QATAR | Page 20 SPORT | Page 1 Seminar shines spotlight on conservation of dugongs Qatar reach U-19 World Cup after two decades INDEX QATAR 2, 20 ARAB WORLD INTERNATIONAL 3-5 6-16 ISLAM 17 COMMENT BUSINESS CLASSIFIED SPORT 18, 19 1-8 5 1-12 DOW JONES QE NYMEX 16,380.41 12,942.00 82.93 +263.17 +1.63% -387.02 -2.90% +0.23 +0.28% Latest Figures pu QATAR | Health Precautionary measures The Animal Wealth Department (AWD) at the Ministry of Environment has stepped up its precautionary measures to face any potential cases of Mers coronavirus (Mers-CoV) among the livestock in Qatar,Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday. The initiative comes in the wake of the Supreme Council of Health announcing earlier this week the first confirmed Mers Corona Virus case in the country for the year 2014. The AWD has been in a constant state of alertness since the report of the first case of infection in 2012 and the suspicion that the disease could be passed from camels and animals to humans. AWD has also randomly taken samples from animals at all the farms throughout the country for tests. All the tests have been negative. AFRICA | Ceasefire Nigeria claims deal with Boko Haram Nigeria yesterday claimed to have reached a deal with Boko Haram militants on a ceasefire and the release of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls. Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh told senior military officials from Nigeria and Cameroon meeting in Abuja that a “ceasefire agreement” had been concluded between the government and the insurgents. Badeh’s announcement came after a senior aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, Hassan Tukur, told AFP an agreement to end hostilities had been reached following talks, as well as for the release of 219 girls held captive since April. Page 6 WORLD | Weather Bermuda prepares for big hit from hurricane Hurricane Gonzalo began pounding the Bermuda coast with high waves, driving rain and gusting winds yesterday as one of the strongest storms to hit the tiny Atlantic island chain. Gonzalo was swirling about 165km south-southwest of the British island chain and had weakened slightly, with sustained winds dropping to 205kph, the US National Hurricane Center said. QATAR | Diplomacy Emir, Afghan leader hold phone talks HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday held via telephone a conversation with Afghanistan President Dr Mohamed Ashraf Ghani. The conversation dealt with relations between the two countries and ways to develop them. in In brief d Gaza rally to defend Al Aqsa mosque he R is bl TA 978 A 1 Q since GULF TIMES SATURDAY Vol. XXXV No. 9514 October 18, 2014 Dhul-Hijja 24, 1435 AH www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Research projects in Qatar get a boost Qatar collaborates with more than 175 universities and research centres in the European Union on various projects Joseph Varghese Staff Reporter Q A Palestinian holding a placard reading “Jerusalem is in danger” during a rally in Gaza City yesterday. Hundreds of people participated in the Hamas-organised rally over Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque, the scene of recurring clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in recent days. Leaving mosques after prayers in Gaza City, they chanted slogans pledging to defend the mosque. The rally was attended by various Palestinian factions. Also yesterday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called on his people to prevent Israeli settlers from entering Al Aqsa mosque and use “all means” to protect the site. “It is not enough to say the settlers came, but they must be barred from entering the compound by any means. This is our Aqsa... and they have no right to enter it and desecrate it,” Abbas said. Page 3 Iraq the �top priority’ in US-led fight against IS AFP Washington C onfronting the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq is the “main” priority for the US-led fight against the militants, while strikes in Syria are designed to disrupt the group’s supply lines, the US commander overseeing the air war said yesterday. Even with the world’s attention fixed on the fate of the northern Syrian town of Kobane, General Lloyd Austin said Iraq was the primary battleground for the air campaign. “Iraq is our main effort, and it has to be,” Austin told reporters. “And the things that we’re doing right now in Syria are being done primarily to shape the conditions in Iraq,” he said. US-led air raids in Syria are serving as a way to undercut the group’s ability to reinforce and resupply its fighters in Iraq, he said. In his first press conference since the air campaign was launched in Iraq on August 8, Austin said it would take time before Iraqi government forces were truly effective and declined to say when the army would be ready to stage major offensives to recapture lost territory in Mosul or elsewhere. “It’s difficult to ...designate a specific point in time when they’ll be able to do this.” Iraqi army troops have suffered a string of setbacks in western Anbar province, raising fears that Baghdad could come under pressure and the airport endangered. But Austin said the airport was not at risk of falling to the IS group. “I feel fairly confident that the airfield is secure and will be secure for the foreseeable future,” he said. It was possible the IS could fire a mortar round at the airfield, but similar incidents occurred during the US occupation of Iraq in 2003-2011 and did not force the closure of the airport, he said. “This is something that we monitor - we patrol on a routine basis,” he said, adding that US Apache helicopters, drone surveillance aircraft and Iraqi forces all help guard the airport. Although defeating IS in Iraq was the top goal, Austin acknowledged US aircraft had been pounding the group’s fighters around the Syrian border town of Kobane this week with dozens of bombing raids. He said the strikes were a response to IS moving in large numbers around the town, making itself vulnerable to attacks from the air. “Now, my goal is to defeat and ultimately destroy ISIL (IS). And if he continues to present us with major targets, as he has done in the Kobane area, then clearly, we’ll service those targets, and we’ve done so very, very effectively here of late,” Austin said. There have been “encouraging” signs in recent days in the battle over the Syrian border town of Kobane, with US air strikes slowing the advance of Islamic State militants, he said. But he acknowledged the town could still fall to the IS group, despite stiff resistance from Kurdish militia and stepped up US bombing raids. “But .. .I think the things that we have done here in the last several days are encouraging. And we’re seeing the Kurds actually fight to regain territory that had been lost previously,” the general said. Pages 4, 10 atar University (QU) will collaborate with Horizon 2020, the European Union’s biggest research programme, in conducting research on diabetes and smart city applications. Horizon 2020 has nearly €80bn available for research and innovation. “The talks are in the initial stages about the modalities of conducting the research,” Dr Hassan al-Derham, vice president for research, QU, told Gulf Times on the sidelines of an information session on Horizon 2020 at the Research Complex of QU. “Qatar University is keen to collaborate with international organisations’ research bodies and universities for research on topics related to the needs of the country and the region. We have discussed with the Horizon 2020 team for possibilities of collaboration in the research of diabetes and smart city applications,” he explained. “We will be forming teams for research activities in these areas in the near future. The teams will consist of researchers from Qatar and the Arab states on one side and the European researchers on the other. More details will be discussed once the teams are formed. The information session will throw more light on the projects.” Dr al-Derham pointed out that QU already had undertaken a major initiative for intelligent transportation system. “We also have programmes related for sustainable development for smart buildings and connectivity as well as raising the quality of the life of the people in the country. We will try to incorporate our expertise and experience in these fields and will try more innovations.” The vice president pointed out that QU was already collaborating with more than 175 universities and research centres in the European Union on various projects. “We take every opportunity to deepen research and enhance innovation. The recently announced research road map of the university for 2014 – 2019 is mainly on energy, environment, resource sustainability, social change and social identities, population health and wellness and information technology. Dr al-Derham: says Qatar University is keen to collaborate with international organisations’ research bodies. We would like to share our knowledge while making use of the expertise of EU researchers in many of these fields.” Several officials of Horizon 2020, leading researchers from the country were present on the occasion. Dr Elizabeth Lipiatou, European Commission head for Africa and the Gulf, and Thierry Devars, director general for research, European Commission, briefed participants on the features of the programme. Horizon 2020 has opened the plans to promote co-operation in research projects between the Gulf countries and the European Union. According to the officials of Horizon 2020, there will be future events which will form the framework of the whole project. GE pledges to build Qatari human capital Global industrial technology firm GE is keen on opening more career opportunities for local engineering students in aviation and also double its Qatari workforce in the company’s oil and gas research facility. Parmjit Khera, leader of the GE Advanced Technology Research Centre (ATRC), told Gulf Times that “one of the central commitments of the GE Aviation business at ATRC is to promote localised innovation and build Qatari human capital”. Housed inside the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), the 13,400sqm ATRC focuses on applied research and knowledge transfer across GE’s four business divisions on global research, oil and gas, aviation, and healthcare. Page 20 Garcia report cannot be published in full: FIFA Reuters Berne T he report into the bidding process for the rights to host the next two World Cups cannot be made fully public for legal reasons, though excerpts of it may be, FIFA’s ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert said yesterday. Eckert is still studying the report produced by his counterpart Michael Garcia into whether there was corruption in the process which led to the 2018 tournament being awarded to Russia and the 2022 event to Qatar, and expects to issue a statement on his findings by mid-November. “The statement will contain an overview of the investigation report, a summary of the main findings, conclusions and recommendations of the report, as well as a brief evaluation of the same,” Eckert said in an interview published on FIFA’s website. One of his tasks would be to decide which parts of the report could be made public, he added. Eckert cannot strip either Russia or Qatar from hosting their tournaments but can press charges against individuals. Several members of FIFA’s own executive committee have called for the report to be made public, as well as FIFA Hans-Joachim Eckert: FIFA’s ethics judge presidential candidate Jerome Champagne, a decision which Eckert said fell exclusively to him and his deputy Alan Sullivan. Speaking in London on Monday, Garcia criticised FIFA for not conducting its ethics investigations in an open manner and called for the report to be made public in line with “the goals of the reform process”. However, Eckert said that Garcia had not called for full publication of the findings. “Michael Garcia has never said that the report should be 100% published. He merely said that the �appropriate’ publication of his report should be authorised,” Eckert said. “The deputy chairman of the adjudicatory chamber and I now have the task of drawing up this appropriate form for publication. “Part of my current examination involves deciding what form this appropriate publication should take, whether this means issuing a statement regarding the investigation report or whether certain parts of the investigation report will be published while maintaining anonymity, or indeed a combination of these possibilities,” he said. “This decision is exclusively a matter for the adjudicatory chamber (of the ethics committee) - neither the investigatory chamber nor the FIFA Executive Committee can decide. The main requirement is that personal rights must not be damaged.” Eckert added: “Publishing the report in full would actually put the FIFA ethics committee and FIFA itself in a very difficult situation legally. “What is more, we have to respect the personal rights of the people mentioned in the report, which in the case of full publication of the report would in all likelihood not be possible.” Qatar, which was awarded the 2022 tournament nearly four years ago, has repeatedly denied all allegations of corruption. The 2018 tournament was awarded to Russia as part of the same bidding process which culminated in December 2010. 2 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 QATAR MICE industry offers �great opportunity’ By Peter Alagos Business Reporter T he meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibition (MICE) industry poses as a “great opportunity” for Qatar to showcase its capabilities and flexibility as a host destination, an official of the Qatar MICE Development Institute (QMDI) has said. Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, acting director (sales and marketing), QMDI, said the success of an event will attract interest and position Qatar to entice more companies and event orgainsers to bring large conferences and exhibitions to the country. Al-Kuwari stated that Qatar has set its sights on becoming a global meetings destination as it had invested more than $20bn in tourism-related infrastructure that will boost the country’s MICE credentials. “Being part of the MICE industry in Qatar, I strongly believe that this industry is a key pillar of the economic diversification and growth of the Cyber security summit to begin on Dec 1 T he inaugural “Qatar Confidential – The Cyber Security Summit 2014” will be held at the Doha Marriott on December 1 and 2. The summit, which has been designed to help combat the growing cyber threat against both state and industry interests in Qatar and the Middle East, will attract wide interest in the region and address both civil and military cyber security activities, according to a statement issued by the organisers. The event is being held by Tangent Link, a specialist UKbased conference and exhibition organiser, and sponsored by malomatia and BAE Systems. It is supported by Qatar’s Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Information & Communications Technology. The summit will give attendees the opportunity to hear from leading industry and military cyber specialists. Besides, in the light of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, special attention will be given to the session on Securing Major Events, chaired by the International Centre for Sport Security based in Doha. With its growing international profile creating greater awareness of the country’s wealth, Qatar has recently been particularly vulnerable, making it an attractive target for cyber attacks. The resulting breaches have ranged from “medium” to “highly” dangerous in the levels of threat they have posed to its networks. Consequently, the statement notes, the Qatari government is investing in a comprehensive protection programme in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Security and fraud prevention measures are expected to figure strongly. Qatar has already implemented a National Security Shield Project and the IT network of ministries and government bodies will be completely secure by 2016, the statement further states, adding that the country now wishes to lead the way in developing and employing cyber protection and assert itself as a model for cyber security. Leading industry and military cyber specialists at the summit will include James Lewis, director and senior fellow, Strategic Technologies Programme, Centre for Strategic & International Studies, US; and General James Cartwright, former vice-chairman, joint chief of staff & Harold Brown Chair in Defence Policy Studies, Centre for Strategic & International Studies. To book as a delegate or find out more about the summit, visit www.tangentlink.com country,” al-Kuwari stressed. He noted that luxury hotels, world-class aviation facilities, and high-profile events will command the attention of industry leaders to further invest in the country. Also, al-Kuwari said the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was instrumental in raising awareness about the country’s strengths as a MICE destination and put Qatar on the global tourism map. According to QMDI official, established source markets for the regional meetings industry are being challenged by emerging markets led by India and China, which, in turn, are reshaping the dynamics of the Middle East market. “Gulf countries seeking tourism growth are all looking eastward whether for business or leisure guests,” al-Kuwari noted. Quoting a report from Euromonitor International, al-Kuwari said China and India are set to be in the top two markets in terms of absolute growth in outbound visitor numbers up to 2016. China, home to the world’s fastest growing source of outbound travellers (65mn in 2011), will have more than 100mn outbound travellers by 2020, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). India will spawn more than 50mn travellers with a spending power of $28bn per year, it added. The Dubai Convention Bureau (DCB), which opened offices in Beijing and Shanghai in late 2010, generates 25% of its meeting and event business from the Asia Pacific region. India was the UAE’s largest trading partner in 2011 while China held the number two spot. The Middle East’s longstanding source markets like the UK, Germany, and France are waning but showing significant growth from the China and India markets, al-Kuwari said. Al-Kuwari said the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 20132014, which ranks the world’s fastest growing economies, has placed Qatar in number 13 ahead of other countries in the region including the United Arab Emir- ates (19th), Saudi Arabia (20th), and Kuwait (36th). “Differentiation will be the key strategy to gain competitive advantage for the MICE market,” al-Kuwari stressed. Quoting the latest UNWTO barometer, al-Kuwari said receipts in destinations worldwide from expenditure by international visitors on accommodation, food and drink, entertainment, shopping and goods, and other services, reached an estimated $1,159bn in 2013. International tourism (travel and passenger transport) accounts for 29% of the world’s exports of services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. As a worldwide export category, tourism ranks fifth after fuels, chemicals, food, and automotive products, while ranking first in many developing countries. Asia and the Pacific is the fastest growing region while Europe takes the biggest share, which accounts for 42% of all international tourism. In the Middle East, total tourism receipts (4% share) are estimated at $47bn, UNWTO said. A panoramic view of traffic near the Midmac intersection in Doha. PICTURE: Najeer Feroke. Citizens demand more traffic patrols A number of citizens have urged the authorities concerned to enhance traffic patrols at important roundabouts and intersections in order to ease vehicular movement and prevent violations, especially in the peak hours, local daily Arrayah has reported. Many roundabouts and intersections witness heavy congestion during the peak hours, prompting some motorists to commit violations such as using service lanes to overtake vehicles, the report stated. The daily monitored some of these violations and took note of different opinions about the prevailing situation and what could be done to deal with the problems. A citizen said the congestion on Doha’s roads is caused partly by ongoing infrastructure projects, adding that a significant increase in the number of vehicles and the conduct of some motorists are among the other factors, according to the report. Another citizen referred to the dangerous practice of over- Airbus to display security Military recruits solutions at Milipol Qatar attend meeting on traffic awareness A T irbus Defence and Space will highlight its leading homeland security solutions at Milipol Qatar 2014, scheduled to begin on Monday at the Doha Exhibition Centre. The company will display some of its latest products and solutions ranging from emergency response solution and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) surveillance, identification and inspection aerial vectors to a range of cyber security services. Civion, one of the main exhibits in emergency response, is a solution that integrates all types of critical information seamlessly. In case of a small incident up to a crisis at district, city or national level, Civion keeps public safety and security agencies connected and able to fulfill their mission. The CiviLead command and control solution integrated with CiviSense, both components of Civion, grants first responders a clear situational awareness in real time due to an integrated camera and video management software. In the field of UAS, the company is showcasing its Copter 4 and DVF2000 surveillance, identification and inspection aerial vectors. Copter 4, the flagship model of Survey Copter, the mini and tactical UAS subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space, is a 1h30 endurance mini UAS double independent engines helicopter with a mass of 30kg and a rotor diametre of 2m which can fly up to a distance of 25km at a maximum speed of 50km/hour. The DVF2000 is a new generation fixed-wing electroglider mini UAS operated by a two-man team. With an endurance of two hours and a range of about 50km, it is deployed in less than 10 minutes. Another focus is a cyber security service for detecting and fighting advanced persistent threats. The solution named Keelback combines classic methods like signature tracking, state-of-the-art detection based on behaviour that reveals activities of attackers as well as weak signals reconnaissance. Customers benefit from a real-time identification and characterisation of cyber threats with the help of a continuously updated intelligence database as well as advanced detection of attacks through a combination of capabilities working on network and on end-user-devices of customers’ IT infrastructure. he traffic awareness and culture section in the Traffic Department has held an open meeting with national military service recruits at Ahmed bin Mohamed Military College, local daily Arrayah has reported. The meeting was attended by some 1,000 participants. Lectures and presentations were delivered by training officers from the Military College and Traffic Department. Video clips and awareness films were shown on the causes of road accidents and the most common traffic violations. Various printed awareness materials were also distributed at the meeting, according to the report. In his speech, the chief of the traffic awareness and culture section stressed the importance of the partnership with the military college and its role in spreading traffic awareness among military recruits. He referred to traffic accidents, their causes and means of prevention and protection. Another officer spoke on the most common traffic violations and the role of awareness initiatives in curbing accidents and minimising the risk involved and impact on all members of the community, the report added. A citizen who had sustained critical injuries in a road accident spoke on the lessons learnt and presented some recommendations at the meeting. Industrial Area residents seek 24-hour pharmacy By Ramesh Mathew Staff Reporter D oha’s sprawling Industrial Area may be home to a large number of workers, but the place does not have a single pharmacy that operates round the clock, say residents. They point out that though the place houses a large number of establishments, including eateries, and new residential accommodations, no 24-hour pharmacy can be found in the entire area. While those running pharmacies concede that the Industrial Area does need one or two such facilities, which remain open 24 hours, due to the significant growth in its population over the last four-five A view of Doha Industrial Area. PICTURE: Najeer Feroke years, no one has come forward yet to start one there. Some people living in the neighbourhood of Al Attiyah Market, the main business centre in the area, said some medical shops work until midnight. “We have to go to places outside the Industrial Area if there is an emergency,” said a resident who runs a workshop in the area. He explained that a number of industrial establishments function round the clock in the area, and this is also why the place needs a 24-hour pharmacy. Similar responses came from some food companies’ operators. Besides some locations in Doha, including Al Hilal, there are 24-hour pharmacies in Rayyan, Muaither, Al Wakrah, Al Khor and Duhail. When contacted recently, a pharmaceutical company operator said they could consider launching a 24-hour pharmacy in the Industrial Area. “I think there is a need for a 24-hour pharmacy in the Industrial Area as it is perhaps the only place in the country that remains awake through the night,” he said. However, in view of strict procedures (for opening a new outlet), one needs to wait for at least six-seven months for the mandatory formalities to be completed, he pointed out. Doctors advise steps to prevent conjunctivitis By Joseph Varghese Staff Reporter D octors have advised residents to take adequate precaution against conjunctivitis (eye infection) which is still common in Qatar. Though the number of cases have reduced, compared to the peak summer months, many patients are still seeking medical care, of late. Though not involving a high risk, conjunctivitis is a highly contagious disease that brings along with it a number of inconveniences for those affected. Doctors suggest that people must keep away from those suffering from the disease to avoid the risk of contracting it. The patients must isolate themselves from their family members and friends during illness. Dr Zaira K S, ophthalmologist, Aster Medical Centre, said that the disease continues to affect people as the population is made up mostly of expatriates. “The population is mostly expatriates and they come from different parts of the world from different climatic conditions. Moreover, many of them have returned after the holidays and might have carried the germs from their home countries. This must be the reason why it continues to affect several people.” The ophthalmologist recalled there was an outbreak of the disease some two months back and it has subsided now. “Though less in number, still we come across patients with conjunctivitis, which might be due to the return of many expa- triates from any of the regions affected with the disease.” Dr Zaira added that the best effective way to prevent conjunctivitis is not rubbing the eyes with infected hands. “There are many medicines for different types of conjunctivitis. Isolating the affected person and washing hands frequently will help to limit the spread of the disease.” Dr Abdulla Shahada, of Primary Health Care Corporation, said that there are several types of conjunctivitis which are common. “Major types of the disease are viral conjunctivitis and the one caused by bacteria. It can also happen through allergy and the use of any irritants. The viral one is accompanied by sore throats, sneezing and cold.” “Conjunctivitis caused by some bacteria and viruses can spread easily from person to person, but is not a serious health risk if diagnosed promptly. The best way to treat the disease is to isolate the person from others and provide immediate medication for the affected.” taking from the right, which could cause traffic accidents and fatalities. He recommended that steps be taken to raise awareness on this violation and advised people to go for work early instead of leaving home late and trying to reach office on time by driving at a high speed and committing traffic violations, the report further states. Some citizens, meanwhile, said slow driving in fast lanes hampers the traffic flow and leads to accidents, the report adds. �Oil price fall not to affect growth plan’ A fall in oil prices will not affect development efforts in Qatar, local daily Arrayah has reported, quoting HE Dr Saleh Mohamed Saleh alNabit, the Minister of Development Planning and Statistics. He said changes in oil prices take place from time to time and these are expected. For this reason, he added, Qatar implemented the basic principle of sustainability when it devised the development plan and that Qatar’s vision for the future would not be affected by such temporary changes, the report stated. Qatar focuses on the sustainability of development and the plan can be implemented no matter what the circumstances are, the minister said. Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of a workshop held by the ministry, he said any economic development has environmental repercussions and the most important aspect in this regard is to limit the negative impact accelerated economic growth may have on the environment. The minister stressed that there is constant coordination between his ministry and other ministries through joint committees, the report added. Rush for booking of camping sites The first day of registration for camping witnessed a rush to reserve camping sites at popular locations such as Sealine and Khor al-Adaid, local daily Arrayah has reported. Citizens, meanwhile, have called for finding solutions to problems such as the absence of services in the camping areas and increasing the number of garbage bins to improve cleanliness standards at the camps, the report stated. They have also pointed out that 48 hours is too short a time to remove camps, urging that this be increased to a week. Conference on Arab-German ties The International and Arab Relations Forum at Katara - the Cultural Village will organise a conference on “Arab-German relationships” on January 14 and 15. It will see the participation of a number of academicians, political experts and leaders from the Arab and Muslim community in Germany. The conference will handle ArabGerman relationships at all levels. It will be conducted in Arabic with simultaneous interpretation in German and English. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 3 REGION/ARAB WORLD Sharp increase in number of migrants drowning AFP Geneva S cores have drowned in the Red Sea in recent weeks trying to cross to Yemen making this year’s death toll the highest in years, the UN’s refugee agency said yesterday. “There’s been a sharp increase this year in the number of migrants and asylum seekers losing their lives in attempts to get to Yemen, mainly from the Horn of Africa, with more deaths in 2014 than in the last three years combined,” UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told reporters. Thousands of people fleeing lawless Somalia and the ironfisted regime in Eritrea, among other troubled countries, try to reach Yemen in the hope of making their way on to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. In the latest incident, 64 migrants and three crew died on October 2 when their vessel sank in the Gulf of Aden after leaving Somalia, he said. “With five additional deaths since, this brings the number of dead this year to 215, exceeding the combined total for 2011, 2012 and 2013,” he said. Spindler said smuggling rings using overloaded vessels were increasingly getting more ruthless, throwing passengers overboard to avoid detection or capsize. The October 2 tragedy marked the deadliest sinking since June, when 62 people died. Forty-four people perished in March in another incident, while another in April claimed 12 lives. Spindler said that the latest deaths came against the background of a dramatic increase in the number of new arrivals for September off Yemen’s coast. At 12,768, it was the single biggest month for arrivals since current record-keeping began in 2002. “There have been frequent reports of mistreatment, abuse, rape and torture and the increasingly cruel measures being adopted by smuggling rings seem to account for the increase in deaths at sea,” said Spindler. “Search-and-rescue officials say the practice has resulted in hundreds of undocumented casualties in recent years,” he added. Similar stories have emerged from the far more travelled Mediterranean route, where more than 3,000 migrants have died trying to reach Europe this year alone, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Among the migrants who cross the Red Sea and manage to reach Yemen, many get stuck at the Saudi border, unable to cross. Yemen is the only country in the Arabian Peninsula that is signatory to two international accords dating back to 1951 and 1967 governing the protection of refugees. It currently hosts 246,000 refugees, of whom over 230,000 are from Somalia and a smaller number from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq and Syria, according to UNHCR figures. In addition to the foreign refugees, more than 334,000 Yemenis have been displaced within their country by conflict. UNHCR and its partners are working flat out with Yemeni authorities to help care for boat people who make it to the country, “We also call on countries of origin, transit and destination in the region to step up their cooperation in managing the flows of migration,” Spindler said. “At the same time they must pay due attention to the protection needs of refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable groups such as women and minors,” he added. 20 killed as Yemen Shia rebels clash with tribes Rival groups are seeking to exploit a power vacuum in Yemen, which has been in political deadlock since the rebels took control of Sanaa on September 21 AFP Sanaa S hia rebels sweeping across Yemen clashed with Sunni tribesmen yesterday in violence that left 20 people dead, officials said. Twelve Shia rebels and eight tribesmen died in a battle for control of the predominantly-Sunni provincial capital Ibb which the rebels overran earlier this week, local government officials said. Explosions were heard across the city as the rebels, known as Houthis, came under rocket-propelled grenade fire from tribesmen in the surrounding countryside, witnesses said. The fighting came after hundreds of armed tribesmen demonstrated outside the governor’s office in the city on Thursday evening demanding the withdrawal of the rebels. Ibb governor Yehya al-Iryani urged “armed groups from all sides to leave the province and end violence”, in a statement on the official Saba news agency. He warned that if armed groups remained in Ibb, authorities “will, under the orders of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi... take all necessary measures to restore security and stability”. However, the rebels who have so far captured several provinces and cities across Yemen, including the capital, have met with little or no resistance amid an almost complete absence of government forces. Deputy governor Ali al-Zanam said the rebels had told him they advanced into Ibb to “confront what they described as security gaps”, local media reported. The rebels clashed with Al Qaeda militants on Thursday night in Rada, in Baida province further east, leaving “dozens” of casualties, tribal and security sources said. Houthis have clashed repeatedly in the province since Tuesday with Al Qaeda militants, who have vowed to resist the Shia rebel advance. But tribal, security and military sources said the Houthi rebels met with no further resistance from Al Qaeda as they captured Rada yesterday and deployed their armoured vehicles across the city, home to a mix of Sunnis and Shias. The Houthis’ vehicles carried banners reading Iran’s Islamic revolutionary slogan: “Death to America! Death to Israel!”, residents said. Authorities in Yemen have repeatedly accused Tehran of backing the Shia rebellion. Rival groups are seeking to exploit a power vacuum in impoverished Yemen, which has been in political deadlock since the rebels took control of Sanaa on September 21. The rebels, who were previously based in the northern high- lands where Yemen’s Zaidi Shia minority is concentrated, have since made significant advances in provinces south of Sanaa. They took the Sunni majority Red Sea port city of Hudeida on Monday, and on Wednesday advanced on to Zaidi-populated Dhamar, as well as Ibb. The steady expansion of the rebels has increased the threat of an open confrontation with Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a powerful suicide bombing that killed 47 people at a gathering of Houthi supporters in Sanaa earlier this month. The Houthi rebels set up armed protest camps in Sanaa in August, calling for the government to step down and demanding more power in state institutions. Late on Thursday, they began dismantling their protest camps in Sanaa. Protest organisers said in a statement the move was aimed at implementing the terms of a UNbrokered ceasefire agreement. On Monday, Hadi named Yemen’s envoy to the United Nations, Khalid Bahah, as his new premier, a nomination the rebels appeared to approve. Hadi yesterday discussed the situation in his country with US President Barack Obama on the telephone, Saba reported. Meanwhile, in the main southern city of Aden, troops shot and wounded seven supporters of the separatist Southern Movement as they marched towards an army camp, medics and witnesses said. Palestinians shouting slogans during a rally in Gaza City yesterday to protest after Israeli authorities restricted access to the Al Aqsa mosque compound. Abbas tells Palestinians to protect Aqsa by �all means’ AFP Ramallah P alestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas yesterday called on his people to prevent Israeli settlers from entering Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al Aqsa mosque and use “all means” to protect the site. His comments came days after Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters demonstrating against Jews visiting the Al Aqsa mosque compound, Islam’s third holiest site but which is also revered by Jews. “It is not enough to say the settlers came, but they must be barred from entering the compound by any means. This is our Aqsa... and they have no right Harley rally to enter it and desecrate it,” Abbas said. The Palestinian president was speaking at a conference in the West Bank town of Ramallah after a spate of clashes this week since a Monday confrontation between Palestinian youths and Israeli police. Abbas insisted that defending Al Aqsa was tantamount to defending Jerusalem, which the Palestinians are demanding as the capital of their future state. “Jerusalem is the jewel in the crown and it is the eternal capital of the Palestinian state. Without it, there will not be a state,” he said. “It is important for the Palestinians to be united in order to protect Jerusalem,” he added. Earlier yesterday, hundreds The site is the scene of frequent tensions. It is revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount, as the location of the biblical Jewish temples and considered Judaism’s holiest place. Non-Muslim visits to the Al Aqsa complex are permitted and regulated by police, but Jews are not allowed to pray at the site for fear it could trigger major disturbances. Jews pray instead at the Western Wall below. Muslims fear Jewish presence on Al Aqsa is aimed at usurping the site. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that “Israel is committed to maintaining the status quo” there. Iran guards, Pakistan officer die in shooting AFP Tehran T Harley Davidson motorcycle riders taking part in a rally drive their bikes outside Manama yesterday. Some 400 Harley Davidson Owner Group (HOG) riders, including some from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, joined riders from Bahrain in the 1st Bahrain HOG Rally. of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza in a rally for Al Aqsa organised by Hamas. Leaving mosques after prayers in Gaza City, they chanted slogans pledging to defend the mosque and waved green flags, the colour of the Islamist movement that is de facto ruler of Gaza. The rally was also attended by other Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad. Ismail Radwan, a Hamas leader, called on “our people in Jerusalem and the West Bank to defend Al Aqsa”. In Jerusalem, the weekly Friday prayers at Al Aqsa mosque passed without incident after Israeli police barred entry to Palestinian men under the age of 50 to prevent disturbances. wo Iranian border guards and a Pakistani paramilitary officer were killed in a shooting incident, sources on the two sides said yesterday, as Tehran said rebels tried to infiltrate the country. “Several rebels” also died in the fighting on Thursday night, Iranian news agency Isna quoted a military official as saying, adding that a car and weapons were seized. Meanwhile, an official in Pakistan said a paramilitary officer was killed and four soldiers wounded when their vehicle came under fire by Iranian border guards. “The FC (Frontier Corps) patrol was chasing two suspects in a car when the Iranian border guards opened fire from across the border, killing one junior commissioned officer and wounding four soldiers,” spokesman Wasey Khan said. The home secretary of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, Akbar Hussain Durrani, confirmed the incident and the casualties. It was not clear if the car being pursued by the Pakistanis was the same one seized after the shooting incident across the border. Baluchistan is adjacent to the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan, where Isna said the shooting occurred and where rebel attacks earlier this month killed five people, four of them security forces. Iranian media said 14 people were arrested in connection with those attacks. Last month an Iranian soldier was killed and two pro-government militiamen wounded in an attack blamed on the Sunni group Jaish-ul Adl (Army of Justice). The same group captured five Iranian soldiers in February, four of whom were released in April. The fate of the fifth man remains unknown. Sistan-Baluchistan province has a large Sunni Muslim community in an otherwise predominantly Shia country, and has been plagued by violence involving extremists and drug smugglers. Iran has repeatedly asked Pakistan to act to “stop the infiltration of terrorists” and has tasked the elite Revolutionary Guards to monitor the restive border region. Pakistan’s resource-rich Baluchistan is home to a longrunning separatist conflict that was revived in 2004, with nationalists seeking to stop what they see as the exploitation of the region’s natural resources and alleged rights abuses. The idea of giving greater autonomy to the province, the size of Italy but with only 9mn inhabitants, is highly sensitive in a country still scarred by the independence in 1971 of its eastern portion, now Bangladesh. 4 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 ARAB WORLD Turkey calls for long �humanitarian’ safe zone AFP Ankara T urkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday called for a “humanitarian” safe zone to be created in an extensive section of northern Syria to host refu- gees fleeing the Syrian conflict. Turkey has called for the area, backed up by a no-fly zone, to protect its borders and provide some protection for refugees fleeing both the Syrian conflict and Islamic State militants who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria. Davutoglu said the safe zone should be established on a long stretch of territory along Turkey’s more than 900km border with Syria, from Idlib in the west to Hasakah to the east and including the besieged town of Kobane. “Safety zones can be established in areas which have seen a flow of refugees,” Davutoglu told a briefing in Ankara. “These safe zones are humanitarian, not military,” he said. Asked about where the safe zone should be, he mentioned the main regions of northern Syria but cautioned against seeing it as a single continuous area. “Where did the refugees come to Turkey from? Jarabulus, Kobane, Tel Abyad, Idlib and Hasakah,” he said. “But it’s not limited to these cities. I tried to limit them to the areas from which refugees come.” Davutoglu dismissed maps seen in newspapers which portrayed the security zone as a continuous line stretching right over 1.5mn Syrian refugees who fled the civil war between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking his ouster. Davutoglu did not make clear if the safe zone should house just refugees from the Kobane region or also those who fled from elsewhere in Syria earlier in the conflict. along the Turkish border with Syria. “They haven’t been drawn by us or based on any diplomatic consultations,” he said. Some 200,000 Kurds have fled to Turkey to escape the onslaught on the key Syrian border town of Kobane by IS militants. Turkey is separately hosting Islamic State flying three jets in Syria, says monitor Reuters Beirut I Smoke rises during clashes between Syrian Kurdish fighters and Islamic State militants in and around Kobane yesterday. US planes, Iraq ground forces fight IS militants AFP Mursitpinar, Turkey U S-led warplanes pummelled Islamic State fighters in Syria yesterday as Iraqi forces fought the militants west of Baghdad, with the US military reiterating that Iraq is its top priority. As fighting raged on several fronts, Al Qaeda’s Yemen-based franchise urged Muslims worldwide to support the IS group in Syria and Iraq. The US commander overseeing the air war hailed “encouraging” signs in the defence of Kobane, but said the Syrian town on the Turkish border could still fall to IS and insisted that Iraq was the coalition’s top focus. “Iraq is our main effort and it has to be, and the things that we’re doing right now in Syria are being done primarily to shape the conditions in Iraq,” said General Lloyd Austin. Six US-led coalition air strikes hit IS positions in the east of Kobane yesterday, taking advantage of new co-ordination with the town’s Kurdish defenders, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The militant group has captured large parts of Syria and Iraq, committing atrocities and declaring an Islamic “caliphate”. In Iraq, security forces fought IS on two fronts—the strategic city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, and near Tikrit. Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, is in a shrinking patch of territory where pro-government forces in the area still hold ground, and its loss would be a major blow for Baghdad. Government forces launched an offensive yesterday north of Tikrit, one of a string of mainly Sunni Arab towns north and west of Baghdad that the militants seized in June. Iraqi troops have been struggling to retake and hold ground, despite the coalition air strikes. Despite a string of car bombs in the Iraqi capital, the US military said Baghdad was not under “imminent threat” from the militants. “There are not masses of formations of (IS) forces outside of Baghdad about to come in,” spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said. Three more car bombs hit crowded areas of the capital yesterday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 50, officials said. While the militants have been kept from reaching Baghdad in force and would face major challenges if they tried to occupy part of the city, they are still able to carry out bombings with impunity. In Syria, meanwhile, Kobane district chief Anwar Muslim said US-led strikes had destroyed many IS vehicles and artillery pieces. The Kurds claim to have pushed IS back in parts of Kobane as the coalition intensified its air strikes in recent days, and Muslim said “our forces are reinforcing their defensive positions.” But he said IS sniper and mortar fire was preventing authorities from evacuating civilians caught up in the battle. “Their situation is difficult,” he added. The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which spearheads the defence of Kobane, has been appealing urgently for weapons to resupply its fighters, but Washington said it was too early to discuss the request. The PYD has close ties with the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party— which is on the US terror blacklist—over the border in Turkey. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, classified by the United States as the network’s deadliest franchise, urged Muslims yesterday not to participate in the battle against IS. “We urge all mujahedeen (Muslim fighters) to set aside their differences and inter-factional fighting and move instead against the crusade targeting all” jihadists, it added. The month-old IS assault on the Kobane area has sparked an exodus of some 200,000 mainly Kurdish refugees across the border, where the town’s plight has stoked nationalist sentiment among Turkey’s own large Kurdish minority. More than 180,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime began in 2011, escalating into a civil war. At least 15 civilians, including three minors, were killed in Syrian regime air raids on a rebel-held town near the capital yesterday, the Observatory said. raqi pilots who have joined Islamic State in Syria are training members of the group to fly in three captured fighter jets, a group monitoring the war said yesterday, saying it was the first time the militant group had taken to the air. The group, which has seized swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, has been flying the planes over the captured Al Jarrah military airport east of Aleppo, said Rami Abdel Rahman, who runs the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. US Central Command said it was not aware of Islamic State flying jets in Syria. US-led forces are bombing Islamic State bases in Syria and Iraq. The group has regularly used weaponry captured from the Syrian and Iraqi armies and has overrun several military bases but, if the report is confirmed, this would be the first time it has been able to pilot warplanes. “They have trainers, Iraqi officers who were pilots before for (former Iraqi president) Saddam Hussain,” Abdel Rahman said. “People saw the flights, they went up many times from the airport and they are flying in the skies outside the airport and coming back,” he said, citing witnesses in northern Aleppo province near the base, which is 70km south of the Turkish border. Witnesses reported the flights were at a low altitude and only lasted five to 10 minutes before landing, the Observatory said. It was not possible to reach the Syrian government for comment and state media did not mention the report. It was not clear whether the jets were equipped with weaponry or whether the pilots could fly longer distances in the planes, which witnesses said appeared to be MiG 21 or MiG 23 models captured from the Syrian military. “We’re not aware of ISIL conducting any flight operations in Syria or elsewhere,” US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder said, using a former name for Islamic State. “We continue to keep a close eye on (Islamic State) activity in Syria and Iraq and will continue to conduct strikes against their equipment, facilities, fighters and centres of gravity, wherever they may be.” “People saw the flights, they went up many times from the airport and they are flying in the skies outside the airport and coming back” General Lloyd Austin, head of the US military’s Central Command, said he could not confirm that Iraqi pilots had joined Islamic State. “We don’t have any operational reporting of ISIL flying jets in support of ISIL activity on the ground and so I cannot confirm that. And to the degree that pilots may have defected and joined the ranks of ISIL, I don’t have any information on that either,” he told a Pentagon news briefing. Pro-Islamic State Twitter accounts have previously posted pictures of captured jets in other parts of Syria but the aircraft appeared unusable, according to political analysts and diplomats. The countryside east of Aleppo city is one of the main bases of Islamic State in Syria. The Al Qaeda offshoot controls up to a third of the territory of Syria, whose civil war pitting various rebel groups against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has raged for more than three years. Israeli ministers denounce Kerry remarks on conflict AFP Jerusalem T wo senior Israeli government ministers lashed out at US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday over remarks he made linking the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the growth of Islamic extremism. “I respect John Kerry and his efforts but he keeps breaking new records in lack of understanding of our region and the essence of our disputes,” Communications Minister Gilad Erdan said in an interview with Israeli public radio. “I think that this time it is really a new record,” he said. Kerry, just back from a visit to Egypt for a multilateral conference on the reconstruction of Gaza, said on Thursday that in conversations he had heard that the unresolved Israel-Palestinian conflict was fuelling recruitment for the Islamic State militant group. “There wasn’t a leader I met with in the region who didn’t raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation,” Kerry said. “People need to understand the connection of that. And it has something to do with humiliation and denial and absence of dignity,” he added. Erdan, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party who holds a seat on the prestigious security cabinet, mocked the idea that building in West Bank settlements, such as Maaleh Adumim Soldier dies in Lebanon attack AFP Beirut A Lebanese soldier was killed yesterday as a military bus came under fire in the country’s north, in the fourth such deadly attack in less than a month, the army said. It named the soldier as Jamal Jean Hashem, a teenager on the bus which was transporting soldiers back to their post in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon. On September 23, gunmen shot dead a soldier in the nearby port city of Tripoli, the frequent scene of clashes between the army and extremists. And a homemade bomb exploded in the city on October 7 killing another soldier, while a colleague died in an attack in the Akkar region two days later by gunmen on a motorbike. “Terrorist groups are targeting the army to weaken it and ... to force the army to ease the pressure in the Arsal region” of east Lebanon on the border with Syria, a military source said. Militants from the Islamic State group and Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Al Nusra Front fought deadly battles with Lebanese troops in Arsal in August. They withdrew after a truce to mountains outside the border town, but took dozens of army and police hostages with them as they left. Three of them have since been executed. The extremists demand the withdrawal from Syria of fighters from Hezbollah and they accuse the army of co-operating with the powerful Lebanese Shia militant group. near Jerusalem, was fanning the flames of jihad. “’Absence of dignity’, is that what’s causing the rise of Islamic State?” he asked. “Two hundred thousand people murdered in Syria, British and Americans whose heads are being cut off ... is all this because of settlement in Maaleh Adumim?” Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who leads the far-right Jewish Home party and also is in the security cabinet, said that the world sought to make Israel a scapegoat for its troubles. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 5 ARAB WORLD 18 killed as clashes rage in Benghazi The Libyan Red Crescent calls for a ceasefire, “even for one hour”, to allow families to flee the combat zone AFP Benghazi F ierce clashes raged in Benghazi yesterday, killing at least 18 people, on the third day of an offensive by progovernment forces to recapture Libya’s second city from Islamist militias. An AFP correspondent said the latest fighting was the most violent since forces of former general Khalifa Haftar launched the assault on Wednesday with the backing of army units and civilians who have taken up arms. Benghazi Medical Centre said the 18 dead were mostly soldiers and their civilian supporters in the central district of Al Majouri. There was no word on casualties on the side of the Islamists, who rarely announce their losses. In a statement on a pro-Haftar television station, Al Karama, the retired general said he was “satisfied with the results of the battle for Benghazi” and vowed that “victory is near”. At least 52 people have been killed in the three days of what Haftar has called an operation to “liberate” Benghazi, according to hospital figures. Al Majouri is home to Mo- hamed al-Zehawi, leader of the Ansar al-Shariah militant group, which the United States has designated a terrorist organisation, and many of his men. Residents said the two sides were using weapons of all calibres in street fighting in a densely-populated district. The Libyan Red Crescent called on its Facebook page for a ceasefire, “even for one hour”, to allow families to flee the combat zone. Elsewhere, air raids struck Islamist targets in the districts of Al Lithi, Al Massaken and Bouatni, southeast of the Mediterranean city, witnesses said. Islamist militias have seized control of large parts of turmoilgripped Libya since a 2011 uprising against long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. The army has this time publicly thrown its weight behind Haftar, who launched a first, unsuccessful, campaign against the Islamists in Benghazi in May, dubbing it “Operation Dignity”. “The Libyan army claims �Operation Dignity’” as one of its own campaigns,” spokesman Colonel Ahmed al-Mesmari said on Wednesday. Before this week’s assault, Haftar’s forces had been steadily beaten back to a final redoubt at Benghazi’s airport, which has come under attack by Islamists since mid-September. Last week, more than 50 people were killed in fighting between the rival sides, according to military and hospital sources. In May, the authorities had accused the former Gaddafi-era general—who spent years in exile before returning to join the 2011 revolution—of trying to mount a coup. But the internationally recognised interim government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni “is now left with no choice but to make things up with Haftar”, said Libyan analyst Fradj Najm. Oil-rich and largely lawless Libya has two competing governments as well as a host of rival armed militias jostling for influence. Parliament, elected in June, is recognised by the international community but contested by the militia controlling most of Tripoli and by the Islamists who dominate Benghazi. Thinni and the majority faction of that legislature decamped this summer to the far eastern city of Tobruk because of widespread insecurity, including in the capital, where a rival administration has been set up. Clashes between rival militias have driven an estimated 287,000 people from their homes, including 100,000 who have fled the outskirts of Tripoli, according to the UN refugee agency. Supporters of Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist Ennahda party, attend an electoral campaign rally in Jandouba, south west of Tunis, yesterday. Ben Ali regime stalwarts eye comeback in Tunisia AFP Tunis T hey became figures of hate during the “Arab Spring” revolution, but stalwarts of Tunisia’s ousted dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali are planning a political comeback in upcoming elections. The polls, seen as a milestone in the post-Ben Ali transition, come nearly four years after the self-immolation of a Tunisian street vendor sparked protests that spread around much of the region. Several parties headed by Ben Ali sympathisers are fielding candidates for parliamentary elections on October 26, and six former regime officials are contesting a November 23 presidential poll. They include Beji Caid Essebsi, an 87-year-old veteran Ben Ali cadre who was parliamentary speaker in the early 1990s and served as an interim premier after the 2011 revolution. For many Tunisians like Chokri Mizouri, the return of the political establishment of the Ben Ali years is a “provocation” for people who participated in the uprising. Ben Ali-era officials “who left through the back door are climbing back in through the window”, the 22-year-old student said. “They should be ashamed of themselves and should not stand on the basis of their experience because their experience is that of corruption and dictatorship,” he added. “And it will be a catastrophe if one of them becomes president because it would restart the machine that we revolted against.” Many of the Ben Ali sympathisers have spent the last few years trying to play down their role under the former leader, who ruled for more than two decades. Former transport minister Abderrahim Zouari was arrested after the revolution and accused of corruption, but later released with no charge. He admitted the previous government made “many mistakes”. “We know these mistakes, and the statesman is someone who recognises his faults and makes up for them,” Zouari told reporters, insisting he was now determined to “move the country forward”. Ex-foreign minister Kamel Morjane apologised in 2011 “for having accepted to serve” under Ben Ali, and has downplayed his responsibilities under the old regime. One-time health minister Mondher Zenaidi fled Tunisia after the uprising, only returning last month to much fanfare among supporters who gathered at the airport to welcome him home. While many oppose their re- turn, some Tunisians fed up with the insecurity that has gripped the country since the uprising believe a former regime strongman could help restore stability. “The Ben Ali regime was corrupt and oppressive but the people could at least find food to eat,” said Karima Ben Hamida, a graduate who has been unemployed for five years. “Personally, between a presidential candidate from the troika (government) and the �azlem’ (members of Ben Ali’s inner circle), I would choose the latter.” A law that would have excluded members of the former regime from elections was rejected by an interim parliament dominated by the Islamist Ennahda party, which has appealed for reconciliation. “We have seen for ourselves the eradication policy in Iraqi which has led to political exclusion there as well as in Libya,” Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi said recently. 6 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 AFRICA Senegal �Ebola-free’, UN appeals for more money AFP Geneva W estern countries scrambled yesterday to ward off a feared global spread of Ebola amid fresh UN appeals for funds to fight the raging epidemic. Despite the bleak outlook, there was good news from Senegal, declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after the benchmark of 42 days passed without any new cases. But with Senegal’s single, nonfatal Ebola case a drop in an ocean of 9,216 cases and 4,555 deaths worldwide, international alarm continued to spiral. “We are losing the battle” due to a lack of international solidarity, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim warned yesterday. “Certain countries are only worried about their own borders,” he said describing the situation as “very worrying”. The epidemic, which began in Guinea in December, has spun out of control in west Africa and the UN said its anti-Ebola war chest was far from filled. Secretary General Ban Kimoon said a call for donations to a special UN trust fund had barely been heeded, leaving the world body with “a very serious problem”. Experts warn that the infection rate could hit 10,000 a week by early December. Despite $20mn of pledges, there was only $100,000 in the reserve fund – reportedly donated by Colombia – Ban told reporters in New York. An overall UN Ebola appeal for $988mn had meanwhile garnered $377mn, or 38% of the money needed. Another $217mn had been pledged, said Jen Laerke, spokesman for the UN’s humanitarian arm OCHA. “But that’s not money in the bank,” Laerke told reporters in Geneva. The top donors so far are the World Bank, with $105mn, the US, with $90mn, and the African Development Bank, with $45mn, he said. Private donors have provided $34mn, while the European Commission has paid in $10.5mn. Ban praised the US, Britain and France for their efforts, but urged others to provide monetary and logistical support. “We need to turn pledges into action. We need more doctors, nurses, equipment, treatment centres and medical evacuation capacities,” he said. The East African Community bloc comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania announced it was sending over 600 health workers to the three worst-hit countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ban’s predecessor as United Nations chief, Kofi Annan, meanwhile accused wealthy countries of dragging their feet because the crisis began in Africa (see sidebar). A string of health workers have been evacuated back to Europe from Africa with Ebola, but the only confirmed case of transmission on the continent so far is a Spanish nurse in Madrid who cared for a missionary who died after returning to Spain. In the United States, two nurses have now fallen ill, to the Ebola neglected because it started in Africa, says Annan Wealthy countries were slow to tackle the Ebola epidemic as it began in Africa, former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan said in tough criticism of the response to the crisis on Thursday. “I am bitterly disappointed by the response ... I am disappointed in the international community for not moving faster,” Annan told the flagship BBC programme Newsnight. “If the crisis had hit some other region it probably would have been handled very differently. In fact when you look at the evolution of the crisis, the international community really woke up when the disease got to America and Europe.” The Ghanaian diplomat, who led the United Nations for a decade until 2006, said it should have been clear that the spread of the virus from its epicentre in western Africa to countries overseas was only a matter of time. It has since been transmitted to a nurse in Spain and two nurses in the United States who were treating patients who had contracted the disease in Africa. “I point the finger of blame at the governments with capacity ... I think there’s enough blame to go around,” Annan said. “The African countries in the region could have done a bit more they could have asked for help much faster and the international community could have organised ourselves in a much better way to offer assistance.” “We didn’t need to take months to do what we are doing today.” Annan defended the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has been criticised for not responding quickly enough to the worst ever epidemic of the disease, which began in Guinea before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone. The Nobel peace prize laureate said that the WHO, which predicts that the infection rate could reach embarrassment of health authorities, who faced questioning about how the disease had spread and why one nurse was allowed to board a crowded flight. Both nurses were involved in the care of a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died on October 8. It was the first Ebola case diag- Annan: If the crisis had hit some other region it probably would have been handled differently. 10,000 a week by December, was aware of the risk of the disease but relied on governments to give them the resources to act. “Countries are saturated with demands and they are not always able to prioritise as effectively as they should. I think we took our eyes off the ball,” Annan said. nosed in the US. Western countries have also scrambled to beef up airport security. European Union health commissioner Tonio Borg said the 28-nation bloc would review exit screening of travellers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Senegal’s Ebola scare involved a student who crossed from Guinea shortly before the border was shut on August 21, and was diagnosed a week later. Thanks to rapid care, he recovered by September 5, and returned to Guinea after two weeks. “Senegal’s response is a good example of what to do when faced with an imported case of Ebola,” WHO said, lauding the government for having “reacted quickly to stop the disease from spreading”. Senegal’s response included identifying and monitoring 74 close contacts of the patient, prompt testing of all suspected cases, stepped-up surveillance at border posts and nationwide public awareness campaigns, the UN agency underlined. Experts agreed that tight surveillance would pay huge dividends. “This shows that the virus can be contained and the outbreak controlled by contact tracing, quarantine, good diagnostics and barrier protection,” said David Evans, professor of virology at England’s University of Warwick. “These control methods have been successful in all previous Ebola outbreaks.” “However, the scale of the current epidemic in West Africa makes the implementation of these procedures much more difficult, meaning that the virus is likely to circulate there for several more months before being controlled,” he warned. Senegal could not be officially cleared until two full 21-day Ebola incubation periods of the disease had elapsed. Nigeria, where 20 people were infected and eight died, is expected to be declared Ebola-free on Monday. But neither is out of danger. The WHO is ramping up its efforts to help 15 African countries defend themselves against the virus – notably with measures to better protect health workers, who are paying a heavy price, with 236 deaths out of 427 cases across the affected countries. N igeria said yesterday that it had agreed a ceasefire with Islamist militants Boko Haram and reached a deal for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the group six months ago. There was no immediate confirmation from the rebels, who have wreaked five years of havoc in Africa’s top oil producer and triggered an international outcry by seizing the girls from the northeast town of Chibok in April. “I wish to inform this audience that a ceasefire agreement has been concluded,” said the head of Nigeria’s military, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, adding the deal had followed three days of talks with the militant sect. Government spokesman Mike Omeri said the deal covered the release of the captives and Boko Haram had given assurances “that the schoolgirls and all other people in their captivity are all alive and well”. Their release would be a huge boost for President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces an election next year and has been pilloried at home and abroad for his slow response to the kidnapping and his inability to quell the violence, the biggest security threat to Africa’s biggest economy. Apart from one appearance on a Boko Haram video, the girls have not been seen since the brazen night-time raid on the town near the Cameroon border, although police and a parent said last month that one of the victims had been released. Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates as “Western education is sinful”, has killed thousands of people in its fight to create an Islamic caliphate in the vast scrubland of Nigeria’s impoverished northeast. A senior Nigerian security source confirmed the existence of talks, but said it remained unclear whether Abuja was negotiating with self-proclaimed movement leader Abubakar Shekau, or another faction within the group. “Commitment among parts of Boko Haram and the military does appear to be genuine. It is worth taking seriously,” the security source told Reuters. Several rounds of negotiations have been attempted in recent years but they have never achieved a peace deal, partly because the group is believed to be deeply divided. “There are some talks but it depends on the buy-in of the whole group. I would be surprised if Shekau had suddenly changed his mind and is ready for a ceasefire,” the source added. The government was negotiating with Danladi Ahmadu, a man calling himself the secretary general of Boko Haram, a presidency source said. It was not clear if Ahmadu is part of the same faction as Shekau. Security sources in neighbouring Chad said Chadian mediators had been involved in the discussions, which were part of a larger deal that led to the release a week ago of 27 hostages, including 10 Chinese workers, kidnapped in Cameroon. Separately, Cameroon’s defence ministry said eight soldiers and 107 Boko Haram militants had been killed in fighting in the far north on Wednesday and Thursday, a region that has suffered regular cross-border raids. Mugabe’s wife warns �successors’ Reuters/AFP Marondera, Zimbabwe P resident Robert Mugabe’s wife has accused senior figures in his ruling ZANU-PF of dividing the party by manoeuvring to replace the 90-year-old Zimbabwean leader, and called on them to let him “finish his job”. Mugabe has ruled the southern African nation since independence from Britain in 1980, and overwhelmingly won re-election last year in a vote denounced by his main rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, as a “huge fraud”. Speculation is rife among both supporters and opponents of Mugabe that his health is failing – something he denies, raising worries about violent instability if he dies with the succession battle in ZANU-PF unresolved. The rise of Grace Mugabe, 49, into the top ranks of ZANU-PF has fed speculation she could be angling to succeed her husband, and she has been using a countrywide tour to denounce what she called “the demon of factionalism” within the party. “I told the President that if you don’t dump that faction leader we will dump her ourselves,” Grace Mugabe said. While not mentioning names, many have interpreted her of- ten cryptic attacks as directed at Vice-President Joice Mujuru, who is involved in an open tussle with Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa to slide into Mugabe’s shoes. Local media, including the state-owned Herald newspaper, were quick to name Mujuru as the target of her wrath. Grace Mugabe also criticised private media for writing negative articles on her family, saying her husband had been ordained by God to lead and those jockeying to succeed him had no leadership qualities. “Let’s leave our father to finish his job and respect him,” she said to cheers from the crowd. More than 4,500 people have died in the deadly Ebola outbreak that began in west Africa at the beginning of the year, fresh World Health Organisation (WHO) figures showed yesterday. The UN health agency said that 4,555 people had died from Ebola out of a total of 9,216 cases registered in seven countries, as of October 14. A toll dated just two days earlier had put the death toll at 4,493 out of 8,997 cases. Yesterday’s announcement came as Western countries scramble to ward off a feared global spread of Ebola – one of the deadliest viruses known to man. The WHO splits the seven affected countries into two groups. The first is comprised of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – by far the worst affected nations. Liberia is the worst-hit of all, with 4,262 cases and 2,484 cases, as of October 13. Sierra Leone meanwhile counted 3,410 cases as of October 14, 1,200 of whom had died. Guinea, where the epidemic originated in December, had seen 1,519 cases and 862 deaths as of October 14. The second group counts countries with far fewer cases, including Senegal, which was declared Ebola-free by the WHO yesterday. That declaration could be made after the benchmark of 42 days passed without any new cases since Senegal’s single, non-fatal Ebola case in August. The second group also counts Nigeria, which has seen 20 cases, including eight deaths, and which looks set to be declared Ebolafree next Monday. In addition now, the second group includes Spain, where a nurse has been confirmed to have contracted the disease from a missionary she cared for and who died from Ebola after returning from Liberia. And it counts the United States, where two nurses have fallen ill after caring for a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died on October 8 after becoming the first Ebola case diagnosed in the country. Parliament in Lesotho reopens Nigeria reaches deal to free abducted girls Reuters Abuja Death toll soars to 4,555 out of 9,216 This May 15 file picture shows a student who escaped when Boko Haram rebels stormed a school and abducted schoolgirls, identifying her schoolmates from a video released by the Islamist rebel group, at the Government House in Maiduguri, Borno State. Nigeria’s government says it has reached a deal for a ceasefire and the release of around 200 girls kidnapped six months ago from a school in the northeast town of Chibok. Lesotho’s King Letsie III reopened parliament yesterday, the first step in a peace deal aimed at ending a crisis sparked by military coup bid. Prime Minister Tom Thabane had suspended the body in June fearing a vote of no-confidence. The re-opening of parliament is a key first step in a peace deal following an August 30 coup attempt and will lead to early elections in February 2015. On August 30 Thabane fled hours before the military attacked police installations. Thabane returned accompanied by SADC police and officials, who have since hammered out a peace deal among Lesotho’s sparring factions. Crucially, the opposition have agreed not to mount a noconfidence vote against Thabane. Instead, they allowed the parliament to re-open and to pass a budget, then officially dissolve in order for the country to prepare for early elections. Jail Pistorius for 10 years: prosecution AFP Pretoria O scar Pistorius should be jailed for at least 10 years for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the prosecution said yesterday as the star sprinter’s sensational trial approached its climax. Slapping down defence claims that the “broke and broken” Paralympic and Olympic athlete had already suffered enough, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that “the minimum that society will be happy with is 10 years imprisonment”. After hearing final arguments from both the defence and prosecution, Judge Thokozile Masipa scheduled sentencing for Tuesday. Defence lawyer Barry Roux said Pistorius was not a “coldblooded killer” and should serve a community-based sentence similar to house arrest without any time in South Africa’s tough prisons. The defence has suggested that Pistorius’s punishment could include cleaning a muse- um for 16 hours a month. Prosecutor Nel described the suggestion as “shockingly disproportionate”. “Go home, stay in a luxurious house ... and he will not leave his house except if he wants to train, work, go to a doctor – that’s what we do every day,” said Nel. He said the “softly spoken words” of Steenkamp’s cousin Kim Martin, who pleaded with the court to “make Mr Pistorius pay” for what he had done, “trounces” any other testimony. Pistorius, 27, admitted killing Steenkamp by firing four shots through a locked toilet door in his upmarket Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day last year, but said he believed she was an intruder. The prosecution pressed hard for a conviction for murder, charging that Pistorius’s claim was improbable and that he had killed the photogenic 29-yearold law graduate after an argument. But Judge Masipa acquitted him of murder – provoking widespread controversy – and found him guilty of culpable homicide, for which he could be sentenced to anything from a fine to 15 years in jail. Pistorius wept in the dock as his lawyer said he had already suffered enough for killing Steenkamp, describing the double-amputee sprinter’s devastating fall from disabled icon and sporting stardom to a loathed criminal. “He’s lost everything, he was an icon in the eyes of South Africa,” said Roux in a last-ditch bid to keep Pistorious out of jail. Roux said Pistorius had also lost the woman he loved, “most of his friends” and “all of his immovable properties”. “He was denigrated to the extent that all that was left was a rage killer, a cold-blooded killer, and everything that was horrible,” said Roux, describing Pistorius as a “victim” of malicious media attention. The trial has been broadcast live around the world, taking on elements of both a soap opera and a reality TV show. Roux said that Pistorius was genuinely remorseful for accidentally killing the woman he loved and would suffer from this for the rest of his life. “The punishment of the accused immediately commenced after the incident,” said Roux, arguing the “trauma” Pistorius has suffered since shooting Steenkamp is “far more severe than any other criminal punishment”. Pistorius has argued he is a perfect candidate for house arrest because he is a first-time offender, needs specialised physical and psychological care that he cannot receive in prison, and is tormented by remorse. Prosecutor Nel questioned why a man who had fought for and won the right to compete against able-bodied athletes now argued that his disability should play a significant role in his sentencing. Acting correctional services commissioner Zach Modise testified that South African prisons are able to provide the specialised physical and psychological care Pistorius needs for his rehabilitation. Whatever sentence the athlete receives, his lucrative sporting career is forever tarnished, with all of his major sponsors cancelling his contracts. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 7 AMERICAS Obama names �Ebola czar’ AFP Washington Reuters/AFP Washington T P resident Barack Obama has appointed a former White House adviser as US Ebola “czar” as the global death toll from the disease that has hit mostly three West African countries rose to more than 4,500. Amid growing concerns about the spread of the virus in the United States, authorities said a Texas health worker who may have had contact with specimens from an Ebola patient was quarantined on a cruise ship. Obama, facing criticism from some lawmakers over his administration’s handling of efforts to contain the virus, appointed Ron Klain, a lawyer who previously served as chief of staff to VicePresident Joe Biden and former vice-president Al Gore, to oversee the US response to the virus. A White House official said the longtime Democratic aide would ensure that “efforts to protect the American people by detecting, isolating and treating Ebola patients in this country are properly integrated but don’t distract from the aggressive commitment to stopping Ebola at the source in West Africa”. Klain’s appointment and the cruise ship incident highlighted anxiety over the threat from Ebola even though there have been just three cases diagnosed in the country, all in Dallas, Texas. They were a Liberian, Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed in the country, and two nurses who were among the team of health workers caring for him up to his death last week. The worst-hit countries have been Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where Ebola has taken 4,546 lives since the outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever began there in March, according Scare at Pentagon Klain: newly appointed �Ebola czar’. to a new report yesterday from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Klain, the president of Case Holdings and general counsel at Revolution LLC, a technologyoriented venture capital firm based in Washington, has been asked to take on co-ordination of the entire US government response to Ebola, reporting directly to Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco and Susan Rice, Obama’s national security adviser. The Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital worker aboard the cruise ship, who did not have direct contact with the nowdeceased Liberian patient, Duncan, but could have processed his bodily fluids, left on Sunday on a cruise from Galveston, Texas. The health worker has been self-monitoring since October 6 and has not developed a fever or other symptoms of Ebola, the State Department said. Carnival Cruise Lines said yesterday that it had been notified by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that a passenger on the ship, the Carnival Magic, was a lab supervisor at Texas Health Presbyterian. Life sentence in loud music murder A Florida man who fatally shot a black teen during an argument over loud music was sentenced yesterday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old white man, was convicted October 1 of first-degree murder in the death of Jordan Davis, 17, in November 2012. The case has been widely followed in the United States, which has been rocked by a series of racially tinged shooting incidents in recent years. At his trial, Dunn said he approached a group of teens in a sports utility vehicle and asked them to turn down their music, but they refused. Dunn said he feared for his life when one teenager started to get out of the car and approach him. Dunn pulled a pistol out of his glove box and opened fire. “To lose a child is a parent’s worst nightmare,” Judge Russell Healey said prior to sentencing, according to the Florida TimesUnion. “Mr Dunn, your life is effectively over. What is sad is that this case seems to exemplify that our society seems to have lost its way.” In addition to the life sentence, Davis was also sentenced to 105 years for having shot at the three other teenagers. Prosecutors waived the death penalty before trial. It said she was deemed to be “very low risk”. The ship can carry 3,690 passengers and 1,367 crew, according to the company’s website. Carnival is owned by Carnival Corporation. The State Department said the worker may have processed samples from Duncan 19 days ago. The maximum incubation window for the disease is 21 days, according to the CDC. The worker and a companion voluntarily isolated themselves in their cabin. Illustrating the degree of public worry in the United States, the Pentagon confirmed an Ebola scare yesterday in one of its parking lots when a woman who recently traveled to Africa vomited after getting off a bus headed to a high-level Marine Corps ceremony. Officials said that they did not know exactly where she had traveled to in Africa or whether she had a fever. The Pentagon said that the woman was rushed to a local hospital. Klain was appointed the day after US lawmakers held a congressional hearing about the administration’s handling of Ebola, Emergency vehicles are seen in a Pentagon parking lot after a woman who recently traveled to Africa vomited there. The Pentagon confirmed an Ebola scare yesterday in one of its parking lots when the woman vomited after getting off a bus headed to a high-level Marine Corps ceremony. with some calling for a ban on travel from West Africa, as other politicians have in recent weeks. Obama said he had no philosophical objection to a travel ban but that some travelers might attempt to enter the United States by avoiding screening measures, which could lead to more Ebola cases, not fewer. On Thursday, he authorised calling up military reservists for the US fight against Ebola in West Africa. The CDC has said it is expanding its search for people who may have been exposed to Amber Vinson – one of the nurses who treated the Ebola patient in Texas – to include passengers on a flight she made to Cleveland, Ohio in addition to those on her Monday return trip to Texas. Vinson went to Ohio at the weekend on Frontier Airlines while running a slight fever. Dr Christopher Braden, a CDC spokesman, said that Vinson may have been ill as early as last Friday, when she boarded the flight from Dallas to Cleveland. In Texas, Governor Rick Perry said yesterday that health officials were actively monitoring eight air travelers who had close contact with Vinson. Lawrence Vinson, Amber Vinson’s uncle, told CNN that no travel restrictions were imposed on the nurses who treated Duncan and that his niece did not believe she was putting anyone in danger by boarding the plane to Ohio. He said his niece did not contact the CDC directly, but health workers in Texas had checked in with her in Ohio and made multiple calls to the CDC to get the goahead for her flight back to Dallas on Monday. Dr Thomas Frieden, the CDC director, has said it is unlikely passengers who flew with Vinson were infected because the nurse had not vomited or bled on the flight, but he said she should not have boarded the plane. The first nurse to contract the disease in the United States, Nina Pham, was in fair and stable condition, US health officials said yesterday. Asked for his reaction to the appointment of an “Ebola czar”, Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters that he was focused on Pham, who arrived at a specialised hospital outside Washington late on Thursday. “I don’t know exactly what is meant by a czar, but we will certainly follow the lead of the president,” Fauci told reporters. “I take care of patients and I do my job. Other people do their job.” he Pentagon closed off a parking lot and one entrance yesterday as a precaution after a woman, who recently returned from Africa, vomited outside the building, prompting fears of Ebola. Pentagon police officers at 9.10am local time (1310 GMT) spotted a woman in a parking lot “who was ill and vomiting”, the Defence Department said in a statement. “During the response, the individual indicated that she had recently visited Africa,” it said. “Out of an abundance of caution, all pedestrian and vehicular traffic was suspended around the South Parking lot” and one entrance to the sprawling office building was also closed off, it said. An Arlington County Fire Department team responded quickly and within less than an hour the woman was taken to a local hospital in northern Virginia outside the US capital, it said. It was not clear what country the woman had visited in Africa, officials said. A US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the woman was on a shuttle bus that was heading to a ceremony at the US Marine Corps barracks attended by top brass and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel. The event marked a change of command for the head of the Marine Corps. Following the incident, the passengers on the shuttle bus have been kept isolated, officials said. The woman was believed to be an employee for a contractor that performs work for the Pentagon, the official said. Fourth death linked to Takata air bags Reuters Detroit/Orlando A fourth traffic death in a Honda car has been linked to a defective air bag made by Japanese supplier Takata Corporation, according to a county medical examiner in Florida. Hien Tran died on October 2, four days after her red 2001 Honda Accord sedan struck another car in Orlando and the air bags exploded, sending shrapnel at the 51-year-old woman, according to the Florida Highway Patrol crash report and Orange-Osceola Chief Medical Examiner Dr Jan Garavaglia. Tran may have survived those injuries, the medical examiner said, but she also suffered serious injuries to her head which were not caused by the air bag shrapnel. Garavaglia said in an interview that shrapnel came “tearing through” the air bag and hit Tran, causing “stabtype wounds” and cutting her trachea. “We connected the air bag to the lacerations of the neck,” Garavaglia told Reuters. “That contributed to her death, but she has other trauma.” Garavaglia said the “devastating” neck injury suffered by Tran was not typical for what is seen when an air bag deploys in an accident. Garavaglia’s office has not released the final autopsy report. Emergency medical workers and firefighters at the accident scene said that Tran “had two or three deep cuts on her right side of her neck that were not consistent with crash injuries”, according to the crash report. The report notes Tran was wearing her seat belt and there were no broken windows. Honda spokesman Chris Martin said the Japanese automaker just heard of the accident on Thursday. “We have not been formally notified, and have not had an opportunity to perform an inspection of the vehicle,” he said. “Thus, it is too early to draw any conclusions. We are now looking into this crash.” Takata’s US spokesman, Alby Berman, said the company was not aware of the accident and would support Honda’s investigation. Officials with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said they are in contact with local authorities and Honda about the accident and “will take appropriate action to protect consumers”. Two of the fatal accidents previously linked to Takata air bags occurred in 2009 and a third took place near Los Angeles last year. Canada trial sees graphic video of killing Reuters Montreal A graphic video showing the killing and dismemberment of a Chinese student by a Canadian man was shown in court on Thursday, adding the suggestion of cannibalism to what has become one of Canada’s grisliest murder trials. Canadian Luka Magnotta, 32, has admitted to killing and dismembering Jun Lin, videotaping the acts and mailing parts of the body to elementary schools and to two Canadian political parties. He is pleading not guilty due to mental illness. Magnotta sat hunched over in court as the jury watched a video that was shot in his Montreal apartment. It showed him stabbing, slashing and performing sexual acts on a bloodied, dismembered body. The jury had been warned early on in the trial about the disturbing video, which for more than 10 minutes showed close-ups of body parts interspersed with images of Magnotta, dressed in black, cutting a buttock with a knife and fork and a black puppy licking the dismembered torso. Lin who had a sleeping pill and allergy medicine in his system, may have died from blood loss when his neck was cut, a pathologist testified at the trial last week. The pathologist said Lin was stabbed 55 times and then dismembered, but he could not say whether the university student was still alive when he was decapitated. The prosecutor in the case says Magnotta planned the killing for at least six months before the crime was committed, and that he had e-mailed a British journalist in 2011 saying he planned to kill a human being and videotape the act. A Montreal police officer testified on Thursday that she was asked in May 2012 to find more information on the video, which had been posted on several websites, including the popular video-sharing site YouTube, under the titles One Lunatic, One Icepick and Time to Shake Things Up a Bit. Police asked the website hosts to remove the videos and to share account information about who had uploaded them. “We had the information that a murder had taken place so we didn’t want the video to circulate,” police investigator Nadine Paoliello told the court. Paoliello said she contacted YouTube parent company Google in early June 2012. She said Google agreed to take down the video but would not reveal information about it, or about the user who had uploaded it, without a warrant. A publication ban imposed by the court at a preliminary hearing has barred media from reporting certain details of the case. Issued in Public Interest by Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 8 ASEAN Indonesian election loser urges unity in sign of thaw AFP Bangkok AFP Jakarta A I ndonesia’s defeated presidential candidate yesterday urged his supporters to back winner Joko Widodo as the pair met for the first time since the bitterly fought poll, signalling a thaw that could help the incoming leader enact much-needed reforms. Ex-general Prabowo Subianto congratulated Widodo, known by his nickname Jokowi, and the pair shook hands and embraced after the meeting in the capital Jakarta. Widodo won a decisive victory over Prabowo in the July election, which was the most closely fought that the world’s third-biggest democracy had ever seen, and he is the country’s first leader without deep roots in the era of dictator Suharto. However Prabowo, who had been seeking the presidency for more than a decade, only grudgingly conceded defeat, and parties that backed him at the poll have since been flexing their muscles in parliament, raising fears that Widodo may not be able to push through his reform agenda. Prabowo’s backers used their parliamentary majority to win key positions in the legislature and voted to abolish the direct election of local leaders, a measure Widodo had opposed and which rolled back a key demo- Thai man charged with insulting royals for graffiti Indonesia’s losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (left) gestures as he stands beside President-elect Joko Widodo after a meeting in Jakarta yesterday. cratic reform of the post-Suharto era. But after much criticism of his behaviour, the ex-general met Widodo yesterday, and the pair appeared smiling at a press conference afterwards. “During a meeting that was full of friendship, I congratulated him,” said the ex-general, who has a chequered human rights record and used to be married to one of Suharto’s daughters. “I conveyed to the party that I lead, my friends and supporters, to back Jokowi and his government.” However, he added: “If there’s some things which are not for the benefit of our nation and people, we will not hesitate to criticise.” Widodo responded: “Our goals are the same.. everything is for the sake of the nation.” He also welcomed Prabowo’s willingness to criticise policies he disagreed with: “A balance in the management of the country is very important. There are some who execute, some who control, and some who criticise. I see that as a good thing.” There has been speculation about whether Prabowo will attend Widodo’s inauguration on Monday and the ex-general said he would try his best to be there, if he could make it back from an overseas trip on time. Bovine beauty 67-year-old Thai man has been charged with insulting the monarchy after scribbling anti-royal comments on public toilet walls, an official said yesterday, the latest charge under the controversial lese majeste law. Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 86, is protected by tough royal defamation rules under which anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count. Opas Charnsooksai was arrested by the military in a shopping mall in eastern Bangkok Wednesday for writing anti-monarchy messages in the public toilets, army officer Burin Thongprapai said. “Security guards at the mall discovered he had written insulting comments on walls in the restroom... He confessed to the charge of lese majeste,” he said, adding they had obtained CCTV evidence against Opas. The accused will now be tried in a military court -- with no right to appeal -under martial law, which was imposed by the army two days before it seized power in May’s coup. Burin added that a raid on Opas’ house revealed “symbols” of the opposition Red Shirt movement. Last month rights group Amnesty International said there had been an “unprecedented” number of people charged with insulting the Thai monarchy since the coup. In August a 28-year-old musician was sentenced to 15 years in jail for writing insulting Facebook posts about the monarchy between 2010 and 2011. “Security guards at the mall discovered he had written insulting comments on walls in the restroom...” In another recent case a taxi driver was jailed for two and a half years after his passenger -- a university lecturer who recorded their conversation on a mobile phone -- accused him of expressing anti-royal views, Amnesty said. Since seizing power Thailand’s junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who in August was also appointed as premier, has made several warnings that his regime will not tolerate any criticism of the royal family. Critics say the legislation has been politicised, noting that many of those charged were linked to the Red Shirts, who are broadly supportive of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, the older brother of ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, was toppled in a previous coup in 2006 and lives in self-exile to avoid prison for a corruption conviction. Thailand’s long-running political conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based middle class and royalist elite, backed by parts of the military and judiciary, against rural and working-class voters loyal to Thaksin. Former Myanmar religion minister jailed for 13 years Reuters Yangon A A winning cow is crowned during Miss Milk Cow annual beauty contest in Moc Chau plateau, 200 km northwest of Hanoi. The beauty contest selects cows with a solid torso, high legs and which provide the most milk. This year, 126 cows have been chosen for contest among the 16,000 cows in Moc Chau. For more than a decade the Miss Milk Cow beauty contest is organised in Moc Chau plateau to promote dairy farming as Vietnamese people’s eating pattern has been changing rapidly along with higher income. former minister of religious affairs in Myanmar was sentenced to 13 years in prison yesterday on charges of misappropriation of state funds and sedition, his lawyer said. Hsan Hsint, who was sacked on June 19, was handed a 10-year prison term and 100,000 kyat ($100) fine for sedition, lawyer Tin Tun told Reuters, and an additional three-year sentence for a charge of siphoning off state funds worth $10,000. Tin Tun said prosecutors failed to provide concrete evidence of Hsan Hsint’s guilt. “The allegations are not quite clear,” he said, adding that he would appeal against the rul- ing at the Mandalay Division high court next week. No information on the case was available from the judiciary. Hsan Hsint’s dismissal followed a police raid on a Buddhist monastery involved in a property dispute. Five monks were arrested during the raid, which caused a public outcry. Thousands of prisoners were granted amnesty by the Myanmar government last week though only three were political detainees. Rights groups said the move seemed aimed at improving Myanmar’s image before it hosts a summit next month of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) that world leaders including US President Barack Obama are due to attend. TERROR Malaysia seeks SE Asian co-operation over IS threat Malaysia’s defence minister has labelled efforts by a US-led coalition to push back the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria “ineffective”, and called for regional co-operation to prevent jihadists gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia. “Air strikes by the US and its allies (against IS in Syria and Iraq) appear to be ineffective for now. So, we need to consider our own approach,” Hishammuddin Hussein was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper. “We cannot work in isolation. We need to work with our friends and our neighbours,” he said, speaking Thursday. Citing neighbours Indonesia - the world’s most populous Muslim nation - the Philippines and Brunei, Hishammuddin said the region needed more intelligence-sharing and other cooperation on the IS threat. Hishammuddin also lamented hesitation in the Arab world in condemning the group. “The silence from Arab states is quite deafening when it comes to the IS issue,” he said. Concern is growing in Southeast Asia over the potential for the Islamic State to gain followers in the region. Khmer Rouge leader says conviction a �fairy tale’ AFP Phnom Penh A former Khmer Rouge leader branded his conviction for crimes against humanity a “child’s fairy tale” at a UN-backed court in Cambodia yesterday, as he faced further charges of genocide, forced marriage and rape. Nuon Chea, 88, known as “Brother Number Two”, has already been given a life sentence along with ex-head of state Khieu Samphan, 83, after a separate trial at the same court in August for crimes against humanity. That ruling saw them become the first top figures to be jailed from a regime responsible for the deaths of up to twomn Cambodians from 1975-1979. At his genocide trial yesterday, Nuon Chea spoke in court for the first time since the convictions to accuse judges of ignoring his evidence in August. “You presented a story that This handout photo taken and released by the Extraordinary Chamber in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) yesterday shows former Khmer Rouge leader ”Brother Number Two” Nuon Chea (centre) sitting in the ECCC courtroom in Phnom Penh. was simple but ultimately just a child’s fairy tale... you made a bitterly disappointing mockery of justice,” he said, reading a statement from the dock. The ex-leader also called for the judges to be disqualified and his defence team to boycott further hearings until a decision on the subject is made. The complex case against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan was split into a series of smaller trials in 2011 to get a faster verdict given the vast number of accusations and their advanced age. Both men have appealed their August convictions, which followed a two-year trial focused on the forced evacuation of around 2mn Cambodians from Phnom Penh into rural labour camps and murders at one exe- cution site. Khieu Samphan also made a statement to the court Friday, claiming his right to a fair trial had been violated. “I know in advance that you will find me guilty and you will convict me eventually even with the current trial,” he said. As prosecutors made their opening statements in the trial, which opened in July, around 300 regime survivors protested outside court, holding placards demanding monetary compensation for their suffering - there are no individual financial reparations under the court’s rules. The second trial, broader in scope than the first, is viewed as an opportunity for many other victims of the regime to seek redress. “The accused will now face trial for the biggest crimes for which they have been indicted,” said prosecutor Chea Leang. Laying out the charges, coprosecutor Nicholas Koumjian told the court the ex-leaders committed the alleged crimes “systematically... to maintain their own power”. The testimony by the prosecution’s first witness, originally scheduled for Monday, has been postponed until October 27. The mass killings of an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 ethnic Cham Muslims and 20,000 Vietnamese form the basis of the genocide charges against the pair. Before these charges were filed, the treatment of the minority Muslim group and Vietnamese community was rarely discussed. “The ways in which the Khmer Rouge mistreated us is too heinous to describe in words. Their goal was to exterminate our race,” said Seth Maly, a 64-year-old Cham labour camp survivor who lost 100 of her relatives -- including her two daughters, parents and five siblings. Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan also face charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the second trial - for the deaths of up to twomn Cambodians through starva- tion, overwork or execution during the communist regime. Most of these deaths do not fall under the charge of genocide, which is defined by the UN as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”. “Without a second trial, there would be an enormous gap in the legal record about crimes that defined the experience of and still traumatise -- regime survivors,” said Anne Heindel, an adviser to the Documentation Center of Cambodia which researches the country’s bloody history. Led by “Brother Number One” Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge dismantled Cambodian society in a bid to create an agrarian utopia. The hearings will also provide the first forum for justice for tens of thousands of husbands and wives forced to marry, often in mass ceremonies, as part of a Khmer Rouge plan to boost the population. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 9 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA MARITIME GRAFT TENSION JUSTICE PEOPLE Beijing, Vietnam pledge to �control’ disputes High-speed rail designer gets suspended death sentence Pyongyang accuses South of undermining peace efforts Taiwan tycoon detained over food safety scandal Kim makes second walking stick-aided appearance China and Vietnam have agreed to “address and control” maritime disputes, state media said yesterday, as differences over the potentially energy-rich South China Sea have roiled relations between the two countries and other neighbours. Ties between the countries sank to a three-decade low this year after China deployed a $1bn-oil rig to the disputed waters. The two countries should “properly address and control maritime differences” to create favourable conditions for bilateral cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Milan. The rail engineer credited with designing China’s high-speed rail network received a suspended death sentence after a Beijing court found him guilty of taking 47.6mn yuan ($7.8mn) in bribes, Chinese state media reported yesterday. Zhang Shuguang, former deputy chief engineer and transportation bureau head of China’s nowdefunct Ministry of Railways, was charged in September of last year for accepting bribes mostly from private Chinese firms vying to win contracts over an 11-year period. Zhang was given a death sentence suspended for two years, the official Xinhua news agency said. North Korea has accused the South of deliberately undermining efforts to reduce military tensions and warned that prospects for the resumption of a high-level dialogue between the two rivals are “gloomy”. In a lengthy, 1,500-word despatch late Thursday, that condemned the South for its “persecution mania”, hypocrisy and arrogance, the North’s official KCNA news agency offered its version of secretive military talks on Wednesday that ended in stalemate. The talks were meant to address tensions arising from two incidents involving brief live-fire exchanges on the interKorean land and maritime borders. A Taiwanese tycoon was taken into custody yesterday after his company was implicated in a food safety scandal that resulted in a massive product recall. Wei Ying-chung, ex-chairman of Wei Chuan Foods Corp, a unit of food giant Ting Hsin International Group, was detained on suspicions of fraud and food safety violations on the grounds that he could collude with other witnesses or destroy evidence, a court statement said. Wei Chuan was accused of selling oil intended for animal food, which is banned for human use, as regular lard and cooking oil in the latest food safety scare that has gripped Taiwan and triggered public outrage. North Korea’s state media yesterday reported another public appearance by leader Kim Jong-Un, his second in four days after an extended absence that has seen him re-emerge with a walking stick. The North’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun ran front page pictures of a smiling Kim, a black cane in his left hand, inspecting two high rise apartment complexes built to house faculty members of a university specialising in nuclear research. The young leader resurfaced earlier this week after dropping out of the public eye for nearly six weeks - an unexplained absence that triggered frenzied speculation about his health and his grip on power. Fresh clashes in Hong Kong as activists regroup Reuters Hong Kong H ong Kong riot police used pepper spray and baton charged prodemocracy protesters who mobilised en masse yesterday evening after a pre-dawn clearance of a major protest zone in the Chinese-controlled financial hub. Over a thousand protesters, some clad in protective goggles and helmets, thronged to the gritty and congested Mong Kok district after work and school last evening, to try to reclaim sections of an intersection that police had cleared in a surprise raid early yesterday. Student leaders urged people via Facebook and social media to retake the area that has been a flashpoint for ugly street fights between students and mobs, including triads, or local gangsters, intent on breaking up their protracted and unprecedented protest movement. Demonstrators chanting “open the road” tried to break through multiple police lines and used upturned umbrellas to shield themselves from pepper spray. In the melee, police used batons and scuffled violently with throngs of activists, some of whom were wrestled away and taken into police custody. “It’s vital to keep this site,” said Joshua Wong, a bookish 18-year-old whose fiery speeches have helped drive the protests. “All the sites are very important. We will stay and fight till the end,” he said while standing atop a subway station exit and addressing the seething crowds below. The protesters, led by a restive generation of students, have been demanding China’s Communist Party rulers live up to constitutional promises to grant full democracy to the former British colony which returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Before dawn yesterday, hundreds of police staged their Teen surfer’s lucky escape after shark bite A teenage girl yesterday described her shock after being bitten by a shark when she landed on top of it while surfing off a popular Australian beach. KirraBelle Olsson, 13, was on her board off Avoca Beach, 95 kilometres north of Sydney, early yesterday when the shark grabbed her left leg. “She’d fallen off her board and she felt something grabbing her leg,” Surf Life Saving New South Wales spokeswoman Donna Wishart said. “She made her own way back to shore, and then other surfers and people on the beach have assisted her and... they put her in a car and drove her to the hospital.” Olsson said she had “dropped in” on the shark — a surfing term for taking someone else’s wave — and it bit her foot and calf three times. “I paddled in just like in shock, just started laughing. I was like, �Whoa, what the hell, I just got bitten by a shark, oh my God’,” she told Channel Seven television from her hospital bed. “And then I got halfway carried up the beach... and telling my friend Saxon, �take photos, take photos’.” Local media said she was treated for deep cuts to her leg and was due to undergo surgery later. Wishart said Avoca Beach would be closed for 24 hours with lifeguards monitoring the area on jetskis. The shark’s species was not yet known, she added. biggest raid yet on a pro-democracy protest camp, charging down student-led activists who had held the intersection in one of their main protest zones for more than three weeks. The operation came while many protesters were asleep in dozens of tents or beneath giant, blue-striped tarpaulin sheets. The raid was a gamble for the 28,000-strong police force who have come under criticism for aggressive clearance operations with tear gas and baton charges and for the beating of a handcuffed protester on Wednesday. Storming into the intersection from four directions, with helmets, riot shields and batons at the ready, the 800 officers caught the protesters by surprise. Many retreated without resisting. “The Hong Kong government’s despicable clearance here will cause another wave of citizen protests,” radio talkshow host and activist Wong Yeung-tat said earlier. In the evening, with more protesters streaming to the area, authorities closed nearby underground train station exits. Police raised red flags, warning the protesters not to charge, with intermittent scuffles breaking out as protesters repeatedly tried to breach police lines. The escalation in the confrontation illustrates the dilemma faced by police in striking a balance between law enforcement and not inciting the protesters who have been out for three weeks in three core shopping and government districts. In August, Beijing offered Hong Kong people the chance to vote for their own leader in 2017, but said only two to three candidates could run after getting backing from a 1,200-person “nominating committee” stacked with Beijing loyalists. The protesters decry this as “fake” Chinese-style democracy and say they won’t leave the streets unless Beijing allows open nominations. 16 killed in vent collapse at South Korea pop concert AFP Seongnam S ixteen people were killed and nine others seriously injured when they plunged down a ventilation shaft after a grating gave way as they watched an outdoor pop concert yesterday in Seongnam south of Seoul. “They were standing on the ventilation grate to get a better view when it collapsed under their weight,” a spokesman for the local fire services said. Rescuers said 16 were confirmed dead, but added the death toll might rise with some of the injured understood to be in critical condition. Television reports said the victims fell more than 10 metres (30 feet) into an underground parking area when the grate gave way shortly before 6:00pm (0900 GMT). Amateur video footage obtained by the YTN news channel showed shocked spectators surrounding the collapsed grate as the popular all-girl K-pop band 4Minute, apparently oblivious to the accident, continued performing on stage. More than 700 people were believed to be attending the outdoor concert. “There was a sudden loud screaming, and when I turned it looked as if people were being sucked down into a hole,” one witness told YTN. A woman standing nearby said a great “cloud of dust” billowed up from the ventilation shaft after the grate collapsed. Most of the dead and injured A South Korean rescue team checks a broken ventilation grate in Seongnam City, near Seoul, after concert goers fell through it into an underground parking area below, yesterday. were believed to be students, YTN said, adding that the concert organisers had repeatedly urged the fans to move off the grate before it collapsed. One young spectator, Lee Sung-Eun, told JTBC TV that she had come close to being among the victims. “I wanted to climb onto the grating so I could get a better view of the band,” Lee said. “But my father stopped me, saying it was dangerous. A couple of minutes later, I heard a bang and saw the people standing on the grating gone.” The injured were being treated at several hospitals near the venue. South Korea has suffered a recent series of accidents involving young victims, including the Sewol ferry disaster in April that left more than 300 dead, tional review of safety standards, as it became clear that poor regulatory oversight was a major contributor to the scale of the tragedy. The last major accident at a music concert was in 2005 when 11 people were crushed to death and nearly 80 injured in a stampede as thousands tried to enter the stadium venue in the southeastern city of Sangju. China angry over Japan lawmakers’ visit to controversial shrine Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering to a controversial war shrine yesterday as 100 lawmakers paid their respects there, in a move Beijing said ratcheted up regional tensions. A cross-party group of parliamentarians said 110 members paid homage at Yasukuni Shrine in downtown Tokyo, a spot condemned by China and Korea as a symbol of Japan’s militarist past. The visit came just hours after Abe shook hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe summit in the Italian city of Milan, despite tensions be- tween the two powers. Earlier media reports said the brief exchange of pleasantries - the first time the two men have met - took place after news of the shrine visit broke, but a Japanese foreign ministry official later clarified that they shook hands late on Thursday evening. Relations between the pair have been in deep freeze for two years over the ownership of disputed islands and differing interpretations of history. The handshake came as the latest sign of a thaw, with Japan pressing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month. But the shrine offering in Abe’s name sparked fresh anger in Beijing once again. The offering was made as a cross-party group of 110 Japanese parliamentarians paid homage at the shrine to mark the start of a four-day autumn festival. Abe, who sent a potted tree with his name and title prominently displayed, is thought unlikely to go even after he returns home today from the summit in Italy. His visit in December last year infuriated Beijing and Seoul, who say the inclusion of senior war criminals among those hon- Pacific protesters in canoes and kayaks target coal port Reuters Newcastle, Australia H undreds of protesters yesterday joined environmental activists from a dozen South Pacific countries attempting to halt shipping at the world’s largest coal export terminal in eastern Australia by forming a blockade with canoes, surfboards and kayaks. The action at the entrance to the Port of Newcastle briefly interrupted ships heading to open waters under a police marine escort but failed to bring any coal vessels to a halt. Nonetheless, organisers from the 350.Org environmental group said it underscored concerns that the burning of coal mined in Australia was having devastating effects in the South Pacific. Some experts say climate change will cause rising sea levels and higher tides that will swamp lower-lying Pacific is- most of them high school students. In February, the roof caved in on a student-packed auditorium near the southern city of Gyeongju, killing 10 people and injuring more than 100. An investigation uncovered evidence of structural flaws and lax management controls. The Sewol disaster prompted government promises of a na- Traditionally dressed representatives from South Pacific nations paddle their canoe towards a ship as they participate in a protest at ships leaving the Newcastle coal port, located north of Sydney yesterday. lands and present other challenges such as coral bleaching and an increase in storms and cyclones. “This is important today because we are here to highlight the effects of climate change across our islands,” said George Nacewa, a 350.Org activist from Fiji. “We are not willing to drown because of climate change. We are trying to change the narrative from �we are drowning’ to �we are not drowning, we are fighting’.” Newcastle handles more than 4,000 ship movements annually, more than 90% loaded with coal from the nearby mines of BHP Billiton,, Rio Tinto , Glencore and others. Calling themselves the Pacific Climate Warriors, the demonstrators chanted Methodist hymns before boarding traditional canoes to block shipping lanes leading from the port. They were joined by others on surfboards and kayaks. The flotilla was quickly flanked by police on jet skis and in motor boats as a tanker was shepherded out to sea by three tugboats. There were no arrests. Milan Loeak, a 26-year-old from the Marshall Islands and daughter of the President of the Marshall Islands Chris Loeak, said her islands were already feeling the impacts. “I’ve seen my people and my islands suffer the impacts of climate change through droughts and floods from high tides,” said Loeak. Up to a third of Australia’s coal sector is running at a loss, yet collieries are flooding countries such as China and Japan withmns of tonnes of coking coal used to make steel and thermal coal to generate power. oured by the shrine makes it an insult to the grievous injuries Tokyo inflicted before and during World War II. China reacted with renewed anger yesterday “China is gravely concerned and firmly opposes the negative activities in Japan surrounding the Yasukuni Shrine,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement. “China would like to reiterate that Sino-Japan relations can only realise healthy and stable development when Japan seriously faces up to and repents of its aggressive past and disassociates itself with militarism,” he added. �Recruiter’ charged with preparing Aussie attack AFP Brisbane A man arrested in Australian counter-terrorism raids in September is facing fresh charges of preparing a terrorist attack on home soil, police said yesterday. Agim Kruezi, 22, was initially accused of recruiting, funding and sending jihadist fighters to Syria after he was detained in Brisbane on September 10. He is now facing a new charge of committing an act in preparation for a terrorist act by transporting a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of life in jail, authorities said. Kruezi was also yesterday charged with possessing machetes, knives, balaclavas, military fatigues, fuel, corks, and a firearm in connection with preparing for a terrorist act. “These additional charges are as a result of ongoing investigations into the man’s activities including the alleged preparation and recruitment for incursions into Syria to fight,” federal police said in a statement. The additional charges came after Australia last month raised its terror threat level to “high” after years on “medium” on growing concern about jihadists returning from fighting in Iraq and Syria. The case against Kruezi and Omar Succarieh, 31, who was also arrested in the Queensland operation, were adjourned to December 19 after a hearing in Brisbane Magistrates Court. Another man — Louis Maestracci, 32, who was charged with funding jihadists travelling overseas to fight after a separate Brisbane raid in late September — also had his case adjourned to the same date. Crown prosecutor Shane Hunter told the court police needed more time to prepare their evidence against the men because they were busy with preparations for the G20 leaders’ summit in Brisbane in November. 10 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 BRITAIN Medieval treason law may be used to tackle militants Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that Islamic State pose a grave threat to Britain Reuters London B ritain may use a medieval law dating to 1351 to charge citizens with treason if they go to fight with Islamic State insurgents in Iraq and Syria, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that Islamic State, whose fighters have seized large areas of Syria and Iraq, pose a grave threat to Britain while police and intelligence officers say they have seen a rise in potentially deadly plots. Security officials say some 500 Britons - largely with Muslim immigrant backgrounds - are believed to be fighting in Iraq and Syria, though the true figure could be much greater and security officials worry that those who return could carry out an attack on Britain. Hammond said any British citizen who had sworn personal allegiance to the so-called Islamic State could have committed an offence under the Treason Act of 1351, which was passed during the reign of English King Edward III. “We have seen people declaring that they have sworn personal allegiance to the so-called Islamic State,” Hammond told parliament on Thursday. “That does raise questions Hammond: foreign secretary about their loyalty and allegiance to this country and about whether the offence of treason could have been committed,” he said, adding he would bring the issue to the attention of Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May. Islamic State has released videos of the beheading of two American and two British men which feature a masked, blackclad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent who has been dubbed “Jihadi John” by British media. A member of parliament from the governing Conservatives, Philip Hollobone, has argued that using the old treason law that singles out those who commit acts of war would be more effective against IS militants than subsequent counter-terrorism statutes. The maximum sentence for treason in Britain is life imprisonment; it was death until 1998. The last person to be hanged for treason in Britain was William Joyce, a propagandist for Nazi Germany nicknamed Lord Haw Haw who broadcast to Britain during World War Two and who was executed in 1946. Britain has been considered a major target for Islamist militants since the September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda attacks on its close ally the US, as well as Britain’s participation in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussain. Fifty-two people were killed when four young Britons carried out suicide bombings in London in 2005. Earlier yesterday, Mark Rowley, Britain’s national policing spokesman for counter-terrorism, said police were carrying out security investigations at an “exceptionally high” rate with 218 arrests so far this year. He said they were preventing several attack plots of “varied sophistication” a year, all inspired by terrorism seen overseas. RFA Argus leaving Falmouth Docks yesterday on the way to Sierra Leone to treat people infected with the Ebola virus. British navy heading for Sierra Leone Ebola zone AFP London A British navy ship left yesterday for Sierra Leone laden with personnel, aid and equipment to treat people infected with the Ebola virus as Prime Minister David Cameron appealed for other countries to do more to tackle the epidemic. The RFA Argus, docked in Falmouth, southwest England, was waiting for high tide before departing on the 10-day journey, stopping at Gibraltar en route to pick up more supplies. The civilian-staffed military medical support ship will carry materials to build medical units and help keep them supplied. Some 80 medics and 80 marines are among the 350 people on board. It will travel with three Merlin utility helicopters, air crew and engineers to provide transport and support to medical teams and aid workers. Troops with landing craft will escort personnel ashore and protect teams deployed on the ground. While the ship is equipped as a “floating hospital”, Ebola patients will not be brought aboard, and any member of the ship’s company thought to have come into contact with victims would be sent to treatment facilities onshore. The ship could be stationed off west Africa for three months. “This is the biggest health problem facing our world in a generation,” Cameron said at an Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit in Milan. “I think it’s time for other countries to look at their responsibilities and their resources and act in a similar way to what Britain is doing in Sierra Leone, America’s doing in Liberia and France is doing in Guinea. “Other countries now need to step forward with resources and action because taking action at source in west Africa, that is the best way to protect all of us here in Europe,” he said. Britain is taking the international lead role in tackling Ebola in Sierra Leone due to its historic links. Sierra Leone gained independence from Britain in 1961. But Britain’s International Development Secretary Justine Greening said other nations needed to pull their weight in the region. “It is simply not going to be a tenable approach to simply leave the UK to work with Sierra Leone, the US with Liberia and France with Guinea and for no other countries to get involved,” she told BBC radio. “The international community now needs to wake up to this crisis and start putting resources in.” A British army medical team arrived in Sierra Leone on Thursday to work at a UK-supported treatment centre. Screening at British airports for arrivals from the worst-affected region will be extended to two further airports, the government said yesterday. The scheme, already in place at London Heathrow, should be up and running at London Gatwick by the end of next week. It will also be extended to Manchester and Birmingham airports. Meanwhile, a researcher has said an Ebola vaccine by British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline may not be ready for commercial use until late 2016 and should therefore not be seen as the “primary answer” to the current outbreak. “We have to be able to manufacture the vaccine at doses that would be consistent with general use and that’s going to take well into 2016,” Doctor Ripley Ballou, head of GSK’s Ebola vaccine re- search unit, told BBC radio in an interview aired yesterday. “I don’t think this vaccine should be seen as the primary answer to this particular outbreak but we certainly hope that this vaccine could be used to prevent future outbreaks. “Unfortunately it’s not going to be as quickly as we would like,” he said, adding: “In retrospect we should have pulled the trigger earlier.” Ballou said data on the vaccine’s efficacy and safety would not be available before the end of 2015. “In order for the vaccine to be used we have to have data on its safety and its efficacy and those data will not be available before the end of 2015,” he said. He added that the whole process was “incredibly accelerated” as vaccine development would normally take seven to 10 years. GSK’s is one of two vaccines along with one by US group NewLink Genetics that the World Health Organisation has been focusing on and it has helped accelerate clinical trials. Some clinical trials of the GSK vaccine have begun in the US and Britain and the WHO has said that around 10,000 doses of the vaccine should be available by early 2015. One of two armoured police vans leaving Westminster Magistrates Court in London yesterday shortly after the appearance of four men charged over an alleged terror plot in front of a judge. Four held under terrorism laws �plotted to kill police officers’ Reuters London F our men appeared in court yesterday, charged under anti-terrorism legislation with swearing allegiance to Islamic State (IS) militants and preparing to launch an attack on policemen or soldiers on the streets of London. The four, who were arrested over the past two weeks, are variously charged with obtaining a handgun and conducting “hostile reconnaissance” of Shepherd’s Bush police station in west London and the nearby White City reservist army barracks. Further charges include storing images sent via photo-sharing service Instagram of two police officers and of two civilian police community support officers. “This is a plot, in essence, to shoot, to kill, police officers or soldiers on the streets of London,” prosecutor Mark Dawson told Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Tarik Hassane, 21; Suhaib Majeed, 20; Nyall Hamlett, 24 and Momen Motasim, 21, all from the London area were remanded in custody after a brief hearing to appear at the Old Bailey court on October 27. They have yet to enter a plea. The charges variously laid against them also include setting up methods of secret communication and possession of extreme jihadi material which included footage of the beheading by IS of American journalist Steven Sotloff last month. A fifth man, Nathan Cuffy, 25, also from London, was remanded in custody on firearms offences. Cancer boy leaves intensive care in Prague hospital AFP Prague F ive-year-old British brain tumour patient Ashya King has left intensive care after undergoing potentially life-saving proton beam therapy, the hospital in Prague where he was treated said yesterday. The thirtieth and last of the sessions will take place on October 24, said Jana Kulhankova, spokeswoman of the Proton Therapy Centre of Prague. “Ashya left the intensive care unit on Tuesday and has been put in an individual room,” she said. He has “started to put on weight, he is smiling, and he is reacting to the gestures of his parents and those close to him,” he said. King’s case made headlines after his parents removed him from a hospital in Britain in August against doctors’ wishes, sparking an international manhunt. He began treatment in Prague in mid-September, where he is put under general anaesthetic for the therapy, which is not available in Britain. It is touted as more precise than conventional radiotherapy as it uses a proton beam to target only malignant cells in a highly precise manner. Ashya arrived in Prague on September 8 from Spain where his parents had taken him after whisking him away from South- amption General Hospital in England because they feared that traditional radiotherapy would damage his brain. His parents were detained in Spain on an international warrant, after British authorities suspected they were not acting in the best interests of the child. But after the couple spent four days in a Spanish prison, a British court reunited them with their son in a Spanish hospital and allowed them to travel to Prague for the treatment. London reigns as the divorce capital of world AFP London L as Vegas may be the best place for marriage but London is known as the divorce capital of the world, boosted by a ruling yesterday on a Malaysian beauty queen’s bid for a big money split from her tycoon husband. Thousands of wealthy Chinese, Russians, Americans and Europeans, many of whom work in the City of London financial district or own property in Britain, now end their marriages before an English judge. Few are as rich as businessman Khoo Kay Peng, reputedly worth at least £400mn ($640mn) and Pauline Chai, tales of whose 1,000 pairs of shoes and £22,000 monthly budget for a Rolls Royce plus chauffeur has enthralled Britain’s press. But their case has drawn fresh attention to a phenomenon which has made a handful of lawyers almost as rich as some of their clients. “England has become very attractive for wives, in particular because awards here are considerably higher than almost anywhere in the world,” said Sandra Davis, head of the family law department at Mishcon de Reya. “By the same count, it’s a jurisdiction that the wealth creator generally wants to avoid,” added Davis, who represented Diana, princess of Wales in her divorce from Prince Charles and US model Jerry Hall in her split from Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger. A judge at London’s High Court ruled yesterday that it could hear the divorce between Chai and Peng after his lawyers argued it should be heard in Malaysia instead. The former Miss Malaysia was in court for the ruling and hugged her family and lawyers in delight at the news. “I am pleased the judge recognised my connection with this great country,” Chai said in a statement afterwards. “I am so pleased that I, my children and indeed my shoes have found a home here.” Her legal team, led by the “Diva of Divorce” Ayesha Vardag, successfully argued that Chai had lived in England - in a £30mn mansion outside London surrounded by 1,000 acres of park- Pauline Chai: divorce case land featuring a menagerie of animals - for long enough to satisfy the legal requirements. The case could set a new record for England’s biggest divorce payout due to the length of the couple’s marriage, which lasted over 40 years. That is currently held by late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who reportedly paid up to £220mn to his ex-wife Galina Besharova in 2011. While no precise figures exist on how many divorces in London have an international element, lawyers say they are common. Davis said 75 percent of her clients in this field had an international link. So what is it about England which makes it such an attractive destination for divorce? “The short answer is money,” said Elizabeth Hicks, a partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell. Following a landmark case in 2000, English courts start from the assumption that marital assets should be split 50/50, fa- vouring the less wealthy spouse. This contrasts with many other countries and means awards in England are several times bigger than they would be elsewhere. Another factor is that prenuptial agreements, signed before marriage to protect the richer spouse’s assets, are not legally binding in England. English judges also take into account a wider range of assets when calculating each spouse’s wealth, which also appeals to the less wealthy partner. The super-rich are not the only foreigners to divorce in the English courts. While most cases are legitimate, it emerged last month that 179 Italian couples who had been trying to avoid lengthy procedures in their own country had divorces granted in England cancelled as they had never lived here. Courts had been supplied with a fake English address in a scam organised by an Italian agency. Divorce lawyers may be happy with the extra fees that foreign splits bring them but some judges seem weary of the strain which such cases are putting on the English legal system. After reading out a three-hour judgement in Chai v Peng yesterday, Judge David Bodey implored both sides “with all the strength I can muster” to reach an agreement as soon as possible. “There is enough in the kitty that they would be hard-pressed to spend it all in their lifetimes, even if they wanted to,” he added, ruefully. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 11 EUROPE Russia, Ukraine strike tentative gas supply deal Reuters Milan R ussia and Ukraine made progress yesterday towards resolving a dispute over gas supplies in time for winter, but European leaders said Moscow still had to do much more to prop up a fragile ceasefire and end fighting in eastern Ukraine. The mooted deal could reopen Russian gas to Ukraine cut off since June, and ensure supply to European buyers further west before demand surges in the cold months and stocks run down. It came as something of a surprise after talks in Milan that the Kremlin said were “full of misunderstandings and disagreements”. Russia’s Vladimir Putin told reporters that a deal ensuring gas supplies “at least for the winter” had been reached after a final one-on-one meeting with Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko, which followed talks attended by European leaders. “We agreed on all the param- Polish officer charged with spying Reuters/AFP Warsaw A uthorities in Poland have arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Russia, a Polish lawmaker briefed on the issue said yesterday, a case likely to aggravate tensions between two countries already at odds over the Ukraine crisis. Both suspects, an officer working for the Polish ministry of defence and a Warsaw-based lawyer, were detained by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) on Wednesday. Prosecutors have not revealed for what country the suspects are alleged to have been spying. But following a briefing by the secret services which took place behind closed doors yesterday, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee said that Russia was involved. “Actions are being taken in respect of two agents of the Russian state,” the lawmaker, Marek Biernacki told reporters. “This was definitely a successful shot aimed at GRU,” he said, a reference to the Russian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate. Yesterday a Warsaw military court ordered that the military officer, a lieutenant-colonel, be held in custody for three months pending trial. “He was charged with collaborating with a foreign intelligence service ... and passing on sensitive information,” said military prosecutor Ireneusz Szelag. A civilian court also ruled that the lawyer be held for three months. “The two cases are linked but that does not mean that the two men were working in tandem,” said prosecutor-general Andrzej Seremet. A Reuters reporter inside the high-security court saw the lawyer, dressed in a suit and handcuffed, being escorted along a corridor after the hearing by three security agency officers wearing balaclavas. Polish radio station Radio Zet reported that the lawyer was a citizen of Russia as well as Poland, citing unnamed sources, but officials have not confirmed this. eters of this deal,” Putin said, but he urged European countries to help Ukraine meet a debt for gas, which he said stood at $4.5bn. The agreement followed a hectic series of meetings on the margins of a summit between Asian and European leaders in Milan at which Europeans showed no signs of agreeing to lift sanctions against Moscow imposed over the Ukraine crisis. There was some progress on the issue of monitoring the Ukraine-Russian border and the so-called demarcation line separating pro-Russia militias and Ukrainian forces. Italy, Ukraine and Russia agreed to join France and Germany in providing surveillance drones for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is overseeing a ceasefire. However, an overall solution to a crisis which has revived memories of the Cold War still appeared remote, with key issues open including the question of local elections in breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. And the meetings demonstrated the bitterness of relations between Putin and European leaders, above all Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. “I cannot see a breakthrough here at all so far,” said Merkel after one meeting, adding: “We will continue to talk. There was progress on some details, but the main issue is continued violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” Kiev and its Western backers accuse Moscow of aiding a separatist revolt in Ukraine by providing troops and arms. Russia denies direct involvement but says it has a right to defend the interests of Russian speakers. Fighting has largely died down under a ceasefire agreed last month, but Western countries say Moscow must take further steps to reassure Kiev if it wants sanctions to be lifted. Even as the fighting has taken place, Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a dispute over prices Kiev should pay for Russian gas. Russia, seeking higher prices and accusing Kiev of running up debt, cut off supplies to Ukraine in June. This has sparked fears that the Russian gas that transits Ukraine to Europe could also be disrupted when demand goes up this winter. EU officials said the gas talks would continue in Brussels next week. Poroshenko told reporters he hoped the accord reached yesterday could be firmed up in time for the meeting. Underlining the tense situation, artillery fire could be heard in Donetsk, the eastern city that is the main stronghold of proRussian separatists fighting for a split from Kiev. Alexey Miller, the head of Russian gas giant Gazprom, who met the head of Ukrainian energy group Naftogaz earlier in the day, said that for supplies to resume, Ukraine would have to agree to Russia’s conditions. “If these conditions are not agreed, then the present regime will apply,” he said. Clearly sympathetic with Kiev, Merkel, Putin, Hollande and Ukraine’s President Poroshenko (right) are seen at a meeting yesterday in Milan during the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). European leaders lined up to tell Russia to ensure full implementation of the ceasefire deal. Merkel’s position as German leader means she sets the tone of EU relations with Russia and has taken the lead within Europe in trying to persuade Putin to change tack over Ukraine. She had a rocky time in Milan, however, with one German official saying that the Russian leader had not displayed a “too constructive mood”. An initial meeting set for Thursday was delayed for hours because Putin flew into Italy well behind schedule. They then held more than 2-1/2 hours of talks that ran well past midnight, with both sides acknowledging discussions had been unproductive. Yesterday, Merkel reprimanded the former Soviet KGB spy in front of EU and Asian leaders, according to people present. After a speech in which Putin raised doubts about the sovereignty of Ukraine, Merkel reminded him of the 1994 Budapest agreement, in which Russia recognised the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, a territory Russia seized in March and annexed. The Kremlin also sounded unhappy about early meetings. “The talks are indeed difficult, full of misunderstandings, disagreements, but they are nevertheless ongoing, the exchange of opinion is in progress,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, accusing some unnamed participants of taking an “absolutely biased, non-flexible, nondiplomatic” approach. Still, despite the difficult start, French President Francois Hollande said the later meetings were more productive. “A deal on gas is now really within reach, which is very important for the Ukrainians and very reassuring for the Russians, because they really want to be paid,” he said. Russia is Europe’s biggest gas supplier, accounting for around a third of its needs, and about half the Russian gas that the EU buys comes via Ukraine. The stand-off over pricing is the third in a decade between Moscow and Kiev, although this time the stakes are higher because of the fighting in Ukraine. More than 3,600 people have died in eastern Ukraine since fighting broke out in mid-April when armed separatists declared they were setting up their own states in two provinces. Although Putin announced this week that Russian troops near the border with Ukraine would be pulled back, Western officials want to see clear evidence that Moscow is acting on this. “Vladimir Putin said very clearly he doesn’t want a �frozen conflict’ and doesn’t want a divided Ukraine,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said. “But if that’s the case, then Russia now needs to take the actions to put in place all that has been agreed. If those things don’t happen, then clearly the European Union, Britain included, must keep in place the sanctions and the pressure so we don’t have this sort of conflict in our continent.” Minister delivers �shirt front’ Sweden hunting suspected sub off over MH17 crash at ASEM Stockholm coast AFP Milan AFP/Reuters Stockholm A ustralian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop delivered a diplomatic version of the “shirt front” promised by Prime Minister Tony Abbott as Russia came under fire over the fate of flight MH17 at the ASEM summit. In an interview with AFP yesterday, Bishop revealed that she had taken her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to task on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). She said that she had bluntly spelled out her government’s frustration at what it sees as Moscow’s hampering of the Dutch-led probe into the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine in July. All 298 people on board died, including 38 who were citizens or residents of Australia. Western governments believe the plane was shot down by proRussian rebels with a Russianmade missile. Moscow says Ukraine is responsible for the incident. Bishop’s intervention came as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte upbraided Russian President Vladimir Putin for his failure to rein in the pro-Moscow rebels accused of restricting access to the crash site, which has never been properly secured. A total of 153 Dutch nationals died in the crash and Dutch investigators are leading the probe into what caused it. A total of 26 people who were on board the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight are still unaccounted for because their remains have not been identified. Distressingly for relatives, there may still be human parts which have not been recovered from the crash site, which was inaccessible for much of August and early September because of fighting in the area. “Russia has not been as cooperative as we would have expected,” Bishop said after her face-to-face encounter with Lavrov. “They even took action in the UN Security Council seeking to undermine the impartiality and independence of the investigation. “We fully support the Dutchled investigation and I asked Lavrov for Russia’s full cooperation and that they use T he Swedish armed forces announced a military operation in islands off Stockholm late yesterday evening following reports of suspicious “foreign underwater activity”. “We have begun an intelligence operation ... involving ships, helicopters and several ground units,” Commander Jonas Wikstroem told reporters, adding that the operation was based on a tip-off from a “credible source”. Wikstroem did not specify how close the operation was to the Swedish capital but said that the military was informing the public as the area has “heavily trafficked”. In recent months, Swedish media have reported an uptick in Baltic Sea manoeuvres by the Russian air force, including a close encounter between a Swedish spy plane in international airspace off Russia’s Baltic Sea coast. “As the government has said, the situation has deteriorated in the Baltic Sea,” Wikstroem said, adding that no weapons had been used in the current operation. During the Cold War the then-neutral – and now nonaligned – Nordic country was regularly on alert following Russian submarine sightings, including one notable case in 1981 when a Soviet U-boat ran aground several miles from a largest naval base The stranding of U137 during the Cold war marked the start of a period when the navy repeatedly attacked suspected foreign submarines with depth charges in Swedish territorial waters. Countries in the Baltic Sea region have become increasingly wary of Russia’s ambitions since Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in March. Rosneft sues EU AFP Brussels R Solidified molten steel is seen in this picture taken on Wednesday among the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 near the village of Rassipnoe. their influence over the rebels to ensure there can be full access to the crash site, not only for the purposes of checking for any remains but also to enable the investigators to carry out a thorough investigation into the causes of the crash so that we can bring those responsible to justice.” Bishop acknowledged that Lavrov had flat-batted her complaints, ensuring the explosive issue is likely to resurface when Putin visits Australia for next month’s G20 summit. “The response was somewhat predictable,” Bishop said. “He said it was a matter for Ukraine, as a crash that occurred in Ukrainian airspace. That is not a view I share.” Abbott has vowed to tackle Putin over MH17 at the Brisbane G20 meeting and made waves by using the term “shirtfront” – which comes from testosteronefuelled Australian Rules Football and refers to an aggressive body charge on an opponent. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev laughed off the threat earlier this week, pointing out that his boss Putin, a judo black-belt, was unlikely to be intimidated by the Australian’s rhetoric. An initial report by Dutch investigators issued last month found that the jet was hit by multiple “high-energy” objects but did not apportion blame. Rutte used his meeting with Putin to demand “maximum cooperation” in the probe, he said. ussian oil giant Rosneft and a close associate of President Vladimir Putin are fighting the EU in court over sanctions imposed on some of Russia’s biggest companies, an official website indicated yesterday. A Russian billionaire, Arkady Rotenberg, who is also Putin’s judo sparring partner, filed two suits at the European Union’s Court of Justice in Luxembourg, while state-owned Rosneft filed one. The suits were filed last week, the website indicated, and were first reported by the Financial Times. Contacted by AFP in Moscow, both Rosneft and a spokesman for Rotenberg refused comment. The suits follow the EU’s tough new package of economic sanctions against Russia decided last summer. The latest measures targeted major Russian energy, finance and defence companies including Rosneft and weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov. The bloc also placed asset freezes and visa bans on a host of Russian figures close to Putin as well as rebels in Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Russian banking giant VTB – also targeted by sanctions – said it was considering whether to take legal action. A spokeswoman for VTB told AFP bank lawyers were “thoroughly studying the issue.” The EU sanctions adopted in September are a tougheningup of measures adopted in July after the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over rebel-held east Ukraine. The European Council, representing the EU member states, said that it would defend the measures which were “imposed over Russia’s role in destabilising eastern Ukraine”. “The council takes great care to ensure legal robustness when adopting restrictive measures and takes due account of relevant case-law of the court,” it said. 12 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 EUROPE Turkey drops case that dogged Erdogan govt Reuters/AFP Istanbul T urkish prosecutors have dropped a corruption case against 53 suspects, among them two former minister’s sons, drawing a line under a scandal that dogged now-President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inner circle for months, media said yesterday. The scandal posed one of the biggest challenges to Erdogan’s 11-year rule as prime minis- ter, leading three members of his cabinet to quit and drawing international criticism for his response – tightening Internet controls and reassigning police, judges and prosecutors. Istanbul prosecutors ruled that there was no case to answer as evidence had not been collected appropriately, there was no evidence of a crime and no criminal gang was uncovered, broadcaster CNN Turk reported. Officials from the prosecutor’s office were not available to comment. In May a Turkish court lifted a travel ban on one of the suspects, Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, in what was seen as a sign that the investigation was running out of steam. Among the other suspects in the case were sons of former interior minister Muammer Guler and former economy minister Zafer Caglayan. A police report leaked earlier this year presented Zarrab as the ringleader of a group which allegedly helped Iran to exploit a loophole in the West’s sanctions regime that for a time allowed the Islamic Republic to purchase gold with oil and gas revenues. The report alleged bribes were paid to Turkey’s then economy minister, interior minister and EU affairs minister as well as the chief executive of state-controlled lender Halkbank. All three ministers, who subsequently resigned or were dropped from the cabinet, denied wrongdoing and were not charged. They were detained in police raids in December last year when the corruption scandal first erupted. All suspects had later been released pending a trial. Halkbank has denied violating any domestic or international laws. Despite the controversy, Erdogan’s ruling AK Party swept to victory in local elections at the end of March that were seen as a referendum on his rule, and prosecutors have dismissed other corruption cases in the affair. Erdogan subsequently won the country’s first direct election for president in August. He cast the graft probe as an attempted “judicial coup”, a plot to unseat him devoid of legal merit and said it had been orchestrated by US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, a former ally with influence in the police and judiciary. Gulen denied involvement. Thousands of police officers and hundreds of members of the judiciary have been reassigned since the scandal, with several prosecutors removed from the corruption case. Train drivers go on strike as schools start holiday Reuters/DPA/AFP Berlin G erman train drivers began their second national strike in a week yesterday, halting services in the build-up to one of the busiest weekends of 2014 in a dispute over pay and negotiating rights with state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn. The strike will stop about two-thirds of national train services and many lines in Berlin and other cities as school holidays start in most of Germany’s federal states, the train operator said. Drivers’ union GDL is seeking a 5% pay rise for 20,000 drivers and a shortening of their working week to 37 hours from 39 hours. It also wants to set wage deals for around 17,000 train guards and other personnel, also among its members. This is something Deutsche Bahn rejects, however, saying that it will only negotiate with the largest union representing workers in those categories, EVG. “The GDL is running riot,” Deutsche Bahn said in a statement, accusing the union of “spoiling the holidays of millions of Germans without any need”. The statement added that the union chief Claus Weselsky had “lost all sense of proportion”. “This isn’t about the interests of train drivers, but the omnipotence fantasies of a union official,” Deutsche Bahn said. Freght train drivers started their strike at 3pm yesterday. A commuter waits yesterday on an empty platform next to an electronic billboard announcing a strike by German train drivers at the main railway station in Berlin. German train drivers will stage a nationwide strike for the second time this week in a drawn-out dispute over pay and conditions with state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn, union GDL said yesterday. Passenger train drivers were due to join in from 2am today, with both stoppages due to come to an end at 4am on Monday, said the union. Deutsche Bahn has presented a new offer to GDL and proposed talks for tomorrow if the union calls off the strike, a spokesman said. Two weeks ago, the company offered GDL a 2% pay rise which it rejected. Passenger train drivers staged Bishops slam brakes on reform push for gays and divorcees AFP Vatican City air travel, after several airline strikes. A draft law is expected in November. GDL accused management of issuing “nice-sounding statements with no substance”. The union also wants to represent other groups of employees within Deutsche Bahn, not just the drivers, but conductors, catering staff, dispatchers and other staff as well, a demand which management rejects. “It’s high time that DB accepts the facts,” GDL said, claiming that it represented 51% of the group’s 37,000 employees. In addition to the rail strikes, travellers in Germany have also been hit recently by repeated walkouts by pilots of airlines within the Lufthansa group. This week, the pilots of Lufthansa’s low-cost subsidiary Germanwings walked off the job for 12 hours on Wednesday, grounding hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers. Video shows Spain police beating, expelling migrant AFP Madrid C atholic bishops have spoken out against a landmark Vatican report calling for a more open approach to gay believers, presenting a series of stronglyworded changes bound to disappoint progressives. A preliminary report on Monday for a special synod of bishops in the Vatican on family matters made waves around the world by suggesting the church should reach out to homosexuals, who have “gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community”. But the Vatican on Thursday published a fresh report summing up the reactions of 10 working groups of bishops, which smacked in places of panic among conservatives determined to derail Pope Francis’s push for reform. South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier moderated a group of bishops from Africa, Asia and Oceania which said the initial report placed “too much emphasis on the problems facing the family”, and wanted “the Word of God, and the beauty of the Gospel of Marriage” to take centre stage. The church “must continue to promote the revealed nature of marriage as always between one man and one woman united in lifelong, life-giving, and faithful communion”, they said. A group led by Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said that they “respect and welcome homosexual people” but warned that “this does not mean that the church should le- a 14-hour strike over Wednesday and Thursday. The magnitude of the industrial action was surprising in a country where warning strikes rarely last more than a day. The last time Deutsche Bahn was hit by an industrial dispute like this this was in 2007-2008. Berlin is working on legislation to stop small groups of employees from paralysing large parts of the country’s infrastructure, such as rail and A Francis: has called for the church to take a more merciful approach to sinners. gitimise homosexual practices”. Other groups protested over proposals to be more open towards unmarried couples who live together, or divorced people living with new partners. Ultra-conservative American cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s group said that where the report “appeared to be suggesting that sex outside of marriage may be permissible, or that cohabitation may be permissible, we have attempted to show why such lifestyles do not lead to human fulfilment”. “We believe that if we imply that certain lifestyles are acceptable, then concerned and worried parents could very easily say �Why are we trying so hard to encourage our sons and daughters to live the Gospel and embrace church teaching?’” it said. The group also said it was against allowing divorced and re-married people to take communion – just one of several hot-button issues that appeared to have received positive backing in the initial report. Francis has called for the church to take a more merciful approach to sinners, famously saying of homosexual people, “Who am I to judge?” It remains to be seen whether the final document, which will be released today, will reflect his hopes to make the centuriesold institution a more welcoming place. While the working groups of bishops were largely headed by conservatives, the drafting committee charged with writing today’s closing document is made up of perceived progressives appointed by Francis himself. The document will be put to a vote, and with tension rife in the Vatican, religious experts will be watching to see just how close the final result may be. video of Spanish police beating an African migrant with a truncheon and carrying him apparently unconscious back across the border to Morocco caused outrage in Spain yesterday. The man was one of about 100 migrants who attempted to climb from Moroccan soil over a 6m (20’) fence into the Spanish territory of Melilla on Wednesday. The local humanitarian group Prodein which filmed the video identified the man as a 23-yearold Cameroonian named Danny. In the video, an officer of the Spanish Civil Guard police force is seen hitting the man with a truncheon as the migrant hung barefoot from the fence on the Spanish side. Danny is then seen dropping from the fence into the hands of a group of Spanish officers and lying on the ground. Spanish officers later carry him by the arms and legs as he lies limp, through a gate in the fence and back to the Moroccan side of the border. Jose Palazon, the leader of Prodein who made the video, accused officers of “a high level of violence”. He said the migrant “should have had medical assistance but did not get it”. “The whole thing was absolutely illegal. It is a monument of contempt for the law, morality and ethics,” Palazon told AFP yesterday. Rights groups accuse the Days after taking office, Belgian coalition wins vote AFP Brussels B elgium’s right-wing coalition government won a vote of confidence just days after taking office, despite opposition demands for new prime minister Charles Michel to sack two ministers over a Nazi collaboration row. In a vote on Thursday evening, the government, which was sworn in last Saturday, four months after a general election, received the backing of 84 deputies, with 58 voting against and one abstention. The vote came after 30 hours of sometimes heated parliamentary debate, which had begun on Wednesday morning. Michel, 38, who is Belgium’s youngest prime minister since 1840, now heads a government coalition of three Dutchspeaking parties, including the nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), as well as his own French-speaking party, MR. Comments by two N-VA ministers have marred the first few days of Michel’s government. Interior Minister Jan Jambon was quoted as saying in a newspaper that Flemish collaborators with Nazi occupiers in Belgium during World War II “had their reasons”. Immigration and Asylum Minister Theo Francken was meanwhile pictured at a meeting to mark the 90th birthday of a man convicted after the war of collaborating with the Nazis. The row has reopened old wounds over the war, a divisive chapter in a country already sharply divided between the richer Flemish north and the poorer Francophone south. Left-wing opposition members, particularly French-speaking ones in the linguisticallydivided country, were furious, with Socialist Laurette Onkelinx saying she heard the “sound of boots”. Francken has since apologised, and said: “I guarantee that I will be a secretary of state in the interests of all citizens”. Another socialist, Julie Fernandez, had called for Francken to be sacked. As well as the row over collaboration, Michel is already at odds with the unions. Prior to the vote, Michel, in a major economic and social policy speech on Tuesday, had outlined his intention to raise the pension aged by two years to 67 by 2030. In response, the unions who have announced a general strike for December 15. Germany to seize identity cards to stop jihadist travel This handout picture released on Thursday by local humanitarian group Prodein shows Spanish officers beating would-be migrants who climb a border fence on the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Spanish police of illegal “onthe-spot deportations” of migrants who have stormed the border fence in groups of hundreds over recent months. A spokeswoman for the Spanish government delegation in Melilla, Irene Flores, said that the migrant on Wednesday was not injured and had offered “passive resistance”. Spain’s government denies that migrants who climb the fence should be considered as having reached Spanish territory and says it has the right to return those intercepted while perched there. “The Civil Guard acted in scrupulous fulfilment of the law,” Flores told AFP. “We do not consider these to be cases of deporting people on the spot, but of turning them away at the border.” On February 6 about 15 mi- grants drowned in Moroccan waters while trying to swim from a beach in Morocco to Ceuta, the other of Spain’s two north African territories. Witnesses accused Spanish security forces of firing rubber bullets at the migrants in the water. The government admitted using rubber bullets but denied its forces had targeted the migrants directly. The conservative Popular Party government drew fire over Wednesday’s video, with opposition parties accusing it of lacking clear protocol for border guards. “This is one more example of absolutely intolerable behaviour by members of the security forces and inhuman treatment of people,” said the parliamentary spokesman for the United Left party, Joan Coscubiela. Germany has announced new measures to prevent its citizens from travelling to join the jihadist cause in Iraq and Syria, including confiscating their identity papers. Under a deal struck by interior ministers from the federal level and Germany’s 16 states, authorities will be able to take away identity cards from alleged Islamic militants to stop them from leaving the country. Until now it has been possible to make passports invalid to keep German citizens from travelling abroad. But because German citizens can use their national identity card to travel to Turkey, a frequent jumping-off point for Iraq and Syria, Germany is moving to close the loophole. “We don’t want terrorism to be exported from Germany,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. He added that Berlin aimed at all costs to head off the return of fighters who had gained experience and training in the region to Germany, where they could mount attacks. De Maiziere said Germany also wanted to stem a flow of Kurds aiming to join the battle against the extremist group Islamic State (IS) for fear they would return home radicalised. Those affected will receive a substitute document to be used for identification in Germany. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 13 INDIA New air quality index to clear the fog over data Reuters New Delhi I ndia has launched a new air quality index to help citizens understand complex pollution data and its implications for their health, the environment minister said yesterday. A World Health Organisation (WHO) study of 1,600 cities released in May found New Delhi had the world’s dirtiest air with an annual average of 153 micrograms of small particulates, known as PM2.5, per cubic metre. Thirteen of the dirtiest 20 cities worldwide were in India, the WHO said. India rejected the report. The new index, launched as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s �Clean India Mission’, will provide one consolidated number after tracking eight pollutants and will use colour coding to describe associated health impacts. “In our cities air pollution is increasing ... we need to stop it,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said. “This (index) will provide the common citizen one colour, one number and one description so that he can understand what is the level of air pollution.” Currently, India’s air quality status is reported through “voluminous data”, the government said. This makes it difficult for people to understand particle names such as PM2.5 or PM10. “People don’t know what these pollutants are and what happens when they reach a certain level. This index will help people understand air quality better,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, head of air pollution team at the Centre for Science and Environment. The environment minister said the government would also start action-oriented programmes in collaboration with the states to improve air quality, but he gave no details. Roychowdhury said India needed to do more and should have emergency measures in place when pollution levels are high. In China, for example, primary schools are shut when pollution levels are at “red alert” levels, she said. Air pollution killed about seven million people in 2012, making it the world’s single biggest environmental health risk, the WHO said in March. India, China to conduct anti-terror exercises Reuters New Delhi I ndia will hold counter-terrorism exercises with China despite a recent face-off on their disputed border, officials said, in a sign the two governments want to manage their deep differences. India, which under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has struck an assertive national security posture, also agreed to China’s request to move next month’s exercises away from the border with Pakistan with which China shares a close relationship. The manoeuvres will come just weeks after thousands of Indian and Chinese soldiers confronted each other on their de facto border in the western Himalayas, accusing each other of building roads and observations posts in disputed territory. “The exercises are a confidence-building measure, it is in everyone’s interest,” Jayadeva Ranade, the China specialist on India’s National Security Advisory Board, said. “It doesn’t mean anyone is conceding anything.” The row in the Chumar sector of the Ladakh region erupted just as China’s President Xi Jinping was visiting New Delhi for his first summit with Modi since the Indian leader’s election in May. The leaders of the Asian giants aim to ramp up commercial ties. India sees the anti-terrorism collaboration with China as a way to highlight the threat they both face from Islamist militants in Pakistan. It had arranged for the Chinese to practise mock assaults in Bhatinda, about 110km from the Pakistan border. But last week China sought a change in the location of only the second such exercises after tension rose on the India-Pakistan border with the two sides exchanging fire, killing civilians. “China had agreed to it initially, but then they opted for a change because the border got hot,” said an Indian military source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The two armies will field 103 soldiers each for the “hand-inhand” manoeuvres in the western city of Pune that involve scenarios such as recapturing a border post taken over by terrorists, the military source said. India has long faced attacks that it blames on Pakistan-based militant groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba which has links with Pakistani security agents. China says it faces a threat from Islamists in its far western region of Xinjiang, some of whom it says have received training overseas, including in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But China remains a close ally of Pakistan and says it supports and appreciates Islamabad’s efforts to fight terrorism. China declined a previous Indian proposal to hold exercises in the Rajasthan desert, which also shares a border with Pakistan. “The India-China joint operations are meant to open a channel of communication between soldiers at the medium- and lowlevels,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, a China specialist at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University. “It builds a bit of trust, especially after the Chumar incident.” Measures for border calm agreed Days after a standoff along the border in Ladakh region, India and China have agreed to hold regular interaction between their army headquarters and field commands among other major measures to aid in “timely and effective management of situations that may arise on the border”. Both sides also agreed to have more meeting points along the over 4,000km border and more telecommunication linkages between their forward posts during a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Co-ordination on India-China Border Affairs that was held in New Delhi on Thursday and yesterday. Both sides “discussed various issues pertaining to the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas following the successful termination of the recent standoff in the Western Sector”, a ministry of external affairs statement said yesterday. An AIADMK worker flashes a victory sign and carries an image of Jayalalithaa as supporters set off fireworks in Chennai yesterday after the Supreme Court granted her bail. Supreme Court grants Jaya bail in graft case Agencies New Delhi T he Supreme Court granted bail yesterday to former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram, a ruling that sparked jubilation in her home state. Jayalalithaa, 66, was convicted last month of having land, gold and other assets vastly exceeding her income in a case that had dragged on for nearly two decades, and sentenced to four years in jail. The Supreme Court ruled that hugely popular Jayalalithaa, known as “Amma” or “mother” to adoring supporters, could be freed on bail pending an appeal against her conviction. “She’s been given conditional bail,” senior lawyer Subramanian Swamy, a former friend of Jayalalithaa who filed the cor- ruption case, told reporters. Jayalalithaa’s supporters danced joyously, waving their arms, flashing victory signs and shouting “Amma, Amma” in New Delhi and in Tamil Nadu, after the court’s decision. Following her conviction, Jayalalithaa, head of the AIADMK or All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party, was obliged by law to step down as chief minister. She was replaced by a loyal follower at a swearing-in ceremony where many cabinet members sobbed into handkerchiefs in an emotional display of fidelity. The Supreme Court insisted in exchange for granting Jayalalithaa bail that the politician— nicknamed the “iron butterfly” for her firm rule—appeal to her supporters not to resort to violence over her case. Many of her supporters staged protests and some even committed suicide in the days after her conviction, Tamil Nadu police say. The court yesterday also ordered Jayalalithaa’s case be heard swiftly, saying all her appeal papers must be lodged with the Supreme Court by December 18. “If the paperwork is not filed within two months, then we won’t give you even a single day more,” the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said. After receiving the documents in December, Dattu said he would tell the appeal court in Karnataka to deal with the case within three months, saying the case, first filed in 1997, had dragged on too long. Along with Jayalalithaa, the three others convicted in the case, including her former aide Sasikala Natarajan, also got bail. Jayalalithaa later appealed to her party members to main- tain calm and not to comment about the judiciary, its procedures or the judge who convicted her, and to maintain law and order. The bail ruling came as the AIADMK celebrated its 43rd anniversary, and was greeted with jubilation by the party. AIADMK cadres assembled outside the party headquarters in Chennai and danced in joy. They burst crackers and distributed sweets. “It is Diwali day for us,” a party worker said. “We are very happy at the Supreme Court’s order. Our prayers have been answered. The real Diwali for us is today,” AIADMK MP P Kumar said. Similar scenes were witnessed in Salem, Karur and Tuticorin. Jayalalithaa had moved the Supreme Court on October 9, two days after the Karnataka High Court refused her bail. At her sentencing last month, Jayalalithaa was also fined a massive 1bn rupees ($16mn) for illegally amassing wealth—including gold, properties, shoes and saris. Politicians have been rarely convicted of corruption in India despite widespread public anger over endemic graft at every level of life. The regional leader has garnered huge support with her state-run canteens serving nutritious food at low cost as well as election freebies including electric blenders, goats and small amounts of gold. Court officials said it may take until today for paperwork to be ready for Jayalalithaa’s release from jail in Bangalore. Her case was shifted to Karnataka to ensure a fair trial. The AIADMK emerged as the third-biggest force in the national parliament after May elections. With seizures up, gold smuggling loses its shine Reuters Mumbai G A customs officer displays seized gold bars at the international airport in Kolkata in this November 19, 2013 file photo. old smuggling into India, the world’s secondbiggest consumer of the precious metal, is becoming more risky for couriers following a surge in seizures and less profitable for the gangs behind the practice. After being caught off guard by a jump in smuggling on the back of a hike in import duty last year, government agencies have stepped up seizures to the extent that couriers are demanding more money to carry in gold, according to customs intelligence officials and an industry analyst. At the same time, a drop in the gap between local and global prices also means there is less profit to be made by smuggling in gold, giving banks more business and higher revenue for a government struggling to rein in a fiscal deficit. “Gold smuggling was highly profitable ... but now with the drop in premiums and tight security, legal imports are increasing,” said Milind Lanjewar, additional commissioner of customs intelligence at Mumbai international airport. Seizures at the airport, one of India’s biggest hubs, jumped almost nine fold to 604kg in the period running from April to September 2014 against 70kg in the same period a year ago. Customs and police have also got wise to some of the tricks used to bring in gold, such as adopting the methods used by drug smugglers by getting human mules to swallow nuggets or in one case hiding gold bars in dead cows. “The risk of seizures has risen. Carriers are now demanding 287 rupees ($4.70) per 10 gram compared to 150 rupees last year,” said Sudheesh Nambiath, a senior analyst at consultancy Thomson Reuters GFMS. Based on the estimate, a courier bringing in 1kg of gold currently worth around $40,000 at world prices could earn $470 if not caught. A customs official, who declined to be named, said smugglers risked a jail term of up to seven years, though he said such a penalty was rare and the main deterrent was confiscating gold. “Gold smuggling was highly profitable ... but now with the drop in premiums and tight security, legal imports are increasing” Premiums have crashed to around $12 an ounce over London prices, compared to a record of $160 last year after the imposition of a record high 10% import duty. “Smuggled gold is still landing in the country, but the pace has been moderating due to lower premiums,” said Daman Prakash Rathod, director with Chennai- based wholesaler MNC Bullion. On other hand, India’s legal gold imports surged 450% in September from a year ago to $3.75bn. “It is difficult to quantify, but certainly smuggling has gone down,” said a leading gold dealer based in Dubai, one of the main sources of gold for smugglers to India. The World Gold Council has estimated about 200 tonnes will be smuggled into India in 2014, versus 150-200 tonnes last year. According to the industry body, Indian gold demand was 974.8 tonnes last year, second only to China. But a Mumbai-based bank dealer said with little prospect of premiums rebounding smuggling in the December quarter could be half of last year’s level based on the legal imports coming in for a period when demand rises due to festivals like Diwali. Indian customs officials appear to have got more on top of gold smuggling. “Until 2012, intelligence agencies were focused on the narcotics trade as gold smuggling was negligible,” said a government official who did not want to be named. “As smuggling rose, agencies gradually built a network of informers.” Whistleblowers who help bust illegal gold shipments can get a bigger reward in India than those who help catch cocaine and heroin smugglers. A jeweller based in Kochi in Kerala said that with gold smuggling already falling, any move to cut India’s import duty even just by 2-3 percentage points would make the practice barely worthwhile. Some in the gold industry expect that the duty could be cut after the peak demand season ends in December, while others argue a reduction is unlikely before March next year. 14 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 LATIN AMERICA Kerry praises Cuba’s role in Ebola fight Obama has recently relaxed travel rules to Cuba, but the US maintains a hard line against the country located 145km off the Florida coast AFP Washington S ecretary of State John Kerry yesterday paid a rare US compliment to Cuba, acknowledging the communist island nation’s role in the global fight against Ebola in West Africa. “Already we are seeing nations large and small stepping up in impressive ways to make a contribution on the frontlines,” Kerry told foreign diplomats in Washington as he pleaded for a greater mobilisation against the epidemic. “Cuba, a country of just 11mn people, has sent 165 health professionals and it plans to send nearly 300 more.” The US government rarely speaks of Cuba in friendly terms, and the two nations have been at odds for more than half a century. Havana and Washington have not had formal diplomatic ties since 1961 and the US maintains comprehensive economic sanctions against Cuba. In all, Cuba’s medical contingent in West Africa is expected to reach more than 461. “There is no country that is exempt from being able to do something to be able to contribute to this effort and help make a difference,” Kerry said. “Everything we do depends on how we co-ordinate our efforts as partners and how we contribute together.” Kerry thanked France and Britain for their response and ac- Kerry: pays a rare US compliment to Cuba. knowledged contributions from Germany, the European Union, the African Union, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. US President Barack Obama has called on the world to do more in the fight against Ebola, while insisting his own country would be “much more aggressive” in its response. “The fact is we haven’t begun yet to fully meet the challenge at hand,” Kerry said. The US is sending 4,000 soldiers to West Africa to help in the fight against the epidemic and it has allocated $1bn to the military. “We are using every instrument of American power in order to try to get this job done,” Kerry said. He also called on the world to send more health care workers to the region. “We need to do everything that we can to provide these men and women the protective equipment and the treatment that they need,” Kerry said. Obama has recently relaxed travel rules to Cuba, but the US maintains a hard line against the country located 145km off the Florida coast. Several recent opinion polls have shown that a majority of Americans are in favour of a change in policy toward Cuba. Meanwhile, Jamaica has announced an immediate travel ban on foreigners who have traveled through the Ebola-affected countries of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. A government statement said the ban covered “certain persons traveling directly or indirectly, from or through” the three West African countries, where nearly 4,500 people have died of the disease. Other countries, including Colombia, Guyana and the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, have also begun denying entry to travelers who recently visited the Ebolaaffected nations. Jamaica’s travel ban extends to “persons ordinarily resident in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as persons who have traveled to or transited through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, within 28 days of having departed from these countries,” the government said, describing it as a temporary measure to protect human and animal health. The government also said Jamaican citizens and residents would be quarantined, in the interest of public health and national security, for 28 days after any travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. This also applied to members of international organisations with a right of entry to the country Rousseff falls ill after tense televised debate AFP Sao Paulo B razil’s President Dilma Rousseff fell ill at the end of a tense and at times bitter televised debate on Thursday with challenger Aecio Neves. Rousseff and Social Democrat Neves traded accusations for an hour and a half, after which she began to complain of feeling light-headed as she left the rostrum. “My blood pressure dropped, let’s start again,” Rousseff said, as reporters ushered her to a chair and gave her a drink of water. “I felt a bit light woozy. Sorry about that - just one of those things,” said the 66-year-old. Just as the candidates had in their previous verbal bout on Tuesday, Rousseff and Neves, the scion of a political dynasty, accused each other of lying, misrepresentation and nepotism as Customers talking to sales agents of Education First (EF), an international education institute, in Caracas. As political strife drags on and an economic crisis brings soaring prices and shortages of even basic goods, Venezuela’s middle classes are increasingly seeing a future abroad. The World Bank, which defines “middle class” as individual income of $10 to $50 a day, estimates that just over 30% of Latin Americans now fall in that bracket, after a world commodities boom brought the region a windfall in the 2000s. Growing middle classes face tough transition years AFP Montevideo “ Juan Middle Class” may be a cartoon, but the problems he faces - expensive schools, crummy healthcare, ballooning grocery bills - are all too real for millions of newly middle-class Latin Americans. The Uruguayan cartoon character speaks to the frustrations of more than 50mn Latin Americans who made a mass exodus from poverty during the region’s so-called “golden decade” but are now feeling the pain of overstretched public services and an economic slowdown. Created in the run-up to Uruguay’s October 26 elections by a fringe political party, the centrist Independent Party, Juan Clasemedia lays out the woes of the region’s newly burgeoning middle class in online videos and on his own Twitter account. “He sends his kids to public school, but it’s still expensive. He waits three months to see a specialist at the clinic and still pays a lot of money. Every Sunday he pays more at the supermarket and, to make matters worse, he risks getting mugged at any moment,” says one cartoon. The World Bank, which defines “middle class” as individual income of $10 to $50 a day, estimates that just over 30% of Latin Americans now fall in that bracket, after a world commodities boom brought the region a windfall in the 2000s. The signs of the transformation are omnipresent, from the hike in motor scooter sales in northeast Brazil to the rage for online English classes in Venezuela to the proliferation of refrigerators, TVs, cars, Internet access and smartphones across the region. But new money has also brought new frustrations. “Purchasing power has advanced faster than the quality of public services,” said Augusto de la Torre, the World Bank’s chief economist for the region. “Our lives have gotten better, of course. But public health care, for example, is terrible,” said Cida Alves, a 46-year-old housewife, as she browsed at the giant Itaquera Shopping Centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic capital. In June last year, a million Brazilians took to the streets demanding better public services, a surge of discontent that threatens to unseat leftist President Dilma Rousseff in a tight runoff election on October 26. Protests have erupted elsewhere, too. In Chile and Colombia, the anger was focused on expensive university tuition. In Venezuela, on crime. “The members of the middle class are becoming demanding citizens,” said Gabriel Kessler, a sociologist at Argentina’s National University of La Plata. “Collective goods like education, healthcare, public transport, haven’t improved as much as access to consumption.” Because of that, he said, “there’s mounting criticism in the region that there’s too much emphasis on consumption and not enough on improving infrastructure and public goods.” The economic slowdown is adding to the malaise. Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, is in recession, and the International Monetary Fund is predicting regional growth of 1.3% this year, the worst since 2009. That is putting the fragile middle class at risk, said Olivier Dabene, a Latin America spe- cialist at Sciences Po in Paris. “This group isn’t what we’d call middle-class in Europe,” he said. “They’re still in a vulnerable situation and could quickly fall back into poverty if they lose their jobs.” And they are feeling the pinch of their recent consumption boom, he said. “We’ve seen a lot of reports on people who can suddenly afford to buy a fridge or a moped. But what gets talked about less is that they sign up to pay it off in 12 monthly installments, and sometimes by the time the 10th rolls around they have to take the merchandise back because they can’t pay anymore,” he said. De la Torre said the World Bank does not foresee a “backward slide” but is concerned about a stagnation and the impact it could have in a region that has grown accustomed to fast gains. “We’re facing some difficult transition years. There’s going to be tension between social expectations and the capacity to respond to them,” he told AFP, saying investment in education and productivity would be key to rebooting economic growth. Protesters grab town halls over missing students AFP Mexico City President Rousseff before taking part in a television debate with challenger Aecio Neves in Sao Paulo. they sought to impress undecided voters. Latest opinion polls have the pair locked in a virtual tie ahead of the October 26 run-off vote. Rousseff topped the firstround poll on October 5, with Neves claiming second place. Rousseff, representing the Workers Party (PT) scored 8% more votes but polls taken since the first round have business favorite Neves leading by a whisker, as they vie to lead the world’s seventh largest economy and Latin America’s largest country. P rotesters have occupied three town halls in southern Mexico to demand the safe return of 43 students who disappeared after ganglinked police attacked them last month. Students and teachers had threatened to enter all 81 municipalities in Guerrero state in the latest protest over a case that has caused national and international outrage. But they only managed to seize the municipal buildings of three towns so far, the government said. “We don’t have the capacity to seize all 81 municipalities in one day, so the plan is to do it progressively,” said CETEG teachers union spokesman Jose Angel Baron. In the town of Huamuxtitlan, population 15,000, Mayor Johnny Saucedo told AFP by telephone that some 200 teachers had entered his building. “We are respectful of the protest,” Saucedo said. Protesters have also held the municipal headquarters of Chilpancingo, Guerrero’s capital, since Monday. Guerrero’s CETEG teachers union and students plan to march in the resort city of Acapulco on Friday. In Iguala, the town where the 43 students were last seen on September 26, municipal workers removed photocopiers and confidential documents as they evacuated city hall in anticipation of the protesters. The city’s mayor, Jose Luis Abarca, and his wife skipped town after the students disappeared and they are now wanted for questioning over the incident. Authorities say Iguala’s police force shot at buses carrying the students and handed them over to officers in the neighboring town of Cocula, who then delivered them to the Guerreros Unidos drug gang. Six people died, 25 were wounded and 43 students went missing that night. Authorities have since arrested 26 police officers from Iguala and 14 from Cocula. The students, who are from a teacher training college in central Guerrero known for radical protests, had seized the buses to return home after holding a fundraiser in Iguala. Long-term investors ready to buy Brazil after election Reuters Rio de Janeiro/Sao Paulo L ong-term foreign investors are growing more optimistic about Brazil no matter who wins this month’s presidential election but they say an opposition victory could unleash a flood of new money. The tight and fast-changing election campaign has sent Brazil’s financial markets on a wild ride with big gains whenever leftist President Dilma Rousseff loses ground in polls and slides whenever her re-election bid seems stronger. Rousseff’s economic policies have been roundly criticised by investors for tipping Brazil into a recession while damaging staterun companies such as oil producer Petrobras and lender Banco do Brasil along the way. Her business-friendly opposition rival Aecio Neves has promised stronger fiscal control and less government intervention in state firms if he is elected, winning the support of most market players. Beyond the swings of a neckand-neck race, however, longterm sentiment on Brazil has improved. Investors are betting that either Neves will win the runoff on October 26 or that Rousseff, chided by a very narrow margin of victory, will adopt more marketfriendly policies in a second term. “Either things are significantly better, or a little bit better,” said Jorge Mariscal, chief investment officer for emerging markets at UBS Wealth Management, which oversees about $1tn in investments. After hitting a five-year low in mid-March, the benchmark Bovespa stock index has since gained more than 20% and is up over 5% in 2014 - by far the best performer among key Latin American bourses. Global funds that invest in Brazilian equities also began to attract net inflows in April. Since then, they have received over $4bn, more than enough to offset the $3.5bn in net redemptions recorded during the first quarter of the year, according to data from EFPR Global. That number could shoot much higher if Neves wins. “After we get the final results, then we would definitely look to increase Brazil in our portfolio,” said Ben Rozin, who helps manage more than $53bn at Rochester, New York-based Manning & Napier, Inc Echoing other long-term investors, Rozin said it “pays to wait and see how things play out” but noted that a Neves victory would sharply improve the value of state-run companies that have suffered under Rousseff’s heavy hand. “Even knowing that the market would be more expensive then, to us the economic and the earnings trajectory would change significantly for the better,” he said. Manning & Napier had been tip-toeing back into the Brazilian market since the second quarter of 2013. The firm’s World Opportunities Series fund and its International Series fund both had a little over 6% of their holdings in Brazilian shares by the end of August, up from about 2.4% and 4%, respectively, at the end of March, 2013. Since August, when the death of presidential candidate Eduardo Campos in a plane crash upended the election race, investing in Brazil’s stock market has been akin to riding a bucking bull, with sharp drops and jumps dictated by voter opinion polls. Though traders expect the market to sell off heavily in the short term if Rousseff is re-elected, long-term investors aren’t preparing to run for the hills. The odds of a more open-minded Rousseff administration, they argue, increased after the strong showing of opposition parties in the election’s first round. “This could force some change on the part of the Rousseff administration towards being more pragmatic on things like prices, fiscal policy, changes in the cabinet,” said UBS’ Mariscal. “She will be more forced to address the key failures of the economic model that she has been following.” While these investors do not expect a second Rousseff government to foster a strong economic recovery, they believe she could implement some badly-needed policy adjustments to rein in inflation and win back some cred- ibility among investors and credit ratings agencies. Even those who are unconvinced that the president would change tack in a second term say Brazil will continue to offer interesting growth opportunities regardless. “I wouldn’t expect a real substantive change in how she is running the economy,” said Marco Spinar, an associate portfolio manager on Neuberger Berman’s $5.5bn Global Emerging Market Fund, which has about 10% of its portfolio invested in Brazil. Still, Spinar sees opportunities in sectors that have underperformed recently, such as capital goods manufacturers and businesses geared toward investment spending. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 15 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN CRACKDOWN PRECAUTION REPORT COLLABORATION ALARM Taliban fighters killed in Afghan air strike Mobile phone services to be suspended in Karachi Pakistan responsible for most polio cases: WHO Two historic tombs singled out for conservation Pakistan records year’s first dengue death Two Taliban fighters, including a senior commander, were killed in a Nato air strike in northern Afghanistan, police said yesterday. The hideout of Qari Zobair and Qari Hassan was targeted on Thursday night in the Borka district of Baghlan province, said Javed Basharat, spokesman for the provincial police. Qari Zobair was the Taliban’s shadow governor for the district, Basharat said. He also had links to the Uzbekistan insurgent group Jondullah, the provincial police spokesman said, calling his death a “shocking strike” to the Taliban. Taliban militants did not comment on the incident. In another breakthrough, the security forces on Tuesday captured two key commanders of Haqqani network, the military wing of Taliban outfit operating in the capital city Kabul, southeast and eastern region of Afghanistan. Mobile phone services will be suspended today in Karachi as Pakistan Peoples’ Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto prepares to address a rally in the city, media reported yesterday. The Sindh government has approved a request of the police requesting for the suspension of mobile phone services in the city, Dawn online reported. The police have also requested for the suspension of mobile phone services in other parts of Sindh as well which the government is yet to approve. Karachi’s traffic system is also likely to suffer when the PPP stages the rally for which it has hired 3,000 city buses while police authorities have banned movement of heavy vehicles, �advising’ transporters to take alternative routes. The PPP plans to reinvigorate the party through the rally. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has held Pakistan responsible for nearly 80% of polio cases reported globally. “The situation is primarily due to a lack of access to children for vaccination, largely owing to a continuing ban on immunisation imposed by militants in the North and South Waziristan, and insecurity and killing of polio workers in the field,” said a progress report released on Thursday. “Issues involving children’s access to immunisation and safety of vaccinators must be resolved to ensure that the programme can be completed,” said the report, Dawn online reported. A record number of polio cases have been detected this year in Pakistan. Officials confirmed at least 202 cases so far this year, compared to the previous record of 199 cases in 2000. The tombs of Amir Sultan Mohammad and Sultan Ibrahim, located in Makli – once the largest necropolis in the world - have been selected for conservation as part of a joint effort by Pakistan and the United States, the first of its kind in Sindh. Yasmin Lari, an architect and chief executive officer of Heritage Foundation, said the conservation of these tombs, which are believed to be more than 400 years old, will really be a test for any future funding to save Sindh’s rich heritage from decay. This week an MoU was signed between the Heritage Foundation and the Culture, Tourism and Antiquities department of the Sindh government confirming the conservation, which will be funded by the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). A 24-year-old youth succumbed to dengue in Pakistan, making it the first death this year due to the tropical disease, media has reported. The youth, named Owais, was admitted to a hospital in Lahore on October 7 where he died the following day. However, the news of his death was disclosed only on Thursday, Dawn online reported. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident. Some 26 more people had tested positive for dengue in the last two days across the Punjab province. A majority of the cases were reported from Rawalpindi and Chakwal districts. The total number of dengue cases in the Punjab province has reached 332 so far, an official of the province health department said. Qadri’s party decides to call off protest sit-in Internews Islamabad F irebrand opposition cleric Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) has decided in principle to call off the protest sit-in from D Chowk in the Pakistan capital Islamabad and a decision in this regard is likely to be announced after the party’s Lahore public rally, party sources said yesterday. In the first stage, PAT has rolled up 500 tents this week erected in front of Parliament House calling it a “security risk” hence giving control of the area to the police. Analysts believe that PAT’s decision would be fatal for the sit-in of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik Insaf as it is totally dependent upon PAT’s strength. Umar Abbasi, PAT senior leader and spokesman, said, when contacted, that the party had “taken revolution at the Sharif’s special envoy to visit Kabul IANS Islamabad P akistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will tomorrow send his top security adviser Sartaj Aziz to Kabul as special envoy for talks with the new leadership, officials said yesterday. It will be the first formal visit of a senior Pakistani official to visit Kabul since formation of the government of national unity in Afghanistan. Earlier, President Mamnoon Hussain had visited Kabul on September 29 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Afghanistan’s new President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. He held meetings with his Ahmadzai and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. “The adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, will be visiting Kabul on October 19 as the special envoy of the prime minister,” the foreign ministry said. The purpose of the visit is to convey prime minister’s formal invitation to President Ghani to visit Pakistan, Xinhua reported citing the foreign ministry statement. The special envoy will hold discussions with regard to the timing and preparations of the visit of the president of Afghanistan. The adviser will also meet with the national security adviser of Afghanistan and exchange views on bilateral and regional issues. “The adviser’s visit is part of Pakistan’s substantive engagement with the new Afghan leadership,” the foreign ministry said. Prime Minister Sharif has spoken to both the leaders and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to build a comprehensive and forward-looking partnership with Afghanistan. doorsteps of people” while continuing its sit-in on the Constitution Avenue and that they might call off the sit-in but any decision in this regard would be made after Qadri’s Lahore rally in a few days. Another senior PAT leader said that with the joint sit-in held by Qadri and Khan, the entire strength was of PAT but the media and the public at large only gave importance to PTI thus showing PAT as a secondary party of the two protesting against the government. “Qadri offered Khan to form a joint venture against the government which was rejected by Khan,” the PAT leader said, adding: “It was then decided to hold public rallies and mobilise people by visiting their hometowns instead of sitting on the Constitution Avenue.” Abbasi said that the sit-in could be called off because Qadri was getting overwhelming response from the public as he, recently visiting Jhang district, noted that “every gathering was historic and mammoth crowds” turned up to be part of revolution. “As of today, the PAT sit-in is very much there on the Constitution Avenue and the party has itself rolled up the 500 tents because they were a security risk for the participants. People have been sent back to their respective cities to make arrangements for Qadri’s public rallies,” he said. He added that people from Faisalabad and Lahore had been sent back to their towns and a decision to call off the sit-in would be made after Lahore’s rally which would be held on October 19. The PAT leader while replying to a question said that the results of public mobilisation were better and healthy for PAT. Instead of sitting on the Constitution Avenue, the party may announce to call off the sit-in but not the revolution, he added. A three-member committee, constituted by the Punjab chief minister, to probe the deadly stampede during Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik Insaf’s (PTI) rally in Multan last week has suggested that the tragedy occurred due to the non-compliance of rules by the rally organisers. On October 10, seven PTI supporters were killed and dozens more sustained injuries in a stampede, which took place when protesters scrambled to the exit gates in the run-up to the rally’s conclusion. The committee headed by Punjab environment secretary Iqbal Chauhan dismissed the PTI accusation that the stam- pede was a conspiracy by the district administration. In its report sent to the CM early this week, the committee absolved the district government of the responsibility of the incident and termed it an accident. However, the report held the PTI management partly responsible and claimed the organisers did not follow the rules of the agreement signed between the party and the local administration. The report said the stampede occurred when a large number of people tried to exit the venue at once. “In the process, several people fell to the ground and were trampled by others when the exit gate was crammed,” it said. When people clogged one of the exit gates, ASI Muhammad Anwer informed PTI leader AFP Islamabad A Tahirul Qadri, centre, gesturing to his supporters during a rally in Lahore. Probe panel blames PTI for Multan rally stampede Internews Lahore Pak clerics condemn IS group Shah Mehmood Qureshi, according to the report. He informed other leaders, including Ejaz Chaudhry and Imran Khan, who were on the stage at that time, after which Khan paused and requested the participants to move away from the gate, it said. The committee also said that the district management and police had informed PTI leaders about their reservations but Shah Mehmood Qureshi ignored these warnings. According to the report, the gate was closed - as seen in videos - after the incident to let the rescue workers operate smoothly. Stating that victims were given first-aid outside the stadium, the report said a large number of participants, rescue officials and police officials were present there. The committee, on basis of the video footage, said in the report that more rescue vehicles reached the spot when the first casualty was reported to them. On the use of water cannon, the report said it was an attempt to disperse people before smooth rescue operation could be carried out. “It proved helpful as it did push people away from the gate and helped those trapped at the entrance to move out,” it said. The report also commented on the rally venue and said it was improper in view of the massive crowd. The report said the available video footage also verifies the facts presented in the report. Imran Khan’s party, however, rejected the report and said it does not reflect the facts. Funeral of UN peacekeeper killed in CAR leading group of Pakistani clerics yesterday condemned the Islamic State organisation, amid concerns the hardline jihadists could gain a foothold in the militant-plagued nuclear state. The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) said the IS group, which has declared a “caliphate” in areas it controls in Iraq and Syria, was violating Islamic teaching. The jihadist movement, also known as ISIS, has committed widespread atrocities in territory under its rule, including mass executions, beheadings and forcing women and girls into slavery. “Islam and Muslims cannot support the killing of innocent people and destruction of their properties at the hands of the ISIS,” the PUC said in a statement. “The PUC... appeals to people and youth in Islamic countries to not co-operate with any violent group whose teachings or actions are against the teachings of Islam and Prophet Muhammad.” The PUC call comes as fears grow in Pakistan that the violent call of the IS group could find recruits among the country’s myriad of Islamist militant groups. Pakistan has suffered years of bloody attacks at the hands of homegrown Islamist militants, many linked to Al Qaeda. Leaflets supporting the IS organisation have been seen in some parts of the northwest, the heartland of groups like the Pakistani Taliban. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) vowed earlier this month to send fighters to support IS jihadists but stopped short of pledging allegiance to the organisation’s leader. PUC chief Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, in a separate statement yesterday, blamed “heinous atrocities” committed by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the discrimination against people on sectarian grounds in Iraq for creating environment that allowed the IS group to flourish. “These are the factors due to which organisations such as ISIS are formed and gain popularity among the public,” Ashrafi said. Death row convict’s daughter seeks help from Cameron AFP London T he daughter of a British man sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy delivered Prime Minister David Cameron a petition yesterday demanding help in securing his release. Mentally ill Mohammad Asghar, 70, was convicted in January for claiming to be a prophet of Islam, an act considered sacrilegious in Pakistan, which is 97% Muslim. The verdict prompted Cameron to say he was “deeply concerned” about Asghar’s fate. Asghar was hospitalised last month after being shot and wounded in jail. Daughter Jasmine Rana yesterday arrived at Cameron’s Downing Street office with a petition signed by 70,000 people calling on the prime minster to secure her father’s return. “My father is extremely mentally ill; he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, which was diagnosed by UK doctors in 2010. Shortly afterwards he travelled to Pakistan, where he was arrested on blasphemy charges,” she said in the petition. “His life remains at risk for as long as he is held in Pakistan. I have come to London today to ask the prime minister to intervene to bring dad back home,” said the woman, who lives in Scotland’s main city of Edinburgh. Asghar, a British-Pakistani with dual nationality who has lived in Britain for 40 years, was sentenced by a court in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, for writing letters claiming to be a prophet of Islam. Kate Higham, an investigator at anti-death penalty campaigner group Reprieve, said Cameron should treat the case as an “absolute priority”. Nine militants killed in army offensive An unidentified army official, right, handing over United Nation and Pakistani national flags to the brother of Sepoy Fahad Iftikhar, who was killed while working as part of the newly deployed UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), as he is overcome by grief during the funeral in Karachi yesterday. Iftikhar was killed in an ambush near the capital Bangui on October 9. Pakistan’s army extended its offensive against Islamist militants in mountains along the Afghan border yesterday, killing at least nine insurgents, military officials said in Islamabad. The army launched the offensive in the Khyber agency this week targeting Islamists holed up in remote mountain hideouts on the border. The offensive, code-named “Khyber One”, comes against the backdrop of a broader military operation in the North Waziristan region south of Khyber, where the Pakistani army has been battling to contain the insurgency since June. A military source said some insurgents were believed to have slipped away and escaped towards the Afghan border. “We are chasing them and our forces advanced and took control of the areas which remained in the control of the terrorists for the past many years,” said the security official. This week’s fighting concentrated around the remote Tirah valley in Khyber, where militants and their Al Qaeda backers from across the mountainous area have been holed up since the start of the operation in North Waziristan. 16 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 PHILIPPINES US Marines summoned in transgender murder case AFP Manila F Protesters shout “Justice for Jennifer” during a rally against the killing of 26-year-old Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude, outside the US embassy in Manila yesterday. Militants free Germans held hostage: military AFP Zamboanga T wo Germans held hostage by militants on remote southern Philippine islands for six months were released yesterday, the Philippine military said. The hostages, a man in his 70s and his female partner, in her 50s, were released on Jolo island, armed forces chief General Gregorio Catapang said. A spokesman for the kidnappers, a notorious band of militants with links to Al Qaeda but who recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, also announced on radio that they had been set free. The Abu Sayyaf had given the German government until yesterday to pay a $5.6mn ransom and withdraw its support for US offensives against jihadists in Syria and Iraq. The group also threatened to behead one of the hostages unless the demands were met. The group’s spokesman, Abu Rami, said on radio the militants had collected “no more, no less” than their ransom demand. Catapang said he had no information on the supposed ransom payment, while highlighting that the military did not directly conduct negotiations over money. “We do not negotiate with terrorists,” he said on DZMM radio. Catapang said the couple were undergoing medical check-ups at a military clinic on Jolo island and would be transferred by boat to the southern port of Zamboanga, where they would catch a flight to the capital, Manila. Philippine authorities said the two hostages were snatched at sea in April as they sailed near the western Philippine island of Palawan. Last week in another telephone interview by Abu Rami on a local station, the Abu Sayyaf spokesman had the couple speak into the phone to beg for their lives and recount their hardships while being held at gunpoint in remote island jungles. Labelled a “terrorist” group by the US and Philippine governments, the Abu Sayyaf is a loose band of a few hundred militants founded in the 1990s by Abdurajak Janjalani, a preacher and veteran of the Afghanistan war. It was set up with seed money from Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s brother-in-law. It has kidnapped dozens of foreign aid workers, missionaries and tourists in the south. By ransoming off its hostages for millions of dollars the group was able to raise funds to buy more arms, and it cemented its brutal reputation by beheading some of its captives -- including an American tourist seized in 2002. The Abu Sayyaf claims it is fighting to establish an in- dependent homeland in the Muslim populated south of the mainly Catholic Philippines. In July, a video appeared on Youtube in which one of the Abu Sayyaf’s leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State extremists who have taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria. But Philippine authorities say the Abu Sayyaf is mainly a criminal gang interested in kidnappings-for-ransom and other lucrative illegal activities. The Abu Sayyaf is also believed to still be holding two European birdwatchers, a Malaysian fish breeder and an elderly Japanese man. Last year, the group released retired Australian soldier Warren Rodwell and Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani after ransoms were reportedly paid. The two were abducted separately and each held captive for over a year. In 2007, the Abu Sayyaf killed 14 marines, 10 of whom were beheaded, after they ambushed a military convoy on Basilan island. The soldiers were on a mission to rescue a kidnapped Italian priest, who was later released. The Abu Sayyaf was also blamed for the bombing of a ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 116 people, in what Philippine authorities described as the country’s worst terrorist attack. In the past 12 years, up to 600 US Special Forces troops on rotating deployments to the southern Philippines have trained Filipino troops in a bid to combat the Abu Sayyaf. The military campaign has had some major successes, including the capture or killings of its top leaders. But the Abu Sayyaf has survived the offensives by hiding among clannish communities on remote southern islands, and also replenishing personnel losses from the supportive local populations. ive US Marines have been summoned to appear before a prosecutor in the northern Philippines after Filipino police accused one of them of murdering a transgender sex worker, the foreign department said. The Americans were ordered to attend a hearing by the prosecutor of Olongapo city next week in a politically-charged case that threatens to test the longstanding defence ties between Manila and Washington. “The Department of Foreign Affairs... today served the subpoena and complaint against Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton for the murder of Jeffrey Laude also known as Jennifer,” a ministry statement said. Four other US Marines who were not identified by the statement were summoned by the prosecutor on the same date “as witnesses for the case”. The prosecutor, Fe de los Santos, later told reporters she will hold the hearing on Tuesday, and not Monday as a foreign department spokesman had mistakenly announced earlier. The US embassy did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Pemberton and sev- eral other marines were detained by their superiors at a US warship docked at the northern port of Olongapo, two hours’ drive from Manila, after witnesses told police Pemberton was the person last seen with the victim late Saturday. The killing was the second major case in the Philippines in nine years involving a US serviceman. Laude, 26, was found dead in a hotel bathroom early Sunday, shortly after checking in with the suspect. Police said the victim was found half-naked on the bathroom floor with more than a dozen bruises, cuts and bite marks. They said the victim had died from “asphyxia by drowning”. The killing has forced the Philippine government to defend itself from criticism that it was not doing enough to seek justice for the Filipino victim. “The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to working with other government agencies in the pursuit of justice,” the statement said yesterday. Pemberton was among more than 3,000 US troops who have taken part in joint military exercises in the Philippines from September 29-October 10. Next week’s hearing is a regular prosecutorial process to evaluate evidence gathered by police. Philippine journo gets AFP Kate Webb award AFP Singapore M ultimedia journalist Patricia Evangelista received the 2014 Kate Webb Prize from Agence France-Presse yesterday for her compelling reporting on conflict and disaster in her native Philippines. The prize recognises exceptional journalism in dangerous or difficult conditions by Asian journalists. Evangelista spent a month reporting from fishing and farming communities devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm ever recorded on land, which left nearly 8,000 people dead or missing in November 2013. She travelled to the disaster zones of the cen- tral Philippines only weeks after returning from covering a 21-day Evangelista stand-off between the military and rebels in Zamboanga in the south of the country in which more than 200 people died. “On both occasions, Patricia chose to focus on the people affected,” Gilles Campion, AFP’s director in the Asia-Pacific region, said at an award ceremony in Singapore. “Patricia is already an incredibly mature and talented text and video journalist,” he said of the 29-year-old Evangelista, who works for the Philippine news portal www.rappler.com and the local edition of Esquire magazine. Evangelista received a certificate and a 3,000-euro ($3,800) cash prize. HEALTH �Sin city’ begins to lose lustre after killing AFP Olangapo S tanding beneath shimmering red lights, bar bouncer John Bunsoy bemoaned the loss of freespending US military clients who have vanished from his Philippine “sin city” after a marine was accused of murdering a transgender sex worker. The killing in the northern port city of Olongapo, which hosted thousands of US troops who participated in joint military exercises last week, threatens to test longstanding defence ties between Manila and Washington. The case sparked shock and anger in the city and the victim’s relatives are demanding that the accused marine, currently held on a US warship anchored off Olongapo, be jailed in the Philippines. But it also cast an uncomfortable spotlight on Olongapo’s Magsaysay quarter, a sleazy “sin city” of nightclubs, bars and hotels -- much to the dismay of local business owners. “There’s nothing like the Americans,” said Bunsoy, a bouncer at the popular Ambyanz bar where the victim was last seen leaving with the accused marine. “Last night we had zero customers. Right now we have four — all locals,” he said one recent evening. Bunsoy was interviewed about the murder by police, who concluded that 26-year-old Jeffrey Laude, well-known as Jennifer, died of suffocation in a hotel room after checking in with the suspect. Magsaysay is only a short walk from the US Navy ships anchored at Subic Bay in the northern Philippines, floating fortresses which house 3,000 military personnel while on joint exercises. The city’s sex trade flourished during the Vietnam conflict and Cold War when Subic was a giant naval base hosting tens of thousands of servicemen, but suffered a huge downswing after 1992 when the US military withdrew. These days, the place comes alive each time Americans disembark from warships coming in for provisioning or for exercises. “When they’re off duty the street outside is packed with Americans. Their presence draws many other tourists,” said Elvie Mose, manager of the 40-room Jade Hotel and Restaurant. But the streets are deserted after the murder, with 3,000 US servicemen, including the murder suspect, ordered off the strip and back to their warships. While prostitution is illegal in the Philippines with penalties of up to six months in prison, it is openly tolerated in a nation that also bans divorce and abortion and does not recognise samesex marriages. Prostitutes charge about 2,000 pesos ($45), about five times the minimum daily wage, and authorities mostly look USS Peleliu is seen docked in the northern Philippine port city of Olongapo. the other way. “The entertainment industry is an important means of livelihood for many people here,” said Michelle Ubuta, women’s and children’s desk section chief of the police precinct that includes Magsaysay. “Some may be revolted by it, but you can’t blame them (workers) because this is the only way they will be able to eat three times a day,” Ubuta said. “When I was younger I was like Jennifer, doing Americans,” said Benjie Perez, a transgender former worker in the trade who now manages a beauty salon on the strip. “There is no denying Jennifer’s beauty. People paid money to gain access to her beauty,” said Perez. Kate Montecarlo Cordova, chief of the Association of Transgender People of the Philippines, said most transgender Filipinos suffer discrimination at conventional workplaces. “There are a lot of trans women who engage in this work due to unemployment,” Cordova said. But Olongapo police insist violent crime is rare. The only previous case involving transgenders was a 2013 complaint for slight injuries, Ubuta said. Police say prostitutes seek their help mainly to go after non-paying customers, while their clients sometimes report thefts. The last American serviceman to get in trouble was Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2006 for the rape of a young Filipina he met in a bar on Olongapo’s outskirts. He was acquitted and walked free in 2009 when the victim recanted her testimony. Murder or not, Manila is set to push ahead with a new accord signed with Washington in March that would allow US troops greater access to Philippine facilities —in support of President Barack Obama’s so-called pivot to Asia. Hotel manager Mose said he expected the US military to return because it sent out scouts last year to inspect Magsaysay hotel rooms, bars and restaurants. “They are good business,” she said. Govt rebuffs request to send medics to Ebola-hit areas The Philippines has rebuffed a US request to dispatch medical workers to Ebola-hit regions, with the health ministry saying boosting the country’s defences against any local outbreaks was the priority. The UN has launched a global appeal for more help to fight the viral epidemic that has killed more than 4,000 people this year, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The US and Britain had also specifically asked the Philippines to pitch in by deploying its health sector personnel, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said last week. At the time, Ona said Manila was considering deploying substantial numbers of volunteer health workers to help out in epidemic-stricken West Africa, saying it was “something of a responsibility for our country” to respond to the call. But yesterday ministry spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy said Manila had for now ruled out sending medical personnel, and was instead considering providing cash and other forms of assistance. “As of the moment, we’re not really keen on sending human assistance, but we are not closing the possibility,” he told a news conference. “Enhancing capability first (is the priority) before we can send assistance,” he added at a joint news conference with a regional official of the World Health Organisation. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 17 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL Survivors describe how sunny day turned to tragedy By Pratibha Tuladhar, DPA Kathmnadu M adan Kumar Thapa, a trekking guide, is thankful for a single moment of decision-making. “When we set out for the Thorang La, it was still a sunny day and there were many trekkers behind and ahead of us,” recalls Thapa, a survivor of the snowstorm that hit Nepal’s central mountains on Tuesday, killing nearly 30 people. It was around mid-day that Thapa and his Italian companion reached the top of the Thorang La Pass that crosses over from Manang district to Mustang’s Muktinath temple. “It had started to get very windy suddenly and we didn’t know whether we should stay or return. But I knew from my previous experience on the (Annapurna) circuit that one should never spend much time at the top, so we headed downhill,” he says. “As we started walking downhill through the storm ... suddenly there was darkness. The snow blinded us. We saw some load-bearing donkeys and followed them, thinking it might be the right way. But we soon lost them in what seemed like both rain and snow.” It was several hours of stumbling through snow before they arrived at Muktinath at around 3pm. “We had finally made it. We didn’t know where the others who were with us had gone. I felt terrible when we only found out later that so many had died,” says Thapa. Yakobh Megreli, an Israeli medical student who survived the snowstorm shares his sentiments. “I still can’t believe we survived. I thank God,” he told DPA from the Army Hospital in Kathmandu, where he was taken after his rescue on Wednesday. He and other five Israeli and five Germans were rescued from a tea shop where they spent the night, waiting for the storm to pass. The survivors recall the storm starting without warning. “It was a sunny day. We were walking towards the Thorong La Pass and on our way, a storm suddenly started,” says Megreli. September and October are popular trekking and climbing months in Nepal because of generally favourable weather conditions. The Annapurna circuit, where Tuesday’s storm struck, is popular for its scenic view and accessibility. “This route is different from the Everest Base Camp because it’s narrow and runs along the mountain ridge so it can be dangerous. And if it snows heavily, there’s the risk of avalanche and you can get washed down the mountain,” explains trekking guide and instructor, Dutiman Rai. “Besides, it’s a long walk and there are just tea stalls along the way where people stop to eat but no proper houses for shelter. The lodges with dorms are at the High Camp.” “It had started to get very windy suddenly and we didn’t know whether we should stay or return... but I knew from my experience on the circuit that one should never spend much time at the top ...” A survivor injured in a snowstorm is carried on a stretcher by Nepal army personnel to an army helicopter in the Manang district along the Annapurna Circuit Trek, yesterday. Rai says that proper signboards along the route are also lacking, which can be confusing to new travellers unless they are with experienced trekkers. Tuesday’s incident was not the first mountain tragedy to hit Nepal in 2014. In April, an avalanche on Mount Everest killed 16 climbing Sherpas, the single deadliest accident on the world’s highest mountain. The Everest incident was also unusual for coming during the peak climbing season in April and May. “The weather patterns this year have been different and the snow storm was also not expected. That is why there have been so many casualties,” says Bhushan Tuladhar, head of Environment Department at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. “Scientists believe that climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as cyclones. Therefore, we can expect to see more such events in the future and we need to be prepared to deal with them,” he explained. The snowstorm was seen to be partly triggered by Cyclone Hudhud which hit neighbouring India over the weekend. “Although cyclones do impact coastal areas, this incident demonstrates that the mountains are not safe either. The area of impact of cyclones is far more than just the coasts,” Tuladhar said. Nepal emergency team rescues 48 more hikers AFP Kathmandu N epal’s prime minister has pledged to set up a weather warning system after a major Himalayan snowstorm killed 32 people at the height of the trekking season, 17 of them tourists. Forecasters had predicted the snowstorm, but many hikers appeared to have been caught unawares and were heading to an exposed high mountain pass that forms part of the popular Annapurna Circuit trekking route when it struck. Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said the loss of life was “extremely tragic at a time when worldwide weather updates are available every second” and pledged to provide better weather information in tourist areas. “I want to assure that the government will make efforts to establish early warning centres for weather in the important spots across the country, especially in the Himalayan areas and along rivers,” he said in a statement on Thursday. Yesterday, emergency workers on foot and in helicopters resumed their search for survivors, rescuing 48 more people, including at least 14 tourists, a day after they airlifted more than 150 to safety, officials said. “We have located 41 people who were stranded at the Thorong La pass, including at least a dozen foreigners,” said Bishnu Bhattarai, an official at the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), an industry body. Workers had earlier rescued seven others, including two French tourists. Thousands of people head to the Annapurna region every October, when weather conditions are usually clear. The Annapurna Circuit is particularly popular among tourists, and has come to be known as the “apple pie” trek for the food served at the small lodges, known as teahouses, that line the route. But many were unprepared for the conditions on the Thorong La pass, which bore the brunt of Tuesday’s unseasonal snowstorm. Eighteen-year-old trekker Max Weinstein said that hotel staff had told him and a fellow hiker that it was “totally safe” to head up to the pass, which climbs over 5,000m (around 16,000ft). Some industry veterans said trekking companies could have done more to ensure clients’ safety. Tashi Sherpa, director of Seven Summit Treks, insisted that four dozen clients postpone their trek up the Annapurna circuit, likely saving their lives. “We had been checking weather and we saw that the days ahead were not clear...it is basically because of experience that we take such precautions,” Sherpa said. “We always plan ahead, check the weather, brief our clients. We map out help, hotels, mobile network access for them,” he said. He added that a lack of regulation allowed companies to take chances with client safety, with the added complication that many trekkers insist on ignoring warnings and forging ahead. Emergency workers yesterday recovered the body of a Nepalese porter from under the ice, taking the toll from the disaster to 32, including 24 trekkers on the Annapurna circuit and five climbers on a mountain in the area. Local official Tulsiram Bhandari said that the bodies of the two Slovakian mountaineers and their three Nepalese guides, killed when an avalanche struck the base camp of the 8,167m (26,795ft) Mount Dhaulagiri, had now been found. It was unclear how many people remained stranded in the area yesterday, although the majority are now thought to have been accounted for. In all, 168 foreign tourists had registered to trek there, but that number does not include their Nepalese guides and porters. It is one of Nepal’s worst trekking disasters since 1995 when a huge avalanche struck the camp of a Japanese trekking group in the Mount Everest region, killing 42 people including 13 Japanese. Some tourists in Kathmandu said they would wait for the search operations to conclude before going ahead with their hikes in the Annapurna region, but for others, the scale of the disaster has prompted a rethink. Anna Solander, a 21-year-old student from Sweden who was set to embark on her first trek in the Himalayas next week, said she felt “really uncomfortable” after hearing about the snowstorm. “I looked it up and it sort of freaked me out a little bit because I don’t know anything about trekking,” Solander said in Kathmandu. “I didn’t even know that trekking was like dangerous, I thought it was only dangerous if you go for Everest or something,” she said. Impoverished Nepal relies heavily on tourism revenues from climbing and trekking. It has suffered multiple avalanches this year, with 16 guides killed in April in the deadliest accident to hit Mount Everest, forcing an unprecedented shutdown of the world’s highest peak. Hasina urges big carbon emitters to fulfil pledge Lanka concerned over EU decision By Mizan Rahman Dhaka P rime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reaffirmed her government’s commitment to low carbon and climate resilient development path and urged the large carbon emitting countries to reciprocate by robust voluntary pledges from nations like Bangladesh to face the adverse impact of climate change. She reassured that Bangladesh would never exceed the average per capita carbon emissions of the developing world. The Bangladesh prime minister made the call while making a statement at the intervention of the Retreat Session on the concluding day of the 10th ASEM Summit at Milano Congressi in Italy yesterday, the foreign ministry in Dhaka said. Hasina also expressed Dhaka’s concern over the huge gap between the commitments of the developed world and their initiatives to fulfil the pledges, saying the global action of sharing the burden is absent. Referring to the Rio+20, she said the countries had agreed on a share dream to have the “Future we want for all”. “Despite being a climate vulnerable least developed country (LDC), Bangladesh was forced to divert the country’s development budget for adaptation and mitigation of climate change,” she said,adding: “Yet, climate change continues to affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of our people.” According the PM, besides, increasing intensity and frequency of flooding, storm surge, salinity intrusion and the slow onset changes as a result of climate change are badly affecting our coastal habitat. She mentioned that if the world community is not ambitious about climate mitigation, adaptation costs will be much higher than it is estimated today. Hasina said: “Adaptation” is crucial for sustainable development but critical balance between adaptation and mitigation will have to be maintained. She said Bangladesh has learned much on adaptation front and is ready to share its modest experience on climate-resilience. The Bangladesh Premier put emphasis on the respective “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions”, saying it must be clear, measurable and verifiable. Sheikh Hasina said there should be greater “fast-track finance” for adaptation, technology development and transfer; capacity building; transparency of action and support particularly for the climate-vulnerable countries. “Green Climate Fund would need to take those into account,” she said. Describing various measures undertaken on the climate change issue, the Prime Minister said her government has been implementing Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. Besides, she said, her government has installed 3.2mn “Solar Home Systems”, provided over 1.5mn improved cook stoves across Bangladesh as well as developed stress-tolerant crop varieties. The prime minister during her speech at the UN Climate Summit in September in New York also urged the developed countries to come forward to match robust commitments and efforts from countries like Bangladesh to face the adverse impact of climate change. Agencies Colombo S Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arriving to attend the 10th AsiaEurope Meeting (ASEM) in Milan, Italy, yesterday. ri Lanka has expressed concern over a European Union court’s decision to strike down anti-terrorism sanctions against the LTTE imposed in 2006. “Sri Lanka is mindful that the EU court decision may have an impact, including from a security perspective, on the large majority of Sri Lankans living in EU territory as well as EU citizens of Sri Lankan-origin who are likely to come under pressure once again by pro-LTTE activists,” an external affairs ministry statement has said. The Court of Justice of the European Union on Thursday ordered the Council of European Union to annul the sanctions imposed on the Sri Lankan group but said their assets should remain frozen “temporarily”. The court annulled specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities by the EU with its view of combating terrorism. The EU had declared the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) a terrorist outfit in 2006, following the earlier proscriptions of the USA and Canada. The ban criminalised any activity that could be connected to the LTTE. The defendants in the case were the Council and Commission of the European Union, together with the two member states, the Netherlands and the UK. Sri Lanka said it is noteworthy that the court has stressed the annulments to be “on fundamentally procedural grounds” and “do not imply any substantive assessment of the question of the classification of the LTTE as a terrorist group.” “Conscious of the fact that the listing of the LTTE is a matter internal to the EU, Sri Lanka is confident that the European Commission and the EU member states will take the best possible decision on the future course of action to be taken in this regard, in accordance with their own legal architecture in preserving sovereignty,” the statement said. Apart from the EU, the LTTE is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the USA, India, Canada, the UK and Sri Lanka. 18 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 COMMENT Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Editor-in-Chief : Darwish S Ahmed Production Editor: C P Ravindran P.O.Box 2888 Doha, Qatar [email protected] Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) Fax 44350474 GULF TIMES Europe pushes for detente with Russia, but deal still elusive A summit of more than 50 European and Asian countries in northern Italy offered the backdrop to the most determined diplomatic push in months to end the biggest crisis in the relationship between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. The United States and the European Union slapped sanctions on Russia after its annexation of Crimea and its alleged fomenting of unrest in eastern Ukraine. This has prompted countermeasures from Moscow and fuelled mutual distrust. “We care very much about the possibility to involve again Russia in the international situation,” Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in Milan, on the sidelines of the two-day Europe Asia Meeting (ASEM). “I think in this moment of very hard crisis around the world, the role of Russia could be very important,” Renzi said, listing the challenges of Ebola, Islamic State terrorism, and conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Libya. He spoke after breakfast talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, describing them as “a step ahead” in efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which broke out earlier this year. “Vladimir and Petro discussed very clearly, very frankly,” Renzi said. “It was a breakfast without breakfast, because nobody drank Italian coffee, nobody left their chair to share milk or coffee,” he quipped, conveying the intensity of the meeting. The EU’s heavyweights - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso - also sat at the negotiating table. Struggling with a flagging economy, the EU would have a strong interest in resuming full trade ties with Russia, and avoid any escalation in the Ukrainian crisis which could jeopardise Russian gas deliveries to Europe in the upcoming winter season. Hollande said tensions “weigh” on the Ukrainian population, on Russia, on Europe and on the entire world, because of their repercussions on global security, economic growth and the stability of financial markets. Russia could do with a detente, since its economy is suffering from a steep currency depreciation linked to the impact of sanctions and to falling world prices for oil, a key national export. However, Italian diplomatic sources acknowledged that negotiations on defusing the Ukraine crisis would prove “difficult”, amid not-too-encouraging signals coming from German and Russian sides. “So far, I cannot see any breakthrough here,” Merkel said, before entering into a new round of talks with Hollande, Putin and Poroshenko, on the question of using drones to control the Russia-Ukraine border. Putin’s office also admitted that talks between him and Merkel had revealed “serious differences in views on the source of Ukraine’s domestic conflict, as well as root causes for what is happening there today”. Cameron, whose country is usually hawkish towards Moscow, warned the Russian leader that he could expect no thaw in relations unless the Kremlin took decisive steps to change the situation in Ukraine. Obama not the first president to fail to meet expectations Obama finds his comfort zone in conciliation and accommodation, and in the empirical world of rational policy analysis By Aaron David Miller Chicago Tribune/MCT A ll presidents disappoint. It comes with the job, the unreasonable expectations Americans have for their presidents and the inherent conflict and disconnect between campaigning (promising people all they can have) and governing (explaining to people why they won’t get it). So Barack Obama isn’t the first president to fail to meet expectations and he won’t be the last. But he has come to embody something else, too: the risks and travails of reaching for greatness in the presidency without the crisis, character and capacity necessary to achieve it. “Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans,” the new president declared in his 2009 inaugural address to a 1.8mn-strong crowd on the National Mall in Washington. “... What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.” From pledging an Earth-moving transformation, Obama has been reduced to hitting singles and getting his lonely paragraph right. After drawing early comparisons to Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F Kennedy all rolled into one, Obama has fallen so low that journalists wonder whether Jimmy Carter is not a more appropriate parallel. Plenty of explanations have been offered: Republicans have been unwilling to work with him, or the president hasn’t reached out to them. The stimulus was too small, or it was far too big. Health care reform was a historic achievement, or it was a terrible overreach. The president has tried to be too bipartisan, even post-partisan, or he has not been partisan enough. Time is needed to judge the Obama presidency on its merits and in comparison to other occupants of the Oval Office. Unlike FDR, JFK or even LBJ, there will not be a BHO Some, like economist Paul Krugman, have concluded that Obama is already “one of the most consequential and, yes, successful presidents in American history. But however historians and the public ultimately rate Obama, the greatness that he sought - and that was expected of him - will probably not be his. As early as 2011, in an extraordinary comment to “60 Minutes”, Obama believed otherwise: “I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president - with the possible exceptions of Johnson, FDR and Lincoln - just in terms of what we’ve gotten done in modern history.” He has certainly not been a failed president. But neither is Obama likely to be judged a great or iconic one. Unlike FDR, JFK or even LBJ, there will not be a BHO. Certainly, Obama inherited a unique set of circumstances, as all presidents do, and his were scarier than most. But neither the crises he has faced nor the system in which he has operated have been wholly untethered from his predecessors’ problems and experiences. The challenges of the post-FDR presidency have plagued Obama: intractable problems, intensifying political polarisation, mistrust of government, an intrusive and ubiquitous news media. This president’s fate has been the same as that of many recent predecessors - the job is just too big and expectations just too high. The undeniable greatness of presidents such as George Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt requires three elements: a crisis that severely threatens the nation for a sustained period, setting the stage for historic change; the capacity to extract from such a crisis some long-term transformative changes through political smarts, persuasion and deal making with Congress; and the character needed for effective leadership. Obama’s crisis - a complex recession emerging from the financial and housing sectors - was sufficiently severe that he could not break it easily or quickly, but not so catastrophically encumbering that it enabled him to tame the politics in Washington as Lincoln or FDR had done. Indeed, it is only a nationencumbering crisis, hot and relentless, that opens the door to undeniable presidential greatness. “If Lincoln had lived in a time of peace,” Theodore Roosevelt once remarked, “no one would have known his name.” As for Obama’s governing capacity, the president did not so much miss his FDR/LBJ moment as misread it. Most of the public wanted a way out of the terrible recession and the long and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; Americans also hoped for renewed confidence in their president and faith in their government’s competence. But the public didn’t seek a reformulation of the social contract. And Obama has had neither the partisan dominance that comes with huge congressional majorities, like those enjoyed by FDR and LBJ, nor the working bipartisanship with the Republicans to bring it about. The Affordable Care Act of 2010, his signature legislative achievement, will be Obama’s legacy, and in the years to come it may be seen as a moral and economic victory. But there are simply too many complexities and uncertainties to call it transformative now. Finally, on character, Obama has had a Jekyll-and-Hyde problem. Part pragmatist, part believer, but always capable of seeing all sides of an argument, the president has seemed too often at war with himself on how ambitious he wants to be, whether on climate change, tax reform or the size of the stimulus. That personal conflict has made it too hard for him to make peace with his public. By nature, Obama is not a partisan, a populist or a revolutionary. Instead, he finds his comfort zone in conciliation and accommodation, and in the empirical world of rational policy analysis. Those can be useful qualities in many circumstances, but they won’t make you a transformative president. zAaron David Miller is a distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He is the author of The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) Another Great President, from which this essay is adapted. “So far, I cannot see any breakthrough here” To Advertise [email protected] Display Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 Classified Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 Subscription [email protected] 2014 Gulf Times. All rights reserved German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China’s Premier Li Keqiang visiting a supermarket after talks in Berlin last Friday. An alliance that is vast and delicate By Stefan Braun Berlin G erman Chancellor Angela Merkel’s podcasts have so far had very limited impact, although she continues to address the public regularly via the Internet. And just about as regularly, there is very little reaction. So it’s very interesting that just a few days before last week’s consultations between the Chinese and German governments, Merkel chose that medium to comment on the Hong Kong democracy protests, saying she was happy that “the protests have been peaceful so far” and adding that she hoped “the police would also react judiciously” The remarks were harmless, and it’s unlikely that the demonstrators in Hong Kong or China’s critics in Germany took much notice. But shortly before last Friday’s meetings began, rumours were flying around Beijing that the German ambassador had been called in for a talk as a result of Merkel’s comments. As it turns out, the rumour was just that, a rumour. But the anxiety that inevitably emerges on the subject of Beijing’s human rights policies demonstrates just how wobbly the supposedly stable strategic partnership is between the two countries. And for that reason these government consultations are also going to be a balancing act. Delicate matters like democracy in Hong Kong and Russian aggression in Ukraine loomed large over last week’s high-level talks Although the links between the countries’ governments and economies have perhaps never been as tight as they are today, the most subtle of nuances can offend. Maybe that’s why Merkel mentioned Hong Kong days beforehand on the Internet. The reference and its venue were insignificant enough not to unleash open conflict. And since then no China critic can claim she left the subject unaddressed. China doesn’t conduct high-level consultations that include prime ministers with any other country. Last week, 14 Chinese ministers met with 12 of their German counterparts to discuss more than 100 joint projects, the focal point being the so-called innovation partnership. But what’s supposed to sound particularly clever harbours risks. While Beijing mainly understands the innovation partnership to mean an increased exchange in high tech, Berlin is trying to extend the term to include the environment, climate protection, agriculture, food, but also social policies, education and democracy. In the context of the innovation partnership, the German federal government even hopes to discuss whether “a society can only really be innovative if its people can think freely”, as a member of the Berlin government put it. Will it work? The word is that the Chinese are at least “prepared to talk”. That could of course be because Beijing, like Berlin, has to deal with worsening economic data, and the two countries need each other more than ever. Their economies have complemented each other well over the last 10 years, although the situation is slightly tenser now. A poll of German companies by the Berlin-based Mercator Foundation shows that business conditions are becoming increasingly difficult and that more companies are seeking alternatives to the Chinese market. That is in part explained by the fact that many Chinese companies are trying to compete with the Germans in areas where the latter lead world markets. China is increasingly going “from junior partner to competitor”, says Mercator’s Marc Szepan. Espionage plays a role in this too. According to German intelligence circles, there are hacker attacks from China on medium-sized German companies every week. But despite all the aggravation, it remains clear that the Chinese market is still irreplaceable for many German companies. What should in any case be addressed are the cases of two Germans sitting in Chinese jails and facing possible death sentences. Easing visa requirements for both sides should also be discussed, as should the difficulties faced by German policy foundations operating in China. Along with economic interests, Berlin’s diplomats are also pursuing political goals, urging Beijing to pressure the Russians to stay moderate in the Middle East and Ukraine. Since Russia has been in conflict with the West over the Ukraine crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin has become more dependent on good relations with China. Berlin sees an opportunity there to weigh on Putin via Beijing. - Worldcrunch/ Suddeutsche Zeitung Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 19 COMMENT Lech Walesa has a few words for Putin At 71, Lech Walesa, the former Polish president and Solidarity leader, remains a global icon and a well-respected voice, despite some of his eyebrow-arching ideas By Marco Bardazzi Gdansk L ech Walesa likes provocations. If you ask him, for example, what politics in the 21st century needs, he’ll smile beneath his famous mustache and tell you that all that is needed is a “microchip”. A microchip? “Absolutely. Everyone in politics must agree to be implanted with a microchip that records everything they do — complete transparency. And if you try and deceive voters, you and your family will be banned from politics for 50 years.” At 71, the former president of Poland and leader of the Solidarnosc (Solidarity) party - who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize - has no more public roles in a country he led away from communism. But still he remains a global icon and a wellrespected voice, despite some of his eyebrow-arching ideas. Walesa’s office is still in Gdansk, overlooking the Dlugi Targ, the “Long Market”, the ancient heart of the port city where Solidarity emerged in August 1980. This former electrician who became a national hero sports a Black Madonna of Czestochowa brooch on his lapel, creating a strange contrast with his garish ties. Just two words, “Ukraine” and “Putin,” bring out the old fighter in Lech Walesa, centre, at the 25th anniversary of Freedom Day/Solidarity event in the Royal Square, Warsaw, in June this year. him, which seems slightly unusual for a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. These words explain the deep concern of the Poles, and indeed of all Eastern European countries, about what is happening nearby. “We need missiles to aim at Russia.” QUESTION: Which missiles are you referring to, Mr President? ANSWER: If Putin threatens us saying, “Beware, I have nuclear weapons,” Nato must be ready to respond: “We have twice that many.” Putin is irresponsible and wants to create havoc in Poland, just as he did in Ukraine. So, we want Nato to lend us the best missiles at its disposal, install them here and point them in the right direction. Q: How would these missiles would be used? A: We won’t start war, we won’t invade anyone. But anyone thinking of setting foot on Polish soil will know that we are ready to ward them off. We will defend ourselves. If Gdansk gets invaded one day, we will attack Moscow. It’s self-defence, but in consultation with Nato obviously. But we will never allow them to defeat us they need to know that! Q: Isn’t this going back to the Cold War? A: What other choice do we have? We love Russia, but it has to stop bullying. We need Russia, but a civilised Russia. They always need an enemy, purely for internal reasons. Capitalism, the US, Europe. Now they’re choosing smaller enemies but this is a mistake. Q: Which one? A: They did not think there would be so much resistance in Ukraine. They chose an enemy that was too strong and they don’t know how to get out. And to think they got another chance ... Q: To what are you referring? A: We were lucky, it could have been different. I said this 25 years ago; I was convinced that Russia would stir up aggressive minorities in the Eastern Bloc. It takes a long time to make reforms, they could have relied on these minorities riding discontent and winning parliamentary elections, and then annexing countries. They could rebuild the Soviet Union, but now they have chosen to take up arms and that was a mistake. Q: Do you have any hope for democracy in Russia? A: Yes but they are 30 years behind, according to my calculations. Q: What do you think of the Obama administration’s role in this crisis? A: A superpower has a duty to help organise the world order. They should organise peace for Ukraine and Russia. They shouldn’t wage war but help us find a solution. And pay for some of the missiles for us and for Ukraine! Q: Twenty-five years ago the Berlin Wall was about to fall. If you look back at the past quarter century, are you proud or disappointed? A: If someone had told me that I would live in times like these, I would not have believed them. We closed the divisions in Europe, reunited Germany and removed boundaries. Now we are in another moment of transition, where generations will stop thinking in terms of State and Nation. Our country is Europe. Q: But Europe is in crisis and is struggling to find its way. Does this not worry you? A: Of course, I’m worried because there are forces that want to blow up the Union. I’m glad that a Pole as capable and intelligent as Donald Tusk is now president of the EU Council; I believe he will do everything to save the Union. But, we cannot just maintain the current one. We must find an agreement with common fundamentals.Worldcrunch/La Stampa Weather report LEGAL HELPLINE Three-day forecast Employer obliged to pay compensation Article 110 of the Laws stipulates that the amount of compensation shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of Shariah By Nizar Kochery Doha QUESTION: I have been working at a shop in a remote place in Shahaniyya as an accountant. I have no employment contract. The shop is my sponsor’s establishment. Am I covered under Qatar’s Labour Laws? I met with an accident while changing a bulb at the shop recently. The ladder slipped and I fell down, injuring my disc. I am under treatment now. The sponsor have no insurance coverage; he wants to send me back to my home country by paying a small amount. I have no money to file a case in court. AD, Doha ANSWER: Being employed by the sponsor’s establishment, all labour-related matters are governed by Law No 14 of the year 2004 and accordingly, the employer is legally obliged to pay compensation. The insurance arrangement is employers’ private arrangement to indemnify the employer only. Article 110 of the Laws stipulates that the amount of compensation shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of Shariah and currently the amount of compensation in case of death of the worker due to work accidents is QR200,000. For partial disability a proportionate amount of compensation will be awarded by the court based on the disability certification issued by the medical authority. All labour-related matters are exempted from court fee. Amount of compensation Q: We are a contracting company engaged in construction. In a contract we have signed with a client, there is a provision for penalty for delay. Actually in this particular case, there is no loss to the customer. My questions are 1) Is it legal fixing compensation for damages due to delay in the contract when the client is supplying materials? 2) Is it legal for the client to ask for compensation when there is no actual loss? KF, Doha A: Under Article 171 of the Civil Code, contracting parties can agree terms which do not contravene the law and will be bound accordingly. Hence any pre-agreement as to the amount of compensation due for specified instances of breach is legal. Also, Article 265 of the Civil Code stipulates that if the subject matter of the obligation is not a sum of money, the contracting parties may agree in advance to the value of the compensation, whether in the contract or in a later agreement. However, Qatari law provides for a contractor to wholly resist the imposition of delay damages where he can establish that the employer suffered no damage whatsoever as a result of the delay. The relevant provision, Article 266 provides that the agreed upon compensation shall not be due if the debtor proves that the creditor did not suffer any damage. The court may reduce the compensation from the one agreed upon if the debtor proves that the assessment was exaggerated to a high degree, or that the obligation has been partially performed. Any agreement to the contrary shall be null and void. A criminal breach of trust Q: My sponsor-cum-partner has filed a police complaint against me that I have taken all the money invested and equipment in our company. We both have invested in the company and have also provided some assets. I have been managing the business. The company has gone into losses now and the sponsor blames me for that. He alleges that I have cheated the company and he has gone to the police, complaining a breach of trust from my part. It is true that while shifting the office recently, I have sold two old computers provided by the sponsor and paid off the dues to a computer technician, the buyer in the case. Please advice on the legal part of breach of trust in Qatar. AG, Doha A: In general whoever being in any manner entrusted with property or with any dominion over property, dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use that property or dishonestly uses or disposes of that property in violation of the legal contract, express or implied commits criminal breach of trust. Under Article 362 of the Qatar Penal Laws, a prison sentence of no more than three years and to a fine of no more than QR10,000 shall be inflicted upon any person in such cases. For the purposes of the Article, there shall be treated as an agent every partner participating in a common property, a person who is intrusive upon the funds of the actual owner thereof and any person who has been delivered an object for use for a specific matter for the benefit of its owner or others. A prison sentence for a term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding QR5,000 shall be the penalty for any person who seizes with the intent of acquiring for himself any lost monies or funds that have come in his possession by mistake or by force majeure. The same punishment shall be inflicted upon any person who embezzles or attempts to embezzle property that may have been mortgaged as security for a debt owed by him or by another. TODAY High: 37 C Low: 29 C Relatively hot by the day and slight dust with local clouds and chance of rain at places at times SUNDAY High: 38 C Low : 29 C Clear MONDAY High: 34 C Low : 28 C Clear Fishermen’s forecast OFFSHORE DOHA Wind: SW-NW 12-18/25 KT Waves: 2-4/5 & 3-5/7 Feet INSHORE DOHA Wind: SW-NW 5-15/20 KT Waves: 1-3/4 Feet Around the region Abu Dhabi Baghdad Dubai Kuwait City Manama Muscat Riyadh Tehran Weather today Clear Clear Clear P Cloudy Clear Clear Clear C Showers Max/min 37/26 28/19 36/25 36/23 34/29 36/27 36/24 21/11 Weather tomorrow Clear Clear Clear Clear Clear Clear Clear Clear Max/min 36/28 29/18 37/26 33/21 33/28 36/28 34/23 21 20/11 Weather tomorrow Clear P Cloudy P Cloudy Cloudy P Cloudy Clear C Storms P Cloudy Clear C Rain C Storms Clear C Showers C Storms P Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy C Storms P Cloudy Clear Max/min 29/18 27/22 34/25 18/12 31/22 25/15 30/25 30/22 27/24 19/14 34/26 35/22 22/16 30/25 01/-4 30/19 21/10 24/16 36/23 23/11 31/26 21/11 22/15 zPlease send your questions by e-mail to: [email protected] LEGAL SYSTEM IN QATAR A mortgage granted by all the co-owners of an immovable held in common remains effective whatever may be the ultimate result of a partition of the immovable or of its sale owing to impossibility of partition. If one of the owners grants a mortgage on his undivided share or part thereof, the mortgage will be transferred to a portion of this property equivalent in value to that of the mortgaged portion after partition. This portion will, upon petition, be fixed by an order of the court. The mortgage shall maintain its rank if a new registration is made for it within sixty days of the notification made to the mortgagee creditor by any interested party to register the partition. The mortgage so transferred shall not have any prejudicial effect on a mortgage already granted by all the coowners or on the privileges of co-partitioners. A mortgage may be granted to secure a conditional, future or contingent debt. It may also be granted to secure an open credit or the opening of a current account, provided that the amount of the debt secured or the maximum amount which such debt may attain, is fixed in the mortgage deed. In the absence of a provision of the law or of an agreement to the contrary, every part of the mortgaged immovable or immovables shall secure the whole of the debt and each part of the debt is secured by the whole of the mortgaged immovable or immovables. Generally the mortgage cannot be separated from the debt that it secures as regards its validity and extinction. If the mortgagor is a person other than the debtor, he may, in addition to the defence that are personal to him, avail himself of those which belong to the debtor as regards the debt and he keeps this right notwithstanding the renunciation of the debtor. A mortgagor has the right to carry on the management of the mortgaged property, collect the fruits and yields until making an entry of attachment over the property’s registration. Also he may dispose of the mortgaged property, but any disposal of the property by him does not affect the right of the mortgagee creditor. Regarding lease, a lease agreement entered into by a mortgagor cannot have any effect against a mortgagee unless such lease has been given a specific date before making an attachment entry over the property’s registration. A lease that has not a specific date in such a way or that has been entered into after placing an attachment entry over the property’s registration without payment of rent having been made in advance, will not be effective unless it falls within the category of acts of good management. If the duration of the lease entered into before placing an attachment entry over the property’s registration exceeds ten years, the lease has effect against the mortgagee only for ten years unless it has been registered in the Land Registry before registration of the mortgage. Around the world Athens Beirut Bangkok Berlin Cairo Cape Town Colombo Dhaka Hong Kong Istanbul Jakarta Karachi London Manila Moscow New Delhi New York Paris Sao Paulo Seoul Singapore Sydney Tokyo Weather today P Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy Cloudy P Cloudy Clear T Storms P Cloudy Clear P Cloudy P Cloudy Clear M Cloudy C Storms Snow P Cloudy P Cloudy Cloudy P Cloudy Clear T Storms C Showers Clear Max/min 29/20 26/21 33/24 17/11 29/21 25/14 30/26 30/22 26/23 21/18 36/25 36/21 19/16 28/24 03/-2 30/19 22/15 21/16 36/21 21/11 32/26 19/12 23/13 20 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 QATAR GE set to tap Qatari talent for aviation, oil and gas sectors By Peter Alagos Business Reporter G lobal industrial technology firm GE is keen on opening more career opportunities for local engineering students in the field of aviation and also double its Qatari workforce in the company’s oil and gas research facility. Parmjit Khera, leader of the GE Advanced Technology Research Centre (ATRC), told Gulf Times that “One of the central commitments of the GE Aviation business at ATRC is to promote localised innovation and build Qatari human capital.” Housed inside the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), the 13,400sqm ATRC focuses on applied research and knowledge transfer across GE’s four business divisions on global research, oil and gas, aviation, and healthcare. Khera revealed that the aviation team is working to introduce mini-apprentice internship programmes for Qatari engineering students. “The objective is to provide hands-on experience on different engine lines and help troubleshoot the engines by leveraging Six Sigma processes. The total number of student days accumulated since the beginning of our operations is 1,170 through some 62 training sessions. We have also received more than 350 visitors from schools, colleges and other entities for sharing knowledge,” Khera noted. He added, “Similarly, we are focusing on promoting human Aviation training led by one of ATRC’s subject matter experts. Right: View of the ATRC inside the Qatar Science & Technology Park. capital development and sharing knowledge across all our other businesses. The centre brings us closer to our customers, enabling us to address their requirements through a collaborative model of research.” According to Khera, the ATRC not only draws on GE’s knowledge base but also works with Qatari educational institutions and the research community to develop the skills of local talent. Aside from the aviation sector, Khera said the ATRC is also planning to extend its Qatarisation programme to GE’s oil and gas business. “Our commitment to localisation is further underlined with the plans of GE Oil & Gas to double the number of Qatari nationals employed at the centre,” he emphasised. Khera further explained that the training sessions do not only serve Qatari aviation professionals but also support aviation professionals in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the wider Middle East, contributing to Qatar’s thought leadership in aviation training. “Today at the centre, GE Aviation offers state-of-the-art training on six different engine lines and has a restricted zone with controlled access for future military engine programmes,” he said. Among the key training programmes offered include line maintenance, boroscope inspection, boro-blending, fan stator removal and installa- tion, engine removal and major module removal, among others for engines such as GE 90, CF6-80E1, CF6-80C2, CF348E and CF34-3 for Boeing 777, Airbus 330, Boeing 767/747, Embraer 175, and Bombardier Business Jets. The ATRC also has a dedicated On Wing Support Team supporting the Middle East and Africa region, Khera explained. When asked if the ATRC has bilateral projects with Qatar’s Small and Medium-sized Enter- prise (SME) sector, Khera said, “Through the centre’s localisation and co-creation model, we are contributing to the evolution of the local supply chain led by SMEs.” According to Khera, “This is only a matter of time because building local competencies in turn lead to more enterprising individuals stepping forward with innovative ventures. These SMEs can add tremendous value to the local supply chain by supporting GE and its partners.” Parmjit Khera, leader of the GE Advanced Technology Research Centre (ATRC). Seminar shines spotlight on conservation of dugongs Q atar University (QU), in collaboration with ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ) and Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG), recently hosted a two-day workshop at the QU Research Complex to discuss Qatar’s dugong population, their global status as well as current and future strategies for their conservation in the country. The workshop followed the signing of an agreement in July by the three parties to further environmental research and marine mammal initiatives relevant to Qatar. Close to 40 environmental regulators and academics, from environment research, management and conservation institutes and other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP), participated in the discussion on strategies and recommendations for dugong conservation as well as current and future collaborative opportunities. Qatar is home to the largest population of dugongs outside Australia. Dugongs are large, herbivorous marine mammals that consume sea grass, can reach lengths of more than 3m, weigh over 400kg and live up to 60 years. Historically, dugongs have a cultural and economic importance to Qataris, having been used as both an economic and food resource in the Arabian Gulf for more than 7,500 years. Though long-living, dugongs have a low reproductive output. They are listed as Vulnerable to Extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Currently, dugongs in Qatar face challenges such as incidental fishing and habitat degradation. Limited research has been conducted on Qatari dugongs so far and the tri-party initiative will aim to develop the scientific understanding needed to inform decisions for their protection and conservation. The extreme marine and physical environment of the Arabian Gulf, as well as the northern limit of dugong distribution, may suggest that their life-history will differ from populations in Australia. In his welcoming remarks, QU associate V-P for Research and Strategic Initiatives Dr Bhanu Chowdhary said the workshop was a unique opportunity for Qatar University to lead research on dugong habitat and conservation in co-operation with EMRQ and TAMUG. “The expertise and excellent facilities and resources available at QU through the Environmental Studies Centre and other departments and research units in various colleges, along with various national and regional partners, will allow the research partners to successfully tackle key issues Qatar is home to the largest population of dugongs outside Australia. related to conservation of this indigenous species,” he said. Chowdhary added that he looked forward to the follow-up of the meeting, which should advance the journey towards preservation and enhancement of the species. He also reaffirmed QU’s commitment to knowledge-sharing and providing expertise for multi-disciplinary research, education and learning, in line with the organisation’s research priorities and in contribution to the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030, National Research Strategy and other national development strategies. “We are extremely pleased to be working with Qatar University and Texas A&M University at Galveston to conduct research on Qatar’s dugong population. The dugong species is a fascinating one, and we are committed to understanding more about it, while ensuring that it is protected and continues to thrive in its natural habitat,” said Dr Jennifer Dupont, EMRQ research director. TAMUG Department of Marine Biology assistant professor Dr Christopher D Marshall, who provided the background on the biology of dugongs and the unique habitat of Qatar, described Qatari and Arabian Gulf dugongs as likely “the most important population in the western part of the dugongs’ distribution”. LEGAL BATTLE | Page 6 ALLAYING FEARS | Page 8 LME facing hurdle in US after UK win Russia’s top oil firms play down drop in prices Saturday, October 18, 2014 Dhul-Hijja 24, 1435 AH BAD NEWS: Page 2 GULF TIMES BUSINESS Japan business confidence hits 18-month low in October Mena operations expose QNB to downside risks: Moody’s By Santhosh V Perumal Business Reporter QNB’s international operations in some Middle East and North African (Mena) countries expose it to downside risks, global credit rating agency Moody’s has said. Although Moody’s views that potential losses in the higher risk countries in the Mena as “manageable” due to the bank’s ample capital and liquidity buffers, it said nevertheless, they expose QNB’s loan and investment book to sovereign and credit risks and constrain its standalone rating (baa1). “With the exception of operations in the Gulf Co-operation Council (5% of assets as of end-2013), which we expect will continue to benefit from the relatively solid operating environments, we anticipate that operations in the rest of Mena (18% of assets) will face downside risks,” Moody’s said in a report. These risks mainly stemmed from its Egyptian operations through the acquisition of NSGB, which is now QNB AlAhli, the second-largest private bank in Egypt and QNB’s largest crossborder acquisition to-date, making up some 10% of QNB assets as of end-2013. “We expect the political and social tensions in Egypt will continue to undermine investor and consumer confidence, constraining the country’s growth prospects,” the report said. The asset-quality pressures at QNB AlAhli (nonperforming loan ratio or NPL of 4% at end-2013 expected to increase by around 50-100 basis points to 4.5%-5% by end-2015) will lead to higher provisioning needs and therefore lower profitability,” it said. The muted lending opportunities will lead to lower revenue-generating capacity and there will be increased risk associated with Egyptian government securities in the subsidiary’s investment portfolio, it added. About other Mena operations, Moody’s said these include subsidiaries in Tunisia, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Iraq and Sudan, which together account for around 8% of group assets. “As a reflection of ongoing political turmoil, we expect operating environment pressures stemming from unsettled conditions in these host-countries to lead to NPLs, credit stagnation and reduced profitability for QNB’s operations in these markets,” it said. QNB has also recently announced that it acquired a 23.5% stake in pan-African bank, Ecobank Transnational. Notwithstanding the diversification benefits and QNB’s ability to participate in Africa’s strong banking growth, this acquisition will further expose QNB to countries where sovereign risks are considerably higher than in its Qatari home market. Indeed, some of Ecobank’s main markets are characterised by elevated political instability and underdeveloped banking systems with weak institutional frameworks. QNB’s foreign operations made up 42% of group assets as of end-2013, with the lion’s share in Mena (including GCC) at 23% of group assets and in European financial hubs (16%). Its presence in other countries includes operations in Asia (at 3% of assets). QNB started its international diversification strategy back in 2005, increasing its geographical footprint in order to diversify its earnings and assets; leverage the economic and business links of Qatari customers in regional and global markets; and follow the Qatari government into countries that have political and economic links with the state. Opec should cut output to support prices: Libya Reuters London O pec should cut its oil output to support prices, a Libyan oil official said, as oil prices that have slid to a four-year low this week add to a squeeze on producers’ budgets. So far, Libya is among a minority in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the only one of the four African Opec members, to call for an Opec cut, adding to signs that such a move is unlikely. “Opec is facing a challenge to remove the surplus from the market so the price will return to normal levels,” Samir Kamal, Libya’s Opec governor and head of planning at the Libyan oil ministry, told Reuters. He said Libya should be an exception because its recent production losses have squeezed its budget and he expected no impact on Libya’s production from any Opec decision. “The Opec members know the security situation in Libya,” he said. Libya is struggling with two governments and two parliaments since an armed group from the western city of Misrata seized Tripoli, setting up its own cabinet and assembly while forcing the internationally recognized government to move to the east. Opec meets on November 27 to set policy for the first half of 2015 and despite a slide in prices to below $83 barrel this week from $115 in June, many members including powerful Gulf producers are opposed to cutting output. Top Opec producer Saudi Arabia has been quietly telling market participants it is comfortable with lower prices in a move that may be aimed at retaining market share and slowing the expansion of rival producers. Kuwait said on Sunday Opec was unlikely to cut production. Of the other three African members, Algeria’s oil minister has said he is not concerned by lower prices. Nigeria and Angola have not officially stated their view. An Opec delegate from a West African Opec member said his country was keeping a close eye on prices but was not convinced of the need for supply cutbacks. “I am not sure it would do any good,” the delegate said, declining to be identified. “We are watching to see how the market will behave.” Angola and Nigeria are both seeing their oil output fall due to field declines. When Opec last cut production, in 2008, they implemented little of their share, analysts said at the time. Some analysts, including Sam Ciszuk of the Swedish energy agency, have not ruled out the prospect that Opec could still agree to cut its output when it meets, saying that the Saudi strategy could be aimed at enouraging others to participate. “It is likely that Saudi might take their production close to where it was when the last ceiling was proclaimed and then start to demand of others to do a bit of a cut,” Ciszuk said, referring to Opec’s output target of 30mn barrels per day. So far, Libya is among a minority in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the only one of the four African Opec members, to call for an Opec cut, adding to signs that such a move is unlikely ECB officials call for bold measures Dow Jones Frankfurt E uropean Central Bank officials fanned across Europe yesterday to deliver a common message to governments that bold measures are needed to reform their economies, raise productivity and improve the eurozone’s anemic growth outlook. The remarks from several members of the ECB’s 24-member governing council underscored the bank’s recent campaign to accelerate the debate in Europe on how to get the struggling eurozone economy on the right track without relying on the ECB’s easymoney policies. “The biggest bottleneck for growth in the euro area is not monetary policy, nor is it the lack of fiscal stimulus: it is the structural barriers that impede competition, innovation and productivity,” Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said at a conference in Riga, Latvia, one of several ECB officials to speak yesterday. His comments were echoed by ECB executive board member Benoît Coeuré, who warned at the same conference that “talking vaguely about structural reforms, but not doing them, is the worst of all worlds.” “While in “normal” times it might be acceptable to reform one sector at a time, in crisis times it is not. Fairness must be a priority. And the best way to align vested interests is to reform them all at once,” Coeuré said. New iPads may help Apple regain tablet momentum AFP California A pple, facing tough competition in the cooling tablet market, unveiled a new line-up of iPads that feature its mobile payments system and include the fingerprint sensor unlock used on iPhones. Apple also said on Thursday at an event at its Cupertino, California headquarters that its mobile payments system known as Apple Pay would be operational on Monday, with more banks and merchants on board. The tech giant – seeking to regain ground in a tablet market increasingly dominated by the rival Android platform – said its new iPad Air 2 is thinner than its rivals, with upgraded graphics power and other features. Unlike with smartphones, tablet owners tend to hold onto their devices for three or more years, creating pressure on manufacturers to come up with innovations significant enough to inspire upgrades. “This should be enough to start getting the original iPad users to upgrade,” Creative Strategies principal analyst Tim Bajarin said of enhancements delivered by Apple’s newest tablet. “I don’t think it has any impact on the general tablet market, but Apple’s numbers will increase as a result.” At 6.1 millimetres (0.24 inches), Ap- ple said the iPad Air 2 is 18% thinner than its predecessor and is “the world’s thinnest tablet.” “It’s so thin you can stack two of them and it will still be thinner than the original iPad,” the company’s vice president Phil Schiller said. The aluminium-body tablet uses a new A8X processor, and boasts up to 10 hours of battery life. It weighs 435 grams (0.96 pounds) and has twin cameras capable of producing high-definition videos. The new tablet comes with a more powerful processor that delivers livelier graphics, improved battery life and Touch ID, the fingerprint unlock system that Apple introduced last year on its iPhones. Apple also upgraded its smaller tablet, called the iPad Mini 3, which will also have the Touch ID system. Pricing will start at $399 for the new iPad mini, and $499 for the iPad Air 2. Apple will cut prices for the current iPad models. Apple chief Tim Cook said that more than 225mn iPads have been sold in the four years since the initial launch. But in a tablet market that is cooling - research firm IDC says global sales will only increase 6.5% this year, as compared with 50% in 2013 – lowpriced devices powered by the rival Android platform have been gaining share. Consumer electronics titan Samsung is a leading maker of gadgets powered by the Googlebacked, free operating software. According to Strategy Analytics, Android grabbed 70% of the tablet market in the second quarter, to 25% for Apple, even if it remains the largest single vendor. Cook said the Apple Pay system – which allows iPhone and iPad users to tap their devices to pay at retailers – was adding participants. “Just since last month, we have signed another 500 banks,” he said. Apple Pay has already reached agreements with payment processors like Visa and MasterCard, as well as a range of stores including Macy’s, Sports Authority, Toys R Us, Staples and Whole Foods Markets. Apple also announced its OS X desktop operating system called Yosemite was now available as a free upgrade for users of Mac computers. The new system includes a feature called “handoff” to allow people to switch among Apple devices and continue a task such as writing emails. On the desktop side, Apple introduced an iMac computer with a 27-inch display boasting image quality far better than high-definition televisions, and an upgraded Mac mini with a lower starting price. “I actually thought the star of the show was the new iMac,” Bajarin said, reasoning that the performance offered at the $2,500 price point was “a game changer” given the strong following Apple has with professionals in the video and photo industries. 2 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 BUSINESS India to pay Iran $500mn next week Reuters New Delhi I ndian refiners will pay $500mn to Iran next week, the second instalment in an interim deal that allows Tehran to recover part of overseas frozen oil revenues that are payments for oil it has sold, two industry sources said yesterday. Iran and the US, China, France, Germany, Britain and Russia agreed in July to extend a six-month interim accord until November 24 after they failed to meet a July 20 deadline for reaching a long-term deal to end their nuclear dispute. “The process for the first instalment of $400mn has been initiated and the second instalment of $500mn will also be cleared next week,” said one of the sources. Payment of $900mn by India was to be made in September, the sources said. It was not immediately clear why the process has been delayed. Indian refiners together owe about $6bn to Iran. They are depositing payments in rupees in an Indian bank. Iran uses these funds to pay for imports from India. The sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. The payments will be made using an existing mechanism based on a series of backto-back transactions in different currencies that are initially channeled through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). On receipt of the funds from refiners, the RBI would buy dollars from authorised dealers. It would instruct the Federal Reserve to transfer dollars to the United Arab Emirates’ central bank account there, after confirmation that Iran had received a final payment in dirhams from Abu Dhabi. Japan business confidence hits 18-month low in Oct Reuters Tokyo J apanese business confidence slipped to the lowest in 1-1/2 years in October and it is seen struggling to rebound, a Reuters poll showed, a further sign Tokyo may be forced to offer fresh policy support to recharge an economy ailing from a sales tax hike. The loss of confidence follows a slew of weak data – including a shocking drop in factory output and falling household spending – and comes at a time of renewed turbulence in global markets amid worries over weakening global growth. The deteriorating sentiment could add to pressure on the central bank to ease policy further although BoJ officials look set to refrain from additional stimulus for now. The sentiment index for manufacturers in the Reuters Tankan, which closely correlates with the Bank of Japan’s key tankan survey, fell to 8 in October from 10 in September when it tumbled the most in nearly two years. The index was at its lowest level since May 2013, and it is expected to stay flat in January. “It’s become more evident that slump in domestic demand after April’s sales tax hike is larger than expected and companies cannot rely on external demand either given global economy’s instability,” said Yoshikiyo Shimamine, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. “I don’t think the government can proceed with a second tax hike next year without any stimulus steps to raise sentiment,” he said, calling for fresh monetary stimulus and swift asset reallocation by a public pension fund to boost share prices. A flagging mood and weak economic data could complicate Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision by year-end whether to go ahead with a planned sales tax hike to 10% next year. April’s tax hike to 8% from 5% pushed the world’s third largest economy into the deepest slump in the second quarter since the 2009 global financial crisis. “Consumer sentiment has been slumping since the sales tax was raised, and uncertainty is high on the outlook,” an executive at a retailer said in the Reuters Tankan. The Reuters poll surveyed 486 big Japanese manufacturers and non-manufacturers, of which 270 replied during September 30-October 14. The managers, who responded anonymously to the poll, raised concerns about higher import costs of fuel and raw materials boosted by a weak yen. Tame global growth weighed on the outlook amid lacklustre performance in Chinese People cross a street in Tokyo’s business district. Japanese business confidence slipped to the lowest in 1-1/2 years in October and it is seen struggling to rebound, a Reuters poll showed yesterday. and European economies. The yen hit a six-year low of 110.09 to the dollar earlier this month. It bounced to a more than one-month high of 105.21 on Wednesday after weak US data raised concerns that the Federal Reserve would delay its first interest rate hike. The last BoJ tankan showed big Japanese manufacturers grew slightly more optimistic in the third quarter but service-sector sentiment dipped, adding to signs that a solid economic pickup will remain elusive without fresh stimulus. The Reuters Tankan service-sector index fell to 20 in October from 22 in September, and it is forecast to weaken further to 18 in January. The survey indices subtract the percentage of companies saying conditions are improving from that of companies saying conditions are worsening. A positive number means optimists outnumber pessimists. Abe has reiterated that he was “neutral” on whether to go ahead with the planned tax hike next year, saying that decision would depend on the SIA injecting $110mn into Tiger Airways Reuters Singapore/Sydney C ash-rich Singapore Airlines (SIA) is injecting up to $110mn to take control of loss-making affiliate Tiger Airways, shoring up the budget carrier while scrapping its regional ambitions as competition rages. Announcing a record quarterly loss that sent its shares tumbling as much as 10%, Tiger said yesterday that SIA will raise its stake to about 55% from 40% by converting existing securities into shares. Tiger then plans an up to S$234mn ($184mn) rights issue, with SIA buying up to S$140mn of new shares and possibly raising its stake to as much as 71%. The low-cost airline also agreed to sell its remaining 40% stake in its Australian unit to Virgin Australia Holdings for just A$1. Months after it shut down its Indonesian venture and sold its Philippine business, the sale clips Tiger’s wings back to those of a Singapore-focused carrier but leaves questions on how it will secure growth. “We need to now stem the losses arising from this joint venture and divert our resources back towards our Singapore-based airline in the execution of the turnaround plan,” Lee Lik Hsin, Tiger’s chief executive strength of economic indicators, including for the July-September quarter. With the recovery sputtering and inflation appearing stalled well below the BoJ’s target of 2%, investors speculate that Abe may order a burst of government spending and the BoJ may oblige with further monetary stimulus to allow the tax hike. The BoJ has stood pat since April 2013 when it unleashed an intense burst of stimulus, pledging to achieve the 2% goal in roughly two years via aggressive asset purchases. VW to recall more than 500,000 vehicles in China AFP Beijing V A Tiger Airways passenger waits at the counter of the airline at Sydney’s domestic airport. Cash-rich Singapore Airlines is injecting up to $110mn to take control of loss-making affiliate Tiger Airways. told reporters in a conference call. Lik Hsin, a 20-year veteran of SIA and a board member of Tiger, became the CEO of Tiger in May, in a sign that its largest shareholder would wield greater influence. Analysts said the shrinking of Tiger’s operations meant that it had to carve out a new growth strategy. Low-cost regional rivals AirAsia Bhd and Lion Air have ordered hundreds of planes and expanded aggressively over the past few years. “They need to address a strategy going forward because they have divested Australia, they are out of Indonesia, out of Philippines, so what next now,” said Derrick Heng, analyst at Maybank-KimEng, referring to Tiger. “Are they going to stay as a standalone unit just in Singapore? That will put them at a disadvantage to other players like AirAsia, which is growing across the whole region.” Tiger plunged into a net loss of S$182.4mn for the three months ending September, largely due to a charge for the sub-lease of surplus aircraft, from a profit of S$23.8mn a year ago. olkswagen’s Chinese joint venture will recall more than 500,000 cars in China due to a defect in the rear axles, state media said yesterday. The German automaker, which has been in China since the 1980s, will recall a total of 581,090 cars, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a statement from China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. “The administration said it launched an investigation into the cars in August and the recall is the outcome of months of work on customer feedback and expert analysis,” Xinhua reported. Volkswagen – which operates a joint venture with China FAW Group Corp – has offered to “place a metal plate in the trailing arm of the rear axles to ensure the proper operation of the vehicles in case of a rupture”, it added. Last week, among the agreements signed during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Germany, Volkswagen extended its joint venture with FAW until 2041. China is the world’s largest car market and is crucial for foreign automakers as sales elsewhere have slowed due to sluggishness in the global economy. The country’s auto sales surged 13.9% to 21.98mn vehicles last year. Banned: The property tycoon who built India’s first �smart’ city Reuters New Delhi Singh: Paying a heavy price. It was, by his own account, a chance encounter with a scion of the Gandhi political dynasty that turned former soldier Kushal Pal Singh into the man who built a city from nothing and made billions in the process. Singh was toppled from his spot as India’s richest property developer this week, when his company DLF Ltd was hit with an unprecedented three-year ban from capital markets, accused by the regulator of failing to disclose key information at the time of its record-breaking 2007 market listing. Investors wiped more than $1.3bn off the indebted company’s market value after the decision. Village boy turned visionary developer, Singh may be largely unknown outside India. But as the man who built “boom city” Gurgaon and fostered the outsourcing industry – with a little help, he says, from ex-General Electric boss Jack Welch – he has been among the most influential Indian names of recent decades. His political links, to the Gandhi family in particular, have also placed him among the more controversial. To its cheerleaders, Gurgaon, the city he imagined and built 15 miles outside India’s capital Delhi, is a prototype of where young, upwardly mobile Indians want to live and work. The outsourcing boom has made the city India’s third-richest. “It is India’s first smart city,” said Rajeev Talwar, executive director at DLF. “Its infrastructure may be creaking ... but there is a new part which supports a new kind of life.” To its detractors, though, Gurgaon is the epitome of the fervid real estate speculation and dysfunctional urban sprawl that threaten India’s cities as populations boom. Water and power are unreliable, social problems abound and private contractors have had to step in where the police have failed. Its population has ballooned by about threequarters to 1.5mn people in the decade to 2011. It has been a difficult year for Singh, whose fate from the start has been closely tied to that of the Gandhi family. Haryana, the state neighbouring Delhi and including Gurgaon, has long been a stronghold for the family and the Congress party. After a decade in power Congress, led by Sonia Gandhi, was ousted in May’s general election by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Haryana’s voters threw out Congress in a state election this week and strongly backed the BJP, exit polls show. Results are due tomorrow. “There are businesses that have benefited from managing their political connections, and real estate is one of them,” said an executive whose company works with DLF, but did not wish to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. In Singh’s case, the link goes back decades. In his autobiography, Singh describes how in 1980 he accidentally met Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia’s husband and India’s prime minister from 1984 to 1989, when the latter was travelling to Gurgaon and had stopped for water to cool his car’s radiator. Singh, whose family property firm had been pushed out of the capital by strict development laws, says he shared his plan for the dry and desolate Gurgaon region, and his fate was sealed. The chance meeting served DLF well for several years during which Singh - even at 82, a sharp dresser with military bearing - amassed 3,500 acres of land in Gurgaon, some of it still undeveloped. “A salute to the old man to have at that time thought of putting together the entire site and not be tempted to gain by selling parcels of land to other developers,” said Anuj Puri, chairman and country head of Jones Lang LaSalle, a property consultancy that advises DLF. In 2007, DLF listed in what was then India’s largest IPO. The atmosphere at DLF, one employee recalled, was “electric”. However, politics also cost Singh dearly – DLF has been pulled up several times by opposition party members and anti-corruption activists who accused it of improper land deals with family members of Congress chief Sonia. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 3 BUSINESS DJIA WORLD INDICES Company Name Exxon Mobil Corp Microsoft Corp Johnson & Johnson General Electric Co Wal-Mart Stores Inc Procter & Gamble Co/The Chevron Corp Jpmorgan Chase & Co Verizon Communications Inc Coca-Cola Co/The Intl Business Machines Corp Pfizer Inc At&T Inc Merck & Co. Inc. Intel Corp Walt Disney Co/The Visa Inc-Class A Shares Home Depot Inc Cisco Systems Inc United Technologies Corp Mcdonald’s Corp 3M Co Boeing Co/The American Express Co Unitedhealth Group Inc Goldman Sachs Group Inc Nike Inc -Cl B Du Pont (E.I.) De Nemours Caterpillar Inc Travelers Cos Inc/The Lt Price 91.91 43.77 98.82 25.12 73.91 82.84 112.21 56.71 48.00 42.68 182.41 27.87 34.01 54.60 31.54 84.32 206.04 90.77 23.27 101.82 90.80 137.40 123.49 83.82 87.25 177.10 87.88 67.26 95.30 92.71 % Chg 1.45 2.41 2.11 3.59 0.12 0.73 1.04 2.95 0.69 0.28 1.43 0.61 1.10 2.19 2.24 3.16 1.50 2.13 1.97 2.61 0.99 1.74 2.66 4.46 2.17 2.62 0.97 1.56 2.21 0.98 8,342,240 20,215,591 4,723,041 26,037,548 4,916,760 3,891,468 4,822,563 9,223,162 8,021,416 10,660,383 1,785,834 13,613,797 10,196,909 7,597,140 17,809,172 5,147,889 1,374,297 2,543,992 12,747,159 2,819,047 2,778,720 1,368,728 2,264,584 3,734,144 3,798,979 2,560,432 2,636,923 3,058,339 3,067,244 1,008,572 FTSE 100 Company Name Wpp Plc Wolseley Plc Wm Morrison Supermarkets Whitbread Plc Weir Group Plc/The Vodafone Group Plc United Utilities Group Plc Unilever Plc Tullow Oil Plc Tui Travel Plc Travis Perkins Plc Tesco Plc Standard Life Plc Standard Chartered Plc St James’s Place Plc Sse Plc Sports Direct International Smiths Group Plc Smith & Nephew Plc Shire Plc Severn Trent Plc Schroders Plc Sainsbury (J) Plc Sage Group Plc/The Sabmiller Plc Rsa Insurance Group Plc Royal Mail Plc Royal Dutch Shell Plc-B Shs Royal Dutch Shell Plc-A Shs Royal Bank Of Scotland Group Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc Rio Tinto Plc Reed Elsevier Plc Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc Randgold Resources Ltd Prudential Plc Petrofac Ltd Persimmon Plc Pearson Plc Old Mutual Plc Next Plc National Grid Plc Mondi Plc Meggitt Plc Marks & Spencer Group Plc London Stock Exchange Group Lloyds Banking Group Plc Legal & General Group Plc Land Securities Group Plc Kingfisher Plc Johnson Matthey Plc Itv Plc Intu Properties Plc Intl Consolidated Airline-Di Intertek Group Plc Intercontinental Hotels Grou Imperial Tobacco Group Plc Imi Plc Hsbc Holdings Plc Hargreaves Lansdown Plc Hammerson Plc Glencore Plc Glaxosmithkline Plc Gkn Plc G4s Plc Friends Life Group Ltd Fresnillo Plc Experian Plc Easyjet Plc Dixons Carphone Plc Direct Line Insurance Group Diageo Plc Crh Plc Compass Group Plc Coca-Cola Hbc Ag-Cdi Centrica Plc Carnival Plc Capita Plc Burberry Group Plc Bunzl Plc Bt Group Plc British Sky Broadcasting Gro British Land Co Plc British American Tobacco Plc Bp Plc Bhp Billiton Plc Bg Group Plc Barclays Plc Bae Systems Plc Babcock Intl Group Plc Aviva Plc Astrazeneca Plc Associated British Foods Plc Ashtead Group Plc Arm Holdings Plc Antofagasta Plc Anglo American Plc Aggreko Plc Admiral Group Plc Aberdeen Asset Mgmt Plc 3I Group Plc #N/A Invalid Security Lt Price 1,140.00 3,134.00 158.90 4,207.00 2,229.00 189.50 820.50 2,498.00 524.00 339.10 1,621.00 174.55 383.90 1,076.00 668.00 1,528.00 606.50 1,195.00 946.50 3,775.00 1,900.00 2,226.00 244.80 358.70 3,285.50 455.60 431.70 2,240.50 2,149.00 344.90 832.00 3,099.00 953.00 5,140.00 4,224.00 1,353.00 1,060.00 1,353.00 1,131.00 174.60 6,560.00 873.00 992.00 441.40 407.90 1,848.00 74.63 220.20 1,033.00 299.00 2,874.00 203.10 322.30 350.40 2,452.00 2,156.00 2,563.00 1,199.00 623.80 921.00 567.00 321.40 1,354.50 305.80 250.20 296.00 798.00 935.50 1,409.00 355.80 264.60 1,748.00 1,319.00 958.00 1,291.00 295.50 2,214.00 1,127.00 1,433.00 1,644.00 362.70 849.00 687.00 3,455.50 428.50 1,682.50 1,065.00 213.10 443.90 1,037.00 494.50 4,186.50 2,569.00 961.00 875.00 683.50 1,365.00 1,491.00 1,222.00 405.00 362.90 0.00 % Chg 0.88 2.22 1.53 3.11 3.43 2.71 1.86 2.08 8.29 1.22 -0.98 1.48 2.37 2.48 3.09 2.41 5.48 1.44 4.47 1.53 1.50 3.68 5.06 2.25 4.10 1.72 4.63 3.73 4.02 2.13 -11.54 0.52 0.69 2.09 -3.56 2.38 7.34 3.36 -0.09 3.01 -0.08 0.98 3.77 1.12 0.59 2.78 3.27 2.95 1.08 3.32 0.42 1.60 1.64 2.16 0.49 1.70 2.44 2.74 1.09 5.74 1.43 1.26 2.30 2.07 1.67 1.27 -2.09 -0.32 0.43 0.03 0.08 1.84 4.19 1.75 1.49 2.46 0.91 2.45 0.77 3.79 0.33 -0.12 1.03 1.95 2.02 1.45 3.40 2.50 0.91 1.57 3.86 -0.91 3.71 4.12 1.45 0.66 -0.11 1.08 -1.45 1.89 2.95 0.00 Volume 8,205,285 1,278,447 13,684,338 909,351 1,275,816 143,333,830 2,842,876 4,117,520 9,144,286 4,078,785 1,675,906 39,119,414 5,402,094 9,156,551 1,886,128 3,067,843 2,549,390 1,090,279 3,856,650 6,434,631 765,151 415,985 18,675,203 3,427,421 4,165,393 6,454,172 4,568,346 5,469,905 8,718,049 15,360,013 29,498,150 6,261,508 4,524,139 1,431,567 701,716 5,644,691 3,268,150 1,740,118 2,266,165 24,607,238 597,148 9,528,028 1,721,731 3,460,746 10,744,662 775,898 165,553,485 22,483,927 3,427,953 9,626,031 654,311 14,360,633 5,236,929 12,842,209 417,769 1,975,868 2,815,107 1,500,790 44,789,802 2,341,408 4,862,107 35,355,308 14,448,910 11,574,615 3,678,691 3,623,407 2,157,715 3,066,419 1,602,105 4,811,009 8,139,525 6,183,016 2,852,421 3,679,396 547,088 22,455,965 2,994,850 1,811,458 1,858,131 1,675,075 19,425,758 5,639,426 5,063,641 3,178,612 47,852,726 9,569,873 12,189,671 77,656,305 9,412,456 1,550,473 11,079,057 5,436,131 1,209,393 3,353,851 4,663,069 2,295,585 8,649,274 741,628 1,316,158 6,258,008 2,493,313 - TOKYO Company Name Inpex Corp Daiwa House Industry Co Ltd Sekisui House Ltd Kirin Holdings Co Ltd Japan Tobacco Inc Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd Toray Industries Inc Asahi Kasei Corp Sumitomo Chemical Co Ltd Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Kao Corp Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd Astellas Pharma Inc Eisai Co Ltd Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd Fujifilm Holdings Corp Shiseido Co Ltd Jx Holdings Inc Lt Price 1,298.50 1,811.00 1,226.00 1,311.50 3,274.00 3,794.50 670.30 816.40 334.00 6,441.00 492.00 4,017.00 4,337.50 1,483.50 4,073.50 1,570.00 3,223.50 1,714.00 448.90 % Chg 4.76 -1.20 -0.89 -3.21 -1.40 -2.13 -1.11 -3.87 -1.47 -1.68 -1.13 -2.71 -1.98 -2.98 -2.66 -2.03 -5.90 -1.15 0.09 Indices Volume Volume 12,622,400 3,241,400 4,650,700 4,750,900 5,417,900 3,094,400 7,450,000 8,577,000 12,816,000 1,353,900 7,827,700 2,507,700 3,690,900 8,794,600 1,571,200 4,090,600 12,033,300 2,608,600 13,705,900 Lt Price Change Dow Jones Indus. Avg S&P 500 Index Nasdaq Composite Index S&P/Tsx Composite Index Mexico Bolsa Index Brazil Bovespa Stock Idx Ftse 100 Index Cac 40 Index Dax Index Ibex 35 Tr 16,399.55 1,895.25 4,281.03 14,286.03 43,407.60 55,504.91 6,310.29 4,033.18 8,850.27 9,956.80 +282.31 +32.49 +63.64 +233.06 +499.98 +1,206.58 +114.38 +114.56 +267.37 +287.10 Nikkei 225 Japan Topix Hang Seng Index All Ordinaries Indx Nzx All Index Bse Sensex 30 Index Nse S&P Cnx Nifty Index Straits Times Index Karachi All Share Index Jakarta Composite Index 14,532.51 1,177.22 23,023.21 5,260.07 1,039.46 26,108.53 7,779.70 3,167.73 21,994.75 5,028.95 -205.87 -18.28 +122.27 +15.79 +2.07 +109.19 +31.50 +13.52 -64.17 +77.33 AFP London E TOKYO Company Name Bridgestone Corp Asahi Glass Co Ltd Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Meta Sumitomo Metal Industries Kobe Steel Ltd Jfe Holdings Inc Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd Sumitomo Electric Industries Smc Corp Komatsu Ltd Kubota Corp Daikin Industries Ltd Hitachi Ltd Toshiba Corp Mitsubishi Electric Corp Nidec Corp Nec Corp Fujitsu Ltd Panasonic Corp Sharp Corp Sony Corp Tdk Corp Keyence Corp Denso Corp Fanuc Corp Rohm Co Ltd Kyocera Corp Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd Nitto Denko Corp Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nissan Motor Co Ltd Toyota Motor Corp Honda Motor Co Ltd Suzuki Motor Corp Nikon Corp Hoya Corp Canon Inc Ricoh Co Ltd Dai Nippon Printing Co Ltd Nintendo Co Ltd Itochu Corp Marubeni Corp Mitsui & Co Ltd Tokyo Electron Ltd Sumitomo Corp Mitsubishi Corp Aeon Co Ltd Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Gro Resona Holdings Inc Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdin Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Gr Bank Of Yokohama Ltd/The Mizuho Financial Group Inc Orix Corp Daiwa Securities Group Inc Nomura Holdings Inc Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Holdin Ms&Ad Insurance Group Holdin Dai-Ichi Life Insurance Tokio Marine Holdings Inc T&D Holdings Inc Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd Mitsubishi Estate Co Ltd Sumitomo Realty & Developmen East Japan Railway Co West Japan Railway Co Central Japan Railway Co Ana Holdings Inc Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Kddi Corp Ntt Docomo Inc Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc Chubu Electric Power Co Inc Kansai Electric Power Co Inc Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc Tokyo Gas Co Ltd Secom Co Ltd Yamada Denki Co Ltd Fast Retailing Co Ltd Softbank Corp Lt Price 3,328.50 522.70 244.50 0.00 155.00 1,893.00 1,366.00 1,389.00 26,425.00 2,309.00 1,527.00 5,962.00 740.00 426.10 1,224.00 6,449.00 324.00 668.60 1,130.00 260.00 1,805.00 5,430.00 42,670.00 4,519.50 17,695.00 5,750.00 4,382.00 11,220.00 5,341.00 601.40 918.00 5,731.00 3,255.00 3,027.50 1,414.00 3,199.50 3,180.00 1,040.50 955.70 10,695.00 1,182.50 645.00 1,522.50 6,186.00 1,072.00 1,944.00 997.70 551.00 555.30 384.90 3,835.00 538.10 178.30 1,303.00 741.20 576.60 2,366.00 2,091.50 1,412.50 3,102.00 1,216.00 2,879.00 2,172.00 3,376.00 7,632.00 4,695.50 13,320.00 230.00 6,005.00 6,161.00 1,612.50 323.00 1,150.50 912.20 1,108.00 1,005.00 557.00 5,785.00 319.00 36,745.00 6,828.00 % Chg -2.96 -1.08 -1.41 0.00 -0.64 -1.35 0.15 -1.24 -0.81 -1.62 -0.03 -1.26 -1.11 -1.73 -2.97 -1.26 -1.82 -0.40 -0.92 -2.26 0.87 0.37 -2.03 -1.28 -1.45 -1.20 -1.96 0.58 -0.41 -1.91 -3.69 -2.52 -0.91 -2.12 -0.46 -1.57 -1.90 -1.47 -1.29 -0.28 -1.46 -2.61 -1.81 1.58 0.19 -1.97 -1.66 -1.61 -2.12 -3.02 -2.50 -1.82 -1.00 -1.29 -0.75 -0.96 -1.48 -1.76 -2.49 -2.19 -2.17 -0.45 -0.28 -0.19 -1.46 -1.32 -1.33 -0.99 -1.54 -1.60 -2.92 0.62 -0.39 3.03 1.09 1.21 -0.82 -1.50 -2.74 -0.74 0.71 Volume 6,101,000 5,787,000 45,180,000 25,629,000 3,173,900 3,293,000 5,407,600 273,000 5,873,100 8,649,000 1,856,400 21,261,000 29,371,000 8,650,000 1,392,100 15,712,000 14,771,000 9,800,100 38,426,000 9,725,200 1,671,400 181,800 2,050,200 1,363,600 1,364,700 2,299,000 1,440,700 1,837,000 22,015,000 20,052,600 13,042,600 5,787,400 2,719,300 3,517,700 1,766,300 6,493,100 5,683,600 3,932,000 486,600 11,544,200 21,346,600 12,315,200 1,091,000 13,828,400 7,663,300 7,687,800 67,991,700 20,104,700 36,731,000 12,610,400 5,762,000 187,796,600 8,044,300 11,707,000 20,104,500 1,371,900 2,989,000 10,354,000 3,802,700 4,771,700 5,009,000 8,099,000 3,639,000 1,470,100 916,300 402,200 22,233,000 2,895,400 3,626,200 7,606,700 14,216,700 3,133,400 4,024,400 1,895,300 4,420,900 8,792,000 1,142,200 25,916,300 731,000 15,851,900 SENSEX Company Name Zee Entertainment Enterprise Wipro Ltd Ultratech Cement Ltd Tech Mahindra Ltd Tata Steel Ltd Tata Power Co Ltd Tata Motors Ltd Tata Consultancy Svcs Ltd Sun Pharmaceutical Indus State Bank Of India Sesa Sterlite Ltd Reliance Industries Ltd Punjab National Bank Power Grid Corp Of India Ltd Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd Ntpc Ltd Nmdc Ltd Maruti Suzuki India Ltd Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd Lupin Ltd Larsen & Toubro Ltd Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd Jindal Steel & Power Ltd Itc Ltd Infosys Ltd Indusind Bank Ltd Idfc Ltd Icici Bank Ltd Housing Development Finance Hindustan Unilever Ltd Hindalco Industries Ltd Hero Motocorp Ltd Hdfc Bank Limited Hcl Technologies Ltd Grasim Industries Ltd Gail India Ltd Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Dlf Ltd Coal India Ltd Cipla Ltd Cairn India Ltd Bharti Airtel Ltd Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd Bharat Heavy Electricals Bank Of Baroda Bajaj Auto Ltd Axis Bank Ltd Asian Paints Ltd Ambuja Cements Ltd Acc Ltd Lt Price 322.40 565.90 2,317.75 2,273.00 447.55 84.95 475.80 2,441.15 798.35 2,521.90 232.65 937.90 919.80 134.10 397.10 140.95 159.85 2,941.10 1,253.75 1,347.15 1,452.90 1,000.05 147.65 353.95 3,851.65 660.85 139.60 1,505.20 997.15 726.30 139.45 2,873.90 885.25 1,505.50 3,279.40 447.90 2,918.60 110.60 350.65 595.60 276.25 395.95 666.75 226.75 871.95 2,373.20 401.60 640.10 207.35 1,406.85 % Chg 3.28 -1.29 0.01 -1.40 1.92 1.43 -1.65 -8.85 0.21 2.25 -2.72 0.74 0.31 0.11 0.00 1.95 1.43 0.14 2.84 2.14 2.05 0.85 -2.32 0.43 -0.35 2.40 2.05 3.06 1.62 -0.59 -2.07 2.68 3.07 -9.08 1.56 -0.39 0.47 0.23 0.59 2.93 0.95 2.01 0.08 3.26 0.49 0.41 2.02 2.27 0.56 2.22 Europe markets rebound from week of turbulence Volume 5,487,365 3,424,719 679,094 2,084,206 7,711,448 5,609,796 9,981,048 5,521,927 1,816,857 1,730,001 6,136,485 3,829,317 842,654 3,281,756 4,741,390 5,105,034 4,784,027 311,957 817,127 538,386 2,243,070 1,155,395 5,492,951 7,946,242 1,073,607 1,803,370 5,996,585 2,873,053 3,017,389 787,266 14,329,685 1,143,603 2,949,126 4,603,200 69,001 1,007,267 369,383 37,743,428 2,085,115 1,858,697 3,140,380 4,762,018 827,028 4,605,913 1,456,855 375,007 5,402,672 1,285,127 1,440,634 349,742 uropean stock markets surged yesterday as investors snapped up bargains, ending a rollercoaster week marked by alarm over fading global growth, a reemergence of eurozone tensions and the spreading Ebola virus. Having already mounted a robust late recovery on Thursday following sharp losses earlier in the session, indices shot higher to claw back much of the week’s losses by the end yesterday. “European equity markets managed to hold on to early gains during the last session of the week with most major benchmark indices posting healthy gains throughout the day,” said Kash Kamal from Sucden Financial. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index climbed 1.85% compared to Thursday’s close to end the week at 6,310.29 points. In Paris, the CAC 40 jumped 2.92% to 4,033.18 points, while Frankfurt’s DAX index surged 3.12% to 8,850.27 points. The Athens market closed up 7.21% after sizeable falls this week, sparked by concerns Greece could be set for a fresh financial crisis after it says it hopes to exit its IMF bailout plan early. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras yesterday reiterated that Greece does not need the aid programme, but said it is open to keeping a precautionary credit line with the eurozone’s bailout fund. Investors took heart from comments from ECB board member Benoit Coeure, who said the eurozone’s lender will begin buying private-sector debt instruments within days as part of its drive to beef up the bank’s assets and channel money into the economy. Markets were gripped by panic earlier in the week after weak eurozone inflation data, poor demand at a Spanish bond auction and negative figures from top eurozone economy Germany added to fears the bloc could slip into recession. Speaking on Friday, IMF chief Christine Lagarde labelled the slump in global markets “a correction and maybe at this stage an over-reaction”. “Financial markets have endured some brutal swings in price action over the past few days, as uncertainty has built up over the outlook for global growth,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at traders CMC Markets UK. A trader reacts at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The DAX index surged 3.12% to 8,850.27 points yesterday. US stocks also staged a comeback, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.81% to 16,408.73 points in mid-afternoon trading. The broad-based S&P 500 gained 1.57% to 1,892.07, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1.44% to 4,277.94. Shares in carmakers gained yesterday after European auto trade data showed that sales of vehicles rose by 6.4% in September on a 12-month basis. Shares in Volkswagen climbed 4.51% to €160 as it extended its lead in European car sales, while shares in Peugeot jumped 6.99% to €9.28, and Renault rose 3.99% to €54.47. Meanwhile shares in Rolls-Royce slumped as the group issued a profit warning. Rolls tumbled 11.54% to close at 832 pence after the British engine-maker announced yesterday that it was slashing its earnings forecasts partly as result of Western trade sanctions against Russia, causing a share price collapse. Rolls said underlying profit in 2015 would be flat at best compared with 2014, but could come in 3% lower, rather than Shoemaker to the stars Jimmy Choo meanwhile stepped out yester- HONG KONG HONG KONG Company Name Aluminum Corp Of China Ltd-H Bank Of East Asia Bank Of China Ltd-H Bank Of Communications Co-H Belle International Holdings Boc Hong Kong Holdings Ltd Cathay Pacific Airways Cheung Kong Holdings Ltd China Coal Energy Co-H China Construction Bank-H China Life Insurance Co-H China Merchants Hldgs Intl China Mobile Ltd China Overseas Land & Invest China Petroleum & Chemical-H China Resources Enterprise China Resources Land Ltd China Resources Power Holdin China Shenhua Energy Co-H China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd Citic Ltd Clp Holdings Ltd Cnooc Ltd Cosco Pacific Ltd Esprit Holdings Ltd Fih Mobile Ltd Hang Lung Properties Ltd Hang Seng Bank Ltd Henderson Land Development day on the London stock market in a float valuing it at £545.6mn ($877mn, €685mn). Jimmy Choo, whose celebrity fans include Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, Nicole Kidman and Lady Gaga, began conditional dealings with shares priced at 140 pence on the London Stock Exchange, rising to 144 pence by the end of the day. The IPO is aimed at raising cash to help the shoemaker tap further into strong Asian demand for luxury goods, particularly in China and Japan. Shares in French digital security company Gemalto plunged 10.97% to €59.41 in what one trader explained was a reaction to news that Apple is developing a way to directly integrate SIM cards into its new iPad, allowing users to switch subscriptions by downloads instead of needing a new chip. In foreign exchange, the euro fell to $1.2756 from $1.2809 late in New York on Thursday. The European single currency dipped to 79.27 British pence from 79.59 pence. The pound was worth $1.6086, up from $1.6091 on Thursday. On the London Bullion Market, the price of gold slipped to $1,234.25 an ounce from $1,237.75. Lt Price 3.12 31.10 3.51 5.49 8.58 25.10 13.70 131.00 4.68 5.51 21.40 23.55 91.95 21.05 6.55 18.40 17.74 20.75 20.80 11.42 13.24 64.95 12.46 10.22 10.20 3.95 22.80 128.60 51.70 % Chg -1.58 0.16 0.29 1.29 -0.46 1.21 -1.30 1.31 1.30 0.00 0.71 -0.84 0.55 0.24 0.61 0.00 0.80 0.97 -0.24 0.71 1.07 -0.46 3.83 0.00 2.20 1.02 0.22 0.63 0.39 Volume 12,289,240 1,121,027 314,488,970 56,741,585 37,492,842 7,919,711 8,368,102 3,842,193 43,517,301 255,206,941 21,505,233 3,072,631 12,611,911 31,174,148 95,395,679 2,315,251 15,791,920 15,931,209 38,344,585 38,915,323 7,741,743 2,180,108 131,952,951 3,485,493 4,745,478 6,928,668 3,012,515 879,805 2,505,162 Company Name Hong Kong & China Gas Hong Kong Exchanges & Clear Hsbc Holdings Plc Hutchison Whampoa Ltd Ind & Comm Bk Of China-H Li & Fung Ltd Mtr Corp New World Development Petrochina Co Ltd-H Ping An Insurance Group Co-H Power Assets Holdings Ltd Sino Land Co Sun Hung Kai Properties Swire Pacific Ltd-A Tencent Holdings Ltd Wharf Holdings Ltd Lt Price 17.70 173.70 77.90 95.95 4.92 9.09 30.45 9.40 9.38 58.85 72.00 12.40 113.40 100.70 112.70 55.35 % Chg -1.01 0.87 0.32 1.00 0.82 1.00 -0.16 0.86 0.97 1.20 -0.21 0.65 0.00 1.21 -0.27 0.91 Volume 9,506,661 7,442,012 27,568,112 4,256,756 299,543,818 18,885,128 1,878,637 16,217,394 95,080,763 12,635,064 2,311,596 6,660,779 4,816,994 1,069,372 15,068,848 3,223,306 GCC INDICES Indices Doha Securities Market Saudi Tadawul Kuwait Stocks Exchange Bahrain Stock Exchage Oman Stock Market Abudhabi Stock Market Dubai Financial Market Lt Price 12,942.00 9,547.54 7,410.34 1,447.06 6,872.27 4,768.15 4,270.43 Change -387.02 -355.46 -131.22 -14.30 -231.50 -111.77 -222.32 “Information contained herein is believed to be reliable and had been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. The accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. This publication is for providing information only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation for a purchase or sale of any of the financial instruments mentioned. Gulf Times and Doha Bank or any of their employees shall not be held accountable and will not accept any losses or liabilities for actions based on this data.” CURRENCIES DOLLAR QATAR RIYAL SAUDI RIYAL UAE DIRHAMS BAHRAINI DINAR KUWAITI DINAR 4 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 BUSINESS/LEISURE Adam German industry earns cash from green energy upheaval Reuters Frankfurt G erman industry is learning how to profit from the upheaval and costs of the country’s shift towards solar and wind energy. Greater reliance on renewables in Europe’s biggest power market is making the peaks and troughs of electricity production bigger and less predictable, as the wind picks up or drops and the sun shines or disappears behind the clouds. Power firms have therefore enlisted the help of big consumers such as metals, paper and chemical companies to deal with the problem of matching volatile supply to demand. By upgrading their plants or making relatively small changes to their operations, growing numbers of manufacturers are taking more power at times of excess capacity and less when supplies are tight. In exchange for this flexibility, the manufacturers get breaks on their power bills. Neither the suppliers nor the consumers will reveal how big the discounts are, with each deal negotiated individually, but the need for thrift is great. Industry consumes half of all power in Germany and pays roughly twice the price of US rivals, mainly due to higher labour and infrastructure overheads and a lack of shale gas, which in the United States has sharply cut generating costs. “End consumers that were up to now mostly passive can become active in the energy market and receive money for their flexibility,” said Thomas Schulz, co-founder of Entelios. Entelios and Denmark’s Dong Energy A/S, are among the companies vie for the business of helping manufacturers to earn rebates on their power bills. Germany’s move towards renewable energy accelerated in 2011 when the government decided to phase out Pooch Cafe Garfield Bound And Gagged Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1): Dolphin Tale (2D) 2pm; Open Window (2D) 4pm; Gone girl (2D) 6pm; The Judge (2D) 8.45pm; Left Behind (2D) 11.15pm. Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): Enemies Closer (2D) 2.30pm; The Best Of Me (2D) 4.15& 6.30pm; Left Behind (2D) 8.45pm; The Judge (2D) 11pm. Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3): Rajadhi Raja (Malayalam) 2 & 10.45pm; Enemies Closer (2D) 4.45pm; The Trials Of Cate McCall (2D) 6.15pm; Gone Girl (2D) 8pm. Cinema Landmark (1): Dolphin Tale (2D) 2pm; The Trials Of Cate McCall Cryptic Clues Sudoku Sudoku is a puzzle based on a 9x9 grid. The grid is also divided into nine (3x3) boxes. You are given a selection of values and to complete the puzzle, you must fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 and none is repeated. Weekly’s Solutions ACROSS 1. Dull student in the group (5) 4. Does its burning cause anger (7) 8. Anonymous and terribly mundane (7) 9. Coin made from puree, perhaps (5) 10. Crowd the compere (4) 11. Obvious list of cargo (8) 13. A hole in the floorcovering means it’s full of water (4) 14. A long time needed for some wage settlements (4) 16. Sweet throw in darts (5-3) 17. Poem one cheerleader put on record (4) 20. Small picture of a fashionable group (5) 21. Possibly retains a Greek drink (7) 22. Say it’s fast (7) 23. Perpendicular cut, say (5) Greater reliance on renewables in Europe’s biggest power market is making the peaks and troughs of electricity production bigger and less predictable, as the wind picks up or drops and the sun shines or disappears behind the clouds nuclear generation after the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Driven by green-energy targets and incentives, renewables now account for nearly half Germany’s installed power capacity of over 185 gigawatts (GW). But they contribute only a quarter of the actual power supply because wind and solar units operate only between a fifth and a third of the time, while conventional nuclear and fossil fuel plants can produce electricity around the clock. An expansion of the national grid’s capacity will help to match supply and demand, and overcome the problem that most wind energy is produced in the coastal areas of northern Germany while much of the power hungry industries are far to the south. But this will take time and be costly, so the utilities need manufacturers to turn their production up and down more according to how much energy is available from sources that depend of the weather. Utilities already use backstop plants, typically natural-gas powered, which start generating when other sources cannot meet demand. But as the number of wind and solar units grows, other power cushions are needed. So-called Demand Response (DR) or Demand Side Management (DSM) schemes, pioneered in the United States, can ease the problem by flattening demand when supply is low while absorbing and distributing oversupply at other times. Among the companies involved in such schemes is SGL, which is based in the Bavarian town of Meitingen. An expert in working with extreme temperatures, SGL makes graphite electrodes that need to be heated to 3,000 degrees Celsius (5,400 Fahrenheit) to become electrically conductive. They then become components in scrap metal recycling furnaces. SGL has given its power supplier LEW, part of the RWE utility group, remote control over its industrial ovens during 24-hour slots. Behind (2D) 11.15pm. Mall Cinema (2): Enemies Closer (2D) 2.30pm; The Best Of Me (2D) 4.15& (2D) 3.45pm; Gone Girl (2D) 5.30pm; The 6.30pm; Left Behind (2D) 9.45pm; The Judge (2D) 8.15 & 11pm. Judge (2D) 11pm. Cinema Landmark (2): Enemies Closer Mall Cinema (3): Rajadhi Raja (Malay(2D) 2.30pm; The Best OF Me (2D) 4.30 & alam) 2 & 10.45pm; Enemies Closer (2D) 6.45pm; Left Behind (2D) 8 & 11.15pm. 4.45pm; The Trials Of Cate McCall (2D) 6.15pm; Gone Girl (2D) 8pm. Cinema Landmark (3): Rajadhi Raja Global Cinemas, West End Park (1): (Malayalam) 2 & 10.45pm; Enemies Closer (2D) 4.45pm; Open Windows (2D) Villali Veeran (Malayalam) 2.30, 5.30, 8.30 & 11.30pm. 6.15pm; Gone Girl (2D) 8.15pm. Global Cinemas, West End Park (2): Mall Cinema (1): Dolphin Tale (2D) 2pm; Open Window (2D) 4pm; Gone girl Sapthama Sree Thaskara (Malayalam) 2.45, 5.45, 8.45 & 11.45pm. (2D) 6pm; The Judge (2D) 8.45pm; Left Quick Clues DOWN 1. A girl in white and red? (8,5) 2. Relatives turn in insects (5) 3. Roof designed in the new mode (4) 4. Asian taking an article from a US state (6) 5. Charge made for sending a coach (8) 6. Pliers for children (7) 7. Current means of execution? (8,5) 12. Created a test case concerning the tape (8) 13. Extracts work for a feeble youth (7) 15. Island giving extremely costly public relations to America (6) 18. First to prepare for painting (5) 19. He is from some hot island (4) ACROSS 1. Chaplain (5) 4. Congenial (7) 8. Withdraw (7) 9. Pollex (5) 10. Merit (4) 11. Turncoat (8) 13. Axe (4) 14. Stratagem (4) 16. Pottery (8) 17. Leaning (4) 20. Memorise (5) 21. Too old (4,3) 22. Waves (7) 23. Handle (5) DOWN 1. Vertical (13) 2. Put off (5) 3. Dash (4) 4. Hymn (6) 5. Paternal (8) 6. Outspokenly (7) 7. Chagrin (13) 12. Begin (8) 13. Shorten (7) 15. Athwart (6) 18. Idol (5) 19. Abandoned (4) Weekly’s Solutions QUICK Across: 3 Floodgate; 8 None; 9 Beginning; 10 Lieder; 11 Clean; 14 Eaves; 15 Lava; 16 Truss; 18 Chef; 20 Prick; 21 Winch; 24 Arcade; 25 Gallivant; 26 Rope; 27 Component. Down: 1 Influence; 2 Interview; 4 Leer; 5 Oriel; 6 Genial; 7 Tank; 9 Beast; 11 Couch; 12 Navigator; 13 Hackneyed; 17 Spurt; 19 Fillip; 22 Coven; 23 Halo; 24 Anon. CRYPTIC Across: 3 Amidships; 8 Rose; 9 Transient; 10 Spirit; 11 Prate; 14 Whack; 15 Save; 16 Scrub; 18 Ruth; 20 Omega; 21 Sally; 24 Glider; 25 Windfalls; 26 Bore; 27 Threatens. Down: 1 Brushwork; 2 Aspirants; 4 Mart; 5 Donor; 6 Hoists; 7 Pink; 9 Ticks; 11 Party; 12 Eavesdrop; 13 Remarried; 17 Bowls; 19 Handle; 22 Leapt; 23 High; 24 Glen. 6 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 BUSINESS LME takes battle to Washington after London warehouses win Reuters Washington F resh from a court win in Britain, the London Metal Exchange now faces one of its biggest hurdles yet in its years-long crisis over its warehousing policy that consumers say has inflated prices: convincing US lawmakers its reforms are enough. When Britain’s Court of Appeal handed a victory to the LME last week, knocking out a challenge to the reforms by Russian aluminum giant Rusal last week, the LME’s head of business development, Matt Chamberlain, was in Washington, a source familiar with the matter said. Chamberlain was there to plead the exchange’s case with lawmakers who have been pushing for even greater change to the LME’s warehouse policy. Senator Sherrod Brown was among the people the LME visited, a spokeswoman for the Senator said. The Ohio Democrat has been a fierce critic of the LME, urging US regulators to crack down on the 137-year old exchange, and threatening to write rules that would compel regulators to intensify oversight of the exchange on US turf. Brewers like MillerCoors, which uses aluminium for beer cans, have complained that the LME hasn’t done enough over the past four years to tackle excessive stockpiling by warehouses owned by Wall Street banks. They say this has distorted supplies and driven up prices. Now, sources say Brown is pushing for the world’s oldest and biggest metals market and its warehousing network to take its most drastic step yet: cap rent that warehouse operators can charge on metal stored in their sheds, discouraging stockpiling by putting a limit on the money to be made from storing. The lawsuit had forced the LME to halt its reforms, but last week’s Court of Appeal decision means it can press ahead with the plan announced last year, telling warehouses they must ship out at least as much metal as they are taking in. The so-called load-in/load-out (LILO) rule is only one of many planned changes to the rulebook of the LME, which is owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd, to help cut down waiting times to 50 days at most. It also said it will study limiting rents, but experts and the LME have previously said such a far-reaching measure could be deemed anti-competitive. A source close to the LME said such a measure could present legal difficulties abroad. “I’d caution that without going into whether a rent cap is legally defensible, it would take the LME into uncharted territory,” the source said. “For that reason, among others, it would make the LME vulnerable to challenge from Traders work at the London Metal Exchange. The LME is now facing one of its biggest hurdles yet in its years-long crisis over the warehousing policy. those who may not find a rent cap an attractive proposition.” Still, the IntercontinentalExchange may have shown the way last year for the LME, capping rents charged by coffee and cocoa warehouses in an effort to stop hoarding. Many metal market participants say the LME may have reached the limit of what it can do: it is caught between producers such as Rusal who fear rule changes could lower aluminum prices, and industrial users who have long complained that prices have been propped up artificially. Chamberlain’s trip to the US capital illustrates the pressure on the LME as it tries to fend off criticism over its handling of the years-long crisis. “They (the LME) are saying �we’ve done everything we can’. This (trip) was to convince senators and regulators that they’ve done a good job,” said the source familiar with the situation. But US politicians, who have led the effort for change, are still holding out for even tougher oversight. “It is not an argument (where) the LME does not agree with US Congress, but (about) what ... can practically be delivered,” said the source close to the LME. In Britain, the Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the LME, has said it will keep a close watch on commodities warehousing to ensure reforms are carried out effectively, but there has been no suggestion of legislative changes. In the US, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission holds sway over its business, and the 2010 Dodd-Frank law adopted after the financial crisis requires the agency to renew the LME’s US license. Conflicts between US regulators and US units of global firms are not uncommon. And the CFTC is no stranger to cross-border clashes - after years of talks it is still at odds with European regulators on how to apply a raft of new rules on derivatives. “The markets don’t know the same borders, while regulation ... almost by its very nature, is done locally,” said Dan Waldman, a partner at law firm Arnold & Porter, and a former general counsel at the CFTC. Congress is in the process of reauthorizing the CFTC’s mandate and could in principle order the agency to clamp down on the LME by law. Yet while negotiations between the exchange and lawmakers continue behind closed doors, both sides may be closer than they appear in public. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 7 BUSINESS Asian markets mixed; global fears remain AFP Tokyo M ost Asian markets were mixed yesterday after Wall Street and European shares stabilised in response to upbeat US data, but traders remained on edge about the global economy and fresh fears over Greece. The figures from Washington calmed nerves slightly, and helped push oil higher, while the dollar and euro ticked up against the yen in the afternoon. Tokyo reversed a morning advance to end 1.40% lower, with exporters hit by the stronger yen. The Nikkei fell 205.87 points to 14,532.51, a fivemonth low. Seoul sank 0.95%, or 18.17 points, to 1,900.66 and Shanghai closed 0.65% lower, giving up 15.32 points to 2,341.18. However, Sydney rose 0.32%, or 16.8 points, to 5,271.7 and Hong Kong rose 0.53%, or 122.27 points to 23,023.21. In other markets, Taipei fell 1.40%, or 120.81 points, to 8,512.88; Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co rose 1.65% to Tw$123.5 while smartphone maker HTC lost 2.27% to Tw$129.0. Wellington rose 0.29%, or 14.92 points, to 5,146.94; Trade Me was up 1.39% at NZ$3.64 and Spark added 0.17% at NZ$2.885. Manila ended down 0.36%, or 25.36 points, at 7,033.22; Philippine Long Distance Telephone was up 0.7% at 3,182 pesos while Aboitiz Power fell 3.58% to 39 pesos. Globe Telecom slid 3.49% to 1,602 pesos. Shares around the world have A pedestrian watches a share prices board displayed on a window of a securities firm in Tokyo. The Nikkei closed down 205.87 points to 14,532.51 yesterday. been hammered in recent weeks by worries about the global economy as the eurozone, China and Japan struggle to reignite growth. Those fears increased this week when the US, which has been the only economy showing signs of strength, came in well below expectations. However, there was some relief Thursday when the Department of Labor said initial job- less claims for the week ending October 11 fell to their lowest level since 2000. Also, the Federal Reserve said industrial production rebounded in September from an unexpected drop in August. The news helped Wall Street reverse morning losses, although the three main indexes still provided an anaemic lead. The Dow dipped 0.15%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were marginally higher. It also helped the dollar and euro pick up against the yen, which is considered a safe bet in times of turmoil, before they retreated towards the end of the day. In late trade, the dollar bought ¥106.55, compared with ¥106.33 in New York Thursday. The euro bought $1.2791 and ¥136.30 against $1.2809 and ¥136.19. The dollar has fallen in value against the yen and the euro since the Fed earlier this month indicated it will likely refrain from hiking interest rates soon owing to worries about overseas economies. “Any delay in expected monetary normalisation by the Fed will indeed hurt the dollar,” said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange. “However, the dollar is likely to remain underpinned by the view that America’s economy remains the �cleanest shirt in the hamper’.” The euro held up despite renewed concerns about Greece after the government hinted that it might exit a four-yearold bailout early as it looks to free itself of strict controls attached to the deal. Analysts have said investors fear Athens will not be able to stand on its own two feet if it goes ahead with the plan, with the country’s main stock market plunging and borrowing costs rising. The issue has stirred memories of the dark days of the eurozone debt crisis that sent global markets spiralling downwards and fanned talk of a break-up of the economic bloc. World oil prices edged up. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for November delivery was up 25 cents at $82.95 – the contract has rallied after briefly falling below $80 a barrel Thursday for the first time since June 2012. Brent crude for December delivery climbed 11 cents to $85.93. Gold was at $1,239.35 an ounce against $1,241.90 late Thursday. Sensex rises ahead of state poll results; rupee rebounds Reuters Mumbai I ndian shares rose yesterday, led by stocks of domestic oriented companies including lenders such as HDFC Bank on value buying and hopes a likely win for the BJP in two recent state elections would help push key reforms. Opinion polls showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was likely to win in Haryana and Maharashtra, unseating unpopular incumbents. Traders say the wins should help push key reforms such as gas price hike and goods and services tax. The gains, however, were not enough to avert a fourth consecutive weekly fall amid one of the most volatile spells in world markets in years. A possible recession in Europe, a floundering economy in Japan, a slowdown in China and the Ebola virus outbreak have conspired to rattle investors, triggering a level of volatility in global markets. Shares are expected to remain volatile in the upcoming holiday-truncated week, amid the state election outcome due tomorrow, ongoing July-September corporate results and global events such as China’s quarterly GDP on Tuesday. “It’s tough to call markets amid global volatility and fall in oil prices. Fundamentally the growth in India looks better than peers and it remains a buy on declines,” said Deven Choksey, managing director of K R Choksey Securities. The benchmark BSE index rose 0.42%, or 109.19 points, to end at 26,108.53, but closed 0.72% down for the week. The broader NSE index rose 0.41%, or 31.50 points, to end at 7,779.70. It, however, ended 1.02% lower for the week. Domestic-oriented stocks, especially lenders, led the gainers. HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank gained 3.1% each. State Bank of India ended up 2.3% and Axis Bank rose 2%. Among midcap banks, Oriental Bank of Commerce rose 5.4% and Andhra Bank surged 5.7%. Among non-banking lenders, Housing Development Finance Corp gained 1.6% while IDFC advanced 2.1%. Meanwhile the rupee gained yesterday as a rise in local shares along with positive US unemployment and industrial output data helped sentiment, but traders remain cautious given the uncertainties about global economic growth. On the week, however, the rupee fell, declining in five of the last six weeks. Markets will be shut next Thursday and Friday due to national holidays. All eyes are now on Chinese growth data due next week. Global markets could be in for another bout of selling if China’s third quarter GDP numbers are dismal and the government promises no stimulus, say traders. Most Asian currencies ended the day firmer as solid US economic data eased concerns over global growth. The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell to a 14-year low last week and industrial output rose sharply in September, positive signals that helped ease fears over the economic outlook. The head of the St Louis Federal Reserve Bank, James Bullard, also said the US central bank may want to keep up its bondbuying stimulus for now due to a drop in inflation expectations. CORPORATE RESULTS Morgan Stanley reports 87% jump in third-quarter profit earlier. The Rhode Island-based company’s net income rose to $159mn, or 57 cents per share, from $99mn, or 35 cents per share, a year earlier. Schlumberger The world leader in servicing oil industry installations, Schlumberger, surprised the markets with a record performance in the third quarter despite sanctions against oil giant Russia. And despite a big fall in the price of oil recently, the French-US group said it was confident about the strength of its business and markets although it did not risk making a forecast for performance for the rest of the year. In the three months to September, the company made a net profit of $1.9bn (€1.48bn), an increase of 13.6% from the equivalent figure last year. The underlying figure for earnings per share, the figure closely watched on Wall Street, was 3.0 cents higher than the market expected at $1.49. Operating profit rose by 12.0% to $2.8bn, from sales which rose by 13.6% to $12.6bn. Despite the sanctions, the group said that activity had increased in all geographical areas where it does business and across all sectors of the industry. Schlumberger chief executive Paal Kibsgaard said: “Strong activity in North America and robust growth in international areas, led by Latin America and supported by Europe/Africa/CIS (group of former Soviet-dominated countries) in spite of international sanctions in Russia, drove third-quarter results to a new record high.” Google Morgan Stanley reported an 87% rise in third-quarter earnings as the Wall Street bank’s trading, investment banking and wealth management businesses benefited from increased client activity and a hot equity market. Morgan Stanley’s shares rose 3.5% to $33.67 in early trading yesterday as both profit and revenue handily beat analysts’ average forecast. The results show that even though Morgan Stanley has been focusing on its wealth management business since the financial crisis, its traditional investment banking operation can still have a big impact on its earnings. Morgan Stanley topped the list of IPO underwriters globally in the first nine months of the year, beating main rivals Goldman Sachs Group and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Equity underwriting revenue almost doubled to $464mn, helped by a booming market for initial public offerings. Morgan Stanley was among the banks that worked on Alibaba Group Holding’s $25bn IPO - the biggest in history. Bond trading revenue, excluding accounting adjustments, jumped 19.4% to $997mn after a sudden increase in market volatility last month that also boosted its Wall Street rivals. Overall institutional securities revenue, which includes trading and investment banking, rose 22% to $4.52bn. Wealth management revenue rose 9% to $3.79bn, but accounted for 42.5% of Morgan Stanley’s total revenue, compared with 50.7% for the bank’s trading and investment banking business. The business achieved a pretax profit margin of 22%, above Chief Executive James Gorman’s minimum target of 20% and the 21% reported for the second quarter. Honeywell Honeywell International, a maker of aircraft cockpit parts and other electronic equipment, reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit, helped partly by higher margins in its aerospace business. The company’s shares rose 3% in premarket trading after it also raised the low end of its full-year forecast range for profit and revenue. Margins in its aerospace business, its largest, rose to 20.3% in the third quarter ended September 30 from 18.8% a year earlier. Honeywell has been able to perform well this year despite a sluggish global economy, mainly due to its focus on controlling costs. In July, the company merged its transportation division with its aerospace business to take advantage of the similarities in the units. “Looking ahead to 2015, we’re once again planning for a slow growth macro environment, but expect to continue delivering strong earnings growth,” Chief Executive Dave Cote said in a statement yesterday. Honeywell said it now expected 2014 sales of $40.3bn-$40.4bn, compared with its previous forecast of $40.2bn-$40.4bn. The company forecast earnings of at least $5.50 per share for the year, up from its previous projection of at least $5.45. It maintained the top end of the forecast range at $5.55 per share. Total revenue increased 4.8% to $10.11bn. Net income attributable to Honeywell rose to $1.17bn, or $1.47 per share, from $990mn, or $1.24 per share, a year earlier. Textron Textron reported a 60.6% jump in quarterly profit, driven by higher deliveries in its aviation unit, which includes Cessna and Beechcraft jets. The company also raised its full-year forecast for earnings from continuing operations to $2.05-$2.15 per share from $1.92-$2.12. The aviation market has been witnessing improved growth, with demand for business jets rising since 2012. Textron bought smaller business jet maker Beechcraft in March. The company said revenue at Textron Aviation was up by $487mn in the third quarter, reflecting the impact of the Beechcraft acquisition and higher jet deliveries. The aviation business contributed $1.08bn to the company’s total revenue of $3.4bn in the quarter ended Sept. 27. The unit delivered 33 jets in the quarter, up from 25 jets a year The rise of smartphone use to access the Internet, and slowing clicks on ads, cut into profits by Google in the third quarter, the company has revealed. Shares in Google fell after the technology giant said that although overall revenues had risen sharply, underlying performance suffered from a buying spree to recruit top talent. Google said Thursday its profit in the past quarter dipped slightly from the level a year earlier. Net third-quarter profit fell five% to $2.8bn, while revenue grew 20% to $16.5bn. Shares in Google tumbled 2.3% to $512.20 in after-hours trading on the results, which disappointed Wall Street. Paul Ausick at the finance blog 24/7 Wall Street said Google’s revenue fell short of expectations, and that revenue from “paid clicks” from online ads was also disappointing. A key indicator for the market, the number of clicks on ads on its sites rose by 17.0% on a 12-month comparison, but this was sharply down from growth of 28.0% in the second quarter. Each click generates a payment by the company which has placed the ad. The market also pays close attention to another indicator, the average price of each click. This fell by 2.0% after a fall of 9.0% in the previous quarter. General Electric General Electric Co reported a slightly higher-than-expected quarterly profit yesterday, as cost cuts that helped boost margins across its industrial businesses offset revenue that fell below analysts’ targets. Shares of GE rose 4% to $25.21 in premarket trading. The US conglomerate posted a 4% rise in organic revenue, which excludes acquisitions, for its industrial manufacturing businesses, on which Chief Executive Officer Jeff Immelt is increasingly focusing the company. Although that quarterly growth did not meet some analysts’ expectations, GE said such revenue was on track to hit the higher end of its projected range of 4% to 7% growth for 2014. Reaching that high end “would be quite a pickup,” said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer with Solaris Asset Management, which owns GE shares. “They were able to engineer the earnings in industrials,” Ghriskey said. “It’s just that the revenues were relatively weak. “The stock is reflecting more forward-looking statements than third-quarter results.” Like those of other diverse US manufacturers, GE’s shares had been underperforming the broader market this year amid concerns about a soft global economy, after a big run-up in 2013. “The environment is volatile, but infrastructure growth opportunities exist, and GE is executing well,” Immelt said in a statement. Immelt is seeking to boost GE’s earnings contribution from its industrials businesses, which include jet engines and oil and gas equipment, to 75% by 2016 from 55% last year, while reducing its exposure to the GE Capital finance unit. Saturday, October 18, 2014 BUSINESS GULF TIMES QSE WEEKLY REVIEW Key index sheds over 6% on foreign institutions’ selling By Santhosh V Perumal Business Reporter Reflecting the nervousness in the global markets, Qatar Stock Exchange witnessed more than 93% of the listed stocks in the red and capitalisation erode about QR44bn during the week. Foreign institutions net sold about QR400mn worth securities to drag the benchmark index more than 6% during the week, which saw QNB report 13% rise in net profit in the first nine months of this year. Real estate, industrials and consumer goods were primarily instrumental in the downward rally during the week that saw global credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s view that the new Basel III capital norms is not expected to have major impact on the Gulf countries’ Islamic banking sphere. However, local retail and institutions as well as non-Qatari individual investors were seen net buyers during the week that saw credit rating agency Moody’s say that QNB’s international operations in some Middle East and North Africa (Mena) countries expose it to downside risks. Realty stocks plummeted more than 9%, industrials (7%), consumer goods (6.55%), telecom (5.9%), banks and financial services (4.88%), transport (4.6%) and insurance (3.18%) during the week that saw a QSE official say that the bourse is set to have more liquidity providers. The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen melting faster than the other indices during the week that saw trade volume largely skewed towards realty and banks, which together accounted for about 67% of the total trade volume. The 20-stock Total Return Index plunged 6.43%, All Share Index (comprising wider constituents) by 6.12% and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 6.95% during the week, which saw Ezdan and Masraf Al Rayan dominate the trading ring in terms of both volume and value. Of the 43 stocks, only three advanced; while 40 declined during the week that saw Qatar’s inflation rise 2.8% in September on higher rentals and with costlier garments and food. Eleven of the 12 banks and financial services; eight each of the eight consumer goods and the nine industrials; four each of the five insurers and four real estate; all of the three transport and all of the two telecom stocks settle lower during the week. Major losers included QNB, Industries Qatar, Ooredoo, Salam International Investment, Mazaya Qatar, Qatari Investors Group, Ezdan and Gulf International Services; even as Qatar General and Reinsurance, Islamic Holding Group and Mannai Corporation bucked the trend during the week. Market capitalisation eroded 5.86% to QR699.39bn during the week. Micro, small, mid and large cap equities were seen losing 6.08%, 5.88%, 5.57% and 5.46% respectively. Micro, small, mid and large cap equities are, however, up 39.91%, 29.47%, 22.82% and 20.11% respectively year-to-date. Foreign institutions’ net selling rose to QR394.01mn against QR364.57mn the previous week. However, local retail investors’ net buying zoomed to QR178.2mn compared to QR53.49mn the week ended October 9. Domestic institutions’ net buying rose to QR198.56mn against QR191.2mn the previous week. Non-Qatari individual investors’ net buying sunk to QR16.97mn compared to QR119.88mn the week ended October 9. A total of 53.61mn shares valued at QR2.83bn changed hands across 29,066 transactions. The real estate sector saw a total of 20.37mn equities worth QR466.41mn trade across 5,386 deals. As many as 15.51mn banks and financial services stocks valued at QR1.24bn changed hands across 9,316 transactions. A total of 3.48mn consumer goods stocks valued at QR193.1mn trade across 2,089 deals. The telecom sector saw 5.12mn equities worth QR139.38mn change hands across 1,850 transactions. The industrials and transport segments recorded 6.9mn and 1.4mn shares worth QR670.78mn and QR54.9mn trade across 8,761 and 960 deals respectively. A total of 0.83mn insurance equities valued at QR59.72mn changed hands across 704 transactions. In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds during the week. US consumer sentiment at highest since July 2007 Reforms could add 3.7% to French growth over 10 years, predicts OECD Reuters New York AFP Paris U S consumer sentiment rose in October to the highest in more than seven years, boosted by views on personal finances and the national economy, a survey released yesterday showed. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary October reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment came in at 86.4, the highest since July 2007. The gains were unexpected, as a Reuters survey showed a forecast for a slip to 84.1 from last month’s 84.6 reading. “The data show absolutely no signs that fear and panic is about to overtake the consumer sector,” survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement, referring to “broader concerns about the global economic meltdown, escalating military conflicts, and rising concerns about Ebola.” The survey’s gauge of consumer expectations also rose to hit 78.4, the highest since October 2012, from 75.4 and beating a forecast for 74.4. The survey’s barometer of current economic conditions was unchanged at 98.9 and also beat its forecast of 98.0. The survey’s one-year inflation expectation fell to 2.8% from 3.0%, while the survey’s five-to-10-year inflation outlook held steady at 2.8%. The dollar edged higher against a basket of major currencies after the strong data. “Obviously, some of the momentum in the economy is continuing, despite what Wall Street tells you,” said Axel Merk, chief investment officer at Palo Alto, California-based Merk Investments. “The recent market volatility is definitely not reflected, and the glass is half-full again.” The data eased traders’ concerns after worries surrounding the health of the global economy shook stocks, bonds and currencies markets this week. The dollar had gained against the euro, yen, and Swiss franc earlier in the session on greater stability in markets. T Rosneft logo is seen at its headquarters in central Moscow. Rosneft, the world’s top listed oil company by output, and Gazprom Neft, Russia’s fourth largest producer by output, said yesterday there was no need to panic. Russia’s top oil firms play down price fall Reuters Moscow O il companies in Russia, the world’s biggest producer which has budgeted for $100 crude, played down the oil price drop, saying it would not last and would not damage long term projects. Rosneft, the world’s top listed oil company by output, and Gazprom Neft, Russia’s fourth largest producer by output, said yesterday there was no need to panic. “The fall in global oil prices is not critical for the company... There are no reasons for concern... The company’s projects remain economically viable at prices much lower than current levels,” Rosneft said in e-mailed comments. Rosneft’s capital expenditure stood at around 700bn roubles ($17bn) for this year under an oil price of below $100 per barrel, according to its senior official. World benchmark Brent crude has lost more than 20% of its value since June, dropping sharply under $100, and this week hit its lowest for four years, hitting the value of the rouble. Yesterday it was trading around $87. Accounting for around 40% of Russia’s total oil output, Rosneft is under Western sanctions for Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis that have limited its access to western funding and technologies. Gazprom Neft, the oil wing of state gas company Gazprom , also hit by sanctions, said that its current investment projects envisage an oil price of $95 per barrel while any drop is compensated for by movements in the value of the rouble. “For those whose currency is not pegged to the US dollar, recent price drops have been partly offset by swings in foreign exchange rates: thus Russia’s nominal export revenues in roubles inched up lately even as they plunged in dollar terms,” the International Energy Agency said in a report this week. Gazprom Neft said in e-mailed comments to Reuters that weaker prices would not last. “The price will return to the level of $95-110 per barrel,” it said, but did not give a time frame. Russia, with daily average oil output at around 10.5mn barrels, plans to spend around $150bn a year over the next 10 years to bring onstream new fields and raise output at mature ones, according to Energy Minister Alexander Novak. “The current oil price fall is, in a large part, of a speculative nature. It is hard to tell when this speculative factor will fizzle out,” Novak was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Thursday. Russia’s Energy Ministry did not yet reply to Reuters request seeking comment. Before the Western sanctions, Russia was betting on foreign companies to help it with hard-to-reach deposits, including those in the Arctic, deep water or shale oil. ExxonMobil had to wind down cooperation with Rosneft in Arctic while Royal Dutch Shell had suspended development of shale oil in Russia’s Bazhenov formation with Gazprom Neft. Russia’s 2015-2017 budget is based on an average oil price of $100 per barrel. President Vladimir Putin said this week he cannot rule out revisions to the recently adopted budget to limit spending in light of falling oil prices. With Western sanctions already prompting Russia to tap its rainy-day fund to support its companies and banks, a long-term fall in oil price could hit economic prospects, already at the brink of recession, further. According to some economists, including Sergei Aleksashenko, a former deputy central bank governor, a $10 drop in oil prices would strip 700bn roubles, or 5%, from Russian budget revenues per year. That translates to about 1% of GDP. Local economists estimate that a $10 price drop could rob Russia of 3 to 4% in GDP growth. The International Monetary Fund halved its forecast for Russia’s 2015 gross domestic product growth to 0.5% this month, saying that international tensions had created downside risks to its estimates. he moribund French economy could get a sharp boost each year over a decade if highly controversial reforms to help businesses are enacted, predictions from the OECD showed yesterday. Such changes could add 0.4% to economic output every year over the next 10 years, it said, with the total benefit amounting to 3.7% of gross domestic product (GDP). In the next five years, as the measures take effect, the benefit could equate to 0.3% of output each year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said. The calculations by the Parisbased body, a policy forum for 34 advanced democracies including France, point to a significant extra benefit since France’s economy is set to grow by only 0.4% this year. “To put the French on the path to stronger growth, but also more inclusive, requires the reinforcement of structural reforms started in 2012,” OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said in a statement with the report, which was to be given to President Francois Hollande. France’s economic growth has sunk into the doldrums this year, held back by near record unemployment and the government’s huge pile of debt, which has put it on a collision course with the European Union. The reforms are strongly opposed on the left of the governing Socialist party. Hollande is counting on the measures to turn the economy around. Finance Minister Michel Sapin forecast at the beginning of the month that France’s output would grow by only 0.4% this year, recovering to 1.0% in 2015, 1.7% in 2016 and 1.9% in 2017. Paris also predicts its budget deficit—the shortfall between revenue and spending—will hit 4.3% of GDP next year and only fall to the EU’s debt ceiling of 3.0% in 2017, instead of next year as previously promised. Volatile markets deepen anxiety over European bank tests Reuters London V iolent swings on financial markets in the past week have deepened investors’ anxiety about what Europe’s review of the health of its banks will reveal later this month. The European Central Bank’s Asset Quality Review (AQR) of 130 leading banks and stress tests of their ability to withstand a future crisis are supposed to shore up confidence by drawing a line under the eurozone crisis. But the possibility that even a handful of the banks will be told to raise billions of euros in extra capital has put investors on alert, especially as this week’s volatility on equity, debt and energy markets may point to more pain for European Union lenders by hitting their profits. Information on the review, results of which are due on October 26, is scant and there is no market consensus on its outcome. Concerns range from losses on bond portfolios held by banks in peripheral eurozone economies such as Italy or Greece to the greater difficulty of raising funds when markets are turbulent. “Regardless of the AQR ... the market will still be focused on banks’ health because many of the weaker banks also have significant holdings of sovereign bonds, so when there is market volatility, these banks are hit,” said Alberto Gallo, head of European macro credit research at RBS. “(And) while before it was very easy to raise capital even for weaker banks ... this may be harder going forward.” Investors expect most banks to pass the health-check, vindicating lenders’ recent efforts to rebuild their balance sheets. European banks have raised $56.9bn from equity capital markets this year, up 32% from at the same stage last year, according to Thomson Reuters data. There have been 41 equity raisings, compared with 27 a year ago. But the market turmoil has magnified fears about “outliers” which may The headquarters of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. The ECB’s Asset Quality Review of 130 leading banks and stress tests of their ability to withstand a future crisis are supposed to shore up confidence by drawing a line under the eurozone crisis. just scrape through the test, or fail. These centre on Italy’s third-biggest bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Its share price fell to a record low on Thursday, even though it raised €5bn from shareholders in June. Monte dei Paschi’s chief executive has said the bank’s capital raising efforts put it on a stable footing, but a big shareholder said last month it was uncertain whether the ECB health checks would result in further capital requirements. Monte dei Paschi features most prominently in eight separate reports on which banks are most at risk by analysts at the likes of Citi, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse. Views on Spain’s Banco Popular, France’s Credit Agricole and Greece’s Piraeus Bank are more mixed. Each is rated as most at risk in one of the reports, although other reports judge them as being less at risk. Even the eurozone’s biggest economy is not exempt. Some reports have cited Germany’s Commerzbank as being among those most at risk, while the bonds of state-owned lenders HSH Nordbank, Munich Hypo and Nord/LB have taken a hit over fears they may fall short. Most banks cited as outliers declined to comment publicly, though several privately criticised the research analysts for trying to predict the outcomes. “From the outside it’s hard to know (how a bank will do),” said one banker. The reasons cited for potential capital weakness are varied, ranging from the burden of bad loans in weak eurozone economies to the threat of losses on securities held by banks. Given the wide range of views and broader market jitters over the outlook for European economic growth, some investors say making predictions on the outcome is impossible as much depends on how strict the ECB will be. The ECB has set a capital ratio of 8% of risk-weighted assets as a benchmark in a baseline scenario and 5.5% in an adverse stress scenario, although success or failure would also depend on whether the regulator finds loans on the book to be overvalued, which would eat into capital. Some optimistic investors are betting that there is scope for a positive surprise from the results, given efforts already this year on filling capital gaps. Some banks, such as Italy’s BP Milano, said they were reassured after preliminary meetings with the regulator. BASEBALL | Page 7 GOLF | Page 8 Ishikawa powers Giants past Cards into World Series Birthday boy Els takes charge in Hong Kong Saturday, October 18, 2014 Dhul-Hijja 24, 1435 AH ATHLETICS Gatlin dumped from top athlete shortlist GULF TIMES SPORT FOCUS Page 5 CRICKET Qatar reach U-20 World Cup after two decades Confusion over Windies pullout from India tour Beat China 4-2 to make it to AFC U-19 Championships semi-final AFP Dharamsala Agencies Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar ndian cricket chiefs insisted yesterday the West Indies had called off their tour as a result of a pay dispute with their players after a day of extraordinary back-and-forth statements between the two sets of officials. As India won the fourth of what were supposed to be five-one-day internationals by 59 runs in Dharamsala, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said that, despite West Indian denials, the tour was over. “The BCCI would like to clarify that despite all its efforts, the Micromax Cup India vs West Indies ODI series has been curtailed because of the ongoing issue between WICB (West Indies Cricket Board) and its players, and the withdrawal of the WI team from the ongoing tour of India.” The BCCI then issued its own timeline of events which it said had led to the cancellation of the tour. At the post-match presentation ceremony, West Indies one-day captain Dwayne Bravo appeared to indicate the tour was over as far as he was concerned. “It’s been tough for us on tour,” Bravo said. “I give credit to my team, sadly it (the tour) has come to an end now. Everyone is sticking together, despite what’s going on. “We look forward to representing the West Indies again some time soon.” However, during the course of Friday’s match, the WICB insisted no decision had been taken to call off the tour. Nevertheless, the WICB added a further statement would be made at the end of yesterday’s match. “The West Indies Cricket Board advises, that, contrary to media reports, it has taken no decision to discontinue the ongoing tour to India,” the statement said. “The WICB will make a further statement following the conclusion of the Fourth One Day International which is in progress.” Earlier, the BCCI said it had been informed by West Indies team manager Richie Richardson that the squad I Q atar secured a trip to the AFC U-19 Championship semi-finals for the first time in 24 years, after the West Asians defeated China 4-2 in an action-packed quarter-final which saw three players being sent off at a saturated Wunna Theikdi Stadium yesterday. Qatar also booked a place in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time since they hosted the tournament in 1995. Ahmed al-Sadi headed home his fifth goal of the tournament in the fifth minute. At the stroke of halftime, first-half substitute Akram Afif was brought down in the area by Zhou Yuchen, earning the goalkeeper a red card and the forward a penalty which he converted. Rain greeted the second half and with it came a goal from Gui Hong that gave China a glimmer of hope in the 53rd minute. Qatar captain Ahmad Moein then struck from long range to put the score at 3-1 before Wei Jingzong’s penalty conversion that saw defender Assim Madibo dismissed. However, there was still time for one more goal as Almoez Ali ended any China defiance in stoppage time. Wei Shihao was also sent off shortly before the final whistle. Felix Sanchez Bas’ side will next travel to Yangon for Monday’s semifinal meeting with hosts Myanmar. “The goal was to reach the World Cup playing good, attacking-based possession football,” said the Spaniard. “I think we have less pressure going into the semis. We can try and play our game with no pressure and expectations.” Qatar’s Spanish coach couldn’t have asked for a better start to the quarterfinal, though, as Abdullah al-Ahrak’s right-wing cross just five minutes into the tie was headed in by al-Sadi, steaming in at the back post, for his fifth goal in four games. Tang Shi went close to giving an immediate reply as he burst into the penalty area from the left-flank and forced goalkeeper Yousof Hassan into a hasty block at his near post. Forward Ali could have doubled the Qatar lead with three minutes of the half remaining after leaving Gao Zhunyi for dead and surging into the penalty area, but rather than try to score himself, he unselfishly squared the pass for al-Sadi who was dispossessed by a backtracking defender. But Qatar only needed three more minutes before they added a second, and on the stroke of half-time, substitute Afif, who had barely been on the pitch for a few minutes, sprinted through the centre and was fell by Zhou inside the penalty area, earning the custodian his marching orders and Afif a penalty, which he scored with a composed finish. Although the West Asians began the second period with a one-man advantage, it was China that came out stronger as heavy rain fell. Just eight minutes in, they had halved the deficit through Gui, who tore down the left side of the penalty area before cutting back onto his right, Qatar players celebrate a goal during their 4-2 win over China in the AFC U-19 Championship quarterfinal yesterday; (below) Qatar players in action during the match and coach Felix Sanchez Bas. sending two defenders sliding past, and firing past Hassan. Renewed hope for the East Asians lasted just five minutes, though, as Moein’s effort from 25 yards out skimmed off the sodden turf and past replacement goalkeeper Jia Xinyao into the far corner to restore Qatar’s two-goal cushion. But with just five minutes of the action-packed tie remaining, China were back on level in numbers on the pitch as Madibo received a red card for his foul on Lyu Pin inside the box and Wei Jingzong converted the penalty to make the score 3-2. Any hopes of a tense finish to the tie were ended by Ali, however, as he powered into the box at the other end and despite seeing his efforts saved twice by Jia, China’s failure to get the ball clear proved their undoing as on his third attempt Ali rifled home. Frustration overcame Boavista starlet Wei Shihao at the end as he received his second yellow card to leave China with nine men as the final whistle blew and the Qatari celebrations began. would complete Friday’s match but not play any more games—a fifth one-dayer, a Twenty20 match and three Tests remained on the itinerary. “The BCCI is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision taken by the WICB,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement. “The WICB’s inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved. “The withdrawal gives little thought to the future of the game, the players and the long standing relations between the BCCI and WICB.” Bravo had said before the start of the tour on October 8 that the players had not accepted a payment agreement signed on their behalf by the West Indies Players Association with the WICB. However, the players took the field for the first two one-dayers in Kochi and New Delhi, while the third match in Visakhapatnam was cancelled due to a severe cyclonic storm that hit India’s east coast. SRI LANKA READY TO STAND IN The BCCI, meanwhile, announced it had finalised a five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka between November 1 and 15 to replace the cancelled West Indies tour. “The BCCI wishes to thank Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for its swift response and for extending its support to ensure that the international cricket season is not curtailed,” a separate statement from the BCCI said. The exact schedule and venues for the hastily-arranged series will be announced shortly, Patel said. Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding, working as a TV commentator in India, said abandoning the tour was “ridiculous”. Speaking before the WICB’s latest statement, Holding told Sky TV: “I have never seen anything like this happen in the past and I do not understand why the West Indies Cricket Board have taken this stance. “They are not trying to sort the problem out, they have just decided to take their bat and ball and go home and that is ridiculous.” In a show of unity, West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo was joined by his team for the toss ahead of the fourth ODI against India in Dharamsala yesterday. (BCCI) 2 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT / QATAR STARS LEAGUE ACROSS BORDERS Gritty Sadd come from a goal down to beat Ahli 2-1 Goals in the second-half from Hassan al-Haydos and Hamza Sanhaji help Sadd comeback to beat Ahli who had taken the lead through Alain Dioko in the first half By Joe Koraith Doha T he Qatar Stars League resumed after a two-week break and it did so with a bang as Al Sadd produced a gritty come-frombehind 2-1 win against Al Ahli in a keenly contested match that saw seven yellow cards being handed out. Sadd, who were coming off a confidence boosting 3-0 win over defending champions Lekhwiya in the previous round, started the game on the front foot and should have taken the lead as early as the 13th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Abdelkarem Hassan was needlessly brought down by Tahir Zakariya inside the box. Khalfan Ibrahim stepped up to take the penalty but his shot was blocked was the Ahli keeper Amer Dosari and so confident were the Sadd players about Ibrahim scoring that nobody was prepared for the rebound which was then comfortably cleared by the Ahli defence. The shock of not scoring through a penalty seemed to rest heavily on the shoulders of Sadd players as Ahli enjoyed a strong period of domination which saw them carve out a couple of chances with Alain Dioko being involved in all three with the closest chance coming in the 24th minute when a great cross from Meshal Abdullah from the left flank missed the Ahli’s striker’s outstretched leg by the smallest of margins. Sadd responded with a few attacks of their own but nothing that Ahli keeper Dosari had too much trouble dealing with and ended up a conceding the opening goal due to an error. In the 42nd minute Ahli’s Abdullah intercepted a casually taken freekick and set off of a run down the middle and send in a great pass for Dioko inside the box who clinically put it past the Sadd keeper and into the far corner for his fifth goal of the season. Just two minutes later Ahli could have doubled their score when Dioko set off on a solo run down the middle and though Sadd defender Jung Soo Lee was able to block him, the ball fell favourably for Ahli’s Mojtaba Jabari who only had the Sadd goalkeeper Saad Abdullah to beat but couldn’t take the shot in time. The first half ended with Sadd’s unbeaten record looking under threat but they scored the equalizer just three minutes into the second half through Hassan al-Haydos who latched onto a pass by Ibrahim and scored past Dosari into the far corner – a replica of the Dioko goal. Ahli could have restored the lead in the 52nd minute when an unmarked Dioko got a pass inside the box from a corner but his header was just wide. Then started a period of the match when one got to see end to end play but no goals. Ahli had two corners and two freekicks to score from but couldn’t while Sadd’s Soo Lee came within inches of giving his side the lead when his flying header from inside the box deflected off an Ahli defender and went wide. Sadd then finally managed to break the deadlock in the 79th minute through substitute Hamza Sanhaji who, having got a pass inside the box from Hassan, fired in a great shot inside the near post to give his team the lead. Ahli had a great chance to score an equaliser in the 91st minute but substitute Jouhen Beitsoun’s header from insde the box was just wide of the far post. Sadd now have six wins from seven matches so far and are looking in good form at the top of the table. Saudi’s Al Ahli kicks off partnership with Qatar Airways today By Sports Reporter Doha Q atar Airways, the national carrier for the State of Qatar, will kick off its sponsorship with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli Football Club today at the club’s round 7 match in the Abdullatif Jameel Saudi Professional League. Following the formal announcement of the partnership on October 12, the match marks the debut of Qatar Airways’ branding on the Al Ahli Football Club jerseys. Prince Fahd bin Khaled bin Abdullah, the Chairman of AlAhli Football Club said: “Like Qatar Airways, Al Ahli Club holds many values close to its heart striving for excellence, and constantly aiming for even greater success. Al Ahli has a prominent position in Saudi Arabia’s world of sport and has developed a distinctive identity based on integrity and resilience. We are looking forward to seeing this partnership develop and build on the success of both entities.” “We are delighted to see Qatar Airways logo on the shirts team Al-Ahli Football Club during their first game in the league after signing the partnership,” said His Excellency Akbar al-Baker, Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways. “This achievement represents Qatar Airways’ faith in the importance of the role of sports in building communities. Football, in particular, brings people together and this value is something that runs through the core of our business.” Qatar Airways currently operates 86 flights per week to seven destinations across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, namely; Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, Gassmin, Ta’if and Al Hofuf. Al Maha Airways is set to begin operating in the Saudi Arabian market in the New Year and will initially use a fleet of A320-200 aircraft for operations between Jeddah and Riyadh, before expansion to further domestic routes across the Kingdom. Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operations, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 137 aircraft to 144 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America. The multi-award winning airline was awarded three accolades at Skytrax Awards 2014: World’s Best Business Class, Best Middle East Airline, and Best Business Class Lounge. They have also been named Airline of the Year by Skytrax, Air Transport News, and Business Aviation, and won Best Business Class and Best Airline for International Travel at the recent Business Travel Awards. Gharafa draw 1-1 with Khor, Salal beat Shahaniya 3-0 Ahli striker Alain Dioko’s goal went in vain Al Sadd’s Hamza Sanhaji (front) celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal against Al Ahli at the Al Arabi Stadium yesterday. PICTURES: Othman Iraqi Al Gharafa’s Moayad Hassan Fedaily (left) and Al Khor’s Mohammed Juma Alalawi tussle for the ball during their match yesterday. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed Gharafa and Shahaniya played out a 1-1 draw. In the other late match yesterday, Umm Salal thrashed Al Shahaniya 3-0, with Abdulqadir Ilyas netting a hat-trick. Ilyas, who recently joined Umm Salal from El Jaish on loan, struck in the 35th, 55th and 78th minutes to help his team score only their first win in six matches. Today, Lekwiya clash with Al Kharatiat, El Jaish meet Qatar Sports Club and Al Shamal play Al Sailiya. BOTTOMLINE Paulinho brace helps Arabi bounce back in style tried to go around Al Arabi goalkeeper Hamza and in the process lost control of the ball. Al Arabi found the equalizer in the 50th minute through Ezekiel who was left unchallenged inside the penalty area and found the mark after Al Wakrah goalkeeper Idrees showed poor technique and could only manage to deflect the ball into the goal. Al-Baraka then put Al Arabi ahead in the 77th minute for the first time, the Al Wakrah backline once again leaving ample space in the penalty area for the Qatar player to exploit. Five minutes later Paulinho put the issue behind doubt, benefitting from a Mohamed Rajeb pass and shooting past Idrees who was found wanting yet again and could only palm the ball into the goal. By Sports Reporter Doha A series of defensive howlers by Al Wakrah enabled Al Arabi to bounce back from two goals down and clinch a convincing 4-2 victory in the Qatar Stars League last night. Al Arabi appeared headed for a big defeat after Mohsin Moutaouali had put Al Wakrah ahead 2-0 by the time the match was 20 minutes old, but Maher Kanzari’s side squandered their chance to post what would have been only their third win in seven matches as their defence failed to get their act together when it mattered. Paulinho was twice on target for Al Arabi, while Imoh Ezekiel and Mousa al-Baraka also registered their names on the score sheet as the former Qatar giants struck thrice in the second half for their third victory in six matches. With Al Sadd and Lekhwiya once again involved in a battle for top honours, it would take an enormous effort from mid-table teams like Al Arabi and Al Wakrah to make a dent in the standings, but on the evidence presented yesterday possibility of that happening appears dim and distant. Al Arabi fell a goal behind as early as in the eighth minute when Ahmed Ali Khil did most of the spadework on the Al Arabi striker Paulinho (right) scored two goals in his team’s 4-2 win over Al Wakrah yesterday. Pictures: Jayaram right flank and crossed to the unmarked Moutaouali who scored with an easy finish past goalkeeper Rajab Hamza. Moutaouali was once again in the thick of things in the 20th minute, this time his powerful shot from 25 yards taking a deflection off the post and trickling in, much to Hamza’s dismay. With both teams adopting an attacking style and in the process neglecting their defence, it was only a matter of time before Al Arabi scored. And sure enough they reduced the margin in the 22nd minute when the unmarked Paulihno nicely controlled a long pass from the centre and drilled it past the Al Wakrah goalkeeper Hassan Idrees from close range. Al Wakrah missed a golden chance to consolidate their position immediately after resumption but Adel Mohamed Al Arabi coach Dan Petrescu (left) hugs Al Wakrah coach Maher Kanzari. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 3 FOOTBALL BUNDESLIGA OPINION UNHAPPY SPOTLIGHT UNSPORTSMANLIKE BEHAVIOUR Ribery may return to Bayern squad today Train strike hits football fans in Germany German Vogts leaves Azerbaijan coaching post Evans released from jail after rape sentence Striker pulled up for pulling own shirt in penalty claim Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery may return to the squad for today’s Bundesliga game with Werder Bremen, coach Pep Guardiola said yesterday. Ribery has been out of action for around a month with a knee injury but has “completed two good training sessions” and has “no pain,” according to Guardiola. However, the decision on whether to include Ribery will be made only after today’s final training session. “When he is fit, perhaps he is in the squad,” Guardiola said. League leaders Bayern have a nearly fully fit squad for the visit of bottom club Werder Bremen but one player missing is Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara. Football fans in Germany may have to find alternative transport to Bundesliga matches this weekend after the GDL union for train drivers called a strike yesterday. From 2 am local time today morning train drivers are to walk away from passenger trains and are not scheduled to return until the early hours of Monday. The Deutsche Bahn rail company said it had cancelled all football special trains. “The arrival and departure of fans to and from the stadiums cannot be guaranteed by Deutsche Bahn,” it said in a statement. Some clubs have advised fans to travel by bus while others, such as Borussia Dortmund, have created forums to encourage car-sharing. German Berti Vogts has resigned as Azerbaijan coach, the country’s football federation reported on its official website yesterday. The statement said that Vogts had informed Azerbaijan football federation chief Rovnag Abdullayev about his decision during a meeting in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday. The 67-year-old, who led Germany to the European Championship title in 1996, explained that his reason for quitting was because his team had failed to “show persistence during the last game”. Vogts added that the problem of his players’ physical fitness, something he had repeatedly emphasised in recent years, had not been resolved. Former Sheffield United and Wales striker Ched Evans was released from prison on Friday after serving half of a five-year sentence for rape. The 25-year-old, who has also played for Manchester City and is a Wales international, was convicted in 2012 of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room. Evans, who left Wymott Prison near Leyland in north-west England at about 0400 GMT, has promised to make a “very personal and profound” statement on his website next week. The website also said that on July 15, Evans’s new legal team had submitted an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission which is the first step to a second appeal. Former Brazil international Leandro Damiao has been charged with “unsportsmanlike behaviour” after he pulled his own shirt in a bid to fool the referee into awarding a penalty. The Santos striker tugged his own shirt at a corner kick during last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat by Criciuma in an attempt to make it look like he was being held back. The referee missed the incident but video evidence was used to bring charges. “Referees are heavily criticised for their supposed mistakes,” the Superior Court of Sporting Justice said in a statement. “However the athletes are the first ones not to help them, as in this case.” India signs up with FIFA’s anti-corruption watchdog NEW DELHI: India’s football chiefs have inked a deal with FIFA to ensure the Indian Super League and other domestic competitions are corruption free, the world governing body said. Early Warning System (EWS), a FIFA subsidiary, and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) signed a monitoring service agreement aimed at “safeguarding the integrity of the game” in a “global fight against match manipulation”, a FIFA statement posted late Thursday confirmed. The EWS will monitor betting markets on irregularities and analyse specific match situation in its sporting context. If EWS’s analysis indicates strong grounds for suspecting match fixing, the AIFF will be alerted. The year-long agreement covers the ISL and the I-League tournament that features India’s top clubs. FIFA’s director of security Ralf Mutschke hailed the deal as an “important step” in the organisation’s battle against corruption in football. Welcoming the deal, an AIFF official told AFP that ISL player have been banned from using mobile phones in the dressing rooms, or meeting anyone—including family members—there before or after matches without prior permission. The official added the players are being strictly monitored. “The (anti-corruption) measures will be implemented in letter and spirit,” the official, who did not want to be named, said. The glitzy 10-week long ISL, which opened on October 12, features former superstars like Italian great Alessandro Del Piero of Italy and Nicolas Anelka teaming up with Indian players in eight franchised clubs. The league is backed by sports management giants IMG and Indianbnaire Mukesh Ambani, and televised by Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV. The AIFF last month appointed a retired federal investigator Javed Siraj as its integrity officer, even though no known case of illegal bookmakers targeting Indian football has been unearthed so far. But cricket’s Indian Premier League, which inspired the creation of the ISL, has been embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal since last year following the arrest of three cricketers and a team official. A Supreme Court-appointed panel, which is probing allegations of corruption in the IPL, is due to submit its final report next month. SPANISH LEAGUE Messi eyes record on anniversary as Barca seek Clasico boost �If we don’t win this one we will suffer when we play in Madrid’ AFP Barcelona I n the week that he marked the 10th anniversary of his competitive debut for Barcelona, Lionel Messi could become the all-time top scorer in the history of La Liga. The Argentine made his bow as a 17-year-old in a 1-0 win at city rivals Espanyol on October 16, 2004. Now he is preparing to face Eibar at the Camp Nou today needing just two goals to equal Telmo Zarra’s all-time Spanish top-flight record of 251, set in the 1950s. Messi, who told fans he was “constantly trying to improve and win more titles,” has been back at his best in the early weeks of this season to help the Catalans to the top of La Liga with six wins and a draw in their opening seven games. They are two points clear of Valencia and have yet to concede a goal so far, and they will want to keep that form going against Eibar before they go to Real Madrid for the first Clasico of the campaign next weekend. “To go into the Clasico in the best possible condition we need to win on Saturday,” said leftback Jordi Alba. “If we don’t win this one we will suffer when we play in Madrid. Eibar have had good results away from home and if we don’t play at a high level they will make it difficult for us.” Eibar will hope that Luis Enrique’s side are distracted by thoughts of Madrid and their Champions League meeting with Ajax in midweek, although the Basque side have had an impressive start to the season themselves. The entire population of the town could fit into the Camp Nou three times and still leave empty spaces, but Gaizka Garitano’s side, in their debut topflight season, currently have as many points as their far more illustrious neighbours Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad combined. “This is football and it’s clear FC Barcelona Argentinean striker, Lionel Messi (right) and Uruguayan Luis Suarez (left), among others, during a team’s training session at Joan Gamper Sports City in Barcelona, yesterday. FC Barcelona will face Eibar in a Spanish Primera Division match today. that if we defend well, don’t make mistakes and get a bit of luck, we can come away with at least a point,” said optimistic midfielder Dani Nieto, formerly of Barcelona B. Madrid in fine form Real Madrid are fourth, four points behind Barcelona, but the capital club are looking to extend their own fine run of form when they visit struggling Levante. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have won six games in a row in all competitions since losing at home to Atletico Madrid last month, and they have scored 27 goals in that time. They have a huge week ahead of them, with a trip to Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday before they face Barca, but Ancelotti has confidence in his improving team. “Since the defeat to Atletico things have gone well,” remarked the Italian. “We have had balance to the team and scored a lot of goals. We have conceded more, especially from dead balls, but that is something we are tidying up little by little.” Iker Casillas is expected to remain the club’s first-choice goalkeeper for now, meaning Keylor Navas will be on the bench against the club he left in the summer. Meanwhile, champions Atletico host Espanyol on Sunday looking to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat at Valencia before they face Malmo in the Champions League. Valencia are flying high in second after an unbeaten start, although new Spanish inter- national striker Rodrigo has played down their prospects of competing for the title ahead of their trip to Deportivo. “Football is passion, but people need to be aware of what our aim is and be clear that we are not going to compete for the title this year,” he said, targeting Champions League qualification instead. Sevilla in third go to Elche while Athletic Bilbao are looking to end a run of seven games without a win when they host Celta Vigo. FIXTURES (all times GMT) Today’s matches Levante v Real Madrid (1400), Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (1600), Barcelona v Eibar (1800), Cordoba v Malaga (2000) Tomorrow’s matches Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (1000), Deportivo v Valencia (1500), Elche v Sevilla (1700), Villarreal v Almeria (1900) Monday’s match Real Sociedad v Getafe (1845) SPOTLIGHT Jose Mourinho denies lack of Villa �respect’ AFP London C helsea manager Jose Mourinho hit back yesterday at claims he showed a lack of respect to Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert and his assistant Roy Keane. Lambert and Keane were both critical of Mourinho’s attempt to shake hands before the end of Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Villa at Stamford Bridge on September 27. Former Manchester United captain Keane labelled Mourin- ho’s actions “disgraceful” while Lambert backed up his deputy by saying: “My thoughts are exactly the same as Roy’s on them. The game has not even finished. I just thought it was wrong. It’s not the way I was brought up.” But Mourinho—who has shaken hands with opposition managers before the final whistle on a number of occasions before—denied he was guilty of showing a lack of respect to the opposition. Addressing a media briefing at his club’s Cobham training ground, south of London, ahead of the Premier League leaders’ trip to capital rivals Crystal Pal- ace, Mourinho said: “First of all, I appreciate the comments. “I think they are both two great examples of polite and very well educated people, and because I’m a humble guy who tries to learn every day and with every experience, I appreciate the comments,” he added with a hint of sarcasm. Asked if he would do the same thing again, Mourinho replied: “Yes.” The week following the Villa clash, Portuguese boss Mourinho was involved in a touchline confrontation with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Jose Mourinho The Frenchman has subsequently apologised for pushing his opposite number but Mourinho insisted he had nothing more to add about the incident. “I gave you my reaction after the match, saying nothing had happened. The reaction from everyone else was saying nothing had happened,” Mourinho said Friday. Mourinho revealed a number of players are doubtful for the trip to Selhurst Park including Diego Costa who required treatment following international duty with Spain. The forward returned early from a previous Spain stint in early September after injuring a hamstring in a friendly with France. Since then, Mourinho has maintained Costa must be nursed through his recovery and was not yet ready to play two games a week. But Costa played the whole of Spain’s defeat by Slovakia last Thursday before being used for all but eight minutes of the victory over Luxemburg four days later. “The Spanish team played in Luxembourg on Sunday. I gave them Diego, (Cesc) Fabregas and (Cesar) Azpilicueta,” Mourinho said. “I gave the players two days off, Monday and Tuesday, so they had to report to train on Wednesday at 3pm (1400GMT). “And Diego was here Monday at 9am. So you can imagine how strong he was to be here at 9am on Monday.” The Chelsea manager confirmed he had not had contact with the Spain set-up ahead of the international break to discuss Costa’s fitness levels. He added: “I’m powerless. Because I know that, I don’t waste my time contacting national teams.” 4 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT Rodgers defends Sterling, denies England rift AFP London L iverpool manager Brendan Rodgers came to the defence of Raheem Sterling yesterday but said there was no breach between himself and England manager Roy Hodgson. The 19-year-old forward found himself under fire after Hodgson revealed the teenager had told him he was tired ahead of England’s Euro 2016 qualifier in Estonia. Sterling was on the bench for that match, but came on to win the free-kick from which Wayne Rooney scored England’s only goal in a 1-0 victory. ITALIAN LEAGUE Juve go to Sassuolo as Roma remain defiant AFP Rome C hampions Juventus travel to struggling Sassuolo today looking to maintain their lead at the top of Serie A, while nearest challengers Roma insist the fight for the title has just begun. Juventus moved three points clear at the summit two weeks ago after a bad-tempered 3-2 win over Roma in Turin which saw the Bianconeri concede their first goals of the campaign. Despite their defeat, Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis insists the top-of-the-table clash showed Massimiliano Allegri’s men the capital club are a force to be reckoned with as they prepare to host Chievo on Saturday. “We don’t want to finish second, we want to win (the league). We can do it, we realised that after seeing their reaction,” De Sanctis said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday. Almost a fortnight after an explosive encounter that saw five goals, three penalties and two red cards as well as the sending-off of Roma coach Rudi Garcia, the dust has yet to settle. De Sanctis on Thursday repeated allegations, notably by Giallorossi captain Francesco Totti, that Juventus benefit from favourable refereeing decisions. “You have to know how to lose, but it is hard to accept certain decisions when you have the feeling you’re not playing on an equal footing,” said the �keeper, who played for Juve at the start of his career. While the champions have steadfastly rejected the accusations, Juve defender Angelo Ogbonna went on the charm offensive when he told Sky Sport: “We don’t underestimate any of our opponents. “Roma are a top side, they’ve done well in the transfer market with a view to the Champions League.” Both Roma and Juve are expected to rest key players whenever possible this weekend ahead of midweek Champions League clashes against Bayern Munich and Olympiakos respectively. Inter host Napoli in the pick of Sunday’s fixtures when home coach Walter Mazzarri will be firmly in the spotlight. Mazzarri steered Napoli to a runners-up spot in 2013 but has struggled to work his magic with the Nerazzurri, who recently dropped to 10th place following consecutive defeats to Cagliari (4-1) and Fiorentina (3-0). Fixtures: (all kick-offs 1300 GMT unless stated) Today’s matches: Roma v Chievo (1600), Sassuolo v Juventus (1845) Tomorrow’s matches: Fiorentina v Lazio (1030), Atalanta v Parma, Cagliari v Sampdoria, Verona v Milan, Palermo v Cesena, Torino v Udinese, Inter v Napoli (1845), Genoa v Empoli (1845) Hodgson’s comments led to accusations that Sterling had been reluctant to play for England. However, Rodgers said yesterday: “I’ve obviously read and listened to a lot of what has been said. “He (Sterling) has been absolutely incredible for me and what has been nice to see is his maturity as a young man; he’s 19, a full international and he will hopefully be a key player for England and Liverpool for many years,” added Rogers, who congratulated Hodgson’s side on their two recent qualifying wins over San Marino and Estonia. “This is a kid we bring up to be responsible and honest—lots of players will tell you they haven’t played when they haven’t felt right but this is a kid who didn’t say that,” explained Rodgers. “What he was saying was he felt tired. I’ve had it a number of times here with Raheem where he has been tired in his legs but he has gone on to play in games and be exceptional,” the Northern Irishman said. “You have to respect Roy’s decision that he decided not to play him and play Adam Lallana. “What has been disappointing in the whole affair is it has been grossly unfair how the kid has been put on the back pages for something he clearly did not say.” Hodgson also queried the worth of Liverpool’s use of a 48hour recovery programme for Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers the likes of �fast’ players such as Sterling and Daniel Sturridge, who has not played since sustaining a thigh injury in an England training session last month. “Roy is a manager with great experience who has been around the game long enough and all managers deal with situations different. I am not here to make any comment on that,” Rodgers added. “One thing to clear up is this second-day recovery: people are looking at it thinking Liverpool players are sat at home with their feet up on the couch. “The recovery is different for each individual player but our second day of recovery is a technical session outside and the key in that session is the intensity and density of the session—the spaces are very small which still allows me to do the technical and tactical work required. “That has worked for me right the way through my life and in my time here I believe helped Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger, when he was here, to play the games they did. “We ask our players to be responsible when they go on international duty to only think of their country and not their clubs, so this is a club which is very much club and country, not club versus country. “We (Rodgers and Hodgson) have exchanged messages but because of the busy schedules we have not been able to speak. That is fine.” ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea seek Palace coup �Teams are out to get us because we are at the top and playing well’ Premier League this season but they will each look to put that right at home to West Ham and Leicester respectively on Saturday. Yet it is Queens Park Rangers, who welcome Liverpool to Loftus Road on Sunday, who are bottom of the table. There has been growing speculation that QPR’s owner, Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, could sack veteran manager Harry Redknapp. But QPR centre-half Rio Ferdinand, who made his name at West Ham under Redknapp, urged Fernandes to remain patient. “We are not even in double figures for the amount of games played yet,” former Manchester United and England star Ferdinand said. “To push the panic button now would be crazy in my eyes. Harry still comes across to me as a fighter and a man with a lot of fight left in him.” After a shaky start, Manchester United under van Gaal are now fourth and amongst the Champions League places. They will look to hold on to that position when they travel to West Bromwich Albion on Monday. AFP London C helsea head to London rivals Crystal Palace today eager to maintain or even extend their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as domestic action resumes after the international break. Palace surprised Chelsea, and the rest of the league, by winning last season’s corresponding clash and Blues captain John Terry has dismissed talk that this season’s title-race is already done and dusted. “Clearly it (the title race) is not over,” he said. “Other teams have been in this position. It’s nice to have the lead but when you’re at the top everyone wants to shoot you down. “That’s the good thing about the Premier League and why everyone loves it. Teams are out to get us because we are at the top and playing well.” Defending champions Manchester City, currently second, are at home to Tottenham Hotspur and on-loan midfielder Frank Lampard has told his team-mates to be wary of a revitalised Spurs. “They may go through a slight transitional period but I was very impressed with their manager (Mauricio Pochettino) when he was at Southampton and if he can bring the same imprint on Tottenham, who arguably have more quality within their squad, they’ll do really well. They are a good side.” Yet one of the success stories of the season so far has been the way in which south coast side Southampton, despite losing their manager and several key players to top-flight rivals, have nevertheless flourished under FIXTURES Chelsea have the best team since Arsenal’s �Invincibles’ and could go whole season unbeaten. new manager Ronald Koeman to be third in the table ahead of their match at home to Sunderland on Saturday. Such has been the impact the former Dutch international has made at St Mary’s there have been calls for him to take charge of the Netherlands national side, who have lost two of their opening three Euro 2016 quali- fiers after finishing third at this year’s World Cup in Brazil. KOEMAN VOWS TO STICK WITH SAINTS But as far as Koeman is concerned, his country missed their chance to install him as manager when they opted for Guus Hiddink following Louis van Gaal’s post-World Cup departure to Manchester United. “I hope to stay here for my whole contract, but it’s football,” said Koeman, who signed a three-year deal with the Saints. “There’s certainly no chance to move now out of Southampton. “I was interested in that job, because when I left Feyenoord I was nominated to be the na- SCOTTISH LEAGUE BOTTOM LINE Celtic need to be braver, says Scott Brown AFP Glasgow C eltic captain Scott Brown has called on his Celtic teammates to be braver as they bid to bounce back from their disappointing start to the season. The Hoops lost to newlypromoted Hamilton Academical in their previous match before the international break to leave the Scottish champions in sixth place in the table. Next up for the Scottish champions is a trip north to face bottom side Ross County on Saturday and midfielder Brown says the Celtic players must work harder to produce better results. “We’ve got faith that we can go up to Dingwall on Saturday tional coach but the federation chose Hiddink.” Arsenal face Hull in a repeat of last season’s thrilling FA Cup final where the Gunners came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and so claim their first major trophy in nine years. Both newly-promoted Burnley and struggling Newcastle have yet to win in the (1400GMT unless stated) Today’s matches: Arsenal v Hull, Burnley v West Ham, Crystal Palace v Chelsea, Everton v Aston Villa, Manchester City v Tottenham (1145GMT), Newcastle v Leicester, Southampton v Sunderland Tomorrow’s matches: Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool (1230GMT), Stokes v Swansea (1500GMT) Monday’s match: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United (1900GMT) and win,” the Celtic skipper said. “We’ve got to start well, we’ve got to take our chances and we’ve got to believe that we can do it. “There are a lot of good players in the dressing room and we do believe that we’re a good team, and we’ve got to back ourselves and believe. “We’ve got to be braver on the ball, we’ve got to work harder as a group and we’ve got to know when to close down or when to sit off as well. We can’t go running about here and there for 90 minutes because it’s hard. “We’ve got to press teams better but we’ve been working on that on the training ground and we’ve just got to look forward now and be as positive as possible.” The defeat to Hamilton was their first to the Lanarkshire club since 1938 and ended a two-year unbeaten run at home in the league. Brown was scathing of his teammates after the defeat, accusing them of “hiding”. And after returning from two weeks away on international duty with Scotland the midfielder is adamant he was right to hit out at his fellow players. “I have definitely calmed down but I still believe what I said was right,” the Celtic captain said. “I am not going to change my thoughts on getting beat and being angry. “I said everyone was hiding, not just some. “You have to be disappointed and have it in the back of the head that you could have done something better and as a team we should have done something better. “Sometimes the truth has got to come out and it is not always the best thing.” With two defeats and two draws from their opening eight fixtures, this has been the worst start to a season Celtic have suffered since 1998. Celtic’s poor form has heaped pressure on manager Ronny Deila, who only replaced Neil Lennon in the summer, but he has backed his players to bounce back against Ross County on Saturday. Fixtures (1400 GMT unless otherwise stated) Today’s matches: Ross County v Celtic (1145 GMT), Dundee United v Partick Thistle, Motherwell v Dundee, St Johnstone v Kilmarnock, St Mirren v Inverness CT Blatter is not serving football anymore, says Platini Reuters Paris U EFA president Michel Platini hit out at FIFA chief Sepp Blatter yesterday, saying the Swiss has stopped serving the cause of football. “Sepp is not the president of FIFA anymore. He is FIFA,” Frenchman Platini, whose book “Let’s Talk About Football” was released this week, told sports daily L’Equipe. “Platini, Pele, Blatter, (former FIFA presidet Joao) Havelange must yield to the interests of football. “One must not use football, but serve football.” Platini, 59, has no regrets for not running against Blatter who is likely to secure a fifth term at next year’s elections. UEFA president Michel Platini “It was not the time. I do not regret anything. One day maybe. We will see,” he said. The former France great, who led Les Bleus to their Euro 1984 title, was reelected as UEFA president in 2011. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 5 SPORT ATHLETICS TENNIS Gatlin dumped from top athlete shortlist Murray stays in control to reach semis Qatar’s Barshim, Kenyan Kimetto and Frenchman Lavillenie to compete for the IAAF award AFP Vienna Reuters London ndy Murray reached the Austrian Open semi-finals yesterday, playing it safe against an unknown opponent, keeping German Jan-Lennard Struff on a tight leash for a 6-2, 7-5 win. Murray’s debut at the indoor event continued on song, with the second seed staying alive in the race for one of the remaining spots in the ATP year-end final. Top seed David Ferrer was lining up for his quarter-final, facing a big test from sixth seed Ivo Karkovic. Murray’s only wobble against the 52nd-ranked Struff came as the Scot trailed 3-1 in the second set, but Murray quickly put that right and returned to 3-all. The former Wimbledon champion ran out the winner after less than 90 minutes with a love game. “I expected a tough match from him, even if I didn’t know a lot about his game,” said Murray, provisional tenth in the race to London which will be decided this weekend and over the remaining two weeks of the ATP season. “He was hitting big. I had to play well to win and fight to get through. My game was more consistent than in the previous round, I was able to change up the rhythm He was playing high-risk tennis but he made a couple of mistakes which helped me. I still was not able to hit a lot of winners.” Murray will face Viktor Troicki, who took a big step in his return from tennis exile as he beat Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (2/7), 6-2 to reach his first semi-final since 2011. The number 127 has crawled back up the rankings after returning in July from a one-year ban for delaying a post-match blood test in 2013. Troicki, 28, made his return with just 20 ranking points remaining thanks to a wild card from Gstaad organisers. He reached the quarter-finals in Switzerland and did the same last month in Shenzhen, China. A Beijing wild card produced a first-round win, with Troicki capitalising on success from qualifying to carve his way through the Vienna event upon his debut. The Serb last played a semi-final at Moscow, 2011. “It’s great to win,” said the player who was stoutly defended during his ban by world number one and good friend Novak Djokovic. I’ve not played a semifinal in a long time. My comeback has been tough but I always knew it would be like this: you have to come from the bottom if you want to arrive at the top.” JUSTIN GATLIN C ontroversial United States sprinter Justin Gatlin is out of contention to win the IAAF’s athlete of the year award after failing to make the final threeman shortlist, the sport’s governing body announced yesterday. As widely expected, doubledoper Gatlin was among those cut from the final shortlist after a two-week-long poll conducted by the “world athletics family”. The 32-year-old was included on the original 10-man shortlist thanks to a stellar year of sprinting in which he posted six of the fastest 100m times. Gatlin, who served a oneyear ban for testing positive for a banned stimulant in 2001 and then failed a second test in 2006, which led to a four-year ban, ran 9.77 seconds in Brussels last month—the fastest-ever time by an over-30. However, his inclusion was heavily criticised and fellow nominee, Germany’s Olympic discus champion Robert Harting, felt so strongly about the former Olympic champion’s nomination that he asked to be removed from the list. Kenyan Dennis Kipruto Kimetto, who last month became the first man to break two hours three minutes for the marathon, Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshmi and French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, who cleared 6.16metres to break Sergey Bubka’s 21-year-old indoor world record, will now compete for the men’s award. New Zealand shot-putter Valerie Adams, who extended her winning streak to 56 competitions in 2014, is joined on the women’s shortlist by Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers and Ethiopia’s distance runner Genzebe Dibaba. The winners will be selected during the 2014 World Athletics Gala in Monaco on November 21. Agents to be vetted under new rule in Kenya Kenya is to introduce a new licensing system for foreign athletics agents in a bid to stop their fabled distance runners being exposed to doping products. The move follows recommendations made by a government-sponsored anti-doping taskforce, which said corrupt sports agents were manipulating some Kenyan athletes into using performance-enhancing drugs. Kenya was pushed to investigate by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after 17 of its athletes tested positive between January 2012 and June 2013, some of them for using the blood-boosting drug Erythropoietin (EPO). Kenyan Sports Minister Hassan Wario said a vetting board independent of Athletics Kenya will be set up to approve a list of agents allowed to operate in the country Wario, who made public the findings of a three-month investigation into allegations of widespread doping among Kenyan athletes, called “for a severe punishment to those who knowingly engaged in the vice.” The task-force report, which did not uncover any evidence of the use of the drugs among top athletes, said the “few reported cases were aided and abetted by professional doctors, man- agers and agents.” “We are liaising with relevant authorities including WADA to see that further punitive action may be taken against offending individuals, athletes, officials and organisations,” Wario said. The minister said Kenya is in the process of setting up a new national agency to be known as Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) to improve the management of anti-doping in the country. “We have set aside more than five million shillings ($562,000, 439,000 euros) for anti-doping activities and programmes. We are seeking ways and means of improving this amount”. BOXING Golovkin tries to keep knock out streak alive against Rubio AFP London G ennady Golovkin puts his unbeaten record and World Boxing Association middleweight world title on the line today against resilient Mexican Marco Antonio Rubio—with an eye toward even bigger things ahead. A victory for the hard-hitting Kazakh star, 30-0 with 27 of those victories coming by knock-out, could get him in line to face the winner of the projected fight between World Boxing Council champion Miguel Cotto and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas in May. Golovkin’s brutal three-round demolition of former champion Daniel Geale of Australia at Madison Square Garden in July was his 17th successive knock-out—a streak stretching back to 2008. But he has yet to fight on a major money-spinning pay-per-view television card, and at 32 he’s eager make that leap. Promoter Tom Loeffler certainly believes Golovkin should be there. “Rubio is clearly the best move at this time for GGG and will lead to the winner of Cotto/Canelo fighting him or vacating the WBC title,” he said. “How some people rate Cotto over GGG at 160 is beyond me. “Nobody that I have spoken to thinks he would have a chance against GGG.” Although Golovkin offers plenty of fireworks in the ring, he eschews the pre-bout baiting and trash-talking beloved of many fight fans. Trainer Abel Sanchez told the Los Angeles Times that when he first met Golovkin, he didn’t believe he could be vicious in the ring. “He’s too well-mannered,” Sanchez said, although that assessment changed when he began training Golovkin in California. When he hit the mitts, I felt it all over, down to my toes,” Sanchez said. Golovkin, who launched his professional career in Germany after winning a silver medal at the Athens Olympics, spent much of 2013 training with Sanchez at Big Bear, in the mountains east of Los Angeles. The bout with Rubio at the StubHub Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson—home of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy— sold out quickly. Extra seats and a standing-room section were added—a sign not only of Rubio’s ability to draw a large following of Mexican-American fans but also of Golovkin’s growing popularity. Rubio, 34, brings a 59-6-1 record to the bout. Since a 2012 loss to Julio Cesar Chavez jnr he’s 6-0, although none of those fights were against top-flight middleweights. “He’s got power. He’s got a very good left hand,” Golovkin said. “He does a great job in his fights and he’s got a good record. I know it’s not an easy fight for him or for me. But the fans will really enjoy it.” Tough defence for Donaire On the same card, Nonito Donaire of the Philippines defends his World Boxing Association featherweight world title against Jamaican Nicholas Walters. Donaire, who has won titles at 112, 118 and 122 pounds, has recently lacked the dominance he enjoyed in an outstanding 2012 - when he went 4-0 with two knock-outs in world title fights. He’ll be making his first defence of the featherweight title he won in Macau in May, when he defeated South African Simpiwe Vetyeka in a fight that ended in an anti-climactic technical decision. In Walters he’ll be taking on a hardhitting fighter hungry for success in his first world title fight. Donaire brings a record of 33-2 with 21 knock-outs to the fight, while Walters, fighting for the second time in the United States, is 24-0 with 20 knock-outs. “He’s a very powerful puncher,” Donaire acknowledged. “Anybody can see that. And that’s what we’re looking out for is his power. I mean, I have the same thing.” A I knew I was clean Troicki said that while he tries to bury bitter memories of the sanction he received after be- Nadal not certain of playing at London finale Rafa Nadal says he could miss the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals next month because of appendicitis. The injury-plagued Spaniard, who has only recently returned from a wrist problem, is on antibiotics and hoping to delay surgery for appendicitis until the end of the season. However, with the eight-man London showpiece looming, the world number three said he was not certain he will be there. “I have had weeks of injury so it was not an easy season for me at the end, I have to do the surgery but I have to find the right moment,” the 14-times grand slam champion told Sky Sports. “I need to see how things go and how my body accepts the antibiotics, so after all the things that have happened over the last few weeks - let’s see. “I will try to do my best (to be in London) but I cannot say, I do not know a hundred percent.” Nadal, along with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, has already qualified for the tournament with US Open champion Marin Cilic also virtually guaranteed a debut appearance. The likes of Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori are scrambling for the remaining three spots. ing informed - erroneously as it turned out - that he could postpone a blood test by 24 hours due to feeling poorly in April, 2013, in Monte Carlo, the episode remains distasteful to him. “That you didn’t do anything wrong and you are being punished is the worst feeling,” he said. “One year is a long time in any sport. They told me at the tribunal hearing that if I had just taken something illegal in my body I would have gotten a lesser sentence. As it turned out, 12 months was the minimum punishment for missing a test. “And the International Tennis Federation lawyers were trying to get me banned for two years. But it’s over now. Inside myself I know I was clean and not trying to do anything wrong. I had good lawyers but you feel like you don’t have any chances (in the hearing).” Troicki said there won’t be any hard feelings when he plays Murray despite statements from the Scot calling Troicki “unprofessional” in the entire blood-test episode. GENNADY GOLOVKIN Tennis preparations taking shape for Rio International Tennis Federation (ITF) executive vice president Juan Margets says preparations for the Rio Olympic tennis tournament are progressing to the extent he can virtually visualise the event. “You see pictures and plans—but when you actually experience the venue it’s unique and to tell the truth we are excited and optimistic,” he said. “The centre court is coming to fruition and you start to imagine how the tennis Olympic stadium will look,” Margets, a onetime Spanish youth champion, told AFP in an interview. Tennis was on the programme for the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1886. It was dropped in 1928 but returned at the Seoul Games in 1988. Rio is set to host a number of top names including London 2010 champion Andy Murray, as well as the likes of world number one Novak Djokovic, clay king Rafael Nadal and legend Roger Federer. The Rio tournament will take place out in the Olympic city taking shape in the western suburb of Barra de Tijuca, with the 164.8 million reais ($70 million, 54.5 million euros) venue officially set to be ready by the third quarter of next year, overcoming early delays. Margets said he could not deny that there were early concerns at the pace of construction. “But yesterday’s visit confirmed things are on the move. We are satisfied with how it is coming along.” ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said in April that progress was “a little disappointing” but organisers played down fears the venue would not be ready. Margets, who heads the Davis Cup committee, insists that “concern was always minimal” regarding the venue, whose centre court will hold 10,000 people. Another court will hold 3,000 seats while there will be an additional court with a temporary capacity for 5,000 fans. The tennis complex will comprise seven further courts each with a capacity for 250 people and there will also be six warm-up and training courts. The stadium will be able to host an ATP 1000 event; Rio currently hosts an ATP World Tour 500 event. Early delays meant an ITF test event had to be put back from August next year to December. Margets says that “in an ideal world we would have liked to have a test event in the same week as the Olympic Games with two fields of 64 players but we are very mindful of the fact this is not realistic.” 6 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 RUGBY MILESTONE SPOTLIGHT �Swoop’ joins ranks of centurions for the Wallabies �Adam has had a remarkable career and he deserves the accolades’ Australia’s Mr Dependable: Adam Ashley-Cooper Hooper clarifies Beale comments Reuters Sydney A ustralia captain Michael Hooper was forced to clarify his backing for suspended teammate Kurtley Beale yesterday, the eve of the third Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand in Brisbane. As with the rest of the run-up to today’s clash at Lang Park, Hooper’s captain’s run news conference was dominated by controversy over the offensive texts the utility back allegedly sent about team business manager Di Patston. The fallout from the row has already seen Patston resign because of stress and put coach Ewen McKenzie’s job in jeopardy, while Beale faces his Australian Rugby Union (ARU) contract being torn up after a Code of Conduct Tribunal next week. Hooper came under fire from ARU chief Bill Pulver this week for backing his New South Wales teammate and moved to clarify his comments yesterday. “We don’t condone the messages or things Kurtley has done in the past but hopefully there’s an outcome for him where he can stay in Australian rugby,” he told reporters in Brisbane. “As a mate, as a team mate and as a fellow player, our support is there with him but that’s not to mistake the fact that we don’t condone the messages and the incidences that have occurred.” Australia lost their last two Tests in the Rugby Championship in South Africa and Argentina and have already ceded the Bledisloe Cup with a 12-12 draw and a 51-20 defeat in the first two tests against the All Blacks this season. While the poor run of form has only added sense of crisis surrounding the Wallabies camp this week, inside it there had been a unity of purpose and the squad was “tight”, Hooper said. “When moments like this occur, you realise how good it is playing for the jersey and playing for your country,” he added. “We’re taking on the number one team in the world. We’ve missed the mark a number of times over the last couple of years and this is a chance to draw the series. “I think some of the guys are licking their lips.” Flanker Hooper has never been on the winning side against New Zealand in seven attempts but feels that if the Wallabies put their best game together, they can challenge the All Blacks. “The All Blacks have shown they can hold onto a lead so we’ve got to be going out there and from the whistle put on a physical display in defence and in the carries,” he said. “If we are able to put in a physical performance and show everyone that despite what’s happened this week we’re able to turn it around, that’s what I want out of this game, to show how much we care and try our hardest to get the result.” ASADA resumes peptide case against Australian Rules club Reuters Sydney F ormer Australia coach Robbie Deans once described Adam AshleyCooper as the glue that held the Wallabies together and rarely has the versatile back’s ability to bring coherence to the side been needed more than in his 100th Test. The fallout from the row over texts allegedly sent by Kurtley Beale about a team official in June have left the Wallabies in crisis and coach Ewen McKenzie clinging to job by his finger nails ahead of today’s Test against New Zealand. If the Wallabies respond at Lang Park with the sort of backs-to-the-wall perform- ance that the more optimistic Australians are hoping for, you can be sure Ashley-Cooper will be at the heart of it. The 30-year-old has mostly taken a back seat to more spotlight-hungry team mates in the nine years since he made his Test debut against South Africa in extraordinary circumstances in Perth in 2005. While the more vaunted talents have all suffered fluctuations in form or fortune, however, Ashley-Cooper has rarely had a bad game whether at fullback, in the centres or on the wing, where he will start today. Such reliability has earned him nicknames like “Mr Fixit” or “Mr. Dependable” in the media but to his team mates it is “Swoop” who will join George Gregan, Nathan Sharpe, George Smith, Stephen Larkham and David Campese as an Australian test centurion. “Adam has had a remarkable career and he deserves the accolades which come with joining what is an extremely elite group of players to have played 100 games for Australia,” McKenzie said this week. “It’s a massive honour and a true testament of his ability to play at a consistently high level over such a long period of time.” Ashley-Cooper is related to the aristocratic British family of the Earls of Shaftesbury but grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales just north of Sydney. After an early flirtation with tennis, he followed his Wallaby uncle Graham Bond into union with the ACT Brumbies, earn- ing his first cap after just three Super Rugby starts. Famously, he was about to settle down to watch the match with a meat pie and a beer when he was sent scuttling back to the dressing room to suit up after Clyde Rathbone was injured in the warm-up. He was to wait nearly two years for his second cap but from then on has been a virtual ever present in the green and gold, playing every single minute of the 2011 World Cup campaign, for example. Some of his best moments include a brilliant individual try when Australia beat New Zealand in Hong Kong in 2010 and the winner against the British and Irish Lions in the second Test victory in Melbourne last year. Seven of his 28 tries have come against the All Blacks and he would dearly love to wrest back the Bledisloe Cup from the New Zealanders next season—it is already lost this year—before he heads abroad after the World Cup. He did achieve one career goal this year, though, securing the Super Rugby title with the New South Wales Waratahs after scoring two tries in a Man of the Match performance in the final against the Canterbury Crusaders. Off the field, Ashley-Cooper has been a prominent in promoting the gay rugby World Cup, the Bingham Cup, which earned a glowing plaudit from rugby’s most prominent gay player, former Wales international Gareth Thomas. Melbourne: Australian doping authorities resumed the case against 34 current and former players at Australian Rules club Essendon yesterday by issuing them with formal allegations of the use of a banned substance in 2012. The allegations are the result of Australian Sports AntiDoping Authority’s protracted investigation into the possible use of banned substances in sport. “The Australian Sports AntiDoping Authority (ASADA) today issued amended �show cause’ notices to 34 former and current Essendon football players for the use of a prohibited substance, Thymosin Beta 4, during the 2012 season,” a statement issued by ASADA read. Thymosin Beta 4 is a peptide hormone which promotes growth, the use of which is banned under the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) code. The players had already been issued with show cause notices in June but the cases were put on hold pending a legal challenge to the ASADA probe in the Federal Court precipitated by an injunction served by the Australian Football League (AFL) club. Essendon coach James Hird, who recently completed a 12-month ban issued by the AFL for bringing the game into disrepute, has also undertaken legal action. “The resumption of action against the players follows the Federal Court’s dismissal of the applications by the Essendon Football Club and James Hird on 19 September 2014,” read the ASADA statement. “Notwithstanding James Hird’s appeal of the Federal Court decision, ASADA has agreed to a formal request by the legal team for the bulk of the players to expedite the �show cause’ notice process.” The players have 10 days to respond to the notice, although ASADA said they would be sympathetic to requests for extensions to that period given the evidence totals some 350 pages for each case. BOTTOMLINE NFL franchises show big interest in Hayne AFP Sydney N FL franchises and US-based agents are showing serious interest in Jarryd Hayne after the Australian rugby league superstar announced an unprecedented code swap to American football, his manager said yesterday. Hayne, who last month won the National Rugby League’s highest individual honour, the Dally M Medal, for the second time, announced his bombshell decision on Wednesday, despite not having a contract. His manager Wayne Beavis said he had since been inundated with interest in the 26-year-old fullback, who has played 176 games for the Parramatta Eels, scoring 103 tries. “There is literally hundreds of emails I am trying to answer,” Beavis told the Sydney Morning Herald. “There are agents, there are clubs, there are production companies, you name it they are all here. It is massive, it has exceeded our wildest expectations. “I have got emails from clubs that are showing more than keen interest, I have had about 20 agents contact me overnight so there is not any shortage of people wanting to look after Jarryd.” Hayne, who said it had been a lifelong dream to play in the NFL, recently visited the reigning Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks, but said he had no deal and would be a free agent. Beavis said he would meet Hayne to discuss details of his move and he was expected to fly to Los Angeles next week to begin training for the NFL Combine—a week-long scouting showcase—in February. He then hopes to either enter the NFL draft in July or sign with a club as a free agent. “He will probably go over there for six months of his own volition and spend time just learning the ropes and learning about the game,” Beavis told the newspaper. “He will need another agent over there, I have already told him that and we are shifting through an avalanche of information to make sure we find the right person.”As well as being a star performer for Parramatta, Haynes has also played 20 State of Origin matches for New South Wales and won 12 caps with the Kangaroos, the national team. Australia’s woes of no interest to determined McCaw New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw is not that interested in the turmoil in the Wallabies camp ahead of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup Test today and much more concerned about how the All Blacks react to a rare defeat. The world champions were beaten for the first time in 23 tests when they lost to South Africa in Johannesburg two weeks ago to bring a anti-climactic end to their third straight Rugby Championship triumph. So despite the toxic row over Kurtley Beale’s text messages that has completely overshadowed Australia’s preparations for today’s match, McCaw said the All Blacks had been focusing on eradicating the errors in their game. “To be honest, from my point of view, it hasn’t really entered into what we’re doing,” he told reporters in Brisbane after the captain’s run. “We’re playing the Wallabies and when you are an All Black coming off a loss, it hardens your resolve to play well. “And all that extra talk is not going to help us or hinder us in any way, I just hope we have a good performance tomorrow night. “A big part of this week has been focusing on what we need to get right and brushing up on the things we didn’t get right last time out.” The 27-25 defeat to South Africa was clearly still playing on McCaw’s mind and he is determined the team learns the lessons from it today at Lang Park, where Australia achieved their last victory over New Zealand three years ago. “What we didn’t get right two weeks ago was we gave them too much ball, turned it over too easily with poor skill execution,” he added. “Against good teams like the Africans and the Wallabies, they’ve got good enough players to make you pay. So we’ve got to make sure we don’t let that happen. “We were down three tries to one at halftime and it’s a tough old road back when you give a good team those chances.” Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 7 SPORT BASEBALL NFL Ishikawa powers Giants past Cards into World Series �My thought was, �OK, if this gets out, it’s going to be fantastic,’’ said Ishikawa Darrelle Revis: The win is the thing New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis MCT Foxborough, Massachusetts T here was no game-saving interception, and no game-winning touchdown catch, either. Nothing spectacular for cornerback Darrelle Revis in his first game against the Jets as a member of the Patriots team he once loathed. Just a good, solid game and a big-time pass breakup when the Patriots needed it most in crunch time of the fourth quarter. And, of course, a hardfought 27-25 win over the Jets at Gillette Stadium. “The only thing to focus about is us getting the win today,” said Revis, who signed a two-year, $32-million deal with the Patriots in the offseason after being rebuffed by the Jets on a shortterm megabucks deal. “It was a tough game for us, and it came down to the end. Good teams win these tough games like this. We stuck in there as a team and we fought strong today.” Revis played almost exclusively against the Jets’ No. 1 receiver, Eric Decker, and did a good job of keeping him in check. Decker finished with four catches for 65 yards and no touchdowns. Revis was at his best in the fourth quarter, when he broke up a pass intended for Decker on third-and-4 from the Jets’ 16. The Jets were forced to punt, and Ryan Quigley’s 30-yard kick gave the Patriots excellent field position at the Jets’ 46. Tom Brady then threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola to give the Patriots a 27-19 lead. Geno Smith threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland with 2:31 remaining to bring the Jets within 27-25, but his two-point conversion pass to Jace Amaro fell incomplete. The Patriots sealed the win when they blocked Nick Folk’s 58-yard field-goal attempt with no time left on the clock. “This is a historical rivalry,” said Revis, who once called Bill Belichick a “jerk” when the cornerback played for the Jets. “It’s been going on for years and years, and it will probably continue to keep on being a rivalry. You just never know what you’re going to get in these types of games, and they’re always tough.” Revis said he didn’t take any extra motivation from playing the Jets. It wasn’t personal. “No, a win is a win,” he said. “I’m excited for this team. We’re 5-2. The main goal for us was to win this game and be first in the [division], and we accomplished that as a team.” There was talk that Revis was anxious to be involved in the offense and possibly line up in the red zone. But with the outcome in doubt until the very end, Revis didn’t make any appearances on offense. No problem. All that mattered was the final score. “It’s just football to me,” he said. “It doesn’t make any difference. An away game is an away game and a home game is a home game with a rivalry. It doesn’t matter where you play. Same thing.” San Francisco Giants Travis Ishikawa celebrates his home run in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game 5 of the National League Championship Series. MCT Los Angeles N ed Yost is in the World Series. Don Mattingly and Matt Williams can walk freely around their towns. In an October packed with managerial decisions gone wrong, the other guys are off the hook. Mike Matheny made the biggest blunder of the postseason Thursday, entrusting the ninth inning of an elimination game with a tie score to a starting pitcher who had not appeared in three weeks. “That’s on me,” Matheny said after the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3, to qualify for the World Series again. That was accountability, not regret. Matheny was not apologizing for his decision, at least not publicly. Matheny’s Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs, stunningly and swiftly, after the manager bypassed half a dozen relievers in favour of Michael Wacha, who last came out of the bullpen 14 months ago. For the Giants, the hero was Travis Ishikawa, who did not have a job in April. The major leaguers were playing. He was not. Ishikawa has a job now. He is the left fielder for the National League entry in the World Series, after he hit the walk-off home run to lift the Giants.“I remember hearing the crowd just going crazy,” Ishikawa said. “My thought was, �OK, if this gets out, it’s going to be fantastic.’” The home run was the third of the game for a Giants team that had not hit any in the first four games of the NLCS. The Giants won the series, four games to one. They are the first team to represent the NL in the World Series three times in five years since the Atlanta Braves did it in 1995, �96 and �99. Matheny was left to explain how his team’s season ended with his closer stranded in the bullpen. The Cardinals were six outs from sending the series back to St. Louis, leading, 3-2, and turning to trusted setup man Pat Neshek. The lead lasted all of three pitches, the third of which was clobbered by Michael Morse deep into left field and barely inside the foul pole. Morse raised his hands skyward as he rounded the bases, AT&T Park erupted into a deafening roar, and the Giants had tied the score, 3-3. The Cardinals had closer Trevor Rosenthal ready for the ninth. They had Randy Choate, their left-handed specialist, ready to face any or all of the three lefthanded batters the Giants had lined up in the inning. They also had at their disposal a strikeout artist, Carlos Martinez, and a ground-ball artist, Seth Maness. Why risk losing without using the closer? “We can’t bring him in in a tie game on the road,” Matheny said, indicating he wanted to save Rosenthal for a potential save situation. Wacha did not make the Cardinals’ four-man playoff rotation, limited to 162/3 innings after the All-Star break because of a shoulder injury. With the season on the line, Wacha was the guy. Pablo Sandoval led off the ninth inning with a single. Hunter Pence flied out, but Brandon Belt walked on four pitches. Wacha threw two balls to Ishikawa _ six consecutive balls _ then threw the 96- mph fastball that Ishikawa hit to end the Cardinals’ season. After the game, Matheny apologized to Wacha for putting him in a tough spot. “I’ve pitched in the postseason before,” said Wacha, the MVP of last year’s NLCS. “I’ve pitched some tough innings. I’ve pitched in some hostile environments. I was ready for it.” Was it reasonable to expect him to have sharp command after not pitching for three weeks? “I don’t know,” Wacha said. Said Wainwright: “There’s nobody else you want out there, whether he’s pitched in a while or not. You take your chances with your best athlete.” Did Wainwright expect Matheny to use Wacha in that spot? “I stay out of it,” Wainwright said. In explaining his decision to use Wacha, Matheny essentially indicted the rest of his bullpen. “We’ve had some other guys who haven’t exactly had pinpoint control,” Matheny said. “We liked his stuff. “I don’t know if anybody could expect him to be sharp. That’s on me.” NHL Kings blank Blues in 1-0 shootout Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings. NBA MCT Los Angeles Lakers look bad in any county MCT Anaheim, California T here are a handful of reasons for exhibition games. Get players in shape. See what schemes need work. Make a few extra bucks at the ticket office. Hope nobody gets hurt. For the Los Angeles Lakers, though, it has been a historic October for not-so-pleasant reasons. They got drilled again in another exhibition, 119-86, against Utah in front of a sparse Honda Center crowd. The Lakers have now experienced their worst two-game stretch in exhibition history, adding Thursday night to a 41-point loss Sunday to Golden State. That makes consecutive losses totaling 74 points, easily outdoing their previous exhibition low of 47 points in back-to-back defeats in 2012. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points Kobe Bryant and Carlos Boozer had 17, but that was about it for the Lakers, who suddenly can’t make a three-point shot. They’ve gone 11 consecutive quarters without scoring from beyond the arc, missing all five attempts there Thursday. Rookie Julius Randle was held out of the second half because of the dreaded “coach’s decision” and Steve Nash couldn’t suit up yet again. Lakers Coach Byron Scott liked one thing about the game. “That it’s over,” he said. In defense of the Lakers, they were without Nick Young, Jeremy Lin, Xavier Henry, Ryan Kelly, rookie Jordan Clarkson and Nash, whose case gets more curious every day. Nash aggravated his back Wednesday while lifting travel bags at home and did not accompany the team to a sched- uled event at a casino that night but, surprisingly, told Lakers trainer Gary Vitti on Thursday afternoon he wanted to play against Utah. So Nash went on the court an hour before the game, shot around for a while and went back to the locker room. He never made it back to the court. Randle didn’t make it to the second half. He was bothered by blisters on the bottom of his feet but they were a secondary reason for not playing after the second quarter. Scott said it wasn’t a punishment, but “I still don’t think the last couple of games that he’s played as hard as he can play.” At least there was Bryant. He made 10 of 23 shots in 28 minutes and showed a few things against Utah. 1) You still can’t leave him wide open. He moved around a solid screen by Jordan Hill and drilled a 17-footer alone on the right side. 2) The pump fake can still work. He got rookie Rodney Hood to bite on one in the first quarter, drawing a foul and converting a three-point play. 3) He can still be a play-maker. He drove past Gordon Hayward, hung in the air for a bit and found Boozer underneath for an easy basket. On another play, he took an offensive rebound and immediately found Boozer underneath for a basket. 4) He also still loves motivation. He didn’t enjoy being the 25th-best player in ESPN’s annual preseason rankings last season, so he certainly didn’t like being No. 40 this season. “I’ve known for a long time that they’re a bunch of idiots,” Bryant said. He kind of smiled. Bryant got some support from his coach. “I would just hate to be one of the guys that doubted him,” Scott said. “I see where he’s come from to this particular point after the (Achilles) injury and I know he’s going to get stronger. I think he’ll have the last laugh.” T he Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues reached back into the 2012 archives, dusted off the script and produced one of their oldies. You know, those lack-of-offense, grind-it-out classics from late in the 2011-12 regular season, highlighting the best of Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and his Blues counterpart Brian Elliott. Quick and Elliott were on the case once again, and neither allowed a goal in regulation Thursday night at Staples Center. The issue was decided in a shootout with the Kings winning, 1-0. It was the Kings’ third straight victory after they opened the season with losses to the Sharks and Coyotes, the latter in overtime. St. Louis has not recorded a win at Staples Center since March 22, 2011. Quick was especially sharp, making 43 saves, including four in overtime. The only player to score in the shootout was Kings center Jeff Carter. All three Blues players _ T.J. Oshie, Alex Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko _ were unable to score. Oshie was the star of the shootout for Team USA at the Olympics this winter in Sochi, Russia. For Quick, it was a career milestone. With the shutout, he tied Kings’ legend Rogie Vachon for career shutouts with 32. He came close to tying the mark Sunday against the Oilers, losing the shutout bid in the final 30 seconds. Typically, Quick underplayed the achievement in his televised postgame interview. “It’s two points,” he said. “It’s more about the wins than the shutouts.” Elliott faced 18 shots and was on his game, in particular, in the third period. One of the Kings’ best chances came on the power play with Ian Cole off for crosschecking Kings left wing Tanner Pearson. Elliott made a fine glove save on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, who was between the circles, at 8:32. Doughty’s frustration was visible, and he had plenty of company. During one third-period sequence, Elliott was forced to play with defenseman Jay Bouwmeester’s stick after he broke his own stick. Quick had his highlight moment in the third period a few minutes later after Elliott’s save on Doughty, robbing Bouwmeester with a terrific glove save with seven minutes remaining. Two Kings went down to block the shot but Quick was there, keeping the game scoreless. 8 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 GOLF SPOTLIGHT Birthday boy Els takes charge in Hong Kong �I played quite nicely and a 65 was exactly what I needed to do’ AFP Hong Kong E rnie Els marked his 45th birthday in style by grabbing the halfway lead at the $1.3 million Hong Kong Open yesterday, as defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez missed the cut. Four-time major winner Els shot a five-under-par 65 to lie on nine-under, two strokes ahead of the chasing pack at the co-sanctioned European/Asian Tour event in the southern Chinese city. Starting on the 11th, the South African great blitzed six birdies before stumbling slightly with one bogey and then battling hard to prevent another two dropped shots at the Hong Kong Golf Club. “I played quite nicely and a 65 was exactly what I needed to do,” said Els, playing in the event for the first time. The golf hall of famer made a flying start at the par 70, 6,699-yard course in Fanling—picking up his six shots over the first 11 holes. But a lapse of concentration at the short par-4 fourth led to trouble off the tee and a bogey after he tried to go for the green with his drive. Els, nicknamed “The Big Easy” due to his tall frame and smooth swing, then made two lengthy par-saving putts on his 16th and 17th. “I had a chance of scoring really low today and I kind of lost my momentum,” he said. Starting on the 11th, the South African great blitzed six birdies before stumbling slightly with one bogey and then battling hard to prevent another two dropped shots at the Hong Kong Golf Club “The shot was on but I didn’t really have to go for it. It was a bit of a mental mistake on my part,” Els added of his drive on the fourth. “But I’m looking forward to the rest of the week and obviously I’m in a good position,” he said, adding that he would celebrate his birthday but “without alcohol”, after organisers presented him with a cake. France’s Raphael Jacquelin, and Australian pair Scott Hend and Cameron Smith trail Els on seven-under par. Els finished his round just as an unfit Jimenez was starting his. The Spanish veteran blamed food poisoning for an opening round 72 and said he was still unwell as he signed for a 70 on Friday, missing the cut in a tournament he has won four times. “It’s very disappointing,” the 50-year-old said. “The problem was my physical condition. I got sick and yesterday was very, very hard. “Today was a little better but I’m still not fit to play. It’s something I couldn’t do anything about.” “I came here with the intention of defending my title. It’s a pity,” he added. Asia’s only male major champion Y.E. Yang also failed to make the weekend, finishing on six-over par, as did Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts who crashed to a 79 after a nice 66 on Thursday. Overnight leader Jyoti Randhawa got home in level par to lie six-under. The Hong Kong Open is the penultimate event of this season’s European Tour. Ernie Els: Shot a 65 LPGA F rance’s Karine Icher hit a four-under 68 yesterday to surge to the second round lead at the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship in South Korea. Icher had five birdies against one bogey to move to fiveunder for the US$2.0 million tournament on the par-72, 6,364-yard Ocean Course at the Sky72 Golf and Resort club in Incheon. Icher started the day at one-under in a tie for 15th and promptly moved to two-under with a birdie on the opening hole. She also finished strongly, with three birdies over her final four holes. Icher said she faced “a completely different course” on Friday with the wind constantly changing direction, and credited her work with coach Brian Mogg for helping her with the gusty conditions. “This week, my coach was here and we practised a lot of low shots,” she said. “It seemed to pay off. Here, it’s always windy. I’ve never played in Korea without wind. Low shots are pretty strong in my game now. Hong Kong: Flamboyant Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez vowed to return to Hong Kong next year to seek a record-breaking fifth title after the defending champion sensationally missed the cut yesterday. The 50-year-old was seeking to become the first player to win the co-sanctioned European/Asian Tour event three times in a row but was undone by a bout of food poisoning in the southern Chinese city. Jimenez triumphed at the Hong Kong Golf Club in 2004, 2007, and 2012 before last year’s victory but failed to continue his dominance this week as he struggled to rounds of 72 and 70. The veteran, who is the oldest winner on the European Tour, said he was still hopeful of becoming the first golfer to win at Fanling five times. He also wants to join 14-time major winner Tiger Woods, British Open legend Tom Watson and Germany’s Bernhard Langer as the only players to win the same tournament on five occasions. “I’ll be back next year, of course,” said Jimenez. “I love this place. I love the golf course and I will definitely be here.”Jimenez never looked himself over two rounds on the 6,699-yard course, blaming a bad reaction to something he ate on Wednesday night. After an opening round of two-over par, the Spanish star needed to make a charge up the leaderboard yesterday but it never materialised.He made two quick birdies, but four bogeys in a row stopped him in his tracks. A chip-in for eagle on the 13th was a rare highlight but it was too little too late as he signed for a level-par 70. “Yesterday I walked around the golf course like a phantom,” he told reporters. “Today I tried hard and made some birdies but I also made too many bogeys.” Jimenez, renowned for his love of cigars, fast cars, and red wine added he would now turn his attention towards next week’s Macau Open—an Asian Tour event. ROUND-UP Icher surges to second round lead in S. Korea AFP Incheon Jimenez vows to be back after missing cut “There are four or five tournaments left for us, and I’d love to win one. There’s nothing else I am looking for,” Icher added. Beatriz Recari of Spain and American Brittany Lincicome both ended one stroke behind Icher, after shooting their second straight rounds of 70 yesterday. They are ahead of half-dozen golfers at three-under for the tournament, including the 2012 champ Suzann Pettersen. Park In-Bee, world number two who can rise to the top spot with a win in Incheon, managed only a 73 Friday with two birdies and three bogeys, which dropped her to even for the tournament and a tie for 24th. Lydia Ko, the third-ranked golfer who can also claim the top spot with a win, shot a three-under 69 Friday to move to two-under. Kang Hae-Ji of South Korea, who led after the first round with a 67, managed only a 75 Friday to fall to two-under. Defending champion Amy Yang had a disastrous round of 79, with eight bogeys against a single birdie. There are no cuts to this 72-hole tournament, the only LPGA stop in South Korea. France’s Karine Icher in action in Incheon yesterday. Cink, Laird tied in Las Vegas AFP Las Vegas A merican Stewart Cink, winless since his British Open triumph five years ago, remained patient through a slow start before surging into a share of the first round lead at the $6.2 million Las Vegas Open on Thursday. Cink was even par after seven holes in the Nevada desert event, but the 41-year-old bided his time and was rewarded with seven birdies in the final 11 holes for a seven-under-par 64 at the TPC Summerlin. Scot Martin Laird joined Cink one stroke ahead of compatriot Martin Knox, while Japanese ace Hideki Matsuyama was two strokes behind among a group that included Australian leukemia survivor Jarrod Lyle. “Even though you know it’s a low scoring event you have to remember that it’s a long week,” sixtime PGA Tour winner Cink told PGATour.com. “I looked up at the leaderboard when I was on eight green and I hadn’t made a birdie yet and somebody was already six under. That’s a little bit disheartening but you just have to remind yourself that it’s not a downpour of birdies from the very beginning.” Cink was unfairly cast as a villain when he beat Tom Watson in a playoff at Turnberry in 2009, depriving the sentimental favourite of a sixth Open title at the age of 59 and what would have been one of golf’s greatest ever feats. Few would have guessed that Cink’s career would then stagnate. Cink made 21 of 25 cuts last year, but could not post one top-10 finish. “Last year was a close call year,” he said. “It could have been really good. I didn’t have many good weekends. I especially had some rough patches that lasted four or five holes. I’d give myself a C and that’s probably being generous.” Laird, meanwhile, continued the form he displayed last week in the Tour season-opener in California where he tied for third. He hit every green in regulation but was frustrated that some of the birdie chances did not fall on the back nine, though a 40-foot putt for birdie at the last hole squared the ledger. “I’d missed a bunch of opportunities on the back nine (so) it was awfully nice to see that go in,” said Laird, a three-time Tour winner. Defending champion Webb Simpson opened with a 69 in his first start since being on the losing American team at the Ryder Cup, where he played only two matches, posting a loss and a halve. Taiwan’s fast-rising Chan eyes Rio Olympics Singapore: Being a late starter, Chan Shihchang had to work hard to rewrite Asian Development Tour (ADT) records and hopes to continue his stellar form to achieve his dream of representing Taiwan at the Rio Olympics. The 28-year-old has become the first player to claim three titles in a single season in the ADT circuit, which also earned him playing rights on the Asian Tour for the second half of the current season.“Hopefully I can continue to stay in that position as the leading player from Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) so that I qualify for the Olympics in 2016,” Chan said in an ADT statement. “It would be an honour if I can represent Chinese Taipei in the Olympics.” Chan secured his maiden title in Malaysia last year before adding three more trophies to emerge as the player with the most wins on the ADT since its 2010 inauguration. “My next aim is to win on the Asian Tour,” said Chan, the ADT Order of Merit leader with a record $66,991 income. “I broke into the world’s top 200 after winning the Taifong Open in July. It is my first time getting into the top 200 and it feels great. I’m still hoping to grab more victories this year to boost my ranking.” A member of Taiwan’s bronze medal winning amateur team in the 2006 Asian Games and an admirer of former world number one Tiger Woods, Chan has displayed tremendous mental fortitude in his three triumphs which came via playoffs. Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 9 SPORT BASKETBALL MOTOGP Qatar beat UAE for third straight win in GCC Championship �...optimistic about the next few games, which are very crucial’ Q atar won their third straight match in the GCC Basketball Championships in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, yesterday. Four-time winners Qatar followed up their win over Kuwait (78-53) and Oman 7549) with a 71-53 victory over two-time champions United Arab Emirates. The tournament, which is being held for the men’s teams of the Gulf region, will determine the two nations that will make it to the 2015 Asia Cup in China. Yesterday’s win was also witnessed by the Qatar Olympic Committee secretary general and the Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani. “I’m not only happy about winning over United Arab Emirates today but also with my players who tuned their game well, despite a few mistakes,” Qatar coach Fragias said Qatar is scheduled to play hosts and threetime champions Saudi Arabia today and Bahrain tomorrow. Qatar’s Greek coach Vasilis Fragias was happy with the performance of his players. “I’m not only happy about winning over United Arab Emirates today but also with my players who tuned their game well, despite a few mistakes. The fact we finished the first half with a huge lead (38-22), shows the rising level of Qatar’s game. This makes me optimistic about the next few games, which are very crucial,” Fragias said. Action from the GCC Basketball Championship match between Qatar and UAE in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, yesterday. Lorenzo tops opening practice for Aussie MotoGP AFP Phillip Island, Australia Y amaha’s Jorge Lorenzo (right) clocked the fastest time in opening practice yesterday, setting up a battle with newlycrowned world champion Marc Marquez in this weekend’s Australian MotoGP. The two-time world champion topped the time charts with a fastest lap of one minute 29.909 seconds around the sweeping Phillip Island circuit as he looks for his third consecutive MotoGP race victory. Lorenzo, who is battling his Movistar Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi and fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa for second overall in the world championship, was the quickest rider despite coming off his bike unharmed on the hairpin turn four in the second session. The trio is separated by just three points, with Rossi (5th) and Pedrosa (10th) within a second of Lorenzo’s best practice time. Lorenzo was 0.147sec quicker than Forward Yamaha racer Aleix Espargaro’s best time of 1:29.729 from the first practice session and Marquez’s best lap of 1:29.752 in second practice. Lorenzo, who won last year’s MotoGP at Phillip Island on the way to losing the world championship by four points to Marquez, is coming off two wins and is hitting form at the right time. “We are competitive now and strong,” Lorenzo said. “It is not going to be easy to keep winning races, because there are four riders in very good shape. But our level is high.” The pressure is off Marquez this weekend after he secured this year’s world title last weekend in Japan but he has yet to win at Phillip Island in the premier class after winning in the 125 race in 2010. “Today we focused on working with the new tyres that Bridgestone have brought for this circuit, which are totally different from what we have used for the rest of the year,” Marquez said. “This is also a circuit that requires a very exact set-up, because it has some very fast corners. In the afternoon practice session we took a step forward and I felt much better on the bike, but I think we have to keep working because there are still things that we can improve.” Italian Ducati rider Andrea Iannone was 0.2s down on Lorenzo in fourth and he was also flung off his bike in the afternoon session. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and nine-time world champion Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) both finished the day inside the top six, while Marquez’s Repsol Honda teammate Pedrosa was 10th. Local hero West tries to fly; Ramos learns new circuit Qatar Olympic Committee secretary general and the Qatar Basketball Federation president Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani watched the match in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, yesterday. Phillip Island, Australia: QMMF Racing Team rider Anthony West “tried to fly” in the first free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, when he had the biggest highsider in many years of racing. The 33-year-old Queenslander got caught out in the second-last corner of the track, a fast left-hander, and limped away with a bruised foot, but was cleared to ride afterwards and to score 15th place in the combined standings of day one. Team-mate Roman Ramos also had to learn another new race track. Even though he liked the layout of the fast and sweeping Phillip Island circuit a lot, he struggled to get up to speed and finished the day in 33rd position due to set-up issues. “This morning I tried to fly,” West said after the session. “I had the biggest highsider that I’ve had for a long time. With a Moto2 bike you normally never have big highsides like that. My foot is a bit sore, but it’s okay to walk and okay to ride, so it’s not a problem. I hit the ground hard and knocked the wind out of myself. Luckily the mechanics were fast to get me back out on the track and we got a few more laps in. “Unfortunately, we broke some parts on the suspension so we couldn’t make a good set-up. But for the afternoon session, we made a few changes, and I went faster and faster. Now I think we are in a good position. I feel strong and there are just two corners I need to work on, where I am quite slow. But on other parts of the track, I am really fast. If we can work on what’s missing, I think we will look good for qualifying tomorrow.” Ramos said: “Phillip Island is another new circuit for us and it is quite challenging and fast. I like the layout it a lot and it suits my riding style, but it wasn’t a good day for us. We are still chasing a better set-up, but I am sure that we will be able to improve tomorrow and climb a few positions in the time sheets.” Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation Cup Winners of the various categories on the podium with the guests on the second day of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation Cup at the Losail Shooting Range. The tournament concludes on October 25. 10 Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 SPORT CRICKET DEAL Kohli century takes India to 2-1 series win against Windies �Unlucky for us Virat got his form back against us’ Agencies Dharamsala Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring 20th ODI century. T he fourth ODI at Dharamsala yesterday started and ended with turbulence for the West Indies. After they decided to pull out of the tour with one ODI, one T20I and three Tests still to go, the Caribbean team, chasing India’s 330 for 6, fuelled by Virat Kohli’s 20th ton, could only manage 271 all out in 48.1 overs to concede the series 2-1. When the entire Caribbean team accompanied captain Dwayne Bravo to the toss in a show of solidarity over a pay dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board, there was a sense that it is the beginning of some sort of upheaval. It turned out to be that way as reports coming during the course of the Indian innings confirmed that the game was the last of this tour on account of both players and the WICB failing to reach a consensus. As a result of the shocking development, Kohli, Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane’s excellent batting efforts were put on the back burner in front of a packed stadium. Against such a backdrop, the idea of a West Indies comeback was highly improbable. The conjecture was spot on as the tourists gave up very in the chase and weren’t it for Marlon Samuels’ second ton (112 off 106 balls, 9x4s,6x6s) in the series the margin of defeat could have been much bigger. “Unlucky for us Virat got his form back against us. But we wish him the best. Can’t fault the effort of our boys,” Dwayne Bravo said. Samuels didn’t seem to be affected by the situation around him and delayed the inevitable for a considerable period. Andre Russell chanced his arm towards the end hitting six fours and three sixes during his 23-ball 46 but that was that. Among Indian bowlers, Akshar Patel, who replaced Amit Mishra for this match, impressed a lot returning 2 for 26. Bhuvneshar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja also took two wickets apiece. After being put in to bat on a wicket partial to batsmen, openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rahane hit the ground running. Dhawan, in particular, looked in good touch putting on display plenty of pulls and cuts. However, attempting one pull Australia hand coach Lehmann contract extension AFP Melbourne A shes-winning Australian coach Darren Lehmann was handed a one-year contract extension, with senior officials hailing his influence on the team. Since assuming the role from the sacked Mickey Arthur in June last year, Lehmann has steered Australia to seven Test wins out of 13, with two drawn and four lost. His contract with Cricket Australia was due to end in mid2016, but he has won an extra year. “We have been extremely pleased with the results Darren has achieved with the team since he came on board,” CA’s performance manager Pat Howard said in a statement. “He has helped create an excellent team environment that has seen players thrive. We want that to continue so we used the winter period to work through an extension to his current contract. Importantly it provides continuity for the team and certainty for Darren heading into a critical period for Australian cricket.” Lehmann was thrust into the spotlight a few weeks before Australia’s 2013 Ashes series in England began when he was appointed to replace Arthur. The 44-year-old former Test batsman said he was proud of his achievements so far, which have included a five-nil Ashes triumph over England last summer and a 2-1 win in South Africa in March. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have had in the job and am proud of what we have achieved so far,” he said. “I want to continue with the work we have done on and off the field with the team, as I feel we are heading in the right direction. “I will be judged by results,” he added. “If the team is not performing, then I am answerable.” Lehmann’s relaxed, inclusive style has been apparent from the outset. While preparing for a warm-up game against Somerset last year, shortly after being handed the job, he called the team together, asked for the stop-watch to be started, and declared that no team meeting during his tenure would ever go longer than 30 minutes. After that, it was off to the pub. In the words of opener Chris Rogers, it was a moment in which the players realised that they could enjoy their cricket again, and that the weight was off their shoulders. Lehmann has also been known to deliver a serve for a loose shot or silly decision, but he himself said the major change he had noted in the Australian setup since he came on board was in the atmosphere of the squad. Australia begins a two-Test series against Pakistan in Dubai on October 22. DARREN LEHMANN too many, he found Darren Bravo at deep midwicket off a slightly quicker delivery from Russell for a run-a-ball 35. Kohli started from where he had left off at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, dropping anchor in the middle straight away. The run-scoring responsibility fell to Rahane who did a good job of it. However, he was lucky to have been dropped by Jerome Taylor at fine-leg when he was on 34. He went on to make 34 more - his seventh fifty - and his participation in the 70 and 72-run stands with Dhawan and Kohli set the tone for a big score. His lbw dismissal by Sulieman Benn wasn’t the right decision as the ball pitched outside off and was missing the stumps as shown by replays. New batsman Raina also started from where he had left off in Delhi, showing good touch from the word go. His 31st fifty came in the blink of an eye off 46 balls and not once he looked in discomfort. Kohli took 65 balls to complete his fifty but after that he upped the ante. Kohli and Raina had added 138 when, against the run of play, the latter edged one wide delivery from Taylor to Denesh Ramdin behind the wickets. Raina hit three fours and five sixes during his innings of 71 off 58 balls. Kohli’s 20th ton came in a dramatic fashion - by means of an overthrow. MS Dhoni (6) and Jadeja (2) departed in quick succession but Kohli (127 off 114 balls, 13x4s, 3x6s) ensured there was a formidable total on the board. His last 77 runs came off 49 balls while India scored 94 in the last 10 overs. He was run out off the last ball of the innings. Ambati Rayudu hit a big six in the last over bowled by Taylor and remained unbeaten on 12. SCOREBOARD INDIA Rahane lbw b Benn 68 Dhawan c Bravo b Russell 35 V. Kohli run out 127 S. Raina c Ramdin b Taylor 71 M. Dhoni run out (Pollard) 6 R. Jadeja c Russell b Holder 2 A. Rayudu not out 12 Extras (lb-6 w-3) 9 Total (for 6 wickets, 50 overs) 330 Fall of wickets: 1-70, 2-142, 3-280, 4-290, 5-300, 6-330. Bowling: J Taylor 9-0-77–1, J Holder 9-0-52-1, A Russell, 7-0-48–1, S Benn 8-0-30–1, M Samuels 10-0-54–0, D Bravo 6-0-51–0, K Pollard 1-0-12–0. WEST INDIES D. Smith c Shami b Yadav 0 D Bravo b Patel 40 Pollard c Dhawan b Kumar 6 M. Samuels b Shami 112 D. Ramdin c Patel b Jadeja 9 D Bravo lbw b Jadeja 0 D. Sammy c&b Patel 16 A. Russell b Yadav 46 J. Holder c Raina b Kumar 11 J. Taylor b Shami 11 S. Benn not out 1 Extras (lb-10 w-9) 19 Total (all out, 48.1 overs) 271 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-27, 3-83, 4-120, 5-121, 6-165, 7-222, 8-239, 9-260,10-271. Bowling: B. Kumar 10-2-25-2, U. Yadav 9-0-44-2, M. Shami 9.1-0-72-2, V Kohli1-0-14-0, A. Patel 10-1-26-2, R. Jadeja 9-1-80-2. Black Caps Taylor, Milne to miss South Africa ODIs New Zealand’s former skipper Ross Taylor and paceman Adam Milne will miss the upcoming one-day international series against South Africa because of injury, New Zealand Cricket said yesterday. Top order batsman Taylor, a veteran of 137 ODIs, has a calf problem, while Milne is struggling with an elbow injury and both were ruled out of a warm-up match for the series against Ireland in Hamilton on Saturday. Fast-medium swing bowler Tim Southee is battling a shoulder injury but should be fit to face the Proteas in the first of three one-day matches in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday. Batsman Kane Williamson, who has a wrist problem, will miss the Ireland match and the first of the South Africa encounters but should be available for the final two matches of the series in Mount Maunganui next Friday and Hamilton on Oct. 27. New Zealand are ranked seventh in the world rankings and will be looking to the series against the second-ranked South Africans to help with their preparations for the World Cup, which they are cohosting with Australia early next year. SPOTLIGHT Azam, Sohail hit centuries in warm-up game AFP Sharjah B abar Azam and Haris Sohail hit hundreds for Pakistan �A’ as Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon took two wickets in a warm-up match in Sharjah yesterday. Azam, who turned 20 on Wednesday, was 114 not out to stake claims for a Test place whith another hopeful Haris Sohail batting on an unbeaten 103 as Pakistan �A’ reached 306-3 at close on the third of the four-day match at Sharjah stadium. That gave Pakistan �A’ an overall lead of 338 after Australia declared their first innings at the overnight total of 273-8. Pakistan �A’ had made 305-8 declared in their first essay. Azam, who led Pakistan in the Junior World Cup in Australia in 2012, hit nine boundaries and three sixes during his stylish display after openers Ahmed Shahzad (59) and Shan Masood (19) gave the home team a sound 62run start. Sohail, who is in Pakistan’s initial squad of 19 for the Tests, has so far hit nine fours and three sixes. Australian bowlers had another good work out with Lyon standing out. Lyon, who will spearhead Australia’s spin attack in the two- match Test series starting in Dubai from October 22, removed Masood and Israr Ullah off consecutive deliveries to finish with 2-49. Shahzad was run out after hitting eight boundaries in his second half-century of the match, a much needed boost for Pakistan’s struggling batting which saw them lose the preceding three-match one-day series 3-0. Australia also had the consolation of allrounder Mitchell Marsh bowling seven overs without showing signs of the hamstring injury that forced him to miss the limited over series. Marsh is also likely to fill in as fifth bowler in the Test series. Lyon said Australia were happy with the practice. “We’re pretty happy,” said Lyon. “This game is really about an opportunity for all the players in our squad (before the Test).” Azam hoped his hundred would earn him some recognition. “Scoring a hundred is always a great honour and to have done it against a team like Australia is even bigger,” said Azam. “It’s my aim to score runs and play for Pakistan seniors.” The second Test starts in Abu Dhabi from October 30. Brief scores: Pakistan �A’ 305-8 dec (Asad Shafiq 108 not out; S. O’Keefe 3-76) and 306-3 (Babar Azam 114 not out, Haris Sohail 103 not out; N. Lyon 2-49) Australia 273-8 dec (A. Doolan 104, S. Smith 58) BABAR AZAM Gulf Times Saturday, October 18, 2014 POSTER Miguel Agnel Jimenez Spanish golfer | 25 wins as a professional | Ryder Cup winner | The Mechanic 11 Saturday, October 18, 2014 MOTORSPORT GULF TIMES MOTOCROSS Jaffar wins double in Losail MX opening round �This championship will be stronger and more people from international countries can race with us’ By Sports Reporter Doha T he opening round for Losail MX Championship kicked off today at the MX Track with the participation of fifteen bikes divided into MX1 and MX2 category. In MX1 qualifying, the fastest rider was South African Le Roy Botha, the runner up of the last season in this category. Botha raced a lap time of 1:59.792 on a Honda. Another Honda, that of Kuwait’s Meshari Shaibah was second with a time of 2:01.724. Mohamed Jaffar, moved from MX2 to MX1 this year, had the third best time of 2:02.401. In MX2 qualifying, Kuwait’s Barak al-Jasmi was fastest in his category on a KTM (2:07.595). Teammate Moaath al-Ansari was second with a time of 2:10.262. Al-Ansari, last season’s MX1 champion, has changed to MX2 this season. In the first race of the day, Kuwait’s Meshari Shaibah led the race in the first three laps but Jaffar overtook him to lead rest of the way for a win. Jaffar was very excited about his win in the new category. “I had been riding in MX1 the last few years and achieved a lot of titles. It was time to change for more challenging goals and new achievements,” Jaffar said. Shaibah took the second place, ahead of Le Roy Botha. In MX2, Kuwait’s Barak al-Jasmi won ahead of Bahrain’s Hasan Nooraldin and Mohamed al-Hattab. Jaffar won the second MX1 race too, 40.783 seconds ahead of Shaibah. Botha was third yet again. “First of all I would like to thank QMMF. Honestly, every year it is much easier for us to take part in their events and we enjoy more and more. Hopefully this championship will be stronger and more people from international countries can race with us,” Jaffar said. “Today the race was really tough, as usual, and I would like to dedicate my first win of the season to my coach Mohamed al-Balooshi as we have been working for this for a long time. This season, I am high on confidence, because of the hard training and work during the past four months. I am well prepared for the season. Thanks to Balooshi Racing team, Adidas Kuwait, KTM Kuwait, Sungarde and Red Bull” In the second MX2 race, Nooraldin won ahead of al-Jasmi and Kuwait’s Abdullah al-Raqum. There was a photo opportunity with all the riders and authorities for the opening round of the season. Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) president Nasser Khalifa alAttiyah said that the level of the Losail MX Championship is getting higher and the competitors bring in more excitement in every season. He hoped that more riders will join the championship in the coming rounds to create a more challenging competition. Trophies for the races were presented by QMMF board member Sultan Zaher al-Morraikhi, FIM Asia vice president Essa al-Awadi and QMMF Public Relations manager Rashid al-Sulaiti. The next round of Losail MX Championship is scheduled for November 21. Mohamed Jaffar in action during the MX1 Race One in the opening round of the Losail MX Championship yesterday. Jaffar won both the MX1 races in the opening round of the Losail MX Championship ahead of Meshari Shaibah and Le Roy Botha. RALLYING Sheikh Khalid wins Abu Dhabi; Qatar’s al-Kuwari third Agencies Abu Dhabi S heikh Khalid al-Qassimi won the Abu Dhabi Rally, a candidate event for next year’s FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), in dominating fashion yesterday. Sheikh Khalid dominated the event from day one, going fastest in the super special stage held on Thursday night at the North Handling area of the iconic Yas Marina Circuit, the home of the Etihad Airways Formula One Grand Prix. Yesterday, Sheikh Khalid opened his campaign at the Ghantoot 1 special stage over 18.71km, finishing 25.9 seconds ahead of his closest rival and over one minute ahead of the new overnight leader, Abu Dhabi Racing junior driver Mohamed al-Mutawaa. From there on, Sheikh Khalid was in top form, winning all of yesterday’s stages and storming to victory in a total time of 1 hour 24 minutes 33.8 seconds, 3:05.3 minutes ahead of Sheikh Abdullah al-Qassimi in second with Qatar’s Abdullah al-Kuwari 9:11.9 further back in third overall. “I would like to thank each and every member of the organizing body; the or- ganization of the Rally was first class. The stages were exciting and technically demanding in places, but thankfully we didn’t face any major obstacles and won first place,” Sheikh Khalid said. “I would like to thank the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi Rally Team for their consummate professionalism as always in preparing the cars to the highest standards. I would like to add that I am very happy for the Abu Dhabi Racing junior team who I thought performed very well in stages and we are looking to enroll them in numerous future rallies so that they can gain even more experience.” “It was an exciting rally today; we did our best to win but unfortunately our tires did not perform well here in Abu Dhabi despite being tested at Rally Jordan,” second-placed Sheikh Abdullah said. Qatar’s al-Kuwari said: “We have really enjoyed the rally and its exciting stages despite the hot weather. The organization was outstanding as were the spectators. I would like to thank Sheikh Khalid and the organizing committee who delivered a fantastic Rally for all involved.” Abu Dhabi Racing drivers Mohamed al-Mutawaa, Mansoor Belhelei, Mohamed al-Sahlawi and Saeed Bintouq finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. The event, jointly organized by Yas Motor Racing Club and Abu Dhabi Racing, run over 453.48km with 153.44km as the competitive distance over nine stages and the remainder as the liaison distance, drew a total of 15 cars. Organising Committee chairman Ahmed al-Kaabi said: “I would like to thank everyone in the organizing team, for their efforts in making the rally happen. Obviously safety is our top priority at Yas Marina Circuit and thanks to the efforts of the team the rally was a huge success. We are looking forward to organizing the Abu Dhabi Rally next year and for it to becoming a permanent of the Middle East Rally Competition rounds.” PROVISIONAL RESULTS 1. Sheikh Khalid al-Qassimi / C. Patterson (Citroën DS3 RRC) 1:24:33.8 2. Sheikh Abdulla al-Qassimi / S. Lancaster (Ford Fiesta RRC) +3:05.3 3. Abdulla al-Kuwari / A. Mohamed (Mitsubishi Evo 10) +9:11.9 4. Mohamed al-Mutawaa / S. Mcauley (Citroën DS3 R3) +10:49.1 5. Mansoor Belhelei / K. al-Kendi (Citroën DS3 R3) +14:45.7 6. Mohammed al-Shalawi / G. Parry (Citroën DS3 R3) +14:52.7 7. Saeed Bintouq / A. Harryman (Citroën DS3 R3) +15:59.8 Qatar’s Abdulla al-Kuwari in action during the Abu Dhabi Rally.
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