QATAR | Page 32 INDEX QATAR REGION ARAB WORLD 2 – 10, 32 11 12, 13 INTERNATIONAL 14 – 29 30, 31 COMMENT BUSINESS 1 – 7, 11 – 16 CLASSIFIED 8 – 11 SPORTS 1 – 12 SPORT | Page 12 QR18mn vehicle inspection centre opens in Mesaimeer DOW JONES QE NYMEX 17,344.66 11,877.43 45.78 -269.02 -1.53% -59.15 -0.50% -0.11 -0.24% Latest Figures d he R is bl TA 978 A 1 Q since in GULF TIMES pu Iran wary of Qatar in Asian Cup Group C clash THURSDAY Vol. XXXV No. 9603 January 15, 2015 Rabia I 24, 1436 AH www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Finishing touches Doha-based team in cancer research breakthrough In Brief Emir to open Handball World Championship QNA Doha H H the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will patronise the opening of the 24th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship – Qatar 2015, in the presence of a number of heads of state and chiefs of delegations of the countries participating in the tournament, at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall this evening. HE the chairman of the Organising Committee of 2015 Men’s Handball World Championship, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, yesterday said the 2015 Men’s Handball World Championship would be an “exceptional event locally and internationally”. Describing the event as “a legacy that lends Qatar a strong reputation”, Sheikh Joaan said that Qatar always fulfilled its promises and pledges. He noted that this was the first time the championship was being held in one city, a matter which would facilitate movement of teams and fans. He said the organising committee of 2015 Men’s Handball World Championship enjoyed full support of the International Handball Federation (IHF) and its president, Dr Hassan Mustafa. He stressed that Qatar’s objective was to make the world championship “as an everlasting and unique event for all athletes, sport officials, media representatives, fans, volunteers and national and international sport federations”. Sport Pages 1, 2, 3 Given that tens of thousands of women die from ovarian cancer each year, any improvement in the therapies used could be of huge significance C A worker putting the finishing touch to Fahed, the Qatar 2015 mascot, outside the Lusail Multipurpose Hall yesterday. The opening ceremony will take place in the Lusail Multipurpose Hall, with a seating capacity for more than 15,000 spectators. ancer researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) have made a breakthrough that could lead to improved treatments for ovarian cancer, which causes the death of a large number of women across the world. Dr Bella Guerrouahen, a postdoctoral associate in genetic medicine at WCMC-Q, has discovered one of the aspects of how and why a patient may build up resistance to the popular cancer drug bevacizumab, sold commercially as Avastin. Avastin prevents the growth of blood vessels to the tumour, thereby cutting off its food and oxygen supply. It does this by targeting VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) – a protein that stimulates the growth of brand new blood vessels, and the creation of new blood vessels from existing ones. The VEGF, produced by the cancer cells, then attracts the endothelial cells which form new blood vessels around the tumour. But despite initial success where Avastin works and prevents the growth of new blood vessels, pa- Dr Bella Guerrouahen in the lab at WCMC-Q. tients often suffer from a build-up of resistance to the drug, causing the blood vessels to begin growing again. This allows the tumour to thrive and potentially spread. Dr Guerrouahen and her research team discovered that it was the endothelial cells – cells that line the walls of blood vessels – that were essentially building up a resistance to Avastin. Because the VEGF was being neutralised by Avastin, the cancer cells instead produced more FGF (fibroblast growth factor), another protein involved in the creation of blood vessels. This allowed the production of new blood vessels to re-start and eventually the tumour continued to grow. Given that tens of thousands of women die from ovarian cancer each year, any improvement in the therapies used could be of huge significance. “What my paper showed was that patients would benefit from a combination of therapies – when you use an anti-FGF in tandem with Avastin, you get better results. This could apply to other cancers as well,” Dr Guerrouahen said. The objective is to optimise and improve treatments for the disease. It can help to build new translational research as combination therapies can be studied in trials. Dr Guerrouahen explored the reasons behind the phenomenon, working in the research laboratory of Dr Arash Rafii, associate professor of Genetic Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at WCMC-Q. She received funding from Qatar National Research Fund under the Junior Scientists Research Experience programme, and support from Dr Ahmed Saleh from the pharmacy at Qatar’s National Centre for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), Dr Rafii added that the success of the research relied on strong collaboration between WCMC-Q and Hamad Medical Corporation. 2 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 QATAR Cabinet issues draft law on protection of workers’ wage QNA Doha T he Employer must transfer workers’ wages to their accounts at financial institutions in the State, and the annual or monthly wages of recruited workers are to be paid at least once a month, and the wages of all other workers are to be paid at least once every two weeks, as per a draft law issued by the Cabinet yesterday. The Weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani at the Emiri Diwan, has issued the draft law amending some provisions of the Labour Law which was issued by law No 14 of the year 2004. The Cabinet then reviewed the Advisory Council’s recommendations on the draft law. The Minister of Labour and Social Affairs has issued the regulations to protect the workers’ wages. The Cabinet approved draft decision of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs on the wages protection system of workers who are subject to the Labour Law. Under the project, the Labour Inspection department in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, shall take the measures to implement the Wage Protection System (WPS) for workers under Labour Law. The WPS aims to ensure that employers fulfil their obligation of paying the workers’ wages in a timely manner, and in accordance with their contracts and the applicable regulations in the State. Employers are obliged to transfer wages of workers to financial institutions in the State, within seven days from the due date. The Labour Inspection department may request a detailed report, from the employer, on the payment of the workers’ wages. The Minister or his authorised representative may bring against an employer who violates the provisions of this resolution, any of the following: 1. Cease granting new work permits. 2. Or, Cease all dealings with the Ministry, excluding attesting the labour contracts. The WPS aims to ensure that employers fulfil their obligation of paying the workers’ wages in a timely manner, and in accordance with their contracts and the applicable regulations in the State Cessation is to be lifted by the Minister or his delegate, after the submitting proof of payment of all outstanding wages. The Cabinet also approved a draft Cabinet decision amending the regulations of some administrative units which make up Qatar Tourism Authority, and a draft decision of the Minister of Economy and Commerce on creating sections in the administrative units that make up the Qatar Tourism Authority and setting their terms of reference. The Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning on extending lease contracts for non-residential purposes, for one year as of 15/02/2015. The provisions of the mentioned legal extension excludes: the administrative headquarters of commercial companies and other legal persons engaged in private trade, offices of lawyers, accountants, engineers, veterinarians, clinics and the offices of agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery experts. The Cabinet also approved Accession to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from their utilisation annexed to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Cabinet also approved a draft agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income between the government of Qatar and Japan, and the protocol attached to it and a draft air services agreement between the governments of Qatar and Latvia. The Council reviewed the following topics and took appropriate decisions: 1. A letter by the Minister of Justice on the proposal to amend Article 182 of the Penal Code promulgated by Law No. (11) for the year 2004. 2. Memorandum of the Minister of Finance on the results of 11th Conference of the Federation of the tax authorities in the Islamic States which was held in Tunisia during the month of December 2014. 3.Letter of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on the outcome of the 18th meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers of Communications and Information Technology, which was held in Cairo in December 2014. First batch of �Al Firjan’ markets opens T he first batch of the commercial complex, consisting of several retail shops, referred to as �Al Firjan’ or neighbourhood markets, was opened recently, according to Al Sharq newspaper. The exact location of the newly opened market, however, has not been mentioned by the daily. Waseef, the real estate utilities leasing management firm of the Barwa Real Estate Company is supervising and managing �Al Firjan’ markets. The company handed over the first batch of shops to its benefi- ciaries, the paper reported. The market, it is hoped, will contribute to the growth of the commercial sector in the country and will considerably ease the shopping issues and concerns of the residents of those localities which have no adequate shopping avenues and facilities. The setting of such markets is also expected to check the unreasonable hike in the shops’ rents these days, it is understood. At the opening of the first market some of the beneficiaries thanked the Waseef manage- ment for providing them with outlets on schedule and also at affordable rents, the paper has reported. While hailing the whole initiative, Waseef’s Manager of Sales and leasing Mohamed Ali alHamdi said the neighbourhood market project is a novel initiative, backed by some social objectives and obligations. Waseef is managing almost 50% of the 645 odd shops at the neighbourhood markets, said the official. In the coming months, a number of new neighbourhood markets would be ready for opening, said al-Hamdi. Macedonian president arrives in Doha Official Defence Minister reviews bilateral ties with Iran HE the Minister of Youth and Sports Salah bin Ghanim bin Nasser al-Ali receiving the Macedonian President Georgi Ivanov in Doha yesterday. President Ivanov is in Doha to attend the opening of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship Qatar 2015. Qatar’s Ambassador to Macedonia Zaid Hassan Abdullah al-Mahmoud was also present on the occasion. FC Bayern Munich players visit Q-Auto showroom F C Bayern Munich stars Thomas Müller and Dante Santos, currently in Doha along with the rest of the team to participate in the annual training camp, visited Q-Auto showroom to meet fans. More than 300 people queued up to get a glimpse of the stars, an autograph and have their picture taken with them. Q-Auto, the official importer of Audi and Volkswagen, is hosting FC Bayern Munich at the nine-day camp, which runs until Saturday, with six members of the World Cup-winning team in attendance. The Bayern Munich team – including Mario Goetze, the game-winning goal scorer, have returned to Qatar for their fifth annual training camp, held at Qatar’s Aspire Academy, a globally recognised national sports academy. Other members of the World Cup-winning team taking part in the training camp including Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller and the semifinalists Arjen Robben (Netherland) and Dante (Brazil). Yann Lassade, managing director, Q-Auto said: “Hosting Germany’s best team, FC Bayern Munchen, gives us and our customers the opportunity to meet international and World Cup winning football stars.” HE the Minister of State for Defence Affairs Major General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah met the Iranian Border Guards Commander Brigadier General Qassem Rezayee and the delegation accompanying him yesterday. The two sides exchanged views on issues of mutual concern and discussed ways of enhancing relations between the two countries. Iranian Ambassador to Doha Mohamed Jawad Asayish attended the meeting along with a number of senior Qatari armed forces officers. Meanwhile, Public Security Director General, Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim alKhulaifi, held separate meeting with Iranian Border Guards Commander Brigadier General Qassem Rezayee. They reviewed aspects of cooperation in issues of common interest and ways of enhancing them. Labour Minister meets Pakistan, Mauritania envoys HE the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Dr Abdullah Saleh Mubarak al-Khulaifi met Pakistani Ambassador to Qatar Shahzad Ahmed yesterday. The meeting reviewed bilateral relations and ways of boosting and developing them in addition to issues of common concern. The Minister of Labour and Social Affairs also met Mauritanian Ambassador to Doha Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf yesterday. They reviewed bilateral relations and ways of developing them in addition to issues of mutual interest. Speaker receives message from UAE council president FC Bayern Munich stars Müller and Santos interact with fans at Q-Auto showroom in Doha. Porsche Cayman 991, Boxster models recalled Ministry to enforce Qatari standards for cosmetics The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has announced the recall of Porsche Cayman 991 and Porsche Boxster 2014 and 2015 models in co-operation with its dealer in Qatar. The free recall and repair campaign is due to the possibility that motorists could sustain harm because of a defect in the upper seal of the engine cover that makes it unstable, the MEC explained in a statement. MEC monitors the local auto market closely and co-ordinates with all distributors in the country to maintain the best possible practices of consumer protection. Qatari General Authority for Standards and Standardisation, at the Ministry of the Environment (MoE), has decided to start enforcing from February 15 technical regulations for cosmetics and perfumes containing Ethanol. Perfumes should not include more than 90% Ethanol and should contain a substance that make it undrinkable. The content of Methanol should not exceed 0.05%. The bottles for sale should not exceed 250ml and should be equipped with a sprayer or valve that cannot be removed by hand. It should be labelled in red in Arabic and English “For External Use Only”. The label should be conspicuous on the bottle. HE Advisory Council Speaker Mohamed bin Mubarak al-Khulaifi yesterday received a message from UAE Federal National Council President Mohamed bin Ahmed al-Murr pertaining to bilateral parliamentary ties between the two countries and means of developing them. UAE Ambassador to Qatar Saleh bin Mohamed al-Amri delivered the message to HE al-Khulaifi yesterday. HE Advisory Council Secretary General Fahad bin Mubarak alKhayareen attended the meeting. Maldivian leader receives envoy’s credentials Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom yesterday received the credentials of Qatar’s nonresident ambassador Rashid bin Shafie al-Marri yesterday in Male. Ambassador al-Marri conveyed the greetings of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to the Maldivian president. Doha Youth Forum to be held along with UN crime prevention congress By Joseph Varghese Staff Reporter T he �Doha Youth Forum’ will be held in connection with the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which is scheduled to take place in Doha from April 12-19 this year. This is the first time a youth forum is organised along with the UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The forum will be held from April 7 to 9 at the Qatar National Convention Centre. The Doha Youth Forum is offering students in Qatar an opportunity to participate in a UN event and express their ideas and hopes for a sustainable and prosperous future. The Doha Youth Forum will consider a parallel agenda and will draw up relevant proposals which may be presented to the Congress. An orientation session was held for the participants of the Doha Youth Forum at the Student Centre of the Hamada Bin Khalifa University ( HBKU) yesterday. Officials of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) and the Ministry of Interior briefed the participants on the youth forum and their role in shaping the future. Ambassador Ahmed Hassan al-Hammadi, vice-president of the Preparatory Committee of the UN Congress, gave an overview of the youth forum and the expectations from the youth. He explained that the Doha Youth Forum, purely a Qatari initiative, is the first of its kind in 60 years in the history of UN Congress on Prevention of Crimes. The forum will provide opportunities for the youth to discuss several issues such as cyber or environmental crimes and come out with suggestions and recommendations to counter them in the fast changing universe. Dr Khalid al-Khanji, vicepresident, Student Affairs, HBKU said that an opportunity was given to the youth to voice their concerns, aspirations, hopes and vision. Dimitri Vlassis, executive secretary of 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, highlighted the strong political will of the government of Qatar in organising the congress and explained some of the salient features of the congress. “The congress takes stock of the last 5 years and plan for the next 5 years. We need to work in close co-ordination for a sustainable and prosperous world. Doha is not supposed to be the point of arrival, it is supposed to be the point of departure. That sets the bar very high.” Sheikha Amal al-Thani, HSSE executive director, Qatar Foundation talked about the role of Qatar Foundation in supporting the youth of Qatar. Some of the participants at the orientation programme yesterday. PICTURE: Jayan Orma Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 3 QATAR FM receives new ambassadors’ credentials QDA getting ready to host spring camp for children Q HE the Foreign Minister Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah yesterday received copies of the credentials of the ambassadors of Albania and Spain to Qatar, Edmond Chasha and Escobar Grario, respectively. The Foreign Minister wished the two ambassadors success in their assignments and the relations between Qatar and their countries further progress and prosperity. New taxi meters will ensure fair deal, says Mowasalat M owasalat has said the installation of sensoraided new meters in the company’s taxis would ensure not only a fair deal to the customers seeking their services but also protect the needs of the company’s taxi drivers. Reacting to a report that the Gulf Times published on Tuesday about a section of the Mowasalat taxi drivers staying away from work at the Hamad International Airport (HIA), protesting against the installation of the new meters, the government-run transport company said those who had refused to do duties on Monday have now resumed work after the company management ex- plained its position on the issue. The drivers returned for work after Mowasalat CEO Khalid al-Hail and senior officials held deliberations with their representatives. At the meeting the drivers were explained about the advantages of the new meters, including the additional benefits that they stood to get with its effective use by improving the company’s revenues, the company said in a statement yesterday. The statement said there were several complaints earlier from the public as well as the Central Municipal Council members about the higher rates being charged by Mowasalat taxis, most of which allegedly done by the drivers’ who reportedly tampered with the meters. The company installed new meters in their taxis not only to overcome this critical issue of overcharging but also in the hope of improving their services, it said. “We are duty bound to ensure 100% satisfaction to our taxis’ customers by providing them with comfortable and affordable services,” explained Mowasalat. The company said the new meters have many advanced and sophisticated features which would help the drivers as well as the customers locate their destinations without any issues. “Through such innovative technological solutions, the company is also ensuring the safety of the taxi passengers. Unlike what it used to be there will not be any complaints in future about drivers not knowing the customers’ destinations,” hoped Mowasalat. The company hoped that the new sensor-aided GPS meters would also ensure that the customers received the right receipts for their journeys. It said the installation of new technologies would not be linked to the wages, and other benefits of the drivers. “On the contrary, drivers are now benefited if they deliver better services to the customers,” it was pointed out. atar Diabetes Association (QDA), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), has started final preparations for its 15th annual Al Bawasil International Spring Camp for children with diabetes. The camp is part of a variety of QF initiatives that promote healthcare in the State of Qatar through education and awareness of prevalent health problems, as well as providing effective ways to deal with them. Al Bawasil, which takes place from January 31 to February 5 at Aspire Academy in Doha, is the largest camp in the region that brings together children with diabetes from across the Mena region and beyond for a week-long learning and activity-driven experience. The camp is part of a variety of QF initiatives that promote healthcare in the State of Qatar through education and awareness of prevalent health problems The programme is designed to help participants lead a healthy lifestyle, build their confidence in managing the condition and grow to become active members of their community. Al-Bawasil Camp has a daily programme of education and fun activities supervised by a specialised medical team. Workshops and other activities will also form part of the camp, with some being held in collaboration with Aspire Academy highlighting the importance of sport in controlling the effects of diabetes. Children from Qatar, Sudan, Afghanistan, Morocco, Pakistan, Iraq, India, Lebanon, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Palestine will participate. Children from UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya are also expected to participate. Registration is still open for both boys and girls from Qatar, aged 7-11, to participate in the camp. QDA may be contacted on 44547311 or 44547333. Registration for the camp will close on January 20. Civic body urged to tackle stray dogs’ menace in Industrial Area V isitors to Doha Industrial Area and residents of the accommodations in the densely populated localities there have sought the urgent intervention of the municipal authorities for finding an effective solution to the growing stray dog menace in the entire area, Arrayah newspaper has reported. The paper has said the stray dogs are multiplying in the sprawling area as each day passed and they posed a big threat to the lives of the residents as well as visitors. The situation has led to panic among the residents, especially those in the accommodations and others frequenting to the area as part of their daily work, the paper has reported. It has been pointed out that the presence of a multitude of dogs has created a scare among the residents and incidents of dogs attacking pedestrians are reported at regular intervals in the Industrial Area. The situation has led to panic among the residents, especially those in the accommodations and others frequenting to the area Dogs take shelter under the abandoned vehicles, found in large numbers in many streets, and they emerge out from the cover of such vehicles at times for attacking the passersby. Some of the residents have complained that stray dogs are flocking at night to such places as automobile workshops, companies’ residential accommodations and a few of the abandoned compounds on some streets and they take shelter in such places despite the residents’ efforts to scare them away. The residents warned if a solution is not found to the critical issue on a war footing, it would go out of control. 4 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 QATAR Tala’a event’s first round winner Mohamed al-Temtam al-Marri with his falcon. Right: Abdulhadi al Mahran al-Marri Mohamed, Abdulhadi post victories at falcon festival M ohamed al Temtam alMarri and Abdulhadi al Mahran al-Marri won the first round of the Tala’a event yesterday morning at the sixth Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival at Sabkhet Marmi in the Sealine area of Mesaieed. Fahed al-Musaifri entered the final round of the Hudud al Tahaddi challenge in the afternoon, after his falcon cornered the homing pigeon causing it to land. The Tala’a event and Hudud al-Tahaddi challenge will continue today. The Tala’a event tests the falcon’s speed and ability to identify the location of its prey, and involves an electronic Habari bird (or bustard) which is placed at a distance of one kilometre. The qualifying time is then counted from the moment the falcon is released. In the Hudud al Tahaddi challenge, falcons seek to obstruct the flight of homing pigeons especial- ly trained to fly away, and instead causing them to land. Ibrahim al-Nasr, a member of the Shura council, underlined the important contribution of the festival in supporting the sport of falconry, an important part of Qatar’s national heritage. He highlighted the festival’s effectiveness in bringing amateur falconers together and motivating them to adhere to their traditions, thus raising a generation with an interest in their heritage. He also commended the organisers. Mohamed bin Mubarak al-Ali, head of the Tala’a organising committee explained that 100 contestants were subdivided into four groups of 25 each, with one group competing each day, with the top 10 participants in the event qualifying to compete in a final round. The festival is being organised by the Gannas Society under the patronage of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Fahed al-Musaifri entered the final round of the Hudud al Tahaddi challenge. 6 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 QATAR Al Khaliji promotes Al Dhameen scheme to help private sector A l Khalij Commercial Bank (al khaliji) has launched a media campaign for its Al Dhameen Guarantee Programme, which provides project financing for Qatar’s growing number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Al Dhameen is an indirect loan facility established by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) to guarantee commercial bank loans to private sector companies. The launch of the campaign comes after QDB and al khaliji signed an agreement to enable interested enterprises and startup Fahad al-Khalifa, Group CEO, Al khaliji companies in the fields of manufacturing, education, tourism, healthcare, and value-added services to be part of the programme and obtain funding. Through Al Dhameen Guarantee Programme, companies can get finance from up to 85% of the project cost with a preferential interest rate. As part of its commitment to supporting Qatar’s SME sector, the Al Dhameen programme helps SMEs establish a credit history with banks for future credit facilities without the need for large collateral and encourages financial institutions to understand the importance of Qatar SMEs and develop closer business relationships with them. Al khaliji Group CEO Fahad al-Khalifa said: “Al khaliji bank supports the State of Qatar’s development strategy and aims to help build the country’s diversified economy and sustaining financial prosperity. The programme is a clear indication of al khaliji’s commitment to enhance the local economy and help in achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030.” He added: “We are hoping that our campaign, in cooperation with QDB, will enhance the private sector and entrepreneurial capabilities and innovation and create more opportunities for the next generation.” Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 9 QATAR Two hurt as false ceiling collapses at mall A portion of the false ceiling at a section of the Landmark Mall collapsed last night. At least two people suffered minor injuries, according to a witness. “Suddenly there was a loud crash and then it turned out that some large pieces from the ceiling had fallen,” the witness said. The collapse happened around 10pm at an open area in one of the main corridors of the shopping complex. HMC, QBRI in pact to boost patient care H amad Medical Corporation (HMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), which will enable both entities to harness their combined medical research capabilities. The agreement will also enhance an environment in which clinical discoveries will be translated into practical applications for the benefit of patients more quickly. The MoU was signed by Hanan al-Kuwari, managing director, HMC and Dr Hilal Lashuel, executive director, QBRI. The new agreement will boost the resources of existing research teams studying health problems like diabetes, cancer, degenerative diseases and genetic disorders and pave the way for new research studies. The MoU is expected to lead to further development of a skilled national healthcare workforce, providing numerous career and professional development opportunities for clinicians, researchers and faculty. Dr al-Kuwari said the agreement emphasises the dedication of HMC and QBRI to improving patient outcomes through research and innovation. “HMC and QBRI have shown a commitment to fostering a culture of translational research and evidence-based care, which will ultimately Scientists and executive management from QBRI and HMC after the signing of the MoU. lead to better overall patient outcomes across Qatar,” said alKuwari. Dr Lashuel said the initiative was demonstrative of the country’s strengthening scientific and medical research capabilities. “This agreement is a catalyst for cutting-edge biomedical research, an essential element in today’s complex and evolving healthcare landscape. It reinforces Qatar’s position as a regional leader in biomedical research and scientific discovery,” said Dr Lashuel. 10 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 QATAR Qatar Airways flights to Sofia from March Q atar Airways is continuing its 2015 expansion programme across Europe with the launch of new direct flights from Doha to Sofia from March, a destination currently served by the airline via Bucharest. The launch of flights to Sofia will add an additional level of choice and more options for passengers when travelling to any of the 146 destina- tions around the globe served by Qatar Airways, from the state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport. Likewise, those passengers travelling from Asia Pacific and Africa now have even more connection opportunities, the airline said yesterday. Frequencies are also increasing from Doha to Ankara, which will be served by a six weekly flight connection instead of five Survey to assess opinions on sport practices In co-operation with the Qatar Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics has launched its annual survey aimed at knowing the opinions of citizens and expatriates on the various sport practices. The survey can be accessed through the websites www. mdps.gov.qa or www.olympic.qa The objective is to gather information about the number of participants in sport activities by age category, level of spending on sport by individuals, as well as the favourite venues and times for the practice of sport, in addition to the scope of participation in the National Sport Day (NSD), in the previous year. The results of the survey will be made public during the NSD activities on February 10. Both the ministry and QOC have urged all citizens and expatriates to participate in the survey as it will help define precisely the services and sport activities that the community would need, in order to promote the culture of sport and physical activities in the society, thus achieving the objectives of the NSD. The QOC is keen to achieve these objectives through various programmes and initiatives such as the Qatar Active Campaign, which helps spreading the �Sport for All’ concept. The Olympic Running Day, the Paralympic Festival, the Girls Sport Day, the Fishing Festival, the Tele Match competition, the Diplomatic Day, the Corporation Sport Day and the Fitness programme for women and girls, the Ramadan Sport competition, the Electronic Games competition, the Heritage competitions and contests, the Islamic Triathlon, the Ministries and Corporation League, the Aquatic Games and the Indoor Footsall competition are among the programmes. from March 1, while capacity will increase to Zagreb with an additional direct flight a week, increasing the frequency from four to five flights weekly. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar al-Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is expanding rapidly, not only in terms of new destinations and our network offering, but also with the service we offer. Complementing our five-star service in the skies are our transfer facilities at the newly unveiled state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport, coupled with the experience of flying on board one of the youngest fleets in the industry.” The further expansion by the airline into Eastern Europe comes shortly after the news that Qatar Airways is increasing the frequency on its DohaIstanbul (Sabiha Gökçen Airport) route to a double-daily service as of March 29. Qatar Airways currently operates to three destinations in Turkey - Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Istanbul Ataturk Airport and Ankara. With the launch of these additional frequencies, passengers from the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa can now “take advantage of additional connections” to all these European cities via Doha. Al-Khor Fly-in sponsored by QA Q atar Airways sponsored and participated in the Al-Khor Fly-in Day 2015 which took place at Al-Khor airfield on January 9-10. More than 40 light aircraft were on display during the annual event which first started in 2008 as a gathering for aviation enthusiasts from Qatar and other GCC countries. “The Al Khor Fly-in has become a popular event which promotes aviation as a sport and a hobby,” Qatar Airways said in a statement yesterday. The event attracted a large crowd of aviation enthusiasts and families, all of whom enjoyed the display of different light aircraft as well as many entertaining activities. QIB opens evening branch at Fanar Q atar Islamic Bank (QIB) has added Fanar to its network of evening shift branches to extend banking services to more clients. The move was in response to requests from QIB customers, who, due to their work schedules, are not able to transact business during regular banking hours. Furthermore, the Fanar branch “has the added bonus” of being strategically-located along Doha’s business district, QIB said in a statement. The Fanar branch will be open in the evenings, Sunday to Wednesday, from 5pm to 7:30pm and Saturdays from 9am to 12noon. The branch will be providing a complete range of services for QIB clients, similar to those provided during regu- lar daytime hours such as new accounts, financing, receiving debit and credit cards, and a host of Takaful services. “The extended working hours in the evenings will enable more QIB clients to do their banking requirements that meet their expectations. Furthermore, customers can benefit from using the services provided by the bank anytime, all days of the week with more than 160 ATMs located throughout Qatar,” QIB said. Working hours at Fanar, Salwa Road, Gharrafa, Al Sadd, Old Airport Road, and Al Rayyan branches are as follows: Mornings (Sunday to Thursday) from 7:30am to 1pm; and evenings (Sunday to Wednesday) from 5pm to 7:30pm while working hours on Saturdays start from 9am to 12 noon. Additionally, the Group branch operates Sunday to Thursday from 8am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm. The branches at both Dar Al Salam Mall and City Center are open Saturday to Thursday from 9am to 2:30pm and from 3:30pm to 9pm. Friday working hours for the two branches are from 4pm to 9pm. QIB’s network comprises 30 branches located all over Qatar. With the addition of Fanar, the bank has a total of nine evening branches in its network. Customers can also transact business using QIB Internet banking at https://ibank. qib.com.qa and using the QIB Mobile application, which is compatible with all devices and operating systems. Paragliders descending on the Al Khor airstrip during the event. Call for legislation to protect National Societies C apacity building is crucial for National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, particularly those facing challenges, recommended the Mena Red Cross and Red Crescent Consultative Meeting, which concluded in Doha yesterday. The three-day meeting, hosted by Qatar Red Crescent (QRC), was attended by senior officials from 31 Mena and non-Mena National Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organisation (ARCO). The meeting pointed out that National Societies, such as the Libyan Red Crescent, that country’s only humanitarian organisation, is suffering scarce resources, lack of local and foreign support, and security and political instability. Local funding is as important for National Societies as foreign support, to strengthen their capability and role in community service, it was recommended. Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani attended the meeting. Participants at closing session of the meeting. The seven fundamental principles of humanitarian action must be respected, humanitarian action must not be politicised, and internationally unaddressed humanitarian crises must take priority, as is the case with Libya. The International Humanitarian Law must be respected in armed conflicts, and relief and medical workers must be protected. National Societies must be seen as auxiliaries to their states, as they are in place to reach out to disaster-stricken areas. The meeting urged governments to enact legislation as a legal framework to protect the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems and enforce their respect among belligerents. A focal point will be appointed by each participating National Society to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations until the Amman Meeting. Yesterday’s proceedings touched upon the arrangements and recommendations for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) to be convened by the United Nations in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2016, and how to engage the Mena National Societies strongly in preparing for it and contributing to its success. In an opening speech, Samir al-Hawari from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, said that WHS is an initiative announced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in 2013 to formulate a new humanitarian agenda in a changing world that witnesses many unprecedented universal phenomena, including climate change, increasing natural disasters, and aggravated human conflicts, which require a different global humanitarian action plan to cope with this new reality. Marwan Jilani, IFRC head of delegation and permanent observer to the UN, reviewed the results and recommendations of other regional consultations in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), North and South- East Asia (NSEA), and West and Central Africa (WCA), mainly reinforcing the role of states and regional organisations in humanitarian action, empowering affected communities by strengthening their resilience and managing risk, transforming through innovation and how to use technology in humanitarian action, and enhancing access to humanitarian assistance and protection. During discussions, Dr Mohamed bin Ghanem al-Ali alMaadheed, QRC chairman, Kahramaa promotes conservation at fair Q atar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), represented by conservation and energy efficiency department, is participating at the Doha International Book Fair at the Qatar National Convention Centre. Kahramaa booth includes various activities for children and other visitors. The corporation is presenting the visitors with tips on conservation. The stall is also holding several other activities including painting, clay, and puzzles. The corporation’s Tarsheed programme has considerable visibility at the pavilion. Somaya al-Mutawa, head of community awareness at Kahramaa, said Doha International Book Fair is a good opportunity to disseminate the corporation’s message on conservation culture need to be developed by the residents. The booth also presents the winning stories in Tarsheed Contest 2014 in the preliminary, preparatory, and secondary categories. Community awareness Children at the Kahramaa pavilion at Doha International Book Fair. co-ordinator Maryam alJaber said: “We endeavor to deeply root the culture of conservation in the society through our activities, stories and gifts.” stressed the importance of playing a stronger role not only in WHS itself but also in its preceding consultations. Highlighting the seriousness of holding to the same old methodologies without reform or updating, which would put the Mena National Societies behind the new system emerging in today’s world, he called for well-defined mechanisms to restructure the whole humanitarian system, fulfilling the needs of distressed populations, and identifying who would cover what, under the overall strategic goal of preserving the relevance and advantages of National Societies, particularly in armed conflicts. Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the Arab League for Humanitarian Affairs, said: “ I believe that this important meeting comes in the context of a series of national and humanitarian meetings. In doing their mission, humanitarian organisations need continuous coordination, especially as they are preparing for WHS and the currently critical Arab situation.” Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 11 REGION/ARAB WORLD US journalist’s case goes to revolutionary court AFP Tehran T he case of a US-Iranian correspondent for the Washington Post who has been detained since July is to go before the Islamic Republic’s revolutionary court, Tehran’s prosecutor general said yesterday. “With the investigation closed, the charge sheet has been drawn up and the case of Ja- son Rezaian has been sent to the revolutionary court,” said Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi, quoted by Fars news agency, without giving details or any date. The US State Department reacted swiftly by renewing calls for his release. “We are aware of Iranian press reports stating that US citizen Jason Rezaian’s case has been referred to a court,” said spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “We continue to monitor the situation closely and are seeking further information. We continue to call for his immediate release,” she said in a statement, also calling for other Americans held in Iran to be freed. Iran’s revolutionary court normally handles cases involving political or national security crimes. Rezaian’s mother, who is in Iran, has been able to see him twice, according to the prosecutor general. Earlier yesterday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif told reporters in Geneva ahead of talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry that Tehran hopes the case can be resolved, but stressed it was a matter for the courts. Rezaian, a dual national and the Washington Post’s bureau chief in Tehran, was charged in early December after a lengthy court appearance. But the specific accusations against him remain unclear, according to the Post, and it is not known when he will next appear in court. “The government is doing its best to be of assistance. This is a judicial matter,” Zarif said. “We will have to wait for the judiciary to move forward, but we try to provide all we can in assistance.” Rezaian, 38, was arrested with his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, who was freed on bail in October. In December, Iranian authorities said Rezaian’s detention would be extended for up to 60 days. “He’s still not 100 percent sure” what the accusations are, Rezaian’s brother, Ali Rezaian, told the Washington Post this week, adding he is only aware of five charges relating to alleged “activities outside the bounds of journalism”. Mary Rezaian, the mother, has said she was concerned by her son’s appearance when they met in Tehran’s Evin jail. “He looked very different,” she told the Post. “He had lost 40 pounds (18kg).” She said her son was also suffering from health problems, including an eye infection and back pain from having to sleep on a floor. Rezaian is no longer being held in solitary confinement and is allowed regular exercise—including outdoor activity—but he has still not been given access to a lawyer, his family said. Iraq seeks more help in fighting IS militants Reuters Baghdad I raq has told President Barack Obama’s envoy that the US-led coalition battling Islamic State needs to do more to help Iraq defeat the militants controlling large areas of the north and west of the country. Parliament speaker Selim al-Jabouri said he delivered the message in a closed meeting with retired US Marine General John Allen, who visited Baghdad this week for talks with Prime Minister Haidar alAbadi’s government. “Until now our feeling is that the international support is not convincing,” Jabouri said in an interview yesterday. “We might see participation here or there, but it is not enough for the tough situation we are passing through.” Islamic State (IS) fighters swept through north Iraq last June, seizing the city of Mosul in a lightning offensive and approaching the capital Baghdad as Iraq’s army disintegrated. The IS advance was contained by Shia militia allied to the Baghdad government and Kurdish peshmerga fighters, backed by US-led air strikes. US soldiers who withdrew from Iraq in 2011, eight years after invading to overthrow Saddam Hussain, have also returned to help re-train Iraqi forces. But Jabouri, one of Iraq’s most senior Sunni politicians, said he told Allen that the international community must “activate its role” because Iraq feels that, despite air strikes and other assistance, it is fighting largely on its own. Jabouri’s frustration echoed the more guarded comments issued by Shia Prime Minister Abadi after his own meeting with Allen on Tuesday. A statement from Abadi’s office after the talks said US-led alliance should “increase the tempo of the effective air strikes on Islamic State positions”, and also called for the training programme for Iraqi security forces to be expanded. Abadi’s official Twitter account said the two men had agreed on both those points. For his part, Allen painted an optimistic picture yesterday of the ongoing war against IS. “Our global coalition to counter (IS) grows stronger as does our collective commitment to the people of Iraq and the country of Iraq,” he told reporters in Baghdad, describing his travels to build an international alliance against IS. The war in Iraq started one year ago amid clashes between then prime minister Nuri al-Maliki’s Shia-dominated security forces and Sunni protesters and tribesmen in western Anbar province. IS, which already controlled swathes of eastern Syria, took advantage of the violence to move into Anbar’s two main cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. In June, IS seized the north’s largest city of Mosul and towns across northern Iraq fell to the militants. The militants also expanded their control of large swathes of Anbar. After IS nearly overran Iraq’s Kurdish region in the first week of August, Obama ordered air strikes on IS and assembled a coalition of Western and Arab countries against the group. The US government has described Iraq as the central battleground in the war. A former US official recently described the White House’s approach to Iraq as “passive tough love” - not allowing the United States to get to drawn into Iraq, but still helping the country defeat IS. Kerry and Zarif shake hands as they meet in Geneva yesterday. US, Iran in �substantive’ talks on nuclear dispute The Kerry-Zarif sessions precede the resumption of collective discussions involving all seven countries on January 18 Agencies Geneva U S Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Jawad Zarif held intensive talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme yesterday, returning for an evening session, officials said. Iran and six world powers have renewed their quest for an elusive nuclear deal—seen as crucial to reducing the risk of a wider Middle East war—after negotiators failed for the second time in November to meet a self-imposed deadline. Kerry and Zarif “had substantive meetings for approximately five hours today and they discussed a broad range of issues with a small group of staff from each side”, a senior State Department official said. But Kerry later unexpectedly returned to the Geneva lakeside hotel for a third meeting with Zarif after briefing senior US negotiators ahead of their technical-level talks scheduled with Iranian counterparts for today in the Swiss city. Earlier Zarif said that serious dialogue with the West would be easier if it respected Muslim sensitivities, ruffled by the latest Charlie Hebdo cartoons. Speaking to reporters before talks began, Zarif said the meeting would help gauge whether both sides were ready to advance toward a deal to curb Iran’s nu- clear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. “I think it’s important. I think it will show the readiness of the two parties to move forward and to speed up the process,” Zarif told reporters as he waited for Kerry. The two men met for about five hours over the course of the day, including a 15-minute joint stroll through downtown Geneva during the afternoon. “We are working hard,” Kerry told a journalist during the walkabout, which took them along the Rhone River flowing out of Lake Geneva, according to a US official. The Kerry-Zarif sessions precede the resumption of collective discussions involving all seven countries on January 18. The sought-after agreement, whose new deadline is June 30, would gradually lift tough fi- nancial and trade sanctions imposed on Iran since 2006 in exchange for verifiable limits on its enrichment of uranium to ensure it cannot be put to developing nuclear weapons. Iran says it wants only civilian energy from enrichment, denying Western suspicions of a latent bomb agenda. Asked if he hoped they could nail down an agreement by July 1, Zarif said: “That’s why we are here. We’ll see.” Zarif also sought to explain why Iranians are dismayed by the cover of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo’s January 14 edition. “We believe that sanctities need to be respected,” Zarif said. “We won’t be able to engage in a serious dialogue if we start disrespecting each other’s values.” Mohamed Nahavandian, top aide to Iranian President Hassan Cancer sufferer’s pupils shave heads AFP Tehran I t is a disease that strikes tens of thousands of Iranians each year, but for 300 pupils news that their teacher had cancer prompted an unusual response—they shaved their heads in sympathy. “They did it out of respect to a teacher and a champion,” Abdollah Jafari, an education official in Hamedan province who witnessed the pupils’ gesture after morning classes yesterday, told Mehr news agency. Pictures on state media showed the teacher, Mohamed Reza Ghaderi, a former top cyclist and national champion several times in the 1990s, surrounded by dozens of smiling children who now had matching bald heads. After a cycling career that included appearances in major championships, Ghaderi, now 36, became a physical education teacher and now works at Ayatollah Masoumi School in Hamedan, around 300km from Tehran. “I am so happy to have the pupils’ affection and love. I feel God has given me a new life,” he was quoted as saying by the agency. The report did not specify what kind of cancer he was suffering from. One of his friends arranged the head-shaving ceremony. “Mohamed Reza spends the money he earns from teaching on buying balls, bicycles and sportswear for his pupils. He loves his pupils,” said the friend, Majir Khezriyan. “I wanted to lift his morale so I talked to the school’s officials and they welcomed the idea,” he added. Cancer is the third-highest cause of death in Iran and mortality rates have risen in recent years. The chairman of the Cancer Research Centre of Iran, Mohamed Esmail Akbari, told state media in January 2014 that 41,000 Iranians die from different cancers each year. Around 85,000 new cancer sufferers are diagnosed annually, he said at the time, with 18% of cases relating to children and 50% of those cases become fatal. Air pollution from substandard fuel used in cars and at powergeneration facilities is thought be a major cause in Iran’s rising cancer rates. Saudis organise public run to tackle rising obesity Levels of diabetes and obesity are rising in Saudi Arabia, an official said yesterday, as Riyadh announced its first publicly organised run to promote a more active lifestyle. The “Run 4 Riyadh” will take place in the Saudi capital on February 28 over 5km, from King Abdullah Park to Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. Running will not be obligatory—participants can also walk or jog, organisers said. The run “is a great motivation towards a healthier, more active life”, Riyadh governor Prince Turki bin Abdullah said at a press conference. The run is only open to males and a separate women’s event organised by a local university will be held on a different date. The kingdom is confronted by the “epidemic spread of several diseases such as diabetes, obesity, blood hypertension and high cholesterol levels”, Adnan bin Sulaiman al-Abdulkarim, Riyadh’s director general of health affairs, said in a statement. Over the past 30 years, diabetes has spread from 2% of the population to 13%, he said, while obesity affects around one-third of men and women. Organisers said they hope the run, which costs 50 riyals to enter, will be held annually. Rouhani, struck an upbeat note before the talks: “The government has taken on a constructive attitude toward the nuclear issue and there is great hope to reach good results.” Diplomats fear time may be running out. The new Republican-controlled Congress is already considering a bill which would slap new sanctions on Iran despite attempts by the Obama administration to hold them off. Washington’s UN envoy Samantha Power warned on Monday that “imposing new sanctions will almost certainly end a negotiations process that has not only frozen the advance of Iran’s nuclear programme, but that could lead us to an understanding that would give us confidence in its exclusively peaceful nature.” 12 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 ARAB WORLD Palestinian rift hits Gaza work, statehood hopes Reuters Gaza E scalating tension between Hamas and Fatah has pushed their “unity” government to the brink of collapse, harming efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip and complicating Palestinian statehood ambitions. Five months after a devastating war with Israel, Gaza’s residents are still occasionally jolted by explosions. But the blasts now are more often the result of the internal conflict tearing at the fabric of Palestinian politics. Hamas, which seized Gaza in a brief civil war in 2007, remains the dominant force in the territory - even after it agreed last June to a “reconciliation government” that would assert control and oversee post-war reconstruction. That government’s inability to fully carry out its work has stalled rebuilding in Gaza, where around 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the war, and undermined a Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations. In recent weeks the HamasFatah standoff has spiralled into violence, although it is not always clear who is behind it. On Friday, bombs exploded at a major Gaza bank used by the unity government to pay most of the 70,000 public sec- tor workers hired before Hamas took over the narrow, coastal enclave. At the weekend, pictures emerged of Fatah activists in Gaza who said they had been stripped, beaten and left in freezing temperatures by Hamas security men. Hamas, meanwhile, accuses Fatah of rounding up its party members in the West Bank, where the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) prevails. “Whenever Hamas is with its back against the wall, it reacts with some fighting,” said Mattia Toaldo, a Middle East expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, although he described that as a worst-case scenario that remained unlikely for now. Hamas MPs meet, hit out at Abbas as unity frays Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar says the unity government has been a “failure” and should either take up its responsibilities or resign AFP Gaza City H amas MPs in Gaza held an exclusive meeting yesterday apparently defying the Palestinian Authority and criticised President Mahmoud Abbas, in a further sign of a failing unity pact. They were meeting for the first time since the April unity deal, which ostensibly put an end to years of infighting between Gaza rulers Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah party. Even months after Hamas and the Fatah-dominated PLO—which in turn dominates the PA—appointed a mutuallyagreed central government, disputes that emerged shortly after the deal appear to be worsening. “Neither the president nor anyone else can forbid parliament from meeting,” Hamas MP Salah al-Bardaweel said in a symbolic statement. Hamas holds 78 of the Palestinian parliament’s 132 seats, and 25 of its MPs live in the Gaza Strip. Another 20 non-Hamas MPs live in Gaza, but did not attend the meeting. Last year’s reconciliation pact was meant to pave the way for Palestinian general elections by the end of 2014, and to hand over control of Gaza in the interim from Hamas to the unity government, which took oath early June. But there have been no sign of elections or a real transfer of power, despite Hamas’ stated willingness to relinquish its authority. Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, also present, said the new government was a “failure”. “We send a clear message: either the government must take up its responsibilities or resign,” he said. Zahar blamed Abbas specifically for failing to get a resolution passed at the UN Security Council last month that called for Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories. “Neither the president nor anyone else can forbid parliament from meeting” A bloody 50-day summer war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel delayed implementation of the Palestinian unity deal. But even before that, cracks had emerged. Hamas immediately demanded the new government pay the salaries of the 50,000 civil servants Hamas recruited after its takeover of Gaza in 2007, who took the jobs of 70,000 Fatah employees. Partial payments of $1,200 each were made to 24,000 Hamas civil servants in late October. But the other 26,000, who work in security functions, have received nothing. Hundreds of Hamas employees began a sit-in in front of the headquarters of the unity government in Gaza on Tuesday, vowing to stay until their salaries are paid. Hamas MP Yahya Mussa said at yesterday’s meeting that “Abbas and his government are committing a crime against Gaza workers”. Another Hamas member warned that the Gaza Strip could become a breeding ground for extremism unless reconstruction is accelerated. “Our message to the world, which is scared of terrorism and extremism, is that the delay in rebuilding Gaza and the continuing blockade against it will make it a ripe environment for the spread of extremism and terrorism,” Khalil al-Haya told the meeting. “We warn of the consequences,” he said, without elaborating. Israel and Hamas, which the Jewish state brands a terrorist organisation, fought a July-August war in the besieged coastal strip that killed almost 2,200 Palestinians and damaged tens of thousands of Gazan homes, leaving around 100,000 people displaced. More than four months after the July-August conflict ended, reconstruction has barely begun, with experts saying it will take years even if Israel significantly eases its eight-year blockade on Gaza. Israel, which controls two of the three crossings into Hamascontrolled Gaza, maintains tight curbs on entry of building material, fearing they could be used by militants to make weapons or attack tunnels. Hamas has joined in international condemnation of last week’s killing of 12 people in an attack on Paris satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by French Islamists, insisting that “differences of opinion and thought cannot justify murder”. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, who is based in the West Bank, says his technocrat government cannot begin to administer Gaza until Hamas fully relinquishes control, including over border crossings with Egypt and Israel. But there is no sign of that happening. For its part, Hamas accuses Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads Fatah and controls the PA budget, of trying to throttle the group into submission, including by refusing to pay its 50,000 public-sector employees. “Abbas must first show solidarity with his own people, whom he deprives of salaries and rebuilding,” said Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official. The Islamist group has also lambasted Abbas for not visiting Gaza since the war with Israel. The upshot is that the Palestinians are now as polarised as ever, with Hamas overseeing Gaza and its 1.8mn people, while Fatah is in charge in the West Bank, just 60km to the northeast, where 2.8mn live. Foreign governments that last October contributed $5.4bn to a fund for the Palestinians have indicated that they cannot fully follow through on their commitments until the unity government is in charge as a single authority. The risk for Hamas is that if it gives up power now it may not regain it - while it won the last Palestinian elections in 2006, there are no signs of a new vote being held. For Fatah, if it does not exert itself via the Palestinian Authority, it cannot hope to be taken seriously by the rest of the world as it prepares to join the International Criminal Court and make another statehood attempt at the United Nations. What is more, even if that bid makes progress, opinion polls show Hamas will win the next elections, whenever they are held, greatly complicating the statehood agenda. Hamas is formally sworn to Official visit Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo yesterday. Abbas is on an official visit to Egypt. Netanyahu’s pushiness in Paris draws fire at home AFP Jerusalem I mages of Israel’s premier elbowing his way to the front row of world leaders in Paris sparked both embarrassment and amusement back home—providing rich pickings for opponents in the upcoming election. A welter of headlines and columns were prompted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pushing to the front of Sunday’s march in Paris and unsuccessfully trying to jump to the head of a queue waiting for a bus. Many joked that such “pushiness” is a quintessentially Israeli trait, but Netanyahu has still faced a storm of criticism for his behaviour, with some alleging he was trying to make political hay for the general election due in March. “We would expect the prime minister to represent us with dignity and not to disgrace us,” wrote Shimon Shiffer in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper. “I was embarrassed to see the Israeli leader push his way to the first bus of the leaders, and then elbow himself into the front row of state leaders,” he wrote. Sunday’s event saw world leaders join several million marching in solidarity in Paris after extremists killed 17 people in attacks targeting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket. One of the enduring images from the march was Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas walking in the front row on either side of President Francois Hollande. Israeli media have reported that France asked Netanyahu to stay away from the march, but he ignored the request and attended anyway. After joining others at Hollande’s Elysee Palace, Netanyahu tried to edge his way into the first bus taking officials to the starting point of the march but failed. Once he was at the march, Netanyahu deftly manoeuvred his way from the second row to the first by way of a friendly handshake with Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita— whose country does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. “It was embarrassing, not to mention disgraceful, to see Israel’s prime minister... trying to push his way onto a bus that he was not supposed to board, making his way determinedly from the second row to the row of leaders walking in front,” said Ben Caspit of the Maariv daily. He accused Netanyahu of behaving like he was at an election rally and of “taking advantage of the French in a typically crass and unnecessary Israeli way”. Left-leaning daily Haaretz even compared the prime minister to an unruly tourist. “Just as you can sometimes identify Israeli tourists abroad by their loud voices, poor manners and gauche behaviour, none of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who watched Sunday’s Paris rally on television had any problem locating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Yossi Verter of Haaretz wrote. Members of the youth wing of the opposition Labour party Lieberman calls Erdogan an �anti-Semitic bully’ Agencies Jerusalem I srael’s foreign minister called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an “antiSemitic bully” in a meeting with Israeli ambassadors yesterday and said Europe was being cowardly in not taking him on. In an address to Israeli envoys based in Europe and Asia, Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of far-right party Yisrael Beitenu, was withering about Erdogan, a staunch critic of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians. “Civilised, politically correct Europe’s silence over an antiSemitic, neighbourhood bully like Erdogan and his gang takes us back to the 1930s,” said Lieberman, referring to the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany. “We have to tell the truth and Israel’s destruction and opposes the PA’s independence strategy because it would not mean a state in all of historic Palestine and it believes critical issues, such as the right of return for refugees, are not included. Hani al-Masri, an independent political analyst based in the West Bank, worries that if the Hamas-Fatah tensions are not reined in, the results could be devastating, especially for the people of Gaza, desperate to rebuild their lives after the war. “It might lead to unrest and bring closer the moment of a potential explosion that neither Hamas nor anybody else could contain, and could even spread to the West Bank,” he said. speak plainly, put it on the table,” he said. A former nightclub bouncer who was born in Moldova and migrated to Israel in the 1970s, Lieberman was also critical of Europe’s reaction to last week’s Islamist attacks in Paris, saying the anti-Semitic nature of them had been downplayed. “In the world and in Europe, most of the discussion was about freedom of expression, extremism and Islamophobia,” he said of the fallout from the attacks that killed 17 people, including four French Jews at a kosher supermarket. “But the Jewish and anti-Semitic aspects were hardly mentioned and this is particularly grave.” Relations between Israel and Turkey have declined markedly over the past five years, since Israeli forces stormed a Turkish ship, the Mavi Mamara, as it sailed towards Gaza as part of a flotilla challenging Israel’s naval blockade of the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave in 2010. Nine Turkish activists were killed on board in confrontations with the troops. Erdogan was highly critical of Israel during his time as prime minister and again since becoming president last year. Lieberman, who has broken off his alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has stepped up his rhetoric on a range of issues in recent days as he tries to rally support for his party ahead of parliamentary elections on March 17. Netanyahu yesterday hit back at Erdogan who blasted him this week for “daring” to attend an anti-terror solidarity march in Paris. “I believe his shameful remarks must be repudiated by the international community, because the war against terror will only succeed if it’s guided by moral clari- ty,” Netanyahu’s office quoted him as telling visiting leaders of the US pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. At a news conference in Ankara on Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan said he could “hardly understand how he (Netanyahu) dared to go” to the march. The Turkish president urged Netanyahu to “give an account for the children, women you massacred” and accused him of leading “state terrorism” against the Palestinians. In his retort yesterday, Netanyahu said: “I’ve yet to hear any world leader condemn the comments by Erdogan, not one.” “He said that Israel should not have been represented in the march in Paris, and the reason he gave, was our actions to defend our citizens against the thousands of rockets hurled at our cities by the terrorists of Hamas,” he added. even created an online game using Netanyahu’s nickname called “Push the Bibi”—in which players have 30 seconds to manoeuvre the Israeli leader from the back of the crowd to the front. At the end of the game a message reads: “When Bibi wins, everyone else loses. We need a different leadership that will put Israel in the front row, without pushing.” Some commentators did jump to Netanyahu’s defence. Writing in Haaretz, Tal Niv said the premier “doesn’t deserve the scorn heaped on him”. “It’s not pleasant to see him inserting his unflattering hairdo into the crowds at the rally, but the front-row picture ... is the picture that could return him to the prime minister’s office,” she wrote. “Contempt for his stressed appearance or his pushiness shouldn’t obscure the fact that he succeeded in sending a clear message... �Come home. I’ll protect you’,” she said, referring to Netanyahu’s appeal to French Jews to move to Israel. Algeria says terror cell suspects held Twelve suspected members of a “terrorist cell” planning attacks in Algeria have been arrested in the south of the country, the defence ministry announced yesterday. It said the arrests were carried out during the past two weeks in army operations in Ghardaia, Laghouat and In Amenas, all several hundred kilometres from the capital Algiers. The cell had been “preparing to carry out terrorist acts in the country with the complicity of other terrorist groups operating on the other side of the country’s southern border”, it said in a statement, without specifying whether it was Mali or Niger. The ministry said there were “no human losses” during arrest operations. In January 2013, the takeover by Islamist militants of Tiguentourine gas facility in In Amenas led to the deaths of 40 hostages, many of them foreigners, during a rescue operation by security forces. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 13 ARAB WORLD South Sudan war costing billions, say economists Agencies Nairobi W UN special envoy for Libya Bernardino Leon (centre) poses with delegates for a group photograph after a news conference at the Palais des Nations in Geneva yesterday. UN launches �long and difficult’ Libya talks The talks are aimed at reaching agreement on a unity government to replace rival administrations AFP Geneva T he United Nations yesterday kickstarted peace talks between Libya’s warring factions in Geneva with a warning they could be the last chance to prevent allout chaos in the country. The North African nation has been gripped by deepening conflict since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in a Natobacked uprising in 2011, with rival governments and powerful militias battling for control of key cities and the nation’s oil wealth. It has taken the UN months to get the opposing sides back to the negotiating table after a single round of talks in September. “It’s going to be a long process, it’s going to be difficult,” the UN special envoy for Lib- ya, Bernardino Leon, said. “We are not expecting to have a breakthrough tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” said Leon, who is overseeing the dialogue in the Swiss city. “There is a gap between the parties, which is becoming more complicated with more fighting on the ground.” Analysts warn that the negotiations are unlikely to have any real impact unless the leaders of all the armed groups—some of whom are absent from the negotiations— become directly involved. The talks are aimed at reaching agreement on a unity government to replace the rival administrations, whose battle for power has left hundreds dead over the past six months. They also seek to “put in place the necessary security arrangements for bringing about a total cessation of armed hostilities” and to “secure a phased withdrawal of all armed groups from all major towns and cities”. Libya’s internationally rec- ognised government decamped last summer to the eastern city of Tobruk after an Islamistbacked militia alliance seized the capital Tripoli and set up its own administration. The alliance known as Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) also holds the third city, Misrata. It launched an offensive in December to seize control of key oil terminals but was repelled by the army. Most countries pulled out their diplomats from Tripoli after the city was taken by Libya Dawn. Although all factions are represented in Geneva, according to Leon, the Tripoli arm of Libya Dawn is holding out and will only take a decision on attending on Sunday. “If you refuse to talk the only alternative is war. This is not acceptable to the international community and to many Libyans,” Leon said, adding he hoped to start talking to the “military actors” in the conflict “as early as next week”. Political analyst Mohamed al-Ferjani predicted however that the dialogue would fail “because the UN has not chosen the right actors”. “The participants are politicians and have no presence or influence on the ground,” he said. Leon warned that Libya was “running out of time” and the Geneva talks could be a crucial last-ditch bid to avert what he called “total chaos”. “Financial and economic collapse may be a matter of days or weeks,” he said, adding there were “terrorist attacks... very strong fighting in different areas and some international calls for military intervention”. Speaking on the eve of the talks the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urged the various factions to seize “an opportunity the Libyans cannot afford to miss”. “I want to praise both sides participating and encourage all those in Libya that have not yet decided on participation... to do so”. Representatives of the most powerful commander on the recognised government side, Khalifa Haftar, have not been invited to Geneva. A former Gaddafi general turned rebel leader, Haftar established a militia in eastern Libya that was initially disavowed but later embraced by internationally recognised Prime Minister Abullah al-Thinni. Haftar has led repeated offensives against Islamist militias in Libya’s second city Benghazi since May, which have succeeded in wresting back control of large areas. Those militias are led by the Ansar al-Shariah group, blacklisted by the United Nations for its links to Al Qaeda. The battle for Benghazi, a city of about 1mn people, has killed hundreds of civilians, drawing repeated calls from the United Nations and Western governments for a ceasefire. The Islamic State group that has seized large areas in Iraq and Syria is also thought to have gained a foothold in eastern Libya. Militants execute woman accused of adultery: monitor Kerry meets with de Mistura in Geneva yesterday ahead of the latter’s upcoming trip to Damascus. Kerry supports Syria peace push by Russia Agencies Geneva/Moscow U S Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday voiced backing for a Russian-led bid for new talks to end Syria’s devastating conflict. Kerry, who is in Geneva for discussions with his Iranian counterpart to accelerate a deal on reining in Tehran’s nuclear programme, met with UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura for talks on the Syrian crisis and lauded his efforts. “The United States is particularly concerned about the continued catastrophe that is unfolding in Syria where nearly three-quarters of the entire country are displaced people,” Kerry said. He said de Mistura was “engaged in a very complicated but very important effort to try to move the process of Syria” starting with Aleppo, the country’s former economic hub, which has been ravaged by fighting since mid-2012. Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been trying to relaunch peace talks involving de Mistura that would include meetings between representatives of the regime and the fractured opposition. It invited 28 opposition figures, including individual members of the internationally-recognised Syrian National Coalition, as well the opposition leaders tolerated by Assad. But several leading opposition figures, apparently doubting Moscow’s credibility as a mediator, said they would not attend. “It is time for the Assad regime to put their people first and to think about the consequences of their actions which are attracting more and more terrorists to Syria,” Kerry said. “So we hope that the Russian efforts could be helpful, we hope that the UN efforts led by special envoy de Mistura can have an effect.” Kerry said de Mistura was “headed to Damascus next week”, adding: “This issue still remains very much on our front burner.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday Syrian opposition representatives would risk losing influence in peace efforts if they do not attend the planned talks in Moscow. “Those who decide not to take part in this event, they will lose in terms of their positions in the peace talks process as a whole,” Lavrov told a news conference. In rejecting the invitation to Moscow, the Syrian National Coalition said on January 7 it would sit down to talks only if they would lead to Assad giving up power. Moscow says the emphasis should instead be on fighting Islamist militants and that Assad’s exit should not be a precondition to peace talks that stalled early last year. Al Qaeda-linked militants have publicly executed a woman accused of adultery in northwestern Syria, a monitoring group said yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that in total 14 people had been executed for alleged adultery or homosexuality in the wartorn country since July, half of them women. It released a video showing fighters from Al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, tying up a woman and shooting her in a square in the town of Maaret Masirin in the province of Idlib. A crowd of civilians and fighters are seen watching, as a militant accuses the woman of “corrupting the earth, and adultery”. Other cases of execution documented by the Observatory include a man accused of adultery who was stoned to death by Al Nusra Front and other Islamist groups in the town of Saraqeb in Idlib. The rival Islamic State (IS) organisation is also accused of executing several women and men for alleged adultery or homosexuality. Another Islamist group threw a man thought to be gay off a building in the northern province of Aleppo. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said that more executions might have taken place elsewhere in Syria that were not documented. Nusra Front controls 70-80% of Idlib, Abdel Rahman said. Hardline groups such as IS and Nusra Front have become the most powerful insurgent forces in Syria’s nearly fouryear conflict, undermining rebel fighters the United States and its allies say they want to train and equip. ar in South Sudan will cost the country up to $28bn if it continues for five more years, with regional nations risking even more, economists warned yesterday. “If the conflict continues for another one to five years, it will cost South Sudan between $22.3bn and $28bn depending on its severity,” the joint report read, claiming that should the war be stopped, it would save the international community $30bn in peacekeeping and aid. The report was produced by Europe-based Frontier Economics, Uganda’s Centre for Conflict Resolution, and South Sudan’s Centre for Peace and Development Studies at Juba University. At the regional level, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda could save $53bn in the coming years should the war end in 2015, the report added. “Without a swift end to the fighting, South Sudan runs the risk of becoming a failed state,” said the report, released in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. “Worse still, it could become the epicentre of a full-blown regional conflict.” “To ensure this is not the trajectory for South Sudan will require African leaders, with the full backing of the international community, to take swift and decisive action, and to sustain that action,” it said. Salim Ahmed Salim, a former Tanzanian prime minister, introduced the report by saying he hoped it would “focus the minds of political leaders on the stakes” of failing to end a war in which tens of thousands have already been slaughtered. Fighting broke out in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his sacked deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup. Since then oil production— around 300,000 barrels a day at independence—has been slashed by at least a third to 160,000. Trade with landlocked South Sudan has been cut and almost half a million refugees are in neighbouring nations. East Africa’s IGAD-bloc, which has mediated a string of failed ceasefire deals, should follow through on its repeated threats of sanctions should war continue, the report added. South Sudan has been riven by war for decades—including conflict from 1956-1972 and again from 1983-2005, before breaking away from northern Sudan in 2011. War broke out again in December 2013, and the report provided grim estimates of the cost of the conflict continuing. “The price of failing to bring about lasting peace in South Sudan could be $158bn over the next two decades,” it added. South Sudan’s annual gross domestic product was estimated at $11.08bn in 2013, according to World Bank data. Woman dies in Egypt of H5N1 bird flu A 65-year-old Egyptian woman has died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the health ministry said yesterday, the second victim of the virus this month. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says there has been a recent jump in the number of H5N1 infections in people in Egypt, but says there does not appear to have been any major genetic change in the flu strain to explain the rise in human cases. The latest victim came from the central province of Assiut, the health ministry said in a statement. Egypt’s H5N1 cases have largely been in poor rural areas in the south, where villagers tend to keep and slaughter poultry in the home. Seven other cases are currently being treated and three have recovered this year, the ministry said. 14 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2014 AFRICA SEEKING HELP RUMOUR TAKING CHARGE 25 YEARS BEHIND BARS DEMANDS Malawi floods kill 48, displace thousands Guinea mob lynches two over �spreading Ebola’ AU troops take custody of ICC-bound Uganda rebel Cameroon ex-minister jailed for corruption Strikers at South African mine want CEO removed Flooding sparked by heavy rains has killed 48 people and displaced nearly 70,000 others in Malawi, local media reported yesterday, prompting calls on donors to resume aid they had suspended over corruption. President Peter Mutharika declared a third of the southern African country a disaster zone on Tuesday. Floods have hit the south the hardest, with officials saying many of the victims died in Mangochi district, 100km south of capital Blantyre. “Infrastructure like roads and bridges have been affected and crops washed away. I call for the assistance of civil society, private sector as well donor agencies and UN,” the president said. Two men were killed and their bodies burned by an angry mob in Guinea convinced that the victims infected a local with Ebola, in the latest violence spurred by the deadly disease, police said yesterday. Residents of the western village of Dar-es-Salaam attacked a group of three police officers and their driver who stopped there Saturday while on their way to a funeral. During their visit, one in the group gave a sedative to a local healer who was suffering from an undescribed illness. After the healer died his wife called for help from locals, who responded violently, Guinea police Commissioner Boubacar Kasse told AFP. Captured Lord’s Resistance Army rebel chief Dominic Ongwen was handed over yesterday to African Union troops to be sent to trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, Uganda’s army said. Ongwen, who surrendered last week and was in the custody of US special forces in the Central African Republic, has been sought by the ICC for almost a decade to face charges including war crimes, murder, enslavement, inhumane acts and directing attacks against civilians. Ugandan army spokesman Paddy Ankunda said that Ongwen had been handed over to Ugandan troops, that are part of the AU force in CAR hunting the rebels. Cameroon’s former finance and economy minister Polycarpe Abah Abah was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison by a special criminal court for embezzling 6bn CFA francs ($11mn) to buy a string of houses and cars. The court will seize 30 properties, eight vehicles and three tractors as well as bank accounts worth 26mn CFA francs from Abah Abah, who was convicted with three others including Pascal Manga, who was sentenced in absentia. Abah Abah served as minister from 2004 to 2008 and before that headed the finance ministry’s tax department. He told journalists at the court late on Tuesday that the ruling was a “joke” and said he would appeal. Striking South African miners at Northam Platinum want the company’s chief executive Paul Dunne removed for what they say are unfair hiring and firing practices, a spokesman for the National Union of Mineworkers said yesterday. Livhuwani Mammburu also told Reuters that 5,200 workers were involved in the strike at Northam’s Zondereinde mine in the northern Limpopo province. “The management there wants to reverse all progressive policies. There was a white female employee hired without following proper procedures,” Mammburu said. South African companies are required by law to give preference in hiring to blacks disadvantaged under apartheid. Witch doctors are banned to deter Tanzania albino killings By Kizito Makoye, Reuters Dar es Salaam T Former Commonwealth secretary-general Emeka Anyaokwu (centre) with Nigerian President and ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Goodluck Jonathan (left) and leading opposition All Progressive Congress presidential candidate Mohamed Buhari at a workshop in Abuja. Nigeria troops repel Boko Haram attack Reuters Maiduguri N igerian security forces yesterday repelled an attack by Islamist rebels on the northeastern town of Biu, killing several of the insurgents, witnesses and the military said. Several dozen fighters belonging to the Boko Haram militant group drove into Biu in pick-up trucks and on motorcycles, witness Yahaya Mshelliza told Reuters by telephone. “They came shouting �Allahu Akbar’ and shooting everywhere, but confronted by the soldiers for three hours, most them were killed,” Mshelliza said. “At the mo- ment only three escaped into the bush and are being pursued by the soldiers.” Growing insecurity linked to Islamist militants is a major issue for President Goodluck Jonathan a month before polls in which he faces a rival, Mohamed Buhari, who was seen as tough on security when he was a military ruler in the 1980s. Nigeria’s military headquarters, which rarely comments on attacks, confirmed the incident on its Twitter account. It was the second attack on a major town by Boko Haram militants in the past two weeks. “Terrorist attack repelled by the military in Biu,” the military tweeted. “Troops in pursuit of fleeing terrorists.” It said that five Boko Haram fighers had 6 die as Kenya troops battle Shebaab rebels AFP Nairobi O ne Kenyan soldier and five suspected Islamists insurgents loyal to Somalia’s Al Qaeda-affiliated Shebaab fighters were killed yesterday in a battle in Kenya’s coastal Lamu district, the army said. Kenyan troops, part of the UN-backed African Union force in Somalia fighting the Islamists, were travelling northwards close to the Somali border when they were attacked. “A firefight ensued and five suspected Shebaab militants were killed,” army spokesman David Obonyo said in a statement, adding that one Kenyan soldier was killed and three others wounded. “Some militants escaped with multiple injuries, and immediately an operation was launched in pursuit.” Kenyan troops entered southern Somalia in 2011 to fight the Shebaab rebels, later joining the AU force. The Shebaab are fighting to overthrow Somalia’s internationally-backed government, but have also carried out a string of revenge attacks in neighbouring Kenya. Kenya’s government has been under fire since Shebaab gunmen attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in September 2013, in which at least 67 people were killed. In December the Shebaab executed 36 non-Muslim quarry workers in a Kenyan border town, following an attack in November when they killed 28 passengers on board a bus. Yesterday’s attack took place on the mainland in Lamu country near Basuba, over 60km north of Lamu island, a Unesco World Heritage site dependent on tourism for its economy, that has been badly hit with visitors scared off by a string of attacks. been captured as well as two anti-aircraft guns. Witness Mohamed Idi said he saw at least 17 bodies of Boko Haram fighters “littered on the road” near the Biu army barracks after the attack. The group’s fighters seized the military base and town of Baga, on the shores of Lake Chad, on January 3. Baga was the headquarters of a multinational force with troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The militants have killed scores and razed dozens of homes there, with the military putting the death toll at 150, while some local officials have put it as high as 2,000. The rebels remain in control of Baga, which Nigerian forces backed by air power have tried so far unsuccessfully to retake. “The military has not given up on Baga or any part of the country,” it said on its Twitter feed late on Tuesday. The US said on Tuesday it sees the February 14 election in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, as a factor behind the sharp rise in attacks by Boko Haram, a group which has killed thousands since launching an uprising five years ago. On Tuesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in the northeastern city of Gombe, killing at least two other people and wounding 14 during prayers. Displaced! anzania has banned witch doctors in a bid to curb a rising wave of attacks and murders of albinos whose body parts are prized for witchcraft after a four-year-old albino girl was kidnapped from her home by an armed gang. More than 70 albinos, who lack pigment in their skin, hair and eyes, have been murdered in the east African nation in the past decade for black magic purposes, according to UN figures, many hacked to death and body parts removed. The government has accused witch doctors of fuelling these killings by luring people to bring albino body parts which they grind up with herbs, roots and sea water to make charms and spells that they claim bring good luck and wealth. The nationwide ban come less than a week after UN officials urged the government to step up efforts to end the discrimination and attacks after a girl was abducted last month from her home in northern Mwanza region. She is still missing. Tanzania’s Home Affairs Minister Mathias Chikawe said the government has formed a national task force involving the police and members of the Tanzania Albino Society to arrest and prosecute witch doctors defying the ban. “We have identified that witch doctors are the ones who ask people to bring albino body parts to create magical charms which they claim can get them rich. We will leave no stone unturned until Tanzania says ready to take on Congo rebels Reuters Dar es Salaam T A Zimbabwean villager weeps in front of burning and demolished makeshift shelters at Manzou Farm in Mazowe. About 200 families are facing eviction from a farm near Harare after the government stated that the land was earmarked for a game park and was declared a national heritage. But critics say the villagers - who have occupied the land since 2001 at the height of invasion of white-owned commercial farms by President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF supporters - are being forced out to make more space for the president’s wife, Grace, who already owns the adjacent land. The villagers have been granted a court order stopping the evictions. we end these evil acts,” Chikawe told reporters. Chikawe said the operation would begin in two weeks’ time, initially targeting five regions, including Mwanza, Tabora, Shinyanga, Simiyu and Geita, where the government believes attacks against albinos are most prevalent. The operation would be expanded to other areas later. He said the task force will also have the mandate to review previous court cases of albino attacks and killings to gather new evidence and further research the motive for attacks. The Director of Public Prosecution would prioritise these cases. The government has previously been widely criticised for failing to act to stop these macabre murders. The Tanzania Albino Society welcomed the move, saying it would help end the worsening plight of albinos. “I believe we can work together to end these acts of pure evil,” said spokesman Ernest Kimaya, a sufferer of the pigment disorder. But Rashid Mauwa, a traditional healer from the Bunju area of Dar es Salaam, said he feared the ban would lead to victimisation of healers of whom only a few engage in witchcraft. “I am not engaging in any witchcraft. I am only using traditional herbs to help people who do not respond to conventional medicines. Why am I being punished?” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Albinism is a congenital disorder which affects about one in 20,000 people worldwide, according to medical authorities. It is, however, more common in sub-Saharan Africa, affecting an estimated one Tanzanian in 1,400. anzania is ready to take on Rwandan rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), President Jakaya Kikwete said, suggesting a joint offensive with UN-backed, South African forces is imminent. In a statement on Tuesday night after talks with South African Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Kikwete dismissed talk he was reluctant to send in troops against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The UN Security Council backed plans a week ago for a 3,000-strong South African, Tanzanian and Malawian intervention force to begin military operations against the guerrilla group, which has been at the heart of years of conflict in central Africa’s Great Lakes. “There are people who pretend to read Tanzania’s mind,” Kikwete said. “They claim that Tanzania has no intention of taking on rebel groups in the DRC. These are bizarre people because Tanzania, like South Africa and Malawi, has troops in the DRC with a firm UN mandate.” South African President Jacob Zuma was in Luanda yesterday for talks with his Angolan counterpart, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, that are expected to focus on security in eastern Congo, home to an estimated 1,400 seasoned FDLR guerrillas. The militia, which includes ethnic Hutu soldiers responsible for carrying out Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, failed to meet a January deadline to disarm and surrender. South Africa’s foreign ministry did not comment on Zuma’s discussions. But in a statement after the UN Security Council backed military action, Pretoria said it was committed to the “neutralisation of negative forces in the eastern DRC”. The UN has been under pressure to take out remaining guerrilla movements in eastern Congo after the intervention force defeated a 5,000-strong force of M23 rebels in 2013. However, its Office for the Coordiation for Humanitarian Affairs said the offensive being planned with the assistance of Congolese government troops would affect hundreds of thousands of civilians. Earlier this month, UN and Congolese forces launched strikes against remnants of a smaller Burundian rebel group that a diplomat said was aimed at clearing the way for an offensive against the FDLR. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 15 AMERICAS Obama seeks enhanced laws to fight hackers Reuters Washington P resident Barack Obama sent a bill to Congress on Tuesday to strengthen US cybersecurity laws to protect government, businesses and consumers while protecting privacy, after recent hacking attacks against Sony Pictures, Home Depot Inc and Target Corp, and on Monday the federal government itself. “We’ve got to stay ahead of those who would do us harm. The problem is that government and the private sector are still not always working as closely together as we should,” Obama said. During a tour of a “war room” at the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity nerve centre, Obama said the attacks highlighted the threat to financial systems, power grids and healthcare systems that run on networks connected to the Internet. Congress has tried for years to pass legislation to encourage companies to share data from cyberattacks with the government and each other. Liability issues raised by companies and privacy concerns of civil liberties groups contributed to the failure to implement such laws. Obama’s proposed legislation looks to balance needs with concerns by offering liability protection to companies that provide information in near-real-time to the government, while requiring them to strip it of any personal data. On Monday, the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the US military command that oversees operations in the Middle East were hacked by people claiming to be sympathetic toward the Islamic State militant group being targeted in American bombing raids. Obama said the attack, which is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, did not seem to affect classified information. Obama has moved cybersecurity to the top of his 2015 agenda, seeing it as an area where cooperation is possible with the Republican-led Congress. He discussed the legislation on Tuesday with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and said they agreed cybersecurity needed to be addressed. Reaction from other congressional leaders was also positive. Preparing for Winter Jam The leading Republicans and Democrats on the Senate and House Homeland Security committees said in a joint statement that Obama’s proposal would be useful. The White House will also try to build support for the legislation at a cybersecurity summit scheduled for Feb. 13 at Stanford University. Obama proposed legislation in 2011 that died in Congress. “Foreign governments, criminals and hackers probe America’s computer networks every single day. We saw that again in the attack on Sony,” Obama said. The US has blamed that A What appears to be a huge snowstorm in Central Park in New York yesterday, is actually workers making artificial snow in preparation for the annual Winter Jam. The Winter Jam, to be held on January 24 is the ultimate snow day, a free winter sports festival for New Yorkers of all ages, where you can go skiing, snowshoeing, shop in a winter market, and sledding in fresh snow, right in the heart of New York City. Man who threatened to murder Boehner charged A n Ohio bartender suspected of wanting to poison US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner has been charged with threatening to murder the Republican politician, court documents showed on Tuesday. Michael Hoyt, who served Boehner at a country club in Ohio and checked into a psychiatric facility after he was questioned by police on Oct. 29, was indicted on the charge last Wednesday, court papers said. “Speaker Boehner is aware US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner of this situation, and sincerely thanks the FBI, the Capitol Police and local authorities in Ohio for their efforts,” his spokesman, Michael Steel, said in a statement. A description of Hoyt’s al- nies share with the Department of Homeland Security. Obama’s proposal would give law enforcement agencies broader power to investigate and prosecute cybercrime, with an eye on deterring the theft of personal data. And it would make selling stolen credit card information overseas a crime and would allow authorities to prosecute the sale of botnets, computer networks linked to cybercrime. He also wants to require companies to tell consumers within 30 days from the discovery of a data breach that their personal information has been compromised. Alarm sends astronauts to shelter at space station AFP Miami Reuters Washington hacking on North Korea Privacy advocates applauded the proposal to require companies to strip private information from data they share, and cautiously welcomed a call for new privacy rules that would determine how federal agencies are allowed to use and store such data. “It is a thoughtful proposal but ... there are still many gaps that need to be filled,” said Harley Geiger, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Privacy advocates remained concerned about the access intelligence agencies may have to the information compa- leged plot was laid out in an arrest affidavit filed in federal court on Nov. 6 and unsealed just over a month later. The case was first reported by a Cincinnati television station on Tuesday. Hoyt dialed 911 on Oct. 29 and gave the operator his first name and asked that his father be told he was sorry. A police officer checked on Hoyt at his home in Deer Park, Ohio, and Hoyt told the officer he had lost his job at a country club where Boehner is a member, court papers said. “Hoyt advised that he had been fired from his job at Wetherington Country Club in West Chester, Ohio, and did not have time to put something in John Boehner’s drink,” the affidavit stated. Hoyt also told the officer he was going to kill Boehner because the speaker was mean to him and was responsible for the Ebola outbreak, court papers said. An attorney for Hoyt could not be reached for comment. A federal judge last month ordered that Hoyt be transported to a facility run by the US Bureau of Prisons for a psychiatric evaluation requested by his attorneys. It was unclear on Tuesday if the evaluation had been done. stronauts at the International Space Station rushed to take shelter yesterday after a system failure signalled a possible ammonia leak, but Nasa said later it may have been a false alarm. The six-member crew donned emergency masks and hurried to the Russian side of the orbiting lab two separate times after the problem was noticed at around 4am (0900 GMT). At first, it seemed that high pressure outside the space station could have led to ammonia leaking inside, so the crew put on breathing masks and moved to the Russian side for safety. Ammonia is used in the cooling and heating systems at the orbiting outpost. The crew was allowed to come briefly back to the US side, but when Nasa noticed that pressure in the cabin was rising, the crew returned to the Russian side and closed the hatch behind them. While the Russian space agency told news outlets in Moscow that the cause was a toxic ammonia leak, Nasa said there was no data to confirm that, and stressed that the crew was safe. “At this time the team does not believe we leaked ammonia,” ISS program manager Mike Suffredini said. “There was never any risk to the crew,” he added. “We were watching the data and trying not to isolate them, but we isolated them twice pretty fast.” Earlier, Nasa’s Jim Kelly at mission control in Houston said a review of the data appeared to show a sensor problem or a computer relay issue could have led to the alarm. “It is becoming a stronger case that this is a false indication, which is great news,” Kelly said to US astronaut and space station commander Barry Wilmore in an exchange broadcast on Nasa television. The six astronauts taking shelter in the Russian segment have enough food for at least a week, Nasa said. “Hey everybody, thanks for your concern. We’re all safe & doing well in the Russian segment,” European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who is from Italy, said on Twitter. Suffredini said the goal is to get the two Americans and one European astronaut back to their regular quarters by this evening. “While it is inconvenient for the crew to be in Russian segment it is certainly not unhealthy for them,” he added. The problem became apparent when flight controllers in Houston “saw an increase in pressure in the station’s water loop for thermal control system B then later saw a cabin pressure increase that could be indicative of an ammonia leak in the worst case scenario,” Nasa said on its website. The International Space Station is a rare area of US-Russian cooperation that has not been hit by the crisis in Ukraine, which has prompted Washington to impose sanctions on Moscow. In total 16 countries work on the ISS, whose cost is mainly shouldered by the US. Since Nasa phased out the space shuttle system in 2011, it depends entirely on Russia to send its astronauts to the ISS. The Expedition 42 crew had been awake for about two hours before the alarm sounded, and was at work unloading the SpaceX Dragon cargo carrier which arrived days ago with more than 2.5 tonnes of supplies and science experiments. Suffredini said some freezers had to be temporarily turned off, but that no research had been lost. Two women and four men are on board the space station, making up a crew that hails from Russia, the US and Italy. US judge denies Boston trial delay over Paris attacks A US judge yesterday denied a request from the Boston bombings suspect to delay jury selection in his trial on the grounds that the Paris attacks could influence potential jurors. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s legal team filed the unusual motion at the US district court in Boston more than a week after jury selection began. The court papers were published by US media. The US attorney’s office for the District of Massachusetts said yesterday the defendant’s motion to suspend jury empanelment had been denied by the judge. Tsarnaev, 21, faces the death penalty if convicted over the April 15, 2013 attacks on the Boston Marathon that killed three people and wounded 264 - the worst such incident in the US since 9/11. What the colour of your car says about you By Peter Stebbings/AFP Detroit T he next time you buy a car, you might want to pause a while longer to decide what colour you choose. Top automakers throw millions of dollars at researching what the latest tastes are, and say the colour of a vehicle is so important to customers that it can be the difference between buying or not. The ongoing auto show in Detroit saw many of the classic colours - reds for Porsches and other sports cars - and a few less conventional (a Nissan Titan pickup truck decked out in “forged copper”). But there was no mistaking the pre-eminence of white. Particularly at the Volkswagen stand, where several cars, the stairs and much of the furniture was white. In a multibillion-dollar indus- try, nothing is put to chance and nothing is done by mistake, of course. At least two designers in Detroit referred to the “Apple effect” - the Californian tech giant - to explain the propensity for white vehicles. Sitting at a white table, on white chairs, in a white room, Oona Scheepers of Volkswagen said: “White for cars really peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, and then all of a sudden disappeared. “But in the last 10 years we have noticed an increase again in white. And it definitely came with the Apple iPod era because Apple started to do everything with white, and a lot of nice chrome or metal finishes. “In combination it was really nice and fresh. But before that, white was really not selling in Europe because people associated it with delivery cars and it looked cheap. “But the combination with metal and chrome looks fresh and completely new. White is booming worldwide.” However, Scheepers, head of design, colour and trim, said black was still Volkswagen’s best-seller - but only just. So if one were to choose a black vehicle over a white one, what kind of person would that make you? “You could be sporty. But people in hot countries like white. “White definitely deflects heat, but if you have a black car it can get damn hot inside. And then in a country like South Africa you often have to overtake into direct, oncoming traffic, but white is very visible. “So it’s a safety feature as well in some countries. Metallic grey or black just melts into the colour of the tar, so it is not that visible.” Susan Lampinen, chief de- signer, colours and materials, at Ford, said the colour was so crucial to some people that they would buy a car purely because of that - never mind the design of the vehicle. She too identified an Apple ripple effect in propelling white to a best-seller worldwide for Ford. “White is very clean, very technical, very modern. So most cars look good in white,” she said in Detroit, adding other popular colours included blacks and silvers, while blue is also on the up. Lampinen identified only “slight differences” in preferences in different countries because, she said, of globalisation. Environment, culture and climate can all effect what colour car someone might buy, she added. Scheepers, however, saw stark contrasts between some countries, particularly when it comes to the United States and China. “China is going for very, very bold colours. America is still quite subdued. White sells extremely well here and there is still a preference for champagnetoned body colours and a movement towards the reds in America as well,” she said. “But China is going for gold, extreme greens - it’s a mixture of a green and a brown - very expressive. “There is a new awareness in China, they are becoming very self-confident, and they are expressing themselves.” That also applied to vehicle interiors, said Scheepers, with Chinese consumers going for much bolder designs. Volkswagen research turned up a surprising anomaly, said Scheepers. It found that younger buyers want more sober-coloured vehicles - while older consumers go for brighter ones. The Volkswagen Cross Coupe GTE concept SUV is presented during the media preview of North American International Auto Show at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 16 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 AMERICAS 10 dead as Texas prison bus plunges off highway AFP Washington A bus carrying 15 prison inmates and staff plunged off a Texas highway overpass and onto railway tracks below, where it was hit by a train yesterday, killing 10 people. “Two correctional officers and eight offenders have died from injuries sustained in the accident,” a spokesman from the Texas Department of Corrections said in a statement, adding that five people were hurt. “One staff member and four offenders have been transported to the Medical Center in Odessa and are receiving medical treatment,” the statement said. Jason Clark, director of public information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, told AFP that the accident occurred on a busy stretch of highway shortly after dawn, as the bus carried inmates from one prison facility in Abilene in western Texas to another in the city of El Paso. “The bus left the roadway and made contact with the train,” Clark said. Officials said they did not know what caused the bus to leave the roadway, but said that visibility at the time was poor and the roadway was slick, with temperatures hovering around freezing. “The conditions were less than favorable this morning,” Sergeant Gary Duesler of the Ector County Sheriff’s Department said. “For whatever reason, whether it was for icy conditions or whatever, it went down the embankment and into the path of an oncoming train,” Duesler said. Officials said the accident scene was horrific. “It’s as bad as you can imagine. In 32 years it’s as bad as anything I’ve seen,” Kavin Tinney, chief of a firefighter battalion, told the Odessa American newspaper. Texas prison officials, who said an investigation was underway, lamented the loss of life. “It’s with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of those killed and injured this morning in a tragic accident. “Their loved ones will be in our thoughts and prayers,” Brad Livingston, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said in a statement. Duesler said sheriff’s deputies worked to secure the scene as the investigation continued. “We’ve got the road closed off because it’s a major accident scene,” he said. “There are some inmates that were transported to the hospital, and of course, they’re still inmates, so we’re providing security for them,” he said. House votes to block Obama immigration reform plan AFP Washington T he US House yesterday defied President Barack Obama by adopting Republican measures blocking his controversial immigration reform efforts, but the bill is unlikely to survive in its current form. Lawmakers voted 236 to 191 to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September 30, the end of fiscal year 2015. But the bill included several amendments torpedoing the plan Obama unveiled last November, which authorised the administration to provide work permits for millions of undocumented workers. One amendment would also freeze the program Obama launched in 2012 that shields certain undocumented minors from deportation. Another prioritises expulsions among certain categories of undocumented criminal offenders. “We do not take this action lightly, but simply there is no al- ternative,” House Speaker John Boehner said. “This executive overreach is an affront to the rule of law and to the constitution itself.” Some 11.3mn people were living illegally in the US as of March 2013, the Pew Research Center estimated. The last comprehensive immigration reform by US lawmakers dates back to 1986. Since then, all attempts at major revisions have failed, most recently in 2013 amid conservative opposition. Democratic lawmakers, labor unions and rights groups have complained bitterly about the obstruction, but they let loose yesterday over what they believe is a misguided Republican focus on deportations. “It makes no sense to divert Homeland Security measures to hunt down and deport such individuals,” the large Service Employees International Union argued. The White House has promised a presidential veto of the amended legislation, which has virtually no chance of passing the Senate where Democrats have a blocking minority. “Republicans have only been in control for a week and already they are picking an unnecessary political fight that risks shutting down the Department of Homeland Security and endangering our security,” said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. “Republicans should stop playing games and pass a clean bill to fund (DHS).” The House action sets up a showdown between newly empowered congressional Republicans and Obama. Congress has until February 27 to formalise funding for DHS, which oversees border security, immigration and customs, and the Secret Service tasked with protecting the president. Democrats used the example of last week’s deadly Paris attacks to denounce the Republican tactics. “Homeland security is the last thing in this body that should be subject to a political compromise. Not after the attacks on France, not after 9/11 when we pledged to keep the American people safe,” Democrat Steve Israel told the House. Climbers make final push to top of El Capitan Two climbers trying to scale a sheer granite face of the 3,000ft (900m) El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park without climbing tools made a final push toward the summit yesterday, hoping to reach the top by late afternoon. Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson were making “great progress” as they sought to become first to climb El Capitan’s so-called Dawn Wall without bolts or climbing tools, spokeswoman Jess Clayton said. Caldwell and Jorgeson, who began their climb on Dec. 27, were expected to celebrate privately with their families at the summit before speaking to reporters in a Yosemite meadow the following day. The Dawn Wall of El Capitan is divided into 32 climbing pitches, which are varying lengths of rock that the climbers are trying to master with only their hands and feet. The wall has been scaled before, first by legendary climber Warren Harding in 1970, but never before without climbing tools. Caldwell and Jorgeson had reached the final 11 pitches on Tuesday after working their way past some of the toughest stretches on the rock. Jorgeson struggled for several days last week on difficult pitch 15, at one point being forced to rest for two days while the skin on his fingers healed after being ripped off by razor-sharp ledges. The two climbers are using safety ropes in case of falls, and using ropes and other tools to move back and forth from their campsite perched high on the rock. Because the warmth of the day can cause their hands and feet to perspire, the two often start climbing at dusk. An updated Google Translate application enables smartphones to translate signs, menus and more into English. The California-based Internet titan is hoping that, along with making it easier for people to understand one another on their travels, Google Translate will serve as a useful tool for teachers, medical personnel, police and others with important roles in increasingly multi-lingual communities. Google turns smartphones into real-time translators AFP San Francisco G oogle yesterday began turning smartphones into real-time language translators - of both written and spoken content. The California-based Internet titan is hoping that, along with making it easier for people to understand one another on their travels, Google Translate will serve as a useful tool for teachers, medical personnel, police and others with important roles in increasingly multilingual communities. The company began rolling out a new version of a free Google Translate application that, in part, lets people point Android or Apple smartphones at signs, menus, recipes or other material written in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish and see it in English. “We’re letting you instantly translate text using your camera, so it’s way easier to navigate street signs in the Italian countryside or decide what to order off a Barcelona menu,” the Google Translate team said in a blog post. The feature builds on Word Lens technology that Google acquired last year when it bought Quest Visual, a startup founded by former video game developer Otavio Good. Word Lens uses video mode Plants vs ants: voracious vegetation is victorious Reuters Washington A tricky insect-eating plant from Borneo is living proof that one need not have a brain to outsmart the opposition. Scientists say the tropical carnivorous plant regularly exploits natural weather fluctuations to adjust the slipperiness of its pitfall traps in order to capture and dine on batches of ants at a time rather than individual ants. The research involved an Asian species of pitcher plant, so named because its leaves form cupshaped insect traps that look like a pitcher. When the rim of the plant becomes wet, it gets extremely slippery and ants walking on the surface fall victim to the voracious vegetation. In hot, sunny weather, however, the surface dries and becomes safe for ants to visit. Individual ants serving as scouts for their colonies discover and collect sweet nectar from the trap and return to their nest to tell their fellow ants where to find a nice meal. Numerous ants then march unwittingly into the trap in search of food and are captured because the plant has made its trap slippery and inescapable. So by letting the individual scouts escape, the plant eventually manages to capture much more prey. To control when its trap is slippery, the pitcher plant secretes sugary nectar that primes the trapping surface to become wet through condensation at lower humidity levels than other plant surfaces. That activates the trap during afternoons when many day-active insects are still out and about. “Of course a plant is not clever in the human sense - it cannot plot. However, natural selection is very relentless and will only reward the most successful strategies,” said biologist Ulrike Bauer of Britain’s University of Bristol, who led the study being published yesterday in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. There are about 600 species of carnivorous plants known worldwide. The pitcher plants generally grow in nutrient-poor habitats, which is why they capture animal prey to feed on. Most species trap insects. A few attract small mammals and collect their faeces for nourishment. “What superficially looks like an arms race between nectar robbers and deadly predators could in fact be a sophisticated case of mutual benefit,” Bauer said. “As long as the energy gain (eating the nectar) outweighs the loss of worker ants, the ant colony benefits from the relationship just as much as the plant does.” in smartphone cameras to scan scenes, identify writing and then display it as if it were written in English, a demonstration by Good revealed. “If you are looking at a restaurant menu, it’s nice to see which thing on the menu you are looking at so you can point at it when you order,” Good said as he used his iPhone to scan and translate an Italian pasta recipe. Word Lens in Google Translate operates independent of the Internet, avoiding data charges from telecommunication service providers, he explained. The new Google Translate also features a conversation mode that uses voice recognition and the power of the Internet cloud to translate both sides of a chat between people speaking different languages, the demonstration showed. People pair any two of 38 language options, then smartphones listen in and convert them during chats. An automated voice speaks translations, which are displayed in writing on smartphone screens, while transcripts of chats can be saved. Computing power for translating conversations comes from Google servers, so connections to the Internet through WiFi or telecom carriers are needed. The team at Google is working to expand available languages and capabilities, according to Good. Canada arrests three over �serious’ threats AFP Ottawa C A worker ant collects sweet nectar from the trap of an insecteating Nepenthes pitcher plant in this undated handout picture courtesy of Dr. Ulrike Bauer, University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Researchers have found that, by �switching off’ its traps for part of the day, the plant ensures �scout’ ants survive and are able to lead large numbers of followers to the trap. When the trap gets wet, it suddenly becomes super-slippery and captures all visitors in one sweep. anada arrested three men on terrorism-related charges in as many days because they represented a “serious” potential threat, the country’s top public safety official said on Tuesday. “If accusations are laid, it’s because there’s a serious reason to believe they are potential terrorists,” Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney told CBC television. On Monday, authorities in Ottawa arrested Suliman Mohamed, 21. He faces charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist group, and conspiring to participate in terrorism with 24-yearold twin brothers who were arrested on Friday. Carlos Larmond was apprehended at Montreal’s international airport just before departing to “travel overseas for terrorist purposes,” the police said. Ashton Carleton Larmond was charged with “facilitating terrorist activity” and participating in a terrorist group. Carlos was headed to Syria, the CBC reported. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan earlier said the arrests underscore that there are Canadians “who have become radicalised to a violent ideology, and who are willing to act upon it.” The justice system will move on these cases, Blaney said. “We have to be under no illusion that those breaking the criminal code will face it,” he said. The arrests come after Islamist attacks in France killed 17 people, including 12 people at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In October, two soldiers were killed in separate attacks in Canada. In one, a soldier was fatally shot while standing watch at the War Memorial in Ottawa. His attacker then stormed into parliament and exchanged fire with police before being shot dead. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 17 ASEAN Tourism campaign Malaysian girls who hugged K-pop band threatened with arrest AFP Kuala Lumpur A Women dressed in traditional costumes perform on the street during a parade to promote tourism during the Thailand Tourism Festival 2015, a military junta government campaign to boost the tourism industry, in Bangkok yesterday. Singapore navy finds main body of crashed aircraft AFP Pangkalan Bun A Singaporean navy ship yesterday located the main body of the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea late last month, raising hopes that bodies of most of the 162 victims will now be found. Underwater photos showed the cracked fuselage and part of a wing of Flight QZ8501, that went down on December 28 in stormy weather during a short trip from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. The discovery of the fuselage is the latest boost in a lengthy search operation in Indonesian waters hampered by bad weather. Just 50 bodies have so far been recovered with most of the victims believed to be trapped inside the Airbus 320-200’s main body. It followed the retrieval this week of both the plane’s black boxes, which contain vital information to help investigators determine what caused the crash. AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes confirmed the fuselage had been found in a tweet, saying: “It is so so sad though seeing our aircraft. An image believed to be of the fuselage of AirAsia Flight QZ8501, taken by an underwater remotely operated vehicle provided by the Singaporean Navy, is shown during a news conference in Jakarta. I’m gutted and devastated.” “We hope all our guests are there,” he added. Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post that the MV Swift Rescue had located the wreckage, which was 26 metres (85 feet) long and about two kilometres from where the plane’s tail was found earlier. On the photos accompanying the post, taken by the ship’s Criticism as Cambodia PM marks 30 years in power AFP Phnom Penh R ights groups have lambasted Cambodian strongman Hun Sen for using “violence, repression and corruption” to keep his grip on power as he marked three decades as prime minister yesterday. The former Khmer Rouge cadre became the world’s youngest premier when he took office on January 14, 1985 at the age of 32. But his administration has been mired in graft and he is frequently criticised for ignoring human rights and stamping out dissent. In a report released Tuesday Human Rights Watch accused the 62-year-old of ruling through violence, control over the security forces and manipulated elections to become the world’s sixth-longest serving political leader. “For three decades, Hun Sen has repeatedly used political violence, repression, and corruption to remain in power,” said Brad Adams, HRW Asia director, in a statement. “Cambodia urgently needs reforms so that its people can finally exercise their basic human rights without fear of arrest, torture, and execution. The role of international donors is crucial in making this happen,” he said. When Cambodia fell into civil war in 1970, Hun Sen became a foot soldier for what later emerged as the Khmer Rouge -the genocidal regime that killed up to 2mn people. He rose to the rank of deputy regional commander before defecting to Vietnam and eventually returning with Vietnamese troops to oust the regime, later climbing to the top of the Hanoiinstalled government in Cambodia. As his country emerged from conflict, Hun Sen abandoned the communist dogma of his Vietnamese patrons, embracing the free market and seeking out alliances with more powerful nations. Yet while Cambodia now enjoys relative stability, the authoritarian premier “has nurtured a system in which political power is based on alliance to the ruling party”, said Sopheap Chak, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights in Phnom Penh. remotely operated vehicle, the words “now” and “everyone” are visible, apparently from AirAsia’s motto “Now Everyone Can Fly” painted on the plane’s exterior. Indonesia’s national search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said that divers would head to the main body today. “It is already dark so we will carry out the dive tomorrow morning with the target to find the victims which may still be around it or trapped in the body,” he said. “If the divers have any difficulty, the next step will then be to lift the body and the wing.” He added that two more victims were found yesterday, meaning 50 bodies have so far been retrieved. The Singapore navy ship was part of a huge international hunt for the plane, which also included US and Chinese ships. The so-called black boxes which are actually orange in colour - have been flown to Jakarta, where Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee is leading a probe into the accident, helped by experts from countries including France and the US. The country’s meteorological agency has said bad weather may have caused the crash but only the black boxes will be able to provide definitive answers. Investigators have started retrieving data from the recorders and converting it into a usable format, which will take around a week, before the lengthy analysis process can begin, committee head Tatang Kurniadi said. The flight data recorder holds a wealth of information about every major part of the plane, with details such as the jet’s speed and the direction it was heading in, while the cockpit voice recorder stores radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit. The committee has said a preliminary report on the accident will be produced within a month, and a final report after a year. At a port near Pangkalan Bun, the search headquarters on Borneo island, Indonesian investigators and their French counterparts also began examining the tail, which was lifted out of the water at the weekend. Before take-off, the plane’s pilot had asked for permission to fly at a higher altitude to avoid a major storm but the request was not approved due to other planes above him on the popular route. In his last communication, the experienced pilot said he wanted to change course to avoid the storm. Then all contact was lost, about 40 minutes after take-off. All but seven of those on board the flight were Indonesian. The foreign nationals were from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Britain and France. group of girls in Malaysia were threatened with arrest yesterday after a video emerged showing them hugging members of Kpop boy band B1A4, local media reported. The incident has prompted a public outcry in the Muslim majority country, with conservatives denouncing both the popular Korean K-pop genre and the girls. Official religious purity enforcers have given the girls one week to turn themselves in or face arrest, local media reported. In the video, the band members are shown bringing fans wearing headscarves up on stage during an event in Kuala Lumpur last weekend, crooning to them and cuddling them, with one band member kissing a fan on the forehead. Malaysian religious civil law includes strict codes of conduct when it comes to public displays of affection. “This video shows how many of our girls are ignorant about our religion and do not know the boundaries...” said one Facebook user. “The girls should be punished,” another said. A local group is claiming K-pop is part of a Christian agenda to infiltrate and influence youngsters. Amid the controversy, a satirical cartoon with Malay language captions appeared on Facebook, glorifying women who joined militants in Syria but condemning female K-pop fans as degrading the religion. It had received more than 13,000 likes by yesterday afternoon. While many condemned the girls’ actions, others felt authorities were overreacting. Prominent human rights activist Ambiga Sreenevasan tweeted that if the girls were arrested, it would “traumatise them for the rest of their lives”. Organisers of the concert have apologised for the incident. Despite the language barrier, scores of young Malaysian women and teenagers are ardent fans of heavily styled Kpop with its teen-idol groups, glossy hooks and meticulously choreographed dance moves. Earlier in 2013, K-pop sensation Psy performed his �Gangnam Style’ megahit in Malaysia after being invited by prime minister Najib Razak’s Barisan Nasional coalition, a move aimed at drumming up political support, according to some observers. Fourth ship to join search for missing jet Reuters Sydney A fourth search vessel equipped with a sophisticated underwater drone is set to join the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the Australian search co-ordinator said yesterday. Months of searches have failed to turn up any trace of the Boeing 777 aircraft, which disappeared on March 8, carrying 239 passengers and crew shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. The current phase of the search is focusing on a rugged and previously unmapped 60,000-sq-km patch of sea floor some 1,600km west of the Australian city of Perth. Dutch engineering firm Fugro has deployed three vessels to map and then search the sea floor in the area. The new search vessel, Fugro Supporter, is equipped with a Kongsberg HUGIN 4500 autonomous underwa- ter vehicle (AUV), which is pre-programmed with an area to search and then released, rather than tethered to a ship via a cable. “The AUV will be used to scan those portions of the search area that cannot be searched effectively by the equipment on the other search vessels,” Australia’s Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said in a statement. More than 14,000 sq km of sea floor has been searched, JACC said, and the search of the current area could be completed as early as May, provided there are no delays. Fugro Supporter is expected to arrive in the search area in late January. On July 17, the same airline’s Flight MH17, also a Boeing 777, was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Another Malaysian-affiliated aircraft, an Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320-200, crashed on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore on Dec 28 with the loss of all 162 people on board. Its wreckage has been found and its flight recorders are being examined. US couple go on trial over Bali murder AFP Denpasar A n American man and his teenage girlfriend went on trial on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali yesterday charged with murdering the woman’s mother and stuffing her body into a suitcase outside an exclusive hotel. Heather Mack, who is pregnant, and Tommy Schaefer could face the death penalty if found guilty of the premeditated murder of Sheila von Wiese Mack, 62, whose body was found in the case in the boot of a taxi in August. Prosecutors alleged that Schaefer, who wept as he entered court, “blindly hit” Von Wiese Mack with a bowl in a fit of rage after she directed a racial slur at him during an argument. Schaefer is black. “The defendant, overwhelmed with emotion and anger, picked up the glass fruit bowl and swung it at her face,” prosecutor Eddy Arta Wijaya told the district court in the Balinese capital Denpasar, as he read out the 21-year-old’s indictment. “Wiese tried to push the handle towards Schaefer and it hit US citizen Heather Mack is led from a court in Denpasar, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Right: Tommy Schaefer listens to an interpreter while sitting in the court . his mouth, making him angrier and more emotional. Using both hands, Schaefer blindly hit her as hard as he could between her eyes and nose with the fruit bowl.” He then continued hitting her face on the bed “until she stopped moving”, he added. The indictment said that 19-year-old Heather Mack hid in the bathroom during the attack before the couple stuffed the victim’s body in a suitcase. Mack and Schaefer, who went on trial separately, refused to speak to reporters after the trial. The next hearing will be on January 21. The victim and the suspects are all from the Chicago area. 18 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA 100 held in crackdown on infant trafficking Poachers intercepted AFP Beijing C A handout photo released by New Zealand Defence Force shows the HMNZS Wellington (L) seen in a standoff with a suspected poaching ship Kunlun in Antarctic waters. The New Zealand navy was involved in a high-seas standoff with two suspected poaching ships in Antarctic waters yesterday after the vessels used ”evasive tactics” to thwart boarding attempts, officials said. Stampede victims demand answers The government is facing some hard questions on the tragedy AFP Shanghai R elatives of the 36 people killed in a New Year’s Eve crush in Shanghai— who are now closely supervised by the government—have made a formal written demand for a proper account of the disaster, AFP has learned. New Year revellers, many of them young women, were trampled after flocking to celebrations on Shanghai’s historic waterfront known as the Bund, with severe overcrowding raising questions over why authorities failed to enforce stronger safety measures. A petition drawn up by the family of one of the victims and seen by AFP blames Shanghai government officials, police and medical personnel for the accident and emergency response. By doing so in writing it escalates the dispute. “Lack of a plan, poor exchange of information, an inadequate estimate for security work are the direct causes leading to the entire incident,” states the document, which has been circulated among victims’ relatives. It urged the Shanghai government to “satisfy requests of family members for the handling of funerals and relevant requirements for compensation”. Popular anger at authorities has increased after Caixin magazine reported that officials of Huangpu district, where the crush took place, had dinner at “high- Shanghai Bund class” Japanese restaurant near the site of the stampede on the night it took place. “On one side, some were enjoying a gluttonous feast. On the other side, some were experiencing the final moment of their lives,” said a microblog posting under the name Xiaoyu’er Aishang Yangguang. Shanghai’s Communist party corruption watchdog is investigating the dinner, which took place against the backdrop of a government austerity campaign, the official Xinhua news agency said yesterday. Attempts by AFP to reach the original drafter of the petition, the family of vic- tim Gu Yinli, were unsuccessful. Gu, a 25-year-old white collar worker, had gone to the Bund with four friends, the Beijing News reported. “Gu Yinli was in the first group of injured sent (to the hospital), she should have had a great chance of survival. A lack of timely treatment led to the loss of her life,” the letter said. Petitioning is a time-honoured method of seeking redress for grievances in China, from imperial times to the present. Under Communist Party rule, it is often the channel used when other avenues fail. Other families confirmed they had received the document. Relatives said they were now completely “isolated”, housed in designated hotels and followed by government minders when they go out. The undated petition also alleged that the death toll was higher than the official tally. That claim could not be verified. Shanghai Communist Party Secretary Han Zheng, the city’s highest leader, has pledged an investigation into the crush. Chinese media have reported that the central government’s State Council, or cabinet, which usually handles major accident investigations, will not do so in this case, apparently leaving the inquiry in the hands of the local government accused of being responsible. Some of the controversy has focused on the relocation of a light show on the Bund, with many revellers not properly informed or still going to the Bund, a large public space where people traditionally gather. Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai told a government safety meeting that the accident had an “extremely bad” social impact, in the strongest official condemnation of the accident. Speaking on January 7, Huangpu party chief Zhou Wei said he and other district officials should “bear the responsibility” for the accident, Shanghai television reported, in the first such admission. But observers say the question is whether higher level officials will share the blame. Under China’s rules for workplace accidents, those with death tolls above 30 are classified as “extremely large”, and punishments for officials responsible include suspension, resignation or removal. Detained residents sew lips shut at Australian refugee camp Reuters Sydney H undreds of asylum seekers have gone on hunger strike at an Australian immigration detention centre in Papua New Guinea, rights groups said yesterday, with some sewing their lips shut to highlight fears for their security. Australia uses offshore detention centres in Papua New Guinea and the tiny South Pacific island nation of Nauru to process would-be refugees trying to reach the country, often in unsafe boats after paying people-smugglers in Indonesia. The detention centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea was the scene of deadly riots in February 2014, in which one asylum seeker was killed and more than 70 injured after residents overran the camp, attacking detainees with makeshift weapons. The protests began after detainees were told they would be moved into new accommodation, which they feared they make them more vulnerable to attack, said An asylum seeker with his lips sewn together in the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea. Ian Rintoul, executive director of the Refugee Action Coalition. “Things have just come to a head. It’s impossible to exaggerate the real fears that people have for their safety and for their lives,” he told Reuters. Manus Island is one of the poorest regions of Papua New Guinea and residents have repeatedly expressed anger at the prospect of refugees being resettled in a community already lacking jobs. Many of the detainees have been in the camps as long as 18 months and a technical problem has left them without running water for bathing. A photograph provided to Reuters yesterday shows what appears to be a detainee with his lips stitched shut. Others also had their lips sealed with stitches, a source with knowledge of the camps said. “Refugees inside the Manus Island detention camp are clearly suffering and have resorted to self-harm in an act of desperation,” opposition Greens Party senator Sarah Hanson-Young said in a statement. Prime minister Tony Abbott’s tough line on people smuggling has been credited with grinding the trade to a virtual halt, but thousands remain in camps like Manus Island. Under new laws instituted by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, none of the asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea will ever be eligible for resettlement in Australia, even if they are found to be genuine refugees. The government says that the camps have helped to remove the financial incentive for people smugglers, in the process saving hundreds of lives that might otherwise have been lost at sea in rickety boats. A spokesman for immigration minister Peter Dutton did not respond to requests from Reuters for comment. Settling in Papua New Guinea would also appear to be out of the question. “There simply is no safe arrangement for resettlement in Papua New Guinea. It is a gaping hole at the end of the Australian government’s offshore processing arrangement and as long as that exists, there isn’t a remedy,” Rintoul said. hinese police have busted several trafficking rings for selling newborn babies and children, some of them kept in squalid conditions in a disused mortuary, state-run media reported yesterday. Police arrested more than 100 suspects in the crackdown, with one group in the eastern province of Shandong suspected of housing pregnant women in a factory and selling their newborns, the state-run Global Times daily said. Police found some trafficked children “hidden in the mortuary of an abandoned hospital for infectious diseases, where they were badly treated with instant noodles as food”, it said. China has long struggled to rein in a lucrative market in babies, fuelled by a preference for male children and the “one child policy”, which limits the number of children couples can have. A total of 103 traffickers from eight gangs were arrested in several cities, during a two-month investigation, the report said. “Boys are more expensive than girls,” one suspect surnamed Wu was quoted as saying, added that the price for a male baby could reach 60,000 yuan ($9,700). The paper reported that 37 babies were rescued, including seven who were confirmed to have contracted sexually transmitted diseases from their parents. Chinese police official Chen Shiqu was quoted as saying that “it has become a new criminal pattern for human traffickers to take pregnant women to give birth to babies at a specific place for their business”. The official Xinhua news agency said that one of the groups was suspected of selling more than 20 babies, while another in Yanzhou in Shandong was accused of selling 12 newborns since 2013. China has seen multiple cases of human trafficking in recent years, Xinhua said. In March 2013, Chinese police rescued 92 children and two women and detained 301 suspects. “Trafficking in women and children remains a significant problem in several provinces,” in China, the United Nations Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking says on its website. Prostitution ring busted in Macau AFP Macau P olice in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau have busted a major prostitution ring and arrested more than 100 people, including the nephew of gaming tycoon Stanley Ho, city authorities said yesterday. The syndicate sourced prostitutes online, mostly from mainland China, to solicit at a Macau hotel, turning an estimated annual profit of 400mn patacas ($50mn), Vong Chi-hong, spokesman for the city’s Judiciary Police told AFP. It is the largest prostitution syndicate to be broken up since the former Portuguese colony was returned to China in 1999, “both in terms of money involved and number of prostitutes”, he said. Vong said prostitutes had to pay a 150,000-yuan membership fee ($24,200) to join the group and were allowed to solicit at a hotel after paying a monthly fee. Alan Ho, a nephew of casino tycoon Stanley, was arrested with several other alleged ringleaders and 96 prostitutes in a raid on Saturday, a government source confirmed. A photograph in the South China Morning Post showed him handcuffed and being led away by police. According to a police statement, one million patacas in cash was discovered during the bust and a computer containing a list of 2,400 prostitutes was seized. The southern Chinese city, the only place on Chinese soil that allows gambling, overtook Las Vegas as the world’s casino capital in terms of revenue after the sector was opened up to foreign competition in 2002, and now enjoys gambling revenues multiple times that of the American city. Dubbed the “King of Gambling”, the ailing Stanley Ho, 93, secured a monopoly on Macau’s casinos for four decades in the 1960s before licenses were granted to rival firms including some major global players. Driving school to pay for tsunami deaths DPA Tokyo A Japanese driving school was ordered Tuesday to pay damages for failing to evacuate students and staff quickly enough ahead of the 2011 tsunami, local media reported. The school in the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi must pay 1.9 billion yen ($16.1mn) to relatives of 25 students and an employee who died, the Sendai District Court ruled, according to a Kyodo news agency. After the magnitude-9 quake struck on March 11, 2011, the driving school first kept pupils and staff on the premises, about 750m from the shore in Yamamoto town, for an hour before deciding to evacuate. But they were too late to escape the waves that caught 23 of the people in fleeing cars, two still on foot and one member of staff who had been told to stay at the driving school and clean up. The school had failed in its “duty to foresee the tsunami and transport the students to safety”, presiding judge Kenji Takamiya was quoted as saying. The damages suit is the fourth filed by families of disaster victims against schools or businesses to make it to a district court ruling, Kyodo said. About 18,500 people were left dead or missing by the disaster, which also triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 19 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA Page linked to N Korea airline firm hacked AFP Seoul H An elderly woman pushes a walking aid in Tokyo’s Sugamo district, an area popular among the Japanese elderly. Prime minister Shinzo Abe\’s cabinet approved on Wednesday a record $812 billion budget for the coming fiscal year while cutting new borrowing for a third straight year in a bid to balance growth and fiscal reform. The largest budget item, social welfare spending, will rise 1tn yen to a record 31.53tn. Japan clears biggest ever defence budget Premier Abe has shown that he is not afraid of confronting China AFP Tokyo J apan approved its largest-ever defence budget for the next fiscal year yesterday, as hawkish prime minister Shinzo Abe looks to strengthen surveillance of territorial waters in the face of a continuing spat with China. For the year to March 2016, Tokyo will spend 4.98tn yen ($41.97bn), the government said, indicating a budget rise for the third straight year. “This is the largest budget ever,” said a defence ministry official, adding the highest allocation previously was 4.96tn yen earmarked in 2002. The trend reflects Abe’s wish to build a more active military, a push supporters say is in response to the raising of tensions with China, with which Tokyo is at odds over the ownership of islands in the East China Sea. Japan is increasingly wary of Beijing, which is seen by several countries in the region as becoming aggressive over various sovereignty claims. But detractors point to Abe’s desire to bolster the military more generally, and to shrug off the shackles of pacifism. China responded cautiously to the an- Prime minister Shinzo Abe is surrounded by press after a cabinet meeting at his official residence in Tokyo nouncement, urging Tokyo to pay heed to the past. “Japan’s moves in its military and security policies have long drawn the attention of its Asian neighbours and of the international community. They indicate whether or not Japan can follow the path of a peaceful development,” said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei. The premier had wanted to alter the constitution to reduce restrictions on the armed forces, but was unable to muster sufficient public support, and moved instead to reinterpret the relevant clause to allow the military to come to the aid of an ally under attack. “We hope that the Japanese side will regard history as a mirror and follow the path of a peaceful development and play a constructive role to promote regional peace and stability.” Among items on the Japanese defence ministry’s shopping list are 20 “P-1” maritime patrol aircraft, with a combined price tag of 350bn yen. It will also buy five V-22 “Osprey”— crossover aircraft, which have the manoeuverability of helicopters and the range of aeroplanes—along with six high-tech F-35A stealth fighters. The ministry is looking to obtain a fleet of “Global Hawk” drones over a five-year period, and part of the purchase will come out of this budget, officials said. The ministry is also buying 30 units of amphibious vehicles and one E-2D airborne early-warning aircraft to be assigned to protect fringe areas, including the Nansei Shoto islands which lie between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The cash will also go towards the construction of one Aegis destroyer, and fund the deployment surveillance units around the southern islands of Okinawa and Amami. The Abe cabinet decided in late 2013 to set aside roughly 24.7tn yen between 2014 and 2019 to spend on kit including drones, submarines, fighter jets and amphibious vehicles, in a strategic shift towards the south and west. Japan and China have routinely butted heads over the ownership of the Tokyocontrolled Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyus, with official Chinese ships and aircraft regularly testing Japanese forces. Separately, Chinese naval ships and military jets are seen increasing their activities around Japan, while an unpredictable North Korea continues its missile and nuclear programmes. Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in last November, the first face-toface encounter since each came to power, and agreed to work towards easing tensions over the sovereignty of the islands. On Monday, defence officials from the both sides resumed talks on building a hotline, for the first time since June 2012, in an effort to avert unexpected clashes in the East China Sea, the government said. But conservative ideologue Abe has also travelled abroad tirelessly to reinforce ties with foreign leaders, particularly those in Southeast Asia, in a bid to counter China’s efforts to expand its sphere of influence. Abe has also worked to strengthen Japan’s military alliance with the US. The defence expenditure makes up more than five percent of Japan’s general budget for the next fiscal year, which comes in at a record-high 96.34tn yen, up from 95.88tn yen the previous year. HK leader warns of anarchy as opposition disrupts session Reuters Hong Kong H ong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying warned pro-democracy protesters yesterday they risked “anarchy” as he sought to bolster his support in his first policy address since demonstrations rocked the financial hub last year. Before Leung gave his annual speech, opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings, calling on him to step down. Some held up banners demanding full democracy and then walked out of the legislature under yellow umbrellas - a symbol of the protests. The session had be adjourned briefly as security guards hauled off two democratic lawmakers. About 70 pro-democracy protesters gathered outside the Legislative Council, along with dozens of Leung’s supporters. The policy blueprint has been a key platform for leaders in the Chinese-controlled city to hand out billions to the lessadvantaged in the form of tax breaks, or to signal shifts in economic, property and political policies. “As we pursue democracy, we should act in accordance with the law, or Hong Kong will degenerate into anarchy,” Leung, dressed in a dark suit and sky-blue tie, told city legislators. Pro-democracy lawmaker Raymond Chan is taken away by security guards after he protested against Hong Kong chief executive Leung The former British colony returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that gives it some autonomy from the mainland and a promise of eventual universal suffrage. Beijing has allowed a free vote for city leader in 2017, but insists on screening candidates. Protesters demanding full democracy occupied parts of the city for more than two months late last year with Leung himself a target of their anger. He must now try to boost his ratings among a population that knows that, under Beijing’s watchful gaze, he is unable to offer anything significant in the way of democratic reform. At the same time, he must perform a balancing act by healing divisions, main- taining strong ties with Communist Party rulers in China, on which Hong Kong’s economy overwhelmingly depends, and ensuring that the city’s economy - expected to grow about 2.2% this year - remains on a steady keel. Leung reiterated that Beijing leaders had absolute authority over the city, and the screening of candidates for Hong Kong leader by a nominating committee stacked with Beijing loyalists was the only option. The opposition wants open nominations. “Hong Kong autonomy under �one country, two systems’ is a high degree of autonomy, not an absolute autonomy,” Leung said. In a speech lacking major initiatives, Leung focused on bread-and-butter issues including housing - an important topic in the densely populated city of 7.2mn - and said he would seek to boost the supply of land in one of the world’s costliest markets. “Increasing and expediting land supply is the fundamental solution to resolve the land and housing problems,” he said. He gave no specifics amid speculation the government may seek to open up parks to limited development, which would likely infuriate environmentalists. In a surprise move, the government scrapped a “Capital Investment Entrant Scheme” in place since 2003. The scheme had been seen as a back-door for affluent mainland Chinese to get Hong Kong residency and squirrel away their wealth. At a time when China’s economy remains vulnerable to a protracted slowdown, Hong Kong has struggled on many fronts given its growing ties with the mainland. Initial public offerings, crucial to its financial sector and broader economic health, have dried up, including from China. The offshore yuan market has slowed markedly thanks to more offshore yuan hubs coming on stream. Even financial services have seen torrid times as global institutions struggle. Standard Chartered Bank recently shut its global equities operations and laid off some Hong Kong staff. Leung said Hong Kong would forge deeper ties with China’s capital markets including the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and further develop the offshore yuan market. Meanwhile, more foreign professionals would be lured by an acrossthe-board lowering of entry criterion. The city government will earmark HK$1 bn to help Hong Kong firms tap the mainland market while about HK$5bn will also be pumped into a fund to beef up the city’s innovation and technology sector. For the city’s less well-off, Leung announced that the minimum wage was being raised from HK$30 an hour to HK$32.50. ackers declaring support for Islamic State jihadists appeared yesterday to have taken over a Facebook page promoting North Korea’s state-run airline Air Koryo, deriding the communist nation’s leader Kim JongUn as a “crying pig”. The hackers replaced the page’s photo banner with the black and white flag of the Islamic State (IS) group, which is also known as ISIS, and filled its timeline with pictures declaring support for the jihadists and mocking Kim’s regime. One image showed Kim weeping at his father Kim Jong-Il’s funeral in 2011, with the caption “crying pig”. The page’s profile picture was changed to an image of a fighter with his face wrapped in a scarf, captioned “CyberCaliphate” and “I love you ISIS”. Another photo showing IS fighters was captioned: “North Korea the communist thug nation and the Chinese communist thugs will pay a price for their collaboration with the enemies of the muwahideen.” It is not confirmed that the Facebook page, which has some 8,000 “likes”, is run by the airline. South Korean news agency Yonhap described the page as Air Koryo’s Facebook account and said its earlier posts had been deleted by the hackers. A report by the website NK News in September said the page, which previously posted schedule information and news on aviation tours to North Korea, was operated by airline enthusiasts. The hacking came two days after a group styling itself as the CyberCaliphate, using the same “I love you ISIS” profile picture, hacked US Central Command’s social media accounts, forcing the military to take down the command’s Twitter feed. The websites of major North Korean propaganda outlets and the homepage of Air Koryo were blocked for days last month after US president Barack Obama pledged a “proportional” response to a massive cyber-attack against Hollywood studio Sony Pictures. The FBI has said North Korea carried out the Sony hacking in retaliation for the studio’s comedy “The Interview”, which centres on a plot to assassinate Kim, and the US government slapped new sanctions on Pyongyang this month. North Korea has repeatedly denied involvement in the cyber-attack against Sony. Seoul arrests woman for �pro-North talk’ Reuters Seoul S outh Korean authorities arrested a former member of a leftist political party yesterday for breaking a state security law by making favourable comments about the North, the same law under which a Korean-American woman was deported four days ago. Hwang Seon, a unification activist who rose to prominence in 2005 when she had a baby in Pyongyang, was taken into custody early yesterday, said a prosecution official who asked not to be identified. The prosecution official said a Seoul court on Tuesday granted a request to detain Hwang on charges of breaking the National Security Law. Hwang denied the charges as she entered the court for a hearing. The law, enacted after Korea was split at the end of World War Two but before the 1950-53 Korean War, prohibits South Koreans from publicly praising the North Korean regime. It is considered obsolete by liberal critics, who say it is often used by conservative governments to stifle political opposition and suppress freedom of speech. South Korean president Park Geun-hye said on Monday the law was still needed as a way to protect the South from the North, with which it technically remains at war under a truce that suspended fighting in the Korean War. The US, a key ally of Seoul, expressed concern about the application of the National Security Law, saying the law “as interpreted and applied in some cases, limits freedom of expression and restricts access to the Internet.” 10 Turks held for passport racket Reuters Shanghai P olice in Shanghai have arrested 10 Turkish nationals suspected of supplying fake passports to ethnic Uighurs from China’s far-western region of Xinjiang who were described as terrorist suspects by state media. Hundreds of people have been killed in resource-rich Xinjiang, strategically located on the borders of central Asia, in violence in the past two years between the Muslim Uighur people and ethnic majority Han Chinese. Another 11 people, including nine Xinjiang “terror suspects”, were also detained in November while trying to leave China after paying 60,000 yuan ($9,700) for altered Turkish passports, the state-run Global Times newspaper reported. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei did not elaborate on the case but told a news conference yesterday the report was “extremely accurate”. Mother reports bomb in son’s room Police detonated what was thought to be a homemade bomb yesterday after a mother called the bomb squad about an object she found in her son’s bedroom in Sydney. The mother told police the object looked suspicious because it had a mobile phone taped up with wire hanging out of it. Police removed the object and blew it up in a nearby football pitch. They were questioning the 20-year-old son. Earlier yesterday, a suspected homemade bomb discovered outside a school in Bundaberg, north Queensland, was destroyed by police. 20 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 BRITAIN LEGAL POLL OFFBEAT CONTROVERSY PEOPLE Google battles lawsuit by Mosley over photographs Support for Irish coalition shows signs of recovery Dog finds a home after seven-year hitch Think-tank’s green belt homes proposal flayed Singer’s mansion plans opposed by neighbour Google yesterday sought to block a lawsuit filed against it by Max Mosley in the High Court in London over access through its search engine to images of the former motor racing chief taking part in a sex party. Google wants to avoid a legal obligation to monitor and limit the flow of data on the Internet. Mosley, who was present in court, argues the firm is breaching his fundamental right to privacy by allowing users to access the pictures. The images were first published in 2008 by Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World. Max Mosley later won £60,000 in damages from the newspaper. He launched legal action against Google in July last year. Support for Ireland’s governing parties showed tentative signs of recovery in the first opinion poll of the year as Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael rose above Sinn Fein as the most popular party in the country. With just over a year to go until the next election, Kenny’s centre-right party ended 2014 in third place in some polls after a series of political blunders as frustration over an uneven economic recovery spilled into street protests. The Paddy Power/Red C poll put support for Fine Gael at 24%, up 3 percentage points from the last Red C poll in December and the party’s first increase in four polls. Junior coalition partner Labour rose 2 points to 8%. A dog called Jed has found his forever home after setting a likely British record by being rejected by over 14,000 potential new owners who looked him over during his seven years at a pet rescue centre in Darlington. “We’re missing Jed but it’s nice that he’s found a lovely couple,” DogsTrust manager Judith Davidson said yesterday. “You do have a tear in your eye but it’s a tear of joy when they get their final home.” The skinny Lurcher was brought in as a 4-month-old puppy in 2007 and had been in the re-homing centre on and off since then. “We’ve tried and he did come back a couple of times,” Davidson said. “We don’t know why because we love him.” A plan to tackle the housing crisis by building a million homes on London›s green belt was blasted by MPs yesterday. The Adam Smith Institute called for the development of 3.7% of city green belt land within 10 minutes walk of a railway station. The Right-leaning think-tank argued that this designated special protection is damaging other parts of the city. But Greenwich and Woolwich Labour MP Nick Raynsford said: «The idea you can nibble away at the green belt without long-term consequences is wrong. The reason it was put in place is to safe- guard England from urban sprawl.» The institute branded the current planning structure out-of-date and called for radical reform. Singer Robbie Williams is embroiled in a planning dispute with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page over the re-development of his £17.5mn London mansion. The former Take That star’s 46-room house in Holland Park was previously owned by the late film director Michael Winner. Williams, 40, wants to turn the Grade II* listed Victorian property into a “functional family home” for his wife Ayda Field, 35, and their two children. Plans have been submitted to Kensington and Chelsea council. But Page, 71, claims the building work could cause “vibrations and possible structural damage” to his nearby property, where he has lived since 1972. Anti-snooping campaign launched over Ripa changes Guardian News and Media London A n urgent campaign has been launched for a “freedom of expression” law to protect confidential journalists’, MPs’ and laywers’ phone and communications records being secretly snooped on by the police. Senior editors and lawyers condemned as “wholly inadequate” safeguards put forward by Theresa May in December to meet concerns over the police use of surveillance powers in a code of practice linked to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Ripa). The critics of the draft code fear that the police will still have sweeping powers allowing them to authorise themselves to access the phone and e-mail records of professionals such as journalists, lawyers, doctors, MPs and priests who handle privileged, confidential information. More than 3,000 national and regional editors are being asked to sign a joint letter from the Society of Editors and Press Gazette, the industry’s journal, condemning the Home Office joint code for failing to recognise “the overarching importance of protecting journalists’ sources”. The campaign comes as the prime minister, David Cameron, called for an extension of the laws that give snooping powers to security services with a plan to ban encrypted messages in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo Paris attacks. Bob Satchwell of the Society of Editors added: “It is vitally important that everyone in the media makes it clear just how important this issue has become. Journalism isn’t a crime and should not be treated as such.” May had offered to provide guidance over the existing police powers after it emerged that the Metropolitan police had secretly accessed the phone records of Sun journalist Tom Newton Dunn in order to find people who had leaked him information in the Plebgate affair. But Dominic Ponsford of Press Gazette warned: “The government’s draft Ripa code is a licence for the state to spy on journalists’ phone records at will. It allows police forces to approve their own requests for journalists call records provided they make a note of their target’s profession. “It means that police forces will be able to continue to track down and punish lawful journalistic sources (as was the case with the Met Police and the Sun’s Plebgate sources),” he said. “The guidance makes no mention of the overriding public interest in protecting journalists’ sources.” Alistair MacDonald, QC, chairman of the Bar Council, said that the Charlie Hebdo attack should not allow such spying powers to go through unchallenged: “The Paris murders by extremist gunmen who were known to the security and police services, have already attracted considerable support for an extension of surveillance powers,” said MacDonald. “That surveillance can save lives seems undeniable. However, it is one of the objectives of extremists who are willing to commit barbaric crimes, that the hard-won liberties of the civil population should be curtailed and that a wedge should be driven between those in society with different views about the degree to which personal freedoms should be sacrificed on the altar of public safety,” he said. However, despite the emerging objections Home Office ministers look set to back changes next week that would allow the police to carry on secretly snooping on confidential professional phone and web records at will. People walk in the snow in Pitlochry, central Scotland, yesterday. The Meteorological Office has issued warnings that parts of the country will be struck by gales and snow. Snow, storms sweep across much of UK Blizzards and storms force schools and roads to close, as severe weather continues to cause problems Guardian News and Media London S now and ice in northern Scotland has forced more than 90 schools and nurseries to shut down, the closure of roads and the suspension of several rail routes. The blizzards followed last week’s fierce storms which left 120,000 properties without power in Scotland. The homes have since been reconnected but BT is continuing to fix phone lines in the Highlands and Islands. Re- pair efforts have been hampered by fallen trees, ferry cancellations and traffic restrictions. Road operator Bear Scotland said its teams were working around the clock to keep routes clear, while Police Scotland said drivers should ask whether their journey is really necessary before getting behind the wheel. A lorry jackknifed on the A9 south of Newtonmore in snowy conditions causing delays for a time. “If you do decide to travel, ensure your vehicle is well prepared before setting off, make sure your windscreens are completely free of snow and ice, and your lights are working and clean,” said chief inspector Louise Blakelock. Heavy snowfall blocked the railway line in the Highlands between P rime Minister David Cameron came under concerted pressure yesterday from political rivals to join a series of pre-election TV debates he has said he will boycott unless the smaller left-leaning Green Party is also included. Cameron’s refusal has seen opponents accuse him of using a questionable pretext to avoid a debate they say he fears. His foes also accuse him of showing disdain for what they say is a healthy democratic exercise ahead of the May 7 national election, which is expected to be unusually tight. Cameron, whose rightleaning Conservative Party has little in common with the Greens, has said he wants the debates to happen but that “you can’t have some minor parties in and not other parties in”. In separate but almost identical letters, the leaders of the main opposition Labour Party, the anti-EU UK Independence Party (Ukip) and the Liberal Democrat Party, Cameron’s junior coalition partner, wrote to him urging him to reconsider. “It would be unacceptable if the political self-interest of one party leader were to deny the public the opportunity to see their leaders’ debate in public,” the letters read. “Therefore, if you are unwilling to reconsider, the three party leaders who have committed to participate will ask the broadcasters to press ahead with the debates and provide an empty podium should you have a last-minute change of heart.” The spat follows a provisional ruling from the broadcast regulator Ofcom saying the Green Party, which currently has one lawmaker in parliament and a small number of local councillors, did not qualify for major party status. Conservative strategists are thought to be sceptical about any upside for Cameron from the TV debates, fearing they could allow Labour leader Ed Miliband to improve his poor leadership ratings and appear as a credible prime ministerin-waiting. With the country’s mostly right-leaning press regularly deriding Miliband as a sociallyawkward nerd, the TV debates are a rare high-profile opportunity for him to prove his detractors wrong, which is why he wants to ensure they happen. Cameron has less to gain since Nigel Farage, Ukip’s media-savvy leader, is targeting Conservative voters in particular and is likely to zero in on him during TV debates. If the Greens were included, Conservatives believe Labour and the Liberal Democrats would face more robust scrutiny. Recent opinion polls have shown Cameron’s party either narrowly behind or level with Labour. worst of the storms have passed.” In Northern Ireland, more than 100 schools were forced to close after heavy snowfall mainly in western parts of the region. The counties worst hit by the severe weather were Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone. In Derry city, the snowfall was so deep overnight that some local taxi firms suspended services yesterday morning. At the main hospital in the city some staff were forced to stay on site overnight because of road closures and disruption to public transport. A spokesperson for Altnagelvin hospital said: “A small number of staff had to stay in, we have planned arrangements in place for such eventualities. Public access to the hospital at this stage is like everywhere else in Derry: difficult but accessible.” Rail and bus services in the west of the province were disrupted as is the ferry between Ballycastle and Rathlin Island with all sailings cancelled from half past nine yesterday morning. Meanwhile across the border in the Irish Republic, western counties were also being badly affected by the snowfall. Schools in Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and parts of the Irish Midlands were closed. All secondary schools in Sligo town were closed as a result of the snow and high winds. The Met Office has issued yellow “be aware” alerts for most of the UK. Barring private cabs from bus lanes �legal’ PM under pressure to appear in TV debates Reuters London Blair Atholl and Drumochter as snowplough trains worked through the night in an attempt to keep the rail network open. Network Rail said a limited number of train services had been suspended from noon yesterday because of heavy winds. No trains will run on the Dumbarton Central to Helensburgh Central and Glasgow to Oban lines until 6pm today. The Kyle to Dingwall and Kilwinning to Ardrossan line was also suspended. David Dickson, route managing director for Scotland, said: “Safety has to be our first consideration during severe weather. Where conditions are predicted to be most severe, we have agreed to withdraw a limited number of services until the Reuters Brussels A Cameron: decision derided llowing London’s trademark black cabs to use bus lanes while excluding other minicab companies does not constitute state aid, the European Union’s highest court ruled yesterday. The decision ends a lengthy dispute between the capital’s transport authority, Transport for London (TfL), and Eventech, which owns a minicab fleet used by cab firm Addison Lee. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said black cabs and minicabs were not comparable because of their different “factual and legal situation” and therefore only allowing black cabs to use bus lanes did not give them a selective economic advantage. Only black cabs can be waved down by customers on the street and are subject to strict standards regarding their vehicles, fares and knowledge of London, the Luxembourgbased court said. Eventech, which previously lost its case in Britain’s High Court, had argued that TfL’s bus lane policy was an infringement of the freedom to provide services and also amounted to illegal state aid essentially a subsidy - favouring black cabs. The court rejected that view as the policy does not involve any transfer of public money. EU law prevents governments from giving state aid to companies that could distort competition. But the court recognised that the TfL policy could make the provision of minicab services less attractive and thus reduce the ability of competing providers to penetrate London’s market. The dispute has coincided with growing concerns among traditional cab companies over what they see as unfair competition from alternative taxi providers such as the car-sharing service Uber. The conflict has led to Europe-wide taxi strikes and temporary bans on Uber in Germany. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 21 BRITAIN/IRELAND OPINION ELECTION HONOURED IMMIGRATION DECISION Blair defends IRA letters as vital for N Ireland peace Boris deputy vows to reverse Tube fare rises Tower’s field of poppies voted top cultural event More foreign-born war vets seeking help to stay in UK Massereene to be £161mn science park Former prime minister Tony Blair apologised for failings in the scheme that led to an IRA bomb suspect walking free, but insisted peace could not have been achieved in Northern Ireland without it. John Downey is believed to have carried out a 1982 attack in London’s Hyde Park but his trial collapsed last year after it emerged prosecutors had sent him a letter guaranteeing he would never face trial. The letter was one of 228 sent out to militants as part of negotiations to keep the peace in Northern Ireland. Giving evidence to the committee investigating the scheme, Blair said that only people deemed by prosecutors to have a lack of evidence against them were meant to have received the letters. Boris Johnson’s own deputy yesterday pledged to reverse the Tube fare hikes of recent years if he becomes mayor. Tory hopeful Stephen Greenhalgh included the promise as one of 15 challenges he would address if he won the top job at City Hall. Greenhalgh, London’s deputy mayor for policing, told the Standard: “Ordinary working Londoners should not have to pay more every year in fares as they strive to take advantage of the jobs and growth London is creating. We need to make Tube and bus fares cheaper from 2016 so that Londoners, especially those who keep the city running — the nurses, teachers and paramedics — can pay less for the effort of getting into work.” The Tower of London’s field of ceramic poppies has been voted the capital’s top cultural event of 2014. Artists Paul Cummins and Tom Piper were honoured yesterday with a “Contribution to London’s Cultural Excellence” prize at an awards ceremony celebrating London’s achievers. The pair filled the Tower’s moat with 888,246 ceramic poppies to mark lives lost in World War I, drawing 4mn visitors. Baroness Jo Valentine, head of business group London First which runs the awards, said half of the people who took part in a vote chose the poppies display, which “cast a global spotlight on the city”. The number of foreign-born veterans seeking help to stay in Britain after serving in the Armed Forces has risen sharply, according to a charity. Veterans Aid, one of the charities at the heart of the Evening Standard’s homeless veterans campaign, has seen calls from ex-servicemen and women seeking its help with immigration issues more than double in the space of a year. “We started keeping records in 2007 and there were 13,” said chief executive Dr Hugh Milroy. “In 2013 we took 167 calls for help and in 2014 this rose to 338.” The charity, based in Victoria, said it is “concerned” about the increasing number of Foreign and Commonwealth veterans, and serving personnel, seeking help. A former army barracks where two soldiers were shot dead by dissident republicans is to be turned into a science park by an international medical diagnostics firm. The entrance to the heavilyfortified Massereene base in Antrim was the scene of the Real IRA gun attack that claimed the lives of English sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, in March 2009. Randox Laboratories announced a £161mn investment, including the creation of 540 jobs. Randox managing director Dr Peter FitzGerald said: “Randox innovation underpins our achievements, allows us to diversify and allows us to target fresh markets. Randox Science Park will be at its core.” British Jews fear future in Europe, states poll Coach Core Graduation event Females held at Yarl’s Wood �are routinely humiliated’ Reuters London A quarter of Jews in Britain have considered leaving the country in the last two years and well over half feel they have no long term future in Europe, according to a survey published yesterday. Additionally, anti-Semitic beliefs are widely prevalent among the wider public with 45% of Britons agreeing with at least one anti-Semitic sentiment, the YouGov poll for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) group found. The survey comes a week after four French Jews were killed in an attack on a Kosher supermarket in Paris which led to police stepping up security at synagogues and other Jewish venues across Britain. “Whilst anti-Semitism in Britain is not yet at the levels seen in most of Europe, the results of our survey should be a wakeup call,” said Gideon Falter, chairman of the CAA in a foreword to its report. “Britain is at a tipping point: unless anti-Semitism is met with zero tolerance, it will continue to grow and British Jews may increasingly question their place in their own country.” Last July, the Community Security Trust, which provides security advice to Britain’s estimated 260,000 Jews, said anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had risen to a near record level amid fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinians in Gaza. According to the CAA’s poll of 2,230 British Jews, 58% felt Jews might have no long-term future in Europe, 45% felt their family had been threatened and more than half had witnessed more antiSemitism in the last two years than ever before. The survey of the wider public found a quarter of Britons believed “Jews chase money more than other British people”, and one in six agreed that “Jews think they are better than other people” and “Jews have too much power in the media”. Guardian News and Media London W Prince Harry is presented with a basketball shirt and size 15 basketball shoe by NBA basketball player Carmelo Anthony during a Coach Core Graduation event at St James’s Palace in London yesterday. The Coach Core model, a year’s apprenticeship, aspires to produce well qualified sports coaches to work in the community. The graduation ceremony celebrates the partnership between The Royal Foundation and the NBA which was announced during The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s trip to the US in December 2014. Iraq inquiry unlikely to report before polls London Evening Standard London A nger grew yesterday as new evidence emerged that the delayed Iraq War inquiry may not be published until after the general election. The Evening Standard has learned that one witness received a formal letter inviting a response to criticism only last month, which suggests the report is far from completion. Other witnesses are said to be still waiting for documents in order to comment on them, indicating that chairman Sir John Chilcot and his team are far behind schedule. One figure who has had close dealings with the Chilcot inquiry believed letters only began to be issued in the autumn, adding: “There’s no way it can be published before the election at this rate. It will not reflect well on the inquiry.” Senior Whitehall sources are coming to that view - though the inquiry, which has cost more than £9mn, had its last public hearing in February 2011. One official said: “The sense I get is that there is some real substance still to go.” Another said: “Put it this way, there is no sense in Whitehall of people gearing up for a publication any time soon.” The situation means that voters are now likely to go to the polls on May 7 with no official verdict on the 2003 invasion, which claimed at least 100,000 lives in fighting plus many more in a bloody aftermath. The inquiry has been studying whether former prime minister Tony Blair made secret promises to ex-US president George Bush, as well as looking at the notorious claims that Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussain had weapons of mass destruction and preparations for the aftermath. A Westminster source told the Standard of being astonished to discover that a witness was only sent a so-called “Maxwell letter” in December. By law, anyone who will face criticism from a public inquiry must be sent a letter warning them of the contents, so that they are able to challenge any negative findings. These so-called “Maxwellisation” letters are named after a court challenge by the crooked former Daily Mirror tycoon Robert Maxwell, who managed to overturn the verdict of a critical report in 1969. The source, an individual familiar with the workings of inquiries, said: “Until then I assumed that the delay was because of a ping-pong between lawyers. I also thought a nudge from Parliament might be enough to get things moving. “However, if Maxwell letters were being sent out quite recently then it is hard to see the report being published quickly.” Any inquiry must give adequate time for people to respond to Maxwell letters or it could face judicial review. omen detained in the Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre are routinely humiliated by male staff who monitor them while they are dressing, showering and using the toilet, or are naked in their rooms, a report into the treatment of female asylum seekers reveals. The report, by the charity Women for Refugee Women, noted that many female asylum seekers detained at Yarl’s Wood, in Bedfordshire, have been victims of sexual violence in their home countries. Nineteen of the women interviewed said they had been raped, and 28 women in total indicated they had experienced forced marriage, forced prostitution or some other form of sexual violence before coming to the UK. The report also found high levels of depression among detainees, with 19 of the 38 interviewed saying they had been put on suicide watch for all or part of their time at the centre. The study also raises concerns at the use of solitary confinement. The report follows earlier research into sexual assaults by staff on detainees in Yarl’s Wood. In June 2014, the centre’s management said 31 allegations of sexual contact had been investigated and a number of staff were dismissed. Serco, the outsourcing firm that runs Yarl’s Wood under contract to the Home Office, had its contract renewed last November to run the centre for another eight years. In a statement, Serco said the Glitter trial allegations were “uncorroborated”. Norman Abusin, Serco’s contract director at Yarl’s Wood, said: “We take all complaints seriously and we have strict procedures for dealing with them. They are always fully investigated and, if appropriate, disciplinary action is taken.” The decision to detain women who have been trafficked, tortured or suffered sexual abuse has already caused controversy and Labour has promised to prohibit the detention of pregnant women and women who have experienced torture or sexual abuse if it wins the election. “We take all complaints seriously and we have strict procedures for dealing with them” Researchers focused on the problem of male staff intimidating detainees, by routinely invading their privacy. “Almost all (of the women interviewed) said men watched them in intimate situations, such as while naked, partly dressed in the shower or on the toilet,” the report says. “Of the 38 women, 33 said they experienced men seeing them in these situations.” Serco guidelines say staff should not enter detainees’ rooms for searches without knocking. The women said such searches made them scared, uncomfortable, angry and ashamed. Detainees also reported high levels of bullying, with 29 saying they felt they had been bullied and 25 saying a member of staff had been racist. “They always come in without knocking … even if you are in the shower or toilet,” one woman said. Nearly 800 gifts for Prince George Agencies London P Former glam rock star Gary Glitter arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London yesterday. The former singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, is appearing on charges relating to historic sex offences against two young girls. “Men enter your room without knocking and see you in bed every day,” another detainee said. “One day I was in the bathroom taking a shower, they asked me to come out,” another told researchers. A fourth woman said: “Because of sexual abuse, I used to feel very uncomfortable with male officers in my room when I was in bed. I felt very vulnerable. They said they don’t have to give you warning. They all enter and search.” Researchers interviewed “Margaret”, not her real name, who fled to the UK two years ago from the Democratic Republic of Congo, after being kidnapped and questioned by soldiers about her brothers’ political affiliations; she was later repeatedly gang-raped by her questioners. She was detained in Yarl’s Ward a month after arriving in Britain and claiming asylum. “I came here only just to ask asylum, I’m not a criminal,” she said. “I am so depressed, that they think I am going to kill myself here, and I am watched by men and women night and day. “When the men watch me it makes me have so many bad feelings about myself and my body. I feel full of shame about what happened to me and what is happening to me. Being in prison here is a torture in my head.” Detainees report requesting that female staff should carry out searches, and being told this was not possible. Abusin said: “Our male staff are not allowed to enter women’s bedrooms and bathrooms without any warning nor do they watch women showering, nor when in the toilet. rince George of Cambridge was showered with nearly 800 official gifts last year more than 600 of them during his tour of Australia. Kensington Palace published its annual list of presents received on overseas tours for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, George and Prince Harry, as did Buckingham Palace and Clarence House for the rest of the royal family. The young prince, who turned one in July, was given some 774 gifts during 2014 - 603 of them in Australia, including, from members of the public 121 items of clothing, 120 books, five textile items, one piece of stationery, 18 pieces of sporting equipment, one plaque, three pictures, seven photographs, four perishable items, one musical instrument, five ornaments, one piece of jewellery, nine household items, 219 games and toys, two DVDs, two coins and four CDs. Other gifts he received in Australia included a possum skin cloak from the Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation, who also gave William and Kate a decorated kangaroo skin and three paintings. His presents - which totalled more than seven times the number the Queen received - ranged from a bucket and spade, a car sticker and a toothbrush to a skateboard and a surfboard. In New Zealand, George was given 120 gifts including numerous items from the public, most notably “one piece of furniture”. He received his own miniature amphibious boat by the firm Sealegs. The Prince of Wales returned from an official tour of Canada with more than two dozen official gifts for his young grandson Prince George - including two dream catchers, a plastic toy camel and a leather flying jacket, and in Colombia he was given two presents for George. William came home with seven official gifts from Malta for the prince and 14 from the US, where President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama gave Kate a basket of honey, William two unnamed books and George, who stayed at home with his nanny in the UK, a soft toy. 22 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 EUROPE GRISLY TALE SECURITY WOES LEADERSHIP NOT COMPLETED CALLING FOR JUSTICE Russian cop gets life for murdering 22 women Bulgaria to extend border fence to combat illegals Germany urged to lead on EU defence spending Norwegian man fined for �fraud’ in contract killing Armenians protest slaying of family by Russian soldier A retired Russian policeman was jailed for life yesterday for raping and murdering 22 women after he claimed he wanted to cleanse his Siberian hometown of prostitutes. Mikhail Popkov, who worked as a police officer at the time of most of the murders, raped and stabbed the women late at night in the city of Angarsk after offering to give them lifts in his police car, investigators said. “Investigators managed to gather evidence implicating Popkov in 22 murders and two attempted murders of women,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement after his sentencing. Popkov will serve his sentence in a special prison colony for former law enforcers. Bulgaria yesterday announced plans to extend a 30km fence along its border with Turkey, a major entry point for migrants trying to get into the European Union. The existing fence topped with razor wire along the easiest part of the border to cross cut the number of refugees making it into Bulgaria to around 6,000 in 2014 from 11,000 in 2013, interior ministry data showed. But at the same time, authorities noted the number of attempts to cross Bulgaria’s 275-kilometre border with Turkey doubled to 38,500. “We need to extend it... by 82 kilometres, costing about 90mn leva ($54mn),” Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told parliament. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg yesterday urged Germany to mirror its leadership role in Europe as the bloc’s biggest economy in its defence spending. Stoltenberg stressed the need for members of the US-led alliance to bump up investment amid challenges such as the Islamic State jihadist group or the Ukraine crisis. “We are also looking for German leadership when it comes to investing in defence,” he alliance chief told a joint press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel. “We need to invest in our defence to be able to protect all our allies and to maintain the security and stability of Europe.” A 21-year-old Norwegian man was fined 10,000 crowns ($1,300) for fraud because he accepted a contract killing job without intending to carry it out, police told Reuters yesterday. The man agreed to take cash to kill a 17-year-old youth, but authorities could not prove any intent to complete the task, so he could only be charged with defrauding his client, police said, adding that the man has already paid the fine. Another 21-year-old, who ordered the killing, was sentenced to two years in prison but most of the sentence was suspended after he confessed, saying the teenager he wanted killed had rejected his romantic advances. Hundreds of angry Armenians protested yesterday near a Russian military base, demanding that a soldier accused of murdering a family of six be delivered to Armenian justice authorities for trial. Russian conscript Valery Permyakov is suspected of having shot dead an entire family in the city of Gyumri, including a two-year-old child. Another infant was gravely injured. About 200 cars from around the country converged on Gyumri, where funeral services were held for the Avetisyan family. About 2,000 protesters gathered near the base yesterday evening yelling “Shame!” and waving signs reading “We demand that the murderer is given over to Armenia”. Berlin tightens travel ban for suspects AFP Berlin G A boy lights a candle in front of the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris. New Charlie Hebdo flies off the shelves AFP Paris C harlie Hebdo made a defiant return yesterday with a new issue that sold out across France in record time, as Al Qaeda posted a video claiming last week’s deadly attack on its cartoonists. The satirical magazine featured a turbaned man on its cover - but with a tear in his eye, holding a “Je Suis Charlie” sign under the headline “All is forgiven”. Many Parisians joined long queues outside newspaper kiosks in the predawn cold to get their hands on one of 700,000 copies released in a run that will eventually total 5mn. “This issue is symbolic, it represents their persistence, they didn’t yield in the face of terror,” said Catherine Boniface, a 58-year-old doctor, disappointed to have come up empty-handed at one Paris newstand. Al Qaeda’s Yemen branch (AQAP) A sign reading �Charlie Hebdo - Sold Out’ being displayed at a newsagent in Bordeaux. claimed responsibility for the attack by gunmen on the Paris offices of the weekly last Wednesday that left 12 people dead including the country’s bestloved cartoonists. “(AQAP) was the party that chose the target and plotted and financed the plan... It was following orders by our general chief Ayman al-Zawahiri,” said one of its leaders in the video, adding it was “vengeance” for the weekly’s cartoons of the Prophet. Islamic State yesterday described Charlie Hebdo’s decision to print another cartoon as “extremely stupid”. Some global Muslim leaders have criticised the new cartoon, with the Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars saying “it is neither reasonable, nor logical, nor wise to publish drawings and films... attacking the Prophet of Islam.” But many have taken a nuanced stance and tried to calm tensions, with French Muslim leaders urging their communities - which have already been targeted - to “stay calm and avoid emotive reactions”. The government said yesterday it has instructed prosecutors to get tough on people who condone terrorism or carry out racist and anti-Semitic attacks. Over 50 cases for condoning terrorism have been opened since the attacks that claimed 17 lives, including the ar- rest yesterday of controversial comedian Dieudonne Mbala Mbala. He wrote “I feel like Charlie Coulibaly” on Facebook on Sunday - mixing the popular “Je Suis Charlie” homage to the slain journalists with a reference to the supermarket gunman. Under France’s ultra-fast-track court system, a 21-year-old in Toulouse was sent to prison for 10 months on Monday for expressing support for the militant while travelling on a tram. Distributors quickly boosted the print run from an initial 3mn after the sales rush yesterday - dwarfing its normal run of around 60,000 copies, and the edition will also be available in English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish. Proceeds will go to victims’ families. A version was published in predominantly Muslim Turkey as an inset in the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, but the government announced it would block websites featuring the cover. ermany will tighten a foreign travel ban on known Islamists to stop them heading to war zones such as Syria, the cabinet decided yesterday, a week after the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The law is the first of a host of previously planned security measures which Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government wants to speedily pass through parliament in the coming weeks following the bloodshed in France. “The horrific events in Paris... showed once more, in a depressing manner, that we must strongly defend our democratic constitutional order with all legal means against international terrorism, fanaticism and radicalisation,” said Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert. German authorities can already confiscate the passports of known militant, but under the new law they will also be able to take away their national identity cards, which can be used for travel to Turkey and within the EU Schengen no-visa area. Suspects will instead be handed replacement ID cards for periods of up to three years that are stamped with a no-travel advisory in several languages. More than 600 German citizens have taken part in the fighting in Syria and Iraq, and about 60 have died there, the newspaper Rheinische Post reported, citing security sources. About 180 are believed to have returned to Germany. At least 20 Islamists used their identity cards to reach the war zone after having their passports confiscated, Die Welt daily reported on Tuesday. They travelled either overland or by air, some via Belgium or the Netherlands to obscure their movements, and mostly on to Turkey to cross the porous land border into Syria, according to the interior ministry. The bill must still pass parliament, where the government has a strong majority. Opposition parties have objected to what they have dubbed the new “terrorist-ID”. The far-left Linke called the measure “disproportionate” and stigmatising for suspects, while Greens party lawmaker Irene Mihalic warned that suspected radicals who are asked to give up their ID cards “may move immediately to realise their sinister plans”. Germany also plans this month to criminalise any planning to join militants fighting or weapons-training abroad, tightening a law from 2009 that punishes offenders only when they return. The law would target, for example, suspects trying to leave Germany with weapons, bulletproof vests or night vision equipment. “There will be a new law to make it a crime for jihadists to leave the country,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said, adding that it would bring Germany into compliance with a UN resolution to stop so-called foreign fighters. Maas also wants to push through a bill to toughen penalties for terrorist financing, even when the amounts are very small. Anti-Islam Pegida surfaces in Spain too An anti-Islamic movement that is growing in Germany has opened a branch in Spain following last weeks attacks in France, the group said yesterday. The Spanish wing of Pegida was launched on Twitter on January 8, the day after an attack by Islamist gunmen on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris that left 12 people dead including some of the country’s best-loved cartoonists. “Islam has no place in free and democratic societies like Europe,” the group said in one of its first Twitter messages that day. The Spanish branch of the “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident” (Pegida) has just over 800 followers on its Twitter page and over 2,700 likes on its Facebook page. “We are preparing a demonstration by Pegida Spain, where members of Pegida Germany will attend. We will publish the date on Twitter and announce it by e-mail,” the group said in an e-mail sent to AFP. It had initially planned to hold its first demonstration on Monday outside Madrid’s main mosque but called that off after government authorities refused to grant permission and suggested a different location. The Spanish Pegida’s Twitter account is already following those of several far-right Spanish groups including the Falange, the nationalist party that provided the ideological basis for Francisco Franco’s 1939-75 dictatorship. Napolitano quits in fresh headache for PM Renzi AFP Rome I taly’s veteran President Giorgio Napolitano resigned yesterday, setting the stage for the election of a new head of state, a thorny process which could prove a political headache for Matteo Renzi’s government. The 89-year old had announced in December that he would be leaving office well before the end of his term in 2020 because of his advancing age. He had been persuaded in 2013 to stay on for an unprecedented second term after deadlocked elections sparked a political crisis in the eurozone’s thirdlargest economy - but had always been expected to step down early. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi paid tribute to the outgoing president, expressing “gratitude and emotion for what Giorgio Napolitano has done over the past nine years, showing quality and political intelligence” His words were echoed by Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, who said Napolitano “steps down today, but his legacy will be everlasting, in Italy and in Europe.” Not everyone was sorry to see the president leave. The right-wing Giornale newspaper led with the headline “He’s gone. Finally”, while the anti-establishment Five Star movement hailed the departure of “one of the worst presidents.” Parliament will meet on January 29 along with 58 regional deputies for the first round of voting to choose the next president. Potential candidates include former prime ministers Romano Prodi and Giuliano Amato, as well as Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti and former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni. European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi yesterday rejected speculation that he had his eye on the job. “The election of the president of the Republic, just like the election of the Pope, is completely unpredictable, but unlike a conclave (papal election), it doesn’t even have the help of the Holy Spirit,” said Luigi La Spina, editorialist for La Stampa daily. While the post of president is largely ceremonial, it takes on vital importance during times of political crisis when the president can help steer the formation of a new government. “Napolitano has been president in one of the most difficult phases in our country, not just politically but economically,” Francesco Clementi, professor of constitutional law at the Luiss University in Rome, told AFP. “I think the presidential election will certainly be complex... the government will have to work hard” to find a figure who will suit parties from across the political spectrum, he said. The election does carry political risks for Renzi, and Europe will be watching his diplomatic overtures closely, with any in-fighting in the recessionhit country bound to inflate fears of a knock-on effect on a still delicate eurozone. The successful candidate must win the votes of two-thirds of lawmakers in both houses of parliament - and Renzi will need to keep the more rebellious wing of his party in line to ensure he gets his favoured candidate. Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano gets a formal farewell as he leaves the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome. The 40-year-old will want a president who can help bridge political differences which otherwise threaten to scupper the PM’s ambitious reform programme. Renzi would also need someone willing to dissolve parliament and call snap elections if, as experts suggest, he might favour fresh polls as a last resort to push through his reforms. “Choosing an unassuming and bland figure would be a mistake,” political watcher Michele Ainis said in the Corriere della Sera daily. “Firstly, because the stay in the president’s palace always ends up revealing its resident’s true colours, and secondly because the storm is not over. We are right at its heart,” he said. Christian Schulz, Berenberg senior economist, warned investors would be watching closely “after the recent experience of Greece, where the pro-reform government tripped over presidential elections on 29 December, triggering snap elections that look set to be won by the radical left.” “Failure to elect a president would probably force a new election, maybe even a change of leadership in the ruling Democratic Party,” he said. In order to stave off a crisis, Renzi may be forced to clinch a deal with the opposition, particularly former premier Silvio Berlusconi - a likely but controversial move bound to spark a heated response from those on the far left of his Democratic Party. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 23 EUROPE SCANDAL SPY GAME LITTLE INTEREST SUPPORT 20 YEARS MORE Spain’s former king now faces a paternity suit Intelligence employee stole 3,500 spy aliases Defunct Cyprus Airways name and logo up for sale Greeks urged to be wary of �impossible’ promises Operator says can extend life of French reactors Spain’s Supreme Court has agreed to examine a paternity suit against former king Juan Carlos by a woman who claims to be his daughter. It is the first lawsuit to be allowed against Juan Carlos, 77, since he lost his total immunity when he abdicated last year, and the latest in a string of scandals to hit the Spanish monarchy. The court “agreed to examine one of the paternity suits brought against Don Juan Carlos de Borbon,” a case brought by Belgian housewife Ingrid Jeanne Sartiau, the official, who asked not to be named, told AFP. A spokesman for the royal palace said it would make no comment on the matter. Germany suspects that an employee of its intelligence service stole a list containing the names and cover identities of 3,500 agents, Bild newspaper reported yesterday. It is not known if the “top secret” list, which dates from late 2011, was turned over to a foreign intelligence service, the report said. The names and aliases were reportedly found on a hard drive belonging to a former employee of Germany’s BND intelligence agency who was arrested on espionage charges in July. Bild said investigators believed the man, a mid-level clerk, had handed over 218 scanned documents to the Americans. The BND was not immediately available for comment on the report. The Cypriot government decided yesterday to try to sell off the name and logo of national carrier Cyprus Airways, shut down last week after breaking EU state aid rules. Deputy government spokesman Victor Papadopoulos said the aim was to find an investor to create jobs for some of the airline’s 550 axed staff. Legal and financial advisers are to oversee the sale to private investors of the name and the logo - a mouflon mountain sheep which Cyprus says is native to the island. A precondition of the sale is that the new airline would be based in Cyprus, although there has been no immediate interest from investors. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy yesterday told Greeks to stick with tough policies and disregard “impossible” promises, intervening barely two weeks before a snap election to back Greek leader Antonis Samaras. Breaking with the custom of not expressing a view on other countries’ elections, Rajoy flew to Athens yesterday in a show of support for Samaras, whose conservative party is trailing in opinion polls. Rajoy said economic reforms were “tough” and “difficult” decisions that governments generally do not like to make. “But they have been necessary and essential and have produced results,” Rajoy said at a joint news conference with Samaras. EDF’s new chief executive said yesterday that he is confident that it will obtain approval to extend the service life of its reactors in France by up to 20 years. The comments by Jean-Bernard Levy came a day after Energy and Environment Minister Segolene Royal endorsed building new reactors to replace ageing plants in the first signal that the Socialist government will keep nuclear a major component in France’s energy production. “France’s existing reactors have an average age of 30 years, and I am confident of EDF’s capability along with its main partners their service life in complete security up to 50 years or even 60,” he told a Senate committee. Ukraine rebels go on offensive AFP Kiev P Dressed in traditional garb, Kosovo Serbs wait to welcome Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to their village of Pasjane. Serb PM marks Orthodox New Year in Kosovo AFP Pristina S erbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic yesterday launched a highly symbolic Orthodox New Year visit to Kosovo, the former Serbian province that unilaterally seceded in 2008 despite fierce opposition from Belgrade. Vucic’s landmark stopover, which will not include meetings with Kosovo’s leaders, started in the village of Pasjane, a Serb enclave in the country’s east. Several hundred fellow Serbs greeted the premier upon his arrival to inaugurate a maternity ward there. Later in the day he visited Strpce and Gracanica, two other significant Serb enclaves, scattered throughout the breakaway territory of nearly 2mn that is 90% ethnic Albanian. Two-thirds of the 120,000-strong Kosovo Serb minority live in enclaves, while some 40,000 live in the north, near the border with Serbia. The premier’s entourage also included Serbia’s ministers of defence, interior, justice, health and work. Unlike more than 100 other countries, including the US and most of the EU’s 28 member states, Serbia refuses to recognise Kosovo’s independence, but both Belgrade and Pristina have been forced to normalise ties if they want to progress towards EU membership. Kosovo’s leaders in Pristina said they approved the visit which is both “humanitarian and religious” in nature, Foreign Affairs Minister Hash- Chain-mailed warriors to remain in Ankara im Thaci told reporters. “We strive to intensify visits on both sides, we must not be afraid to communicate,” Thaci added. Links between Belgrade and Pristina have improved since their relations were put on a more formal footing in 2013 with an agreement brokered by the European Union. Following the 1998-99 war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas, a Nato bombing campaign forced Serbian troops to withdraw from Kosovo and cede control of the territory. After the recent election of a new Kosovo government that ended a six-month political crisis, new talks between Belgrade and Pristina on deepening their relations are expected to take place in Brussels in early February. ro-Kremlin insurgents yesterday unleashed a massive rocket assault in Ukraine as Kiev and Moscow traded blame for a bus shelling that killed 12 in the war’s bloodiest incident since a September truce. The heavy calibre shells and grenades whistled through the sky every few minutes and dug huge craters in the snowy fields along a front line that skirts a devastated village 10km northwest of the eastern rebel stronghold Donetsk. Blasts inside Tonenke itself - abandoned by all but a handful of its 300 residents - flattened buildings and mangled paved roads that stretch toward a disputed airport on the edge of Donetsk. “This is all-out war,” a volunteer soldier who adopted the nom de guerre �The Pastor’ told AFP on his way out of a Donetsk suburb used by Ukrainian troops to support a skeleton force holding on to the airport since May. “The attacks start early in the morning and end deep into the night. There is a quiet spell of one or two hours at most. It has never been like this before.”” The type of long-distance exchanges piercing the skies around the militants’ capital yesterday have caused hundreds of civilian casualties throughout the nine-month campaign. A long-range Grad rocket killed 12 people on Tuesday when it exploded near a commuter bus travelling toward Donetsk from a government-controlled city on Ukraine’s southeast coast. Images of the yellow bus’s shattered frame standing in a field of bloodied snow underscored how distant a truce remains after the death of more than 4,700 people and effective destruction of Ukraine’s industrial base. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told the nation that Tuesday’s rocket was fired by rebels, while responsibility rested on “those who stand behind them - those whose hand feeds them and arms them, drills them and inspires them to commit bloody crimes.” The transparent reference to Moscow - charges which President Vladimir Putin rejects - was followed by Kiev claims Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko addresses the nation in a televised speech late on Tuesday. that the fighters employed a massive 30-barrel flamethrower, a type used by Russia but not Ukraine. Kiev said insurgents used it for the first time overnight to attack the eastern village of Vesele. This type of system “only exists in the operational service of the Russian army. It is not operated by us,” said Ukrainian defence ministry spokeswoman Viktoria Kushnir. Russia issued no immediate comment. But the foreign ministry’s rights envoy called the bus incident “another crime of the Kiev military”. “We are outraged. This undermines all peace settlement efforts,” Konstantin Dolgov told the TASS news agency. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later softened those comments by conceding that “there are... several versions (of the incident). We need to examine them.” Tuesday’s incident marked the biggest single loss of civilian life since the warring sides signed a September 5 ceasefire that only partially stemmed the fighting and did little to resolve the insurgents’ independence claims. The rocket strike also damaged Poro- Mum’s the word! Sweden far-right challenges PM Reuters Ankara AFP Stockholm W T arriors from Turkic history, some in chainmail and others bearing spears, will be a regular feature of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s welcome for foreign leaders, sources at his office said, after their first outing drew ridicule from opponents. Months after the inauguration of a vast new palace complex, Erdogan’s efforts to imbue more pomp into the previously largely ceremonial role of head of state took an unexpected turn during this week’s visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Official pictures from the welcome ceremony on Monday showed Abbas and Erdogan posing at the bottom of a staircase, with 16 soldiers arrayed behind them in a range of historical costumes, complete with ornate helmets, swords and spears. The pictures sparked a storm of reaction on social media some of it ridicule - with digitally altered mock-ups replacing the costumed guards with characters from the films Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Leading Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas, who lost to Erdogan in last year’s presidential poll, told local TV channel Haberturk that Erdogan could have completed the picture by dressing up as �Ibrahim the Mad’, a 17th century sultan. Presidential sources said each soldier represented a period of Turkic history, from the central Asian Hunnic Empire of 200 BC all the way through to the Ottoman Empire that was dissolved in 1922. They also said the soldiers would be a feature of future welcoming ceremonies. Celebrating Turkic historical might is not without its supporters, particularly among nationalists loyal to the ruling AK Party, keen to bolster its support in the run-up to parliamentary elections in June. “Those who are disturbed by the 16 guardians at the presidency, tell them to go join a crusader army,” wrote one prominent AKP supporter on Twitter, likening the Queen of England’s carriage to that of Cinderella. Polar bear Giovanna and her twin polar bear cubs Nela and Nobby sit in their enclosure at the Munich Zoo. shenko’s efforts to set up a peace summit where Putin could personally sign a truce under which the Kremlin assumes responsibility for disarming the militias and dispelling their independence claims. German Chancellor Angela Merkel the West’s main mediator in Europe’s deadliest conflict since the Balkan wars of the 1990s - argues that such a meeting would be premature with violence still raging. Putin has argued that the revolt in western Ukraine was a natural response by ethnic Russians to their “persecution” by the more nationalist leaders who ousted a Moscow-backed administration in Kiev in February last year. Kiev now also plans to apply for Nato membership - a defensive shift that the Kremlin views as both confrontational and a global security threat. A new Nato delegation arrived in Ukraine yesterday for a week-long visit focused on “military and technological cooperation”. The vague diplomatic term usually refers to arms deliveries. Kiev defence officials said the Nato delegation would visit Ukraine’s main arms manufacturer and the Antonov aviation plant. he anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party yesterday called a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Stefan Loefven in yet another attempt to rattle his minority government. The Sweden Democrats wreaked political havoc in the Nordic country in December when it brought down the centre-left government’s budget over the issue of immigration, with a snap election only averted by a last-ditch deal with the centre-right opposition. “The SD chose a quarrelsome strategy in the budget vote that they are now continuing. At the same time they have burned many bridges,” political scientist Henrik Oscarsson at Gothenburg University told AFP. The deal between the opposition and Loefven’s government - struck in December - undermined the SD kingmaker role by ensuring that even minority budgets will be passed until 2022. The SD - which more than doubled their seats in September’s elections, winning 13% of the vote - said in December it would vote against any budget that does not cut immigration to Sweden. Sweden is expected to receive a record number of between 80,000 and 105,000 asylum seekers this year. The far-right party - Sweden’s third largest - rose in opinion polls after striking down the minority budget and which almost caused a new election. “He (Loefven) has broken a number of important promises and above all denied the Swedish people the opportunity to have their say,” Sweden Democrats acting leader Mattias Karlsson told news agency TT. Prime Minister Loefven said yesterday that the farright party was using “parliament as its own playhouse”. 24 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 INDIA TRAGEDY NATURE CONFERENCE APPOINTMENT HONOUR Unemployed man sets himself ablaze Three rhino poachers killed in Kaziranga Chandy to open Kerala diaspora meet Parigi named group CEO of Network 18 Sanskrit scholar wins Sahitya Akademi Award An unemployed youth yesterday set himself afire at a rally of Punjab’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Muktsar district. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was present at the rally. The man - identified as Hitesh Kumar of Ferozepur district - attempted to immolate himself in the presence of thousands of people who had come for the rally on the occasion of the religious Maghi Mela. Police officials and some other people immediately tried to put out the fire. The man was rushed to hospital with burn injuries. Sources said the man was an unemployed linesman and was protesting with others seeking a job. Three rhinoceros poachers were shot dead by forest guards in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, yesterday. Guards and poachers exchanged fire early yesterday in more than one area of the park, NDTV news channel and the Assam Times reported. Two rifles, gun-silencers and a pistol were found after the operations. Poachers kill rhinos for their horns, which many believe have aphrodisiac qualities, and are used in traditional medicines in Asia. According to the report, poachers have killed and de-horned nearly 200 rhinos in Assam over the past 13 years; 20 were killed last year. In 2014, the forest department killed 22 poachers in the state. Kaziranga is considered to hold the largest concentration of one-horned rhinos in the world. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the two-day Global Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) meet in Kochi tomorrow, State Minister for the Diaspora K C Joseph said yesterday he said the meet is being organised by the Department of Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs (Norka) and its field agency Norka-Roots. “This would be an interactive meeting with around 1,000 people, and would revolve around policy formulation and economic growth, besides issues relating to NRKs who have had to return to Kerala for various reasons and their rehabilitation,” Joseph said. Nearly 450 NRKs from around 20 countries, including the Gulf, the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, France, Kenya, Libya, Singapore and Thailand have registered as delegates. A P Parigi, who built the Radio Mirchi brand for the Times Group, has been named group chief executive of the Reliance Industries-controlled Network 18. “Parigi has built a raft of customerfacing brands, technologies, businesses and management teams. His wisdom and leadership is sure to take N18 to the next level,” Adil Zainulbhai, chairman, said in a letter. With over 40 years’ professional experience, the bulk of it in the Indian media and entertainment scape, Parigi served as a director in the broadcast and TV arm of the Times Group, besides Eros Media and BPL Mobile. “N18 is fortunate to have the world’s leading media brands as partners and I am keen to enhance each of these valuable relationships,” said Parigi. Eminent Sanskrit scholar Prabhu Nath Dwivedi has been conferred the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for 2014 for his Kanakalochanaha collection of short stories. The collection comprises 16 short stories that touch upon various social issues eroding the system. “This is my fourth collection. I have previously written three books. But all of them are based on the issues that are prevalent in the society,” Dwivedi said. Diwedi has been teaching in various universities for over three decades. This book was selected by a threemember jury. Other winners, announced last month include poet and critic Adil Jussawalla, who won the award for his poetry book Trying to Say Goodbye. Snowfall draws tourists to Shimla, Manali Parrikar: no controversy over DRDO chief’s ouster IANS Shimla H imachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla and popular tourist resort Manali yesterday got another spell of snowfall, turning the hill stations more picturesque. As news of the snowfall flashed across the plains, tourists started arriving at Manali and Shimla, hospitality industry sources said. “Shimla and its nearby tourist spots have been receiving snowfall since this morning,” an official of the meteorological office said. The residents of Shimla shivered as icy winds brought down the minimum temperature to 1 degree Celsius. It started snowing in Manali around midnight, much to the delight of those in the hospitality industry. The snow was certain to draw tourists and visitors, they said, though the minimum temperature in the town slipped to 0.8 degrees. Shimla’s nearby tourist spots like Kufri and Narkanda and the ski slopes in Solang in upper Manali also experienced a fresh spell of snowfall. The snowfall, however, blocked highways and roads in many parts of the state. Towns in upper Shimla hills were cut off as heavy snow piled on roads, officials said. Traffic movement beyond Dhalli, 10km from Shimla, was suspended since a large stretch of Hindustan-Tibet Road disappeared under a thick layer of snow. The entire Kinnaur district and towns in Shimla district such as Narkanda, Jubbal, Kotkhai, Kumarsain, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal are cut off due to snow, a government official said. “High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur, Sirmaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing moderate to heavy snow,” said the Met official. Rain lashed lower areas of the state such as Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi, pulling down both night and day temperatures. Chander is widely known as the man behind the Agni series of missiles IANS New Delhi A People walk through a snow-covered street at Naddi village near Dharamshala, in Himachal Pradesh yesterday. SC sets aside stay on Salman’s conviction IANS New Delhi I n a setback to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, the Supreme Court yesterday set aside an order of the Rajasthan High Court putting on hold his conviction in the blackbuck hunting case, and asked the high court to consider the matter afresh. The high court on November 12, 2013 had suspended the conviction of Khan on the actor’s plea it was coming in the way of the UK Border Agency issuing him visa to travel to Britain for a film shoot. Khan was convicted in the blackbuck hunting case on April 10, 2006. Britain’s immigration rules say “entry clearance to the UK is to be refused if an applicant has been convicted of an offence for which he has been sentenced to a period of imprisonment of at least four years.” Supreme Court judges S J Mukhopadhaya and Adarsh Kumar Goel sent the matter back to the high court for fresh consideration. “It would be open to the respondent (Khan) to show that if the order of conviction is not stayed it will cause irreversible consequences/injustice to him which cannot be undone if he ultimately succeeds,” the court said. “It would be open to the state (of Rajasthan) to oppose such prayer on the ground that nonsuspension of conviction will not cause any irreversible consequences or injustice to the respondent and the same can be undone if he (Khan) ultimately succeeds.” The top court’s verdict came on a plea by the Rajasthan government challenging the high court order. Pronouncing the verdict, Mukhopadhaya said: “If some foreign country is not grant- ing permission to visit the said country on the ground that the respondent (Khan) has been convicted of an offence and has been sentenced for five years of imprisonment under the Indian law, the said order cannot be a ground to stay the order of conviction.” “If an order of conviction in any manner is causing irreversible consequences or injustice to the respondent, it was open to the court to consider the same. “If the court comes to a definite conclusion that the irreversible consequences/injustice would cause to the accused which could not be restored, it was well within the domain of the court to stay the conviction.” The court also noted that the high court while passing its order did not give any finding that “if the conviction is not stayed, irreparable harm/irreversible consequences or injustice would be caused to the respondent.” younger person should head the Defence Research & Development Organisation, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said yesterday. Parrikar added it was on his recommendation that DRDO chief Avinash Chander was sacked. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh questioned the sudden decision. Parrikar, however, said there was no “controversy” in Chander’s removal. “I recommended that a person on contract should not be occupying such a senior position. This senior position should be filled by other eligible senior persons. There is no controversy here,” Parrikar said. “I believe DRDO should be headed by a younger man... I had proposed for his removal and they have agreed to it.” The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the termination of Chander’s contract with effect from January 31. A notification was put up on the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) website, but removed later. DRDO officials said they did not receive any official information on Monday on Chander’s removal. Chander, widely known as the man behind the Agni series of missiles, retired on November 30, 2014, at the age of 64. The government, however, agreed Bird campaign Chander: shock exit that he could continue on contract thereafter and the contractual term was to end on May 31, 2016. Digvijaya Singh questioned the government’s decision, and sought an explanation on Chander’s sudden removal. “Avinash Chander DRDO Chief dismissed 15 months before his term expired. Would Government please explain?” Digvijaya Singh tweeted. Chander was the secretary of Defence Research and Development, director general of DRDO, and scientific adviser to the defence minister. Asked if the sudden termination of the DRDO chief without informing him was right, Parrikar said, “I also got the information from you, from paper and TV.” “The tenure of DRDO chief would normally have ended in November but the previous cabinet had approved a three-year extension to his term, with the additional years being on contract,” Parrikar told reporters. The minister added that the post would be filled by someone for now till a permanent replacement was found. “As of now, the person to replace him has not been decided. We will fill the post temporarily Kerala students develop 200-km-a-litre vehicle IANS Thiruvananthapuram T Nationalist Congress Party leader Chitra Wagh takes part in a �Save Bird Campaign’ in Mumbai yesterday. by someone who has the urge for development.” Government sources said nuclear scientist Sekhar Basu is likely to be named the new DRDO chief. Basu, who heads the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, is the man behind the nuclear system that is driving the Arihant-class submarines of the Indian Navy. A search panel headed by the cabinet secretary will pick Chander’s replacement from among top DRDO scientists. The DRDO had faced criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi August last year, when he said the “chalta hai” (laidback) attitude will not help and asked the organisation to come up with cutting edge technology. In the same speech, Modi also laid emphasis on promoting young talent in the DRDO. The DRDO was set up in 1958 to develop indigenous military technology and cut back on arms imports. The Bharatiya Janata Party government headed by Modi has been emphasising on promoting “Make in India” in defence sector. India meets nearly 80% of its defence needs with foreign imports. India is the world’s ninth biggest military spender, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) report on world military expenditure for 2014. DRDO, which is India’s premier agency in defence research, has several projects marred by delays. These include light combat aircraft Tejas, the Kaveri engine, long range surface-to-air missile, helicopter version of third generation anti-tank guided missile Helina, and air-to-air missile Astra among others. hree mechanical engineering students here have designed and developed a prototype vehicle which runs more than 200km on a litre of petrol. “It is a wonderful innovation and needs to be promoted considering the energy crisis and rising oil prices,” B Anil, principal of Government Engineering College, Barton Hill in Thiruvananthapuram said yesterday. The prototype will be shipped tomorrow for the International Fuel Efficiency Contest, “Shell Eco Marathon,” to be held in the Philippines from February 26 to March 1. “This is the only entry from Kerala for the competition in which more than 120 teams from 16 countries will take part,” said Bibin Sagaram, the team leader of the project. The vehicle is powered by a Honda GX35 engine and uses light weight materials, advanced aerodynamic techniques besides advanced tuning for extreme efficiency. The design of the body of the vehicle is inspired by the golf ball which has a highly aerodynamic construction. The vehicle weighs just around 50kg. The other two students Ronith Stanly and SVishnu Prasad along with a faculty member will be taking part in the competition. The project was undertaken under the guidance of two of their teachers - Santhosh Kumar and Anver Sadath. Santhosh Kumar said this project was part of a study that was funded by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) under the Technology Development and Adaptation Programme. “The trial run was conducted and this is a vehicle that will take one passenger and has two wheels in the front and one at the rear. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 25 INDIA Community fishing French team due in India to rescue Rafale deal Reuters New Delhi A French delegation will visit New Delhi this month to salvage an agreement to supply 126 Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force that has hit a snag over the local assembly of the planes, threatening to derail one of the world’s biggest defence deals. India is insisting that France’s Dassault Aviation take full responsibility for the production of the aircraft at a state-run facility in Bangalore under the 2012 bid offer, Indian defence ministry officials said. France has said it will help Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd stick to delivery schedules, but that it cannot give guarantees for production of the aircraft made at a facility over which it has no administrative or expert control. Military experts say the deal could cost India $20bn, double the original estimate, because of the benchmarking of aircraft prices and a roughly 5% annual cost increase. The Rafale fighter beat the Swedish Gripen, the Russian MiG-35, and the US-built F-18 and F-16 and finally the Eurofighter in a decade-long selection process for a new Indian multi-role combat aircraft, as Dassault was the lowest bidder on up-front and lifecycle costs over 40 years. But three years on, the sides are far from signing the contract and an Indian defence source said price negotiations were on hold until the issue of licensed production was resolved in line with the original request for proposals (RFP) floated by the Indian defence ministry. “We are saying that the RFP has to be honoured totally, there can’t be deviations,” said the source. “Once the RFP aspects are done, only then can we sit down for price negotiations,” the source added. An “empowered” delegation from France, with the authority to make decisions on key points rather than refer them back to Paris, is expected to arrive shortly to work on the disputed issues, according to the source. Dassault and the French defence ministry were not immediately available for comment. For the French, the deal would be a major boost for domestic defence manufacturing, with the first 18 Rafale planes built in France and the remaining 108 produced in India. For the Indian Air Force, the planes are critical to arrest a decline in its operational preparedness, already down to 25 active fighter squadrons compared with a government approved strength of 42. Half of the operational fleet is Mig-21 and MiG-27 planes due to retire beginning this year until 2024, a parliamentary defence committee said in a report last month, stressing the need for an early induction of new combat planes. “The credibility of India (as an arms buyer) is already pretty shaky and it’s going to get shakier (if they cancel the Rafale deal),” said Rahul Bedi, a defence analyst at IHS Jane’s. “It would be a big blow to the armed forces. The armed forces have been banking on the Rafale for a long time. They have said there is no plan B.” Another Delhi church vandalised A Delhi church was vandalised before dawn yesterday, the fourth such incident in the capital in seven weeks, police said. The incident, which took place around 4.20am, was captured by a CCTV camera installed inside the Our Lady Of Graces Church at Vikaspuri in west Delhi. “The CCTV footage shows that two people came on a scooter. One entered the church’s premises and smashed a glass window. He also threw the statue of Mother Mary on the floor,” Father Balraj of the church said. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Monika Bhardwaj said a case had been filed against two unidentified men for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings. Bhardwaj said the police have a clear picture of one of the culprits who toppled the statue of Mother Mary and smashed the glass window. “He might be in his late 30s.” Father Savarimuthu Sankar, a spokesman of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, said: “We see a clear pattern in these attacks.” He said the attacks on churches occurring at regular intervals had unnerved Christians in Delhi. He said the attacks took place most on the city’s outskirts and at four different directions within 44 days. “We cannot say if these incidents are related to the (coming Delhi) elections or the handiwork of some fundamentalists. But it is a matter of concern and police should take proper action,” he added. Villagers with their fishing nets participate in a community fishing event at a lake on the eve of Bhogali Bihu festival at Sonapur area in the northeastern state of Assam yesterday. The annual festival marks the end of the winter harvesting season. Probe ordered after 80 bodies found in Ganges The discovery of so many bodies in one place has sparked environmental and health concerns Agencies Lucknow A round 80 bodies have been found floating in a stream of Ganges, sparking renewed concerns yesterday about the health of the sacred river where millions of Hindus cremate their dead, an official said. The bodies were discovered in a shallow tributary of the Ganges near a cremation area in the northern state of Utter Pradesh, police and a local official said who added the state government has ordered a probe. Television footage showed dogs and birds feeding on the bloated and decaying bodies floating in the stream, whose waters are thought to have receded recently. An official estimated that 80 bodies have so far been retrieved but warn the figure may rise. “There could be around 100 bodies but we are yet to get an exact number,” district magistrate Saumya Agarwal said by phone from Unnao district. “It seems that as the water level has receded in the river, these bodies have surfaced. “We are trying to figure out the reason. We have sent a team of doctors on the spot to collect the samples from bodies to investigate the case,” she added. Inspector General of Police Satish Ganesh said the bodies were probably given river burials upstream at a cremation area known as Pariyar Ghat before becoming stranded in shallow water. Millions of Hindus practice open-air cremation, with the ashes of loved ones scattered in the revered but heavily polluted river. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to clean up the river. Poor families who cannot afford enough wood and other materials for the burning ceremony sometimes place the bodies in the water, while others are not cremated entirely. Court allows marine to extend stay in Italy Agencies New Delhi T he Supreme Court yesterday allowed an Italian marine detained for the 2012 killing of two fishermen another three months at home to recover from heart surgery amid a diplomatic row over the case. The court had originally refused to extend Massimiliano Latorre’s leave after allowing him to spend four months in Italy to recover from cerebral ischaemia - a restricted blood supply that can lead to a stroke. Latorre was due to return to India in January, but his lawyers approached the court in Delhi again this month seeking an extension, saying the 47-year-old marine had now undergone heart surgery. “He was advised by the doctors in Italy not to travel for three months and to take complete bed rest,” K T S Tulsi, a lawyer for the marine, said. “Considering the fact that the Union of India (government) has no objection, the time is granted to Latorre to return to India. An extension of three months’ time is given,” justice Anil R Dave said. Dave added that the Italian ambassador to India would have to sign a document assuring that Latorre would fly back in April. Latorre and fellow marine Salvatore Girone are accused of shooting the fishermen while serving as part of an anti-piracy mission on an Italian-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Kerala in February 2012. Girone is living at Italy’s embassy in Delhi. The Italian sailors say they mistook the fishing boat for a pirate vessel and fired what were intended to be warning shots. Italy says the pair should be tried on home soil since the shootings involved an Italian-flagged vessel in what it insists were international waters. India, however, maintains the killings took place in waters under its jurisdiction. Rome last month threatened to withdraw its ambassador from India after the court rejected the appeal over the leave. The marines were granted home visits to vote in national elections in 2013, but India was furious when the Italian government initially said it would not send the men back. A subsequent U-turn, which followed intense Indian diplomatic pressure, triggered the resignation of Italy’s then foreign minister. In April 2012, Rome paid $190,000 to each of the victims’ families as compensation. In return, the families dropped their cases against the marines, but the state’s case has yet to come to trial. The bodies of some holy men are also placed in the river instead of being cremated, in accordance with tradition. But the discovery of so many bodies in one place has sparked environmental and health concerns. Kanpur Inspector General of Police Ashutosh Pandey said the bodies belonged to families who could not afford a decent cremation and dumped them in the river. The district administration used JCB machines to fish out the decomposed bodies from the river bed, a step opposed by residents and the BJP. BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpayi, who visited the site where the bodies have been found, rang up senior officials at night and protested the “inhumane treatment” being meted out to the dead. Officials said all bodies will be cremated as per tradition by the district administration. An activist said damming including in the upper reaches of the Ganges basin - meant there was not enough water to flush the bodies downstream and help with their breakdown. “The problem is that there is not enough river flow that is being maintained for the Ganga river,” said Mallika Bhanot of the non-profit Ganga Ahvaan, which is working to preserve the river. “These traditions (of placing the dead in the river) are actually becoming a health hazard with the dead bodies rotting instead of flowing off in the river,” she told CNN-IBN news channel. “Earlier it used to flow into the river and the fishes and everything used to feed on it and it was something that was going (on) harmoniously (with nature).” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday asked if the government intended to complete the task of cleaning the Ganges in its present term or carry it to the next term and keep the issue alive. The court also sought details on the status of various sewage treatment plants (STP) that were being set up to prevent untreated Muslim man excels in Mohiniyattam Reuters Kochi A man in Kerala has become the first Muslim to receive a doctorate in a classical dance rooted in Hindu mythology which is traditionally the preserve of women. K M Abu, 47, has performed Mohiniyattam at more than 50 venues in Kerala in the past three decades and says that he had never been ostracised for daring to break with tradition. “It shows that the people are interested in the performance rather than the performer,” said Abu, who teaches the dance form at a university in the town of Kalady. Mohiniyattam is believed to have originated 500 years ago and is a solo recital with several parts played by the woman performer, usually dressed in a pristine off-white sari with a rich golden border. Abu said he tries out various costumes. Abu is the only man among eight dancers to get a doctorate from the Kerala Kalamandalam, a major centre for the Indian performing arts. He wrote his thesis on the life of Kalyanikutty Amma, a 20th-century dancer who popularised Mohiniyattam. The increasing participation of non-Hindus in traditional Hindu dance forms is being seen as a sign of religious tolerance in Kerala, a progressive state with a high rate of literacy. “People have realised that art has no religion,” said P N Suresh, vice-chancellor of the Kerala Kalamandalam. But it was not always so. Kalamandalam Hyderali, a Muslim singer famous for his association with the classical dance-drama of Kathakali till his death in 2006, was often forced to sing from outside the temple while dancers were performing inside. effluent from flowing into the river. “You want to do it (cleaning the river) in this term of the government or the next or keep the issue alive,” judges T S Thakur, R K Agrawal and Adarsh Kumar Goel asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar as it sought the verifiable road map of the government’s plan to clean the Ganges. “What is that you are going to do that we can monitor,” the court asked the solicitor general, telling him: “We want verifiable progress, be it (over a stretch) of 100km.” Seeking the status of various sewage treatment plants (STPs) which are under construction or in tendering stage, the court said, “You have already spent Rs2,000 crore and money is not a constraint for you.” As the solicitor general told the court that 16 STPs being set up in Uttrakhand would take three years to complete, the court sought the status report on 31 STPs on which work is in progress and on 15 STPs which are in the bidding process stage. 26 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 LATIN AMERICA ROW CLARIFICATION OPINION CLAIM CRIME Children’s beauty pageant sparks controversy Cuba denies previously reported Wi-Fi rollout Brazil tax hikes won’t harm growth: finance minister Argentine president �tried to cover up 1994 bombing’ Mayor faces charges in kidnapping of 43 students A children’s beauty pageant in Colombia sparked outrage online, but local officials are defending the contest in which eight-yearold girls parade in skimpy swimwear. In the pageant, held Sunday in Barbosa, Santander department, young girls competed in bikinis as part of the annual Festival del Rio Suarez. “We would never induce the girls to make inappropriate or vulgar acts,” insisted Barbosa mayor Rocio Galeano. “The competition is shameful and totally violates the rights of the girls! How horrible and irresponsible of the parents,” Cristina Plazas, director of Colombia’s family welfare institute, tweeted. Cuba will not begin offering wireless service despite reports of a planned Wi-Fi rollout in its second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba, state-run telecommunications provider Etecsa said. Cuba, where the Internet is largely limited to government offices and pricey pay-by-the-hour access at cafes and hotels, allows only some locals such as journalists, doctors and athletes to have Internet at home. But anyone who wants their own router for a Wi-Fi signal needs permission from the Communications Ministry first. Etecsa clarified that a new “intranet” Wi-Fi service was being installed but would only be available at select official sites. Brazil’s finance minister said a programme of targeted tax increases was designed with the intention to not harm fragile growth in Latin America’s largest economy. “We have no intention of producing a bag of tricks or packages -- but we shall have to take some measures,” Joaquim Levy said as he set about devising a strategy to lift an economy struggling after four years of low growth. “Any movement (in tax rates) will be compatible with our objectives,” he insisted. Brazil is looking to rein in its public deficit running at 63% of GDP in November. After posting a first annual trade deficit in 14 years last week, the world’s seventh biggest economy announced budget cuts of $8.4bn a year. An Argentine prosecutor yesterday accused President Cristina Fernandez of trying to orchestrate a cover up in the investigation of Iran over the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires. State prosecutor Alberto Nisman, investigating the blast that killed 85 people, said Fernandez has pushed to drop the charges and normalise relations as a way of tapping Iranian oil needed to narrow Argentina’s $7bn per year energy gap. Oil would be exchanged for Argentine grains under the government’s plan, he said. Nisman added he issued a request that a judge interrogate Fernandez and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman. The former mayor of the southwestern city of Iguala has been charged with last year’s kidnapping of 43 students who are feared to have been killed, a top security official said. Tomas Zeron, director of criminal investigations at the federal attorney general’s office, said that prosecutors had obtained an arrest warrant for former mayor Jose Luis Abarca and 44 others on charges of kidnapping the 43 students. President Enrique Pena Nieto is facing his deepest crisis over the government’s handling of the investigation. Anger over the case spurred sometimes violent demonstrations around the country late last year. Haiti enters an uncertain political phase Reuters Port-au-Prince T he Haitian parliament was dissolved on Tuesday after the failure of last-ditch negotiations for a deal to extend the terms of its members to avert a political crisis in the Caribbean country. Haiti has not held legislative or municipal elections for three years, and the lack of a working parliament effectively leaves President Michel Martelly to rule by decree. Martelly launched lastminute negotiations, but failed to convince a group of opposition senators to approve a US-sanctioned plan to extend parliamentary terms for several months until new elections can be held. On Tuesday, the United Nations “Core Group,” which includes countries working closely with Haiti, such as the US, Brazil, Canada, and the European Union, issued a statement saying it “deplores the fact that the Haitian parliament has become dysfunctional,” while offering its support for Martelly. “I’ve started consultations with political parties to compose my government, but the consensus is not easy to get” “In these exceptional circumstances, the �Core Group’ trusts that the Executive and all the political actors will act with responsibility and restraint,” it added. Martelly, whose term in office runs out next year, last month tried to calm opposition critics by appointing former Port-auPrince Mayor Evans Paul as the new prime minister, but the parliament shunned his pick and refused to ratify him. “I was expecting to be invited by the parliament. It did not happen, but it’s not me who refused to introduce myself,” Paul said in an interview. Now as de facto prime minister, he said he still planned to try to form a new government. “I’ve started consultations with political parties to compose my government, but the consensus is not easy to get,” he said. For weeks, opponents to Martelly have mounted street protests in the capital accusing the president and his family of corruption. The demonstrations took a more aggressive turn in recent days, with some protesters calling for a civil war. On Monday, Haiti marked the fifth anniversary of a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people in the capital. Many Haitians are still homeless. On Sunday, with negotiations still underway to avoid an institutional vacuum, the US embassy in Haiti issued a statement offering its support to Martelly. “The US will continue to work with President Martelly and whatever legitimate Haitian government institutions remain to safeguard the significant gains we have achieved together since the January 12, 2010 earthquake,” it said. In a weekend interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Paul said he had to work on securing the trust of the international community. “It’s not easy because the crisis of confidence is based on a tradition of people not keeping to their word.” The country’s political divisions have led to a “chaotic atmosphere,” he said in an interview at the prime minister’s official residence late on Saturday as street protests continued. It is unclear when new legislative and municipal elections can be held. A tentative agreement late last month would have extended the terms of the deputies until April 24, and senators until September 9, allowing time to pass an electoral law and appoint an elections council. The political accord had been favourably received by Haiti’s largest foreign donors, particularly the US and the UN, which have expressed concern that the poorest country in the western hemisphere is again on the brink of political chaos. Former international director of Petrobras, Nestor Cervero, arrives at the Federal Police in Curitiba yesterday. Ex-Petrobras executive held in corruption probe Reuters Rio de Janeiro B razilian police early yesterday arrested another former executive at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA after prosecutors accused him of continued involvement in corruption and money laundering. Nestor Cervero, former international director of the company known as Petrobras, was detained at Rio de Janeiro’s international airport as he returned from a trip to London, prosecu- Give US, Cuba space to negotiate: OAS chief Reuters Washington I mproving relations between the US and Cuba will take time, and both sides should be given the space to negotiate without outside interference, the head of the Organisation of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, cautioned. “It would be very unhelpful to try to artificially push for immediate results in every area,” Insulza said as US and Cuban officials prepare for talks next week in Havana aimed at normalising diplomatic ties after decades of hostility. “I think we should let Cuba and the US negotiate their matters and their problems and be as helpful as possible,” he said. “I don’t think you can make the clock run faster by pushing from the outside.” The thawing of ties between Washington and Havana would ease years of tensions that have often played out at annual meetings of the 35-member OAS and allow for greater regional co- operation and trade, said Insulza. Washington’s policy toward Cuba has increasingly polarised a region where many countries, including allies like Colombia and Mexico, believe the US’ 50year trade embargo has outlived its usefulness. “This opens the door for everyone. We can now deal with matters together. It releases a lot of tensions and pressures” A meeting of the Americas in Panama in April will bring together all countries, including leaders from Cuba and the US, for the first time ever. “This opens the door for everyone,” said Insulza, a former Chilean foreign minister. “We can now deal with matters together. It releases a lot of tensions and pressures.” He said he expected easing of US travel, trade and financial restrictions against Cuba to be announced shortly. “I expect this to move quickly on matters that were agreed on, but then the lifting of the embargo will have to wait, although I hope for not too long,” he added. The OAS, with headquarters in Washington, suspended Cuba in 1962 for being Communist. While the OAS agreed in 2009 to lift the Cold War ruling, Cuba declined to rejoin the group. Insulza said he hoped that as normalisation talks progress Cuba will be willing to fully come into the OAS fold. “I hope to have (that conversation with Cuba) very soon,” said Insulza. “We are open to a relationship with Cuba and to help it come back. The door is open.” Insulza said the release of 53 political prisoners by Cuba under a deal with the US showed that both sides are serious about normalising ties. “We should feel optimistic because the Cubans have already released some prisoners, but also realistic because probably not all of them will be out tomorrow,” he said. “We must also be practical. More negotiation may be necessary.” tors said in a statement. They said the arrest had been approved during a federal court recess and was based on “strong evidence” that Cervero had tried to transfer real estate and funds to family members and drastically understated the value of the transactions. Cervero is one of 39 people whom prosecutors indicted last month for forming a cartel to funnel bribes from Petrobras construction projects to the ruling Workers’ Party and its allies in a scandal that has shaken Brazil’s economy. Cervero’s lawyer, Edson Ribeiro, said his client had informed investigators of his trip to London. Cervero had tried to transfer 500,000 reais ($188,679) to his daughter and had transferred ownership of three apartments, Ribeiro said. “There is no criminal activity in these two acts,” said Ribeiro, adding he would seek habeas corpus for his client. Last month, the same prosecutors in the southern city of Curitiba indicted Paulo Roberto Costa, another former Petrobras executive, and leaders of top Brazilian engineering firms. Cervero, along with a consult- Angry workers ant and lobbyist, were accused of paying out $40mn in kickbacks to political parties, executives and contractors, as well as accepting $13mn in bribes from Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries. Samsung Heavy Industries never responded to request for comment. Concern over the corruption scandal is driving shares and bonds of Petrobras to multiyear lows and spurring concerns of a slowdown in muchneeded infrastructure projects in Brazil. The team of prosecutors in Venezuela states ban nighttime shop queues Reuters Caracas G Workers of German carmaker Volkswagen listen to their union leaders during an assembly rally yesterday on the ninth day of an indefinite strike after 800 jobs were cut back by the company at the Anchieta plant in Sao Bernardo do Campo, 25km south of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Workers at the Anchieta plant walked out on strike on January 6. The plant in Sao Bernardo do Campo on the outskirts of Sao Paulo is the biggest of four VW has in Brazil, with 13,000 workers. Curitiba has vowed to expand their investigation, and the Supreme Court in Brasilia in February is expected to reveal the names of politicians who allegedly received kickbacks. President Dilma Rousseff was Petrobras’ chair from 2003 to 2010, when much of the graft took place, but has denied any knowledge of the scheme or wrongdoing. Cervero, whom Petrobras fired in March, held various positions there. He was international director when it purchased a Pasadena, Texas, refinery that critics say it overpaid for. overnors in three Venezuelan states have banned nighttime queuing as huge lines continue to snake around shops across the scarcity-plagued Opec nation. Shortages of basic products from milk to toilet paper have worsened since a lull in distribution over the Christmas holidays, prompting many Venezuelans to wait from the early hours on pavements - or in hammocks before shops open. The ubiquitous lines and frequent jostling for places when doors open are an embarrassment and irritation to many Venezuelans across the political spectrum. There have also been scattered protests and arrests. “We are going to prohibit queues outside commercial establishments,” Falcon state governor Stella Lugo said. “Security forces have been instructed.” She joined two other governors, in Bolivar and Yaracuy, who have announced the same meas- ure in recent days. Zulia state authorities are also considering it. “Nighttime queues are dangerous for the people,” Bolivar governor Francisco Rangel said. In some places, authorities are also limiting access to shops to certain days according to the consumers’ identity card numbers. The shortages have hurt President Nicolas Maduro’s popularity which, according to local pollster Datanalisis, hit 22% in December. Foes say 15 years of socialism under him and predecessor Hugo Chavez are to blame for Venezuela’s economic recession, the highest inflation in the Americas, and shortages. But Maduro, 52, who won election to replace Chavez last year, says a wealthy elite and opposition activists encouraged by Washington and foreign media are carrying out an “economic war” involving hoarding and price-gouging. “It’s a strategy to try and upset the people and turn them to extremes, to destabilise the country,” Maduro said. “But the people are defeating it in the street, and the government is working in the street.” Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 27 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN Imran faces protest at Peshawar school The parents tried to stop Khan’s vehicle from entering the school premises; Leader of group that attacked school put on US terror list Agencies Islamabad/Washington C ricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and his wife faced protests yesterday when they visited the school in Peshwar where terrorists massacred over 140 children on December 16. Families of the children who were massacred shouted slogans against the Tehreek-e-Insaf leader as he reached the Army Public School, the Dawn and other Pakistani media reported. Accompanying Imran Khan was Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who is from the same party. Holding posters and banners, the parents tried to stop Khan’s vehicle from entering the school premises. The demonstrators complained that it took Khan a month to come to Peshawar after the massacre. Meanwhile, Pakistan Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said Khan faced slogans of “Go Imran, Go!” because of his negative approach in politics. He accused Khan of creating hurdles in the way of implementing the national agenda Relatives and parents of victims of school massacre shout slogans against Imran Khan, head of opposition political party Pakitan Tehrik-e-Insaf and ruling party in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, during a protest outside the Army Public School in Peshawar yesterday. against terrorism. On December 16, terrorists stormed the school in Peshawar and sprayed bullets, leaving more than 140 students and teachers dead. In a related development, the leader of a Taliban group that killed scores of students in the attack at the school last month has been added to Washington’s official terrorism list, the State Department said yesterday. Maulana Fazlullah, sometimes known as Mullah Fazlullah, has been the leader since November 2013 of the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has claimed responsibility for the Peshawar school shooting and numerous other attacks. He has claimed to have ordered the 2012 shooting that gravely injured Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, ac- �Censored’ cording to the State Department. The terror designation comes the same day that US Secretary of State John Kerry was to visit the school in Peshawar, where the horrific December 16 shooting rampage took place. The State Department said Fazlullah has been named a “specially designated global terrorist” — a label meant to target “terrorists and those providing support to terrorists Series of suicide attacks foiled in Afghanistan Agencies Kabul A Pakistani men read a local edition of the International New York Times with a blank space that was supposed to be reporting on the first issue of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo since last week’s attack, in Islamabad, Pakistan, yesterday. At the bottom of the blank space the newspaper said:�The article was removed by our publishing alliance in Pakistan’. An Islamic cleric in Pakistan on 13 January offered funeral prayers for two Muslim brothers who killed 12 people at the office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and led a rally to commemorate them. series of co-ordinated suicide attack plots were foiled by the Afghan national security forces in capital Kabul late on Tuesday night. According to Kabul police officials, the attack plots were foiled following joint military operations by the Afghan police and the intelligence operatives. Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said the operations were conducted in Bagrami district where several suicide attack vests and 17 terrorists were arrested, according to the Afghan Khaama Press. He said only one suicide bomber was killed during the gun battle with the security forces and no one else suffered any injuries. or acts of terrorism.” Considered to have close ties to Al Qaeda and listed as a terrorist group by Washington since September 1, 2010, the TTP is a loose coalition of jihadist militants that has killed thousands of Pakistanis since its formation in 2007. The organisation, which was formed in reaction to a raid by Pakistani authorities on a radical mosque in Islamabad, declared a holy war against the Pakistani government which it accuses of helping the United States in its “war on terror.” Fazlullah has acknowledged being behind the killing of Pakistani Army Major General Sanaullah Niazi in September 2013. The State Department said Fazlullah also was responsible for the beheading of 17 Pakistani soldiers after an attack in June 2012. In addition, he allegedly ordered the targeted killings of elders who led peace committees against the Taliban. The United States was to unveil some $250mn in aid to back Pakistan’s fight against militants and develop its unruly tribal areas. Washington has pressed Islamabad for years to wipe out the militant sanctuaries in lawless tribal areas such as North Waziristan, which have been used to launch attacks on Nato forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. Court indicts Musharraf over rebel’s murder AFP Islamabad A Pakistani court yesterday indicted Pervez Musharraf over the 2006 killing of a separatist leader, the latest legal hurdle facing the former military ruler since his return from selfimposed exile two years ago. The charges by the court in the southwestern city of Quetta are unlikely to cause any immediate problems for the 71-year-old, who has not attended a single hearing in the case since it began in 2013. He was previously indicted for treason in March last year over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007, but proceedings have stalled since then as the country’s civil authorities and judiciary appear to lack the will to take on the powerful military. “The anti-terrorist court has indicted Musharraf along with former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and former home minister (of) Baluchistan province Shoaib Nosherwani in Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder case,” public prosecutor Taimur Shah said. Shah added the court would resume hearings in the case on February 4. Baluch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed in a military operation in 2006, sparking deadly nationwide protests and inflaming a separatist insurgency in re- Pervez Musharraf source-rich but impoverished Baluchistan province. Musharraf has been staying with his daughter in Karachi where he travelled for tests at a navy-run hospital in April last year and the indictment took place in his absence. He is on bail in four other major cases linked to his time in power including the 2007 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide attack. Facing impeachment following the 2008 elections, Musharraf resigned as president and went into self-imposed exile in Dubai. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s authority has been eroded since a movement to topple him over alleged election fraud began last year, and analysts believe his government now lacks the will to offend the military by pushing for Musharraf’s prosecution. Pakistan govt in a fix over issue of Afghan refugees Internews Peshawar C aught between a rock and a hard place is how officials describe the predicament of the federal government which is looking at the problem faced by the presence of millions of registered and unregistered Afghan refugees with apprehensions about the role India could play in the even to Pakistan taking steps which may displease Kabul. Repatriation of the refugees to Afghanistan at the expiry of the umpteenth-time extended deadline, government officials warn, may annoy Kabul and push it back into the Indian fold. Everyone at a Jan 6 meeting on the issue was clueless, said an official who attended the recent huddle in Islamabad. “Everyone agreed that the continued presence of Afghans poses a grave national security challenges, but how to deal with the issue, no-one seems to have any answer,” said the official. The meeting presided over by the secretary of state and frontier regions had been called to discuss the issue of unregistered Afghan nationals and also of the registered refugees. According to sources, the government is likely to conduct a “temporary” registration of undocumented Afghans before sending them back to their country and a summary for the purpose was awaiting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s approval. According to the sources, the federal government is in a fix over the issue of registered and unregistered Afghans. At the meeting some senior functionaries expressed apprehensions that a tough decision might annoy Kabul at a time when both sides wanted to improve relations and that India could take advantage of the situation. Kabul may not co-operate with Islamabad on the issue of acting against outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan chief Mullah Fazlullah and other wanted persons if Pakistan presses for immediate expulsion of the refugees. Pakistan has been asking Afghanistan to hand over Fazlullah whose group has been accused of being involved in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including the Peshawar Army Public School massacre. Killing propaganda: Lab tests declare polio vaccine Halal Internews Islamabad T he polio vaccine being used to fight the crippling disease in Pakistan is Halal, official report said. A laboratory controlled by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has tested the vaccine and certified that, according to information gathered from official sources and documents. Officials of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said polio vaccines were registered in the country only after the expert committee on biological drugs and the Drug Registration Board of DRAP “thoroughly evaluated” them. Yet, many parents refuse the vaccination to their children under the notion that it is Haram. Anti-polio campaign documents say the notion has been persisting since 2004 when obscurantist elements in the society spread the concoction that certain human hormones were deliberately added to the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to make children sterile. Sadly, many polio workers paid with their lives or limbs for daring to carry on the battle against the disease. But worse was the reversal that the battle against polio suffered as simple folks refused the vaccine, more out of fear of the obscurantist elements and the outlawed Taliban than the logic of their concocted claims. This disturbing trend gained great strength, particularly in the tribal areas, after the revelations that it was a false hepatitis vaccine programme conducted by Pakistani physician Shakil Afridi in the neighbourhood of Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad that helped the American CIA to hunt down and kill the Al Qaeda leader in May 2011. In June 2012, the Taliban banned polio vaccination in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). And the vaccine became �Haram’ and unwanted even for the people not sympathetic to the Taliban. Since then, new polio cases have risen to record 300, earning Pakistan the notoriety of being “the hub of polio virus”. Officials said in a bid to erase the misconceived �Haram’ tag, three vaccine lots MONO OPV1 Batch No. 132719 manufactured by Novartis, Italy; Polio Sabin Batch No. AOP4A393AA and Batch No. A health worker administers Polio vaccine to children in Quetta, Pakistan, on 11 January. More than 65 polio worker and security personnel have been killed by the militants, according to Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar. AOPVB996BA, both manufactured by GSK, Belgium, were sent to National Control Laboratory for Biologicals (NCLB) in Islamabad for testing. Director NCLB Abdul Samad Khan certified that the samples were tested using methods that detected the human hormones in minute quantities. OPV dose is two drops and in this quantity none of the six pos- sible hormones detected - not even at concentration as low as 0.0005mg. The NCLB report showed that the samples passed the viral activity and sterility tests with no detectable level of human hormones. Related documents contained answers to the frequently asked questions. They say the question generally asked is if the OPV contained hormones estrogen and progesterone that may cause infertility. None of the two hormones was detected. Another question asked is that OPV is produced in monkey kidney cells and can become the cause of different diseases. The answer given is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) thoroughly discussed the parameters for the production of polio vaccine and found no virus in the vaccine which could cause a disease. Still another question usually asked is that why OPV is not produced in Pakistan? The answer is that polio vaccine was manufactured in the country from 1980 to 2003 from imported concentrate using old formulation of six drops per dose. That vaccine was difficult to administer and often spilled outside the mouth of a child. The present vaccine is two drops per dose, is more stable and easy to administer. Though polio vaccine can be manufactured locally as before, but in the near future OPV will be replaced with an injectable one. So it is preferable to import the vaccine. At present, only Indonesia, Belgium, India, Italy and France manufacture OPV. Pakistan purchases the vaccine from manufacturers prequalified by the WHO, which also inspects the manufacturing and testing laboratories. Though there is no need to test the quality of the vaccine, it can be, and occasionally is, tested locally for safety, say the documents. Medical specialist and vice chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Dr Javed Akram agreed that there was no need to do lab test because the vaccine was made by genetic engineering in which DNA of virus was taken and multiplied. “Genetic engineering has nothing to do with Halal and Haram,” he said, hoping that the sceptics would put more confidence in the vaccine after the report and start vaccinating their children. National Manager Expanded Programme on Immunisation Rana Safdar hoped that the report would satisfy the religious elements who had been objecting to the polio vaccination. 28 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 PHILIPPINES Presidential office accused of deception over train fare hike By Llanesca T Panti Manila Times A lawmaker has accused Malacanang of lying in its attempt to defend recent fare increases in elevated trains plying Metro Manila routes. “There has been treachery and deception on Malacanang’s part because they have not been forthright about these issues and are still doing all they can to justify the fare increases,” Rep. Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna party-list said yesterday. “Hopefully, the Supreme Court (SC) will issue a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) even before oral arguments (on the fare adjustments are heard),” Colmenares added. He and Rep. Carlos Zarate, also of Bayan Muna, are preparing a supplemental pleading in their bid to convince the tribunal to issue a TRO against the fare hikes in Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3), Light Rail Transit 1 and LRT 2. The Bayan Muna lawmakers, both petitioners against the train fare increases, made the move since the High Court did not stop the fare hikes and instead asked the Aquino administration to file its comment on the matter. Since January 4, fare for an LRT1 ride from Baclaran station in Pasay City to Roosevelt station in Quezon City went up to P30 from P20; fare for an LRT2 ride from Recto station in Manila to Santolan station in Pasig City increased from P15 to P25; and fare for an MRT3 ride from North Avenue station in Quezon City to Taft station in Pasay City rose to P28 from P15. “The government is made (by the Supreme Court) to explain the hikes. This (order) only means that our arguments against such increases have basis,” Zarate, a lawyer, said. “We believe that hiking the (train fares) is beyond the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation and Communications. We will file a supplemental pleading based on DOTC Undersecretary Jose Lotilla (saying last week) that the department lacked authority to do so,” he added. The two lawmakers noted that the January increases would only be the beginning since contracts entered into by the government provide that fare adjustments can be implemented every two years. Call to cancel deal with firm for repair of vote count machines By Robertzon F Ramirez Manila Times A multi-sectoral group held a protest rally at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to assail the poll body’s decision granting Smartmatic, an extended warranty for the repair of 82,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be recycled for the 2016 polls. The group, composed of IT organisations and experts, Church leaders, members of the academe, non-government organisations (NGOs), people’s organisations and civic groups demanded the revocation of a Comelec resolution approving an extended warranty agreement proposed by Smartmatic for the repair of the PCOS machines that the poll body bought in 2012. “We are appalled by the fact that the Comelec resolution smacks of a midnight deal and cutting of corners based on unacceptable reasons that compromise the provisions of the procurement as well as election laws,” the group said in a protest letter. “It was in disregard of the urgent concerns raised in recent Joint Congressional Oversight Committee hearings on the Automated Election System calling for thorough reports from Comelec on the latest discoveries and explanations, by no less than the Technical Evaluation Committee of the Department of Science and Technology on the digital distortions of ballot images from the PCOS machines that, according to the official report, �could have affected the results (counting) of the elections’ and �would be difficult to clean,’” the group added. Aside from the scrapping of the extended warranty to Smartmatic, the group also asked the poll body to defer the award of the diagnostic contract until after the retirement of Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr and senior commissioners Elias Yusoph and Lucenito Tagle. Brillantes, Yusoph and Tagle are set to retire in February 2015. Student activists participate in a �colour splash’ ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to Manila yesterday. In their statement, the students urged the Pope to support the Filipino people in their fight against poverty, corruption and social injustice in the country. Father-priests seek papal blessing in Catholic nation Reuters Lambunao E very Sunday morning, dozens of Roman Catholics gather at a small chapel on an island in the central Philippines to listen to Father Jess Siva share his personal experiences as a priest, and as a parent. Siva, 54, has been celebrating Mass in the town of Lambunao for the past 15 years, giving communion, performing last rites for the dying, hearing confessions and officiating at marriages. But while his small flock admire him, Church leaders in the Philippines consider him persona non grata for failing to adhere to one of the most important tenets of the priesthood — abstaining from sex. “This is a very serious problem within the Church,” said Siva, who is the father of two boys from a relationship with a member of his congregation’s choir. “I hope Pope Francis will recognise us.” Although celibacy is not expected to be directly raised during the Pope’s visit to the Philippines this week, some in the Church hope that the pontiff will in time listen to their pleas for change. In the Philippines, which accounts for about half of Asia’s Roman Catholics, Siva is not alone. A handful of priests have Roman Catholic priest Father Jess Siva poses with his common law wife Bemma and children in Iloilo city on Panay island in central Philippines. been asked to leave the priesthood for fathering children. On Jan 11, Siva baptised the five-month-old son, and fourth child, of fellow Catholic priest Hector Canto. Siva officiated at Canto’s marriage in 1997. There are already high hopes the Argentine Pope will change the Church’s traditional approach to issues such as sexual morality by becoming more welcoming to gays and easing restrictions on divorced and remarried Catholics. Last year, Francis said he believes priests should be celibate but that the rule, which dates back over a thousand years, could be changed someday. “Celibacy is not a dogma,” he said when asked by a reporter whether the Church might consider allowing priests to marry as they can in the Anglican, Protestant and Orthodox Churches. “It is a rule of life that I appreciate very much and I think it is a gift for the Church but since it is not a dogma, the door is always open,” he said. The Church teaches that a priest should dedicate himself totally to his vocation, essentially taking it as his spouse, in order to help fulfill its mission. Some have cited celibacy as one reason for the decline in men entering the priesthood. In Africa, Catholic priests have openly questioned the celibacy rule, saying it is incompatible with their culture. African Archbishop Em- manuel Milingo was famously excommunicated in 2006 for ordaining four married men as priests as part of his group “Married Priests Now”. Milingo himself married a Korean woman. Africa and Asia have the fastest growing Catholic populations, and today they are home just over a quarter of the world’s more than 1.2bn Catholics. The rule of celibacy has also been questioned in the Pope’s own backyard. Last year, 26 women in love with priests in Italy wrote a letter urging him to make celibacy optional, describing the “devastating suffering” caused by celibacy. Siva, who was ordained a priest in 1986 and started living with his partner 12 years later, is making little headway in persuading the Church’s local leadership that it is time to change. The archdiocese of Jaro, which includes the town of Lambunao, frowns upon his actions, saying the priestly activities of Siva, Canto and another priest, Elmer Cajilig, are “illicit”. “They are on their own,” Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said. “They have violated our rules on celibacy. We do not recognise them.” But Filipino Catholic bishops have done nothing to stop the ministry of the three priests who have openly violated the Church discipline. Monsignor Victorino Rivas of the neighbouring Archdiocese of Bacolod said cases of priests with families are confidential and that there are no statistics on their numbers. Siva said there were two more priests in Iloilo City who may join his self-styled ministry called “Compania de los Padres de Familia” (The Company of Priests with Families). There are more than 3,000 priests in the Philippines, where about 80% of the 100mn population is Catholic. Celibacy surfaced last year during a bitter battle over a contraceptive law, as supporters of the bill exposed priests who fathered children. Priests who break the celibacy rule are usually put on sabbatical leave, suspended, transferred, made to undergo “formation”, and advised to leave the priesthood to marry and start a family. On Sunday, before the Pope’s visit to Asia, Siva and the two other unchaste priests celebrated a mass to dramatise an appeal to him to show “mercy and compassion”, the theme of his pastoral visit to the country. In many remote communities, residents accept priests who fathered children because of the shortage of clerics. “What’s more important is there is a priest in our village,” said Jeremy David, a member of the Lambunao chapel choir. Troops face security �nightmare’ for Pope Francis visit AFP Manila P hilippine troops are facing a security “nightmare” during Pope Francis’ visit starting today, with potential stampedes, militants and lonewolf assailants all concerns. Nearly 40,000 soldiers and police are being deployed to protect the pontiff during his five-day trip to the Philippines, a majority Catholic nation where attempts have been made to kill visiting Popes twice before. “For this year, this will be the greatest security nightmare that we can have,” Philippine military chief General Gregorio Catapang said as he readied his troops for the pontiff ’s arrival. Authorities have stated the huge crowds of devout Catholics are their main worry, with up to 6mn people expected for a mass in Manila on Sunday. Giant throngs are also expected along his motorcade routes in the capital, while a one-day trip to typhoon-devastated communities in the Police stand along a highway in Manila yesterday during security preparations ahead of a visit by Pope Francis. central Philippines will pose its own problems. In a nationally televised address on Monday, President Benigno Aquino pleaded with his countrymen planning to join the crowds to remain calm and avoid creating a stampede that could endanger the Pope. “I ask you, do you want history to record that a tragedy involving the Pope happened in the Philippines,” Aquino said. Aside from a crowd poten- tially crushing the Pope, Aquino also warned that blocking his motorcade would make him an easy target for an assailant. The president referred to the threat of “terrorism” and an assassination attempt on John Paul II at the Vatican in 1981, as he called on all Filipinos to help protect Francis in the Philippines. Adding to the concerns, the 78-year-old pontiff has insisted he will not travel in a bulletproof “Popemobile” so can he be closer to his flock. Highlighting the priority Aquino has placed on security, he personally led a late-night dry run on Tuesday of the motorcade journey that the Pope will make from the airport after he arrives — with thousands of police lining the roads. There have also been two attempts or plots to kill pontiffs visiting in the Philippines that Aquino did not refer to in his televised address. On the first-ever papal visit to the Philippines in 1970, Bolivian painter Benjamin Mendoza donned a priest’s fake cassock and swung a knife at Pope Paul VI as he arrived at Manila airport. Paul VI was wounded but continued his trip without disclosing his injury. Then, one week before John Paul II’s visit in 1995, police uncovered a plot by foreign extremists to kill him by bombing his Manila motorcade route. They then planned to set off explosives on 11 US jetliners over the Pacific Ocean that they hoped would kill thousands. The plot was detected only because bomb-making material caused smoke at the apartment that was being used to store the explosives. Pakistani Ramzi Yousef, who carried out the 1993 World Trade Centre bombings in the US, and Khalid Sheikh Mohamed, one of Al Qaeda’s most senior figures who planned the September 11, 2001 attacks, were among those involved in the plot. Aside from foreign extremists, Philippine security forces have for decades struggled to contain local militants with links to Al Qaeda. The most well-known, the Abu Sayyaf, operates mostly on southern islands populated by the nation’s Muslim minority many hundreds of kilometres from Manila. But it is accused of carrying out the Philippines’ deadliest terrorist attack, the bombing of a ferry in Manila in 2004 that killed more than 100 people. Senior Abu Sayyaf senior leader Khair Mundos, who was on the US government’s most wanted list, was also arrested while living at an apartment near the Manila airport just seven months ago. While the government has insisted no specific plots have been detected against the Pope, he is undoubtedly a tempting target for Filipino militants, according to Rommel Banlaoi, director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, a Manila think-tank. “For violent groups opposed to the rule of the Catholic Church, attacking the Pope is like a trophy, a major accomplishment,” Banlaoi said. “The most challenging threat would come from a lone-wolf attack. It is easier to monitor bad elements coming from identified violent groups.” Still, Banlaoi said Philippine security forces had proved it could secure visits by Popes and US presidents. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 29 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL Police probe Rajapakse coup charge AFP Colombo S Onlookers surrounding the wreckage of a burnt bus allegedly set on fire by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters during a blockade in Rangpur yesterday. Bus firebombing kills four in Bangladesh AFP Dhaka A firebomb attack on a bus killed four people yesterday, including a young child, while an aide to opposition leader Khaleda Zia survived an assassination attempt in a new upsurge of political unrest in Bangladesh. The attack on the bus in the northern town of Mithapukur was carried out as anti-government activists tried to enforce a transport blockade as part of efforts to force the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It was the deadliest incident since an outbreak of violence at the turn of the year when Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Zia was confined to her office after calling for Hasina to stand down. Zia remains stuck in the compound. The police chief in Mithapukur, Rabiul Alam, said the packed bus was firebombed as it travelled to the capital Dhaka, blaming the attack on followers of an Islamist party which is part of a BNP-led alliance. “At least 14 people were burnt in the attack. Four of them died, including a child whose body was charred beyond recognition,” Alam said. “Three of the victims are in a very critical condition.” Eight activists from the radical Jamaat-e-Islami party had been arrested over the attack, Alam added. The BNP has denied that any parties in its opposition alliance were involved in the bus attack. “At least 14 people were burnt in the attack -four of them died, including a child whose body was charred beyond recognition while three of the victims are in a very critical condition” In Dhaka, police confirmed that Riaz Rahman, a state minister for foreign affairs when Zia was premier, had been seriously injured on Tuesday night after unidentified attackers shot at him. “He was shot four times from close range by at least three unidentified attackers. They also firebombed his car. His condition is now stable,” Dhaka police inspector Rafiqul Islam said. The 74-year-old Rahman has been advising Zia since 2007. In the past week, unidentified attackers have firebombed the houses of several of Zia’s aides. The bus attack took the death toll in the latest unrest to 17 with hundreds more injured. Zia ordered the blockade last Tuesday as part of a campaign push to force Hasina to stand down in favour of a neutral government that would organise fresh elections. She blamed the government for the attack on Rahman, terming it “an act of cowardice and terror.” In protest, her party called a nationwide strike today. In a statement the United States said it was “shocked and saddened” by the attack, calling it “outrageous and cowardly”. “We call on all parties to exercise restraint and eschew violence and intimidation, and we urge the government to ensure people can freely exercise their right to peaceful political expression,” it said. British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Gibson expressed concern at the violence and urged all parties “to come together in a dialogue to break the cycle of violence and disruption”. ri Lanka’s police opened an investigation yesterday into allegations that former president Mahinda Rajapakse tried to use military force to remain in power after losing last week’s election. The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) said it was responding to a complaint from new Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. “We have recorded a statement from the minister and investigations have begun,” a police spokesman said. Samaraweera said he wanted police to investigate allegations made by top aides to new President Maithripala Sirisena that Rajapakse tried to use the military to disrupt the vote count, arrest top election officials and declare a state of emergency to remain in power. Rajapakse on Tuesday tweeted a denial of the allegations, which came after Sirisena and other world leaders thanked him for a smooth transition of power. The investigation is a fresh blow to Rajapakse’s chances of a political comeback after an opposition party filed a complaint against the toppled leader and 11 relatives and associates, alleging massive bribery and corruption. The JVP, or People’s Liberation Front, has lodged complaints against Rajapakse, his legislator son Namal and two brothers — Basil and Gotabhaya — who held powerful positions in the former president’s administration that was ousted after last week’s elections. The election was partly fought on claims of misuse of public funds and nepotism, with the Rajapakse family accused of amassing huge wealth during the former president’s 10-year rule. “The main objective of our complaint is to ensure that the Rajapakse family is brought to justice,” JVP lawmaker Sunil Handunetti said. “We want to prevent them from fleeing the country and escaping justice.” In another blow to the family, the former president’s nephew, Nepal risks return to conflict without charter, says UN Pope Francis gives Lanka first saint Reuters Colombo P ope Francis gave Sri Lanka its first saint at a waterfront Mass for more than half a million people in Colombo yesterday, calling 17th century missionary Joseph Vaz a model of reconciliation after the country’s recent civil war. The Pope, who on Tuesday was tired after starting his trip under a blazing sun, looked relaxed against a sparkling backdrop of rolling waves as he told the hushed crowd that Vaz was an example of religious tolerance relevant to Sri Lanka today. “Saint Joseph shows us the importance of transcending religious divisions in the service of peace,” he said in his homily, delivered to a nation recovering from a long war between mainly Buddhist Sinhalese and Hindu Tamils. Vaz, who was captured as a suspected spy after he crept into the tropical island in disguise, was born in 1651 in India’s Goa, then a Portuguese colony. He travelled south at the age of 36, dressed as a beggar, to a country then divided into kingdoms and European colonies after hearing about the persecution of Catholics by the Dutch. He worked for years under the protection of a Buddhist king. On Monday, Francis called on the Buddhist-majority country to uncover the truth about its bloody civil war that ended in 2009 with the army’s crushing defeat of Tamil rebels and the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. Francis’ visit, the first by a Pope in 20 years, has added to the sense that a new chapter is opening on the island, which voted the wartime leadership out of power last week. Francis, speaking slowly in English, said Christians should follow the example of Vaz to build peace, justice and reconciliation. Catholics make up about 7% of Sri Lanka’s 20mn population, while 10 times as many people follow Buddhism. “We really need people like him to ensure peace and harmony in this country,” a woman who identified herself as Fathima, wearing traditional Muslim dress, said of the Pope. About 10% of the population follow Islam. They faced rising attacks from Buddhist extremists under the government of former president Mahinda Rajapake. Earlier, Francis stepped out of his popemobile to greet people, placing his hands on childrens’ heads. He was due to go by helicopter to a shrine in the north that was shelled in the war, then move on to the Philippines to- Sashindra Rajapakse, was toppled yesterday as head of a southern provincial council after his Sri Lanka Freedom Party lost a majority when lawmakers defected to the opposition. “I have sworn in (local opposition leader) Harin Fernando as the new chief minister because he now has the support of 18 out of the 34 members (of the council),” Uva provincial governor Nanda Mathew said. On the corruption complaints, Handunetti said a total of 12 individuals have been named as alleged offenders including former finance secretary Punchi Banda Jayasundera and former central bank governor Nivard Cabraal. They have been accused of foreign exchange fraud, land grabs and misusing state property. The anti-corruption unit, a statutory body, has been ineffective since its inception due to political interference, but new President Maithripala Sirisena has pledged to introduce laws making it more independent and giving it more power to prosecute offenders. Rajapakse on Tuesday said he would not flee the country and wanted to stay in politics, while also denying allegations he attempted a coup to retain power after it became clear that he had lost the election. The new government has vowed to investigate claims made by Sirisena’s top aides that Rajapakse tried to mobilise the military to keep him in office. The new government is also investigating the disappearance of a fleet of luxury cars from the president’s office as Rajapakse vacated his official residence. His family has been accused of massing wealth as they controlled nearly two thirds of the country’s national budget. During the election campaign, allegations emerged that the Rajapakse family had padded the price of a new highway to $16mn per km — allegedly more than double the actual cost. The family was also accused of inflating the cost of a new Chinese-built railway to more than 12 times the actual price at $18mn per km. An Indian company built an equivalent track for $1.5mn per km. A handout picture made available by Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano shows Pope Francis leading the Canonisation Mass of Joseph Vaz at Galle Face Green in Colombo yesterday. day as part of a week-long tour, his second trip to Asia, to shore up the Church’s presence in developing nations. The canonisation is an example of Francis’s no-nonsense approach to creating saints to meet the demands of the flock for new holy figures, particular in parts of the world where the Church is still growing. He bent Church rules and dispensed with a regulation that normally requires a second miracle to be attributed to a candidate for sainthood. Vaz was beatified by Pope John Paul during a visit to Sri Lanka in 1995. Vaz spent five years secretly preaching in the lush lowlands before making his way to the fortress-like kingdom of Kandy in the hill district’s rainforests, where he was captured and accused of espionage for Portugal under the guise of religion. He was detained for nearly a year until he convinced the powerful king that he was a priest, according to texts from the 17th century cited on a website run by Sri Lankan Catholics. Vaz remained in Kandy until his death in 1711, by which time the Church says he had almost single-handedly re-established Catholicism in Sri Lanka. Some nationalists highlight the violence of the Church’s early years and say it led to the destruction of many Buddhist temples. “The Church is legally responsible,” said Susantha Goonatilake, president of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, who says Francis should offer an apology. 572 prisoners released to mark papal visit Sri Lanka released nearly 600 prisoners and reduced jail terms for others yesterday to mark Pope Francis’ visit and his proclamation of the country’s first saint. “We released 572 prisoners who were arrested for minor offences,” Prison Commission General Chandraratne Pallegama said, adding that some were older than 75. The sentences of an unspecified number of other prisoners were reduced. “All this was done one to mark the visit by His Holiness.” The former British colony usually releases prisoners arrested for minor offences on the island nation’s Independence Day on February 4. Nepal risks a return to “confrontation and conflict” if its leaders fail to agree on a post-war constitution due next week, a senior UN official said yesterday. The Himalayan nation has endured prolonged political limbo since the end of a decade-long civil war in 2006 as parties have struggled to complete a draft constitution expected to cement the peace process. The UN’s under secretary general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman told reporters in Kathmandu that while Nepal faced “risks in terms of opportunities lost (by) not concluding the constitution ... there are risks that go beyond simply lost opportunities”. “There are risks of confrontation and conflict,” said Feltman, who was on a two-day visit to the country. Political infighting has seen the ruling coalition threaten to put disputed issues to a vote in the constituent assembly in a bid to publish a draft document by the January 22 deadline. Opposition parties, led by former Maoist rebels who waged a tenyear insurgency before laying down arms in 2006, responded by shutting down the capital Tuesday and have warned of further strikes if voting goes ahead. Feltman said he had met with party leaders and urged them “to neither threaten a walk-out nor force a vote, but rather to conclude the process through compromise, flexibility, and inclusivity”. “Time, according to the calendar set by the leaders themselves, is running out ... it is essential for political leaders to seize the moment,” he said. Despite extensive discussions since national polls in November 2013 and the appointment of a new prime minister last February, parties have failed to agree on major issues. 30 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 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 Tendulkar venturing into the world of movies After 25 years pleasing cricket lovers around the world, India’s master batsmen Sachin Tendulkar is set to star in a feature-length movie about his life Africa Cup of Nations is welcome plug for its ruler It is not unknown for African rulers to raise their hands when it comes to the opportunity of holding a big sports event in their battered countries. It was no surprise then when Equatorial Guinea, a tiny country on the West African coast, came forward in November to host the Africa Cup of Nations. Originally Morocco were designated as tournament hosts. However the Moroccan government wanted the tournament postponed in view of the Ebola epidemic which has caused some 8,000 deaths in parts of West Africa. The government feared the virus could be spread by visiting fans. However the African Football Confederation CAF insisted the January 17-February 8 tournament should go ahead as planned. As a result the tournament was taken away from the North African kingdom and its team expelled. “If we postpone this event, it will be very deadly for African football,” CAF president Issa Hayatou said. Most people in Africa are mad about football, with even those who hardly have enough food to live following important matches in front of cracking televisions in bars. No country immediately came forward to replace Morocco, so it was relief for CAF to find a willing host in Equatorial Guinea. Its national team now takes part although it had actually been expelled from the tournament in July for fielding an ineligible player during qualifying. The country has the stadiums in place after cohosting the tournament with Gabon in 2012. The question remains as to whether it is ethically justified in hosting what should be a joyful sports event in a country ravaged by poverty with, according to critics, one of the world’s worst human rights records. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who gained power in a military coup in 1979, has ruled longer even than Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Human rights organisations accuse 72-year-old Obiang and his close followers of corruption and repression of opposition. Lisa Misol, a Human Rights Watch expert, said after the CAF decision: “The situation in the country is as bad - in some ways worse - as during the 2012 tournament. “Anyone who looks past the shiny new construction near the stadiums will see that nearly half of the population lacks clean water and basic sanitation.” The school and health systems are also poor. It is estimated that 20% of the country’s children die before the age of five. Political opponents are allegedly arrested and tortured and press freedom suppressed. After Nigeria and Angola, the country is the continent’s third largest oil producer. The state press bureau dismisses the international criticism as “absurd accusations”. Obiang needs no promotion because his achievements for the development of the country speak for themselves, a statement said. By Updesh Kapur Doha L ast week, it emerged one of the world’s greatest sportsmen would be entering an exciting new phase of an illustrious and distinguished career. Already a politician, writer, TV pundit, businessman and advertising icon, he is once again in the spotlight by fronting the cameras for very different reasons. He is venturing into the world of movies – and this is no ordinary film. After 25 years pleasing cricket lovers around the world, India’s master batsmen Sachin Tendulkar is set to star in a feature-length movie about his life. He is to play himself becoming the first Asian sports star to hit the silver screen with his own story capturing his cricket and personal life. The makers of the movie did not want to make a documentary or a typical biopic of the celebrated star, but instead opted for a feature film after the now retired cricketer himself gave the go-ahead to the project and agreed to be part of it. Bollywood, the renowned Indian film industry, has tried knocking on his door unsuccessfully for his services for years, and especially since he retired from the game in 2013. The movie fraternity has now managed to entice him on this project but in no way is it typically associated with Bollywood. It will not be a characteristic Bollywood flick of music, song, dance and colour as most movies are across India’s buoyant film industry. Production has already begun by a Mumbai-based film outfit. The two-hour epic which features contributions by personalities from the world of sport and showbusiness, is due for release by the end of the year. The film will track the phenomenal rise of Tendulkar An international sports broadcasting company has already picked up the marketing rights for the film’s global release. James Erskine, the London-based award-winning writer, director and producer, has been tasked to direct the film based on his years of experience making sportsbased movies. His latest project will be a nonfictional film that captures Tendulkar’s life, his ups and downs and, of course, his on field battles. Tendulkar is a modest, humble individual who hit the international cricket circuit as a teenager aged 16. The rest they say is history with a career that has seen record after record broken in the “gentleman’s game”. Here is a sporting icon who has packed stadiums around the world for his elegant and masterful strokes on the pitch. Tendulkar retired with more than 15,000 Test runs and nearly 20,000 one-day international runs to his name, and is the only batsman in history to have notched up 100 international centuries. His achievements include winning the one-day international World Cup in 2011 that capped a glorious career earning him the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. With films made on sports stars from basketball’s Michael Jordan and Formula One’s Ayrton Senna to the numerous over the years on boxing legend Muhammad Ali, one on Sachin Tendulkar is seen as a prize asset that has been touted around for years. Not even the stories of soccer’s David Beckham, nor Cristiano Ronaldo have yet hit the big screen, but are likely at some stage. The life of Brazilian football legend Pele is finally taking shape after many years in the pipeline. Having missed a release date ahead of the 2014 FIFA Word Cup in Brazil, the film is now slated to secure its long-awaited cinema release soon. Pele has global appeal, but it is Tendulkar’s movie, likely to be simply called Tendulkar that will for sure send India’s cricketing fans into hysteria, and likely to show to packed cinema halls. News of Tendulkar’s movie debut comes just weeks after the former batsman released his long-awaited autobiography Playing It May Way that became a huge seller in the cricketing world. The film will track the phenomenal rise of Tendulkar, and probe areas of his life never been heard of, or seen before. From his life as a young boy living in the suburbs of Mumbai, his early days of school and cricket, his life outside the game, to his marriage and his global following will all be part of the movie, aside of course the game he played for many years. It is perhaps a natural progression for a personality of his status. But it is likely to be a one off rather than a stepping stone for more movies in the future. Many sports celebrities have tried, but few have succeeded to carve a successful career out of films. Former American football star O J Simpson, ex-professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson, soccer player Eric Cantona have all tried in recent years, making little impact. For Tendulkar, a one-off film should be it. He would not want to be ridiculed for performances on the screen that would take the shine off a fantastic career as a cricketer. Like Pele, who has successfully developed an ambassadorial role around the world for more than three decades after hanging up his boots, Tendulkar would do well to follow suit. Take a leaf out of David Beckham’s book. He has meandered his way through a high-profile career in sport, business, on the catwalk and in the advertising world. Beckham’s ambassadorial interests would fit well with the cricketer’s profile. Tendulkar’s appeal would widen, image enhanced and he would continue to maintain his legendary status across India. He is as much loved today as he was during his playing days. Let’s hope movies remain singular as a one-off for the cricket legend. zUpdesh Kapur is a PR & communications professional, columnist, aviation, hospitality and travel analyst, social and entertainment writer. He can be followed on twitter @updeshkapur Equatorial Guinea’s President Nguema has ruled longer than Robert Mugabe To Advertise [email protected] Display Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 Classified Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 Subscription [email protected] 2014 Gulf Times. All rights reserved Sachin Tendulkar: a sporting icon, he has packed stadiums around the world for his elegant and masterful strokes on the pitch. Pentagon learns perils of social media exposure By Phil Stewart Washington/Reuters I f so-called “cyber militants” want to launch another social media attack on America’s military, they will have plenty of targets: the US Army alone lists more than 2,000 links to feeds on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other accounts. In the wake of Monday’s breach of US Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube feeds by apparent sympathisers of the Islamic State militant group, US officials updated passwords and some distributed tipsheets to help bolster online security. But they showed no sign of shifting a social media strategy that has seen thousands of Facebook, Twitter and other accounts blossom as the world’s most powerful military establishes an Internet presence that matches the global reach of its forces. That large online profile carries unique risks for the military. “It’s their public face,” said Ben FitzGerald at the Center for a New American Security think tank. “So someone sitting in Baghdad isn’t going to necessarily pick up the nuance that this is a non-military network and not a significant hack. So they’re looking silly and they’re looking weak.” The US Department of Defence has “thousands and thousands” of social media accounts, said Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. They are seen as a fast and effective way for the US military to communicate with its own personnel and families about everything from on-base social events to power outages. “We are certainly looking at our systems and will refine them as needed,” said Warren. Although a review of the incident was under way, he said, there had been no specific department-wide instructions issued since Monday to strengthen security across social media. The Twitter and YouTube breach is far different than the one in 2008, when malware believed to have been crafted by a foreign intelligence service infiltrated Central Command’s internal computer systems. That attack was a dramatic illustration of the risks to military and defence-related networks critical to US security, and triggered a massive expansion of cyberdefense efforts. Monday’s hack also did not lead to any theft or disclosure of classified information, officials said. But it delivered a highly symbolic blow by compromising the social media accounts of the military command overseeing sensitive operations in Iraq and Syria during a time of conflict. It was a reminder of the perils of social media for an institution that prides itself on its vast security and image of unrivalled global power. The hackers posted what officials said appeared to be authentic, but unclassified, rosters of current and retired top brass, including some private email addresses. They also posted messages, including: “American soldiers, we are coming, watch your back.” Unlike most high-profile accounts, the Twitter feeds used by Central Command were not “verified”, which would have added another layer of security and required harder-to-break government email accounts to be set up, officials told Reuters. Still, it is unclear such steps would have prevented the hack, which is being investigated by the FBI and the military. A source familiar with the inquiries said investigators were examining whether cyber attackers sent “phishing” messages that tricked Central Command personnel into revealing shared logins and password information. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 31 COMMENT Europe must change its ways now The EU’s malaise is self-inflicted, owing to an unprecedented succession of bad economic decisions By Joseph E Stiglitz New York A t long last, the US is showing signs of recovery from the crisis that erupted at the end of President George W Bush’s administration, when the near-implosion of its financial system sent shock waves around the world. But it is not a strong recovery; at best, the gap between where the economy would have been and where it is today is not widening. If it is closing, it is doing so very slowly; the damage wrought by the crisis appears to be long term. Then again, it could be worse. Across the Atlantic, there are few signs of even a modest US-style recovery: The gap between where Europe is and where it would have been in the absence of the crisis continues to grow. In most European Union countries, per capita GDP is less than it was before the crisis. A lost half-decade is quickly turning into a whole one. Behind the cold statistics, lives are being ruined, dreams are being dashed and families are falling apart (or not being formed) as stagnation – depression in some places – runs on year after year. The EU has highly talented, highly educated people. Its member countries have strong legal frameworks and well-functioning societies. Before the crisis, most even had well-functioning economies. In some places, productivity per hour – or the rate of its growth – was among the highest in the world. But Europe is not a victim. Yes, America mismanaged its economy; but, no, the US did not somehow manage to impose the brunt of the global fallout on Europe. The EU’s malaise is self-inflicted, owing to an unprecedented succession of bad economic decisions, beginning with the creation of the euro. Though intended to unite Europe, in the end the euro has divided it; and, in the absence of the political will to create the institutions that would enable a single currency to work, the damage is not being undone. The current mess stems partly from adherence to a long-discredited belief in well-functioning markets without imperfections of information and competition. Hubris has also played a role. How else to explain the fact that, year after year, European officials’ forecasts of their policies’ consequences have been consistently wrong? These forecasts have been wrong not because EU countries failed to implement the prescribed policies, but because the models upon which those policies relied were so badly flawed. In Greece, for example, measures intended to lower the debt burden have in fact left the country more burdened than it was in 2010: the debt-to-GDP ratio has increased, owing to the bruising impact of fiscal austerity on output. At least the International Monetary Fund has owned up to these intellectual and policy failures. Europe’s leaders remain convinced that structural reform must be their top priority. But the problems they point to were apparent in the years before the crisis, and they were not stopping growth then. What Europe needs more than structural reform within member countries is reform of the structure of the eurozone itself, and a reversal of A poster of the anti-austerity Syriza party bearing a slogan which translates as “the hope is coming” in central Athens. The left opposition Syriza party, which is committed to renegotiating the terms of Greece’s EU bailout, is ahead in opinion polls. austerity policies, which have failed time and again to reignite economic growth. Those who thought that the euro could not survive have been repeatedly proven wrong. But the critics have been right about one thing: unless the structure of the eurozone is reformed, and austerity reversed, Europe will not recover. The drama in Europe is far from over. One of the EU’s strengths is the vitality of its democracies. But the euro took away from citizens – especially in the crisis countries – any say over their economic destiny. Repeatedly, voters have thrown out incumbents, dissatisfied with the direction of the economy – only to have the new government continue on the same course dictated from Brussels, Frankfurt and Berlin. But for how long can this continue? And how will voters react? Throughout Europe, we have seen the alarming growth of extreme nationalist parties, running counter to the Enlightenment values that have made Europe so successful. In some places, large separatist movements are rising. Now Greece is posing yet another test for Europe. The decline in Greek GDP since 2010 is far worse than that which confronted America during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Youth unemployment is over 50%. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s government has failed, and now, owing to the parliament’s inability to choose a new Greek president, an early general election will be held on January 25. The left opposition Syriza party, which is committed to renegotiating the terms of Greece’s EU bailout, is ahead in opinion polls. If Syriza wins but does not take power, a principal reason will be fear of how the EU will respond. Fear is not the noblest of emotions, and it will not give rise to the kind of national consensus that Greece needs in order to move forward. The issue is not Greece. It is Europe. If Europe does not change its ways – if it does not reform the eurozone and repeal austerity – a popular backlash will become inevitable. Greece may stay the course this time. But this economic madness cannot continue forever. Democracy will not permit it. But how much more pain will Europe have to endure before reason is restored?- Project Syndicate zJoseph E Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate in economics, is university professor at Columbia University. His most recent book, co-authored with Bruce Greenwald, is Creating a Learning Society: A New Approach to Growth, Development, and Social Progress. Weather report Letters Three-day forecast TODAY any supermarket trolley giving the shopper a series of open and upright bags into which to sort their shopping,” according to a report. I request authorities in Qatar to urge supermarkets to introduce such bags and to promote their use among shoppers. Confusing signals at roundabouts Dear Sir, I feel that the flashing amber lights at many roundabouts in Doha should be stopped during busy times and allowed only during offpeak hours. Many a times, vehicles enter roundabouts when the amber lights are flashing, only to stop suddenly after seeing a speeding vehicle coming from the left. Also when the traffic lights turn red after crossing the amber, vehicles in the roundabout have to stop, affecting the traffic flow. If the flashing amber lights are switched off during peak hours, this confusion at roundabouts could be avoided. Byju Vasantha Chandran (e-mail address supplied) Rakesh Verma (e-mail address supplied) Changes in store Ground realities Dear Sir, Dear Sir, Supermarket shopping is in for a big change with the introduction of new trolley bags which could see the end of plastic carrier bags. Trolley bags are reusable and fit on to shopping trolleys to help organise goods at the checkout counter. “In one simple action, the system spreads out and rests on The Nato has ended its 13-year-long combat mission in Afghanistan. Nato forces have already handed over major security installations and detention facilities to Afghan forces. US President Barack Obama has described the Nato mission as a success and according to him, it has made the world a safer place. But despite the claim of success, the High: 23 C Low: 14 C ground realities are different indeed. According to new reports, militant attacks in Afghanistan last year had increased by 60%. Civilian casualties were record high in 2014. More than 4,000 security personnel had also lost their lives in different parts of country last year. At the same time, political uncertainty remains high in the country. Clear Khawaja Umer Farooq [email protected] SATURDAY Partly cloudy with slight dust and hazy to misty by night FRIDAY High: 22 C Low : 16 C High: 22 C Low : 17 C Please send us your letters P Cloudy By e-mail [email protected] Fax 44350474 Or Post Letters to the Editor Gulf Times P O Box 2888 Doha, Qatar All letters, which are subject to editing, should have the name of the writer, address and phone number. The writer’s name and address may be withheld by request. Fishermen’s forecast OFFSHORE DOHA Wind: NW-NE 03-12/15 KT Waves: 1-3/4 Feet INSHORE DOHA Wind: NW-NE 04-12 KT Waves: 1-2 Feet Around the region Abu Dhabi Baghdad Dubai Kuwait City Manama Live issues Muscat Riyadh Tehran Weather today Clear P Cloudy Clear P Cloudy Clear Clear Clear Clear Max/min 26/17 18/04 27/15 20/09 20/16 27/16 23/13 11/02 Weather tomorrow Clear Clear Clear P Cloudy Clear Clear Clear Clear Max/min 26/16 17/04 26/16 21/07 21/16 27/18 24/12 11/02 Weather tomorrow Clear P Cloudy Clear M Cloudy Clear Rain P Cloudy Clear Clear P Cloudy C Storms Clear P Cloudy M Cloudy M Cloudy Clear Clear P Cloudy C Storms M Cloudy C Storms Clear Clear Max/min 16/07 16/11 31/19 09/04 19/11 23/16 30/24 26/15 19/12 07/03 31/25 27/12 07/-1 29/21 -2/-4 16/06 02/-7 09/01 33/22 05/-4 28/24 29/18 14/03 How often should I weigh myself? By Dr Luisa Dillner London H ow is that New Year diet going? Weighed yourself lately? How often should you do so? Weight Watchers recommend that you weigh yourself once a week, while some dieting sites suggest throwing away your scales so as not to become demoralised. Scales can seem extraordinary fickle at times, with weight fluctuating by nearly 1kg from day to day. So it is timely that research in the journal PLOS One has come up with the optimum frequency for stepping on the scales. The answer, however, may be surprising. The researchers say that dieters who weigh themselves daily lose the most weight – the average period between weight checks without gaining weight being 5.8 days. Elina Helander, the lead author from the Tampere University of Technology in Finland, points out that cause and effect isn’t clear. It may be that the most serious dieters are the ones who keep hopping on the scales because they like what they see. So should you weigh yourself more often or do you have better things to do? This particular study analysed 2,838 weight measurements from 40 people attending a health promotion programme, who wanted to lose weight. It is a small group, but the authors say it reflects findings from other studies, including those looking at keeping off the weight. Most dieters are back to their previous baseline weight within three to five years. A study in the New England Journal on maintaining weight loss in 314 successful dieters (who had lost an average of 19.3kg in the past two years) found that those who weighed themselves daily were less likely to gain 2.3kg or more over the next 18 months. The authors argued that there is little evidence for frequent weighing lowering self-esteem or having negative effects. Another study, in the journal Obesity, examined data from 3,003 people on a national weight control registry and found that more frequent weighing was associated with greater “cognitive restraint” and those who weighed in daily were less likely to increase their fat intake than those who got on their scales less than once a week. But even if you just get on the scales out of curiosity, studies confirm what you probably already know, that weight fluctuates during the week, increasing over the weekend as people eat bigger meals and move less. The authors of the PLOS One study also published a paper in Obesity Facts (although, again, the study was small) showing that people whose weight fluctuated the most over the week were actually the most likely to keep their weight steady – perhaps because this is actually the normal rhythm of our weight. - Guardian News and Media zDr Luisa Dillner, a writer and doctor, heads BMJ Group Research and Development 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 Clear C Rain Clear Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy Clear Clear P Cloudy T Storms Clear P Cloudy P Cloudy Cloudy P Cloudy P Cloudy Rain T Storms P Cloudy T Storms P Cloudy Rain Max/min 16/07 13/11 31/18 09/08 19/10 26/18 30/24 27/16 18/13 08/04 31/25 27/12 08/04 30/22 02/-2 17/07 01/-4 11/06 32/21 07/-1 27/25 27/18 07/05 32 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 QATAR QR18mn car inspection centre opens in Mesaimeer By Joey Aguilar Staff Reporter Q atar Fuel (Woqod) inaugurated its second vehicle inspection centre (Fahes) in Mesaimeer yesterday. Woqod chairman HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman alThani and CEO engineer Ibrahim Jaham al-Kuwari led the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Senior officials of the company, representatives from the Traffic Department, other government authorities and guests also attended. In a press statement, al-Kuwari noted that the QR18mn facility occupies a 6,500sq m area, the second among Woqod’s smart Fahes inspection projects. The first centre was inaugurated in December 2014 at Wadi Al Banat (towards north of Qatar University). The CEO recently announced that four new technical inspection centres, which are in the design and approval stages, will be built in Al Shahaniya, Al Shamal City, Al Khor and Al Wakrah. Woqod expects the centres to be fully operational during 2015-2016. As part of their plans, al-Ku- wari said they will build several smart inspection centres in their fuel stations in Qatar. “We also have to consider the space that will be used in establishing these facilities,” he noted. Al-Kuwari added that the centres are constructed based on the highest modern standards of the single window system, making the vehicle inspection process faster. “Here, you will witness how your vehicle is checked, we have monitors that will show you the progress and what may be wrong” Some of the Fahes technical staff told Gulf Times that it would take only about five minutes to finish the inspection. These include checking the emission, lights, brakes and suspension, among others. “Here, you will witness how your vehicle is checked, we have monitors that will show you the progress and what may be wrong,” said one staff. “Everything is transparent.” Fahes smart inspection centres use a centralised system of inspection that prevents any staff or other agencies from ma- nipulating the data. “This ensures high reliability of the electronically-produced reports since paper reports have been completely replaced,” said al-Kuwari. Clients, if they are required to, can also settle traffic violation tickets and pay insurance premiums through the single window system at Fahes. Woqod wants to continue developing the smart inspection systems being applied at its main facility in the Industrial Area and other branches. These systems, according to al-Kuwari, aim to further improve the services by making the process easier, faster and convenient. Woqod is also currently building 13 fuel stations in different parts of the country including one at the new Hamad International Airport. The CEO earlier said that they had plans to build a fuel station along the newly-opened F-Ring Road. More car wash facilities are also expected to be built to serve thousands of vehicle owners. Woqod thanked the public and civil authorities that contributed to the completion of the project. Woqod chairman HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (centre) led the inauguration of their second Fahes in Mesaimeer yesterday. He was joined by the CEO, engineer Ibrahim Jaham al-Kuwari (fifth left), representatives from the Traffic Department and Woqod board members. PICTURES: Jayaram. Woqod senior officials observe the inspection process of an SUV at the new centre yesterday. JET FUEL | Page 11 AUSTERE EXAMPLE | Page 15 Airlines set to hedge for more savings Germany boasts balanced budget, resists stimulus Thursday, January 15, 2015 Rabia I 24, 1436 AH GULF TIMES DISAPPOINTING RESULTS: Page 16 BUSINESS Mideast investments at stake as Malaysia debt concerns mount By Arno Maierbrugger Gulf Times Correspondent Bangkok M ounting troubles at Malaysia’s government-owned strategic investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, which has a focus on promoting foreign direct investment in Malaysia, have caused alarm bells ringing for two of its main investment partners from the Middle East, the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investment. 1MDB was up in 2009 by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak “to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development” in Malaysia and has been focused on development projects in the areas of energy, real estate, tourism and agribusiness. But lately more on high-profile projects which came under fire from opposition politicians and media such as the Tun Razak Exchange, a new financial district in Kuala Lumpur named after Najib Razak’s father and partly funded by Aabar, and the 200-hectare Bandar Malaysia project, an integrated urban development also in Kuala Lumpur, of which one of the partners is the QIA. The value of Middle Eastern investment in these two projects alone is $8bn: Qatar has pledged $5bn for Bandar Malaysia, and Aabar has raised $3bn through its 50:50 joint-venture with 1MDB called Abu Dhabi Malaysia Investment Company. However, both projects are way behind schedule, and the Middle East partners have reportedly become displeased with the lack of transparency in sharing 1MDB’s plans and strategies with investors, as well as with delays that are causing financing costs to rise. According to sources quoted by various Malaysian newspapers, both Qatar and Abu Dhabi are considering to step back from the projects, as is an Islamic bank from Kuwait, reportedly Kuwait Finance House, and US-based Insurance company Prudential. Things became worse for 1MDB Pedestrians seen at the business and banking district in Kuala Lumpur (file). Critics argue that debt-ridden investment fund 1MDB has become a “threat” to Malaysia’s entire financial system where 45% of sovereign debt is being held by foreign creditors, mainly in sukuk and other Islamic financial instruments. when the fund missed a loan-repayment of $563mn due end-December 2014 to Malaysian Banks Maybank and RHB, causing concerns that the fund might have trouble to manage its total borrowings of $11.8bn. 1MDB also had to repeatedly delay the planned initial public offering of its power plant unit which was expected to reduce the fund’s debt burden. However, a longer-than-expected due diligence process and debt refinancing negotiations lead to another delay. Early January, Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman, 1MDB’s managing director and chief executive officer, stepped down after less than two years in the position. He has been under fire for the huge debts the fund accumulated, as well as for certain investment decisions and high fees for consultants. Rahman was replaced by Abu Dhabi-based Malaysian investment banker Arul Kanda, formerly executive vice president and head of investment banking at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. It is quite obvious that the decision to replace the CEO with an experienced Abu Dhabi banker was driven by 1MDB’s strategic partners in the Gulf after rumours of a possible default of 1MDB started spreading. “It would upset lot of people including Malaysia’s strategic partners in the Middle East if a default happens,” the Malaysian Insider newspaper quoted a QP planning feasibility study to utilise Qatar’s ethane feedstock Q Al-Kaabi: For the best utilisation of Qatar’s natural resources. atar Petroleum will conduct feasibility studies to see how it can utilise the “available” ethane feedstock after the decision not to go ahead with the multibillion Al-Karaana Petrochemicals Project. Announcing the decision to hold the feasibility studies, Qatar Petroleum (QP) president and CEO Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said it was a “step forward aimed at promoting the growth of the petrochemical industry in Qatar.” The studies will be carried out by QP in co-operation with Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), Qatar Chemical Company (Q-Chem) and Ras Laffan Olefins Company (RLOC), with the aim to expand and further develop the petrochemical plants under Industries Qatar (IQ) and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding Company (MPHC). “This significant step was driven by QP’s efforts to achieve the best utilisation of Qatar’s natural resources, particularly in the petrochemical sector and in a manner that supports local industries, and maximises its contribution to the national economy. “Based on the results of the studies, the best option will be selected in a manner that ensures that maximum economic benefits to Qatar and to all shareholders in these companies in the long term,” QP said in a statement yesterday. Al-Kaabi stressed that “this approach would also maximise the benefit from available synergies by utilising the existing facilities and infrastructure in this sector, and will significantly reduce capital and operational costs.” According to Reuters, Qatar Petroleum would have had an 80% stake in the venture with the remainder held by Shell. Existing partnerships between Qatar Petroleum and Shell include Pearl GTL, the world’s largest integrated gas-to-liquids plant, at Ras Laffan. Singapore banking source as saying. Critics argue that the debt-ridden investment fund has become a “threat” to Malaysia’s entire financial system where 45% of sovereign debt is being held by foreign creditors, mainly in sukuk and other Islamic financial instruments. Foreign investors also have started to worry about the sovereign credit rating of the country which is currently A3/A- but could possibly drop to the level of Thailand’s Baa1/ BBB+ in case of continued refinancing problems of 1MDB or even a necessary bailout by the government. This would be a huge embarrassment for Malaysia’s prime minister who is also chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers. World Bank cuts global growth outlook with US the lone bright spot Qatar annual inflation gains 2.7% in December By Santhosh V Perumal Business Reporter Qatar’s inflation rose 2.7% year-onyear (y-o-y) in December 2014 on higher rents and costlier furniture and garments, according to official figures. The CPI (consumer price index) inflation, which for the last time uses 2007 as the base year, was, however, down 0.3% compared to the previous month in 2014, even as rents remained unchanged, said the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS). From this year onwards, the base year has been reset to 2013. The rent, fuel and energy group which is the most influential with the maximum weight of 32.2% in the CPI basket - recorded an increase of 7.3% y-o-y in December, 2014. The index was unchanged from the November levels. The MDPS had said cost of living in Qatar is set to nudge up to 3.5% this year and 3.7% in 2016 on rising rents, especially in affordable housing for the low-to-middleincome segment. “The expanding population will continue to exert pressure on local non-traded services, particularly residential rents,” the ministry said in its Qatar Economic Outlook 201416 Update. After eliminating the effect of rent, the overall index was down 0.3% from the previous month’s level and showed an increase of 1% when compared to December, 2013, said the ministry figures. According to QNB projection, the country’s inflation is expected to rise to 3.8% in 2014 as higher infrastructure spending will result in a large inflow of workers, putting pressure on housing and prices. The transport and communication group, which has a weight of 20.5% in the CPI basket, saw its index surge 1.2% y-o-y in December, 2014. The index was down 0.5% from November level. The entertainment, recreation and culture group - which carries a weight of 10.90% in the CPI basket - saw its group index rise 0.4% y-o-y in December, 2014 but fell 1% against the previous month. The furniture, textiles and home appliances group - which has a weight of 8.2% in the CPI basket saw its group index soar 3.6% y-o-y in December, 2014. It was down 0.3% from the previous month. The miscellaneous goods and services group, which carries 7.2% weight in the CPI basket, saw the grouping become costlier by 0.4% y-o-y in December, 2014. The index, however, was unchanged from the previous month’s level. The garments and footwear group, which carries 5.8% in the CPI basket, saw their price spurt 2.6% y-o-y in December, 2014, while it was down 0.1% month-on-month. The medical care and medical services group, which has a 2% weight, reported a 0.8% increase y-o-y in December, 2014 and the index was unchanged from the previous month’s level. However, the food, beverages and tobacco group - which has a weight of 13.2% in the CPI basket - saw 0.4% fall y-o-y and it was also down 0.4% from the previous month’s level. 2 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 BUSINESS Gulf markets close mixed; cheap oil fuels Egypt rally Reuters Dubai M ost Gulf stock markets were neutral to slightly positive yesterday, although negative news and earnings reports dragged down some individual stocks. Egypt’s bourse extended its winning streak on the back of cheap oil. Saudi Arabia’s index added 0.7%, partly because of a rebound in beaten-down petrochemicals. Shares in Yanbu National Petrochemical Co (Yansab) surged 4.8% after it reported a 39.7% rise in fourth-quarter net profit. Yansab, a unit of Saudi Basic Industries, which climbed 1.0%, made a net profit of 617.8mn riyals ($164.6mn) in the three months to December 31 while analysts polled by Reuters had on average forecast 558.3mn riyals. Much of the rise, however, was due to a temporary plant shutdown in the yearearlier period, so Yansab’s earnings did not indicate that Saudi petrochemical firms can remain unaffected by the plunge in oil prices, which threatens their margins. Saudi Investment Bank climbed 6.5%, having reported a 14.8% rise in fourth-quarter profit, in line with analysts’ estimates. Dubai’s market was nearly flat but builder Arabtec, which dominated trading, rose 1.6%. Arabtec will hold a board meeting today to discuss the company’s projects and investors may be expecting an update on its giant $40bn project to build 1mn housing units in Egypt. Abu Dhabi’s benchmark inched down 0.1% with a roughly equal split between gainers and losers. Oman rose 1.0%, while Kuwait’s index edged up 0.2%. Traders are seen working below the Egyptian Stock Exchange bell at the bourse in Cairo. Egypt’s bourse continued its rally yesterday, jumping 2.5% to 9,544 points, just below major technical resistance at 9,572-79 points, the peaks in November and December. Shares in Kuwait Foods Co, also known as Americana, tumbled 3.6% after sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday that the firm’s sale was close to being put on hold, partly due to differences on price. Private equity funds KKR and CVC were among the main contenders for the business; last September, Saudi Arabia’s Savola Group said it had appointed JP Morgan to advise on a potential purchase of a stake. Savola fell 1.0% yesterday. Americana is part of Kuwait’s Kharafi family business empire. Shares in another Kharafi firm, National Investment Co, fell 1.3%. Egypt’s bourse continued its rally, jumping 2.5% to 9,544 points, just below major technical resistance at 9,572-79 points, the peaks in November and December. Car assembler and distributor GB Auto surged 4.8% after rising its daily 10% limit in each of the two previous sessions, following its announcement of plans to invest $1.5bn in new factories and carry out a $134mn rights issue. “Oil going down is positive on the fiscal side for us,” said Allen Sandeep, director of research at Naeem brokerage in Cairo. “We are expecting some major decline in subsidy burdens for the government. And also people are trying to gauge what might actually come out of the economic conference in March.” Egypt hopes to attract investment of $10bn-$12bn in 20 projects, including in energy, transport and water, at the summit. Brent crude stayed below $47 per barrel yesterday after the World Bank cut its global economic growth forecast. Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain’s index edged up 0.3% 1,426 points. Telecom, industrials, bank stocks drive Qatar bourse losses By Santhosh V Perumal Business Reporter T he Qatar Stock Exchange yesterday strolled back into the negative trajectory, mainly dragged by telecom, industrials and banking stocks. Domestic institutions were brisk in selling as the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) fell 0.5% to 11,877.43 points as trade volumes also fell. Large and micro cap equities were seen the hardest hit in the bourse, which is, down 3.32% year-to-date. The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen melting slower than the other indices in the bourse, where real estate, banking and industrials stocks cornered about 86% of the total trading volume. Market capitalisation fell 0.65%, or more than QR4bn, to QR648.52bn with large, micro and mid cap equities losing 0.61%, 0.55% and 0.15% respectively. The Total Return Index shed 0.5% to 17,715.07 points, the All Share Index by 0.45% to 3,049.94 points and the Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.16% to 3,970.65 points. Telecom stocks plunged 0.73%, followed by industrials (0.64%), banks and financial services (0.52%), realty (0.41%) and insurance (0.07%); whereas consumer goods and transport rose 0.28% and 0.08% respectively. More than half of the traded stocks were in the red with major losers being QNB, Industries Qatar, Vodafone Qatar, Ooredoo, Aamal Company, United Development Company, Ezdan, Alijarah Holding and International Islamic; even as Qatar Islamic Bank, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Barwa, Mazaya Qatar and Nakilat bucked the trend. Domestic institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR5.76mn against net buyers of QR67.37mn the previous day. Qatari retail investors’ net selling fell to QR6.81mn compared to QR48.68mn on Tuesday. Non-Qatari individual investors’ net selling weakened to QR8.36mn against QR21.81mn on Tuesday. Foreign institutions’ net buying rose to QR20.92mn compared to QR3.06mn the previous day. Total trade volume fell 16% to 9.13mn shares; while value rose 18% to QR618.9mn. Transactions were down 3% to 6,610. Islamic Holding 2014 profit jumps 78% Islamic Holding Group, a Shariah-principled stock broking firm, has reported 78% increase in net profit to QR16.1mn in 2014 and declared 30% cash dividend. The results confirm that the Islamic Group Holdings is on the right track and is working to consolidate its position in the local market, its chairman Yusuf Ahmed Hussein said. He said the group was reviewing its investment strategy in the light of growth opportunities provided by the national economy. Net brokerage and commission income shot up 89% to QR25.65mn. Net operating income grew 45% to QR26.18mn despite income from savings account with Islamic banks falling 76% to QR0.44mn and dividend income by 91% to QR0.06mn. General and administrative expenses rose 12% to QR10.11mn. Total assets were valued at QR563.64mn, comprising current assets of QR557.85mn and non-current assets of QR5.79mn. Total shareholders’ equity stood at QR67.77mn on a capital base of QR40mn and earningsper-share was QR4.02 at the end of December 31, 2014. The consumer goods sector saw its trade volume plummet 71% to 0.15mn stocks, value by 58% to QR12.2mn and deals by 44% to 219. The telecom sector’s trade volume tanked 47% to 0.81mn equities; value by 49% to QR16.47mn and transactions by 31% to 415. The real estate sector saw its trade volume plunge 37% to 2.93mn shares, value by 40% to QR92.87mn and deals by 32% to 1,240. However, the insurance sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.1mn stocks and value also more than doubled to QR8.37mn on a 71% jump in transactions to 70. The industrials sector saw its trade volume soar 45% to 2.39mn equities, value by 74% to QR252.23mn and deals by 23% to 2,488. The transport sector’s trade volume expanded 13% to 0.26mn shares, value by 6% to QR7.09mn and transactions by 9% to 140. The banks and financial services reported a 10% surge in trade volume to 2.49mn stocks, 37% in value to QR229.79mn and 13% in deals to 2,038. 4 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 BUSINESS Low oil price could delay Egypt payments, says Dana Gas CEO �Egypt considers gas imports from Israel’ Reuters Cairo Egypt is open to importing gas from Israel, its oil minister said in state-owned media yesterday, another sign that it may lean on its neighbour to help tackle its energy troubles. Egypt is going through its worst energy crisis in decades and is seeking fresh sources of natural gas, which powers most of its homes and factories, including Algeria, Russia, and Cyprus. But importing gas from Israel is more controversial. Popular mistrust of the Jewish state runs high following three wars with Egypt and its continuing occupation of the Palestinian land. Oil Minister Sharif Ismail said gas imports from Israel were a possibility, when asked in an interview by the state-owned Al Mussawar magazine. “Anything can happen. Whatever achieves the best interests of Egypt, and of the Egyptian economy and the role of Egypt in the region... That will determine the decision to import gas from Israel,” he said. Companies are already negotiating to bring Israeli gas to Egypt, but any deals will hinge on approval from Cairo. Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, following three decades of intermittent conflict since Israel’s creation in 1948. While many Egyptians still view Israel with suspicion, relations have improved since the army toppled former president Mohamed Mursi, an Islamist, in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. The two countries also have a shared interest in maintaining stability in the Sinai Peninsula where security has deteriorated since Mursi’s ouster. Egypt, which once exported gas to Israel and elsewhere, has become a net energy importer over the last few years. The government has attempted to improve the energy landscape by slashing subsidies, paying down its debt to foreign energy firms, and negotiating import agreements. The operators of Israel’s offshore Tamar gas field said they had plans to build a pipeline to Egypt’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in the north-eastern port of Damietta, run by a joint venture of Spain’s Gas Natural and Italy’s Eni. Israel’s Delek Drilling, one of the operating partners, said in November that if an agreement is signed, gas supplies to Egypt could start flowing in 2017. Reuters Dubai T he collapse in oil prices could prolong the efforts of UAEbased Dana Gas to recover overdue receivables from Egypt, its chief executive said yesterday. Egypt, which has fallen behind on oil payments during four years of political instability, signed a deal with Dana in September allocating the company additional condensate production that it could sell on the international market, to offset the debt. Chief executive Patrick AllmanWard told reporters in Dubai that the amount owed had fallen to around $160mn, from $280mn in September, and that he hoped to clear the debt by mid-2018. But he also said that the oil price fall could prolong the process. Benchmark Brent crude prices have fallen by half since the end of September to below $47 a barrel. “Clearly our calculations were based at $85, which we thought at the time was a very conservative assumption - clearly we are not there at the moment,” he said. He said he believed that oil prices would rebound to above $80 a barrel in nine to 18 months. “It is going to take us six months anyway to start seeing significant volumes of liquid production hitting our production profiles, so hopefully by that time the oil price will be in a better place,” he said. “It will impact but it will not have a particularly significant or severe impact.” Egypt, which has fallen behind on oil payments during four years of political instability, signed a deal with Dana in September allocating the company additional condensate production that it could sell on the international market, to offset the debt Allman-Ward said Dana was still receiving $2.65 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) for gas, and that there was a provision in the concession agreement to increase this price if it was not commercially viable. “We are in discussions with the Egyptian government to see if we can come to an agreement to make CORPORATE RESULTS NCB Q4 profit rises 1.7%, misses forecast Saudi Arabia’s National Commercial Bank (NCB), the kingdom’s largest bank, posted a 1.7% rise in fourth-quarter net profit, it said yesterday, but missed analysts’ forecasts. The lender made a net profit of 1.83bn riyals ($487.6mn) in the three months to December 31, compared to 1.79bn riyals in the same period of 2013, it said in a bourse statement. This was below the average forecast of three analysts polled by Reuters, who had predicted a quarterly profit of 1.94bn riyals. It attributed the rise in quarterly profit to increase in operating income, which gained 10% to 4.03bn riyals, without elaborating. It is the first time the lender has posted earnings since it completed the largest-ever initial public offer of shares in the Arab world in November, raising 22.5bn riyals. Its net profit for 2014 was 8.66bn riyals, a 10.2% increase on the previous year. Saudi British Bank Saudi British Bank (SABB), the kingdom’s sixth-largest bank by assets, posted a 0.6% drop in fourth-quarter net profit yesterday, missing analyst forecasts as operating expenses rose. The bank, an affiliate of HSBC Holdings, made a profit of 969.4mn riyals ($258.3mn) in the three months to December 31, according to a bourse statement. This compares with a profit of 975.5mn riyals in the same period a year earlier. SABB’s net profit for 2014 was 4.27bn riyals, up 13% on 2013, which it attributed to higher operating income. The bank in December recommended a cash dividend of 1.05 riyals per share for 2014, slightly higher than the 1 riyals per share it paid for 2013. Loans and advances at the end of December stood at 115.22bn riyals, gaining 8.6% from a year earlier, while deposits rose 5% to 145.87bn riyals over the same period. National Bank of Oman National Bank of Oman (NBO), the sultanate’s second-largest lender by assets, reported a 29% rise in fourth-quarter net profit yesterday, beating analyst forecasts. The lender made a net profit of 13.2mn rials ($34.3mn) in the three months to December 31, according to Reuters calculations based on financial statements, up from 10.2mn rials in the same period last year. Two analysts polled by Reuters forecast NBO would make fourth-quarter profit of 10.8mn rials and 12.7mn rials respectively. The bank, which appointed Ahmed al-Musalmi as chief executive in May, reported an annual net profit for 2014 of 50.3mn rials, up from 41.4mn rials in 2013, a bourse filing yesterday showed. Saudi Cement Saudi Cement reported an 8.9% rise in fourth-quarter net profit yesterday, beating forecasts as cement sales increased. The kingdom’s largest cement company by market value made a net profit of 269mn riyals ($71.68mn) in the three months to December 31, according to a bourse filing. This compares with a profit of 247mn riyals in the corresponding period of 2013. (it) economically viable,” he said yesterday, adding several options are being discussed including either raising the fixed price or link it to prices on the international market. Dana has been in talks with the Egyptian government to secure a higher price for some of the natural gas it extracts since November. Cairo is also negotiating in- creased gas prices with other energy firms including Italy’s Eni and Germany’s RWE DEA, particularly in cases where prices are not high enough to cover the costs of production. Egypt’s Oil Ministry said in November it hoped to repay the $4.9bn it owed to foreign oil and gas companies by May. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 BUSINESS Oil recovery seen by Kuwait, UAE Bloomberg Kuwait City/Abu Dhabi O il oversupply that sent prices to a fiveyear low probably will persist until at least the second half when demand is set to recover, according to Kuwait’s oil minister and the Opec governor of the UAE. Faster global economic growth will be needed to help absorb the oil surplus estimated at 1.8mn bpd, Kuwait Oil Minister Ali al-Omair told reporters in parliament on Tuesday. A demand-led recovery is seen in the second half, the UAE’s Governor to Opec Ali al-Yabhouni told reporters in Abu Dhabi. Oil fell about 40% since the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries maintained its production target at a November 27 meeting, seeking to defend market share rather than prices. The UAE and Kuwait are Opec members. Slowing economic growth contributed to lower prices, al-Omair said. “We are expecting that this situation will continue until the surplus oil is absorbed and the world economy improves,” al-Omair said. “Forecasts indicate that this will not happen before the second half.” Opec produced 30.2mn bpd of oil in December, down from 30.36mn barrels in November, data compiled by Bloomberg show. China’s gross domestic product climbed 7.4% last year, the slowest expansion since 1990, according to economist estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Demand for oil is seen rising in China and elsewhere in Asia, UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. It is shale oversupply that needs to be corrected, and Opec will stand by its decision not to cut its crude output, he said. Crude tumbled into a bear market last year as oil extraction soared at shale formations in Texas and North Dakota in the US Drilling activity has now slowed to in “core US shale regions,” Norbert Ruecker, head of commodity research at Julius Baer Group Ltd, said in an e-mailed note. “We are watching the movement of oil price and indeed it has reached a level that even experts did not expect,” Kuwait’s al-Omair said. Opec isn’t planning any meetings before its scheduled gathering in June, he said. “This is OK because even if we now cut some of our production it will not be more than the surplus which is existing in the market.” Oil prices have fallen about 40% since the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries maintained its production target at a November 27 meeting, seeking to defend market share rather than prices. Saudi aiming to tax undeveloped land, says housing minister Reuters Riyadh Saudi Arabia’s housing ministry is moving to tax undeveloped land, official media quoted the housing minister as saying, in a policy that could help to end a shortage of homes and spur economic growth. Much urban land in the kingdom is owned by wealthy individuals or companies who prefer holding it as a store of value, or trading it for speculative profits, to the process of developing it. The government has been considering for years whether to use taxes to push owners into developing or selling such land; last September the issue was referred to the Supreme Economic Council, a top policy body chaired by King Abdullah. Housing minister Shuwaish al-Duwaihi’s comments this week, quoted by the Saudi Press Agency, suggested increasing momentum for Saudi oil minister holds talks with US energy deputy Reuters Khobar S audi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi met US Deputy Energy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall on Tuesday in Riyadh where they discussed oil markets, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. SPA gave no specific details about the meeting in a brief statement but said the officials looked into cooperation on energy and environmental issues, climate change, solar energy use and mutual investments. A US energy department spokesman said in addition to those areas, the two officials discussed global oil markets. The trip was SherwoodRandall’s first as deputy energy secretary. “She chose to make her first visit to Saudi Arabia given our strategic partnership and our shared interest in continuing the close cooperation between our two governments on a range of energy issues,” the energy department spokesperson said. US crude hit a near sixyear low of $44.20 on Tuesday. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro was in Algeria on a diplomatic push to persuade reluctant fellow members of Opec to prop up a sinking market by cutting output. Saudi Arabia, Opec’s dominant member state and the world’s biggest oil exporter, has repeatedly said the group will not cut production. the tax, which could provide the government with welcome revenues to offset the plunge of oil prices. “The housing ministry is pushing towards passing a law to tax undeveloped land,” al-Duwaihi said. “The ministry has submitted a detailed study in this regard, in which it supported fast approval of the decision, which will have a positive impact on land price hikes and the monopolisation of land.” Al-Duwaihi was speaking after he attended a session on Monday of the Advisory Body to the government, to give details of the country’s housing programme and answer members’ questions. Riyadh is at the top of the list of Saudi cities suffering a shortage of land supply, al-Duwaihi said, adding that some of the land which the ministry had acquired to build housing so far was in villages and places far from urban areas. Many less well-off Saudis cannot buy their homes or afford rising rents. After social discontent prompted unrest elsewhere in the Arab world in 2011, King Abdullah announced a $67bn plan to build 500,000 homes over several years, but bureaucracy as well as land shortages have delayed the scheme. Al-Duwaihi said this week that over 750,000 Saudi families were eligible for housing aid and that a timetable would be worked out to deliver assistance to them “in the shortest period possible”. He said the ministry had adopted a mechanism to cooperate with the private sector on providing housing. The first such project will be the construction of apartments in multi-storey buildings in Riyadh, he said without elaborating. This may reflect a shift in strategy, as so far there are few multi-storey residential buildings in the city. In the last few weeks, local media have reported that the justice ministry has cancelled ownership certificates for large parcels of land totalling some 2bn sq m, on the grounds that the land was owned in illegal ways. 5 6 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 BUSINESS SAUDI ARABIA Company Name QATAR Company Name Zad Holding Co Widam Food Co Vodafone Qatar United Development Co Salam International Investme Qatar & Oman Investment Co Qatar Navigation Qatar National Cement Co Qatar National Bank Qatar Islamic Insurance Qatar Industrial Manufactur Qatar International Islamic Qatari Investors Group Qatar Islamic Bank Qatar Gas Transport(Nakilat) Qatar General Insurance & Re Qatar German Co For Medical Qatar Fuel Co Qatar Electricity & Water Co Qatar Cinema & Film Distrib Qatar Insurance Co Ooredoo Qsc National Leasing Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Dev Mesaieed Petrochemical Holdi Al Meera Consumer Goods Co Medicare Group Mannai Corporation Qsc Masraf Al Rayan Al Khalij Commercial Bank Industries Qatar Islamic Holding Group Gulf Warehousing Company Gulf International Services Ezdan Holding Group Doha Insurance Co Doha Bank Qsc Dlala Holding Commercial Bank Of Qatar Qsc Barwa Real Estate Co Al Khaleej Takaful Group Aamal Co Lt Price 83.10 58.30 14.55 23.51 15.88 14.90 96.60 131.40 205.50 77.00 43.80 79.20 38.75 107.00 23.50 57.00 9.85 204.00 189.10 40.10 84.60 116.00 20.26 19.00 27.30 200.50 122.10 106.10 44.80 21.90 146.10 101.00 53.90 99.00 14.34 27.60 55.80 43.45 68.70 41.30 49.50 13.80 % Chg 0.00 -2.35 -1.22 -1.38 0.51 2.41 -1.33 -0.90 -2.14 -0.90 -0.45 -0.75 -0.51 0.94 1.29 1.97 0.51 0.74 0.05 0.00 -0.47 -0.60 -2.13 2.15 0.37 0.25 -0.81 0.19 1.82 -0.41 -1.28 -0.20 -0.37 -0.10 -0.83 -1.43 0.00 -0.80 -0.29 0.73 1.02 -0.86 Volume 16,581 764,709 147,990 53,580 127,396 3,326 11,706 649,619 534 20,561 53,559 65,920 91,642 238,414 2,000 20,152 31,011 16,944 93,594 44,839 62,947 916,356 241,487 11,630 12,266 32,582 1,131,302 10,991 945,379 149,845 21,852 908,537 210,462 2,340 127,121 37,500 47,264 1,651,992 4,024 150,555 SAUDI ARABIA Company Name Saudi Hollandi Bank Al-Ahsa Development Co. Al-Baha Development & Invest Ace Arabia Cooperative Insur Allied Cooperative Insurance Arriyadh Development Company Fitaihi Holding Group Arabia Insurance Cooperative Al Abdullatif Industrial Inv Al-Ahlia Cooperative Insuran Al Alamiya Cooperative Insur Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev Al Babtain Power & Telecommu Bank Albilad Alujain Corporation (Alco) Aldrees Petroleum And Transp Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair & C Alinma Bank Alinma Tokio Marine Al Khaleej Training And Educ Abdullah A.M. Al-Khodari Son Allianz Saudi Fransi Coopera Almarai Co Saudi Integrated Telecom Co Alsorayai Group Al Tayyar Amana Cooperative Insurance Anaam International Holding Abdullah Al Othaim Markets Arabian Pipes Co Advanced Petrochemicals Co Al Rajhi Co For Co-Operative Arabian Cement Arab National Bank Ash-Sharqiyah Development Co United Wire Factories Compan Astra Industrial Group Alahli Takaful Co Aseer Axa Cooperative Insurance Basic Chemical Industries Bishah Agriculture Bank Al-Jazira Banque Saudi Fransi United International Transpo Bupa Arabia For Cooperative Buruj Cooperative Insurance Saudi Airlines Catering Co Methanol Chemicals Co City Cement Co Eastern Cement Etihad Atheeb Telecommunicat Etihad Etisalat Co Emaar Economic City Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insu United Electronics Co Falcom Saudi Equity Etf Filing & Packing Materials M Wafrah For Industry And Deve Falcom Petrochemical Etf Gulf General Cooperative Ins Jazan Development Co Gulf Union Cooperative Insur Halwani Bros Co Hail Cement Herfy Food Services Co Al Jouf Agriculture Developm Jarir Marketing Co Jabal Omar Development Co Al Jouf Cement Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co Knowledge Economic City Kingdom Holding Co Saudi Arabian Mining Co Malath Cooperative & Reinsur Makkah Construction & Devepl Mediterranean & Gulf Insuran Middle East Specialized Cabl Mohammad Al Mojil Group Co Al Mouwasat Medical Services The National Agriculture Dev Najran Cement Co Nama Chemicals Co National Gypsum National Gas & Industrializa National Industrialization C Maadaniyah National Shipping Co Of/The National Petrochemical Co Rabigh Refining And Petroche Al Qassim Agricultural Co Qassim Cement/The Red Sea Housing Services Co Saudi Research And Marketing Riyad Bank Al Rajhi Bank Saudi Arabian Amiantit Co Lt Price 44.00 14.92 13.50 55.10 23.42 20.94 23.47 17.79 33.28 15.04 76.40 8.04 29.84 44.01 16.80 49.81 94.46 20.42 40.22 66.22 29.39 37.18 77.60 24.30 16.52 125.12 15.38 28.57 101.36 20.28 42.36 38.14 79.75 32.35 79.34 35.80 32.20 47.50 24.77 38.46 34.93 69.75 29.84 32.20 68.36 168.32 36.24 186.46 12.17 21.64 57.00 6.82 50.50 13.06 27.13 82.99 28.60 48.46 37.28 25.10 26.51 14.76 18.27 84.75 23.60 99.85 43.49 187.50 51.82 14.10 11.37 17.59 17.60 34.39 30.62 77.94 52.70 20.96 12.55 125.62 32.41 30.51 10.91 24.47 32.10 26.60 32.67 34.86 23.09 18.74 12.04 92.67 37.01 15.99 17.25 56.80 13.50 % Chg 0.39 -0.07 0.00 0.27 -0.09 -0.14 0.38 -1.11 0.54 1.42 1.72 0.50 1.22 0.50 2.38 -0.04 -1.15 1.54 -0.42 2.02 0.62 0.65 2.39 0.00 0.55 4.38 -1.79 0.78 0.09 -0.83 3.27 0.42 -1.53 0.03 3.48 -0.08 0.09 0.44 0.77 -1.38 3.28 0.00 0.17 0.63 -0.96 -1.42 0.98 1.83 0.16 1.12 -0.44 0.44 4.51 -1.36 1.19 3.07 0.00 1.32 1.08 0.00 0.15 1.30 0.11 -0.88 -0.30 0.84 -0.48 -0.51 -1.33 0.07 0.62 3.05 0.06 2.75 -0.23 0.17 -1.46 5.17 0.00 -0.30 0.68 1.67 4.30 -0.69 0.44 -0.08 0.96 1.34 -0.26 2.91 0.84 -0.35 0.16 0.31 -0.23 -1.76 1.43 Volume 102,856 1,446,196 108,685 674,945 528,401 708,456 762,689 426,865 1,321,476 174,859 27,148,850 427,353 1,024,996 1,006,712 1,177,270 368,868 60,099,132 356,437 334,921 1,585,992 418,244 263,476 574,376 692,850 2,172,960 410,507 133,320 1,703,446 1,812,740 300,111 412,644 144,323 1,957,793 151,786 1,190,033 647,939 630,630 879,262 386,565 10,898,445 707,440 239,912 279,768 270,824 134,919 1,725,198 1,787,169 66,169 3,499,968 8,709,658 3,566,496 1,030,554 309,112 1,434,953 1,977,433 200 827,491 704,584 419,169 27,340 721,590 47,323 131,465 52,813 1,653,703 3,191,906 12,935,617 2,795,661 769,674 19,465,608 4,000,656 47,595 662,592 11,218,221 50,018 294,689 443,590 3,686,530 763,305 51,509 1,063,099 2,471,462 1,732,790 311,669 3,048,648 1,161,595 34,221 429,076 289,795 576,210 4,266,093 1,861,008 Saudi British Bank Sabb Takaful Saudi Basic Industries Corp Saudi Cement Sasco Saudi Dairy & Foodstuff Co Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co Al Sagr Co-Operative Insuran Saudi Advanced Industries Saudi Arabian Coop Ins Co Salama Cooperative Insurance Samba Financial Group Sanad Cooperative Insurance Saudi Public Transport Co Saudi Arabia Refineries Co Hsbc Amanah Saudi 20 Etf Saudi Re For Cooperative Rei Savola Saudi Cable Co Saudi Chemical Company Saudi Ceramic Saudi Electricity Co Saudi Fisheries Al-Hassan G.I. Shaker Co Dur Hospitality Co Arabian Shield Cooperative Saudi Investment Bank/The Saudi Industrial Development Saudi Industrial Export Co KUWAIT Lt Price 56.52 30.97 77.25 99.01 25.91 118.47 140.65 27.38 19.89 36.54 27.32 41.34 15.23 23.56 58.66 28.00 9.12 77.92 9.34 54.91 104.56 15.00 26.80 69.11 31.87 39.80 27.35 15.43 41.29 % Chg -0.41 1.28 0.95 0.79 1.25 1.94 0.14 1.56 0.20 0.94 -0.80 -0.02 0.00 -0.76 5.22 0.00 2.47 -0.45 0.11 1.24 -1.35 0.20 0.37 1.72 -0.53 9.91 6.30 0.26 -0.89 Volume 329,911 811,494 4,342,242 47,087 823,372 30,573 101,260 1,427,642 2,122,439 365,835 334,592 587,311 2,631,254 3,017,940 4,096,293 216,755 611,563 360,334 408,049 2,705,120 641,365 289,331 473,607 1,254,319 2,062,753 1,485,268 724,394 KUWAIT Company Name Viva Kuwait Telecom Co Securities Group Co Sultan Center Food Products Kuwait Foundry Co Sak Kuwait Financial Centre Sak Ajial Real Estate Entmt Gulf Glass Manuf Co -Kscc Kuwait Finance & Investment National Industries Co Kuwait Real Estate Holding C Securities House/The Boubyan Petrochemicals Co Al Ahli Bank Of Kuwait Ahli United Bank (Almutahed) National Bank Of Kuwait Commercial Bank Of Kuwait Kuwait International Bank Gulf Bank Al-Massaleh Real Estate Co Al Arabiya Real Estate Co Kuwait Remal Real Estate Co Alkout Industrial Projects C A’ayan Real Estate Co Investors Holding Group Co.K Markaz Real Estate Fund Al-Mazaya Holding Co Al-Madar Finance & Invt Co Gulf Petroleum Investment Mabanee Co Sakc City Group Inovest Co Bsc Kuwait Gypsum Manufacturing Al-Deera Holding Co Alshamel International Hold Mena Real Estate Co National Slaughter House Amar Finance & Leasing Co United Projects Group Kscc National Consumer Holding Co Amwal International Investme Jeeran Holdings Equipment Holding Co K.S.C.C Nafais Holding Safwan Trading & Contracting Arkan Al Kuwait Real Estate Gulf Finance House Ec Energy House Holding Co Kscc Kuwait Slaughter House Co Kuwait Co For Process Plant Al Maidan Dental Clinic Co K National Ranges Company Kuwait Pipes Indus & Oil Ser Al-Themar Real International Al Ahleia Insurance Co Sak Wethaq Takaful Insurance Co Salbookh Trading Co K.S.C.C Aqar Real Estate Investments Hayat Communications Kuwait Packing Materials Mfg Soor Fuel Marketing Co Ksc Alargan International Real Burgan Co For Well Drilling Kuwait Resorts Co Kscc Oula Fuel Marketing Co Palms Agro Production Co Ikarus Petroleum Industries Mubarrad Transport Co Al Mowasat Health Care Co Shuaiba Industrial Co Kuwait Invest Co Holding Hits Telecom Holding First Takaful Insurance Co Kuwaiti Syrian Holding Co National Cleaning Company Eyas For High & Technical Ed United Real Estate Company Agility Kuwait & Middle East Fin Inv Fujairah Cement Industries Livestock Transport & Tradng International Resorts Co National Industries Grp Hold Marine Services Co Pearl Of Kuwait Real Estate Warba Insurance Co Kuwait United Poultry Co First Dubai Real Estate Deve Al Arabi Group Holding Co Kuwait Hotels Co Mobile Telecommunications Co Al Safat Real Estate Co Tamdeen Real Estate Co Ksc Al Mudon Intl Real Estate Co Kuwait Cement Co Ksc Sharjah Cement & Indus Devel Kuwait Portland Cement Co Educational Holding Group Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Kuwait China Investment Co Kuwait Investment Co Burgan Bank Kuwait Projects Co Holdings Al Madina For Finance And In Kuwait Insurance Co Al Masaken Intl Real Estate Intl Financial Advisors First Investment Co Kscc Al Mal Investment Company Bayan Investment Co Kscc Egypt Kuwait Holding Co Sae Coast Investment Development Privatization Holding Compan Kuwait Medical Services Co Injazzat Real State Company Kuwait Cable Vision Sak Sanam Real Estate Co Kscc Ithmaar Bank Bsc Aviation Lease And Finance C Arzan Financial Group For Fi Ajwan Gulf Real Estate Co Manafae Investment Co Kuwait Business Town Real Es Future Kid Entertainment And Specialities Group Holding C Abyaar Real Eastate Developm Lt Price 690.00 112.00 92.00 315.00 112.00 212.00 480.00 58.00 200.00 39.50 79.00 580.00 400.00 640.00 900.00 640.00 260.00 295.00 77.00 45.50 70.00 0.00 96.00 32.00 1.52 136.00 31.00 96.00 990.00 420.00 68.00 170.00 13.50 0.00 39.50 0.00 62.00 770.00 108.00 34.50 61.00 100.00 88.00 0.00 124.00 24.00 98.00 206.00 250.00 0.00 31.00 0.00 90.00 490.00 59.00 95.00 95.00 64.00 0.00 138.00 200.00 198.00 86.00 140.00 120.00 144.00 68.00 184.00 255.00 0.00 32.50 0.00 14.50 67.00 310.00 99.00 780.00 51.00 74.00 136.00 41.00 192.00 112.00 13.00 112.00 180.00 77.00 154.00 178.00 560.00 23.50 455.00 91.00 370.00 87.00 1,300.00 164.00 0.00 48.50 148.00 480.00 690.00 32.50 285.00 70.00 42.00 0.00 32.50 63.00 200.00 59.00 54.00 85.00 68.00 35.50 59.00 48.50 234.00 48.50 34.50 62.00 36.00 0.00 120.00 32.50 % Chg 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.28 0.00 -0.93 5.49 -1.69 0.00 -1.25 1.28 1.75 -2.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.96 0.00 6.94 1.11 7.69 0.00 3.23 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.59 3.23 1.02 1.20 0.00 0.00 8.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.39 0.00 1.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.01 -4.63 -3.85 0.00 1.64 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.43 0.00 0.00 1.18 -1.41 0.00 -1.37 7.94 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 -6.67 0.00 -1.28 -1.28 0.00 3.70 0.00 0.00 5.81 0.00 -1.14 -2.99 0.00 0.00 -1.02 1.37 1.05 -1.43 6.56 0.00 1.45 2.44 0.00 -1.52 3.28 0.00 -3.28 1.89 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.85 0.00 -2.82 0.00 -1.37 0.00 -1.64 -1.52 Volume 3,081,578 50,000 279,677 45,100 424,851 1,000 5,000 3,000 7,000 5,500 231,500 405,995 134,428 5,916 1,796,738 7,500 921,740 310,980 2,415,967 311,904 8,565,812 864,421 4,826,266 2,700,111 85,600 7,109,331 338,511 3,099 21,000 500 5,146,820 6,500 100 2,000 1,000 536,020 5,050 7,795,808 27,500 2,443 29,587,228 43,951 100 2,500 6,344,452 421,144 20,000 2,500 96,000 5,000 891,056 188,606 42,600 2,500 692,400 67,978 1,750 29,000 4,065,714 1,500 182,800 5,302,603 1,167,743 407,137 50 20,000 2,515,175 100 72,500 23,290 329,815 478,204 10,040 7,000 36,090 159 3,504,871 36,900 12,157 4,579,070 5,174,900 1,002 2,637,993 1,000 208,302 563 827 10,783 9,899 718,085 1,417,272 8,512,159 120,348 98,880 1,737,560 3,819,020 3,637,724 908,862 3,023,870 3,167,930 100 41,500 1,211 45,000 6,746,211 69,156 15,000 23,651,926 15,000 478,087 50,051 2,885,500 Company Name Dar Al Thuraya Real Estate C Al-Dar National Real Estate Kgl Logistics Company Kscc Combined Group Contracting Zima Holding Co Ksc Qurain Holding Co Boubyan Intl Industries Hold Gulf Investment House Boubyan Bank K.S.C Ahli United Bank B.S.C Al-Safat Tec Holding Co Al-Eid Food Co Al-Qurain Petrochemicals Co Advanced Technology Co Ekttitab Holding Co S.A.K.C Kout Food Group Ksc Real Estate Trade Centers Co Acico Industries Co Kscc Kipco Asset Management Co National Petroleum Services Alimtiaz Investment Co Kscc Ras Al Khaimah White Cement Kuwait Reinsurance Co Ksc Kuwait & Gulf Link Transport Human Soft Holding Co Ksc Automated Systems Co Metal & Recycling Co Gulf Franchising Holding Co Al-Enma’a Real Estate Co National Mobile Telecommuni Al Bareeq Holding Co Kscc Union Real Estate Co Housing Finance Co Sak Al Salam Group Holding Co United Foodstuff Industries Al Aman Investment Company Mashaer Holdings Co Ksc Manazel Holding Mushrif Trading & Contractin Tijara And Real Estate Inves Kuwait Building Materials Jazeera Airways Commercial Real Estate Co Future Communications Co National International Co Taameer Real Estate Invest C Gulf Cement Co Heavy Engineering And Ship B Refrigeration Industries & S National Real Estate Co Al Safat Energy Holding Comp Kuwait National Cinema Co Danah Alsafat Foodstuff Co Independent Petroleum Group Kuwait Real Estate Co Ksc Salhia Real Estate Co Ksc Gulf Cable & Electrical Ind Al Nawadi Holding Co Ksc Kuwait Finance House OMAN Lt Price 0.00 25.00 104.00 910.00 116.00 13.00 66.00 59.00 455.00 244.00 60.00 0.00 194.00 0.00 40.00 840.00 36.00 300.00 100.00 610.00 75.00 126.00 200.00 61.00 400.00 400.00 87.00 55.00 75.00 1,400.00 0.00 148.00 17.50 58.00 202.00 77.00 152.00 47.00 62.00 58.00 440.00 450.00 94.00 130.00 58.00 35.00 90.00 144.00 350.00 134.00 23.00 1,000.00 80.00 435.00 73.00 375.00 670.00 120.00 750.00 % Chg 0.00 2.04 1.96 1.11 0.00 -3.70 0.00 3.51 2.25 0.83 0.00 0.00 -1.02 0.00 2.56 0.00 2.86 -1.64 1.01 0.00 4.17 -3.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.75 0.00 0.00 2.70 2.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.12 -1.05 0.00 0.00 2.94 2.27 -2.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.52 0.00 0.00 Volume 7,403,877 200,930 50,790 353 1,089,134 375,811 11,503,944 2,855,410 1,045,064 222 67,616 1,682,655 150,027 534 115,000 50 2,000 3,656,096 4,180 500 1,377,955 1,000 4,650 94,420 24,500 1,315,655 3,199 100 4,680,763 4,221,168 5,000 243,396 75,000 2,875,723 140,390 3,257,748 230 666,655 443,096 1,250 99,989 855,568 735,100 331 280 1,833,881 6,500,980 3,700 2,115,495 250 1,825,000 20,000 25,389 87,500 3,801,390 OMAN Company Name Voltamp Energy Saog United Finance Co United Power Co United Power/Energy Co- Pref Al Madina Investment Co Taageer Finance Salalah Port Services A’saffa Foods Saog Sohar Poultry Shell Oman Marketing Shell Oman Marketing - Pref Smn Power Holding Saog Al Shurooq Inv Ser Al Sharqiya Invest Holding Sohar Power Co Salalah Beach Resort Saog Salalah Mills Co Sahara Hospitality Renaissance Services Saog Raysut Cement Co Port Service Corporation Packaging Co Ltd Oman United Insurance Co Oman Textile Holding Co Saog Oman Telecommunications Co Sweets Of Oman Oman Orix Leasing Co. Oman Refreshment Co Oman Packaging Oman Oil Marketing Company 0Man Oil Marketing Co-Pref Oman National Investment Co Oman National Engineering An Oman National Dairy Products Ominvest Oman Medical Projects Oman Ceramic Com Oman Intl Marketing Oman Investment & Finance Hsbc Bank Oman Oman Hotels & Tourism Co Oman Holding International Oman Fiber Optics Oman Flour Mills Oman Filters Industry Oman Fisheries Co Oman Education & Training In Oman & Emirates Inv(Om)50% Oman & Emirates Inv(Emir)50% Oman Europe Foods Industries Oman Cement Co Oman Chlorine Oman Chromite Oman Cables Industry Oman Agricultural Dev Omani Qatari Telecommunicati National Securities Oman Foods International Soa National Pharmaceutical-Rts National Pharmaceutical National Packaging Fac National Mineral Water National Hospitality Institu National Gas Co National Finance Co National Detergents/The National Carpet Factory National Bank Of Oman Saog National Biscuit Industries National Real Estate Develop Natl Aluminium Products Muscat Thread Mills Co Muscat Insurance Company Modern Poultry Farms Muscat National Holding Musandam Marketing & Invest Al Maha Petroleum Products M Muscat Gases Company Saog Majan Glass Company Muscat Finance Al Kamil Power Co Interior Hotels Hotels Management Co Interna Al-Hassan Engineering Co Gulf Stone Gulf Mushroom Company Gulf Invest. Serv. Pref-Shar Gulf Investments Services Gulf International Chemicals Gulf Hotels (Oman) Co Ltd Global Fin Investment Galfar Engineering&Contract Galfar Engineering -Prefer Financial Services Co. Flexible Ind Packages Lt Price 0.39 0.14 1.58 1.00 0.00 0.15 0.65 0.78 0.21 2.00 1.05 0.66 1.04 0.15 0.38 1.38 1.49 2.45 0.50 1.70 0.34 0.48 0.30 0.27 1.76 1.35 0.15 2.45 0.26 2.24 0.25 0.38 0.30 0.00 0.42 0.00 0.45 0.52 0.23 0.00 0.23 0.00 5.51 0.59 0.02 0.07 0.14 0.14 0.00 1.00 0.52 0.56 3.64 2.00 1.45 0.00 0.16 0.52 0.00 0.10 0.00 0.06 2.05 0.57 0.15 0.70 0.00 0.32 3.75 0.00 0.32 0.16 0.00 0.00 1.86 0.00 2.15 0.83 0.24 0.15 0.31 0.00 1.25 0.10 0.08 0.43 0.15 0.15 0.18 10.50 0.12 0.19 0.43 0.16 0.00 % Chg -0.51 0.00 5.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 8.76 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.75 0.00 0.00 0.00 5.67 -7.46 0.86 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.07 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.65 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.27 0.00 0.00 1.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -2.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.97 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.11 9.04 0.00 0.00 7.34 0.00 0.00 0.00 Volume 7,558 1,089 17,776 1 3,145,696 6,898 697,324 1,000 865,326 4,000 164,002 11,100 313,000 2,580,865 1,000 73,650 10,000 1,154,096 700 4,700 30,000 661,517 122,450 9,420 196,360 1,695,333 1,001,513 2,336,373 - Company Name Financial Corp/The Dhofar Tourism Dhofar Poultry Aloula Co Dhofar Intl Development Dhofar Insurance Dhofar University Dhofar Power Co Dhofar Power Co-Pfd Dhofar Fisheries & Food Indu Dhofar Cattlefeed Al Batinah Dev & Inv Dhofar Beverages Co Computer Stationery Inds Construction Materials Ind Cement & Gypsum Pro Marine Bander Al-Rowdha Bank Sohar Bankmuscat Saog Bank Dhofar Saog Al Batinah Hotels Majan College Areej Vegetable Oils Al Jazeera Steel Products Co Al Sallan Food Industry Acwa Power Barka Saog Al-Omaniya Financial Service Taghleef Industries Saog Gulf Plastic Industries Co Al Jazeera Services Al Jazerah Services -Pfd Al-Fajar Al-Alamia Co Ahli Bank Abrasives Manufacturing Co S Al-Batinah Intl Saog Lt Price 0.13 0.49 0.18 0.53 0.53 0.23 1.47 0.00 0.00 1.28 0.18 0.13 0.26 0.25 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.24 0.55 0.34 1.13 0.50 5.51 0.33 0.00 0.82 0.33 0.00 0.39 0.34 0.55 0.75 0.24 0.05 0.00 % Chg 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.55 6.84 0.00 0.00 5.56 0.00 0.00 3.00 0.36 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.64 0.00 0.00 2.17 0.00 0.00 Volume 10,000 42,252 118,529 6,224 2,224,928 6,165,043 7,330 40,400 699,011 211,039 - UAE Company Name National Takaful Company Waha Capital Pjsc Union Insurance Co Union National Bank/Abu Dhab United Insurance Company Union Cement Co United Arab Bank Abu Dhabi National Takaful C Abu Dhabi National Energy Co #N/A Invalid Security Sorouh Real Estate Company Sharjah Insurance Company Sharjah Cement & Indus Devel Ras Al Khaima Poultry Ras Al Khaimah White Cement Rak Properties Ras Al-Khaimah National Insu Ras Al Khaimah Ceramics Ras Al Khaimah Cement Co National Bank Of Ras Al-Khai Ooredoo Qsc Umm Al Qaiwain Cement Indust Oman & Emirates Inv(Emir)50% National Marine Dredging Co National Corp Tourism & Hote Sharjah Islamic Bank National Bank Of Umm Al Qaiw National Bank Of Fujairah National Bank Of Abu Dhabi Methaq Takaful Insurance #N/A Invalid Security Gulf Pharmaceutical Ind-Julp Invest Bank Insurance House Gulf Medical Projects Gulf Livestock Co Green Crescent Insurance Co Gulf Cement Co Foodco Holding Finance House First Gulf Bank Fujairah Cement Industries Fujairah Building Industries Emirates Telecom Corporation Eshraq Properties Co Pjsc Emirates Insurance Co. (Psc) Emirates Driving Company Al Dhafra Insurance Co. P.S. Dana Gas Commercial Bank Internationa Bank Of Sharjah Abu Dhabi Natl Co For Buildi Al Wathba National Insurance Intl Fish Farming Co Pjsc Arkan Building Materials Co Aldar Properties Pjsc Al Ain Ahlia Ins. Co. Al Khazna Insurance Co Agthia Group Pjsc Al Fujairah National Insuran Abu Dhabi Ship Building Co Abu Dhabi National Insurance Abu Dhabi National Hotels Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Abu Dhabi Aviation Lt Price 0.79 2.90 1.19 5.65 2.00 1.15 6.52 7.24 0.80 0.00 0.00 3.90 1.18 1.27 1.51 0.74 3.60 3.00 0.91 8.00 143.50 1.31 1.17 6.90 5.50 1.78 3.70 4.85 13.80 0.75 0.00 2.82 2.81 1.00 2.00 2.70 0.76 1.12 4.00 3.50 16.95 1.35 1.45 10.95 0.81 7.00 5.50 7.70 0.49 1.75 1.97 0.80 5.35 4.81 1.16 2.59 55.00 0.40 6.30 300.00 1.97 6.00 3.56 5.65 7.15 3.00 % Chg 0.00 0.69 0.00 -1.57 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -4.76 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.37 0.00 1.69 -4.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10.66 -1.11 -1.33 0.00 -1.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 14.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.70 0.00 0.00 -0.88 0.00 0.00 0.46 -1.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -5.88 0.00 0.00 -5.69 1.57 0.00 0.00 5.53 0.00 0.00 3.45 -9.87 1.80 0.00 0.00 Volume 5,494,435 984,161 851,798 4,763 10,536,014 65,840 56,352 22,696 235,000 172,833 71,702 326,772 18,358 1 1,289,392 1,820,931 47,475,994 4,703,333 40,000 107,566 29,132,025 67,245 85,000 852 383,909 2,382,751 - BAHRAIN Company Name United Paper Industries Bsc United Gulf Investment Corp United Gulf Bank United Finance Co Trafco Group Bsc Takaful International Co Taib Bank -$Us Securities & Investment Co Seef Properties #N/A Invalid Security Al-Salam Bank Delmon Poultry Co National Hotels Co National Bank Of Bahrain Nass Corp Bsc Khaleeji Commercial Bank Ithmaar Bank Bsc Investcorp Bank -$Us Inovest Co Bsc Intl Investment Group-Kuwait Gulf Monetary Group Global Investment House Kpsc Gulf Finance House Ec Bahrain Family Leisure Co Esterad Investment Co B.S.C. Bahrain Duty Free Complex Bahrain Car Park Co Bahrain Cinema Co Bahrain Tourism Co Bahraini Saudi Bank/The Bahrain National Holding Bankmuscat Saog Bmmi Bsc Bmb Investment Bank Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Bahrain Islamic Bank Gulf Hotel Group B.S.C Bahrain Flour Mills Co Bahrain Commercial Facilitie Bbk Bsc Bahrain Telecom Co Bahrain Ship Repair & Engin Albaraka Banking Group Banader Hotels Co Ahli United Bank B.S.C Lt Price 0.00 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.13 0.00 0.00 0.85 0.17 0.04 0.16 0.00 0.21 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.19 0.88 ` 1.54 0.22 0.00 0.42 0.00 0.87 0.00 0.00 0.15 0.83 0.00 0.00 0.47 0.33 0.00 0.81 0.00 0.81 % Chg 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.63 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.62 Volume 10,742 25,097 324,374 110,000 3,000 10,000 126,000 100,000 30,000 13,058 6,000 102,460 50,000 25,000 2,740 10,000 12,000 13,346 20,000 5,000 23,730 LATEST MARKET CLOSING FIGURES Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 7 BUSINESS DJIA WORLD INDICES Company Name Microsoft Corp Exxon Mobil Corp Johnson & Johnson Wal-Mart Stores Inc Procter & Gamble Co/The General Electric Co Jpmorgan Chase & Co Pfizer Inc Chevron Corp Verizon Communications Inc Coca-Cola Co/The Merck & Co. Inc. Intel Corp At&T Inc Walt Disney Co/The Visa Inc-Class A Shares Intl Business Machines Corp Cisco Systems Inc Home Depot Inc United Technologies Corp 3M Co Unitedhealth Group Inc Boeing Co/The American Express Co Mcdonald’s Corp Goldman Sachs Group Inc Nike Inc -Cl B Du Pont (E.I.) De Nemours Caterpillar Inc Travelers Cos Inc/The Lt Price 45.96 88.27 103.69 87.00 89.90 23.58 56.16 32.58 102.76 46.73 42.25 62.34 36.34 33.11 94.14 255.15 155.02 27.91 102.57 113.60 159.04 102.43 130.29 87.09 91.53 180.15 93.34 72.47 85.19 103.93 % Chg -0.86 -1.92 -1.02 -2.59 -0.44 -1.17 -4.55 0.43 -1.38 -0.96 -0.88 0.24 -0.45 -1.13 -1.10 -2.16 -1.14 -0.68 -1.12 -0.65 -0.98 -0.62 -0.67 -2.40 -1.40 -2.58 -1.76 -0.92 -1.37 -1.36 10,432,442 6,912,303 3,063,714 4,780,213 2,054,708 15,698,047 18,100,866 10,760,301 3,570,608 5,538,906 4,408,646 2,947,811 12,996,210 8,526,051 2,134,555 1,118,811 2,198,439 10,186,587 1,648,766 1,010,311 647,923 1,189,243 1,317,635 1,975,531 2,975,688 1,492,898 960,876 1,196,799 3,159,340 635,587 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 Ag-New Tui Ag-Di Travis Perkins Plc Tesco Plc Taylor Wimpey Plc Standard Life Plc Standard Chartered Plc St James’s Place Plc Sse Plc Sports Direct International Smiths Group Plc Smith & Nephew Plc Sky 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 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 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 Land Co Plc British American Tobacco Plc Bp Plc Bhp Billiton Plc Bg Group Plc Barratt Developments 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 Lt Price 1,376.00 3,591.00 179.10 4,705.00 1,608.00 225.25 941.50 2,679.00 357.90 1,083.00 1,117.00 1,774.00 214.00 125.80 378.40 886.10 780.50 1,488.00 700.00 1,063.00 1,148.00 898.50 4,500.00 2,071.00 2,603.00 243.10 461.90 3,300.50 435.20 434.30 2,052.00 2,008.00 362.70 852.50 2,804.50 1,104.00 5,255.00 4,950.00 1,463.50 1,468.00 1,187.00 187.30 6,915.00 905.00 1,052.00 512.50 451.30 2,212.00 72.90 243.00 1,202.00 329.20 3,415.00 219.00 333.50 484.00 2,244.00 2,616.00 2,932.00 590.10 914.50 631.00 244.00 1,395.50 348.00 272.70 371.20 816.00 1,065.00 1,619.00 444.00 302.60 1,828.50 1,486.00 1,105.00 1,069.00 261.10 3,001.00 1,045.00 1,642.00 1,792.00 401.40 781.50 3,514.50 382.15 1,285.00 794.70 425.00 223.55 468.60 994.50 491.40 4,680.00 3,035.00 1,033.00 984.50 675.00 1,042.50 1,477.00 1,390.00 405.40 424.50 % Chg -1.78 -2.58 -3.08 -1.77 -4.96 -1.64 -0.16 -0.89 -2.98 -1.90 -1.67 -2.58 0.94 -1.41 -3.98 -4.88 -2.92 -2.36 -1.34 -2.12 -0.95 -0.28 -1.49 -1.15 -2.87 -2.37 -0.32 -2.22 -2.09 1.47 -3.53 -3.32 -2.94 -1.16 -3.96 -0.18 -1.59 -1.49 -1.88 -1.28 -0.67 -2.80 -1.98 -2.79 -2.68 -1.73 -2.53 -2.04 -1.50 -1.58 -0.50 -1.17 -1.87 -0.41 -2.49 -1.04 -5.04 -1.13 -1.05 -2.33 -4.54 0.64 -9.28 -1.93 -2.47 -1.87 0.00 -1.86 -2.02 -2.23 -3.01 -1.79 -1.98 -2.75 -1.07 -6.06 -3.94 -1.70 -2.88 -1.32 -1.81 0.40 -0.51 -1.95 -3.57 -5.31 -3.49 -0.12 -4.06 -1.37 -2.98 0.12 -0.78 -3.10 -4.70 -0.56 -4.80 -8.99 -4.09 -2.93 -3.01 -2.64 Volume 4,128,239 917,718 19,878,674 505,611 1,549,508 64,306,742 2,250,281 3,589,229 7,056,072 1,076,128 1,350,449 681,190 51,921,784 21,508,979 5,634,905 20,920,983 1,289,099 5,026,679 1,309,996 1,077,614 4,462,931 3,866,722 2,191,086 722,998 495,241 8,556,857 3,077,362 2,030,096 4,295,145 3,914,989 6,761,634 10,334,136 7,711,944 8,868,364 7,115,576 3,560,964 1,477,495 680,530 4,490,208 1,721,048 2,609,573 12,317,184 426,921 13,296,434 1,742,089 2,357,340 5,503,958 512,100 118,718,250 10,622,511 2,270,774 7,396,974 762,400 13,041,802 3,433,135 10,060,641 1,186,062 761,549 3,644,858 35,999,891 910,472 6,364,967 104,431,077 7,980,457 6,770,614 3,331,190 7,035,641 1,785,547 2,266,986 1,296,677 2,892,476 4,673,109 3,999,405 1,934,562 3,634,725 865,454 16,720,940 842,450 1,623,378 2,247,070 540,850 21,187,376 3,894,350 3,834,463 47,302,435 15,163,404 11,218,234 6,457,068 60,248,343 9,164,108 1,441,491 12,025,295 3,178,598 911,044 5,387,271 5,660,541 9,561,684 12,013,087 972,043 1,088,867 6,067,653 1,889,157 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 1,207.50 2,165.50 1,537.00 1,474.00 3,120.00 4,167.00 950.90 1,106.00 452.00 7,606.00 582.10 4,900.50 5,121.00 1,729.50 4,945.50 1,594.50 3,727.50 1,712.00 420.40 % Chg 0.33 -2.17 -1.22 1.52 -2.83 -1.50 0.46 0.18 -1.53 -1.34 -1.21 2.34 -0.72 -1.54 -0.62 -1.05 -0.17 1.00 -3.97 Indices Volume Volume 4,261,000 1,834,400 4,473,900 4,947,600 6,390,400 3,249,700 9,958,000 5,760,000 8,817,000 1,239,400 5,824,400 3,542,500 2,696,600 6,746,700 1,695,500 4,476,000 2,717,500 3,160,000 31,791,600 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 17,367.89 2,001.08 4,625.91 13,991.27 41,308.55 48,004.15 6,388.46 4,223.24 9,817.08 9,846.00 -245.79 -21.95 -35.59 -195.89 -169.71 -37.52 -153.74 -67.04 -123.92 -120.00 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 16,795.96 1,357.98 24,112.60 5,332.24 1,136.70 27,346.82 8,277.55 3,326.16 24,366.38 5,159.67 -291.75 -16.71 -103.37 -49.86 +2.38 -78.91 -21.85 -14.91 +114.78 -54.69 European mining companies saw their share prices dive yesterday, with Glencore plunging 9.28% to 244 pence. 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 4,225.50 593.00 283.30 0.00 191.00 2,436.50 1,625.50 1,476.00 30,095.00 2,469.50 1,654.00 7,690.00 873.60 474.30 1,350.50 7,716.00 345.00 582.30 1,339.50 256.00 2,433.50 7,120.00 52,020.00 5,284.00 18,895.00 7,250.00 5,148.00 13,170.00 6,772.00 656.00 997.00 7,396.00 3,548.00 3,539.50 1,468.00 4,056.00 3,738.00 1,144.00 1,016.50 11,735.00 1,201.00 669.10 1,485.00 8,347.00 1,138.50 2,048.00 1,142.00 616.90 578.00 424.00 4,007.50 619.00 194.20 1,374.00 887.60 631.50 2,845.00 2,759.00 1,605.50 3,795.50 1,313.00 3,075.00 2,385.00 3,903.50 8,958.00 5,740.00 18,085.00 303.30 6,454.00 7,593.00 1,888.50 474.00 1,330.00 1,094.50 1,343.00 1,086.00 645.60 6,578.00 383.00 41,940.00 6,960.00 % Chg -1.19 0.17 -2.68 0.00 -3.05 -5.32 -8.09 -1.37 -2.26 -1.81 -0.66 -1.90 -1.25 -0.61 -2.53 -2.49 -0.58 -1.20 -2.23 -1.16 -3.43 -1.93 -2.68 -2.18 -1.72 -1.76 -2.96 -1.46 -0.81 -1.94 -0.80 -1.64 0.50 -1.99 -1.54 -0.33 -0.39 -2.64 -1.83 -4.32 -2.91 -2.41 -2.59 -2.36 -3.02 -1.94 -0.13 -2.03 -0.81 0.07 -1.07 -0.50 -1.07 -1.04 -0.49 -2.26 -2.03 -1.71 -4.35 -2.33 -2.96 -2.37 -1.69 -2.11 0.64 1.34 2.41 -0.16 2.12 1.06 2.66 -2.07 -2.85 -0.05 -2.54 -3.29 1.37 -1.57 -1.29 -3.75 -2.63 Volume 4,715,800 6,101,000 45,470,000 37,659,000 4,630,600 9,556,000 5,646,700 175,600 5,783,700 5,948,000 1,175,400 16,045,000 27,178,000 8,924,000 1,608,100 18,492,000 14,033,000 6,440,400 16,709,000 9,832,100 1,085,900 138,700 1,516,300 1,029,100 640,800 1,881,800 872,900 1,810,900 15,890,000 16,251,900 10,027,400 6,116,100 1,588,500 4,140,600 1,371,200 4,081,500 6,183,800 1,510,000 959,400 11,200,400 16,377,300 14,345,900 806,100 7,841,800 6,034,900 7,167,400 39,947,100 10,061,000 28,664,000 7,482,500 4,941,000 134,416,000 5,640,800 11,224,000 30,758,600 1,171,000 1,068,300 8,259,800 2,992,000 2,894,700 4,021,000 4,689,000 2,506,000 793,800 725,000 607,600 13,822,000 3,549,700 2,771,200 11,105,600 20,032,400 1,950,600 4,848,500 1,165,500 3,484,500 12,103,000 842,400 9,298,200 998,300 11,844,400 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 359.95 551.95 2,908.85 2,791.55 376.85 78.85 520.35 2,521.95 820.65 304.70 188.10 834.95 203.05 136.05 344.05 137.75 132.70 3,516.00 1,236.95 1,423.35 1,518.00 1,391.20 146.85 347.80 2,128.65 816.65 156.55 336.90 1,120.30 924.05 142.15 2,903.05 963.90 1,578.80 3,566.80 426.50 3,208.25 133.35 363.20 631.40 232.70 345.80 651.70 268.75 1,075.05 2,363.45 499.60 842.65 232.85 1,478.35 % Chg -0.50 -2.05 3.21 1.10 -3.74 -0.32 0.17 0.96 -1.49 -0.13 -8.06 -0.97 -2.07 0.15 1.21 -0.86 -1.70 1.38 -0.95 -0.68 -0.10 -0.13 -1.28 -3.42 1.90 -1.07 -0.03 -1.17 -0.17 4.47 -6.30 0.34 0.06 -0.30 0.58 -0.39 -0.47 0.08 0.55 -0.79 -0.58 -0.14 -2.67 4.37 -0.61 1.69 -0.97 1.06 1.20 2.54 Volume 1,433,689 1,948,816 563,102 463,889 8,236,320 1,868,406 6,527,408 934,673 1,054,979 10,086,035 12,041,819 3,270,469 4,027,865 2,290,471 4,828,362 2,378,226 2,205,752 480,186 1,439,197 201,718 1,130,502 801,345 6,309,053 11,562,371 2,633,575 1,376,169 5,517,648 12,619,327 1,450,925 4,879,511 14,902,248 545,166 984,361 1,062,463 60,526 2,591,606 352,883 6,256,310 1,299,185 1,125,515 1,738,695 3,205,671 1,243,406 5,077,277 607,970 230,341 3,304,048 2,645,820 3,270,348 557,582 Europe markets fall sharply on deflation fears in region AFP London E urope’s leading stock markets fell sharply yesterday as deflation fears swept across the region, while tumbling commodity prices sent mining and oil share prices crashing. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index tumbled 2.35% to 6.388.46 points, as shares in mining groups collapsed after copper prices slumped to near six-year low points. Frankfurt’s DAX 30 closed 1.25% down at 9,817.08 points and the CAC 40 in Paris shed 1.56% to 4,223.24 points. Crude futures were stuck around the lowest levels since 2009. “It was a sea of red for European equities on Wednesday even with a cautious green light for QE (quantitative easing) from the European Court of Justice after the World Bank slashed its world and European growth outlook despite the potential benefits from falling oil prices,” said Jasper Lawler, analyst at CMC markets. The rate of return on 10-year French government bonds fell to a record low level yesterday in the wake of weak inflation data and as expectations mount that the European Central Bank will unveil more stimulus at its policy meeting next week. The yield on German, Italian and Spanish bonds also fell. ECB president Mario Draghi said the central bank does not have many options left apart from sovereign bond purchases to ward off deflation in the euro area. One possible problem for an ECB stimulus programme of a large-scale buying of government bonds known as QE was removed yesterday. A senior lawyer at the EU’s top court found that a hugely controversial earlier bond-buying programme readied by the European Central Bank is legal. Advocate General Cruz Villalon at the European Court of Justice said in an opinion that the programme was “in principle” in accordance with European treaties, after a legal challenge by German politicians and academics who charged the ECB was overstepping its powers. “The reason why this ruling was so important was because of the implications it could have had for QE, which the ECB is expected to announce next week,” said Craig Erlam, market analyst at Alpari trading group. The euro firmed despite rising expectations that the ECB would pump more money into the economy, rising to $1.1802 from $1.177 late in New York on Tuesday, when the World Bank cut its global growth forecast for this year to 3% from 3.4%. For developing countries which have been the biggest contributors to global growth in recent years, the World Bank cut its 2015 forecast by 0.6 percentage points to 4.8%. The price of copper tumbled Wednesday in reaction. Copper for delivery in three months plunged in Asian trading hours to $5,353.25 per tonne, a level last seen in July 2009. That marked an 8.0% slide from Tuesday’s close. “With little respite for inves- 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 tors amid deflation concerns and the World Bank lowering its outlook for the growth prospects of the global economy, the volatility of late is set to continue,” said Andy McLevey, head of dealing at stockbroker Interactive Investor. Mining companies saw their share prices dive yesterday, with Glencore plunging 9.28% to 244 pence, Anglo American tumbling 8.99% and BHP Billiton retreating 5.31%. World oil prices meanwhile remained close to six-year lows after major crude producers stressed they would maintain output levels despite global oversupply, while traders awaited the latest update on US crude inventories. In late afternoon deals in London, Brent North Sea crude for February delivery lost 33 cents compared with Tuesday’s close to stand at $46.26 per barrel. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in February rose 8 cents to $45.97 a barrel. Energy company shares were down sharply, with BP shedding 3.57% and Shell losing 3.32%. Wall Street opened down after data showed that US retail sales fell 0.9% from the previous month in December, the prime holiday shopping month of the year, although the data were influenced by the tumbling fuel prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.39% to 17,369.05 points in the first five minutes of trading. The broad-based S&P 500 tumbled 0.91% to 2,004.69, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index shed 0.61% to 4,632.96. Lt Price 3.88 30.85 4.41 6.75 9.14 26.20 17.74 142.40 4.58 6.39 30.55 26.65 96.50 24.70 6.23 15.82 21.15 19.86 22.40 11.62 13.64 67.75 10.38 11.18 9.20 3.67 21.25 129.90 53.30 % Chg -0.51 -0.48 0.23 -0.74 0.55 0.19 1.14 -0.70 -2.14 -0.31 -0.33 -0.93 -0.92 2.28 -0.48 -0.50 0.24 -0.70 -1.54 1.22 -1.02 0.44 -0.76 -0.53 0.11 -1.34 -0.70 0.46 -0.28 Volume 20,838,780 1,569,964 276,393,655 43,905,177 18,115,146 7,594,005 5,636,058 7,236,703 37,695,842 227,233,679 40,163,689 7,812,885 18,160,930 28,405,342 85,597,344 4,084,000 20,693,609 9,059,568 11,765,197 100,973,292 9,652,554 2,890,659 65,970,054 3,007,186 2,125,385 4,344,431 2,050,570 1,452,479 4,491,018 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 17.54 177.90 70.85 98.55 5.68 7.33 33.00 9.21 8.73 83.35 76.90 12.42 121.20 102.20 126.00 60.55 % Chg -0.34 -0.84 -0.63 -0.05 -0.53 0.55 -1.64 0.33 -0.68 0.48 0.79 -0.48 -1.94 0.29 -1.41 -0.98 Volume 6,726,161 4,054,415 17,300,306 9,735,399 153,461,898 27,083,502 3,460,149 18,574,549 78,132,937 27,063,768 3,260,990 3,405,133 5,776,257 1,040,129 16,843,739 2,555,350 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 11,877.43 8,551.94 6,587.71 1,426.06 6,432.80 4,506.32 3,814.05 Change -59.15 +60.26 +15.48 +3.83 +63.16 -3.74 -0.49 “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 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 11 BUSINESS Airlines to hedge more jet fuel to lock in huge savings Reuters Singapore/Berlin G lobal airlines, looking to lock in huge savings, are preparing to hedge more jet fuel to fix prices as they bet a slide in crude oil to six-year lows may peter out near $40 a barrel. Some airlines have already stepped up hedging, especially after benchmark Brent crude slipped below $50 a barrel earlier this month, fuel traders and brokers said. In Europe, airlines such as Aer Lingus and Ryanair are aiming to take advantage of the low oil prices to lock in fuel costs into 2016 and beyond. Thai Airways plans to hedge 100% of its fuel purchases this year. “If you a sensible hedger, you have to look at this as an excellent opportunity,” said Robert Campbell, head of oil products research at Energy Aspects. Current crude output can’t be sustained at these prices, Campbell said, and with “some increase in demand and some reduction in supply ultimately the price will be forced higher”. Jet fuel can account for between 20 and 50% of an airline’s operating costs, and swings in oil prices can mean a huge boost or hit to profits. In December, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said lower fuel prices could mean that airlines globally will report their strongest profit margins in more than five years in 2015. Still, Brent crude slipping 60% since June has caught many by surprise. US airlines that hedged based on higher oil prices, such as United Airlines, have had to dump losing bets and are now reviewing their strategies for protecting themselves from oil market volatility. “Over the last six months of 2014, very few airlines were brave enough to go into the market and if they did, it was in very small volumes,” said Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation research firm Endau Analytics. At least one Asian carrier, South Korea’s Asiana Airlines, has stopped hedging since November due to recent price volatility, while Germany’s Air Berlin has said it is considering reducing its hedging rate. Now, hedging interest has picked up, according to brokers and traders, although some airlines remain skittish because of free-falling prices. In line with benchmark crude, jet fuel prices have fallen about 50% over the last six months to around $60 a barrel this week, Reuters data showed. “Even though hedging volumes have picked up, they are still limited,” said a fuel trader with a Singapore-based bank handling hedges for airlines. In Europe, airlines such as Aer Lingus and Ryanair are aiming to take advantage of the low oil prices to lock in fuel costs into 2016 and beyond. Airlines typically hedge some of their fuel needs – or buy fuel in advance at pre-determined prices – to reduce the impact on earnings from wide swings in the market. But many carriers, particularly in Asia, have been cautious about hedging since 2008, when airlines scrambling to lock in fuel costs as crude surged above $100 a barrel for the first time saw oil plummet to less than $40 before year-end. And with prices dropping, airlines may see buying in the spot market as a better option than possibly getting caught on the wrong side of a longterm hedge, Yusof said. Big iron ore miners’ supply strategy working partially By Clyde Russell Launceston, Australia China’s record imports of iron ore in December capped a year of strong growth, while also proving that the strategy of the big miners is at least partially working. China brought in 86.85mn tonnes of the steel-making ingredient in December, bringing the total for 2014 to 932.5mn tonnes, a gain of 13.8% over the previous year. The jump in iron ore imports isn’t because China is producing more steel, with output of crude steel rising a mere 1.9% in the first 11 months of 2014 over the same period in 2013, according to official figures. It’s also not because huge stocks of iron ore are being built up in warehouses, with inventories monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange dropping to 99.85mn tonnes in the week to January 9, the lowest in 11 months. The most logical explanation is that the 47% decline in the Asian spot iron price in 2014 is displacing some high-cost Chinese domestic output. This has been the strategy of the big three iron ore miners, Brazil’s Vale and the Anglo-Australian pair of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have repeatedly argued that the ultimate impact of the massive expansions of their Western Australia mines would be to force high-cost producers to leave the market. This has already been seen in producers outside China, with smaller miners in Australia and elsewhere struggling to compete with the big three. It now appears to be working in China as well, with even the notoriously unreliable official iron ore output numbers showing production dropped 7.5% in November from the year-earlier month. The issue for the big three miners is whether enough high-cost production is being displaced, and it’s here that the doubts lie. The gap between the increase in China’s iron ore imports and the gain in its steel output is about 11 percentage points. A rough calculation implies that this means that just over 100mn tonnes of domestic iron ore output, on the basis of an iron content of 62%, has been displaced by imports. This sounds significant, but pales when compared to the 400mn tonnes of additional supply the big three are bringing to the market within the next three years. Some of this new supply hit the market last year, with severe consequences for the spot price, which dropped to a five-year low of $65.60 a tonne on December 23, from which it has risen only marginally to $67.90 on Tuesday. With more supply coming onstream in the next few years, the large miners must be hoping that more high-cost operations are forced to shut down. While many smaller iron ore miners are undoubtedly doing it tough, the experience from the coal sector shows that output is slow to leave the market, even though it’s loss-making. More Chinese domestic production may be idled, but the bigger mines, which are largely owned by the statecontrolled steel companies, are likely to keep going. Production in other parts of the world may also drop, but it’s unlikely this will be by enough to offset the increase in supply. China’s detailed import figures for iron ore show that shipments from Australia rose 30.7% in the first 11 months of 2014 from the same period in 2013, while those from Brazil gained 11%. This does confirm that the low-cost output of Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Vale, and to a lesser extent of fourth-ranked miner Fortescue Metals Group is winning market share. But they aren’t the only winners, with Sierra Leone boosting exports to China by 52.4% and Ukraine by 11.4%. While their total iron ore exports to China are tiny compared to those from Australia and Brazil, it does show that smaller producers still appear able to compete with the big three. This means that iron ore prices may have further to fall if the big three really are determined to use their low-cost supply to drive competitors out of the market. Of course, they could be rescued by a strong rise in steel demand, but this seems unlikely, even if China does accelerate some infrastructure projects in order to bolster economic growth. The more likely scenario is that the oversupply of iron ore continues to grow, making a price recovery a distant prospect. Clyde Russell is a Reuters columnist. The views expressed are his own. Air India, for instance, which goes largely unhedged, projected it could shave as much as $375mn off its annual fuel costs of about $1.5bn based on savings made since prices started to fall in June 2014, according to its director of finance S Venkat. Still, Air India is starting to consider hedging between 30 and 40% of its fuel needs, or about 300,000 barrels a quarter at current jet fuel prices, Venkat said. Ryanair, Aer Lingus and Thai Airways are also among those looking to use the low oil price to extend their hedges. Aer Lingus said last week it had increased its hedging, with 90% of its require- ments for 2015 now hedged at an average jet fuel price of $830 per tonne (about $104 a barrel), compared with $954 a tonne for 2014. Ryanair said in December, that in addition to current hedges, it was hedging 20% of its fuel purchases in the first half of the year to March 2017 at about $810 per tonne. Other carriers – including Korean Airlines along with Europe’s biggest airlines Lufthansa, British Airways owner IAG and Air France-KLM Group – have said they are not planning major changes to their hedging strategies in response to oil price falls. China allows full foreign ownership of e-comm firms in Shanghai FTZ China has allowed foreign investors to fully own e-commerce companies in Shanghai’s free trade zone as part of a pilot scheme, the official Xinhua news agency said yesterday, citing the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Foreign investors previously required a Chinese joint-venture partner to operate an e-commerce firm in the highly competitive market. The pilot scheme could provide an easier route for overseas companies to enter the ring and fight for a slice of one of the world’s biggest e-commerce markets. Telecommunications authorities in Shanghai will regulate the scheme and the foreign investors, according to a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) statement reported by Xinhua. Since the launch of the free trade zone (FTZ) in September 2013, policy makers have trumpeted reforms and relaxed regulations to boost China’s e-commerce industry, dominated by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. But foreign e-commerce firms have struggled in China against the likes of Alibaba and No.2 JD.com Inc Amazon.com Inc only holds a sliver of the market, while eBay Inc pulled out of the country in 2006 after a long and bitter battle with Alibaba. In August, Amazon said it would set up shop in the Shanghai free trade zone, hoping to benefit from less stringent trade regulations to sell a wider range of products in the country. Going in the opposite direction, Alibaba has been making forays into the US, as it looks to link up American retailers and merchants with Chinese consumers. Samsung launches Tizen smartphone in India Reuters Seoul/New Delhi S outh Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co has launched the first smartphone powered by its Tizen operating system, a major development in the tech giant’s aim to build a software ecosystem to rival Google Inc’s Android. The Z1 device went on sale in India yesterday for Rs5,700 ($92) each, targeting first-time smartphone buyers, the world’s No.1 smartphone maker said in a statement. The no-nonsense handset – one of Samsung’s cheapest – sports a 4-inch display, a plastic body and a simplified user interface. The launch is a key step in the company’s strategy to break free from the Android platform, which powers Samsung’s flagship Galaxy devices and most other smartphones on the market. At less than $100, the Z1 will be able to compete with low-price offerings by manufacturers like Micromax Infomatics in India. The price will also help convince first-time smartphone buyers to try a Tizen-powered device, analysts said. “Samsung has better chances of success with first-time smartphone users, who may have limited exposure to the huge ecosystem offerings from Android or (Apple Inc’s ) iOS,” IDC analyst Kiranjeet Kaur said ahead of the launch. While India is already the world’s third-biggest market for smartphones, most consumers in the country do not yet own one of the devices, meaning the growth potential is huge. A Samsung spokeswoman said the firm had not decided whether to launch the Z1 in any other countries. Samsung is however pushing to grow Tizen on other platforms such as televisions. Until now, Tizen has been deployed only in Samsung smartwatches and cameras, leading some analysts to doubt if it would ever power devices in the crucial Hyun Chil Hong, president and chief executive of Samsung India (right), and Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi hold the company’s new Z1 smartphones at its launch in New Delhi yesterday. smartphone business. The mobile division as a whole accounted for about 68% of the firm’s operating profit in 2013. Delays in a Tizen smartphone launch undermined confidence and dissuaded thirdparty developers from creating software applications needed to populate a Tizen ecosystem. Samsung says more than 1,000 apps will be available for download in the Tizen Store – a tiny fraction of the number of offerings on Google Play. The Z1 comes with pre-installed apps and web links to services like Amazon.com, Flip- kart, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo and YouTube. Z1 buyers will also get free data from Indian mobile operators Reliance Communications and Aircel for six months, as well as free music and video content worth a combined Rs1,750 per year. 12 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 BUSINESS Sunrise to raise $1.3bn in Swiss market debut Reuters Zurich S wiss mobile telecoms company Sunrise plans to raise around 1.35bn Swiss francs ($1.3bn) in a stock market debut, potentially Switzerland’s biggest flotation since 2006. Switzerland’s No.2 telecoms operator behind Swisscom said yesterday the move – the latest planned capital raising in a lively start to 2015 for European equity markets – would help to cut its debt. A person familiar with the matter said it could also make it easier in the longer term for the firm to merge with Orange Switzerland to create a stronger competitor to Swisscom, though the source added there were no current plans for this. Orange Switzerland was recently bought by telecoms tycoon Xavier Niel’s NJJ Capital. Sunrise said it expected the initial public offering (IPO) to take place in the first six months of 2015, but declined to be more specific or indicate how much shares would cost. The source said the listing would be in three to four weeks if everything ran smoothly, adding the shares were likely to be priced at a modest discount to Swisscom. Swisscom’s enterprise value (equity plus debt) is around eight times its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). Using the same multiple, Sunrise would be valued at more than 5bn francs, the source said. If it goes ahead as planned, the IPO would be Switzerland’s biggest since Petroplus’ flotation in November 2006, according to data from the SIX Swiss exchange. Sunrise was bought by private equity firm CVC in 2010 for 3.3bn francs, and People walk past an outlet of Sunrise in Zurich. Swiss mobile telecoms company plans to raise around $1.3bn in a stock market debut, potentially Switzerland’s biggest flotation since 2006. over the last three years has invested more than 1bn francs in its network. CVC will make shares available in a so-called greenshoe, which, if exercised in full, would increase the IPO size by a standard 15%. Sunrise said it was unclear whether CVC would retain a majority stake after the IPO. Sunrise plans a dividend of 135mn francs for 2015 which will be paid in 2016. From 2016, it hopes to achieve a dividend pay-out ratio of at least 65% of equity free cash flow. For 2014, it expects 2-3% year-onyear growth in revenue and adjusted EBITDA. Deutsche Bank and UBS are joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners for the IPO, with Morgan Stanley and Berenberg additional joint bookrunners. Vontobel is co-lead manager, while Lilja & Co is the independent adviser to CVC and Sunrise. �No major hurdles to ECB bond-buying’ Reuters Luxembourg A European Central Bank bondbuying plan floated in 2012 would not break EU law subject to certain conditions, a top adviser to the European Union’s highest court said yesterday. Pedro Cruz Villalon, advocate general at the court, said while the ECB was entitled to buy bonds and that the scheme outlined was “necessary” and “proportionate”, it would first have to spell out its justification and remove itself from any direct aid programme to a eurozone member state. That would make it difficult for the ECB to continue as a member of the troika of inspectors that supervises Greece and Cyprus with an emergency aid programme if they were also to benefit from bond-buying. “The Advocate General ... considers that the OMT programme is necessary as well as proportionate in the strict sense, since the ECB does not assume a risk that will necessarily make it vulnerable to insolvency,” the court said in a statement. Although yesterday’s opinion looks at a bond-buying blueprint from 2012, designed at the height of the crisis to avert a break-up of the euro, it could shape future QE (quantitative easing) to buy state bonds in order to avert deflation. The adviser’s opinion is another milestone in a long-running dispute about printing money between the ECB and Germany, the largest member of the 19-country bloc. The ECB is on the verge of announcing a scheme as soon as next week to buoy falling prices and put the struggling economy back on a steady footing. The adviser fired a shot across the bows of the German Constitutional Court, which had referred the question to Europe’s top court, saying it was hard for courts to call the ECB into question as they had little expertise to do so. Indian equities drop on metal shares Bloomberg Mumbai Indian stocks fell for the second day, led by metalmakers, after copper-led commodities to a 12-year low. Sesa Sterlite, the nation’s biggest copper refiner, slumped to its lowest level since May, while aluminium producer Hindalco Industries tumbled the most in four months. ITC, the largest tobacco company, slid the most since November after a report that the health ministry may ban sales of single or loose cigarettes. Hindustan Unilever rose to a record. The S&P BSE Sensex lost 0.3% to 27,346.82 at the close. Copper and oil headed for their lowest prices since 2009 as the World Bank cut its global growth outlook, citing weak growth in Europe and China. The rout in commodities may boost the appeal of bonds versus riskier emerging-market equities, according to ETX Capital, a London-based brokerage. “As global growth concerns get highlighted more and more people are going to push money away from emerging markets into very boring treasuries and ultra-safe assets,” Joe Rundle, the head of trading at ETX, told Bloomberg TV India yesterday. “It’s almost a stampede out of commodities at the moment.” Foreigners sold $312mn of local shares so far this year, versus a net inflow of $16bn in 2014. Indian stocks and bonds may attract about $18bn to $20bn in 2015, versus last year’s combined inflows of $42.5bn, according to Credit Suisse Group AG.Sesa Sterlite plunged 8.1% to its lowest since May 9, while Hindalco tumbled 6.3%, the most since August 25. Tata Steel decreased 3.7%. The S&P BSE Metal Index declined 3.5% to its lowest level since May 7 and the biggest loss among the 13 sectoral indexes compiled by the BSE. ITC decreased 3.4%, the most since November 25. India’s health ministry is also seeking to raise the fine on smoking in public places, Press Trust of India reported, citing no one. Rival Godfrey Phillips India Ltd fell 1.9%. Hindustan Unilever jumped 4.5%, taking the month’s rally to 22%, the best start to the year since at least 1991, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The Sensex has dropped 0.6% so far this year and is valued at 15.1 times projected 12-month earnings, compared with the MSCI Emerging Markets Index’s multiple of 11.2. Myanmar to open first stock exchange M yanmar’s deputy finance minister has said the country will launch its first official stock exchange by October, as the emerging economy takes another step towards opening up after decades of isolation. Maung Maung Thein said the former junta-run nation was on track to launch the bourse in the country’s main commercial hub of Yangon. “Our target date is October 2015 at the latest. But it may be earlier,” he told AFP on Tuesday from the capital Naypyidaw, adding that “no more than five companies” would be listed on the stock exchange to begin with. Myanmar’s central bank signed a joint venture agreement with Japan Exchange Group and Daiwa Institute of Research, the research arm of Daiwa Securities Group, last month to set up and run the Yangon Stock Exchange following years of discussions. Myanma Economic Bank will own the controlling 51%-stake in the Yangon Stock Exchange Joint-Venture Company with the remainder divided between the Japanese partners, the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar reported yesterday. The newspaper quoted Maung Maung Thein as saying Myanmar was one of only nine countries in the world, including North Korea and Brunei, without a stock exchange. “The ECB must have a broad discretion when framing and implementing the EU’s monetary policy, and the courts must exercise a considerable degree of caution when reviewing the ECB’s activity, since they lack the expertise and experience which the ECB has in this area,” the statement said. However, it may limit ECB President Mario Draghi’s room for manoeuvre as he tries to make good a promise to do �whatever it takes’ to save the euro. Opponents of QE may seize upon the judgment that the OMT programme was designed in a way that the ECB would not take on risk that could make it vulnerable to insolvency. That could raise a question about an open-ended bond-buying programme with new money and potential losses the ECB could suffer if those bonds were defaulted upon. One option being considered is for eurozone national central banks to do the bond-buying rather than the ECB. The euro tumbled after the court opinion was published, as investors took the view that the ECB could push ahead with its plans without much constraint. “There is nothing in this ruling that blocks QE,” said Marc Ostwald, a strategist at ADM Investor Services International. Portugal Telecom shares bounce on bets asset sale to be approved Reuters Lisbon Shares in Portugal Telecom jumped yesterday on speculation shareholders will ultimately approve the sale of its former operations by its merger partner, Brazil’s Oi, without raising the risk of the merger’s reversal. Shareholders on Monday postponed a meeting to decide on the €7.4bn ($8.7bn) sale of assets by Oi to Altice. But they refused to cancel it or modify the agenda of the next meeting to vote on dissolving the merger, as proposed by Portugal Telecom’s workers union and the assembly chairman at one point. The initial reaction to the postponement to January 22 was to sell off Oi and Portugal Telecom shares, but the latter recouped most of their initial losses on Tuesday to close only about 2% lower, after two sessions in which trade was suspended. “Looks like the market’s bet is that the most likely scenario is that shareholders will approve the sale at the next meeting without reversing the merger,” said Sergio Vieira, a trader at brokerage Orey Financial in Lisbon. Portugal Telecom’s only valuable asset after the merger would be its 25.6% stake in the enlarged Oi, which should benefit from the sale and help Portugal Telecom’s valuation. “It’s a convoluted way around, but the asset sale ultimately helps PT,” said Allan Nichols, senior analyst at research firm Morningstar. The sale would give Oi more flexibility and muscle for a telecom sector consolidation in Brazil and should pave the way for further disposals of former PT assets in Africa and Asia. “All that should get the sentiment improving for Oi and help PT ... At this point your best bet is to vote for the deal. They don’t have a lot of choice. Anything else it’s ugly, especially unwinding the merger, which would be really difficult,” Nichols said. Portuguese media and telecom holding company Ongoing, which is a major shareholder in Portugal Telecom, said it saw no valid alternative to the asset sale and the merger is not at stake. Asian bourses hurt as oil prices fall further AFP Tokyo O il prices fell further yesterday, heading to six-year lows, while crude’s weakness continues to test investor confidence, pushing the yen up and weighing on Asian equities. The euro edged up against the dollar after diving Tuesday on comments from a key member of the European Central Bank that fanned expectations it will unveil a bond-buying scheme at its policy meeting next week. On oil markets US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February was down 58 cents at $45.31, a level not seen since March 2009, and Brent slipped 54 cents to $46.05, its lowest since April 2009. Both contracts were hammered Tuesday after two members of Opec said the cartel could not prevent prices from plunging further, despite losing more than 50% since June. Ministers from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait also said prices could drop further unless there was a cut in booming shale oil output in the US. Analysts say richer Opec members – such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia – have been ready to accept falls in the hope they will force higher-cost shale producers out of the market. The weak prices have hit buying sentiment for global equities, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all sinking in New York. Tokyo tumbled 1.71%, or 291.75 points, to finish at 16,795.96, while Sydney sank 0.95%, or 51.1 points, to 5,353.6 and Seoul fell 0.18%, or 3.48 points, to 1,913.66. Shanghai – which surged more than 50% last year on hopes for government measures to boost the economy – fell 0.40%, or 12.86 points, to end at 3,222.44, while Hong Kong slipped 0.43%, or 103.37 points, to 24.112.60. On currency markets a flight to safer investments saw the yen advance. The dollar was at 117.14 yen yesterday, down from 117.90 yen in New York and well off rates above 118 yen seen in Tokyo earlier Tuesday. The euro was at 138.35 yen compared with 138.84 yen in US trade. “The drop in oil prices is quite severe, so whenever there’s some weakness in oil we tend to see risk aversion,” Hiroichi Nishi, an equities manager at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc in Tokyo, told Bloomberg News. “It’s also heightening concerns of a negative influence on materials and infrastructure-related industries in the US, which would lower inflation and push out the timing of a possible interest-rate hike.” The euro edged up against the dollar, buying $1.1800 against $1.1777 in US trade. The single currency took a hit on Tuesday after Ewald Nowotny, a governor of the Austrian central bank and a member of the ECB governing council, highlighted the need for policy makers to tackle the threat of deflation. “It is important that one takes deflation risks seriously and addresses them,” Nowotny said, according to Bloomberg News, adding that the bank was weighing several stimulus measures. “We shouldn’t wait too long with a reaction.” Analysts said the remarks were a sign the ECB may act when it meets on January 22, in part because Nowotny is not known for being particularly interventionist. Gold, meanwhile, was $1,228.48 an ounce, compared with $1,238.84 on Tuesday. In other markets, Bangkok fell 0.76%, or 11.73 points, to 1,523.24; Malaysia’s main stock index dropped 0.39%, or 6.89 points, to end at 1,742.01; Jakarta closed down 1.05%, or 54.69 points, at 5,159.67; Singapore down 0.45%, or 14.91 points, at 3,326.16; Taipei shed 0.56%, or 51.57 points, to 9180.23; Wellington added 12.02 points, to 5,648.63 and Manila surged 91.88 points, to 7,490.88. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 13 BUSINESS Japan’s govt approves record $812bn budget Spending at record ¥96.34tn; new debt at ¥36.86tn; tax income seen at 24-yr high of ¥54.53tn due to recovery; Japan seen to halve deficit; budget-balancing goal still distant; budget highlights balancing act for growth and fiscal reform Reuters Tokyo J apanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet approved yesterday a record $812bn budget for the fiscal year starting on April 1, while cutting new borrowing for a third straight year in a bid to balance growth and fiscal reform. The ¥96.34tn ($812.45bn) general-account budget draft, the third since Abe swept to power in late 2012, marks a rise from this fiscal year’s initial ¥95.88tn, reflecting higher welfare spending and military outlays. A projected rise in tax revenue to a 24-year high of ¥54.53tn on an expected economic recovery allows Tokyo to cut new bond issuance to a six-year low of ¥36.86tn. That accounts for 38.3% of the budget, a six-year low. With Japan’s public debt above twice its gross domestic product (GDP), the industrial world’s heaviest burden, Abe sought to restore fiscal health while lifting growth in the world’s third largest economy. “I believe the budget will contribute to achieving economic revival and fiscal consolidation at the same time,” Abe told reporters. Abe said Japan is on course to meet his promise of halving the primary budget deficit – excluding new bond sales and debt servicing – in the next fiscal year from levels seen in 2010/11. But the improvement is largely a result of the tax revenue windfall from rising corporate profits under the easy-money policies of “Abenomics.” Fitch Ratings last month threatened to cut its A plus rating on Japan’s government debt if the budget did not offset revenue from Abe’s delay of a planned sales-tax hike. “This budget underlines slowness in fiscal consolidation and it highlights the risk of relying too much on growth to cover rising spending,” said Yasuhide Yajima, chief economist at NLI Research Institute. “It’s impossible to achieve a primary budget balance without credible measures for spending An elderly woman pushes a walking aid as she walks on a street at Tokyo’s Sugamo district. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet approved yesterday a record $812bn budget for the coming fiscal year. restraint.” Masaki Kuwahara, senior economist at Nomura Securities, said the budget is neutral for his 2.2% GDP growth forecast for next fiscal year. The budget projects the primary budget deficit will narrow by ¥4.6tn to ¥13.4tn. But Finance Ministry projections show that without further efforts, the Long, tough road to make India �easiest’ place to do business AFP New Delhi N arendra Modi may have pledged to make India the “easiest” place to do business but experts remain sceptical about how the prime minister intends to overcome obstacles such as corruption, red tape and an arduous tax regime. Hundreds of executives gathered this week in Modi’s longtime fiefdom of Gujarat to hear him promise to transform India’s business climate, with “unlimited” reforms designed to attract foreign investment. Everyone from World Bank president Jim Yong Kim to US Secretary of State John Kerry publicly heaped praise on Modi’s efforts to kickstart economic growth since his rightwing party stormed to power at elections in May. But behind the scenes at the major “Vibrant Gujarat” summit, the mood among some was more cautious while economists rattled off a string of substantial reforms the government still needs to tackle. India currently ranks 142 out of 189 on the World Bank’s “ease of doing business survey”, behind its arch rival Pakistan, and even dropping two places on the list last year. Kerry hailed Modi as a “visionary” in his address at the summit, enthused by his government’s promises to cut a swathe through red tape and simplify a tax regime that often leaves foreign business in despair. But, speaking on the sidelines of the gathering, one of Kerry’s own officials struck a more cautious wait-and-see note. “I think there are companies who are sort of watching to make sure that what’s projected actually happens,” a senior US State Department official said in the Gujarati capital Gandhinagar. “And there’s no reason to believe it won’t, but at the same time these are very entrenched things that take a while to change,” he said. Also speaking at the three-day gathering, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley defended his government’s pace of reforms so far and stressed that Modi’s pledge to make India the “easiest” place to do business was not an empty slogan. Jaitley pointed to moves to fasttrack changes to land purchases – a major business bugbear – and steps to introduce a national sales tax to replace myriad confusing duties imposed by state and national governments. “I see investments significantly moving up in days to come,” said Jaitley. Economist Rajiv Kumar applauded Modi’s efforts but said more was needed to remove cumbersome and often opaque rules and regulations for every kind of business, from private schools to major industries, operating in India. Kumar also said India’s notoriously inert and labyrinthine bureaucracy charged with imposing those regulations needed to be overhauled. “It’s a paradigm shift that’s needed. It’s not incremental,” Kumar, a senior fellow at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research think tank, told AFP. And he was brutal about India’s “completely arbitrary” taxation regime, which he blamed for keeping international investors away and which the government has also promised to fix. British mobile giant Vodafone is embroiled in a bitter, $2.4bn battle with India’s tax authorities who are sometimes accused by business of acting capriciously, while Finnish company Nokia had a plant in India seized over a tax dispute. While he agreed there was “still a long way to go”, Kumar said he was optimistic the government could transform the economy “because India will never have another chance like this and Modi understands that”. India needs $800bn a year in investments, well above the current $200bn, to help the economy accelerate to seven% growth, the government’s financial services secretary told the summit. government can’t keep its promise of balancing the budget by 2020/21. The largest budget item, social welfare spending, will rise ¥1tn to a record ¥31.53tn. Defence spending also hit a record ¥4.98tn, up about ¥100bn from this fiscal year and rising for a third straight year, reflecting Abe’s ambition to counter China’s rising military might. Despite the narrower budget deficit, the growing stock of outstanding debt will push interest payments and redemptions up ¥200bn to a record ¥23.45tn. Ministry proposes opening up gas markets in 2017 Reuters Tokyo Japan’s $20bn-a-year retail city gas markets should be fully liberalised in 2017 to foster competition and curb user fees, the country’s trade ministry committee has recommended in a report. City gas sales to large industrial users, accounting for 62% of total sales, were earlier liberalised in stages starting from 1995. Now, the committee said, the remaining portion of the market – more than 25mn households and small businesses representing 2.4tn yen ($20bn) in annual sales – should be opened up beyond the regional monopolies who now control it. About 35 companies, including power utilities and oil firms, have already entered the city gas markets for large users, and the same are likely to enter the retail gas market, too, when it is liberalised, industry sources said. The increased competition would likely push down Japan’s residential retail gas prices, which are now about four times as expensive as in the US. The trade ministry is set to introduce a bill based on the committee’s recommendations in the next Diet session, which starts on January 26. Naohiko Yokoshima, the ministry’s director of the gas market division, said the government and ruling parties would make the final decisions on how to allocate existing infrastructure and pipeline networks. The committee had discussed separating the pipeline networks of major suppliers, Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas and Toho Gas, but it failed to reach a conclusion, leaving the task in the hands of the government and policymakers. China’s CRCC likely to clinch $3.75bn Mexico train project Reuters Mexico City C hina Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) looks poised to clinch a contract to build a $3.75bn Mexican high-speed train system even after its original winning bid was revoked when it became engulfed in a political scandal, say sources with knowledge of the bidding. Mexico will reveal the fresh bid terms for the tainted train project linking Mexico City with the wealthy, industrial city of Queretaro, which was meant to be one of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s flagship infrastructure investments. People close to the Chinese rail giant or familiar with rival bids say CRCC is still likely to win, given its broad financing plan, its cheap high-speed technology and political support in Mexico. Last week, CRCC, which did not immediately respond to request for comment, said it was confident of winning. In the last tender, state-backed lender Export-Import Bank of China agreed to finance 85% of the project. Since taking office in 2012, Pena Nieto has courted Chinese money to wean Mexico off its dependency on the US. China has in recent years expanded its footprint in Latin America and is promising investments of $250bn over the next decade. Both Mexico and China have stressed the importance of the project, which would produce Latin America’s first high-speed trains, and showcase China’s expertise after it built the world’s largest high-speed rail network at home in less than 10 years. After 16 firms, including Siemens, Bombardier and Mitsubishi pulled out of the tender, leaving a consortium led by state-controlled CRCC as the de facto winner, it led to awkward questions last year. “The process was compromised from the outset, that’s without question,” said a person on the Chinese side of the original bid, who asked to remain anonymous. The source said the tender favoured the Chinese. The controversy exploded when it surfaced that Grupo Teya, one of the Mexican firms in the CRCC-led consortium, was a subsidiary of a government contractor that owned a multi-million A suburban train passes by a house in the Tlalnepantla de Baz borough of Mexico City. China Railway Construction Corp looks poised to clinch a contract to build a $3.75bn Mexican high-speed train system even after its original winning bid was revoked when it became engulfed in a political scandal, say sources with knowledge of the bidding. dollar home Pena Nieto’s wife was in the process of buying. The government revoked the contract on November 6, a few days before the Teya revelations were published. It has grappled with a conflict-of-interest scandal ever since. Mexico’s Communications and Transport Minister Gerardo Ruiz Esparza told lawmakers in late December that none of the Mexican firms in the original consortium will take part in the new tender, and it remains to be seen with which companies CRCC will now partner. An executive from a major European train manufacturer that pulled out from the earlier tender said the Chinese bid’s financing made it highly competitive. He added that his company could only finance building the trains, but not the tracks, stations and other infrastructure like the Chinese. His company is banking on continued public outrage to scupper the Chinese bid. “The financing they have access to allows them to offer much more favourable terms than any other group,” said Gerardo Flores, a senior member of the Senate transport and communications committee with Mexico’s Green Party, a coalition ally of Pena Nieto’s ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party. “I’m worried it might appear it’s a given that this group will win,” he said, adding any doubts over the tender would set a bad precedent as Mexico’s government seeks to open up its energy sector to for- eign investment. The Mexican government denies the process was designed to benefit the Chinese, and has welcomed the decision by CRCC to bid again. Specific terms of the CRCC financing could not be immediately learned. This time, though, China will offer less generous terms, said a person with knowledge of Beijing’s thinking, as it believes its original winning bid was unfairly revoked over a home-grown Mexican political spat it had nothing to do with. The executive from the major European train manufacturer said that CRCC would be almost guaranteed to win if it joins forces with a less controversial, publicly listed Mexican builder, like ICA. If that happens, he said his firm would pull out. 14 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 BUSINESS Banks’ withdrawal opens doors for niche financiers in gold sector Reuters London Struggling gold miners are turning increasingly to alternative sources of finance for funds as banks and equity investors shy away. Stream financing and royalty deals and investments by private individuals are throwing a lifeline to some bullion miners but critics say it comes at the expense of future returns, damaging the industry’s longer-term appeal for more conventional investors. They may also be keeping alive production that would not be viable at current spot prices, delaying a rebalancing of supply and demand. Gold shed around a quarter of its value in the last two years after a more than decade-long bull run. “We have never been busier,” said David Harquail, chief executive of royalty and streaming company Franco-Nevada. “Our office is now full and we spend all our time trying to juggle which projects we can devote resources too.” Large European banks, which have withdrawn en masse from commodity trading, have also tightened gold mine financing and equity investors have lost confidence in a sector that squandered money on costly expansion during boom times but failed to control costs. Gold companies have underperformed the price in the last four years. According to a PwC global survey of gold, silver and copper mining companies, the number of miners that were able to raise capital in the equity market in the 12 months to November 2014 has halved and project financing has declined by about a fifth. In a royalty deal, a company buys the right to receive an annual share of a producer’s revenue while in streaming, firms make a payment upfront in exchange for an annual a slice of the miner’s production at a fixed, discounted price. The first royalty deals were done in the 80s and 90s and streaming deals began in the early 2000s but both have gained prominence in the last three to four years. Although still niche as a financing tool, the PwC survey shows that about 5% of the companies polled have signed royalty deals and an equal number has agreed a streaming arrangement, up from around four and 3% respectively. Royalty and streaming firms — most of which strongly outperformed the gold equity sector in 2014 — say they expect more business in coming months. They see gold prices near multi-years low as the perfect opportunity to bag low-cost deals before the market turns. Randy Smallwood, the head of the largest company specialised in streaming, Silver Wheaton, said they had looked at twice as many opportunities in 2014 than in 2012 and expected 2015 to be even busier. “Timing is everything... We do think that we are close to a bottom here now, just by virtue of the cost to produce metals,” he said. The deals on offer are evolving as demand rises. While initially mainly struck for by-products, now streaming companies are able to buy the primary product too. And while initially most of them focused on financing new projects, deals are now also happening with more mature companies that are looking to make acquisitions or to repay their debt. About a year ago, miner Teranga Gold struck a streaming deal with Franco Nevada and used the upfront payment to complete an acquisition in Senegal and to cut its debt. A $648mn streaming deal with Franco Nevada in October also helped miner Lundin Mining to buy a majority stake in a mine in Chile from Freeport-McMoRan. The risks are great. If one of the companies they strike a deal with goes out of business, they can see their investment wiped out. If the metal price falls, they may lose money too. Some have been burnt in the past. Advocates say they help miners cope with a volatile market. For critics, the appeal to such investment structures only underlines the stresses bearing down on much of the gold mining industry. “We have seen some pretty aggressive royalty and streaming structures coming up into the market. They effectively just keep the companies alive but put them under pressure and essentially take away Goldman writedown of Portugal loan hurts profit, some bonuses Reuters New York G oldman Sachs Group Inc had to write down its loan to the troubled Portuguese bank Banco Espirito Santo in the fourth quarter, cutting the bank’s profit and some employees’ bonuses, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The writedown came late in the quarter after a December 22 decision by Portugal’s central bank that effectively wiped out certain Banco Espirito Santo creditors. On Christmas Eve, a group of senior Goldman executives held a conference call to discuss the writedown and how it would affect employee bonuses, people familiar with the matter said. About 15 to 20 people worked on the Banco Espirito Santo deal, but because of the way Goldman structures its bonuses, up to 50 people in the broader group will be affected. Goldman and some of its clients lent Banco Espirito Santo $835mn in July using an entity it created called Oak Finance Luxembourg. The Bank of Portugal stepped in with a €4.4bn ($5.2bn) bailout of Banco Espirito Santo in August and split it into two parts — a new, healthy bank called Novo Banco, and a legacy entity that is being wound down. Banco Espirito Santo’s collapse came after it unveiled losses on loans made to an assortment of companies run by its founding family. The broader Espirito Santo group, which included tourism, health and agriculture companies, sought bankruptcy protection and began liquidating last year. Portuguese prosecutors have since launched an investigation into the company’s collapse. New management put in place at A view of the Goldman Sachs Group headquarters in New York. The writedown of loan to Portuguese bank Banco Espirito Santo by Goldman Sachs came late in the fourth quarter after a December 22 decision by the central bank that effectively wiped out certain creditors. Banco Espirito Santo by the central bank has said they suspect the lender engaged in illegal behaviour. Goldman officials believed that the Oak Finance loan would be protected in the new structure, in part because a senior Bank of Portugal official said so in writing, Goldman spokeswoman Fiona Laffan said. But on December 23, Novo Banco said in a regulatory filing that the Bank of Portugal decided not to transfer the Goldman-backed loan to the new entity. As a result, the prospects of Goldman and its clients being repaid have dimmed and Goldman’s finance staff had to write down the value of the loan. It could not be learned how much of the $835mn loan came directly from Goldman Sachs, how big the writedown was, or how much bonuses would be affected. Laffan declined to provide those details, as did other sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly. It’s not clear who at Goldman Sachs had chief responsibility for originating and structuring the loan to Banco Espirito Santo, though such a commitment typically has to move through the firmwide capital committee, which includes senior executives like chief financial officer Harvey Schwartz and chief risk officer Craig Broderick. Those involved with the loan at Goldman came from the securities division, as well as the financing group, which sits within the investment banking division. The securities business is overseen by co-heads Isabelle Ealet, Pablo Salame and Ashok Varadhan, while the financing business is overseen by co-heads Jim Esposito and Marc Nachmann. Vice chairman Michael Sherwood and Co-Head of Investment Banking Richard Gnodde, who together run Goldman Sachs International, were also apprised of developments regarding the Banco Espirito Santo loan. One person said the earnings effect of the writedown isn’t “material,” meaning the bank will not have to disclose it in detail on Friday when it announces results. Goldman hedged its exposure to the loan, which helps reduce the potential for losses. But another source said Goldman was the “lead” participant — meaning it provided the biggest chunk of financing — and that it wasn’t able to distribute as much of the loan as it initially planned because Banco Espirito Santo’s finances deteriorated so rapidly. Goldman has said “multiple investors” participated in the loan, including pension funds. After the Bank of Portugal’s decision, Goldman said it would pursue “all appropriate remedies” to recoup money for itself and its investors, unless the central bank changed its mind. The reduction in bonuses due to a bad bet on Banco Espirito Santo comes at a time when many traders are already expecting lower bonuses. In a report on Tuesday, Barclays analyst Jason Goldberg said he expects Goldman to say it paid out less revenue to employees last year to ensure that profits for shareholders are at reasonable levels. On average, analysts expect the bank to report earnings of $4.35 a share for the fourth quarter, versus $4.60 a share a year earlier. Trader bonuses at Citigroup will be down 5% to 10% compared with 2013, after market tumult in the last two weeks of the year hurt revenue, Reuters reported last week. Bank of America Corp is also reducing bonuses for investment banking and trading staff, the Wall Street Journal reported. Pay consultants say they expect overall bonuses in the banking sector to be flat-to-down. the upside from the (mining) equity investors,” Randgold Resources chief executive Mark Bristow said. Private investment firms founded in the last few years by industry experts are also eager to step into the gap and invest in the down cycle hoping for longer term gains. Lloyd Pengilly — head of mining fund QKR Corp — is convinced the gold sector holds the best opportunities in mining. In June QKR bought the Navachab Gold mine in Namibia from AngloGold Ashanti. It is now in talks with a number of gold companies for potential acquisitions, joint ventures and funding deals. “It is definitely fertile ground,” Pengilly told Reuters, talking about the gold sector. “I am seeing distressed prices, below net asset value, and that’s a rare event. In copper, iron ore, these companies are still trading at a premium.” Peugeot helped by Chinese appetite for mass-market cars Says 2.939mn cars sold in 2014; sales of Peugeot branded cars up 43.1% in China; overall group sales in China up 31.9%; analysts say VW, Peugeot could be beneficiaries of China sales Reuters Frankfurt F rench carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen’s 2014 sales rose 4.3% thanks to a 32% jump in deliveries in China, in a sign that mass market producers were outperforming premium brands during an economic slowdown in the country. PSA said China became its largest market, reaching 734,000 vehicles in 2014, or 25% of overall deliveries, thanks to the addition of 100 dealership networks and as customers snapped up midsized crossover vehicles like the Peugeot 3008. China is a key part of efforts by PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares to revive the company after the French state and China’s Dongfeng took 14% stakes in the company as part of a €3bn ($3.8bn) bailout. The alliance with Dongfeng has helped Paris-based PSA to reduce its reliance on Europe and expand in the world’s largest car market where manufacturers shift large volumes despite sales growth slowing from 14% to 6.9% in the past year. The Chinese expansion is timely as PSA seeks to cut costs, streamline its model lineup and raise pricing in pursuit of a 2% operating profit margin in 2018. PSA figures published yesterday indicated that mass carmakers may be taking less of a hit from slower China sales than premium brands like BMW, which faces demands for rebates from disgruntled dealers. Peugeot branded car sales rose 43.1% in China last year to 386,565 cars. BMW and Mini saw sales in mainland China rose by 16.7% last year, with a total of 455,979 deliveries. “We prefer mass over premium exposure in China in 2015,” Stuart Pearson, an autos analyst at Exane BNP Paribas said in a note yesterday. “While growth in financial services should support the overall market, we fear that the 1mn plus units of new premium capacity added over 2014-15 will continue to pile pressure on pricing.” China sales are critical for the earnings of European carmakers, accounting for over 50% of global earnings for each of the German manufacturers in 2014, analysts at Bernstein Research said in a note, adding that Volkswagen could be a beneficiary while BMW may be losing momentum. “Recent management changes suggest (BMW) CEO Norbert Reithofer felt it was a good time to bow out on a high. At the risk of sounding too cynical, it could be argued that investors would be well advised to follow his lead,” Bernstein said. China now contributes more than €500mn to PSA’s 2014 group profits, including JV profits, parts sales to its joint ventures, and royalties, Bernstein said. PSA made a net loss of €2.32bn in 2013 and said after its rescue last year it might not return to positive cash flow until 2016. In Europe car registrations rose 5.5% in the first 11 months of 2014, but Peugeot sales in the region have been been squeezed by the increasing popularity of value brands like Skoda and Dacia and the expansion of premium brands. Overall, PSA sales rose to 2.9mn cars in 2014, the company said. Group sales of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands in Europe rose 8.1% to 1.76mn vehicles. CORPORATE RESULTS JPMorgan profit hit by legal costs, drop in fixed-income revenue JPMorgan Chase & Co, the biggest US bank by assets, reported a 6.6% drop in quarterly profit as legal costs exceeded $1bn in the wake of government probes into alleged currency manipulation and fixed-income revenue fell. The bank agreed in November to pay $1bn in penalties over its conduct in foreign exchange markets. Investigations into that and other areas of the bank’s business are continuing. However, while legal expenses rose to $1.1bn in the fourth quarter, from $847mn in the same quarter last year, total legal costs of $2.9bn for the year were far less than the $11.1bn recorded in 2013. Profit last year was hit by government penalties for failing to report suspicions of fraud by Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff. Revenue in JPMorgan’s fixed-income business fell 23% to $2.5bn, although the drop was 14% after adjusting for the sale of the bank’s physical com- modities business and accounting changes. The results from JPMorgan — the first big US bank to report for the quarter — are a pointer to the performance of its competitors, which are also struggling to adjust to stricter trading rules in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Money set aside to cover bad loans also rose — to $840mn, from just $104mn a year earlier. Like other banks, JPMorgan has also been investing heavily to improve risk controls and system security. The bank revealed in October that names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of the holders of about 83mn accounts were exposed when its systems were hacked. Net income fell to $4.93bn, or $1.19 per share, from $5.28bn, or $1.30 per share a year earlier. Revenue on a managed basis fell 2.3% to $23.55bn. Analysts on average had expected earnings of $1.31 per share on revenue of $23.64bn, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The results for both periods included special items. The bank’s shares were down 1.9% before the bell. Revenue from home loans fell by $405mn to $1.9bn while investment banking fees rose 8% to $1.8bn, driven by record debt underwriting fees of $1.1bn. JPMorgan said it paid its investment bank employees 27% of revenue in 2014, down from 33% in 2013, in a record year for both IPOs and mergers and acquisitions. Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Co, the biggest US mortgage lender, reported a slight increase in quarterly profit as it lent more to commercial and industrial customers. Wells Fargo’s total loans rose 2.8% to $862.6bn in the fourth quarter. The bank’s commercial and industrial lending rose 15.5% rise, while its credit card loans increased 16%. Mortgage lending, however, fell to $44bn from $50bn a year earlier and $48bn in the third quarter. Wells Fargo shares were down 1.5% in premarket trading yesterday. Net income applicable to the bank’s common shareholders rose to $5.38bn, or $1.02 per share, from $5.37bn, or $1per share, a year earlier. Well Fargo’s net interest income rose 3.5% to $11.2bn due to growth in total loans and higher income from investments and trading assets. Revenue increased 3.3% to $21.4bn. Analysts on average had estimated earnings of $1.02 per share and revenue of $21.23bn, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Wells Fargo had mortgage applications of $26bn in the pipeline at the end of the fourth quarter, compared with $25bn at the end of the prior quarter. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 15 BUSINESS Russian finance minister warns on spending as crisis deepens Economy hit by low oil price, sanctions; Russia needs �a radical turn in economic policy’, says head of Russia’s biggest bank; finance minister says Moscow must control spending Reuters Moscow R Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attends the Gaidar Forum 2015 �Russia and the World: New Dimensions’ in Moscow yesterday. Russia’s budget for next year will lose 3tn roubles (£30bn) in revenues if the oil price averages $50 a barrel, Siluanov said. ussia’s finance minister called yesterday for a cut in planned spending to weather an economic crisis, warning of a more than $45bn drop in revenues this year if the average oil price is $50 a barrel. In comments underlining the government’s growing concern at the downturn, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said all budget expenditure should be cut by 10% except defence, a priority for President Vladimir Putin. Adding to the gloom, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said there was a “pretty high” chance Russia’s credit rating would be downgraded to junk and a deputy, Alexei Vedev, said he expected inflation to peak at 15-17% in March/April. A steep fall in the rouble, low prices for its main oil export and Western sanctions over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis have hit Russia’s economy hard, and Siluanov said overall expenditure in 2015 must increase by 5%, not the 11.7% previously budgeted. “The state cannot have the kind of spending it used to have with economic growth ... (and) with the oil price at $100 per barrel,” Siluanov told a conference of state officials, economists and business chiefs. But with Russia being starved of investment, pressure is mounting for stronger government action to pull it out of crisis. “We need a radical turn in economic policy,” said German Gref, the head of Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, demanding a “breakthrough” to improve the dire investment climate, stymied by state pressure on business and weak rule of law. Ulyukayev also highlighted the problems facing small and medium businesses, saying they must be supported to try to spur Russia’s oil-dependent economy, which the World Bank expects to contract by 2.9% this year. “The global economy will never again be what it used to be in 2000-07 and the situation in Russia will never be the same,” Ulyukayev said, referring to the economic boom years under Putin when the global oil price soared. “It will be much more complicated. It already is much more.” Russia’s 2015 budget was based on an oil price of $100 a barrel but prices are now close to six-year lows at just above $46 a barrel. “Regardless of having already curbed 2015 spending, we will ask parliament to cut by 10% all expenditure apart from defence spending,” Siluanov added. He said Russia needed to husband its reserves to overcome difficulties as the price of oil looked set to continue at low levels. The rouble, which fell about 40% against the dollar in 2014, has also continued its decline this year. “We think that with the (average) oil price at $50 per barrel (in 2015) ... we will lose some 3tn roubles in revenues,” he said. Siluanov said the Reserve Fund, a rainy day fund of around $90bn to cover budget holes, would be increased by 370bn roubles ($5.60bn) from last year’s savings, but Russia would need to spend more than 500bn roubles from it in 2015 to cover the budget gap. The 500bn, currently invested in foreign currency assets, would be converted gradually on the forex market. Siluanov said the ministry could invest part of the Reserve Fund in rouble bank accounts to take advantage of the weak rouble and earn high interest. “We need to have a lot more resources so as not to spend, not to burn up the reserve funds,” he said. Germany boasts balanced budget, resists stimulus Reuters London G ermany has boasted it had balanced its budget for the first time since 1969 and pressed eurozone partners to follow its austere example rather than try to stimulate their stagnant economies with borrowing or central bank money-printing. Berlin had been aiming to achieve the so-called “schwarze Null” (zero deficit) in 2015, but strong tax revenues and lower debt service costs due to rock-bottom interest rates helped it meet the goal a year early in 2014, the finance ministry said. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has rebuffed calls from EU partners led by France and Italy and international organisations such as the IMF and the OECD to spend some of the fiscal windfall on growth-promoting public investment. The announcement came nine days before the European Central Bank may decide to launch large-scale purchases of eurozone government bonds in an effort to boost growth and avert deflation in the 19-nation currency area. Headline inflation fell below zero in December, and core inflation, excluding energy and food, was stuck at 0.7%, far below the bank’s target of just below 2%. Persistent low inflation makes it harder for highly indebted governments and households to reduce the burden. ECB executive board member Benoit Coeure told German newspaper Die Welt that the bank was ready to take a decision when it meets on January 22. However, he held open the possibility of a delay, while saying Greece’s general election on January 25 would not influence the bank’s monetary policy path. “The discussion is far ad- A view of the Bundesbank headquarters in Frankfurt. Germany had been aiming to achieve zero deficit in 2015, but strong tax revenues and lower debt service costs due to rock-bottom interest rates helped it meet the goal a year early in 2014, the finance ministry said. vanced,” said Coeure. “Last week, we discussed a lot of technical details.” In a Reuters poll this week, eight out of 20 money market traders forecast the ECB’s Governing Council would launch bond purchases this month, with almost all the rest expecting an announcement at the next ECB meeting in March. Germany’s influential Bundesbank and conservative financial establishment oppose so-called quantitative easing (QE) — creating money to buy securities and stimulate the economy. They question the need for monetary stimulus at a time when falling oil prices are bringing an economic boost, and argue that buying government bonds raises legal and moral hazards, and could bring future losses for German taxpayers. Whether the ECB presses ahead with full-blooded QE despite German misgivings depends partly on a legal opinion to be delivered in the European Court of Justice yesterday. This concerns another plan which ECB President Mario Draghi unveiled after he promised in 2012 to do whatever it takes to save the euro, but never launched. If the court’s legal adviser finds the bank exceeded its treaty mandate by creating the unused OMT plan to buy the bonds of troubled eurozone countries that accept a bailout programme, or suggests curbs on such debt purchases, he could make it harder for Draghi to push through QE. Some ECB sources expect the bank’s Governing Council to approve a limited form of QE in which the ECB would buy some bonds centrally but national central banks would do most purchases of their own countries’ bonds at their own risk. The European Commission set out detailed rules on Tuesday for a planned €315bn investment programme over the next three years, involving no new public money in deference to German objections. Public investment and structural reforms could win limited leeway for countries breaking EU budget rules, it said. That reduces the likelihood of tough penalties on France or Italy, the eurozone’s second and third largest economies, when their fiscal plans are reviewed again in March. Countries that put capital into a proposed European Fund for Strategic Investment would not be penalised if it tips them over the EU’s deficit limit of 3% of gross domestic product. However, those that already have an deficit in excess of the ceiling would win no indulgence. The mood of self-congratulation in Berlin over the balanced budget made any easing of fiscal policy seem unlikely, even though the German economy is expected to slow this year. Far from using the leeway to invest more in creaking public infrastructure or cut taxes to stimulate weak domestic demand, politicians in Merkel’s conservative CDU party said the government should now focus on paying down the country’s debt. CDU deputy parliamentary floor leader Michael Fuchs told Handelsblatt that Germany still had huge a debt pile to clear currently at around 75% of GDP, and needed to keep saving as a duty to future generations. CDU general secretary Peter Tauber said the “historic success” sent a clear signal to the rest of Europe that Berlin was leading by example and spending only money in its coffers. “This marks a turning point in financial policy: We’ve finally put an end to living beyond our means on credit,” he said. Germans still harbour deepseated fears of inflation due to the hyperinflation of the 1920s that wiped out an entire generation’s savings, and many have an aversion to debt. Italy’s X’mas shoppers help zone’s factory output in Nov Reuters Brussels E urozone factory output rose slightly more than expected in November despite stagnant production in Germany as Italy, the bloc’s third largest economy, proved more resilient at the start of the Christmas shopping season. Industrial production in the 18 countries sharing the euro rose 0.2% in November, following small gains in October and September, the EU’s statistics office Eurostat said yesterday. That was better than the flat reading expected by economists in a Reuters poll. Facing deflation and nearrecord unemployment, the eurozone is hoping its weak recovery picks up in 2015, but its debt crisis has badly damaged confidence and many investors say that only a US-style bond-buying programme will lift the economy. The fragility of the recovery was evident in the monthly and annual November production data, with Germany, Europe’s largest economy, still struggling to emerge from crisis. Compared to the year earlier, industrial production slid 0.4%, dragged down by Germany, France and Italy, which make up two-thirds of the eurozone’s factory output and all fell. On a monthly basis, only Italy of the larger economies rose in November, climbing 0.3%, its best result since June. The fall in world oil prices weighed on the index as energy production fell almost 1% on a monthly basis. Capital goods, or machinery used to make other machinery and a sign of future demand, also fell 0.2%. But in the build-up to the busiest shopping season of the year, eurozone factories posted the highest production of durable consumer goods, such as televisions and washing machines, in more than a year. Non-durable consumer goods, including food, also rose 0.5%. Fourth-quarter growth data for the eurozone is due on February 13, but the signs are that the bloc ended the year on a weak note and eurozone consumer prices turned negative in December. Deutsche Bank mulls retail float, tie-up with foreign banks Float would separate risk-taking from deposit-taking; it would enable foreign bank to take a stake, says source Reuters Frankfurt Deutsche Bank is considering splitting off its retail division and listing it on the stock exchange should German lawmakers approve measures forcing banks to isolate risky trading activities, a person with knowledge of the discussions said. Under this scenario, Deutsche would keep investment banking and asset management while floating its retail operations in stages, in the hope of joining forces with a foreign partner willing to do battle in Germany’s highly competitive market for consumer banking, the source said. Deutsche Bank said: “We have been transparent that the bank will review and update its strategy over the course of the coming year. It is irresponsible to speculate on the sale of any business.” The considerations are at a purely theoretical stage, the source said, and being undertaken in case regulators impose restrictions that erode incentives for a big investment bank like Deutsche to maintain full ownership of a retail chain. In Berlin, a source close to the federal government said Deutsche has been “very, very busy” lobbying for a watered-down version of a draft German law requiring divisions between banks’ risk- and deposit-taking operations. Some German lawmakers regard the law as essential to rein in banks whose market bets helped to bring about the 2007-2009 financial crisis in which taxpayers bailed out lenders at huge expense. One possibility was to sell part of Deutsche’s retail operation to a large foreign partner alongside a stock market flotation, said the source with knowledge of the discussions, who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media. Discontent has risen among Deutsche’s shareholders as its share price has lagged those of other major investment banks and it falls far short of its profit targets, which were already watered down once in 2014. Germany’s largest lender began a strategic review earlier this month, saying it would examine its business lines and profit targets. The bank has not ruled out selling its Postbank-branded retail unit, which it bought in steps starting in 2008. A top 10 shareholder, who declined to be named, said a Postbank sale made sense, in part because Deutsche no longer needs access to its large deposit base. “We would welcome a Postbank sale. The bank was bought in a time when liquidity was scarce. That’s no longer the case today. Today, the important thing is trimming back and getting fit,” he said. In public, the bank has said that its strategy of offering a wide range of products worldwide was correct. “We’ve always been very, very clear to emphasise that the global, universal bank model is what we consider to be the right one for us,” co-chief executive Juergen Fitschen said on Germany’s N24 television station yesterday. Under the scenario being discussed, a flotation would allow a foreign bank to buy a stake, joining forces in one of Europe’ most competitive retail banking battlefields, the source said. The eurozone’s largest bank, Spain’s Santander, and French flagship BNP Paribas could be possible participants in the flotation, strengthening their positions in Europe’s largest economy, the source said. Both banks declined to comment. A bank official said it could make sense to sell down the group’s retail exposure gradually in a way that raises capital while reducing the group’s exposure to Germany’s brutally competitive retail market. It would also distance the risk-taking investment bank from the deposit-taking retail operation, a move some regulators may welcome as a means of protecting retail clients. No concrete decisions have been made, the first source said. A spokesman for the finance ministry said the government was considering moves to bring German regulations closer to those being debated at the European Union level. The EU is considering a law that would force banks to separate trading activities above a certain size so their collapse in any future market meltdown wouldn’t hurt customer accounts. But some proposals call for the proposal to be watered down. Deutsche would keep investment banking and asset management while floating its retail operations in stages, in the hope of joining forces with a foreign partner willing to do battle in Germany’s highly competitive market for consumer banking, a source said. Thursday, January 15, 2015 BUSINESS GULF TIMES Qatar Airways Cargo launches industry’s first �Pharma Express’ A Qatar Airways A330 freighter. Qatar Airways Cargo will launch twice weekly Airbus 330 freighter services to Basel on January 28, marking its first freighter service this year. In a first of its kind in the industry, Qatar Airways Cargo will commence a �Pharma Express’ service this month, offering air freight to the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. The Pharma Express service will link two key pharmaceutical manufacturing centres — Brussels and Basel (Switzerland) — with the extensive Qatar Airways’ network, via Doha. Basel has a large pharmaceutical industry and is home to the headquarters of many major pharmaceutical companies, while the Swiss chemical industry also operates largely from there. Brussels and the region of Flanders in Belgium, house some 146 life science companies with biotech activities, of which 50 are related to healthcare, 46 are active in the bio-based economy and 50 are life science providers. The Pharma Express route will be served by the Airbus 330 freighter and will operate from Brussels to Basel with a final stop in Doha on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Qatar Airways Cargo will launch twice weekly Airbus 330 freighter services to Basel on January 28, marking its first freighter service this year. Qatar Airways chief officer (Cargo) Ulrich Ogiermann said, “We are delighted to launch the Pharma Express and our first destination for 2015, Basel, Switzerland. The pharmaceutical industry is witnessing rapid growth each year, and with the rising demand there is the need to ensure that pharmaceuticals and healthcare products are transported with the utmost care while avoiding any temperature fluctuations. “By investing in sophisticated technology and a team of highly qualified staff, Qatar Airways Cargo can now offer healthcare companies and their logistic partners a state-of-the-art service for shipping temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals all over the world, while maintaining the integrity and quality of their products throughout the supply chain.” In January 2014, Qatar Airways Cargo launched QR Pharma — an air freight service for pharmaceutical and healthcare products. QR Pharma offers both, active and passive solutions. The active solution provides temperature-controlled containers, which are designed to maintain a constant temperature throughout the entire transportation chain, and the passive solution keeps the product within a defined temperature band at all stages of the journey. As an industry leader, Qatar Airways Cargo offers the fastest airline transfer at Doha through its Quick Ramp Transfer (QRT) solution. It is the only carrier in the Middle East to offer refrigerated or �reefer’ truck services for ramp transfers at its home hub. Sensitive commodities are collected from and delivered directly to the aircraft by specialised temperature-controlled vehicles, ensuring that the cool chain process is seamless, thereby eliminating risk to temperature exposure. World Bank cuts global growth outlook with US the lone bright spot Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Tuwar is heading the QC delegation at the GCC-Tanzania Investment forum in Dar es Salaam. Bloomberg Ottawa T Qatar Chamber taking part in GCC-Tanzania Investment forum T he Qatar Chamber (QC) is taking part in the first GCC-Tanzania Investment forum that is being held today and tomorrow in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The QC delegation to the forum is headed by Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Tuwar, QC’s vice-president, accompanied by Mohamed bin Ahmed alUbaidly, board member and Yahya Ibrahim, business council coordinator at QC. The forum is organised by the Federation of GCC Chambers (FGCCC), in co-operation with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), under the sponsorship of the President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete. The forum aims at devel- oping Africa-GCC business relations in general and the GCC-Tanzania relations in particular. Officials from the participating parties would look into the best ways to increase the volume of joint investment and trade exchange between Tanzania and the GCC countries. It would particularly focus on the promising investment opportunity in Tanzania for GCC businessmen. Experts from Tanzania would give presentations on the possible and available investment opportunities in the country, where GCC investors could play an important role. The forum is expected to enhance the GCC’s economic presence in Africa, Tanzania in particular. Boeing says no plans to match Airbus with long range 737 Reuters Seattle Boeing Co said it sees no business case for offering an extended-range version of its largest 737 jet, the forthcoming 737 MAX 9, to compete with a long-range plane that rival Airbus launched on Tuesday. Airbus released 2014 sales and production figures on Tuesday, showing it beat Boeing on orders, but lost on the number of planes actually delivered. Airbus also said it had won 30 orders for an extended range version of the A321neo from lessor Air Lease Corp The A321neo is outselling Boeing’s competing 737 MAX 9. The A321neo is larger and with longer range, there’s little Boeing can do to improve the MAX 9’s appeal, said Scott Hamilton, analyst at consulting firm Leeham Co. “The 737 MAX 9 is markedly inferior doing an apples-to-apples comparison,” Hamilton said. Boeing said both its existing 737-900 jet and the MAX 9 exceed the A321’s range so the long-range Airbus plane will simply catch up with what Boeing already offers. The A321 seats 185 passengers in a typical two-class configuration, versus 180 for the 737 MAX 9. A321neo sales stand at 755 versus 286 for the MAX 9. Boeing said it doubts Airbus’ market projections the longerrange plane, which aims to fill a gap left by the out-of-production Boeing 757. A market for 1,000 airplanes of that size is “frankly a little bit laughable,” Randy Tinseth, Boeing’s vice-president of marketing, said on a call with reporters. “But it’s a market space we’re looking at,” added John Wojick, senior vice president of global sales and marketing. Boeing plans to replace the 737 MAX by 2030 with a carboncomposite airplane that will likely be larger. In Hamilton’s view, that means “Boeing has basically conceded that they will be second fiddle in the single aisle market sector for 15 years.” He sees the A321 market including replacement of 757s, of which 1,050 were built, along with new routes for that type of aircraft, and replacement of MAX 9s and older A321s. Airbus said on Tuesday it received net orders of 1,456, which topped Boeing’s tally of 1,432 net orders. Wojick said Boeing aims to beat Airbus on aircraft deliveries, since that generates revenue and cash that investors want. he World Bank cut its forecast for global growth this year, as an improving US economy and low fuel prices fail to offset disappointing results from Europe to China. The world economy will expand 3% in 2015, down from a projection of 3.4% in June, according to the lender’s semiannual Global Economic Prospects report, released yesterday in Washington. The report adds to signs of a growing disparity between the US and other major economies while tempering any optimism that a plunge in oil prices will boost output. Risks to the global recovery are “significant and tilted to the downside,” with dangers including a spike in financial volatility, intensifying geopolitical tensions and prolonged stagnation in the euro region or Japan. “The global economy yesterday is much larger than what it used to be, so it’s a case of a larger train being pulled by a single engine, the American one,” World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu told reporters on a conference call. “This does not make for a rosy outlook for the world.” The Washington-based lender upgraded its forecast for US growth to 3.2% this year from a 3% estimate given in June. It reduced its projections for the euro area and Japan, citing lingering effects from the financial crisis and “structural bottlenecks.” It also cut its forecast for China, saying the world’s second-biggest economy is undergoing a “managed slowdown.” The World Bank is the latest institution to lower its global estimate amid a recovery that has repeatedly disappointed policy makers. The International Monetary Fund trimmed its 2015 outlook in October to 3.8%, citing weak demand and residual debt from the financial crisis. The IMF plans to update its global forecast next week. The 19-nation euro area is projected by the World Bank to grow 1.1% in 2015, down from a June estimate of 1.8%. China will expand 7.1%, down from the 7.2% pace the bank projected in October and a 7.5% estimate in June. Japan will expand at a 1.2% clip, down from the 1.3% projected in June, according to the bank. It also cut its forecast for global growth in 2016 to 3.3% from 3.5%. The bank sees average oil prices falling 32% this year, a decline that’s historically associated with a boost to global GDP of about 0.5%. Yet the impact on growth may be smaller in 2015 and 2016 because of other headwinds including weak confidence that encourages saving rather than spending, and a “significant” income shift from oil-producing countries to those that are net consumers, the World Bank said. Cheaper fuel, development costs add pressure on hybrid, electric cars DPA Detroit N ew models of hybrid and electric cars will roll off assembly lines in the coming years as automakers hustle to meet government-mandated emission standards that take effect over the next 10 years. But just as the cars improve in almost every way — from price to interior styling and roominess — and become more mainstream, it was clear this week at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit they face new challenges. Falling fuel prices, improvements in the amount of fuel used by standard combustible engines and persistent questions about performance and range were among the questions raised. At least one industry leader, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) chief executive Sergio Marchionne, wondered whether the 2025 deadline to meet the strictest standard might be pushed back. Hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) figured into some of the major announcements at the NAIAS. Hyundai announced it will produce a plug-in hybrid in 2016, General Motors announced a redesign of its existing Volt, a hybrid, and a new EV, the Bolt, to begin selling in 2016 and Honda said it would produce an all-new plug-in EV, a new hydrogen fuel cell car and a new EV by 2018. The Nissan Leaf is one of the more popular cars, selling about 30,200 in the US in 2014 at a price of about 30,000 dollars. Nissan announced at the show that it plans Fiat Chrysler Automobiles chief executive Sergio Marchionne wonders whether the 2025 deadline to meet the strictest standard might be pushed back. to introduce an electric vehicle with a range of around 300km, similar to that of the Bolt and Tesla’s Model 3. “Obviously, we will be competing,” Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn told reporters. He doesn’t consider Tesla, whose cars are more than double the price of the Leaf, a competitor. Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, predicted his company would sell “a few million cars” by 2025. The company has only one model on the market so far, the Model S luxury electric. It sold about 33,000 of them in 2014 and expects 50% growth this year. But pressure is coming from many directions for all hybrid and EVs. Overall US sales in the segment fell 8.8% to 452,152 in 2014, according to Hybridcars.com. The leading car in the category, the Toyota Prius fell 11.5% to 207,372 last year, while sales of the Chevrolet Volt fell 18.6% to 18,805. “It’s going to be a really tough market,” in 2015 for hybrid and electric cars, said Michelle Krebs, speaking at an industry forum during the NAIAS. Even though some hybrid car sales were up in 2014 — Ford’s Fusion Energi plug-in more than doubled sales to 10,761, for example — the numbers make clear that the Obama administration’s goal of 1mn battery-only and plug-in electric vehicles on US roads by 2015 will not be achieved. Gas prices have dropped to a national average of just $2.10 per gallon (about 52¢ per litre), according to a fuel report produced by the leading US auto club. Meanwhile, the average fuel economy of cars and trucks increased to 25.5 miles per gallon in 2014. All this has some industry officials wondering whether government regulators will be forced to rethink some of the more stringent fuel economy standards that the auto industry is trying to meet. The 2025 mandate of an average 54.5 miles per gallon was questioned during NAIAS. Automakers can meet that number, Marchionne said on Tuesday at an industry event sponsored by the magazine Automotive News. “The question is, at what a price?” Automakers are investing billions of dollars into electric vehicles and other forms of fuel efficient technology. According to one estimate, as much as $10,000 of the price of a hybrid or EV goes toward research and development. Marchionne said existing regulations should be broader to reward other technology in addition to electric vehicle development. The government’s deadline of 2025 might not be a realistic date, Marchionne said. “Fifty-four will not change. The date of implementation might.” Cyprus Airways trade name, logo up for sale Reuters Nicosia Cyprus will put the trade name and logo of now-defunct state carrier Cyprus Airways up for sale after the airline suspended operations on Jan. 9, officials said yesterday. Cash-starved Cyprus Airways was shut down after the European Commission ordered it to repay more than €65mn it received in illegal state aid. Cyprus Airways, which employed 550 people, had been losing money and market share for years, after cheaper competitors started muscling in on its previously lucrative routes. Several attempts to turn it around failed. “Our attempts are focused on improving Cyprus’s air connectivity, finding jobs for Cyprus Airways staff and using the trade names,” deputy government spokesman Victor Papadopoulos told reporters. Government officials said a process to find a buyer would have to be “immediate” since the commercial value of the airline’s trade name and its logo — which depicts a species of mountain sheep endemic to the island — could erode over time. There would be an open competition to appoint advisers on the sale, he said. Authorities have not speculated on who might be interested in bidding. INTERVIEW | Page 3 TENNIS | Page 5 NBA | Page 9 �Worlds will have great impact on our society’ Federer, Sharapova gun for more Oz glory Yang debuts at Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Thursday, January 15, 2015 Rabia I 24, 1436 AH GULF TIMES PREVIEW Lights, camera, action... Hosts Qatar to meet Pan-American rivals Brazil in the opening match of the World Handball Championships today By Yash Mudgal Doha A fter numerous inspections by the highest-ranked IHF representatives and following the hosting two major test events—the IHF Super Globe in September and the Asian Clubs’ League championship in November and December—Doha is indeed ready for the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship, which will get underway today at the Lusail Multipurpose Arena. Under Spanish coach Valero Rivera, who led Spain all the way to the top of the winners’ podium in his home town of Barcelona two years ago, Qatar will take on Brazil in the opening match of the championship which will be a duel between two Spanish-born coaches, as Brazil’s head coach Jordi Ribera also comes from the famous handball school of the Iberian country. Qatar, placed in Group A along with defending champions Spain and fourth-place holders Slovenia, are entering the field full of confidence as they had already proved their ambitions for the international stage by winning both the Asian Championship and the Asian Games handball tournament, each for the first time in 2014. The opening encounter will hold the key to the fortunes of the hosts in the championship as they are eager to pave the way to their best ever result of the hosts at a World Championships—the pre-quarterfinals spot. The first four teams of all the four groups will qualify for the pre-quarterfinals and it’s Rivera’s goal to be among those. “This would mean the best result ever at the World Championships for Qatar, and I am confident that we can manage it,” he said. This is the fifth appearances for Qatar in the World Handball Championships and their best result was in Portugal (2003) when they finished 16th. On the other hand, Brazil, who have already booked their ticket for Rio 2016 being the host country of the event, are hoping to show their improvement after reaching the pre-quarterfinals at the 2013 World Championships as the only Pan American team. They missed advancing to the quarter-finals after a narrow defeat against Russia. Brazil, who were runners-up to Argentina in the continental battle for this edition, have an ace marksman in Felipe Ribeiro, who has 530 goals to his name from 150 matches for the national team. Also, Santos Maik under the bar is another player to watch out. The goalkeeper has played in 185 matches for the Brazilian team and would be a big threat to the Qatari strikers. For the hosts, their goalkeeper Sanijel Saric has the potential to change the game with his brilliant anticipation and reflexes. The presence of Eldar Memisevic, who has played 84 matches, and Wajdi Sinen, with 221 goals to his name, can inspire the hosts and spark the victory in the first match. Qatar’s towering pivot Borja Vidal, who stands about 190cms tall, is another exciting player to watch out. Playmaker Rafael Da Costa has the capability to fire from long range. Belarus and Chile are the other two teams in the group. Everything but Spain taking the first place in the group will be a huge surprise. For the second and third positions, we could see a fight between Slovenia and Belarus, though Slovenia carry a slight advantage. The preliminary round match against his former team Spain will also be a very emotional moment for Rivera. Qatar is the fourth country outside of Europe to host a Men’s World Championship after Japan (1997), Egypt (1999) and Tunisia (2003). The 24 teams will start in four preliminary round groups, which will be contested in three venues—the Duhail Sports Hall, Lusail Multipurpose Hall and Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena. The four best ranked from each group proceed to the pre-quarterfinals where the group winners will face the fourth-ranked teams and the second ranked will duel with the third ranked. The teams that finish in positions five and six in each group will compete in the Presidents’ Cup in the Duhail Sports Hall for ranking positions 17 to 24. The knockout stage will be completed by the quarter-final and semi-final rounds, the bronze medal match and the final—and, in contrast to the 2013 World Championship in Spain, with a placement round for positions 5 to 8. This determination of the final ranking is of crucial importance for the road to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. While the new world champions will book a direct ticket for the Olympic handball tournament as the first team after hosts Brazil, the teams that finish in positions two through seven will qualify for the Olympic Qualification Tournaments to be played in 2016. In addition to the world champions, the winners of the continental qualifications from Asia, Africa, Pan America and Europe will also be awarded with a direct spot to Rio 2016. GROUP A ROUND 1 SCHEDULE Jan 15: Qatar vs Brazil (8.30 pm) Jan 16: Spain vs Belarus; Slovenia vs Chile 2 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 24TH MEN’S HANDBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SPOTLIGHT World handball a pointer to Qatar’s sporting ambitions �The established perception needs to be changed and reversed. What Qatar needs is tangible proof that its strategy (of investing in sport events) is working. Such events as the World Handball are important for Qatar to demonstrate it can manage high-profile events’ AFP Doha M ost countries hosting sporting events build several new stadiums and refurbish a few old ones, but such an approach was never likely for uber-ambitious Qatar. The super-rich Gulf state has gone considerably further by beginning work on building an entire new city from scratch in the desert—Lusail—that will eventually host the football World Cup final in 2022. This week the $45 billion (38 billion euro) project, some 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of the capital Doha, faces its first high-profile test when it plays host to the World Handball Championships. Twenty-four teams will contest for a cup made of pure gold. France, Denmark and Spain are among the favourites and Qatar’s national team is predicted to make the quarter-finals. But it is what happens off the handball court that is arguably far more important for Qatar’s sporting ambitions. The tournament provides a chance for Qatar not only to show that it can successfully host a World Cup, but also begin to reverse the negative press which has surrounded its sporting ambitions, especially in the West, feels Simon Chadwick, professor of sports business strategy at Coventry University. “The established perception needs to be changed and reversed,” he says. “What Qatar needs is tangible proof that its strategy (of investing in sport events) is working.” The Handball World Championships provide an opportunity for people to “get to know Qatar for running high-profile sports events rather than being a country in the desert with lots of money and accused over FIFA scandals,” Chadwick adds. It is the Lusail Multipurpose Hall which will provide that litmus test for Qatar’s aspirations. The opening ceremony, opening game, final and many of the major games that take place, beginning today till February 1, will all be played at the hall, a dome-like $300 million structure that rises improbably out of the Qatari sands. A somewhat bizarre sight, it is surrounded at present—like a small airport—by little more than vast car parks, and tended to by hundreds of workers making last-minute preparations for the start of the tournament. Beyond the very modern structure lays the desert. But in a few years’ time the stadium, which can hold more than 15,000 fans, will be just one tiny part of a gigantic urban development. The scale of the project, even in a country where building works take place 24 hours a day, is unmatched. It is the largest single development ever undertaken in Qatar and one of the largest underway anywhere in the world. When finished in 2019, more than 200,000 people will call Lusail home. It will be the first green city in Qatar, a 38 square-kilometre (15 square-mile) metropolis that will be home to 22 hotels, 36 schools, luxury waterfront homes, a blue lagoon, two golf courses, an underground metro link, tunnels carrying chilled water pipes to cool buildings and shopping malls. At its heart will be the 86,250seat Lusail Iconic Stadium that will host football’s 2022 World Cup final. Work at the hall has continued until the very last moment, with hundreds of labourers and security guards fanned out across the site, including on the hall’s gleaming and distinctive white and blue roof. As the finishing touches were being carried out, Chadwick said the Handball Worlds provided Qatar with an important chance to start winning over its many doubters. “Such events as the handball are important for Qatar to demonstrate it can manage high-profile events,” he says. Interior view of Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiya Arena at Al Saad Club, one of three venues of Handball Worlds. (EPA) France sought security guarantee Olympic handball champions France sought security guarantees from Qatar before leaving for the World Championships following the Paris attacks, a team official said yesterday. “The players needed to be reassured,” said French technical director Philippe Bana. “We reassured them. We had very precise details on the measures and that reassured them.” The Handball World Championships start in Doha today and the French team are feeling vulnerable due to fears caused by the militant attacks in Paris last week that left 17 dead. “In security terms, we have had all the assurances, from the foreign affairs ministry, the embassies, the Qataris themselves,” said Bana. “The (security) level is very high, Olympic standard. So from this point of view we are very reassured,” the director added. Coach Claude Onesta said he has “no fears” about the competition and that he was sure the organisation would be “high level”, but added that not all the French men, who have won the last two Olympic finals, are happy to be playing in Doha. “We will have to do our job in a place where sometimes you wonder if everything is alright. It is not a place where you would like to live,” added Onesta who said he was speaking in a strictly personal capacity. The 24-nation competition for a pure gold trophy donated by Qatar runs until February 1. A general view of the Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiya Arena at Al Saad Club, which is one of three venues for the Qatar 2015 Handball World Ch’ships. (EPA) QATAR MUSEUMS CELEBRATE HANDBALL WORLDS WITH NEW PUBLIC ART PIECES The Qatar Museums yesterday unveiled three new artworks especially commissioned to celebrate the 24th Men’s Handball World Championships in Doha. Thanks to the collaboration between Qatar Museums and the Qatar 2015 Organizing Committee, the artworks are installed at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall as part of an ongoing public art programme designed to bring culture to the streets of Doha. The pieces include two murals created by Qatari artist Mohamed al-Nasif, inspired by different elements of Qatari culture and the country’s development and progress. The second artwork is a large bronze sculpture entitled �The Challenge 2015’, and was produced in just five months by noted Iraqi artist Ahmed al-Bahrani. The third artwork is a �calligraffiti’ piece by renowned Tunisian artist El Seed who blends tradi- tional Arabic calligraphy with contemporary street art. The work includes poetry quotes by Sheikh Jassem Bin Mohamed Bin Thani, the Founder of Qatar. This is his second project in Qatar. His first, in 2013, involved painting four underground tunnels on Salwa Road with artistic graffiti themes and quotes focusing on themes of identity, education, history and several other aspects of life in Doha. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 3 24TH MEN’S HANDBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP INTERVIEW/ HE SHEIKH JOAAN BIN HAMAD AL-THANI �Handball Worlds will have great impact on our society’ HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani (fourth from left), President of Qatar 2015 Organising Committee, inspects the facilities at Losail HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad alThani, President of Qatar 2015 Organising Committee, speaks about the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship that begins at the brand new Lusail Multipurpose Hall from today. The first ever Men’s Handball World Championship in Qatar starts today. How strong is your personal anticipation? I have been counting down the days with great anticipation! It is a mixture of excitement and the knowledge that we did our best. I believe that the work and achievements of the State of Qatar along with 2015 Men’s Handball World Championship are a manifestation of our effort towards a healthy society while spreading awareness on the importance sports have in our life. The championship will have a great impact on our society as it opens up working opportunities for experts in the field of sports and gives the young and talented an opportunity to contribute to a great event at the heart of our country. And with the continuous efforts of the Qatar National Olympic committee and the various sports associations, the calendar of international top sports events is expanding. Qatar in my opinion is the new home of sportsmanship. We are working hand in hand to make the Championship an unforgettable event to be added to the book of achievements of Qatar. We are working to be the perfect host for all 24 teams, all officials, all fans and all media representatives by creating a perfect atmosphere in the arenas, by showing our well-known hospitality. We want the world to remember a unique and spectacular event. tracted such a big and diversified group of volunteers offering their best to the organisation of the game of the fast! Which means a huge legacy for Handball and for Qatar? The legacy will be a strong reputation that Qatar keeps its promises and delivers what it has promised to the world’s handball community. The 24th Men’s Handball World Championship will be a top event that the local and international handball community will never forget—including the amazing arenas built aesthetically and in compliance with IHF regulations, not forgetting to mention the new handball trophy that has been conceptualised and designed in Qatar. In addition, we have motivated the local talents to get involved in this event. The World Championship will bring together handball fans from all over the world—a great chance for Qatar to showcase their abilities and combine it with hospitality... Qataris have sport in their hearts and the World Championship will be yet another proof of our dedication to Sport. Sport is not only brings people together, but also it brings cultures. Everyone is welcome to learn about Qatar’s traditions, hospitality and more. Qatar is widely known for hospitality and Qataris have welcomed the world on numerous occasions in the past. We have specially tailored travel packages that are reaching out to all fans around the world. We want to welcome the world in Qatar. Which interaction do you expect for the Qatari people? An integral part of our strategy is engaging the fans by inviting schools, sports clubs and people from various communities to engage in various activities. The main objective is to enhance sports education in a fun and exciting way while introducing handball to the young generation perfectly meets this purpose. How critical was role of volunteers? Volunteers are indispensable and absolutely necessary for every sports’ organisation event. In our case volunteers proved to be an organic part of the success of the test events and of the preparation for the main championship. We are very satisfied that Handball has at- What, in your opinion, is the unique selling point of the 2015 Men’s World Championship? The event in Qatar will be the first ever World Championship to be held in one city, this offers a clear advantage for teams and spectators. All venues, accommodation and city landmarks are within a short drive. The weather conditions in Qatar during the month of January are like a “summer in the heart of winter”. This will enable fans that will travel from all over the world to experience not just a celebration of handball but also explore the unique beauties our nation has to offer. Qatar2015 also enjoys the full support of the IHF and the IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustafa, who often said that Qatar will host “the best World Championship ever”. What is your vision on this event, the vision of the Qatar governing bodies? We want to leave a lasting legacy. Qatar has showcased its commitment to sports excellence on many occasions. We share common goals with local, regional, continental and global stakeholders to make sure that the World Championship will offer a unique opportunity for the development of sport. Our goal is to turn the World Championship into a memorable milestone and a unique experience for everyone: the athletes, the sport officials, the media, the fans, the volunteers, the national and international federations. We carefully studied how we could use the existing infrastructure and what our additional requirements would be for the event. Our goal is to turn the World Championship into a memorable milestone and a unique experience for everyone: the athletes, the sport officials, the media, the fans, the volunteers, the national and international federations. We carefully studied how we could use the existing infrastructure and what our additional requirements would be for the event. We have identified what the athletes want to see in a handball venue; they are the protagonists and we made sure to cater their needs in the best possible way. You have permanently been inspecting the Qatar 2015 venues during the record-breaking fast construction process. What is your impression on those arenas? Sustainable development is one of the most important aspects we take into very serious consideration in Qatar. We will have three brand-new and state-of-the-art arenas with capacities ranging between 5,000 and 15,000 seats. Those will be the key pillars in future bids for various sports and will remain active sports hubs. Lusail Multipurpose Hall, the largest of all new arenas, is being built in order to be able to host sports as well as cultural events. Ali bin Hamad al-Attiyah Sports Hall in Al-Sadd district of Doha, with a capacity of 7,700 seats. Duhail Handball Sports Hall in Duhail district of Doha with a planned capacity of 5,500 seats. The hall is part of the Qatar Handball Association (QHA) complex. All three venues of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship are designed and built in compliance with the guidelines provided by the International Handball Federation (IHF). In addition, they use sustainable green technology specifically for the cooling and ventilation that will help to minimise the carbon footprint and environmental impact when the stadia are in use. We are proud to confirm that all the progress in Venue Construction are achieved without a single major accident. What is the perspective of the Qatar team who will have home advantage? The Qatar Handball Association has won gold medals with its youth, junior and senior teams in the previous years at all Asian Championships. The men’s team of head coach Valero Rivera even managed to win double gold in 2014, raising both trophies at the Asian Championship and the Asian Games for the first time in history. So we are all confident and optimistic that the team will play with all their capabilities to ensure the best World Championship result. The World Championship will be a milestone from the sports point as well, not the finishing line, as we hope to launch a great future for Qatar Handball. Hosting the World Championship is the highlight of our master plan, but our potential goes beyond this event. The number of handball players in Qatar is significantly increasing since we have been awarded to host the 2015 World Championship. International top coaches; headed by Valero Rivera, the most successful coach in handball, have come to Qatar knowing the huge potential for handball in Qatar. In general, we are confident that by bringing the most important Handball global event in Qatar, we will open a new perspective for the development of the sport. In spring, you and IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustafa unveiled Fahad, the mascot of the event. What does Fahad represent and characterize, in your opinion? Fahed is more than a mascot. He is a seven-year-old boy and the first humanfigured mascot to become the handball ambassador for Qatar. He showcases the hospitality, our traditions, the friendship, and the sporting ambitions of Qatar in a highly positive and charming way. Fahad will be the face of the World Championship; he will transport our ideals and dreams to the spectators in the venues and via TV all over the world. 4 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 CRICKET SPOTLIGHT HOPE FLOATS Pak spinner Ajmal clears unofficial bowling action test �I cleared the private test. The tests were conducted in Edgbaston (England) and all my deliveries including the �doosra’ (his trademark swing) were within 15 degrees’ I want to play for England again, says Kevin Pietersen File picture of Kevin Pietersen. AFP Sydney E xiled batsman Kevin Pietersen says he is still in the dark as to why England dumped him and remains determined to force his way back into the team. The controversial 34-year-old was dropped last February and subsequently released an autobiography in a blaze of publicity claiming the England dressing room had been beset by a bullying culture. “I was sacked... I don’t know why I’m not playing for England. I haven’t got a clue,” he told former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, now a commentator, in a wide-ranging interview during an Australian Big Bash League broadcast on Tuesday night. “Never (have I been given a reason). They’re not allowed to—for legal reasons, they’re probably weren’t allowed to, and they still haven’t embellished on anything. “(But) I know that the current captain would love to have me in the England team.” Eoin Morgan replaced Alastair Cook as skipper of the one-day side in December in the lead up to next month’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and had previously spoken out in de- fence of Pietersen before taking the role. When pressed on his assertion that Morgan would welcome him back into the fold, Pietersen, who is playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, did not back away from the claim. “I think he probably would, yeah,” he said. “I don’t see why not, I’m hitting it okay and I get along pretty well with most of the guys in there, if not all of them, so yeah, I don’t see why not.” In his book, South Africa-born Pietersen blasted former coach Andy Flower and several players, saying a “bullying culture” had been created in the dressing room. Other players denied the claims. He told Ponting this had now changed. “The majority of those guys are gone—they’re not in the side anymore,” he said, adding that he wants to play for England again. “I want to play for England. If I get the opportunity to play for England, I’m 34 years of age, Kumar Sangakkara is (37) and he’s just scored a double hundred,” he said. England play a triangular oneday series this month against Australia and India ahead of the World Cup. They face a Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra later Wednesday. File picture of Pakistan cricketer Saeed Ajmal (second right) during a practice session at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka. AFP Karachi S uspended Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal yesterday claimed to have cleared a private bowling action test, but it remains uncertain whether he will feature in next year’s World Cup. The private test was conducted in a laboratory in Edgbaston in England and Ajmal now needs to clear an official reassessment in an International Cricket Council (ICC) accredited laboratory in Chennai, India on January 24. The 37-year-old was suspended over illegal bowling action in September last year and last month withdrew from the World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand in February-March. His withdrawal came after remedial work carried out under former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq to alter his bowling action fell short. Ajmal said he is confident he can clear the official test after success in the private assessment. “I cleared the private test,” Ajmal told AFP. “The tests were conducted in Edg- baston and all my deliveries including the �doosra’ (his trademark swing) were within 15 degrees.” Under the ICC rules all bowlers are allowed to straighten their bowling arm by 15 degrees, beyond which the action is deemed illegal. Ajmal’s first assessment in August last year revealed his arm extension went to 43 degrees. Ajmal, however, remained unsure whether he would be able to feature in the World Cup or not. “Look, I want to be as confident in my bowling as I was before (suspension) and want to be effective, so (whether) I can still play the World Cup or cannot play, remains to be seen. “I want to do what is best for my country and for my team.” Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan on Tuesday ruled out Ajmal’s participation in the World Cup, saying it was too late to consider it. Ajmal was included in the preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup, but after his withdrawal was dropped from the 15-man party announced last week. However, under the ICC rules all teams can replace a player before the February 7 deadline, a week before the World Cup starts. Pakistan team will play its first match against title-holders India in Adelaide on February 15. PAKISTAN RETAINS SUSPENDED AJMAL IN CENTRAL CONTRACTS Pakistan cricket authorities yesterday retained the suspended spinner Saeed Ajmal while also adding the newcomers fast bowler Sohail Khan and the leggie Yasir Shah in their list of central contracts. The 37-year-old Ajmal is under suspension for illegal bowling action since September last year and will appear in a reassessment test in Chennai, India on January 24. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the central contracts will run from January to March 31 this year. Ajmal was retained in “A” category along with Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi and Junaid Khan. Paceman Junaid was lucky to be retained in the top category despite being sidelined through injury since October last year. “PCB has extended central contracts up to March 31, 2015 the central contracts awarded for the year 2015 will be awarded in April,” said a PCB release. Shah and Sohail—both part of Pakistan’s 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup -- have been awarded central contract in Category �D’, the release added. The term of the previous contracts expired Dec. 31, 2014. FULL LIST OF CONTRACTED PLAYERS Category �A’ (6): Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Junaid Khan. Category �B’ (3) : Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul. Category �C’ (6): Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Adnan Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Nasir Jamshed, Abdul Rehman Category �D’ (18): Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfraz Ahmed, Bilawal Bhatti, Sharjeel Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Fawad Alam, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Raza Hasan, Umar Amin, Haris Sohail, Rahat Ali, Shan Masood, Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Yasir Shah and Sohail Khan. BOTTOMLINE Williamson absence could be a blessing in disguise for the Kiwis Reuters Wellington K ane Williamson’s absence for possibly the next three matches against Sri Lanka could be a blessing in disguise for New Zealand, with the batting order given the opportunity to fine tune plans for the World Cup. Test opener Tom Latham will bat in Williamson’s place at number three in the second game against Sri Lanka in Hamilton on Thursday, top-order batsman Ross Taylor said yesterday. Williamson, who is out for about seven to 10 days with a slight shoulder injury, has scored 722 runs, including seven half centuries and one century, at 72.20 in the past 12 months File picture of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson batting during the first ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Christchurch. and is considered crucial to the co-hosts World Cup hopes. New Zealand co-host the Feb. 14-March 29 World Cup with Australia. “It’s probably a good thing,” Taylor said of Williamson’s enforced absence. “We want to see how these guys handle themselves under pressure. “Kane has been the go-to guy for the last 12-18 months. It will be different but exciting as well to see how (these guys) go under pressure, (which) bodes well for the World Cup.” New Zealand must also explore options at number five, with Latham and Grant Elliott thought to be contesting the spot for the global showpiece after captain Brendon McCullum reverted to opening the batting. He belted a 19-ball half century in the first match in Christchurch, which gave the hosts a flying start in pursuit of the 219 runs needed for victory. The recalled Elliott batted at five in the three-wicket win in the first match at Hagley Oval and was expected to play there today, added Taylor, though the allrounder was absent from training due to a family issue yesterday. A decision on his availability may not be made until today. Elliott’s selection at five was not an indication he had the inside track on the job for the World Cup, Taylor said. Statistics suggest Latham’s best position is at the top of the order, where has time to build an innings. Latham has scored 146 runs at 24.33 in his last eight ODI innings, all in the middle order, while his highest career score, 86, came as an opener. “I wouldn’t say because Grant is batting there at the moment that he has the number on Tom,” Taylor said. “Tom gets to bat up the order and that gives you a little bit more time. Five is a difficult spot to bat but three has a little bit more time and hopefully he can take his opportunity there.” PLUNDER Bell smashes 187 as England crush PM XI England’s Ian Bell reacts after reaching his century yesterday. AFP Canberra O pener Ian Bell plundered 187 off 145 balls and Stuart Broad captured four wickets as England crushed the Prime Minister’s XI by 60 runs in Canberra yesterday. Bell starred in England’s imposing 391 for six to set the PM XI a run chase of almost eight runs an over at Manuka Oval. Bell was out on the penultimate ball of the innings, caught by Australian Test batsman and PM XI skipper Chris Rogers off paceman Jason Behrendorff as England made full use of winning the toss. England then bowled out the home side for 331 off 48.1 overs in an encouraging hit out ahead of Friday’s opening tri-series oneday international against Australia in Sydney. Paceman Broad snaffled four for 40 off 8.1 overs, including two wickets in two balls and was denied a hat-trick late in the PM XI innings. Bell said the English side couldn’t have asked for a better preparation ahead of their triseries opener. “Template-wise, today—it was perfect,” he said. England have put their disappointing Ashes campaign last year behind them and were making good strides forward, he said. “There are not many guys in that dressing room from that Test series,” he said. “This is a new group and a group that has moved on, really.” There were plenty of positives for England, working towards next month’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with opener Moeen Ali and number three James Taylor both contributing 71. Bell and Ali put on 113 for the first wicket before Bell combined with Taylor in a stand of 141 for the second. Bell hit 20 fours and three sixes in the highest score by a batsman for England in a 50-over match against an attack that included two of Australia’s World Cup squad members, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell. Fast bowler Cummins went wicketless for 52 off six overs, while spinner Maxwell captured one for 63 off nine overs. But Maxwell gave his World Cup hopes a major boost with 136 from only 89 balls. Maxwell has been struggling in the Big Bash League and has been public about his fears the slump would have cost him a place in the World Cup squad. He was the star attraction for the PM’s XI, belting 20 fours and six sixes. But he was forced to play a lone hand with 18-yearold Jake Doran the home side’s next top score on 37. Brief Scores: England XI 391/6 (Bell 187, Ali 71, Taylor 71, Behrendorff 4-79) beat Prime Minister’s XI 331 (Maxwell 136, Broad 4-40) by 60 runs Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 5 TENNIS PREVIEW SPOTLIGHT Sharapova and Federer gun for more Aussie glory Sharapova beat Ivanovic in 2008 to win her only Australian Open title so far Nishikori, Verdasco score wind-blown Kooyong wins AFP Melbourne J apan’s Kei Nishikori and Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco scored a pair of opening victories amid a “little typhoon” to begin final Australian Open preparations at the Kooyong Classic yesterday. US Open finalist Nishikori fought past a tough Australian challenge from Jordan Thompson to post a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (74) result while Verdasco beat Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). Nishikori, ranked fifth in the world, was forced to work hard in swirling conditions at Kooyong Club for just over two hours. “It was tough for both of us— like a little typhoon out there,” said the Tokyo-born player now based in Florida. “But it was a good match for me: three sets and some good tennis.” The eight-man warm-up event for the Australian Open starting on Monday is considered prime preparation for the first major of the season. “Conditions made it tough to play,” added the 25-year-old Nishikori. “It was difficult for me to be aggressive. But I played a good tie-break and I’m happy to win today.” Verdasco also took charge of his game as he was tested by the weather. The 33rd-ranked Spaniard collected the first set against Simon in 27 minutes and thwarted the Frenchman as Simon served to level at a set each. Instead, he was broken to love, with Verdasco eventually winning a tie-breaker on a concluding Simon backhand error. “This wind is tough for everyone,” said the Spaniard. “You need to be focused and hit every ball with confidence—if not it flies everywhere. “Despite the conditions, this is perfect preparation for the Open. I like the hot conditions but you never know here.” France’s Richard Gasquet, meanwhile, beat Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-2, with Gasquet finishing with 28 winners and three breaks of serve. “I’m feeling good on the court,” he said. “What I need is matches. After being injured last year, I need to keep my fitness if I’m to return to the top 10. If I can stay fit, I have a chance.” Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov also beat Filip Krajinovic of Serbia 6-4, 6-3. Nishikori came to Kooyong after a semi-final last weekend in Brisbane, where he lost to Canadian Milos Raonic in three tie-break sets. After winning the opening set thanks to a break in the first game, Nishikori’s level slipped as Australian world number 273 Thompson made his move in the second set, winning it via a break of serve in the fourth game. The third set was halted for a short time due to a passing shower. When the players returned Nishikori failed to serve out for victory at 5-3, the set eventually going to a tie-break after Thompson saved a match point in the 12th game. Nishikori took his first match point in the tie-break as the Australian double-faulted. Tennis players Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia (centre L) and Maria Sharapova of Russia (centre R) take a “selfie” with 380 ball boys and girls aged between 12 and 15 as they prepare for the upcoming Australian Open in Melbourne. The Australian Open runs January 19 to February 1. AFP Melbourne V eterans Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova head into the opening Grand Slam of 2015 next week as the form players, but there is a heady mix of youth and experience snapping at their heels. Evergreen Swiss great Federer, 33, brought up a jaw-dropping 1,000th victory on Sunday by beating Canadian Milos Raonic to win the Brisbane International, laying down the Australian Open gauntlet to arch-rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The world number two is now aiming for a 1,007th win, which would give him the title at Melbourne Park. “Yeah, I do believe that,” Federer said when asked if he could claim a fifth Australian Open and his 18th Grand Slam. “Then again, it’s just talk. At the end of the day, I’ve got to do the running, I’ve got to do the clutch play when it matters the most.” In contrast to his flying start to 2015, world number one Djokovic’s preparations were cut short by giant Croatian Ivo Karlovic in the Qatar Open quarter-finals. It was even worse for Nadal, who suffered a shock defeat in his first match of the season in Doha to German qualifier Michael Berrer as he continues to recover from appendix surgery. Roger Federer The Spaniard, a 14-time Grand Slam winner, has played few matches since Wimbledon last July but brushed off his shaky start. “It’s a big motivation to be back at my best level as quickly as possible, and that’s what I am trying to do,” he said. Swiss Stan Wawrinka is the defending men’s champion after his breakthrough four-set win over Nadal last year and spearheads a host of challengers, including Britain’s Andy Murray and new guard Raonic and Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Sharapova, who has been a fixture on the tennis circuit since 2002, continues to shine with victory over Ana Ivanovic in Brisbane handing her a 34th career title. She won her only Australian Open in 2008, beating Ivanovic in the final. The Russian’s closest rival, world number one Serena Williams, is gunning for a sixth Australian Open title but was unimpressive at the mixed-teams Hopman Cup in Perth this month. The American, aiming for a 19th Grand Slam crown, spluttered her way through with moments of brilliance interspersed with extended periods of erratic play. “I do feel like I am getting back into the groove, I am not moving as well as I was last year,” said the American, who is the defending US Open champion but has not won the Australian Open since 2010. “I am going to try and improve that and I know I can so but I am getting there.” Along with a revitalised Ivanovic, world number three Simona Halep of Romania is shaping as a threat after winning the warm-up Shenzhen Open on Saturday, although she pulled out of this week’s Sydney International with gastroenteritis. The dangerous Agnieszka Radwanska is another to watch, having beat Williams in Perth. China’s Li Na won the women’s crown last year, battling past surprise package Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, but has since retired. There is plenty of incentive to win with the prize money bumped up to a record Aus$40 million (US$32 million), with the singles winners taking home Aus$3.1 million each. Held in the height of the southern hemisphere summer, weather is always a wildcard in Melbourne with temperatures known to fluctuate up to 20 Celsius from one day to the next. Last year, extreme heat forced organisers to suspend play for several hours following days of complaints about “inhumane” conditions which left some players fainting and vomiting. At the time Murray warned organisers were risking a tragedy as temperatures hit 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit), while Canada’s Frank Dancevic said he hallucinated a vision of cartoon dog Snoopy before blacking out. Temperatures for the opening day on Monday are forecast to be a mild 21 Celsius. The impact of the weather will be minimised this year with the installation of a third retractable roof at Melbourne Park. The Rod Laver and Hisense Arenas already had this facility and Margaret Court Arena has now joined them. BOTTOMLINE Del Potro extends his run with win over Fognini DPA Sydney J uan Del Potro extended his successful injury comeback yesterday as he knocked out top seed Fabio Fognini 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at the Sydney International. The Argentine is back in action after an 11-month absence due to left wrist surgery. The sudden decision to get up off the couch at home in Tandil and try to play looks like paying immediate dividends. “I thought I played better,” said the former ATP number four. “I felt better on the court, especially at the end of the match. “I served well, I hit good forehands and my backhands improved from yesterday ... I need to keep playing with these guys, hitting the ball as fast I can, and keep trying.” Del Potro is swinging freely after assurances from his American doctors that he could do his joint no more damage by competing in the Australian summer. He hopes to use Sydney as a test bed to get his game back up to speed in time for Monday’s start of the Australian Open. “My wrist is not getting worse, so I have confidence with that.” Del Potro moved into a quarter-final against qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin, who beat sixth seed Pablo Cuevas 7-5, 7-5. In other results, Italy’s Simone Bolelli beat second seed David Goffin of Belgium 6-3, 6-3 in 67 minutes. Argentine eighth seed Leonardo Mayer saved a match point in the 12th game of the final set, knocking out Jerzy Janowicz 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) a day after the Pole beat Australian hope Nick Kyrgios. Serb Viktor Troicki advanced past Spain’s Pablo Andujar 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. On the women’s side Karolina Pliskova beat Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 with the help of 15 aces to reach the semi-finals. The Czech winner has achieved her best result at a WTA Premier level event, staging a comeback after losing the first set. She finished with a flourish - four aces in the final game. The ace count may not have been a surprise for a player who struck 432 in 2013, just 20 less than powerhouse Serena Williams. “I’ve improved my movement on the court and my serve as well, and I’m more solid than I was aside from the serve, so overall I’m a better player and can beat the top players,” said Pliskova. “Whoever my next opponent is it’ll be a tough match, though. I’ll have to be ready.” Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria defeated Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-1. Kei Nishikori of Japan hits a shot behind his back against Jordan Thompson of Australia during their men’s singles match at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne yesterday. SETBACK More withdrawals hit Auckland Open Reuters Auckland T he Auckland Open suffered a double blow yesterday when third seed Roberto Bautista Agut withdrew during his second round match against Adrian Mannarino, while fifth seed Tommy Robredo pulled out without hitting a ball. Agut, who was reportedly suffering from jet lag after he made the Chennai Open semifinals, withdrew while trailing Mannarino 6-2 2-1 shortly after Robredo had held a media conference saying he would not play at all. The 32-year-old Robredo withdrew from his second round match with New Zealand’s Michael Venus with an adductor injury, which could place his Australian Open in jeopardy. “Two days ago I was in the gym working hard and then practising and suddenly I felt something in my adductor,” Robredo told reporters in Auckland. “I have been one and a half days without practice and trying to recover to play here but I’m not ready to play a match. “I don’t think it’s fair for the players or the tournament to go onto a court and play four or five games and as soon as I feel something withdraw. “I wouldn’t be able to play here good and the people would be disappointed and also it could make me worse for next week.” The world number 17 follows last year’s champion John Isner (fatigue), France’s Gael Monfils (personal reasons) and four-time champion David Ferrer, who won last week’s Qatar Open, to withdraw from the ATP Tour 250-level event. After initially attracting seven of the top-20 players, world number 13 Ernests Gulbis and number 16 Kevin Anderson were the only two left in the draw on Wednesday. South Africa’s Anderson had earlier advanced to the quarterfinals after he overcame Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(6) 6-1. Tournament director Karl Budge was disappointed with the loss of so many players, though the late withdrawals were not the only issue. Many of the top men had opted not to play in the week prior to the season-opening grand slam at Melbourne Park. “You’re seeing less top-20 players our week and it’s a trend that crept in the last four or five years,” Budge said when Ferrer withdrew on Sunday. “We need to look at something, whether that’s the tour trying to find a way to regulate it more or we look at how we can change.” 6 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 HORSE RACING SPOTLIGHT Bentley astride Arraab puts in a strong finish to win the Sprinters Championship �It has been another great day for me. To have six winners is fantastic and I am happy for my owners. Botanica and Arraab did very well today as I had expected them to. Even Khafouqi, Awattan, Lieutenant Kafee and Bayalina impressed me’ Results 1st race: Khafouqi (Stephane Ladjadj) 1, Sirat Al Naif 2,Dheram Al Naif 3, Ghazwat Dukhan 4. Won by: 3, 4, 2 ½. Time: 1:20.91. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari 2nd race: Awattan (Harry Bentley) 1, Inis Airc 2, Golden Zephyr 3, Song Beam 4. Won by: 1 ¼, 1 ½, Nk. Time: 1:14.18. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Abdullah Mohammed Al Kuwari Sons 3rd race: Lieutenant Kafee (Harry Bentley) 1, Mindblowing 2, Nile Knight 3, Zakon 4. Won by: 3, Shd, ½. Time: 2:02.85. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari 4th race: Charlie’s Wish (Marco Monteriso) 1, Dark Leopard 2, Man Amongst Men 3, Tarrafal 4. Won by: 1 ½, Nk, 1 ½. Time: 1:34.35. Trained by: S. Ibido. Owned by: Abdulla Mana al-Hajri 5th race: Bayalina (Harry Bentley) 1, Al Koufa 2, Nahla 3, Zakkarya 4. Won by: 2, ¾, 1. Time: 1:46.79. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari 6th race: The Scuttler (Cedric Segeon) 1, Sunley Pride 2, River Goddess 3, Tachophobia 4. Won by: Nk, Hd, 1 ½. Time: 1:12.56. Trained by: Mohammed Salama. Owned by: Zakhir Stud Minister of State HE Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim al-Thani (centre) and QREC chairman HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani are seen with the winners of the Sprinters Championship at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday. PICTURES: Juhaim By Chris Hoover Doha H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani owned Arraab (Harry Bentley up) put in a terrific stretch run to demolish the hopes of his rivals to clinch the Group III Pure Arabian Sprinters Championship, which featured the races at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club yesterday. Trainer Jassim al-Ghazali who saddled the winner was in the limelight with six winners, while jockey Bentley also dazzled with four winners for the day. TM Reagan Bret shot into the lead and was closely followed by the rest. Bentley had Arraab in the rear of the field, bidding his time to make the move. As the field entered the business end of the race, Arraab was alighted to the task on hand. His response was immediate as he shot past the front runners and went away to win by half a length in a smart timing of one minute 12,57 seconds. Mutazz improved towards the finish to take the runner-up berth from Tuyoorna, while Harran was a close fourth. Botanica owned by Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari had to extract every ounce of her energy to overhaul the spirited challenge of stable mate City Zen and Makruma to win the Al Khariab Cup, a Thoroughbred Conditions race for Fillies and Mares, which was the other added attraction of the day. Jockey Stephane Ladjadj astride City Zen was quick to make headway and easily went past the field to take charge. Making his own pace, Ladjadj had the Ghazali trainee upfront and travelling well. Entering the homestretch, City Zen quickened the pace and kicked clear but was soon challenged by Botanica. With a power packed ride by jockey Richard Mullen, Botanica got ahead of her stablemate and then held off the challenge of Makruma, who finished with a rush but failed to go past the winner. “He jumped out and travelled very well. He had won over seven furlongs last time and he just about managed to hold on in this mile race. I had to save a bit for the final onslaught as he is very keen in the beginning. I was lucky that I got him just behind the leader and travelled very easy. When I asked for an effort, he quickened very well. I think this distance is just as far as he wants to go. Seven furlongs would be his best distance. It was a good performance by Jockey Harry Bentley rides Arraab to victory in the Sprinters Championship yesterday. QREC chairman HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh al-Thani presents a memento to Minister of State HE Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim al-Thani, who was the chief guest at the 24th days races at the QREC yesterday. Botanica to win the way he did,” jockey Mullen told the Gulf Times. “It has been another great day for me. To have six winners is fantastic and I am happy for my owners. Botanica and Arraab did very well today as I had expected them to. Even Khafouqi, Awattan, Lieutenant Kafee and Bayalina impressed me with their performances. I am looking forward for tomorrow’s races,” trainer Ghazali said. Ghazali saddled Khafouqi (AmerAl Jazeera) broke through the maiden ranks with a start to finish victory in the Local Bred Pure Arabian Maiden Plate. Making her 11th appearance on the race track, Khafouqi (Ladjadj up) hot the front and made every post a winning one as she checked three lengths ahead of Sirat Al Naif, who was in futile chase of the winner. Ghazwat Dukhan was a further four lengths behind in third. Awattan was another which came up with a dazzling display to clinch her maiden win. The Ghazali trained Awattan with jockey Harry Bentley in the saddle, put in a forceful gallop to win the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate. Awattan came with telling strides in the final furlong and thwarted the late bid of Inis Airc to win by over a length. The Ghazali trainee was up with the pace throughout and then capped it with a power-packed finish. Ghazali and Bentley went on to record two more victories. Lieutenant Kafee took his first win in Qatar, while 7th race: Botanica (Richard Mullen) 1, Makruma 2, City Zen 3, Carina Palace 4. Won by: Shd, Shd, ½. Time: 1:36.63. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari 8th race: Arraab (Harry Bentley) 1, Mutazz 2, Tuyoorna 3, Harran 4. Won by: ½. ½, Hd. Time: 1:12.57. Trained by: Jassim al-Ghazali. Owned by: HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani decimating the opposition in the Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 55 to 75. Bentley settled Lieutenant Kafee in midfield as Roman Myst set a fast pace for the 2,000 metres contest. Coming from way off the pace, Lieutenant Kafee covered a lot of ground before unleashing a terrific in the final 100 metres. The Ghazali trainee flew past the front runners to win by a widening margin of three lengths from Mindblowing and Nile Knight. The manner of this victory suggests that Lieutenant Kafee is capable of an encore when saddled next. Sporting the colours of Sheail bin Khalifa al-Kuwari, Bayalina asserted her superiority with a fluent win in the Pure Arabian Graduation Plate for Fillies and Mares. The talented Bentley rode a confident race on the winner. In the day’s other action, Mohammed Salama trained The Scuttler kept aside the challenge of Sunley Pride to win the Thoroughbred Handicap for horses rated 50 to 70, while Charlie’s Wish was a comfortable winner of the Thoroughbred Maiden Plate. Minister of State HE Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser bin Jassim al-Thani (right) presents the Al Khariab Cup to Khalifa bin Sheail al-Kuwari after Botanica had won the event at the QREC yesterday. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 7 SPORT SPOTLIGHT Sadd launches �Qatar Mega Marathon’ with an eye on Guinness world record �The idea behind organising �Qatar Mega Marathon’ is to send a message to the whole world presenting Qatar’s ability to challenge and create miracles. Therefore, we accept the challenge to prove that Qatar is the region’s sports capital’ By Sports Reporter Doha A l Sadd Sports Club launched the huge sporting event �Qatar Mega Marathon’ under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, Chairman of Al Sadd Sports Club. During a press conference that was held yesterday in its premises and attended by Jassim al-Rumaihi, General Secretary of Al Sadd Sports Club and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Marathon and Fahed al-Kuwari, Board Member and a former star of Al Sadd Sports Club and Guinness World Records Representative. Al-Rumaihi asserted that organising Qatar Mega Marathon represents the club’s commitment to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of the State, sheds light on the importance of sport in the lives of nations and societies, represents the club’s commitment to the Pillars of Qatar National Vision (2030), aiming to an advanced society capable of sustaining its development and providing a high standard of living for all its people. It encourages the spirit of sharing and volunteering in the social events, in order to fulfil the aspect of social responsibility as well as adapting a healthy lifestyle. He stated that �Qatar Mega Marathon’ – (Run With Qatar) is an international event that will be held for the first time in Qatar and the Arab World targeting all segments and all ages of the Qatari society. The event will be held on Friday, 6th February 2015 and the closing ceremony will be on the National Sports Day, Tuesday 10th February 2015. Al Sadd Sports Club is attempting to break the world record and allow the State of Qatar to enter Guinness World Records with regards to the most runners participating in a marathon. Al-Rumaihi said: “The idea behind organising �Qatar Mega Marathon’ is to send a message to the whole world presenting Qatar’s ability to challenge and create miracles. Therefore, we accept the challenge through �Qatar Mega Marathon’ to reflect the true image of the State of Qatar to the whole world and to prove that Qatar is the region’s sports capital.” Stating that the event is encouraging the youth to participate in sporting events and adapt a healthy lifestyle. Jassim al-Rumaihi, Secretary General, Al Sadd, and chairman of the Organizing Committee of Qatar Mega Marathon, at the press conference announcing the launch of the global race. Also present at the press conference were Fahad al-Kuwari, member of the Board of Directors of Al Sadd Club, Rashid al-Ansari of Qatar Athletics Federation and Pravin Patel, adjudicator from Guinness Book of World Records. Al-Rumaihi asserted that, “Qatar Mega Marathon embodies the true spirit of sport, which holds respect of winning and losing, durability, patience and challenge. Therefore, the goal doesn’t stop at breaking the world record. And if we couldn’t break the record, the honour of the attempt will be enough. We will accept the results with sporting spirit and promise to repeat the attempt.” Responding to a question on the possibility of achieving this challenge on the ground, al-Rumaihi said, “Qatar has always accustomed to the challenge and making miracles. There is no doubt that this marathon in the way that we look forward to achieve is a considerable challenge. For this I invite everyone to participate in the marathon and run forward with Qatar.” QATAR MEGA MARATHON 2015 BRINGS ICSS ON BOARD TO HELP SAFEGUARD GUINESS BOOK WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT The Qatar Mega Marathon 2015 also announced yesterday that it has brought on board the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) to help safeguard the event. Building on its previous involvement with various large-scale mass participation events including the Boston Marathon, the ICSS will add its global sport safety and security expertise to The Qatar Mega Marathon is a great chance to show another side of sport in Qatar and this collaboration reinforces our strong commitment at the ICSS to enhance best practice in sport safety and security, particularly at the high-profile events being held in the country.” the event, which will attempt to break the world record for the �Most Runners in a Marathon in the World’. As part of the partnership with the Qatar Mega Marathon 2015, the ICSS’s Save the Dream initiative with also collaborate with the Qatar Mega Marathon 2015 to promote and protect the BOTTOMLINE core values of sport amongst young people, as well as participants involved in the event. Making the announcement al-Rumaihi conveyed his delight in having International Centre for Sport Security join the Qatar Mega Marathon 2015, saying: “It takes the Marathon to an international level and we give thanks to ICSS in joining such a huge event taking place on the eve of National Sport Day 2015.” Also speaking at the press conference, Mohammed Hajaj al-Shahwani (Vice President, ICSS) praised the idea of organising the Qatar Mega Marathon 2015 as one of the key events taking place in the context of National Sport Day 2015 events. He added: “The ICSS is proud to cooperate and contribute to the success of this joint initiative between Al Sadd Sports Club and Qatar Athletics Federation. The Qatar Mega Marathon is a great chance to show another side of the sport in Qatar and this collaboration reinforces our strong commitment at the ICSS to enhance best practice in sport safety and security, particularly at the high-profile events being held in the country.” “As well as our involvement supporting the safety and security of the event, the ICSS is also proud to extend its other expertise to the Qatar Mega Marathon through our Save the Dream programme. Snapshots: QREC Awards Ceremony Qatar’s Sami appointed as WAHO consultant “They felt a representative from Qatar would be very good as we have been in the forefront in promoting the Pure Arabian breed on the world stage.” By Chris Hoover Doha Q atar Racing and Equestrian Club general manager and International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities chairman Sami Jassim al-Boenain has been appointed as a consultant to the World Arabian Horse Organisation (WAHO). The unanimous decision was taken by the WAHO Executive Committee meeting recently. The European Conference of Arab Horse Organizations (ECAHO) is already a member of the board in WAHO. With the inclusion of IFAHR in the committee, there would be better co-ordination amongst the three to achieve their common goal, which is preserving the intergrity of the Pure Arabian breed. “It is very important for us to be a part of WAHO. I had suggested a few names to WAHO for their consideration, but they felt that a representative from Qatar would be very good as we have been in the forefront in promoting the Pure Arabian breed on the world stage. Since I was the chairman of IFAHR, it made sense to have us on board,” Sami told the Gulf Times. “It means a lot to me personally as well as Qatar. It is very important that IFAHR, EC- Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club general manager and International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities chairman Sami Jassim al-Boenain. AHO and WAHO work together in its common goal. Being in the international field for such a long time, this opportunity would definitely clear the hurdles that we faced earlier. There will be better co-ordination between the organisations. We could share our thoughts and sort out the various issues. The future of Pure Arabian horses look very bright and we will ensure that we will work together for the betterment of Pure Arabians around the world.” The World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) is the world organisation for the preservation, improvement and preservation of Arabian horses. WAHO grants membership to nations after examination of national breeding stud books, and review of regulations for each country. Qatar became a full member of WAHO in 1990 and since then it has witnessed spectacular progress in the development of the Arabian horse. Qatar has 2000 living Arabians from all blood-lines, with approximately 250 new foals born each year. Qatar offers many and varied activities for the Arabian horses and their owners, including world class racing, endurance and showing. Snapshots from Racing and Equestrian Club’s Award Ceremony and gala dinner. PICTURES: Juhaim 8 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 SPORT NBA NHL Phoenix Suns hold off Cavs to spoil James comeback �I was making shots down and they were feeding me’ “ King” James was back on court from a two-week injury absence but the Phoenix Suns spoiled his comeback. Markieff Morris poured in a career-high 35 points on 15-of-21 shooting Tuesday as the Suns held off LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers 107-100. “I was making shots down and they were feeding me,” Morris said. James had 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists after missing eight games with back and left knee strains, but visiting Cleveland (19-20) lost its sixth in a row. “I couldn’t make those moves two weeks ago, so for me to come back and feel like myself again was pretty cool,” said James, who hit 11-of-18 shots in 37 minutes. “I know I can get out there and turn the corner. That’s what I was going for.” Cavs coach David Blatt said: “I thought he laid it out there and that wasn’t an easy thing to do because he hadn’t played a competitive game in eight games. He was terrific.” The Suns shot out to a 19-point third quarter cushion but then flirted with disaster.Behind James and streaky-shooting JR Smith, who hit eight triples en route to 29 points, the Cavs put together a spirited comeback. They led 97-96 on James’ driving layup with 3 minutes 53 seconds remaining. But the Suns responded with a 7-0 surge to regain the upper hand. Eric Bledsoe hit three free throws, Alex Len added a tip-in and Morris made a pair from the stripe, making it 103-97. A three-point play by James cut the lead in half with 51 seconds left. But PJ Tucker made two hustle plays, leading to four free throws around a missed threepoint attempt from James, and the Suns escaped with their 11th win in the last 15 games. •Atlanta Hawks 105, Philadelphia 76ers 87: Al Horford collected 21 points, 10 re- bounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, and the Eastern Conference-best Hawks (30-8) - minus rested starters Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll - soared to a ninth straight victory after beating the Sixers (7-30). •Minnesota Timberwolves 110, Indiana Pacers 101: Mo Williams fired in a careerhigh and franchise-record 52 points - the most in the NBA this season - and the visiting T-Wolves (6-31) snapped a 15-game slide with their first win since December 10 after trimming the Pacers (15-25). •Golden State Warriors 116, Utah Jazz 105: Stephen Curry scored 15 of his 27 points in the decisive 44-27 third quarter to go along with 11 assists, sending the league-best Warriors (30-5) past the hosting Jazz. Derrick Favours topped Utah (1326) with 22 points and 11 rebounds. •Washington Wizards 101, San Antonio Spurs 93: John Wall scored 25 points, Kevin Seraphin added 17 off the bench, and the Wizards (26-12) broke a 17-game losing streak to the visiting Spurs with their first win over the reigning NBA Champs since November 12, 2005. •Dallas Mavericks 108, Sacramento Kings 104: Monta Ellis scored six of his 28 points in overtime, and Tyson Chandler added 16 with 17 rebounds as the visiting Mavericks (27-12)rallied past the Kings for their sixth win in the last eight outings. DeMarcus Cousins collected 32 points, 16 boards and nine assists before fouling out late in the fourth quarter for Sacramento (16-22), who dropped their fifth straight in the series. •Miami Heat 78, LA Lakers 75: Mario Chalmers scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Hassan Whiteside added 15, and the visiting Heat (17-21) overcame a second-half loss of star guard Dwyane Wade (left hamstring strain) to hold off the Lakers. Kobe Bryant netted 12 points but missed 16-of-19 shots, including the potential game-trying triple in the final seconds, as the Lakers (12-27) lost for the eight time in the last 11 games. NFL he Nashville Predators improved to 17-2-1 at home with a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, pulling away with a flurry of goals in the third period. The Predators blew it open with three goals in a 4:07 span when Filip Forsberg, Mike Fisher and Craig Smith scored. Islanders 3, Rangers 0 Goaltender Jaroslav Halak stopped 27 shots as the New York Islanders dominated the New York Rangers 3-0 at Madison Square Garden. The Islanders got goals from Anders Lee, Nikolai Kulemin and Frans Nielsen. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 29 of 32 shots and was removed from the game by coach Alain Vigneault to start the third period. Cam Talbot made 12 saves in relief. The Islanders have won six of eight and sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers had their fivegame winning streak snapped but have won 13 of their last 15 games and remain in fourth place in the Metropolitan. Bruins 4, Lightning 3 David Pastrnak delivered his second straight two-goal game, powering Boston past Tampa Bay 4-3. The 18-year-old who had seven shots on goal in his eighth NHL game, had a couple of prime chances to finish the hat trick but came up short. Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand also scored for Boston, who got two assists apiece from David Krejci and Torey Krug. Penguins 7, Wild 2 David Perron scored twice for his first multi-goal game with Pittsburgh as the Penguins beat Minnesota 7-2, sending the Wild to their seventh consecutive loss. Chris Kunitz, Marcel Goc, Brandon Sutter, Paul Martin and Kris Letang also found the back of the net for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby had three assists and Evgeni Malkin added two, while goaltender MarcAndre Fleury made 30 saves. Hurricanes 3, Avalanche 2 (shootout) Carolina rookie Victor Rask scored his first career shootout goal and goalie Anton Khudobin remained brilliant in shootouts as the Hurricanes topped Colorado 3-2. Jordan Staal and Patrick Dwyer scored in regulation for Carolina and Khudobin stopped 28 shots. Red Wings 3, Sabres 1 Darren Helm, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar scored to lead Detroit to a comfortable 3-1 win over Buffalo. Goalie Petr Mrazek made 25 saves for Detroit as the Red Wings improved to 3-2 on their six-game road trip, which ends Thursday night in St. Louis. Blues 4, Oilers 2 Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 24th goal of the season and assisted on another as St. Louis extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-2 victory over Edmonton. David Backes, Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Steen also scored for St. Louis. Jori Lehtera earned assists on both goals and defenseman Barret Jackman added two assists. Nashville Predators players celebrate after a goal by center Filip Forsberg (9) during the third period against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. FOCUS Broncos to Manning: �we want you back’ Reuters Denver D enver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was noncommittal about his NFL future after his team’s playoff loss on Sunday but there was no ambiguity concerning the team’s general manager when it came to the future Hall of Famer. Broncos General Manager John Elway told reporters on Tuesday he believes the 38-year-old Manning, who led Denver to a Super Bowl berth and three division titles since joining the team in 2012, has another season left in him. “The bottom line is we want him back and it’s going to come down to what Peyton wants to do,” said Elway, adding that he will give Manning a month consider his plans. Agencies New York T Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (2-R) shoots as he is defended by Miami Heat players Chris Bosch (R), Luol Deng (2-L) and Hassan Whiteside (L) in the second half during their NBA game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday. DPA Los Angeles Predators improve home record “I did have a great conversation with Peyton (on Monday). We talked about the game. I said, �The last thing we’re going to do at this point in time, having been through what you’ve been through, is talk about your future.’ “I told him, �Just know how much we want you back, but you need time to get away from this.’” Manning, a five-time league most valuable player chasing a second Super Bowl title, completed 26 of 46 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown in his team’s 24-13 divisional playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. After the game, when Manning was asked by reporters if he would be back next season, the record-setting quarterback was noncommittal about returning to Denver for a fourth season. Elway confirmed reports that Manning played Sunday’s game with a thigh injury but did not comment on the severity of it. “He did have a strain in one quad but he said it felt fine,” said Elway. “Whether he reinjured it during the game or not, I don’t know. I don’t know how much it did affect him or didn’t affect him.” Nuggets acquire Nelson from Celtics for Nate Robinson DPA Los Angeles S eeking an experienced leader in the backcourt, the Denver Nuggets acquired Jameer Nelson from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Nate Robinson, in a swap of reserve guards. “We are excited to add a player of Jameer’s calibre to our roster,” Denver general manager and executive vice president Tim Connelly said on the Nuggets website. “We have no doubt that his experience and veteran leadership will be of value to our team.” Nelson, a 10-year-veteran, is expected to spell starting point guard Ty Lawson in the rotation. It’s the second time Nelson has been traded in less than a month. The former All-Star spent his first nine years with Orlando before signing with Dallas as a free agent in the off-season. But the Mavericks moved him to the Celtics as part of the deal that brought them Rajon Rondo on December 18. But with a surplus of guards, Nelson played in just six games for Boston. For his career, Nelson own averages of 12.3 points and 5.3 assists. The Celtics, meanwhile, pick up the streakyshooting sparkplug Robinson, who averaged 8.4 points and 2.5 assists in his two-plus seasons in Denver. For his 10-year NBA career, the journeyman Robinson has averaged 11.1 points and 2.4 assists in 607 games with Denver, Chicago, Golden State, Oklahoma City, Boston and New York. “I want to thank Nate for his time here with us in Denver,” said Connelly. “He always came ready to play and brought that same intensity every day in practice. We wish him the very best as he continues in his career.” New York: Amid renewed reports that owner Mikhail Prokhorov is exploring a sale of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, a spokesman for the Russian billionaire said Tuesday no such sale is imminent. “As we have said for many months, ownership is always open to listening to offers—that’s just good business,” Ellen Pinchuk said in a statement. “There is nothing imminent in terms of a sale of any stake in the team.” Bloomberg had reported that Prokhorov has retained Evercore Partners to sell the team. The Nets have not commented. Multiple media outlets reported in October that Prokhorov, who bought an 80 percent stake in the then-New Jersey Nets for some $200 million in a sale finalized in 2010 -- was entertaining offers from potential buyers. In November Prokhorov said he did not want to give up control of the team. However he acknowledged that the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers for an astonishing $2 billion to former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, finalized in August, made him feel it would be foolish not to sound out the market. Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 9 SPORT GOLF BOXING Swede Stenson seeks �Desert Slam’ feat Stenson has featured in all editions of the tournament since its inception in 2006 W orld number two Henrik Stenson feels upbeat about his chances of winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship this week, and thus become the first player to complete the Desert Slam on the European Tour. The 38-year-old Swede has won the Dubai Desert Classic (2007), Qatar Masters (2006) and the DP World Tour Championship twice (2013 and 2014), but despite holding the course record at the National course of Abu Dhabi Golf Club (a 10-under-par 62 in 2006), the best he has been able to finish in the UAE capital is runner-up twice (2006 and 2008). Stenson missed the cut last year in what has traditionally been his season-opening tournament (he has featured in all editions of the tournament since its inception in 2006), but said he is much better prepared for the task this year. Speaking on the eve of the tournament, Stenson said: “It is the one missing, and I would like to have it, and I probably fancy my chances a little bit more this time around. “The game feels in pretty good shape at this time. In the previous years, I feel like I’ve been trying to get going and trying to find my game a little bit. If the way I’ve been hitting the ball in practise the last couple of days is any sign, I’ve got the chance to have a good week.” But Stenson will not have it easy as a strong field has assembled in the UAE capital for what is the 10th anniversary celebration of the tournament. World number one Rory McIlroy leads the star parade, which also includes number six Justin Rose of England, number 10 Rickie Fowler of the United States and number 12 and three-time Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer of Germany. There are a lot of expectations from Fowler, especially after his stunning 2014 season, in which he finished inside the top-five in all four majors, and his battles with McIlroy. The 26-year-old Fowler, who has been paired with McIlroy and 22-year-old Matteo Manassero, is making his debut in the Middle East and said: “Playing worldwide is something I want to do, and I want to play different parts of the world and become a bit more of a global player. “I will be the old guy in that group. Doesn’t happen very often but we’ll have a good time. I’ve gotten to play with both of them quite a bit before. Obviously, Rory and I got to play a bit last year, a couple of final groups, and we’ll see if we can make it a little bit more fun this week.” Rose starts his season for the second time in the Middle East, having finished second in his first attempt in 2013. “I am very excited to be back here in Abu Dhabi. I was meant to be here last year, was looking forward to starting here last year, but my shoulder didn’t re- ally allow that. It was on my schedule to be back,” said the 34-year-old Englishman, who admitted to still having a niggle in his shoulder, but nothing that impedes his golf swing in any way. “I thought it’s a really good place to start the season. Good golf course and in good condition... You sort of get reliable conditions out here, which I think is very important when you’re trying to get a read on your game early in the season.” Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal is the defending champion of the tournament. Fowler confident Rickie Fowler was golf’s nearly man in 2014 as Rory McIlroy re-established himself as the sport’s top player, but the American is confident last year’s consistency can help him challenge his friend and rival this season. Fowler finished two shots adrift of McIlroy at the British Open and US PGA Championship, the Northern Irishman winning both to take his career majors tally to four, while the Californian was also joint-fifth at the US Masters and joint-second at the US Open. Fowler had a combined score of 32 below par for 2014’s four majors - five shots better than McIlroy - yet he is still searching for a first tournament win since 2012’s Wells Fargo Championship, his solitary US tour victory. That record compares unfavourably with world number one McIlroy, who is five months his junior. “I don’t feel like my game is any weaker than his,” Fowler, 26, told a news conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which begins today. “I feel I’ve putted better than he did through the summer last year. He has strengths that maybe outweigh mine: when he is on top of his driving game he is very tough to beat and he drove it well through the summer. I think it frees up the rest of his game to play some fairly effortless golf. “I’m looking forward to 2015, having some great match-ups with him.” Fowler’s consistency led him to break into the world top 10 for the first time in September and he hopes to become a household name outside the United States. “I want to play different parts of the world and become more of a global player,” said Fowler ahead of his Abu Dhabi debut. Fowler was part of the US team humbled at last year’s Ryder Cup, with Europe’s five-point victory - the continent’s eighth victory in 10 competitions - prompting the PGA to form a task force to see how the US can improve. “Their main goal is to have more players involved in the process and feeling like we field the team together as one,” added Fowler. “In the final year leading up, I don’t think you can really over-prepare as far as spending time as a team...because if you go into that week without any kind of preparation and just go �you’re going to play with this guy’, it’s hit-or-miss.” BOTTOMLINE ilipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao has laid out the terms under which he would fight Floyd Mayweather, although a deal for the long awaited mega-fight isn’t done, US media reported Tuesday. Carl Moretti, vice president of Pacquiao promoters Top Rank, told ESPN.com that it remains to be seen if Mayweather would agree terms for a May 2 bout in Las Vegas. “Top Rank and Manny have agreed to the terms on our side. I don’t know about the other side,” Moretti told the sports website. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told Yahoo Sports that Pacquiao had agreed to terms for the fight, which is one boxing fans have long clamoured for. Citing an unnamed source involved in the negotiations, ESPN reported Pacquiao has agreed to a 40 percent cut of the revenue, leaving Mayweather with the remaining 60 percent of a fight widely expected to shatter all box-office and television revenue records. According ESPN, Pacquiao has agreed not only to a purse split but also to the gloves to be used and to a drug testing protocol. Drug testing was one of the issues that caused a PacquiaoMayweather showdown to fall through when it was being negotiated in 2009 and early 2010. Moretti told ESPN that Pacquiao has agreed to be tested by the US Anti-Doping Agency, a sign of his eagerness to make the fight. The eyes of the boxing world have long been on a showdown between the unbeaten American Mayweather (47-0, 26 knockouts) and eight-division world champion Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 knockouts) two of the greatest boxers of their generation. Talk of the super-fight gained steam in December, when Mayweather proposed the May 2 date and Pacquiao vowed to chase him into submission. “This fight is about legacy, this is about making the fans happy and, above all, this is for the good of boxing,” Pacquiao said last month. RUGBY Asian pioneer Yang debuts at Commercial Bank Qatar Masters By Sports Reporter Doha K orean legend YE Yang, Asia’s first and so far only male Major winner, will make his tournament debut at next week’s US$2.5 million Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. Yang, who held off Tiger Woods to win the 2009 US PGA Championship, will be part of a strong Asian contingent at Doha Golf Club that also includes six-time European Tour winner Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and young compatriot Kiradech Aphibarnrat. Defending champion Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose – three of the world’s top six – are among the tournament favourites. Yang, who turns 43 today, and Rose, the 2013 US Open winner, are among several Major winners in the field, including Ernie Els (2002 and 2012 Open Championship; 1994 and 1997 US Open), Darren Clarke (2011 Open Championship), Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters Tournament) and Paul Lawrie (1999 Open Champion- AFP New York F Henrik Stenson: aiming to break his Abu Dhabi jinx. AFP Abu Dhabi Manny ready for Floyd fight ship), a two-time winner in Doha. In November 2006, Yang won his first European Tour title at the HSBC Champions in China and in March 2009 became only the second Korean to win on the US PGA Tour when he claimed the Honda Classic. After his Major breakthrough at the PGA Championship in August 2009, he won his third European Tour title at the Volvo China Open in April 2010. “I’m very honoured to be playing in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters for the first time and hope I can play well on my debut,” said Yang, who won four Japan Tour titles from 2004 to 2006, the year he also won the Korea Open. “I’ve heard the Doha Golf Club is a very good course and that there are many top players competing this year, which is a tribute to the tournament. I’ve played in many countries across the world, but this will be my first time in Qatar, so I’m really looking forward to visiting and enjoying some new experiences.” Thongchai is coming off one of his finest seasons, spending much of last year in the world’s top 40 after winning his sixth European Tour title at June’s Nordea Masters in Sweden, where he beat Victor Dubuisson and Stephen Gallacher in a playoff. Last month, Thongchai started his 2015 European Tour season with a jointseventh place finish at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa and the 45-year-old Thai hopes to continue that form in Doha, where he will be competing for the 13th time in his career. “I had a really good season and I’m hoping to continue playing consistently in 2015. I had good results in Thailand and South Africa last month, so now I’m looking forward to playing well at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters,” said Thongchai, who posted ninth-place finishes in Doha in 2007 and 2013. Easter and Cipriani making cases for England call Reuters London N ick Easter and Danny Cipriani, two familiar faces under previous England regimes, are both eyeing surprise call-ups into coach Stuart Lancaster’s Six Nations squad next week. Harlequins’ experienced number eight Easter, out of the picture since the 2011 World Cup, has been in outstanding form for his club and the broken leg suffered by Ben Morgan last week has opened the door for an England return at the age of 36. In-form Sale fly-half Cipriani, once touted as the new wonderboy of English rugby but with only nine caps to his name since his debut in 2008, has also been doing and saying all the right things as Lancaster ponders his options with only eight games to work with before the World Cup. Cipriani, who made two sub- stitute appearances against New Zealand in June, is likely to be selected for the second-string England Saxons side against the Irish Wolfhounds on Jan. 30, offering him the ideal showcase to convince Lancaster he has left his long list of off-field issues behind him. Selecting Easter would represent less of a gamble. He has been overlooked since an ill-advised comment after England’s 2011 World Cup quarter-final defeat by France when he said “35,000 pounds down the toilet” but Morgan’s bad luck and a drop in form of Billy Vunipola has opened the door. “There is massive unfinished business for me as far as England is concerned,” Easter, who has 47 caps, told the Daily Telegraph yesterday. “My hunger to play for England is as strong as it has ever been, stronger probably. I believe that I am much better player than when I was last capped. I make far better decisions. 10 Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 FOOTBALL FRENCH LIGUE CUP FOCUS Ibra’s winner eases pressure on Blanc �I am neither more reassured, but on the other hand neither am I very worried’ AFP Paris Z latan Ibrahimovic’s hotly-contested second-half goal gave holders Paris Saint Germain a place in the last four of the League Cup after a 1-0 win over St Etienne on Tuesday. Ibrahimovic’s 72nd minute goal, which he chested over the line despite the efforts of goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier to claw it away, was disputed both by the home players and the spectators. Angry fans hurled projectiles on to the pitch, including a plastic water bottle thrown at a linesman, and St Etienne coach Christophe Galtier urged the crowd to calm down. The match was held up for around 10 minutes while order was restored. The victory, though, is welcome both for PSG and especially for the coach Laurent Blanc, who has come under pressure in the past four weeks after a series of disappointing results and player trouble. PSG came into the game on the back of a 4-2 league defeat by modest Bastia last Saturday, with Blanc having disciplined big name players Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi for returning late from holiday. Blanc, who has guided PSG into the Champions League last 16 where they will play Chelsea, said that he had not been very confident before the match after what he had seen against Bastia. “After the Bastia match I had the impression that we no longer knew how to play and there was a bad atmosphere within the squad,” said Blanc. “Tonight, though, I saw positive things and we have won at a place where it is difficult to do so. “However, I am neither more reassured than I was before the match, but on the other hand neither am I very worried.” Earlier, Bastia continued their good run of form, recovering from going a goal behind early on to storm into their first PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic (left) celebrates his goal with teammates Blaise Matuidi (centre) and Thiago Motta during the French Ligue Cup match against Saint-Etienne in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday. (AFP) League Cup semi-final since 2000 with a 3-1 victory over Rennes. The Corsican side, who unusually for a top tier side in Europe these days, fielded six homegrown players in their starting line-up and another five on the bench, were helped considerably by their oppo- nents having two men sent off. Former France international striker Djibril Cisse rounded off a joyous night for Bastia as the 33-year-old fired home a powerful shot a minute from time. “I am happy for the players for all the work they have put in in recent weeks,” said Bastia coach Ghislain Printant, who is bidding to become only the second coach in the club’s history to land a trophy with their sole piece of silverware coming in the 1981 French Cup. “This semi-final is a deserved reward for them.” COPA DEL REY Espanyol, Malaga reach Copa del Rey last eight AFP Barcelona B arcelona coach Luis Enrique is insisting a future without star player Lionel Messi has never been considered as speculation over the Argentine’s future continues to mount. Tensions have been simmering at Barcelona with the coach insisting Messi play a wider role in the line-up. Messi had appeared to rule out a move following a stunning individual performance in Sunday’s 3-1 win over La Liga champions Atletico Madrid. “I have never demanded anything to ensure that I stay because I have never had any intention of leaving,” he told Barca TV. However, the following day he fuelled the rumour mill once more by saying “I don’t know where I’ll be next year” during a press conference ahead of the Ballon d’Or gala in Zurich. “I don’t know what the future will bring,” said Enrique when asked if he thought Messi would win a fifth Ballon d’Or whilst at Barcelona. “We all think that Messi will be at Barcelona for the coming years, it is what all the fans want. We are not even planning a squad without Messi.” The speculation has arisen due to a reported breakdown in communications between Messi and Enrique. Messi was left on the bench as Barca fell to a shock 1-0 defeat in their opening game of the year away to Real Sociedad and then missed training the next day, claiming to have suffered from a stomach bug. Later that day he followed Chelsea and two of their players Thibaut Courtois and Filipe Luis on social media site Instagram and sources in the Catalan press then claimed Messi had met with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu to ask for the former Barca captain Enrique to be replaced as coach. Both Messi and Bartomeu have since denied those claims, with the former particularly aggrieved that the reports surfaced in the Catalan press. “It hurts me because it comes from here, from Barcelona, from people that love the club, or say they do. It doesn’t come from Madrid like it has in the past,” said Messi. “It is not good that they look for rivalry between Luis Enrique and I because there isn’t any.” And Enrique repeated his assertion that there is no division in the dressing room ahead of a demanding schedule in the coming weeks as Barca battle to advance in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, as well as clawing back a one-point deficit on La Liga leaders Real Madrid. “The dressing room is united. We avoid the controversy and look for the best atmosphere possible. “That is what we look for, although we know that things can change in five seconds. I see unity in every aspect.” Enrique’s men are back in action tonight when they face Elche in the second leg of their last 16 of the Copa del Rey. The match should be a mere formality with Barcelona having won the first leg 5-0 last week and Enrique confirmed that a host of the club’s academy players would get a chance to prove their worth with a much tougher test in either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid lying in wait should Barca progress to the last eight. ANALYSIS Patience key to Real revival: Ancelotti ness,” Nuno told a news conference. “It’s very tough when you are a man down,” added the Portuguese. “But this team has shown that it recovers after a bad result and we have to give our fans some joy on Saturday,” at home to Almeria in La Liga. Reuters Madrid E spanyol’s Felipe Caicedo came off the bench and netted two late goals to secure a 2-0 win at home to 10-man Valencia on Tuesday that sent the Barcelona-based club through to the King’s Cup quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate. Valencia won last week’s last 16, first leg 2-1 at their Mestalla stadium but were dealt a blow in the 14th minute of the return when defender Shkodran Mustafi was shown a straight red card for hauling back Sergio Garcia when the Espanyol captain was through on goal. The visitors held out against waves of Espanyol attacks until the 80th minute when Caicedo outjumped goalkeeper Yoel and nodded into the empty net. The powerful Ecuador forward made it 2-0 a minute from time when he controlled the ball in the penalty area and lashed a low shot into the net. The victory for the 2006 winners set up a likely last-eight clash against Sevilla, who will start with a 2-1 lead over Granada when they host their Andalusian rivals on Wednesday. “It was a perfect night for all Espanyol fans,” Garcia told reporters. “The players showed they want to give some joy to the supporters and that we take this competition seriously,” added the former Spain international. “The sending off was a key moment but that does not detract from our achievement. We played a great match.” Barca planning future with Messi: Enrique Malaga’s Jose Luis Garcia celebrates his goal against Levante on Tuesday. (EPA) Valencia’s exit from the competition they have won seven times, most recently in 2008, came a day after coach Nuno extended his contract until June 2018 and effectively ended their hopes of silverware this season. The club failed to qualify for Europe last term but hopes are high they can revive past glories in coming years following a recent takeover by Singapore billionaire Peter Lim. “Obviously it’s a day of pain and sad- MALAGA THROUGH Malaga joined Espanyol in the last eight despite throwing away a 2-0 lead and losing 3-2 at Levante, a 2-0 victory in the first leg securing a 4-3 aggregate success for the Qatar-owned club. Levante substitute David Barral scored twice for the home side to level the match before he earned a second yellow card and was sent off in the 89th minute when he handled the ball into the net in search of his hat-trick. Malaga, who have never reached the final, will probably meet Athletic Bilbao in the last eight. The Basque club’s tally of 23 Cup triumphs is only bettered by Barcelona’s 26 and they host Celta Vigo on Wednesday after winning the first leg in Galicia 4-2. Atletico Madrid have a 2-0 lead over holders Real Madrid ahead of their second leg at Real’s Bernabeu stadium on Thursday, with the winners almost certain to play Barca in the quarters. The Catalans hold a 5-0 advantage over Elche heading into Thursday’s second leg. This season’s edition of Spain’s domestic Cup competition is the first since 1969-70, when teams from lower divisions began competing, that only topflight sides reached the last 16. Rangers continue to contest fine �No grudge against Lewandowski’ Wenger abuse �out of order’: Henry United creating new style: Angel City complete Bony signing Glasgow: Cash-strapped fallen Scottish giants Rangers said yesterday they would continue to challenge a £250,000 fine connected to undisclosed payments after losing an appeal. The club is adamant they should not pay the fine, issued by a commission appointed by the Scottish Premier League to look at the Rangers’ use of Employee Benefit Trusts when they were still a top-flight side. This fine was imposed before a financial collapse saw Rangers go into liquidation and a new company formed to oversee club affairs. Doha: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer holds no grudge against teammate Robert Lewandowski for not picking him but Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Player poll. Neuer said yesterday at Munich’s winter break training camp in Qatar that “it is legitimate that a striker votes for another striker. I have no problem with this”. Neuer added Lewandowski’s choice also showed that the poll is fair without any backroom dealings. Real Madrid star Ronaldo was elected World Player a third time on Monday. London: Arsenal great Thierry Henry has criticised fans who verbally abused the club’s manager Arsene Wenger in comments published by several British newspapers yesterday. A small group of supporters were caught on camera barracking Wenger as he boarded a train following Arsenal’s league defeat at Stoke City last month. “You can be upset, I totally understand that. But when I saw what happened at Stoke I was like, �That’s totally unnecessary.’ What I saw after the Stoke City game was out of order,” he said. London: Manchester United winger Angel di Maria yesterday urged supporters to support the new style being introduced by manager Louis van Gaal. United were renowned for swashbuckling wing play under Alex Ferguson, but under Van Gaal it is the wing-backs who provide the width, with the midfielders playing narrowly. “We’re beginning something new here. We’ve got a new style, we’ve got a new manager and we’re all working hard to make sure we’re putting Manchester United back where it belongs,” the Argentine said. London: Manchester City have completed the signing of striker Wilfried Bony from Swansea City. Bony, 26, signed a four-anda-half year deal through 2019, City said on their website. “It’s a great feeling for me, it’s a big honour to be here and it’s a great challenge,” Bony said. “As a player it’s always good to be part of one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s a good opportunity for me to be in that situation now - I’m really proud.” Bony scored 34 goals in 70 matches at Swansea. He led the League with 20 goals in 2014. AFP Madrid R eal Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti (pictured) has called on his players to approach today’s Copa del Rey last-16, second leg tie against Atletico Madrid with a cool head if they are to overturn a 2-0 first leg deficit. Since downing Atletico in the Champions League final in May, the European champions haven’t been able to beat Diego Simeone’s men in four attempts so far this season, but the Italian urged his side not to go for broke early on with the threat of an away goal making their task almost impossible. “We know how to play against Atletico because we know each other very well. We need to be intense, but we also need to have a cool head because we have 90 minutes to do it,” he said on Wednesday. “We don’t need to rush, we can’t lose our confidence and need to play with intensity. Atletico is a team that defends very well. They are the best team in Europe to defend a lead because they are very well organised.” Ancelotti confirmed he had all of his squad bar long-term injury absentee Luka Modric available, including Cristiano Ronaldo who picked up the third Ballon d’Or of his career in Zurich earlier in the week. However, the former Chelsea manager insisted that the Portuguese’s continual thirst for more will ensure he is in contention to win the prize again this time next year. “I think individual awards motivate him. I don’t think he will relax having won the Ballon d’Or. Tomorrow he will start working again to win it for a fourth time.” Ronaldo beat four-time winner Lionel Messi into second place for the second consecutive year and Ancelotti responded to speculation surrounding the Argentine’s future by claiming he would love to partner him and Ronaldo, although he acknowledged it is highly unlikely Messi would ever swap the Camp Nou for the Santiago Bernabeu. “You have to think that Cristiano is the flagship player of Real Madrid and Messi of Barcelona. Each one has their own history, it would be a great thing for us to have the two in the same team but it is difficult to think they are going to move.” Ancelotti also backed Gareth Bale after he was whistled by large parts of the Bernabeu faithful for failing to pass to Ronaldo when squandering a simple chance in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Espanyol. “It seemed to me very difficult to pass the ball at that time so I didn’t need to speak with Gareth. “He is playing very well. I think he is in optimal physical condition. Tomorrow he will have a great game.” Gulf Times Thursday, January 15, 2015 11 FOOTBALL ASIAN CUP PREVIEW BAHRAIN VS UAE: 10AM QATAR TIME FOCUS Bahrain keeper prepared to face UAE danger men �After losing the first game, we now have the chance have to get a positive result’ �Not impossible’ to reach Ronaldo level, says Honda AFP Melbourne J apan’s Keisuke Honda has become the latest player to aspire to the lofty heights of Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at an Asian Cup seemingly full of them. The playmaker told Japanese media yesterday that he felt he was not far off the level of Ronaldo, who won his third world footballer of the year award earlier this week. “There is supposed to be a limit to how many goals one player can score but (Ronaldo) keeps knocking down those limits,” Honda told the Sankei Sports newspaper after scoring from the spot in Japan’s 4-0 thrashing of Palestine in their Asian Cup opener. “But he’s just a human being, just like me, so I don’t want to say it’s impossible (to reach Ronaldo’s level),” added the AC Milan player, who scored from the spot against in Monday’s game. “That’s what I’m always striving for.” Several players at the Asian Cup have been compared to Ronaldo, including South Korea’s Son Heung-Min who has been dubbed “Sonaldo” by his Bayer Leverkusen teammates. While the super-serious Honda was waxing lyrical, his Japan teammates have displayed a more relaxed demeanour and were spotted sipping espressos at the airport on Tuesday as they made their way to Brisbane for their second game of the tournament. Iraqi and Bahrain are among teams at the Asian Cup fancifully boasting their own �Ronaldo’ but Honda appears determined to leave his mark on the competition after Japan’s World Cup flop last year left him in floods of tears. Holders Japan, winners of a record fourth Asian Cup title after beating Australia in the 2011 final, face Iraq in their second Group D game and are joint favourites to win the competition along with the host Socceroos, who have scored eight goals in two games. Honda rather grumpily tore into the standard of refereeing after Japan’s rout of Palestine and as he prowled around Newcastle airport in designer sunglasses, the rest of the team posed with fans and signed autographs, stopping for a cup of coffee before boarding their flight. Japan’s final group game will be against Jordan in Melbourne on January 20. UAE’s Ali Mabkhout celebrates his goal against Qatar during their Asian Cup match in Canberra on Sunday. (AFP) Agencies Sydney B ahrain goalkeeper Mohamed Abbas says that he is ready to face the challenge from Asian Cup hotshots Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil when his side take on the United Arab Emirates today. “As a goalkeeper, I am aware of this player (Ali Mabkhout), as well as Ahmed Khalil,” Abbas told a news conference yesterday. “They are good players who are very dangerous. But we have the strategies and a specific style which can help us stop the UAE attack.” Mabkhout and Khalil both bagged braces in the UAE’s 4-1 victory over Qatar in the opening Group C matches. With no other players hitting doubles, they shared the honour of being tournament top scorer after the first round of games. Bahrain lost 2-0 to Iran and were left frustrated at conceding both goals from set pieces. “Tomorrow we need to focus more and not concede the same kind of goals,” Abbas said. Bahrain coach Marjan Eid is refusing to panic after the Iran defeat and instead believes his side are capable of getting back on track against Qatar. “After losing the first game, we now have the chance have to get a positive result,” he said. “We are not afraid to play against any team. “We played well and had a lot of opportunities to get a goal. Iran scored because of two mistakes and the players realised this after the match. They played well and believe they can repeat that performance for the next match.” Meanwhile, UAE coach Mahdi Ali warned his players not to rely too much on sparkling midfielder Omar Abdulrahman in the Asian Cup clash against Bahrain. Abdulrahman, whose frizzy mop of hair has similarities with Manchester United’s Marouane Fellaini, but whose play is more reminiscent of Barcelona’s Neymar, starred in UAE’s opening Asian Cup 4-1 thrashing of Qatar. The silky playmaker looked dangerous throughout, showing trickery and imagination as the Emiratis came from a goal down to run out clear winners against their Gulf rivals in Canberra on Saturday. A win against Bahrain today would all but see UAE progress to the quarter-finals from Group C. Ali expects 23-yearold Abdulrahman to shine again—but he called on every player to do their bit. “Of course Omar is a talented player, he’s one of the main players in the team,” Ali told reporters. “I was very happy that he played 90 minutes against Qatar because he has come back after one-and-a-half months out injured. “But we are playing as a team and Omar is a member of the team. For him to be doing his best and showing all his qualities and abilities he needs support from the team,” the manager added. Bahrain must get something from the match if they are to have any chance of making the knock-out stages after losing 2-0 to Iran in their first game. BOTTOMLINE Brazilian clubs seeking slice of American pie Reuters Sao Paulo lined the importance of marketing and TV coverage, with the Florida Cup games being broadcast live to 125 countries. E PACKAGE DEALS The Brazilian clubs also believe they can make money from their own fans by selling package deals to see the games as well as to watch training sessions and even fly with the team. “In addition to what the club will receive for competing in the Florida Cup, we can also generate revenue from pitch-side advertising, TV rights and the sale of travel packages that include tickets to the game and for visits to the training centre to watch training sessions,” said Alexandre Ferreira, Corinthians’ marketing manager. Fluminense have a partnership with Gatorade, and Corinthians have deals with Fox Broadcasting to advertise The Simpsons and with Disney. The other blossoming relationship comes in ownership. In addition to Silva at Orlando, three Brazilians own Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Orlando make their MLS debut in March, while the Strikers play in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second level of US football. Former Brazil, Real Madrid and Inter Milan striker Ronaldo last month snapped up a piece of Fort Lauderdale and declared he was looking to the future. “There are no doubts that the beautiful game is growing exponentially in the US, and I guarantee you that the NASL will play a key role in the rise of professional soccer here,” Ronaldo said. Ronaldo played for Corinthians and the Sao Paulo side are using the Strikers’ training centre as their US base. uropean teams have been making inroads into the US with transfer deals, franchise partnerships and pre-season tours and now Brazilian clubs are seeking a slice of the action on and off the field. Brazilians are investing in US clubs and two Brazilian teams are in Florida this week for pre-season training and challenge matches against German sides. Edu Gaspar, the former Arsenal player who is now Corinthians Director of Football, said: “For a long time now the club has been looking for an opportunity to promote itself in the US.” “We have managed to find an important competition with clubs that are equally important and under conditions that suit us.” Corinthians will this week play in the Florida Cup, a four-team tournament that includes Bayer Leverkusen, 1. Cologne and Rio de Janeiro’s Fluminense. Corinthians play Cologne and Fluminense face Leverkusen in Orlando today. Two days later Corinthians take on Leverkusen and Fluminense meet Cologne in Jacksonville. The Brazilian clubs will use the games as warm-ups for the state championships which begin at the end of the month but more important than facing top European sides are the commercial possibilities. GROWING STATURE The US game is growing in stature, with New York City FC signing a franchise deal with part-owners Manchester City and Former Brazil, Real Madrid and Inter Milan striker Ronaldo last month snapped up a piece of North American Soccer League team Fort Lauderdale Strikers. top players like Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard signing for LA Galaxy, who he will join after the Premier league season. Brazilian football, meanwhile, is in the doldrums on and off the pitch thanks to decades of mismanagement. Almost all the top clubs are heavily in debt, with many owing players and managers months of back pay. Even with 12 new stadiums built for the World Cup, the average first division crowd last year was 16,562, less than in Japan, Mexico, China—and the US. Brazilian clubs can see US football is growing—some Major League Soccer matches are now broadcast live in Brazil—and they want to form closer ties with the country. “This is one more opportunity for the club to establish a presence in the North American market, showing off its brand and its players,” Marcelo Teixeira, Fluminense’s executive director of football, said of the Florida tour. US clubs are waking up to the interest, with Orlando creating a Portuguese-language website and tourism packages for Brazilians. “After Canadians, Brazil represents the biggest group of foreign visitors to Orlando,” Orlando City’s Brazilian president Flavio Augusta da Silva told Reuters in an email. “Brazilians spendbns of dollars each year in Florida. And Orlando City will be an integral part of Brazil’s most beloved tourism route.” Fluminense and Corinthians under- Keisuke Honda of Japan. SPOTLIGHT AFC prez backs refs despite criticism Reuters Sydney A FC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifah (pictured) has ignored the complaints of players and coaches about the standard of officiating at the Asian Cup and praised the work of the referees. The Bahraini, accompanied by Asian Football Confederation general secretary Alex Soosay, met with officials in Sydney on Tuesday, a day after Japan’s Keisuke Honda slammed the performance of the Qatari referee in their 4-0 win over Palestine. “Shaikh Salman relayed his trust in the referees’ ability and his hope that they would continue their positive contributions to the tournament, something which would greatly help further enhance the reputation of referees in Asia,” the AFC posted in a release. Honda had described Abdulrahman Hussain style of officiating as “basketball like” after what he felt was another substandard performance by Asian referees at the show piece. Hussain dished out five yellow and one red card to the Palestinians, who produced some rough and tumble tackles in Newcastle with Ismail al-Amour fortunate not to also be sent off after a studs in the chest challenge. “I don’t want to complain but they have to change something about the level of referees,” Honda was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. “During the game I don’t want to say that because I don’t want to waste my energy but it was like basketball, right? If we touched their bodies it was a foul.” Honda’s compatriot Ryuji Sato also had a poor game officiating Australia’s 4-0 win over Oman on Tuesday. The Japanese referee only booked Ahmed Mubarak for a dangerous two-footed lunge on Tim Cahill in the first half, while he questionably pulled back play for a penalty to the hosts despite Mark Milligan already putting the ball in the net. Iran boss Carlos Queiroz also voiced his complaints that Australian official Ben Williams, the 2013 AFC referee of the year, allowed too many strong tackles in the 2-0 win over Bahrain. “I was not happy because after nine, 10, 12 fouls, stopping the game systematically. The referee must take action,” the former Portugal and Real Madrid boss said. “For a referee so quick to show a yellow card when one of my players didn’t hear the whistle, I was completely surprised that, when he sees Bahrain’s negative game, after 10 fouls in a row, he didn’t give them a single yellow.” Thursday, January 15, 2015 AFC ASIAN CUP GULF TIMES PREVIEW QATAR VS IRAN: 12NOON QATAR TIME REPORT Iran wary of wounded Qatar but focused on their own effort �After the good competition at Gulf Cup, we expected something different’ Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi (second from right) speaks to his players on the eve of their Asian Cup match against Iran yesterday. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil Agencies Sydney I ran are aware they face a wounded Qatar in their Asian Cup Group C clash in Sydney today but they are intending to focus on their own team rather than worry about the opposition. “Definitely, we have a difficult game against Qatar tomorrow,” midfielder Andranik Teymourian told a news conference yesterday. “They lost their first game against the United Arab Emirates and they’ll try their absolute best tomorrow because it’s their final chance if they want to qualify for the knock-out stages.” Teymourian did not train with the team on Tuesday, instead going through checks with medical staff, but dismissed concerns over his fitness. “After the Bahrain game, I felt a little fatigued in my leg muscles,” he said. “With the team doctor and staff, I did attend training in the fitness room. We went through check-ups and I’m feeling completely fine. I will train with team today.” With Teymourian recovered, coach Carlos Queiroz could potentially name an unchanged eleven from that which defeated Bahrain 2-0 in the opening game. But the Portuguese hinted that some tactical alterations could be made, even if he would not contemplate wholescale rotation. “The decisions I’m going to make for tomorrow are based on tactical adjustments,” Queiroz said. “Our group is quite different from Australia’s group, in our group, we have four candidates with the Red letter day for China, North Korea exit AFP Melbourne S uper-sub Sun Ke fired China into the Asian Cup quarter-finals yesterday as North Korea crashed out. Sun’s superb solo effort after 68 minutes, moments after coming on, gave China a pulsating 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan and sent them into the knock-out stages for the first time since 2004. China coach Alain Perrin promised to crack open some expensive bubbly later back the team hotel as his players celebrated by diving into ice baths after securing top spot in Group B. “I will open maybe two bottles of good champagne,” beamed the Frenchman. “I think I will ask my players to join us.” However, there was bitter disappointment for North Korea, who scored their first Asian Cup goal for 23 years but still lost 4-1 to Saudi Arabia and were eliminated. Iran coach Carlos Queiroz, who launched a scathing attack on match officials after his side’s 2-0 win over Bahrain, reacted sarcastically after being asked by the Asian Football Confederation not to comment on referees in his official news conferences. “I don’t know if we’re entitled to give opinions about refs,” said the former Real Madrid manager, dubbed �Rottweiler’ by former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson during two spells as assistant at Old Trafford. “After 32 years of my work in football I was never told I cannot give an opinion about the game.” It was a red letter day for the Chinese, runners-up in 1984 and again as hosts in 2004 and now suddenly dark horses for a first Asian Cup title. China did it the hard way, going behind to Odil Ahmedov’s deflected shot after 22 minutes. They dragged themselves back into the match, however, Wu Xi equalising with a sharp finish 10 minutes into the second half before Sun’s cracker triggered wild celebrations on the Chinese bench. PLUCKY DISPLAY China’s barnstorming comeback spelled doom for North Korea at the other end of the table, while the Saudis breathed new life into their campaign after being upset 1-0 by the Chinese. North Korea took an early lead when Japan-based midfielder Ryang Yong-Gi slammed in the rebound after Pak Kwang-Ryong’s fierce drive had been parried by goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah. But Naif Hazazi equalised with a clinical finish against the run of play eight minutes before the interval. The Saudi forward’s joy was unbridled, having fluffed a penalty against China at the weekend. Mohamed al-Sahlawi poked the Gulf side in front seven minutes after the break, before profiting from some horror defending to roll in a third as North Korea began to unravel. Nawaf Alabid added a fourth and Saudi Arabia, who won the last of their three Asian Cup titles in 1996, face 2011 semi-finalists Uzbekistan for the right to join China in the knockout stages on Sunday. “I knew North Korea would be dangerous and they gave us trouble,” he said. “But I was confident we would wear them down. We had to take some risks. Sometimes you have to assume risks to win.” Pyongyang frequently lavishes cars and apartments on athletes who bring glory to the state, but the North Korean players at least had the consolation of being cheered to the rafters by a crowd of 12,000 in Melbourne for their plucky display. “We began well but we conceded a soft second goal and that caused us a lot of mental stress,” Jo said. “After that we just lost concentration.” FOCUS Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi. Iran coach Carlos Queiroz (left) and midfielder Andranik Teymourian. possibility of reaching the second round so we cannot take chances.” Queiroz said Qatar’s 4-1 loss in their opening match was not a true reflection of their ability and that he expected a tough challenge. “It will be a difficult game for both teams,” he said. “We know that we face a well prepared and motivated Qatar team after their success in the Gulf Cup. “We just once again try to oppose the team of Qatar with our football, our attitude, and try to do our best to be the best team on the pitch.” players after they lost big to UAE despite opening the scoring through “Qatari Maradona” Khalfan Ibrahim. “We played like a friendly game. It wasn’t our day. Especially after the good competition we had at the Gulf Cup, we expected something different,” he said. “But now it’s in the past and we need a reaction. Of course we are all disappointed and the players more than anyone. They have now the ambition to make a different game tomorrow.” Belmadi added that it was a “decisive” match for Qatar against Carlos Queiroz’s Iran, who contested a World Cup last year. But he said the task was not beyond his players. “I know this group that I have. I chose �DIFFERENT GAME’ Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi said his biggest job had been to lift Qatar’s downcast Iran players take part in a training session on the eve of their Asian Cup match against Qatar yesterday. them and I know that we are able to change things and I know that we can do much much better, even when things look difficult, for some people impossible. For us it’s not impossible,” he said. Belmadi deflected questions about his future with Qatar. The Algerian won the Gulf Cup with the future World Cup hosts in November but his Asian Cup plans threaten to unravel after last week’s 4-1 reverse to neighbours UAE. Despite the Gulf Cup win, Belmadi, who was appointed last March, will be aware that 30 different coaches have taken the hot seat since 1990. “You would have to ask the Qatari football federation,” he said. Jordan striker Hayel mistreated in drug test, says JFA Reuters Melbourne S triker Ahmad Hayel was mistreated during a doping test following the 1-0 loss to Iraq in the Asian Cup on Monday, the Jordanian Football Association said yesterday. Hayel arrived back at the team hotel “suffering from semi-coma, general weakness, and hypothermia”, the Jordanian Football Association (JFA) said in a statement, adding they had filed a complaint to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The 30-year-old “tired” player vomited in the doping room, which was too cold, and failed to complete the test after playing the full 90 minutes in the Iraq loss, the JFA said. Citing evidence from their medical officer who accompanied Hayel, the JFA added the player was only given water to drink, “without salts or electrolytes” in the four hours he spent waiting to give a sample. “He was in a semi-coma status suffering low blood pressure, and at the end the player was sent to the hotel by a car and not with an ambulance and carried to a wheelchair while he was unconscious,” the JFA said. The AFC defended the antidoping procedure and said the player should not have consumed so much water. “The AFC Medical Officer always recommends players selected for doping control to drink water as per normal practice, especially for the player who has played for 90 minutes,” said doctor Paisal Chantarapitak who attempted to conduct the test. “It is at the player’s discretion to follow the recommendation or not. The player is not forced Jordan’s Ahmad Hayel (left) vies for the ball with Iraq’s Yaser Safa Kasim during their Asian Cup match on Monday. (EPA) to drink plenty of water in short time.” The AFC added that the doctor decided to cancel the test after Hayel experienced “some dizziness, felt nausea and vomited after his second attempt, which was an hour after his first”. Earlier, a JFA spokesman said Hayel had been ruled out of tomorrow’s Group D match against Palestine in Melbourne after the “cancelled” doping test but the player could yet feature. “Due to the previously mentioned conditions that resulted in Hayel’s bad health condition and the lack of medical care at the doping room, the player might be unable to play Jordan’s next match against Palestine,” the body said. Experienced striker Hayel has represented his country more than 60 times and plays his club football in Kuwait with Al Arabi. FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, the head of the JFA, wished Hayel a speedy recovery, the body said.
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