thing is for Emmanuel Macronto send a message to the entire French finan-cial sector, that it has to invest in tech,” duRusquec said. —AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the European startupecosystem event ‘France Digitale Day 2019’ conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris onTuesday. —AFP

LONDON: Oil prices retreated yesterday, extendingthe previous day’s decline after Saudi Arabia said itwould quickly restore full production following lastweekend’s attacks on its facilities.

Tension in the Middle East remained elevated,however, after Saudi Arabia said it would provide evi-dence on Wednesday linking Iran to the attacks. TheUnited States had already said it believed the attacksagainst the world’s top oil exporter originated insouthwestern Iran.

Iran has denied involvement in the strikes. Brentcrude oil futures were down 77 cents, or 1.21 percent,at $63.78 a barrel by 1241 GMT. US West TexasIntermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 92 cents,or 1.55 percent, at $58.42.

Oil prices tumbled 6 percent on Tuesday after theSaudi energy minister said the kingdom had restored

oil supplies to customers at their level before theattacks by drawing from its inventories. Saturday’sattacks effectively shut 5 percent of global oil output.

“As much as the Saudis have downplayed the extentof the latest outages, we should not be lulled into afalse sense of security,” said Stephen Brennock, ofLondon-based oil brokerage PVM. “Tensions in theregion are still running high and the specter of a fur-ther escalation is hanging over the oil market.”

Challenging timesEnergy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman had

said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia’s average oil pro-duction in September and October would be 9.89 mil-lion barrels per day (bpd) and that this month’s oil sup-ply commitments to customers would be met fully.Production capacity would reach 11 million bpd by the

end of September and 12 million bpd by the end ofNovember, the kingdom’s production capacity beforethe attacks, he said.

Relations between the United States and Iran havedeteriorated since US President Donald Trump pulledout of the Iran nuclear accord last year and reimposedsanctions on its oil exports. “The oil market is facingchallenging times. Recent attacks on oil facilities inSaudi Arabia have painfully demonstrated the risks tooil supply, which is why short-term price spikes arepossible at any time,” said Commerzbank analystCarsten Fritsch.

Still, fundamental supply and demand balances aredeteriorating, Fritsch added, forecasting Brent oilprices of $60 a barrel next year. “Demand growth isweakening, oil supply outside OPEC is rising signifi-cantly and OPEC+’s production discipline has faded

recently,” he said. The Organization of the PetroleumExporting Countries and a number of other oil pro-ducers including Russia agreed last year to cut out-put by 1.2 million bpd to reduce global stocks andprop up prices.

IEA viewThe International Energy Agency currently does not

see a need to release emergency oil stocks following aweekend attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, theagency’s head said yesterday.

“Currently the markets are well supplied and at thispoint we do not see the need to take such action,”Fatih Birol said in a webinar. IEA member countrieshold about 1.55 billion barrels of emergency stocks ingovernment-controlled agencies, which amount to 15days of total world oil demand, Birol said. — Reuters

Airbus raises its estimate of new aircraft needed for next 20 years

ABK sponsors central bank’s ‘International Banking Conference - Shaping the Future’

Digital inclusion — Leaving no one behind: Huawei’s Ken Hu1412 13

BusinessEstablished 1961

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (center) arrives for a press conference in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on Tuesday. — AFP

IEA sees no need for emergency oil stock release

Oil prices drop on quick Saudi recovery plan

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service providerin Kuwait, yesterday announced a partnership withMicrosoft to accelerate digital transformation amongits SME customers, through the provision of trustedcloud services. The partnership will allow existingZain customers to benefit from launch offers and spe-cial promotions while connecting Kuwait’s entrepre-neurial community to the advanced tools and technol-ogy platforms needed to grow and thrive in the globaldigital economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) will gain access to solutions such as Office365 and other Business Intelligence tools in orderbetter empower their employees, engage their cus-tomers, optimize operations and transform productsand services.

Eaman Al-Roudhan, Zain Kuwait’s Chief ExecutiveOfficer, commented: “Our collaboration withMicrosoft comes under the umbrella of Zain’s visionto expand our strategic partnerships ecosystem withglobal technology leaders around the world to offerthe latest and most advanced business solutions to theKuwaiti entrepreneurial community. It is of paramountimportance to us that we support homegrown talentsin their endeavors to create jobs and make their markon the regional and global stages.”

The SME sector in Kuwait is one of the key drivers

to steadfast economic diversification. For Kuwait, theneed to push for SME’s - in addition to large-sizedenterprises - that are focused on the technologicalsector is also of paramount importance, in terms ofstrengthening the nation’s innovation capabilities. Inline to this objective, the government has also estab-lished national funds to help create jobs, increase pri-vate partnerships and upscale income diversificationwithin small, medium, and large sized enterprises.

Recently, Kuwait has sought to expand its SMEsectors to support national economic-diversificationprograms,” said Charles Nahas, Regional GeneralManager, Middle East Cluster (MEC) Microsoft.“Microsoft remains committed to helping KuwaitiSMEs achieve more through the power of digitaltransformation. As the result of our partnership withZain, the trusted Microsoft Cloud will help these busi-nesses engage customers, empower employees, opti-mize operations and reinvent products and services.”

Zain’s Microsoft Office 365 bundle will comprise ofa number of subscription-based innovative solutionsthat include Office 365 and Microsoft ExchangeOnline, both which offer increased productivity, effi-ciency and reduced costs, both on-premise and on-cloud. Businesses of all sizes can enjoy access to theirproductivity applications anywhere and at any time

with all the necessary upgrades at no cost. Customerswill also have access to a variety of complementaryservices, including 24/7 support and consultancyfrom Zain and Microsoft’s teams. A number of addi-tional services are also available for customers toensure they get the best out of their service experi-ence, such as on-boarding and migration as well asmobility bundles, including the all-new revolutionary5G technology.

During October 2018, Zain signed a partnershipagreement with Microsoft to offer various cloud-based services to large enterprises and small-mediumbusinesses across Kuwait. The partnership was signedduring the 38th edition of The Gulf InformationTechnology Exhibition (GITEX Technology Week2018). The international event, hosted in the UnitedArab Emirates, was organized by the Dubai WorldTrade Centre, and featured the biggest global compa-nies, organizations, and entities from the Telecom andIT industry. As part of this partnership, Zain packagedits own tools, products and services, and combinedthem with Microsoft’s cloud solutions into one offer-ing for its customers in the country, making the mostout of the intelligent cloud.

The move comes at a time when Kuwait and otherGCC nations are engaged in economic expansions

fuelled by transformative technologies like cloud andartificial intelligence. In a 2018 Microsoft digitaltransformation survey among more than 1,300regional ICT decision makers, almost half (48 per-cent) said their organization had yet to move any ofits IT infrastructure to the cloud. However, more than73 percent plan to do so in 2019.

The results reflect a widespread acceleration inmigration to the cloud and related technologies, suchas artificial intelligence. Around two in five MiddleEast organizations (39 percent) have already adoptedAI solutions and more than one third (37 percent) areplanning to adopt in 2019. Because of these findings,and others like them, Microsoft decided to build twodedicated cloud datacenters in the neighboring UnitedArab Emirates, to serve Middle East customers.

Zain teams up with Microsoft to drivedigital transformation in Kuwait SME sector

Kuwait’s leading digital service provider to fuel entrepreneurship, job creation and innovation with Microsoft cloud services, including advanced artificial intelligence solutions

Thursday, September 19, 2019

12B u s i n e s s

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Australia expects fatter 2019/20 budget surplus SYDNEY: Australia’s budget surplus for the cur-rent fiscal year is likely to be bigger than initiallyforecast, the country’s treasurer said yesterday,with stronger export receipts and tax revenuesboosting government coffers. The governmentwill publish its “Final Budget Outcome” for the2018/19 fiscal year ended on June 30, TreasurerJosh Frydenberg told Australia’s parliament. Thereport will also include revised estimates and out-look for the current financial year.

“It will show an improvement on what wasforecast, not only in the 2018/19 budget, but alsowhat was forecast in April this year with the2019/20 budget,” Frydenberg said.

The government in its budget handed down inApril forecast a A$4.2 billion ($2.9 billion) deficitfor 2018/19 and a A$7.1 bi l l ion surplus for2019/20. If delivered, it would be the first surplussince 2007/08, before the global financial crisishit. There is also separate speculation Frydenbergcould report an earlier-than-expected surplus for2018/19, led by a surge in the price for iron ore.

A boost to Australia’s budget outlook would bea fillip for Prime Minister Scott Morrison who wasre-elected in May largely on his government’s cre-dentials as a prudent economic manager. However,a return to surplus might not be enough to boostconfidence as activity outside of exports hashardly been encouraging. Gross domestic product(GDP) growth has slowed to decade lows, retailspending is contracting, car sales collapsing andconsumer and business confidence is falling.

Australia’s GDP rose just 1.4 percent in theJune quarter from a year earlier, matching theworst of the global financial crisis and well shortof the 2.75 percent considered “trend”.Economists do not expect much improvement inthe current quarter.

The remarkable slowdown prompted theReserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut interestrates in both June and July to reach a historic lowof 1 percent.Financial markets are pricing in twomore rate reductions by early 2020, with someeconomists predicting a cut to 0.75 percent assoon as October. —Reuters

PARIS: Airbus yesterday increased its estimate of thenumber of new aircraft needed over the coming twodecades as airlines seek more fuel-efficient planeseven as it trimmed its forecast for the increase indemand for air travel. In its latest Global MarketForecast for the next 20 years, the European aircraftmaker said it expects air traffic to grow by 4.3 percentannually, a drop from the 4.4 percent annual growth itforecast last year.

Nevertheless, Airbus now expects even higherdemand for new aircraft than it did last year thanks toairlines increasingly retiring older planes for new onesthat offer lower operating costs as they consume lessfuel. Airbus anticipates demand for new aircraft overthe coming two decades at 39,210 planes, a rise ofnearly 2,000 from its forecast last year, due a sharpincrease in replacements. Unlike last year, it did notprovide a cost estimate.

“Developments in superior fuel efficiency are furtherdriving demand to replace existing less fuel efficientaircraft,” said Airbus in a statement.

However, it scaled back the number of planes itexpects airlines to acquire to meet growth in demandfor air travel by more than 1,500 aircraft to 25,000.“Economies thrive on air transportation. People andgoods want to connect,” said Christian Scherer, AirbusChief Commercial Officer and Head of AirbusInternational.

“Globally, commercial aviation stimulates GDPgrowth and supports 65 million livelihoods, demon-

strating the immense benefits our business brings to allsocieties and global trade,” he added.

At a news conference in London, Scherer said airtraffic had “more than doubled since 2000” and waslikely to continue, fuelled by increased urbanization,growth of the middle classes, particularly in the Asia,and the liberalization of the airline sector. “Not onlyare the existing mature markets continuing to grow butthe fundamental huge growth is coming from where thedemography of the world sits: Asia, India and thePeople’s Republic of China,” he said.

Domestic air traffic is expected to increase morethan three-fold in China and nearly five-fold in India,Airbus calculates. Despite geopolitical uncertainty andthe current trade war between China and the UnitedStates, which is braking the global economy, “annualgrowth of 4 percent shows the resilient nature of theaviation sector,” Scherer said.

“Yes, we are concerned by protectionism, that’sobvious. But we hope and do believe it will be of short-lived nature,” he said. The firm also stressed that withits latest more fuel efficient models it will help the air-line industry limit its environmental impact.

“Airbus believes it will largely contribute to the pro-gressive decarbonisation of the air transport industryand the objective of carbon neutral growth from 2020while connecting more people globally,” it said.

The airline industry aims to freeze its carbon foot-print at its 2020 level thanks to more fuel efficient air-craft and through offsets like planting trees. —AFP

Airline industry aims to freeze its carbon footprint at its 2020 level

Airbus raises its estimate of new aircraft needed for next 20 years

BEIJING: A visitor looks at an Airbus A350-1000 plane model at the Beijing International Aviation Expo inBeijing yesterday. —AFP

AVEVA launches new engineering software solutions DUBAI: AVEVA, a global leader in engineering andindustrial software, yesterday announced the intro-duction of integrated engineering software designedto help customers transform the way capital projectsare engineered, executed and integrated into opera-tions and maintenance.

The integrated portfolio comprises three softwaresolutions. AVEVA Unified Engineering seamlessly inte-grates process design with front-end engineering anddetailed 3D based design. AVEVA Unified ProjectExecution links and streamlines procurement and con-struction processes for capital projects. AVEVAEnterprise Learning enables the rapid skilling of opera-tors and engineers using Extended Reality (XR) andsimulation tools, to ensure efficient startups and shut-downs, normal operations, and the ability to handleabnormal situations

“This launch builds on the recent news describingAVEVA’s capabilities as the first company in the engi-neering and industrial software market to comprehen-sively address the end-to-end digital transformationimperatives with an integrated portfolio of solutionsthat deliver efficiency, unlock value and empower peo-ple across the lifecycle of capital assets and operationalvalue chains,” commented Craig Hayman, CEO, AVEVA.“It changes the way that owner operators engage withEngineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC)companies in designing, building, commissioning, andoperating their capital assets.”

The functionality provided in these integrated solu-tions enables the realization of an EPC 4.0 strategy forowner operators, central to digital transformation in thecapital-intensive process sectors. This allows collabora-

tion on a global scale, through hybrid cloud architecturesand on a common platform. The entire manufacturingprocess can be traced, tracked, and linked - from engi-neering and design, through procurement and construc-tion, to handover and to operations and maintenance, asa comprehensive Digital Twin for the capital asset.

Transforming capital projects New AVEVA Unified Engineering enables the inte-

gration of the process model and plant model lifecyclesfrom concept to detailed design, delivering frictionlesscollaboration for multi-discipline engineers to collabo-rate in the cloud. The net result is a minimum 50 per-cent improvement in engineering efficiency in FEEDand up to 30 percent in detail design, which can yield a3 percent total installed cost improvement. These sav-ings can be re-invested to ensure engineering quality,accuracy, and maturity for downstream project execu-tion business processes.

AVEVA Unified Project Execution solutions inte-grate with AVEVA Unified Engineering to furtherbreak down the silos within Procurement andConstruction by combining key disciplines coveringContract Risk Management, Materials and Supply

Chain Control, and Construction Management into onecloud based digital project execution environment.AVEVA Unified Project Execution solutions deliver upto 15 percent reduction in material costs, 10 percentreduction in field labor costs and reduces unbudgetedsupplier change orders by up to 50 percent, whichtranslates to 10 percent total installed costs savingsopportunities for our customers.

“Our Engineering portfolio enhancements willdeliver increased agility for our customers, enablingthem to reduce cost, risk, and delays, minimizingerrors and driving rapid capital project execution. Thecost savings are realized by mitigating capital invest-ment risks at the process design stage, cutting engi-neering man-hours by up to 30 percent in plantdesign, reducing material costs in procurement by upto 15 percent as well as reducing field labor costs inconstruction by up to 10 percent,” commented AmishSabharwal, SVP, Engineering Business, AVEVA. “Withthese new solutions AVEVA is providing integrationacross all stages of the capital project, from concep-tual design to handover, to optimize collaboration andbreak down silos between both engineering disci-plines and project stages.”

Craig Hayman Amish Sabharwal

Mimecast offers migration servicesfor Symantec’s Email Security.cloud DUBAI: Mimecast Limited, a leading email and data securitycompany, yesterday announced limited edition packagingand migration services for Symantec’s Email Security.cloud,also known as MessageLabs, customers. To date, more than

3800 Symantec customers have successfully migrated toMimecast. Industry experts have made key observationsrelated to the pending Symantec acquisition by Broadcom,expressing concern over “decaying software assets.” As partof the limited edition packaging services, Mimecast is offer-ing free email security risk assessments, so organizations cansee first-hand limitations of their incumbent email securitysystem. Mimecast customers can also benefit from a broaderportfolio that is engineered to include superior threat detec-tion, email archiving, mailbox continuity and web security allon a single cloud platform.

Email-borne threats are continuing to evolve and targetorganizations, not to mention that phishing attacks and ran-somware are as dangerous and costly as ever. Outsmartingcybercriminals takes constant attention and innovation.Mimecast is committed to continuing to innovate across all

solutions on its platform so customers can have access to thebest cyber threat protection and compliance in the market.

According to TechValidate, customers who have migrated toMimecast have said “it is a tried and trusted service which keepsimproving to protect against the latest threats. We have testedother products ... and Mimecast has always come up on top.”

“Mimecast has already easily transitioned more than 3800organizations from the Symantec on-premises and cloud-based email security systems,” said Neil Senior, vice presi-dent of global customer success at Mimecast. “We’re readyto talk to customers who are concerned about the impact oftheir email security provider announcing $1B+ cuts inexpenses including research and development, sales and sup-port. Our goal is to provide our Legendary CustomerSuccess(r) approach from initial migration to completedimplementation.”

Amazon starts hiring own drivers in German delivery pushMANNHEIM, Germany: Amazon has begunhiring its own drivers in Germany and plansto open 11 more distribution centers toexpand its delivery business in its secondbiggest market, the firm’s German logisticschief said in an interview.

It is part of a global effort by the onlineretailer to build an air, sea and land transportnetwork to help it offer faster deliveries andtry to contain shipping costs, which havesteadily increased as a percentage of sales.“If we have last-mile in our own hands wecan offer more services like same-day deliv-ery,” Bernd Gschaider, Germany director forAmazon Logistics, told Reuters at a distribu-tion center outside the southern city ofMannheim.

Gschaider said its move was designed tohelp it cover increased volumes but it poses achallenge to major logistics firms likeDeutsche Post DHL, Hermes and DPD, whichrely on the ecommerce giant for a largechunk of their parcel business. It also comesat a time when the delivery business inGermany is under fire over the practices ofsubcontractors. Most big delivery firms,including Amazon, employ their drivers viasmall and medium-sized subcontracted firms.

German police raids in February found athird of subcontractors it targeted were notpaying drivers the minimum wage or makingproper social security deductions.

The German cabinet is expected toapprove proposed legislation to make logis-tics firms liable for the behavior of their con-tractors, imposing fines if they are caughtbreaking strict labor laws. Gschaider said thelegislation would not have any impact onAmazon’s business as it already demands thatsubcontractors make sure their drivers do notwork for too many hours, with its auditorsperforming spot checks to make sure they arecomplying.

Amazon launched its logistics business inGermany in 2015 and now operates four sort-ing centers and 13 distribution centers whichprepare shipments for delivery. Along withthe extra 11 distribution centers, it plans toadd two sorting centers this year, helping tomanage the Christmas rush as it expands its

area of deliveries beyond just the main cities.It is starting driver recruitment in Munich,

aiming for up to 200 initially in the city wherelogistics experts say it has become difficult tofind staff for delivery jobs due to the strongeconomy and low unemployment. “We wantto support drivers delivering Amazon ship-ments better. Employing drivers ourselveswill help us to better understand their needsand allows us to further improve the experi-ence of all drivers,” Gschaider said.

He declined to comment on whetherAmazon would extend direct recruitment toother parts of Germany. Amazon will pay itsdrivers 12.80 euros ($14.16) per hour, wellabove the minimum wage in Germany, but stillless than most DHL drivers. It will also investin a new fleet of 50 electric vans. — Reuters

KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait ( ABK)announced yesterday, that it is sponsoringthe “International Banking Conference -Shaping the Future”, held under the patron-age of His Highness the Amir of the State ofKuwait: Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, at the Four Seasons Hotel, on Monday23 September 2019.

Abdullah Al-Sumait, Deputy Chief GeneralManager at ABK said: “The finance andbanking sector is today facing unprecedenteddisruption as technological innovations andeconomic and social challenges change therules for how banks do business. While tradi-tional banking models are being transformedas increasingly digital-savvy customersdemand ever-evolving levels of service, thisalso presents tremendous opportunities forthose organizations prepared to grasp them.ABK is proud to support this initiative organ-ized by the Central Bank of Kuwait, and iscommitted to playing its part in shapingchange in our banking sector.”

The conference will host a wide range of

prominent economic figures from central bankgovernors, heads of regulatory and supervi-sory bodies, high-level executives in thebanking sector and international credit ratingagencies, as well as a number of internationalorganizations and standards bodies, bankingexperts and representatives of financial tech-nology companies from around the world.

The agenda will address the economic andsocial challenges faced by the banking sectorand the opportunities and risks arising fromtechnical innovations, with a focus on thevision of developing the banking industry andsupporting sustainable development. In addi-tion, on the sideline of the conference will bethe Financial Technologies Exhibition. Morethan 40 exhibitors from the local and interna-tional banking sectors, as well as majortelecommunications companies in the regionand a number of companies specialized infinancial technologies will participate in theexhibition. ABK will have a booth at theexhibition to demonstrate its latest digitalproducts and services.

B u s i n e s s Thursday, September 19, 2019

13Established 1961

Finance and banking sector facing unprecedented disruption today: Al-Sumait

ABK sponsors central bank’s International Banking Conference - Shaping the Future’

Abdullah Al-Sumait

CHICAGO: Job-seekers listen to a presentation hosted by Amazon recruiters about jobopportunities at Amazon during a career fair held at Vertiport Chicago on Tuesday inChicago, Illinois. — AFP

KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait(ABK) yesterday announced thatYasmine Salamah has been appoint-ed as General Manager -International Corporates andStructured Finance Division. Thisnew Division will manage the Bank’sProject and Corporate Finance trans-actions, bond issuances, and cashmanagement products; it will alsoprovide client coverage for Multi-National Corporations, Non-bankFinancial Institutions, and Remedialand Restructured Accounts.

Yasmine has been with ABK since2003 in the Corporate BankingDivision where she held the positionof Assistant General Manager, incharge of Remedial and RestructuredAccounts as well as Project Finance.Speaking on the appointment, MichelAccad - Group CEO at ABK, said:“The reinforcement of our seniormanagement and leadership team istestament to our steadfast commit-ment to create a bank that is fullyprepared to adapt and grow as a

regional banking leader. Over thepast decade, we have nurtured anddeveloped some of the best Kuwaititalent in the banking industry and I’mconfident that they will take the ABKbrand to a different level in the yearsto come. I am delighted for Yasmineand I know that she will continue toexcel in her new role.”

ABK appoints YasmineSalamah as GM - Structured Finance Division

Yasmine Salamah

New York Fed injects $75bn into US money marketNEW YORK: The New York FederalReserve Bank for the second consecu-tive day pumped money into US finan-cial markets to keep short-term borrow-ing rates from breaking out of the cen-tral bank’s target range. The emergencyinterventions on money markets came asa sudden cash crunch drove up interestrates, with banks scrambling to replenishreserves.

The shortage threatened the Fed’scontrol over a crucial tool it uses totransmit monetary policy to the widereconomy as the target range helps set alltypes of lending rates, including for carloans and mortgages. Unlike the so-called repo operation on Tuesday, whenonly $53 billion of the $75 billion offeredamount was used, yesterday the NewYork Fed received $80 billion inrequests, in excess of the amount avail-able. The aim is to keep the overnightlending rate in the Fed’s target range of2.0 to 2.25 percent.

The latest repo operation-Tuesday’s

was the first in 11 years-came hoursbefore the Fed’s policy-setting FederalOpen Markets Committee is expected tocut its benchmark interest rate for a sec-ond time this year in an effort to helpkeep the economy growing amid thetrade war with China that is weighing ongrowth. The decision is due at 2:00 pm(1800 GMT), and Fed Chair JeromePowell will hold a news conference afterthe announcement to offer comments onthe rationale behind the decision. Helikely will be asked about the glitches inthe money market.

Banks can meet the Fed’s cash reserverequirements by borrowing, using therepurchase agreements in which short-term loans are collateralized with assetssuch as Treasury bills or mortgage-backed securities. The financial systembegan to run short of cash due to a con-vergence of factors, including large with-drawals due to corporate tax paymentsand a surge in government debt issues.

Economist Jim O’Sullivan of HighFrequency Economics said the cashcrunch was “related to the timing ofTreasury issuance and quarterly taxpayments.” He cautioned that the pres-sures “are likely to be more frequent asthe amount of bank reserves keepsshrinking and Treasury borrowing keepsrising.” As a result, “calls for the Fed tointroduce a standing repo facility arelikely to increase,” O’Sullivan said in ananalysis. —AFP

US housingstarts, buildingpermits hit 12-year highWASHINGTON: US homebuilding surgedto more than a 12-year high in August as bothsingle- and multi-family housing constructionincreased, suggesting that lower mortgagerates were finally providing a boost to thestruggling housing market.

The report from the CommerceDepartment yesterday also showed permitsfor future home construction rose to levelslast seen in 2007. It added to upbeat data onretail sales that have pointed to an economythat is continuing to grow moderately ratherthan flirting with a recession as has beenflagged by financial markets.

The Federal Reserve was expected to cutinterest rates again yesterday to keep thelongest economic expansion in history, now inits 11th year, on track. A year-long trade warbetween the United States and China hasdimmed the economy’s outlook. The US cen-tral bank lowered borrowing costs in July forthe first time since 2008.

“A prolonged period of lower mortgagerates has perhaps finally encouragedprospective homebuyers to get off the side-lines,” said John Pataky, executive vice presi-dent at TIAA Bank in Jacksonville, Florida.“I’d like to see a couple more months of datalike this before I’m convinced the market’sfortunes have really changed.”

Housing starts jumped 12.3 percent to aseasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.364 mil-lion units last month, the highest level sinceJune 2007, the government said. Data for Julywas revised up to show homebuilding fallingto a pace of 1.215 million units, instead ofdecreasing at a rate of 1.191 million units as

previously reported. Economists polled byReuters had forecast housing starts wouldadvance to a pace of 1.250 million units inAugust. Building permits increased 7.7 per-cent to a rate of 1.419 million units in August,the highest level since May 2007.

Housing starts rose 6.6 percent on a year-on-year basis in August. The housing market,the most sensitive sector to interest rates, haduntil now shown little signs of benefiting fromthe Fed’s monetary policy easing, which haspushed down mortgage rates from last year’smulti-year highs.

Economists and builders had blamed thelackluster performance on land and laborshortages. A survey on Tuesday showed con-fidence among homebuilders edged up inSeptember, with builders reporting soliddemand for homes. Builders, however, saidthey “continue to grapple with ongoing sup-ply-side challenges that hinder housingaffordability, including a shortage of lots andlabor.” They also noted that the US-Chinatrade tensions, which have undercut manufac-turing, were “holding back home constructionin some parts of the nation.”

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hasdropped more than 130 basis points to anaverage of 3.56 percent, according to datafrom mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac.

Solid demand for loansA separate report yesterday from the

Mortgage Bankers Association showed appli-cations for loans to purchase a homeincreased 6 percent last week from the priorweek. That was the third straight weekly risein purchase loan applications. US stock indexfutures were little changed and the dollar heldgains against a basket of currencies after therelease of the data, as investors awaited theFed’s decision and statement on interest rates.Prices of US Treasuries were trading higher.

Residential investment has contractedfor six straight quarters, the longest suchstretch since the 2007-2009 recession. TheAtlanta Fed is forecasting gross domesticproduct to rise at a 1.8 percent annualizedrate in the third quarter. The economy grewat a 2.0 percent rate in the April-June quar-ter, decelerating from the first quarter’s 3.1percent pace. —Reuters

NEW YORK: Housing starts jumped 12.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rateof 1.364 million units last month, the highest level since June 2007, the governmentsaid yesterday.

Saudi drawsdown oil stocksto maintainsupply: Expert LONDON: Saudi Arabia will try tomaintain oil supplies to its major cus-tomers by drawing down crude stored attank farms in the kingdom and in itsglobal network while repairing andreplacing installations damaged in therecent attacks. Saudi Arabia reporteddomestic crude stocks of 180 millionbarrels at the end of July, governmentdata supplied to the Joint OrganizationsData Initiative showed.

Saudi Aramco, the national oil com-pany, also maintains a few tens of mil-lions of barrels of forward storage nearits customers in leased tank farms in theNetherlands, Japan and Egypt.

Aramco holds crude for strategicreasons to cover emergencies, and foroperational purposes to ensure anuninterrupted flow of the right gradesof oil to domestic refineries and over-seas customers.

Domestic stocks were relatively lowat the end of July, having fallen by 50million barrels (22 percent) since July2018 and by 150 million barrels (45 per-cent) from their post-slump swollenpeak in October 2015.

The sustained drawdown over almostfour years has left domestic stocks at

their lowest level since 2007, numbersfrom JODI showed. At the end of July,stocks were sufficient to cover 18 days’worth of exports, domestic refineryrequirements and direct crude burningin the kingdom’s power stations.

Forward cover is down from a recentpeak of almost 33 days in October 2015and is close to the lowest level for over adecade. Stocks should enable the king-dom to maintain supplies to customersin the short term until installations atAbqaiq and Khurais can berepaired/bypassed, or alternative pro-duction and processing capacity can bebrought online. Saudi Arabia’s energyminister said on Tuesday the kingdomhad already managed to recover supplyto customers to its pre-attack level - byimplication using stored crude. The min-ister also predicted oil production wouldbe fully restored to its previous level bythe end of the month.

But stocks can only cover a limitedand fairly short loss of production,which underlines the importance ofrepairing and replacing Abqaiq andKhurais as quickly as possible. Thekingdom may also reduce its own refin-ery processing to prioritize crude forexport and make limited crude stocksgo further. Saudi Aramco’s trading armhas reportedly been trying to buydiesel to offset reduced output fromdomestic refineries.

Saudi Arabia’s crude stocks are per-forming their intended role to act as acushion against an unexpected produc-tion loss but they buy only a relativelyshort amount of time to get productionback to pre-attack levels. — Reuters

KUWAIT: “Digital inclusion means using digital tech-nology to promote inclusive development and leavingno person, home, or organization behind.” DuringHUAWEI CONNECT 2019, Huawei’s Deputy ChairmanKen Hu gave a speech at the TECH4ALL Summit. Thetheme of the summit was “How Inclusive InnovationCan Empower the World”. In his speech, Hu elaboratedon Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative and shared the initia-tive’s current progress. He also called on more individu-als and organizations to join Huawei in addressingglobal issues related to healthcare, education, develop-ment, and the environment. The target of TECH4ALL isto help another 500 million people benefit from digitaltechnology in the next five years.

Making technology warmer Technological advancements are accelerating the

advent of the intelligent world. While enjoying the con-veniences of science and technology, we must also lookat the other side of the story. Digital gaps still exist: Inmany cities in China, the elderly might be unable to haila taxi on the street, because taxis are now oftenbooked via mobile phones. In Bangladesh, women don’thave many opportunities to learn about computers. Onthe Comoros, until two years ago, the inhabitants wereisolated from the outside world, because they had nocommunications network.

As the infrastructure of the intelligent world, the ICTindustry has played a vital role in promoting nationaleconomic growth and boosting social welfare and hap-piness. It will also help achieve the United Nations’Sustainable Development Goals, enabling humanity toaddress challenges like poverty, inequality, climatechange, environmental deterioration, economic issues,and healthcare problems. The ultimate goal is to notleave anyone behind in the digital world.

Digital inclusion: making technology warmer. Huaweihas never let up in its effort in this regard. Today,Huawei pressed ahead with its long-term initiative,TECH4ALL, to promote digital inclusion. Digital inclu-sion means every individual and organization canequally access and use information and communica-tions technology.

Today, African children can see the outside world.Visually impaired children can experience the endlessjoy of reading. People can now understand the frequen-cies whales send out to their loved ones. The list goeson. In general, technology is considered a tool thatgradually distances people from nature. However, moreand more, real, touching stories about how technologybrings humanity closer to nature are spreading in thisrapidly developing world. “Technology shouldn’t sit in

an ivory tower. Instead, it should benefit all humanity.We firmly believe that digital technology will benefitevery person, home, and organization.” said Hu.

Technology, applications, and skills: Where digitalinclusion begins.

Huawei’s vision and mission is to bring digital toevery person, home and organization for a fully con-nected, intelligent world. “Digital inclusion” bestreflects the social value that Huawei can create throughits vision. Against this backdrop, TECH4ALL was born.

“Digital technology is reshaping the world. We wantit to benefit everyone and we want digital inclusion forall. In this regard, technology is the foundation, appli-cations are the key, and skills provide assurance.” Husaid. “TECH4ALL will focus on three areas: technology,applications, and skills.”

• Technology: Huawei will continuously reduce con-nection costs and remove coverage barriers throughtechnological innovation in connectivity, AI, cloud, andmobile devices.

• Applications: Huawei will empower ecosystemsand help developers create more applications for dif-ferent communities and industries.

• Skills: Huawei will work with local governments,communities, and other sectors to enhance the digitalskills of all of society.

“We must have a clear direction if we want to lever-age what we have to create value.” Hu said. Whiledetermining the direction for TECH4ALL, Huawei tookinto consideration its available capabilities and viabledirections based on the potential impact of the ICTindustry and the meaning of digital inclusion. Huaweialso identified four domains in which it could compre-hensively promote digital inclusion.

• Healthcare: Using digital technology to give morepeople easy access to better healthcare resources.

• Education: Using technology to give the disadvan-taged, such as women and teenagers, equal access toeducation and enrich education resources.

• Development: Eliminating development gaps forvarious sectors, businesses, regions, and groups, ensur-ing equal access to digital resources and enabling tech-nology to benefit everyone.

• Environment: Using innovative technologies tohelp NGOs more efficiently protect and conserveecosystems.

As of today, Huawei has ensured smooth communi-cations for more than three billion people around theworld, and supported the stable operations of morethan 1,500 networks in more than 170 countries andregions. Hu said that in the next five years, the companywill help another 500 million people benefit from digi-

tal technology. These benefits will not be limited toconnectivity, also including the benefits of technologieslike AI, cloud, and smart devices as well as relatedapplications and skills.

One small step todayIn the Pediatrics Department, babies cannot explain

what’s wrong with them, which presents a huge chal-lenge. Congenital eye diseases among babies andyoung children are some of the most difficult to diag-nose in the Pediatrics Department. In many cases,young children just cry when their eyes are uncomfort-able, and their parents often think they are just makinga fuss out of nothing. Due to a lack of related knowl-edge, many children with eye diseases are left undiag-nosed for too long and thus miss out on the bestopportunity for treatment. This then negatively impactsthe rest of their lives.

In Spain, Huawei is partnering with IIS Aragon (alocal medical research lab) and DIVE (a local researchcenter) to develop a new medical device that candetect visual impairment in young children. With thisdevice, children simply need to look at images on thescreen of Huawei’s Matebook E, which stimulate the

eyeballs. The DIVE system then collects gaze data andthen transmits this data to a Huawei P30 phone. Withthe help of the HiAI and the machine learning capabili-ties of the P30 phone, a doctor can then analyze thedata and detect the signs of eye diseases. This is anAPP called Track AI on the P30 phone. With the help ofdigital technology, trained parents can also detect visu-al impairment in their children, just like skilled doctors.This approach is even faster, simpler, and more effi-cient, and will benefit 19 million visually impaired chil-dren around the world.

This is just a snapshot of the TECH4ALL initiative.Currently, Huawei is working with many internationalNGOs to address problems related to healthcare, edu-cation, development, and the environment on a muchbigger scale. In Kenya, Huawei is working with organi-zations like UNESCO and Close the Gap, a NPO inBelgium, to convert cargo containers into mobile, digi-tal classrooms that provide digital skills training toteachers, women, and young entrepreneurs in remoterural regions in Africa. This will give them equal accessto digital education resources. Through these efforts,the futures of numerous young people will change forthe better.

B u s i n e s s Thursday, September 19, 2019

14 Established 1961

Huawei’s Deputy Chairman Ken Hu gives a speech at the TECH4ALL Summit

Digital inclusion - Leaving no one behind: Huawei’s Ken Hu

Huawei presses ahead with TECH4ALL to help another 500 million people

KUWAIT: Ahli United Bank (K.S.C.P.)and Ahli United Bank (B.S.C.) announcedthat they concluded the sale of theirshares in Kuwait & Middle East FinancialInvestment Company (KMEFIC) of130,715,275 and 65,380,875 sharesrespectively at price of Kuwaiti fils 58.1per share to Al-Thekeir General Trading& Contracting Company which is fullyowned by Hamad Saleh Al-Thekeir.

The transaction was completed afterreceiving the approvals of all necessaryregulatory authorities to conclude thesale. Commenting on the transaction, DrAnwar Ali Al-Mudhaf, Chairman of AhliUnited Bank (K.S.C.P.), said:

“Concluding the sale of AUB Kuwait’sshare in KMEFIC comes in line with theBank’s future strategic objectives tofocus on its core banking activities,”adding that this transaction will have apositive impact on operational efficiencyand supporting shareholders’ interests.

Dr Mudhaf expressed best wishes tothe new owner and management ofKMEFIC for continued success, growthand business continuity. KMEFIC is aKuwaiti public shareholding company,listed on Kuwait stock exchange sinceJuly 1997 and operates within theinvestment sector with a focus on assetmanagement.

Celebrate special back to school offers fromNissan Al-BabtainKUWAIT: In celebrations of the back toschool season, Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Co (AABC), the sole authorized deal-er of Nissan in Kuwait, is pleased toannounce its latest offers on its models. Themuch-awaited Back to School campaign,presents an opportunity for families, studentsand youth to enjoy incredible package dealson its vehicles.

Experience the dynamic features ofNissan’s top models along with benefits thatgrant customers cashback, service packagesand gift vouchers. The offer includes a line-upof all of its vehicles, some of its popular mod-els include Nissan KICKS, X-Trail, Maximaand Pathfinder.

Nissan KICKS has class-leading fuel effi-

ciency thanks to its advanced 1.6-liter engineand lightweight platform. While Nissan X-TRAIL, a customer favorite gives young fami-lies and adventure-seekers more premiumstyle options such as the choice between thefive or seven-seat version. The 4-Door Sportscar, Nissan Maxima thrills fans with a 300 HPengine, 3.5L V6 cylinder, and 19” aluminum-alloy wheels. The front presents the signatureboomerang-shaped headlamps that feature acaptivating LED signature line that stays illu-minated at all times.

The 4X4 seven-seat family vehicle,Nissan Pathfinder full option comes with a3.5-liter V6 engine adds direct injectionsystem, horsepower increases to 271, withtowing capacity of 1,500 KG and is offeredwith enhanced user friendliness featuresranging from Motion-Activated lift gate to anew touch screen monitor; and 20 inchesalloy wheels. Nissan Al-Babtain invites cus-tomers to seize the opportunity to enjoy thebest deals and great performance vehiclesthis season.

Dr Anwar Ali Al-Mudhaf and Hamad Saleh Al-Thekeir

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announcedMohammad Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Falakawi as the new KD 125,000 cashprize winner in the Yawmi QuarterlyDraw. The winner expressed hisexcitement for being the winner of therewarding cash prize with YawmiAccount from Burgan Bank. TheYawmi quarterly draw offers cus-tomers chances to win higher rewards,

entitling one lucky customer to winKD 125,000 cash prize every threemonths.

To enter Burgan Bank’s Yawmiquarterly draws, customers shouldmaintain a minimum amount of KD500 in their account for two monthsprior to the draw date. Additionally,every KD 10 in the account will entitlecustomers to one chance of winning.

Burgan Bank announces winner of KD 125,000 cash prize in Yawmi draw

Turkish Airlineswill fly directlyto Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh CityKUWAIT: Boasting the world’s widest inter-national flight network with 315 internationaldestinations in 126 countries, Turkish Airlineswill start its direct flights to Hanoi and Ho ChiMinh City, which were operated as connectedflights until now. Starting on September 11,2019, the flights will be operated on Istanbul(IST) - Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) - Istanbul(IST) and Istanbul (IST) - Hanoi (HAN) -Istanbul (IST) routes.

Deciding to operate direct flights with theexpectations of the passengers travelling toHo Chi Minh City and Hanoi in mind, TurkishAirlines will have daily flights to Ho Chi Minhand the flag carrier will fly to Hanoi six days aweek (except Sunday). The flights to capitalHanoi will increase to seven days a week onApril 2020. Surrounded by Saigon River, HoChi Minh City was added to the flag carrier’sflight network back in December 2010.Located in the southern Vietnam, the cityserves as the financial capital of the countrywhile boasting the biggest population and

highest number of visitors. The city is a pop-ular tourism center with its pristine skyscrap-ers, ornate temples and pagodas.

Turkish Airlines first started to fly to Hanoi,one of the oldest capitals of the world, onJune 2016. The city offers an unparalleled

travel experience with its historical architec-ture affected by various societies and richculture. As the trade, cultural and educationcenter of North Vietnam, Hanoi is also quiteclose by to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO WorldHeritage site.

AUB concludes sale of its share in KMEFIC to Al-Thekeir Co

Thursday, September 19, 2019

15W h a t ’ s O n

Established 1961

Recipes

Greetings

IPSCO International, exclusive agent of Med Sled inKuwait was present at the exhibition held at Dar Al-Shifa Hospital on the occasion of “World Patient

Safety Day.” The event promoted patients health andawareness of safety culture, as well as safe evacuationin case of catastrophes. The exhibition was attended byChairman of the Board of Dar Al-Shifa Hospital TalebJraq, CEO Ahmad Nasrallah and other guests, who hadthe opportunity to see the most modern Americantechnology, as IPSCO introduced some advancedproducts to visitors and participants on the best solu-tion to evacuate vital places including hospitals.

IPSCO CEO Eng Alaa Hassan said that she is readyto provide all Kuwait hospitals with Med Sled evacua-tion products to guarantee safety. The company is con-stantly working to develop and improve its equipmentusing the best technological means so that it reachesthe highest degrees of readiness which leads to savinglives and rescue the injured. She added that the equip-ment suits all ages and sizes. Medical and SafetyDepartment official Dr Sameh Riyadh said that MedSled equipment are available in many international hos-pitals and health centers, and proved efficient by win-ning the best title in Canada and America.

IPSCO International attend exhibitionheld at Dar Al-Shifa Hospital

Familiarisation trip to South African provinces

In its effort to promote South Africa and the lessknown provinces of KwaZulu- Natal, Mpumalangaand North West in the State of Kuwait, the South

African Embassy in collaboration with the TourismBoards of these provinces will host a delegation fromthe State of Kuwait. The visit will be held fromSeptember 19 - 28, 2019.

The Delegation from Kuwait will consist of repre-sentatives from, the South African Embassy, KAPICOTravels and Tours, The Times of Kuwait and the KuwaitNews Agency (KUNA). The South African Embassywill use this platform to educate the interested Kuwaititravellers that thereother famous cities in South Africawhich can cater to the traveller’s needs, whether it is afamily vacation, honeymoon, adventure, hunting, safari,relaxation, shopping, etc.

The delegates will get an opportunity to discoverthat each province has different and unique touristattractions to offer to Kuwaiti tourists and showcasethat South Africa is more than a once-off destination.The delegates will also meet the relevant tourism offi-cials in these provinces in order to build close andstrong relations, which are needed in promoting desti-nation South Africa in the State of Kuwait.

INGREDIENTSPeach Filling2 1/4 pounds ripe peaches, peeled and thinly sliced (about5 to 6 peaches)1/3 cup honey2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamonCrisp topping1 cup old-fashioned oats (certified gluten free if neces-sary)1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour, lightly packed1/3 cup sliced almonds1/3 cup packed coconut sugar or brown sugar1 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt4 tablespoons butter, melted3 to 4 tablespoons plain yogurt (regular or Greek)Don’t forget vanilla ice cream!

INSTRUCTIONSPreheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.To prepare the filling: In a 9 by 9-inch baking dish, mix

together the sliced peaches, honey, arrowroot starch,vanilla and cinnamon.

To prepare the topping: In a medium mixing bowl, stirtogether the oats, almond meal, sliced almonds, coconutsugar, ginger and salt. Mix in the melted butter and yogurt.Stir until the mixture is moistened throughout, adding upto 1 more tablespoon of yogurt if it seems dry.

Dollop spoonfuls of the oat mixture over the filling anduse your fingers to break up the mixture until it is evenlydistributed (no need to pack it down). Bake for about 30minutes, or until the filling is bubbling around the edgesand the top is lightly golden.

Let the crisp rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt.

The Higher Institute for Administrative Services (Males) at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) held an orientation program for the new trainees in the presence of AssistantDirector Mohammad Al-Shimmari.

Family and friends of Fares Mamdouh Yusri wishhim a very happy 3rd birthday.

INGREDIENTS1 tablespoon white vinegar1 tablespoon canola oil1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided1/4 teaspoon black pepper1 cup shaved zucchini strips (from 1 zucchini)1 thin whole-wheat pizza crust 1/4 cup refrigerated basil pesto2 1/2 ounces halloumi or feta cheese, crumbled (about2/3 cup)2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper1 (2-oz.) pkg. baby spring mix (about 4 cups)1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONSPreheat oven to 400ºF with oven rack in top posi-

tion. Stir together vinegar, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, andblack pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in zucchini; letstand at room temperature 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place pizza crust on a baking sheet;

spread pesto over crust. Sprinkle cheese evenly overpesto, and top with tomatoes and crushed red pepper.Bake on top rack at 400ºF until slightly crispy, about 6minutes. Turn broiler to high, and broil until cheese isbubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool 2minutes.

Add baby spring mix, onion, and basil to zucchinimixture; toss to combine. Arrange salad mixture evenlyover pizza. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.Cut into 8 slices; serve immediately.

INGREDIENTS1/3 c. plain Greek yogurt1 tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning1 1/4 lb. chicken tenders2 c. finely crushed cornflakes1/3 c. grated Parmesan2 tbsp. olive oil1 chopped shallot2 tbsp. butter1 1/2 c. thawed frozen green peas1 package cooked microwavable baby potatoes1/4 c. torn fresh mint leaves1 tbsp. fresh lemon zestSalt and black pepperLemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 450ºF. Stir together Greek yogurt

and lemon pepper seasoning. Toss in chicken ten-ders until coated. Stir together crushed cornflakes,Parmesan, and olive oil. Coat each tender in crumbmixture and place on a lightly greased wire rack setin a baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, 12 to15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook shallot in butter over medium heatin a saucepan until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in peasand cook 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in baby Idaho potatoes.Stir in mint leaves and lemon zest. Season with koshersalt and black pepper. Serve peas and potatoes withchicken tenders and lemon wedges alongside.

GHIZER, Pakistan: Two years ago, Raja IqbalHussain quit his job as a low-paid hotel waiterin Dubai and went back to his native village innorthern Pakistan to set himself up as a fishfarmer. The 36-year-old father of three hasnow started bringing in a small profit from hisfish, and is looking forward to earning morenext year once they have grown. Local farmersare increasingly choosing fish over crops, asthe climate warms in mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region.

In Dubai, Iqbal’s monthly wages barelyamounted to 50,000 Pakistani rupees. “I earn amuch better amount from my business here,” hesaid of the lake he built next to the river inBirgal village, Ghizer District, some 100 km (62miles) north of Gilgit city. The lake containsabout 50,000 fish, mainly trout, which Iqbalsells raw for 1,200 rupees per kg and cookedfor 1,800 rupees. He charges 2,000 rupees perkg for fish caught by boat, which visitors cantake out on the water.

A recent report from the UN Food andAgriculture Organization said steadily rising

temperatures had increased the frequency andintensity of disasters in the region’s valleys,threatening the sustainability of traditional agri-culture. One farmer reported that wheat produc-tivity had declined by almost 50 percent from2010-2015 with no sign of improvement, andsaid heavy rain had ruined his crops, it noted.

According to the report, poverty and hungerare worse in Pakistan’s mountain regions, withabout half of households in Gilgit-Baltistan suf-fering from under-nutrition. Backed by govern-ment support, fish farming is gaining popularityin Ghizer District as a sustainable source ofincome and nutrition amid the growing effects ofclimate change.

Glacial lakesAbdul Wahid Jasra, Pakistan country head

for the International Centre for IntegratedMountain Development (ICIMOD), said that, astemperatures rise, melt-water from glaciers isforming lakes that can be used for cold-waterfish farming. They include Attabad Lake in theHunza valley, which appeared in 2010 following

a deadly landslide. “Mountain communitieshave very limited sources of income, and thissector can open multiple avenues for incomegeneration,” Jasra said.

Neighboring China could become a majorexport market for fish with investment in facto-ries and transportation, he noted. “I see hugepotential for the mountain farmers for climatechange adaptation to increase their livelihoodthrough fish farming,” Jasra added. Crops com-monly grown here - wheat, potatoes and barley -and fruits such as grapes, apples and apricotscan be badly damaged by heavy rains, pests andother weather-related diseases.

Fish farming, on the other hand, generatesincome all year round, and faces minimal risksfrom climate change, Jasra said. Ghizer District ispopular for trout-breeding and fishing, whichcan only be done with the permission of theauthorities. ICIMOD and the PakistanAgricultural Research Council have established amountain research centre in Gilgit and are set-ting up a laboratory to find out more about localand exotic cold-water fish. — Reuters

Thursday, September 19, 2019

16H e a l t h & S c i e n c e

Established 1961

In Pakistan’s warming mountains, farmers fish for a new living

Poverty, hunger worse in Pakistan’s mountain regions

KARACHI: A man prepares fishing net along a road near the port area inKarachi, Pakistan. — Reuters

Thursday, September 19, 2019

17

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CROSSWORD 2311

ACROSS1. The lean flesh of a fish that is often farmed.5. West Indian tree having racemes of fra-

grant white flowers and yielding adurable timber and resinous juice.

11. (Akkadian) Father of the gods and consortof Tiamat.

15. German industrialist who was the first inGermany to use an assembly line inmanufacturing automobiles (1871-1948).

16. Of or relating to cilia projecting from thesurface of a cell.

17. The first light of day.18. Tropical American tree producing cacao

beans.20. Young sheep.22. The last (12th) month of the year.23. A genus of orb-weaving spiders including

common garden spiders and barn spi-ders.

25. (zoology) Lacking a tail or taillikeappendage.

28. A tricycle (usually propelled by ped-alling).

30. Rich in decorative detail.31. Of or relating to the stomach and intes-

tines.33. An agency of the United Nations affiliat-

ed with the World Bank.35. The act of escaping physically.40. A Kwa language spoken in Ghana and

the Ivory Coast.44. An island republic on Nauru Island.46. A sock with a separation for the big toe.47. A native or inhabitant of ancient Etruria.49. The upper side of the thighs of a seated

person.51. Intentionally so written (used after a

printed word or phrase).52. Being one more than seven.53. A radioactive element of the actinide

series.54. An esoteric or occult matter that is tradi-

tionally secret.56. The compass point midway between east

and southeast.60. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow

leaves and small flowers.62. Any of various edible seeds of plants of

the family Leguminosae.64. A small constellation in the northern

hemisphere between Cygnus and Aquilaand crossed by the Milky Way.

68. Filled with the emotional impact of over-whelming surprise or shock.

72. A self-funded retirement plan that allowsyou to contribute a limited yearly sumtoward your retirement.

73. A place where ships can take on or dis-charge cargo.

77. Tropical American tree grown in south-ern United States having a whitish pink-tinged fruit.

78. A light touch or stroke.79. Highly attractive and able to arouse hope

or desire.81. Used in combination to denote the mid-

dle.82. A loose sleeveless outer garment made

from aba cloth.83. Lack of strength or vigor esp from illness.84. A constellation in the southern hemi-

sphere near Telescopium and Norma.

DOWN1. A South American shrub whose leaves are

chewed by natives of the Andes.2. South American armadillo with three

bands of bony plates.3. A summary that repeats the substance of a

longer discussion.4. Having a horizontal surface in which no

part is higher or lower than another.5. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.6. Aromatic bulb used as seasoning.

7. Wild or domesticated South Americancud-chewing animal related to camelsbut smaller and lacking a hump.

8. An anticipated outcome that is intended orthat guides your planned actions.

9. A small cake leavened with yeast.10. A silvery ductile metallic element found

primarily in bauxite.11. A public promotion of some product or

service.12. A genus of Ploceidae.13. Salty fluid secreted by sweat glands.14. The brother of your father or mother.19. (Greek mythology) A tragic king of

Thebes who unknowingly killed hisfather Laius and married his motherJocasta.

21. One of a set of small pieces of stiff papermarked in various ways and used forplaying games or for telling fortunes.

24. An officer who acts as military assistantto a more senior officer.

26. Of or in or belonging to the cavity of theabdomen.

27. A member of the Uniat Church.29. A white metallic element that burns with a

brilliant light.32. Old World genus of annual to perennial

herbs.34. A telephone connection.36. French chemist (born in Poland) who won

two Nobel Prizes.37. Wild sheep of northern Africa.38. A decree that prohibits something.39. A soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent

and univalent) metallic element.41. A river of southwestern Africa that rises in

central Angola and flows east and thennorth (forming part of the borderbetween Angola and Congo) and con-tinuing northwest through Congo toempty into the Congo River on the bor-der between Congo and Republic of theCongo.

42. A promontory in northern Moroccoopposite the Rock of Gibraltar.

43. A rechargeable battery with a nickelcathode and a cadmium anode.

45. The rate of moving (especially walking orrunning).

48. A place where taxis park while awaitingcustomers.

50. Low stingless nettle of Central and SouthAmerica having velvety brownish-greentoothed leaves and clusters of smallgreen flowers.

55. Obvious and dull.57. Any of various plants of the genus

Althaea.58. A chronic inflammatory collagen disease

affecting connective tissue (skin orjoints).

59. The blood group whose red cells carryboth the A and B antigens.

61. The branch of computer science that dealwith writing computer programs thatcan solve problems creatively.

63. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.65. An Arabic speaking person who lives in

Arabia or North Africa.66. An amino acid that is found in the central

nervous system.67. Showily imitative of art or artists.69. The battle in 202 BC in which Scipio

decisively defeated Hannibal at the endof the second Punic War.

70. An independent ruler or chieftain (espe-cially in Africa or Arabia).

71. An informal term for a father.74. A container.75. South American wood sorrel cultivated

for its edible tubers.76. The shape of a raised edge of a more or

less circular object.80. A hard malleable ductile silvery metallic

element that is resistant to corrosion.

Yesterday’s SolutionDaily Sudoku

Wordsearch Puzzle Yesterday’s Solution

Thursday, September 19, 2019

18S t a r s

Established 1961

Yesterday’s Solution

You appear perhaps more charming and refined than usual. Nowcould be the time to make a date, apply for a special job or otherwise makeyourself known. A new way of thinking may take you into an understanding ofany personal desires. Meeting yourself in another person is the keynote of anew cycle that begins now. Through this person, you can see how you haveimproved and progressed over the years, as well as some of the improvementsthat you may still want. This recognition helps you to come to a better under-standing of yourself.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Patience is one of your biggest issues this day. Instant gratifica-tion may be an interference just now: you want things and you want them thisinstant—you are not alone. There are many paths to follow; one path canbecome mighty narrow. This can also lead to duplicity, confusion and ambi-tious schemes that tend to become lost along the way. Know what youwant—write your goals down in a clear form. The next step is to let a planguide you. This evening, you may want to give much thought to your innerfeelings about a recent romantic attraction.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

There are favorable aspects pointing to success at this time. You are vul-nerable to deception just now. Business presentations or meetings can open newcareer horizons. Your reputation grows stronger if you know how to work within thelimitations you are facing. It is when you set too many boundaries that you get intotrouble. If you are making investments, concentrate on short-term outcomes and lookfor longer-term options through next month. The feelings and emotions of thosearound you may be very clear. This is another good day to start a diet, or perhaps anew and positive habit.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

This day may become a bit challenging. Your career and life direction areputting some real pressure on your home and emotional life. Obviously you cannot livewithout both, so some kind of middle line or balance is indicated. There are opportunitiesto excel in many areas of your life just now. Your career could open up by taking the roadless traveled. By daring to be the oddball and taking new approaches, you will be success-ful. You may receive some special attention regarding your particular skills. An old problemcomes to an end today. You can take risks and dare to be a little unconventional. You willprosper through new insights, inventions and a determination to secure relationships.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Family and security are things that rattle your chain more than ever. Theseare areas where you make new beginnings and bold moves. You are at your most prac-tical when it comes to dealing and working with others. You know just what to do andcan act without haste and emotion. You can make whatever constructive changes arenecessary at this time. Now is a good time to polish your skills. Complete any workrequiring analysis, precise measurements or mathematical aptitude. New technologiesand gadgets are an asset. Work, achievement and ambition mean a lot to you now. Youare working hard to improve and evolve—you have a need for respect. Someoneimportant to you may not give you the recognition you want—patience.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

This is an important time, during which, depending upon your current age,you may reach new highs of accomplishment. This will bring great discipline and focusthat could make or break you. You may decide to respond to old situations a bit differentlyfrom the usual. You will prosper through new insights, inventions and an independentpoint of view. Patience is still the guideline here but your career could open up by takingsome new approaches. You do not like monotonous situations and the faster life movesalong the happier you seem. Your living situation may be in flux but this is good for you;however, others may be confused and not as willing as you are to pull up roots.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

This can be your most rewarding day in many areas of your life. Be pre-pared emotionally for the challenging days that can bring some wonder-

ful changes in your life. The challenging days like today can be quite rewarding. Thisis where your most exciting, life-fulfilling dreams can be met. This is the time to cometo an understanding of just where you are in life and where you want to go next—create a focus, achieve and appreciate. The energies that are available are hot andready to be used; however, you must choose the direction by looking at the possibleresults—negative or positive.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

This is a positive and fast moving day with plenty of room for accomplish-ments. You could see yourself moving closer to those long-term goals of yours. This willbring great discipline and a concentration or focus that could show off your talents.Emotional seriousness, a sober orientation and a practical awareness of scheduling andtiming are keynotes of your deepest concern. There is a tendency to be too strict withyour own self and to insist that whatever does not contribute to security and otherlong-term goals is trivial. Your ambition is profound. Guidance from higher-ups isadvisable, easily obtainable and may currently be beneficial to your career. Someonespecial supports you and encourages you now.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

You may want to attend a lecture or speak in a conference today. There isa yearning to broaden horizons and reach for the ultimate. Law, politics,

education, travel and religion are some of the areas where an emotionally charged dra-ma may be played. Ideas are flowing and come with ease. You may find yourself chatty.Circumstances seem to bend to your will and things have a way of working outsmoothly. There are real opportunities to complete and work out difficulties and proj-ects that require both long-term effort and a high degree of discipline.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

You could make subtle changes now. It is a good day to get things done.Good eye-hand coordination and a sustained effort make almost any task run well. Youmay feel like exercising or getting outside today. Intuition can help you select the besthealth care or the best workout group. Emotions are very present but within control.Perhaps after a little exercise this afternoon, you will be good for study, research, etc.You have a real appreciation for unique ideas. You may find yourself enjoying a littletime to visit with a friend or communicate through the written word. Harmonious ties toothers are what you seek. The ideal partnership and the perfect balance are some ofthe things that quicken your pulse.

Your sense of direction when handling a person or a problem is perhapsthe key element in your personality makeup. It is important how you manage difficul-ties, find diplomatic solutions or come up with the right approach. Your outward charmand ability to be all things to all people is most central to your personality. This abilityto solve problems, to counsel and always to put others at ease is the key to meetingand coming to know you. There is a greater than usual interest in relationships, socialconnections and the arts—on a more intellectual level than in the past. You and a lovedone will put a closure to some disagreement this evening.

There are decisions to be made and putting them off only makes themharder and less effective: action, not debate, is what is needed. Challenges will be han-dled with much energy today. Make sure this is positive energy. Insert flexibility intoyour day. If something is not working, change direction or styles of working. Othersmay disagree with what you say or think, or in some way oppose your ideas. Wait a bit. . . That person will soon be asking you to repeat your ideas or instructions. Do notdwell too long on a situation you cannot change and did not cause. Be prepared—thiscould be a learning type of day. The positive results for you will depend on youractions. This is a good day to seek any advice you may feel you need.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

Established 1961

Lifestyle

A mural installation featuring tentacles by artists Dima Rebus, Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas is seen on the facade of the Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art on the occasion of the museum’s Biennale. The Biennale features installations andprojects by 27 artists and art collectives, gathered under the title: ‘Robots and Relics: Un-Manned’. — AFP

Graffiti is pictured on the posts and the gates to Strawberry Field in Liverpool, north-west England. — AFP photos

Strawberry Field branded memorabilia is pictured in the gift shop of the newlyopened visitor attraction.

Graffiti is pictured on the gates to Strawberry Field.

Beatles fans can now take a trip through the child-hood sanctuary of John Lennon that inspired seminalsong “Strawberry Fields Forever”, with the former

children’s home opening its doors to the public. Lennonused to climb over the fence from his aunt’s house, wherehe grew up, and play with other children at the StrawberryField orphanage. Its importance in shaping Lennon’s per-sonality was laid bare in the classic 1967 psychedelic hit.

Around 60,000 fans flock each year to the site to havetheir photographs taken outside the famous red gates, butuntil now have never been allowed beyond. “The gates areopen for good,” Major Allister Versfeld, mission develop-ment officer of the Salvation Army charity, told AFP. “Thisis a unique opportunity for people to come and explore

the garden.. and just enjoy what many have said; there’s areal sense of calm and peace.” The site, in the city’sWoolton neighborhood, was a Salvation Army children’shome up until 2005, when it became derelict.

But it has now been turned into a center to help 18-25year olds with learning disabilities find employment, partlyfunded by opening its doors to the public. “We have gotthe visitor exhibition which tells the story of the SalvationArmy, the children’s home and that connection with JohnLennon,” explained Versfeld, in front of the gates.

‘It matters to us’ “We’ve got a cafe, a retail space and wonderful gar-

dens for people to explore. All the money that is raised...stays at Strawberry Field and is used for our steps-to-work program.” Lennon was brought up by his aunt, eventhough his mother Julia lived nearby until she died in a caraccident. Strawberry Field became a place were he couldnot only meet other children, but contemplate, accordingto Versfeld. “He came to play with the children andobserve what was going on,” he said. “He found somesanctuary and peace and calm here.

“That song, many would look at the lyrics and won-der what was going on, but actually I think that was aspace that he found and a place that was special tohim.” The original gates went offsite a few years agobut have now been returned. Lennon’s lyric “It doesn’tmatter much to me” is written on the walls of the exhi-bition, contrasting with the cafe, where the words “Itmatters to us” are displayed above videos showing thework of the Salvation Army.

The show takes visitors on a historical trip throughStrawberry Field, as well as displaying exhibits document-ing Lennon’s early life. Graceland has loaned artefacts torecognize Lennon’s love for Elvis Presley and while otherexhibits include a handwritten early draft of the song and aphoto-mosaic of Lennon’s face. The song was released in

February 1967 as a double A-side single with “PennyLane”, hitting number two in the UK charts behindEnglebert Humperdinck’s “Release Me”.

Lennon wrote the song while filming in Spain and itwas the first track recorded during the sessions for the“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. It is rec-ognized as the point that the band moved away fromstraight pop to a more complex sound, incorporatingunusual instruments including the “Mellotron” and anIndian swarmandal. — AFP

L i f e s t y l e Thursday, September 19, 2019

20 Established 1961

Fe a t u r e s

A chef presenting a vegetarian version of larb tord made with ameat substitute, at a restaurant in Bangkok. — AFP photos

A chef presenting a vegetarian version of pad kra phao, made with a meat substitute stir-friedwith chili and basil, at a restaurant in Bangkok.

Kindergarten teacherDiane Piroon trying avegetarian version ofyam woon sen, a spicyglass noodle salad madewith a meat substitute.

Vegetarian versions ofvarious Thai dishes madewith meat substitutes ata restaurant in Bangkok.

A chef preparing a vegetarian version of larb tord.

US-based streaming giant Amazon announced yes-terday its big-budget “Lord of the Rings” serieswill within months start filming in New Zealand,

home to Peter Jackson’s movies of the fantasy epic.Amazon is reportedly spending US$1 billion-plus on the

series as it seeks to emulate the runaway success enjoyedby “Games of Thrones”.

Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said theSouth Pacific nation offered the “primordial beauty” ofMiddle Earth, the setting for J.R.R. Tolkien’s tales of elves,

dwarf and hobbits. “We needed to find somewheremajestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains, thatalso is a home to world-class sets, studios, and highlyskilled and experienced craftspeople,” they said in astatement. Amazon Studios said pre-production hadalready begun and shooting would start in Auckland “inthe coming months”.

It has already made a multi-season commitment to theseries, which will explore storylines set long before theevents depicted in Jackson’s films. The Kiwi director’sRings trilogy and the equally popular, but less criticallyacclaimed three-parter “The Hobbit”, sparked a tourismboom in New Zealand. Millions of visitors have flocked tolocations used in the movies, helping tourism overtakedairy exports as the country’s biggest earner. The moviesalso transformed New Zealand’s film sector from a cot-tage industry into a world leader, particularly in digitalspecial effects. “It’s great to see New Zealand’s associa-tion with Middle Earth is continuing,” EconomicDevelopment Minister Phil Twyford said.

Invest Auckland said the Amazon production wouldbring an “immense economic boost and job opportunities”.New Zealanders have also embraced Middle Earth as partof the country’s cultural identity, even now-five years afterthe last Hobbit movie’s release-giant models of dragonsand wizards decorate Wellington airport. Jackson has nodirect involvement in the series, although last year hewished its makers well and said he was available for con-sultation if needed. Amazon has previously confirmed that“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” director J.A. Bayona willhelm the first two episodes of the series. — AFP

Overweight peoplemore likely to haveoverweight dogs

Overweight people are more likely to have over-weight dogs, partly because they are more likelyto feed them treats, Danish researchers said yes-

terday. The study by the University of Copenhagen lendscredence to the saying “like owner, like dog”, the scientistswrote in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine. “Theprevalence of heavy or obese dogs is more than twice aslarge among overweight or obese owners (35 percent)than among owners who are slim or of a normal weight (14percent),” the researchers said.

Of the 268 dogs studied, 20 percent were overweight.Average-weight owners tend to use treats for training pur-poses while overweight owners prefer to provide treats inconvivial situations, “for example, when a person is relax-ing on the couch and shares the last bites of a sandwich ora cookie with their dog,” the study’s main author, CharlotteBjornvad, said.

In developed countries, 34 to 59 percent of dogs areoverweight or obese, which can reduce their life expectan-cy and mobility or cause diabetes and cardiac disease justlike in humans, another international team of researchersfound in 2016. On average, overweight dogs live 1.3 yearsless than dogs on restrictive diets. The University ofCopenhagen study also showed that castration tripled therisk of being heavy or obese. “Castration seems todecrease the ability to regulate the appetite in male dogsand at the same time, it might also decrease the incentiveto exercise which results in an increased risk of becomingoverweight,” Bjornvad said. — AFP

Asprinkle of chili, some pinkish “pork” and a fewbasil leaves tossed into a sizzling wok-chef Songpolswears his vegan version of punchy Thai favorite

pad kra phao is a match for the original, as plant-basedprotein creeps onto Southeast Asia’s meat-heavy menus.“It has the texture, the flavour. The rest is about tech-nique,” he said in the bustling kitchen at the Bangkok You& Mee restaurant. But he concedes some diners remain tobe convinced of the merits of fiddling with old recipes in acountry ferociously proud of its cuisine.

“They do not expect plant-based items to be cookedwith Thai dishes,” he added. Global food producers areracing to dominate the “alt-protein” sector, an industryBarclay’s bank estimates could be worth $140 billion in adecade, as environmental, ethical and health concerns drivea plant-based boom. Shares of beef-less burger makerBeyond Meat soared from their initial pricing of $25 toover $65 on the first day of trading on Wall Street in May,whetting the appetites of both investors and consumerswho shun animal products. Burger King already sells thebeef-free “Impossible Whopper” in many US locations,KFC has trialled vegan nuggets and wings, while plant-based milk, cheese and even seafood are proliferating.

But while the trend nibbles at the US’ gargantuan meat

industry, alt-protein protagonists are also eyeing newfrontiers including in Asia where millions are nourished onmeat and fish-heavy diets. Pork in particular is ever-pre-sent in rice dishes and noodle bowls across the region.Chef Songpol’s pad kra phao is made with new brandOmnimeat, a pork imitation of peas, shiitake mushrooms,rice and soy from Hong Kong-based firm Green Monday.“It is designed with Asian food in mind,” said CEO DavidYeung. After Singapore-where the brand launched inrestaurants late last year-Buddhist-majority Thailand hasbecome a major Southeast Asian test bed for the mockpork. But changing Asian palates and culinary habits “isextremely difficult”, concedes Yeung.

‘Thais love their meat’ In the US the plant-based sector makes up less than

one percent of the conventional meat industry. Asia posessimilar challenges, from ubiquitous meat use to higherprices of protein substitutes. The pad kra phao at You &Mee costs about $8, four times more than a diner mightpay on a Bangkok street. Critics also say that many newplant-based products are still processed and therefore notas healthy as advertised. But a 2018 survey from marketresearch firm Mintel found over half of urban Thai con-sumers say they plan to reduce their meat intake.

In step, companies across the region are “starting tomove into this area and attracting more serious invest-ments”, according to Michelle Teodoro, a food science andnutrition analyst at Mintel. From Japan to the Philippines,firms are snapping up alt-protein producers in deals worthhundreds of millions of dollars-while Singapore’s state-owned Temasek Holdings recently invested in Perfect DayFoods, which makes cow-less ice cream.

At some restaurants in the Vietnamese capital a popularstew of snails and pork now uses soya beans to replace theanimal protein, while diners can also chow down on sweetand sour “ribs”, made from potato flour and bean paste. Butthe jury is out on whether a critical mass of SoutheastAsians will convert from meat. One evening Thai kinder-garten teacher Diane Piroon tried the meatless pad kraphao in Bangkok. It “tastes like pork,” she said, beforedropping in a caveat: “Thais love their meat... the challengeis getting them to change what they grew up with.” — AFP

A vegetarian version of pad kra phao, involving a meat substi-tute stir-fried with basil and chili, at a restaurant in Bangkok.

A chef presenting a vegetarian version of larb tord.

Thursday, September 19, 2019L i f e s t y l e Fe a t u r e s

Established 1961 21

An Electric boat, the Sea Bubbles, aka “flying taxi” cruises onthe river Seine in background during a test in Paris.

An Electric boat, the Sea Bubbles, aka “flying taxi” cruises onthe river Seine during a test in Paris.

Customers play bingo at the MECCA Bingo Hall in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland. — AFP photos

Customers play bingo at the MECCA Bingo Hall in the East Endof Glasgow.

A“flying” electric river taxi hailed by its creators asthe future of clean city transport is being putthrough a battery of tests in Paris this week, with a

view to being in service by the spring. Named the “SeaBubble”, the white aerodynamic craft skimmed over theRiver Seine at speeds of up to 30 km/hour (17 m/hour),hovering 50 centimeters (1.5 feet) above the water. A jour-ney from the Eiffel Tower in the west to Notre-Damecathedral in the bubble takes just minutes, as the craft zipspast the traffic snarled along the banks of the river.

Back to the future The taxi, which looks like a nautical version of the

DeLorean car in the 80s sci-fi film “Back To The Future”,

is the brainchild of French yachtsman Alain Thebault. Itmakes no noise and no waves and also emits no CO2, win-ning the approval of French transport officials looking toendow the capital with new clean transport options in therun-up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The Bubble is similar to a hydrofoil, with fibreglass foilsthat deploy to hoist its hull into the air when it reaches acertain speed, powered by electric batteries. A first proto-type, for four passengers, was first tested on the Seine inJune 2017, with mayor Anne Hidalgo taking a spin.

Cities climb onboard The craft’s operators say they have been inundated

with requests for the taxis from cities including Geneva,

Miami and Saint-Tropez. In Paris, it has struck up apartnership with a tour operator offering luxury tourson the Seine. “All the signals seem to be turning greenfor the start of commercial operations of our BubbleTaxis in the first three months of 2020,” said SeaBubbles’ CEO and Swedish champion windsurfer AndersBringdal. The taxi’s mission he said was to “put the Seineback at the centre of mobility in the greater Paris areawhile respecting the “zero noise, zero waves, zero CO2emissions” principle. — AFP

U2 announce’s first ever India concertIrish rockers U2 have announced they are to play their

first ever concert in India, wrapping up the band’sJoshua Tree Tour 2019 in the coastal megacity of

Mumbai on December 15. India has in recent years seenan increase in big international acts touring there, withBeyonce, Shakira, Coldplay, Demi Lovato and BryanAdams playing to packed venues. Bassist Adam Claytonsaid he was “looking forward to bringing a dash of

Dublin to Mumbai” while frontman Bono evoked Indiaand Ireland’s common struggles for independence fromBritain.

“We have the same colors in the flag, our tiny littlenation. Mahatma Gandhi commented on the struggle forIrish independence and warned against the violentstruggle,” Bono told Rolling Stone India. “And our primeminister, he’s a physician-he’s trained in Mumbai, hisfather’s from Mumbai,” Bono said, referring to Irish pre-mier Leo Varadkar whose father is Indian. The JoshuaTree Tour 2019 kicks off in Auckland November 8 andincludes Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney andPerth, as well as Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and Manila, U2said Tuesday. — AFP

Most nights of the week, Margaret Fisher can befound sitting in the same seat in the same Glasgowbingo club she has been frequenting for nearly 25

years. “All my friends have been playing forever-I’ve notreally spoken to anybody who’s never been in a bingo hall,”the 70-year-old Glasgow resident told AFP, easing into agame in the bingo-loving city. “I’m not a gambler but I dolike bingo... the atmosphere and the adrenalin rush whenyou’re playing. “You meet friends, have a good time and itgets you out and about,” Fisher said, shortly after paying £5($6, 6 euros) entry to take her regular spot next to the luckycharm-laden table of her friend Tina.

Historically beloved by British grandmothers, the gamesees players win payouts if they match sets of numbersbetween one and 90 announced by a caller-traditionallyshouting “bingo!” when they mark off all their numbers.Fisher said that she had once scooped £2,000 in prizemoney. But normally players at her club can hope to win upto £1,000 at Sunday night games and up to half that mid-week. Unlike other gambling games, bingo tends to attractmore women than men. Analyses show the ratio is typically80:20 women to men, according to The Bingo Associationchief executive Miles Baron, a former marketing chief forthe Rank gambling company.

In British cities-Glasgow in particular-bingo has alsobeen strongly associated with the working class, oftenhanded down from one generation to the next. “My mumwent with her gran, and then as soon as I was old enoughshe was like ‘you’re coming to bingo!’” said 22-year-oldNicole Croly, also at the gargantuan club, run by gamingbrand Mecca, in the city’s gritty East End. “I’ve just beenhooked on it ever since.”

‘Bingo in the DNA’ Bingo is believed to have originated in Italy in the 16th

century, spreading to neighboring European countries andbeyond over the centuries. It had its heyday in Britain in the1960s but its popularity continues in some places, nonemore so than in Glasgow. At least 14 clubs remain acrossScotland’s biggest city and its suburbs, more than anywhereelse in Britain, according to The Bingo Association.

The number was at least twice that however in the1980s, albeit smaller venues, Baron said. “We’re quite happyto say they invented it but we own it,” said Paul McGlinchey,who manages the 1,500-seat club-the country’s biggest bycapacity. “There’s no doubt about it: Glasgow loves its bin-go,” he added, as around 500 players, predominantly olderwomen, filled row after row of brightly coloured seats andtables beneath fluorescent lights.

McGlinchey said the enduring communities around thebingo clubs, despite an increasingly mobile population else-where in Britain, had kept bingo “in the DNA” of the city.Locals put its popularity down to the fun-loving and socia-ble nature of Glaswegians.

The infectiously jovial manager keeps up with everythingfrom customers’ hip operations to wedding anniversaries. “Iknow everything like that. That’s my job to know that,” headded. “It’s like a soap opera every day in here-the thingsyou hear!”

Mecca has shed some of the traditional strictures of thegame, such as maintaining absolute silence when numbersare being called out by offering sections in which peoplecan chat whilst playing. It has also embraced technology,offering digital pads to play on instead of traditional papernumber books, and staging pop music-fuelled nights aimedat a younger clientele.

Attracting a new crowd Across town at a trendy converted industrial space on

the banks of the River Clyde-once famous for its mightyshipbuilding-a new iteration of the game has abandonedalmost all its usual etiquettes. “Bongo’s Bingo”, played in anightclub-style setting enlivened by music, alcohol andplenty of sexual innuendos from the hosts, is attracting theFriday night party crowd. “I’m going to get drunk and trywin some money!” said Steven Ward, 26, who is there withfriends. Launched in Liverpool in 2015 and since introducedin other British cities as well as internationally, Bongo’s hasproved particularly popular in Glasgow-where it now sellsout weekly to 700 customers.

Rich Kelly, 33, a former drama teacher from Birmingham,was calling the numbers and DJ’ing at a recent night.Flanked by two male colleagues dressed in drag, he handedout prizes including cash, liquor and a cardboard cutout ofa daytime TV personality, as the crowd danced to occa-sional blasts of cheesy pop hits. “We do bingo all over thecountry... but definitely we look forward to coming toGlasgow,” he added. “You know the crowd is going to bereally up for it.” Lyn Lappin, at 51 one of the oldest in atten-dance and usually a player at a more traditional venue, hadventured down with work colleagues. “I love it... It’sabsolutely magic!” she said, drink in hand, joining in a rau-cous rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” during abreak from the numbers. — AFP

Coco Mitchell, one of the first black models,returned to the runway this month after adecade away, keen to push boundaries

again in her 60s and support young creators. Asthe fashion carnival swings into Milan fromLondon before heading to Paris, Mitchell is bask-ing in the glow of achieving new catwalk feats inNew York last week. “I want to push the enve-lope,” she told AFP, days after busting some JanetJackson dance moves during a star turn in theDeveaux New York show on September 9.

“I want to be remembered when I go up. Towalk sort of vapid, with no look or expression, Ican’t do that. You have the wrong girl,” Mitchelladded at her home in Harlem. Mitchell, who doesn’treveal her exact age, also delighted audiences atshows by Mexico’s Victor Barragan and AmericanChristopher John Rogers during New York FashionWeek, which ended September 11. “The wholething for me is I’m grateful to be there, and notbecause of my age. I was grateful back then.”

“And people have a sense, they feel that I haveno fear of anything, I’m not afraid. The designermay not like it. Whatever. I’m going to take achance,” she said. Mitchell, from the United States,first modeled more than 35 years ago. She has

paraded for Dior, Saint Laurent, Armani or Versaceand clearly has nothing left to prove. In the early2000s, however, Mitchell quit the runway afterbecoming disillusioned. “I decided I didn’t want todo it anymore. I felt like a slave,” she told AFP dur-ing a lengthy interview.

The 5-foot 10-inch model, who was spotted onthe street by legendary model agency executiveEileen Ford, returned to doing the sort of catalogwork that kickstarted her career. She went tomodel for the likes of Macy’s, Old Navy and Gap,but felt the call of the runway again, so this yeardecided to work with young designers. “I’m one ofthose people that if you call me and you said we’redoing this thing and we really need you to help, Iwould do it,” explained Mitchell.

‘Racism a strange animal’ Her approach chimes with many up-and-com-

ing creators who aim to break with the formalitiesof traditional catwalks by permitting their modelsto smile and even interact with spectators andphotographers. During the Barragan show, sheteased the crowd by placing her hand on herblouse and then nonchalantly sweeping the air,causing spectators to cheer.

Mitchell is no stranger to breaking new ground.She was the first African American model in SportsIllustrated and one of the first on the runway,going on to model at all the world’s major fashionshows. She observes with interest the winds ofdiversity that blow through the fashion world thesedays, particularly in America, be it skin color, ageor the range of body shapes now gracing runways.Mitchell sees greater openness, but also a realiza-tion amongst fashion executives that there areprofits to be made too.

“Economically a lot of the businesses are seeingthat brown people, black people-we’re spending alot of money on skin care, hair care, beauty prod-ucts, clothing,” she said. Mitchell doesn’t have anyillusions about attitudes in parts of American soci-ety, though. “Racism is a strange animal and welive in America. I don’t believe it’s ever going any-where. It’s part of people’s DNA. It’s just how theythink,” she said.

Mitchell’s impromptu return to the runway gaveher so much joy and satisfaction that she is alreadythinking about appearing again next year. “I start-ed late, already 23 or 24. No one really knew howold I was so I never think about age,” she said.“When I’m 99 years old, I want the quality of my

life to be like it is now. I want to be able to walk,run, with my mind intact. That’s my goal.”— AFP

Thursday, September 19, 2019Fa s h i o n

Established 1961 22L i f e s t y l e

The world’s top designers and influencers head toMilan yesterday for a week of glitzy catwalk showsfrom global brands that have begun swapping cli-

mate-destroying luxuries for ecologically-friendly fashion.Prada opens a tightly-packed calender, which will seemodels for leading houses including Armani, BottegaVeneta, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Gucci and Versace struttheir stuff for buyers and celebrities alike. Benettonreached out to the burgeoning number of environmental-ly-aware consumers Tuesday with its new creation: atrench coat made out of paper, designed by France’s Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

“My problem with Benetton is that they never say no tome,” he said with a chuckle ahead of the show. His teamcarried out “recycling experiments and research into paper,like the very resistant one that can contain concrete”. Thetrench “cannot be washed in the washing machine, but itcan last months or even years,” Castelbajac said.

Those arriving in the Italian fashion capital early couldgrab a sparkling glass of Prosecco and catch the newTommy Hilfiger collection, TommyXLewis, co-designedwith five-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.The official line-up for the Spring Summer 2020 seasonboasts newcomers to Milan including DROMe by ItalianMarianna Rosati, Boss by German Hugo Boss, and theLondon brand Peter Pilotto by designers Pilotto andChristopher De Vos. Emerging talent will also be on show,including Simona Marziali-MRZ, the winner of the Who isOn Next 2018 award for new talent, and Tiziano Guardini,an ecodesigner who uses only natural fabrics and sustain-able materials.

‘Fashion Pact’ All eyes will be on the Green Carpet Fashion Awards,

an Oscars-style awards ceremony for sustainable fashion,which will be held Sunday in the city’s prestigious Scalaopera house. The gala will reward the greenest companiesin one of the most polluting industries on the planet. Thefashion sector emits 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gaseseach year-more than international flights and maritimetraffic combined-according to France’s environmental andenergy management agency.

Facing a backlash from an increasingly ecologically-aware consumer base, some 32 companies representing150 brands in the industry signed a “Fashion Pact” at a G7meeting in August. They committed to achieving zero netcarbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and to use 100 percentrenewable energy throughout their supply chains by 2030.

Gucci went on to announce two weeks later that it hadachieved carbon neutrality in its supply chain. Those whofail to snag an invitation to Milan’s catwalks, or who tire ofsnapping street photographs of fashionistas and sunglass-wearing dogs, can take advantage of the many exhibitionsopen to the public during fashion week. Highlights includean exhibit dedicated to revered 20th-century opera singerMaria Callas at the Savini Milano restaurant, where thediva loved to dine after her recitals at the Scala. — AFP

Model Coco Mitchell poses for AFP in

New York City. — AFP

Models present creations for Benetton during the Women’s Spring-Summer 2020 collection fashion show in Milan. — AFP photos

Models present creations for Peter Pilotto during the Women’s Spring-Summer 2020 collection fashion show in Milan.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

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Arrival Flights on Thursday 19/9/2019Airlines Flt Route TimeFEG 241 Alexandria 00:05IGO 1757 Kochi 00:10THY 772 Istanbul 00:20DLH 625 Dammam 00:50KAC 102 London 00:50KAC 504 Beirut 01:00RJA 642 Amman 01:20UAE 853 Dubai 01:40KLM 446 Bahrain 01:45PGT 858 Istanbul 01:50THY 1464 Istanbul 01:50KKK 1268 Istanbul 01:55PGT 828 Istanbul 02:00ETH 620 Addis Ababa 02:15KAC 156 Istanbul 02:35JZR 734 Cairo 02:35QTR 1086 Doha 02:40JZR 722 Alexandria 02:40JZR 254 Amman 02:40GFA 211 Bahrain 02:50PGT 860 Istanbul 02:50THY 768 Istanbul 02:55OMA 643 Muscat 03:05ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:05JZR 262 Beirut 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15KAC 418 Manila 03:20QTR 1076 Doha 03:30JZR 406 Kochi 03:30OHY 352 Istanbul 04:00LMU 510 Cairo 04:00KAC 382 Delhi 04:05IGO 1751 Chennai 04:10MSR 0516 Cairo 04:25KAC 784 Jeddah 04:25JZR 404 Hyderabad 04:50THY 1414 Trabzon 05:05FDB 069 Dubai 05:05IGA 170 Bahrain 05:05THY 770 Istanbul 05:20KAC 344 Chennai 05:30KAC 552 Cairo 05:50KAC 548 Alexandria 05:55KAC 362 Colombo 06:05BAW 157 London 06:10KAC 284 Dhaka 06:15JZR 402 Mumbai 06:25KAC 678 Dubai 06:40KAC 106 London 06:40RBG 559 Alexandria 06:50KAC 206 Islamabad 06:50QTR 8511 Doha 06:55KAC 302 Mumbai 07:00JZR 408 Ahmedabad 07:05JZR 112 Doha 07:05IGO 1755 CNN 07:10IRA 601 Tehran 07:10KAC 354 Bengaluru 07:50QTR 1084 Doha 08:00KAC 352 Kochi 08:05KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:05KAC 384 Delhi 08:10UAE 855 Dubai 08:25ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 08:50ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00OMA 641 Muscat 09:00GFA 209 Bahrain 09:05QTR 1070 Doha 09:20FDB 055 Dubai 09:40IGO 1753 Ahmedabad 09:40IRA 675 Lar 09:55JZR 702D Asyut 09:55SVA 512 Riyadh 10:00IAW 157A Al Najaf 10:00JZR 714 Sohag 10:00GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40MEA 404 Beirut 10:55QTR 1074 Doha 11:00SYR 341 Damascus 11:00OMS 223 Muscat 11:00JZR 1736 Cairo 11:05JZR 122 Dubai 11:45IAW 157 Al Najaf 12:00AHY 119 Baku 12:05JZR 410 Delhi 12:10JZR 252 Amman 12:20JZR 746 Sharm el-Sheikh 12:25SAW 701 Damascus 12:30THY 766 Istanbul 12:30

KAC 614 Bahrain 12:30UAE 871 Dubai 12:45MSR 610 Cairo 12:45AXB 393 Kozhikode 13:10FBS 118 Sarajevo 13:30KAC 774 Riyadh 13:35JZR 212 Jeddah 13:45IRA 607 Mashhad 13:55KAC 672 Dubai 14:00UAE 877 Dubai 14:00KNE 231 Riyadh 14:10FDB 059 Dubai 14:20QTR 1078 Doha 14:25KAC 792 Madinah 14:40KAC 194 Trabzon 14:40FDB 8065 Dubai 14:40KAC 304 Mumbai 14:45JZR 222 Riyadh 14:45KAC 562 Amman 14:50KAC 618 Doha 14:50KAC 788 Jeddah 14:55KAC 118 New York 15:00KNE 529 Jeddah 15:05KAC 412 Bangkok 15:10ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 15:15OMA 645 Muscat 15:20ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35UAE 857 Dubai 15:45SVA 500 Jeddah 15:50FEG 341 Sohag 16:00FDB 051 Dubai 16:10JZR 732 Cairo 16:10QTR 1072 Doha 16:15SAW 705 Damascus 17:00JZR 116 Doha 17:05SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 214 Jeddah 17:35JZR 124 Dubai 17:40KAC 158 Istanbul 18:00JZR 104 Bahrain 18:00KAC 662 Abu Dhabi 18:05QTR 1080 Doha 18:10JZR 612 Tbilisi 18:15KAC 506 Beirut/LCA 18:15JZR 302 Istanbul 18:20MSR 620 Cairo 18:30SAW 703 Damascus 18:55IRA 667 Esfahan 19:00FDB 063 Dubai 19:05RJA 640 Amman 19:05GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05UAE 875 Dubai 19:05ABY 123 Sharjah 19:20KAC 744 Dammam 19:25NIA 161 Cairo 19:30KAC 616 Bahrain 19:40KAC 776 Riyadh 19:45KAC 674 Dubai 19:45KAC 178 Vienna 19:50JZR 310 BJV 19:50FDB 057 Dubai 19:50KAC 174 Munich 19:55KNE 381 Taif 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:05DLH 624 Frankfurt 20:10MEA 402 Beirut 20:15JZR 126 Dubai 20:20RBG 213 Sohag 20:30KAC 620 Doha 20:30QTR 1088 Doha 20:40KLM 445 Amsterdam 21:00ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:10UAE 859 Dubai 21:15ALK 229 Colombo 21:15THY 764 Istanbul 21:30KAC 164 MXP 21:40KAC 676 Dubai 21:45GFA 219 Bahrain 21:50KAC 564 Amman 21:55QTR 1082 Doha 22:05ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 786 Jeddah 22:20AIC 981 Chennai/Ahmedabad 22:25RBG 555 Alexandria 22:30JZR 128 Dubai 22:50BBC 043 Dhaka 23:00MSC 501 Alexandria 23:10MSC 415 Sohag 23:15MSR 614 Cairo 23:30FDB 071 Dubai 23:35

Departure Flights on Thursday 19/9/2019Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05MSC 406 Sohag 00:15MSR 615 Cairo 00:30FDB 072 Dubai 00:30FEG 342 Sohag 01:05IGO 1758 Kochi 01:10KAC 677 Dubai 01:50THY 773 Istanbul 01:50DLH 625 Frankfurt 01:50KAC 417 Manila 02:00THY 765 Istanbul 02:50PGT 859 Istanbul 02:50KKK 1269 Istanbul 02:55PGT 829 Istanbul 02:59ETH 621 Addis Ababa 03:05KLM 446 Amsterdam 03:10JZR 111 Doha 03:25JZR 409 Delhi 03:30JZR 701D Asyut 03:30UAE 854 Dubai 03:30JZR 713 Sohag 03:50THY 769 Istanbul 03:50ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:00OMA 644 Muscat 04:05QTR 1087 Doha 04:15MSR 613 Cairo 04:15PGT 861 Istanbul 04:20JZR 1735 Cairo 04:40QTR 1077 Doha 05:00LMU 511 Cairo 05:00OHY 351 Istanbul 05:00IGO 1752 Chennai 05:10KAC 303 Mumbai 05:15MSR 0517 Mumbai 05:25FDB 070 Dubai 06:00THY 1465 Istanbul 06:00THY 771 Istanbul 06:30JZR 745 Sharm el-Sheikh 06:45GFA 212 Bahrain 06:50RJA 643 Amman 07:00JZR 251 Amman 07:10JZR 121 Dubai 07:15RBG 550 Alexandria 07:30BAW 156 London 07:40KAC 413 Bangkok 07:45KAC 173 Munich 07:55JZR 211 Jeddah 08:00KAC 193 Trabzon 08:10KAC 181 Paris/NCE 08:10IRA 606 Mashhad 08:10IGO 1756 CNN 08:10KAC 163 MXP 08:35KAC 505 LCA/Beirut 08:40KAC 177 Vienna 08:45KAC 561 Amman 08:55QTR 8512 Doha 08:55KAC 121 AGP 09:00KAC 613 Bahrain 09:00KAC 117 New York 09:05KAC 791 Madinah 09:10QTR 1085 Doha 09:10KAC 671 Dubai 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:15KAC 157 Istanbul 09:20KAC 773 Riyadh 09:40ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40JZR 731 Cairo 09:45UAE 856 Dubai 09:50ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 09:55JZR 301 Istanbul 09:55OMA 642 Muscat 10:00KAC 101 London 10:05GFA 210 Bahrain 10:05QTR 1071 Doha 10:30KAC 617 Doha 10:40IGO 1754 Ahmedabad 10:40FDB 056 Dubai 10:40IRA 668 Mashhad 10:55SVA 513 Riyadh 10:55IAW 158A Al Najaf 11:00JZR 221 Riyadh 11:20GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35OMS 224 Muscat 11:40JZR 309 BJV 11:45MEA 405 Beirut 11:55SYR 342 Damascus 12:00JZR 213 Jeddah 12:05

QTR 1075 Doha 12:10JZR 611 Tbilisi 12:20IAW 158 Al Najaf 13:00AHY 120 Baku 13:05JZR 123 Dubai 13:10JZR 115 Doha 13:25KAC 661 Abu Dhabi 13:30SAW 702 Damascus 13:30MSR 611 Cairo 13:45THY 767 Istanbul 14:00AXB 394 Kozhikode 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15FBS 119 Sarajevo 14:45IRA 666 Esfahan 14:55KNE 382 Taif 15:00KAC 673 Dubai 15:00FDB 060 Dubai 15:05JZR 103 Bahrain 15:05UAE 878 Dubai 15:30QTR 1079 Doha 15:30FDB 8066 Dubai 15:40JZR 125 Dubai 15:50KNE 530 Jeddah 15:55KAC 563 Amman 16:00KAC 775 Riyadh 16:05KAC 743 Dammam 16:05KAC 615 Bahrain 16:10ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 16:20OMA 646 Muscat 16:20KAC 785 Jeddah 16:20KAC 619 Doha 16:25SVA 501 Jeddah 16:50FEG 242 Alexandria 16:55KAC 675 Dubai 17:00FDB 052 Dubai 17:10QTR 1073 Doha 17:25KAC 151 Istanbul 17:35UAE 858 Dubai 17:40KAC 343 Chennai 17:50KAC 381 Delhi 17:55SAW 706 Damascus 18:00SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15JZR 721 Alexandria 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 127 Dubai 18:20JZR 403 Hyderabad 18:25JZR 733 Cairo 18:35JZR 261 Beirut 19:10JZR 253 Amman 19:10QTR 1081 Doha 19:20MSR 621 Cairo 19:30KAC 691 Muscat 19:35FDB 064 Dubai 19:45GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50SAW 704 Damascus 19:55IRA 600 Tehran 20:00ABY 124 Sharjah 20:00RJA 641 Amman 20:05KAC 357 Kochi 20:05NIA 162 Cairo 20:30FDB 058 Dubai 20:30JZR 401 Mumbai 20:30UAE 876 Dubai 20:35KNE 232 Riyadh 20:50KAC 353 Bengaluru 20:50DLH 624 Dammam 20:55OMA 648 Muscat 21:05KAC 333 Trivandrum 21:05RBG 214 Sohag 21:10MEA 403 Beirut 21:15KAC 301 Mumbai 21:25KAC 545 Cairo 21:30QTR 1089 Doha 21:50IGA 171 Bahrain 21:50KAC 203 Lahore 22:00KLM 445 Bahrain 22:10ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15JZR 1737 Cairo 22:20ALK 230 Colombo 22:20THY 1401 ADB 22:25UAE 860 Dubai 22:35KAC 383 Delhi 22:35GFA 220 Bahrain 22:50KAC 783 Jeddah 22:55KAC 551 Cairo 23:00ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:05RBG 556 Alexandria 23:10QTR 1083 Doha 23:20

ClassifiedsThursday, September 19, 2019

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

CHANGE OF NAME

I, RALLAPALLI NAGARAJANAIDU, have changed my namefrom MADOIPATLA NAGARAJAto RALLAPALLI NAGARAJANAIDU, hereafter in all my deal-ings and documents. (C 5591)

I, Syed Darbar (new name) S/oSyed Siddiq Hussain D/N16/517-6 Ghouse Nagar, KadapaYSR (Dist) A.P. Siddi Darbar Vali(old name) name changed toSyed Darbar. Passport No.P9484709. (C 5592)

I, MARIA MAGDALENE holder ofIndian Passport No. Z1846245having permanent addressMaharashtra, India and PinCode - 4000053, residing inKuwait at present, herebydeclare that henceforth myname will be read as givenname: MARIA MAGDALENEJESSIE and surname: VAL-LADARES. (C 5676)19-9-2019

This is to notify all that I, RAVI,

AirlinesKuwait Airways 171Jazeera Airways 177Wataniya Airways 22 066 536Turkish Airlines 1884918American Airlines 22087425 Jet Airways 22924455FlyDubai 22414400Qatar Airways 22423888KLM 22425747Royal Jordanian 22418064/5/6British Airways 22425635Air France 22430224Emirates 22921555Air India 22456700Air India EXPRESS 22438185/4 Sri Lanka Airlines 22424444Egypt Air 22421578Swiss Air 22421516Saudia 22426306Middle East Airlines` 22423073Lufthansa 22422493PIA 22421044Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8Indian Airlines 22456700Oman Air 22958787

son of JAGDISH JEWANI holderof Indian Passport No.Z1885066, would like to changemy name as Ravi (Given name)Jagdish Jewani (GivenSurname) Ravi Jagdish Jewanifor all my future dealings here-after. (C 5590) 17-9-2019

I, SHREYYA KESAVAN holder ofIndian Passport No. S0588075having permanent address250/83A, Kesavan Nilayam,Bharathi Nagar, Sirumugai,Coimbatore-641302, TamilNadu residing in Kuwait at pres-ent, hereby declare that hence-forth my name will be read asGiven Name: SHREYYA andSurname: KESAVAN (C 5675)

I, RAKHI ARUNKUMAR holder ofIndian Passport No. Z3826426 &Civil ID No. 280040706058 haschanged my name from RAKHIARUNKUMAR to RAKHIGOPINATH hereinafter in all mydealings and documents, I willbe known by name of RAKHIGOPINATH. (C 5674)

16/9/2019

Thursday, September 19, 2019N e w s

Established 1961 24

Continued from Page 1

but the exact launch site was yet to be pinned down.It displayed what it said were fragments of the arsenal of18 drones and seven cruise missiles that devastated twofacilities in the country’s east, knocking out half the king-dom’s oil production. “The attack was launched from thenorth and unquestionably sponsored by Iran,” defenseministry spokesman Turki Al-Maliki told a press confer-ence. “We are working to know the exact launch point.”

However, he would not be drawn on whether SaudiArabia believed that Iran would ultimately be found to bethe culprit, only saying they were confident they wouldfind where the weapons were fired from. Diplomats at theUnited Nations said experts were expected in the king-dom to lead an international inquiry. US Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo, who has directly blamed Iran for thestrikes, was due to hold talks yesterday with Saudi lead-ership as he arrived in Jeddah to weigh with the US alliesa response to the strike that roiled global energy markets.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who haveclaimed Saturday’s strikes, vowed meanwhile they hadthe means to hit “dozens of targets” in the United ArabEmirates. Saudi’s de facto leader Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman told Russian leader VladimirPutin in a phone call the kingdom wants an internation-al investigation that would be seen as highly credible,the state news agency SPA reported. President DonaldTrump - who has already re-imposed sanctions thathave crippled Iran’s economy - yesterday promised to“substantially increase” the measures, winning quickpraise from Riyadh.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity,told AFP that the administration has concluded that theattack involved cruise missiles from Iran and that evi-dence would be presented at the UN GeneralAssembly next week. “As the president said, we don’twant war with anybody, but the United States is pre-pared,” Vice President Mike Pence said in a speech inWashington on Tuesday.

The apparent hardening of the US position came asIran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled outnegotiations with Washington “at any level”. That

appeared to nix remaining hopes for a dramatic meetingbetween President Donald Trump and his Iranian coun-terpart Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations next week.Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said hetoo had cooled on what had always seemed to be adiplomatic longshot. “I never rule anything out, but I pre-fer not meeting him,” Trump said.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are lockedin a prolonged conflict with a Saudi-led military coali-tion, claimed responsibility for Saturday’s oil installationattacks, which took out six percent of global supplies.But Riyadh and Washington have both ruled that out.“Despite Iran’s efforts to make it appear so” they did notoriginate from Yemen, Maliki said, adding the strike wasbeyond the capabilities of the militia - who have howevermounted dozens of smaller attacks on Saudi territory.“The precision impact of the cruise missile indicatedadvance capability beyond (Iranian) proxy capacity,” hesaid, adding that they also struck from a direction thatruled out its southern neighbor Yemen as a source.

The Houthis yesterday threatened to attack dozens oftargets in the United Arab Emirates, including in thecities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. “We announce... that wehave dozens of targets in the UAE, among them AbuDhabi and Dubai, and that they can be targeted at anymoment,” Houthi military spokesman Brigadier YahyaSaree said. The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalitionfighting the Huthis in Yemen in an intractable five-yearconflict that has devastated the country.

“If you want peace and security for your facilities, andtowers made of glass that cannot withstand one drone,then leave Yemen alone,” the rebel spokesman said. TheHuthis have made threats against the UAE in the past,and claimed strikes that were never confirmed by theEmirati authorities. “To the Emirati regime, we say thatjust one operation will cost you a lot,” Saree said. “Youwill regret it if your leadership decides to issue instruc-tions to its armed forces to launch any response in thecoming days or weeks,” Saree said.

Observers say the experience in Yemen, wheredespite their vast firepower, the Saudis have failed tosubdue the ragtag but highly motivated militia, hasmade Riyadh circumspect about wading into anotherconflict. “I certainly hope we’re not (going to haveanother war),” Riyadh’s ambassador to LondonPrince Khalid bin Bandar told the BBC in an inter-view. “We are trying not to react too quickly becausethe last thing we need is more conflict in the region,”he said. — With input from agencies

MP claims 16 missilesflew over Kuwait...

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The extent of the damage at the plants remainsunclear and Energy Intelligence has said that some of therepair work could take “several weeks”.

But Saudi officials were also bullish on plans for themega stock listing of oil giant Aramco, which was thoughtto be imperilled by the attack. “The IPO will continue asis, we won’t stop anything,” said Aramco chairman YasirAl-Rumayyan. He said the IPO would take place “withinthe next 12 months” depending on market conditions. Theenergy giant’s CEO, Amin Nasser, dismissed the sugges-tion it had taken a big reputational hit with the strikes,which observers have said exposed the vulnerabilities ofSaudi infrastructure. “We are the most reliable company.When there is a crisis Aramco delivers,” he told reporters.“Actually the rest of the world should be amazed at what

happened. In terms of no customers were interrupted,and production was put back on in a short time.”

The mammoth IPO forms the cornerstone of a reformprogram envisaged by Crown Prince Mohammed binSalman to wean the Saudi economy off its reliance on oil.Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure has been hit before,but Saturday’s attack was of a different scale, abruptlyhalting half the OPEC kingpin’s output - some six percentof the world’s oil supply.

As the US points the finger of blame at Saudi Arabia’sregional rival Iran, Prince Abdulaziz - half-brother toPrince Mohammed - refused to be drawn on who wasresponsible for the strikes. “We don’t know who is behindthe attack,” he said, adding that the kingdom wants“proof based on professionalism and internationally rec-ognized standards”.

Washington has concluded that the attacks werelaunched from Iranian soil and that cruise missiles wereinvolved, a US official told AFP on Tuesday. The official,who declined to be identified, said the United States wasgathering evidence about the attack to present to theinternational community, notably European allies, at theUN General Assembly next week. — AFP

Saudi says output to be restored by...

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The vapor is missing the estimated 7,000 chemicals intobacco smoke but does contain a number of substancesthat could potentially be harmful. They have been pushed byproducers, and also by some governments including inEurope as a safer alternative - and as a way to kick the habit.

However critics say that apart from being potentiallyharmful in themselves, the flavors of some liquids haveturned millions of children into vapers - and potentialfuture smokers. The emergency legislation in New York,the second US state to ban flavored e-cigarettes, followeda mysterious outbreak of severe pulmonary disease thathas killed seven people and sickened hundreds. USPresident Donald Trump’s administration announced lastweek that it would soon ban flavored e-cigarette productsto stem a rising tide of youth users.

Legislation is also being tightened elsewhere, and inSingapore e-cigarettes are already outlawed. In Japan, vap-ing and alternatives like “heat not burn” tobacco vaporizersare allowed but e-juices with nicotine are not. China, hometo almost a third of the world’s smokers, indicated in July thatit wants the “supervision of electronic cigarettes” to be“severely strengthened”.

The Indian ban covers the production, manufacture,import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage of e-cig-arettes, as well as advertisements. The government said itwould “advance tobacco control efforts” and “contribute toa reduction in tobacco usage”. Although few Indians vape atpresent, the Indian ban also cuts off a vast potential marketof 1.3 billion consumers for makers of e-cigarettes. The banorder will impose a jail term of up to one year and a fine of100,000 rupees ($1,404) for first-time offenders. A repeat

violation would attract a jail term of up to three years and apenalty of up to 500,000 rupees, the government said.

The ban would apply to the manufacture, import, sale,advertisement and distribution of e-cigarettes. It won’t applyto the use of such devices, Vikas Sheel, a senior official atIndia’s health ministry, told Reuters. “Over a period of time,people will not get their (vape) refills, so they will becomeresponsible,” he said. The government expects the ban orderto be challenged in court, but was prepared to defend its deci-sion, Sheel added.

“Big Tobacco” has been investing heavily in the technolo-gy to compensate for falling demand for cigarettes due tohigh taxes and smoking bans, particularly in the West. In2018 Altria, the US maker of Marlboro and Chesterfield,splashed out almost $13 billion on a stake in one of thebiggest e-cigarette makers, Juul.

According to the World Health Organization, India is theworld’s second-largest consumer of traditional tobaccoproducts, which are not covered by the new ban, killingnearly 900,000 people every year. Some 35 percent ofadults are users, although chewing tobacco - which can alsohave flavors like chocolate and which also causes cancer - ismore prevalent than smoking. India is also the world’s third-largest producer of tobacco, the WHO says, and tobaccofarmers are an important vote bank for political parties.

According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce andIndustry, an estimated 45.7 million people depend on thetobacco sector in India for their livelihood. India also exportsaround a billion dollars’ worth of tobacco annually, and thegovernment holds stakes in tobacco firms including ITC, oneof India’s biggest companies.

“I feel it’s absolutely absurd,” Aronjoy, 22, a student andoccasional vaper, told AFP in a shop selling e-cigarettes.“The government believes from my perspective that it’salight to smoke cigarettes... which is much more injurious forour health that vaping would be.” The Association of VapersIndia said the government’s move “indicates it is more con-cerned about protecting the cigarette industry than improv-ing public health”. — Agencies

India bans e-cigs; New York bans...

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augmented and virtual reality vice president Andrew“Boz” Bosworth said while providing a look at the Portalline-up. “But, Portal is the only device that is going toconnect you with people you care about; and I wouldcontend that any smart device that doesn’t do that isn’tthat smart at all.”

Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest smart screens canbe used to make video calls, but Portal is tied into connec-tions at Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp, which isencrypted end-to-end. The Facebook-owned messagingapps as well as the social network itself are each used bymore than a billion people monthly. “This is not about theworld needs another Echo Show or the world needs anoth-er Google Nest Hub, this is a product that serves a veryspecific purpose and is messaged accordingly, that’s theperson-to-person interaction,” Gartner personal technolo-gies research director Werner Goertz said at the briefing.

Mindful that internet users have become wary of theirprivacy at Facebook, features built into Portal include

physical switches to turn off cameras and microphones.Covers can be slid over camera lenses, and data from cam-eras and microphones is processed on devices instead ofon data centers in the cloud. Facebook’s system knowswhich parties are being connected on video calls, butdoesn’t listen to what is said, Facebook executives said.Portal users will be able to opt out of having snippets ofvoice commands stored and reviewed to improve the soft-ware’s grasp of spoken words, according to Bosworth.

Portal TV features include using augmented reality forfunny looks and playing games such as boat-sinking classic“Battleship”, along with the ability to watch Amazon Primeshows with far-away friends or family. The voice-com-manded smart screens can also be used for other onlinetelevision apps or for streaming music services such asPandora and Spotify. Facebook said its advertising systemwould know little about Portal users, and that it had noplans at this time to weave money-making marketing intothe video-calling service.

“This product is the core essence of what Facebookdoes; it connects you with the very people you care mostabout,” Bosworth said. Portal digital aide software worksalongside Amazon virtual assistant Alexa, which also pro-vides software brains for Echo devices. Facebook wasalso expanding Portal available from just Canada and theUS to include Australia, Britain, France, Italy, NewZealand, and Spain. — AFP

Facebook plays to social ties with...

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Another resident, Ballah, whose home is near theschool, said they helped in the rescue efforts. “We wentfor water, trying to put it out. We were putting water up

to 2.30 am. When the fire fighters came, the fire wasalready going down. We do not know the cause of thefire,” he said.

The fire struck while the children were asleep, saidFulani community official Amadou Sherrif. In an earliertweet, Weah offered condolences to the families ofthose affected. “My prayers go out to the families of thechildren that died last night in Paynesville City as aresult of a deadly fire that engulfed their school build-ing,” he wrote. “This is a tough time for the families ofthe victims and all of Liberia.” — AFP

Liberia school fire kills dozens...

RIYADH/DUBAI: Billions of dollars spent by Saudi Arabiaon cutting edge Western military hardware mainly designedto deter high altitude attacks has proved no match for low-cost drones and cruise missiles used in a strike that crippledits giant oil industry. Saturday’s assault on Saudi oil facilitiesthat halved production has exposed how ill-prepared theGulf state is to defend itself despite repeated attacks onvital assets during its four-and-a-half year foray into thewar in neighboring Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and the United States have said theybelieve Iran, the kingdom’s arch-enemy, was probablybehind the strike. On Tuesday, a US official saidWashington believed the attack originated in southwesternIran. Three US officials said it involved both cruise missilesand drones. Tehran has denied such accusations, sayingthat Yemenis opposing Saudi-led forces carried it out.Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement is alone in claimingresponsibility.

Iran maintains the largest ballistic and cruise missilecapabilities in the Middle East that could overwhelm virtu-ally any Saudi missile defense system, according to think-tank CSIS, given the geographic proximity of Tehran and itsregional proxy forces. But even more limited strikes haveproved too much for Saudi Arabia, including recent ones byHouthis who claimed successful attacks on a civilian airport,oil pumping stations and the Shaybah oilfield. “We areopen. Any real facility has no real coverage,” a Saudi secu-rity source said.

The Sept 14 assault on two plants belonging to state oilgiant Saudi Aramco was the worst on regional oil facilitiessince Saddam Hussein torched Kuwait’s oil wells during the1990-91 Gulf crisis. The company said on Tuesday thatproduction would be back to normal quicker than initiallyfeared, but the attack nonetheless shocked oil markets.Riyadh said preliminary results indicated the weapons usedwere Iranian but the launch location was still undetermined.

Authorities initially specified drones, but three US offi-cials said the use of cruise missiles and drones indicateda higher degree of complexity and sophistication thaninitially thought. “The attack is like Sept 11th for SaudiArabia, it is a game changer,” said a Saudi security ana-lyst who declined to be named. “Where are the airdefense systems and the US weaponry for which wespent billions of dollars to protect the kingdom and its oilfacilities? If they did this with such precision, they can

also hit the desalination plants and more targets.”The main Saudi air defense system, positioned mainly to

defend major cities and installations, has long been the US-made long-range Patriot system. It has successfully inter-cepted high-altitude ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis atSaudi cities, including the capital Riyadh, since a Saudi-ledcoalition intervened in Yemen against the group in March2015. But since drones and cruise missiles fly more slowlyand at lower altitudes, they are difficult for Patriots todetect with adequate time to intercept. “Drones are a hugechallenge for Saudi Arabia because they often fly under theradar and given long borders with Yemen and Iraq, thekingdom is very vulnerable,” said a senior Gulf official.

Washington and Riyadh have blamed Iran and its prox-ies for a series of explosive blasts on tankers in Gulf waters,including two Saudi vessels in May, and attacks on Saudi oilassets. Two oil pumping stations were hit that month. Atransformer station near a desalination plant in Shuqaiq inthe south was struck in June. Those caused limited damage,unlike Saturday’s strikes on Abqaiq and Khurais that dam-aged the world’s biggest petroleum processing facility andknocked out 5.7 million barrels per day of production.

A Gulf source familiar with Aramco operations said thesecurity system in place at Abqaiq is imperfect againstdrones. Authorities are investigating whether radar pickedup the drones which struck in pre-dawn darkness, thesource added. An executive at a Western defense firm deal-ing with Saudi Arabia said that as of a year ago there werePatriots protecting Abqaiq.

Asked why Saudi defenses did not intercept Saturday’sattack, coalition spokesman Col Turki Al-Malki toldreporters: “More than 230 ballistic missiles were intercept-ed by coalition forces...we have the operational capacity tocounter all the threats and protect the national security ofSaudi Arabia.” The government media office did not imme-diately respond to a request for comment. It is unclear ifUS-built short-range Avengers and medium-range I-Hawksand Swiss short-range Orelikons which the kingdom ownsare currently operational.

The Saudi security source and two industry sources saidRiyadh has been aware of the drone threat for several yearsand has been in discussions with consultants and vendorsfor possible solutions but has not installed anything new.The security source said authorities moved a Patriot bat-tery to the Shaybah oilfield after it was hit last month. There

are Patriots at Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery. “Most conven-tional air defense radar is designed for high- altitudethreats like missiles,” said Dave DesRoches at the NationalDefense University in Washington.

“Cruise missiles and drones operate close to the earth,so they aren’t seen because of the earth’s curvature. Dronesare too small and don’t have heat signature for most radar.”Intercepting drones possibly worth several hundred dollarswith Patriots is also extremely expensive, with each missilecosting around $3 million.

Jorg Lamprecht, CEO and co-founder of US airspacesecurity firm Dedrone, said there are more effective waysof dealing with drones, especially in swarms. A combina-tion of radio frequency detectors and radar detect them,high-powered cameras verify payloads and technologies

like jamming demobilize them, he said. But the latest tech-nology presents its own challenges: Frequency jammingcould disrupt industrial activities and have negative healtheffects on people.

Armed drones are becoming more readily available, sothe threat to vital infrastructure is rising disproportionately,according to US intelligence consultancy Soufan Group.Saudi policymakers have long dreaded a strike against adesalination plant in Jubail which serves central and easternSaudi Arabia. A successful attack would deprive millions ofpeople of water and could take a long time to repair, theSaudi source said. “It’s a very target-rich environment,”said an industry source with knowledge of Saudi Arabia.“They’ve kicked them right where it hurts and there’s plentymore of them around.” — Reuters

Costly Saudi defenses prove no match for drones, cruise missiles

RIYADH: A picture taken yesterday shows displayed fragments of what the Saudi defense ministry spokesman saidwere Iranian cruise missiles and drones recovered from the attack site that targeted Saudi Aramco’s facilities, dur-ing a press conference yesterday. — AFP

Thursday, September 19, 2019S p o r t s

Bag of nerves: Japan’s Leitch tense before World Cup opener

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TOKYO: Japan captain Michael Leitch said yesterdaythat he has been “all over the place” in practice in therun-up to this week’s Rugby World Cup opener againstRussia. The talismanic skipper, who missed a chunk ofthe year with a groin injury, was named in a strongBrave Blossoms side by Japan coach Jamie Joseph fortomorrow’s Pool A clash in Tokyo.

But Leitch, joined by Japan stalwarts Yu Tamura andShota Horie in an experienced starting line-up, admit-ted he has been taken aback by the scale of the mediaattention on the hosts in the run-up to the game.

“This is no normal turnout,” Leitch told a packednews conference. “I’m so nervous I’ve been making allsorts of mistakes in training — there’s so many peopleand so many cameras. But I’m very proud to be part ofthe World Cup and to be captain of the Japan rugbyteam.” Leitch, who orchestrated Japan’s jaw-dropping34-32 victory over South Africa in their opening gameon England’s south coast four years ago, predicted thatthe home side would make history by reaching theknockout stage for the first time.

“In 2015 everyone expected us to lose — even theJapanese public,” said the Japan flanker.

“But when we beat South Africa, all eyes were on us.The next game against Scotland 30 million peoplewatched on TV and even though we lost, it inspiredJapan. “This time we’ve got the opportunity to inspireJapan again. We’ve trained well, prepared well and thiswill be Japan’s best World Cup ever.”

Joseph, who will be without flying winger KenkiFukuoka (thigh strain), insisted Japan would not go intotomorrow’s game as favourites, despite the weight ofevidence.

‘SCARY’ RUSSIANS “I never read Japanese newspapers but I’ve never

really considered us to be the favourites,” said the formerAll Black, pointing to a narrow 32-27 win over a hulkingRussian side last November. “We have a lot of respect forRussia,” he added. “We were very lucky to win last timewe played. I wouldn’t say we were favourites — I’d saywe were even going into this Test match and if we don’tplay our best we’re going to struggle.”

Despite the absence of Fukuoka, Joseph has enoughfirepower in the shape of Kotaro Matsushima andLomano Lemeki to leave Russia chasing shadows inTokyo. “We think we have the best guys for the job,”insisted Joseph, who has kept Japan among the world’stop 10 rugby nations since taking over from EddieJones. “The team has prepared as well as ever beforeand we look forward to Friday night.”

Leitch called on Japan to thrive on the pressure ofkicking off the tournament. “There’s been pressure forover four years,” he said. “We’ve talked about it, con-fronted it. In terms of hyping the boys up, I don’t needto do that. We don’t need permission to play well —just go out and enjoy it.” However, the Japan captainended on a cautious note, warning of Russia’s feistynature. “Their mentality is quite scary,” he said. “Theirmartial arts fighters are so tough — even their sumowrestlers. I’m sure they’re going to bring it.”

Japan (15-1)William Tupou; Kotaro Matsushima, Timothy

Lafaele, Ryoto Nakamura, Lomano Lava Lemeki; YuTamura, Yutaka Nagare; Kazuki Himeno, PieterLabuschagne, Michael Leitch; James Moore, Wimpie

van der Walt; Asaeli Ai Valu, Shota Horie, Keita Inagaki.Replacements: Atsushi Sakate, Isileli Nakajima, Koo

Ji-won, Luke Thompson, Hendrik Tui, Fumiaki Tanaka,Rikiya Matsuda, Ryohei Yamanaka. — AFP

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) is presented jerseys of Japan’s national rugby team by the team’scaptain Michael Leitch (2nd R) during a courtesy call by World Rugby officials as part of the Webb Ellis Trophytour, at Abe’s official residence in Tokyo, ahead of the start of the 2019 Rugby World Cup on September 20. —AFP

TOKYO: Russia coach Lyn Jones said yesterdayhe had a cunning plan to ambush hosts Japan inthis week’s Rugby World Cup opener, revealingonly that it involves a l itt le mayhem. TheRussians, known as the Bears, will tower overtheir opposite numbers when they line up inTokyo tomorrow, but few people are giving themmuch chance of springing an upset against theworld’s 10th-ranked side.

“With structured and organised sides likeJapan you need to create chaos to get them tothink for themselves,” Jones told AFP after nam-ing a full-strength side led by his skipper VasilyArtemyev.

“I don’t know if they’re educated to do that,but it’s all theory anyway. “We do have a plan,”added the former Wales international. “We havegot a formula and we think we can take Japan onand make life as difficult as possible for them.”

Russia gave Japan a fright the last times theteams met in November, the Brave Blossomsscraping a 32-27 victory in Gloucester. “We justneed to enter that last 20 minutes with every-thing to play for,” said Jones.

“Let’s be realistic — there’s probably a 20percent of us winning the game,” he admittedahead of the Pool A fixture. Jones pointed towingers Kirill Golosnitskiy and German Davydovas potential match-winners for Russia if theJapanese fail to fire.

“They’re fantastic players and they know theway to the line,” the former flanker, who onlytook charge of Russia last year, said. “But weappreciate the 10 years advantage Japan haveover us and that they’re entering the game asfirm favourites.

“We’ve fit four years of preparation into oneyear,” he added. “We don’t know what to expectbut we know it’s going to be fast and furious.”Russia’s results have been a mixed bag in thebuild-up to their second World Cup appearance,and first since 2011, which included a record 85-15 pummelling by Italy.

“Look we’re not playing a different level —we’re playing a different sport,” shrugged Jones,whose side face further pool games againstIreland, Scotland and Samoa. “The ball is thesame shape, but it’s tier-one rugby and it’s some-thing we don’t play very often.”

Artemyev, his country’s record try scorer,cal led on Russia to rise to the challenge.“Through the last week we’ve had an unprece-dented amount of attention,” said the 32-year-old. “It’s a bit unusual for our boys — we’requite humble players and don’t get this exposurein Russia.

“But it’s going to be awesome and everyone ishugely motivated. We’ve put in the work andnow we’re looking to get results.”

Russia (15-1)Vasily Artemyev; German Davydov, Vladimir

Ostroushko, Dmitry Gerasimov, Kiri l lGolosnitskiy; Yury Kushnarev, Vasily Dorofeev;Nikita Vavilin, Tagir Gadzhiev, Vitaly Zhivatov;Bogdan Fedotko, Andrey Ostrikov; Kiri l lGotovtsev, Stanislav Selskii, Valery Morozov

Replacements: Evgeny Matveev, AndreiPolivalov, Azamat Bitiev, Andrey Garbuzov, AntonSychev, Dmitry Perov, Ramil Gaisin, VladislavSozonov. — AFP

Russians plotJapan shock inWCup opener

‘I’m so nervous I’ve been making all sorts of mistakes in training’

YOKOHAMA: World Rugby’s number one ranked teamIreland are peaking at just the right time, assistantcoach Andy Farrell said yesterday ahead of their WorldCup opener against Scotland on the weekend.

Such was the bite and desire at training, Farrell said,that the coaches didn’t even need to be on the paddockin some sessions. “This week, there’s certainly a feel ofsomething that’s brewing that’s of major importance tothe squad,” said Farrell, who will take over from JoeSchmidt after the Kiwi stands down as Ireland headcoach after the World Cup.

“The intensity, the bite that’s in training is very sig-

nificant and there’s a completely different feel, so I sup-pose that’s a culmination of what’s happened over thelast couple of months into this week.

“The build-up, the week, the buy-in, the grabbinghold of the week by not just the senior players buteveryone in the group has been very significant.”Farrell, a former Wigan and Britain rugby league legendwho had a brief spell in union as a player during whichtime he won eight caps for England and appeared atthe 2007 World Cup, said experience was showingthrough in a squad boasting almost 1,300 caps.

“We trained unbelieveably well on Monday,” he said.“As coaches we didn’t need to be on the field becauseof the ownership. “We have experienced players... andthey know what it takes to build through this week.

“That’s what you want, they’re sorting themselvesout and that’s where we want to be. “We are buildingbecause we don’t want to reach boiling point onWednesday or Friday.” Farrell, who was defence coachfor England at the last World Cup when they becamethe first host nation to fail to progress from the pool

phase, likened Gregor Townsend’s Scotland side to a“box of tricks”, saying they liked to take calculatedrisks while playing at a high tempo.

“We need to expect the unexpected and try to getahead of the game. “We need to make sure we createopportunities from our defence to combat that.” Farrellconfirmed that centre Robbie Henshaw, who missed theopening two games of the 2015 World Cup, was out forthe weekend, but added that he was expected to beback for the second pool game, against Japan.

“The progress has been great and he’s hitting all themarkers as far as a return to training etc so they’re hap-py with how he’s progressing and hopefully he’ll keepthat upward curve,” he said. Aside from hosts Japan,Pool A also includes Russia and Samoa.

Progression from the pool for the two top finisherswould set up quarter-finals against the winners andrunners-up from Pool B, likely to be a permutation ofNew Zealand and South Africa. That means Farrellmight only get to pitch himself against his son, currentEngland playmaker Owen, from the semi-finals. —AFP

‘Brewing’ Ireland chomping at the bit: Farrell

TOKYO: The 2019 edition of the Rugby World Cup isbeing hailed as the most open ever, with several teamsconsidered serious contenders. Here are the main chal-lengers:

NEW ZEALAND: THREE IN A ROW? Bookmakers’ favourites to win an unprecedented

third straight title, the mighty All Blacks tuned up fortheir Cup defence with a 92-7 demolition of Tonga andwith three former World Rugby Players of the Year intheir ranks, they remain the team to beat in Japan.

Coach Steve Hansen has challenged his players toembrace the pressure and it will take a momentous per-formance to prise the trophy from the likes of BeaudenBarrett, Brodie Retallick and Kieran Reid.

But some chinks in the armour have emerged. Theyrelinquished the Rugby Championship to South Africaafter being held 16-16 at home, and slumped to arecord defeat to the Wallabies after Scott Barrett’s con-troversial red card.

They also lost their long-term position as the world’snumber one team, first to Wales and then Ireland, andhead into the World Cup second in the rankings.

The Pool B clash between the All Blacks and theSpringboks promises to be the crunch match of theearly stages and could have a huge bearing on whoemerges victorious in Yokohama on November 2.

SPRINGBOKS: CAN HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?South Africa waited 12 years between their two

World Cup triumphs in 1995 and 2007 and are hopingthe pattern repeats itself in 2019. If Siya Kolisi, the firstblack player to captain the Springboks at a World Cup,lifts the Webb Ellis Cup, it would be an image to rivalthe famous picture of then skipper Francois Pienaarreceiving the trophy from Nelson Mandela.

Coming off the back of their first southern hemi-sphere title in 10 years, the Springboks will fancy theirchances and the advantage of having the All Blacks intheir pool is that they cannot face them again until thefinal. Coach Rassie Erasmus has been lauded for a“miraculous” turnaround in South Africa’s rugby for-tunes, only two years after suffering a 57-0 humiliationat the hands of arch-rivals New Zealand — the heaviestdefeat in the history of the Green and Gold.

“Rassie has taken us out of a dark space and put usin a good place,” said South African rugby boss MarkAlexander. How good a place only time will tell.

IRELAND: BREAKING THE Q-F CEILING? Desperate to overcome the jinx of never having won

a World Cup knock-out match, Ireland come into the

tournament ranked top after beating Wales home andaway in warm-up games. Much rests on the shouldersof current World Player of the Year Johnny Sexton, withthe 34-year-old playmaker suffering a drop in form inrecent months.

And the injuries that have blighted previous cam-paigns — an injury-ravaged squad lost 43-20 toArgentina in the 2015 quarter-final — already threatento strike again, especially in the back line.

Star centre Robbie Henshaw has a hamstring injurythat has ruled him out of Ireland’s critical first Pool Aencounter with Scotland, and they are also sweating onthe fitness of fullback Rob Kearney.

But Joe Schmidt’s Ireland have shown they can beatthe best, with two historic wins over the All Blacks —one on neutral territory in Chicago — and the will wantto give the departing coach a World Cup to add to histhree Six Nations titles.

ENGLAND: THE JONES EFFECT? Never has a host team failed to make the World Cup

quarter-finals. Yet that was the humiliating fate sufferedby England in 2015 and they will be desperate to makeamends in Japan.

Their not-so-secret weapon? Australian coachEddie Jones, who has extensive experience in Japanafter leading the Brave Blossoms, who memorably beatthe Springboks 34-32 in the 2015 World Cup’s “miracle

of Brighton”. This time around, England boast enviablefirepower up front with number eight Billy Vunipola andlock Maro Itoje capable of making significant linebreaks, and pace out wide with Jonny May and ElliotDaly. They have twin playmakers in Owen Farrell andGeorge Ford and come into the tournament with confi-dence high after destroying the Irish 57-15 atTwickenham.

But the canny Jones is taking nothing for granted.“Are we moving in the right direction? Yes. Are weready to win the World Cup now? No,” he said afterthe Ireland match.

WALES: CAN THE DRAGON ROAR? The proud rugby nation will be hoping to send talis-

manic skipper Alun Wyn Jones and Kiwi coach WarrenGatland out on a high after a run of 11 home wins from2017 that saw them briefly occupy the top of the worldrankings. But while Gatland has led Wales to threeGrand Slams, limited success against the southernhemisphere powerhouses — including 11 straight lossesagainst the All Blacks — has raised doubts about theirWorld Cup-winning pedigree. Injuries have alsoblighted Wales’ preparation, with influential numbereight Taulupe Faletau and in-form fly-half GarethAnscombe not making the plane to Japan, while assis-tant coach Rob Howley was sent home over an allegedbreach of betting regulations. —AFP

The big question: Who will win Rugby World Cup?

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe points at the Webb Ellis Trophy during a courtesy call by World Rugbyofficials as part of the Webb Ellis Trophy tour, at Abe’s official residence in Tokyo. —AFP

Thursday, September 19, 2019S p o r t s

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Judo federation bans Iran after fighter loses to avoid facing Israeli

PARIS: Iran has been suspended from internationaljudo for ordering a judoka to lose at the world champi-onships to avoid facing an Israeli, the International JudoFederation (IJF) said yesterday. Saeid Mollaei, whoentered last month’s event in Tokyo as the reigningworld champion in the -81kg class, said he was orderedto throw his semi-final rather than risk facing an Israeliin the final.

Mollaei lost to Belgian Matthias Casse who in turnlost to Sagi Muki of Israel in the final. “The allegedactions are serious enough to consider the applicationof a protective suspension,” the IJF said in a statement.

It explained that it had “strong reason to believe thatthe Iran Judo Federation will continue or repeatedlyengage in misconduct”. After finishing fifth in Tokyo lastmonth, Mollaei fled to Berlin. “I’ve had a German visaand I’m in Germany to stay away from the rumours,”Mollaei told the London-based Persian language chan-nel Iran International.

“God forbid something would happen to my family.But I serve my country and whatever medal I getbelongs to Iran, whether it’s under the Iran or IOC flag,”he added. “I feel sorry that maybe I won’t be able tocompete for Iran again. But I didn’t train this hard just

to put up this show of losing.” The Times of Israel quot-ed the Israeli coach as saying Mollaei’s family had beenthreatened. “From what we understand,” said MosheFonti. “Iranian intelligence officials came both to hishome in Iran and to the judo arena and warned him.”

The statement said the IJF “notes that similar actshave been observed in the past.” It gave as an exampleArash Miresmaeili, Iran’s flag bearer at the 2004 AthensOlympics and a favourite in the 66kg class. He wasdrawn to face Israeli Ehud Vaks in the first round butwas too heavy at the weigh in and was disqualifiedwithout fighting. Miresmaeili is now the head of Iran’sjudo federation.

There have been examples of Iranian athletes beingtold to lose to avoid facing Israeli opponents in othersports, most notably wrestler Alireza Karimi at theunder-23 World Championships in 2017. His coach wascaught yelling “Alireza you must lose, the Israeli won” ina video that went viral in 2017.

Karimi was suspended for six months for throwinghis bout, while his coach was banned for two years. TheIJF specifies that the Iranian Federation may appeal thisdecision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)within 21 days. —AFP

BAKU: File photo taken on September 23, 2018 Iran’s Saeid Mollaei jubilates after winning in the men under81kg category bout of the 2018 Judo World Championships in Baku. Iran was suspended from all competitions,administrative and social activities origanized by International Judo Federation and its Unions. — AFP

PARIS: Russia’s anti-doping agency chief yesterdaylaunched a scathing attack on Russian athletics boss-es ahead of this month’s world championships inDoha, accusing them of obstructing testing.

“I’m calling on all the federation’s directors toresign,” RUSADA director general Yuri Ganus toldFrance’s L’Equipe sports daily. Russia was barredfrom international competition in 2015 over a vaststate-run doping conspiracy.

While Russia’s anti-doping agency RUSADA isnow under new leadership, Ganus claims that the oldguard at the country’s athletics federation (RUSAF) ishindering progress in cleaning up the sport. “We(RUSADA) are cooperating with the IAAF, we areconducting investigations,” he told L’Equipe. “Thescale of the backlog is crazy. It’s the problem of thesystem, because there is proof of intervention from ahigher body.

“There are those who are against my work, forexample the Sports Minister (Pavel Kolobkov) hasdefended and continues to support (RUSAF chiefDmitry) Shlyakhtin at the head of the athletics’ feder-ation.” Since the initial ban, the InternationalAssociation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) hasrejected Russia’s efforts to be reinstated no fewerthan 11 times. The IAAF will consider the Russianfederation’s latest request when its top officials meetin Doha on Monday.

Despite the ban, athletes subsequently deemedclean have been allowed to compete as neutrals andif Russia is rejected for a 12th time then — just as atthe London 2017 world championships — Russianathletes who have met the criteria will be allowed totake part as so-called Authorised Neutral Athletes.

In June RUSAF was rocked by fresh allegations,with reports that Russian coaches suspended forinvolvement in doping were continuing to train ath-letes. British newspaper The Sunday Times ran a sto-ry alleging that RUSAF officials had fabricated docu-ments to show that Danil Lysenko, the 2017 world sil-ver high jump medallist, was too ill to provide hiswhereabouts after failing to make himself availablefor out-of-competition drug testing.—AFP

Russian anti-doping chief attacks his own athletics federation

‘Iranian intelligence officials came to his home in Iran and to the judo arena and warned him’

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cricket board remains hopeful ofgoing ahead with its tour of Pakistan but will await the finalall-clear from the defence ministry, an official said yesterday.Sri Lanka Cricket Secretary Mohan de Silva said he was sat-isfied with the security arrangements of their hosts, butreports last week of a possible terror attack had beenreferred to the defence ministry for investigation.

The Sri Lanka team was the target of an attack during aTest match in Pakistan’s Lahore in March 2009. Six SriLankan players were injured when gunmen attacked their bus.Six Pakistan policemen and two civilians were killed.

Since the attack, a majority of international teams haverefused to tour the South Asian country. Sri Lanka played oneT20 match against Pakistan at Lahore in October 2017. DeSilva told AFP: “Earlier last month I visited Pakistan alongwith our security consultant and we were satisfied with thearrangements.

“They have promised security reserved for a head ofstate.” The six-match tour, due to start on September 27, wasput on hold last week after Sri Lanka’s prime minister’s officewarned the board that it had unspecified information about apossible attack against its players.

Sri Lanka Cricket did not call off the tour, but insteadasked the government to reassess the security situation andmake a final determination about the fate of the tournament.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said it was not aware ofany information relating to the safety of the Sri Lankan team,but has reiterated its commitment to provide security.

Ten senior players have opted out of the tour citing secu-rity concerns. Sri Lanka has already announced two squadsfor the three One-Day Internationals and the three T20matches starting September 27. — AFP

S Lanka optimistic about saving Pakistan tour

SINGAPORE: Formula One world champion LewisHamilton can return Mercedes to the top of the podiumthis Sunday with an unprecedented fifth win around thefloodlit streets of Singapore. Winners of 10 of the sea-son’s 14 races so far, Mercedes suffered a double defeatin Belgium and Italy to Ferrari with the fast straights ofSpa-Francorchamps and Monza giving the Italian teama rare edge.

The Marina Bay layout, winding through the heart ofthe glittering city state, has more corners (23) than anycircuit, however, and should restore Mercedes’ statusas the team to beat after wins at similar venues likeMonaco and Hungary. “For a long time, Singapore usedto be one of our weakest tracks,” said Mercedes bossToto Wolff. “We’ve made some inroads into that andperformed well last year.

“However, there are no home runs at a track likeSingapore,” added the Austrian. “We take absolutelynothing for granted in our approach to the weekend.”

Hamilton, who leads team mate Valtteri Bottas by 63points with seven races left, is tied with Ferrari rivalSebastian Vettel for most Singapore wins.

The only drivers of the current crop to have tri-umphed in the city-state have each won four times.

Two of Hamilton’s wins have come in the last twoyears. Another victory on Sunday will see the five-timechampion secure his third in a row and hand Mercedestheir fourth successive Singapore success.

Ferrari, on a high after winning two races on the trotwith the second of those in front of their passionatehome fans in Monza, could face a reality check. Theirhopes could rest on the weather or a safety car, which

has made an appearance in every race Singapore hashosted since it joined the calendar in 2008.

Vettel who was involved in a multi-car start linecrash that cost him victory in 2017, will have to stay outof trouble. The German four-times champion was sanc-tioned after spinning out and rejoining the track in adangerous manner in Italy and is now only three penal-ty points away from a one-race ban.

“After two positive weekends in Belgium and Italy,the race in Singapore doesn’t look as good on paper forus,” said Monegasque Charles Leclerc, winner inBelgium and Italy. “It might be a more difficult weekend

for us, but we will give our all to have a good result.”Red Bull may be Mercedes’ closest challengers.

Singapore has tended to suit the team’s typically nimblechassis, with the former champions finishing second forthe last five years.

Max Verstappen, who battled Hamilton hard for vic-tory in Hungary and was runner-up to the Briton lastyear, will be eyeing Sunday as an opportunity to go onebetter. His rookie team mate Alexander Albon, who hasmade a strong start to his Red Bull career, will also aimto impress in the closest race the British-born Thai hasto a home appearance in Asia. —AFP

Hamilton hopes to shine under Singapore floodlights

MONZA: File photo shows winner Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc (L) celebrates next to thirdplaced Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (R) on the podium after the Italian Formula One Grand Prix atthe Autodromo Nazionale circuit in Monza on September 8, 2019. — AFP

NEW DELHI: Shafali Verma was not exactly trying tobe a rebel when she began training with the local boysin the north Indian city of Rohtak as a precocious 10-year-old. In a region where girls pursuing outdoorsports are often frowned on, it was more out of com-pulsion that she slugged it out with boys in her bid toplay cricket for India, a dream she shared with herfather Sanjeev.

Every outing meant new bruises from the bowlersbut the 15-year-old, who got her maiden India call-upfor this month’s Twenty20 series against South Africa,reckons it was probably a blessing in disguise.

“It was a struggle initially, playing against the boys,”short-haired Verma, who plays as a swashbucklingopener, told Reuters from Rohtak. “I often got hit in thehelmet. On a few occasions, they even smashed my hel-met grille. But there was no question of giving up.

“They never treated me with kid gloves because I’ma girl. And I always tried to give it back to them. Guessthat’s how I developed my hard-hitting batting style.”Verma’s power-hitting was her ticket to the Velocity

team in the Women’s T20 Challenge played alongsidethe Indian Premier League in May.

There she shared the dressing room with the likes ofEngland’s World Cup-winning all-rounder DanielleWyatt, who termed Verma as the next “superstar” ofIndian cricket. It also meant mixing with role model andVelocity skipper Mithali Raj, who has been the face ofwomen’s cricket in the country since her India debuttwo years before Verma was born.

Raj’s decision to quit T20 triggered Verma’s maidencall-up and many saw it as a passing of the baton.None of it would have been possible but for Sanjeev’sdogged determination for his daughter to play for India,despite living in Haryana, a state notorious for its malebias and skewed sex ratio.

ADAMANT DAD“I was lucky to have an upbringing that’s so different

from most girls of my age. Many scoffed at the idea of agirl playing an outdoor sport with boys, but dad wasadamant,” Verma said of her father, a jeweller.

“Despite the discouragement, dad gave me every-thing that he would give to my elder brother. “Evenafter I started playing, people said girls have no futurein cricket. But dad shielded me from any cynicism andasked me to focus on cricket only.”

It was, however, batting great Sachin Tendulkar’sarrival in Rohtak for his Ranji Trophy swansong thatreally planted the seed of ambition in Verma. She was

part of the sea of humanity that gathered at Bansi Lalstadium in 2013 to get a glimpse of the retiring maestro.

“So many people to watch a cricketer, I was justdumbstruck. I asked dad if it could happen to me andhe said ‘If you work hard, nothing is impossible.’ “I tookit to heart and have since been working hard.”

Verma, who trains at Rohtak’s Ram Narain CricketClub, has been chosen for the first three Twenty20s ofthe five-match series against South Africa, and theyoungster is determined to nail her place in the sidebefore flourishing across formats.

“I want to score a lot of runs and cement my place inthe Twenty20 team. I also want to play in ODIs,” shesaid. “I think I can play across formats without reallyoverhauling my technique.” — Reuters

Verma, the tomboy teen who could be India’s next superstar

Shafali Verma

TORONTO: Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue andScott Moir have announced their retirement from thesport after an illustrious career in which the duobecame the most decorated Olympic figure skaters ofall time. The pair, who became household names afterwinning a gold medal on home ice at the 2010Olympics, delivered the message late on Tuesday onboth of their Twitter accounts through a self-recordedvideo showing them skating around an empty rink.

“Hello everybody, we have some news for every-one, for our fans, people who have supported us, it’s alittle bit emotional so bear with us,” said Moir, 32.

“We didn’t know how to tell you, but I guess thebest way for us is just to go where we’re most com-fortable. “This is home for us ... we spent 22 years

coasting around the outside of the rink, hanging outtogether, making programs, trying to just soak up oursporting experience,” Moir continued before Virtuejumped in.

“After 22 years, it feels like the right time to stepaway from the sport,” Virtue, 30, said.

“This is so personal and emotional for both of us.We’re just so grateful. How lucky are we really that wegot to share all of this together and with all of you?”

When Virtue and Moir won gold in Vancouver itmarked a breakthrough for North American ice danceas the Canadian pair ended a streak of Europeandominance that had existed since the sport became anOlympic event in 1976.

They went on to earn a pair of silver medals at the

2014 Sochi Olympics and then won gold in bothevents four years later in Pyeongchang.

Their career also includes three world titles, mostrecently in 2017 when the victory capped an unde-feated season, and they went on to led Team Canadaas flag-bearers for the opening ceremony at thePyeongchang Games.

Virtue, who along with Moir, is preparing for aCanada-wide Rock the Rink Tour that runs from Oct.5-Nov. 23, said the future of Canadian ice dancing is abright one. “We’re in such good hands in Canada. Thenext generation of skaters is going to blaze new trails,break all of our records and we can’t wait to cheerthem on,” said Virtue. “And we’ll be there watching,”added Moir. — Reuters

Canadian ice dancers Virtue and Moir announce retirement

S p o r t s Thursday, September 19, 2019

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PARIS: Manchester United and last year’s finalistsArsenal headline an English trio that also featuresEuropa League newcomers Wolves while recordfive-time champions Sevilla figure to be among theprimary contenders as the group stage beginstoday. Scottish rivals Celtic and Rangers face test-ing paths to the knockout rounds as bitter foesRoma and Lazio bid to end Italy’s two-decade waitfor the title. Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoordare the other former European Cup winners in acompetition that will welcome the eight third-placefinishers from the Champions League groups forthe knockout phase.

United, Europa League winners in 2017, will hostAstana in Group L as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sideface opponents from Kazakhstan for the first time inclub history. They will expected to progress withrelative ease from a group that also includesPartizan Belgrade and former finalists AZ Alkmaarof the Netherlands. Unai Emery’s Arsenal return tothe competition after last season’s 4-1 defeat byChelsea in the final in Baku saw the Blues pip themto Champions League qualification.

The Gunners visit Eintracht Frankfurt to kick offtheir campaign, with 10-time Belgian championsStandard Liege and Portugal’s Vitoria Guimaraesalso in Group F. Wolves, in their first Europeancampaign since 1980, will meet Portuguese clubBraga in their opening game at Molineux.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s team came through threeties just to reach the group stage. They beat Torino5-3 on aggregate in the play-offs. “I think any teamin the Europa League are a good team who we willrespect going up against them. We will give every-thing, try to play and try to beat any team,” saidWolves winger Adama Traore.

“Any player wants to play in Europe, but theEuropa League is exciting, it is a new thing for usand it’s a good thing.”

Scottish champions Celtic travel to French Cupholders Rennes in Group E, with Italian Cup holdersLazio and CFR Cluj, the Romanian side to whomthey lost in Champions League qualifying, complet-ing a tricky section. Steven Gerrard’s Rangers are athome to Jaap Stam’s Feyenoord on Thursday andwill do well to navigate a group with Porto andSwiss champions Young Boys.

Roma will take on Istanbul Basaksehir in theirfirst game while Moenchengladbach host Austria’sWolfsberg — not to be confused with German out-fit Wolfsburg. Austria boast two representativeswith LASK Linz among the six debutants — along-side Espanyol, Wolves, Wolfsberg, Olexandriya andFerencvaros — in the tournament.

UEFA will distribute 560 million euros to clubscompeting in this season’s Europa League, just overa quarter of the 1.95 billion euros allocated to thoseparticipating in the Champions League.

Each of the 48 clubs in the group stage willreceive a base of 2.92 million euros, with lifting thetrophy worth just under 18 million euros in basicprize money. Teams will net 570,000 euros per winand 190,000 for a draw with additional revenuecoming through television markets and moneydepending on each team’s UEFA ranking.

By comparison, the Champions League winnersstand to take home around 75 million euros beforeconsiderable sums are tacked based on the marketpool and coefficient ranking. The final will be held inthe Polish city of Gdansk on May 27, 2020. — AFP

Man Utd, Arsenal carry English hopes in Europa League

Penalty drama as holders Liverpool, Chelsea lose Champions League openers

PARIS: Holders Liverpool began their defence of theChampions League trophy with a defeat against Napolion Tuesday, while one missed spot-kick condemnedChelsea to defeat against Valencia and another came toBarcelona’s rescue.

Liverpool survived a 1-0 defeat in Naples in thegroup stage last season to go on and win their sixthEuropean Cup, and this time a 2-0 reverse at the SanPaolo made them the first reigning champions to losetheir opening game in the competition since 1994.

Both sides had chances in the Group E clash beforethe hosts won a late penalty with barely 10 minutesremaining when Jose Callejon went down under anAndy Robertson challenge.

Dries Mertens beat Adrian from 12 yards and substi-tute Fernando Llorente — who played for TottenhamHotspur against Liverpool in last season’s final — thentook advantage of a rare defensive lapse by Virgil vanDijk to make it 2-0 in stoppage time.

“I don’t think it’s a penalty. What can I say, for me, itis clear and obvious no penalty,” Liverpool boss JurgenKlopp said of the spot-kick to BT Sport. “We played alot of good football but didn’t finish it off.”

Liverpool must now bounce back in two weeks whenthey host Austrian champions Salzburg, who made astunning return to the group stage as teenage forwardErling Braut Haaland netted a hat-trick in a 6-2 demoli-tion of Genk. Salzburg had fallen in the qualifyingrounds in the last seven campaigns but finally pro-gressed this season to the group stage for the first timesince 1994-95. Haaland, the teenage English-bornNorwegian striker whose father Alf-Inge played forManchester City, gave Salzburg a second-minute leadand netted twice more before half-time.

Aged just 19 years and 58 days, Haaland is the third-youngest player to score a Champions League hat-trickbehind Wayne Rooney and Raul, according to sports

statisticians Opta. The South Korean Hwang Hee-Chanand Dominik Szoboszlai also struck before the breakfor Salzburg, while captain Andreas Ulmer completedthe rout in the second half.

Jhon Lucumi and Tanzanian striker Mbwana Samattascored for the Belgian champions. Last season’s EuropaLeague winners Chelsea ensured it was two defeats outof two on the night for English sides as they lost 1-0 athome to Valencia.

The Spaniards scored in the 74th minute when aDani Parejo free-kick was converted by RodrigoMoreno. Chelsea were given a chance to rescue a drawwhen Daniel Wass was penalised for handball in thebox, but Ross Barkley’s 87th-minute penalty hit the barand went over.

“It’s a harsh lesson of Champions League football, agame we’ve played pretty well in and we lose it,” saidChelsea boss Frank Lampard. “The good thing is wehave five more games to turn it around.”

AJAX IMPRESS Also in Group H, last season’s semi-finalists Ajax

claimed an impressive 3-0 home win over Lille with twoof their newest signings among the goals.

Quincy Promes headed the Dutch champions in frontand the Mexican Edson Alvarez doubled their lead ear-ly in the second half before Nicolas Tagliafico sealedthe win. After a patchy start to the season, Barcelonawill be relieved to escape from their trip to BorussiaDortmund with a 0-0 draw as Lionel Messi returnedfrom injury as a second-half substitute.

The home side will feel they should have won, butMarco Reus had a second-half penalty saved beforeJulian Brandt hit the bar late on. “We played brilliantlyin the second half, and it feels a bit like we have lost twopoints,” Dortmund defender Mats Hummels told Sky.

Those two appear well placed already to progress

from Group F after Inter Milan needed a stoppage-timeNicolo Barella goal to rescue a 1-1 draw against rankoutsiders Slavia Prague.

Nigerian forward Peter Olayinka put Slavia ahead inthe 63rd minute, only for Barella to level in the secondminute of stoppage time after a Stefano Sensi free-kick

hit the bar. In Group G, RB Leipzig won 2-1 at Benficawith Timo Werner bagging a brace before HarisSeferovic pulled one back. Earlier, Memphis Depay’spenalty gave Lyon a 1-1 draw at home to Zenit Saint-Petersburg after Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun openedthe scoring. —AFP

NAPLES: Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (C) fails to score past Napoli’s Italian goalkeeperAlex Meret (Bottom) as Napoli’s Greek defender Konstantinos Manolas (L) looks on during the UEFAChampions League Group E football match Napoli vs Liverpool. —AFP

Ajax claim impressive 3-0 home win over Lille with their newest signings among the goals

DORTMUND: Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverdesaid his team had goalkeeper Marc-Andre terStegen to thank after they escaped with a 0-0draw at Borussia Dortmund in their ChampionsLeague opener on Tuesday.

“The team overcame a bad moment today, main-ly thanks to Ter Stegen,” said Valverde after watch-ing his side survive a second-half onslaught fromDortmund.

In a game in which Lionel Messi made his returnfrom injury, it was Ter Stegen who shone forBarcelona. The German ‘keeper saved a penaltyfrom Dortmund captain Marco Reus and repeated-ly frustrated the hosts as his own side struggled.

“It was a difficult game today and I think theresult is fair considering what happened,” TerStegen told Sky, and commiserated with Germanyteammate Reus. “Marco played really well today,and really hurt us,” said Ter Stegen.

Dortmund and their captain, however, were leftto rue several missed chances. Reus said he felt“rubbish” after his missed penalty and insisted thatDortmund should have won the game. “We had fouror five chances, and if we had taken one of them,we would have won,” he told Sky.

“We said after the draw that we wanted to qual-ify for the knockout stages. If we continue to playlike we did today then there shouldn’t be a prob-lem.” “We played brilliantly in the second half, andit feels a bit l ike we have lost two points,”Dortmund defender Mats Hummels told Sky. LucienFavre’s side delivered on their pre-match promiseto play fearlessly against five-time European cham-pions Barcelona, probing the visitors from thewings and repeatedly finding gaps in the back line.

Reus was denied at point-blank range by TerStegen and Jadon Sancho fired the ball over thecrossbar shortly before half-time. The hosts contin-ued to turn the screw after the break, and wererewarded with a penalty when Nelson Semedotripped Sancho in the box.

Yet Ter Stegen denied countryman Reus againfrom 12 yards, diving low to his left to beat away hisinternational teammate’s spot-kick. The Barcelona‘keeper has now saved four of the six penalties hehas faced in the Champions League, and was calledupon to stop Reus once more later in the half asDortmund continued to dominate.

A luckless Reus also fired another good chancewell over, while substitute Julian Brandt thundereda long-range effort against the crossbar. By thatpoint, Messi, who has been out for weeks with acalf injury, had come off the bench to make his firstappearance of the season

The 32-year-old came on around the hour markfor Ansu Fati, the 16-year-old prodigy freshlycrowned as Barcelona’s youngest ever ChampionsLeague debutant.

Yet he remained as blunt as his teammates in aBarcelona attack stifled by the impeccable defend-ing of Dortmund elder statesmen Hummels andAxel Witsel. The Argentine nonetheless had achance to score the winner with the last kick of thegame, but was denied by a desperate block fromThomas Delaney. The draw leaves all four teams inGroup F level on one point, after Inter Milan andSlavia Prague played out a 1-1 draw earlier onTuesday. — AFP

Ter Stegen the heroas Dortmund ruemissed chancesagainst Barca

KASHIMA: Kashima’s midfielder Leo Silva (L) fights for the ball with Guangzhou’s midfielder Zheng Zhi (R) dur-ing the AFC Champions League quarter-finals second leg football match between Kashima Antlers of Japanand Guangzhou Evergrande of China at the Kashima Stadium in Kashima, Ibaraki prefecture yesterday. — AFP

KASHIMA: World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro moved astep closer to AFC Champions League glory as hisGuangzhou Evergrande side stunned Asian championsKashima Antlers yesterday on away goals to reach thesemi-finals.

The Chinese giants, who won the competition in 2013and 2015, go through after drawing 1-1 in Japan followinga goalless stalemate in Guangzhou three weeks ago.Cannavaro, who lifted the 2006 World Cup as Italy’s cap-tain, will be thanking his goalkeeper Zeng Cheng, whopulled off a string of world-class saves to keep his side inthe match after they grabbed the crucial away goal beforehalf-time. A cagey start and mostly tepid first half from thetwo renowned attacking sides sparked into life whenTalisca put the visitors ahead in the 40th minute.

The bleach-blond Brazilian midfielder rose highest tomeet Huang Bowen’s corner on the right and head homeunstoppably from close range.

Lacklustre Kashima had won their last six home gamesin the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League,keeping three clean sheets, and the goal served to wakethe Japanese giants. They laid siege to the Guangzhou goalafter half-time and it took just six minutes of the secondperiod to equalise. Leo Silva’s speculative shot was

deflected past the unlucky Zeng off another Brazilian,Serginho, who was credited with the goal.

Kashima needed to score again to keep their titledefence alive and coach Go Oiwa threw on his dualattacking threat of Yuki Soma and Ayase Ueda with 20minutes to go as he went all out in search of the winner.

It almost paid off immediately as Oeda started a smoothpassing move that culminated in Serginho rattling thecrossbar with a superb 20-yard left-foot curler that hadZeng for once stranded. Kashima kept pressing andGuangzhou and Zeng desperately kept them at bay until adramatic fourth and final minute of added time.

With just 10 seconds remaining Leo Silva danced intothe box on the left flank, cut back towards the penalty spotand beat Zeng with a right-foot shot only to see it blockedon the line by a sprawling defender.

It was hacked clear as the referee blew for full-time andthe Guangzhou players to man collapsed to the turf inrelief and a large contingent of travelling fans from thesouthern Chinese city danced in the stands. They gothrough to a semi-final against fellow two-time championsUrawa Red Diamonds from Japan next month, with thewinners meeting either Al Sadd from Qatar or SaudiArabia’s Al Hilal in November’s two-legged final.—AFP

Cannavaro’s Guangzhou end Kashima’sreign as Asian champions

MILAN: Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte insisted he wasto blame for misjudging opponents Slavia Prague after theChinese-owned club rescued a disappointing 1-1 draw intheir Champions League opener against the Czech out-siders on Tuesday.

Substitute Nicolo Barella scored eight minutes intostoppage time in the San Siro after Nigerian forward PeterOlayinka put the Czech club ahead in the 63rd minute.

“Slavia Prague attacked us with intensity and showed aruthless streak,” said Conte. “We didn’t do well in terms offinding the right solutions and struggled too much.” It wasa draw that had the taste of defeat as the Italian team left

the pitch heads bowed. “A point or zero, today is the samething, my feeling must be the feeling of the players,” saidConte. “There must be no player who goes home happy.You have to go home, thinking about what to do to avoidthis kind of performance.” Slavia Prague are top of GroupF ahead of Inter followed by heavyweights Barcelona andBorussia Dortmund who settled for a goalless drew inGermany.

“This isn’t the kind of football we want to play and whywe train,” continued Conte. “I’m the one who’s primarilyresponsible, for selections made and obviously I didn’tmake the lads understand what I wanted from them wellenough.” Olayinka, who has previously played in Albaniaand Belgium, pounced after Inter goalkeeper SamirHandanovic had saved from Jaroslav Zeleny.

However, Inter equalised when a Stefano Sensi free-kick rattled off the bar and the ball came out to Barella,whose shot found the net with the aid of a deflection.Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar then made a fine reactionsave from a Romelu Lukaku header in the 97th minute, anda draw was the least the visitors deserved.— AFP

Conte’s Intershocked by ‘ruthless’Slavia Prague

SportBag of nerves: Japan’s Leitch tense before World Cup opener

Judo federation bans Iran after fighter loses to avoid facing Israeli

Guangzhou end Kashima’s reign as Asian champions2725 26

Established 1961

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

MINNEAPOLIS: Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Minnesota Twins hits a two-run single against the Chicago White Sox during the twelfth inning of the game at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the White Sox 9-8 intwelve innings. — AFP

MINNEAPOLIS: Ronald Torreyes was hit by a pitch withthe bases loaded in the 12th inning to drive in the winningrun, and Miguel Sano hit his 30th home run of the seasonto lead the Minnesota Twins to a record-setting 9-8 vic-tory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday inMinneapolis. Torreyes was struck on his right forearm bya 1-1 pitch by Jose Ruiz (1-4), the sixth Minnesota batterto reach base in the inning. Gonzalez, who finished 3-for-6, had tied the game earlier in the inning with a two-runsingle. Ryan LaMarre also homered on a night when theTwins became the first team in baseball history to havefive players hit 30 home runs in a season. Sano joinedNelson Cruz (37), Max Kepler (36), Eddie Rosario (31)and Mitch Garver (30) in the 30-homer club with a 482-foot drive into the third deck in left-center. Tim Andersonhomered and had four hits, Eloy Jimenez had three hits,and Ryan Cordell, Zack Collins and Adam Engel alsohomered for Chicago, which lost its fourth straight game,three of them in walk-off fashion.

GIANTS 7, RED SOX 6 (15 INNINGS)Pinch hitter Alex Dickerson lofted a sacrifice fly in the

top of the 15th inning to send San Francisco past hostBoston. Dickerson’s fly ball decided a game that featured amajor-league-record-tying 24 pitchers used between thetwo clubs. Dereck Rodriguez (6-9), the 13th pitcher for theGiants, earned the win, pitching a scoreless 14th inning andthen working around a walk and a single in the 15th. TheGiants tied the major league record for most pitchers usedin a game, matching the number the Colorado Rockiesused in a 16-inning win over the Los Angeles Dodgers onSept. 15, 2015. That same Rockies-Dodgers game also seta record for most overall pitchers used, 24, which Bostonand San Francisco matched as well.

ASTROS 4, RANGERS 1Justin Verlander worked six shutout innings to earn his

19th win, and Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez hit back-to-back home runs as host Houston inched closer tosecuring a postseason berth with a victory over Texas.Verlander (19-6) allowed four hits and two walks whilerecording eight strikeouts. He improved his season strike-out total to 283, seven shy of his single-season high set lastyear, while bumping his career mark to 2,989 strikeouts.Verlander could soon become the 18th pitcher in historywith 3,000 K’s. The Astros kept pace with the New YorkYankees for the best record in the majors, each with 99wins. Houston can clinch a third consecutive postseasonbid with a win Wednesday against Texas.

YANKEES 8, ANGELS 0Luis Severino pitched four innings in his season debut,

and Gleyber Torres highlighted a six-run fourth with athree-run homer as New York began its final homestandwith a shutout victory over Los Angeles. The Yankees low-ered their magic number to clinch their first AL East titlesince 2012 to one. Severino allowed two singles while fac-ing 15 hitters after missing New York’s first 151 games dueto right rotator cuff inflammation. He struck out four,walked two and threw 47 of 67 pitches for strikes.

NATIONALS 6, CARDINALS 2Howie Kendrick had a home run among his three hits,

Patrick Corbin pitched six strong innings, and visitingWashington defeated St. Louis. Kendrick also had a triple,a single and a walk, and Victor Robles added two RBI sin-gles for the Nationals, who improved to 7-9 in September.Corbin (13-7) allowed two runs, both unearned, on fivehits. He struck out 11 and walked four. After FernandoRodney threw a shutout inning, Daniel Hudson pitched twoscoreless innings for his fourth save.

BREWERS 3, PADRES 1Mike Moustakas hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh

inning as Milwaukee beat visiting San Diego for its 11thwin in 12 games. After the Cubs lost to the Cincinnati Redslater Tuesday, Milwaukee is now tied with Chicago in therace for the NL’s second wild-card spot with both teamstwo games back of the first-place St. Louis Cardinals inthe NL Central. The Padres have lost six straight. BrandonWoodruff, making his first big league appearance since hesustained a left oblique injury July 21, started for theBrewers and struck out four over two hitless innings. MattAlbers (8-5) earned the win despite allowing HunterRenfroe’s game-tying homer in the top of the seventh.

REDS 4, CUBS 2Sonny Gray pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, and rookie

Aristides Aquino smacked a two-run home run to help vis-iting Cincinnati snap Chicago’s five-game winning streak.Gray (11-7) limited the Cubs to two runs and four hits withthree walks and nine strikeouts. Raisel Iglesias struck outtwo in a perfect ninth inning for his 32nd save. Yu Darvish(6-7) yielded four runs on six hits in seven innings withone walk and 13 strikeouts, giving him 27 strikeouts overhis past two starts covering 13 innings. Darvish struck outeight successive batters from the second through fourthinnings, a single-game franchise record.

DODGERS 7, RAYS 5Corey Seager hit a pair of two-run doubles, including

the go-ahead hit in the seventh inning, as Los Angeles puttogether a victory over visiting Tampa Bay, whose wild-card advantage narrowed to one-half game overCleveland. Seager hit a ground-rule double to score a pairof runs in the fifth inning and hit a ball into left-center tobring home the first two runs in a five-run seventh. He has18 RBIs in his past 13 games. The Dodgers won while mak-ing a late change to their pitching plan. Ross Stripling wasscheduled to start but came on in the fourth instead topitch two innings as Los Angeles worked on a strategy itmight use in the playoffs. Kenta Maeda (10-8) earned thevictory, and Kenley Jansen got the last four outs for his30th save.

PHILLIES 5, BRAVES 4Journeyman Jose Pirela’s first homer of the season

capped a five-run fourth inning and helped Philadelphiawin at Atlanta. The Phillies trailed 2-0 before eruptingagainst Dallas Keuchel in the fourth. Rhys Hoskins startedit with a two-run, opposite-field homer, his 29th. Cesar

Hernandez added an RBI groundout, and Pirela followedwith a two-run shot. Leading 5-3, Philadelphia withstood aninth-inning rally. Hector Neris gave up a leadoff homer toAdam Duvall, and Atlanta got the tying run to third basewhen Ronald Acuna Jr. walked, stole second and went tothird on a groundout. However, Neris struck out JoshDonaldson and retired Nick Markakis on a pop fly to earnhis 27th save.

METS 6, ROCKIES 1Rookie Pete Alonso hit his majors-leading 48th home

run, one of three home runs New York hit in the sixthinning in defeating Colorado in Denver. Amed Rosarioand Brandon Nimmo also went deep to help the Mets enda two-game skid and pull to within four games of thesecond NL wild-card spot, currently shared by Chicagoand Milwaukee. Marcus Stroman (9-13) tossed sevenshutout innings, allowing just four hits and a walk whilefanning seven. Rosario and Alonso had two hits and twoRBIs apiece.

A’S 2, ROYALS 1Matt Olson ignited a two-run seventh inning with a

home run, and Seth Brown broke a tie with an RBI doubletwo batters later as host Oakland rallied past Kansas City.Brown finished with a single and a double for the A’s, whohave won seven of eight and lead the race for the first

American League wild card by two games over the Rays.Rookie A.J. Puk (2-0) got the win after pitching two score-less innings. Joakim Soria and Liam Hendriks (23rd save)retired all six Royals they faced, striking out four, to pre-serve the lead over the final two innings.

INDIANS 7, TIGERS 2Rookie Oscar Mercado belted a solo homer to highlight

his fourth straight multi-hit performance as host Clevelandcontinued its mastery of Detroit. Jordan Luplow andRoberto Perez each drove in a pair of runs, and Yasiel Puigadded an RBI single for the Indians, who defeated Detroitfor the 15th straight time and the 16th time in 17 meetingsthis season. Adam Plutko (7-4) allowed two runs on fourhits in six innings. He fanned six while walking one.

BLUE JAYS 8, ORIOLES 5Justin Smoak hit a tiebreaking homer to lead off the top

of the ninth inning, and Cavan Biggio later completed hiscycle with a two-run triple that helped Toronto defeat hostBaltimore. Mychal Givens (2-6) came on to pitch for theOrioles in the ninth, and Smoak belted his homer to righton the second pitch. Biggio tripled with two outs to drivein two more and give the Jays a 7-4 lead. Toronto scoredfour overall in the ninth. Biggio became the first Torontoplayer to hit for the cycle since 2001, finishing 4-for-5 withfour RBIs and three runs.—AFP

Twins make homer history in wild winBrewers beat Padres for 11th win in 12 games

CHANDIGARH: An unbeaten half-century fromskipper Virat Kohli and disciplined bowling helpedIndia beat South Africa by seven wickets in the sec-ond Twenty20 international yesterday. Kohli made 72off 52 balls as India chased down their target of 150in 19 overs in Chandigarh to lead the three-matchseries 1-0 after the opening game was washed out.

But it was the bowlers led by paceman DeepakChahar, who set up the win after restricting SouthAfrica to 149 for five in their innings. “Bowlersshowed lot of character. The pitch was very goodand they got off to a good start so it was an out-standing effort from the bowlers,” man of the matchKohli said after the win.

“As long as they (youngsters) show character indifficult situations, they are going to present a strongcase for themselves in the future.” Kohli thenanchored the chase, putting on crucial partnershipsincluding a 61-run second-wicket stand with openerShikhar Dhawan, who made 40 off 31 deliveries.

The left-handed Dhawan fell to a spectacularcatch by an airborne David Miller at long-on withleft arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi getting the break-through. Debutant spinner Bjorn Fortuin struck soonto get wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant back inthe pavilion for four as India slipped to 104 for three.

But Kohli, who went on to complete his 22nd T20fifty in 71 games, stood firm to see the team homewith Shreyas Iyer, on 16 as he hit the winning four, atthe other end. Kohli moved regained his status as thehighest run-getter in T20 internationals with 2,441runs. He is locked in a battle with teammate RohitSharma, who was out for 12 and has 2,434 runs from97 matches.

Earlier, South Africa skipper Quinton de Kocksmashed 52 off 37 deliveries to give his team a briskstart before the Indian bowlers struck back. De Kock,a wicketkeeper-batsman, put on a crucial 57-runsecond-wicket stand with debutant Temba Bavuma.

The left-handed opener, who was recentlyappointed leader of South Africa’s T20 side, smashedeight fours as he completed his third fifty in theshortest format.

Paceman Navdeep Saini got the prized wicket ofDe Kock with Kohli taking a sensational one-handedrunning catch from mid-off. Bavuma went on to make49 off 43 deliveries before becoming Chahar’s sec-ond victim as South Africa lost steam in the middleovers.—AFP

Kohli, bowlers star in India’s T20 win over South Africa