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— Reuters Singapore blogger seeking US asylum THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn.
163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.net Website: www.kuwaittimes.net All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers.
Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein.
Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions.
Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait.
The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
A N A L Y S I S SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017 Focus By Lisa Richwine and Jill Serjeant Celebrities seek posthumous protections T uesday’s death of actor Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in “Star Wars,” set off waves of remembrance among fans - but also speculation over her character’s return in yet-to-be-filmed episodes. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Filmmakers are tapping advances in digital technology to resurrect characters after a performer dies, most notably in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” The film, in theaters now, features the return of Grand Moff Tarkin, originally played by a long-dead actor.
The trend has sent Hollywood actors in the here- and-now scrambling to exert control over how their characters and images are portrayed in the hereafter. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
“Celebrities are increasingly involved in making plans to protect their intellectual property rights,” said Mark Roesler, an attorney and chairman of CMG Worldwide, an agency representing celebrity estates.
“They under- stand that their legacy will continue beyond their life- time.” Roesler said at least 25 of his clients are engaged in actively negotiating the use of their or their loved ones’ computer-generated images in movies, television or commercials. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Employment contracts govern how they can be used in a particular film or commercial, while a performer’s will can address broader issues.
Some actors or heirs worry that overexposure will tar- nish a celebrity’s image, Roesler said.
Some explicitly rule out posthumous depictions involving sex or vio- lence, while others focus on drugs or alcohol.
“We have seen people address marijuana,” he said. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
“We have seen people address marijuana,” he said.
“We’ve seen liquor addressed.” California law already gives heirs control over actors’ posthumous profits by requiring their permission for any of use of their like- ness.
As technology has improved, many living actors there are more focused on steering their legacy with stipulations on how their images are used - or by for- bidding their use. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Robin Williams, who committed suicide in 2014, banned any use of his image for commercial means until 2039, according to court documents.
He also blocked anyone from digitally inserting him into a movie or TV scene or using a hologram, as was done with rapper Tupac Shakur at Southern California’s Coachella music festival in 2012 - 16 years after his mur- der. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Virtual characters have been used when an actor dies in the middle of a film production, as when Universal Pictures combined CGI and previous footage for Paul Walker’s role in 2015’s “Furious 7” after Walker’s 2013 death in a car crash.
But “Rogue One” broke new ground by giving a sig- nificant supporting role to a dead star.
A digital embod- iment of British actor Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, reprised his role from the original 1997 “Star Wars” film as Tarkin. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Walt Disney Co recreated Tarkin with a mix of visual effects and a different actor.
A Disney spokes- woman declined to comment on whether Princess Leia would appear in films beyond “Episode VIII,” set for release in 2017.
Fisher had wrapped filming for the next “Star Wars” episode before she died.
She suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
Fisher had been expected to play a key role in the ninth installment of the sci-fi saga, due for release in 2019. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Fisher’s attorney, Frederick Bimbler, did not return requests for information on any stipulations the actress may have made about use of her image.
Disney bought “Star Wars” producer Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion.
The two new films since released have sold some $2.7 billion worth of tickets and boost- ed sales of toys and other related merchandise. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Disney would need to negotiate “re-use fees” with Fisher’s estate to resurrect her character for future films, said Mark Litwak, an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles.
The rights of actors’ heirs are rooted in a 1985 California law requiring filmmakers to obtain permis- sion from a celebrity’s estate to use his or her image after death.
The law was enacted after a campaign by the son of Dracula actor Bela Lugosi, a lawyer who objected to widespread use of his late father’s image. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
With today’s movie technology opening up so many possible scenarios, actors’ union SAG-AFTRA is lobbying for all states to enact protections on the use of celebrity images after they die.
Minnesota began considering such legislation this year following the death of music legend Prince, who was from Minneapolis.
“The issue for us is straightfor- ward and clear: The use of performers’ work in this man- ner has obvious economic value and should be treated accordingly,” a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Celebrity deaths often spur big increases in sales of music and movies.
— Reuters Tr Washington Watch Dr James J Zogby S ecretary of State John Kerry’s valedictory speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unleashed a firestorm of criticism from the very same folks who had just fin- ished hyperventilating over the US abstention on a Security Council resolution a few days earlier.
The speech, itself, was divided into three parts. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
The speech, itself, was divided into three parts.
Kerry opened with an accounting of all that the Obama Administration had done for Israel in the past eight years.
And he closed with a list of principles he said should serve as the basis for a future Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The largest part, the middle, was a passionate indictment of Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem-the most comprehensive critique ever given by an American political leader. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
During the past 50 years, successive US Administrations have done their best to avoid public criticism of Israel.
There have been momentary outbursts of displeasure.
But, for the most part, when US officials wanted to challenge Israel’s behavior, they prodded, cajoled, pleaded their case, or resorted to offering “incentives”.
They have never “taken Israel to the wood shed”.
That’s what Kerry did and that was what prompted the reaction. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered the political equivalent of tantrum even before Kerry finished his remarks.
President-elect Donald Trump tweeted his displeasure.
And Members of Congress, from both parties, rushed to issue statements pledging their full support for Israel and its leader, while roundly criticizing their own Secretary of State.
Why the hysteria? | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Why the hysteria?
As Kerry, himself acknowledged, the speech was not going to change realities on the ground nor would it force the Israelis to alter their behavior.
And, as Donald Trump tweeted, with only a few weeks left before the end of the Obama Administration, it is clear that Israel is not going to pay a price in terms of its relationship with Washington.
None of these reactions, of course, paid any attention to the opening or closing parts of Kerry’s speech. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Israel and its supporters have made a habit of treating as their due the aid and support they have received from the Obama Administration.
And, as for the “Kerry Principles”, they were bound to be ignored, since everyone knows what they are but see no possibility that they will be realized.
What set off the firestorm was that Kerry dared to pub- licly and forcefully criticize Israeli policy.
And that was what the overreaction intended to snuff out. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
The standard Israeli approach used in situations of this sort is to launch a cam- paign of intimidation designed to pummel the offender into submission and to discourage others from taking simi- lar course.
I remember back in 2003, in the lead up to the 2004 presidential primaries, then Senator Kerry addressed our Arab American Institute national conference poignant- ly describing the daily hardships faced by Palestinians under occupation. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
He concluded his remarks by condemn- ing the “separation wall” that Israel was constructing in the West Bank, calling it “a barrier to peace”.
For weeks, Kerry was pummeled by pro-Israeli activists and donors until he finally relented and apologized for his remarks.
Much the same happened with Justice Richard Goldstone, one of the co-authors of the United Nations report on Israeli violations of human rights and interna- tional law in its 2008/9 onslaught of Gaza. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
I met the man and heard him describe how painful it had been for him to see what Israel had done and then feel compelled to con- demn their behavior.
The response from Israel and Congress was intense and unrelenting.
Most critics denounced “Goldstone” without even reading the report.
Facts didn’t matter, snuffing out criticism and making the critic pay a price did. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
After being shamefully battered and even denied entry to Israel to visit his family, Justice Goldstone relented and wrote a Washington Post oped apologizing for some of the language he had used to describe Israeli behavior.
At that point Israel announced victory and called off the attack.
This past summer, my colleagues and I went through somewhat the same experience after being appointed by Bernie Sanders to serve on the Democratic Party platform drafting committee. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
There was an effort to discredit and silence us even before the platform deliberations began.
They didn’t need to turn the heat up too high because the Clinton campaign made it clear that they would brook no criticism of Israel in the document.
As a result, our efforts to add the words “occupation” and “settlements” were in vain. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
And now comes Kerry’s State Department speech in which he didn’t just criticize Israel’s occupation and settle- ment policy, he also demolished the arguments Israelis use to defend their actions.
At the same time, he provided a tutorial on the damage done to peace by settlements.
Kerry’s speech will not change Israeli policy.
And with Trump in the Oval Office three weeks, the speech most cer- tainly will not affect a change in US policy. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
But what Kerry has done, if he doesn’t relent, is shatter the taboo that has sheltered Israel from official criticism, while laying out the arguments needed to rebut Israeli efforts to justify their policies.
To some, especially Palestinians, this may seem like “too little, too late”.
But as someone who has been a part of the effort to create an American debate on Israeli policies, Kerry’s intervention is both welcome, validating, and empowering. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
He laid down markers that should help liber- als and progressives define a policy agenda on the Israel- Palestine conflict-exactly what we need as we enter the challenges of the Trump era. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
— Dr James J Zogby is president, Arab American Institute What John Kerry did By Josh Lederman M oscow is hoping Donald Trump will reconsider the sanctions the US is levying in response to its finding of election hacking, a wait-and-see strategy bolstered by the American presi- dent-elect’s own approving words for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin has essentially put relations with the US on hold until Trump replaces President Barack Obama on Jan. 20. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Though his foreign minister encouraged him to slap back at Washington for the sanctions imposed by Obama, Putin decided that Russia wouldn’t immediately retaliate.
“Great move on delay (by V. Putin),” Trump wrote Friday on Twitter.
“I always knew he was very smart!” Praise for a long- time adversary at odds with a sitting American president is remarkable for a president-elect - and the latest signal that US-Russia relations, among other policies, could be getting a makeover from Trump. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Whether he steers the US toward or away from Russia is shaping up as the first major test of his foreign policy disposition and his willingness to buck fellow Republicans, who for years have argued Obama wasn’t being tough enough on Russia.
In response to the election hacking he blames on Russia, Obama ordered sanc- tions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplo- mats the US said were really spies. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Brushing off Obama, Putin said Russia would plan steps to restore US ties “based on the policies that will be carried out by the administration of President D. Trump.” Not only would Russia not kick Americans out, Putin said, he was inviting the kids of all US diplomats to the Kremlin’s New Year’s and Christmas parties.
“At this point, they’re trolling Obama,” said Olga Oliker, who directs the Russia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
The Obama administration said it had seen Putin’s remarks but had nothing more to say.
Russia denies the US intelli- gence community’s assessment that in an attempt to help Trump win the presidency, Moscow orchestrated cyber breaches in which tens of thousands of Democrats’ emails were stolen and later made public.
Trump, too, has refused to accept that con- clusion and insisted the country should just “move on,” though he has agreed to meet next week with intelligence leaders to learn more. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Notably, after the US on Thursday issued a report it said exposed Russia’s cyber tactics, Putin’s aides didn’t offer any specific rebuttal.
The report included detailed technical information like IP addresses and samples of malware code the US said Russia uses.
One utility compa- ny, Burlington Electric Department in Vermont, reported Friday that it had detected the malware on a company lap- top that was not connected to its grid sys- tems. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Burlington said, “We took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted fed- eral officials of this finding.” There’s little certainty about how Trump will actually act on Russia as president.
Though he’s praised Putin as a strong leader and said it would be ideal for the two countries to stop fighting, he also sug- gested this month the US might mount a new nuclear arms race, triggering fresh anxieties about a return to Cold War-style tensions. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Ambassador Michael McFaul, Obama’s former envoy to Russia, said while Trump has defined his top objective as “getting along with the Kremlin,” Putin has higher goals, including the lifting of eco- nomic sanctions and, ideally, US recogni- tion of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
“Obviously, Putin’s not responding because he’s waiting for Jan. 20,” McFaul said in an interview. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
“He’s got these much more important objectives to him than get- ting into a tit-for-tat response with the out- going administration.” Trump’s warm out- reach to Putin, combined with picks for sec- retary of state and national security adviser who are seen as friendly to Russia, have left hawkish Republicans with a particularly unpleasant choice: look hypocritical for backtracking on their own tough talk, or risk a public rift with their party’s new presi- dent. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
In the House, many Republicans who have long called for tougher sanctions have been silent or vague about Obama’s penalties and Trump’s positions.
But a handful of GOP senators have shown they have no intentions of letting up pressure on the Kremlin.
“We intend to lead the effort in the new Congress to impose stronger sanctions on Russia,” Republican Sens.
John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a statement. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, scheduled a hearing next week on “foreign cyber threats” in an attempt to further spot- light Russia’s actions.
Even if Trump opts to pull back Obama’s sanctions and overlook hacking allegations, he may find rapproche- ment with Russia isn’t that simple.
The past two presidents both tried to reach out to Russia early in their terms but left office with relations in no better shape. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
— AP Trump’s praise of Putin signals policy shift This combination of pictures created on Friday shows file photos of US President- elect Donald Trump (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin.—AFP MEXICO CITY: Mexicans are bracing to kickstart the New Year on a sour note, with protests planned against the government’s huge hike in gasoline prices. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
President Enrique Pena Nieto has promised that fuel prices will fall thanks to his landmark 2014 energy reform, which ended a seven-decade-old monopoly held by the state-run firm Pemex.
The government plans to end subsidies and let the market dictate prices in March, but Mexicans will feel the pinch at the pump before they start falling. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
The finance ministry announced Tuesday that the price of gasoline would increase by as much as 20.1 percent to 0.88 dollars per liter on January 1, while diesel would rise by 16.5 percent to 0.83 dollars.
The price ceiling will be adjusted daily from February 18, before letting supply and demand determine them in March. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Around 100 protestors blocked a service sta- tion in the Pacific resort of Acapulco on Friday, while Jalisco authorities investigated reports that a drug gang threatened to set fire to serv- ice stations.
A protest is planned in the capital on Sunday while Mexicans were urged on social media to block service stations on Monday.
People were also encouraged to boycott fuel for three days.
Before the price announcement, fuel short- ages had already angered Mexicans in several states. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
“The fuel price increase causes outrage.
People are right: it’s not fair.
I support each fam- ily, I share their outrage and anger,” Aristoteles Sandoval, the governor of western Jalisco state, wrote on Twitter.
Sandoval’s criticism drew par- ticular attention because he is a member of Pena Nieto’s centrist Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Furious opposition governors plan to meet with federal government officials next week to discuss the price hike. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
“We just had a security meeting (between governors and Pena Nieto) days ago and there was not one com- ment about this situation,” said Mexico City’s leftist Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Competitive prices The protests are the latest headache for Pena Nieto, whose popularity has plummeted below 25 percent this year due to his govern- ment’s failure to curb drug-related violence, dis- appointing economic growth and his unpopu- lar decision to host Donald Trump before the anti-immigration Republican won the US presi- dential election. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade defended the fuel price increase, saying it would not trigger more inflation and that eventually the “final price for consumers will be among the most competitive in the world.” Mexican energy industry expert David Shields voiced doubts that the demonstrations will force the government to change its mind.
“After such a blunt announcement, it’s very hard for the government to back down because it has a very small margin. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
The country’s fiscal situation is terrible and you can’t keep subsidizing gaso- line,” Shields told AFP.
The fall in global oil prices in recent years has forced the government to cut its budget and slash spending at Pemex.
And the peso has fallen to historic lows due to Trump’s protectionist rhetoric against Mexico.
Fewer tips?
The liberalization of gasoline prices was supposed to begin in 2018, but the govern- ment decided to start it now.
“An immediate drop in prices was an unreal expectation. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
We have seen a very strong depreciation of the peso,” Shields said.
In Mexico City, service sta- tion worker Maria de la Luz Lopez worried that the price increases could hurt her.
“I’m afraid that to compensate for the increase, (customers) will no longer give us tips,” said Lopez, who like many in her field does not earn a wage and depends on the generosity of drivers. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
— AFP Business SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017 Al Shall weekly report Page 15 SEOUL: A woman prays in front of lanterns to celebrate the New Year at Chogye Buddhist temple.
— AP US stocks end modestly lower Page 14 Brave investors rake in big returns on Brazil stocks Page 16 Top employee surveys for Job satisfaction Page 14 Mexicans furious over fuel price hike BEIJING: Residents enjoy a clear day near the iconic CCTV headquarters. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
— AP BEIJING: China’s economy is on a steady growth path as 2016 ends, supported by a housing boom and billions in government investment, but the mood of policymakers is more cautious than celebratory as they face “complexity” in the New Year.
Controlling risks has been a constant refrain in recent months as the focus of policymakers switches to taming asset bubbles and checking unbalanced growth stemming from efforts to fuel the economy with credit. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
The central bank - while reaffirming a long-standing commitment to prudent policy - said on Friday it would pay more attention to maintaining a “neutral” stance and ensure that it is “neither too tight nor too loose”.
“At pres- ent, China’s economic and financial operations are general- ly stable, but the complexity of the situation cannot be underestimated,” the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Bank lending is on pace to top 2015’s record 11.71 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion), helping to stoke a housing boom that saw prices rise a historic 12.6 percent year-on-year in November, while fixed asset investment by state firms is growing more than 20 percent.
But growth has become more imbalanced this year as the effectiveness of new credit declines and com- panies and individuals face mounting debts, economists say. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Policy insiders expect monetary policy to tilt towards slight tightening in 2017 as the government tries to strike a balance between supporting the economy with ample credit and preventing a destabilising build-up in debt.
Central bank adviser Sheng Songcheng told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that interest rates in China were already on an upward trend as the economy improved. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Market stress In the financial markets, China’s blue-chip stock index ended the year more than 11 percent lower while the Chinese yuan plumbed an 8-1/2 year low.
Primary money rates rose this week and were largely higher this year, driv- en by the PBOC’s tighter liquidity stance in the second half aimed at taming risks.
The key interbank rate rose more than 25 basis points for the year, indicating tighter monetary conditions, after falling sharply in 2015. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Market participants also said the falling yuan has had a large negative impact on the money market in the second half, with the central bank buying up Chinese currency and shrinking base money.
The PBOC said in Friday’s report it would push reforms of the yuan regime, while keeping the currency basically stable.
The central bank used the same wording about the cur- rency in last year’s report. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
The yuan ended 2016 with its biggest annual loss since 1994, putting it on track to be the worst-performing major Asian currency this year.
Expectations for a weaker yuan have contributed to signifi- cant capital outflows as China’s foreign currency reserves fall to the lowest level in more than five years.
As Chinese firms step up overseas investment, which also contributes to capital outflows, policymakers announced plans this week to further open China’s markets to foreign investment. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Any further opening up to foreign firms should help redress an imbalance in investment flows which is likely to rise to an unprecedented 335 billion yuan this year as out- bound investment rose more than 55 percent in the first 11 months of 2016. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for more efforts to push key reforms next year with a focus on state- owned-enterprises, taxation, finance, land, urbanization, social security, ecological progress and opening up, the official Xinhua news agency reported late Friday night. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |
— Reuters China policymakers pledge stability for ‘complex’ 2017 B U S I N E S S SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2017 EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen 2.612 Indian Rupees 4.532 Pakistani Rupees 2.930 Srilankan Rupees 2.055 Nepali Rupees 2.837 Singapore Dollar 213.190 Hongkong Dollar 39.549 Bangladesh Taka 3.880 Philippine Peso 6.158 Thai Baht 5.573 GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal 81.921 Qatari Riyal 84.375 ani Riyal 797.817 Bahraini Dinar 815.730 UAE Dirham 83.628 ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 19.750 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 15.740 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.233 Tunisian Dinar 133.890 Jordanian Dinar 432.610 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 2.047 Syrian Lira 2.189 Morocco Dirham 30.547 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 307.000 Euro 322.350 Sterling Pound 381.140 Canadian dollar 229.620 Turkish lira 87.920 Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd BAHRAIN EXCHANGE COMPANY WLL Swiss Franc 300.980 Australian Dollar 224.111 US Dollar Buying 305.800 GOLD 20 Gram 232.84 10 Gram 119.34 5 Gram 60.51 Rate for Transfer Selling Rate US Dollar 306.550 Canadian Dolla 230.500 Sterling Pound 384.385 Euro 322.080 Swiss Frank 300.105 Bahrain Dinar 812.640 UAE Dirhams 83.855 Qatari Riyals 85.080 Saudi Riyals 82.675 Jordanian Dinar 433.540 Egyptian Pound 16.830 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.060 Indian Rupees 4.530 Pakistani Rupees 2.924 Bangladesh Taka 3.887 Philippines Pesso 6.143 Cyprus pound 168.345 Japanese Yen 3.600 Syrian Pound 2.435 Nepalese Rupees 3.825 Malaysian Ringgit 69.340 CURRENCY BUY SELL Europe British Pound | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721904392576.pdf | https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2017/jan/01/kt.pdf | Cape Verde |